Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has shaken off a knock to be fit to play against Benfica on Tuesday night, in what is a crucial match for the Premier League champions.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are locked on eight points with the Portuguese giants, and a win at Old Trafford would put the English side in pole position to top Champions League Group C.
With Danny Welbeck doubtful and Chris Smalling out, Ferguson has received a boost by Rooney declaring his fitness.
“Wayne Rooney got a few knocks and missed training, but he should be OK for Tuesday,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.
“We’ve got one or two knocks from Saturday. Jonny Evans got a little tightness in his hamstring yesterday, but hopefully will be OK.
“Chris Smalling trained but won’t be available, but he should be OK for Saturday,” he stated.
Ferguson was under no illusions to how important the game is for United’s progression hopes, and has targeted three points.
“It’s a big game. It’s a game which we recognise is a real European game in the history of Benfica and ourselves.
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“It’s a really interesting game for both teams. Both will want to win so it should be an open match and hopefully we will get the result we want,” he concluded.
Tottenham midfielder Sandro has signed a new contract at White Hart Lane that will keep him at the club until July 2016.
The Brazil international impressed in his first season in England last term, and has been linked with a move to AC Milan and Roma.
Despite this, the South American has put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him in North London for a further five years.
“The club is delighted to announce that Sandro has signed a new five-year contract which runs until 2016,” an announcement on the side’s official website read.
Sandro is currently recovering from a knee injury that he picked up whilst on international duty with Brazil during the Copa America.
Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas has stated that a January move for Spurs playmaker Luka Modric is unlikely.
The Croatia international was the subject of at least three bids from the Stamford Bridge outfit over the summer, with Spurs turning down a deadline day offer of £40million for the midfielder; the Chelsea boss believes their interest may end there.
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“No I don’t think so. The market is closed and I won’t speculate what happens in January,” he told Sky Sports News when asked about Modric’s future.
Over the years football has produced many eccentrics. Some players show their uniqueness on the pitch, some through their behaviour both on and off it. After Mario Balotelli’s backheel created such a furore this weekend now seems the time to look at those players who are currently baffling the fans with their bizarre behaviour.
The majority of these players are on this list for the simple reason that they are interesting. They are not all nice guys. Bellamy, Barton and Cole are here because they stand out, they are the ones who can’t behave, who don’t seem to respond to discipline or public condemnation. Many of them are complete jerks but they are all entertaining.
Their predecessors are cult heroes: there is the 5’6” Mexican goalkeeper/part time striker Jorge Campos who designed his own offensively loud kits and spent as much time as possible outside his area. He literally lit up my USA ’94. There is the Reading and Cardiff legend of Robin Friday, rumoured to have scored the greatest goal of all time whilst on LSD and then there are the household names; Paul Gascoigne, still as mad as a hatter and Eric Cantona, master of the pitch, poetry, film and Kung Fu.
Whilst the majority of these players may lack the originality to reach the heights of these true showmen, they are still finding new and ingenious ways to generate headlines, whether they are trying to put phones into completely impractical places or confronting bullies at school, at least they aren’t just tweeting about having a nap and playing Fifa. (Well Rooney might be!)
Click on Cisse below to unveil top 10 unpredictable footballers
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Who makes your list and what makes them mad? http://twitter.com/#!/philipwroe
On Sunday the unstoppable force will meet the immovable object in a clash of the titans at Old Trafford. When the Premier League’s top two clash it is a massive game whoever they may be but when the game is also a Manchester derby it is bound to be a battle of epic proportions.
There is no doubt that both managers want to win this game with the winner claiming top spot but Sir Alex Ferguson still believes that the biggest game in football is Manchester United v Liverpool, claiming that he has always “considered it to be the game of the season in English football”.
And despite his vast experience as a manager and unquestionable success, it is difficult to see why he thinks this Sunday’s game is not the biggest match of the year.
Roberto Mancini’s sit top of the tree having only dropped two points so far as their free-flowing attacking football lives up to the high expectations put on the star-studded side. While in recent years the signings made by Mancini and those before him have resembled a kid in a sweet shop, this summer has seen some very shrewd buys with top transfer Sergio Aguero making a bigger impact than anybody could have imagined, looking like a world-class player and making Carlos Tevez throw a tantrum in order to get noticed.
At the same time the arrival of Samir Nasri from Arsenal has allowed David Silva more freedom behind Aguero to weave his magic, while Clichy and Savic have given the Italian even more strong defensive options at a club that doesn’t concede many goals and Owen Hargreaves will give them the vital knowledge of how to win big trophies.
These additions have meant that the side Fergie’s men will come be facing is stronger than anything that City have ever had at their disposal and as the Blue half of Manchester look to claim only their second victory in the league at the Theatre of Dreams since 1975 and go five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
If City cross into the red half of Manchester and come away with victory, not only will they prove that they are capable of beating the big teams but it will send a message that they are ready to take over the mantle as the country’s biggest club from their closest foe. And it is this matter that makes this the biggest game of the season.
When a young Alex Ferguson trotted into the offices of Old Trafford his mission was to end the dominance of Liverpool who won trophy and trophy in the 70’s and 80’s. This instantly reignited the ferocious relationship between the sides that has lasted the past quarter of a century and although it took time, 12 Premier League titles later his side have now become the figurehead of the league while Liverpool have fallen into the depths of anonymity, living on their history to maintain a space in the footballing limelight.
Any match between Manchester United and Liverpool is massive because they are the two most successful clubs in the history of the English game and that rivalry will always remain but it is no longer a championship deciding battle. The title threat from the Merseysiders is now non-existent and despite the enthusiasm that surrounded the club after Dalglish’s appointed in January, the only thing that will enter the Liverpool trophy cabinet this season is dust.
They have been trophyless since 2006 and are shrinking more and more in their stature with the departures of big players such as Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso suggesting they are becoming a selling club and the overpriced purchases of Downing, Henderson and Carroll highlighting their desperation to cling on to the tails of the big teams. The only thing preventing total meltdown at Anfield is the support, which backs its team to the hill. Last weekends the home fans were more influential than the preverbial 12th man and spurred their team to a draw. Without that backing the side would be dwindling around the relegation zone as it was under Roy Hodgson.
While Liverpool have been falling City have been rising and our now in a position where victory over United could see them become the head of English football for the next 20 years. The Manchester derby has not been this big in a long time with City often fighting battles at the other end of the table to the Reds but the teams are now closer than ever and it is up to Sir Alex to take this threat seriously if they want to return to the top.
Although they come into the game as underdogs, Mancini has guided his team to victory over United in the League Cup and most recently in the FA Cup semi-final on the way to ending the club’s 35-year wait for a trophy. With one piece of silverware in the bag they are hungry for more and although Sunday’s game won’t decide the title race, it will be the clearest sign so far which half of Manchester may be celebrating in May.
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Liverpool versus United will always be a big game. History, traditional and the rivalry between fans will never burn out. But there is a noisy new kid on the block and on Sunday we will see why the Manchester derby is now the biggest game in English football.
If you want to talk about this topic or anything else to do with sport leave a comment below or follow me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.
New QPR signing Nedum Onuoha has admitted that he is glad to be reunited with manager Mark Hughes, and the ambition of the newly promoted club was a deciding factor in his move from Manchester City.
The versatile defender has signed a four-and-a-half year deal with the Loftus Road club for an undisclosed fee, joining Taye Taiwo as a new face at the London club.
Onouha has spoken of his admiration for Hughes, who he worked with at City, and is eager to get started with his new employers.
“This was the right time for me to join a club like QPR,” he told the club’s official website.
“The manager obviously played a massive factor in my decision to come here. I’ve worked with him before and he always wants players around him who are open and honest.
“He wouldn’t have come here if he didn’t believe that there was a squad of players here that can achieve the goals he has.
“The ambition of the owners was really appealing.
“This is my club now and I’ll give everything to help us succeed,” he stated.
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Onouha will be charged with shoring up Rangers’ vulnerable rearguard, and is in line to make his debut against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday.
There are reports in the Metro that West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie has become a summer transfer target for Tottenham. This is partly due to his performance against Spurs at the weekend in which Odemwingie scored his 13th Premier League goal of the season.
Odemwingie arrived at West Brom in the summer from Lokomotiv Moscow for a fee of just £2.5m. The Nigerian international has suggested his future remains in England, but the dream of playing in the Champions League is one possible lure.
Odemwingie told Fifa.com “You never know what’s round the corner in football but all I can say right now is that I’m very happy here at West Brom.” But the desire to play in Europe is clear and Odemwingie went on to state “My hope is that, if we stay up, we can start raising our objectives and look at reaching the top half and qualifying for Europe.”
West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has guided the club to the 40 point mark and nearly secured their place in the Premier League for another season. The player’s desire to play at a bigger club could pave the way for a move to North London.
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Following Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the quarter finals of the Champions League last night, the knives are out once again for Fernando Torres. The Spanish striker who cost Chelsea £50 million from Liverpool in January is still yet to score for the Blues and doesn’t look like doing so any time soon. So that begs the question, is Fernando Torres the biggest waste of money ever?
This is an accolade for which there is plenty of competition, including previous Chelsea signings for starters. This comes in the form of the likes of £30m man Andriy Shevchenko, while Man United can boast Juan Sebastian Veron at £28.1m and Man City spent £32.5m on Robinho. Liverpool fans will want to forget £17m they spent on Alberto Aquilani, while could the £35m spent on Andy Carroll be considered a waste in the future? As like Torres, the former Newcastle striker is still yet to score for his new club. A special mention also has to go to Winston Bogarde who was more than happy to take the £40,000 given to him by Chelsea.
The decision as to which player is the biggest waste of money ever was too difficult a one for a single man to make, so we’re opening it up to you. Who do you think has been the biggest waste of money ever? Vote now!
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Aberdeen captain Paul Hartley has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 34.The midfielder, who made 25 appearances for Scotland since debuting in 2005, had a year to run on his contract but has announced that the 2010-11 campaign would be his last.
Hartley made his last appearance for the national squad in their 1-0 win over the Czech Republic last September.
He last took to the field in March during Aberdeen’s 2-1 win over St Mirren in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, and has been unable to shrug off a medial ligament strain he picked up in that match.
As well as making 32 appearances for Aberdeen, he also represented Hamilton, Raith Rovers, Millwall, Hibernian and St Johnstone but made his name at Hearts, where he played from 2003-2007.
His spell there earned him a 1.1 million pound move to Celtic, where he won two league titles, a Scottish Cup and a league cup.
He now plans to work as a coach, and has been working towards earning the necessary qualifications.
It has arrived, the final day of the 2012 January Transfer Window. Deadline Day 2012 will have to go some way to match the excitement of last year, which saw Fernando Torres move to Chelsea for £50 million and Andy Carroll swap Newcastle United for Liverpool in a £35m deal.
Transfer Deadline Day is a nightmare for Premier League managers but provides us with plenty of interest and intrigue. Who will your club sign and can they hang onto their best players? Only time will tell.
Whatever transfers materialise you can find out here on the Football FanCast Transfer Deadline Day LIVE BLOG. Let the madness begin and feel free to add your own rumours in the comments below…
So deadline day is well under way and already deals on the brink of going through at Fulham, QPR, Everton, West Ham and Manchester City, with big name rumours flying around as per usual on the best day of the football calendar. But will the likes of Harry Redknapp, Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish make any late moves?
Djibril Cisse has passed his medical at QPR and could be available to play tomorrow night away at Aston Villa. Injury prone risk or a shrewd piece of business from Mark Hughes?
*****
11.45 – Andrey Arshavin could be set to join Anzhi Makhachkala after Sky Sources claim talks have begun between the two parties.
1154 – Would Arsenal fans want Arsene Wenger to spend some money today to give them the best possible chance of a top four place?
12.00 – AC Milan have re-entered talks to sign Carlos Tevez from Manchester City according to Sky Sources.
12.25 Nikica Jelavic is close to agreeing terms with Everton
12.41 – Nicky Maynard is at West Ham’s training ground for a medical.
12.49 – Rumours of Louis Saha joining Spurs are really gathering pace. Seems a strange deal, but what do Spurs and Everton fans think of that?
12.52 – Crystal Palace have signed 17-year-old defender Michael Chambers from Dulwich Hamlet for an undisclosed fee.
13.10 – Alan Pardew has confirmed in his press conference that Newcastle United have placed a final bid for Watford defender Adrian Mariappa, he said “The ball is now in Watford’s court.”
13.28 – Peterborough United look set to smash their transfer record with a double bid for Crawley Town’s Tyrone Barnett and Kyle McFadzean.
13.32 – Sky Sports understand that Swansea City are closing in on Wrexham full back Curtis Obeng. More shrewd work from the Swans?
13.50 – Wayne Bridge is a Sunderland player on loan until the end of the season. The perfect signing for the Black Cats?
13.50 – Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill looks set to make a bid for Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos according to Sky Sports.
14.24 – The Daily Mirror are reporting that Everton have made an ambitious loan bid forManchester City’s Adam Johnson. The winger could start at Goodison Park tonight…for Manchester City
14.31 – Rangers FC (Official) want captain Grant Holt from Norwich City FC to replace Nikica Jelavic who is on the brink of joining Everton Football Club
15.00 – A quick summary of deadline day so far – Carlos Tevez is back in talks with A.C. Milan, whose transfer window closes earlier than England’s. Djibril Cisse joins QPR, with Bobby Zamora expected to join him at Loftus Road. Nikica Jelavic is now an Everton player with Louis Saha on his way to Tottenham Hotspur and Wayne Bridge will see out this season with Sunderland FC.
15.01 – Tottenham Hotspur defender Vedran Corluka joins Bayer Leverkusen on loan until end of season
15.42 – Djibril Cisse is confirmed as a Queens Park Rangers F.C. player
16.08 – Liam Ridgewell has signed for West Bromwich Albion and becomes yet another player out of the revolving door at Birmingham City FC Official
17.56 – Reports suggesting that Hugo Rodallega has been left out of Wigan Athletic FCsquad to face Tottenham Hotspur tonight. A late deal on the cards?
18.20 – The only remaining deals that look certain to go through before the 11.00pm deadline are Pavel Pogrebnyak to Fulham F.C., Bobby Zamora to QPR and Nikica Jelavic to Everton Football Club. Any other deals may come out of the blue and could be a race against time
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18.54 – 19-year-old Thomas Eisfeld may not have been the signing Arsenal fans wanted but Arsene Wenger is sticking to his beliefs and the attacking midfielder has signed on a long term deal.
19.06 – Sunderland sign Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Wolfsburg on loan until end of season. Good move to sure up a leaky defence?
19.40 – Marvin Sordell has been pulled out of the Watford F.C. team to play Millwall F.C. by the clubs owner tonight. Surely a transfer is looming for the highly rated striker that could mean a move to the Premier League.
20.13 – West Ham United F.C. have completed the signing of Manchester Unitedyoungster Ravel Morrison who was out of contract in the summer. Could be a wonderful piece of work from Sam Allardyce
20.22 – West Ham United FC Official have also signed former Bolton Wanderers F.C.striker Ricardo Vaz Te from Barnsley F.C. Another player at the Hammers who has history of playing under Sam Allardyce. Nicky Maynard is also expected to complete a deal to Upton Park this evening
20.32 – Nikica Jelavic has finally signed his four-and-a-half year deal at Everton Football Club
22.25 – Pavel Pogrebnyak’s deal to Fulham is now complete and he has joined them until the end of the season.
22.29 – David Pizarro has completed his move to Manchester City FC – Official on loan until the end of the season.
Much has been made of Manchester City’s unlimited reserves of wealth since 2008 when their new owners from Abu Dhabi bought the club. Their middle-eastern sheiks have incredibly invested well over £1 billion into the blue half of Manchester, in an attempt to break the monopoly of the established elite in the Premier League, and become a European force.
It is every fans dream. This gift of money (which dwarves every investment made by other billionaire owners at other clubs) sent the City fans into paradise. During the Premier League era, their team had always struggled to stay in the division, never mind compete near the top. Now, Manchester City could build a team to match some of the most passionate, loyal and proudest supporters in Britain. Years of that loyalty was about to pay-off; from sticking by their team through thick and thin as they bounced between divisions, suffering relegations whilst their bitter rivals from the red-half of the city won everything in sight, to now being able to compete for the signatures of the world’s star players whilst challenging for every major title available. They deserved this gift.
City set about attempting to sign many major players straight away, and no other club could match the wages that they could offer. The problem, initially, was that City only had the gift of money to offer these major players – whereas the established elite could offer the glamour, and a proven track-record of competing for, and winning the biggest honours in the game. A point seemingly proven early on by Dimitar Berbatov when City’s attempt to sign him failed: ‘I don’t play for the money. If I want to play for the money, I would have accepted Manchester City’s offer’ the Bulgarian said, choosing instead a move to City’s neighbours Manchester United.
Money is a powerful tool however. Step forward Robinho. The Brazilian star was City’s first major coupe, ending his disappointing spell at Real Madrid by signing a deal that would earn him a whopping £160,000 a week. When City could only manage a 10th place finish that season, they had to pursue a similar tactic the following summer – signing the likes of Gareth Barry, Kolo Toure, Roque Santa Cruz, Joleon Lescott, Adebayor and infamously Carlos Tevez from across the city, on massive wages – Tevez alone, now said to be earning around £200,000 a week. Domestically, this tactic also served another purpose – it ensured no other rival could strengthen by signing these players, and hoped to weaken the teams they signed from.
The following season City narrowly failed to qualify for the Champions League again and changed their manager which brought about a squad restructure. More signings came – David Silva, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Mario Balotelli, and Yaya Toure all arriving for massive fee’s and wages. Toure’s deal in particular is said to be astronomic, with the player allegedly earning in excess of £220,000 per week…plus bonuses!
To some, their progress has been surprisingly slow. What do City have to show for all this investment? One FA Cup…so far. Last season’s cup victory may have been their first silverware in over 30 years, but it also culminated in them finally qualifying for the Champions League (finishing 3rd in the league), earning them extra revenue and competing with Europe’s elite. The gift of money is now beginning to pay off.
But herein lies the curse. The money that’s gotten them this far could now become a burden. Uefa’s Financial Fair Play directive comes into effect this season and marks the start of a three-year monitoring period when clubs can afford to post losses of no more than £45 million. Last checked, City’s was running at £121 million. The need to reduce the wage-bill is paramount and after three years of crazy spending Manchester City have a huge squad, with most players earning money they wouldn’t receive elsewhere. Roberto Mancini’s choice to restructure his playing staff since taking the helm is also being felt. Some of the players he deemed surplus to requirements were loaned out, only to be returning to the club this week, with any tempted suitors possibly put off by the wage demands. Some unwanted players in the squad may not even feel the urgency to leave after getting used to such high wages – why leave to earn less, when the major reason in signing was to earn more in the first place?
Of course not all players are like this. They are professionals after all and most act as such. But it’s a sign of the times that in today’s football, money rules, and some players would rather sit back and collect a wage rather than look to enhance their careers and play for the glory.
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