Friday, 21 February 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny likely to avoid sanction for obscene gesture

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 03:01 PM PST

• Referee did not include incident in his Uefa report
• One-match ban for clattering Bayern's Arjen Robben

Wojciech Szczesny is expected to avoid sanction for the obscene gesture he made as he left the Emirates Stadium pitch on Wednesday after being sent off against Bayern Munich. The referee, Nicola Rizzoli, is understood not to have included the incident in his report of Wednesday's Champions League match, meaning Uefa is unlikely to take further action against the Arsenal goalkeeper.

Szczesny will serve a one-match ban in the second leg of the last-16 tie in Bavaria for the red card that he received for clattering into Arjen Robben inside the area. He faced the prospect of an extra game if Uefa had looked into the gesture which he made on the touchline.

Goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller left Arsenal with the difficult task of attempting to overturn a 2-0 deficit when they travel to the Allianz Arena on 11 March.

David Hytner

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Mesut Özil is Arsenal's luxury item struggling with everyday use | David Hytner

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 03:01 PM PST

The midfielder's performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League showed him at his best and his worst

The missed penalty was depressing enough and when Mesut Özil's stuttering run and kick did not fox Bayern Munich's goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, the sense of deflation at Arsenal was palpable, but it was what happened next that focused a debate taking in the hope and the soul-searching, and so many of the plot-lines that have tracked the club's season.

Everyone had a view on Özil's Champions League performance in the 2-0 last-16 first-leg defeat on Wednesday, and how it had slumped from the high point of the sublime trick that won the penalty in the eighth minute from the Bayern defender Jérôme Boateng. After the miss, Özil stumbled in a daze for a period that Arsène Wenger put at between five and 10 minutes and it was shocking to see how the Germany playmaker failed to revive himself.

The soundbite of the evening came from Alisher Usmanov, Arsenal's second-largest shareholder, as he departed the stadium with his entourage. Perhaps, it was gilded by his heavy accent or, maybe, by the Bond villain-style delivery. Usmanov was asked for his opinion on Özil's display. "My view?" he said. "Less than his capacity."

Mathieu Flamini, Arsenal's defensive midfield dog of war, had already made his feelings plain, having berated Özil late in the tie over a failure to track back. Flamini flicked his hands angrily, as he yelled at Özil and he did it again, and again, and again, to the point where it felt as though he was grandstanding.

Özil betrayed no emotion but in the TV studio, Michael Ballack, the former Bayern and Germany captain, made an interesting point. Ballack remembered how Per Mertesacker, the Arsenal centre-half, had rollicked Özil after the 6-3 defeat at Manchester City in December for his unwillingness to acknowledge the club's travelling supporters and he reached a conclusion that was bold but not unreasonable.

"I was watching one situation where Flamini was moaning to him," Ballack said. "It seems like Özil does not have the acceptance of his team. Also, Mertesacker two months ago, when he was shouting at him on the pitch. A player like him should be untouchable with his quality, but it looks like he has not [got] the acceptance."

Mertesacker did not attach too much importance to the Flamini rant, largely because Flamini does not discriminate over his targets. "He tries to keep everyone alive and that is massive for the team so I won't assess that as an argument," Mertesacker said. "It is good to be alive and to show each other that we are ready to fight. We need everyone on the pitch with this full mental strength and maturity."

It was impossible to ignore the angst with regard to Özil and the impression formed since his club record £42.5m signing from Real Madrid in September that his genius must be indulged and it comes at a cost.

Özil is one reason why people love football. Never mind that his arrival at Arsenal altered the destructive perception about Wenger's reluctance to spend big money and, also, offered the club a tremendous lift, he can do things with the ball that few others can; he illuminates matches with single flashes. He is a luxury item, but who does not like luxuries?

Yet the marks in the debit column against him that underpinned Real's decision to sell have not only followed him to England, they have deepened. The Real manager, Carlo Ancelotti, knew he would get lovely stuff from Özil but he worried about his capacity to play with sustained intensity. In England, the tempo and the schedule is even more remorseless.

Özil announced himself to English fans at the European under-21 Championship in 2009, when he orchestrated Germany's 4-0 demolition of England in the final and Sir Trevor Brooking said that he was the sort of player this country did not produce and ought to do so. Yet English football has long regarded the mercurial No10 with suspicion and it revealed much when Wenger said last week that Özil had hit the gym hard in an attempt to bulk up. The move had been necessary but, on another level, faintly vulgar.

Özil's performance against Bayern was his Arsenal career in microcosm. As Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain bombed up the right in the opening minutes, Özil pulled the strings.

He is a player who looks better the higher the quality of his forward-thinking team-mates and it is no coincidence that his form has dipped since the turn of the year while Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott have been injured. There was also the moment of magic when he won the penalty.

He then drifted and when Wenger had to sacrifice an outfield player after the sending off in the 38th minute of the goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, he might have withdrawn Özil rather than Santi Cazorla. The either/or question had a broader context. Can Wenger accommodate Özil and Cazorla in the same team?

Usmanov was asked why he felt Özil had been off-colour. "Maybe he is tired," he replied. It was Özil's 40th appearance of the season, including six for Germany and two for Real. The 25-year-old has had to contend with what he calls "English weeks" and he has been struck, not only by the absence of a winter break, but the way that "you just have games, on and on and on". There is no spell to nullify the culture shock.

"It is not normal to come here and perform well in the first season over 50 games," said Mertesacker, who experienced a difficult transition after his move from Werder Bremen in 2011. "But Mesut is a massive player and, game by game, he will come back even stronger. It is obvious that when you miss a penalty in the first 10 minutes, you are disappointed. But you have to get over it quickly."

Özil had not got over it on Thursday. "The next morning doesn't feel better, either," he wrote on Facebook. "Sorry guys, it wasn't planned that way."

Özil has to pick up the pieces.

David Hytner

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Magath sets struggling Fulham six-win target to stay up

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 02:52 PM PST

• New manager confident club will retain Premier League status
• Aims to show players a German influence can be positive

Felix Magath could be the first dictator who needs a revolution. As he eases himself in at Craven Cottage as Fulham's third manager of the season, stories of his uncompromising approach are aplenty. Sending players on energy-sapping runs through the Bavarian wilderness and allegedly hiding their water bottles, handing out mammoth fines for missed headers and back passes, the tales are myriad. Magath simply smiled and said: "I am a nice guy, very nice … no one died."

Some solace then for Fulham's players, who were called in for extra training last weekend after the German's surprise appointment on Friday. They can expect more of the same between now and May, with Magath given just 12 games to salvage a dire season that has left Fulham rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and four points from safety.

His task begins in earnest on Saturday away against West Bromwich Albion, a side struggling in 17th place. Yet the three-times Bundesliga winner first held talks about taking over two weeks ago, before the matches against Manchester United and Liverpool, René Meulensteen's last in charge.

Fulham insist that Meulensteen was not a dead man walking, saying they still harboured hopes of a turnaround during those two games – a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and a 3-2 home defeat – which coincidentally provided some of the club's best performances in recent months. Magath's four-hour meeting in London 9 days ago with the owner, Shahid Khan, and chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, suggest a plan C was already in motion.

Either way, Khan and Mackintosh have opted for one final throw of the dice in a desperate bid to avoid relegation. In doing so, they have turned to a man with a fierce reputation.

"Why I should change my training? I am the most successful coach of Germany," said Magath. "Until now everyone has lived [through] my training. No one died. Ask Raúl about my work. Ask the good players and you will get the right answers. I am a nice guy.

"The most important thing for me is to begin to work as fast as we can. I called them into work on Sunday to give us time to get to know each other. The players have to know me and they have to try to understand what I want.

"We have to work, to stay together and fight against relegation. That is all [we have to do] in the next few weeks. I have worked with some clubs who were on the bottom and I was never relegated. I am sure we will avoid relegation.

"I don't care about the past and I have no influence in the past. I have seen where we are in the table and I have to see where it can be improved. I don't care about other managers, I have my way of playing."

Magath has a fine coaching record in the Bundesliga, with successful periods at Bayern, Wolfsburg and Schalke. He has targeted six victories from the remaining fixtures if Fulham are to remain in the top-flight, and will probably not care if he ruffles a few feathers along the way.

The former striker Jan Aage Fjortoft, who played under Magath at Eintracht Frankfurt, recounts tales of colleagues collapsing on training runs, while the Bayern president, Uli Hoeness, recently said: "I would never want to treat human beings like he does."

Magath has already acted swiftly in severing the club's ties with its previous coaching staff. Meulensteen, Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins have departed and, while he did not speak with Meulensteen directly, he did have a conversation with Curbishley, the former technical director.

"For Fulham to avoid relegation it [their departures] was a must," Magath said. "If you give the players a sign that [they are] starting from the beginning then you have also to send somebody away. I think it's best for Fulham."

On his meeting with Khan, Magath added: "He's a very impressive person and I'm sure that he is the right man for Fulham. He's not satisfied. He told me he has given the managers all they want from the beginning of the season. He was totally surprised he [the club] was in last place."

Waving his arms, gesticulating and inadvertently knocking over microphones, Magath claimed that he hoped to sprinkle some Bundesliga magic on the Premier League's bottom side. If he can steer Fulham clear of the drop zone it would arguably rank alongside some of his best achievements during an impressive 20-year managerial career.

He said: "I hope I can show you that being a little bit German, it's not so bad for the players."

Methods aside, the first German manager in Premier League history is sure to make an impression.

James Riach

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Roberto Martínez appoints Duncan Ferguson as Everton's first-team coach

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 02:32 PM PST

• Popular former centre-forward starts new role on Monday
• Roberto Martínez: chequered career gives him perspective

Duncan Ferguson has been appointed Everton first-team coach after impressing Roberto Martínez with the intelligence required to become "a special part" of the manager's back-room staff.

Martínez promoted the former Everton striker from the under-18s having considered internal candidates to join the coaching team who accompanied him from Wigan Athletic last summer. Despite earning a firebrand reputation during an eventful playing career, Ferguson has attracted glowing reports as a coach since being invited back to Everton by the former manager David Moyes and is close to completing his coaching qualification.

While aware of Ferguson's popularity at Goodison Park, and bullish about the protection he will now receive in the dug-out, Martínez insists his decision is based solely on Ferguson's performance on the training pitch. He believes the experience of a chequered playing career has enabled the 42-year-old to mature into a fine coach.

"Duncan has been perfect for giving the youngsters direction but it is the way he works hard and sees the game from a different angle that has really impressed me," said the Everton manager. "He is developing into a really exciting coach and will become a special part of the first team.

"He knows what's needed, how we work and it's been natural for him connecting with the players because of what he represents at Everton. As a player you're just focused on yourself and when you retire you've got a lot of time to think. If you're intelligent, and Duncan has got that in abundance, you can put that experience in pockets, see what you've done right and what you could have done better. You have a broad knowledge about how to give good direction to youngsters and I think that is going to be vital for Duncan."

Ferguson has worked with the first team once a week since Martínez's arrival while overseeing the under-18s alongside Kevin Sheedy.

The former Scotland international has quickly bought into the style Martínez has introduced. "The last eight months have been perfect for Duncan to carry on with the under-18s while understanding the way I want to work and the football concepts that we have. I had it in mind that he could do both roles because I didn't want the under-18s to miss out but after speaking with [Academy director] Alan Irvine the group are ready to move on without Duncan and he is ready for the first team.

"He's doing his Pro Licence in Scotland and he's at the end of the badges. You don't need the Pro Licence in the role he's going to have so it's his focus. He wants to be as good as he can be and I think he's going to have an incredible future."

Ferguson will be absent when Everton visit Chelsea on Saturday, he starts the new role on Monday. Martínez does not anticipate many run-ins with opposition benches once the former centre-forward takes up his post. "I don't think they'll mess with us," he said jokingly. "I'm well protected with Graeme Jones and Duncan. I'm quite happy with that."

Andy Hunter

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Allardyce denies Morrison pressure

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST

• West Ham manager calls allegations 'unfounded'
• Midfielder now on 93-day emergency loan at QPR

Sam Allardyce has insisted that Ravel Morrison has a future at West Ham, despite reports that the midfielder's relationship with the club has broken down over a disagreement about agents.

It was reported in The Observer that Morrison was recently invited to a meeting with the agent, Mark Curtis, to see if he wanted to become one of his clients and that pressure has been placed on him by Allardyce and West Ham's captain, Kevin Nolan, to accept the offer. It has also been suggested that the 21-year-old, who has joined Queens Park Rangers on a 93-day emergency loan, has grown disillusioned at West Ham and could leave in the summer.

At West Ham, Curtis either represents or has links with Allardyce, Nolan, Adrian, Andy Carroll, Jack Collison, Matt Jarvis, Jussi Jaaskelainen and James Tomkins. Curtis denied the allegations concerning Morrison when they were put to him, calling them "nonsense".

"It's completely unfounded," Allardyce saidon Thursday. "The rumours or allegations will be made probably by Ravel's representatives but there's no truth in the fact that I have sat with Ravel Morrison and tried to press him into signing anything with any agent, never mind mine. It's his choice and his decision, not mine – unless they ask me."

Allardyce was asked if Morrison has sought his help in finding a new agent. "If he did, I wouldn't tell you anyway but, no, he didn't," he said. "I haven't had a discussion with Ravel signing with Mark Curtis. The world that revolves around Ravel is quite unique in terms of the publicity he gets, but there we go."

The speed with which Morrison, who is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the country, has fallen out of favour at Upton Park has been a surprise. He was West Ham's best attacking player in the first half of the season, contributing five goals, and after scoring a wonderful solo goal in the 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in October, there was even talk that the England Under-21 international was a candidate for Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad. There appears to be little chance of that happening now.

Instead, Morrison, who has a reputation as being a difficult player to manage, has dropped down into the Championship to help QPR in their push for automatic promotion, with a permanent transfer in the summer a possibility.

Morrison's last appearance for West Ham came in the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City in the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final on 21 January and he has featured once in the league since the turn of the year. Recently he has not even been on the bench, with Allardyce putting his absence from the squad down to a groin injury.

Asked whether Morrison has played his last game for West Ham, Allardyce said: "No. Ravel wanted to play some first-team football. He wasn't getting it as much here as he wanted so we've let him go on loan. Our consistent performance and the acquisitions of [Antonio] Nocerino, [Marco] Borriello and [Pablo] Armero have given us a bigger squad and Ravel has found it a little more difficult to get in."

Morrison, who has 18 months left on his contract, was also at the centre of controversy last month, when René Meulensteen, suggested that he favoured a move to Fulham. West Ham were incensed by the then Fulham manager's comments and the Premier League was asked to arbitrate over a tapping-up row. It has yet to make a judgment.

Jacob Steinberg

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Swansea City 0-0 Napoli

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 02:10 PM PST

Europa League: Swansea failed to make their superiority count against Rafa Benítez's Napoli in the first leg at the Liberty

Michael Butler

Swansea 0-0 Napoli | Europa League last 32 first leg match report

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 02:04 PM PST

According to informed sources, the Swansea job is Garry Monk's for the taking if he can prove his worth and the interim manager took a giant step towards it last night in masterminding the team's best performance of the season against highly fancied Napoli, who arrived in Wales as favourites to win the Europa League.

The Swans were superior throughout, their passing and pacey movement a constant delight, but their inability to take even one of a host of chances threatens to cost them dear in the return in Italy next Thursday.

With Premier League survival still not secure, Monk will also be concerned by injuries sustained by Nathan Dyer and Pablo Hernández , his two best players on the night, who must now be doubtful for Sunday's Premier League match away to Liverpool.

Rafael Benítez is still rueing Napoli's elimination from the Champions League at the group stage, where they went out on goal difference after finishing on 12 points – the same as Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal. He deserves a modicum of sympathy, his team having won four of their six matches, beating Marseille twice and Arsenal 2-0.

Napoli's manager and a highly vocal following were relieved to have Gonzalo Higuaín, their principal scorer, fit after a late recovery from ankle trouble. The Argentinian's 12 goals in Serie A since his arrival from Real Madrid have lifted the team to third place in the domestic table and into the Italian Cup Final. They arrived with three successive wins behind them, but a notable absentee from their starting 11 was Goran Pandev, a typical continental No10.

The difference between last night's clubs in terms of tradition was pointed up in nicely self-deprecating fashion by Monk, who said: "We'll draw on our experience from a two-legged game against Colchester in the [2006] Johnstone's Paint Trophy."

Swansea's interim manager omitted Jonathan De Guzmán and Jonjo Shelvey from his starting line-up, possibly with the trip to Liverpool in mind. Jose Cañas and Hernández were preferred here. The tie got away to the most promising of starts, with both teams passing the ball slickly at high pace to create chances at either end.

Napoli were first to strike at goal, with the former Real Madrid player José Callejón shooting inches wide from right to left and their captain, Slovakia's Marek Hamsik, testing Michel Vorm with a shot from 16 yards that the goalkeeper was happy to parry round an upright.

The Swans responded quickly with a well-directed drive from Nathan Dyer which had Rafael Cabral flying to his right to claw the ball out one handed and a screamer from Wilfried Bony that was too close for Italian comfort.

Dyer, putting his pace to good use against Anthony Réveillere, who was playing out of position, supplied an inviting cross from the right, only for the ball to carry tantalisingly over Bony, rising six yards out. France's Réveillere, a veteran at 34, is a right-back who joined Napoli from Olympique Lyon in November. He was clearly uncomfortable on the left and Dyer tormented him throughout.

Bony, the Swans' £12m record signing and leading scorer, should have put them ahead midway through the first half but, released by Hernández's high-class through ball, he took too long over his shot and was dispossessed near the penalty spot by Cabral.

The Welsh team were playing football reminiscent of their best days last season but spurned another gilt-edged opportunity before the interval when, after a corner taken short on the left, Hernández crossed accurately to the far post where Ashley Williams headed weakly over from three yards.

Swansea cranked up the pressure and Hernández, from 25 yards, had Cabral fully extended in saving overhead then Rangel threatened again with a far post header.

The Swans had enjoyed 68% of the possession in the first half, but there was concern at the break that they had failed to translate their clear superiority into a goal or two.

They might have been punished for that on the resumption when Higuaín volleyed over at close range and Callejón bent a shot wide from the 18-yard line.

Swansea would have had the lead after 66 minutes but for the reaction save with which Pepe Reina, who was on for the injured Cabral, repelled Ashley Williams' far post header

It took another top class save by the former Liverpool goalkeeper Reina to deny Wayne Routledge, and Bony should have done better with a misdirected header from six yards. A clean sheet then, but no goals to take to Naples.

Joe Lovejoy

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Dnipro 1-0 Tottenham

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 12:21 PM PST

Tim Sherwood highlighted a disgraceful pitch as a main factor in Tottenham's inability to score in their Europa League defeat at Dnipro.

A late penalty from the Tottenham and Liverpool transfer target Yevhen Konoplyanka settled the first leg of this round-of-32 tie, although both teams were guilty of missing several chances – with the Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado the main culprit. He turned a glorious 55th-minute chance over the bar from close range with Spurs in the ascendancy.

Sherwood, whose side were blocked by Uefa from training on the pitch, questioned the state of the surface after tasting defeat in his first European outing as a manager.

"He would expect to score," Sherwood said of Soldado's chance. "I haven't seen it again but I'm not sure he will be too complimentary about the pitch. I am not using it as an excuse, not for the chance, as both teams played on it but I am sure that it must have played some part in Robbie missing that one. The pitch was a disgrace, it is no excuse as both teams had to play on it but it is possibly the worst pitch I have experienced in a long time."

Konoplyanka's penalty came 10 minutes from time after Jan Vertonghen had brought down the Brazilian striker Matheus but Sherwood is certain his side will play better in the return leg next week. "We will score at the Lane, guaranteed," he said.

The former Tottenham manager Juande Ramos is in charge at Dnipro. "Our target was to score as much as possible, a draw was not for us," he said.

Ramos' evening could have been even better had the Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel not made a number of saves, including keeping out a deflected Konoplyanka free-kick late on.

Roman Zozulya hit a post with a header in injury time but Ramos is happy to be heading to England with a lead of any margin. "We were pretty close to scoring the second goal which would be great help for us in London but still I have nothing but thanks to the players for what they did.

Konoplyanka stepped up and scored with the air of a player with the confidence to move on to bigger and better things, but for now he has given Dnipro a lead to defend.

Dnipro supporters sang the Ukrainian national anthem during the minute's silence before kick-off, with black armbands also sported by both teams to honour those who have lost their lives during the political protests in capital Kiev.

With a national day of mourning also declared for Thursday, many fans stayed away from the Dnipro Arena but those who did make the journey were richly rewarded.

Tottenham's first effort on goal came courtesy of a wayward volley from the boot of Paulinho, who was pushing forward to support lone frontman Soldado as much as possible.

The Brazil international was guilty of losing possession and allowing the hosts to break, with Konoplyanka ghosting past Kyle Naughton before seeing his cross poked wide by Matheus.

Soldado had the best chance of the early exchanges as he glanced Nacer Chadli's cross towards goal, with the Dnipro goalkeeper Denys Boyko equal to the header.

Friedel, deputising in goal with Hugo Lloris not on the trip, was almost caught out as he rushed from his line to clear only to find Ruslan Rotan, who could not lob the American as he made his way back to goal.

Dnipro wasted the best opportunity of the first half as Matheus raced behind the Tottenham backline. He dallied before shooting straight at Friedel.

Rotan forced a better save from Friedel as he arrowed in a low effort which the 42-year-old pushed straight into the path of Roman Zozulya, who lost his footing at the crucial moment.

With the game now at a more frenetic pace, Spurs also created a great chance as Danny Rose's cross fell to Chadli but the winger could not control his dipping drive.

Matheus skipped past a combination of Rose and Étienne Capoue before tumbling in the area, with the referee Antonio Miguel Lahoz not buying the dive but opting against booking the Brazilian. He did award a free-kick right on the edge of the Dnipro area when Matheus' compatriot Paulinho was felled by Ivan Strinic, with Andros Townsend's dipping set piece flying just wide.

Lahoz was involved again on 55 minutes as he deemed Zozulya had dived under pressure from Friedel.

Sherwood introduced Christian Eriksen from the bench shortly after the hour and the Denmark international thought he had made an immediate impact as he finished well only to see an offside flag raised on the far side.


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Dnipro v Tottenham – as it happened | Daniel Harris

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 11:56 AM PST

A late penalty from Yevhen Konoplyanka was enough to beat an understrength Spurs

Daniel Harris

276. Martin Skrtel, Liverpool

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's verdict appears in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

For a chance to win a club shirt of your choice from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt to the value of £50 from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.

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Vince McMahon is coming to England to save football. Maybe

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 10:24 AM PST

The owner of World Wrestling Entertainment is said to be thinking of buying Newcastle United. Great news – the game could do with some of his showmanship

Exciting news from the States now. It has been reported that Vince McMahon, owner of World Wrestling Entertainment – who single-handedly popularised Hulk Hogan, giant foam hands, and whooping topless inside a San Antonio monster truck arena while two middle-aged men in their pants slap each other on the nipples for money – is keen to buy Newcastle United FC. (Admittedly the reports are flimsy and may well be false, but I had the 1992 Royal Rumble on VHS and I want this to be true so I'm going to pretend they're fact.)

What a magnificent fact! Modern football sorely needs more showmanship, and this is absolutely McMahon's wheelhouse. Under his influence, each Newcastle player would probably get their own distinct – albeit boneheaded – theme tune. Matches would grind to a halt after a particularly nasty tackle, so the tackler could be badmouthed by the tacklee, possibly while one of them rips their shirt off. Pitches would be littered with folded-up metal chairs with which, in the event of a dispute, they can knock the referee unconscious. Everyone in the stadium would feel compelled to chant "USA! USA!" over and over. Doesn't that sound brilliant?

I mean it. I want this to happen. I want centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to snatch away the postmatch microphone and whoop incomprehensibly after every match. I want Hatem Ben Arfa to paint his face and wear spiky shoulderpads to games. I want Alan Pardew to stand in the dugout holding an urn and wailing like Paul Bearer.

Vince McMahon, you're the only man who can save football.

Stuart Heritage

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Sergio Agüero hands Manchester City fitness boost for League Cup final

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 09:31 AM PST

• Striker to return to training ahead of Capital One Cup final
• Sidelined since January with hamstring injury

Sergio Agüero is hoping to return to training with Manchester City next week, which could see him back in time for the Capital One Cup final.

The Argentina striker, who has scored 26 goals in 25 appearances for City this season, has been sidelined since the end of January with a hamstring injury.

"Feeling very good about my last week of recovery work," Agüero tweeted. "If I keep it up next week I'll train with the team!"

That would suggest Saturday's Premier League meeting with Stoke is too soon, but Agüero could be fit in time to face Sunderland at Wembley on 2 March.


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Manchester City v Stoke City: Mark Hughes optimistic ahead of Premier League game – video

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes says Saturday's opponents have been 'formidable and outstanding' this season, but still believes his team stands a chance

Football Weekly Extra: Bayern Munich and Barcelona show their class

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:58 AM PST

Dave Farrar completes his residency at Football Weekly Towers – sniff, sniff – and on today's show he's got Rafa Honigstein, Barry Glendenning and Paul MacInnes in the pod to look back on all the action in the Champions League.

We start at the Emirates, where Bayern Munich did one on Arsenal – courtesy of a sending-off – before moving north to the Etihad, where Barcelona did one on Manchester City – also courtesy of a sending-off. Surely neither side will turn it around in the second leg?

Elsewhere in Europe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored another cracker as PSG hammered Bayer Leverkusen, and Atleticó Madrid were lucky to leave San Siro with a win against a dogged Milan. (Rafa will round up all the continental press reaction as he stands in for Jimbo in Friday's paper review.)

Finally, we look ahead the weekend in the Premier League, which features Felix Magath's first outing in charge of Fulham. Should be interesting.

Ben Green
Barry Glendenning
Raphael Honigstein
Paul MacInnes

The Fiver | Öh Mesut! Öh Arsenal! Öh umlauts!

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:52 AM PST

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JOIN THE DOTS

And very quietly, taking great care not to draw any attention to themselves, lest everyone starts pointing and laughing, Arsenal fans everywhere are removing the umlauts from their Twitter profiles and tearing them off the back of their replica shirts and desperately trying to scrub the umlaut tattoos off their special areas. Öh Mesut! Öh Arsenal! Öh umlauts! They were once every tragic poseur's must-have diacritic – you were nothing without those special two dots above every vowel in your Twitter user handle. And now? No one wants to be seen dead with one. People would rather be seen spending two seconds in the company of the Fiver – talking to us, making eye contact, stoically pretending not to notice that smell – than be associated with those two little dots. And that really is saying something.

Mesut Özil, though. The man appears to be on a one-man mission to destroy the very concept of the umlaut. That really was quite the feeble performance from the German in Arsenal's 2-0 Big Cup defeat to Bayern Munich last night. It started with an early penalty that was so tame he might as well have picked up the ball, placed it atop a velvet cushion and then deferentially handed it to Manuel Neuer, before offering to do the Bayern keeper's household chores for free over the next 10 years. And, er, that was it. As soon as the penalty was saved, Özil cleverly eluded the Bayern midfield by letting the Emirates pitch swallow him whole there and then, thereby allowing him to disappear from view for the next 80 minutes. That's the kind of quick-thinking and deceptive movement £42.5m buys. Frankly, he deserved the man-of-the-match award – it was an astonishing achievement from him to avoid being substituted.

Arsène Wenger didn't sound especially pleased with the state of Özil's penalty, although at least it proves his point about buying expensive players – see, he does know. But mostly his ire was directed at Bayern and the referee, Nicola Rizzoli, for sending off Wojciech Szczesny when the Arsenal man brought down Arjen Robben and gave away a penalty. "Our keeper genuinely went for the ball, he touched Robben and he certainly made more of it," Wenger wept. "I told Robben that. He has enough experience to know to make more of it." To be fair, it was easy to understand Wenger's anger. Not only because Arsenal had threatened to overwhelm the European champions before the concession of the penalty and Yaya Sanogo's 15 minutes of fame had caused the hard of thinking to compare him to Didier Drogba. Or that Szczesny is facing an extra Uefa rap for his dignified reaction to his red card. It was more than that – Wenger had also just got off the phone to Weird Uncle Fiver about getting that umlaut tattoo removed from his special area and had been quoted £42.5m for the job. What a world.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It may be an avenue we are forced to explore and adopt" – Hull City vice-chairman Ehab Allam says the club may have to raise season-ticket prices by almost 50% … if they fail in their bid to rebrand the club 'Hull Tigers'.

FIVER LETTERS

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"To the herpetological pedants, ophiological pedants and purported serpentologists cited in today's Fiver: boll [Snip – Fiver Bad Word Ed], boll [Snip – Fiver Bad Word Ed] and boll [Snip! Snip! Snippety-snip! – Fiver Bad Word Ed]. Snakes who use venom can be described as poisonous – it's common English usage and approved by any dictionary you care to look at. Don't believe everything you see on QI, they make up spurious distinctions like that to make Alan Davies look silly" – Robert Strang (and 1,056 others).

"Can I be the 1,057th pugilistic pedant to point out the problem with Sami Hyppia's boxing analogy (yesterday's Bits and Bobs). A boxer may get up after a knockout, but it would be pointless, as he would have already lost. After such a comprehensive beating, said boxer is likely to be confused, delusional and nonsensical (insert your own Manuel Pellegrini/Arsène Wenger joke here)" – Iain Plummer.

"What do you suppose Pellegrini actually meant by '… a big game with two important teams [needing] a referee with more experience' (yesterday's Fiver)? Given that Manchester City's importance on the European stage is limited to a 1970 victory in the Cup Winners' Cup, I suspect the word he was grasping for was 'rich', or possibly 'self-important'" – Simon Gray.

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BITS AND BOBS

Barcelona have been charged with tax fraud over the signing of Neymar.

Uefa will investigate Manuel Pellegrini's post-match commentzzzzz … Meanwhile, Martín Demichelis reckons referee Jonas Eriksson was right to send him off for a foul on Leo Messi. "I don't blame the referee," he anti-Pellegrinied. "It happened all too fast. I have seen the moment again on TV and think 'Why did I have to tackle him and not keep running by his side?'"

Spurs defender Michael Dawson has hit back at former boss Juande Ramos after he said the club had fat players who would eat at McDonald's during his tenure. "It was interesting reading there was a McDonald's around the corner in Chigwell," scoffed Dawson. "I live not far from Chigwell and I am not sure where that McDonald's was."

New Fulham boss Felix Magath has expressed (limited) sympathy for the sacked coaching regime he is replacing. "I was sacked a few times also, I know the situation and I'm sorry for each coach," he trilled. "But we have here a situation where the management waited a long time. I think if you want to change something, you have to do it now."

Everton boss Roberto Martínez has backed new coach Duncan Ferguson to make a big impact at the club. "The players respect him," trembled Martínez.

Former Manchester United No2 Carlos Queiroz insists David Moyes must be given more time to settle into the job. "It's not my old team, it's my team," said Queiroz, neatly passing the buck. "Of course I still care. We'll be there, don't worry, just give us a little bit of time, we'll be there."

And two men have admitted being part of a burglary in which two safes, an iPad and a 42-inch TV were pinched from Fleetwood Town's Highbury Stadium. Benjamin O'Connor and Paul Stafford will now be sentenced alongside Stephen Sumner and Paul Palin, who have already pleaded guilty to burglary.

STILL WANT MORE?

Ewan Murray on Toni Kroos, the modern midfielder Bayern would be crazy to lose.

Paul Campbell on why football should scrap the 'triple punishment' rule over penalties.

James Riach on five things Felix Magath must do to keep Fulham up.

The Sport Network on Newport's run to the last eight of the 1981 Cup Winners' Cup.

Classic YouTube … ah. Well, there's Maradona v the League of Ireland, Danny Baker's Right Hammerings and Attilio Lombardo at Samp in this week's round-up.

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

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RUSSIAN ICE HOCKEY'S VERSION OF ANGRY SHOUTY POINTY ARSENAL FAN IS LESS SHOUTY AND POINTY, BUT AT LEAST AS ANGRY

Jacob Steinberg

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Aston Villa v Newcastle United: Paul Lambert expecting tough game – video

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:41 AM PST

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert says he is not underestimating Newcastle United, his team's opponents in the Premier League on Sunday

Uefa to investigate Manuel Pellegrini's comments about Barça referee

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:36 AM PST

• Manchester City manager facing possible charge
• Pellegrini claimed Swedish official favoured Barcelona

Manuel Pellegrini could face action over his comments following Manchester City's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona after Uefa launched an investigation into his remarks.

Pellegrini strongly criticised the Swedish referee, Jonas Eriksson, and appeared to question his impartiality after a match which turned on the decision to award Barça a penalty and send off the City defender Martín Demichelis in the 54th minute.

"Uefa has mandated a disciplinary inspector to commence an investigation concerning the press interviews given by the Manchester City FC head coach Manuel Luis Pellegrini to media after the above-mentioned match," a Uefa statement said. "Based on the outcome of this investigation, a decision will be taken on whether disciplinary proceedings will be opened."

Pellegrini said after the match: "From the beginning I felt the referee was not impartial to both teams. I think it was not a good idea to put a referee from Sweden in charge of such an important match, especially a referee who has made an important mistake against Barcelona in a previous match.

"[It's] more important football in Europe than Sweden. A big game with two important teams, that kind of game needs a referee with more experience."

Eriksson has been selected by Fifa to referee at the World Cup finals in Brazil this summer, and the world governing body's referees chief has already dismissed Pellegrini's comments. "I read the remarks that were made by the Manchester City manager," said Jim Boyce, a Fifa vice-president from Northern Ireland. "I saw the game and my own personal opinion is that I thought the referee had a good game. He is a very experienced referee who has been chosen for the World Cup because of excellent reports of his performances in Europe."

Demichelis was sent off for a foul on Lionel Messi when the striker was through on goal. Replays suggest the incident was just outside the box, but a penalty was awarded which Messi scored. Barça then grabbed a late, and potentially decisive, second goal late in the game through Dani Alves.

While his manager let rip in the post-match press conference, Demichelis has admitted he cannot blame Eriksson for awarding a penalty. "I tackled him [Messi] because we were still outside the box," the defender told The Sun.

"But I don't blame the referee. It happened all too fast. I have seen the moment again on TV and think 'why did I have to tackle him and not keep running by his side?' I was sure I would get the ball when I made the tackle. And then you think that you will steal the ball from Messi, you realise that you don't. But I made the foul."

City's slim hopes of progression have been further complicated after it was confirmed their FA Cup quarter-final against holders Wigan will kick off at 4pm on Sunday 9 March, only three days before the return leg at the Nou Camp.

Even programme host BT recognises its scheduling is tight for City, stating the game "will fall just days before … the crucial second leg" with the Spanish champions.

However, with interest high in what is a re-run of last year's final – won 1-0 by Wigan – they wanted the match for a prime-time slot.

City's run of cup games next month begins with the Capital One Cup final against Sunderland on Sunday, 2 March.

After their home match with Stoke on Saturday, City do not face another league game for three weeks as their cup commitments kick in.


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David Moyes needs time at Manchester United, says Carlos Queiroz

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 07:36 AM PST

• 'United cannot win title,' says former assistant coach
• Iran manager still calls United 'my team'

Manchester United have no chance of winning the Premier League title but the manager, David Moyes, must be given more time to settle into the job, said the club's former assistant coach Carlos Queiroz.

"It's sure they won't be able to win the title this season but one thing I have no doubt about is that they will still hand out some nightmares and headaches before the end of the campaign," said the former Real Madrid and Portugal coach, who is preparing to take Iran to the World Cup finals in Brazil.

"It's not my old team, it's my team," he said. "I still care. We'll be there, don't worry, just give us a little bit of time we'll be there. David [Moyes] will be fine."

This was one of the most exciting Premier League seasons he had followed. "Chelsea, Arsenal, [Manchester] City have all done very well and made it very interesting," he said.


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Barça on fraud charge over Neymar

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 06:56 AM PST

• Judge charges club with 'infringement against tax authority'
• Spanish champions deny any wrongdoing over transfer

Barcelona have been charged by a Spanish court with committing tax fraud in the signing of the Brazil forward Neymar last year, a court spokesman said on Thursday.

"Judge Pablo Ruz has charged FC Barcelona with an infringement against the tax authority relating to the purchase of the Brazilian player," the spokesman said. Barça denied wrongdoing after local media reported on Wednesday that Spain's public prosecutor had asked Judge Ruz to lay fraud charges against the club.

"The club's actions have, at all times, regarding that operation [to sign Neymar] and in line with the available information, been fully compliant with existing law," Barça said in a statement. The Spanish champions added they would be sending legal representatives to court "in the coming days" to defend their rights and interests. "At the same time [Barça] states its complete availability to collaborate with the justice authorities in this process, as it has been doing from the first moment, or in any other that might require its intervention."

Neymar's high-profile move from Santos in the close season is also being investigated for possible misappropriation of funds following a complaint from a Barça member.

Sandro Rosell, who was named in the lawsuit but denies wrongdoing, stepped down as president last month. He said he wanted to protect the club's image and alleged he and his family had been threatened. Rosell was replaced by his deputy Josep Bartomeu who said Neymar cost Barca €86.2m, including payments to the player and his family, and not €57.1m as they originally said.

Barça initially refused to reveal all the details of the deal, citing a confidentiality agreement with Neymar's family, but Bartomeu announced that Neymar's father had given them permission to go public.

Neymar, meanwhile, has attacked his former club over the transfer and spoken out in support of his father, insisting he had the right to make millions from his transfer. A company owned by Neymar Jr received €40m when the Brazilian moved from Santos, whose share was only €17.1m, prompting the club's fans and officials to question the deal.

Santos asked a court to let them see the Neymar family's contract with Barcelona with a view to seeking a bigger cut of the transfer fee. The club lost their case and are now threatening to ask a Spanish judge to order Neymar and Barcelona to hand over the contract.

The 22-year-old Neymar, in a short and angry attack on his official Instagram page, protested his father's innocence and hit out at Santos's current and former presidents. "I am sick and tired of this … I've had enough of all this talk," Neymar Jr wrote. "I am a fan of my dad for having put me where I am, and if he makes millions from that, what's the big deal? He worked for it, it didn't just fall in his lap."

He added: "Enough is enough. Sorry, Santos fans, but my love for the club won't change because of 'one or two people'."

Santos president Odilio Rodrigues had criticised Neymar Sr earlier this week, calling the deal he did with Barcelona "unacceptable". "There was as an ethical error," he said, in reference to Neymar Sr's companies. Neymar's father, in a statement on his son's website on Thursday, said he held no grudge against Santos – the club Neymar supported as a child – but he questioned their conduct.

"We could start deliberately blaming everyone else," he wrote. "We hear lots of things and we don't really know what's going on. It seems to me to be opportunism or maybe internal [club] politics."


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Everton's Roberto Martínez aiming for top four finish – video

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 06:53 AM PST

Everton manager Roberto Martínez says his team are hoping to earn enough points to finish in the top four by the end of the season

Mesut Özil says sorry for Arsenal defeat to Bayern Munich

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 06:35 AM PST

• German playmaker writes apology on Facebook page
• 'The next morning doesn't feel better either'

Mesut Özil has apologised to fans after Arsenal's defeat to Bayern Munich in Wednesday night's 2-0 Champions League last-16 defeat.

The German midfielder missed a crucial first-half penalty when the score was 0-0 and faded badly thereafter.

"The next morning doesn't feel better either. Sorry guys – it wasn't planned that way," he wrote on his official Facebook page. "Outnumbered it was really hard to win against this team."

Özil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in a £43m deal in the summer but has been off form recently. The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, admitted after the game that his confidence suffered following the penalty miss.

"I think it affected Mesut. He was still shaking his head five or 10 minutes after that," said Wenger. "It had a huge impact on his performance. Confidence is your petrol in the team – it gives you the desire to play."


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Felix Magath insists he can save Fulham from relegation

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:58 AM PST

• New manager faces West Brom in first game on Saturday
• 'We have a good atmosphere when we all work together'
• Five things he must do to beat the drop

The new Fulham manager, Felix Magath, is sure the Cottagers will avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The German – a Bundesliga winner with Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg – replaced René Meulensteen last week with the remit of lifting Fulham out of the bottom three with only 12 league games remaining.

Fulham are four points shy of 17th place and safety as they prepare to face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but Magath is optimistic they can secure their top-flight future through hard work.

He told Sky Sports News: "In the next months we will have a lot of work to avoid relegation, but in the first days here the work we've achieved has been very good.

"I'm sure we will avoid relegation with this team as the players are willing to avoid relegation.

"We have a good atmosphere at the club when we all work together. We are able to avoid relegation and that's now the most important thing.

"Now we have to concentrate on the next 12 games, especially on the game on Saturday against West Brom."


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Toni Kroos in control with Bayern

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST

The German who dominated Arsenal would not be short of suitors if the European champions fail to make him feel wanted

Pep Guardiola will have his own cause to be perfectly relaxed about the future of Toni Kroos. Bayern Munich are, after all, the reigning champions of both their country and Europe. There seems little obvious motivation for a player, let alone a German one who features regularly, to leave. Guardiola himself, let alone the club, would be a star attraction for any player should Kroos need to be replaced.

"He is an important player," Guardiola said, "but it can go fast in football. Here today, there tomorrow."

To be precise, Kroos is being lauded once again all over Europe. During his imperious display against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the 24-year-old completed more passes than the entire opposition midfield. Such accuracy from Kroos is the norm as opposed to any kind of novelty.

Speculation over his future has not been lost on Kroos. "One week I'm replaceable, now I'm the hero," he said after Wednesday's 2-0 win. "All of that doesn't interest me. I'm just trying to help the team."

Michael Ballack, who knows a thing or two about effective midfield play, led the plaudits. There was irony attached to that: five years ago, Franz Beckenbauer predicted that Kroos "could be the next Michael Ballack".

Kroos personified everything that was good about Bayern's latest win in London. Guardiola's men controlled the midfield, with Kroos at the heart. In a wider context, Kroos sets an example as to how midfielders should play.

Kroos's clever, lofted pass found Arjen Robben in the lead up to the Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's red card. Kroos also opened the scoring, with a wonderful curling finish which displayed a level of technical ability not common even among professional players.

It would be highly unfortunate if debate over Szczesny's dismissal and the struggles of Mesut Özil overshadowed the fact that Bayern, and particularly Kroos, were so superior. Even, that is, with the European champions short of their collective best.

Kroos has reason to be driven on by past heartache. He formed part of the Bayern team who lost on penalties to Chelsea in the Champions League final of May 2012.

He missed Bayern's subsequent Champions League triumph over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley after suffering an injury last April. Until that point, Kroos had become a midfield regular for both his club and national side. Despite his tender years, Kroos already has 41 caps in a Germany side who are hardly short on options.

And yet earlier, as perhaps now, Kroos's Bayern prospects hung in the balance. He had burst on to the scene as a 17-year-old which, at the time, made him the youngest player to turn out for Bayern in a first-team game.

In January 2009 Kroos was sent for an 18-month loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen in what offered a subtle hint that his rapid progress had stalled.

Upon his return to Bayern, Kroos performed a bit-part rather than prominent role but his break arrived with the appointment of Jupp Heynckes as manager in 2011. Heynckes, beginning a second permanent spell as the manager in Munich, had been Kroos's coach at Leverkusen.

The rest tells the story of a highly successful recent history, that injury aside, yet there is intrigue over what Kroos will do next. His contract is set to expire next summer with Guardiola's public indifference over that issue, and reports in Germany which claim the player's agents regard extension terms as unacceptable, triggering rumour.

The sighting of the Manchester United manager, David Moyes, alongside a key figure at Kroos's management agency company when Bayern took on Borussia Mönchengladbach in January merely added fuel to this particular fire. There is no question that Kroos is the kind of player, or rather one of them, that Moyes could utilise when rebuilding United.

The trouble for Moyes, and the other clubs sending admiring glances the way of Kroos, is that he would have to feel seriously under-appreciated before deciding upon a fresh challenge. When performing with the distinction he showed against Arsenal, Bayern will surely do everything within their power to avert that scenario.

Ewan Murray

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Felix Magath: five things he must do to save Fulham from relegation

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 05:24 AM PST

Fulham's third manager this season has his work cut out if he is going to lift them off the bottom of the Premier League

1 Improve the defence

Fulham opted to strengthen and revitalise their squad in January but decided to focus on midfield and attack rather than bolster the back line. It seemed a strange decision from the outset, given that they have conceded 58 goals in 26 Premier League matches so far this season, by far the worst in the division, with an alarming goal difference of -32. Brede Hangeland's absence through injury was a major hindrance and much now depends on Magath working with the Norwegian and the new signing John Heitinga on the training ground to form a solid central partnership. Dan Burn has shown promise but lacks the experience for a relegation battle, while the midfield needs to give greater protection to the back four.

2 Get the best out of Lewis Holtby

While defence is a priority, quality in midfield is also paramount. Holtby has that in abundance and was simply described as "class" by René Meulensteen after the German's arrival from Tottenham in January, on loan for the remainder of the campaign. However, Holtby's relationship with Magath has never flourished. The midfielder was sent out on loan twice during his time at Schalke under Magath. Holtby, who has had four club managers this season, recently said: "I don't have any fear. I have grown as a player and my time under Magath is already almost five years away. We are both in Fulham to reach one goal and that is staying up."

3 Get the crowd on side

Meulensteen was critical of Fulham supporters after the team's home defeat by Sheffield United in the fourth round of the FA Cup, urging them to back the team instead of getting on the players' backs. In fairness to the Craven Cottage crowd, they had just witnessed an absolutely diabolical game of football and had seen their team crash out of the Cup to League One opponents. However, their role will be vital between now and the end of the season. Craven Cottage has never exactly been a fortress of a stadium, but it is tightly packed and Magath will need vociferous backing between now and May. If he can get the team winning that would be a start, given that supporters have had to endure some extremely poor performances under Martin Jol and Meulensteen. But equally, the crowd need to play their part.

4 Get Kostas Mitroglou firing

The Greek striker cut a forlorn figure during the defeat by Sheffield United, watching in the stands wrapped up in a shawl as the rain lashed off the Thames. One wonders what he must have thought as Hugo Rodallega wept on the bench, having been booed off, but either way the £12m deadline-day signing from Olympiakos must find form immediately to steer Fulham clear of the bottom three. He is set to make his first-team debut against West Brom on Saturday, having impressed in the under-21s, and will need to hit the ground running.

5 Have autonomy over first-team affairs

Magath is renowned as a strict disciplinarian and a stickler for detail. After a period at Fulham when it has appeared that too many cooks are spoiling the first-team broth, the German should have free rein over his squad. Alan Curbishley was brought in as technical director by the club's chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, over Christmas, and although Meulensteen insisted the pair's working relationship was cordial, there remained constant speculation that the former Charlton manager was being lined up for the post full time. There were also reports questioning Ray Wilkins' suitability as assistant manager. All three have departed and Magath has brought in his own men, which will surely help.

James Riach

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Why football should scrap the 'triple punishment' rule over penalties

Posted: 20 Feb 2014 04:52 AM PST

Manchester City and Arsenal had to defend penalties with 10 men after their players mistimed tackles in the box. Isn't punishing a foul with a penalty, a red card and a suspension too harsh?

Paul Campbell

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