tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114327007386093112010-02-08T07:02:40.059-08:00&gt;&gt; Enjoy your football information ... and stay up with us4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-33031269934571640072010-01-22T02:13:00.003-08:002010-01-22T02:13:53.911-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/15233?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Today+in+Sport+-+live%21+%7C+Gregg+Roughley+and+Josh+Widdicombe%3AArticle%3A1340500&amp;ch=Sport&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Football%2CSport&amp;c6=Gregg+Roughley%2CJosh+Widdicombe&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340500&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=Blogpost%2CMinute+by+minute&amp;c11=Sport&amp;c13=Today+in+Sport&amp;c25=Sport+blog&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FSport%2Fblog%2FSportblog" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">Discuss the day's big issues, send us your favourite links, follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/guardian_sport">Twitter</a> and take a look at our <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/interactive/2009/dec/31/interactive-2010-sport-calendar">2010 sport calendar</a></p><p><strong>9.07am:</strong> Good morning and welcome to our daily sports news blog. Throughout the day we will update this page with news, links, and what's expected to happen in the hours ahead. Time permitting, we'll try to wade in below the line, answering your questions and comments. <strong>JW</strong></p><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/greggroughley">Gregg Roughley</a></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/joshwiddicombe">Josh Widdicombe</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/OmS22EJJeJzzW-3beYsvDZ3rwlc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/OmS22EJJeJzzW-3beYsvDZ3rwlc/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/OmS22EJJeJzzW-3beYsvDZ3rwlc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/OmS22EJJeJzzW-3beYsvDZ3rwlc/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2010/jan/22/today-in-sport">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-3303126993457164007?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-87863146266309409002010-01-22T02:13:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:13:05.029-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/58784?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Football+transfer+rumours%3A+Ruud+van+Nistelrooy+to+West+Ham+or+Spurs+%7C+Ba%3AArticle%3A1340496&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Transfer+window+%28football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Barry+Glendenning&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340496&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=Rumour+Mill+%28series%29&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FTransfer+window" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">Today's tell-all promises so much, but delivers so little</p><p>Good morning. Today's Rumours overslept, so you'll have to go without today's pointless opening paragraph o'fun. But then who needs one, when the word on the street is that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/west-ham-ruud-van-nistelrooy-transfer" title="Ruud van Nistelrooy has decided against pledging his future to an East Enmd club joint-owned by a pair of rhythm mag publishers"><strong>Ruud van Nistelrooy has decided against pledging his future to an East End club joint-owned by a pair of rhythm mag publishers</strong></a>, one of whom has a fondness for the kind of burgundy crushed velvet dinner jackets made trendy by Bernard Manning in the 1970s. Despite West Ham's offer of £100,00-per-week, the Dutch international striker will definitely sign for Spurs. Maybe.</p><p></p><p>Having declared at the end of December that the chances of him buying anyone in this transfer window were "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/dec/31/harry-redknapp-tottenham-transfer-window" title="very, very, very, very slim">very, very, very, very slim</a>" on New Year's Eve, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is emphatically <em>not </em>assembling a £10m ransom in the hope of securing the release of<strong> Younes Kaboul from Fratton Park</strong>. The visage of the permanently surprised looking Portsmouth defender can also be seen on "Wanted" posters near Sunderland's Stadium of Light and Manchester City's Eastlands. Redknapp is also completely uninterested in Palermo's <strong>blond, blue eyed Danish centre-half Simon Kjaer</strong>, who is on the market for £11m, but apparently looking for too much in the weekly wedge department. And you can also add <strong>Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini </strong>to the increasingly long list of players that Harry Redknapp won't be enquiring after, not least because the player's agent was in Manchester for the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. "I was invited by the two clubs and I was pleased to see a good match," said Davide "Son of Marcello" Lippi, holding his cards very close to his chest.</p><p></p><p>Having become as much a daily staple in the current transfer window's Rumour Mills as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Barry were this time last year, <strong>Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh</strong> has decided he enjoys the attention being lavished on him so much that he's not going to decide where he's off to until the last minute. He's told Arsenal and Liverpool he'll choose between them at the month, at which point hopefully both of them will tell him to sling it.</p><p></p><p>Rumours linking Kris Boyd with a move to Aston Villa have been greatly exaggerated, claim Aston Villa, who according to the Independent have "distanced themselves" from talk that they're close to signing the rangers striker who broke Henrik Larsson's all-time Scottish Premier League record of 158 goals when he netted 41 times in a 56-3 smiting of Dundee United in December*.</p><p></p><p>The prospect of hearing 47,000 Mackems singing "Sunday, Monday <strong>Habib Beye</strong>! Tuesday, Wednesday <strong>Habib Beye</strong>! Thursday, Friday <strong>Habib Beye</strong>!" is becoming increasingly real, what with Sunderland boss Steve Bruce wanting to bolster his decidedly porous backline and Martin O'Neill being willing to let the French born Senegalese leave Villa Park for £1.8m. Bruce also likes the cut of Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson's jib, but will have to clash antlers with Mick McCarthy and Carlo Ancelotti if he's to secure the 22-year-old's John Hancock.</p><p></p><p>The Express reveals that Burnley manager Brian Laws is hoping that Portsmouth see "common sense" and let <strong>David Nugent</strong> stay on loan at Turf Moor until the end of the season. With all the evidence suggesting that common sense is thinner on the ground at Fratton Park than promptly delivered pay-slips, the Rumour Mill can't help but feel that if Laws had kept schtum, there's a very good chance Pompey would have forgotten that Nugent is their player.</p><p></p><p>West Ham and Birmingham are both interested in bringing out-of-favour Milan striker <strong>Klaus Jan Huntelaar </strong>to the Premier League on a loan spell, while the player's agent has confirmed that his client is eager to go to a club willing to give him first team football so that he can guarantee his place in the Dutch World Cup squad. Marco Ruben's chances of securing a berth on Holland's plane to South Africa are considerably slimmer, not least because he's Argentinian. The striker does, however, remain hopeful that Roberto Martinez will pluck him from Villarreal reserves and give him a chance at Wigan.</p><p></p><p>Despite being openly courted by Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, <strong>Real Madrid's lank-haired Argentinian midfielder Fernando Gago</strong> has announced that he wants to sign for Boca Juniors. "There are many teams that want to have him," said the player's agent, Marcelo Lombilla. "He knows that if he returned to Boca, he would play regularly, which is what he needs. Money is not important to him. He wants to play regularly before the World Cup."</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile in Italy, Roma technical director Bruno Conti has quelled speculation linking midfielder Daniele De Rossi with a move to Real Madrid in the summer. "We have never been in talks with the Spanish side's directors to sell our vice-captain," he said. "Daniee is settled in Rome and won't be going anywhere. We are not planning to release him."</p><p>So that's that, then. So long, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/carlos-tevez-gary-neville-boot-licker" title="sock-suckers">sock-suckers</a>.</p><p></p><p>* This is not strictly true.</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/transfer-window">Transfer window</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/barryglendenning">Barry Glendenning</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wlSPL72jC9lOrRGFP91fAqmul48/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wlSPL72jC9lOrRGFP91fAqmul48/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wlSPL72jC9lOrRGFP91fAqmul48/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wlSPL72jC9lOrRGFP91fAqmul48/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/22/football-trasnfer-rumours">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-8786314626630940900?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-44974236125351429922010-01-22T02:12:00.003-08:002010-01-22T02:12:40.880-08:00<p></p><div><p>Carlos Tevez certainly seems to think so after an astonishing attack on the Manchester United right-back. Neville is not the most popular among the ABU tendency, but does the Old Trafford stalwart deserve such abuse?</p><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/sz8GIGCB1K3_wpEcwHxHbxSLiAs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/sz8GIGCB1K3_wpEcwHxHbxSLiAs/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/sz8GIGCB1K3_wpEcwHxHbxSLiAs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/sz8GIGCB1K3_wpEcwHxHbxSLiAs/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/poll/2010/jan/22/gary-neville-moron-carlos-tevez-manchester-united">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-4497423612535142992?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-10739817312454001182010-01-22T02:12:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:12:08.346-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/4505?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Glazers+set+to+successfully+complete+Manchester+United+%C2%A3500m+bond+offer%3AArticle%3A1340473&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CBusiness+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CSport&amp;c6=Dave+Middleton&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340473&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FManchester+United" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Announcement to New York Stock Exchange expected today<br />• Offer gives family flexibility from lenders' conditions</p><p>The Glazer family is expected to announce to the New York Stock Exchange today that their £500m bond issue has been fully subscribed.</p><p>A 322-page prospectus released for the issue showed Manchester United's total debt stands at £716.6m but, according to reports in the Times, more than 50 investors, primarily insurers and low-risk pension fund providers, have taken up the offer at a fixed annual interest rate of nine per cent, with the interest to be paid quarterly.</p><p>The bond offer, secured on United's stadium and other assets, gives the Glazer family flexibility from the strict lending conditions imposed by banks.</p><p>The Glazers have made provision to channel up to £127m back into the parent company in the first year alone to start paying down the club's enormous debt.</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchester-united">Manchester United</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/business">Business</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/iBHYKnBG3EXc0Jbl_pRs4voGb7Q/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/iBHYKnBG3EXc0Jbl_pRs4voGb7Q/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/iBHYKnBG3EXc0Jbl_pRs4voGb7Q/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/iBHYKnBG3EXc0Jbl_pRs4voGb7Q/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/22/manchester-united-glazer-bond-offer">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-1073981731245400118?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-15909303200964827872010-01-22T02:11:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:11:14.523-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/61100?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=At+long+last+I%27m+ready+to+prove+myself%2C+says+Alberto+Aquilani%3AArticle%3A1340467&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=Guardian&amp;c4=Liverpool+FC+%28Football%29%2CRafael+Ben%C3%ADtez%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Andy+Hunter&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340467&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FLiverpool" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• "It would have been easier starting my career in a winning team"<br />• "It will take me a while to get to a level I am happy with"</p><p>The mention of senior players and responsibility remains a sensitive issue around Anfield but the response of every ­Liverpool player to his clarion call surely enriched the precious victory over Tottenham Hotspur for Rafael Benítez.</p><p>It was a night when the maligned received rapturous ovations from the Liverpool faithful, Philipp Degen, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and, on recent evidence, Dirk Kuyt chief among them, while others strengthened the manager's conviction that his team must and can improve. Into that category falls Alberto Aquilani.</p><p>Liverpool's £20m summer signing from Roma made only his third Premier League start on Wednesday and was indicative of the transformation between the FA Cup exit to Reading and the spirited shift that defeated Harry Redknapp's brittle side on the same ground one week later.</p><p>Injury and Benítez's subsequent protection policy have taken a toll on the initial enthusiasm that follows any big-money capture, and Aquilani accepts he is a long way from meeting the standard required. Tottenham, however, may well have represented a breakthrough.</p><p>The Italy international admitted: "I knew that I wouldn't be able to play straight away because of the ankle injury I had when I signed. Ideally, I would have been able to start playing in a team that was winning matches. Instead, by the time I was fit to play, the team was going through a difficult period, so the ­transition has been a lot harder.</p><p>"That's football and the risks are the same with any move. But as a foreign player, moving to a new country in a new league with different team-mates, it would have been easier for me if I was starting my Liverpool career in a winning team. It hasn't been that way, so the pressure has been on me to produce performances straight away. When I have played, though, I know I can do a lot, lot better."</p><p>With Fernando Torres, Steven ­Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun sidelined, and in the wake of the Reading defeat, there were fewer allowances for Aquilani in what Benítez had declared was a "make or break" game against Tottenham. And, despite doubts over his physical condition prompting a return to the substitutes bench at Stoke City last Saturday, the midfielder is adamant he can have a major role in Liverpool's pursuit of fourth place this season.</p><p>Aquilani added: "Some people may think that I will find the pace of the game in the Premier League very quick. I understand that some great players who have done well in Serie A have come here in the past and struggled. At the moment, I am regaining my fitness after a long time away from football.</p><p>"It will take me a while to get to a level I am happy with and I don't think I'm that far away. The manager has explained to me in detail what he wants me to do for the team. When every player is fit, including me, I think it will bring the best from me and the best from the 11 players we have out on the pitch."</p><p>The importance of the occasion was lost on no one inside Anfield, with Redknapp conceding his team had missed "a great opportunity" in the race for a Champions League place irrespective of complaints over Jermain Defoe's disallowed goal early in the second half. Benítez's post-match message that Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa must accept they have Liverpool for company in their ­private ­competition for fourth was, as with his pre-match warning, seized upon by his players.</p><p>As Degen noted: "It was an important victory for everyone at the club; the ­players, the staff, the manager and the fans. ­Everyone knows that we can close down fourth place. We all did well, worked hard and that was the least we could do.</p><p>"Everyone knows that we haven't played well this season but the team is closer now, we are working hard and we want to make sure we give the fans some success. Every player knows what we are fighting for and we aren't going to give fourth place away."</p><p>Wednesday marked the highlight of a disappointing Liverpool career so far for the Swiss full-back, who was among those up for sale this month until injuries offered opportunity as an unorthodox midfielder.</p><p>"I am a footballer with heart and I live to play football," said Degen. "All the time I was out I kept believing that I could come back. I wanted to fight to show that I could play here and I think everyone knows that I don't give up. It doesn't matter what has happened in the past. I just had to wait for my chance to give my best. I hope I have done that now."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/liverpool">Liverpool</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/rafael-benitez">Rafael Benítez</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/andyhunter">Andy Hunter</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/YAz5NFMKPXwelkn-YnJbbQPQmpk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/YAz5NFMKPXwelkn-YnJbbQPQmpk/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/YAz5NFMKPXwelkn-YnJbbQPQmpk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/YAz5NFMKPXwelkn-YnJbbQPQmpk/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/22/alberto-aquilani-liverpool">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-1590930320096482787?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-69405530642176423012010-01-22T02:10:00.003-08:002010-01-22T02:10:39.958-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/14720?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Manchester+United+players+enjoy+rich+pickings+amid+financial+turmoil+%7C+D%3AArticle%3A1340412&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=Guardian&amp;c4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CBusiness+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CSport&amp;c6=Matt+Scott&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340412&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=Digger+%28series%29&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FManchester+United" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Manchester United stars' wages continue to rise<br />• Champions' 2009 salary costs stood at £123m</p><p>As Manchester United's title defence loses ground this season, there is evidence that their players' financial fortunes continue to improve.</p><p>The biggest burden on any football club is naturally the wage bill. And despite United's debt ravaging their financial situation – Cristiano Ronaldo's £80.7m departure last summer being the sticking plaster that keptUnited in the black – total salary costs at Old Trafford have been steadily rising.</p><p>In 2008, salary costs of £121m were shared between 68 players and 476 ancillary staff. The number of other staff rose before June 2009 but the loss of six players from the total meant the £123m total salary costs implied an average wage rise of more than 10% per player.</p><p>This season it looks like rising still further, with the total salary bill from the three months to September last year up by almost another 10% from the same period the previous season.</p><p>Although United do not make clear how they apportion their costs over the course of a 12-month period, that could well be a cause for concern for the Glazers. "Over the past three years salaries for players and coaching staff have increased significantly," the club admitted in the bond prospectus they released this week.</p><p>They certainly have. In 2007, staff costs were £92.3m, before rising 31% in 2008. It was assumed that this was due to bonuses paid for the double Premier League and Champions League triumph that season. But player salaries, although not performances, have been rising in value ever since.</p><h2>Warren says no to Chester<br /></h2>Stephen Vaughan, the former owner of Chester City, is not a man to look a gift horse in the mouth. He has, he says been "speaking to possible investors in the football club and one potential investor in talks has been boxing promoter Frank Warren". Perhaps Vaughan's description of a "potential investor in talks" is different to what yours and mine would be. But one thing is for certain: his description of an investor is different to Frank Warren's. "I am not buying Chester City," Britain's most successful boxing promoter told Digger. "Someone rang me yesterday but I'm not interested."<p></p><h2>Sullivan's half measure<br /></h2>If two unconnected investors hold equal equity in a heavily indebted football club and cannot agree on how to run the business, it is unlikely that club will prosper. Such is the lesson that&nbsp;can be learned from Liverpool under Tom Hicks and George Gillett's stewardship. But that is precisely the situation that David Sullivan and David Gold have taken on at West Ham United, where they and Straumur now each own 50% of the club.<p></p><p>It is hardly surprising, then, that the gone-within-four-years exit strategy drawn up by Straumur will be chivvied along. Sullivan's option to buy the other half of the club at a pre-agreed price actually expires in May and it is now expected that he will take out the collapsed Icelandic bank even before the season&nbsp;ends.</p><h2>Empty days for Cup<br /></h2>The Football Association is looking at a new strategy to pep up the FA Cup after poor attendances at third-round replays this week. Only 6,731 loyal souls went to the Cardiff City Stadium (capacity 26,828) for what is normally a lively cross-border fixture against Bristol City on Tuesday night. In an economic crisis there are fears that the guidelines for a minimum £15 ticket price for FA Cup matches are being taken a bit too literally – they are only guidelines after all – by clubs.<p></p><h2>Pension policies intact<br /></h2>Football League players' retirement incomes are underpinned by a 5% levy placed on all transfer fees paid by Premier League clubs. But lower-league footballers who fear for their pensions in the midst of a weak January market so far should not fret yet. In recent windows 80% of the levy paid by top-flight clubs has been returned to them, since the Football League Players Benefit Scheme has been overpaid.<p></p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchester-united">Manchester United</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/business">Business</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/mattscott">Matt Scott</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/67otBns3FRaT4mnf5figqLBJgFM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/67otBns3FRaT4mnf5figqLBJgFM/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/67otBns3FRaT4mnf5figqLBJgFM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/67otBns3FRaT4mnf5figqLBJgFM/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/22/manchester-united-player-wage-bill">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-6940553064217642301?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-25867379100526295292010-01-22T02:10:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:10:10.528-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/74982?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Arsenal+prosper+as+Wenger%27s+ludicrous+self-belief+proves+contagious%3AArticle%3A1340426&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=Guardian&amp;c4=Arsenal+FC+%28Football%29%2CArs%C3%A8ne+Wenger%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=David+Hytner&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340426&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=Feature&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FArsenal" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">Arsenal's manager and players sense the start of something remarkable having reached the top of the table seven weeks after a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea</p><p>Arsène Wenger had a lot to say after his Arsenal team had been beaten 3-0 at home by Chelsea in the Premier League on 29 November, and most of it was held up as sounding one-eyed at best, deluded at worst. He suggested that Didier Drogba, Chelsea's two-goal match-winner, "doesn't do a lot", he raged at refereeing injustice in the form of the decision to disallow an effort from Andrey Arshavin and insisted the final result was a "very unfair reflection of the game".</p><p>It was his hopes for the future, though, that had many people in attendance listening for the sound of the wailing ambulance siren. The defeat, Arsenal's fourth of the Premier League season, meant they trailed Chelsea by 11 points, albeit having played one game fewer.</p><p>"I'm used to definite conclusions from people who see the score and have a great knowledge," Wenger said, ­waspishly.&nbsp;"That's what you get in an excessive world. I believe in what I saw. I never had the impression that we couldn't win this game and we were quite a lot on top. I don't think it's all over. The problem we will face now is that people will not believe in us and we have to make sure that lack of belief doesn't diminish our belief. I'm convinced that Chelsea can still drop points."</p><p>Wenger was wheeled away … sorry, got up and exited the Emirates Stadium's press conference theatre to begin a bout of soul-searching. Tomas Rosicky, the midfielder, would catch the mood in the team's dressing room. "It will be very difficult for us to win the title now, we know that," he said.</p><p>Move forward to Wednesday night at the Emirates, in the same press suite, and the contrast was eye-opening, with Wenger's rosiness even extending to the wryest of acknowledgements. "At the time," he said, "it looked a bit ludicrous to say we'd come back."</p><p>It might have threatened to get worse for the Frenchman before it got better – witness his touchline spat with Mark Hughes during Arsenal's 3-0 Carling Cup defeat at Manchester City on 2 December – but it most surely has got better. The 4-2 victory over Bolton Wanderers meant that his team have taken 23 points from an available 27. Chelsea, meanwhile, have dropped points and Arsenal, top of the table on goal difference, albeit having played one game more than Chelsea, are not only back from the brink but they sense the possibility of something remarkable.</p><p>"It shows, first of all, that it can change quickly," Wenger said. "When you keep that belief, no matter what people say, it can strengthen the belief in the heads of my players and get them stronger. The players have played with that belief and we believe we have a real chance. We will have a real go."</p><p>Rosicky was asked whether he could have envisaged being back on top so soon after the Chelsea defeat. "It's difficult to say," he said. "But since that game, we started something new again. The other clubs can see that we are there, we want to win it and everybody will have to compete with us. I think you can see that this team has great mental strength."</p><p>There is little doubt as to the location of the turning point for Arsenal. When they were losing 1-0 at half-time to Liverpool at Anfield in the middle of last month, Wenger put everything on the line to criticise his players savagely. They responded with an improved second-half performance and emerged as 2-1 winners, with Arshavin scoring the winner.</p><p>Driven by the captain, Cesc Fábregas, who has hit a rich vein of form, and with Arshavin's mercurial ability to the fore, there appears to be greater steel about the team in every sense this season. Comeback victories and vital late goals have emphasised their character and they did not shy from the physical fight in either of their fixtures against Bolton over this past week. "We are certainly much more physically resistant," Wenger said. "Physically, you're never better tested than against Bolton. You cannot find a team better than Bolton in doing what they do in terms of man-to-man marking and not giving us an inch of space."</p><p>Wenger will demand more of the same in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Stoke City on Sunday, a match in which he will rotate his personnel, and then the defining period looms. Arsenal face four Premier League matches in the space of 14 days, beginning on Wednesday with the trip to Aston Villa. Thereafter, they play Manchester United (home), Chelsea (away) and Liverpool (home).</p><p>"Everybody knows that the coming weeks are the critical ones in the whole season," Rosicky said. "On the other hand, the team always lacked a bit of consistency so we look game by game, because that is what we need. We are definitely up for the title and we want to do it." Arsenal for the title no longer sounds so ludicrous.</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/arsenal">Arsenal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/arsene-wenger">Arsène Wenger</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/davidhytner">David Hytner</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/Ovt1WCZxSAbqHtHPyx4H6eYm8Ks/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/Ovt1WCZxSAbqHtHPyx4H6eYm8Ks/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/Ovt1WCZxSAbqHtHPyx4H6eYm8Ks/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/Ovt1WCZxSAbqHtHPyx4H6eYm8Ks/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/22/arsenal-arsene-wenger">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-2586737910052629529?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-90861757359988862592010-01-22T02:09:00.003-08:002010-01-22T02:09:39.596-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/83574?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Mido+and+Billy+Whitehurst+make+claims+for+players+fit+to+burst+%7C+Harry+P%3AArticle%3A1340104&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Football%2CMiddlesbrough+%28Football%29%2CHull+City+%28Football%29%2CSport&amp;c6=Harry+Pearson&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340104&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=Blogpost&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=Sport+blog&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FMiddlesbrough" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">The fitness test and timidity are thwarting the survival of the well-cushioned professional</p><p>When the corpulent Edwardian newspaper baron Lord Northcliffe encountered the skinny Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw in the West End one evening, he remarked: "Good God Shaw, you look like there is a famine in the land." The Irishman studied the considerable bulge of the Daily Mail proprietor's stomach and replied: "And your Lordship looks like the cause of it."</p><p>For some reason this exchange popped into my head when I read that Mido is on the verge of signing for Hull City. The last time I saw the Egypt striker he was playing for Middlesbrough and packing more padding than a Stanley Cup goaltender.</p><p>"He holds the ball up well," was the verdict of the bloke behind me. He was right, though it has to be said that Mido's ability in that area was greatly aided by the crater that rapidly developed around him whenever he stood still.</p><p>For Tigers fans of a certain vintage the sight of Mido's billowing waistline will bring back happy memories of the legendary Billy Whitehurst, a belligerent centre-forward with a stomach a friend of mine once claimed "could host the Super Bowl". When Big Billy played against Leeds disgruntled fans at Elland Road taunted him with chants of "Have you ever seen your dick?"</p><p>Whitehurst, I should say, denied being overweight. "I weren't fat ... the kit was too small," he once explained after relating how Reading fans had sung "Ninety pies an hour" at him during his brief spell with the Royals. Since a&nbsp;typical Whitehurst anecdote begins: "I'd had an argument with this bloke who'd come at me with a big spanner. I'd got it off him and done him over the head and then his kneecap and fucked off," I&nbsp;reckon it is probably wisest not to argue the point.</p><p>Should Mido return to the Premier League he will undoubtedly be subject to a stringent medical. At one time passing the medical examination before a transfer was nothing more than a formality. Of the stars of yesteryear only the lank-haired 70s maverick Frank Worthington truly botched one, missing out on a move from Leicester City to Liverpool because of high blood&nbsp;pressure.</p><p>In Worthington's estimable autobiography, One Hump or Two?, the elegant striker puts his condition down to over-excitement created by a week of sensual excess in southern Spain. A look at the book's photo section suggests another possible cause – form-hugging knitwear and high-waisted pants. When you've got an orange-and-brown striped tank top cutting off the circulation to your arms, doing the Hustle in a Marbella night spot is likely to send all&nbsp;that displaced haemoglobin shooting out of your ears.</p><p>Things are different these days, of course. The dawning of a new more stringent medical examination was signalled a decade ago when John Hartson (who has some claim to being the Welsh Billy Whitehurst) flunked a high-profile fitness test, scotching a £7m move to Spurs. His agent, Jonathan Barnett, was not impressed claiming: "Even Mother Theresa would have failed that fitness test."</p><p>Yes, the days when the prospective new signing was simply shown a picture&nbsp;of the Hai Karate sex-bomb Valerie Leon in a negligee and if he responded with a hoarse "Phwoar!" he was considered to have all the attributes necessary for the red-blooded hurly‑burly of the Football League had gone. We had now entered an era when the honest British pro was expected to display more stamina and athleticism than a dead Albanian nun.</p><p>In the days of Worthington and co character was the thing, the ability to withstand pain, hardship and the interminable Norman Wisdom impressions of the dressing-room joker.</p><p>Which was fair enough in many ways. After all, when centre-backs trundled about the pitch like runaway traction engines and referees displayed as much compassion towards the victims of violence as Caligula, fitness was a transient thing. There was little point in wasting a doctor's fee to find out if a player was in prime condition when two weeks later he was likely to be lying in a hospital bed contemplating a career running a tobacconist's with an ankle joint that offered a more accurate prediction of coming damp spells than the BBC Weather Centre.</p><p>Players were cheaper, too. Purchasing a pre-owned centre-forward was a bit like buying a used car. You approach the motor with a look on your face that you hope conveys a mixture of steely toughness and extensive mechanical knowledge. You lift the bonnet, scratch your head, kick the tyres and, if no bits fall off, you cross your fingers and hand over the cash. Now signing a player is more like investing in a house. You have to have a thorough independent survey before the bank will advance the money.</p><p>Insurance is the key. Terms and premiums are based on risk. If Fifa hadn't outlawed the tackle from behind, brittle forwards such as Mido would likely have become as hard to secure cover for as a firework factory on the slopes of Mount Etna.</p><p>Once a large policy on a player is secured, however, it offers all sorts of temptations. In the current financial climate clubs are getting increasingly desperate. Surely it won't be long before somebody buys an international striker, takes out a hefty policy on him, then pays two likely lads to steal him, strip him of parts and drive him over a cliff so they can claim the insurance? If I were Mido I'd keep that in mind.</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/middlesbrough">Middlesbrough</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/hullcity">Hull City</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/harrypearson">Harry Pearson</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/utJmZTsCFC-uoz3o9lbqMXzJ110/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/utJmZTsCFC-uoz3o9lbqMXzJ110/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/utJmZTsCFC-uoz3o9lbqMXzJ110/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/utJmZTsCFC-uoz3o9lbqMXzJ110/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/22/mido-middlesbrough-billy-whitehurst-hull">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-9086175735998886259?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-32933153764123642502010-01-22T02:09:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:09:05.133-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/40427?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=West+Ham+United+offer+Ruud+van+Nistelrooy+%C2%A3100%2C000-a-week+deal%3AArticle%3A1340461&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=Guardian&amp;c4=West+Ham+United+%28Football%29%2CDavid+Sullivan%2CTransfer+window+%28football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Dave+Middleton&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340461&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FWest+Ham+United" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• 'He's down to three clubs' says co-owner David Sullivan<br />• West Ham desperate to secure strikers to balance side</p><p>West Ham have offered the Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy £100,000 a week to join the club. Their move indicates the new co-­owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, are willing to break the bank for a marquee signing this month, despite their admission about the dire level of financial strife at Upton Park.</p><p>"We've offered £100,000 a week to a player today and we are still not sure we are going to get him," Sullivan told BBC Radio 5 live. "That was a very special player. There's no transfer fee involved and he's got the choice of almost every club in Europe. He has played at the ­highest level."</p><p>Sullivan and Gold, who this week bought 50% of West Ham for £44m, have promised not to sell any players this month despite claiming that the club, 16th in the Premier League and out of the relegation zone only on goal difference, are in a "mess" and still owe around £110m.</p><p>"We can carry one exceptional player, who would make a difference on that wage, but generally we have to bring the wages down and in the summer we would hope to sign younger players on a fraction of those wages," said Sullivan.</p><p>Van Nistelrooy, who has been unable to hold down a regular place at Madrid and wants to go to the World Cup with Holland, has also attracted interest in England from Stoke and Tottenham and from Turkey's Galatasaray among other clubs. It is understood that Tottenham may not yet be out of the running to land the 33-year-old former Manchester United striker, despite Sullivan's assertion that West Ham were the only English club still in the running, even though Sullivan said: "He's down to three clubs and West Ham are the only English club still in the hunt for him."</p><p>Sullivan emphasised that strikers were a priority for West Ham. "We have looked at a few players in the Championship but the reality is that it is no good if they make the grade in 12 months' time, we need them to make the grade now. We have a crisis and you have to have a ­different strategy to what our long-term strategy will be.</p><p>"We are trying to sign players because unfortunately we have come in very, very late and we have got a very unbalanced squad. We are particularly short of strikers and they are the hardest and most difficult position to fill. That's the short-term objective. We have guaranteed that we will not sell a player in the transfer ­window and we are looking at targets. We are doing our best for West Ham but at the moment we are drawing blanks."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/westhamunited">West Ham United</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/david-sullivan">David Sullivan</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/transfer-window">Transfer window</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/3EEG-H3X6UBzWgOeB6XEAXIyBGg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/3EEG-H3X6UBzWgOeB6XEAXIyBGg/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/3EEG-H3X6UBzWgOeB6XEAXIyBGg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/3EEG-H3X6UBzWgOeB6XEAXIyBGg/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/west-ham-ruud-van-nistelrooy-transfer">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-3293315376412364250?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-87765349870798725352010-01-22T02:03:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:03:23.829-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/95409?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=James+Milner+says+Aston+Villa+are+now+strong+enough+to+win+a+trophy%3AArticle%3A1340394&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Aston+Villa+%28Football%29%2CCarling+Cup%2CBlackburn+Rovers+%28Football+club%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Jamie+Jackson&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340394&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FAston+Villa" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• James Milner praises Aston Villa's rate of progress<br />• Midfielder confident league form will not fade again</p><p></p><p>James Milner followed his man-of-the-match performance in Aston Villa's exhilarating 6-4 Carling Cup semi-final, second-leg victory over Blackburn Rovers by saying that the development of Martin O'Neill's team required them to win a first trophy for 14 years.</p><p>"The next step for this side is to win a trophy. The owner [Randy Lerner] and the manager have done a great job and the club has changed massively since the last time I was here on loan," Milner said, referring to the season he spent at Villa Park four years ago.</p><p>"Hopefully we are improving year by year and we can show that in the league but also to get a piece of silverware would be great. We know we are going to come up against a quality team whoever it is ­[Manchester City or Manchester United, in the final]. And although it is a great day out for the fans, we're going there to win."</p><p>Villa last reached a major final a decade ago, when Chelsea beat them in the 2000 FA Cup final. Beyond Brad Friedel's 2002 Carling Cup winner's medal and Nigel Reo-Coker's 2006 FA Cup final appearance for West Ham United in the defeat on penalties by Liverpool, O'Neill's nominal first-choice side have never experienced a major final. "It is fantastic. I don't think it has sunk in yet," Milner said. "It would be my first final and for a few of the boys."</p><p>Milner is confident that Villa's challenge for a Champions League place will not fade, as it did last season. "It's about getting that consistency and making sure we put in our best performances," he said. "It's down to us to finish the season well. We know what happened last season. We've added a lot of strength and quality to the squad."</p><p>Milner will be hoping he has a better League Cup final experience than in 1996 when, as a Leeds United fan, the day ended sourly for him, with his side losing 3-0 and their supporters jeering the then manager Howard Wilkinson at the end. "I was supporting Leeds. I was only 10 [and] remember being disappointed," he recalled.</p><p>His display against Blackburn, in which Villa secured a 7-4 aggregate win, in his new central midfield role confirmed why he is a firm favourite to be selected for Fabio Capello's England's squad for the World Cup in South Africa this summer.</p><p>He said: "I played there coming through a lot at Leeds in the Under-12s, 13, 14s and enjoyed it very much. When you're a younger player you see young centre-backs get played at right-back and centre midfielders played wide. It is seems to be the way as there's not so much responsibility. But wherever the manager plays me, I enjoy it. I'm delighted to be playing in there and I feel I can influence the game a bit more."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/aston-villa">Aston Villa</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/carlingcup">Carling Cup</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blackburn">Blackburn Rovers</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jamiejackson">Jamie Jackson</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/T4_i14906i01S4rruiO-OGxWu6Y/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/T4_i14906i01S4rruiO-OGxWu6Y/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/T4_i14906i01S4rruiO-OGxWu6Y/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/T4_i14906i01S4rruiO-OGxWu6Y/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/james-milner-aston-villa-carling-cup">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-8776534987079872535?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-4357167861628010702010-01-22T02:02:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:07:38.294-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/99449?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Dunfermline+reinstated+to+Scottish+Cup+to+replay+fourth-round+tie%3AArticle%3A1340439&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Dunfermline+%28Football+club%29%2CScottish+Cup%2CStenhousemuir+%28Football+club%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Press+Association&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340439&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FDunfermline" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Expulsion for use of suspended player overturned<br />• Stenhousemuir will host replay, winner to host Celtic</p><p>Dunfermline breathed a sigh of relief after their appeal for reinstatement into the Scottish Cup was upheld today at Hampden. The club have been ordered to replay their fourth-round tie against Stenhousemuir at their opponents' Ochilview Park home and fined around £30,000.</p><p>The Pars' expulsion came partly as the result of fielding Calum Woods, who came off the bench in the second half of the 7-1 win at East End Park on 9 January, despite the Scottish Football Association's official suspensions list declaring him banned for the match.</p><p>The club were also punished for further administrative errors, including submitting an inaccurate team line-up, altering a named substitute and not registering two outfield under-21 players.</p><p>A three-person independent panel, consisting of the Hamilton secretary, Scott Struthers, Gordon Law, a former president of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and the solicitor Stephen Miller, met at Hampden today to hear their case.</p><p>After more than five hours of deliberation, including an afternoon adjournment, they ruled that the decision be overturned. Although Dunfermline will be fined around £30,000 in total, £20,000 of which was for playing Woods, the club have the chance to make up the deficit if they beat Stenhousemuir for the second time.</p><p>The winners host Celtic in the fifth round in a game which the Pars chief ­executive John Yorkston was quoted as saying could be worth as much as £250,000.</p><p>There was no disguising the relief in the voice of Dunfermline director of football, Jim Leishman, who said: "We got a fair hearing and we are delighted to still be in the cup. We can still only apologise to the Dunfermline fans that we are in this situation but we are delighted that we are still in the cup.</p><p>"Last week we thought we were out of the cup but we got the chance to present our case and we are delighted to have the opportunity to go forward. We will be making an official statement but we are delighted."</p><p>On the £30,000 fine, he said: "That's something that comes with the judgment. I can't say too much on that but we are looking forward to the game. Stenhousemuir have been magnificent in this. They haven't said anything against it, they went with the judgment."</p><p>Gordon Smith, chief executive of the Scottish FA, said in a statement: "We are surprised by the decision after what the emergency committee considered a number of serious infringements of the cup competition rules by Dunfermline Athletic.</p><p>"Nonetheless, we respect the decision of the appeals board and hope that the situation involving Dunfermline Athletic, and the sanctions imposed on them tonight, will ensure all participating clubs are mindful of the cup competition rules in the future."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/dunfermline">Dunfermline</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/scottishcup">Scottish Cup</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/stenhousemuir">Stenhousemuir</a></li></ul></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/dNEeXPeelLo7WQI0x2Fut2HiHuU/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/dNEeXPeelLo7WQI0x2Fut2HiHuU/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/dNEeXPeelLo7WQI0x2Fut2HiHuU/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/dNEeXPeelLo7WQI0x2Fut2HiHuU/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/dunfermline-reinstated-stenhousemuir-scottish-cup">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-435716786162801070?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-1034671635093200622010-01-22T02:01:00.003-08:002010-01-22T02:07:21.688-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/66076?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=FA+powerless+to+act+on+William+Gallas%27s+%27assault%27+on+Mark+Davies%3AArticle%3A1340443&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Arsenal+FC+%28Football%29%2CBolton+Wanderers+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=David+Hytner&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340443&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FArsenal" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Referee saw challenge as two players coming together<br />• No retrospective action can be taken by FA</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>William Gallas will face no disciplinary action for his challenge on Mark Davies on Wednesday night, which was likened to "assault" by the Bolton Wanderers manager, Owen Coyle.</p><p>Gallas, the Arsenal defender, lunged in clumsily on the midfielder who was left crumpled in agony and was carried off on a stretcher. Bolton initially feared that he had suffered major damage to an ankle, although the 21-year-old appears to have escaped serious injury.</p><p>The referee, Alan Wiley, did not award a free-kick and Coyle confronted him at ­full-time to ask why. The manager reported that "it's fair to say that what he [Wiley] said was that he never saw it".</p><p>That would have left Gallas open to retrospective action from the Football Association but it has emerged that Wiley informed the governing body he did view the incident and merely saw two players coming together, having stretched for the ball. As such, the FA has no scope to ­investigate further.</p><p>Davies left the Emirates Stadium on crutches and the early diagnosis suggested he had seriously damaged his ankle ligaments in the incident, which came as Arsenal pushed forward to equalise at 2-2 in a game they went on to win 4-2. But it now seems he might have got away with bruising. "It was a disgusting tackle," Paul Robinson, the Bolton defender, said. "He's lucky he hasn't broken his leg."</p><p>Attention for both teams will now turn to the FA Cup fourth round – Bolton entertain Sheffield United on Saturday and Arsenal travel to Stoke City on Sunday. Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, will rest some of his first-team players before a potentially season-defining run of ­Premier League fixtures. His team face Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of 14 days.</p><p>Wenger reported that the midfielder Abou Diaby was out of both the Stoke and Villa games, and was a doubt for United on Sunday week, because of a calf injury. "There is hope he might be back for United but we don't know yet," Wenger said. "We will know more when he has a scan." Bacary Sagna, the right-back, has a ­shoulder problem and he will be among those rested at Stoke and Sol Campbell has strained his neck in training and may be unavailable to make the first appearance of his second spell at Arsenal.</p><p>There was more bad news for Kieran Gibbs, who, having fractured his metatarsal against Standard Liège on 24 November, is now out for the season. The Arsenal left-back needs surgery because the bone has failed to heal satisfactorily.</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/arsenal">Arsenal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/boltonwanderers">Bolton Wanderers</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/davidhytner">David Hytner</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/ODAYv8UtsBn-XZ5mrczi0YnwBOs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/ODAYv8UtsBn-XZ5mrczi0YnwBOs/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/ODAYv8UtsBn-XZ5mrczi0YnwBOs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/ODAYv8UtsBn-XZ5mrczi0YnwBOs/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/william-gallas-arsenal-escapes-action">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-103467163509320062?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-32182686019672154132010-01-22T02:01:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:06:48.738-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/41476?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=World+Cup+scramble+for+Africa+fizzles+out%3AArticle%3A1340436&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=World+Cup+2010+%28Football%29%2CSouth+Africa+%28News%29%2CFootball%2CSport%2CWorld+news&amp;c6=Owen+Gibson&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340436&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FWorld+Cup+2010" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Ticket sales much slower than organisers expected<br />• High prices and safety fears cited for low take-up</p><p>Football's ruling body, South African organisers, tourist chiefs – and ticket touts – had hoped the first World Cup on African soil would result in a huge influx of foreign visitors and help transform the continent's image in the eyes of the world.</p><p>But today worrying signs emerged that the world might not turn out in the numbers expected, amid fears of high prices and uncertainty over safety.</p><p>Dutch and German football authorities have already confirmed that supply has far exceeded demand for tickets for their matches, and tomorrow England fans are likely to find themselves in the unusual position of discovering that requests have not exceeded the number on offer.</p><p>The scramble for England tickets is ­traditionally as familiar during the build-up to major tournaments as rampant over-optimism and the need to become an instant expert on metatarsal injuries.</p><p>But it is believed that this time around every England fan in the official ­supporters' club who has applied for a ticket for the opening three group games against US, Algeria and Slovenia or for matches in later rounds will almost certainly get one.</p><p>Usually they have to accumulate a ­certain number of points by attending qualifying matches home and away or prevail in a ballot to get hold of the 3,000 to 6,000 tickets typically reserved for each match. An estimated 100,000 went to ­Germany for the 2006 World Cup and more than 50,000 travelled to Portugal for the 2004 European Championships.</p><p>In South Africa a total of 22,479 ­tickets have been allocated to England fans in the official club. In addition 48,274 tickets across all 64 matches have so far been allocated to buyers with UK addresses in the open Fifa ballot, ahead of the latest sales phase closing tomorrow. Each applicant can buy up to seven.</p><p>Whatever the final total, predictions from the South African organising committee and tourist chiefs that between 40,000 and 50,000 England fans would descend on South Africa as part of a contingent of 450,000 tourists now look over-optimistic.</p><p>"There is a combination of factors leading to a relatively low take-up of tickets from English fans and, ironically, the prospects of the team is not one of them," said Kevin Miles, director of international affairs for the Football Supporters' Federation.</p><p>"It's a calculation about the World Cup experience you can get for your restricted funds and a combination of expensive flights, rip-off hotel rates, difficult internal transport, uncertainty about safety and the fact it is in winter. They all combine to make it a much less attractive proposition."</p><p>Tour packages, including match tickets, typically start from £3,499, while individual match tickets range from about £49 to £98 for group matches and around £250 to £550 for the final.</p><p>However, Mark Perryman, of London­EnglandFans, said: "Once prices start to come down and people realise that it might be a pricey holiday but it's not an outrageously pricey one, hopefully things will start to turn around because the last thing you want is half-empty stadiums."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/worldcup2010">World Cup 2010</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/southafrica">South Africa</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/owengibson">Owen Gibson</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/6OCAOHt6x0Crpgj33pi74hJUp5o/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/6OCAOHt6x0Crpgj33pi74hJUp5o/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/6OCAOHt6x0Crpgj33pi74hJUp5o/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/6OCAOHt6x0Crpgj33pi74hJUp5o/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/world-cup-ticket-sales">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-3218268601967215413?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-48550189130021042902010-01-22T02:00:00.003-08:002010-01-22T02:06:10.654-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/9535?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Cameroon+and+Zambia+advance+to+Africa+Cup+of+Nations+last+eight%3AArticle%3A1340430&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Africa+Cup+of+Nations%2CCameroon+%28Football+club%29%2CTunisia+%28Football+club%29%2CZambia+%28Football+club%29%2CGabon+%28football+team%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Press+Association&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340430&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FAfrica+Cup+of+Nations" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Cameroon come from behind to draw 2-2 with Tunisia<br />• Zambia climb above Gabon with 2-1 victory</p><p>Cameroon secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after twice coming from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against Tunisia in Lubango.</p><p>The Indomitable Lions, who needed at least a point to ensure qualification from Group D, fell behind after only 57 seconds thanks to a fine diving header from Amine Chermiti.</p><p>It stayed at 1-0 until a minute after half-time, when Samuel Eto'o equalised with a close-range effort, before an own goal from Aurélien Chedjou restored the advantage for Tunisia. But Landry N'Guemo responded instantly with an arrowed finish to give Paul Le Guen's team a place in the last eight.</p><p>In the closing stages Tunisia were reduced to 10 men when Ammar Jemal was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for an unnecessary push on Mohammadou Idrissou as the north Africans were eliminated.</p><p>Meanwhile, Zambia will join Cameroon in the knockout stages after beating Gabon, who were top of Group D before kick-off, 2-1.</p><p>Goals from Rainford Kalaba and James Chamanga earned Hervé Renard's side a deserved victory in Benguela despite the substitute Fabrice Do Marcolino's late effort.</p><p>But it came at a price, with both Kabala and the centre-half Kampamba Chintu collecting bookings which rule them out of the last eight clash.</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/africannationscup">Africa Cup of Nations</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/cameroon">Cameroon</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/tunisia">Tunisia</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/zambia">Zambia</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gabon">Gabon</a></li></ul></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/LTGmUhwitM-y4MF0Ps4KjfaIK9U/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/LTGmUhwitM-y4MF0Ps4KjfaIK9U/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/LTGmUhwitM-y4MF0Ps4KjfaIK9U/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/LTGmUhwitM-y4MF0Ps4KjfaIK9U/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/cameroon-tunsia-affrica-cup-of-nations">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-4855018913002104290?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-15126183087373659862010-01-22T02:00:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:05:45.933-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/84661?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Hull+take+legal+action+against+former+chairman+Paul+Duffen%3AArticle%3A1340423&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Hull+City+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Louise+Taylor&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340423&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FHull+City" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Premier League club issue proceedings in the high court<br />• They seek 'to protect the commercial best interests of the club'</p><p>Hull City are taking legal action against their former chairman Paul Duffen, with the case due in the high court today. Duffen left the KC Stadium in late October when he was replaced by Adam Pearson.</p><p>Hull yesterday issued the following statement: "Hull City Football Club has now issued legal proceedings against Paul Duffen in the high court. This action has been taken to protect the commercial best interests of the football club against the actions undertaken by Paul Duffen while in office at Hull City."</p><p>Duffen left suddenly in the wake of stark warnings that the club was facing a potential financial crisis and Russell Bartlett, Hull's owner, immediately hired Pearson as chairman.</p><p>Duffen last night said the club started legal proceedings in response to his own claim. "This [the club's action] is in response to legal action initiated by me in early December with regard to monies that are owed to me under the agreed terms of my resignation in October," Duffen was quoted as saying in the Daily Express. "The matter is now in the hands of the courts and I'm happy for that to run its course.</p><p>"I took over at Hull when they were 21st in the Championship and I helped lead them to the Premier League. I'm so proud to be associated with them in the most successful period in their history."</p><p>Pearson was Hull's previous owner before being bought out by a consortium featuring Bartlett and Duffen in 2007. Once the £12m takeover was completed Duffen became the chairman and public face of Hull. After presiding over promotion to the Premier League – the first time Hull had reached English football's top tier – he promised substantial investment in Phil Brown's squad and proved true to his word when the talented but injury prone midfielder Jimmy Bullard became the club's record signing, joining for £5m from Fulham last January.</p><p>By October, though, Hull were being cautioned that their uncertain financial position threatened the club's "ability to continue as a going concern". The club's accounts, filed five months late to Companies House, revealed that in the event of relegation they would need to generate a £23m surplus just to meet their existing liabilities.</p><p>The grim forecast from the club's accountants, Deloitte, emphasised the need for an imminent financial overhaul to safeguard Hull's future. In the accounts for the year ending 2008, which were due on 31 May but only filed in October, the club made a £9,764,850 loss during a period that culminated in winning promotion to the Premier League.</p><p>Most telling, though, was Deloitte's prediction that Hull would need to raise an additional £16m should they retain their Premier League status this season and a further £7m again if the club slip back into the Championship.</p><p>Duffen, a father of five with a love of fast cars who is a former chief executive of Catalyst Media Group plc and earlier worked in sales and marketing for Procter and Gamble, swiftly stepped down, saying at the time: "I must take responsibility for a disappointing 2009."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/hullcity">Hull City</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/louisetaylor">Louise Taylor</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/tL-1z_VQMAP-PWuF9BVOg1hTN04/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/tL-1z_VQMAP-PWuF9BVOg1hTN04/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/tL-1z_VQMAP-PWuF9BVOg1hTN04/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/tL-1z_VQMAP-PWuF9BVOg1hTN04/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/hull-city-paul-duffen">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-1512618308737365986?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-69177867181299309402010-01-22T01:59:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:05:26.115-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/23174?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Carlos+Tevez+launches+explosive+attack+on+Gary+Neville%2C+the+%27boot-lickin%3AArticle%3A1340294&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Carlos+Tevez%2CManchester+United+%28Football%29%2CManchester+City+%28Football%29%2CCarling+Cup%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Sid+Lowe&amp;c7=10-Jan-21&amp;c8=1340294&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FCarlos+Tevez" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Manchester City striker lashes out on Argentinian radio<br />• 'I wondered, what's the moron talking about me for?'</p><p>Carlos Tevez has launched an incredible new attack on Gary Neville, accusing his former Manchester United team-mate of being a "boot-licking moron" after their confrontation during the Carling Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday night.</p><p>The Manchester City striker described his side's 2-1 victory in the match at Eastlands as "revenge" and said his provocative goal celebration had been directed only at Neville and not Sir Alex Ferguson or the United fans. He said: "Ferguson loves me."</p><p>Before the game Neville, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/18/gary-neville-manchester-united-manchester-city" title="the United right-back had announced ">the United right-back, had said </a>Tevez was "not worth" the £25m it would have cost the club to keep him last summer. Tevez made a gesture towards Neville after scoring his first goal, from the penalty spot. The ­England veteran responded by raising his middle finger.</p><p>Speaking in a radio interview on ESPN Argentina, Tevez said: "My celebration was directed at Gary Neville. He acted like a complete sock-sucker [boot-licker] when he said I wasn't worth £25m, just to suck up to the manager. I don't know what the hell that idiot is talking about me for. I never said anything about him.</p><p>"I will never show a lack of respect towards anyone. Just as I was running off to celebrate the penalty I had scored, I came across Gary and I said to myself: 'Shut your trap, keep quiet.' I didn't go overboard in my celebration and it was directed at Gary, not at Ferguson and not at the fans. I think he did the wrong thing because I was his team-mate and I never said anything bad about him. He was ­saying that Ferguson was right when he said that I wasn't worth £25m, when he was saying this and that ... I always respected Neville."</p><p>Tevez's outburst will do little to dampen tension ahead of next week's second leg after the Football Association and Greater Manchester Police appealed for calm.Despite living in England for four years, Tevez speaks little English. His <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/20/carlos-tevez-gary-neville" title="comments yesterday to the British media ">comments on Wednesday to the British media, </a>accusing Neville of being "disrespectful", were released through representatives. In his native tongue, he made his feelings clear. He said: "I was at lunch with the players in the team hotel and all the papers were laid out. I read them – well, 'read them', obviously I don't read [English].</p><p>"My team-mates were asking what I thought. And I wondered to myself: what's the <em>tarado </em>[moron] talking about me for when I never said anything about him, when there was never any [issue] with us. It was a lack of respect for a <em>compañero </em>[fellow ­footballer], aside of the fact that we had won a lot of things together.</p><p>"You have to do your talking on the pitch. I don't talk much in England – mainly because of the language. I don't like to get involved in conflict. I'm happy because I know what I am. Thank God I had the chance to get revenge with City, although there is still the second leg to come. I know Ferguson loves me, that's why he always talks about me, ha-ha.There are differences between the two teams. Manchester United is a huge team in the city, everyone knows that. But City are making giant strides."</p><p>The Argentinian said he did not expect to end his career at City. "Things are going well for me; the goals are coming. I'm in good shape, I have avoided ­injuries. As a kid I would never have imagined I would live in ­England for four years. I am very happy and contented that my daughter is growing up in a country as developed as this one. But the truth is that it's very, very hard for me to live here, so far away from my loved ones. I'm not exactly an example of how to learn English; I just can't get it into my head. I'm learning hardly ­anything, truth be told. I don't go out much, I spend most of my time at home. My daughter just brought me a Boca Juniors shirt and she wants me to join Boca. I am a Boca fan and I know I'll go back one day but I don't know when."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/carlos-tevez">Carlos Tevez</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchester-united">Manchester United</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchestercity">Manchester City</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/carlingcup">Carling Cup</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/sidlowe">Sid Lowe</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/VTGp5cRV2x_5oVVweM3RxilvrU8/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/VTGp5cRV2x_5oVVweM3RxilvrU8/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/VTGp5cRV2x_5oVVweM3RxilvrU8/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/VTGp5cRV2x_5oVVweM3RxilvrU8/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/carlos-tevez-gary-neville-boot-licker">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-6917786718129930940?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-39603789162569718592010-01-22T01:53:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:05:00.035-08:00<p></p><div><p><strong>Paul Doyle</strong>, <strong>Raphael Honigstein</strong> and <strong>Barry Glendenning</strong> join James to discuss a feast of midweek football action.</p><p>The Carling Cup semi-finals produced a 10 goal bonanza at Villa Park and a very tasty Manchester derby. But will Carlos Tevez' goal celebration come back to haunt him in the second leg? Will it? Eh? </p><p>In the Premier League, Arsenal went top and Liverpool showed there is life in the mangey old dog yet. Were Arsenal right to carry on after Mark Davies went down injured? And could Owen Coyle's commendable footballing philosophies spell bad news for Bolton? </p><p>There's a full round-up of the leagues in France, Germany, Italy and Spain (with a bit of help from Dr <strong>Sid Lowe</strong>) as well as the latest from Angola where the Africa Cup of Nations is reaching the knockout stages. </p><p>Leave messages on the blog below, or find us on <a>Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/TheFiver">Twitter</a>.</p><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jamesrichardson">James Richardson</a></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/petersale">Peter Sale</a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/KrdYWaEwBgNnu1NkJOj8cXO6gmQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/KrdYWaEwBgNnu1NkJOj8cXO6gmQ/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/KrdYWaEwBgNnu1NkJOj8cXO6gmQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/KrdYWaEwBgNnu1NkJOj8cXO6gmQ/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/audio/2010/jan/21/football-weekly">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-3960378916256971859?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11432700738609311.post-13247627122825552172010-01-22T01:52:00.001-08:002010-01-22T02:04:31.805-08:00<p></p><div><div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/77797?ns=guardian&amp;pageName=Manchester+United%27s+John+O%27Shea+set+to+miss+rest+of+season%3AArticle%3A1340178&amp;ch=Football&amp;c3=GU.co.uk&amp;c4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CRepublic+of+Ireland+football+team%2CFootball%2CSport&amp;c6=Daniel+Taylor&amp;c7=10-Jan-22&amp;c8=1340178&amp;c9=Article&amp;c10=News&amp;c11=Football&amp;c13=&amp;c25=&amp;c30=content&amp;h2=GU%2FFootball%2FManchester+United" height="1" width="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• John O'Shea was 'at risk of amputation' over blood clot<br />• Alex Ferguson's defensive injury worries continue</p><p></p><p>Manchester United's injury problems in defence have been worsened with the news that John O'Shea is likely to miss the remainder of the season because of a blood clot in a leg. O'Shea has not played since damaging a thigh in the second leg of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifying play-off against France in Paris on 18 November.</p><p>The injury has since become so serious that doctors believe he could have been at risk of needing an amputation if it had gone undetected and Sir Alex Ferguson will now have to plan the next four months without a player whose versatility could have been invaluable to United at a time when injuries in defence have contributed to the team's stuttering form.</p><p>"He's got a terrible injury at the moment," Ferguson said. "It's one of those sorts of injuries that are unusual. It's like a dead leg, except a dead leg is ­usually only three or four days. The problem is that the blood clot became all knotted and when it gets knotted you get calcification so therefore it's a long process to clear that up and he'll probably miss the season now. It's a bad blow for the boy and for the team because he can play anywhere."</p><p>United have had so many defensive injuries this season there have been times when Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick, who are midfielders by trade, have been asked to move into the back four. The Serbia international Nemanja Vidic has been troubled by a succession of calf and ankle injuries and the England defender Rio Ferdinand has not played since ­October because of a long-standing back problem and there are still doubts about when he will be in contention to return to the team.</p><p>"When you look at all the problems I've had with the back four this season, he [O'Shea] could have played every single one," Ferguson added.</p><p>O'Shea will also miss Ireland's friendly match with Brazil at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on 2 March but Ferguson has questioned the wisdom of arranging the game in the first place. The United manager has long been frustrated about the scheduling of international friendlies at such a critical stage of the season.</p><p>"I don't even think the international managers think they are all that important now," he said. "They never play their full team and there are always drop-outs."</p><p>Ferguson, meanwhile, has spoken of the challenges of modern management and the need to rule with an iron fist. "If I lose control of these multi-millionaires in the Manchester United dressing room then I'm dead. So I never lose control. If anyone steps out of my control, that's them dead."</p><p>He added in a speech at a function at Dublin's Trinity College: "Through my development, I've come across two issues – power and control. Control is important, very, very important. My control is the most important thing."</p><div class="related"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchester-united">Manchester United</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/republicofireland">Republic of Ireland</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/danieltaylor">Daniel Taylor</a></div><br /><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News &amp; Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms &amp; Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wAkFHX4f2MghANQnPAa_i-NPrpg/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wAkFHX4f2MghANQnPAa_i-NPrpg/0/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wAkFHX4f2MghANQnPAa_i-NPrpg/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/%7Eat/wAkFHX4f2MghANQnPAa_i-NPrpg/1/di" ismap="true" border="0" /></a></p></div><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/21/john-oshea-manchester-united-injury">View Original Article</a></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11432700738609311-1324762712282555217?l=www.socarrats.com' alt='' /></div>4imhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18238074571379758449noreply@blogger.com0