Thursday, June 30, 2011
Feindouno vers Sion ?
The United States Learns About Bad Decisions
Apparently the United States national team made a video before their trek to Italia ‘90, in which it’s proclaimed “I never lose because I’m a champion”. Which is [...]
Birmingham City will not struggle financially due to Carson Yeung?s charges, according to chairman Peter Pannu
The club's owner has been arrested in his native Hong Kong as part of money laundering investigation, but chairman says case has nothing whatsoever to do with the team
Scottish Cup: Motherwell's Twenty Year Itch
It was 20 years ago that Tommy McLean?s side brought the trophy back to Fir Park after that crackerjack of a game with brother Jim?s Dundee United.
An Old Firm free, Hampden belter of a game.
Twenty years ago today in fact.
The 13 Motherwell players who featured were:
Ally Maxwell, Luc Nijholt, Chris McCart, Craig Paterson, Tom Boyd, Ian Angus, Jim Griffin, Phil O'Donnell, Davie Cooper, Iain Ferguson, Dougie Arnott, Colin O'Neill, Stevie Kirk
Angus, Ferguson, O?Donnell and Kirk, from the bench, scored the goals that delivered Motherwell to the promised land after 120 minutes of drama.
More of the same on Saturday?
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Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Adventures at Coverciano
Roberto Martinez set for talks, or he might have even had them
Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed that he has given us permission to speak to Roberto Martinez and on the face of things, this is all actually quite good, even if a little unimaginative.
Let me explain. First, it is good, because we are looking for a young manager with ambition, who will be respected in the game and has a cultured background - sound familiar?
SPL: Dubai Or Not Dubai
Now it would be imprudent to discount the possibility that this is little more than a careless whisper leading a journalist to take a flight of fancy.
But with the SPL's ideas factory seemingly as bankrupt as Scottish Labour's election team who can tell?
I'm beginning to develop a complex, I'm so agin every idea coming from the SPL that I do wonder if it's me that is the problem.
Seriously though?
A glamour cup competition in Dubai? What's that all about.
A few things immediately spring to mind.
The nature of the winter break itself. The benefits of a break for the players will surely be lost if we bring them back earlier in the summer only to jet them off to play additional games during a period of rest and relaxation.
And if January in Scotland is too cold for "glamour" then why, instead of wintering elsewhere, does Scottish football not consider "summering" in Scotland?
Neil "Donkey" Doncaster the SPL's man with a dozen berated plans likes to talk of increased TV revenues. This is his default reply to almost any question.
He promises the moon. Alas he never convinces that he's got anything more than a papier-m�ch� space ship to get us there.
So the idea that a glamour tournament abroad would be timed to appeal to domestic TV audiences lacks cognisance of the broadcasting reality.
There's a reason Scottish football is designated TV football's graveyard shifts. We don't have audience appeal. We're the shabby looking Wimpy to English football's Fat Duck.
So we get Sky or ESPN on board. In return for 20 shillings and a loaf of mouldy bread they say "we'll show your groundbreaking, glamour cup competition in the footballing stronghold of Dubai or Florida. But we'll only show it in your normal TV slots."
That would lead to some odd kick off times. Kick off times hardly designed to allow players to return to these shores refreshed and raring to go.
And where would the fans fit into all this?
Fans who are railing against too many televised and too many games between the same sides are being told they can watch more televised games between the same teams.
It will be more glamorous though because it won't be in Scotland and you, the fans, the lumpen proletariat dragging the game down with your demands for quality, fair prices and consultation, won't be there.
I suppose this might just be the English Premier League's 39th game idea given a tartan spin. The SPL are blinded by what they see as the glamour and big bucks of England.
They consistently ignore English football's bloated, debt ridden underbelly, all of it underpinned by a very "old media" revenue model.
What we need are bold ideas. Bold ideas that the fans can relate to and that the fans want to be a part of.
In an odd interview during BBC Scotland's rather unsatisfying Bigotry, Bombs and Football documentary last night, Neil Doncaster was at pains to point out that the SPL sees clubs and their supporters as seperate entities.
Actually he doesn't see the fans at all. Or he sees them as nothing more as a hindrance to his brave new world.
What possible benefit does this latest plan have for fans? Where in this radical strategy for changing Scottish football are the ideas to give the fans more representation? Or the policies for ensuring fans pay a fair price for games?
They're absolutely nowhere. Because the SPL doesn't care. Scottish football doesn't care. Just ask the Kilmarnock fans how letdown they felt by their own board on Sunday.
There is, in Dubai, a monument to sporting hubris. An incomplete reminder of what happens when greed, arrogance and a failure to care about your core support lead you to chase ill conceived dreams.
The desert is in the process of reclaiming the only ten holes of a Tiger Woods designed golf course that were ever built.
Neil Doncaster might like to take a look round. And muse on how lonely failure can be.
What To Watch For: MLS Week 15
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Time For A Holiday
Inspired by Seve we'd take to the fairways, dedicated to mastering the Royal and Ancient game well enough to give Nick Faldo the beating he so richly deserved.
We'd take to the tennis court to out boom-boom Boris Becker.
Football would take a back seat, save for the odd snippet of transfer gossip and the release of the official squad photograph, never fully complete without a sprinkling of mullets and a selection of ill advised moustaches.
In odd years there would be a new strip launch. Every four years the season would be extended with a World Cup. Invariably Scotland would be there for a run out in the opening phase, a run out that could be valiant and hopeless in the same breath, a run out that was forever futile.
Times change.
Progress is good. Sometimes.
But this year's summer break has brought with it a gnawing despair, a blanket of depression that is only partly explained by the Scottish summer's decision to schedule itself over five days in April.
Looking at a summer without a major men's international tournament always leads to a feeling of emptiness.
But that's an old school reaction. There is always football being played somewhere. It doesn't require much technical wizardry to hunt it down and consume it.
So there is football. But there is no league football in Scotland or England.
And that brings us to the real problem this summer. The lack of league football amplifies a modern curse: there's too much football.
Even when the game isn't being played we're constantly subjected to it.
The papers projectile vomit a thousand transfer rumours a week.
The actual signing of a player is greeted with orgasmic delight, the manager in us all giving our definitive verdict on where Player A will slot in to Team Y and how Player B will transform the title hopes of Team Z.
In Scotland the SFA's AGM was given more coverage than most cabinet meetings, Stewart Regan suddenly achieving a strange kind of campaigner for change celebrity, as if he had proposed a cure for child poverty.
The Machiavellian machinations at Fifa came under more intense scrutiny in the British media than many a genocidal dictator would expect.
Priorities? Nah, not so much.
Over the last few days we've seen the footballing world convulsed by the saga of Aston Villa's vacant manager's office.
Alex McLeish is a villain to Birmingham fans. He's not good enough for Aston Villa supporters.
He's a top bloke, a great manager and he deserves his chance according to many of the journalists that he has so assiduously courted throughout his career.
He's a reasonable manager who may or may not take Villa to the level they hope to reach. The local rivalry angle is interesting. But mainly it's interesting to readers of the Birmingham Post.
Call off the Newsnight special.
One does wonder if any of Winston Churchill's cross the floor episodes were subjected to such forensic discussion and comment.
Some examples from a blizzard. In a way it's admirable, the skill with which such thin stories are picked up, stretched and relayed with such solemn sincerity.
Never in the history of sport has so little been reported at such length by so many.
"This really does matter," the Sky Sports presenter's body language tells us.
"This is HUGE," we read between the lines of a hundred newspaper articles, a thousand blog posts.
As a football aficionado this should delight me.
If football is your fetish you're never more than an hour or so away from your next orgy of drama, rumour, fact, fiction, speculation, resignation, signing, sacking and takeover.
Yet very little actually changes with all this coverage. We might listen to it, devour it. But those that matter don't. Sepp Blatter still runs Fifa, Randy Lerner is still free to plot an idiosyncratic managerial course at Villa Park.
The seriousness with which the latest news is delivered and the po-faced reaction from supporters and pundits is astounding. Where?s the fun gone? There?s something wrong with football if it becomes a matter of life and death, so let a little light in. Smile. What?s the worst that can happen?
Of course I?m guilty as well; the ego trip that is running a blog is my own contribution to the transient nonsense pumped out about football every day.
I could completely shut down over the summer. But I'm too addicted to page views and bounce rates.
That too brings uneasiness. Every blog that thinks it's a somebody is producing a manifesto for next season, the humble blog morphing into a copy of the mainstream media it pretends to disdain.
(For the record this blog proposes to stay the same next season, I predict that by March 2012 a blog that is simply a blog will be at the forefront of a retro blogging craze.)
What started out as a way of offering an alternative becomes increasingly desperate to become what it once railed against, the ordinary punter again loses out.
We all need a break, we need to grab our holiday with the same passion as a newly hirsute Wayne Rooney has grabbed his.
I know that Rooney is on holiday because I read about it. Just like I read about it his hair transplant, his marital troubles and his piece of brinkmanship over wages with Manchester United.
Not one of those stories added anything to my enjoyment of his well-taken goal in the final of the Champions League. But he's a footballer and football sells so a waddling Wayne on the beach is fair game.
Too much isn't always a good thing. Football is too bloated, too over-exposed and too hyped.
How can we expect people to get excited by the start of a new season if we've spent the summer telling them to get excited by an emailed resignation or a vote by the blazerati?
We can't. And the effect is that the consumption of football will continue to change. No longer will we join the throng, bond with friends and strangers in the communal experience of watching games at football grounds.
Our senses deadened, we'll demand our football in the bombastically branded bite sized chunks offered by TV companies.
We'll sit on the sofa mistaking bad punditry for insight, mistaking a commentator's high-pitched wail for real excitement, mistaking a succession of bland managerial quotes for a proper match report.
Brain dead and subservient we'll think we're on the inside, that managers, players and journalists, all of them choreographed by press officers and PR men that we never see, are letting us into their confidence.
And our clubs will move ever further away from us, the media having collaborated in giving us the impression that wall to wall coverage every day of the year is increasing our access, moving us closer to the action.
We'll believe that even as we're being shuffled ever further from centre stage, the normal fan now the least desirable consumer that our football clubs want.
And something will be lost. Something that might not matter as long as the money keeps rolling in but that will be sorely missed if ever these footballing houses built on sand begin to teeter.
Getting our summer back would be a step towards getting our game back, of redefining football as something other than the hypersized monopoly it has become. I won't hold my breath.
In the meantime I'm off to get ready for Wimbledon.
Unless I hear any rumours about Hibs signing a striker. Then I might nip out for a paper and flick over to Sky Sports News.
Just in case...
A question for the board: Was there a plan?
On Friday 29 April, I wrote a piece for this blog, asking, if you were Randy Lerner for a day, who you would appoint as the next manager of Aston Villa?
At this point, Gerard Houllier was in hospital recovering from heart problems. A few people called me disrespectful, but plenty noted that Gerard?s time as Villa boss was drawing to a close.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Soup and Super-injunctions
Could he have imagined, in the build up to tomorrow's Champions League final, that it would be Ryan Giggs who was dominating the media for non-footballing reasons?
Back in the day, ensconced as manager of Aberdeen and building a footballing force at Pittodrie, a young player - it might have been Alex McLeish - informed his boss that he'd be leaving the parental home and moving into his own flat.
"Can you make a pot of soup?" Ferguson asked.
"No, no idea how to make soup," came the reply.
That, Ferguson declared, was proof positive that the youngster was incapable of surviving alone. Until he could provide basic foodstuffs for himself, flying the nest was off the agenda.
Nae soup, nae bachelor pad.
On Monday an MP named Ryan Giggs, Ferguson's most senior player, as the footballer at the centre of stories regarding an alleged affair with minor celebrity and occasional tabloid favourite, Imogen Thomas.
This came after a super-injunction saga that struck at the heart of the UK's privacy laws - or at least how judges interpret those laws for the benefit of the rich and randy.
Questions were raised about the relationship between Scots media law and English and Welsh media law when the Sunday Herald named the player in question.
A can of worms regarding the status of laws built for an old media structure in a new media age was blown open as Twitter descended on the carcass of a costly and failed super-injunction.
The freedom of the press to titillate readers with tales of the bedroom derring-do of footballers was debated.
And Monday was the day when a footballer's rumoured sexual shenanigans seemed to pitch parliament against the judiciary.
Football's rebirth as the apparent centre of our national life has brought Ferguson both riches and success. In his career he has seen much, managed some bad boys, had players capable of some extreme behaviour.
But never, I think, would he have imagined that allegations about a shagging footballer would end up rocking the constitutional boat.
Does he, in quieter moments, ever think longingly of simpler times, of the days when the only worry he had about his players was whether or not they'd paid attention the day their domestic science class had made Scotch Broth?
Freddy Adu Sparks Unlikely Comeback
Monday, June 27, 2011
Belarus U21s 1, Spain U21s 3: Highlights and Match Comments
Everything was going according to plan -Spain with over 70% possession, Spain with the chances, Spain getting fouled- until, near the end of the first half, a lukcy throw-in saw our defence momentarily paralised, De Gea asleep, and Voronkov with a lucky shot which bounced into the net.
From then on, it was a heart-in-your-throat affair.
Chairman believes O?Hara signing will encourage quality players to Wolves
Wolves chairman Steve Morgan thinks that as the club pursue signings over the summer, Jamie O'Hara?s capture will help to attract new players.
The midfielder completed his permanent move from Tottenham last week after an inspirational loan spell in the second half of last season.
Morgan told the Birmingham Mail: "Other players will be attracted to Wolves by the likes of Jamie. But there's also Wayne Hennessey, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt... I could go on and on.
"There's a lot of very high quality players here and I am quite excited about next season because I think we are getting ourselves a really good squad.
"Compared to this time last year they all have an extra year's experience.
"And last season was definitely an experience - a fraught one at times!
"But I think we can look back at some of the silly errors that were made in some matches.
"You think that if we could stamp even half of them out it would make a massive difference to where we finish in the league."
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Wolves transfer market news and gossip.
Sports News: Grant: Abramovich easy to work with
New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas can expect to be left alone to get on with his job, according to former Blues boss Avram Grant.
Stoke winger Etherington in Aston Villa sights
Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington is interesting Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish.
The Daily Mail says Villa are considering a bid for Stoke winger Etherington as they consider replacements for Ashley Young and Liverpool target Stewart Downing.
McLeish is ready to sell Downing as he seeks funds for his own signings.
Etherington would arrive as a like-for-like replacement for Downing.
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Sunday, June 26, 2011
Lokomotiv Moscou : Obinna arrive
The Alex McLeish thing and the Aston Villa thing
I hope you knew that I wasn't going to just leave it at what Doc had to say about a certain PR role at the club and that even though I was very specifically staying away from all this speculation surrounding the new manager, now that the club have released a statement, so I can talk about it again.
First things first; Alex McLeish isn't good enough. Second, he used to manage The Clowns. Third, those reasons are good enough.
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Lyon : Sissoko, c?est du s�rieux
Man Utd : un espoir sur le d�part ?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Lyon : Britos int�ress� ?
Sports News: Fiery Djokovic fends off Baghdatis
Novak Djokovic survived a second-set wobble as he reached the fourth round of Wimbledon with a thrilling victory over spirited challenger Marcos Baghdatis on Centre Court.
Official: Stephen El Shaarawy completes AC Milan transfer, Alexander Merkel moves to Genoa
One in, one out at San Siro as 18-year-old Italian finally signs a deal with the Serie A champions while German heads for pastures new, with both transfers co-ownership deals
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Yeovil boss Terry Skiverton hails his first ?twansfer?
Friday, June 24, 2011
Qatar 2022: Cloudy With A Chance Of Shade
They didn’t cost $500,000 a puff. Very little does, unless an anti-doping agency is knocking for the ominous post-game pee test.
Of course, they weren’t trying to save a World Cup, either, which is what Qatari scientists have offered as yet [...]
Sports News: Ipswich report Swans over Priskin
Ipswich have reported Swansea to the Premier League and asked for a transfer embargo to be placed on the top-flight newcomers for alleged non-payment of invoices.
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Arsenal reject multiple bids for star players
Arsenal refuse to be bullied in their plans to sell players this summer.
The Telegraph says Arsenal have immediately rejected Barcelona's opening offer of �27 million for Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal have also already turned down bids this summer for Nicklas Bendtner and Gael Clichy, from Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, respectively.
AS Roma have also come in for Clichy this week.
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Arsenal transfer market news and gossip.
Leeds ban gran fan over pitch invasion
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Ukraine U21s 0, Spain U21s 3: Highlights and Match Comments
Mill� played the exact same starting XI that gave us the win against the Czech Republic: De Gea; Montoya, Bot�a, Dom�nguez, D�dac; Javi Martinez, Ander Herrera, Thiago; Mata, Muniain and Adri�n. Why mess with what works, right?
Tottenham?s bid for judicial review of Olympic Stadium decision rejected
Tottenham?s request for a judicial review of the Olympic Stadium decision has been rejected, the BBC is reporting.
Spurs and Leyton Orient contested the Olympic Park Legacy Company's verdict that West Ham and Newham Council should be the future occupants of the venue.
But Judge Mr Justice Davis told them there are no grounds for a review.
"We are pleased with the ruling and continue to make good progress with the preferred bidder to agree final terms," the Olympic Park Legacy Company said.
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady commented: "We welcome today's news as a further endorsement of our strong and viable legacy vision. We hope we can now focus all our energy and passion on delivering a fantastic multi-use Olympic Stadium for the whole nation.
"We were honoured to be unanimously chosen as preferred bidder by the OPLC. Their decision, after a robust and diligent process, was subsequently backed by the Mayor of London and government.
"Our vision - in partnership with the London Borough of Newham - remains for a globally-recognised destination for all, with community at its core, capable of hosting world-class sporting events, including top-level football and athletics."
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Lindegaard wants number one Man Utd spot this summer
Marseille : Accord avec Nkoulou
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Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Agent warns Blackburn that Kalinic interesting other club?s
Nikola Kalinic has struggled to hold down first-team football since arriving at Ewood Park in 2009 courtesy of former Rovers boss Sam Allardyce.
The Croatian striker has grown frustrated at his lack of opportunities, and there is a chance he could seek a move elsewhere this summer.
"We want to talk to the coach as soon as possible so we know what happens next," said Kalinic's agent Tomislav Erceg.
"Nikola is contracted to Blackburn but there are a lot of clubs who we believe would want him."
Blackpool offer new terms to Swansea, Wigan target Crainey
Blackpool have moved to keep hold of defender Stephen Crainey.
The Scot is a target for Premier League pair Swansea City and Wigan Athletic.
The Mirror says Seasiders supremo Karl Oyston is hopeful that free agent Crainey will agree a �15,000-a-week contract today despite rival interest.
Crainey was set to quit the Tangerines because he could get more money elsewhere, but they have now come up with terms that may persuade him to stay.
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Wigan transfer market news and gossip.
Juventus fear being steamrolled by Chelsea in Aguero bidding war
Juventus fear being outbid by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.
Juve have confirmed they've opened talks with Atletico for the Argentina international.
And Leggo says Juve reps working on the deal know they must act fast with Abramovich planning to revive his failed January bid for El Kun.
Indeed, while Aguero's buyout clause is €45 million, Abramovich is willing to pay €56 million for the player to burn off all competition.
Chelsea failed with a double bid for Aguero and Atletico teammate Diego Godin in January.
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Chelsea transfer market news and gossip.
Alex / Houllier urges Villa fans to get behind McLeish
He agrees with striker Gabby Agbonlahor that the new manager should be given time to make his mark on the club despite his St Andrew’s connections.
“I think Gabby said some comments saying you need to give him a chance and I agree," Houllier told the Birmingham Mail.
“He’s just arrived. I think he’s strong enough. He’s got the personnel to win football matches.”
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Aston Villa transfer market news and gossip.
Read more Alex news
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Former Wigan striker Ellington pitches up at Ipswich
Ipswich have swooped for former Wigan striker Nathan Ellington from Watford on a two-year contract.
Tractor Boys boss Paul Jewell will team up again with the striker for a third time.
Jewell paid �1.2million to take Ellington to Wigan in 2002 and, six years later, signed the forward on loan during his time in charge at Derby County.
"I've worked with Nathan before at Wigan and Derby and know his strengths," Jewell told the club's official website.
"He has shown he can score goals at this level and will add to the competition for places within the squad."
The game is about opinions. Make yours heard! Join the tribalfootball.com
Why football makes grown men cry | Michael Hann
QPR's promotion brought tears of joy and for other reasons too
The glory of sport is that, even in the moments of greatest triumph, it is filled with sadness. There is the pain of seeing another's success ? there can't be too many Liverpool fans feeling admiration for a job well done by Sir Alex Ferguson this week. There's the melancholy of the final bow ? the farewell to Brian Clough at the City Ground in 1993 outlasting Forest's relegation that season in the memory. And there's personal sadness, for sport is so bound up in its followers' lives and identities that matches and memories become entwined.
I cried a little bit after Queens Park Rangers were confirmed as League champions. Lots of people were crying, naturally, for lots of different reasons. My eyes pricked for missing my father, who died 19 years ago, and who wasn't even a QPR supporter.
My first game at Loftus Road was in spring 1978. QPR lost 5-1 to Everton, with Bob Latchford scoring four (it was the season he scored 30, and the Daily Express gave him a �10,000 prize for the feat). Neither Dad nor I supported QPR that day: I cheered for Everton, because my family came from the north and routinely backed the more northerly team in my early games.
We lived out near Slough and would travel in to London several times a season ? to Loftus Road most often, but also to Highbury, Stamford Bridge, Upton Park, Selhurst Park and White Hart Lane. This last was dad's favourite destination. Like many who remembered Bill Nicolson's double-winning side, he had a soft spot for Spurs, and he adored watching Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa. "All they do is run around in circles," he said. "But they do it beautifully."
These past 18 months or so, I've been taking my son to Loftus Road. I was a season-ticket holder there through the 90s, finally giving up my seat when Rangers were relegated to the third tier in 2001. We'd had our first child, I was working Saturday mornings, and I realised I hadn't actually enjoyed a game for several years: I couldn't justify the time or expense anymore. But when, at six, my son realised football was a passport to playground popularity, I decided to renew my acquaintance with QPR.
Last season was a disaster, of course. This season's been quite the opposite. But the more it progressed, the more happiness spread around W12, the more I thought about Dad. I wished he were still with us, that I could have bought him a season ticket to see his grandson learning about supporting a team. I wish, given his feelings about Hoddle, Ardiles and Villa, that he could have seen Adel Taarabt, who'd have made him guffaw with his outrageousness. I wish we could have chewed over the game afterwards. I wish he could have seen my son walking though London Bridge station after the 2-1 win at Selhurst Park in the autumn, arms aloft, alone in singing that Rangers are by far the finest team the world has ever seen.
I remembered the past: seeing France play England at Wembley in the early 90s, looking forward to phoning Dad afterwards to see what he thought of Jean-Pierre Papin, then remembering it was a phone call I could no longer make; the pair of us on holiday in 1983 during a summer when my mother and sister were both tied up with education, discussing whether Bryan Robson was a world-class player (dad was a quiet man: that conversation and one about the role of anti-heroes in Woody Allen films are just about the only conversations, as opposed to exchanges of words, that I can remember us having).
I'm sure there were many others with similar feelings in Shepherd's Bush last week ? people from longstanding QPR families whose loved ones hadn't lived to see the team return to the top flight, doubtless. And that's the wonder of football, of all sport: that it's not a substitute for life, it's part of life. It is tied up inextricably with the truest parts of us all.
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Monday, June 20, 2011
Racing Genk keeper Courtois confirms Chelsea interest
Young Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has revealed that Chelsea are showing interest and says he is thrilled with the link.
The 19-year old Racing Genk gloveman admits he would be interested in a move to a bigger club one day but at the moment is happy to continue developing in his homeland.
"It's wonderful that they have such confidence in me and see me as the successor of Petr Cech," Courtois told FM Brussel.
"Chelsea has a great sporting level and I can grow at ease for a few years until I reach the first team.
"This will not happen in a year or two, but three, four or five years. I might as well develop myself quietly.
"No matter what happens, I'll play again next season in the Genk jersey.
"Maybe I'll stay two years, it will depend on how I develop here. Then we'll see if I will be lent to an English team."
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Chelsea transfer market news and gossip.
Sports News: Stevens returns to England fold
Matt Stevens' return from the ignominy of a drugs ban continued on Monday when he was confirmed in England's 45-man Rugby World Cup training squad.
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Alex / Sochaux president warns Man Utd over new French star Martin
Martin's exploits with France earlier this month have sparked the interest of Europe's biggest clubs - including Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
Franco-phile Fergie is considering the midfield schemer as the successor to the retired Scholes in United's midfield.
But Lacombe barked: "I am not a vendor and when I close the door, it stays closed.
"He is staying and has a contract until 2014 and we have lots to look forward to together."
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Manchester United transfer market news and gossip.
Read more Alex news
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Goal.com is on the move - bear with us!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sports News: Stevens set for England recall
Matt Stevens is set to continue his remarkable comeback from a two-year drugs ban by being named in England's World Cup training squad on Monday.
Whoever the manager is, the manager is and another cheeky line
A regular visitor to the site yesterday made a comment that got me thinking. The comment was about how he had supported Aston Villa for 40 odd years and that it is only recently that we as supporters had an opinion about who the manager would be, or aired it in such a way.
He mentioned how when Ron Saunders was appointed, it surprised a few and how whoever the manager is, we have to give him a chance and you know what, he isn't wrong. He is spot on.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Egypt international Elmohamady seals Sunderland move
Egypt international Elmohamady seals Sunderland move
LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Egypt international Ahmed Elmohamady has completed a permanent move to Sunderland, the Premier League club said on Thursday.
The 23-year-old right back, who can also play on the wing, joined Sunderland on a season-long loan deal in July 2010 from Egyptian side ENPPI and made 38 appearances in his debut campaign.
The loan deal allowed Sunderland to make the move permanent for an undisclosed pre-arranged fee and he has signed a contract until 2014.
"Ahmed has done well in his first season with the club and has shown plenty of potential," manager Steve Bruce said on the club website (www.safc.com).
"We look forward to helping him grow as a player and I think there is much more to come from him."
Elmohamady is Bruce's first foray into the transfer market after the club agreed to sell midfielder Jordan Henderson to Liverpool in deal British media reported would be up to 20 million pounds ($32.79 million).
Some of that money could be heading to Manchester United as Bruce has been tipped to raid his former club for defenders Wes Brown, John O'Shea and midfielder Darron Gibson.
Scottish Cup Final Live
Motherwell v Celtic
Today's Scottish Cup final kicks off at 3pm. Follow the build up and the match action live on Twitter. I'll be pitching in my tuppence worth throughout the afternoon.
Hashtaggery: #scottishcup #scottishcupfinal
Follow me: @ScotFootBlog
Who's gonna win? Vote here
West Ham interested in Chelsea midfielder Cork
West Ham United are moving for Chelsea midfielder Jack Cork.
The Daily Mail says West Ham are looking to pip Southampton, Burnley and Blackpool to Chelsea's Cork.
West Ham have stepped in and Cork is keen to move across London and join Sam Allardyce's new-look squad.
Allardyce was disappointed to miss out on former Bolton defender Ricardo Gardner but England U21 international Cork who can play in midfield or defence is a positive acquisition.
It's kicking off again! Click here for your No1 source for Chelsea transfer market news and gossip.
Liverpool agree fee for Sunderland's Henderson
Liverpool agree fee for Sunderland's Henderson
LONDON, June 8 (Reuters) - Premier League club Liverpool have agreed a fee with Sunderland for their England midfielder Jordan Henderson in a deal which British media reported would cost the Merseysiders up to 20 million pounds ($32.79 million).
"A fee has been agreed with Liverpool for Jordan Henderson and he travels to Anfield today with the club's blessing," a Sunderland club spokesman was quoted on their official website (www.safc.com).
The 20-year-old midfielder, capped once by England in their 2-1 friendly defeat by France last November, looks set to be the first major signing by Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish since the Scot agreed a three-year contract last month.
Henderson has enjoyed a break-through season with Sunderland with a number of strong displays in the centre of midfield leading to his England debut and he is considered one of the country's best prospects.
If he signs, he will compete with Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Raul Meireles, Jay Spearing, Christian Poulsen and Jonjo Shelvey for a place in the centre of Liverpool's midfield.
Should the deal be completed, it will be Liverpool's second expensive acquisition from the northeast of England this year following the purchase of striker Andy Carroll from Newcastle United in January.
Henderson will join up with the England under-21 squad later on Wednesday ahead of the European Championships in Demark.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Liverpool captain Gerrard eyeing top four
Steven Gerrard says it would be a brilliant achievement for Liverpool to move back into the top four next season.
The star Reds midfielder knows the Merseyside club should be finishing higher than last campaign?s sixth and is looking to get back into the top four then challenge for the title.
"If we were to get back in the top-four next season I think it would be a fantastic achievement,? he told Sky Sports News.
"But we will be setting out to win the league, because that's what you do year in and year out at Liverpool. "
He added: "We've got a good side together. Hopefully it'll be strengthened with a few new signings in the next few weeks before we go back.
"Then we'll be in a position where we're competitive next season."
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Birmingham manager McLeish resigns by email
Birmingham manager McLeish resigns by email
LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Alex McLeish resigned as manager of Birmingham City on Sunday to round off a notable season where the club won their first trophy for 48 years but were then relegated from the Premier League.
"Acting chairman Peter Pannu received an e-mail resignation from McLeish earlier today while away on business in Amsterdam," the club said in a statement on their website (www.bcfc.com).
McLeish, a former central defender who served Aberdeen and Scotland for many years, established his managerial reputation at Motherwell, Hibernian and Rangers before taking over as Scotland manager in January 2007.
It proved a short-lived appointment as he moved south to replace Steve Bruce at Birmingham in November of that year.
Birmingham were relegated at the end of his first season but he brought them immediately back up for the 2009/10 Premier League campaign where they finished ninth, their highest position for more than half a century.
This year they shocked Arsenal in the League Cup final but the success was followed by dramatic decline in their league form that ended with their relegation after a last-day defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
British media had earlier linked McLeish with a potentially controversial move across the city to take over the vacant Aston Villa manager's job following the resignation of Gerard Houllier through ill health and local bookmakers immediately made McLeish an odds-on favourite for that role following Birmingham's announcement.
McLeish was not the only managerial casualty on Sunday as Nottingham Forest, who missed out on promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs for the second successive season, sacked manager Billy Davies after two-and-a-half years in the job.
Hibs: Season's Greeting
The honour of wrestling with events at Easter Road fell to me.
This was another grim year for Hibs. The sun seems to rarely shine on Leith these days:
"But any review of the 2010/11 season is a review of myriad failings over recent years. A club that enjoys revelling in its long term propserity off the pitch has been without structure or strategy on the field. Too many managers have come and gone, too many bad signings have been countenanced under an incoherent transfer policy, too many simmering resentments in the stands have gone ignored by the powers that be. The result of that was evident in every poor performance, every tame surrendering, every reduced attendance in this torrid season. The great solace is that Colin Calderwood seems aware of all this and confident in his own ability to bring about the changes needed."Read the full article here
Grateful to hear your views on this one. Where do Hibs go from here? Is Colin Calderwood the right man for the job? Is the constant changing of managers just window dressing to cover the wider malaise?
It's going to be another interesting close season at Easter Road. The 2010/11 season was a nightmare.
Surely it can't happen again?
Qatar 2022: Cloudy With A Chance Of Shade
They didn’t cost $500,000 a puff. Very little does, unless an anti-doping agency is knocking for the ominous post-game pee test.
Of course, they weren’t trying to save a World Cup, either, which is what Qatari scientists have offered as yet [...]
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
What To Watch For: MLS Week 13
Liverpool consider Aquilani swap for AC Milan striker Cassano
Liverpool are being linked with AC Milan striker Antonio Cassano.
Italian media sources say Cassano is interesting Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish.
Sources close to the player say he is ready to start a new chapter in his career by moving to England, having played in both Spain and Italy.
A meeting between Liverpool and Milan is scheduled for next week.
The Reds could include Alberto Aquilani in their offer for Cassano.
Manchester United loan winger Bebe to Besiktas
Manchester United loan winger Bebe to Besiktas
LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) - Manchester United winger Bebe will spend next season on loan at Turkish club Besiktas, the Premier League champions said on Thursday.
The 20-year-old forward, who joined United from Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Guimaraes last August in a deal reported to be worth 7 million pounds ($11.3 million), made only seven first-team appearances.
"Reds winger Bebe will spend the forthcoming season on loan at Turkish side Besiktas," United said in a statement on their website (www.manutd.com).
The 6ft-3in Bebe, who had joined Guimaraes less than two months before his switch to Old Trafford and never played a game for the Portuguese club, struggled to break into the United first team.
He spent most of the campaign playing in the reserves but did manage to score twice in limited first-team action.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Hughes quits as Fulham manager - BBC reports
Hughes quits as Fulham manager - BBC reports
LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - Mark Hughes has resigned as manager of Premier League club Fulham, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Leonardo, ce qui va changer
ANALYSIS-Premier League clubs get real with home shopping
ANALYSIS-Premier League clubs get real with home shopping
LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - English Premier League clubs are spending big on home-grown youngsters in what could be the first indication that they are finally coming to terms with reality.
With UEFA's financial fair play rules looming and a new quota system in place, Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones are poised to join Liverpool and Manchester United respectively for nearly 40 million pounds ($65.69 million).
Although more big-name foreign players are likely to be recruited before next season, early activity in the transfer market indicates a possible change of approach as part of a long-term strategy.
Encouraged by Chris Smalling's assured first-team displays after signing him from Fulham last year at 20, United have targeted 19-year-old Jones, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea, 20, and perhaps Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell.
These players do not come cheaply as Liverpool found out when when they had to pay 35 million pounds for 22-year-old striker Andy Carroll in January but once wages are included in the equation, such deals are better value than signing established players who command much higher salaries.
There is also a sensible business reason because a 20-year-old is likely to retain or increase his transfer value five years on, whereas a player bought at his peak at 28 or 29 becomes a less of an asset once into his 30s.
Clubs are also now operating in the shadow of UEFA's financial fair play rules which will only allow them to take part in European competition if their expenditure is covered by generated revenue.
This has increased the pressure to feed players from their own academies into their first team, something that happens all too rarely with the leading teams at the moment.
They also have a new quota system which obliges them to include eight home-grown players in their squads.
HOME-GROWN
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish worked hard last season to involve home-grown talent and it is something likely to be seen increasingly as clubs are forced to work harder to balance the books.
On Friday the chairmen of the 20 Premier League clubs will meet to discuss enhancing the current academy system.
The plan includes introducing boarding schools as part of a so-called Elite Player Performance Plan that would dramatically increase the amount of coaching time available for youth players.
Although the scheme is not popular with many lower division clubs, who fear its financial demands will be counter-productive by forcing smaller clubs to abandon academies, the Premier League is fully supportive.
"It is an endorsement of the good work going on in the academy system that academies are developing players of the quality of Henderson and Jones and attracting that level of interest from that level of clubs," a Premier League spokesman said.
"What we need to do is to develop even more of those players and that is what the Elite Player Performance Plan is designed to do."
The idea is to allow clubs to house the best teenagers in boarding schools connected to their academies, giving them more intensive footballing tuition along the lines of the institutions long in place in Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil and Argentina.
The funding behind Manchester City and Chelsea enables them to operate on a different level and they are likely to sign big-name players from abroad and although United have been linked with Inter Milan's Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder they are also tracking Aston Villa's England forward Ashley Young.
"In the past few years we have seen quite a lot of intra-Premier League spending," Alex Byars, senior consultant in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, told Reuters.
"In terms of clubs looking to strengthen, they are now looking within the strongest league.
"It is difficult to adjust to the pace of the Premier League for players coming from abroad who are not used to it.
"It is encouraging to see clubs looking at the longer term by signing young players with Premier League experience."
Many of those players are on duty at the European under-21 championships which kick off this weekend in Denmark and their Premier League experience certainly seems to be paying dividends.
"Every time I have the likes of Smalling, Jones, Henderson and (Daniel) Sturridge and so on, strangely enough we seem to win," said England's under-21 coach Stuart Pearce.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Champions League Test
Tonight's theme is Edward Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
No, I jest.
It's the Champions League as Barcelona and Manchester United go head to head in the final.
15 questions on each team. I think this one is a bit easy but see how you get on.
Want to do it for real?
Send in your answers.
Top entry received by next Saturday at noon will win a second hand copy of Martin Waddell's Napper Goes for Goal.
Cosmic.
Manchester United
1. Who did Manchester United beat in the semi final of the 1968 European Cup?
2. United beat Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final, at what stadium was the game played?
3. Who finished this season as Manchester United's top scorer in the league?
4. Sir Matt Busby only played for one professional side in Scotland, who were they?
5. Who scored the goals when Manchester United won the 1999 Champions League?
6. How many English league titles have United won since Alex Ferguson became manager?
7. What was the aggregate score in Manchester United's semi-final over Schalke this season?
8. Jim Leighton was dropped before the 1990 FA Cup replay. Which goalkeeper replaced him?
9. Who is Manchester United's top scorer in this season's Champions League?
10. In 1966 George Best scored two goals in a European Cup quarter final match against which team?
11. Which player has been Manchester United's first choice captain this season?
12. In what season did Ryan Giggs make his Manchester United debut?
13. Ryan Giggs has made more appearances for Manchester United than any other player. Which player has made the second most appearances for the club?
14. Which famous United striker missed out on the 1968 European Cup final with a knee injury?
15. Who scored United's goal in the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea?
Barcelona
1. Which Barcelona player is this season's top scorer in the Champions League?
2. Barcelona won their first European Cup in 1992. Who was their manager?
3. At which stadium did Barcelona win their first European Cup in 1992?
4. Including this year, how many Spanish league titles have Barcelona won in a row?
5. Two of Barcelona's current squad have made over 500 appearances for the club. Name them.
6. In 2009 Barcelona broke their transfer record to sign which player?
7. Barcelona played Hibs in the 1960/61 Fairs Cup. What was the aggregate score?
8. In final of the 2008/09 Champions League Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0. Which players scored the goals?
9. Which club are Barcelona's local derby rivals?
10. Who was the last English manager of Barcelona?
11. In 1986 Barcelona signed which Manchester United player?
12. Which current Barcelona defender began his professional career at Manchester United?
13. Who did current boss Pep Guardiola replace as Barcelona manager?
14. What nationality is Barcelona full back Dani Alves?
15. Lionel Messi has made 54 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona this season. How many goals has he scored so far?
Sports News: Pearce: Spain posed little threat
Stuart Pearce rubbed salt into "arrogant" Spain's wounds by claiming England would have thrashed them on Sunday had they had enjoyed as much possession in their European Under-21 Championship opener.
The parallels between England failures Steve McClaren & Graham Taylor as 'wally with a brolly' takes over at Nottingham Forest
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Video: Saudi goalkeeper does a Taibi