2334 Beiträge -
Forengott
|
|
|
San Marino are hopeful Northern Irelands unfamiliar role as favourites for Saturdays World Cup qualifier can play into their hands, according to manager Pierangelo Manzaroli. Eric Staal Jersey . Having never won a competitive game in their history, the microstate have arrived in Belfast as a clear underdog against a country who earlier this year pieced together a record 12-match unbeaten sequence.The gulf between the two nations would not have been considered so great not so long ago, but Michael ONeill has elevated his current squad, ensuring that anything other than a comfortable home victory at the weekend will be viewed with shock. Northern Ireland went 12 games unbeaten recently, with a 0-0 draw against Slovakia taking them to that mark However, those expectations have not always translated to results, as they showed with defeats to Luxembourg and Azerbaijan in the previous World Cup qualification process.Northern Ireland play well when the big team try to attack and has a good counter-attack, Manzaroli noted.When Northern Ireland try to resolve the match with possession, maybe they have a lot of difficulty. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. I think Northern Ireland have a good generation of players. After Germany, they can try to compete with the Czech Republic and Norway for qualification.We know a lot of the game will be played in our half. We must do defensively well and try to counter-attack every time.We believe in our dream, in our chance. The last match against Azerbaijan was good. We lost only 1-0, so we try to improve our development.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: N Ireland latest N Ireland fixtures N Ireland stats Table Ryan Suter Jersey . I wondered how NHL coaches would feel about a playoff schedule that allowed them to open a best-of-seven series on the road, which many claim to favour, yet still gave them the precious home-ice edge for a seventh game. Matt Dumba Jersey . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. http://www.hockeywildauthority.com/mikko-koivu-wil...ersey-c -4/ . - A retired Indiana school principal who was NASCAR star Jeff Gordons drivers education teacher was killed with his wife in a Tennessee crash while returning from watching Gordon race.MILWAUKEE -- If Monta Ellis was wondering what to expect in his first trip back to Milwaukee, he found out pretty quickly. Boos during introductions and, for a while at least, every single time he touched the ball against the team he played for last season. Ellis got the best of his former team and its fans, shaking off the boos to contribute 18 points and five assists to help the Dallas Mavericks hold off the Milwaukee Bucks 91-83 Saturday night. "I knew I was going to get something out there," Ellis said. "When they called my name and they booed, I knew what (kind of) night it was going to be. Like I said, Its part of it. Im not worried about it." Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points and Shawn Marion added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who blew a big lead with sloppy offensive play in the third quarter. O.J. Mayo had 28 points and Caron Butler added 19 for the Bucks, who were playing their second straight game without forward Larry Sanders. Like Ellis, Mayo also was getting his first shot at the team he played for last season. "Guys definitely do get jacked up for it," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "When youre going against your old team, you play to try to prove something. Sometimes it can work for you, sometimes it can work against you." For his part, Mayo insisted playing the Mavericks wasnt anything special to him. "Nothing," Mayo said. "Just another game on the schedule." Ellis signed with Dallas as a free agent in the off-season after playing for the Bucks last season and a portion of the 2011-12 season. So far, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle says the team is getting exactly what it expected -- a player who can challenge defenders and provide a strong scoring punch alongside Nowitzki. "He and Dirk are our two best players," Carlisle said. "We expect a lot out of those guys every night. Tonight, they both came up big." Ellis did have some big games in Milwaukee, but fans apparently recall inconsistency and his inability to meld with then-fellow Bucks guard Brandon Jennings. "When I laced up here, I did everytthing I could to help this team win," Ellis said. Jared Spurgeon Jersey . "The fans, theyre going to feel the way they feel anyway." Milwaukee struggled on defence from the outset, falling behind 55-40 at halftime as the Mavericks shot 50 per cent from the floor. But the Bucks began forcing turnovers and went on an extended 17-4 run to finish the third quarter, cutting the lead to 68-64 going into the fourth. After a hot first half, Ellis had only six points and no assists after halftime. "We kind of let him get away from us in the first half," Drew said. "And Montas a good player. Hes very explosive." The Bucks stayed in the game, trailing by four with 2:23 remaining. But Mayo lost the ball and Nowitzki hit a turnaround jumper with 1:46 left to give the Mavericks an 87-81 lead. Carlisle was pleased with his teams defence, something that has been an issue on the road early this season. "We talked about it this morning," Carlisle said. "We talked about how our chemistry on the road hasnt been good. The guys made a stand tonight." Drew, meanwhile, has had enough of watching his team dig big holes early and then try to climb out of them. "Im tired of playing comeback basketball," Drew said, citing earlier games against Boston and New York. "I really am. It just takes too much out of you." The Bucks were again without Sanders, who missed his second straight game with a right thumb sprain. It has been a difficult week for Sanders, who issued a public apology after he was involved in an altercation at a nightclub. No charges were filed, but it was a hit to the image of a player whose popularity and play both have been on the rise. The Bucks have said his thumb injury happened in a game, not during the altercation. NOTES: Drew said there is no specific timeline for guard Luke Ridnour to return from back spasms. Drew said Ridnour recently received a second cortisone shot. ... Carlisle said guard Devin Harris has been cleared to do some light workouts. He had surgery on his left foot Aug. 6. ... Knight returned from a right hamstring strain for Milwaukee. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
|
4556 Beiträge & 4314 Themen in 4 Foren
