There are top-of-the-table meetings in Greece and Portugal this weekend while the race for UEFA Champions League places is hotting up all over Europe, with some key fixtures in the Spanish Liga and English Premier League. You can follow the scores from all the European leagues live on UEFA.com's
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Race for European places hots up
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coast series 2
In its first series, Coast reawakened the nation's love affair with the coastline; this next series goes back to the shore to explore new secrets and stories that add to the unique picture that is being created of the British Isles coastline.
Coast celebrates the unique character of the British Isles, featuring stories about the people, wildlife and events that make up our coastal communities. The team of experts all return for the new series.
After Nicholas Crane's circumnavigation of the United Kingdom in the last series, this year Neil Oliver takes over as the main presenter. In each programme, Neil takes viewers on a journey along a stretch of the British Isles coastline, together with Nick, Alice Roberts, Miranda Krestovnikoff, and Mark Horton.
Through a mixture of expert comment, compelling storytelling and computer-generated images, Coast reveals a wealth of fascinating stories illustrating life as it is today, and as it was in the past.
Wednesdays from 24 February at 20:45 CET
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We once again have a Lambert on “American Idol
The remaining top 24 were revealed on Wednesday night and Alex Lambert (apparently no relation to Adam) made it through along with Lacey Brown, Crystal Bowersox, Janell Wheeler, Katie Stevens, Michelle Delamore, Siobhan Magnus, Lilly Scott, John Park, Joe Munoz, Ashley Rodriguez, Haeley Vaughn, Paige Miles, Tyler Grady, Jermaine Sellers, and Andrew Garcia.
And since “Idol” wouldn’t be “Idol” without some controversy, contestant Chris Golightly, who made it into the Top 24, was replaced at the last minute by contestant Tim Urban (who I’m going to go out on a limb here and say is not related to Keith). According to a press release from Fox, it was determined that Golightly was ineligible to continue in the competition.
Fellow Hollywood week contender Samantha Musa tweeted that she had spoken to Golightly – who touched hearts with his back story of being in foster care – about his disqualification.
“He was disqualified yesterday, after already being told he was in the top 24, over some bogus old contract,” Musa tweeted on Wednesday. “The contract expired, but they disqualified him for not telling them.”
Fox hasn’t given any details as to why Golightly was tossed, and Musa questioned why he was let go instead of “Big Mike” Lynche - whose father reportedly broke the “Idol” confidentiality agreement by blabbing about his making it into the Top 24 - was not.
I question why Jermaine Sellers, who was a finalist on BET’s gospel singing competition “Sunday’s Best,” made it to the final 24 while Angela Martin did not.
It was Martin’s third try at snagging a slot. The first time she made it to Hollywood, her father was murdered. The second time she ended up in jail over traffic tickets. This last time I thought for sure we’d have the chance to vote for her and her amazing voice.
Her cut on Wednesday night was made all the sadder because of recent news that her mother has been missing for months.
Are you happy with the Top 24?
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Indian Premier League set to name new 2011 franchises
The Indian Premier League will announce two new franchises on 8 March, the tournament's chief has announced.
The new teams will join the competition from the 2011 season, increasing the number of franchises to 10.
Lalit Modi said 12 cities were in contention, including four which will host games during the 2010 season.
Modi, the IPL commissioner, earlier revealed that a "very famous" UK football club had expressed interest, although he refused to say which one.
Modi said tenders for the franchises could be collected from the Board of Control for India or IPL from 21 February and that bids would be opened on 8 March in Mumbai.
The cities in the frame are Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kanpur, Dharamsala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior and Visakapatnam.
But Modi also indicated that Rajkot, Pune, Vadodara and Kochi, which are in the process of building stadiums, might bid for teams.
The new team franchises will be granted access to venues hosting matches during the 2010 IPL in order to familiarise themselves.
The 2010 IPL, which is the third edition of the 20-over tournament, begins on 12 March.
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Chelsea hold no secrets for Mourinho
As José Mourinho prepares to meet his former club Chelsea FC, the FC Internazionale Milano coach must feel like he is returning to an old house to find the fixtures and fittings just where he had left them.
That sense of how little has changed at Stamford Bridge since his departure in September 2007 hit home on a recent scouting mission to west London. Soon after his Italian champions had been paired with Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round, Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge for the first time to see the Blues beat Fulham FC 2-1. The 47-year-old was struck by a sense of deja vu.
"The last time I was there I was watching all the details with attention," he told UEFA.com. "Even the warm-up is the warm-up they did in our time. The way they defend set pieces is exactly the same. The position they have on set pieces is exactly the same. Sometimes they play a 4-4-2 diamond, sometimes they play 4-3-3, which are exactly the systems we worked when there."
Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and now Carlo Ancelotti have all followed in Mourinho's footsteps at Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese coach means no disrespect when he says he sees similarities with the side he led to two Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League semi-finals during his three years at the club.
"I think it's a quality of a good coach – and Ancelotti is a good coach – to understand how the players feel most comfortable. And instead of making crazy changes, just fine tune, which is normal to keep a winning structure. I think Ancelotti's a very good coach and the team feels comfortable this way. And the team really is top – one of the best teams in the world."
Chelsea may hold no secrets for Mourinho, but he admits that such familiarity with the opposition could be a double-edged sword. "When I look at that team only Ivanović and Anelka are not players from my time. All the other boys: Petr Čech, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Essien, Mikel, Drogba, Malouda, Joe Cole, Kalou; all of them are boys from my time.
"So it's a team without secrets for me. But at the same time I think I'm a coach without secrets for them. It will be easy for me, but I think also easy for them. I know them, but they know me. I know the way they play, the way they think, but at the same time they know the way I coach, the way I prepare my teams."
It was precisely to prevent the negative effects of an emotional return to the place he calls "home" for the second leg on 16 March, that Mourinho visited Stamford Bridge in December to watch that victory against Fulham. "Emotion, yes, when I went there, of course – I was going to my home, it was my home for three-and-a-half years.
"But, you know, I went there on purpose to watch a game, to see people for the first time [since leaving], to be in that stadium for the first time, because when I go there in March I want to go without emotions. So instead of it being the first time I go there, I was there a couple of weeks before. I want to be cool and ready for the game."
Mourinho had a great relationship with the Chelsea fans and is now equally loved by Inter supporters. That is not surprising, given that he led the Nerazzurri to the Scudetto in his first season and has put them on course to retain the crown.
After doing the double over rivals AC Milan this season, his popularity has soared to such an extent that he recently asked supporters to stop singing his name and praise the players instead.
"Yes, fans are important," he explained. "I think I had a good relationship with them at Porto and Chelsea, I have that now with Inter – a good empathy, we love each other, I feel the fans are always behind me and behind the team which is important."
It is one reason why Mourinho, who led FC Porto to the UEFA Champions League title in 2004, enjoys such a stunning home record. Sides he has coached have not lost a home league match for eight years, a sequence stretching back to a 3-2 defeat for Porto by SC Beira-Mar on 23 February 2002.
Another positive result at San Siro in the first leg on 24 February would set Inter up nicely for the return. "It's quite funny and a bit of contradiction because at home I never play for a draw, never," Mourinho said.
"I always play to win, so we do nothing to draw and keep the record, nothing! I feel no pressure about it. I feel the record is so amazing that I must feel very relaxed. One day I will have to lose, and when this day arrives I will be very happy because I will be able to say: 'I didn't lose at home for x years, I didn't lose at home for x matches'."
With a smile Mourinho then stressed that that run applies to domestic leagues only. Chelsea, however, will know just how well they have to perform to return from Mourinho's new home on a high.
You can watch and read the second part of this interview ahead of the second leg when José Mourinho discusses his return to Stamford Bridge and the importance of Wesley Sneijder to his side.
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