Juventus Mercato Mutterings

I seem to have developed a sporadic case of hysteria. With any serious rumours of tactics and transfers sending me quickly towards wild joy or plummeting deep into a well of woe. Its taking some effort to strike the middle ground! Which I think it due to the fairytale I have created of Il Maestro and this sensation of a magical new adventure contrasted by the still potent cynicism born of the last 2-3 years of enduring our steady decline.

The transfer window is not yet fully open, and its likely we will have to wait to sell players or reach agreement on mutual termination, before any major incoming moves will be made public or pushed over the line. Which is a fine and logical strategy, for if clubs know we are even more desperate to sell, potential savings and income will fall. I am hopeful this is the case … Read the rest

Ivan Rakitić leaves to Sevilla: Farewell to a Camp Nou great

As Ivan Rakitić has sealed a move to Sevilla, his former club, let’s take a look at his career at Barça, where he spent six seasons as a starter.

Succeeding in football is the best feeling ever. Excelling at one of the biggest clubs in the world is a whole different story, however. In those clubs, you can go from hero to zero in the matter of seasons if you are not careful enough. One must play well in every game, which is an unrealistic demand, and, along with that, help the team with goals and assists if they play further up the pitch.

Barcelona has a history with great midfielders who were not always the most prolific in terms of goals and assists, but who are now in every conversation concerning the greatest ever. The culés also have a history with turning on their players. From Cesc Fàbregas to … Read the rest

Obed Borough rethinks Remot/Ocoee all-road & gravel as a fast flat-bar commuter bike

I’ve been talking about how gravel bikes are the ideal modern hybrid bikes, and now Obed’s new Borough reminds that wide-tire gravel or all-road bikes can both make a great performance urban commuter. Throwing a flat bar setup onto the carbon Remōt… Ocoee… now Obed Baseline frame & Boundary fork transforms them into an upright […]

The post Obed Borough rethinks Remot/Ocoee all-road & gravel as a fast flat-bar commuter bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

Source link … Read the rest

“Pit Stops Gave us Victory Today.” Josef Newgarden Wins at WWTR

In the second race of the Bommarito Automotive 500, lap traffic and pit stops would be the keys to victory for Team Penske‘s Josef Newgarden, who claws back twenty points on championship leader Scott Dixon.

Like Saturday, the race start was delayed again. This time, a service vehicle pre-race dropped oil on the track, causing a major cleanup delay.

The race officially started under caution for the first two laps, on top of the pace laps, and finally went green on lap three. It was a great start for pole sitter and Saturday’s runner up Takuma Sato, who cleared second place Newgarden before turn one, and the two darted away from the pack.

Chaos behind benefited bold youngsters like Santino Ferrucci and Rinus VeeKay, who made moves stick around the outside and gaining both drivers plenty of track position. Ferrucci jumped from sixteenth to … Read the rest

Community Shield Champions! Some thoughts and observations

Morning all, some  Community Shield thoughts for you this morning, after our penalty shoot-out win over Liverpool yesterday.

First, it’s obviously really nice to win. My interest in this game beforehand was peripheral. I felt it was almost too soon to be playing a fixture like this, and I was worried that we’d struggle physically given how short the break from the end of the previous season was. Once it starts though, it’s Arsenal playing the Mugsmashers and it’s impossible not to get into it.

Especially when you score a goal as good as the one we did after 12 minutes.

One of the most obvious things about the way we played yesterday was the way we tried to keep possession, regardless of the pressure we were under and how much … Read the rest

Thiem: ‘Things Can Change Very Quickly’

Dominic Thiem’s return to the ATP Tour may not have gone to plan at the Western & Southern Open, but the World No. 3 is well aware of how quickly fortunes can change in tennis.

This year’s Australian Open finalist managed to win just three games in his return match against Filip Krajinovic and will enter the US Open seeking his first victory since the Rio Open presented by Claro in February.

“I know about my strength. I know things can change very quickly. I hope that I do better at the US Open,” said Thiem. “Of course, it’s a little bit weird to stay at the same courts, stay at the same place for another tournament, but I hope that I learned the right things from this match from [the Western & Southern Open] and do it better from Tuesday on.”

Thiem’s loss to Krajinovic was a disappointing result … Read the rest

Microsoft Flight Simulator Gets Miami and Vienna Airports as Third-Party Add-Ons

Microsoft Flight Simulator has been out for almost two weeks now, and third-party developers have hit the ground running with their add-ons. 

Two major airports have been released. Gaya Simulations launched Vienna, and if you prefer a more sunny location, LatinVFR released Miami. 

The prices are respectively $20.05 and $17.99. 

Here is the feature list and images for Vienna.

  • Accurate and up-to-date recreation of Vienna-Schwechat Airport.
  • Fully optimized for smooth performance.
  • Operable and native Microsoft Flight Simulator jetways.
  • High-quality static aircraft.
  • Interior modeling of some terminals viewable from the airside.
  • Advanced hand-made animations to bring the airport to life.
  • Stunning night environment lighting and effects.
  • Sloped runways.
  • Authentic Vienna Airport ground service vehicles.
  • Rebuilt from the ground up with the Microsoft Flight Simulator SDK.










And here comes Miami (alongside a trailer at the bottom of the post).

  • Hand made and detailed ground markings and textures according to
… Read the rest

Here we go: Romano confirms what every Man United fan wanted to hear

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Manchester United have signed Ajax’s Donny van de Beek with his signature catchphrase- “here we go!”.

The reliable journalist never uses it without being sure of any potential deals and so far has the best success rate out there.

United’s interest in Van de Beek escalated quickly and publicly it seems it was wrapped up in a short space of time.

However, reports have claimed negotiations have been going on for weeks and that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have held interest since January.

Either way, it seems Van de Beek will be the Red Devils’ first signing of the summer and fans can be happy there’s finally some action.

… Read the rest

Liverpool could be forced into action as journalist provides update on Thiago

Liverpool could be forced to finally act on their apparent interest in Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara, with Manchester United said to be lurking.

Fredrik Filtvedt, a journalist from Norway, tweeted an update on the Mancs’ pursuit of Donny van de Beek, and signed it off with a link to Thiago.

United are said to be interested in the Spain international in addition to the Ajax star, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemingly wanting to revamp his midfield.

Now, we’re not going to pretend we know anything about Filtvedt or his credibility, but our friend Jan Aage Fjortoft seemingly knows a bit about him.

MORE: (Video) New Liverpool signing scores on debut with determined finish in 5-0 rout

In the following tweet, Fjortoft throws his weight … Read the rest

Medical set: Star will have medical with Man United next week ahead of transfer worth €40m +

The transfer market is so warped that you can never truly tell what represents value anymore, but this actually looks like it could be a cracking bit of business for Man United.

Donny van de Beek has been the driving force in Ajax’s midfield for a couple of years now and he looks like he has the quality to improve the Man United midfield.

He’s at his best in a box-to-box role and it will be interesting to see if anyone has to leave as a result, but his move to Man United now appears to be inevitable after their offer was formally accepted and the medical has been arranged:

… Read the rest