Friday, August 29, 2008

Wenger chasing new faces

The Arsenal boss openly admits he would like to add another midfielder to his squad, which lost the likes of Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and experienced Brazilian Gilberto this summer.

Although Samir Nasri - who has already scored twice in three appearances - arrived from Marseille for US$24 million, there have been calls for Wenger to add more established stars to his depth of youthful talent.

Arsenal director Danny Fiszman maintains Wenger has money to spend - and that the board would back their manager if he wanted to splash US$60 million on one player.

The likes of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, England international Gareth Barry and also £8million-rated Swiss playmaker Gokhan Inler have all been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium, while Wenger on Friday insisted there was "no interest at all" in Feyenoord's Jonathan de Guzman.

Wenger, who landed Lassana Diarra on deadline day 12 months ago, said: "Last year it was at midnight - and we are ready to stay up all night this time if it is needed.

"We have still a long time to go.

"For a while they all talk the talk and nothing happens, then in the last four or five days every half-an-hour there is a headline saying someone has signed somewhere.

"When you have experience of transfer dealings, you know that as long as something is not signed you know it can change very quickly so you can look very silly, so you don't want to come out and announce it."

Wenger added: "We are out to look, if we find the right players we will do it, one or two.

"However, I believe it's more interesting for us to focus on our strengths and quality rather than looking outside. I know it makes headlines, but it doesn't make you win games."

Wenger again rejected the suggestions he needed to bring in a big name with a hefty fee, as title rivals Chelsea have done more than once this summer.

"I buy the players I feel strengthen the squad, after that I consider the price," he said.

"I do the job I think it has to be done, considering the resources of the club and considering our ambition, and the players we have.

"I know the media and supporters sometimes too are happy with big numbers, but for me what is most important is big quality. Sometimes both are linked, but not always."

Arsenal shrugged off any talk of a crisis when they thrashed Steve McClaren's FC Twente side at Emirates Stadium in midweek to book their place in the Champions League group stages once again.

The Gunners reward was a couple of potentially tricky away journeys to Dynamo Kiev and Fenerbahce, while Porto also await in Group G.

Wenger said: "There will be some long, difficult trips - but we want to cope with it and of course come out of it.

"It gives you an edge in the Premier League if you qualify early, then you are not under stress to give absolutely everything in one important game later in the group."

Arsenal will aim to get their domestic challenge back up and running after defeat at Fulham when Newcastle come to Emirates Stadium for tomorrow afternoon's early evening kick-off.

The Toon Army have been galvanised by the return to form of their England striker Michael Owen, who has netted in both of his appearances so far - including an extra-time winner in the Carling Cup at Coventry.

Wenger is a big fan of the former Liverpool and Real Madrid frontman.

"When I arrived in England, Owen was a young boy, very promising, and he looked absolutely fantastic because he was very quick, sharp and intelligent in front of goal," said the Arsenal manager.

"He is not just a goalscorer, he can make assists, has good link play, makes runs. Owen gets where he needs to be as he reads the game."

Arsenal have no fresh injury worries and Wenger is likely to rotate his squad - which could mean a return to the starting line-up for Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who was relegated to the bench against Twente.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Lewis wary of Ferrari threat

Having dominated the British and German grands prix, Hamilton headed to the Hungaroring full of confidence and in the lead of the Drivers' Championship.

However, the McLaren driver was quickly brought down by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who pulled off an aggressive overtaking move to take the lead of the race.

The Brazilian was on course for the victory, which would have handed him the lead in the Drivers' standings, before an engine failure three laps from the checkered flag put an end to his charge.

Massa's retirement proved to be Hamilton's blessing as it allowed the McLaren man to extend his lead in the Championship to five points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

But with seven races still to be run Hamilton says McLaren need to heed the warning issued by Ferrari in Hungary and up the pace if they hope to win this year's titles.

"In a way, the result in Hungary was a very important lesson for the team: it showed us in no uncertain terms that we cannot afford to be complacent and need to work hard throughout the summer break to make sure we can hit back strongly in Valencia," Hamilton told his website.

"You can never underestimate a team like Ferrari, and we know they'll be pushing just as hard as us to gain an advantage for the remainder of the year.

"Who knows, if we'd had an easier race in Hungary, maybe it would have come back and bitten us later in the season, so I feel confident that we won't be taking anything for granted.

"I know that everybody in Woking, Stuttgart and Brixworth will be working flat-out to make sure we can be strong in all the remaining races."

Monday, August 11, 2008

'We did not play quality cricket' - Kumble

After surrendering the series to a clinical Sri Lankan outfit, India have to face up to and deal with the sour truth that they only won one session of this game. Left to rummage through the remains of yet another overseas series squandered after a memorable comeback, Anil Kumble, India's captain, had few positives to pick out.

"We missed out on a good opportunity to beat Sri Lanka," Kumble said. "We did really well in Galle to come back and we did not capitalise on the winning of the toss here. You cannot lose five wickets in the first 40 overs of a Test. That happened to us quite regularly in this series which is something we need to think about."

With a hundred more runs in the first innings the outcome of this match could have been different. However, India's famed middle order failed again - twice. Chaminda Vaas again went wicketless and Muttiah Muralitharan was nowhere near his best, but Dammika Prasad and Ajantha Mendis bowled with guile and accuracy to rock the boat. That spelt the death knell for India, Kumar Sangakkara's match-winning hundred boarded up the coffin, and Ajantha Mendis and Murali returned to hammer in the nails.

"For a new batter to go straightway and face two spinners it is never easy," Kumble said. "People who got starts, if they had converted it would have been a different story. I do not want to give excuses. Overall we did not play quality cricket to win the series."

India's inconsistency ultimately proved pivotal. In Galle, India were 167 for 0 and lost four wickets in a post rain-interval passage; a similar story unfolded in the second innings. At the PSS Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, India's success stories with the bat, threw it away in the second innings when the demand was solidity.

This was also arguably the worst series for India's famed middle order. Sachin Tendulkar looked a shadow of himself in scratching 95 runs at 15.83 and Sourav Ganguly, who batted so brilliantly against South Africa at Ahmedabad and Kanpur in his last series, was a phantom in Sri Lanka, making 96 runs. Rahul Dravid's tentativeness at the crease this series has betrayed a tinge of insecurity, and VVS Laxman managed just two fifties, out five times to Mendis.

"It is not just one or two players [who we should blame]," Kumble said. "It is important that everyone contributes. I do not think there was enough contribution throughout the series from the middle order consistently. Even the lower order did not contribute consistently except one game here. That is obviously something that let us down."

Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma turned in match-winning performances in Galle but otherwise there was little to speak of in the bowling department. Except for Harbhajan, who took 16 wickets, no bowler averaged less than 30. Kumble, India's highest wicket-taker ever, had a series to forget. His eight wickets at 50.00 was his worst three-match series since India played Pakistan in 2006. "I take responsibility," he said, before quickly opting to take the clichéd route, "but the bowlers put their hearts in."

The saving grace of defeat is that it invariably brings lessons. As Kumble pointed out, India have a month-and-a-half to think about what needs to be done before a four-Test series against Australia. "That's still a lot of time for us to think and reflect on what went wrong," Kumble said. India's time starts now..

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Kovalainen maiden win...

Just three days after being handed a new contract with McLaren for the 2009 season, Kovalainen underlined his potential with a lucky, but deserved success in Hungary, becoming the 100th F1 winner.

However, given Raikkonen's renowned love of vodka and reputation for partying, Kovalainen may yet regret asking his fellow Finn for a suggestion on how to mark his maiden success.

"I will take him out!" replied Raikkonen with a grin.

Kovalainen, though, would appear to prefer a quieter celebration as he said: "I haven't been to my real home in north Finland for a long time, so I think I will go there at the end of the week.

"I will celebrate the day with my people in Suomussalmi village where I'm from.

"I've a little karting race organised on Saturday which has become a tradition for the last five or six years, but now it will be a very special event having won this race.

"It will be nice to go and see my people there, my family, but then it will be back to business, although I will even try to get something out of the break."

Formula One may head into its summer holiday, but Kovalainen knows behind the scenes there will be no let up as all at McLaren will be determined to build on three successive wins.

"I'll spend a bit of time in Woking talking to the engineers and preparing for the next race [European Grand Prix, Valencia]," added Kovalainen.

"This win doesn't turn my world completely upside down, even if there was a two-month break now.

"I'm happy about it, but this is just part of the goal I set myself because now the next goal is to repeat this, and then after that to do it again.

"We just need to keep up our concentration all the time."

Fortune played a part, but then after the rotten luck Kovalainen has endured on occasions this season, the 26-year-old was overdue a rub of the green.

Running third behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the latter first suffered a sidewall puncture to the left-front tyre of his McLaren on lap 41.

Then just three laps from home, Ferrari suffered an engine failure for the first time since the Japanese Grand Prix of 2006, denying Massa the win.

A respectful Kovalainen added: "Of course I feel a little sorry for Felipe, and even for Lewis, because they both drove a great race.

"But I know how they feel because I've had similar moments myself this year, quite a few times

"After Saturday I've been in a position to fight for the victory, but something has always gone wrong, something hasn't functioned perfectly.

"So to stand on the top step of the podium and to hear the Finnish anthem playing for me was fantastic. It was a great moment.

"It is something I have been targeting for many, many years now."

Timo Glock took a surprise second in his Toyota ahead of Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in his Renault, with Hamilton fifth.

The 23-year-old now has a five-point lead over Raikkonen and eight on Massa, with Robert Kubica 23 points down after he could only manage a lowly eighth in his BMW Sauber.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Vaughan steps down as captain..

Michael Vaughan has resigned as England captain following the series defeat against South Africa, which was sealed by the five-wicket loss at Edgbaston on Saturday.

The decision was announced during a hastily arranged press conference at Loughborough even though yesterday evening Vaughan said he "would let the dust" settle on the defeat.

Paul Collingwood has also stood down as one-day captain, meaning that England will announce a new captain for both forms of the game on Monday. The frontrunner is Kevin Pietersen, who is a fixture in both teams. Collingwood is currently serving a four-match suspension for a slow over-rate.

An emotional Vaughan said he felt the time was right to go and will take some time out of the game and won't play in the final Test at The Oval, though he remains available for selection for future England contests.

"It's the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but also the easiest," said Vaughan. "I put my heart and soul into the job but if I kept on going my career could have come to an abrupt end. I think this decision will prolong my career.

"I thought it might be time to go in New Zealand, where my body was working well but my mind was not working well. I will always cherish the support I've had, but this is a weight off my shoulders.

"I had every ambition to lead the England team to the next Ashes Series but as England captain I feel I've run out of steam," he added. "I believe that the best thing for the team is to embark on a new direction under a new captain.

"I also believe the best thing for me is to try and get back to being best batsmen I can be. I'll still have all the experience and knowledge to pass on and I hope to be a valuable player for both my county and the England team

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans who have always been so supportive and have provided a huge inspiration to me as captain. A captain is only as good as his teams and I've been fortunate enough to captain some terrific players and great blokes."

It brings an end to Vaughan's 51-match run as captain, four games short of becoming England's long-serving leader, although his 26 victories makes him, statistically, the most successful captain.

"He's led from the front and always led with integrity and honesty. He's been the best possible ambassador for the England cricket team," said managing director Hugh Morris.

However, the pressure on Vaughan has been growing in recent months despite back-to-back series victories against New Zealand. The series loss to South Africa is England's third in five series, dating back to the 1-0 reversal against India last summer. They then lost by the same margin in Sri Lanka before losing the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton. Vaughan led a shake-up of the team by dropping Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison and England hit back to take the series, but the performances were not convincing.

Adding to the stress on Vaughan has been his own lack of runs. He has made 40 in five innings against South Africa, consistently being troubled by the pace bowlers, and his last ten Test have produced just one century and an average of 22.

He took on the role against South Africa in 2003, following Nasser Hussain's resignation which also came after an Edgbaston Test. His first Test in charge, at Lord's, was a thumping innings defeat, but he subsequently secured victories at Trent Bridge and The Oval as England shared the series.

The defeats in the past two weeks at Headingley and Edgbaston were the first time he has lost back-to-back Tests and a hallmark of his reign as captain was how England could bounce back from defeats. His finest moment was the 2005 Ashes victory, although he was also at the helm for historic away successes against West Indies in 2004 and South Africa in 2005..

source:Cric Info

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Champs Trophy still under threat...

Though the ICC has retained Pakistan as the hosts for Champions Trophy in September, Imran Khan and some other former captains have said they think the tournament might be moved in the last hour citing security concerns.

The World Cup winning skipper said he was pessimistic about the chances of Pakistan staging the Champions Trophy because "it is close to impossible to convince countries like Australia and England about the security situation here".

"The security concerns are many and when we have 65 suicide attacks last year so the foreign players are obviously scared of coming to Pakistan," Imran said.

Another former skipper Javed Miandad echoed similar sentiments as Imran. He said he does not know how the tournament can be staged when so many team are talking about the troubled security situation out there.

"I really don't know what to say but the way things are, the way foreign teams are constantly talking about the security, it seems difficult that the tournament would be held in Pakistan," he said.

Miandad said if the Champions Trophy is shifted, the blame should squarely move to the PCB since it has not done enough lobbying to convince other countries about the situation in the country.

"If the government gets involved, it might help the PCB's cause," he said.

Another former player, on conditions of anonymity, said that the ICC decision to have a special task force to inspect last minute arrangements in Pakistan is a facade.

"It is all a ploy to reduce the blow for Pakistan when they finally shift the event away from here to Sri Lanka. If India takes a strong stand then the ICC and the countries not wanting to send their teams to Pakistan might come under pressure," he said..
Now a days cricket is being more like a Independence day or a republic day, looks it needs a lot of security measures....I hope this is not to be continued any more...Let the cricket be held in a peaceful manner...plz do not Involve terrorism into this..