Fernando Cavenaghi, France Best Foreign Player

Defanie Arianti - Okezone

Bordeaux - French club Girondins Bordeaux origin middle rejoice. In addition to a nearest competitor Olympique Lyon in Ligue 1 board forum, one of the attackers andalannya successful snatch prestigious award.

Yes, the magazine France Football has been the attacker Fernando Cavenaghi crown as the Best Foreign Player This Year. Prestigious degree is given based on a poll of France Football, held, fed, so the AP on Wednesday (31/12/2008).

Cavenaghi performance throughout 2008, is impressive. Striker origin of Argentina's success is not print less than 28 goals throughout the year. Cavenaghi successfully overcome the difficulties following the kepindahannya from Spartak Moscow, early 2007/2008 season ago.

No wonder, brilliant appearance Cavenaghi give a direct interest in Tottenham Hotspur meminangnya. However, players 25 years that news turn directly, which states that consider themselves middle to accept the bid.

"This award is very valuable for me. Not easy to be selected as the best foreign players in France, especially as the attacker. Because, the players are very bertahannya out here and there are many good players," said the delighted when Cavenaghi know about this award.

In addition to Cavenaghi, Bordeaux full-Yoann Gourcuff it off as the Best Young Player This Year. Gourcuff (22) anchored at the Stade Chaban Delmas, beginning the season with the status of the loan from AC Milan.

Alonso, Ferrari drivers concealing

FAENZA - Speculation Fernando Alonso to Ferrari will be landed two upcoming season appeared to welcome the many good parties. Former technical director of the Minardi and Toro Rosso, Gabriele Tredozi disclose, El Nano is ideal for drivers who are in the skuad out in Maranello.

"As Schumacher has a new in there," said Tredozi This such as La gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday (30/12/2008).

"Alonso is able to go very fast. Technically, he is very strong and consistent," he added.

"What's important, he must feel the strong support the team no doubt. And he is not shy to pay the belief that," cetus founder skuad the head in Faenza, Gian Carlo Minardi.

"I have not met him again since the Italian Grand Prix. Although at that time we did not discuss the future, I do not doubt, he will be so great that the Ferrari drivers," Minardi sure.

"I feel, with the opportunity, he can overcome Hamilton easily," he added.

Meanwhile, former Ferrari boss Cesare Fiorio sure, 27 years old Renault driver is a driver's best Formula One (F1).

"Technicians always have the right intuition, who the best drivers. And I certainly want Alonso in the team. Currently, he is the best, even stronger than Lewis Hamilton," says Fiorio, which gave Alonso the chance to go first competition in the jet land F1 with Minardi in 1999 ago.

"Both are equally fast, but Fernando is able to minimize errors. Ferrari and Fernando will be a combination of extraordinary," he said

Kawasaki MotoGP exit?

Defanie Arianti - Okezone
AMSTERDAM - Is the global economic crisis eventually undermine Moto? Kawasaki Racing Team recently dikabarkan states will soon release himself from The most famous motor race in the world.

Recently, the automotive world by the news pullback from The Honda Formula One (F1) and the Subaru rally from the arena due affected by the global economic crisis. So far, teams in the Moto does not seem too affected by it.

However, Moto can be the first team to lose, not too long. As the fed Crash, Wednesday (31/12/2008), plans to resign from Kawasaki MotoGP arena. The team based out of Amsterdam, the Netherlands will reportedly announce the decision officially, next week.

Kendari so, can not yet be ascertained whether the global economic crisis into the causes of issuing the decision.

Although not able to compete with teams such as the top Yamaha, Honda, and Ducati, Kawasaki, but quite successful in the show taringnya premier MotoGP class. With drivers catenary such as Randy de Puniet, Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki often referred to as the best team konstruktor to five in The Moto.

If the news is a reality, meaning the drivers Kawasaki, John Hopkins and Marco Melandri will join the new threatened not to participate in the upcoming 2009 racing season.

NASCAR saw big changes in '08, except at top

Jimmie Johnson won a third consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship, but 2008 could still be considered a year of change for NASCAR.

Johnson joined Cale Yarborough as the only drivers to win three consecutive titles by posting seven wins, 15 top fives and 22 top 10s in 2008 to finish 69 points ahead of a hard-charging Carl Edwards.

Three of Johnson's victories and eight of his top 10s came during the 10-race "Chase for the Championship" as he all but locked up his "threepeat" with four races left in the season.

Edwards won the season finale at Homestead, but Johnson entered the race needing only to finish 36th or better to claim the title. Johnson did even better than that, cruising home with a 15th-place finish to match Yarborough, who won three straight titles from 1976-78.

But other than Johnson's historical campaign, NASCAR saw many changes in 2008.

It was the first full year of the Car of Tomorrow, which made its debut in 2007 at the Bristol race in March and was run in 16 races last season.

Kyle Busch, despite winning the inaugural COT race at Bristol, said that the car "sucked" during his Victory Lane interview.

The criticism of the new car continued in 2008, especially at the Brickyard 400 as the longest run under green flag conditions was 12 laps due to extreme wear of right-side tires.

Speaking of Busch, he moved from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2008 season and shocked the sport by winning eight of the first 26 races and building a huge points lead which was reset to 80 points per Chase seedings.

But Busch's title hopes went up in smoke early in the Chase with two consecutive DNF's at New Hampshire and Dover, wiping out his lead.

Busch was let go by Hendrick in order to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who left his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc. to drive for NASCAR's top team.

As a result, Earnhardt fared much better this past season, winning at Michigan to snap a 76-race winless streak. He even qualified for the Chase based on his consistent numbers, but struggled down the stretch and finished 12th in the final standings.

Earnhardt's new teammate at Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, also saw a big change in 2008.

The four-time series champion went without a win for the first time since his rookie season of 1993. Since that debut campaign, Gordon won at least two races every season, but will enter 2009 with a 41-race winless skid.

One driver who avoided a winless 2008 was Tony Stewart, who won the second Talladega race in October.

It was also his Stewart's first win at the superspeedway in 20 tries, but did not come without controversy.

Rookie Regan Smith actually passed Stewart on the final lap and crossed the finish line first. But he went under the yellow line to make the pass, which is illegal, giving Stewart the win.

Stewart also announced a big change during the 2008 season, revealing that he would leave Joe Gibbs Racing to drive for the newly-formed Stewart Haas Racing which he partly owns.

The Chase also kicked off with a change as Greg Biffle became the first driver to win the first two of the 10-race playoff when he claimed back-to-back victories at New Hampshire and Dover.

Despite those consecutive wins, Biffle never took over the top spot in the Chase and finished third overall - 217 points behind Johnson.

Now, Johnson heads into 2009 in search of a fourth straight title with several more changes ahead for NASCAR.

Due to the flagging economy, the sport has already banned testing for at least the 2009 season.

And with teams like DEI and Chip Ganassi Racing merging and a few others expected to follow suit because of the tough economy, next season could be also another year of huge changes for NASCAR.

source:nbcsports.msnbc.com

Toyota commits to F1 despite loss

Toyota has vowed to continue running its Formula One team despite forecasting an annual loss of £1.1bn.

Honda's shock departure from the sport in December because of the global economic crisis, it had been feared Toyota could follow suit.

But Toyota Motor Corporation president Katsuaki Watanabe insisted: "We will continue F1 and other motorsport activities while cutting costs.

"To keep [spending] up at the current level is extremely difficult."

Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, announced on Monday that it was bracing itself for its first annual loss in 71 years because of plummeting sales and a surge in the value of the yen.

Watanabe added: "The change in the world economy is of a magnitude that comes once every hundred years.

"We are facing an unprecedented emergency."

But Toyota, who made their F1 debut in 2002, insist they do not plan to follow fellow Japanese teams Honda, Subaru and Suzuki out of motorsport.

Honda, which spent more than £300m a year on F1, withdrew from the sport on 5 December blaming the contraction of the global economy.

Last week Subaru, whose cars are made by Fuji Heavy Industries, and Suzuki pulled out of the World Rally Championship for the same reason.

Toyota plans to continue operating in F1 but warned the team would have to scale back costs.

This month F1's teams and the governing body, the FIA, agreed key cost-cutting measures for the next two seasons to help guarantee the future of the sport.

Those measures include doubling engine life, reducing engine revs and cutting the cost of engines to independent teams.

source:news.bbc.co.uk

Sunderland appoint Sbragia as permanent boss

Sunderland have appointed Ricky Sbragia as permanent manager after his successful spell as caretaker.

The Scot, 52, has been handed an 18-month contract by chairman Niall Quinn as the reward for his four games in charge as caretaker, which have brought two victories, a draw and a single defeat, and that away to Manchester United.

Sbragia succeeds Roy Keane, who resigned earlier this month after 27 months in the belief he had taken the club as far as he could.

Quinn said: "Ricky Sbragia is a thoroughly professional football person.

"We have been taken aback by how easily he has slotted into the managerial role and are really heartened by his intelligent approach in dealing with the players and the day-to-day rigours of the job.

"Ricky took up the reigns when we were at low ebb and has without doubt revitalised the club.

"He is the unanimous choice of the executive board and will receive every support in his new role. The ownership of the club have also fully endorsed the appointment.

"I'm sure all of our fans, and the players too, will give Ricky their full backing in his first senior management position.''

The appointment was confirmed after a boardroom meeting this morning in the wake of yesterday's 0-0 home draw with Blackburn, which followed victories over West Brom and Hull.

Sbragia was delighted to have been offered the opportunity as he and his players prepared to travel to Merseyside for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League clash with Everton.

He said: "I'm delighted to have been offered the opportunity to manage a club as big as Sunderland and I'm relishing the challenge ahead.

"My main priority is moving up the Premier League table and ensuring we have unity and stability at the club.

"I've been extremely pleased by the commitment shown by the players to date and the support we have all received from the fans.

"We travel to Merseyside this afternoon and I can hardly wait.''

Today's announcement comes as no surprise despite the club being linked with a host of big names since Keane decided to call it a day.

Quinn and his fellow directors have been hugely impressed with the way Sbragia, who joined the club as first-team coach a year ago, stepped up after being asked to take temporary charge.

Despite more than 30 serious candidates making their availability known - Sam Allardyce was immediately installed at the top of the bookmakers' list which also included the likes of Alan Curbishley, Phil Brown, Avram Grant, Louis van Gaal and Gerard Houllier - it did not take long for the former Manchester United and Bolton coach to make his mark.

As speculation mounted that he could be a serious candidate, Sbragia admitted he did not know whether he would want the job if an offer came his way.

He has already indicated that he has been given the backing of Quinn and the Drumaville consortium to recruit an experienced Premier League defender during next month's transfer window, and is currently clarifying the position on the 10 players the club has out on loan.

December 27, 2008
source:soccernet.espn.go.com

Wilkins hints Chelsea could sign new striker

Assistant coach Ray Wilkins has given the biggest hint yet that Chelsea will be in the market for a striker in the January transfer window

Chelsea travel the short distance to face West London neighbours Fulham boosted by their 2-0 win over struggling West Brom at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day.

Goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard gave the Blues their first win in four home league games but more significantly top scorer Anelka was also included in their 4-3-3 formation.

It was the first time Drogba and Anelka had started in attack under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and there were encouraging signs for the Chelsea boss.

Previously Chelsea chief-executive Peter Kenyon had insisted the club would be not be active in the January transfer window but now Wilkins has hinted they will be looking to strengthen their attacking options in case of injuries to either of their striking jewels.

He said: "We have got the injury situation haven't we? If you lose both in the same game, you always need cover with injuries.

"You have to have a top end of your side with goalscoring ability otherwise we are not going to progress through the Premier League.

"We have supplemented Didier's injury with the players we have here and Nicolas' goals have been top drawer, so from that aspect we are thrilled and it has been fantastic.''

Anelka found himself on the left-hand side of the front three against West Brom - a position he disliked under former coach Avram Grant.

But he is almost certain to remain there for the time being if Scolari insists on sticking with his 4-3-3 system.

Wilkins appeared to confirm that scenario when he praised the skills of Drogba in a central role.

"He has the ability to get hold of the ball when it is in difficult areas and to bring other people into the game,'' said Wilkins.

"He is the best there is at it. He can get hold of the ball on his chest and kill the game up front for us. It allows the likes of Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack the opportunity to get forward and into the penalty area.''

Drogba was taken off as a precautionary measure against West Brom after sustaining a kick on his thigh but he will be fit for the Fulham game.

Jose Bosingwa, replaced at half-time in the 2-0 win by Juliano Belletti, was not injured and will retain his place in the starting line-up against the improving Cottagers.

Chelsea will be without suspended John Terry though. Their captain sits out the second match of a three-game ban for being red-carded against Everton last Monday night.

Wilkins has been happy to see Fulham's revival under Roy Hodgson this season.

The Cottagers managed to pull off the great escape from relegation last term and have now gone eight games without defeat after their draw at Tottenham on Boxing Day.

Wilkins is expecting a difficult derby but remains confident that the Blues can continue their unbeaten away form.

"It is very important that Fulham are doing so well,'' said Wilkins. "We will go there and they will be full of confidence after the result against Tottenham.

"But we had a good result as well and our away form has been very good. We just hope that can continue but it is going to be tough for us. Fulham won't lie down and allow us to do what we want to do. They will give us a bit of aggravation and that is what we expect.

"We will go there as best prepared as we can and put up a very good performance. They are our closest rivals so we actually want to put one over on them. But they will make it very tough for us.''

source:soccernet.espn.go.com