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)

Tags: 2002 world cup finals, Chris Hughton, cup winner, danish, euro 2004 finals, FA Cup, former rangers, hat trick, Jonas Gutierrez, london, magpies, Matteo, NEWCASTLE, newcastle united, peter lovenkrands, Plymouth, plymouth argyle, replay, Roberto, roberto di matteo, schalke 04, striker, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion, winger

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

Tags: alex mcleish, alternate options, ben foster, Birmingham, carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, chris kirkland, christmas present, England, england coaches, england manager, england shirt, fabio capello, Foster, Joe Hart, manchester city, midlands club, most glittering event, paul robinson, pecking order, Portsmouth, premier league, recent games, Rob Green, s hart, s scott, Scott Carson, South Africa, Stoke, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion, world cup finals

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)

Tags: Aberdeen, ambitions, Artur Boruc, Aviv, big game, Dundee, dundee united, eight days, Falkirk, Fir Park, four points, frustrations, gaffer, Hamilton, hapoel tel aviv, home games, hoops, jerome rothen, mccourt, Paddy, parkhead, premier league, Scott Brown, Scottish Premier League, setbacks, Shaun Maloney, st mirren, target, tony mowbray, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion, Zhi

Table-topping Newcastle dedicate win to Robson

September 27, 2009

Newcastle caretaker boss Chris Hughton saw his team go to the top of the Championship on Saturday and dedicated the 4-0 win over Ipswich to the late Sir Bobby Robson, who managed both teams in his lenghty and distinguished career.

Hughton and his players all attended a memorial service for Robson, who died of cancer in July, last Monday at Durham cathedral and ensured that they marked the day when Ipswich renamed a stand in honour of their former manager in style.

“This group of lads were all at the memorial for Sir Bobby on Monday and that was an emotional occasion,” said Hughton after seeing Kevin Nolan score a hat-trick at Portman Road.

“The players were delighted to attend and we all tried to put on a performance for Sir Bobby. It was a special result and a special performance.”

Ipswich are second from bottom having now registered their worst ever start to a season, a landmark which has piled more pressure on boss Roy Keane.

“We conceded some unbelievably bad goals and we just have to defend better,” said the Irishman.

“I don’t know if Nolan has scored a hat-trick before but he won’t get an easier chance to get one. He must have thought it was Christmas.”

West Bromwich manager Roberto Di Matteo urged his team to bounce back after suffering their first Championship defeat of the season against Crystal Palace.

Despite Saturday’s 1-0 loss, the Baggies are still in the automatic promotion places, but Di Matteo warned his players they would need to be more inventive in the future to overcome the defensive tactics of teams visiting the Hawthorns.

“You will not get too many chances when teams defend with all their men and it becomes difficult,” he said. “I think every team who comes here does that and we need to cope with that.

“Now we have to make sure that we are back to our normal selves at Barnsley on Tuesday.”

Palace manager Neil Warnock denied his team had set out to frustrate Albion.

“We had read that this was going to be Albion’s ninth game without defeat and I think things like that help you,” Warnock said.

“We didn’t come to defend, we came to have a go at Albion. We pushed right up on them and I think we deserved the win. This is what we are in the game for.”

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate admitted the confidence of his players could be affected after his team threw away a two goal lead against Coventry, a last minute equaliser snatching a 2-2 draw for the Sky Blues.

The result comes on the back of last week’s 5-0 hammering against West Brom.

“The feeling in the dressing room is similar to last weekend,” Southgate admitted. “In fact, it might be a little bit worse because we had three points in our grasp and we threw them away – that is difficult to take.”

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson could barely hide his disappointment after his team surrendered their record of 24 games without a home defeat, going down 2-1 to Preston.

“We had a very good run at home but it doesn’t make it any easier to take,” Pearson said. “But we will take it on the chin and dust ourselves down and get ready for the next game.

“I’ve got no complaints. It’s disappointing but they were very disciplined and scored a very good second goal on the counter attack, which we obviously aren’t happy about. But that’s life.”

Preston manager Alan Irvine heaped praise on his team as they attempt to channel the confidence gained from breaking City’s long-standing record into a push for a place in the Premier League.

“It was an incredible record, absolutely amazing. One of the big things I was stressing to the lads at half-time was that you don’t get that kind of record without coming back,” he said.

“We put ourselves under a bit of pressure through not defending properly in the 90th minute, but apart from that I thought it was an excellent performance.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: Albion, automatic promotion, baggies, barnsley, caretaker boss, crystal palace, defensive tactics, durham cathedral, hat trick, hawthorns, ipswich, irishman, Kevin Nolan, lads, last monday, neil warnock, roberto di matteo, roy keane, sir bobby robson, West Bromwich

Arsenal aim to revive title bid against Fulham

September 26, 2009

Arsenal visit Fulham on Saturday with little margin for error after having already been hailed as both potential champions and title no-hopers just five games into their Premier League season.

At their best — and particularly in front of goal — Arsene Wenger’s side have looked the match of any of their main rivals but deficiencies in defence have underpinned an inconsistent run of results that has already brought two defeats.

The trip to Craven Cottage will provide Arsenal with the chance to restate their claims — and if they fail to do so, the presence of Brede Hangeland in the Fulham back-line could trigger feelings of regret for Wenger over his decision not to pursue his interest in the Norway centre-back this summer.

Wenger made no secret of his admiration of Hangeland before the start of the season before eventually deciding that the addition of Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax would be enough to plug any holes in his side?s back-line.

But while the Belgian has been outstanding during the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign, his presence alone hasn?t been enough to fill the gaps and Arsenal have already conceded eight league goals.

And those defensive frailties could prove costly over the coming months as the Gunners attempt to challenge at the head of the table.

Wenger’s men have had no such problems in front of goal with where they have scored 17 times in their opening five matches, although the chances of them adding significantly to that total could be limited against a well-organised Fulham side.

There is little doubt, though, that after successive away defeats to Manchester United and Manchester City, Wenger?s side must claim all three points if they are to press on in pursuit of current leaders Chelsea who have yet to drop a point.

In both those games Arsenal played well for long periods before surrendering to the kind of lapses in concentration that became a trademark of their play last season.

And while last weekend?s 4-0 defeat of Wigan helped Wenger?s side shake off the hangover of the most recent loss, the Emmanuel Adebayor-inspired 4-2 defeat at Eastlands, victory over an obstinate Fulham will provide a more telling demonstration of their resilience.

Wenger will welcome back Andrey Arshavin and Robin van Persie into his attack after the pair sat out the midweek League Cup win over West Bromwich Albion. “We had Arshavin out and a little problem with Van Persie during the week but Arshavin should be back and Van Persie should be alright,” said the manager.

Both players will be needed against a Fulham side that has maintained the progress of last season and came close to pulling off an away victory at City this week after a less impressive performance at Wolves a few days earlier.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was understandably relieved to hold onto Hangeland and with forwards Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora now both fit again, his side had added firepower to their defensive strength.

“It’s a London derby, so that gives added spice, but it’s a big game anyway, and live on television as well,” said Jonathan Greening, the Fulham captain.

“It will be a great atmosphere and after our disappointing performance against Wolves, it’s an opportunity for us to put things right against a top quality side.

“If we can show the same kind of attitude as we did against City, I think we’ll be fine on Saturday.”

LONDON (AFP)

Tags: admiration, Ajax, Andrew, Bobby, CHELSEA, CITY, craven cottage, deficiencies, Emmanuel Adebayor-inspired, five games, frailties, fulham, gaps, gunners, hopers, Johnson, jonathan greening, lapses, league campaign, league goals, london, Manchester, manchester city, manchester united, premier league, rivals, robin van persie, roy hodgson, sha, Thomas Vermaelen, United, Van Persie, West Bromwich

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)

Tags: Andy Carroll, baggies, bristol city, cardiff, chris brunt, Chris Hughton, crystal palace, Danny Guthrie, Doncaster, equaliser, free kick, gap, gareth southgate, jerome thomas, karl duguid, Keepmoat Stadium, Kevin Nolan, leicester, london, midfielder, NEWCASTLE, Nottingham, peterborough, Plymouth, Preston, Quinton Fortune, riverside stadium, roberto di matteo, roman bednar, roy keane, s promotion, sledgehammer, steven taylor, Swansea, top flight, wake up call, west brom, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion

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)

Tags: addicks, boss, captain Zheng, charlton, China, free agent, games, Glasgow, hoops, loose ends, next game, scottish club, shenzhen, thorn, tony mowbray, west brom, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion, work permit, zheng zhi, Zhi

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)

Tags: arsenal, arsene wenger, Artur Boruc, champions league, CHELSEA, Colin Samuel, Don, Gary Caldwell, Glasgow, group stages, hoops, league games, league tie, london, marc antoine fortune, match, Morris, Moscow, Nancy, Norway, premier league, remarkable turnaround, score sheet, scotland, Scottish Premier League, Shaun Maloney, st johnstone, stake, summer switch, thought patterns, tony mowbray, trinidad and tobago, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion, win 3

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

Tags: 5m, Albion, baggies, borja, England, excitement, loan deal, midfielder, premier league, rajput, real mallorca, Spain, spanish press, Valero, West Bromwich, west bromwich albion

Fulham set to sign Greening on season´s loan

August 20, 2009

Premier League club Fulham are set to sign West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jonathan Greening on a season’s loan with a view to a permanent transfer.

Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson had a four million pounds bid for Greening rejected earlier this month and the 30-year-old handed in a transfer request in an attempt to persuade his Championship team to sell.

Hodgson has finally got his man, subject to Greening passing a medical, after Albion opted to let the former Manchester United trainee leave the Hawthorns.

“The two clubs have agreed a deal on undisclosed terms and the move is now subject to Greening passing a medical,” a statement on Fulham’s website confirmed on Thursday.

LONDON (AFP)