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[Blackburn make bid for Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho Blackburn want Ronaldinho and are also competing for David Beckham (right)]

Blackburn make bid for Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho 

Blackburn want Ronaldinho and are also competing for David Beckham (right)Blackburn have made a move for AC Milan playmaker Ronaldinho by offering him a deal worth about £20m over three years.

Venky's, the company that bought Rovers in 2010, says its Brazil office is in talks with the 30-year-old's manager.

"He is keen to play in the EPL [English Premier League] and I think that goes in our favour," Venky's chair Anuradha Desai told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Desai also revealed that Rovers had made attempts to sign David Beckham, 35, on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy.

She added the club were "open whenever he is ready to come".

Beckham has been the subject of much transfer speculation, with several Premier League clubs waiting to hear whether LA Galaxy will release the former England captain on a loan deal during the Major League Soccer off-season.
If we can get solid, reliable foundations and then sprinkle a little bit of magic on top of that, then fantastic

Blackburn manager Steve Kean
The MLS season resumes on 15 March, meaning the ex-Manchester United midfielder would be available to play up to 11 games on a short-term deal.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has already suggested that Beckham is keen to move to White Hart Lane, while Newcastle are another interested party.

Ronaldinho is in his native Brazil after leaving AC Milan's winter training camp in Dubai - a move that looks set to end his troubled stay at the San Siro.

He moved to Milan from Barcelona in 2008 but lost his place in the starting XI after the club signed forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho last summer.

Brazilian clubs Flamengo, Palmeiras and Gremio are all keen on Ronaldinho but Blackburn have tabled a bid to AC Milan and a tempting offer in terms of wages for the player.

"To be precise [it is] 7.6m euros (£6.5m) for the first year and about 8.5m euros (£7.2m) for the second and third years," confirmed Desai.

Rovers manager Steve Kean said the bid was a statement of intent from the club's Indian owners.

"I know there has been contact made by the owners to representatives of Ronaldinho but I don't know how far down the line it is and whether it will actually happen," he said.

"If any Premier League manager was asked if they wanted to sign someone who has been World Player of the Year twice they would be interested.

"Everyone should look as it as a positive, it has been a long time since we have been able to do that."

However, having had nine senior players unavailable since taking over from Sam Allardyce less than one month ago, Kean is more concerned with building a solid squad.

He said: "The way we are with injuries at the moment and the stability of the squad hopefully we can add four or five other players and then if we can get another big name like that [of Ronaldinho] it will be the icing on the cake.

"When we spoke with the owners we said if there was a potential marquee player - and there are four or five that spring to mind and two have been mentioned in Ronaldinho and David Beckham - we would love to have them here.

"If we can get solid, reliable foundations and then sprinkle a little bit of magic on top of that then fantastic, but it certainly comes from a solid base."

Meanwhile, Desai went on to defend her role at Blackburn since the club was taken over in November by the Rao family in a £43m deal.
Rovers became the first Indian-owned Premier League club when a trust set up by the late former owner Jack Walker to own the club sold its 99.9% holding to the newly formed company Venky's London Limited.

And Desai added: "The impression is I've never watched a football match. I've not watched in a stadium but I have been watching the World Cup in India.

"I have watched hundreds of cricket matches but not live - it's all on TV. To say I don't have any knowledge would be wrong. I am a good listener.

606: DEBATE
I'm beginning to like the idea of having a world class player at Ewood

ilovejasonroberts
"The fans have to trust us and give us some time and you will see for yourself that we are sincere people, very passionate about the football team and football club and our fans. We will not let you down."

Desai also told Sky Sports News that they were looking at a couple of other players.

"We're thinking of getting Damien Duff back," she said.

The Republic of Ireland and Fulham winger began his career as a trainee at Ewood Park and helped Rovers win the League Cup in 2002 before moving to Chelsea where he won two Premier League titles.

[Christmas squatter is jailed for six months A homeless man who squatted in a Belfast apartment over Christmas to escape the freezing weather has been jailed for six months.]

Christmas squatter is jailed for six months



A homeless man who squatted in a Belfast apartment over Christmas to escape the freezing weather has been jailed for six months.



Robert Lewandowski, 29, used keys he had stolen weeks earlier to move into the south Belfast flat once a woman who lived there left for the holidays.

The Polish national was said to have taken nothing during a four-day stay.

Belfast Magistrates Court heard the woman who lived in the flat and the police were sympathetic to his plight.

He used a stove, watched television and cleaned up after himself.

Lewandowski pleaded guilty to theft and wrongfully taking possession of the property at Tates Avenue between December 24 and 28.

Belfast Magistrates' Court heard on Wednesday that he had been sleeping in apartment block communal areas after losing his home and job earlier this year.

'Stole keys'

He stole the keys after spotting the door to the flat lying open and went in after a party on 5 December.

A lawyer for Lewandowski, of no fixed address, said he had left the property exactly as he found it.

He told the court that when the woman and her partner returned to find him there the defendant did not try to leave.

The solicitor said his client was apologetic, but had only gone in on Christmas Eve when temperatures were down to -10C.

"He let himself in to keep out of the cold. For four days he used the TV and stove to heat some food," he said.

"He didn't take anything, and he had four days and ample opportunity to effectively clean the place out," the solicitor added.

But after Lewandowski waived his right to a pre-sentence report, the district judge said his theft and wrongful entry was without justification.

He was jailed for two terms of six months each to run cocurrently.

He also agreed to fix bail pending a planned appeal, although Lewandowski was not released as he had no suitable address.

How many billionaires are there in the world anyway ?.

Well at least 57 are giving billions away to charity.


http://givingpledge.org/

[Honeymoon husband 'plotted murder' in South Africa]

Honeymoon husband 'plotted murder' in South Africa


The husband of a woman murdered on her honeymoon in South Africa plotted his wife's death, one of the men charged with her killing has told prosecutors.

Anni Dewani, 28, was shot dead after being kidnapped while in a taxi with her husband Shrien last month.

A Cape Town court heard taxi driver Zola Tongo had alleged he was offered 15,000 rand (£1,345) by Mr Dewani, from Bristol, to kill his wife.

Mr Tongo, 31, was on trial for murder after agreeing a plea bargain.

Mr Dewani, 31, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, has previously denied any involvement.

Mr Tongo was charged along with Xolile Mnguni, 23, and Mziwamadoda Qwabe, 25.

Reuters news agency reported that state prosecutor Rodney de Kock read the plea bargain agreement to the court and said: "The deceased was murdered at the insistence of her husband."

Mrs Dewani, from Sweden, was kidnapped while the taxi was travelling through Gugulethu township on 13 November.

Her body was found inside the abandoned taxi the following day. Her wristwatch, a white-gold and diamond bracelet, her handbag and her mobile phone were stolen.

Mr Dewani was released unharmed. The couple had been married for two weeks.

Mr Mnguni and Mr Qwabe will appear before Wynberg Regional Court on 25 February before a full trial at Western Cape High Court at a later date.

Publicist Max Clifford, who has been acting on behalf of Mr Dewani, described Mr Tongo's claim as the lastest in a string of false allegations.

[Kilkenny midfielder Derek Lyng has called time on his inter-county career after nine years with the Cats.]

He has indeed had a good innings and will be busy polishing all these.

Strong player who never gave an inch. Wonder what pushed him to bow out now ? I thought he might have given it one more go in 2011.



Kilkenny midfielder Derek Lyng has called time on his inter-county career after nine years with the Cats.Lyng (32) has won six All-Ireland titles with Kilkenny, while also picking up four League title, nine Leinster titles and two All Star awards during his illustrious career.

Lyng, who will continue with his club the Emeralds (Urlingford), joined the senior Kilkenny squad in 2001.

He said: 'There is never an ideal time to do something like this, but the time is right for me now. I had a great innings. I played with and against some of the greatest hurlers who ever lived and I picked up a few honours along the way.'

Lyng continued: 'Playing with Kilkenny always meant a huge amount to me. I always had massive pride in it and I never took anything for granted. If you relaxed, someone would have overtaken you and you would be gone.

'I loved everything about it, the training, the camaraderie, the atmosphere of the big match. I found playing for your county in a full Croke Park to be inspiring.'

Ice baths leave experts cold
Monday November 15 2010

SUBMERGING athletes in ice baths to cure sore muscles is all pain and no gain, writes Eilish O'Regan.

Many sports clubs around the country are placing players in wheelie bins filled with ice as they replicate treatments offered to professional athletes, but a study has found the makeshift ice baths increase the risk of breathing difficulties and frostbite.

Professor Alan Donnelly and his team at the University of Limerick examined the use of cryotherapy treatments -- including ice baths and hi-tech chambers -- over a four-year period and found no proven benefit in reducing soreness of muscles.

Whole-body cryotherapy chambers are usually professionally operated and athletes are not at risk. However, ice baths present real risks, such as ice burns and bronchospasm (constriction of airways), Prof Donnelly said.

Irish Independent

In a post match interview, Christy Cooney could hardly contain himself and couldn't wait to herald the attendance of Northern Ireland secretary of state at today's AI final as being hugely significant and went to great legths to describe how "special" it was to have him in the crowd today. Special my hole !!

I could hardly believe I was listening to this shite. No disrespect to Eoin Owen Patterson or Cooney, but is this really newsworthy ?  Cooney's favourite adjective must be "special" and his constant use of it really dilutes its meaning when you hear it come from him.

On a day when Cork win their 7th AI final, is this really one of the most significant outcomes of today ?.

[Sepp Blatter has confirmed FIFA will look into claims of mistreatment of North Korea's players and coach.Widespread reports this month claimed Kim Jong-Hun was sentenced to hard labour and his squad were subjected to a six-hour interrogation by government officials following a World Cup campaign which ended with three straight defeats.]

FIFA to probe North Korea claims


Sepp Blatter has confirmed FIFA will look into claims of mistreatment of North Korea's players and coach.

Widespread reports this month claimed Kim Jong-Hun was sentenced to hard labour and his squad were subjected to a six-hour interrogation by government officials following a World Cup campaign which ended with three straight defeats.
Blatter today told a press conference in Singapore FIFA had contacted the new president of the North Korean football association and were looking into the matter.

'(We contacted them) to tell us about the election of a new president, and if it is true, the allegations made by the media that the coach and some players have been condemned or punished,' he said.

'The first step is the federation and we'll see what the answer will be, and then we can elaborate on that.'

FIFA take a dim view of government interference in footballing matters and have often in the past suspended affected federations.

It is believed athletes in the secretive Communist country have previously been jailed for poor performances.

[Right now, we have 19-year-olds playing against 26-year-olds and that's not fair."]

Moyna calls for stricter Sigerson regulations
08 August 2010

DCU Sports Academy Director Niall Moyna believes the Sigerson Cup competition should be confined to undergraduate students.

Speaking to the Sunday Independent ahead of the registration deadline for the new semester, the manager of the reigning Sigerson Cup champions said: "Sigerson Cup should be for undergraduates only. There should only be four years of eligibility because that was what the competition was meant to be about.

"We have lost the run of ourselves and I would like to see it going back to what it was originally about. If you're doing medicine or a law programme, well that's too bad, you can't play for your last three years. Right now, we have 19-year-olds playing against 26-year-olds and that's not fair."
Revealing that a number of inter-county stars have contacted him to inquire about the possibility of studying at DCU, Moyna stressed that education takes precedence over football at the Glasnevin campus.

"In all my correspondence with those students, I didn't mention football just the courses that they wanted to do," he said.

"That's my priority first and foremost. My view would be that Cork IT is becoming the academy for Cork County Board and they have stated that.

"All the good young players in Cork are going to Cork IT. I don't have a problem with that if they want to put up a structure that affords young kids the opportunity to play our national sport and go to a third-level institution, that's fine."

Great hurler. Enjoy your retirement - you've earned it.


Ollie Canning confirms retirement




Ollie Canning confirms his retirement from inter-county hurling after Galway's narrow loss to Tipperary in the All-Ireland Hurling quarter-finals.

The Galway legend confirmed his decision on RTÉ's Sport at 7 Extra on Monday night.

Canning believes Galway have taken huge strides this campaign and the time is right now to bow out of the side.

The 34-year-old said: 'Everything is in place. The management, the backroom team and the players that we have there, I think we're very close to it.'

'It does get tougher and it does take longer to recover after games and that is an aspect of it.'

Is it only me or has there been a lot of draws this year ?

SDLP's Declan O'Loan withdraws nationalist unity call



Monday, 24 May 2010 16:49 UK



The SDLP MLA Declan O'Loan has withdrawn a call for the formation of a single nationalist party after there was a furious reaction from colleagues.

Earlier, in a statement not issued through the party press office, he said he had discussed the idea with the grassroots members in north Antrim.

Mr O'Loan said that it was very strongly supported.

But he later withdrew the original statement saying it "does not represent established party policy."

Neither he nor the party are making any further comment but senior sources say the party was "furious" and that Mr O'Loan was "told in no uncertain terms to withdraw the statement".

Earlier the North Antrim assembly member said: "I believe that a major realignment of northern nationalism is now called for and I think that this means the formation of a new single nationalist party.

"The values of the SDLP and its ability to command respect and at least second preference votes across the whole community are not something that should be lost.

"In the interests of achieving Irish unity, that respect is vital."

He added: "Many nationalist voters are willing to exercise their votes interchangeably between the SDLP and Sinn Fein."

In order to make things more affordable and to increase attendances at games, could or should the provincial councils introduce "season" style tickets for their provincial club championship games that start in October.

With the use of technology, season tickets could be used for say one game per round or to a maximum of say 6 games in total.

A discount could be given for using one of these tickets with the option to but tickets for other games just like we have now with the "season ticket".

The provincial councils get their money in before hand. Attendances will increase.

What do you think ?.

You've all seen the Peter Robinson interview with Seamas Mc Kee in which he says he's the victim of a smear campaign.

Gerry says he's a victim as well.

Gerry's speech today in Belfast :


During the war the might of British militarism and its unionist allies in the death squads could not defeat the republican people of this city.

The millions spent on black propaganda, the lies and smears and
disinformation and the efforts to criminalise our struggle all failed.

Republicans stayed focussed and strong and united.

We stuck with our republican principles.

We perservered. We strategised and planned.

And the peoples army – the IRA - was an undefeated army when it took brave decisions to support the Sinn Féin peace strategy and to create the present opportunities for a new future.

This society, the citizens of this island would not be in the new place, a better place particularly here in the North, but for the dedication and determination of republicans.

So this campaign against me, against us, by the Irish News and Sunday Times, Tribune and others is not new.


They did it during the hunger strikes; they did when I first stood for
election and in every election since; they did when I was involved in talks with John Hume; they did it constantly throughout the negotiations and the peace process. 

It is about stopping our development.

So our immediate focus as republican activists is to mobilise and win the biggest republican vote in the Westminster election next month.

[GAA bans text messaging directly to teenage club members]

GAA bans text messaging directly to teenage club members



Thursday March 04 2010

A GAA move to stop clubs from sending round-robin text messages directly to juvenile players because of a new child protection regime is set to have sweeping implications for Irish sports clubs. The GAA, under an initiative triggered by Croke Park's new code of practice for juvenile members, is telling its 14,500 clubs that text messages can only be sent directly to under-18s with the written consent of their parents or guardians.

While a majority of soccer, athletics, swimming and rugby clubs already send such alerts directly to parents, some have used round-robin text messages to brief players in their late teens about matches, training sessions and upcoming club events.

The GAA move is set to trigger a copycat move by other sports bodies that text messages. Like other Irish sports clubs, the GAA -- with 250,000 members -- had found round-robin text messages to be a cost-effective way of alerting players to match times and training sessions as well key pieces of club news.

The GAA has started briefing club officials on the policy which has been matched by the GAA moving to have all its juvenile mentors submit garda vetting forms before such measures become mandatory.

GAA Children's Office director Gearoid O Maolmhichil said it did not make sense for middle-aged people to have the mobile phone numbers of young teenagers.

"Of course there can be an exception to the rule for a 16 or 17 year old where the parent chooses that that is the person, for domestic purposes or other purposes, that should get the text, then fine," he said.

- Ralph Riegel

Irish Independent

I have some 8mm camcorders tapes - the camcorder doesn't work any more - how do I go about converting them onto DVD ??

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Angry Harte threatens TV boycott

Mickey Harte is raising the stakes in the row over retrospective red cards
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 08:59
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has revealed that his county may consider banning television cameras from their home National League games, as the row over retrospective red cards intensifies.

Harte yesterday revealed his frustration with the current system which saw three of his players receive bans based on the strength of video replays.


The Tyrone boss claims that such decisions are not being applied across the board because of the lack of television cameras at some grounds, claiming that teams who featured in televised matches are at a disadvantage.


Derry manager Damian Cassidy echoed those complaints after Eoin Bradley was also suspended, but now Harte appears to have upped the stakes.


'It's something we'll have to consider,' Harte said when questioned on the possibility of a TV blackout.

'In fact, our county board have made suggestions that if that's going to be case then we could reserve the right to decide whether our league games are to be televised or not,' he told the Irish Examiner.

'I don't know how many times we've been on (TV) but the bottom line is if our game against Derry had not been televised we would have Martin Penrose, Conor Gormley and Justin McMahon playing against Mayo,' said Harte.

'That's an undisputed fact. We were disadvantaged being on live TV. Two of them weren't red cards. Martin Penrose was a different incident anyway. That's not condoning what any of them did. We just need it to be on a level playing field.'

Diamond dealer beaten and robbed in Dublin hotel 

The dealer was robbed of £700,000 worth of jewels
A British diamond dealer carrying £700,000 of jewels has been robbed at gunpoint in a hotel in Ireland.

The 64-year-old salesman, believed to be from Southampton, was attacked in his room in the three-star Travelodge in Ballymun, north Dublin. A suitcase containing dozens of diamonds was stolen from the man.

Police said three men broke into the room at about 1215 GMT wielding a gun and a hammer and beat the man before stealing the jewels.

It is understood the dealer gave chase despite being badly injured but gave up after the gang fled into a flats complex near the hotel.

Gardai said the injured man chased the thieves on to Shangan Road in the middle of Ballymun village before he alerted gardai.

He was taken to the Mater Hospital in the north of the city where he was treated for his injuries.

Ballymun, once one Ireland's most socially disadvantaged areas, has undergone massive regeneration in the last five years with old tower blocks demolished and replaced with improved social housing.

['A player is considered to always owe allegiance and loyalty to the club he first legally participated with in club competition.']

Last night, Dublin chairman Ger Harrington used his casting vote to reject a transfer request from Eamon Fennell to join St. Vincent's.

Were they right or wrong to reject it and was their reasons correct given the other transfers that have gone through in different counties ?.





The Dublin County Committee has issued a statement regarding the denial of Eamon Fennell's transfer application.

The statement read: 'The Dublin County Committee last evening considered an application from Eamon Fennell to transfer from O'Toole's to St Vincent's GAA Club.

'A player who wishes to leave one club to join another must apply to the County Committee for a transfer.

'A County Committee has the right, acting within its Bye-Law, to grant or not to grant an application for transfer. The committee refused to grant the transfer application.'

The Dublin Transfer Byelaw states: 'As the GAA is community centred, based on the allegiance of its members to their local clubs, the object of which is to promote the Association's aims at local level, the transfer rules in the Official Guide and this Bye-Law reflect that ethos.

'A player is considered to always owe allegiance and loyalty to the club he first legally participated with in club competition.'

I hope the bad old days have not returned :

According to this report, they might well have.


GAA team 'target of bomb attack in Antrim' 
 
A pipe bomb has been found at a community centre in Antrim where a GAA team was training, the town's mayor Adrian Watson has said.

A security alert was declared after a suspicious device was found outside the community centre on the Stiles estate.

Players from St Comgall's GAA Club were escorted from the premises by police and the area has been cordoned off.

Mr Watson said it was a "disgusting attack by mindless thugs who had nothing to offer the community".

"These are young men training in a community centre surrounded by hundreds of home," he added.

"They have done nothing wrong, bar be members of a GAA club."

Police have said they are looking for a second device and the area will remain cordoned off until Friday morning when the search will resume in daylight.