Birmingham United defender Patrice Evra feels Robin van Persie's status as Barclays Premier League title champion demonstrates he made the right choice to give up Arsenal for Old Trafford. Having spent nine years in north London before switching to United last summer, Van Persie's passion for the Gunners goes deep. The striker nearly went into the property dressing place following his arrival at the Emirates Stadium recently, elected to not enjoy the punishment equaliser and then went for a speak to his previous team-mates after the 1-1 draw. Seemingly, the love isn't reciprocated by the Arsenal supporters, who gave their former leader a torrid time. Evra can't realize why, provided Van Persie did therefore much to advance the Gunners' cause all through his time with the club, but he thinks winning the title in 2013 shows the 29-year-old has no need to reproach herself. "He has not made the wrong choice," said Evra. "It was quite a long time he didn't win the league [at Arsenal]. He has won it and come to Manchester United. "I still do not realize why the fans boo him. I'm disappointed that the supporters have easily forgotten what he did for the team. "I think he thought it as well." Van Persie's purpose took him within among the 30 obstacle, and in netting 25 in the Premier League the Dutchman has broken the record for most category goals in a debut plan for United. "He includes a possiblity to achieve 30," said United director Sir Alex Ferguson. "If he does that it justifies all our faith and hope in him." It may be argued the move spent some time working out well for both parties, Provided United's achievement hasn't seen Arsenal fall in the manner therefore many experienced likely. Indeed, as Chelsea and Tottenham still have to manage each other and Arsenal's remaining three games are against teams who've both been directed - QPR - or fighting to avoid the drop - Wigan and Newcastle - they must preserve their long-held top-four status. Although aggrieved United didn't claim the glory he felt they deserved, Evra was fascinated by the hosts' fighting qualities. "They were among the most ambitious teams I've performed against," said the France international. "It was good to see Arsenal like that. Abuse is always got by them about being a group with good football however, not being aggressive enough. This time they were." Evra was particularly annoyed at his failure to convert a second-half possibility, which may have moved him onto five goals for the summer season, the exact same number as Shinji Kagawa. He's three more chances though, starting against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday with further fittings against Swansea and West Brom to come - all of which, Evra promises, are very important to the Red Devils. "A large amount of people be prepared to see Manchester United perhaps not playing because we have already won the title," said Evra. "But this is simply not the attitude of Manchester United. "We wish to win every game, also pre-season or friendlies. "If we drop at Arsenal, people won't say because we have won the league we lost. They'd just say 'Manchester United lost.' "People chuckle when I say it had been a big game but that is the Manchester United culture. "Even if we finish the task and have won the subject, we often desire to win." A week to get ready for Chelsea, which gives Nemanja Vidic and Danny Welbeck time to recover from the leg and leg issues which held them out yesterday United will have. Missouri
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale called PFA Player of the Entire Year and... - Telegraph.co.uk
Tottenham star Bale was also just the sixth person to land the honor twice reclaiming it from last yearas winner, Robin van Persie, carrying out a election among his friends. He saw off opposition from Van Persie, as well as Michael Carrick, Luis SuArez, Juan Mata and Eden Danger. Bale has taken his game to new heights in 2013, scoring 24 ambitions in 40 activities for Spurs, nearly single-handedly spearheading their bid to qualify for the Champions League. The 23-year-old, who also won the PFA award in 2011, is now one of many most sought-after players in world football and is currently reported to be worth around A50 million. Thanking his team-mates and manager Andre Villas-Boas, Bale said: aItas a massive honor. To be chosen by your friends is one of many greatest issues in the game. Itas great to gain it and I am pleased. aWhen you look at the list, there are several huge names about it but I couldnat it NNP be done by NNP with no group. They have been fantastic this season and so has the director. aThe other nominees have been fantastic, they have been exceptional for their groups and itas a huge moment to get, specially as itas both honors and itas a thing that Iam extremely pleased of.a Bale was seen by the Young Player of the Year prize up against Hazard, the 2011 champion Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Romelu Lukaku and Religious BentAkA. The sole men previously to own won both prizes in the exact same period were Andy Gray in 1977 and Cristiano Ronaldo six years back, while only Ronaldo, Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry have said the prize twice. Bale now has every chance of being the very first person to win it 3 x but he said: aThe biggest thing is playing for your group and going well. In the event that you prosper then these awards come along. aI donat think individual awards are some thing you strive for, itas only a bonus.a Recalling his most remarkable goals this season, he added: aThere are a few. The one against Norwich was one of my favourites, the West Ham one. These two are my favourites from this season.a His history bears comparison with the likes of Van Persie a' who scored 28 in his debut season at Manchester United to simply help them restore the Premier League name a and SuArez a who netted 30 for Liverpool prior to the 10-match biting bar that's finished his period. Bale singled out both players for praise, saying: aThey have now been outstanding this season and itas been an excellent season for everybody to watch.a Their place was also taken by the six senior nominees in the Premier League Team of the Entire Year, along side David De Gea, Pablo Zabaleta, Rio Ferdinand, Jan Vertonghen and Leighton Baines. The inaugural Womenas Award visited Arsenal Ladies and Scotland midfielder Kim Little, while the Merit award was handed to former United youth-team coach Eric Harrison for helping bring through the so-called 'Fergie Fledglingsa in the 1990s.
Home sick: Carlos Tevez admits Manchester City have priced him out of dream ... - Mirror.co.uk
'Maybe I will return when I am 33. It's very difficult for any Argentinian club to pay my market value' says Argentine striker
Argentina superstar Tevez, 29, fears that Manchester City will demand well in excess of £20m if they decide to sell him this summer.
Tevez has made no secret that he would like to return to Boca before he retires but says a move to another European club would be more likely.
Blues striker Tevez, in an interview with Argentinian TV station Canal 9, said: "If it was down to me then I would return tomorrow because I will love Boca until I die.
"Maybe I will return to Boca when I am 33. It's very difficult for any Argentinian club to pay Manchester City my market value.
"If Milan have offered 20 million Euros to Manchester City when I was in a worse moment of form then what would they pay now?"
More Info: [Soccer] All Boys - students silver - Argentine football
Maybank starts Manchester United Charge Endless credit card - The Star Online - The Star Online
KUALA LUMPUR: Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) seeks to preserve its industry control in the credit card segment and goals a development in the amount of its credit cards for the high-net worth segment in terms of value and quantity this season. The lender, that will be the largest in Malaysia by asset size, is the market leader locally in the charge card phase with a 26% market share when it comes to exchange price. aOur purchase market share has been rising steadily in the last several years because of our price campaigns,a Maybank's deputy president and head of community economic companies Datuk Lim Hong Tat said. In terms of card flow, Maybank is also the market leader with 1.5 million cards representing a share of the credit and charge card usage in the united kingdom. Maybank yesterday released its co-branded Manchester United (ManU) Visa Infinite charge card to tap consumer application in the niche high net worth portion. Lim declined to elaborate specific consumer objectives with this new card but said the financial institution aimed to increase total co-branded cards to up to 300,000 over the next 2 to 3 years. He explained this ManU Visa Infinite card will eventually be launched in Singapore and other Asean markets progressively. The release can finish its ManU co-branded cards for the mass, credit and high-net worth customer segment and is likely to garner some interest from enthusiastic ManU fans. Lim said this exclusive collaboration with ManU gets control from another bank in 2011 and will last for five years. aThis is (effective) in Malaysia and Singapore. Then we will launch it in Singapore earlier,a if we see that this card is prosperous locally he explained. More News AGo
Golf-Horschel seals maiden victory in New Orleans
April 28 (Reuters) - American Billy Horschel charged ahead with six consecutive birdies, then held his nerve down the stretch to win his maiden PGA Tour title by one shot at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Avondale, Louisiana on Sunday.
Two strokes off the pace going into a weather-disrupted final round, Horschel took advantage of rain-softened conditions and preferred lies at the TPC Louisiana as he sealed his long-awaited breakthrough victory with an eight-under-par 64.
The slim 26-year-old, who had recorded top-10s in his three previous starts on the U.S. circuit, stunningly drained a 26-foot birdie putt at the par-five last to post a 20-under total of 268.
Horschel repeatedly pumped his right fist in delight after his ball disappeared into the cup for his ninth birdie of the day, then removed his cap to acknowledge loud cheers from the gallery packed around the 18th green.
"Oh man, it's something I have worked so hard for and there are so many people I need to thank. And they all know who they are," an emotional Horschel told Golf Channel after coping with two weather delays during the final round.
"And for that putt to go in ... I hadn't made a long one all week and I said, 'I am due for a long one, I am due for a long one. Just commit to it.'
Fellow American D.A. Points, playing with Horschel, had been tied for the lead with three holes remaining but settled for second place after closing with a seven-birdie 65.
Overnight leader and 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, bidding for his fourth PGA Tour victory, fell back with an early bogey on the way to a 71 and a tie for fourth at 15 under.
Glover began the day two strokes in front and he parred the first five holes before play was suspended for about three hours as the first wave of thunderstorms rolled into the area.
Soon after play resumed, Points and Horschel briefly moved into a three-way tie at the top as they each birdied the par-five seventh before Jimmy Walker sank a 26-foot eagle putt at the same hole to edge a stroke in front.
Former Walker Cup amateur Horschel also birdied the eighth and ninth to move one ahead at 16 under before being joined by Walker, who rolled in a 10-footer to birdie the par-four eighth.
While Walker stumbled with a double-bogey at the par-three ninth, where his bump-and-run from below the green failed to crest the slope and rolled back to his feet, red-hot Horschel kept charging forward.
He sank a 14-footer to birdie the 10th and a six-footer at the par-five 11th to get to 18 under, two ahead of Points.
Both players picked up a shot at the par-four 12th, Horschel sinking a 15-footer there to tie the PGA Tour record this season of six consecutive birdies.
Horschel, speeding up in his play, bogeyed the 15th after finding the right rough off the tee and missing the green with his approach.
Horschel rebounded with a birdie at the par-four 16th after hitting an exquisite approach to four feet to regain a one-stroke cushion.
Play was again suspended, for just under an hour, due to the threat of lightning shortly after Horschel drove into the left rough off the 18th tee.
On resumption, he wisely laid up in two, then struck a wedge approach to 26 feet short of the hole before sinking the birdie putt to clinch an emotional victory.
British world number four Justin Rose, the highest-ranked player in the field, closed with a 69 to tie for 15th at 12 under, level with 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson (66) and four-times major winner Ernie Els (68).
China's 14-year-old Guan Tianlang, after making his second consecutive cut on the PGA Tour, signed off with a two-over 74 to finish at four-over 292, stone last in the 71-strong field. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)
Borussia Dortmund Plan Move to Sign Bayern Munich Striker Mario Gomez - caughtoffside
Borussia Dortmund are reportedly readying a move to sign Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez according to German source BILD.
Jurgen Klopp has seen midfielder Mario Gotze agree a deal to join Bayern Munich and could also lose striker Robert Lewandowski and is clearly looking to score a moral victory by looking to reverse the trend by setting his sights on the Allianz Arena ace.
Gomez finished as Bayern Munich's top scorer last term, netting a massive 41 goals in all competitions, however injury left the 27 year old out of the early portion of the season and the Bavarian side elected to sign Croatian Mario Mandzukic and as a result the German international has been left warming the bench for much of the campaign.
The German international may well be keen to leave Bayern Munich, knowing that incoming boss Pep Guardiola may well look to bring in yet another striker to challenge for his spot, and could be keen on remaining in the resurgent Bundesliga and may be tempted to join the Westfalenstadion side.
Gomez has scored 197 goals in 325 appearances for Stuttgart and Bayern Munich in a glittering career in the German top flight.
FC Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich: How Barca Can Rebound in the UCL - Bleacher Report
The shocks from FC Barcelona's loss to Bayern Munich in the first leg UEFA Champions League semi-finals remain. It has been the subject of discussion with talk about the causes, rebuilding, transfers and the end of an era.
Xoel Cardenas, in one of his recent B/R articles, talked about the causes of Barca's defeat. He talked about rebuilding the team in the same article.
The transfer talks have Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels telling Sport Bild (h/t Goal.com) that he would be open to a move to Barca, and the same applies to Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva.
Andres Iniesta went so far as to deny the end of Barca's football era in a press conference. The press conference was published in The Guardian.
While it is easy to talk endlessly about Barca's defeat, we can turn this around. It will not be an easy task, and a solution is urgently needed.
It is necessary to discuss some of the mistakes made and their results in the first leg. The purpose is to arrive at a solution for the second leg of the UCL semi-finals.
The defense in FC Barcelona left much to be desired in organization. The likes of Gerard Pique and Marc Bartra were unable to provide a coherent defense.
Bayern Munich saw this and surprised Barca with an almost flawless defense according to captain Philipp Lahm (via Goal.com). What is needed is a strong defense in a short time.
Bartra needs to play a proactive role along with Cristian Tello, Marc Muniesa, Thiago Alcantara and Marin Montoya. They can provide a strong, coherent and coordinated defense in midfield.
La Blaugrana will have to find ways in this match to prove that they can continue without Messi. This is possible since FC Barcelona defeated Zaragoza without Messi a few weeks ago.
La Blaugrana must score five goals and hope Bayern does not score in the second leg. This is a daunting task after the debacle in Germany.
In extreme cases, the internal factor, or willpower, goes a long way. FC Barcelona published an article about a mosaic with Catalan and Barca colors.
This can be used as a way of stimulating Barca to victory. While it may help, team loyalty to Barca in good times and bad is necessary.