Rothen set to sign for Turkish side

January 24, 2010

Rangers manager Walter Smith admits that his team’s Jerome Rothen is on the verge of joining Ankaragucu. The deal will take the former Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain winger to Turkey on loan.

The 31-year-old has endured a hard time at Ibrox and has already spoken of his wish to secure a switch elsewhere during the January transfer window.

Rothen only moved to Scotland from Paris St Germain in September, but has struggled to make his mark and become a first-team player. Smith confirmed Rothen is set to move away from the Scottish outfit, although the move has not been finalized yet.

“Martin [Bain, chief executive] was dealing with that one,” Smith said after seeing Rangers held 1-1 by Hearts on Saturday.

“I think he is going there, although I don’t think it’s confirmed yet. But I think he is hoping to go there.”

Tags: ankaragucu, bain, chief executive, Germain, hard time, hearts, jerome rothen, Martin, Monaco, PARIS, paris saint germain, paris st germain, rangers, scotland, September, team player, Turkey, turkish side, verge, walter smith, winger

Man Utd´s Vidic set for Villa return

December 12, 2009

Nemanja Vidic is set to make a return to the heart of Manchester United’s defence when the English champions face Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Serbia international was one of eight United defenders to miss the midweek 3-1 Champions League win at Wolfsburg, due to illness.

Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to rely on a back-line that included Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick and had Patrice Evra as the only recognized defender.

But first-choice centre back Vidic is set to return against Martin O?Neill?s side to bring some much needed defensive strength.

However, with Rio Ferdinand, John O?Shea and Jonny Evans all likely to miss the festive programme, United manager Ferguson may have to call on Carrick at the back once again if Wes Brown does not return from an ankle injury against ambitious Villa.

Despite the disruption caused by their lengthy injury list, United made up ground in the title race last weekend, with their 4-0 win over West Ham and Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City moving Ferguson’s team within two points of the leaders.

United have responded to their fitness problems with four straight wins that have seen them score 13 goals.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Darron Gibson has been one beneficiary of the growing sick list at Old Trafford and now he is is determined to hold down a first-team place.

With Fletcher and Carrick being pressed into more defensive roles, the 22-year-old Gibson has featured in five games in the last month and has come up with three goals.

“It is a difficult time for United,” said Gibson. “Obviously I don’t like players being injured but it has given me a chance to prove myself.

“From not playing at all to playing three games in a week is tough going,” he added.

“But the manager has shown enough trust in me and I feel I have taken my opportunities so far. Hopefully, they keep coming.

“As everyone knows, it is very difficult to make it at United but if you do it, you reap the rewards.

“The gaffer (Ferguson) is famous for giving chances to young lads. If you take your chance he sticks with you, so hopefully I will keep getting a few more games,” Gibson said.

Although they have coped admirably without so many defenders, Scotland midfielder Fletcher said it was vital Ferguson got his first-choice back four in place as soon as possible.

“We have a few problems and the sooner our defenders come back the better,” Fletcher said.

“But if not we’ll have to rally round as a team like we did in midweek and try to put in a professional performance.

“We always go into games thinking we have enough quality to win the match, no matter what the team is.

“But we want our defenders fit because we have some big games coming up and need everyone available.”

Despite United’s ongoing injury concerns, Villa manager Martin O’Neill insisted his fifth-placed team would be far from over-confident for their trip to the champions.

“If you had listened to Sir Alex talking before their European game this week he mentioned that the most important thing for him was Saturday’s game against Aston Villa.” O’Neill said.

“He might not have every single option available to him but he’ll have a lot more options available to him on Saturday, you can guarantee that.

“Manchester United couldn’t have won the number of championships they have without having one of the strongest squads in European football.

“It will be tough.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

Tags: ankle injury, carrick, CHELSEA, darren fletcher, darron gibson, England, english champions, five games, Fletcher, John, john o shea, lengthy injury, Manchester, manchester city, Martin, martin o neill, Michael Carrick, Neill, old trafford, patrice evra, republic of ireland, return to the heart, rio ferdinand, scotland, sick list, Sir Alex, sir alex ferguson, vidic, wes brown, west ham

Milner rejects Croat kicking allegations

September 2, 2009

England winger James Milner has ruled out conspiracy theories that Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was deliberately injured ahead of a crucial World Cup qualifier at Wembley next week.

Croatia FA chiefs are frustrated that key midfielder Modric broke a leg in a tackle with Birmingham’s Lee Bowyer just 10 days before a match against England that could decide the World Cup fate of both teams.

They already have bitter memories of how key striker Eduardo also suffered a broken leg playing against the same opposition for Arsenal in February 2008 and Croatia FA supremo Vlatko Markovic on Tuesday said: “First Eduardo, now Luka Modric. This is horrible. I can only ask myself if it was really an accident.

“I’m close to thinking it was done to us deliberately before the England match. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what happened to Luka. He is irreplaceable.”

But Markovic’s claims have been quickly dismissed in Fabio Capello’s camp with Aston Villa star Milner, speaking at England’s team hotel in Watford, saying: “It’s just bad luck, that’s the way it is in football.

“People are making more of it but obviously it’s nonsense. We just go out there and try and play as well as we can. You don’t look at who you are tackling or anything like that when you are on the field.

“You don’t think ‘oh it’s him, I’ll go in hard on him.’ You just are just trying to win the ball.”

Far from being frightened of Modric, Milner would have relished facing the playmaker on September 9.

He added: “You’ve seen what a good player Modric has been since he’s been in England, he makes Tottenham tick and it’s the same at international level. He will be a big miss.

“But as players you want to play in the best competitions in the world against the best players.

“In a way it helps you if the best players aren?t there but also you want to challenge them. That?s what being a professional in any sport is all about.”

Milner, 23, is hoping to make a big impact against Croatia and also against Slovenia in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday, having finally made his debut in the recent draw in Holland after winning a record 46 caps at Under 21 level.

He showed great potential as a youngster, becoming the Premier League?s youngest ever goalscorer at the age 16 years and 309 days – just three months after Wayne Rooney had set the previous record.

But his progress has always been slower in comparison to the Manchester United striker.

He said: “That goal put me on the map but Wayne came through at a very similar time and progressed very quickly at a very similar age. In a way, he took a lot of limelight off me, which helped massively. If that had not happened, I would probably have had more attention than I had.

“I am very grateful to him! When you look at how well he dealt with it, it just shows what a strong character he is and what a fantastic player. But now I feel ready for it to be my turn.”

Milner has certainly waited a long time for his international breakthrough and perhaps it should come as no surprise that it happened after he moved to Aston Villa and left behind the trauma of crisis clubs Newcastle and Leeds.

The winger, who has astonishingly played under 12 different managers already in his career, said: “Hopefully this could be the first season in my whole career when I start and finish with the same manager. Believe it not that?s never happened before.

“I am not making excuses but that hasn’t helped. As a young player coming through, you need that stability.

“Now I am lucky enough to be at a club with some good, young English talent and some great experienced players as well. I am working for a great manager with a great track record in Martin O?Neill.”

WATFORD, England (AFP)

Tags: aston villa, bad luck, Birmingham, bitter memories, chiefs, competitions, conspiracy theories, croatia, Eduardo, England, fabio capello, fate, Holland, James Milner, Lee Bowyer, LEEDS, Manchester, markovic, Martin, midfielder, Neill, NEWCASTLE, nonsense, opposition, playmaker, premier league, september 9, team hotel, watford, Wayne, wayne rooney, Wembley, winger, world cup qualifier

Anderlecht lose but advance

August 5, 2009

Anderlecht lost their Champions League away match to Sivasspor 3-1 but the 5-0 victory in the home game was enough for the Belgians to advance to the fourth preliminary round.

Fans at Eylül Stadyumu stadium of Sivas watched how their team refused to accept last week’s heavy defeat and needed just 12 minutes for Ersen Martin to score the opening goal.

Yanick Kamanan even added a second from the penalty spot seven minutes later, but when Jelle van Damme pulled one back in the 34th, Sivasspor realized that they now needed five more goals to cause a major upset.

Musa Aydin did score for 3-1 in the 58th minute, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough for the Turkish home side to trouble their guests.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: aydin, belgians, champions league, Ersen, ersen martin, Eylül, home game, jelle van damme, jonathan, Martin, musa, Sivas, span, victory, week, Yanick

Liverpool held to 1-1 draw by Thailand

July 23, 2009

A great second-half strike by Sutee Suksomkit earned Thailand a well-deserved 1-1 draw with Premier League giants Liverpool in a pre-season game here on Wednesday.

Sutee?s goal cancelled out an early opener from Ryan Babel which Liverpool failed to capitalise on.

There was little goalmouth action to excite the capacity 76,000 crowd with Liverpool looking decidedly ring-rusty.

The Premier League runners-up have still to win in their pre-season travels following a 0-0 draw with St Gallen of Switzerland and a 1-0 loss to Rapid Vienna.

“We had some chances, we were playing against a team that was well organised and they play quick,” said Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

“So you come to a new continent and conditions are different, always more difficult, but I was pleased with the performance of some players and also pleased to see the national team (of Thailand) play well.”

Benitez was left to rue a hamstring injury picked up by defender Martin Skrtel early in the second half but said he was not sure how long the Slovak would be out of action.

“Really disappointed because Martin has a had a problem with his hamstring and a little bit with the ligaments on the knee, so we have to wait,” he said.

Thailand coach Peter Reid, who starred for Liverpool?s local rivals Everton in his heyday, was overjoyed with the result.

“We passed the ball really well and it was great to get a good equaliser,” he said. “Liverpool are a strong team and it was a great experience for the Thailand team to play against them.”

As expected, Liverpool?s Spanish contingent did not feature in the starting line-up with Real Madrid target Xabi Alonso not even on the bench, heightening speculation that he will soon be on the move.

Dutch duo Dirk Kuyt and Babel, stand-in captain Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva were the most recognisable names in the team.

The highly rated Krisztian Nemeth and David Ngog formed the strike partnership with Fernando Torres named as one of the substitutes.

Thailand could have sprung a surprise after just two minutes, playmaker Datsakorn Thonglao sidefooting a weak clearance from keeper Diego Cavalieri just wide.

Liverpool opened the scoring in the simplest fashion four minutes later. A long ball from Carragher at first eluded Babel but he steadied and shot low into the net.

Babel should have grabbed his own and Liverpool?s second in the 20th minute, shooting tamely past the post after an exquisite through-ball from Lucas.

The last real action of a lacklustre first half saw Datsakorn fire a free-kick just over the top.

Benitez changed virtually the whole team for the second half with goalscorer Babel the sole survivor. But there was still no start for Torres despite calls from the full-house Rajamanagala Stadium.

Midfielder Javier Mascherano had a rasping drive from distance saved in the 62nd minute as Liverpool pushed forward for a second goal.

Thailand drew level in the 72nd minute after a well-worked move, substitute Sutee playing a one-two with Teerasil Dangda before finishing off with a left foot strike.

The spectators finally got their wish in the 80th minute when Torres and fellow Spaniard Albert Riera came on as substitutes.

Andriy Voronin, back with Liverpool after a loan spell with Hertha Berlin, should have sealed the issue for the Premier League side but shot wide from a good position.

BANGKOK (AFP)

Tags: albert riera, Alonso, BANGKOK, berlin, captain Jamie Carragher, coach peter, daniel agger, David Ngog, Diego Cavalieri, dirk kuyt, dutch duo, Fernando Torres, heyday, jamie carragher, Javier Mascherano, ligaments, Liverpool, Lucas Leiva, MADRID, Martin, martin skrtel, nemeth, new continent, Peter Reid, premier league, rafael benitez, Rajamanagala Stadium, rapid vienna, ryan babel, season game, st gallen, starting line, Switzerland, target, Thailand, thailand team, Vienna

Limp Newcastle go down with a whimper

May 25, 2009

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) – Alan Shearer’s attempt to rescue Newcastle from relegation ended in failure on Sunday as Damien Duff’s own goal sentenced them to a 1-0 defeat and Championship football next season.

Shearer’s side capitulated without the kind of fight he was known for during his illustrious playing career and their 16-year stay in the top flight ended with a whimper.

Villa have been abject over the last few months themselves, with only five other Premier League club’s with a worse home record and they had won just once in their last 15 games.

But Newcastle were simply not good enough to exploit the fragility of Martin O?Neill’s side and looked very inch a Championship team.

Seven years ago Newcastle were in Europe with Bobby Robson and Shearer was scoring five goals in an 8-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, now the potential for a Leeds United-style slide down the leagues is all too evident.

Shearer will meet with owner Mike Ashley this week and announce whether he will be getting his map book out to find a route to Scunthorpe United next season.

He is believed to have already made his mind up to remain in the job, following his eight game caretaker spell.

The suggestion is that the former England international has been bitten by the managerial bug, despite the turmoil that has been raging around St James’ Park since the departure of Kevin Keegan earlier this season.

He knows the workload will be immense if he is to transform the shambles he inherited when he chose to swap the pundit’s sofa for the role of hauling Newcastle out of English football’s second tier.

Off the field they have been truly dreadful and on it they have been little better – never more so at Villa Park.

With Ashley unable to find new owners and fresh investment and an ageing squad with little sell on value the potential do emulate the shocking demise of League One Leeds is all too evident.

No fewer than 15 members of Shearer’s squad are earning in excess of 50,000 pounds-a-week and none have relegation linked wage cuts written into their contracts.

Duff will be one of those as he was handed a five-year contract when he moved from Chelsea for five million pounds back in 2006 and it was his own goal that deflated Newcastle’s fans seven minutes before half-time.

His decision to thrust a leg at Gareth Barry?s wayward shot from 25-yards created a vicious deflection that totally wrong-footed Steve Harper and Shearer could only watch, face contorted in disbelief as the ball crept over the line.

Newcastle finally lost their top-flight status at Villa Park, but their demise can be traced back over seasons of gradual decline.

They only have themselves to blame and they will reflect on numerous missed chances here.

Michael Owen was left sitting on the bench for 66 minutes and had to watch Steven Taylor have one shot cleared off the line by Carlos Cuellar.

Obafemi Martins volleyed over the bar and Duff himself almost surprised Brad Friedel with a shot through a thicket of legs, before the American reacted late to push the ball away.

Only John Carew’s dreadful finishing prevented a more comprehensive defeat and the fact that Friedel did not have a single shot to save in the second half, despite Shearer going for broke underlines the spinless nature of Newcastle’s fight to stay alive.

The sight of David Edgar being sent off in stoppage time for a second bookable offence merely added insult to terrible injury.

Tags: alan shearer, bobby robson, brad friedel, caretaker, Carew, Carlos Cuellar, championship football, CHELSEA, Damien Duff, david edgar, England, england international, english football, English Premier League, Europe, fragility, Gareth Barry, james park, John, kevin keegan, LEEDS, leeds united, Martin, martin o neill, michael owen, mike ashley, Neill, NEWCASTLE, relegation, Robson, shambles, Sheffield, sheffield wednesday, slide down, St James, st james park, steve harper, steven taylor, villa park, whimper

Limp Newcastle go down with a whimper

May 25, 2009