LeBron James: How to Return as The King

Does anyone else remember this from the 2009 slam dunk contest

This was the moment that started the fall of LeBron James.

LeBron told the world he was putting his name into the hat for the 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, something NBA fans had been waiting for since James was drafted by Cleveland in 2003.

It was set up perfectly. LeBron James was going to show us if he could match up to the greats such as Carter and Jordan infront of 100,000 in Dallas Texas. It would be the biggest crowd the NBA has ever seen, the biggest stage for one of the biggest names in basketball.

Yet LeBron never showed and Dallas bore witness to a dunk contest that left fans and owners wondering if there was any point in holding the event in 2011.

LeBron's fall continued through the summer of 2010 when he announced he would be "taking his talents to South Beach" to hook up with Dwayne Wade and Cris Bosh at the Miami Heat.

Many felt cheated by this move, with fans (aside from those in Heat colours) turning on the man known as King James due to the farce that LeBron created with the announcement (going as far as to turn his decision into a TV show), and for his decision to take the "easy route" to an NBA Championship by joining two other All-Stars in Miami rather than going to New York and Cleveland to take on the challenge solo.

Going into the 2010/11 season the majority of the NBA viewing public wanted one thing. Miami to fail in its bid for the the Championship.

Despite guaranteeing a 70 win season and a NBA Finals win LeBron and the Heat won just 58 games in the regular season ranking 2nd in the Eastern Conference behind the Chicago Bulls before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games in the NBA Finals.

The public was ecstatic as LeBron's fall was complete. He had no MVP trophy, no Finals ring, no 70 win season and no support from those outside Miami.

So how can LeBron win us back again?

Dunk. Get in the 2011/12 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and earn back the love of the NBA fans.

All these rolled into one. The task if James enters
the dunk contest.

Being in the contest won't be enough to flip the opinions of the general public, to win back the people LeBron has to do something for the people.

He needs to put on a show.

A show that would rival the likes of Carter in 2000 or Howard in 2008.

A show that brings the excitement of Richardson vs Mason in 2003 or Jordan vs Dominique.

A show that makes us ask the question once again. Is he as good as Jordan?

It sounds impossible but if anyone has the ability to do it its James. The King has become The Heel, but we as a public are forgiving to those who entertain.

LeBron can entertain. Winning the people back wont be easy but  a 2012 Dunk Contest appearance could bring James out from the cold and back into basketball fans hearts.

Vettel #1 Again

Number 1. Vettel goes fastest for the 7th time this season

Sebastian Vettel will start another Grand Prix from the front of the grid after grabbing his 7th pole position of 2011 in a sun drenched Valencia.

The young German was able to pit without posting a second time in the final session of saturdays qualifying session as rivals Hamilton Alonso and Webber were unable to break the Red Bull drivers initial time of 1:36:975.

Sunday's front row will be a all Red Bull affair as Mark Webber was able to join his team mate, pipping Lewis Hamilton to the number two spot by just two tenths of a second.

Jenson Button will face an uphill battle on race day starting from 6th behind the two Ferraris of Felipe Massa and local favorite Fernando Alonso.

Despite a win in Canada Jenson Button could only manage
6th during qualifying in Valencia.

Niko Rosberg was able to out qualify his team mate and former world champion Michael Schumacher, the two Mercedes occupying 7th and 8th spots respectively while Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil round out the top 10.

Despite a very limited practise session rookie Paul Di Resta was able to slot his Force India into 12th place on the grid behind Renaults Vitaly Petrov.

For the full result of qualifying click here.

Sunday's race starts at 1pm with full coverage on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Arsenal's Early Fixtures Could Make Or Break Gunners Campaign

Arsenal's Premier League title challenge could be shaped in the opening three fixtures of the season.

Wenger holding Arsenal's
last trophy, the 2005 FA Cup

Three losses could deflate a squad that suffered from a less than convincing finish to their last campaign and with Barcelona and United beginning to circle above their prey of Fabregas and Nasri, this summers transfer window is full of uncertainty for the Gunners.

Will Fabregas be gone?

Will Nasri be pulling on the red of United?

Who will Wenger pull into his squad and what moves will the Arsenal manager have to make to ensure his two playmakers aren't lured elsewhere?

Building a squad that can play as a team is so important to a title run and Wenger will be hoping to add to the chemistry of his young squad rather than being forced to pull it apart and reshuffle it by losing his young stars.

The fans however wont care about what happens off the pitch as long as results go their way on the pitch.

And their lies the problem for Arsenal.

Their season starts with a trip up to Newcastle, a fixture that last year saw the Gunners throw away a four goal lead and begin the slow steady collapse of their season.

Newcastle, Liverpool and United: Arsenals opening 3 fixtures

Liverpool then arrive at the Emirates on August 20th for game number two in a titanic clash of two young squads hoping to lay the right foundations for a run at the top four.

A trip to Old Trafford completes the opening three fixtures of the season with Wenger and his men looking steal three points from the league title holders.

It could prove to be a three game run that helps shake off any mention of the horrible end to last years campaign, that's sure to hang over the players like a sword of Damocles. Seven or nine points will have even the most pessimistic of fans thinking about a potential title, while the doubters and naysayers will be keeping very quiet down the pub or in the bookies.

Two losses, three draws or even no points from the opening three ties however, will leave Wenger's critics smiling with glee and spark the wrath of even the most faithful of Gunners fans. Early season confidence could be smashed and it could become a long uphill struggle to recover for Arsenal as the pressure mounts on Wenger to produce silverware.

The season is longer than 3 games, but with Tottenham and Liverpool coming into the battle for a top four place, dont be surprised if Arsenal start looking at the League or FA Cup for their entry into Europe next year, should their Premiership campaign stumble in the early months.

Premier League Fixture List Released

The 2011/12 Premier League and Football League fixture lists have been released this morning with a number of mouth watering ties scheduled for the opening weeks of the season.

Manchester United will begin their title defence away at West Brom while Manchester City and Chelsea will look to start their title challenges with opening day victories against Premiership new boys Swansea and Stoke respectively.

Elsewhere Championship runners-up Norwich travel to Wigan while QPR start their fight for survival with a difficult home game against Bolton.

The tastiest fixture of the opening day though is thought to be Arsenal's visit to Newcastle as fans and pundits alike look to see if Arsenal have strengthened their squad enough to mount a title challenge after last seasons disappointing slump that saw them take just 6 points from their last 7 fixtures.

Week two of the season sees Liverpool travel to Emirates Stadium for another testing game for Wenger and his men while United host Tottenham with the following week wrapping up a testing start for the Gunners as they travel to Old Trafford to face United.

For the full fixture list click here and for team specific fixture lists click here

Going Out On Top - Sports Greatest Retiring Moments

Mark Recchi played his last game ever professional hockey game at the age of 43 in Vancouver on Wednesday night.

Mark Recchi holds the Stanley Cup aloft.

The Boston Bruin may not have played his final game on the ice in front of 19,000 screaming Bostonians but he did manage to go out holding the greatest prize in Hockey, the Stanley Cup.

To go out on such a high is something the eludes even the greatest of sportsmen/women and being able to retire at the top is something that undoubtedly influenced Recchi's decision to put away his stick.

So this got me wondering.

Which sports personalities finished their careers in the most impressive fashions. Which athletes can lie in bed at night without thinking "could I have had just one more title?"  Here are 3 of my top retiring moments for athletes that finished at the top.

Honourable Mention 


Zinedine Zidane 2006



Ok so he didn't lift the World Cup for France in his final game as a professional footballer. But Zidane did manage to finish his career in a way which will always be remembered even if its for all the wrong reasons. Still one of the greatest footballers to grace the Earth Zinedine will always be remembered for that head-but and that walk down the tunnel past the trophy he just cost his country.

A picture says a thousand words. Many of them
are offensive and in French

 3. Pete Sampras Wins the 2002 US Open


After an early exit at Wimbledon to 145th ranked George Bastil expectations were low for the world number one.  After narrowly beating Britain's Greg Rusedski in the third round Rusedski predicted to the media that Sampras would be out in the next round saying the American was "a step and a half slower" than normal

Sampras however went on to defy the Rusedski and the experts to reach a record tying 8th career US Open final defeating both Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick on his way.

In the Final met fellow veteran Andre Agassi, the man that Sampras had met in his first ever Grand Slam final 12 years ago.

The Final lasted just 4 sets as Sampras defeated Agassi to set a then record of 14 Grand Slam titles and tie Jimmy Conners' record of 5 US Open Singles titles.

Although Sampras retired in 2003 he never played another tour event after the 2002 US Open.



2. Sir Steve Redgrave Get #5 in 2000

Going back on his word. Redgrave returns to a
boat to get number 5

In 1996 Steve Redgrave won his 4 Olympic gold medal in 4 games.  Following the victory in Atlanta Redgrave was asked about the prospect of Sydney in four years time. Redgrave told the surrounding reporters that if  "anyone sees me go anywhere near a boat, you've got my permission to shoot me."


So what happened four years later in Sydney. Well I can tell you now that every single person who went to the first heats of the coxless four event was patted down by security in search for firearms. Yes Redgrave was back in a boat in the Olympics with Matthew Foster, Tim Foster and James Cracknell in an attempt to secure his 5 gold.


5 minutes and 56.24seconds after the horn sounded to start the coxless fours final Redgrave and his team crossed the finishing line. 


.34 seconds after that the Italians crossed the line in second place. 


Redgrave was a 5 time Olympic champion, a national hero and in 2001 became Sir Steve Redgrave. He never competed in another major boat race.




1. Jordan Hits Championship Winning Shot to Seal 2nd Three-peat


Ok so I'm going to ask for a favour here. Can we just forget about the whole Washington Wizards comeback.  


This really should have been #2 on the list but I've moved it to #1 because a) Jordan is one of my all time favourite sports stars, b) its the equivalent of Gretzky hitting a last second winner in the Stanley Cup final for Edmonton in his final ever game, and c) its my list so if you don't like it leave a comment at the bottom.

Jordan's back.

When he first retired in 1993 Jordan was already considered one of the greatest to ever set foot in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls retiring his number. On March 18th during the '94-'95 season Jordan announced to the world "I'm back".


10 days into his comeback Jordan hit 55 points in Madison Square Garden and helped take the Bulls back to the Eastern Conference semi-finals where they lost to the Orlando Magic. He was back.


In the 97-98 series Jordan and the Bulls went back to the finals for a third consecutive appearance and a chance for Jordan to grab his 6th NBA title and 2nd "three-peat" of his career. 


Basketball's greatest player had already lead the league in scoring that year as well as collecting his 5th NBA League MVP at the end of the regular season. But Jordan wanted a 6th ring, and all that stood in his way was Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz (the side who the Bulls had defeated in the finals 12 months ago).


The Bulls entered game 6 of the best-of-seven finals 3-2 up. But with 40 seconds left in the 4th quater the Bulls trailed Utah 86-83. Receiving the in-bound pass Jordan drove inside floating in an easy lay-up.  

Jordan hits the series winner
in game 6

Utah went up court giving the ball to their star Malone in the low post. Malone was too busy fending of Bulls Forward Dennis Rodman to see Jordan step up and swat the ball from Malone's hands.


Jordan then advanced up court before crossing over Bryon Russell and pulling up to hit an open two-pointer and give the Bulls a 87-86 lead with just 5.2 seconds left on the clock. Utah had no reply and Jordan's final steal and 2 shots as a Chicago Bull (the only team Jordan had played for at that time) won a third straight NBA Championship and earned Jordan his 6th Finals MVP award in 6 Finals appearances. 


This would be unquestionably the greatest way a player has ever bowed out to his sport had Jordan not returned to the NBA in 2001 with the Wizards.  But because of his third comeback questions have to be asked about whether this can be considered a true retiring moment. 


I do and for me its the greatest one of them all.  


Here it is.

UEFA Select Wembley To Host 2013 European Cup FInal

Wembley played host to the 2011 European Cup Final

Just 19 days after hosting the 2011 Champions League Final UEFA President Michel Platini announced today that Wembley would again be hosting the final of football's most converted trophy.

In the same year that the English FA marks its 150^th anniversary the European Cup final we be thrust upon London and its 90,000 seater stadium once again.

"Founded in 1863 the Football Association (FA) is the oldest of all the national football associations and in 2013 it will celebrate its 150th anniversary," said Platini in Nyon today.

"Given the exceptional nature of this historic moment in our beautiful game, and the fact that we will also celebrate 150 years of the Laws of the Game, we felt it was our duty at UEFA to help the FA celebrate in some special way. For this reason we have decided to return to England and specifically to Wembley Stadium - the home of the English FA – for the 2013 UEFA Champions League final.”

With the final being at Wembley for a 2^nd time in 3 years the final will also set the record for the shortest time between finals at one stadium, a record previously held by the Prater stadium in Vienna which hosted the 1986 and 1990 finals. It will also be a record 7^th time that the final has come to Wembley, the home of football

The FA are delighted to be hosting the tournaments final once again with spokesman David Bernstein saying that UEFA's decision is a testament to football in England and to the quality of Wembley as a sporting amphitheatre.

“It will be a major celebration of football in this country during a landmark year for our organisation and is an acknowledgment of Wembley’s status as one of the very best football stadiums in the world.” adding,

“they have paid us the ultimate compliment by announcing that they will return to our national stadium in 2013, the year of The FA’s 150th anniversary.”

Violence in Vancouver after Stanley Cup Loss

Downtown Vancouver was ablaze last night at rioting Canucks' fans tore through the city after watching their beloved hockey team fall at the final hurdle, in the winner takes all game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Canucks fans fight after game 7 loss 

Shortly after Boston's Bruins lifted Hockey's greatest prize at the Rogers Arena Wednesday night Vancouver fans took to the streets of their city taking out their frustration on police cars less than half a mile away at the CBC Fanzone set up on Georgia Street.

One fan is hurt in the violence

From there the violence escalated out onto Granville street and the surrounding downtown area as cars were overturned, garbage cans were set alight and department stores were looted by, what Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson described as, “a small number of hooligans”.

But as Vancouver wakes on Thursday morning the local residents will find the aftermath of a riot that many are describing as just as violent and unruly as the '94 Stanley Cup riots.

At one point flash bangs and tear gas were used by riot police to try and break up the angry mob as it continued its path of destruction across downtown. Anything the rioters could get their hands on was used an instrument of destruction including newspaper boxes, portable toilets, ladders, lead pipes and hockey sticks.

“This isn't what the Canucks are about,” one fan told the press. “This isn't what their fans are about. This isn't what this city is about.”

A police car ablaze as riot police use tear gas.

Some fans removed their Canucks merchandise in an attempt to disassociate the franchise with the violence while others wrapped bandannas and t-shirts around their faces to protect their faces from the smoke and tear gas or just to hide their faces from police and TV cameras.

Mean while Canucks captain Henrik Sedin could only described the mob scene as “Terrible” going on to say that “This city and province has a lot to be proud of, its too bad”

Here is just some of the footage from the riots.

Ten Of The Best

Its already been a busy week in European football's transfer market and the pace doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Here are 10 of the top rumours and deals from this week so far.....

Jordan Henderson Joins Liverpool for £20m

Wednesday saw Sunderland's 20 year old midfielder looks all set and ready to make the move to the Reds as soon as the transfer window opens on July 1^st.

United Swoop for Blackburn Starlet

Blackburn defender Phil Jones is heading to Old Trafford this summer as United dish out £16million for the 19 year old, making it the highest transfer fee ever paid for a teenager.

Bruce Capitalising on Former Club Clear Out

Gibson and O'Shea. Two of three set
for Sunderland

Steve Bruce has put in a £12m offer for some of the “dead weight” that Sir Alex wants to shed from his United squad. Wes Brown Darren Gibson and John O'Shea are the men Bruce is hoping he can lure away from Manchester with all 3 players likely to depart at some point this summer after the arrival of Phil Jones from Blackburn.

Miroslav Klose Heading for Italy.

Despite the rumours linking the German forward with both Valencia and Everton Klose confirmed Thursday that he had completed the signing of a two-year contract taking his services to Lazio.

Inter to Receive Two-for-One Chelsea Deal.

Essien and Malouda off to Milan?

Michael Essien and Florent Malouda could be shipped out this summer in a deal that would see the pairing leaving the Bridge in return for Dutchman Wesley Sneijder. However another rumour circling the sports pages of the world wide web sees Brazilian Ramires flying out of London for Sneijder. Either way, both deals will also include a substantial sum of money being placed in Inter's transfer kitty.

Theo's Plea May Not Be Enough

Theo Walcott's plea to Arsenal team mates Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas to remain at the club may have fallen on deaf ears this week. Spainsh website MundoDeportivo.com claimed thursday that Wenger has given up try to persuade his captain to stay in London telling the Spanish international “I will let you go to Barcelona or Real Madrid, but not to the Premier League.”

It looks as if Fabregas' dream move back to Barcelona will finally happen after years of “will he, wont he” debate through transfer windows. Barca however are expected to face a fight for Cesc's signature as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Real Madrid all hope to be the ones to break the bond between Fabregas and Arsenal.

Samir Nasri on the other hand has refused to deny claims that he could be heading to Manchester this summer to replace Paul Scholes at the Red Devils. Nasri, who wont sign a new deal at Arsenal until he's seen who they bring into the club this summer, has become the top priority for Sir Alex and last years champions are set to be lining up a bid for the near future.

Gunners next year? Chris Samba and Gary Cahill

Gunners Fire Bids at Blackburn and Bolton

With Arsene Wenger unable to make up his mind it looks like both Gary Cahill and Chris Samba will see offers thrown their way by the Gunners this summer.

One of the weakest links in Arsenal's chain last year was their shoddy defence and Wenger belives that both Cahill and Samba will have key roles to play in strengthening the back line.

Drogba Replaced?

Chelsea have apparently almost finished wrapping up Anderlecht's golden boy Romelu Lukaku. The deal will apparently be finalised at a meeting in Monaco between both clubs officials and Lukaku's agent Christophe Henrotay.

Other stories this week:

Fulham boss Martin Jol wants to rescue Robbie Keane from Tottenham...Birmingham will demand £14million for defender Roger Johnson...Kyle Walker is set to go back on loan to QPR for next season...John Heitinga is to quit Everton because he is fed up with a lack of European football...Peter Odemwingie is set to seal a deal which could make him West Brom's top earner...Bolton are in talks to sign Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome...Jack Collison is having crunch talks with West Ham today to seek reassurances about his future...Newcastle have knocked back West Ham's £3million offer for midfielder Kevin Nolan...Everton have joined Newcastle in the chase for Swansea defender Neil Taylor...Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng is a £5million target for Sunderland, Stoke, Newcastle, Wigan and Bolton...Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers is chasing Spain international Marcos Senna...Tottenham have lined up a fresh bid for Germany defender Serdar Tasci.

Van Gundy Calls To Stamp Out Flopping

"The LeBron/Jordan comparisons end today. LeBron is still a good player but 8 points and a flop in GAME 4 of the finals ends the debate."


 That was a comment left on June 8th 2011 underneath this video on YouTube





I'm not here to start the LeBron Jordan debate or the "We hate LeBron and Miami" chanting. What I want to talk about is flopping in the NBA and Jeff Van Gundy's comments after the flop by LeBron in game 4.


"Those types of plays to me, are starting to make parts of our game a farse.


"Its happening more and more. Where is the cut off?"


Van Gundy makes a very legitimate point. This isn't the first time we've seen theatricals in this years Finals let alone the 2010/11 season.


 Anyone else remember this from game 3?




Flopping has taken place in the NBA for years with recently retired Shaquille O'Neal complaining for much of his career that defenders used to flop and look for calls rather then play man to man against him (when age caught up on Shaq he was ridiculed for a flop he took against 23 year old centre Dwight Howard in '09) but it has become a more prominent part of the game in recent years, probably down to the increased money in the sport and therefore a increase in pressure on the players to win games at all cost.


It upsetting to see an takes a great deal away from the sport. Unfortunately its also very difficult to stamp out once it gets embedded into the game, as we have seen in football (soccer for you Yanks). Its up to the NBA and its referees to stamp it out as quickly as possible by imposing penalties on players that try to do it. A tough stance is needed so even if the player gets away with a flop/dive in the game itself, once it has been reviewed post-game fines and possibly bans should be imposed. 


It also hurts players reputations a great deal as the opening comment shows.  Michael Jordan is the best player the NBA has ever seen and he played the game both skilfully and physically. Since his introduction to the league in 2003 LeBron James has been hailed as the next Jordan. However with flops similar to the one James took in game 4 creeping into the forwards game more and more, the comparisons between James and Jordan are starting to fade away into the distance, leaving fans making comments such as "Jordan would never have done that?" for all the wrong reasons.


Basketball has to be quick and learn from the mistakes football made. Dont let diving/flopping become a staple part of the game because the line between acceptable and cheating can easily become blurred to both referees and fans.


If not we may be seeing NBA videos on YouTube that look similar to these.....

Remember. Unless it's in a pool or the sea, diving has no place in sport.

United and Liverpool Kickoff Summer Spending

 Blackburn's £16m
man Phil Jones

The first of many big transfers are set and ready to go already this summer, with both deals involving a title challenger for the coming year. As many of you will have seen already Liverpool and Manchester United have swooped early before the official opening of the English transfer window, putting up substantial sums of money to grab their men Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones respectively.

But wait..... shouldn't that be the other way around.

Maxi, Luca and Meireles were in
fine form at the close of last season.

Shouldn't United, with a starting back four of Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra and Fabio/Rafael, be focusing on strengthening the middle of the park, while Liverpool need to be thinking less about their midfield (which already contains Spearing, Meireles, Maxi Rodriguez, Lucas and a returning Gerrard) and more about the four men in front of keeper Pepe Reina?

I'm sure both Ferguson and Dalglish know exactly what they're doing when it comes to their own squads but the vast sums of money being paid for these two starlets (£20million for Henderson and around £16million for Jones) seem peculiar considering both are very young and neither will be filling a vital hole for either sides squad. In the words of Murray Hewitt (of Flight of the Conchords) “can't we do a flip around?”

Liverpool have been linked with over 20 players already this summer including the likes of Blackpool's Charlie Adam (who looks to be the next man arriving at Anfield) Newcastle left back Jose Enrique and Ipswich striker Connor Wickham, while United have been linked strongly with Aston Villa talent Ashley Young and Arsenal's Samir Nasri.

 Expect more of the same with high spending this summer as  Ferguson tries to build a side that can topple Barcelona's dominance on European football while Dalglish tries to bring together a squad that can reclaim the record for most league championships won.

Liverpool Looking to Bulk Buy Fire Power

The seasons over and summer is here. After 38 games of exciting Premier League action we, the football fan finally have a break from the stress and excitement of the Premier League, and with no major international tournaments taking place a relaxing summer of golf, cricket or tennis awaits us.

Well that would have been nice but it doesn't seem to be the case because July and August will bring the usual pandemonium of the transfer window and this summer looks set to be as hectic as ever, with the early days of June already providing us with more rumours than inside a copy of OK magazine.

At this early stage (and considering the fact that the transfer window hasn't officially opened yet) a great many teams and players are already making waves on the market but none more so then Liverpool

Gifted Spaniard Juan Mata 

In the last week or so the Reds have already been linked with 18 different players, with the majority of their prospects looking for roles in the attacking half of the field. Goalkeepers Doni (Roma) and Friedel (who just recently completed a deal with Spurs rejecting offers from both Liverpool and Aston Villa) join Blackburn defender Phil Jones as the only defensive players on Dalglish's “short” list which also contains England international Ashley Young, England Under 21 Jordan Henderson, Valencia winger Juan Mata and Lille striker Gervinho.

Dalglish parades his January
big money buys

Liverpool spent almost 60 million in January on strikers Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll yet despite the midseason spending splurge Anfield bosses seem intent on boosting a forward line that already contains Suarez, Carroll, Dirk Kuyt and David N'Gog while being backed up by Meireles, Lucas, Spearing and a soon to be fit Steven Gerrard.

Who will be leaving Anfield should Dalgish snatch up any of his targets come August 31^st, we will have to wait and see, but don't be surprised if the King of the Kop manages to keep the majority of last years side while strengthening the depth of the squad with young starlets.

Here is the list of potential targets the Liverpool have been linked with:

Jordan Henderson (Sunderland) CM

Sunderland's Jordan Henderson could be set for
Liverpool before the end of the week providing they
cough up the £20 million asking price

Phil Jones (Blackburn) D

Doni (Roma) GK

Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan) AM/ST

Ashley Young (Villa) RW

Xabi Alonso (Madrid) CM

Wigan saviour Charles N'Zogbia could
be donning the red of Liverpool
next season

Gervinho (Lille) ST

Eden Hazard (Lille) AM/W

Chris Brunt (WBA) AM/W (L)

Axel Witsel (Leige) DM

James McCarthy (Wigan) M

Benjamin Moukandjo (Monaco) ST

Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht) ST

Charlie Adam (Blackpool) M

Juan Mata (Valencia) LW

Brad Friedel (Spurs) GK

Bojan (Barcelona) ST

Ryad Boudebouz (Sochaux) AM

Television and its Dictation of Sport

Why on earth should television dictate football (or sport in general)? Yes, television advertising provides the majority of money that is in sport and as a result, I can accept a few extra advert breaks in my Ford Super Sundays or NFL Monday Night Football. However what I wont accept is television dictating incidents in the sport itself.

I have to be clear regarding this topic because the intervention of television in football can provide a positive outcome. For instance, catching an off the ball incident or a mistake made by a referee can help to improve the fairness of the game. However, there are some instances when television has done the opposite.

On April 2nd of this year, Manchester United faced West Ham at Upton Park. After being down 2-0 at half time, United fought back and, thanks to a Wayne Rooney hat-trick, took all 3 points in a 4-2 victory. After tucking away a penalty that gave United their 3-2 lead and Rooney his third of the day, the United star ran towards the fans to celebrate before turning to a TV camera and swearing into it.



For days following the incident, Rooney was hounded by press and media despite apologising for the incident and the FA saw fit to ban Rooney for two games, including the FA Cup semi-final against Man City. But why?

Had Rooney spouted any language that you wouldn't normally overhear at a football game? No. Had he committed an infringement of the games rules? No.

Personally, I have absolutely no problem with Rooney doing what he did and I think had the public and the media not been so outraged, the FA would never have intervened in the situation. Rooney missed one of United's most important games of the season because of the public fascination with setting up celebrities to fall from grace (although Rooney had never been one to be considered the graceful type).

SkySports have spent vast amounts of money bringing the nations sport into the homes and pubs of millions, but if they insist on showing football and trying to cover every aspect of the game, they must accept what comes with the game, warts and all. Rooney on April 2nd was a frustrated player. Having had a poor season by his standards up to that point the press and media had been very critical of the young Liverpudlian and had held very little back when discussing his poor form over the last 5 months. Coming back from 2-0 down at half time is an achievement in itself but to grab the 3 goals yourself would get the adrenalin pumping in even the most level headed of men.

When the TV camera decided to become part of that celebration by getting into the face of Rooney his reaction was a release of frustration and passion, having just turned what looked like a game lost into 3 points for the soon to be champions.

I'm not saying I would have used the same expressions that Rooney barked out, but I think it would have been foolish to assume that a young hothead (which we already know Rooney is) would be able to hold his tongue during such a moment.

Sky's actions of broadcasting Rooney's voice at that moment could arguably cost United an FA Cup and there is no reason why it should have. If Sky want to show the sport and bring it into peoples homes in its raw uncensored form, it's their responsibility to warn viewers and apologise to the audience for what they choose to broadcast, including what the players say.

Others will argue that Rooney chose to swear at the camera but to them I say this: Do you really think he wouldn't have used foul language had a camera not been there?

The answer to this is, of course, no. Yet Rooney faced the wrath of the FA and was banned for two games despite having not broken a rule of the game. He did not direct his abusive language to a referee or player, nor *was he violent in anyway. The closest offence he came to committing was using foul language before the watershed, a rule which, as far as I was aware, the FA had any control over.

This to me is a incident where had Sky been smart enough to turn off the audio on that camera, Rooney would never have been banned. In my opinion, this shows that television is starting to over step its boundaries when it comes to controlling the game and sport in general, and I hope its something that isn't repeated again in my lifetime.

Shaquille O'Neal Retires As Basketball Loses an All Time Great

This week the NBA saw one of its biggest stars bid farewell to the game.

Diesel, Superman, the Big Cactus. Whatever name you chose to call him by they all refer to the same man. Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaq became one of the biggest and most dominant stars in the NBA, becoming the 5th highest all-time NBA points scorer and possibly the last true centre (or so he says so himself) able to dominate game of basketball.

Shaq began his professional career in 1992 having left LSU early to go to the NBA. Drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first pick of the 1992 NBA Draft it took Shaq took little time making his impact on the NBA scene winning the 1993 Rookie of the Year award and becoming the first rookie since Michael Jordan to be voted to the NBA All-Star game.

His third season on the NBA saw Shaq lead the NBA in scoring for the first time, but despite the individual success found in Orlando O'Neal was unable to make it to an NBA finals appearance losing to the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls in his second and third seasons respectively.

In 1996 Shaq left the East Coast to hit Hollywood to join the highly touted rookie Kobe Bryant at the LA Lakers but it wasn't until the arrival of head coach Phil Jackson (1999) that Shaq managed to grab his first Championship Ring in 2000.

After the threepeat of 2000-2002 and three NBA Finals MVP awards (not to mention being one vote shy of becoming the first ever unanimous regular season MVP in NBA history in the 1999-2000) Shaq and the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-04 NBA Finals. After the loss Shaq fell out with the Lakers front office (the dismissal of Phil Jackson being one of many reasons) and asked to be traded.

Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat optimistic of bringing the franchise an NBA title with the help of rookie sensation Dwayne Wade but the Heat fell in the 2004-05 Conference Championship to the Detroit Pistons. However one year later the Big Man delivered on his promise to the city of Miami and with the help of Dwayne Wade brought the Heat their championship.

Diesel's time in Miami finished midway through the 2007-08 season jumping ship to the Phoenix Suns as Miami began the season with a league low 9-37 record. The Suns brought in Shaq in order to try and contain Tim Duncan should the Suns meet the Spurs in the Playoffs, but O'Neal was unable to prevent such a loss as the Suns were knocked out of the post-season in the opening round to Duncan's Spurs.

His final three seasons in the NBA included another season in Phoenix, a season at the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron and a final season joining Allen, Garnett and Pierce in Boston with all but his final year in Phoenix including playoff appearances (this is the only season Shaq hasn't appeared in the playoffs since his rookie year of '93)

Shaq will finish his career with:

4x NBA Championships
3x NBA Finals MVPs
1x NBA MVP
1x Rookie of the Year
15x NBA All-Star appearances
2x NBA scoring Championships
8x All-NBA First Team Awards
3x NBA All-Star MVPs
1x FIBA World Championship MVP
5th NBA All-Time Scoring Chart

A hugely impressive career that has been as big off the court as on it.

Shaq known as one of the games personalities as well as one of the games greatest ever players. A sure Hall of Fame member his personality will be missed throughout the game.

That is until he gets a job in the studio as a pundit.

Here are ESPN's and NBA.com's top 10 Shaquille O'Neal moments.