Pep Guardiola’s arrival an inflection point in Premier League history

Over 20,000 professional players deemed not one footballer from the English Premier League worthy of starring in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2015, as was revealed at the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich's Kongresshaus.
Barring England, all European hotbeds – Spain, France, Italy and Germany – found representation in a team comprising football’s crème de la crème from the continent.
This has been a recurring theme at the gala in recent years. Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic in 2012 was the last player, having played a full season for an English club, to make the cut.

Premier League’s elite clubs continue to struggle against their contemporaries from the La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A on the grand stage of the world’s biggest club competition year on year.
The Football Association’s flagship brand is the oldest and most watched football league in the world. Sadly, it isn’t the best league in the world. While squad depths of all 20 clubs make for an exciting league, the gap between the best in England and Spain is only growing.
The Premier League’s top dogs come up a cropper against the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the Champions League. If a list of the world’s top 20 players is compiled, not more than two players from England will be part of it at the moment.
From Cristiano Ronaldo to Gareth Bale, Premier League stars continue to be seduced by the prospect of playing in Madrid and Barcelona. Despite a gigantic television rights deal, English top-flight football has fallen out of favor with the very best in the business.
Barring Sergio Aguero, no players of genuine game-changing repute have moved the other way. Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Angel di Maria did, only because they were surplus to requirements at their respective La Liga clubs.
From the perspective of Premier League football fans, a heartening new trend has taken shape of late that could gradually help England regain its position as the ultimate club football destination.
Managers of pedigree – Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Jurgen Klopp – have jumped on the Premier League caravan in the last two years. This clearly is a positive development for the league’s brand. The best players want to work with the game’s best minds, which is why influential managers are pivotal. High-profile figures like these help elevate the stature of a league.
Come June 30, another name will join England’s managerial heavyweights. Manchester City gatecrashed transfer deadline day, announcing Manuel Pellegrini’s summer replacement as the irrepressible Pep Guardiola.
Pep’s credentials are mighty but not spotless. While he ticked all the boxes with the Catalan giants, the missing Champions League trophy with the Bavarians should count as a major miss.
Sheik Mansour has signed the best-paid manager in world football with the singular motive of winning a Champions League. Some believe the Spaniard will make City serial winners, while other feel he could build a dynasty rivaling Sir Alex Ferguson.
Guardiola inherited winning teams at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. This City side is not on the same level as both of Pep’s previous employers. Hence whether Pep can bring transformational
change to the blue half of Manchester remains debatable at this juncture.
However, what is not a matter of debate is the value the 45-year-old brings to City and the Premier League in general. Pulling power
While Lionel Messi, may still be out of bounds for City, Pep will use his pulling power to sign some of the best players in the world. With him in charge, the club will automatically become a popular destination for all the big names. Considering the resources at his disposal, Guardiola will inject City’s already formidable squad with more world-class talent. The opportunity of working under him will be hard for any player to resist.
Play, possession and position
With the Spaniard at the helm, City fans can expect their team to play way better next season. As the great Thierry Henry revealed on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Pep orders his players to stick to a rigid positional system, allowing ‘freedom’ in the final third. No player from the right can move over to the left and vice-versa in Pep’s system. His obsessive approach will help City operate at an extremely high level of efficiency.
Added focus on youth
There is no doubt Pep’s arrival will lead to a rejig of City’s squad. The club’s new youth academy will be the biggest beneficiary of life under the new manager. Guardiola is known to spend considerable time in supervising the development of young players. From nurturing La Masia’s golden generation, to ushering Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich into Bayern’s first team, Pep pays special attention to young talent.
Extraordinary style
Guardiola’s teams play with a distinct style. His system is a cross between thrilling attacking football and organizational discipline in defense. Pep’s drills his philosophy of fierce pressing and speedy attack into the entire squad. He is no advocate of one particular style. The intelligence of his plan lies in its flexibility. At heart, Pep is a pragmatist, which is why his approach will be wedded to City’s strengths.
With 19 trophies in six-and-a-half seasons, Pep’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium marks a definitive moment in Premier League’s history. His unrelenting pursuit of perfection and meticulous attention to detail will not just bolster City but also raise the benchmark of excellence in the league. More importantly, the hallmark of brand Pep, its credibility, will help England’s top-flight football regain its importance and influence in Europe.
Source- zeenews.india

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Bengaluru FC ease past Salgaocar FC to claim second I-League title in three years

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Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC were on Sunday crowned as I-League football champions for the second time in three years as they blanked Salgaocar 2-0 in their penultimate league match here today.

Eugenson Lyngdoh (8th minute) and Seminlen Doungel (87th) socred for Bengaluru as Ashley Westwood-coached side took full three points to clinch their second I-League title in front of their home crowd at the Kanteerava Stadium.
They had won their maiden crown in 2013-14 season and had finished second last season (2014-15) behind Mohun Bagan.
With 32 points from 15 matches, Bengaluru took an unassailable five point lead from currently second-placed Mohun Bagan (27 points from 15 matches) with one match to spare.
This means that their last league fixture against Mohun Bagan on April 23 in Siliguri has been rendered inconsequential as far as I-League title is concerned.
But that match will have importance for deciding the second-place finisher as East Bengal (25 points from 15 matches) are currently at third just two points behind Mohun Bagan.
East Bengal can finish at second if they beat Shillong Lajong in their last match on April 24 in Shillong and Mohun Bagan lose against Bengaluru.
Seeking to clinch the title today itself, Westwood fielded the first choice eleven for the clash with Curtis Osano and John Johnson returning to the fold as centre halves with Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Michael Collins manning the midfield.
Youngster Malsawmzuala got a start with Udanta Singh as the wingmen. Skipper Sunil Chhetri combined with Korean Kim Seong Yong to form the attacking nucleus of the 'Blues'.
It took just eight minutes for Bengaluru FC to open the scoring through Eugeneson Lyngdoh. The India midfielder scored his third goal in his comeback from injury as he latched onto a loose ball from Salgaocar goalkeeper Karanjit Singh's punch off a cross from the left.
Unmarked 25 yards out, Lyngdoh drove it straight across the ground with a right footer to take the early lead and leave the Goans fluttered.
Salgaocar tried to make a comeback as Jackichand Singh made his way past a couple of defenders but Amrinder Singh was quick to get onto the ball. Thangjam Saran Singh was booked after he brought down Udanta Singh during a Lyngdoh freekick and Salgaocar never really pressed after that during the first half.
Kim Seong Yong could have added the second goal for Bengaluru but was blocked by Leny Pereira and on the second attempt off it, Eder did well to deny Sunil Chhetri from close range.
Six minutes past the half hour mark, Salgaocar keeper Karanjit pulled off fine save, diving to his left to deny Michael Collins.
After some lighting related interruption, the second half started with Salgaocar tried to break the resolute Bengaluru defense but were unable to create much of an impact with their attempts.
Skipper Chhetri set up the second goal for Bengaluru which sealed the title three minutes from time. After a fine move at the left channel, Chhetri squared the ball into the box and with Salgaocar keeper Karanjit out of his line, substitute Seminlen Doungel was there to calmly dab the ball into the open net.
The Kanteerava crowd erupted to wild cheers as the referee blew the whistle.
Source-- zeenews.india

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UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich See Off Benfica to Reach Semifinals

Lisbon: Bayern Munich came out on top in an entertaining Champions League last-eight clash with Benfica, reaching the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate victory, after a second-leg 2-2 draw in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola took his German champions to the Estadio Da Luz with a 1-0 first-leg lead thanks to Aruto Vidal's early strike at the Allianz Arena last week.
After a slow start to the game, Benfica drew back onto level terms in the tie in the 27th minute, as Raul Jimenez escaped the Bayern defence to nod past Manuel Neuer.
But Vidal smashed home his second goal of the quarter-final tie seven minutes before half-time to leave Rui Vitoria's Benfica needing two unanswered goals to progress.
The tie appeared all but over shortly after the restart when Thomas Mueller pounced in trademark fashion.
Benfica did manage to create a grandstand finale of sorts through Talisca's set-piece, but it could have been more exciting had Bayern's Javi Martinez been sent off for the cynical foul that lead to the free-kick.
Bayern though join Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City in Friday's semi-final draw, as coach Guardiola looks to sign off with a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles before he joins Man City at the end of the season.
"We're satisfied because the Champions League is a very tough competition. We've achieved our objective and now we want to get to the final," said Guardiola, who has now reached the semi-finals in all seven of his campaigns as a coach.
"From what I read in Germany it would seem that if I leave without winning the Champions League my work will have been incomplete.
"But for us, the coaches, the aim is always to win trophies."
Five-time winners Bayern progress to the last four for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, leaving their opponents without a semi-final appearance in Europe's premier club competition since 1990.
Unenviable task for Benfica
Benfica were undisputed underdogs, and they started this match not just with a deficit to overturn, but without three key forwards.
Top scorer Jonas, who has scored 32 goals this season, was ruled out through suspension, while Nicolas Gaitan and Greek Kostas Mitroglou failed to recover from injuries, meaning that the hosts had depleted attacking options to choose from.
"We finished the game with five players aged between 18 and 21 on the field. We have a team that fought toe to toe with Bayern," said coach Vitoria.
"We were up against a very strong team who score goals wherever they play and that made the difference."
Roared on by the home crowd, the hosts started quickly and after Vidal headed tamely at Ederson Moraes, Benfica struck almost from nowhere.
Eliseu skipped forward from left-back, before chipping in a delicious cross which was headed home by Jimenez for his third Champions League goal of the season.
Bayern were rocked and Jimenez should have put Benfica in front on aggregate just a couple of minutes after opening the scoring but the former Atletico Madrid man stabbed a weak effort straight at Neuer.
Just when the Portuguese champions were starting to gain a measure of control, Lahm's cross was only palmed as far as Vidal by stand-in goalkeeper Ederson, and the Chilean did the rest with a thumping left-footed finish.
World Cup winner Mueller struck in the 53rd minute after Martinez headed Xabi Alonso's corner across the face of goal, to effectively seal Bayern's place in the semi-finals with his eighth goal in Europe this term.
The Bavarians were given a huge slice of luck when Martinez hacked down Benfica substitute Goncalo Guedes when the teenager was clean through on goal, but only saw yellow.
Brazilian Talisca, who had also come off the bench, delightfully curled the resulting free-kick out of Neuer's reach and into the top corner to give Benfica a glimmer of hope, but in the end they ran out of steam.source:sports.ndtv

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Jamie Vardy's Party Set To Become Football's Definitive Cinderella Story

Jamie Vardy has scored 21 goals for Leicester City in the 2015/16 EPL and his contribution has been the main driving force behind the team's success.On a chilly Tuesday evening in London, the Dutch were in town for a football friendly at Wembley. Starting up front for England was the man we had all come to watch -- Jamie Vardy, the Rocky Balboa of English football and the man behind the Leicester miracle this season.

With the No. 10 on his back, the explosive forward charged and probed, chasing everything down in typical fashion. The inevitable beckoned when Vardy found himself in space inside the box, hitting the back of the net from Nathaniel Clyne's cross, lifting the roof off in the 41st minute. It was his second international goal. England were impressive in attack, but a Dutch side in transition came from behind to record a spirit-boosting 2-1 victory.
"Jamie Vardy's havin' a party," echoed through Wembley. Despite the Dutch raining on Vardy's parade, for a lot of us, witnessing the enigma playing at his peak and scoring at the most iconic of stadiums got us our money's worth.
Vardy's meteoric rise has been nothing short of an underdog story for the ages. The Sheffield-born forward's career seemingly has seen more ups and downs than Arsene Wenger's famed zipper.
Released by Sheffield Wednesday in 2002, the Leicester City top scorer started his semi-professional career at Stocksbridge Park Steels in 2003, in the Northern Premier League, an astounding seven-tiers below the Premier League.
Described as a 'rough diamond', it wasn't hard to overlook Vardy's potential in his early years. Fast but lanky, his frame raised suspicions that defenders would bully him off the ball.
Sold to Halifax Town for a measly 15,000 Pounds in 2010, his career look set to follow in the steps of the quintessential 'forgotten footballer' -- raw talent, couldn't impress scouts, didn't make the cut.
Vardy though, kept fighting. Working full-time as a technician, manufacturing medical splints for the disabled, he rallied on, winning promotions with Halifax and later Fleetwood. His goals caught the eye of Nigel Pearson and in 2012, Vardy made headlines, becoming the first non-league player to be sold for 1 million Pounds, as Leicester City took a gamble on the then 25-year old.
Four years on, and a screaming Martin Tyler would have you believe that the football gods have rewarded Vardy with his very own place in Premier League folklore.
"It's eleven! It's heaven for Jamie Vardy!" he exclaimed, as Vardy smashed the league record by scoring in an unprecedented 11th consecutive game.
The feat cemented Vardy as an outlier, as one who went against the grain and ended up triumphant. The once scrawny factory worker now had a full-time job terrorizing Premier League defences.
This season, Vardy has been as heroic, as he has been prolific, and stories like his belong almost exclusively in works of fiction. He will undoubtedly inspire thousands, if not millions of footballers to have the grit to keep going, conquering obstacle, after obstacle, after obstacle.
If indeed the Leicester City fairytale does come true, Jamie Vardy's party will culminate in a well-deserved champagne finale.source:sports.ndtv

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Slumping Barcelona Must Bounce Back: Luis Enrique

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is concerned over his team's form after being knocked out of Champions League.

 

Lisbon: Barcelona coach Luis Enrique admitted his side are suffering a slump in form after a third defeat in four games saw them dumped out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid. (UEFA Champions League: Antoine Griezmann Double Dumps Barcelona, Atletico Madrid in Semifinals)
Antoine Griezmann struck twice for Atletico in a 2-0 win Wednesday to seal their passage to the last four at Barcelona's expense for the second time in three years, 3-2 on aggregate.
"It is clear that we are not in our best form, especially if you consider how we were playing before, but we need to lift ourselves," said Enrique, whose side's dreams of a treble were dashed.
Barca had gone 39 games without tasting defeat before losing back-to-back La Liga games to Real Madrid and Real Sociedad to leave Atletico also breathing down their necks just three points behind in the title race with six games remaining.
Enrique's men will return to the Vicente Calderon in May for the Copa del Rey final and he insisted a league and Cup double would still mean a successful season despite missing the chance to become the first side to retain Europe's top trophy since it became the Champions League in 1992.
"The team wanted to retain the title, it was one our objectives and excited every Barca fan, but it isn't to be," said Enrique.
"We are finding it much more difficult than normal to score goals and suffering defensively too. We all have to improve and I'm the first one in that regard," he added.
"The objectives for Barcelona are always the highest possible. We should be proud that Barca are always favourites for everything.
"We understand that we have to accept defeat, we have other competitions coming up that we can win. For any coach in the world to win two titles is a successful season."
'Important step'
Victory ended Atletico's seven-game losing streak against Barca dating back to when the Madrid club sealed their La Liga title at the Camp Nou in 2014.
Diego Simeone's men also reached the Champions League final that season before losing in heartbreaking fashion to local rivals Real Madrid in the final.
Real lie in wait once more along with Bayern Munich and Manchester City in Friday's semi-final draw.
Simeone is determined Atletico's journey towards a first Champions League title won't end in the last four.
"I don't have any thought for the semi-finals other than winning," he said.
"We won't have anything easy. City have incredible financial power and Real Madrid and Bayern are historic teams in this competition.
"For Atletico to be among the four best teams in Europe is an important step, but just that, because we want more."
Griezmann was Atletico's hero as he took his tally for the season to 29 in all competitions with a towering first-half header before sealing the tie from the penalty spot two minutes from time.
However, the Frenchman was quick to laud the collective effort of his side as they shut out Barca's fearsome front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar for their 29th clean sheet of the season.
"Everyone works hard defensively and tactically we are nearly perfect," said Griezmann.
"We are very happy tonight. I'm happy because I scored two goals and tomorrow we won't talk about these two goals but the great effort of the team to be in the semi-finals."

 

source:sports.ndtv

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Marcus Rashford Takes Manchester United F.C. Into FA Cup Semifinals With Win Over West Ham 

 

Manchester United players celebrate after enter the FA Cup semifinal with win over West Ham.United in Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay to bolster manager Louis van Gaal. 

West Ham were bidding to crown the final cup tie at their venerable Boleyn Ground home with victory, having pushed United close at Old Trafford in the 1-1 draw when the teams first met.
But it was Van Gaal's United, for whom Wayne Rooney returned to action after two months out with a knee injury, who advanced to a Wembley semi-final against Everton on April 23 courtesy of 18-year-old Rashford's sixth goal of the season and a close-range Marouane Fellaini effort.
"I think we controlled the game for 85 minutes and could have finished the game much earlier, but then they scored and it is very nervous till the end," said Van Gaal.
On Rashford's goal, he said: "It was a great goal. I was behind him on the bench and I saw his view, and I shouted 'Shoot!'"
Having been under fire for several long months, Van Gaal now has a chance to finish a gruelling season by leading United to a first FA Cup triumph since 2004, which could yet keep him in a job.
West Ham, who set up a nerve-jangling last few minutes through James Tomkins's header, must now seek to ensure that when Van Gaal's men return for the last ever game at the Boleyn Ground on May 10, their dreams of Champions League qualification remain intact.
"It is not what we wanted of course, but we gave our best," said West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, whose team lost for the first time in 17 home games.
"We are going to bounce back."
West Ham shared six goals with Arsenal in a gripping game on Saturday and they started this match with comparable abandon, Enner Valencia threatening and Dimitri Payet trying to catch David de Gea out with a cunningly disguised free-kick.
Kouyate offside
But West Ham's eagerness to attack left them exposed at the back and as the visitors began to venture forward, they found unexpected space.
The quicksilver Rashford had a pair of efforts blocked, while Fellaini, who came in for Morgan Schneiderlin, saw a shot pushed over by West Ham's cup goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
As heavy rain began to fall, Rashford wriggled away from a posse of defenders and released Jesse Lingard, whose side-foot effort obliged Randolph to save with his legs. Shortly after, West Ham alumnus Michael Carrick volleyed wide.
Lingard rattled a stanchion soon after the change of ends and although Cheikhou Kouyate then worked De Gea at the other end, in the 54th minute United's pressure told.
A clearance from Michail Antonio found its way to Anthony Martial, who helped the ball on to Rashford, and the teenager applied further gloss to his gleaming reputation by shimmying inside Tomkins and planting a sumptuous finish in the top-right corner.
Not even the most ardent West Ham regular could have complained that the goal was undeserved and with 23 minutes remaining United doubled their advantage.
A cross from the right reached Martial at the back post and from his mishit shot, Fellaini steered the ball into the net with his knee from about three yards out.
After De Gea had produced a razor-sharp save to thwart Antonio, Tomkins nodded in a knock-down from Andy Carroll with 11 minutes remaining to set up a rousing finale.
Rooney made his entrance as a late replacement for Rashford, but he had no opportunity to influence proceedings in West Ham's half as Bilic's side laid siege to the United goal.
Carroll headed narrowly over from Aaron Cresswell's cross before De Gea saved twice, from Kouyate and Carroll, and when Kouyate headed the rebound from the latter attempt into the net, to United and Van Gaal's immense relief the flag went up for offside.source:sports.ndtv

 

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Cardinals' Arians takes aim at moms as he defends safety of football

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians continued his offseason crusade to save the future of football, this time at the Arizona Cardinals High School Football Coaches Clinic.
"We feel like this is our sport," Arians said Friday, via FOX Sports 910 in Phoenix. "It's being attacked, and we got to stop it at the grass roots. It's the best game that's ever been (expletive) invented, and we got to make sure that moms get the message; because that's who's afraid of our game right now. It's not dads, it's moms."
Earlier last month, Arians told MMQB that parents who won't let their kids play football are "fools." But it's not just Arians who is trying to change the narrative on football safety.
source- foxnews

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Darren Cooper on football: Jabrill Peppers, Chris Partridge give back to Jersey

WALDWICK — Having played multiple positions already in his college football career, Jabrill Peppers tried on a new role as coach/mentor Saturday afternoon.

The former Paramus Catholic star and current Michigan redshirt sophomore spent his afternoon at Superdome Sports working with kids at the Game Changers youth football camp.
Former Paramus Catholic head coach and current Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge was nearby working the camp as well.
“I feel like it’s your duty to come back,” said Peppers. “If you were fortunate enough to make it and you have people who look up to you and want to hear what you’re saying, why not do it? Why not?”
“We got the weekend off, but I’m too restless to take the whole weekend off,” said Partridge. “Jabrill happened to be home as well, so we figured we would come over and try to help out. I have a lot of pride in New Jersey football.”
Both left before the high school-aged kids arrived, as per the new NCAA rules banning college coaches from working so-called satellite camps that are off-campus.
Wearing neon green and red cleats and a purple hat from his fraternity, Peppers watched the aspiring defensive backs work and threw passes to them. He seemed to genuinely enjoy his time, offering pointers and posing for pictures.
“This brings back memories,” said Peppers. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do it, just because there were guys who took time out to do it for me. It meant a lot to me. Once you see that someone made it from your community, that gives you a lot of hope.”
Peppers and Partridge have been linchpins of a pipeline of talent that sprung up seemingly overnight from New Jersey to Ann Arbor. It continued this past fall when the Wolverines received commitments from DePaul standout running back Kareem Walker and Paladins star defensive lineman Rashan Gary.
“It feels good to say that you maybe started the trend,” said Peppers. “But at the end of the day, we just want ballers and it happens than most of the ballers are from Jersey. We all know each other. We grew up around the same area. We want the same thing. We all love to play football. We are just trying to go out there and dominate and show them how New Jersey does it.”
Peppers was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season after doing a little bit of everything for the Wolverines. He played safety, cornerback and nickelback on defense. On offense, he lined up at quarterback in two games and carried the ball 18 times as a running back. He also returned punts and kickoffs.
The latest buzz out of Ann Arbor had Peppers playing linebacker in spring ball; interestingly enough, that would mean Partridge would be his coach. Again.
Partridge laughed when asked if Peppers would be a linebacker this fall.
“We’ll see,” Partridge said smiling. “Is he going to be a linebacker? No. But will he be a linebacker? Sometimes.”
Michigan will have a new defensive coordinator, the well-regarded Don Brown who led Boston College’s No. 1-ranked defense in 2015. Peppers called him a “cool grandpa” figure. But like most defenses in football now, they are trying to find a way to match offenses that spread the field horizontally and put athletes in various spots.
“My position definitely has some linebacker tendencies, but I’m not going to just be sitting at linebacker the whole time,” said Peppers. “They’ll be doing a lot with me in terms of using my skill set to my best advantage and to my team’s best advantage. It’s like a nickel[back], but in Coach Brown’s defense it’s considered a Sam [strong side] backer. It’s kind of a hybrid, bigger defensive back.”
Peppers said he weighed 207 and was getting on a flight back to Ann Arbor today. He is on track to graduate and will be NFL Draft eligible after this season — Peppers missed most of his true freshman season with a knee injury.
Under new coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines finished 10-3 in 2015 and ranked No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll. They crushed Florida in the Citrus Bowl, 41-7, a game Peppers missed with a hand injury.
Michigan will be considered a contender for a Big Ten and national title in 2016. Don’t be surprised if Gary plays right away — he’s that good — and Peppers should be even better contributing in multiple ways.
“We just want to improve from last year,” said Peppers. “We lost a couple of games we should have won. We just have to finish. That’s the main thing, just finish games. We don’t want to give anyone room to breathe, that’s our main thing right now.”Source-northjersey

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Because of spinal issue, former Jenks star Dylan Harding’s OSU football career ends

Updated: Saturday April 9, 2016 8:29 pm

Former Jenks High School star Dylan Harding announced on Twitter that his Oklahoma State football career has ended.
A backup safety who played for two seasons on special-teams units, Harding would have been a junior during the 2016 season.
Harding’s tweet: “For everyone that hasn’t seen or heard, I got diagnosed with spinal stenosis that’s causing me to leave the game I’ve played since the 2nd grade. I’ll never forget the young days of watching Bedlam games with my pops and dreaming of being a part of something that special.
“Thankfully, I got that opportunity and I’ll never forget it. I just want to say thanks to my family, friends and people who followed this dream of mine as it turned into a reality. I want to specifically say thank you to all of the coaches and my dad who have spent countless hours with me, trying to better me as a person and a football player.
“I got to experience something I’ll never forget and (will) cherish forever. . . . I’ll forever be grateful. #GoPokes.”
According to the Mayo Clinic website, spinal stenosis is “a narrowing of the open spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to the arms and legs. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.”
At Jenks, Harding was a member of two state championship teams. At Oklahoma State, he played in a two-season total of 22 games. This is an excerpt from a 2015 Tulsa World piece: “If you examine a replay of the 2014 Bedlam punt return — Tyreek Hill’s 92-yard, fourth-quarter runback that pushed the game to overtime — there was an interesting convergence of former Jenks teammates Harding and Steven Parker (then a freshman at OU).
“As Hill drifted toward the Cowboys sideline, Parker was in pursuit. Near the OSU 20-yard line, Harding made contact with Parker, but didn’t attempt a knockdown because it could have resulted in a flag for a block in the back. Harding’s restraint was a factor in what became a historically significant Bedlam moment.”
As a Jenks senior, Harding was a Tulsa World All-State selection who excelled both as a safety and a receiver (21 catches, 563 yards, seven touchdowns). The most memorable of his TDs occurred with 25 seconds remaining in the 2013 MidFirst Bank Backyard Bowl, when he collected a Cooper Nunley pass and raced to the end zone to complete a 76-yard play and give the top-ranked Trojans a 20-16 victory over No. 2 Union.Source--tulsaworld

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Former Vanderbilt football player found guilty of rape

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A former Vanderbilt football player has been found guilty of raping an unconscious student in a dorm.
It took less than three hours for the jury of nine men and three women to find Cory Batey guilty of aggravated rape, two counts of attempted aggravated rape, facilitation of aggravated rape and three counts of aggravated sexual battery.
Batey, a 22-year-old from Nashville, is one of four former football players charged with rape and accused of violating the female student in a dorm room in June of 2013. He was the only one on trial.
The verdict Friday arrived as other colleges and universities across the country continue to face significantly increased scrutiny of sexual misconduct on campus, both by activists, lawmakers and the federal government.
A jury last year convicted Batey and former player Brandon Vandenburg on multiple aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery charges. The verdicts were thrown out after Davidson County Criminal Court Judge declared a mistrial after lawyers discovered that the jury foreman had been a victim of statutory rape.
Just like the trial last year, the retrial featured graphic images and videos of the sexual assault. Police said they recovered images and videos from the players' cellphones. Testimony showed that one of the players sent video of the assault to friends while it was happening.
"Our first thoughts are with the victim and the incredible strength she has shown, and continues to show, both throughout the investigation and the legal proceedings," Vanderbilt University Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Beth Fortune said in a statement. "Our heart continues to go out to her as she has endured this retrial. This case has had a lasting impact on us all.'
The trial this week once again raised questions about bystanders in campus sexual assaults. At least five student athletes saw the unconscious woman in a state of distress but did not call for help, including several who testified that they saw her lying partially nude in a dorm hallway.
In closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that the woman was raped in the dorm room and then taken out in a hallway and left out there like trash. But they also said jurors had more than enough evidence to convict.
"I've never had a case that was videoed and photographed by the people who committed the crime," Tom Thurman, one of the prosecutors, told jurors.
Prosecutors said the dorm room attack lasted 32 minutes and it was Batey who was all over the woman once the players got her in the room.
Batey testified that he had been drinking heavily, blacked out and couldn't remember the sexual assault.
"There's nothing to show that Mr. Batey has a memory of anything," defence attorney Courtney Teasley told jurors in closing arguments. She called Vandenburg the "puppet master" and said Batey was the second drunkest person in the room and was being used as the entertainment by his teammates.
She said what happened to the woman was bad but it wasn't rape. "We know what rape is and Mr. Batey's not guilty of that," Teasley told jurors
She compared Batey to the victim and said both had blacked out. However, prosecutors maintained that, unlike the victim, Batey was walking around.
The victim in the case testified earlier in the day, the second time in a year that she told a courtroom full of strangers what happened to her. When a prosecutor showed the woman a picture of herself unconscious, she broke down in tears and said: "It's me. It's me."
She was then a 21-year-old incoming senior. The woman, who graduated from Vanderbilt and is now in a neuroscience Ph.D program in another state, said she has no memory of the sexual assault. She testified that she woke up alone in a strange dorm room, feeling sick and not knowing where she was or what happened to her.
She said she had been dating Vandenburg for about two weeks, and the last thing she remembered was him plying her with alcohol at a popular bar the night before.
The woman discovered what happened after police showed her some of the images and video recovered from the cellphones. Nashville police got involved because Vanderbilt officials contacted them when school surveillance footage showed players carrying an unconscious woman in a dorm.Source--brandonsun

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Timing off for Jacksonville bid for state football championships

News of Daytona Beach moving in position to host the state high school football championship series broke late Thursday night and it was met largely with positive response across the state.
A smaller facility should create a better game-day atmosphere for the players, and Daytona Beach has history in running the state series well. Its 10,000-seat Municipal Stadium has served as the central host to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s championship game six times before (1989-90, 1993-96).
But the questions have been asked for months about Jacksonville’s interest — and the likelihood — that it could make an effort to land the state’s marquee high school event, not only during this cycle, but in the future.
Alan Verlander, the executive director for the JAXSPORTS Council and TaxSlayer Bowl, said the city explored the possibility of bidding on the football event.
But the strain of putting on an eight-game football series at EverBank Field on the heels of two college football games, and during the NFL season, just didn’t make sense.
“I think [Daytona Beach] is the perfect place for it. I think it needs to be played in a stadium where you can feel the vibrance and electricity of a state championship game,” Verlander said. “Certainly we’d love to host one of [the FHSAA’s] premier championship events here. I think we’ve proven we can run major events. We do events here really well. From our standpoint, we have to make sure it makes sense. From a business decision, does it make sense? From a time-of-the-year standpoint, does it make sense?”
As it does with numerous sporting events, both mainstream and niche, the city looked into the possibility of bidding when the FHSAA opened it up. Only two cities —Daytona Beach and Orlando — ultimately submitted bids by the March 11 deadline. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Thursday that the FHSAA chose Daytona Beach’s bid over Orlando’s. They now have 30 days to finalize terms of the deal to make it official.
What swayed Jacksonville from bidding during this cycle was a combination of factors — time and site constraints were key, as well as the financial aspect, Verlander said.
There was just too much planned for EverBank Field in 2016 to make it work.
Jacksonville hosts the Florida-Georgia game on Oct. 29. One week later, EverBank will host Navy vs. Notre Dame. Using last year’s Jaguars schedule as a frame of reference, the team had four home games between Nov. 19 and Dec. 20. Adding either a one- or two-weekend slate of high school games to an already crowded schedule at EverBank wasn’t viable.
And high school football championship games in Florida just don’t draw the amount of fans that you’d expect.
The city did look at one potential option for state football, but came up a few feet short at the Baseball Grounds. Verlander said the Grounds are 108 yards at its longest point, 12 yards shy of the 120 yards needed for a full football field.
A mixed-use facility in the area would be a better venue than EverBank, although there currently isn’t one in the area.
From a capacity standpoint, a smaller venue such as Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach seems more conducive for a better game experience. It serves as the main high school football hub in Volusia County and is Bethune-Cookman University’s home field. The NAIA championship game has also been played there the last two years and will return this year.
Only 12 times in state history, dating to 1963, has a championship game drawn more than 10,000 fans, and the bigger venues tend to feel empty.
During the last three years in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl, games have averaged 3,259 paying fans for each of the eight championship games, a fraction of the 70,000-seat capacity. The Class 2A state championship game in 2013 drew just 717 fans.
“When it comes down to playing eight games on the turf, then you add in that you don’t know when the Jaguars will be scheduled [this season], and the possibility of a playoff game, you just had a lot of games within that time frame,” Verlander said.  “When we sit down and talk with people from the city, SMG, the Jaguars, and say, ‘Is this the best use of our facility, what’s the return?’ At the end of the day, we felt for us right now, it wasn’t the right time.”Source-jacksonville

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NFL-National Football League roundup

April 9 (The Sports Xchange) - Denver star linebacker Von Miller would like the Broncos to sign troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel, his former college teammate at Texas A&M.

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3. Judge refuses to restore Patriots’ first-round draft pick ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
4. Patriots fans sue NFL over 'Deflate-gate' draft pick punishment AFP
5. Report: Bengals, Lewis agree to contract extension ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

It was reported earlier in the week that the Broncos do not plan to sign Manziel, even though head coach Gary Kubiak spoke with him last month about the quarterback's future.

Kubiak has a personal relationship with Manziel because of their connection to Texas A&M, where both played quarterback and Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012.
Miller, the MVP of Super Bowl 50, told MyAggieNation.com that he is willing to facilitate a reunion with Manziel, who was released last month by the Cleveland Browns.
"If I had to make my decision on it, he would already be on the Broncos," Miller said Friday at an event at Texas A&M. "But we've got guys in the front office that make those decisions, and they put us in championships with those decisions. So I'm just going to follow those guys and have those guys take the lead."
The Broncos currently have just two quarterbacks on their roster - Mark Sanchez and 2015 seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian.
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A federal judge has denied a motion by a group of New England Patriots' fans to restore the first-round draft pick the team lost as part of the punishment for the Deflategate scandal.
The fans' motions for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order -- which would have effectively returned New England's pick in time for the NFL Draft later this month -- were both denied, according to the Boston Herald.
"After reviewing the complaint, it appears highly unlikely that plaintiffs will succeed on the merits of any of their claims," Judge F. Dennis Saylor wrote Friday.
Citing "emotional distress," a group of seven Patriots fans filed the civil suit on Tuesday in federal court in Boston.
The NFL penalized the Patriots a 2016 first-round pick, 2017 fourth-round pick, four-game suspension of quarterback Tom Brady and a $1 million team fine.

Brady's suspension was overturned in federal court last year and the NFL has appealed. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York heard testimony on March 3 from both sides, and the three judges might take months to issue a ruling.

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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season, multiple media outlets reported.
Lewis had been working with a contract that went through the 2016 season. His contract was extended by one year for the third straight year.
The deal is expected to be announced Monday.

In 2003, Lewis took over a Bengals team that had not had a winning season in 12 years. He has taken the Bengals to the playoffs seven times, including each of the past five seasons. However, now he is receiving criticism because the Bengals have not won a playoff game with Lewis as head coach.Source-yahoo

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