Football news round-up 17-23 Aug

Sunday 23 August 2009

Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney were both on target in Manchester United’s 5-0 win at Wigan. Rooney’s two goals took him past the 100-mark for the Premier League champions. Arsenal topped the table on Saturday night following their comfortable 4-1 defeat of Portsmouth.

Stephen Warnock was left out of the Blackburn side that lost at Sunderland because manager Sam Allardyce claimed the player, linked with a move away from the club, did not have his mind on the game. Allardyce said: "He didn't feel that mentally he was capable enough of giving his best, so we both took the decision to leave him back at Ewood.”

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has confirmed that his club are in talks with a view to signing Everton’s England international Joleon Lescott. Hughes spoke after a 1-0 win over Wolves and said: “My understanding before the game was that the clubs are speaking. I would suggest that is a positive sign.”

Striker Marouane Chamakh will be staying with Bordeaux. Their manager Laurent Blanc said: “He wanted to join a big club, but do you know who the biggest club is? Bordeaux! So he is staying. That is just perfect.”

Everton have been granted a work permit for Argentina international midfielder Ever Banega. The Valencia player, 21, goes to Goodison on one season loan deal with a view to a permanent deal.

Cardiff City have signed Manchester City striker Kelvin Etuhu on a season-long loan deal too. Etuhu, 21, goes straight into the Cardiff squad for their Sunday match against Bristol City.

Middlesbrough topped the Championship after a 2-0 win over Doncaster. Newcastle, relegated with Boro last season, lie in second place thanks to a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Charlton Athletic stayed on top of League One by making it four straight wins by beating Walsall 2-0 at home. Leeds are also unbeaten and stay second.

Notts County are top dogs in League Two. They recorded their latest victory in the form of a 2-0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge.

Saturday 22 August 2009

Liverpool will include Greece international Sotirios Kyrgiakos in their squad to face Aston Villa at Anfield on Monday after the 30-year-old passed a medical and completed a transfer from AEK Athens.

England defender Rio Ferdinand could be out for up to a month with a thigh injury after Manchester United confirmed it was more serious than first anticipated. Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Rio is going to be out for three to four weeks.” It means Ferdinand faces a race against time to be fit for England’s matches against Slovenia on 5 September and Croatia on 9 September.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has suggested that Theo Walcott could also miss the Croatia tie due to a back strain.

Southend United and Millwall both remain unbeaten in League One this season after they drew 0-0 at Roots Hall last night.
 
A service of thanksgiving for the life of former England Manager Sir Bobby Robson will be held at Durham Cathedral on Monday 21 September. The service will be limited to family and close friends and attendance will be by invitation only.
 
Manchester United defender Jonny Evans will require an operation to cure an ankle problem although it has not be decided when the surgery will take place. He said: "At some point my ankle will need surgery. It is a problem that has been bothering me since Christmas. We thought it might have gone away over the summer, but it is still there.”
 
Fulham striker Andrew Johnson has been diagnosed with torn ligaments in his collar bone but doctors say he could be back in training within two to three weeks and playing again within five. Johnson was injured in a Europa League qualifier against Amkar Perm.
 
Barnsley have signed striker Andy Gray from Charlton on a loan deal and expect to make the deal permanent next week. He could make his debut against Leicester today.
 
England striker Jermain Defoe has been tipped to finish as the Premier League’s top scorer after a blistering start to the season. Defoe already has five goals, including two for his country, and Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp said: “He's up with the best when he is playing like he is now. He's so sharp - he's lethal. With Ronaldo gone he can be pushing to be the top scorer."
 
Newcastle United will make an announcement on Monday over the ongoing efforts of owner Mike Ashley to sell the club. Ashley is weighing up whether to accept one of three bids currently on the table  to buy the club or to continue running Newcastle himself for another season.
 
Leicester City have signed striker Paul Gallagher, 25, from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

Friday 21 August 2009

Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand could be sidelined for upto four weeks with a minor thigh muscle injury. The former Leeds and West Ham player has already missed United's first two games of the season after picking up the injury after the Community Shield game with Chelsea.

Frank Lampard has targeted a Premier League and World Cup double as his ambitions for the season ahead. The Chelsea and England midfielder, speaking at The FA Tesco Skills Programme 'One Million Memories' event at Wembley, said: “It would be fantastic to win the Premier League with Chelsea after three years of Manchester United domination, and of course the greatest thing would be to win the World Cup with England.”

Everton put their opening day thrashing by Arsenal behind them with a 4-0 win over Sigma Olomouc in the Europa League qualifying round first leg. England Under-21 star Jack Rodwell scored twice, with Louis Saha also grabbing two goals.

Aston Villa face a tough task in the Europa League after losing 1-0 to Rapid Vienna on Thursday. Nikica Jelovic scored in the opening minute to leave Martin O’Neill’s side facing an uphill battle to turn around the qualifying tie at Villa Park next week.

Brighton & Hove Albion have signed winger Elliott Bennett from Wolves. The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Bury, but Russell Slade has snapped him up for the Seagulls.

Fulham striker Andrew Johnson could be out for two months after disclocating his shoulder in the Cottagers’ 3-1 win over Amkar Perm in their Europea Cup game on Thursday. Johnson scored the opening goal before being injured, but Clint Dempsey and Bobby Zamora gave Fulham a comfortable cushion for next week’s away leg.

Kanu has signed a new one-year contract at Portsmouth. The Nigerian striker was a free agent after his contract expired in the summer, but has agreed to play on at Fratton Park for one more year after initially agreeing a one month deal last week.

Liverpool have agreed to sign former Rangers defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens for £2m. The Greek international will provide cover for Liverpool’s back line.

Hearts look to be heading out of the Europa League unless they can turn around a four goal deficit in Edinburgh next week. The Scots lost 4-0 to Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday.

Birmingham City could be the next major English club in foreign ownership after Hong Kong-based Carsen Yeung made an offer in the region of £80m to take over. Yeung’s company Grandtop International Holdings already owns 29 per cent of the club and is they are looking to buy a majority shareholding.

Thursday 20 August 2009

Newly-promoted Burnley beat champions Manchester United 1-0 courtesy of a stunning first half volley by Robbie Blake on his 250th appearance for the Clarets. United and England midfielder Michael Carrick had a penalty saved by Burnley’s Brian Jensen at Turf Moor.

Tottenham are the early leaders of the Premier League, after England striker Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick in their 5-1 win at Hull. Wilson Palacios and Robbie Keane scored the other goals as they went above Chelsea, the only other club with a 100 per cent recored, on goal difference.

In the Championship, Shola Ameobi followed his hat-trick at the weekend with the only goal of the game as Newcastle United beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at St James' Park to keep up their unbeaten start.

Birmingham beat Portsmouth 1-0 at St Andrews courtesy of James McFadden's late strike from the penalty spot, while Liverpool recovered from their opening day defeat at Spurs to beat Stoke City 4-0, with goals from Fernando Torres, Glen Johnson, Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog.

In League Two, Sven Goran Eriksson's 100 per cent record as Director Of Football at Notts County came to an end as the Magpies lost 2-1 at Chesterfield.
 
In the race to reach the Champions League, Lyon took a commanding step towards the group stages after they beat Anderlect 5-1, while Maxi Rodriguez, Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan were on target as Atletico Madrid won 3-2 away at Panathinaikos. Elsewhere, Maccabi Haifa will take a 2-1 lead into their second leg home tie against Red Bull Salzburg and Debrecen won 2-1 away at Levski Sofia. And finally, FC Zurich beat Ventspils 3-0 away.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto has signed a new four-year contract at Tottenham. The French-born Cameroon  international scored a stunning opening goal in Spurs' 2-1 Premier League victory against Liverpool on Sunday.

Matt Taylor has signed a one-year extension at Bolton. He will remain at the Reebok until 2012 and Bolton manager Gary Megson said: "Matt is a hard worker and always gives his all. He is a big influence, with his set-pieces and his work rate."

England defender Joleon Lescott has been left out of Everton's Europa League qualifier first leg against Sigma Olomuc on Thursday while his future remains uncertain. Manchester City have had two bids rejected for Lescott and Everton manager David Moyes said: "He is not in  the right frame of mind."

A consortium led by Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie is in talks to buy the club. Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim has been close to a takeover but a statement released by Portsmouth read: "A new consortium led by chief executive officer Peter Storrie is in negotiations with the owner of Portsmouth FC to buy the Premier League club. The group is very positive about the talks and are confident that the deal can be completed."

Real Madrid star Alvaro Negredo has turned down a move to Hull City. The Tigers had been in talks to sign the 23-year-old but the deal is now off. Hull City chairman Paul Duffen said: "You move on, there's no time to shed tears for these things, it's just a reality."

Hillsborough will undergo a £22million redevelopment as Sheffield Wednesday look towards the possibility of hosting World Cup football in 2018. If England's bid to host the World Cup is successful, Hillsborough could be a viable option after Wednesday revealed the revamp will increase the ground's capacity from 39,000 to 45,000, and a new roof structure for the Kop and West stands.

Aston Villa defender Luke Young has been granted compassionate leave from the club, following the death of his half-brother Andre. The England defender will miss Villa's Europa League tie at Rapid Vienna on Thursday night and manager Martin O'Neill said: "I'll give Luke all the time he needs. “

Former Real Madrid full-back Michel Salgado has joined Blackburn. The 33-year-old, capped 53 times for Spain, won the Champions League during a glittering decade in Madrid and he has penned a two-year deal at Ewood Park.

Wednesday 19 August 2009

Arsenal took a giant stride towards sealing their place in the group phase of the Champions League with a 2-0 first leg win over Celtic. William Gallas put the Gunners ahead, deflecting a Cesc Fabregas free-kick beyond Celtic 'keeper Artur Boruc, before an own-goal by Gary Caldwell gave Arsene Wenger’s men a healthy cushion going into the second leg at Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 win at Sunderland. Despite falling behind to Darren Bent’s first-half strike, the Blues won convincingly with Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Deco on the scoresheet.

Wolves bounced back from their opening day defeat with a 1-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium. Andy Keogh’s early goal proved good enough to give Mick McCarthy's men all three points.

Ipswich Town have revealed plans to rename the North Stand at Portman Road in honour of former manager Sir Bobby Robson, who died last month.

Fulham have completed the signing of Newcastle midfielder Damien Duff. The 30-year-old spent three years at St James’ Park following a £5m move from Chelsea.

Hull City captain Ian Ashbee has suffered a huge setback in his fight to recover from the knee injury which has kept him out of action since May. The 32-year-old is expected to be out for nine more months and will undergo surgery next week.

Norwich have confirmed the appointment of Paul Lambert as their new manager. Lambert, whose Colchester side won 7-1 at Carrow Road on the opening day of the season, watched his new charges lose 2-1 at newly promoted Brentford last night.

Michael Chopra fired Cardiff to the top of the Championship after netting a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Plymouth. Elsewhere, Adam Johnson scored twice as Middlesbrough recorded a 2-0 win at Scunthorpe.

Huddersfield hit seven as they thrashed Brighton 7-1 in League One. Meanwhile, Colchester, Charlton and Leeds all won to maintain their 100 per cent records.

Paul Benson scored four as Dagenham and Redbridge thrashed Shrewsbury 5-0 at Victoria Road. The Daggers sit top of League Two with three wins from three along with Bournemouth who beat Lincoln 1-0.

James Constable scored three as Oxford climbed to the top of the Conference Premier with a thumping 4-0 win over Chester. United sit level on ten points with Altrincham and Luton who beat Histon and Forest Green respectively.

Tuesday 18 August 2009

The Football League have announced that Saturday's clash between Bristol City and Crystal Palace will not be replayed despite a controversial mistake by referee Rob Shoebridge. Freddie Sears had a perfectly legitimate goal ruled out by the match officials, but a League statement read: "In any match the referee's decision must be final, even in a case such as this where there has been an error of judgement."

Danny Cadamarteri made a dream debut for Dundee United as he scored two goals to help his new club beat Hearts 2-0 in their opening Premier League match of the season on Monday night. Hearts were reduced to ten men when skipper Michael Stewart was sent-off.

West Brom have signed Chelsea right-back Shaun Cummings on a month's loan as cover for the injured Gianni Zuiverloon. The 20-year-old played for Baggies boss Roberto Di Matteo while on loan at MK Dons last season and is expected to make his debut at Peterborough tonight.

Highly-rated Arsenal youngster Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has joined Blackpool on a one-month loan deal. The talented midfielder has featured several times for the Gunners' reserves and was captain of the Arsenal U18 side that won The FA Youth Cup and Academy League Cup last season.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll has confirmed he is training with Danish side OB Odense after falling out of favour at Derby. "I am looking through my options, and I am training with OB," he told a Danish newspaper.

Celtic duo Glenn Loovens and Shaun Maloney are doubts for the Champions League play-off against Arsenal at Parkhead tonight. Arsenal also have injury problems with captain Cesc Fabregas, Denilson and Bacary Sagna struggling to prove their fitness while Theo Walcott has been ruled out of the first leg with a back problem.

Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has not yet discovered his punishment for failing a drugs test. Kenny, who tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine in May, was suspended by his club last month.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis is hoping to bring in as many as five new signings to the club before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month despite his side's 2-0 opening day win over Burnley. "We are desperately hanging on to four or five deals, but we will do it the right way," said Pulis.

Bolton captain Kevin Davies has signed a new one year-contract extension that keeps him at the club until 2012. Speaking on the club's website manager, Gary Megson said: "I am really pleased that we could add another year to Kevin's contract."

Monday 17 August 2009

England striker Wayne Rooney needs one more goal to make 100 in a Manchester United shirt after his first half effort helped United get off to a winning start in their attempt to defend the Premier League title. Rooney scored the only goal of the game as United beat newly promoted Birmingham City, at Old Trafford.

Sebastien Bassong marked his Tottenham debut with the winning goal as Liverpool went to White Hart Lane and lost their first league game of the season 2-1.

Franck Ribery has announced he will not be leaving Bayern Munich this summer. The France international has been linked with a move to England or Spain, but said: “If I wanted to leave, I would have announced it. The doors are truly closed. My bosses really want me to stay.”

England central defender Rio Ferdinand is a doubt for the World Cup qualifier against Croatia next month after being ruled out of action for at least a fortnight after sustaining a thigh injury in training. Ferdinand is due to have a scan on Monday and his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said: “I would imagine Rio will be out for two weeks.”

Hull City manager Phil Brown is hoping he can resist attempts to sign central defender Michael Turner. Brown said: "People have classed the price tag on Michael Turner as ridiculous at £10 million. I think he is worth that to us, it might not be worth that to somebody else, but he is to us."

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has revealed he intends to bring more players to the club before the transfer window closes. Villa lost at home to Wigan at the weekend and O’Neill said: “We're going to try and get some extra players in if we can. It's a lengthy season and I'm going to have to try and look after the players.”

League One Norwich have dismissed reports that they have lined up former Holland striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as a replacement for sacked manager Bryan Gunn.

Barcelona have given up any hope of signing Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas this summer. Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola said: “Cesc will not come. He is a very interesting player, but he is a very important player for Arsenal and now he will stay another year in England.”

Anxious Portsmouth fans have been reassured by Sulaiman Al-Fahim that his takeover plans remain in place. His spokesman Ivo Ilic said: “The takeover is still on course, and in fact has never strayed off course.”

Wrexham are in the market for defenders according to manager of the non-League side Dean Saunders. Wrexham lost 1-0 at Crawley Town at the weekend and Saunders confirmed: “We are a bit short at the back.”