Soccer Extreme : We sincerely hope that one day all marketers will realise the true value in using a half-nekkid footballer to sell products to women.

For example, if there was some sort of click-to-buy service attached to these images from jeweller Rosich Joiers, we would currently be the proud owner of several leather-look blazers, a bed, a white ladder and all the beaded bracelets our shaking-with-glee little wrists could carry. (kickette)

Soccer Extreme : England footballer Michael Owen is adding another to his hat-trick with news his wife is pregnant with their fourth child.

The Manchester United striker, is said to have told close friends he is 'absolutely delighted' that his wife and childhood sweetheart Louise is expecting.

They broke the news to their family this week after getting the all-clear following a three-month scan. The baby is due on March 3.

Former Newcastle player Owen already has three children with Louise, 29 - Gemma Rose, six, James Michael, three, and Emily May, one.

A family friend told The Sun: 'Michael and Louise have always been desperate to have a massive family. They are real home birds and their kids are everything to them.

'Louise is really excited but she's persuaded Michael not to ask if it's a boy or a girl. She wants it to be a surprise.'

Louise is now planning to give up her hobby of horse riding for the rest of her pregnancy.

She lives with Owen and their three children in a £1.6m home in Northop, Flintshire and there will be plenty of space at the sprawling mansion for the couple's growing brood.

Meanwhile the former Liverpool striker has insisted her remains as good a player as he was when he was England's leading striker.

The 29-year-old, who moved to Manchester United in the summer, has struggled to get a look-in under current England boss Fabio Capello.

But the Owen - whose career highlights in an England shirt include the game in Munich in 2001 when his hat-trick sunk Germany - still believes he is good enough to claim a place in the Italian's squad for next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

'I am not slower now than I was seven, eight years ago. No chance,' said Owen
in an interview with The Times.

'With the hamstring problems early in my career, they knocked a yard off my
pace straightaway, but since then I have been the same player and if anything I
have improved.'

Owen's luxury home where he lives with wife Louise and his three children

Soccer Extreme : Romance is in the air for Jonny Evans as he was left red faced when Sir Alex Ferguson urged him to tie the knot with his girlfriend (Kate Wathall) -as she sat in front of him at a packed press conference.

Ok in life its nice to go public with it but talk about put on the spot, as for fergy does he think he is a good marriage guru? rings are not cheap these days?

Watch the video below as fergy puts the spotlight on poor JE bless his cotton socks aww.Cahmpions League nothing can beat the drama. (boxofficefootball)

Soccer Extreme : Apparently Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit by a voodoo spell by a witch hired by a ‘famous acquaintance’ . They have apparently been hired to inflict a serious injury on the Real Madrid star.

“I have nothing against this grand club” wrote the anonymous witch in a letter to the El Mundo newspaper. “I am a professional and get paid very well for using my powers”

“I have been contracted so Cristiano Ronaldo suffers a serious injury. I can’t promise that will be, but I can say he will be injured for more time than he plays”

“The person who has contracted me is famous, and knows the player personally”

When I first heard it I thought it was complete rubbish (and a little part of me still does if I’m honest) but it’s really quite disturbing. Obviously if no actual spell has been cast then, there is the suggestion of working a bit of psychology on the star. I have studied a little sports psychology and it will be interesting to see if this affects his game at all.

But it’s weird right?

Soccer Extreme : A 28-year-old French soccer fan died in a Belgrade hospital on Tuesday after being injured in violence ahead of a Europa League match between Partizan Belgrade and Toulouse earlier this month.

Brice Taton sustained multiple injuries to his head and chest after a group of Partizan fans attacked him with iron bars and baseball bats in a central Belgrade bar on Sept. 17.

"Brice Taton died at 10 a.m. this morning," Belgrade's Medical Centre spokesman Drago Jovanovic said.

The violence, during which two other fans were slightly injured, took place several hours before Serbian champions Partizan and French first division side Toulouse played their Group J opener, which Toulouse won 3-2.

Police have arrested 11 assailants, including one they called the main perpetrator.

French Sports Minister Rama Yade issued a statement expressing condolences for the "barbaric" attack on Taton.

"This tragic event has grieved the whole of European football but cannot go unpunished: I call for the greatest severity against those responsible for this murder and I support the efforts of the Serbian authorities," she said.

She said she had been in touch with Belgrade and would speak to UEFA to "evaluate the means needed to protect football against this gangrene that is eating away at it."

Serbian authorities have expressed concern in recent weeks after several attacks on foreigners. At the last minute earlier this month, they withdrew permission for a gay pride rally in central Belgrade amid threats of violence.

Last week Serbia's public prosecutor asked the constitutional court to ban two far-right groups.

Soccer violence was rare in Serbia, and in the rest of Yugoslavia, under communist rule. It erupted after bloody conflicts in the Balkans tore Yugoslavia apart, resulting in what many experts say was a decline in moral and social values.

Taton appears to be the first foreign victim of soccer-related violence in Serbia, though Serbs have died in a rash of similar incidents in the last ten years.

A 17-year-old Red Star Belgrade fan died in 1999 when he was hit by a flare launched by Partizan fans from their end of the stadium during a city derby.

In August 2007 Partizan were thrown out of the UEFA Cup, the Europa League's predecessor, after their fans caused trouble at Bosnian rivals Zrinjski Mostar.

In December 2007, a Red Star Belgrade fan attacked a plainclothes police officer with a burning flare during a league match, and in September 2008 he was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder.

In April 2008, a Partizan fan was killed in a fight with Vojvodina Novi Sad rivals before a league match, and in August 2009 dozens of Red Star fans were arrested in Prague for hooliganism before their Europa League match against local rivals Slavia (reuters)

Soccer Extreme : One Crown Go behind the scenes with the 84 contestants competing for Miss Universe and see who is ultimately crowned Miss Universe 2009.



Watch the short film now.

Soccer Extreme : Corinthians’ official club shop is now offering a bobblehead version of Fat Ronaldo and the thing is just disturbing on about 15 different levels.

It looks like some kind of footballing version of The Joker — the angry eyebrows, pig snout, Jay Leno jawline, freakishly gummy smile, comically svelte body.


And this is his own club selling this abomination. If I were Fat Ronaldo, I’d be offended (except for the generous trimming they did around the torso).

Be sure to check back before Christmas, when they’ll go the next step and release a Ronaldo figurine that’s just a repackaged Gollem doll with his name and the club crest slapped on the base. (dirty tackle)

Soccer Extreme : Mexico, which has twice staged the World Cup, has withdrawn bids to hold the 2018 or 2022 tournaments, a senior Mexican Football Federation (Femexfut) official said.

"The decision is based on two factors, the world economic situation and the investment needs in (our own) infrastructure and (that of) third parties," Femexfut general secretary Decio de Maria said.

The withdrawal of Mexico, which staged the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, left Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Portugal, Qatar, Russia and the United States as candidates for the tournaments.

South African is hosting the 2010 World Cup and Brazil the 2014 one. FIFA will vote on the host nations for 2018 and 2022 in December. (reuters)

Soccer Extreme : Carlos Teves struck twice to bury his old club West Ham - then said sorry to their fans.












Carlos Tevez apologises to West Ham fans after netting the opener

Instead of celebrating his fifth-minute opener, City's Argentine striker clasped his hands and appeared to beg the away followers for forgiveness.

It was a far cry from City's last home game as Emmanuel Adebayor raced the length of the pitch to goad Arsenal fans.

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola said: "Carlos is a true gentleman and he showed that again.

"My appreciation of him is for what he did and for the way he played tonight."

City boss Mark Hughes added: "It is what I expected, given the relationship he had with West Ham and their fans."

Craig Bellamy hailed his City strike partner.

He said: "His workrate is fantastic and he is an outstanding player.

"In truth, we have many of them at the club and I enjoy the intensity the manager wants us to play at."

Martin Petrov also got on the scoresheet for City who could have won by a much greater margin.

They are now three points off the top with a game in hand.

Hughes said: "We were excellent from start to finish. We played with real purpose.

"We also got Roque Santa Cruz and Michael Johnson back out there and they are a couple of big plusses for us.

"I am really pleased with the options we have."

Zola was disappointed to see a Scott Parker goal ruled out for a foul by Carlton Cole when the score was 2-1.



Carlos Tevez seals his second goal with a kiss

But he admitted his team have to improve if they are to avoid getting dragged into a relegation battle later in the season.

Zola said: "The first half was not good enough. You can't afford to come to places like this and give presents to the opposition.

"They are too good and will take advantage. We are better than our position suggests but we haven't been able to show it.

"The way they train is fantastic but we have to do it on the pitch now." (thesun)

Soccer Extreme : Fabio Capello's list of the best players in the world makes interesting reading.

When asked to choose between Leo Messi (pic) and Cristiano Ronaldo, Capello said: 'There are so many good players, not just these two. There are Kaka, Ibrahimovic, Rooney, Gerrard. But if you're speaking of a fantasy player, then it has to be Leo Messi as he is so unpredictable.

'But if you're speaking of goalscoring and finishing, then it is Ronaldo. He can score from free-kicks, with his head, from open play. One is an absolute genius, the other a goalscoring genius.'

When it came to the best goalkeeper in the world, Capello's list included Iker Casillas, Petr Cech and Gianluigi Buffon but, predictably, no mention of any English keepers.

want to play fantasy football ? join now (dailymail)

Soccer Extreme : Liverpool are unlikely to receive a takeover bid any time soon, according to leading football broker David Bick, who has handled a number of high-profile takeovers, including those of Aston Villa, Manchester City, Manchester United and Leeds United.

Bick told Goal.com UK exclusively that he does not expect Saudi Arabian Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah to make any concrete bid for control at Anfield, despite reports emanating from the Middle East over the weekend that the Prince was close to securing a £350 million deal for a 50 per cent stake in the club.

Only today there were reports that Saudi sports investment company F6 had confirmed that talks to buy a major share in the club are ongoing – but Bick is sceptical of any such reports.

"As far as I'm aware, all talk has been pretty much squashed by the majority of papers this morning," said Bick, "And judging by the way it has been reported, with figures of between £200 million and £350 million suggested, it just seems a bit vague to me.

"There is a huge difference between those two figures. If serious investment was imminent, I would expect a much more specific figure to be given."

Prince Faisal was sat alongside Liverpool co-owner George Gillett at Anfield on Saturday to see the Reds thrash Hull City 6-1, but Bick, a trusted adviser of American billionaire Randy Lerner, believes this is not necessarily evidence of any proposed takeover bid.

"My understanding is that the reason this gentleman was at the game on Saturday was to do with the setting up of Liverpool FC academies in the Middle East," said Bick. "As far as any suggestion of a takeover goes, I would be say there is very little chance of any such deal occuring in the near future."

Liverpool's long time suitors, Dubai International Capital (DIC), have also distanced themselves from the story, claiming to know nothing of any such deal.

Amanda Staveley of PCP Capital Partners – DIC's financial advisory firm during their failed takeover bid at Anfield last year – told Goal.com UK exclusively that she was completely in the dark over the story.

"I'm afraid I have no comment to make whatsoever, as I know nothing of this story," said Staveley, who led negotiations with Reds' co-owner Tom Hicks during DIC's attempt to buy into Liverpool in late 2007.

Liverpool fans unfurled a huge banner at Anfield on Saturday in protest against their American owners, continuing what has been a long run of vociferous opposition against the way the club is being run financially, an opposition that looks set to continue for the foreseeable near future. (goal)

Soccer Extreme : Arsenal will be without Nicklas Bendtner for Tuesday's Champions League game against Olympiakos after the striker was involved in a minor car accident.

Manager Arsene Wenger revealed that Bendtner would not be available for the game against the Greek champions but said he should return for Blackburn's visit to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

"Nicklas did not practice because he had a car accident yesterday," the Arsenal boss said. "Fortunately there was no real long-term damage, but he was bruised and we thought it better he did not train. He should be back for Sunday's game.''

Bendtner, 21, was driving along the A1 yesterday morning towards South Mimms when his car left the road. It is understood no other vehicle was involved in the incident according to Hertfordshire police.

"We were called at 10.15am to a report of a single vehicle road traffic collision," a police spokesman said. "A black Aston Martin vehicle had left the road. The driver was not seriously injured.''

Wenger has also been dealt another injury blow with the news that midfielder Denilson will spend up to two months on the sidelines with a fracture to his back.

The Olympiakos game also comes too soon for England forward Theo Walcott and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. Walcott is expected to return from a back problem in time for Blackburn's visit to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, while Vitor Mannone, fresh from his impressive display against Fulham, will continue to deputise for the Almunia, who is still suffering with a chest infection. (soccernet)

Soccer Extreme : Port Vale manager Micky Adams has made every player in his squad available for transfer following their 3-1 defeat at Notts County on Saturday.

He told BBC Radio Stoke: "I've told them that the whole squad will be transfer listed on Monday morning.

"It's not a personal thing. I could make excuses for them and their performance today but that would just be papering over the cracks.

"The fans deserve better and I want to give them better."

Adams continued: "When I first came to the club, the budget was spent and they said there was nothing I could do. Well I can do something and I will do something.

"We'll see how good they are. If we get offers, free transfers or whatever, and it allows me to bring in the type of player that I want to bring in, let's do it.

"Everyone's been given a chance. People will talk about the fringe players, like David Howland and Danny Glover, but they had their chance for the reserves in the week and did they perform? That's debatable."

Vale went to Meadow Lane with County having lost Sol Campbell on Wednesday, after just one league appearance, but two goals from Lee Hughes helped the home side to a comfortable victory.

"Forget all that stuff about Sol Campbell," added Adams. "The scenario was that they've got good players and you have to stand up and be counted.

"We flattered to deceive out there, we looked like a woman wearing a fur coat and no knickers."

Vale are back in action on Tuesday, when Accrington are the visitors to Vale Park. (BBC)

Soccer Extreme : This is one of those clips which carries no silver lining for the fallguy - Kashima Antlers keeper Hitoshi Sogahata.

Playing against Nagoya Grampus Eight in the J-League on Saturday, the Antlers’ number one had an awful start to the match conceding early doors to Aussie serial goalscorer Josh Kennedy after just five minutes.

And in the 13th minute matters worsened dramatically for the hosts as their home keeper fluffed the most basic of clearances resulting in one of the worst gaffs of the year.

Receiving a pass-back under no real pressure, home goalie Sogahata inexplicably managed to completely miss the ball after having taken a touch to steady himself.

The total air shot allowed Nagoya forward Igor Burzanovic an opportunity to nip in and steal the ball and, after a short game of cat and mouse between the keeper and forward, Burzanovic had the simple job of rolling the ball into the empty net. (101greatgoals)

Video : Dumbass, Kashima keeper Hitoshi Sogahata vs Nagoya

Soccer Extreme : Soccer legend Giovanni Trapattoni, big player back in the 1950s-1960s and still a successful coach (he's now coaching the Irish national team) is also a big classical music fan:

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has urged his Irish players to open their minds to the music of Mozart – because the cadences of the great composer’s works can help bring about a greater understanding of the intricacies of football!
...

Trapattoni told : “A man who understands Mozart can also play better football. Mozart teaches you about tension, tempo, rhythm, structure. In his music you can learn the logic to read a game.

“For me in any case, that was a big experience. I believe that through music I grew as a player and a man.

“Young players no longer have the patience for a symphony, which takes an hour and which one must hear several times to understand.

The image of your average soccer star blasting Sinfonia Concertante on their iPod, or bopping to the finale of Beethoven's Ninth after a big win is indeed an endearing, if impossible, dream. (operachic)

Soccer Extreme : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger credits living in a pub for helping to shape his outlook on life and knowledge of football, media reported on Friday.

Wenger's parents owned a bistro called La Croix d'Or in the little French village of Duttlenheim where he would spend hours in the company of the football-loving customers.

The Frenchman spoke about his early life at the League Managers Association's conference at his Premier League club's Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

"There is no better psychological education than growing up in a pub because when you are five or six years old you meet all different people and hear how cruel they can be to each other, " he told delegates.

"You hear the way they talk to each other like saying 'You're a liar.' And from an early age you get a practical psychological education into the minds of people.

"It is not often that a boy of five or six is always living with adults in a little village.

"I even learned about tactics and selection from the people talking about football in the pub... who plays on the left wing and who should be in the team."

Wenger, who turns 60 next month, became a manager in his early 30s and had thought he would retire from the job at 50.

"I said I'd stop at 50 but now I don't believe in retiring unless you have to. I never have days where I think I can live without it. But I know some day I will do something different." (reuters)

Soccer Extreme : Even though her husband, Dino Drpic, is now playing in the 2. Bundesliga, Nives Celzijus is apparently still a big enough deal in Germany to warrant a photoshoot with behind the scenes coverage.

Amazing that she’s still clinging on to some degree of relevance all because she revealed back in January that her and her husband once had sex on a pitch.

And if you’ve read any of these words before watching the half naked lady video then I am very impressed. And slightly concerned. (dirtytackle)


Video : Nives Celzijus New Fotoshooting

Soccer Extreme : Victoria's Secret stars Gisele Bundchen and Heidi Klum yesterday modelled the must-have accessory of the moment - a baby bump.

The catwalk queens were both spotted parading their pregnant figures in stylish maternity wear while running errands.

Gisele Bundchen
Gisele, 29, stepped out in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, in a full-length summer dress that skimmed her growing tummy.

The Brazillian is six months' pregnant with her first child to American footballer Tom Brady, 32.

Brady, who plays for the New England Patriots, has a two-year-old son John Edward Thomas with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.

Gisele has not let her pregnancy slow her down and recently started taking lessons to learn to fly a helicopter.
'She's been coming to the airfield for a couple months and she started her lessons a few weeks ago, Keith Douglass, president of Shoreline Aviation, told America's People magazine.

'She's gung ho about learning to fly. She's one of the best students we've ever had,' he continues, adding that Gisele can fly until November under her doctor's advice. 'She's fantastic at flying the helicopter. She is very smooth and professional and she listens.'


Heidi Klum
Meanwhile, Heidi , who is counting down the final weeks of her pregnancy, was busy taking her brood to karate lessons in Los Angeles.

The Project Runway host already has three children Leni, five, from her relationship with Flavio Briatore, and Henry, three, and Johan, two, to her singer husband Seal.

The 36-year-old says she is not concerned about regaining her supermodel figure after the birth.

She said last month: 'It's bizarre. Just as it's a miracle that you can grow a human being in your belly, it's a miracle that your body goes back to normal again.'

But Heidi does insists this child with be her last: 'We're outnumbered... four is perfect - three is a lot, but four? It's a lot of work.' (dailymail)

Soccer Extreme : In one of the most bizarre scenes of the season to date, last night’s Swedish Allasvenskan match between IFK Gothenburg and Orebro was disrupted in the first half after the referee discovered that the IFK goalposts had literally been moved on the pitch.

According to reports from Sweden, IFK keeper Kim Christensen was caught adjusting his posts about four inches on each side prior to kick-off, with referee Stefan Johannesson only spotting the shifted posts 20 minutes into the match.

It is unclear whether there will be any disciplinary action handed out to keeper Christensen for what can only be described as a blatant act of cheating.

The match, unsurprisingly, ended goalless. (101greatgoals)


Video : goalkeeper action...

Soccer Extreme : An injured Premier League footballer has been robbed at knifepoint at his Cheshire home while watching his team play on television in the latest of a string of raids on footballers' mansions.

Phil Jagielka, the Everton and England defender, was watching his side play Hull in the Carling Cup yesterday when three men burst into his £2m home in Knutsford and forced him to hand over jewellery and the keys to his Range Rover, which was among a number of luxury cars in his driveway.

No one was hurt in the incident and the car was found abandoned.

Jagielka, 27, is convalescing after rupturing knee ligaments in April and did not travel with his teammates to the cup game, which Everton won. It is not known if his wife and two children were at home during the break-in.

A spokeswoman for Cheshire police said: "Three men gained entry to a house in Knutsford. The homeowner was threatened with a knife and forced to hand over jewellery and the keys to his Range Rover car, fortunately nobody was injured during the incident and the car was found abandoned a short distance away."

The incident follows a series of armed raids on the luxury homes of footballers in the north-west over the last three years. Last month Blackburn midfielder Vince Grella was also held at knifepoint when thieves broke in to his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Last December, masked robbers stole jewellery from a home belonging to his former Blackburn Rovers teammate, Roque Santa Cruz. The Paraguayan star's wife, who was looking after the couple's two children, was robbed at knifepoint.

Jagielka is the 11th Merseyside footballer whose home has been robbed in recent years. Police believe the gangs target footballers' luxury homes when they are scheduled to be playing. Premier League stars have responded by boosting the security around their homes with electronic gates and extensive CCTV but that appears not to have deterred the thieves.

In February an armed gang burgled the Cheshire home of Manchester United star Darren Fletcher, hours after he had flown to Italy for a Champions League tie.

Fletcher's fiancee and mother-in-law had knives held to their throats, while the robbers stole jewellery. The couple's twin sons, aged two, were asleep in the house at the time.

Following the robbery detectives said they were looking at a possible link with other brazen robberies, which have included raids on the homes of Liverpool players Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Pepe Reina.

A spokesman for Everton football club, who said the defender was shaken by the incident, told the BBC Jagielka was "helping police with their inquiries". (guardian)

Soccer Extreme : In Romania, sexy Alexandra Enachescu is famous for a couple of reasons.

At the top of the list is her seven year romance with Dinamo Bucharest footballer Cristian Pulhac, quickly followed by her modeling career.

I’ve gpt to say I’m not sure about this chick. I’m not saying she is ugly, but she’s a wee bit odd looking don’t ya think? (djmick)

Soccer Extreme : If you like pasta with your players, we have good news for you.

Rio Ferdinand is branching out from his off-pitch work in entertainment and publishing and is opening a restaurant called Rosso.

Located in Manchester inside an building formerly used as a bank, the restaurant is currently undergoing a major refurb to ready itself for the onslaught of ballers, locals and wagabees soon to grace its dinner tables.

A spokesperson for the resto says Rosso will seat about 150 people and be quite a laid back affair. (kickette)

Soccer Extreme : Legendary pornography star Jenna Jameson is accused of being very naughty to her former lawyers - and not in a good way.

In a lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court., Jameson's former divorce team Hersh, Mannis, and Bogen LLP claims Jenna never paid $83,221.46 ($US72,312.36) for work dating back to 2006, TMZ reports.

In the documents, the lawyers claim they were hired to represent Jenna, 35, in her nasty divorce from porn kingpin Jay Grdina.

But after they obeyed her wishes Jenna left the lawyers high and dry when they demanded payment.

Grdina was Jameson's second husband. Her first was porn star Rodney Hopkins, whom she wed in 1996. The perfect matrimony only lasted 10 weeks. She was married to Grdina from 2003 to 2006 and now has twin boys with her partner, mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz. (dailytelegraph)

Soccer Extreme : Mallorcan model continues to make a living off the back of relatively short relationship with Real Madrid star.

Since her summer 2008 fling with the world’s most expensive footballer, Nereida Gallardo has absolutely refused to fall into the obscurity that has threatened to claim her.

There are plenty of pictures of Nereida in Lara Croft mode at this dedicated blog, which enjoys the paradoxical status of being her biggest critic and her biggest source of publicity.

Source : thespoiler, plussizewag

Soccer Extreme : Former England captain Bryan Robson agreed on Wednesday to become coach of Thailand's national team in his first foray into international soccer management, the Thai FA chief told reporters.

The former Manchester United midfielder will sign a four-year contract with the Southeast Asian side and will be expected to build a squad capable of reaching the 2014 World Cup finals.

"He's agreed to become coach, he's very happy with what we've offered him," Worawi Makudi told reporters.

"It's a four-year deal. The plan is he'll coach Thailand for the Asian Cup, the Olympics and hopefully the World Cup too."

Worawi said Robson would formally sign his contract once his accountant had proof-read the terms.

Robson, who played in three World Cups, has managed four English sides but has been without a club since quitting Sheffield United in February last year.

The 52-year-old, who was nicknamed "Captain Marvel" as a player, becomes Thailand's ninth foreign coach since 1976 and the third ex-England international to take the job after Peter Withe and Peter Reid.

Robson will replace Reid, who parted company with the Thais on Sept. 9 after less than a year in charge [ID:nBKK532638].

Reid's lucrative contract was terminated by mutual consent after his request to remain Thailand coach while serving as assistant manager at Premier League Stoke City was shot down.

Robson's first task will be to qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar. Thailand are currently third in Group E with two points from their first two games and share the group with Iran, Singapore and Jordan.

He will also be expected to play a role in improving Thailand's fledgling professional league and developing the grassroots game across the country of 67 million people.

During his 13 years at Manchester United, Robson won two league titles, four FA Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He was capped 90 times by England.

In addition to Sheffield United, he managed Middlesbrough, Bradford City, West Bromwich Albion. (reuters)

Soccer Extreme : Evoking memories of the Commodore 64 and the Atari, Nike have gone old skool in producing a wonderful new advert documenting the career of Patrice Evra.
















Apart from the obvious cool graphics and homage to platform games from times before the Playstation and Wii, we particularly like the Franck Ribery avatar who pops up in the international section of the video.

Nike’s latest brilliant video, titled “The Game Is Never Over,”. (101greatgoals)


It's video....

Soccer Extreme : The stands weren’t exactly bustling when Al Ghafarah took on Al Khor in the Qatari League, but surely the referee didn’t think he could outwit the players, officials and TV cameras when he took a whizz while waiting for a set piece? (thespoiler)

Vid : Referee is peeing

Soccer Extreme : El Hadji Diouf is claiming that Everton fans threw bananas at him on Sunday. The controversial Blackburn Rovers striker was interviewed by the police after a ball-boy claimed the Senegal star racially abused him.

But Diouf categorically denied the allegations, claiming the Everton ball-boy lied and accused the Toffees fans of pelting him with bananas.

Speaking to Radio Monte Carlo, Diouf said: "The ball went out and I wanted to take the throw in quickly.

"The ball-boy threw the ball at me like a bone to a dog.

"The assistant referee told me he saw it but we had to continue and we would look at it at half-time.

"What's more people threw bananas at me. The fourth official said he would make a report to the police.

"I didn't say anything so that people couldn't say 'It's El Hadji Diouf again'.

"I've had problems before but never like on Sunday."

Ex-Liverpool front man Diouf did complain to the police at the end of the game - won 3-0 by Everton - that bananas had been thrown at him.

An officer and members of the Goodison Park ground staff went to investigate the section of the pitch where Diouf claimed fans threw them but found nothing.

If there were bananas thrown it was certainly not picked up by the TV cameras nor seen by the photographers who were working on the side of the pitch.

Police later confirmed that they had interviewed Diouf in connection with an allegation of racist abuse.

And they also revealed they were considering whether to bring charges.

The 14-year-old ball-boy concerned claimed that Diouf shouted: "F*** off white boy."

But the hitman claimed he did not even speak to the young ball-boy on Sunday and instead tried to turn the tables on Everton.

He added: "I didn't even speak to him. I just told the assistant ref that the ball-boy should respect the players.

"And after that I left. But people in the stands said I aimed racist words to the kid.

"The police interrogated me for three minutes.

"I don't want the matter to rest there.

"For a kid to say things like that is unacceptable.

"I've had other problems, of spitting or fighting on the pitch but not of racism.

"I don't have just black friends. I have a very good understanding with Gael Givet here at Blackburn for example.

"All this is not El Hadji Diouf. I did nothing.

"People have a habit of sticking labels on me like three years ago when I was at Bolton.

"They had said I had spat on a small child during a game against Middlesbrough.

"But it was never proved and I was cleared.

"I understand that they don't love me at Everton.

"But to say that I aimed racist words to a child means anything goes.

"The referee pointed it out to the police after the game. People do anything to earn money on the back of the players."

Behind closed doors, the Merseyside club are fuming that their fans have been tarnished by accusations of racist behaviour.

In the 1980s racist thugs used bananas as missiles against black players like England, Liverpool and Watford winger John Barnes.

But Everton insisted the police were only investigating the allegations against Diouf.

A club spokesman said: "We really can't say much because the police investigation is ongoing.

"However, the only investigation being undertaken is into the allegations against El Hadji Diouf.

"There is no investigation ongoing into the behaviour of Everton supporters."

The Goodison Park club will make no further statement until the police have decided how to proceed with the case.

This is not the first time Diouf has courted controversy in his career since arriving in England in 2002.

When he was at Liverpool he spat at a fan in a game against Celtic in March 2003.

As a Bolton player he was accused of spitting at the opposition fans when the Trotters faced Middlesbrough in November 2004.

And a few weeks later he spat at Portsmouth defender Arjen De Zeeuw and was fined two weeks' wages. (thesun)

Soccer Extreme : Launching a solo career after the comfort of being in a band is nerve-wracking for any artist, let alone someone who has to judge others on their careers.

So no wonder Cheryl Cole is pulling out all the stops for her bid for solo success.

She has called in help to give her new stylish image which sets apart her singing from her judging on the X Factor.


Instead, the 26-year-old appears to be turning to icons such as the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie for inspiration.

Her new look is a combination of fierce studs and spikes to Hepburn-esque glamour through to street wear.

It is more reminiscent of her look in Will.I.Am's video for Heartbreaker.

A source told Heat magazine: 'Her stylist, Victoria Adcock, worked with Cheryl on creating a younger, fresher look from the one she has on The X Factor, which is all grown-up labels and structured dresses and shirts.

'Cheryl realised that if she was going to go it alone, she needed everything to be totally different from Girls Aloud.



'For her music, Cheryl and Victoria went for something fun and rocky - she is, after all, a young girl and she wanted her new look to reflect that.'

The singer has reportedly also been involved in writing material for her upcoming solo album Three Words.

'Cheryl's never written her own lyrics before, but most of her songs are based on her own experiences,' the source added.

"One song, 'Please Don't Talk About This Love', is particularly personal - it's clearly about her relationship with Ashley". (dailymail)

Soccer Extreme : Italian police didn't want the shirt off Diego Maradona's back — just his earrings. Tax authorities visited the Argentina coach at an Alpine resort on Friday and took away a pair of his earrings as part payment of the former Napoli star's unpaid tax bill.

The command office of the Bolzano Provincial Tax Police said Maradona himself handed over the pair of earrings, worth 4,000 euros ($5,900).

Tax police in the capital of the South Tyrol, or Alto Adige region, declined to describe the earrings taken from the Grand Hotel Palace in Merano, which boasts a beauty farm in its grounds. Italian television network Sky TG24 reported that they contained diamonds.

Police did not say whether Maradona was wearing them when it was time to pay up.

Three years ago, tax police took two Rolex watches from him when he went to a Naples suburb for a news conference and benefit appearance. The Italian news agency ANSA said the tax bill now stands at about 37 million euros ($54 million).

Maradona, 48, captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, and had some stellar seasons for Napoli. He was kicked out of the 1994 World Cup and banned for 15 months for failing a doping test for stimulants. He was near death on a respirator five years ago after a heart attack attributed to a cocaine overdose.

With two qualifying games remaining next month, Argentina is in danger of missing its first World Cup since 1970, and Maradona is taking much of the blame. (washingtonexaminer)

Soccer Extreme : Bayern head coach Markus Babbel was very annoyed with Jens Lehmann after his team’s 2-0 defeat by Cologne over the weekend.

He decided to come out of his area, rush way out to tackle an opponent and of course was left with egg on his face when the ball ended in the back of an unguarded net!

Reminds you of his mad rushes when he used to play for Arsenal doesn’t it?

And when Babbel found out that after the game Lehmann went to the Oktoberfest beer festival without permission he had enough.

The player has now been dropped for the cup game against fourth division side VfB Luebeck.

Lehmann said it had been a charity visit.

“The visit to the festival was part of a charity event which was planned a long time ago. It was not agreed with the club. Naturally, I accept measures taken by the sporting management” Lehmann said.

Jens had attended the festival with his wife Connie. (arsenalanalysis)