Liverpool's new beauty Rosanna Davison, poster boy Sir Alex, and birthday Maradona. Source: AFP
PAPER Talk features a classic birthday rant from Diego Maradona, Liverpool's stunning new weapon and an embarrassing week for football's great statesman Zinedine Zidane.
DIEGO'S BIRTHDAY RANT
All times EDT.
- A-LEAGUE
- Friday: Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide, 7.30pm, Fox Sports 1 HD
- Saturday: Perth v Sydney FC, 5.30pm; Newcastle v Central Coast, 7.30pm; Fox Sports 1 HD
- Sunday: Brisbane v Melbourne Heart, 5pm, Fox Sports 1 HD
- Monday: Melbourne Victory v Wellington, 7.30pm, Fox Sports 1 HD
Kick Off, 6.30pm (EDT) Friday: Patrick Zwaanswijk joins Tara and Harps to preview the round.
Shootout, 7.05pm (EDT) Sunday: William Gallas gives his first television interview since signing with Perth Glory; Bruce Djite and Michael Bridges join Adam and Boz in the studio, and there will be a cross to the Mirror's Darren Lewis in England.
Saturday morning
- Barcelona v Espanyol, 6.55am, Fox Sports 2 HD
Saturday night/Sunday morning
- Chelsea v Newcastle, 11.35pm, Fox Sports 1 HD
- Fulham v Manchester United, 1.50am, Fox Sports 1 HD
- Viewers' Choice: West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace; West Ham v Aston Villa, Stoke City v Southampton, Manchester City v Norwich
- Hull v Sunderland, 1.50am, Fox Sports News
- Arsenal v Liverpool, 4.25am, Fox Sports 1HD
- Rayo Vallecano v Real Madrid, 5.55am, Fox Sports 3 HD
Sunday night/Monday morning
- Tottenham v Everton, 12.25am, Fox Sports 1 HD
- Cardiff v Swansea, 2.50am, Fox Sports 1 HD
LEGENDARY Argentine footballer Diego Maradona celebrated his 53rd birthday on Wednesday, but rather than mark the occasion with 53 candles and a party hat, the eccentric "sporting exile" vented his spleen on the radio.
The target? Manchester City star and former son-in-law Sergio Aguero, who split with Maradona's daughter Giannina earlier this year and is poised to become embroiled in a messy divorce.
Take it away, Diego: "He's a wimp, who I don't even want to name," Maradona told the Argentine radio station.
"In my daughter's next meeting with a lawyer, I want to be by her side. We'll see who can talk.
"The next time I want to be there to see if he (Aguero) says anything."
LIVERPOOL'S NEW LADY LUCK
LIVERPOOL are firing on all cylinders at the moment, and if the players needed any more motivation to hit peak form, the prospect of being interviewed by former Miss World Rosanna Davison might just do the trick.
The 29-year-old Irish model and daughter of Lady in Red singer Chris de Burgh has scored her first broadcasting gig outside her home country, as presenter of Liverpool's official television channel, LFC TV.
A self professed "long-time Liverpool follower", Davison has already shot two 30 minute programmes for the Reds, showcasing the club's greatest ever Irish and international players.
"I really, really enjoyed it, especially considering I'm a long-term Liverpool follower," Davison said. "Hopefully this is just the beginning.
"I wouldn't be mad about watching any old team play, it would have to be Liverpool."
IS THIS REALLY SEXY FOOTBALL?
Source: Supplied
WHEN you close your eyes and think about 'sexy football' chances are you don't see Arsene Wenger doing his best Marilyn Monroe impersonation or Sepp Blatter dancing around his living room with no pants on.
But in a humourous take on some of the world game's biggest personalities, that's exactly what you get in the 2014 Sexy Football Calendar.
We're not sure about the calendar's take on Sir Alex Ferguson's famous hairdryer treatment, but the artwork depicting Roman Abramovich as Hugh Heffner, surrounded by all his Chelsea managers in their Playboy Bunny outfits is spot on.
ZIDANE IMMORTAL NO LONGER
IT'S been a bad week for Zinedine Zidane.
Once universally adored as football's great statesman, Zidane has been brought back to earth, both literally and figuratively, in two different corners of the globe.
First, a bronze bust depicting his infamous World Cup headbutt on Marco Materazzi was pulled down, after Qatari conservatives labelled it "a work of idolatry".
The piece, which was sculpted by Algerian-born French artist Adel Abdessemed, was put on display in the city of Doha on October 3.
But on Monday the statue was removed after it was ruled to be in violation of the rules of Islam.
And Qatar's not the only place that can't cop Zidane right at the moment.
Even at his Real Madrid home, the Bernabeu, where he created so many wonderful memories for the club, he was this week put to shame on the training ground by Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso, who had the hide to nutmeg Zizu during a possession drill.
Long since retired he may be, but still, really Xabi?
FERGIE BLOWS IT WITH BECKS...
HE'S selling plenty of books but Sir ALex Ferguson may just have blown his chance to create more history as the first manager at a new MLS club to be started by David Beckham.
Ferguson revealed in his book that he sold Beckham due to the fashion icon's choice to put fame before football - criticism that may have cost him a job.
"It's funny, he (Sir Alex) was one of the first names I was going to call up to be manager. I'm not so sure now," Beckham joked as he responded to the book, while commenting on his potential new MLS franchise in Miami.
"All joking aside, I wouldn't want to be negative about Sir Alex. He gave me the chance to live my dream."
... BUT COULD HE RETURN TO UNITED?
MANCHESTER United's own sponsors have caused some angst within Old Trafford by offering a betting market on Sir Alex Ferguson returning as manager by the start of next season.
Online firm bwin, who are the champions' official gaming and betting partner, are quoting odds of 11-2 on Fergie's return "given United's slower than usual start to the Premier League".
According to the Daily Mail, United insiders have described bwin's PR promotion as "crass and totally inappropriate", though a club spokesman is reported to have said: "Bwin are our partners rather than a subsidiary company and we have no influence on their markets.
"But Sir Alex has made it abundantly clear on numerous occasions recently that he has no intention of coming back into football management."
A bwin PR spokesman hit back: "You never know what is going to happen in football. We have a selection of Ferguson betting opportunities following his book release."
ANOTHER INCE HEADING TO INTER?
HIS father blazed a trail for Englishmen on the Continent by making a move to Inter Milan, now Tom Ince could follow in father Paul's footsteps.
The 21-year-old Blackpool winger, rated at £8million, is a free agent in the summer but the Championship club could still expect considerable compensation should he move to elsewhere in England.
However, Ince is free to talk to foreign clubs in January and is attracting interest from Ajax and, ominously, Inter Milan.
HART IN STRIFE
JOE Hart has had a forgettable start to the season, and his place in the Manchester City first team now looks to be under real threat.
Having so far stuck with Hart for the big games, City manager Manuel Pellegrini refused to guarantee his place for the weekend's Premier League fixture with Norwich, following a promising Capitol One Cup performance from Hart's understudy Costel Pantilimon.
"Costel is a very good goalkeeper," Pellegrini said after his second-stringers brushed aside Newcastle.
"He normally plays in the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup. Is he in contention now? From tomorrow I will think about the Norwich game.
"We will talk to the goalkeepers tomorrow. Only one can play and whoever does not will have our full support."
TORONTO INTEREST FIRMS IN DEFOE
AS a manager, former Tottenham and Blackburn central defender Ryan Nelsen doesn't muck around.
On Tuesday he went public with some lavish praise for out-of-favour Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, and just a day later he whipped the cheque book out, offering a whopping £5million-a-year offer for Defoe to quit Spurs for Major League Soccer in January.
Nelsen and Toronto FC have put together a stunning package including £90,000-a-week in salary - on the table to try to tempt the "incredible" England striker away from the White Hart Lane club.
They face competition from Queens Park Rangers, however, with Harry Redknapp set make a renewed bid to persuade the 31-year-old to join their Championship promotion push.
HAVE you checked out the Fox Football Podcast yet?
The latest addition to the Fox Sports' football stable has enjoyed a bumper start, in at #2 on the iTunes charts for sports pods in Australia.
Host Adam Peacock is joined this week for episode three by Simon Hill and Brenton Speed in the studio, and on the phone by Daniel Garb from London.
There's no shortage of fodder for the gang to discuss - from the Sydney derby, the Sky Blues woes, the latest from the EPL and Europe and a look to this weekend's domestic action - and none of our pundits are short of an opinion.
For your mid-week fix of football talk and fun - who knew Simon Hill had such a repertoire of accents - the Fox Football podcast is your place to go.
You can check it out here at the iTunes store, subscribe, and share your rating!
And if you're an Android user, you can find the pod on the iPP Podcast Player app.
31 Oct, 2013
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/paper-talk-liverpools-secret-weapon-maradonas-birthday-rant-zizus-bad-week-sexy-football/story-e6frfkp9-1226750496569?from=public_rss
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