Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Roy Hodgson admits Raheem Sterling is in his World Cup calculations
Philippe Coutinho making big difference to Liverpool's double thrust
Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm: 'The biggest danger for us is facing Arsenal'
Arsène Wenger denies suggestions that Arsenal weaken in February
Atlético Madrid 3-0 Real Valladolid | La Liga match report
Said & Done: the week in football – tax, pitches and chickens
Bayern Munich 4-0 Freiberg | Bundesliga match report
Morrison's unravelling is a waste
Barcelona 6-0 Rayo Vallecano
Ryan Flynn hoping his cup magic rubs off on Sheffield United
Fulham left dazed and confused by René Meulensteen exit
Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini finds way to stall Chelsea momentum
Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea
Stephen McManus seals thrilling win for Motherwell over Partick
Football League: your thoughts | Alan Smith
Manchester City v Chelsea – as it happened!| Nick Miller
'Tom Finney was the best player I've ever seen, alongside Lionel Messi'
Rewind radio: Homophobia in Football; Radiolab – review
Atlético Madrid see off Real Valladolid in La Liga to return to the top
Sir Tom Finney: football pays tribute – in pictures
Millwall 1-1 Bolton Wanderers | Championship match report
Cardiff City 1-2 Wigan Athletic
Saturday football clockwatch – as it happened | Lawrence Ostlere
Should we have 'safe standing' at football matches?
St Mirren 0-1 Aberdeen | Scottish Premiership match report

Roy Hodgson admits Raheem Sterling is in his World Cup calculations

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

• Liverpool winger in frame for Theo Walcott place
• 'People like him put pressure on everybody else'

Roy Hodgson is confident he has found a replacement for the injured Theo Walcott after Raheem Sterling's resurgent displays for Liverpool look set to secure the teenage winger a place in England's World Cup finals squad.

If form and fitness are maintained the 19-year-old will be included in a squad which will be swollen to at least 30 names for next month's friendly against Denmark, having been assessed regularly by Hodgson and his assistant, Ray Lewington, this season. Sterling is even forging ahead of the Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend in the reckoning, given the latter has been relatively under-used by his club since illuminating England's final qualifiers for the tournament in the autumn.

Hodgson believes he has an abundance of options on the flanks for Brazil, with Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha back in contention following his loan move to Cardiff City and the Sunderland winger Adam Johnson also in the reckoning. Yet it is the wide-eyed enthusiasm and fearless approach of Sterling, who has flourished under Brendan Rodgers in Liverpool's title challenge, that have caught his eye.

"It's re-emergence in a way," said Hodgson, who had given Sterling his Liverpool debut as a 15-year-old in a friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2010, and a first cap against Sweden two years later. "He was doing fantastically well and then he lost his place for a while. He almost disappeared off the scene and wasn't on the radar, but I remember being very impressed with him in the under-21 game I oversaw [when the winger scored in a 6-0 win over Scotland in August 2013]. He still hadn't really burst back into the Liverpool team back then but now he's back in the side his form seems to be going up and up.

"People like him emerging, and doing as well as he is in a top team, just puts a lot of pressure on everybody else because, if you can do at it the top of the table with Liverpool, then you can do it in an England shirt as well. We've lost Theo, who's been pretty much a regular, so it's good to have Raheem, and there are others. The under-21 team is awash. You've got Zaha back in the frame again because he's playing football at Cardiff after his time out; Nathan Redmond is back at Norwich doing very well; [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Lennon still there; and Adam Johnson is another. We're not short of candidates."

Hodgson conceded he could not include all those name-checked in his squad for Brazil but will balance his requirements with those of Gareth Southgate, whose under-21s are playing in the Toulon tournament at the end of May. However, the senior manager will use the friendly against Denmark on 5 March as an opportunity to scrutinise the credentials of candidates. "I want to use this friendly as a forerunner to Brazil," he said. "I want to get minds focused not just on the Denmark match but on the task ahead, and get them thinking about their responsibilities as players for the rest of the season."

The Southampton left-back, Luke Shaw, will be included in the party and is likely to gain his first full cap, while Hodgson has also been impressed with the progress made by Liverpool's John Flanagan on the opposite flank. Lewington was impressed with the contingent of Liverpool players – including Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge and the captain, Steven Gerrard – in the midweek win over Fulham.

Dominic Fifield

Philippe Coutinho making big difference to Liverpool's double thrust

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

Brazilian playmaker is only 5ft 7in but he is making his presence felt as Liverpool go for league and FA Cup glory

According to statisticians, Philippe Coutinho has attempted 44 through-balls this season, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. That is not to say all his passes reach their target or result in goals. Statistics can be deceptive like that. But Arsenal know to their cost that some of them do.

Liverpool's Brazilian playmaker looked the real deal in the 5-1 mauling of the then league leaders last week – Brendan Rodgers described him as the key to the whole performance – and, if Luiz Felipe Scolari is so well blessed with midfield quality that he can continue to overlook the 21-year-old in his pre-World Cup Brazil squads, then it might be a shrewd move to put some early money on a home win in this summer's tournament.

Arsenal will be hoping not to go a goal down inside a minute when the two sides meet again in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon but they will also be terrified of leaving space behind their back line for Coutinho to exploit.

Liverpool have a front line of pace and finishing ability in Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suárez, and Coutinho is becoming expert at picking up their runs now that he has moved into what Rodgers refers to as a No8 position, rather than a No10. "We are currently playing with two attacking players in midfield and one holder," Rodgers explained. "We've got the best passer in the league in Steven Gerrard, a technician in Philippe, who can thread and ping it through with his passing, and a runner [Jordan Henderson] who can penetrate and run without the ball. So the balance is good. It is very important to our style to dominate the central midfield and Stevie and Philippe have taken us to an incredible performance level."

Considering the sums of money that recently changed hands for Juan Mata and Mesut Özil it seems hard to believe that Liverpool prized the Brazilian from Internazionale's grasp for a mere £8.5m. "He was a snip, we just had to have him," Rodgers said. "He's an absolutely wonderful talent. There are very few players at this level that penetrate with a pass, that play right through a team, but Philippe is the sort of player who puts opponents on the back foot all the time.

"He doesn't always get there but we like him to keep looking. He's only young, he's got plenty of time. I think his age might have worked against him in Italy, where they notoriously don't play young players. Inter signed him then kept him at Vasco da Gama for two years until he was 18. When I saw him he was playing alongside Wesley Sneijder and he looked top-class but he couldn't get a regular game. Then Inter had to move some players because of finance. I had inquired about him a few times and when we got the shout that they might be prepared to do business we did everything we could to get him in."

Only 5ft 7in and slightly built, Coutinho showed in his tussle with Jack Wilshere last week that he is not pushed off the ball easily and has the requisite aggression for the English game. "You could see that wee bit of steel he's got to his game," Rodgers said. "Irrespective of his height he has the physical strength to press with intensity and, if you speak to him, he will tell you he has really worked on his defensive qualities too."

Coutinho certainly will. He quickly realised he had to be more of a team player than an attacking luxury and managed to change . "Rafa Benítez helped me quite a lot with that when I was still at Inter," Coutinho said. "In Brazil, if you play where I do, you are not expected to track back or defend in any way. You are an attacker and that's it. Only technically are you part of a team. I have to say I prefer the European style now.

"You move faster, think more quickly and are involved more. I felt comfortable at Liverpool straight away, the team has been playing with a great amount of freedom in attack and perhaps that is why I was able to adapt to English football quite quickly."

Coutinho's idol is Ronaldinho, scourge of England in the 2002 World Cup, but to Rodgers' mind he most resembles another skilled technician who made light of a diminutive frame. "When I worked at Chelsea I had the privilege of watching Deco at close quarters," Rodgers said. "He was a bit older perhaps, but what a talent. All I need tell you is that he got a round of applause after his first training session. I can still remember that, because it was just pure quality, and that is what Philippe has. That's the profile. He's a little street footballer with wonderful vision. The type of player that can make the difference.

"Top players always like to know there are other top players around them and you could tell after a few training sessions that Philippe belongs in that category. Steven Gerrard probably never knew a great deal about him beforehand but straightaway I could tell he was impressed and you can see the trust they now have on the pitch.

"Stevie knows he can lend Philippe the ball and Philippe knows he has that security and solidity behind him. I've taken a bit of stick since I've been here over my vision of where I want the club to be but the game against Arsenal was beautiful for a coach to watch. You could see the evolution; it made me very proud. Everyone looked at Arsenal and said they weren't very good but we were brilliant. Those games don't come around very often and I am not expecting the same in the Cup. We want to win all right but this time I'll settle for one-nil."

Paul Wilson

Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm: 'The biggest danger for us is facing Arsenal'

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

Inspirational captain is relishing the Bundesliga leaders' Champions League meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates

It's a little hard to tell from his tone of voice but the words suggest that Philipp Lahm is excited. "We go into the game with tremendous anticipation," says the Bayern Munich captain of Wednesday's Champions League meeting at Arsenal. He naturally recalls "happy memories" from their past two trips to London – a 3-1 win at the Emirates in the Champions League at the same last 16 stage exactly a year ago and the Wembley triumph against Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in May – but the real thrill comes courtesy of a relevance and sense of occasion that has been all but missing in the treble-winner's season so far.

Domestically, Bayern have just advanced to the DFB Cup semi-final with an effortless 5-0 destruction of Hamburg and are unbeaten in 21 outings in the league. The Bavarians are so far ahead of the competition (second-placed Leverkusen are 16 points adrift) that the Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has bemoaned "Scottish conditions" in Germany's top flight.

Bayern's brutal dominance has certainly reached a level where it threatens to diminish their own achievements: the better they play, the easier it seems. With there being no doubt that new coach Pep Guardiola will win the championship, his first year in charge will almost exclusively be judged on Bayern's successful defence of the European Cup. The 30-year-old Lahm is far too professional to admit as much but for his side, the season starts only now in earnest, six months in. "We are really looking forward to coming back to the Champions League after the break of a couple of months," he says, "especially against top opposition like Arsenal."

Lahm has been watching Arsenal's progress in the Premier League closely, owing to the presence of Per Mertesacker, Mesut Özil and Lukas Podolski, his three Germany team-mates. And he likes what he's been seeing. "I follow Arsenal a bit more this year and they've left a good impression.

"They're fighting for the championship, that's not a coincidence: I believe they have developed as a team. They've become much stronger, the squad is more balanced. And they still play the way Arsenal always play. They want to have the ball, they like playing it short, and they have outstanding individuals."

Lahm's praise feels genuine but you sense it is partly informed by self-belief – Bayern tend to do well against teams like Arsenal. "We have always found it easier, and still do, when the opponent plays football as well, when they don't just think in defensive terms, don't just sit inside their penalty box. It's just nicer when the opponent plays football. But let's wait and see." He pauses, then smiles. "I hope they won't punish us by doing just that."

Lest we forgot, Arsène Wenger's side did nearly punish Bayern for losing focus in the second leg a year ago. They won 2-0 at the Allianz Arena: one more goal would have knocked the eventual treble winners out. "That game is a warning sign to us," Lahm says. "We had been very good in London, we thought nothing can happen to us in the return leg. All of a sudden you are 2-0 down and there are still some minutes to play. It shows that things can go really quickly in the Champions League. We will have that in the back of our minds."

That pyrrhic victory in Fröttmaning has since become part of Arsenal's mythology: Wenger and various players have credited it as the catalyst for the Gunners' first sustained title challenge in half a decade. The tie had a similar, if less pronounced, effect on Bayern, too."It gave us the confidence that we could go and beat top opposition," Lahm says, "opposition from the Premier League, away from home."

In the light of Bayern's winning streak – 31 out of 35 games in all competitions – it is easy to forget that it was widely anticipated that Guardiola would struggle to repeat the success of his predecessor Jupp Heynckes. Lack of motivation was mentioned as one possible reason. Lahm, however, says he was never worried: "This team didn't just happen to win the treble. It was a lengthy road. We lost two Champions League finals in 2010 and 2012, we were only champions once in three years. We know full where we have come from and how hard it has been to get to that point. It's not in this team's character to give all that up again, to simply throw it away. We have experienced getting rewarded for hard work and are hungry to do so again."

The manager has also helped, he adds, first by virtue of being new – "change keeps you alert, you can't rest on your laurels" – and secondly by being Guardiola: a man with an almost maniacal attention to detail. "He's football crazy, in a positive sense," Lahm says. "He's fan, expert and coach all rolled into one. He studies every opponent minutely, and he shows us solutions: where are the spaces, where are the opportunities, how should we play."

Many managers work in such a scientific fashion these days, he says, "but I doubt that many work this hard."

After an experimental, and slightly worrisome, pre-season, Guardiola has ended up honing the possession football that Louis van Gaal introduced in 2009 without ditching Heynckes's modifications, namely solid organisation and the option to be direct when necessary. The 43-year-old's biggest idea has been to make do without a big idea. Instead, there are dozens of small new ones each week. "We make adjustments and changes before and sometimes also during the games in order adapt to the opposition," Lahm says. "The manager will, for example, tell the striker to make different runs or position the central midfielders slightly differently in relation to each other. I believe we are now even more flexible, have even more control and are harder to figure out."

It is a "mentally demanding" regime, he says, and he would know. No one has been asked to adjust more. In a move that initially proved controversial but has since been thoroughly vindicated, Guardiola has shifted Lahm, the most freakishly dependable full-back of his generation, into a central role in front of the defence. "I knew I could do it but you learn new things there all the time, you need to use your head constantly. It's been a lot of fun for me."

Others have been even more enthusiastic about his transformation. "Lahm has become a football robot," said Mainz's Thomas Tuchel, widely seen as the sharpest, young, German coach. "In just a few weeks, he turns from the world's best right-back into the world's best defensive midfielder. Lahm in the centre is a horror for the opposition."

But not just there. In the 4-1 win against Mainz in October, the Munich-born graduate of Bayern's youth system played in four different positions over the course of the 90 minutes. "He simply cannot play badly," Bayern's assistant coach Hermann Gerland claimed a few years ago. Certainly Guardiola has found that his near infallibility on the ball is multiplied by its positive effect on his team-mates.

A careless performance in the 3-2 home defeat by Manchester City – Bayern had already qualified for the knockout stages – has given rise to the view in Germany that over-confidence and a lack of match sharpness against better teams might be the team's biggest problems. Can the lack of competition in the Bundesliga come back to haunt them in Europe? Lahm disagrees. "I think it's good when you lead from the front, we saw that last season [Bayern won the league 25 points ahead of Dortmund]. It gives you so much confidence."

The Bayern captain is also dismissive of suggestions that internal unrest, an almost inevitable by-product of the strong depth in the squad, could be a threat. "I don't think so. The biggest danger for us, right now, is facing Arsenal in the last 16. It's a tough draw. A lot can happen in those two games. It'll be two teams that are very good tactically and technically. I'm really looking forward to that game. I think every football fan is."

Raphael Honigstein

Arsène Wenger denies suggestions that Arsenal weaken in February

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:59 PM PST

• Gunners meet Liverpool again in a crucial period
• 'Bayern Munich will lose eventually, don't worry'

Arsène Wenger has denied that Arsenal traditionally crumble and capitulate in February, claiming his side have never "collapsed" despite regularly falling out of contention in major competitions at this time of the season.

Following their 5-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield last weekend, Arsenal meet Liverpool again on Sunday in the FA Cup in the midst of a crucial period, which includes a last-16 Champions League double-header with Bayern Munich.

In 2008 Arsenal were leading the Premier League but eventually finished third and lost the 2011 League Cup final to Birmingham City. In the last two seasons they have lost in both the FA Cup and Champions League in February.

However, Wenger claims that, despite some "punctures", Arsenal have not collapsed completely. "People say we collapsed and crumbled – we never collapsed," he said. "We had some punctures and disappointments but, if you collapse, you finish 10th in this league. "We never crumbled, we always finished strong and, if you look at the number of points we took at the end of the season, you will see that we never collapsed, despite some big disappointments. We went out twice against Barcelona, once against Bayern on the away goal, we have not been very lucky with the draws in the Champions League."

On the crucial part of the campaign, he added: "It's like the guy who goes to the Olympic Games after four years, he prepares as it's one race that decides his success. That's it. I think we have done quality until now and that we just have to continue to focus on the quality."

Arsenal, second in the Premier League after drawing with Manchester United in midweek, are preparing to face Bayern on Wednesday at the Emirates, having lost to the European champions on goal difference at the same stage of the competition last year.

Bayern, who come into the game on the back of a winter break in Germany, won the treble last season and Wenger hopes Arsenal's busy fixture list will work to their advantage as they will not build the game up too much in their minds.

"Somewhere that helps us not to focus too much on them. It will be time enough to do it on Monday and Tuesday and overall a game of that stature, the players are always thinking about it," he said. "I think for them, having played us last year, they will think about it as well because they were in the end insecure.

"How they are better? I don't know because they won the Champions League, the championship, the cup and the world championship. So I don't know what they can do more. But they will lose [eventually], don't worry."

James Riach

Atlético Madrid 3-0 Real Valladolid | La Liga match report

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:51 PM PST

Atlético Madrid ended a run of three defeats when goals from Raúl García and Diego Costa set them on their way to a 3-0 win at home to Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Atlético came into the game at their Vicente Calderón after resounding losses in both legs of their Copa del Rey semi-final against city rivals Real Madrid, either side of a surprise 2-0 La Liga reverse at promoted Almería.

Their stumble on the south coast cost them first place in the table and although this win briefly took them back to the top, Barcelona regained the lead on goal difference with a 6-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano. Real can join them on 60 points from 24 matches if they win their game on Sunday at Getafe.

Atlético needed a convincing performance to lift morale before Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg at AC Milan, and García gave them the perfect start in the third minute when he picked up Gabi's clever free-kick and scored with a first-time strike from the edge of the area.

A minute later García conjured a fine assist for Costa and the Brazil-born forward lifted the ball over the advancing Valladolid goalkeeper, Diego Mariño, for his 21st league goal of the campaign, one behind the top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.

With a two-goal cushion, Atlético played well within themselves for the rest of the match. The centre-back Diego Godín added a third in the 74th minute when he headed home from a Diego corner.

Valladolid, who have won only four games this season, are 18th on 21 points and in danger of relegation.

Said & Done: the week in football – tax, pitches and chickens

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:46 PM PST

The week in football – PSG's fairness battle; the grassroots revolution; black magic involving chickens; and Larissa

Fair play: club of the week

Qatar's state-owned Paris Saint-Germain – standing up for financial fair play by joining legal action against Monaco's tax-exempt status. PSG say they and six other clubs are acting over the "failure to respect basic principles", in a bid for "sporting fairness".

Theme of the week

David Cameron launching the "Moving More, Living More" initiative to promote local sport ("The country was captured by the spirit of 2012, inspired by our heroes … We now need to build on this, creating a nation that's physically active"), as councils react to budget cuts: • Worcester council raising its football pitch hire fees by 45% over two years; • South Sefton juniors' pitch bill rising 161%; • Walsall council floating a 323% increase for youth teams; • and Carmarthenshire upping its football pitch fees by 380% - and 2,007% for cricket.

Meanwhile: giving back

Karren Brady - a year after negotiating a £150m public-funded refit for West Ham's new £429m ground, on why the club chose "a local developer and employer" Galliard Group to redevelop Upton Park: "It will benefit the local community, and the regional economy."

• Also giving back: Spain's professional clubs, cutting their combined tax debt by 20.8% in a year. Still outstanding: €595.4m.

Plus: rude health

£45,000: The debt threatening to put 61-year-old Evo-Stik NPL Division One South side Eastwood Town out of business, with the club locked out of its ground since last month. 4: Hours it takes Premier League clubs to spend £45,000 on agents fees.

Fifa news

• Message of the week: Fifa's Theo Zwanziger explaining their hands-off approach to Qatar slave state claims - "What do you expect of a football organisation? Fifa is not the lawmaker in Qatar" – four months before Fifa's World Cup Law begins in Brazil, overriding local tax and trade legislation.

• Plus adventure news: Sepp confirming he "would not say no" to four more years, three years after his pledge to Uefa's Congress: "These will be my last four years for which I stand as a candidate. Together we must finish the adventure we started."

Manager news: decisions

Switzerland, 10 Feb: Sion owner Christian Constantin - 30 managers in 10 years, including himself twice - on coach Laurent Roussey: "I'm not saying I'll sack him, or that I'll keep him. I'm thinking." 11 Feb: Sacks him.

Rebuke of the week

Brazil, 5 Feb: Avai director Chico Lins on coach Emerson Nunes. "Stop asking me every three games if he's in or out. We're together: he's full of dedication and hard work. Football needs to get over being so obsessed about whether a coach gets sacked or not." 13 Feb: He gets sacked.

Most resounding

Germany, 10 Feb: Hamburg director Oliver Kreuzer: "There will be no change. The board analysed the current situation and we stand firm behind Bert van Marwijk. Here are the three major issues that were at the centre of this: has the coach achieved with the team yet? Is he determined enough? Does he have a plan? We have answered all three questions with a resounding yes." 15 Feb: Sacked.

Plus: first impressions

3 Feb, René Meulensteen: "I had the privilege to meet Mr Khan over the summer and, straight away, I felt he was a really thorough, amicable man who's very successful in business. He doesn't do anything knee-jerk."

Owner of the week

Romania: Ex-Universitatea Craiova striker Rodion Camataru on owner Adrian Mititelu. "He's a bad fanatic, a know-all. Once when the team was training in Austria, he phoned up from Craiova during a friendly to demand substitutions. He couldn't even see it."

Reasonable offer of the week

Ghana: Hearts of Oak fans in the Brong Ahafo region calling a press conference before their game at Aduana Stars: "We want the players, coach and management to know that if they come here and are not able to get the three points, we will give them the beating of their lives. They are forewarned that if they come and they don't get the win, we will surely beat them. The ball is in their court."

Bad week for

Nepal: Veteran defender Nabin Neupane, never previously sent off in a 17-year career, banned for 12 months for pushing an official. "It's harsh … I neither punched nor assaulted him. It was simply professional pushing, like you see in many league matches. I feel bad."

Sharpest focus

Bulgaria: Linesman Georgi Tabakov, son of regional FA head Emil, filmed chatting on his mobile phone while running the line at Chernomorets. Official Tihomir Bobolov: "This is not on, whoever his father is."

Celebrity row of the week

Argentina: Claudio Caniggia's daughter Charlotte denying claims by her brother's former girlfriend that the Caniggia siblings enjoy "black magic involving chickens". Model Sofia Macaggi: "I was there a lot, I saw things. Chickens disappeared, then died." Charlotte: "It's lies. We bought chickens because we were bored, but we never did witchcraft. She lacks respect."

Plus: Larissa news

Paraguay: 2010 World Cup model Larissa Riquelme on her plan to edge out publicity rivals this summer: "I'm still the Bride of the World. Despite the speculation, the imitators, I'm the pioneer. I'm grateful to the world, and to God, for filling me with blessings."

David Hills

Bayern Munich 4-0 Freiberg | Bundesliga match report

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:38 PM PST

Bayern Munich stretched their Bundesliga lead to 16 points with a comfortable 4-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday, while Hamburg slipped into full crisis mode by losing 4-2 at bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig before sacking their manager Bert van Marwijk.

Dante headed Bayern into the lead and Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice with deflected shots. Claudio Pizarro completed the rout as Bayern stretched their unbeaten run in the league to 46 games.

"It's always hard when the whole world says you have to win," said Pep Guardiola after his side's 13th consecutive Bundesliga victory.

The manager rested several players with an eye on Wednesday's Champions League round-of-16 first leg at Arsenal.

Shaqiri will miss the game after tearing a muscle at the back of his right thigh in the second half. The winger Franck Ribéry was already out after undergoing surgery on a burst blood vessel in his buttock.

Morrison's unravelling is a waste

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:37 PM PST

Midfielder who gloriously waltzed through Tottenham Hotspur's defence is cut loose by club and heading to QPR

There is a clip of Ravel Morrison, from an England Under-21s training session, when a corner comes in from the right and no matter how many times you watch it, even in slow motion, it is still almost implausible how he creates that lovely sound of ball against net.

It is as if heading the ball, or going for the volley, is just too straightforward and too bland for a player with his gifts. He twists his body, his back leg flicks around and he is mid-air, facing away from goal, when it connects. It is the kind of finish that would ordinarily be found only on a computer game but Morrison saunters away as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Morrison had already had one round of applause on those blowy pitches in Staffordshire, after chipping the goalkeeper with the delicacy of a champion golfer pitching in and before anyone raises the obvious, nobody can say he is just a training-ground player. His goal at Tottenham earlier this season, waltzing past a couple of challenges and advancing from the halfway line, was a demonstration of high skill and balance that suggested we were seeing the flowering of the potential that once had Sir Alex Ferguson acclaiming Morrison as the most talented youngster he had seen since the schoolboy Paul Scholes.

The two he scored in his first full match for England's Under-21s were not too shabby either and it does not feel too long ago since a group of us journalists were breaking bread with Roy Hodgson in the Soho Hotel, reflecting on the senior team qualifying for the World Cup after the previous night's win against Poland, and the conversation turned to which players could force their way into his squad. Morrison was one of the first names the England manager mentioned and there was nothing at the time that felt incongruous about it.

Hodgson met us for lunch again a few days ago but this time nobody brought up Morrison. A player who was bewitching Premier League audiences before Christmas will join QPR this week, dropping down into the Championship in a three-month loan arrangement that pretty much takes a sledgehammer to any chance of him being on the plane to Brazil. After that, it is unclear what happens, other than to say it is amazing how quickly everything has unravelled for him at West Ham. As it stands, it is difficult to imagine him playing for the club again.

It is an unusual, complex story and, inevitably, football being the business it is, there will be some who automatically assume he must have done something wrong. In football, it has always been easier to get a bad name than to lose one and Morrison's previous means there is an instinct, sometimes, to apportion blame his way. It would be a lazy assumption. Morrison has done some stupid things but it has been a few years now since he knotted a tie for court. He is still paying the price for those juvenile misdemeanours and he has had to get used to seeing his name prefaced in print with words such as "wayward" and "bad boy". Yet everyone at West Ham can confirm he has knuckled down and shown a level of dedication and professionalism that was not always there. Morrison does not drink or go to nightclubs. His diet is right. He has a steady girlfriend and better influences outside the club than people realise. Of course, he still needs guidance, but at 21 he is not the same impulsive kid of 17. Now, three months after Sam Allardyce talked of Morrison reaching the very top of his profession, he is being cut free. It is no wonder West Ham fans are feeling confused.

The first thing to say is that it all feels like a tremendous waste, and there is something deeply unsatisfactory about the chain of events that has brought him to this point.

Towards the end of last year, Morrison was invited to a meeting with the football agent Mark Curtis to see if he wanted to become one of his clients. Curtis does this a fair bit with Allardyce's players. At West Ham, he either represents or has links with Allardyce, Kevin Nolan, James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Matt Jarvis, Andy Carroll, Jussi Jaaskelainen and Adrian. Look through his history and there is a fairly astounding pattern of players signing up to him from Allardyce teams. He also has a chequered past of his own, with an official warning from the Football Association after the 2008 investigation into Luton Town's illegal transfer dealings.

Morrison was not keen but, since then, his complaint is that he has felt under considerable pressure from Allardyce and Nolan to change his mind, claiming it is brought up on an almost daily basis. His grievance is that he wanted to go into training to learn and improve, not to have endless conversations about an agent he did not want to employ.

West Ham have put this to the relevant people and they strenuously deny it. Curtis says it is "nonsense", and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing. But Morrison has become disillusioned with his manager and captain. Allardyce has talked of Morrison complaining about a groin injury when the medical staff could find no problem. Relationships have broken down. A few months ago, Morrison appeared to have the keys to the football universe. Now he cannot wait to get out of the club.

The issue has been discussed as high as it goes at Upton Park. Morrison was advised by one senior figure to put in a transfer request but decided against it. Fulham put in a £4m bid and West Ham reported them to the Premier League for alleged tapping up because of René Meulensteen saying he knew Morrison wanted to join them. The dispute may have put off Fulham from making an improved offer – West Ham wanted £10m – but no one should be too surprised if the complaint ultimately comes to nothing. The relevant people at Craven Cottage believe they have hard evidence, in line with this newspaper's information, that Morrison had been informed he should look for another club. If that is proven, West Ham's complaint will look hollow, to say the least. It will also leave their co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, with some awkward questions to answer.

The really perplexing thing is that a club with West Ham's ambitions should, surely, want to build their future around players of this refinement. It is not going to be straightforward filling 54,000 seats when they move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016. Morrison, playing as he was before Christmas, would have helped the process enormously. Instead, if the paperwork goes through, Morrison will not be at Upton Park when Allardyce's team play Southampton next weekend. He will be a few miles across London, making his QPR debut at Charlton Athletic, with a permanent deal possible in the summer.

His story is a reminder of how quickly everything can change in football. Except Morrison's belief is that little of this is actually about football. His emergence at West Ham was probably the most exciting since the early years of Joe Cole and Michael Carrick. He was the club's leading scorer and outstanding player. It seems strange, to say the least, for West Ham to shuffle that player out of the back door, especially when they are a club who normally pride themselves on looking after their own.

Rooney has to avoid old bad habits to meet Hodgson's challenge

Roy Hodgson maybe did not use the best word when he said it was high time that Wayne Rooney "exploded" on the world stage. Rooney has probably done a little too much exploding, bearing in mind the implosion between the ears that ended his participation in the 2006 World Cup, and the meltdown in Montenegro that meant he watched the first two games of Euro 2012 from the stands.

Yet everyone understood Hodgson's point. Anyone who was in the Maracanã last summer, on the day Brazil reopened its national stadium, cannot have failed to be stirred by the crowd's adulation when Rooney's face flashed up on the big screen. Yet the bottom line is that we have to go back to Euro 2004, when he was 18 – the assassin-faced baby, I called him at the time – to find the only occasion he has lit up an international tournament.

Hodgson's words were a break from the norm, in that if felt very much like a deliberate strategy from England's manager to make the challenge public. "He is 28, a terrific age, and this is the world stage, the perfect opportunity for him," he said. "There will be an opportunity for him in Brazil to show he is not just a great star in the Premier League, but a world star."

The encouraging news, in fairness to Rooney, is that he has looked sharper and leaner by some distance this season. Sir Alex Ferguson made the point in his autobiography that Rooney had "lost some of his old thrust" last season, remembering the game against Aston Villa that confirmed United as champions. "I took him off because Villa were a very fast, young side, full of running, and their substitute was running past Wayne."

Ferguson also points out that it was daft of Rooney to take a week-long holiday to Las Vegas just before Euro 2012, when he is notoriously slow to regain his sharpness after time away from the sport.

Hodgson's message felt like a reminder that Rooney cannot lapse into old habits and has to make sure he is absolutely in prime condition, with no cutting of corners. It would help if Rooney could sort out his future at Manchester United, so it is not hanging over him at the end of the season. In South Africa four years ago, he played as if his mind wereas full of razor blades. A settled, fully operating Rooney is an entirely different beast, as Hodgson seems to realise.

It's time for clubs to stand up and be counted

In September, it was not a straightforward matter writing about safe standing and suggesting it was time English football was grown-up enough to have the debate. At least two clubs told me they were completely for the idea, but were reluctant to go public because they did not want to be considered insensitive. Nobody wants to be tactless and, plainly, it is always going to be a difficult issue.

All the same, going around the different clubs to ascertain their position indicates it is time the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, accepted it is not just in the Football League that there is an appetite for change.

"There is no constitutional majority of Premier League clubs that want to revisit the idea of not having all-seater stadiums," Scudamore said. The suspicion here is that it means he, personally, is against the idea.

Aston Villa, Cardiff, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Swansea and Hull have already backed the Football Supporters' Federation campaign. Tottenham, Stoke and West Brom are among the clubs who have an "open mind" or are "monitoring" developments. Newcastle are receptive. Fulham say they are "supportive" depending on certain conditions.

Manchester United have now changed their mind and backed safe standing, having initially said it would be too difficult to implement. Manchester City have altered their stance from open-minded to fully supportive. Arsenal's position is pro-standing. West Ham, too. A pattern is emerging. It is time for a show of hands.

Daniel Taylor

Barcelona 6-0 Rayo Vallecano

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:03 PM PST

Lionel Messi overhauled Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stéfano's La Liga goals tally as Barcelona and Atlético Madrid each won on Saturday to pull three points clear of Real at the top. Messi struck twice in Barça's 6-0 thrashing of strugglers Rayo Vallecano at the Nou Camp to take his total to 228 goals from 263 matches, one more than Di Stéfano.

The 26-year-old climbed above his fellow Argentinian to joint third on the all-time list behind record marksman Telmo Zarra (251) and Hugo Sánchez (234) and level with Raúl.

Atlético's Raul García and Diego Costa struck early to set up a 3-0 home win over Real Valladolid. Barcelona and Atlético now have 60 points from 24 matches ahead of Real who play at Getafe todayon Sunday.

Barça, chasing a fifth La Liga title in six years, took the lead in the second minute when Adriano cut inside from the left and his low effort scooted inside the far post. Messi and Pedro then cracked shots off the frame of the goal before a pinpoint Cesc Fábregas pass sent Messi clear in the 36th minute and he produced one of his brilliant chips over onrushing goalkeeper Rubén.

Messi released Alexis Sánchez on the right to make it 3-0 eight minutes after the break before a moment of inspiration from Andrés Iniesta helped create Barça's fourth in the 56th. The Spanish midfielder's backheel put Fábregas through and he squared for Pedro to tap into an empty net.

Messi scored his second with a precise shot from the edge of the area in the 68th and Neymar crowned a near-perfect night for Barça when he came off the bench and scored with a fierce long-range drive in the 89th minute.

The Brazil forward has been out injured for a month and his reappearance suggested he could play some part in Tuesday's Champions League last 16, first leg match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Ryan Flynn hoping his cup magic rubs off on Sheffield United

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 01:59 PM PST

Flynn has form with Liverpool youth and is ready to take on higher-placed Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round

Ryan Flynn has a thing for knockout football. Twice a winner of the FA Youth Cup with Liverpool, scoring in the 2006 final win over Manchester City and converting a penalty in the shootout win over Manchester United the following year, he has saved some his best performances this season for the competition proper.

The 2013-14 chapter has incorporated the goal of the Scottish midfielder's career in Sheffield United's win at Aston Villa and the last-gasp elimination of Fulham in a fourth-round replay. The victory sealed Sunday's meeting with a Nottingham Forest team including Jack Hobbs, another of the Kop Babes of eight years ago.

"They were great occasions. In youth team football the cup definitely holds greater importance over the league – people come out in numbers to watch you for a start – but for us right now the league is more important with the position we are in," Flynn says. "The FA Cup is something we are really enjoying, there is no pressure on us and hopefully we can cause another upset."

United are the last flag-bearers from the lower reaches of English football and, if that is not a surprise given the club's rich heritage, it should be when considering their status as League One relegation zone dwellers. Between the victories at Villa Park and Craven Cottage was sandwiched a humiliating defeat at Crewe.

So, how does the 25-year-old explain such a discrepancy? "In the league it has not been as bad as it looks. Some of the results haven't been great but the performances we've put in, bar the Crewe game, have been good. We've been taking the lead and holding on to it. Things are definitely on an upward curve and I think the league position we're in owes a lot to how we started the season."

Despite their precarious position, Nigel Clough has not compromised his footballing philosophy, using the Old Big 'Ead model employed at opponents Forest, where he remains the highest post-war scorer. His most recent acquisition, Stefan Scougall, another Scot, is a modern-day Gary Crosby. Clough joked Scougall was the reason for the midweek postponement against Brentford. Apparently, in the adverse weather "they were worried he would blow away".

Their attractive style has been a strong feature of the Yorkshire club's cup exploits this far. Flynn reckons being pitted against higher-ranked opponents allows greater freedom of expression. "Sometimes they are good players themselves and they let you play a bit more. When we get the ball down, we have got good players and do create chances and we are just managing to take a few in these FA Cup games," he says. "There is definitely a difference from Premiership football to League One, which is a lot more up and at you.

"Premiership football is about ball retention and you have to be really switched on because good players can hurt you at any time. Maybe that means you are concentrating more. In League One games a lot of questions are asked but there is a lot more hard work and effort required, they are totally different games at times and anyone who watches will definitely see that."

Not that Flynn expects to be playing League One for the rest of his career. With Clough at the helm, there is an expectation that the club will be moving divisions (in a positive direction) before too long, allowing players like him a chance to fulfil the potential of their youth.

"It would have been a dream to break through but I don't think there's any shame if you don't make it at Liverpool," Flynn says. "I went through the academy and progressed to Melwood, we won the reserve league after those youth cups, but once you have done that everyone wants to play first-team football – and I was no fool. I knew I wasn't going to do that at Liverpool, so I went back on loan to Falkirk."

Richard Gibson

Fulham left dazed and confused by René Meulensteen exit

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 12:19 PM PST

• Rufus Brevett, former captain, believes squad will be 'shocked'
• Brevett says players will have to adapt to Felix Magath's ideas

Rufus Brevett, the former Fulham captain, believes the squad will be shocked at the decision to replace their head coach René Meulensteen with former Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath.

Fulham are bottom of the Premier League and have not won a league match since a 2-1 victory over West Ham on New Year's Day.

Meulensteen was appointed as Martin Jol's successor in December but, having been unable to steer Fulham out of the relegation zone, he also lost the faith of the club's owner, Shahid Khan.

Brevett, who manages the Southern League Premier Division side Arlesey Town, reckons the players will struggle to once again adapt to new ideas. "The players will be shocked," he said. "Some are players that Meulensteen brought in and they just won't know what has happened. As players you have got to get on with it, it is your job. They have to take responsibility but you do also need continuity in what you're being told is expected of you.

"Just as they are getting used to Meulensteen's methods and the things that he wants, he is gone and another manager comes in – it will be very difficult for him with 12 games to go. It doesn't happen overnight."

Magath, who has won three Bundesliga titles during his managerial career, has signed an 18-month contract and has 12 games to turn things around at Craven Cottage after becoming Fulham's third manager of the season. The futures of the technical director, Alan Curbishley, and the assistant head coach, Ray Wilkins, are unclear.

Brevett feels a relegation battle requires a different approach and also did not rule out Khan making another change in the summer if Magath fails to keep the club in the top flight. "He owns the club and will do what he thinks is best," Brevett said. "He has brought a new manager in with 12 games to go, if Magath doesn't keep them up is he going to bring in another manager to get them out of the Championship? How much does Magath know about that division? Sometimes when a new manager comes in you get a new kick and hopefully if they do that they might have a chance.

"The confidence is low and it is going to take a completely different mindset, there are a lot of differences between fighting to win things and trying to stay in the league. We will have to see what he comes up with. Fulham have flirted with relegation a few times but nothing as serious as we see now, it is massive. Financially and for the fans as well. It means everything to stay in the Premier League. They will be doing their upmost to stay there."

Dan Crawford, a Fulham Supporters' Trust member, said fans were also surprised by the decision to sack Meulensteen, though results may have justified it. "I was very surprised," he said. "We had all read that he might have two games to save his job but you just assumed that the performances and fight they showed would have been enough.

"We haven't won a league game since 1 January, we are out of FA Cup, bottom of the league and running out of time. The defending has been abysmal for most of the season. You hope that someone who is a disciplinarian will come in and get things right, he won't take any prisoners and has virtually no margin for error.

"We are in the last chance saloon and everyone recognises that, it slaps a little bit of desperation but that is par for the course given the situation we are in."

Magath will not face the media until he hosts a press conference previewing Saturday's match against fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion. A win in the German's first game would see Fulham close the gap on their 17th-placed opponents, but a defeat could see them cast further adrift with time running out to continue their 13-year stay in the top flight.

Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini finds way to stall Chelsea momentum

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:53 AM PST

City manager orchestrates emphatic FA Cup fifth-round victory which took wind out of José Mourinho's sails

No one could ever call José Mourinho a specialist in failure. It is the manager self-designated as special who delights in attaching unflattering labels to his rivals. The FA Cup is possibly not Chelsea's highest priority either, yet here was a result to bring a wry smile to Arsène Wenger's lips and remind the opinionated one that there are other shows in town than his own.

Mourinho has been talking a good game all week, but then he usually does, confident in the knowledge that his players can produce the performances to back up his words. This was one that did not.

Chelsea were all but unrecognisable from the mean machine of a fortnight ago, City far less willing to be crushed beneath their wheels. The FA Cup may be a lesser concern to both these clubs than the league, which Chelsea currently lead by virtue of inflicting Manchester City's first home defeat of the season, and although Manuel Pellegrini denies it that result seemed to take some of the wind out of his side's sails in the next game at Norwich.

This was City's chance to reassert themselves, and they took it. Pellegrini picked a strong side considering the proximity of their Champions League meeting with Barcelona.

Alvaro Negredo and Samir Nasri only made the bench, though both are returning from injury, and Pellegrini was as good as his word in persisting with two strikers in Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic. The latter, rarely seen in his first season in England due to injury, hit the bar before putting his side ahead in the first half and played well enough to convince City followers that they still have three quality strikers from which to choose while they wait for the return of Sergio Agüero.

The game was won and lost in midfield, however, where City learned their lesson from the league encounter and got much closer to Eden Hazard, in addition to making sure Chelsea could not gang up on Yaya Touré as they had done a couple of weeks ago. Javi García is not exactly a favourite at the Etihad, where the crowd is quickly on his back when he makes a mistake, yet by virtue of not being Martin Demichelis he was welcomed back to the side and in fairness put in an impressively tidy display.

Hazard always looked Chelsea's most dangerous player, eager to take the ball and willing to switch flanks once he had had enough of trying to get past Pablo Zabaleta on the left, though every time he made even the slightest progress Vincent Kompany would arrive on the scene to clear the danger. The City captain put in his usual solid defensive shift, only once being caught out by Hazard's speed of thought and movement and picking up a yellow card for an obvious foul as a consequence, and as a result the home side had a much more solid platform on which to build their attacks.

Jovetic almost set up a second goal on the stroke of the interval when he left David Luiz floundering on the right, only to see Dzeko fail to connect with James Milner's inviting cross.

Even without that extra cushion City opened the second half with almost arrogant confidence, stroking the ball around on halfway as if challenging Chelsea to come out and chase the game. Mourinho is well known for preaching that a single goal is enough but Pellegrini can play that game too, even if conservative football is not exactly in City's DNA. Mourinho's response was to keep reshuffling his front line, first with Mohamed Salah, then with Fernando Torres, but Chelsea were still unable to exert any control in midfield, where Nemanja Matic was a surprisingly negligible influence. Pellegrini introduced Samir Nasri for the tiring Jovetic, probably wisely since the penalty area dive that earned the Montenegrin a caution was a very tired piece of simulation indeed, and within six minutes of taking the field Nasri and David Silva exposed some statuesque Chelsea defending to clinch the tie. Two-nil, goodbye, as Mourinho might have put it.

The City fans were mocking Mourinho for the paucity of his side's football by the end, though in the Chelsea manager's defence they were doing that in the league match despite the Londoners' evident superiority. This victory should do much to restore City's confidence for the challenges ahead, both in the Champions League and the domestic one, especially as they can expect Agüero and Fernandinho to return at some point next month. Chelsea are still top of the table, however, without having to worry about Europe until next week, and while that situation persists Mourinho is unlikely to be too disappointed by having his trophy options cut to two. Compared to the standard set at the start of the month Chelsea were hugely disappointing, with a flatness that could not be wholly explained by the absence of John Terry or the rigours of a game in midweek. A reinvigorated City successfully proved that even Mourinho cannot command a masterclass every week.

Paul Wilson

Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:42 AM PST

The furthest Manuel Pellegrini pushed it was when he pointed out afterwards that he still thought Chelsea's success here 12 days earlier had been overplayed. "Tactically, we didn't have any problems," he said. Otherwise, there was no gloating, or even the subtlest of putdowns, and it was a wise strategy from the Manchester City manager. He is never going to outdo José Mourinho when it comes to confrontation, brittle one-liners and media positioning – the Chelsea manager is simply too well-practised – but his team reminded everyone here why they are such formidable opponents, and that is always the best way to win these arguments.

They won with almost surprising ease, courtesy of a goal in each half from Stevan Jovetic and the fit-again Samir Nasri, and it was an ideal way to start a week in which the next assignment will be Tuesday's Champions League tie against Barcelona. Mourinho can still look back on Chelsea's two visits to Manchester and reflect they had the better of the deal, having already dismantled City's previously immaculate home record, but his team plodded through this defeat. They fell way short, particularly in attack, and it was perplexing to see Mourinho's players offer so little when the memories were still vivid of their outstanding performance of the season.

Chelsea tend to give everything in the FA Cup. On this occasion, they simply put on their coats and showed themselves to the door.

Mourinho talked afterwards about weariness and used Nemanja Matic's performances over the two games as an example of how it had caught up with them. Matic was superb in the first, over-run in the second. Yet Mourinho could have picked out others, too. Samuel Eto'o suffered the ignominy of being removed at half-time and there was a telling moment when Mourinho was asked whether he could put into words his frustrations about the contribution of Chelsea's strikers this season. "There are things I cannot say," he said. "I can just think things and keep them to myself."

In fairness to Eto'o, there was no real improvement for Chelsea after his withdrawal. Pellegrini had worked out a way to stifle Eden Hazard, with James Milner doubling up to help out Pablo Zabaleta. Willian was an elusive opponent but faded in the second half and Fernando Torres made little difference when he came on. Chelsea barely managed a single noteworthy attempt to establish whether Costel Pantilimon, deputising for Joe Hart, might be suspect.

They really ought to have done more, bearing in mind Pantilimon had needed three attempts to clasp a low cross from Chelsea's first attack of any real threat, 21 minutes into the game.

Nasri, returning from a month out with a knee injury, was a second-half substitute and had been on the pitch for only six minutes when he exchanged passes with David Silva to score the goal that effectively ended the game two-thirds of the way in. His return is timed well given the challenges that lie ahead in the next few days and Jovetic's input is also encouraging for Pellegrini, even if the Montenegrin did pick up a yellow card for a dive. Jovetic's luckless run with injuries has badly disrupted his first season in English football but here was the evidence that the £22.9m signing from Fiorentina can still play a considerable part.

Pellegrini had resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes and his main players, most notably Yaya Touré and Silva, created plenty of problems for Chelsea. Vincent Kompany looked like he had taken the last defeat as a personal affront and Hazard was contained so well that, after half an hour, Mourinho ordered him to swap places with Willian in a more central role.

Hazard had menaced City barely a fortnight ago. Now, there were only flashes of his excellence. Milner was excellent for City and Javi García, another player who seldom gets acclaim, coped much better in the defensive midfield role than Martín Demichelis had in the first game.

Mourinho was not on one of his elaborate wind-ups either when he talked about City being fresher. Pellegrini also noted it was "important" they had not played in midweek, because of the postponed match against Sunderland.

His team set off with the greater spark, taking the lead after 16 minutes with a move that began with their left-back, Gaël Clichy, and went across the pitch in a diagonal line, via Silva and Edin Dzeko, before the ball reached Jovetic. A minute earlier, Jovetic had flicked the crossbar with a follow-up shot to Touré's effort which Petr Cech could only spill. Now he took advantage of César Azpilicueta not being close enough and drove his shot in off the post.

The most startling aspect from a Chelsea perspective was their inability to respond. They were ponderous with both their thoughts and their movement and far too obliging when Nasri turned away from Mikel John Obi, played the ball into Silva and then darted between David Luiz and Gary Cahill to turn in the return pass. Silva had been marginally offside but, even then, Mourinho's complaints were measured. "Was the referee poor in the second half? Yes, but even with a perfect referee we would have lost one-nil."

Daniel Taylor

Stephen McManus seals thrilling win for Motherwell over Partick

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:18 AM PST

• Hibs ended run of four straight defeats with win against County
• Caley manager John Hughes still searching for first home win

Two goals in the last six minutes earned Motherwell all three points in an thrilling 4-3 Scottish Premiership victory over Partick. Kallum Higginbotham, who was on loan at Motherwell last season, almost came back to haunt the home side with two second-half goals to restore Thistle's advantage after Chris Erskine's opener had been cancelled out by goals either side of half-time from Keith Lasley and Lionel Ainsworth.

'Well fought back and two strikes from John Sutton and Stephen McManus earned the three points that kept the Fir Park side third in the table and on the heels of Aberdeen. The second-half action was in complete contrast to a dismal first 30 minutes with play either bogged down in the heavy wide sections of the pitch or a cluttered midfield.

Dundee United won a five-goal thriller 3-2 against Kilmarnock at Jackie McNamara's side sealed a fourth win over their Ayrshire opponents this season after coming from behind in the second half to secure full points. Tannadice. Gary Mackay-Steven gave the hosts an early lead but Alexei Eremenko equalised before half-time before Kris Boyd put the resurgent visitors ahead after 63 minutes. Curtis Good headed home a quick-fire equaliser for the Taysiders and John Rankin completed the comeback with a spectacular 71st-minute winner to build on their previous weekend's win over St Mirren in the Scottish Cup. John Hughes is still waiting for his first victory at home as

Inverness manager after being held to a goalless draw by the bottom-placed Hearts in a game in which Caley struck the woodwork four times. David Raven, Marley Watkins, Billy McKay and Greg Tansey all had opportunities that either struck the post or crossbar, while Jamie Hamill came close with visitors' best chance late in the second half.

The Hibernian youngster Sam Stanton scored a superb free-kick as his team defeated Ross County 2-1, ending their five-game winless run. The 19-year-old scored his second goal in two games at Easter Road by curling a shot from just outside the box past County keeper Mark Brown. Stanton was at the centre of the attacks from the Hibees, but it was his midfield partner, Tom Taiwo, who doubled their lead before the interval with his first goal of the season. The County captain, Richard Brittain, scored an equally fine free-kick from distance after half time. Despite a nervy finale, the home side held on for a much needed victory.

In the First Division, Jon Daly's 21st goal of the season helped leaders Rangers extend their unbeaten run to 30 games with a 2-0 victory at Ayr United. Daly headed home to seal the win on 60 minutes after Nicky Law opened the scoring at Somerset Park at the start of the second half. Rangers' 23rd league win of the campaign - maintains their 23-point lead over nearest challengers Dunfermline. Ally McCoist's side can now claim the league title with five more wins, on the basis Dunfermline do not drop points before their potentially decisive match at Ibrox on March 15.

Nial Briggs

Football League: your thoughts | Alan Smith

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:15 AM PST

Burnley come from behind to draw at Bournemouth; four of the six Championship games finished level and Crawley have up to seven games in hand in League One

Championship

• With Leicester not in action and QPR playing on Sunday against Reading the focus was on Burnley in the race for promotion. They had to come from behind to salvage a point at Bournemouth; Keith Treacy, rather than the prolific Danny Ings and Sam Vokes duo (who both started their careers at Bournemouth), cancelling out Tokelo Rantie's header.

• There were two battles near the bottom, with Millwall coming from behind to draw at home to Bolton and Doncaster finishing 2-2 with Barnsley in a tense south Yorkshire derby. Nick Proschwitz's last-minute equaliser, slotting calmly into the bottom-right corner, salvaged what could yet be an important point for Danny Wilson's team. Proschwitz also opened the scoring for the visitors before Doncaster went in front thanks to a double from James Coppinger. Doncaster are six points clear of the drop, while Barnsley remain in 23rd, five points from safety.

• With four of the six games in the division ending all square, Ipswich and Blackpool ended up scoreless, Huddersfield fended off a late fightback to win 2-1 at Birmingham, while Troy Deeney's penalty gave Watford a 1-0 win in an ill-tempered game against Middlesbrough. Samba Diakité was dismissed for Watford, who have four wins from their last five, while Ben Gibson had an evening to forget. After giving away the decisive penalty, for a foul on Fernando Forestieri that also earned him a yellow card, he made an early exit following a second booking 12 minutes after the break.

The Championship table

League One

• Brentford kept hold of top place with a 3-1 win away to Crewe. A double from Alan Judge along with an Adam Forshaw strike had Brentford 3-0 up after an hour, with Chuks Aneke's 70th-minute penalty proving nothing more than a consolation for the hosts.

• Their lead remains two points after a goal in either half from Michael Jacobs helped Wolves to a 2-0 win at home to Notts County, while Leyton Orient could only manage a draw at fourth-placed Preston North End, who marked the passing of Sir Tom Finney by printing his name on the back of their shirts before the game.

• Rotherham have a seven-point cushion in the play-off places thanks to Lee Frecklington's 88th-minute winner against Stevenage, after fellow top six contenders Peterborough and Walsall cancelled each other out on Friday.

• Shrewsbury and Port Vale drew blanks, Bristol City and Tranmere finished 2-2 and MK Dons were 2-1 winners at home to Oldham. Crawley have seven games in hand on a couple of teams after their game against Carlisle United was postponed, while Coventry City v Bradford City also fell foul to the weather.

The League One table

League Two

• After Scunthorpe's dramatic 3-2 win at Accrington on Friday, Chesterfield retrieved sole ownership of first position following a 3-1 win over Torquay United, while Oxford maintained their promotion push with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Mansfield Town.

• The day's big winners, though, were York City, who hammered Plymouth 4-0 away. Portsmouth edged AFC Wimbledon 1-0, Hartleool defeated Newport 3-0, Fleetwood overcame basement dwellers Northampton 2-0, while Exeter came from behind with eight minutes remaining to win 3-2 at Southend. Bury v Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham v Wycombe were both postponed.

The League Two table

Alan Smith

Manchester City v Chelsea – as it happened!| Nick Miller

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:12 AM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Chelsea were curiously flat as Manchester City won the FA Cup fifth round tie 2-0

Nick Miller

'Tom Finney was the best player I've ever seen, alongside Lionel Messi'

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 10:21 AM PST

• Tommy Docherty pays tribute to ex-Preston and England star
• FA chairman, Greg Dyke, says he 'will be forever remembered'

Sir Tom Finney was compared with Lionel Messi as tributes flooded in following his death at the age of 91. He scored 210 goals in 473 games for Preston and 30 in 76 England appearances.

As a mark of respect, a minute's silence was held before Preston North End's home game with Leyton Orient on Saturday and Preston's players wore black armbands with shirts bearing the name Finney above their squad numbers.

The statue of Finney outside Deepdale – known as The Splash and inspired by the 1956 sports photograph of the year that features Finney beating two defenders at a waterlogged Stamford Bridge – was also covered with flowers, shirts and scarves left by fans.

Preston could not mark the occasion with a victory, being held 1-1 by their League One promotion rivals. Finney spent his entire career at Preston after the club chairman refused to countenance a lucrative move to Palermo and, according to former North End team-mate Tommy Docherty, he was as good as the Barcelona superstar Messi.

Docherty, who played with Finney between 1949 and 1958, told the BBC: "He was the best player I've ever seen, alongside Lionel Messi. I watch a lot of Barcelona and when I watch Messi, I close my eyes and can see Tom. I'm serious when I say that Messi is the Tom Finney of today.

"Just like Finney, Messi is always getting fouled but doesn't complain and just gets up and gets on with the game."

The Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, said: "On behalf of The FA, I would like to send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sir Tom Finney.

"He was one of English football's all-time greats and will be much missed across the game. Sir Tom was a true one-club man at Preston North End and a fantastic player for England. He will rightly be forever remembered at Deepdale and Wembley."

Finney will always be linked with Preston, his home-town club, and Docherty recalled how gates at Deepdale would be lower if Finney was not playing. "If Tom was injured, they wouldn't tell you the team at all," Docherty said. "If he was injured, and that was rare, there would be 20,000 at the game instead of 42,000."

Rewind radio: Homophobia in Football; Radiolab – review

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 10:05 AM PST

5 Live's investigation into attitudes towards homosexuality within football was calm, considered and vital

Homophobia in Football (BBC 5 Live) | iPlayer

Radiolab

On Thursday night, in the middle of this hectic, tense, weird Premiership season, 5 Live offered some civilised debate. The subject: Homophobia in Football. The BBC, in its careful, right-on way, decided to pre-record the show, which was chaired by Match of the Day 2's Mark Chapman. We were warned not to send in texts or emails, as the programme wasn't live: a neat way of ensuring that nothing defamatory appeared on air. As it was, some of the guests struggled with their language, stumbling over politically correct parlance: stigma, derogatory, inclusion, diversity. Not easy, everyday words.

"I'm still being educated into what language is right and what's wrong," said West Brom's Steven Reid.

"I've used language that now I would be disgusted to hear," said Clarke Carlisle, an ex-pro.

That didn't matter; they were there for the discussion, to learn, to help, to publicly say that being gay or straight has nothing to do with footballing ability. Alongside Owen Coyle, who used to manage Wigan, Simone Pound from the PFA and others, they talked and talked. Nobody raised their voice. Everyone was as nice as they could be. Polite discussion can seem pointless, especially in sport, but we all need calm when we're learning new ways and new words that we can take out into the rough-and-tumble, adrenalised, off-the-cuff world.

Chapman revealed that it had been very difficult to get any Premiership footballer to take part in the discussion; Reid – the one who had said yes – was slightly shocked, though pointed out that he was experienced, a long-time footballer who doesn't care any more what anyone thinks of him. Chapman also said that only 28 out of 92 professional clubs have backed this year's Football v Homophobia campaign. ("They think that by getting on board they're saying that their club has a problem with homophobia," said Carlisle.) Things are made trickier by the fact that some players come from countries where homosexuality is illegal; what, asked one audience member, happens if a club is sponsored by a brand with strong links to such countries?

The subject is also muddied by the media's interest: if a footballer were to come out, the attendant attention – even if mostly positive, as happened with rugby player Gareth Thomas, or footballers Thomas Hitzlsperger and Robbie Rogers – could be overwhelming. Most people just want to live their lives. Football has a long way to go to stop anti-gay attitudes, but the mere fact that 5 Live bothered to bring it up helps a lot. Sometimes I love the BBC. I would give my licence fee five times over just to fund quiet efforts such as this.

Radiolab, being American public radio, begins every podcast with a plea for funds. Pretty much all my favourite US podcasts do, to be honest; all the sciency/sound-loving/strange human experience podcast shows that the USA manages to get out there are all funded by their listeners. Radiolab is one of the longest-standing, and has a slick, investigative journalistic feel that is offset by some beautiful production. The way that the voices click in and out on "Neither Confirm Nor Deny", the latest Radiolab offering, makes the standard Radio 4 documentary approach – "I'm X, and in this programme I'm going to discuss..." – look embarrassingly old hat. A guaranteed money source can also lead to complacency.

But anyway, enough of all that public/private funding stuff. Radiolab's shows come out every two weeks or so, and are always worth a listen. "Neither Confirm Nor Deny" didn't sound promising to me – I'm not that bothered about the CIA and privacy – but quickly developed into a fascinating tale of sunken Soviet nuclear submarines and mad American inventions. By focusing in on a small question – where did the Glomar response (that phrase "We can neither confirm nor deny that such-and-such exists" that you hear so much in America) come from – a very big story was revealed. One that had all sorts of elements, from grieving Russian families to enormous metal underwater claws, to mad millionaire Howard Hughes. I've been turning it over in my mind ever since. There's even extra reading to be done on the Radiolab site. Podcasts are taking over my life. I haven't watched telly in weeks.

Miranda Sawyer

Atlético Madrid see off Real Valladolid in La Liga to return to the top

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:50 AM PST

• Atlético Madrid end losing run with 3-0 home victory
• Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich brush aside Freiburg

Atlético Madrid ended a run of three defeats and pulled three points clear at the top of La Liga with goals from Raúl García and Diego Costa setting them on the way to a 3-0 win at home to Real Valladolid.

Atlético came into the game at the Vicente Calderón stadium after resounding losses in both legs of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid, either side of a surprise 2-0 La Liga reverse at promoted Almería. Their stumble on the south coast cost them first place. Barcelona, who were due to play Rayo Vallecano later on Saturday, and Real, who play Getafe on Sunday, can join them on 60 points from 24 matches if they win their games.

With a Champions League trip to Milan on Wednesday looming, Atlético needed a convincing performance to lift morale, and García gave them an ideal start in the third minute when he picked up Gabi's clever free-kick and scored with a first-time strike from the edge of the area.

A minute later García conjured a fine assist for Costa and the Brazil-born forward lifted the ball over the advancing Valladolid goalkeeper Diego Mariño for his 21st league goal of the campaign.

Atlético played well within themselves for the rest of the match and the centre-back Diego Godin added a third in the 74th minute with a header from a Diego corner.

Bayern Munich, Arsenal's Champions League opponents on Wednesday, continued their Bundesliga march with a comfortable 4-0 win over Freiburg.

Dante headed Bayern into a 19th-minute lead and Xherdan Shaqiri scored with deflected shots in the 34th and 42nd. Claudio Pizarro completed the rout with two minutes remaining, as Bayern stretched their league record unbeaten run to 46 games.

Hamburg slumped to their seventh consecutive defeat as Domi Kumbela scored a hat trick in the 4-2 win for Eintracht Braunschweig.

Third-placed Borussia Dortmund defeated Frankfurt 4-0, Werder Bremen drew 1-1 with Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Hoffenheim beat 10-man Stuttgart 4-1.

Sir Tom Finney: football pays tribute – in pictures

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:31 AM PST

As the football world mourns the passing of one of its greatest players, teams and fans alike paid their respects. We bring you the best images from a moving nationwide tribute

Millwall 1-1 Bolton Wanderers | Championship match report

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:14 AM PST

It was the kind of explosive finale that could prove critical for the prospects of Millwall. They were on course for their fourth defeat in Ian Holloway's seven matches in charge and certainly the most damaging. Bolton Wanderers, one of their rivals in the relegation battle this season, looked set to win, undeservedly, courtesy of a first-half header from Lukas Jutkiewicz and some valiant goal-line defending. But after Jutkiewicz missed a prime chance to double Bolton's lead with a 78th-minute penalty, Martyn Woolford punished them royally.

The equaliser came on a counterattack; Steve Morison's delicious low cross found the substitute Simeon Jackson at the back post and, though his first-time shot was initially repelled, Woolford squeezed home the rebound from a tight angle. It may only be a point, but Holloway, hailed it as a "massive step forwards".

"I would have enjoyed it even if we'd lost," he said, "because they're listening to me and I can sense there's a spirit coming within the team."

Bolton had taken the lead in the 15th minute with a goal which seemed to arrive in slow motion. Chris Eagles's delivery from the left flank was met by an angled header from Jutkiewicz, which hit the inside of the post before looping into the net; it was the 59th league goal Millwall had conceded this season and David Forde in the Millwall goal watched it like an agonised spectator.

The home side responded positively and twice came within inches of scoring. In the 21st minute, Bolton's Alex Baptiste gifted Woolford the ball yards from goal when he botched a clearance, but Woolford's goal-bound shot was miraculously scooped over the bar by David Wheater. Then Adam Bogdan, the Bolton keeper, afforded the unmarked Jermaine Easter a shot at goal from inside the penalty box, but Easter dallied needlessly before hitting a tame shot at Baptiste, who was back on the line.

In Millwall's previous match, a 1-1 draw at bottom of the table Yeovil, Holloway had named four recognised strikers in his starting lineup. Only Morison kept his place for the visit of Bolton, but, early in the second half, Holloway decided to reinstate the benched trio of Jackson, Scott McDonald and DJ Campbell. "It looked like deja vu except we were creating chances. But I knew I had my gun-powder on the bench," Holloway said.

Millwall took control thereafter, yet when Danny Shittu handled in the box, it appeared that they would be condemned to defeat. Instead Forde plunged to save the low penalty, and within minutes Millwall were celebrating the goal they thoroughly deserved. Dougie Freedman, the Bolton manager, was satisfied with his side's performance, despite the spurning the chance of a precious win. But Holloway was withering of his opponents' showing: "I would be bored senseless [if I were him]," he said.

Jonny Weeks

Cardiff City 1-2 Wigan Athletic

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST

There is something about Ben Watson, Wigan Athletic and the FA Cup. Having etched his name into the club's history when he scored the winner against Manchester City in the final at Wembley nine months ago, Watson produced another memorable goal here to take the holders into the quarter-finals and inflict more pain on Cardiff City.

The midfielder's sublime strike from 30 yards out, five minutes before the interval, condemned Cardiff to a chastening defeat that completed a miserable week for the Welsh club. Second from bottom in the Premier League and involved in an ugly public dispute with Malky Mackay, their former manager, on the eve of this fifth-round tie, Cardiff were forced to endure the ignominy of elimination from the FA Cup at home, at the hands of Championship opposition.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's body language at the final whistle, which was greeted with some booing, said it all. The Cardiff manager had hoped the FA Cup could build some much-needed momentum during the final stretch of the season, but, instead, the competition that he won twice while playing for Manchester United ended up raising doubts about his players' ability to turn things around. For all of Cardiff's possession in the second half, they struggled to create clear-cut chances and, towards the end, resorted to lumping balls into the box – or, as Solskjaer put it, "playing percentages".

The damage was done in the first half, when Uwe Rösler's side started the more sharply and punished some desperately poor Cardiff defending to take the lead through Chris McCann. Although Fraizer Campbell brought Cardiff level, Watson's beautifully hit shot restored Wigan's lead and proved to be the defining moment of the game.

"It's very disappointing," Solskjaer said. "We had the majority of possession and more chances, but when you don't take chances you are not going to win games. The first goal to concede was a poor one. But the second goal you can't do anything about; it was a wonder strike from the kid."

The performance of Mats Moller Daehli, the Norwegian winger signed from Molde last month, provided a crumb of comfort for Cardiff supporters. Making his full debut, Daehli was lively throughout and, on this evidence, it will be hard for Solskjaer to leave the teenager out of his starting lineup for the crucial home game against Hull City next Saturday.

"That's the biggest plus. Probably the only plus," Solskjaer said, reflecting on Daehli's display. "He proved that he's going to be a fantastic footballer one day. He just wants to get on the ball. The more the game went against us, he was the one who got us a foothold again. The first 25 minutes we didn't start brightly enough, but he got us going."

By that point, Cardiff were already a goal down. Jordi Gómez wriggled clear on the left flank, where he nicked the ball away from Magnus Wolff Eikrem far too easily before riding another half-hearted challenge, this time from Kevin Théophile-Catherine. Gómez then cut the ball back for the unmarked McCann, who calmly steered a left-footed shot, from about 12 yards out, beyond Cardiff's goalkeeper David Marshall.

Cardiff started to work their way back into the game and levelled the scores in the 27th minute through Campbell. Wilfried Zaha – who, at times, seemed to be trying to break the record for the number of stepovers produced in one game – ran on to Daehli's flick on and darted into the area. Although Iván Ramis blocked Zaha's path, Wigan were unable to clear the danger and the ball broke to Campbell, who drilled a left-footed shot through a crowd of players and inside the stranded Ali al-Habsi's near post.

Campbell spurned a decent opportunity to put Cardiff in front when he nodded Zaha's cross over the bar, and that was a moment the home side swiftly came to regret. Marshall seemed to think there was little threat when Wigan were awarded a free-kick 30 yards out, choosing to set up only a two-man wall. Gómez, however, shifted the ball a couple of yards to the right to open up the angle and Watson strode forward to fire a splendid drive into the corner of the net.

Al-Habsi denied Juan Cala, Craig Noone and Zaha, and the enterprising Daehli came close with a couple of curling efforts as Cardiff pushed for a second equaliser, but Wigan held on to claim their second Premier League scalp – Crystal Palace were dispatched in the previous round – and keep alive hopes of a Wembley return.

"Our supporters travelled in big numbers and we wanted to make them proud," said Rösler, whose appointment as manager in December has coincided with an upturn in Wigan's fortunes. "I'm very happy with the performance and application. I wanted to compete against the best teams in the country and Cardiff, today, gave us the possibility, and we stood our ground very well."

Stuart James

Saturday football clockwatch – as it happened | Lawrence Ostlere

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:07 AM PST

Minute-by-minute report: Lawrence Ostlere's take on Saturday's action from the FA Cup, Football League and around Europe

Should we have 'safe standing' at football matches?

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST

Last week, Bristol City became the first English team to introduce a safe standing area. Is rail seating a good idea?

Alastair Campbell, broadcaster, novelist and Burnley fan

With Bristol City the latest club to try a safe standing experiment, and with Manchester United clearly moving in response to fan pressure, the momentum is definitely moving and thank heavens for that. Especially at away games, I much prefer standing. Atmosphere is a massive part of football, which is why TV is never enough. Fans who stand tend to make more noise, create more atmosphere, get into the game more. The government line is that this can only happen if there is demand for the change. Every poll shows there is support for standing and tens of thousands of people make the demand clear every week by standing in front of their upturned seats, with none of the appalling consequences predicted by the forces of conservatism. The only difficulty comes from overzealous stewards having to police a ludicrous rule. And please don't say this will risk another Hillsborough. Hillsborough was about ticketing, policing, stewarding, and bad management of crowd and capacity.

Danny Kelly, BT Sport and TalkSport host and Tottenham fan

Hillsborough was, as you say, about a failure of several systems, all of which football fans deserve to have working correctly and to their advantage. In fairness, though, it should be pointed out that Hillsborough would not – could not – have unfolded as it did in a modern, all-seater stadium. And it is worth noting that the campaign for safe standing, whose widespread support I freely acknowledge, is not backed by the Hillsborough families.

That said, I find myself in a weird place with all this. I'm habitually supportive of fan-led football initiatives, and I'll arm wrestle anyone who labels me a force of conservatism, but I find myself nonetheless reluctant to go down the safe standing route. My reticence is more based in emotion than reason. I understand the case for safe standing, and appreciate the thought and enthusiasm that has gone into it. I've even safe stood (and sat!) at Dortmund's ground, which has the exact arrangements being proposed, to get a feel of what it's like. But Dortmund is Germany, and Germany didn't go through what English football went through in the 70s and 80s.

I don't think safe standing threatens to undermine any of the improvements football has seen in the past 20 years, yet something inside of me is nagging away. All-seater stadiums, for all their faults (and that does include a decline in the traditional atmosphere), have at the very least coincided with a safer, more tolerant, more inclusive football experience. Why mess with that? I think the energy, dedication and brainpower currently being expended on safe standing would be better directed at other sorely needed campaigns. Cheaper seats, better facilities and supporter involvement at board level, to name but three.

AC Danny, Hillsborough would not and could not unfold at Dortmund because there is one numbered ticket for every fan. Of course due respect should be given to the Hillsborough families. But I have seen Burnley at Liverpool and at Nottingham Forest, the two teams involved that day, and whether on the Kop at Anfield or the bit to the left of the away end at Forest and the tier to the right above it, Liverpool and Forest fans stand in their thousands. Also, if you want to give the fan more of a say in this overcorporatised game, with too many clubs now owned by people whose primary interests are money, ego, status or influence, this is a good place to start.

German football is so far ahead of us on and off the field and the standing culture is part of a broader culture that gets the game closer to people who genuinely support it. It is not a question of messing with something that works but improving something that could be better. There is still some violence in Germany, as in England and Scotland. But the improved policing, CCTV and intelligence inside and outside the grounds, alongside broader cultural changes, have made it safer and this is an idea whose time has come. Also, did you know that in Leagues One and Two, from 2008-2010, more arrests were made at all-seater stadiums than at grounds with terraces?

DK OK, now we're getting somewhere. The kind of safe standing being proposed is that which we've observed in Germany. And that country also provides shining examples of the kind of organisation (51% fan ownership, carefully controlled and overseen economic activity), levels of pricing, and club/supporter relations that, I suspect, we'd both like to see. They also, critically, provided both last year's Champions League finalists without selling the family jewels to the highest bidder. So let's try to be a bit more ambitious. If safe standing is an attractive part of the overall German model, fine. But let's not just cherry-pick that. Why not try to push for those much wider reforms that might take us toward the more attractive, sustainable model we can see just a few hundred miles to our east. The oligarchs, industrialists and royal families will resist it with all their might; but, as someone a bit smarter than me once said, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

I think I know why people want safe standing. Many yearn for the wonderful, communal, almost religious to and fro of the old terraces. Part of me does too. But those days are gone, and besides, we both know that the new experience is nothing like that. Equally, I know that proponents believe the standing areas will be cheaper, just as they are in, you guessed it, Germany. But, again, this is England. The people who run football will not, it seems, be satisfied, until they have wrung every last penny from our pockets. I wouldn't be surprised if they charged the new standers extra for the privilege of having their safety ensured by a small metal railing!

AC So now you are quoting Chinese philosophers at me. Because Lao Tzu wrote in ancient Chinese there have been different interpretations of his "thousand miles" quote but one of them is "even the longest journey must begin where you stand". Brilliant. It can be our campaign slogan as we fight together for fan power. We have to start somewhere and this is the place. Once fans show that they are capable of winning arguments and tactical battles in pursuit of a broader strategy to change the game, other changes will come. The shifts in Germany didn't happen by accident. They happened because people made them happen. The Premier League is a great global brand but part of its value is that usually games are played out in front of packed stadium. There will come a point where the money men and oligarchs realise that there will be a backlash against pricing people out or treating them purely as paying extras in a TV spectacle. This is not just about standing. It is about fans standing up for themselves. When newly promoted Burnley play at White Hart Lane next year, let's get the whole stadium joining together to sing "stand up for the standing up". (Repeat four times.)

DK It's not in the spirit of this normally, erm, spirited debate, but I think we actually largely agree. My opposition to standing is based on memories of the past. Of glorious, abandoned surges among throngs of the like-minded. And of being forced upwards, like a cork on a wave, at West Ham, my feet off the ground for what seemed like hours, scared witless. If you promise that safe standing will see both those things confined to the dustbin of memory, I'll happily go along. I guess that's what the experiment at Bristol City, and beyond, is all about. As for next season, you'd be very welcome at the Lane. We'll meet outside the east stand. I'll stand you a soft drink. Then we'll go to the stand. Where we sit. And, when things get exciting, stand. Understand?

Alastair Campbell's book My Name Is… was last week nominated in the political novel of the year awards

St Mirren 0-1 Aberdeen | Scottish Premiership match report

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 08:17 AM PST

Adam Rooney's late penalty after a foul by Eric Djemba-Djemba gave Aberdeen a hard-fought victory in wild weather conditions in Paisley.

After a drab first half, the match burst into life in the second period and either side could have scored before Rooney's penalty 10 minutes from the end.

St Mirren manager Danny Lennon brought Jim Goodwin back into his defence to replace the suspended Marc McAusland, which allowed the returning John McGinn to step into the midfield which was tasked with providing support to Steven Thompson, as on-loan Josh Magennis was unable to face his parent club.

Barry Robson and Jonny Hayes both failed to make the Aberdeen squad as the visitors counted the cost of their Scottish Cup win over Celtic. Manager Derek McInnes brought Joe Shaughnessy and Nicky Low into the starting line-up in their place. There was a swirling wind around St Mirren Park as the match got under way, and it was Aberdeen who adapted to the conditions the quickest, forcing a series of early corners that Marian Kello struggled to deal with as they were swung in under his crossbar.

Another corner for Aberdeen provided their first shooting opportunity, Niall McGinn finding Shaleum Logan on the edge of the penalty area, from where the defender fired a dipping shot just over.

There was precious little other goalmouth action in the opening 25 minutes, but the home side finally signalled their intent to get in behind the Aberdeen rearguard when Gregg Wylde was released in behind Shaughnessy down the left. From a promising position, the winger's heavy touch allowed Russell Anderson the opportunity to clear.

The visitors then had a free-kick in a promising position following a barge by Wylde on Logan 20 yards from goal, but McGinn could only strike into the wall.

John McGinn was trying to get his foot on the ball and was at the heart of most of the positive play for the home side, but there was very little to get excited about.

St Mirren went agonisingly close to opening the scoring a couple of minutes into the second half when Kenny McLean was released down the right wing and the midfielder lifted his head to find Steven Thompson in the centre of the area, the big striker sliding the ball just wide of Jamie Langfield's left-hand post under pressure.

The home fans were incensed moments later as Paul McGowan bore down on goal only to be halted by the assistant referee's flag in what seemed a marginal offside call.

The first booking of the match went to St Mirren's Jim Goodwin after 52 minutes, the home skipper adjudged to have handled a ball that seemed to be struck against his arm by Rooney as the striker tried to break beyond the St Mirren defence.

It was Aberdeen's turn to threaten next as an outswinging corner was met forcefully by the head of Andrew Considine just eight yards out. His effort was just too close to Marian Kello however, allowing the Slovakian to make a diving save to his left. Aberdeen went close again after 65 minutes, Shaughnessy's long throw-in from the right being flicked on at the near post by Considine where the arriving McGinn only just failed to make what would surely have been a goalscoring contact with the ball.

St Mirren's combative midfielder Djemba-Djemba was next in the book after 71 minutes, picking up a caution for a crude challenge from behind on McGinn.

The game was becoming disjointed, and Danny Lennon made his first change of the day with 15 minutes remaining, replacing McGowan with Adam Campbell. It was Aberdeen who seized the initiative though, and Kello initially did well to deflect Nicky Low's stinging effort wide from the edge of the area. And it was from the resulting corner that Aberdeen grabbed what was to be the match-winning goal.

There seemed little danger as the visitors' attempted short-corner routine broke down, but as Peter Pawlett picked up the scraps and drove into the area he was sent flying by a careless tackle from Djemba-Djemba. Referee Calum Murray pointed straight to the penalty spot, and Rooney stepped up to send Kello the wrong way and score his second league goal for the club.Djemba-Djemba was replaced by Gary Teale after 83 minutes to round off a miserable afternoon for the Cameroon international, and Aberdeen boss McInnes responded by sending on Alan Tate for Nicky Low a minute later. Darren McGregor thought he had scored an equaliser for St Mirren after 85 minutes, but the defender's celebrations were cut short as the flag went up for offside.

Aberdeen should have scored again in the final minute. Rooney broke clear before shooting straight at Kello, and he was unable to find the unmarked McGinn from the rebound. However, they were able to hold on and take a valuable three points back north in the battle for second place.

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Sunday, 16 February 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:05

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Fair play: club of the week

Theme of the week

Meanwhile: giving back

Plus: rude health

Fifa news

Manager news: decisions

Rebuke of the week

Most resounding

Plus: first impressions

Owner of the week

Reasonable offer of the week

Bad week for

Sharpest focus

Celebrity row of the week

Plus: Larissa news

Rooney has to avoid old bad habits to meet Hodgson's challenge

It's time for clubs to stand up and be counted

Championship

League One

League Two

Alastair Campbell, broadcaster, novelist and Burnley fan

Danny Kelly, BT Sport and TalkSport host and Tottenham fan

Written by TBMU Admin

0 comments :

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Sunday, 16 February 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:05

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Fair play: club of the week

Theme of the week

Meanwhile: giving back

Plus: rude health

Fifa news

Manager news: decisions

Rebuke of the week

Most resounding

Plus: first impressions

Owner of the week

Reasonable offer of the week

Bad week for

Sharpest focus

Celebrity row of the week

Plus: Larissa news

Rooney has to avoid old bad habits to meet Hodgson's challenge

It's time for clubs to stand up and be counted

Championship

League One

League Two

Alastair Campbell, broadcaster, novelist and Burnley fan

Danny Kelly, BT Sport and TalkSport host and Tottenham fan

Written by TBMU Admin

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Follow TBMU FBook/Twitter

Popular on TBMU

About TBMU

Subscribe TBMU