Sport News: Chelsea FC

Lamar Odom's Drug Sabbatical

“Lamar Odom really isn’t smoking crack right?” That was the text from my old roommate Noah that I woke up to the other morning. At the time, I had not heard the full story, but the rumors were out, and at the time I answered, “Yeah, I guess he is.” What’s funny is that I really could not believe it. How could a player of Lamar Odom’s status end up on a three-day coke binge resulting in him being lost for awhile and then a DUI?

Managing Melvin Gordon's Expectations

If you watched the 2012 Big Ten Championship, you knew the Badgers had something special with Melvin Gordon.

Rossi-Lorenzo make Friends, Yamaha Surprised

Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi Yamaha engage in fierce competition in the 2008 season until 2010. When back together this season, they apparently get along.Rossi and Lorenzo's relationship heats up when both are united for the first time in the 2008 season.

Another Side of Singapore GP

Coming to the Marina Bay Circuit is not just about watching the F1 race . It is about enjoying the complete entertainment package offered by the " Land of the Lion " , which will make you feel satisfaction inside out.

Rossi Reportedly Will Launch Team Moto3 'VR46' in 2014

Valentino Rossi will reportedly form Moto3 team. The team reportedly will be called VR46 and began competing in 2014.

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Selasa, 27 Agustus 2013

Thoughts on Two Weeks of EPL

14.19

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Jackson Schmidtke writes about the English Premier League, U.S. Men's National Team and anything else futbol-related we tell him to write about. Follow him on Twitter.

Two weeks of Premier League play is in the books. I finally got to watch my first full match of the season on Monday with Manchester United taking on Chelsea. A busy August has regulated me to watch 'Match of the Day' highlights along with bits and pieces of other games in the past couple of weeks. It was a hard fought game and both teams should be happy with the draw.

So with two weeks of play done what do we know about this season? Really the answer is not much. But here are three things I have noticed so far.

1. NBC Sports Network’s coverage is fantastic

As a soccer fan I’m still in awe of my ability to access every Premier League game. I might never leave my couch on Saturdays and Sundays this Fall. I can wake up early and watch soccer until the Wisconsin Badgers game comes on and then watch whatever college football games are on later in the day. Same thing goes for Sundays too. So much football/futbol and so little time to watch it all! NBC ‘s coverage should help grow the game and the Premier League in the United States and I’m very excited for the rest of the season knowing I will be able to have all sorts of access that I have not had prior to the NBC takeover.

2. The Transfer window is wacky
I love the transfer system and hate it at the same time. It is really cool that teams own a players rights and can loan them out to other teams, but the constant rumors and sheer amount of players all over the world makes it hard to keep up with what is happening where. The Gareth Bale and Wayne Rooney sagas are seemingly wrapped up and done while still being completely wide open at the same time. The excitement that a rumor can spark in a fan base is amazing and when that player actually signs it is cool to see fans get giddy with excitement. Everyone expects the big boys of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal to throw around money like it’s from Monopoly but it is been really refreshing to see teams like West Ham, Southampton, and Sunderland shell out money on bigger deals. With just under a week left in the window, it will be interesting to see what happens with the sagas mentioned above and any new drama that might arise.

3. No one knows what will happen
It’s been an intriguing two weeks and not very many assumptions can be made so far. It is probably safe to say that Chelsea, Manchester United, Spurs, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all going to finish on top of the league. After that it’s wide open. Arsenal looked poor against Aston Villa but stepped it up after that. Spurs, Chelsea, and Manchester United have all looked very good. Manchester City were shocked by Cardiff City last week in a game that could be pivotal later in the season when the race for the title and relegation battles begin.

It has been a very exciting season so far and we are only two weeks in. As things continue to shake out during the transfer window it is tough to make any predications or assumptions about teams. Give it a few more weeks and things will become a little clearer.

-Jackson

Jumat, 16 Agustus 2013

SnoTap's English Premier League Preview

11.41

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With the Premier League starting up this weekend I’m going to give you my picks for the season. The top of

the league is absolutely stacked and in my opinion completely wide open. Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea all have new managers this year and all have the talent to win the league. Throw in Tottenham and Arsenal and there are five teams that all have teams capable of winning the title.

Champion: Chelsea
I think Chelsea have the best chance of winning the title this year. Had Sir Alex Ferguson still been atManchester United, I think they would have won but with David Moyes at the helm they’re going to take a back seat to Chelsea this year. Jose Mourinho is in his second stint with Chelsea and with a core of players that were with him the first time around I believe they will have an easier time adjusting to a new system. Chelsea has as much talent on their team as anyone in the league and after a disappointing 2012 campaign they are poised for a solid 2013. I would not be surprised to see any of the other top teams take the title this year either.

Champions League Qualifiers: Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham
This is pretty easy, the Manchester teams, Tottenham, and Chelsea are the four most talented clubs in the league and should all make the Champions League. The one qualifier I will put on my picks here is if Tottenham lose Gareth Bale then I feel less confident about that pick. Arsenal could challenge for the last Champions League spot but I do not see enough goal scoring upfront to unseat Tottenham.

Europa League Spot: Arsenal
I will not venture to pick the FA cup winner or League cup winner since that is next to impossible to pick but the fifth place team in the Premier League is going to be Arsenal. They are a talented team and have some work left to do in the transfer window. The biggest issue I see is the lack of a top goal scorer up front. Liverpool will challenge them for this spot but I think Liverpool just is not stable enough to make to the top five.

Relegated to the Championship: Crystal Palace, Hull City, and Aston Villa
I didt want to be that guy that pick all the Premier League new comers to be relegated in the same season but realistically it could happen this year. I threw Aston Villa in there because of their struggles last year and their offloading of talent without bringing in much. Crystal Palace and Hull City are going to have a very hard time this year and are the two favorites for relegation. Fellow newcomer Cardiff City are also favorites but they are the best of the newcomers. The relegation battles are generally much more interesting than the battle for the title and will be equally as interesting this year as last.

09.33

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What the heck’s going on over there? Three of the Premier League’s transfer sagas broken down.

Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez, and Gareth Bale are three of the top players in the Premier League and the world and they’re all locked in interesting transfer rumors. As the soccer transfer season begins to get into its peak I will break down what will happen with these three Premier League stars.

Wayne Rooney

The most interesting and complicated situation in my opinion is Wayne Rooney’s. It is well known that the England international fell out of favor with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of last season. Ferguson retired and David Moyes is now the man at Manchester United. Moyes has adamantly claimed there is not a plan to sell Rooney but top tier teams have lined up to bring in the striker. Chelsea has already made a bid for Rooney but it was rejected. Why Chelsea wants to bring in another striker is beyond me when they already have a gluttony of strikers with Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku, and Fernando Torres, not to mention their fantastic attacking midfielders. But Rooney would be the best striker on that team should he join the Blues. Fellow Premier League squad Arsenal also had a bid for Rooney rejected by Man U where Rooney would be a great fit for a team in need of firepower.

It is become very clear that the relationship between Rooney, management, and fans has soured to the point where the best option is for Rooney to find greener pastures elsewhere.

The question is where are those greener pastures? If you are Manchester United you don’t want to sell him to a fellow Premier League team and risk having to play against an angry Rooney for a league or cup title. So the natural solution is to sell him to a giant foreign team. The problem is who? Spanish league giants Barcelona and Real Madrid do not need him and he would be in a similar situation he is in at Man U playing second fiddle to other strikers. Bayern Munich do not need him either, but Borussia Dortmund might consider bringing him in to replace Robert Lewandowski who will depart for Bayern next year. French side PSG do not need another striker after bringing in Edison Cavani. One of the other high powered French Ligue 1 sides could consider bringing him in, as could a few Italian teams.

Maybe the ideal situation would be for Liverpool and Man U to swap Luis Suarez and Rooney but that likely would not happen. If I had to guess I would say Rooney ends up in France or Italy but it also would not shock me to see Chelsea or Arsenal get him. Then again, seeing as Man U are the New England Patriots of the Premier League, they might end up keeping him on board after all.

Luis Suarez

If it was not for Suarez biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic I probably would not be writing about his

potential transfer. The impending six game ban due to the bite had Liverpool fans fuming at the FA Cup last year and some speculation that he would leave Liverpool this summer. Arsenal have already had bid rejected and are very keen to bring in the Uruguay international. Suarez is angry at the English media and wants to play Champions League football for a top team. Liverpool finished just outside the Champions League this year and Suarez’s ban at the end of the season did not help things.

Going to Arsenal would be an interesting move. Arsenal are looking to bolster their team upfront and Suarez would certainly do that. If he transfers to another Premier League team, he would still have to spend the first six games on the bench. Losing Suarez would hurt Liverpool greatly since they do not have anyone who can replace him effectively. However, despite the interest from Arsenal and their persistence to get him, Suarez is not leaving Liverpool this year. Unless Liverpool get an offer of $70 million or more I do not see them selling. You will see Suarez in a Liverpool uniform in their seventh game of the season.