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Fernando Torres tells Liverpool to talk to Chelsea
• Striker feels move would be right for his career
• Torres considers Liverpool have not lived up to promises
- Sid Lowe in Madrid and Andy Hunter
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 14.15 GMT <li class="history">Article history
Fernando Torres has scored nine goals for Liverpool this season, two of them coming against Chelsea. Photograph: John Walton/Empics Sport Fernando Torres has told Liverpool to sit down and negotiate with Chelsea, having reached the point at which he believes that a departure from Anfield is now the right move for his career. With four days of the winter transfer window remaining the striker is aware that time is running out but he does not want to miss out on the opportunity to join Chelsea for a second time. He has urged the Fenway Sports Group to broker an agreement that is good for both player and club. There is not, however, a clause that will allow Torres to unilaterally break his contract in this transfer window.
Chelsea made a bid for Torres during the summer but the striker was told that he would not be able to depart with the club undergoing a sales process. The price quoted for his transfer was so high as to be simply a symbolic "not for sale" sign. At the time, Torres sought assurances that he would be able to depart in the future, should an acceptable bid be made and he consider a move necessary. Those discussions were held with the then managing director Christian Purslow who has now left the club – and no written legal clause was signed.
Torres also wanted assurances over the future of the club when Liverpool were taken over by the new owners. Torres's camp believes that promises have been broken. Liverpool are not the club that Torres joined and the striker is pessimistic over the future and his patience has worn thin with the absence of investment or activity since the takeover. Roy Hodgson's departure and the appointment of Kenny Dalglish was a step in the right direction but is not enough. Liverpool have only made one significant move in the transfer window, for the Uruguay striker Luis Suárez.
It is now a case of Liverpool convincing Torres not to go. The striker can see little real argument to continue at Anfield. Although there is no plan to force a move through and despite the recognition that Liverpool could block the move, Torres believes that an immediate departure is the best solution. Liverpool's decision to announce the bid could be interpreted as an attempt to flush Torres out and force him to push for an exit.
If he were to join Chelsea, Torres would be eligible to play in the Champions League. He is hopeful of Liverpool recognising that his departure could be good for all concerned. Liverpool signed Torres for £23m; they could make more than £20m in profit if they were to sell now. Indeed, it is the money from a Torres deal that could unlock the funds necessary to make an improved bid to clinch Suárez.
Liverpool have reopened talks with Ajax over Suárez this afternoon and, it is believed, made a breakthrough over a transfer fee for the Uruguay international. Ajax rejected a £12.8m offer from Liverpool for their captain this week and had insisted on €30m (£25.8m) for the deal to happen. Suárez has told the coach, Frank De Boer, that he wishes to leave Amsterdam for Merseyside and, mindful that his value will drop if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, Ajax are now understood to be open to a compromise fee with Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, refused to be drawn on his club's bid for Fernando Torres but said he was happy that "the club are trying to do everything they can to improve the squad". But Ancelotti added: "I don't want to speak about this, you will have to ask the club. He is not my player and I have to have respect for Liverpool. I don't like to speak about this."
Ancelotti had previously intimated that the club's protracted pursuit of the Benfica defender David Luiz would be their only major move of the January transfer window. Asked if the Torres bid had therefore caught him by surprise, he said: "I'm not surprised, because I know very well what the club is doing now. I am happy because the club is doing a fantastic job in this transfer market. The club is trying to do everything to improve the squad."
Fernando Torres tells Liverpool to talk to Chelsea
Striker feels move would be right for his career
Torres considers Liverpool have not lived up to promises
- Sid Lowe in Madrid and Andy Hunter
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 14.15 GMT <li class="history">Article history
Fernando Torres has scored nine goals for Liverpool this season, two of them coming against Chelsea. Photograph: John Walton/Empics Sport Fernando Torres has told Liverpool to sit down and negotiate with Chelsea, having reached the point at which he believes that a departure from Anfield is now the right move for his career. With four days of the winter transfer window remaining the striker is aware that time is running out but he does not want to miss out on the opportunity to join Chelsea for a second time. He has urged the Fenway Sports Group to broker an agreement that is good for both player and club. There is not, however, a clause that will allow Torres to unilaterally break his contract in this transfer window.
Chelsea made a bid for Torres during the summer but the striker was told that he would not be able to depart with the club undergoing a sales process. The price quoted for his transfer was so high as to be simply a symbolic "not for sale" sign. At the time, Torres sought assurances that he would be able to depart in the future, should an acceptable bid be made and he consider a move necessary. Those discussions were held with the then managing director Christian Purslow who has now left the club and no written legal clause was signed.
Torres also wanted assurances over the future of the club when Liverpool were taken over by the new owners. Torres's camp believes that promises have been broken. Liverpool are not the club that Torres joined and the striker is pessimistic over the future and his patience has worn thin with the absence of investment or activity since the takeover. Roy Hodgson's departure and the appointment of Kenny Dalglish was a step in the right direction but is not enough. Liverpool have only made one significant move in the transfer window, for the Uruguay striker Luis Suárez.
It is now a case of Liverpool convincing Torres not to go. The striker can see little real argument to continue at Anfield. Although there is no plan to force a move through and despite the recognition that Liverpool could block the move, Torres believes that an immediate departure is the best solution. Liverpool's decision to announce the bid could be interpreted as an attempt to flush Torres out and force him to push for an exit.
If he were to join Chelsea, Torres would be eligible to play in the Champions League. He is hopeful of Liverpool recognising that his departure could be good for all concerned. Liverpool signed Torres for £23m; they could make more than £20m in profit if they were to sell now. Indeed, it is the money from a Torres deal that could unlock the funds necessary to make an improved bid to clinch Suárez.
Liverpool have reopened talks with Ajax over Suárez this afternoon and, it is believed, made a breakthrough over a transfer fee for the Uruguay international. Ajax rejected a £12.8m offer from Liverpool for their captain this week and had insisted on 30m (£25.8m) for the deal to happen. Suárez has told the coach, Frank De Boer, that he wishes to leave Amsterdam for Merseyside and, mindful that his value will drop if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, Ajax are now understood to be open to a compromise fee with Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, refused to be drawn on his club's bid for Fernando Torres but said he was happy that "the club are trying to do everything they can to improve the squad". But Ancelotti added: "I don't want to speak about this, you will have to ask the club. He is not my player and I have to have respect for Liverpool. I don't like to speak about this."
Ancelotti had previously intimated that the club's protracted pursuit of the Benfica defender David Luiz would be their only major move of the January transfer window. Asked if the Torres bid had therefore caught him by surprise, he said: "I'm not surprised, because I know very well what the club is doing now. I am happy because the club is doing a fantastic job in this transfer market. The club is trying to do everything to improve the squad."
Papers: Bid for Bastos?
18/01/2011 10:30
The Daily Mail reports
Sir Alex Ferguson moves for Lyons Michel Bastos as replacement for Patrice Evra
Manchester United have put Lyon left-back Michel Bastos on their list of possible targets to replace Patrice Evra. Sportsmail revealed in December that United had made an enquiry for Benficas £25m-rated Fabio Coentrao, wary that Evra is destined for either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the summer. They have also scouted Newcastles Jose Enrique who is being monitored by Bayern Munich. Bastos, 27, is a regular in the Brazil squad and was once a target for Tottenham but Lyon now rate him at a costly £20m.
Elsewhere, today's papers are filled with two stories previously reported on ManUtd.com - Evras comments regarding the Reds' title challenge and 21-match unbeaten run in the league, as well as the FA's decision to charge Rafael with improper conduct following his dismissal at Tottenham.
The Sun claims Sir Alex Ferguson has introduced extra training sessions in a bid to keep his squad as fresh and fit as possible for the end of season run-in. The paper reports the United boss and his backroom staff have held morning and afternoon workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays for those players not getting regular first-team action.
Australian Open, women's final
Australian Open 2011 women's final: Li Na v Kim Clijsters – live!
• Hit F5 or tick the auto-refresh option for the latest updates
• Email katy.murrells@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts
• Read our previews of the men's final featuring Andy Murray
- Katy Murrells
- guardian.co.uk, Saturday 29 January 2011 07.00 GMT <li class="history">Article history To receive updated content, refresh the page (F5 for a web browser).
This page will update automatically every minute: On | Off
Kim Clijsters gets a makeover, GI Jane-style. Photograph: Allstar/HOLLYWOOD PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd Li 2-2 Clijsters*
A comfortable hold for Li, to 15. She's soaking up Clijsters's pace now and is giving it back as good as she gets.
*Li 1-2 Clijsters
That'll do. Li buries a smash to take the first point of the game. She gets to 30-all but then overcooks a forehand to give Clijsters game point. Li runs around her backhand to hit a heavy forehand down the line and Clijsters can only net. Deuce. Another thunderous shot from Li gives her break point which she duly takes at the first opportunity. The ninth seed breaks straight back.
Li 0-2 Clijsters*
Faultless from Clijsters so far as she breaks to love, courtesy of a slightly fortunate net cord at 0-40. Clijsters is moving very well already, dictating the rallies. Li just needs to steady the nerves and take a deep breath.
*Li 0-1 Clijsters (* denotes next server)
Clijsters opens up with an ace, before holding to love. It's a warm night in Melbourne, around 25 degrees, and it's predicted to be even warmer for Murray v Djokovic tomorrow.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, the players are warming up in front of a virtually packed house on the Rod Laver Arena. Both are introduced to the crowd. "Aussie Kim" seems to get the slightly bigger cheer.
And here they are. Clijsters is once again wearing her radioactive green ensemble, which isn't too dissimilar in shade to the outfit which Murray has been blinding everyone with over the past fortnight. Li goes for the more subdued white and navy blue. Not a hint of red in sight.
8.31am:CloseLink to this update: Australian Open 2011 women's final: Li Na v Kim Clijsters The players should be on court any minute. Meanwhile in the Eurosport studio, Amélie Mauresmo has gone for Clijsters in two, Mats Wilander for Clijsters in three. Good to see they're on my side.At least I hope it does. I must admit I'll be cheering for Clijsters today, mainly to save some professional face in front of the boss. When Sean Ingle asked me a fortnight ago whether it was worth putting some money on Li, I emphatically declared she'd get no further than the semis. I think her odds were 30-1 or maybe even a bit longer at the time. Hmm.
In terms of playing styles, they're very similar. They both go for their shots, leaving little margin for error and are sometimes as likely to make five mistakes in a row as they are five winners. I can't see Li being too fazed by the big occasion, but Clijsters's superior movement around the court, combined with her greater experience, should give her the edge.
Li actually beat Clijsters in the Sydney final earlier this month, even though Clijsters had led 5-0 in the first set. But you'd expect the Belgian, on the biggest stage, to be a different proposition today. It's her eighth grand slam final, she's going for a fourth major title and her third since coming out of retirement – though it would be her first victory in Australia, having lost the 2004 final to Justine Henin.
So as Andy Murray looks to break Britain's 75-year grand slam duck tomorrow, Li Na will attempt to create an even bigger piece of history for Chinese tennis today. Never before has China had a grand slam singles champion – male or female – indeed this is the first time a player from a country with a population of 1.3 billion has contested a major singles final.
With an estimated 330 million households able to watch the final on Chinese state TV, some are predicting this could be the most-viewed tennis match of all-time. But it seems one person who won't be tuning in is Li's own mother, who's never even seen her daughter play a professional match. "She can't watch me play tennis," Li revealed after her semi-final. "I'll ask her many times. She's so nervous."
Meanwhile the most anxious member of Team Clijsters today will probably be her husband, who will be hoping his wife doesn't engage in any bizarre head-shaving shenanigans if she emerges victorious. That's the deal Clijsters struck with her coach, Wim Fissette, after he did the same when she won the US Open.
Morning. Anyone awake?
Australian Open, women's final
Australian Open 2011 women's final: Li Na v Kim Clijsters live!
Hit F5 or tick the auto-refresh option for the latest updates
Email katy.murrells@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts
Read our previews of the men's final featuring Andy Murray
- Katy Murrells
- guardian.co.uk, Saturday 29 January 2011 07.00 GMT <li class="history">Article history To receive updated content, refresh the page (F5 for a web browser).
This page will update automatically every minute: On | Off
Kim Clijsters gets a makeover, GI Jane-style. Photograph: Allstar/HOLLYWOOD PICTURES/Sportsphoto Ltd Li 2-2 Clijsters*
A comfortable hold for Li, to 15. She's soaking up Clijsters's pace now and is giving it back as good as she gets.
*Li 1-2 Clijsters
That'll do. Li buries a smash to take the first point of the game. She gets to 30-all but then overcooks a forehand to give Clijsters game point. Li runs around her backhand to hit a heavy forehand down the line and Clijsters can only net. Deuce. Another thunderous shot from Li gives her break point which she duly takes at the first opportunity. The ninth seed breaks straight back.
Li 0-2 Clijsters*
Faultless from Clijsters so far as she breaks to love, courtesy of a slightly fortunate net cord at 0-40. Clijsters is moving very well already, dictating the rallies. Li just needs to steady the nerves and take a deep breath.
*Li 0-1 Clijsters (* denotes next server)
Clijsters opens up with an ace, before holding to love. It's a warm night in Melbourne, around 25 degrees, and it's predicted to be even warmer for Murray v Djokovic tomorrow.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, the players are warming up in front of a virtually packed house on the Rod Laver Arena. Both are introduced to the crowd. "Aussie Kim" seems to get the slightly bigger cheer.
And here they are. Clijsters is once again wearing her radioactive green ensemble, which isn't too dissimilar in shade to the outfit which Murray has been blinding everyone with over the past fortnight. Li goes for the more subdued white and navy blue. Not a hint of red in sight.
8.31am:CloseLink to this update: Australian Open 2011 women's final: Li Na v Kim Clijsters The players should be on court any minute. Meanwhile in the Eurosport studio, Amélie Mauresmo has gone for Clijsters in two, Mats Wilander for Clijsters in three. Good to see they're on my side.At least I hope it does. I must admit I'll be cheering for Clijsters today, mainly to save some professional face in front of the boss. When Sean Ingle asked me a fortnight ago whether it was worth putting some money on Li, I emphatically declared she'd get no further than the semis. I think her odds were 30-1 or maybe even a bit longer at the time. Hmm.
In terms of playing styles, they're very similar. They both go for their shots, leaving little margin for error and are sometimes as likely to make five mistakes in a row as they are five winners. I can't see Li being too fazed by the big occasion, but Clijsters's superior movement around the court, combined with her greater experience, should give her the edge.
Li actually beat Clijsters in the Sydney final earlier this month, even though Clijsters had led 5-0 in the first set. But you'd expect the Belgian, on the biggest stage, to be a different proposition today. It's her eighth grand slam final, she's going for a fourth major title and her third since coming out of retirement though it would be her first victory in Australia, having lost the 2004 final to Justine Henin.
So as Andy Murray looks to break Britain's 75-year grand slam duck tomorrow, Li Na will attempt to create an even bigger piece of history for Chinese tennis today. Never before has China had a grand slam singles champion male or female indeed this is the first time a player from a country with a population of 1.3 billion has contested a major singles final.
With an estimated 330 million households able to watch the final on Chinese state TV, some are predicting this could be the most-viewed tennis match of all-time. But it seems one person who won't be tuning in is Li's own mother, who's never even seen her daughter play a professional match. "She can't watch me play tennis," Li revealed after her semi-final. "I'll ask her many times. She's so nervous."
Meanwhile the most anxious member of Team Clijsters today will probably be her husband, who will be hoping his wife doesn't engage in any bizarre head-shaving shenanigans if she emerges victorious. That's the deal Clijsters struck with her coach, Wim Fissette, after he did the same when she won the US Open.
Morning. Anyone awake?
Australian Open men's final
Andy Murray prepares for biggest chance to break his grand slam duck
When the Scot recalls the embarrassment of last year's Australian Open final, it will give him either strength or nightmares as he faces Novak Djokovic
-
-
Andy Murray is determined that he will fully trust in his talent, unlike last year when he capitulated to Roger Federer. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images Andy Murray shies away from the suggestion but there can rarely have been a better time to reach for his first grand slam title than in the absence of the two players who have made that quest such a forlorn exercise for so many for so long.
How completely and quickly Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal repair their contrasting wounds – pride and hamstring, respectively – will determine the shape of tennis in the months and years to come. There is a growing sentiment that Federer's vulnerability over the course of the tournament in Melbourne betrayed an underlying decay in his game, a result of the commendable distraction of fatherhood but exacerbated by the rise of those around him on the circuit.
Nevertheless, when Murray walks on to the centre court here on Sunday alongside Novak Djokovic to contest the final of the Australian Open, he will glance around the Rod Laver Arena and either dwell upon or suppress the memory of his embarrassment in defeat by Federer in the same match a year ago. It will give him strength or nightmares.
Murray was convinced that was his time – which is why he could not quell the tears, devastated that, when his chance came, he did not trust his talent. He promised himself he would never let that happen again. In the main he has kept that promise.
Federer won his 16th (and possibly last) major that night, relieved that Murray failed to grab at least two golden opportunities that would, in all probability, have extended the contest into a fourth set, from which point Murray might have launched a second offensive.
Now Federer is gone, embarrassed by Djokovic in a one-sided semi-final on Thursday night that not only raised doubts about his longevity but followed the equally profound defeat of a limping and distraught Nadal by David Ferrer the night before.
To lose one legend is unfortunate, to lose two is blessed good fortune for everyone else. There will be wider discussion later about what their travails mean for the sport in general and their peers in particular but there is no denying this tournament will be remembered as the one that provided Murray and Djokovic with the stage they had always craved: a grand slam context to decide the championship of each other.
When Murray put away Ferrer, the No7 seed, in a fierce struggle over four sets in the second semi-final, his thoughts turned immediately to an opponent he has known for a decade and more, the one player he regarded as competing with him most intensely to overthrow Federer and Nadal.
Murray acknowledges that Djokovic initially pulled ahead of him; he has also already won a major. What more incentive could he need? Certainly he spends little time dwelling on the Fred Perry Question: his Scottishness, perhaps, inures him to the weight of expectation to emulate the great pre-war English tennis star, one so far away, 75 years in fact, he might be a fading Supernova. Repeatedly Murray says he cares little for such historical quirks.
But is this, nevertheless, his best chance to win a major? "I felt like last year was a good chance as well," he said. "It depends on the day. I am playing against a great player. Novak played unbelievable tennis against Roger. It is one of those matches where, if I play very well, I will definitely be within a shot of winning. But I will need to play my best tennis. It is a chance. Whether it is better than the other ones I don't know."
Obviously he respects Federer. But he does not fear him. Nor does he quake in Djokovic's presence. "He doesn't give you many errors from the back of the court," he says of the man going into the final with the greater momentum, "but he struggled on his serve the last couple of years. [On his] second serve he has served quite a lot of double faults at tight moments and that is something I will have to put pressure on, his serve.
"[I have to] make him feel like I am taking chances on his service games, hitting good returns. That is one of the things I will be focusing on."
Theirs is a rivalry not unlike that of Federer and Nadal: unmitigated but full of respect. They are, he says, good friends. "I think I've got closer to him over the past year. We always got on well. I have spent a lot more time with him.
"We have had quite a lot of the same experiences over the last few years. We have got a lot in common and the last year or so we have spent a lot more time practising together. We always message each other if we do well in tournaments and stuff. He is a very nice guy – good fun, nice to be around. I will be putting that to one side on Sunday but hopefully we will be friends afterwards."
So, who will win? Djokovic is favourite, rightly so after the number he did on Federer. He was tough on the sixth seed, Tomas Berdych, too, in three relatively quick sets, put an injured Viktor Troicki out of his misery quickly and took the final set to love against Nicolás Almagro in the fourth round. There was hardly a blip.
Murray's passage to the final has been the usual voyage of discovery and flickering concern but it might have better prepared him for the big day. In Karol Beck and Illya Marchenko he met strangers whose desperation he killed with defensive tennis of the highest order; he much enjoyed opening up his attacking game to beat Guillermo García-López in three one-sided sets and did a similar job on the determined but limited Jürgen Melzer.
Murray's trickiest assignment before the semi-finals, however, was against the unorthodox and charismatic young Ukrainian hitter, Alexandr Dolgopolov, of whom it was said his tennis resembled his surname: it was hard to know what was coming next.
Dolgopolov gave Murray a brief but serious scare with a serve as unusual as and not much slower than Andy Roddick's. Fuelled by the intemperance of youth, he took a set off Murray, then foundered on his own impetuosity – but it provided the Scot with invaluable help in putting together his all-round game in preparation for Ferrer.
This was some semi-final. Murray has found many ways to transmit his own anxiety to those in the stands cheering him on and going punch for punch with the Spaniard certainly did the trick for the first hour of an enthralling contest.
Neither betrayed a hint of surrender. Murray was not at his best in the first set, which Ferrer gladly grasped with uncomplicated, robust ground strokes that allowed his opponent barely a moment to breathe.
Normally, under such an onslaught, Murray finds a way to prick the assault with subtle and soft retaliation. Not here. He was rattled and he gave nearly as good as he got.
The second set took a similar path. Murray was in danger of going out if he could not find a way to stem the Spaniard's brutal game. He did, gathering his resources just in time to blitz Ferrer in a tie-break.
He returned to his imperious best in the third and it looked as if Ferrer would fold. He did not. He pushed Murray all the way in the fourth and impartial observers had to wonder who might emerge stronger in a fifth set. It was not needed. Again Murray prevailed in the tie-break.
Perhaps he knew Ferrer has not won a single tie-break in 10 attempts at the Australian Open. History is not all bunk.
Australian Open men's final
Andy Murray prepares for biggest chance to break his grand slam duck
When the Scot recalls the embarrassment of last year's Australian Open final, it will give him either strength or nightmares as he faces Novak Djokovic
-
-
Andy Murray is determined that he will fully trust in his talent, unlike last year when he capitulated to Roger Federer. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images Andy Murray shies away from the suggestion but there can rarely have been a better time to reach for his first grand slam title than in the absence of the two players who have made that quest such a forlorn exercise for so many for so long.
How completely and quickly Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal repair their contrasting wounds pride and hamstring, respectively will determine the shape of tennis in the months and years to come. There is a growing sentiment that Federer's vulnerability over the course of the tournament in Melbourne betrayed an underlying decay in his game, a result of the commendable distraction of fatherhood but exacerbated by the rise of those around him on the circuit.
Nevertheless, when Murray walks on to the centre court here on Sunday alongside Novak Djokovic to contest the final of the Australian Open, he will glance around the Rod Laver Arena and either dwell upon or suppress the memory of his embarrassment in defeat by Federer in the same match a year ago. It will give him strength or nightmares.
Murray was convinced that was his time which is why he could not quell the tears, devastated that, when his chance came, he did not trust his talent. He promised himself he would never let that happen again. In the main he has kept that promise.
Federer won his 16th (and possibly last) major that night, relieved that Murray failed to grab at least two golden opportunities that would, in all probability, have extended the contest into a fourth set, from which point Murray might have launched a second offensive.
Now Federer is gone, embarrassed by Djokovic in a one-sided semi-final on Thursday night that not only raised doubts about his longevity but followed the equally profound defeat of a limping and distraught Nadal by David Ferrer the night before.
To lose one legend is unfortunate, to lose two is blessed good fortune for everyone else. There will be wider discussion later about what their travails mean for the sport in general and their peers in particular but there is no denying this tournament will be remembered as the one that provided Murray and Djokovic with the stage they had always craved: a grand slam context to decide the championship of each other.
When Murray put away Ferrer, the No7 seed, in a fierce struggle over four sets in the second semi-final, his thoughts turned immediately to an opponent he has known for a decade and more, the one player he regarded as competing with him most intensely to overthrow Federer and Nadal.
Murray acknowledges that Djokovic initially pulled ahead of him; he has also already won a major. What more incentive could he need? Certainly he spends little time dwelling on the Fred Perry Question: his Scottishness, perhaps, inures him to the weight of expectation to emulate the great pre-war English tennis star, one so far away, 75 years in fact, he might be a fading Supernova. Repeatedly Murray says he cares little for such historical quirks.
But is this, nevertheless, his best chance to win a major? "I felt like last year was a good chance as well," he said. "It depends on the day. I am playing against a great player. Novak played unbelievable tennis against Roger. It is one of those matches where, if I play very well, I will definitely be within a shot of winning. But I will need to play my best tennis. It is a chance. Whether it is better than the other ones I don't know."
Obviously he respects Federer. But he does not fear him. Nor does he quake in Djokovic's presence. "He doesn't give you many errors from the back of the court," he says of the man going into the final with the greater momentum, "but he struggled on his serve the last couple of years. [On his] second serve he has served quite a lot of double faults at tight moments and that is something I will have to put pressure on, his serve.
"[I have to] make him feel like I am taking chances on his service games, hitting good returns. That is one of the things I will be focusing on."
Theirs is a rivalry not unlike that of Federer and Nadal: unmitigated but full of respect. They are, he says, good friends. "I think I've got closer to him over the past year. We always got on well. I have spent a lot more time with him.
"We have had quite a lot of the same experiences over the last few years. We have got a lot in common and the last year or so we have spent a lot more time practising together. We always message each other if we do well in tournaments and stuff. He is a very nice guy good fun, nice to be around. I will be putting that to one side on Sunday but hopefully we will be friends afterwards."
So, who will win? Djokovic is favourite, rightly so after the number he did on Federer. He was tough on the sixth seed, Tomas Berdych, too, in three relatively quick sets, put an injured Viktor Troicki out of his misery quickly and took the final set to love against Nicolás Almagro in the fourth round. There was hardly a blip.
Murray's passage to the final has been the usual voyage of discovery and flickering concern but it might have better prepared him for the big day. In Karol Beck and Illya Marchenko he met strangers whose desperation he killed with defensive tennis of the highest order; he much enjoyed opening up his attacking game to beat Guillermo García-López in three one-sided sets and did a similar job on the determined but limited Jürgen Melzer.
Murray's trickiest assignment before the semi-finals, however, was against the unorthodox and charismatic young Ukrainian hitter, Alexandr Dolgopolov, of whom it was said his tennis resembled his surname: it was hard to know what was coming next.
Dolgopolov gave Murray a brief but serious scare with a serve as unusual as and not much slower than Andy Roddick's. Fuelled by the intemperance of youth, he took a set off Murray, then foundered on his own impetuosity but it provided the Scot with invaluable help in putting together his all-round game in preparation for Ferrer.
This was some semi-final. Murray has found many ways to transmit his own anxiety to those in the stands cheering him on and going punch for punch with the Spaniard certainly did the trick for the first hour of an enthralling contest.
Neither betrayed a hint of surrender. Murray was not at his best in the first set, which Ferrer gladly grasped with uncomplicated, robust ground strokes that allowed his opponent barely a moment to breathe.
Normally, under such an onslaught, Murray finds a way to prick the assault with subtle and soft retaliation. Not here. He was rattled and he gave nearly as good as he got.
The second set took a similar path. Murray was in danger of going out if he could not find a way to stem the Spaniard's brutal game. He did, gathering his resources just in time to blitz Ferrer in a tie-break.
He returned to his imperious best in the third and it looked as if Ferrer would fold. He did not. He pushed Murray all the way in the fourth and impartial observers had to wonder who might emerge stronger in a fifth set. It was not needed. Again Murray prevailed in the tie-break.
Perhaps he knew Ferrer has not won a single tie-break in 10 attempts at the Australian Open. History is not all bunk.
Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray beats David Ferrer to reach final
• Murray defeats Ferrer 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6
• Briton now faces Novak Djokovic in the final
- Kevin Mitchell at Melbourne Park
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 12.29 GMT <li class="history">Article history
Andy Murray hits a forehand during his Australian Open semi-final against David Ferrer. Photograph: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images Andy Murray has invariably dragged us to the edge of our seats. Rarely has he done it so dramatically when it mattered as in beating David Ferrer in four sets today to reach the final of the Australian Open for the second year in a row.
He was on the brink of a knockout after an hour but recovered to leave the Spaniard on the ropes. Clearly drained after three hours and 46 minutes of high-octane tennis littered with scores of 20-plus rallies, he predicted that Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic was going to be "brutal".
It will be if he plays like this. He resorted to his serve to extricate himself from several tight spots but ran out of ideas when Ferrer kept running down even his most exquisite winners. It was then that Murray was drawn into a brawl, a decision he probably will regret, yet he survived it.
Those critics who demand that Murray abandon his passive aggression will be overjoyed to learn that he went to the net 56 times and scored winners on all but 16 occasions. There were mistakes, but there were also a string of quite stunning shots. Much of this was desperation, but it revealed Murray's willingness to adapt to crises. There may be a few of those against Djokovic.
Murray was out of sorts in the first set, conducted in the early-evening summer glow; fought like a demon in the second (during which he sent two rackets away to be restrung for more power) and overpowered Ferrer in a tie-break; blitzed the Spaniard in the third (when his rackets had been returned to him); then lapsed into his earlier torpor before hanging on in the fourth and crushing the Spaniard in a second tie-break.
If there is a soap with more twists, it would struggle to pass the credibility test of the most obscure satellite channel.
This 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) win over three hours and 46 minutes was more fraught than any of the Scot's five other wins the past fortnight yet because of the way he came through the struggle, it was probably the most impressive.
"He's an unbelievable athlete, unbelievable competitor," a drained Murray said at courtside, before leaving to sooth his racked body in an ice bath. "He's such a tough player. There's going to be some nerves in a grand slam semi-final, certainly that was the case in the first set today. I changed racket tension just before the end of the second set, then finished a lot of points quicker.
"My first slam final [against Roger Federer in the 2008 US Open], I didn't now what was going on. Last year [here against Federer] was better – and I hope this is going to be better than last year's."
Asked about Djokovic, he said: "Experience-wise we're similar. We're good friends, practise a lot together, so there won't be any secrets – but it's going to be a brutal match."
Ferrer said: "I had my chance at set point in the second set but he served really well, in the important moments better than me. I tried, but Andy Murray's a very great player. The final? A difficult match. Andy and Novak are very consistent, but I don't know. It depends on the start of the match, the first set."
If Murray starts in the final the way he did today, he will be in trouble. The British No1 had to dig deep on countless occasions to see off Ferrer, who may never have played better tennis.
After a start that would have been more appropriate at the opening of a state funeral, with the fans barely responding to a series of mundane exchanges, it turned into the most enthralling dog fight. Murray's big serve got him out of trouble time and again. He served only nine aces, three of them in the tie-breaks.
At the three-hour point – the length of Djokovic's win over Federer the night before – Murray led two sets to one and it was 2-2 in the fourth. Not a soul in the arena could tell which way the match would go. Murray was breathing hard and sweating profusely, despite the mild conditions. Several times he looked up to his box, where his mother, Judy, was grim-faced and plainly concerned. But he came through several difficult patches as Ferrer's discipline deserted him.
The third set encouraged the belief among his supporters that Murray would stroll to the finish – but, almost inevitably, it was not to be. Ferrer roused himself magnificently in the fourth. Murray broke early to lead 2-0 but surrendered the initiative as the No7 seed refused to bow to the pressure.
The closing tie-break, however, mirrored the first almost exactly. When Murray raced to a 6-1 lead with his second ace, all that was left to wind the match up was a delightful final flourish, a delicate reverse chip that left Ferrer stranded and bereft.
Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray beats David Ferrer to reach final
Murray defeats Ferrer 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6
Briton now faces Novak Djokovic in the final
- Kevin Mitchell at Melbourne Park
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 12.29 GMT <li class="history">Article history
Andy Murray hits a forehand during his Australian Open semi-final against David Ferrer. Photograph: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images Andy Murray has invariably dragged us to the edge of our seats. Rarely has he done it so dramatically when it mattered as in beating David Ferrer in four sets today to reach the final of the Australian Open for the second year in a row.
He was on the brink of a knockout after an hour but recovered to leave the Spaniard on the ropes. Clearly drained after three hours and 46 minutes of high-octane tennis littered with scores of 20-plus rallies, he predicted that Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic was going to be "brutal".
It will be if he plays like this. He resorted to his serve to extricate himself from several tight spots but ran out of ideas when Ferrer kept running down even his most exquisite winners. It was then that Murray was drawn into a brawl, a decision he probably will regret, yet he survived it.
Those critics who demand that Murray abandon his passive aggression will be overjoyed to learn that he went to the net 56 times and scored winners on all but 16 occasions. There were mistakes, but there were also a string of quite stunning shots. Much of this was desperation, but it revealed Murray's willingness to adapt to crises. There may be a few of those against Djokovic.
Murray was out of sorts in the first set, conducted in the early-evening summer glow; fought like a demon in the second (during which he sent two rackets away to be restrung for more power) and overpowered Ferrer in a tie-break; blitzed the Spaniard in the third (when his rackets had been returned to him); then lapsed into his earlier torpor before hanging on in the fourth and crushing the Spaniard in a second tie-break.
If there is a soap with more twists, it would struggle to pass the credibility test of the most obscure satellite channel.
This 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) win over three hours and 46 minutes was more fraught than any of the Scot's five other wins the past fortnight yet because of the way he came through the struggle, it was probably the most impressive.
"He's an unbelievable athlete, unbelievable competitor," a drained Murray said at courtside, before leaving to sooth his racked body in an ice bath. "He's such a tough player. There's going to be some nerves in a grand slam semi-final, certainly that was the case in the first set today. I changed racket tension just before the end of the second set, then finished a lot of points quicker.
"My first slam final [against Roger Federer in the 2008 US Open], I didn't now what was going on. Last year [here against Federer] was better and I hope this is going to be better than last year's."
Asked about Djokovic, he said: "Experience-wise we're similar. We're good friends, practise a lot together, so there won't be any secrets but it's going to be a brutal match."
Ferrer said: "I had my chance at set point in the second set but he served really well, in the important moments better than me. I tried, but Andy Murray's a very great player. The final? A difficult match. Andy and Novak are very consistent, but I don't know. It depends on the start of the match, the first set."
If Murray starts in the final the way he did today, he will be in trouble. The British No1 had to dig deep on countless occasions to see off Ferrer, who may never have played better tennis.
After a start that would have been more appropriate at the opening of a state funeral, with the fans barely responding to a series of mundane exchanges, it turned into the most enthralling dog fight. Murray's big serve got him out of trouble time and again. He served only nine aces, three of them in the tie-breaks.
At the three-hour point the length of Djokovic's win over Federer the night before Murray led two sets to one and it was 2-2 in the fourth. Not a soul in the arena could tell which way the match would go. Murray was breathing hard and sweating profusely, despite the mild conditions. Several times he looked up to his box, where his mother, Judy, was grim-faced and plainly concerned. But he came through several difficult patches as Ferrer's discipline deserted him.
The third set encouraged the belief among his supporters that Murray would stroll to the finish but, almost inevitably, it was not to be. Ferrer roused himself magnificently in the fourth. Murray broke early to lead 2-0 but surrendered the initiative as the No7 seed refused to bow to the pressure.
The closing tie-break, however, mirrored the first almost exactly. When Murray raced to a 6-1 lead with his second ace, all that was left to wind the match up was a delightful final flourish, a delicate reverse chip that left Ferrer stranded and bereft.
CHELSEA TV EXCLUSIVE: ONE FROM TWO
Posted on: Sat 29 Jan 2011
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed yesterday that he has just one decision to make on his starting 11. Will fit again Frank Lampard return to the side at Everton?
If he does, the manager confirmed it would be at the expense of John Mikel Obi, himself only recently back from injury, rather than either of the other midfield trio, Michael Essien or Ramires.
'I have just to decide about Lampard, the other players we will play with the team that played against Bolton,' the manager told the club's official TV channel. 'The other players will start like the line-up of Bolton [but] we have Mikel, I have to decide which, him or Lampard.'
It leaves just Alex, Yossi Benayoun and Yury Zhirkov on the sidelines, thoughboth Gael Kakuta and Patrick van Aanholt, youngsters from the Academy, this week left Stamford Bridge on loan to limit the Italian's options still further.
'We decided to send them on loan because they need to have experience,' the manager said. 'We will follow their performances and I hope they will come back with more experience next year. We can replace them with other young players, maybe Jacopo Sala and Gokhan Tore, and we can have Alex back in two weeks and also Yury Zhirkov.'
Ancelotti is yet to oversee a Chelsea win against Everton, with two draws and a defeat in three meetings, though with our form now back on track, the manager is in confident mood heading to Goodison Park.
'We came back to play our football with confidence and I think the moment is good to repeat a very good game at Bolton,' he said.
'Everton will put pressure on us, it will be a difficult game, but at the moment it is good that we are playing at the same level away as at home.
'To win against Everton is not easy, but. I think that the team is in good condition, confidence is better compared to the last game we played against them and we have the possibility to win.'
You can follow the game live and interact with other Blues fans right here on the Chelsea website.
England and Australia risk Ashes overkill with 11 Tests in seven months
• 2013 series will be back to back to avoid World Cup
• ECB denies rush of games will devalue event
- Andy Wilson
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 21.57 GMT <li class="history">Article history
England celebrate winning this winter's Ashes series but they may not look so sprightly in 2013. Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images England and Australia will stage a 1970s revival of Ashes to Ashes in 2013, with back-to-back series for the first time in 38 years. If the teams meet in the semi-finals or final of the new ICC World Test Championship that is also likely to be played in England in the summer of 2013, international cricket's oldest adversaries could play no fewer than 11 Tests inside seven months.
With England likely to host another Ashes series in the summer of 2015, it would represent an unprecedented glut that will lead to inevitable accusations of devaluing the rivalry. It will also bring a major financial boost to the England and Wales Cricket Board and should help them to ease the pressure being felt by the majority of the counties that stage international cricket, with a minimum of 10 Ashes Tests now available to be allocated in the space of three years.
The new Ashes dates, like the four-team play-off to be crowned world Test champions which is set for England in June 2013, have still to be finalised. But after details had been leaked by Cricket Australia overnight, Steve Elworthy, the ECB's marketing director, confirmed they are likely – and denied they would represent too much of a good thing. "I believe the brand is strong enough, as we've seen this year," he said.
Under the usual arrangements of Ashes series every two years, England would have been due to go to Australia in the winter of 2014-15. But with Australia due to host the ICC World Cup in the early months of February 2015, that would have meant a stay of up to five months for the England players – and a repeat of the strains the team are currently showing, with little time to recover from their Ashes triumph before the start of the World Cup on the sub-continent.
The decision was therefore made that England would tour Australia a year early, in the winter of 2013-14. Ideally, the next home series would also have been brought forward from 2013 to 2012 to avoid the Ashes orgy. But the London Olympics made that impossible.
"It's always been our aim to break that cycle of two huge events in the same winter," Elworthy added in comments to ESPNcricinfo that he later reiterated to the Guardian. "To ensure that the teams have better preparation time for the World Cup, this is the only solution. But I also think it's absolutely manageable."
It means that far from being a dish best served cold, the losers of the next Ashes battle in England will now have the chance to take their revenge piping hot, with only a couple of months between the end of one series at The Oval and the start of the next in Brisbane – assuming the venues retain their traditional places in the increasingly crowded schedule.
There was a comparatively huge gap of five months between the last back-to-back Ashes series in 1974-75, providing a welcome respite for England's batsmen when Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were in their pomp – although not for Mike Denness, who was sacked as captain when his team followed the 4-1 thrashing in Australia that was completed in Melbourne in February with a heavy defeat in the first Test in Edgbaston in July.
"I haven't seen the details but it sounds pretty heavy duty stuff," said the former England coach Peter Moores, reflecting the likely concerns of his successor, Andy Flower about such an exacting schedule. "To be playing your showpiece series twice in quick succession without the gap in between would be tough and not necessarily the easiest sell – sometimes the gap in between can be part of the attraction."
The major significance of the new proposals for Australia is to thrust their next home Ashes series to the beginning of the period for which they are currently negotiating a new television contract. There have been suggestions that Cricket Australia could be adversely affected by the significantly improved new deals that the major winter football codes, rugby league and Australian Rules, are expected to conclude over the next 12 months, especially after England's dominance of the recent series. The ECB's television deal with Sky expires after the 2013 Ashes series, so the shift in the next home series to 2015 is unlikely to make a huge difference.
England and Australia risk Ashes overkill with 11 Tests in seven months
2013 series will be back to back to avoid World Cup
ECB denies rush of games will devalue event
- Andy Wilson
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 21.57 GMT <li class="history">Article history
England celebrate winning this winter's Ashes series but they may not look so sprightly in 2013. Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images England and Australia will stage a 1970s revival of Ashes to Ashes in 2013, with back-to-back series for the first time in 38 years. If the teams meet in the semi-finals or final of the new ICC World Test Championship that is also likely to be played in England in the summer of 2013, international cricket's oldest adversaries could play no fewer than 11 Tests inside seven months.
With England likely to host another Ashes series in the summer of 2015, it would represent an unprecedented glut that will lead to inevitable accusations of devaluing the rivalry. It will also bring a major financial boost to the England and Wales Cricket Board and should help them to ease the pressure being felt by the majority of the counties that stage international cricket, with a minimum of 10 Ashes Tests now available to be allocated in the space of three years.
The new Ashes dates, like the four-team play-off to be crowned world Test champions which is set for England in June 2013, have still to be finalised. But after details had been leaked by Cricket Australia overnight, Steve Elworthy, the ECB's marketing director, confirmed they are likely and denied they would represent too much of a good thing. "I believe the brand is strong enough, as we've seen this year," he said.
Under the usual arrangements of Ashes series every two years, England would have been due to go to Australia in the winter of 2014-15. But with Australia due to host the ICC World Cup in the early months of February 2015, that would have meant a stay of up to five months for the England players and a repeat of the strains the team are currently showing, with little time to recover from their Ashes triumph before the start of the World Cup on the sub-continent.
The decision was therefore made that England would tour Australia a year early, in the winter of 2013-14. Ideally, the next home series would also have been brought forward from 2013 to 2012 to avoid the Ashes orgy. But the London Olympics made that impossible.
"It's always been our aim to break that cycle of two huge events in the same winter," Elworthy added in comments to ESPNcricinfo that he later reiterated to the Guardian. "To ensure that the teams have better preparation time for the World Cup, this is the only solution. But I also think it's absolutely manageable."
It means that far from being a dish best served cold, the losers of the next Ashes battle in England will now have the chance to take their revenge piping hot, with only a couple of months between the end of one series at The Oval and the start of the next in Brisbane assuming the venues retain their traditional places in the increasingly crowded schedule.
There was a comparatively huge gap of five months between the last back-to-back Ashes series in 1974-75, providing a welcome respite for England's batsmen when Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were in their pomp although not for Mike Denness, who was sacked as captain when his team followed the 4-1 thrashing in Australia that was completed in Melbourne in February with a heavy defeat in the first Test in Edgbaston in July.
"I haven't seen the details but it sounds pretty heavy duty stuff," said the former England coach Peter Moores, reflecting the likely concerns of his successor, Andy Flower about such an exacting schedule. "To be playing your showpiece series twice in quick succession without the gap in between would be tough and not necessarily the easiest sell sometimes the gap in between can be part of the attraction."
The major significance of the new proposals for Australia is to thrust their next home Ashes series to the beginning of the period for which they are currently negotiating a new television contract. There have been suggestions that Cricket Australia could be adversely affected by the significantly improved new deals that the major winter football codes, rugby league and Australian Rules, are expected to conclude over the next 12 months, especially after England's dominance of the recent series. The ECB's television deal with Sky expires after the 2013 Ashes series, so the shift in the next home series to 2015 is unlikely to make a huge difference.
Tottenham Hotspur's Jonathan Woodgate may go on loan to Wolves
• Centre-back yet to decide on move as he returns from injury
• 'It's whatever's best for Jonathan,' says Harry Redknapp
- Simon Burnton
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 16.49 GMT <li class="history">Article history
Jonathan Woodgate is returning from a long-term groin injury and has played in two reserve games for Tottenham in recent days. Photograph: Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar Harry Redknapp has agreed to allow Jonathan Woodgate to spend the rest of the season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers but the player has yet to decide whether to make the move. "I can't force him to go anywhere," the Tottenham Hotspur manager said.
Woodgate is nearing a return from long-term injury and has played in two reserve games in recent days, lasting a half against QPR and an hour against Charlton.
"He's not played a 90-minute game yet. It's slowly, slowly with him," Redknapp said. "He's coming back well, he looks in great shape, but you can't compare the two little run-outs he's had to what he'd have to face in the Premier League.
"It's whatever's best for Jonathan really, to get him fit and get him back playing, but it's his decision at the end of the day. I can't force him into going anywhere. He'll look at it and if he feels he can get in the team here it's up to him to stay and fight for his place. Or he can go to Wolves, which is a good option, and get some games in and see where that takes him."
Redknapp said a fee had been agreed with Werder Bremen for the Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar, though the player was not keen on the move.
"They've come in and offered good money for him, but I'm not keen to lose Niko," Redknapp said. "He's a good player, a fantastic player in my opinion. I don't think he wants to go to Germany and play, I don't think he feels that's an option for him. If that's the case, that's great for us."
Redknapp also spoke about the downfall this week of the Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray, over sexist remarks and behaviour. He said: "If we're honest about it, in the dressing room, when you're at work, everybody makes remarks that are not meant to be malicious. They did it in a situation that was being recorded, being filmed, and it's cost them dearly.
"They made a mistake and it's a shame because they're both very talented guys. For me, Andy took football broadcasting and co-commentating and everything he did on to another level. He was fantastic at what he did, I think, and I know him and he's a smashing guy as well. Someone like Andy could come back, I could see him maybe even going into coaching or management, because I think he's got an outstanding football brain. I think it's sad, but what they did was wrong."
Redknapp also discussed the decision to fine the Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, for fielding a weakened team at Aston Villa earlier in the season.
"With a 25-man squad you're entitled to pick any of that 25, that's the rules," he said. "It's a juggling act. They got beat 3-2 in the last minute, he picked a good team. I can't believe it really, I think it's completely wrong. Other [bigger] clubs have changed their team loads of times. No one questions them, because they probably still win even with a weakened team. Because he got beat, suddenly it's wrong? I don't see it, it's not fair."
Tottenham Hotspur's Jonathan Woodgate may go on loan to Wolves
Centre-back yet to decide on move as he returns from injury
'It's whatever's best for Jonathan,' says Harry Redknapp
- Simon Burnton
- guardian.co.uk, Friday 28 January 2011 16.49 GMT <li class="history">Article history
Jonathan Woodgate is returning from a long-term groin injury and has played in two reserve games for Tottenham in recent days. Photograph: Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar Harry Redknapp has agreed to allow Jonathan Woodgate to spend the rest of the season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers but the player has yet to decide whether to make the move. "I can't force him to go anywhere," the Tottenham Hotspur manager said.
Woodgate is nearing a return from long-term injury and has played in two reserve games in recent days, lasting a half against QPR and an hour against Charlton.
"He's not played a 90-minute game yet. It's slowly, slowly with him," Redknapp said. "He's coming back well, he looks in great shape, but you can't compare the two little run-outs he's had to what he'd have to face in the Premier League.
"It's whatever's best for Jonathan really, to get him fit and get him back playing, but it's his decision at the end of the day. I can't force him into going anywhere. He'll look at it and if he feels he can get in the team here it's up to him to stay and fight for his place. Or he can go to Wolves, which is a good option, and get some games in and see where that takes him."
Redknapp said a fee had been agreed with Werder Bremen for the Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar, though the player was not keen on the move.
"They've come in and offered good money for him, but I'm not keen to lose Niko," Redknapp said. "He's a good player, a fantastic player in my opinion. I don't think he wants to go to Germany and play, I don't think he feels that's an option for him. If that's the case, that's great for us."
Redknapp also spoke about the downfall this week of the Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray, over sexist remarks and behaviour. He said: "If we're honest about it, in the dressing room, when you're at work, everybody makes remarks that are not meant to be malicious. They did it in a situation that was being recorded, being filmed, and it's cost them dearly.
"They made a mistake and it's a shame because they're both very talented guys. For me, Andy took football broadcasting and co-commentating and everything he did on to another level. He was fantastic at what he did, I think, and I know him and he's a smashing guy as well. Someone like Andy could come back, I could see him maybe even going into coaching or management, because I think he's got an outstanding football brain. I think it's sad, but what they did was wrong."
Redknapp also discussed the decision to fine the Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, for fielding a weakened team at Aston Villa earlier in the season.
"With a 25-man squad you're entitled to pick any of that 25, that's the rules," he said. "It's a juggling act. They got beat 3-2 in the last minute, he picked a good team. I can't believe it really, I think it's completely wrong. Other [bigger] clubs have changed their team loads of times. No one questions them, because they probably still win even with a weakened team. Because he got beat, suddenly it's wrong? I don't see it, it's not fair."
BASATA kuteua majaji Gospel Music Awards
na Khadija Kalili
MAJAJI watakaotumika katika mchakato wa kuwapata wasanii bora katika utoaji wa Tuzo za Muziki wa Injili Tanzania watateuliwa kutoka Baraza la Sanaa la Taifa (BASATA), imefahamika.
Akizungumza jijini Dar es Salaam jana, mratibu wa tuzo hizo, Harris Kapiga, kutoka Tanzania Gospel Promoters (TGMP), ambao ndio waandaaji kwa ushirikiano na Clouds Media Group, alisema kwamba wameamua kuwashirikisha BASATA kwa mlengo wa kuzipa hadhi tuzo hizo.
Kwa kuwa BASATA ni chombo cha kitaifa na serikali kwa ujumla, hivyo tumeona kwa kuwatendea haki wasanii wetu, tuwape kazi ya kututeulia majaji ambapo majina yao yatatangazwa hapo baadaye, alisema Kapiga.
Tuzo hizo ambazo zitafahamika kama Tamasha la Tuzo za Muziki wa Injili Gospel Music Awards zitafanyika Februari 27 katika Ukumbi wa Diamond Jubilee jijini Dar es Salaam.
Mbali ya kutoa tuzo, pia watatumia fursa hiyo kuwapongeza na kufanya tathmini ya jumla kwa wasanii binafsi na tasnia nzima ya muziki wa Injili.
Kapiga alisema, katika tamasha hilo, tuzo 16 za mwaka zitatolewa ambazo ni wimbo bora, mwandishi bora, mwimbaji bora wa kike, mwimbaji bora wa kiume, kundi bora, msanii bora na mwimbaji anayechipukia katika uimbaji wa nyimbo za Injili.
Nyingine ni wimbo bora, video bora, Mtayarishishaji bora wa muziki wa video, Mtayarishaji bora, Tuzo ya Jumuiya, Kwaya bora ya Akapela, Kwaya bora inayotumia ala, bendi bora na kwaya bora inayotumia ala ya piano.
Ikiwa tuzo hizo zinafanyika kwa mara ya tatu sasa, waandaaji wameweka utaratibu maalumu wa kuwasaka baadhi ya wasanii kutoka mikoani.
Mikoa ambayo itahusika katika kuwapata wasanii hao ni Iringa, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Singida, Mwanza, Morogoro na Shinyanga.
Kapiga alimtaja mdhamini mkuu wa tamasha hilo kuwa ni mradi wa kutokomeza malaria nchini, Zinduka, ambao zaidi ya lengo kuu la kupambana na malaria inatumia tamasha hilo kuwaunganisha viongozi wa dini mbalimbali kwa kuanza na madhehebu ya Kikristo ili kupeleka ujumbe kuhusiana na mapambano dhidi ya ugonjwa wa malaria.
Baadhi ya viongozi wa dini waliotoa baraka zao katika tamasha hilo ni pamoja na Sister Mariana Francis kutoka Roman Catholic Kurasini, Mchungaji David Mwasota ambaye pia ni Katibu Mkuu wa Makanisa ya Kipentekoste, Mchungaji Solomon na John Gao wa makanisa ya Anglikana, ambao wote kwa pamoja wamewakumbusha wana jamii na kuwahimiza Watanzania katika kujilinda, kuepukana na vifo vinavyoweza kuzuilika.
Tuna imani kwamba kwa kutumia nguvu ya muziki wa Injili, mwamko na ufahamu kwenye jamii vitaongezeka sana huku jamii na waumini wakiunganisha nguvu ya kupambana na malaria, alisema Mwasota.
African Beats yapania bonanza la Igabiro
na Abdallah Menssah
WAKALI wa miondoko ya dansi, African Beat ‘Wanaendesha Pikipiki' leo wamepanga kuungurumisha burudani pevu katika bonanza maalumu litakalorindima kwenye ukumbi wa Igabiro Social Centre, Mbezi kwa Yussuf, jijini Dar es Salaam.
Kwa mujibu wa kiongozi wa African Beat, Lindunga Ally Manyita, bonanza hilo linalofanyika ukumbini hapo kila Jumapili, litaanza kuunguruma majira ya saa 10:00 jioni na kuendelea hadi majogoo.
Lindunga alisema kuwa kikosi chake kimejipanga vilivyo kwa kufanya mazoezi ya siku mbili mfululizo, Jumatatu na Jumanne iliyopita, ili kuhakikisha wanakonga nyoyo za mashabiki wote watakaohudhuria ukumbini hapo.
Alisema watakaofika kwenye bonanza hilo la leo, watapata fursa ya kufaidi uhondo wa shoo yao kali pamoja na vibao kama vile ‘Mama Helena', ‘Mama Kabwata', ‘Sepetu Sepetu' na kile kinachotamba vilivyo, kinachokwenda kwa jina la ‘Maya'.
"Vilevile kama kawaida yetu, tumewaandalia mashabiki pamoja na wapenzi watakaohudhuria, vibao motomoto vya kukopi vikiwamo vile vya ‘Yoriyori', ‘Vulindrela', ‘Hapo Zamani', ‘Dezodezo', na ‘Dumelang' ya Makhirikhiri'," alisema Lindunga.
Yanga, Simba zakabwa koo
• Minziro alia na gogoro, viungo
na Makuburi Ally
WAWAKILISHI wa Tanzania katika michuano ya kimataifa barani Afrika, Yanga na Simba jana zilianza kwa kusuasua katika kampeni zao baada ya kukabwa koo na wapinzani wao na kulazimishwa sare.
Kwenye Uwanja wa Taifa jijini Dar es Salaam Yanga ilijiweka katika mazingira magumu ya kusonga mbele baada ya kulazimisha sare ya 4-4 dhidi ya Dedebit ya Ethiopia.
Yanga iliuanza mchezo huo kwa kasi ya aina yake na kufanikiwa kufunga bao katika dakika ya tisa, lililowekwa wavuni na Nadir Haroub ‘Canavaro' aliyeunganisha faulo safi iliyopigwa na Omega Seme iliyomshinda kipa wa Dedebit Biryam Habtamu.
Baada ya bao hilo, Yanga waliendelea kulisakama lango la Dedebit, lakini mabeki wa timu hiyo walikuwa makini na kuondosha hatari zote zilizojitokeza langoni mwa timu yao.
Dedebit walizinduka na kuanza kuigeuzia kibao Yanga na kufanikiwa kuchomoa bao hilo katika dakika ya 25 lililowekwa wavuni na Getaneh Kabede baada ya beki wa Yanga, Isaac Boakye, kumpa Damit Tikabu pasi akiwa katika eneo la hatari ambaye alimpasia mfungaji.
Baada ya bao hilo, Dedebit walizidisha mashambulizi langoni mwa Yanga na kufanikiwa kufunga bao la pili katika dakika ya 36 lililofungwa na Birhanu Bogale akimalizia kazi safi ya Tikabu aliyemlamba chenga Canavaro kabla ya kumpasia mfungaji.
Dedebit walifunga bao la tatu dakika ya 42 lililowekwa wavuni na Tikabu, aliyefunga kwa shuti la mbali nje ya 18 baada ya kupokea pasi ‘bomba' ya mbali iliyopigwa na Getaneh Kabede.
Yanga walifunga bao la pili lililofungwa dakika ya 44 na Nurdin Bakari aliyepiga shuti la mbali nje ya 18 baada ya kutumia vizuri pasi ya Godfrey Bonny.
Hadi mwamuzi wa mchezo huo, Abdulqadir Beldin wa Sudan anapuliza filimbi ya mapumziko, Dedebit ilitoka uwanjani ikiwa mbele kwa mabao 3-2.
Kipindi cha pili, timu hizo zilirejea uwanjani zikiwa na nguvu mpya, lakini walikuwa ni Dedebit waliopata bao la nne dakika ya 61 lililofungwa na Mesten Wondemu aliyeunganisha krosi safi ya Tikabu.
Yanga walifunga bao la tatu dakika ya 87 lililofungwa na Jerry Tegete aliyeunganisha mpira uliomshinda kipa wa Dedebit na kuukwamisha mpira wavuni.
Dedebit waliendelea kulisakama lango la Yanga, ambako mashabiki wa soka wa Tanzania waliwashangilia kwa nguvu Wahabeshi hao hali ambayo ilionyesha kuwakatisha tamaa Yanga.
Mashabiki wakiamini Yanga imelala, Tegete alifunga bao la kusawazisha dakika za nyongeza kwa shuti la mbali, baada ya kupewa pasi safi ya Davies Mwape.
Baada ya mechi hiyo, Kocha wa Yanga, Fred Felix Minziro, alisema kukosekana kwa viungo Athumani Idd na Abdi Kassim, kunaigharimu timu hiyo ambayo imepata wakati mgumu katika mchezo huo baada ya nafasi za viungo kufa.
Minziro alisema, katika mchezo huo wachezaji hawakuwa na morali kutokana na mgogoro unaoitawala klabu hiyo hivi sasa kutokana na baadhi ya viongozi kutimuliwa katika timu hiyo.
Minziro alisema, ili kufanya vizuri katika mchezo wa marudiano unaotarajiwa kuchezwa kati ya Februari 11 na 13, ataipanga vilivyo timu yake kwa ajili ya mchezo huo.
Beki wa Yanga, Nadir Haroub ‘Canavaro' alisema anashangazwa na jinsi walivyocheza, hasa tatizo likiwa ni kutosaidiana kwa baadhi ya wachezaji hali ambayo imesababisha kukubali kipigo cha mabao hayo.
Canavaro alisema kipigo hicho kimemuumiza na kuwa sababu nyingine iliyosababisha kutoka sare hiyo ni mgogoro wa viongozi ulioanza hivi karibuni ambao kwa kiasi fulani unaathiri jitihada za timu.
Dedebiti iliwakilishwa na Biryam Habtamu, Birhanu Bogale, Mengistu Assefa, Shwaibu Gabriel Ahmed, Damit Tikabu, Getaneh Kabede/Temesgen Tekle, Eprem Zelu/Mulegeta Mihret, Mohamed Adam, Behailu Assefa na Mesten Wondemu/Teddele Mendesha.
Yanga: Yaw Berko/Nelson Kimath, Shadrack Nsajigwa, Stephano Mwasyika, Isaac Boakye/Ibrahim Mwaipopo, Nadir Haroub Canavaro, Nurdin Bakari, Godfrey Bonny, Omega Seme, Jerry Tegete, Davies Mwape, Idd Mbaga/Nsa Job.
Wakati hali ikiwa hivyo Jangwani, mabingwa wa Ligi Kuu Bara, Simba nayo ililazimisha sare ya bila kufungana dhidi ya Elan de Mitsoudje ya Comoromchezo uliochezwa Moron visiwani humo.
Matokeo hayo hayakutegemewa na mashabiki wengi wa soka hapa nchini, hasa kutokana na historia ya timu za Comoro ambazo zimekuwa zikija hapa nchini kuwa dhaifu.
Akizungumzia mchezo huo, Kocha Mzambia Patrick Phiri alisema licha ya kugemea upinzani lakini matokeo hayo hayakumfurahisha, hivyo ameishausoma mchezo wa timu hiyo na kuwa ataufanyia kazi ili mechi ya marudiano jijini Dar es Salaam timu yake iibuke na ushindi na kusonga mbele.
Wawakilishi wengine, KMKM ya Zanzibar nayo ilipata kipigo cha mbwa mwizi cha mabao 4-0 kutoka kwa FC Motema kwenye Uwanja wa Amaan kisiwani Zanzibar, ukiwa ni mchezo wa kombe la shirikisho.
MKesho kwenye uwanja huo, mabingwa wa Zanzibar, Zanzibar Ocean View leo wanashuka kuwakaribisha AS Vita ambao ni mabingwa wa Congo DRC.
Kwa matokeo hayo Yanga na Simba zina kibarua kuhakikisha zinashinda katika michezo yao ya marudiano ili ziweze kusonga mbele, ingawaje KMKM ndiyo ina kibarua kigumu kutokana na kukubali kipigo hicho kikubwa.
Soka Zanzibar waburuzana mahakamani
na Mauwa Mohammed, Zanzibar
WALIOKUWA wagombea nafasi ya urais na makamu wake katika uchaguzi wa Chama cha Soka Zanzibar (ZFA), wamempa wiki moja Rais wa kamati ya muda ya chama hicho, Ali Fereji Tamim, kulipa fidia ya shilingi milioni 100 kwa madai ya kuwakashifu. Sakata hilo limetokea wakati Fereji na wenzake wakirudishwa madarakani kwa miezi mitatu ili wasawazishe katiba ya chama hicho na kuandaa uchaguzi mkuu mwingine baada ya ule wa awali kubatilishwa.
Wagombea hao ni Suleiman Mahmoud Jabir aliyekuwa akiwania Urais na Aman Ibrahim Makungu Makamu wa Rais ambao walidai Ferej aliwakashifu mbele ya wajumbe wa mkutano mkuu uliofanyika Desemba 31 mwaka jana kisiwani Pemba.
Barua ya Kampuni ya uwakili ya AJM Solicitors of Advocates Chamber yenye kumbumbu namba KK.NO.AJM/MJD/019/2011 ya Januari 20 mwaka huu, iliyosainiwa na wakili Rajab Abdalla Rajab, iliyotumwa kwa Ferej, ilidai kashfa hizo zilitolewa wakati kiongozi huyo akitoa hotuba ya mkutano mkuu.
Alibainisha kuwa kauli za Ferej mbele ya wajumbe, zimewashushia hadhi wateja wake mbele ya jamii na kuwajengea dhana kuwa ni watu wasiofaa katika jamii kwa tuhuma ambazo hakuwa na uhakika nazo.
Aidha, tuhuma zilizoelekezwa kwa Makungu, imedaiwa Ferej aliwaambia wajumbe wa mkutano huo kuwa ni mtoa rushwa na mara zote amekuwa akiwahonga viongozi wa ZFA, ili timu yake iweze kushinda na hivyo ni mchangiaji mkuu wa kuua soka la Zanzibar.
Madai hayo mazito yasiyokuwa na uthibitisho mbele ya wajumbe wa mkutano mkuu na waalikwa, yamemuumiza mdaiwa huyo na kumshushia hadhi yake mbele ya jamii na hivyo kusababisha athari kubwa.
Kwa upande wa Jabir, kashfa yake ilidaiwa mbele ya washiriki wa mkutano huo kuwa, aliwauza wachezaji wawili wa timu ya taifa ya vijana (U-23), ilipofanya ziara nchini Ujerumani huku ikijulikana kuwa msafara huo ulikuwa chini ya uongozi wa juu wa chama hicho.
Sambamba na hilo, habari nyingine zinadai kesi inayohusu wadau wa soka iliyowasilishwa Mahakama Kuu dhidi ya Ferej na wenziwe huenda ikaanza kutajwa wiki ijayo baada ya kupangiwa Jaji Abraham Mwampashe aisikilize.
Nne kukata utepe tisa bora daraja la kwanza
na Samia Mussa
MCHAKAMCHAKA wa kuanza kuwania nafasi nne za kupanda Ligi Kuu ya soka Tanzania Bara msimu ujao unatarajiwa kuanza kutimua vumbi leo kwenye dimba la Mkwakwani jijini Tanga ambako timu nne zitaanza kutupa karata zao.
Timu hizo nne zitakazokata utepe katika hatua hii ijulikanayo kama Tisa Bora ni Rhino Rangers, Polisi Moro, Moro United na Temeke United.
Leo asubuhi, Rhino Rangers itaumana na Temeke United wakati jioni kutakuwa na mechi baina ya Polisi Moro na Moro United katika uwanja huohuo wa Mkwakwani.
Aidha, ligi hiyo Daraja la Kwanza hatua ya tisa bora, inatarajiwa kuendelea kutimua vumbi kesho kwa wenyeji Coastal Union ya Tanga kuumana na Villa Squad ya Dar es Salaam huku jioni Morani FC ya Manyara na JKT Oljoro.
Kinyang'nyiro hicho cha kuwania nafasi nne za kupanda Ligi Kuu, zinatarajia kuwa ngumu msimu huu, kutokana na kuhusisha klabu nne kati ya hizo tisa zilizowahi kucheza ligi hiyo ya ngazi ya juu zaidi nchini.
Timu nne zilizowahi kucheza Ligi Kuu na kushuka ni pamoja na Moro United ya Morogoro, Costal Union ya Tanga, Villa Squad ya Dar es Salaam na Tanzania Prisons ya Mbeya.
Kwa mujibu wa ratiba iliyotolewa na Shirikisho la Soka nchini TFF, hatua ya tisa bora ya Ligi daraja la kwanza Bara inatarajiwa kufikia tamati Februari 22
Zahoro Pazi afuzu Oman FC
na Juma Kasesa
KIUNGO wa timu ya African Lyon ya jijini Dar es Salaam, Zahoro Pazi, amefuzu majaribio ya kucheza soka ya kulipwa nchini Oman, katika klabu ya Oman FC.
Habari zilizopatikana jijini Dar es Salaam jana na kuthibitishwa na kiongozi mmoja wa Lyon, zinasema, Pazi ambaye ni mtoto wa kipa wa zamani wa timu ya Simba na Taifa Stars, amefuzu majaribio katika klabu hiyo inayoshiriki Ligi Kuu ya nchi hiyo ikiwa katika nafasi ya tatu.
Pazi aliondoka nchini mwezi uliopita, kwenda kufanya majaribio na tayari ameanza mawasiliano na klabu yake ya Lyon kuomba kibali cha kuichezea timu hiyo.
Mchezaji huyo kwa Lyon, anakuwa wa pili kupata nafasi ya kucheza soka ya kulipwa baada Yusuf Soka naye kufanikiwa kupata nafasi kama hiyo nchini Sweden.
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