Lovenkrands hat-trick gives Magpies FA Cup joy

January 14, 2010


Danish international striker Peter Lovenkrands scored a hat-trick on Wednesday to ease Newcastle United to a 3-0 victory over fellow Championship side Plymouth Argyle in their FA Cup third round replay.

The 29-year-old – a former Rangers and Schalke 04 player – struck twice in the first-half and added his third in the 72nd minute to send the Championship leaders through to a fourth round meeting away at another second-tier outfit West Bromwich Albion, managed by former FA Cup winner Roberto di Matteo.

Lovenkrands has rarely shone at the Magpies but he more than repaid the faith shown in him by manager Chris Hughton as he struck in the 10th minute shooting home after fine work by man of the match, Argentinian winger Jonas Gutierrez.

Lovenkrands, who appeared at the 2002 World Cup finals and the Euro 2004 finals, struck again five minutes from the break with a header.

Plymouth, who are third from bottom of the Championship, never threatened Newcastle’s goal and Lovenkrands duly wrapped up the match 18 minutes from full-time with a soft shot which still crept past goalkeeper Roman Larrieu and extended Newcastle’s unbeaten run to 13.

LONDON (AFP)

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Could Birmingham’s Hart be Capello’s England number one?

December 31, 2009


England manager Fabio Capello might well have found himself an unexpected Christmas present this year in Birmingham City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Filling the gap between the sticks at next June’s World Cup finals in South Africa is perhaps the biggest conundrum Capello will face in the run up to soccer’s most glittering event, but Hart may just have made it a little easier.

The energetic England Under-21 international, on a season-long loan at the Midlands club from Manchester City, has been in inspired form this season — highlighted by two superb performances in recent games against Chelsea and Stoke City in the Premier League.

He is also currently the only in-form English keeper in international contention.

Current number one David James is 39-years-old and has not played in Portsmouth’s last eight matches due to injury, while West Ham’s Rob Green has never impressed in an England shirt and continues to be sporadic at club level.

Other contenders include Ben Foster, still residing third in Manchester United’s pecking order, and Paul Robinson, who has shown only slow signs of improvement at Blackburn Rovers.

In contrast, Hart’s form has coincided with Birmingham’s record unbeaten run and his consistency and relentless attitude to learn have earned plaudits from his manager Alex McLeish as well as opposition coaches such as Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti.

“I know the England coaches think a lot of him, and I think they will think even more of him now with his Birmingham performances,” McLeish said.

At 22-years-old, Hart has the agility, confidence and desire to at least earn him a spot on England’s plane to South Africa, if not the number one jersey. The serious lack of alternate options also helps his cause.

Have I missed anyone out? Wigan Athletic’s Chris Kirkland is a maybe or perhaps Capello should drop a division to look at West Bromwich Albion’s Scott Carson. Let us know your thoughts.

Source

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Celtic must make home advantage count: Mowbray

November 28, 2009


Celtic manager Tony Mowbray has targeted a run of three home wins to help turn round his side’s stuttering start to the season.

The Hoops have struggled for form under their new gaffer, who moved from West Bromwich Albion in the summer, and have won just two games out of their last ten in all competitions.

Celtic, who have already exited the League Cup, slipped to second in the Scottish Premier League last weekend after losing 2-1 away to Dundee United and face a fight to stay in the Europa League beyond Christmas.

Mowbray and his men now have three home games in eight days starting with St Mirren on Saturday, followed by Hapoel Tel-Aviv on Wednesday before Aberdeen come calling next weekend.

Celtic could find themselves four points behind rivals Rangers as they run out at Parkhead on Saturday if Rangers pick up a win away to Aberdeen in the early kick-off match.

The run of home games could be crucial to Celtic’s domestic and European ambitions and Mowbray hopes his players can forget their poor form and kick-start their season with a win against the Buddies.

“The very nature of football is that players and managers are going to suffer setbacks frustrations and defeats,” said Mowbray.

“You have got to put it behind you and get back on the training ground. There is always another big game around the corner, and that’s the case with us.

“The message has to be that we have to all stick together.

“We have three home games coming up in the space of eight days, against St Mirren, Hapoel, and Aberdeen. And we have to try to win them all.

“That’s always the target at Celtic, winning matches. We have not done that consistently enough this season, but we will keep working together to find that level of consistency.

“Hopefully, we can get a result against St Mirren and then build on that.”

Celtic could be boosted by the return of midfield pair Zheng Zhi and Paddy McCourt for the visit of the Buddies, with both having missed the defeat at Tannadice.

Scott Brown is missing with an ankle injury as are Shaun Maloney and goalkeeper Artur Boruc. In the early kick-off game on Saturday Old Firm rivals Rangers have to put their European disappointment behind them as they face a difficult away game against Aberdeen.

Rangers gaffer Walter Smith will be without on-loan French winger Jerome Rothen for the trip north after he flew home to receive treatment for a suspected case of swine flu.

The champions have stuggled against the Dons at Pittodrie in recent years and haven’t won there since Smith returned for his second spell in charge in January 2007.

“We go to Pittodrie and that’s going to be difficult. Since I have come back to the club we have not had a great deal of success there so we would hope for better fortune,” Smith said.

“We have a decent record in the league this season but we recognise that it will be a big test for us up there.

“It’s always a good game up at Pittodrie. There is a bit of an edge to the game and hopefully we can come out on top.”

Elsewhere on Saturday Motherwell entertain Dundee United at Fir Park knowing that a win would draw them level on points with their opponents, Hibernian take on Falkirk, Kilmarnock are at home to Hearts and St Johnstone face Hamilton.

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated)

Saturday

Aberdeen v Rangers (1245)

Celtic v St Mirren

Hibernian v Falkirk

Kilmarnock v Hearts

Motherwell v Dundee United

St Johnstone v Hamilton

GLASGOW (AFP)

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Germany clash is our cup final, says Boka

November 17, 2009


Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba is injured for Wednesday’s friendly match against Germany, but his team-mate Arthur Boka said on Tuesday the match will be the African’s World Cup final.

The Ivory Coast, ranked 19th in the world according to the sport’s global governing body FIFA, take on Germany in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday bidding to claim the European giant’s scalp.

The Africans qualified for next year’s World Cup unbeaten at the top of their group and even without injured Chelsea star Drogba, who picked up a chest injury against Manchester United recently, they will be dangerous.

“This game for us is like a World Cup final and we really want to win,” said Stuttgart’s Boka.

Five of the Ivory Coast squad – Drogba and Chelsea team-mate Salomon Kalou, Yaya Toure of Barcelona, Emmanuel Eboue from Arsenal and Manchester City’s ex-Arsenal defender Kolo Toure played in the Champions League’s semi-finals.

Ballack was the only member of the Germany squad to play in the competition’s later stages, but the Ivory Coast are still waiting for their first major title.

“Many people call us the ‘Golden Generation’,” Boka said.

“But we need an African Cup or World Cup title otherwise everything we have achieved in the last ten years will be forgotten.

“Many of us are now 28 or 29 and the next few years will be our last to make a difference.”

Meanwhile, both Kalou and West Bromwich Albion’s centre-back Abdoulaye Meite could miss the friendly against Germany after a fight during training.

The duo missed the Elephants’ 3-0 win over Guinea in a 2010 World Cup qualifier on Saturday as a result of the fight on the eve of the match.

The pair have since made up, but the punishment could be extended to Wednesday’s game against the Germans and coach Vahid Halilhodzic – not unknown himself for his fiery temperament both as a player and as a coach – will decide whether to select the duo.

BERLIN (AFP)

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League Cup offers glimpse of giants´ futures

October 28, 2009


It might be one of English football’s grand occasions but Wednesday’s League Cup match between Arsenal and Liverpool is likely to reveal more about their future prospects than their current form.

Both Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez are likely to make a raft of changes for the game at the Emirates Stadium, mindful of the need to keep their regulars fresh for more pressing priorities in the Premier League and Europe.

In the third round win over West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal’s line-up was composed of players almost exclusively under the age of 21 – Mikael Silvestre and Philippe Senderos were the sole sops to experience – and Wenger has promised to do likewise this week.

“It will be a mixed team but we want to win every single game we play, no matter who plays,” he said.

Wenger will also be mindful of the possible benefits of piling more pressure on Benitez by inflicting an early exit on his team.

The Spaniard has ridden the immediate crisis created by four straight defeats by engineering a victory over Manchester United last Sunday but Liverpool’s season is still in danger of sliding away, with the club’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread and a six-point gap separating them from league leaders Chelsea.

Being dumped out of the League Cup would not precipitate any drastic action at Anfield but it would deal another blow to morale and Wenger, while he would never admit to it in public, would consider that incentive enough ahead for his makeshift team.

There are more prosaic concerns for his players, as well, not least convincing Wenger that they could be worth a place in his regular starting line-up.

Teenagers such as Francis Coquelin, Sanchez Watt, Jack Wilshere, Mark Randall and Kerrea Gilbert – all of whom can expect to be involved at some point on Wednesday – might still be too raw for Premier League football but that does not apply to all the stand-ins.

Carlos Vela, the Mexican winger, and Croatian striker Eduardo will be determined to re-establish themselves in Wenger’s thoughts after frustrating spells out with injuries.

And with Manuel Almunia out of favour and Vito Mannone low on confidence following several errors, there is a chance for goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, recently recovered from knee surgery, to stake his own claim with an assertive display in north London.

“It has been a frustrating time for me because of the injury but it’s gone now and I need to look forward to the future,” Fabianski said.

“I want to get back into the team, fighting for my place really hard. I want to show my quality and, hopefully, win a trophy with Arsenal. I can think about this now that I am completely fit, which is the main thing. I want it to stay that way.”

Another player set to strain every sinew at the Emirates is David Ngog, the Liverpool striker whose clinching goal against United last Sunday should earn him a huge ovation from the travelling contingent from Merseyside.

Ngog has fond memories of the League Cup, having scored the winner in the third round tie at Leeds United, and the French striker is seeing the trip to Arsenal as another chance to impress the notoriously demanding Benitez.

“The goal against United was a fantastic moment for me and the team and I would say it’s my best moment in football,” he reflected.

“But now we have Arsenal and we are looking forward to it. All I can do is keep working hard and show what I can do when I get the opportunity. I just want to do my best for the team.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Southgate demands Boro response after Albion rout

September 20, 2009


Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate warned his players to use the embarrassment of their 5-0 thrashing by West Bromwich Albion as a wake-up call for the rest of the Championship campaign.

Southgate was stunned by the size of Saturday’s defeat to their promotion rivals at the Riverside Stadium but he is determined to make sure his players learn the lessons of the humiliation.

Middlesbrough are still third in the table but the gap between them and leaders Albion looked vast as Roberto Di Matteo’s team ran riot.

“We’ve had an embarrassing defeat,” Southgate said. “I’ve learnt a lot about some people and it is better to know that now than later.

“We got exactly what we deserved. Credit to West Brom because they are a good side and they deserved to win the game. They have hit us with a sledgehammer.

“It has been a wake-up call. We have to make sure we use it to our advantage. We have to make sure it hurts and we have to make sure we respond properly next week against Coventry.”

Di Matteo believes the result will send a message to Albion’s promotion rivals: “We have put a statement out for the rest of the league.

“It was certainly one of our best performances so far and obviously we will take confidence from the performance. We have a very good group of players.”

Chris Brunt’s deflected free-kick put the Baggies in front after 17 minutes and the midfielder then pounced on a poor clearance to score his second goal from long-range in the 31st minute.

Youssouf Mulumbu’s header made it 3-0 before half-time and late strikes from Roman Bednar and Jerome Thomas compounded the misery for Gareth Southgate’s third placed team.

Newcastle, relegated from the top-flight last season, stayed second after a 3-1 victory over struggling Plymouth but boss Chris Hughton wasn’t completely convinced by the display.

Steven Taylor opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Karl Duguid’s 50th minute equaliser gave Plymouth hope.

Kevin Nolan had converted substitute Danny Guthrie’s 61st minute cross to restore Newcastle’s lead and Argyle, who made a 818-mile round-trip to Tyneside, were beaten when Andy Carroll struck in the 84th minute.

“There were periods of the game where we made hard work of it,” Hughton said. “For whatever reason, we weren’t able to sustain it and of course the longer the game goes without getting that second one, they Plymouth are lifted by the occasion and feel they can get something.”

Ipswich boss Roy Keane admitted he is in for a long season after South African midfielder Quinton Fortune stepped off the bench to earn Doncaster a 3-3 draw at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Keane’s side remain winless and in the bottom three after their worst start to a season for 45 years.

“I think we gave bad goals away,” Keane said. “It’s certainly going to be one of those seasons where it’s going to be a long, tough battle for us and we’re going to have to give some players the benefit of the doubt as they settle into the football club both on and off the pitch.

“We’ve got one or two injuries and we’re lacking a bit of confidence as you would expect, but no one is going to hand us a victory. We’ve got to keep battling away and do it for ourselves.”

Elsewhere, Preston defeated Coventry 3-2 to keep up their promotion push, while QPR won 2-0 at Cardiff and Peterborough came from two goals down to beat Reading 3-2.

Crystal Palace ended their poor run with a 1-0 win over Derby and Blackpool won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest.

Bristol City drew 1-1 with Scunthorpe, Barnsley shared a goalless draw with Swansea and Leicester drew 3-3 at Watford.

LONDON (AFP)

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United edge Wednesday in Sheffield derby thriller

September 19, 2009


Sheffield United ended a three-year winless streak against city rivals Sheffield Wednesday with a 3-2 English Championship victory in a pulsating Steel City derby here on Friday.

Hosts United looked home and dry after racing into a 3-0 half-time lead but Wednesday struck twice in the second period to set up a frantic finish in front of a raucous sell-out crowd at Bramall Lane.

United lost their unbeaten start to the Championship season when they went down to Coventry in mid-week, but victory over Brian Laws’s men sends them up to fourth in the table ahead of the weekend’s matches in the English second tier, two points behind leaders West Bromwich Albion.

Northern Irish striker Jamie Ward spun to fire United into a seventh-minute lead following a left-wing corner and Darius Henderson doubled the Blades’ advantage in the 15th minute.

Lewis Buxton headed past his own goalkeeper three minutes before the break to put United further ahead but Marcus Tudgay dispatched a crisp volley from the edge of the area in the first minute of the second period to spark hopes of an Owls fightback.

It was Tudgay’s third goal in five Sheffield derbies but he then blazed over the crossbar after half-time substitute Etienne Etajas’s free-kick was diverted into his path.

The visitors continued to press and Dutchman Etajas struck a wicked 35-yard free-kick past Blades goalkeeper Mark Bunn in the 65th minute to pile further pressure on Kevin Blackwell’s side.

Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Grant kept his team in the game with a tremendous save from Henderson’s 74th-minute header, with Etajas fizzing a long-range effort narrowly over at the other end shortly after as Wednesday pushed for an equaliser.

Wednesday recorded their first league ‘double’ over United in 95 years last season, but in the end they were indebted to Grant for preventing first Ched Evans and then Blades captain Chris Morgan from extending the home side’s lead.

The two Sheffield clubs are two of the oldest in English football, but United are beginning their third season at this level following relegation from the Premier League in 2007 and Wednesday have not appeared in the top flight since 2000.

SHEFFIELD, England (AFP)

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China captain Zheng close to joining Celtic

September 1, 2009


China captain Zheng Zhi is close to joining Celtic, according to the Scottish club’s manager Tony Mowbray.

Zheng is a free agent after his contract at League One Charlton expired at the end of last season and has reportedly been offered a two-year contract at Parkhead.

The move can be completed outside the transfer window, which closed at 1600GMT on Tuesday, as long as Celtic can secure a work permit for the 29-year-old.

Hoops boss Tony Mowbray, who tried to sign Zheng while he was West Brom boss, said: “Zheng Zhi is a player I have tracked for some time.

“He is a highly-regarded player and was a thorn in our side when he played against us at West Bromwich Albion.

“I am delighted that he may join us. He will significantly add to the squad with his quality and the fact that he can play in a number of positions.

“We now need to tie up loose ends and obtain a work permit, which we hope to do before our next game.”

Zheng joined Charlton in December 2006 from Shenzhen, scoring nine goals in 63 games for the Addicks.

GLASGOW (AFP)

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Celtic´s Mowbray turns thoughts to Arsenal

August 23, 2009


Celtic manager Tony Mowbray says he has already settled on the side that will face Arsenal on Wednesday as he watched the Hoops warm up for their crucial Champions League tie with a 5-2 thrashing of St Johnstone.

The win, which sends the Old Firm giants top of the Scottish Premier League, came four days after they lost the first leg of their play-off match against Arsene Wenger’s side 2-0 in Glasgow.

Now, with a place in the lucrative group stages of the competition at stake, Mowbray knows his side need to score at least twice at the Emirates Stadium if they are to have any hope of going through.

And the former West Bromwich Albion boss says he has already picked the players he thinks can do a job for the Hoops in London and complete a remarkable turnaround.

“When the Arsenal draw came out the hat I think my idea of how the team might play was settled pretty quickly,” Mowbray said.

“Obviously, the result of the first leg alters your thought patterns of how you might set up for the second leg. If we had been sitting here 2-0 ahead I would probably play a different team than if we were 2-0 down. We have to go and score some goals. I am pretty clear in my mind what my team is going to be next Wednesday but wait and see.

“I understand that I get judged. If we lose 2-0 I’ve got the team wrong again. But if we manage to win 3-0 everyone will be pretty happy hopefully.”

Striker Marc-Antoine Fortune got his first goals for Celtic with a double in the match against St Johnstone. And the 3.8 million pound (five million euro) signing from Nancy was delighted to get on the score-sheet for the first time since his summer switch and said he hoped they would earn him a starting spot against Arsenal.

“I am very happy as it was at home and we won. I just try to do my best every match and I knew one day I would score,” Fortune said.

“Every player wants to play in Champions League games against the big sides and I hope to start every game but the team comes first. It will be difficult as Arsenal are a very difficult team to play.

“We did it against Moscow so we will see on Wednesday what will happen.”

Gary Caldwell’s nightmare start to the season continued in the match against Saints with his misjudged header allowing Trinidad and Tobago international Colin Samuel to rifle past Artur Boruc to make it 2-1 just before half-time.

The Scotland defender has already seen red while on international duty against Norway while his own goal made it 2-0 for Arsenal at Parkhead to compound Celtic’s misery. But Mowbray, who was also Caldwell’s gaffer when the player was at Hibernian, says he has no doubts about pitching the player in against Arsenal.

“I’m not concerned at all as he is an outstanding individual,” Mowbray said. “I said to him there ?Don’t become your own worst enemy, don’t feed the monster (of doubt) that’s chasing you. Just do your job, be consistent week in week out.’ He understands that and I’ve got no fear he will have the opportunity week in week out to be a top player for us as he will play most weeks.”

Two goals from Shaun Maloney, one either side of Fortune’s double, and a header from Australian striker Scott McDonald completed the rout against St Johnstone before former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris scored a consolation for Saints. And Mowbray says it gives his side a boost ahead of their match with Arsenal.

“I would have preferred 5-0 but I think our team is going to be capable of scoring plenty of goals as we go along,” the Celtic manager said.

“The quality we possess in the team it is going to ask lots of questions of the opposition regardless of how many men they play at the back or how many men they put behind the ball. We have some individual talent that can unlock doors for us.”

GLASGOW (AFP)

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Valero set for Mallorca loan move

August 21, 2009


Championship side West Bromwich Albion’s midfielder Borja Valero has expressed his excitement as he prepares to complete a move back to Spain with his old club Real Mallorca.

Valero joined the Baggies in a £4.7million deal last summer but was unable to keep them in the Premier League.

Mallorca recently confirmed they were keen to bring the 24-year-old back to the club for a second spell and a move now appears to be imminent, with reports in Spain suggesting the two clubs have agreed on a season-long loan deal.

It is also claimed that Mallorca would then have the option to sign Valero on a permanent basis for €4million (£3.5m).

Valero admits he would rather seal a switch to Mallorca than stay in the Championship.

“For me this is big news because to play in La Liga is better than playing in the second tier in England,” he said in the Spanish press.

Abhimanyu Rajput

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