Kristen's Blog

World to mourn yet another death

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:08:36 -0600

The world of football was plunged into mourning on Monday following the death of Mexican player Antonio de Nigris, who suffered a heart attack at his home in Larissa, Greece. The striker had joined local club Larissa FC from Turkish side Ankaragucu in August.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter expressed his deepest condolences in a letter to Justino Compean, President of the Mexican Football Association (FMF).

“It is with great regret that I am writing to you today having heard the sad news about the sudden death of the football player Antonio de Nigris,” wrote Blatter.

The FIFA President also asked his Mexican counterpart to pass on his most sincere condolences to all the player’s team-mates in the national side, to the fans and, most importantly, to his family, friends and loved ones. Blatter ended by saying:

“I would be extremely grateful if you could let them know that the entire global football community is with them. I hope that our words of comfort can in some way bring them a little peace at this difficult time.”

Antonio de Nigris was born on 1 April 1978 and showed a passion for sport from a very early age. As a youngster he played tennis and football, but when the time came to choose one or the other he opted for the latter, making his league debut for Monterrey in 1999. The young striker made an instant impact with his prowess in the air and goalscoring instinct.

Two years later Mexico coach Enrique Meza called him up for the qualifiers for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, though his debut came in a friendly against Brazil in March 2001. The game ended in a 3-3 draw, with De Nigris opening his international account with perhaps one of the finest goals of his career, a superb volley on the half-turn.

After earning hero status at Monterrey, he decided it was time to move on, becoming something of a footballing wayfarer and turning out for 11 different clubs over the next seven years. The tireless adventurer enjoyed spells at Spanish side Villarreal, Santos of Brazil, and Colombian outfit Once Caldas, for whom he appeared in the final of the Toyota Intercontinental Cup in 2004. He also played for a number of teams in Mexico and Turkey, and even had a stint with Shandong Luneng in China.

During his professional career De Nigris played 264 games and scored 74 goals, including 16 appearances and four goals for Mexico. Although he had only been at his new club Larissa FC for a few short months, he had already established himself as a valuable first-team regular, appearing in six games for the Greek side.

His ultimate objective was to force his way into the Tricolor squad for South Africa 2010 and then return home to play for his beloved Monterrey. Sadly, however, De Nigris’s dream will remain unfulfilled although his commitment, eye for goal and undoubted talent will live on in the memory of the many fans who saw him give his all on the field of play.

Danke to FIFA.com for the story

Goalie killed by train

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:29:01 -0600

Germany international footballer Robert Enke has died at the age of 32 after being killed at a railway crossing near his home on Tuesday.

The chairman of his Bundesliga club Hannover, Martin Kind, confirmed that the goalkeeper had died.

"It is a tragedy. You expect many things, but not something like that," said Kind, who heard the news while returning from a meeting of the German football association (DFB) on Tuesday.

"I do not know how and why it happened, but I do not think that it had anything to do with football."

German police told Spiegel Online that they suspected suicide, and other reports said Enke had been hit by an oncoming train near his home.

A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon which may shed more light on what happened.

Enke had won eight international caps for his country, and was expected to be in the squad for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

He missed Germany's last four matches due to a bacterial infection, but had just returned to club action with Hannover.

"We are all shocked," said Germany's general manager Oliver Bierhoff. "We are lost for words."

DFB president Dr Theo Zwanziger said that Enke's death had left the football community in Germany "are deeply distressed and in mourning."

"All our sympathy goes to the wife of Robert Enke and his family," he said in a statement on the DFB's Web site.

Enke's two-year-old daughter Lara died in 2006 of a rare heart condition, but he and his wife Teresa have an eight-month-old daughter they had adopted.

Danke to cnn.com

I am so shocked, I can't say anything else.

Crouch and Woodgate show off their moves

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:06:51 -0500

Oh gosh, it seems that Peter Crouch is up to his old robotic dancing antics.

The Spurs striker, along with Jonathan Woodgate were dancing their booties at London's Movida club.

First spotted on the Mirror

Ballon d'Or shortlist announced

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:09:30 -0500

The following are the final players that are in the running for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award. Good luck to everyone nominated!!

Andrei Arshavin (Russia, Arsenal)

Karim Benzema (France, Lyon/Real Madrid)

Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United/Real Madrid)

Diego (Brazil, Werder Bremen/Juventus Turin)

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea)

Ryan Giggs (Wales, Manchester United)

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia, Wolfsburg)

Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, FC Barcelona/Inter Milan)

Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal)

Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool)

Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Atletico Madrid)

Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool)

Yoann Gourcuff (France, Bordeaux)

Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United)

Thierry Henry (France, FC Barcelona)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Inter Milan/FC Barcelona)

Iniesta (Spain, FC Barcelona)

Julio Cesar (Brazil, Inter Milan)

Kaka (Brazil, Milan AC/Real Madrid)

Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea)

Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United)

Maicon (Brazil, Inter Milan)

Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona)

Luis Fabiano (Brazil, Sevilla)

Franck Ribery (France, Bayern Munich)

John Terry (England, Chelsea)

David Villa (Spain, Valencia)

Xavi (Spain, FC Barcelona)

Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast, FC Barcelona)

Helmes targets return

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:08:00 -0500

Injured Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes hopes to be back in action in time for Germany's 2010 World Cup campaign.

Helmes, 25, is yet to play at club level this season for Bayer Leverkusen, having suffered a cruciate ligament injury over the summer. Keen to return for both club and country, he admits he hopes to be playing regular football by November.

Helmes admits it will be difficult breaking into the Leverkusen squad, with Klaus Augenthaler's side currently topping the Bundesliga table after a solid start.

"I am feeling great," he told Bild. "If I did not know that I was injured, I could not imagine that I am. I hope to be back in training in mid-November. I know the lads are playing great and I expect to play mainly as a substitute until the end of the first phase of the season. The team have gained 20 points in just eight matches, which is remarkable."

Helmes says his dream is to be fit to play in the World Cup, having been forced to watch his country qualify.

"I watched the game against Russia on Saturday and I'm delighted we qualified for tournament in South Africa," he said. "For me, there remains half a season to prove my skills. Taking part for me is a dream."

Below are some pictures from a past rehab session.

Canna Fails Drug Test

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 16:34:47 -0500

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has failed a doping test after taking a medicine that contained the banned substance cortisone.

The former World Player of the Year was allegedly stung by a wasp and took a medicine that contained cortisone.

He requested an exemption on the grounds of having taken a medication in the case of an emergency but his request was missing a document and while awaiting a decision he was subjected to an anti-doping test, which returned a positive result.

Sources close to his club Juventus have claimed he took nothing more than an anti-allergy medicine.

Cannavaro is currently on international duty preparing for Italy's last two World Cup qualifiers against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday and then at home to Cyprus on Wednesday.

Cannavaro is suspended for the Ireland match but was expected to return to the team he captained to World Cup glory in 2006 for the Cyprus game.

He is due to be interviewed by the Italian Olympic Committee's (Coni) anti-doping prosecutor Etorre Torri on Friday morning in Turin.

Coni released a statement on its website explaining the circumstances of the positive test without revealing if any action has been taken against the player.

(AFP via Eurosport)

Beckham never wanted to leave United

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 22:37:28 -0500

Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham says he wishes he could have spent his entire career at Old Trafford.
The 34-year-old made 265 league appearances for the Red Devils from 1993-2003, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.

Beckham’s relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson gradually deteriorated after a famous incident in February 2003 with Ferguson kicking a boot at Beckham in the changing room that left the midfielder needing stitches above his eye.

He departed for Real Madrid just five months later, spending four years in Spain before joining LA Galaxy and later AC Milan on loan.
But the England winger has confessed that, ideally, he would have chosen to see out his playing days in a United shirt.

“I always said that if I’d had my choice, I would never have left Manchester United because that was where I always wanted to start my career and finish it,” he told the Daily Mail. “Then I had to look at it in a different way. I’d been there over 10 years and been really successful and had amazing times and made so many great friends.”

And England’s record appearance holder for an outfield player with 114 caps revealed that the Old Trafford atmosphere remains the best he has experienced in his career.

“Every time I’ve played at Old Trafford, whether for United, Real Madrid or England, the fans have been the best I’ve ever had,” he said. “Everyone knows that’s what got me through what happened against Argentina, with my friends, my family and the manager. I will never forget that. In my eyes they are the best in the world, without a doubt.”

Danke to our friends at Four Four Two for the story. :)

The downside of playing for Bayern? Lederhosen | Photos

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 23:22:51 -0500

Well, you all know that I am a VfB nerd. But, this is one for the funny files. The *wonderful* people with Bayern Munich have a tradition of appearing at Oktoberfest every year. This last Sunday, they kept with the tradition. Here are some of the photos from the event. Some of them are going to make you laugh, some will make you go "Awwww!", while others are just going to make you say, "WTF!?" Enjoy!!

Also, if anyone has a pic of Tymoshchuk at this, I would LOVE to have a linky link! :D

For more photos, please visit the following sites:

Kickette

FC Bayern

Daylife

Ole Ole How To: #1---How to add StatCounter to your blog

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:34:59 -0500

Hey everyone. I have been getting the bluge in my inbox from people asking me how to enable a counter. So, here you all go. :D

First thing first, make an account on www.statcounter.com that way, you can track your views and other stuff. Since that is what I use, we will work with this one. :)

First off, go to your blog list.

Click the link circled in red. You will be taken to a screen like this one:

You will be taken to the counter page. Click "Enable Counter." Then, click "StatCounter." It will then show you a graphic similar to this one.

To get that code, you MUST sign up for a StatCounter account. Once you have got your account, you must add a new project to your StatCounter account. Once you log into your account, you will be taken to a page similar to this one:

Click the part circled in red to add a new project. Follow all the steps. What I usually do is don't unclick or check any boxes. Just keep clicking next until you get to the color design part. There, you can play around with different color schemes. Once you get the desired counter design, click next and you will be given the code similar to this one.

Copy and paste the whole code into a word document, that way, you can take just the keys out. Back on the counter page on Ole Ole, it will ask you for Key 1, 2, 3, and 4. The photo above has highlighted the 4 keys for you. Make sure you do not add a " to any of the keys, or it won't work.

Anyway, once you have entered your keys, click wether or not you want your readers to see your counter, then click save. There you go!! It may take a couple of minutes for your counter to show up on your blog, but it should work. If not, send me a message on my account here on Ole Ole and I will try to help you as much as I can.

Wa-la!

Hope this helps everyone! :D

Top 25 football websites according to the Telegraph. (OLEOLE LEFT OUT!)

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:17:11 -0500

Hello everyone! Hope you are having a good day today. Today has brought a very nasty overcast day and my coughing fits from still being sick....I think that I am getting over having pneumonia. Anyway, Steve Wilson wrote out his list of the top 25 footballing sites. Here is his list and also, there is a link to complain to him as well.

Dirty Tackle
The Offside
Midfield Dynamo
The Spoiler
3nil
ExtraFootie
Vital Football
Statto
Soccerbase
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Soccerlens
Inside Left
Off the Post
101 Great Goals
footytube
1000 Goals
Football 365
ESPN Soccernet
BBC Football
Goal
Football Italia
The Global Game
Soccer Spain
Footiemap
Football Ground Guide

If you want to complain, send an e-mail to:

steve.wilson@telegraph.co.uk <steve.wilson@telegraph.co.uk>

I already did!!