Member » Knicks nearly rallied to make

Aston Villa have completed the sale of the club to the Recon Group, a day after its owner Tony Xia passed the Premier League and Football Leagues fit and proper person test. The Chinese businessman bought the Sky Bet Championship club in May from American Randy Lerner, who had been looking to sell up since 2014.Xia needed to pass the customary test for his takeover of the club to be completed and it was understood on Monday that the 39-year-old had been given the green light and was in the UK to complete Villas acquisition. A statement on the clubs website on Tuesday afternoon read: Aston Villa is delighted to confirm the sale of the club.. Who is the new Villa owner? All you need to know about Dr Tony Xia The completion of 100 per cent ownership from Randy Lerner has been rubber-stamped by the Football League.Dr Xia has been informed he passed the owners and directors test and following the completion of paperwork, is now the Clubs new owner and chairman. A new board will be appointed later this week. New Aston Villa owner Tony Xia revealed the club will have £30-40m to invest in new players Investigations into Xias conglomerate, Recon Group, were carried out jointly by the Premier League and Football League as Villa, relegated from the top-flight this season, did not officially become a Championship club until June.On May 18, when the sale of the club was first announced pending the fit and proper tests, Villa said that their new owner decided to buy an iconic football club in England as the cornerstone of his Sports, Leisure and Tourism Division.Their statement added: He became a fan of Aston Villa many years ago and is delighted at the opportunity to become the new owner. Roberto Di Matteo and Steve Clarke will link up at Villa Dr Xias immediate objective is to return Aston Villa to the Premier League and then to have the club finish in the top six, bringing European football back to Villa Park.He plans to make Aston Villa the most famous football club in China with a huge fan base.Villa appointed Roberto Di Matteo as their new manager on a two-year contract on June 3, with the Italian then securing the services of Steve Clarke, sacked as Reading boss in December, as his assistant. Also See: Di Matteo is new Aston Villa boss Who is Tony Xia? Villa can be worlds most famous Villa takeover completed Off White Air Max 90 Outlet . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers winger skated with extras and goalies today. Cheap Air Max 90 Womens .com) - Troy Brouwer scored the game-winning goal with just 12. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outle...-cheap-411.html. Winnipeg trailed by five points in the final minute when quarterback Drew Willy completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive with Feoli-Gudinos 18-yard touchdown catch on third down to lift the Bombers to a 34-33 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night. Fake Air Max 90 Essential . Pressley missed all of last season with Cincinnati because of a knee injury, but the 5-foot-10, 249-pounder had been expected to fill a need on Clevelands roster. Wholesale Air Max 90 Ultra Se .com) - Wayne Simmonds, Scott Laughton and Jakub Voracek each posted a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday.NEW YORK -- Mike Woodson had the Knicks on top of their division and in the second round of the playoffs, destinations that had become unreachable and practically unimaginable in New York. A year later, he was out of job. Phil Jackson fired Woodson and the entire coaching staff on Monday, making his first big move since becoming team president in March and saying in a statement that "the time has come for change throughout the franchise." The dismissal comes shortly after the Knicks completed a 37-45 season that began with their belief they were a serious contender. Instead, they started poorly, making Woodsons job security practically a season-long distraction. A late surge wasnt good enough for a post-season spot or another year for Woodson. It was a stunningly swift fall for Woodson, whose .580 winning percentage with the Knicks ranks behind only Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, and who finished third in the NBAs Coach of the Year voting after going 54-28 last season. He and the staff were informed of the decision Monday morning by Jackson, the man the Knicks originally wanted to replace Woodson as coach but preferred to run the teams front office. Jackson has won an NBA-record 11 championships as a coach. He has repeatedly said hes not interested in returning to the bench, so he will have to hire someone before he turns his attention to the roster. The team said the coaching search begins immediately. Jackson said he has a "tremendous amount of respect" for Woodson and his staff, which included longtime Knicks assistant Herb Williams. Jackson called this an "extremely difficult" season and said "blame should not be put on one individual." "But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond," he added. Jackson has said he wont insist the Knicks run the triangle, the offensive system he used in Chicago and with the Lakers, but has made clear his belief in it. TNT analyst Steve Kerr, who played for Jackson with the Bulls but has never been a coach, has repeatedly been mentioned as a top candidate. Kerr said Monday during his SiriusXM NBA Radio show that he and Jackson have remained close and that he expected to speak with him at some point about the job. "Its going to be very interesting and obviously my name is being thrown around. I do anticipate at least being part of the conversation and well see where it all goes," Kerr said. Jackson is scheduled to speak with reportters on Wednesday.dddddddddddd Woodson, a former Knicks first-round draft pick, was hired as an assistant coach before the 2011-12 season, then engineered an 18-6 finish after replacing Mike DAntoni on an interim basis the following March to capture a playoff spot. Given a multiyear deal two months later, Woodson then led the Knicks to their first Atlantic Division championship since 1994. New York then beat Boston in the playoffs, its first series victory since 2000, and general manager Steve Mills picked up next seasons option year on Woodsons contract before this season began. But the Knicks were saddled with some early injuries, including centre Tyson Chandlers broken leg, and lacked the veteran leadership they enjoyed last season. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan was already considering replacing Woodson by December, when he met with Jackson at a holiday party and talked to him about coaching the team. Carmelo Anthony praised his coach Thursday and even offered to back him publicly if necessary. But it was probably a clear sign Woodson wouldnt be back a few minutes later when Amare Stoudemire said the coach hadnt taken part in the exit meetings with players that Jackson and Mills held. Woodson previously coached six seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, leading them to the playoffs in his final three seasons. He has a career record of 315-365. Woodson went 109-79 with the Knicks, who hadnt even made the playoffs since 2004 before he led them there in 2012. But he lost one of his biggest supporters within the organization when general manager Glen Grunwald, Woodsons college teammate at Indiana, was surprisingly fired last September. Players and fans sometimes grumbled during the season about Woodsons strategies as the defence regressed and the offence was inconsistent beyond Anthony, who plans to become a free agent in July. Chandler said there probably was some "disconnect" and "misunderstanding" at times. "Coach Woodson put together a game plan for us on the basketball court and there were times we didnt totally buy into it," Stoudemire said last week. Still, the Knicks nearly rallied to make the playoffs by winning 16 of their final 21 games. But Woodson, who said he and Jackson had only brief chats in Jacksons first month in charge, said before the season finale he knew the coach often takes the blame. "Everyone in this franchise owes a great deal of gratitude to what Mike and his staff have done," Jackson said. "We wish him the best." ' ' '