Archive for May, 2007
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May 15th, 2007
Stuart Pearce paid the price for Manchester City’s dismal season on Monday when he was sacked by the club.
Three defeats in the club’s final four Premiership matches sealed Pearce’s fate after he won a reprieve from being dismissed in March.
“Manchester City can confirm that the club has terminated the contract of manager Stuart Pearce with immediate effect,” said a club statement.
In a simple one paragraph appreciation, chief executive Alistair Mackintosh thanked Pearce for his efforts on City’s behalf and wished him well for the future. Pearce has a part-time job as England Under-21 coach to fall back on and will take charge of the squad for this summer’s European Championships in Holland. The English Football Association are keen to make that role full-time.
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May 14th, 2007
Paul Jewell resigned as manager of Wigan on Monday and was replaced by his assistant Chris Hutchings, 24 hours after the club secured its Premiership status for another season with a nail-biting win over Sheffield United on the final day of the season.
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan revealed that Jewell had felt under severe stress for the last few months and said he expected the manager to take a prolonged break from the game, although that failed to prevent him being linked to the managerial vacancy at Manchester City created by Monday’s sacking of Stuart Pearce. Whelan said:
“He has been really, really struggling with nerves over the last few months and that’s not Paul Jewell at all. “We haven’t had a good season, we’ve had bad luck, bad decisions and it’s all come together and got Paul Jewell down. He’s physically drained. “He told me his decision this morning and I was half expecting it. It’s affected his health. He’ll be back in this game, probably not with Wigan, but he’ll be back.'”
Asked if he was concerned Jewell might join a Premiership rival, Whelan said: “I asked if he’d been approached by another club or if he’d been tapped up. He said ‘no, I swear on my children’s lives. I’m going to have a rest.’
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May 14th, 2007
Steve McLaren gave a huge hint about whether he intends to use Michael Owen in England’s next Euro 2008 qualifier, away to Estonia on June 6th, by naming him in the squad for an England ‘B’ international against Albania at Turfmoor on Friday May 25th. There is a double helping of Euro 2008 action in June with a full fixture list on the 2nd as well as the 6th.
Owen To Pull England Shirt Back On
The England ‘B’ team is a curious arrangement, playing sporadically as a convenient way of nursing full-blooded senior international players back to full fitness, as well as giving those on the periphery of the full team a chance to shine. The game against Albania’s second string provides a perfect chance to ease Owen back into the international fold, after sitting out almost the entire Premiership season recovering from an injury sustained in the 2006 World Cup.
Ledley King will also get a useful run out. The Spurs defender has had an injury blighted season following a decent run in the national side up to and including the World Cup in Germany. McClaren will be keeping tabs on plenty of other players that he may call on to help him out of a difficult qualification corner. England are fourth in Group E, but have played a game more than Russia (3rd) and Croatia (1st). To add to Macca’s problems Wayne Rooney is suspended for the game in Tallinn, while Andy Johnson is ruled out through injury. McClaren will also be praying that none of the England internationals involved in either the FA Cup or Champions League final suffer serious injury.
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May 13th, 2007
Michael Owen was given the all clear after being carried off on a stretcher during Newcastle United’s 1-1 draw away to Watford on the final day of the Premiership season here Sunday.
The England striker collided with the shoulder of team-mate Matthew Pattison and was taken off in the 67th minute at Vicarage Road. However, caretaker United boss Nigel Pearson said of Owen: “I saw him in the medical room after the game. He was chatting, and there is no problem at all. “He has mild concussion, but it is nothing too serious and he is fine.”
The 27-year-old injury-plagued forward, a 17 million pounds signing, was playing just his 14th senior game for Newcastle since his 2005 transfer from Real Madrid. The score was level at 1-1 at the time of the incident, with Marlon King’s 52nd minute penalty providing Watford’s equaliser after Kieron Dyer had given Newcastle a 29th minute lead. Watford’s point was not enough to prevent the already relegated side finishing bottom of the table, the Hornets six points adrift of Charlton who also went down along with Sheffield United.
With nothing riding on the game for either side Newcastle, who completed the season in 13th place, went ahead just before the half-hour mark with the first shot of the match. England midfielder Dyer was the grateful recipient of Nolberto Solano’s precise through ball and slotted home despite Watford keeper Ben Foster, playing his last match for the Hornets after impressing during a spell on loan from champions Manchester United, getting a touch. Watford fought back and it needed defender Steven Taylor’s brave block to deny Will Hoskins following Douglas Rinaldi’s cross.
But they did equalise early in the second half when former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt was ruled to have handled after Adrian Mariappa’s cross struck his arm at close range. Following Butt’s protests, King held his nerve to beat Shay Given from the penalty spot. Then came Owen’s unlucky injury. The striker, returning from a long lay-off with a knee problem, accidentally careered into Pattison’s shoulder and had to leave the field.
Watford’s Lee Williams almost ensured the Hornets signed off with a win in front of their own fams when his spectacular volley late on went inches wide with Given beaten. Sam Allardyce, the former Bolton boss, has been widely tipped to succeed Glenn Roeder as Newcastle manager.
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May 13th, 2007
Neil Warnock launched a furious attack on Sir Alex Ferguson after Sheffield United crashed out of the Premiership on Sunday.
Warnock’s side were relegated on goal difference after losing 2-1 against Wigan, while West Ham took advantage of Ferguson’s decision to play a weakened team by winning 1-0 at Manchester United. Blades manager Warnock was bitterly disappointed to hear Ferguson had left out Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
“I’m disappointed with selections,” he said. “I must admit I thought Sir Alex would play a stronger team than that but it was not to be. “To see them celebrating on the pitch leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. “What goes around comes around. I’m looking forward to the Cup Final.”
The Yorkshire club were consigned to the bottom three by their former defender David Unsworth, who stroked home a second half penalty after United striker Jon Stead had cancelled out Paul Scharner’s goal. The Blades spent just a season in the top-flight and Warnock admitted he was devastated.
“It’s a horrible time, you feel sick to your stomach,” he said. “To go down on goal difference is very cruel. “You think about Rafa Benitez and all them playing teams like they have. Some of the decisions, the commission. You feel very bitter. “It is easier for Sheffield United to be relegated than West Ham or anybody else. By Tuesday it will be fish and chip paper.”
Wigan’s first win in nine games was enough for Paul Jewell’s side to retain their top-flight status. Jewell said:
“I thought we played well in the first half but it was backs to the wall after that and we defended manfully. It’s something we haven’t done enough of this season. “I always thought there would be twists and turns on the final day and it’s proved to be our day. “It’s an amazing achievement. Everybody at the football club has been written off by so-called experts.”
It is still possible United and several other clubs will challenge the decision by an independent commission not to deduct points from West Ham for their failure to properly register Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano following their August transfers. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has been leading the calls for action and, despite his club’s survival, he said:
“I’m happy for us, but for Sheffield United to go down is not fair. “I wanted us to win, but for West Ham to stay up is not justice.” It was inevitable that Tevez would score West Ham’s winner at Old Trafford as the east London club completed their great escape. Hammers manager Alan Curbishley said: “Let’s be fair about it, whatever the circumstances to come to Manchester United and win is fantastic. “I hope I never have to go through it again and I hope West Ham never have to go through it again. “We’ve been saying ever since I’ve been here, there was ability in the team.”
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May 13th, 2007
MANCHESTER, England, May 12, 2007 (AFP) – Alan Curbishley stands on the verge on completing an unlikely escape act just five months after taking over at West Ham with the club in the bottom three and on a dangerous downward spiral.
The Hammers manager needs a point at Manchester United on Sunday for the club to secure another season in the Premiership, but can still go down if they lose at Old Trafford and Wigan win at relegation rivals Sheffield United. Following the highs of last season’s ninth place season back in the top flight and an FA Cup final appearance, West Ham have endured a wretched season.
The injury to striker Dean Ashton proved pivotal in their season, while the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano initially unbalanced the team. Personal problems for goalkeeper Roy Carroll, defender Anton Ferdinand and winger Matthew Etherington, as well as captain Nigel Reo-Coker’s anger at not being informed of an inquiry for his services from Arsenal, all contributed to the sacking of Alan Pardew in December. The takeover by Kia Joorabchian that did not go ahead, and the one by Eggert Magnusson that did, also brought uncertainty to Upton Park.
Even so, if bad luck punctuated the majority of the season, the club undoubtedly felt fortunate to avoid a points penalty following their failure to produce key documents relating to the transfers of Tevez and Mascherano through a third party.
And so a traumatic season can be put to bed on Sunday at a ground where they have won just once in the league in 21 years, and where Curbishley took just one point from eight visits during his 15-year spell as manager of Charlton Athletic.
A run of six wins from their last eight games, inspired by Tevez, has given Curbishley’s side a fighting chance of avoiding relegation.
If they do, the 5.5million-pound fine imposed by the Premier League after the Tevez-Mascherano affair will easily be covered by the 35million pounds they will receive for finishing bottom of the Premiership next season under the new television rights deal.
“We’ve been saying for the last five or six weeks that we needed to win the majority of our games,” said Curbishley, whose first game as West Ham manager yielded a 1-0 win over United at Upton Park. “We’ve done that – if we had got something up at Sheffield United it would have been so precious now. “But we’ve won six out of eight, we’ve still got another game to go, we’ve still got to take something out of that game but we’ve given ourselves a chance.
“Going into the last month if we had known we’d be going into the last game with a chance, albeit at Old Trafford, we’d have taken it. “We have given ourselves a chance and it’s in our hands now. Perhaps this week the expectation levels have turned. I think we’re playing well and we’ve got a settled side. We are looking forward to the game. There is no reason why we can’t go to Old Trafford and get a result.”
Sir Alex Ferguson has already achieved his season’s aim by bringing the Premiership title back to Old Trafford for the first time since 2003. The Manchester United manager has an FA Cup final date with Chelsea next week but is mindful of the impact any decision to rest key players might have on the relegation issues around them.
“We have to respect the position of the other teams at the bottom,” said Ferguson. “Paul Jewell has done a fantastic job at Wigan, as has Neil Warnock at Sheffield United. So I cannot be putting a team on the pitch that disrespects those teams. “We also have our own reputation to think about, so although I am a great friend of Alan Curbishley, he understands the position I am in and knows I will be playing my strongest team on Sunday.”
May 12th, 2007
LONDON, May 12, 2007 (AFP) – Chelsea always hoped the final act of their season would be decisive, but Jose Mourinho could never have imagined that it would be Everton sweating on the result of Sunday’s Premiership match at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues manager had planned to stage the final charge of his title tilt against David Moyes’ side, aiming to overtake Manchester United on the home straight and claim a third consecutive league crown. Instead, he finds himself retreating into the wings as Everton, who need a point to be certain of a place in next season’s UEFA Cup, march on to centre-stage.
Chelsea’s challenge was thwarted last weekend when their failure to beat Arsenal, combined with United’s victory over Manchester City, allowed Sir Alex Ferguson to open up an unassailable lead at the top of the table.
Mourinho now has just the FA Cup to play for and the Portuguese manager will make sweeping changes to his regular starting line-up as he seeks to end a disappointing season on a high at Wembley next week.
Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Andriy Shevchenko are already ruled out, while Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard are all likely to be rested on Sunday.
It is telling that Mourinho has claimed Chelsea’s biggest motivation for Sunday’s match is the preservation of a remarkable unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge, which currently stands at 62 matches. A win or a draw on Sunday, and the Londoners will match Liverpool’s top flight record of 63.
“We have an objective for this game,” Mourinho said. “The objective must belong to the whole of Stamford Bridge because it will be magnificent if we can finish three whole seasons without a defeat at home. “It is the only thing in the Premiership we have left to fight for. “I can’t say at Chelsea we have an incredible atmosphere at home because that is not the culture of our crowd. But there is a big relation between our crowd and the players. “The players feel comfortable at home and they feel always supported and I think result after result brings that confidence. We play always to win at home, no doubts about it, and at home we are always dominant.”
Everton, meanwhile, can reflect with huge satisfaction on another season of progress under Moyes. The Merseysiders have remained ensconced in the top eight for virtually the entire season, despite operating with one of the Premiership’s smallest squads, and UEFA Cup qualification would be a fitting reward.
Only a calamitous set of results will see Everton squeezed out at this late stage. The Toffees will only be denied a top-seven finish if they are crushed by a huge scoreline in west London and Reading chalk up a resounding victory at ninth-placed Blackburn Rovers. Given the likelihood of that scenario, Moyes must be tempted to open the champagne 24 hours early.
The only cloud on Moyes’ horizon is speculation surrounding the future of Mikael Arteta. The Spanish midfielder has had an excellent season at Goodison Park and has been linked with a move back to his home country, rumours strenuously denied by his manager.
“None of the clubs in Spain have got enough money to even go near him,” Moyes insisted. “The talks have not taken place yet but they are due to take place. “Mikel has three years of his contract to go but we want to reward him because he has done very well for us and Mikel knows we will get down to that in the next week or so.”
May 12th, 2007
SO WHAT HAS PADDY POWER COME UP WITH?
Our favourite Irish Bookie Paddy Power is running a free bet special on Sunday’s Man Utd v West Ham game. In a promotion called WINNING UGLY Paddy will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single bets as a free bet on the UEFA Cup Final, if Carlos Tevez scores in this match. Max refund €300/£200 per customer.
Also check out Paddy’s DENIED promotion if you’re into accumulator bets. If only one team loses in the weekend football accum Paddypower will give you a Free First Goalscorer bet on the UEFA Cup Final on Wednesday Night. 90 mins play only. Singles only. Max Value for free bet is €75/£50 per customer/bet.
Lucky Dip: Aston Villa, Sheff Utd, West Brom, Southampton & Celtic all to win 84/1
Motley Crew: Derby, Reading, Wolves, Bolton & Chelsea all to win 81/1
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Capital Kings: Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Watford & West Ham all to win 86/1
OK, AND WHAT’S FRED DONE GOT?
Betfred will refund all losing correct score, first/last goalscorer and scorecast single bets on the Man Utd v West Ham AND Sheff Utd v Wigan games, as a free bet, if West Ham are relegated.
– Maximum refund £100 (or currency equivalent) per customer
– Applies to first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single bets on the Man Utd v West Ham and Sheffield Utd v Wigan games taking place on Sunday 13 May 2007
– Applies to single bets placed before kick-off only
– West Ham must be relegated on Sunday 13 May 2007 for the offer to come in.
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May 11th, 2007
Getafe crushed Spanish league leaders Barcelona 4-0 on Thursday night to advance to a Spanish Cup final showdown with Sevilla on June 23.
Getafe lost 5-2 in the semi-final, first leg tie at the Nou Camp, but overcame their three-goal deficit to advance 6-5 on aggregate. Sevilla, who are still on course for a treble of titles, beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 on Wednesday night to qualify 5-0 on aggregate.
Getafe, a side from the suburbs of Madrid, ran rings around a lethargic Barcelona whose stars Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho looked content to sit back on their advantage.
Francesco Casquero opened for Getafe after 37 minutes with Dani Guiza scoring the first of his double two minutes before the break. Barcelona failed to fight back apart from the solo efforts of central defender Carlos Puyol with Dorado scoring the qualifying goal for Getafe after 70 minutes and Guiza adding a second for good measure three minutes later.
Sevilla, who scored through Duda and Javier Chevanton in the first half, play Espanyol in the UEFA Cup final on May 16 in Glasgow and are still in the hunt for the Spanish league title.
Check out the latest live odds comparison on Spanish La Liga football online here at BookieLabRat.com.
May 11th, 2007
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