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text-decoration:none; } img {border:none;} The Sport Review: “Kenny
Huang has ‘not made formal Liverpool offer’” plus 5 more- Kenny Huang has ‘not made formal Liverpool offer’ - Toulon refuse to let Wilkinson join up with England - Vaughan fears Flintoff’s England career could be over - LeBron James highlights complexities of NBA salary cap - Formula 1: Mercedes GP to start focusing on 2011 - Italian football can learn from Russian league, says Spalletti Kenny Huang has ‘not made formal Liverpool offer’ Posted: 04 Aug 2010 03:36 PM PDT Wall Street stockbroker Kenny Huang has released a statement saying he has yet to make a formal bid for Liverpool, though he is interested in investing in the Anfield club. Reports had suggested Huang had made an offer to the Royal Bank of Scotland, Liverpool's principle lender, over buying the club’s £237m debt, but a statement released through PR advisers Hill and Knowlton denies the claims. “In response to widespread media reports that Kenny Huang had made a formal bid for Liverpool Football Club, Mr. Huang would like to emphasise that he has registered interest in investing in Liverpool FC but has made no formal bid," the statement read. “There has been much speculation and commentary from a wide array of people, many of whom have little knowledge of the facts. Unless there is a statement that specifically comes from Mr. Huang or his authorised representatives, which presently is solely Hill & Knowlton Hong Kong office, we would suggest such comments should be given little credence. “At this point in time there is nothing further for Mr. Huang to announce. If there comes a time where this changes, we will make the appropriate announcements.” It is believed that Huang's bid is backed by the China Investment Corporation—China's largest sovereign investment fund—who are believed to be worth in the region of £280bn, though no proof of funds has yet been provided. Meanwhile ex-Syrian footballer Yahya Kirdi has claimed to be in advanced negotiations with the Liverpool hierarchy over a deal which would see him seize control at Anfield. Today's revelations suggest Kirdi is fronting for a consortium built up of parties from both the Middle East and Canada, though sources inside Liverpool and RBS both dismissed Kirdi's chances of striking a deal to take over at Anfield just two days ago. Investment banker Keith Harris, who was a part of the deal which saw Randy Lerner take over at Aston Villa, has claimed he is representing a party planning a "very serious" bid for Liverpool, but as with the Kirdi bid the potential investors have chosen to remain anonymous. Toulon refuse to let Wilkinson join up with England Posted: 04 Aug 2010 12:31 PM PDT Jonny Wilkinson will not be released by Toulon to join up with England’s elite squad when they meet on 8 August. Wilkinson, who is recovering from a shoulder injury that led him to miss a pre-season fixture against Stade Français last week, will make himself available for the Top 14 club providing he is fit. A Toulon statement said Wilkinson “will respect his contract and be available for the first game of the Top 14 against Bayonne on 13 August”. The Rugby Football Union has an agreement with English clubs over player release, but has had to negotiate individually with French clubs. Back row James Haskell was involved in another row between the two bodies when he was asked to be made available for Stade Français during England's Six Nations campaign. Vaughan fears Flintoff’s England career could be over Posted: 04 Aug 2010 12:13 PM PDT Former England captain Michael Vaughan fears Andrew Flintoff's England career could be over. Vaughan’s comments come after yesterday’s news that Flintoff will play no part in the rest of the 2010 cricket season as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee operation. “I don't see him playing for England again – they have moved on without him and are having a lot of success,” Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 Live. But Vaughan added that he hoped this would not mark the end of the road for the 32-year-old. “I hope it's not the last we see of him, as I know how much hard work he's put in over the last six months to get to this stage. “Maybe Twenty20 cricket is his best option as he'll only have to bowl four overs,” he added. This latest setback casts major doubts over Flintoff's aspirations to appear for England in the 2011 World Cup. LeBron James highlights complexities of NBA salary cap Posted: 04 Aug 2010 06:23 AM PDT The NBA salary cap is a jungle of exceptions and side rules that seasoned executives bungle with every year. But the unprecedented courting of LeBron James, the most sought-after free agent in NBA history, meant the basketball world was forced to become accustomed to the complicated system this summer. The key concept behind the salary cap is that teams can only spend a fixed sum on players' salaries. The idea is that it helps the league stay competitive and allows owners to have a profitable franchise. The contrast in the USA is Major League Baseball where no such cap exists—although a luxury tax system does—and teams can simply buy any player who is not under contract. In England the contrast would be the Premier League. The more financially-able clubs are able to lure the best players because they have all the money. If England’s top flight were run like the NBA, Chelsea would have to keep their overall salary expenditure under a certain level, one considered attainable by all the clubs in the League. The result? Clever trades, smart contract signings and player development become much more important than a rich owner. Sadly, such a system is not feasible in football for a myriad of reasons including complexities when competing with foreign leagues for players and problems with promotions and relegations. But it is possible in the NBA, which commands a virtual monopoly on professional basketball in North America and no such relegation of teams exists. Followers of rugby will be familiar with the salary cap. What is called a ‘hard cap’ system—where the total salary expenditure cannot ever exceed a certain figure—exists in the Aviva Premiership and Super League. The NBA, however, uses a ‘soft cap’ which allows teams go over the stated maximum in certain circumstances. The cap itself is negotiated between the NBA Player’s Association and the owners of the teams—a collective bargaining agreement which sets down a whole host of rules and regulations. Currently, the cap is calculated as a percentage of the league's overall revenue from the previous season. For 2010-2011 it was set at $58,044,000. Simple, right? Not exactly, as it is how NBA teams arrange their individual salaries that causes confusion. A team's best player gets the ‘max contract’ because that is the highest amount he can sign for. Most franchises have an obvious big name who commands this, such as Kobe Bryant in LA or Kevin Durant in Oklahoma. And a specific league rule encourages these players to stay with the same team for their whole careers, helping to build fan loyalty. The rule is called the ‘Larry Bird Exception’ and states a team is allowed to break the salary cap to re-sign a ‘max contract’ player that has played three seasons without being traded or having their contract waived. The sides competing for a championship will naturally be close to, or over, the cap. These teams usually have at least one major identifiable star and the rule allows teams to hold on to their best player. So what about a big star stuck with a bad team? While competitiveness is important for the NBA, the league also wants its top stars competing in the play-offs when television ratings are highest. To help get names such as James to that audience, owners are permitted go over the salary cap and sign one ‘mid-level exception’ contract each season, which often leads to very good players coming to teams to help a contender. Teams can also split the contract between several free agents. The Miami Heat shook up the basketball world this off-season when they managed to clear enough cap space to sign three max contract players in Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James. With three of the top ten players in the league on one team, the Heat now are one of the favourites for the league. The problem is after paying the wages of three players of that calibre, they are struggling to raise the funds to fill the remaining nine jerseys. This is where the ‘minimum salary’ exception comes into play. The amount, which does not include a signing bonus and can be at most a two-year contract, depends on how long the player has been in the league and ranges from around $500,000 to £1.4m per year. Veterans who have already made their cash but have not secured a championship ring are now queuing up to join the Heat for the minimum salary in the hope that they can add a title to their legacy. So, with all these exceptions are teams not always over the salary cap anyway? In reality, most are, and many of the contenders and big market teams such as LA and New York would traditionally be over the limit. However, teams can only go over the cap when in accordance with these exceptions, meaning it is not simply a case of buying whatever players are wanted. More importantly, there are two major incentives to staying under the cap. Firstly, those that stay under can trade players without regard to salary. Teams over the cap cannot acquire more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary that they have traded away. And perhaps more influential in the thinking of many owners' minds is the dreaded luxury tax. At a certain point above the salary cap, there is what is known as the ‘tax line’. Teams over the line are forced to pay $1 to league for every dollar the team’s salaries are over the line. This revenue is then usually distributed between the teams not paying the tax. Seeing as the majority of owners are businessmen at heart, staying well away from the tax line is probably the most financially prudent strategy and as a result, few teams dare venture past it. The NBA salary cap system is awash with side rules and laws which make an already complicated system almost incomprehensible. For the purists, two points for a basket inside the arc will do. Formula 1: Mercedes GP to start focusing on 2011 Posted: 04 Aug 2010 04:08 AM PDT Mercedes GP are set to stop development of their current Formula 1 car and concentrate their efforts on 2011 after a disappointing season to date. After buying out and rebranding the double-title winning Brawn GP team, Mercedes are the reigning constructors' champions, but have so far managed just three podium finishes from 12 races and find themselves struggling to stay ahead of Renault in fourth place with 132 points to Renault's 106. F1 is currently on its summer break, with all work on the cars suspended for two weeks, but the Brackley-based German team is expected to begin work on its 2011 car soon after, introducing just one more upgrade this season for the Singapore Grand Prix. "Currently we are certainly not good enough, that is very clear,” said Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug. “But I'm absolutely convinced that we need some time and that we can really improve and make the best out of the situation. "Ross and the team know what they're talking about. It's very clear that they had a world championship campaign last year and were very much concentrated on that. "And still we do not have a bad car. But things do not fit together always 100%, that's my view, and sometimes you get it better, sometimes you don't achieve your targets." He added: "We have the ingredients to succeed, as we have the team. We need to work concentrated, focused, and we are sticking together as a team, "And if you're not doing that then you are very soon history." Nico Rosberg has 94 points and is seventh in the drivers' championship, just three points off Ferrari's Felipe Massa, while Michael Schumacher has just 38 points and his currently ninth, a long way off Renault's Robert Kubica with 89 points. Italian football can learn from Russian league, says Spalletti Posted: 04 Aug 2010 03:31 AM PDT Zenit St Petersburg manager Luciano Spalletti says Italian football can learn from its Russian counterpart. The Italian manager secured the 12th win of his inaugural campaign in the Russian Premier League against Rubin Kazan on Saturday as his side opened up a commanding nine-point lead at the top of the table. The 2008 UEFA Cup winners have not lost a match in the current title race and are unbeaten since Spalletti arrived in St Petersburg last year. Their fluid style of play is akin to that of the 51-year-old’s former AS Roma side and it has led Zenit to nine straight league victories. Spalletti told La Gazzetta dello Sport about the advantages of the Russian top flight. “In our League it’s obligatory to have five Russian players and an Under-18. Five Russian players is perhaps a little too many,” he said. “This number will probably be reduced. But you need to do something to defend the youngsters.” He added: “In Italy, talent develops only to be continuously thrown away. No one worries about creating a favourable corridor for youngsters. “Our football must find space for youngsters with precise rules.” But Spalletti conceded that flaws do exist in the Russian League despite the nurturing of young talent. “Tactically, it’s not at the top,” said Spaelletti. “An organised team can have advantages. Zenit wasn’t a gamble. “I knew what I would find here – an extraordinary club, which backed me from the first day.” Indeed much of the Italian’s success in Russia has been built upon solid tactical foundations. Spalletti led Zenit to their first Russian Cup triumph in ten seasons earlier this year. His side face a home match against Unirea Urziceni tonight in the return leg of their second qualifying round Champions League tie. Reflecting upon their chances of progressing, Spalletti remarked: “It’s another battle. But we want to get into the Champions League for real.” You are subscribed to email updates from The Sport Review To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 -- Posted By Mas Item Arekjowo to Bwinsport | Gila Bola at 8/05/2010 12:07:00 AM -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Gugukluhayat" group. 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