Liverpool hoping to continue revival

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Brendan Rodgers admits Liverpool hit rock bottom last month but the Reds manager is confident surviving such a tumultuous period will be the making of his players.


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Liverpool – Brendan Rodgers admits Liverpool hit rock bottom last month but the Reds manager is confident surviving such a tumultuous period will be the making of his players.


Rodgers' side lost three successive Premier League matches for the first time in his two-and-a-half-year reign as a nightmare run threatened to ruin Liverpool's season.


The former Swansea boss found himself under pressure as a result, with questions from fans and media over whether he was the right man to lead Liverpool out of the crisis.


But the Reds responded positively to end November with a battling 2-2 Champions League draw against Bulgarian side Ludogorets and then a 1-0 league win over Stoke last weekend.


Liverpool followed that with a more convincing 3-1 victory at Leicester in midweek and Rodgers says morale at Anfield has improved significantly ahead of Saturday's home clash with Sunderland.


“We were at a low as everyone saw,” Rodgers said. “We had set such high standards here over the past couple of years and we had fallen way below that.


“I felt the performance levels weren't quite right. But I felt the change after that. I felt that could be the making of us.


“Our last two performances have shown we have got that character.


“That period where we hadn't won, we had some decent performances but ultimately we're in the business of winning.”


Liverpool now face a defining month as they look to make up ground in the Premier League starting with the visit of Sunderland, before matches against Manchester United and Arsenal.


They also face Swiss side FC Basel knowing victory is required to reach the last 16 of the Champions League next week, and travel to Bournemouth in the League Cup quarter-finals a week after that.


“The feeling is certainly different now,” Rodgers added. “For us we just need to go game by game. That's how you build runs and momentum.


“It was the same last year when we won 11 games in a row. The feeling now is much different on the training field and in the changing room.”


Liverpool are still without Italian striker Mario Balotelli (groin) and will assess knee injuries picked up by midfielder Philippe Coutinho and left-back Jose Enrique.


Long-term absentees Daniel Sturridge (thigh), Mamadou Sakho (hip) and Jon Flanagan (knee) all remain on the sidelines.


Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet says his side must show the right kind of mentality as they look to end their long winless run at Anfield.


The Black Cats haven't beaten Liverpool on Merseyside since October 1983, and are intent on bouncing back quickly from the 4-1


midweek home defeat to Manchester City that left them two points above the relegation zone.


Poyet, whose side have won one of their last seven games, is set to ring the changes as his squad faces the third of the Premier League's four Champions League sides in succession.


“I'm trying to create a new mentality here. I need to get people to break away from the idea that just because we're playing a top team that we can accept a defeat,” Poyet said.


“I don't see how you can convince yourself you're going to win a game if you think it doesn't matter if you lose.


“It's a mental thing, and the more the players get the idea that we can't accept defeat to anyone, the easier it becomes to approach each game with a belief we can win.”


Winger Adam Johnson, centre-back Wes Brown and midfielder Jordi Gomez are set to return to the starting line-up after missing out against City.


Will Buckley, Sebastian Coates, and Jack Rodwell are the players expected to make way. – Sapa-AFP






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United grit starting to come through

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Four wins a row have lifted Manchester United into the Premier League's top four and Louis van Gaal's managerial reign is beginning to bear fruit.


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London - Four wins a row have lifted Manchester United into the Premier League's top four and Louis van Gaal's managerial reign is beginning to bear fruit after a difficult start.


Although home victories over Crystal Palace, Hull City and Stoke City would not normally set pulses racing at Old Trafford, the gutsy win at Arsenal showed signs of the fierce team spirit that underpinned Alex Ferguson's glittering reign at the club.


Van Gaal has overcome a spate of injuries that have forced him to field a patched-up defence in almost every match and United's resurgence has been epitomised by the form of the much-maligned Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young.


Fellaini, signed by former manager David Moyes and seen as a symbol of his unhappy spell at the club, has been a stalwart in Van Gaal's midfield, using his physical attributes to great effect at both ends of the pitch.


He struck a spectacular goal at West Bromwich Albion, his first for United, and his far-post header opened the scoring against Stoke.


“It's good for the confidence to score the goal,” he told reporters.


“It was a great cross as well and it was a great combination, so it's good. I feel a little bit tired as I start to play every game so I feel the fatigue but I have to rest and work hard again.


“We know each other a lot better and we know the manager and the staff,” Fellaini added.


“We know the philosophy of the manager. We are training hard as well so we have to continue like that. It is good to win four games in a row. We have to continue like that.”


Young, a peripheral figure under Moyes, has also flourished in an unfamiliar left back role.


The former England winger has always possessed pace and an eye for goal but was not noted for the diligent defensive work he has put in, highlighted by a last-gasp goalline clearance against Stoke.


Van Gaal's defensive injury problems are slowly easing and goalkeeper David de Gea has been a rock.


Striker Robin van Persie is struggling to make an impact but with Wayne Rooney in good form and Radamel Falcao restored to full fitness, United will look to continue their upward momentum as games come thick and fast in the next month. – Reuters






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Arsenal still missing Walcott

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Arsenal will again be without Theo Walcott for their Premier League trip to Stoke City as the England forward is still recovering from a thigh injury.


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London - Arsenal will again be without Theo Walcott for their Premier League trip to Stoke City as the England forward is still recovering from a thigh injury.


Walcott, who returned to make two brief substitute appearances in November after nearly a year out with a serious knee injury, hurt his thigh while on international duty.


“He has an injection today so he will not play. Galatasaray (in the Champions League) is also too early,” Wenger told a news conference on Friday.


Left back Nacho Monreal will also miss the game after picking up a knock in the 1-0 win against Southampton in midweek but keeper Wojciech Szczesny is available again after returning to training.


Arsenal have a poor record at Stoke, winning only once in the league at the Britania Stadium since the Midlands club returned to the top flight in 2008, but Wenger played down the significance of what is a notoriously tricky fixture.


Relations between the clubs were soured when Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey suffered a broken leg in a tackle by Ryan Shawcross in 2010.


“It's always a tough and committed place to go but we dictate the way we want to play at that level of commitment,” Wenger said. “It's a football game, not a hate game. We want to focus on playing football.


“Stoke don't lose many games at home and have good records against many good teams” – Reuters






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Tinkler to add steel to Pirates

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Orlando Pirates interim coach Eric Tinkler faces the toughest task of his coaching career - the Soweto derby.


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Eric Tinkler was renowned for his steeliness during his playing days, especially in the heart of the Bafana Bafana midfield where he destroyed opposition attacks before they could even begin.


He clearly hasn’t lost that quality.


Right now he should be a bundle of nerves, Tinkler having been thrown into the deepest end of the local game.


But the former Wits University player was calmness personified yesterday as he looked ahead to the biggest match of his coaching career.


Elevated to the caretaker coach position at Orlando Pirates who parted ways with Vladimir Vermezovic on Wednesday, Tinkler takes charge for the first time in the country’s biggest match – the Soweto derby against the slick machine that is Kaizer Chiefs.


“I read a headline that said ‘Tinkler faces Baptism of Fire’ and that’s very true. But I see myself as being very fortunate to get this opportunity to coach in such a huge match,” he said during the pre-match press conference held at the Carlton Centre in front of hundreds of excitable fans


“While I’ve played for a few clubs and even spent time overseas, this will be a first for me because I’ve never played in front of a 90000 crowd at club level. And it’s an opportunity of a lifetime for everyone, coaches and players alike.”


It is the second time he has been placed in charge of the Buccaneers following the departure of the head coach, Tinkler having stepped into the fray when his good friend Roger de Sa left.


This time though it is for a longer period as Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza has tasked him with steering the ship to calmer waters up until the end of the season. And Tinkler values Khoza’s belief in his abilities.


“I’ve been an assistant coach for about 10 years now, and I’m grateful the chairman has showed faith in me by putting me in charge for the rest of the season.


“Now it’s important for me to try and rebuild the team. This is a very big responsibility.”


The rebuilding begins with the tough task of leading Pirates in tomorrow’s derby against a Chiefs outfit that just can’t seem to put a foot wrong.


“Naturally we’re the underdogs. Chiefs are on fire at the moment. They are unbeaten in the league and are just fresh from a fantastic win at Wits. So I understand the kind of challenge that this match brings. And we’ve only had two days to prepare after the coach left. So it would be stupid of me to make big changes to the team or the way they play.”


He will, however, add the Tinkler touch to the side.


“Of course there might be a few tweaks here and there. But I’ve been part of this team for a while now and having been previously in charge they know my way of doing things.”


Pirates have had a poor run in the league and trail Chiefs by a massive 15 points. And Tinkler seems to have an idea of where their failings have been.


“I’ve been concerned with the way we’ve been conceding goals especially because the way we conceded them was the very way we’d worked hard at training to avoid,” he explained.


“Also we have let in nine goals from set-pieces and we all know how deadly Chiefs can be in that regard. So we will have to be careful in that respect. The key for us on Saturday will be to turn our opportunities into goals.”


And having used Wednesday and yesterday to work on the players’ confidence, Tinkler believes Pirates will be in the right frame of mind come kick-off.


“The key for me in this past days has been to get the players’ attitude right and they have responded well. There’s been happy faces at training. I’m sure we will come out of the match with a positive result.” - The Star






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Tough ask, but Bafana can do it

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Bafana were thrown into a group from hell in the Africa Cup of Nations draw, but there is hope, writes Matshelane Mambolo.


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While there can be no denying that Bafana Bafana were thrown into a group from hell in Wednesday night’s Africa Cup of Nations draw, Shakes Mashaba and South Africa can take solace in the country’s record against their opponents.


Bafana have never lost to any of the other three teams in Group C at the biennial, continental showpiece finals.


Top seeded Ghana, Africa’s top ranked Algeria, as well as Senegal will battle it out with South Africa for the top two spots that will guarantee quarterfinal participation at the 16-team tournament to be hosted by Equatorial Guinea from January 17.


Granted, statistics and records are nothing more than numbers about past matches on a piece of paper with very little influence on the outcome of future matches. But when he takes his team to Mongoma, the supreme motivator that is Mashaba will no doubt tap into those to inspire his boys.


He will remind them of the fact that back in 1996 when Bafana conquered the continent, they did so having accounted for both Algeria and Ghana en-route to the final.


Clive Barker’s team beat the Desert Foxes 2-1 in the quarterfinals, Shoes Moshoeu scoring the winner five minutes from time, 60 seconds after Lazizi had canceled out Mark Fish’s 72nd minute opener.


Next up for Bafana were that great Black Stars side of Tony Yeboah and Abedi Pele and many on the continent thought the hosts’ brilliant run would be halted. But an inspired Moshoeu brace sandwiched a wonder strike by Shaun Bartlett in Bafana’s best performance of the tournament on a balmy Johannesburg evening for an emphatic 3-0 win.


Any thoughts these successes were due to homeground advantage were dispelled at later tournaments, Bafana holding Algeria 1-1 in the group stage of the 2000 edition. They immediately went on to break Ghanaian hearts in their own back yard with a Siyabonga Nomvethe goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal win at the Sports Stadium in Kumasi.


Bafana’s only Afcon clash with Senegal came at the 2008 tournament hosted by Ghana. The teams met in Kumasi for the final group match that petered out in a 1-1 draw which saw both teams eliminated.


Admittedly, all that happened a long time ago, with Ghana a much stronger outfit with plenty of World Cup experience, as are Algeria, who reached the second round of the global showpiece in Brazil back in June.


Senegal were fantastic in the qualifiers, the Lions of Teranga dishing out such organised tactical displays en route to topping their qualifying group.


Mashaba, who has also turned Bafana into a competitive side, agrees it will be a tough ask to get out of the group.


“A tough group that we find ourselves in with all four teams coming from different regions so it needs a lot of spying, planning ... because all three teams are very good ... Ghana, Algeria and Senegal,” said Mashaba from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, after the draw. “What we can say to South Africans is that even though it is a tough draw, we are going there to compete.” - The Star






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United set for another spending spree

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Manchester United are ready to spend another £150million next summer to complete the Gaal-actico revolution at Old Trafford.


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Manchester United are ready to spend another £150million next summer to complete the Gaal-actico revolution at Old Trafford.


United are convinced they are heading in the right direction under Louis van Gaal and want to copy the Real Madrid blueprint by having an elite player in every position.


After backing the Dutchman by making six signings last summer — including smashing the British transfer record to sign Angel di Maria from Real for £59.7m — the club are preparing for another massive investment, with senior sources insisting that rebuilding has only just begun.


United have spent £215m on players since September 2013 in a bid to reverse the alarming decline of the past 18 months, and another spree on the scale of last summer would take their investment beyond £350m.


Van Gaal has made centre back, right back and winger his main target areas.


United have not ruled out making signings in the January transfer window — as was the case with Juan Mata’s £37.1m arrival from Chelsea at the start of this year — but suspect they will have to wait until the summer to find the right players.


The list includes Barcelona right back Dani Alves, Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben, central defenders Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund and Diego Godin of Atletico Madrid, and Roma defensive midfielder Kevin Strootman.


United also have a big decision to make over striker Radamel Falcao, who will cost a further £46m on top of his £6m loan fee if his move from Monaco is made permanent.


The Colombia striker has struggled with injury so far, scoring just once. A fresh influx of signings will be followed by another major clear-out after 20 players were cut from the first-team squad last summer.


Reserve goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard could be the first to go in January, paving the way for United to offer a contract to former Barcelona No 1 Victor Valdes, who has been training at Carrington as he recuperates from a serious knee-ligament injury.


United have decided to keep Anderson until the end of his contract in the summer rather than give him a £1.4m pay-off next month, but a number of Brazilian clubs are interested in taking the midfielder back to his homeland and Old Trafford sources are optimistic a buyer can be found.


Nani has been in impressive form on loan at Sporting Lisbon but United are unlikely to recall the Portugal winger and will look to sell to any club prepared to take on his wages of £120,000 a week.


Javier Hernandez, Tom Cleverley, Wilfried Zaha and Nick Powell are also out on loan and unlikely to return. Darren Fletcher is out of contract at the end of the season, while Robin van Persie, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Rafael will have just one year left on their deals.


It means that up to 10 players could leave Old Trafford in addition to last summer’s exodus. That represents a massive turnover for a club that grew accustomed to stability under Sir Alex Ferguson.


However, United are satisfied with the way Van Gaal has overhauled the squad and remain confident they can return to the European elite with the right investment and approach.


Despite a poor start, the new manager has taken his team into fourth place in the Premier League table after signing Di Maria, Falcao, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw in the summer.


Two players United do want to keep are goalkeeper David de Gea and Michael Carrick. De Gea has matured into one of the best goalkeepers in Europe since joining United in the summer of 2011 but the Spaniard will be out of contract in 18 months’ time.


That has alerted Real Madrid but a United source insisted they are ‘completely relaxed’ over De Gea’s situation, even though negotiations with his representatives have yet to begin in earnest.The club also have an option to extend Carrick’s contract by a further 12 months and seem likely to do so following the veteran midfielder’s return from ankle surgery.


Meanwhile, United have yet to decide whether to arrange a prestige friendly abroad or a warm-weather training trip to the Middle East in January and will leave the final decision to Van Gaal. – Daily Mail






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Anfield set for £114m revamp

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Liverpool will finally begin work on expanding Anfield, with 8 500 seats being added in a revamped Main Stand.


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Liverpool will finally begin work on expanding Anfield, with 8 500 seats being added in a revamped Main Stand.


The project, which has been two years in the planning, will see the stadium capacity rise to 53 500 for the start of the 2016-17 season.


The redevelopment of Anfield has been an enormous issue for Liverpool since the turn of this century, with Tom Hicks and George Gillett famously declaring when they bought the club from David Moores in February 2007 that they would ‘have a spade in the ground’ within 60 days.They had intended to build on a site on adjacent Stanley Park but their plans were doomed to failure, and they sold the club to Fenway Sports Group in 2010.


This announcement is regarded by chairman Tom Werner and Ian Ayre, the club’s chief executive, as being a ‘momentous day’ in Liverpool’s history.


‘It was just over two years ago that we said our preference was to stay at Anfield and here we are announcing that the expansion is going ahead,’ said Werner. ‘We have made more progress in the last two years than in the last decade.’


FSG had considered building a new ground but have favoured a project on the lines of how they redeveloped Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. FSG are underwriting the development with an interest-free loan of £114m, which will be paid back over five-and-a-half years from the extra £20m the club expect to earn each year through the new seats.


Werner added: ‘Having experience of expanding Fenway Park and being through a similar and very successful project of the Red Sox, everyone at FSG is excited to be part of expanding Anfield.’


Carillion are the construction company entrusted with building the Main Stand and Liverpool also have planning permission to redevelop the Anfield Road stand — which would add another 4 500 seats — in the future. But, as yet, there is no urgency to pursue that.


‘We spent the first 18 months looking at solutions and decided staying at Anfield was the best,’ said Ayre. ‘We always said we did not want any false dawns. Finding the right economic solution in the best interests of the club.’


A significant chunk of the new seats will go to corporate clients but, at a time when Liverpool fans have been protesting about the cost of admission prices, Ayre has argued it is a necessity to supplement incomes if Liverpool are to keep pace with Premier League rivals.


‘I don’t think there’s a club in the country who could afford to spend money on a new stand without the assistance of corporate hospitality,’ said Ayre.


‘It pays. It will probably pay two thirds or more of the payback of this facility.


Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard was delighted at the Anfield expansion news, saying: ‘It was all about staying at Anfield. I’m more traditional and I like old stadiums where the history and memories happen.‘We’ve had our picture taken with a host of Liverpool legends and I’ve got memories of them playing and doing terrific things for this club.


‘There have been so many unbelievable nights and memories here, it would have been a shame to leave it and for this to become apartments. ‘Now that they are going to extend the stadium, it’s going to become even bigger, better and noisier. Hopefully there are many more fantastic memories to come.’ – Daily Mail






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News sport : Kyrie Irving takes out the Knicks with 37 points, game-icing lay-up for Cavs

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The idea behind a superteam is pretty simple — few teams can handle three All-Stars at their best, and if one or two are having an iffy night then at least one of the three should be able to pick up the slack. Yet that plan hasn't always worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers so far this season. LeBron James has been very good but less effective than his usual self, Kyrie Irving has been OK but prone to bad decisions, and Kevin Love hasn't broken out in these first few weeks. Anticipation of dominance has already given way to a more complicated reality.


Still, the Cavs have a lot of really good players, which means that a star can break out and lead his team to victory nearly single-handedly on any given night. Kyrie Irving was the guy on Thursday night vs. the Knicks, scoring 37 points on very efficient shooting stats (12-of-18 from the field, 10-of-11 from the line) on a night when LeBron and Love combined for 30 points on 11-of-28 shooting with no one else in double figures. Irving also had the game-clinching bucket, this teardrop over Iman Shumpert with mere seconds left in regulation:





The Cavs came away with a 90-87 win, their fifth in a row. Carmelo Anthony missed a potential game-tying three-pointer on the game's last possession to end an awful night (nine points on 4-of-19 shooting with five turnovers). The Knicks are now 4-16, the worst 20-game start in franchise history.


Irving's greatness went way beyond just the one play, so it's worth looking at a longer highlight reel:





The outing finished off a very successful trip to New York for Kyrie, whose first signature sneaker for Nike was unveiled on Wednesday in the city.


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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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Aguero is the best - Zabaleta

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Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has warned Everton they will face the best player on the planet in their Premier League clash at Eastlands.


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Manchester, United Kingdom – Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has warned Everton they will face the best player on the planet in their Premier League clash at Eastlands.


Zabaleta believes City forward Sergio Aguero is currently the most dynamic force in world football after the Argentine took his goal tally to 19 in 16 starts this season with a brace in a 4-1 win at Sunderland on Wednesday.


That victory ensured Manuel Pellegrini's side kept the pressure on unbeaten Premier League leaders Chelsea.


But without Aguero's impressive form, champions City would be struggling to retain the title and his compatriot Zabaleta is more than willing to declare him better than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi.


“I think, on current form, Sergio is the best player in the world,” Zabaleta said ahead of this weekend's visit from Everton.


“I've known him a long time and at the moment he's showing the finest form of his career. Long may it continue.


“Everything he does, he makes it look so easy. He's sharp, clinical but he also works really hard for the team off the ball. That's something you have to appreciate from Sergio.


“Normally strikers want to play with the ball but he works ever so hard for the team, he's been great.


“He's the best striker in the world at the moment and we're very lucky to have him in our team.”


Zabaleta also hailed Aguero's contribution in helping him score his first goal since April against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light as second placed City stayed within six points of Chelsea thanks to a fourth straight win.


“I've taken a few lessons in finishing off Sergio,” he added.


“I told him not to be worried about me scoring my first of the season ÄI'm only goals 18 behind him!


“We are not giving up on the title. We are six behind Chelsea and it's going to be difficult but nothing is done yet. We still have belief.”


Aguero came off against Sunderland, but it is understood to only have been as a precaution, and there are no injury concerns over City's leading scorer.


City captain Vincent Kompany remains on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and will miss the visit of Roberto Martinez's side.


But the Belgium centre-back has an outside chance of being fit for City's decisive Champions League match away to Roma next week.


Everton defender Sylvain Distin believes team-mate Muhamed Besic can become a key performer for the Toffees in the remainder of the campaign.


Bosnia international Besic joined Everton from Hungarian club Ferencvaros in the close season but has had to bide his time at Goodison Park.


However, recent injuries to midfielders James McCarthy and Gareth Barry have given tough-tackling Besic his chance.


And Distin believes the 22-year-old has grabbed it with some impressive performances which should see him keep his spot for the trip to City.


“Muhamed's a really good prospect for the club,” Distin said.


“He is doing great and brings a lot of energy; with the amount of games we have it's always good to have a fresh player coming in.


“He is motivated, young and he's still learning.”


However, French centre-back Distin admits Everton need a positive result at City to remain in touch with the Champions League places.


“We have had a lot of games and that's going to continue for another month,” Distin added.


“But we have to move on because it is a big game against City this weekend, then next week, then the following weekend.


“That is the Premier League and we want to keep fighting to make the top four.”


Everton boss Martinez should have midfielder McCarthy and striker Steven Naismith available after hamstring injuries, but midfielder Darron Gibson (knee) is absent along with centre-backs Antolin Alcaraz (shoulder) and John Stones (ankle). – Sapa-AFP






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News sport : Dez Bryant animated on sideline, carries emotions into locker room

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CHICAGO — Dez Bryant had six receptions for 82 yards in the Dallas Cowboys' Thursday night win over the Chicago Bears, which is almost a quiet night for him.

Almost.


Bryant was seen lustily yelling on the sidelines in the fourth quarter, as the Bears turned a 25-point deficit into a 10-point game with just over six minutes remaining. On the television broadcast, it looked bad. But Bryant's passion sometimes can be misconstrued as the fiery competitor he is.


Bryant spoke with ESPN Dallas' Tim McMahon after the game and let loose some more.



Yeah, that's passion all right. Is it a good thing? That's for others to decide. But Bryant clearly doesn't care how others view him and believes that he has backing in the locker room, even if his methods can be a bit ... extreme at times.


[Join FanDuel.com's $2.25M Week 14 fantasy league: $25 to enter; top 20,675 teams paid]


The Cowboys have broken their streak of three straight 8-8 seasons the past three years by advancing to 9-4 with the win over the Bears. Bryant topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season during his six-catch, 82-yard game, the third straight season he's reached the mark — joining Michael Irvin and Terrell Owens as the only Cowboys to achieve that three-year plateau.


Among his catches included a 42-yard grab, plus a killer stiff arm on Bears rookie corner Kyle Fuller:





Things are mostly good in Cowboyville these days, with three wins in the past four games, helping get the Thanksgiving taste out of their mouths following the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and a chance for retribution in the Week 15 rematch in Philly.


Dez, for one, will be ready. He didn't play his best game in the loss a week ago.



But Dez, please note: No matter what happens, we can't print all those bad words you said Thursday, at least in full. See, we need to use those "little stars" as you call them, as an editorial version of earmuffs. This still is, after all, a family blog, is it not?


- - - - - - -


Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!






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Rodgers given vote of confidence

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Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers was given a vote of confidence by the club's chief executive Ian Ayre, who dismissed recent speculation the manager's job was under threat.


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London - Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers was given a vote of confidence by the club's chief executive Ian Ayre, who dismissed recent speculation the manager's job was under threat.


A week ago Rodgers was joint favourite with one bookmaker to become the first Premier League manager to get the sack this season, but back-to-back wins have brought some of the feel-good factor back to Anfield.


Ahead of Saturday's visit of Sunderland and a crucial run of matches including a make-or-break Champions League clash with Basel and Premier League tussles with Manchester United and Arsenal, Rodgers heralded a “real and exciting period of games”.


After three straight league defeats at the start of November, his mood has been buoyed by last weekend's 1-0 victory over Stoke City and a 3-1 success at Leicester City, while Ayre's comments are only likely to bring further cheer.


“There was no speculation on our part,” the CEO told Sky Sports.


“Lose a few games and the whole world turns but certainly not within this football club and our fan base. The manager has great support, we work as one team, we are all together, nobody's running scared and we are very pleased.”


At the heart of Liverpool's recent revival has been Lucas Leiva, whose return to the side has provided some previously absent steel to a midfield that was too often exposed in the early part of the campaign.


In what is likely to be music to the ears of many fans, Rodgers confirmed the club had received no offers for the Brazilian who has long been linked with a move away having struggled to oust captain Steven Gerrard from the midfield anchor role.


“He was always an important member of the squad. He's in a good moment and long may it continue,” Rodgers told reporters on Thursday.


On the injury front, Rodgers confirmed that striker Mario Balotelli was still unavailable, while Daniel Sturridge, who has not played since suffering a thigh injury with England in September “has gone away to get some work in, with some of our staff, doing specific work”.


Off the pitch, the club confirmed their stadium expansion, which will add 8,500 seats to take the capacity to around 54,000, with construction set to begin on Monday.


“Today is an important milestone in the history of Liverpool Football Club,” Ayre said on the club website (www.liverpoolfc.com).


“Since we embarked upon this journey we have always said that we need certainty; we now have that certainty.” – Reuters






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News sport : Daisuke Matsuzaka signs with Japan's Fukuoka Softbank Hawks

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(Getty Images) As expected Daisuke Matsuzaka is going back home to Japan, likely closing the book on his career in MLB.


The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks announced on Thursday that they were signing the 34-year-old right-hander. Earlier this offseason there were reports out of Japan that the Nippon Professional Baseball champions had offered Matsuzaka a four-year deal.


It's a quiet exit for a pitcher that arrived to North America which such dizzying expectations.


Between his posting fee and first contract, Matsuzaka cost the Boston Red Sox over $100 million to bring over in 2006. At the time he was just 26 and already a Japanese baseball legend.


It was his performance at the 2006 World Baseball Classic that introduced him to the rest of the world, winning MVP as he led his country to the title. He also won the WBC MVP in 2009 as Japan defend their crown, but he never came close to replicating that sort of dominance over any sustained period in the big leagues.


In all he spent eight seasons in the majors, six with Boston and the last two with the New York Mets. His career numbers are middling, a 56-43 record with a 4.45 ERA and fWAR of 10.5.


It's easy to forget that Matsuzaka got off to a fairly good start in his first couple seasons. He made four postseason starts for the Red Sox in 2007 as they went on to win the World Series. His best season in Boston came in 2008 when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA and finished 4th in AL Cy Young voting.


After that, Matsuzaka struggled with injury - he spent much time on the DL in 2009 and 2010 and missed most of 2011 following Tommy John surgery - and was never the same pitcher again.


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News sport : Steph Curry goes behind the back twice to finish Warriors 11th straight win

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The Golden State Warriors entered Thursday night's game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans with the best record in the NBA (15-2) and a claim to status as a legitimate title contender, not just the dark horse they seemed to be before the start of the season. New head coach Steve Kerr has overseen something like a best-case scenario.


Plays like Tuesday night's game-winner vs. Orlando have made point guard Stephen Curry an MVP candidate, but he is so much more than functional or prone to coming up big in crunch time. Simply put, Curry is fun, capable of creating excitement when the result is already decided and drama is theoretically absent from the contest. He'd be worth watching even if the Warriors were at the bottom of the league.


So it's important to note two things about the following play. First, the Warriors were up 104-82 with roughly 2:25 left in regulation, which is another way of saying that the game was over. Second, and most crucially, Curry went behind his back twice — first as a dribble, then as a pass — for pretty much no reason except that it was totally awesome. Take a look:





If you're into results, then you'd probably like to know that the Warriors won 112-85 for their 11th straight victory, tying a franchise record set in 1971-72. This season's squad can set a new mark on Saturday at the Chicago Bulls, which rates as their biggest test during the streak.


Klay Thompson led the team in scoring with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting (including 7-of-8 to finish the game). A few days from now, it's likely that line will be seen as secondary to the unnecessary pass that led to the highlight above.


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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Hail Mary to win gives UCF a share of the AAC title

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Central Florida got a share of the American Athletic Conference with an improbable 32-30 win over East Carolina thanks to a Hail Mary pass from Justin Holman to Breshad Perriman.


UCF got the ball with 10 seconds left and completed a 14-yard pass on the first play. The second was this bomb to Perriman, who ECU inexplicably let get behind the coverage to catch the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock.


The Knights turned the ball over on downs with one timeout remaining and 1:47 left on the clock. The comeback win for ECU was pretty much a done deal, right? Wrong.


After East Carolina kneeled the ball down twice, UCF called a timeout with 1:02 seconds left and after a running play and an ECU timeout as the play clock ran to zero before fourth down, ECU QB Shane Carden took a sack on the Pirates' last offensive play as he tried to run more time off the clock.


However, he lost 11 yards in the process and only took six seconds off the clock, setting up Centra Florida's game-winning drive.


UCF was up one point 26-9 after a fourth field goal by Shawn Moffitt. But ECU scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and took the lead with 2:17 to go when Carden hit Justin Hardy, the all-time leader in receptions at the FBS level, for a 13-yard touchdown.


WIth the win, UCF moves to 7-1 in the AAC and tied with Memphis at the top of the standings. Because the conference has 11 teams it does not have a conference championship game. And with eight conference games, not everyone plays each other. Memphis and UCF didn't meet in the regular season.


Cincinnati, 6-1, has a chance to move to 7-1 on Saturday and join the party at the top of the standings with a win against Houston. The Bearcats didn't play UCF during conference play and lost to Memphis. Per the rules for the conference, if more than one team has the same winning percentage, the teams are declared co-champions.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Stay classy, Chicago: Bears fans cheer announcement of Conte injury

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CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears might have brought out the worst in their fans this season, but they took it too far on Thursday night.


Bears safety Chris Conte suffered a back injury in the game and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. It was just the latest in a brutal season of wear and tear for the much-maligned safety.


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And for some reason, Bears fans have annointed Conte the antichrist. Is he a good football player? No, and Thursday's game against the Dallas Cowboys — before Conte got hurt — was pretty good evidence of that.


But some Bears fans sunk to a new low during the game when they cheered lustily when it was announced at Soldier Field that Conte was done for the game.


Seriously. They cheered a battered man suffering yet another injury, not to mention the multiple concussions he has been through in his relatively brief career.


Might want to reassess your priorities in life if you were one of the tools who was booing Conte getting hurt.


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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!






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