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 Geplaatst: 16-07-2019 02:13:10 Onderwerp: d. While captain at Black |
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| BERLIN -- Schalke captain Benedikt Hoewedes equalized to give his side a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday, denying Xabi Alonso a win on his debut for the German champions. World Cup winner Hoewedes bundled the ball over the line in the 62nd minute as Alonsos desperate attempt to clear came back off the Schalke defenders left arm. Referee Marco Fritz felt the contact was unintentional and the goal was given despite Bayern protests. "It wouldnt have been a goal if his arm wasnt there," said goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who conceded for the first time against his former club since switching sides in 2011. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 10th after carving open the Schalke defence with Sebastian Rode. Ralf Faehrmann had already made crucial saves from Thomas Mueller and Lewandowski before the Polish striker scored. The 32-year-old Alonso, who joined from Real Madrid the day before, impressed as Bayern dominated early on but Schalke gradually improved and finished the game strongly. "We didnt control ball possession after the first 25 minutes and that was the problem," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. "You have to have ball possession." A botched clearance from Neuer went unpunished before the break, as Kaan Ayhan was unable to direct his shot on target with the keeper stranded. Jerome Boateng kept Schalkes attack in check after interval, before the former Hertha Berlin defender had to go off with an injury on the hour. Both sides attacked in a frenetic finale but neither could claim the win. "Youre annoyed when youre leading 1-0 and you dont finish the job," Mueller said. Earlier, Bayer Leverkusen twice came from behind to defeat Hertha Berlin 4-2 Saturday and maintain its winning start, while newly promoted Paderborn claimed its first ever win in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen went behind in the 24th when Tin Jedvaj deflected Julian Schiebers cross into his own goal. The 18-year-old Jedvaj made up for his mistake by equalizing in the 50th, only for Schieber to put Hertha ahead again in the 60th with his third goal in two games. Leverkusen defender Emir Spahic equalized two minutes later with a header from Hakan Calhanoglus free kick and Julian Brandt scored on a rebound in the 74th when Karim Bellarabis effort came back off the crossbar. Bellarabi, who scored the leagues fastest goal in nine seconds against Borussia Dortmund last week, sealed the result with a fine volley from Calhanoglus cross in the 86th. It was Leverkusens seventh straight win across all competitions and the fifth under new coach Roger Schmidt. "It was a very difficult game for us, but very worthwhile because it was really put to us as a team," Schmidt said. "Hertha were very well organized and we did them the favour of not playing to our strengths for a long time." Paderborn won 3-0 at Hamburger SV with goals from Elias Kachunga, Mario Vrancic and Moritz Stoppelkamp. "Were unbelievably happy and proud that the lads put on such a performance," Paderborn coach Andre Breitenreiter said. Hamburg fans, with last seasons relegation fight fresh in the memory, reacted with jeers and whistles after the game. "Our performance overall was shocking, a bitter result," Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka said. "Weve severely disappointed our fans, although we wanted to show a new side. Now we have to pick up the team." Wolfsburg drew with Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2, Werder Bremen drew 1-1 with Hoffenheim and Cologne won 2-0 at Stuttgart. In Wolfsburg, Naldo put the home side ahead with a free kick in the 15th, before Takashi Inui equalized for Eintracht with one of his own eight minutes later, albeit with a deflection. Maximilian Arnold thought hed won it for Wolfsburg in the 79th, only for Frankfurt substitute Vaclav Kadlec to equalize with four minutes remaining. Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda missed a great chance to win it in extra time, somehow hitting the goalkeeper with the goal at his mercy. "People sitting at home on the sofa are thinking that theyd have put it in and theyre probably right," Wolfsburg general manager Klaus Allofs said. Bremen started badly and a brilliant first touch from Hoffenheim midfielder Roberto Firmino allowed the Brazilian an easy finish in the 19th. The home side improved after the break and deservedly equalized in the 59th when Alejandro Galvez took the ball on his chest and fired a volley to the left corner. Goals from Yuya Osako in the 22nd and Anthony Ujah 11 minutes later were enough for Cologne to claim its first win on its return to the Bundesliga after two seasons in the second division. Dortmund got the second round of games underway Friday with a 3-2 win at Augsburg. Hydro Flask PNW Collection Sale . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before. Hydro Flask Accessories Australia . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday. http://www.hydroflaskaustraliasale.com/hydro-flask-pnw-collection-sale/32-oz.html . -- Washingtons Bradley Beal seemed to make every shot he took in setting a career high with 37 points. Hydro Flask Ombre Sale . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Latvia won a four-man World Cup bobsled race Sunday, while the U. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Australia .Tzavelas opened the scoring in the 11th and Pereyra added another in the 51st. Emmanuel Kone pulled one back in the 80th and Levadiakos missed several chances to level in the last 10 minutes. TORONTO -- It was the worst and lowest-paying job offer on the table. But Ryan Nelsen said yes to Toronto FC in January 2013, reckoning he could learn more from trying to resuscitate a perennial MLS loser than sit on a bench as an assistant coach at an English Premier League club. Twenty months later, Nelsens education in Toronto is over. General manager Tim Bezbatchenko, who inherited Nelsen as coach when he was hired last September, fired the former New Zealand international Sunday. In an interview with The Canadian Press last Wednesday -- when he suspected the axe was coming -- Nelsen mused about why he chose to become Torontos eighth coach in seven years. The biggest challenge is the most rewarding, he reasoned. "For me, my biggest enjoyment I get from work -- whether its in little business stuff or anything -- is to take something thats nothing or crap (and) build it into something thats respectable and good ... because thats where you learn the most," a relaxed Nelsen said while sitting in the sunshine at the clubs $20-million-plus training centre. "And once youve turned into something thats really good, then it doesnt have the same interest for me ... Then Ill probably move on." He never reached his goal in Toronto despite rebuilding the roster, earning the franchise much-needed respect and steering the club towards the playoffs for the first time. In axing Nelsen and five assistant coaches, Bezbatchenko cited the 9-9-6s teams disappointing record of late -- Toronto is 3-5-5 in its last 13 games. Greg Vanney, Bezbatchenkos assistant GM and academy director, took over as coach. In truth, the 32-year-old rookie GM had been at odds with Nelsen for some time. Bezbatchenko, a former league official described as "wicked smart" by MLS commissioner Don Garber, won a power play to rid himself of Nelsen and his assistant coaches. The coaching staff had been responsible for many of the teams recent deals, having filling a void left by the previous regime. Toronto went from being a franchise routinely fleeced to one Nelsen believed was one of the leagues "stealthiest." Bezbatchenko, who clearly was not on the same page as the coaching staff, was not willing to sit on the sidelines. A recent point of contention was the purchase of a pricey analytics service. Nelsen is not averse to analytics but saw the outlay -- and the front offices focus on numbers -- as somewhat out of whack given the teams success in horse-trading. Bezbatchenko and Vanney made a point Sunday of talking up the worth of analytics. In recent weeks, as Bezbatchenko flexed his muscle, Nelsen resisted -- only to see support from outgoing MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke fade. Leiweke once had Nelsens back, retaining "Nellie" as coach when he axed team president Kevin Payne in September 2013. "What I am certain of is that with respect to the way that we need to go as an organization, Ryan sees the world exactly the way we do," Leiweke said at the time. "Im supportive of Ryan. He will be our coach next year." That changed. Nelson, it appears, was on a short leash. "I was loyal to Nellie and I think Nellie was loyal to the organization," Leiweke said Sunday after the firing. "But that said, we always knew that there would be a pretty short window here as to if things went south, due to how competitive everything is. "And with that said the team obviously not only did not play well but really didnt show up." Leiweke has his own masters. And Toronto FC was his baby, with a playoff guarantee and buckets of money poured into his pet project. Even while headed to the MLSE door, Leiweke could not afford to see his team fail to deliver. Especially when the franchise, traditionally a cash generator, will lose money this season due to the megabucks lavished on star striker Jermain Defoe and midfielder Michael Bradley. Reminded that Toronto FC was one win away from tying the franchise record of 10, set in 2009, Leiweke replied: "Were also one game away from being out of the playoffs." Still Leiweke made a point of saying the decision to unseat Nelsen was Bezbatchenkos -- an employee he has jokingly referred to as Harry Potter. "This was a decision Tim made and I fully supported," Leiweke said. "You cant have a team quit on you. And its unfortunate and Im not sure its all Nellies fault. I think the team has to step up and accept some of the blame here too. But that said we cant let the season slip away. But that said and were going to do anything and everything we can to try and make the playoffs." Nelsen, not surprising, saw things differently. He believed his revamped team was headed in the right direction, but hitting dips or plateaus as it learned along the way. "Well kick on again and then well have our roadblocks where everyone will call us crap again," he said with a smile. "And next thing you know -- whatever time, and it will be in the future -- well be crushing teams and youll be going Oh you only won 3-0 today." Nelsen firmly believed that Toronto FC would be the class of the league next year. The manager did not go out quuietly.dddddddddddd. The night before his firing was announced, Nelsen lambasted Bezbatchenko for issuing a challenge to his club "to take it up a notch." In an astonishing rebuke to his superior, Nelsen essentially accused his GM of sabotaging his club by ratcheting up the pressure on the players. Nelsen, it should be noted, waited until he was asked about Bezbatchenkos comments before firing his broadside at the news conference following Torontos 3-0 loss to New England. On Sunday, Bezbatchenko dismissed Nelsens tirade as "excuses." Saturdays loss was a lacklustre performance, the kind that gets coaches fired. But there had been forces behind the scenes in the days leading up to the match. In hindsight, one can see Bezbatchenkos pre-game comments as piling the pressure on Nelsen and setting the stage for the firing. The GM chose his words carefully, ensuring he did not throw anyone under the bus. But it was nearby and the engine was running. Nelsens approach to the media was always more guarded and less Machiavellian. "In all honesty here, do you really think Im the same person in front of the media and in front of people I dont know as I am in the changing room with the guys I have to be with in day in and day out?" he said in 2013. "I mean its professional football, this is proper stuff, this is not a Sunday kickaround. "Theres ripple effects of whatever you say in the media." Still Nelsens raw reaction to Bezbatchenkos comments was not entirely unexpected. While captain at Blackburn Rovers, he spoke out against the ownership for failing to communicate properly with the players over the firing of manager Sam Allardyce. Nelsen, who had learned of the sacking via TV, was unceremoniously shown the door himself a little more than a year later. In hiring Nelsen, Toronto was taking a gamble on a player with no managerial experience. But Nelsen is driven. Not the most physically gifted athlete, he earned his keep at the highest levels on the field through hard work and smarts. And he had been planning for his move to the sidelines for years, observing other managers and making notes. Every training session in his first Toronto FC pre-season was planned weeks or months in advance. Nelsen also arrived with a substantial Rolodex, contacts that benefited Toronto FC greatly. His ties to QPR and manager Harry Redknapp -- not to mention MLSEs deep pockets -- resulted in the arrival of Defoe and Brazil No. 1 goalkeeper Julio Cesar, acquisitions that earned TFC worldwide coverage. Nelsens network, via an agent, also helped net Brazils Gilberto. On the minus side, Nelsen was stubborn at times. Players like veteran Canadian attacking midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, a local favourite, simply fell off his radar. Given DeRos lack of playing time under Nelsen and Bezbatchenkos support of the player in the wake of Nelsens firing, one can guess whose signing that was. Nelsen, who kept his player opinions in-house, acknowledged he could improve in the area of management. "I think if you asked anybody theyd probably always tell you they could be a bit better. Its really hard because you have 23 guys who all want to play, so theres always going to be 12 pissed-off guys." He also rued the gap in sports science systems the club instituted going into this season, meaning the clubs fitness regimen started with a hiccup. Some things were out of his control. He did not particularly want to hold training camp in Florida again but the league was anxious to have its teams take part in the pre-season tournament there. Next year, he hoped to take the club to New Zealand to take advantage of the summer conditions and local opposition. But he feared such an adventure might be unfeasible, given the leagues looming labour negotiations. Shed no tears for Nelsen, whose canny business instincts have already led to his own winery and real estate holdings around the globe. He will land on his feet. "I wish the players all the success as they make the playoffs and I enjoyed every moment working with the other coaches putting the team together," Nelsen said in a text Monday to The Canadian Press. "Wish only success for TFC." Lost in the coverage of Nelsens departure is the 5-21-8 team he inherited at the beginning of 2013. "What we had in pre-season was probably the worst put-together squad in the history of the league," he said in December 2013. "It was that bad. It was actually terminal." In its 2013 transactions section, the MLS website lists 26 players going out the door at Toronto FC and 27 coming in. The 2014 list has 10 more players coming in and 17 leaving. Nelsen will look back at Toronto FC and wonder what might have been. "When youre on the outside, you just want to flick a switch, you just want everything to be great," he lamented last week. "Fans just want it to be great ... but no matter what, every team has to go through these little ups and downs." The clock is now on Bezbatchenko, who has his hand-picked coach and a looming void in the corporate structure above him. Toronto FC, warts and all, is his team now. ' ' ' |
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