The Premiership

Team of the Week - Mark

noreply@blogger.com (digodlio) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:36:00 +0000

After another week of fantastic drama in the Premiership i have come to conclusion of my team of the week:

-------------Jasskalainen-------------

-Rafael---Lescott---Gallas---Arbeloa-

------Nasri---Collison---Tuncay------

-------Keane---Anelka---Saha-------

Team of the Week - Sam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:08:00 +0000

After some great games this weekend such as Arsenal vs Man Utd this is my team of the week:

-----------Jaaskelainen-----------

-Arbeloa--Gallas--Lescott--Da Silva-

------Nasri--Lampard--Tuncay-----

-------Keane--Anelka--Bent--------

Results this Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:04:00 +0000

These are the results from the 08/09 November weekend:

Saturday 8th November:

Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd
Hull 0-1 Bolton
Liverpool 3-0 West Brom
Sunderland 1-2 Portsmouth
West Ham 1-3 Everton
Wigan 0-0 Stoke

Sunday 9th November:

Aston Villa 1-2 Middlesbrough
Blackburn 0-2 Chelsea
Man City 1-2 Tottenham
Fulham 2-1 Newcastle

Back to his best?

noreply@blogger.com (digodlio) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo has added 4 goals to his tally this season in the last 2 games. Before Wednesdays game against West Ham Ronaldo had only scored 1 goal in the Premiership. But with 2 goals against the Hammers Ronaldo seemed to have changed his mood. He seems more happy and part of the team. He then added to his 2 goals against West Ham by scoring 2 more on Saturday against Hull. Ronaldo all together seems happier now as United look more of a threat again.

Ronaldo joined Old Trafford in the 2002-03 season for a fee of 12.5mill and by the amount of goals he has created and scored 12.5million is a bargain for a player of such ability. A player who was accused of diving by a lot of managers, mostly Gareth Southgate, he has seemed to be a hero to all United fans but a villain to every other team. Where ever he goes i wouldnt be surprised if he got a booed a few times. Last season he was unstoppable scoring 42 goals in all competions pretty impressive seeing though he is a winger. He helped them to the Premiership and Champions League double. Ronaldo hsa also won his fair share of prizes himself for Player of the Month and Player of the Year in the Premiership and also Europe. His skill his phenomanal sometimes out doing defenders for pace and skill and sometime strength he seems to have it all in his bag. And after a summer of contoversy he decided to stay put at United all though not denying interest in a move to high flying Spanish giants Real Madrid.

His he back to his best? Its looking that way at the moment.

Team of the Week - Mark

noreply@blogger.com (digodlio) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:55:00 +0000

After another week of fantastic Premiership games i have chosen my team of the week.

-----------Turnball-----------

-Delap--Alex--Vidic--Dawson-

-Carrick--Lampard--Ronaldo-

Fuller--Anelka--Pavylechenko

Team of the Week - Sam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:59:00 +0000

After a great week of games including some shocks this is my team of the week:

-------------Turnbull-------------

-Delap-Alex-Woodgate-Shawcross-

--------------Mendy-----------------

----Malouda--Lampard--Ronaldo----

--------Pavlyuchenko--Anelka--------

Game of the Month - October 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham

Team of the Week - Mark

noreply@blogger.com (digodlio) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:09:00 +0000

After a week of shocks in the Premiership i have concluded my team of the week. Chelsea's 83 unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge came to an end as Liverpool won 1-0 today.

----------------Green----------------

Brown--Zayatte--Carragher--Laursen

Robinho--Elano--Fletcher--Richardson

----------Cisse--Agbonlahor----------

Team of the Week - Sam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:08:00 +0000

After a great week of games including some shocks this is my team of the week:

--------------Myhill-------------

----D Marney---Carragher---Laursen---

---Geovanni--Richardson--Alonso--

--M King---Robinho---Agbonlahor---Cisse--

Tottenham Sack Ramos For Redknapp

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:40:00 +0000

Tottenham Hotspur have appointed former Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp as their new manager after sacking Juande Ramos late on Saturday night.

Spurs have agreed a compensation package of £5m with Portsmouth, according to the 61-year-old Redknapp.

Tottenham also axed sporting director Damien Comolli and first-team coaches Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez following their worst start to a season.

"It's a big opportunity to manage a big club before I retire," said Redknapp.

Redknapp plans to be at White Hart Lane on Sunday to address the players before they take on Bolton, with development squad coach, Clive Allen, and youth team manager, Alex Inglethorpe, officially in charge for the match.

Spurs are four points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League after taking just two points from eight matches this season. They also lost to Udinese in the Uefa Cup on Thursday.

Player of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (digodlio) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:17:00 +0000

This weeks player of the week is Wayne Rooney. Wayne helped United on there way to a 4-0 victory over West Brom at Old Trafford on Saturday and helped himself to a goal.

Rooney has impresses for club and country over the past few weeks with 8 goals in 6 games. Rooney helped Man U climb up the table to 5th postion after he opened the scoring through a fantastic solo effort. Rooney now hopes he can keep up his scoring record by scoring against Celtic tomorow night.

We've seen it all before. Rooney emerges from a quiet spell to score a cluster of goals and suddenly he looks like the world's best player, at last realizing the potential many saw in him as a raw 16-year-old kid.

Then he picks up an injury or a suspension, misses a couple of matches and disappears into a cloud of frustration and gloom, angry with everyone around him and failing to score game after game.

United manager Alex Ferguson hopes this spree — four goals in four games for the Red Devils and four in two World Cup qualifying matches for England — keeps going, especially with Celtic at Old Trafford in a Champions League game Tuesday.

Rooney was in tight contention for the player of the week as Wigan striker Zaki has been in superb form this season as he scored twice in a 3-2 defeat at Anfield. With Rooney in such good form what's to stop him grabbing this award next week aswell.

Team of the Week - Sam

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:16:00 +0000

After a week of fantastic games i have come to a conclusion of my team of the week:

--------------James-------------

-Delap--Vidic--Turner--Bosingwa-

---Geovanni--Robinho--Lampard--

--------Rooney---Kalou---Zaki------

Team of the Week - Mark

noreply@blogger.com (digodlio) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:49:00 +0000

After a week of fantastic games i have come to a conclusion of my team of the Week.

-----------Schwarzer----------

Chimbonda--Turner--Vidic--Bosingwa

------Petrov--Belletti--Malouda-------

--------Kalou---Zaki---Rooney--------

News in brief - Fri 17th Oct

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:54:00 +0000

A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League Club.

Arsenal
Midfielder Cesc Fabregas has pointed to a lack of experience to explain some of his side's uncharacteristic slip-ups this season. Defeat to Barclays Premier League newcomers Hull City and a 1-1 draw at Sunderland - courtesy of the Spaniard's last-gasp equaliser - have seen the Gunners drop four points in their last two matches. The 21-year-old said: "Our squad is a bit short on numbers and we are very young. Behind me there is Denilson, who is 20, or Alex Song who is 21. Theo Walcott is 19 and Samir Nasri 21. It's hard to imagine a midfield where I am the oldest member."

Aston Villa
Steve Sidwell claims the key to beating Portsmouth this weekend will be winning the midfield battle against former Arsenal and Chelsea ball-winner Lassana Diarra. Sidwell played with Diarra at Stamford Bridge and believes the Frenchman can run the match with his skill and athleticism. He said: "He covers so much ground and can chip in with the odd goal. He has been Portsmouth`s lynchpin since he signed. Like me, he elected to leave Chelsea to re-establish himself somewhere else. He elected to go to Portsmouth and I`m sure Harry was delighted to sign him. The longer they can keep hold of Lassana the better because if he left it would be a big blow. He is a quiet lad off the field. He came into training at Chelsea, worked hard and then went home. He did his talking on the pitch, which is the best way to be."

Blackburn Rovers
Midfielder Vince Grella believes he will hit the ground running after seeing the start of his Ewood Park career wrecked by injury. The Australian summer signing has not featured since making his debut for Rovers at the end of August due to a calf problem. Fit-again Grella has used his enforced rest to good effect, however, and is now confident he can make a big impact when manager Paul Ince hands him his chance. He said: "In these weeks I've been out, I've had the opportunity to watch games closely and see certain patterns. It will be an advantage for me and a part of my preparation for when I come back into the team. Apart from the initial disappointment of the injury, from then onwards I've enjoyed my time here. The boys have helped me settle in and the medical staff have been fantastic. I've worked well and there have been no hiccups along the way."

Bolton Wanderers
Gary Megson feels that clubs get a raw deal from the current international fixture list. Bolton Wanderers face Blackburn Rovers in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, but Megson is still waiting for a few of his players to arrive back from international duty. He said: "It does alter things a little bit, because you can't get yourself into that methodical way where you know what you're doing week in week out. You've got these international breaks coming up. But it's part of football now, and you have to cope with that. I don't think there's a solution until the rules change, and they would have to change radically. What would solve it from the clubs' point of view is if the federations had to pay the players themselves - I think you'd see an entirely different way of acting then. But I don't think that will ever happen for one minute, so we have to cope with it. There may be a compromise solution, though. If they played internationals on a Tuesday it would help the clubs, who in the end are paying the players' wages, because we'd get them back a day earlier. I hope that might come in at some stage."

Chelsea
Didier Drogba insists he is happy at Chelsea despite admitting he has wanted to leave every year since he joined the Blues. The Ivory Coast striker, currently out of action with an injury to his right knee, says he has wanted to quit the Blues every summer since joining in 2004, but is relieved to have changed his mind. And in his autobiography, the English version of which was launched at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, Drogba said: "Yes I am glad I stayed. Last year I said I wanted to leave and every season I have said I have wanted to leave but I am still here. This is the club which suits me best. This is the only club where I won all the titles I have now. I am happy to be here and to stay with my friends."

Everton
Left-back Leighton Baines is relishing the challenge of back-to-back matches against two of the Barclays Premier League's in-form wingers. The Blues take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday before welcoming Manchester United to Goodison Park seven days later. It means Baines could potentially come face-to-face with England starlet Theo Walcott and reigning English Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo in successive fixtures. Baines said: "They're top players. Theo now is probably at the top of his game. He's only young but he's playing as well as he has played in his career so far. They're tough games but, you know, that's what this league is all about and if you get the chance to play against them it's a great chance to prove yourself."

Fulham
Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara is hoping to return to action by Christmas, or soon after, as his recovery from a knee ligament injury continues. The Senegal forward admits he was frustrated in the early stages after surgery but is encouraged by his progress since. He said: "It's going very well. I'm two or three months away from playing, so I'm happy with the way the rehabilitation is going. After the operation I was a little bit frustrated. But now it's OK, and in a few more months I'll be playing football."

Hull City
Phil Brown is looking to maintain his side's flying start in the Barclays Premier League with victory against another London club on Sunday. The Tigers sit third in the table and boast victories over Fulham, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur among their achievements since winning promotion to the top flight. They are now hoping to add West Ham United to the list at the KC Stadium this weekend. Brown said: "It would be nice to remain undefeated against London clubs, especially with Chelsea on the horizon as well. But we're concentrating on West Ham for now and we'll judge the game on its merits and hopefully we'll come out of it with something in the bag."

Liverpool
Scans have revealed Fernando Torres will be out of action for between 10 and 15 days. Doctors at Melwood discovered a tear in Torres' right hamstring which could rule him out for the next four matches - Wigan Athletic (h), Atletico Madrid (a), Chelsea (a) and Portsmouth (h). The injury was sustained after 17 minutes of Spain's World Cup qualifier in Belgium on Wednesday night. Liverpool spokesman Ian Cotton said: "A scan on Fernando Torres has shown a tear in his right hamstring which will sideline the player for between 10 and 15 days."

Manchester City
Mark Hughes has hailed the defensive partnership of unsung heroes Richard Dunne and Micah Richards. Only Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have a better goal difference than Hughes' side, who now sit 11th in the Barclays Premier League. While the high-profile signings of forwards Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips have grabbed all the headlines since City's multi-million pound takeover, Hughes believes Dunne and Richards are playing a "vital" role for City. He said: "As a partnership, they are doing exceptionally well, they have the physical attributes to make an impact on the opposition, and they are solid when they need to be. They will get stretched at times, that happens with all teams at times, given the way we are playing at the moment they may get exposed because of the nature of our attacking play. But they are vital for what we do. Dunne's a big performer for us, both in stature and influence. He and Micah are a big physical presence at the back and they do a lot of work that affects the tempo of the team. Sometimes that's not recognised or acknowledged."

Manchester United
Carlos Tevez has issued a statement distancing himself from reports which suggested he was not happy with his current form in the Barclays Premier League. The Argentina striker has scored just once this season and had reportedly suggested his form had been affected because of the work he has to do for the team in English football's top division. However his statement read: "I have not given any interviews saying I have any difficulties in the Premier League. I love playing in the Premier League and I am very happy at Manchester United. I want to help the team win and am not worried where I play on the pitch, neither do I feel any extra pressure playing in the Premier League compared to other leagues. I have absolutely no idea where the reports came from. I have given no interview saying I have any difficulties at all with my form or the Premier League itself."

Middlesbrough
Gareth Southgate has revealed that Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca will return to training on Monday in the hope he does not need an operation on his injured ankle. Arca has been back in his home country of Argentina to have his ankle checked out by an eminent specialist. Middlesbrough manager Southgate said: "The trip to Argentina has proved very useful and we are hoping that Julio will have averted the need for an operation. But we will only know when he has fully tested his foot in training." Arca, who suffered the injury in a pre-season friendly at Hibernian, has not yet kicked a ball for Boro in competitive action this season.

Newcastle United
Manager Joe Kinnear is hoping Habib Beye, Obafemi Martins and Jonas Gutierrez could all return to the fray against Manchester City but Michael Owen is set to miss the match with a groin injury. Owen is expected to be sidelined for seven to 10 days but Kinnear believes the comebacks of Beye, Martins and Jonas are a boost to the Tyneside club. He said: "Having players back has lifted people's spirits. It always does when you have people coming back from injury. People start looking over their shoulder and step it up. The worst thing you can have is no competition. And with these people back now you have players fighting to get into the team. It's nice to have top players back in the squad. It adds more quality to the sessions and everybody is now under pressure to hold on to the spot they have had. Everybody has worked hard, people seem happy within themselves and people are expressing themselves. The icing on the cake would be to get a good result against Man City and keep that buzz going."

Portsmouth
Supporters can buy tickets for Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture at Aston Villa from the Villa Park box office on the day of the match at a cost of £33 for adults and £20 for seniors and juniors.

Stoke City
Gerry Francis has revealed he turned down the opportunity to become part of Newcastle United's backroom staff because of a loyalty to Tony Pulis and Stoke City. The former Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers manager was offered the chance to join the coaching set-up at St James' Park by interim manager Joe Kinnear. Instead, Francis has opted to remain in his part-time coaching role with the Potters. Francis said: "We had an agreement in place and obviously I got a very good offer from Newcastle to join Joe and it was a difficult decision. Basically I felt a bit of loyalty to Stoke and (manager) Tony (Pulis) had come to me first and I'd been down there first and I am happy to concentrate on Stoke."

Sunderland
Roy Keane expects Kenwyne Jones to make his comeback in the reserves next week. Jones, sidelined since June with a knee injury, has trained with Sunderland's first-team this week as he closes in on a Barclays Premier League return. If the striker comes through next week's second-string match against Wigan Athletic in Hetton, he could feature in the Wear-Tyne derby the following Saturday. Keane, who takes his side to Fulham this Saturday, said: "Kenwyne's had a good few days' training with the first-team and we'll look to get him involved with the reserves next week. If all goes well, you never know for the following weekend. It's great to see Kenwyne back, it's a big boost for everyone."

Tottenham Hotspur
Ben Alnwick has joined League One side Carlisle United on a one-month loan deal. The 21-year-old goalkeeper enjoyed loan spells with Luton Town and Leicester City last season, after joining Tottenham Hotspur from Sunderland in January, 2007.

West Bromwich Albion
Chris Brunt has admitted the upturn in the team's fortunes will face its acid test against Manchester United on Saturday. Albion have won three of their last four Barclays Premier League matches but Brunt knows a trip to Old Trafford promises to be the ultimate challenge for Tony Mowbray's side. The Northern Ireland midfielder, who returns to the side after a hamstring strain, said: "It is a game we are all looking forward to as it's going to be one our toughest matches of the season. Everyone wants to be involved to see how far we have come since the opening game of the season against Arsenal at the Emirates. We have taken the positives out of the Arsenal match and the last two games have produced two good results and we also kept clean sheets. This shows we have the capability to keep clean sheets which is going to be vitally important to us. Our points return has been reasonably good which has given us a good base upon which to kick on from here. We have some really tough games all together but we have the quality in the side to pick up more points."

West Ham United
Goalkeeper Marek Stech is looking forward to another awayday trip with the senior squad. The 18-year-old is set to travel with the first-team again to Hull City this weekend, having been involved in the matchday set-up against Bolton Wanderers before just missing out on the 18 - although Robert Green will retain the No1 jersey on Sunday after resuming full training following his withdrawal from the England squad with a sore knee. Stech has started for the reserves in their previous two matches against West Bromwich Albion and Fulham and is focused only on applying pressure on Green and Jan Lastuvka in the West Ham United pecking order. "It's great training with the first-team as you get good experience," said the Czech Republic youth international who signed a new five-year deal in the summer. "You see the atmosphere on the pitch. It's great to train with the first-team and to be with the players before and after the game. It's a nice experience even just to warm up before the game."

Wigan Athletic
Emile Heskey is winning over the England fans. The Wigan Athletic striker gained his 50th cap in the 3-1 win in Belarus and although he has hit only five international goals, he has been credited with bringing the best out of his strike partners and Wayne Rooney in particular. Supporters at the Dinamo Stadium even sang his name, rather than Rooney's, when he set up the Manchester United star just after the interval and Heskey said: "That was great. The fans got behind me perfectly. It was a difficult place to come - not many people have done well here - and it was great to win."

News in brief - Thurs 16th Oct

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:44:00 +0000

A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club.

Arsenal
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been included on a five-man shortlist for the 2008 African Player of the Year Award. The Togo frontman has been rewarded for his fine performances for club and country. He is up against Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, as well as Wigan Athletic and Egypt striker Amr Zaki and another Egyptian, Mohamed Aboutrika.

Aston Villa
Villa fans have the chance to win a pair of luxury hospitality tickets to Saturday's Barclays Premier League match against Portsmouth. Answer a simple question on the club's official website for your chance to win an exclusive trip to Villa Park to enjoy the top-flight atmosphere as a VIP guest in their Doug Ellis Stand Executive Box. Runner-up prizes are also available.

Blackburn Rovers
Brett Emerton scored twice as Australia leapfrogged Qatar in their World Cup qualifying group with an impressive 4-0 victory in Brisbane earlier on Wednesday. Tim Cahill opened the scoring after just nine minutes and when the Everton midfielder was upended inside the box just eight minutes later, Emerton cooly converted from the spot. The hosts wrapped things up when Emerton netted his second of the night - his fourth goal in Australia's last two matches against Qatar - finishing off neat build-up play from strikers Scott McDonald and Josh Kennedy to ram the ball home just before the hour. Kennedy headed home the fourth late on.

Bolton Wanderers
On-loan Stockport County defender Jaroslaw Fojut has returned to his parent club Bolton Wanderers for treatment on an injury. The Pole suffered trouble between his back and hamstring in County's 1-1 draw at Southend United on Saturday. But manager Jim Gannon is banking on him making a swift return to Edgeley Park. He said: "Jarek appears to have had a problem between his back and his hamstring. It's possible that it's not a muscle problem and could be a nerve problem. If that is the case, it could settle down quite quickly and he will return to County."

Chelsea
Young Chelsea centre-back Michael Mancienne could be handed a shock role at the heart of the Blues defence against Middlesbrough on Saturday because of their mounting injury crisis. Captain John Terry (back), Alex (hip and thigh) and Ricardo Carvalho (knee) are all doubts and England under-21 star Mancienne may be given his first Barclays Premier League start in order to shore-up the heart of the defence.

Everton
James Vaughan anticipates an exciting new era under David Moyes - with the current crop of players eager to repay the manager's faith in them. Moyes completed a five year contract extension on Tuesday, before watching Vaughan score twice in Everton Reserves' 3-2 win over Liverpool. Vaughan said: "The gaffer is massive for us. He has done a lot in the time he has been here and now it could be the start of a new era."

Fulham
The kick-off time for Fulham's match against Portsmouth at Fratton Park has been changed. The fixture, being played on Sunday 26th October, will now kick-off at 5:00pm.

Hull City
Phil Brown says that he hasn't had any approaches from other clubs regarding members of his squad. Speculation has surrounded several members of the Tigers' first team squad recently, the latest of which suggested Wayne Brown was set for a loan move to a Championship side, but the City manager has denied that there has been contact with other clubs. "We've got a squad of 25 or 26 players," Brown said. "As far as I'm concerned, every one of them can play Championship football and when they're not in the Premier League 18-man squad there is obviously going to be interest. But I haven't heard anything from any other football club with regards to any of our players."

Liverpool
Spain striker Fernando Torres lasted less than 16 minutes of Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Belgium before being replaced by Cesc Fabregas. Liverpool will be hoping it is not serious problem as they face Wigan Athletic and Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League next week, as well as a Champions League trip to Torres' former club Atletico Madrid. Ryan Babel was also injured on international duty for Holland and will undergo tests to determine the extent of the injury.

Manchester City
Joe Corrigan believes Mark Hughes is the right man to dictate how Manchester City spend their vast new wealth. Hughes is expected to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window following the takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, headed by Prince Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Corrigan - now goalkeeping coach at West Brom - expects the former Blackburn and Wales manager to act wisely and not panic-buy. "Mark knows what players he wants, and I don't think he is the type who will spend money recklessly," said the former England goalkeeper, who spent 17 seasons at the club.

Manchester United
After finding the back of the net twice in both of England's World Cup qualifying matches against Kazakhstan and Belarus, Wayne Rooney is determined to keep his good goal-scoring form going as he turns his attentions to United's visit of West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. "Goals are going in for me and I'm really pleased. I work every day on my finishing and it's going well," he said. "You can always improve, there are weaknesses there I can improve on. I've worked a lot on my finishing and it's starting to pay off on the pitch now which I'm happy about. I believe I'm going to score in any game anyway. I'm a confident person and I'm delighted they are going in at the moment. Hopefully I can keep it going."

Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough fans will now find buying their match tickets online easier than ever after the club relaunched its Online Ticket Office. More than 1,500 fans utilised the service, accessed through the club's official website, for Boro's opening day match against Tottenham, a 138% increase on last season's opening match against Blackburn. And a record number of almost 7,000 - including many season card holders - booked online for last season's FA Cup quarter-final. Chief Operating Officer Neil Bausor said: "We want to make our systems and processes as customer-friendly as possible so that supporters find it simple to book a seat for the Riverside Stadium. A thorough review of our online booking process has helped to highlight several problems that we are confident have now been ironed out."

Newcastle United
Striker Xisco came from the bench to spark an amazing Spanish escape act during their European Under-21 playoff showdown against Switzerland in Murcia. Trailing 2-1 from their first-leg tie, the Spaniards fell further behind when midfielder Shkelzen Gashi netted after 25 minutes. Magpie man Xisco was introduced during the interval and halved the Swiss aggregate lead within six minutes of his arrival with a looping header. The visitors held on to their slender advantage until the fifth minute of injury-time when Recreativo Huelva winger Sisinio volleyed home. The tie looked destined for a penalty shootout until Raul Garcia completed the comeback with eight minutes left on the clock.

Portsmouth
On-loan Portsmouth winger Matt Ritchie has revealed he is keen to extend his loan spell with Dagenham and Redbridge following an impressive start to life at Victoria Road. The 19-year-old is on a one-month loan deal from the FA Cup holders and has helped the Daggers climb to second in League Two. And asked if he would consider extending his stay Ritchie, who has scored twice in two appearances for the club, responded positively. "Definitely. I'm really enjoying it. All the boys are good lads and they've made me feel very welcome," he said. "Reserve football (with Portsmouth) is a high standard and completely different football but playing in League Two is intense, it's fast and it's good."

Stoke City
Stoke City midfielder Salif Diao has described his four-hour terror when Senegal fans went on the rampage following the country's elimination from World Cup qualifying. Diao, along with Potters team-mates Abdoulaye Faye and Ibrahima Sonko, was caught up in crowd trouble in Dakar after their side's 1-1 draw with Gambia on Saturday. The result means Senegal will not play in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa or the African Nations Cup in the same year. Senegal's fans were furious at their failure to qualify and hurled stones and metal bars on to the pitch before rioting in the streets.

Sunderland
Dwight Yorke scored the winner in Trinidad & Tobago's 2-1 victory over the USA in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night. Yorke fired a 79th-minute penalty to put T&T second in CONCACAF Group A. Carlos Edwards, currently on loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers, also played, along with ex-Sunderland striker Stern John.

Tottenham Hotspur
The club's first match in the group stages of this season's UEFA Cup is away to Italian side Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Thursday 23th October. Spurs have been given an allocation of 1,700 tickets for this match. Applications are currently open to all season ticket holders until this Friday (10th October) at 5.00pm. After this point Hotspur Bronze and Lilywhite members are then able to apply for tickets until 5.00pm on Tuesday 14th October.

West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray does not believe Jonathan Greening has anything to prove when he returns to Manchester United on Saturday. The midfielder was signed by the Old Trafford club as a teenager and went on to play for the first team 27 times. He never really established himself at Old Trafford, however, and was sold to Middlesbrough in 2001 before moving on to the Baggies three years later. "I don't think going back to your former club helps you raise your game and sometimes you can get over-hyped because you want to do so well so badly. Sometimes it affects your performance," Mowbray said. "Jonathan just has to go there and show everybody what a good player he is - as he does every week - and not try and over-impress."

West Ham United
Academy director Tony Carr is excited about the form his youngsters have shown so far this season, and is confident that some will soon get their first taste of Barclays Premier League action. "I think a lot of young players will blossom with Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke with the way they are working them," Carr said."Speaking to Gianfranco, he's very much youth-orientated and wants the young players to do well and to give them opportunities. It's my responsibility to ensure that they are good enough and hopefully we are taking steps in that direction."

Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic striker Amr Zaki believes manager Steve Bruce has turned the Lancashire team into one of the Barclays Premier League's most entertaining sides. "Wigan may be a small city but they are definitely not a small team," he said. "We play some of the best football in the league and we have superstar players like (Emile) Heskey and (Antonio) Valencia," he said. "Even in the games we lost this season, we were the better side but were just unlucky."

News in brief - Weds 15th Oct

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:45:00 +0000

A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club.

Arsenal
Tomas Rosicky's agent maintains the recovery of the Arsenal winger is "going according to the plan". Rosicky, 28, has been beset by a series of niggling injuries since his £7million move to Emirates Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in May 2006. The midfielder limped out of the Barclays Premier League home match with Newcastle United in January and has not featured since, also missing Euro 2008 because of the hamstring-related problem. Rosicky's representative Pavel Paska said: Everything is going according to the plan. Tomas' first comeback was rash, now we are treating the situation more carefully. The recovery will be long-term. The team of specialists that cares for Tomas, has been enlarged by another specialist which means the player will be cared for at the best level."

Aston Villa
England Under-21 midfielder James Milner helped his team seal their place in the European Championship finals but insists the Three Lions will not be resting on their laurels ahead of the trip to Sweden next summer. After a 3-2 win at Ninian Park, England were held to a 2-2 draw in the second leg at Villa Park - meaning that Wales were only one goal away from taking the play-off to extra time. "Wales are a quality team and I don't want to take anything away from them, but it was disappointing to concede so many goals in both games," revealed the Villa winger, who won his 40th cap. "This could be good for us though and maybe this is the wake-up call we needed because there's still work to do. We set ourselves high standards and we're disappointed. But it was great performance to get through and we have shown we have everything needed to go on and win the tournament."

Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers managing director Tom Finn has highlighted Rovers' commitment to youth after teenager Jason Banton chose to move to Ewood Park. The 15-year-old England youth international was reportedly a target for other Barclays Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, after leaving Arsenal. Finn said: "Jason has signed with us and we are delighted to have him here. He's a young England international, playing a year above his own age group. There's no doubt that, here at Blackburn, there is a route through to the first team from the Academy."

Bolton Wanderers
Gary Megson is eager for the rest of his international stars to follow Johan Elmander and Danny Shittu's lead by returning back to Bolton with a clean bill of health ahead of the weekend match with Blackburn Rovers. The pair have had only one match to contend with for their respective nations during this international break, while seven other members of the Wanderers playing squad will be in action throughout Europe and the Caribbean on Wednesday evening. Megson explained: "Johan has come back because he has just had the one game for Sweden, while Danny Shittu is on his way home from Nigeria. They are both fit and healthy which is a plus for us, so we hope that everyone else comes back the same way."

Chelsea
Didier Drogba and Michael Essien are among the nominees for the African Player of the Year award. Of the five names in contention, four are currently playing their football in England with the Chelsea pair joined by Arsenal's Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor, Amr Zaki of Wigan Athletic and another Egyptian, Mohamed Aboutreika, who plays for Al-Ahly in his homeland. The award, which is run by the Confederation of African Football, is decided by a poll of the national coaches from 53 African countries. The result will be announced in December. Drogba was the 2006 winner and runner-up in 2005 and 2004. Essien has yet to win but was second last year.

Everton
Manager David Moyes is hoping to fulfil his ambitions with Everton after finally committing his long-term future to the club. The Scot ended months of speculation by signing a new five-year contract with the Goodison Park club. "Since I took over six years ago, I think there has been an improvement and I want a similar improvement over the next five years or so," he said. "I want the ambition to be greater. I want the expectancy to be higher and I want Everton overall to be higher on the field and off the field. I am determined to try and take it forward."

Fulham
Following Fulham's Under-18's drew 1-1 with Premier Academy League leaders Arsenal, Technical Director Gary Brazil spoke of his disappointment in not having claimed all three points after the Cottagers youngsters took the led in the first half. He said: "It could have gone either way but I don't think it would have been unfair for us to have won the game. We had some very good penalty claims and the performance warranted a stronger result than a point. Overall I was pleased with the performance and the boys should have learnt a lot from Saturday's game. That is, if we work from a script and we do it well, it will bring us joy against the very best teams. We've got a lot of first year boys in the squad that are fresh into the Club and they're learning. It's part of the learning curve to take these things on board. They need to understand why it didn't quite go right for us during the first twenty minutes of the second half and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Hull City
Tiger fans have the chance to put their questions to Giovanni, for a question and answer feature in the next issue of Hull's magazine 'CITY'. If you have a question for the summer signing then simply send an email to citymag@hulltigers.com marking the subject line 'Geovanni Question' before 5pm on Wednesday 15th October. Entries are limited to one per person and please keep all questions clean and sensible. The person who sends us the best question, selected by the editor, will receive a Tigers shirt signed by Geovanni himself.

Liverpool
UEFA have admitted Liverpool fans face major disruption next week after their Champions League match against Atletico Madrid was switched to a neutral venue. Atletico have been fined 150,000 euros (£120,000) for racist abuse of Marseille players and handed a three-match stadium ban after crowd trouble and lack of organisation at the same match.Liverpool have expressed strong concerns over the timing of the decision but UEFA defended the move saying there was "no alternative" and have pledged to minimise problems for the 3,000 fans who have already booked a trip. The match cannot take place within 300 kilometres of Madrid under UEFA's ruling, but there are further problems in that Atletico are set to appeal against the punishment, and a final decision will not be known until the weekend.

Manchester City
Goalkeeper Joe Hart has been called into the England senior squad for Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier with Belarus. The goalkeeper flew straight to Minsk after the England Under-21 side reached the European Championship finals with a 2-2 draw against Wales.

Manchester United
Gary Neville believes the Barclays Premier League champions will come from Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool - but the captain hopes it is not the latter. With Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard spearheading the Anfield challenge, Rafael Benitez's side are in the slip-stream of early-season pacesetters Chelsea, but Neville addressed the prospect of a Liverpool title win in typically forthright manner. "I hope not," said the England defender. "But we don't know do we? They have started well and had some good results. They beat us, which was disappointing for us, but will obviously give them confidence. It will be Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and ourselves. We know the champions will be one of those four. It is a case of who puts the most consistent run together."

Middlesbrough
David Wheater has been called into the England senior squad for Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier with Belarus. The defender flew straight to Minsk along with coach Stuart Pearce immediately after helping the England Under-21 side reach next summer's European Championship finals in Sweden.

Newcastle United
Jonas Gutierrez is determined to rediscover the early-season form which made him an instant favourite among Newcastle fans. The 25-year-old has missed the Magpie's last five matches having suffered a broken collarbone while representing his country in a World Cup qualifying match last month. After an intensive rehabilitation programme, Gutierrez is ready to return to the first-team within the next couple of weeks. "I want to help the team, I know if you are out you cannot help the team, we are having a difficult time at the moment and I want to be right and playing," he said. "It was one of my dreams when I came to Europe, to play in England and the Premier League and it is beautiful for me to play here and I want to be back and playing soon."

Portsmouth
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has assured injured midfielder Niko Kranjcar that he still has a place in his new-look side. The Croatia midfielder has been out for seven weeks after damaging ankle ligaments and although Pompey have largely performed well in his absence, Redknapp insists Kranjcar remains a key part of his plans. "Niko is coming back, hopefully by the back end of the month, which is a big bonus for us," he said. "He's a top, top player in my opinion and there will always be a role for him in my team, no doubt about that."

Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club have announced Danny Higginbotham as their ambassador for Kick It Out's One Game, One Community weeks of action initiative this month. The weeks, a 12 day period from 16-28th October, will see 1000 events take place across the country. All 92 professional clubs, as well as conference and non-league clubs will hold activities to support the initiative, not to mention scores of schools, universities and community and youth centres, all of whom will be getting involved. Lord Herman Ouseley, founder of the equality and inclusion campaign, said: "We're delighted with the appointment of Danny Higginbotham as club ambassador for the weeks of action. Player activity like this is pivotal to the success of the campaign and it shows he and the club are getting into the spirit of One Game, One community."

Sunderland
Chairman Niall Quinn believes his strong relationship with Sunderland manager Roy Keane is helping create a stable atmosphere at the club. "We have a very good, professional relationship, there is no doubt about that," he said. "My job isn't to watch over and have a big stick. My job is one of partnership. That is the way I see it - to give a really talented person as much structure and support as I can to help him to develop. He has been brilliant for us. Look at the two most successful clubs - Arsenal and Manchester United. There is a good relationship between the manager and the board and that can only bring stability."

Tottenham Hotspur
White Hart Lane hosted the fifth annual Haringey Children in Care Education Achievement Awards last week. The awards event is part of the To Care Is To Do project - the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation's three-year education programme run in partnership with the Premier League, the PFA Community Fund, and Haringey Council. The event was held to acknowledge and celebrate the educational achievements and successes of Haringey's Children in Care aged 11 - 16, with a view to raising the educational attainment and aspirations of these young people. Cllr Liz Santry, Cabinet Member for Children & Young People, said, "It's wonderful to be able to give these young people recognition for their hard work and efforts over the last year. We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Tottenham Hotspur on the To Care is to Do project which supports vulnerable young people in the borough."

West Bromwich Albion
Tony Mowbray says he will feel a sense of satisfaction when his side take on Manchester United on his second anniversary as Albion manager on Saturday. The Baggies manager arrived at The Hawthorns from Hibernian with the mission to take the club back to the top flight. And just two years on his men have sealed promotion from the Championship and are lying ninth in the table, just one point behind Sir Alex Ferguson's European and domestic champions. He said: "I came here knowing that within two years I had to get this team up. We have managed to achieve that one goal and I am just pleased we are back and competing in the Premier League on my second anniversary of being here. The fact it's at Old Trafford is great. That highlights the fact that we are back in the Premier League because in many ways it is what the Premier League is all about."

West Ham United
Matthew Upson hopes to feature for England again in Belarus on Wednesday night - and use the performance as a springboard to a place at the 2010 World Cup. Upson started the 5-1 win over Kazakhstan at Wembley on Saturday and is favourite to again partner captain Rio Ferdinand in central defence following John Terry's withdrawal through injury."My goal is to play in the World Cup for England, that's my target," he said. "You do have to visualise it, you have to picture it. Most great things you do, you'll have pictured it before you've done it. So you'll start at the end, which is achieving it, and work backwards, on how do I get there? There's loads of factors involved, ups and downs and mishaps, positive things; it's a process."

News in brief - Tues 14th Oct

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:43:00 +0000

News in brief - Tues 14th Oct A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club.

Arsenal
Wales coach John Toshack says he will be careful not to put too much pressure on Aaron Ramsey as he seeks to accommodate the youngster in his side. The 17-year-old midfielder caught the eye in Wales Under-21s' 3-2 European Championship play-off defeat to England last week, and he is knocking hard on the door of the senior team. "We know all about Aaron. We are working on where we fit him in and how we compliment his talent. Arsene Wenger said something very similar a few weeks ago," said Toshack.

Aston Villa
Martin O'Neill thinks the second match of an international double-header should be played on a Tuesday night rather than Wednesday to allow players extra time to rest. O'Neill used Bulgaria midfielder Stiliyan Petrov as an example. He faces a long trip from Georgia to Birmingham before then beginning preparations for Saturday's Barclays Premier League match with Portsmouth. O'Neill said: "The players on international duty don't have the break that the non-internationals do and they have to come back at very late hours. For instance, Stiliyan Petrov plays the second game of his international week on Wednesday night in Georgia. He then has to travel back because we play Portsmouth on Saturday. Those are the obvious concerns of a club manager but I wouldn't be alone in that."

Blackburn Rovers
Rovers have announced the club will be having a fun day on Monday 27th October, to mark the one year anniversary of the launch of the club's junior membership scheme, Team Rovers. Members and their friends and families have the opportunity to watch the first-team train on the Ewood pitch, before collecting autographs at a players signing session after training. Team Rovers membership is available for fans aged 15 and under, is completely free, and members receive a Team Rovers gymbag, goody pack and many other exclusive benefits. See the club's official website for further details.

Bolton Wanderers
Bolton manager Gary Megson believes it is vital that he has a fully-fit squad at his disposal for his team to succeed this season. Megson has been boosted by the returns of Matt Taylor, Johan Elmander and the banned Gary Cahill in recent weeks and was rewarded as Wanderers earned an impressive 3-1 win at West Ham United last weekend. And with a number of his stars away on international duty this week, Megson is hoping they return unscathed ahead of the derby match with Blackburn Rovers next weekend. He said: "We need players to stay fit. We played very well against Stoke and won 3-1, but that's the last time we had that team available. For the last five games before West Ham, we didn't have Cahill, Elmander and Matty Taylor all available - and that makes a difference."

Chelsea
Chelsea's second string fell to a 1-0 defeat at home on Monday evening, as a goal from former Blue Steve Sidwell, ensured victory for Aston Villa's reserves. Sidwell hit home in the second half, with the disappointment compounded for the home side late on in the match as Carl Magnay was shown a red card.

Everton
Captain Phil Neville believes Everton still have the nucleus of a competitive side, regardless of the big money being spent by rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa. Both those clubs could contest European places with Everton, and Neville said: "Success does not happen overnight. These two teams have bought great players, but it takes time for a team to settle and be moulded. We have had a strong nucleus here for three or four years now, and hopefully that longevity of the squad will see us through. I still feel we have a better squad than last season with better players."

Fulham
Fulham will unveil the Johnny Haynes statue before Saturday's match with Sunderland . The Haynes statue has been commissioned as a lasting tribute to the Club's greatest ever player and will take pride of place in front of the Craven Cottage gates. Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed will be joined by Avril Haynes, Tosh Chamberlain and former Fulham greats in front of the Cottage gates. The Chairman, alongside Avril Haynes will unveil the statue at approximately 12.45pm and all fans are welcome to attend this historic occasion, by gathering in front of the Cottage from noon.

Hull City
The Tigers have confirmed they will screen a beamback of the team's Barclays Premier League encounter against Manchester United at Old Trafford, after fans filled their 3000 ticket allocation for the trip. The match, due to take place on Saturday 1st November at 3pm, will be screened back live to the KC Stadium on a 44sqm LED screen situated in the North Stand. Admission will cost £10 for adults and £5 for concessions, payable at the turnstiles on the day. Tickets will not be available in advance. See the club's official website for more details.

Liverpool
Former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson has paid tribute to injured star Martin Skrtel. Slovakian Skrtel faces up to three months on the sidelines after suffering knee ligament damage in his side's 3-2 victory against Manchester City. Thompson said: "I just love Skrtel. He has made a real impression at the club. People talk about Fernando Torres, but this lad could be a real gem. It's how he plays the game which impresses me. No matter if we're playing Stoke City or Manchester United, he gives everything he has in terms of commitment and passion. He's good in the air, quick, strong and he doesn't hold any of his opponents in high esteem. He is there to win for the club and whoever comes in will know they are replacing someone special."

Manchester City
City have confirmed the appointment of four new Board members, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Board, Simon Pearce, Martin Edelman and Victor Restis. The Executive Chairman Garry Cook retains his Board membership. Taweesuk Jack Srisumrid also remains as a Director. Mr Bernard Halford continues in his role as Club Secretary. Garry Cook said: "We welcome the new Chairman and Board members to the Club, following the change in ownership. The new Board marks the start of an incredibly exciting era for Manchester City and its fans. The Board and the executive team that we are building will be worthy of the heritage and potential of Manchester City Football Club."

Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo has been pleased with the reception he has received from the fans following his return from injury. The Portuguese star was the subject of much speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid in the summer, but eventually stayed put. "In the game when I came back against Villarreal I wasn't nervous, but just a bit excited to see how the fans would react to me," said Ronaldo. "Thank God things went well. This shows people have not forgotten all the good things we've done together and I'm very happy with that."

Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough defender Robert Huth is waiting to learn just how serious his ankle injury is. The 24-year-old is visiting a specialist for an assessment of the ligament damage which kept him out of the club's last match at Wigan Athletic. Germany international Huth has been plagued by injuries since his £6m arrival at the Riverside Stadium from Chelsea in August 2006.

Newcastle United
Mark Viduka has vowed to return to international action with Australia once he regains full fitness. The 33-year-old striker has not played this season after being plagued by an Achilles injury which will see him miss Wednesday's World Cup qualifying fixture with Qatar. But Viduka, who has scored 11 goals in 43 internationals, joined up with the squad at the team hotel and stated his wish to return to boost Australia's bid for a second successive World Cup appearance, dismissing suggestions he might quit the Socceroos. He said: "Of course I want to play for Australia again - it's something that's never out of my mind. But it's a step-by-step process and the first stage is to get back playing for my club again. I've got to be 100 per cent fit and 100 per cent sure in my mind that my heel is strong enough. When that happens I'll be back for Australia."

Portsmouth
Tickets for Pompey's UEFA Cup group stage match against Braga at the Municipal Stadium on 23rd October will go on sale to all supporters on the club's database from 9:30am on Thursday 16th October. The club have been given an allocation of 2,500 seats and supporters can only purchase tickets in person at the ticket office in Rodney Road.

Stoke City
Stoke City have announced the renewal of the Chairman's Suite sponsorship for a second year by Applewood Independent. Applewood are a Nantwich based company and one of the leading Independent Financial Advisers in investments and inheritance tax planning in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. The agreement sees their logo displayed on all Chairman's Suite promotional literature around the Britannia Stadium as well as hospitality for the company to entertain clients on a matchday.

Sunderland
Martyn Waghorn scored on his return from injury as a Sunderland XI comfortably beat the Jersey national team at the Springfield Stadium in St. Helier. The 18-year-old striker, who has missed more than two months with a knee injury, played the second half in the 5-0 victory for Neil Bailey's men. Waghorn was among a youthful 17-man squad taken to the Channel Islands for the invitational match. Midfielder Jack Colback opened the scoring with a penalty after just seven minutes and Swedish striker Rade Prica grabbed the second after 14 minutes following excellent work by Jordan Cook. Jamie Chandler then scored two goals to wrap it up for Sunderland. The first came from the penalty spot again, after 20 minutes, when Chandler himself had been brought down, and the 19-year-old's second came after 43 minutes, from a Prica pass. Waghorn scored within 10 minutes of the re-start, Cook the supplier again, after Bailey, the coach, made four changes at the break.

Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham's UEFA Cup group stage match with Udinese in Italy on Thursday 23rd October will now kick off at 6.10pm UK time (7.10pm CET). The Italian club have confirmed this change with UEFA having previously agreed a kick-off time of 8pm UK time (9pm CET).

West Bromwich Albion
Tony Mowbray has all-but ruled out Abdoulaye Meite of Saturday's trip to Manchester United (ko 5.30pm). The Baggies defender has already been sidelined for six weeks after suffering a recurrence of the calf injury he sustained just before half-time in the goalless draw at Bolton Wanderers. And, while Chris Brunt (hamstring) is set to return to full training this week and Filipe Teixeira (knee) is set for a behind-closed-doors reserves friendly with Leicester City, Meite has been restricted to working with the physio. Mowbray said: "Meite is a bit behind the other two. He hasn't actually been around our training sessions whereas Brunty was joining in the warm-ups and Teixeira is doing pretty much everything."

West Ham United
West Ham United goalkeeper Robert Green has pulled out of the England squad ahead of Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus. He withdrew from the trip to Minsk because of soreness in his knee and will not travel with the rest of the squad on Tuesday. The Hammers number one was not involved in Saturday's win over Kazakhstan, with David James starting the match and Scott Carson the substitute goalkeeper.

Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic midfielder Luis Antonio Valencia was sent off but Ecuador claimed a 1-0 win against nine-man Chile in the South American World Cup Qualifying zone on Sunday. It was Ecuador`s third win as they moved level in the standings with fifth-placed Uruguay, one point behind Chile, who suffered their fourth loss.

About This Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:22:00 +0000

This blog is about the best football league in the world. The Premiership. In the coming weeks you will see the following things;- Highlights of every premiership game, Team of the week, Player of the week, Around the ground and all the latest info about clubs.

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