There Is Only One Sinnacle

Bayern Munich are set to make a move to sign Chelsea winger Florent Malouda in January.
Full story: talkSPORT

We all know Chelsea has no plans to sell players mid season. Malouda may not be playing much now but you never know when they may need him.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has played in a practice match and could make his Reds comeback after seven months out this weekend. Full story: Daily Mirror

It will be interesting to see how Gerrard adapts to the peaking order at Liverpool. It he excepts the club to revolve around him Liverpool are in trouble. Despite the loss on the weekend Liverpool has a nice balance right now.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson admits it is agony for him to keep not picking striker Dimitar Berbatov. Full story: Daily Mirror

The funny thing is I’m pretty sure Berbatov seems to be ok with it. Provided the cheque comes in all is good.

Wigan players have been reportedly left unable to train after thieves stole four sacks containing 48 footballs from their training ground. Full story: Daily Mirror

Doesn’t the owner of Wigan on a bunch of Sporting good stores? How could they not run into a ship and get some balls.

As I’ve just witness POAK miss a penalty kick against Tottenham it finally pushed me to tell my revenge story for Greece winning Euro 2004. On the corner of St Clair and Caladonia for a million years there has been a local burger place closed Dairy Freeze. Let me tell you I was regular at this fine dinner palace ever since I was a kid.

That all stopped mind you after Greece broke my heart by winning Euro 2004. In my mind I figured I’d carry this grudge by boycotting all things Greek. Which meant no Greek food and since Diary Freeze was owned by Greek people will I stopped going.

Fast forward to the summer of 2007 and my feelings of rage and sadness have decreased to the point where I was going to give in to my craving for Dairy Freeze. So I head down to the restaurant and what do I see when I walk in? All Asians everywhere…wall to wall Asians behind the counter. I’m like where is Gus? They then mentioned they sold the business. I didn’t want them to sell the business now it’s not the same. Sure the steak on the bun is still good but it’s not Greek dinner good. They make good food, too much fata and I hate fata but great food. You ask for tzatziki now and you get a weird look, mind you I mangle the language to the point where it could be my fault. At the end of the day I didn’t want them to sell the business. Now it’s not the same, a certain charm is gone from my childhood. You win ok Greece, I raise the white flag now please let PAOK defeat Tottenham.

I’m breaking my own rule regarding Greek teams. I’m sure I will regret it.

PAOK -123 vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sporting -117 vs FC Zurich
PSG-Red Bull Salzburg over 2.5-3 -101
Fulham pk and -0.5 +102 vs FC Twente
Birmingham pk and +0.5 -114 vs Braga
Atletico Madrid -1 and -1.5 +103 (Hopefully this Madrid team will win by 2)
Udinese-Rennes over 2.5 +108

Record

36-30-6

+3.75

*I’m rich, handsome and a great player – Cristiano Ronaldo

Before I get into it good on Ronaldo for saying the truth even if it fans the flames. I quite enjoyed him saying that. For the most part he is bang on, really all you can add is that Ronaldo is rich, handsome, a great player and arrogant.

Everton boss David Moyes has conceded he may be forced to sell Marouane Fellaini if the star midfielder refuses to sign a new contract. Full story: Daily Mirror

Fellaini is good but he isn’t that good. I can’t see a top four team as an example being too interested in Fellaini.

AC Milan are lining up a surprise swap deal with Chelsea involving Fernando Torres and Robinho.
Full story: talkSPORT

Torres stock has sunk in the last year but it still isn’t at Robinho’s level.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is weighing up a move for two more Brazilian starlets.
Full story: talkSPORT

Thanks talksport for telling me who these Brazilians are.

Sir Alex Ferguson reacted angrily to questions asked by Kelly Cates – the daughter of Kenny Dalglish – during a television interview. The United manager was put on the spot about his decision to play Anders Lindegaard instead of David de Gea. Full story: Daily Mail

I’d be annoyed too if I was Sir Alex. The Champions League group stage is a walk thru for United so it’s a perfect time to throw Lindegaard into the fire. Good on Benfica to walk away with a point.

I deserved what I got yesterday betting on a greek side.

On to today

Real Madrid -2 +109 vs Dinamo Zagreb

Over total goals in all 8 games 22.5 -104 (basically say I think there will be 23 or more goals scored in the 8 games today)

Record

36-28-6

+5.85

I can forgive the penalty miss in yesterday’s game since it’s the only time I can remember Hulk missing a penalty. With that oh what a free kick, you look at it for the first time and you think the goalie should of done better since he got a hand on it then you watch it again and see the goalie did ever so well to just get a hand on it. What a unique player it’s a damn shame most people don’t get to watch his genius week in and week out.

Also out with the old in Falcao and in with the new that is Kléber who scored the winner yesterday and has a respectable two goals in his first four games with Porto.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are on high alert after hearing Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic has delayed signing a new contract with the club. Full story: Caught Offside

Fiorentina should be the one on high alert as they will want to lock Jovetic down to a new contract.

Arsenal target Marvin Martin has signed a new deal with French side Sochaux, but revealed he has an end of season get-out clause, which could finally pave his move to the Gunners. Full story: Metro

Smart move by Martin’s agent.

Tottenham face a battle with AC Milan to clinch the signing of Sporting Lisbon defender Joao Pereira. Full story: talkSPORT

Good for Pereira, last year he breaks into the national team set up and this year the likes of AC Milan are eyeing him.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to rule out a move to big-spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in the future. Full story: talkSPORT

And why would he considering all the money Samuel Eto’o is getting. I’d be sweating bullets on every plane ride however.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has ruled out a move for wantaway Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge. Full story: talkSPORT

It’s not like Wayne Bridge helped them out last season.

Barcelona are rumoured to be keen on Chelsea defender David Luiz as Pep Guardiola looks to freshen up his defence and, according to some Spanish sources, is a big admirer of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Full story: Caught Offside

Strikers would be jealous of the goal David Luiz scored yesterday.

Liverpool’s director of football Damien Comolli has hit back at Raul Meireles, claiming the club were forced to sell because he did not want to play for them – just like Fernando Torres.
Full story: Metro

Everyone move on. At the end of the day Liverpool didn’t owe Meireles anything but if he stayed he wasn’t going to play a great deal. With Euro 2012 coming up that means he had to get out of there.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claims mega-rich clubs like Man City, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid have the power to poach whatever players they want, and as a result are playing a significant role in the downfall of European football. Full story: Metro

Says the man who goes to the Barcelona day care centre trying to sign young players for free.

Cue the theme music

Sadly yesterday I got mushed. If you don’t know what that means below is a clip from the great movie A Bronx Tale

Moving onto today

Olympiacos pk -119 vs Marseille

Go Porto but I’m nervous as this should be a tricky game for them. Keeps fingers crossed.

Record

36-27-6

+7.04

Asamoah Gyan could yet have a future at Sunderland after agreeing to pay a chunk of his £200k-a-week wages while on loan at United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain to the Black Cats’ charity foundation.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Guess Gyan had 200,000 reasons to make the shock move to Al-Ain. First Darren Bent, now Asamoah Gyan leaves. Either they don’t like life in Northern England or more to the point they don’t like Steve Bruce.

Arsenal will re-enter the transfer window in January and are planning a cut-price double swoop for Bolton defender Gary Cahill and Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo. Full story: Footybunker.com

the Gunners are also lining up a summer swoop for 24-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero, according to reports in Spain. Full story: talkSPORT

Don’t care much for the Cahill and Montolivo rumours. Been there done that. As for Granero do you really think Jose Mourinho is going to give Wenger a player he likes but sadly can’t play much?

Celtic striker Islam Feruz, 16, dubbed the ‘Scottish Wayne Rooney’ is set to join Chelsea.
Full story: Metro

When I think of the Scottish Wayne Rooney the name Islam Feruz springs to mind.

Serie A giants Juventus are hoping to tempt Manchester City left-back Aleksandar Kolarov back to Italy in January. Full story: talkSPORT

17 million for a 3rd choice left back. I like Kolarov but you know Lazio did a fist pump the second they sold him to Manchester City.

Arsenal failed in a deadline day swoop for Fiorentina striker and Chelsea target Stefan Jovetic. The 21-year-old joined Fiorentina in 2008 for around £7m from Partizan Belgrade.
Full story: talkSPORT

Key words being Arsenal failed.

Bolton and England defender Gary Cahill has emerged as a possible target for Italian club Juventus.
Full story: Inside Futbol

Juventus isn’t going to pay 20 million for an English centre back. Hopefully Juventus signs Bruno Alves so I can see him play week in and week out again.

Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles says he was surprised when former club Liverpool wanted to sell him.
Full story: Metro

Daniel Sturridge deserves all the credit in the world for his goal on the weekend but look at that pass from Raul Meireles. That’s a pass Xavi would be proud of. I get why Liverpool wanted to sell Meireles and I get why Meireles wanted to go but I will say this. Liverpool can’t play Meireles ahead of golden boy Steven Gerrard everyone knows that but it would not shock me if Meireles has more of an impact with Chelsea than Gerrard does with Liverpool when he gets back.

With Cabbie leaving last year and Tim and Sid going to the Fan590 thescore on the TV side is pretty much dead and buried. What’s left is highlights most people can see on the net without having to wait for them on TV, poker that is repeated a million times and two English guys hosting Serie A. It’s pretty much time for theScore to sell the TV side of the business since it has some value due to the location on most basic cable packages. TSN should buy it, rebrand it TSN News for example.

What theScore should focus on and I’m sure it’s the diamond of everyone’s eye over there at thescore is their apps. Both the Scoremobile app and the ScoremobileFC app are great. As a person who loves to make the odd bet I love the mobile alerts. It’s down alittle more than I would like which annoys me but I can overlook that. For example I had the over in the AC Milan-Lazio game on Friday, I was giddy everytime I got a mobile alert from the app since I knew it was due to a goal. With today’s under I’m hoping I get one alert telling me the game has started and one alert telling me the game is finished. Nothing inbetween would suit me just fine.

It’s free, it’s easy to use and pretty much gives you all the info you need if you are on the go. If you are curious the link is below. The Score mobile app covers all the North American sports. On the website their should also be a ScoremobileFC app which covers all the soccer leagues.

Score Mobile Link