All posts by h79snht.top

The Emir of Qatar has ended speculation linking him and the Qatari Investment Authority with a bid for Manchester United. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani stated in an interview with Sir David Frost on the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera channel that rumours linking him and the QIA with a bid for the Premier League champions were “not true” and that he is “not fond of football”. This news opens the door that the rumours surrounding Qatari interest – which surfaced just as the club floated 25% of its shares on the Singapore stock market – may have been circulated by the Glazer family as a means of driving up the club’s price.

In other news this morning, Jerome Boateng has told his former club Manchester City that they can “forget” winning the Champions’ League ahead of their clash with his new team, Bayern Munich, tonight; Fernando Torres has thanked fans for sticking by him during his difficult start to the season at Chelsea; and Martin Atkinson has been announced as the referee for the forthcoming Liverpool derby, a fixture he was also in charge of last season – sending off two players and booking six.

Qatar’s emir ends speculation over Man Utd bid – The Sun

Boateng: City can forget about winning the Champions’ League – Daily Mail

Best friend looking to make Mata’s Valencia return “hell” – The Sun

Berbatov in line for start against Basel – The Guardian

Torres: I’ve been struggling for form – Daily Mirror

Wilshere faces six months on sidelines – The Sun

Kuyt determined to force his back into the Liverpool side – Daily Mirror

Atkinson handed Liverpool derby – Daily Mail

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FA reacts to QPR criticism of referee – The Guardian

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Two sides guarding unbeaten records meet at the Etihad Stadium as Aston Villa travel to take on title chasing billionaires Manchester City.

Roberto Mancini’s sides have been in irresistible form during the early stages of the Premier League season and are only being kept below neighbours United by goal difference. Despite the shadow cast by Carlos Tevez and his petulant behavior in Munich last month the Citizens haven’t let it affect their performance. They thrashed lowly Blackburn 4-0 before the international break and back on home soil against Villa they’ll be hoping for a similar score line this week. They’ll have to do it without their record signing though with Sergio Agüero sidelined with an abductor strain. The arrival of the Argentinian has turned City into real title contenders and it will be interesting to see how they fare without him. That could mean Mario Balotelli starts again after his virtuoso performance against Rovers two weeks ago. The broody Italian’s display will have encouraged Mancini and given him to confidence to rely on Balotelli when needs be. With David Silva and Samir Nasri also in fine form the City boss has plenty of attacking options capable of ending Villa’s unbeaten run.

The Midlands side have started surprisingly well under new boss Alex McLeish and have yet to taste defeat in their opening seven league games. Despite five of them being draws the Villa defence has been tightened up by the Scot who has also got Gabriel Agbonlahor firing on all cylinders. The Birmingham born striker has struck four goals already this season after finding the net only five times in the previous campaign. His partnership with England striker Darren Bent is blossoming and McLeish will be delighted with the pair’s goal return. The emergence of Barry Bannan has also been a highlight and Villa will need his guile and razor sharp passing skills if they are to unlock a City defence that has conceded only five goals this term. They should also pay attention to the fact they’ve failed to win at the Etihad Stadium since snatching a 1-0 victory back in 2007 with last seasons corresponding fixture seeing them ship four without reply. 

Key Players

Samir Nasri – The Frenchman has settled into the squad with ease since his summer move from Arsenal and has been at his creative best since pulling on a City shirt. He tops the assists table with six already this season and will be a major threat to Villa down the flanks.

Gabriel Agbonlahor – Four goals already this campaign and some energetic performances has seen Villa fans demand an England recall for the striker. His pace and willingness to run into the channels will be vital to the Villan’s chances on Saturday.

Verdict: 2-0

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Man City have 4 players in the top 10 in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Sergio Aguero remains in 2nd place, while David Silva moves up one place to 5th and Dzeko drops two places to 6th. Vincent Kompany remains at 9th. Aguero is just one goal behind Wayne Rooney in the goal scoring charts, and has a superior minutes per goal ratio of one every 55 minutes 30 seconds (compared to Rooney’s one every 64 minutes). However, Rooney has the better accuracy with 59% on target compared to Aguero’s 50% David Silva is another City player making a huge impact in his first season in the Premier League and has scored twice from 13 shots on target, getting 65% of efforts on target overall Samir Nasri scored his Barclays Premier League goal for Manchester City against Blackburn. The French midfielder has been turning provider at City, and has 6 assists to his name from an incredible 196 passes in his opponents half (one every 2 minutes 21 seconds)

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Blackburn Rovers owners the Venky’s group have admitted that there will be discussions this week over the best way forward for the club, with manager Steve Kean under threat of losing his job.

The Scottish coach is under-fire after a poor start to the season at Ewood Park, and a section of the club’s fans have been petitioning for him to be removed from his position.

Despite this, Venkatesh Rao, who shares ownership of the Lancashire outfit with his brother Balaji Rao and sister Anuradha Desai, has spoken of the plan to get Rovers out of danger.

“I have spoken with Steve and we are working on our weak points. We are going to sit down over the next week and have a very big discussion over this,” he told Sky Sports.

“And I am sure we are going into the depth of it. Believe me, myself, my sister, my brother, all of us, are going to sit and have a long chat and come out with some plan of action.”

When quizzed whether it was right that the fans could have an influence over Kean’s future, Rao urged the supporters to let their feelings be known.

“Absolutely, because we also know where we stand.

“If the fans are happy, we are happy. As I have been telling, it is like a family and we should know what the fans totally feel about it.

“Especially, we like to have their voice. Also, it is very important for the club and the feel of the club.

“And also I think it is an open interaction, so we know exactly where we are going wrong, where we are doing good and where we can improve ourselves,” he concluded.

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Blackburn were beaten 4-0 by Manchester City in their last game, and face a trip to London to take on QPR after the international break.

By Gareth McKnight

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Portsmouth have confirmed that Michael Appleton has become their new manager, replacing Steve Cotterill at the Championship club’s helm.

The South coast side parted company with Cotterill, as he took up the managerial post at Nottingham Forest, leaving Pompey struggling in the lower reaches of the Championship.

Former Manchester United midfielder Appleton has excelled in his time at West Brom, acting firstly as Roberto Di Matteo’s assistant and recently fulfilling the same role under Roy Hodgson.

Appleton hopes to lead Pompey back to the English top flight and is looking forward to getting started in his new post.

“I’m delighted and excited to be taking the job and hopefully I can share that enthusiasm and excitement out around the club,” he told the club’s official website.

“It’s going to be a progressive challenge. You get judged on results and the first team is the most important thing, but we want to build the infrastructure of the club, developing the academy and hopefully along the line getting our own training ground. Things like recruitment will be key.

“Hopefully, with a sensible approach, we can take the club forward.

“It was very difficult to leave West Brom because I had spent nearly a third of my life there and had made a lot of good friends and worked with good people.

“But it was time for me to take on a different challenge, and this is one I’m really excited about.

“Portsmouth have fantastic traditions and the supporters are renowned throughout the football world for being very loud and getting behind the team. We want to give them something to shout about.

“A few years ago Portsmouth were a successful Premier League club. I would like to think I can help the people at the football club achieve that again,” he concluded.

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Appleton has signed a three-and-a-half year deal, in what will be his first full managerial role.

By Gareth McKnight

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Younes Kaboul has come a long way during his second stint at White Hart Lane. There will come a day when Ledley King calls it quits and somebody will have to step up and take the reins of Tottenham ’s defence. As it is, it seems that Younes will be the man who is capable of doing this. Should he continue to improve at the rate that he has done over the last couple of seasons, he’ll surely be a fixture in Tottenham ’s defence for years to come.

This season has certainly been his best season yet, both in terms of form and appearances (he has played every minute of Spurs’ Premier League campaign thus far). This rise to prowess hasn’t gone unnoticed – Serie A leaders Juventus are said to be keeping tabs on the 25-year-old defender with a view to a move for his signature in January.

There will be lots of talk as usual, about Tottenham losing most of their players this January and throughout the Summer. This talk will likely focus on Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, but in my opinion it’s just as important for Spurs to hold onto Kaboul.

Kaboul’s a real force in the air and his tackling and positional sense has improved greatly since he rejoined the club. I’m not claiming that he’s as good a defender as Ledley King, but he has the potential to develop into something special – particularly given the chance to play alongside and learn from King himself.

Whilst I also admire Dawson, it’s slowly becoming clear that Kaboul is the future of the club. Unfortunately timed injuries on Dawson’s behalf have seen Kaboul offered chances to establish himself in the team and he has taken full advantage of the situation.

I still maintain that Ramos shouldn’t have sold him in the first place. The move away from White Hart Lane seemed to destroy his confidence. But Harry Redknapp ’s bringing him back to the club can surely be viewed as something of a vote of confidence and Younes hasn’t looked back since.

Am I alone in my appreciation of Kaboul? Is he one of the leading-lights when it comes to Tottenham’s future? Whatever the case, surely it’s time that Tottenham fans gave him a decent song?

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Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he is not looking to strengthen his Manchester United squad in the January transfer window, and that he is happy with the depth at his disposal.

With senior players such as Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher likely to be sidelined until the end of the campaign, the Premier League champions have been touted as potential buyers in the new year, despite Ferguson’s usual reluctance to spend mid-season.

However the Scottish coach has told United fans that new faces in January are unlikely.

“All things being equal I am perfectly happy with the strength of our squad in terms of depth, quality and age range,” Ferguson stated.

“I will not be swayed by the endless tweets and blogs urging the club to get busy in the transfer market next month.

“As far as I am concerned I am marching perfectly in step, true to my beliefs and principles.

“While recruiting some of the world’s leading players can lift you into contention for honours, it doesn’t necessarily take you all the way, as I hope we will be able to demonstrate before the end of the season as other factors come into play.

“You can never say never in football, of course, because fortunes can fluctuate wildly – that’s the football world.

“If a really top-class player became available, then we would go for him, or if we picked up any further serious injuries, it might be important to add to our squad,” he concluded.

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The Red Devils go into Boxing Day’s clash with Wigan at Old Trafford two points behind cross-town rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is taking the positives out of his side’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, and feels the north London outfit can be proud of their performance.

A last minute Mario Balotelli penalty decided the game in the hosts’ favour, but the England international feels Roberto Mancini’s men had a bit of luck on their side.

“I still think we can look up,” Defoe told The Guardian.

“There are a lot of positives we can take out of the game. In the second half we were the better side. They are a great team and to come to places like this is difficult – not many teams come here and get points. And we were really unlucky. If you look at their second goal, for example, Scott Parker blocked it against Joleon [Lescott], who didn’t even know where the ball was, and it went in. That’s the luck they got, as well as a last-minute penalty.

“I am feeling gutted but we were the better side after half-time, creating more chances and keeping the ball to hit them on the counterattack. We were unfortunate not to get a point or even win the game. We showed a lot of character to come back from 2-0 down. It was unbelievable.

“When I got the goal it came at a good time for us and then Gareth Bale’s strike was unbelievable. We started to believe we were going to win the game. We put them under pressure, pressed them high up the pitch – there was great energy from the boys and it was just unfortunate we didn’t win,” he stated.

Defoe had the chance to steal victory for Tottenham in the dying minutes but agonisingly couldn’t quite convert a Gareth Bale cross.

“I just couldn’t reach it,” he continued.

“Those ones can be difficult sometimes because, when Gareth made the cross, he had to play it in front of me rather than straight and I just couldn’t reach it. It is not going to play on my mind. If I had longer legs then I would have scored, that’s all.

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“Overall we deserved a point. Now there are still a lot of games left to play – big games for us – and those are the ones you want to play in; the pressure you want as a footballer. Every game we play from now on is a cup final,” he finished.

By Gareth McKnight

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Let’s play a quick ‘where are they now’ game together. Where does Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler ply his trade? How about World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro? Hernan Crespo? If you answered India (without using Wikipedia) then you’re correct.

Premier League Soccer (PLS) launches next month, and it has attracted veritable who’s who of late 90’s, early 2000’s stars. The league is looking to follow in the tradition of many other ‘new leagues’.

From Qatar, to Australia, to China, these new leagues seek to sign up big name older stars to boost the leagues profile. Sometimes it has flourished to the firm establishment of a solid league (J-league), other times it has been nothing more than a flash in the pan, marketing driven failure (NASL). Which way the PLS goes remains to be seen, however there is one thing complicating the issue for the PLS, the I-league.

You see India already has a top flight league, one that has been running since 2007, and is itself a ‘new league’. Theoretically there should be no conflict as the PLS is a regional league for the state of West Bengal.

However there are many complicating factors. Although the PLS may theoretically not be in conflict with the I-league, it is clear it is seeking to usurp the league, in profile and entertainment, if not at the actual top of the league structure.

The I-League has few big names stars (unless you count former Rangers striker Alan Gow) and in truth its TV and attendance figures are low. It will not be hard for PLS to beat these figures. These league’s schedules also overlap, with the PLS running February to April and the I-League October to May.

It is another small sign that the PLS organisers are not scared to face the I-League directly.

However this does not mean things for the PLS will necessarily be plain sailing. The PLS is based in the state of West Bengal, India’s footballing hotbed. This state is already home to India’s ‘Big 2’ East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

This should mean the area is prime location for a Football extravaganza, however EB and MB both have a loyal fan-base and it remains to be seen to what degree these fans will embrace the new teams, especially when the schedules clash. India is also a nation of regions, and Indians themselves proudly regionalist. Will those from outside West Bengal tune in? Probably, but these will be TV viewers, and whether they will actively support or take to heart any of these teams seems less likely.

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The PLS will certainly be a show-piece, but long term, it seems it and the I-league will struggle to live alongside each other.

It may not have been pretty or convincing, but Sunday saw Liverpool break their six-year silverware drought with victory over Cardiff at Wembley. Rewind just one year, and it was Arsenal who found themselves as losing finalists, in a defeat which saw the wheels well and truly come of off their season. Looking at this it shows just how important victory for the Reds, and the trophy won, could be for the rest of their campaign.

The Carling Cup gets a bit of a tough rap nowadays, often dubbed as the FA Cup’s ugly sibling, a competition which rather than desired, is seen as an unnecessary distraction. To some extent this may be true, but there is no underestimating the importance of winning and the confidence it brings, especially at the business end of a competition. Kenny Dalglish and his men will be looking to use this in their quest to get back into the Champions League and attract new players to the club.

As their rivals continue to stutter in their charge for fourth spot, due to a combination of factors, the Anfield men are entering what could be their best from of the season. Last campaign Liverpool struggled before Christmas, failing to find form and subsequently slipping down the table. This soon changed after January, with the men in red putting together an impressive run to finish in sixth spot, narrowly missing out on Europa League football. Admittedly last term saw the ill fated reign of Roy Hodgson contribute heavily to the poor start, but history has a habit of repeating itself, and without the burden of European football and an increasing sense of belief, its not out of the question that Liverpool could put a similar run together.

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Another factor in Liverpool’s favour is the return of a full strength squad, after the suspension of Luis Suarez and the long-term injuries of Steven Gerrard. Dalglish has now been able to link up his absentees with £35 million striker Andy Carroll, which has been somewhat of a rarity under the Scots tenure. The combination of these three men could prove to be a difference in the run for fourth, with both Chelsea and Arsenal suffering losses of form and Newcastle, arguably, not having the depth of squad to maintain a challenge. Suarez has been impressive since his return to the squad, netting on his first start at Old Trafford and following this with a header in the 6-1 FA Cup triumph over Brighton, this has been coupled with the return of Gerrard to full fitness and Carroll beginning to find his goal scoring touch.

The run in FA Cup has also contributed to the positive feeling around the club, with high scoring victories over Oldham and Brighton as well as a dramatic win against Manchester United. A home draw against Stoke City now awaits the reds in the Quarter-final of the competition, a game which Dalglish will surely feel is winnable. Although some of the Premier League’s big players remain in the competition, the Anfield club are one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

There remains a long way to go this season, but the victory at Wembley and the confidence it delivers could be a real factor in the defining of Liverpool’s season. It wont be easy, but the prospect of Champions League football is at least achievable for King Kenny and his men.

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Enjoy This Article? Follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter where we can share our obsessive tendencies toward the beautiful game.

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Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has stated that the players owe manager David Moyes a victory, after losing 3-0 to Liverpool on Tuesday on the eve of the coach’s 10-year-anniversary at the club.

A Steven Gerrard hat-trick ended a nine-match unbeaten run for the Toffees, and the United States international is eyeing a win against Sunderland in the FA Cup this weekend.

“It [Anfield] is never a nice place to lose, but with the anniversary and everything, it’s even more so. Ten years is a lot of results, a lot of highs and lows,” the keeper admitted to Mirror Football.

“We had gone into the game on the back of a really good run, but unfortunately it didn’t end in the storybook way we all hoped. But this is a good team, this is a good bunch of boys, and there is definitely no problem with the character in the squad.

“We will be up for the fight at the weekend, and it would be fantastic to get a good result to give everyone a lift after what has been a long week. It won’t be for the lack of trying.

“Losing derbies always hurts, but we are professionals, we want to see it out, so we will get back to work and hopefully get a result,” he stated.

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By Gareth McKnight

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