GB 'embarrassing' in latest loss

Great Britain will play hosts Turkey on Saturday for fifth place after losing 78-67 to Macedonia in their second game of the Efes Pilsen event in Ankara.
Chris Finch's team slipped 16 points down in the third quarter and he described his team as "embarrassing".
Nick George led GB's scoring with 14 points and Andrew Betts added 11.
"For the first time in our campaign I'm very disappointed with my team - I thought we showed no heart," coach Finch said after the game.
Flinder Boyd made yet another return from his recurrent ankle problem but Joel Freeland stayed back at the hotel with a stomach bug.
GB started brightly with a 9-0 run - all of it coming from the big men Betts and Robert Archibald - but Macedonia's immediate reply was a 10-0 tear and they led 23-17 at the end of the first quarter.

Macedonia had blazed 16 three-pointers in Thursday's easy win over Latvia and they hit four against GB in the first half, the last one capping a 10-0 run to give them a 39-27 half-time lead.
George, one of the successes of the summer, started the second half with five points in a 7-0 run that offered hope to GB.
That all but evaporated when Todor Gecevski, Riste Stefanov and Damjan Stojanowski all hit threes in a 13-2 run that gave the former Yugoslavs a 16-point advantage.
Trailing by 12 going into the fourth quarter, GB finally hit their first three-pointers of the game - a pair from Jarret Hart and another from George - as the final period threatened to become a shoot-out, Macedonia edging them with four successes.
A pair of free throws from Archibald reduced the lead to 10 points with 4:17 remaining in the game and a three from Mike Lenzly 33 seconds later brought the deficit into single figures.
Lenzly's next two efforts missed, however, and GB's hopes of an unlikely comeback win expired with them.

GB captain Andrew Sullivan admitted the defeat to Macedonia was, "Not one of our better efforts."
He added: "We've been playing well of late and all the guys are extremely disappointed with the effort we put out today. We know as group we can play better than this."
Finch sounded at the end of his tether after a seventh defeat in eight starts this summer for his patched up team, already missing Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng and last year's impact player, Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
"It was embarrassing, our teams always play hard, (but) tonight they didn't play hard, they didn't help each other out," he told BBC Sport.
"I thought they played like spoilt kids and they have no right to do so because we haven't accomplished anything yet.
"It's even harder because we've been trying to work with them and cater to some of their requests and this is the performance that we get.
"The British mentality is always one of a fighter. Tonight we didn't do that any honour."
The coach also looked ahead to Saturday's test against Turkey in a consolation game that will be the team's final outing before they travel to Warsaw for the start of next month's EuroBasket finals.
"I think it's a perfect test for us given our circumstances because I know they'll be pretty upset with the way that they've played over the last couple of days.".
"We know we have a good game of basketball in us and we're expecting a tough game and a good crowd. Hopefully we'll have a little more motivation tomorrow."

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by tuan.blogger.hettien ~ Friday, August 28, 2009 0 comments

Angola in race against time

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Diving me crazy

Did you see that swarm of angry bees at the Emirates on Wednesday night?

What a terrible away kit that is, my Celtic friends - pipped only by the knockdown ebay deckchair fabric on offer when Newcastle United come to visit.

Any road, Scott Brown, Snr Donati and all were desperate to get their stingers into one Eduardo da Simulata's face after he plunged to the turf in the box. It was such a sentimental piece of play-acting I could almost smell the whiff of the caps in me cowboy gun going off as he hit the deck.


There are many of us who suspect that football is becoming a non-contact sport and looking at the Boruc-Eduardo incident I've not changed me mind. For the record the regulars at The Blue Bell love it when Celtic play 'cos you can always strike up the same conversation with an irregular in the pub:
Celtic's Scott Brown was unhappy with Eduardo's antics

"Excuse me mate. What's the name of the Celtic keeper?"
"Boruc"
"All right, mate I only asked!"

I tell you it's a laugh a flaming minute down our gaff.

Wenger adjusted his official line of 'I didn't see it' to 'he was probably trying to get out of the way what with his horribly shattered leg only just being fixed 'n' that'.

It's a persuasive argument. I'd use it meself if he was my kid playing in my team. I don't want to even think about the state of that lad's leg ever again.

But the fact is that Eduardo's headlong theatrical plummet was symptomatic of a great malaise in our game. Namely that a forward passing a prone keeper is pretty much programmed to go down these days - even one who can appreciate how lucky he is to still be playing the beautiful game.

An onrushing goalie makes 'em stumble just as surely as Pavlov's dogs used to salivate. The fall is as inevitable as the sulk of a defeated Benitez or the jeers of a temporarily let-down Aston Villa fan.

So what to do about this flagrant and cowardly conmanship?The Scots are up for banning folks for a couple of matches - and Eduardo has now been charged by Uefa - but the point with the Gooners is that the damage has been done. The lad stepped up and slotted the pen and it was Game Over.

Anyway, what you want to do is change the players' behaviour and to me there is only one route: humiliation. Here's how I'd go about it:

1.If someone is pretty much proved to be a diver then they should be treated as one. Don't ban them. Make them play the next game in mask and flippers. Forty-five minutes of Eduardo togged up like Jacques Bloomin Cousteau charging up and down the left flank should make him change his ways.

2. If you do want to enforce a ban then don't let the sneaky little oik have the afternoon off. Clad him out in the wetsuit and the oxygen tanks and make him watch the game through the walls of a water-filled glass cube on the touchline.

Maybe Noel Edmonds could do that hilarious filling the tank with gunk thing that he used to do on House Party. Lord, I miss Edmonds. Covering someone with tons of funny-coloured paint is just about as hilarious as life can get!

3. Send the offender to primary schools across the local area and get them to look into the Disney innocent eyes of the child-fans and get him to explain what the hell he was trying to do as he flopped on to the floor like some two-bit model onto a mattress in a cut-price bed commercial. See how they respond when some naive waif with teary eyes bleats "Say it ain't so, Eduardo".

4. Pursuing the diving theme, give them a good five-game ban and get them to spend that time joining in with one of them macho muppets that makes nature TV programmes about Wild And Dangerous Creatures.

In short, get them swimming with sharks in just their underpants. None of this iron cage on a cable rubbish either. Just the cheating little tumbler and a pack of toothy cartilaginous killing machines and a numpty with an in-mask mike shouting "Isn't this Brilliant, Stevie G!?" To be fair Mr Gerrard has on at least one occasion been marked by one J Barton so it's hardly going to terrify the lad to be submerged in the company of a Great White.

5. A Tom Daley masterclass - from the highest board you can find (brown trunks obligatory I would guess).

6. Failing this we must acknowledge and embrace the concept of simulation within the game and allow each team to nominate their designated diver. (A regular poster invented this term - please take the credit yourself son or I'll start telling everyone that I was the genius that came up with it).

One of our divers is missing - Ronaldo has moved on
The designated diver would be the only player allowed to collapse like a half-price self-assembly bookcase. Everyone else would be ignored if they got clogged in the box but the designated diver, subject to the scores proffered by a panel of nine faceless judges, could earn penalties for his side by legitimately cheating. Could be a winner.

I haven't passed comment on goings-on at Upton Park this week. There's not been a lot of hooliganism at the Riverside for the last 10 years or more. I was caught square in the face by a rogue parmo two years back - the hot cheese left a nasty blister and the garlic sauce doesn't half sting your eyes. That's the least the Irons and Miwwaww 'fans' involved deserve.

I'd use the CCTV pics to ID them and then the whole bunch of 30-something, beer-gutted brain-dead no-mates with no moral compass can become the guinea-pigs for a prototype floating prison.

Push 'em off at Falmouth - no prison officers need be involved bar locking them in - and let em drift towards God knows where while the rest of us watch the football.

(Although we could let some of em - if they behave well - jump into the ocean with errant Arsenal forwards and those lovely sharks)

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Arsenal's revival faces Man Utd test

Arsene Wenger's confidence in Arsenal is almost set in concrete - unbreakable even under the greatest strain. And yet it has rarely been as hopelessly misplaced as it was before a meeting with Manchester United last May.

Wenger watched Arsenal being outclassed in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Old Trafford and used this flimsy (make that non-existent) evidence to announce victory would be theirs in the return - even inviting one cynic to meet him at his triumphant media conference.

A slight problem then arose. United exposed a rather glaring failing in Wenger's optimism by scoring twice in the first 11 minutes at the Emirates, transforming what was meant to be a glory night into what the Arsenal manager confessed was the worst moment of his career.

Arsenal meet Manchester United again at Old Trafford on Saturday and Wenger once again travels with great hope after a virtually flawless start to the season, recording four emphatic victories.

It is not hope without foundation because circumstances, and more significantly personnel, have changed. Cristiano Ronaldo, the two-goal tormentor of Arsenal that night at the Emirates has gone to Real Madrid, and Wenger has gone some way to addressing a flaw in his side's make-up.



Arsene Wenger will fancy his side's chances against Manchester United

Wenger accepts confidence is a crucial commodity to take on your journey to Old Trafford. He never travels without it - and Arsenal should also have a plentiful supply after impressive opening exchanges in the new campaign.

It is a game laced with intrigue on both sides. Too much can be written into early defeats or victories, but this will undoubtedly prove a test of Wenger's renewal of his Arsenal team after last season fizzled out - and also an examination of United's potency post-Ronaldo.

And as the first meeting between two of the Premier League's four accepted heavyweights, points are to be made, markers to be laid down.

Wenger has already promised a positive approach, accepting Arsenal's passive nature undermined their hopes of winning the Champions League games.

In his own words Arsenal are "structured to go forward" - but he has also made what, on first evidence, looks to be a typically shrewd investment at the back in Belgian Thomas Vermaelen. The £10m paid to Ajax for Vermaelen and the £16m raked in from Manchester City for Kolo Toure seems a fair exchange.

Vermaelen, while not a giant in defensive terms, has played with reassuring authority and even got on the scoresheet against Everton. It will, however, be a test of him as well as Arsenal against Manchester United.

The question mark over Arsenal's start comes with the quality of opposition. Everton were a broken team almost before they took the field at Goodison Park as a result of the Joleon Lescott transfer saga - although it is churlish to undermine the quality of the football that brought a deserved 6-1 rout.

What cannot be underplayed is the excellence of the 2-0 win at Celtic. Giants have fallen on that hostile territory and a team with a faint heart does not win Champions League games at Celtic Park.

Wenger also drew on his time-honoured mantra about the potential of Arsenal's side, although four years without a trophy suggests this has also been used as a cover for under-achievement.

He revealed somebody told him (a keen statistician presumably) that Arsenal's average age against Celtic on Wednesday was only 23.9 - a figure that he believes ensures greater strength and improvement as the season progresses.

Vermaelen will be put to the test by Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and perhaps Michael Owen but he has the appearance of an unruffled individual.

Wenger will also have been delighted that Arsenal emphasised a vast gulf with Celtic while keeping Robin van Persie in reserve and only introducing Andrey Arshavin for 19 minutes. Their inspiration will be needed at Old Trafford, especially if Cesc Fabregas is still out with a hamstring injury.


Michael Owen scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester United in the 5-0 triumph at Wigan

If Arsenal can take at least a point, or even better, back to London on Saturday then the somewhat pessimistic predictions about their Premier League ambitions may be revisited, albeit marginally.

For United, it is an opportunity to reassert the authority that has been questioned after the sale of Ronaldo and the loss at Burnley. The 5-0 win at Wigan went some way towards addressing those questions, but it should be placed in the context of a display by Roberto Martinez's side that was as compliant for 45 minutes as Everton were for 90 minutes against Arsenal.

Arsenal's agonising defeat over two legs against United in the last four of the Champions League last season will still be fresh in Wenger's memory. It is easy to recall that pained expression as he sat in the Emirates media theatre that night and a win will go some way towards easing that lingering pain.

For United, a convincing win again against an Arsenal team that may yet emerge as a potential threat to a fourth successive Premier League title will be regarded by Sir Alex Ferguson as an important statement of intent.

This season may be in its infancy - but the stakes will be as high as ever at Old Trafford.

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Wenger angry over Eduardo charge

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has accused Uefa of conducting a "witch-hunt" after it charged Eduardo with diving in the Champions League clash with Celtic.

Striker Eduardo appeared to dive to win a penalty last Wednesday and Uefa could ban him for up to two games when its disciplinary body meets on 1 September.

"I find it a complete disgrace and unacceptable," said Wenger.

"It singles out a player to be a cheat and that is not acceptable. We will not accept the way Uefa has treated this."

If Eduardo is suspended he would miss Standard Liege away on 16 September and the home match with Olympiacos on 29 September.

And Wenger added: "I believe you can debate whether it is a penalty or not. But this charge implies there was intent and a desire to cheat the referee. Having seen again the pictures again, nothing is conclusive.

"It's a witch-hunt that we see and not an objective judgement of a case."

Wenger said the Croat may have taken evasive action in light of the career-threatening broken leg he sustained two seasons ago.



And the Frenchman added that European football's governing body would have difficulty proving the 26-year-old intended to deceive the referee.

"We will defend our player as far as we can because he is not being treated fairly," said Wenger.

"It's funny in football because you can break the legs of players and it doesn't make a debate for anybody.

"I'm the first to say that it doesn't look like a penalty but it's another thing to say that he went down with intent. I wish good luck in proving that having seen the pictures again."

In charging Eduardo, Wenger claimed Uefa had set off down a dangerous path whereby any decision made by an official can be contested after the match.

He said: "There is completely lack of logic in this case. Why? Because people have reacted emotionally.


Eduardo wins a penalty after going down in the penalty area

"This case has been ruled by the media and emotionally by Scotland, by the Scottish FA and by Scottish people working at Uefa.

"I've fought my whole life against cheating and I've seen some obvious cases where Uefa didn't intervene. On and off the pitch things have happened where no action was taken.

"But now the existing rules of football have been changed just for one case so we will from now on challenge every single decision that is made in Europe by the referees.

"This is the first time since I've been in football that the judgement made by the referee is not accepted by the football bodies."

There appeared to be no contact between Eduardo and Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc but referee Manuel Gonzalez still gave a penalty midway through the first half.

After Eduardo converted the resulting spot kick, the Gunners went on to win 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium. They won 5-1 on aggregate to secure a spot in the group stages.

Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith has called for the Brazil-born Eduardo to be banned.


"Eduardo showed disrespect to the game by his actions," he said.

"We have shown courage to use retrospective punishment when it comes to simulation. I'd urge Uefa to do so."

Uefa president Michel Platini believes additional assistant referees behind each goal line would combat diving.

He said: "One day players will give up simulating because refs will see them. I am convinced that you have referees nearby, then you will stop this."

Celtic had travelled to the Emirates 2-0 down from the first leg in Glasgow, when Arsenal had been the better side but had scored with a deflection and an own goal.

The first goal in London, then, was likely to be crucial and Boruc was incensed when Gonzalez pointed to the spot.


Cannot play media.You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct version
Video evidence can help referees - Benitez
And Boruc's team-mate Danny Fox congratulated Uefa for taking action against Eduardo and said he would welcome a ban for the Gunners player.

"It shows that it doesn't matter who you play for and who you are, if you are going to bring the rules into disrepute you should be made an example of, and fair play to Uefa for doing that," said the Celtic defender.

"You can't do anything about the game but I think a ban to make an example of him would stop other players doing it. No-one likes to be done by cheating.

"If you ask any of the Arsenal players honestly, they will way it wasn't a penalty either."

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Sunderland snap up Lyon's Mensah

Sunderland have completed the loan signing of Ghana defender John Mensah from Lyon until the end of the season.

The 26-year-old joins new signings Paulo da Silva, Lee Cattermole, Lorik Cana, Fraizer Campbell and Darren Bent at the Stadium of Light this summer.

The Black Cats will have the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

"John is relishing the challenge of making an impact at Sunderland," boss Steve Bruce told the club website.

Mensah added: "I'm very delighted to join Sunderland today, it's like a dream come true for me because it's not easy to play in England.

"I want to tell my fans that they should not expect magic from me but that I will be giving my best.

"I have a lot of experience from Italy and Europe, while I have played a lot of games for my country and competed in the World Cup and the African Nations Cup.

"Because of this it is not difficult for me to play in England. Now I hope I can do well here in Sunderland and I will listen and do whatever the coach tells me to do."

Mensah has also had spells in Italian football with Modena, Chievo and Genoa, as well as Rennes in France.



The defender was a key player of the Ghana squad - along with Chelsea's Michael Essien, and Sulley Muntari of Inter Milan - which reached the 2006 World Cup finals.

Bruce added: "I'm a huge admirer of John having seen him on a number of occasions. I'm delighted to have added him to our back line.

"He's a solid, uncompromising defender who adds that extra steel that I believe is essential to have in the top flight."

Mensah will now compete for a place in the Black Cats' rearguard with Anton Ferdinand, Danny Collins, Nyron Nosworthy and Paulo Da Silva.

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Barcelona seal Super Cup triumph

Barcelona warmed up for the new season by lifting the European Super Cup as Pedro's extra-time goal earned them a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

The substitute played a one-two with Lionel Messi and slotted home five minutes before the end of the game.

It was an uninspiring contest on a pitch that cut up badly at the Stade Louis II in Monaco and both teams struggled to create opportunities.

Julius Aghahowa forced Victor Valdes to save, but Shakhtar rarely threatened.

Barca, who became the first team to win the treble of Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup last season, open their league campaign on Monday against Sporting Gijon.

They fielded summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, but the £60m Swedish striker had a quiet start to his Barca career in a disjointed match on a poor pitch in the principality.



The Catalans - missing the injured Andres Iniesta - struggled to find their rhythm as passes uncharacteristically went astray on a regular basis.

Uefa Cup winners Shakhtar were content to contain and offered little in the way of an attacking threat, with striker Luiz Adriano starved of possession.

Barca thought they should have had a penalty just before the break when Messi's free-kick appeared to strike an arm, but referee Frank De Bleeckere waved away their appeals.

It was much the same story after the interval as chances failed to materialise, Ibrahimovic in particular toiling as he began the lengthy process of trying to justify his lofty price tag.

Messi went on a couple of jinking runs at the heart of the Ukraine side's defence, but even the Argentine wizard was being frustrated in his attempts to open the game up.

Ibrahimovic shot wide from 20 yards when he should have teed up Thierry Henry, and the Swede's miserable night was compounded when his penalty appeals were turned down shortly before being he was taken off by coach Pep Guardiola.

With time running out Henry missed his kick at the far post when it seemed easier to score, but extra-time loomed large - a scenario not ideal for either team, especially on such an energy-sapping surface.


Messi and Srna have a disagreement

Shakhtar captain Darijo Srna was obviously not best pleased at the prospect as he appeared to headbutt Messi in injury time - though the Croatian avoided punishment as Messi was booked for his furious reaction.

When the extra period started Shakhtar improved, substitute Aghahowa latching on to a clever pass and hammering in a shot that Victor Valdes parried away from danger.

But Barca's class eventually told and after Messi twice went close from range he brilliantly teed up Pedro to slot past Andriy Pyatov.

The Catalans' celebrations after the goal and on the final whistle left observers in no doubt whatsoever about how keen they were to get their hands on the trophy - the fifth Guardiola has won in only 14 months as a manager.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barcelona: Valdes, Dani Alves, Puyol, Pique, Abidal, Xavi, Toure Yaya (Busquets 100), Keita, Messi, Ibrahimovic (Pedro 81), Henry (Bojan 96).
Subs Not Used: Pinto, Gudjohnsen, Maxwell, Muniesa.

Booked: Messi, Pedro.

Goals: Pedro 115.

Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Chigrinsky, Rat, Ilsinho, Gai (Kobin 78), Hubschman, Willian (Aghahowa 91), Fernandinho (Jadson 78), Luiz Adriano.
Subs Not Used: Khudzamov, Gladkyy, Polyanskyi, Chyzhov.

Booked: Ilsinho, Srna, Kucher, Kobin.

Att: 17,000.

Ref: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium).

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