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[Rutashubanyuma]

Chinese grand prix, Shanghai

Pressure increases on Mark Webber after first qualifying round exit

• Australian will start 18th on grid
• Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel takes pole

• Paul Weaver in Shanghai
• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 April 2011 14.41 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Red Bull's Mark Webber went out in Q1 at the Chinese grand prix and will start in 18th place. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
  
  "Too easy, man." That was what McLaren drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, both said to Sebastian Vettel after the championship leader took his third pole of the season, and his 18th of his embryonic but brilliant career, for the Chinese grand prix.
  Vettel, who topped all three practice sessions, finished 0.7 seconds ahead of Button, with Hamilton third. But it was another disappointing day for Vettel's running mate Mark Webber, who capped an awful weekend by failing to qualify for Q2; the Australian will start 18th on the grid.
  It has been a testing time for Webber, who had a dreadful start to last weekend's Malaysian grand prix before finishing fourth. This week, the Red Bull driver – who has the most coveted seat in Formula One, particularly by Hamilton – reacted furiously after being asked if he felt like he was being "hit over the head by a baseball bat" by his world champion team-mate. The strain is showing.
  Webber blamed his troubles on a problem with his car's Kers system, which had to be disconnected. His tribulations were compounded when a timing miscalculation at the end of the first qualifying segment meant he did not have time to get two laps on the harder option tyre. "My first run was probably half a second shy of where I needed to be and then I had the Kers problem," said Webber. "So we decided to have another run on the prime. We never got out quick enough, so we only had one timed lap and the tyres weren't up to [temperature] so that second set was a bit more difficult for us to get the job done.
  "It was the team's decision to go with the primes, but I was cool with it. We only started to panic at the end when we realised we weren't going to get two laps. The tyre should have been enough, but on one lap it wasn't enough. So that's where we snookered ourselves really. I don't know the last time a Red Bull was out in Q1. When any top team goes out in Q1, we all put the hindsight goggles on and go 'we should have done this or that'. In the end, the option would have made life easier. That's obvious. But we didn't as a team. We all thought we would get two laps in on the prime, but we were a bit late going out. The timing was the problem, not the tyre."
  However, it was an encouraging day for the British driver, Paul di Resta, on his 25th birthday. For the third time in as many races, Di Resta out-qualified his Force India team-mate, Adrian Sutil, and will start in eighth place. There was also contrasting fortunes in the Mercedes camp. Nico Rosberg again not only beat but outclassed Michael Schumacher, finishing fourth in Q3. Schumacher came 14th and at one point looked to be struggling to make Q2. But it is Vettel who is on the brink of making it five wins in a row. "We have done it again, but every single time is tough," he said. "It wasn't straightforward; in Q2 I had a bit of a mistake, but, in Q3, we improved."
  Meanwhile, Hamilton has spoken out against suggestions that he has only reached the top of his profession because he has been groomed by McLaren – and in particular the former team principle Ron Dennis – since joining the team as a boy.
  "People always said I was the best prepared driver ever as I was groomed and all that crap," he said. "It was absolute rubbish. I tested and I worked my backside off to be as fit as I could be. I studied so hard. Harder than I ever did at school. I worked my backside off, plus I had good people behind me, plus my team and my family."
  Button, who won here last year as he made an impressive start to his McLaren career, said: "It is very fast-flowing circuit, like Malaysia. Last year was good for me, so I look forward to racing it this year. The thing is, in the last two races, Seb has done an amazing job in qualifying and then led from the start. He has not had an easy race, but nobody has really troubled him.
  "Hopefully, here, we can put him into the pack a bit more and then everything changes. They do have a quick car and Seb is doing a great job, but I don't think he is as far ahead as he looks."
  Front of grid 1 S Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1min 33.706secs; 2 J Button (GB) McLaren 1:34.421; 3 L Hamilton (GB) McLaren 1:34.463; 4 N Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 1:34.670; 5 F Alonso (Sp) Ferrari 1:35.119; 6 F Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:35.145; 7 J Alguersuari (Sp) Toro Rosso 1:36.158; 8 P di Resta (GB) Force India 1:36.190; 9 S Buemi (Swit) Toro Rosso 1:36.203; 10 V Petrov (Rus) Renault No Time. Race 8am

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Mario Balotelli wink no big deal, Roberto Mancini claims

&#8226; 'We can put Balotelli in jail if you like', says manager
&#8226; Sir Alex Ferguson blames loss on Dimitar Berbatov misses

• Paul Wilson at Wembley
• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 April 2011 22.35 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Manchester City's Mario Balotelli (right) becomes involved in a fracas with United players at the final whistle during the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Photograph: Christopher Lee - The Fa/The FA via Getty Images
  
  Roberto Mancini sought to play down the scuffles on the pitch that soured the end of a memorable FA Cup semi-final, insisting that Mario Balotelli could not possibly be to blame for everything even though the Manchester City striker appeared to incite players on the losing side at the final whistle when he provocatively displayed his shirt and badge to the Manchester United end of Wembley.
  Anderson was the first United player to take offence, chasing Balotelli around the centre circle and at one point pushing him in the back, before Rio Ferdinand became involved and began to threaten the Italian, at which point the City player looked at him and winked.
  Mancini and several members of his staff were on the pitch at the close trying to defuse the situation, although afterwards the City manager claimed he had not known what all the fuss was about. "I didn't see what happened right after the whistle went and I would have to see it properly before I say anything," Mancini said. "Every time something happens it seems to be Mario's fault, but I would like to see it first to make sure. If he did celebrate in front of the Manchester United supporters, I don't know, we can put him in jail if you like."
  Mancini was quite reasonably attempting to be light-hearted over a squabble that was more unsightly than unpleasant and did not seriously disfigure a splendid occasion, although he certainly has his hands full with the controversy-prone Balotelli. The striker had one of his more convincing games for City here, bringing a fine save from Edwin van der Sar and going close on a couple of other occasions. "Mario played very well, but he can still do better than that," Mancini said. "We all can, but I am very happy with the way we played and happy for our supporters because they deserve to have a day like this."
  Sir Alex Ferguson blamed the end of his side's treble dream on Dimitar Berbatov's first-half misses and the slack defending that led to Yaya Touré's goal. "The first 15 minutes after half-time cost us the game," the United manager told MUTV. "There were some slack moments. Edwin van der Sar had a bad kick out, Michael Carrick couldn't hold it and it was a goal. It's disappointing, we should have been ahead in the first half as we were the better team. The chances that Dimitar missed &#8211; there was a great save by the keeper but the second chance, from under the bar, if he'd have scored there it might have been different. I had a feeling whoever scored first would win the match."
  United had been the better team for the first half-hour, creating clear chances that Berbatov will rue missing, but City grew in stature throughout the game and, although their task was made easier when Paul Scholes was dismissed for a dangerous tackle with 20 minutes left, in truth United's desperation was beginning to show by that stage. "We dominated the second half," Mancini said. "United played very well for the first 20 minutes. They are a good team and they are used to playing at this stadium. It was our first time, but once we started to press and play higher up the pitch we created more. This result could be a turning point because everything is still in our hands. We deserve to qualify for the Champions League and if we can win the FA Cup we could go on to win other things next season."
  Just about the only thing that clouded Mancini's sunny outlook was a suggestion that it is about time City won something, after all the money they have spent. "Have Manchester United and Chelsea not spent money?" he asked. "Manchester City was a small team until a few years ago; now we have a chance to spend, but you still have to buy good players."
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Mario Balotelli wink no big deal, Roberto Mancini claims

• 'We can put Balotelli in jail if you like', says manager
• Sir Alex Ferguson blames loss on Dimitar Berbatov misses

• Paul Wilson at Wembley
• guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 April 2011 22.35 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Manchester City's Mario Balotelli (right) becomes involved in a fracas with United players at the final whistle during the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Photograph: Christopher Lee - The Fa/The FA via Getty Images
  
  Roberto Mancini sought to play down the scuffles on the pitch that soured the end of a memorable FA Cup semi-final, insisting that Mario Balotelli could not possibly be to blame for everything even though the Manchester City striker appeared to incite players on the losing side at the final whistle when he provocatively displayed his shirt and badge to the Manchester United end of Wembley.
  Anderson was the first United player to take offence, chasing Balotelli around the centre circle and at one point pushing him in the back, before Rio Ferdinand became involved and began to threaten the Italian, at which point the City player looked at him and winked.
  Mancini and several members of his staff were on the pitch at the close trying to defuse the situation, although afterwards the City manager claimed he had not known what all the fuss was about. "I didn't see what happened right after the whistle went and I would have to see it properly before I say anything," Mancini said. "Every time something happens it seems to be Mario's fault, but I would like to see it first to make sure. If he did celebrate in front of the Manchester United supporters, I don't know, we can put him in jail if you like."
  Mancini was quite reasonably attempting to be light-hearted over a squabble that was more unsightly than unpleasant and did not seriously disfigure a splendid occasion, although he certainly has his hands full with the controversy-prone Balotelli. The striker had one of his more convincing games for City here, bringing a fine save from Edwin van der Sar and going close on a couple of other occasions. "Mario played very well, but he can still do better than that," Mancini said. "We all can, but I am very happy with the way we played and happy for our supporters because they deserve to have a day like this."
  Sir Alex Ferguson blamed the end of his side's treble dream on Dimitar Berbatov's first-half misses and the slack defending that led to Yaya Touré's goal. "The first 15 minutes after half-time cost us the game," the United manager told MUTV. "There were some slack moments. Edwin van der Sar had a bad kick out, Michael Carrick couldn't hold it and it was a goal. It's disappointing, we should have been ahead in the first half as we were the better team. The chances that Dimitar missed – there was a great save by the keeper but the second chance, from under the bar, if he'd have scored there it might have been different. I had a feeling whoever scored first would win the match."
  United had been the better team for the first half-hour, creating clear chances that Berbatov will rue missing, but City grew in stature throughout the game and, although their task was made easier when Paul Scholes was dismissed for a dangerous tackle with 20 minutes left, in truth United's desperation was beginning to show by that stage. "We dominated the second half," Mancini said. "United played very well for the first 20 minutes. They are a good team and they are used to playing at this stadium. It was our first time, but once we started to press and play higher up the pitch we created more. This result could be a turning point because everything is still in our hands. We deserve to qualify for the Champions League and if we can win the FA Cup we could go on to win other things next season."
  Just about the only thing that clouded Mancini's sunny outlook was a suggestion that it is about time City won something, after all the money they have spent. "Have Manchester United and Chelsea not spent money?" he asked. "Manchester City was a small team until a few years ago; now we have a chance to spend, but you still have to buy good players."

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

‘Njooni muone mambo kwenye tamasha’

Imeandikwa na Na Mwandishi Wetu; Tarehe: 16th April 2011 @ 23:59 Imesomwa na watu: 23; Jumla ya maoni: 0








MWIMBAJI wa nyimbo za injili, Boniface Mwaitege ambaye kwa sasa anatamba na albamu ya Mama ni Mama amewaomba wapenzi na mashabiki wa nyimbo za Injili wasikose kufika kwenye
Tamasha la Pasaka ukumbi wa Diamond Jubilee Aprili 24.

Mwaitege alisema hayo jijini Dar es Salaam Jumamosi, wakati akielezea namna alivyojiandaa kuelekea tamasha hilo, ambalo mgeni rasmi atakuwa Rais Jakaya Kikwete “Tangu nilipothibitisha kushiriki tamasha la Pasaka, nimekuwa katika mazoezi kwa lengo la kufanya vizuri siku hiyo kwa sababu naamini kila mmoja atakayekuja Diamond Jubilee, angependa kuondoka na kitu moyoni,” alisema Mwaitege.

Alisema nyimbo za injili ni mahubiri tosha, hivyo kupitia tamasha hilo la kimataifa, wengi
watasikia ujumbe wa neno la Mungu ukiambatana na burudani.

Akizungumzia ushiriki wake, Mwaitege aliyewahi pia kutamba na vibao mbalimbali kikiwemo
cha Utamtambuaje, alisema anashukuru kupata nafasi ya kuimba katika tamasha hilo.

Hili ni tamasha la kimataifa kwa sababu linashirikisha waimbaji kutoka nchi za Tanzania,
Zambia, Kenya na kwingineko.

“Kuimba na mwimbaji Sekeleti (Ephraem) na Mukabwa (Annastazia) na Mukubwa (Solomon), ni nafasi ya kipekee kwangu,” alisema.

Mwaitege ametoa wito kwa wapenzi, mashabiki na Watanzania kwa ujumla bila kujali dini kwa sababu binadamu wote ni wamoja mbele za Mungu, kujitokeza Diamond Jubilee.

“Nawasihi wapenzi na mashabiki wote wa muziki wa injili, kutokosa kufika kwenye tamasha la Injili pale Diamond Jubilee, Jamhuri Dodoma na CCM Kirumba, Mwanza,” alisema.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Simba yajivua gamba

Imeandikwa na Na Mwandishi Wetu; Tarehe: 16th April 2011 @ 23:59 Imesomwa na watu: 454; Jumla ya maoni: 0







SIMBA &#8216;yajivua gamba' ndivyo inavyoweza kutafsiriwa baada ya uongozi wa klabu hiyo kufanya uamuzi wa kusafisha benchi lote la ufundi, akiwemo Kocha wake Mkuu Patrick Phiri.

Uamuzi huo wa Simba umefuatia kupokwa ubingwa na mtani wa jadi, Yanga, baada ya kuongoza Ligi Kuu kwa muda mrefu na kushindwa kutetea taji dakika za mwisho.

Habari zilizopatikana Dar es Salaam Jumapili zilisema mbali na kusafisha benchi zima la ufundi, uongozi huo pia umewatupia virago nyota wake Mussa Hassan Mgosi, Mohamed Banka, Nicodemus Nyagawa, Azizi Gilla, Meshack Abel na Ally Ahmed &#8216;Shiboli'.

Akizungumza jijini Jumapili, mtoa habari wetu alisema ingawa kikao rasmi cha Kamati ya Utendaji hakijakutana kufanya tathmini ya Ligi, lakini uamuzi huo ulifikiwa katika kikao kifupi kilichokutana baada ya kikao cha makubaliano ya kumuuza Mbwana Samatta TP Mazembe.

"Baada ya kukutana na viongozi wa Mazembe juu ya Samatta tulipomaliza suala hilo tukabaki wenyewe na kuanza kupanga mikakati na baadhi ya maamuzi tuliyofikia ni hayo," alisema.

Alipoulizwa kuhusu hilo, Mwenyekiti wa Simba Ismail Rage hakukubali wala kukataa badala yake alisisitiza kuwa uamuzi utafanyika katika kikao atakachoitisha wiki ijayo.

"Phiri ameondolewa na benchi la ufundi, kwa maana ya meneja Innocent Njovu, Amri Saidi &#8216;Stam' na wengine," alisema mtoa habari wetu.

Habari zaidi zilisema kuwa uongozi utatafuta kocha mpya lakini kwa kuanzia Talib Hilal ndiye atakayekabidhiwa timu kwa kusaidiana na mchezaji mwingine wa zamani wa Simba, Selemani Matola.

"Kwa kifupi tunataka Simba iwe mpya kabisa, haijalishi, hata kama itafanya vibaya kwenye mashindano ya hivi karibuni na kwenye msimu ujao wa ligi, lakini tunataka Simba mpya, hivi ninavyozungumza tulikuwa na kikao na baadhi ya wachezaji tunaotaka kuwasajili," alisema mtoa habari wetu ndani ya Simba.

Gazeti hili lilizungumza na Mgosi ambaye alisema hajapata taarifa zozote mpaka jana, lakini hakusita kuweka wazi kwamba yuko tayari kama uongozi utaamua kumuondoa kikosini.

"Yaani mpaka sasa tunasikia tu taarifa hizo kwenye vyombo vya habari, lakini uongozi sijazungumza nao tangu ligi ilipoisha, lakini kama wamekuwa hawana imani na mimi basi wakiamua kuniondoa kwenye timu mimi sina neno, niko tayari," alisema.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Timu ya Vijana Stars yafungwa Uganda

Imeandikwa na Na Mwandishi Wetu; Tarehe: 16th April 2011 @ 23:59 Imesomwa na watu: 102; Jumla ya maoni: 0








TIMU ya Soka ya Taifa ya Vijana chini ya miaka 23, &#8216;Vijana Stars', Jumapili ilishindwa kuendeleza wimbi lake la ushindi baada ya kufungwa mabao 2-1 katika mechi ya awali kuwania kufuzu fainali za michezo ya Afrika &#8216;All African Games' zinazotarajiwa kufanyika Msumbiji Septemba mwaka 2011.

Vijana Stars imepoteza mechi hiyo ikiwa ni siku chache baada ya kufuzu raundi ya pili ya kuwania fainali za Olimpiki kwa kuiondoa Cameroon.

Hata hivyo, timu hiyo haijajiweka katika nafasi mbaya sana kusonga mbele katika michuano hiyo pindi timu hizo zitakapocheza mechi ya marudiano wiki mbili zijazo kwani ina faida ya bao la ugenini hivyo ushindi wa mabao 2-0 unaweza kuivusha.

Mshindi wa mechi hiyo atakutana na mshindi wa mechi kati ya Eritrea na Kenya na mshindi wa mechi ndiye atakayeungana na timu nyingine saba kufuzu fainali hizo.

Habari kutoka Kampala zinasema mfungaji wa goli la Tanzania ni mshambuliaji Thomas Ulimwengu.

Kwa upande wa Soka ya wanawake, tayari imeshafuzu fainali hizo baada ya wapinzani wao Sudan kujitoa na hivyo Twiga Stars kupata ushindi wa chee.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Nusu fainali Kombe la Andengenye Jumapili

Imeandikwa na Na John Mhala, Arusha; Tarehe: 16th April 2011 @ 23:59 Imesomwa na watu: 16; Jumla ya maoni: 0








MICHUANO ya soka ya Kombe la Andengenye inaendelea kupamba moto katika Jiji la Arusha na timu mbili zimefanikiwa kuingia katika hatua ya nusu fainali inayotarajia kuanza kutimua
vumbi leo kwenye Uwanja wa Sheikh Amri Abeid.

Timu zilizofanikiwa kuingia hatua hiyo ni timu kutoka kata ya Sokoni One kwa ushindi wa mabao 3-0 dhidi ya Mana kutoka kata ya Olorieni katika mchezo mkali uliofanyika kwenye uwanja huo wa Sheikh Amri Abeid.

Kata ya Ngarenaro ni timu ya pili kuingia hatua ya robo fainali kwani ilifanikiwa kuifunga
timu ya Duluti mabao 2- 1. Timu ya kata ya Sombetini Jumamosi ilikuwa ikitarajia kupambana
na timu ya Polisi kati na timu ya kata ya Kaloleni nayo ilikuwa ikipambana na timu ya kikosi cha kutuliza ghasia cha FFU.

Washindi wa timu hizo mbili wanatarajia kuingia katika hatua ya nusu fainali inayotarajia
kuanza kutimua vumbi leo na fainali ya michuano hiyo inayofanyika kwa mara ya kwanza Jijini
Arusha inafanyika kesho katika uwanja huo huo.

Kamanda wa Polisi mkoani Arusha Thobiasi Andengenye alisema kuwa lengo la mashindano
hayo ni kutaka vijana kushiriki vema michezo na jioni kuwa washiriki wa ulinzi shirikishi.

Andengenye alisema iwapo hilo litafanikiwa uwezekano wa vijana kushiriki uhalifu na
kutumia dawa za kulenvya hapa Arusha itakuwa historia kwani watakuwa raia wema
kwa jamii.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Serikali yaahidi kuimarisha Utamaduni

Imeandikwa na Na Evance Ng'ingo; Tarehe: 16th April 2011 @ 23:59 Imesomwa na watu: 18; Jumla ya maoni: 0








SERIKALI imeahidi kuendelea kushirikiana na nchi za bara la Asia katika kuimarisha utamaduni katika Nyanja za filamu, muziki na shughuli nyingine za kisanaa.

Wito huo ulitolewa Ijumaa na Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Habari, Vijana, Utamaduni na Michezo, Sethi Kamuhanda wakati akizindua onyesho la filamu kwa nchi za Asia linaloendelea katika Ukumbi wa New World Cinema, Dar es Salaam.

Kamuhanda, ambaye alikuwa akimwakilisha Waziri wake Emmanuel Nchimbi alisema kuwa
serikali imekuwa ikishirikiana na nchi za Asia kwa muda mrefu ambao tamaduni zao zimeonekana kuwa na manufaa na zinaendana na za hapa nchini.

Onyesho hilo lililoanza Jumamosi linatarajiwa kumalizika Aprili 24, 2011 na filamu kumi kutoka nchi kumi tofauti za bara la Asia zitaonyeshwa.

Ijumaa ilionyeshwa filamu iitwayo Hutong Days kutoka China, Jumamosi My Saasy Girl ya Korea ya Kusini, Jumapili Hula Girls kutoka Japan, na kesho itaonyeshwa filamu ya Khuda Kay Liye kutoka Pakistan.

Keshokutwa The Scent of Green Papaya kutoka Vietnam, Jumatano itafuata sinema ya Salt of This Sea kutoka Palestina, Alhamisi itaoneshwa sinema ya The Third Day Third Day kutoka nchini Iran.

Onyesho hilo la filamu ni la sita kufanyika hapa nchini na la kwanza lilifanyika tangu
mwaka 2006.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Kaseba, Maugo kupambana Jumamosi

Imeandikwa na Na Evance Ng'ingo; Tarehe: 15th April 2011 @ 23:59 Imesomwa na watu: 64; Jumla ya maoni: 1








BONDIA Japhet Kaseba na Mada Maugo Jumamosi hii wanapambana katika ukumbi wa PTA uliopo viwanja vya Sabasaba, Dar es Salaam.

Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari Ijumaa katika Ukumbi wa Idara habari, Maelezo, promota wa pambano hilo Yassin Abdallah, alisema maandalizi ya pambano hilo yamekamilika.

Alisema mapambano ya utangulizi itakuwa kati ya Yohana Robert na Said Zungu, Fadhil
Awadh na Bakari Dunda, Joseph Martin na George Dimoso, Hassan Mandula na Uwesu Said.

Aliyataja mapambano mengine kuwa ni Mohamed Matumla atakayezipiga na Sadiki Momba,
Deo Njiku na Issa Sewa na Ubwa Salum na Mussa Sunga.

Aliwahakikishia wapenzi wa mchezo wa ngumi kuwa pambano hilo litafanyika katika mazingira
salama na litafanikiwa.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Samatta auzwa Sh 14m Mazembe Send to a friend Saturday, 16 April 2011 09:12

Clara Alphonce na Vicky Kimaro
MSHAMBULIAJI wa kimataifa wa Tanzania, Simba Mbwana Samatta amedaiwa kuuzwa kwa klabu ya TP Mazembe kwa gharama ya dola 10,000 (sawa na zaidi shilingi 14 m za Tanzania).

Habari za ambazo Mwananchi imezipata zinasema kuwa tayari Samata amemwaga wino kuichezea klabu hiyo kubwa barani Afrika tangu wiki iliyopita.Mazembe walivutiwa na kiwango alichokionyesha Samata wakati wa mchezo wao dhidi ya Simba wa Ligi ya Mabingwa Afrika, mwanzoni mwa mwezi huu.

Hata hivyo, Makamu Mwenyekiti wa Simba, Godfrey Nyange 'Kaburu' hakusema moja kwa moja kama kweli wamepokea dau hilo kutoka kwa mmiliki wa TP Mazembe, Moize Katumbi.

Kaburu alisema kama watafika dau ambalo wao wanalitaka hawana kipingamizi na mchezaji huyo watamruhusu kwani wao hawana desturi ya kuwazibia wachezaji kwa sababu wanajua hayo ni maisha yao.

''Sisi kama Simba hatuna tatizo na tumeshawaruhusu Danny Mrwanda sasa anacheza Vietnam, Herny Joseph huyo Sweden hivyo itakuwa sio busara kumkatalia Samata wakati wao wameamua kumchukua,'' alisema Kaburu.

Makamu huyo aliendelea kusisitiza kwamba bado wapo kwenye mazungumzo ya awali, lakini ni kweli TP Mazembe ameonyesha nia kubwa ya kutaka kumsajili.

Alisema Katumbi alivutiwa zaidi na Samata kwenye mchezo wa marudiano kutokana na uwezo wake mkubwa aliouonyesha katika mechi ya marudiano iliyofanyika kwenye Uwanja wa Taifa Jijini Dar es Salaam na TP Mazembe ilifanikiwa kuwatoa Simba kwa jumla ya mabao 6-3.

Katika hatua nyingine Kaburu alisema wanatarajia kupeleka kikosi chenye wachezaji wao wapya katika michuano ya Kagame watakuwa wamewaongeza katika usajili wao.

Alisema nia ya kupeleka kikosi hicho kipya iliwachezaji wao waweze kupata uzoefu na kuzoeana kwa pamoja kabla ya kuanza kwa Ligi Kuu msimu ujao.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Nizar uso kwa uso na Man City Send to a friend Saturday, 16 April 2011 09:11

VANCOUVER, Canada
KIUNGO wa kimataifa wa Tanzania, Nizar Khalfan ataiongoza timu yake ya Vancouver Whitecaps itakapoikabiri Manchester City kwenye mchezo wa kirafiki hapoJulai 18.

Khalfan ambaye amefanikiwa kujitegenezea namba ya kudumu kwenye kikosi cha Whitecaps kinachoshiriki Ligi Kuu ya Marekani MLS atakuwa ni miongoni mwa nyota watawavaa vijana hao wa Robert Mancini.

"Itakuwa ni mechi ya kipekee kucheza dhidi ya timu inayoshiriki Ligi Kuu ya England, Manchester City FC kwenye Uwanja wa Empire,î alisema Paul Barber, mkurugenzi mkuu waWhitecaps FC. "Mwenendo wetu msimu huu kwenye MLS ni mzuri sana, hivi karibuni tumefanikiwa kuvutia mashabiki wengi zaidi katika mechi zetu tatu za nyumbani.

Wakiwa na nyota wa zamani wa Italia, Mancini, Manchester City wameshatangaza baadhi ya nyota wanaoweza kuwepo kwenye mchezo huo kuwa ni wachezaji saba wa kimataifa wa England, akiwemo Gareth Barry, Joe Hart, na Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Nyota wengine ni Jerome Boateng, Nigel de Jong, ndugu Kolo na Yaya Toure, mshambuliaji wa Italia, Mario Balotelli, David Silva, Patrick Viera, huku Silva na Viera wote walishatwaa Kombe la Dunia.

ìVancouver ni mji wa watu wanaopenda soka na kikosi chao ni kipya kwenye MLS. Tuna historia ya kucheza na Whitecaps, tulicheza nao mwaka1980 na 1981kwenye Uwanja Empire," alisema Garry Cook, Mkurugenzi wa Manchester City FC. "Walishinda mechi zote kwa ushindi mkubwa, hivyo tunaahidi itakuwa mechi ya aina yake.î

Hiyo itakuwa mechi yao ya tatu kucheza baina yao, katika michezo miwili ya awali Vancouver ilishinda, 5-0 mwaka 1980, 2-0 mwaka 1981.

Manchester City kwa sasa ipo nafasi ya nne kwenye Ligi Kuu ya England pointi mbili zaidi kwa Chelsea. Kama wataendelea kuilinda nafasi hiyo watafuzu moja kwa moja kwa michuano ya Ligi ya Mabingwa. Comments




0 #1 kibavu 2011-04-16 09:24 Mwananchi nyie ni gazeti makini zaidi Tanzania kwa sasa hasa kwa magazeti ya kila siku, lakn kadri muda unavyozidi kwenda kuna makosa mengi yanajitokeza hasa katika 'facts.' Timu ya nne kwenye ligi ya Uingereza huanzia hatua ya mtoano na si kufuzu moja kwa moja, na kwa sasa Man City iko nafasi ya nne juu ya Spurs na chini ya Chelsea kwa point mbili.
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[Rutashubanyuma]

Arsenal v Liverpool, Premier League, 4pm Sunday 17 April

Arsène Wenger primed for threat of Liverpool's Andy Carroll

&#8226; Striker scored winner for Newcastle at the Emirates
&#8226; Wenger agrees to Far East tour in close season

• Paul Doyle
• The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
  
  Arsène Wenger's Arsenal can move four points behind Manchester United with a win against Liverpool. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
  
  Arsenal have reason to beware the arrival of Andy Carroll at the Emirates Stadium: he will be intent on inflicting a home defeat for the second time this season. Last November, he scored the winner when Newcastle upset Arsenal 1-0, outjumping Lukasz Fabianski and headed into the Polish goalkeeper's vacant net from 16 yards.
  Arsenal will have a different keeper on Sunday &#8211; either Jens Lehmann or, more likely, Wojciech Szczesny, who resumed full training this week after the dislocated finger that he suffered during last month's Champions League defeat in Barcelona. But they will face the same problem: how to neutralise Carroll, whose two goals for Liverpool against Manchester City on Monday suggest he is primed to torment Arsenal again. "I particularly have in mind his second goal against City, where he showed good anticipation and got a good deflection on the ball," says the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger. "We have to keep him quiet this time."
  It is difficult to imagine Wenger forking out the sort of fee Liverpool spent to recruit Carroll in January, even though the Frenchman says: "I do not rule it out, even if I haven't done it yet."
  Wenger's record outlay does not even amount to half the £35m that Carroll cost and he has stressed this week, in the wake of the super-wealthy American businessman Stan Kroenke taking control of Arsenal by increasing his shareholding to 62.89%, that he does not foresee the club's policy of prudence changing. In fact, with Uefa's new rules for financial fair play coming into effect this June, Wenger is more convinced than ever that it is other clubs who will have to alter their behaviour.
  "I read an article in a French newspaper this week that at Rayo Vallecano, who are [joint-]top of the Spanish second division, some players have not been paid for a year. Some players cannot pay their mortgages! We want to run our business properly, with income that is produced by our business. I want to sit here in September and see who respects the financial fair play."
  While the new rules restrict the amount that sugar daddies can pour into clubs, Arsenal nevertheless know that to remain competitive they need to raise their revenue. To that end Wenger will take the club on a tour of the Far East for the first time in his 15-year reign. "Ideally I wouldn't want to go, but it is a compromise with the commercial department," he says. "I'll go because we make some sponsorship and money from the games that is higher than we get in Europe. Unlike some clubs, we do not get income from sources other than what we produce, so we have to produce as much as we can. That is the real world."
  Another reality Wenger recognises is that Arsenal's season depends to a very large degree on the outcome of Sunday's match and Wednesday's derby at Tottenham Hotspur. Win them and Manchester United, who still have to visit the Emirates, could be caught. "These matches are vital. If we do not beat Liverpool and Tottenham, the season will not be over. But the championship race will be, that is for sure."
  Johan Djourou, the central defender, could be available after a fitness test yesterday on his dislocated shoulder.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Arsenal v Liverpool, Premier League, 4pm Sunday 17 April

Arsène Wenger primed for threat of Liverpool's Andy Carroll

• Striker scored winner for Newcastle at the Emirates
• Wenger agrees to Far East tour in close season Paul Doyle

• The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
  
  Arsène Wenger's Arsenal can move four points behind Manchester United with a win against Liverpool. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
  
  Arsenal have reason to beware the arrival of Andy Carroll at the Emirates Stadium: he will be intent on inflicting a home defeat for the second time this season. Last November, he scored the winner when Newcastle upset Arsenal 1-0, outjumping Lukasz Fabianski and headed into the Polish goalkeeper's vacant net from 16 yards.
  Arsenal will have a different keeper on Sunday – either Jens Lehmann or, more likely, Wojciech Szczesny, who resumed full training this week after the dislocated finger that he suffered during last month's Champions League defeat in Barcelona. But they will face the same problem: how to neutralise Carroll, whose two goals for Liverpool against Manchester City on Monday suggest he is primed to torment Arsenal again. "I particularly have in mind his second goal against City, where he showed good anticipation and got a good deflection on the ball," says the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger. "We have to keep him quiet this time."
  It is difficult to imagine Wenger forking out the sort of fee Liverpool spent to recruit Carroll in January, even though the Frenchman says: "I do not rule it out, even if I haven't done it yet."
  Wenger's record outlay does not even amount to half the £35m that Carroll cost and he has stressed this week, in the wake of the super-wealthy American businessman Stan Kroenke taking control of Arsenal by increasing his shareholding to 62.89%, that he does not foresee the club's policy of prudence changing. In fact, with Uefa's new rules for financial fair play coming into effect this June, Wenger is more convinced than ever that it is other clubs who will have to alter their behaviour.
  "I read an article in a French newspaper this week that at Rayo Vallecano, who are [joint-]top of the Spanish second division, some players have not been paid for a year. Some players cannot pay their mortgages! We want to run our business properly, with income that is produced by our business. I want to sit here in September and see who respects the financial fair play."
  While the new rules restrict the amount that sugar daddies can pour into clubs, Arsenal nevertheless know that to remain competitive they need to raise their revenue. To that end Wenger will take the club on a tour of the Far East for the first time in his 15-year reign. "Ideally I wouldn't want to go, but it is a compromise with the commercial department," he says. "I'll go because we make some sponsorship and money from the games that is higher than we get in Europe. Unlike some clubs, we do not get income from sources other than what we produce, so we have to produce as much as we can. That is the real world."
  Another reality Wenger recognises is that Arsenal's season depends to a very large degree on the outcome of Sunday's match and Wednesday's derby at Tottenham Hotspur. Win them and Manchester United, who still have to visit the Emirates, could be caught. "These matches are vital. If we do not beat Liverpool and Tottenham, the season will not be over. But the championship race will be, that is for sure."
  Johan Djourou, the central defender, could be available after a fitness test yesterday on his dislocated shoulder.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Phiri atupiwa virago Simba SC
&#8226; Mganda, Mnyarwanda kumrithi

na Dina Ismail

KUSHINDWA kuiwezesha kutwaa ubingwa wa Ligi Kuu Bara msimu wa 2010/2011 timu ya soka ya Simba, kumesababisha timu hiyo kumtupia virago Kocha wake Mkuu Mzambia Patrick Phiri, sambamba na kulifumua benchi lake la ufundi, imefahamika.
Phiri, kocha aliyeipa ubingwa Simba mara tatu, ametupiwa virago kutokana na kushindwa kuliongoza benchi lake ipasavyo na matokeo yake timu kukosa ubingwa kirahisi, ambao ulikwenda kwa mahasimu wao, Yanga.
Habari za ndani kutoka katika klabu hiyo zinasema kuwa uongozi umefikia hatua hiyo baada ya kuona ameizoea sana timu kiasi cha kumfanya ashindwe kuhimili kuongoza benchi lake la ufundi kiasi cha kushindwa kuwawajibisha baadhi ya wachezaji.
"Amekaa muda wa kutosha mpaka ameizoea timu...hebu fikiria kocha anashindwa kuacha kumpanga mchezaji fulani kwa sababu mwisho wa siku anapogoma atamweleza nini? Hivi kweli kocha unamuogopa mchezaji badala ya kukuogopa yeye? Huo ni udhaifu mkubwa," alisema mmoja ya viongozi wa timu hiyo.
Kiongozi huyo aliongeza kuwa uwezo wa Phiri umefikia kikomo, kwani ameshindwa kutimiza wajibu wake ipasavyo kama kocha mkuu, kiasi cha kusababisha hata wasaidizi wake nao kushindwa kutimiza majukumu yao inavyotakiwa.
Alisema kwa mantiki hiyo sasa wapo katika mipango ya kusaka mbadala wake huku macho yakielekezwa kwa kocha msaidizi wa timu ya taifa ya Uganda, Moses Basena, ama kutoka nchini Rwanda.
Pamoja na Phiri, huenda msaidizi wake, Amri Said, naye akakumbwa na panga hilo kutokana na ukweli kwamba uongozi umedhamiria kuisuka upya timu hiyo.
Katika kujipanga kwa msimu ujao wa ligi, Simba inadaiwa kuwatupia virago nyota wake kadhaa wakiwamo kipa namba moja, Juma Kaseja, Mohammed Banka, Musa Hassan Mgosi, Salum Kanoni, Juma Jabu na Kelvin Yondan.
Uongozi umechukua hatua hiyo kwa madai kwamba wachezaji hao wamekuwa ndio chanzo cha kueneza &#8216;virusi' vya utovu wa nidhamu, hujuma, fitna, majungu, makundi na chuki katika klabu hiyo, hali ambayo imechangia kushindwa kutetea ubingwa wa msimu uliomalizika.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Vijana wa Julio wafungwa 2-1 Uganda


na Mwandishi wetu, KAMPALA, Uganda

TIMU ya vijana chini ya miaka 23 ya Tanzania jana ilianza vibaya mechi ya kufuzu kwa michuano ya All Africa Games, baada ya kukubali kipigo cha mabao 2-1 kutoka kwa Uganda &#8216;The Cobs' katika mechi iliyopigwa kwenye dimba la Mandela (Namboole) mjini Kampala, Uganda.
Mabao ya Uganda katika mechi ya jana yalifungwa na Moses Olaya, dakika ya nne, baada ya shuti lililopigwa na mshambuliaji Owen Kasule kumtoka kipa Shabani Kado na baadaye Kiiza Hamis, akaongeza la pili dakika ya 23.
Hamisi alifunga bao hilo akiunganisha krosi iliyochongwa kutoka wingi ya kushoto, ambapo aliachia shuti kali lililoenda moja kwa moja wavuni akiwa karibu na lango la vijana wa Tanzania, mabao yaliyodumu hadi mapumziko.
Vijana wa Tanzania waliyafanyia kazi mawaidha ya Kocha wao, Jamhuri Kihwelo &#8216;Julio' wakati wa mapumziko na katika dakika ya kwanza ya kipindi cha pili, mlinzi wa pembeni kushoto, Kigi Makasi, aliifungia bao la kwanza.
Kigi alifunga bao hilo kwa shuti kali kutoka katikati ya uwanja na jitihada za timu hiyo kupata bao la kusawazisha ziligonga mwamba, lakini Kocha Julio, alisema kuwa ameyapokea matokeo hayo kama yalivyo na atajipanga vema kwa ajili ya mechi ya marudiano itakayofanyika jijini Dar es Salaam kwa kuufanyia kazi upungufu wote uliojitokeza.
Julio alisema kuwa atayafanyia kazi makosa yote yaliyojitokeza na kuwafanya wapoteze mchezo huo, lakini akabainisha kuwa vijana wa Uganda ni wazuri ingawa anayo matumaini ya kuwatoa katika mechi ya marudiano.
Timu ya Tanzania ilikuwa: Shaaban Kado, Juma Abdul, Kigi Makasi, Babu Ally, Shomari Kapombe, Salum Telela, Mrisho Ngasa, Jabir Aziz, Thomas Ulimwengu, Mbwana Samata na Khamis Mcha/Awadh Juma.
The Kobs: Benjamin Ochan, Saka Mpiima, Godfrey Walusimbi, Ivan Bukenya, Isaac Isinde, Kiiza Hamisi, Sadam Mussa, Moses Olaya/Siraje Turyamuhebwa, Owen Kasule, Emmanuel Okwi/Moses Kaye na Mike Mutyaba/Brian Majwega.
Timu hiyo ya vijana ya Tanzania inatarajiwa kurejea mchini kesho Jumatatu saa 8 mchana kwa ndege ya Air Uganda.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Saba watupiwa virago Yanga


na Dina Ismail

MABINGWA wa Ligi Kuu Bara msimu wa 2010/2011 timu ya soka ya Yanga imewatupia virago wachezaji wake saba akiwemo kipa Mserbia, Ivan Knezevic.
Habari kutoka ndani ya klabu hiyo yenye maskani yake mitaa ya Jangwani na Twiga, zinasema kuwa panga limewakuta wachezaji hao kutokana na kushindwa kuitumikia vema klabu yao katika msimu uliopita kutokana na kuwa na viwango vya chini.
MMoja ya viongozi wa Yanga ambaye hakupenda kutajwa jina lake gazetini kwa madai kuwa si msemaji alisema wamepokea taarifa ya Kocha wao Mkuu, Sam Timbe, ya kutohitajika kwa wachezaji hao katika msimu ujao kutokana na kutoonyesha viwango vya kuridhisha.
Pamoja na Mserbia huyo, wengine waliotupiwa virago ni pamoja na kipa namba mbili, Nelson Kimath, Waghana Isaack na Ernest Boakye, Bakari Mbegu, Yahaya Tumbo na Nsa Job.
Alisema kwa sasa wapo katika mchakato wa kuangalia wachezaji gani wazuri watawasajili katika klabu yao hiyo ili iweze kushiriki vema katika ligi ya klabu bingwa ya Afrika mwakani pamoja na michezo mashindano mengine yakiwemo Ligi Kuu Bara.
"Usajili wetu unazingatia mambo mengi, hatutaki kukurupuka katika hilo, hivyo tumeanza kuwaongezea mikataba wachezaji muhimu ambao ilikuwa imemalizika, wengine bado tunawajadili kama tutawaongezea ama tutawauza kwa mkopo katika timu nyingine, pia tunaangalia wachezaji kutoka timu nyingine," kilisema chanzo hicho.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Mario Balotelli makes his presence felt in Manchester Cup derby win

Striker arouses passion in both camps as Yaya Touré makes most of mistake to clinch victory for City

• Comments (100)

• 
• • Paul Hayward at Wembley
  • guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 April 2011 21.58 BST <li class="history">Article history
  
  Mario Balotelli of Manchester City does his best to get closer to the Manchester United fans. Photograph: Christopher Lee/The FA via Getty Images
  
  Just before his altercation with Rio Ferdinand at the end of this Manchester derby in exile, Mario Balotelli, the enfant terrible of the sky blue half of town, aroused the fury of his own manager by shooting when he should have held on to the ball to help preserve City's one-goal lead.
  Balotelli is a highly balanced individual: he upsets both sides.
  With their erratic and troubled 20-year-old striker starting fires across the industry, City are within reach of their first trophy since the 1976 League Cup and are through to their first major final for 30 years. The last time they won the FA Cup, Neil Young scored the winner against Leicester City, in 1969. Young, a local lad, died from cancer in February and drew this tribute from his former team-mate Mike Summerbee: "He was like a ballet dancer in the way he was so graceful on a football pitch."
  This City side are not blessed with balletic qualities, but this victory offers Roberto Mancini the hope of survival as City manager. An FA Cup and Champions League qualifying place for next term could prompt Sheikh Mansour, the club's owner, to extend Mancini's stay beyond next month.
  City have already landed one prize, of course: with Yaya Touré's solo goal they wrecked United's quest to emulate their 1999 treble. The target now for Sir Alex Ferguson's team: a repeat of the 2008 double of Premier League and Champions League titles.
  Over his 17 seasons with United, Paul Scholes has punctuated his majestic passing with the occasional tackle that seemed designed to leave his victim in two halves. Probably his last imprint on these derbies was to be found on Pablo Zabaleta's thigh as Scholes was sent off and 10 United players failed to break City's resistance.
  Scholes, the best English midfielder of his generation, is expected to depart the stage this summer. He will leave with United still on top in the crosstown rivalry, but Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour is at last starting to see some return on his astronomical outlay.
  There is no scientific measure of boisterousness, but surely City's followers broke the noise record for a semi-final, keeping up a din that suggested no resentment at the choice of venue: 200 miles south of Manchester, which involved hundreds of thousands of pounds in extra cost for the 86,549 crowd, not to mention the environmental damage, the late nights and the lost hours.
  The contempt demonstrated for the paying spectator as a result of the Football Association's need to pay the bill for Wembley was borne with good grace by both sets of fans, even if the Mancunian rivalry drips with spite.
  Even with their Middle-Eastern wealth, City's following still offers glimpses of the old Maine Road culture, where loyalty and gallows humour were embedded long before strikers cost £25m and Champions League qualification became a possibility.
  As a semi-final masquerading as a final unfolded, a slow pitch accentuated City's shortage of pace. A hefty, powerful side, City slog rather than float over the ground. Only Adam Johnson, their right-winger, could be called a flier. Yet, after the interval, City were the more dynamic presence.
  Mancini's reign is inextricably bound up with the faith he showed in Balotelli when luring him for £24m from Internazionale. Balotelli's rolling comedy of sulks, red cards and occasional flashes of talent have placed Mancini's judgment on the line. Not only that: when Carlos Tevez is unavailable, as he was here, Balotelli has become the centre-forward by default, as Edin Dzeko has made what can only be described as a clumsy start to his City career.
  A two-game suspension for swearing aggressively into a TV camera at West Ham removed Wayne Rooney from this match but not, surprisingly, the United bench, where he slipped a tracksuit top over his shirt and tie and threw himself into a supporting role.
  Bad language stopped play for the successful Rooney-Javier Hernández partnership, so Dimitar Berbatov took on the goalscoring duties, flanked by Nani and Antonio Valencia, while Park Ji-sung floated and Scholes and Michael Carrick squared up to City's meaty midfield trio of Nigel de Jong, Gareth Barry and Touré.
  A new dynamic shapes these Manchester derbies. No longer can City present themselves as the authentic face of the city, assailed by a rich corporation that draws support from all over England. City are the richer outfit now, but approach the biggest games cautiously, making containment their priority and attacking only intermittently.
  Yet after the break a spark of defiance flew through their thoughts and they swarmed towards their supporters behind Edwin van der Sar's goal. As with so many game-changing acts, Touré's goal was the product of his own ability and somebody else's error. When Carrick passed to his City counterpart on the edge of the United box, Touré surged round Nemanja Vidic and clipped a shot past Van der Sar.
  "It's a major game on Tuesday up at Newcastle," Sir Alex Ferguson said. "We're getting recovered to get ready for the game. It doesn't matter when you play, you know you've got to recover and get on a winning streak again. The first 15 minutes after half-time cost us the game. Slack moments."
  Mancini delivered a fearsome tirade at Balotelli, who provoked even greater indignation from Rio Ferdinand, who had to be restrained, for flashing his badge at United's fans: a minor offence, inflated by the context. City will not advance softly with Balotelli around.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Hassan Mgosi now fed up with Simba




By Badru Kimwaga



17th April 2011



Comments

Mussa Hassan Mgosi controls the ball in one of the premier league matches.(Photo: File)


Simba lethal striker Mussa Hassan Mgosi says he is ready to be excluded from the team's next recruitment exercise if club executive committee will prove that he conspired to engineer the team's failure in the just ended Vodacom Premier League.
The team failed to retain the title last Sunday, leaving their archrivals Yanga to win the 16-team league with a goal difference in the last game.
The club's executive committee members are supposed to meet to discuss among other things, the performance of their coach Patrick Phiri and players who are accused of deliberately playing below the standard in the team's last games.
Simba fans and officials have been accusing some of the officials and players of sabotaging the team, including Mgosi, who has been a frequent goal scorer for the club since he joined the team from JKT Ruvu.
Mgosi said he had been informed of the allegations formally, but had been hearing about them from some of officials of the Msimbazi Street side informally.
He said he had been saddened by the allegations, declaring that should evidence be advanced to back them up, he would quit the team.
"I am just hearing from the people that the executive committee will discuss me. How can they discuss me without informing me or seeking my side of the story?" the striker queried, remarking that this smacked of unfair play. This is not the first time for Simba to accuse Mgosi. He was once suspended over similar allegations when Hassani Dalali was the chairman of the club.
"This means that Simba do not trust me. How come they accuse me everyday? Does it mean that I am the only player in the team?" he asked.
Meanwhile, the meeting to table the allegations which was supposed to be held yesterday was postponed because the registration committee was busy recruiting players who will play for the team in the next year tournaments, according to the club's chairman Ismail Aden Rage who also said that they had already signed six newcomers.
However, Rage did not mention them but reliable sources named some of the players as Mwinyi Kazimoto from JKT Ruvu, Patrick Mafisango of Azam FC and Said Mohammed of Maji Maji who is also targeted by Yanga.
Simba will represent the country in the CAF Confederation Cup next year.



SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Owen Coyle: I've always believed in myself and had my family behind me

Bolton's manager radiates enthusiasm and optimism on the eve of his club's Wembley semi-final against Stoke City

• Paul Wilson
• The Observer, Sunday 17 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
  
  Owen Coyle is in positive mood before Bolton's FA Cup semi-final with Stoke City at Wembley. Photograph: Gary Calton
  
  Bolton are at Wembley, so naturally Owen Coyle is excited. Others in the north-west might be grumbling about the inconvenience and expense of having to decamp to London for both FA Cup semi-finals but the most positive, enthusiastic football evangelist to come out of Scotland since Bill Shankly simply doesn't see it like that. Who wouldn't want to be at Wembley?
  "Fans are always the most important consideration, but I think most of ours would prefer a trip to Wembley to a venue in the north," Coyle says. "Manchester United might see it differently but they get to go most years and we don't. Even though as a manager you want to concentrate on the game rather than the occasion, getting to Wembley is a marvellous boost for everyone involved. I know the players are looking forward to it &#8211; any footballer worth his salt wants to play at the best arena. It's a semi-final, in a sense it hardly matters where it is played as long as it's neutral, so why not stage it at a magnificent venue?"
  It is hard not to be seduced by Coyle's relentlessly affirmative world view. Wembley is not an over-priced mistake after all &#8211; it is still a venue of legends. Stoke City, their semi-final opponents, are not the ugly duckling of mid-table but a thoughtfully assembled side with every chance of turning into a swan.
  "Stoke have evolved, they've got better year by year," Coyle argues. "The perception they can only play one way does them a disservice because they've got some terrific footballers. They are a bit like us actually, so you'll see two positive teams. I've got a lot of time for Tony Pulis, he was my first opposing manager in England when I went to Burnley and there's not a negative bone in him. What I really warm to is that win, lose or draw, he always comes to see you afterwards with a smile on his face.
  "He did it on my first day, when he didn't know me, and he's still doing it now. I admire that and have tried to follow his example. It's a respect thing. You can be as competitive as you like for 90 minutes but anyone who has even dipped a toe into management knows how hard it is and once the game is finished we should support each other. You get enough criticism from outside, we're all under intense scrutiny and sometimes a bad result can be the hardest thing to take. But I've lost to Tony and won against him and you always know that whatever has happened he'll be equally friendly. That's the measure of the man."
  After famously going from God to Judas in the space of a few months at Burnley last season, now that Coyle has steadied Bolton's ship he seems among the most secure and unstressed of Premier League managers. At 44 and in just his second year at this level, he has over-performed twice, having taken on two unpromising situations, and he positively radiates comfortable, can-do optimism. In addition to belief in his own ability, he seems to have the happy knack of passing positivity on to his players. So where does all the confidence come from?
  "It's a good question," he says. "I've always believed in myself, though more importantly I had others who believed in me too, my family in particular. Both as a player and a manager I tried to maximise everything I had. I was never the greatest player in the world but there were certain things I could do. I was always supremely fit, I looked after myself, I could score a goal. I can't say I ever had much pace or power but I didn't let that stop me. I found a way to fit in. I had two older brothers who were already footballers before I was and I always felt the game would see me right. That and a close-knit family.
  "There are nine of us in all, and even though my mother is 80 my brothers bring her down from Glasgow to watch our home games. My family were helping me from the start, even though I didn't always realise it. I was supposed to sign for Dundee United, one of the glamour clubs of the time, but my brothers were at Dumbarton so I went there as a schoolboy. That was because my father, who was from Donegal, knew Sean Fallon, Dumbarton's managing director and a Sligo man, through the Irish community in Glasgow. He said I would be better off with my brothers, so that's what happened. It was a lower level of football, but I was only 5ft 4in until I was 17 and my growth spurt finally arrived. I think now that had I been with a bigger club they might easily have decided I was too small. No matter how good you are or how hard you work, you need breaks like that to make it. Plenty of very good players, like my brothers, never quite got them."
  There are also times when you make your own luck, or at least your own decisions. Refreshingly, Coyle seems to have prospered by letting his heart rule his head. Every time it was a question of taking money and a back seat or getting a game somewhere else he opted to move, which left him with a dozen former clubs and a wealth of experience.
  "I'm now managing in the best league in the world but it's something I've earned, nobody gave it to me," he says. "I've constantly moved to lower leagues and taken pay cuts, simply because I always wanted to be involved. Playing was the most important thing for me, the only thing. I could have stayed at Bolton for longer in 1995, but when it became clear I wouldn't get a regular game in the Premier League I went back to Scotland. It was bad enough when I finally had to accept I was too old to play any more. There was no way I was going to sit on the bench in my prime. Money was a secondary consideration, playing was all I wanted. People said I should have stayed in England, and I had offers, but I don't think I would be sitting here now if I had followed that path."
  While Coyle claims to be comfortable with all the decisions he has made, some were clearly harder than others. "Leaving Burnley was difficult emotionally, because I'd put my heart and soul into the job and we'd had unbelievable results," he admits. "It was a wrench, but I had to put all that to one side and make a footballing decision. So I did. That doesn't make it right or wrong but when faced with a tough decision all you can do is make up your mind and make sure you can deal with the consequences."
  It remains one of the few occasions when Coyle has had anything but joy from the game. Even though he preferred playing he was astute enough to take coaching badges as a 23-year-old with Airdrie, together with Sandy Stewart, his present assistant.
  "There was no decision to make that time," he says. "I love everything about football, I knew I wanted to be in it for as long as possible. I wish I was still a player. Management is the next best thing, nowhere near as good but still a huge privilege. When you get paid for doing this, and paid well, the minimum I ask of players is to go about their jobs with a smile and show they care.
  "I know there is pressure in football, but only football pressure. It's not like struggling to feed a family or keep a roof over your head. This is the best vocation anyone could wish for; even now I can hardly bring myself to call it a job. If you don't enjoy it there's something wrong. You can't win every game, or even play well in every match, but I strongly believe that professional footballers should appreciate how lucky they are."
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

English Premier League Roundup, Apr. 16

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Updated Apr 16, 2011 1:13 PM ET
Chelsea kept alive its faint hopes of retaining the Premier League title with a 3-1 win at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday that moved the defending champions to within eight points of leader Manchester United.

BARCLAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE ​

Sat., Apr. 16​

Birmingham 2-0 Sunderland | Recap
Blackpool 1-3 Wigan | Recap
Everton 2-0 Blackburn | Recap
West Brom 1-3 Chelsea | Recap
West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa | Recap

Sun., Apr. 17​

Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Tue., Apr. 19​

Newcastle vs. Man Utd

Wed., Apr. 20​

Chelsea vs. Birmingham
Tottenham vs. Arsenal

BPL Scores | Table | Fixtures​

With United playing local rival Manchester City in the semifinals of the FA Cup, Chelsea recovered from 1-0 down at the Hawthorns through goals by Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Frank Lampard.
Chelsea now has 61 points with six games remaining, one point behind second-place Arsenal, which hosts Liverpool in Sunday's match.
Everton continued its late-season rally with a 2-0 win over Blackburn, while Birmingham eased its relegation worries with a 2-0 win over Sunderland and Aston Villa did likewise with a 2-1 win at West Ham.
The Hammers had led through Robbie Keane's second-minute goal but dropped to 19th place as Wigan moved off the bottom of the standings with a 3-1 win at Blackpool that pushed its opponent into the three-team relegation zone.
After elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday with defeat at Manchester United, Chelsea's week got even worse in the 17th minute at West Brom. Peter Odemwingie raced clear and lifted the ball over goalkeeper Petr Cech for his 12th league goal of the season.
But Chelsea trailed for only five minutes as the 33-year-old Drogba - selected ahead of the out-of-form Fernando Torres as the focal point of Chelsea's attack - equalized with his 11th Premier League goal of the season.
Drogba tapped in after fullback Nicky Shorey cleared a cross straight to the Ivory Coast striker.
Chelsea led 2-0 in the 26th after goalkeeper Scott Carson failed to push away Drogba's long-range shot and Kalou scored with an angled shot from the rebound.
Chelsea's third goal, in the last minute of the first half, was its best.
From a deep position, Drogba released Florent Malouda down the left wing and the France international pulled the ball back to Lampard. The England midfielder, who had already had a 30-meter (shot) tipped over the bar, had time to place his shot past Carson.
With games against Birmingham and West Ham next, Chelsea has the chance to keep up the pressure on the two sides above it and hope they slip up. Otherwise, its only aim for the rest of the season is to clinch qualification for the Champions League.
Everton is too far behind to make the top four, but stretched its unbeaten streak to seven league matches through goals by Leon Osman and Leighton Baines.
Osman's deflected shot in the 54th broke the deadlock at Goodison Park before Baines converted a penalty in the 75th after Phil Jones had fouled Seamus Coleman.

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Seventh-place Everton is just one point behind local rival Liverpool, which aims to win at Emirates Stadium for the first time on Sunday.
Hugo Rodallega, Charles N'Zogbia and an own goal by Craig Cathcart lifted Wigan off the bottom of the standings and out of the relegation zone to 17th place. Blackpool replaced its opponent in the drop zone, above only West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Hammers looked set to take a valuable point from its meeting with Aston Villa after Darren Bent had equalized Keane's early goal, but Gabriel Agbonlahor struck in the last minute to give Villa a 2-1 win and lift his side all the way up to ninth place.
Cardiff retook second place in the second-tier League Championship with a 3-0 win over Portsmouth, while Reading kept up its unlikely charge for possible automatic promotion with a 3-1 win over playoff hopeful Leicester.
Leader Queen's Park Rangers won 1-0 at Barnsley on Tuesday and next plays Monday, when Derby visits Loftus Road.