Hull apply the brakes to Chelsea title charge

February 3, 2010

Didier Drogba celebrated his return to Premier League duty with a first half equaliser at the KC Stadium to cancel out Stephen Mouyokolo’s earlier effort on a frustrating night for Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea.

Drogba struck his 20th goal of the season on 43 minutes to haul the Premier League leaders level after Hull defender Mouyokolo had headed Phil Brown’s Hull City side into a surprise lead with his first ever goal for the top flight strugglers.

But despite Drogba coming to the rescue it wasn’t enough to help Chelsea secure the win they so badly needed to restore their four point advantage over Manchester United at the top of the table.

The London club now have a lead of just two points and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be thankful to Hull for holding his great rivals to a draw to blow the title race wide open.

Ancelotti had the luxury of recalling Drogba for the first time since he departed for the African Cup of Nations over four weeks ago, while England internationals Joe Cole and Ashley Cole had to be content with a place on the bench.

John Terry also maintained his place in the side despite the on-going pressure on him to resign as England captain following his off-field problems while Deco was recalled to the starting line-up.

Brown, meanwhile, made just one change to the side which was held to a disappointing draw with Wolves last weekend, recalling Craig Fagan on the right wing in place of Bernard Mendy. The Hull manager resisted the temptation to hand a full debut to new loan signing Amr Zaki.

Hull had gone nine games without a victory and found themselves entrenched in the relegation zone. Considering Manchester City were the next visitors to the KC Stadium then the immediate future looked bleak.

But Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm from the start and seemed to make Hull’s evening easier than expected.

Frank Lampard worried Boaz Myhill with a swerving drive inside nine minutes which the Hull goalkeeper could only palm straight to Nicolas Anelka but the French striker stubbed his shot badly wide with the goal at his mercy.

It wasn’t until the 24th minute that Chelsea threatened again when Branislav Ivanovic sent over an inch-perfect cross for the waiting Michael Ballack but all the German midfielder could do was power his diving header straight at Myhill from close range.

The longer the game went on the more Hull seemed to grow in confidence but it still came a surprise when they took the lead with their first real attack of the game.

Terry was nowhere to be seen as Stephen Hunt swung over a corner and Mouyokolo rose the highest to head past the helpless Petr Cech.

But Hull’s lead always looked fragile and it lasted just 13 minutes before Drogba levelled the scores with a powerful free kick into the bottom corner of Myhill’s goal.

Hull could have restored their lead on the stroke of half time when Tom Cairney’s free kick found the head of the unmarked Anthony Gardner, but the defender could only direct his effort over the crossbar.

Yet Chelsea always carried a threat and Myhill had to be at his best to keep the scores level with a fine double save just before the hour mark.

First he got down sharply to tip wide a skidding drive from Florent Malouda before producing an even better stop to keep out Drogba’s downward header from Malouda’s cross as Brown’s men hung on for a point that is of much more use to them than Chelsea.

HULL, England (AFP)

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Zola looks for hammer blow against struggling Everton

November 8, 2009

Gianfranco Zola may be a relative novice in the managerial trade, but already the Italian has experienced more dizzying highs and stultifying lows than many of the most grizzled veterans.

In the space of just over a year, he has led West Ham to a top-half finish in the English Premier League, been forced to contend with myriad off-field financial problems and, most recently, negotiated a slump in form which put his own job prospects on the line.

That Zola has met all these scenarios with equanimity speaks volumes for his character and serves as confirmation of why he is still considered one of the brightest managerial prospects in the top flight.

Even during the most recent crisis – a nine-match winless streak which dumped West Ham in the relegation zone – Zola remained unflappable, insisting his team’s fortunes would take a turn for the better, sooner rather than later.

His faith was justified by a last-gasp victory over Aston Villa last Wednesday and the former Chelsea striker can now confront Sunday’s meeting with Everton, who are locked in their own dangerous downward spiral, with genuine enthusiasm.

“Football is about confidence,” he reflected.

“We know we have been playing well but not picking up the points we needed. That victory (against Villa) will give us a lot. The rest is all there.

“We know we have the qualities, we know that we can compete at high levels. The mood has been very positive and everybody has been lifted.”

Zola’s squad might be on the thin side but at least he can call upon genuine quality along the spine of his side in Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole, all England internationals.

There were signs before the Villa victory that West Ham were a team on the rise.

Arsenal were held to a draw courtesy of a stirring fight-back in the dying minutes and the Hammers raced into a two-goal lead at Sunderland before flaky defending cost them two points in the second half.

A three-match unbeaten run might not be cause for jubilation in east London but Zola believes it could be the start of a more sustained recovery.

“The team needs some personalities and they need those personalities to step in at the right moment, which is what they have been doing recently,” Zola added.

David Moyes’ Everton team are in the midst of an appalling run, having not tasted victory in seven games in all competitions thanks to a combination of a crippling injury list, nose-diving confidence and poor form from key players.

The gloom enveloping Goodison Park is a far cry from the halcyon days of spring, when Everton achieved a second successive fifth-place finish in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final.

Moyes’ meagre squad appears to be struggling to cope with the gruelling schedule provided by the Europa League where they have suffered back-to-back defeats against Benfica.

“As a manager it is down to me to put things right, to find a winning formula from the ranks that I have here,” Moyes said.

“In the past I have tended to do that, I feel it is probably one of my strengths. I have tried not to have any regrets about it (playing in Europe).

“But the more and more games you play in it, the more and more times you realise that some other managers have talked a lot of sense about the number of games in the Europa League.

“With the squad we have got it is very difficult to win Premier League games when you have got so many midweek games.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Manchester City release former star quartet

July 2, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – German World Cup finalist Dietmar Hamann and former England internationals Darius Vassell and Danny Mills were among four players released by bigspending Manchester City on Wednesday.

The trio were joined by former Rangers and Everton defender Michael Ball as club manager Mark Hughes reduced his squad ahead of potentially more big name signings to join those of Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry.

Hamann, who was a member of the German side that lost to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup final and the Liverpool side that won the epic 2005 Champions League against AC Milan, failed to play in the last months of the season because of a toe injury.

Both Vassell and Mills also played in the 2002 World Cup finals, with the former going on to win 22 caps, scoring six goals, but the 29-year-old striker has struggled for his place and has been strongly linked with a move to Turkey with Ankaragucu his favoured destination.

Mills, 32 and capped 19 times, was another of the players to leave cash-strapped Leeds United with City being his destination in 2004 – however he rarely made a first team place his own and found himself loaned out to Hull City, Charlton and Derby.

It was at Derby – during their disastrous one season stay in the Premier League – where he picked up a serious knee injury in January 2008 and he has not played since.

Ball, who began his career with Everton before moving on to Rangers and then to PSV Eindhoven where he won the Dutch title under Guus Hiddink, has been capped once by England but struggled to make an impression once Stuart Pearce was replaced by Hughes’ predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson.

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Zola fears backlash as West Ham prepare for January sell off

January 18, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola fears speculation over the futures of several of his star players could lead to a lacklustre performance in Sunday’s London derby against Fulham.

Zola has spent much of the week fending off approaches for Australia defender Lucas Neill, Wales striker Craig Bellamy, England internationals Scott Parker and Matthew Upson and Portuguese winger Luis Boa Morte.

With West Ham’s Icelandic owners badly affected by the global credit crunch, the Hammers are short of cash and open to offers for any of Zola’s squad.

The Italian coach has been trying to persuade Bellamy to stay at Upton Park and has turned down several advances from Manchester City and Tottenham, while also rebuffing Newcastle’s bid for Neill and Arsenal’s interest in Upson.

However, Zola is well aware that his players could be more concerned about their prospective departures than focusing on Fulham’s visit to east London this weekend.

Bellamy was one of several players who opted not to attend Friday’s voluntary training session at Chadwell Heath, to the frustration of former Chelsea forward Zola.

"What can I do about it? As far as I am concerned, I want to keep Bellamy – and the club want to keep him. But if a player wants to go it is difficult," he said.

"At the moment, he is a West Ham player and he will stay a West Ham player.

"However, I do not know if he will play on Sunday. We will see what happens.

"It is a club matter. We have spent the whole week talking about this and that, but we need to focus on the match.

"It is difficult to keep players who are unhappy at the club, but we will see what happens."

While Zola knows there is a good chance he will have to sell some players before the window shuts, he is adamant that Socceroos star Neill – his club captain – has not been given permission to speak to Newcastle, despite Magpies manager Joe Kinnear admitting he has been talking to the player’s agent.

"I read it in the newspaper. This is something I would never do," he said.

"I stick to my philosophy. I have respect for Joe Kinnear and all managers and I would expect them to behave the same way I would behave.

"I have spoken to Lucas and he is very much committed and is happy to stay here. He is enjoying his football and that is all that matters to me."

Fulham will make the short trip across the English capital with transfer distractions of their own as Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson admits he is prepared to sell Jimmy Bullard.

Bolton had a bid for the England midfielder rejected earlier this week after failing to match Fulham’s five million pounds valuation.

Negotiations to extend the 18 months remaining on Bullard’s contract are reported to have stalled, so Hodgson is willing to cash in while his value is still high.

"We’ve heard nothing about Jimmy recently. I don’t know what Bolton are doing," he said. "They spoke to me and our chief executive Alistair Mackintosh some days ago.

"They made an inquiry for the player, were told our valuation for him and they offered something considerably less.

"If they’re not interested, they’re not interested. Bolton made that inquiry, but that’s it so far.

"We know where we stand in the market and if big clubs come in for players it’s difficult to nail their feet to the floor."

Written by: AFP