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- Emmanuel Adebayor: can Spur of the moment be the man for all season? | Paul Doyle
- Manchester United in need of fresh faces and more from those within
- Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers charged over fan violence
- Walcott issues warning to Spurs
- David Dunn: 'Blackburn are miles away from the stuff that happened before'
- Real Madrid to keep January transfer window shut, says Carlo Ancelotti
- Rangers' Bilel Mohsni sent off after clashing with Airdrie manager
- Hibernian 2-1 Hearts | Scottish Premiership match report
- Up to 5,000 England fans expected in Brazil
- Solskjaer undeterred by owner's image
- If the FA had done its homework Michael Johnson would not be an issue
- FA equality adviser called homosexuality 'detestable'
- Mark Hughes fined £8,000 by FA for improper conduct towards referee
- Sepp Blatter wants referees to make players feigning injury wait
- 269. Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich
- Chelsea set to rebuff Kevin De Bruyne's hopes of permanent move away
- Everton's John Heitinga rejects chance to join West Ham in World Cup year
- Tom Huddlestone goes under the scissors after breaking scoring duck
- Messi flies back ahead of Barcelona return v Elche
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought Ferguson's advice but has he read his book?
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named as Cardiff City manager – video
- Manchester City set for break in Abu Dhabi with friendly in new stadium
- Manchester United, diving and the art of managerial misdirection
- Football Weekly Extra: Manchester United beaten at home again
- Vincent Tan is no pantomime villain according to Malaysian experts | John Duerden
| Emmanuel Adebayor: can Spur of the moment be the man for all season? | Paul Doyle Posted: 02 Jan 2014 03:24 PM PST André Villas-Boas ignored him while Tim Sherwood loves him – now Tottenham Hotspur's enigmatic striker must prove he can be relied upon in the long term Guess what Emmanuel Adebayor is today? The figurehead of Tottenham Hotspur's resurgence, no less. And, by extension, the totem of Tim Sherwood's wisdom and of André Villas-Boas's folly. With Adebayor the talk is never just about his ability. He is always the symbol of something. Often negative, currently positive, constantly liable to change. Three weeks ago the striker was decried in some quarters as the epitome of the self-absorbed modern professional footballer. It was the aftermath of Tottenham's 5-0 home drubbing by Liverpool and Benoît Assou-Ekotto, the Spurs defender on loan at Queens Park Rangers, tweeted a photo of himself and Adebayor grinning merrily and making ambiguous hand gestures. Thoughtless timing, reckoned some fans, while others interpreted the photo as petty revelling in the woe of Villas-Boas, the manager who foresaw no useful future for either player at Tottenham. The Togolese piped up quickly to insist that no disrespect was intended but no one else was really sure: his motivations have always seemed mysterious. At times Adebayor appears determined to use his undoubted talent to destroy defences, at others he seems more intent on pursuing some private agenda. Villas-Boas was not the first manager to decide Adebayor could not be relied upon. Roberto Mancini judged the player surplus to Manchester City in 2011, casting him into the reserves before loaning him out to Real Madrid and then Tottenham, a move that, due to Adebayor's initial excellence at White Hart Lane, was soon made permanent under Harry Redknapp. The striker's efficiency dwindled after he secured that £190,000-per-week contract, repeating a pattern that has occurred previously in his career, one that has led some to see him as a flag bearer for the footballing mercenary. He plundered 17 league goals in 32 starts while on loan at Spurs but only five in last season's campaign. Villas-Boas found reason to question his focus, notably when he got himself sent off for an oafish foul in the north London derby in November 2012 moments after giving Spurs the lead. The relationship between player and manager deteriorated and Adebayor played little part in Tottenham's pre-season activities, partly because he was given compassionate leave to return to Togo following the death of his brother and partly because Villas-Boas had little faith in him. When he returned the striker was sent to train with the youth team run by Sherwood. That was a high-stakes stance by the Portuguese, for although Adebayor had been infuriatingly inconsistent in the previous campaign, he still had obvious potential and continued to be paid grandly. Villas-Boas seemed to be admitting that he could not extract the best out of one of the club's highest earners and thereby increased the pressure on himself to make the most of all the new ones he was given in the summer. Spurs' paltry haul of 15 goals in their first 16 league games – in which Adebayor played only 45 minutes – did not convince the chairman Daniel Levy he was achieving that. This was one of the main reasons Villas-Boas was sacked. Sherwood, having become more familiar with Adebayor during the 29-year-old's stint with the youngsters, reinstated him to the first team as soon as he took charge and made him one prong of a reshaped frontline. The Togolese's tandem with Roberto Soldado has ignited Tottenham's attack, the team scoring nine goals in the four league games of Sherwood's reign. Adebayor has scored three of them and played like a man on a mission, channelling all his formidable power and technique into tormenting defenders and helping his team. He has become the embodiment of the transformation of Tottenham from ponderous blank-shooters to dynamic thrusters. "A lot of it is down to Ade coming back into the team," says the defender Danny Rose. "He has literally been like a new signing in both boxes – winning headers at corners and stuff. Obviously no disrespect to André but playing one up front has been a bit frustrating and hard for Soldado at times. It is just nice that he has got a bit of help up there with Adebayor. "He didn't play a game since pre-season until a few weeks ago but his energy levels have been brilliant … we are all grateful he is back in the team. He hasn't got a point to prove but he is playing as if he has and he looks fresh and he is causing teams a lot of trouble." Michael Dawson is equally delighted that Adebayor is on song. "I played against Ade many times before, when he was at City and Arsenal, and he is a handful," says the Spurs captain. "When he's on his game there's not many better and since he came back into the team him and Robbie are playing well together up front, working their socks off. I think we're benefiting. "It probably scares the other team when you're playing against Ade and Robbie – it'sas simple as that. When you play against a front pair, you know it's going to be a big test, especially if it's them two. Ade's a big strong boy, you can see with his goal [against Manchester United], outjumping the full-back so well for the header. And Robbie's sharp around the box." Even during down periods Adebayor has always seemed to get himself pumped up for clashes with his former teams, so he will no doubt relish a role in Saturday's FA Cup tie at Arsenal. After being forced off the field with injury before the end of the New Year's Day win at Old Trafford, he was fearing the worst. But the bulletins suggest he will be in contention. If he maintains his form Tottenham will be confident of fulfilling this season's targets. If he is not, few will be surprised. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Manchester United in need of fresh faces and more from those within Posted: 02 Jan 2014 03:20 PM PST David Moyes's woes can only be solved by spending this month and getting more from current, underperforming players The January transfer window has long been earmarked as a fresh start for David Moyes at Manchester United, the panacea for a campaign that has featured more dropped Premier League points by New Year's Day than in the whole of Sir Alex Ferguson's final, title-winning season. That may prove to be the case, but it cannot detract from the internal problems behind United's slide from champions to outsiders for Champions League qualification inside seven months. Officially at least, the word from United was remarkably upbeat on Wednesday considering the consequences of Tottenham Hotspur's triumph at Old Trafford. Both Tom Cleverley and Jonny Evans spoke of an unjust result against Tim Sherwood's men, the fourth visiting team to leave Old Trafford with victory in the Premier League this season, with the midfielder following his manager's example in blaming the erratic performance of referee Howard Webb for the 2-1 reverse. "The way we lost left a sour taste in our mouths," said Cleverley. "We didn't deserve to lose the match. There were some poor decisions and we didn't get the rub of the green." Evans, however, did look for answers within, and the defender's assessment of a defeat that leaves the reigning champions 11 points adrift of the leaders, Arsenal, suggests Moyes' ideas have still to take root after 30 games in charge. United have collected only 14 points from a possible 30 at home this season compared to 20 points on their travels. The fear factor that Ferguson cultivated at Old Trafford has diminished – even a fledgling manager such as Sherwood remarked on Wednesday that United are "there for the taking" – and, while the hosts showed character late on against Spurs, the quality was again found wanting. "Our home form hasn't been good, our away form has and we have to get the balance right," Evans admitted. "It's hard to explain. We left ourselves too open to the counterattack against Spurs and they caught us on the break twice, whereas away from home we're a bit more defensive in our setup. We want to entertain our fans and score goals. I think that's to our detriment a bit – maybe we should be a bit more patient." Moyes was renowned for defensive organisation at Everton and, while his 11 years at Goodison Park produced more impressive attacking displays than he was credited for, Ferguson-like adventure and entertainment were not his forte. Nor was he used to shopping at the higher end of the transfer market at Everton which, when combined with the similarly inexperienced vice-chairman Ed Woodward, resulted in a damaging first transfer window as United manager and the squad's glaring midfield problems addressed only by Marouane Fellaini. A fee of £27.5m was spent on a player Moyes knows well but whose best position at Old Trafford has yet to be determined, and United's prospects of enticing Koke from Atlético Madrid, Marco Reus from Borussia Dortmund or Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao are not enhanced by residing five points outside the Champions League places. The persuasive powers of the United hierarchy must improve greatly this month. Moyes takes responsibility for the summer's transfer policy, the difficulties in the tactical transition and for parting company with Ferguson's coaching team, having been hand-picked by the Scot as his chosen successor. But he would be justified in lamenting the slow development of players such as Danny Welbeck, Cleverley and Chris Smalling, who could represent a promising English spine, the inheriting of an ageing defence and an attack that, in the absence of the injured Robin van Persie, was carried by an unfit Wayne Rooney against Spurs. "If I could rest him, I would," said Moyes, manager of one of the wealthiest clubs in world football, of Rooney on Wednesday. Ferguson's retirement after almost 27 years as United manager guaranteed a period of instability. It has also offered a convenient excuse for passing responsibility for underachievement solely on to his successor and away from players. There is sufficient experience at Old Trafford to ease the creative burden that was on 18-year-old Adnan Januzaj against Spurs, when it fell to Rooney to drop into and improve United's midfield with the home team chasing the game. But belief at Old Trafford, as with arguably the appetite that Rooney continues to embody, appears to have been hit harder than many imagined following Ferguson's departure. A five-point gap is hardly cause to dismiss United's Champions League qualification prospects but their consistency and form compared to the sides above them does not bode well. January offers United a chance to buy fresh impetus but there should be more coming from within. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers charged over fan violence Posted: 02 Jan 2014 03:06 PM PST Victory and Wanderers have been charged with bringing the game into disrepute after their fans fought each other  |
| Walcott issues warning to Spurs Posted: 02 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST • Spurs buoyant under Tim Sherwood with 10 points from 12 Theo Walcott has reflected Arsenal's confidence before Saturday's showpiece FA Cup tie by telling Tottenham Hotspur it is a "bad time" to visit the Emirates Stadium. Tottenham are buoyant under Tim Sherwood, having won 2-1 at Manchester United on New Year's Day. They have taken 10 points from an available 12 in the Premier League since Sherwood replaced André Villas-Boas to sit two off the Champions League places and eight off the top. Sherwood has unlocked something in a squad who had come to labour under Villas-Boas. It is Arsenal, though, who are setting the title pace. Since the opening day defeat against Aston Villa, they have won 10 of their 14 home matches in all competitions, with two defeats coming against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and Chelsea in the Capital One Cup. Walcott was asked whether he considered it to be a bad time to face Tottenham, given their revival under Sherwood. "It's going to be a bad time to play us as well," he replied. "For the neutrals, it's going to be a very interesting battle. I can't call it. It's one of those games that's going to be very open. The FA Cup is always special for me, being English. I love the FA Cup. "Since their new appointment, Tottenham have done very well, to be fair to them. But like I say, they won't want to play us. And it's at the Emirates. We're trying to make our stadium into a fortress and we are starting to do that." For Walcott, the excitement is palpable . It will be only the sixth time that the clubs have met in the FA Cup. "The first fixture I always look at is Tottenham," Walcott said. "Every time Tottenham come here or we go there, you want to put 100% in. These are massive games." Walcott traced Arsenal's upturn in 2013 to the league defeat at Tottenham on 3 March. In the following game, they won at Bayern Munich in the Champions League and, although it was not enough to avoid a last-16 exit on away goals, it was the prompt for a strong finish to the domestic season. The team have maintained the momentum over the first half of this season. "Ever since that Bayern Munich result, really … it's changed the whole club," Walcott said. "Since then, we've showed great consistency throughout, not just scoring goals but keeping clean sheets. If you're going to win titles, you've got to keep clean sheets. We always know we're going to score goals; it's been the problem of conceding them but everyone's been doing their jobs right and it's important for the team." Walcott has been in form since his return from an abdominal injury, which required surgery and was complicated by a reaction he suffered to antibiotics. He was out for just over two months and made his comeback as a substitute against his former club Southampton on 23 November. Since regaining his starting place at Manchester City on 14 December, the forward has scored five goals in five matches. "I missed so many games and it's been so frustrating," Walcott said. "But I'd rather that injury happened at the start of the season than come in the middle or at the end. It was always going to be a slow process and I had a bit of a reaction to antibiotics I took which delayed every-thing. It's all going well now and I am very happy." Walcott said that many of the team in the New Year's Day home win over Cardiff City were at "90% [fitness]," with him being one of them owing to a shoulder complaint. Arsène Wenger would like to make wholesale changes for the FA Cup third round tie but the identity of the opposition makes that problematic. Wenger will be without Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud, Nicklas Bendtner and Kieran Gibbs, plus the long-term casualties Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Abou Diaby and Yaya Sanogo. He will consider whether to name midfield prodigy Gedion Zelalem in the squad after the 16-year-old has trained with the first-team this week. "Wins like Cardiff prove we are serious contenders," Walcott said. "With every win, the belief gets stronger and stronger. A lot of people are not giving us enough credit but we don't mind that. We just carry on with our job." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| David Dunn: 'Blackburn are miles away from the stuff that happened before' Posted: 02 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST The Venky's-owned club is no longer riddled by internal turmoil insists midfielder before their FA Cup tie with Manchester City Remember David Dunn? There was a time when his technical excellence and refreshing invention led to the Blackburn Rovers attacking midfielder being hyped as "the new Gazza" and the answer to England's creative shortcomings. As Manchester City should discover when they visit Ewood Park on FA Cup third-round duty on Saturday lunchtime, the flair-suffused technique remains but a litany of bad injuries means Dunn never quite hit the heights he should have scaled. Like his beloved Blackburn, Dunn has endured his fair share of downs – most notably major spinal surgery in 2005 – but now recovered from two early-season knee operations and a hamstring strain sustained during the Christmas period, the 34-year-old is enjoying life under Gary Bowyer's management. "It's been well documented that it's been a difficult couple of years for the club, but having said that, both on and off the pitch, it seems a lot more secure now," says Dunn. "It's a million miles away from some of the stuff that was happening last year and the year before. "We've not had a Premier League team at Ewood Park for a while, so it's a great tie for our players and the fans. I'm sure it will a full house and an exciting game. We're a young team and it will be good to pit ourselves against some of City's players. "The draw excited me. The Premier League is the only place to be and everyone wants to get there from our league, so this is a little taste of what we want. It's where the best players in the world are playing and some of them are at Manchester City. They really are a top team." With their team 10th in the Championship but only two points short of the top six, Blackburn fans finally feel able to approach another year with a measure of hope. It sometimes seems hard to believe Blackburn won the Premier League title in 1995, but while they will not be repeating that feat anytime soon things have at least stabilised after the trauma of the team being coached by five different managers last season. There are signs that Venky's, the club's controversial India-based owners, have learnt some important lessons from the turbulence which has characterised so much of their Ewood Park tenure. "Being a fan and being brought up with this club, sometimes it has been hard work," acknowledges the locally born Dunn who, bar an interlude at Birmingham, has devoted his career to Rovers. "You feel it a little bit more when you're a supporter and understand the frustrations a lot of the fans have felt. But I have to say I think the manager has done a fantastic job in terms of making everything very secure, whereas with the changes of managers and the chaos that went on last year it was difficult." All the upheaval upset Dunn who, as the team's elder statesman, regularly found himself in the unenviable position of serving as an unofficial conduit between board and fans. "You can't forget about it if you care," he says. "If you care about your job and have some pride in your performances and want to do well, it's difficult. You cannot just switch football on and off, it's intense. There were times when I probably shouldn't have got involved in certain things and said certain things but you feel that sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe. Maybe the supporters looked to me to stand up as well." For the moment, though, a future in the diplomatic service can wait. Dunn's immediate priority is helping restore Blackburn to a position where games against Manchester City are routine once more. "Getting Blackburn back into the Premier League is certainly one aim of mine," he says. "Getting out of this division is very possible. There are maybe 10-12 teams who think they can still get in the play-offs in our league and I still think we can do it." His other principal ambition is to sign a final contract at Ewood Park when his current deal runs out in the summer. "I still feel I have a couple of years left. The knee injury early on in the season was a bit of a blow and I had to have it done a couple of times. But the games I've played I've been very good in, and my form has been very good." Despite all the war wounds, Dunn remains capable of damaging Manuel Pellegrini's side. "Manchester City are a top team, he says. "It's a game everyone should go out and enjoy." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Real Madrid to keep January transfer window shut, says Carlo Ancelotti Posted: 02 Jan 2014 02:14 PM PST • 'No players will leave, nor will we sign anyone,' coach states Real Madrid are not planning to add to their squad or sell any players in the January transfer window, their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said on Thursday. "There is nothing new on that issue," the Italian said after Real beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in an exhibition match in Doha. "No players will leave, nor will we sign anyone. For us, the market is closed." Ancelotti was also asked about talks between the club and Xabi Alonso on an extension to the Spain midfielder's contract, which expires at the end of the season, and said he expected an agreement to be reached. Alonso's experience, control and passing ability are seen as crucial to Real's hopes of success but the lack of an announcement has prompted speculation that the 32-year-old former Liverpool player may seek a more lucrative deal elsewhere. "We believe that in the end we will find a solution and the club and the player will reach an agreement," Ancelotti said. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Rangers' Bilel Mohsni sent off after clashing with Airdrie manager Posted: 02 Jan 2014 01:58 PM PST • Defender received second yellow card after team's 1-0 win The Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni received a post-match red card after clashing with the Airdrie manager, Gary Bollan, following his team's 1-0 victory at the Excelsior Stadium. Mohsni had been booked for an off-the-ball incident with the Airdrie striker Jim Lister in the second half and he was pulled away by a team-mate after the final whistle as the teams left the park. Ally McCoist, whose team won the Scottish League One game thanks to Lewis MacLeod's 20-yard strike in the 18th minute, said: "Bilel received a second yellow coming off the park. I wasn't there, I was up the tunnel, but the referee told me he received a second yellow for acting in an aggressive nature." Mohsni was angered on several occasions after challenges by players from Airdrie, who had five men booked, while the Rangers midfielder Ian Black was also cautioned for reacting angrily to a tackle. McCoist felt there was a hostile atmosphere in Lanarkshire and during their 4-0 win at Dunfermline on Monday. "Whether I think it's over the top or not, I think it's just something we are going to have to handle," he said. "There was an attitude around East End Park and around the stadium tonight which I don't think is necessarily a good attitude for women and children to be involved in at a football game. "Let's just leave it at that. But if we're going to have to handle it that way, we are going to have handle it that way." McCoist added: "I'm a big enough boy and have been around Scottish football long enough that the fans and opposition aren't going to open the door and let them trample all over you. That's just the way it is." Bollan had little to say about the post-match incident with Mohsni: "I was just trying to get my players off the pitch when he gave me a mouthful. I have no idea [what it was about]." He also defended his team's approach: "We needed to let Rangers know they were in a game. My players did that. I told them they would have to be in their faces and let them know they were in a game. They did that, they battled away great and I'm extremely proud of them." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Hibernian 2-1 Hearts | Scottish Premiership match report Posted: 02 Jan 2014 01:54 PM PST The captain Liam Craig's dramatic late penalty gave Hibernian a deserved 2-1 win over city rivals Hearts at Easter Road. Match-winner Craig later dedicated his side's win to the club's long-suffering fans. In an enthralling Scottish Premiership encounter, the striker James Collins put the home side ahead in the 59th minute when he lashed the ball high into the net from four yards after the Tynecastle men failed to deal with a Craig corner. However, the Jambos substitute David Smith, on for Callum Tapping after the break, drew the visitors level in the 70th minute and with that it looked like the Gorgie men, under pressure for most of the match, would leave with an unlikely a point. However, with nine minutes remaining the Hearts defender Jordan McGhee, a late replacement for Gorgie captain Danny Wilson, who was ill, was adjudged by the referee Bobby Madden to have fouled Lewis Stevenson in the box. Craig stepped up to score from the spot and give the Hibees fans the bragging rights for the start of 2014 with their first derby win of the season. Hibs have a dismal record in Edinburgh derby encounters against Hearts, with Thursday night's triumph only their second in the last 16 league meetings. Easter Road was a sell-out for the much-anticipated clash against the league's bottom side – who remain on minus two points – and Craig was full of praise for the backing the team received. "It was massive for the fans," Craig told Sky Sports 1. "It's brilliant. As a player you want to win the derbies and the big games. They [the fans] have been excellent. There have been some tough times this season but they stuck by us and they deserve that tonight. "It was great character from the boys. We were well on top, I don't think Hearts deserved a goal, to be honest." The win is the third in succession under the new manager, Terry Butcher, who has now led his charges into the top six and felt they were more than good value for the points. "We deserved the win," he said. "I thought we battered them at times. It's a lovely feeling to see a full house, a sell-out. And they go home happy." Hearts' scrappy equaliser in the 70th minute threatened to spoil the Easter Road party but Butcher was happy with his players' response. "It was a big test of character for the players when they conceded the goal," he said. "You're 1-0 up and you get hit with a sucker-punch, but they reacted well and I thought we were good." Gary Locke's young Hearts side went into the game without a victory in seven matches but two 1-0 wins over their city rivals this season so far offered hope. And after the 1-1 draw with St Mirren on Sunday took them on to minus two points, the visitors knew victory would have them in the black for the first time this season. Hibs pushed forward from the first whistle with a zeal which required some stout and at times desperate defending from Hearts. Green and white jerseys swarmed around the Gorgie penalty area but it was the team in maroon who had the first real chance of the match. After 12 exhilarating minutes striker Callum Paterson got the better of Hibs stopper Michael Nelson wide on the left and his delivery found Tapping only six yards from goal – but the midfielder's volley was saved by Ben Williams. However, the Leith side quickly reasserted themselves and six minutes later Craig's searching free-kick into a packed penalty area was headed against the bar by Hibs defender Jordon Forster before the Tynecastle side cleared desperately to safety. On the half-hour mark Hearts midfielder Scott Robinson was booked by referee Madden for a clumsy foul on Jason Cummings, before the Hibs player fired wide of the target after making himself space inside the box. The pace of the game refused to subside. Following a lofted ball into the Jambos penalty area by Craig, Hearts keeper Jamie MacDonald tipped a close-range header from Cummings over the bar with the visitors again forced to dig deep to keep Hibs out from the corner. The players, and both sets of fans who had helped create a fabulous atmosphere, deserved their interval break. Moments into the second half Hibs had a penalty claim when James Collins' shot appeared to strike the arm of Hearts defender Brad McKay – but referee Madden was unimpressed. The Gorgie side could have been forgiven for thinking it was going to be their night when Hibees midfielder Scott Robertson headed a cross form Paul Cairney past the near post. However, when Collins pounced from close range inside a packed six-yard box just before the hour-mark, the relief from the stands holding the home support was palpable, masked only by jubilation. The experienced striker Paul Heffernan immediately replaced Cummings but with three-quarters of Easter Road bouncing, McKay sent a header from a Kevin McHattie corner inches past the near post. At the other end, Heffernan headed wide from eight yards when he should have hit the target – and the home side were soon made to pay for that profligacy. Smith slalomed his way through the Easter Road defence before getting his shot away from outside the box and when Williams parried it back out, the Jambos substitute was first to react with a prod. The ball took a touch off Hibs defender Ryan McGivern before rolling into the corner of the net in front of the delighted Hearts support – and a couple of fans were led away by stewards for encroaching on to the pitch. Hearts sensed victory was on the cards but in the 83rd minute Madden pointed to the spot when McGhee clashed with Stevenson and Craig sent MacDonald the wrong way with a well-taken spot-kick. In a frantic finale McHattie, Heffernan and Collins came close to scoring, but there were no more goals and the three points deservedly stayed in Leith. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Up to 5,000 England fans expected in Brazil Posted: 02 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Up to 5,000 supporters expected in Brazil despite challenges posed by travel and cost It will be hugely expensive, logistically challenging and has a very high probability of ending in crushing disappointment. But fan groups say that those England supporters planning a trip to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup will at least be guaranteed a ticket and the experience of a lifetime. While other recent major tournaments have been marked by a rush for tickets and frantic calculations among members of the England fans' official supporters' club to see whether they have enough loyalty points to qualify for one, this time there should be more than enough to go around. On top of the tickets on general sale, Fifa has confirmed that 8% of the capacity of each stadium will be reserved for fans of the competing teams. In all there are around 3m tickets on sale. Around 1m have been sold already, more than 22,000 of those to UK buyers. England have become used to taking more than 10,000 fans to the big tournaments, even in South Africa, where huge swaths of the stadiums were draped with the flag of St George despite the often disappointing action on the pitch. But informed estimates place the travelling army of fans at between just 2,000 and 5,000 this time around, with the already high cost of travelling to Brazil and eye-watering accommodation prices swollen further by the need to travel to Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, for the first match against Italy. "The regular travellers really relish a tournament like this. The people that were in two minds about whether you can go, reading that you have to trek to Manaus is not great," said Football Supporters' Federation chief executive Kevin Miles, who will run fan embassies in each of the cities in which England play. "But those who were planning to go anyway will be relishing the idea of England playing Italy in an unusual location." He predicted that fans who are going will apply for tickets for the group stages but that pragmatism would mean fewer than usual would apply for the second round and quarter finals. Many would apply for a ticket for the final as well though "just in case", he said, in the expectation of leaping on a plane back to Brazil in the unlikely event that England reach it. Fifa will offer a resale service for tickets that can no longer be used. The British ambassador to Brazil, Alex Ellis, said that fans who made the journey to Manaus would not regret it. "It's going to be quite an experience. If you want to see the real Brazil, go to Manaus. My advice would be to get there early," he said. "It's a bit of Brazil that is less well known, but it's an area with deep historical links to the UK and we've really tried to reactivate those in recent years. It's the sustainability and biodiversity capital of the world." After their opening match on 14 June, England will face Uruguay in São Paulo and Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte . In contrast to the unrealistic expectations of previous tournaments, there is a widespread view that England will do well to get out of the group stages in Brazil such is the quality of the opposition. When the groups were drawn in early December, the Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, was filmed jokingly drawing his hand across his throat to signify a "group of death". England coach Roy Hodgson had offended the mayor of Manaus by saying he would rather not play there due to the extreme heat and humidity, but local officials have since stressed their enthusiasm for receiving England fans. "It's a pleasure to receive the English people. It's a dream come true. It will be a great celebration and we will welcome everybody with open arms," said Miguel Capobiango Neto, who is overseeing World Cup preparations for the Amazonian state. "For the supporters and the British team, the welcome will be as warm as the weather." Manaus is one of four host cities that faces a race against time to finish their stadium in time for the World Cup. An original deadline of December 2013 has already been pushed back to February or March and preparations have been delayed further by the deaths of four construction workers, two of them in Manaus. Local reports say the cost of even a modest two-star hotel room has increased to £245 a night in some host cities, although others believe that prices will go down before the tournament as rooms go unfilled. Ellis said the price of accommodation was an issue and that the government recognised it was a problem. "It's actually a surprisingly expensive country. But the best of Brazil lies in the informal bits, the people are incredibly hospitable." Travelling around the vast country is also likely to prove expensive, partly thanks to the decision not to base the group stages in geographical clusters. Fifa said local organisers had insisted on spreading Brazil's matches throughout the country, meaning that all of the groups had to be similarly configured. It is understood the perceived mistake has been rectified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a similarly vast host country, which will return to the system of geographical clusters. Ellis said it was impossible to predict whether there would be a wave of popular protest across the country to rival the 1 million-plus who took to the streets during the Confederations Cup last June to highlight underinvestment in public services at a time when £2bn had been lavished on World Cup stadiums. "Access to healthcare, access to transport, the economy. These are things that are still huge issues in the country and 2014 is a political year as well as a big football one," he said. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Solskjaer undeterred by owner's image Posted: 02 Jan 2014 12:42 PM PST Solskjaer undeterred by Vincent Tan reputation and lists Cardiff priorities as attacking play and 'finish above Swansea' If we take Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at his word – and the Norwegian seems like such a genuine man that there is no reason not to believe him – the only major decision he had to make when Cardiff City presented him with a chance to become their new manager had nothing to do with Vincent Tan, the club's controversial owner, but instead focused purely on whether the time was right to uproot his wife and three children from their home in Kristiansund. In terms of football, Solskjaer opened up his mind to the possibility of leaving Molde after the Norwegian Cup final in November, when the club he had led to back-to-back titles during his first two seasons in charge defeated Rosenborg in front of 24,000 people. "What it taught me most, when you are out in Europe and play a cup final like we did six weeks ago, I need a full stadium, I need passion, I need the Premier League back again," Solskjaer said. "That's where I have had my best times as a player and it's the best place to be involved in football." While that desire to manage in the Premier League is understandable, the surprise for many people, in particular back home in Norway, is that Solskjaer deemed Cardiff the right club. The theory was that Solskjaer, guided by Sir Alex Ferguson's principle that a manager should always choose an owner rather than a club, would run a mile at the prospect of working under Tan. The reality proved to be rather different. "You know, everything isn't exactly what it seems from the outside," Solskjaer said, when asked whether he was perturbed by the Malaysian businessman's reputation. "There have been reports of this, that and the other in Norway as well. After talking to Mehmet [Dalman, the Cardiff chairman] and saying to my eldest, Noah: 'This looks like what daddy wants to go for,' he wakes up, checks the internet and says: 'Dad, it says you've said no to Cardiff.'" While Solskjaer was trying to politely make the point that not everything that has been said and written over the past few weeks has been correct, there is an acceptance within Cardiff that the way the club were being run was flawed and had to change. Dalman, who was appointed as chairman in July and was instrumental in convincing Solskjaer to come to Cardiff, made the startling revelation after the press conference finished that "until I arrived the board had never met". A new structure, in which Dalman has total control over the budget and will be responsible for passing on all transfers to Tan for financial approval, is now in operation and, in the words of the Cardiff chairman, will bring "transparency between the football side and the business side". In doing so it should avoid any repeat of the hugely contentious issues that arose during Malky Mackay's reign, when Iain Moody, the club's head of recruitment, was sacked for allegedly being £15m over budget. Moody, for the record, has always denied that was the case. As the questions about Tan and off-the-field issues kept coming, Solskjaer gave the impression that he was not fazed in the slightest by what has gone before. "I'm very confident in my own ability as a manager," he said. "We've had great chats [with Tan and Dalman], the important thing now is that we have good dialogue about how to progress the club. That's the key for me now, that we do communicate. Mehmet and I will be speaking very often. I'll be in charge of football matters." Ferguson, Solskjaer's mentor, would have been nodding his head at that last comment. "I have obviously been moulded by him. I had the best teacher there can be in man management or managing a football club," said Solskjaer, who now finds himself looking back at all the notes he diligently made on training sessions and team meetings while he was playing and coaching at United. "You think back at times, what did the gaffer do when this and that happened. So of course I am looking through my diaries. I was a boring man but a reflective man." An intelligent and ambitious manager was how Solskjaer came across on the day he was unveiled at Cardiff. He looked totally at ease and said all the right things as he acknowledged the part that Dave Jones and Mackay, his predecessors, had played in taking Cardiff forward; and talked about implementing an attacking brand of football; spoke of his desire to meet with the club's supporters to explain his vision for the club; and outlined his targets, which included finishing above Swansea. "The most important thing is that we start getting performances again," said Solskjaer, whose first game in charge will be at Newcastle United in the FA Cup on Saturday. "Then you have the long-term plan, obviously I'd like us to finish above Swansea, that must be an aim. They've almost gone forward as a little bit of a role model, Southampton as well – they're the clubs I've looked at and seen what they've done over the last few years. But let's make sure we get above Swansea. I know that will be important for everyone here." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| If the FA had done its homework Michael Johnson would not be an issue Posted: 02 Jan 2014 12:35 PM PST Proper checks carried out by the Football Association would have avoided this latest series of embarrassments The Football Association's 150th anniversary year had already been dogged by controversy before the members of its Inclusion Advisory Board were confirmed in December, yet the appointment of someone who previously described homosexuality as "detestable" to a panel aimed at promoting equality in the game surely represents a crushing nadir. Michael Johnson's place on the board must now come under intense scrutiny, even though he has since stated that he has changed his opinions on homosexuality – "It was wrong and relates to a view I no longer hold," he said on Thursday. During the BBC's The Big Questions programme aired in March 2012 the former Jamaica international failed to answer positively when asked if he would support the FA's anti-homophobic campaign due to his Christian faith. The FA describe Johnson as "active in the area of race equality" but the organisation's oversight regarding his views on homosexuality has been described as "gross negligence" by the human rights activist Peter Tatchell. The governing body was not aware of Johnson's comments when it made the decision to appoint him but the former defender issued a statement saying he had "re-educated" himself and no longer holds the same views. However, questions have to be asked about the FA's recruitment policy and how stringent they were in selecting the members of the IAB. This latest incident comes after the organisation's commission into the future of English football was heavily criticised in October for a lack of diversity. Rio Ferdinand has since joined that panel but it was Heather Rabbatts, chair of the new IAB, who broke ranks and wrote a stinging letter to her fellow board members warning that the FA had been left "exposed at a vital moment" due to the all-white board. Rabbatts, the only woman on the FA board and its only director from an ethnic minority background, stated that her frustration regarding the commission last year had to be aired because "the lack of proper decision-making and accountability and the disappointing composition of the commission means that public silence is no longer an option". However Rabbatts, appointed in December 2011 as one of two independent directors supposed to improve the FA's corporate governance, insists she is confident that Johnson's views on homosexuality have changed and even stretched that argument by saying "his own personal journey" will ensure his presence on the IAB is greatly beneficial. The FA's 150th year was blighted by a number of high-profile unfortunate incidents, some more serious than others. Roy Hodgson became unwittingly embroiled in controversy in October following an unfortunate analogy, with perceived racial connotations, which the England manager used about Andros Townsend at half-time against Poland. Greg Dyke, the FA chairman, promised much in his passionate opening speech in September but was guilty of a faux-pas in December when making a cut-throat gesture as England's opponents at the World Cup were drawn. The issue of homosexuality in football was brought to the fore in 2013 when the former Leeds United midfielder Robbie Rogers became the first professional footballer in Britain to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Rogers retired at the time of his announcement but is now playing for Los Angeles Galaxy, telling the Guardian: "Football is an amazing sport, but it is also a brutal sport that picks people up and slams them on their heads. Adding the gay aspect doesn't make a great cocktail." The American has resurrected his career but the former NBA star John Amaechi, also gay, says it is a damning indictment of British football that Rogers decided to play elsewhere. "One of the most devastating statements that could be made about football in Britain is that Robbie Rogers felt he had to go to America. He had to leave this country where we have no laws that ban gay people but because he thought the culture there would be more supportive. You know what, he was right," said Amaechi. "This problem is not the fans. Yes there are some idiots in every crowd, but the real problem is in the boardroom, it's in the executive groups. It's those 50-year-old straight, white men in power." For the FA to build on the momentum of Rogers' announcement and create a wave of acceptance of homosexuality in the game, the new inclusion board must act swiftly to generate increased exposure for an issue that has been swept under the carpet in previous years. If, as it states in the FA's anti-discrimination action plan, the IAB is to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding of equality and inclusion, it has a fight on its hands. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| FA equality adviser called homosexuality 'detestable' Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:05 AM PST • Michael Johnson made comment on 2012 BBC1 show The Football Association was forced on Thursday night to defend the appointment of the former player Michael Johnson to its new Inclusion Advisory Board, aimed at promoting equality in the game, after he stated in 2012 that homosexuality was "detestable". Johnson, who played for Birmingham City, Derby and Notts County as a defender, will meet the other nine members of the IAB for the first time this month after the establishment of the panel in December. It is chaired by the FA board member Heather Rabbatts and includes Graeme Le Saux. However, in 2012 Johnson refused to back the FA anti-homophobia campaign when discussing ethics and racism in the game on a television programme. When asked by the presenter Nicky Campbell during the BBC1 series The Big Questions if he would support the fight against homophobia, Johnson said: "Because of my beliefs, because of the Bible that I read, in the Bible it does state that homosexuality is detestable unto the Lord." The FA advertised for six positions on the IAB in June last year, when the general secretary, Alex Horne, described the establishment of the board as "the first time that all parts of the game (the FA, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers' Association, League Managers Association, Professional Game Match Officials Limited and the Referees' Association) had come together with a comprehensive plan to promote inclusion and tackle discrimination in all its forms". The FA was unaware of Johnson's comments when it took the decision to appoint the 40-year-old but this news represents fresh embarrassment for the organisation. John Amaechi, the first former NBA player to come out in public in 2007, joined Johnson on The Big Questions debate in March 2012 and told the Guardian that he does not believe the FA understands how to tackle homophobia, while the human rights and anti-homophobia campaigner Peter Tatchell said Johnson's appointment "makes a mockery of the FA's commitment to challenge prejudice". Johnson, who is an ambassador for Birmingham children's hospital, was considered a viable candidate for the IAB because of his work on anti-racism. In a statement released to the Guardian, he insisted that he regretted his comments in 2012 and that his views on homosexuality had changed. "I was invited on to the programme in March 2012 to talk about my faith. I was not prepared for the question and it is with deep regret that I answered it in the way I did back then. It was wrong and relates to a view I no longer hold," Johnson said. "I have since invested a great deal of my time and energies into re-educating myself through reading, attending workshops and entering into debates. As a result, my whole way of thinking has changed. The Inclusion Advisory Board is all about education and changing opinions and, through my own personal experience and learning, I believe I can have a positive influence on the work being done by football on this vital agenda." Rabbatts said: "I have spoken to Michael in detail about this and I accept his account of what happened and his regret over the incident. More importantly for me and for Michael, we acknowledge that through his own personal journey he has a huge amount to offer to the Inclusion Advisory Board." The IAB will monitor the delivery of the FA's inclusion and anti-discrimination action plan for 2013-17, which aims to tackle under-representation in the game and states its backing for the government's charter for action against homophobia and transphobia. Amaechi said: "The FA will say they have brought this man on because of his expertise in anti-racism. The problem is, the reason that homophobia, antisemitism, racism and other misogyny continue to blight football is that the FA does not understand how to tackle it. You don't put one person to handle racism and a gay person for homophobia, you pick people who understand that all bigotry is the same monster. "I don't know this guy apart from shaking his hand at that TV programme, but I would say this – the problem here was not his religion, it was his interpretation of this. There are plenty of people who are religious who would have been ideal candidates for this board, who could have understood where their personal beliefs started and where human dignity begins," said Amaechi. "The new quote from Michael Johnson is very welcome. It is good to see he has evolved as an individual. However I maintain that the FA's problems with women, BAME and LGBT communities come from choosing never to engage people who will challenge and educate them but rather insiders who qualify as part of the minority-issue they are trying to address. In general, they need more advice from scholars and less from former players, however well meaning." Tatchell, who withdrew from the FA's working group against homophobia because he did not feel the organisation was taking the matter seriously, added: "The segment Michael Johnson appeared in was about racism in football. I hope his change of heart is genuine and sincere, if it is that's great. "This still doesn't address the issue of whether the FA properly researched Johnson's views on tackling homophobia before he was appointed. They still have questions to answer about his appointment criteria and the procedure. "The FA appears to have done no thorough research on their employees, it looks slapdash and unprofessional. The FA would never appoint a person who refused to support the campaign against racism. Why the double standards?" theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Mark Hughes fined £8,000 by FA for improper conduct towards referee Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:04 AM PST • Whelan sending-off was catalyst for incident Mark Hughes has been fined £8,000 by the Football Association after he admitted a charge of improper conduct following his touchline dismissal at Newcastle United. The Stoke City manager was sent to the stands during his side's 5-1 defeat at St James' Park on Boxing Day. He remonstrated with the referee, Martin Atkinson, after the sending off of Glenn Whelan with Stoke leading 1-0. Hughes has avoided a touchline ban and is free to take control of his side in Saturday's home FA Cup third-round tie against Leicester. A statement from the FA read: "Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has been fined the standard penalty of £8,000 after he admitted an FA misconduct charge. The charge was that his behaviour in or around the 40th minute of Stoke's game against Newcastle amounted to improper conduct." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Sepp Blatter wants referees to make players feigning injury wait Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:02 AM PST • Fifa president irritated by on-pitch 'amateur dramatics' Sepp Blatter wants to clamp down on play-acting by introducing an unofficial sin-bin for players who feign injury. In a column for Fifa Weekly entitled "Stop the amateur dramatics", the president of world football's governing body said he finds it "deeply irritating" when "the half-dead player comes back to life as soon as they have left the pitch". Blatter urged referees to make players wait on the touchline so their absence has an effect on their team. "It could cause play-actors to rethink," he wrote. Blatter did not specify the length of time "stricken" players should be kept on the sideline. He said diving and feigning injury have "become a normal and accepted part of football nowadays. Cutting out this kind of cheating is a matter of respect towards opponents and fans and ultimately one of self-respect as a professional and role model." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| 269. Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich Posted: 02 Jan 2014 10:55 AM PST Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's verdict appears in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday. Competition: win an official club shirt of your choiceFor a chance to win a club shirt of your choice from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt to the value of £50 from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply. For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Chelsea set to rebuff Kevin De Bruyne's hopes of permanent move away Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:45 AM PST • Chelsea has twice sent Belgian out on loan since arrival Chelsea look set to dash Kevin De Bruyne's hopes of leaving Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis. De Bruyne signed for the Blues from Genk two years ago, but he has been sent out on loan twice – first back to Genk and then to Werder Bremen. The Belgium international has started only two Premier League games for the west London club since he returned to London last summer. The midfielder's agent Patrick De Koster met Chelsea officials last week and on Thursday he revealed that his client wants to leave Stamford Bridge. De Koster claims Juventus and Atlético Madrid have shown interest in De Bruyne, but said the player wants to return to Germany, with Wolfsburg being his preferred option. "Another loan wouldn't be good for the player or the club," De Koster said. "The player and his family would like to secure a permanent solution because he has been out on loan already twice. It's a World Cup year and for this reason he needs to play. Now in the next few hours or days, we will see if somebody finds an agreement with Chelsea. If there is an agreement I will speak with the player about what we will do. His preference is to go back to the Bundesliga. There have been discussions with Wolfsburg and other clubs." But despite his wishes, it is understood that Chelsea will not consider selling De Bruyne this month, José Mourinho proposing to give him more playing time. He will have to perform well to keep his place, though, as Chelsea have Eden Hazard, Oscar, Willian, André Schürrle and Juan Mata in his favoured position just behind a main striker. If at the end of the month the player is still not happy with life at Stamford Bridge, then Mourinho will consider allowing the player to leave – but only on loan. Mourinho said he expected the transfer window to be a "closed" one for Chelsea following the club's New Year's Day win over Southampton. The Portuguese did say his door is open if Mata, who reacted furiously to being substituted at St Mary's Stadium, and Michael Essien wanted to leave, however. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Everton's John Heitinga rejects chance to join West Ham in World Cup year Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:05 AM PST • Defender confident of other suitors to improve Brazil hopes Sam Allardyce has suffered a setback in his efforts to strengthen West Ham United after John Heitinga rejected a proposed move from Everton. The West Ham manager had been confident of signing the versatile Holland international after a deal was agreed between the two clubs. But the 30-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has not played a minute of Premier League football under the Everton manager, Roberto Martínez, was unconvinced about joining the relegation-threatened club. In a statement released by his agents, Sport Promotion, Heitinga, who is among the highest earners at Everton, said: "At my age it is important to make the right choices. Then it is not just about money, because that was not a problem at West Ham United. You must be convinced that you are making a right step and that [thought] was with me, so I cancelled West Ham and we now await the interest of other clubs. There is some, so I'm confident that I can find another club before January 31." The Sport Promotion statement referred to West Ham's current struggle in the Premier League – they are 19th after the New Year's Day defeat at Fulham – and said Heitinga would consider a move to "another top league in Europe." He has previously had offers to leave Everton from clubs in Turkey. Heitinga has been capped 87 times by Holland, including the 2010 World Cup Final when he was sent off against Spain, and admits he needs to leave Goodison Park to revive his international career before this summer's World Cup in Brazil. The former Ajax and Atlético Madrid player added: "I want to play in every game again because I still have a huge appetite for the ball. I am fit and, as a footballer, in the prime of my life. "Moreover, I would like later to go to the World Cup in Brazil. I know that coach Louis van Gaal more or lesshas the condition that the players he selects are playing every week. This is not happening at Everton, so I'm looking at other options for a successful continuation of my career." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Tom Huddlestone goes under the scissors after breaking scoring duck Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:04 AM PST • Hull midfielder ended two-year drought Tom Huddlestone has fulfilled his promise and submitted himself to ordeal by scissors after breaking his scoring duck in Hull's 6-0 win over Fulham at the weekend. The Tigers midfielder had gone two-and-a-half years or 55 games without a goal, so on finally hitting the back of the net he invited the hair stylist Lance Lowe into the dressing room at the KC Stadium to remove his flowing locks. "I had a couple of requests on Twitter for a Mr T mohican but have decided not to go as drastic as that. It is a big moment and one we want to do properly," he said. Huddlestone has raised more than £36,000 for Cancer Research with his hair-growing exploits and a chunk of his coiffure chopped off on the pitch in the immediate aftermath of his goal is being auctioned on eBay, where bids have reached £3,500. The item is listed as "Fluffy. One previous owner". The sale has four days left to run. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Messi flies back ahead of Barcelona return v Elche Posted: 02 Jan 2014 07:29 AM PST • Argentinian to rejoin training after thigh injury Lionel Messi has flown back to Barcelona and will take part in training before Sunday's home game against Elche. The forward arrived back in the Catalan capital on Wednesday from his native Argentina, where he completed the final phase of his recovery from a thigh injury. The manager Gerardo Martino will be wary of rushing the World Player of the Year back into action too soon but is likely to give his compatriot at least some playing time against promoted Elche as La Liga resumes after the winter break. Messi may also feature in Wednesday's King's Cup tie at home against Getafe in the hope he will be fully fit and able to play the whole of the La Liga match at the title rivals Atlético Madrid on 11 January. "He definitely needed to rest physically because he had already suffered this [injury] and there was no other option than to stop playing," his team-mate Cesc Fábregas told Marca. "He had four or five injuries in a row in a muscle that he uses a lot in accelerating from a standstill, which is what sets him apart. He had to stop no matter what and he'll be like a bull when he is back." The champions Barça are level on 46 points with Atlético, who play at mid-table Málaga on Saturday, but lead La Liga on goal difference. Real Madrid are five points further back in third and play at 15th-placed Celta Vigo on Monday. Barça stumbled during Messi's most recent absence, losing consecutive games against Ajax in the Champions League and Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. However, their Brazil forward Neymar, signed in the close season from Santos, came into form in the run-up to the winter break and scored a hat-trick against Celtic, his first treble for the club, and a double against Villarreal. "Scoring is all about streaks," Fábregas told Marca. "Right now the goals are going in for Neymar and that will give him a bit more confidence, stability and composure in the penalty area. "As time passes his importance to the team will increase. He is 21 and he will develop from game to game. The confidence will make him a better player." Atletico have meanwhile signed the Argentinian midfielder Jose Sosa on a six-month loan from the Ukrainian side Metalist. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought Ferguson's advice but has he read his book? Posted: 02 Jan 2014 07:20 AM PST The Scot laid down four criteria that must be fulfilled before taking a management job: but how many have Cardiff City met? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he asked Sir Alex Ferguson's advice over taking the Cardiff City job, adding: "He has wished me the best and given me some good advice as he always does. I had a good conversation with him." Which can only beg the question: has either of them read the former Manchester United manager's My Autobiography? In his book, the Scot reveals that Kenny Dalglish approached him in 1985 after being offered a management job that turned out to be Liverpool, and Ferguson laid down four criteria for accepting the post. "'Is it a good club,' I asked him. "Aye, it's a good club,' he said. So I told him: if it was a good club, with good history, some financial leeway, and a chairman who understands the game, he would have a chance. If only two of those variables could be ticked off, he was in for a battle." So just how many of those "variables" can be ticked off by Cardiff City? 1) A good club? Answer: They have a new 28,000-capacity stadium, are in the Premier League for the first time and can call upon a rich owner. Verdict: A tick 2) A good history? Answer: Well, they have a history if you count being around for just over a century. Not much of one, though, with just the 1927 FA Cup win to boast about, and their recent history is one of upsetting the fans over kit changes and the sacking of a popular manager, Malky Mackay. Verdict: A cross 3) Some financial leeway Answer: Solskjaer has reportedly been promised funds in the January transfer window, but as the club's director of recruitment, Iain Moody, was replaced in October amid allegations of a £15m transfer overspend, that remains to be seen. Verdict: Giving them the benefit of the doubt, a tick 4) A chairman who understands the game? Answer: A tricky one this. Mehmet Dalman is a Cyprus-born merchant banker and how much he knows about the game is debatable. He is, however, answerable to the club's owner Vincent Tan – a man who was accused of "knowing absolutely nothing about football" by the Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. Verdict: A cross Just two of the criteria met then. You're in for a battle, Ole – it may not be too long before you're pining for the fjords. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named as Cardiff City manager – video Posted: 02 Jan 2014 06:38 AM PST New Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says taking the reins at the struggling Premier League club is the right decision  |
| Manchester City set for break in Abu Dhabi with friendly in new stadium Posted: 02 Jan 2014 06:03 AM PST • Gulf champions Al Ain to face Pellegrini's men Manchester City will fly to Abu Dhabi to play a friendly and enjoy a week of warm-weather training following the Premier League fixture at Newcastle United on 12 January providing there is no replay after Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie with Blackburn Rovers. While the break is yet to be confirmed, if Manuel Pellegrini's squad do travel to the emirate they will play against Al Ain on 14 January to open the Arabian Gulf League champions' new stadium, the Hazza bin Zayed. While Pellegrini has recently complained about the congested festive programme it is understood that he has no issue with this trip, with the match against Al Ain to have a more relaxed tempo than a competitive fixture. City players will also have downtime to recharge their batteries. However, if there is a replay following the match at Blackburn, the trip will not go ahead. theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Manchester United, diving and the art of managerial misdirection Posted: 02 Jan 2014 05:56 AM PST David Moyes called the refereeing decisions in Manchester United's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur 'scandalous' and 'horrible', but are his players simply reaping what they have sowed? Few Manchester United players are performing as well as they did under Alex Ferguson, and where once the Old Trafford crowd were capable of sucking the ball into the net, or at least on to the penalty spot, the old magic is drying up under David Moyes. Needless to say, the new manager is unimpressed by his club's change in fortunes. With his team struggling against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, Moyes sent Ashley Young on to turn things around. The substitution seemed to be going to plan when the winger found himself in the box and on top of the Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Young had done what Young does. He made his way into the penalty area and forced the referee to make a decision. But Webb waved him away. When the referee booked Adnan Januzaj for falling over on the edge of the box, Moyes fumed a little more. The manager wanted a penalty, a red card, a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area and a few more points, but perhaps Webb was understandably suspicious of the United players. The players who looked to him for decisions are not always known for their honesty and enough officials have left Old Trafford looking weak and subservient to make referees question the wisdom of awarding penalties to the home team. When Young, Januzaj and Danny Welbeck fall over in the box, it can be easy to presume their guilt. The FA may charge Moyes for calling the decisions 'scandalous' and 'horrible', but the manager won't care about the punishment if his words can tip the narrative back in his favour; United now lie seventh, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal. Ferguson mastered the not-so-subtle art of moaning about officials to make his team look like victims. His wrath protected his players and fostered fear among referees. Ferguson would not have stood for four home defeats so early in the season, but at least seeing Moyes defend his team and lambast the referee would have given him some sense of fatherly pride. The next time a United player goes down in the penalty area, will the referee be more likely to point to the spot? theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
| Football Weekly Extra: Manchester United beaten at home again Posted: 02 Jan 2014 05:07 AM PST And so, Football Weekly returns after a mere three days away for this, our first voyage of 2014, with AC Jimbo, Rafa Honigstein, Barry Glendenning and Paul Doyle in tow. We start with Tottenham's victory at Old Trafford, before discussing the genuine Premier League title contenders – ouch! – with Arsenal showing their mettle against Cardiff, Manchester City powering past Swansea, and Chelsea Mou-ing past Southampton. After catching up with important wins for Fulham and Aston Villa, we round up the rumours doing the rounds now that the transfer window opens again. Finally, we look forward to third round of the FA Cup and the return of the Serie A, with Roma taking on Juve.  |
| Vincent Tan is no pantomime villain according to Malaysian experts | John Duerden Posted: 02 Jan 2014 05:04 AM PST The Cardiff City owner may be viewed as a bad guy in the UK but the view from Malaysian football is rather different Kuala Lumpur in 1975. Arsenal are struggling on a pitch alive with thousands of little frogs jumping around. The heat, humidity and jet lag are not making it any easier. And then there is the legendary Mokhtar Dahari. Super Mokh is tearing the London side apart and scores both Malaysia's goals in a 2-0 win. Fast forward nearly 40 years and British football is finding another Malaysian, who likes to get his own way, hard to handle. Vincent Tan is the owner of Cardiff City and, over the festive season, has become a pantomime villain in the pages of the British sports press having sacked his popular manager Malky Mackay and replaced him with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In south-east Asia it is a little different and Peter Butler, the tough-tackling midfielder who was a cult hero among West Ham United fans in the early 90s, has spent the best part of a decade managing in south-east Asia and Malaysia and believes there is more to the Chinese Malay tycoon than his media portrayal in the west suggests. "Vincent Tan and the people around him are not stupid, they are very smart indeed," says Butler, no apologist for a country in which he is regarded as a talented coach who speaks his mind, even if that sometimes gets him into trouble. In 2012 alone, Butler, as manager of Terengganu, substituted his goalkeeper midway through a game for what he saw as the deliberate conceding of a goal, publicly challenged players to a lie detector test, was banned by the club for six months (later overturned by the Malaysian FA) and called journalists "parasites". "Cardiff wouldn't be where they are today if it wasn't for Tan," Butler adds. "He has achieved so much. You can't have it all your own way. If you get foreign investment in clubs, then this is going to happen. Asian owners like Tan are very big on KPIs [key performance indicators], accountability and want to know everything that's going on and want their say. They want to be part of it." It is hands on with a leather-gloved grip. Butler claims that interference from above in the region, while varying in degrees, is constant and that developing a relationship with an Asian owner is critical – something that Steve Kean seemed to realise very quickly when Venky's took over Blackburn Rovers. "Suddenly you don't just have 25 players to manage, you have to learn how to manage upwards and that is the most important relationship. Malaysian and Asian football is all about managing relationships and, if you can't or won't do that, then you will not last long. I've learnt that the hard way. In south-east Asia, finishing a contract is success. There are no rules." Steve Darby is another well-known English export to the region and in charge of Kelantan, one of Malaysia's biggest clubs. The Liverpudlian is not surprised by events at Cardiff. "The manner in which Tan is running his club is not so shocking to people here," says Darby, who is an advocate of Malaysian money being invested in local rather than European football. "I have been lucky. I have had royalty, top CEOs and politicians as presidents of my clubs and they have all let me run the football side without interference." The genial former goalkeeper has, however, seen other coaches receive instructions during games. "In this part of the world winning is all that matters. I was even presented with a shirt by my president in Singapore with my name on the back changed from 'Darby' to 'Must-win'." Tan is not involved in football in his homeland, where most clubs are owned by regional state football associations and run by powerful presidents from the business or political world. Kelantan's president is Annuar Musa, a well-known politician. The University College London graduate insists that he leaves team affairs to the manager, although he admits that results are all important. He argues that the globalisation of what he calls the EPL – most Malaysians know it as the BPL – has introduced a new culture that is bound to come into conflict with the time-honoured way of doing things. "Vincent is a friend of mine, though we never talk about football," said the former minister for rural development in Malaysia. "I am not sure how much he understands traditional football in the UK but now there are people who invest in the EPL who come from Russia, the United States, the Middle East and now in Asia. All these have slightly different traditions in management and come from different backgrounds and it is natural we can see this in how they run the clubs." Cardiff's profile in Malaysia has certainly increased in recent months but still lags way behind those of Manchester United and Liverpool – the two most popular clubs in the country. Tan and Cardiff is a story but not the biggest – an A to Z of 2013 sport in one newspaper at the end of the year featured Queens Park Rangers' and Hull's issues with their owners but there was no mention of goings-on in south Wales. The reporting of the affair is led by the UK media. English language newspapers reprint reports from the Daily Mail or the Sun as well as international news agencies. According to Haresh Deol, editor of the Malay Mail, the situation is not much different in the local language press, especially as Tan has not been doing much talking. "Malay language papers translate what has already been printed by the British press or agencies – and most of it not being very nice towards Tan," says Deol. "Thus the fans – having heavily relied on reports from UK – have formed the opinion that Tan has not been smart in managing the club, despite having success, and that Tan, instead of Malky Mackay, should have been given the boot." There has been some debate in the letters pages of newspapers between those arguing Tan is embarrassing the country and those who see no problem with a man who owns the club doing what he wants. A bigger story in the political section has been criticism of the £3m handed over by the Malaysian taxpayer to sponsor Cardiff and publicise the Visit Malaysia 2014 tourism campaign. This was a coup for Tan and down, according to Annuar, to his impressive connections with those in power. The tourism and culture minister, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, claimed that the one-season deal would bring a global "publicity and public relations" benefit from the exposure of the Premier League. The English top flight has potent publicity potential but, according to Annuar, Tan is in it for the money. "My impression from conversations with Vincent's partners is that they thought Cardiff was a good club with a great chance of getting promoted. He has made investments in a wide variety of businesses and going into the EPL is just another investment. He has a good record of success and time will tell if Cardiff is another." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds  |
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