Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

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• Sam Allardyce knows he must inspire an upturn at West Ham
• Transfer talk
• Socceroos' Mark Bresciano cleared to play at World Cup
• Wenger tells scouts to find quick fix
• Lonely David Moyes being haunted by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United | Louise Taylor
• Sunderland v Manchester United: five talking points | Simon Burnton
• Sunderland 2-1 Man Utd
• Sunderland v Manchester United – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg
• Di María crotch-grab to be investigated by Real Madrid
• Sunderland and Newcastle to ignore police over derby kick-off times
• Johnson quits FA equality board
• Cardiff City favourites to loan Wilfried Zaha from Manchester United
• Agger to discover extent of calf injury
• The Fiver | A wounded animal with its claws trimmed and fangs removed
• Costel Pantilimon survives wounds to stand tall at Manchester City
• England continues to pay the price of playing through the winter | James Riach
• Venezia's woes threaten to make football a relic in city of rich history | Jonathan Wilson
• Sam Allardyce happy with support from West Ham United board – video
• Police look into antisemitic tweets
• Nemanja Vidic contract extension at Manchester United 'ruled out'
• Lionel Messi given all-clear by medics and included in Barcelona squad
• Arsenal may find solution to the staff shortage in their own squad | Amy Lawrence
• Michael Chopra fined £10,000 after slating training at Blackpool
• Transfer targets: five strikers Arsenal should consider buying in January
• Leaving Arsenal: whatever happened to the talented Mark Randall?

Sam Allardyce knows he must inspire an upturn at West Ham Posted: 07 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST • 'We know what happens if you don't get results as a manager' • Manager realistic despite show of support by joint chairmen Sam Allardyce has conceded his future as West Ham United's manager hinges on instigating an immediate upturn in results, despite the show of support offered by the club's joint chairmen before Wednesday's Capital One Cup semi-final against Manchester City. David Sullivan and David Gold had reacted to Sunday's thrashing by the Championship club Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round by publishing an open letter to supporters in which they acknowledged the strains under which Allardyce has been operating. They added that the club's manager since 2011 had "not lost his ambition or desire and is committed to making West Ham a great Premier League club". The manager welcomed that unsolicited backing but, with his team 19th in the table and without a Premier League win since November as they address the first leg of their semi-final at the Etihad stadium, he recognises there will be no job security unless the team's slump is arrested. "In the end, we all know what happens if you don't get results as a manager," he said. "But I'm here. I'm pushing the club forward with the help of everybody here at the club, from top to bottom. "We've had a very good success in a short period of time. We're having a very poor experience at the moment. [Everything] depends on what results I get from now until … well, over the next few weeks or games. We are in a critical period playing in this cup game where we want to try and go out and give a great account of ourselves, to try and give the fans and ourselves a great day out at Wembley." Allardyce, who hopes to have West Ham's record signing Andy Carroll fit enough to return to his match-day squad in the next two weeks, is the only manager retained from last summer by any of the top flight's bottom five clubs, a turnover which reflects the anxiety in boardrooms at the prospect of dropping out of the money-flushed division. "Our owners' track record proves they haven't been too rushed into the decisions they make," he said. "Over the last 18 to 20 years, they've given their managers a good chance and stuck by them when things are not going so well. "But look at this season alone: the reactions are getting quicker and quicker and quicker due to the impatience throughout the game for success. Success isn't built overnight. Success has to be built over a sustained period of time. There are difficulties within that time that you experience and you have to try to get through, and history tells you continually changing managers doesn't mean success. But I'm realistic to know I have to get results, particularly quickly from my point of view, as a manager." Sam Allardyce West Ham United Dominic Fifield 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

Transfer talk Posted: 07 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST • Cardiff favourites to land Wilfried Zaha on loan • West Ham determined to hang on to Ravel Morrison Zaha to Cardiff/Stoke/Newcastle Cardiff City are the favourites to land Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha on loan if David Moyes allows the winger to leave for the rest of the season. Cardiff's manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has strong links with United from his time there as a player and reserve team coach and that has helped to push his team ahead of Stoke City and Newcastle United in the battle to sign Zaha. Moyes, United's manager, wants regular Premier League football for Zaha along with a guarantee that the coaching he will receive can best help to develop the 21-year-old, who has struggled to establish himself at Old Trafford. Tony Pulis said Crystal Palace had made an approach but that Moyes wanted to avoid sending the player back to the capital. "We've spoken to David Moyes about Zaha and I don't think he's too keen on him coming back to London," he said. "It's not a problem for us, he's a Manchester United player. We don't think it's a goer, although we were very keen if there was a possibility to take him on." Palace will, though, secure the permanent signing of Jason Puncheon from Southampton for a fee of around £1.25m. The winger has spent the first half of the season on loan at Selhurst Park, making 17 Premier League appearances, with his arrival on a long-term contract allowing Pulis to explore the possibility of taking another Premier League player on a temporary deal until the summer. The veteran striker Kevin Phillips will depart leave Palace under freedom of contract at the end of this week. Jamie Jackson and Dominic Fifield Morrison West Ham United will resist any attempts to prise Ravel Morrison from Upton Park during the transfer window. Morrison has been one of the few sources of promise in the struggle against relegation, for all that his form has dipped over recent weeks. Interest had been mooted from Fulham whose manager, Rene Meulensteen, coached the 20-year-old at Manchester United. "We haven't had any discussions about Ravel Morrison being sold," said the manager Sam Allardyce, who still hopes to secure the England Under-21 midfielder on new terms. Morrison's contract has 18 months to run. Dominic Fifield Pogba/Pirlo The Juventus general director, Giuseppe Marotta, has rebuffed clubs chasing the midfield pair Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo amid reports that both could be on the move. The 20-year-old Pogba is a reported target of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal while Italy international Pirlo, who becomes a free agent this summer, has been linked with a move to the Premier League. "We have a strong and functional group and we don't want to sell anyone," Marotta said. "At this time there is no possibility of selling Pirlo and Pogba even if Pirlo will soon be out of contract." PA Omeruo to Middlesbrough Chelsea's defender Kenneth Omeruo has completed a loan move to the Championship side for the rest of the season. The 20-year-old Nigeria international has arrived at the Riverside Stadium after manager Aitor Karanka used his relationship with José Mourinho, under whom he worked at Real Madrid, to good effect. PA Jakupovic to Leyton Orient Orient have snapped up the Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic on a month-long loan deal. The Bosnian-born former Switzerland international, 29, has made nine first-team appearances for the Premier League club since arriving in the summer of 2012. PA 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

Socceroos' Mark Bresciano cleared to play at World Cup Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:50 PM PST Mark Bresciano has been cleared to play for the Socceroos at this year's World Cup despite his ongoing appeal against a Fifa ban

Wenger tells scouts to find quick fix Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:46 PM PST • Arsenal look for quick-fix solution after injury blow • Club accept that primary targets may be out of reach Arsène Wenger has instructed Arsenal's scouting department to explore short-term signings as the manager considers securing a quick fix to bolster his attacking ranks after losing Theo Walcott for the remainder of the season. The management and scouting staff have discussed the possibility of adding a forward to their options since scans confirmed Walcott will be out for at least six months after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage late on in Saturday's FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur. There is an acceptance, however, that the club will struggle to secure any of their primary forward targets before next summer at the earliest with those players' employers either involved in European competition, embroiled in title pursuits or simply reluctant to sell mid-season. There is interest in Diego Costa at Atlético Madrid and Jackson Martínez at Porto, as well as Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and the Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic, whose position at the Allianz Arena will be threatened next summer once Robert Lewandowski completes his free transfer from Borussia Dortmund. Domestically, Wenger has also considered the merits of the Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, though any bids for such candidates would prove fruitless in January. The manager has conceded that prices are inflated in the winter window and would be reluctant to pay more than Arsenal's valuation for such talent. Instead, players such as Real Madrid's Álvaro Morata, the 21-year-old who has been somewhat underused at the Bernabéu this term, will again be scrutinised while soundings are taken from possible recruits in Russia where some clubs, most notably Anzhi Makhachkala, find themselves under financial pressure to sell. Lille's former Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou has also come under consideration with the player having made clear his desire to return to England, albeit he had envisaged making that move in the summer. Yet even a short-term deal would be progressed only if Wenger determines that the incoming player would hit the ground running as his team attempt to secure their first Premier League title since 2004. The manager remains relatively relaxed about the pursuit given that he generally considers Walcott as a wide player rather than a central striker, despite the forward's prolific bursts of form when given opportunities through the middle over recent seasons. Arsenal have cover in attacking midfield, not least with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in full training after cruciate ligament problems and due to play in the under-21s game against Fulham on Thursday. He has not featured since the opening day of the season and, should all progress smoothly, could be in line for a place on the bench against Fulham in the Premier League on 18 January. Wenger would have been more vexed had his first-choice striker, Olivier Giroud, broken down. Yet the France forward has recovered from an ankle injury and recent illness, and Nicklas Bendtner is expected back from his ankle complaint within a month. With January offering a relatively gentle fixture schedule, certainly compared with other months, the management may determine the better option would be to plough on with what they have if no short-term addition seems suitable. There was sympathy for Walcott from the England manager, Roy Hodgson, on Tuesday as the 24-year-old faced up to missing the World Cup finals in Brazil. He will undergo surgery on his left knee next week before starting his lengthy rehabilitation. "I spoke with Theo and just wanted to express my disappointment to him," Hodgson said. "It is a blow for him personally and for both Arsenal and England. "We had quite a lengthy conversation and it is such a shame that we have lost a player of his calibre for the World Cup. He has been incredibly unfortunate and we wish him a speedy recovery. Having worked with him for two years as England manager I know the character he has, and I know he will come back even stronger from this setback." Arsenal Arsène Wenger Transfer window Theo Walcott Dominic Fifield 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

Lonely David Moyes being haunted by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United | Louise Taylor Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:18 PM PST The manager appears increasingly isolated as the spectre of Old Trafford continues to follow him and his struggling players It is approaching four years since the afternoon Manchester United left Sunderland without their expensive match-day suits after a burst sewage pipe in the away dressing room season caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage. That spill prompted the incineration of treasured personal possessions as well as clothes but at least United were well insured. David Moyes was protected by no such comforting insulation as any restorative properties contained in the wind whipping in from Sunderland's North Sea beaches were thoroughly lost on his players. Apparently stripped of their old powers, United somehow lost to a team which has won only three Premier League matches all season. Their manager's sole consolation is that, in terms of the tie, it is only half-time and United have always been famed for their comebacks, for their wonderful powers of recovery. United can still reach the League Cup final, Moyes can still collect the first trophy of his managerial career. Well maybe. Or, on this evidence, maybe not. During his years in charge of Everton – or seasons in the sun on Merseyside as he may now have come to regard them – Moyes invariably tactically outwitted a series of Sunderland managers. Perhaps those happy memories explained the way he surveyed the stands and half smiled to himself before taking his seat on Tuesday night. Seconds earlier there had been the warmest of handshakes for Gus Poyet. Not to mention a lingering glance of empathy. As Sunderland's manager has explained both he and Moyes are enduring "nightmares" this season, the only difference being that the Manchester United manager's bad dream is "more global" and "a bit posher". Both men are struggling with dubious legacies. If the chalice Moyes inherited from Sir Alex Ferguson was not exactly poisoned, his predecessor's failure to sign a central midfielder for six seasons had left certain members of that department looking ominously past their sell by dates. Ferguson tends to restrict his United watching to Old Trafford but talk of impending "crisis" following Sunday's home FA Cup defeat to Swansea allied to an underwhelming Premier League campaign had brought the old knight to Wearside. With a hat protecting him from the worst effects of a damp, distinctly breezy northeast evening, the Ferguson peered down on Moyes from the directors box, looking suspiciously like a potentially annoying back-seat driver. It did not help that Moyes was steering a vehicle which, stripped of key components in the injured Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney at times on Tuesday night resembled a surprisingly modest family saloon whose driver could only exceed motorway speed limits by clamping his foot flat to the floor. The Premier League's seventh place side were making heavy weather of opponents rooted to the bottom of the table but even if Danny Welbeck was displaying little of the irrepressible invention which characterised his spell on loan at Sunderland under Steve Bruce, almost imperceptibly United improved as Sunderland's early tempo faded and a generally disappointing first half drew towards a close. Unfortunately for Moyes, though, Adnan Januzaj's 'goal' was correctly disallowed for an offside flag against Ryan Giggs and an opening 45 minutes featuring precious few first half chances – although Giggs did hit the bar – instead concluded with Sunderland a goal up. As Moyes headed up the tunnel deep in conversation with Steve Round, a key lieutenant, his brow appeared so furrowed that a couple of new facial lines seem certain to appear by Wednesday morning, United fans shook their heads in disbelief. By way of exacerbating the visiting pain, two United old boys, Wes Brown and most notably Phil Bardsley played pivotal roles in provoking a Giggs's own goal stemming from a poorly defended free-kick. Sunderland supporters, meanwhile, were merely amused that Jonny Evans – who enjoyed an excellent stint on loan here during Roy Keane's managerial tenure – needlessly conceded that set piece for fouling Steven Fletcher. It was a free- kick disputed by Moyes but his case was weak. While the distraction of a goal gave Stadium of Light regulars something to think about other than pondering whether Lee Cattermole will have much of a future at Sunderland should Liam Bridcutt, Poyet's top midfield transfer target, be granted his wish of a transfer north from Brighton. Moyes could have been forgiven for dressing room anger. His defence should not have permitted Brown and another United old boy, John O'Shea, to make such nuisances of themselves at that dead ball. Happily for Nemanja Vidic, redemption was not long in coming, United's best centre-half beginning the second half by out-leaping both Brown and O'Shea to head a corner emphatically beyond Vito Mannone. Moyes could breath again but it would not have been lost on Ferguson that, like Sunderland, United rarely looked like scoring from open play. The visitors's problem was that they swiftly conceded from another set piece. When home substitute Adam Johnson – once of Manchester City – won a penalty following Tom Cleverley's foolish challenge, Fabio Borini, borrowed from Liverpool, converted it, sending David de Gea the wrong way. By the end, Moyes rocked back and forward in his dug-out seat, talking to himself. Surrounded by cohorts he looked utterly lonely. David Moyes Manchester United Sunderland Louise Taylor 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

Sunderland v Manchester United: five talking points | Simon Burnton Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST The empty seats for a League Cup semi-final at the Stadium of Light told their own story and if it's any consolation to David Moyes, Alex Ferguson's first-leg record wasn't great either 1 Too much of a good thing? This may be the least prestigious of England's three major trophies, but a semi-final remains a significant match, and unlike their opponents Sunderland have not had the privilege of becoming accustomed to such occasions. So the number of empty seats at the Stadium of Light – 17,453 of them, to judge from the official attendance – was interesting, if far from inexplicable. The Black Cats are in the middle of a two-month feast of home games, and this was the third of 2014, on the seventh day of the year. The FA Cup tie against Kidderminster or Peterborough will be their seventh home fixture of the season in domestic knockout competitions, while the second leg of this tie will be their first away. The club's pricing has been enlightened – adults paid £20 to get in here, and £10 when Carlisle visited on Sunday – but it turns out that you can, in fact, have too much of a good thing. The television cameras, and the fact that they had lost 16 and drawn four of their last 20 games against these opponents can't have helped. 2 United can't stand first legs Given his record at Old Trafford, the search for anything of significance that Sir Alex Ferguson wasn't very good at would be long, fruitless and bedevilled throughout by a faint stench of absurdity, but the fact is that he had an unusually poor record in the first leg of League Cup semi-finals. He failed to win any of his last five, a sequence that featured defeats by a single goal at Derby and Manchester City, a draw at Chelsea, and home and away stalemates against Blackburn. On four of those occasions United did well enough in the second leg to reach the final, and on three occasions they won the trophy. Bad as the result was, this might be the first occasion when David Moyes's United side has been worthy of comparison with the teams of his brilliant predecessor. 3 Moyes goes for a song Ryan Giggs was feared by the blues and loved by the reds; Roy Keane wore a magic hat; Gary Neville hated scousers. Manchester United's fans once had an armoury of the finest and filthiest songs in English football, but are they now – as Swansea's Jonathan de Guzmán suggested on the weekend – prone to "turning their backs" on their team? Though away fans can nearly always be relied upon to outperform those they leave at home, it would seem not – but the surprise here was the identity of the individual they focused on. "Every single one of us will stand by David Moyes," they chorused. It is to their credit that they have yet to write a verse that pairs Moyes's name with the word "out". 4 Januzaj's stadium of delight At the end of September Adnan Januzaj was just another promising youth-team graduate, trying to make his name at first-team level. On the fifth day of October Roy Hodgson admitted England had joined battle with "Belgium, Albania, Croatia and a few others as well" for his international future. In between came his only previous visit to the Stadium of Light, when on the occasion of his first competitive start he scored twice and encouraged Moyes to call him "a special player". The game seemed to have lingered in the memory, both of Januzaj, who was again United's best player and their most consistent threat on Sunderland's goal, and his opponents. Phil Bardsley seemed to have been instructed to keep an eye on him, and quite often a leg, too, or an elbow. In the 60th minute he sliced at Januzaj's ankles one time too many, earning himself a booking. There will be few better performances in defeat this season. 5 Johnson's big impact The game was transformed by the arrival in the second half of an often underappreciated English winger who had a productive spell at Watford and isn't shy of tumbling in the opposition area if he perceives the vaguest sniff of a potential penalty. Sadly Ashley Young was unavailable because of a shoulder injury – and given recent controversies even he may have thought twice about the tumble that led to Sunderland's winner – but Adam Johnson played his part to perfection. United, incidentally, had on their bench the most prolific penalty-winner in England last season, but with rumours rife of an imminent loan move, Wilfried Zaha once again remained idle. Sunderland Manchester United Capital One Cup Simon Burnton 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

Sunderland 2-1 Man Utd Posted: 07 Jan 2014 01:49 PM PST This is threatening to become a season in hell for David Moyes and his Manchester United side. There is still a second leg to come of this semi-final so they are not dead yet and could still reverse fortune to reach Wembley. Yet this defeat was a third on the trot for United. You have to go back 13 years to find the last time this happened to Manchester's aristocrats in red and then they were already confirmed as the 2000-1champions. The 2-1 defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City had set up Moyes to equal the kind of record he is collecting in this trying inaugural term as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, who was here and whose thoughts on his former team would fascinate. Moyes may have a case that the Fabio Borini penalty that sent United on a long journey home was dubious given that Adam Johnson appeared to take a theatrical tumble but the bottom line is that United are finding ways to lose games they once won. While a resounding win was the order of the day for United the avoidance of defeat was the first priority. To lose a third match in succession was the doomsday scenario Moyes and his men could not contemplate as they sought to ease the demons that had swarmed into their minds during the past two defeats. The one thing the champions knew was that Gus Poyet would remind his side their opponents were vulnerable and that they should get at them from the start. A glimpse of this came when Sunderland forced an early free-kick down the right but Sebastien Larsson's delivery was not up to standard. Then after a Borini shot went wide following Steven Fletcher's lay-off, the hosts pressing continued. Larsson's attempt was blocked by Jonny Evans following a clearing header from Nemanja Vidic, whose agent earlier in the day reportedly claimed that a contract extension beyond the summer is currently "ruled out". The team Moyes selected featured only four survivors from the team who lost to Swansea at the weekend. Evans, Antonio Valencia, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck all retained their place, with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie still absent owing to injury. The disjointed nature of those last two defeats was visible again here as Ryan Giggs gave possession away too easily and the lone striker, Welbeck, appeared isolated. It was Giggs, though, who smacked Vito Mannone's crossbar with an effort that took a deflection as the half hour approached and United began to assert themselves. Although the rumblings of discontent from some fans grows louder, the hardcore of away support sang their "Come on Davey Moyes" song despite the average fare they witnessed during this opening stanza. Adnan Januzaj did his best to light their evening when he took advantage of space created by a Patrice Evra run to smoothly switch the ball from his left to right foot to let go a curler that was blocked by Phil Bardsley. When Rooney and Van Persie are not playing United have the feel of what they currently are: a side of midtable strugglers. Januzaj is the exception and it was the 18-year-old who had Mannone beaten as the break neared, but the strike was ruled correctly offside. United had been close to limiting Sunderland to just a single Bardsley effort on target before disaster struck on the stroke of half-time. This time Larsson recalibrated his radar to swing in a precise free-kick that hit Wes Brown, and after he turned the ball back across goal it was unclear who of Bardsley and Giggs who had the final touch as David De Gea was beaten. Moyes sent out his men early for the restart following some of the more important words he has had to impart before any second half of his managerial career. The response he saw was United camped near Mannone's goal as first Welbeck, then Evra, tried but failed to let fly at the Italian. It was Vidic who dragged United back into the tie, rising to a Cleverley corner above Brown and John O'Shea to head past Mannone for an equaliser that the sent the vocal travelling support wild. Yet when Borini raced down the left before missing narrowly to De Gea's right, an alarm sounded that became louder when Larsson was allowed too much space to unload at the Spaniard who made a fine save. Now came Cleverley's intervention, the midfielder clipping Johnson, just on as a substitute, which persuaded Andre Marriner to give the penalty. Marginal or not, Borini made no mistake from the spot. United ended the match bombarding the Sunderland goal but, not for the first time, they lacked the decisive touch. Capital One Cup Sunderland Manchester United Jamie Jackson 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

Sunderland v Manchester United – as it happened | Jacob Steinberg Posted: 07 Jan 2014 01:44 PM PST Minute-by-minute report: Sunderland have a 2-1 lead to protect after the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final thanks to Fabio Borini's penalty Jacob Steinberg

Di María crotch-grab to be investigated by Real Madrid Posted: 07 Jan 2014 01:23 PM PST • Argentina striker seen to grab crotch while being substituted • Speculation that forward may leave the club in transfer window Real Madrid have launched an internal inquiry after their Argentina forward Angel Di María was seen to grab his crotch while he was being substituted in Monday's 3-0 La Liga win at home to Celta Vigo. Di María, who was replaced by Gareth Bale midway through the second half at the Bernabéu and was whistled by the home fans as he trudged off, insisted it was "a natural gesture" and said he apologised if anyone had found it offensive. The incident was widely debated in the Spanish and Argentine media on Tuesday and prompted further speculation that Di María, who has made fewer appearances since the arrival of world record signing Bale, might be sold either in the January transfer window or at the end of the season. "I did not want to do anything towards either the supporters or the coach as was being claimed," the 25-year-old was quoted as saying on Real's website on Tuesday. "It was a natural gesture that any man does, and all the more so when he is running," he said. "You do it a lot on the pitch. On television you can see that it lasts a millisecond. It's nothing. It's not like I was doing it on purpose for an extended period of time." Di María said he was "in very good shape and very happy" at Real and that the coach, Carlo Ancelotti, had faith in him. He added that he agreed with the club's decision to launch an inquiry as it would help resolve the matter. "I think it is right, not only for those who have opened the inquiry but also for me so I can explain the situation and what it [the gesture] was," he said. Real Madrid La Liga European club football 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

Sunderland and Newcastle to ignore police over derby kick-off times Posted: 07 Jan 2014 12:55 PM PST • Clubs say police had rejected kick-off times later than 1.30pm • Police denials called 'false and absurd' in joint statement Newcastle and Sunderland have announced they will arrange derbies at kick-off times to suit themselves, the Premier League and broadcasters after a falling out with Northumbria Police. The clubs issued a joint statement on Tuesday, questioning Northumbria Police's assertion that it had no say over direct changes to kick-off times, in particular the Tyne-Wear derbies. Newcastle and Sunderland have highlighted a number of occasions where they say Northumbria Police rejected kick-off times later than 1.30pm for derby games. In response, Sunderland have taken a further measure of scrapping the condition of ticket sales which specified that independent travel to the next Tyne-Wear derby on 1 February would be banned. A statement from both clubs said: "For Northumbria Police to issue a statement stating that they do not direct changes to kick-off times is quite frankly false and absurd – and conflicts with the respectful and responsible manner in which both Newcastle United and Sunderland have engaged with the police over many years with regard to the derby fixture. "In light of Northumbria Police's latest statement, Newcastle United and Sunderland will now inform the Premier League that all future fixtures between the two clubs will be available for kick-off times to suit the clubs, the league and their broadcast partners, if applicable, and will expect Northumbria Police to police these games, especially given the considerable costs both clubs incur for such special police services. "After considering the police position, Sunderland will be withdrawing the terms and conditions of ticket sales, which previously stated that all supporters must attend the game on official transport." Newcastle and Sunderland's statement comes in light of Northumbria Police denying it has the power to make changes to kick-off times. Assistant chief constable Jo Farrell said on Northumbria Police's website: "As we have said previously Northumbria Police cannot direct changes to kick-off times or control the issue of tickets and how supporters travel to matches." Trouble flared at the Tyne-Wear derby in April last year, with 29 arrests following Newcastle's 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at St James' Park, a game which kicked off at midday. However, the two clubs pointed to a number of late kick-offs this season in high-profile derby matches, where police forces have been present. The statement continued: "Police forces up and down the country have been able to police high-profile derby matches for years, including most recently the first Welsh derby in the Premier League, Cardiff v Swansea, on Sunday 3rd November at 4pm, Arsenal v Tottenham at 5.15pm on Saturday 4th January, and Manchester City v Manchester United on Sunday 22nd September at 4pm. In recent years, Northumbria Police have rejected every request made by the clubs for later kick-off slots, including Saturday 5.30pm, Sunday 4pm and Monday 8pm. "Both clubs have evidence in the form of considerable written correspondence between Northumbria Police, the Premier League and the clubs, which contradicts their statement of yesterday. "Indeed that correspondence has stated that Northumbria Police would not be prepared to police the evening fixtures requested previously, as well as their confirmation to the Premier League in writing in January 2013 that the force would not support derby matches with kick-off times later than 1.30pm." Newcastle United Sunderland 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

Johnson quits FA equality board Posted: 07 Jan 2014 12:18 PM PST • Johnson described homosexuality as 'detestable' in 2012 • Former player quits FA's Inclusion Advisory Board The Football Association confirmed on Tuesday night that the former player Michael Johnson has stepped down from its Inclusion Advisory Board, aimed at promoting equality in the game, after he previously described homosexuality as "detestable". As revealed by the Guardian last week, Johnson said in a television debate in 2012 during the BBC's The Big Questions programme: "Because of my beliefs, because of the Bible that I read, in the Bible it does state that homosexuality is detestable unto the Lord." Johnson, who played for Birmingham, Derby and Notts County, stated last Thursday that his opinions on homosexuality had changed. Heather Rabbatts, the FA board member and chair of the IAB, claimed that Johnson still had a part to play on the board because "through his own personal journey he has a huge amount to offer". The 40-year-old has stepped down following a period of reflection. He said: "I've taken time over the weekend to reflect on the media coverage from last week and feel that it's in the best interests of all concerned if I step down from my duties with the Inclusion Advisory Board. "My position on the board was voluntary and I've decided to use that time to continue my personal development and education within equality. I remain a big advocate of inclusion in football and have actively supported the FA's Coach programme which offers aspiring coaches from black and minority ethnic backgrounds a chance to progress their football qualifications." The IAB, established in June last year, confirmed the appointment of six panel members in December and will meet this month for the first time to 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. Johnson's decision represents a new blow to the FA, which last year was embroiled in major controversy regarding the commission it set up to look into the future of English football after it was criticised for a lack of diversity. In October Rabbatts broke ranks and wrote a forceful letter to her fellow board members warning that the FA had been left "exposed at a vital moment" by the all-white board. Johnson's appointment provoked fierce criticism last week, with John Amaechi, the former NBA player who was also a guest on The Big Questions programme, telling the Guardian that the FA "does not know how to tackle homophobia". Rabbatts said on Tuesday that Johnson still had "vital expertise" to offer and that he could advise the IAB in the future. She said: "It's unfortunate that Michael has decided to step down but he remains 100% behind the aims of the Inclusion Advisory Board and is someone that we will be speaking to on a regular basis as we progress throughout this year and beyond. "He has a wealth of experience in both domestic and international football and is carving out a coaching career with Birmingham City so he's someone that can bring vital expertise to the work of the Inclusion Advisory Board over time." The FA Gay rights James Riach 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

Cardiff City favourites to loan Wilfried Zaha from Manchester United Posted: 07 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST • Cardiff, Stoke and Newcastle interested in possible deal • Zaha has so far made only three appearances for United Cardiff City are the favourites to land Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha on loan if David Moyes allows the winger to leave for the rest of the season. Cardiff's manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has strong links with United from his time there as a player and reserve team coach and that has helped to push his club ahead of Stoke City and Newcastle United in the battle to sign Zaha. Moyes, United's manager, wants regular Premier League football for Zaha along with a guarantee that the coaching he will receive can best help to develop the 21-year-old, who has struggled to establish himself at Old Trafford. Tony Pulis said Crystal Palace had made an approach but that Moyes wanted to avoid sending the player back to the capital. "We've spoken to David Moyes about Zaha and I don't think he's too keen on him coming back to London," he told TalkSport. "It's not a problem for us, he's a Manchester United player. We don't think it's a goer, although we were very keen if there was a possibility to take him on." Moyes is conscious that Zaha's chances have been limited since he arrived at United in the summer following a £15m move from Palace, So far he has managed only three senior appearances for United, the last of these coming as an 84th-minute replacement a month ago in the 3-0 win at Aston Villa. Moyes had hoped to introduce him during Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Swansea City in the FA Cup third-round tie, but Fábio da Silva's red card four minutes after the Brazilian had come on as a substitute meant Moyes had to reshuffle his side. Palace will, though, secure the permanent signing of Jason Puncheon from Southampton for a fee of around £1.25m. The winger has spent the first half of the season on loan at Selhurst Park, making 17 Premier League appearances, with his arrival on a long-term contract allowing Pulis to explore the possibility of taking another Premier League player on a temporary deal until the summer. The veteran striker Kevin Phillips will depart leave Palace under freedom of contract at the end of this week. Manchester United Transfer window Wilfried Zaha Cardiff City Crystal Palace Jamie Jackson Dominic Fifield 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

Agger to discover extent of calf injury Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:43 AM PST • Defender suffered calf injury in FA Cup win over Oldham • Agger undergoes scan after reclaiming Liverpool place Daniel Agger is expected to discover on Wednesday whether he faces an extended period on the sidelines with a calf injury suffered against Oldham Athletic. Liverpool ended Sunday's FA Cup third-round win with 10 men after their vice-captain had to be helped off moments after the manager Brendan Rodgers made his third substitution. Agger appeared in severe discomfort as he left the pitch and underwent a scan on his calf on Tuesday amid concerns over the extent of the problem. The defender has only recently reclaimed his first-team place from Mamadou Sakho, who has a hamstring problem, and a lengthy absence would be a severe blow to the 29-year-old in what has proved a difficult season. Rodgers has until 6pm on Wednesday to respond to an FA charge for his comments regarding the referee Lee Mason's appointment for Liverpool's Boxing Day defeat at Manchester City. Liverpool Andy Hunter 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

The Fiver | A wounded animal with its claws trimmed and fangs removed Posted: 07 Jan 2014 09:08 AM PST Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving LIGHT FEVER The Fiver's got a fever! The Fiver's got a serious case of Capital One Cup Fever, the symptoms of which include a vague sense of ennui, nausea, a strange desire to drink a double Worthingtons and coke with a milk foam on top, an even stranger desire to buy shares in Rumbelows, an inexplicable burning sensation and a weird rash in the nether regions. A bit like the one Weird Uncle Fiver was busy showing off in the sauna earlier. He wouldn't say where it was from, but he wouldn't stop winking or leering or nudging the Fiver, who really did want to be left alone and get on with treating its case of Capital One Cup Fever in peace and quiet. Manchester United also look like they're under the weather. Tonight they get another chance to pull off a cup upset in the first leg of their semi-final at Sunderland, having failed to do so against Swansea in The Magic Cup on Sunday, a result that left David Moyes dangerously close to seeing that 'Chosen One' banner in the Stretford End removed and replaced with 'Do One' instead. Of course, United aren't panicking yet. But 2014 has been a total write-off for Moyes so far. United have lost every match they've played this year, Wayne Rooney is umming and aahing about signing a new deal, Nemanja Vidic's Mr 15% has ruled one out, no one who's not Leighton Baines wants to join them, Ed Woodward has locked himself in his office and accidentally swallowed his keys and Lord Ferg is threatening to register himself as a player in order to solve that gaping hole in midfield. The pressure will only intensify if the defeat against Swansea is followed by another shellacking at the hands of Sunderland, bottom of the league and incapable of stringing together more than 20 decent minutes of cogent football at a time, even though they have enjoyed home wins over Chelsea and Manchester City this season. But Wes Brown, formerly of United and now at Sunderland, is approaching the tie with caution. He reckons that United might be a wounded animal, albeit a wounded animal with its claws trimmed and fangs removed. "They'll be hurting," Brown argued, although that can work both ways – after all, whenever the Fiver's in pain, it tends to disappear in the nearest cupboard and make the pain go away by crying itself to sleep. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE TONIGHT Follow MBM coverage of Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United with Jacob Steinberg from 7.30pm. QUOTE OF THE DAY "AFC Wimbledon is a truly extraordinary football club. Basically, they're the best football team in the world and I want to help them stay in the Football League" – John Green, author and video blogger discusses his link-up with the Dons. FIVER LETTERS "Nice to see Plain Old John Terry's warm welcome mentoring for young players in reserves. Did he give him a voucher to Poundland to apologise?" – Paul Jurdeczka. "May I be the first among the pedants to point out that Dermot McDermott was remiss in stating that 1,057 pedants didn't take Christmas Day off to point out errors in Sherlock (yesterday's Fiver letters). They might have done as Sherlock wasn't broadcast until New Year's Day" – Tony Kibble (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: Paul Jurdeczka. JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES We keep trying to point out the utter futility of advertising an online dating service "for interesting people" in the Fiver to the naive folk who run Guardian Soulmates, but they still aren't having any of it. So here you go – sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly romantics who would never dream of going out with you. BITS AND BOBS Blackpool striker Michael Chopra has been fined £10,000 for getting his social network on about dissatisfaction at the standard of training at the club. "[Effing] joke this come in training only 6 [effing] players here then find out the fitness coach taken the football session #joke," he tweeted, before deleting it. "The club can confirm that Chopra was one of number of players asked to report to training as normal this morning for extra work with the fitness coach," sniffed a club statement. Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes Theo Walcott may never "truly get over" missing the chance to play in the World Cup in Brazil, after suffering season-ending cruciate ligament-knack. "With it being in Brazil – a fantastic place, a fantastic venue for the World Cup – it's a nightmare one to miss," he cheered. Ambition's Sam Allardyce insists he won't be too fussed if West Ham lose at Manchester City in tomorrow's Milk Cup semi. "We have to come back with something realistic to beat them at home if we can," he chirped. And Lionel Messi has recovered from thigh-ouch, and is in the squad for Barcelona's King's Cup game at home to Getafe. STILL WANT MORE? Philippe Coutinho stars as a Ford Cortina and Harry Potter in this week's edition of The Gallery. Arsenal and England share the pain of Theo Walcott's cruel blow, writes Daniel Taylor. What happened next to Arsenal's next big thing Mark Randall? Michael Butler finds out. Theo Walcott's knack symbolises the perils of the non-stop game, reckons James Riach. Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. SIGN UP TO THE FIVER Want your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up. LUTZ!! Jacob Steinberg 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

Costel Pantilimon survives wounds to stand tall at Manchester City Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:34 AM PST The Romanian literally threw himself into being a goalkeeper and now finds himself battling with Joe Hart to be City's No1 Costel Pantilimon could do with a change of fortune. The man who dislodged Joe Hart as Manchester City's No1 at the end of October was dropped by Manuel Pellegrini after the 6-3 drubbing of Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium a month ago, despite having done little wrong. The sharp-eyed Pellegrini may have noted a couple of questionable takes of high balls by Pantilimon during a run in the first XI that numbered seven Premier League games and a Champions League outing. The statistics show that in the league Pantilimon conceded seven goals and kept three clean sheets, while registering a saves-to-shots ratio of 71%. In Hart's nine matches until being dropped he was beaten 11 times, also kept three clean sheets, and returned a saves-to-shots ratio of 62%. Yet as City welcome West Ham United for Wednesday evening's Capital One Cup semi-final first leg, the Romanian's place is again in the balance. So far, Pellegrini's policy has been to select his second-choice keeper for cup competitions. Pantilimon was in the XI that drew 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers in Saturday's third-round FA Cup tie, so by rights should again be named to face the Hammers. Yet the Chilean refused to confirm if he will be. "Tomorrow we will see the 11 starters," the manager said. Unlike the outfield player who can move around if displaced from his specialist position, the second-choice No1 is firmly on the outside. The irony here is that Pantilimon did not grow up wanting to be a keeper. As a young boy he dreamed of emulating Romania's greatest footballer, Gheorghe Hagi. Then his own father, Costica, intervened and the desire to be the new "Maradona of the Carpathians" faded. "I used to play as a striker, I always went forward to score goals. I hated staying in goal," Pantilimon recalled. "I had good technique, that's why my first club signed me. When I was eight or nine, my dad told me it was better for me to become a keeper. He said that I'm tall enough to do well as a goalkeeper. I thought it was a good idea, and I started to like saving shots. I was very courageous – I jumped after every ball, no matter how far it was from reach or how hard the surface was. I had wounds all over my body, but didn't care." Roberto Mancini, Pellegrini's predecessor, bought Pantilimon for £3m after he impressed for Politehnica Timisoara during City's 3-0 Europa League aggregate win over them in August 2010. Yet for Jonathan McKain, a former team-mate, the transfer was unexpected as Pantilimon's 6ft 8in frame belied an introverted persona. "Playing in the national team [at that time] will have helped Costel, but it was a bit of surprise because City are such a big club. But congratulations to him because he's a good goalkeeper," the defender says. "The coaches at Politehnica worked on making Pantilimon more of a presence. When I played with him he was only young, 18 or 19. He was very tall, a very quiet guy. He didn't have a big personality. He was a great shot-stopper, good with his feet, agile for a big man. Really a nice guy so I think he needed to have more of that dominating feeling that goalkeepers need. "The coaches and manager talked to him about dominating his penalty area a bit better. Obviously he's got a lot better because his shot stopping and distribution with his feet was very good, so that was the aspect he's developed in the last few years." Pantilimon played first for Aerostar Bacau, the hometown club that was the works team of the company that employed his locksmith father. By 16, he was first choice for Bacau, then of the Romanian third division, and departed two years later when Politehnica bought him for €100,000 (£83,700). Costel Sofronie, Pantilimon's coach at Aerostar, says: "He was very tall and slim, and was nice to everyone else. Costel was a sociable kid, he used to speak a lot because he didn't get the chance to talk too much at home with his parents [Pantilimon's parents are both deaf]. He listened to whatever I had to tell him. "He started in goal and stayed there. He was the only kid who didn't ask to play as a striker or midfielder in his first day with us. Many of the kids run home right after training. Costel wasn't like that. He asked me to stay and work after everyone was gone. Even in the holidays. That happened for five or six years in a row. He was very stubborn and even meddling, but I now realise it was all worth it. "His biggest weakness was playing the ball with his foot. I asked him to play hundreds of hours of football-tennis in order to improve his technique." Sofronie adds: "He trained more than everyone else. We had to feed him supplementary food. He used to eat three-times as much as a normal kid. I helped him with vitamins, clothes and money. Costel was aware of the fact that football was his chance to succeed in life. He never said the training was too hard." Pantilimon made his debut in Romanian top-flight football for Timisoara in a 1-1 draw with Dinamo on 4 March 2007, a year before his international bow, a 2-1 win over Georgia. But after making 15 appearances for Romania he lost his place after the move to City. Now, Pantilimon keeps his fingers crossed that he will once again not be the unfortunate fall-guy. Manchester City Capital One Cup Manuel Pellegrini Joe Hart Jamie Jackson 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

England continues to pay the price of playing through the winter | James Riach Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:29 AM PST While Italy, Spain and France took a break, clubs in the English league played on – at some cost to most parties concerned Try telling Arsène Wenger and Theo Walcott that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Arsenal, despite having won all four of their matches between Boxing Day and 4 January, sustained six injuries to first-team players during a period in which some argue no football should be played at all. The problem of losing players at this time is widespread across the Premier League. Arsenal are the club that have been most hit in recent weeks but a total 44 players in the top flight were forced out during the winter slog as the strain of the fixture schedule took its toll. The statistic is damning evidence that playing four matches in the space of nine hectic days can have a hugely detrimental effect, both physically and mentally. As the rest of Europe enjoys an annual footballing hiatus, Premier League squads are stretched to their limits. Perhaps Walcott's injury sustained last weekend against Tottenham in the FA Cup cannot be blamed directly on the fixture pile-up. While the majority of knocks and strains during this period are muscle-related, as players overstretch and overwork themselves, Walcott's knee ligament damage was the result of a tackle on Danny Rose. However, his injury, which rules the forward out for six months and means he will yet again miss out on a World Cup, is symbolic of the risk faced by all clubs in English football at this time. Only two Premier League sides escaped the nine days that followed Boxing Day without reports of fresh injuries. Ironically Manchester City, who arguably have the strongest and deepest squad in the division, were one of those while Crystal Palace also emerged unscathed. Spurs were just behind Arsenal after picking up four injuries between 26 December and 4 January, while six clubs saw three of their players forced out during that time. Fifteen of the 44 players injured are eligible for England. Roy Hodgson will now be coming to terms with the news that he will have to do without Walcott in Brazil this summer, with the risk that more could join him on the sidelines before the end of the season. Hodgson is just one of many recent England managers who have called for a winter break. Last year, he said: "It would be lovely to think that one day we could all get together and say: 'England is important.'" Hodgson lost almost a fifth of his entire squad to injury before Euro 2012, while at the end of December more than half of his potential starting players were out of action. In July last year, Fabio Capello said: "In my opinion the football played in the first half of the English season is much better than in the second half. It's like when you're driving a car: if you stop halfway to put fuel in then you'll definitely get where you want to go, but if you don't then there's always the chance you'll be running on empty before you reach your goal." In Spain and Italy, both La Liga and Serie A took two weeks out from 22 December before resuming while in Germany the Bundesliga clubs are able to enjoy a month off to recharge their batteries. In France, players are granted three weeks away. The calls for a winter break at this time of the season feel like Groundhog Day, with the clear benefits for such a period often countered with the argument that the festive schedule is an integral part of English football's tradition. There have never been any concrete talks to establish a winter break, although it remains to be seen if the FA's commission looking into the future of English football decides it is paramount to the national team's future success. Even then, there would need to be a lengthy negotiation process with the Premier League as to how and when it would actually be staged. In reality, the prospect is extremely unlikely. The Premier League benefits from increased exposure when other European leagues shut down for Christmas and the fact that England is committed to the FA Cup and League Cup means options are limited. There is also nothing to stop clubs using a break for commercial benefits, with Real Madrid playing a friendly match against Paris Saint-Germain in Doha at the beginning of January. The Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, said recently: "Unless someone is prepared to give something up, it is pretty hard. We are not inclined to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League – if you were running a theatre and had 380 nights that you wanted to sell, why would you throw 60 or 70 of those nights away? As for the FA, they don't want to give up replays in the FA Cup, so we all sit down and we all look at each other." That may prove to be little consolation for Arsenal. Bayern Munich, their opponents in the Champions League second round in February, will have gone 41 days without a league fixture when they return to action against Borussia Mönchengladbach. During that time, Arsenal will have played eight times in all. Arsenal Theo Walcott World Cup World Cup 2014 European club football James Riach 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

Venezia's woes threaten to make football a relic in city of rich history | Jonathan Wilson Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:25 AM PST Venice club desperately need a new stadium and without one could lose their Russian owner and, with him, their existence The rain runs down the grimy windows of the vaporetto. Somewhere through the murk is the church of San Giovanni Battista and then the gardens where the Biennale is based. A quarter of an hour after leaving San Marco, we arrive at Sant'Elena. The most obvious landmark as you leave the vaporetto station is the bell tower of the church, an imposing brick rectangle that frowned down on the low floodlights that nestle in its lea. This is the Stadio Pierlugi Penzo, the home of the third-flight side Union Venezia. It's the second oldest stadium in Italy, and it looks it. Opposite the main stand – which, thank goodness, has a functioning roof – it's not immediately clear where the dilapidated brickwork of the stadium ends and the 15th-century monastery begins. On another day there might be a ramshackle beauty to the Penzo, with the masts of boats in the harbour visible beyond the north stand and the bell tower looming to the south-east. But as the rain teems down, it's a damp, grey place. The exterior walls bear graffiti boasting of the fury of the Curva Sud, but they're misleading – and not just because the stand is straight. No more than 100 ultras huddled behind the goal, their attempts to fulfil their obligations as fans by waving four flags somehow both depressing and impressive, a triumph of a belief in the value of being seen to do the right thing over any awareness of the desultory effect produced. At the other end, tucked into a corner of the main stand, were 18 fans from FeralpiSalò, one of them so committed to the rituals of the tifosi that he spent the entire game hanging from the security fence with his back to play. Not that he missed much. The grey-green pitch was slow and bobbly – and soaking – and although Venezia's holding midfielder, Daniele Giorico, on loan from Cagliari, occasionally changed the angle of attack imaginatively, it was a game low on quality and invention. Venezia had begun in third – the top side in each of the two Lega Pro 1 divisions is promoted automatically to Serie B, with the second- to fifth-placed teams in each division playing off for a further two promotion spots – but there was little to suggest they were any better than FeralpiSalò, who had started the day ninth and were a persistent threat through their front pairing of Luca Miracoli and the raw but lively 19-year-old Davide Marsura. Just before half-time the centre-back Antonio Magli bundled in a corner at the back post and the away side had the lead. The home crowd, all 936 of them, seemed neither especially bothered nor furious, but settled back into what felt like a familiar routine of disgruntlement, although this was actually a first home defeat in 13 months. As the second half went on, Venezia went more and more direct without ever looking like finding an equaliser. It was their sixth defeat of the season, leaving them eight points adrift of the leaders, Virtus Entella. You wonder whether the club's owner, the Russian businessman Yuri Korablin, once the mayor of Khimki, is regretting the decision he made on a similarly wet afternoon in 2011. Then, he was a tourist in Venice with wet feet. He went into a shop to buy some boots and saw a replica shirt mounted on the wall. Fascinated by the story of a club that won the Coppa Italia in 1941 (when their side featured Valentino Mazzola and Ezio Loik, both of whom would later move to Torino and died at Superga in 1949) and spent most of their history hovering between Serie A and Serie B before the financial chaos of the past decade, he headed up a consortium that bought it. Back then he spoke boldly of restoring the team to Serie A and after a traumatic period in which Venezia had twice gone bankrupt and had to reform, the security he offered must have seemed enticing. It is true that Korablin has, so far, brought a measure of stability, although his idea that tourists might make a trip to the football a part of their holiday would probably be scuppered by the difficulty of acquiring tickets without an ID card, even if the football were worth watching. The way fans respectfully applauded on Sunday to mark the death of Igor Goncharenko, one of Korablin's friends and the right-hand man of the president – a banner marked "Ciao, Igor" was paraded before kick-off – suggested he is far from unpopular. But he will not invest further until agreement has been reached on the construction of a new stadium near the airport in the suburb of Tessera, and that seems as far off as ever. That Korablin is growing frustrated was evident on Sunday evening. For the first time he didn't watch the game from the stand, but went up into the old television cabins on the roof. "I'm very sorry that a result has not been reached on Tessera," he said, "and I'm thinking seriously about what to do in the coming days and what steps I can take to reach a conclusion. "I'm not at all sure that the city wants this stadium with all the positive effects it will have. I know the fans want it, probably 90% of people, but those who decide are maybe too busy thinking about the next election. Let's say there are people with toothache and instead of taking medicine for that they take something for a bad stomach or sore feet." The new stadium was first proposed in the late '90s and it was the lack of progress on building it that led Maurizio Zamparini to sell up and move to Palermo in 2002, taking a number of Venezia's best players with him. The sticking point seems to be the Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), which is yet to respond to inquiries about how a stadium would affect its traffic and whether it would impinge on the buffer zone around a second runway. "We're in Italy," said the deputy mayor Sandro Simionato. "We have to respect the times and the Italian laws: until there is a green light for urban compatibility we cannot do anything." Korablin may not have the patience to wait, particularly as he seems to believe the delays are intentional. When Korablin took over, Zamparini told him: "In Venice, you can't do football." The Russian may be discovering he was right. For now, football in Venice is in danger of becoming as much of a relic as the rest of the city, and one of rather less aesthetic appeal. Serie A European club football Italy Jonathan Wilson 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

Sam Allardyce happy with support from West Ham United board – video Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:03 AM PST Sam Allardyce speaks after terrible recent string of results which leaves the club in the bottom three of the Premier League

Police look into antisemitic tweets Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:48 AM PST Police say messages referring to Holocaust and coin throwing during game are being assessed and taken seriously Police are examining antisemitic tweets posted after an Arsenal-Spurs clash that saw winger Theo Walcott and St John Ambulance staff pelted with missiles. Scotland Yard confirmed it is assessing the messages that referred to the Holocaust and is liaising with both clubs over the objects that were thrown. A spokesman said: "We're aware of antisemitic messages posted on Twitter following Arsenal v Tottenham on Saturday 4 January – an assessment is under way." Walcott was apparently pelted with coins as he was stretchered off after injuring his knee during the north London derby. The incident is being looked at as part of Operation Arrowtip, which focuses on football-related crime. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Metropolitan police service is aware of incidents during the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match on Saturday 4 January, where a number of objects were thrown from home and away sections of the crowd. "The MPS takes all such incidents seriously. Officers from Operation Arrowtip are investigating and are liaising with both clubs and the Football Association over these incidents." The FA confirmed that it has contacted Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur over the missile-throwing and said it will back the harshest punishments possible, including life-long bans. Twitter Police Theo Walcott Tottenham Hotspur Arsenal Press Association 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

Nemanja Vidic contract extension at Manchester United 'ruled out' Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST • Agent says defender could leave in summer • Vidic's deal runs out at end of season • Rio Ferdinand's future remains in doubt Nemanja Vidic could leave Manchester United for nothing in the summer, with the captain's agent ruling out a contract extension at the end of the season. The defender has only six months remaining on his current deal, and although United plan to enter discussions over extending his stay at Old Trafford, the Serbian is keeping his options open. If he does leave it would be yet another blow to the manager David Moyes, who will spend the summer trying to convince Wayne Rooney to sign a new deal having entered the final 18 months of his own contract. "Vidic, given his contract situation, has several teams looking at him," his agent Silvano Martina told Radio Crc in Napoli. "Vidic is a very good player and will have no trouble finding a new club. For the time being we are remaining calm. However, at the moment, I would rule out an extension with Manchester United." United do not hold an option on the four-year deal Vidic signed in August 2010, unlike that inserted in to Rio Ferdinand's own 12-month terms and which is yet to be triggered. Yet the club are relaxed about the situation regarding the 32-year-old. Despite the central defender's deal having moved into its final six months, which means a pre-contract agreement with another club could be agreed in readiness for a summer move, it is usual for United to conduct contractual talks with players in their 30s during the final few months before they would become a free agent. While they are waiting longer before deciding whether to take up the option on Ferdinand – the 35-year-old is also seriously considering his long-term future having endured another injury-hit season that has seen the defender ruled out for another 10 days to two weeks with a knee problem – Moyes has decided that Vidic is part of his plans and is keen to enter contract talks soon. Martina's warning may simply be a negotiating tactic. The two serious knee injuries Vidic suffered during the past three years have been followed by further niggling problems that have affected his availability. After suffering sciatica which ruled him out of the pre-season tour, Vidic was also concussed in the 1-0 win over Arsenal in early November. He has managed 17 appearances this term. Manchester United Transfer window Rio Ferdinand Jamie Jackson 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

Lionel Messi given all-clear by medics and included in Barcelona squad Posted: 07 Jan 2014 05:34 AM PST • Argentina forward has been out for two months • Messi could face Getafe on Wednesday Barcelona received a welcome boost when Lionel Messi was given the all-clear by medical staff and included in the squad for Wednesday's King's Cup game at home to Getafe. The World Player of the Year has not featured for the Spanish league champions since straining his thigh in November, the latest in a series of muscle injuries that plagued him throughout 2013. His return will give the team a lift as they prepare for Saturday's La Liga game at their title rivals Atlético Madrid who are level with Barça at the top on 49 points from 18 matches. Their coach Gerardo Martino has not said whether Messi would feature against Getafe, the team he scored one of the greatest goals of his career against in a King's Cup game in April 2007. Receiving the ball just inside the Barça half, he dashed through the opposition defence and slotted into the net from a narrow angle, covering 55 metres in 12 seconds. "If he plays tomorrow hopefully he will score another one just like it," said Martino with a smile. "He came back [from Argentina] and has been working like any other member of the squad," added Martino who hails from Messi's home town of Rosario. "Obviously he is lacking a bit of playing time but seeing as we are talking about Leo it is not really an issue. He has told me he is feeling fine and that's why he is in the squad." Lionel Messi Barcelona Getafe La Liga European club football 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

Arsenal may find solution to the staff shortage in their own squad | Amy Lawrence Posted: 07 Jan 2014 05:16 AM PST The injury to Theo Walcott is unlikely to lead to the Gunners breaking the bank this month, a precedent having been set when Arsène Wenger won the title in 2002 Looking for clues about how Arsenal might react to the loss of Theo Walcott with a cruciate ligament injury, the most intriguing place to start is with their No11. Mesut Özil's arrival last summer for a fee that obliterated their usual modus operandi in the transfer market symbolised a new willingness to deal at the highest end of the financial spectrum. The critical question for now, though, is to what extent that deal transformed their thinking. For all the positivity which accompanied that striking piece of business, the message from within the club remained cautionary. Yes, it augured well that Arsenal felt able to flex new financial muscles but no, it would be wrong to suddenly expect every transfer to be in that bracket. The notion that they would have bought Özil and their other main summer target, Luis Suárez, in one window was one that provoked some highly arched eyebrows. While their German is widely rated according to his £42m transfer fee, the price of the deal in the club's eyes is more or less double that, including salary spread over the years of his contract. Certain clubs might be able to weigh in regularly for such deals. Arsenal still have to pick and choose when they will go for it. A more realistic guide to how they wish to navigate the transfer waters is with a mixture of signings. Wenger has certainly not given up his liking for buying what he considers to be reasonable value – they were specialists in the £10m-or-so range for a while, to land players who grew to be worth every penny in the likes of Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker. Özil-esque signings will be more of an exception than a rule. Recently Wenger suggested they were more likely to go for a short-term solution to the question of cover for Giroud but the Walcott situation has challenged that mindset. This January there is a strong will to buy a player who will enhance their title challenge. It will involve a substantial budget but the difficulty – as David Moyes has emphasised – is that trying to find the quality of player added to availability is a sum that seldom adds up at this time of year. Arsenal have been looking to Germany for the quality, with Julian Draxler and Marco Reus keenly followed but availability is a problem. Both have release clauses (Draxler's kicks in come the summer and Reus's a year later) so to pre-empt them would be extremely costly. Also, neither player seems particularly enamoured of moving mid-season. It is quite a conundrum. The urge to deal with a Walcott shaped hole (added to the fact Wenger was already pondering another attacker to share Giroud's load) means Wenger must rethink his usual disdain for the January market (his last big name winter signing was Andrey Arshavin for £15m in 2009). Even though he has long held the opinion that it is a bad time to buy, he may be tempted to overspend if the right player, and seller, will come to the negotiating table. And if not? He will fall back on the options in his squad, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is close to a return to the action for the first time since the opening day of the season, and Serge Gnabry, the teenager who excelled in the FA Cup win over Tottenham, earmarked to share the load. It will not be easy to replace what Walcott brings to the party in terms of his speed. When he is in the team, opposition defences have to be mindful that he might spring behind them. The pity for Arsenal is that Walcott was recently showing he had added other dimensions to his game to make the best of that pace. Wenger praised his "aggression" against Spurs. There was more personality, more relish to make things happen in his performance. Sometimes you have to improvise if you cannot replace like with like. When Robert Pires suffered a similar injury in the run-in to the 2002 title, the players who stepped up to cover for the creativity which had blossomed enough for Pires to be voted footballer of the year were experienced internationals in their peak years. Freddie Ljungberg chipped in with vital goals. Ray Parlour and Sylvain Wiltord worked the flank intelligently in Pires's absence, and added goals of great significance to help Arsenal win the Double. For all of the encouraging talent of Gnabry, and hopes over the return of Oxlade-Chamberlain after a six-month rehabilitation of his own, it will be a big challenge to expect them to have as consistent an impact. Gnabry is 18, with two Premier League starts to his name. Oxlade-Chamberlain is 20, with fewer than 20 Premier League starts. Both players are powerful, talented, and have bright futures. Wenger may well entrust them to seize this opportunity. Arsenal Theo Walcott Arsène Wenger Premier League Amy Lawrence 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

Michael Chopra fined £10,000 after slating training at Blackpool Posted: 07 Jan 2014 05:02 AM PST • Striker tweets that session is a joke • Club's troubled season continues Michael Chopra has risked rocking the boat at Blackpool by apparently tweeting his dissatisfaction at the standard of training at the club. The striker has been fined £10,000 by Blackpool and warned about his future conduct. Chopra had tweeted: "Fucking joke this come in training only 6 fucking players here then find out the fitness coach taken the football session #joke." The tweet was deleted. The 30-year-old striker joined Blackpool in July last year on a free transfer from Ipswich and his one-year deal must now be considered under threat. The club said in a statement: "In light of a tweet from striker Michael Chopra, Blackpool can confirm that the player will receive a maximum fine and has been warned about his future conduct. "The club can confirm that Chopra was one of a number of players asked to report to training as normal this morning for extra work with the fitness coach. "Both the manager and the chairman are aware and disappointed with the contents of his tweet, prompting this course of action. The player, who has the right to appeal, has since apologised for the tweet and removed the contents from his account. "The manager has requested that the fine levied against Chopra, which equates to more than £10,000, be donated to the club's Community Trust, to assist in their work as part of Altogether Now – A Legacy for Blackpool." The club, who are 12th in the Championship, have endured a torrid few months. Three players – Kirk Broadfoot, Ricardo Fuller and Gary MacKenzie – were sent off in the last five minutes in a 1-0 defeat at Yeovil in December. In their following match, they were beaten 5-1 by Derby County and had two more players sent off: Neal Bishop and Ángel Martínez. The Blackpool manager Paul Ince was given a five-match stadium ban in October, for his conduct towards a match official following a 2-1 win at Bournemouth. He admitted three charges relating to his actions in the tunnel after the game, including that his behaviour constituted violent conduct. He was also fined £4,000. Ince, who was appointed in February 2013, has a record of played 40, won 12, lost 13 and drawn 15. Tangerines' red mist 14 Sep: Jack Robinson sent off at Bournemouth 27 Sep: Ángel Martínez sent off at Huddersfield Town 8 Oct: Manager Paul Ince given five-match stadium ban 26 Oct: Jack Robinson sent off at home to Blackburn 3 Dec: Ricardo Fuller, Kirk Broadfoot and Gary MacKenzie sent off at Yeovil 7 Dec: Neal Bishop and Ángel Martínez sent off at Derby Blackpool Championship 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

Transfer targets: five strikers Arsenal should consider buying in January Posted: 07 Jan 2014 04:32 AM PST Mounting injury problems mean Arsène Wenger may look to bring in an established forward in the January window Diego Costa The 25-year-old has a £32m release clause in his contract with Atlético Madrid but the fact that several top clubs may be willing to activate it means that Arsenal may have to fork out considerably more to get him. But he comes with a virtual guarantee of goals, having already struck 19 in 17 matches in La Liga this season. In addition to his technique, mobility and predatory skills, the forward offers huge determination and dynamism that make him an effectve one-man frontline and a firm fans' favourite even if his aggression has been known to spill over into senselessness. Mario Mandzukic The Croatian's importance to Bayern Munich will diminish when Robert Lewandowski arrives in the summer, which is when he is most likely to move. However, Arsenal could seek to prise the 27-year-old away this month, attracted by his excellence as a targetman. He is powerful in the air, nimble on the ground and efficient in front of goal. Dimitar Berbatov The Bulgarian striker possesses the intelligence and technique to fit in at Arsenal and might be able to summon more dynamism for such a challenge than for a relegation fight with Fulham. The 32-year-old would have the advantage of being eligible for the Champions League and is much cheaper than younger, more coveted alternatives, making him an enticing stopgap solution for the remainder of the season. Javier Hernández A fox in the box par excellence, this supreme poacher would thrive on the chances that Arsenal create. He is neither a Theo Walcott nor an Olivier Giroud but is closer to the former in that he is best as a centre-forward when running behind defences rather than playing with his back to them, much more a finisher than a fulcrum. Whether Manchester United would let the 25-year-old go at a time when Robin van Persie is injured and Wayne Rooney continues to suffer with a troublesome groin probably depends on United's ability to recruit in January. And whether they would let him go to Arsenal probably depends on whether they themselves have given up on the Premier League title this season. Fernando Llorente Juventus have all but wrapped up the Serie A title already and are out of the Champions League so they could be persuaded to tolerate a disruption to their squad this month and relinquish a striker whom they only signed in the summer. Llorente has scored 5 goals in 11 Serie A matches and, after initially struggling to adapt, he has started to find his feet but is believed to be amenable to a move to England. Tall, strong and tricky, the 28-year-old Spaniard is a formidable targetman. Arsenal Transfer window Arsène Wenger Paul Doyle 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

Leaving Arsenal: whatever happened to the talented Mark Randall? Posted: 07 Jan 2014 04:04 AM PST Arsène Wenger felt Mark Randall 'was too good not to make it' yet Arsenal released him in 2011. He is now back in England looking for a new club after a topsy-turvy spell at Ascoli • Archive: The Guardian's five best Arsenal prospects of 2008 It has been three months since Mark Randall claims he was last paid. The midfielder once described by Arsène Wenger as among the "next generation" for Arsenal signed a two-year deal for the Italian club Ascoli in September. But with the third-tier club, who were in Serie A as recently as 2007, declared bankrupt and having had their assets seized, the Englishman says he will terminate his contract this month in the hope of finding a new club, and a wage. "I stuck it out for as long as I could but there comes a point where you have to put your foot down," says the 24-year-old. "I've got bills to pay. You never think of that when you're a kid growing up playing for Arsenal." It has been a rude awakening for Randall. Having played in the Champions League, Premier League, League Cup and even Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial, he went on loan spells to Burnley, MK Dons, and Rotherham before being released by his parent club in 2011. Signing for Chesterfield that June, he was again released last summer. When the opportunity arose to move abroad, he jumped at it. "Everything in Italy is more technical, which suits my game. Obviously Arsenal was technical, but it's totally different football in League One and League Two. The ball is flying over your head and everyone is charging round like headless chickens. There are a lot of managers that want to run you into the ground. The lower leagues is based around gym work, fitness, and conditioning. In Italy, the coaches always want players to have a ball." In Italy, Randall found his feet immediately. On his full home debut Randall was named man of the match, setting up two goals, but it wasn't just the style of football that enamoured Randall to playing in the country. "It's more like a family. I had my birthday there; they brought me food and champagne, sung me 'happy birthday', started hugging and kissing me and I had only been there a couple of weeks. They're so different, fighting for the hairdryer, shaving their legs in the dressing-room! Not exactly Chesterfield is it? In England, there are more cliques. You go to work, get showered and go home." Randall denies that his formative spells in England's lower leagues were detrimental to his development, but agrees that players in the top English academies are probably better suited to loan spells on the continent. "Kevin Blackwell, the old Sheffield United manager while they were in the Championship, once told me after we [Arsenal] beat his team in the Carling Cup [in 2008], that he phoned Wenger the next day and asked if he could take a few of those players on loan and was turned down flat. He didn't give Kevin any players. That sums it up really." How English clubs develop their young players, especially domestic players, is a hot topic. The FA chairman Greg Dyke recently stated just after setting up his FA commission that one of the biggest problems in English football is a lack of top talent playing in overseas leagues. Feeder clubs have long been an issue in England, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea having to forge links with clubs in Belgium and the Netherlands, instead of building their own second team, like Barcelona B or Real Madrid Castilla in Spain. When asked why more English players don't play abroad, Randall shrugs and puffs his cheeks out. "I'm not sure. Obviously the biggest obstacle is the language barrier. At Ascoli the coaches didn't speak one word of English. I had a little whiteboard with magnets that they would show me in the office. For the first few weeks it was impossible. For any player going abroad, learning the language is essential." As a youth at Arsenal, Wenger had a profound impact on Randall and leaning forward, he visibly gushes at the opportunity to indulge in a little nostalgia. "Wenger used to come over to the youth-team pitches and watch us all the time. Pat Rice [the former assistant] would come over and often talk to Liam Brady", Arsenal's head of youth development, who coincidently had a spell at Ascoli in the 1980s. "They would want to see for themselves what was going on, what your attitude was. I can honestly say I've never seen another first-team manager show the same interest in youth players, at all the clubs I've been at since." Rising through the academy alongside Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs, Randall remains "100% a Gooner", and having grown up battling a family of Tottenham supporters, there was little doubt who he was cheering in Saturday's FA Cup third round. Last season, Randall scored in the FA Cup, when Chesterfield thrashed Hartlepool 6-1 in the first-round. He watched the weekend's third-round action from his home in Milton Keynes as he considers his next step, with interest reportedly coming from Spain, Bulgaria and Latvia. As recently as 2010, Wenger described Randall as having "so much quality that I refuse to think he will not make it". Having not made it at Arsenal, does he feel he has wasted his talent? "No, playing abroad has given me a fresh start. I learned so much tactically in Italy, especially defensively, and I'm a better player now. Leaving England was part of maturing. If I was a young player at a top team again, that's what I'd do." European club football Arsenal Arsène Wenger Serie A Michael Butler 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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