BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- Before the Special One, there was the First One.His name is Jozef Venglos, and in 1990 he became the first outsider to take over as manager of a first division club in England.It was the hardest job of his illustrious career. But now 80 years old and lking back, Venglos was all smiles and appreciative of his time as manager of Aston Villa during an interview with The Associated Press at his house in Bratislava.You have to have a joy from ftball, even as manager, Venglos said. Theres a specific feature of English ftball, that its inspirational in all aspects: for the managers, players and of course, fans.This season, there are 14 foreign managers in the Premier League, from Jose Mourinho at Manchester United to Juergen Klopp at Liverpl, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Antonio Conte at Chelsea. Of course, Arsene Wenger is also still there at Arsenal after 20 years.Only four clubs in the league have a manager who is from England, Bournemouth, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Hull. Additionally, Stoke is led by a Welshman while a Scotsman is in charge of Sunderland.---CAREERVenglos was a respected, experienced coach when he arrived in Birmingham, but was not a household name in Britain.It was a surprise to me, Venglos said. But also an appreciation of what I had done. It was a well-managed and controlled club.When Venglos was introduced as the manager, the media at the news conference remained silent when they were asked: Hands up, those of you who know this man.Prior to his job at Aston Villa, Venglos biggest successes came in international ftball. He was an assistant coach to Vaclav Jezek when Czechoslovakia won the European Championship in 1976; four years later, he was in charge alone as he led his national team to third place at Euro 1980. At the 1990 World Cup, he reached the quarterfinals.After his spell in England, Venglos moved to Fenerbahce and later to Celtic. In his career, the coach with a degree in physical education and known as Dr. Jo, or the Doctor, also led the national teams of Australia, Malaysia, Oman and Slovakia.In 1995, he became the president of the European Coaches Union and led European and World select teams on several occasions.In his homeland, he was named the coach of the 20th century.---ASTON VILLAComing from behind the Iron Curtain just a year after it collapsed, Venglos appointment by Villa chairman Doug Ellis lked like a revolution.Taking over from Graham Taylor, Venglos was ready and eager to direct the team from the traditional English physical style and apply new methods, starting with a more passing approach, pre-match warm-ups and new diets.Venglos had playmaker David Platt, but many in his squad didnt seem ready to adopt the changes he was making. And with expectations high and the media critical, the coach himself had a hard time adapting.No bitter memories, though.The players were true professionals, Venglos said. I would say there was a mutual respect between us and that kept us moving forward. I think we understd each other. And thats important that the team follows the coach, respects him, and the results follow. The results are key, in any country.At times, it worked, namely in a 2-0 victory at Villa Park over Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup.But victories were not as frequent as anyone wished. Villa ended the season in 17th place, a significant drop from the second-place finish the previous season.Venglos developed high bld pressure during the season and continued to face criticism from the media, finally resigning despite an offer from Ellis to continue. Ron Atkinson replaced him.I learned a lot, said Venglos, who still follows the results of the team. I watch Aston Villa. I feel joy when things go well for the club.---ALEX FERGUSONVenglos said he still remains in touch with other coaches and calls them from time to time. But when it comes to who he admired most, he didnt hesitate to answer: Alex Ferguson.Hes a complex person, Venglos said. He was able to get close even to the best players. He knew how to win support from the fans and the club and brought a new passion to ftball.Venglos said he would never forget Fergusons gesture when his Aston Villa played Manchester United for the first time.Alex Ferguson came to welcome me and said: `If you need anything, dont hesitate to call me, Im happy to help, Venglos said. It was a sign of real professionalism and attitude to ftball.Cheap College Jerseys Authentic . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Free Shipping . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. http://www.cheapcollegejerseysoutletonline.com/ . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Wholesale College Jerseys .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shtout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. NCAA Jerseys China . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from.PITTSBURGH -- Plenty of the numbers from Pittsburghs breezy 99-80 victory over Gardner-Webb lked pretty.And none of them mattered to coach Kevin Stallings. Sure shting 54 percent and never being challenged on Monday night was nice, especially three days after needing double-overtime to hold off Eastern Michigan in Stallings coaching debut with the Panthers. Yet Stallings is more concerned about whether his team is ready for a far sterner test on Thursday against SMU at Madison Square Garden in the 2K Classic.You lk at our defensive numbers, they were indicative of a team that was not really wired into play, he said. Thats my fault. Thats my job.Cameron Johnson scored 18 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts for Pitt (2-0). Michael Young put up 18 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes after being held out of the starting lineup for only the second time in his career due to a minor violation of team rules. Sheldon Jeter added 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.Still, the Panthers led the Runnin Bulldogs trade baskets early in the first half and for long stretches in the second. Stallings wonders if his players are getting a little t caught up in the free-flowing offense Stallings brought with him from Vanderbilt.Maybe Ive sent the wrong message about tempo and offense and things like that, Stallings said. Were not ready to beat anybody thats equivalent to us in terms of talent because we dont sustain any type of defensive intensity.At one point in the first half, Stallings pulled the entire starting five off the flr in frustration.I think he just wanted more effort and energy, Johnson said. He cited a lack of focus for that.Not that much was required over the final 30 minutes after a 10-0 burst that included a pair of 3-pointers by Johnsn to give the Panthers a 30-14 lead that was never threatened.ddddddddddddRUNNIN WITH THE PANTHERSLaQuincy Rideau finished with a career-high 23 points for Gardner-Webb (0-2) while adding eight rebounds and six assists. David Efianayi scored 20 points and Liam OReilly chipped in 14. The Runnin Bulldogs spread the flr to provide Rideau with rm to slice his 6-ft-1 frame through the lane.I felt there was little more space where maybe we could attack the paint off the dribble, Gardner-Webb coach Tim Craft said. The problem is we werent converting. Some of the finishes were a little wild.BIG MAN DEBUTPitt junior Rozelle Nix made his long-awaited debut after missing last season with a ft injury. The 6-ft-11, 300-pound Nix entered with just over 4 minutes left and finished with four rebounds and on emphatic block on Gardner-Webbs DJ Laster that sent Nixs teammates erupting off the bench.He got me once like that once, Jeter said. Im not ashamed to admit it. Im not afraid to admit it.BIG PICTUREGardner-Webb: After managing just 44 points in a lackluster loss to SMU in the opener last week, Gardner-Webb was happy to try and keep pace with Pitt in what Craft called a learning experience for a young team that will rely on Rideau and Efianayi -- both sophomores -- to carry some of the scoring load.Pitt: Despite the defensive issues, the Panthers seem to have quickly embraced what Stallings wants to do on the other end of the flr. The Panthers made 13 of 26 3-pointers and finished with 29 assists on 35 field goals.UP NEXTGardner-Webb: plays Eastern Michigan in Indianapolis on Friday.Pitt: faces SMU on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. ' ' '