After watching Manchester United score another late goal at Old(Extra-Time) Trafford, i wanted to talk about what’s going on at one of my former clubs ‘Sunderland’. I’ve managed to watch them a few times on North American TV this year and have  been pleasantly surprised. Now , of course with limited TV coverage over here i have not been able to watch them week in week out. So this is what i’m asking for from all you Sunderland fans and opposing fans. What is the major change that has happened this year? It cant be all down to Mr.Bruce, or can it? Is the proven premiership strike-force of Bent & Jones a factor behind this? You tell me, i want to know. Thanks Danny

After a long time since our last competition, i thought we would have a bit of fun for this one. With the transfer window open in full effect for the up and coming season in Europe, i would like to know if you had unlimited funds i.e(MAN CITY). Who would you most like to bring to your club from, in my opinion, the 4 strongest leagues in the world at the moment. For example , 1 player from each of these league’s.
ENGLAND - Premiership
SPAIN - La Liga
ITALY - Serie A
GERMANY - Bundesliga
Please think about your options as you cannot buy 4 forwards or keepers, as you will not be able to keep all these superstars happy!! As always, the competition will be open for a week and the winner will receive a nice gift from Adidas. Happy spending…

So, i am sitting here killing time in Salt Lake City and thought i would give you guys my 2nd ‘In the Area’ interview. This time i have the pleasure in interviewing someone from a different sport altogether. Its great to meet and talk to other athletes from other sports and hear their opinions and goals for life in general. So this week brings me onto a fellow sportsman who don’s the No.9 jersey. A Toronto boy through & through who currently plays wide receiver for the Toronto Argonauts. This is his 8th year in the CFL and he holds all kinds of records for the Argos. He is also a keen spokesperson for the Teresa Group of Toronto which serves children and families affected by HIV & Aids, and he is also shortly setting up Kids specific football camps in the GTA. A great guy who has a genuine love for his game and is also a keen follower of soccer where he holds a Toronto FC season ticket. Ladies and Gentleman i would like to introduce you to Andre Talbot, enjoy…

     ANDRE  TALBOT  -  TORONTO ARGONAUTS  

1. Which moment in your life would you most like to re-live?

AT -  A good man once told me that ” if what you did yesterday sounds good to you, then you haven’t done much today”. I try to live in the present and dont regret anything. However , one moment that i would like to re-create would be to win another Grey Cup championship with the argos like we did in 2004. That is definately the most memorable moments in my life that i would love to enjoy again..and again and again.

2. What is the most difficult thing you have ever done in your life?

AT -  I overcame an injury plagued season in 2003, returned to form for 2004 where i regained my starting position.

3.  What was the worst fashion trend you followed , thinking you were very cool at the time?

AT - No regrets. Style is always changing and evolving and so am i. When i was really young , i was a ‘Prep’ in High School and i was ‘Rocker’ with really long hair….the long hair was somewhat regrettable i suppose.

4.  What song or Artist gets you most pumped?

AT -  Oasis is my go to -  songs like Supersonic, Morning Glory or Live Forever get me fired up.

5.  What is the worst job you have ever had?

AT - In High School one summer i was part of the grounds maintenance staff at Ontario place. The people were all great, it was just very boring and mundane. We spent the better part of most days hiding and trying to find places where we could take a nap!

7. What was the worst Holiday/Vacation experience you’ve ever had?

AT- Worst holiday? Is that an oxymoron?  The worst holidays for me are usually the ones that i have to cancel or re-schedule. Otherwise , time away from work and training is always a good time!

8. Who would you most like to change places with for a day?

AT- James Allan of the band ‘Glasvegas’. They are touring the world right now making very special music.

9. What is your karaoke song if you have to get up and sing?

AT- I would prefer to sing my own original songs with my band….however, if i had to karaoke right now i would sing ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen because my Mom and sister would join in…they are Bruce fanatics!

10. If you could do something dangerous but not be at risk, what would you like to do?

AT- Definately Skydiving is something that i would love to do at some point in my life. Ever since i was a young boy I’ve been fascinated with flight….and i think skydiving would be the closest thing to it. To fly a jet fighter plane would also be a huge thrill

11. Simpsons / Family Guy / Sopranos or Entourage?

AT- Entourage with a sprinkle of Family Guy

12. Who is your favourite  ’Baddie’ (Films, TV , Books, Cartoons etc)

AT- Robert De Niro in Scarface, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull , Casino….you get my drift.

13. What was the first album/single you ever purchased?

AT- Guns and Roses- Appetite for Destruction

14. If you could throw one person off the TV to the lions, who would it be?

AT- George Bush, thankfully he is not on the TV anymore.

15. What did you last dress up as to your last fancy dress party?

AT- John Lennon for Halloween

16. What is your favourite sport apart from yours and have you ever participated at it?

AT- I played a lot of Soccer when i was young. I was selected to a Rep league when i was 11 or 12, but once i got to High school my dream of playing North American style of Football became priority.

Thanks Andre and i wish you all the best for your up and coming season with the Argos.

So pleased to be part of the team that has brought back the 1st bit of silver-ware in the clubs history. Everyone involved last night from the Kit-man (Big Mal) to our young subs on the bench were so overjoyed with emotion. It was truly a magical night that not only the team will remember, but also all the fantastic very vocal TFC fans in the ground will cherish . Well done to all

Well, after a great win against the New England Revolution on saturday  i was up early in the studio with ‘The Score’ to comment and watch the final league games in the premiership. After seeing all the nerve jangling faces on the fans who’s teams were involved with the relegation fight, it brought back many memories from previous years playing in England. Its a very exciting day on the last day, but only if your team are going for Europe, promotion or highest league finish in club history. Not if your team are in danger of being demoted a league.  

After that , i had to rush up to Adventure Valley where i was involved with The Childhood Cancer Foundation’s fun day ‘KICK, CUT, CARE’ . This was something i wanted to be involved with after being introduced to Mary Lye(Organizer) by one of the families who attended my soccer school. After a couple of meetings we came up with the idea of doing a fun day involving soccer and cutting hair to donate for young children’s wigs who are battling against cancer. To see the great turn out on the day was amazing and meeting all the different kids who had raised money was fantastic. A lot of people had put great effort into raising money in different ways through their schools, soccer teams or work place. Carl Robinson and Nana Attakora kindly came out to support the cause and kids loved meeting them as well. In2sports supplied all the soccer specific equipment for the day and TFC TV came down to shoot some footage. There were lots of TFC supporters that came down and mingled with the players and families and everyone had a great time. All in all, we raised over $40,ooo from everyone involved  and i can’t thank enough all these kind donations and everyone involved in making this day a fantastic success.

Now, i might get a lot of stick for this, Especially from all my mates in West London who are avid Chelsea fans. But there is something that really winds me up about Mr.Drogba. Undoubtedly he is a player who has great talent and an eye for goal, but its his shenannigans on the pitch(and off) that really do my head in. Last night it really hit home what he is all about and by this i am not only discussing his final whistle tantrum. As a big strong powerful boy that he is, i’ve never witnessed such theatrical acting as i did last night. This happens week in week out in the premiership and now surely the referee’s are starting to catch wind. Could you imagine the likes of Alan Shearer , Les Ferdinand or the now Sky Soccer commentator Andy Gray trying this sort of behaviour! At times(especially last night) it was similar to when you see a kid in a toy shop and their parents have told them they cant buy that special toy and the kid throws themselves on the floor in disgust ala Drogba himself after the referee turning down a decision. I also understand that last nights game was of huge significance and importance , but did you see Anelka, Lampard even Eto or Messi who were chasing the game diving around like babies. Another question i would like to ask is ” Was he really injured? “. Why i ask this is because just before he went off he missed a great opportunity to score the 2nd and most probably decisive goal for chelsea. He also had another couple of runs in and around the box, but the defender(Toure) was starting to out muscle him and get great tackles in. He then got supposedly injured on a play, stayed down for a bit and moments later was charging down the keeper at full speed. What really got me wondering though was his after the final whistle antics. Now if he was really injured and could not muscle on for his team in undoubtedly their biggest game of the season, why on earth was he bounding around like a wild stallion shouting and waving his arms? Then after his team-mates(some of whom were rather embarrassed) ushered him off the pitch, he started to declare ” it is over “. For you Didier ,it might just be that as i think people are starting to see the real truth that you are not a team player but just a big Primadonna.

So, after many months of waiting i have finally got my permanent resident papers through. I cant explain how delighted me and my family are with this as we absolutely love living here and genuinely call it our home now. When the club first asked me if i would be interested in applying for my residence many months ago i can actually say it was not something i had even considered. But as time went on and i had my first few meetings with immigration etc, it actually dawned on me that this was the place i was meant to be in. Everything made sense, from the way my kids have settled in so well at school to the many friends my wife has made in the local community. Of course all the stuff that has happened to me involving Toronto FC personally, i could never of dreamed about, but this a club that i am immensely proud to be involved with and hope to grow with for a long time to come. I have also got little bits and pieces going on off the field like my involvement with Mike Yack at ‘Fabu Marketing’ where we are building 1st class websites for pro-athletes in various sports. I am also now involved with the Thornhill Soccer club and overseeing their coaches & teams, this gives me great pleasure as i am really interested in seeing how we can develop youth soccer to an even greater level. And last of all i am looking forward to working with all the people at the Childhood Cancer Foundation-Candlelighters Canada. These guys are doing a fantastic job and have asked me to help out and try spread the awareness of what we can do to help. I will be doing my bit with various fundraisers and auctions to try and raise some much needed cash.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Also i have  to thank everyone at the club especially Earl Cochrane who has helped push this through, and lastly to Monica And Ralph at immigration who have worked really hard in putting all the paper work together.

*JASON ROBERTS - BLACKBURN ROVERS*

Hi Guys, and welcome to my first ‘In the Area with Danny’ where i will be asking select questions to famous athlete’s from around the world. These will not be your usual mundane questions that we usually answer for various interviews! I will try and mix it up and ask some questions that are not the norm. This time i have the pleasure in interviewing ‘Jason Roberts’ from premiership side Blackburn Rovers . Jason is 31yrs old and was born in West London. He has represented the Grenadian National team and played for some big clubs including Wolves, West Brom, Portsmouth and Wigan. Out of football he has recently set up his ‘Jason Roberts Foundation’ where all proceeds go to providing a range of sporting opportunities for children & young adults in the Uk and Grenada.

*Q&A*

1* Which moment in your life would you most like to re-live?                                                                                                                                JR- I think it has to be scoring the winner for Wigan in the league cup semi-final Vs Arsenal at Highbury that took us to the final.

2* What is the most difficult thing you have ever done?                                                                                                                                          JR- Probably playing with a fractured bone in my right leg for 60 minutes in sheer agony without realizing it was broken until the X-Ray confirmed it after the game.

3* Which famous person would you least like to be stuck in a elevator with?                                                                                                  JR- Gary Megson(Bolton manager). I had the mis-fortune of working with him at West Brom.

4* What was the worst fashion trend you followed thinking you were very cool at that time?                                                                    JR- Apart from my disastrous MC Hammer pants! its got to be my UGG boots(So comfy though!!)

5* What song or artist gets you most pumped?                                                                                                                                                          JR- Anything by LiL Wayne or Milli

6* What was the worst job you ever had?                                                                                                                                                                    JR- I’ve stacked shelves in supermarkets, but the worst was on a job placement for the day for a big computer store where i had to un-fold cardboard boxes then tear them up and put them back into a machine which folded them again. Pointless!!

7* What is your Karaoke song if you have to get up?                                                                                                                                                JR- Definately ‘No Woman No Cry’ by King Bob Marley.

8* When did you last laugh until you stomach ached?                                                                                                                                            JR- Watching the recent movie ‘Role models’ got me going as well anytime i watch ‘SuperBad’ the movie.

9* Simpsons or Family Guy?                                                                                                                                                                                           JR- I am a big Simpsons fan, but have just bought the Family Guy box set and its got me hooked!

10* Who is your favourite ‘Baddie’?                                                                                                                                                                               JR- Definately Mr Smith from the Matrix

11* What character did you dress up as to your last fancy dress party?                                                                                                               JR-  Captain America, and i looked a right twat!

12* If i said Canada to you, what is the first thing that comes to mind?                                                                                                             JR-  Mounties!

13* And finally. What is your view on the MLS?                                                                                                                                                       JR- It looks like an exciting league that is progressing nicely and could see myself playing out there in the future.

Thanks Jason and i wish you all the best for the rest of the season.

Sorry Guys that its been a long time, but as you understand its been a bit busy for me lately!!!  So as you can see by the headline i have chosen a team that i think will give mine a good run for their money!  Before i name the winner , again i would like to thank all the people that entered and special shouts out to ‘Anto’ who named a great team but surely could not have seen them guys play! Also to Mark Kennedy(Still Kicking) who named a strong old English team that came close but just did not have that class to take on the winning team. And of course to all the people that put me in their teams!! Thanks , but i dont think i would have been able to lace the boots of 99% of these great players mentioned.

So to the winning team which was sent in by ‘AnthonyB’ . Some similar players to mine but with a few great additions. Well done Anthony and please contact me through my website with your details and i will send off a nice Adidas prize for you.

For those of you interested , i was reading an article in a English football magazine recently and they had interviewed some of these players that you guys have in your teams and asked them who their favourite player was. Read on and find out some interesting choices. Thanks again Danny

Dimitri Berbatov (Man Utd & Bulgaria)———– Alan Shearer

Zinadine Zidane( France)————–Enzo Francescoli

Bryan Robson(England)——–Wyn Davies

Fabio Cannavaro(Italy)——–Diego Maradona

Ruud Van Nistelrooy(Holland)——-Marco Van Basten

Teddy Sheringham(England)——-Glenn Hoddle

Ian Rush(Wales)———-Bob Latchford

Roberto Carlos(Brazil)———-Junior

Kaka(Brazil)————Rai

John Terry(England)———Marcel Desailly

Diego Maradona(Argentina)——-Ricardo Bochini

Paul Scholes(England)——–Andy Ritchie

Robbie Fowler(England)——–Graeme Sharp

Ok guys , been along time since the last competition. So here is the new one and its a thinking & tactical comp! I want you to give me your ‘Best starting 11′ from anywhere in the world that you have seen play in the flesh or seen live on TV. So for example you cannot pick Pele if you are 20 years of age, because you might have heard good things or seen recorded clips. But you would have never of seen him play live! When you have named each player, i would like you to give me a little bit of info on that player and what he brings to your team(Nothing long,just a short description). I will then look at all the teams and a prize will go to the best team that i feel can take on my team. All the best to you aspiring managers!!!  

                                                                   DICHIO’S BEST ELEVEN

1. PETER SCHMEICHEL - the big Danish stopper was a very commanding presence

2. CAFU- the Brazilian with un-limited energy and great attacking force

3. PAULO MALDINI- fantastic full-back who could slot in at centre as well

4. PATRICK VIERA- dominant french midfielder who could play as well

5. FRANCO BARESI- legendary Italian who held the famous back-line in shape for years

6. MARCEL DESAILLY- powerful brute of a defender

7. CRISTIANO RONALDO- portuguese flyer with the quickest feet ever

8. PAUL GASCOIGNE- most naturally gifted english player of our generation

9. MARCO VAN BASTEN- great finisher who was my favourite player to wear the AC Milan shirt

10. DIEGO MARADONA- arguably the best player in the world

11. RUUD GULLIT- powerful Dutch forward who was as great in the air as he was on the ground