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Wednesday, 29th
November
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Premiership
Stuart Pearce's Manchester City picked up their
first away win of the season at Aston Villa, former Villa striker Darius Vassell
put City ahead, Gavin McCann's goal for Villa was scant consolation. |
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Owen Hargreaves aims to make his competitive comeback from a
broken leg in January after returning to training this month.
The 25-year-old has been working separately from the
rest of the Bayern Munich team but is optimistic he can join the squad after the
winter break. "It's great to be able train again. I've got a long
way to go but I'm looking forward to the coming weeks and hopefully my progress
will be quick." |
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FIFA World Player nominations
have been released with no England players featuring. The winner will be
announced on 18 December. |
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Chris Sutton will postpone any decision on his future at Aston
Villa until the end of the season. Sutton, 33, contemplated retirement at
the end of last season and his one-year deal at Villa Park expires next summer.
The former Celtic striker said: "I'm on a short-term contract but that suits me
and I want to do as well as I possibly can when I'm fit. The way I see it,
I'm going to put everything into things and then see what happens next summer." |
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Stuart Pearce says he will battle to keep hold of young
England star Micah Richards despite reported interest from Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge side have been linked with a £15m
move for the versatile 18-year-old defender. But Pearce said: "I am not
actively looking to sell Micah because he has a great future here. Whatever
offers come in for him, it is going to take a ridiculously big offer to get him
out of this football club." |
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Tuesday, 28th
November
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Stoke City have extended Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie's
loan deal at the Britannia Stadium until January. The 29-year-old, who has
scored three goals in 10 games for Stoke, was due to return to Villa on 2
December. Potters boss Tony Pulis said: "We're delighted to get Lee for a
third month and I can't thank Villa manager Martin O'Neill enough. This is
smashing news for Lee and for Stoke. I hope it gives everyone a lift because he
has been fantastic for us." |
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Monday, 27th
November
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Fabio Cannavaro has been named European Footballer of the Year
by France Football magazine. The 33-year-old Real Madrid defender, who
captained Italy to victory at the World Cup in Germany, becomes one of the few
defenders to win the prize. Cannavaro won the honour with 173 points,
ahead of Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon (124) of Italy and Arsenal striker
Thierry Henry (121). The Ballon d'Or award is based on a vote by European
football journalists. Frank Lampard came in joint-17th place, with John
terry trailing in on joint-20th. Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney
all managed joint-27th. |
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Saturday, 25th
November
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Wayne Rooney has signed a contract extension with Manchester
United that will keep him at the club until 2012. Negotiations on the
contract began just two months ago and reflect the desire of both parties to
seal the deal. "It is something I have always wanted. There is so
much I want to achieve with this club, starting hopefully with the league this
season." |
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Premiership Another
Gareth Barry penalty saves Aston Villa, this time he equalises against
Middlesbrough, ending the game 1-1. Steven Gerrard revives Liverpool's
season with the only goal of the game against Manchester City. |
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Friday, 24th
November
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West Ham United have made an approach for out-of-favour
Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon
said: "There has been interest from West Ham and they have officially approached
us. We're not looking to sell our players but it we get an offer we'll have to
look at it on a serious basis." |
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Thursday, 23rd
November
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Ugo Ehiogu has joined Leeds United on loan from Middlesbrough
until January 1, 2007. Ehiogu has not featured for Boro this season after
a long-term leg injury. The 34-year-old, who won four England caps, made
150 appearances for Boro after arriving for a club record £8m fee from Aston
Villa in 2000. The signing was completed two hours before the closing of
Thursday's loan transfer window.
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Wednesday,
22nd November
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Champions League
Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch were both on the scoresheet as Liverpool beat
PSV 2-0 to claim top spot in Group C. It ensures qualification into
the next round. |
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Gareth Southgate has been given permission by the Premier
League Board to remain Middlesbrough manager for the rest of the season. He was
given dispensation for his first three months in the job as he does not have the
required coaching badges. "The board treats each case on its individual
merits and no one case sets a precedent. Given the circumstances of his
situation the board has consented to Middlesbrough's request."
The rules say a manager can remain as long as he has enrolled
on the Pro Licence course. But Southgate's sudden move from playing to
coaching in the summer, when he replaced Steve McClaren mean he has not yet had
a chance to study for the Uefa B and A badges, which he must have before he can
apply for a Pro Licence. He is in the process of acquiring his B badge,
and will start studying for the A qualification in the new year with a view to
taking the Pro Licence in the summer. In its statement, the board said it
had taken into account that he was until recently an international footballer,
which had denied him the opportunity to take the necessary coaching courses.
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Tuesday, 21st
November
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Gary Neville may need
surgery to cure his calf problem, says boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Neville, 31, is
expected to play for Manchester United against Celtic in Tuesday's Champions
League match, but Ferguson is concerned about his future. "The injury has been a
concern. If it happens again we will have to take a long-term view and do
something about it. If it keeps going on and on and on, we might lose him
for a long period. Had it just been one calf, we would be saying to
ourselves 'give it time'. But because Gary is getting it in the left one
as well, it suggests it is something different. Gary is our captain.
He has the experience and we want him in our team all the time." |
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Monday, 20th
November
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Paul Scholes admits he
did consider coming out of international retirement under Steve McClaren.
Scholes, 31, quit after Euro 2004 but has twice been contacted by McClaren who
wants him to change his mind. "It certainly wasn't a straightforward
decision. I thought about it, but decided against it. It's
flattering when the England boss asks you to go back, but basically I decided I
didn't need to go back."
Scholes has been a vital part of United's table-topping side
so far this season, but says he is not completely satisfied with the way he has
been playing. "I have played a lot better than I am at the moment.
"I am frustrated at not scoring many goals for a start. I like scoring but
I only have two so far. I would like it to be more." |
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Sunday, 19th
November
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Terry Venables has
dismissed claims that he and Steve McClaren are at odds over tactics.
Assistant coach Venables appeared to contradict McClaren over the reasons
Stewart Downing did not start the Euro 2008 qualifier in Croatia last month.
McClaren has since issued his own rebuttal of the suggestions, and Venables
added: "Talk of a division between us is simply not true. I just expanded
on why we used 3-5-2 against Croatia. There's no problem."
In his newspaper column in the News of the World,
Venables had said Downing was dropped because his confidence was destroyed by
criticism of his performance in the 0-0 draw with Macedonia. But McClaren
told the Middlesbrough winger the decision was purely tactical.
Suggestions of a falling out angered McClaren in the build up to last week's
friendly draw with Netherlands, prompting him to ask reporters: "Why are
you trying to separate players and myself and even the staff?" |
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Premiership A
Jermain Defoe penalty secured a draw for Tottenham Hotspur, they drew 1-1 with
Blackburn Rovers. |
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Saturday, 18th
November
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The FA has dispelled
fresh concerns over Wembley Stadium despite a report that says the project was
close to financial collapse. Auditors for the FA and subsidiary Wembley
National Stadium Ltd are said to have had serious doubts following the row with
builders Multiplex. Despite a settlement with Multiplex, any further
delays could force WNSL to renegotiate its £457m loan. But an FA spokesman
said: "We are now in a strong position to move forward."
The FA's and WNSL's auditors Deloitte and Touche reportedly
had concerns over signing off the company as a going concern following the
delays and long-standing dispute with Multiplex. WSNL and Multiplex have
since reached a £36m which provides assurances the stadium will open in time for
next May's FA Cup final. Despite that settlement, the accounts still
express serious concerns that if the stadium is not completed by March, WNSL may
have to renegotiate its bank loans. |
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Premiership
Kieron Dyer scored at the Emirates Stadium as Newcastle United drew 1-1 with
Arsenal. Wayne Rooney scores twice as Manchester United come from behind
to beat Sheffield United. |
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Friday, 17th
November
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David Moyes has
questioned the role striker Andrew Johnson was asked to fill for England in
midweek. Johnson, 25, was played wide on the right by Steve McClaren in
the friendly against Netherlands. Moyes said: "We all wanted to see Andy
play through the middle and that's where he thought he was going to play.
It's through the middle he causes problems. You can ask him to play wide
right and he will do it to the best of his ability, that's all you can ask." |
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Ferenc Puskas has died
at the age of 79. The Hungary and Real Madrid legend
was in hospital for six years with Alzheimer's
disease, died in Budapest at 0600 GMT today after suffering from a fever and
pneumonia. Puskas led Hungary's golden team of the early 1950s, before
taking Spanish citizenship and becoming part of Real Madrid's all-conquering
team. Puskas scored 83 goals in 84 games for Hungary from 1945 to 1956 and
later played for Spain in the 1962 World Cup. After leading Hungary to the
1952 Olympic Gold medal, he was part of the Mighty Magyars who became the first
overseas team to beat England on home soil in 1953, scoring twice in the 6-3 win
at Wembley. Hungary then rolled England over 7-1 in Budapest and were
consequently installed as favourites for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.
But injury to Puskas severely hampered the Magyars and they lost in the final to
Germany. |
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Thursday, 16th
November
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Steve McClaren said he
was encouraged by the friendly 1-1 draw against Netherlands, even though his
side conceded a late equaliser. "We're so disappointed not to have won the
game. We had enough chances and should have. But it was a performance of
character. We looked like a team, were comfortable defensively and created
chances. It's probably our best performance over 90 minutes and it should
restore some confidence." |
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Wednesday,
15th November
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England and Netherlands draw their friendly
game, 1-1. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring before Rafael van der Vaart
equalised four minutes from time. |
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Monday, 13th
November
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Jermaine Jenas and Aaron Lennon have become the latest players to pull out of
the England squad. Lennon has a knee injury, Jenas has a calf injury and will be replaced by
Manchester United winger Kieran Richardson. |
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Sunday, 12th
November
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Five more players have
pulled out of the England squad for Wednesday's friendly against Netherlands in
Amsterdam. Gary Neville had already been withdrawn yesterday with a calf
injury. Steve McClaren has now lost striker Darren Bent, midfielders
Stewart Downing and Scott Parker and Spurs defender Ledley King to injury.
Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland has also been given leave of absence as his wife is
due to give birth this week.
McClaren has opted not to draft any more players into his
group and, in Kirkland's absence, just two goalkeepers will make the trip to the
Dutch capital. |
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Steve McClaren says
Aaron Lennon, Andrew Johnson and Joe Cole will all play a part in England's
friendly with Netherlands on Wednesday. All three players missed the two
Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia but McClaren is excited by
the thought of working with the trio. "They have got pace, can beat
players and can win you football matches. And they will certainly play a
part next Wednesday. From day one I wanted to bring in pace, penetration
and athleticism into the squad and those three players epitomise those virtues -
as does Micah [Richards]." |
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Saturday, 11th
November
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Gary Neville has pulled out of the England
squad for Wednesday's friendly against Netherlands. The 31-year-old right
back picked up a calf injury during Manchester United's 1-0 win over Blackburn
Rovers. "It's unfortunate. It's a calf muscle injury that keeps
recurring," said United manager Alex Ferguson. "It is a concern.
Fluid keeps getting into the muscle. We will leave him out for a couple of weeks
so we can get him back to the level he needs."
Neville's withdrawal increases the chances of 18-year-old
Manchester City defender Micah Richards earning a first cap. |
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Premiership Chris
Sutton scores his first ever Aston Villa goal as Villa beat Everton by the
single goal. Andrew Cole and Zat Knight both scored for opposing sides,
Portsmouth and Fulham, it ended 1-1. |
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Friday, 10th
November
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Manchester City
defender Micah Richards has been named in the 28-man England squad for the
friendly against Netherlands. The 18-year-old defender has made three
appearances for the England Under-21s. Richards, Tottenham defender
Michael Dawson and Watford keeper Ben Foster are the only uncapped players in
the squad ahead of Wednesday's friendly. Kieran Richardson is the only
player omitted from the squad that contested the Euro 2008 qualifiers against
Macedonia and Croatia. |
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Manchester United have
accepted an offer from Cardiff City to take England striker Alan Smith on loan.
But a deal depends on the 26-year-old agreeing terms with the Bluebirds.
Leeds United salso joined the chase late on in the day. |
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Thursday, 9th
November
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England have arranged a
friendly against Spain which will take place on 7 February at Old Trafford.
It will be the first match between the sides since a stormy game in Madrid in
November 2004 when Spain were fined £45,000 for their fans' racist insults.
"Spain are attractive opposition and many of them play in the Premiership, so
there will be a lot of interest," said FA spokesman Adrian Bevington.
"With Wembley set to open it's a chance for fans in the north to see the team.
It is the largest stadium available to us - we had 72,000 fans attend our last
game at Old Trafford against Macedonia." The England Under-21 side will be
in action on Tuesday 6 February, when they take on their Spanish counterparts at
Derby County's Pride Park. |
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The FA has been fined
£4,222 by Uefa for the conduct of England fans before last month's Euro 2008
qualifying defeat against Croatia. And the Croatian FA has been fined
£21,113 for a number of rule breaches. The fine is a major disappointment
to the FA, which contested the charge and is considering launching an appeal.
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Monday, 6th
November
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The Los Angeles Galaxy
have confirmed they are interested in signing David Beckham if the former
England captain fails to renew his Real Madrid deal. Out of contract in
Spain at the end of the season and no longer a first-team regular, the
31-year-old midfielder is believed to be considering a move. "There are
thousands of clubs out there that would love to have a player of his calibre,"
said Galaxy boss Alexi Lalas. "And the Los Angeles Galaxy is certainly one
of them." |
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Sunday, 5th
November
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Premiership A
Gareth Barry penalty gives Aston Villa a welcome return to winning ways, Villa
beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0. Michael Dawson even managed to get on the
scoresheet as he equalised for Tottenham Hotspur against Chelsea, Aaron Lennon
grabbed Spurs' winner, as John Terry was sent off for two bookable offences. |
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Saturday, 4th
November
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Premiership
Charlton Athletic win only their second Premiership game of the season as Darren
Bent's goal beats Stuart Pearce's Manchester City. The only other England
related scorer was the own goal credited to Jonathan Woodgate, Middlesbrough
lost 2-0 at Watford. |
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Thursday, 2nd
November
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Peter Taylor will not
be in charge of the England Under-21 side when they face Netherlands on 14
November. Taylor wants to concentrate on his job at Crystal Palace, who
are struggling in the Championship. "It is more important that I am at
Crystal Palace, because our recent form has not been good. I could not go at
this time," said Taylor. Taylor plans to lead the Under-21s in February's
friendly against Spain and in the 2007 European Championships.
The Football Association is keen to appoint a full-time coach
in his position, but it is not known if this will happen before the European
Championships. |
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Sammy Lee will
take temporary charge of the Under-21's for the friendly against
Netherlands. Lee spent five
years working with the England senior team and also has extensive experience of
working with the England youth teams during his time as a National Coach at The
FA. "It's a privilege to be able to step in and take over for this
match - it's great to know I was Peter's choice. Although it's for one
game only it's a pleasure to be helping him out and I'm looking forward to
getting involved."
Sir Trevor Brooking, The FA's Director of Football Development, said: "We fully
understand Peter's position. He's done a great job with Under-21's but it is
understandable that he wants to give his full attention to Crystal Palace at
this moment in time. Crystal Palace have been very supportive of Peter's
role with England, and hopefully Peter will be back with the Under-21's for the
February fixture and next summer's European championships." |
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The British government
is willing to back an English bid for the 2018 World Cup, says Sports Minister
Richard Caborn. Caborn revealed
Chancellor Gordon Brown, who met Uefa president Lennart Johansson on yesterday,
was "very, very keen" on the idea. Asked whether the government would
support a bid, Caborn said: "Absolutely. I have no doubt." The Football
Association is still weighing up its options but chairman Brian Barwick said:
"We would like it. If that is the year when it comes back to Europe, we're
going to go for it. We don't have to decide now how we go about it, we
have to learn the lessons of when we didn't get these things and learn the
lessons of when we did - like the Olympics. I think (bid leader) Lord Coe
was very clever, a brilliant guy and a really huge contributory factor, as was
the playing of the major officials at the right time." Coe has already
indicated he would be willing to assist the FA in its bid. England's hopes
have also been boosted by the support of Uefa president Lennart Johansson.
"We would certainly support such a project," he said. Fifa will make its
decision in 2010. |
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Wednesday, 1st
November
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Sven-Göran Eriksson's
agent Athole Still has denied that the former England coach has been in talks
over becoming Nigeria's national team coach.
Eriksson's former assistant Tord Grip told Swedish
radio that Eriksson had met up with Nigerian officials. But Still said:
"It was a totally chance meeting. They happened to be in the same place at the
same time. Today he is linked with Nigeria, tomorrow it will be someone
else. It's absolute nonsense. What I don't understand is why these reports
are coming out now. Sven told me that he bumped into this man three weeks
ago, so why are the reports coming out today? It's just something to fill
papers." |
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Sir Alex Ferguson has
revealed he has not abandoned hope of signing Owen Hargreaves from Bayern
Munich. "We are still interested in Hargreaves, but there's no update to
give at the moment because we haven't spoken with Bayern again."
Hargreaves is currently recovering from a broken foot.
However, the midfielder is still thought to be keen on a move
to Old Trafford. Ferguson did succeed in signing Michael Carrick but he
insisted the former Spurs midfielder was not a replacement for Hargreaves.
"If we had got Owen Hargreaves it would have given us a complete variation of
the type of midfield players you need in the modern game. We focused on
Michael Carrick and Owen right away. We got one and didn't get the other."
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England Football Online