2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool's next group game was away to Fiorentina. Liverpool were two goals down in the first half after Montenegrin player Stevan Jovetić scored a brace. The Reds raised their game after half time, but ultimately were not able to finish off the chances that they created. Rafa Benítez was irate after the match, vowing that Liverpool will "'never again' be as bad as they were during the first half." Fábio Aurélio, who had played under Benítez for the last nine years, at Valencia and Liverpool, said that he had never seen Benítez so angry as he was at half-time at Stadio Artemio Franchi.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool suffered a second consecutive defeat, at home to Lyon. Although the home side took the lead after 41 minutes through Yossi Benayoun, they struggled to maintain the lead, and the visitors scored an equaliser on 72 minutes through Maxime Gonalons. César Delgado scored the winner for Lyon from close range in the first minute of injury time.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool's next group game was away at group leaders Lyon. Although Liverpool were missing several first team players through injury, they managed to create several chances, the best of which was spurned by Andriy Voronin. Liverpool dominated the game without ever really posing a potent threat to the host's goal. Substitute Ryan Babel finally opened the scoring for Liverpool with seven minutes to go, with a "stunning" strike from long range.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
It looked as if Liverpool were going to hang on to the three points, and keep their hopes alive, but in the 90th minute, Liverpool failed to clear a high ball, and Lisandro López guided the ball past Pepe Reina to inflict Liverpool's worst run in 22 years. This left Liverpool relying on Lyon to defeat Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in their next group game to stay in the competition.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
With Rafa Benitez's men needing nothing less than three points to keep their Champions League hopes alive, they got off to the perfect start inside three minutes. Fábio Aurélio swung over a ball from the right, Jamie Carragher headed it back across goal and David N'Gog reacted quickest to poke it in from a few yards out. Liverpool did all they could to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but in the end it just wasn't enough.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
A solitary goal gave the Reds all three points on the night against Debrecen but thanks to Fiorentina's win in Lyon, the 2005 champions were eliminated from the competition at the group stages for the very first time under boss Rafael Benítez. Alberto Aquilani made a cameo appearance with seconds to spare but the game finished 1–0. After the win in Hungary, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez said, "We did our part and we did our part well. Obviously we cannot control the other game, but this win will give us confidence."


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Champions League
Liverpool ended their failed Champions League campaign in defeat as they were beaten 2–1 by Fiorentina which inflicted Liverpool's second successive home defeat in this European competition and also they had the worst points tally in their European history.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Being unable to finish higher than third in the 2009–10 Champions League group stage, Liverpool appeared in the Europa League for the first time since the 2003–04 season. Liverpool were drawn to play Romanian side Unirea Urziceni, playing the first leg at Anfield.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
The dates for the two legs were 18 February 2010 for the first leg and 25 February 2010 for the second leg. Liverpool made 3 changes for the first leg, with Fábio Aurélio coming in for Emiliano Insúa, Jamie Carragher being drafted back into the squad to replace Sotirios Kyrgiakos, and Dirk Kuyt being placed on the right-wing, with David N'Gog the lone striker.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Liverpool started brightly, with Steven Gerrard having a shot kept out by the Unirea keeper after 60 seconds and Fábio Aurélio placing a free-kick wide after three minutes. Liverpool continued to press throughout the rest of the first half and for all but ten minutes of the second-half.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Unirea were proving to be strong in defence, but in the 81st minute, Liverpool finally scored, substitute Ryan Babel crossing into the path of fellow substitute Daniel Pacheco, who produced a downward header into David N'Gog, and he headed into an empty net. This meant Liverpool would take a slender 1–0 lead to Romania. In the second leg, Liverpool cruised through to the last 16, winning the tie 3–1 and winning on aggregate 4–1. The game did not start brightly for Liverpool, conceding on 18 minutes after failing to clear their lines. Liverpool equalised on the half-hour mark, Javier Mascherano with a powerful low shot into the bottom left hand corner. From there on in, Liverpool scored two more goals courtesy of Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard goals to send Liverpool into the last 16.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Liverpool faced tough opposition for the last 16, being handed two legged ties with Lille. Liverpool did not play well on the night, and it was no surprise that they conceded in the 85th minute after an Eden Hazard free kick was swung deep into the penalty area and went over Jamie Carragher's and Pepe Reina's heads and into the back of the net. In the second leg, Liverpool cruised past Lille, with the home side completely dominating the first-half.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Liverpool opened the scoring in only the eighth minute of the game, with Brazilian Lucas being hauled down in the penalty area after an impressive run from just inside the visitors' half. Captain Steven Gerrard calmy slotted home the penalty in the bottom left hand corner. Back in form striker Fernando Torres doubled Liverpool's lead on the night in the 49th minute with a delicate chip over Lille 'keeper Landreau. Liverpool secured their place in the last eight when Fernando Torres scored his second of the night and his fourth in two games.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
The draw for the quarter-finals pitted Liverpool against 31-time Portuguese champions Benfica. The first leg was played on 1 April at the Estádio da Luz. The return leg was held on 8 April at Anfield.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Liverpool started off the first leg well enough to score after eight minutes. Steven Gerrard earned a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area and rolled it into the path of Danish international Daniel Agger. Agger produced a cheeky back heel from 9 yards out that slightly deflected of a Benfica defender and into the bottom left hand corner to leave the 'keeper Júlio César stranded. Benfica were now pressing for periods which forced Liverpool into defensive play. On 31 minutes, Fernando Torres was fouled by Luisão on the far byline.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Ryan Babel appeared to have put his hand over Luisão's mouth after calling Torres a "diving f****** disgrace." Luisão was originally sent off for his part in the matter, but then it was Babel who was sent off for putting his hand over Luisão's mouth. Both players missed the return leg at Anfield on 8 April. From there on in, Benfica started to really play, with the visitors rarely threatening on the break.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Benfica were awarded a penalty when Jamie Carragher accidentally handballed on the far byline and the striker Óscar Cardozo tucked the penalty away in the bottom right hand corner. Benfica were then awarded a second penalty when a Liverpool defender hauled down Cardozo just inside the penalty area. Cardozo was again the penalty taker and scored straight down the middle. Liverpool have a vital away goal going into the second leg back at Anfield next week.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Any doubts that Liverpool were heading out of Europe's top two European competitions in the same season were soon washed away with an outstanding performance at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead after 27 minutes after a corner by Steven Gerrard was headed into the bottom right hand corner by Dirk Kuyt for his 11th goal of the season. Celebrations soon turned to anguish when the linesman ruled out Kuyt's header as he appeared to be in an offside position. The referee rightly gave the goal as you cannot be offside from a corner.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Liverpool doubled their lead just 7 minutes later when Steven Gerrard fed in Brazilian Lucas, who smartly rounded Júlio César and finished from seven yards out for his fifth goal in a Liverpool shirt. Liverpool continued to dominate matters in the second half too, with lethal Spaniard Fernando Torres netting 14 minutes into the second half. First leg hero Cardozo netted a comeback goal for Benfica to set up a nail bitting finale. However, Fernando Torres netted his second of the night and his 22nd in all competitions for the reds this season eight minutes from time.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
The goal came in similar fashion to the one he scored against Sunderland on 28 March. Liverpool were drawn with Atlético Madrid over two legs in the semi finals. The first leg was at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid on 22 April and the second leg was at Anfield on 29 April.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, UEFA Europa League
Coincidentally, Atlético Madrid is both Fernando Torres' and Maxi Rodríguez's old club, thus both cannot play the rest of the competition, with Torres sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury and Rodríguez already played for Atlético earlier on in the season in the UEFA Champions League. In the first leg, Atlético finished with a narrow 1–0 lead, and at Anfield in the second leg, Liverpool beat Atletico 2–1 after extra-time. But due to Atlético's away goal at Anfield, they progressed to the final.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, League Cup
The draw for the 3rd round was made on 29 August 2009. Liverpool were drawn away to Leeds United. The League One side raised their game for the occasion, and Elland Road saw a bumper 38,168 crowd. Leeds more than matched Liverpool throughout the first half, and had a Luciano Becchio effort ruled out for offside; however, Liverpool showed their defensive mettle. They scored the game's only goal on 66 minutes, when Javier Mascherano's cross-cum-shot was trapped excellently by David N'Gog, who turned and finished expertly past goalkeeper Shane Higgs.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, League Cup
Liverpool received a tricky away fixture to Arsenal for the fourth round. The Reds fielded a weakened side, but still managed to match Arsenal's youngsters. Philipp Degen had an early chance on 14 minutes, which he failed to put away. Arsenal punished this five minutes later. Andriy Voronin failed to clear, and was dispossessed by Mérida, who turned and smacked the ball from 25 yards, which flew past Diego Cavalieri. Liverpool's Emiliano Insúa levelled the scores with an even better strike on 26 minutes.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, League Cup
The ball ricocheted off David N'Gog, and the ball sat up for the young Argentinean to smash a dipping shot over Łukasz Fabiański. Both teams were evenly matched for the rest of the first half. Five minutes into the second half, Nicklas Bendtner put Arsenal back into the lead, when he guided the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Liverpool failed to rouse themselves to react, and despite the introduction of Alberto Aquilani with 15 minutes to go, the visitors could not find the equaliser, and thus were eliminated from the competition. This was the fifth consecutive year that Liverpool had been knocked out at this stage in the capital, and completed a North London double over the Merseyside clubs, following Tottenham Hotspur's 2–0 victory over Everton the previous night.


2009–10 Liverpool F.C. season, Match results, FA Cup
Liverpool were given a bye to the third round of the FA Cup, where they were drawn away to Championship strugglers Reading. Liverpool drew the tie at the Madejski Stadium 1–1, with Steven Gerrard saving Liverpool's blushes with an equalising goal. The subsequent replay at Anfield did not go to plan; Liverpool lost 2–1 in extra time.


2009–10 Livingston F.C. season
The 2009–10 season was Livingston's first season back in the Third Division. They also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.


2009–10 Livingston F.C. season, Overview
Livingston went into administration on 24 July 2009 as the club was unable to pay bills of £330,000 in rent. The club previously went into administration in 2004. Despite a takeover the First Division club were deemed to be in breach of SFL rules and were relegated to the Scottish Third Division. The club appealed the decision which led to refusal to play their new third division fixtures whilst it was heard. The appeal to the SFL upheld the original decision. On 7 September 2009 a further appeal to the SFA was dismissed.


2009–10 Livingston F.C. season, Overview
Livingston won the Third Division by 15 points over nearest team Forfar Athletic. Chairman Gordon McDougall apologised to the other clubs in the division saying that It wasn’t our choice to have players on First Division wages in the Third Division and it was distinctly unfair that a full-time club was thrust upon the others clubs in the division.


2009–10 Logan Cup
The 2009–10 Logan Cup was a first-class cricket competition held in Zimbabwe from 14 September 2009 – 3 April 2010. It was won by the Mashonaland Eagles, who won due to finishing top of the table during the league stage of the competition, after drawing the final against the Mid West Rhinos.


2009–10 Logan Cup
The tournament was the first contesting of the Logan Cup to be played following a restructure of Zimbabwean cricket that resulted in five franchises, the Mashonaland Eagles, Matabeleland Tuskers, Mid West Rhinos, Mountaineers and Southern Rocks. The competition was originally scheduled to start in late August, but was delayed by three weeks as a number of the franchises had not completed signing players by that stage. The competition, and Zimbabwe Cricket in particular, received criticism from the executive editor of Cricinfo, Martin Williamson, as "scorecards have been almost impossible to find and reports have been brief." Despite this criticism, the competition was praised for the improved quality of the cricket, due in part to the presence of Zimbabwe's international players.


2009–10 Logan Cup
The Mashonaland Eagles topped the group stage of the tournament, winning six of their twelve matches. They faced the league runners-up, the Mid West Rhinos, in the final. The Rhinos team included the competition's leading run-scorer, Vusi Sibanda, who accumulated 1,287 runs at an average of 61.28, and the leading wicket-taker, Graeme Cremer, who claimed 59 wickets with an average of 28.27. The final was drawn, despite a fourth innings collapse by the Eagles, who ended their innings on 67 for 5. As a result of the draw, the Eagles won the competition by virtue of topping the table.


2009–10 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team represented Longwood University during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Mike Gillian, and played their home games at Willett Hall as a Division I independent school.


2009–10 Longwood Lancers men's basketball team, Last season
The Lancers had a record of 17–14, their best record in the Mike Gillian era.


2009–10 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 2009–10 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 40th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


2009–10 Los Angeles Clippers season
The season saw the team draft Blake Griffin, but during a preseason game, he went down with a knee injury and was unable to play in what could have been his rookie season.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season
The 2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season was the team's 43rd season (42nd season of play) in the National Hockey League (NHL). For the first time since the 2001–02 NHL season, the Kings qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Preseason
The Kings were busy at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, making five trades. The Kings chose Brayden Schenn as their first-round pick, fifth overall. The Kings finished the pre-season with a record of 4–3–1. Defenseman Sean O'Donnell received a five-game suspension during the preseason after an incident involving New York Islanders forward Matt Martin. O'Donnell missed the final three pre-season games, and will miss the first two games of the regular season.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Preseason
Luc Robitaille was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2009. Robitaille, who currently serves as the President of Business Operations for the Kings, was joined by Brian Leetch, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Lou Lamoriello in this year's class of inductees.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
The Kings observed a 17-day break in the schedule in February due to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Five players currently under contract for Los Angeles were selected to represent their countries during the tournament. Drew Doughty played for Canada, Michal Handzus played for Slovakia, while Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick all represented the United States.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
The main highlights for the club included them breaking an eight-year playoff absence by qualifying as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They finished the season with 101 points, the third highest point total in franchise history. They also set a franchise record with a nine-game winning streak from January 21 through February 6. They registered two other eight game stretches without a loss. On the road, they established franchise records for road wins in a season (24), road points (51) and the first ever 5–0–0 record on a five-game trip in franchise history.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
Individually, goaltender Jonathan Quick established single-season records for victories with 39 and games played with 72.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Won conference (and division)


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Schedule and results
Legend:  Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Kings. Stats reflect time with the Kings only. ‡Traded mid-season. Bold/italics denotes franchise record. Underline denotes currently with a minor league affiliate.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Transactions
The Kings have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Draft picks
Los Angeles' picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal.


2009–10 Los Angeles Kings season, Farm teams
The Kings have one American Hockey League affiliate in the Manchester Monarchs. They also have one ECHL affiliate in the Ontario Reign. They have discontinued their affiliation with the Reading Royals. Both the Monarchs and the Reign are owned in part by the Kings' parent company Anschutz Entertainment Group.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 62nd season of the franchise, 61st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 50th in Los Angeles. During the offseason, the Lakers signed free agent and former defensive player of the year forward Ron Artest. Coming off from winning their fifteenth championship in the NBA Finals defeating the Orlando Magic in five games, the Lakers successfully defended their title. They spent the most money of any team on player salaries that season, totaling $112.7 million ($91.3 million on player salaries and $21.4 million on luxury tax). The Lakers once again sold out all 41 home games for the season at Staples Center.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season
The Lakers clinched the Pacific Division for the 21st time in franchise history.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season
Despite winning eight games less than the previous season, they still held the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs and made it to the NBA Finals for the third straight season in which they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games in the first round, swept the Utah Jazz in four games in semifinals and the Phoenix Suns in six games in the Western Conference Finals in which the Lakers were favored to beat the Suns en route to advancing to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Boston Celtics in a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals won by the Celtics 4 games to 2. This time, the Lakers won the series 4 games to 3 for their 16th NBA title and handed Boston its first Game 7 loss in an NBA Finals in team history. Kobe Bryant won his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP as well as his fifth and final NBA Championship.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season
On July 14, 2010, Phil Jackson won the 2010 ESPY Awards for Best Coach/Manager while Kobe Bryant won for Best NBA Player.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Injuries
The Lakers came into training camp with no serious injuries. All players were expected to be healthy enough to play in the season opener. After having surgery on his knee last season, Andrew Bynum was told that he has ligamentous laxity, which required him to wear a knee brace for the entire season.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Injuries
During training camp, D. J. Mbenga was not able to participate fully in practice due to a "malalignment of his hips/hip flexors". The imbalance was causing him pain in his abdominal, groin and hip flexor areas. He made a full recovery and played on opening night. Pau Gasol injured his hamstring during a preseason game and missed the first 12 games of the season. In December, Ron Artest revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury during the Lakers' opening exhibition game. He kept the injury quiet so it wouldn't seem like he was making excuses, telling neither the media nor his coaches.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Departures
Trevor Ariza chose not to sign when the Los Angeles Lakers offered the Mid-Level Exception (approximately $6 million per year). When the Lakers looked towards other free agents, Ariza agreed to sign with the Houston Rockets for slightly more money. The Lakers had a team option on Sun Yue to pick up his contract for one year paying him $736,000. But the Lakers decided to release him to keep the roster to 13 players. Sun eventually signed with the New York Knicks.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Departures
Assistant coach Kurt Rambis left the Lakers to pursue a head-coaching position with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rambis was believed to be the potential replacement to Phil Jackson if Jackson was to leave in the offseason.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Signings
The Lakers had team options to exercise contracts on Josh Powell and D. J. Mbenga. The Lakers decided to bring both Powell and Mbenga back, paying them $959,000 each. Kobe Bryant also had an option to terminate his contract this offseason, which would pay him approximately $23,000,000 for the season and $24,800,000 for the season after. He chose not to opt out of his contract and signed a 3-year contract extension.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Signings
Ron Artest was the first player from another team to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. On July 2, Artest told CBSSports.com that he has agreed to a contract with the Lakers. He decided not to pursue a more lucrative contract from his former team (the Rockets) and signed a 5-year deal worth $33 million on July 8. The Lakers used their Mid-Level Exception to sign Artest. Artest has long wanted to play for the Lakers and was looking forward to playing with Kobe Bryant and childhood friend Lamar Odom. Artest changed his jersey number from 96 to 37 in honor of Michael Jackson's album Thriller which was the #1 selling album for 37 weeks. Jackson died 13 days earlier.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Signings
Shannon Brown agreed to a contract with the Lakers on July 6. Brown turned down a more expensive offer from the Indiana Pacers and agreed to a 2-year $4.2 million deal. The Lakers used the Bi-annual exception to sign Brown. He has a player option to terminate his contract after the 2009–10 season.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Signings
Lamar Odom was the last Lakers free agent to resign with the team. Before the previous season ended, Odom said he was willing to take a pay cut from the $11.4 million he made in his final year of his contract (which was $14.1 million under the Lakers salary cap because the difference was paid upfront as a "trade-kicker" when he joined the Lakers). Early in July, the Lakers presented two offers to Odom:


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Signings
When Odom and his agent did not respond quickly enough, owner Jerry Buss pulled both deals off the table. At the same time, the Miami Heat actively pursue Odom. Heat President Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade met with Odom in Los Angeles in an attempt to get Odom to return to Miami. Afterwards, Odom spoke with Jerry Buss, and Odom's agent and Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak kept an open dialogue. On July 30, Lamar Odom agreed to a four-year deal, reportedly for $33 million, with a team option for the final year. Odom said he did not want to leave Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher and the rest of the Lakers, especially Kobe Bryant.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Signings
On September 28, the Lakers signed four players to non-guaranteed contracts: Tony Gaffney, Srdjan Pejicic, David Monds, Mickaël Gelabale and Michael Fey. On September 30, the Lakers also signed Thomas Kelati to a non-guaranteed contract, bring their total player roster to 18 players. By the beginning of the season, they had to reduce their roster to a maximum of 15 players. On October 10, the Lakers cut Mickaël Gelabale, David Monds, and Michael Fey, bringing the roster to 15 players. On October 21, Thomas Kelati was cut from the team. On October 24, the Lakers cut Gaffney.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Trades
The Lakers traded their first round draft pick (#29) to the New York Knicks for $3,000,000 and the Knicks 2011 second round draft pick. The Lakers traded their second pick (originally from the Charlotte Bobcats for the Kareem Rush trade) for cash.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Offseason, Draft
The Lakers originally had three picks entering the Draft. Their 29th pick was used to pick Toney Douglas from Florida State, and chose Patrick Beverley from Arkansas with their 42nd pick, a pick which they got from a previous trade with Charlotte. The Lakers traded both each for a 2011 second-round draft pick and cash. They kept their final pick and selected Chinemelu Elonu. The Texas A&M center earned All-Big 12 honors last season after averaging 9.8 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds and 53 blocked shots. He set a school record by making 66.5 percent from the field and was named the Big 12's most improved player.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
The Los Angeles Lakers opened the season at home against their intra-city rival the Los Angeles Clippers. Before the game, the remaining Lakers on the team from last year received their 2009 NBA championship rings. Pau Gasol missed the first 11 games due to his hamstring injury, so Lamar Odom moved to power forward and was placed in the starting lineup. The season opened with the starting lineup being:


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
The Lakers started off 7–1, then lost two in a row. Luke Walton was another player who was injured, suffering a pinched nerve in his back on November 16. He was out for approximately six weeks. However, Gasol came back soon after and the Lakers returned to their normal lineup (with Odom coming off the bench):


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
Through the first 14 games of the season, the Lakers ranked second in the league in defensive field-goal shooting (41.7%). They also had to deal with poor play by reserve players. After Gasol's return, the Lakers went 10–0, which included a game on December 4 when Bryant made a three-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Miami Heat 108–107. Their 11-game winning streak ended on December 12 against the Utah Jazz.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
On December 11, Bryant suffered a fracture in his right index finger in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it didn't force him to miss any games. On December 16, Bryant made another game-winning shot, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime. The Lakers went on a five-game winning streak heading into their Christmas Day game at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They lost the game for their third home defeat of the season. Later that night, Ron Artest suffered a concussion from tripping over a box and falling down a flight of stairs.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
He missed five games to recover. The Lakers struggled with his absence, giving up 100 or more points in four consecutive games. On January 1, Bryant made a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Sacramento Kings. It was the third time that season that Bryant made a buzzer-beater to win a game. On January 3, Gasol mildly strained his left hamstring in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks and had to leave the game.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
Artest returned to play the next game versus the Houston Rockets, and Odom almost recorded a triple double with 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists. After Christmas, the Lakers struggled, going 6–5. Since then, both Walton (28 games) and Gasol (six games) returned from injuries and the Lakers played with a full roster for the first time that season against the Clippers on January 15.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
On January 21, the Lakers began the second half of the season by playing eight consecutive road games in 12 days. Beginning with a rematch of the Christmas Day game against the Cavaliers and concluding on February 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, the defending champions also visited the White House to meet President Barack Obama.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Bryant surpassed Jerry West to become the Lakers' all-time leading scorer. The Lakers finished the road trip 5–3. In February, Gasol was named winner of two of the three most prestigious annual awards given to European players, based on performances during the 2009 calendar year for both national and club teams. On December 27, Gasol was announced by the Italian magazine Superbasket as the winner of its Mr. Europa award and on December 28, Gasol was announced by the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport as the winner of its Euroscar.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
On February 6 against the Portland Trail Blazers, an injured Bryant sat out for a game for the first time since 2007. Odom matched a career high with 22 rebounds in the Lakers' win, the first time they had won in Portland since 2005. Gasol produced 21 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks in a win on February 8 against the San Antonio Spurs, joining five other players to accomplish the feat. The Lakers headed to the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak. All three victories came without Bryant and the final two were without Bynum.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
Bryant was voted as a starter for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, but sat out due to injury. Gasol was selected as a reserve for the West and logged 13 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. Brown entered the dunk contest but was defeated in the second round.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
Bryant returned from injury on February 23 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers went 4-1 without him. Bryant made a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to lift the Lakers to a 99-98 victory. However, the Lakers went 4-4 in the eight games after Bryant's return. Since the All-Star break, the Lakers have struggled, recording a 5-5 record including the first three-game losing streak since Gasol joined the team in a trade two years earlier. The team also had to deal with injuries to Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Season summary
The Lakers responded by winning five games in a row, but Bynum suffered an injury and was removed from the active roster. It was revealed that Bynum strained his Achilles tendon against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 19, and that he was expected to miss almost two weeks (six games) to recover. After their three-game losing streak, the Lakers responded by winning seven games in a row, then lost two of their next seven. They were the eighth best team in the Western Conference between the All-Star break and April 5 by record, but still held the top seed. Bryant chose to miss three of the final four regular-season games to recover from injuries. Bynum returned from injury for the first game of the playoffs.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Lakers played the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Both Bryant and Bynum returned from injury to start in the first game. In game one, the Lakers outscored the Thunder 27-13 in the first quarter. The Thunder attempted to close in on the lead, but the Lakers held on in the 2nd half, matching the Thunder's point total in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Although Bryant led the Lakers in points scored (21), Gasol had the most impressive night statically, collecting 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Oklahoma City Thunder
The series went to Oklahoma City for games three and four. The Thunder won both games including a 21-point win in game 4. Kevin Durant averaged 30.5 points in the two games to lead the Thunder. During the two games, the Thunder used their speed to run on the Lakers which translated into 24 fast-break points and 23 second-chance points in game 4. In game 5 in L.A., Gasol and Bynum combined for 46 points, 22 rebounds, and six assists in a 111-87 win.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Oklahoma City Thunder
Game six saw the Lakers returning to Oklahoma City where they could clinch the series with the win. The Lakers' bench outscored the Thunder's 30-16, however the Thunder claimed a one-point lead with 3:04 to play. With time winding down, Gasol caught an offensive rebound off of a missed jump shot by Bryant and scored a layup with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game for the win.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Utah Jazz
The Lakers next opponent was the Utah Jazz who advanced to the second round of the playoffs by defeating the Denver Nuggets 4-2. This was the third straight year the two teams met in the playoffs. The Lakers started off the first quarter shooting 79.8% from the field, and leading by 10 at half time. The Lakers gave up the lead in the 4th quarter before Bryant scored 11 points in the final four minutes to lead the Lakers to a 104-99 victory.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Utah Jazz
Although Bryant had the most successful night in game 2, it was the Lakers front court of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom who dominated the game. Each had at least 11 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks while the team outrebounded the Jazz 58-40 to a 111-103 victory. Andrei Kirilenko returned in game 3 from more than a month out with a strained left calf. While the Lakers' big men were dominate in the first two games, they had to rely on their backcourt in game 3 with Bynum and Odom being held in check.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Utah Jazz
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said the Jazz's effort to keep the Lakers out of the middle opened up some 3-point shots and Los Angeles capitalized. Artest scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half while overcoming his three-point range slump in the playoffs. The fourth quarter had 12 lead changes, including Bryant and Fisher making back-to-back 3-pointers during an 8-2 run in the final minute. In the final four seconds, Deron Williams missed a shot and Wesley Matthews rebound and tip missed just before the end of the game.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Utah Jazz
The Lakers won 111-110 and were on the verge of sweeping the Jazz. In game four, the Lakers jumped ahead and led by 22 points in the first half. The Jazz opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run and were able to cut the lead to 70-65, but the Lakers responded by finishing the period on a 10-2 run and led 80-67 at the end of the third quarter. The Lakers led by 10 for most of the 4th quarter. Coach Phil Jackson called it "the first really consistent game we have played... We controlled the game and forced our will on our opponent." Bryant scored at least 30 points in all four games and the Lakers swept the series 4-0.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Phoenix Suns
The Lakers then faced the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. In game 1, the Lakers blew out the Suns 128-107 led by Bryant's 40 points including 23 in the third quarter. Odom came off the bench to tally 19 points, 19 rebounds, and three assists. In game 2 Bryant played the role of facilitator, putting up 13 assists, while Gasol recorded 29 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists. The teams were tied at 90-90 heading into the fourth quarter, but Bryant and Gasol led the fourth quarter rally and the Lakers won the game 124-112.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Phoenix Suns
Game 3 was played in Phoenix, where the Suns used their big men and physical play to win the game. Amar'e Stoudemire scored 42 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Robin Lopez 20 points. Odom and Bynum, however, both picked up fouls early and were ineffective for the Lakers for most of the game. The Lakers only scored 15 points in the second quarter and were down 86-84 in after three quarters. The Lakers were able to take the lead 90-89 with 8:47 to play, but the Suns rallied back to win 118-109.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Phoenix Suns
After battling each other in game 4 and slugging out a 23-23 first quarter, the Suns erupted for a 41 points in the second quarter, shooting 74%. Early in the 4th quarter the Lakers led 87-85. However, the Suns reserve players (who outscored the Lakers reserves 54-20) produced and 18-3 run in the 4th which the Lakers never recovered from despite Bryant's 38 points and 10 assists. In game 5, the Lakers surged to a 16-point lead in the first half including a 21-4 run and led by 18 points by half time.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Phoenix Suns
Steve Nash, who had 29 points and 11 assists in the game, led the Suns to a 16-4 rally in the third quarter to trim the lead to six by the end of the period and one with 2:52 left in the game. Jason Richardson made a three pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the game to tie the score 101-101. On the next possession, Bryant, who had 30 points and 11 assists in the game, air-balled a three, but Artest offensively rebounded and made a game winning layup as time expired.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Phoenix Suns
In game 6 in Phoenix, the Lakers had the lead for most of the game. Los Angeles outscored the Suns 23-10 over the last eight minutes of the second quarter to lead 65-53 at the break and were up by 17 entering the fourth. However the Suns went on a 16-4 run and cut the Lakers lead to 95-90 with 6:09 remaining in the game. Artest scored 25 in the game and Bryant had a 37-point performance including nine points in the final two minutes to win the game 111-103 and clinch the series 4-2.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Boston Celtics
The Los Angeles Lakers took game one against the Boston Celtics, winning by 13 (102–89). Kobe Bryant scored game high 30 points. Pau Gasol lead game high of rebounds (14). Celtics took game two to tie the series (1–1), with a victory of (103–94). Ray Allen scored 32 points with Rajon Rondo lead in rebounds (12). In game three, it was a close fought game, Lakers came out with a (91–84) victory with a 29 point performance by Kobe Bryant in Boston to take (2–1) lead in the series.


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Boston Celtics
Game four in Boston, the Celtics out rooted the Lakers with a (96–89), performance to tie the series again (2–2). Kobe Bryant still lead the game high points of 33. Celtics took advantage of home court in game five with a (92–86) victory. Paul Pierce scored 27 points to lead the Celtics to a (32) lead in the series. With a crucial game six, the Lakers put on a dominant performance at the Staples Center with a 19-point victory (89–67) to tie the series 3 games apiece (3–3).


2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers season, Post-season summary, Boston Celtics
In a pivotal game seven, the rivalry of the Lakers and the Celtics once again met in a game seven. The Lakers struggled the first half as the Celtics had control of the game for the most of the three quarters. Within five minutes left in the game, Kobe Bryant made crucial plays to lead the Lakers to the 16th NBA title and also making Kobe Bryant a five-time NBA Champion.


2009–10 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team
The 2009–10 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team represented Louisiana Tech University in the 2009–10 men's college basketball season. This was Kerry Rupp's 3rd season as head coach. The Bulldogs played their home games at Thomas Assembly Center and compete in the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 24–11, 9–7 in WAC play and lost in the semifinals of the 2010 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament. They were invited to the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Missouri State.


2009–10 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team, Pre-season
In the WAC preseason polls, released October 20 via media teleconference La Tech was selected to finish 5th in the coaches poll and 6th in the media poll. Sr . Kyle Gibson was selected to the coaches All-WAC second team.


2009–10 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team, Season highlights
On December 7, Sr. Kyle Gibson was named the WAC player of the week for the fourth week of the season with weekly averages of 27.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.0 AST, 1.5 Steals and 59.3 FG%.


2009–10 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball team, Season highlights
On January 4, So. Olu Ashaolu was named the WAC player of the week for the eighth week of the season with weekly averages of 15.5 PPG, 16.5 RPG, 1.5 AST, 0.5 Steals and 52.4 FG%.


2009–10 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team  represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by first-year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome and were members of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 13–17, 10–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in a two-way tie for third place in the standings. They competed in the 2010 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament where they lost in the Quarterfinals to Louisiana–Monroe. They were not invited to any other post-season tournament.


2009–10 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team
Immediately following the loss in the conference tournament, the university announced that Robert Lee's contract had not been renewed. Lee's overall cumulative record was 80–100 at Louisiana–Lafayette, which would be highlighted by the best single-season record at 15–15 despite the 2004–05 record of 20–11 along with a Sun Belt Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance, which were all vacated due to academic ineligibility of Orien Greene.


2009–10 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team
The 2009–10 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by third-year head coach Errol Rogers; they played their double-header home games at the Cajundome with other games at the Earl K. Long Gymnasium, which is located on campus. They were members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 10–22, 4–14 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the West Division. They were eliminated in the first round of the Sun Belt Women's Tournament.


2009–10 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team, Previous season
The Ragin' Cajuns finished the 2008–09 season 4–27, 0–18 in Sun Belt play to finish in seventh place in the West Division. They made it to the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, losing in the first round game by a score of 65-68 to the Troy Trojans. They were not invited to any other postseason tournament.


2009–10 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 96th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his ninth season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at Freedom Hall, the final season before moving to the KFC Yum! Center.


2009–10 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The Cardinals finished the season 20–13, 11–7 in Big East play (3rd-T) and lost in the second round of the 2010 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament. They received an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning a 9 seed in the South Region where they lost to 8 seed California in the second round.


2009–10 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team
The 2009–10 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2009–2010 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Cards, coached by Jeff Walz, played their final season at Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, before moving into the KFC Yum! Center in Downtown Louisville for the 2010–11 season. The Cardinals were a member of the Big East Conference.


2009–10 Luge World Cup
The 2009–10 Luge World Cup was a multi race tournament over a season for luge. The season started 17 November 2009 in Calgary, Canada and ended 31 January 2010 in Cesana, Italy. The World Cup was organised by the FIL and sponsored by Viessmann. This cup served as qualifiers up to 31 December 2009 (last qualifier at Lillehammer, Norway) for the 2010 Winter Olympics luge events in Vancouver.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season
The 2009–10 season was the 124th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. Luton's 24th-place finish in Football League Two in 2008–09 meant that the club competed in the Conference Premier for the first time in its history, and in a division outside of the Football League for the first time since the beginning of their second spell as a member in 1920. Although tipped as favourites for the title and promotion before the season had even begun, the club struggled to immediately adapt to life in the new division, ultimately costing manager Mick Harford his job.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season
Richard Money was appointed as new manager soon after, eventually leading the club to an unbeaten run of 14 games towards the end of the season that propelled them to a second-place finish in the league. However, defeat in the play-off semi-finals to York City meant Luton were to remain in the Conference for the 2010–11 season.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season
This article covers the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
After a chaotic 2007–08 season, Luton Town's situation went from bad to worse when it emerged that, due to financial irregularities, they would start the 2008–09 season with a 20-point deduction from the Football League on top of a 10-point deduction from the Football Association for matters concerning transfers of players under the previous board. As the club only exited administration two days before the start of the season, manager Mick Harford needed to rebuild the squad from scratch.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
Six new players were in the starting line-up for the first game of the season, and throughout the campaign loan and non-contracted players were drafted in and out of the squad. As a result of this instability, the players never settled sufficiently to gain the results required. In the end, relegation was inevitable, though some consolation was taken from victory in the Football League Trophy final at Wembley Stadium. Since Luton were no longer in the Football League, and thus no longer eligible for the competition, the club applied to defend their title during 2009–10. The request was denied on 15 June, causing the club to consider an appeal.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
Luton Town competed in the South West Challenge Cup during July, and were drawn to play against Bideford and Wycombe Wanderers in Group C. However, a waterlogged pitch caused the Wycombe game to be cancelled, and Luton were given passage into the semi-finals based on having a higher goal difference than Wycombe. Luton beat Exeter City 3–2 in the semi-final, setting up the final against Grimsby Town. Grimsby, though, refused to play in the final due to safety concerns over a 6:00 pm kick-off time, and no compromise with the tournament organisers could be reached. As a result, Belgian club Montegnée, originally knocked out in the group stages, were invited to play in the final at Grimsby's expense. Luton went on to win the South West Challenge Cup with a 3–1 victory over Montegnée.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
Friendlies were arranged against St Neots Town, Hitchin Town (as a Luton XI), Spalding United (as a Luton XI), Swindon Town, Peterborough United, Manchester United, Biggleswade Town in the Bedfordshire Premier Cup (as a Luton XI), and Hampton & Richmond.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
On 8 July, it was announced that four players had not been offered new contracts, and were therefore released from the club. Ian Henderson was the only senior player to be released, along with three youth team players – Riccardo Biggi, Mark Farthing and Harry Hogarth.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
On 22 July, Luton signed Shane Blackett on a two-year contract from Peterborough United. The transfer was funded from the proceeds of a friendly with Peterborough, which took place on 25 July. Five days later, Luton-born defender Callum Reynolds signed on loan from Portsmouth until January.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
On 29 July, striker Drew Talbot joined Chesterfield on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract at Luton. The next day, defender Ian Roper signed for Kettering Town on a free transfer.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
Luton revealed new kits for the coming season on 30 July, reverting the home strip back to the orange colours that the club used primarily in the 1970s. A new two-year shirt sponsorship deal was announced with easyJet, whose headquarters are located at the nearby London Luton Airport.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August
On 6 August, striker Steve Basham penned a one-year contract with the club, and one day later, goalkeeper Shane Gore signed a one-month contract, acting as cover for Mark Tyler.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August
Luton began life in non-league football with a 1–1 draw away to AFC Wimbledon. Tom Craddock scored an early penalty before Wimbledon pegged Luton back with a penalty of their own late on, which saw Shane Blackett sent off on his debut.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August
On 11 August, with the news that left-back Lewis Emanuel was to be sidelined for three months with a broken toe sustained in the game at Kingsmeadow, Luton signed Grays Athletic defender Fred Murray on a six-month loan deal. Murray started in the team on the same day in Luton's first home game of the season – a 4–1 victory over Mansfield Town that saw centre-back George Pilkington score his first two goals for the club. Luton continued with victories over Gateshead and Forest Green Rovers, before labouring to a 0–0 home draw with Chester City. Long-term injuries to forwards Ryan Charles and Liam Hatch left Luton short on attacking options, resulting in striker George Donnelly signing on a one-month loan from Plymouth Argyle on 28 August. Luton ended August unbeaten with a draw at Kettering Town, placing them third in the table.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
Luton secured a fourth consecutive clean sheet with a 3–0 victory over Crawley Town at Kenilworth Road, keeping in touch with early league leaders Oxford United and Mansfield Town.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
A poor run of form throughout the rest of September saw Luton pick up just seven points from six games – including away losses at Oxford and Wrexham, the latter of which manager Mick Harford described as "the worst performance in Luton Town's history". A brief respite was found in an extraordinary comeback victory over Cambridge United. Losing 2–0 at half-time and with a man sent off, Luton rallied to a 4–3 win by full-time, Kevin Gallen scoring twice. However, just three days later, Luton suffered a home defeat after a lifeless performance to local rivals Stevenage Borough.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, September
Peterborough United striker Ben Wright signed on a one-month loan on 29 September, boosting Luton's attacking options in the wake of further injuries and suspensions.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October
On 1 October, manager Mick Harford parted company as the club's manager by mutual consent. Luton were 13 points from the top of the table and, in a club statement, managing director Gary Sweet admitted that results and performances were not up to the standards expected at the beginning of the season. First-team coach Alan Neilson was named caretaker manager until a replacement for Harford could be found. Neilson's first game ended in a 2–1 victory over Tamworth.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October
Neilson continued on an unbeaten run of five matches, including an FA Cup victory over Grays Athletic, until Luton appointed former Walsall boss Richard Money as permanent manager on 30 October. Neilson continued working at the club as Money's assistant manager and former Cambridge United manager Gary Brabin was named as the club's chief scout. Luton lost their second home game of the season the next day, Rushden & Diamonds inflicting a 2–0 defeat with two late goals.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
The month began with a thrilling 3–3 draw at home to League Two side Rochdale in the FA Cup on 7 November, resulting in a replay at Spotland four days later. Luton won the tie 2–0 to set up a second round encounter with Rotherham United.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
Richard Money made his first signings a day later – experienced Notts County goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington signed on a one-month loan to act as cover for the injured Mark Tyler, whilst striker Mark Nwokeji was drafted in on loan until January 2010 from Dagenham & Redbridge. Both players made their debuts in a 2–0 win over Grays Athletic on 14 November. A 2–2 home draw with Cambridge United the next week saw Luton let in two late goals; a game that could have ended in a loss had Kevin Pilkington not saved a penalty. The scheduled game against Mansfield Town on 24 November was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Field Mill.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
On 26 November, the day of the loan transfer deadline, Coventry City winger Ashley Cain was signed for one month. Midfielder Andy Burgess, who was signed only in May 2009 and had made 10 appearances for the club, joined promotion rivals Mansfield Town on an initial one-month loan with a permanent transfer arranged for January 2010. In a busy day of transfer dealing, striker Steve Basham, sparsely used since his arrival in the summer, completed a two-month loan to Hayes & Yeading United.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
Luton signed Kidderminster Harriers' top scorer Matthew Barnes-Homer on a two-and-a-half-year contract for a five-figure fee, with the permanent transfer taking place in January 2010. Barnes-Homer would play until then on loan, with young Luton striker Ryan Charles heading to Kidderminster on loan for one month as part of the deal.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, November
Two days later, Luton drew 2–2 in the FA Cup with Rotherham United, once more forcing a replay in the competition.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
A 1–0 home defeat to Kettering Town on 2 December, followed by a 0–0 draw to Chester City three days later, resulted in Luton finding themselves in seventh place in the table and four points off of a play-off position, albeit with two games in hand over some teams.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
On 8 December, Luton beat League Two side Rotherham United 3–0 in an FA Cup Second Round replay at Kenilworth Road, setting up a Third Round encounter at League One side Southampton. Four days later, Cambridge United knocked Luton out of the FA Trophy with a 3–1 win at the Abbey Stadium.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December
A series of postponements to games due to snow and ice left a sparse fixture list for the rest of the month, with Luton's only other game resulting in a 4–1 victory over Eastbourne Borough on 28 December, Matthew Barnes-Homer scoring his first goal for the club.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
Luton were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton, a side two leagues higher, on 2 January in a narrow 1–0 defeat.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
On 5 January, with the transfer window now open, Luton signed young St Albans City players Jonathan O'Donnell and Godfrey Poku on 18-month contracts. O'Donnell had previously spent time in the youth set-up at Luton's local rivals Watford and Milton Keynes Dons, while Poku was highly rated by St Albans manager Steve Castle. On 30 January, the two players were loaned back to St Albans for a period of one month.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
Further postponements due to the adverse weather meant Luton had played just one league game in seven weeks, leaving a further 23 games to be played in three months. In contrast, the first 23 league games had been played over a period of five months.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
Experienced trio Kevin Nicholls, Alan White and Kevin Gallen were placed on the transfer list by Richard Money on 12 January. White joined his previous club Darlington on loan for the rest of the season three days later. Midfielder Keith Keane, who had started his career with Luton, was placed on the transfer list on 15 January. Keane's refusal to sign a new contract, which would expire at the end of the season and effectively mean he would leave the club on a free transfer, was cited as the reason. Striker Mark Nwokeji, meanwhile, extended his loan agreement with Luton until the end of the season, while the permanent transfers of Matthew Barnes-Homer and Fred Murray, who had both previously been playing for the club on loan, were confirmed.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
On 22 January, York City winger Craig Nelthorpe signed for Luton on loan for the rest of the season. He made his debut one day later as a substitute in a 1–0 victory over Gateshead – Luton's first game in 21 days.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
Hungarian central defender János Kovács was signed on a free transfer from Lincoln City on 26 January. Kovács signed a five-month contract until the end of the season. He started in the team, and scored the opening goal, in a 2–0 win over Histon a day later. This game also saw Liam Hatch make his first appearance in nearly four months upon his return from an ankle injury.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, January
Luton fell to their fourth home defeat of the season with a 3–2 loss against Ebbsfleet United on 30 January, Hatch scoring his first goal for the club.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February
A busy February period of six games in three weeks started with a 1–0 away win over Barrow, Hatch once again scoring. A 2–1 win over league leaders Oxford United was secured on 9 February, with Luton scoring both goals in added time – the winner was scored by captain Keith Keane direct from a corner in the last minute of the game, which propelled the club into the play-off positions for the first time since early November. Keane was then sent off for celebrating the goal with Luton fans. This game also saw the highest turnout at Kenilworth Road in over two seasons, with 8,860 fans in attendance. Four days later, Luton won a third consecutive game with a 1–0 away victory over Eastbourne Borough, an Asa Hall strike from 25 yards proving the match winner.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February
Luton's ten-game unbeaten away record in the league continued with a 0–0 draw at their promotion rivals York City on 16 February, pushing the club up to fourth place in the table. The club's poor league form at Kenilworth Road, in which only three games out of ten had ended in Luton winning, continued with a fifth home defeat – a 2–1 loss to AFC Wimbledon. Tom Craddock scored his tenth goal of the season for Luton, making him the top scorer at the club. A loss to Crawley Town left Luton in fifth place in the table, and also saw the club's record-equalling run of away form come to an end.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
The backlog of postponed games from the winter period meant Luton were to play 8 games over March. This began with a 0–0 draw away to Mansfield Town on 2 March, with a 3–2 victory over Hayes & Yeading United coming four days later.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
A last minute winner from Tom Craddock in a 2–1 victory over Forest Green Rovers on 9 March propelled Luton to third place in the table, the club's highest position since early September.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
On 12 March 2010, Luton signed midfielder Simon Heslop from Championship side Barnsley on a 28-day emergency loan. He played in a 1–0 victory over Wrexham a day later as Luton kept their first home clean sheet since September 2009. A third home game in a row on 16 March resulted in a 3–1 victory over Kidderminster Harriers, Kevin Gallen scoring twice.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Luton recorded their biggest win of the season on 20 March, with a 6–1 victory away at Ebbsfleet United. Winger Claude Gnakpa scored a hat-trick in the club's biggest victory since a 5–0 win over Bristol City in 2005.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Richard Money added two players to the squad before the loan and free transfer deadline on 25 March. Kenyan international striker Taiwo Atieno, who started his career when Money was manager of Walsall and had most recently played football in the US, was signed on a free transfer until the end of the season. Defender Gavin Caines was signed on loan until the end of the season from Kidderminster Harriers, where he had been a regular member of the squad.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Luton's 6–1 winning result the previous week was then bettered with an emphatic 8–0 home victory over Hayes & Yeading United on 27 March. The club's run of goals continued three days later with a 4–0 win against Salisbury City, their seventh consecutive victory.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, March
Luton's good form during the month did not go unnoticed, with Richard Money claiming the March Conference Manager of the Month award, and Claude Gnakpa named as Player of the Month.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
Luton, who were at this point second in the table, faced a key clash with league leaders Stevenage Borough on 3 April. Luton secured a 1–0 win at Broadhall Way in a tightly contested game, Matthew Barnes-Homer scoring the winning goal just moments after his introduction as a substitute, and inflicted Stevenage's first home defeat since November 2008. Luton were now only two points behind Stevenage, though the leaders had a game in hand. A ninth consecutive victory was assured two days later as Luton beat already relegated side Grays Athletic 6–0 at Kenilworth Road, with Kevin Gallen scoring the first hat-trick of his career.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
Luton's nine game-winning run was halted on 10 April with a 1–1 draw away to Tamworth, which saw the club fall to four points behind leaders Stevenage. However, Luton's scoring form soon returned in a 6–3 home win against Histon three days later – a game that marked Tom Craddock's first senior hat-trick.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
A 0–0 home draw on 17 April with Altrincham, coupled with Stevenage's victory over Kidderminster that led to them being crowned as Conference Premier champions, meant that Luton's only hope of promotion was now through the play-offs.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
The last league game of the season on 24 April resulted in a 1–1 draw with play-off rivals Rushden & Diamonds, which meant Luton ended the season with a second-place finish. Results elsewhere left Luton to play York City in the two-legged play-off semi-final on 29 April and 3 May.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, April
Luton lost the first leg at Bootham Crescent 1–0, an 89th-minute goal from Richard Brodie leaving them having to win the return game to have any chance of playing in the final.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
Another 1–0 defeat in the home leg knocked Luton out of the play-offs, condemning them to at least another season in the Conference Premier.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
The clear out of players began on 7 May as Luton prepared for their second season in the division. Four players – Steve Basham, Shane Gore, Asa Hall and Rossi Jarvis – were released from their contracts, while a further four – Gavin Caines, Liam Hatch, Craig Nelthorpe and Mark Nwokeji – left the club as their loan period had ended. As well as the changes to playing staff, the coaching staff were also subject to restructuring in the wake of the season ending. Chief scout Gary Brabin was promoted to the role of assistant manager, replacing Alan Neilson. Neilson was instead appointed to a coaching and youth development role, while first-team coach Kevin Watson left the club.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
Luton made their first signing of the season on 19 May, with Cambridge United defender Dan Gleeson making the move to Kenilworth Road on a free transfer. Goalkeeper and former loanee Kevin Pilkington signed a permanent one-year contract a day later, having been released from Notts County. Striker Danny Crow, who had finished the season as Cambridge United's top scorer, signed on a free transfer on 21 May, penning a two-year contract.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
Luton were also boosted by Player of the Year George Pilkington and 18-goal striker Kevin Gallen signing contract extensions.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
On 27 May, Luton announced they were to sign Stevenage midfielder Andy Drury, who had played 30 league games during the season as the club claimed the Conference title, on a two-year contract beginning from 1 July 2010.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
Striker Ryan Charles and defender George Beavan were released from the club on 31 May.


2009–10 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
On 9 June, midfielder Keith Keane signed a new two-year contract. On 28 June, defender János Kovács left the club and signed for Hereford United on a two-year contract.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup
The 2009–10 Luxembourg Cup was the 85th season of Luxembourg's annual cup competition. It began on 2 September 2009 with Round 1 and ended on 30 May 2010 with the Final held at a neutral venue. The winners of the competition qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. F91 Dudelange were the defending champions, having won their fourth cup title last season.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 1
Fifty-one teams from Division 2 (IV) and Division 3 (V) entered in this round. Thirty-eight of them competed in matches, with the other thirteen teams were awarded a bye. The games were played on September 2, 2009.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 1
Bye : Blo Weiss Itzig, US Boevange, Claravallis Clervaux, FC Kopstal, Luna Oberkorn, AS Luxembourg-Porto, Olympia Christnach, Orania Vianden, FC Pratzerthal/Rédange, US Reisdorf, AS Remich, FC Schifflange 95, Yellow Boys Weiler


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 2
The winners of Round 1 and those teams that got a bye competed in this round. The games were played on September 27, 2009.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 3
The sixteen winners of Round 2 competed in this round, as well as twenty-eight teams from Division 1 (III), which entered the competition in this round. The games were played on 29, 30 and 31 October 2009.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 4
Twenty-two winners of Round 3 competed in this round, as well as fourteen teams from the Division of Honour (II), which entered the competition in this round. The games were played on 3, 4, 5 and 6 December 2009.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 5
Eighteen winners of Round 4 competed in this round, as well as fourteen teams from the National Division, which entered the competition in this round. The games were played on 26, 27 and 28 February 2010.


2009–10 Luxembourg Cup, Round 6
The winners of Round 5 competed in this round. The games were played on 3 April 2010.


2009–10 Luxembourg National Division
The 2009–10 Luxembourg National Division (also known as BGL Ligue due to sponsorship reasons) was the 96th season of top-tier football in Luxembourg. It began on 2 August 2009 and ended on 29 May 2010. F91 Dudelange were the defending champions.


2009–10 Luxembourg National Division, Team changes from 2008–09
SC Steinfort and FC Avenir Beggen were relegated to the Division of Honour after finishing 13th and 14th in 2008-09. They were replaced by Division of Honour 2008–09 champions CS Pétange and runners-up FC Mondercange.


2009–10 Luxembourg National Division, Team changes from 2008–09
US Rumelange as 12th-placed team had to compete in a single play-off match against 3rd-placed Division of Honour side FC Erpeldange 72. Rumelange won the match, 2–0, and thus retained their National Division status.


2009–10 Luxembourg National Division, Relegation play-offs
12th-placed UN Käerjeng 97 competed in a relegation play-offs match against the third-placed team from the Division of Honour, CS Oberkorn, for one spot in next season's competition. UN Käerjeng 97 retained their spot in the league, beating CS Obercorn 3–1.


2009–10 MC Alger season
In the 2009–10 season, MC Alger competed in the National 1 for the 39th season, as well as the Algerian Cup. It was their 7th consecutive season in the top flight of Algerian football.


2009–10 MC Alger season, Squad list
Players and squad numbers last updated on 18 November 2009.Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009–10 MC Alger season, Squad information, Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted alphabetically by surname when total goals are equal.


2009–10 MEAC men's basketball season
The 2009–10 MEAC men's basketball season marks the 39th season of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball.


2009–10 MEAC men's basketball season, Preseason
The MEAC season started on a tragic note, as Hampton captain Theo Smalling was shot and killed in an accidental shooting outside a nightclub. The incident took place on October 24 and Smalling died two days later.


2009–10 MEAC men's basketball season, Preseason
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coaches and sports information directors voted Morgan State the preseason #1 and Norfolk State senior guard Michael DeLoach the preseason player of the year.


2009–10 MHL season
The 2009–10 MHL season was the first season of the Junior Hockey League, the junior ice hockey league in Russia. The Steel Foxes Magnitogorsk won the league title.


2009–10 MJHL season
The 2009–10 season was the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's (MJHL) 93rd season of operation.


2009–10 MJHL season
The Dauphin Kings were the best team in both the regular season and playoffs. The Kings hosted the 2010 Royal Bank Cup in Dauphin and advanced to the national championship game, but lost to the Vernon Vipers.


2009–10 MOL Liga season
The 2009–10 MOL Liga season was the second season played, of this international ice hockey. Teams from Hungary and Romania participated. The total number of teams had gone down from the first season. Alba Volan's farm team left, and three Romanian teams left, while one Romanian team joined.


2009–10 MTN Domestic Championship
The 2009/10 MTN40 was a domestic List A cricket championship in South Africa. This was the 29th time the championship was contested. Each team plays each other twice in a home and away leg. The top four teams progress to the semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals going through to the final. Cricket South Africa has introduced trial rule changes; 40 overs per side, the batting team choosing powerplays, 12 players per side (rolling subs). The tournament has been rebranded from the MTN Domestic Championship to the MTN 40.


2009–10 MTN Domestic Championship
The competition started on 28 October 2009 and the final took place on 29 January 2010.


2009–10 Macedonian First Football League
The 2009–10 Macedonian First League was the 18th season of the Macedonian First Football League, the highest football league of Macedonia. It began on 1 August 2009 and ended on 19 May 2010. Makedonija Gjorche Petrov were the defending champions having won their first Macedonian championship last season.


2009–10 Macedonian First Football League, Promotion and relegation
1 Makedonija Gjorche Petrov and Sloga Jugomagnat were expelled from the First League due to boycotting two matches in the season. However, Napredok was directly promoted.2 Pobeda was expelled from the First League due to the eight-year suspension from FIFA for their involvement in match-fixing scandal.


2009–10 Macedonian First Football League, Results
The schedule consists of three rounds. During the first two rounds, each team plays each other once home and away for a total of 22 matches. This season, due to the suspension of two teams, each team will play a total of 20 games. The pairings of the third round will then be set according to the standings after the first two rounds, giving every team a third game against each opponent for a total of 29 games per team.


2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup
The 2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup was the 18th season of Macedonia's football knockout competition. FK Rabotnichki were the defending champions, having won their second title. The 2009–10 champions were FK Teteks who won their first title.


2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup, First round
The draw was held on 28 June 2009 in Skopje. Matches were played on 26 August 2009.


2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup, Second round
The draw was held on 16 September 2009 in Skopje. The first legs were played on 22 and 23 September 2009 and second were played on 29 and 30 September 2009.


2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup, Second round
1 Ohrid, Lokomotiva and Fortuna withdrew their participations due to financial problems.


2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw was held on 20 October 2009 in Skopje. The first legs were played on 28 October 2009 and second were played on 25 November 2009.


2009–10 Macedonian Football Cup, Semi-finals
The draw was held on 8 December 2009 in Skopje. The first legs were played on 7 April 2010 and the second on 5 May 2010.


2009–10 Macedonian Second Football League
The 2009–10 Macedonian Second Football League was the eighteenth season since its establishment. It began on 15 August 2009 and ended on 19 May 2010. Due to the expansion of the league, no teams were relegated that season.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa
The 2009–10 Magyar Kupa (English: Hungarian Cup) was the 70th season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup football competition. It started with the first match of Round 1 on 5 August 2009 and ended with the Final held on 8 May 2010 at Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest. The winners earned a place in the second qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. Budapest Honvéd were the defending champions.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Round 1
Matches were played between 5 and 9 August 2009 and involved the teams qualified through the local cup competitions during the previous season and the Nemzeti Bajnokság III teams.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Round 1
1Police–Ola LSK advanced to the next round because Ják SE used an ineligible player.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Round 2
Matches were played between 19 and 26 August and on 23 September 2009 and involved the winners of Round 1 and the 2009–10 Nemzeti Bajnokság II teams.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Round 3
Matches were played between 9 and 29 September 2009. The winners of Round 2 were joined by the majority of the 2009–10 Nemzeti Bajnokság I teams; sides involved in a European cup competition were given a bye to the next round.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Round 4
Matches were played between 29 September and 7 October 2009 and involved the winners of Round 3.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Round 5
The sixteen winners of the previous round were drawn into eight two-legged matches. The first-leg matches were played between 20 and 22 October 2009, the return legs took place on 27–28 October 2009. The winners on aggregate advanced to the next round.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Quarter-finals
As in the previous round, ties were played over two legs. The winners advanced to the semi-finals.


2009–10 Magyar Kupa, Semi-finals
Ties in the semi-finals were also played over two legs.


2009–10 Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey season
The following is a list of events and statistics from the 2009–2010 Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey season. The Black Bears are an ice hockey team which represent the University of Maine. The head coach is Dan Lichterman. Assisting him are Karine Senecal, Sara Simard, and Meghan MacDonald.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The 2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League was the sophomore season for the league, and first under the revived MISL banner. It marked the 32nd season of professional Division 1 indoor soccer. The members of the MISL's second season teams were the Baltimore Blast, the Milwaukee Wave, the Monterrey La Raza, the Philadelphia KiXX, and the Rockford Rampage.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The season kicked off on November 13, 2009, with the NISL champion, Baltimore Blast, welcoming the Rockford Rampage. The regular season concluded on March 21, 2010, with the Rockford Rampage hosting Monterrey La Raza.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season
This year also marks the first season since the KiXX founding that they will play at a new arena, the Liacouras Center, on the campus of Temple University.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season
Shortly before the season began, the league was re-branded as the Major Indoor Soccer League.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season
The season for each team was expanded to twenty games, so each team was to play ten home and ten away games. However, due to arena conflicts with Temple University, the Kixx played eight home games and twelve road games.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season
On March 9, 2010, with an 11-6 win over the Rockford Rampage, the Milwaukee Wave clinched the first playoff spot, continuing the Wave's tradition of making the playoffs every season in a league named MISL. This also marks the fifteenth season since the 1993–1994 NPSL for the Wave to qualify for the playoffs.


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Standings
Blue indicates bye into the MISL ChampionshipGreen indicates playoff berth clinched


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Standings, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


2009–10 Major Indoor Soccer League season, Playoffs
The format for the playoffs is the same as the 2008–09 NISL format. The first place team in the season will get a bye into the finals, while the second and third place teams play a two-game, home-and-home, series, with a third golden goal game taking place at the second place team's home if needed.


2009–10 Malian Première Division
The 2009–10 Malian Première Division is the 45th season and current championship of the Highest-Level of Professional Soccer in Mali.


2009–10 Malian Première Division, Overview
Though the competition's structure has varied over time, the size of the league remained the same from the previous season. The championship is once again contested by 14 teams between December 2009 and September 2010. The league will be conducted over 26 rounds as well with all teams playing against each other twice on a home and away basis. The defending champions are Djoliba AC who won their second consecutive and 21st overall league championship.


2009–10 Malian Première Division, Overview
The structure by which promoted clubs are chosen has changed over time, but as of 2008, the two promoted teams are chosen from regional league tournaments. One club comes from Malian Groupe B league soccer tournament (for teams near Bamako and the west) and the other is the Malian Groupe A league which is a tournament for clubs outside Bamako. AS Sigui were promoted from Group A and AS Police were promoted from Group B.


2009–10 Malmö shootings
The Malmö shootings were a string of attacks by serial shooter, racist lone wolf terrorist Peter Mangs, also known as the Laser Man II, in the southern Swedish city of Malmö between December 2009 and October 2010. The shooter apparently targeted people with dark skin and non-Swedish appearance. As of 23 October 2010, as many as 15 shootings were linked to the same suspect.


2009–10 Malmö shootings, Shootings
The attacks, carried out with a 9mm Glock 19 handgun, started as early as in December 2009. At the same time, the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old woman in October 2009 has also been linked to the same perpetrator. The woman was the only ethnically Swedish victim, who was in the company of a friend of immigrant origin. This murder has been linked to the other shootings through forensic evidence, showing that the weapon used was the same gun as the one used in several of the other attacks.


2009–10 Malmö shootings, Shootings
The attacks soon spread fear among the substantial immigrant population of Malmö. "Many people are frightened at the moment", said  Tahmoures Yassami, the leader of the Iranian-Swedish Association in Malmö, "especially families who have children." The local police warned against panic, pointing out that the risk for any individual of being shot was very low. At the same time, they cautioned people of ethnic minorities to avoid secluded areas after dark, which was when the attacks had been taking place.


2009–10 Malmö shootings, Perpetrator
The shooter was compared to the likes of John Ausonius, dubbed the "Laser man", who committed similar crimes in 1991–92, targeting eleven men of immigrant origin in the Stockholm and Uppsala area, killing one.


2009–10 Malmö shootings, Perpetrator
On 6 November 2010, Swedish police announced that they had arrested a man they suspected was the shooter. According to Malmö police he was under suspicion of one murder and seven murder attempts. The man arrested was a 38-year-old Swedish man, Peter Mangs. He expressed strong anti-immigrant sentiments and admiration for John Ausonius. Just like Ausonius, Mangs had an immigrant background himself via a father born in Närpes, Finland. Mangs professed to feel alienated and frustrated with society. His lawyers argued that he had Asperger syndrome. Mangs suspected that he had the disorder since at least 2005, when he joined an association for people with Asperger syndrome, and was formally diagnosed in May 2009. He had a very high score of 19 on the Autistic Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).


2009–10 Malmö shootings, Perpetrator
Mangs was found guilty on two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder, and given a life sentence. The Scania and Blekinge Court of Appeal denied an attempt by Mangs to overturn his sentence, convicting him of an additional three attempted murders, on April 25, 2013. A further request for appeal was denied by the Supreme Court in June of the same year.


2009–10 Malmö shootings, List of suspected shootings
The following shootings have been connected to the same suspect:


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy
The 2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy was the 72nd season since its establishment. It featured 21 teams from the Maltese Premier League, the First Division and the champions of the Gozo First Division. The competition started on 28 October 2009 and ended on 16 May 2010 with the Final from Ta' Qali Stadium. The defending champions were Sliema Wanderers, having won their 20th Maltese Cup last season.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy
Sliema Wanderers were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Hamrun Spartans.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change
When the draw was conducted, four teams received a bye to the Quarterfinals. Sliema Wanderers received a bye because they won the 2008–09 Maltese Cup. The other three teams qualifying directly to the Quarterfinals are Hibernians, Valletta and Birkirkara, for being the three best-placed teams in last year's Premier League.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change
Starting this year, the competition's format was changed slightly due to the inclusion into the competition of the reigning Gozo First Division champions. This is case for all future editions of this competition unless Gozo FC, a club which is based on Gozo but plays in the Maltese league system, is in either the Maltese Premier League or the Maltese First Division, in which case they would fill the spot reserved for the Gozo champions and the competition would feature 20 teams rather than 21. The inclusion of the Gozo champions meant that there was a single Preliminary Round match to reduce the field to 20 teams for the First Round.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change, Preliminary and First Round
In the Preliminary and First Round draws entered six Premier League teams placed 4th to 10th (except Sliema Wanderers) in last year's competition, 10 First Division teams and the reigning Gozo First Division champions, Sannat Lions. The Preliminary Round match was held on 28 October 2009, while the First Round matches were played on 31 October and 1 November 2009.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change, Second Round
In this round entered the winners from the previous round. The matches were played on 20 and 21 February 2010.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change, Quarterfinals
In this round entered the winners from the previous round and the four teams that had received a bye. The matches were played on 3 and 5 April 2010.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change, Semifinals
The four winners from the Quarterfinals entered this round. The matches were played on 17 and 18 May 2010.


2009–10 Maltese FA Trophy, Results and Format Change, Final
The two winners from the Semifinals entered this round. The final was played on 23 May 2010.


2009–10 Maltese First Division
The Maltese First Division 2009–10 season will start in October 2009 and end in May 2010. Vittoriosa Stars (2008–09 Maltese First Division Runners up) and Marsaxlokk (2008–09 Maltese Premier League 4th place) were both found guilty of corruption and demoted into the First Division. Balzan Youths and Melita were promoted from 2008–09 Maltese Second Division.


2009–10 Maltese First Division, Changes from previous season
However, Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk (who finished 4th place on the Premier Division) were both found guilty of corruption and demoted from the Premier Division into the First Division. Msida SJ and Hamrun Spartans were therefore reinstated in the Maltese Premier League.


2009–10 Maltese First Division knock-out
The Maltese First Division knock-out 2009-10 is a group and knock-out competition for teams from the Maltese First Division. The competition started on 20 September 2009 and is scheduled to end with the final on 7 May 2010.


2009–10 Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League 2009–10 was the 95th season of the Maltese Premier League, the top-tier football league in Malta. Hibernians were the defending champions. The season began on 21 August 2009 and ended on 5 May 2010. It was won by Birkirkara, who became the league winners for the third time in their history.


2009–10 Maltese Premier League, Promotion and relegation from 2008–09
Ħamrun Spartans were relegated to the First Division after finishing in last place of the relegation pool. They were joined by Msida Saint-Joseph, who lost a decision match against Tarxien Rainbows on penalties.


2009–10 Maltese Premier League, Promotion and relegation from 2008–09
Promoted from the First Division were Dingli Swallows as champions and Vittoriosa Stars as runners-up. However, after playing one match in the Premier League, Vittoriosa Stars were relegated to the First Division due to a decision by the Board to Investigate Corrupt Practices. A month later, Marsaxlokk received the same punishment, immediate relegation to the First Division due to their involvement in a bribery scandal. Rather than continue the season with eight clubs, the Maltese FA declared that both the Premier League and First Division would be composed of 10 clubs each. In a meeting on 17 September 2009, it was decided that Msida Saint-Joseph and Ħamrun Spartans would play in the Premier League this season, despite both being relegated last season.


2009–10 Maltese Premier League, Competition modus
The Premier League consists of two rounds. In the First Round, every team will play each opponent twice, once home and once away, for a total of 18 games. The league will then be split in two pools. Earned points will be halved (rounded up if necessary). Teams that will finish in positions 1–6 compete in the "Championship Pool" and teams finishing in positions 7–10 play in the "Relegation Pool".


2009–10 Maltese Premier League, Second round, Championship Pool, Europa league play-off
Due to finishing equal on points, Qormi and Sliema played a play-off match to determine Maltese second UEFA Europa League participant for the 2010–11 season.


2009–10 Maltese Second Division
The 2009–10 Maltese Second Division started in September 2009 and will end in May 2010. Rabat Ajax and Senglea Athletic were relegated from the 2008–09 Maltese First Division. Gzira United, Gharghur and Zurrieq were promoted from the 2008–09 Maltese Third Division. The Maltese Second Division 2009–10 was won by Lija Athletic. The runners-up were St. Andrews. Gharghur and Gozo FC were relegated. Santa Venra Lightning were also relegated after losing in the relegation playoffs.


2009–10 Maltese Second and Third Division Knock-Out
The 2009–10 Second and Third Division Knock-Out (known as quick Keno Second and Third Division Knock-Out for sponsorship reasons) was a knockout tournament for Maltese football clubs playing in the Second and Third Division. The competition was held between 31 August 2009 and 22 May 2010, with the winners being Third Division side Żejtun Corinthians.


2009–10 Maltese Third Division
The Maltese Third Division 2009–10 (known as BOV 3rd Division 2009–10 due to sponsorship reasons) was the 10th season of the Maltese Third Division. It started in September 2009 and ended in May 2010 with the promotion play-offs. Naxxar Lions, Mgarr United and Marsa were relegated from the 2008–09 Maltese Second Division.


2009–10 Maltese Third Division
The division is divided into two sections (Section A and Section B), both with 10 teams. The winners of each section faced each other in a play-off where the winner was crowned as champion of the division, but both teams were still given the promotion.


2009–10 Maltese Third Division
Mgarr United won Section A, while Zejtun Corinthians won Section B after a decider with Naxxar Lions. In the Championship play-off Zejtun bet Mgarr 4–3 to win the Division.


2009–10 Maltese Third Division
In the promotion play-offs semi-final Gudja United beat Santa Venera, who finished 10th in the Second Division. In the final Naxxar Lions defeated Gudja on penalties to win promotion.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season
The 2009–10 season is Manchester City Football Club's eighth consecutive season playing in the Premier League, the top division of English football, and its thirteenth season since the Premier League was first created with Manchester City as one of its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, it is the team's 118th season playing in a division of English football, most of which have been spent in the top flight. The club started the season under the management of Mark Hughes who was sacked in mid-December after the team drew seven consecutive matches in the Premier League. He was replaced by the Italian manager Roberto Mancini.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
New manager Roberto Mancini began the season with only five months in the job at Eastlands.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
With a prolific 29 goals in his first season at the club, Carlos Tevez was widely regarded as the club's best and most important player this season. The previous season's fan's favourite and top scorer, Robinho, was less successful, and in January he was loaned out to Brazilian club Santos for the remainder of the season only serving to emphasise the magnitude of his failure to deliver on the pitch anything remotely comparable to what he had already received in his bank account.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
The team lost its last home game of the season to fellow rivals for landing one of the Premier League's "Top Four" elite slots, Tottenham Hotspur, in what had been dubbed by the media beforehand as the "Champions League play-off" game. Breaking the established stranglehold of the "Big Four" had been one of the ambitions of the club's new wealthy owners. However, one of the positives of the season's campaign was that the club reached its first major semi-final since 1981 before finally succumbing to the eventual trophy winners, Manchester United. The City team also notched up some highly noteworthy victories over the other "Top Four" incumbents, Chelsea and Arsenal.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
In fact, Manchester City earned itself the distinction of being the only team to do the "league double" over the team that ultimately achieved the "league and cup double" this season.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Kit, Kit information
For the 2009–10 season, the shirt sponsor for all of the club's kits was Etihad Airways, which replaced the previous season's sponsor, Thomas Cook. There was also a change in the supplier of those kits for this season, with Nike-owned Umbro replacing the previous season's supplier, Le Coq Sportif. As a result of the switch from its prior French kit supplier to the Greater Manchester-based Umbro, all of the club's previous season's team and goalkeeper kits were essentially replaced with new ones for this season.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Kit, Kit information
The overall sky blue colour of the first team kit was retained but the style and trim of this strip was significantly changed. Completely new away and third team kits were introduced, while a new all-green goalkeeper strip replaced the previous season's gold and black strip as the primary one for use by the goalkeepers, with a newly styled and trimmed variant of the old gold and black strip which became the secondary strip for use by the goalkeepers in away fixtures.


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Kit, Kit information
The new all-black away team kit came with gold vertical shoulder trim on the front that enabled the kit to be colour-coordinated with the gold and black goalkeeper strip, although it was sometimes also used with the all-green goalkeeper strip. This gold and black colour scheme was, according to its designer David Blanch, intended to be symbolic of the globe covered with bees (representing the world, to all parts of which the goods of the city were exported) that was featured on the city of .


2009–10 Manchester City F.C. season, Kit, Kit information
That was because the Manchester City teams in the past have established the unique tradition of always wearing this  when playing at Wembley (or in a major cup final elsewhere) as a symbol of their pride in representing the city of Manchester at a major sporting event. In heraldic terms, the bee was symbolic of a hive of industry, and even today the Manchester bee was often used all by itself as a shorthand emblem for the city of Manchester.