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Monday, 31st
July
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David Beckham
hopes to shake off his injury problems to be in contention for the start
of Steve McClaren's reign as national boss. Beckham faces a
fitness race to play in the friendly with Greece on 16 August. He
hopes to play in Real Madrid's forthcoming USA tour but said: "We will
have to wait and see. I only started running on Sunday without any
pain."
He was originally expected to be sidelined for six
weeks but returned to training two weeks ahead of schedule - only to
break down during a light jog. Real Madrid doctor Juan Carlos
Hernandez said a scan had shown the injury to be healing well and the
England star hopes to join his team-mates on a pre-season tour to the
USA next week. "Hopefully I'll be fit to play in the games in the
USA. I have to take it easy because I want to be fit for the start of
the season, which is the most important thing. Of course, I want
to improve my fitness so it is important to try to play in every
pre-season friendly possible." |
|
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Harry Redknapp
met Sol Campbell over the weekend in an effort to persuade the
31-year-old defender to join Portsmouth. "Sol has got plenty of
offers at home and abroad. He will make up his mind soon. He knows
about Pompey and what we've got to offer. I honestly still cannot
say what Sol will decide to do. I couldn't do more to convince him
than buy him a glass of mineral water." |
|
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Tottenham Hotspur
have revealed they will receive a fee of up to £18.6m from Manchester
United for Michael Carrick. The 25-year-old England
midfielder will have a medical today. And in a statement issued to
the Stock Exhange of Monday Spurs confirmed the fee for Carrick was "for
a total consideration of up to £18.6m". United boss Sir Alex
Ferguson said: "Michael will have his medical on Monday and then,
hopefully, we will be able to conclude that deal." |
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Sunday, 30th
July
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Alan Shearer
has turned down the chance to become part of Steve McClaren's backroom
staff with England. The ex-Newcastle striker said new boss
McClaren had spoken to him about a role with the national team. "I
had already told the BBC I would extend my contract with them. I didn't
want to break my word. I was flattered when Steve telephoned me
just before the World Cup and explained the role he visualised for me,
working alongside himself and Terry Venables. I met him upon my
return from Germany and was impressed with his plans and his vision for
the future." |
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Frank Lampard
has criticised Sven-Göran Eriksson for not including Jermain Defoe in
his squad for the World cup. Eriksson took only four strikers to
Germany, including Theo Walcott - who had never played top-flight
football. "I would have included Jermain as well. I'd have
preferred some insurance and it would have given us more options.
Questions had been asked about why we didn't have five strikers in the
squad when two of our forwards went into the tournament trying to
recover fitness. I would have taken Jermain too. I played with him
at West Ham and he is a natural goalscorer." Lampard also revealed
he was unhappy with England's training schedule in Germany. "It is
one thing running, but football running needs a different kind of
fitness. There were days when I became frustrated - I know what I
need to be sharp - because the manager gave us the day off when I would
rather have been training." |
|
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Chelsea duo
John Terry and Joe Cole say they would relish playing with England
team-mate Ashley Cole at club level. The Premiership champions are
in talks with Arsenal regarding bringing the left-back to Stamford
Bridge. And Terry said of the potential signing: "Ashley's solid
and quick and is great one-versus-one going forward." Joe Cole has
linked up with the defender down the left for England and added:
"Playing with Ashley makes it easy for me as he's a great player."
But both players admit that they already have a
quality left-back in Wayne Bridge at the club. Terry said: "We
still have Wayne Bridge who is back here after six months at Fulham and
he looks very sharp and fit and ready to go into the new season."
|
|
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Ledley King
will miss the start of the season and could be out for eight weeks after
picking up a knee injury in training. An initial scan revealed the
25-year-old England defender will be out of action until September at
least. "Ledley is out with suspected cartilage problems and he
could be out for six to eight weeks." King had recovered from the
broken foot that forced him out of the World Cup. But he will now
miss new England coach Steve McClaren's first game in charge against
Greece at Old Trafford on 16 August. And King is unlikely to be
fit for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia, which
take place at the start of September. |
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Friday, 28th
July
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Arsenal have
admitted to holding talks with Chelsea about the sale of Gunners
defender Ashley Cole. The 25-year-old, who is under contract until
2008, has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for over a year.
And Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said: "As we speak now he is an
Arsenal player and until you hear otherwise he is an Arsenal player.
We have had a couple of very civil conversations with Chelsea and there
is nothing else to say on that." |
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Michael Carrick
is set to join Manchester United on Monday after the clubs agreed a fee
for the 25-year-old midfielder. A statement read: "Manchester
United and Tottenham Hotspur can confirm that they have agreed terms for
the transfer. The transfer is conditional upon the player agreeing
personal terms and he will also be required to pass a medical that will
take place on Monday." The fee has not been disclosed but is
believed to be close to £15m. |
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Portsmouth have
signed midfielder David Thompson on a one-year deal. The
28-year-old began his football career at Liverpool, making 50
appearances in total before going on to join Coventry City in 2000.
After two years at Highfield Road, Thompson left for Blackburn and his
impressive performances for the team earned him two England call-ups.
He made 64 starts for Rovers before joining Wigan, who released him at
the end of last season. |
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Thurday, 27th
July
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Marseille have
confirmed their interest in signing England and former Arsenal
centre-back Sol Campbell. The 31-year-old was released by the
Gunners at the start of the month after five years at the club and says
he is keen to move abroad. "We have a list on which there are a
lot of players' names," said Marseille president Pape Diouf. "Sol
Campbell is one of them. His defensive qualities are exceptional.
We are interested in him." |
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Tuesday, 25th
July
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Gary Charles
has been given a nine-month suspended sentence for attacking a woman in
a taxi office. He punched and kicked his victim inside the depot
in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, in September 2005 after she made a joke about
his career. The former Aston Villa, Derby County and Nottingham
Forest defender had denied causing actual bodily harm. He was
ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work by Nottingham Crown Court.
Charles, whose career ended because of injury in
2002, was found guilty after a three-day trial at Derby Crown Court.
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Monday, 24th
July
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Steven Gerrard
has admitted he wants to succeed David Beckham as captain of England.
Beckham stood down after the World Cup in Germany and Gerrard is one of
the leading candidates to take the armband. "Obviously I'd love to
captain the country. There is no better feeling than leading the country
out but that's up to Steve McClaren. It's his decision and there
are a lot of candidates out there that would do a fantastic job as well
as myself." |
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Sunday, 23rd
July
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Football memorabilia
belonging to England star Wayne Rooney has been stolen in a burglary at
his parents' home in Liverpool. England caps, a World Cup 2006
shirt and his BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Trophy were
taken. Merseyside Police said the items were taken from the house
in Sandfield Park, West Derby, on Saturday night. The public have
been asked to contact police if they are offered the items in the pub or
over the internet. |
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Sol Campbell
has no intention of ending his playing career, despite his shock
decision to leave Arsenal, and would relish a move abroad. The
31-year-old England defender said: "All this talk of me quitting and
going to Hollywood is rubbish, rubbish, rubbish. I want to take my
football into a new realm and playing abroad will do that. Yes
there are clubs interested in Italy, Spain, Germany and here at home but
there is nothing finalised." |
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Tuesday, 18th
July
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Darren Bent has
ended rumours about his future by signing a new four-year contract with
Charlton Athletic. Bent, 22, scored 18 Premiership goals last
season to finish as the division's most successful English striker.
"Although I'm flattered to be linked with the country's biggest clubs I
owe Charlton as they gave me my Premiership chance. I've a good
feeling about this season. If I can match what I achieved last season I
will be delighted." |
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Monday, 17th
July
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Michael Owen
must wait for swelling in his injured right knee to go down before
having the next stage of surgery to cure his injury problems. Owen
underwent an operation to repair cartilage damage rather than his
cruciate ligament problem, and is scheduled for treatment in September.
"I have to make sure the knee is in a fit state and the swelling is
down. That way I give myself the best chance of having the
cruciate operation. The plan is to go back out there in six or
seven weeks - hopefully, that will be the last I see of America.
Maybe then there will be light at the end of the tunnel and I can head
for a comeback." |
|
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Alan Thompson's
Celtic career is in doubt after the player was sent home from the club's
US tour. Celtic insist that the midfielder has a thigh strain but
the 32-year-old's agent claims that the player is "surplus to
requirements". "Alan Thompson wasn't injured when he left the team's
hotel in America. So, unless he injured himself carrying his luggage on
to the plane, that situation is still the same. I think Celtic
have acted unprofessionally." Said Tony McGill. |
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Wednesday,
12th July
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Fifa has lifted
its suspension stopping Greece and its clubs from playing in
international competition. Fifa reversed the decision after
Greece's parliament voted in favour of an amendment to the offending
laws. England's friendly with Greece on 16 August, which is
scheduled to be new coach Steve McClaren's first game in charge, should
now go ahead as planned. Fifa met with the HFF and Greek
government to discuss what could be done to see the suspension lifted.
As a result of those talks, the Greek Parliament voted on Tuesday to
introduce an amendment to legislation governing sport. The
amendment states the HFF will now operate independently but it will lose
government funding as a result. Greek sports minister George
Orfanos sent a copy of the new law to Fifa president Sepp Blatter on
Wednesday. "In view of this amendment, the Fifa emergency
committee deemed that the federation is now in a position to respect the
statutes and regulations of Fifa as well as those of Uefa. As a
result, the suspension previously imposed on the HFF has been lifted."
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England
have jumped five places in the latest FIFA World Rankings list, climbing
from tenth to fifth - behind Brazil in first place, World Cup winners
Italy, runners up France and Argentina.
The positions of the teams at the
top of the ranking mirror their performances at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
A new method has been used to calculate this eagerly awaited first World
Ranking since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which not only introduces major
changes in points allocation and the assessment of the opposition’s
strength, but also makes such factors as the importance of the match and
regional strength easier to understand. This new formula and the
big points hauls gained from World Cup matches has led to a complete
shake up in the ranking. Besides the effect of the World Cup matches,
the change in the evaluation period has also led to a major shift. Now
only the last four years (48 months) count, with each year weighted
differently. |
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Sunday,
9th July - World Cup Final
Day 31
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Italy beat France 5-3
in a penalty shoot-out to win the World Cup after an absorbing 1-1 draw
in Berlin. Fabio Grosso scored the winning penalty after France's
David Trezeguet missed. Playing his last game before retiring,
Zinedine Zidane's career ended after he was sent off for crazily
headbutting Marco Materazzi. Zidane had put France ahead early on
with a coolly-taken chipped penalty, before Materazzi levelled with a
header from an Andrea Pirlo corner.
The result caps an incredible period for Italian
football, with the domestic game embroiled in a corruption scandal
similar to 1982 when they last won the World Cup. They have now
won the competition four times, one fewer than Brazil, and it was the
first time they managed to win a World Cup match on penalties after
three failed attempts. |
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Fabio Capello
says the Football Association were denied the chance to speak to him
about becoming the next England boss. The former Juventus boss
revealed that the FA wanted to interview him after it was announced that
Sven-Göran Eriksson would step down after the World Cup. But
Capello told the News of the World: "The FA asked Juventus if it was
possible to have an interview with me. At the time Juventus said I
was their coach and they said no." |
|
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Jonathan Woodgate
is keen to prove his fitness to new Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello in
pre-season training. Injury problems have restricted the
26-year-old to only 14 appearances in two years at Real but, after
training at old club Leeds United, he is raring to go. "I can't
wait for 12 July to arrive so I can run with the others and work hard to
show those who doubt me I'm ready for the new season. Nothing
would make me happier than to wear the white shirt at the Bernabeu." |
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Saturday,
8th July - World Cup Day 30
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Germany beat
Portugal 3-1 to claim third spot. |
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Wayne Rooney
has been suspended for two matches and fined £2,400 by Fifa following
his red card against Portugal in the World Cup quarter-final.
World football's governing body found the 20-year-old striker guilty of
violent conduct as a result of his stamp on defender Ricardo Carvalho.
The Manchester United star will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifying
matches against Andorra and Macedonia. He will be available again
for the home game against Macedonia on 7 October. |
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Arsenal have
announced that defender Sol Campbell is to leave the club so he can seek
a "fresh challenge". Campbell, 31, made 197 appearances for the
Gunners after joining the club from arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur in
2001. "It is with a sense of pride, achievement and the desire for
a fresh challenge that I depart". Arsenal boss Arsenè Wenger
added: "Sol has been a giant for us but we respect his decision to move
on and of course, we are very sorry to see him go." Campbell
added: "Playing abroad is something that would really interest me but at
the moment I am keeping all of my options open. I would like to
thank Arsenè Wenger for everything he has done for me, the world class
players that I have been privileged to play alongside and accomplish so
much." |
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Friday,
7th July - World Cup Day 29
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Ipswich Town
have made former manager Sir Bobby Robson their honorary president.
The 73-year-old, an adviser to Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton,
led Ipswich to FA Cup and UEFA Cup glory in his stint as Town boss from
1969-1982. "The 13 years in charge at Portman Road were among the
happiest of my career. I still think of Ipswich as 'my baby' and always
will," said the ex-England boss. Ipswich chairman David
Sheepshanks added: "Sir Bobby Robson is one of the great sporting heroes
of our time. All those who support Ipswich Town hold him in high
esteem and deep affection. Some such expressions are overused in
this day and age but Sir Bobby Robson is a true football legend in his
own lifetime. We are thrilled that he has accepted this honorary
position." |
|
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Wigan Athletic
have broken their transfer record by completing the £5.5m purchase of
Emile Heskey from relegated Birmingham City. The Latics only
agreed a fee with Blues for the 28-year-old at 1800 on Thursday and he
signed by 1330 BST on Friday. Heskey, a replacement for Jason
Roberts who was sold to Blackburn for £3m, has put pen-to-paper on a
three-year deal. Boss Paul Jewell, who set the club's last
transfer record when he paid £3.1m for Henri Camara, said: "This is a
major coup for Wigan Athletic." |
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Thursday, 6th
July - World Cup Day 28
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Fifa's
disciplinary chiefs met on Thursday to consider how long a ban England
striker Wayne Rooney must serve for his red card against Portugal.
Rooney was sent off in the second half of the World Cup quarter-final
loss for seeming to stamp on Ricardo Carvalho. He will
automatically miss the start of new England coach Steve McClaren's reign
and the opening games of the Euro 2008 qualifying round in September.
The panel's verdict may not be revealed until next week. Rooney insists
there was no malice intended in the incident which happened after he
fought off several players to try and win the ball. He says
Carvalho slipped into the area where he was about to place his foot.
|
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Fifa has
announced an overhaul of its world ranking system after complaints that
it was too complicated. The main change is that a national team's
ranking will be based on results from the last four years, not eight.
Goals scored and home advantage will no longer have any bearing on
placings and other aspects, including importance and strength of
matches, have been revised. The changes will come into effect
after the World Cup ends on Sunday, with the first new rankings revealed
on 12 July.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter said: "I am convinced
that our experts have come up with a satisfactory solution for a new way
of calculating the ranking. "We have acknowledged the need for a
substantial revision. We are aware that it is difficult to meet
everybody's expectations but are confident that the new system will
provide an accurate measure of the strength of each of our member
associations." |
|
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Wigan Athletic
are set to break their transfer record after a £5.5m bid for Birmingham
striker Emile Heskey was accepted. A statement on Blues' website
confirmed the offer had been agreed for the 28-year-old former England
player, who is now discussing personal terms. Jewell said the club
were targeting "top Premiership performers". |
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Sir Alex Ferguson
says Alan Smith may be fit to return to action by the end of August.
Smith, 25, who can play as a striker or a midfielder, broke his leg and
dislocated an ankle in the FA Cup defeat at Liverpool in February.
Ferguson said: "Alan is doing very well and we are pleased with the
progress. When he was injured we said he would not play for six or
seven months so he won't be back until the end of August or early
September." |
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Wednesday,
5th July - World Cup Day 27
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France beat
Portugal 1-0 in the second semi-final, to make the final for a second
time in eight years. |
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Lee Bowyer has
been fined £600 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after admitting sparking
an on-pitch clash with then team mate Kieron Dyer. The former
Newcastle United player pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour
when he appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court today. |
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Tuesday,
4th July - World Cup Day 26
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Germany's dream
of success is over for another four years as two late Italian goals send
the Germans into a third place play-off. |
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The FA will
write to Fifa to offer its observations on the red card Wayne Rooney
received. Rooney has until Thursday to file a statement about his
dismissal. The length of any suspension will be dictated by Fifa's
disciplinary chiefs who seem unlikely to receive the apology they had
hoped for from the FA. "I can confirm the FA will be submitting a
response to Fifa within the next 36 hours with regard to Wayne Rooney's
sending off. Wayne has already made clear publicly he did not have
any intention of making contact with Ricardo Carvalho. It is also
worth noting that we believe there were one or two potential fouls
against Wayne during the same move." |
|
Peter Crouch
has blamed exhaustion for the dismal penalty shoot-out performance that
ended England's World Cup campaign. He said Wayne Rooney's sending
off left the players too tired for the spot-kicks, which they lost 3-1.
"I honestly felt exhaustion set in at the end against Portugal. We
had played quite a lot of the game with 10 men and I think we took the
penalties in a tired way. Everyone worked so hard and I genuinely
feel everyone had given everything by the time we had to take the
penalties. That definitely showed in the penalties we had to take.
We have come in for criticism in the past for not practising penalties
but I can assure you, we had been practising them all the time after
going to Germany in early June - and before that. They had been
going well in practice - but we were fresh then. We were in an empty
stadium as well, which is a different ball game to Saturday. When
it goes to penalties it is a lottery and we came unstuck again on
Saturday. It was a bitter blow to go out of the World Cup the way we did
and afterwards a few of the lads were inconsolable. Every one of
us felt we could go all the way this time. We really felt we had the
team to achieve that goal and it is such a shame it ended like it did." |
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Monday,
3rd July - World Cup Day 25
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Fifa has
suspended European champions Greece and its member clubs from
international competition because of government interference in the
sport. World governing body Fifa said the Hellenic Football
Federation had broken rules on "the independence of members and
decision-making in each country". It means Greek clubs and
officials are banned from European competitions. And it
jeopardises Steve McClaren's first game as England boss - a friendly
against Greece on 16 August.
The suspension will be in place with "immediate
effect and until further notice", according to a Fifa statement.
Fifa said that it had issued several warnings to the Hellenic Football
Federation (HFF) to guarantee, by a 15 July deadline, that the running
of football in the country would be free from political movement - but
this had been ignored. |
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Wayne Rooney
has been given until Thursday to file a statement about his red card in
England's defeat by Portugal. The striker was sent off after 62
minutes for appearing to stamp on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho.
But Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo will not be investigated by Fifa.
Ronaldo appeared to encourage the referee to send off his Manchester
United team-mate, although he has since denied this was the case.
Rooney said he was "gobsmacked" to be sent off.
And he insisted he was not angry with
Cristiano Ronaldo, who appeared to encourage the referee to send him
off. "I want to say absolutely categorically that I did not
intentionally put my foot down on Carvalho. I bear no ill feeling
to Cristiano but am disappointed he chose to get involved." |
|
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Blackburn Rovers
have completed the signing of Francis
Jeffers on a free transfer. The 25-year-old - who was released by
Charlton Athletic in May - has signed a two-year deal with the Ewood
Park outfit, with the club having an option on a third. "I spoke
to a number of clubs but once I spoke to manager Mark Hughes my mind was
made up. These are exciting times for me. I've had a couple of
difficult years but I've no doubt that I can still do it. Given a
fair crack of the whip here I'm sure I can get back to my best and take
this club forward. It has been a busy couple of days but what a
fantastic move for me, I can't wait." |
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Sunday,
2nd July - World Cup Day 24
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David Beckham
has decided to step down as England captain after holding the role for
six years. But the Real Madrid star does want to continue his
international career. Beckham revealed his decision at England's
final news conference in Germany in the wake of their World Cup
quarter-final defeat by Portugal. The 31-year-old midfielder said:
"I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era
under new coach Steve McClaren. On 15 November 2000 Peter Taylor
gave me the greatest honour of my career in making me the captain of
England, fulfilling my childhood dream. It has been an honour and
a privilege to have captained our country and I want to stress that I
wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both
the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can." |
|
David Beckham
faces a race to be fit for the new season after being ruled out for six
weeks. Beckham had scans on his injured knee and ankle today.
The scans showed a tear in his right Achilles tendon and a small
"lesion" in the ligaments of his left knee. Six weeks means he
would out be until 12 August, just four days before Steve McClaren's
first match as England boss, a friendly against Greece. |
|
England's World Cup squad
has arrived back home. They left Baden Baden in Germany on board a
British Airways jet and have landed at Stansted Airport in Essex.
Eriksson led the team down the steps, followed by David Beckham.
The northern-based members of the squad then took off again for
Manchester Airport but the plane has been diverted to Liverpool because
of a heavy storm. The players and coaching staff at Stansted
shared an emotional farewell before being driven away in a fleet of
cars. Also on the flight from Germany were Football Association
officials, plus wives and girlfriends who had stayed in a five-star
hotel for nearly a month. About 150 England fans braved the
sweltering conditions at the airport and many were wearing shirts with
Beckham's name in tribute to the departing skipper. |
Wayne Rooney is
to be investigated by Fifa for violent conduct following his
sending-off. The England striker was dismissed on 62 minutes for
appearing to stamp on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. There
was confusion over whether Rooney was dismissed for the foul or for the
subsequent push on Cristiano Ronaldo. But Eriksson has revealed
Rooney was given his marching orders for the alleged stamp. "Wayne
Rooney got a direct red card so he will automatically be suspended."
"It will be a disciplinary case. Like any player (who gets a red card),
the committee will decide on the penalty." said a Fifa spokesman. |
|
Gary Neville
insists he will continue his England career despite the crushing
disappointment. The 31-year-old Manchester United defender has
suffered the same penalty fate four times in major tournaments.
"I've always said I'll never retire from international football. It's
not Gary Neville's right. While I'm still playing football for any
club then I'm available to play for my country. That's the way it is.
England always go again. What else can we do? You can't give in and say
this is it, we are going to stop playing football. This is a proud
footballing nation. It has suffered more than this and I am sure it will
suffer again, but we must move on, move forward. We could have
won. There was not a negative thought in my head about losing until
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the final penalty. We lost, we suffer,
but we pick ourselves up. It is the English mentality - you fight back,
you don't give anything away. You suffer after defeats like this,
but even in victory when you are elated, you still have to move on and
that's what we have to do." |
|
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Michael Owen
says his knee injury is not as bad as he feared and he is on course to
return to action at the start of 2007. The 26-year-old thought he
may have ruptured both the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial
ligament. "From what the scans say, we're thinking that it's a
cruciate. There is nothing else that needs operating on, so that
is a big bonus." |
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Saturday,
1st July - World Cup Day 23
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England are
dumped out of the World Cup by Portugal on penalties again.
Following a scoreless two-hours, a David Beckham injury and a Wayne
Rooney sending-off, Eriksson completes his tenure with a 3-1 penalties
defeat. Later in the day, France beat the holders, Brazil, by a
single Thierry Henry goal. |
|
 |
Glenn Hoddle
has resigned as manager of Wolves after 18 months in charge.
Former England boss Hoddle took over at Molineux in December 2004 but
failed to guide Wolves into the promotion picture last season. Hoddle
felt Wolves' ambition failed to match his after they announced stringent
financial cutbacks. Hoddle said: "I feel my expectations and the
club's have drifted too far apart and this decision has been made early
for the benefit of the club."
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England Football Online