Chris Kamara’s famous phrases are now in the hands of football fans thanks to Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Football League
Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Football League are putting control of Chris Kamara in the hands of the public with an interactive video soundboard of his famous catchphrases.
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You can control Kammy at http://kamara.mariecurie.org.uk/
Football fans can watch Kamara recreate twelve of his well-known slogans from ‘Unbelievable Jeff’ and ‘The man mountain’ to the hilarious missed red card incident at Portsmouth.
Produced to promote Kamara’s trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in June for Marie Curie Cancer Care, the soundboard also offers Football League fans the chance to win exclusive tickets to the 2011 Carling Cup Final plus a VIP tour of Wembley.
Chris Kamara is the official ambassador of the 2010/11 season-long partnership between The Football League and Marie Curie Cancer Care which aims to raise £500,000.
Find out more about the partnership at www.football-league.co.uk/mariecurie
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Chris Kamara doesn’t come anywhere close to the TEN worst football pundits in the English game, but you can see who has made the list by viewing the gallery below…
A story on the Guardian’s website this week claimed that United youngster Ravel Morrison’s future at the club was “hanging in the balance.”
Morrison who turns 18 in a fortnight, has for the last year or so been touted as one of the most naturally gifted players to emerge from United’s academy in recent memory.
Morrison’s performances for both the academy and more recently the reserves have won him many admirers and even led to a cameo for the first-team in the Carling Cup.
The Wythenshawe-born youngster is a fast-paced strong, skilful winger who doesn’t look too out of place playing just behind who ever’s leading the line.
The reason the young winger’s Old Trafford future isn’t secure has nothing to do with his footballing ability or his desire to play elsewhere. No, like many young players who come from some of the less affluent areas Morrison has found himself with a reputation for shall we say ‘running in certain circles.’
It’s all been a bit ambiguous as to what exactly the young Mancunian midfielder has actually done wrong although there has been rumours of some sort of charge for ‘witness intimidation’ or something along those lines. These are only rumours though and as of yet there is no evidence, at least not in the public domain, to support them.
Morrison had supposedly been suspended from playing by United for ‘off the field issues’ however again there is no real evidence to substantiate what is going on.
I’ve met Morrison a couple of times in my part-time job at the Powerleague and while it’s obvious he is a little rough around the edges, he seems no different from any of the other lads we get in there, who come from certain areas.
Admittedly, occasionally meeting him hardly qualifies me to make a judgement on his character and I like many other Reds would be hard pressed to tell you if he really is a troubled youngster or not.
The problem many United fans have is two-fold. Firstly : Morrison’s actions remain clouded in mystery, no one really knows what is actually going on and even though you could fill a novel with all the rumours, theories and conjecture surrounding him, it’s all still very murky. Secondly- Morrison seems to be one of the most naturally gifted players the club has produced in the past few years, anyone who seen him play will testify that he has bags of skill and could easily go all the way.
If we were talking about a player who was merely ‘good’ we wouldn’t be talking- if that makes sense to anyone.
Morrison is the type of player who stands out to you, when you’re watching some of the brightest young stars in English football, and that for me speaks volumes.
There’s no doubt that thanks to the Guardian story Sir Alex will feel the need to act one way or the other, either issuing a statement declaring Morrison is fine and staying at United or perhaps issuing a press release saying he’s left the club.
Personally, despite the problems having a troubled player like Morrison at United could potentially cause, I’d like to see the club give him a chance and try and salvage his career.
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I’m hoping someone like Wes Brown, who grew up in Longsight and was once reported to be at loggerheads with Sir Alex over moving out of the area, can put his arm round Morrison – or get him a headlock and talk a bit of sense to him.
It all may depend on Morrison himself, after all we’d all probably give our right arm to play for United but not every supremely talented teenager always feels the same, or has the real sort of foresight.
Ravel Morrison’s career is at a crossroads and although he may only be 17, if he’s not careful he could end up looking back on it with a mixture of regret and anger rather than contentment and pride. I for one certainly hope it’s the latter.
Read more of Justin’s articles at the excellent ‘Red Flag Flying High’
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli could hand caps to several new faces to in Wednesday’s friendly against Germany in Dortmund.
Prandelli’s squad includes Juventus loan signing Alessandro Matri, Parma midfielder Sebastian Giovinco and former Brazilian under-23 representative Thiago Motta, with all three set to make their international debuts if called upon.
Matri returned to haunt parent club Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday, scoring twice to help Juventus earn a 3-1 win away from home.
The 26-year-old, who has now scored 13 league goals this season, said he was prepared to be flexible in order to make his bow for the national team.
“It is quite strange how much my life has changed in a week. I’ve gone from Cagliari to Torino and now from Torino I’m here. This is aim of all players. I’ve always wished to be in the national team,” he said.
“You only get to play for the national team if you are playing well for your club. Maybe I would have had the same chance if I had kept on doing well in Cagliari.”
“This is for sure a dream that has come true. Now I have the pleasure to train with this team and this is extraordinary for me. I don’t know how the coach will be using me. In any case I’m available and I’m ready to play as first, second or third forward.”
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Prandelli backed Antonio Cassano to perform for Italy after his very public issues with Sampdoria. He made his return to the squad following his move to Serie A leaders AC Milan in December.
“He (Cassano) has been capped because as far as I’m concerned he is an important player. I believe it would have been right to cap him not only for his desire but also he has the spirit we are looking for,” Prandelli said.
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini voiced his frustrations after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham effectively ended his side’s title hopes.Mario Balotelli gave City the lead in the 26th minute before Damian Duff secured a deserved point for the Cottagers with an equaliser just after the interval. City are now 10 points behind arch rivals and Premier League leaders Manchester United, and when asked if Sunday’s result put his side out of title contention, Mancini told Sky Sports: “Now for us it is difficult in this moment I think.”Speaking of the stalemate against Mark Hughes’ side, the Italian manager said: “The performance was so, so. I think that we didn’t play well but in the first half we scored one goal.” “It is normal but when you score one goal, you finish the first half one-nil and you should start better the second half but it is possible that when you play every day – and at this moment we have a lot of players injured – we have some problems.”The final whistle was followed by some drama between the two managers, as Mancini failed to lean into his handshake or make eye contact with Hughes, which caught the ire of the Fulham boss.Mancini, despite seemingly being the protagonist, said it was not the first time he met with an angry Hughes.”Always I think, I don’t know. He seemed (angry in) the first game in London but I don’t know,” Mancini said.Hughes said he was disappointed with Mancini’s behaviour.”Well I was a little bit disappointed at the end,” he said.”Listen, I was disappointed with the performance of my team when we last played Man City, we lost 4-1, but I acknowledged that Man City on the day were the better team and I acknowledged that with my handshake and I just felt maybe Man City’s manager just didn’t really offer his hand with any sincerity so that’s why I reacted a little bit. So I apologise if I upset anybody.”
Norwich climbed to fourth, but there was no other change at the top of the Championship with Queens Park Rangers, Swansea and Cardiff all victorious.Leaders QPR maintained their five-point buffer over second-placed Swansea on Saturday, with a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.A Heidar Helguson brace plus another goal from Moroccan midfielder Adel Taarabt handed Rangers all three points, as their quest for automatic promotion continues to look like a reality.Swansea remain in second after their 3-0 win over fellow promotion rivals Leeds, thanks to a double from Scott Sinclair and another to Luke Moore, while third-placed Cardiff defeated Hull 2-0, with Michael Chopra and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas scoring the goals.A first-half brace from Andrew Crofts helped Norwich to a 2-0 away win over Barnsley, lifting them over Nottingham Forrest and into fourth place after Forrest could only manage a 0-0 draw at Millwall.Crystal Palace remain mired in a relegation dogfight after their thrilling 3-3 draw with Reading, Bristol City defeated Scunthorpe 2-0 and Doncaster Rovers played out a 1-1 draw with Watford.Portsmouth climbed over Ipswich into 13th position with a 2-0 win at Portman Road, but Leicester could not take advantage of Leeds’ slip up after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Coventry.Preston North End are still anchored to the foot of the table after their 2-1 loss to Burnley at home, while Derby County rose to 18th place after a Theo Robinson goal handed them a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, who are fighting for Championship survival.
Another weekend and another manager spitting their dummy out over a referee, as their respective sides fail to get the results they were hoping to achieve. Maybe the likes of Wenger and Ferguson would be wise to look at their own side’s failings, instead of searching for a scapegoat. United have lost three of their last five games – was it really the referee every time?
I know it is nothing new and managers are forever bemoaning officials for making mistakes, but what does it achieve? It always amuses me that the likes of Wenger will happily come out and criticise the wrongdoings against Arsenal, yet will never actually accept his own side’s fortune when he benefits from a bad decision. Ferguson likewise has a similar blind spot, but what are they hoping to achieve with their continued outbursts of foul play? Maybe Fergie believes that referees are conspiring against United, in light of the Wayne Rooney elbow furore last week, but his outbursts aren’t doing football any favours.
I am not going to stand here and preach that managers aren’t allowed to have a moan at officials, because as an ex-player I can understand their frustrations, but to put their dropped points down to them is an easy excuse in my book. I know they make mistakes and it would certainly be nice, not to mention help defuse potential ramifications, if the referees could explain the reasoning behind their decisions after the game, but they have no duty to so you have to accept it. You get good and bad decisions throughout a season and have to accept that the referees are only human, given that FIFA are unwilling to ensure their lives are made easier with the use of video technology. At the end of the day it wasn’t Martin Atkinson’s fault that United couldn’t turn their dominance into goals at Stamford Bridge, or Anthony Taylor’s problem that Arsenal once again failed to kill off their opposition despite the numerous chances that they created. Maybe Fergie and Wenger are simply attempting to take the heat off their underperforming stars, or perhaps their own masks are slipping as the pressure of the title race sets in.
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Former Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham defender Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock is one of the great characters of English football. Razor has the same no-nonsense attitude off the pitch as he did on it.
Uncompromising, controversial and outspoken, read more of Razor’s thoughts in his weekly column
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Although the Magpies sit in 11th position in the table, which would usually be comfortable at this stage of the season, they are only 4 points away from the relegation zone. Whilst the focus has been on Aston Villa’s relegation chances, Newcastle have also taken some interest especially with the decision to sack Chris Hughton in December, the appointment of Alan Pardew and the sale of Andy Carroll all being questioned.
The Toon Army go into this game with only one victory in their last 10 league games and will be without key players Cheik Tiote and Leon Best for a game against an in-form Wolves side. Despite Kevin Nolan scoring goals into double figures, the team are clearly missing the presence of Andy Carroll up front.
Wolves are the in-form team out of all the relegation candidates with only 1 defeat in their last six games, they are undefeated in their last four and a victory at Villa Park from England debutant Matt Jarvis could only have boosted morale.
Despite being in the relegation zone, Mick McCarthy’s men will be only 1 point behind Newcastle if they are to win on the road again at St James’ Park. However, despite what the form guide suggests, Wolves have only won twice away from home this season and have the worst away record in the division.
In contrast, Newcastle has scored the most goals in the Premier League at home behind Manchester United. However, without players like Tiote and Best, they could struggle against a Wolves team who are on some very good form and might just edge it.
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Watch Jason Cundy & Scott Minto on Scoreboard and see their pre-match predictions
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Marseille manager Didier Deschamps has scoffed at suggestions he is planning to leave the French club at the end of the season.Deschamps steered Marseille to their first Ligue 1 title in 18 years last season – his first in charge – and the club are within touching distance of repeating as champions as the 2010-11 campaign draws to a close.
Marseille are second on the table, four points behind leaders Lille with nine games left in the season, and have nothing but their domestic campaign to focus on after being eliminated from the Champions League by Chelsea.
It would seem all is well at the Stade Velodrome under Deschamps, but unrest in Serie A has prompted whispers the 42-year-old could be making a return to Italy.
His former club Juventus are believed to be ready to part ways with Luigi Delneri and could make Deschamps an attractive offer, while Roma are looking for a permanent replacement for caretaker boss Vincenzo Montella following Claudio Ranieri’s resignation.
But the former France international has laughed off the rumours of his impending exit, saying he is already making plans for Marseille’s 2011-12 campaign.
“I’ve already started planning for next year, because that’s my job,” Deschamps said.
“All this speculation about who will move where makes me laugh. Today, I’m 100 percent at Marseille, and will be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”
“There’s really no reason for these rumours. I’ll draw my own conclusions at the end of the season depending on our position.”
English Premier League teams Chelsea and Liverpool are also believed to be in the mix for Deschamps’ services, with Carlo Ancelotti rumoured to be returning to Italy and Kenny Dalglish no certainty to remain at Anfield either.
Hamilton Academical kept their slim hopes of avoiding relegation from the Scottish Premier League alive with a 2-1 victory over Hibernian.Seemingly destined for the drop, the Accies struck twice in the first half on Sunday before holding on to register their first league win since October last year.
The victory puts them within nine points of 11th-placed St Mirren.
Hibernian, already certain to compete in the relegation play-off, pulled a goal back in the second half but could not find another in front of their home crowd.
Young Dutch forward Nigel Hasselbaink set up the opener for the Accies with some nice work down the left, squaring for James Chambers to finish in the ninth minute.
The visitors almost found a second soon after when Lee Kilday struck the crossbar with a header, but Billy Reid’s men did double their advantage in the 34th minute.
Ali Crawford’s free-kick was headed away by Hibernian forward Akpo Sodje, but it struck team-mate Liam Miller before finding the net.
The hosts reduced the deficit through Sodje in the 66th minute, when the much-travelled striker placed his shot nicely after a long ball from Callum Booth.
The Accies held off some late pressure to keep their hopes of avoiding relegation alive. Hibernian remain eighth.
Porto returned home to celebrate their Liga Sagres title with a 3-2 win over Sporting Lisbon on Sunday, while Benfica defeated Beira-Mar.Porto, who clinched the Portuguese league title at bitter rivals Benfica two weeks earlier, finally made their triumphant return to the Estadio do Dragao to a rapturous reception from their fans.
The atmosphere was briefly tempered when Sporting took the lead through Andre Santos, whose long-range attempt in the 18th minute took a deflection off team-mate Matias Fernandez and skipped past Porto goalkeeper Helton.
But scores were level eight minutes later as Falcao, Porto’s prolific Colombian striker, brought the home fans to their feet with a header from 12 yards out.
The Colombian nabbed a second five minutes after the restart with another header, this time a diving effort to connect with Joao Moutinho’s chipped cross from the right.
Substitute striker Walter, brought on for Falcao, also got in on the act with an 87th-minute goal, one that was equalled by Fernandez one minute later to dampen fan celebrations until the final whistle.
Elsewhere, Benfica returned to winning ways after consecutive league losses with a 2-1 victory over Beira-Mar.
Second-half goals from Brazilian defender Sidnei and Argentine attacker Franco Jara put Jorge Jesus’ team back on the winner’s list, albeit with second spot on the table already wrapped up.
Substitute Ghanaian attacker Ishmael Yartey scored what proved to be a consolation goal in the third minute of stoppage time for 10th-placed Beira-Mar.
Portimonense kept their slim hopes of remaining in the top flight alive with a 1-0 win at Uniao de Leiria.
A 63rd-minute goal from Pedro Silva was enough to bring his team within six points of safety with three league games to go.
Madi Panandetiguiri was sent off for the losing side after picking up two bookings in four minutes, while Silva too received his marching orders 11 minutes before full-time.
Finally, Rio Ave made it three-straight wins with a 1-0 victory over the struggling Naval 1 Maio.
Defender Milhazes scored the only goal of the game in the 13th minute as they moved to within a point of a Europa League spot.