News Of The World has it out for Gordon Ramsay. They were the ones to first report on Ramsay's affair(s), now they have dug a little deeper into the past. Apparently not content to take a philanderer at his word, they started digging into his footballing past. And guess what--they found some inconsistencies.
Wait. That's not the right term. They found bald-faced lies, and a lot of them.
This is the famous picture that Ramsay built his fib around. As News Of The World deftly points out, it's not of the level that Ramsay says it is. It's not of a first-team appearance for the Huns. In fact, it's from a testimonial against a Junior side.
But at least he got his name on the team sheet, right? No. This is the team line up from the day, helpfully spotlighted by the London newspaper.
"Trialist". No more, no less.
Ramsay's lies about his career with Rangers don't end there. Going back through interviews given over the last 15 years, since Ramsay started to push the idea that he was with Rangers before an injury ended his career, Ramsay had stated that he had played at least three first-team matches for Rangers. Unfortunately for him, such claims are verifiable. Ramsay never played in any of the matches he mentioned and, even worse for Rangers fans, he got the results incorrect, often making the team out worse than they were.
Curiously, Ramsay's lies about his career go back even further than these. He claims that he was spotted by a Rangers scout while playing for Oxford United in a FA Youth Cup match against Arsenal when he was 16. The problem with this is that Oxford United and Arsenal have never met in that competition. Oops.
The article linked above has even more wonderful lies debunked within, and includes the nickname given to Ramsay while at talking to fellow cooks about his time at Rangers: Billy Bullshit. Ramsay has always had a knack for stretching the truth, as well as self-promotion, it would seem. But, and I stand by this, all of these lies don't make Kitchen Nightmares any less entertaining. That show is awesome.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Footballing Nightmares
Barca Is Super, Thanks for Asking
Well F.C. Barca might be in a bit of a slide on the pitch as the race for La Liga tightens, but a certain group of supporters thinks that the Blaugrana still look fabulous.
The first gay and lesbian football supporters' group to be officially accepted by a Spanish club has pinned its shield to the wall of Barcelona's stadium and vowed to fight prejudice in one of the world's most homophobic sports.To celebrate, the fans then pinned each other. Hey-O!
Anyway, Barcelona has gay supporters. They're official. And they're pissed.
Continues the Guardian: "When England's football players took on Spain in Seville a fortnight ago, journalists were watching home fans so hard for racist abuse that they failed to notice how Beckham was subjected to a barrage of homophobic insults. 'They spent more than a minute chanting "Beckham maricón" ("Beckham faggot"), said the peña's spokesman, Josep Ribes. 'We lodged a complaint about that.'"
Ooh, I bet that complaint was strongly worded, but on just the loveliest stationery you've ever seen.
Anyway, if you check the video above, Ribes is right. You can clearly hear the chant, and it's far more musical that any of us would have thought.
We're pretty tolerant around these parts. If two guys want to do each other up the pooper, God love them for it. We're also a little surprised because we'd think that mere homophobia is a step in the right direction from abject racism. It's almost as if Spain is maturing before our ears.
Also, why the hell are Barca supporters, even gay ones, upset about this? A) You're Spanish. Becks is English. That's your opponent, you're supposed to hurl insults at him. B) You're a Barca fan. Becks played for Real Madrid, your rival, you're supposed to hurl insults at him. Finally, "Beckham, tus zapatos son feos" doesn't have the same catchy simplicity as "Beckham maricón."
Spain already has some of the most progressive same-sex marriage laws in Europe (or the world or that matter), not that that makes up for a stadium-wide chant, but on balance, they gays in Spain are probably already ahead in the game. Oh, and Becks is kind of gay. So there's that too.
Read more on "Barca Is Super, Thanks for Asking"...
Ligue 1 Weekend Review
This week saw reduced goal-scoring (and fewer yellow cards, leading to the "Goal-scorer to get carded" award being handed out by default) except in 1 match. And it is the winning club in that match, Paris Saint-Germain, who get the result of the week as they destroyed Nancy 4-1 to move into 2nd place and within 4 points of Ligue 1 leaders Lyon.
Saturday, February 28th:
Le Mans 2-0 Le Havre - An early corner from Helstad troubled Le Havre GK Revault, but after that the first half was dominated by Le Havre. Dieuze forced a good save from Le Mans GK Pele, followed by Lesage being stopped by Pele as well. The second half was a different story, as Mathieu called Revault into action in the 62nd minute. Just 1 minute later a cross was diverted directly to Maiga, who finished cooly for a 1-0 lead. Le Havre should have equalized in the 65th minute, but Pele stopped Alassane 1-on-1. Gervinho sealed the 3 points in the 77th minute when he sent home a cross from Corchia.
Nantes 1-1 Grenoble - Grenoble dominated the possession (61% to 39%) but needed a goal at the death to manage the draw. In the 1st minute Babovic was stopped by Grenoble GK Wimbee, and his counterpart, Nantes GK Alonzo, stopped a header from Boya just minutes later. Grenoble thought they had taken the lead in the 30th minute, but Grandin's free-kick wound up in the side netting. Nantes then struck in the 39th minute when Wimbee was only able to parry a shot from N'Daw as far as Klasnic, who finished easily. In the second half Alonzo was called upon to make successive saves against Batlles and Courtois. Unfortunately for the keeper, he was let down by his defense in the 94th minute with a poor clearance of a corner which was headed back in by Batlles for Paillot to finish.
Sochaux 1-0 Nice - In the 4th minute Nice GK Ospina stopped Isabey, and that would be the first of many shots that he faced. He was called into action again for saves on Sverkos (25th minute) and Erdinq (26th minute), but was up to the task. Sochaux almost scored at the half when Sverkos volleyed home a corner, but his shot was cleared off the line by defender Onyekachi. Nice had their best chance of the match in the 64th, but Sable put his shot over the bar when he was alone in the box. Sochaux finally got their goal in the 69th minute when Sverkos finished off a cross from Erdinq for his 4th goal in 7 matches since joining the club in the January transfer window. Nice had 1 final chance in the 76th minute, but Remy had his header saved by Sochaux GK Dreyer.
Valenciennes 2-0 Lille - Valenciennes emerged from this derby match undefeated in their last 8, allowing them to move up out of the relegation zone. In the 10th minute Danic hit the crossbar for Valenciennes, while Bastos sent a free-kick just wide on the other end of the pitch just 2 minutes later. In the 25th minute Darcheville had his header well-saved by Lille GK Malicki, but Valenciennes broke through in the 30th minute when Mater sent in a nice ball for Danic to finish. Mater provided the assist for the 2nd goal as well, crossing the ball for Darcheville to finish in the 35th minute. Fauvergue provided late pressure for Lille, forcing a save from Valenciennes GK Penneteau in the 46th minute and hitting the crossbar near the end of the match, but they were unable to break through.
Auxerre 1-1 Toulouse - Toulouse leapt into 2nd place on the strength of this draw, but they would rue only taking 1 point as the results from Sunday saw them go down to 5th in the table. Gignac, the profilic Toulouse striker, had several early chances but was unable to break through. Auxerre got their goal in the 26th minute when Oliech sent a pass through for Jelen, who beat the offside trap. The rest of the first half saw almost no offensive opportunities, but the second half started with Fofana sending a header smashing into the crossbar. The 72nd minute saw a mad scramble in the box as Mansare was saved by Auxerre GK Sorin and the rebound came directly to Gignac, who in turn had his shot cleared off the line by defender Hengbart. However, the ball was only cleared as far as Gignac, whose second shot was tipped by Sorin and eventually headed off the line by midfielder Chafni (starts around 6:30 in the video). Toulouse got their equalizer in the 80th minute, as Bergougnoux sent home a vicious volley from a Bonnet cross.
Sunday, March 1st:
Bordeaux 1-0 Lorient - Bordeaux had to survive some early pressure to get their 1st win in 5 matches, as Vahirua and Saifi both hit the post for Lorient in the first 20 minutes. Bordeaux began to push back in the 35th minute when Gourcuff saw his free-kick saved by Lorient GK Audard. Just after the restart Cavenaghi had a volley stopped by Audard, but he turned provider in the 49th minute for Chamakh to put Bordeaux ahead 1-0. The damage could have been worse, but Audard made nice saves on Tremoulinas and Cavenaghi late in the match.
Caen 0-1 Marseille - Marseille dominated this match but could only manage 1 goal, although that was enough for the 3 points. In the 15th minute Cheyrou hit the bar, and Caen GK Plante was under siege for the rest of the match. Plante was well-positioned to stop Wiltord in the 30th minute, but he needed to be saved by a clearance off the line from midfielder Leca in the 36th minute after a Wiltord header. Caen didn't get their first chance until the 55th minute, when a vicious volley from Savidan was brilliantly saved by Marseille GK Mandanda. The goal came in the 67th minute when January transfer Brandao finished off a well-weighted pass from Ziani. He should have had a brace, but was stopped by Plante in the 81st minute.
Monaco 2-2 Saint-Etienne - Saint-Etienne fell to 19th in the table with the draw and are in a dire situation. The club looked good early, as their GK Janot did well to stop Adriano and they pressured through Ilan and Gomis. But Monaco broke through in the 20th minute when Park sent in a through-ball for an easy finish from Nimani. Saint-Etienne struck back just 5 minutes later when Payet sent home a pass from Ilan, and the rest of the first half was relatively listless. Saint-Etienne took the lead in the 61st minute when Matsui stole a poor clearance from Adriano for the finish (earning himself the GSTGC award for the week, although he was the only candidate). They wound up completely deflated when Mollo and Park displayed some excellent passing for Mollo to score the equalizer in the 92nd minute. Freddy Adu watch: Who is Freddy Adu?
Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Nancy - The club from the capital put on an impressive display, destroying relegation-threatened Nancy. PSG struck in the 11th minute when Hoarau headed home a Rothen free-kick, and again in the 14th minute when Sessegnon dribbled much of the defense and set up Giuly for an easy finish. Nancy pulled a goal back in the 30th minute against the run of play as Feret beat PSG GK Landreau to a cross and lobbed him for the finish. But PSG struck again just before the half as Hoarau was left unmarked on a free-kick for a simple strike. Nancy should have had a 2nd goal in the 48th minute after a poor clearance from Sakho, but N'Guemo hit the crossbar. PSG put things completely out of reach in the 63rd minute when Makelele sent through a nice pass for Sessegnon to finish after some 1-touch passing with Hoarau. The damage could have been even more extensive, as Rothen hit the post and Sessegnon had his bicycle kick attempt saved by Nancy GK Bracigliano.
Lyon 1-1 Rennes - Having seen all of their rivals for the title win earlier in the day, Lyon failed to keep pace by allowing an equalizer at the death. Rennes actually scored first when Bocanegra headed home a goal, but it was disallowed for a foul. They kept up the pressure with a volley from Danze, but it was straight at Lyon GK Lloris. Keita then poured forward for Lyon, but his shot was over the bar. The second half started with an enormous amount of energy from Rennes, particularly in the form of Briand who had his shot cleared off the line by defender Mensah in the 49th minute. Ederson responded for Lyon, but put his shot over the bar in the 55th minute, and Hansson matched that for Rennes a few minutes later. In the 62nd minute Briand forced a save from Lloris, and Lyon finally broke through in the 66th minute when Benzema sent a through ball to Pjanic who fed Kallstrom for the finish. Briand had a chance to equalize soon after as he was 1-on-1 with Lloris, but the GK was up to the task. The striker got his revenge, and the equalizer, in injury time as he collected a ball flicked on by Pagis and lobbed Lloris. Note: Benzema came off on a stretcher, but so far it only appears to be a hip pointer.
So, after Matchday 26, the top of the table looks like this: (1) Lyon, with 53 points on a 15-8-3 record and a +19 goal differential; (2) Paris Saint-Germain, with 49 points on a 15-4-7 record and a +13 goal differential; (3) Marseille, with 48 points on a 13-9-4 record and a +15 goal differential; and (4) Bordeaux, with 47 points on a 13-8-5 record and a +17 goal differential.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Go and vote
Your participation in the UF Power Poll is requested. Just go to the UF Facebook page and put your Top 10 in the correct discussion board topic. Voting will close at 2000 GMT (3PM EST; 12 Noon PDT) Thanks!
Read more on "Go and vote"...Bangers and Mash With UF: Weekend Open Thread
Yesterday wasn't a good day for most of UF, Autoglass excepted of course. Arsenal failed to score again and Liverpool is playing like Arsenal of last year. Lead the league until January and then fall apart. Every day Manchester United get a tighter grip on the title without doing a damn thing.
However, despite losses of personal wealth of anywhere from $14B to $31B, Roman Abramovich must be smiling today. On a last gasp Frank Lampard goal, the Blues vaulted to second in the table on goal differential. The change in managers seems to be working--for now. Plus, Roman's girlfriend, Dasha Zhukova (pictured above), was named editor of a fashion magazine. Wonder if she will use this picture for the cover, Roman bought it for her for 17M pounds.
Maybe Sunday will be better. Maybe not. But, at least there's footie on and there's Silverware on the line at Wembley as Spurs take on Manchester United for the Carling Cup. Bigus and LB are there for the game - I am guessing there hasn't been too much time where a cup filled with beer hasn't been attached to their hands.
Also, help us name this weekend open thread feature for UF.
Here's an update from Wembley.
It's still scoreless and the Norwichomon crew are still drunk. Here's a grainy picture proving they are actually there.
And here's what they are all wearing today:
That's the Norwichomon credo and pastime.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Martin O'Neill: A Man for All Seasons
Granted that Arsenal's inevitable fifth place finish has more to do with their own ineptitude than anything else.... But, by all rights, I really should hate Martin O'Neill.
It's just that O'Neill makes it so damned hard to dislike him. The man just exudes everything you want in a manager, especially intelligence and class. And apparently O'Neill makes it very difficult for the Villa supporters to hate him as well.
Last week several hundred supporters paid up to £1500 to travel to Moscow for what turned out to be a drab UEFA Cup match featuring Aston Villa's reserves. The supporters were rightfully angry at the pathetic display, and for splashing out so much cash to watch it. So what does Martin O'Neill do?
According to the Birmingham Mail, O'Neill came to the back of the charter flight on the way back to England:“He came to speak to us at the back of the plane, which I think was very good of him. He told us that he understood our disappointment and I think that went a long way to making amends.
“He also said that he was going to arrange for a meal at Villa Park for all of the fans that travelled to Moscow.
“He said he had to clear it with Randy Lerner and it would probably be at the end of the season at the Holte Suite, but I think it was a nice gesture. He got a round of applause.
“If we do finish in the top three I think all of this will be forgotten by most of the fans.”
Like I said, how can you hate this man? Randy Lerner has signed off on the dinner too. So, when Aston Villa are playing in the Champions League next season, at least you can say they deserve it.
Weekend Preview and Saturday Open Thread
First thing's first. We're looking to make this weekend preview/open thread a permanent fixture, but we need your help coming up with a good name. The best entry will earn eternal fame and a modicum of our gratitude!
Looking over the fixture list, in the infinite wisdom of the European football gods, there's plenty of Sunday action, not as much Saturday. No big standouts but still plenty of footy. Roundup after the jump.
On Sunday, it's the Worthlessingtoncarling Cup between Man U and Tottenham. Is this the first step on Man U's try for the quadruple? Or will the Spurs supporters have more "silverware" to gloat about? All we know is that both teams will be fielding weakened squads. 'Nuff said.
And in the EPL (times are EST)....
Saturday:
7:45 Everton v. WBA
10:00 Chelsea v. Wigan
10:00 Middlesbrough v. Liverpool
10:00 Arsenal v. Fulham
The Arsenal-Fulham match is on FSC and also available for free from Arsenal TV.
Sunday:
7:30 Hull v. Blackburn
7:30 West Ham v. Man City
8:00 Bolton v. Newcastle
10:00 Aston Villa v. Stoke
Aston Villa-Stoke on FSC and available for free online. (h/t Keith)
(There's also a full schedule of midweek fixtures coming up.)
Last weekend we skipped over Serie A altogether because the matches were especially yawn. This weekend....
Saturday:
12:00 Lazio v. Bologna - Zzzzzzzz
2:30 Juve v. Napoli - Eh, it's Juve.
Sunday:
12:00 Sampdoria v. AC Milan - Can Milan get back on track against Crazy Cassano?
2:30 Inter v. Roma - An injury-decimated Roma needs a victory to keep their CL chances alive.
All matches are on FSC. Let me tell you about my love affair with Proactiv!
And in La Liga...
Saturday:
2:00 Espanyol v. Real Madrid - Can Espanyol beat the top two back to back?
Sunday:
11:00 Sporting Gijon v. Mallorca - Only 8 points separate 9th place from relegation.
1:00 Atletico Madrid v. Barcelona - Will Barca rebound after earning only 1 point in their last two matches?
In the Bundesliga (all games at 11:00 EST)...
Saturday:
Hertha v. Borussia Monchengladbach - Hertha faces bottom of table club to stay in title chase.
Energie Cottbus v. Vfl Bochum - The good ol' relegation six-pointer.
Sunday:
Werder Bremen v. Bayern - Both squads coming off mid-week triumphs in Europe, who keeps the mo'?
Hamburg v. Vfl Wolfsburg - Table toppers have two teams hot on its tail.
As always, there's much more: Dundee United versus Hearts in a battle for third in the SPL. Wolves versus the Green Scum of Plymouth in the Championship. Bigus's Norwich versus Coventry (go Canaries!). And my own Exeter City take on point-docked Darlington in a key League Two match. But that's all we got for now.
(And remember to help us out naming this here feature.) Read more on "Weekend Preview and Saturday Open Thread"...
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday Backpasses: His Girl Friday
Some funny and interesting moments from FIFA 09. [The Offside]
Spot the Englishman, but no fair peeking at the comments! (Even though we all had to) [World Cup Blog]
Arsenal win!!! (the Ladies League Cup) [Yahoo]
Fred has left the building [Soccernet]
USA to lose another player to dual citizenship? [Soccer by Ives]
Is there a viable alternative to the away goals rule? [SI]
FC Dallas adds some firepower to training [The Offside Rules]
UEFA says that Liverpool are the bestest team in Europe. [Caught Offside]
Puerto Rico Islanders become the second USL side to win the first knockout match in the CCL. [Soccernet]
The Seattle Sounders are doing pretty well locally [The Offside Rules]
And finally, happy birthday Arseblog! We love the way you use the c-word as an adjective! [Arseblog]
Liverpool Claims Another Victim
Cultural currency of football in America is often gained through celebrity endorsements. Not the actual paying kind, but when a celebrity chooses to support a club by letting the world know their allegiances. Although, sometimes I wonder if these people are just wearing club gear because it looks "cool." Or has it become cool because a celebrity decides to wear it? Damn these chicken-and-egg scenarios.
Anyway, Liverpool FC has gained a few cents of cultural currency because Maddox Jolie, adopted son of Brangelina, was spotted in Liverpool gear (and not the first time either) and our sweet valentine Kickette has the deets.
If Maddox is a genuine Red fan, I feel sorry for him because he has committed himself to years of almost and a sense of entitlement that will destroy his fragile soccer psyche to the point that he will question every little move a team makes and be gutted if a team, gasp, fails to win silverware as if it were a birthright. This comes from a Liverpool supporter mind you.
Brangelina are the it couple of the moment and maybe by being tied to them LFC can get a bit more star power in its solar system and snag it from the glory chasing Chelsea fans and trendy Arsenal fans. I only hope the snubbing of Ryan Seacrest by them starts a new trend because that is hilarious. I don't want to get into the so-called Barcelona fans that every college student who spent a semester in Europe suddenly becomes. Those douchebags couldn't tell a throw-in from a free-kick if their lives depended on it. Look, I know Barcelona is a great town and plays some lovely football, usually, but just because you spent a week on Las Ramblas doesn't make you Catalan and shouldn't let you think you can now proclaim to be a Barca fan even though you still think Ronaldinho is the best player for Barca. I hate those people.
So, what other celebrity fans are there:
Kobe Bryant--Barcelona (he did only become a fan because of Ronaldinho)
Spike Lee -- Arsenal (could there be a worse fan of your club, oh wait, Osama Bin Laden is an alleged fan)
Will Ferrell -- Chelsea (just like Chelsea, Ferrell blew his wad in the mid-2000s)
Bill Simmons -- Tottenham (does he count as a celebrity? does it count that he did nothing besides write a column about becoming a fan but never mentioning it again?)
Matt Damon -- Arsenal (ok, that is funny)
I'm sure there are dozens more. Put your evidence in the comments.
Drug Trafficking Isn't Just for Mexican Clubs
That's a lot of blow.You may remember the story a few months ago regarding Mexican club Mapaches de Nueva Italia which was linked to several drug cartels. Well, now it seems that those involved in La Liga want in on some of the action.
Court proceedings began today in Madrid against 11 people who were arrested for cocaine smuggling after Spanish police made arrests on Thursday and seized 600 kilos of cocaine. Um, that's a shit-ton of powder, worth around $100 million after cutting (don't ask how I know these things). The drugs had allegedly been shipped from Argentina (can anyone account for Maradona's whereabouts?) through Tangiers, Morocco into the southern Spanish port of Algeciras. The shipment was then taken by truck to Madrid where the police made their raid before it could be unloaded.
The alleged ringleader of the operation is Serbian-born Zoran Matijevic, a football agent who currently holds French citizenship (oh, I see - blame the French). Even better, Matijevic was once in charge of recruiting for OGC Nice in Ligue 1 - presumably he lured younger players with the promise of copious amounts of blow. His partners in crime also had ties to football, as had recruited (HA! Get it?) Pedrag Stankovic, formerly of second-division club Hercules, and Carlos de la Vega Diaz, a current player for second division club Rayo Vallecano (who are currently in 3rd place).
Given the fact that Spain acts as a port of entry for a significant amount of the drugs entering Europe from South America, the Spanish police have been cracking down on these quasi-cartels over the past few years. I think that Zoran and his boys are in for a bit of quiet time.
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