Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Frank Lampard fears for World Cup place as England prepare for Chile
Roy Hodgson is running out of time to decide on England's World Cup 30
'The World Cup starts right here'
Five England players who need to prove their World Cup credentials | Dominic Fifield
262. Oscar, Chelsea
Keane to play until 'my legs are gone'
Football Weekly Extra: Portugal and Sweden prepare for World Cup face-off
The Fiver | Football's most controversial No2 since that Brighton dressing room
Zahir Belounis: 'The system in Qatar is killing me. Please speak up'
Player trapped in Qatar asks Zidane and Guardiola for help
England must beware Cardiff City hitman Gary Medel, Chile's dog of war | Sid Lowe
Qatar's right to stage 2022 World Cup not under threat by Fifa investigation
Fifa outlines drug testing plans for World Cup 2014 – video
Chris Coleman signs new contract to remain as Wales manager until 2016
Lampard named as England captain
Germans snub England match by taking only 1,000 tickets for Wembley
Iceland's Eidur Gudjohnsen aims for a fairytale finish by beating Croatia
United post record revenues
Sporting firsts of the 1980s: from a nine-dart finish to a 147 break
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Cristiano Ronaldo v me gives fans something to read about before Sweden v Portugal World Cup playoff – video
World Cup play-off: Croatia hope Niko Kovac can lead them past Iceland | Aleksandar Holiga
Transfer window: 10 potential January targets for Premier League clubs | Tor-Kristian Karlsen
Olsson: Mourinho called me 'Mickey Mouse player'
Manchester United's decades of late goals and the Good v Evil cricket match
Football transfer rumours: Andrés Iniesta to Manchester United?

Frank Lampard fears for World Cup place as England prepare for Chile

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:01 PM PST

• Roy Hodgson calls Ashley Cole 'a potential left-back'
• 'We all have to be on top form,' says Lampard

Frank Lampard has admitted his century of caps will count for nothing as he and England's handful of senior players seek to convince Roy Hodgson they merit inclusion in the squad for the World Cup, with Friday's friendly against Chile at Wembley the first of three auditions before the naming of the party for Brazil.

The Chelsea midfielder will be presented with his golden cap by Sir Geoff Hurst and his father, Frank Sr, before kick-off to commemorate his achievement in becoming the eighth player to accumulate 100 England appearances. Lampard will captain the side for what is actually his 103rd game and yet, with matches against Germany on Tuesday and Denmark in March to follow before Hodgson names his initial 30-man squad for Brazil on 13 May, he recognises his own place at the tournament is far from guaranteed.

Hodgson underlined the task facing all his senior players by referring to Ashley Cole, who is likely to gain a 106th cap against Chile, merely as "a potential English left-back" with competition for places apparently fierce throughout the set-up. Asked whether he would expect to be judged on his weight of experience or his form over the remainder of the campaign, Lampard said: "Mainly on the rest of the season. We're all in the same boat. What we've done up to now carries a bit of weight, some more than others, but if your form isn't good enough in the next six or seven months until May … well, we all have to be on top form. I don't think it should be any other way.

"If I walked around thinking my 103 caps would get me on the plane, I'd probably be on the beach [in the summer] because that means you're taking things for granted. I don't think any of us can afford to do that. I understand that. When you see young players coming into the squad and pushing you, no matter what age you are, you have to react. You have to worry about yourself and perform as well as you can. If you end up looking around at others, wondering who's performing better, you take your eye off the ball.

"I'm not silly. I understand that, with age and at different parts of your career, you have different challenges. I'm very determined in my challenge to show the manager, regardless of age – and he's always said it doesn't matter if you're 17 or 35 going on 36, he'll not look at you any differently – that I should be involved. The rest is up to me. We have just qualified, but the preparation begins here. We can't waste a training session, or a game. We now are looking at individuals and the team getting stronger."

Hodgson effectively has those three friendly fixtures and, at most, four training sessions to ascertain first-hand who should gain inclusion in his initial 30-man party, to be reduced to 23 thereafter, with the auditioning process under way. He has already seen a quartet of players ruled out of Friday's match after Rickie Lambert picked up a muscular injury to join Daniel Sturridge, Kyle Walker and the first-choice captain, Steven Gerrard, on the sidelines.

There will be first caps for the Southampton pair Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez, as well as Celtic's Fraser Forster in goal as he shares duties with John Ruddy, with Cole likely to start at left-back and Leighton Baines pencilled in to begin Tuesday's visit of Germany.

Everton's teenage talent Ross Barkley should earn a second cap at some stage against the team who finished third in South American qualification, with this an opportunity for the management to experiment while the seniors attempt to stake their own claim. Lampard, whose daughters Luna and Isla will be mascots at the fixture, is likely to retire from international football next summer but still aspires to do so after a successful tournament with the team in Brazil.

"I'll try and perform and put myself in contention for the World Cup and then I'll cross that bridge when it comes next summer, whether it be before, during or after the finals," added the midfielder, whose Chelsea contract also expires at the end of this season. "Hopefully it'll be after a World Cup we've won and we can all retire happily. That, for me, would be the case, turning 36 then.

"But I don't want to make that clear yet because I'm not sure of it in my own head. Club-wise, pretty much the same. You understand that, at my age and at this point of my career, it's not four- or five-year contracts. It's one-year extensions, and I'm very happy with that. I'll be looking at that as it comes round as well. I want to play for a few more years, and I want to put myself in contention to do that. I'd love to do that at Chelsea for as long as they want me and for as long as I feel I'm contributing there. There's a long season still to go, we're not even at Christmas yet, but I hope to keep performing."

Dominic Fifield

Roy Hodgson is running out of time to decide on England's World Cup 30

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:01 PM PST

Players old and new need to impress the manager against Chile with only two friendlies to follow before the squad is named

Originally the Football Association had tried to persuade Argentina to bring Lionel Messi to Wembley. Uruguay were the second choice only for that arrangement to be kiboshed because Luis Suárez and his international colleagues had the small matter of a World Cup play-off. Chile, already qualified for next summer's tournament, stepped in late on and there is no getting away from the fact the FA has not quite got the opposition it wanted as part of its 150th anniversary year.

Yet it is also true that Chile should be useful opponents, bearing in mind the importance of Roy Hodgson's team increasing their exposure to opponents from further afield. The World Cup is getting closer and Hodgson winced when he was reminded he would have only four more training sessions – two before Tuesday's game against Germany and two when Denmark visit Wembley next March – before he has to name his squad for Brazil. "You are depressing me," he said.

In other words we are getting to the stage at which Hodgson's experimentation has to be accompanied by some hard thinking. Frank Lampard, preparing to receive his golden cap, made the point that he did not regard himself as a mandatory pick and Ashley Cole, another Chelsea player with his own century of England appearances, has his own worries. If Cole was hoping Hodgson might reiterate the Chelsea left-back was still one of his first-choice players, as he has Joe Hart, the England manager actually went the other way, pointing out it was not just Leighton Baines threatening his position but Kieran Gibbs and Luke Shaw. Cole, he said, was a "potential English left-back", which is not a description he will have heard many times in the past 10 years.

Then there are Southampton's Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez, each assured of his first cap against Chile but with the considerable pressure of knowing they probably have to take this chance. "The rehearsals can be as good as you like but it's when they step on stage on the first night that it really counts," Hodgson said. "It's going to be a big night for them and unfortunately, if they do fail spectacularly and do really badly, it will be held against them."

He meant by the public, rather than himself, adding that he was not the type to "make draconian judgments if they don't have a particularly good game" but the clarification was not really needed. An undistinguished debut for either player could seriously inhibit his chances. Alternatively, if they can flourish in the way another Southampton player, Rickie Lambert, already has done, this is a good time to make a decent impression on the England manager.

The same goes for Ross Barkley, who may benefit from the fact Lambert will miss the Chile game through injury, opening the possibility of Wayne Rooney moving slightly further forward leaving the Everton teenager in competition with Tom Cleverley to play in the hole. "He's here on merit," Hodgson said of Barkley. "I know he's not played for Everton in the last couple of games but I watched him a lot in the beginning, when he was playing, and I think all Roberto Martínez is doing at the moment is giving him a slight breather. He is someone we definitely think a lot of and I certainly would not rule out the fact of him playing in either of the two games."

Lallana and Rodriguez will be the 51st and 52nd players Hodgson has used in his 19 months in the job. Fraser Forster will take that number to 53 if he deputises for Hart, though it cannot be guaranteed when Hodgson has previously had John Ruddy of Norwich City next in line. Both goalkeepers could potentially be used for 45 minutes each, whereas Hodgson intends to start with Baines in one match and Cole in another. Whoever gets the nod on Tuesday against Germany should probably take the greater encouragement.

This is new territory for Cole but hardly surprising given his omission from the last two Chelsea games and Baines's progress over the last couple of seasons. "I don't think he's lost form," Lampard said of his club colleague. "I think it's modern times at Chelsea and we all have to take it on the chin, being on the bench. It's not being dropped, it's about being patient. We all underperformed at Newcastle [the 2-0 defeat] and the manager said he could have dropped anyone. Leighton has got there on his performances but we're talking about Chelsea here. It's not easy for our manager to pick one player in any position for every game of the season."

Hodgson was also asked whether Cole had lost form. "I've got to say the games I've seen him play I thought he was playing perfectly well but it's not for me to pick Chelsea's team. From an English perspective I'm still very happy to consider Ashley Cole as a potential left-back but the competition for that spot is particularly fierce. Baines is also playing well and, on top of that, we have Gibbs and Shaw, two younger players who, I think, can definitely put these more senior ones under pressure. I would definitely not be concerned, if there were no Cole or Baines, about Gibbs or Shaw playing."

Daniel Taylor

'The World Cup starts right here'

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 02:04 PM PST

Portugal versus Sweden in Lisbon will see two icons of the modern game fighting it out for a place at the World Cup

The World Cup starts right here. With seven months to go before the death-by-samba opening notes of Brazil 2014, the scheduling may suggest otherwise. But sometimes you just have to go with these things and from the moment Portugal and Sweden were drawn together in Europe's World Cup qualifying play-offs the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a final eliminator to decide which of these club football behemoths gets to play at Brazil 2014 was always likely to be less of a subplot and more an unignorable prologue.

Zlat-Ron One – otherwise know as the first leg of Portugal versus Sweden – takes place on Friday night in Lisbon, with the second leg in Stockholm on Tuesday. As an event it already feels not so much like a meeting of nations, as a multilayered collision of interests. On Thursday morning the front cover of Lisbon's sports daily A Bola carried a giant graphic of Ronaldo's head morphed – with surprising ease: both objects are slick, shiny and oddly alluring – into the World Cup trophy itself, alongside the words: "Portugal has the best in the world, and the World Cup wants him there!"

The second part, at least, is unarguably true. Albeit in a sport increasingly entwined around the violently all-pervasive marketing of its top stars, there is another side to this. If the absence of Ronaldo would be a disaster not just for Portugal but for the global diaspora of international Ronaldo-philes, not to mention Nike, Coca-Cola, Castrol, Herbalife and KFC, we must also spare a thought here not just for Sweden, but for Xbox, Bonnier, and the mob-handed cross-border nation of Zlatan. Little wonder, then, that the World Cup starts here. It has no real choice in the matter.

Plus of course, there is the football. This is above all a deliciously moreish collision of two of the great attacking players of the age. Erik Hamren, Sweden's manager, has already had his say on this one, declaring at his pre-match press conference in Lisbon that he has already voted for his captain in the Ballon D'Or. "Ibrahimovic is my player, he is my captain and he is my No1," said Hamren. And if there has been a temptation all round to get down straight away to the brass tacks of Zlatan v Cristiano, then there is also some wider justification for this. These are two evenly matched teams, with a similarity in style, too, given Hamren's attempts to impose a more possession-based game on Sweden.

Both have a convincing defence and one attacking ace (Ibrahimovic has 20 international goals in the past two years to Ronaldo's 17). If Portugal are narrow favourites this is a reflection of the fact that it is Ronaldo who undoubtedly shades it in the modern attacking greats stakes. If this is an essentially irresolvable comparison, it is also an illuminating one. Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic have helped define not simply the conversation around football but also the way it is now played at the highest level. They are similar in lots of ways, bulked up and aggressively processed – but still recognisably street-football kids of a type that seemed likely to vanish from elite football a decade ago.

Both are perhaps beneficiaries of what has been called the Ronaldinho effect, the Brazilian's success at Barcelona the most obvious driver of a wider acceptance that the ability to beat an opponent with an off-the-cuff piece of skill can be the most effective way of countering the relentless athleticism and defensive pressing of opponents at the highest level. Helped by changes in refereeing, a degree of individualism has crept back into top level football. Albeit of the two on show here, it is Ronaldo's sheer mechanical relentlessness that makes him the more effective player. Ibrahimovic remains essentially a "flashbulb footballer", able to decide a match through a burst of explosive inspiration. In effect his career is a series of these supremely effective moments – moments that are often beyond any other footballer, such is his combination of gymnasticism, physical heft and extreme inventive technique. This has led some in England to label him a gadfly and a YouTube player, but this is to miss the point.

As he wrote in his autobiography I Am Zlatan: "I save my energy so I can burst out with fast aggressive moves." He flickers. He does it a lot. Against good teams. It is simply a way of winning.

Ronaldo, by contrast, is a more relentless figure, a one-man termite invasion of a brilliantly gifted footballer. Where Zlatan plays like he could kill you if he wanted to, but he's just going to wait until he's ready, Cristiano plays like he wants to kill you every second of the day. He is, in effect, a kind of footballing terminator. You cannot call him off. He will keep coming. And in the end, you will crumble. For this reason his numbers are frankly astonishing: the first European player in a leading league to score 40 goals in two consecutive seasons, the Real Madrid player to reach 100 league goals in the least time and now past the 300 mark.

Only Lionel Messi, who is another story altogether, can match him. For this reason you can just about – squint a little, ignore the heresy – imagine Ronaldo doing a Maradona at a World Cup and overwhelming teams in the late stages with his individual momentum. Ibrahimovic, not so much. It is a more or less meaningless distinction, but a distinction nonetheless.

More interesting than this are the points where they converge. For all their technical invention both are thrillingly powerful physical specimens. It is a quality Ronaldo honed in the Premier League and then under José Mourinho, instigator of his current gilded battering ram central role. Ibrahimovic bulked up under Fabio Capello at Inter, where he was told to focus not on the "nice" football of his Ajax days but on power and directness.

Beyond this there are personal similarities. There is a kind of revenge-of-the-nerds quality to both men. The young Ronaldo was a skinny kid with bad teeth and bad skin, a Madeiran mocked at one time by Mourinho for his island accent and manners. Raised in poverty in a suburb of Malmo, Ibrahimovic was a scrawny outsider, a bicycle thief with a brain. And it is here that something of the basic anachronism of international football begins to insert itself.

For Zlatan outsiderdom comes in part from a question of nationality. An immigrant Swede displaced by the collapse of Yugoslavia, he has described himself as "un-Swedish" and "a typical bloody Yugo", while one of the oddities of his autobiography is his apparent lack of interest in the Sweden team. More attention is paid to his struggles to get hold of an Enzo Ferrari ("There was a long waiting list – what were we going to do?") than his struggles at the 2006 World Cup the same year while the entire 2002 tournament gets less page time than a nightclub fight that happened just after it.

Perhaps in the end it is best to see Sweden's star player as an inhabitant simply of Zlatan-ville, a canton of that floating sporting super-state now moored around the Champions League and Europe's grandest big city clubs. Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo – and also Messi – have been peripheral at international tournaments, their claims to sporting ultimacy driven so far by individual feats in European club football. For Ronaldo, at 28, and Ibrahimovic, four years older, this is perhaps a final opportunity to change this dynamic.

"The team is what matters," Ibrahimovic said on Wednesday, soft-pedalling the notion of a personal duel. And the contest between the two teams is just as finely poised. Sweden are in the process of a stylistic regearing begun before Euro 2012, a rejection – sorry, Mr Hodgson – of the pragmatic Swedish football of the past 20 years.

It is no doubt galling that this process has been hampered by a lack of wider technical talent. For Sweden there are no obvious Zlatans-in-waiting. The new urban population has produced a generation of ethnic immigrant players for the under-21s but none as yet with Ibrahimovic's outstanding street football gifts. For Portugal the story is similar: they remain in outline Cristiano and 10 other adept but non‑stellar footballers.

With this in mind, and ignoring the battle of the brands, it is by no means a wider sporting tragedy that one of these modern colossi must miss the World Cup finals. Instead it could be seen as confirmation of the basic meritocracy elite level football. Great players have missed World Cups before. George Best never made it. Kevin Keegan was a two-times European footballer of the year before he played at in one. Football is not wrestling. For all the corporate interests it is still pure sport with all its glorious uncertainties, as events Friday into Tuesday in Lisbon and Stockholm will demonstrate.

Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, distant all-star brothers in arms, have both delivered at last-ditch qualification hurdles in the past. Now one must miss out. And football, whatever the outcome, is perhaps all the richer for it.

Barney Ronay

Five England players who need to prove their World Cup credentials | Dominic Fifield

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 01:53 PM PST

Friendly against Chile is a chance for Fraser Forster, Phil Jones, Ross Barkley, Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana to stake claims

Fraser Forster, Celtic, 0 caps

Forster may excel regularly for Celtic in the Champions League, thwarting opponents such as Lionel Messi and Barcelona, but he remains something of an unknown to English eyes. Formerly at Newcastle, the 25-year-old's experience south of the border is limited to loan spells with Norwich, Bristol Rovers and Stockport. At some stage this will be an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities on the international stage with a view to proving himself as Joe Hart's deputy. He still has to convince the management that he is worthy of such elevation: he has a reputation as an excellent shot-stopper, but is happiest when anchored to his line and does not always dominate his six-yard box. People are dismissive of the standard of the Scottish Premiership, suggesting he is not tested regularly enough to warrant inclusion. Certainly, he will do well to dislodge Ben Foster once the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper returns to fitness, and John Ruddy, who will presumably also play 45 minutes on Friday and benefits from working on a daily basis with the England goalkeeping coach, Dave Watson, at Norwich. Yet Forster can still make an impact. If he impresses, he cannot be ignored.

Phil Jones, Manchester United, 8 caps

It is a little more than two years since Jones impressed in central midfield as England overcame the reigning world and European champions, Spain, in a friendly, and yet the 21-year-old is still seeking regular involvement. There have been untimely injuries, though the youngster has arguably been undermined by his own versatility. How else does one explain how someone heralded by Sir Alex Ferguson as potentially "one of Manchester United's greatest", as a modern-day Franco Baresi by Fabio Capello, and by Sir Bobby Charlton as reminiscent of Duncan Edwards, remains a fringe player whose optimum position is unknown? Jones considers himself a centre-half, even if he has had to be patient to make any impression there at all at United given the influence of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. His versatility will surely see him included in the squad for Brazil. Yet he will aspire to travelling as under-study elect for Gary Cahill or Phil Jagielka, the first-choice centre-halves.

Ross Barkley, Everton, 1 cap

This has been the teenager's breakthrough season at Everton, the midfielder having benefited from loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds. He had a promising debut back in September, albeit against a fragile Moldova, and he impressed in training ahead of the critical ties with Montenegro and Poland even if Roy Hodgson chose not to risk him in the team. Since then he has been rested by Everton on occasion, which may ensure he is fresh to play his part against Chile and Germany over the next five days. Barkley would relish that free role behind a striker, running at back-tracking defenders and testing the goalkeeper from range. He would offer England something different, allowing Wayne Rooney to operate in the lone forward role and benefiting from experienced players at his back. This is a player of real promise and England's wildcard of the moment.

Jay Rodriguez, Southampton, 0 caps

The Southampton forward's inclusion was surprising not least because he has a solitary Under-21s cap to his name – which involved 30 minutes against Italy two years ago as England lost 1-0 in Empoli. But he will play a part against Chile and has a chance to show he can operate effectively as a wide attacker, possibly on the left in Danny Welbeck's absence. Rooney, Daniel Sturridge and Welbeck will all travel to Brazil, fitness permitting. If Roy Hodgson wants a quintet of forwards in his 23-man squad, as seems likely, then Rodriguez will presumably go head-to-head with his club-mate Rickie Lambert, Andy Carroll and Jermain Defoe in search of one of the remaining berths. There may be merit in selecting Lambert and Rodriguez, club-mates on the same wavelength, though the pair still have plenty to prove. Given how little game time remains on this stage before the squad is announced, Rodriguez's impact must be immediate.

Adam Lallana, Southampton, 0 caps

A player whose progression up through the leagues with Southampton has been heartening, and whose displays recently at the south coast club have been excellent warranting his inclusion in the squad. Lallana has been involved on the periphery at this level before, having been called up for the World Cup qualifying draw with Ukraine in September 2012. He did not make his debut that night but, at 25, will feel he is now coming into his prime. Midfield is an area where England boast real competition for places, but maintaining the form typified by that scintillating goal against Hull City last Saturday would thrust Lallana firmly into Hodgson's thinking. He can be both supplier and scorer, operating in any of that trio of positions behind the forward where his clever movement makes him such a menace for opposing defenders. The Southampton story, as a whole, is uplifting but their captain personifies their rise.

Dominic Fifield

262. Oscar, Chelsea

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

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Keane to play until 'my legs are gone'

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 12:47 PM PST

• Striker vows to play on until his 'legs are gone'
• Keane ready to sign new contract with LA Galaxy

Robbie Keane has welcomed "a new chapter in Irish football" by announcing he has no intention of quitting the Republic of Ireland and will extend his club career with a new long-term contract at LA Galaxy.

Doubt had surrounded the 33-year-old's future on the international stage after the Republic of Ireland's failure to qualify for the World Cup under Giovanni Trapattoni. In the build-up to Martin O'Neill's first game as manager against Latvia on Friday, however, the striker was adamant he would play until "my legs are gone" and has no plans to relinquish the captaincy. Keane did rule out the prospect of returning to the Premier League in January due to an achilles problem, although the injury has not deterred Galaxy from offering their captain a new deal.

"I haven't signed it yet but it is verbally agreed, two and possibly three years," said Keane. "I am excited about that. Usually when you hit the 30-mark you get a one-year rolling contract to see how you are, so it goes to show the faith they have in me to give me that contract, and I will play on as long as I feel healthy and fit. At the moment I feel good, I have a few niggles which I have had in the past and I will look at thatbut I will continue as long as I can."

Keane could have followed players such as David Beckham and Landon Donovan in leaving the MLS on loan in January but said his fitness had to take priority over a return to the Premier League. "I wouldn't say that will happen because of the achilles injury that I want to sort out," he said. "I'm speaking to the doctors at the moment and we will decide where to go next week. It could be I have to get a clean-out or if not I'll have to do a lot of rehab to make sure it doesn't come back. So at this moment in time, probably not."

The former Tottenham forward has 61 goals in 130 appearances for Ireland, "a phenomenal record," said O'Neill. The new Republic manager added: "If you look at some of the other players who have played international football for reputedly better teams than the Republic of Ireland, whose record is nowhere like that, his record is remarkable. Really remarkable. Naturally I would have liked to have had in my time here a 23-year-old Robbie Keane instead of a 64-year-old Robbie Keane. That's a problem."

It is a problem Keane is acutely aware of but, enthused by the appointments of O'Neill and Roy Keane, he intends to continue leading the team throughout qualifying for Euro 2014. He said: "You have seen the response in the last few weeks from the whole nation. It has been incredible. That's the lift that everybody wanted and you don't get two bigger characters than Martin and Roy. Everyone is enthusiastic about this partnershipand the players are too."

O'Neill turned to Keane at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday and told the striker to "keep playing until you're 64". But the manager admitted the captaincy may be addressed later in his tenure. "Somewhere down the line there might be changes," said O'Neill. "Personally I don't see it as the most important element. If he's playing well and scoring goals for us, I'll be delighted. If he wants to relinquish it and concentrate on playing at some point, then I'll listen to it."

Keane said: "I want to play as long as I can but I'm not daft. I'm 33 years of age and next time the Euros come around, ultimately it's the manager's choice [about the captaincy]. If I keep playing well and scoring goals, then there's no problem but, if I feel my legs are gone, then I'll pack in."

O'Neill claimed he will not decide on his team or formation until match day and will make several changes in Poland next Tuesday as he considers the options available. The feelgood factor of his appointment, he concedes, will be maintained only with victory over Marian Pahars's Latvia.

The Ireland manager said: "Bobby [Ward], our head of security, has been looking after me for the last few days. I said to him: 'I don't want you looking after me now Bobby, everything's fine. It's after we lose a few games that you should be looking after me.' It's been great, I'm genuinely excited about the game, but I'm well aware that this is the 10-minute honeymoon you get."

Republic of Ireland (probable, 4-4-1-1): Forde; Coleman, O'Shea, Pearce, Wilson; McGeady, McCarthy, Whelan, Walters; Hoolahan; Keane.

Latvia (probable, 5-3-2): Kolinko; Gabovs, Bulvitis, Gorkss, Maksimenko, Sinelnikous; Fertovs, Laizans, Lazdins; Sabala, Visnakovs.

Andy Hunter

Football Weekly Extra: Portugal and Sweden prepare for World Cup face-off

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:55 AM PST

Ahoy listeners and welcome to what is almost certainly our best ever show during the international week.

On today's Football Weekly Extraaaa, AC Jimbo is joined by Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair, Jacob Steinberg and Marcus Christenson for a look ahead to all the friendlies and World Cup play-offs coming up over the next week, including CR7/Portugal's clash with Zlatan/Sweden, Iceland's tussle with Croatia, Ghana's trip (or not) to Egypt, and England.

Plus, we've got Jonathan Wilson on the phone to tell us all about Uruguay's 5-0 win over Jordan and why he loves Chile; Dr Sid Lowe giving his prognosis on Leo Messi's hamstring; and we tell you everything you wanted to know about Martin Jol's new assistant at Fulham, René Meulensteen.

We have an extraordinarily exciting competition coming up on Monday's show, and to keep you even more entertained in the interim, be sure to check out Jimbo's European paper review which will be up on Friday morning.

The Fiver | Football's most controversial No2 since that Brighton dressing room

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:26 AM PST

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

KEANE AS MUSTARD: ENGLAND HAS MR ROY, THE REPUBLIC O'IRELAND HAS MR O'ROY

Debbie McGhee, Mister Spock, Dan Quayle and the procession of pretty young girls suspiciously lured into The Doctor's Tardis under assorted flimsy and outlandish pretexts over the years. The world is full of well-known assistants, but few enjoy the notoriety of Mr O'Roy, who recently became the most controversial No2 in football since some naughty person did that poo on the floor of Crystal Palace's dressing room at Brighton.

Yesterday, having spent his morning diligently ironing bibs, polishing training cones and checking the straightness of slalom poles with his trusty spirit level, the assistant Republic O'Ireland manager took the unusual step of staging a very long press conference, at which it is probably safe to say every single one of the huge number of hacks present remembered to turn off their phones.

If the press corps were hoping to see Mount Keane erupt, they were left disappointed, which is hardly surprising considering the angry, red-faced, snarling hell-demon many presume him to be doesn't exist and is largely a media caricature. Yes, maybe Mr O'Roy has a bit of a temper and his "people" skills leave a little to be desired from time to time, but in a business where management teams get precious little time with their players, his often admirable bluntness, honesty and refusal to beat around the bush in the face of idiocy could serve him well. He will, after all, be working with grown men … albeit in a group containing many who are probably very scared of him.

"There's nothing to tame," he said in response to the opening query about his perceived place in the football firmament as Violent And Uncontrollable Wild Shouty Man From Cork. "I'm not some sort of animal, you know what I mean? I'm a footballing man, I like to work hard and push people and I suppose that sometimes I have got that slightly wrong on one or two occasions over the years. But generally speaking I look back and think I got a lot of it right."

During a wide-ranging Q&A session attended by twice the number of hacks who'd turned up to quiz his boss the previous day, Keano got visibly more relaxed, only looking mildly irritated when refusing to address Lord Ferg's comments about him in Ma Booky Wook, although he did suggest his former Manchester United had been telling fibs. Hell, he even went into stand-up mode, cracking a few reasonably amusing zingers, prompting plenty of sycophantic, excessively raucous forced laughter that is peculiar to football press conferences.

"The hotel is lovely, the food is lovely, the training ground doesn't have any pot-holes … it even has footballs. Bibs, everything. There's been real progress," he deadpanned with a knowing gleam in his eye, going on to liken his role in the Irish set-up to that of the uncle in every family that nobody likes. As long as that's all he has in common with Weird Uncle Fiver, it seems for now the players of O'Ireland have little to fear.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Luckily we live in a country where freedom of expression is a valuable asset. We also respect the public's right to information. And we are also aware that we are human beings with faults and weaknesses, and by no means perfect individuals. Nevertheless, we wonder, given the 'reports' about us in the newspaper Österreich whether journalists really can do whatever they like and whether we should just let it go? We say: NO!" – members of the Austrian national team pen an open letter on their FA's website, complaining about lazy journalism from the domestic media.

FIVER LETTERS – STILL WITH PRIZES

"It seems the bods over at Football Manager Towers have been doing some sleuthing and discovered that, among the 10m+ illegal downloads of the game, one came from within the Vatican. An attempt by the Pope to restore pride to His O'Rangers, don't you think?" – Liam McGuigan.

"What a journey of self-analysis yesterday's Fiver was for me! Thanks largely to the international break, I found Boro back once more in the headlines; but my joy was short-lived. As one of the tiny handful of Irish Boro fans, I wondered (as I have done pretty much every other day since the mid-90s) why my affections are so tied to this foreign club, my weekly mental state dependant upon their results. Why do I not feel such attachment to my local club in the Irish league, or better yet the Irish national team? Pertinently, the Fiver then mentioned that Roy Keane has apparently been trying to 'please everybody', but won't be bothering any more … and I was back on solid ground, re-watching Albert Adomah's opening goal against Doncaster the other week. Thanks! PS: personalised Fivers, the future of unfunny tea-timely emails?" – Keith Hennigan.

"As a typically stupid Fiver reader, I'm a little confused why you've used a photo of Phil Daniels in yesterday's article about Aitor Karanka" – Jimbob Baron.

• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our letter o'the day is: the Austrian national te … sorry, Liam McGuigan, who wins a copy of Football Manager 2014, courtesy of the very kind people at Football Manager Towers. We've got one more copy to give away, so if you haven't been lucky thus far, keep trying.

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BITS AND BOBS

Po' Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Fiver!

Brazilian players stood still with their arms crossed for several minutes during league games last night in protest at the nation's congested fixture calendar. "We want the CBF to know that we want more answers and more action to improve our football," sniffed Corinthians defender Paulo Andre, a leader of the STOP FOOTB … sorry, the Common Sense Football Club movement.

The cost of creating a decent atmosphere at Wembley for an England match is £6,800, according to Fifa, who fined the FA that amount for failing to prevent Poland fans from setting off flares for 90 minutes last month.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness sobbed salty tears of joy as he was serenaded with chants of "Uli, Uli, Uli" at the club's AGM, where 113-year record high turnover of €393m was announced. Hoeness also promised to face tax-knack charges like a man: "I did not take hundreds of millions out of the country. I will face this mistake. I have every faith in the Bavarian justice system," he spluttered.

And French clubs have postponed their planned strike against the 75% French super tax in order to resume mediation talks.

STILL WANT MORE?

Ever wondered how Jorge Sampaoli rekindled the embers of Chile's Bielsa years? You as well? Then let Jonathan Wilson explain.

Eidur Gudjohnsen gets his hot chat on with Jacob Steinberg.

Fancy a cut-price Croat, a Danish prodigy or a free-scoring Serbian? Tor-Kristian Karlsen picks out 10 potential January bargains to watch over the international break.

Manchester United's decades of late goals and goalkeeper overhead-kick goals star in this week's Classic YouTube.

The history of international football transfers, from 1900-2013, visualised in this snazzy datablog.

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

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THANK YOU FOR THE SIX BOXES OF PERI-PERI-FLAVOURED GROOVED SNACKS

Barry Glendenning

Zahir Belounis: 'The system in Qatar is killing me. Please speak up'

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:19 AM PST

In an emotional letter to Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola, the French player pleads with football legends to help him leave the country as the authorities continue to hold him against his will

Mr Zidane and Mr Guardiola,

My name is Zahir Belounis and I am a French professional footballer.

After a legal dispute with my club, I am being prevented from returning home to France.

I haven't seen my family in France since June 2012 because my employer refuses to give me the exit visa needed to leave the country. This is a special document that only exists in this country and Saudi Arabia.

I am not alone in this predicament. Many workers who are to build the stadiums for the 2022 World Cup risk finding themselves in the same situation as me.

When someone suggested that I write to you, I figured that you have been great footballers but also great men so I would appeal to you to use your renown to intervene, or try to intervene, to end the impasse.

I know that you have many demands for your time but I ask you to please help me. Please understand that I am a victim.

I know that you served as ambassadors for Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid. You did this with good intentions but the reality is that if Qatar does not scrap its "exit visa" system, then there will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of people trapped here.

Before these problems I was a happy man in Doha. My two daughters were born here and I know that many Qataris are working hard to make this an unforgettable World Cup and I am sure that it will be! The Middle East deserves to host this global event because it is a unique way to bring people together to enjoy a fraternal celebration between nations. On the other hand, and in spite of all the good things that I could say about this country that has a sincere desire to do great things, I have been living a nightmare for several months because of the kafala system. This system is slowly killing me and many other people risk suffering in the same way. I am well placed to speak about it because I am completely bound up in it, so I take this opportunity to demand change for a better world …

I ask you to use your influence as football ambassadors to talk about what is happening to me and what is happening to many other young men here in Qatar. People are being kept far from their countries because of the exit visa system. This system should not exist and we need people like you, who love sport and its [good] image, to make our voices heard.

You know what it is like to have children. Imagine what I am going through every day in a house that is half-empty – because when they promised me that they would give me my exit visa, I sold my furniture – and when I see the look in my daughters' eyes, I feel ashamed, I feel disgusted with myself for inflicting such conditions on them.

I speak to you as fathers and as former footballers and I ask you, please speak up and do what you can to help me get home.

Kind regards,

Zahir Belounis

Player trapped in Qatar asks Zidane and Guardiola for help

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:01 AM PST

• Zahir Belounis held against will due to Qatari labour laws
• Gulf state is refusing to allow him to leave over wage row
• Read Belounis' letter in full

Zahir Belounis, the French professional footballer trapped in Qatar under its controversial labour laws, has written an impassioned plea to the former 2022 World Cup ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola asking them to intervene on his behalf. The 33-year-old has not been allowed back to France since June 2012 because he has been embroiled in a legal dispute with his former club al-Jaish, who play in the Qatar Stars League, over two years' unpaid wages.

Under the kafala system that ties employees to their "sponsors", migrant workers cannot leave the Gulf state unless their employer agrees and Belounis has been left in limbo in Doha with his wife and two daughters. In the letter to Zidane and Guardiola, who were both active ambassadors for the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid, Belounis says he has been "living a nightmare" in recent months due to a system that is "slowly killing me". He warns that "hundreds if not thousands" of others are suffering the same way and appeals to them as "fathers and former footballers" to do all they can to help him escape Qatar.

"I know that you served as ambassadors for Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid," said Belounis in his open letter. "You did this with good intentions but the reality is that if Qatar does not scrap its 'exit visa' system, then there will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of people trapped here."

Belounis acknowledges the commitment of those trying to organise the World Cup, which is likely to be moved to the winter to avoid the unsafe summer heat, and says the Middle East deserves to host the tournament. But he adds: "I ask you to use your influence as football ambassadors to talk about what is happening to me and what is happening to many other young men here in Qatar."

The global players' union, Fifpro, has said that Belounis had been forced to sell most of his possessions and it would forward an emergency payment from its hardship fund. Belounis said: "People are being kept far from their countries because of the exit visa system. This system should not exist and we need people like you, who love sport and its [good] image, to make our voices heard."

The intervention of the French embassy has not been enough to persuade the club to grant Belounis an exit visa. He believed he would be allowed to return home last weekend after signing a document giving up his claim to the unpaid wages but he was then asked to sign another document, which he believed could lead to him being charged with defamation and the imposition of a travel ban. He refused, believing that could leave him confined to Qatar for as long as the case took to be heard, which could be years.

Belounis, who has met France's president, François Hollande, over his ordeal, began legal action against al‑Jaish in February last year, claiming that money due to him from a new contract signed in 2010 had not been paid.

Fifpro this week wrote to Sepp Blatter, who visited Qatar last weekend, urging the Fifa president to intervene. It said it remained "deeply concerned" about Belounis's "precarious situation".

But on Thursday Fifa said it could do nothing to help Belounis because he had lodged a legal claim in the Qatar courts rather than taking the "second option available" of referring the matter to its dispute resolution chamber. Despite saying: "Fifa fully respects basic human rights and also requests that its member associations and the hosts of its events respect them," it said it was "unable to intervene". Fifpro said it was aware of "many more players and coaches" who were in a similar position in Qatar.

Zidane, the former world footballer of the year who is now a coach at Real Madrid, is believed to have been paid almost £2m to be an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup bid and helped revive the campaign at a crucial time following a Fifa technical report that flagged up concerns about logistics and the searing summer heat.

Guardiola, the Bayern Munich manager, played in Qatar for two years towards the end of his career and is thought to have played a key role in deepening the ties between the country's investment arm and his former club Barcelona. The Catalan club ditched their long-standing policy of shunning a shirt sponsor in favour of a deal with the Qatar Foundation and then Qatar Air. The Qatar 2022 bid team spent millions on ambassadors who also included the former Holland midfielder Ronald de Boer as part of an unprecedented spending spree to secure the World Cup in December 2010.

James Masters, a CNN reporter who has helped publicise the plight of Belounis, said this week that the player was close to suicide over the situation he had found himself in. Human rights organisations have warned that the kafala system that has left Belounis trapped in Doha has also contributed to the suffering of migrant workers in the construction sector, with the International Trade Union Congress claiming that up to 4,000 could die before the World Cup kicks off in 2022.

In his letter, Belounis says: "I am not alone in this predicament. Many workers who are to build the stadiums for the 2022 World Cup risk finding themselves in the same situation as me."

Many migrant workers are forced to sign away their claim to unpaid wages before being allowed to leave the country. A Guardian investigation showing that dozens of immigrant Nepalese workers had died in recent months alone in conditions akin to "modern day slavery" forced Blatter to address the issue last month.

But after last weekend meeting with the Emir of Qatar and the World Cup 2022 Supreme Committee, which includes many senior government ministers, he declared that he was happy with the progress being made on the issue of workers' rights.

Belounis said he hoped that as former players and parents themselves, Zidane and Guardiola would empathise with his predicament. "Imagine what I am going through every day in a house that is half-empty – because when they promised me that they would give me my exit visa, I sold my furniture – and when I see the look in my daughters' eyes, I feel ashamed, I feel disgusted with myself for inflicting such conditions on them."

The Qatar Football Association has denied Belounis's claims, saying that it had helped him recover unpaid wages when he played for another club in the country but that he had never lodged a complaint about al-Jaish.

Owen Gibson

England must beware Cardiff City hitman Gary Medel, Chile's dog of war | Sid Lowe

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST

From South America to South Wales, the man they call the Pitbull has more to his game than tough tackling

It could have come straight off the side of Del Boy Trotter's yellow Robin Reliant. Barcelona … Turin … Cardiff?! "It was a bit surreal," Malky Mackay grinned, but there it was: a source of pride for the Cardiff City manager, more proof that Gary Medel could prove to be the perfect signing, and a man of whom England will have to beware. Chile's dog of war, an idol the equal of men performing on more glamorous stages.

"When you look at the press cutting after he scored the winner for Chile in the final game to be put through to the World Cup – which I have looked at and it put a smile on my face – there is a photo of the three top players," Mackay explains. "Alexis Sánchez of Barcelona, Arturo Vidal of Juventus and Gary Medel of Cardiff City. The photo has those three names and those three teams underneath, which is a bit surreal."

Cardiff signed Medel at half-time during Sevilla's pre-season match at Old Trafford in the summer; instead of travelling back to Spain after the game, the Chilean headed straight to Wales with his new team. For Mackay, it represented a significant victory.

"There were certain points when we didn't think we could get him," he admits. "It was just the stubbornness on my part, where I thought: 'I'm going to keep trying here until I see him signing for someone else.'"

The impact has been immediate; on one level at least, it has also been unexpected. The Cardiff manager speaks highly of a player who is always on the ball, a man whose pass completion was over 96% against Swansea and 99% against Fulham.

"I don't know I've ever seen that before," Mackay says. He also notes proudly: "And when you've got Xavi coming out in the Barcelona press last season saying that he thinks they should sign him, that's not a bad marker to have. Players that keep the ball for the team are gold."

That description may come as a surprise to supporters in Spain. Xavi's alleged remarks are of doubtful credibility and the image they have of Medel in Spain is not so much him spraying the ball around the pitch as spraying bits of plastic chair around the touchline. When he was sent off against Atlético Madrid last season, he was furious. His then team-mate Alvaro Negredo had to pull him away from the referee. As he stomped along the touchline, manager Unai Emery spoke to him but on he marched. When he reached a chair on the touchline, he booted it into submission, two policemen sitting alongside flinching and turning away from the impact, hands up in self defence as the plastic splintered. The red card had been harsh, but it was no isolated moment.

Medel was sent off seven times for Sevilla. During the 2010 World Cup, the then Chile manager Marcelo Bielsa said: "Gary has so much desire to get the ball off his opponent that every time he goes into a challenge, he puts his whole life into it." His nickname, the Pitbull, was one he embraced and it said it all. Short but thick-necked, powerful, his eyes narrowed, brow heavy, he was aggressive, flying into challenges, confronting everyone and everything. For him to be redefined as a ball player may say something about the difference between the English and Spanish games. It is certainly striking. Or is it? "I am the Pitbull". Talk about giving a dog a bad name. One Sevilla team-mate blows out his cheeks. "Pfff ..." he says. As far as he is concerned, Medel was the best player in the Sevilla side and by a "very long way".

"I'm not so surprised he's playing well there," Emery insists. "He was a very good player, an idol in Chile. The truth is that his impact at Sevilla was uneven but people saw the conflict, the red cards, the rebelliousness. Sometimes people would get on his back and he would leap at them. People saw someone always at the very limit.

"But I didn't see him like that. He gave us real personality but he also had a bigger footballing part to play. He had energy and was important in the transitions. He was the 'pivot' who joined the team up; moves started with him and last season he had a lot of contact with the ball. He scored seven times. I thought he was an important player to lose. But the player and the person run in parallel. His behaviour sometimes got in the way of the way he played. His conduct is a product of the way he lived. He grew up like that."

Raised in the poor area of Cerro San Cristóbal in the district of Conchalí, Medel's story is not so much a report as a novel. There have been conflicts, crashes and confrontations. While playing at Boca, Medel once told how "in my neighbourhood, you'd see it all. There's more pressure [there] than at the Bombonera. One time while playing, I found three guns pointed at my head."

Another time he admitted: "If I hadn't been a footballer, I would have been a narcotraficante", a drug dealer. Those who knew him at Sevilla insists that Medel has a "good heart" and that when he made mistakes he was "full of remorse ... he always felt like the sorriest man on earth."

But there were mistakes and at times there were those at Sevilla who wondered if he was worth it; €13m from Cardiff was a good offer. The tough guy image mattered to him. When he was called up to the Chile squad, he admitted: "There's no hard man who can't be softened at times." But he remained determined not to cry during the national anthem, so that no one called him "the gay pitbull".

At Sevilla, players couldn't help smiling when they saw that the "embrace" between Medel and members of his family would involve punching each other. Properly. "He saw the nickname as a good thing, he internalised it: 'I am the Pitbull'. He played the role," Emery says. That was not always a good thing; it conditioned the way he played and the way others reacted to him. The club worked closely with Medel; they looked after him, talking to him constantly, players and staff. The work was pastoral and psychological as well as tactical.

"We tried to get him to correct those episodes and he was improving," Emery admits. "He was a rebel who needed teaching, channelling. He didn't need to leave all the aggression behind as a player but as a person. It was getting better and better and I think English football is perfect for him: the contact that was frowned up here will be welcomed. It will suit him and he won't feel that sense of injustice against him. The values of English football – hard but noble, that idea of virility but with respect – will suit him.

"I'm really pleased and not surprised that he has started so well. I insist, he is a very good footballer. But he really got into the role: 'I am the Pitbull'. And a Pitbull has to bite. Fine, but don't bite your owner. Sometimes the Pitbull did."

Sid Lowe

Qatar's right to stage 2022 World Cup not under threat by Fifa investigation

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:37 AM PST

• Ethics committee does not have the power to change hosts
• Fifa's investigation into bidding process is ongoing

Fifa's independent ethics committee has no power to remove the 2022 World Cup from Qatar whatever the outcome of its investigations, a senior source at the world governing body has confirmed.

The ethics investigator Michael Garcia is conducting an investigation into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, leading to some speculation that Qatar's hosting of the 2022 event could be under threat.

Qatar insists it followed all the bidding rules but even if wrongdoing is uncovered by Garcia, the ethics committee can only sanction individuals – it has no power over Fifa's decisions.

The Fifa source said: "If Garcia finds something which was wrong, the ethics committee has the right to take sanctions.

"But does he have the right to say: 'based on what I have found the World Cup should not be played in Qatar?' No, he does not have that right."

Only Fifa's executive committee, the 25-strong board headed by the president Sepp Blatter which originally chose Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments respectively, can make such a decision.

Fifa's auditor, Domenico Scala, raised the question of the World Cup decision earlier this year, telling a Swiss newspaper: "Should Qatar demonstrably be seen to have paid bribes in the run-up to the World Cup award then it could possibly be voided. Then the [bidding] process should be repeated."

Fifa made it clear last month that the 2022 World Cup would be played in Qatar but that it would look at moving the tournament to the winter to avoid the extreme heat of the summer.

Blatter visited Qatar last week where he raised the issue of conditions for migrant workers following an investigation that highlighted appalling treatment by some employers.

After meeting the Emir of Qatar, he said he had "reconfirmed to the Emir" that the tournament will be played in Qatar and would not be in January to avoid any clash with the winter Olympics.

Fifa outlines drug testing plans for World Cup 2014 – video

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:52 AM PST

Fifa's chief medical officer, Jiri Dvorak, explains Fifa's plans for drugs testing at the 2014 World Cup

Chris Coleman signs new contract to remain as Wales manager until 2016

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:41 AM PST

• Manager had been linked with vacant Crystal Palace job
• Previous contract was due to end this weekend

Chris Coleman will lead Wales into their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign after the saga over his contract extension was finally resolved.

It is understood the 43-year-old has signed a new two-year deal that will see him through the next qualification effort, and the Football Association of Wales is set to hold a press conference at lunchtime on Friday where the deal will be made public.

Terms on a new contract had been verbally agreed as long ago as September, but back-to-back defeats to Macedonia and Serbia led the FAW to opt to wait until the end of a disappointing World Cup campaign before making a final decision on whether to offer Coleman an extension.

Coleman had been unhappy with that decision and the former Fulham manager was also opposed to a request from the FAW to change his backroom staff, although John Hartson has recently stood down from his coaching role. The series of events, and the emergence of Craig Bellamy as a contender to take over the reins, left Coleman's future in doubt.

But the Dragons finished their World Cup campaign last month with a 1-0 home win over Macedonia and an excellent draw against Belgium in Brussels, despite Coleman's squad being decimated by injury. Those results tipped the balance back in the manager's favour and renewed contract discussions over recent days have progressed positively, meaning he will now lead Wales in their next effort to reach a first major finals since 1958.

Coleman, who took over in January 2012 following the death of Gary Speed, had also been linked with the managerial vacancy at Crystal Palace but had appeared to fall down the pecking order for the Selhurst Park job. But Coleman made clear to the FAW his desire to remain in charge, while the governing body believes he represents a safe pair of hands and is worthy of another chance having taken over the job in the worst of circumstances.

Coleman has four wins and one draw from 14 games which, at first glance, does not represent a stellar return. But, except for a nightmarish September, there have been some encouraging signs under his stewardship this year and he retains the backing of the Wales dressing room.

Twenty-three teams will join the hosts, France, in the 2016 finals and the qualifying draw is in February next year.

Lampard named as England captain

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:17 AM PST

• Midfielder to lead side with Steven Gerrard out injured
• Rickie Lambert to miss friendly after knock in training
• Goalkeeper Joe Hart will start on bench

Frank Lampard has been confirmed as England captain for Friday's friendly against Chile at Wembley.

The regular captain Steven Gerrard is out with a hip injury, so Lampard will lead the team out at Wembley instead.

Before kick-off the Chelsea midfielder will be awarded a golden cap to commemorate his 100th appearance for England and he will be joined on the pitch by his two daughters Luna and Isla, who are mascots at the friendly international.

The FA confirmed on its official Twitter account that Lampard would lead the side against Chile. Lampard won his 100th cap against Ukraine in September, but the England manager Roy Hodgson has waited until this week to mark the achievement by handing Lampard the captaincy, and his golden cap.

Gerrard has had a pain-killing injection in his hip and Hodgson is hopeful that the Liverpool midfielder will be fit for Tuesday's friendly against old foes Germany. Although Gerrard and Michael Carrick are out, there is plenty of competition for places in midfield.

Jack Wilshere and the uncapped Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana could slot in alongside Lampard while Ross Barkley is also available, although he could start in a more advanced role just behind a lone striker.

Kyle Walker is out of the Chile game while Daniel Sturridge is also likely to miss the friendly because of a foot injury.

Joe Hart will definitely not start, confirmed Hodgson. Hart, who has been England's unanimous choice between the sticks over recent years, was recently dropped by his club side Manchester City after a series of mistakes.

Hodgson, who has already endorsed Hart as his No1 keeper, will opt to experiment with either Fraser Forster or John Ruddy owing to the fact that World Cup qualification is sewn up.

"Joe Hart won't be starting, you will have to work out for yourself which of the others won't," he said on Thursday.

Hodgson said he would put giving players a chance to prove themselves ahead of ensuring England's unbeaten run at home continued. England's next match after the meeting with Germany next Tuesday is not until March, meaning there is little time for experimentation before he names his World Cup squad.

"I've got to put the performances in front of protecting an unbeaten run," he said. "I do need in these two games to have a look at one or two players, as who Frank (Lampard) rightly said are heavily knocking on the door.

"There's only these two matches plus the one in March to do that. I can't dismiss the need to give some playing time to people we need to know more about. I'm not trying to play down the importance of winning games, but I'm not going to do it if it will be at the detriment to have a look at some players. I need to be wiser in March with regards to some players than I am now."

Germans snub England match by taking only 1,000 tickets for Wembley

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 05:33 AM PST

• FA still expecting crowd of over 80,000 for friendly
• Lack of interest blamed on midweek scheduling

German fans have turned their backs on next Tuesday's friendly against England with the country's football association taking fewer than 1,000 tickets for the game at Wembley.

The FA is still expecting a crowd in excess of 80,000 for the game but the fact that so few travelling supporters will be in attendence will come as an embarrassment considering the number of tickets sold to away fans for previous games.

More than 20,000 Poland fans were at Wembley for their side's World Cup qualifying defeat in October, while the FA also provided large allocations for the friendlies against Scotland and Republic of Ireland earlier this summer.

A combination of it being a midweek fixture and the fact that Germany also have an away trip to Italy on Friday are being put forward as the reasons for the low German interest.

Iceland's Eidur Gudjohnsen aims for a fairytale finish by beating Croatia

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 05:26 AM PST

Veteran former Chelsea striker hopes to end his international career at the World Cup next summer with Iceland's unlikely lads

Eidur Gudjohnsen, once Iceland's history boy, was in danger of becoming their forgotten man two years ago. A player who had twice won the Premier League with Chelsea and, even more impressively, the treble with Barcelona in 2009 had drifted into an irrelevance at the top level. Rejected by Fulham, Stoke City and Tottenham, Gudjohnsen went to play for AEK Athens in 2011, the Greek club persuading him to join them with the promise of regular football and a fresh challenge in a new country. It seemed like a good opportunity. Yet in October, in only his 10th game for the club, he suffered a double leg break against Olympiakos, a potentially ruinous injury for a player who was 33, and then agreed to terminate his contract at the end of the season.

Where once Gudjohnsen made history by coming on as a substitute for his father, Arnor, when he made his international debut against Estonia in 1996, now he was on the verge of being consigned to it. By his own admission, the forward was "a bit of a journeyman". He had a trial with Seattle Sounders but it did not work out; instead he ended up in Belgium last September, signing for Cercle Brugge, where his form improved enough to earn a move to Club Brugge in January of this year and, then, a return to Lars Lagerback's Iceland squad. They were pushing hard to qualify for the World Cup for the first time and with the experience of Gudjohnsen, the best player in their history, were able to finish second behind Switzerland in their group, qualifying for the play-offs. On Friday night they host Croatia in the first leg in Reykjavic and the country is approaching fever pitch. Even Gudjohnsen, so cool and collected, reckons that victory would be as good as any trophy he has won, and he has won some important trophies.

Iceland, Gudjohnsen says, have always had good players but never at the same time, entirely understandable bearing in mind their population of 300,000. If they do beat Croatia, they will be the smallest country, population-wise, ever to compete at the finals and to put it even further into context, Iceland were among the lowest seeds in Pot Six when the qualifying draw was made in June 2011. The Faroe Islands were in Pot Five. Yet, though the wider world did not know it, there was optimism in Iceland, especially when they were given a slightly favourable group. A new generation was emerging and the current side largely comprise players who featured in the European Under-21 Championship two years ago.

"It feels great," Gudjohnsen says. "I think obviously we are aware of the enthusiasm of all the people at home. It's like people are counting down to Christmas. It's an amazing atmosphere. It's something completely new for everyone. We've already achieved something that's never been achieved before for the Icelandic national team and we're the first team to have ever gone into the play-offs as the sixth seeds in the group. It's already been an amazing achievement but it could be so much better.

"I had my first game in 1996 and it's an atmosphere now that I've never seen in my time with the national team. I've never known people so excited. We've always had good spells or had a result which raised a few eyebrows or we came up with a surprise here or there but we've never actually managed to raise the expectations of the people so much, as we have done now, because not only did we have some good results, we did it time and time again. Games that we were expected to win, we did and it's taken us where we are now.

"A generation of players that have come through now who are very good. When they were at Under-21 level, they went all the way to the European Championships. We've got a group of players playing at a higher level at the same time while in the past we've always had some good players but never in the same generation."

It is an incredible story – and perhaps a final chapter will be included in Brazil next summer – and Iceland have done it on the quiet. Few people tipped them to be the next big thing.

"It's a little bit out of the blue but I've got my theory on it," Gudjohnsen says. "It's probably about 13 years ago when we had our first full-sized artificial pitches built inside. If you look at most of the boys I'm playing with now, they must have been 10 years old, so they're probably the first generation able to play all year round in Iceland. They're coming through now and we're reaping the benefits.

"Since then we've got approximately another 10 across the country. Football used to be played five months a year here – six months maximum. And then it just used to be pre-season or indoor football on wooden floors. It wasn't the same. This is the first generation able to play all year round growing up. They moved abroad, all of them, at a fairly young age to develop their own careers."

Croatia will provide a stern test, even though they have replaced their coach, Igor Stimac, with Niko Kovac after they failed to win their group. They have not won in their past four competitive matches.

"It's been the story of our group stage as well," Gudjohnsen says. "It's the fourth team that we play against that have switched managers so in that respect we are going into the unknown a little bit – how they are going to play. Going into the play-offs, we always knew we were going to draw a strong country. Croatia have got a lot of excellent players. We just have to make sure we play to our best over the two games.

"Small details can make a big difference in these games. With a bit of luck, if things go with us, we might surprise a few people again. One thing's for sure, it's put Iceland on the map. Everyone seems to be taking notice of Iceland in recent times. It's much bigger and better. For me, it would be the perfect way to say goodbye. Croatia have great individuals. It will just be the form on the day."

Gudjohnsen never benefited from the facilities available to today's youth, although he was lucky enough to spend much of his childhood abroad because of his father's career. "Maybe I'm one of those who just, without blowing my own horn, was an exceptional talent," he suggests.

He was, though he is a little slower in his position behind the striker now, and he laughs at the suggestion he is the father of the team at the age of 35. "I am the oldest apart from our second goalkeeper who's older than me," Gudjohnsen says. "I'm the oldest outfield player. It's all a little bit slower than what it used to be. I just try to use my experience. That's what you do when you come to the end of your career.

"You might not make as many runs as you used to but you make clever runs and keep the ball when it's needed for the team. You keep everyone calm when it's needed. It's been going well. Pace is in the mind many times. You've got physical pace but pace in thinking, in reading the game. That's always been one of my stronger points anyway."

Lagerback has said that Gudjohnsen has a "good football eye", which is partly what has allowed him to recover from his lowest ebb. Gudjohnsen says he misses English football – "even the press" – but after leaving Barcelona, he struggled, suspicions growing about his hunger and drive.

Gudjohnsen helped Tottenham qualify for the Champions League during a brief loan in 2010 but subsequent spells at Stoke and Fulham were unsuccessful. He thought that Fulham might sign him permanently at the end of the 2010-11 season, only for Mark Hughes to quit. He drifted off the scene, broke his leg in Greece and playing for Iceland again started to become a distant dream.

"It's difficult to say when you're 33 and you have a double leg break," Gudjohnsen says. "You have your doubts if you'll ever come back. I had to show a lot of patience and desire to come back. The national team was one of the things that gave me some inspiration. I saw these boys doing well and I wanted to get back in and I didn't want to end my career with an injury. I wanted to get back into playing regularly. It gave me good inspiration in some difficult times. It's great to be part of it.

"But I have no regrets, I've just enjoyed the experience. Everything you do in life is an experience and probably everything I've been through in the past few years has given me the extra desire to finish my career on a positive note."

Gudjohnsen respects Lagerback, the 65-year-old Swede who led Sweden to five consecutive major tournaments and Nigeria to the World Cup in 2010. "He's got a calmness about it," he says. "People respect him a lot, both for what he does and as a man. He's very gentle in the way he speaks and he seems to get the best out of the players. The players are willing to go as far as they can for him."

Lagerback is a little different to the managers Gudjohnsen has worked with before and he chuckles when it is mentioned that José Mourinho, who he played for during the Portuguese's first spell at Chelsea, allegedly sparked a mass brawl in the tunnel following the 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion last Saturday after he called Jonas Olsson a "Mickey Mouse player".

"I love José," Gudjohnsen says. "I won't be backing things like that but I had a great time under José. He's a character. We all love him in the sense that everyone who follows football knows that we are going to get some excitement from him in one way or another. Plus he's got an unbelievable winning mentality. I think he's amusing whether you like him or not." Gudjohnsen still watches Chelsea but believes the side has not quite clicked yet. "But they will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season," he says.

A team managed by Eidur Gudjohnsen would have "strong English defending and Spanish flair up front", although he is not quite sold on the idea of becoming a manager yet. He is coming round to it, though.

"Up until now, I've always said I won't go into management," he says. "But then as you get closer to the end, you feel like you've got a lot to give. A lot of advice to give and a lot of ideas of how you would want your team to play. I've obviously worked with a lot of top managers. You never know.

I'm leaning towards it more than I have done in the past but that is not to say I will definitely go that way. I thought about starting my coaching badges. I might start in the new year. But I really haven't decided. I'm just enjoying my football too much."

For now, Gudjohnsen's only focus is beating Croatia, and going to Brazil.

Jacob Steinberg

United post record revenues

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:57 AM PST

• Q1 revenues up 29.1% to £98million
• Commercial growth driven by 12 new sponsorship deals

Martyn Ziegler

The salaries of leading players are set to continue their inexorable rise but there are already signs of an end to wage inflation for the rank and file below them, according to the Manchester United executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward.

Woodward told the club's investors that the effects of Uefa's financial fair play rules, and new regulations brought in this season by the Premier League, were bringing pressure to bear on salaries.

United's revenues rose by 29.1% to £98m for the first quarter of this financial year thanks to new sponsorship deals and the effect of the new Premier League TV rights deals, but staff costs rose by 31% to £52.9m, partly due to player wage increases. Woodward envisages the very top players continuing to be able to demand higher and higher salaries.

He said: "In terms of player wages we are seeing inflation around it but we are also seeing, particularly within the Premier League, a fall in the acceleration around player wage growth.,.

"I think [this is] due to financial fair play rules and the rules that have been put in place in the Premier League.

"But when you look at the top end of wages, the top 10 teams in Europe or the top players, we are seeing inflation at that end. There is a bit of a mix going on and we will present a blend over that over the next three to five years."

Woodward added that he was "excited" by BT Sport's deal for Champions League TV rights which should see English clubs earn an extra £10m to £15m each annually from 2015.

BT Sport outbid Sky and ITV to land the rights – it is paying nearly £900m for Champions League and Europa League matches, more than twice the current value.

That is also likely to lead to more intense competition for the Premier League TV rights from 2016, as Sky will be even more desperate to retain them.

Woodward said: "Sport is the 'must-have' content, its value has grown dramatically.

"We are excited by the continuing rise in the value of sports content, evidenced, amongst other things, by the recently announced BT deal for the UK rights to broadcast the Champions League and Europa League matches for three seasons from 2015-16.

"This deal represents a meaningful increase over the current arrangement, which should translate into higher broadcasting revenues for the participating clubs."

The Premier League deal has seen United's broadcasting income rise by 40.9%, but even that has been outstripped by the club's growth in commercial income of 62.6% with 12 new sponsorship deals including a global contract with Russian airline Aeroflot.

United's overall debt remains much the same, at £361m, but the cost of servicing the debt has dropped considerably, by 21%, to £9.8million for the quarter, primarily due to refinancing to achieve a much lower interest rate.

United are also predicting annual revenue will reach a record £420m by June, assuming "the team finishes third in the FA Premier League and reaches the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the domestic cups".

Sporting firsts of the 1980s: from a nine-dart finish to a 147 break

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:50 AM PST

The 1987 Rugby World Cup, the New Zealand cricket team winning in England, a 100m javelin throw and some TV debuts

Some of these might not seem all that remarkable in this modern era of sport, but I can assure you, back in the 1980s some of these achievements left you open-mouthed in astonishment. For any of the younger readers, you probably had to be there.

Snooker: The first televised 147 break

One day in the future, some of our successors, who by that time may have visited the moon repeatedly, may look back at all the fuss made about Neil Armstrong et al in 1969 and wonder if we were all from the same planet. Admittedly this is a poor comparison, but in sporting terms the 147 maximum break (excluding free-balls) could well be viewed in very much the same way by young snooker fans today. What was once a rare beast, now seems as common as a reality TV show. Forget the X-Factor, in the 1980s, the maximum break definitely had the wow factor.

Inevitably, you may say, Steve Davis was the first man to achieve this feat in the exotically named Lada Classic in January 1982. Except that this would be Davis' one and only 147 in an official tournament, quite amazing due to his dominance in the sport and his robotic relentlessness. However, if you're going to compile your only maximum break in snooker, I guess doing it before anyone else has done so on TV is quite a feather in your cap.

His prize for pulling off this unique feat? A brand new Lada Riva. Hardly a thrilling pot at the end of the rainbow, especially as the jokes related to the car at the time were notorious. But sometimes the pride is bigger than the prize.

What made his feat even more remarkable was the fact that he achieved it on the back of just five hours sleep after a flight from Las Vegas, and had reportedly fallen asleep in the theatre before his match against John Spencer. Some people would unkindly point out that Davis could easily send them to sleep too, but this was one occasion when the Englishman kept everyone interested enough, creating history along the way.

Darts: The first televised nine-dart finish

Very much the equivalent of the 147 in snooker, the perfect leg in darts had yet to be achieved on our TV screens until the World Matchplay championship on 13 October 1984. As John Lowe stepped up to the oche in his quarter-final match with Keith Deller, no doubt all he was thinking of was driving home his advantage in the match.

When one 180 followed another however, the anticipation grew, in both the crowd and in commentator Dave Lanning's voice. "We are on course for a nine-dart checkout," said Lanning in a way that was both factually correct and nerve-jangling at the same time. "It's never been seen in televised history," he added, just to crank up the tension that little bit more.

Only 141 points, and three more perfect arrows stood between Lowe and sporting immortality. I'm not sure my description would really sum up the drama of the moment, so I'll leave the rest to Lanning: "It looks like he's going for three 17 ... yes. Treble-18 his next target ... yes. He wants two 18s for £100,000. YES! A moment of darting history, the first ever televised nine-dart 501."

With a single arm raised, Lowe turned and shook hands with Deller, grinning from ear to ear, looking remarkably calm for a man who had just won a cool £100,000. He wasn't called Old Stoneface for nothing.

Not everyone shared the joy of Lowe and Lanning though. Writing in the Daily Express, Alan Thompson (The Voice of Sport apparently) commented: "In the time it takes to blink an eyelid, John Lowe earned as much as the highest-paid Manchester United footballer earned in a season." There, ladies and gentlemen, is a sign of the times for you.

However, Thompson hadn't finished: "Has any man ever earned so much in such a short time for doing so little? Don't get me wrong, I'm not decrying Lowe's performance. Rather I am filled with admiration for his ability and coolness. I begrudge them none of their wealth. But, great as Lowe's final dart was, it was not worth that sort of money." In fairness, Thompson did have a point, though voicing his concerns the day after such a fine achievement did seem a little mean-spirited.

Like the 147, the nine-dart finish doesn't seem quite as special nowadays. Although both are undeniably great accomplishments, the modern player has somehow taken the extra out of the extraordinary. Strewth, Phil Taylor even threw the perfect leg in a warm-up once, if this clip is to be believed.

Back in the 1980s though we weren't to know this, which in my opinion makes Lowe's leg seem much more out of the ordinary than anything that has followed since. Now, two in one match – as witnessed by Lanning in 2010 – would just be darts from a different universe.

Athletics: Uwe Hohn throws the javelin over 100m

Not as renowned as Roger Bannister's four-minute mile, this mark however will remain in the history books forever, as an "eternal world record". When Uwe Hohn of East Germany launched his javelin into the Berlin sky on 20 July 1984, he knew immediately it was special, raising his arms above his head in celebration just after releasing the projectile.

No man had ever thrown the javelin over 100 metres, but as Hohn's throw finally reached the grass, it soon became apparent that history had been made. A number of athletes warming up on the inner track at the end of the javelin field ran excitedly towards the mark. If Hohn had thrown it much further then it may have speared one of them in the process, as it barely landed on the grass, such was the enormity of Hohn's efforts.

The IAAF were already concerned about the old-style javelin, in particular the frequent number of flat landings requiring officials to make a judgement on whether a throw was valid or not. Hohn's throw in 1984 probably sped up the need for the IAAF to act, and in 1986 a new style javelin was introduced, the greater weight and change in centre of gravity leading to less distance and an increase in the number of legal landings. So Hohn remains the only man to ever have thrown the javelin over 100 metres in an official event, and stands alone in the record books for all to see.

It would have been interesting to see just how far a man could have hurled the old style javelin had the IAAF not changed the design in 1986. Probably not though if you had tickets in the seating area at the opposite end of the javelin runway.

Football: First live league game on the BBC

It's hard to comprehend in the Sky Sports era that we all had to wait until 1983 for our first helping of live league action on the BBC (ITV had first shown a live league match in 1960 between Blackpool and Bolton). It seems now that you are only ever six hours away from another helping from the Sky trough, as our constant diet of football leaves us bloated and attempting to loosen our belts, before we settle down for more, more, more. It wasn't always like this.

You may be able to imagine the excitement caused on Friday 16 December 1983, when the BBC screened its first live league match, between Manchester United and Tottenham. Appropriately it fell just before the festive period, and it pretty much felt as if all our Christmases had come at once.

It helped that the match itself was a belter, with United running out 4-2 winners, although this was almost irrelevant. Comical errors by Gary Stevens and Ray Clemence, a cracking goal by Alan Brazil, and the pantomime booing aimed at the returning Argentinian Ossie Ardiles (very much in keeping with the season of goodwill) added to the drama of the occasion. Friday nights for a period in the eighties would never be the same again.

Old man alert: I wonder if the kids of today get any kind of buzz from watching live football 24/7? For me in the 1980s, watching a live match was as exciting as Christmas, and naturally if you celebrated that every day of the year then the novelty would soon start to wear off. So even though I am probably just as guilty as the next man in gorging on the feast of football on our screens, I'm glad I went through the period of relative famine in my childhood. Sometimes less can keep you wanting more, and that was certainly the case for me in that marvellous decade.

Cricket: New Zealand's first test win in England

By the time New Zealand toured England in 1983, they had been visiting English shores from 1931 with consistent results: played 27, won 0, drawn 11, lost 16. So, when they lost the first Test of that series – by a whopping 189 runs at the Oval – it looked as if normal service was the order of the day.

Surprisingly though New Zealand skipper Geoff Howarth was upbeat going into the Headingley test: "England were a bit flattered by their 189-run victory at the Oval. We were in the game for four days but our catching let us down. Our morale is still good and our confidence high."

Lance Cairns backed up the words of his captain, taking 7/74 as England collapsed from 135/2 to 225 all out (very English, very 1980s) in their first innings. John Wright (93), Bruce Edgar (84), and Richard Hadlee (75), proceeded to give the Kiwis a 150-run first innings lead, and England were up against it to say the least.

From 116/2, England slumped again to 142/6, before somehow managing to get to 252. Despite an inspired spell from skipper Bob Willis (5/35), New Zealand finally pulled off their first test victory in England, reaching their target of 101 for the loss of five wickets. The champagne flowed in the away dressing room, and a country rejoiced, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon sending his congratulations, as Howarth declared the win "one of the greatest moments in New Zealand's cricket history". New Zealand went on to lose that series 3-1, but in the next few years they would achieve their first test win in Australia, and in 1983-84 and 1986 they would defeat England home and away.

As for England, the rest of the 1980s was no picnic, culminating in the summer of four captains in 1988 and the series from hell against the Aussies in 1989. The warning signs were there even in 1983, but naturally nothing was done about it until we all finally realised that the national game was in a mess. Now that is something from the 1980s that I do not miss.

Rugby Union: First World Cup tournament

Take one look at Rugby Union today and you see a very professional sport: fit athletes, coaches in every conceivable department, top medical practitioners and video technology at the forefront of the game. So it seems a little strange to think that it took until as late as 1987 for the various rugby boards to finally get their act together and agree to launch the first Rugby World Cup.

Compared to the slick operation and media interest now, the 1987 event looks like it belonged to a different era; that's because it did. Those who feared that the amateur elements of the game would be eroded by the introduction of a World Cup were eventually proved correct, although whether this was solely down to the tournament is open to debate. But would we have it any other way now?

The 1987 World Cup, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, had its moments: John Kirwan's try against Italy; the exciting Fijians; the tense 21-21 draw between France and Scotland in their pool match; Wales' run to the semi-final; England's general ineptitude; a quite breathtaking semi-final between Australia and France; Paul Thorburn's dramatic last-minute kick to earn Wales third-place. But most of all, it had a simply stunning winning team in New Zealand, streets ahead of anything else in the tournament (a month after the final, New Zealand triumphed 30-16 in Sydney just to prove the point).

The very first World Cup was obviously not a work of perfection, but at least the ball was set in motion resulting in the great event that we enjoy every four years now. And for that we should be eternally grateful that in the 1980s the powers that be sanctioned the 1987 tournament. I'm sure Messrs Woodward, Johnson and Wilkinson would agree.

• This blog first appeared on That 1980s Sports Blog
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Steven Pye

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Cristiano Ronaldo v me gives fans something to read about before Sweden v Portugal World Cup playoff – video

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:49 AM PST

Zlatan Ibrahimovic tells reporters that the World Cup playoff between Sweden and Potugal is not all about the battle between him and Cristiano Ronaldo

World Cup play-off: Croatia hope Niko Kovac can lead them past Iceland | Aleksandar Holiga

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:19 AM PST

The former midfield general has taken the reins following Igor Stimac's unhappy tenure, and is straight in at the deep end

It started with smiles. Davor Suker's was a sour one, as the president of the Croatian Football Federation tried to explain the decision to relieve Igor Stimac of his duties as national team manager. "We had to do what was best for the team," Suker said last month, all bloated in the face and weary after a sleepless night that followed Croatia's defeat to Scotland – their third in the last four qualifying matches – but without acknowledging it had been an awful mistake to appoint Stimac in the first place.

To most fans that did not matter too much, though. They were just happy to get rid of the hugely unpopular manager. No doubt the sentiment was shared by most, if not all, Croatia players. Stimac's relentless tactical tinkerings often left them nonplussed and, in the face of criticism, he tended to couple his arrogance with laying the blame on them. By the end of Stimac's reign, the once formidable team had morphed into one bereft of confidence.

And then came Niko Kovac, the iconic captain of the Croatia team who had beaten England on that rainy night at Wembley in 2007, bearing another kind of smile: broad, disarming and reassuring. "I think we'll be OK," he said after a blitz tour across Europe saw him meeting and speaking in private with most of the players. Stimac rarely did that, claiming he was "saving federation money" by choosing to stay at home, watching his men play on TV and speaking to them over the phone rather than travelling to see them live.

Earlier, in his inaugural press conference as the new Croatia manager, the 42-year-old Kovac also showed a PR awareness and a sense of humour which eluded his predecessor. Asked about who his assistants will be, he began with: "Well, there's my brother Robert ..." before bursting into laughter along with the reporters gathered. He knew some of them would immediately dig out the controversial media campaign for the parliamentary elections from a few years ago, when he publicly endorsed the political party HDZ, saying he would be voting for them before adding: "... and my brother Robert will as well."

This way, he let the journalists know there was no elephant in the room and that they cannot really hurt him by mentioning that.

When it comes to things that matter, Kovac is deadly serious. He dismissed the media euphoria after being drawn with Iceland, saying they were a very good team and that Croatia have quite a lot to do if they want to qualify. "We have been left behind in football's tactical revolution," he stated, adding that introducing a modern style of play and a more efficient organisation would be his mission. Cue the stereotypes about German mentality.

Born and raised in West Berlin in a family of Bosnian Croat immigrants, Kovac did not possess that classic type of football talent so cherished in the Balkans: his technique was average, he was no artist. He gradually worked his way through small neighbourhood clubs and the then second division Hertha before he was reunited with his younger brother Robert – first at Bayer Leverkusen and later also at Bayern Munich. He only made his debut for Croatia aged 25, but still managed to collect a hefty 83 caps, becoming the nation's first foreign-born captain in the process.

At 36, he was the key player of the Croatia team which defeated England twice in the run-up to Euro 2008, ruining their hopes of qualifying for the tournament. A tireless midfield worker, he offered screening protection of the back four and enabled Slaven Bilic to field three creative players in front of him, as well as two strikers. Croatia were never quite the same after he had retired. "On the pitch, he was our metronome," Bilic said. "He set the rhythm and the balance of our midfield hanged on his back. It was impossible to replace him."

It was not just Kovac's industrious nature that brought him success and respect both on and off the pitch. His tactical intelligence as a player and reading of the game were quite extraordinary, while his die-hard, good-humoured approach provided a major motivating force for everyone around him.

Having worked at Red Bull Salzburg's academy and as the assistant to their first team, he took over Croatia Under-21s in January this year, with Robert as his assistant. His record speaks for itself: five wins in five matches, 16 goals, none conceded. He made the youngsters play dynamic, attractive football in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation.

And even though he is still a beginner in this new role, he is starting his tenure with more universal acceptance than any Croatia manager before him: while not exactly being hailed as the saviour, the nation is counting on his charisma to lift the team from the low point they reached under Stimac.

That may well be the most important thing for them ahead of the deciding clashes with Iceland, as a team which includes the in-form stars such as Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic can do much better then they did when they lost their final two qualifying matches (to Belgium and Scotland, respectively) without a proper fight.

Kovac was given his dream job earlier than he had expected, but in a situation where so much is at stake: this is already a make-or-break point for his coaching career. But he would never have made it as a player if he shied away from tough challenges – instead, he charged into them with a confident smile on his face and that's exactly what he's doing again now.

Follow Aleksandar Holiga on Twitter

Transfer window: 10 potential January targets for Premier League clubs | Tor-Kristian Karlsen

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:28 AM PST

Fancy a cut-price Croat, a Danish prodigy or a free-scoring Serbian? 10 bargains to watch over the international break

With almost a third of the season gone, managers are beginning to get a good sense of how their team is shaping up and where their strengths and weaknesses lie. With that in mind they'll be drawing up a wish-list for the upcoming transfer period – but it's not the easiest time to buy. The bigger European leagues (or the Premier League, for that matter) are unlikely to countenance offers for anyone bar possibly those whose contract is up at the end of the season, so the realistic targets lie elsewhere.

Leagues such as Ukraine, where some contracts still run according to the calendar year, are one option. Greece, with its flailing economy, is another possible port of call, while Portuguese and Dutch clubs are occasionally susceptible to the right bid. With the forthcoming international rounds representing the last opportunity before the transfer window opens to check out targets in an environment away from their clubs, it should be a busy few days for Premier League scouts. Here's my view of 10 potential January targets involved in the upcoming international round.

Rui Patricio (25, goalkeeper, Sporting Lisbon – Portugal)

Though hardly flavour of the month in his home county after his failed clearance gifted Israel a late equaliser last month (which ultimately proved detrimental to their direct qualification), Rui Patricio is possibly the most interesting goalkeeper outside the top five European leagues. The Portuguese No1 is an agile, athletic and temperamental shot-stopper who is slowly improving on his previous concentration issues. His stock will rise further if he can stand in the way of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden.

Likely fit for: Hard to imagine that Manchester City are not closely monitoring the player.

Transfer value: £15-20m

Ivan Rakitic (25, attacking midfielder, Sevilla – Croatia)

Wonderfully gifted midfielder who can be deployed in any attacking position behind the centre-forward or as a deeper playmaker. In the absence of time for clubs to work on collective movement and attacking cohesion, "architects" such as Rakitic are rare commodities. The fact that Sevilla have no intention of selling the £15m-rated midfielder in January will not necessarily deter big clubs from making unofficial inquiries. And the forecast for freezing temperatures for Croatia's play-off leg in Iceland on Friday will give some clue as to how he would fare on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke …

Likely fit for: Could bring an extra spark to Manchester United's midfield.

Transfer value: £15-20m

Yevhen Konoplyanka (24, left-winger, Dnipropetrovsk – Ukraine)

Best remembered for his mesmerising turns against England, the Ukrainian winger is perfectly suited for the much-favoured 4-3-3 formation and a similar performance against France will attract even more admirers with his eye-catching one-on-one abilities and strong running capacity. With just one year left on his contract at Dnipro, who are managed by Juande Ramos, agents and an array of middlemen have long started testing the waters about a deal for the tricky right-footed winger – and January might be the right time to sell.

Likely fit for: Any top-half Premier League side with a substantial budget looking to freshen up the attack.

Transfer value: £12-14m

Fabian Schär (21, central defender, Basel – Switzerland)

A composed Swiss defender whose rise to prominence has been nothing short of amazing. Since leaving the second division side FC Wil – he played two full seasons there – the intelligent centre-back has gradually worked his way into the Basel first team (he was part of their impressive Europa League run last season and Champions League win at Stamford Bridge in September) and recently won his first senior caps for his country. His three goals from his four first caps illustrate his aerial domination.

Likely fit for: With quality centre-backs so few and far between, Schär will be closely monitored by the majority of Europe's top clubs and has already attracted concrete inquiries from Premier League clubs. Basel, however, are unlikely to sell in January for less than £10m.

Transfer value: £10-12m

Alfred Finnbogason (24, striker, Heerenveen – Iceland)

Being the leading goalscorer in the high-scoring Dutch league is quite often held against you (then again it worked for Ibrahimovic and Luis Suárez); however, it has helped the 24-year-old Finnbogason edge closer to a starting slot in the Icelandic national team and a move to the Premier League. For what he may lack in terms of buildup play and participation outside the penalty area, he makes up for inside the box. A technically sound striker with a calm head, sharp movements and exquisite finishing skills.

Likely fit for: Mid-table teams more capable of creating than finishing.

Transfer value: £6-8m

Viktor Fischer (19, winger/forward, Ajax – Denmark)

Despite not enjoying his best of seasons, the Dane remains one of the most coveted and closely monitored teenagers in world football. And for that very reason this might be the right moment to launch an audacious offer. Fischer is a pacy, explosive and intense two-footed winger (or second striker) who prefers playing on the left. High on confidence, he's always prepared to try the unexpected.

Likely fit for: a top Premier League that appreciates that the best time to buy a great talent is when his form has dipped and the rivals for his signature have started doubting.

Transfer value: £6-8m

Kostas Mitroglou (25, centre-forward, Olympiakos – Greece)

Another powerful centre-forward who is being heavily touted on the European circuit following his goalscoring spree for Olympiakos this season (14 in eight games, including three hat-tricks – no penalties). Not the most eye-pleasing of forwards, but with his shooting skills, aerial ability and positioning sense no one can doubt the Greek player's efficiency. Allegedly his contract includes a £6.5m buyout clause, which may represent a smart opportunity to land an in-form forward.

Likely fit for: Clubs challenging for a top-eight finish in need of a physical presence up front.

Transfer value: £6-7m

Carlos Muñoz (24, striker, Baniyas – Chile)

A stocky, dynamic striker who will be keen on making a mark against England on Friday. The top scorer in the Chilean league with Colo-Colo last season, he moved to the United Arab Emirates for £2.5m in the summer (I'm surprised there weren't other takers), a move that I can only assume was a non-logical stepping stone on the way to European football. Intense and generous in a Carlos Tevez way, the Chilean is already on the shortlist of several European clubs and an eye-catching performance at Wembley on Friday might trigger a move.

Likely fit for Any team short of a goal poacher or a counterattacking threat.

Transfer value: £5-6m

Filip Djordjevic (26, centre-forward, Nantes – Serbia)

The well-built, opportunistic centre-forward has been checked out by at least half a dozen Premier League clubs over the past six months. Newly promoted with Nantes, the Serbian has picked up where he left off last season with eight goals to his name so far. With his contract due to expire next summer, the destiny of the left-footed forward is about to slip out of Nantes' hands. Will certainly not be short of offers, be it in January or next summer.

Likely fit for: A mid-table Premier League team in need of a prolific presence up front – or even a financially reasonable back-up option for one of the bigger teams.

Transfer value: £3-4m

Johann Berg Gudmundsson (23, winger, AZ Alkmaar – Iceland)

One of several Icelandic talents who have recently emerged from Dutch football to form something of a "golden generation" for their country. Just two games short of a maiden World Cup finals participation, the left-footed wide forward – equally effective on either flank – has proved decisive for his country throughout the campaign. In particular his stunning second-half hat-trick against Switzerland unsurprisingly did not go unnoticed. Gudmundsson's contract expires next summer and the January window may represent the final chance of a payday for his title-chasing club side.

Likely fit for: A mid-table Premier League team with a limited budget keen on a versatile impact forward with resale potential.

Transfer value: £2-3m

Tor-Kristian Karlsen

Olsson: Mourinho called me 'Mickey Mouse player'

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 03:16 AM PST

• West Brom defender clashed with Chelsea manager
• 'It was a bit messy on the way to the changing rooms'

The West Bromwich Albion defender Jonas Olsson has revealed how Chelsea manager José Mourinho called him a "Mickey Mouse player" during their tunnel bust-up last weekend.

The pair were involved in an ugly exchange after the game as Chelsea earned a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge with a controversial last minute penalty.

Olsson confirmed allegations that the Blues manager used the derogatory term but says he has put the incident behind him.

"Yes [Mourinho called me a Mickey Mouse player] but I don't want to comment any further. I think that's enough," Olsson said at a press conference as he prepared for Sweden's World Cup play-off encounter against Portugal on Friday.

Asked about claims the Chelsea kit man had then told him he should play in Mickey Mouse ears, he said: "I don't really want to comment on that either. That is up to him."

He added: "It was a game which ended with two disappointed teams. We felt that we had done enough to win but the verdict went against us. They felt some things had gone against them. It was a bit messy on the way to the changing rooms.

"What happened last weekend feels very unimportant now. The important thing for me now is to put in a good performance in Lisbon (on Friday)."

Manchester United's decades of late goals and the Good v Evil cricket match

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 01:55 AM PST

This week's round-up also features overhead-kick-scoring goalkeepers, a flying push-up and AP McCoy's wildest winner

1) Manchester United, the late goals compilation (1992-2013). And a trailer for the forthcoming The Class of '92.

2) Tony McCoy rides his 4,000th winner. Here's a tribute from the sporting world to AP's achievement. And this is the wildest of all his wins: Family Business, at Southwell in 2002.

3) Everyone loves an overhead-kick-scoring goalkeeper. Take a bow, Toni Barceló, with this effort for Alcudia v Mallorca B. Not the first overhead-kick-scoring keeper to grab a last-gasp equaliser, mind. And while we're on random football bits and bobs: an outstanding open-goal miss from Bosnia-Herzegovina, plus 113 years of player transfers … in 60 seconds.

4) Ahmed Kerigo and the flying push-up.

5) Remember the Bo Jackson Tecmo Super Bowl run? Here's the real-life TD edition. And, brilliantly, then set to the game's theme tune.

6) The Good v Evil XI cricket match (Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, 1970).

Our favourites from last week's blog

1) There are basketball buzzer-beaters and then there are no-look, back-to-the-hoop buzzer-beaters.

2) To Greece, and the latest instalment of When Substitutes Score Goals Without Being On The Pitch.

3) The 2013 martial arts fails compilation.

4) Astronaut Helen Sharman drops the torch at the 1991 World Student Games in Sheffield.

5) The Wiggles pay tribute to the USA Tomahawks after they booked a place in the Rugby League World Cup last eight.

6) Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho displaying futsal skills in his formative days.

Spotters' badges: Breogan, pexteballa, richardsmall, StuGoodwin, gingerjon, SpartakKapokovic.

Guardian YouTube channel playlists

You can follow Classic YouTube on our individual Guardian YouTube playlists, including football and other sports. And here are all of the Guardian's YouTube playlists.

Football transfer rumours: Andrés Iniesta to Manchester United?

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 01:20 AM PST

Today's fluff reckons you should waste a few minutes at work playing with this

Having realised that he is in danger of turning Manchester United into a deluxe Stoke City, David Moyes wants some more flair in his squad and, would you look at this, Andrés Iniesta is getting increasingly fed up with the state of negotiations for a new contract at Barcelona and is potentially resolved to do one in January. Get Ed Woodward on the case now!

But Moyes, it says here, is so far only "weighing up" a move for the Barcelona midfielder, which might be reason for concern for United fans given the way he "weighed up" Mesut Özil and Thiago Alcântara before deciding that Marouane Fellaini was the perfect fit instead. Or maybe he is just determined to discover how this blasted Shinji Kagawa left for him by Sir Alex Ferguson works. "They" tell "him" what a good player he is, after all, so it is probably worth finding out if he really is any use.

Of course, who needs Iniesta when you have Ashley Young? But, in news that will shock United fans, Young may have taken his last dive for the club and could be heading off to join Roberto Mancini at Galatasaray. There's a sitcom to be made there: Two Spoofers in Turkey.

Crystal Palace still need a new manager. In fact, they've gone so far down their shortlist that they've ended up all the way back in 2006, their former manager, Iain Dowie, who was last seen ruining Phil Brown's sterling work at Hull City, the latest to be identified. It really has come to this. Dan Petrescu also remains on their radar but at this rate, the Mill will be interviewing for the job next week. Better go and buy a new suit. And an eagle.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a target for Chelsea and Manchester City but might turn down both to go and play in the MLS, because. Meanwhile Clint Dempsey might be on his way back from America, with Tottenham, Everton and Aston Villa all eyeing the Seattle Sounders forward. Tottenham have first refusal. Dempsey for Ibrahimovic does not seem like a fair trade.

Jackson Martínez is looking for a way out of Porto, with the usual suspects, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, all sniffing about. The 27-year-old Colombian striker wants to leave before his best years are past him. "The years are passing by," Martínez sighed, flicking through his copy of The Stranger, "and one day I hope to make a good transfer." Chelsea will offer Demba Ba to Porto in exchange for Martínez. Liverpool will offer Iago Aspas and hope no one notices.

Manchester City's manager, Manuel Pellegrini, sat Edin Dzeko down in his office, picked up a pen and paper, drew a door and then showed it to the Bosnian striker. At first, Dzeko merely congratulated Pellegrini on what a fine artist he is but he soon caught on to the hidden message, so he'll be off to Internazionale in January.

Chelsea want to spend £25m on Marseille's hot-headed defensive midfielder Giannelli Imbula, who was recently sent home from the France Under-21 squad for saying "something inappropriate". Now, Imbula might be a very good player – the Mill won't make a show of pretending to have seen him play or even of having analysed his pass completion stats and whether he is best suited to playing as a pivote or an enganche. But knowing José Mourinho as we do, there is every chance he just wants Imbula to dish out some insults in the tunnel when he can't be bothered.

Jacob Steinberg

Friday, 15 November 2013