The Confederation of African Football (Caf) will host their annual award ceremony in Accra, Ghana next week and the continents football governing body will be awarding their Legends Award to two former Premier League stars.
Jay Jay Okocha, whose flair and technical ability brought pleasure to Premier League fans up and down the country with spells at Bolton and Hull was nominated alongside former Coventry and Aston Villa winger Mustapha Hadji for the prestigious award. Okocha, 38, will long be remembered by English fans for his amazing skill and the way that he enjoyed every minute of his time on the football pitch.
The former Nigerian captain moved to Bolton from Paris St. Germain in 2002 and was the creative force behind Sam Allardyce's side. After 3 years as captain and 124 appearances for the Wanderers Okocha moved to Qatar for a season before returning to England with Hull in 2007. He featured 18 times for the Tigers in their promotion winning season but failed to do enough to earn a contract to feature for the side in the Premiership. Okocha then announced his retirement following his release from the club.
Okocha played at three World Cups during his career and five African Cup of Nations tournaments, winning it once in 1994. The Nigerian playmaker also won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics for his nation and was named the best African player by the BBC in both 2003 and 2004.
Moroccan midfielder Hadji's career saw him play in seven different countries and representing his country 64 times and at two World Cups in 1994 and 1998 and at two African Cup of Nations tournaments (1998 and 2000). Hadji was named African player of the year in 1998, beating Okocha to the prize in second place by just two points and moved to Coventry a year later. Gordon Strachan was in charge at the time and Hadji remained with the Sky Blues for two years before moving to Aston Villa in 2001 where he remained until 2004. Hadji was playing up until last season in Luxembourg's BGL League with Fola Esch before retiring in July 2010.
For two players who battled it out in 1998 to be recognised as the best players of their continent it will be a fitting tribute on December 22 when they stand as equals and are rewarded for their successes in the sport.
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Thursday 15 December 2011
Ellison released by Burton
Former Liverpool youngster James Ellison has had his contract terminated by League Two side Burton Albion with player and club reaching a financial agreement over the seven months left on his deal with the club.
Ellison moved to Albion following the mutual termination of his contract with hometown club Liverpool in 2010 and the young striker had high hopes of establishing himself as a key member of Paul Pescholido's side. It wasn't to be however and after failing to impress the Albion boss he was sent out on a series of loans to Stafford Rangers, Hednesford Town, Alfreton Town and, most recently, Chester.
20 year-old Ellison was the victim of a stabbing outside a bar in Water Street, Liverpool last year and following his recovery had aimed to make a name for himself at Burton. It wasn't to be, however, and the former Liverpool reserve team player went on to make only three substitute appearances for the League Two outfit and will now look to continue his career elsewhere.
Speaking on the news, Albion's boss Peschisolido said: "It was sensible to agree a deal to release James because it just hasn't worked out for him here."
Ellison moved to Albion following the mutual termination of his contract with hometown club Liverpool in 2010 and the young striker had high hopes of establishing himself as a key member of Paul Pescholido's side. It wasn't to be however and after failing to impress the Albion boss he was sent out on a series of loans to Stafford Rangers, Hednesford Town, Alfreton Town and, most recently, Chester.
20 year-old Ellison was the victim of a stabbing outside a bar in Water Street, Liverpool last year and following his recovery had aimed to make a name for himself at Burton. It wasn't to be, however, and the former Liverpool reserve team player went on to make only three substitute appearances for the League Two outfit and will now look to continue his career elsewhere.
Speaking on the news, Albion's boss Peschisolido said: "It was sensible to agree a deal to release James because it just hasn't worked out for him here."
Thursday 24 November 2011
Champions League - Wednesday 24th November (Matchday 5) round-up
After slumping to a 2-1 loss in Leverkusen last night, Chelsea now need to avoid defeat when they host Valencia at Stamford Bridge in two weeks' time to ensure qualification from Group E of the Champions League.
Chelsea were given the run-around last night by former Blue Michael Ballack and his new team-mates and looked particularly lacklustre as their poor form of late continued in Gemany. Ballack almost gave the home side the lead with an excellent header that rattled Petr Cech's cross-bar in a first half that provided little goalmouth action. Didier Drogba, played in superbly by Daniel Sturridge starting ahead of Fernando Torres, had Chelsea's best chance to take the lead as he rounded the 'keeper but lost his balance with the ball heading away from Leverkusen's empty goal and fired the ball over the cross-bar.
Drogba did eventually give Chelsea the lead just after the break when he was once again found well by Sturridge in the Leverkusen box. Drogba controlled the ball expertly and with his back to goal managed to roll two Leverkusen defenders before excellently curling the ball into the far corner on the turn.
Ballack was then denied twice in quick succession by his former team-mate and, apparently, fellow Phantom of the Opera fan Petr Cech. First Ballack's acrobatic overhead kick was turned over the bar by Cech and then, from the resulting corner, Ballack turned and shot only to be denied bravely by the advancing Cech.
Leverkusen finally got the leveller that they deserved after Eren Derdiyok's missed touch from Gonzalo Castro's pass found it's way through to Sidney Sam. Sam was left free on the left-wing due to Branislav Ivanovic's poor positioning and he cleverly crossed over Cech to Derdiyok to head home with 17 minutes to play.
Leverkusen completed the win in the 91st minute as Castro's header was powered home by Manuel Friedrich who managed to get the better of Brazillian defender Alex. The win ensures Leverkusen's qualification and sets up a decider for the other qualification spot between Chelsea and Valencia on Tuesday 6th December.
Valencia will head in to that game with their tails up following their 7-0 demolition of Genk which owed much to captain Roberto Soldado's hat-trick and the creative play of Brazillian forward Jonas. Jonas opened the scoring for Valencia in the 10th minute and set up Soldado's first two goals with perfectly timed through balls which the Spanish striker calmly slotted home. Soldado had three and Valencia four after 35 minutes of the game and ensured that the game was wrapped up by half-time. Jonas then set up Pablo Hernandez for 5-0 before Aritz Aduriz's superb solo goal made it 6-0 to Valencia. Tino Costa completed the rout as he tucked in the rebound from Jonas' stinging effort.
Arsenal had a far better night than their London rivals and became the first Premier League team to qualify from their group thanks to a 2-1 win at the Emirates over Borussia Dortmund. Robin Van Persie extended his fine run of form for the Gunners by heading home his 16th goal of the season in the 49th minute following an excellent run from Alex Song down the left.
Van Persie made it 2-0 from two yards out when he was found unmarked in the Dortmund area with an open goal following Thomas Vermaelen's flick-on from Mikel Arteta's corner. Dortmund managed to pull one back late on thanks to Shinji Kagawa's effort but it was too little too late and the manner of the victory, as well as Song's excellent performance, will encourage Arsenal fans everywhere.
In the other game of Group F Marseille hosted Olympiakos with the Greek side coming out as winners by a goal to nil thanks to Giannis Fetfatzidis' superb strike in the 82nd minute. Arsenal now qualify as winners of the group with Marseille (second with 7 points) heading to Dortmund (bottom on 4 points) on the last matchday and Olympiakos (3rd with 6 points) hoping to overcome Arsenal at home in a fortnight's time and hope that results go their way in France.
The big game of the night and probably the round was held at the San Siro where AC Milan welcomed Barcelona. The game didn't disappoint with Barcelona coming out as eventual winners by 3 goals to 2. The combination of Mark Van Bommel and Xavi put the Spaniards ahead in the 14th minute with the former likely to be attributed an own goal for his efforts.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic restored balance just 6 minutes later as he scored against his former club by sweeping the ball beyond Victor Valdes after being found by Clarence Seedorf. Barca regained the lead in the 31st minute thanks to Lionel Messi's twice taken penalty following a tug from Alberto Aquillani on Xavi in the AC Milan area. Messi's first, staggered effort was ordered to be re-taken and the Argentine master confidently breezed his second attempt past Christian Abbiati in the AC Milan goal.
The goal of the night was then scored by former Portsmouth and Spurs midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng whose acrobatic touch plucked the ball out of the sky before his sublime flick on the run took him past his helpless Barcelona marker before he smashed the ball past Valdes and into the near post.
Barca sealed the win when Xavi was found delightfully by Messi's slide-rule through ball and the Spaniard comfortably stroked the ball past Abbiatti. The win means that Barca finish as Group H leaders and AC Milan qualify in second place whilst BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen fight it out for a place in the Europa League. Plzen beat BATE 1-0 away in Belarus last night to gain their first Champions League victory and put them in pole position to qualify for the Europa League.
In Group G Porto secured a vital victory over Shakhtar Donetsk thanks to two late goals for the Portuguese side that keeps their hopes of progression alive. Hulk gave Porto the lead in the 79th minute before a 90th minute Razvan Rat own goal ensured the victory for the away side.
In the group's other game APOEL secured unlikely progression to the last 16 with a brave 0-0 draw in St. Petersburg against Zenit. The home side dominated possession (63%) and had 23 shots on goal compared to APOEL's 1 but they couldn't find a goal despite their control. In qualifying APOEL become the first Cypriot team to advance to the knockout phases of the competition and it means that Zenit must beat Porto on matchday 6 to progress or the Portuguese side will go through.
Chelsea were given the run-around last night by former Blue Michael Ballack and his new team-mates and looked particularly lacklustre as their poor form of late continued in Gemany. Ballack almost gave the home side the lead with an excellent header that rattled Petr Cech's cross-bar in a first half that provided little goalmouth action. Didier Drogba, played in superbly by Daniel Sturridge starting ahead of Fernando Torres, had Chelsea's best chance to take the lead as he rounded the 'keeper but lost his balance with the ball heading away from Leverkusen's empty goal and fired the ball over the cross-bar.
Drogba did eventually give Chelsea the lead just after the break when he was once again found well by Sturridge in the Leverkusen box. Drogba controlled the ball expertly and with his back to goal managed to roll two Leverkusen defenders before excellently curling the ball into the far corner on the turn.
Ballack was then denied twice in quick succession by his former team-mate and, apparently, fellow Phantom of the Opera fan Petr Cech. First Ballack's acrobatic overhead kick was turned over the bar by Cech and then, from the resulting corner, Ballack turned and shot only to be denied bravely by the advancing Cech.
Leverkusen finally got the leveller that they deserved after Eren Derdiyok's missed touch from Gonzalo Castro's pass found it's way through to Sidney Sam. Sam was left free on the left-wing due to Branislav Ivanovic's poor positioning and he cleverly crossed over Cech to Derdiyok to head home with 17 minutes to play.
Leverkusen completed the win in the 91st minute as Castro's header was powered home by Manuel Friedrich who managed to get the better of Brazillian defender Alex. The win ensures Leverkusen's qualification and sets up a decider for the other qualification spot between Chelsea and Valencia on Tuesday 6th December.
Valencia will head in to that game with their tails up following their 7-0 demolition of Genk which owed much to captain Roberto Soldado's hat-trick and the creative play of Brazillian forward Jonas. Jonas opened the scoring for Valencia in the 10th minute and set up Soldado's first two goals with perfectly timed through balls which the Spanish striker calmly slotted home. Soldado had three and Valencia four after 35 minutes of the game and ensured that the game was wrapped up by half-time. Jonas then set up Pablo Hernandez for 5-0 before Aritz Aduriz's superb solo goal made it 6-0 to Valencia. Tino Costa completed the rout as he tucked in the rebound from Jonas' stinging effort.
Arsenal had a far better night than their London rivals and became the first Premier League team to qualify from their group thanks to a 2-1 win at the Emirates over Borussia Dortmund. Robin Van Persie extended his fine run of form for the Gunners by heading home his 16th goal of the season in the 49th minute following an excellent run from Alex Song down the left.
Van Persie made it 2-0 from two yards out when he was found unmarked in the Dortmund area with an open goal following Thomas Vermaelen's flick-on from Mikel Arteta's corner. Dortmund managed to pull one back late on thanks to Shinji Kagawa's effort but it was too little too late and the manner of the victory, as well as Song's excellent performance, will encourage Arsenal fans everywhere.
In the other game of Group F Marseille hosted Olympiakos with the Greek side coming out as winners by a goal to nil thanks to Giannis Fetfatzidis' superb strike in the 82nd minute. Arsenal now qualify as winners of the group with Marseille (second with 7 points) heading to Dortmund (bottom on 4 points) on the last matchday and Olympiakos (3rd with 6 points) hoping to overcome Arsenal at home in a fortnight's time and hope that results go their way in France.
The big game of the night and probably the round was held at the San Siro where AC Milan welcomed Barcelona. The game didn't disappoint with Barcelona coming out as eventual winners by 3 goals to 2. The combination of Mark Van Bommel and Xavi put the Spaniards ahead in the 14th minute with the former likely to be attributed an own goal for his efforts.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic restored balance just 6 minutes later as he scored against his former club by sweeping the ball beyond Victor Valdes after being found by Clarence Seedorf. Barca regained the lead in the 31st minute thanks to Lionel Messi's twice taken penalty following a tug from Alberto Aquillani on Xavi in the AC Milan area. Messi's first, staggered effort was ordered to be re-taken and the Argentine master confidently breezed his second attempt past Christian Abbiati in the AC Milan goal.
The goal of the night was then scored by former Portsmouth and Spurs midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng whose acrobatic touch plucked the ball out of the sky before his sublime flick on the run took him past his helpless Barcelona marker before he smashed the ball past Valdes and into the near post.
Barca sealed the win when Xavi was found delightfully by Messi's slide-rule through ball and the Spaniard comfortably stroked the ball past Abbiatti. The win means that Barca finish as Group H leaders and AC Milan qualify in second place whilst BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen fight it out for a place in the Europa League. Plzen beat BATE 1-0 away in Belarus last night to gain their first Champions League victory and put them in pole position to qualify for the Europa League.
In Group G Porto secured a vital victory over Shakhtar Donetsk thanks to two late goals for the Portuguese side that keeps their hopes of progression alive. Hulk gave Porto the lead in the 79th minute before a 90th minute Razvan Rat own goal ensured the victory for the away side.
In the group's other game APOEL secured unlikely progression to the last 16 with a brave 0-0 draw in St. Petersburg against Zenit. The home side dominated possession (63%) and had 23 shots on goal compared to APOEL's 1 but they couldn't find a goal despite their control. In qualifying APOEL become the first Cypriot team to advance to the knockout phases of the competition and it means that Zenit must beat Porto on matchday 6 to progress or the Portuguese side will go through.
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Champions League - Tuesday 23rd November (Matchday 5) round-up
Manchester City were left on the brink of a Champions League exit last night as they were beaten 2-1 by Napoli in Group A. Meanwhile, their red neighbours were put under immense pressure themselves as their wastefulness in a 2-2 draw with Benfica means that they must avoid defeat away to Basel when the sides meet in a fortnight's time.
City began the night knowing that a win in Naples would ensure qualification from their group and a chance to top the table on the final matchday when they host Bayern Munich. It wasn't to be, however, and Roberto Mancini's men fell behind in the 17th minute due to some sloppy City defending and a clever near post header from Edinson Cavani, a reported City target.
Cavani got to the ball at the near post in front of Yaya Toure, who's marking was light to say the least, to meet the Napoli corner and, with Aleksandor Kolarov absent at the near post, both the Russian full-back and Joe Hart watched the ball nip into the Man City goal.
Mario Balotelli gave Mancini's side a vital equaliser to take into the break although, based on the run of play, the leveller was barely deserved. Salvatore Aronica's terrible clearance fell in the path of David Silva and the Spaniard found rare space in the Napoli box to fire a stinging shot at the home sides goal. Morgan De Sanctis could only parry Silva's shot into the path of a grateful Balotelli who made no mistake from four yards out to score his ninth of the season.
Man City were soon behind again after the restart thanks to Cavani's 2nd goal of the game which killed the game off. The Argentine striker played a neat one-two with former Liverpool player Andrea Dossena and, whilst on the run, he confidently volleyed home his fellow Argentinian's cut-back past Joe Hart for his fourth Champions League goal of the campaign.
City rarely threatened after that, apart from a Balotelli effort that was well saved by Sanctis, and they were lucky to escape with just the one goal deficit. Qualification is now taken out of City's hands and they must hope that they can beat Bayern at home on Matchday 6 and that Villarreal avoid defeat at home to Napoli.
Villarreal remain bottom of the group with no pints to show from their five games of the competition following Bayern's 3-1 victory at home over their Spanish opposition. Bayern ensured qualification as winners of Group A thanks to two goals from Franck Ribery and one from Mario Gomez. Jonathan De Guzman was Villarreal's scorer.
United remain much more likely to progress despite a disappointing evening at Old Trafford which saw them draw 2-2 with Benfica who have now qualified from Group C. The Portugese side took the lead in the third-minute thanks to Phil Jones' own-goal. Nicolas Gaitan, much talked off as a potential future United signing, broke down the right and his cross hit Patrice Evra before Jones deflected it past David De Gea in the Red Devils' goal.
Dimitar Berbatov restored parity with his first Champions League goal since 2008 when headed home Nani's cross in the 30th minute. It was a welcome goal for the Bulgarian and only his second of the season, his other coming against Aldershot in the League Cup.
United then took the lead in the 59th minute thanks to Darren Fletcher's goal but the lead was short-lived as Pablo Aimar equalised just a minute later to make sure that the sides shared the points. Both teams had chances to win the game in the dying minutes but failed to do so and now United must avoid defeat against Swiss side Basel on Matchday 6 to ensure progression.
In the group's other game Basel came out eventual winners over Romanian side Otelul Galati in a thriller that ended 3-2 in the Swiss side's favour, to ensure that their qualification dreams were kept alive. Galati were 3-0 down thanks to two Basel goals from Alexander Frei and a Marco Strellar effort but ensured a tense last ten minutes by scoring twice in six minutes. Gabriel Girgui pulled one back on 75 minutes and Liviu Antal made it 3-2 but the Romanian's couldn't complete an historic comeback and remain bottom of the group without a point.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid continued their onslaught on this year's competition as they hammered Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb 6-2 at the Bernabeau. Real were 4-0 up by the 20th minute thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Jose Callejon, Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil. Callejon got his second of the game just after the break and Benzema also completed his brace to make it 6-0 to the home side in the 65th minute.
Real made it 5 wins out of 5 with the victory over Zagreb and have scored 16 goals in that period but Zagreb will take from the game the fact that they scored the first goals past Real in this year's tournament. Montenegran Fatos Berqiraj (81) and Coratian Ivan Tomecak (90) with the Zagreb goals.
The other tie in Group D saw Lyon draw with Ajax which means that Ajax remain 3 points clear of Lyon with just the single game to play and with a seven goal swing needed for Lyon to progress if the French side win and the Dutch side lose in two weeks' time, Ajax are most likely to progress. With Ajax facing Real Madrid and Lyon travelling to Zagreb, however, the unlikely may well be possible.
Inter Milan travelled to Turkey to face Trabzonspor in Group B and ensured qualification after a 1-1 draw with the home side. Trabzonspor gained an unlikely victory over their Italian counterparts on the opening game of the group stage in September and were looking for a repeat performance at home. This proved unlikely after Ricardo Alvarez's excellent goal gave Inter the lead after 18 minutes but the home side pegged the Italian giants back just 5 minutes later. Halil Altintop's long-range effort took a huge deflection off of an Inter defender and gave Julio Cesar no chance in the Inter goal.
Lille kept their chances of qualification alive with a win away to CSKA Moscow thanks to two second half goals. Lille took the lead after an excellent own goal from Vasili Berezutski who lobbed his 'keeper from the edge of the area with the ball kissing the bar on it's way into the Russian side's net. The French side's second was far more impressive as Eden Hazard's superb reverse ball gave Joe Cole the freedom of the Moscow penalty area and his chipped effort past the advancing 'keeper was unlucky to only hit the post. Luckily, for Lille, Senegalese forward Moussa Sow was on hand to tap in from just two yards out.
With Inter through it is now down to the last round of fixtures to decide who joins them in the last 16 of the competition, who enters the Europa League and who's European adventure comes to an end. Trabzonspor currently lie 2nd with six points and travel to Lille on Matchday 6 with the French side 3rd just a point adrift and ahead of bottom side CSKA Moscow on goal difference. The Russians travel to Italy to take on Inter with it all to do and will be hoping that the battle in Lyon ends in a draw and that they can gain an unlikely win over the 2009 champions.
City began the night knowing that a win in Naples would ensure qualification from their group and a chance to top the table on the final matchday when they host Bayern Munich. It wasn't to be, however, and Roberto Mancini's men fell behind in the 17th minute due to some sloppy City defending and a clever near post header from Edinson Cavani, a reported City target.
Cavani got to the ball at the near post in front of Yaya Toure, who's marking was light to say the least, to meet the Napoli corner and, with Aleksandor Kolarov absent at the near post, both the Russian full-back and Joe Hart watched the ball nip into the Man City goal.
Mario Balotelli gave Mancini's side a vital equaliser to take into the break although, based on the run of play, the leveller was barely deserved. Salvatore Aronica's terrible clearance fell in the path of David Silva and the Spaniard found rare space in the Napoli box to fire a stinging shot at the home sides goal. Morgan De Sanctis could only parry Silva's shot into the path of a grateful Balotelli who made no mistake from four yards out to score his ninth of the season.
Man City were soon behind again after the restart thanks to Cavani's 2nd goal of the game which killed the game off. The Argentine striker played a neat one-two with former Liverpool player Andrea Dossena and, whilst on the run, he confidently volleyed home his fellow Argentinian's cut-back past Joe Hart for his fourth Champions League goal of the campaign.
City rarely threatened after that, apart from a Balotelli effort that was well saved by Sanctis, and they were lucky to escape with just the one goal deficit. Qualification is now taken out of City's hands and they must hope that they can beat Bayern at home on Matchday 6 and that Villarreal avoid defeat at home to Napoli.
Villarreal remain bottom of the group with no pints to show from their five games of the competition following Bayern's 3-1 victory at home over their Spanish opposition. Bayern ensured qualification as winners of Group A thanks to two goals from Franck Ribery and one from Mario Gomez. Jonathan De Guzman was Villarreal's scorer.
United remain much more likely to progress despite a disappointing evening at Old Trafford which saw them draw 2-2 with Benfica who have now qualified from Group C. The Portugese side took the lead in the third-minute thanks to Phil Jones' own-goal. Nicolas Gaitan, much talked off as a potential future United signing, broke down the right and his cross hit Patrice Evra before Jones deflected it past David De Gea in the Red Devils' goal.
Dimitar Berbatov restored parity with his first Champions League goal since 2008 when headed home Nani's cross in the 30th minute. It was a welcome goal for the Bulgarian and only his second of the season, his other coming against Aldershot in the League Cup.
United then took the lead in the 59th minute thanks to Darren Fletcher's goal but the lead was short-lived as Pablo Aimar equalised just a minute later to make sure that the sides shared the points. Both teams had chances to win the game in the dying minutes but failed to do so and now United must avoid defeat against Swiss side Basel on Matchday 6 to ensure progression.
In the group's other game Basel came out eventual winners over Romanian side Otelul Galati in a thriller that ended 3-2 in the Swiss side's favour, to ensure that their qualification dreams were kept alive. Galati were 3-0 down thanks to two Basel goals from Alexander Frei and a Marco Strellar effort but ensured a tense last ten minutes by scoring twice in six minutes. Gabriel Girgui pulled one back on 75 minutes and Liviu Antal made it 3-2 but the Romanian's couldn't complete an historic comeback and remain bottom of the group without a point.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid continued their onslaught on this year's competition as they hammered Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb 6-2 at the Bernabeau. Real were 4-0 up by the 20th minute thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Jose Callejon, Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil. Callejon got his second of the game just after the break and Benzema also completed his brace to make it 6-0 to the home side in the 65th minute.
Real made it 5 wins out of 5 with the victory over Zagreb and have scored 16 goals in that period but Zagreb will take from the game the fact that they scored the first goals past Real in this year's tournament. Montenegran Fatos Berqiraj (81) and Coratian Ivan Tomecak (90) with the Zagreb goals.
The other tie in Group D saw Lyon draw with Ajax which means that Ajax remain 3 points clear of Lyon with just the single game to play and with a seven goal swing needed for Lyon to progress if the French side win and the Dutch side lose in two weeks' time, Ajax are most likely to progress. With Ajax facing Real Madrid and Lyon travelling to Zagreb, however, the unlikely may well be possible.
Inter Milan travelled to Turkey to face Trabzonspor in Group B and ensured qualification after a 1-1 draw with the home side. Trabzonspor gained an unlikely victory over their Italian counterparts on the opening game of the group stage in September and were looking for a repeat performance at home. This proved unlikely after Ricardo Alvarez's excellent goal gave Inter the lead after 18 minutes but the home side pegged the Italian giants back just 5 minutes later. Halil Altintop's long-range effort took a huge deflection off of an Inter defender and gave Julio Cesar no chance in the Inter goal.
Lille kept their chances of qualification alive with a win away to CSKA Moscow thanks to two second half goals. Lille took the lead after an excellent own goal from Vasili Berezutski who lobbed his 'keeper from the edge of the area with the ball kissing the bar on it's way into the Russian side's net. The French side's second was far more impressive as Eden Hazard's superb reverse ball gave Joe Cole the freedom of the Moscow penalty area and his chipped effort past the advancing 'keeper was unlucky to only hit the post. Luckily, for Lille, Senegalese forward Moussa Sow was on hand to tap in from just two yards out.
With Inter through it is now down to the last round of fixtures to decide who joins them in the last 16 of the competition, who enters the Europa League and who's European adventure comes to an end. Trabzonspor currently lie 2nd with six points and travel to Lille on Matchday 6 with the French side 3rd just a point adrift and ahead of bottom side CSKA Moscow on goal difference. The Russians travel to Italy to take on Inter with it all to do and will be hoping that the battle in Lyon ends in a draw and that they can gain an unlikely win over the 2009 champions.
Saturday 12 November 2011
Beattie training with Bournemouth in search of next move
Former England striker James Beattie is training with League One side Bournemouth following his release from SPL side Rangers at the end of last season.
Beattie, 33, has been given the chance to regain some fitness and train with the side and manager Lee Bradbury has revealed that he is interested in signing the former Southampton striker but will not be rushed into a decision as, at the moment, it is an arrangement through convenience for both parties.
"Obviously it would be a massive plus for us if we could sign someone of James' Calibre", said Bradbury. "We will see where it goes, there's nothing too concrete in it and he's really come to get some time under his belt".
A former Saints icon, under the successful stewardship of Gordon Strachan that resulted in an FA Cup Final, a place in Europe and al 5 of his England caps, Beattie is back living in the city and a move may well materialise if he proves himself in training and both him and the club are a fit.
Beattie, 33, revealed after his first training session with the Cherries, ahead of their FA Cup tie with Gillingham today, that he was in need of the training and remained coy over any potential move.
Beattie said; "I've been training on my own which is quite difficult so I'm just here to get a bit of sharpness really. I'm very grateful to the club and to Lee and it's essential I get some training in and some match time between now and January."
Beattie, 33, has been given the chance to regain some fitness and train with the side and manager Lee Bradbury has revealed that he is interested in signing the former Southampton striker but will not be rushed into a decision as, at the moment, it is an arrangement through convenience for both parties.
"Obviously it would be a massive plus for us if we could sign someone of James' Calibre", said Bradbury. "We will see where it goes, there's nothing too concrete in it and he's really come to get some time under his belt".
A former Saints icon, under the successful stewardship of Gordon Strachan that resulted in an FA Cup Final, a place in Europe and al 5 of his England caps, Beattie is back living in the city and a move may well materialise if he proves himself in training and both him and the club are a fit.
Beattie, 33, revealed after his first training session with the Cherries, ahead of their FA Cup tie with Gillingham today, that he was in need of the training and remained coy over any potential move.
Beattie said; "I've been training on my own which is quite difficult so I'm just here to get a bit of sharpness really. I'm very grateful to the club and to Lee and it's essential I get some training in and some match time between now and January."
Thursday 10 November 2011
End of an era at St. James'
Newcastle United’s hierarchy have once again angered their faithful support after announcing that, with immediate effect, St. James’ Park will be renamed the Sports Direct Arena.
According to The Times, Newcastle
In a statement, Derek Llambias explained; "Our aim for Newcastle United is to continue to deliver success for the fans and everyone associated with the club. We must make this club financially self-sufficient in order to deliver that success.
"Stadium rebranding offers a lucrative way for clubs to secure significant additional income."
"Stadium rebranding offers a lucrative way for clubs to secure significant additional income."
After 119 years the powers that be at Newcastle
The move was forthcoming after Mike Ashely, owner and founder of Sports Direct, announced in 2009 that he would change the name of the stadium to sportsdirect.com@StJames’ParkStadium. This will prove no consolation for Newcastle Newcastle sitting an unlikely third in the Premiership, if the move can ensure extra funds and keep Newcastle
Tuesday 8 November 2011
Didi's non-league run-out comes to abrupt end
Former Liverpool, Newcastle United and Manchester City midfielder Dietmar ‘Didi’ Hamman has resigned as manager of Stockport County
Hamman cited the collapse of Liverpudlian businessman Tony Evans’ proposed takeover as the reason for his resignation but after just 19 points from as many games, his tenure looked short lived in today’s era of cutthroat coaching and fans called for his head after County’s 3-3 draw at home to Hayes & Yeading, who lie 21st and came from 3-1 down to share the spoils, on Saturday.
The former Germany
This was Hamman’s first managerial post after successful coaching role with MK Dons and Leicester, most recently, and although it has ended in disappointment he told Sky Sports that he would be looking for a quick return to the dugout. He added, “…I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last four months in my first managerial job. I see now that it’s made for me and I want to carry on doing it.”
Hamman was seen as a major coup for the non-league when he took over during the summer but, inevitably, he leaves after picking up only 3 wins from his 19 games in charge. During that time Stockport lost 6 and will rue the fact that they didn’t turn more draws into wins after sharing the points 10 times so far this year.
Without a doubt, Hamman will be back in the hot seat in the near future as he is highly respected within the game and, as an intelligent footballer and considered pundit, will most likely prove to be a very successful manager. You have to think back to the original appointment and ask yourself whether he was suitable for the non-league in the first place. After all, as a player at the top level and a coach within the football league, what did he know about picking up points in the lower echelons of English football? The non-league is a very tricky place for someone with no experience of it to start out as a player, let a lone a coach, and is very much a place of substance over style. With or without each other both Stockport County
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Champions League - Tuesday 1st November (Matchday 4) round-up.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea, opposition at the weekend, must await progression from their respective Groups as both provided lacklustre draws on an evening where the holders Barcelona and AC Milan became the first sides to advance to the knockout stage of the competition.
Arsenal, who could have qualified with a win over Marseille at the Emirates made three changes to the side that thumped Chelsea 5-3 on Saturday lunch-time with Carl Jenkinson coming in for Johan Djourou, Vermaelen replacing Koscielny and, hat-trick hero at the weekend, Robin Van Persie rested with Park Chu-Young starting his first Champions League game for the Gunners.
The game ended up being a tight affair with little chances for either side and Marseille were visibly delighted with the draw at the final whistle that keeps them in second place in Group F with 7 points, 1 behind Arsenal in first. Van Persie had the best chance of the game after coming on in the 60th minute for the Korean Young but failed to beat Mandanda in the Marseille goal after being excellently put clear by Thomas Rosicky's pass. Van Persie attempted to chip Mandanda into the far corner on his left-foot, only to lob the ball straight into Mandanda's grateful hands.
Borussia Dortmund are third in Group F on four points after beating Olympiakos 1-0 thanks to Kevin Grosskreutz's goal after seven minutes. Grosskreutz's fine strike gives Dortmund their first win in this year's competition and keeps alive Dortmund's hopes of qualifying for the round of last 16. Olympiakos remain bottom of the group with 3 points from their opening 4 matches.
Chelsea headed to Genk hoping to bounce back from the humiliating defeat to their London rivals at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after the Belgian side came from 1-nil down and register only their second point of this year's campaign. Andre Villas-Boas again rested John Terry in Europe, favouring Brazilian David Luiz in the centre of defence, one of five changes to the side following the defeat to Arsenal. Juan Mata, Frank Lampard, Daniel Sturridge and Jon Obi Mikel were the men to make way with Raul Mereiles, Oriol Romeu, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka their replacements.
After comfortably beating Genk 5-0 at home last time out, Chelsea were expected to put their disastrous performance against Arsenal behind them but their season's inconsistency continued. Ramires gave Chelsea the lead after 25 minutes, firing past Laszlo Koteles, from an angle, in the Genk goal. Chelsea then took control of the game and were given a golden chance to make it 2-0 when Thomas Buffel handled Flourent Malouda's cross in the Genk penalty area. David Luiz stepped up in the absence of Lampard but his obvious penalty was saved comfortably by the diving Koteles.
Genk came out firing in the second half and deservedly levelled on the hour as Jelle Vossen swept Fabien Camus' cut-back from the left past Cech. Chelsea had their chances to win the game during the remaining half hour of the fixture but couldn't get the win needed for qualification. Chelsea will now qualify if they beat Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 5 at the BayArena. Genk remain bottom of Group E with just 2 points.
Valencia brushed aside second placed Leverkusen at the Mestalla in Group E's other game of the evening, winning 3-1 and closing the gap to one point between themselves in third and Leverkusen who have 6 points so far, 2 behind Chelsea at the summit. Jonas opened the scoring for the home side with the second fastest goal of the Champions League's history, capitalising on Bernd Lenko's poor clearance to slot passed the Leverkusen 'keeper after 10.6 seconds. Leverkusen managed to equalise before half-time through Stefan Keissling but goals from Valencia captain Roberto Soldado and defender Adil Rami secured the victory for Valencia.
Lionel Messi's 14th hat-trick of his career ensured that Barcelona strolled past 10-man FC Viktoria Plzen thanks to a 4-0 win that ensured the holders' qualification to the knockout phase. Messi's first came from the penalty spot and was his 200th goal for Barcelona in just 286 appearances. Messi is only the second person to score as many goals for the Catalan club and is now just 33 goals behind Cesar Rodriguez, the Spanish striker, who represented the club between 1939 and 1955. Messi was the man brought down in the box after 24 minutes, felled by Marian Cisovsky who was sent-off as a result. Messi doubled the lead on the brink of half-time, with Cesc Fabregas scoring his first Champions League goal for the club after 70 minutes to make it 3-0 and Messi completing the scoring in the 92nd minute to give him his fifth goal in the Champions League this season.
Barca have 10 points thus far, 2 ahead of AC Milan who qualified with a 1-1 draw in Minsk against BATE Borisov, despite taking the lead through Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Renan Bressan scored the equaliser from the penalty spot to leave them 1 point ahead of Plzen as both battle out a Europa League spot in third.
APOEL provided the biggest shock of the night by beating FC Porto in Nicosia to extend their fine run in Group G which sees them sit top of the group by a single point. Ailton gave the Cypriots the lead from the penalty spot just before half-time but the win looked unlikely once Hulk had levelled after 89 minutes with a penalty of Porto's own. Gustavo Manduca grabbed the winner, however, just a minute later and on the brink of the final whistle as he slotted home Constantinos Charalambides' (it just rolls off the tongue) cross. APOEL are now just one victory away from becoming the first Cypriot side to qualify for the last 16.
Next up for APOEL is second placed Zenit St Petersburg who managed to overcome bottom side Shaktar Donetsk. Zenit overcame the Romanian side by a goal to nil with Nicolas Lombaerts' 45th minute header giving the Russians the win. Zenit lie second with 7 points, one behind APOEL, with Porto third with 4 and Shaktar bottom with just 2 points.
Arsenal, who could have qualified with a win over Marseille at the Emirates made three changes to the side that thumped Chelsea 5-3 on Saturday lunch-time with Carl Jenkinson coming in for Johan Djourou, Vermaelen replacing Koscielny and, hat-trick hero at the weekend, Robin Van Persie rested with Park Chu-Young starting his first Champions League game for the Gunners.
The game ended up being a tight affair with little chances for either side and Marseille were visibly delighted with the draw at the final whistle that keeps them in second place in Group F with 7 points, 1 behind Arsenal in first. Van Persie had the best chance of the game after coming on in the 60th minute for the Korean Young but failed to beat Mandanda in the Marseille goal after being excellently put clear by Thomas Rosicky's pass. Van Persie attempted to chip Mandanda into the far corner on his left-foot, only to lob the ball straight into Mandanda's grateful hands.
Borussia Dortmund are third in Group F on four points after beating Olympiakos 1-0 thanks to Kevin Grosskreutz's goal after seven minutes. Grosskreutz's fine strike gives Dortmund their first win in this year's competition and keeps alive Dortmund's hopes of qualifying for the round of last 16. Olympiakos remain bottom of the group with 3 points from their opening 4 matches.
Chelsea headed to Genk hoping to bounce back from the humiliating defeat to their London rivals at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after the Belgian side came from 1-nil down and register only their second point of this year's campaign. Andre Villas-Boas again rested John Terry in Europe, favouring Brazilian David Luiz in the centre of defence, one of five changes to the side following the defeat to Arsenal. Juan Mata, Frank Lampard, Daniel Sturridge and Jon Obi Mikel were the men to make way with Raul Mereiles, Oriol Romeu, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka their replacements.
After comfortably beating Genk 5-0 at home last time out, Chelsea were expected to put their disastrous performance against Arsenal behind them but their season's inconsistency continued. Ramires gave Chelsea the lead after 25 minutes, firing past Laszlo Koteles, from an angle, in the Genk goal. Chelsea then took control of the game and were given a golden chance to make it 2-0 when Thomas Buffel handled Flourent Malouda's cross in the Genk penalty area. David Luiz stepped up in the absence of Lampard but his obvious penalty was saved comfortably by the diving Koteles.
Genk came out firing in the second half and deservedly levelled on the hour as Jelle Vossen swept Fabien Camus' cut-back from the left past Cech. Chelsea had their chances to win the game during the remaining half hour of the fixture but couldn't get the win needed for qualification. Chelsea will now qualify if they beat Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 5 at the BayArena. Genk remain bottom of Group E with just 2 points.
Valencia brushed aside second placed Leverkusen at the Mestalla in Group E's other game of the evening, winning 3-1 and closing the gap to one point between themselves in third and Leverkusen who have 6 points so far, 2 behind Chelsea at the summit. Jonas opened the scoring for the home side with the second fastest goal of the Champions League's history, capitalising on Bernd Lenko's poor clearance to slot passed the Leverkusen 'keeper after 10.6 seconds. Leverkusen managed to equalise before half-time through Stefan Keissling but goals from Valencia captain Roberto Soldado and defender Adil Rami secured the victory for Valencia.
Lionel Messi's 14th hat-trick of his career ensured that Barcelona strolled past 10-man FC Viktoria Plzen thanks to a 4-0 win that ensured the holders' qualification to the knockout phase. Messi's first came from the penalty spot and was his 200th goal for Barcelona in just 286 appearances. Messi is only the second person to score as many goals for the Catalan club and is now just 33 goals behind Cesar Rodriguez, the Spanish striker, who represented the club between 1939 and 1955. Messi was the man brought down in the box after 24 minutes, felled by Marian Cisovsky who was sent-off as a result. Messi doubled the lead on the brink of half-time, with Cesc Fabregas scoring his first Champions League goal for the club after 70 minutes to make it 3-0 and Messi completing the scoring in the 92nd minute to give him his fifth goal in the Champions League this season.
Barca have 10 points thus far, 2 ahead of AC Milan who qualified with a 1-1 draw in Minsk against BATE Borisov, despite taking the lead through Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Renan Bressan scored the equaliser from the penalty spot to leave them 1 point ahead of Plzen as both battle out a Europa League spot in third.
APOEL provided the biggest shock of the night by beating FC Porto in Nicosia to extend their fine run in Group G which sees them sit top of the group by a single point. Ailton gave the Cypriots the lead from the penalty spot just before half-time but the win looked unlikely once Hulk had levelled after 89 minutes with a penalty of Porto's own. Gustavo Manduca grabbed the winner, however, just a minute later and on the brink of the final whistle as he slotted home Constantinos Charalambides' (it just rolls off the tongue) cross. APOEL are now just one victory away from becoming the first Cypriot side to qualify for the last 16.
Next up for APOEL is second placed Zenit St Petersburg who managed to overcome bottom side Shaktar Donetsk. Zenit overcame the Romanian side by a goal to nil with Nicolas Lombaerts' 45th minute header giving the Russians the win. Zenit lie second with 7 points, one behind APOEL, with Porto third with 4 and Shaktar bottom with just 2 points.
Wednesday 28 September 2011
Young rescues a point for United to spare Ferguson's blushes
Manchester United avoided their first defeat since the final of last year's Champions League thanks to Ashley Young's last minute equaliser that salvaged a point for Sir Alex Ferguson's men at home to Swiss side Basel.
United looked to be recording their 21st consecutive home win in the Champions League at half time when they lead by two Danny Wellbeck goals at half time but had to come back in dramatic fashion thanks to a combination of terrible defending and a spirited performance from the Swiss champions.
On a night that saw Carlso Tevez refuse to take to the field in Munich two strikers would've dreamed for a run-out for United and would have had more reason to be upset about their absences than their former Argentinian team-mate. Michael Owen, on the back of a fine brace against Leeds last week in the Carling Cup, and Dimitar Berbatov, who has rarely featured for United this season, would have both been forgiven for thinking that they could have started for United last night. Instead Wellbeck was given the opportunity to do so and rewarded his manager's faith in him with two goals in the space of 19 minutes.
(Dear Mr. Tevez, note: The professionalism of Owen and Berbatov respectively)
Wellbeck's first goal came after just 17 minutes as his scuffed left-footed effort found the net via the post following Ryan Giggs' clever lay-off from Fabio's cross. Wellbeck had his, and United's, second of the night just 90 seconds thanks to another sublime assist from Ryan Giggs. Giggs' through ball may have had the intention of finding Ashley Young but the ball was left by the England winger and found Wellbeck just ten yards out who side-footed the ball, first time, past Yann Sommer in the Basel goal. United thoroughly deserved the 2-0 lead that they took into half-time and what was to follow shocked even the most positive of Basel fans.
Basel came out firing in the second half and pressed United in possession. They were rewarded for their pressure after 58 minutes with their first goal of the night. David De Gea's fine reaction save from Marco Strella's near post flick from Alexander Frei's corner fell to Frei's namesake Fabian who thumnped home off the post from inside the area.
Just as Wellbeck had done for United in the first half, the Freis then made it two goals in as many minutes with this time Fabian turning provider for Alex. Fabian's excellent ball from the right found Rio Ferdinand exposed and caught under the flight of the cross and nowhere near tight enough to his man, Alex Frei, who directed his free header back across goal, past De Gea and into the far corner to make it 2-2 and stun Old Trafford.
Basel where as dominant as United had been in the first half by now and a clumsy challenge from Antonio Valencia, filling in at right-back for the injured Fabio, on Marco Strellar gave Basel the chance to go in front for the first time of the night from the penalty spot. Alexander Frei completed the amazing turnaround by despatching his penalty into the top left corner of the net, sending De Gea the wrong way in the process and giving Basel a 3-2 lead with just 14 minutes left.
Up step A. Young man (waaaaayyyyyy) who has delighted United fans with his performances since his move from Aston Villa in the summer. Nani, on for the injured Fabio, crossed excellently from United's right and found Young who headed past Sommer at the near post. This concluded the inevitable United comeback with Fergie time to spare in which, Wellbeck nearly gave United all three points but his header flashed inches wide of the Basel goal and a very entertaining game finished 3-3.
United looked to be recording their 21st consecutive home win in the Champions League at half time when they lead by two Danny Wellbeck goals at half time but had to come back in dramatic fashion thanks to a combination of terrible defending and a spirited performance from the Swiss champions.
On a night that saw Carlso Tevez refuse to take to the field in Munich two strikers would've dreamed for a run-out for United and would have had more reason to be upset about their absences than their former Argentinian team-mate. Michael Owen, on the back of a fine brace against Leeds last week in the Carling Cup, and Dimitar Berbatov, who has rarely featured for United this season, would have both been forgiven for thinking that they could have started for United last night. Instead Wellbeck was given the opportunity to do so and rewarded his manager's faith in him with two goals in the space of 19 minutes.
(Dear Mr. Tevez, note: The professionalism of Owen and Berbatov respectively)
Wellbeck's first goal came after just 17 minutes as his scuffed left-footed effort found the net via the post following Ryan Giggs' clever lay-off from Fabio's cross. Wellbeck had his, and United's, second of the night just 90 seconds thanks to another sublime assist from Ryan Giggs. Giggs' through ball may have had the intention of finding Ashley Young but the ball was left by the England winger and found Wellbeck just ten yards out who side-footed the ball, first time, past Yann Sommer in the Basel goal. United thoroughly deserved the 2-0 lead that they took into half-time and what was to follow shocked even the most positive of Basel fans.
Basel came out firing in the second half and pressed United in possession. They were rewarded for their pressure after 58 minutes with their first goal of the night. David De Gea's fine reaction save from Marco Strella's near post flick from Alexander Frei's corner fell to Frei's namesake Fabian who thumnped home off the post from inside the area.
Just as Wellbeck had done for United in the first half, the Freis then made it two goals in as many minutes with this time Fabian turning provider for Alex. Fabian's excellent ball from the right found Rio Ferdinand exposed and caught under the flight of the cross and nowhere near tight enough to his man, Alex Frei, who directed his free header back across goal, past De Gea and into the far corner to make it 2-2 and stun Old Trafford.
Basel where as dominant as United had been in the first half by now and a clumsy challenge from Antonio Valencia, filling in at right-back for the injured Fabio, on Marco Strellar gave Basel the chance to go in front for the first time of the night from the penalty spot. Alexander Frei completed the amazing turnaround by despatching his penalty into the top left corner of the net, sending De Gea the wrong way in the process and giving Basel a 3-2 lead with just 14 minutes left.
Up step A. Young man (waaaaayyyyyy) who has delighted United fans with his performances since his move from Aston Villa in the summer. Nani, on for the injured Fabio, crossed excellently from United's right and found Young who headed past Sommer at the near post. This concluded the inevitable United comeback with Fergie time to spare in which, Wellbeck nearly gave United all three points but his header flashed inches wide of the Basel goal and a very entertaining game finished 3-3.
Poor night for Mancini as Tevez infuriates the City, once again.
Manchester City's Champions League hopes were dealt a blow last night as they were completely outclassed in Munich by a Bayern side that recorded their tenth straight victory of the season in all competitions without conceding in any of those fixtures. The result, combined with Napoli's win that leaves Man City 3rd in Group A, was overshadowed by another example of Carlos Tevez's complete lack of professionalism with the Argentine reportedly refusing to take to the field with City 2-0 down and searching for a way back into the game.
Tevez has since denied Mancini's comments that he refused to warm up and then enter the field of play but the footage from television tells a different story on a night where Edin Dzeko had already stormed off of the pitch after being subbed for Nigel De Jong. It is believed that Tevez was incensed that he was not replacing Dzeko at the time and that the Dutch holding midfielder was preferred with City 2-0 down and in search of goals. This was a baffling substitution at the time but one that Mancini defended in front of the Sky cameras as one he had to make to ensure that City did not concede a 3rd. Mancini also stated that his idea was to hold the game at 2-0 and bring Tevez on shortly afterwards to try and get a way back into a game that was drifting away from them.
Tevez, still in search of a move away from Manchester, may well have found his way out and it will be interesting to see how he is punished for his behaviour. After all, fining a player on more than £200,000 a week is no sort of punishment and terminating the contract of someone who obviously wants to leave the club will only be serving the player's selfishness. And, if Mancini decides to hold onto a player so happy to undermine his management, he will have a poisonous thorn amongst his squad. It may be time for City to cut their losses and get rid of Tevez but, with 3 months before the next transfer window, they do say that time's a healer.
Man City did start very brightly and could've had two penalties in the first half but Bayern's clinical finishing and superior movement in and around the box was far too much for Man City to deal with. Kolo Toure started in the place of Joleon Lescott and the Ivory Cost international looked every bit the player playing only his second competitive football match in 6 months following his ban for failing a drugs test. The same could be said of Gareth Barry who was again bypassed in City's central midfield but the former Aston Villa man has actually featured in eight of City's ten games in all competitions so far this season.
In amongst all the controversy, strange tactics and the brilliance of City's opposition you must spare a thought for Joe Hart who was excellent on the night and will be peeved that both Bayern goals resulted from great saves of his. The first goal of the night for Mario Gomez came after Franck Ribery cut inside from the left and was given too much space by Yaya Toure to get a shot away that Hart could only parry at the feet of Thomas Muller who will be wondering how he didn't open the scoring himself. Hart immediately dived further to his left to stop Muller's shot but couldn't deny Gomez at the first time of asking as the Bayern front line queued up to open the scoring for the German giants.
The second came in similar fashion just before half time as Toni Kroos swung in a free-kick from the left hand side. Daniel Van Buyten got ahead of Gareth Barry at the near post to send the ball towards the bottom corner, only for Hart to get down well and save. Gomez again pounced on the loose ball and stabbed the ball past Hart to give Bayern a two-goal lead before half-time. Numerous saves from Hart in the second half kept the score at 2-0 as Bayern showed their class and Manchester City rarely threatening.
Tevez has since denied Mancini's comments that he refused to warm up and then enter the field of play but the footage from television tells a different story on a night where Edin Dzeko had already stormed off of the pitch after being subbed for Nigel De Jong. It is believed that Tevez was incensed that he was not replacing Dzeko at the time and that the Dutch holding midfielder was preferred with City 2-0 down and in search of goals. This was a baffling substitution at the time but one that Mancini defended in front of the Sky cameras as one he had to make to ensure that City did not concede a 3rd. Mancini also stated that his idea was to hold the game at 2-0 and bring Tevez on shortly afterwards to try and get a way back into a game that was drifting away from them.
Tevez, still in search of a move away from Manchester, may well have found his way out and it will be interesting to see how he is punished for his behaviour. After all, fining a player on more than £200,000 a week is no sort of punishment and terminating the contract of someone who obviously wants to leave the club will only be serving the player's selfishness. And, if Mancini decides to hold onto a player so happy to undermine his management, he will have a poisonous thorn amongst his squad. It may be time for City to cut their losses and get rid of Tevez but, with 3 months before the next transfer window, they do say that time's a healer.
Man City did start very brightly and could've had two penalties in the first half but Bayern's clinical finishing and superior movement in and around the box was far too much for Man City to deal with. Kolo Toure started in the place of Joleon Lescott and the Ivory Cost international looked every bit the player playing only his second competitive football match in 6 months following his ban for failing a drugs test. The same could be said of Gareth Barry who was again bypassed in City's central midfield but the former Aston Villa man has actually featured in eight of City's ten games in all competitions so far this season.
In amongst all the controversy, strange tactics and the brilliance of City's opposition you must spare a thought for Joe Hart who was excellent on the night and will be peeved that both Bayern goals resulted from great saves of his. The first goal of the night for Mario Gomez came after Franck Ribery cut inside from the left and was given too much space by Yaya Toure to get a shot away that Hart could only parry at the feet of Thomas Muller who will be wondering how he didn't open the scoring himself. Hart immediately dived further to his left to stop Muller's shot but couldn't deny Gomez at the first time of asking as the Bayern front line queued up to open the scoring for the German giants.
The second came in similar fashion just before half time as Toni Kroos swung in a free-kick from the left hand side. Daniel Van Buyten got ahead of Gareth Barry at the near post to send the ball towards the bottom corner, only for Hart to get down well and save. Gomez again pounced on the loose ball and stabbed the ball past Hart to give Bayern a two-goal lead before half-time. Numerous saves from Hart in the second half kept the score at 2-0 as Bayern showed their class and Manchester City rarely threatening.
Thursday 22 September 2011
Round of firsts breathes new life into League Cup
The past two nights of League Cup action have seen 24 players make their debuts for their clubs, 17 start for the first time, 13 score their first goals in new colours, 3 penalty shoot-outs, 2 go to extra-time and a number of big name players return to action after long absences from the game. There have been no less than 50 goals in the 16 ties of the round as managers across the divisions made changes to their starting line-ups as testing fixture schedules build early in the season.
The cup is seen as a perfect opportunity to blood youngsters into first-team football as well as giving players vital playing time as they regain match fitness or start to settle into life in English football after summer moves from abroad. This is often seen as a slant on the competition and teams are accused of not showing the League Cup much respect but this year's third round has seen some exciting football which owes much to the rotation policies of the clubs involved. Youngsters and big-money signings alike, as well as 'sicknotes' fighting for their squad number, have shown incredible desire to prove their worth and the result has been a round of ties that have averaged over 3 goals a game.
There were introductions to English football for the likes of Marcel Gecar and Orlando Sa at Fulham, Medhi Abeid for Newcastle, Costel Pantilimon and Luca Scapuzzi at Man City, Chu-Young Park and Oguzhan Ozyakup at Arsenal and Vicente who made his debut for Brighton at the Amex arena last night. The Spain international, with 8 caps, joined the Seagulls in the summer following his release from Valencia and is a sign of Brighton's continuing ambition under Gus Poyet.
Meanwhile, Karim Rekik and Luca Scapuzzi were given their first taste of senior football at Man City as was Ben Reeves at Southampton, Paul Pogba, Ezckiel Fryers and Larnell Cole for Man Utd, Aiden O'Brien at Millwall, Matt Edwards for Rochdale, Massimo Luongo at Spurs and James Spray for Wolves. Spray marked the occasion by netting his first senior goal, scoring Wolves' 4th of the 5-0 win over Millwall whilst Luongo had a night to forget, missing Spurs' 8th penalty of their shootout at Stoke which resulted in Spurs failing to progress to the next round.
There were welcome returns to the game for Steven Gerrard who played 16 minutes of Liverpool's win over Brighton after being out for 6 months with a groin injury and Hatem Ben Arfa who featured in Newcastle's 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest. It was Ben Arfa's first game for the club since breaking his leg against Man City last October. Stuart Holden, out since March with knee ligament damaged, started for Bolton who brushed aside Aston Villa thanks to Chris Eagles' first goal for the club and debutant Gael Kakuka's fine strike. Sandro and Dave Edwards returned to the Spurs and Wolves sides respectively after months away from the pitch and Kolo Toure played his first competitive game since he was banned for a failed drugs test in March.
Arsenal will be relieved following their win over Shrewsbury which owes to Keiran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yossi Benayoun goals, all their first for the club as Arsene Wenger's men came from a goal behind to see off Shrewsbury Town. The only real upset of the round came at The Ebb Stadium where League Two side Aldershot overcame Rochdale of League One to enter the fourth round for the, you've guessed it, first time in their history. Dean Holdsworth's men have already seen off West Ham and Carlisle in the competition and will prove a tricky opponent in the last 16 due to their unwavering spirit and fight.
Elsewhere in the round Man Utd overcame Leeds with Micael Owen marking his first start of the season with a fine brace. Ryan Giggs added to Owen's tally as United came away from Elland Road with a 3-0 win. Everton needed extra-time to beat West Brom as the blue half of Mersyside came from a goal down to beat the Baggies 2-1. Phil Neville's first League Cup goal in 17 years proved to be the winner and was well worth the wait as the Everton skipper was fed by Royston Drenthe, starting for the first time in and Everton shirt, on the right and Neville placed the ball in the top of the far corner to seal the victory.
Cardiff overcame Leicester 7-6 on penalties after the game ended 2-2 at the final whistle and Crystal Palace inflicted Middlesbrough's first defeat of the season winning 2-1 in the all Championship ties. Southampton saw off a spirited Preston challenge thanks to Jos Hoiveld's first goal for the club and Adam Lallana's winner, Blackburn beat Leyton Orient 3-2 with Simon Vukcevic netting his first goal for the Ewood Park club and there was a first goal for Andre Amougou the player formerly known as Bikey who's overhead kick made it 2-1 to Burnley at home to MK Dons in the dying minutes of the game to ensure victory for Eddie Howe's men. Chelsea handed first starts to Romeu Lukaku and Oriel Romeu as well as a first start for Ryan Bertrand as they beat Fulham 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes of football. Alex was sent-off for Chelsea for the first time in his Stamford Bridge career after 47 minutes when he brought down Fulham's Frei in the box. Kasami hit the resulting penalty against the bar and Fulham, literally, paid the penalty for not making the most of their man advantage.
The round, however, will surely belong to the man who, not only playing his first game for the side whom he joined from their bitter rivals, but also, making his first competitive appearance in nearly a year, scored a stunning goal to send his side through to the fourth round of the competition. Owen Hargreaves would have been delighted to have just lasted 30 minutes unscathed let alone the 55 that he managed and scoring the opening goal of the game is just rewards for a player who has been marred with injuries ever since starring for England in the 2006 World Cup. Eyebrows were raised when Hargreaves was signed in the summer by Roberto Mancini, following his release from Manchester United, but if he can remain fit (and that's a big 'if') he will be a valuable member of City's squad this season. Mario Balotelli's first goal of the season made sure that City saw of Birmingham 2-0 to advance to the next round.
Monday 19 September 2011
Man Utd see off Chelsea to extend 100% record.
Manchester United went 2 points clear at the top of the Premier League after beating Chelsea 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday. The game was a lively encounter that Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, who suffered his first league defeat since April 2010 when with Academica, rightly described as "chaotic".
The game was a spectacle to be admired by the neutral and fans of either side will be dismayed and pleased in equal measure with both sides' performances. The final whistle made sure that United earned their 18th sucessive victory at Old Trafford, beating a record held by the club since their 1904/05 campaign, giving Sir Alex Ferguson his best start to a Premiership season as manager in the process.
Chelsea should not be too disheartened by their performance, maybe even the result, as they had plenty of chances to take something from the game and came up against a Utd side that is purring with confidence at present as they continue to demolish anything in their path.
Chelsea started brightly but it was Man Utd that took the lead after eight minutes thanks to Chris Smalling heading home from Ashley Young's free kick. Smalling looked to be offside when Young swung the ball into Chelsea's penalty box with Jonny Evans unmarked and onside behind him to head home if Smalling failed to do so.
Chelsea were undeterred by the deficit as Juan Mata and Fernando Torres worried the home side's defence and Ramires should have equalised for Chelsea but David De Gea saved his tame shot on 25 minutes. The game continued to excite for the remainder of the first half and Nani made it 2-0 eight minutes before the break with an incredible strike from just outside the area. Nani, picking the ball up just inside Chelsea's half, was given far too much space to run at the Chelsea defence before his blistering strike left Petr Cech helpless as the ball soared past him into the far corner.
United made it 3-0 on the brink of half time as Wayne Rooney scored his 9th goal of the season, pouncing on John Terry's rebounded clearance. Rooney, as opportunistic as ever, was not picked up by any Chelsea defender as he ran free to tap in from 8 yards.
Villas-Boas replaced Frank Lampard with Nicolas Anelka at half time and the manager's decision was vindicated within the first minute of the second half as Fernando Torres scored only his second goal for the club in 24 appearances. Anelka's superb pass found Torres' magnificent run and the Spanish striker finished with aplomb as he flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot past the approaching De Gea.
The score remained the same for the rest of the second half and a lot of the reasoning behind this can be put down to farce. Firstly, Utd had the chance to make it 4-1 as Nani was brought down by Bosingwa in the penalty area and Rooney was given the chance to make it 10 goals in 5 Premier League games. The England striker stepped up to take the penalty but slipped at the vital moment, putting the ball horribly wide.
If you were embarrassed for Rooney at the time you were unaware of what was to come from Torres. With just eight minutes left the striker, whose movement was excellent all afternoon, was sent clear by Ramires, delightfully passed De Gea but could only put wide with nothing but an empty net to aim at. This ended Chelsea's hopes of a comeback and the neutral's chance of a grandstand finish and probably left Torres with a feeling of "one step forward, two steps back".
Ashley Cole's terrible tackle on Javier Hernandez was a sour note on a terrific afternoon with the England full back lucky to only receive a booking with the referee's decision to award a card and no penalty a bemusing one befitting of the day's game.
The game was a spectacle to be admired by the neutral and fans of either side will be dismayed and pleased in equal measure with both sides' performances. The final whistle made sure that United earned their 18th sucessive victory at Old Trafford, beating a record held by the club since their 1904/05 campaign, giving Sir Alex Ferguson his best start to a Premiership season as manager in the process.
Chelsea should not be too disheartened by their performance, maybe even the result, as they had plenty of chances to take something from the game and came up against a Utd side that is purring with confidence at present as they continue to demolish anything in their path.
Chelsea started brightly but it was Man Utd that took the lead after eight minutes thanks to Chris Smalling heading home from Ashley Young's free kick. Smalling looked to be offside when Young swung the ball into Chelsea's penalty box with Jonny Evans unmarked and onside behind him to head home if Smalling failed to do so.
Chelsea were undeterred by the deficit as Juan Mata and Fernando Torres worried the home side's defence and Ramires should have equalised for Chelsea but David De Gea saved his tame shot on 25 minutes. The game continued to excite for the remainder of the first half and Nani made it 2-0 eight minutes before the break with an incredible strike from just outside the area. Nani, picking the ball up just inside Chelsea's half, was given far too much space to run at the Chelsea defence before his blistering strike left Petr Cech helpless as the ball soared past him into the far corner.
United made it 3-0 on the brink of half time as Wayne Rooney scored his 9th goal of the season, pouncing on John Terry's rebounded clearance. Rooney, as opportunistic as ever, was not picked up by any Chelsea defender as he ran free to tap in from 8 yards.
Villas-Boas replaced Frank Lampard with Nicolas Anelka at half time and the manager's decision was vindicated within the first minute of the second half as Fernando Torres scored only his second goal for the club in 24 appearances. Anelka's superb pass found Torres' magnificent run and the Spanish striker finished with aplomb as he flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot past the approaching De Gea.
The score remained the same for the rest of the second half and a lot of the reasoning behind this can be put down to farce. Firstly, Utd had the chance to make it 4-1 as Nani was brought down by Bosingwa in the penalty area and Rooney was given the chance to make it 10 goals in 5 Premier League games. The England striker stepped up to take the penalty but slipped at the vital moment, putting the ball horribly wide.
If you were embarrassed for Rooney at the time you were unaware of what was to come from Torres. With just eight minutes left the striker, whose movement was excellent all afternoon, was sent clear by Ramires, delightfully passed De Gea but could only put wide with nothing but an empty net to aim at. This ended Chelsea's hopes of a comeback and the neutral's chance of a grandstand finish and probably left Torres with a feeling of "one step forward, two steps back".
Ashley Cole's terrible tackle on Javier Hernandez was a sour note on a terrific afternoon with the England full back lucky to only receive a booking with the referee's decision to award a card and no penalty a bemusing one befitting of the day's game.
Saturday 17 September 2011
Chelsea looking to end United's perfect start.
Premier League leaders Manchester United welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford this Sunday in what is likely to be United's toughest test of the season so far.
United have started the season brilliantly with Sir Alex Ferguson's men picking up all possible points from their four games thus far, scoring eighteen goals in the process to set a new Premier League record. Their ruthless streak in front of goal has been highlighted by Wayne Rooney's incredible form which has seen the England striker find the back of the net eight times already including consecutive hat-tricks in his last two league outings.
Chelsea, under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, have also started brightly, albeit in less extraordinary circumstances than their counterparts on Sunday, taking ten points from a possible twelve with an opening day draw at Stoke the only blemish on their record. Since that draw at The Britannia Chelsea have gone on to gain four consecutive wins in all competitions and have added Raul Meireles and Juan Mata to their squad as well as highly-rated Belgian youngster Romelu Lukaku. In the absence of Didier Drogba, Villas-Boas now needs to get Fernando Torres back to the form that he showed three years ago when he helped Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over United where he destroyed one of the best centre-backs in the world, Nemaja Vidic.
Vidic, Manchester United's captain, will again miss Sunday as he continues to recover from injury, as does Danny Wellbeck, Tom Cleverley and Brazilian full-back Rafael. Rio Ferdinand, however, may be welcomed back into the team after sitting out Wednesday's draw against Benfica in Portugal. Experienced duo Frank Lampard and John Terry will both come back into the visitor's side after missing the Blues' Champions League victory over Leverkusen on Tuesday.
Kick-off: 1600
Coverage: Sky Sports, BBC Radio 5 Live, MOTD 2 (highlights 2200)
United have started the season brilliantly with Sir Alex Ferguson's men picking up all possible points from their four games thus far, scoring eighteen goals in the process to set a new Premier League record. Their ruthless streak in front of goal has been highlighted by Wayne Rooney's incredible form which has seen the England striker find the back of the net eight times already including consecutive hat-tricks in his last two league outings.
Chelsea, under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, have also started brightly, albeit in less extraordinary circumstances than their counterparts on Sunday, taking ten points from a possible twelve with an opening day draw at Stoke the only blemish on their record. Since that draw at The Britannia Chelsea have gone on to gain four consecutive wins in all competitions and have added Raul Meireles and Juan Mata to their squad as well as highly-rated Belgian youngster Romelu Lukaku. In the absence of Didier Drogba, Villas-Boas now needs to get Fernando Torres back to the form that he showed three years ago when he helped Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over United where he destroyed one of the best centre-backs in the world, Nemaja Vidic.
Vidic, Manchester United's captain, will again miss Sunday as he continues to recover from injury, as does Danny Wellbeck, Tom Cleverley and Brazilian full-back Rafael. Rio Ferdinand, however, may be welcomed back into the team after sitting out Wednesday's draw against Benfica in Portugal. Experienced duo Frank Lampard and John Terry will both come back into the visitor's side after missing the Blues' Champions League victory over Leverkusen on Tuesday.
Kick-off: 1600
Coverage: Sky Sports, BBC Radio 5 Live, MOTD 2 (highlights 2200)
Friday 16 September 2011
England look to end summer unbeaten against deflated India.
Alastair Cook leads his side out at Cardiff today looking to ensure England end the summer unbeaten against an Indian side that has failed to impress in any format of the game. MS Dhoni's men will, surely, look to end their tour with a positive result after being brushed aside in the ODIs so far, losing the series 2-0 already after Sunday's tie, and being completely dominated by a rampant England side 4-0 in the tests.
With experienced men, such as, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbajhan Singh all at home due to injuries this Indian side has not been at full strength and their bowling has looked particularly light. Parthiv Patel and Rahane have ably stepped in at the top of the order for the Indians and Rahul Dravid has continued his good summer form but no Indian bowler has troubled England like Anderson, Finn, Swann, Broad and Bresnan have Dhoni's side.
Broad will miss the game at the Swalec stadium due to the shoulder injury he suffered in the last game and is likely to be replaced by Jade Dernbach. Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow and Somerset's Jos Buttler come into the squad as cover for Ben Stokes. There are no other injury worries so England should remain unchanged with Ravi Bopara looking to build on his excellent 96 last time out as he looks to regain a place in the England set-up.
In what will prove to be Rahul Dravid's last ODI appearance for his country, after 344 matches, 10,820 runs, including 12 hundreds and 82 fifties at an average of 39.06, the Indian side owe him a performance. Throughout the summer Dravid has been the only batsman to stand up and be counted and much of the same will be expected today when he wears the blue colours of India for the last time.
Start time: 1400
Coverage: Sky Sports, BBC Radio 4 and Channel 5 (Highlights)
With experienced men, such as, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbajhan Singh all at home due to injuries this Indian side has not been at full strength and their bowling has looked particularly light. Parthiv Patel and Rahane have ably stepped in at the top of the order for the Indians and Rahul Dravid has continued his good summer form but no Indian bowler has troubled England like Anderson, Finn, Swann, Broad and Bresnan have Dhoni's side.
Broad will miss the game at the Swalec stadium due to the shoulder injury he suffered in the last game and is likely to be replaced by Jade Dernbach. Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow and Somerset's Jos Buttler come into the squad as cover for Ben Stokes. There are no other injury worries so England should remain unchanged with Ravi Bopara looking to build on his excellent 96 last time out as he looks to regain a place in the England set-up.
In what will prove to be Rahul Dravid's last ODI appearance for his country, after 344 matches, 10,820 runs, including 12 hundreds and 82 fifties at an average of 39.06, the Indian side owe him a performance. Throughout the summer Dravid has been the only batsman to stand up and be counted and much of the same will be expected today when he wears the blue colours of India for the last time.
Start time: 1400
Coverage: Sky Sports, BBC Radio 4 and Channel 5 (Highlights)
Thursday 15 September 2011
Stoke denied historic win by late Kiev equaliser.
Stoke City will return from Ukraine with just the single point after drawing with Dynamo Kiev tonight thanks to Ognan Vukovejic's 89th minute equaliser.
Kiev, second in Ukraine's top flight after nine games, winning 7 and drawing 2, were clear favourites for the match and looked the part in a first-half that they controlled. Stoke, also enjoying a fine start to this season's Premier League, unbeaten in 5th after 4 games, and on the back of Saturday's win against Liverpool, were just as resilient as you'd expect Tony Pulis' side to be and restricted Kiev to very few chances.
Stoke kept the men from Ukraine at arm's length for must of the first half, happy to sit on the edge of their 18-yard box and for Kiev to shoot from range. The Potters didn't offer much going forward in the first period and were lucky to go into the second half level after Andriy Iarmelenko spurned a great opportunity from about 8-yards out. Iamerlenko was presented with the chance after Thomas Sorensen could only palm Goran Popov's shot straight into the path of the forward to could only put the ball wide.
As the second half got underway Stoke kept to their solid banks of two with five at the back and three in midfield with Andy Wilkinson and Ryan Shotton working hard in the full-back positions. Stoke remained resolute, strong and determined and stunned the home side in the 55th minute when Cameron Jerome was found well by Shotton before calmly controlling the ball and smashing it past Oleksandr Shovkovskiy in the Kiev goal from 8-yards out.
Stoke then seemed certain to see the game out as they continued to defend resolutely and remained committed in every tackle until Vukojevic's goal which broke Stoke City fans' hearts. Iamerlenko, largely disappointing for most of the night, made the telling pass across goal after finding space in the Stoke box and Vukojevic was unmarked to tap home at the back post.
It may be seen as two points lost as Stoke were only minutes away from a fantastic start to their Europa League group stage but plenty can be taken from this game and they picked up a valuable away point in the process.
Stoke must now prepare for Sunday's trip to Sunderland before hosting Turkish side Besiktas at the Britannia in two weeks time.
Kiev, second in Ukraine's top flight after nine games, winning 7 and drawing 2, were clear favourites for the match and looked the part in a first-half that they controlled. Stoke, also enjoying a fine start to this season's Premier League, unbeaten in 5th after 4 games, and on the back of Saturday's win against Liverpool, were just as resilient as you'd expect Tony Pulis' side to be and restricted Kiev to very few chances.
Stoke kept the men from Ukraine at arm's length for must of the first half, happy to sit on the edge of their 18-yard box and for Kiev to shoot from range. The Potters didn't offer much going forward in the first period and were lucky to go into the second half level after Andriy Iarmelenko spurned a great opportunity from about 8-yards out. Iamerlenko was presented with the chance after Thomas Sorensen could only palm Goran Popov's shot straight into the path of the forward to could only put the ball wide.
As the second half got underway Stoke kept to their solid banks of two with five at the back and three in midfield with Andy Wilkinson and Ryan Shotton working hard in the full-back positions. Stoke remained resolute, strong and determined and stunned the home side in the 55th minute when Cameron Jerome was found well by Shotton before calmly controlling the ball and smashing it past Oleksandr Shovkovskiy in the Kiev goal from 8-yards out.
Stoke then seemed certain to see the game out as they continued to defend resolutely and remained committed in every tackle until Vukojevic's goal which broke Stoke City fans' hearts. Iamerlenko, largely disappointing for most of the night, made the telling pass across goal after finding space in the Stoke box and Vukojevic was unmarked to tap home at the back post.
It may be seen as two points lost as Stoke were only minutes away from a fantastic start to their Europa League group stage but plenty can be taken from this game and they picked up a valuable away point in the process.
Stoke must now prepare for Sunday's trip to Sunderland before hosting Turkish side Besiktas at the Britannia in two weeks time.
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