The latest news from the world of football.
Sunday 30 August 2009
England striker Wayne Rooney was on target for Manchester United as they came back from a gal down to beat Premier League rivals Arsenal 2-1, at Old Trafford.
Chelsea and Tottenham lead the Premier League table as the only two teams with 100 per cent records. Chelsea recorded a home win over Burnley, while England’s Aaron Lennon scored an injury-time winner to help Tottenham beat Birmingham City.
Another England international, Steven Gerrard, scored Liverpool’s late winner in a 3-2 win over Bolton.
Barnsley parted company with manager Simon Davey after the Championship side’s home defeat by Reading. A club statement read: "It is with regret that Barnsley Football Club and first team manager Simon Davey have mutually agreed to part company. We would like to place on record our sincere thanks for all the hard work Simon has put in during his two-and-a-half tenure as manager and wish him every success in the future."
Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has gone back to his former club Dynamo Kiev on a free transfer.
League Cup holders Manchester United have been drawn at home to Wolves in the third round of this season’s competition. Last season’s runners-up Tottenham have to go to Preston.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has indicated his summr spending is not over after defender Ledley King and midfielder Luka Modric sustained injuries on Saturday. Redknapp said: “With other players injured already these two might leave us a little bit short.”
Saturday 29 August 2009
Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara has signed a new contract at White Hart Lane which will keep him at the club until 2013 - but has immediately been sent out on loan to Portsmouth. O'Hara, 22, will stay at Fratton Park until January with an option to extend the deal until the end of the season.
Stoke City have completed the transfer of striker Tuncay, 27, from Middlesbrough in a £5m deal. "Tuncay is an exciting player with his pace and skill who will certainly get the crowd going," said manager Tony Pulis.
Millwall drew 1-1 at home to Brighton in League 1, Nicky Forster equalising for the Seagulls with a second-half header after Jason Price had put the Lions ahead in the sixth minute.
Youssouf Mulumbu has extended his stay at West Bromwich Albion by a further year. The DR Congo international, who has arguably been Albion's most consistent performer so far this term, has been rewarded with a two-year contract, plus a further year's option. Head coach Roberto Di Matteo said: "I'm pleased with how Youssouf has started the season and he is very much part of our plans. He's an exciting, young, holding midfielder who will hopefully keep improving.”
Arsenal have vowed to defend striker Eduardo after he was charged with diving to win a penalty during a Champions League tie against Celtic. Eduardo could face a two-match ban if found guilty by UEFA. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: “I believe you can debate whether it is a penalty or not. But this charge implies there was intent and a desire to cheat the referee. Having seen again the pictures again, nothing is conclusive. We will defend our player as far as we can because he is not being treated fairly.”
Andriy Shevchenko, who once cost Chelsea £30m from AC Milan, is set to leave the club after manager Carlo Ancelotti agreed to allow him to leave. Ancelotti said: Sheva didn't have the possibility to play consistently, so he has taken the decision to go.”
Portsmouth made a hat-trick of signings as they brought in Tottenham midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng, Lens striker Aruna Dindane and Wigan midfielder Michael Brown. Boateng signed a three-year contract, Dindane a one-year loan deal and Brown agreed a two-year deal.
Real Madrid, who have spent most of the summer buying players, have made two sales after allowing Arjen Robben to join Bayern Munich for around £22m and Wesley Sneijder to sign for Inter Milan for £13.2m.
Blue Square North club Ilkeston Town have signed striker Ben Fairclough from Notts County and goalkeeper Ed Eley from Grimsby Town.
Friday 28 August 2009
The five British clubs in the Champions League received favourable draws for the group stages of the competition. Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Rangers all avoided Europe's big guns and will be hopeful of progressing to the last 16.
Fulham have made it into the Europa League group stages despite a 1-0 loss to Amkar Perm in the second leg of their qualification round. Roy Hodgson's side go through 3-2 on aggregate.
But Aston Villa will not join them in today’s draw after a late away goal by Rapid Vienna’s Nikica Jelavic put the Austrian side through after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Everton did progress, however, with a 1-1 draw seeing them beat Sigma Olomouc 5-1 on aggregate, while a brave second leg showing was not enough for Hearts, who lost 4-2 on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb despite a 2-0 win in Edinburgh.
Manchester City had all their stars on display at Selhurst Park in their Carling Cup second round clash with Crystal Palace and they did not disappoint as Carlos Tevez scored his first goal for the club to seal a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. England international Shaun Wright-Phillips had opened the scoring.
Sylvain Distin is set to sign for Everton after they agreed a deal with Portsmouth for the centre-back.
UEFA are set to investigate an alleged dive by Arsenal striker Eduardo in his side's 3-1 victory over Celtic in their Champions League clash on Wednesday.
Middlesbrough centre-back Robert Huth has signed for Stoke, with former Riverside team-mate Tuncay apparently set to join him at the Britannia Stadium. Tony Pulis has reportedly agreed a deal worth £11m for the pair.
Queens Park Rangers have added to their attacking options by signing Arsenal striker Jay Simpson on a season-long loan.
Former Forest Green player-coach Jerry Gill has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Jim Harvey as the club's new manager.
Thursday 27 August 2009
Sulaiman Al-Fahim has completed his takeover of Premier League side Portsmouth. The 32-year-old has become the club’s sole owner after paying £60m for the south coast club.
Arsenal cruised into today’s Champions League draw with a 3-1 win over Celtic at Emirates Stadium. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Arsene Wenger’s men moved further clear thanks to goals from Eduardo, Emmanuel Eboue and Andriy Arshavin. Massimo Donati grabbed a late consolation for Celtic, who will now play in the Europa League.
Peter Crouch scored his first goal for Tottenham as Spurs claimed a 5-1 win at Doncaster in the second round of the Carling Cup.
Blackpool sent Premier League Wigan crashing out of the Carling Cup following a 4-1 win at Bloomfield Road. The Championship side were three goals ahead after just 33 minutes before Gary Taylor-Fletcher added a fourth after the break.
Newcastle staged an amazing comeback at St James’ Park to see off League One Huddersfield. Trailing 3-1 following Jordan Rhodes’ 47th minute strike, Newcastle rallied with Geremi and Shola Ameobi levelling the tie before Kevin Nolan grabbed the winner six minutes from time.
Dave Kitson scored his first Stoke goal in 21 appearances to see off plucky Leyton Orient 1-0 in their Carling Cup tie at Brisbane Road. Meanwhile, there were also wins for West Brom, Cardiff and Carlisle United.
Aston Villa have confirmed they are holding contract negotiations with Blackburn defender Stephen Warnock. The 27-year-old is expected to make the move to Villa Park before the end of the transfer window.
Pascal Chimbonda looks set to leave Tottenham after Blackburn agreed a fee for the French defender. The former Sunderland man was not involved in Spurs’ Carling Cup win at Doncaster after being given permission to hold talks with Rovers.
Sir David Murray has stepped down from his role as Chairman of Rangers following a 21-year spell at Ibrox. Murray is to be succeeded by Alastair Johnston, the Glasgow-born accountant and businessman.
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson says he will make changes to the side which lost to Chelsea for tonight’s Europa League clash with Amkar Perm in Russia. Hodgson, whose side lead 3-1 from the first leg, said: "Our tactics won't differ from the tactics from the first match. We have our way of playing, which we work hard on and rehearse, and hopefully we will be able to play well, and if we play well we have a good chance of winning the match.”
Northwich Victoria have completed the signing of Mansfield midfielder Jonathan D’Laryea on a month’s loan. The 23-year-old has made over 150 appearances for the Stags since arriving in 2005.
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Violence marred the Carling Cup second round match between West Ham and Millwall as trouble erupted both inside and around Upton Park. A 44-year-old man was stabbed in the chest in what police labelled “large-scale” trouble involving hundreds of supporters.
On the field, West Ham had to wait until extra time before recording a 3-1 victory over their local rivals. Elsewhere in the competition, Birmingham came from behind to beat Southampton, while Wolves needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Swindon. Last season’s semi-finalists Burnley beat Hartlepool in extra time. Portsmouth and Blackburn also booked their place in the third round of the Carling Cup.
Joleon Lescott has completed his £22m move to Manchester City from Everton. The England defender has signed a five-year deal and said: “"I'm over the moon to get the move completed. I know some of the lads already - I'm close friends with Shaun (Wright-Phillips), we've played against each other since we were 16 or 17. The way this club is moving on, I'm really looking forward to being a part of that."
Sol Campbell has completed a shock move to Notts County after signing a five-year contract. The former England defender believes he can play in the Premier League again with the League Two club.
Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric has ruled out a move to Manchester United and is hoping to sign a new contract with the north London club. Modric said: "I wouldn't be surprised if Tottenham offered me a new contract but even if that doesn't happen, my feelings will not change."
Everton have signed Diniyar Bilyaletdinov from Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee. The Russian midfielder has been capped 28 times for his country and has agreed a five-year deal at Goodison Park.
Newcastle have a potential new buyer after confirming they are in talks with businessman Geoff Sheard just 24 hours after giving another prospective owner Barry Moat more time to put in place a deal to table his own formal offer.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits his side can cope without influential skipper Cesc Fabregas when they face Celtic in the Champions League qualifier tonight. Fabregas has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, but Wenger feels his side have enough quality to defend their 2-0 lead from the first leg.
Nemanja Vidic insists he is happy to stay at Manchester United despite being linked with a move to Barcelona. Vidic said: "I've never said anything about Barcelona or Real Madrid or AC Milan - or any club. I never speak about my future so I don't know why someone else does. I showed at Wigan on the pitch how happy I am at this club."
West Brom have signed Chile international Gonzalo Jara for £1.4m. The versatile defender has signed a three-year deal with the Championship club and is now waiting for international clearance.
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Liverpool's early season woes continued as they crashed to a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa. Martin O'Neill's men raced into a 2-0 lead courtesy of a Lucas own goal and Curtis Davies' strike, before Liverpool pulled one back through Fernando Torres. But when Steven Gerrard felled Nigel Reo-Coker in the box, Ashley Young stepped up and slotted the penalty past Pepe Reina to make the game safe and inflict Liverpool's second defeat of the season.
Sunderland booked their place in the third round of the League Cup with a comfortable 4-1 win over Norwich at Carrow Road. Teemu Tainio and two Andy Reid goals gave Steve Bruce's men an unassailable half-time advantage before Wes Hoolahan reduced the deficit after the break. But then Owain Tudur-Jones' own goal from Reid's corner made it four for Sunderland, rounding off the rout.
England defender Joleon Lescott completed his medical ahead of a move from Everton to Manchester City on Monday evening. Lescott now looks likely to be Mark Hughes' eighth summer signing. Earlier in the day, 35-year-old full-back Sylvinho joined City for free, following his release by Barcelona.
Calum Davenport's career is in jeopardy, a court was told on Monday. The West Ham player, 26, is in intensive care after he was stabbed in both of his legs on Saturday. A man has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and he is due to appear at Luton Crown Court in November. Magistrates have remanded the man in custody.
Glass and nails were found at Rotherham's Don Valley Stadium on Saturday and Rochdale, who lost the game 2-1, are set to make an official complaint about the state of the pitch, which hosted a U2 concert three days before the fixture. Rochdale manager Keith Hill said: "We should have had the fixture reversed, it was a sub-standard pitch. It was unsafe - there's no sour grapes."
Fulham captain Danny Murphy has signed a contract extension at the club. The midfielder, capped nine times by England, will remain at Craven Cottage until 2011. And Jonathan Greening has completed his season-long loan move to Fulham, with a view to making the move from West Brom permanent next summer.
Marc Antoine Fortune can't wait for Celtic's Champions League qualifier with Arsenal on Wednesday. The Scottish side are 2-0 down going into the second leg at the Emirates but Fortune, who scored his first Celtic goals in their 5-2 win over St Johnston at the weekend, said: "I knew that I could score, now I am really looking forward to Arsenal as every player wants to play in the big games."
Newcastle have given Barry Moat more time to buy the club from owner Mike Ashley. The businessman needs to persuade the banks that he can service the club's £39m overdraft before he can make a formal offer. A club statement said: "Newcastle United confirm that we have extended our deadline to Barry Moat to table an offer for the club."
Samuel Eto'o has told the Inter Milan supporters he will help the club bounce back from their opening day draw against Bari in Serie A. Jose Mourinho's side drew 1-1, while rivals AC Milan and Juventus both won. But former Barcelona striker Eto'o, who scored on his debut, said: "I want to thank the fans for the trust they have placed in me and I am certain that in the next few games I will repay them."
Former Ebbsfleet United chairman Brian Kilcullen says the club's hopes of moving to a new ground appear to be over. Ebbsfleet's plans to building a new stadium have been rejected by Kent County Council and Kilcullen said: "We've exhausted all the sites. I've been working on this project for six years and it was our last resort."
Finally, teenage midfielder Bobby Hopkinson has joined Aldershot after impressing on trial; Port Vale have signed Plymouth Argyle youngster Damien McCrory on a month-long loan deal; and goalkeeper Mark Bunn will remain on-loan at Sheffield United from Blackburn until January.
Monday 24 August 2009
Forwards Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba were both on target for Chelsea as they maintained their winning start to the season with a 2-0 victory in the west London derby, at Fulham on Sunday.
Tottenham also have a 100 per cent winning record this season and also won a London derby as they went to West Ham to record a 2-1 win with England players Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon scoring, after fellow Three Lions man Carlton Cole had given West Ham the lead.
Premier League newcomers Burnley beat Everton 1-0 to follow on impressively from last week's surprise win over Manchester United, with Wade Elliott netting a first half winner against the Toffees, who also saw Louis Saha miss a second half penalty .
Middlesbrough have lost top spot in the Championship to Cardiff City, who recorded a 3-0 Sunday win over Bristol City.
Manchester City look to have finally won their battle to sign Everton and England central defender Joleon Lescott. A statement on City's official website read: "Manchester City can confirm that agreement has been reached with Everton for the transfer of Joleon Lescott. The move is subject to the player agreeing personal terms and passing a medical."
Chelsea have reportedly offered Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou a new contract. Kalou has a year left on his current deal and his agent is quoted in a Sunday newspaper as saying: ""We will see how his position is developed and take time to make a decision."
Andrey Arshavin has urged Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to make more signings before the transfer window closes. He told the Sunday Times: "We should buy first-class players, regardless of their age. We should buy the ones who should improve our game. The top teams have much bigger squads than ours and that is why we have to buy."
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has expressed his dismay at the news that his defender Calum Davenport was stabbed in both legs in an attack at his home on Saturday night. Zola said: "It's a terrible story. The doctor told me the situation is stable, he is okay. The situation will be clearer in the next few days. Now it's important that he's all right."
Adam Le Fondre scored against his former club, his second goal in two games, as Mark Robins' Rotherham notched an impressive Sunday win in League Two by beating Rochdale 2-1.
Oxford United start the week a point clear at the top of the Conference Table on 13 points after five games. Their latest triumph was a 2-1 weekend win over Stevenage.
