Champions League Minimal score brings luck: 1-0 in semifinals decided once again Ozren Podnar reports... Do you plan to win the Champions League or the UEFA Cup? We suggest that you win by 1-0 on aggregate in the semifinals. This score was lucky for Manchester United (so lucky themselves in the finals against Chelsea), but also to Barcelona, Liverpool, Sevilla, Porto and Valencia. In the past seasons many clubs fulfilled their dream of lifting a European trophy after minimum wins in the semis. It worked for Liverpool no less than twice: after the aggregate 1-0 against Barcelona they beat Alaves in the 2001 UEFA Cup finals and four years later the story repeated itself against against Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals and Milan in the finals. The magical 1-0 against Deportivo did the trick for Porto in 2004 Champions League as they went on to defeat Monaco in the finals. In the same season, Valencia took the UEFA Cup after nailing Villarreal by a mere 1-0. That was not the end, because a 1-0 against Milan sufficed to Barcelona to reach the 2006 League finals and subsequently the trophy at the expense of Arsenal. The Gunners, incidentally, also reached the finals thanks to a 1-0 over Villarreal. Amazingly, even Sevilla collected their first UEFA Cup after a 1-0 aggregate against Schalke, and the only goal was scored by now late Antonio Puerta. The mystique of the minimal win continued this season, as Manchester United defeated Barcelona by 1-0 in the semis. It is no doubt curious that every final saw many more goals after the single goal in the 180 or 210 minutes, ranging from two in Valencia vs Marseille (2004) and Manchester vs Chelsea (2008) to nine in Liverpool vs Alavés (2001). Imagine that: Liverpool reached their last two winning finals with a total of two goals in 360 minutes only to score eight goals (plus penalties) in the finals themselves. Lucky, lucky 1-0 2001. UEFA Cup: Liverpool vs Barcelona 0-0 1-0 2004. Champions League: Porto - Deportivo 0-0 1-0 2004. UEFA Cup: Valencia - Villarreal 0-0 1-0 2005. Champions League: Liverpool – Chelsea 0-0 1-0 2006. Champions League: Barcelona - Milan 1-0 0-0 2006. UEFA Cup: Sevilla - Schalke 0-0 1-0 2008. Champions League: Man. Utd. - Barcelona 0-0 1-0 Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Eurokupovi Polufinalnih 1:0 još jednom presudilo! Planirate osvojiti Ligu prvaka ili Kup UEFA? Preporučujemo da u polufinalu pobijedite s ukupnih 1:0. To je iskusio Manchester United, ali i Barcelona, Liverpool, Sevilla, Porto i Valencia. U zadnjih osam sezona niz je klubova ostvario san dizanja europokala nakon minimalnih pobjeda u prethodnoj rundi. Liverpoolu je to uspjelo čak dvaput: 2001. je s 0:0 i 1:0 izlučio Barcelonu i zatim osvojio Kup UEFA protiv Alavesa s 5:4; četiri godine kasnije istim je skorom u polufinalu nadmašio Chelsea i potom u finalu Lige prvaka svladao Milan jedanaestercima. Portu je jednakih 1:0 bilo sretno 2004. u polufinalu Lige prvaka, a žrtva je bio Deportivo. Naknadno, u finalu, pregazio je Monaco s 3:0. Iste se sezone Valencia domogla pokala u Kupu UEFA, a prethodno je preskočila Villarreal s - 0:0 i 1:0! To nije bio kraj, jer je i 2006. Barci za prodor u pobjedničko finale Lige prvaka bilo dovoljno 1:0 i 0:0 u poluzavršnici s Milanom. Tada je i Arsenal u istoj fazi natjecanja postigao jednak rezultat protiv Villarreala, ali mjesta na vrhu bilo je samo za jednog. Neobično, iste je sezone Sevilla dogurala do završnice Kupa UEFA, potom i do trijumfa, zahvaljujući 0:0 i 1:0 nad Schalkeom, a jedini je gol bio djelo danas pokojnog Antonija Puerte. Čarolija minimalnog ishoda ponovila se 2008., s koliko je Manchester United nadmašio Barcelonu u polufinalu. Naposljetku, baš u svakom finalu palo je više pogodaka nakon 180 minuta "minimalca" u polufinalima, od dva u dvobojima Valencije i Marseillea (2004.) i Manchestera i Chelseaja (2008.) do devet u meču Liverpoola i Alavesa (2001.). Zamislite: Liverpool je s ukupno dva gola došao do dva pobjednička finala, u kojima je potom zabio osam golova, ne računajući jedanaesterce protiv Milana! Minimalac donosi sreću 2001. Kup UEFA - Liverpool - Barcelona 0:0 1:0 2004. Liga prvaka - Porto - Deportivo 0:0 1:0 2004. Kup UEFA - Valencia - Villarreal 0:0 1:0 2005. Liga prvaka - Liverpool - Chelsea 0:0 1:0 2006. Liga prvaka - Barcelona - Milan 1:0 0:0 2006. Kup UEFA - Sevilla - Schalke 0:0 1:0 2008. Liga prvaka - Manchester Utd. - Barcelona 0:0 1:0 Copyright Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Champions League Triumph of the Premiership as English clubs take it all Manchester United and Chelsea will meet on May 21st in Moscow in only the third single-nation Champions League finals. The first ever such event dates back to 1999/00, when Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3-0 in Paris. Three years later, Milan edged Juventus by 3-2 on penalties in Manchester. This is the epilogue of the Champions League semifinals, in which the winners overcame their opposition by just one goal. Paul Scholes put Manchester United through at Barcelona's expense with a sensational strike from 18 meters early in the game, while in the other semifinals Chelsea finally overcame Liverpool after two narrow defeats in previous encounters. Didier Drogba was the hero with two goals in what may prove one of his last games for the Blues before a reported transfer to Milan. The finals in Moscow will be the second act of the season's drama which witnesses a gigantic duel between United and Chelsea in the Premier league and in Europe. On the other hand, Liverpool's loss at Stamford Bridge meant the end of an unique tradition which saw them win nine successive semifinals in all European club competitions. Last time they were stopped at this stage was back in 1970/71 against Leeds in the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup (now incorporated in the UEFA Cup). Champions League semifinals Liverpool vs Chelsea 1-1 2-3 Barcelona vs Manchester Utd. 0-0 0-1 Finals Chelsea vs Manchester May 21st Path to finals Manchester Utd. Group stage Sporting 1-0 2-1, Roma 1-0 1-1, Dinamo Kiev 4-2 4-0 Round of 16 Lyon 1-1 1-0 Quarterfinals Roma 2-0 1-0 Semifinals Barcelona 0-0 1-0 Chelsea Group stage Rosenborg 1-1 4-0, Valencia 2-1 0-0, Schalke 2-0 0-0 Round of 16 Olympiacos 0-0 3-0 Quarterfinals Fenerbahce 1-2 2-0 Semifinals Liverppol 1-1 3-2 Copyright Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Two top coaches in the English capital crashed this week and are recovering from their injuries. The first victim was a French national, Monsieur Arsene Wenger, whose vehicle 'Arsenal' (named after him), took the wrong turning from off a successful road to a league and European double, smashing into Liverpool in the Champions League, before being hit again by Manchester United in the Premier League. Arsenal have for my money played the sexiest football around this season, but once more were outwitted by cannier clubs when it counted, teams who exploited the Gunners' perennial inexperience and lack of grit when under pressure. A wonder goal such as that conjured up at Anfield by the irrepressible Theo Walcott and lethal Emmanuel Adebayor deserved to win any game, but only seconds later, Arsenal were outmuscled and shocked by an English-style counter and Liverpool scored via a questionable penalty. United exploited their home advantage and experience to dismiss the Gunners from the title race the following Sunday, sending Wenger into new depths of madness, as he bleated about referees having a conspiracy against his club. The gleaming new Emirates Stadium is thanks largely to that man, who has transformed London's top club into regular European contenders for the first spell in their long history. But Wenger, for all his tactical and inspirational genius, shames himself by his frequently one-sided post-match rants. It ill-behoves a coach of his talent to claim refs are out to get his team, when replays prove the Gunners benefit from at least as many 50-50 calls as anyone else. Equally, can there be anything more ridiculous than the comical 'I didn't see it' defence he trots out whenever the press needles him on such calls in Arsenal's favour? The second victim is Chelsea's Avram Grant, who under withering pressure from success-bloated 'fans', reported player dissatisfaction and above all the tabloids, 'lost it' with the press on Thursday evening. Grant answered in almost monosyllables alone to the press after his team won 1-0 at Goodison Park against Everton. It was terrific entertainment and I say Bravo, Avram! Managers should repay the contempt the press lob at them. Memories are extremely short at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho was too combustible a personality for people to work with for much longer, and was fired because the results were poor at the start of the season. Grant has done a fine job in taking over from such a legend and keeping Chelsea in contention for both the league title and Champions League. Anti-semitism has reared its ugly head this season amid the Chelsea-haters, but the Israeli coach may yet have the last laugh. Another coach trying to keep the wheels on the road is Rafael Benitez at Liverpool. It seems crazy that the two American owners, who have fallen out incidentally, were gunning to replace the Spaniard with the untested Jurgen Klinsmann. Benitez works miracles in the Champions League and like, Wenger, revitalised a big club which seemed to be running out of steam. All three of the above managers, whose clubs are in the top four in the league and all reached the Champions League quarter-finals, have had their names mentioned in the UK press this week as possible summer axings. That any of Benitez, Grant and Wenger should be facing dismissal is ridiculous, but also a telling comment on the insatiable and utterly unrealistic demands of the new breed of soccer investor-operators, who have no feel or real understanding for the game. Only Sir Alex, high in his Old Trafford castle after 22 years of fortification, seems safe. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Champions League report Old acquaintances meet again The semifinal clashes in this season's Champions League have joined old foes who have run against one another many times in the European competitions. Manchester United and Barcelona have played seven games in the UEFA's competitions while Liverpool and Chelsea have met on six occasions, all of them in the last three years. United and Barcelona have a very evenly balanced score with two wins for each team and three draws. The Red Devils have been a bit more successful as they achieved a better score on two occasions, with one tie and one loss. Their first encounter took place in the Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinals in 1983/84, when United performed a sensational comeback against total favorites that Barcelona were at the time with Diego Maradona and Bernd Schuster in their ranks. The first leg on Camp Nou ended 2-0 for the Catalans, but a young Mark Hughes helped United towards an unlikely 3-0 at Old Trafford in the return match. After surviving infamous episodes at Barcelona and Bayern, Hughes returned to Manchester in 1988, in time to lead his old club to another unexpected triumph. With two goals the Welshman knocked down Cruyff's Barcelona in the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup finals. Hristo Stoichkov and Romário gave Barça a wonderful 4-0 win over United in the 1995 Champions League group stage, which ultimately cost the English side a place in the quarterfinals. Finally, in 1998/99 these two teams played two spectacular 3-3 draws in the group stage, but these scores favoured United, who went through together with Bayern, and in the end beat no other than Bayern in the finals at Camp Nou. In the previous three seasons Liverpool topped Chelsea twice in Champions Cup semifinals and between those matches other two encounters ended with goalless draws. Amazingly, in the six games only three goals were scored, two for Liverpool and one in Chelsea's favour. One of these goals, scored by Liverpool's Luis García in 2005, was in fact illegal, which makes the two teams' scoring output even more miserable. Quarterfinals 2007/08 Schalke vs Barcelona 0-1 0-1 Roma vs Manchester Utd. 0-2 0-1 Arsenal vs Liverpool 1-1 2-4 Fenerbahce vs Chelsea 2-1 0-2 Previous matches Manchester Utd. vs Barcelona 1st 2nd 1998/99 Champions League 3-3 3-3 1994/95 Champions League 0-4 2-2 1990/91 Cup Winners' Cup 2-1 1983/84 Cup Winners' Cup 0-2 3-0 Liverpool vs Chelsea 1st 2nd 2004/05 Champions League 0-0 1-0 2005/06 Champions League 0-0 0-0 2006/07 Champions League 0-1 1-0 4-1 (pen) Copyright Ozren Podnar and Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

World Soccer News for week of 04/02 Czechs new European champions, says an analysis The Czech Republic will win the next European Championship by beating Italy in the finals, while France and Portugal will suffer dismal failure in the first round. This is the prediction of UBS Wealth Management Research, the company that accurately predicted Italy's win at the 2006 World Cup. The analysis is based on a complex model that takes into account the current estimated quality of the teams, their history in the competition, home field advantage and economic and monetary factors. After all the factors were weighed, UBS worked out that the Czech Republic and Switzerland would go through from the first group, Germany and Croatia from the second, Italy and the Netherlands from the third, Spain and Greece from the fourth group. Switzerland would then upset Germany, the Dutch would kick out Spain, the Czech Republic would take care of Croatia, while reigning champs Greece would succumb before world champs Italy. In the semis, Italy would see off the Netherlands and the Czechs would put an end to the Swiss hopes. Finally, Czech Republic will edge Italy with the narrowest of odds, 51% to 49%, which suggests that the winner will be determined in extra time or on penalties. Dinamo Zagreb closest to the title The month of April has barely begun and one country could already salute its soccer champions. Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb is a mere two points away from their third consecutive title since they are leading Hajduk Split by 19 points with seven games to go. If Dinamo defeat Inter Zapresic on Sunday, or if both Hajduk Split and Slaven Belupo fail to win, the Croatian league will already be solved as far as the top spot is concerned. In the past two seasons, the Zagreb Lions were also quite convincing. Two years ago, their final advantage over Rijeka was 11 poins, whereas last year Dinamo ran away from Hajduk by 20 points. Close to the title, but not just as close as Dinamo, are PSV Eindhoven in Netherlands and Rangers in Scotland. The Glasgow blues are four points in as many matches away of regaining the league after three seasons, while it will take PSV five points to make it four in a row. Finally, Porto will repeat the title if they collect six points in the remaining seven games. Malaysian laws to stop Chelsea's Asia tour Chelsea may cancel their summer tour of Asia if Malaysia does not allow their two Israelis to enter the country (and, presumably, guarantee their safe stay and return). Due to the absence of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and Israel, the midfielder Tal Ben Haim and the coach Avram Grant would not be able to be with the team during the preparations. "We are certainly not go on tour without our head coach. That mini tour is the key part of our preparations for the next season. There is no point of going there withoug the key man from our technical staff," said Chelsea's executive director, Peter Kenyon. However, should Chelsea fail to win a trophy this season then Grant would surely be sacked and then the Blues would be able to enter Malaysia with a non-Israeli coach. Mexico dumps Hugo Sánchez Mexican national team coach Hugo Sánchez has been unceremoniously dumped from his post by decision of the country's FA. "The FA's assembly unanimously voted to terminate our last coach's contract," said the secretary general, Decio de María. The official added that "Hugo Sánchez's tenure was a colossal failure", announcing Jesús Ramírez as the interim successor. Ramírez is the coach who took Mexico's U-17 team to the world title three years ago in Peru. Sánchez's undoing was the failure to win the qualification for the next summer's Olympic's. The greatest Mexican player in history was named coach in late 2006 and his contract would have normally ran out in 2010. Romário postpones retirement again One of the most venerable veterans, 42-year old Romario de Sousa Faria, has yet again postponed the retirement. The great Brazilian forward said this week that the claims of his imminent retirement were false. Curiously, the claims were made by Romário himself a day earlier. "I have not stopped playing. I am jobless and waiting for new offers," said to the Globo television one day after announcing his "adeus" to soccer in an interview to O Dia daily. Romario played his last game for Vasco da Gama last November, when he was given a four month suspension for using a hair-growth product containing an obscure banned substance. In the meantime, he worked as Vasco's coach, but quit the job as the club's chairman tried to interfere with his coaching decisions, including line-ups. Eduardo da Silva on the way to recovery Arsenal's Eduardo da Silva is doing fine in his recovery from a horrific ankle injury. He has had his cast removed and replaced with a protective air boot and now he is about to undertake the next stage of his rehabilitation in Brazil. After a check-up in a London clinic where the surgery had been performed on his shattered left ankle, the doctors informed the Croatian international that the traumatized tissue and the broken bone were healing well. Eduardo had worn cast for exactly five weeks after that misfortunate tackle from Birmingham's Martin Taylor put him out of action for a period estimated at around nine months. Raúl González makes history Who is the most effective Spanish forward besides Liverpool's Fernando Torres? Obviously Raúl. However, unlike Torres, Real Madrid's skipper is not in coach's Luis Aragonés's plans for the forthcoming Euro 2008. The irrational veteran coach does not appreciate the fact that Raúl last week scored his 16th league goal of the season, raising his career totals to 290 official goals for Real Madrid. The captain, who is having his best season after 2000/01, is currently the second all-time scorer for the royals, tied to legendary Carlos Santillana, but is only 26 goals short of the top scorer Alfredo Di Stéfano. Since Raúl is only 30, he will have plenty of time for overtaking Di Stéfano possibly by the summer of 2009. Incidentally, Raúl has played 475 games in the Primera división, scoring 205 goals. In 14 seasons, he has stayed unter 10 goals just in four of them. Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Champions League review England in extasy as Milan and Real fall It looks like three English teams will make it to the semifinals of the Champions League, just like they did last season. Arsenal or Liverpool are sure to be there while Manchester United and specially Chelsea are favourits against Roma and Fenerbahce, respectively. We may well see a repetition of last year's semifinals setup with Liverpool, United and Chelsea, with Barcelona instead of Milan this time. Well, last year Milan defeated the English competitions, United by a 5-3 aggregate in the semis and Liverpool by 2-1 in the finals, but Milan is out, after being well defeated by Arsenal in the eight-finals. Milan: End of an era The Gunners cut short the magnificent Milan's European run since the 2001/02 season. In the last six campaigns, Red and Blacks made it at least to the quarterfinals, in fact playing five times in the semifinals. Such balance made the Italians the most successful European side in the said period. Since 2002, when they were stopped in the UEFA Cup semis by Borussia Dortmund until last season's grand finale in Athens against Liverpool, Milan failed to make the last four just in 2003/04. On that occasion it took a magnificent performance by Deportivo to kick Silvio Berlusconi's boy out of the competition. Apart from that incident, Milan won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, got narrowly beaten by Liverpool in 2005 and eliminated in the semis of 2006 by eventual winners Barcelona. Arsenal have thus made history as the team that ended the latest era of Milan's continental domination, but making it past Liverpool will take an extra effort. The Champions League is Rafael Benítez's lucky ground and the Reds in Europe regularly look quite a different side, significantly superior to the one seen in the Premiership. Prediction: Liverpool to progress Manchester United last year demolished Roma by 7-1, the heaviest defeat in the club's European history. This season in the group stage the Devils won by a mere 1-0, salvaging a draw in Rome. Francesco Totti and the rest of the ragazzi may be closing on United, but they are not matching them yet. Prediction: Manchester United by a narrower margin this time Of all English sides, Chelsea should have the easiest task against the ferocious Turks from Fenerbahce. The Canaries from Istambul boast a reported army of 20 million fans, but Roman Abramovich's invested millions will count far more on the pitch. Prediction: Chelsea absolutely must go through In the remaining tie, the mighty Barcelona's squad face Schalke, theoretically the weakest side left in the competition. The Germans are struggling even in the Bundesliga, where they have practically surrendered all chances of winning the title (the fans are accustomed to them doing that, by all means). But, this is a spirited, fighting German team which will engage Barca stars in a pitched battle with some, not many, hopes of pulling a stunning upset. Prediction: Barcelona is so much more talented Round of sixteen 1st 2nd Schalke 04 vs Porto 1-0 0-1 (4-1 pen) Arsenal vs Milan 0-0 2-0 Roma vs Real Madrid 2-1 2-1 Liverpool vs Inter 2-0 0-1 Olympiacos vs Chelsea 0-0 0-3 Celtic vs Barcelona 2-3 0-1 Fenerbahce vs Sevilla 3-2 2-3 (3-2 pen) Lyon vs Manchester Utd. 1-1 0-1 Quarterfinals (1/2nd and 8/9th April) Arsenal vs Liverpool Roma vs Manchester Utd. Schalke 04 vs Barcelona Fenerbahce vs Chelsea Copyright: Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Andy Greeves I’ve never been the most patient of individuals and on the eve of watching Tottenham Hotspur in their first cup final in six years, frankly, I’m a mess. I’ve often heard footballers talk about how they can’t sleep the night before a big match, or how the preparation for a game is much harder than actually playing. It’s the same for us fans. Ever since the final whistle sounded at White Hart Lane on Tuesday 22 January, the night we beat Arsenal 5-1 in the League Cup semi final, second leg, my mind has been focused on nothing other than Sunday’s final. I’ll take this opportunity to apologise to my girlfriend, my family, work colleagues and friends, who have had to endure my hyperactivity and constant cup final talk ever since. While fans of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all to used to playing regularly in cup finals in recent years, for Spurs supporters, it’s a far rarer experience. Especially for the younger generation of Lilywhites, who have been brought up on the tales of the double side of ‘61, the great European nights and FA Cup triumphs, yet never experienced such success for themselves. Spurs competed in just two finals in the nineties and including Sunday, have managed only a further two in the 21st century. For that reason alone, I think my hysteria ahead of the showdown with Chelsea is fully justified. Football supporters often assimilate events in their own lives with that of their team. They can remember a certain year on the basis of what kit they were wearing that season or where they finished in the league. I’m the same and in the run up to the Carling Cup Final, I can help but indulge in some shameless nostalgia. My first Spurs final was nine years ago, when we beat Leicester City 1-0 at Wembley. The game was far from a classic and my predominant memories of the match itself are of Justin Edinburgh’s sending off for striking (or should that be stroking!) Robbie Savage’s hair and Allan Nielsen diving to head a stoppage time winner. Moreover, I remember the excitement in the build up to the match, seeing Wembley for the first time and jumping up and down with my dad when we scored. Sol Campbell captained the side that day and who would have thought at the time that, just two years later, he would be turning out for Arsenal instead. I’ve avoided watching too many replays of that game as the sight of Campbell holding the League Cup aloft in a Spurs shirt angers me, in light of his subsequent defection. Back in 1999, I studying for my GCSE’s, I had massive crush on Britney Spears and thought my brick-sized Nokia 5510 mobile was the best thing since sliced bread. I was using fake ID to get into clubs, had a particularly shocking haircut, encrusted in five layers of wet look gel and unsurprisingly, I hadn’t really had a proper girlfriend. My one true love was Tottenham Hotspur and having started going to games at the beginning of the 90’s, I was already completely hooked by this date. My bedroom was covered in posters, I had a Spurs rug, lamp, bedspread, curtains… the list is endless. David Ginola was my idol and I’ll never forget watching him. One of the most natural footballers you could ever hope to see and a man who could bring life into the most ordinary of matches. To this day, the Frenchman probably rates as my favorite Spur, despite having also seen the likes of Lineker, Sheringham, Gascoigne and Berbatov ply their trade in the famous Lilywhite shirt. By our next cup final appearance in 2002, things were a little different for both myself and Spurs. I was in my first year of university, handily enough in Cardiff, where the Worthington Cup Final against Blackburn Rovers would played. Glenn Hoddle was still enjoying a honeymoon period as manager of his beloved Tottenham Hotspur and in the semi-finals, we had delightfully beaten Chelsea 6-3 on aggregate. Having a cup final involving Spurs play in Cardiff in my first year their as a student seemed like fate. I could see the Millennium Stadium from the pitches I played football on in university and I lived just a 15 minute walk from town. As soon as we beat Chelsea in the semi-finals, up went the scarves and balloons in my student halls of residence. However, my build up to the big game was far from ideal, when a friend of mine delayed in posting our application for final tickets, ultimately meaning we would miss out. To say I was annoyed with my ‘friend’ is an understatement, in fact I’ve hardly spoken to him ever since. From the feeling of total jubilation I had experienced only a few weeks earlier, when I was at the Lane to see us beat Chelsea 5-1 in the semi-final, second leg, I now had to resign myself to the fact I wasn’t going to the match. I cut a sombre figure, happy for my team, but ultimately devastated that I wouldn’t be at the Millennium Stadium. My friends, all supporters of other teams, cheered me up by offering to come and watch the game in a pub near the ground. They all promised to be Spurs fans for the day, despite their allegiances with the likes of Oldham Athletic, Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday. So the Sunday came, I donned my Spurs shirt and bought a programme as if I were heading to the match. I also brought a sign I had written with me which pleaded for a spare ticket and I had £150 in my wallet which I was prepared to part with to get in. I spoke to various touts who wanted £500-600 for one ticket, including Spurs season ticket holders and members that had travelled all the way to Cardiff, just to make a profit rather than go the game themselves. I was sickened by these individuals and despite the fact I wanted to go to the match more than anything, refused to negotiate with these types of characters. Just as the game was about to kick off, a man approached me offering me a ticket in the Spurs end for £150. I bartered with him and got the price down to £120, at which point I swapped cash for ticket and dashed into the ground. I feel immense sympathy for the thousands of supporters that have missed out on tickets for this Sunday’s game, because nobody should have to pay over the odds to see their team, especially when it is their own so-called ‘fans’ that are ripping them off. Unfortunately, people with a similar attitude as mine will always be part of the problem, in that they will pay what it takes to see their team in a cup final, through love for their team. After all the stress of getting a ticket, the match proved to be highly disappointing for me and the 30,000 odd Spurs fans that had made the journey to Cardiff. Blackburn won, what was a highly entertaining match, by two goals to one. But having been overriding favourites going into the final, this seemed and ultimately proved to be yet another false dawn for our long suffering supporters. It was also the beginning of the end for legendary players like Teddy Sheringham and Darren Anderton. Despite playing on to this day, the 2002 Worthington Cup Final was their last chance to win something for Tottenham Hotspur, having playing nearly 600 games for the north London club between them in their career. It was also my last opportunity to see Spurs play in Cardiff while living there, as I headed off to London upon graduating three years later. So for myself, the team and all our great supporters, Sunday’s game is absolutely massive. The front of the official match day programme for the final reads, ‘For today, nothing else matters’. That just about sums it up. I’m preparing for the big day as if it were a wedding. My specially embroidered cup final shirt and scarf have been hanging outside my wardrobe for over a week now and my choice of jeans, footwear and pants has been planned with similar detail. It’s the first final I’ve experienced Spurs going into the game as underdogs., yet ironically, this is by far and away a better Tottenham team than graced the 1999 or 2002 games. It will be time for me to stop the nostalgia as I step out of my door on Sunday, for then, my focus will be entirely on the day. Such single-mindedness will be needed by all the players I’ll be cheering on, if we are to be successful. Old cliché I know, but you go to Wembley to win and this is what I want and believe Tottenham Hotspur can achieve against Chelsea. http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/columnists/andy-greeves.html Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

World soccer news: For week of December 20th Soccer Crusaders: Crosses on shirts upset Moslems Soccer is known for knocking down many barriers, except for those fortified in religious fanatism. One Baris Kaska, a Turkish lawyer from Izmir, filed a complaint against UEFA with the local court asking for the annullment of Inter Milan's 3-0 Champions League win over Fenerbahce on account that the "Italians wore a red cross on a white surface." For Kaska, a clear symbol of the Crusades. "The cross reminded me of the bloody days of the past. In my opinion, the design of the shirt openly suggests the superiority of one religion," claims Kaska. Naturally, the complaint has no chances of prospering since UEFA approved the design of Inter's reserve kit, inaugurated on the occasion of the Milan club's forthcoming centenary. Indeed, Inter had the sensitivity to ask Fenerbahce whether they would object to their using the crossed shirt at San Siro, and the Turks said no problem. Barcelona, who sell tons of shirts in Islamic countries, have forestalled a possible customers' boycott by redisigning their coat of arms in the batches intended for Moslem markets. Instead of the city's patron saint St George's cross in the upper left corner, Barça's coat of arms on sale in Islamic states cointains an ordinary vertical red line on the white surface. "They don't tolerate crosses, be it Barça's or another club's," said a Spaniard living in Saudi Arabia to the La Vanguardia daily. "Barcelona's merchandise sells well, but it would not be the same if there was a red cross drawn within a white square." John Terry six weeks out of action Chelsea's captain and England international John Terry will spent at least six weeks on the sidelines after sustaining an injury during the London derby against Arsenal. The team doctors confirmed Terry broke three bones in his left foot. The international defender tried to continue playing even after Eboué's rough tackle, but the pain was too strong, forcing him to abandon the pitch. Eboué apologized to Terry for the tackle before getting injured himself. This has been yet another blow to the Blues, already without Ricardo Carvalho since the early stages of the season. The brave skipper could return to action against Birmingham in late January and should certainly be ready for Fabio Capello's England debut against Switzerland at Wembley on February 6th. Kaká's double triumph The journalists who determine the winner of the Golden Ball in France Football's poll have a similar taste to that of the coaches and skippers of national teams taking part in FIFA's contest for the world's best player. As a consequence, the same player has won the Golden Ball and the FIFA's award in the same season for the tenth time in 17 years. This year's double winner is Milan's Kaká, the fifth Brazilian to have unified the two most prestigious individual prizes in soccer. That was not the end to Kaká's astonishing run of trophies: by winning FIFA's World Club Cup, the 25-year-old attacking midfielder has become only the second player to have won the set of soccer's most distinguished trophies. Just like Marco van Basten in 1989, Kaká has collected the Champions' League, the Supercup, the World Clup Cup and the Golden Ball. Van Basten could not win FIFA's player of the year award simply because it was not given before 1991. Here are the ten double-winners since 1991, when FIFA started to award the prize for the top player of the year. Golden Ball plus FIFA award 1992. Marco van Basten (Netherlands) 1993. Roberto Baggio (Italy) 1995. George Weah (Liberia) 1997. Ronaldo (Brazil) 1998. Zinedine Zidane (France) 1999. Rivaldo (Brazil) 2002. Ronaldo (Brazil) 2005. Ronaldinho (Brazil) 2006. Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) 2007. Kaka (Brazil) Inzaghi like Cruyff and Rijkaard! Filippo Pippo Inzaghi has become the third European player to have scored a goal in all three finals of club cup competitions in the same cycle. Before Pippo, only two Dutchmen achieved that distinction. The first was Ajax' Johan Cruyff, who scored twice against Inter in the Champions' Cup, twice against Rangers in the Supercup and once against Independiente in the Intercontinental Cup in 1972 and early 1973. Eighteen years later, Milan's Frank Rijkaard repeated the feat in the games against Benfica, Sampdoria and Olimpia of Asunción. Milan's third hat-trick AC Milan has joined for the third time the select group of the elite European clubs who won the three most important international trophies in one competitive cycle. Before winning the World Club Cup by beating Boca Juniors 4-2, Milan collected the Champions' League at the expense of Liverpool (2-1) and the European Supercup against Sevilla (3-1). The world's most successful club picked up their first two hat-tricks in 1989 and 1990 under the guidance of Arrigo Sacchi. This elite group includes Ajax (twice), Porto, Juventus and Real Madrid. Hat-trick of titles 1972. Ajax 1987. Porto 1989. Milan 1990. Milan 1995. Ajax 1996. Juventus 2002. Real Madrid 2007. Milan Wanchope says goodbye in January Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rica's top soccer export, will bid a final farewell on January 13th against Sweden in San José. The gigantic striker, who announced his retirement last month, will play his final game at the national Ricardo Saprissa stadium, where he debuted for the national team back in 1996. The former Derby County, West Ham and Manchester City player scored 45 goals in 73 appearances for Costa Rica and was the country's top scorer until Rolando Fonseca recently overtook him. European leagues' top scorers Kruno Lovrek, the leading scorer in the Croatian 1st Division, is the highest scoring player in all of Europe with 14 hits, a goal above a group of six players with 13 goals each. This group includes Celtic's Scott McDonald and Ajax' Jan-Klas Huntelaar alongside two other players from the Croatian League – Nikola Kalinic and Radomir Djalovic. Only two strikers from the top leagues are present among the European top scorers: the French boy wonder Karim Benzema of Lyon and Juventus' David Trezeguet, both with 12 goals. The Spanish number one is Sevilla's Brazilian Luis Fabiano with 10 goals, while both in the Premier League and Bundesliga the leading scorers are still within single digits. Bayern's Klose and Toni, Hamburg's Van der Vaart and Werder's Diego have finished the first part of the season with nine goals on their account, like Arsenal's Adebayor, Manchester United's Ronaldo and Everton's Aiyegbeni. 1. Kruno Lovrek (Zagreb) – 14 goals 2.-7. Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk) – 13 Radomir Đalović (Rijeka) - 13 Jan-Klas Huntelaar (Ajax) - 13 Gheorghe Bucur (Politechnica T.) – 13 Scott McDonald (Celtic) - 13 Hakan Yakin (Young Boys) - 13 8-17. Karim Benzema (Lyon) - 12 David Trezeguet (Juventus) - 12 Oleksandr Hladki (Šahtar) – 12 Peter Graulund (Arhus) – 12 Juraj Halenar (Artmedia) – 12 Sanel Jahić (Željezničar) - 12 David Bunderla (Primorje) – 12 Dario Zahora (Domžale) – 12 Marek Zienczuk (Wisla) - 12 Pawel Brozek (Wisla) - 12 Argentina bought 1978 World Cup, says a mafioso The former Columbian mafioso Fernando Rodríguez Mondragón has revealed new details of the scandal that allegedly took place at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and that cost the Brazilians the title. According to the ex-narco dealer, it was the then Argentinian vice-admiral, Carlos A. Lacoste, who masterminded the bribing of the Peruvian FA so that Argentina would beat Peru by at least four goals and qualify for the finals ahead of Brazil. "My uncle and dad were called by the players' agent Carlos Quieto asking them to mediate between the Argentinian and the Peruvian FA's, since he was the Peruvian FA's president's friend," said Mondragón to terra.es digital newspaper. "Two days before the key game, at the meeting in Lima, the Argentinian bought the favours of four players for 50,000 USD each, and their government gave Peru some grain free of charge," continued the infamous Guillermo Rodríguez Mondragón's son, promising to reveal all the names, amounts and other details of the scandal in his forthcoming book. Lacoste was the chairman of the World Cup organizing committee, short lived president of Argentina and long-time FIFA vice-president. Argentina won that World Cup by beating Peru 6-0 in the crucial semifinal group game and the Netherlands 3-1 in the finals. All players involved have always rejected claims of foul play. 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Weekly soccer news for week of December 9th Ozren Podnar Drug lords helped Argentina in 1978? Drug cartel from Cali bribed the Peruvian national team in order to help Argentina qualify for the 1978 World Cup, claims Fernando Rodríguez Mondragón, the son of the jailed drug lord Gilberto in his forthcoming book. At that World Cup celebrated in Argentina, the home team had to beat Peru by at least four goals in order to reach the finals on goals' difference ahead of Brazil. The final result of the match in Mendoza was 6-0, for which Mondragón claims the Argentinians should thank his father and his uncle, who had paid off the Peruvians. One of the Argentinian stars, Leopoldo Luque, said he and his mates did not spot anything strange in the Peruvia players' approach, except that they were very bad. "Soccer players are not actors. When they are up to something weird, it becomes obvious very soon. In that game, we noticed nothing of the sort. We were just so much better," remembers Luque, who scored two goals, as well as Mario Kempes. Mondragón also mentioned that his cartel attempted to sign Diego Maradona for América of Cali, but the deal failed to materialize due to superior offers that Maradona had from Europe. "The transfer did not come to fruition, but a lasting friendship remained between both parties," wrote the mafioso's son in the book called "Son of the Chessmaster 2", after his father's nickname. Syomin fourth Dinamo Kiev coach in a season Russian Yuri Syomin has become the fourth Dinamo Kiev's coach in the current season, by replacing the former Ukrainian international Oleg Luzhny. Previously coach to Lokomotiv and Dinamo of Moscow and of the Russian national team, Syomin has been given clear instructions as to what his mission is. "This team must never again embarrass themselves in Europe," said the president Grigory Surkis, referring to Dinamo's dismal campaign in this year's Champions' League. The most popular Ukrainian team started the season under Anatoly Demyanenko, who was soon replaced by Josef Szabo. Eventually, Szabo was succeeded by his assistant Luzhny, who was in turn sacked after five consecutive defeats in the international competition. Policeman injured in fighting with Red Star ultras A plain clothes policeman was severely bruised and burned in a clash with Red Star supporters during a Serb championship match against Hajduk Kula at Belgrade's Marakana stadium. The incident started when the agent attempted to arrest a local fan for lighting a firecracker. Other fans came to their mate's rescue and overpowered the policeman even though he fired two warning shots in the air. One of the hooligans even scorched the fallen man with the firecracker, inflicting him serious burns. The riot police quickly intervened and rescued the agent, who was transported to a hospital in stable condition. Several fans were arrested and will be tried for attempted homicide, but surprisingly three of the Red Star officials were detained as well on suspicion of having failed to provide safety during the match and having enabled the hooligans to smuggle in the pyrotechnical material. Within a separate police investigation, Red Star's secretary general Zoran Damjanovic was also brought in on charges of corruption and embezzlement relative to players' transfers, completing a dismal week for Serb soccer. Giggs makes it a hundred Manchester United's living legend Ryan Giggs scored his 100th Premier League goal in a match against bottom placed Derby County, helping the Red Devils move within a point of leaders Arsenal. United's 4-1 win coupled with a sensational Gunners' defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough means that the race for the Premiership title will be more exciting than thought during the previous weeks. Giggs, the 34-year-old Welsh Wizard, has been a regular feature for Manchester United since 1991 and is the team's most successful player in history as far as the trophies are concerned. Galatasaray want to retire Hakan The best known Turkish international, Hakan Sükür, has been advised to retire at the end of this season in order to cede the place to the players of the new generation. The 36-old forward has been told that he would be undesirable in the future because, as Galatasaray vicepresident Adnan Polat said, of his inability to fit into the new scheme. "We are in the process of creating a new team in which there will be no place for him. I have suggested to him that he should quit at the season's end. Should he fail to do this, we will terminate his contract," announced Polat. Galatasaray and Turkey legend, who scored over 200 goals for the club and 50 for the country, has no intentions of ending his career. "I don't plan to abandon the soccer scene. I wish to play for at least two more seasons," said Sukur, who is still going strong and scores with an astonishing regularity. Drogba undergoes emergency surgery Didier Drogba was surprisingly operated on his knee on Saturday in spite of an agreement with Chelsea directors about postponing the surgery for the forthcoming week. The Iverian forward will be back in action in about five weeks, but the Stamford Bridge faithfuls will not see him before the third week of February! If Drogba recovers in time, he will take part in the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, and if Ivory Coast makes good progress Chelsea will remain deprived of their first-choice striker for over two months. Drogba suffered from a long term problem with his knee, called degeneration of the meniscus, which he aggravated while representing his country. Corinthians like Manchester and Valencia Corinthians of Sao Paulo have become the latest in the string of big clubs to have been relegated in spite of their glamourous traditions. The second most popular Brazilian club, supported by no less a person than the President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, went from winning the title in 2005 to going down at the end of this season. The main reason for Corinthians' downfall is arguably the managerial chaos caused by the trials of the director Alberto Dualib and his associates for money laundering, embezzlement and other financial wrongdoings. While the supporters of their principal enemies, Sao Paulo and Palmeiras, are currently ecstatic over their archrivals' plight, Corinthians' fans believe their beloved team will soon return as most of the soccer greats relegated through results or FA rulings. Relegated giants Manchester Utd. (1974) Tottenham (1977) Milan (1982) Lazio (1985) Valencia (1986) Sevilla (1996) Fluminense (1998) Atletico Madrid (2000) Sampdoria (2000) Botafogo (2002) Leeds (2004) Borussia M. (2007) Forcibly relegated Milan (1980) Lazio (1980) Bordeaux (1991) Olympique Marseille (1994) Fiorentina (2002) Juventus (2006) Note: year of relegation in brackets Copyright Ozren Podnar7Soccerway Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting