[ENG] Premiership 2006/2007 (14 Viewers)

[Miss Dangerous*]

MANCHESTER City midfielder Joey Barton and West Ham defender Paul Konchesky had their appeals for receiving red cards in Premier League matches last weekend rejected yesterday.

Barton was sent off for a tackle on Abdoulaye Faye in Man City’s 2-0 defeat to Bolton at Manchester Stadium, and Konchesky fouled Fulham winger Wayne Routledge in the goalless draw at Craven Cottage.

The Premier League’s disciplinary commission banned Barton for three games and Konchesky for one.:wth:

Barton will miss Man City’s trip to West Ham tomorrow, their home match against Everton on Monday , and the third-round FA Cup match at Sheffield Wednesday on January 7.

Konchesky will sit out the Hammers’ match against City at Upton Park.:redface: — Sapa-AP

The Daily Dispatch

 

Buy on AliExpress.com

[Miss Dangerous*]

CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho will be hoping Reading can do to Manchester United what they did to his side when the Royals travel to Old Trafford tomorrow.

Reading ended a run of two successive defeats to take a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, leaving Chelsea four points behind the Premiership leaders.

That is an advantage United boss Alex Ferguson has been keen to emphasise, pointing out that his team’s goal difference is 13 better than Chelsea’s.

“The goal difference helps us, there is no doubt about that,” said Ferguson. “I have always believed in those terms, 10 or 12 goals makes a point.

“If it remains that way, it is something we have to fall back on. Hopefully we won’t have to, but it is there anyway.”

With Nemanja Vidic and Paul Scholes suspended, United are likely to recall Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs, both of whom were rested from the 3-1 win over Wigan on Boxing Day.:excited:

Louis Saha and Gary Neville are also likely to return having made way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Wes Brown.:cool2:

Chelsea themselves are at home to local rivals Fulham, and Mourinho remains confident of closing the gap, despite the absence of Petr Cech, Carlo Cudicini, John Terry, Joe Cole and Arjen Robben through injury.

“Right now, we are surviving because the distance to Manchester United is four points and that is not a drama,” he said.

“I keep saying three points can be solved when we play United. But we are in a difficult situation, although I think we can survive.:confused2

“We have games against Fulham and Aston Villa next. They are two difficult Premiership matches but we need maximum points.”

The other big game of the day sees Liverpool, whose problems on the road were exposed again by Blackburn on Tuesday, travel to Tottenham, who have dropped just five points at home this season.

Reds manager Rafa Benitez has called for an improvement from his forwards.

“We have to analyse why we didn’t score and why we didn’t create more chances in the second half,” he said.

“We must look to the next game against Tottenham and take our chances there.”

Third-place Arsenal travel to Sheffield United, while Bolton meet Portsmouth in a battle of the two surprise teams challenging for a Champions League qualification slot.

After a late Fulham equaliser on Wednesday denied Alan Pardew a victory in his first game in charge of Charlton, his side face an Aston Villa team without a win in eight. — Sapa-DPA

The Daily Dispatch

 

[Miss Dangerous*]

Chelsea admit defence problems with captain out with bad back injury

MANCHESTER City defender Micah Richards will not be heading to Chelsea in the January transfer window, according to City manager Stuart Pearce.

“The only contact we’ve had with Chelsea is us ringing them about their players coming here – not them ringing us for ours.

“Players will only leave this club if we feel it’s for the benefit of the club – full stop.

“Micah is very happy here, wants to stay at the football club and we are on a very sound financial footing.”:eyebrows:

Pearce was responding to media reports that Chelsea would pay up to £18million (about R250m) for the England U21 player.

Richards would strengthen a Blues defence damaged by the absence of centre-back John Terry, who could undergo surgery on the injured back that has kept him out of the last four games.

“I can’t say I will buy in January,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said.

“I want JT (John Terry) back as soon as possible, and we’re doing what we can.

“If this problem carries on and we have no players back from injury, and have to play every game under these circumstances, we are in trouble.”

Terry is scheduled to see back specialist Jean Destandau at his clinic in Bordeaux, France, before the defending champions decide whether or not the England captain will undergo surgery.

Ahead of tomorrow’s match against Fulham, Chelsea is missing goalkeeper Petr Cech, recovering from a fractured skull sustained in October, while midfielder Joe Cole has a fractured foot and forward Arjen Robben injured himself in training on Wednesday.

“Teams at the moment think they can score goals against us,” Mourinho said. “They feel it and they are scoring them. We have a lot of problems and if you don’t have a lot of character and friendships in the team, you can’t survive.

“And we are only just surviving,” Mourinho added.

Manchester United leads the Premier League with 50 points and Chelsea has 46.

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho is confident the Blues can make up the four points.

“We’ve already played against Arsenal, (Manchester) United, and Liverpool,” Carvalho said. “There were phases in those games when we were not so strong, but we showed that we’re the best. But if I thought when we were eight points behind United that it was recoverable, I think so even more now.”:frown: — Sapa-AP

The Daily Dispatch

 

[JCK]

 

[JamalRice10]

well i kind of like reading they won the championship last season and not stopping there and is going to man u tomorrow and stick it to them but man u form i hate that team they stole ronaldo from under our noses :'(

 

[metalhead]

Didnt Man U knock us out of the Champions league a couple of times? So untill we return the favour, I hope they keep losing the title. Common Chelsea

 

[Badass J Elkann]

well i kind of like reading they won the championship last season and not stopping there and is going to man u tomorrow and stick it to them but man u form i hate that team they stole ronaldo from under our noses :'(

i hate reading on the other hand cuz of their hockey team's atitude and views of my home city

and ronaldo wud of joined liverpool if it wasnt man utd. juve were no where near to getting him

 

[slaminator]

Terrys surgery successful

Chelsea and England captain John Terry has undergone surgery on his back injury. Terry set to remain out of action for a month, according to medical expert Phil Sheard - who believes Chelsea probably chose surgery merely to speed his recovery after conceding six goals in their last three games and falling four points off the pace.

A statement released by the club claimed the operation had been a success, but medical expert Phil Sheard believes Terry will face a month or more on the sidelines as he recuperates from the surgery.

'A couple of weeks is the most optimistic,' the consultant orthopaedic spinal surgeon told Sky Sports News. 'Realistically you are looking at four to six weeks before he will be back playing football.


In the continued absence of their inspirational centre-half and goalkeeper Petr Cech, the Blues have looked somewhat shaky in defence. Chelsea have now let in 15 goals - only seven fewer than they did over the whole of the last Premiership season.


Having sold both William Gallas and Robert Huth, Mourinho admits the continued absence of the England captain has left him short of options in the heart of the defence.

The Chelsea manager has even considered asking 19-goal striker Didier Drogba to step into the role on an emergency basis.
The 28-year-old said: 'I do not like to play at centre-back - but I do it for the team because sometimes we have difficult moments in the game.' (<- wtf?!?)

Soccernet.com

 

[Miss Dangerous*]

-Chelsea captain John Terry is set to be out for three months after on Friday having surgery on a back injury, the Independent said, citing Professor Angus Wallace, a sports injury surgeon. Such an absence would rule the centre-back out of Chelsea's Champions League round-of-16 match with Porto and increase manager Jose Mourinho's need for a replacement. But there's another view. Terry (26) has targeted a return within eight days, says the Mirror. He expects to be running by the start of next week and may even play in the FA Cup third round against Macclesfield on January 6, the paper said.

Chelsea winger Joe Cole may also require surgery on his broken foot, the Mirror reported. Cole (25), who has started only three games this season, may be ruled out for three months, the paper said. Bolton will allow defender Tal Ben Haim to join Chelsea in January if the Premiership champions agree to pay|£3-million for the 24-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, the Express said.

-Liverpool are preparing to sell England striker Peter Crouch and want to replace him with Valencia's David Villa, the Independent reported. Newcastle are only prepared to pay about half of Liverpool's £12-million asking price for the 25-year-old, the paper said. Liverpool need to generate funds to bid £25-million for Spain forward Villa. Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder is also considering a bid for Liverpool fullback Stephen Warnock (25), who would cost £1.5-million, the Guardian said.

-West Ham United striker Dean |Ashton, who hasn't played this season after breaking an ankle in August, is unlikely to return until March, the Guardian reported. The Hammers have scored only 12 goals in 20 Premiership matches this season. Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano is likely to remain at the club for the rest of the campaign , though Juventus are set to buy the 22-year-old in June, the Guardian said.

-Portsmouth's assistant coach Tony Adams plans to quit the club at the end of the season to resume his own managerial career, according to the Guardian. He had a year-long spell in charge at Wycombe Wanderers that ended in November 2004.:nasty:

Independent Online

 

[Ascension]

I cannot begin to imagine the nightmares and horrors that is running through Capello's mind while watching Charlton's defending...

Turn off the TV, Cap!

 

[gray]

I can't wait for Seol vs. Park tonight

 

[Ascension]

I'm having a blast watching-and supporting Manchester United this season. Ronaldo has been the best player in Europe this season only matched by Ronaldinho. int:

 

[Bjerknes]

Great game between Sheffield United and Arsenal.

 

[Badass J Elkann]

Great game between Sheffield United and Arsenal.

jagielka is some hell of a midfield gk

watford legeeeeeend

 

[Miss Dangerous*]

Thank you Sir Alex Ferguson, for you have brought out the vulnerability in Jose Mourinho.:tongue:

You could tell he was twitchy after the Wigan game (almost a nervous celebration after Robben's late strike) and then we finally saw the true cracks after the Reading game. Complaining about the absence of Terry and Cech was uncharacteristic, if a little warranted, but it was his demeanour and all round appearance on camera. He looked fragile, pale and concerned. He didn't know if he could go into the transfer market in January, which was odd, and after his praise of Inter Milan's squad being the best in Europe recently, I wouldn't be surprised if he packed it in next summer for the Italian champions . If United win the league and the Champions League continues to elude them then he'll have revenge and unfinished business on his mind, respectively, but from what King Roman said in an interview last week I'm not sure if everything is as rosy as believed at the Bridge. It's not as if owner and manager should be best friends, but a gentle hug is surely needed. Okay, so not even that. I'm digressing. The point is that Abramovich came out and said they weren't friends, and the funds won't be on tap in the future. Just a bit odd, but maybe it has been dissected too much. I haven't helped with the above, so back to the on-pitch events.

Whereas Chelsea were reliant on Robben (so damn lame, but I'm keeping it in for the fans of simple comedy) to get them three points two nights before xmas, United were cruising to a surprisingly easy win at Villa Park. Scholes scored a belter, and Ronaldo was on fire.:cap:

In that game, they could afford to rest Rooney, and three days later it paid dividends as the striker looked hungrier than ever against Wigan. He was back in the starting line-up, and subsequently ran his socks off to encourage United to a 3-1 win. It was 0-0 at half time though, and that led to Ronaldo entering the fray. The Portuguese star is the league's top player at the moment, and it was no coincidence how he changed the game on Boxing Day. I have said for a long time that his end product was the only thing slowing him down. Once he got that sorted, most people knew he could become something special.:thumbs:

By Tim O'Sullivan
411mania.com

 

[Miss Dangerous*]

West Ham United have stepped up their efforts to sign Shaun Wright-Phillips for £10m and, crucially, are understood to be prepared to match the winger's £50,000-a-week wages.

At the same time, the Premiership club are hoping to sign Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka, having made the acquisition of an experienced striker their No 1 priority in the January transfer window with the manager, Alan Curbishley, unconvinced about his current options. West Ham are undoubtedly interested in Darren Bent - but do not believe that Charlton Athletic will sell the 22-year-old, who has just been installed as captain, with Luke Young injured, by their new manager, Alan Pardew.

Wright-Phillips remains reluctant to leave Chelsea, even though the club are keen to sell him rather than loan him out despite their injury crisis. They will accept £10m - less than half the £21m they paid for him in the summer of 2005. Indeed, it is believed that the 25-year-old, who has made only two starts this season, will accept that he does not have a future at Stamford Bridge only if he is told so directly by the manager, Jose Mourinho, and that has not happened yet.

It is unlikely that another club will match West Ham's offer, although Aston Villa are now understood to be monitoring the situation, with their manager, Martin O'Neill, wanting to sign a right winger. Interestingly, it could lead to a bidding war between the Premiership's newest owners, Villa's Randy Lerner and West Ham's Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.

It was thought that West Ham's relegation fight had killed the deal but the club now hope they can revive it. Another complication for West Ham's chances of succeeding is Chelsea's interest in Manchester City's Micah Richards. City would be prepared to take Wright-Phillips, plus around £10m, as part of a transfer but the England international is not thought to want to return.

His family, including brother Bradley Wright-Phillips, who is now at Southampton, are all near London. Portsmouth and Newcastle United also remain interested.

There are also difficulties surrounding West Ham's chances of signing Viduka. The Australian has just six months left on his contract at Middlesbrough, who are are close to signing Arsenal's Jérémie Aliadière.

The Boro manager, Gareth Southgate - whose bid of around £1.5m for the West Bromwich Albion midfielder Zoltan Gera was rejected yesterday- is now trying to open negotiations with Viduka because he is aware of West Ham's interest. Newcastle are also following the situation.

Reports coming out of Argentina last night suggested that Javier Mascherano will be leaving West Ham next month and that Media Sports Investment, who own the player, have been negotiating in London with both Juventus and Liverpool. The Argentina midfielder is said to prefer a move to Italy but Liverpool have made the greater offer, believed to be around £6m.

:money: According to a well-placed source in Argentina, MSI and Mascherano are hoping that Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentina Football Association, will use his influence as vice-president of Fifa to override the rule that prevents players signing for more than two clubs in one year. Grondona will claim that Mascherano's position at West Ham is hurting the 22-year-old's career.

"The future of Mascherano will either be in England or Italy but far from West Ham":sick: said the source.

Mascherano, who played in every match for Argentina during the World Cup, now finds his place in the national team under threat from 20-year-old Fernando Gago, the holding midfielder who signed for Real Madrid from Boca Juniors last week for £13m.:coffee:

The Independent

 

[Jve Kuwaitia]

oh .. that is not good news !!
what is the wrong ???? I dont know !!?? :faq1:
Arsenal loss !! why ??? ..
1-0 !! strang match .. :faq1:
!!
please did some one can tell me what is happning for Arsenal !!

 

[Falafel]

arsenal are equipped to play good football/win games in the european stage
their style doesn't suit the english premiership

 

[metalhead]

arsenal are equipped to play good football/win games in the european stage
their style doesn't suit the english premiership

I agree, referees dont protect their skillful players and in the end they can be bullied into a loss if they dont score early.

 

[Jun-hide]

The simple matter of fact is Arsenal isnt that good a team to begin with. They over-achieved last year in the CL: Its not a rocket science. I have made many foolish predictions but luckily I sensed this Arsenal team had many flaws even before the season began, and I havent changed my mind.

I saw the entire match, and Sheffield deserved their victory, and their manager was correct in pointing out this fact on the interview. Although Arsenal came out real strong in first 10 minutes and conceivably could have gone up 2 or 3 goals in that period, after initial rocky start Sheffield was able to keep their possession, and matched Arsenal for the majority of the match. Yes, the condition wasnt too good (they probably patched up the pitch to negate Arsenal's technical superiority), and the referee gave a lot of leeways to physcial battles, but to say Arsenal was unlukcy was just pure fantasy like Arsene suggests. Sheffield had a perfectly good goal disallowed as well.

The reserve goalkeeper wasnt too bad coming on, but he simply isnt a good GK, and there were two instances where his inexperience was evident. He flapped his punch on one occasion and on the other, he was too late coming out, and defender needed to make last minute tackle to save the day. Arsenal should have put more balls in the box, and keep the shots on targert. That isnt hard to do, and it really has nothing with the style of play - European or EPL. Its just a matter of common sense.

And lastly, I could stop but laugh at Van Persie in the entire match. That number 5 abused him whole night, and little sissy that he is, he couldnt keep his mind in order. Tripping a player and getting a yellow, and a look of disbelief was class.

Arsenal needs to a left-back next summer, and one or two more squad rotational player with EXPERIENCE into the team. Gael Clichy is just terrible. He makes Zebina looks like Roberto Carlos going forward at times. Other than that Arsene has a group of young players in his team. If they can labour their way into CL this year, I feel they can big things in the future.