Bilbao ready for Barca challenge

Athletic Bilbao captain Joseba Etxeberria has declared that a draw against Barcelona in the Primera Liga this weekend would be a good result for his side.



The two teams meet at the San Mames on Saturday night and Etxeberria says that while a draw would be a favourable outcome, Athletic Bilbao shirt will be doing all the can to beat the treble champions.



"The truth is that this game is very difficult, but the timing may be ideal for us because the team is doing well in the league and we also have had time to prepare well, which they have not because they have many internationals, and that gives us a small advantage," he told AS.



"We must go after them from the first move and everything will be difficult. But if we keep waiting and see what they do with the ball, then there is nothing to be gained.



"Against Barcelona, a draw can be a good result but you cannot take to the field thinking about a draw. Barcelona is the favourite in every game they play.



"We're talking about a great team, one of the best teams in history."



Etxeberria is also hoping that the home support give a hostile Barca a reception at San Mames because he fears that if Barca feel at home, they will win.

Aston Villa need Milner

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has hailed his 'Mr Versatile', James Milner, and insisted the winger could eventually find himself in central midfield for the Villians in the future.

The 23-year-old, who arrived at Aston Villa shirt in an £12million deal from Newcastle United in 2008, featured in England's disappointing 1-0 defeat to Brazil on Saturday, but Three Lions boss Fabio Capello praised Milner's efforts.

"James Milner is improving, Maicon is one of the best right-backs in the world. He is very fast. He is a good defender and when he goes forward he is really dangerous. But Milner played well. He is a good player too," Capello told Sky Sports News.

O'Neill has also been delighted with Milner's impact since joining the club and he has admitted he may be used in a more central role in the future.

"He has got a good football knowledge and a good football brain. In terms of other positions, I feel he can move infield as well," O'Neill told the club's official website.

"I think because he is not concerned about receiving the ball under pressure at some stage between now and the end of the season he will play in there for us," he added.

O'Neill's prediction may be due to the return to training of summer signing Stewart Downing, who is looking to make his return to competitive action next month.

Ironically, Villa have potentially three wingers battling out for one of Capello's World Cup places next summer with Milner, Downing and Ashley Young desperately seeking to be included in the squad.

With this positional move in mind, Milner's undoubted versatility could prove to be the deciding factor on his ticket to South Africa.

Broncos secure services of Mooney

Former Queensland Reds coach Phil Mooney has been appointed as backs coach at the Brisbane Broncos in a shock move to the NRL giants.

After watching his side bow out of the 2009 premiership race at the hands of eventual premier Melbourne, Broncos jersey coach Ivan Henjak foreshadowed changes in his second year in the post Wayne Bennett held for 21 seasons.

And he has followed through on the promise, promoting highly-regarded under-20s coach Anthony Griffin into a full-time assistant role.

We understand Griffin will look after the defensive structures of the team, with Mooney to oversee the development of the Broncos star-studded though youth-laden backline.

Despite boasting just a 23 per cent winning rate in his two seasons at the helm of the embattled Reds, Mooney is known as for his outstanding work with young players and his technical proficiency developing backlines.

He made his name in rugby union guiding the Australian under-19s side to victory in the 2006 World Cup -- a tournament in which Australia has traditionally struggled.

No sell off at Parma

Parma shirt general manager Pietro Leonardi has categorically denied that the club will be selling their best players during the January transfer window.



The Gialloblu fans were worrying that the team could be dismantled during the transfer market, but Leonardi's words will surely reassure them.



"In January we will not be selling any of our jewels," the Crociati's director told sportmediaset.it.



"I say it because the rumours of the past days - about [McDonald] Mariga, [Daniele] Galloppa and [Valeri] Bojinov leaving the team - are destabilising the environment.



"These things are worrying the players, especially the younger ones who need certainties, and even our fans. Once the transfer market resumes, Parma will increase the value of the club's wealth with the players who are used less."



Parma have had a fantastic season so far in Serie A. They currently stand in sixth place along with Napoli and Genoa, boasting 17 points from 11 games played, just two points behind a Champions League spot.

Stuttgart not happy

Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart shirt were held to a goalless draw by Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday and dropped to 15th spot in the table as a result, but despite the Schwaben's failure to pick up the full three points, head coach Markus Babbel was quite satisfied with the final result.



"That was certainly a lucky point for us today," he told the club's official website. "We had a lot of problems getting into the game and allowed Gladbach far too much space to operate in, which they turned into chances on goal which they didn't take.



"We managed to battle our way into the game eventually and improved all the time. Unfortunately we just couldn't find that final pass, but we also shouldn't forget that the lads have been playing every three days in recent weeks.



"During that period we failed to get the results that we'd hoped for, which is something that has unsettled us. At the end of the day, I'm quite satisfied with the point."

NRL Final move?

THE NRL has dangled another carrot in front of the Queensland and Victorian governments by once again admitting it would consider taking the grand final away from Sydney after 2012.

Amid reports Queensland and Victoria would make multi-million dollar bids to secure the game's showpiece event, NRL chief executive David Gallop last night reiterated the grand final would be up for grabs when the existing contract came to an end in 2012.

"We have an open mind about it once our contract with the NSW Blues jersey government runs out at the end of 2012," Gallop said.

"We would be mad not to at least consider it."

Earlier this year, Gallop revealed he had received a letter from Queensland Premier Anna Bligh in which she expressed her state's interest in stealing the grand final from Sydney. The possibility of moving the grand final has also been a subject of discussion in talks between the game's powerbrokers and the Victorian government.

Both states have legitimate claims. The game is booming in Queensland thanks to the continued success of the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys jersey, and the emergence of the Gold Coast Titans.

Victoria, on the other hand, is home to the NRL's flagship franchise, the Melbourne Storm.

Any decision to take the game from Sydney is likely to be met with stern resistance from NSW.

Barcelona sweep the board

Football club Barcelona shirt was unbeatable in both Spain and Europe last season and that domination was reflected in the awards ceremony held by the Spanish Football League (LFP) late on Monday night.

    The Primera Liga, Copa del Rey holders and Champions League winner was named the Best Club of last season by the LFP and its players were singled out for a host of individual awards.

    Leo Messi was named Player of the Season and also the Best Striker of the 2008-9 campaign by his fellow professionals.

    Meanwhile Andres Iniesta won the nomination as the Best Attacking Midfielder and Xavi Hernandez was given the prize as the Best Holding Midfielder in Spain.

    Right back Dani Alves was considered to be the Best Defender in the Liga BBVA, while young midfielder Sergio Busquets was the Revelation of the Season.

    The only player able to break Barcelona's total dominance was Real Madrid's Iker Casillas. The Spain shirt international won the vote as the Best Goalkeeper in Spain in the last campaign.

    Meanwhile Deportivo la Coruna's Juan Carlos Valeron won the Fair Play award.

Chase is on for Adiyiah

European giants Barcelona and Arsenal have launched late bids to snap up hot-cake Ghana youth Dominic Adiyiah if AC Milan shirt fail to wrap up a deal on Monday.

Milan announced on Saturday a deal has been reached with his Norwegian side Fredrikstad and expecting to finalize the move subject to him passing a medical.



Adiyiah and his agents are due in Milan by 11:00 GMT to hold final talks with the Rossoneri to stitch up the deal.



Both Barcelona and Arsenal have contacted the agent of the 19-year-old waiting for a failed move to the San Siro.

The Fifa Under-20 World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe award winner has been promised unlimited playing time in both the La Liga and English Premier League.

Kangaroos march on past England

England's rugby league stars almost pulled off a big shock before losing 26-18 to Australia in Wigan.

England staged a brilliant second-half fightback to give the world's best team a scare, after a first half that ended 26-0 to the visitors.

At that point it seemed as if England were on the way to a record defeat, thanks to some brilliant Aussie play.

But after the break the home team came alive, and grabbed tries through Sam Burgess, Gareth Ellis and Lee Smith.

That wasn't enough to give them a win, but will fill the team's fans with hope for the rest of the Four Nations tournament.

England's next match is against New Zealand warriors jersey on 7 November, and if the home side can win that one they'll probably play Australia in the final seven days later.

USA wants the World Cup

Officials trying to bring a World Cup soccer tournament to the United States are touting more than just the well-prepped cities with state-of-the art stadiums.

The tournament would also create between 65,000 and 100,000 jobs total across all of the host cities, said real estate and economic consulting firm AECOM.

Atlanta should take note: the study used the city for the national and international media headquarters, saying that alone would bring in $80 million. The study estimated more than 9,000 journalists would be housed at the media headquarters, dubbed by the World Cup as the International Broadcasting Center, or IBC.

Atlanta is one of 27 cities that are part of the committee's bid package to lure the World Cup to the United States in either 2018 or 2022. The study says hosting five or six soccer matches could bring in between $400 million and $600 million to a metro area's economy and create between 5,000 and 8,000 jobs.

Atlanta is also second in an online petition created by the bid committee to host World Cup soccer matches. The tournament will include favourites Brazil football shirt and England.

The committee chose AECOM, formerly Economics Research Associates, to look at the projected economic impact because the firm had done so for the 1994 World Cup as well as for several Olympic games.

David Downs, executive director of the U.S. Bid Committee, said his group has shared the economic-impact figures with each of the 27 cities.

The U.S. is competing against Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain, which have submitted joint bids to host either a 2018 or 2022 World Cup tournament. Qatar and South Korea have submitted bids to host the 2022 tournament.

The 24-member FIFA executive committee will select the hosts on Dec. 2

AFL raid on NRL stars

"There is room for us all ... we don't have an argument with the rugby league."



And then came the bombs.



Just 54 days after the AFL sent Sheedy to Sydney, on what looked suspiciously like a reconnaissance mission, with helicopter and all, the southern raiders sent a scud missile crashing into our shores.



Without warning, Karmichael Hunt crossed enemy lines and became their star recruit.



Paraded before us holding a Sherrin and in a sleeveless jersey, Hunt told us of months of secret talks and lunches with AFL boss Andrew Demetriou.



No this wasn't a war - it was an ambush.



But Hunt was only a soldier. A good soldier, but a soldier all the same. Today the AFL dropped their second bomb, and it could potentially cause more damage than the first.



Now the Mexicans have announced Grant Mayer had signed on as second-in-charge of the Western Sydney offensive - and unlike Hunt, Mayer is no soldier.



This former Manly boss is a rugby league general. A man who knows the Western Sydney battleground like Samuel Colt knew guns.



He spent many years in Western Sydney with the Bulldogs as a marketing man before becoming the CEO who led the Sea Eagles to a premiership.



Rated one of the best up-and-coming administrators, Mayer knows rugby league's strengths and also its weaknesses.



And armed with an arsenal of cash, Mayer will now go all Sun Tzu on rugby league.



Andrew Demetriou is building an army. And now he has a weapon capable of inflicting some real damage.



The AFL has already sounded out arguably the game's best administrator, Bulldogs jersey boss Todd Greenberg, and despite their denials are likely to pursue a top-flight rugby league player in the mould of Jarryd Hayne.



Yep, make no mistake, this is war.

A fairer Premier League?

This Premier League season was set to be an intriguing one before it even started. Manchester City's overspending, Ronaldo's overdue departure and Arsene's over-vocal critics all left us watering at the mouth for a season of change; a season where the big four became a big five or six.

And some would argue that it is shaping up to be just that season; Villa, Tottenham, Manchester City and, to a lesser degree, Sunderland, have all shown signs that the established order is being brought down. But is this really the case?

Tottenham have spent rather less than Manchester City shirt and sit in third, albeit having played a game more. Redknapp has instilled a confidence and workmanship that could well see them up there by the end of the season.

Similarly, City themselves boast a great record so far - sitting pretty in fifth with an extra game that could see them leapfrog Spurs if they win it.

Villa beat Chelsea last weekend to enhance their own credentials.

Sunderland have pulled off some great results - a draw at Old Trafford combined with a brilliant win over Liverpool have won them many sympathetic faces up and down the country.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have struggled to establish the form that saw them finish second last season; they lack a playmaker until Aquilani returns and with Torres and Gerrard injured they have lost their way in recent matches, culminating in tonight's home defeat by Lyon.

Arsenal are plagued by their usual problem; great football, great players but a simple inability to grind out results when it matters - both Manchester games serve as proof of this.

Certainly, there are two Champions League spots up for grabs. But is it so simple? I don't think so.

First of all, take Manchester United. They have been far from brilliant this season. At times, they have been downright lucky. But look at the table - they sit at the top!

Wins against Arsenal and Manchester City may have been somewhat fortuitous, but in the scheme of things that doesn't matter. They are there. When it comes to the run in, you can count on them to hit their top form, and if the current lacklustre performances can see them top the pile, they've almost already got it in the the bag.

Similarly, Chelsea. Blips against Wigan and Villa aside, where Terry and Carvalho had off-days, they have simply demolished every team that came their way. Spurs, who have so far looked almost the real deal, simply could not deal with their midfield. Liverpool were almost lucky to keep it at only a 2-0 loss.

By contrast, the other current top teams can not produce this sort of form.

City have been great going forward, but for all their spending their defence is still a complete joke.

Spurs have looked vulnerable to direct teams such as Bolton.

Villa have a small squad and lack the spending power and the quality edge of other big teams.

Liverpool's opening couple of months have been a disaster; Arsenal had to scrape fourth place last year and unless they toughen up may have to do so again, although granted they have been very impressive so far.

My point is this; the top four may well change this year. Based on current form, predictable results and a bit of guesswork, it will most likely be Liverpool shirt who drop out, if anyone does. Arsenal look the next most likely.

But Manchester United and Chelsea are light years ahead of anyone else. I don't see a big six, a more competitive league.

I see a big two of United and Chelsea who leave everyone else to fight for scraps.

Wolfsburg on top

The Wolfsburg coach has explained that rotation in his squad is a normal occurrence, and the Brazilian forward was happy to accept the decision...

Reigning Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg shirt locked horns with Borussia Moenchengladbach at the weekend and picked up a 2-1 victory, but eyebrows were raised as Grafite was left on the bench.

"It is quite simple: we have three good strikers and I think it is absolutely normal that I swap them around," head coach Armin Veh explained.

The highly-rated striker was left out of the starting XI, with Obafemi Martins preferred to partner Edin Dzeko up front. Grafite had no problems accepting his coach's decision, though.

"It was not a problem at all for me to be on the bench," he told reporters. "The coach came to me before the game and explained it to me and I took it in a relaxed way and even shared his view.

The important thing is the team and [at the weekend] we won three points as a team. I will now work hard and fight to be in the starting XI next time."

The 30-year-old scored 28 goals in 25 league games last term, but has found the net only twice in nine appearances in this Bundesliga campaign. Bayern Munich shirts are currently off the pace in this season's Bundesliga campaign.