Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Fulham look to reinforce left-back spot with Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Fulham keen to bolster resources in struggle against relegation
• Bertrand has seen chances to impress at Chelsea restricted

Fulham have inquired as to the availability of Ryan Bertrand as they seek to bolster their ranks in the struggle against relegation.

The Chelsea left-back, who boasts two England caps, has started only one Premier League game this season under José Mourinho, together with two Capital One Cup ties, having been hampered by injury. However, with César Azpilicueta excelling at left-back and competing with Ashley Cole for a first-team place, the 24-year-old is effectively available for transfer and keen to secure first-team football.

Fulham have been told there is no guarantee they would succeed with a move for the 6ft 7in Brondby striker Simon Makienok. The club have been quoted a £3.3m fee and could try to sign the 23-year-old if, as expected, Dimitar Berbatov leaves.

Makienok's agent, Michael Stensgaard, said the Denmark international was in "no rush" to move.

Dominic Fifield

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Brown warns of 'hungry' United

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 02:02 PM PST

• Defender wary of former side in Capital Cup semi-final
• 'United will be hurting and they will be motivated against us'

Wes Brown knows all about feeling untouchable one moment and distinctly mortal the next. Not so long ago Sunderland's key centre-half was winning trophies galore with Manchester United while collecting 23 England caps but then serious knee trouble intervened.

After spending 22 months on the sidelines and defying compelling advice telling him to retire last summer, few are better placed than Brown to emphasise the fragility of footballing success. He fully understands the bewilderment of his former United colleagues as they prepare for Tuesday night's Capital One Cup semi-final first leg on Wearside in the wake of not only a humiliating home FA Cup defeat to Swansea but also a disappointing league campaign.

"They won't be happy with results so far," said Brown, whose return from that long-standing injury in October has represented a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for Sunderland. "United are used to being top three in the league all the time. They won the title last season and would have been expecting to win it again this year, but a lot has changed and it's maybe taking a bit more time than expected to get things right."

The 34-year-old empathises with David Moyes. "Personally I feel it would have been the same for whoever had gone in to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. I feel sure United will turn it around but, right now, not being up there with the top teams, they'll be hurting. So many of their players have won so many things and their pride will have been dented. I'm sure they all believe that if they carry on giving 100% it will all come right but, until then, they've got to stick together."

Brown has reminded his team-mates of the old cliche about animals often being at their most dangerous when wounded. "United will be very motivated," he said. "It should give us confidence that they're not having one of their best seasons. That's something we have to take advantage of but, make no mistake, they'll be just as hungry as us. They want a trophy.

"In all my years at United I can't remember losing too many semi-finals. We had a pretty good record once we reached the later stages of cups. We were favourites in most of them and I can't recall us losing to an underdog. United are pretty much up there with the best when it comes to reaching cup finals so we're under no illusions. It's a tough ask. If he plays, I might have to kick Wayne [Rooney], let him know I'm there."

He feels that if Gus Poyet's side are to have any hope of reaching Wembley it is imperative Sunderland, stuck to the bottom of the Premier League, win the first leg. "It's not one of those where you feel you can get a draw at home and then sneak a win at Old Trafford,"Brown said. "We're looking to win here and set out our tactics for the return.

"We've got to take encouragement from the fact we've done well against big teams this season; we've beaten Manchester City and Chelsea. That should give us confidence."

Poyet says Brown "sees things before the rest" and his presence at the heart of Sunderland's defence will worry Moyes. Despite being "sore" after playing in Sunday's 3-1 home win over Carlisle United, Brown would be horrified were his manager to rest him before Saturday's all-important league trip to Fulham.

"United is certainly a game I don't want to miss," he said. "Due to injuries I've only played against them once since I've been here; I scored an own goal at Old Trafford.

"We're in a bad position in the league and need to sort it out but we've got half a season left and this game is massive.

"Someone asked me the other day which I'd rather do; win the [League] Cup or stay up. Personally, I'd rather stay up because I've been fortunate to win a few things, but we're in the semi-finals now. The United lads might still be my mates but I'm desperate to win. It would be massive to reach Wembley and give the fans a cup final.

"Memories of 1973 [When Sunderland won the FA Cup] are all over the place. At the training ground there are photos down every corridor. It would be great to do it again."

Louise Taylor

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Real Madrid 3-0 Celta Vigo | La Liga match report

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:18 PM PST

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 400th goal of his career to seal a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo, keeping Real Madrid in touch with the top of La Liga.

Ronaldo moved one goal ahead of Atlético Madrid's Diego Costa to top the league's scoring chart with 20 by finding the net in the 82nd minute and again in stoppage time from a cross by the substitute Gareth Bale on his return from a three-week injury layoff.

Celta's attack, led by the midfielder Rafina Alcântara, created the clearest chances until Karim Benzema broke through from close range in the 67th minute.

"They have some of the best players in the world and they punish you if you give them half a chance," Alcântara said.

Real's win after the league's two-week winter break left them five points behind Barcelona and Atlético, who play each other in the capital in the next round of matchesl.

The Santiago Bernabéu held a minute's silence before kick-off in honour of Eusébio, who died on Sunday. His Portuguese compatriot Ronaldo turned his gaze upward while locking his arms with his team-mates. Hours before in Lisbon, tens of thousands of people turned out to pay tribute.

Ronaldo dedicated his goals to Eusébio. "He was very close to me and helped me a lot," he said. "He is a mythic figure, and for me today is a very sad day."

Bale had been warming up on the touchline since the half-hour mark, and the Real coach, Carlo Ancelotti, sent him on in the 65th.

With Celta threatening to equalise, Ronaldo charged forward to meet Dani Carvajal's cross and sweep it home.

Ronaldo struck again in added time, a week before Fifa announces the Ballon d'Or winner. Ronaldo is a finalist along with Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Franck Ribéry of Bayern Munich.

"In the first half we were a little slow and the team wasn't well balanced," said Ancelotti. "They had too many counterattacks. [But] it's normal after the Christmas break. In the second half we played with more intensity."


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Arsenal and England share pain with Theo Walcott after cruel blow

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:13 PM PST

Loss of the striker's pace and directness will be felt by his club in Premier League title chase and by his country at the World Cup

As every Tottenham Hotspur supporter at that end of the Emirates will remember, Theo Walcott was smiling as he left the pitch, enjoying a little malicious pleasure at their misfortune and not in any apparent distress. That is often the way with knee ligament injuries. At first, there is the sharp, excruciating burst of pain but it can pass within a minute or so, to the point the victim often believes he can actually carry on. It used to be a career-wrecker; now, even with the advancement of medical techniques, it is still the injury all footballers fear the most.

Football can be a cruel industry sometimes. Walcott did not make the cut when Fabio Capello announced his World Cup squad four years ago and, in 2006, he was the 17-year-old who was given a free ride by Sven-Goran Eriksson and, by his own admission, was completely out of his depth. Walcott spent a large part of that month walking around Baden-Baden capturing everything on a hand-held camera. Those memories remain his only involvement in a World Cup and now he must wait for Russia in 2018, when he will be 29, until he gets a chance to play his first minute in the biggest competition of all. It will not be his knee that is hurting the most; his mind will be aching.

For Arsenal, it is a grievous setback, first because he is one of their own but not least because once the emotion is taken out of it there is a hard-headed decision for Arsène Wenger to take about whether his current front-line is capable of sustaining an authentic title challenge. In the first half of the season, with Walcott missing large parts because of an abdominal problem, the issue was not quite so relevant. It is the run-in, however, that must concern Wenger, and the demands that are being placed on Olivier Giroud as the club's only orthodox striker bar Nicklas Bendtner, a player nobody at Arsenal wants to rely on.

Roy Hodgson, too, must feel deflated by the news. England's manager lost almost a fifth of his entire Euro 2012 squad when Gary Cahill, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and the reserve goalkeeper, John Ruddy, pulled out just before the tournament and he could have made virtually an entire team out of the full list of absentees, with Chris Smalling, Michael Dawson, Darren Bent, Kyle Walker, Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell already ruled out because of their own injuries.

This time around, Hodgson must have been braced again for players having to withdraw, but he would not have expected that process to begin six months in advance and there is the jarring inevitability that this is probably just for starters.

As long as they are available, Hodgson's preferred wide men for the opening game against Italy would ordinarily be James Milner on the right and Danny Welbeck on the left. Yet the other options are not hugely illuminating. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's season has been badly disrupted by injuries. Andros Townsend has impressed on England duty but the experiment with Jay Rodriguez against Chile did not work and Ashley Young appeared to have completely dropped out of favour before the last few rounds of matches. Young perhaps has the most to gain from Walcott's absence if he can re-establish himself in the Manchester United side regularly. Ultimately, though, Walcott's injury should probably serve as a reminder about the futility of trying to second-guess who the England manager will be taking to Brazil. For now, a lot of it depends on who is available at the time.

For Arsenal, the situation is much clearer, namely that the Premier League leaders have lost an established scorer just after he has demonstrated that he can fill in for Giroud in the centre-forward's position. Walcott menaced the Spurs defence in Arsenal's 2-0 win on Sunday, a performance that made it feel as though perhaps it was not quite so important for Wenger to bring in another front player, after all. He now must decide whether he can take that risk.

On the plus side, Serge Gnabry's performance at the weekend confirmed that Arsenal have another player of little fear and considerable talent in his ranks. Gnabry is only 18, and it is unrealistic to expect him to play to that level every week. He may, however, be needed more than Wenger initially planned. Aaron Ramsey, probably the exceptional player in the Premier League bar Luis Suárez over the first half of the season, will be back by the end of the month and Wenger has players such as Santi Cazorla, Mesut Özil and Wilshere who can fill in on the right. Yet it is plainly a significant blow for both Arsenal and England – and, most of all, the player himself.

Daniel Taylor

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Manchester United's cash machine able to cushion absence from Europe

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:04 PM PST

Missing out on a Champions League place would hit David Moyes's ability to attract leading players to Old Trafford but transfer funds are still likely to be plentiful

As David Moyes contemplated Manchester United's exit from the FA Cup under the gaze of his predecessor and in the shadow of the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, his thoughts may have wandered across the Atlantic.

"The results over the past two years have not lived up to our standards and we believe the time has come to find a new direction," said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-chairman – one Bryan Glazer – after the owners of the NFL club succumbed to fan pressure and relieved the coach of his duties during the Christmas holidays after three losing seasons in a row.

Back at Old Trafford and just six months into the huge task of succeeding Ferguson, Moyes can take some comfort from the fact that the Glazers are a long way from taking similar action.

Having handed Moyes a six-year contract and endlessly emphasised the importance of continuity in the club's DNA they, and a boardroom that includes not only Ferguson but former chief executive David Gill and Sir Bobby Charlton, as well as recently installed vice-chairman Ed Woodward, are not about to press the panic button yet.

Despite four home defeats in the past month, the watchword is calm. So keen are United to emphasise a lack of panic that club insiders are playing down expectations for the transfer window and instead focusing on major surgery next summer.

In truth, the rebuilding job should already be well under way. The shambolic events of August and September, in which the club missed out on a succession of targets and ended up paying over the odds for Marouane Fellaini, were shaped not only by Woodward and Moyes being new to their posts but because of a determination to maintain the Ferguson model.

Rather than going out and securing players before Moyes arrived in post on 1 July, United were determined to ensure that he had the final say on transfer targets. It left them facing a desperate race against time, particularly given Woodward's relative inexperience at the sharp end of the European market, which reached a nadir with the embarrassing deadline day failure to sign Ander Herrera.

Whereas some clubs budget to go out of the domestic cups at the first hurdle, United's annual revenue projections of £420m-430m are based on the team reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the domestic cups, while finishing third in the Premier League. In Moyes's first season, with squad deficiencies that were papered over in the latter years of Ferguson's reign cruelly exposed, that is starting to look like a substantial overestimate.

If there is a silver lining to the gathering clouds it is that the club are through the riskiest part of the Glazers great leveraged debt experiment (which the analyst Andy Green has estimated will have cost the club £1bn in fees and interest by 2016). At the point when risk was at its height, with the club at their most highly leveraged and facing eye-watering interest charges, a year out of the Champions League could have precipitated a mortal financial blow.

Ferguson's managerial genius on a net transfer outlay that averaged only £22m a year kept the trophies and the money rolling in.

Now, in revenue-generating terms at least, failure to qualify would be little more than a flesh wound – assuming normal service was resumed.

With their global money-making machine running at full tilt, they have £83.6m in the bank and are generating some £80m a year in free cashflow thanks to a long list of local partners – more than enough to provide for long overdue reinvestment in the squad and to weather any absence from the Champions League.

Those responsible for turning United into a global brand generating commercial revenues that leapt 40% for the 12 months to September 2013 alone and which, at £60m per quarter, are now three times larger than matchday income, say there are factors other than onfield success in play.

The rich heritage and resonance of the United name globally is, of course, a key factor behind their commercial success but with other big European clubs following their lead in touting themselves around the world, it would be dangerous to assume it will always be that way. Over time, underachievement on the pitch couldn't help but slowly affect commercial revenues off it.

The rubric included with every statement released to Wall Street states proudly "Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports team [sic] in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on earth". The moment that ceases to be true, this most global of clubs would inevitably be impacted.

Yet more worrying than the financial cost of missing out on a competition that yielded £35.5m for the club last season, and guarantees even those who go out in the group stages around £20m, would be the impact on next summer's transfers. Woodward, having minted United's remarkable commercial model, will have to prove himself as good at spending money as making it.

Yet if, as the club say, they are targeting only the very best players - those pinpointed by an overhauled scouting system as potential Champions League winners - then how alluring would a move to a team not even participating in the competition appear? Moyes has 18 Premier League matches in which to make that question academic.

Owen Gibson

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James Troisi hopes World Cup is next stop on his travels

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 12:45 PM PST

The Melbourne Victory player has plied his trade in Italy and Turkey but he hopes performances at home will land him a trip to Brazil

Jack Kerr

Cost of Olympic Stadium hits £580m after green light for final phase

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 11:52 AM PST

• Balfour Beatty win £154m contract to make venue multipurpose
• Concerns grow over the role of West Ham in long-term plans

The cost of the Olympic Stadium has risen to more than £580m, most of it met by taxpayers, with the news that Balfour Beatty has been awarded the £154m contract to transform the venue into one suitable for football and athletics.

The appointment of a contractor to oversee the transformation of the temporary 80,000 seat structure into one with a cantilevered roof, permanent corporate facilities and retractable seats with a capacity of 54,000 was hailed as a "major step forward" in the project.

The E20 Stadium Partnership, a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council, said the work was due to start imminently and would be completed by spring 2016.

Last summer, Balfour Beatty was awarded the contract to install a £41m cantilevered roof that will replace the existing fabric structure that covered just two thirds of the seats. It will now also lead the remainder of the works including constructing the warm-up track, spectator and hospitality facilities, and external landscaping.

The contract announcement has come at a delicate time, with renewed scrutiny on whether West Ham United – the relegation-threatened football club who will move in at the beginning of the 2016-17 season – will be able to fill the ground on a regular basis.

The conversion work will be paused in the summer of 2015 to allow five rugby union World Cup matches to take place in the stadium. UK Athletics, which will host the 2017 world championships in the stadium, hopes to use the stadium to host its summer grand prix in 2015.

The stadium saga has provoked strong feelings and ignited controversy ever since the decision was taken to press ahead with a semi-permanent solution in 2007 that deferred a decision on its ultimate future.

A bitter battle between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham for tenancy of the stadium, which originally cost £429m to build, was won by the east London club but the deal was later scrapped due to "legal paralysis" amid a welter of challenges.

Instead a new joint venture company was formed between LLDC and Newham Council, which contributed a £40m loan to the conversion bill, and West Ham were awarded the anchor tenancy. West Ham will pay £15m towards the conversion, plus annual rent of £2.5m, but vice-chair Karren Brady has insisted the plan represents the best deal for the public purse.

"This is another milestone in the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park," said the LLDC chief executive, Dennis Hone. "We go into 2014 on track to deliver a world-class venue that, when it fully opens in 2016, can be used year round to host a whole range of sporting, cultural and community events. The stadium will be a truly remarkable legacy here in east London."

Andrew Boff, a Conservative London Assembly member, said there remained too little transparency over the figures. "Where is the cash coming from? Who's paying for it? We still don't really know but chances are we're all contributing. Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for Premier League football clubs. The £154m has to come from an already stretched LLDC budget and the knock-on effect is that the rest of the transformation of the park – the really important stuff such as housing – will suffer as a result," he said.

"Only by ditching the requirement for the athletics track, are we likely to see more bids from the private sector, for a proper football stadium rather than the hybrid fudge we currently have."

Brady has repeatedly defended the deal, arguing that it guarantees a future for the stadium.

"The alternative scenario does not bear thinking about. West Ham is not getting a free stadium," she told a Lord's committee last year. "The stadium was built for the Olympics and what are we going to do with it? Across the world, stadiums that are not used die. Without anchor tenants the cost would be huge to the taxpayer."

Owen Gibson

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Eusébio's funeral – in pictures

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST

Huge crowds garther as Portugal mourns the loss of the national hero and legendary Benfica player, Eusébio

Balfour Beatty wins London Olympic stadium West Ham building contract

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:57 AM PST

Construction firm boosted by £154m deal to convert arena into football club's new home and multi-purpose venue by 2016

Balfour Beatty has won the £154m contract to convert London's Olympic stadium into the new home of West Ham United, in a fillip for the construction firm's struggling UK business.

The project will employ up to 400 people at its busiest, as Balfour Beatty turns the 80,000-seat Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park into a multi-purpose venue taking in sport, cultural and community events by 2016. Balfour Beatty's work will reduce the stadium's capacity to 54,000 and install retractable seating to cover the athletics track.

The stadium in Stratford, east London, will also be the new national competition venue for UK athletics and will have a separate community athletics track. It will stage five games for the 2015 Rugby World Cup before West Ham move in.

Stephen Rawlinson, an analyst at brokers Whitman Howard, said the deal put the company in line for work at the 2022 World Cup. "It's a good win for Balfour Beatty and it may be that it's a useful calling card to build stadia in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. We are positive on Balfour Beatty for the long term, but want to see better signs of recovery and renewal."

The contract is a shot in the arm for Balfour Beatty's biggest market. The UK side of the business was largely responsible for two profit warnings and a plunge in first-half underlying profit last year. A review found that poor project management and uncompetitive bidding had helped to lose £50m in profit.

The business has since undergone an overhaul, with new management brought in and contract terms tightened up to head off demands from aggressive customers.

Balfour Beatty said in November that annual profit would beat forecasts but that its UK construction business remained starved of the large infrastructure projects that are its traditional big earners.

After sustained calls for infrastructure spending by business groups, the government in December announced £100bn of spending on roads, rail and other projects, but most works will not start before 2015.

As a result, Balfour Beatty is looking to overseas markets such as the US and the Middle East for growth, with Qatar one of the targets.

Balfour Beatty built the Olympic Park's aquatics centre and its roads and bridges in preparation for the games. Last summer, the company was awarded the £41m contract to extend the stadium's roof to make it the largest cantilevered roof in the world. The roof project is part of the total contract for transforming the stadium.

Balfour Beatty said it would employ about 30 apprentices to work on the stadium and employ people from Newham, one of London's poorest boroughs, where possible.

Andrew McNaughton, Balfour Beatty's chief executive, said: "We are delighted to be continuing our activity at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. During construction, our firm commitment to the use of local labour and the creation of apprenticeships will continue to benefit the local community and the wider industry."

The stadium contract was awarded by a joint venture controlled by the London Mayor's London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham council. West Ham will pay £2.5m a year in rent and a one-off fee of £15m to the joint venture.

The future of the stadium was decided last March when West Ham, currently second from bottom in the Premier League, emerged as the victor from a long and acrimonious battle with Tottenham Hotspur for the right to move in. At one point, Spurs had proposed knocking the stadium down, building a new ground designed for football in its place and funding a venue at Crystal Palace to comply with requirements for an athletics legacy from the London Games.

William Shirley, an analyst at Liberum Capital, said: "Every contract is helpful, but it's not groundbreaking."

He said with the government holding back on spending, Balfour Beatty either needed to gain lots more similar-sized projects or the government needs to "get the appropriate framework in place so that utilities are willing to invest".

Sean Farrell

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Solskjær closes in on his first signings at Cardiff

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:42 AM PST

• Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Mats Moller Daehli set to join club
• Solskjaer worked with both at Molde and Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is closing in on his first signings as Cardiff's manager. He has targeted the midfielders Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Mats Moller Daehli, both capped by Norway and with whom he worked with at his former club Molde and while in charge of the Manchester United reserve team.

Eikrem, 23, is at the Dutch club Heerenveen, having been sold by Molde last summer, but he attended Cardiff's FA Cup win at Newcastle on Saturday and has travelled to south Wales for a medical. The deal will be worth around £2m and should be completed before Saturday's Premier League home game against West Ham.

It is understood that Daehli, 18, is set to have a medical and complete a move from Molde.

Cardiff have also been linked with Blackpool's Tom Ince and Crystal Palace's Jonathan Williams, as well as a loan deal for United's Wilfried Zaha.


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Walcott ruled out of World Cup with cruciate ligament injury

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:28 AM PST

• England player misses Brazil 2014 with cruciate ligament blow
• Walcott expected to be out for at least six months

Arsenal and England have been dealt a cruel blow after Theo Walcott was ruled out for the rest of the season and this summer's World Cup in Brazil after suffering serious knee ligament damage during Saturday's FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Walcott jarred his left knee while making a tackle on Danny Rose nine minutes from the end of the home side's 2-0 victory in the north London derby and departed the turf on a stretcher while being pelted with coins and plastic bottles thrown from the away support. The early indications were that the 24-year-old had only strained the ligaments in the joint, an injury that would keep him out for up to four weeks at most, though scans undertaken on Monday confirmed the damage was far more extensive.

The forward has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee and will undergo surgery to repair the joint in London within the next two weeks once the swelling has receded. Arsenal confirmed on Monday night that they expect him to be absent for "at least six months", prematurely curtailing his campaign and denying him the chance to compete at the summer tournament in Brazil. "Everyone at Arsenal wishes Theo a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on a football pitch as soon as possible," said a club statement.

His absence represents a significant blow for club and country. Walcott had already missed a little over two months of the season because of an abdominal problem that required surgery, he returned in late November and had registered five goals in six starts. This suggested he was embarking on a scoring spree similar to that of last season to alleviate some of the pressure on the Premier League leaders' main striker, Olivier Giroud.

The severity of the injury will now surely force Arsène Wenger into the transfer market during the winter window to reinforce his forward ranks, particularly with Nicklas Bendtner also absent with an ankle injury for the foreseeable future. The Frenchman is acutely aware that his side's form over the first half of the season – they are a point clear of Manchester City at the top, face Bayern Munich in the knock-out phase of the Champions League and Coventry City in the FA Cup fourth round – has ensured this is their best opportunity of claiming silverware since 2005, with additions required to maintain momentum.

While Wenger will find that difficult mid-season, the England manager Roy Hodgson has been left contemplating the loss of a player who had felt guaranteed of a place in his 23-man World Cup squad. Walcott has featured in 14 of the manager's games, including all four of their fixtures at Euro 2012, the last of which was the goalless draw in Ukraine in September prior to suffering the abdominal injury. The previously uncapped Tottenham winger Andros Townsend excelled in his absence for the final two qualifiers, though both were expected to make the party for Brazil.

There may now be scope for a player such as Liverpool's Raheem Sterling to force himself into Hodgson's full squad for the finals.

There was support from Walcott's club-mates on Monday, with Aaron Ramsey tweeting: "Gutted for Theo. He'll come back stronger after this. Been fantastic for us so far this season." Yet the injury represents a sickening setback for Walcott, whose international career has extended to 36 caps and five goals, but whose brushes with the World Cup have felt jinxed to date.

Selected surprisingly by Sven-Goran Eriksson for the 2006 finals in Germany – he was his country's youngest ever player at 17 years and 75 days – the forward was unused throughout the tournament itself. Four years later, and despite playing a key role in qualification, the player was discarded by Fabio Capello on the eve of the finals in South Africa, a decision the Italian has subsequently admitted was a mistake. He will now be 29 before he can finally play in a World Cup, should England qualify for the tournament in Russia in 2018.

Dominic Fifield

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Wolves reject Crystal Palace offer for unsettled keeper Wayne Hennessey

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:15 AM PST

• 26-year-old has lost his first-team place to Carl Ikeme
• Palace's Julián Speroni out of contract at end of the season

Wolverhampton Wanderers have rejected an opening bid from Crystal Palace for their Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

The 26-year-old has spent time on loan at Yeovil Town this season having lost his first-team place to Carl Ikeme and, when offered the chance to return to the Wolves side on Friday after the latter broke his hand, he rejected the chance to play at Gillingham.

That has left his relationship with the League One club strained despite the player apologising to the manager, Kenny Jackett, on Monday. He may be permitted to leave, though only at terms acceptable to Wolves.

The Palace manager, Tony Pulis, hopes to strengthen his squad significantly during the current window with reinforcements through the spine of his team. His current No1, Julián Speroni, is out of contract in the summer.

Dominic Fifield

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Theo Walcott carriers pelted by coins are Tottenham supporters

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:10 AM PST

• Stretcher-bearers hit by own fans during FA Cup tie at Arsenal
• Walcott escapes FA punishment over '2-0' gesture

Two of the ambulance workers pelted by coins and projectiles thrown by Tottenham Hotspur fans at Arsenal on Saturday are Spurs fans, it has emerged.

Theo Walcott, who will be out for six months and will now miss the World Cup after damaging an anterior cruciate ligament, was singled out by a section of the away support as he was taken off on a stretcher after injuring knee ligaments in the FA Cup victory at the Emirates Stadium and responded by making a gesture to signal the 2-0 scoreline. In response, fans threw missiles without realising that two of the stretcher-bearers, Daniel Ahmed and Anthony Archer, are Spurs fans.

The Football Association confirmed it will not take any action against Walcott as his gesture was not offensive. His team-mate, Jack Wilshere, was banned for two matches last month after he reacted to verbal abuse from a section of Manchester City fans by making an offensive hand gesture at them.

However, the FA reminded Walcott of his responsibilities and said that it will investigate the conduct of both sets of supporters.

A post on Facebook from Archer suggested that Ahmed had suffered a concussion after being hit by a coin as he helped carry Walcott off, although it was not clear whether that was a serious or a light-hearted comment.

Archer and Ahmed work for the London Ambulance Service but were hired by Arsenal for the match. Photos were posted of them on Facebook helping off Walcott and the pair joked with friends about the incident on the social networking site. Neither Ahmed nor Archer were available for comment.

Ahmed appeared to take the incident in good humour, posting under one photo: "Little does he [Walcott] know he has a Leeds fan and TWO spurs fans protecting him. We truly are professionals." When asked by a friend why neither of them were smiling in the photo, Ahmed replied: "We were being Pelted by coins!!! It hurts!!" Archer later posted under the photo: "Can't believe our own fans!! Dan gets concussion and I end up with a dodgy knee! Cheers Theo!"

An FA statement said: "The FA has contacted Arsenal and Tottenham to seek their observations in relation to objects being thrown from both a home and away section of the crowd at different times during Saturday's FA Cup tie. The FA condemns any such acts and will liaise with both clubs and the Metropolitan Police to identify those responsible and support the strongest sanctions available, including life bans.

"Meanwhile, in relation to the same fixture, The FA has contacted Arsenal's Theo Walcott and reminded him of his responsibilities regarding a 'scoreline' gesture he made in front of away supporters during the game.

"The FA will not be taking any further disciplinary action."

Jacob Steinberg

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Theo Walcott's sign of the times – 10 players who clashed with fans

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 09:57 AM PST

After Theo Walcott's '2-0' gesture to Spurs fans during the FA Cup, we look at 10 other examples of players versus fans

The Football Association has announced that Theo Walcott will not be charged for taunting Spurs fans with a 2-0 scoreline gesture during the Gunners' FA Cup victory over the weekend.

"The FA contacted Arsenal's Theo Walcott and reminded him of his responsibilities regarding a 'scoreline' gesture he made in front of away supporters during the game," read the statement released.

There will, however, be an investigation into the conduct of the Tottenham supporters who threw bottles and coins as Walcott was stretchered off.

The incident comes less than a month after Jack Wilshere was banned for two matches after gesturing to the Manchester City crowd. Luis Suárez has also been previously banned for gesturing to Fulham fans, and Gareth Bale has given a scoreline gesture as a response to having a banana thrown at him.

Here are 10 other examples of players clashing with fans, from the acutely absurd to the downright dangerous.

Gary Neville enrages Liverpool

In 2006, Neville – always popular with Liverpool fans – ran 60 yards to celebrate a Rio Ferdinand header in front of the Liverpool away crowd at Old Trafford, kissing his badge and, er, thrusting his hips. Neville, who earned a £5,000 fine from the FA for his actions, defended his celebrations, commenting that football was becoming "devoid of passion and spirit".

Wayne Rooney breaks the fourth wall

During the 2010 World Cup in Cape Town, Rooney walked off to a booing crowd after England laboured to a woeful 0-0 draw with Algeria. "Nice to see your own fans booing you, you football 'supporters'," the striker said into the camera.

This was harsh as it meant all of us watching at home took the wrap for the fans in the stadium, a bit like when you get the blame for something your sibling did.

When Cantona kicked off

Probably the most famous example of all, everybody remembers Eric Cantona's flying kung-fu kick aimed at an abusive Crystal Palace fan back in 1995. Cantona had just been sent off at Selhurst Park and was making his way to the dressing room when the fan screamed obscenities at him from behind the advertising boards.

Cantona received a nine-month ban, the FA were "appalled" and Chief Supt Terry Collins said: "There could have been a riot". No news on whether Chief Supt Collins later joined a band called the Kaiser Chiefs.

Fowler's nose for trouble

Back in 1999, Robbie Fowler responded to taunts from Everton fans about his alleged cocaine abuse by running to the blue section of supporters and 'snorting' the box's white line after converting a penalty kick at Anfield.

Police investigated the celebration and Fowler was hit with a £60,000 fine from the FA. Gérard Houllier meanwhile attempted to pass the celebration off as pretend "grass-eating". Um.

A right earful

In what was a very serious and sinister incident in the Romanian League, a Petrolul ultra fan ran onto the pitch and punched Steaua Bucharest player George Galamaz, breaking his cheekbone and leaving him deaf in his right ear.

The fan, Stefan Dragos Enache, was then kicked to the ground by Galamaz's team-mate Novak Martinovic, who earned a red card for his troubles but also became a club hero. The game descended further into chaos when a firework was thrown onto the pitch.

Hazardous

While not a straight forward beef between a player and a fan, Chelsea's Eden Hazard went viral after kicking a ballboy during his side's Capital One Cup defeat to Swansea City.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Morgan, the son of Swansea's director Martin Morgan, was smothering the ball when Hazard decided he was time-wasting and tried to kick the ball from underneath him. The striker was dismissed and incurred a three match ban, while Morgan became a brief Twitter celebrity with over 40,000 followers.

Lampard almost gets lamped

After the final whistle of Chelsea's FA Cup quarter-final defeat of Tottenham, Frank Lampard ducked and dived like Ali to avoid a punch thrown by an 18-year-old Spurs fan who was banned for life at White Hart Lane after the incident.

Asked for his take on the melee, Mourinho commented: "Perhaps the security people slept a bit," which seems a fair assessment to us.

No love lost for Adebayor

In a similar vein to Neville's provocative celebration in front of Liverpool fans, Emmanuel Adebayor made sure to raise the ire of his ex-supporters when he decided to run the length of the Etihad pitch to celebrate scoring for Manchester City against his old club in 2009.

Needless to say, this didn't exactly go down well and Adebayor was roundly pelted with polystyrene cups and hissed at like a pantomime villain. The striker was fined £25,000 and given a two-match suspended ban.

A slap in the face

One of the most shocking incidents to happen in the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday's keeper Chris Kirkland was horribly attacked by a pitch-trespassing fan when his team played Leeds in 2012.

The fan, Aaron Cawley, was jailed for 16 weeks after the incident and handed a six-year ban.

Derby strife

Finally, in 2013 a Manchester City fan was banned for attending football matches for three years after running onto the field and attempting to engage Rio Ferdinand at Old Trafford. Matthew Stott was also given a 56-day suspended sentence.

Ferdinand had already been bleeding from a confrontation with fans who had thrown coins at him. The defender tweeted after the incident: "Whoever threw that coin, what a shot! Can't believe it was a copper 2p; could have at least been a £1 coin!"

Hannah Jane Parkinson

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United to miss Coentrão and Koke

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 09:12 AM PST

• David Moyes faces obstacles to signing key January targets
• United manager has expressed 'urgent' need to spend

David Moyes faces disappointment over the signings of Real Madrid's Fabio Coentrão and Atlético Madrid's Koke despite the Manchester United manager's urgent wish to strengthen this month.

Coentrão has agreed a deal to join United but the champions may miss out on the left-back for a second consecutive window as Real do not want to sell any players during January. "No players are leaving and we're not going to sign anyone," said Carlo Ancelotti, the Real manager, on Sunday. "The window is closed for us."

Despite the public stance, there remains hope that Jorge Mendes, Coentrão's agent, will be able to persuade Real to sell the 25-year-old, who has made only four starts in La Liga this season and was reportedly upset when Moyes failed to sign him in the summer transfer window.

Moyes turned to the Portuguese on the closing day of the last window after a last-ditch bid to purchase Leighton Baines from Everton was rejected. The United manager, who is keen to bring competition at left-back, ended a difficult summer by seeing his hopes of taking Coentrão to Old Trafford break down owing to an issue over paperwork.

As far as Koke is concerned, United have the funds to acquire the midfielder but believe there will be difficulties in trying to sign the 21-year-old. The Atlético sporting director, José Luis Pérez Caminero, signalled as much when stating the player will not leave the club in mid-season. "Koke will be with us for many years. I am convinced," Caminero said. "He is a player who has improved considerably. [He] has also made it into the Spain squad and that puts you in the spotlight and opens more eyes."

Jamie Jackson

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Lisbon bids farewell to Eusébio

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 09:01 AM PST

People from all walks of life pay tribute to Portuguese football legend, who will be buried near his longtime club Benfica

Tens of thousands of people have lined the streets of Lisbon to pay tribute to the Portuguese football star Eusébio after his coffin was put on public display and taken in a funeral cortege through the city.

People filed out of offices and cafes on a rainy Monday afternoon and applauded as the hearse, with a police motorcycle escort, passed. Traffic was halted on the capital's main roads, and the cortege stopped for a ceremony at the city hall.

Earlier in the day, dozens of dignitaries and hundreds of fans, some weeping, filed past the coffin at the Estádio da Luz, the stadium of Benfica, Eusébio's longtime club. Some 10,000 fans at the Stadium of Light cheered and sang when the coffin was placed in the centre of the pitch.

The government declared three days of national mourning after Eusébio's death on Sunday from heart failure. He was 71.

Eusébio was an international star and national hero whose heyday was in the 1960s with Benfica and the Portuguese national team. He became one of the world's top goalscorers and was widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. He was affectionately known as the Black Panther for his athletic physique and agility.

The funeral was attended by the prime minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, and many football players, including former world player of the year and retired Portugal captain Luis Figo, as well as Eusébio's surviving family.

Eusébio is to be buried in a cemetery near Benfica's stadium. Authorities said they would consider moving him later to Lisbon's National Pantheon, which contains the tombs of illustrious figures from Portuguese history.


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Sport v weather: when wind, rain, hail, snow, thunder and lightning attack

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:52 AM PST

The San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers braved sub-zero temperatures on Sunday, but it could have been worse

Paul Campbell

Swansea's Michael Laudrup: Manchester United are still a big club – video

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:45 AM PST

Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup revels in the Swans' 2-1 FA Cup victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford

Football Weekly: West Ham hammered and Manchester United also crash out

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:23 AM PST

On today's Football Weekly, AC Jimbo has Barry Glendenning, Rafa Honigstein and Jacob Steinberg along for the ride to look back on all the action in the FA Cup, where a fairly uninspiring list of fixtures threw up a surprising amount of drama.

We start at Old Trafford, where Swansea claimed the biggest scalp, beating Manchester United, before moving onto Nottingham Forest's 5-0 mauling of West Ham. At least the Hammers and the Red Devils can redeem themselves in the Capital One Cup midweek. Or not.

Next, we pour scorn on Paul Lambert whose weakened Aston Villa got what they deserved by being dumped out of the cup by Sheffield United, and wonder how much Arsenal will miss Theo Walcott after he was injured in their 2-0 win over Spurs.

Finally, we catch up on some transfer gossip, find out how Juventus got on against Roma, and resume contact with our foul-mouthed friend in Spain, Sid Lowe – all the while hoping that Jimbo doesn't get a parking ticket …

James Richardson
Ben Green
Barry Glendenning
Sid Lowe
Jacob Steinberg

Arsène Wenger: Arsenal dominated FA Cup derby against Tottenham – video

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:08 AM PST

Arsène Wenger says he was delighted at Arsenal's dominance over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup third round at the Emirates

Daniel Taylor's verdict on David Moyes

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

The Glazers must be wondering whether it was wise to overlook trophy-laden José Mourinho as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor

If we are at the stage when he needs a few small mercies, at least David Moyes has been spared those times when there was never any shortage of ex-Manchester United players jostling in the queue to be the first to stick the boot in. George Best once said he would not "walk round the corner to see United" and recommended they brought in Terry Venables during the troublesome early parts of Alex Ferguson's 26 years in charge. Tommy Docherty went even further, provoking one of Ferguson's classic putdowns. "We all know about the Doc," the manager wrote in 6 Years At United. "He is what he is, a bitter old man."

Moyes has devoured every page of Ferguson's latest autobiography but it is that lesser-known 1992 book that should really be essential reading for a man in his position. Six months into his new job, Moyes would no doubt understand the awe in Ferguson's words when he wrote of his first experiences at Old Trafford and that "no manager can really be prepared … it's so different from any other club in Britain."

Yet it is a passage from the same chapter, The Legend, that really sticks out at a time when Moyes is straying dangerously close to the point of crisis. "Only through success can a manager become master of his own destiny," Ferguson wrote. "Success unlocks all the doors. Set against a background of two or three trophies, decisions can be made with a ring of conviction, players accept what you are saying without doubting, supporters sustain their belief through the inevitable setbacks and you become a figure of authority without the need to look over your shoulder. Success achieves all these things as well as giving a manager security at home, knowing his job is safe."

The evidence is there at Chelsea, where José Mourinho's gravitas, strength of personality and record of achievement means there can be erratic results and the ostracism of a crowd favourite, Juan Mata, without even the beginnings of any real discord from the club's followers.

Perhaps in hindsight – though they would never admit it – there are people in high positions at Old Trafford, or at the Glazer residence in Florida, wondering now whether it was actually so wise making Moyes the recipient of the "Chosen One" banner that hangs inside the stadium, rather than the manager who was available from Real Madrid with two European Cups to his credit, along with league titles in four different countries.

Mourinho, with enough individual awards to fill a removals van, brings any employer a near-guarantee of success. Moyes, with no silverware, Champions League record or background in high-end football, should probably just be grateful that United do not operate by the same cut-throat tendencies as their peers. Any other top European club that had fallen away from champions to seventh, playing prosaic, laboured football at a time when their major rivals were all on an upward trajectory – well, it is just a fact of modern football life the manager would probably have been fired already, with his belongings sent in the post.

If that sounds at all alarmist, maybe it should be reiterated that it is possible to admire a manager, especially one with Moyes's dedication to his sport, but also wonder whether they are properly equipped for their current employment.

It is also worth mentioning two other things about United's current predicament, both relating to the Glazer family. The first is that a poultry farm's worth of chickens are coming home to roost given the way the Glazers have got away with doing virtually the least amount possible, year on year, to help the team, on the basis Ferguson's management strengths would always compensate. The second – and this cannot be overstated – is that the club's owners gave Moyes a six-year contract. A deal of that length is a statement in itself and it is an almighty leap of logic to assume they would even contemplate breaking it early.

Equally, it cannot just be presumed the Glazers are these avuncular types who will tolerate the indignities of the last six months persisting. True, there was the 5-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, but the general level of performance has been undistinguished enough to make that night feel almost like a deception. It stands out like an exotic flower in a field of weeds when a generation or two of United fans is experiencing, for the first time, what it is like to witness a team that is vulnerable every single week.

From December, it has incorporated Everton's first league win at Old Trafford since 1992, Newcastle's first since 1972, another defeat at home to Tottenham and now that moment in the FA Cup on Sunday when Wilfried Bony's late, decisive header for Swansea City felt shocking, yet not actually a real shock. Swansea had never won at Old Trafford before in 10 previous attempts going back to 1931. None of us has ever known an FA Cup in which Crawley, Burton Albion, Rochdale, Macclesfield, Stevenage and Kidderminster have outlasted United. Of course the Glazers are going to be jumpy. How could they not?

There is further mitigation going into the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final at Sunderland on Tuesday night, not least Robin van Persie's injury issues, and it would be unfair not to recognise the way Moyes has calmed the Wayne Rooney situation when Ferguson's selfish desire to win that personal feud had left his successor with his first major issue before he had even memorised everyone's names.

Moyes's sympathisers will return to the fact it took Ferguson three and a half years before he accumulated the first of his 39 different trophies for the club. Yet it is a flimsy line of argument. Ferguson inherited a team that was fourth from bottom, 19 years since United's last championship, and with a group of players who habitually turned up for training still half-cut from the night before.

Equally, Gordon Strachan was slightly missing the point in his television analysis when he placed the emphasis on Moyes having to show that a British manager could work at the highest level. A club with United's ambitions – the bus that waits for nobody, Ferguson used to say – have more important things with which to concern themselves than nationality.

The mind goes back to Ferguson's farewell speech, on the pitch at Old Trafford last May, and his final request. "I'd like to remind you that when I had bad times here the club stood by me," Ferguson said that day. "All my staff stood by me, the players stood by me, you stood by me, and your job now is to stand by our new manager. That is important."

For the most part, they have done just that. The absence of voluble mutiny, however, is not necessarily a collective belief that Moyes will get it right. The tie at Sunderland has suddenly taken on new importance, with the three-handed pot once nicknamed the Worthless Cup under another sponsor now being United's best chance of a trophy. On Saturday, Swansea return to Old Trafford in the league. The following weekend it is a trip to Chelsea and another examination of whether United were right to let Ferguson handpick his own successor. Everton's improvement since Moyes left, looking down on his current team, merely compounds the lingering sense that the chosen one was possibly the wrong choice.

Daniel Taylor

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Theo Walcott escapes FA punishment for Arsenal v Tottenham gesture

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 07:59 AM PST

• Arsenal player had made two-nil gesture to travelling fans
• Both clubs contacted over objects being thrown from stands

Arsenal's Theo Walcott will face no disciplinary action from the Football Association for his gesture to Tottenham fans in the north London derby.

Walcott was abused by a section of the travelling support as he was taken off on a stretcher during the 2-0 victory and he responded by making a two-nil scoreline gesture with his hands, prompting coins and other projectiles to be thrown at him.

"The FA has contacted both Arsenal and Tottenham to seek their observations in relation to objects being thrown from both a home and away section of the crowd at different times during Saturday's FA Cup tie," read an FA statement. "The FA condemns any such acts and will liaise with both clubs and the Metropolitan police to identify those responsible and support the strongest sanctions available, including life bans.

"Meanwhile, in relation to the same fixture, the FA has contacted Arsenal's Theo Walcott and reminded him of his responsibilities regarding a 'scoreline' gesture he made in front of away supporters during the game. The FA will not be taking any further disciplinary action."


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The Fiver | The poor old FA Cup | Barry Glendenning

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 07:56 AM PST

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

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME

Like one of those spoilsport conjurers who gets kicked out of the Magic Circle for revealing how it's possible to saw a woman in half and then put her back together again, assorted football folk have been attracting opprobrium for suggesting, either through word or deed, that the fabled magic of the FA Cup may be a lot more more bogus than genuine hocus-pocus. In a football world where the grind of actually having to play competitive matches increasingly gets in the way of the more important club business of keeping players fit, going on revenue-generating tours abroad and performing well in the transfer market, the poor old FA Cup is fast becoming an irrelevance in the eyes of managers of clubs that win so many trophies on such a regular basis that they can afford to turn their nose up at one of only two prizes in English football they have any chance of winning. The Fiver is looking at you, Paul Lambert. And you, Big Sam. And you, Tactics Tim Sherw … oh, Spurs were actually trying?

[There is a brief pause as the Fiver gives itself a self-congratulatory pat on the back for delivering its joke for 2014 at the earliest possible opportunity]

Of course, some Premier League managers had no choice but to field weakened sides in the FA Cup, with David Moyes being a case in point. With both his good players knacked, the Manchester United line-up looked about as intimidating as a beaming Theo Walcott gesturing inoffensively from a stretcher. It was also a line-up that managed to generate similar amounts of fury from grown men, albeit without the deluge of coins that might conceivably help Moyes rectify matters in the transfer window.

"It has been a tough start. I am disappointed we have not won more games but it will change I have no doubt about that," said Moyes, sporting what PG Wodehouse once described as the unmistakable look of a man about to be present at a row between women, and only a wet cat in a strange backyard bears itself with less jauntiness than a man faced by such a prospect. With the first leg of their Rumbelows Cup semi-final against Sunderland ahoy tomorrow evening, Moyes and Manchester United will at least quickly get the opportunity to make up for yesterday's disappointment … or posssibly make things worse altogether by getting beaten by the worst team in the Premier League. "It's very special – it's a great day for the players and the fans as well," said Swansea manager Michael Laudrup, whose players probably riffed on Manchester United fans' pain by greeting the final whistle with the air of men who had pulled off nothing more significant than another routine win.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Sunday afternoon's defeat at Nottingham Forest was tough for all to take, but particularly for one tearful young man in the away end. Everyone at West Ham United shares this young man's disappointment and are grateful for the large numbers of fans that made the trip to the City Ground. To show the club's appreciation for the travelling Claret and Blue army, the board, manager and captain would like to offer this young fan and his family a chance to watch an upcoming fixture at the Boleyn Ground from the directors' box" – West Ham kick a child when he's down.

FIVER LETTERS

"Is it true that when Villa's big Czech striker unfortunately broke his leg in training, they immediately got on the phone to Rolled-Up £50 Note Braces Buy Sell Buy Sell Convertible Tig Extension Fiver because he's got experience when it comes to fixing Libor?" – Jim Hearson.

"I read an alarming article recently about how fans have ruined Sherlock and Doctor Who. Is it now official Big Paper policy that 'hit shows must appeal to the widest possible audience as well as a narrow band of obsessives' and that content should not be influenced by 'wild and sometimes lurid online speculation'? If so, can I be the first of 1,057 to say that we will fight them on the etc and so on if there is any hint whatsoever of a STOP LETTERS campaign. On a related-ish topic, it's nice to see that while the Fiver was on its extended holiday, the Twitter furore over Sherlock getting the Underground wrong shows that 1,057 people with a far better work ethic didn't even take Christmas Day off" – Dermot McDermott (and no others).

• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is: Jim Hearson.

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BITS AND BOBS

Gollivan have issued an open letter on the West Ham website to admit that Big Sam has been handed 'a near impossible task' in turning the club's fortunes around. "We are all working round the clock to do everything in our powers to help arrest our slump in form," they parped in the wake of a 5-0 shellacking at Nottingham Forest. Seemingly starting with the signing of relegation specialist Roger Johnson.

Be afraid: Sepp Blatter has refused to rule out standing again for the Fifa presidency in 2015. "I cannot answer with a yes or a no but simply state that I do not feel tired enough to say that I will not stand," he purred.

Ian Holloway is the new manager of Millwall.

Malaysian club Kedah insist that their club logo change has absolutely nothing to do with a £371,500 investment from Cardiff owner Vincent Tan.

And Bournemouth fans have splashed out almost £3,000 to fund Burton Albion supporters' coaches for their rearranged FA Cup tie next week, after Saturday's game was rained off.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

Eusébio: a life in video clips.

STILL WANT MORE?

Join AC Jimbo and co for the latest exciting instalment of Football Weekly.

Former Man Utd goalkeeper Alex Stepney pays tribute to the late and great Eusébio.

Ten talking points from the FA Cup third round, starring Paul Lambert, 'Big' Sam Allardyce and more.

'The Scudetto mystery appears to have been solved. Unless Juve's rivals start to arm themselves with Turkish tractors, at any rate.' Paolo Bandini reports how the Italian press have awarded Juventus the Serie A title already.

Stefan Bienkowski explains how Bayern dealt another killer blow to their Bundesliga rivals by signing Robert Lewandowski.

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

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Barry Glendenning

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Ian Holloway appointed Millwall manager on two-and-a-half-year deal

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 07:48 AM PST

• 50-year-old takes over at Championship strugglers
• Holloway left Crystal Palace in October

Ian Holloway has made a swift return to management in south London after signing a two-and-a-half year contract to become Millwall's new manager.

The 50-year-old secured Crystal Palace's promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs after an eight-year absence in May before departing Selhurst Park in October following a miserable start to the campaign. At the time he had admitted to feeling drained and being in need of a break to recharge his batteries after a hectic and pressurised few months at Palace, though he has since decided he is ready to return to management.

Talks took place with Millwall over the weekend and concluded on Monday, with the challenge awaiting the Championship club looking considerable. The team are 21st in the second tier, a point clear of the relegation zone, with only one victory in nine matches in all competitions since November. Millwall's last manager, Steve Lomas, was sacked in the wake of a 4-0 defeat at Watford on Boxing Day, with the side humiliated 4-1 at League Two Southend United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Holloway, who oversaw Leicester's relegation to League One in 2008, has spent successful spells at Blackpool, Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle after starting out with Bristol Rovers. His first match in charge will be Saturday's trip to Huddersfield.

The Millwall chairman, John Berylson, feels he has found the right man to guide them up the table following Lomas's brief and disappointing spell in charge. The American also promised to back Holloway in the transfer market this month.

"The fact that we have been able to attract someone of Ian's calibre and track record is testament to the fact that he shares our view of the potential we have to progress as a club and to move forward," he said in a statement.

"In our determination to bring Ian in on a two-and-a-half-year contract, we have demonstrated both the level of our ambition and commitment towards re-establishing ourselves as a competitive Championship club, and in due course challenging towards the top end of this division.

"We are under no illusions that our first priority under Ian's leadership is to ensure we maintain our Championship status. The new manager inherits an experienced and talented squad that has not been playing to its potential so far this season. He will receive the backing of the board to strengthen as he deems necessary."

Dominic Fifield

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Tim Sherwood disappointed after Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur – video

Posted: 06 Jan 2014 07:46 AM PST

Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood expresses his disappointment after losing his first north London derby as Spurs manager

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