Hibernian 0 - Barcelona 6 (Friendly, July 24, 2008) The Pep Guardiola era at Barca began with an emphatic win at the start of the stat of their tour of Scotland. It was four-nil within half-an-hour, Eidur Gudjohnsen smashed home the first, Lionel Messi curled home the second, Gudjohnsen hit the third after great build-up play and Pedrito the fourth. Bojan Krkic and Yaya Toure added second-half goals.

Joe Ledley put Cardiff one-up with a fine left-footed finish.

Inter Milan 1 - Al Hilal 0 (Friendly, July 24, 2008) Internazionale won their first game of pre-season with a header from Nicolas Burdisso at the back post from a looping Balotelli cross.

Nancy 0 - Lyon 3 (Friendly, July 24, 2008) Juninho put Lyon in front in the sixth minute with a classic trademark free-kick which left the keeper rooted to the spot. Jeremy Pied (fine strike) and Yannis Tafer added second-half goals.

The West Ham-Colombus Crew fight that broke out during the friendly game between the two clubs earlier this week has to be one of the more intriguing incidents of this pre-season.

According to reports, West Ham fans marched into the Colombus Crew end chanting “East! East! East London!” And then unfurled a banner that read “ICF, 30 Years Undefeated.”

ICF stands for the notorious Inter City Firm who made their name during the dark days of football hooliganism in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1985, when the ICF were at their peak, a documentary was made about the hooligans who made up this firm. It provides not only an insight into football hooliganism but also a social perspective on England over twenty years ago.

Despite its length (50 minutes), “Hooligan,” is well worth a watch, there is some truly shocking footage and is a clear reminder of a bygone era of English football.

Compared to many of the films that have glorified violence in recent years, this documentary provides a real insight into what it was really like at football grounds in England in the mid-80s. It can be seen here.

(This documentary should also be a warning to the Columbus Crew’s “firm” the “Hudson Street Hooligans” - who appear to be a sad stain on the MLS.)

Rafa Benitez may still be frustrated in trying to bring in his two main transfer targets, Robbie Keane and Gareth Barry, but this has not halted the Spaniard from luring another fresh face to Anfield.

Rafa’s latest signing is one for the future, having reportedly paid £1.5m to secure the services of 19-year-old Daniel Ngog from Paris Saint Germain. Ngog, who was played up-top by PSG, broke into the first team last season, making 19 appearances but only chalking up one goal against Lorient all the way back in September 2007. (See the goal here.)

From the Parisians’ perspective, the transfer is a blow to their rebuilding efforts, having clung onto their Ligue 1 status by their fingernails on the final day of the season. PSG would like to be introducing fresh blood into their team, looking to find long-term solutions to their long-term under-performance. Instead, they have been forced to buy short-term golden oldies, bringing in Claude Makelele and Ludovic Giuly to bolster the ranks. Rather then being able to reap the benefits of their youth programme, Ngog refused to sign an extension, leaving PSG with the choice of cashing in now on their investment, or wait 12 months and see Ngog walk out of the club for free. The choice was a no-brainer.

From Liverpool’s perspective, they believe that the relatively small transfer fee is worth the gamble. Benitez is looking for more pace, movement and variety from his side in attack in the forthcoming season and the capture of Ngog fits into that strategy. While Ngog may not have made big waves in France’s top division, he was a rising star during his youth, having been the top scorer for France in their winning side at the under-16 Montaigu Tournament in 2005 (5 goals, including a hat-trick in the final), and also a winner for the under-19s at the Sedai Cup in 2007.

Cynics may wonder about the value of this purchase. Memories of other so-called promising youngsters Anthony Le Tallec and Bruno “the next Zindane” Cheyrou flood back immediately. Added to this, Liverpool already have promising players waiting in the wings who have yet to break into the first team, particularly Krisztian Nemeth, and it seems a little superfluous to have so many “ones-to-watch” waiting around in the reserves for their big day to finally arrive.

And if you were looking for any more reasons to doubt the value of the signing, unfortunately for Ngog, he is the cousin of Jean-Alain Boumsong. [Insert your own joke here.]

Video evidence of Daniel Ngog can be seen here.

Following the news that Rene Higuita’s scorpion kick won an internet poll as the best skill ever, Sky Sports News have looked at “who is the greatest trickster of them all?”

(Earlier on this month, Higuita rolled back the years with another scorpion kick.)

Comment & analysis round up

Quote of the Day: “It is clear he is a very important player for us but this is a personal decision, which is up to him only. I understand Cristiano. Every footballer wants to pay at Real Madrid. I also think that everyone wants to play for Manchester United but, if what he seeks is something else, that should be respected. I have not talked to him but, when these things happen, neither side feels good.” - Carlos Tevez.

Runner-up: “How long will I go on? I’d think two years at the most. I have one year left on my contract and hopefully I’ll get another one but I suppose it all depends on how you’re feeling and how you’re playing. At the moment I just think two years would be about right… If other players fancy a move and a bit of money, then good luck to them but, if they’re at a place like this, I don’t think they realise how lucky they are to be playing here. It’s always a step down after here. There are obviously big clubs in the world but, while certain people think it might be a progression to move somewhere else when you leave here, I don’t think it is. I’ve had everything I need. I’m at Manchester United and I’m from Manchester, so what more do I need? I’m just one of the lucky ones who is at such a big club and has won a lot of trophies, but there are a lot of players throughout the league that won’t win anything, yet will make big money out of it. Good luck to them.” - Paul Scholes.

Today’s overview: There are a fine selection of quotes to trawl through this Wednesday, ranging from ex-Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb bleating to Sandy Macaskill that “Arsenal have a few political differences” all the way through to Hull City chairman Paul Duffen telling Andrew Dillon “I would much rather have Dean Windass in my team than Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Jeff Powell drops the exclusive that “Great Britain will field a football team in the London 2012 Olympics - no matter how complex the politics or stubborn the opposition of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

On the transfer front, Jason Burt reports on the goalkeeper merry-go-round, with Paul Robinson heading to Blackburn and Brad Friedel moving to Villa, while Antony Kastrinakis claim s that Spurs are willing to lower their price tag on Dimitar Berbatov for bids from Barcelona or AC Milan.

Most of the main analysis however focuses on Chelsea. Dominic Fifield believes that Michael Essien could be Chelsea’s signing of the summer, Jeremy Wilson focuses his match report of the Guangzhou-Chelsea match on praising Frank Lampard and Matt Hughes reports on how the Blues’ annual wage bill will come close to £150million.

And keeping with Chelsea, many of the game’s older generation respond to Sir Alex’s claim that Chelsea are too old. John Ley quotes Peter Shilton (”In my opinion Chelsea would have won the League last year with a little bit more luck”), Ron “chopper” Harris tells the Daily Mail “I think he was talking out of his backside to be truthful,” while Alex Stepney counters telling Martin Blackburn “They have quite an old squad and I think they need to be looking for something new to try and peg back United.”

In other news, both Marina Hyde and Douglas Carter try to play down the West Ham-Columbus Crew brawl from earlier in the week, Jeremy Wilson writes on how “Premier League clubs will stop at nothing to build their brands,” Dominic Walsh reports on how the football pools have received a face-lift, and Riccardo Rossi tells the story of the mafia, Giorgio Chinaglia and Lazio.

Just missing out on today’s headline quotes is the noise pollution made by former Arsenal player, Alexander Hleb, as reported by Sandy Macaskill (Telegraph). “Wenger is everything to Arsenal. The future for Arsenal, if Wenger stays, is that they will always play at the top. But of course it is difficult now because Arsenal have a few political differences. When he leaves, I think this is a difficult time coming for Arsenal. Sometimes I think that Arsenal do not want to keep this team, not give something more.”

And the wonderful quotes keep on rolling, with Hull City chairman Paul Duffen telling Andrew Dillon (The Sun) that he would rather have Dean Windass than Cristiano Ronaldo. “I would much rather have Dean Windass in my team than Cristiano Ronaldo. Dean is utterly focused and loyal to his club, with the best interests of his football club at heart. It is obvious Ronaldo regards himself as a gun for hire. I would question how much he gives back to his club and how much he is helping to lay a foundation for a future generation of footballers there… We will rely on the passion of the players and fans and dedication of the manager getting us where we want to go — not the size of somebody’s chequebook. A player on £300,000 a week is not 10 times better than a player on £30,000 a week. With Dean his reputation and professionalism are bigger than any marketing aspects. He has the upper half of a hod carrier and the bottom half of a ballerina. But contract negotiations with him took less than an hour.”

The exclusive of the day comes from Jeff Powell in the Daily Mail, who makes the promise that “Great Britain will field a football team in the London 2012 Olympics - no matter how complex the politics or stubborn the opposition of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association, gave that categoric pledge yesterday, along with his powerful endorsement of Games chief Lord Coe’s proposal that Sir Alex Ferguson should manage the team… the clear implication from Moynihan is that, if the other home Football Associations prevent their players taking part, 11 Englishmen will represent Britain at theLondon Games in 2012. Given the defiance in Glasgow - as well as Cardiff and Belfast - there is a strong likelihood that a lone Scot would pick that team of Anglos.”

Goalkeepers take centre-stage in the transfer story of the day. The Independent’s Jason Burt reports that “Blackburn Rovers last night offered Paul Robinson a lifeline after a tumultuous 12 months at Tottenham Hotspur, during which he has lost his place for club and country, by making a bid of around £3m for the England goalkeeper. The move came after Blackburn accepted an offer of £2m from Aston Villa, who want to buy their goalkeeper Brad Friedel and have beaten off competition from Manchester City. The deal is also likely to facilitate David Bentley’s move to Spurs, with negotiations under way as to how the package can be agreed to the satisfaction of all parties.”

Staying with the transfer speculation, Antony Kastrinakis (The Sun) reports that “Tottenham will take a £5million hit to stop Dimitar Berbatov going to Manchester United. Spurs are ready to let the Bulgarian strike ace join Barcelona or AC Milan for a cut-price £25m.”

Dominic Fifield (Guardian) believes that Michael Essien could be Chelsea’s signing of the summer. “The African signed a five-year contract earlier this week - his third deal since joining the club from Olympique Lyonnais for £24m - worth some £80,000-a-week and he tore into Guangzhou Pharmaceutical just as feverishly as he would any Premier League rearguard. The hosts appeared a poor side - as reflected by the final 4-0 scoreline - but they simply could not cope with Essien’s bursts. The 25-year-old had left a puddle of sweat when conducting a 10-minute interview on the running track at this arena the previous night, such had been his efforts in training. Some 24 hours later and his energy levels were just as astonishing.”

Jeremy Wilson (Telegraph) focuses his match report of the Guangzhou-Chelsea match on praising Frank Lampard. “With 110 goals during his seven years at Chelsea, the message could not have been clearer. At the age of 30, Lampard intends to use the pre-season tour in China to make his argument for a contract extension until 2013… Lampard’s display, however, certainly suggested that his performances would remain unaffected by any off-field uncertainty over the coming season. It was also an encouraging first glimpse of a possible partnership with new signing Deco, who showed all the touch, poise and passing that might be expected of a player who has won the Champions League with Porto and Barcelona.”

Chelsea’s finances are analysed by Matt Hughes in The Times, noting that huge increases “in player salaries that could take their annual wage bill close to £150million.” “Chelsea’s largesse may be unsustainable in the long run and makes a mockery of their aim of breaking even by 2010, but their determination to keep the squad together at almost any cost is a testament to the success of their player recruitment in recent years.”

The Telegraph’s John Ley reports on Peter Shilton’s opinion that Chelsea’s experience will aid, not hinder them, next season. “In my opinion Chelsea would have won the League last year with a little bit more luck. They had injuries early in the season to John Terry and Petr Cech, key players to the way they play, and then they had other injuries. Sometimes they had half a team out yet they still came very close to pushing United… Last season they were close to winning two or three trophies. I think they’ll push Man United all the way. It will surprise me if they don’t end up with a couple of trophies.”

Chelsea legend Ron “chopper” Harris is also quoted in the papers (Daily Mail) rejecting Sir Alex Ferguson’s claims over Cheslea’s aged-squad. “I think he was talking out of his backside to be truthful… Did he say that when Chelsea beat them 2-1 in the league and came within a coat of paint of winning the Champions League?’… Chelsea have players around 30 like Ballack, Drogba and Lampard but not many are well into the 30s, and my old manager Tommy Docherty told me you didn’t reach your peak until you are 30 years of age. Those players are at the top level and I’m sure they will do that for the next few years to come… If you go through this supposedly ageing side, they’ve got a young goalkeeper, John Terry is 27, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and a few others that can come in.”

Yet the war-of-words picks up pace in The Sun, with Martin Blackburn’s report on United legend Alex Stepney backing up Sir Alex Ferguson. “Sir Alex bought in young players like Nani and Anderson and both can kick on this year. So Chelsea will need to improve considerably to stop them and it won’t be easy. Chelsea have world-class players but do they have the same enthusiasm and hunger to peg United back? I’m not sure and my money is certainly on United again. Chelsea’s new manager hasn’t brought in any young players yet. They have quite an old squad and I think they need to be looking for something new to try and peg back United.”

Reacting to the West Ham-Columbus Crew brawl during the week, Marina Hyde (Guardian) walks the delicate tightrope of condemning the behaviour while being happy that the US is embracing the atmosphere of the European game. “Knowing full well that such face-offs are boneheaded and unpleasant and especially pathetic at close quarters, yet still giggling at news that a West Ham fan explained the incident thusly: ‘We just went over for some tea and crumpets, and the [Columbus Crew fans] got mad.’ Pepper spray and a police helicopter ensued… Last year, during a trip to watch David Beckham get inaugurated as MLS’s ice-packed spokesmodel, I was struck by the manicured nature of the football experience in the US, by its overwhelming respectability… the nastiness aside, they were missing out on that crowd experience which can be side-splittingly funny, often against one’s better judgment.”

Adopting a similar approach, Douglas Carter (The Times blog) tries to pour water on the flames of the US hooliganism claims. “Violence is ugly and always unacceptable, but this looks to have been a very minor disturbance talked up by journalists bored to tears by watching a sluggish pre-season West Ham taking on Columbus Crew’s second string side. Yes, preseason is hell, and any excitement is a welcome distraction, but while there’s nothing at stake on the pitch, there’s still plenty at stake off it. West Ham fans’ reputation for trouble is diminishing by the season. A little less sensationalism couldn’t hurt.”

Taking a panoramic view on the pre-season football calender, Jeremy Wilson (Telegraph) writes an article on how “Premier League clubs will stop at nothing to build their brands.” “Chelsea’s Asia tour and Manchester United’s trip to South Africa are the highest profile events, but West Ham are currently in America, Fulham are playing matches in South Korea, while FA Cup winners Portsmouth depart for games in Nigeria later this week. Few would dispute that the dominant incentive is money… Yet any immediate monetary incentive is dwarfed by the potential benefits of firmly establishing a club’s ‘brand’ within strategic new markets.”

After years of decline, Dominic Walsh (The Times) reports on how the football pools have received a face-lift. “It will also introduce two simpler games to run in parallel with the main 49-match draw. Premier 10 will give punters the chance to forecast the outcome of the weekend’s top ten Premier League matches, while Footy 15 will comprise fifteen leading fixtures from the Premier League, the Championship, the Scottish Premier League and the top European leagues. While the main draw will continue to offer jackpots of £1 million or more, the new games offer a much larger number of smaller prizes. Premier 10 will offer a £25,000 jackpot and Footy 15 will pay out a maximum £100,000.”

The New York Times’ Jack Bell interviews Barcelona’s Raphael Marquez. “Q: Was it difficult watching Ronaldinho leave the team or do you feel it is something that had to happen? A: It was hard, but not only with Ronaldinho but also with Deco and Giovanni dos Santos. Not only were they my teammates, they were very good friends of mine. Unfortunately they had to leave and I think there are cycles in life. They all have new challenges and new goals. Now they will defend other teams and I will defend mine.”

FourFourTwo’s Riccardo Rossi tells the story of the mafia, Giorgio Chinaglia and Lazio. “A police operation ‘Broken Wing’ – in honour of Lazio’s eagle crest - has revealed that Chinaglia or ‘Long John’ as he is known, was the frontman for the exotically-named Casalesi Clan’s move to take over the Roman club in 2006. The clan were looking for a way to launder some of their ill-gotten gains and targeted ailing Lazio and their president Claudio Lotito as an easy touch. An offer Lotito couldn’t refuse amounted to Chinaglia claiming he represented an Hungarian pharmaceuticals company in their bid to obtain a controlling interest in Lazio while members of the irriducibili ultras allegedly hung around the owner’s house looking mean and moody.”

Every so often a piece of footage comes along which defies the laws of football. How is it that people who are paid money to be professional footballers cannot do the simplest tasks which my grandma in her wheelchair could pull off blindfolded?

Step forward Ivan “the useless,” the striker for third division Brazilian side Sampaio. Playing against SE Picos on Sunday night, the striker was presented with the opportunity to break the deadlock from the penalty spot. As can happen to anyone, the keeper guessed correctly and saved the initial spot kick.

However it all seemed immaterial as the ball trickled back to Ivan who, by this stage, was two yards from the gaping open goal, with the keeper out of the picture having flung himself to his left.

To see what happened next, click here.

The transfer of Valon Behrami to West Ham has seemingly been imminent according to reports for a number of weeks now. Part of the reason the move has been held up is that Behrami has threatened to invoke the Webster clause to facilitate the move.

Behrami played all three matches for Switzerland at Euro 2008 and just like many of his compatriots he failed to to really make an impact on the tournament.

His time in Serie A has been relatively successful although Lazio did have a nightmare campaign in 2007/8. He will forever be remembered by Lazio supporters thanks to his winning goal in the Rome derby in March, which can be seen here. Behrami enjoyed the altercations with Roma (see this scuffle here with Wilhelmsson) which could bode well for the numerous London derbies ahead.

In theory the Swiss right back could replace Lucas Neill who has been rumoured to join former manager Mark Hughes at Manchester City, but Behrami can also play on the right of the midfield.

At just over five million pounds, Behrami should be a good addition but success for the Hammers next season would seem to rely on Dean Ashton and Craig Bellamy staying fit.

In 64 games for Lazio, Behrami scored four goals, they can all be seen here.

Guangzhou Pharmaceutical 0 - Chelsea 4 (Friendly, July 23, 2008) (Longer highlights here.) Chelsea kicked off their Far East tour with a well worked goal against Guangzhou. Deco fed Lampard, who in turn played in Kalou, and the Ivorian fired low and hard into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal. Frank Lampard bagged the second with a delightful chip minutes after the break. Franco Di Santo slid home the third from a Malouda cross and Shaun Wright-Phillips drilled home the fourth with three minutes to go.

Vitoria Setubal 1 - Sunderland 1 (Friendly, July 23, 2008) Bruno Moraes was left totally unmarked to side-foot home a volley after just two minutes. The Black Cats found an equaliser against the run of play, a corner fell to Keiron Richardson, and the winger drilled home the leveller with the aid of a deflection off Cissokho just before half time.

Shrewsbury 2 - West Brom 2 (Friendly, July 22, 2008) Grant Holt opened the scoring for the Shrews just after half-time, stretching to stab home past Dean Kiely. In the 65th minute, Holt grabbed his second, converting a cross from Ben Davies. The Baggies rallied, and Kim Do-Heon’s 25-yard rocket got them back in it and 7 minutes from time James Morrison drilled in the equaliser from the edge of the box.

York 2 - Barnsley 2 (Friendly, July 22, 2008) York again came close to an impressive pre-season victory against Championship side Barnsley. Craig Farrell got both for York and Jon Macken two for the Tykes.

Brondby 1 - Juventus 2 (Friendly, July 23, 2008) Amauri and Iaquinta were on the scoresheet for Juve. Farnerud pulled a goal back from the penalty spot.

Udinese 2 - Pacos Ferreira 0 (Morroco Summer Cup, July 22, 2008) Goals from Antonio Floro Flores and Simone Pepe (brilliant volleyed lob) put Udinese into the final of the pre-season tournament.

Marseille 3 - Monaco 1 (Friendly, July 23, 2008) Boudewijn Zenden opened the scoring with a lovely finish with the outside of his left foot, Djibril Cisse added a brace, Leandro Cufre pulled one back for Monaco.

Toluca 1 - Atletico Madrid 1 (Friendly, July 23, 2008) Atletico completed their Mexican tour with a draw, having failed to win a single game after being held by Tigres and beaten by Puebla and Cruz Azul. Toluca took the lead though Sergio Ponce, but Madrid levelled only seven minutes later when Luis Garcia beat Hernan Cristante.

Gent 0 - Galatasaray 0 (Friendly, July 23, 2008)

Fenerbahce 2 - Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Friendly, July 23, 2008) Luis Aragones’ men prepared for their Champions League qualifier with goals from Semih Senturk and Dani Guiza, Brandao scored for Shakhtar.

Germanicus 0 - Ajax 7 (Friendly, July 22, 2008) After seeing an early penalty saved, Ajax romped home to victory.

***

Artmedia Petrzalka 1 - Valletta 0 (Agg. 3-0) (Champions League qualifier, July 23, 2008) Farkas’ header from a free-kick was the only goal of the game.

NK Domzale 2 - Dudelange 0 (Agg. 3-0) (Champions League qualifier, July 23, 2008) Zinko was the hero for Domzale, firstly by scoring a wonder-chip which sailed of the keeper into the top corner, followed by a perfect free-kick which flew over the wall and into the bottom corner of the net.

Pyunik 0 - Anorthosis 2 (Agg. 0-3) (Champions League qualifier, July 23, 2008) Tsitaisvili got the opener for the visitors with a fine lob over the advancing keeper. Froussos wrapped up the win five minutes from time.

***

Italy 1 - Hungary 0 (U19 Euro Championships, July 23, 2008) Fernando Forestieri scored a fine solo goal to win the game.

Germany 2 - Czech Republic 1 (AET) (U19 Euro Championships, July 23, 2008)

***

Borussia Dortmund 2 - Bayern Munich 1 (German Super Cup, July 23, 2008) Blaszczykowski and Hajnal (fine free-kick) put Dortmund in control, Ekici pulled one back for the Bundesliga champions.

***

Sturm Graz 3 - Mattersburg 0 (T-Mobile Bundesliga, July 23, 2008) Sturm Graz made it two wins out of two, cruising to victory over 10-man Mattersburg. Daniel Beichler opened the scoring in the first half, and after Mattersburg had Mattias Lindstrom sent off in the 50th minute, Beichler quickly grabbed a second before Jakob Jantscher completed the scoring in the 54th minute.

***

Zenit St. Petersburg 1 - Lokomotiv Moscow 1 (Premier Liga, July 23, 2008) Andrei Arshavin’s delicious pass fed Alejandro Dominguez, and the Argentinean rounded the keeper with ease to put Zenit ahead. But slack defending from a long ball into the box allowed Torbinsky to volley home the equaliser.

***

Molde 8 - Brann Bergen 0 (NM Cupen, July 23, 2008)

***

DC United 0 - Houston Dynamo 2 (MLS, July 23, 2008) The Dynamo dominated a game that was interrupted due to torrential rain and bagged an impressive win in Washington DC with goals from Mullan and Ching, Martinez was sent-off late on for the home side.

***

Vasco da Gama 3 - Fluminense 3 (Campeonato Brasileiro, July 23, 2008)

Portuguesa 2 - Flamengo 2 (Campeonato Brasileiro, July 23, 2008)

Internacional 2 - Sao Paulo 0 (Campeonato Brasileiro, July 23, 2008)

Vitoria 2 - Nautico 0 (Campeonato Brasileiro, July 23, 2008)

Cruzeiro 0 - Goias 1 (Campeonato Brasileiro, July 23, 2008)

Coritiba 1 - Ipatinga 0 (Campeonato Brasileiro, July 23, 2008)

Criciuma 3 - Brasiliense 1 (Campeonato Brasileiro B, July 23, 2008)

Ponte Preta 2 - Vila Nova 0 (Campeonato Brasileiro B, July 23, 2008)

***

Emelec 1 - Dep. Quito 0 (Campeonato Ecuatoriano, July 23, 2008)

As we approach the new season, it seems like a good idea to recap the Premier League season that was.

This video, which is over 50 minutes long, and had just been uploaded, brings together all the best goals, saves, misses and best games from a thrilling season.

Comment & analysis round up

Quote of the Day: “Scolari is fortunate. He is joining a big club and he is joining a team of internationals. Chelsea have a lot of experience and that was the one thing I was a bit concerned about last season, but I don’t know how far that team has got to go. It’s hard to see where there’s going to be a big improvement with a team that’s really very experienced… Plateau’ is maybe not the word, but how can they [Chelsea] accelerate beyond what they’ve done up to now? When you see the ages they’ve got, apart from Salomon Kalou [who is 22] and Mikel John Obi [21], they are an experienced side. I’m not saying necessarily that they’re old because, with the modern-day training methods, you should be playing in your thirties. What I am saying is that I don’t see outstanding progress in a team that’s in their thirties.” - Sir Alex Ferguson.

Runner-up: “Me and Crouchie linked up well. I’ve played with him only a few times before at England senior and Under-21 level but we work well together. For a big man he has great feet.” - Jermain Defoe couldn’t avoid the cliche.

Today’s overview: Tony Banks splashes with the main transfer story of the day, claiming that Frank Lampard has “been offered a record-breaking £39million, five-year-deal by Chelsea which will make him Britain’s highest-paid footballer.”

Many of the papers focus on quotes from Sir Alex Ferguson, with the Daily Mail happily lauding the full and unedited interview having had their reporter Ian Ladyman sit down with the United boss. Mark Ogden looks at Ferguson’s admission that Wayne Rooney has been playing out of position, while Sam Wallace wonders how Rooney can be played through the middle - “Playing Wayne Rooney as a central striker: it is a nice idea in theory, but the man himself is entitled to wonder how the hell Sir Alex Ferguson will pull it off in practice.”

It is a bad day for the Gunners. Oliver Brown reports on the latest setback to Eduardo da Silva’s return, and Charlie Wyatt breaks the news that “Kolo Toure has contracted MALARIA.” Offering some sort of silver lining, Oliver Brown goes on to focus on one of the emerging talents at Arsenal, Carlos Vela.

Other domestic stories include Jason Burt’s report that Craig Bellamy is a target for Mark Hughes, Jonathan Wilson’s feature on Niko Kranjcar and an offbeat article headlined “Goodbye pasties, hello parsnip crisps,” in which Alex James looks at the evolution of matchday food.

Further afield, Barney Ronay is left wondering whether “football hooliganism finally arrived in the US?” Tim Vickery criticises efforts in Brazil to enforce a quota of domestically based players in the national squad, and Bild.de report on Cristiano Ronaldo’s sex life noting “it remains unclear whether he will stick with Manchester United or switch to Real Madrid for the coming season. Whether it’s women or clubs, Ronaldo can’t seem to decide on just one.”

The big transfer story of the day appears in the Daily Express, Tony Banks claims that “Frank Lampard has been offered a record-breaking £39million, five-year-deal by Chelsea which will make him Britain’s highest-paid footballer.” “Chelsea hope the mega package will persuade Lampard, 30, his future lies with new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and will finally persuade him to reject the advances from Inter Milan and his former boss Jose Mourinho… Chelsea have already agreed new deals with Michael Essien, Petr Cech and Wayne Bridge, but they are now confident the biggest fish of all is close to being landed.”

Keeping with Chelsea’s transfer rumours, Antonio Labbate (Football Italia) argues that AC Milan would struggle to reject a £100m Bid for Kaka. “It’s no secret that this present Rossoneri incarnation is three star players short of being classed amongst the very strongest on the planet. They may have brought in Ronaldinho – and don’t we know it after their over-the-top San Siro presentation – but they still lack a quality centre-forward, a central defender and a goalkeeper. The club have basically admitted to as much over the summer when they made moves for Fiorentina custodian Sebastien Frey and striker Emanuel Adebayor of Arsenal. Why did they fail to land the pair? Because they were frightened off by their, arguably inflated, asking prices. If only they had a spare £100m in the bank…”

The Daily Mail happily laud the fact that it was their reporter, Ian Ladyman, who was the journalists who sat down with Sir Alex Ferguson, prizing today’s Quote of the Day which is quoted in every paper. Other extracts from the interview included, “WHAT do you think of Manchester City’s new manager? Sparky (Mark Hughes) is a great choice. He has left Blackburn at the right time because all the contracts are up next year. He’s done his time there and it was time for him to move on. He’s proved himself there. IS it a brave choice, given that they are your local rivals? I don’t know… WHAT do you think about the ownership situation at City? That’s a different thing altogether. That’s an issue. I’ve heard some unbelievable stories.”

Mark Ogden reacts to quotes from Sir Alex Ferguson suggesting that Wayne Rooney could now be deployed through the middle for United. “Since arriving from Everton four years ago the forward has rarely been deployed in the central attacking role most observers agree is his best position, instead being pushed wide with Ferguson consistently justifying the selection as being the right one for the team. But relaxed by the warmth of a beautiful South African day and having witnessed Rooney’s goal-scoring potential at its most vivid, the Scot has finally admitted he may have made a mistake… ‘We have to define Wayne’s role better,’ he conceded. ‘He has never complained, which says a lot for the lad. He would play centre-half if I asked him to.’”

Sam Wallace (Independent) wonders how Rooney can be played through the middle. “Playing Wayne Rooney as a central striker: it is a nice idea in theory, but the man himself is entitled to wonder how the hell Sir Alex Ferguson will pull it off in practice. Manchester United’s biggest signing this summer will be Dimitar Berbatov; failing that, it will be Roque Santa Cruz – and Ferguson will not buy either of them to play on the left wing. His team became Premier League champions – and champions of Europe – last season playing a variation on 4-1-4-1 and 4-5-1, and abandoning that winning formula to appease Rooney would be absurd, especially when Ferguson is pursuing Berbatov specifically to play as the lone striker. It is very difficult to imagine any United formation other than one with either Berbatov or Carlos Tevez as the central striker for quite some time to come, whatever Ferguson may say.”

Not only do Arsenal have problems filling out their midfield, but with the news that Eduardo’s return has been put back, Oliver Brown (Telegraph) suggests that Arsene Wenger also looks short on numbers up-top. “Wenger is conscious that Eduardo’s 14-game absence last season and the concurrent loss of midfielder Tomas Rosicky – who has also confirmed this week that he would not be back from a knee injury until September –was a critical factor in the recent disappointments for Arsenal, who ended their campaign without a trophy despite challenging in all four competitions… Should Wenger fail in his pursuit of Arshavin his attentions will switch to Roque Santa Cruz, of Blackburn, and Ajax’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to fill Arsenal’s attacking void.”

And it gets worse for the Gunners, with Charlie Wyatt EXCLUSIVELY announcing in The Sun that “Kolo Toure has contracted MALARIA.” ” Toure, 27, picked up the disease at home in the Ivory Coast and is now a doubt for the start of the new Premier League campaign… Toure was said to be in good spirits last night and was not believed to be too concerned about his illness. Malaria is extremely common in Africa.” (Has there ever been a more condescending sentence than “Malaria is extremely common in Africa”?)

In a second article for the Telegraph, Oliver Brown goes on to focus on one of the emerging talents at Arsenal, Carlos Vela. “Vela is poised to assume a major role for Arsenal next season in the light of Eduardo’s injury setback yesterday, having spent the last year on loan at Spanish club Osasuna. There, he cultivated his talents on the left wing but the manager, perhaps presciently, has defined the Mexican teenager as an ‘Eduardo type.’”

Another team having trouble in the striking department is Manchester City, with Jason Burt (Independent) claiming Craig Bellamy is a target for Mark Hughes. “Manchester City are considering making a bid for West Ham’s Craig Bellamy after Benjani Mwaruwari broke down in training, rupturing a thigh muscle, which means the Zimbabwean striker will miss the first month of the season. With new record £19m signing Jo not expected back from the Olympics, where he is with the Brazil squad, until September, it means that City are due to go into the first games of the new campaign with their attacking options severely limited.”

Jonathan Wilson features Niko Kranjcar in the Guardian, who has turned around his career since joining Portsmouth. “A bad World Cup in 2006, for which Kranjcar - as the playmaker and the coach’s son - took most of the blame, only made things worse. When he was sold to Portsmouth five matches into the following season, he was not much mourned. Nor was he forgotten in Zagreb. When Dinamo retained their title the following season, fans and players… celebrated by filling Trg Jelacica, Zagreb’s main square, and singing a song mocking Kranjcar’s supposed fatness.”

In an offbeat article headlined “Goodbye pasties, hello parsnip crisps,” Alex James (Guardian) looks at the evolution of matchday food. “Travelling on away days to the UK’s football grounds is becoming a gastronomic tour. Manchester United serves Lancashire hotpot, Tottenham Hotspur specialises in bagels and Plymouth Argyle serves pasties. Arsenal sees gourmet touches that reflect north London’s multi-cultural heritage: instead of a steak and kidney pie, you’ll find a chicken tikka massala pie, but with an extra £1 on the price tag. The bonus is that the fare has gone from machine-pumped mush you’d find in yesteryear, to hand-crafted pastry. The European Championship has exerted its own impact. When visiting teams from the Germany’s Bundesliga play at Anfield, gourmet sausages appear on the menu, while if Inter Milan plays at Chelsea, hot paninis are served.”

Following West Ham’s brawl in the US, Barney Ronay (Guardian) is left wondering whether “football hooliganism finally arrived in the US?” “Most likely, one of the culprits here is a lingering US fascination with the cliche and paraphernalia of English football hooliganism… In 2005, there was football punch-up flick Green Street, which cast knee-high hobbit actor Elijah Wood as a raging West Ham hard-nut. Sure enough, word from Ohio is that Green Street inspired Crew supporters to start a copycat organisation called Hudson Street Hooligans, who finally got to meet their heroes on Sunday night. Shakespeare in Stratford, yomping around the Lakes - and having your head stamped on by a plasterer from Barking. All so wonderfully authentic, isn’t it?”

Moving further afield, Tim Vickery (SI) criticises efforts in Brazil to enforce a quota of domestically based players in the national squad. “The main objection to the quota idea is that it won’t solve the problem that first led to its proposal — which has much more to do with results than it does with nationalism. There was little talk of a distance between the Brazilian public and Ronaldinho when he was enchanting the world at Barcelona, or Adriano during his golden time at Inter Milan. Brazilians were proud of their achievements. And the idea that the home-based players will show more commitment and improve matters on the field is numbskull nationalism of the most short-sighted variety.”

German news outlet Bild.de report on Cristiano Ronaldo’s sex life following his split from former girlfriend Nereida Gallardo. “The ‘Daily Mirror’ reported that the injured footballer was spied spending time pool-side at his luxury Beverly Hills Hotel – and not alone. Brunette babe Nicole was also by his side at a VIP party, where the guest list included Leonardo DiCaprio and Christina Aguilera’s hubby Jordan Bratman… But just days later, Ronaldo already had not one but two new flames. While cruising around LA in a white stretch Hummer, Ronaldo and his buddies met up with a busty blonde and her posse of girlfriends. The girls joined the player and his friends at the hotel, where they soon retired to Ronaldo’s room… It remains unclear whether he will stick with Manchester United or switch to Real Madrid for the coming season. Whether it’s women or clubs, Ronaldo can’t seem to decide on just one.”

Germany Vs Turkey
EURO 2008 SEMI FINAL
Date: Wed 25th June
Kick off: 19:45 BST
Venue: St Jakob-Park, Basel

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Germany

Germany only really have one injury problem ahead of their Euro 2008 Semi Final clash with Turkey in midfielder Torsten Frings. Amazingly though even that may prove meaningless as Frings may feature against Turkey despite suffering from the fractured rib he sustained against Austria in Germany's final group game. The Germany midfielder was back in training on Monday after the injury had left him out of the quarter final with Portugal but he is still very doubtful and is not expected to be amongst Joachim Low's chosen starting eleven.

Turkey

Turkey have the complete opposite level of problems from Germany when it comes to injury worries for the Euro 2008 Semi Final match. Turkey are having to face Germany with no less than 13 outfield players unavailable for the Semi Final match. Turkey coach Fatih Terim has even said that he may have to field his third choice Goalkeeper Tolgan Zengin as a defender or a striker later on in the match! When Turkey knocked Croatia out at the quarter final stage they were already missing 6 key players but they will miss a further three against Germany with the loss of Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan and Emre Asik to suspension. They do have limited good news however with Mehmet Aurelio returning after a 1 match ban.

Germany - Facts

Germany have took part in five European Championship Semi Finals in the past and have reached the Final in four of those five occasions.

Germany's only defeat in a European Championship Semi Final came in 1988 against Holland who later went on to win the competition.

Bastian Schweinsteiger has achieved the incredible feat of having a goal, an assist, a yellow card and a red card to his name at Euro 2008. The only other player to have achieved this mixtured feat of both good and bad was Denmark's Klaus Berggreen in 1984.

Turkey - Facts

This is Turkey's first European Championship Semi Final. The only other time they have reached an International Semi Final was at the World Cup in 2002 when they were beaten 1-0 by Brazil.

Turkey have incredibly only been in the lead for nine minutes (including injury time) during the four games in their run to the Euro 2008 Semi Final. They were in front for just two and a half minutes against Switzerland and six and a half minutes against Czech Republic.

Turkey have been given fifteen cards by referee's at Euro 2008 which is just four short of the European Championship record set by Czech Republic in 1996.

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Euro 2008 Semi Final - Germany, Russia, Spain and Turkey

The group stages and quarter finals of Euro 2008 have now come and gone, we have went from sixteen to eight and now we are down to just four. The four remaining nations to make up the Euro 2008 Semi Final are Germany, Russia, Spain and Turkey. Two of those four are no surprise at all in Germany and Spain but Russia and Turkey have defied all the odds and pulled of the shocks along the way in their road to the Euro 2008 semi final. Now lets have a look back at how these four got to the Euro 2008 Semi Final.

Germany

Germany were very patchy in the group stage of Euro 2008. They started off the tournament as the favourites to go all way, the won their first match in a convincing fashion over Poland, then they fell away a bit. They then lost to Croatia and were never really in that game, Croatia deserved to win. Then they got through by the skin of their teeth against Austria 1-0. But, this is what Germany do. They stumble through groups then once they have reached the knock out stages they somehow manage to find that extra something that they lacked before. Which they proved against Portugal in the quarter final when they went 2-0 up after 26 minutes. Portugal were never going to be let back into the match by Germany after that.

Could Germany go all the way at Euro 2008? You wouldn't put it past them but they have Turkey to get past first in the Semi Final. Here's what they may want to do... Let Turkey score first! You do not want to go 1-0, 2-0 up against them because they WILL come back and beat you!

Russia

Russia have been somewhat of a surprise package to reach the Euro 2008 Semi Final. Russia like Turkey lost their opening Euro 2008 match and looked destined for Euro 2008 failure but after a 1-0 win over Greece and a tremendous 2-0 victory over Sweden with the return of Andrei Arshavin, the talk of a Russian Revolution was back on.

But lets reflect back to where it all began in that 4-1 defeat in their opening match. Why are we reflecting back to their opening match? Because it was a 4-1 defeat to Spain who are Russia's opponents in the Semi Final. Some might look at this semi final as destiny for Russia to get one back over Spain, some might say that after Spain's demolition of Russia in the first match that Russia can only lose once again or you could say that this is a new game, a new day, a whole other 90 minutes and any one of the two can win it.

Spain

Spain have raced through Euro 2008 so far and have won 4 out of 4 to reach the Euro 2008 Semi Final. Spain have a terrible record at International tournaments of the past and have always been the under-achievers of the International stage so despite them being hotly tipped to go all the way before Euro 2008 began it is still a surprise that they have made the Semi Final (at least for me anyway).

They have already hammered their Semi Final opponents Russia 4-1 at Euro 2008 this year, beaten Sweden 2-1 and came back from a goal down against Greece to win 2-1 and of course the penalty shootout victory over World Champions Italy yesterday. They are the hot team out of the remaining four left, there is no disputing that but they will have to keep their feet on the ground if they are to reach the Euro 2008 Final and not fall at the last hurdle because Russia are a very dangerous side.

Turkey

Turkey especially have stunned us all the most. After losing their first Euro 2008 match 2-0 against Portugal, Turkey looked destined to finish behind Portugal and Czech Republic in Group A but Turkey just do not know when they are beaten and in both the group games against Switzerland and Czech Republic they came back from behind to win both matches and seal their place in the Euro 2008 quarter finals with a match against Croatia. And what happened in the quarter final with Croatia? They came back from behind of course in the most spectacular of fashions after conceding as late a goal as they possible could in the 119th minute, they struck back immediately and within seconds Semih Senturk had equalised to take the match to penalties, which of course they went on to win. Turkey have taught us one thing at Euro 2008 this year... Do not write them off!

Euro 2008 Semi Final Live Streaming Online and Highlights

We will have all the Highlights and goals from the Euro 2008 Semi Final as well as a load of free Live Streams so you won't have to miss a single goal.

1. Germany Vs Turkey Live Streaming
   Wednesday 25th June
   19:45 BST
   St Jakob Park, Basel
2. Russia Vs Spain Live Streaming
   Thursday 26th June
   19:45 BST
   Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna
   

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