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Eurocom lets loose Quad Core XEON-based D901C PHANTOM-X server laptop

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:48:00 +0000

Filed under: Laptops

It’s not often we see laptop manufacturers boast of a one-hour battery life, but in the case of Eurocom’s new D901C PHANTOM-X “mobile server,” that spec is certainly hard-earned enough to warrant notice. The battery drain begins with a 2.8GHz Quad Core XEON X3360 processor, which gets paired with 1.5 terabytes of storage in the form of three SATA-300 hard drives (complete with various RAID options), 8GB of DDR2-800 memory, a Blu-ray burner, and a comparatively modest 17-inch display, to name but a few specs. All that, not surprisingly, takes just as big a toll on your back as it does on battery life, with the PHANTOM-X weighing in at a lugabble 12-pounds. No word on a price just yet, but Eurocom’s non-Xeon-based server laptops already easily push past the $3,000 mark, so you can probably take a pretty good stab at assessing the damage to your budget.

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Original post by Donald Melanson and software by Elliott Back

USB hub brings Japanese exit sign to your desktop

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:19:00 +0000

Filed under: Peripherals

We love exit signs in Japan. They frame just about every door and hallway: guy with briefcase freaking out and bolting out an open door. This is clearly not the first USB hub in an unusual form factor, but Donya has fed our love for the panicky icon. Complete with ports on the little guy’s feet and briefcase, he’s available for about $10 or ¥999.

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger and software by Elliott Back

Man United manager inspired to carry on (AP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:57:19 +0000

Move over, Sir Alex, and give someone else a chance. Aren’t 10 Champions League titles in 16 years enough? And, at age 66, aren’t your arms tired from lifting 21 trophies in 22 seasons at Old Trafford? Why not call it a day if Manchester United beats Chelsea in next week’s Champions League final? What a way to go out that would be.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Cambiasso out of season finale (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:56:56 +0000

Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso is out of Inter Milan's final league match of the season against Parma on Sunday due to an ankle injury, Italian press reported on Monday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

jDome surrounds you with 180-degrees of gaming and public shame

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Filed under: Displays, Gaming

It’s a pretty obvious concept, really: take a semi-transparent dome and project an image on it. Then, stand in the middle and surround yourself with 180-degrees of gaming action. John Nilsson went and patented the concept and is now developing the jDome with an estimated cost of around $125-200. We have some serious reservations about this system, though. That $125-200 pre-order price tag doesn’t come with a projector and you’ll have to tweak your games’ field of view setting to work with the round shape of the dome. What’s more, the product assumes you’re going to spend your game time standing in front of a dome. Criticisms aside, you can buy a prototype for a bit more — $6,000 to be exact. Video of the jDome in action after the break.

Continue reading jDome surrounds you with 180-degrees of gaming and public shame

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger and software by Elliott Back

Sparta president to manage club for final two games (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:51:39 +0000

Sparta Prague president Jozef Chovanec will have a double role to play for the remaining two games of the season as he takes over the manager's job left vacant by the resignation of Michal Bilek.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

TDK intros SATA-compatible industrial SSD drives

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Filed under: Storage

It’s far from the first SATA-compatible SSD drive, but TDK seems to think its new GBDisk RS1 series drives will be just the ticket for some very particular users (though not likely you or us). Apparently designed specifically for industrial use, the drive uses single level cell NAND flash memory (as opposed to multi-level cell) and a GBDriver RS1 SATA controller, which TDK says will together help it maintain data reliability while standing up to frequent, high-speed data writing. You will have to make do with some fairly small storage capacities even by SSD standards, however, with the drives topping out at 16GB, all of which come in 2.5-inch drive enclosures. No word on prices just yet, but you can look for them to start rolling out this June.

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Original post by Donald Melanson and software by Elliott Back

Britain drops tax charges on overseas soccer teams (AP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:40:51 +0000

In an effort to lure the 2011 Champions League final to Wembley, British officials said Monday that any overseas teams playing in that match would receive a tax exemption. Players from foreign teams are liable for taxes on earnings from bonuses and endorsements when they appear at events in Britain, such as Wednesday’s UEFA Cup final in Manchester between Scotland’s Rangers and Russia’s Zenit St.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Barcelona's Thuram wants to keep playing next year (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:34:26 +0000

Barcelona's French defender Lilian Thuram said Monday he wants to keep playing football next season even though his contract with the Spanish giants is not expected to be renewed when it expires at the end of June.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

HandTalk glove speaks your hand gestures… we can see where this is headed

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Filed under: Wearables

Oooh, now we get it. HandTalk converts hand gestures like sign language into spoken words. Well, don’t we feel silly. The device was developed by a group of nerds at Carnegie Mellon, and can track finger and hand gestures with a vocabulary of 32 words in its existing v0.1 model. The signals are transmitted from the glove to a phone over Bluetooth, where the words are converted with text to speech software. Not bad for for a bunch of off-the-shelf components, but they could’ve scored double the nerd points by repurposing a Power Glove for this — gotta think big picture, people.

[Via talk2myShirt]

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Original post by Paul Miller and software by Elliott Back

Nanohealing substance stops bleeding in seconds, vampires protest

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We may already have spray-on bandages, but Arch Therapeutics has developed a nanostructured substance that they say stops bleeding almost instantly. Originally developed at MIT, the material is awaiting FDA approval and could make its way into operating rooms soon. The liquid is made up of amino acids that form peptides and cluster into long fibers when exposed to salty environments, like, say, a whole bunch of blood. The material isn’t terribly new — it was originally discovered in the 90s, but only recently during an experiment did researchers realize that it would be great for blood control. Shortly thereafter, people saw dollar signs and Arch Therapeutics was founded.

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger and software by Elliott Back

Electricity-powered Datastorm data transfer device is retrolutionary

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:54:00 +0000

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Face it, that sneakernet setup of yours is way tired. What you need is a racist wireless data transfer device that fires 3.5-inch floppy disks at deadly velocity. Really, you’ve earned it. Video after the break.

Continue reading Electricity-powered Datastorm data transfer device is retrolutionary

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Original post by Paul Miller and software by Elliott Back

Happy Sissoko doubts Gerrard will quit Anfield (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:45:29 +0000

Juventus midfielder
Mohamed Sissoko said on Monday he had no regrets about leaving
Liverpool in January but did not expect Steven Gerrard to follow
him to Italy.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

RIM launching $150 million VC fund for mobile apps

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:34:00 +0000

Filed under: Cellphones

Following the lead of Google and Apple in providing a hefty chunk of some sort of funding up front for app developers, RIM is teaming up with RBC and Thomson Reuters to provide a $150 million fund to invest in “mobile applications and services.” Interestingly, RIM isn’t limiting those apps and services just to the BlackBerry, and instead the fund is designed to “advance the industry.” The fund will be open to companies from all over the world, and sounds like it’ll be open to pretty much any type of mobile application or service developer that plans on kicking ass in its respective field. We’re curious as to how BlackBerry slanted the fund will end up being, but hey, it’s their money, so we really couldn’t complain either way.

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Original post by Paul Miller and software by Elliott Back

S.America round-up-Penarol beat eight-man Nacional (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:31:25 +0000

Nacional had three
players sent off in the second half as they lost 4-2 to
arch-rivals Penarol in the meeting of Uruguay’s most popular
clubs at the weekend.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

O'Neill asks Lerner to help keep Barry (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:18:30 +0000

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill wants the club's owner Randy Lerner to help him persuade Gareth Barry to turn down a move to Liverpool.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Lumeta’s “peel & stick” solar panels can blanket a roof in under 35 minutes

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:01:00 +0000

Filed under: Household

If destroying your roof just to get some sun-sucking solar panels installed isn’t your thing, Lumeta’s PowerPly could be the solution. The panels use traditional roofing adhesives, that’ll be familiar to regular ol’ roofers, and save the process from drilling holes and bolts associated with the regular rack systems required to mount solar panels. Right now this process is targeted at commercial projects — you can watch a pair of guys install 2.25 kilowatts of solar modules onto a California roof after the break — but hopefully residential applications won’t be far behind.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading Lumeta’s “peel & stick” solar panels can blanket a roof in under 35 minutes

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Original post by Paul Miller and software by Elliott Back

Green House USB table fan totally blows

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:14:00 +0000

Filed under: Household

Sorry folks, it looks like Green House’s USB table fan is strictly Japanese for the time being, so you’ll have to settle for something a little smaller. Not that we’re terribly confident a 500mA current is really all that capable of moving a lot of air in a table fan anyway.

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

United keen to build on title success (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:10:34 +0000

Premier League
champions Manchester United are determined to build on their
latest success and will strengthen their squad to do so, chief
executive David Gill said.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Eriksson ready for City exit (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:42:30 +0000

Sven Goran Eriksson will fly to Thailand on Tuesday to discover if his brief reign as Manchester City manager is over.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Chelsea reach agreement with Porto over Bosingwa (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:37:33 +0000

Chelsea have reached agreement
with Porto over the transfer of defender Jose Bosingwa, the
Premier League club said on Monday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Nervous Inter threaten to repeat 2002 collapse (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:32:10 +0000

Inter Milan’s title jitters are
giving their fans painful flashbacks of the 2002 season when
they managed to surrender the scudetto on the final day.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Rijkaard saddened by Nou Camp defeat (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:13:54 +0000

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard
gave a rare display of emotion after his side’s 3-2 loss to Real
Mallorca on Sunday, admitting he was upset that his last match
at the Nou Camp had ended in defeat.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

CFR Cluj double gives small Romanian sides hope (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:00:01 +0000

Not content with ending a
101-year trophyless drought with a first title, Romania’s
unheralded CFR Cluj put their more illustrious rivals into the
shade at the weekend by completing a league and cup double.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Segs-4-Vets hooks up veterans with Segways

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Filed under: Transportation

Dean Kamen’s done a lot of work over the years building technologies for the disabled, which lends a bit of irony to the fact that his most well-known consumer transport, the Segway, is seeing some increased use by veterans. A non-profit by the name of Disability Rights Advocates for Technology (DRAFT) has snapped up some 150 units over the past few years — 30 of which just went out last week — to help amputees get around quicker and further than with your run of the mill wheelchair. Results of the Segs-4-Vets program sound positive, but at $6k a pop the price continues to be prohibitive for wider rollout and donation, even at discount directly from Segway.

[Thanks, Laura]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

Charlton hails record-equalling Giggs (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:17:11 +0000

Sir Bobby Charlton insisted he was delighted to see Ryan Giggs equal his Manchester United appearance record.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Benzema is Player of the Year in France (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:07:28 +0000

Lyon striker Karim Benzema has picked up the award of France's Player of the Year awarded by his fellow professionals accepting the trophy from former winner Zinedine Zidane.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Eriksson ready for Man City exit (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:49:59 +0000

Sven-Goran Eriksson believes his brief reign as Manchester City manager could be over on Monday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Ronaldo targets 50-goal haul next season (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:45:50 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo believes he could score 50 goals for Manchester United next season after striking 41 times during his side's current campaign.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Zenit without striker Pogrebnyak for UEFA Cup final (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:40:50 +0000

Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg will go into Wednesday's UEFA Cup final against Scotland's Glasgow Rangers weakened by the absence of top striker Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Chelsea agree deal for Porto defender Bosingwa (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:29:03 +0000

Chelsea are close to signing Portugal right-back Jose Bosingwa after Porto announced they have accepted the Premier League club's 16.2 million pounds (20.5 million euros) offer.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

RIM’s BlackBerry Bold / 9000 gets official

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:16:00 +0000

Filed under: Cellphones

Damn, took ‘em long enough! RIM finally announced the BlackBerry Bold / 9000 — we’ve got specs, but no price or hard launch date. Here we go:

HSDPA and EV-DO versions (including an AWS-capable 1700MHz version)
480 x 320 display
625MHz CPU, 1GB internal flash memory
802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2Dp), GPS, MicroSDHC
480 x 320 video recording, photo geotagging
4.5 x 2.6 x 0.55-inches, 4.7 ounces

PC Mag’s got the (latest) hands-on, hit the read link.

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

Slavia leapfrog Sparta, Cluj complete Romanian double (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:22:25 +0000

Round-up of the weekend soccer
action in eastern Europe:

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Renault / Project Better Place shows off new electric sedan prototype

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:12:00 +0000

Filed under: Transportation

We’d heard Renault was prepping a new electric car in conjunction with EV start-up Project Better Place, but no one had actually seen the thing until its unveiling today in Tel Aviv. The car itself only has a 125 mile range, which is where Project Better Place’s network of charging and battery swap stations come in. But since those aren’t intended for rollout until 2010 in Israel and Denmark, Renault won’t have any EVs immediately available to buyers — making this consumer-friendly sedan more of a precursor to the supposed $0.5-1 billion the Renault-Nissan alliance are lining up to invest in their respective electric vehicle businesses.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

Ten-goal match livens up Brazilian championship opener (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 04:45:32 +0000

Figueirense came back
from three goals down to draw 5-5 at Portuguesa on Sunday,
livening up an otherwise disappointing start to the Brazilian
championship.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

River bounce back with 4-2 win, Estudiantes beat Boca (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 03:56:41 +0000

River Plate, knocked out
of the Libertadores Cup in astonishing style by nine-man San
Lorenzo, bounced back to beat Gimnasia-La Plata 4-2 in the
Argentine championship on Sunday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

E-Ink introduces new segmented display cell screens — kind of like old school LCD

Mon, 12 May 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Filed under: Displays

E-Ink has a new display made available last week, based on segmented display cell (SDC) technology. Apparently the new screens are 40% thinner and have increased flexibility over E Ink’s previous displays, and can now be formed in “organic non-rectangular unique shapes, including holes, curves, and other non-standard designs”. Delphi’s already picking up use of the display for future keyfob products — always good to know there are consumer applications right around the corner.

[Thanks, Pat]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

E-Ink to introduce new segmented display cell displays

Mon, 12 May 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Filed under: Displays

[Thanks, Pat]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

E-Ink to introduces new segmented display cell displays

Mon, 12 May 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Filed under: Displays

[Thanks, Pat]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

Eriksson poised to leave Manchester City after humiliating defeat (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:40:08 +0000

Sven Goran Eriksson is poised to leave Manchester City in the next few days after a humiliating 8-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on the final day of the Premier League season.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Coppell's future in the balance after Reading's relegation (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:35:53 +0000

Reading manager Steve Coppell will spend the next few days considering his future and talking with Royals chairman John Madjeski following the club's relegation to the Championship.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Benitez admits to disappointing Liverpool soccer season (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:25:41 +0000

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez hit out at critics of his team's defensive style but accepted that a trophy-free season represented failure as the English Premier League campaign came to an end.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Football title triumph has Fergie bouncing to Moscow (AFP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:23:10 +0000

Sir Alex Ferguson claims Manchester United will be 'bouncing' all the way to Moscow for next week's Champions League final after a 2-0 win at Wigan secured the club's 10th Premier League title.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Porto agree to sell defender Bosingwa to Chelsea (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:53:39 +0000

Porto have agreed to sell
defender Jose Bosingwa to English club Chelsea, the Portuguese
champions said on their Web site (fcporto.pt) on Sunday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Portuguese playmaker Rui Costa retires (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:43:45 +0000

Veteran Portugal playmaker Rui
Costa was given an emotional send-off as he confirmed his
retirement from the game after Benfica’s 3-0 win over Vitoria
Setubal on Sunday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

European roundup-United win 17the title, Inter stutter (Reuters)

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:42:42 +0000

Manchester United retained the
Premier League title, pipping Chelsea to the championship 10
days before the two sides meet in the Champions League final.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Mallorca ruins Rijkaard’s farewell (PA SportsTicker)

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:10:43 +0000

By PA SportsTicker

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Sporting clinch Champions League spot (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:58:14 +0000

Sporting secured the second
Champions League automatic spot when they beat Boavista 2-1 on
the last day of Portuguese Premier League on Sunday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Atletico secure place in Champions League (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:53:44 +0000

(adds details, byline)

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Sumitomo set to produce 40-inch OLED panels in 2009

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Filed under: HDTV

Not that there was any doubt that OLED is on its way to larger sizes (hasn’t it been since like 2005?), but Japanese firm Sumitomo Chemical announced its plans to produce 40-inch OLED panels for HDTVs some time in 2009, meaning Sumitomo-based TVs could hit the market could hit in 2009 or 2010. Samsung’s old-skool 40-inch OLED HDTV prototype shown above for scale.

[Via OLED-Info]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

Atletico back in Champions League after 12 year wait (AFP)

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:23:59 +0000

Diego Forlan repaid back a huge chunk of his 21 million euro transfer fee as he fired Atletico Madrid into the money-spinning Champions League for the first time in over a decade with a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Soccer-Atletico secure place in Champions League qualifiers (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:19:53 +0000

(Corrects to show Valladolid can still be relegated)

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Panathinaikos ensure place in Champions League qualifiers (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:06:59 +0000

Panathinaikos booked their place
in next season’s Champions League qualifiers when they beat Aris
Salonika 3-1 in the Greek championship playoffs on Sunday and
nearest rivals AEK Athens only drew.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

ASEC Abidjan book league place for record ninth time (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:17:00 +0000

Ivory Coast’s ASEC Abidjan
qualified for the group phase of the African Champions League
for a record ninth time on Sunday after a 1-1 draw at Olympique
Khouribga in Morocco.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Apple settles on iPod batteries, power adapters

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:10:00 +0000

Filed under: Laptops, Portable Audio

Owners of yesteryear Apple products (and consumer advocates) had a pretty solid week. Friday it came to light that more than two million 2001-era PowerBook owners could be eligible for refunds between $25 and $75 in a class-action settlement (which is set for final approval on September 8th) over faulty, sometimes even sparking power adapters. But that’s not all: Apple is also offering up $45 credits to any Canadian iPod owner that bought before June 24th, 2004 as part of a class-action suit claiming Apple misrepresented the advertised battery life of the players.

Read - Power adapters
Read - Canadian iPods [sub req’d]

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Original post by Ryan Block and software by Elliott Back

Inter’s Materazzi apologises for taking penalty (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:43:11 +0000

Inter Milan defender Marco
Materazzi has apologised for taking and missing a penalty in
Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Siena.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Grant hails amazing Ferguson (AFP)

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:31:33 +0000

Chelsea coach Avram Grant paid a glowing tribute to Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson after the Londoners were beaten to the Premier League title by the Red Devils on Sunday.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Fergie vows to stay as United wrap up his 10th Premier League title (AFP)

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:26:13 +0000

Sir Alex Ferguson insisted he has no intention of retiring after Manchester United clinched the 10th Premier League of the Scot's glorious reign at Old Trafford.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Capello names squad for England friendlies (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:11:07 +0000

England manager Fabio Capello
named a 30-man squad on Sunday for the friendlies against the
United States and Trinidad & Tobago later this month.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back

Nijmegen sink Groningen to stay on course for Uefa Cup (Reuters)

Sun, 11 May 2008 21:08:48 +0000

NEC Nijmegen cruised to a 3-1
away victory over Groningen in a Dutch play-off second leg on
Sunday to advance to the final 4-1 on aggregate and edge closer
to a place in next season’s UEFA Cup.

Original post by Unknown and software by Elliott Back