Friday, 7 February 2014

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Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Newcastle reserve team boss quits after 'striking' player

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

• Willie Donachie stood down for 'disciplinary reasons'
• Allegedly hit 19-year-old defender Remi Streete

Joe Kinnear may have exited stage left but the impression of Newcastle United as a club in chaos was reinforced on Thursday. Willie Donachie, their reserve team manager, quit hours after he had been suspended for "disciplinary reasons" after he allegedly hit one of his players following the Under-21 side's 2-0 defeat at Sunderland on Monday night.

The 62-year-old former Manchester City and Scotland full-back had been told to stay away from the training ground while Newcastle conducted a thorough investigation into the events at the Stadium of Light.

Donachie was furious at a performance which came 48 hours after Newcastle's first team had lost 3-0 at home to Sunderland and at a time when Mike Ashley, the club's owner, has made it clear he expects youngsters to start graduating into Alan Pardew's senior side from the junior ranks.

Angry dressing-room exchanges are understood to have ensued, eventually leading to a fight during which Donachie is alleged to have struck Remie Streete, a 19-year-old defender, who had conceded a penalty.

When a complaint was made to Newcastle's hierarchy, Streete had a meeting with Pardew. Donachie was then suspended and an investigation opened, swiftly followed by his resignation.

Rated highly by many people inside St James' Park, he arrived at Newcastle in 2009 as assistant academy director before being placed in charge of the development squad – the modern name for the reserves – a year later.

Unlike Donachie, Kinnear lacked allies on Tyneside but Pardew has claimed he was "sad" to see the former Wimbledon and Newcastle manager leave St James' Park this week.

Although Newcastle's manager never wanted Kinnear appointed as the club's director of football last June, frequently found working with him frustrating and has not spoken to him since his departure, Pardew straight-batted questions about his ousting.

"I'm just said to see anybody lose their job, as Joe has," he said. "He did a lot of good work here. But that decision was the board's decision. I was surprised that the decision was made at that time but it was not my decision. I have not spoken to him since but I'm sure I will do."

Kinnear's failure to make a single permanent signing during two transfer windows, allied to his non-replacement of Yohan Cabaye – Newcastle's best midfielder who joined Paris St Germain for £20m deal last week – has hardly strengthened Pardew's position.

"It has always been tough and I have never hidden from that," conceded the manager, who watched four security stewards wrestle an angry fan away from him as his side were sunk by Sunderland.

"I will never hide from the fans, even that fan who ran on to the pitch and ran towards me, I was not going to hide from him or run away from him. I will face it as it comes because I think it is a job where you have to be purposeful and you have to stay strong.

"It's very difficult to win trophies at this football club and therefore a lot of the time you are dealing with bad news and losing players but you have to keep your focus on what is important and the most important part of my job is winning first team games. You have to forget everything else."

Newcatle's manager - whose eighth placed side travel to Chelsea on Saturday/tomorrow without the injured Cheik Tiote, Yoan Gouffran and Fabricio Coloccini - again stressed that reinforcing his squad in the summer is imperative before suggesting he would be happy to work with a dirctor of football again.

"That decision is the board's, but I have no problem with directors of football," he said. "In the modern game, a lot of clubs have them. There is so much involved in transfers in terms of the other club, agents, the preparation for the bid and the finances now that it goes way past what we used to do 10 years ago. I'm old enough now to have been in at a time when I was involved in the financial part of a transfer. But that part of it has gone from managers and has gone from me. That's probably that's how it should be."

Indeed the suspicion is that Pardew would welcome having an accomplished deal maker by his side. "We had a list of player targets for this window which we'll work to in the summer when recruitment will be very important," he said. "We need to make some changes, there's quite a bit of work to do. We know we've lost our best player but, hopefully, we can bring in three or four new players. Let's hope so because this club deserves it. There's money available and I'm sure we'll use it."

In the interim Pardew must experiment with Newcastle's playing system. "We've got no one like Cabaye now so we cannot be the team we were in the first half of the season," he cautioned. "We do have to change our style a little bit and find a way that can work for us."

Louise Taylor

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West Ham seek legal action over ban

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 12:14 PM PST

• Carroll was sent off for violent conduct against Swansea
• Independent panel threw out appeal on Tuesday

West Ham have confirmed they are seeking "legal redress" over the decision not to overturn Andy Carroll's three-match ban for a red card received against Swansea City, with their co-owner David Gold claiming the club have no other option.

Carroll, who will miss Saturday's Premier League match against Aston Villa and further fixtures against Norwich City and Southampton, was sent off by Howard Webb for violent conduct after an incident involving Swansea's Chico Flores, but an independent regulatory commission threw out the striker's appeal against the suspension on Tuesday.

West Ham are understood to have written a letter to the Football Association with their grievances and Gold admitted that they would be taking legal action, which if pursued could potentially result in a challenge through the court of arbitration for sport. The FA remains confident that the correct procedures were applied but would not comment on Thursday night.

Gold said: "There is nowhere to go other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal – the last thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue.

"But we are fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premiership status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves. We are a club that understands there are rules and we abide by them. But you have every commentator and 80% of the media saying it wasn't a sending-off.

"Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation afterwards and says he stands by his judgment and when it goes to appeal and three guys stand by Howard Webb you feel: 'How can this be right.' We are upset, we feel we have been badly treated. We are hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process."

Flores, who was caught by Carroll's flailing arm during West Ham's 2-0 win, took to Twitter on Wednesday night to criticise the Hammers' style of play and claimed there was "aggression" in the challenge. However, Gold is adamant that Webb's decision was incorrect and that the loss of Carroll for three matches could prove critical in West Ham's attempt to avoid relegation, with the club entrenched in the bottom three.

"You can see the impact he has on our football club," said Gold. " I feel sorry for him as well – he was absolutely mortified. He was shrugging the guy off; OK, he has messed his hair up but I don't think you should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up."

The possibility of taking the matter to the high court has been suggested, although all Premier League clubs agreed on the disciplinary appeal process – which is presided over by a three-man FA panel – at the beginning of the campaign.

"Most judgments are not made by three people, they are made by 12 – that's why they are called juries," said Gold. "I believe if you had gone to the FA Council and asked the 100 members, 75% would have said it was not a sending-off, but if you just take three people it may not be representative."

James Riach

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274. Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 12:00 PM 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.

For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.


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Fernandinho faces Barça fitness fight

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:31 AM PST

• Midfielder expects to get over thigh strain in 15 days or less
• City given go-ahead to enlarge Etihad Stadium by 14,500 seats

The Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho expects to return to action in 15 days after straining a muscle, putting him in doubt for the first leg of his side's Champions League last-16 game against Barcelona.

Initial reports suggested the Brazilian could be out for a month, but the 28-year-old said he should recover in half that time. "Good afternoon, I would like to tell you about my injury and quell rumors. I return to play in 15 days or less," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

The £30m purchase from the Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk is a key component of Manchester City's midfield this season. He missed the 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea and his injury forced the manager, Manuel Pellegrini, to play the defender Martín Demichelis against their title rivals.

Fernandinho's absence was keenly felt by City – "Massively missed against Chelsea," tweeted the club's defender Micah Richards in response to the Brazilian's update on his condition – and he will miss Saturday's trip to Norwich City, the midweek match against Sunderland and the FA Cup fifth-round clash with Chelsea next Saturday. He is also a doubt for the first leg of City's Champions League tie against Barcelona on 18 February.

City, meanwhile, have been given the go-ahead for a huge extension to the Etihad Stadium, taking its capacity from 47,620 to 62,170. The council's planning committee has approved the request to add 6,250 seats at both ends of the ground, as well as 2,000 seats around the pitch.

The Manchester Evening News reports that a decision will be made on 13 February and it could leave the city with the Premier League's two biggest grounds: Manchester United's Old Trafford holds 75,000.

The plan states: "The expansion of the stadium will provide enhanced facilities which will help to create a stadium of national and international profile, improve the visitor experience [and] the appearance of the south and north stands, and create a more prominent landmark feature at the centre of the Etihad Campus and east Manchester.

"The proposal will create job opportunities, some of which will be available for local residents and business, during the construction and operation of the expanded stadium."


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Liverpool confident their miserable Anfield run against Arsenal will end

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:28 AM PST

Without a home league victory in seven years over Arsenal, Brendan Rodgers feels his side can defeat leaders on Saturday

It is almost seven years since Liverpool last defeated Arsenal in the Premier League at Anfield and six since their last home win over Arsène Wenger's side in any competition, the 2008 Champions League quarter-final second leg when Liverpool, Arsenal then Liverpool looked set for the semi-finals in the space of six unforgettable closing minutes. There was an expectancy about Rafael Benítez's team that night that Liverpool have struggled to recreate since. Not any more, according to Brendan Rodgers.

Recapturing those European nights via qualification for the Champions League is the Liverpool manager's main goal for this campaign but, as he admitted on Thursday, it has taken a mentality change to keep his team in contention. At this stage last season Liverpool were seventh in the table on 35 points, seven points off fourth place and 24 points behind the leaders Manchester United. They stand fourth with 47 points now (eight points behind Arsenal) and against Arsenal on Saturday they can record an 11th win in 13 league matches at Anfield this season – a feat last accomplished by the title-winning team of John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge in 1987-88.

"I think the big change for us is that we expect to win now," said Rodgers. "We're confident going into every game. When I first came in the pressure to win was difficult for us. We expect it because of the name of the club and the size of the club but we were never that confident to consistently do it. But now, because of the level and consistency of our work, we go into every game expecting to win, and never more so than at Anfield. We see that belief and expectancy to win in our results. We'll always respect every opponent and none more so than the leaders. But we'll come into the game looking to perform and win."

Liverpool's recent overall record against Arsenal in the Premier League is one win, seven draws and five defeats in 13 meetings, with Wenger's team coming from behind to earn a result in five of the last six games at Anfield. Rodgers insists his team have consistently risen to the occasion at home this season, as Everton discovered to their cost last time out, and believes Saturday can provide a benchmark for Liverpool's development.

"There's only 14 more games to go and every single game is critical and every team will look at the rivals and look if they can take points off them," he added. "We know that if we win the game we go to 50 points, five behind Arsenal and three behind the others. So for us it's a big game. We go into it as we normally do – to concentrate on our performance level. If we do that the result takes care of itself.

"The players have done that throughout this season. Maybe people weren't expecting us to be where we are at this stage of the season with the development of the team but we've certainly showed consistently over a year now that we're progressing. These games are the opportunities which allow you to make even more of a statement. It's a difficult game, we know that, but we go into it with big confidence allied with the support at Anfield. The atmosphere at the Everton game was incredible."

Liverpool excelled in the Merseyside derby only to drop points either side of the 4-0 defeat of Everton with draws against Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. Rodgers said: "The first half against Villa, I took the blame for that. I think last week [against Albion] there was a number of reasons for the performance but we still looked like we could get the result. You can't play perfect football. We had a brilliant result against Everton and performed. That's sometimes how it goes for you. All you can do is come back and prepare for a game like this.

"Arsenal are top of the pack and we are chasing. We've been brilliant at home and our performance level over the majority of the games has been outstanding. I feel the bigger the games are, the better we've played – against Tottenham, Everton, Manchester United. Funnily enough, at the Emirates we weren't at our best [losing 2-0] and Arsenal were the better team. But we have confidence and belief that we will get a result, especially at home."

While none of his injured players will be available, Rodgers is optimistic that the defenders Daniel Agger (calf) and Glen Johnson (ankle) will return soon. "Daniel Agger hopefully will be back next week at some stage but [Mamadou] Sakho will be out for a little bit," he said. "Glen Johnson is making a great recovery and there might be a point towards the end of next week [when he returns]."

Andy Hunter

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Monk says he is right for Swansea

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 09:51 AM PST

• Manager had 'no inkling' of offer to replace Michael Laudrup
• Monk: 'I know everything about the club and the players'

Garry Monk said he was "shocked" to be offered the chance to take over as the head coach of Swansea City but the central defender believes that, in the circumstances, he is the ideal candidate to replace Michael Laudrup because of his intimate knowledge of the club.

Monk, who has captained Swansea in all four divisions, was given the job for the "foreseeable future", starting with the visit of Cardiff City in the south Wales derby on Saturday. "I had no inkling of this coming about. I was shocked to be offered the job," Monk said, speaking at his first press conference since he was appointed.

"I have chatted to the chairman and the directors about coaching and management and they told me to always be ready. I always look at games and tactics and think from a coaching point of view.

"I know everything about the club and everything about the players. I was probably the best person to take it on in this situation. You need somebody who cares about the club and the players. I have that and Alan Curtis [the former Swansea player who will step up to the role of assistant from first-team coach] has that.

"It will be great to manage this club – one of the proudest things I've ever done. It's hard to put this into words but it's not about me. I will do my best for this club, whatever I do, even if it's cleaning the toilets."

There will be no problems with Chico Flores, the central defender with whom Monk had a bust-up on the training ground last month. "Chico will be in the squad," he said. "We have zero problems whatsoever. We have had a fantastic relationship and we've had a laugh about what's going on."

Monk also has no intention of trying to combine playing with managing. "I'm not a player-manager. You can't prepare a team properly if you are in it. It would be nice if I have played my last game because that will mean I have done well as a manager."

The stakes could hardly be higher for his first match, given that their derby rivals Cardiff are only three points behind. "It doesn't come much harder than having a derby first," Monk said. "I don't want to talk about or think about relegation. We are in a good position and we need to push on. That's all we've said this week.

"I've not had much sleep but I'm trying to get the team ready for a really big game. I've been in this situation before as a player [when the manager leaves] and we know how to deal with it and move on. I am using those experiences to convey to the boys and the staff."

Stuart James

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Laudrup, Kinnear, Beckham and more

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 09:04 AM PST

On this week's Football Weekly Extra, AC Jimbo is joined by Barry Glendenning, Iain Macintosh and Paul Doyle to look ahead to a cracking weekend in the Premier League.

We start with the South Wales derby, where Cardiff are looking to complete the double over the near-neighbours Swansea, who've only gone and sacked their manager Michael Laudrup in the build-up!

That sacking knocked Joe Kinnear's departure from Newcastle off the back pages. Will the Magpies bounce back from the loss of their director of football and recover to overcome a Chelsea side that proved Manchester City are anything but unbeatable.

After balking at David Beckham's decision to own an MLS franchise in Miaimi, we turn our attention to Europe, not least the Eredivisie, which, as our friend Michiel Jongsma tells us, is home to the tightest title race in Europe.

Philippe Auclair and Michael Cox are with us on Monday, and if you can't wait that long, check out Jimbo's paper review on Friday, and be sure to sign up to our brand new World Cup Fiver email.

James Richardson
Ben Green
Paul Doyle
Barry Glendenning

The Fiver | Schtick like a Toby jug that has discovered the power of speech | Barry Glendenning

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:31 AM PST

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

ADRIAN CHILES'S FISTFUL OF FIVERS

Despite, or perhaps because of his everyman schtick and regional accent, ITV broadcaster and professional West Brom fan Adrian Chiles seems to divide opinion like few other people in football broadcasting, with the possible exception of … pretty much everyone the Fiver can think of in football broadcasting, except maybe Ed Chamberlin and Gary Neville, who everyone seems to like. Working man's club comedian Stewart Lee once described the experience of watching Chiles on TV as "like being stuck in the buffet car of a slow-moving train with a Toby jug that has miraculously discovered the power of speech". He then embarked on one of his trademark 10-minute pauses and added: "A talking Toby jug full of steaming hot p!ss".

Now as funny as that description is, the Fiver has always thought Chiles to be a fairly personable and inoffensive fellow and is a great admirer of his ability to get that squiggly vein in Roy Keane's temple throbbing furiously with his overly chummy line of "banter" when the pair are standing side by side fronting a football match on TV. Indeed, so permanently irritated does the pundit and Republic O'Ireland cone putter-outer seem to be with the Chiles schtick at times, that he manages to convey the impression that he'd rather be stuck in a stationary hotel room in Saipan with two Toby jugs that have miraculously discovered the power of speech and are now shouting each other down in a bid to see which one can do the best impersonation of Michael Caine.

Today, however, it emerged that Chiles has got himself in a spot of bother. During the extra-time interval of the FA Cup snoozefest between Fulham and Sheffield United on Tuesday night, the ITV anchor told any viewers that hadn't fallen asleep to write him a letter and he'd send them £5. The viewers in question called his bluff, duly obliged and now, assuming no unscrupulous bandwagon-jumpers engage in outright fraud, Chiles may have to pay out as much as .… £12 (eh? – Fiver Maths Ed) or £30.

"I'm currently watching Fulham v Sheffield United on ITV4," wrote viewer Peter Hyam in an email to ITV. "It's an awful game. Possibly the worst I've ever seen. But I'm still persisting. At half time in extra-time Adrian Chiles said 'if you're still watching, write in and we'll send you a fiver each'. This is obviously a stupid thing for any presenter to say – and I doubt it was on the cue cards. However, I'd like my fiver please. If not then I shall formally complain about your dreadful presenter lying to the one viewer. I'd prefer it in cash or cheque … Alternatively a signed photo of Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield would do." Hyam's correspondence was one of numerous requests for the dosh on offer, although the Fiver's going to go out on a limb and guess not all were as good-humoured. Or creepy. The Fiver's email, for example, was characteristically humour-free and made no mention of Gordon the Gopher's old friend Pip.

SIGN UP TO O FIVERÃO

We couldn't stretch the budget to Hatchet Man, but hey … the World Cup Fiver, our all-new free weekly email delivered to your inbox every Thursday caipirinha-time, featuring the latest news, intrigue, analysis and blunders from the 32 competing nations. Here's the first edition and sign up to receive it here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I would beat [Usain] Bolt with the ball at my feet" – perhaps Gervinho spent too much time with Nicklas Bendtner at Arsenal, or maybe the Rome water does wonders for self confidence.

FIVER LETTERS

"Following that latest Adrian Chiles furore, I thought it worth pointing out you still owe me a tenner. I haven't forgotten" – Michael Hunt.

"Fond though I am of Michael Hann's unique brand of misanthropy, and keen to keep abreast of any sub-regional analysis of Wetherspoon's breakfast prices (yesterday's Fiver letters), I should point out that the Big Paper Music Ed has made something of a mistake. Windsor has a fairly economically polarised population and, as such, has two establishments under the JDW banner. The one at which Mr Hann ate was not a Wetherspoon's per se, but a Lloyd's Number One bar (essentially just a premium option) and he will surely be grateful to know that an 'ordinary' Wetherspoon's, with prices identical to the one in Doncaster, exists just a stone's throw down the hill from the castle. I don't work for JDW, but just have a first-hand and fairly exhaustive knowledge of Windsor's finest (and not so finest) breakfast establishments" – Tom Johnson.

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

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BITS AND BOBS

Michael Laudrup plans to get litigious after revealing that he wasn't told why he was ushered out of the Swansea exit door. "The club has informed me that I cannot visit the training ground to say my farewells," sobbed the Dane. "I am, of course, taking legal advice."

Manchester City have been given the go-ahead to squeeze 15,000 more bums into Etihad Stadium seats.

Arsène Wenger insists he has no regrets over the failure to sign Liverpool's Luis Suárez. "You have sometimes regrets when a player played for you, and scores goals or does well somewhere else [but] he was never our player," boo-hooed Wenger.

And Alan Pardew isn't happy to see Joe Kinnear leave Newcastle. No, really. "I'm just sad to see anybody lose their job, as Joe has. He did a lot of good work here," he parped.

STILL WANT MORE?

A profound footballing odyssey? No, it's not Neil Redfearn's life story, it's the heartwarming tale of Nick Pugliese's search for a club that took him from New York to Kabul, as told by Amy Lawrence.

A Belarus belter, Telford V Manchester United and Gazza v The Shamen, feature in this week's Classic YouTube.

A gallery of footballers playing Subbuteo. What's not to like?

Unlike the Fiver, the Homeless FA is doing great things in football. Nick Miller tells you why.

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POSITIVELY MONKIAN

Barry Glendenning

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Liverpool v Arsenal: why recent history suggests the Reds should worry

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:18 AM PST

In the last 13 league meetings between the sides Liverpool have won only once and have not beaten Arsène Wenger's side at Anfield in six attempts

Since the start of the 2007-08 season, when the Premiership was renamed the Premier League, Liverpool's fortunes against Arsenal have taken a dramatic turn for the worst. In this period there has been seven draws between the sides, five wins for Arsenal and just a solitary league victory for Liverpool. But most worryingly of all for Brendan Rodgers is that Liverpool have not beaten Arsene Wenger's side at Anfield in six attempts.

Sunday 2 Sep 2012: Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal

A goal in each half from summer signings Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla gave Arsenal the kickstart their season needed having recorded back-to-back goalless draws in their first two games of the season. It condemned Liverpool to their worst start to a season in 50 years.

Saturday 3 March 2012: Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal

A Robin van Persie double, including a volley deep into stoppage time, secured all three points for the Gunners and sent Liverpool to their first defeat of the season at Anfield. Liverpool were left 10 points behind the top four with their Champions League aspirations in tatters.

Sunday 15 Aug 2010: Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal

Pepe Reina's horrendous gaffe hands Arsenal a point denying Roy Hodgson his first win as Liverpool manager in the process. It looked as though Liverpool had done enough for a point following Joe Cole's red card for a lunge in first-half stoppage time but it was not to be.

Sunday 13 Dec 2009: Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal

Both sides went into the match knowing that Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all dropped points less than 24 hours previously. But it was Arsenal who took full advantage as their spirited second-half comeback earned them all three points at Anfield.

Tuesday 21 April 2009: Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal

Liverpool surged to the top of the Premier League after an eight-goal thriller on Merseyside, seven of which came in an explosive second half. Arsenal thought they had stolen all three points as Andrey Arshavin scored his fourth of the game in second-half injury time, but Yossi Benayoun had other ideas and secured Liverpool a point with just seconds to go.

Sunday 28 Oct 2007: Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal

The Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fábregas toe-poked a late equaliser to ensure that his side regained top spot. An early Steven Gerrard strike had put Liverpool in the ascendancy but Fábregas's late goal meant that both sides had to settle for a point to continue the season unbeaten.


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David Beckham's MLS team still has Miami stadium problems to overcome

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:16 AM PST

Beckham's announcement of a Miami MLS franchise is the start of a long road in a city that has suffered stadium financing nightmares

Graham Parker

Alan Pardew 'sad' to see Joe Kinnear leave Newcastle United

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 06:46 AM PST

• 'I'm just sad to see anybody lose their job, as Joe has'
• Pardew remains happy to work with director of football in future

Alan Pardew said he was "sad" to see Joe Kinnear leave St James' Park earlier this week.

Although Newcastle United's manager never wanted Kinnear to be made the club's director of football last June and frequently found working with him frustrating, Pardew kept a straight face as he straight-batted questions about his ousting.

"I'm just sad to see anybody lose their job, as Joe has," he said. "He did a lot of good work here. But that decision was the board's decision."

Kinnear's failure to make a single permanent signing during two transfers windows, allied to his failure to replace Yohan Cabaye – Newcastle's best midfielder who left for Paris Saint-Germain in a £20m deal last week – has hardly strengthened Pardew's position.

Newcastle's manager – whose side travel to Chelsea on Saturday hoping to recover from Saturday's 3-0 defeat at home to Sunderland but without the injured Cheik Tioté and Fabricio Coloccini – again stressed that reinforcements in the summer were imperative before suggesting that he would be happy to work with a director of football in the future.

"That decision is the board's, but I have no problem with directors of football," he said. "In the modern game, a lot of clubs have directors of football.

"There is so much involved in transfers in terms of the other club, agents, the preparation for the bid and the finances that are involved now that it goes way past what we used to do 10 years ago. I'm old enough now to have been in at a time when I was involved in the financial part of a transfer.

"But that part of it has gone from managers and has gone from me, I would say, for the last six or seven years for sure, and probably that's how it should be."

Meanwhile, Newcastle have suspended their reserve-team manager Willie Donachie for disciplinary reasons. Donachie is alleged to have hit Remie Streete, a 19-year-old Newcastle defender, following the second string's 2-0 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light earlier this week.

Louise Taylor

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Manchester City given go-ahead to increase capacity to 62,000

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 06:44 AM PST

• Final decision will be made on 13 February
• Manchester to have league's two biggest grounds

Manchester City have been given the go-ahead for a huge extension to the Etihad Stadium, taking its capacity from 47,620 to 62,170.

The council's planning committee has approved the plan to add an extra 6,250 seats at both ends of the ground, as well as a further 2,000 seats around the pitch.

The Manchester Evening News reports that a decision will be made at a meeting on 13 February, which could mean the city will have the Premier League's two biggest grounds, Manchester United's Old Trafford currently holding 75,000.

The plan states: "The expansion of the stadium will provide enhanced facilities which will help to create a stadium of national and international profile and improve the visitor experience. The appearance of the south and north stands and create a more prominent landmark feature at the centre of the Etihad Campus and East Manchester.

"The proposal will create job opportunities, some of which will be available for local residents and business, during the construction and operation of the expanded stadium."


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Manchester United's return to Old Trafford after Munich disaster - a picture from the past

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 05:54 AM PST

On 6 February 1958, seven Manchester United players were killed as a result of a plane crash in Munich after a European Cup tie in Belgrade

Jim Powell

Arsène Wenger: Arsenal are mentally prepared for Premier League title battle – video

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 05:28 AM PST

The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, tells reporters that his team are prepared both mentally and physically for a tight Premier League title battle

Michael Laudrup seeks legal advice over Swansea City sacking

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 04:50 AM PST

• 'I cannot visit the training ground to say my farewells'
• LMA writes to club asking for explanation of decision

Michael Laudrup has blasted the manner of his sacking by Swansea City and has said he is taking legal advice over the dismissal. The Dane was sacked on Tuesday following a poor run of form by Swansea, 12 months after leading the club to the first major trophy in their history. The League Managers' Association (LMA) is now writing to the club to ask for the reasons for his sacking.

Laudrup said in a statement: "I am deeply disappointed to have been dismissed as manager of Swansea City. In particular, the manner in which it happened and the actions the club has taken since notifying me in the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary.

"I am, of course, taking legal advice and the LMA have already written to the club asking for a proper explanation as to why I was summarily dismissed."

Laudrup also revealed he has been banned by Swansea from visiting the training ground to thank the players. He added: "The club has informed me that I cannot visit the training ground to say my farewells to the players so I do that now through this statement.

"The players have been fantastic and their contribution under the very professional guidance of my coaching staff has been absolutely fundamental to the club's recent successes. Three members of my staff have also been dismissed. Whilst league results have been disappointing of late, we are still 12th in the table and it is there for all to see the fine margins in the league this season in terms of points that separate 11 clubs.

"Although we have been unfortunate with injuries, I believe our league form would have improved and that we would have benefited from the forthcoming Europa League and FA Cup matches."

Swansea have picked up just six points from their last 10 matches and are two points above the relegation zone heading into this weekend's derby showdown with Cardiff.

The Swans, however, are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup, where they face Everton, and are also in the last 32 of the Europa League, with the Italian side Napoli their next opponents.

The former Real Mallorca, Spartak Moscow and Getafe manager Laudrup said that he was proud of what Swansea had achieved under his management since taking charge in 2012.

He said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time managing in the Premier League which I consider to be the one of the best leagues in world football.

"I leave the club proud of our collective achievements over the past 20 months and I believe we have continued the club's progression in the manner of my predecessors including Roberto Martínez and Brendan Rodgers.

"Of course the obvious highlight during my time in charge was leading Swansea to the first major trophy in the club's history in winning the Capital One Cup at Wembley resulting in European qualification.

"In addition, our ninth place in the league was our highest finish in 31 years and the second highest in the club's 102-year history which again is something which fills me with pride.

"This season we have all enjoyed the memorable journey in the Europa League where the team will soon to face Napoli in the last 32 of the competition.

"I wish the club the very best for the future and for the rest of the season in the Barclays Premier League, Europa League and the FA Cup."


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World Cup Fiver | A burden of expectation heavier than Sepultura's most sinister riff

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 04:16 AM PST

Sign up for our new free weekly email featuring the latest news, intrigue, analysis and blunders from the 32 competing nations

OPERATION ANTI-BARBOSA

Don't talk to Brazilian goalkeepers about omens. It's bad luck. Anyway, they already know all about them. The sad tale of Moacir Barbosa is burnt into their collective memory as if it were a close-up photo of Garrincha's legendary goat ride. Barbosa, of course, was Brazil's No1 the last time the country hosted the World Cup and he was not only blamed for their shattering defeat in the final, he was persecuted and ostracised for the rest of his life, banned even from commentating on the Seleção's matches lest his mere presence cast a curse. So this year, when Brazil host the World Cup again and every Samba star will be under more pressure than deep-sea divers being interrogated by Jeremy Paxman, the home team's goalkeeper, in particular, will carry a burden of expectation heavier than Sepultura's most sinister riff. Good luck, then, Júlio César.

But what if César's story turns out to be the reverse of Barbosa's? He is, after all, already an outcast. And if you want to end up being worshipped at the Maracanã, then perhaps you need to start out from what is surely the other extreme: being shunned at Loftus Road. The man hoping to win the World Cup in his homeland this summer is currently lower down the QPR pecking order than Rob Green, a man who returned from the last World Cup so ridiculed and scorned that there were suggestions he could run a bank. Perhaps all this bodes well for César?

There are signs that César's misery has already inspired his compatriots. When Brazil crushed Spain 3-0 in July's Confederations Cup, it was believed that the players had been uplifted by the mass protest movement in demand of a better Brazilian society and also by the spine-tingling fervour with which the national anthem was sung before kick-off in the Maracanã. Now, however, it emerges that what really put the wind up Neymar and co was hearing about the hell of life as a QPR reserve.

"Before the final [César] asked me 'can I give a speech to the squad today?'" revealed Brazil captain Thiago Silva to L'Equipe magazine. "I said 'of course!' … so Julio gave an address to everyone. He talked about the tough times he was going through due to the fact that, one year previously, he had left the huge club that is Inter, with whom he had won every title possible, to join a much less renowned club, Queens Park Rangers. He spoke about the impact that had on his family. His words really moved us. Before we even went out on to the Maracanã pitch, we had frissons. Just looking at Julio's face while he was talking multiplied our motivation."

On Tuesday Big Phil Scolari will unveil his squad for Brazil's first match of this momentous year, a friendly against South Africa, and the manager must decide whether César's QPR hell can continue to inspire a nation. Encouragingly, César's only game for his club this season was last month's 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Everton, when two of the goals were struck by a striker who hasn't scored against anyone else all campaign – Nikica Jelavic, the Croatia forward who could start against Brazil in the opening match of the World Cup.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It's not the first time I hear such comments from Mignolet … all I can say is that here in Spain I have never heard a goalkeeper say he wants to take [Iker] Casillas's place in the national team – not [Victor] Valdes, not [David] De Gea, not [Pepe] Reina, nor anyone else. Simon can say what he wants but I think I've done well for Belgium and I'm playing well for Atlético: it's important to know how to stay humble and respectful" - Thibault Courtois may be on loan from Chelsea but he is clearly familiar with the methods of José Mourinho, as he demonstrated by clambering opportunistically towards the high moral ground in his bid to fend off Simon Mignolet's attempt to become Belgium's undisputed No1.

BITS AND BOBS

South Korea manager Hong Myong-bo is hoping a bout of QPR agony can uplift his country, too. So he's on his way to PSV to attempt to convince the recent Loftus Road escapee Park Ji-sung to come out of international retirement in time for the World Cup.

The prospect of Nabil Bentaleb, once described by Tim Sherwood as "blatantly French", missing a penalty for England at the 2018 World Cup has grown dimmer after Algerian FA suit, Mohamed Raouraoua, met the Tottenham midfielder's family as part of continuing efforts to persuade the player to declare for Algeria. The family are reported to have given their go-ahead but Bentaleb himself has not yet said whether he would respond favourably to being called up for next month's friendly against Slovenia.

Using the age-old logic that if two countries are quite close to each other geographically, then they must be similar footballistically, Uruguay have announced that they will prepare for their World Cup showdown with England by playing a friendly on 30 May against Norn Iron. Mr Roy is believed to be flattered.

Meanwhile, Honduras announced that they will get their preparations under way by contesting a friendly against Colombia. But Colombia announced that was the first they had heard about it. So Honduras announced they were getting a bit ahead of themselves and were sorry about the mix-up.

O FIVERÃO LETTERS

Um.

• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com, with O Fiverão in the subject line. Or just World Cup Fiver if that's easier. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver.

STILL WANT MORE?

John Duerden reports on Carlos Queiroz's struggles with Iran's preprations – or lack of them.

Carlos Tevez should be at his peak, but he's destined for World Cup despair, reckons Jonathan Wilson.

Check out the full World Cup timetable on our schedule, as well as our interactive on who has the toughest draw.

And get all the latest World Cup news on Big Website's dedicated section.

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ROB GREEN, THOUGH

Paul Doyle

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Wenger: no regrets about Suárez

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 04:02 AM PST

• 'No plans at moment' to bid again for striker in summer
• Liverpool take on Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday

Arsène Wenger says he has no regrets over the failure to sign Liverpool's Luis Suárez, as he prepares to take Arsenal to Anfield for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off in a game of huge importance to his club's Premier League title challenge.

The Arsenal manager oversaw two bids for Suárez last summer, the second of £40,000,001, which was an attempt to trigger what Arsenal were led to believe was a release clause in the striker's contract. It succeeded only in creating anger at Liverpool, with the club's owner, John W Henry, saying, in a tweet: "What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?"

Wenger subsequently admitted that the bid did look provocative and was "not the most subtle thing we have done".

Suárez has reapplied himself at Anfield and he has been arguably the Premier League's player of the season so far, with 23 goals in 19 appearances. Although Wenger highlighted Liverpool's various offensive threats, it was clear that Suárez was the player that he wanted to stop.

"No, there are no regrets," Wenger said. "You have sometimes regrets when a player played for you, and scores goals or does well somewhere else [but] he was never our player. It is just a situation that did not come off and that is it."

Wenger, who insisted that it had not been his intention to replace Olivier Giroud with Suárez, was asked whether he might try again for the Uruguayan in the summer. "At the moment, no," he replied.

"For us, the important thing is to win the game. The fact about what happened in the summer [with Suárez] is nothing to do with that. If you want to win the game, what is for sure is that he's one of the players that you have to keep quiet.

"Liverpool have a strong offensive force with [Daniel] Sturridge, with Suárez, with [Philippe] Coutinho, with [Raheem] Sterling behind. All these players can score goals and make a difference. What you want on our side is a strong defensive performance and to dominate, to leave them as few balls as possible. The philosophy on our side has to be the same: to master the ball and to dominate the game."

Arsenal travel to Merseyside on top of the table, two points clear of Manchester City and Chelsea, after the latter's win at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night. City had entered the game as the favourites but Chelsea's 1-0 victory provided the latest twist in a tight championship race.

"I told you one month ago and you did not believe me … there is no invincible team," Wenger said. "It is because there are so many quality teams in the Premier League and it is just how close you are to your best every time which decides the game."

The Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, continued in his attempt to paint his team as the title outsiders after the City game, saying that, in a three-horse race, his was the "little horse". Arsenal and City, he said, had to be more heavily fancied.

"They [Chelsea] are in there," Wenger said. "It is easy to move out if you don't want … I just think they are in there, of course. We focus on our side and do not listen too much to what people say. What is important is that it is a period where you show up with good performances."

Arsenal begin a tough sequence at Liverpool. Thereafter, they face Manchester United at home in the league on Wednesday; Liverpool at home in the FA Cup on Sunday week; Bayern Munich at home in the Champions League last-16 first leg on the Wednesday after that.

Wenger hopes to be boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere at Anfield. The midfielder has missed the last two matches with ankle trouble and he will undergo a late fitness test. But he believes that he is ready. Wenger will decide whether to use him from the start or as a substitute.

"We might have Wilshere back," Wenger said. "It's important to have as many players back as possible in the squad. In the big games, it is always decided by having the complete squad available … by strong players who have a big statement.

"We have had some good wins at Anfield and I have a big respect for the fans there because they really know football. Even, sometimes, when you had good results, their behaviour is unbelievably loyal. It always has been. They are a passionate crowd with a big history and they always behave in a passionate but very fair way."

David Hytner

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From NY to Kabul: Pugliese ponders Premier League move … to Afghanistan | Amy Lawrence

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 03:33 AM PST

For Nick Pugliese what began as a search for work in an emerging country has turned into a profound footballing journey

As offers go, the chance to play professional football in Afghanistan is not the kind of proposition that can be taken lightly. For one young American, mulling it over leaves him wrestling between the attractions and complexities. He knows the environment well, having played for Ferozi in the Kabul Premier League last season, a small club that played its matches in front a few hundred spectators. The option of taking a considerable step up to the national championship is at once tempting, fascinating and precarious. It would mean drawing more attention to himself. That is not always the wisest move for a westerner in an unpredictable land.

If Nick Pugliese, a 23-year-old son of Rochester, New York, decides to return to this footballing outpost, come the spring he will join a multitude of Afghan hopefuls with their hearts set on a remarkable chance. The Afghan Premier League, which was formed two years ago, is connected to a reality TV show called Maidan-e-Sabz, which translates as Green Field. There are eight clubs, one from each region of Afghanistan, and filming begins with open trials to make it into one of the squads. The league is owned by Moby, the largest media company in the country, and the programme is backed by round the clock promotion on television and radio. There is a series of 16 programmes following the trials, watched by the kind of numbers seldom seen before for original content. The winners get to play for real once the squads are whittled down and ready to compete, in a league with all the games broadcast.

"The league put them up in this mansion in the centre of Kabul with 100 or so players living there together, sleeping in dorm style set-ups," Pugliese says. "The salary is nine dollars a day. A lot of them were losing money as they had to give up their jobs in the regions to travel to Kabul to take part. It is a dream for a lot of these kids, they think the league can identify them for the national team, which it did for a handful in the first season. People are willing to sacrifice to play professional football."

The game is followed passionately in Afghanistan. Pugliese describes interest in the Premier League and La Liga as "massive". One of his friends made a striking observation about daily divisions: "We used to sit in our college classroom based on ethnicity. The Pashtun over here, the Tajik over there. Now we sit split by who is Real Madrid and who is Barcelona." Recently, a women's league has even been formed in Kabul.

It was his love of the game that opened up a new world to Pugliese. What began as a deliberate search for work in an emerging country to see what that experience would teach him turned into something more profound. Working for Roshan, the country's main telecoms company, he had to sneak away from security to find a kickabout with amateur teams. When he was offered the chance to play for Ferozi FC in the Kabul League, he handed in his notice at Roshan and his life took an extraordinary diversion. He became the team's defensive midfielder and they won the cup.

Through sport he was able to connect with Afghans in a way he did not anticipate. It began through the international language of football while he was still trying to get to grips with the local dialect – a lot could be expressed with two feet, a ball, gestures, expressions and humour. "That is how it started. I met people through football I never would have otherwise. Soccer opened the door."

Preconceptions were challenged and he felt he was able to show that Americans can be "slightly more real and normal" than some of his compatriots in Kabul. "Structurally they are aloof in the city. They are always behind walls or in armoured cars," Pugliese says.

His new workplace was the Ghazi Stadium, the focal point for football in Kabul and the place where Ferozi trained three times a week and played their matches as they had a connection which meant they could use the facilities for free. The group were close-knit. "Our coach would have us come over to his house on game day four hours before kick-off. His wife would cook us this soup – a meat broth with vegetables – we would hang out and watch music videos and just chit chat. Our coach is friends with all of us on Facebook. That's pretty much how relationships work in Afghanistan, pretty informal."

The Ferozi salary came in at $300 (£184) a month. Some players subsidised their income with other work. "For a number, their family owned shops and they would help out in the shop. Another owned a very rudimentary advertising business. If you asked them if they wanted jobs, across the board they would probably say yes. The money in Afghan football is neither voluminous nor dependable. But it is very difficult to find jobs as a young male in Kabul.

"Finances in Afghan families are usually handled collectively, so the lines are blurry around financial independence. If you brought home $300 a month you would give it to the family pool. You might get to keep 50 or so for personal spending. To rent a room and get food if you were living by yourself, it's not enough. With each family member contributing something that's how families get by. And that's how these kids can dedicate their whole time to soccer."

A number of the players double up to also play in the Afghan Premier League as well as the Kabul League, and the goalkeeper has the distinction of also playing for his country.

The most tangible sign of progress in Afghan football came when the national team won the South Asian Football Federation Championship last September. "It was absolutely massive," Pugliese says. "I was watching it with my friends and as soon as they won we took to the streets, chanting and dancing, pretty much clogged the roads. It is standard for each restaurant or house with a prominent person there to have a guard with an AK47 sitting outside. All these guys are usually pretty bored but they were putting tracer bullets in their AK47s and shooting them into the air like makeshift fireworks. It was a huge celebration, which went on all night, and when the team returned from Nepal the following morning, hundreds of thousands of people turned up.

"There is a three-mile road from the airport to Ghazi stadium, a six-lane highway. It was packed with people following the convoy to the stadium. We talked to a lot people in the streets. One guy said: 'President Karzai couldn't pay us enough money to come out like we have today.'"

The national team was honoured by Fifa, winning its fair play award for 2013, and president Karzai had spoken of handing over a $1m bonus to the football federation as a reward for their success but the money has not been transferred. A further blow came when the budget for the Afghan Football Federation was reportedly slashed this year after such an encouraging leap.

Pugliese thinks that a better infrastructure could raise standards significantly. None of the clubs have youth teams, there is no youth academy anywhere in the country, and facilities and standards are shaky. "The level of coaching is one of the biggest weaknesses in Afghan soccer. There is so much talent, so many kids willing and able to play but coaches don't really have the talent tactically speaking. They don't put together a good gameplan. They don't know how to do fitness. Very few of these players have ever been in the gym. Their knowledge of nutrition is atrocious. In a lot of amateur teams you will go to training and find 20 players and two balls. That's an obvious problem."

With snow in Kabul, it is the close season. Back in the US, Pugliese ponders a return to the Green Field. Will he try out for next season? He has a couple of clubs in mind and has been encouraged to go for it but it's complicated. "Raising profile is not a good thing from a safety perspective," he says. From a purely sporting point of view, though, his passion for Afghan football beats on. "It is difficult," he muses, "to let go."

Amy Lawrence

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Footballers playing Subbuteo – in pictures

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 03:31 AM PST

The shots of footballers enjoying a busman's holiday by posing for photographers while playing a game of Subbuteo is a time-honoured tradition. We bring you a collection of images of footballers through the ages playing the beautiful (miniature) game

Original Observer photography: January

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 03:26 AM PST

Kwame Kwei-Armah and St Vincent in the States, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in Italy and Hanif Kureishi in London all feature in our monthly showcase of the best Observer photography

Greg Whitmore

David Beckham says new Miami MLS franchise will bring in great players – video

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 02:59 AM PST

Commissioner Don Garber says David Beckham has exercised his right to own a new MLS franchise based in Miami

World Cup preparation problems frustrate Iran manager Carlos Queiroz

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 02:47 AM PST

• Iran have played no warm-up matches since qualification
• Manager appeals to Ferguson and Mourinho for advice

Iran and South Korea booked their spots at the 2014 World Cup within seconds of each other back in June 2013 but these twins of qualification have gone very separate ways as they prepare for the big event in June.

Since then, South Korea have played no fewer than 13 warm-up games for Brazil while Iran, set to face Argentina, Bosnia and Nigeria in Brazil, have yet to play one. Team Melli, as the national team is called in Tehran, have managed just 270 minutes of action in the past eight months, all mandatory 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers against Thailand (twice) and Lebanon, not exactly the kind of opposition Iran needs to be taking on.

No wonder Carlos Queiroz is a little miffed. The difficulty of attracting top teams to Tehran for friendly games is not the only problem. A September training camp in his native Portugal, including what would have been a very useful game against Ghana, was cancelled last August due to a lack of funds. The Iranian Football Federation blamed this on the US-led international sanctions that prevented the organisation collecting monies owed by international bodies.

And last week a planned trip to South Africa in April was also scrapped because too many important players were unavailable.

"Over the past 32 months that I've been here as Iran football coach, I always tried to do my best and keep the team fully prepared," said Queiroz. "I have to call my friends [Sir Alex] Ferguson, [José] Mourinho, and [Fabio] Capello to get their advice for better decisions because I am not magician to do without financial support."

John Duerden

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Power of football harnessed to change the lives of homeless people

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 02:30 AM PST

Homeless FA runs training courses attached to major clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United that offer a great deal of hope

Daniel Fortune was homeless, and living in a hostel last year. "I was just in a rut, really. Just sitting around feeling sorry for myself, thinking 'Why is it always me? Everything's so bad with my life.'" Then he saw a poster that asked if he wanted to play football for his country, and his life was changed.

The Homeless FA was established to use football as a method of helping people who, for whatever reason, have found themselves homeless, to change their lives. "Helping" is the key word in that sentence – the charity are keen to stress that it is only the people themselves who can truly change, they simply provide the structure and support to help.

At the heart of the Homeless FA's work are five-week training courses at various centres around the country, all of which are attached to clubs including Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Norwich City and Sunderland. Players attend the courses for one day a week, during which they are given football coaching sessions, as well as various forms of personal development support. They are given kit from whichever team their training centre is attached to, and are often taken to matches and given a "VIP experience".

The football aspect is vital, because it provides a "hook", a way of drawing people in to help themselves. Lynsey Horsfield, the Homeless FA's head of research, explains: "The importance of professional football clubs involvement is that they can step into this really positive 'identity'. In England especially we give such value to the 'brand' of football clubs, and even individuals who support Spurs will put on an Arsenal shirt because they recognise the value to that identity."

From the training centres, 40 players – 20 men, 20 women – are selected to play for England at the annual Homeless World Cup (last year held in Poznan, this year will be Santiago), but unlike many other countries, selection for Team England is not based on football ability. Players are chosen based on various other criteria, including behaviour, personal development and health, something Gareth Parker, head of the Homeless FA, is keen to stress.

"Whenever I've done any sort of media before people always ask 'Will we win the World Cup?' And I say, frankly, no, because there are nations out there who are taking this as a football project, and that's their decision. We have decided from the outset to use football as positive change in someone's life, and that can only be done by investing in the individual, not in a footballer."

At the end of the year, those 40 players are invited to an event at St George's Park, where they play on the pitches Roy Hodgson's England team train on, and are presented with "hero portraits", professionally-taken shots of them in their England kit.

These experiences might seem fleeting, but the effects are long-lasting. The programme genuinely changes the lives of the people on it.

"It's a sense of achievement," Fortune says. "Not many people get the chance to go and see their team play and meet the coaches and see the dressing rooms, so when someone who is homeless gets the chance to do that, they think 'Hang on, maybe it's not all bad, maybe there are opportunities for me.'"

Tom Queripel was also homeless, his life heading nowhere particularly good, before he became part of the Homeless FA, but now he is a living example of the wider impact it can have.

"It makes you feel that there are people like you, who are going through the same things," he says. "It doesn't only make yourself feel good inside, but it makes other people around you think you're worth something, that you've achieved something, that you can make something of your life. There's no negativity here. It's all positives, because we're all in the same boat. We're all friends.

"It's to do with us having the determination to change our lives. I couldn't have done it without this course. It's changing my life, but it's also changing the lives of people around me. You're not just walking out the door with a qualification, you're walking out a completely different person."

One of the most striking things about observing the players as they work is their enthusiasm, something that is inspired by football but not confined to it. Many of them have rarely been supported or even encouraged in their life before, but the Homeless FA provides just that support, giving them a sense of confidence that they channel into fixing their own lives outside the game.

A key part of that is the personal involvement that their staff have. Watching them with the players isn't like watching people work, it's more akin to friends helping each other out.

"I think the organisation gets under everyone's skin," says Parker. "You can see immediately the impact it's having on people, which is very powerful ... You see someone grow before your eyes so you want to support them more, and you want to be able to empower them more."

Horsfield agrees: "I think what's really important about the staff, the volunteers and the players being so closely involved is it's not segregated. I'd argue that there are a lot of organisations where the beneficiaries are to one side, and to the other very distinct side are the staff, and never the two shall meet. But I think there is a lot of value to people from different backgrounds coming together and meeting and working together."

As the organisation grows, that level of personal contact will be almost impossible to sustain, which is one of the reasons for the "peer mentoring" scheme they have established. Players who have already been through the programme can apply to continue working with them, the idea being to pass on their skills and experiences in a way that the permanent members of staff aren't able to. It was striking that virtually all the players at St George's Park have applied for the coming year. One of those players, Rosie Martin, was recently appointed as their peer mentor coordinator, something Parker believes is crucial to their continuing success.

"They can give insight that we can't," he says. "As welcoming and as non-judgmental as we are, we still haven't been through that situation, so to have someone as an authority figure who has done that, helps us and also gives the players that belief that they can develop within the organisation."

As well as creating this empathy, it's important to note that their methods are not just thought up on a whim – they're based on research and evidence. They have investigated what works, how it works and why it works, and another big part of the organisation is putting together a model to pass on, helping their centres to deliver their training methods.

Inspiration is one of those words that has been so overused that the meaning has changed, but it's difficult to think of another that will do. You only have to talk to some of the people that have been part of the Homeless FA to understand that.

"Putting the word Homeless on a crest and turning that into a positive is pretty amazing," says Fortune. "People think of a homeless person as someone who has nowhere to live, nothing, no money etc, whereas things like this changes the perception of what they think homeless is.

"Whenever I see my kit or my jacket with the crest, I feel a sense of pride."

• To find out more about the work of the Homeless FA, including information on how to apply for one of their training centres, please visit their website

• The Homeless FA is a not for profit organisation which relies on grants, trusts and individual and corporate donations to fund its important work. If people wish to donate they can do so here. There are also several sponsorship opportunities available, including that of Team England. Please email info@homelessfa.org for more information.

Nick Miller

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Classic YouTube | Winter Olympics memories, canoe polo carnage and Red Fever

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 01:55 AM PST

This week's round-up also features Dan Marino's behind-the-back magic, Dirceu in Serie A and Juan Manuel Fangio

1) It's almost Winter Olympics time. So time for a trip down memory lane. The first ever bobsleigh event at the 1924 Games in Chamonix, plus figure skating at the same Olympics; ice hockey at St Moritz in 1928; footage from Lake Placid four years later; some ice skating from 1948 (in colour); newsreel from the Innsbruck Games of 1964, the downhill at Sapporo in 1972; and White Rock, the story of the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, narrated by James Coburn; the play-by-play call from the Miracle on Ice in 1980; and Jamaica's bobsleigh team light up the 1988 Games at Calgary. And away from the Olympics, how about some ski ballet from 1985?

2) Insane canoe polo charge starts are insane. Staying in the water, here's some mid-west freestyle canoe from 2007.

3) Random football bits and bobs: Championship Manager Italia from 1995; Gazza v The Shamen; Hamlet Mkhitaryan scores 'Belarus goal of 2004'; and Red Fever, George Foster's testimonial match in 1995 – Telford United v Manchester United.

4) Some retro F1 clips. First, an on-board trip around Monaco with Juan Manuel Fangio, then James Hunt explains how he 'enjoyed the sponsor's product plentifully' during commentary for the 1986 Australian GP.

5) It might be practice, but hey: Dan Marino throws a 40-yard pass from behind his back. And in the present day – Super Bowl XLVIII reconstructed via the medium of definitely unbranded bricks, plus Isaac Lufkin's trip to the big game. Warning: your room may get a bit dusty.

6) Man getting hit by (own) golf ball. Starring Chi Chi Rodríguez as Hans Moleman.

Our favourites from last week's blog

1) Commentary gold (warning: bad words).

2) Brilliant but somewhat forgotten Brazilian Dirceu's time in Serie A.

3) Ice hockey: it's all in the timing. Instant karma. Meanwhile, caution: low-flying goalie.

4) Some light-hearted table tennis coverage for you.

5) Some lovely cross-country/downhill bike action from Norway.

6) That Diego Maradona solo goal from 1986, viewed from a different angle. Plus Niall Quinn scoring … then saving a penalty.

Spotters' badges: LeftyGuardianista, darwinagain, Benjamin86, rmt1982, Portlander, BlackCaeser, Tony06, Giles Skerry.

Guardian YouTube channel playlists

You can follow Classic YouTube on our individual Guardian YouTube playlists, including football and other sports. And here are all of the Guardian's YouTube playlists.


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Viewers cry foul over Adrian Chiles' FA Cup commentary | Media Monkey

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 01:44 AM PST

ITV faces demands to pay up after presenter promises £5 to anyone still watching a boring Fulham v Sheffield United match

Adrian Chiles's big mouth has got him in trouble after he promised £5 to viewers who were watching a boring FA Cup tie. The ITV4 presenter was covering a replay between Fulham and Sheffield United, which resulted in a 0-0 draw at full time. At half time in extra time, Chiles said that any viewers who hadn't fallen asleep could to write in and he would send them a fiver. However, Sheffield went on to win 1-0, and several viewers tweeted to request their cash. One viewer wrote: "Hi @ITV Adrian Chiles said if anyone was watching they'd get £5 sent out to them. How do I go about claiming this? Cheers", while another added: "Adrian Chiles promises everyone still watching @itv4 £5. There are four of us watching here... ;)". Another went even further: "Adrian Chiles owes me £5 for sticking with this game as promised then... I'll also claim £4.38 for having to listen to Clarke Carlisle #zzzz" Another viewer, Peter Hyam, even got as far as emailing ITV, writing: "I'm currently watching Fulham v Sheffield United on ITV4. It's an awful game. Possibly the worst I've ever seen. But I'm still persisting. At half time in extra time Adrian Chiles said 'if you're still watching, write in and we'll send you a fiver each'. This is obviously a stupid thing for any presenter to say – and I doubt it was on the cue cards. However, I'd like my fiver please. If not then I shall formally complain about your dreadful presenter lying to the one viewer. I'd prefer it in cash or cheque … Alternatively a signed photo of Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield would do." Time for Chiles to put his money where his mouth is?

Monkey

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