AZ Alkmaar

While all the focus of American soccer is currently zoomed in on Frankfurt, Germany, where the women's national team is looking to win there first World Cup since 1999, a big development came today for the men's national team as forward Jozy Altidore signed with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

The signing ends three years of disappointment at Villarreal in Spain where the 21-year-old was loaned out three times since January, most recently to Bursaspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

The signing of Altidore by the Eredivisie club gives American fans some hope for one of their top forwards to get playing time before World Cup qualifying starts.

American fans should invest their hope in the move to the Eredivisie because it is the same league in which Michael Bradley honed his skills with Heerenveen for three years before moving to Borussia Monchengladbach after his 18-goal season in Holland in the 2007-08 season.

Altidore has a good chance of starting the season up front for Gertjan Verbeek's side, as there are only three other forwards currently on the roster and the only forward that has a chance of contending with Altidore's goal-scoring power is Ruud Boymans, who was brought in from VVV-Venlo, where he scored 15 goals last season in the Eredivisie.

Not only will Altidore have a chance to play in the Eredivisie with constant playing time but he will also be playing in the Europa League, as AZ qualified for the competition by placing fourth last season in the league.

So, while all the American fans have their eyes set on Germany on Sunday, they should also keep their eyes on Holland for the next year to see how Jozy Altidore progresses with a shot at consistent first-team football.

Nothing lasts forever, and for the first time since our opening weeks of betting we actually made a loss this week in our predictions. No doubt it is a bitter pill to swallow, but only losing £5 has meant there have been no sleepless nights.

One bet did come to fruition—Frank Lampard scoring in the epic Chelsea-Liverpool Champions League match on Tuesday night. But then we were stung, Arsenal’s 3-nil win rubbished our forecast of less than 2.5 goals, while the French hoodoo in the UEFA Cup proved true once more as Marseille lost at home to Shahtkar, joining PSG in exiting the competition on Thursday, to continue French team woeful history in the tournament.

After a long shower and a good dusting down our spirits have freshened up. We know we are still the business. We are still £146.01 up. And if you still haven’t signed up to 888.com (do it here) you’re the one missing out on easy money.

So onto this weekend’s money-making predictions.

We have had quite a lot of success picking out home-bankers, and this week we are pushing the envelope by backing three teams to bring home cheer. In Belgium, Mons are plummeting to certain relegation having lost seven matches on the trot, and travelling to third-placed Club Brugge (1/6 to win) on Saturday, their eighth sucessive defeat appears imminent.

A similar story occurs in Denmark where high-flying Brondby (1/5 to win) face rock-bottom Sonderjyske, while over in Holland league leaders AZ Alkmaar (1/5 to win) can win this season’s Eredivisie title if they beat Vitesse on Saturday.

We are staking £15 on wins for Club Brugge, Brondby and AZ Alkmaar looking to reap a £25.20 return.

AZ Alkmaar can also walk away with the Dutch championship if Steve McClaren’s FC Twente fail to win at Feyenoord and Ajax do not beat PSV Eindhoven on Sunday. It has been 14 matches since Twente failed to get on the scoresheet, and with Feyenoord experiencing a turbulent season, goals look on the cards in this match.

Goals also look in the offing when Bundesliga leaders Wolfsburg (15 goals in their last five games) host midtable Bayer Leverkusen at the Volkswagen Arena. Believing their to be more than 2.5 goals in both matches (Twente-Feyenoord at 4/6 while Wolfsburg-Bayer Leverkusen is 8/13) we are aiming to turn our £10 bet into £26.92.

Last, we head to Spain for the riskiest bet of the week—double away wins.

Barcelona are a runaway train, and the chances of Getafe stopping Pep Guardiola’s side, even in front of their own fans, seem remote. Throwing caution to the wind though, we are not only backing Barca at 4/9 to win, but making a double on Osasuna to take three points at Almeria too.

Almeria are in a downward funk having lost four of their last five matches, although that includes games against Sevilla (a), Barcelona (h), Real Madrid (a) and Mallorca (h). But as luck would have it Almeria have no respite, as their next opponents are currently one of the form teams in La Liga. Osasuna have battled the drop admirably, having won three on the bounce including a 4-2 win at Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago. Osasuna are 21/10 to win in Andalusia.

We are betting £8 hoping to swoop a return of £41.33.

Kocaelispor 1 - Besiktas 3 (Super Lig, April 10, 2009) (Longer highlights here.) After falling behind to Akeem Agbetu’s low drive after two minutes, Besiktas rallied after the break to storm to the top of the table. Tomas Zapotocny’s levelled from the spot before Bobo and Yusuf Simsek sealed the win with two goals in the final five minutes.

NAC Breda 0 - AZ Alkmaar 1 (Eredivisie, April 10, 2009) AZ had to wait up the 69th minute to score,  Moussa Dembele adding another fine goal to his collection after cutting in from the right and firing home with his left foot.

Braga 1 - Maritimo 1 (Liga Sagres, April 10, 2009) Both goals came from the penalty spot, Aguiar for the home side and Bruno levelled things up two minutes before the break.

CFR Cluj 2 - Gloria Bitistra 2 (Liga I, April 10, 2009) Diego Ramos put Gloria in front with an acrobatic overhead kick from close range. Goals either side of half-time from Alvaro Perreira and Sixto Peralta looked to have given Cluj the victory but a 90th minute equaliser from Cristian Silvasan squared things up.

Vejle 2 - Midtjylland 3 (SAS Ligaen, April 10, 2009) After being two-down, Danny Olsen, Frank Kristensen and Jonas Borring turn the match in Midtjylland’s favour.

Nordsjaelland 6 - Randers 1 (SAS Ligaen, April 10, 2009) Martin Bernburg was the hero for Nordsjaelland with a first half hat-trick.

Orebro 0 - Elfsborg 1 (Alsvenskan, April 10, 2009) Joel Johansson settled the match six minutes from time.

Halmstad 1 - Trelleborg 1 (Alsvenskan, April 10, 2009) Marcus Pode put the visitors ahead just before the break, Emir Kujovic equalising midway through the second half with a back-post volley.

Brommapojkarna 2 - Hacken 0 (Alsvenskan, April 10, 2009) On a complete bog of a pitch, goals from Olof Guterstam and Joakim Runnemo inside the last 20 minutes earned Brommapojkarna their first win of the new season.

AZ Alkmaar 2, Utrecht 0 (Eredivisie, Dec. 19, 2008)

AZ moved six points clear at the top of the table, Mounir El Hamdaoui collected the ball just outside the box, shifted the ball to the right, and scored with a bullet into the top corner. Demy de Zeeuw sealed the win with a last minute solo effort, bursting down the left and firing the ball through the keeper.

Fenerbahce 2, Konyaspor 1 (Super Lig, Dec. 19, 2008)

A horrendous error from the home keeper gifted Fener the lead, a tame punch from the number one rebounded off the chest of Onder Turaci for the opener. A minute later it was two as Guiza teed up Deivid de Souza for a simple second. The hosts pulled a goal back in the second half through Cihan’s strike.

Associacao Naval 0, Vitoria Guimaraes 0 (SuperLiga, Dec. 19, 2008)

Anderlecht 2, Racing Genk 0 (Jupiler League, Dec. 19, 2008)

Guillaume Gillet scored with a 25-yard daisy-cutter into the bottom corner before Jonathan Legear sowed up the win with a second half second.

AZ Alkmaar 2, Utrecht 0 (Eredivisie, Dec. 19, 2008)

AZ moved six points clear at the top of the table, Mounir El Hamdaoui collected the ball just outside the box, shifted the ball to the right, and scoring with a bullet in the top corner. Demy de Zeeuw sealed the win with a last minute solo effort, bursting down the left and firing the ball through the keeper..

Fenerbahce 2, Konyaspor 1 (Super Lig, Dec. 19, 2008)

A horrendous error from the home keeper gifted Fener the lead and a tame punch from the number one rebounded off to the chest of Onder Turaci for the opener. A minute later it was two as Guiza teed up Deivid de Souza for a simple second. The hosts pulled a goal back in the second half through Cihan’s strike.

Newcastle Jets 4, Melbourne Victory 2 (A-League, Dec. 19, 2008)

The Jets ran out comfortable winners after Matt Thompson’s hat-trick and a Jin-Hyung Song goal gave the hosts a 4-nil lead. Late goals from Danny Allsopp and Ney Fabiano were little more than a consolation for the Victory.

Wellington Phoenix 1, Central Coast Mariners 0 (A-League, Dec. 19, 2008)

Shane Smeltz was the match-winner for the Phoenix scoring the only goal after just one minute 26 seconds.

Iran 2, China 0 (Four Nations Cup, Dec. 19, 2008)

A penalty goal late in the first half by Mohammed Seyed Salehi and a Pejman Nouri goal in the second half sealed the victory for Team Melli.

Oman 2, Ecuador 0 (Four Nations Cup, Dec. 19, 2008)

A goal in each half from Rabia and Al Hawsani gave the hosts the win.

Newcastle 2 -1 West Brom (Premier League, October 28, 2008)

Ryan Donk felled Shola Ameobi in the box and Joey Barton marked his return to St. James’ Park by netting the resulting spot kick. It got better for the Toon just before the break, Habib Beye crossed from the right for Obafemi Martins to head home number two.

The Baggies brought on Ishmael Miller at the break, and the striker pulled a goal back in the 65th minute after collecting a fine through-ball from Rob Koren. Thereafter it was far from a vintage performance from the Magpies, but they held on to move up to 15th in the table.

Birmingham 3 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday (Championship, October 28, 2008)

O’Connor headed the home side in front after 11 minutes, only to see Etienne Esajas equalise three minutes later from a quick free-kick. Birmingham regained the lead a minute later through O’Connor before Kevin Phillips added the third.

Werder Bremen 0 - 2 Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, October 28, 2008)

Bayer Leverkusen took the lead away at Bremen in the 70th minute, Arturo Vidal stroking the ball in after Werder failed to clear their lines. Friedrich made sure of the points ten minutes from time, scoring following a Bayer corner.

Roda Kerkrade 0 - 2 AZ Alkmaar (Eredivisie, October 28, 2008)

AZ Alkmaar, who are riding high in Holland, took the lead away at Roda when Mounir El Hamdaoui converted after an earlier header rebounded off the bar. El Hamdaoui wrapped up the win with his second of the game a minute from time.

Ado Den Haag 0 - 2 PSV (Eredivisie, October 28, 2008)

Eric Addo gave PSV the lead with an excellent late run into the box from which he scored. With time running out, PSV scored a breakaway goal, Otman Bakkal burst through the middle and slotted home the killer second.

Cracovia Krakow 3 - 0 LKS Lodz (Puchar Polski, October 28, 2008)

For the benefit of Mr. Kite

Major League Baseball should broadcast the playoff games on national TV

Isn’t that how the old Beatles song went?  Just passing John Lennon’s Birthday this past week it’s a good time to honor one of the all-time greats.  It would be even greater if Major League Baseball would honor itself and the fan base by putting the entire post season on the national networks. 

Since MLB recently negotiated post-season contracts with FOX and TBS the ratings are way down.  The deal has FOX broadcasting the NLCS in even numbered years and TBS has it in odd numbered years and vice-versa for the ALCS. 

Regardless of what MLB would have the average viewer believe, the fact that last year’s NLCS only was big in Colorado and Arizona, this year’s ALCS is only big in Bean town and Tampa. 

The issue at hand is that TBS is not a national affiliate, they should be but they are not, they are only a cable affiliate.  This has a crippling effect on what could normally be a great broadcast of historical games. 

It’s sort of like the tree in the woods that falls.  If the game was on TBS, was there one?  Well there was if you care enough to visit a local pub or pay premium fees on some cable bills to see the games.  The tragedy that happens here is that Major League Baseball takes its Lamborghini and parks it in the garage for much of the fan base every time it puts a major broadcast on TBS. 

It’s really too bad because the TBS crew is great, the presentation is every bit the broadcast of FOX and even more so online with its extended coverage.  The problem is its signal transmitted, message not received in some homes that would normally be watching.  In a down economy more people will be flipping off the cable switch and who will be watching the MLB telecast? 

As it stands, Major League Baseball has issued these contracts through the 2013 season however the fans lose out and MLB will start to lose more of its market with the fans because of stunts like this. 

One of two things should happen to resolve the issue.  These contracts should be renegotiated and pulled off of TBS entirely or they should be TBS’s number one advocate to having TBS go national as FOX has done. 

At the very least MLB should open it up for free online so they can admit to the PR problem in not making the games available to the entire fan base.  The problem is simply stated; if MLB nationally broadcast it they will come.

It’s October and that time of year.  Georgia versus Tennessee.  Autumn.  Mostly sunshine, a little rain, and a couple of times: monsoons.

Did you know that Tennessee holds a 20-15-2 edge in the all-time series with Georgia and that the Vols crushed the Bulldogs by a 35-14 final last season?

At 2-3, underachieving Tennessee is desperate for a victory and therefore, a dangerous opponent for the Bulldogs. The Volunteers will play four of their final six regular season games at home following this weekend's game and the level of competition is somewhat favorable. Obviously, head coach Phil Fulmer does not want to attempt to climb out of a 2-4 hole.

Tennessee’s offense had to play better in Athens. For the most part, the Vols have been tough defensively this season.

This game may become a classic strong offense versus strong defense battle.

Did you know that Georgia is averaging 424.8 total yards per game this season?  Wit the obvious exception of the first half of the Alabama game, the Bulldogs defense has played well, particularly against the run.

However, Georgia made critical mistakes versus the Crimson Tide and must correct them for their contest against the Volunteers from Tennessee.

As for Georgia, it opened the season with four consecutive victories before falling to Alabama two weeks ago. The Bulldogs have had two weeks to prepare for this weekend's game and hope to move to 2-1 in conference. They are playing their second of what will be three straight home games against league foes, as nationally-ranked Vanderbilt comes to town next weekend.

The Silver Fox Forecast: Georgia 27 Tennessee 23

Quote of the Day:
What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand.
--Confucius

Proverbs 19:20-21“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserved.

Dubbed “the Dutch Chelsea”, AZ Alkmaar, its owner Dirk Scheringa, and it's manager Louis van Gaal didn’t win any popularity prizes the past two seasons—spending millions and boasting about imminent success.

Having missed the Dutch title on the final day on goal difference back in the 2005-06 season, AZ invested heavily and announced to challenge for the title once again last season.

The season turned out to be a horror season for AZ and Van Gaal. Plagued by injuries, poor morale, and new signings not gelling with the other squad-members, AZ had to battle against relegation for a while, before ending the season with an anonymous mid-table finish.

Louis van Gaal, the stubborn, arrogant yet brilliant manager, initially refused to take the blame for the team's decline. He blamed referees, the blamed the media, he blamed the weather, he blamed the Dutch FA, but never himself or his players.

As amusing as his rants often were, they were pissing off other managers, players, and fans to a point were people actually enjoyed AZ’s and Van Gaals losing streak. Many people were criticizing chairman Dirk Scheringa for not sacking the unsuccessful manager.

Van Gaal had considered pulling out, but he was convinced by his own players and chairman to stay. He had been served his own serving of humble pie, but he stuck to it and continued. Credit where it’s due, not many managers would have. Hell, not many chairmen would have given him the chance to stick to it for that matter.

Much to the amusement of his critics, Van Gaal and AZ lost the opening two fixtures of the current season as well. NAC Breda beat AZ 3-2 in Alkmaar and ADO Den Haag overpowered them 3-0 in the Zuiderpark in Den Haag. It looked like AZ had continued where they left of last season.

In the third league match, Van Gaal sparked what we can now describe as the turn-around. His motivational speech inspired AZ to pull of a shock 1-0 win over reigning champions PSV Eindhoven. This again underlines the importance of morale.

Keeping morale high amongst players is crucial (haven’t I mentioned this before?) and managers have many ways to play with their player's minds, whether they criticise to get a performance, or they encourage and tell them bluntly just how it is.

It’s the way a manager deals with his players' morale that determines the success of the team as a whole.

Ever since that win, AZ have started playing like the potential title winning team they are. Free-flowing attacking football, spectacular goals, and intelligent plays, Van Gaal's trademarks are once again becoming visible to all.

For those interested, have a look at the videos of their latest matches against Sparta Rotterdam (6-0 win) and Willem II Tilburg (5-2 win). Pardon the Dutch commentary by the way.

AZ has been playing very impressive, so can they bounce back to clinch the Dutch title this season? They sure stand a realistic chance. Their current squad is well balanced and talented and the main rivals PSV, Ajax, and Feyenoord have failed to impress so far.

Still, Van Gaal likes to look at his own squad and his own qualities, so I’ll do the same. When we look at the AZ squad, he have to conclude their squad is just very good in every line. Goalies, defence, midfield, offence—no real weaknesses.

Goalkeeper Sergio Romero has won the 2008 Summer Olympics with Argentina and is developing into a class act in the capable hands of Van Gaal and his staff.

The defence is also looking sturdy. Gill Swerts and Niklas Moisander are attacking full-backs in the Ajax tradition, covering the entire wing and playing impressively both on offence and defence. The heart of the defence is formed by veteran Kew Jaliens and the talented young Mexican Hector Moreno.

In midfield, Van Gaal can select Dutch internationals like Demy de Zeeuw and Stijn Schaars, as well as Belgian internationals Maarten Martens and Sebastien Pocognoli. Australian international Brett Holman is also available. The true revelation in midfield so far has been Nick van der Velden, who came in from minnows FC Dordrecht.

Upfront, Van Gaal and AZ have a luxury problem. Belgian powerhouse forward Moussa Dembele is being coveted by several European top clubs. His style of play and physical build is similar to that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, so he could be a future star. Just have a look at this goal he scored against Willem II. He impressed the world with the Belgian Olympic Team this summer and he has taken this superb form back home to Alkmaar.

Paired up with Dembele is Moroccan-Dutch technician Mounir El Hamdaoui. After an unsuccessful stint at Spurs, Mounir returned to Holland. After a season at Willem II, he was signed by AZ, where he’s turning into a prolific goalscorer, scoring several spectacular efforts over the past few weeks.

As back-ups, Van Gaal can rely on Brazilian target-man Ari and former Italian U-21 international Graziano Pellé.

So from my point of view, this could just be AZ’s lucky season. Their own squad is looking very impressive so far and their main rivals have all lost key players this summer, whom they haven’t been able to replace so far.

• Oregon State's victory over USC definitely shows how strong the Pac Ten is.
• Even though Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee State their victory over ACC power house Clemson demonstrates the depth and power of the ACC from top to bottom.
• Michigan's 19 point comeback to upset #9 Wisconsin shows how much resolve and power the Big Ten conference has.
• Houston's victory over BCS Cinderella ECU shows that top to bottom, it doesn't matter who you play in Conference USA, you better be careful!

Upsets in conference play happen SEC fans! Get over yourselves.

Maybe Forbes Magazine knew what they were talking about when they named Nick Saban "The Most Powerful Coach in Sports."

The practice of wearing black should be reserved ONLY for funerals. Here is the now famous You Tube footage. Advance to 1:05 so you don't waste your entire morning.



While it seems UGA was confused on the purpose of wearing black, Oregon State had an "orange out," Penn State had a "white out" and Miami called Stanford to find out some more information about their "Satisfaction Guarantee." With an attendance on only 35,830 in Dolphin Stadium it appeared they were doing a "walk out." Maybe Hurricane fans were just protesting Butch Davis' return.

Penn State offense looks much better in HD. It is amazing what the Lion's can do when Anthony Morelli isn't on the field to throw interceptions every other possession.

Iowa is still paying Kirk Ferentz too much to lose at home to Northwestern.

Congratulations Duke! You finally made someone else the red-headed step-child of the ACC!

Even though visiting Pac Ten teams have to take a flight several hours long to Spokane, jump on a bus down a dirt road to Pullman, WA to stay the night at a Best Western in Moscow, ID, it doesn't seem to stop them from hanging 60+ on WAZZU, even on homecoming weekend.

While the spirit of David was alive and well in most college stadiums throughout the land, it seems the Palouse of Eastern Washington just might be a bit too remote for the littl' fella.