Lampard, Bielsa add star quality to Championship
And the two men will not have to wait long to pit their wits against each other — their sides meet on August 11 in Derby.Fans may allow both men a honeymoon period but supporters of both clubs — who have been champions of England five times between them — ultimately believe they belong in the Premier League.Despite the pressure, the much-travelled Bielsa, 63, refuses to be a hostage to fortune.“The history of this club, everyone knows how to measure success or failure at the end of the season,” he said. “If you try to predict the future you’re almost becoming a demi-god rather than a football coach.”Marcelo Bielsa has resurfaced at Leeds United after a bitter divorce with French club Lille last term © AFP/File / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGENWhile the Championship lacks the superstar names of the Premier League, it is notoriously competitive and Bielsa and Lampard begin at a disadvantage as the clubs relegated from the top flight have the benefit of generous “parachute” payments.Stoke City, who dropped out of the Premier League in May, are early favourites to bounce straight back up, with West Brom also tipped to do well.Lampard’s first match comes on Friday, away to Reading. The former England midfielder played under Reading’s manager Paul Clement at Chelsea, when Clement was assistant to Carlo Ancelotti.Lampard, who enjoyed huge success as a player at Chelsea, is a phlegmatic character while Bielsa is renowned for his fiery temperament, leaving Lazio after just two days and parting ways with Lille last year after only a few months at the helm.Club owner Andrea Radrizzani has staked a lot on making him the highest-paid Leeds manager and will hope to see the Bielsa that delivered the 2004 Olympic title for Argentina and guided Athletic Bilbao to two cup finals in the 2011-12 season.Bielsa, whose team host Stoke on Sunday, needed little convincing when given the opportunity to revive the club, who were English league champions in 1992, the season before the Premier League was born.“Nobody had to convince me. I was convinced by the strength of Leeds United as a club and an institution,” he said.“I looked at things from a sporting, football point of view and those things together helped me make my choice.”Lampard, 40, whose uncle is the former West Ham and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, pledged to confront his new challenge head on.“I don’t have a management CV and don’t proclaim to,” he told the BBC. “Any job has its risk elements but you take them on and you do so with a positive nature.“I am delighted that they have taken that risk and chosen me and I want to prove them right and get success.”0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today) 0Shares0000Former Chelsea midfield star Frank Lampard will make his managerial bow with Derby County © AFP/File / Adrian DENNISLONDON, United Kingdom, Aug 2 – Marcelo Bielsa and Frank Lampard bring a touch of star quality to the English Championship but face a stiff task to restore the lustre of fallen giants Leeds United and Derby County.Both men also have something to prove on a personal level — Argentine veteran Bielsa will want to show he can still cut it at the sharp end while Lampard is embarking on his first job in management after a glittering playing career.
Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. E.T. returns to earth, reunites with grown-up Elliott in new ad Brace for potentially devastating typhoon approaching PH – NDRRMC Kammuri turning to super typhoon less likely but possible — Pagasa In a previous interview with Andrew McNicol of the South China Media Post, Bryant shared an adorable story of how Gianna was irked by fans who kept calling him the “G.O.A.T.”“It’s me, my wife [Vanessa], my eldest daughter Natalia and our middle child Gianna,” he shared. “And fans throughout the park keep walking by me saying ‘you’re the GOAT, you’re the GOAT!’“Finally, Gianna turns to one of them and shouts ‘how rude.’ I asked her what was wrong, and she says, ‘they keep calling you a goat, that is so rude!’Kobe clarified that it meant “The Greatest Of All Time” and Gianna went on to thank the fan.Shortly after his retirement in 2016, Bryant shared that he was looking forward to spending more time with his wife and three daughters.By the looks of it, he is certainly cherishing every moment. /raRELATED STORY:WATCH: Kobe’s 11-year-old daughter drains jumpshot a la ‘Black Mamba’ Read Next Bryant posted a couple of videos of their 1-on-1 workout on his personal Instagram account, which has accumulated a combined 3 million views as of this writing.“@wnba finals rematch got us hype! A lil one on one with my baby,” Bryant captioned the first video, which showed Gianna clearing some space and draining a jump shot.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSWATCH: Drones light up sky in final leg of SEA Games torch runSPORTSSEA Games: Philippines picks up 1st win in men’s water poloSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutout Frontrow holds fun run to raise funds for young cancer patients Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles00:50Trending Articles00:50Trending Articles01:37Protesters burn down Iran consulate in Najaf01:47Panelo casts doubts on Robredo’s drug war ‘discoveries’01:29Police teams find crossbows, bows in HK university01:35Panelo suggests discounted SEA Games tickets for students02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games ADVERTISEMENT BSP sees higher prices in November, but expects stronger peso, low rice costs to put up fight
LATEST STORIES LOOK: Loisa Andalio, Ronnie Alonte unwind in Amanpulo for 3rd anniversary A follow-up video showed Kobe’s “mambacita” hitting another shot from deep, followed by a strong drive to basket over her legendary father. Fans may no longer see Kobe Bryant suit up in the hardwood, but it looks like he has found a worthy successor—his 11-year-old daughter, Gianna.After admitting that the WNBA Finals rematch between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx has got them all hyped up, the father-daughter duo went on to work and put on shots of their own.ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ Nonong Araneta re-elected as PFF president EAC, Letran triumph Fire hits houses in Mandaluyong City View comments
Founded in 1948 by Shah Mastana Balochistani, Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda of Gurmeet Ram Rahim – now convicted for raping two sadhvis – has followers in several states including Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. The followers of Ram Rahim are mainly Dalits but he has sizeable support base among Sikhs, Muslims and Christians in Haryana and Punjab.Gurmeet Ram Rahim has always claimed to be apolitical, but his Dera Sacha Sauda launched its political affairs wing (PAW) in 2007. It was the same year when there were massive protests against Ram Rahim in Punjab after his photographs showed him in dress resembling Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru. The PAW was meant to “advise” his followers on which candidate or party to vote for in the elections.Gurmeet Ram Rahim is said to be boastful of his clout to influence the outcome of the polls in Haryana and Punjab. He claims to have about five crore followers, most of them in Haryana and Punjab.2014 ELECTIONS AND RAM RAHIMRam Rahim had remained a rather unknown political force till 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when the BJP sought support of the Dera Sacha Sauda. Ram Rahim announced his support for the BJP. He was, in turn, praised by the then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.Prime Minister Narendra Modi would again praise Ram Rahim when the latter supported the Clean India campaign and was seen holding broom with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.Ahead of Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP in-charge of the state Kailash Vijayvargiya took as many as 44 candidates to the Dera Sacha Sauda seeking “blessings” of Ram Rahim. Support of Ram Rahim augured well for the BJP in both the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Haryana. The BJP formed government in Haryana.advertisementHowever, Ram Rahim’s “blessings” to the BJP did not win it the Delhi Assembly elections in 2015.RAM RAHIM AND CONGRESSRam Rahim has four children – daughters Amanpreet Kaur, Charanpreet Kaur and Honeypreet Kaur, and son Jasmeet Singh. Honeypreet is his adopted daughter. She was the one who accompanied him till Rohtak guest house after Ram Rahim was convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula.Jasmeet is married to the daughter of senior Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi, who is a former Punjab MLA. He lost to Aam Aadmi Party candidate Jagdev Singh in this year’s Assembly election from Maur constituency in Bathinda.In 2007, Ram Rahim had extended support to the Congress as he felt that the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government of the time had targeted his followers in the state. But, the Congress lost the elections.Ram Rahim did not announce support for any political party in 2012. He asked his supporters to vote for some candidates on “merit”. Ahead of this year’s Punjab election, both the BJP and Congress approached Ram Rahim for support. Ram Rahim supported the BJP in the last Punjab Assembly election. The BJP lost.BJP MINISTERS DONATING MONEY TO RAM RAHIMThough, the “blessings” of Ram Rahim has not worked for the BJP since 2014 Haryana Assembly elections, the party leaders have not lost any love for the Dera chief. At least three Haryana ministers have given him Rs 1.12 crore collectively since August last year.Just 10 days before the verdict was pronounced by the Panchkula CBI court convicting Ram Rahim of raping two sadhvis at his Dera, powerful Haryana minister Ram Vilas Sharma paid visit to Ram Rahim on August 15 – the birthday of Dera chief.Haryana Education Minister Ram Vilas Sharma donated Rs 51 lakh from his ministry’s discretionary quota ‘to promote sports’ in the Dera. Ram Vilas Sharma was also the guest at the Dera Sacha Sauda on August 15 to celebrate Ram Rahim’s birthday.Exactly a year ago, another influential Haryana minister Anil Vij had donated Rs 50 lakh out of his discretionary quota for “encouraging games” in Dera. “I could not give more than Rs 50 lakh out of discretionary fund. Had it been possible, I would have given more,” Anil Vij had been quoted by media then as saying.Later, Rohtak MLA and Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies in Haryana Manish Grover made a donation of Rs 11 lakh from his discretionary fund to the Dera Sacha Sauda of Ram Rahim.The fact that Gurmeet Ram Rahim was provided Z-plus security cover long before the BJP came in power at the Centre and Haryana is statement of the political clout of the rape convict Dera chief.ALSO READ |Yoga, tea and 2 slices of bread, this is how rape convict Dera chief Ram Rahim began his day in jail advertisementViolence after Baba Ram Rahim conviction: How Khattar failed on three occasions in as many years Journalist who exposed Gurmeet Ram Rahim rape case was shot dead outside his houseHow an anonymous letter trounced Ram Rahim, the mighty godman of Dera Sacha SaudaWATCH Ram Rahim arrest: Haryana DG, Prison, rules out VIP treatment to Dera chief
Van der Gijp: Gerrard drunk recommending Liverpool’s Johnston to Feyenoord!by Paul Vegasa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveFormer Liverpool fullback George Johnston has been slammed in Holland.Feyenoord teammate Liam Kelly, signed from Reading, is also being hammered as the Rotterdam giants struggle in the early rounds of the season.Former Holland striker Rene van der Gijp has rapped Feyenoord coach Jaap Stam for signing the pair.He told Veronica Inside “I must honestly say: also it is a sign of inability for Jaapie to take on Liam Kelly. “I mean: we saw that boy play half a game, then we all said: ‘That’s not the one in midfield who Feyenoord can count on’. Come on, dude. “Also loaning (sic) George Johnston has not worked out well for Feyenoord. He called Steven Gerrard for that. He said, ‘He’s very good’, but he was drunk!”Rangers boss Gerrard worked with Johnston as Liverpool U23 coach. TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
john lloyd cincinnati butch jonesLast week, a number of rumors regarding Tennessee head coach Butch Jones – including a claim that he punched a player this past summer during practice – made the rounds on social media. This Monday, Jones commented on the rumor, calling it “absolutely ridiculous.” Wednesday night, one of Jones’ former players made an interesting claim on Twitter regarding the situation.Former Cincinnati punter John Lloyd, who played for Jones from 2010-2012, told his followers that he saw Jones hit players “multiple times” during his time with the Bearcats. He also joked that Jones “probably” made Cincinnati’s video crew delete practice footage. It wasn’t a glowing review of his former 
CALGARY (660 NEWS) –It has been just over a month since city council shuttered the 2026 Olympic bid, and supporters are continuing to scratch their heads over what went wrong.It’s a question that Mayor Naheed Nenshi tries to answer in his year-end interview with 660 NEWS. During the interview, he blames several factors including misinformation shuttled and spread by social media.“I do think it was about information. For the better part of two years, I worked really hard on this file, but I was trying not to be an advocate. I was trying to say ‘I’m an advocate for Calgary, not for the Olympics’.”READ MORE: Calgary City Council officially cancels 2026 Olympic bidHe also points to the poor timing of reaching a funding deal with other levels of government.“We got that great deal 11 days before the plebiscite. It’s not enough time to engage Calgarians in a conversation,” he said.“I wish we had more time to really have a more thoughtful discussion, like the 2010, or the 2013 election was, about the differing visions for future of the community.”While the Olympic discussion seemed to divide the city, he says people still love living, working and raising their kids in Calgary.READ MORE: Calgary Olympic bid survives council vote
