PFA Premier League Team of the Year 07/08:

Goalkeeper: David James (Portsmouth)
Right back: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal),
Left back: Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Centre half: Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd)
Centre half: Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)
Right midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
Left midfild: Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Central midfielf: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Central midfield: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Striker: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)
Striker: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

Cristiano Ronaldo was named PFA Player of the year - no surprise there and I can't imagine there would be too many complaints about that.

Cesc Fabregas was the PFA Young Player of the year - Possibly slightly more contentious, especially seeing as though Ronaldo was also nominated in this category, but I'm happy with that and would say he deserves it for the season he's had.

The real shock for me however, was the exclusion of Patrice Evra from the team of the year?! Surely he deserves to be there ahead of Gael Clichy?

On the basis of this post it may appear that I support Man Utd. I don't. I'm a Newcastle fan.

Who do you think has been overlooked for the team of the year.....?

A Senna Stunner!

Villa gol1
by mk171997

Villarreal keep the title race alive with a 1-0 win away to Real Betis. A stunning goal from midfielder Marcos Senna ensured the win, keeping Barcelona at bay with 4 points clear.

Federer versus Woods

Who is better? Discuss.....

The Cesc Fabregas Show

A new TV programme aims to deliver unseen insight into one of the players of this season and one of Europe’s brightest football talents - Cesc Fabregas. The programme has been commissioned and created by Fabregas’s sponsor, Nike.

The programme will be broadcast on Monday 19 May on Sky Sports 1 and forsakes the normal straight interviews or chat show format to deliver a completely alternative view of the player, bringing together the worlds of football, comedy, and entertainment and creating a genuine platform for fans to gain insight into the public athlete and the private person.

The programme - entitled The Cesc Fabregas Show: Nike Live - will be a high energy, one-hour ‘shot as live’ showpiece in front of a studio audience, using mixed media consisting of live interviews, football stunts and pre-shot VT sequences, where the pace will be set by the player himself as he takes his audience on the journey of the life of Cesc Fabregas. More details can be found at:

www.nikelivefabregas.com

Cesc the player and Cesc the person are a potent mix of raw talent, courage and a self belief combined with rigorous self criticism and intense hard work. Through the programme we’ll find out what it means to have been the youngest ever scorer for Arsenal, the youngest scorer for Spain in World Cup history, what it takes to be the driving force behind one of Europe’s best club sides, what it was like coming to London from Barcelona aged 14 and who the key people are in his life that have helped him become the person and player he is today.

With a host of cameo appearances from other athletes and stars of the game, we’ll meet team mates, his coach Arsene Wenger and the scout who first spotted Cesc will be in the studio to talk about the talent they saw then, the player he’s become and the future for Arsenal’s midfield maestro.

The approach will mix comedy and a lighthearted, entertaining approach, with pre-shot VT sequences from the likes of Matt Lucas & a series of entertaining sketches designed to bring to life the things that are unique about Cesc.

Fabregas comments: "I'm honoured to have this opportunity. It's not something that you expect so we're going to make it a night to remember."

3 points to snatch it right at the end...and what a 3 pointer it was!

Hot Stuff

A feast is being planned for Wednesday evening. As with all good cooking, ingredients are the essence.

To start, visualise the names of the individuals playing for Barcelona and Manchester United football clubs. Now add both sets together. Place them all on a football pitch under spring weather. Expose the group to 97,100 screaming fans - approximately. Add British running and Catalan volatility.

To ignite and add pressure to this European Champions League semi-final, please place into context and heat the mixture. Timing is everything, so we must position one team in this semi-final at its apogee and one at its nadir. This will mean either one will fall from grace or the other will rise gloriously from the abyss.

Remove former World Player of the Year and include two opposing pretenders to the throne.

Please do not forget to add the unpredictable but essential referee element.

All in all, Wednesday's fish and chips and paella concoction could be the most savoury sporting night of the year.

Surrey County Cricket Club Announces Record Profits

15 April 2008 The Brit Oval Surrey County Cricket Club announced record financial results for 2007. Annual turnover was £23,407,000 with pre-tax profits exceeding £721,000, the highest in the Club's 163-year history. This represents a growth in turnover of 29.7% and a significant increase in pre-tax profits of 108.4% from 2006.

A major factor behind this significant growth has been the success of the Club's off-field business activities. Oval Events - the organization that runs the hospitality, conferencing and events at the Brit Oval - has performed particularly well recording a turnover of £2,965,000, just for conferencing and events in 2007, an increase of 50.5% from the £1,969,000 achieved in the previous year.

Since the completion of the OCS Stand in 2005, with its substantial conferencing and events facilities, Oval Events has been able to develop a healthy year-round revenue stream. Oval Events Limited was founded in 2004 as a joint venture with Compass Group PLC.

2007 saw international gate receipts generate over £5,815,000 courtesy of the four international matches staged at the Brit Oval, a 66.8% increase from 2006.This can be attributed to the two West Indies International Twenty20 matches that were hosted in addition to the regular Test and One-day International Match schedule.

The future is looking positive as well, given the solid commercial strategy that Surrey County Cricket Club has in place. The redevelopment of the Pavilion End, for example, includes a 170-room hotel that is due for completion in 2010 and will contribute to improved facilities at the ground. In addition, the Brit Oval has been selected as one of three venues to host several matches of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2009, which is another major opportunity for the Club to increase revenues.

Chief Executive Paul Sheldon said "We're very pleased that 2007 has been a record year for us off-the-field. All areas of the Club are performing well and we're really building on our potential. Our prospects for growth over the next few years are equally strong. Aside from other International matches, we will host an Ashes Test Match next summer and the ICC Twenty20 World Cup will be an important income generator for us. Further to this, the planned redevelopment of the Pavilion End will provide considerable benefits without any investment from the Club directly thanks to our partnership with Arora Hotels"

Since taking over as Chief Executive in 1996, Paul Sheldon has overseen the development of the business from a £4million annual turnover.