TALKING POINT: WHAT A WEEK!!!

Seasons greetings to Sport Cracker fan base as the yuletide period contain merriment, the football world also is having the ball rolling.

• Manchester United sits comfortable on the log in the top four;
*Angel Di Maria returns to training as for the Premier League action;
* Maroune Fellaini has come out again humorous saying he was a he was Old Trafford scapegoat due to relationship with David Moyes (uuuh…what a talk!).
* Daily Star reports think that Red Devils
will not have to accommodate Javier Hernandez in the second half of the season despite his Real Madrid loan spell not quite going as well as hoped or expected.
With the Mexican international failing to impress Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti and struggling to even get on the bench at times with the sheer amount of talent at the Spanish club,
our regulars were unsure of just where his future lay.
* LVG angrily says Victor Valdez can join Liverpool if he wants. (What a talk)

• Arsenal are edging closer to finalising an £18 million deal for Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri, despite Pep Guardiola insisting the Swiss star would stay at the Allianz Arena, according to reports in the Metro.

• Louis van Gaal is confident of wrapping up a deal for Benfica pair Enzo Perez and Nicolas Gaitan: According to A Bola, United scouts were present during Benfica’s 2-1 defeat to Braga last night as Louis van Gaal prepares a whopping £50million bid for the Argentina internationals.

• Eden Hazard set for new Chelsea deal according to Jose Mourinho. The Belgian who joined Chelsea from Lille in 2012 according to Mourinho will reportedly sign a five-year contract worth around £200,000-a-week.
“He will [sign],” said Mourinho. “My club always told me that the situation would finish with a new contract, so I was never worried about that.”
Mourinho also said the Belgian, 23, has the potential to become a club legend, but warned: “He needs to win titles.”

• Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has been given a one-game touchline ban and fined £10,000 for insulting a fan.
(Nigel Pearson suggested fans
could “stay at home” after the
3-1 defeat by Liverpool on 2 December). Anger?

• Joe Hart signs new Man City Deal: The English Goalie will continue to legally represent in City colours for the next Four and Half years. (Committed)

NOTICE!!!! Sports History Today (Powered by OnThisDay.com)

On this day, December 19;
2009: Manchester City appointed Roberto Mancini as manager, replacing Mark Hughes.

1887 – Jake Kilrain and Jim Smith fought in a bare knuckles fight which lasted 106 rounds and 2 hours and 30 minutes. The fight was ruled a draw and was halted due to darkness.
1917 – The first regular season games of the new National Hockey League (NHL) were played. Five teams made up the league Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers. Quebec did not actually begin operations until two years later. Dave Ritchie (Montreal Wanderers) scored the first goal in NHL history.
1959 – Penn State’s Nittany Lions beat Alabama, 7-0, in the first Liberty Bowl football game.
1964 – ABC used an overhead camera for the first time. The event was the Liberty Bowl.
1979 – ESPN televised its first NHL game. The teams were the Washington Capitals and the Hartford Whalers.
1984 – Wayne Gretzky, 23, of the Edmonton Oilers, became only the 18th player in the National Hockey League (NHL) to score more than 1,000 points. He did it in his 424th career game.
The previous record was held by Guy Lafleur who did it in 720 games.
1984 – Scotty Bowman became the NHL’s all time winningest coach with his 691st victory.
1985 – Jan Stenerud announced his retirement from the NFL. The football kicker held the record for the most career field goals with 373.
1985 – ABC Sports announced that it was severing ties with Howard Cosell and released ‘The Mouth’ from all TV commitments. Cosell continued on ABC Radio for another five years.
1986 – Michael Sergio was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $500. Sergio, a Mets fan, had parachuted into Shea Stadium during Game 6 of the World Series.
1988 – The NCAA placed the Oklahoma Sooners football program on probation for violations.
1989 – Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) began a NBA free throw streak of 71 games.
1990 – Bo Jackson (Los Angeles Raiders) became the first athlete to be chosen for All Star Games in two sports.
1991 – Pitcher Steve Howe (New York Yankees) was arrested for cocaine possession.
1999 – Orlando Brown (Cleveland Browns) was ejected from a game for pushing referee Jeff Triplette to the ground. Triplette had accidentally hit Brown in the eye with a weighted penalty flag.
2003 – The baseball that was deflected by a fan in the stands during a Chicago Cubs game was sold for $106,600 at auction.
The foul ball appeared to be headed for the glove of left fielder Moises Alou in Game 6 of the National League Championship series. The Florida Marlins ended up winning the game 8-3. The
Cubs then lost Game 7.

• Tin City side captainCharles Henlong has said he will make his second shot at the senior national side count.
The former Mighty Jets playmaker first got his debut call-up in the November 24 international friendly against the Black Meteors of Ghana during the official opening ceremony of the Akwa Ibom Stadium, Uyo.

• HOT! Someone keen to replace Vicent Enyeama but who??? Kano Pillars goalkeeper and Captain Teophilus
Afelokhai has told sl10.ng that he wants to replace Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyeama as the nation’s
first choice goalkeeper.

• Akpom and Ajayi set to leave Arsenal after Nigeria declaration. Freedom?

• Nigerian Transfer Tavern: Federation Cup holders Enyimba and their southeast rivals Heartland are the latest NPFL clubs to show interest in centre-back Reuben
Ogbonnaya.
*Dolphins of Port Harcourt striking sensation Emem Eduok has denied media reports going round that he
is already in Tunisia to sign a deal with African giants Esperance.

• Nigeria: Fifa Referees Test Physical
Fitness in Abuja.
Source: Daily Trust
Nigeria’s FIFA-graded referees take their turn at the main bowl of the National Stadium, Abuja today as the curtain falls on this year’s physical fitness exercise for the country’s arbiters.
Read More…

What a week!