Football To You

Park on the comeback trail.

2008-08-13T16:52:00.005Z

Ji-sung Park hopes to be back in training next week after spending pre-season recovering from a knee injury. Park was a key player for Man Utd during the run in at the end of last season playing a key role in the League and European double. Park is still set to miss the opener against Newcastle but will return to training next week. Park, who joined United from PSV Eindhoven, has played 57 times for the reds scoring 7 goals. Park performed well in United's Champions League campaign against Roma and Barcelona and was unlucky not to feature in the final. The return of the South Korean will be a boost to United going into the season. For all the latest football news remember to check out the homepage.

Five More Years

2008-08-13T16:06:00.004Z

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has put an end to the speculation linking him with a move away from Stamford Bridge by signing a new 5 year deal at current employers Chelsea. Rumours have been circulating all summer about a possible move from Lampard to Inter Milan where he would have linked up with former Chelsea favourite turned Inter boss Jose Mourinho. Lampard's new deal will keep him at the club until 2013 and will most likely mean that the midfielder, who joined Chelsea from West Ham for £11m in 2001, will play for Chelsea for the rest of his career. The news will come as a boost to new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari as he looks to challenge Man Utd for the Premiership crown this season. Lampard has scored 74 goals in 247 appearances.

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FC Twente Analysis: Video Evidence

2008-08-13T11:56:00.003Z

Arsenal will face FC Twente in tonight's crucial Champions League qualifier, but how much do we know about the Dutch side? Well they finished 4th in the Dutch league last season and beat Ajax in a playoff to qualify for the Champions League, they are managed by Steve McClaren and Blaise N'Kufo has been to top goalscorer for the past 5 seasons. If you want to know what Twente are all about watch the video below that shows all their goals in the 07/08 season. N'Kufo certainly looks like a player to watch tonight and the Gunners will need to keep the Swiss striker under wraps if they wish to qualify. Enjoy!

Arsenal Face FC Twente With Weakened Side

2008-08-13T11:32:00.002Z

Arsenal go into tonights crucial Champions League qualifier against Steve McClaren's FC Twente missing a host of key players. The most notable of which is midfielder Cesc Fabregas who is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Also unavailable are Kolo Toure, Abou Diaby, Philippe Senderos, Samir Nasri and long term absentees Thomas Rosicky and Eduardo. As a result of all their injuries it seems that Arsenal could be ready to hand a debut to youngster Aaron Ramsey who joined the club from Cardiff in the summer. This will be the first real test for the youngster on the big stage and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure of a very important game. Arsenal have a tough test against FC Twente and Arsene Wenger will feel that failue to qualify is not an option. That said Arsenal are playing a team managed by Steve McClaren so they are likely to face opposition who will bottle and fail to qualify.

Spurs Sign Another Keeper

2008-08-12T11:59:00.003Z

Tottenham have blostered there Goalkeeping options with the signing of 36 year old Spanish Goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez from Real Zaragoza. Sanchez is expected to play second fiddle to Tottenham's other goalkeeping signing Heurelho Gomes who joined the club earlier in the summer for £7.8m from PSV Eindhoven. Spurs boss Juande Ramos has been looking to improve on the man between the sticks due to the sale of Paul Robinson after a string of errors saw him lose his position to Radek Cerny, who has also left the club for Queens Park Rangers. Sanchez joins a long line of new faces that have come into White Hart Lane this summer, signings that many believe will catapult Tottenham into the top 4.

West Brom Release Portuguese Defender

2008-08-12T11:29:00.002Z

West Brom have signed Abdoulaye Meite, Marek Cech and Gianni Zuiverloon as defensive options this summer as they look to reatin their newly found Premier League status. All the new additions mean that there is no room left in the squad for Portuguese defender Tininho. Tininho signed from Beira Mar in a £230,000 deal but only managed one appearance for the Baggies last season. He also played 3 games on loan at Barnsley. Tininho is now expected to join Portuguese side Leixões.

Darren Bent For England

2008-08-12T11:07:00.003Z

England manager Fabio Capello has indicated that Spurs front man Darren Bent may be in line for a recall to the England setup. Bent currently has 3 caps for the national side but having sent England assistant coach Franco Baldini to watch Bent against Roma Capello has decided that perhaps it is time for Bent to increase his tally. Capello stated that "Baldini told me he played very well so we will have to wait and see,". Bent has been prolific in pre-season having scored a whopping 13 goals whereas England regulars Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney have both struggled with injury and illness. Capello will announce his squad for the friendly against Czech Republic on Saturday evening with the game taking place on August 20. The question has to be asked whether Bent, a player who scored just 8 goals in 36 games for Tottenham last season is good enough to be an England centre forward. In my opinion he certainly is, when on form Bent has the touch and class to be a Premiership leading light and if he can carry his pre season form into the Premier League and perhaps the international stage then England will find themselves with a very useful asset.

Kaka to Chelsea

2008-08-11T22:30:00.003Z

Rumours are circulating that AC Milan midfielder Kaka is willing to move to Chelsea if the two clubs can agree a fee. The Daily telegraph reports that Chelsea have denied making a world record breaking offer the 26 year Brazillian wonderplayer. Kaka who is currently the world player of the year is being valued at the same price as Real Madrid value Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea have been linked with Brazilian Robinho in recent weeks and there has always been an interest in Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaka, from a variety of European giants. It is a little known fact that Kaka suffered a career threatening injury that almost paralysed him at the age of 18. Kaka was involved in a swimming pool accident but remarkably made a full recovery and has since tithed his earnings to the church after attributing his recovery to God. Kaka will count himself lucky that he is a player alledgley subject to a world record transfer bid when it could have been so different for the now world class midfielder.

Pompey Strenghten with French Centre Back

2008-08-11T12:38:00.003Z

Portsmouth are close to completing the signing of French defender Younes Kaboul. Kaboul who had been strongly linked with a move to Sunderland before his agent declared that the transfer would never happen "not even if there was an earthquake" has played 10 times for the French U-21 side. He joined Tottenham in 2007 and made just over 20 appearances for the North London side before being told this summer that he was surplus to requirements. Standing at 6ft 3in Kaboul is an imposing figure at the centre of any defence and Harry Redknapp looks to have signed him as a long term replacement for ageing Sol Campbell who turns 34 in September. Kaboul has been criticised by some who believe he manipulated the interest from Sunderland to engineer a move to a "bigger" club. Portsmouth coach Joe Jordan describes Kaboul as a "very good athlete, strong in the air, and he's quick" Kaboul will be one to watch this season as he attempts to prove himself on the Premiership stage.

West Brom Sign Bolton Defender

2008-08-11T12:01:00.002Z

Abdoulaye Meite has joined newly promoted West Brom from Bolton as the baggies look to strengthen ahead of the Premiership campaign. The Ivory Coast centre back moves to the Hawthorns in a deal worth £2m. Meite who made 56 appearances for Bolton since joining in in 2006 has signed a 3 year deal that could be extended if the club wish to keep him at the club. Meite is a strong and powerful player and will add weight and Premier league experience to the West Brom defence.

Jens Lehman Retires From International Football

2008-08-08T19:50:00.002Z

Jens Lehman has retired from international football at the age of 38. Despite a succesful display in goal for Germany during Euro 2008 the ex-Arsenal stopper has decided to call it a day. Lehman made 61 appearances for Germany playing his first game against Oman in Febuary 1998. Lehman also looks set to retire from football altogether when his contract at Stuttgart runs out at the end of the coming season. Lehman, who has been involved in 3 world cup squads during his career, confrimed his retirement earlier today. "I suggested to him (Low) and to (goalkeeping coach) Andreas Koepke that they no longer include me in their plans for the German national team," he said. Lehman has always been a quality keeper but could have been far more succesful in a German shirt had he not had to live in the shadow of one of the all time greats - Oliver Kahn.

Tottenham Favourites For Premier League

2008-08-08T17:00:00.004Z

After just 5 hours of voting Tottenham have raced into a massive lead on the Football To You Who will win the Premiership poll. Readers seem to have been swayed by their activity in the transfer market including the signings of Giovanni dos Santos, Luka Modric and David Bentley. The north London club have also been linked with major names such as David Villa and Andrei Arshavin. However I am shocked to see them as most people's favourites to win the league it would be a remarkable achievement for them to overturn the dominance of the top 4. For Tottenham to win the league would require a massive turn around in fortunes for the big English clubs and I disagree strongly with Tottenham at the top of the poll. If you disagree as well remember to cast your vote. Also Hull City 16 votes, incredible, that's about as likely as a Chris Kamara going an entire season on Sky Sports without mentioning the words "un" and "believable".

Debate and Poll: Who Will Win The Premiership

2008-08-08T13:36:00.003Z

The vote is in for Football To You's "Who Will The Championship?" poll and the results can be seen on the homepage but now it is time for the big one. Who will win the Premiership? Thinking logically there can only really be 4 competitors. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and current holders Manchester United. Picking between these four is going to be a difficult choice this year with Manchester United likely to be strong contenders having managed to retain top goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo during the summer. Chelsea pushed the Red Devils close last season and in my opinion are likely to do the same again this season. If they can complete the signing of Robinho from Real Madrid that has been widely reported then their odds are likely to be cut. In my opinion these two clubs are the main contenders but then there are the other two of the big four. Arsenal have lost several players in the summer including Aliaksander Hleb and Gilberto Silva but have strengthened with the likes of Samir Nasri. Arsene Wenger always manages to get the best out of his team and if players like Fabregas and Adebayor can stay injury free then they will be there or thereabouts. Then of course there is Liverpool, the perenial under-achievers in terms of domestic success but this could be their season, Torres is likely to be amongst the top goalscorers and if his partnership with proven goalscorer Robbie Keane kicks off who knows how many goals they can score. Driven on by skipper Steven Gerrard Liverpool should definately not be discounted. So there you have it 4 likely competeters but maybe Tottenham can break into that top 4 this season or even mount a title challenge. What do you think? Remember to vote in the poll or leave a comment to voice your opinion.

QPR Will Win The Championship

2008-08-08T13:21:00.003Z

The results are in and Football To You readers have decided that QPR will be the team to lift the Championship trophy at the end of the season. Despite recent financial troubles QPR have seen heavy investment from Forumla 1 tycoons Flavio Briatore and Bernie Eccleston. Having signed some interesting players, including Real Madrid youngster Daniel Parejo, in the summer it would appear that QPR are many people's favourites for the Championship crown although the bookies favourite is still Birmingham City. The Football To You poll has run for a few days and with the season kicking off tomorrow it is time to announce the results, they are as follows.

Overall votes = 455

Top 5

QPR - 29.2% - 133

Birmingham - 18.9% - 86

Ipswich - 10.1% - 46

Reading - 8.6% - 39

Crystal Palace - 7.5% - 34

So have our readers voted sensibly or not. Will QPR achieve Championship success, only time will tell, but for now why not leave a comment and voice your opinion.

Robinho To Chelsea - £19.7m Bid.

2008-08-07T19:39:00.003Z

Robinho's move to Chelsea appears to be back on after they tabled a £19.7m bid for the Brazillian striker. Robinho is said, by his agent, to be keen on a move away from the Bernabau after Madrid attempted to use the 24 year old as a make weight in a deal to bring Ronaldo to Madrid. Robinho's agent is quoted as saying "What matters for Robinho is to leave the club and play for Scolari at Chelsea." Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon believes that the only stumbling block in the transfer being completed is Real's search for a replacement and with Roman Calderon hinting earlier this week that Real's signing of Rafael van der Vaart would be their only one of the summer this stumbling block could prove crucial. It would certainly appear from the comments of Robinho's agent that the Brazillian is no longer interested in a career at Madrid and with Chelsea's new bid it seems that a move away is not too far away.

Ipswich Snap Up Ex-Real Madrid Star

2008-08-07T13:55:00.002Z

Ipswich have confirmed their intentions to reach the Premier League this season by signing ex Real Madrid and Bolton midfielder Ivan Campo. He completes a free transfer to the club after leaving Bolton at the end of last season. Famous for his afro hair style campo notched up over 150 appearances in Bolton helping them to qualify for European qualification on several occasions. The tractor boys have been linked with big names this summer includung Dave Nugent and have now signed a player that had been linked to Premiership new boys Hull City. Their ability to snatch a player of this quality from under Hulls noses strongly signals their intent for the coming season. The club are also Football To You's dark horses to win the league this season.

Football League Preview - All The Odds

2008-08-07T13:10:00.002Z

A new season of football league kicks off on saturday and all 72 clubs will be hoping that they will be the ones to prosper. League success is possible for any club as the slate is wiped clean, on the opening day everybody is equal unless of course you are Luton Town and have been cruely deducted 30 points before a ball has been kicked. So who are the bookies favourites for the new season. We take a look at the odds throughout the leagues.

Coca Cola Championship

To win the league.

Birmingham 6-1
QPR 9-1
Reading 10-1
Sheff Utd 12-1
Wolves 14-1

Birmingham are favourites to bounce straight back but the Football To You readers poll shows that most expect QPR to lift the cup come the end of the season.

Hot Tip: QPR 9-1 Outsiders: Ipswich 16-1

Coca Cola League 1

To win the league.

Leeds 3-1
Leicester 6-1
Peterbrough 11-1
Huddersfield 16-1
MK Dons 16-1

Leeds are expected to put the dissapointment of last seasons playoffs behind them and return to the Championship but could newly promoted Peterbrough or MK Dons make a challenge.

Hot Tip: Leicester 6-1 Outsiders: MK Dons 16-1

Coca Cola League 2

To win the league.

Shrewsbury 8-1
Bradford 10-1
Darlington 10-1
Gillingham 11-1
Rochdale 12-1

Well it looks like the bookies fancy Shrewsbury to continute climbing the leagues after conference football a few years ago. We are inclined to agree.

Hot Tip: Shrewsbury 8-1 Outsiders: Wycombe 12-1

Note: All odds are sourced from www.oddschecker.co.uk and are the best prices offered by a range of bookmakers on who will win the league. All odds are correct at time of publishing.

Remember to check the homepage for all the latest football action and please keep supporting the site. Thanks!

Villa's Young English Talent To Expand

2008-08-07T11:44:00.005Z

Aston Villa's brigade of young English players looks set to expand with the transfer of Nicky Shorey and Luke Young into the club. Martin O'Neill seems to keen to build success on a group of English talent with players such as Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashely Young, Curtis Davies and Zat Knight to name but a few. Villa had been keen to bolster there defensive options following the departure, on a free transfer, of Olof Mellberg to Juventus and the long term injury of Wilfred Bouma. A fee has been agreed for both Luke Young of Middlesbrough and Nicky Shorey of Reading whose departure from the Championship club has been an inevitability for some time. Middlesbrough will be hoping to profit from Luke Young who they bought from Charlton for £2.5m last summer. Both defenders have England experience and look set to be good additions to an already strong Villa side. No doubt Martin O'neill will be hoping to lead his side into a European position at the end of the season. Remember to check the homepage for the latest football action and please keep supporting the site.

Andy Johnson Joins Fulham

2008-08-07T09:16:00.002Z

Everton and England striker Andy Johnson has joined Fulham for an undiscolosed fee thought to be an 8 figure sum. The 5ft 7in striker has been capped 8 times for England but is yet to score. Johnson first showed his capabilities at Crystal Palace becoming the second top goalscorer in Crystal Palace's Premiership season of 2004/05. Fulhan will be happy to have signed the hitman after having trailled him for a long time, they are thought to have fought off competition from Wigan for his signature and will be hoping that Johnson fills their void for a 20 goal a season striker. Strikers such as David Healy, Diomansy Kamara and Erik Nevland have all failed to score prolifically at Craven Cottage and Roy Hodgson needs Johnson to show his class this season if Fulham are to achieve a respectable league position. Remember to check out the homepage for the latest football acton!

Eduardo On The Mend: A Video Review

2008-08-06T17:13:00.005Z

Eduardo is on the road to recovery but in case you have forgotten what the Croation Striker is all about here are some highlights of his Arsenal career to date. Judging by this footage Eduardo will be worth some money down the betting shop when he returns. We wish him all the best.

Ljunberg Not Wanted At Hammers

2008-08-06T16:18:00.003Z

Freddie ljunberg has had his contract terminated at West Ham United by mutual consent. The Swedish winger struggled to break into the first team at Upton Park last season due to injury but proved his fitness at this summers Euro 2008 tournament. The decision has however been taken to cancel his contrat. Ljunberg was clearly on a high wage at the Hammers and they will be keen to save his wages although a significant payment to the player is likely. Ljunberg has stated that it is now time for him to "consider my football future". Perhaps the formal Arsenal favourite is about to retire. Thanks for supporting Football To You.

What a Signing!

2008-08-06T14:32:00.003Z

With the season creeping up on us Football To You is starting to consider which club has done the best business in the summer. Lots of deals have gone through and lots of money has been thrown about but who will prove to be the most effective and the best value for money come the 38 game mark in the Premier League. Of course it's often hard to judge - Deco to Chelsea for £7.9m could be a steal or the Portuguese midfielder could prove as useful as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest. In order to identify who will succeed its important to consider whether a player will settle in the country or whether they will gel with their new team mates. My tip for Premier League success is 19 year old Mexican winger Giovanni Dos Santos now of Tottenham. The former Barcelona player has the potential to set the league alight this year and for a player who was a regular at the Nou Camp last season scoring a hat trick on the final day of the season £4.7m seems a steal. This price may rise to £8.6m but even so it is much less than the £15m they paid for Bentley. What we want to know is who is your Premiership star buy? Robbie Keane? Samir Nasri? David Bentley? Anthony Gardener? El Hadji Diouf? or anyone of the host of others? To let us know leave a comment below. Remember see the homepage for all our other football action!

QPR Boss Dowie Faces Sack

2008-08-06T12:53:00.002Z

A row has erupted at QPR which could result in the dismissal of manager Iain Dowie from the Championship promotion hopefuls. Football To You readers have currently voted QPR as their favourites to win the league with over 50% of the vote. There ambitions could however be hampered by a row over an unkown player from the middle east. The row between Dowie and QPR Italien co-owner Flavio Briatore threatens Dowies postion after just 3 months in charge as Briatore is understood to have told the former West Ham and Crystal Palace player that he would be dismissed. Any shift in managerial control this late on could be damaging to the London club but it may be a possibility with Sam Allardyce and Mike Newell already being touted as replacements. For all todays other news remember to check out the homepage and don't forget to cast your vote on "Who will in the Championship!"

Outside Championship Contenders: Ipswich

2008-08-06T12:07:00.004Z

Since voting opened yesterday Ipswich have attracted just 2.3% of the votes in Football To You's "Who will win the championship poll". Not a lot of people seem to be backing Jim Magilton's Tractor Boys but despite no success in recent years the Easy Anglian club may well be an outside shout for promotion back to the big time. Ipswich have been linked to some well known and potentially very effective players at Championship level. I'm talking about players such as Dave Nugent who is proven at this level and Angelos Charisteas of Greece who helped them win the European Championships in 2004. Having already resigned Richard Wright - a goalie once tipped for England first team success and with players such as Ipswich legend Pablo Counago and young starlet Danny Haynes who knows what Ipswich can achieve this season. Most betting site currently have them at 6th or 7th favourite to win the league outright and I for one would not be suprised to see Jim Magilton lead his side into the playoffs if not further. Of course they are not the favourties and they will require luck along the way but if Ipswich can pull of some of their ambitious transfer targets then they will certainly be the team to watch in this seasons 2nd tier. Remember for all todays big footy news, rumour and debate check out the homepage.

Savage Leaving Derby

2008-08-06T11:14:00.005Z

Speculation is rife that Robbie Savage could make a shock return to his old club Leicester City amid a fall out with Derby boss Paul Jewell. Earlier this week Jewell declared himself publicly unhappy with Savage's performances in training stating that "Robbie wasn't happy about not being first choice and I wasn't happy with the way he reacted in training", this statement coupled with Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric's confirmation that Savage's name had been mentioned whilst considering new signings. Savage played for the club for five years between 97 and 2002 helping them to win the league cup in 2000 scoring 8 goals. For more of todays news including an early return for Kenwyne Jones and news on a GB football team at the Olympics check out the homepage.