ENGLAND
Man Utd's Heinze: I've told boss I want out.
Real Madrid want Chelsea to cover Ballack wages
Chelsea tell Real Madrid: £27M for Robben
Ardiles: Man Utd's Tevez can play with Rooney
Aston Villa bid big for West Brom's Davies
Everton confident of deal for Porto's Gonzalez
Shevchenko to make Chelsea kickoff
Chelsea's Drogba to miss Liverpool clash
SPAIN
Reyes tells fans: I will give everything to Atletico Madrid
New keeper signing Oier wins Barcelona debut
Lyon coach Perrin keen on Sevilla's Kanoute
Boca Juniors declare Villarreal's Riquelme set to sign
Di Stefano backs Saviola to make Real Madrid impact
Drenthe makes courts threat to get Real Madrid move
Fiorentina to offer Ujfalusi in deal for Sevilla's Alves
Real Madrid try again for Ajax's Sneijder
Jose Mari seeks Villarreal exit
Juventus offer Legrottaglie to Atletico Madrid
Betis approach Benfica for striker Nuno Gomes
Osasuna make offer for Belenenses striker Dady
Agent: No Inter Milan offer for Real Madrid's Emerson
ITALY
Maldini welcomes new AC Milan teammate Pato
AC Milan signing Pato to be handed Sheva's old No7 shirt
Lazio eager to wrap up Szetela deal
Real Madrid consider Roma offer for Cicinho
Ivanovic: Juventus move would be fantastic
Lazio keen on Torino's Di Loreto
Reginaldo ready to fight for Parma place
Ze Maria linked with Parma return
Genoa to send Figueroa away on-loan
Napoli in Juventus talks for Blasi
Napoli go for Piacenza pair Cacia, Kharja
Parma complete Pavarini signing
Agent rules out Napoli for Inter Milan's Cruz
Roma sign Bellinoza teen Unal
Stronati promises major Siena striker signing
Colantuono admits Palermo must find Bresciano replacement
Palermo coach delighted with preseason form
Inter Milan's Coco blasts Saint-Etienne
Comotto keen to see Torino fans turn-out
SCOTLAND
Hearts won't panic in market, insists Frail
More exchanges between Hearts, Kaunas
Newcastle's Krul: Numan convinced me about Falkirk
Sheffield Wednesday move for Celtic's Riordan
Cash gap widening between Scottish and English game
Celtic boss Strachan admits Mozart interest
Hearts contact Zeta for midfield pair Marco Cetkovic and Slaven Stjepanovic
Sylla leaving Kilmarnock
Sionko fires parting shot at Rangers
Kilmarnock boss Jefferies: £2M price-tag stays on Naismith
Dundee Utd ready to splash out on Roussel
Dundee Utd boss defends Flood after diving dismissal
Motherwell boss McGhee targets more signings after opening win
Rangers suffer Boyd setback
GERMANY
Werder Bremen target Martin Fenin has been attracting interest from clubs in England.
Wolfsburg defender Ricardo Costa has been ruled out for the rest of the year after injuring his knee
Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf is confident his team will progress in the UEFA Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur new boy Kevin-Prince Boateng admits he is hurt by Hertha Berlin's reaction to his move
Schuster: Rafael on my list
Fenin linked with Bundesliga duo
Delura agrees Greek switch
Roque ready to rumble
Spurs pick up Prince
Schalke end Appiah interest
Intertoto Cup round-up
Castelen joins Hamburg
Bayern claim early success
FRANCE
Yepes tipped for PSG exit
Koller expects bench role
Niang worry for L'OM
Toulouse wait on Elmander
Diawara nears Bordeaux move
Beye: I want to enjoy it
Domenech rues Coupet injury
Cisse denies Rafa rift
Asamoah to join Nice
Signorino signs for Getafe
Reading snap up Fae
HOLLAND
Drenthe fights for Real move
Roda JC have announced the signing of Club Brugge striker Jeanvion Yulu-Matondo
Van Persie settles feisty tie
AZ Alkmaar boss Louis van Gaal has criticised Middlesbrough's efforts to sign Gretar Steinsson.
Feyenoord held by Porto
Ajax see off Atletico
Blues get Alex clearance
Real give up on Drenthe
Ajax capture Colin
Touma leaves FC Twente
Metgod wants Drenthe stay
Pelle signs AZ deal
Ajax fail in Suarez bid
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
FANS TALK DAILY FOOTBALL NEWS
Iraq win the Asian Cup
Iraq 1 - Saudi Arabia 0 (Asian Cup Final, July 29, 2007) Khalef sealed a momentous victory for Iraq at the back post with eighteen minutes remaining.
Arsenal 2 - Inter Milan 1 (Emirates Cup, July 29, 2007) Suazo gave Inter the lead after an hour, Arsenal secured the win with goals from Hleb and a quite brilliant turn and strike from Van Persie.
PSG 3 - Valencia 0 (Emirates Cup, July 29, 2007) Goals from Diane, N’Gog and Luyindula.
Celtic 1 - Parma 0 (Pre-season friendly, July 29, 2007) Celtic finished their pre-season preparations with a win thanks to an 84th-minute goal by Aiden McGeady.
Newcastle 2 - Juventus 0 (Pre-season friendly, July 29, 2007) An impressive win for the Geordies thanks to goals from Luque (penalty) and youngster Carroll.
ENGLAND
Atletico trump Real Madrid for Arsenal's Reyes
Juventus chief: We'll discuss Man Utd's Heinze
Keegan lined up for sensational Newcastle return
Chelsea boss Mourinho ready to sell Ballack
Benfica signing Di Maria targets Chelsea move
SPAIN
Kaka agent expects £60M Real Madrid bid
Real Madrid agree £8.5M fee for Feyenoord's Drenthe
Inter Milan president Moratti: I want Barcelona's Messi
Barcelona coach Rijkaard: Krkic, Dos Santos just perfect
Red Bull Salzburg escape for Real Madrid's Cassano
ITALY
AC Milan's Ancelotti shrugs off Inter summer spending
Pato: AC Milan's Leonardo to meet agent, club president
AC Milan coach Ancelotti: I like Baptista
Inter Milan coach Mancini: Chivu just like Sinisa
Fiorentina keen on Ajax rebel Maduro
Iraq 1 - Saudi Arabia 0 (Asian Cup Final, July 29, 2007) Khalef sealed a momentous victory for Iraq at the back post with eighteen minutes remaining.
Arsenal 2 - Inter Milan 1 (Emirates Cup, July 29, 2007) Suazo gave Inter the lead after an hour, Arsenal secured the win with goals from Hleb and a quite brilliant turn and strike from Van Persie.
PSG 3 - Valencia 0 (Emirates Cup, July 29, 2007) Goals from Diane, N’Gog and Luyindula.
Celtic 1 - Parma 0 (Pre-season friendly, July 29, 2007) Celtic finished their pre-season preparations with a win thanks to an 84th-minute goal by Aiden McGeady.
Newcastle 2 - Juventus 0 (Pre-season friendly, July 29, 2007) An impressive win for the Geordies thanks to goals from Luque (penalty) and youngster Carroll.
ENGLAND
Atletico trump Real Madrid for Arsenal's Reyes
Juventus chief: We'll discuss Man Utd's Heinze
Keegan lined up for sensational Newcastle return
Chelsea boss Mourinho ready to sell Ballack
Benfica signing Di Maria targets Chelsea move
SPAIN
Kaka agent expects £60M Real Madrid bid
Real Madrid agree £8.5M fee for Feyenoord's Drenthe
Inter Milan president Moratti: I want Barcelona's Messi
Barcelona coach Rijkaard: Krkic, Dos Santos just perfect
Red Bull Salzburg escape for Real Madrid's Cassano
ITALY
AC Milan's Ancelotti shrugs off Inter summer spending
Pato: AC Milan's Leonardo to meet agent, club president
AC Milan coach Ancelotti: I like Baptista
Inter Milan coach Mancini: Chivu just like Sinisa
Fiorentina keen on Ajax rebel Maduro
Sunday, July 22, 2007
FANS TALK DAILY FOOTBALL NEWS
ENGLAND
Man Utd, Man City go for house-hunting Eidur
FIFA agree Tevez, Man Utd talks tomorrow
Beckham: LA Galaxy debut incredible
Gill: Chelsea will NEVER be as big as Man Utd
Petrov wants Tottenham move
Magpies confirm Barton will miss the start of the new season.
Jose: Robben's staying with us
Heinze wants starting role
SPAIN
Fit-again Henry anxious to kickoff Barcelona career
Cannavaro: I'm staying with Real Madrid
Valencia step up bid for Lyon's Kallstrom
Italy's Livorno snap up Mallorca striker Tristan
Arveladze delighted with Levante move
Khalid out to prove Jose wrong
Baptista putting Real first
Arsenal youngster Carlos Vela has agreed to join Osasuna on loan next season
ITALY
Buffon insists: Rivals still fear Juventus
AC Milan ahead of Villarreal for Real Madrid's Baptista
Adriano blames booze for poor Inter Milan season
Spalletti urges Roma fans to lay-off Chivu
Vieri delighted with Fiorentina move
Livorno land Tristan
AZ continue Pelle hunt
Ranieri unhappy at Chiellini
FRANCE
Rennes agree Wiltord deal
Bolton missed out on the Peace Cup trophy as Lyon scored a late winner in Korea
Lyon consider Reyes
Nice defender Rod Fanni has agreed to sign a four-year contract with Rennes
Rothen on Lyon list
Nantes midfielder Emerse Fae has emerged as an option for Manchester City
GERMANY
Stuttgart hope for Ciprian Marica deal
Fulham flop Bjorn Runstrom looks set to move to Germany with Kaiserslautern
Zimling in Leverkusen link
Toffees confirm Pienaar deal
Meira happy with Stuttgart
HOLLAND
Ryan Babel defied a request from Holland boss Marco van Basten to sign for Liverpool
Marseille new boy Boudewijn Zenden aims to claim a place in Holland's Euro 2008 squad
Utrecht have confirmed Willem van Hanegem as their new coach
PSV Eindhoven have confirmed the arrival of Chelsea starlet Slobodan Rajkovic on loan
Twente ace Karim El Ahmadi has agreed a new deal with the club
Man Utd, Man City go for house-hunting Eidur
FIFA agree Tevez, Man Utd talks tomorrow
Beckham: LA Galaxy debut incredible
Gill: Chelsea will NEVER be as big as Man Utd
Petrov wants Tottenham move
Magpies confirm Barton will miss the start of the new season.
Jose: Robben's staying with us
Heinze wants starting role
SPAIN
Fit-again Henry anxious to kickoff Barcelona career
Cannavaro: I'm staying with Real Madrid
Valencia step up bid for Lyon's Kallstrom
Italy's Livorno snap up Mallorca striker Tristan
Arveladze delighted with Levante move
Khalid out to prove Jose wrong
Baptista putting Real first
Arsenal youngster Carlos Vela has agreed to join Osasuna on loan next season
ITALY
Buffon insists: Rivals still fear Juventus
AC Milan ahead of Villarreal for Real Madrid's Baptista
Adriano blames booze for poor Inter Milan season
Spalletti urges Roma fans to lay-off Chivu
Vieri delighted with Fiorentina move
Livorno land Tristan
AZ continue Pelle hunt
Ranieri unhappy at Chiellini
FRANCE
Rennes agree Wiltord deal
Bolton missed out on the Peace Cup trophy as Lyon scored a late winner in Korea
Lyon consider Reyes
Nice defender Rod Fanni has agreed to sign a four-year contract with Rennes
Rothen on Lyon list
Nantes midfielder Emerse Fae has emerged as an option for Manchester City
GERMANY
Stuttgart hope for Ciprian Marica deal
Fulham flop Bjorn Runstrom looks set to move to Germany with Kaiserslautern
Zimling in Leverkusen link
Toffees confirm Pienaar deal
Meira happy with Stuttgart
HOLLAND
Ryan Babel defied a request from Holland boss Marco van Basten to sign for Liverpool
Marseille new boy Boudewijn Zenden aims to claim a place in Holland's Euro 2008 squad
Utrecht have confirmed Willem van Hanegem as their new coach
PSV Eindhoven have confirmed the arrival of Chelsea starlet Slobodan Rajkovic on loan
Twente ace Karim El Ahmadi has agreed a new deal with the club
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
FANS TALK DAILY FOOTBALL NEWS
ENGLAND
Tevez plea: I want to play for Man Utd
Spurs hope to close deal for Chelsea's Wright-Phillips
Chelsea boss Mourinho: Dos Santos deal not up to me
Newcastle boss Allardyce: Barzagli very good player
Agent: Chiellini keen on Liverpool move
SPAIN
Ronaldinho facing axe from Barcelona leadership group
Ajax's Sneijder contacted by Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid go for Benfica ace Simao
Boulahrouz delighted with Sevilla switch
Espanyol's De La Pena: Nothing with Real Madrid
ITALY
Barcelona's Giuly in Italy for Roma talks
Altafini convinced AC Milan will sign Ronaldinho
Roma coach Spalletti welcomes back Chivu
AC Milan ask Zaragoza to name Milito price
AC Milan chief rules out Cassano arrival
Tevez plea: I want to play for Man Utd
Spurs hope to close deal for Chelsea's Wright-Phillips
Chelsea boss Mourinho: Dos Santos deal not up to me
Newcastle boss Allardyce: Barzagli very good player
Agent: Chiellini keen on Liverpool move
SPAIN
Ronaldinho facing axe from Barcelona leadership group
Ajax's Sneijder contacted by Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid go for Benfica ace Simao
Boulahrouz delighted with Sevilla switch
Espanyol's De La Pena: Nothing with Real Madrid
ITALY
Barcelona's Giuly in Italy for Roma talks
Altafini convinced AC Milan will sign Ronaldinho
Roma coach Spalletti welcomes back Chivu
AC Milan ask Zaragoza to name Milito price
AC Milan chief rules out Cassano arrival
Saturday, July 14, 2007
FANS TALK DAILY FOOTBALL NEWS
ENGLAND
Tevez expected at Man Utd next week
Caen warn Arsenal off Gouffran
Boateng wants Spurs move
Everton boss Moyes raps Premiership spending
Chelsea boss delighted with Ben Haim addition
SPAIN
Real Madrid make contact with Villarreal's Riquelme
Real Madrid agree Drenthe fee with Feyenoord
Barcelona chief Txiki delighted with Milito capture
Valencia won't give up on Porto's Gonzalez
Barcelona president: Ronaldinho not for sale
ITALY
Berlusconi blocked Toni move to AC Milan
Adriano wants to prove value at Inter Milan
Juventus signing Criscito ponders Genoa return
Fiorentina clinch deal for Nocerino
Juventus coach Ranieri rules out Cannavaro return
Tevez expected at Man Utd next week
Caen warn Arsenal off Gouffran
Boateng wants Spurs move
Everton boss Moyes raps Premiership spending
Chelsea boss delighted with Ben Haim addition
SPAIN
Real Madrid make contact with Villarreal's Riquelme
Real Madrid agree Drenthe fee with Feyenoord
Barcelona chief Txiki delighted with Milito capture
Valencia won't give up on Porto's Gonzalez
Barcelona president: Ronaldinho not for sale
ITALY
Berlusconi blocked Toni move to AC Milan
Adriano wants to prove value at Inter Milan
Juventus signing Criscito ponders Genoa return
Fiorentina clinch deal for Nocerino
Juventus coach Ranieri rules out Cannavaro return
DAVID BECKAM ARRIVAL IN LOS ANGELES
David Beckham arrives in the USA
Uploaded by dbfo
Beckham’s presentation to the LA Galaxy
Beckham Presentation To La Galaxy - SSN Part 2
Uploaded by FootballHeaven
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
The 50 worst footballers
Times Online presents the players who had no rightful place in England’s elite division in the modern era.
Who is the "Champion"!?
50 Claus Lundekvam (Southampton)
Saints boss Gordon Strachan paid this glowing tribute to the one-paced Scandinavian in 2003: “He was carried off at Leicester and someone asked me if he was unconscious. I didn’t have a clue. That’s what he’s always like.”
49 Massimo Taibi (Manchester United)
United’s worst keeper ever – in a competitive field featuring Mark Bosnich. The Italian takes the prize for that dive over a shot from Matt Le Tissier, an all-time You Tube favourite. Watch that ludicrous blunder.
48 Stephane Guiv’arch (Newcastle)
Milburn, Macdonald, Shearer and ... Guiv’arch! The World Cup winner never came close to that pantheon. Come to that, he’s lagging in Tyneside’s Hall of Centre-Forward Fame (they could call it Striker Grove) behind Cunningham, Mirandinha and Ameobi.
47 Jody Morris (Chelsea, Leeds)
Grew up at Chelsea with Dennis Wise as his mentor, and turned into the snidey kid brother everyone hates. Had all of Wise’s sly tendencies and penchant for a scrape, but none of the skill. Perfect acquisition for Leeds in 2003, then.
46 Nigel Quashie (QPR, Forest, Southampton, WBA and more)
Relegated four times with four clubs – and only narrowly avoided No 5 with West Ham last year.
45 Roque Junior (Leeds)
The execrable Brazilian arrived on loan for a few months from AC Milan in 2003, and did as much as anybody to shove Leeds towards destruction.
44 Sergei Rebrov (Tottenham)
Looked good enough playing alongside Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kiev. Sadly, Glenn Hoddle’s £11m signing never looked the same force with Steffen Iversen.
43 David May (Blackburn, Man United)
The guy picked up Premiership winner’s medals with two clubs. But so did Larry Lloyd.
42 Larry Lloyd (Liverpool, Nottingham Forest)
See David May (No 43)
41 Bosko Balaban (Aston Villa)
They said Deadly Doug was tight, but you can hardly blame him after Ellis fished £6m out of his humbug tin for John Gregory to spend, and the manager came back with the elusive Croatian. He never started a Premiership game and scored no goals.
40 Carlton Palmer (Southampton)
“He covers every blade of grass out there,” said Saints manager, Dave Jones. “But that’s only because his first touch is so crap.”
39 Claudio Marangoni (Sunderland)
The striker swapped the rolling pampas of Argentina for Wearside when he signed for a club-record £320,000 at Christmas 1979. One year and three goals later he went back home. Only Geordies were sorry to see him go.
38 Glenn Keeley (Everton)
Arrived on loan from Blackburn keen to show his mettle at the highest level. On debut in 1982, against Liverpool no less, he was sent off in the first-half, The Reds won 5-0 and he never played for Everton again.
37 Marco Materazzi (Everton)
Yes, he won the World Cup with Italy. But the lean centre-half couldn’t tackle a Sayers’ steak and kidney pie during his pointless spell at Goodison.
36 John Jensen (Arsenal)
Empires rose and fell in the time it took the bubble-permed Dane to score his first Arsenal goal. Searing pace, an eye for goal and a fierce shot were just three qualities he didn’t have.
35 Dean Austin (Tottenham)
The wafer-thin defender earned the wrath of the notoriously fickle Spurs support early doors, and never won them round. Even now, he featured strongly in a straw poll of Tottenhamites’ least favourite player ever to wear the white.
34 Ramon Vega (Tottenham)
The big Swiss was Dean Austin, with (cow) bells on.
33 Alberto Tarantini (Birmingham City)
Jim Smith went down the Spurs road and hired himself an Argentinian World Cup winner in the afterglow of 1978, but the Bald Eagle chose this dud left-back. Blues were relegated.
32 Gary Sprake (Leeds)
The Kop serenaded the hapless Welshman with “Careless Hands” when he threw another one into the back of his own net, hardly a unique moment for the accident-prone Inspector Clouseau of international goalkeeping.
31 Charlie Nicholas (Arsenal)
The much-hyped Champagne Charlie didn’t even amount to Pomagne Charlie at Highbury.
30 Darren Ferguson (Manchester United)
Tried to make a name for himself at Old Trafford in the early 90s, but it was already taken.
29 Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)
For all the good this expensive, non-playing flop ever did Chelsea, they might as well have signed foppish character actor, Dirk Bogarde. Or maybe they did and tried to cover it up.
28 Iain Dowie (West Ham)
Headlines that were never written: “It’s Iain Wow-ie!”, and maybe “Dow ya think I’m sexy.” Watch Dowie's "finest" moment with a classic own goal against Stockport County here.
27 Eric Djemba-Djemba (Man United, Aston Villa)
One Djemba would have been bad enough, but two of them was more than plenty.
26 Frank Sinclair (Leicester City)
Whatever the opposite of a purple patch is, Frank ‘Spencer’ Sinclair had one in August 1999. In two matches in August he scored two risible own goals, single-handedly costing his team three points. That month of mishaps alone earns him a place in the annals of infamy.
25 Steve Marlet (Fulham)
Mr Fayed didn’t rise to the top in business by not knowing the value of a pound. So mystery remains why he was persuaded to give Lyons eleven and a half mill for the misfit striker. Marlet’s ghost will haunt him to the end of his days.
24 Mark Dennis (Birmingham City)
There were rumours in the game that Dennis could actually play, and possessed a decent enough left foot. But the Blues’ anti-footballer was content to amass the game’s blackest rap sheet.
23 Torben Piechnik (Liverpool)
Graeme Souness faces the bad transfer tribunal again for the inexplicable purchase of the dithering Dane. English football was no picnic for Piechnik and he slunk back to Denmark in short order.
22 John Fashanu (Wimbledon)
Fash elbows his way into the list for a legion of crimes and misdemeanours inflicted on association football in the dubious cause of Wimbledon FC, topped by the assault which shattered Saint Gary Mabbutt’s eye socket.
21 Nikola Jovanovic (Manchester United)
Third-worst United centre-half of all time (see nos 5 and 6).
20 Jason Lee (Nottingham Forest)
“He’s got a pineapple on his head,” crooned fans all over the land in homage to the dreadlocked striker, who couldn’t hit a ruminant’s posterior with a stringed musical instrument. Watch a clip of Jason on Baddiel and Skinner's Fantasy Football League here.
19 Marco Boogers (West Ham)
He made his mark on English football, but only on Gary Neville’s midriff as a murderous tackle almost wiped out the United right-back. It was all downhill from there, as Mad Marco fled East London for a caravan park somewhere in the Low Countries.
18 Martin Jol (West Brom)
The Dutchman was away from school the day they taught the sophisticated tenets of Total Football, and the no-nonsense midfielder went on to spread mayhem across the midfields of England.
17 Nicky Summerbee (Manchester City)
The mid-90s City ‘winger’ earns his place on account of his singular running style. Arse stuck out in the fashion of a cartoon Mick Jagger, in Manchester derbies he made the ungainly Phil Neville look like Nijinsky.
16 Chris Kamara (Leeds)
For more than two decades Kammy has sported the perma-frizzed coiff of a 60s soul legend, but it failed to distract from a playing style long on effort, short on elegance.
15 Ade Akinbiyi (Leicester City)
Big Ade’s combined career transfer value would dwarf the national debt of an especially feckless banana republic, but he couldn’t buy a goal at Filbert Street after signing in 2000.
14 Micky Droy (Chelsea)
Nouveau Chelsea fans should know that their swanky club’s DNA contains the traces of lumbering 1970s dinosaurs such as Big Micky.
13 Steve Daley (Manchester City)
The poor bloke suffered from one of Man City’s periodic bouts of madness when they insisted on paying Wolves a record £1.45m for him in 1979, back in the days when £1.45m was £1.45m. He never looked close to matching the valuation.
12 Terry Hurlock (Millwall)
Graced Cold Blow Lane during The Lions’ unlikely late 80s spell in the top flight, and unleashed a short-lived reign of midfield terror. Hurlock, a one-man disciplinary crime wave, remains, unsurprisingly, a cult hero in Millwall-supporting enclaves of south London.
11 Billy Woof (Middlesbrough)
Even three decades down the road Boro fans are still convinced Billy only ever got a game because he was the son-in-law of John Neal, the manager.
10 Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon and more)
Told Kenny Dalglish he intended to bite off his ear and spit in the whole. And they said there were no characters left in the game.
9 Ian Ormondroyd (Aston Villa)
Nature’s prototype for Peter Crouch lived at the same lofty altitudes as his Villa Park successor, but perhaps lacked his touch and speed – so why did he play on the wing?
8 Andrea Silenzi (Nottingham Forest)
The Italian who looked much like a horse turned out to be a load of pony at the City Ground after his multi-billion lira move from Torino in 1995, and pips Justin Fashanu as Forest’s greatest transfer rick ever.
7 Li Wei-Feng (Everton)
Arrived as part of the same strange deal which brought the not-too-bad Li Tie to Goodison in 2002. Why? Perhaps he came free, like the prawn crackers we get in our Chinese takeaway when we spend more than a tenner.
6 William Prunier (Man United)
The baldy Bordeaux triallist starred in a calamitous 4-1 defeat at Spurs on New Year’s Day 1996, and he was bundled back onto a plane to France the next day.
5 Arnold Sidebottom (Man United)
Ryan’s dad also bowled quickly for England, but the centre-half injected no discernible pace to the worst United team since records began.
4 Istvan Kozma (Liverpool)
Yet another Souness master signing – the abject Magyar cost £300,000 from Dunfermline in 1992 and played just three games for the Reds before Souey realised he’d made one more transfer goulash.
3 Gus Caesar (Arsenal)
“... painfully, obviously, out of his depth ... he looked like a rabbit frozen to the spot ... and then he starts to thrash about, horribly and pitifully...” not our words – those of ultra-loyal Arsenalist, Nick Hornby.
2 Tomas Brolin (Leeds, Crystal Palace)
Hard to imagine that Leeds United, normally a model of fiscal probity, paid £4.5m for the Swedish meatball in 1995. A good footballer treats his body like a temple. Brolin’s was a bouncy castle.
1 Ali Dia (Southampton)
Was he George Weah’s cousin? Was he hell! Neither had the impostor won 12 caps for Senegal, nor had he played for Paris St Germain. But it took Saints boss Graeme Souness a whole 52 minutes to suss he’d been had in 1996.
Who is the "Champion"!?
50 Claus Lundekvam (Southampton)
Saints boss Gordon Strachan paid this glowing tribute to the one-paced Scandinavian in 2003: “He was carried off at Leicester and someone asked me if he was unconscious. I didn’t have a clue. That’s what he’s always like.”
49 Massimo Taibi (Manchester United)
United’s worst keeper ever – in a competitive field featuring Mark Bosnich. The Italian takes the prize for that dive over a shot from Matt Le Tissier, an all-time You Tube favourite. Watch that ludicrous blunder.
48 Stephane Guiv’arch (Newcastle)
Milburn, Macdonald, Shearer and ... Guiv’arch! The World Cup winner never came close to that pantheon. Come to that, he’s lagging in Tyneside’s Hall of Centre-Forward Fame (they could call it Striker Grove) behind Cunningham, Mirandinha and Ameobi.
47 Jody Morris (Chelsea, Leeds)
Grew up at Chelsea with Dennis Wise as his mentor, and turned into the snidey kid brother everyone hates. Had all of Wise’s sly tendencies and penchant for a scrape, but none of the skill. Perfect acquisition for Leeds in 2003, then.
46 Nigel Quashie (QPR, Forest, Southampton, WBA and more)
Relegated four times with four clubs – and only narrowly avoided No 5 with West Ham last year.
45 Roque Junior (Leeds)
The execrable Brazilian arrived on loan for a few months from AC Milan in 2003, and did as much as anybody to shove Leeds towards destruction.
44 Sergei Rebrov (Tottenham)
Looked good enough playing alongside Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kiev. Sadly, Glenn Hoddle’s £11m signing never looked the same force with Steffen Iversen.
43 David May (Blackburn, Man United)
The guy picked up Premiership winner’s medals with two clubs. But so did Larry Lloyd.
42 Larry Lloyd (Liverpool, Nottingham Forest)
See David May (No 43)
41 Bosko Balaban (Aston Villa)
They said Deadly Doug was tight, but you can hardly blame him after Ellis fished £6m out of his humbug tin for John Gregory to spend, and the manager came back with the elusive Croatian. He never started a Premiership game and scored no goals.
40 Carlton Palmer (Southampton)
“He covers every blade of grass out there,” said Saints manager, Dave Jones. “But that’s only because his first touch is so crap.”
39 Claudio Marangoni (Sunderland)
The striker swapped the rolling pampas of Argentina for Wearside when he signed for a club-record £320,000 at Christmas 1979. One year and three goals later he went back home. Only Geordies were sorry to see him go.
38 Glenn Keeley (Everton)
Arrived on loan from Blackburn keen to show his mettle at the highest level. On debut in 1982, against Liverpool no less, he was sent off in the first-half, The Reds won 5-0 and he never played for Everton again.
37 Marco Materazzi (Everton)
Yes, he won the World Cup with Italy. But the lean centre-half couldn’t tackle a Sayers’ steak and kidney pie during his pointless spell at Goodison.
36 John Jensen (Arsenal)
Empires rose and fell in the time it took the bubble-permed Dane to score his first Arsenal goal. Searing pace, an eye for goal and a fierce shot were just three qualities he didn’t have.
35 Dean Austin (Tottenham)
The wafer-thin defender earned the wrath of the notoriously fickle Spurs support early doors, and never won them round. Even now, he featured strongly in a straw poll of Tottenhamites’ least favourite player ever to wear the white.
34 Ramon Vega (Tottenham)
The big Swiss was Dean Austin, with (cow) bells on.
33 Alberto Tarantini (Birmingham City)
Jim Smith went down the Spurs road and hired himself an Argentinian World Cup winner in the afterglow of 1978, but the Bald Eagle chose this dud left-back. Blues were relegated.
32 Gary Sprake (Leeds)
The Kop serenaded the hapless Welshman with “Careless Hands” when he threw another one into the back of his own net, hardly a unique moment for the accident-prone Inspector Clouseau of international goalkeeping.
31 Charlie Nicholas (Arsenal)
The much-hyped Champagne Charlie didn’t even amount to Pomagne Charlie at Highbury.
30 Darren Ferguson (Manchester United)
Tried to make a name for himself at Old Trafford in the early 90s, but it was already taken.
29 Winston Bogarde (Chelsea)
For all the good this expensive, non-playing flop ever did Chelsea, they might as well have signed foppish character actor, Dirk Bogarde. Or maybe they did and tried to cover it up.
28 Iain Dowie (West Ham)
Headlines that were never written: “It’s Iain Wow-ie!”, and maybe “Dow ya think I’m sexy.” Watch Dowie's "finest" moment with a classic own goal against Stockport County here.
27 Eric Djemba-Djemba (Man United, Aston Villa)
One Djemba would have been bad enough, but two of them was more than plenty.
26 Frank Sinclair (Leicester City)
Whatever the opposite of a purple patch is, Frank ‘Spencer’ Sinclair had one in August 1999. In two matches in August he scored two risible own goals, single-handedly costing his team three points. That month of mishaps alone earns him a place in the annals of infamy.
25 Steve Marlet (Fulham)
Mr Fayed didn’t rise to the top in business by not knowing the value of a pound. So mystery remains why he was persuaded to give Lyons eleven and a half mill for the misfit striker. Marlet’s ghost will haunt him to the end of his days.
24 Mark Dennis (Birmingham City)
There were rumours in the game that Dennis could actually play, and possessed a decent enough left foot. But the Blues’ anti-footballer was content to amass the game’s blackest rap sheet.
23 Torben Piechnik (Liverpool)
Graeme Souness faces the bad transfer tribunal again for the inexplicable purchase of the dithering Dane. English football was no picnic for Piechnik and he slunk back to Denmark in short order.
22 John Fashanu (Wimbledon)
Fash elbows his way into the list for a legion of crimes and misdemeanours inflicted on association football in the dubious cause of Wimbledon FC, topped by the assault which shattered Saint Gary Mabbutt’s eye socket.
21 Nikola Jovanovic (Manchester United)
Third-worst United centre-half of all time (see nos 5 and 6).
20 Jason Lee (Nottingham Forest)
“He’s got a pineapple on his head,” crooned fans all over the land in homage to the dreadlocked striker, who couldn’t hit a ruminant’s posterior with a stringed musical instrument. Watch a clip of Jason on Baddiel and Skinner's Fantasy Football League here.
19 Marco Boogers (West Ham)
He made his mark on English football, but only on Gary Neville’s midriff as a murderous tackle almost wiped out the United right-back. It was all downhill from there, as Mad Marco fled East London for a caravan park somewhere in the Low Countries.
18 Martin Jol (West Brom)
The Dutchman was away from school the day they taught the sophisticated tenets of Total Football, and the no-nonsense midfielder went on to spread mayhem across the midfields of England.
17 Nicky Summerbee (Manchester City)
The mid-90s City ‘winger’ earns his place on account of his singular running style. Arse stuck out in the fashion of a cartoon Mick Jagger, in Manchester derbies he made the ungainly Phil Neville look like Nijinsky.
16 Chris Kamara (Leeds)
For more than two decades Kammy has sported the perma-frizzed coiff of a 60s soul legend, but it failed to distract from a playing style long on effort, short on elegance.
15 Ade Akinbiyi (Leicester City)
Big Ade’s combined career transfer value would dwarf the national debt of an especially feckless banana republic, but he couldn’t buy a goal at Filbert Street after signing in 2000.
14 Micky Droy (Chelsea)
Nouveau Chelsea fans should know that their swanky club’s DNA contains the traces of lumbering 1970s dinosaurs such as Big Micky.
13 Steve Daley (Manchester City)
The poor bloke suffered from one of Man City’s periodic bouts of madness when they insisted on paying Wolves a record £1.45m for him in 1979, back in the days when £1.45m was £1.45m. He never looked close to matching the valuation.
12 Terry Hurlock (Millwall)
Graced Cold Blow Lane during The Lions’ unlikely late 80s spell in the top flight, and unleashed a short-lived reign of midfield terror. Hurlock, a one-man disciplinary crime wave, remains, unsurprisingly, a cult hero in Millwall-supporting enclaves of south London.
11 Billy Woof (Middlesbrough)
Even three decades down the road Boro fans are still convinced Billy only ever got a game because he was the son-in-law of John Neal, the manager.
10 Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon and more)
Told Kenny Dalglish he intended to bite off his ear and spit in the whole. And they said there were no characters left in the game.
9 Ian Ormondroyd (Aston Villa)
Nature’s prototype for Peter Crouch lived at the same lofty altitudes as his Villa Park successor, but perhaps lacked his touch and speed – so why did he play on the wing?
8 Andrea Silenzi (Nottingham Forest)
The Italian who looked much like a horse turned out to be a load of pony at the City Ground after his multi-billion lira move from Torino in 1995, and pips Justin Fashanu as Forest’s greatest transfer rick ever.
7 Li Wei-Feng (Everton)
Arrived as part of the same strange deal which brought the not-too-bad Li Tie to Goodison in 2002. Why? Perhaps he came free, like the prawn crackers we get in our Chinese takeaway when we spend more than a tenner.
6 William Prunier (Man United)
The baldy Bordeaux triallist starred in a calamitous 4-1 defeat at Spurs on New Year’s Day 1996, and he was bundled back onto a plane to France the next day.
5 Arnold Sidebottom (Man United)
Ryan’s dad also bowled quickly for England, but the centre-half injected no discernible pace to the worst United team since records began.
4 Istvan Kozma (Liverpool)
Yet another Souness master signing – the abject Magyar cost £300,000 from Dunfermline in 1992 and played just three games for the Reds before Souey realised he’d made one more transfer goulash.
3 Gus Caesar (Arsenal)
“... painfully, obviously, out of his depth ... he looked like a rabbit frozen to the spot ... and then he starts to thrash about, horribly and pitifully...” not our words – those of ultra-loyal Arsenalist, Nick Hornby.
2 Tomas Brolin (Leeds, Crystal Palace)
Hard to imagine that Leeds United, normally a model of fiscal probity, paid £4.5m for the Swedish meatball in 1995. A good footballer treats his body like a temple. Brolin’s was a bouncy castle.
1 Ali Dia (Southampton)
Was he George Weah’s cousin? Was he hell! Neither had the impostor won 12 caps for Senegal, nor had he played for Paris St Germain. But it took Saints boss Graeme Souness a whole 52 minutes to suss he’d been had in 1996.
FANS TALK DAILY FOOTBALL NEWS
ENGLAND
Schuster wants Arsenal's Cesc, Reyes at Madrid
Bolton's Anelka: Valencia interest touching
Chelsea chief Kenyon shrugs off Man Utd mega spending
West Ham deal for Liverpool's Bellamy worth £25M
Man City move for Bayern Munich's Santa Cruz
SPAIN
Cesc tells Barcelona: Give Henry free-role
Sporting Lisbon clinch deal for Barcelona's Maxi
Espanyol move for Partizan Belgrade's Smiljanic
Sevilla invite offers for Hinkel
Barcelona offer cash, players for Zaragoza's Milito
ITALY
Chivu tells Roma: I want Inter Milan deal
Inter Milan to offer Ibrahimovic new contract
Juventus go for Portugal defenders Andrade, Meira
Argie star Lavezzi: Napoli feels like home
Juventus coach Ranieri: I need Nedved, Camoranesi
FRANCE
Zenden set for Marseille
Rennes reveal Samaras interest
Rennes reject Utaka offers
Chelsea confident on Malouda
Rennes confirm Mvuemba exit
Spurs capture Kaboul
GERMANY
Feyenoord sign Turkish prodigy Nuri Sahin on loan
Schalke out of Appiah race
Sevilla in for Prince Boateng
Wolfsburg linked with Pape Diakhate
Stuttgart interested in Tamas Priskin
Valencia seal keeper Timo Hildebrand deal
HOLLAND
Feyenoord sign Turkish prodigy Nuri Sahin on loan
Blues land Dutch flyer Daniel de Ridder.
Offers made for Drenthe
Rovers make Rigters move
Borussia secure Rob Friend deal
Schuster wants Arsenal's Cesc, Reyes at Madrid
Bolton's Anelka: Valencia interest touching
Chelsea chief Kenyon shrugs off Man Utd mega spending
West Ham deal for Liverpool's Bellamy worth £25M
Man City move for Bayern Munich's Santa Cruz
SPAIN
Cesc tells Barcelona: Give Henry free-role
Sporting Lisbon clinch deal for Barcelona's Maxi
Espanyol move for Partizan Belgrade's Smiljanic
Sevilla invite offers for Hinkel
Barcelona offer cash, players for Zaragoza's Milito
ITALY
Chivu tells Roma: I want Inter Milan deal
Inter Milan to offer Ibrahimovic new contract
Juventus go for Portugal defenders Andrade, Meira
Argie star Lavezzi: Napoli feels like home
Juventus coach Ranieri: I need Nedved, Camoranesi
FRANCE
Zenden set for Marseille
Rennes reveal Samaras interest
Rennes reject Utaka offers
Chelsea confident on Malouda
Rennes confirm Mvuemba exit
Spurs capture Kaboul
GERMANY
Feyenoord sign Turkish prodigy Nuri Sahin on loan
Schalke out of Appiah race
Sevilla in for Prince Boateng
Wolfsburg linked with Pape Diakhate
Stuttgart interested in Tamas Priskin
Valencia seal keeper Timo Hildebrand deal
HOLLAND
Feyenoord sign Turkish prodigy Nuri Sahin on loan
Blues land Dutch flyer Daniel de Ridder.
Offers made for Drenthe
Rovers make Rigters move
Borussia secure Rob Friend deal
The Copa América 2007 is the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for South America. It is organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and is set to be held in Venezuela between June 26 and July 15, 2007, being the first time that Venezuela will hold the tournament. The winner may represent CONMEBOL at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Play-Off
July 7
18:05 Venezuela - Uruguay
20:50 Chile - Brazil
July 8
16:05 Mexico - Paraguay
18:50 Argentina - Peru
Play-Off
July 7
18:05 Venezuela - Uruguay
20:50 Chile - Brazil
July 8
16:05 Mexico - Paraguay
18:50 Argentina - Peru
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