It’s one thing to watch your team play badly, but having to watch them in what can only be described as a major fashion faux pas is just unforgiveable. From clashing colours, to odd pictures and animal-esque designs (yes I’m being deadly serious), football isn’t quite the beautiful game when it comes to designing kits. It appears from my ‘research’ that the 1990’s and Mexico’s keeper Jorge Campos are the main culprits for offending our eyes week in week out, without even so much as an apology. Put some of these on a canvas and we would be comparing them to Picasso’s masterpieces, but on a football pitch on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm, and the game is lost before a ball is even kicked.
To sum up the horrors I have seen, even David Beckham would struggle for sex appeal in these…oh who are we kidding? The guy would easily pull off Tiger stripes.
Click on Stade de Francais to see the worst 20 kits of our time
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Alberto Zapater scored his first Liga Sagres goals as Sporting Lisbon returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Maritimo on Tuesday.
Having been surprise 3-2 losers to Pacos de Ferreira on January 16 in their last league game, Sporting appeared intent on bouncing straight back at Maritimo’s Estadio dos Barreiros.
But despite their ascendancy in the game’s early stages, Sporting had to wait until the 44th minute to take the lead.
Having acquired a taste for goals with his brace in Sporting’s 4-0 Taca de Portugal win over Penafiel on Friday, Zapater picked up where he left off when he arrived late in the box to power Simon Vukcevic’s precise cross past Maritimo goalkeeper Marcelo Boeck.
Zapater arrived at the Lisbon club from Serie A outfit Genoa in July 2010 for two million euros as part of the arrangement that saw Sporting favourite son Miguel Veloso move in the opposite direction.
The former Spain under-21 international is yet to produce his best form in Portugal, but showed he is perhaps settling in his new surroundings when – in the 67th minute – he clinched his second brace for Sporting in as many games.
Zapater took possession in the area after striker Liedson was well tackled, showing composure to feint back onto his left foot before firing home.
Sporting’s three points were made secure when an unmarked Liedson tapped home nine minutes later, ensuring Paulo Sergio’s side maintained its three-point buffer in third over Vitoria Guimaraes.
After dubbing the season a rebuilding one in the wake of several key departures, Sporting’s campaign has slowly gathered steam.
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They remain eight points back from second-placed Lisbon rivals Benfica and still a whopping 16 points off league-leaders Porto, but are on track for Europa Cup qualification.
Maritimo’s loss keeps them in 11th place, with a nine-point gap between them and the relegation zone.
Joey Barton has been stripped of the QPR captaincy and fined six wages by his club after an internal investigation into his sending-off on the last day of 2011-12.
The temperamental midfielder was given his marching orders in the Loftus Road outfit’s crucial game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium for elbowing Carlos Tevez; in the aftermath it also looked like he kicked out at Sergio Aguero and tried to headbutt Vincent Kompany.
With Mark Hughes’ men playing for their Premier League lives in the fixture, the club have opted to punish Barton after the ill-discipline.
“QPR FC can confirm Joey Barton has been fined six weeks’ wages and will no longer be club captain,” a statement on the official website reads.
“If Barton seriously breaches the club’s disciplinary procedures again, the club reserves the right to terminate his contract.”
The player has already been given a 12-match ban for the incident by the FA, and was full of remorse for his actions but has vowed to come back stronger than ever next season.
“I was reckless and deserved every punishment I received,” he commented on Twitter.
“Money comes and goes, it’s not important to me. Losing the captaincy and missing twelve games, is what really hurts.
“I was stupid and that what happens when u do dumb things. I am confident ill bounce back. Cannot wait.
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“That’s all I have to say on the matter. I wish to put it behind me now and help QPR, once available of course, push on towards the top half,” he concluded.
New Palmeiras striker Maikon Leite is ready to take the Brazil Serie A by storm after serious injury blighted the start of his career.The 22-year-old was beginning to make an impression at Santos when he badly damaged his knee in a league match three years ago.
On his return to fitness, Leite spent part of 2010 on loan at Atletico Paranaense, before beginning to force his way back into contention at Santos.
He scored seven goals in fourteen matches last season, as the Sao Paulo-based outfit clinched the 2011 Paulista and Copa Libertadores titles.
Despite his encouraging contribution, Leite was allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with cross-city rivals Palmeiras in January, before joining on a five-year deal.
“In 2008 I just arrived at Santos, had played 11 games, I remember to this day,” he said.
“I was on the rise in football, people were getting to know Maikon Leite, then came the injury.”
“So people ended up getting to know me for the injury instead of titles and goals.”
But with two goals in his first three matches at Palmeiras, Leite is now starting to attract attention for the right reasons.
“Two titles for Santos this year and when I came to Palmeiras I scored a goal on my debut. I feel good,” he said.
Just one month after Leite’s arrival, his number seven shirt was already the best selling item in the club shop.
And if he can stay fit, the striker has every chance of fulfilling his potential under World Cup-winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari.
Palmeiras, fourth in the league table, are in action away to Coritiba on Thursday.
Manchester City have offloaded out-of-favour striker Emmanuel Adebayor in a loan deal with La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Adebayor, 26, will join Real for the remainder of the season, with an option for a 14.5 million pound transfer in the close season.
“We can confirm that the club has agreed to loan Emmanuel Adebayor to Real Madrid for the rest of the season,” a statement on City’s website said.
“The player will travel to Spain on Wednesday to have a medical. Madrid have an option to purchase the 26-year-old at the end of his temporary spell in the Spanish capital.”
City’s reluctance to contribute to the player’s wages are understood to have delayed his departure.
But with Gonzalo Higuain ruled out for up to three months, Real’s desperate need for a centre forward has forced them to pay all of Adebayor’s reported 165,000 pound-a-week salary.
Their failure to secure the return of Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Hamburg also contributed to the decision to bring in Adebayor.
The deal represents a victory of sorts for coach Jose Mourinho, who has been at loggerheads with director of football Jorge Valdano over the need for striking reinforcements.
Adebayor joined English Premier League outfit City from Arsenal in July 2009 for a fee believed to be approximately 25 million pounds.
He scored 19 goals in 35 appearances for the club, but has fallen behind new arrivals Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko in the battle to partner captain Carlos Tevez in attack.
The former Togo international becomes the latest purchase of former City manager Mark Hughes to leave the club, with full-back Wayne Bridge and underused front-man Roque Santa Cruz also departing.
Shaun Wright-Phillips is understood to be next in line for an exit.
Adebayor will be available to play in the Champions League with Real despite featuring in the Europa League earlier this season.
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No stranger to controversy in his short career, he may test Mourinho’s famed man-management skills upon his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After alienating Arsenal fans by agitating for a move away from the club during his final two seasons in north London, he enraged them further by celebrating provocatively upon scoring for City against the Gunners shortly after his departure.
In the same match, he was pictured raking his studs down the face of former teammate Robin van Persie.
After numerous rows with his national FA, he retired from international duty following a fatal gun attack on the Togo team bus during the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
Reports this week have linked Ipswich Town with both Derby County Striker Steve Davies and West Ham striker Sam Baldock.
Whilst Baldock has also been linked with a move to Crystal Palace, Davies has been attracting interest from Leeds and Bristol City after being transfer listed by Derby manager Nigel Clough.
Both strikers will offer Ipswich different options upfront but which will be the right fit for the club?
Davies is a player that Paul Jewell will know all about considering he was the man who brought him to Derby from Tranmere in 2008. Considering Davies has had a lot of injury problems at Derby his goal record of 21 goals in 83 games is probably an unfair representation of his goal scoring potential.
Incredibly, Davies has had 6 operations during the 4 years he has spent at Derby and injuries have certainly affected the 24 year old’s career. At just over 6 foot tall Davies would give Ipswich the option of using a big man upfront when necessary and he can also play as a left winger.
Baldock is certainly a lot shorter and is a different type of player from Davies. After a couple of impressive seasons at MK Dons, Baldock scored 6 goals in 6 appearances for the Dons at the start of 2011/12 season. His impressive form caught the eye of West Ham who signed him for a fee rumoured to be as high as £2-3 million. Baldock has made a total of 23 appearances for West Ham 11 starts and 13 as a substitute, scoring 5 goals. His West Ham career did look promising early on as he scored goals in his first few starts for West Ham. However, an injury prevented Baldock from carrying on his good form and once West Ham signed Nicky Maynard and Ricardo Vaz Te his first team chances were limited.
It is likely that West Ham will be looking to recoup a large amount of the money that they paid for Baldock should he make a permanent switch. I don’t think that Ipswich will be looking to sign Baldock permanently and a loan move is a more likely because Ipswich won’t be wanting to spend their a large part of their budget on one player. It would be interesting to see Baldock given a consistent starting role in a team like Ipswich because he could well be capable of scoring 20 goals in The Championship.
Davies is a year older than Baldock and has played a lot more games at Championship level so Jewell will know a lot more about what Davies is capable of. Baldock would be more of a gamble in ways as he hasn’t played many Championship games but Davies isn’t exactly a safe option as he seems to be very injury prone.
I believe that both signings would be great for Ipswich as they are still fairly young and would be able to compete with Chopra for a starting role. If Ipswich signed Davies they would have the option of throwing on a big striker which is something that may well be very useful next season. Being able to play on the left winger is something that would be very useful for when JET isn’t available.
Admittedly, I do not know a great deal about Baldock’s playing style but from what I can see he wouldn’t offer anything too different from what Chopra can offer upfront. However, competition for places is always important and they were long periods of last season where Chopra was out of form but there wasn’t a great deal of cover for him.
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Baldock would be a great replacement for when Chopra isn’t playing well and he would certainly keep Chopra on his toes. It is difficult to weigh up which striker would be the best option for Ipswich. If Davies wasn’t so injury prone then he would be my preferred choice mainly because I think Ipswich could do with a big forward player like him.
Regardless, it is pleasing to see Ipswich linked with both of these players because they would both be great signings.
Newcastle United have lost patience with Joey Barton, placing the controversial midfielder on the transfer list on Monday.Barton has been outspoken in his criticism of the way owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias were running the club and hinted at widespread dressing room unrest on Twitter.
The 28-year-old played a leading role in Newcastle’s successful return to the English Premier League last season, but Alan Pardew will have to do without him this campaign after the club confirmed Barton was no longer a required player.
“Newcastle United can confirm that Joey Barton has been placed on the transfer list today (Monday),” the club said in a statement on its official website.
“The player has been advised that he can leave the club on a free transfer.”
Late last week, Barton made his displeasure with the club’s direction clear in a series on Twitter posts, and supported full-back Jose Enrique in the Spaniard’s criticism of Ashley and Llambias.
“If only we as players could tell the fans exactly how it is, without them above fining us lots of money,” Barton tweeted.
“If it wouldn’t effect team morale and cause unrest within the dressing room, am certain Jose’s comments would be the tip of the iceberg….. And again it would be left to those magnificent fans to pick up the remnants of their once-great football club.”
“If I wanted to leave, I’d just come out and say “I want to leave.” Things need addressing as am not prepared to go through a relegation again.”
Barton has made 79 appearances for Newcastle since joining from Manchester City in 2007.
Controversy has followed the midfielder throughout his career, from his fight with then-City team-mate Ousmane Dabo in May 2007 and his 77-day stint in prison for an assault committed later that year.
Kenny Dalglish is not a man to mince his words. However, after three games back in charge of the club he led to so much success in the late 1980s, the former Scotland international might be forgiven for worrying about the scale of the task he has been left with.
Some of the concerns that the new Liverpool boss had about his latest assignment appeared to surface in the run-up to the Merseyside derby yesterday, in which his new charges supplied a far stronger performance than has been witnessed in recent weeks to record a 2-2 draw with rivals Everton.
Dalglish had suggested that the Reds need to stop dining out on the success of the club during the 1970s and ’80s – often an accusation directed at Liverpool fans by rival supporters, but never by a manager.
“I don’t think the history and tradition should ever be forgotten and it certainly should never be seen as a problem or an excuse for how we’re doing now,” said Dalglish.
“Showing that this club have enjoyed success in the past provides a target for everyone. But there is a generation of fans who are fed up with hearing about the European Cup victories from my time.
“I would really like this generation to share the times that the previous ones have done, as they did when they got a bit of glory in 2005. It is a huge ask to get back to where we were in the Seventies and Eighties, but you always have to aim as high as you can, while at the same time being totally realistic.” (Daily Mail)
Undoubtedly a statement of this nature made by any other Liverpool coach over the last ten years may have automatically resulted in a mutiny on the Kop, and in fact would be something more likely to come out of Gary Neville’s mouth in a pre-match tirade at Liverpool fans than a current Reds boss.
However, Dalglish is clearly not just any Liverpool manager. His comments are the reflections of a concerned fan rather than a cynical opponent, but is he right to be so harsh on a team that won the European Cup as recently as five years ago? King Kenny would argue that the excellence he nurtured during the 1980’s required a winning mentality that simply no longer exists at Anfield.
It may be hard for some fans to hear Liverpool supporters going on about being a ‘big’ club when in the near 20-year history of the Premier League, the Reds have only had one serious title challenge. It is because of the extraordinary level of success during King Kenny’s period at Anfield that Liverpool remain such a revered name in English football. Surely it is time to forge some more domestic success to preserve their status within the English game.
Nevertheless, is this statement going to actually improve Dalglish’s chances of returning his beloved club to something near their former glory? One might argue that only a major personnel overhaul is likely to enable the Merseyside giants to compete with the greater squad strength of the Premier League’s current top five.
Much is often made of how top class managers are able to push mediocre players to play far better than was ever believed possible in the past. There is no doubt that when John W Henry called upon the experience of Dalglish to steer the Liverpool ship for the remainder of the season, he would have wanted the former Reds legend to inspire the current squad to a top half finish, without any major expenditure in the transfer market.
Whether Dalglish’s statement will instil confidence in players that have previously shown to be very short of self-belief in recent months is very much up for debate. In his previous incarnation as Liverpool head honcho, twenty years ago, the culture of the Anfield ‘boot room’ was ingrained in the minds of the players, and a statement like this would only go to push under performing players into action. With the 2011 Liverpool vintage hanging perilously above the relegation zone, King Kenny must hope that his words can fire a similar camaraderie before the unthinkable happens.
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Former England striker Alan Shearer has urged Wayne Rooney to smash his international record before the end of Euro 2012.
The ex-Newcastle man bagged 30 goals for the Three Lions, with the current superstar only one strike behind him on 29 after netting against Ukraine.
Although Rooney has a long way to go to beat Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals, Shearer is hopeful that the Manchester United attacker can move a bit closer this summer.
“I hope by the end of this tournament he has smashed my record,” Shearer told The Sun.
“If he has then who knows what we will have achieved. He is still just 27, so he could go on and be the number one.
“It is some challenge but that is what Wayne loves. He will certainly be looking forward to the next challenge against Italy on Sunday.
“It wasn’t his greatest game against Ukraine and he missed a good chance early on. But he showed his instinct to be in the right place for the goal no matter how the ball got there.
“Great strikers can have poor games but still come out with a goal.
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“Now after getting that game under his belt and a goal I expect us to see a much better Wayne Rooney against Italy,” he concluded.
Wayne Rooney claims that the Premier League will see the best of him next season, after drawing inspiration from watching Lionel Messi in action. The Manchester United striker is handful for most defences already, therefore this added impetus to his game could well cause a few sleepless nights for defenders.
Elsewhere in the news Arsenal have been given the green light to move for Mata; Joey Barton vows to give his all for Newcastle United, while David Beckham rules out a Premier League return.
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Bin Hammam slams ‘false’ allegations – Guardian
Rooney aims to copy Messi – Daily Telegraph
Manchester United offer Park new deal – FFC
Tevez talks to Inter official on holiday – Guardian
Arsenal cleared to move for Mata – Daily Telegraph
Villas-Boas slams media ‘obsession’ with Torres – FFC
No Premier League comeback for Beckham – FFC
De Gea to start as number one, says Ferguson – FFC
You’re kidding! £25m Adebayor trains with Manchester City’s youth team – Daily Mail
Barton vows to give it his all – Sun
Newcastle set to resurrect £7m deal – FFC
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Tottenham look to Roma for an attacking Plan B – FFC
Arsenal’s £10m Jagielka bid dismissed – Guardian
West Brom on brink of Foster swoop as Hodgson confirms interest in stopper – Daily Mail