McCoist next in line to boss Rangers says Ibrox chairman
November 21, 2008
GLASGOW (AFP) – Rangers legend Ally McCoist has been backed as the long-term successor to Ibrox manager Walter Smith.
McCoist, who is Rangers’ record goalscorer, returned to the Scottish Premier League club as Smith’s assistant last year and helped them win the Scottish Cup and League Cup, as well as reaching the UEFA Cup final.
Rangers chairman Sir David Murray has revealed that while there is currently no formal agreement for McCoist to succeed Smith, it is his intention to appoint the former Scotland international if the current management team prove successful.
"I would have thought, all things being equal, that he will become manager," Murray said.
"I hope he gets it. It hasn’t been talked about, but it is an understanding among us.
"Walter and I discussed it when he came back, that McCoist would come in, hopefully we would get back to a successful period and then he would get the chance.
"It will be success driven. If we are successful, if Walter is successful then the natural successor would be McCoist. But if we go another two or three years without winning the league then we will all be under pressure."
Written by: AFP
Related posts
Ramos would return to England despite Tottenham flop
November 21, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Juande Ramos admits he would love to manage another Premier League club despite his chastening experience at Tottenham.
Ramos was sacked last month after presiding over Tottenham’s worst ever start to a league season, but the Spaniard still describes his time at White Hart Lane as an "unforgettable experience" that makes him determined to return to England as soon as possible.
The former Sevilla coach arrived in north London as one of Europe’s most highly-regarded coaches but, although he won the League Cup last season, he was axed after losing the confidence and support of his players early in the current campaign.
Ramos, who has just agreed a pay-off on the remaining two and a half years of his Tottenham contract, was frustrated at the manner of his exit but holds no ill-feeling to his former employers.
"I would have liked to spend more time at the club, but I understand what has happened is the unwritten law of football," Ramos told The Times.
"Being in the Premier League was a dream come true, a fantasy I had since I started as a manager. Given the right chance, I would love to be back.
"In the first few months we managed to win a title. I am the first Spanish manager to win a title in the legendary Wembley, which is obviously the happiest moment of my life in England.
"Spurs had not won any in a long time and I honestly thought at that stage it was going to be the first in a line of successes at the club."
Ramos, who has already turned down three offers to return to management, has been linked with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and believes his success at Sevila proves he could make an impact at one of Europe’s top clubs.
"We have to look forward to the next challenge," he said. "I left Seville in the Champions League to come here and sadly things didn’t work out.
"It is now time to enjoy, to find the next place where we can take our methods, which we have shown can be successful."
Written by: AFP
Related posts
Spanish minister blasts ´deeply unfair´ Atletico ruling
November 21, 2008
MADRID (AFP) – The decision by sport’s highest court to uphold a ruling that Atletico Madrid must play a Champions League match in an empty stadium because of alleged racist behaviour by its fans is "deeply unfair", Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Friday.
"I think it is deeply unfair. I express my full solidarity with Atletico, I spoke last night with the president of the club," he told public radio RNE.
"I really regret it because if you look at it closely, first they punished them for racist offences and when it was shown that they did not take place they sanctioned them for the way police handled it," he said.
"I am a football fan, I watch matches every Sunday and if you punish Atletico Madrid for this, stadiums would not open in half of Europe," he added.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) halved Thursday a fine for Atletico Madrid to 75,000 euros (94,000 dollars) after its fans appeared to chant racist insults during a Champions League fixture against Marseille on October 1.
But the court said that Atletico’s upcoming Champions League match in their Vicente Calderon stadium against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday will still have to be played behind closed doors.
European football’s top governing body UEFA had on October 14 imposed a two-match spectators ban and a fine of 150,000 euros, but then reduced it to a one-match ban.
Atletico then appealed the ruling to CAS, arguing that UEFA did not have evidence to prove its fans were racist and violent during the match.
Written by: AFP
Related posts
England stars praise Capello´s hardline stance
November 21, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – Fabio Capello has restored the feelgood factor to England after only a year in charge but his players have revealed the hardline approach behind the dramatic improvement.
Just 12 months ago English football was at its lowest ebb for a decade as Steve McClaren’s ignominious reign as national team coach culminated in failure to qualify for Euro 2008.
Capello’s appointment as McClaren’s successor was greeted with optimism but the Italian initially struggled to revitalise a squad which had grown increasingly cynical about international duty.
By the time England were booed off after a friendly against the Czech Republic in August, it seemed certain that nothing would change under Capello.
Yet his single-minded approach and rigourous work-ethic have gradually established a previously absent sense of purpose in the England camp and results have followed.
Four successive wins gave England their best start to a World Cup qualifying campaign and Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Germany with a string of reserves in the team maintained the positive feeling around the team.
England captain John Terry believes the key to Capello’s success is his refusal to accept anything but the highest standards in training and matches.
"He’s given the team a few bollockings and more so in training," Terry said. "We definitely got a kick up the backside on Tuesday. We weren’t playing too well, the ball kept running out of play and we were looking at each other.
"He looked at me a couple of times as if to say, ‘Sort it out.’ He keeps everyone on their toes and at the top of their game.
"The manager is straightforward. When he has something to say, he says it and doesn’t beat around the bush.
"In training and after the game he says his piece. He gets it across really clearly. Early on he took his time and yet he’s worked hard on his English and tactically he’s spot on. He’s very good on the training pitch."
Terry believes Capello’s attention to detail played an important role in puncturing the egos of players who may have felt they didn’t need to work hard once they made the England squad.
"We’ve evolved brilliantly under the manager from day one," he said. "In our first and second games we got caught on the counter-attack and he showed us a video, slowed the video down and told us we weren’t working hard enough for each other. People were running past us and it was disappointing to watch.
"After we saw that, we knew we had to work a lot harder for each other. The quality has always been there, but if you have the workrate to match, we’ll have a good future.
"You’re looking at a different side now from 12 months ago. It’s been a good year, but myself and the more experienced lads will make sure we all keep our feet on the ground."
England goalkeeper David James has no doubt that Capello has been the perfect antidote to the lethargy that set in under McClaren.
"We started a small-sided game and after about three minutes he called it to a halt and told us it was all wrong," James said. "He sees it, he says it and he tells you what’s wrong, no matter who you are.
"He’s not a shouter or a quiet one. It’s a steely glare and you take it as read that you need to change it. His English isn’t the best, but he says what he means and the beauty of it is that there’s no ambiguity. That’s what we’ve needed."
Written by: AFP
Related posts
Mourinho v Ranieri is a veritable grudge match
November 21, 2008
It’s hard to think of two coaches in the world with such an apparent dislike of one another as Inter’s Jose Mourinho and Juve’s Claudio Ranieri.
Even Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have got on better of late and the only coach to have real gripes with new Argentina boss Diego Maradona is Scotland no. 2 Terry Butcher.
The feud between Mourinho and Ranieri, which comes to the boil in Saturday’s match between Serie A leaders Inter and in-form Juve, originated at Chelsea where the Special One took over from the sacked Italian in 2004 and promptly went and won two Premier League titles.
The usually modest Ranieri feels he deserves more credit for building up the Chelsea team ahead of Mourinho’s arrival (Petr Cech and Arjen Robben for example) but the confident Portuguese is having none of it, saying Ranieri’s English at Chelsea was laughable and implying the 57-year-old is past his sell by date.
Their contrasting styles and the already strong rivalry between the two clubs promises fireworks this weekend, with Juve able to join Inter at the top with a win. ‘Grudge match’ is a horrid cliche, but just this once I think it applies.
Inter v Juve is actually known as the ‘Derby of Italy’ because they have battled against each other for the title so often.
The rivalry is fiercer than Inter v AC Milan in many respects. Remember, Inter were given the title when Juve were stripped of the scudetto and demoted in 2006. Inter then signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira off their rivals to further infuriate fans of the Turin-based club.
Despite talk of the two managers making peace, they will probably end up disliking each other even more after Saturday.
PHOTO: Claudio Ranieri blows a kiss to Chelsea fans knowing his days are numbered at the London club back in May 2004 REUTERS
Go to Source
Related posts
Gallas faces fight for Arsenal captaincy after rant
November 21, 2008
LONDON (AFP) – William Gallas faces a fight to hold onto the Arsenal captaincy after the France defender came under-fire for his shock blast at his young team-mates.
Gallas lifted the lid on the simmering discontent in the Arsenal dressing room in a remarkably candid interview on Thursday.
The 31-year-old accused the club’s youngsters of lacking the stomach to fight for the Premier League title, claimed he had to seperate arguing team-mates during half-time of his side’s 4-4 draw against Tottenham and insisted an unnamed Gunners star insulted him and several colleagues.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was furious with Gallas’s outburst and reportedly summoned the centre-back to a meeting at the club’s London Colney training ground on Thursday.
Wenger has gone out of his way to defend Gallas against accusations that he lacks leadership skills ever since the defender was criticised for his on-pitch tantrum at the end of Arsenal’s draw at Birmingham last season.
But the former Chelsea star’s latest rant could prove the final straw for Wenger.
Although the French coach won’t rush into a decision before Saturday’s game at Manchester City, the Times claims he could hand the captain’s armband to Cesc Fabregas or Gael Clichy if the rest of Arsenal’s squad express unhappiness with Gallas’s comments.
Written by: AFP
Related posts
Ferguson backs Villa to break into top four
November 21, 2008
MANCHESTER, England (AFP) – Sir Alex Ferguson believes Aston Villa can break into the Premier League’s top four this season after their impressive start to the campaign.
The Manchester United manager and his team face the in-form Midlands club at Villa Park on Saturday with Martin O’Neill’s club buoyed by a 2-0 victory at Arsenal last weekend.
That result lifted Villa into fifth place, level on points with Arsenal and only one point behind third-placed United.
And Ferguson insists he has seen enough from Villa to predict a top four finish – presumably, at Arsenal’s expense, a statement which comes at a time when Arsene Wenger’s club are under intense pressure following a tempestuous start to the season.
"I think they have a chance. I think they can do that, Ferguson said of Villa. "At the moment they’re level with Arsenal, just behind us, that’s a good position to be in.
"It’s a competitive league at the moment. We don’t think we’ve hit our best ratio in terms of points gathered, but hopefully in the second half of the season that will happen for us because it could be an interesting league.
"Without question, Villa are an improving side and Martin has done a fantastic job there. He never changes his side much from the previous week so they have that consistency.
"I thought their performance against Arsenal was outstanding last week and I expect a difficult challenge."
O’Neill was once actively discussed as a potential successor to Ferguson as manager at Old Trafford and, while such talk has died in recent years, his current efforts with Villa suggest that, when the veteran United manager stands down, the former Northern Irish international can expect his name linked with the job.
"Without question, Martin is one of the best managers in the game," Ferguson said. "He’s proved himself.
"The only way you can judge managers is how they prove themselves over a period and the job he did at Leicester, Celtic and now Villa, shows he is an obvious top manager, no question about that."
United go to Villa Park without former Tottenham forward Dimitar Berbatov, ruled out for at least two games, with a hamstring injury he collected on duty for Bulgaria in midweek.
But his problem is not as bad as first feared and Ferguson could have him back for the Manchester derby next weekend.
Defender Wes Brown is out four to five weeks after undergoing exploratory ankle surgery this week and Rio Ferdinand continues his absence at Villa Park after injuring his back before last weekend’s victory over Stoke.
However, Wayne Rooney is expected to return from a calf injury and Carlos Tevez will continue in a starting role at Villa Park with youngster Danny Welbeck, a goalscoring Old Trafford debutant last week, also pushing for a place.
Ferguson added: "We’ve got options. Welbeck is a good one to have because he’s fresh, he’s improving and he’s a different type of player from what we have. If Rooney is fit, I’m not in bad shape in terms of options up front."
Written by: AFP
Related posts
Mexico, Canada drop opening games at U-20 Women’s World Cup
November 21, 2008
TEMUCO, Chile – Mexico surrendered a goal with 14 minutes remaining and lost 2:1 to Norway on Thursday in the opening game for both teams at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
It was one of two losses on the day for CONCACAF, with Canada allowing two first-half goals and falling 2:0 to Asian runner-up Japan.
Mexico created the early chances, but fell behind in the 26th minute when goalkeeper Erika Vanegas was unable to clear the ball and Marita Skammelsrud Lund poked in the rebound.
The Mexicans capitalized two minutes later on an error by Norwegian keeper Ingrid Thorbjornsen, who fumbled the ball at the feet of Dinora Garza to equalize.
With each team enjoying an equal share of possession, Norway won when Tina Wulf’s cross from the left took a deflection toward Ida Elise Enget, who nodded it in.
"We’re aware that this is our first experience and that we mustn’t let our heads drop because there are still two games left," Mexico forward Charlyn Corral said.
By contrast, Japan outshot Canada 25-7 and scored twice in the first half to easily beat the North Americans.
Michi Goto scored in the 28th minute and Asuna Tanaka added another in the 41st. Goalkeeper Erin McNulty turned away several more chances – including two in the first 14 minutes — to keep Canada competitive.
Both Mexico and Canada will get a chance to recover on Sunday in their next matches. Mexico will face Brazil, which took the lead in Group D with a 3:2 victory over defending champion Korea DPR.
Canada will play Congo DR, which lost 5:0 in their opening game to two-time European champion Germany.
Go to Source
Related posts
Honduras beats Panama 1:0, joins CONCACAF Under-17 Championship field
November 21, 2008
PENONOME, Panama – Antony Lozano scored in the final minute to give Honduras a 1:0 victory over Panama on Thursday and send it to the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship finals.
Lozano, who scored five goals in Honduras’ 9:0 victory over Belize on Tuesday, assured the Catrachos a place in the eight-team championship along with Canada, host Mexico, the USA, Costa Rica, Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago.
Honduras won both of its games in Central America’s qualifying Group A to secure its place.
One place remains undecided. Belize plays Panama on Saturday for the runner-up position in Group A. The winner of that match will play Group B runner-up Guatemala in a two-leg to determine a third Central American qualifier.
Go to Source
Related posts
Roma improving, says Spalletti
November 21, 2008
AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has said that he felt that his team had turned the corner, in what has thus far been a poor start to the Serie A season.
Speaking to reporters from the Corriere dello Sport Spalletti said that the turning point came with their 1-1 draw with Lazio in the Rome derby last weekend.
He added that he thought that his team adapted well to the concept of a packed midfield for that game but that the team has yet to realise it’s true potential.
He was hoping to see that improvement confirmed against Lecce this coming weekend.
Written by: Dave Cohen
Related posts
Calendar
Related Sites
- AFP
- e-soccertips
- Free Themes All - Blogger, Wordpress, Joomla themes
- Soccer Results
- soccerway
- WAGS
- WAGS Blog
Categories
- 1 League
- A PFG
- A-League
- African
- Argentina
- Belgium
- Brasil
- Bundesliga
- CAF Champions League
- Club Friendlies
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- Cup
- English Championship
- English Premier League
- Eredivisie
- European Championships
- FA Cup
- FIFA
- Franch
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Jupiler League
- LA Liga
- LigaBwin
- Ligue 1
- MLS
- netherlands
- Olympics
- Olympics Women
- Photo
- portugal
- premier league
- Primera Division
- Rusia Premier League
- scotland
- Scottish Premier League
- Serie A
- Super Copa
- Super League
- Sweden
- Turkcell Süper Lig
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Cup
- Umaglesi Liga
- Uncategorized
- United States
- Video
- Vietnam
- Wag Watch
- WAGS
- WC Qualifying Asia
- WC Qualifying Concacaf
- WC Qualifying Europe
- WC Qualifying South-Africa
- WC Qualifying South-America
- World Cup
