A hundred years ago, the small north east town of Sunderland was booming. On the football pitch they were the best team in England, securing the First Division crown for a fifth time in their already illustrious history. One goal was all that separated them from a unique league and cup double in 1913, as they narrowly lost the FA Cup final to Aston Villa 1-0. It would be the closest they would ever come to such a feat, but for the town of less than 40,000 people there was little time to be upset as they watched their beloved boys lift the league championship the following weekend. Off the pitch, more than a third of the towns population worked at the local shipyards, owned by local families, which was known at the time as the largest shipbuilding town in the world. Like any industry, the ship building trade had its ups and downs but thrived in the early 1900s and would go on to produce more than a quarter of the nations total weight of merchant and naval ships for World War II. As the country prepared for war for a second time, Sunderland AFC, playing with a black ship on their crest, found their glory days once again in the thirties, winning the First Division for a sixth (and last) time in 1936 and the FA Cup in 1937. Following the war, the shipyards and the club saw a downturn in fortune and once the 1970s arrived the future of the dockyards, which had significantly raised the towns population and trade in other areas, was in danger. On the field, Sunderland, stuck in the Second Division after being relegated in 1970, gave the locals a release from their worries with an improbable FA Cup in 1973. Forced into replays in rounds 3, 4 and 5, the red and whites defeated Luton Town in the quarter final and the mighty Arsenal in the semis to reach the even mightier Leeds United at Wembley for the final. With no one giving them a chance, Bob Stokoes upstarts beat Don Revies giants by a single goal to nil, shocking the football world. It remains Sunderlands last major trophy. Four years on from that historic day at Wembley, Sunderlands dockyards were no longer run by Sunderland people as the industry was nationalized in an attempt to fight off the fierce competition generated by Japan and Korea. By 1988 they had lost the battle and the final shipyards closed for good. Four years later, as the town was officially granted city status, on the field the club, again back in the second flight, reached Wembley for a date with Liverpool in the FA Cup. They would lose 2-0 but talk to any Sunderland fan who was there that day and theyll tell you just how dominant their team was in the first half. If only John Byrne had taken his volley properly it could have been 1973 all over again. In 1997, the club ended their 99 year run at the famous Roker Park ground and moved to their current home, the Stadium of Light. A new home meant a new club crest, sadly with a ship no longer on it. Now a city thats home to over 170,000 people, many who are incredibly passionate about the club, Sunderland were an ideal model to represent the growing brand of the Premier League. However, things didnt go that smoothly in the last 20 years, as Sunderland have been promoted four times to the top flight and relegated on three different occasions. Last May it was so nearly a fourth time but Paolo Di Canios arrival as manager steered the ship to 8pts in the final seven games to ensure a 17th place finish and survival. The hiring of the Italian was a brave one by club owner Ellis Short, not only because of Di Canios lack of experience as a manager, but also because of how late it came in the season. Di Canios passion and bravado lifted his players to a memorable 3-0 win at hated rivals Newcastle, and as he gathered his players in front of the jubilant away fans that day, it appeared stability had finally been found. However, in a city of change, we should have known better. Di Canio, who publicly said he felt Sunderland would have been relegated if he hadnt have taken over from Martin ONeill, went about making the team his own, bringing in an incredible fourteen new players during the summer transfer window. The overall re-structuring of the club continued with the hiring of a former agent, Roberto De Fanti, to be the clubs first Director of Football and former Inter Milan scout Victor Angeloni becoming their new chief scout. The overall new direction of the club is bold, but also extremely risky. With so many new players, the team has struggled to gel at the start of the season, with many experiencing English football for the first time. Eighteen players have already played in the three matches so far, which has resulted in just one point, and the controversial Di Canio has publicly already shown signs of lack of patience. After the loss at home to Fulham he told reporters post match his players need to listen to him more about learning how to defend against set pieces. He echoed these thoughts when they conceded a late equalizer, again from a dead ball situation, at Southampton. Last time out at Crystal Palace, Di Canio was at it again. "I cannot change the heart of my players," he said. Later he gave us all insight into what was on the minds of players heading into an international break, explaining: "Even today, (players are) talking which flight can I get, when can I come back, and they dont focus attention on the game, which is more important because we have to work hard for the club, for the fans who travel and spend a fortune to follow us." He is, of course, right. However, such things happen in the game all the time and no successful manager tells the media about it. Publicly stating such matters will win him no friends inside the dressing room. Already during his time at the club he has told reporters that he threatened to cut short the summer break for players who werent trying hard enough, fined them for not fulfilling contract obligations such as signing shirts, and sold arguably one of their best players, Stephane Sessegnon, after he was arrested and charged for a drink-driving offence. Worryingly, these are all actions from Di Canio at a happy stage, enjoying a honeymoon period as manager. What will come out of his mouth when he isnt happy? He talks about loving his time as a Premier League manager but so far his team has shown very little signs that they will once again not be in a relegation fight this season. Ellis Short has not bankrolled these signings and approved a complete change in direction for this ship to see it sunk come May. And that is what makes the all-in attitude with Di Canio even more of a mystery. He may well turn out to be an excellent manager but publicly calling out your players, and failing to keep such things inside the changing room, usually sends a ship heading towards an iceberg and what becomes of all the new employees then? Sunderlands next seven home games before Christmas week are against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. If Di Canio was frustrated in the opening three weeks of the season, what can we expect him to say about his players after these games? He has managed less than a dozen Premier League games, yet captain Di Canio has been allowed to pick those who are onboard with him for this journey through to May 11th, the final day of the season. Between now and then it is clear some will be thrown over board by the leader of the ship. What is far from clear is whether Sunderland will be above water come then, and whether or not Di Canio will still be behind the wheel. The more things change, the more they stay the same in Sunderland. You can watch Sunderand take on Mesut Ozil and Arsenal this Saturday live on TSN. Join me at 9.50am et as we get you set for the match. . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. [url=http://www.eaglesjerseyfootballauthentic.com/eagles-donnie-jones-black-jers... Jones Eagles Jersey . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. [url=http://www.eaglesjerseyfootballauthentic.com/]Philadelphia Eagles Jersey . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.NEW YORK -- The game that will be talked about for years and years required 198 strokes, 30 points, and 21 minutes to decide. Entire sets have taken less. It might be easy to conclude that Novak Djokovic won his tense, topsy-turvy U.S. Open semifinal against Stanislas Wawrinka despite dropping that epic third game of the fifth set. The truth is that the 2011 champion emerged with a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory in 4 hours, 9 minutes on Saturday at least in part because of the one that got away. "Even though I lost that game, I felt like, OK, hes getting a little bit more tired, and maybe this is my chance to step in," Djokovic said. "And thats what I (did)." The No. 1-seeded Djokovic will play No. 2 Rafael Nadal on Monday. Its their record 37th match against each other, their sixth Grand Slam final, and their third meeting for the championship at Flushing Meadows since 2010. Nadal was a 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 winner over No. 8 Richard Gasquet of France in Saturdays second semifinal, which was far less competitive than the first. Indeed, the tennis and theatrics at 1-all in the last set alone of Djokovic-Wawrinka were so compelling that the game was interrupted twice by standing ovations. By then, Wawrinkas strained right thigh had been taped after a medical timeout in the fourth set (he would be seized by cramps during his postmatch news conference). Still, he managed to erase five break points and navigate 12 deuces until finally delivering a 123 mph service winner to hold for a 2-1 edge. He stepped gingerly to the sideline, plopped down in his chair and smiled. That grin remained in place throughout the two-minute changeover. If the ninth-seeded Wawrinka was enjoying the moment, perhaps feeling a tad relieved, Djokovic was ever more determined. He responded by taking the next three games, propelling himself to a fourth consecutive title match at Flushing Meadows and fifth since 2007. "I was already quite tired," said Wawrinka, who won the same number of points in the match as Djokovic, 165. "I was already quite dead physically." During his on-court interview, Djokovic took the microphone and posed a question: "How long was that game?" He was told the answer, repeated it, then chuckled. "Well, I was thinking -- I guess everybody was thinking -- Whoever wins this game is going to win the match," the six-time major champion told the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. "After he won the game, I thought to myself, OK, I guess I have to fight against those odds." The current version of Djokovic, the one who recently published a book about diet and fitness, is nothing if not dogged, able to withstand even the most dire of circumstances. Its why he managed to set aside match points and come back to beat Roger Federer in the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Open semifinals. Its why he was able to beat Nadal in a 2012 Australian Open final that lasted nearly six hours. Its why he was able to win the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history. "At the end, he pushed me," Wawrinka said. "Pushed me far, far, far." Nothing quite that dramatic occurred when 12-time major champion Nadal played Gasquet, who was in his first Grand Slam semifinal since 2007. The most newsworthy moment of their match came right at the 1-hour mark, when Nadal let a forehand drift long to get broken and make it 2-all in the second set. That allowed Gasquet to become the first player to break Nadals serve in the entire tournament, ending a run of 73 holds. There were five other break points for Gasquet, but Nadal saved each while stretching his hard-court record in 2013 to 21-0. A year after missing the U.S. Open because of a bad left knee, Nadal is looking as fit and as impressive as ever. "I dont know if its a victory to (break) his serve. Im not sure about it. I think its better to win one set or more," said Gasquet, now 0-11 against Nadal. In the past, the U.dddddddddddd.S. Open was the only Grand Slam tournament to schedule the mens semifinals Saturday and the final Sunday, instead of having a day of rest in between. This year, the tournament scrapped that plan and built in an extra 24 hours. As it is, Djokovic said he "didnt find it very fair" that he needed to play at noon Saturday after finishing his quarterfinal at about 11 p.m. Thursday. Nadal and Gasquet played their quarterfinals Wednesday. "I didnt find any logic in that, to be honest," Djokovic said. "But, again, there are some other, I guess, influences that have more power than players, and this has to be changed." On Sunday, while Nadal and Djokovic rest and prepare, No. 1 Serena Williams will play No. 2 Victoria Azarenka for the womens championship. Its the first time both U.S. Open singles finals are 1-2 matchups since 1996. Nadal is 21-15 against Djokovic, but said when they play, it "becomes a very difficult match for both of us. Nadal said hed rather face a less-formidable foe, because wanting to play someone as good as Djokovic would be "stupid." Djokovic, meanwhile, called trying to beat Nadal "the biggest challenge that you can have in our sport now." Dealing with Djokovic and his sliding, arm-stretching defence is no day at the beach, either. Wearing white sunscreen slathered across his cheeks and nose on a sunny afternoon, Wawrinka produced a performance that was fairly similar to the net-rushing surprise he pulled off against defending champion Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka could sense jitters early from Djokovic, who acknowledged afterward he was nervous. That seemed odd, because Djokovic was playing in his 14th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, the second-longest streak in history, and 21st overall. Wawrinka -- long in the shadow of Federer, his Swiss Olympic teammate and good friend -- was in his first. And yet it was Djokovic who double-faulted four times as part of his 14 unforced errors in the first set, while getting broken three times. Djokovic was fraying at the edges. He hit a ball in anger after losing a point, drawing jeers from the stands. He whacked his racket against each arm after a missed backhand return. He kept chatting with his coach, Marian Vajda, and eventually was cited by the chair umpire for a code violation (coaching is not allowed during matches; Djokovic admitted he deserved the warning). When a fan called out right before he netted a backhand, Djokovic raised an arm and yelled, "Shut up!" It didnt help matters that Wawrinka kept finding the mark with his booming serves, which reached 138 mph, his effective forehand and his sweet, one-handed backhand, to the tune of 57 winners, 19 more than Djokovic. "Today I had the feeling that when I was playing my best level, I was better than him," said Wawrinka, who entered the day 2-12 against Djokovic. "But hes not No. 1 for nothing. Thats why he won the match, because he always finds a solution." Slowly but surely Djokovic found ways to bother Wawrinka, in part by forcing more errors off his forehand wing, in part by serving better himself. Wawrinka began showing signs of mental and physical fatigue. There was the problem with his right leg. He swatted a ball toward the upper deck, earning a warning, and later was docked a point for spiking his racket, picking it up and bending it over his knee to completely wreck the frame. Wawrinka egged on fans to get louder and clap longer, soaking it all in -- and getting a bit of a chance to catch his breath. Djokovic at first seemed annoyed, before he, too, waved for more noise. Two games later, a sequence of errors by Wawrinka, capped by a weary backhand, let Djokovic break for a 3-2 lead. "I managed to stay tough and play well when I needed to," Djokovic said. "Thats something that definitely encourages me before the final." wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap soccer jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' '

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