| Would Favre de-gray for $500? How about $1M? A Twin Cities salon operator is offering to donate $500 to Brett Favre’s favorite charity if the Minnesota Vikings quarterback comes in for a “gray reduction” men’s hair coloring. feeds.bizjournals.com |
David Hytner: Anelka turns the sulking into smiles The France striker branded a World Cup hothead showed his cool from the spot for Chelsea last nightAt the moment when the referee Frank De Bleeckere penalised StĂ©phane Mbia for handball and pointed to the penalty spot, the executives at TFI, the French terrestrial television station, must have been beside themselves.Here was a moment of pure theatre, the kind that football often throws up but one that always feels so much intense and pleasurable to the men in suits when it is their channel that is screening it live.Nicolas Anelka has been vilified in France for his central and foul-mouthed part in the national team's meltdown at the World Cup finals. (He is not the only one, of course). And this was the first opportunity for many of his compatriots back at home to see him in action.The Chelsea striker is also a villain in the eyes of the Marseille fans by dint of his Paris Saint-Germain connections and so when he collected the ball for the penalty, the vociferous travelling supporters began their piercing shrills. The din that they created almost made this feel like a home fixture for their team. Armchair fans across the Channel, meanwhile, were gripped.Anelka looked characteristically non-plussed. He waited for the fuss on the field to die down and that around him to intensify before ambling forward three paces and rolling the ball, almost in slow motion, past the goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, who was rooted to the spot.There was the relative rarity of an Anelka smile as he wheeled away to celebrate in the corner of the Shed End populated by Chelsea's supporters. For a split second, it had looked like he would run to the other corner, where the Marseille diehards were stationed, which would not have been a smart move. Anelka has his head screwed on in west London. The 31-year-old could revel in his seventh goal of the season and Chelsea a bold step towards qualification for the Champions League's knockout stage.Anelka's flair for the dramatic has never been in doubt. He has enjoyed a fine season, winning praise on the eve of this tie from the Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti for his all-round ability and Marseille might have worried at his switch, in the absence of the suspended Didier Drogba, to the central striker role.On the previous occasions that Anelka had occupied the position from the start for Chelsea this season, in the Champions League against Zilina and the Carling Cup against Newcastle United, he had not only scored two goals in each fixture but he had been the team's galvanising figure.This was not one of his vintage displays and in many respects, he was overshadowed by the Frenchmen either side of him on the flanks for his club. The 19-year-old GaĂ«l Kakuta and Florent Malouda provided rich entertainment, especially in the first half, the former enjoying an encouraging evening in which he showcased his wonderful touch; the latter continuing his barnstorming start to the season.Malouda, France's new captain, threatened with his crosses, skill and directness. There was also impressive upper body strength to hold off assorted Marseille defenders. He has come to resemble the complete package.Anelka, though, could not be ignored. The stealth and cuteness of his movement at the outset was unsettling to Mbia and Souleymane Diawara, the two great pillars of the Marseille defence. He dropped deep to link the play but it was when he drifted wide or in behind that Marseille pulses quickened.In the early running, he peeled out to the right to collect Kakuta's well weighted pass and promptly streaked in on goal. From a tight angle, he thudded his shot into Mandanda. By then, Chelsea were 1-0 up through John Terry's deft finish from Kakuta's corner, although defensive ineptitude from Marseille, particularly BenoĂ®t Cheyrou, who was allegedly policing the near post, contributed the assist.Then came the moment to define Anelka's evening. Here was further proof that it is ice that runs through his veins. As the net billowed, it was difficult not to marvel at Anelka's impudence. He faded in the second half as his team sat deeper to preserve what they had and seek to strike further on the counter but Anelka had already made his mark.ChelseaMarseilleChampions LeagueDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
OSU sues publisher of Buckeye Battle Cry football guide A Massachusetts publisher that sells an Ohio State University football guide named after the school’s iconic fight song has the school singing its own battle cry. feeds.bizjournals.com |
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