Kritik und Lob » The others? O.J. Simpson -- yes, T

MOSCOW -- When Antonio Conte took over at Chelsea, his longtime assistant seemed to have been cast aside.After following Conte through his time with Juventus and Italy -- including a spell in charge of Juventus when Conte was banned for failing to report match-fixing -- Massimo Carrera was stranded, and took a relatively obscure post as assistant coach with Spartak Moscow.Four months later, however, Carrera is on the rise. Since being promoted to head coach in mid-August he has turned Spartak, a sleeping giant without a title since 2001, into the Russian league leaders and underlined that success Saturday by dominating rival CSKA Moscow 3-1 in a chaotic derby.Spartak, a team which failed even to progress through Europa League qualifying under Carreras predecessor, was incisive on the counterattack against reigning Russian champion CSKA and ruthlessly exploited the oppositions injury-depleted midfield. Cape Verde forward Ze Luis scored two goals and constantly battled for the ball.Its about the growth of the team, who are getting better every day and giving their heart and soul on the pitch, Carrera said after the game, adding that he has tried to bring an intelligent Italian style to Russia, where football is less tactical and teams are less organized.The derby took place against a backdrop of fire and smoke as rival fans burned captured banners and scarves, boasted of past hooligan victories on Moscows streets, waved flares and threw pyrotechnics into sectors packed with opposing supporters.Though there were no violent clashes inside the stadium and no injuries were reported from the flare-throwing, the chaos and thick smoke forced the referee to stop the game for five minutes. The sheer quantity of pyrotechnics used is likely to prompt questions over how so many banned items were allowed through security screening at a 2018 World Cup venue.Carrera said the intense atmosphere reminded him of the Milan or Turin derbies, but complained CSKA fans had spoiled the atmosphere with aggressive antics.Russia has given Carrera a fresh start in football as well as personal matters, with little mention in Moscow of his involvement in a fatal car crash in the early hours of New Years Day in 2011. His easy-going manner has won him friends among Russian fans and journalists, unlike fellow Italian Fabio Capello, whose brusque manner alienated many during his tenure of the national team.As Carreras fortunes rise, those of CSKAs Leonid Slutsky plummet. In May, he had just won his third Russian title in seven years with CSKA and was on the way to the European Championship as Russia coach. Since then, its been all downhill.Slutsky quit the national team after failing to get out of the group stage, and now he is under pressure at CSKA. Injuries, an aging defense and a lack of funds to replace departed forward Ahmed Musa have all limited Slutskys options. With CSKA seven points off the Russian league lead and last in its Champions League group, Slutsky is being criticized for tactics which once seemed pragmatic but are now derided as overly defensive.With anti-Slutsky banners appearing at games, a leading CSKA fan group issued a statement slamming his tactics and his personal conduct, a charge which some observers link to Slutskys recent appearance in a PR campaign for a Jewish cultural center.Unless CSKA turns its season around soon, it looks like a straight fight for the title between Spartak and Zenit St. Petersburg, which matched Spartak on points following Sundays 1-0 win over Tom Tomsk.FC Rostov, the team labeled a Russian Leicester for its charge to second last season, is mired in mid-table, as is Rubin Kazan, with nothing to show for big offseason spending.The circumstances look good for Spartak to end its long title drought, and for a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of its coach. Cheap Nike Air Max Plus . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Nike Air Max Plus For Sale . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. http://www.cheapnikeairmaxplus.com/ . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Nike Air Max Plus Sale . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Nike Air Max Plus Wholesale .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Lets not write off the NFL just yet, no matter what the declining TV ratings say. Still, this was one long day of tedious, bad football that showcased various problems with the current state of the game.All the ugliness concluded as Sunday turned to Monday on the East Coast with a Can you believe that?! 6-6 tie between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals after each teams kicker missed a gimme field goal attempt late in overtime. Even folks with an appreciation for stingy defense had to be face-palming at the way that one ended.It all began about 15 hours earlier in London, where Case Keenum threw four interceptions -- including one on a ridiculously amateurish miscommunication to thwart what could have been a game-tying drive late -- in the Los Angeles Rams 17-10 loss to the New York Giants.In between, there were other duds that featured sloppy offense, tons of turnovers, plenty of punts and penalties, questionable coaching or various other instances of the sort of blah, take-it-or-leave-it, non-action that led Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden to refer to his teams 20-17 loss against the Detroit Lions (which was 3-all at halftime) this way: It was kind of a snoozer there, for a while.Tell us about it, Jay.Or as Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said of his previously unbeaten teams performance in a 21-10 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles, a game that included a combined half-dozen turnovers in the first half alone: `Embarrassing, really, is the word, in at least two of the phases.Could have been talking about much of the league, really.In case you missed it, here are the other top topics after the NFL seasons seventh Sunday:NO GOFF: Somehow, Rams coach Jeff Fisher sees fit to keep trotting Keenum out there and keep No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff on the bench. No matter how unprepared he might be, Goff couldnt possibly give the team less of a chance to win than Keenum did Sunday -- could he? Jared is going to play when we feel Jared is ready, Fisher said, adding: We didnt lose this game because of quarterback play.ddddddddddddYou sure about that, Coach? And even if its true, why not get Goff some experience?DOUBLE 200: Miami Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi joined some exclusive company by running for 214 yards in a 28-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills, making him only the fourth player in NFL history to top 200 on the ground in consecutive games. The others? O.J. Simpson -- yes, THAT O.J. Simpson -- Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.LANDRYS HIT: Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry leveled Bills S Aaron Williams by launching into him and putting a shoulder into his helmet. The shot sent Williams to the hospital with head and neck injuries. Definitely a cheap hit, Bills CB Nickell Robey-Coleman said.GREENS CATCH: What a catch ! On an old-fashioned, close-your-eyes-and-chuck-it Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half, Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green -- surrounded by defenders -- juggled the ball before corralling it with one hand while landing on his back in the end zone for a 48-yard TD in a 31-17 victory over winless Cleveland.AT 43, VINATIERI GETS 43: Indys Adam Vinatieri, still kickin at age 43, made two field goals in a 34-26 victory at Tennessee, giving him 43 successful attempts in a row, breaking the record set by former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt from 2002-04.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '