Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Tony Pulis: Keeping Crystal Palace up will be among best achievements
Mourinho expects Manchester United to sell Rooney abroad
Martín Demichelis's promotion shows Manchester City squad strength
Arsène Wenger says signing of Mesut Özil created hope at Arsenal
Steven Gerrard's influence for Liverpool growing with Pirlo effect
Tim Sherwood warns Pochettino: life would be tougher at Tottenham
David Moyes receives apology for José Mourinho's 'inside information'
Champions League football can tempt Romelu Lukaku to stay at Everton
Perth Glory 0-0 Brisbane Roar | A-League match report
Melbourne Heart 3-1 Newcastle Jets | A-League match report
Barcelona's Neymay looks set to face Manchester City in Champions League
Big interview: Mark Noble
Eden Hazard begins to make a big difference for Chelsea | Dominic Fifield
Gus Poyet wins battle over transfers after Sunderland sack De Fanti
Pardew vows to 'punish himself'
Third man charged in match-fixing inquiry
Southampton rule out player sales
Sports Direct's Mike Ashley: nasty or nice?
England 1-1 Norway | Women's international friendly
West Bromwich Albion v Everton: Squad sheets
Swansea City v Tottenham Hotpsur: Squad sheets
Manchester City v Cardiff City: Squad sheets
Crystal Palace v Stoke City: Squad sheets
Norwich City v Hull City: Squad sheets
Chelsea v Manchester United: Squad sheets

Tony Pulis: Keeping Crystal Palace up will be among best achievements

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST

• Stoke fans to wear baseball caps in honour of Pulis
• Aaron Wilbraham could start in place of Cameron Jerome

Tony Pulis will renew acquaintances with Stoke City on Saturday having said retaining Premier League status with Crystal Palace this season would constitute as impressive an achievement as any of those over his decade in the Potteries.

Pulis, who turned 56 this week, spent two spells at Stoke and hoisted them initially from the lower reaches of the second tier and, eventually, into the top flight. Their five-year spell among the elite under his stewardship was marked by mid-table finishes, an appearance in the 2011 FA Cup final and a taste of the Europa League. Many among the visiting support at Selhurst Park intend to wear baseball caps in honour of the man who instigated that success before departing the Britannia Stadium last summer.

"I took them as far as the club wanted me to take them and that was fine," Pulis said. "The great thing about leaving a football club, especially one that you've been at for so long, is that it was very amicable. The chairman and his family have just been wonderful to me – Peter [Coates] is one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life, and we had a fantastic relationship. They were good times.

"The important thing if you stay at a football club is that you manage it in respect of the way you think it should be managed. That's why I was always so committed at Stoke. Everything that happened there – the training ground and stadium – I've got my fingerprints on. I left on good terms. It was a lovely way to leave. It was hard work at the beginning but if you sit back and look at what we achieved … When you look at Crystal Palace, the structure of the football club and where it is, [the job here] will be as big an achievement as anything I've ever achieved."

There has been frustration to endure to date with Palace struggling to add reinforcements to a squad which currently props up the division. Interest has been expressed in a number of players, but matching prospective signings' wage demands is proving problematic, even for some in the Championship. Attempts will continue but with his options dwindling, Pulis has reinstated the likes of Aaron Wilbraham and Steven Dobbie, neither of whom made Palace's original 25-man Premier League list, to his squad in an attempt to bolster numbers.

The former may start with Cameron Jerome ineligible against his parent club. "I'm disappointed we've not brought anyone in because we needed to as quickly as possible," he added. "There's all sorts of reasons that can mess the situation up. But I have to say I was hoping and praying that we'd be going into the games a little bit stronger, not a little bit weaker."

Stoke's manager Mark Hughes thinks the fact that he is coming up against his predecessor will help him. "We have probably got a unique insight into how Tony sets up his teams," he said.

"You would say that, given the personnel that are still here, they will have a better understanding than most opposition that Tony will go up against with his new team. That could be an advantage, but obviously he'll have an insight into what we are doing.

"We are trying to change somewhat, but certainly he'll know the individuals involved and their strengths and weaknesses, so it is an interesting battle of wills."

The Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones will not be involved because of his refusal to play against Liverpool last weekend and for which he was fined two weeks' wages. Hughes has included a new forward in his squad in John Guidetti, who is on loan from Manchester City.

Dominic Fifield

Mourinho expects Manchester United to sell Rooney abroad

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST

• Chelsea's manager knows rivals will not sell striker to him
• 'David Moyes the right guy for the job and will get results'

José Mourinho expects Manchester United to sell Wayne Rooney to a leading foreign club if they cannot convince him to extend his stay at Old Trafford, with Chelsea resigned to missing out on the forward, given the champions' intransigence over conducting business with a direct Premier League rival.

Rooney, who is in the last 17 months of his contract, was courted heavily by Chelsea last summer, with bids of £23m and £25m knocked back in July and August. United subsequently made it known they would not countenance his sale to them at any price, whatever the potential risks of retaining an unhappy player at the club. Even so, Mourinho had still hoped to secure the England striker this summer when he revamps his forward ranks, although there is an acceptance now that he may have to look elsewhere for reinforcements.

The Portuguese will be spared a direct confrontation with the 28-year-old forward he had hoped would be his when Chelsea host United on Sunday with Rooney, who has been suffering from a groin injury, having trained alone since returning from a warm-weather break in Egypt. Yet it was Mourinho, when asked if he would swap his own squad for United's, who introduced the subject of Rooney into proceedings as he considered the forthcoming contest. "Manchester United made it clear in the summer they don't swap or sell players to their direct rivals," he said. "They were clear in the way they approached the Rooney situation. For them it's pretty clear. They don't swap. They don't sell."

Asked if he saw that changing in the summer, he added: "No. They were very clear. I think maybe this summer they will try to sell to a non-direct rival. But they were very clear [about Chelsea]." While European clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, who have expressed an interest in the striker in the past, might be considered United's direct rivals in continental competition, Mourinho subsequently clarified that he had meant they would not sell to "domestic" suitors.

David Moyes claimed he "would not talk about managers and players at other clubs" when his opposite number's comments were put to him, although he did add: "I completely disagree [with Mourinho's assessment]. I can only tell you I disagree, although Rooney will go to Brazil [for the World Cup]. Only time will give you the answer about Wayne." Talks between United and the player over a new contract remain at a delicate stage, particularly with the club currently five points off the Champions League qualification places.

Mourinho believes Moyes will end his first season at United since taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson in the top four, despite Chelsea seeking to open up a 12-point gap from their visitors. Regardless of Moyes' success this term, he does not see the current champions' ability to make waves in the transfer market in the summer as dependent on Champions League football.

"David is the right guy for the job," he said. "With the stability they are going to give him for sure, he will get results as the consequence of his quality and the consequence of the stability. If you ask my opinion, I keep thinking they will be [in the top four].

"But if they don't, every player knows it's an occasional situation. It's not a situation that will last forever, where they go to United and, for two or three or four years, don't play Champions League football. It's not the case but I think they will finish top four in the Premier League. With new players, do you believe they are not working on that?

"I believe they have the targets clearly identified and, with a choice of bringing signings in now to close people's mouths or waiting a bit to bring in exactly who they want, they'd prefer to wait. But sooner or later – sooner being now and later in the summer – they will bring exactly the players David wants. When a giant is sleeping, the giant is never [really] sleeping. Be careful." That served as a warning to his own players, who are currently on a five-match winning run in all competitions, before a fixture Mourinho considers "especially dangerous".

The Chelsea manager, who has loaned Ryan Bertrand to Aston Villa and will sanction Michael Essien's departure for a Serie A club early next week, will start with his £20.75m signing, Nemanja Matic, on the bench as he attempts to register his 100th Premier League win, having gained his first, on 15 August 2004, against Sir Alex's side.

Mourinho, who denied he had been disappointed to be overlooked at Old Trafford last summer, was close to Moyes' predecessor and took a phone call from the 13-time Premier League-winning manager last April informing him of his intention to step down.

"I only knew a couple of weeks before the announcement because my friend was nice to me and trusted me completely," he said. "He said he wanted me to know before I read about it in the press.

"I was afraid because I was sure that someone might leak it and the boss might think it had come from me, so I was a bit under pressure.

"At the time I was not committed to [rejoining] Chelsea but I wanted to come and Chelsea had already expressed a desire for me to come back. I had that door, not open, but ajar. I am where I want to be and I want to go nowhere else.

"I have the job I want to have. After [Real Madrid] I wanted to return to England and, if possible, Chelsea, this specific club. If it was not Chelsea, I would be here in another club but, when the door of my club opened for me, I had the job I wanted."

Dominic Fifield

Martín Demichelis's promotion shows Manchester City squad strength

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:31 PM PST

• Demichelis takes over from Matija Nastasic in City defence
• Cardiff face a team hunting 'fastest 100 goals' record

The strength of Manchester City's squad has been demonstrated by Martín Demichelis dislodging Matija Nastasic, with Gaël Clichy also having lost his place to Aleksandar Kolarov.

Nastasic had an outstanding first season last year but injuries and the form of Demichelis, who signed in the summer from Atlético Madrid, mean the Serb faces a fight to regain his place in defence.

Manuel Pellegrini said: "Nastasic had two injuries. He's working very hard. And at this moment [Vincent] Kompany and Demichelis are the first choice but I am very happy with the whole squad. I can change them."

Of Kolarov, who has become a regular four years after a £19m move from Lazio, Pellegrini said: "He's in a very good moment but Clichy is also playing well. Clichy had an injury in his toes last month, we tried to give him a rest and now it's one of the positions of the team where I trust both of them. They are both very good performers.

"I see the full-backs as very important – they produce the space and to do that it's important they arrive at that exact moment. We've had five or six goals come from that side and also on the right. Pablo [Zabaleta] has three or four important assists, so both full-backs are very important."

City play Cardiff City at home on Saturday having totalled 99 goals in all competitions. If City score they will become the fastest team to a century. Pellegrini would be proud but "it can't be the most important thing to break records". He said: "What's important to me is that the team keep on playing in the same way. If we carry on in this way and score over 100 goals, then perfect but we are not trying to break a record. We are not going to go all-out attack just because we want to score 100 goals."

City train at the Etihad Stadium the day before every home match. Pellegrini believes this has been a factor in having won all 10 league games.

"It's important for the team to work one day at least on the pitch they will play on," he said. "I've done it everywhere I've managed. I think if you don't work often on your pitch, you do not get used to it. It's a small thing but I think it's a very important thing.

"We also have another pitch at Carrington that we train on – sometimes pitch two sometimes pitch four but I think training here [at the Etihad] is important – especially when it comes to set pieces."

Pellegrini confirmed that Yaya Touré and David Silva are available again after injury.

Jamie Jackson

Arsène Wenger says signing of Mesut Özil created hope at Arsenal

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:31 PM PST

• Arsenal manager feels club is under less pressure
• Wenger has hinted about a new contract

Arsène Wenger reckons Arsenal are under less psychological pressure with a title challenge than they were last season attempting to salvage a top-four finish. His team go into Saturday's home game against Fulham with a slender point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the table, but for Wenger, the situation is almost relaxing compared to the tension of trying to clamber into position to sustain Champions League status.

"It was much more difficult last year than this year, of course," he says. "Because when you are fifth or sixth and you have to convince everybody you will make it to be in the top four, that you have to push and not make any mistake because you know that from now until the end of the season with 10 games to go you cannot drop one point … It is like bringing a boat into a port with no room for going an inch right or left or the whole boat explodes. When you are in our position today it is natural motivation, natural incitement to go. It is easier psychologically."

The psychological significance of this shift in targets, to actual prizes rather than basic requirements, is also evident in Wenger himself. The Arsenal manager has hinted that he is close to showing his hand on the subject of a new contract. Having mentioned in pre-season that he needed to be convinced that he was the right man to keep the club competitive, an encouraging first half to the campaign has provided a timely boost.

With the critics noisier than ever last season he needed to feel that he was totally confident about making progress. "It's a big part, for me, of a manager's job. People were questioning whether I could deliver the quality. I said: 'OK, I can listen to that and I want to make sure I can deliver. I am convinced I can.' I was always convinced I can. But it has to be shown concretely by numbers." At the moment it is difficult to argue with numbers that kept Arsenal top of the Premier League for some months.

Wenger credits the signing of Mesut Özil for changing perceptions and creating hope. "It is not about me, it's more about do people believe Arsenal can compete? The fact that we brought Özil in at top-level money has turned belief around again," he says, before stressing that Arsenal will buy another player in that bracket if the opportunity arises.

"What we can do in every window is spend the money we have available," he says. " We are still strong. If the money is available, yes we will go for special players. But we have to plan our resources. It is very exciting to be capable to fight [in the transfer market] and keep your players."

Wenger admits he would have welcomed the opportunity to have signed a player of Özil's calibre and status earlier. "I would have loved to. But I would have loved first to keep the players we had." Holding on to what they have remains as vital as plotting to bring in an addition like Julian Draxler. Arsenal hope to announce new deals for Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna – and of course Wenger himself – soon.

Amy Lawrence

Steven Gerrard's influence for Liverpool growing with Pirlo effect

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:31 PM PST

• Captain deployed in a deeper midfield role
• Manager says this will benefit the club

Brendan Rodgers believes Steven Gerrard can exert the same influence as Andrea Pirlo or Javier Zanetti in a deeper midfield role and insisted the shift is not simply to prolong the Liverpool captain's career.

Gerrard's increasing deployment as a holding midfielder was illustrated perfectly in the win at Stoke City last weekend, when the 33-year-old operated in front of the Liverpool defence at the expense of his characteristic forays forward.

The Liverpool manager views the conversion as the inevitable next step for the England captain and a long-term move. But, while admitting the tactical tweak should help extend Gerrard's playing days, Rodgers insists the decision was taken for the benefit of Liverpool's Champions League pursuit rather than to accommodate his captain.

"It is a position that I know excites Stevie," said Rodgers, who has midfielder Joe Allen back from injury for Saturday's home game against Aston Villa. "I always look at every player not only in terms of their favourite position but where else can we prolong them? That applies especially to older players. Every player is different. But it's not as simple as putting him back into that role because he's Steven Gerrard; it's because I think he's got the qualities to play and operate in that position at a very high level."

The Liverpool manager believes Gerrard should flourish in a deeper position, similarly to 34-year-old Pirlo at Juventus and the remarkable Zanetti, now 40 and still performing for Internazionale.

He added: "Everything about his game fits with that controlling player; from how he co-ordinates a team with the ball, his range of passing, which is still at a top level, he is a world-class dead-ball specialist and physically, in that role where you need to move from side-to-side to block spaces, he has shown he has got that as well. And he's got the range to open up a game short and long.

"Tactically, once he does more work on when to become the third man dropping in or pushing on, he's got a great chance of playing that role to the level of a Pirlo or a Zanetti. They did it until late in their 30s and because of the way Stevie looks after himself that is a position he can play for sure."

Gerrard said only at the start of this season that he was not ready to cease incursions into the final third but Rodgers believes the Liverpool captain has come to accept the evolution into a deeper role. His decision, the manager explains, was not shaped by the ageing process but the realisation that Liverpool are no longer as reliant on the midfielder's goals with Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge in attack.

"He's a world-class operator at the top end of the field and he still has the moments when he can affect that," insisted Rodgers. "What we have seen is the evolution of the team. In my work the reliance isn't just on one player, it's on the team.

"Obviously top players will make that work better and I think he's seen that, where his role was very much about creating goals and scoring goals, he has seen the development of the team in terms of the number of goals scored and there is not the reliance on him for that. He has other big qualities that can really help the team and help his career as well. You will still get that flurry from him where he can go on and shoot."

Andy Hunter

Tim Sherwood warns Pochettino: life would be tougher at Tottenham

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Spurs manager accepts job may be at risk in the summer
• 'The expectation here is far greater than at Southampton'

Tim Sherwood accepts that he risks being ousted as Tottenham Hotspur manager this summer but warned that Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino, who has been mentioned as one potential replacement, would find life at White Hart Lane much tougher than his current job at St Mary's.

Pochettino has become a much admired coach during his 12 months on the south coast and his future was plunged into uncertainty this week when the man who hired him at Southampton, Nicola Cortese, resigned. It was initially feared that the Argentinian would step down in solidarity with a key ally but he has committed to remain at the club until the summer at least. Reports have claimed that a switch to Tottenham might then materialise.

"I didn't know that. Am I being linked with Southampton?" Sherwood joked, before adding more seriously: "The expectation at this club is far greater than they have at Southampton. We were talking about that last week on the development side and used [Andros] Townsend as an example. If he was at Southampton he would not have had nine loans – he would have had his development through the leagues there, League One and so on, like [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo [Walcott]. That is the market they are in."

Sherwood has impressed since replacing André Villas-Boas a month ago and has since signed an 18-month contract but he knows that the club's craving for success means his job security is minimal. He takes his side to Swansea City on Sunday.

"I am realistic enough to know the ambitions of this club are very, very high and the demands are high," Sherwood says. "I knew that before I took the job and I am just hoping I can do enough to keep the job in the long term. If the results meet the expectation of the club, I will still be here. If they don't, I won't be. At the moment it is going all right, especially in the league. Long may that continue and, if it does, it will be hard for somebody to come in here and push me out of the seat."

Pochettino is not the only other manager who has been linked with Tottenham, as there have also been claims that Louis van Gaal could defect to White Hart Lane after leading his native Holland at the World Cup. Sherwood suggests that the fashionable appeal of foreign managers makes him feel as if he is flying the flag not just for himself but also for other young English managers.

"Recent history suggests there is a tendency to go for foreign names," he says. "There are a lot of English coaches – young English coaches – hoping I do well. A lot of well-wishers who hope it will open up the door for them to have an opportunity. It is unfair but I am happy that it is unfair because I have got an opportunity. It is only about results because when you win everything is good and when you don't everything is crap. That is where we are at in this game."

Paul Doyle

David Moyes receives apology for José Mourinho's 'inside information'

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Mourinho claimed Manchester United are 'unhappy'
• Moyes says United may play without striker at Chelsea

David Moyes has received an apology from José Mourinho for the Chelsea manager's claim earlier in the week that he had "inside information" about Manchester United being unhappy with the season so far.

While Mourinho also stated this was due to "years of communicating with Sir Alex", Moyes said: "I have seen it and I have had an apology from the Chelsea media department and from José. I think it was poor journalism actually."

Pressed why Mourinho said sorry, Moyes added: "He was apologising because of the poor journalism."

Moyes takes his side to Chelsea for Sunday's late game with the manager again without Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney for a match he views as significant in the champions' quest to stay in touch with the top clubs. United are five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool and nine points worse off than Chelsea in third, who in turn trail the leaders, Arsenal, by two.

"It's a big game. For us to try and hang in there and pick up the points, there is no doubt about that. But there are a lot of games to be played. We need to see if we can just pick up the games. Our league [form] hasn't been that bad," said Moyes of the five wins from the past six league outings. "I think this will be a tight game. I think Chelsea are improving."

The manager did not rule out playing without a dedicated striker at Stamford Bridge, where Mourinho has never experienced a league defeat. "We could. When you are a manager your job is to find ways to win the games and I think that is what José has done over the years. He has played in different ways to win games. Maybe it would have been reported differently if I had done it."

Moyes hopes to build on last Saturday's defeat of Swansea City, before Sunderland visit Old Trafford in midweek defending a 2-1 lead in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg. "It's a chance to set up a really good 10 days. We have had a win against Swansea and we have a cup tie on Wednesday," Moyes said.

Of the six sides above United, they have beaten only Arsenal. So will Moyes remind his players of that victory as encouragement? "The team here have been used to big games over the years and I don't think they will see this one as any different," he said.

Moyes would not be drawn regarding whether he is targeting defending the title or merely Champions League qualification. "Given the position we are in, it would be wrong for me to come out and say something I couldn't back up or justify. So I am OK winning the next game," he said. "The longer it goes the more I can start to think about what's down the line. But I would always be thinking about being at the top. I wouldn't think about being anywhere else."

Moyes would not offer a precise date when Rooney and Van Persie may be available though the manager suggested the Dutchman, who is recovering from a thigh injury, may train with the rest of the squad on Monday. "I don't want to put a time on it but I think he will. If I could get him back on the grass and back out with us that would be a great boost for us all."

Rooney has a groin injury but is training, albeit away from the main group, and Moyes said the striker could possibly be back next week. He added: "I don't want to put a date on it because I don't want to say he will be fit for whatever game and then find he doesn't, but we've just got to take it bit by bit. I've watched him running today, he looks well, he's in really good condition. Overall we are pleased, we just hope we can get him back as quickly as we can, he's an important player."

With Anderson set to join Fiorentina on loan, Moyes will only allow Wilfried Zaha to leave on the same basis if injuries permit. "Wilfried Zaha has a chance. I have told him that if I can't get him the games I will put him out on loan," he said. "But he can't go out while we have Ashley Young and Nani injured and I would be surprised if anyone thought it was a possibility."

Regarding Anderson, Moyes said: "We've not been able to get him as many games as he'd hoped or we hoped we might get him so we feel as if it is a good opportunity for him. He's going to a good club and a good league, so hopefully it will be a benefit."

Jamie Jackson

Champions League football can tempt Romelu Lukaku to stay at Everton

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Roberto Martínez given no indication Chelsea want to sell
• No chance of making loan deal permanent in this window

Everton require Champions League football to tempt Romelu Lukaku into a permanent move to Goodison Park but have had no indication that Chelsea want to sell, according to Roberto Martínez.

The Everton manager rates the 20-year-old "as one of the best strikers in European football", having witnessed at close quarters the ability that prompted Chelsea to pay an initial £12m to sign the striker from Anderlecht in 2011.

Martínez is keen to strengthen his attack and could hijack West Ham United's loan move for the Monaco striker Lacina Traoré.

Lukaku's nine goals and all-round contribution have been a key factor in Everton's Champions League challenge under Martínez and the Belgium international has settled well on Merseyside. He has also been on the receiving end of barbed comments from José Mourinho over the manner of his loan move to Goodison on transfer deadline day.

Martínez, however, says there is no possibility of making Lukaku's loan move permanent in this transfer window. With the centre-forward keen to make his mark at Stamford Bridge and likely to have several options available to him in the summer, the Everton manager admits it would take Champions League qualification to keep Lukaku on a long-term basis.

"It's not in the agreement [to discuss a January transfer]," he said. "The agreement we have with Chelsea is that we will wait until the end of the season and as parent club they need to be the ones that give us the hint if it's possible or not. We want to keep Rom as long as we can but the reality is he's on loan for the season and Chelsea are not contemplating that [a sale].

"Rom is enjoying his football. He knows he's here until the end of the season and I don't think it would be beneficial to anyone to go into a conversation that's not going to change the agreement we have until May. I know Chelsea are not contemplating listening to any offers."

Everton are currently fifth in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool, having lost only two matches all season. And Martínez admits a top-four finish would transform Everton's outlook in the transfer market this summer.

The manager added: "Rom is just focused on developing this season, being as good as he can be and trying to take Everton into the Champions League. That's always in his head. I'm sure as a club we have a better chance of attracting players like Rom if we are in the Champions League than not. In my eyes we need to get into the Champions League to attract players like him.

"He's loving his time at Everton, he's enjoying being at Goodison and his relationship with the fans. But Rom will have many opportunities as you'd expect and as a club we need to be able to offer something to Rom that is unique. The experience he's having here is a great advantage but we need to be able to offer Champions League football."

Martínez has added Aiden McGeady to his squad in this window and allowed Nikica Jelavic to join Hull City, leaving Lukaku as Everton's only recognised striker with Arouna Koné out until late April with a knee injury. "We want another striker in to help Rom, not to replace him, but someone who can play alongside him too," the manager said. "It would be a big mistake to bring in a player just in a supporting role to Rom. I don't see it that way."

Andy Hunter

Perth Glory 0-0 Brisbane Roar | A-League match report

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:24 PM PST

Brisbane Roar overcame Besart Berisha's first-half red card to secure a 0-0 draw against Perth Glory

Melbourne Heart 3-1 Newcastle Jets | A-League match report

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:15 PM PST

Two goals from Heart's Mate Dugandzic ended the A-League's longest winless run

Barcelona's Neymay looks set to face Manchester City in Champions League

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:10 PM PST

• Brazil forward's ankle injury not as serious as feared
• 'Jesus, once again, was with me and it was just a scare'

Barcelona's Brazil forward Neymar should have recovered in time to feature in the Spanish club's Champions League last-16 first leg at Manchester City on 18 February after an ankle injury proved less serious than feared.

A scan on Friday confirmed Neymar had damaged tendons in his right ankle in Thursday's 2-0 win at Getafe, which sent Barça through to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey 6-0 on aggregate, and club medical staff estimated he would be sidelined for three to four weeks.

"What a scare!" Neymar wrote on his Instagram account. "When I fell I thought of a lot of bad things. I thought it could have been a serious injury, I thought about my plans for 2014.

"But Jesus, once again, was with me and it was just a scare. I wanted to thank all those that prayed for me. And don't worry. I will do everything right and will be back in no time."

The injury was the latest setback for the 21-year-old, who had not started a match since Christmas due to a lack of fitness and a stomach bug.

He will miss Sunday's La Liga game at Levante as well as this month's two-legged cup quarter-final, also against the Valencia-based side.

Before they play City in Europe's elite club competition, Barça have La Liga matches against Málaga, Valencia, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano and the club said he would definitely miss the Málaga and Valencia games.

Big interview: Mark Noble

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST

The midfielder can see the funny side of that cup debacle but is fully committed to keeping West Ham in the Premier League

Mark Noble is laughing, even though the conversation has turned to West Ham United's traumatic experience against Manchester City in their Capital One Cup semi-final. Given that the wounds inflicted by City remain raw, it does not feel like a subject that is ripe for comedy at West Ham's training ground, rather one that should be approached with caution.

Yet Noble can see the funny side of losing 6-0 in the first leg of a cup semi-final. There is no point hiding from reality; better teams than West Ham have been thrashed at the Etihad Stadium this season. "It seems to be the phase," Noble says. "You go to City and it's four plus."

He laughs, a little ruefully, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. The second leg is at Upton Park on Tuesday and one does not need to read between the lines to know that Noble is not expecting to be part of the greatest comeback of all time. "It makes it horrible for the second leg because you have to give everything," he says. "But you're 6-0 down." Another laugh.

Do not mistake Noble's attitude for defeatism or accuse him of not caring; it is merely an acceptance of reality. Although they might not like admitting it, West Ham know the tie is over and there is not much to be gained from a face-saving exercise. The main focus has always been to avoid a second relegation from the Premier League in the space of four seasons.

"You're in the semi-final of a cup and you're buzzing but you see what happened to Wigan last year," Noble says. "They go and win the FA Cup and it's amazing, but they got relegated. You want to play in the Premier League, full stop. You don't want to play in the Championship. I've played there and I don't want to play there again for West Ham."

In a season of lows, the defeat to City was the nadir, especially as it followed the 5-0 humiliation against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. For the travelling West Ham fans, it was one embarrassment too far. They wanted the manager, Sam Allardyce, out. "We were at rock-bottom, we'd lost 5-0 and 6-0 and the fans were sick of it and let their thoughts and emotions out," Noble says.

The resilience shown in last Saturday's 2-0 victory over Cardiff City, which lifted West Ham out of the bottom three on goal difference, has restored optimism. Although West Ham lost James Tomkins to a red card, they held on and Noble, who captained the side in the absence of the suspended Kevin Nolan, sealed the win in stoppage time after being released by Andy Carroll.

Noble was relieved to see the £15m striker come off the bench to make his first appearance of the season after a heel injury and he may be required against Newcastle United on Saturday. "Some of his touches were rusty, he'd say so himself, but he made an impact," Noble says.

Having made 271 appearances for West Ham under five different managers and having started every league game this season, Noble can speak with authority about the club he supported as a boy. For Noble, hard work is key and he believes that the squad proved its character against Cardiff. "In the position we're in if you don't have your players working hard for you, you'll get relegated," Noble says. "Simple as. I think if you see the pictures and the shots after of the bench celebrating with each other, you don't get that, it's rare.

"There's a lot of pressure with the fans. They're an unbelievable bunch of fans but they let you know when you aren't pulling your weight. Everyone would say that. The players that come here and don't do so well and are under pressure, I've seen a lot of them fold at Upton Park and play within themselves. You've got to be able to grind through that and play the game. When it's going well and the crowd's behind you, like last season, it's an amazing place to play."

Supporters feel that Noble is one of them, though, that he is representing them on the pitch – they remember seeing him in tears after a 4-3 defeat against Tottenham in 2007. Noble grew up in Canning Town, made his debut when he was 17 and used to walk home after matches. Cut him and he bleeds claret and blue.

"I love coming in every morning," he says. "I love playing football. I always look at it as there's a lot worse things you can be doing than coming into a training ground in the morning and playing footy and having a laugh with the boys. When you get experienced players coming in they think I'm 32 or whatever – I'm only 26! I don't know whether that's because of the hairline or how many years I've been playing."

When asked, Noble struggles to think of players like him at other clubs and worries that young players are not being given enough opportunities.

"There aren't that many," Noble says. "Steven Gerrard … and that's about it. Obviously Stevie's a one-off, how good he's been over the years. He stuck by Liverpool and won the Champions League, so he can retire a happy man. He could have gone to anyone, but he chose to stick with Liverpool and it paid off.

"It's a lot rarer for young players to come through. You see young players coming on and it's their debut and they're 20 or 21. I played at White Hart Lane against Michael Carrick and Edgar Davids when I was 18.

"If you want to pay money for an English talent you pay way over the odds. You get players from abroad really cheap. You get athletes – strong, powerful and quick and technically very good and you pay one or two million for them. It looks like that's what clubs are going for now.

"I look at our Under-21s and most of them are 20 and haven't even played a league game yet. I'm not saying for West Ham, I'm saying for any club out on loan. If you're a manager of a League One or League Two club and you want to keep your job, do you go for a 17-year-old or a 30-year-old who's played 500 games? It is worrying for the English game."

Noble was still at school when he broke into the first team, an experience he describes as "surreal". "But after year after year of playing it becomes normal and you tend not to think about it being your boyhood club," he says. "You come in and you're more professional and you think right, I've got to win, it's not about enjoying games or playing for your boyhood club any more. It's about winning games." Starting with Newcastle.

Jacob Steinberg

Eden Hazard begins to make a big difference for Chelsea | Dominic Fifield

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST

José Mourinho is helping to make the Belgian as indispensable at Stamford Bridge as he was with his former club, Lille

The intent had been laid bare in a post-training session at Bangkok's International School last July, even if Eden Hazard might not have envisaged quite how José Mourinho would go about progressing his development. "There is more to come from me," he had offered a week into the manager's second coming. "I want to improve, to do better, to make an even bigger impression." Seven months on and established as Chelsea's top goalscorer and leading light among title contenders, his form is more scintillating than ever. The Belgian is blossoming.

The journey to this point has not been straightforward. Mourinho had warned in pre-season that he was "not the kind of guy who makes life easy for the great players", his intention made public to ensure his most talented players employed their qualities to hoist those of the collective, and he has been true to his word. There were times this season when Hazard would wince at the constant ear-bashing administered from the technical area during games, all bellowed reminders of defensive duties and the need to track back and support his full-back.

That same message has been drummed into him through daily training sessions. A player once prone to laughing and joking through drills was quickly made to realise a change of attitude was required if he was to thrive under the new regime. Mourinho has acknowledged the player he had targeted for Real Madrid in 2011 and inherited at Chelsea in 2013 would initially coast through sessions, trusting in his natural ability "so not at top-concentration or looking to improve". Such an approach was unacceptable. "But at this moment he's completely different, always working to improve," said the manager. He is deemed "professional" these days. The Portuguese had sought evidence of new-found maturity and the 23-year-old has responded.

The reprimand for returning late from Lille in November – he had mislaid his passport after attending his former club's victory over Monaco – which saw him dropped for the Champions League group game against Schalke has been pinpointed as a turning point, though the penny had dropped before then. There had been regular conversations, analysis and feedback sessions, constant suggestions and words of advice one on one, Mourinho added, "to show him the right way, or at least the way he has to follow".

Last year the £32m signing started with a flurry and ended with a flourish, enduring a mid-season lull when the physical demands of the English game appeared to grind him down. The breather afforded him by the three-match ban for his altercation with a ballboy at Swansea City a year ago actually proved beneficial.

This year has been about steady improvement with the aim to achieve a higher level of consistency throughout each individual contest, ensuring he is as much a threat in the opening exchanges against organised and fresh opponents as he is capable of running riot against tired opponents who may be chasing a game late-on. Three goals in five games, and mesmeric displays such as that at Sunderland in December, have illuminated Chelsea's recent campaign. Only Wayne Rooney (19) can claim more Premier League assists than Hazard's 16 since the latter's arrival in English football.

The raw statistics demonstrate improvement: he already has as many league goals this season, nine, as he managed in his first campaign with shot accuracy (from 60% to 67%) and chance-conversion rate (21% to 33%) raised. There is greater involvement, with more successful dribbles (54%) and an impressive number of key passes for a player who has been granted more licence to cut inside from the flank or even revel as a No10 – which might reflect the drop in the number of crosses – under this regime, with his credentials preferred to those of Juan Mata.

His contributions make real and prolonged impact these days, his threat omnipresent rather than flaring then fizzling out. "There are times when I disappear out of the match, so I'm hoping to improve my work rate and get more consistency," he acknowledged last month. "There will be matches when I don't do so well, and matches when I am exceptional." When Chelsea labour, and they have threatened to stall at times, he invariably supplies that dash of brilliance to make the difference.

If the attacking data marks out a more imposing second season then the defensive numbers actually suggest plateau, though witnessing his displays first-hand provides evidence of a willingness to track back and support either Branislav Ivanovic, César Azpilicueta or Ashley Cole at his back. As Mata experienced early on, Mourinho was never likely to accept anything else. The player comprehends better which areas in which he is expected to provide cover, and where the onus is upon him to close opponents down. Nemanja Matic's arrival from Benfica may actually liberate Hazard from some of those defensive duties, offering him more freedom to concentrate on picking apart opponents, but the sense of responsibility will never recede.

It is in the development of key players where Chelsea's evolution can be properly measured. The lineup employed by Mourinho over recent weeks has hardly varied dramatically from that selected by Rafael Benítez towards the end of last season. Indeed, nine of the 11 who featured in last Saturday's win at Hull, an occasion graced by a wonderful Hazard opener, had started the key 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur under the interim manager on 8 May. David Luiz began both fixtures in central midfield, with only Ivanovic and Mata absent at the KC Stadium from the team who collided with Spurs.

Yet, if the team seems familiar, the Belgian is a changed man even from the player who finished last term with that eye-catching burst of form – before his hamstring twanged. Perhaps Mata, in the manager's eyes, does not have the same stamina, stocky strength or speed across the turf.

Maybe, as a World Cup, European Championship and Champions League winner, the older man cannot be moulded in the same way. In contrast, Hazard seems as integral to Chelsea now as he once did to Lille. Standards must continue to improve, a pressurised title pursuit sharpening his focus, but his trajectory reflects that of this team. There is plenty more to come.

Dominic Fifield

Gus Poyet wins battle over transfers after Sunderland sack De Fanti

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:58 PM PST

• Director of football made 14 signings but few made the grade
• Club back Poyet to sign players who can avert relegation

Gus Poyet appears to have won a significant battle at Sunderland, where Roberto De Fanti has been sacked as the director of football. The Italian was responsible for 14 signings at the Stadium of Light last summer, 13 from abroad with Poyet's predecessor, Paolo Di Canio, complaining none had been players he requested.

A former agent, De Fanti only assumed his post in June but before Poyet took over he expressed reservations about working with De Fanti and requested a degree of autonomy. By November Sunderland's new manager was marking out his territory. Discussing his plans for the January transfer window, Poyet's stance proved unequivocal. "The player has to be the right one for me," he said. "If not, I'm not going to accept it. My situation is clear."

He then recounted a meeting with De Fanti in which a potential signing was mentioned. "If that one is coming," said Poyet. "I won't be here." Significantly he praised Tom Huddlestone, the midfielder much coveted by Di Canio who ended up leaving Tottenham for Hull. Reading between the lines it is clear Poyet believed Huddlestone would have been a far better central midfield recruit than Cabral who, after barely featuring this season following a free transfer from Basel, has been loaned to Genoa.

Two weeks into the transfer window is a very peculiar time for a director of football to depart and the timing of the club statement issued late on Friday afternoon came as a surprise.

It leaves Ellis Short, Sunderland's owner, and Margaret Byrne, the chief executive, with important decisions to make. They had hired De Fanti along with a new chief scout, Valentino Angeloni, who has constructed a new global talent-spotting network in a move designed to modernise the club's recruitment by becoming less dependent on the over-priced home market.

De Fanti's recruits largely proved failures, with Sunderland looking destined to be embroiled in a relegation fight until the end of the season. Even so, it is understood that Short remains reluctant to dispense with the director of football model but no replacement has been lined up. In the interim Byrne, who conducted the administrative side of transfers before De Fanti's arrival, will resume that responsibility. She working on the completion of the Argentina centre-back Santiago Vergini's move from Estudiantes after the 25-year-old's arrival on Thursday.

Poyet is desperate to strengthen a team still heavily reliant on survivors from the Martin O'Neill and Steve Bruce regimes including Phil Bardsley, Lee Cattermole, Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Sebastian Larsson and Adam Johnson.

Of the arrivals Ki Sung-yueng – on loan from Swansa – has impressed in midfield as has Vito Mannone, the goalkeeper bought for £2m from Arsenal. Yet several others including the £6.5m USA striker Jozy Altidore have struggled, making Short's revolution seem somewhat costly.

Sunderland's owner can only hope that by giving Poyet, who has already signed the left-back Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina, his head in the transfer market, relegation can be averted.

Louise Taylor

Pardew vows to 'punish himself'

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:58 PM PST

• Newcastle manager 'not proud' of bust-up
• Andy Carroll could return for West Ham

Alan Pardew has revealed he will punish himself for the touchline bust-up with Manuel Pellegrini last weekend, which earned him a warning from the Football Association rather than a charge.

The Newcastle United manager said: "I am not proud of the comment I made and I am going to punish myself. I have got a couple of ideas that I will do locally that will take up my time and money.

"There are a couple of things I can do, that I think will help boys' clubs in the area and stuff like that, that have been on the back-burner, so I will accelerate them and make sure I look after my local community here."

In the meantime Pardew, who revealed that the defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has written to the Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri to express his regret at the injury his challenge caused, will concentrate on the task of attempting to end a run of four successive defeats, something he believes his side are more than capable of doing against West Ham United on Saturday.

The manager said: "I don't think we have got a lack of confidence or we are not playing well. We gave Manchester City the best game they have had in the last 10 by a long, long way and we need to take that into West Ham."

The West Ham United manager, Sam Allardyce, could have the former Magpies striker Andy Carroll back among their armoury after his return to fitness and Pardew knows ring rust will not be an issue. He said: "Andy is a presence who can get his game together quite quickly.It's not based around fitness or sharpness.

"He's a big, aggressive target man and he is very good at that and I would expect him to be as problematic on Saturday if he starts as if he had played 10 games. That we are wary of but we know him very well. He's a local lad and obviously came through the ranks here, so we know everything about him and hopefully we can deal with him."

Third man charged in match-fixing inquiry

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:48 AM PST

• Moses Swaibu to appear at Cannock magistrates on Tuesday
• Two Whitehawk players and two other men face charges

A third footballer has been charged as part of an investigation into alleged match-fixing.

Moses Swaibu, 24, a former Conference South footballer from Croydon, south London, is accused of conspiracy to defraud and will appear at Cannock magistrates court in Staffordshire on Tuesday.

He is the fifth person and third player to be charged in connection with the National Crime Agency probe into an alleged illegal betting syndicate.

The other two players who are facing charges are Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22, who are footballers with the Conference South team Whitehawk. They are also accused of conspiracy to defraud.

Chann Sankaran, a 33-year-old Singapore national, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, a 43-year-old with dual UK and Singapore nationality, are charged with the same offence.

It is alleged that they were all involved with an international betting syndicate that tried to fix matches that members would gamble on. All deny the charges.

Southampton rule out player sales

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST

• Owner continues search for Nicola Cortese's replacement
• Mauricio Pochettino to press for further information

The Southampton owner, Katharina Liebherr, is to prioritise her search for a new chief executive to run the club and has pledged not to sell any players this month as uncertainty continues to cloud her future intentions.

Following the departure of Nicola Cortese, the club's all-powerful executive chairman who was installed by her late father Markus when he bought the club in 2009, Liebherr sought to reassure supporters, players and staff that key players such as Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert would not be allowed to leave. "The club has no plans to sell any of the squad during the January transfer window. The manager and the team have my full support," she said.

Cortese is now believed to have been engaged in a stand-off with Liebherr since last spring after she insisted on having a representative join him on the board of the club's holding company and more input into key decisions involving her investment.

The Italian nevertheless resigned in October, despite an attractive contract offer, and she has spent the intervening period attempting to persuade him to stay, according to sources close to the Liebherr camp. But Cortese believes Liebherr, who has now taken over as non-executive chairman, effectively undermined the agreement he had struck with her father when he bought the club and was concerned about her lack of football knowledge.

While Liebherr will not be drawn on her future intentions towards a club in which her family has invested an estimated £60m to raise them from League One to the Premier League, many expect her to sell when the time is right.

The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who was close to Cortese but will stay until at least the end of the season, is to press for more information from Liebherr in the next fortnight, although he said there was no opportunity before this weekend's match with Sunderland. Before Cortese's departure he had met her only once.

"It is only natural that everyone would be reacting to all this. It is hard to predict what the effect on the players will be," he said. "It's clear that it may affect the players as they all have varying degrees of relationship with Nicola Cortese and of course his leaving may affect us in some way."

By insisting that none of the squad will be sold in January Liebherr, who ironically introduced her father to Cortese when they were neighbours in Switzerland, hopes to calm a febrile situation. She will prioritise the search for a new chief executive but, even then, questions about her future plans are only likely to return at greater volume in the months ahead.

Owen Gibson

Sports Direct's Mike Ashley: nasty or nice?

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:17 AM PST

The Newcastle United owner may be a maverick - see his Debenhams dealings - but friends say he is loyal and courteous

Mike Ashley, the Sports Direct and Newcastle United tycoon, is renowned for his various vices, from outrageous stakes at the roulette table to his memorable nights out drinking with football fans in the Bigg Market. But in Totteridge, the smart north London village where he lives, the billionaire is best known for something completely different.

"He is famous for his Christmas lights," grimaces one disapproving friend. "He covers his house in them. Tourists come to see them. And it is not son et lumière."

Last week the self-made billionaire again shocked the City with unorthodox business tactics – wheeling and dealing in tens of millions of Debenhams shares, banking a swift £5m profit and then sealing a complex deal that could give him a large stake in the ailing department store.

His choice of festive home decor is just one of the many aspects of Ashley that don't seem to quite stack up. In the Square Mile he is regarded as a maverick, who so loves a punt that he once settled a disputed £200,000 legal bill via a game of spoof with his investment bankers (he lost) – yet conversely, he is quaintly obsessed with the detail of retail.

He is a man who eschews personal publicity and interviews, prompting him to be once described as Britain's answer to the late Howard Hughes, though his love of a night out proves he is no recluse.

And although Ashley burns electricity illuminating the exterior of his mansion, he has installed sensors that automatically switch off the office lights at Newcastle United's St James' Park home and sunk a well at the club's training ground to save on utility bills. It's not just the City that struggles to understand him.

Ashley was brought up in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, and began his retailing career helping out in the shop in his Maidenhead squash club, after injury scuppered any hopes of making a living from the sport – although an associate says he's still an exceptionally good player.

That led to him opening his own shop, in 1982, where friends and family used to help out, and over the past 31 years he has expanded the business into the UK's largest sports retailer with 400 stores. It is a FTSE-100 company, valued at £4.3bn – making Ashley's 64% stake worth £2.8bn. And all of that has been achieved by being brutally competitive.

For instance, in 2000 Ashley was summoned to the Cheshire home of David Hughes, the chairman of the now-defunct Allsports chain, to discuss the pricing of a new Manchester United kit. There another northern businessman, Dave Whelan, the chairman of Wigan Athletic football club and then boss of the rival JJB chain, mistook the casually attired Ashley for the gardener, before compounding the insult by reportedly telling him: "There's a club in the north son, and you're not part of it."

It is not clear if Whelan's approach proved the motivation, but Ashley's next move shocked the industry. He turned whistleblower and reported his rivals to the Office of Fair Trading for fixing the price of replica football shirts, which eventually led to dawn raids and multimillion-pound fines.

If his rivals didn't realise then what type of character they were up against, they have since had plenty of time to reconsider. There is no longer a club in the north as its members have been crushed by "a canny and aggressive operator", as one observer puts it.

Allsports and JJB have both died in the face of Ashley's relentless discounting and aggressive acquisition of brands, which has included turning the croquet and tennis set's beloved Lillywhites in Piccadilly Circus, London, into a pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap bazaar. He has also snapped up sports brands such as Donnay, Lonsdale and Dunlop Slazenger, which once suggested quality, but are now stretched across ever-wider product ranges.

As one sports fan put it ruefully: "Nobody ever lost money underestimating the British public's appetite to buy shite."

Still, most people who have worked with Ashley seem to admire him, with almost all effusive about his talent as a retailer: "The most extraordinary instinctive businessman," gushes one, while another adds: "The way he describes it is that if Sports Direct was a Formula One car then he'd be the mechanic sitting in the garage tinkering. He has revolutionised the supply chain."

Perhaps more surprising, though, is how well the man seems to be liked. "When I first met him I thought I might get a bit of a Philip Green," says one City figure. "But actually he is courteous and considerate. He asks a question once and he listens to the answer."

There are also tales that contradict the nice-guy image that many of his advisers like to portray, including people who deal with Ashley's senior team finding them curiously reticent about expressing any opinions without prior permission from the boss. Some City advisers who have had the cheek to contact Ashley directly have been called and rebuked by his entourage for going straight to the top.

But overall, his personality does seem to translate into lasting bonds between Ashley and those close to him – albeit with the possible exception of Linda Jerlmyr, his former wife with whom he had three children, and whom he paid £50m when they divorced in 2003.

Ashley's need to surround himself with trusted friends occasionally produces some perplexing appointments – Newcastle fans are still struggling to comprehend the attraction of Joe Kinnear as a director of football – but the policy also means that Ashley's senior team repay his loyalty.

Sports Direct's chief executive, David Forsey, has been with the business since 1984. Finance boss Bob Mellors, who retired on health grounds last month had been at the company since 2002, and was previously at accountant Eacott Worrall where Sports Direct first became a client in 1982. Then there is Ashley's brother John, who is head of IT and joined company in 1989.

They run the operation from an industrial estate in Shirebrook, on the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire border, where on Monday evenings they gather for business dinners at a local pub, before retiring to one of the houses the company has bought in the area.

The latest addition to this inner circle is Jeff Blue, who as a banker at Merrill Lynch worked on the Sports Direct flotation in 2007, before joining the Icelandic investor Baugur.

In a move that now looks like a practice run, Baugur snapped up a near-5% stake in Debenhams days after Blue joined. Blue had previously presided over the flotation of the department store (also in 2007) while at Merrill Lynch – meaning that all sorts of theories are circulating the City about Ashley's strategy for Debenhams.

Some suggest a bid, others that Ashley wants to sell his fashion brands – such as Firetrap – in the department store. There have been reports that he wants to supply celebrity-fronted sports brands to Debenhams, while rivals point out that the tycoon is always looking at ways of getting his hands on more Nike and Adidas stock, because the giant brands restrict his supply: "He is Adidas and Nike's largest customer in the UK, but they won't supply him as much as he wants. So he buys it from other people. For him it is not about price, it is about receiving supply."

Whatever Ashley's plan, Debenhams' directors are unlikely to be left alone. One rival who found Ashley on his share register explains: "His modus operandi is pretty pitiful. You meet, when he'll always be eating or drinking something, but he'll be pretty courteous. You shake hands and agree on the next steps. And then the next day you read an attack on yourself in the media.

"Some people are attack dogs to your face, which is easier to read. He was far nicer in person than you'd expect. Afterwards, he is far nastier."

Potted profile

Born: 9 September 1964

Career: Left school at 16 as a county-level squash player, but injury ruined any chance of going professional. Opened first sports shop in Maidenhead in 1982, followed by others in and around London, and became Sports Direct.

High point: Now. Sports Direct shares are trading at an all-time high – more than 20 times higher than in 2008, when the City did not trust the way he was running the company. As one observer puts it: "He has been cleverer than the City."

Low point: The two years after the 2007 flotation when shares slumped by 90% after corporate governance worriesand Newcastle United fans were demanding that he sell the club.

What he says: "You want me out [of Newcastle]. That is what I am now trying to do, but it won't happen overnight and it may not happen at all if a buyer does not come in."

What they say: "We hope Mike Ashley will sit down with Unite to discuss how the treatment of workers at Sports Direct can be improved, after they have made the business such a success." – Annmarie Kilcline, regional secretary at Unite, after it emerged that 90% of Sports Direct staff were on zero-hours contracts.

Simon Goodley

England 1-1 Norway | Women's international friendly

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 11:14 AM PST

• England 1-1 Norway
• Aluko 10; Bjaneso 87

Melissa Bjaneso's equaliser three minutes from time denied the new England women's head coach Mark Sampson what would have been an excellent victory over the 2013 European Championship runners-up Norway in his first game in charge.

But at the end of a five-day training camp at the Spanish sports resort La Manga, where the friendly international was played, Sampson was more than happy with a solid England display that opened with an early goal by the Chelsea striker Eniola Aluko and included some fine, flowing football.

The former Bristol Academy manager, who has taken over following the sacking of the previous coach Hope Powell, said: "Losing a late goal was obviously disappointing, but I was delighted with our overall performance and there were more positives than I expected at this early stage of our development.

"We were good in possession, the tempo was high and we created a number of chances. That performance, after a really good week we've had together as a group – off as well as on the pitch – has been a great base to build on going into the Cyprus Cup in March and then our next run of World Cup qualifiers."

The 12-nation tournament in Cyprus will give Sampson his final chance of preparation for the resumption of the World Cup qualifying matches, the first of them against Montenegro on 5 April with England having won all four group games to date under the caretaker manager Brent Hills.

England should sweep aside group minnows Montenegro with a performance similar to Friday's, Aluko netting a 10th minute cross-shot and the Boston Breakers striker Lianne Sanderson – back in the starting line-up almost four years after quitting England and saying she would never again play under Powell – going closest to increasing the lead.

At the other end the Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley made good saves from Elise Thorsnes and Kristine Minde either side of half-time but could not keep out the substitute Bjaneso's late header.

Sampson's delight at his first experience of international management was matched by that of his 30-player squad. The Liverpool midfielder Fara Williams, who with 122 caps is the most experienced player in the current squad, said: "This has been the most enjoyable England trip I've been on for a long time.

"The new manager has worked us really hard, but the atmosphere has been more relaxed than I've known it for a while and we've had some fun time as well as high intensity training sessions.

"He's made a very positive impact on the squad. He had one-to-one meetings with every player in the first 24 hours we were here, told each of us how he sees us fitting into his plans and encouraged us to voice our opinions in team meetings or on the training pitch. It's given everyone a real confidence boost."

England (4-1-2-3) Bardsley (Manchester City); A Scott (Arsenal), Bronze (Liverpool), Houghton (Manchester City), Stokes (University of South Florida) (Bonner, Liverpool, 61); Williams (Liverpool); Carney (Birmingham City), Nobbs (Arsenal) (Bassett, Chelsea, 76); Aluko (Chelsea) (J Scott, Manchester City, 68), Sanderson (Boston Breakers) (White, Notts County, 68), Duggan (Manchester City) (Davison, Liverpool, 76).

Substitutes not used Greenwood (Everton), Chamberlain (Arsenal).

Norway Fiskarstrand, Mjelde (Dekkerhus, h-t), Ronning (Lund, 46), Hegerberg, Hansen (Schjelderup, 46), Berge, Reiten, Tomter, Thorsnes (Bjaneso, 71), Minde, Mykjaland.

Substitutes not used Gjoen, Wold, Sonstevold.

Referee Elia María Martínez

Tony Leighton

West Bromwich Albion v Everton: Squad sheets

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:47 AM PST

Pepe Mel takes charge of West Bromwich Albion for the first time and the part-time novelist will be hoping for a fantasy start against opponents managed by a fellow Spaniard. Roberto Martínez's side have impressed this campaign partly due to the influence of Ross Barkley, who is out for some time with a broken toe. The new signing Aiden McGeady could feature for the visitors. Harvey Taylor

Kick-off Monday 8pm

Venue The Hawthorns

Last season West Brom 2 Everton 0

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee M Oliver

This season G14, Y55, R2, 4.2 cards per game

Odds H 12-5 A 5-4 D 12-5

West Bromwich Albion

Subs from Daniels, Myhill, Gera, Sessègnon, Anichebe, Lugano, Dawson, Vydra, Rosenberg, Dorrans, Sinclair, Yacob

Doubtful Anichebe (groin), Sessègnon (knock)

Injured Popov (neck, 20 Jan), Jones (eye, 29 Jan)

Suspended None

Form LWDDDL

Discipline Y36 R0

Leading scorer Berahino 4

Everton

Subs from Robles, McGeady, Stones, Oviedo, Heitinga, Naismith, Vellios, Hibbert, Gueye

Doubtful None

Injured Alcaraz (muscle fatigue, 25 Jan), Barkley (toe, Feb), Deulofeu (hamstring, Feb), Koné (knee, Apr), Gibson (knee, Apr)

Suspended None

Form WDWLWW

Discipline Y33 R1

Leading scorer Lukaku 9

Swansea City v Tottenham Hotpsur: Squad sheets

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:42 AM PST

Tottenham travel to south Wales with cause for optimism. Swansea have won just twice at home in the league this season as they struggle to cope with the demands of domestic football coupled with a Europa League campaign. Spurs have taken 13 points from 15 under Tim Sherwood and will want to continue their good form as the hunt for a Champions League spot gathers pace. Harvey Taylor

Kick-off Sunday 1.30pm

Venue Liberty Stadium

Last season Swansea 1 Tottenham 2

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee M Atkinson

This season G14, Y43, R3, 3.5 cards per game

Odds H 11-5 A 7-5 D 12-5

Swansea City

Subs from Tremmel, Cornell, Amat, Donnelly, Taylor, Vázquez, Zabret, Lucas, Situ, Tiendalli, Lamah

Doubtful Vorm (knee), Tiendalli (hamstring), Lamah (abductor)

Injured De Guzmán (calf), Hernández (hamstring, 28 Jan), Dyer (ankle, Feb), Michu (ankle, Feb), Monk (knee, unknown

Suspended None

Form LLDLLD

Discipline Y38 R1

Leading scorer Bony 6

Tottenham Hotspur

Subs from Friedel, Gomes, Naughton, Fryers, Capoue, Sandro, Lamela, Sigurdsson, Holtby, Chadli, Townsend, Kane, Defoe

Doubtful Sandro (calf), Lamela (thigh), Sigurdsson (calf)

Injured Vertonghen (ankle, 29 Jan), Kaboul (thigh, 29 Jan), Paulinho (ankle, Feb)

Suspended None

Form WWWDWL

Discipline Y38 R1

Leading scorer Soldado 5

Manchester City v Cardiff City: Squad sheets

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:36 AM PST

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may like to remind his Cardiff City players of their 3-2 win in the reverse of this fixture in August, yet that was in Manuel Pellegrini's second game in charge and since then the manager has finely tuned Manchester City into a near-terrifying prospect, having amassed 99 goals in all competitions. It would be a major shock if Cardiff were even to garner a point. Jamie Jackson

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Etihad Stadium

Last season n/a

Referee N Swarbrick

This season G10, Y32, R0, 3.2 cards per game

Odds H 1-7 A 22-1 D 17-2

Manchester City

Subs from Pantilimon, Wright, García, Boyata, Lescott, Milner, Richards, Nastasic, Dzeko, Clichy

Doubtful None

Injured Jovetic (hamstring, Feb), Rodwell (hamstring, Feb), Nasri (Mar)

Suspended None

Form WWWWWW

Discipline Y36 R0

Leading scorer Agüero 13

Cardiff City

Subs from Lewis, Hudson, Eikrem, Cornelius, Cowie, John, Gunnarsson, Bellamy, Maynard, Connolly, Brayford, Smith, Daehli

Doubtful None

Injured Mutch (hamstring, unknown), Taylor (ankle, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LLDLLW

Discipline Y27 R0

Leading scorers Campbell, Mutch 4

Crystal Palace v Stoke City: Squad sheets

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:31 AM PST

Tony Pulis spent seven years in charge of Stoke, turning them from a midtable Championship side to established Premier League members and FA Cup finalists. Facing his old side for the first time and having improved Crystal Palace's fortunes since taking over, Pulis will put old friendships aside in the quest for three key points. His successor at Stoke, Mark Hughes, takes a team with the joint-second worst defensive record in the division to south London. Harvey Taylor

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Selhurst Park

Last season n/a

Referee M Clattenburg

This season G14, Y49, R1, 3.6 cards per game

Odds H 11-8 A 13-5 D 12-5

Crystal Palace

Subs from Alexander, Price, McCarthy, Moxey, Bolasie, Dobbie, Campaña, Gayle, Boateng, Bannan, O'Keefe, Williams

Doubtful Bolasie (groin), McCarthy (match fitness)

Injured Murray (match fitness, Feb), Hunt (match fitness, Feb), Dikgacoi (calf, Feb), Thomas (groin, Feb)

Ineligible Jerome (terms of loan)

Form LDLWLL

Discipline Y25 R2

Leading scorer Chamakh 4

Stoke City

Subs from Sorensen, Huth, Muniesa, Pennant, Palacios, Edu, Etherington, Ireland, Shotton, Arnautovic, Guidetti

Doubtful None

Injured Wilkinson (heel, 25 Jan), Begovic (finger, unknown)

Suspended Jones (club punishment)

Form LDLLWD

Discipline Y45 R2

Leading scorer Adam 5

Norwich City v Hull City: Squad sheets

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:18 AM PST

Norwich will hope to end their six-game winless run against a Hull side that has won once away from home all season. Victory for Chris Hughton's men would put them go level on points with the visitors and significantly boost their chances of survival. Hull have bolstered their attack with the addition of Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long, while the hosts have signed Jonás Gutiérrez on loan from Newcastle for the rest of the season. Harvey Taylor

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Carrow Road

Last season n/a

Referee H Webb

This season G18, Y53, R0, 2.9 cards per game

Odds H 7-5 A Hull 9-4 D 12-5

Norwich City

Subs from Bunn, Nash, Martin, Garrido, Becchio, Jacob Murphy, Josh Murphy, Hoolahan, Elmander, Pilkington, Redmond, Johnson

Doubtful None

Injured E Bennett (knee, unknown), Turner (hamstring, unknown), Howson (back, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LDLLDD

Discipline Y29 R1

Leading scorer Hooper 5

Hull City

Subs from Harper, Faye, Rosenior, Koren, Henderson, Sagbo, Graham, Proschwitz, Townsend, Quinn, Long

Doubtful None

Injured Aluko (achilles, Feb), Brady (groin, Feb), Fryatt (hamstring, unknown), Dudgeon (knee, Feb), McShane (ankle, Feb)

Suspended None

Form LLWLDD

Discipline Y33 R1

Leading scorer Brady 3

Chelsea v Manchester United: Squad sheets

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 10:14 AM PST

As if the prospect of travelling to Chelsea was not daunting enough, David Moyes will have to do so without the injured forwards Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. Manchester United can take encouragement from their away form, although that may not count for much against opponents who under José Mourinho have not lost in 70 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge. Harvey Taylor

Kick-off Sunday 4pm

Venue Stamford Bridge

Last season Chelsea 2 Man Utd 3

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee P Dowd

This season G15, Y65, R0, 4.3 cards per game

Odds H 4-5 A 4-1 D 11-4

Chelsea

Subs from Schwarzer, Hilário, Blackman, Ivanovic, Kalas, Matic, Lampard, Mikel, Essien, Ake, Mata, Schürrle, Eto'o, Ba

Doubtful Ivanovic (knee), Lampard (calf)

Injured Van Ginkel (knee, Apr)

Suspended None

Form WWWWDW

Discipline Y32 R1

Leading scorer Hazard 9

Manchester United

Subs from Lindegaard, Zaha, Giggs, Hernández, Smalling, Buttner, Keane, Cleverley, Varela, Lingard

Doubtful None

Injured Jones (knee, 25 Jan), Evans (back, 25 Jan), Ferdinand (knee, 25 Jan), Van Persie (thigh, Feb), Rooney (groin, Feb), Nani (hamstring, Feb), Young (shoulder, Feb), Fellaini (wrist, unknown)

Suspended F da Silva (last of three)

Form WLWWWW

Discipline Y41 R1

Leading scorer Rooney 9

Saturday, 18 January 2014