Fernando Torres could play on Monday

Torres will test his groin injury with light training over the weekend. Gerrard is also doubtful but but Martin Skrtel returns after a virus.

Birmingham are without Barry Ferguson (banned) while Garry O'Connor (groin) and Keith Fahey (knee) are both doubts.

On-loan keeper Joe Hart could replace Maik Taylor after being ineligible to face parent club Manchester City.

Just six weeks ago Liverpool beat Hull City 6-1 at Anfield and were only three points behind title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.

Yet six defeats in eight games later and Liverpool's season has virtually been written off. Lyon's last-minute Champions League equaliser on Wednesday has the 2005 winners looking at an early European exit. The Carling Cup is already gone and the Premier League appears to be following suit.

After being appointed Reds boss in 2004, Rafael Benitez proclaimed "Liverpool FC is more than just a football club. It's a feeling". Unless results improve, there is more than just a feeling that the under-fire Spaniard could become the first Premier League manager this season to lose his job.

Next up for Benitez are Birmingham, one of his bogey sides as he has never tasted a league victory over them. Improving Birmingham more than stifled Manchester City last weekend and are capable of frustrating an under-performing Liverpool side.

Blues boss Alex McLeish has this week empathised with Benitez. The Scot spent five years in charge of Rangers and understands that expectation levels from fans can not always be met.

On the field, there have been signs of late that newly-promoted and newly-bought Birmingham are beginning to get used to the Premier League. A run of four points from two games has supporters in high spirits as the club's new owners also start to settle into their new surroundings.

Chelsea Transfer Ban Suspended

12:06pm UK, Friday November 06, 2009

Chelsea will be able to sign players in the January transfer window.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has suspended a ban imposed on the club until they reach a final decision on the matter.

Chelsea appealled after being banned from signing new players until 2011 by FIFA.

They were found guilty of illegally inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to join the club two years ago.

A statement said: "CAS has granted the request for a stay filed by Chelsea Football Club Ltd and Mr Gael Kakuta in relation to the decision taken by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber on 27 August 2009. Such sanctions are now stayed until the CAS renders its final decision in this matter."

No indication has yet been given as to when a court will conclude the matter.

CAS suspend Chelsea transfer ban over appeal

November 6, 2009


The Court of Arbitration for Sport has granted Chelsea's request to suspend their transfer ban pending a final decision regarding their case.


Chelsea were initially handed a FIFA ban over the next two transfer windows after they were found guilty of inducing French teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens in 2007, but the Blues appealed to CAS against the punishment and, as part of their appeal, requested the transfer ban be 'stayed' until the case had been dealt with.


Now the appeals body have given the London club a lifeline which will allow them to sign players again in January if the final decision is not taken before then.


A statement on the CAS website read: ''The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has granted the request for a stay filed by Chelsea Football Club Ltd and Mr Gaël Kakuta in relation to the decision taken by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber on 27 August 2009.


''The FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber imposed, inter alia, a restriction of four months' ineligibility on Mr Gaël Kakuta, and Chelsea Football Club Ltd was banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the next two complete, consecutive registration periods. Such sanctions are now stayed until the CAS renders its final decision in this matter.''

Brandon Spikes’ Eye Gouge Against Georgia

By jayita

Florida- It was a splendid match to watch Florida Gators won 41-17 beating their arch rival Georgia on Sunday. The game has already gained recognition as Florida’s best victory ever. Its always exciting to see Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs facing with each other. The Sunday game was an electrifying one including controversy of Brandon Spikes’ eye gouging.

During Florida’s 17th win against Georgia on Sunday, a video caught linebacker Brandon Spikes busy in a foul play and his eye gouge was recorded. Annoyed with this event Florida Coach Urban Meyer had some serious post-game talk with the linebacker.

Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye of opponent using the fingers, other body parts, or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of eye injury, such as permanent eye loss. It is disallowed in combat sports and anyone found practicing this nasty work signifies lack of sportsmanship.

Florida Gators and Georgia had a breath-taking game on Sunday. Gators were victorious on as many as 16 occasions, prior to this game. This may be the reason behind Gators’s overenthusiam with yet another victory whereas the Georgians were also playing desperately to win the game. The things went wrong several times during the game.

The umpires were forced to impose penalties on various accounts such as verbal altercations, lack of sportsmanship, unnecessary rush of blood and even physical encounters between the players.

During the Florida-Georgia game, Brandon Spikes appeared to gouge the eyes of Georgia’s Washaun Ealey and poked his hand inside Ealey’s helmet,after making a tackle.

Meanwhile Florida team coach Urban Meyer’s had reassured the game fans that he would do his best to find out what exactly happened.
Brandon Spikes is considered as a”very emotional player”. One of the best linebackers of Florida has not yet been punished for the event , but if proved he can get a suspension.

Yankees one win away

New York gets to Lidge in ninth with Damon's daring base-running, Rodriguez double

By BOB ELLIOTT, SUN MEDIA

PHILADELPHIA -- Joe Girardi could have picked any uniform number when the New York Yankees hired him as manager two years ago.

Well, save for all the retired, single-digit numbers and the ones his millionaires wear.

Girardi chose No. 27 because it represented a specific goal.

And with a win tonight the Yankees, the most storied franchise in pro sports, can win their 27th World Series.

CC Sabathia, despite being put in a hole by Alex Rodriguez before even taking the mound, pitched 62/3 innings, and Rodriguez doubled home the eventual winning run off Brad Lidge with two out in the ninth as the Yanks scored a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies before 46,145 fans last night.

The Yanks, with A.J. Burnett on the mound, try to wrap up the Series tonight against lefty Cliff Lee.

"We're down, but we're still breathing," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, whose team trails the Yanks 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Lidge, the Phillies' failed in-season closer, had two out and none on in the ninth when Johnny Damon hit the 10th pitch of his at-bat softly into left for a single. With the shift on for batter Mark Teixeira, Damon stole second and then sprinted to an unprotected third base.

"Play like that, it's either the catcher or the pitcher's responsibility," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said. "It's the first time that ever happened to us."

Third baseman Pedro Feliz took the throw at second base.

"That was instinct," Girardi said. "If he's going, he'd better be sure with the hitters we had due up."

K.C. SPEED

Said Damon: "I knew the throw drug Pedro off to the second-base side, I was hoping I still had some of my legs from my Kansas City days."

The fact that Damon was on third took away Lidge's slider, and after Lidge hit Teixeira with a pitch, Rodriguez ripped an 0-1 fastball into the corner, scoring the winner.

"Did he lose his focus? I don't know, he was ahead of Damon 1-2, he started off fine," Manuel said of Lidge.

For Rodriguez, it was his 15th RBI of the post-season, tying Bernie Williams and Scott Brosius, a club post-season record.

Is he a true Yankee now?

"Cole Hamels had been breezing and Alex got us going in Game 3 with his homer," Girardi said. "All I think now is playing a good game (today)."

Mariano Rivera slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth.

Blanton hit Rodriguez with his first pitch in the first inning. Rodriguez, hit for the third time in the Series, whirled, placed his hands on his hips and stared at the Yanks dugout. Roughly half the players jumped off the bench and began screaming at Blanton.

What would have happened had Rodriguez simply headed to first base? Nothing.

Since he didn't and players were hooting, plate ump Mike Everitt, crew chief Jerry Davis and Joe West huddled. Warnings were issued: Next pitcher who throws at anyone gets ejected. Girardi was upset as Sabathia had yet to reach the mound.

"I don't think it was intentional, but Alex has been hit three times, Tex has been hit twice," Girardi said. "We don't like that.

"The umps told us to tell your guy he can pitch inside, we'll make a judgement. We just don't want things to escalate. I don't think it took anything away from CC."

Giradi didn't want to use Rivera three days in a row for more than an inning, so the eighth belonged to Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain whiffed the first two hitters before Feliz homered to left tying the score.

Chase Utley's solo homer to right in the seventh chased Sabtahia and made Utley 4-for-6 off the lefty, with three homers and 0-for-9 against everyone else in the Series.

Legal drugs - Agassi points way to future for world sport

The US tennis legend's confession leaves little to the imagination regarding the new road professional athletes will take.

by Alan Nicolea on 02 November 2009

The recent revelation of eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi has just put another nail in the coffin in sport's faltering bid to eradicate drug cheats.

ATP World Tour Finals tickets still available – click here

One has to go back to the start of the 20th century to find athletes participating in sport without the use of drugs.

Fast forward a century, however, and drug-taking in sport has managed to consume itself in everyday competition, ranging from local tournaments to some of the world's most-watched championships.

Fuelled by the constant pressure placed on athletes to forge successful careers, drugs in sport has unfortunately become part of a business that thrives on its ability to provide people with a source of entertainment, revenue and employment.

Indeed, the true meaning behind sport changed the moment it became a significant social tool that endorsed a philosophy surrounding the athlete's need to be THE best, rather than try their best.

This period ultimately began during the 1950s, when the Soviet team used male hormones to increase power and strength among their athletes.

In response, the emerging United States global power developed steroids in a bid to get the best out of their athletes on a regular basis.

In spite of the growing presence of drugs in sport at the time, many sporting governing bodies failed to come up with a solution to a problem which was costing athletes their lives.

Danish cyclist Kurt Jenson collapsed and died during the 1960 Olympics, thanks to an amphetamine overdose.

The incident forced the Council of Europe to set up a drugs committee three years later, following mounting pressure on the IOC to implement a strategy to kerb drug-taking in sport.

Despite creating the committee, the IOC failed to find a definition for doping and thus allowed drugs presence in sport to grow.

During the Tour de France in 1967, cyclist Tommy Simpson died following the illegal taking of amphetamines, which prompted the IOC to develop a list of banned substances a year after the incident took place.

The 1988 Seoul Olympics saw Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson test positive for a banned anabolic steriod which saw him stripped of his gold medal and consequently banned from racing for two years.

Whilst Johnson later admitted to taking illegal substances, other athletes (most notably Carl Lewis) managed to escape sanctions by the IOC during the Seoul Olympics.

Lewis in particular failed three tests during the 1988 US Olympic trials which should have prevented him from competing in the Seoul Games.

He would later reveal that he was just one of 'hundreds' of US athletes who were allowed to escape bans concealed by the USOC.

Although numerous governing bodies, such as FIFA and the IAAF, have since taken up the fight against doping, many fans believe sports such as football and baseball continually fail in their bid to catch athletes responsible for taking illegal drugs.

An example of this was Operation Puerto, which involved approximately 200 sports people being implicated in blood doping.

The majority of athletes consisted of cyclists and several high-profile football and tennis players.

Whilst most cyclists were banned for their part in blood doping, (among them Ivan Basso and Tyler Hamilton), not a single soccer player involved in the doping ring was named, and to this day, all remain unpunished.

Indeed the Puerto case just exemplifies how truly difficult it is to eradicate drug taking in sport.

The fight itself is now reaching a sombre state which may see sport join the enemy and legalise doping.

The most obvious benefit from such an approach would involve a level playing field throughout any particular sport.

The cons, however, relate to the health and wellbeing of the sportsperson, with many saying that doping could be legalised only if athletes were to undergo consistent medical counselling and check-ups.

Whilst such legalisation remains just an idea, legal drug-taking may soon become a reality as athletes all over the globe become further entrenched in the massive, growing business that is world sport.