England News October,
2005
Monday,
31 October 2005 -
Premiership
football:- Darius Vassell
scores two and a single Andrew Cole goal helps
Manchester City beat
Aston Villa.
Saturday,
29 October 2005 -
Premiership
football:- Frank Lampard
scored twice as Chelsea returned to
winning ways with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over
Blackburn Rovers.
Ledley King scores for
Tottenham Hotspur against
Arsenal, the game ended 1-1.
Friday, 28 October 2005 -
Argentina Squad
- Inter Milan striker Julio Ricardo Cruz has been recalled to the squad for the
friendly with England in Geneva on 12 November. Cruz has been in
impressive form for Inter this season and will be hoping to claim his place in
the World Cup squad after being left out of the 2002 squad. Javier Zanetti
is also in the 22-man squad, having missed four games since winning his 101st
cap in June. Argentina will travel to Qatar after the England game for
another friendly.
Thursday, 27 October 2005 -
Paul Gascoigne has taken his first managerial role in
football after being named as boss of Kettering Town. The 38-year-old -
part of a consortium that has taken over the club - will work with former
Arsenal midfielder Paul Davis, named as a coach. "It feels good, I'm
excited. I know it's Kettering Town and it isn't Premiership football. But
the plans we have worked on with (consortium leader) Imraan Ladak for the past
six weeks have been exciting."
Sir Bobby Robson
has led the tributes after the funeral of former
Fulham and England player Johnny
Haynes. Robson joined Sir Bobby Charlton, Alan Mullery, George Cohen
and Sven-Göran Eriksson to pay his respects at the service in Edinburgh.
"He was a wonderful passer of the ball, one of the best I've seen and I've been
in football 50 years. I've seen a lot of great players but in that sense
he was unsurpassed. He was a valued friend."
Robson admitted his "distress" at the loss of Haynes.
"The service was nice, very distinguished and George Cohen spoke especially well
about Johnny. We've lost a great friend, a great chum and he was a maestro
in footballing terms. It's distressing. It's a long time since I was so
distressed about the death of anybody to be honest." Eriksson said: "I came to
pay my respects to a great football player, he was a former England captain with
50 or 60 caps so I respect that. I have heard a lot about him and many say
that (Roberto) Mancini played like him so he must have been a genius."
The England women's team cruised to the biggest win in their history with
a 13-0 demolition of Hungary in their World Cup qualifier.
Chris Kirkland will miss
West Bromwich Albion's next two games after
suffering a heavy knock during Sunday's 2-0 defeat at
Bolton Wanderers. Kirkland
bruised one of his kidneys and will now sit out the Premiership games against
Newcastle United and
West Ham United. "It's
nothing serious but Chris has been advised to rest between two and four weeks,"
said boss Bryan Robson.
David
Beckham's injury woe is not as serious as first thought. Wanderley
Luxemburgo has played down fears over his fitness after he limped out of the 3-1
defeat at Deportivo La Coruna. The 30-year-old midfielder left the field
in the 53rd minute. But Luxemburgo said: "The substitution of Beckham
should be categorised as normal. He was not playing well because he began
the match with a little pain."
Tuesday, 25 October 2005 -
David
Beckham has had the red card he received in Real Madrid's defeat to
Valencia on Sunday rescinded. The England captain was booked for
dissent and received a second caution for applauding the referee. The club
appealed, claiming that Beckham's behaviour had been neither "scornful nor
sarcastic". The Spanish Football Federation decided that the clapping
formed part of his initial protest at a decision and did not warrant a second
yellow card.
The 30-year-old will now be free to play for Real against
Deportivo la Coruna on Wednesday. Beckham was dismissed in the 87th minute
of Real's 2-1 defeat to Valencia, a result which meant they missed the chance to
go top of La Liga. In his post-match report, the referee noted that
Beckham had behaved in "a mocking way after being reprimanded".
Alan
Shearer may need surgery on a hernia problem that has troubled him for
the past fortnight. Reports have suggested the 35-year-old may schedule an
operation during November's international break. "It is a situation where
no-one knows how long it will last for. He could get through to the end of
the season without needing an operation or it could get that painful he would
need the operation next week."
Gareth Southgate may be sidelined for up to six weeks
after picking up a groin strain in Sunday's 2-1 defeat at West Ham United.
The 35-year-old limped off after 25 minutes at Upton Park and has been told he
will need between four and six weeks to recover from the problem.
Sunday, 23 October 2005 -
Premiership
football:- A Frank Lampard
equaliser is not enough to maintain Chelsea's
100% league record for this season,
James Beattie had already put bottom club
Everton in front with a first-half
penalty. A Teddy Sheringham goal sets
West Ham United on their way to
victory over Middlesbrough.
Sir Bobby Robson
has hinted he could be interested in the vacant manager's job at Hearts
following the departure of George Burley on Saturday. Robson, 72,
reportedly turned down the position in the summer but says he got on well with
owner Vladimir Romanov. "I didn't take the Hearts job before for personal
reasons but my circumstances are different now. It's an attractive job and
I left Mr Romanov on good terms." Robson will be in Edinburgh this week to
attend the funeral of his friend and former Fulham and England team-mate Johnny
Haynes.
Saturday,
22 October 2005 -
Premiership
football:-
Jermaine Jenas equalises for
Tottenham Hotspur in their 1-1
draw with
Manchester United.
Friday, 21 October 2005 -
Kieran Richardson has
celebrated his 21st birthday by signing a four-year deal which will keep him at
the club until June 2009. The winger has won four England caps. "I
am happy to commit my future to Manchester United. It's the club where I
want to be and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."
David
Beckham has revealed his kicking style is causing him to suffer
persistent back trouble. Real Madrid's 30-year-old star said he needed
anti-inflammatory injections before and after the Champions League victory
against Rosenborg. He said: "My back is always sore after games. I have
been told the position I get into when I am passing, crossing or shooting is
different from others. So it is going to put a lot of strain on my back.
I have had a bad back all week and it has been playing up. I had an
anti-inflammatory injection before and after the game, so hopefully it will be
all right."
Wednesday, 19 October 2005 -
Joe Cole scores
Chelsea's third of four goals against
Real Betis.
Jonathan Woodgate scored his first goal for Real Madrid on his European debut
for the Spanish side as they fought back to crush Rosenborg 4-1. Woodgate
headed home a David Beckham cross to equalise. A superb Beckham free-kick
completed the rout.
October
:
England are set to be among the top eight seeds for the 2006 World Cup
after a double boost from Fifa. England are up two places to ninth in the
latest world rankings following their qualifying victories against Austria and
Poland. Fifa has also confirmed them as the sixth best team at the 2002
World Cup. That will put England equal fifth in the seedings - provided
Fifa uses the same formula it employed to seed teams for the World Cups in 1998
and 2002.
Fifa is yet to confirm the system it will use for seeding
teams in the World Cup draw, which takes place in Leipzig on 9 December.
But Markus Siegler, Fifa's director of communications said this week: "There is
no reason to think that the system will be different this time." The top
eight seeds will be kept apart in the group stages in next year's tournament in
Germany.
World Cup top seeds as of 19 October:
1 Brazil 64 points
2 Spain 49
3 Germany 48
4 Mexico 47
=5 Argentina & ENGLAND 46
=7 France & Italy 45
Tuesday, 18 October 2005 -
Johnny
Haynes has died at the age of 71 following a car crash in Edinburgh.
Midfielder Haynes, who won 56 caps, was the first player to represent England at
every level and was also the first player to earn £100 a week. Haynes made
his England debut in October 1954, scoring one goal in a 2-0 win over Northern
Ireland in Belfast. He went to the 1954 World Cup as a reserve and also
the 1958 and 1962 tournaments. Haynes became captain of his country in
1960, and a year later he captained England to the Home International trophy,
after a 9-3 drubbing of Scotland at Wembley. Haynes himself was credited
with a masterful display in that famous match, including scoring two of the
goals.
Paul Scholes see's red following two yellow cards.
Manchester United earned a goalless
draw with Lille.
Monday,
17 October 2005 -
David
Beckham was hit by a coin during
Real Madrid's 3-0 win in the derby
with Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Beckham also took a bite out of an apple
- which was among an assortment of objects thrown at him when he took corners -
before spitting it out. "You are sort of waiting for something to hit you
in the corner. But the worst that happened was I got hit by a coin on the
shoulder. I had a bite out of an apple but spat it out - just in case.
They threw bottles, coins, cigarette lighters and even an apple at me. It
surprised me a bit because I am not used to things like that happening to me on
a football pitch. It is not normal. This sort of thing has not happened in
England for a long time, although they may be normal in such a tense atmosphere
as a derby."
Premiership
football:- Danny Murphy
scores again for Charlton Athletic
in the 1-1 draw with Fulham.
Sunday, 16 October 2005 -
Sir Bobby Robson
has denied that he is in talks over a return to international football as the
Republic of Ireland's new boss. The Football Association of Ireland
will this week make a decision on the future of current boss Brian Kerr, whose
contract ended last Wednesday. "I know nothing about it, it is pure
speculation. As far as I'm concerned, the FAI have a very good manager in
Brian Kerr." Meanwhile, Robson is also linked with the Director of
Football vacancy at Portsmouth.
Saturday,
15 October 2005 -
Premiership
football:- A Frank Lampard
brace were
two of Chelsea's five goals against
Bolton Wanderers.
Wayne Rooney scores another for
Manchester United against
Sunderland.
Jermaine Jenas scores his first
Tottenham Hotspur goal to keep
Everton in bottom place.
Friday, 14 October 2005 -
England are among the top tier of seven seeds for Euro
2008 qualifying. They have been put in a group including defending
champions and top seed Greece as well as Netherlands, Portugal, Czech Republic,
France and Sweden. Italy and Germany are in the second group along with
Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Spain and Romania. Hosts Switzerland and Austria
qualify automatically for the 16-team tournament and the draw for the group
stage will take place 27 January.
The seedings for each country have been based on qualifying
for Euro 2004 and next summer's World Cup in Germany. If Greece were not
the holders they would only just have made it into the second tier with Germany
making the top seven. The 50 teams will be split into six groups of seven
and one of eight with the winners and runners-up qualifying for the tournament.
Theoretically, England could be drawn with either Italy or Germany and be in the
same group as Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Danny Murphy has won
September's Barclays Player Of The Month award.
Owen
Hargreaves has agreed a new four-year deal with German champions
Bayern Munich. The
24-year-old's current deal expired at the end of this season and he had been
linked with a move to number of Premiership clubs. But he has committed
his future to Bayern, whom he joined aged 16. "I'm looking forward to the
years ahead, as I'm confident we'll continue to enjoy plenty of success.
We have fantastic support, we now have the best stadium in the world, and we
have a team capable of winning the Champions League."
Les
Ferdinand says that he is not on the verge of breaking into the Watford
first team. He had announced his retirement last season but joined the
Hornets on non-contract terms in September. "I signed on the basis that if
the team were in trouble and the manager needed to me to play, I would do so.
It wasn't that I signed and was hoping to play the next week. People may have
got the wrong end of the stick."
Sepp
Blatter says Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven-Göran Eriksson must get tough
with Wayne Rooney. Manchester United and England striker Rooney was sent
off in Europe for United last month and banned for England's game against
Austria. "When you play at the level he plays he should be called to
order. His managers should be tough on him. He could go on for 15 years
but discipline and respect is essential."
Blatter also hinted the seedings for the 2006 World Cup finals will be based
purely on world rankings.
Thursday, 13 October 2005 -
A
quartet of England internationals have made the shortlist for Fifa's
World Player of the Year awards. Midfielders David Beckham,
Frank Lampard and
Steven Gerrard are in line for
the prestigious honour, alongside teenage striker
Wayne Rooney. The coaches
and captains of every national team will cast their votes in the coming weeks.
The award, which was won last year by Barcelona's Ronaldinho, will be announced
on 19 December in Zurich.
The list of 30 male players will initially be whittled down
to three players, with their names being announced in late November or early
December.
Glenn Hoddle
believes Ledley King has earned
the right to be considered a serious option in the national team's midfield.
Tottenham Hotspur defender King
impressed in his holding midfielder role during England's 2-1 win against
Poland. "I think Ledley King playing in the midfield was wonderful.
I think he's a centre-half but we know he can play in that position, so I think
he's done himself a lot of good." Meanwhile, King is rated doubtful
for Saturday's game against Everton
after picking up a thigh injury while on England duty in midweek. King is
rated only 50-50 to face the Toffees. Spurs coach Martin Jol said: "He has
got an injury, which was always the worry. But hopefully he will be fit.
It is a knock on his thigh - a dead leg."
Paul Gascoigne will be the new manager of Kettering
Town - if a consortium involving the ex-England midfielder completes a
successful takeover. Current boss Kevin Wilson is being lined up to become
director of football, with ex-Arsenal midfielder Paul Davis set to be the head
coach. Consortium leader Imraan Ladak made the announcement about the
appointments to the Northampton Evening Telegraph. Ladak expects
the deal to be finalised next week.
Wednesday, 12 October 2005 -
England
2 Poland 1
England shrugged off recent criticisms and finished top of their
World Cup qualifying group with a
vibrant display to beat Poland at Old Trafford. Michael Owen skilfully diverted in a Joe Cole shot to put
England ahead. Tomasz Frankowski's volleyed equaliser for Poland flattered
the visitors and their keeper Artur Boruc twice saved from Owen to keep his side
level. But Owen set up Frank Lampard to volley in and give England a
deserved win.
Sven-Göran Eriksson is adamant he will not be driven
out of the England job by mounting criticism of his regime. Eriksson's
methods have come under the microscope after a succession of poor showings,
despite England qualifying for the World Cup with a game to spare. "We
have qualified and now let's see what happens at the World Cup. I have a
contract until 2008 and I am convinced we will get good results. The only
way I will leave this job will be because of results. I'm too stubborn to
quit because of criticism - too stubborn."
Tuesday, 11 October 2005 -
Jonathan Woodgate's
embarrassing start to his
Real Madrid career showed no sign of
abating after he scored his second own goal in three outings. Woodgate
bundled the ball into his own net in the 19th minute of the Carlos Lapetra
Trophy match against Real Zaragoza. Woodgate, who was sent off against Athletic Bilbao on his Real
debut after scoring an own goal, played the full 90 minutes of the friendly.
David
Beckham has been called back to Spain for training by his club
Real Madrid. Beckham is suspended for the game against Poland, but had
wanted to watch the match. "We've received a formal request from Real
advising us they require Beckham to travel back to Spain for training," said the
Football Association. Beckham has been in inspired form for Real this
season in the Primera Liga. Of which, Beckham is said to be furious at
being unable to cheer on his teammates.
Sven-Göran Eriksson has hinted
Shaun Wright-Phillips,
Ledley King,
Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand
will all start against Poland. David Beckham (suspended),
Steven Gerrard, Sol Campbell
(both injured) and Peter Crouch
(dropped) will be the men to make way. Eriksson said: "Rooney is back,
which is positive, so he will play up front. Shaun is the natural
replacement for Beckham but we will do some tactical work and decide after that
100%."
Michael Owen will lead the side, having taken the captain's
armband when Beckham was sent off against Austria on Saturday. That red
card rules him out of Wednesday's game, but the Football Association has asked
Real Madrid if he can stay with the
squad anyway.
England's final World Cup qualifier against Poland could
decide whether Sven-Göran Eriksson's team is among the top seeds at next year's
tournament. If Fifa uses the system employed in the 1998 and 2002
World Cups, England are currently the joint seventh-best seed. To
guarantee top seeding, Eriksson's side need to be in the top eight when the draw
is made in December.
The system previously used by Fifa takes into account the
average world rankings during the past three years as well as performances at
the past three World Cups. Using those criteria, England are level with
France in seventh place with 44 points, two behind Argentina and Italy, but just
one ahead of the Netherlands. Sven-Göran Eriksson's side have slipped to
11th in the world rankings following the dismal 1-0 qualifying loss to Northern
Ireland in September. But they have since beaten Austria 1-0 in Saturday's
World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford - and have two matches before the draw for
next year's tournament takes place in Leipzig on 9 December. Matches
against Poland on Wednesday and against Argentina in a friendly in Geneva on 12
November will both affect their Fifa world ranking. Victory in both games
will maximise England's chances of keeping among the top eight. Fifa's
system means England are still paying for failing to qualify for the 1994 World
Cup finals in the USA.
World Cup top seeds as of 11 October:
1 Brazil 64 points
2 Spain 50
3 Mexico 48
4 Germany 47
=5 Argentina & Italy 46
=7 England & France 44
Sven-Göran Eriksson says there are still places up for
grabs in his squad for next summer's World Cup. Eriksson said he had
a strong idea of his ideal line-up, but there was time for that to change.
"If the World Cup started in a couple of weeks, today I could pick 18 or 20 of
the squad. But it's eight months away, so it's up to every English player
to show they're better than the ones in my head."
Meanwhile, Eriksson has vowed not to be driven out of the England job by
mounting criticism of his regime. Eriksson's methods have come under the
microscope after a succession of poor showings, despite England qualifying for
the World Cup with a game to spare. "The only way I will leave this job
will be because of results. I'm too stubborn to quit because of criticism
- too stubborn. We have qualified and now let's see what happens at the
World Cup. I have a contract until 2008 and I am convinced we are going to get
good results. My dream is the same as your dream, the same as all the fans
and players. That is to win a big tournament and win the World Cup. We
have gone out of two big tournaments on marginal things, almost nothing. I
was convinced we would qualify and now we have qualified. If we do not have too
many injuries out in Germany we will do a very good job. That is my conviction."
Monday, 10 October 2005 -
Wayne Rooney
says he bears no grudge towards referee Kim Milton Nielsen, who will be in
charge of England against Poland. The Danish official sent Rooney off in
Manchester United's recent Champions League tie at Vallareal. But Rooney
said: "I don't think there will be any problems, he's a good referee and does a
good job. I don't think I've become a trophy for referees. I've made some
bad decisions on the field but I'll learn from that. I didn't particularly
like sitting in the stand on Saturday. But that's made me doubly determined to
help us round things off in style. Although we've qualified there's no
question of us easing up against Poland. We want to finish in style and give
something back to the fans."
Steven Gerrard
believes he can return to action for Liverpool
in 12 days after a scan showed his injury is not as serious as first feared.
The midfielder sustained a shin-muscle strain during England's 1-0 victory over
Austria at the weekend. But he said: "The Liverpool medical staff are
confident I'll be back after the next two games, so that is what I am aiming
for. It was a worry at first, but it is not that serious."
Wes Brown is in line for a
first-team return in the Carling Cup game against Barnet on 26 October.
The 25-year-old, who has been out of action since August with a knee injury,
hopes to have a run-out for the reserves the previous week. "If he does
that he could be in line for the Barnet game," Sir Alex Ferguson said.
"It's hard to predict but that is what we are hoping for."
Paul Robinson
and Luke Young
both sat out training today as England began preparations for the final World
Cup qualifier with Poland. Robinson was suffering from a tight thigh
muscle while Young reported a dead leg to the England medical staff.
Neither injury was thought to be serious and both should be able to train on
Tuesday ahead of the game.
England will go into Wednesday's final World Cup
qualifier against Poland not knowing if the result will affect their World Cup
seeding. Poland are two points ahead of England and as both sides are
already through, the result may prove to be meaningless. No decision has
been taken on whether final group places will affect tournament seeding.
In 2002 seedings were decided by teams' records at previous finals and their
average place in the Fifa rankings.
"It will be decided at the Fifa executive committee meeting
on 6 December in Leipzig, where the draw takes place on 9 December," said Fifa
media officer Nicolas Maingod. The eight European group winners and the
two best performing runners-up are guaranteed places in next summer's tournament
in Germany. But fans hoping to watch England in Germany face a scramble
for tickets. Each team is officially entitled to just 8% of tickets for
each game they play. The FA will not know the exact number of tickets they
will receive for each game until after the tournament draw takes place.
The only official way tickets will be made available to England fans for England
games is through 'Englandfans', the
official England Supporters' Club. Membership of Englandfans has already
been capped at 25,000 to give members a realistic chance of obtaining access to
tickets, and no more applications to join will be accepted before or during the
World Cup.
Sven-Göran Eriksson and
Michael Owen have responded to heavy criticism by making bold claims
ahead of the World Cup. Despite qualifying for Germany 2006 on Saturday
England have been rounded on by domestic critics. But Eriksson said: "At
least 10 of my players are world class. They would be on a world top-50 list."
Owen added: "We'll go there with a squad that, apart from Brazil, I'm sure is
not bettered."
Vice-captain Owen backed Eriksson's comments and is setting
his sights high for next summer's tournament. "I would not settle for
getting knocked out in the last four. The aim is certainly to get as far
as the semi-finals - but it would not stop there." With Beckham suspended
for the final qualifier against Poland on Wednesday, Owen will captain the team
- and he looks upon the task as a huge honour. "It is a magical feeling to
lead out your country - and even more of an honour when you see how easy it
would be for the manager to give the armband to the likes of John Terry or
Steven Gerrard. I am sure some people will say John or Steve are more
obvious skippers but I like to think that I have people's respect."
Sunday, 9 October 2005 -
Steven Gerrard will miss England's World Cup qualifier
against Poland on Wednesday after injuring his shin against Austria.
Defender Sol Campbell had already been ruled out because of a hamstring problem
and captain David Beckham is suspended following his sending off.
Liverpool have said that Gerrard may be sidelined for two to three weeks.
The Football Association is not planning to appeal
against the red card David Beckham received in the win over Austria. The
FA's director of football Trevor Brooking said: "It was a harsh decision.
But the regulations won't allow us an appeal - we'll have to take that one."
Sven-Göran Eriksson believes England can win the 2006
World Cup if his key players can avoid serious injury. "We have an extremely
good team. I'm extremely confident England will have a very good World
Cup. We are one of four or five teams who can win the World Cup. If we are
lucky with injuries I think we can do it." Eriksson rejected criticism of
the manner of the Austria win and maintained England would be in better shape
come the start of the finals in June 2006. "I think we worked as a team,
we defended well and had some good attacks but we know we can play better
football. I'm excited because the big aim for us for two years has been to
qualify for the World Cup... after the Northern Ireland game the critics began
saying maybe not. So of course I am delighted, that has been the big aim
for two years and now the big aim is to prepare everything for the World Cup."
Saturday, 8 October 2005 -
David
Beckham was left in an angry mood after he was sent off. The
England captain said after the 1-0 win: "The first one was harsh, but the second
one was even harsher. Everyone who has seen it has said the same. I
couldn't understand it. I don't think it was a sending off at all. I saw
the referee's reaction when he looked at the linesman and I knew what was going
to happen." Beckham and
Sven-Göran Eriksson have indicated they may appeal against the sending-off
to FIFA.
England
1 Austria 0
:
David Beckham became the first player to be sent off twice for England as they
stuttered to victory against Austria at Old Trafford. Beckham was shown
two yellow cards in two minutes in the second half for fouls on Andreas
Ibertsberger. Frank Lampard put England on course for Germany with a
first-half penalty after Paul Scharner fouled Michael Owen. And while
their display was far from assured, England qualified later as The Netherlands
beat the Czech Republic.
Friday,
7 October 2005 -
Sven-Göran Eriksson admits it would be
"unacceptable" for England to fail to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
He said: "It is not acceptable not to qualify - you can't even think about
England not being at the World Cup. We are going to qualify and that's it.
It is dangerous to think 'if'. In my head that doesn't exist." He admitted
his players were still feeling the pain of the defeat at Windsor Park. "I
think it should hurt. It's one month since we played Northern Ireland and it's
been a very long month. It has been a long month, especially for me. I
didn't have any other games to be involved in. The players had matches. We
must win the match against Austria and then see what happens after that."
And he insisted he still enjoys his job as England boss. He said: "I enjoy
it very much but enjoy it more when we win games and not lose football games.
It's the same when you are a club manager and you are criticised. It's only when
you are with England that it's like a new world war. My feelings are we
are going to have a good performance and qualify for the World Cup."
Meanwhile, according to The Mirror newspaper, David Beckham has handed
the responsibility of taking penalties over to Frank Lampard.
Eriksson is also set to prefer Sol Campbell to Rio
Ferdinand in defence against Austria. Ferdinand was tipped to start the
match after being paired with John Terry in training this week, but it is
understood that Campbell will be chosen. It would be the first time
Eriksson has ever dropped 26-year-old Ferdinand for a competitive fixture.
James Beattie is hoping
his latest injury setback is not serious. Beattie was on target in
Everton
reserves' 3-1 defeat against Manchester United, but limped off after only 22
minutes with a calf injury. "I felt my calf tighten up. Hopefully
it's a case of just getting some physio and resting. It was quite a
sensible decision to come off and let's hope that I can get back as soon as
possible."
Everton physiotherapist Mick Rathbone said: "It looks like a
relatively minor calf strain, though it is too early to say whether he will be
available for the game at Spurs." Beattie added: "It started off well for
me with the goal and I felt good, but then I just felt my calf tighten up.
It was more of a precautionary measure than anything because I don't want to be
out for another three or four weeks with a calf strain."
David
Beckham has been accused of deliberately getting a player sent off.
Real Mallorca's Sergio Ballesteros was dismissed towards the end of his side's
4-0 defeat to Real Madrid last week.
Ballesteros got a second yellow card after he slapped Beckham in the face, but
television pictures showed the England captain had stood on his foot. "I
fell into Beckham's trap - he was craftier than me. His stamp on my foot was not
noticed, but my slap was seen by everyone," said Ballesteros.
Jonathan Woodgate has
suffered a minor ankle strain that kept the
Real Madrid defender out of training
today. The 25-year-old England star recently made his comeback after 17
months on the sidelines with a thigh problem. He picked up the injury to
his right ankle in a practice match against local club Rayo Vallecano last
night. Real said the injury was not serious and he would have
physiotherapy and rest before having another examination.
Thursday,
6 October 2005 -
David Beckham trained today after his delayed arrival.
Michael Owen also completed the session to prove his fitness. The pair are
now set to take their places in the team for Saturday's World Cup qualifier
against Austria. It leaves boss
Sven-Göran Eriksson with no injury worries is set to pick Rio Ferdinand
ahead of Sol Campbell, at least according to reports. Ferdinand is set to
partner John Terry at centre-half
- even though Ferdinand has spoken about his own poor form.
Jamie Carragher is poised to
replace the injured Ashley Cole
at left-back. Striker Peter
Crouch is tipped to start alongside Michael Owen on Saturday in place of the
suspended Wayne Rooney.
Eriksson said earlier this week that he had already made up
his mind who to play in the centre of defence. And the England coach is
poised to revert to a 4-4-2 formation against Austria after his experiment with
playing 4-5-1 against Northern Ireland.
Wayne Rooney has admitted
that he must learn to control his temper. Rooney is currently suspended
for club and country and will miss England's vital World Cup qualifier against
Austria on Saturday. The 19-year-old told Four Four Two magazine:
"I am trying to cut out silly bookings for dissent. At United, there was
always going to be more pressure on me than playing for Everton but I feel I
have matured. There are people out there trying to shoot you down. I
have to be aware of that and it is something I had to understand really quickly.
My life has changed a lot in the past year. I am getting used to it and I just
try to lead as normal a life as possible outside of football."
Tuesday,
4 October 2005 -
Ashley Cole
has withdrawn from the England squad after suffering a stress fracture of his
foot. Liverpool left-back
Stephen Warnock has been called up in his place. "Ashley has had to
pull out," said coach Sven-Göran Eriksson. "He took a scan and has a stress
fracture and will be out for one month at least."
Captain David Beckham missed training today to be with his ill son Romeo but
will join the squad on Wednesday.
Beckham stayed in Madrid as his son underwent hospital tests.
Striker Michael Owen was also absent as he recovers from the dead leg that
forced him to force Newcastle's game against Portsmouth on Saturday - but he is
expected to be fit to play. "[Owen] will run on Wednesday and hopefully he
will be OK on Thursday for a full session," added Eriksson.
Eriksson said that the loss of Cole was a blow but that he had plenty of
alternatives. "We have a lot of options there, Jamie Carragher is one,
Warnock is another, Kieran Richardson is playing left-back for Manchester United
at this moment. But it is a pity to lose Ashley Cole, probably the best
left-back in the world. It so often happens when one full-back is injured
the other is as well in Gary Neville and Ashley Cole." The last time Cole
was unavailable - against Sweden in a friendly in March last year - Carragher
played at left-back in a match England lost 1-0.
Eriksson said that he had already made up his mind who to play in the centre of
defence - with John Terry, Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand all in contention.
"It is a big decision. One will be disappointed. I have made it
already and I will not reveal who will play - the players need to know it before
the rest of the world. Whatever selection I use it will be a good one - I
cannot miss because we are talking about three of the best central defenders in
the world."
Tuesday's training session took place at Manchester United's Carrington training
complex, but several players who were in action on Sunday took part in a
recovery session rather than full training.
Michael Owen does not think he will play club football
abroad again. Owen left Real Madrid
for Newcastle United after one
season at the Bernabeu. "I very much doubt I will go abroad again. "I
wanted to see what it was like. I have opened my eyes to it now. But I
love living at home. I knew I would always be coming back to the Premiership, it
was just a matter of how many years. I was open-minded about going to
Spain but I always knew that the Premiership was where I wanted to come back to.
I had a good time in Madrid, both on and off the pitch but I missed the UK
weather, I missed the food, the Premiership and being around English people.
It is where I was born and brought up and where I have always played my
football. I was looking forward to getting back and now I'm back I'm
enjoying every minute of it."
Nicky
Butt has been fined £8,500 and handed a one-match ban for using abusive
and/or insulting language to a match official. The charge related to an
incident that happened after Butt was sent off for
Birmingham City in the
Premiership game against Portsmouth
at Fratton Park on 17 September.
Michael Owen expects to be fit to face
Austria in Saturday's key
World Cup qualifier and insists there is no disharmony in the squad.
Owen, who missed Newcastle's game with Portsmouth because of a dead leg, said:
"I'm confident I'll be fit." And he dismissed reports claiming coach
Sven-Göran Eriksson had lost the confidence of the England players.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. The players are fully behind the
manager. This is a tight squad, with a firm belief both in ourselves and
in Sven-Göran Eriksson and the coaching staff. Team spirit will be
important over the coming days. Rest assured, it is as strong as ever.
His record in competitive games is outstanding and people seem to have forgotten
that the defeat against Northern Ireland was his first in a qualifier in over
four years. Perhaps we have got used to a certain level of success under
Sven. I have not changed my belief that he is the right man to lead us to
Germany and achieve success there."
Emanuel Pogatetz does not rate his side's chances
against England after Hans Krankl was sacked as team coach. "It will be
very difficult for us to get a draw so England have a good chance to beat us.
It doesn't matter we have no chance to go through as we give it our best but
it's a big point we don't have a coach. England are the best team in the
group and I think we'll see at the end that they will finish top."
Monday, 3 October 2005 -
Paul Gascoigne could be set for a return to football with
non-league side Kettering. Chairman Peter Mallinger confirmed he has had
an offer for the Conference North side from a consortium involving Gascoigne.
"There's still work to do but we're confident a deal will be completed soon.
They have sold us their ideas and I'm sure they'll excite the fans."
Milton Keynes-based businessman Imraan Ladak's plan includes
taking Kettering full-time. Ladak has confirmed that manager Kevin Wilson
will be staying at the club. "Following last weekend's visit to Rockingham
Road of Imraan and Paul, I have received an offer for my majority shareholding
within the club and that of Trevor Bennett," continued Mallinger.
Gascoigne, 38, has been out of the English game since leaving a position as
player-coach at Boston United last October.
Ashley Cole
has hinted he would like fellow Arsenal defender Sol Campbell to return for
England in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Austria. Injuries have
ruled 31-year-old Campbell out of manager
Sven-Göran Eriksson's squads for five months. But with Campbell now
fit again, Cole said: "Any team would love Sol in the side. He brings the best
out of others. It's Sven's job who to pick and it is a tough one.
Hopefully he will come to the right decision."
Campbell's return to the Arsenal side has been a huge
success, with Cole admitting "we are certainly a bit more solid since he's been
back. Sol missed so much with his injuries last season and this season as
well, but he is really focussed now," Cole added.
Wayne Rooney travelled to Spain on Sunday for talks
with David Beckham aimed at ending any potential rift between the pair.
The two players argued on-field after Rooney received a yellow card in
England's defeat to Northern
Ireland. According to reports Rooney telephoned Beckham shortly
afterwards to apologise and was invited out to Madrid. Rooney was pictured
watching Real's 4-0 win over Real Mallorca from Beckham's private box at the
Bernabeu.
It has been reported that Beckham and Rooney went out for a
meal in Madrid with their partners after the match.
Sunday, 2 October 2005 -
Sven-Göran Eriksson has recalled
Alan Smith and Sol Campbell to the
England squad for
the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers. Smith, who has been utilised as a
midfielder at Old Trafford this season, played in both England's matches in the
summer Tour of the USA and last scored for the Three Lions in a friendly against
Portugal three years ago. For central defender Campbell the call-up to the
England squad comes on the back of an excellent run of form following a return
from long-term injury. England would seem to have an embarrassment of
riches at centre back as along with Campbell, Eriksson can call on
John Terry, Rio Ferdinand,
Ledley King and
Jamie Carragher. Charlton
Athletic duo Darren Bent and
Luke Young retain their places in
the squad. Bent has enjoyed an outstanding start to the season whilst
Young has the chance to add to his haul of caps after playing in four of
England's last five matches. Along with Bent there are four other strikers
in the squad, though Wayne Rooney
is suspended for the match against Austria. Those players unavailable for
selection due to injury include Gary Neville,
Owen Hargreaves and
Michael Carrick.
Premiership
football:- A Frank Lampard
penalty and a Joe Cole goal were
two of Chelsea's four goals against
Steven Gerrard's solitary goal
for Liverpool.
Danny Mills and
Darius Vassell both score for
Manchester City to keep
Everton in bottom place.
Saturday,
1 October 2005 -
Premiership
football:- Darren Bent
scores a brace for Charlton
Athletic, but still lose to
Tottenham Hotspur's three goals,
Ledley King scoring the first.
Wayne Rooney scores
Manchester
United's second of three goals, in reply to Fulham's two goals.
___________________
CG
England Football Online