Die Macht » critics talk, cynics swell and allowing hi

Just call him Marc Janko - with a bonus.One look at the pedigree of Sydney FCs marquee striker Bobo is enough to convince even sceptics he can deliver the goals so sorely missed last A-League season.The 31-year-old Brazilian import is Besiktas all-time top scorer, with 97 goals in 222 games.Hes won championships with the Turkish giants and Brazilian side Corinthians, hit the back of the net in the Champions League and represented Brazil at under-20 level.Its no surprise coach Graham Arnold believes Bobo can help steer the Sky Blues back to the heights of 2014-15, when Austrian international Janko belted in 16 goals to propel the club to the grand final.But Arnold says his new foreign striker offers more than the clinical finishing of his predecessor.Unlike Janko, almost exclusively a poacher, Bobo is also a creator.He can do both, Arnold told AAP.Janko was a player who stood offside most of the time and waited for the chances - Bobos a player who gets involved in the build-up.Marc scored 16 goals and got maybe one or two assists - Bobo will get goals and assists.He gets involved in combination play, but also makes a lot of forward runs to score goals.It was on display in last weeks 3-0 FFA Cup quarter-final win, when his clever movement yielded two assists and a maiden club goal against Blacktown City.It was the standout factor when Arnold and football manager Terry McFlynn were analysing the 158 CVs sent in by hopefuls.He was about No.120 that we kept looking back at, Arnold said.Positive character references from former Sydney player Juninho and the clubs other marquee player, ex-Besiktas teammate Filip Holosko, sealed the deal.Bobo and Holosko have seamlessly revived their attacking partnership, one element of a front third already showing more spark.Albeit only in pre-season, there have been encouraging signs from David Carney, Milos Ninkovic and returning captain Alex Brosque, with gifted winger Bernie Ibini expected to get minutes imminently.Arnold is under no illusions his team need to deliver after last seasons seventh-placed finish.Bobo isnt daunted by the pressure; hes dealt with it many times over a 13-year career.Filip being here has helped my transition, which has straight away shown on the field, said Bobo, who last played for Brazilian side Gremio.Its a big club with a winning culture. I want to win and develop my game. Jrue Holiday Jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Jrue Holiday Jersey . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. http://www.shoppelicansonline.com/Authentic-Jahlil-Okafor-Pelicans-Jersey/ . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Anthony Davis Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Custom New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. The mission was clear: Go to the NBA. Take over. Do so in a way that told the basketball world a new era had arrived.If you were not a part of his inner circle, Allen Iverson didnt give a damn about you. The thing is, he was atypical in that he wanted you to know it, specifically because it was his way of saying he knew you would never give a damn about him anyway, no matter how much you smiled in his face.His talent would make you care.His performance would make you salivate.His achievements would make you kneel.All the way to the Hall of Fame, someday.Iversons story is not foreign, of course. Its similar to that of many players in todays NBA. Most are African-Americans. Most come from impoverished backgrounds. Almost all strive to elevate themselves to a level of greatness that has forced a global audience to pay attention, to emulate, then join.Yet very few have ever impacted basketball like Iverson. No matter how hard they try.I always tell folks I played every game like its my last, Iverson said earlier this week, in advance of his Hall of Fame induction on Friday. And I meant that. But sometimes I dont think people realize what I mean when I say that. Its not just about playing so hard; its why I played so hard. You know what I mean? Its what I wondered would happen to me if I didnt do it.Youve got to know my history and how I truly feel to realize where Im coming from.But few will ever know. No matter how hard they try.During to a career that would culminate with Iverson averaging 26.7 points per game, winning four scoring titles and one MVP -- at 6 feet, 165 pounds -- folks witnessed his heroics but barely knew the intimate challenges he faced.Iverson knew being incarcerated, then granted clemency, wasnt a likable trait for Madison Avenue; that he wasnt the ideal spokesman for the NBA. Iverson knew a visibly polished Kobe Bryant was preferable to the tattoos, cornrows and street persona proudly worn on the sleeves, neck and elsewhere on this former All-American out of Georgetown.But Iverson also knew everyone couldnt be Bryant or Michael Jordan. He knew that if MJ and Kobe -- and no one else -- were the standard, society wouldnt have a true depiction of NBA stars to come.I was 6 feet, so folks could relate to that, he once told me. I was 165 pounds, so folks could relate to that. But I was also someone who wanted to be me, judged for what I do and who I am, instead of what you say Im suppose to be. Its true that some [people] dont want to play the game, but a lot of dudes dont know how to. And even the ones that do, most aint going to be accepted. So what about them?Even today that is still a legitimate question.LeBron James has helped provide answers by showing you he can be a champion, pre-eminent role model and global icon, even if tattoos are draped all over his body. Steph Curry has proven as much, as well, by being a baby-faced, long-range assassin who, at 6-foot-3, looks like a regular dude instead of a Goliath of a man.From Carmelo Anthonny to Chris Paul to Dwyane Wade and beyond, players are speaking not just with their play on the court, but with their willingness to address issues off the court.dddddddddddd. And although Iverson is no innovator in that department, his willingness to express himself certainly made it easier for athletes to open up more in a day and age thats demanding it, not asking.What few knew is that Iverson wasnt this way because he couldnt help himself. He was that way because he could be, because he wanted the world to look beyond the veneer, forcing everyone to acknowledge that you didnt have to look, act or Be Like Mike to be immensely popular to basketball and the world.In the midst of all of that, there were personal challenges.There were friends and family who always wanted money and time. There was a loving wife, Tawanna, whom he fully admits he should have appreciated more. There were many days when charity was expected instead of appreciated. There was even a time, according to close confidants, when a member of his inner circle forgot where they parked a Bentley, a ride Iverson had purchased for them, at Philadelphia International Airport -- and instead of continuing to look for it, they simply went to the dealership and bought another one because, well, they could.I didnt know anything about that, Iverson once told me. Maybe because I didnt want to know, honestly!The challenges were relentless. And this was before Twitter, Facebook and the like became so entrenched. But Iverson still marched on.He rose. He fell. He crumbled. Then rose again. Financially. Ethically. Morally at times. Letting critics talk, cynics swell and allowing his life to become far more difficult than it needed to be.There were many occasions when it wasnt even Allen who had done anything, former Sixers president Billy King once told me. It couldve been someone in [Iversons] crew. But it didnt matter. You might as well blame him because the last thing he was going to do was tell on anyone. No matter the reason. Not matter the consequences. Hed take the heat himself for anyone he cared about, and simply say he wasnt perfect.The Answer will tell anyone he was a mess at times. That he couldve been better, but wasnt. But along the way, while talking of his trials and tribulations, hell ask that you remember his triumphs. Hell ask that while saying what you want, dont forget to tell the end of the story.Iverson will ask that you dont omit how he performed under adverse circumstances. How he never cheated fans with his effort, even when tempted to do otherwise. And how, in the end, that is the reason hes so proud hell be in the same building as the all-time greats.Perhaps Iverson gave a damn, after all. He just had to act like he didnt to be considered one of the best ever.Nobody truly knows the road I traveled, he said.Chances are, they will by this weekend. ' ' '