The latest football news from around the country and beyond.
Saturday 3 October 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson has been named the Barclays Premier League's Manager of the Month, with Fernando Torres taking the prize for best player. Ferguson's Manchester United side won all three of their league games in the month, while Torres scored five goals for Liverpool in the same period.
Michael Owen's groin injury is not as bad as first feared. The striker went off in just the ninth minute of Manchester United's 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg in midweek, but is not expected to be out for three weeks, as was originally thought to be the case.
Bolton defender Gary Cahill is adamant he has what it takes to break into Fabio Capello's England side. "I definitely think I can play for England one day. I think you've got to be positive, got to be confident in your own ability," said the centre-back.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has denied suggestions he is on the verge of leaving the club. "I'm definitely not leaving," said the former Portsmouth and West Ham boss. "It's absolute nonsense. Absolute rubbish."
Gudjon Thordarson has been sacked as manager of Crewe Alexandra. The Icelander was only in charge at Gresty Road for nine months and will be replaced on a temporary basis by the club's former manager, Dario Gradi.
West Brom striker Ishmael Miller has signed a deal that will keep him at The Hawthorns until June 2014.
Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton could be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery on a foot injury. "The injury could keep him out for a good period of time," explained caretaker manager Chris Hughton.
Dave King has joined Forest Green Rovers on a one-month loan from MK Dons.
Friday 2 October 2009 Wayne Rooney faces an agonising dilemma over whether to travel to Manchester United’s next Champions League fixture against CSKA Moscow on October 21 after revealing wife Coleen is due to give birth three days after the match.
Fulham are top of their Europa League group after beating Basle at Craven Cottage thanks to a goal from Danny Murphy.
Tim Cahill scored the winner for Everton as they beat Belarus side BATE 2-1 in the Europa League despite going 1-0 down in the tie. Marouane Fellaini also scored for David Moyes’ side. Meanwhile Celtic drew 1-1 with Rapid Vienna thanks to an equaliser from Scott McDonald.
Mick Harford has left his job as manager of Luton Town in a decision made by mutual consent. The Hatters are currently eighth in the Conference Premier.
Portsmouth players have been reassured they will be paid wages they are owed today, Friday after a delay in the transfer of funds following a recent takeover by Sulaiman al Fahim. Manager Paul Hart said: “I understand the funds have now been received the players will be paid.”
Nick Barmby, the 35-year-old former England international, has been named as the new captain of Hull City following an injury to Ian Ashbee.
Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero has been ruled out for six weeks with a thigh injury suffered in training on Thursday.
Bolton Wanderers have suffered an injury blow after striker Johan Elmander was ruled out of action with a hamstring problem. He could be out for around two weeks.
Wolves defender David Jones could be out for up to two months after undergoing knee surgery.
Thursday 1 October 2009
Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick scored the goals as Manchester United came from behind to defeat German champions Wolfsburg at Old Trafford. The visitors grabbed a shock second half lead through Edin Dzeko before United hit back to win 2-1 and make it two wins out of two in Champions League Group B.
Nicolas Anelka was the hero once again for Chelsea after the Frenchman fired the Blues to a 1-0 win at Apoel Nicosia. Anelka, who notched the winner against Porto a fortnight ago, scored the only goal of the game to give Carlo Ancelotti’s men six points out of six in Group D.
AC Milan suffered a 1-0 home defeat by Swiss side FC Zurich. Former West Ham defender, Hannu Tihinen, scored after just ten minutes to inflict a painful defeat on Leonardo’s side and earn Zurich an historic victory at the San Siro.
Cristiano Ronaldo's dream start to life in Spain continued as he scored twice in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Marseille. The £80m man grabbed a quickfire double in six second half minutes with Kaka also finding the net.
Newcastle extended their lead at the top of the Championship to three points following a 1-1 draw with QPR. Ben Watson gave the visitors an early lead but on-loan striker Marlon Harewood equalised 20 minutes from time.
Luke Chambers and Dexter Blackstock were both on target as Nottingham Forest recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory over Scunthorpe at the City Ground.
Chesterfield held off a dramatic Grimsby fightback to win 3-2 at Saltergate. Despite racing into a 3-0 lead, the home side were made to sweat as Adam Proudlock and Peter Sweeney scored late on.
Chester City have parted company with manager Mick Wadsworth following Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat against Forest Green. The 58-year-old only arrived last June but won just two games out of 13 while at the helm.
Theo Walcott has been declared available for selection for England’s upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Ukraine and Belarus. The Arsenal winger has been sidelined with a back injury since June but played 60 minutes in a reserve match without any ill-effects.
American business billionaire Stan Kroenke moved closer to completing the takeover of Arsenal after increasing his stake in the club to 28.7 per cent. Kroenke can launch a formal takeover offer once he holds 29.8 per cent of the company.
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Liverpool suffered defeat in the Champions League when they went down 2-0 to Fiorentina. Rafa Benitez’s side were two goals down by half-time as teenage striker Stefan Jovetic scored twice on his Champions League debut for the Italian side.
Arsenal overcame Olympiakos as expected at the Emirates, although Gunners fans had to wait for late goals from Robin Van Persie and Andriy Arshavin to give them a 2-0 win.
Rangers suffered a heavy home defeat in the Champions League when Seville thrashed them 4-1, although manager Walter Smith was furious not to get a penalty when Steven Naismith appeared to be fouled in the first half. Former Spurs and West Ham striker Fredi Kanoute was among the Seville scorers.
Ipswich Town are bottom of the Championship after a stoppage-time goal from Chris Morgan rescued a 3-3 draw for Sheffield United and denied Roy Keane’s side their first win of the season. Plymouth’s 2-1 win at Peterborough took them above Ipswich.
West Brom missed a chance to leapfrog Newcastle at the top of the Championship after losing 3-1 to Barnsley, Mark Robins’ much-improved side, who are now out of the relegation zone. This was the Baggies’ second successive defeat.
Michael Chopra scored four goals as Cardiff thrashed Derby 6-1 at home. The former Newcastle forward has now scored 11 league goals this season.
Leeds United increased their lead at the top of League One despite losing their 100 per cent home record when they were held 1-1 by Carlisle. But Charlton’s surprise 3-0 defeat at Colchester meant Simon Grayson’s men are now three points clear at the top.
Lincoln’s new manager Chris Sutton saw the size of the task at Sincil Bank after his side were well beaten 3-0 at home by Notts County. League Two leaders Bournemouth fell to their second defeat of the season, 2-1 at Hereford.
Gary McAllister has decided not to join Paul Hart as assistant manager at Portsmouth. The former Leeds and Scotland captain turned down the post at the struggling club, who have yet to win a point in the Premier League.
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Carlos Tevez scored twice as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 on Monday night. Tevez opened the scoring against his former club but England striker Carlton Cole equalised for the Hammers. Martin Petrov and a further Tevez strike was enough for Mark Hughes’ men to move up to fifth in the table, three points behind leaders Manchester United.
Arsenal Holdings, the company that owns Arsenal Football Club, has reported a pre-tax profit of £45.5m in the year up to 31 May, up from £36.7m the previous year. Revenue was £313m, match day revenue contributed £100.1m and the sale of private apartments at the site of previous ground Highbury brought in £88m.
The financial news may be welcome for Arsenal, but matters on the field are not as positive. Midfielder Denilson has been ruled out for up to two months with a fractured back, while striker Nicklas Bendtner will miss Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Olympiakos after he was involved in a car crash on Sunday.
Former England and Chelsea striker Chris Sutton is the new manager of Lincoln City. The 36-year-old has succeeded Peter Jackson at Sincil Bank, with ex-Blackburn defender Ian Pearce his assistant. Sutton said: "I'm really pleased to get the opportunity to come here and manage and I want to take the club forward as quickly as I can.”
Former Sheffield United boss, Neil Warnock, is looking forward to pitting his wits against Sheffield Wednesday this evening. Now at the Selhurst Park helm, Warnock's Crystal Palace side welcome the Owls to south London after two successive 1-0 victories. "Wednesday will be buoyed by their result against Cardiff, that 3-1 win, and it is always a good game against them as Brian Laws believes in his teams playing good football," he said.
Ferrie Bodde’s injury curse has struck again. The Swansea midfielder has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing a cruciate ligament in his left knee for a second time. The Dutchman limped out of Swansea’s 2-1 win over Sheffield United on Saturday in what was his first start since suffering the original injury ten months ago.
England goalkeeper Ben Foster reckons his old club Stoke City can build on last season’s 12th place finish in the Premier League. Foster kept a clean sheet in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and he said: "They're doing really well and they're showing that they're no pushovers.”
Cesare Prandelli admits his Fiorentina side will have to be at the top of their game if the Italian side want to keep Fernando Torres quiet in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Liverpool striker Torres scored a hat-trick in Liverpool’s 6-1 demolition of Hull on Saturday and Prandelli said: “How do you stop him? You must concentrate all the time, and be very lucky because he is so good.”
Wigan Athletic, at the 35th attempt, beat a ‘Big Four’ side in the Premier League on Saturday. Roberto Martinez’s men beat Chelsea 3-1 and Blues striker Didier Drogba reckons the performance was the worst he has witnessed since his arrival in 2004. He said: "This is the worst game I have played in since I have been at Chelsea. We need to think about it, correct what was wrong and try to go again.”
Portsmouth owner Dr. Sulaiman Al-Fahim has promised to inject £50m into the club soon. The billionaire businessman completed his takeover at the end of August and despite the club losing a record seven Premier League games in a row, Al-Fahim has vowed to take the club forward. He said: "I can assure supporters that there is a plan in place backed by firm commitments that will bring £50m into Portsmouth Football Club over the next two to three weeks.”
Miguel Layun was full of pride after becoming the first Mexican to play in Italy’s Serie A at the weekend. Layun made his debut for Atalanta in their 1-1 draw with Chievo Verona and he said: “The truth is that the sensation that I have right now is indescribable because I know what my debut represents, what it signifies, having played those minutes.”
Monday 28 September 2009 Darren Bent was on target again for Sunderland in their 5-2 win over newly-promoted Wolves, at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Former Tottenham defender, Chris Gunter, scored the first goal of his career to secure Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win at Plymouth, who are still to record a victory this season.
Portsmouth Chief Executive, Peter Storrie, has refuted speculation he will leave the winless Premier League side. Storrie also dismissed reports that manager Paul Hart’s job is under threat after seven successive defeats. He said: “You'd be daft and stupid to change it.”
A Saudi prince claims he is about to buy a significant stake in a major Premier League club. “We are currently seeking to buy 50 per cent of the shares in the club which is now suffering with debts worth £245m,” said Fahd bin Abdullah. “The transaction, upon which a decision is close to be reached, will be worth £200m to £350m pounds."
Another manager to receive the backing of his club is Hull City manager, Phil Brown, following his side’s 6-1 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday. Hull chairman, Paul Duffen, told a Sunday newspaper: “Just because the chips are down doesn't mean you desert people who have been very good to your football club. [Phil Brown] kept us up when were bottom of the Championship. He took us up into the Premier League, took us to the top of the table and kept us up.”
Ex-players Craig Liddle and Neil Maddison have been placed in temporary charge of Darlington following Colin Todd’s departure from the League Two club. Chairman Raj Singh said: “Craig and Neil know the club inside out and are highly thought of both within the club and by our fans, so they're the obvious people to take immediate charge of the team while we consider our options.”
Manager, Micky Adams, has threatened to place every Port Vale player on the transfer list after their 3-1 defeat at Notts County on Saturday. Adams said: “I've told them that the whole squad will be transfer listed on Monday morning.”
Artur Boruc is keen to extend his stay at Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic beyond the two years remaining on his contract. The Polish goalkeeper said: “If they were to come up with a new contract, I would think about that.”
Sol Campbell’s claims that he was misled over transfer targets have been denied by Notts County head Peter Trembling. Campbell claimed in a newspaper he expected to be joined in League Two by more international players. Trembling said: “I've never talked about Benjani at all. Sven-Goran Eriksson did talk about Roberto Carlos but it never got beyond a conversation.”
