January 2008 Archives
FA CUP (5th Round Draw)
The FA Cup has a habit of pitting the big guns against each other in the early rounds and after today's draw the most mouth watering of ties awaits us again.
Premiership leaders and Champions Manchester United will face Arsenal at Old Trafford in the fifth round in the most glamorous of all the ties decided today.
The clash of the top two sides in the Premiership will make many recall memories of the fiery encounters between the likes of Roy Keane and Patrick Viera (pictured left) in seasons gone by.
The other Premiership heavy weights left in the competition, Liverpool and Chelsea both secured comparatively easy draws in contrast.
The Reds host Barnsley at Anfield while Avram Grant's Chelsea will welcome Huddersfield Town to Stamford Bridge.
There are a number of other intruiging ties for football supporters to look forward to and the ties are scheduled to take place on the 16th and 17th of February.
SIX NATIONS RUGBY
FA CUP 4TH ROUND
If you ever wondered why the FA Cup has more charm than any other football tournament in the world then just fix your eyes on Anfield tomorrow afternoon at 3pm and you'll find out exactly why.
There in one of Europe's most celebrated stadiums you'll see little Havant and Waterlooville bidding to do the impossible and dump Premier League giants Liverpool out of the FA Cup.
The side who play in the Blue Square Southern non-league division will face the seven times winners Liverpool knowing that a victory would be acknowledged as the greatest ever FA cup shock result of all time.
While the Havant part-timers have faith in their abilities having knocked Bognor Regis, Fleet Town, Leighton Town, York City, Notts County and Swansea City out of the cup so far bookies are offering odds of a staggering 100/1 on them defeating the side managed by under-fire Spaniard Rafael Benitez.
However, impossible as it may seem, this is the perfect time for Havant to play the multi-millionaire professionals as the Reds are in crisis.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS
Roger Federer's bid to win his third Australian Open title in a row and fourth all together is still alive after he defeated Czech Tomas Berdych to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The World Number one next faces American James Blake after seeing off the challenge of the 13th seed Berdych in straight sets by 6-4, 7-6, 6-3.
A confident Blake told reporters on Monday that despite losing all seven matches which he's played against the Swiss star he still believes he can defeat Federer.
He said "I'll give it my best shot and I plan to cause him some trouble. No matter who you are you can take Roger to the limit."
Elsewhere in the men's singles fifth seed David Ferrer defeated fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-1 and will play number three seed Novak Djokovic after the Serb saw off home town favourite Lleyton Hewitt 7-5 6-3 6-3.
The player to watch down under though is World Number two Rafael Nadal. The man from Mallorca will play Finn Jarkko Nieminen in the quarter final and knows that if he can win this tournament he will take the top ranking off Federer.
Eighth seed Venus Williams progressed to the last eight in the women's competition at the expense of Poland's Marta Domachowska.
PREMIERSHIP FOOTBALL
The managerial career of Rafa Benitez at Anfield has almost gone is reverse. In his first season he won the Champions League with the Reds but three seasons on he's struggling to make any impact and his job hangs by the thinnest of threads.
For most clubs winning a Champions League and FA Cup in three seasons would be a wonderful achievement but Liverpool supporters are crying out for League success on the domestic front.
Sadly for them they haven't been able to close the gap on the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in recent seasons under Benitez and a recent run of poor results has caused unease on Merseyside.
The Spaniard has a close relationship with the supporters but his excessive rotation policy causes many to wonder if he really understands what it takes to win the most difficult league in the world.
Critics will also point to the fact than Benitez insisted on playing England's most gifted footballer Steven Gerrard out of position for the best part of two seasons only now realising that the Captain needs to slot into the middle of the park.
However while the Liverpool manager has failed to deliver at times any attempts to remove him from his position would be lunacy at this time.
PREMIERSHIP FOOTBALL
The crisis at St.James Park is now so deep that supporters are crying out for a man with no proper managerial experience to take control of the side.
True, Alan Shearer may be a legend on Tyneside but surely supporters up north can see the difference between a great player and a gifted manager.
Theres no reason why the Newcastle United record goal scorer cannot become a good coach eventually but at this point in time he is not qualified for one of the toughest jobs in Premiership football.
So far he's wisely decided to distance himself from the job but mounting pressure from both the club and the supporters may force Shearer's hand if no other suitable managerial candidate is located.
Given his 'God-like' status with Newcastle supporters Shearer knows that taking the job now could seriously jeopardise his relationship with those very same fans.
If he fails to deliver the Magpies in the stands will start to voice their disapproval with volume.
Many argue that the likes of Sunderland manager Roy Keane jumped in at the deep end when he took over at Newcastle's biggest rivals but the comparisons are not fair on the Cork man.
RUGBY UNION
PREMIERSHIP FOOTBALL
Never before has England's top domestic league seen such a ruthless streak by club owners as managers are being sacked on a weekly basis.
Sam Allardyce became the latest victim when Newcastle United confirmed they would be terminating the 53 year old's contract after a string of poor results for the Tyneside club.
Allardyce is the eighth Premiership manager is have lost his job this season with the likes of Raphael Benitez of Liverpool seemingly running on borrowed time.
There could be more P45s dished out in the coming weeks as Newcastle eagerly attempt to put a new manager in place.
Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp and Blackburn Rover's Mark Hughes have been touted as possible candidates for the job.
The nature of the Premiership and the massive financial rewards success brings sees club owners and directors eager for immediate achievemnet on the field.
FOOTBALL
There have been calls from across the world of football for players to undergo compulsory heart screening after the recent death of Motherwell Captain Phil O' Donnell.
The 35 year old collapsed during Motherwell's 5-3 victory over Dundee United at Fir Park.
As thousands turned out to mourn the passing of the Scottish midfielder many asked why his heart condition had not been detected before.
Now groups such as the Professional Footballers Association has urged clubs to do more to safeguard player's health.
PFA Chief Gordon Taylor said " It is important for clubs to carry out health checks themselves. You can never tell if someone has a particular heart defect. It is like with any high intensity sport - you are never quite sure about the heart until it is put to an extreme test."
Heart screening could begin at clubs in Scotland from as early as next season.
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TENNIS
World number one Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Kooyoung Classic in Melbourne just a week before the start of the Australian Open.
The Swiss player cited a stomach virus for his withdrawal and says he's confident he will be defend his title.
However Federer has yet to play this year and many believe he will be rusty before this, the first grand slam tournament of the season.
Speaking to reporters down under today Federer said " After arriving in Australia I came down with a stomach virus and it continued to get worse. The doctors have advised me that I should take a couple of days off to recuperate so that I am able to be 100% for the start of the Australian Open."
The 26-year-old, who has been number one in the world since February 2004, won the Australian open for the first time four years ago and recaptured the trophy again in 2006 and 2007.
Qatar Open winner Andy Murray does compete in the eight man exhibition pre-tournamnet warm up but German Tommy Haas has also pulled out with a shoulder injury.
INTERNATIONAL CRICKET
FA CUP
