Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

Stopping Luis Suárez from leaving made me stronger – Brendan Rodgers
David Moyes: Nemanja Vidic's Manchester United exit is mutual decision
World Cup construction worker killed in Brazil
Cristiano Ronaldo's appeal against three-match ban is rejected
Newcastle's Alan Pardew seeks new style to fill Yohan Cabaye void
Italian FA investigates after team scores eight own goals in last 10 minutes
Roy Hodgson should consider Jack Colback, Sunderland's Gus Poyet says
Neil Kinnock alarmed by the chaos at Cardiff City and Swansea City
Vidic right to leave United – Moyes
Cellino cuts deal for Leeds takeover
Fulham's René Meulensteen has point to prove at Manchester United
Swansea City v Cardiff City: squad sheets
Our favourite things online this week: from Sussex football to Sochi's dogs
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton: squad sheets
Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion: squad sheets
Aston Villa v West Ham United: squad sheets
Liverpool v Arsenal: squad sheets
Paul Lambert pleased with backing from Aston Villa owner – video
Ole Gunnar Solskjær: Swansea City game is more than just a derby – video
Norwich City v Manchester City: squad sheets
Carroll's three-match ban upheld
Chelsea v Newcastle United: squad sheets
Southampton v Stoke City: squad sheets
Mauricio Pochettino feels flattered by Real Madrid link – video
The Fiver | Good old-fashioned pettiness and spite

Stopping Luis Suárez from leaving made me stronger – Brendan Rodgers

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Manager empathised with player's Champions League dream
• Rodgers believes striker will be rewarded after Arsenal saga

Brendan Rodgers has said he empathised with Luis Suárez's craving for Champions League football last summer but believes the striker's patience will be rewarded soon at Liverpool.

Liverpool host Arsenal on Saturday knowing victory over the Premier League leaders would establish a five-point gap over fifth-placed Everton, who travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, while bringing themselves to within five points of Arsène Wenger's team. Suárez has been integral to that Champions League challenge, scoring a remarkable 23 goals in 19 league appearances following the saga of Arsenal's failed attempt to bring him to the Emirates Stadium for £40,000,001.

Rodgers insists he is a better manager for resisting Suárez's attempts to leave and restoring the forward to the fold. And the Liverpool manager is confident the promise he made to the Uruguay international last summer – that of Champions League football at Anfield – will be realised over the final 14 matches of the campaign.

"I always knew that once we'd ended the speculation with Luis it would be fine," Rodgers said. "He's a good man. I've found since I've been here that he's a very generous human being. I've found him very amicable in terms of everything I've spoken to him about. He's a learner.

"He was in a difficult place in the summer and I understood and had empathy for his situation. Luis deserves to be at the Champions League level but we had to protect the club and fight for the club. We also had to sell it to him that this is still the place to play at that level. If you are at that level with Liverpool, and I've seen Champions League matches here in the past, there are not many better places than Anfield on a Champions League night. It was about managing the situation and being honest about the situation with him."

In the week the ECB ended Kevin Pietersen's international cricket career, and its difficult relationship with a key player in the process, Rodgers said the Suárez episode demonstrated the art of good man-management.

"It made me a better manager," he said. "You don't get these scenarios when you're doing your badges and coaching courses. Man-management is a big part of it. I've always been on the training field all my life but man-management is a big part of things. I spoke to [the Swansea City caretaker manager] Garry Monk about this on Wednesday. It's a vital part of the job. You always have to respect your players but hopefully you can also find common ground with the great players we have."

Rodgers was scathing of Arsenal's approach for Suárez last summer and reiterated his view that the £40,000,001 bid showed a lack of "class" before Liverpool's 2-0 defeat at the Emirates in November. But he denied there will be lingering tension between the clubs at Anfield from the transfer saga.

"I'm not so sure it will," he said. "Liverpool supporters love Luis and found it difficult to accept in the summer how it was maybe going to pan out. But that was quashed at the beginning of the season. You can see the commitment and hunger he has for this club and that overrides any ill-feeling over what happened in the summer."

Liverpool were unable to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window as they missed out on deals for the wingers Mohamed Salah and Yevhen Konoplyanka. But Rodgers believes the team's form, plus the lack of European football, has left Liverpool well placed to secure Champions League qualification.

He said: "Because of the size of the squad we have and with being limited to one game a week for a lot of the season, it certainly provides us with the opportunity. We would not want too many breaks from Europe. European football is what this club is about, but certainly it gives us an opportunity to get in there. Our squad is small, relative to the competitions that we are in, but it allows us to fight and to be able to be at our best to get in there. Hopefully, that will be to our advantage in the last 14 games."

Andy Hunter

David Moyes: Nemanja Vidic's Manchester United exit is mutual decision

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST

• 'Vida feels it's the right time and we feel it's the right time'
• Manager calls on Evans, Jones and Smalling to fill the void

David Moyes believes Manchester United should not fear the changing of their defensive guard as he insisted it was a mutual decision for Nemanja Vidic to leave Old Trafford.

The United captain has announced he will end a successful eight-year Premier League career when his contract expires this summer. Internazionale are among several Italian clubs interested in signing the 32-year-old on a free transfer. With Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra also free agents at the end of the season and possibly following Vidic out of Old Trafford, Moyes faces losing a wealth of defensive experience at a time when United's midfield requires improvement too.

Vidic's decision illustrates the size of the overhaul confronting Moyes in what has already been an underwhelming debut campaign as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor. But while admitting United will miss the character of their "warrior centre-half",Moyes claimed the club has adequate replacements in Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones.

"I think it's what happens at any football club," said Moyes on Vidic's exit and the prospect of Ferdinand plus Evra following suit. "You think of the old manager and the evolution he had of some great players when he had to move it around. We've got Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, three really good centre-halves. They'll be the future of the club, the ones we look to, within the building.

"I'm hoping the young ones who we've already given games to and grounded will step up to the plate. I hope they will become young centre-halves with lots of experience, who can be here for the next five or six years. That's the idea.

"I think to put in a young centre-half is a hard thing and finding them is not easy. Manchester United bought a few years ago, these boys are getting experience and they will grow in the coming months."

But Moyes did not rule out strengthening United's defence through the transfer market. "We'll look at what we need in the summer," he added.

It was only in September that Moyes hailed the Serbian as "probably the best centre-half I have ever worked with" and said United would look into a contract extension for the winner of five Premier League titles, a Champions League and three League Cups since a £7m arrival from Spartak Moscow. Five months on, however, the United manager claimed both parties had agreed it was Vidic's time to go.

"We had a conversation and I think it felt right for both parties," said Moyes. "I've known about it for a wee while now. I think there are times when you need to make decisions and go with it. Vida feels it's the right time and we feel it's the right time to move on. Whatever I discussed with Vida will remain private. He has been a brilliant servant for Manchester United and he is captain. It will remain that way until the end of the season and we will continue using him."

Vidic's influence on the field has been affected by two serious knee injuries in recent seasons and, while optimistic on the evolution of United's defence, Moyes conceded the dressing room is losing a dominant personality. He admitted: "Yes we lose a character. His type, he comes into the class of a warrior centre-half. Not many can truly get that title but Vida can. We'll miss that. Clubs keep changing. Everything keeps changing and we keep moving on. If there was ever a club who proved that, it's this club. That's what has happened at the right times."

Moyes said it was "still hypothetical" that United will also shed the experience of Evra and Ferdinand at the end of this season, and hinted at a possible new deal for the France international left-back. The manager added: "I speak with Pat a lot. I know the people he works with. There are things in place and we'll tell you when we want to. He's a great role model for people who come here in terms of what it means to play for Manchester United. He's a great figure off the field, in the dressing room and he's been a great player for United. His type is the type we want to bring to the club and have at the club."

Vidic will return from suspension for Sunday's Premier League game against Fulham, although Marouane Fellaini is expected to be sidelined again having suffered a slight groin strain in training. The match pits Moyes against René Meulensteen for the first time since the Dutchman left United's coaching staff in the summer. The United manager was accused of dispensing with Ferguson's backroom staff prematurely, but he insists he wanted Meulensteen to remain part of his plans.

Moyes said: "I wouldn't have asked him to stay if I didn't think it was the right thing. But you can see that René changed all his staff around at Fulham. So he's made changes there as well."

Andy Hunter

World Cup construction worker killed in Brazil

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:21 PM PST

55-year-old Portuguese man is third worker to be killed during construction of Arena de Amazonia in Manaus

A worker was killed in an accident outside the World Cup stadium in the jungle city of Manaus, organisers said on Friday, in the latest incident tarnishing Brazil's image in the runup to the event.

Organisers in charge of the city's preparations said the man died while dismantling a crane that was used to install the roof of the Arena da Amazonia.

It is the third death of a worker in accidents in or near the stadium in less than a year.

The local government identified the 55-year-old Portuguese man as Antônio José Pita Martins, who worked for Martifer, a Portuguese multinational focused on metal construction.

Brazilian media said he sustained head and chest injuries when he was hit by a metal bar in the early morning accident. Organisers said the cause of the accident was being investigated.

An inspection visit by the Amazonas state governor at the stadium on Friday was cancelled because of the death.

FIFA and the local World Cup organising committee said in a statement they "deeply regret the death of the worker". Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff also released a statement lamenting the death.

Brazil has been under the spotlight because of its problematic World Cup preparations, with the southern host city of Curitiba still in danger of being dropped because of a delay in stadium construction. The country also is making headlines because of fan violence and turmoil in the Brazilian league, which may not start on time because of a series of civil lawsuits against a sports tribunal decision that altered the league's final standings last year.

In December, a worker at the Arena da Amazônia died after falling 35 metres while working on the stadium roof. Work was halted for four days as authorities inspected safety conditions. Another worker died there in March after falling from a scaffold and hitting his head.

Cristiano Ronaldo's appeal against three-match ban is rejected

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:19 PM PST

• Referee who sent him off is suspended for a month
• Forward misses Villarreal, Getafe and Elche games

Cristiano Ronaldo has had his appeal against a three-match ban rejected, despite the referee who sent him off being suspended for a month and banned from officiating in Real Madrid matches until the end of the season.

Ronaldo was sent off in Sunday's draw with Athletic Bilbao for reacting to a shove by Carlos Gurpegi and getting into a confrontation with Ander Iturraspe in the 75th minute as Bilbao fought back for a 1-1 draw.

He was banned for one game for the red card, with a further two matches added for a gesture he made when leaving the pitch. It means he is out of Saturday's La Liga match with Villarreal.

The Real coach, Carlo Ancelotti, declined to comment on the performance of Miguel Ángel Ayza Gámez, saying: "The question of the referee being suspended has nothing to do with me."

Ronaldo will also miss next week's trip to Getafe and the home game against Elche on 22 February.

Sunday's draw meant Real failed to take advantage of Barcelona's second defeat of the season, leaving them third on goal difference behind the Catalan side and three points behind the leaders Atlético Madrid.

Ancelotti expected the Wales winger Gareth Bale to be fit for the match with fifth-placed Villarreal.

He has not played since hurting his calf a fortnight ago, the latest in a string of injuries that have forced him to miss more than half the matches since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in the close season.

Bale was a late withdrawal from the King's Cup first-leg win over Atlético in midweek.

"He will play on Saturday," Ancelotti said. "When I said that Bale wouldn't play on Wednesday for fear that he could suffer a reaction I was telling the truth."

Newcastle's Alan Pardew seeks new style to fill Yohan Cabaye void

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:01 PM PST

• Manager reverts to long-ball approach without playmaker
• Rémy, Tioté, Coloccini and Gouffran to miss Chelsea match

Alan Pardew takes his Newcastle United side to Chelsea on Saturday striving to establish a new playing style designed to compensate for the loss of Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain last week.

"We can't play the same way as we did with Cabaye," he said. "We're not going to be the same team we were in the first half of the season. We're looking for something different and I have to get that into play as quickly as possible."

Pardew had been developing a system based on controlled passing and "between the lines" movement but, without his former France playmaker, he reverted to a much more direct, long-ball approach at home to Sunderland last Saturday. Newcastle's 3-0 defeat indicates that it was not a success.

"On reflection maybe we did have a bit too much emotion on the pitch against Sunderland," he said. "We weren't composed in the areas where you need to be composed. Clearances, for example. Or being around the 18-yard box and waiting that extra half-second to make the final pass. All those moments we got wrong. That happens sometimes."

He will be hoping to avoid a repeat at Stamford Bridge where Newcastle must compete without the suspended Loïc Rémy and the injured Cheik Tioté, Fabricio Coloccini and Yoan Gouffran.

How Pardew, whose team beat José Mourinho's side 2-0 at St James' Park in November could do with reprising that win at the end of a turbulent week on Tyneside featuring Joe Kinnear's departure as Newcastle's director of football and Willie Donachie's resignation as reserve coach following allegations that he had struck a player.

Newcastle's task might be easier were Demba Ba still in their side. So prolific during his days wearing black and white stripes, the Senegal striker struggles to get a game under Mourinho.

"I should think Demba's frustrated," said Pardew. "He's a player who wants to play. Demba used to take knocks but the next game he was ready to play. He was a great player for us."

Ba may harbour reservations but his old manager is a fully paid up member of the Mourinho fan club. "I do love him," acknowledged Pardew. "You don't get the record he's got of winning trophies unless you have a very, very sharp intellect. He's had a few [current] managers work under him but they can never take his managerial DNA.

"You can do the same sessions, the same this and that but at the end of the day it's what happens in the dressing room during those really crucial moments that matter. José Mourinho gets those right more often than he gets them wrong."

Louise Taylor

Italian FA investigates after team scores eight own goals in last 10 minutes

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:01 PM PST

• Bagheria hammered when losing 4-3 after 80 minutes
• 'Our prosecutors will look into the case' says federation

Italian football has been hit by another possible scandal, this time involving a team that scored eight own goals in the last 10 minutes of a regional cup match on their way to a 14-3 defeat.

The Italian federation is set to launch an investigation into the Coppa Sicilia match between Borgata Terrenove and Bagheria, the final game in a three-team group which also featured Partinicaudace.

All three sides play in Prima Categoria, the eighth tier of the league.

Bagheria, needing a point to qualify, were 4-3 behind with 10 minutes to play in Wednesday's game when Borgata hit two goals in quick succession.

Borgata players then watched in bewilderment as their opponents scored one own goal after the other, shared between three players, Italian media said.

The result meant Terrenove qualified on goal difference ahead of Partinicaudace.

"It had been a real contest up to a certain point then Bagheria staged a farce," the Borgata coach Ignazio Chianetta told the website Siciliaingol.

"Their captain told me they preferred us to qualify rather than Partinicaudace.

Partinicaudace's coach Giovanni Cammarata said: "I can guarantee there was no agreement between us and Bagheria.

"I can't try to understand a motive for these eight own goals. It has nothing to do with football and I hope the FIGC investigates."

Sandro Morgana, the FIGC's regional president, said: "I will personally inform our prosecutors about this and they will look into the case and establish which sanctions should apply."

The two sides were well short of the world record for goals scored in senior football, which was set when AS Adema won a match 149-0 against Stade Olymique L'Emyrn in Madagascar in 2002.

Stade Olymique deliberately scored all the goals in their own net in protest over a refereeing decision.

Roy Hodgson should consider Jack Colback, Sunderland's Gus Poyet says

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

• Hodgson will watch Sunderland host Hull on Saturday
• Poyet also tips Adam Johnson for World Cup squad

Roy Hodgson is scheduled to travel to the Stadium of Light on Saturday to watch Sunderland's Adam Johnson and Hull's Tom Huddlestone but Gus Poyet thinks the England coach could do worse than take a close look at Jack Colback.

Colback, deployed in his preferred attacking central midfield position, shone as Sunderland won 3-0 at Newcastle United last Saturday, creating one goal, scoring another, regularly surging into the home side's box and rarely wasting a pass.

"There's always one that goes to the World Cup that no one expects," said Poyet. "Jack's position is the one ahead of the central midfielder. He's got the legs, he presses and he passes the ball. He cares a lot about the ball which people don't always see. Now he's started to make the extra runs into the box which is great for us because, with our system, we need people pressing. So who knows what might happen now."

When Poyet took charge at Sunderland he immediately switched Colback – used heavily at left-back by Paolo Di Canio and Martin O'Neill – to central midfield. After experimenting with him in deeper roles, he then shifted the 24-year-old to a more attacking brief with considerable success. "It's not too difficult to play someone in his best position, is it?" said Sunderland's manager.

Johnson is another individual blossoming under his coaching. "I'm pleased for Adam," said Poyet who dropped the winger a few times before seeing him return to form with seven goals in the past seven games. Partly this improvement has been down to Johnson but it has also been about other players gradually comprehending their manager's possession-based passing philosophy. "When you have such specific characteristics as Adam's you need the team to play one way," said Poyet.

If Hodgson asks his advice, Poyet will tell him that Johnson – a £10m buy from Manchester City by O'Neill – needs "to be in a position where he can use his ability, which is the last third. He needs a situation where he can control the ball and attack defenders."

Although left-footed, Johnson has prospered on the opposite flank. "He's been working better when he plays on the right," said Poyet. "I think Messi probably changed the world. Before every left-footer wanted to play on the left, now they want to play on the right.

"I don't know exactly how England will play in Brazil but you would imagine they will have to play a certain way because of the conditions [hot and humid] and that should suit Adam's style. If they play the way they will probably have to, I think Adam can do well. There will be moments where the game is flat and the tempo drops away, and that is where you need somebody to make something happen. That spark is what we were missing a few months ago but it is what Adam has provided for us. He has helped the whole thing come together here."

Sunderland's escape from the bottom three has created considerable optimism on Wearside but they remain in relegation danger and Poyet is particularly keen to beat a Hull side managed by one of his predecessors in Steve Bruce. "My challenge is to get safe," he said. "But we are not safe yet."

Louise Taylor

Neil Kinnock alarmed by the chaos at Cardiff City and Swansea City

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

Former Labour leader sees an historic season for Welsh football fall apart as the two sides prepare for a derby of high stakes

"Quite extraordinary," Neil Kinnock says, as the former Labour leader rows back over six chaotic months, during which Cardiff City, the club he passionately supports, and Swansea City, their bitter rivals, have managed to turn a groundbreaking season for Welsh football into a car crash.

Michael Laudrup's sacking on Tuesday night, followed by the Dane's admission that he is considering taking legal action against Swansea, has shattered the myth that the Welsh capital is the home of off-the-field antics and everything is serene 40 miles to the west.

Garry Monk, Swansea's club captain, has been placed in charge for the "foreseeable future", starting with the eagerly awaited derby at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. In the opposite dugout will be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the man brought in to replace Malky Mackay, who was sacked as Cardiff manager in December after a protracted battle with Vincent Tan, the club's eccentric owner. With Cardiff second from bottom but only three points behind Swansea, the stakes could not be higher.

"The tension would snap a bow string," says Kinnock, the 71-year-old Welshman who has been following Cardiff since the age of six. "This is the game of the seasonin many ways, especially after our 1-0 win over the Swans earlier in the season, so it couldn't be boiling more. Now into the middle of this comes an extraordinary series of events down in Swansea, which has totally baffled me, because I'm a peculiar kind of Bluebird – the second team I've always looked for is Swansea; they're a south Wales team and blood is thicker than water.

"On top of that Michael Laudrup is a Dane, as well as being a genius, and I've got certain associations in Denmark [Kinnock's son, Stephen, is married to Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish prime minister], which has made both my granddaughters and my daughter-in-law, who has always followed Brondby, Bluebirds.

"Unfortunately Laudrup is not in the saddle any longer, for reasons which are beyond me. And in many ways it's very un-Swansea. Huw Jenkins [the chairman] is a hell of a good man, they've got a supporter on the board, it's such a steady, rational set-up there and I thought that was going to be a winning factor together with the quality of the players they've got.

"But somebody has stuck a hand grenade into all of it."

In many ways the writing was on the wall at Swansea when Jenkins clashed with Laudrup's agent, Bayram Tutumlu, during the close season. Ever since then the storylines have kept coming in Wales, largely thanks to the circus that pitched up at the Cardiff City stadium.

When Tan fired Iain Moody, Cardiff's head of recruitment, in October and replaced him with a Kazakh who had been painting the stadium a few months earlier, the touchpaper was lit. Mackay fell out spectacularly with Tan and, despite supporter protests and the best efforts of Mehmet Dalman, the chairman, to keep the peace, there was going to be only one outcome. A week after receiving an email telling him to quit or be sacked, Mackay was dismissed.

Kinnock is a fan of Solskjaer but he remains deeply unhappy with Mackay's exit. "The first thing to be said is that [Tan's] money has made a huge, welcome difference. You've got to give complete credit for that and I'm happy to do so. But in terms of football he wasn't far up the learning curve. And I don't think he ever realised what a marvellous asset he inherited in the form of Malky Mackay."

Swansea fans indulged in a little schadenfreude at their neighbour's expense but all was not going to plan at their own club. There was a stunning win in Valencia in the Europa League in September but domestic form was patchy and tension was building behind the scenes. Jenkins, in an interview with the Observer in November, raged at how some staff and players were "talking about different levels of leagues within a league", which he described as "complete failure".

The media spotlight, though, continued to focus on Mackay – a welcome distraction for Swansea. "The speculation over Malky's future covered over the cracks at Swansea," Kevin Ratcliffe, the former Wales international and BBC pundit, says.

"This uncertainty about Michael Laudrup and the way that they were playing went under the radar a little bit. But you could tell since the start of the season... there wasn't that zip in the passing any more, the tempo wasn't right."

Ratcliffe is, however, bemused by what has gone on at Swansea this week.

"It's a bizarre time to sack a manager when the new manager can't bring any new players in. You do wonder about the signings in the transfer window and if they were Michael Laudrup's. And you've got to question whether they've bettered the side," he says.

"I think that Huw Jenkins has done a fantastic job in choosing managers. But the problem is Garry is inexperienced. It's a massive gamble."

The big question now is whether Swansea and Cardiff can turn things round and prevent their first season in the top flight together from ending in relegation. "If Cardiff win [at the Liberty], or don't lose, then maybe you can see light at the end of the tunnel for them," Ratcliffe says. "At Swansea it's gradually been going the other way. I don't think Swansea can afford to lose."

Both clubs have a reasonable run-in. Swansea's three home matches in March, against Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich, look crucial.

They also host Aston Villa and Southampton in two of their final three fixtures. Cardiff, whose attacking options were improved by the arrival of Wilfried Zaha and Kenwyne Jones last month, have winnable home games against Villa, Hull, Fulham, Palace and Stoke. The sting in the tail is the trips to Sunderland and Newcastle before Chelsea's visit on the final day.

Kinnock would love to see both clubs pull through. "I think it's so good for the quality and morale of football in Wales for us to have two Premier League teams," he says. "Naturally I'd like to see the Bluebirds finishing further up the table than Swansea. But all I hope is that it results in nourishing Welsh talent.

"We've got some terrific boys in our development squad and they're there because Welsh kids now know that they can get top-class coaching and academy facilities in Cardiff and Swansea. If that was the case 15 years ago we might have had Craig Bellamy with us from the start. So maybe the real benefit of the Swans and the Bluebirds being in the Premier League will be truly evident in five or six years' time."

Stuart James

Vidic right to leave United – Moyes

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 01:37 PM PST

• Manager reveals defender's decision to leave was mutual
• 'I think it was the right decision for club and player'

David Moyes insists he and Nemanja Vidic both decided it was time for the Manchester United captain to leave Old Trafford.

Vidic announced on Thursday night that he would be leaving the reigning Premier League champions after eight seasons at the club.

"It was something that we all mutually agreed together," the United boss said. "I think it was the right decision for club and player."

Vidic has been heavily linked with a move to Internazionale. The Serb will skipper the Red Devils until the end of the season.

"He has been a brilliant servant for Manchester United," Moyes added. "He is captain and it will remain that way until the end of the season. He has been a great player for us and we will continue using him."

Moyes confirmed that Jonny Evans will miss Sunday's home game against Fulham with a calf injury he suffered against Stoke. Phil Jones, who came off with concussion against the Potters, could be fit, however.

Marouane Fellaini's bad luck with injuries continues as he has suffered a groin injury and will be out for a week, Moyes added.

This weekend will be the first time that the Fulham manager, René Meulensteen, has come back to Old Trafford since leaving the United coaching staff in the summer.

Moyes opted to bring in a number of his own staff when he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson as manager. The former Everton boss revealed he was sad to see the Dutch coach leave United, however.

"René helped me when I first came here," Moyes said. "I had several conversations with him. He helped me, told me about the club, how it runs and the players.

"In the end I would have liked him to stay at the time but he wanted to go and that was fine. I am looking forward to getting René back and seeing him."

Cellino cuts deal for Leeds takeover

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 12:50 PM PST

• Italian businessman is on verge of becoming new owner
• GFH Capital and its investors to retain 25% share in club
• Marina Hyde suggests a more robust test for owners

Massimo Cellino, the Italian businessman and convicted fraudster, is on the verge of becoming Leeds United's new owner after agreeing to buy a 75% stake in the club on Friday.

The current owners, Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House, who say they have spent £20m subsidising Leeds' losses in the Championship since they took over in December 2012, have been seeking a buyer for months. Hisham Alrayes, managing director of GFH Capital, said in a statement: "We understand that the speculation has been unsettling for the fans and, even though it was not of our making, we apologise to them for that."

GFH will retain a 25% stake with another shareholder, Salah Nooruddin, who is to stay as the club's chairman.

David Haigh, the GFH executive who had been working on his own takeover bid in alliance with Andrew Flowers, owner of the club's sponsor Enterprise Insurance, will be the club's chief executive under Cellino's ownership.

It is not clear where the takeover will leave the manager Brian McDermott, who was sacked by Cellino's lawyer, Chris Farnell, last Friday only to be reinstated on Monday.

The takeover by Cellino, who has owned the Italian club Cagliari, now in Serie A, since 1992, is subject to Football League approval, meaning he must be passed as "fit and proper" despite his past convictions for fraud offences.

An agriculture magnate nicknamed the "king of corn" now living in Miami, Cellino was convicted of false accounting in 2001 relating to affairs at Cagliari, and given a 15-month suspended sentence. His lawyer in Sardinia, Giovanni Cocco, told the Guardian that after a long appeal process, in 2012 Cellino finally had overturned a previous, 1996 conviction for profiting from EU agricultural subsidies.

Last year Cellino was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement and spent a reported 16 days in custody, before being released under house arrest which was lifted in May. Cocco described the accusations against Cellino as "completely baseless".

The league's "owners and directors test", formerly the "fit and proper persons test", bars people from owning a substantial stake in a club if they have "unspent convictions" including "for offences of dishonesty".

As Cellino's convictions were approaching 13 and 18 years ago (the earlier one has been expunged according to Cocco), they are expected to be "spent" in English law, which considers offenders receiving sentences of less than 30 months rehabilitated after ten years.

GFH, who bought Leeds from the previous owner, Monaco-based Ken Bates, for an undisclosed sum, said after they took over that they would seek "strategic investors" to share the cost of restoring success to one of football's fallen giants.

Bates, with Shaun Harvey as chief executive, had mortgaged season tickets for last season and this one in return for £5m up front to pay for building work on the Elland Road east stand. They had also sold the catering rights for five years in return for £2m, and borrowed £1.5m from Enterprise Insurance, which Flowers has now issued a winding up petition to demand back. GFH said last year they were grappling with a "cashflow shortfall".

GFH spent months negotiating with Flowers and other local businessmen, but said only Cellino had ultimately come up with the money required.

GFH sought to present the deal as positive, saying Cellino "will enable the club to achieve promotion in the shortest realistic time possible".

Cellino is reported to be planning to buy back Elland Road, which was sold by the owners previous to Bates, to cope with Leeds' post-2001 financial crisis.Harvey, who left Leeds in July, is now the league's chief executive. For six years, with Bates as chairman, Harvey said he did not know who Leeds United's owners, operating via companies in offshore tax havens, were. Now he is responsible for applying the "owners and directors test" to Cellino.

David Conn

Fulham's René Meulensteen has point to prove at Manchester United

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 12:28 PM PST

The Dutchman takes the Premier League's bottom team to Old Trafford as part of another club – former No2s of Sir Alex Ferguson yet to make a mark in management

There is a scene in The Sopranos in which Silvio Dante, Tony Soprano's right-hand man, tries to tell him that he is making mistakes in his leadership of the family. He speaks as calmly as possible, while Tony sits and seethes and waits, and once he's done, he's put in his place. "With all due respect," Tony growls, "you've got no idea what it takes to be No1." End of discussion, do not question my authority again.

It is an exchange that comes to mind when considering how Sir Alex Ferguson's assistants at Manchester United have fared after leaving him to try their hand at management. If life was simple, then it would naturally follow that the privilege of working with the greatest manager of all time would be an advantage. Yet, as Brian Kidd, Carlos Queiroz and, admittedly to a lesser extent, Steve McClaren have found out, not everyone is cut out to be the boss or reach the top. It takes a certain type of character to succeed in the big chair, a level of ruthlessness that most people dare not contemplate.

Perhaps the thought has crossed René Meulensteen's mind. Meulensteen is bright and clearly has plenty to offer behind the scenes but, as with many of Ferguson's assistants, he thought he was destined for bigger things. Having been promoted to first-team coach, he left when David Moyes was appointed, accepting the manager's job at Anzhi Makhachkala. He lasted 16 days, returned to England and joined Fulham as Martin Jol's No2, before replacing his fellow Dutchman when Jol was fired in December. But results have remained dire. Fulham are bottom of the Premier League and the abject 1-0 defeat in their FA Cup replay at home to Sheffield United on Tuesday has left Meulensteen on the brink. Not as easy as you might think, this management lark.

Ominously for Meulensteen, he would not be the first member of Ferguson's backroom staff to underwhelm as a manager. Maybe that is not a surprise. The knowledge gained from working by Ferguson's side probably helps in a job interview, yet managers often struggle in their first jobs and that association instantly raises expectations, making it more noticeable when they fail. Didn't they listen to anything he said?

Ferguson never believed that Kidd was cut out for management, a point he witheringly made in his first autobiography, and he was vindicated when his former No2 took Blackburn Rovers down in 1999 after his mid-season departure from United. Kidd is now a coach at Manchester City, while Queiroz has had forgettable spells in charge of Real Madrid and Portugal and will manage Iran at the World Cup.

It is not impossible to make the step up. Ferguson was adamant McClaren would succeed when he left for Middlesbrough in 2001, yet his career has been inconsistent. Now managing in the Championship with Derby County, McClaren won the League Cup with Middlesbrough and the Dutch title with FC Twente but he was sacked by Wolfsburg, resigned at Nottingham Forest and is mainly remembered as the Wally with the Brolly, the man who failed to take England to Euro 2008.

Then there is Mike Phelan, Ferguson's No2 in his final five years at Old Trafford. He has said he wants to be a manager and was linked with the Wigan Athletic job in December but he has been out of work since last summer, and in a bizarre interview in November he claimed he was just as responsible for United's success as Ferguson. Everyone thinks they can be the boss. Until they do it, that is.

"With the way things have gone, my first thoughts are to be the boss, yeah," Phelan said. "It's the progression for me now. That's what I've been doing for the last five years, albeit with the title of assistant boss. He [Ferguson] was the head of the establishment, there's no doubt about it and rightly so. He didn't get to where he's got through not being a big decision-maker but he'll be the first to admit that a lot of people played their part in that."

Maybe Phelan will need that self-belief. Yet it also hints at an overestimation of his abilities, a failure to recognise that while he was a key cog in a winning machine, the man who made sure it did not grind to a halt was Ferguson. He had help but that is a strength, not a weakness.

One theory is that Ferguson exercised too much control for his coaches to grow but that does not wash. He was rarely a major presence on the training field as time wore on and Queiroz was allowed great freedom – while he was unloved by supporters for his defensiveness, they also knew that his precise coaching was critical when United won the Champions League in 2008.

There is a difference between coaching and managing, however. What made Ferguson special is that he understands what makes people tick, a priceless skill that allows a manager to extract every last drop of sweat from his players. José Mourinho is the same. André Villas-Boas, on the other hand, might have plenty of worthy tactical ideas but his lack of man-management skills may always hold him back.

That is not the charge against Meulensteen. Indeed, part of his reputation is built around working with players on a personal basis and he was admired by Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie. Both forwards benefited hugely from his advice. Whether that makes him a manager is debatable.

Meulensteen, a lover of attacking football, is also excellent with youngsters and Fulham have been encouraged by the way he has integrated a number of talented players from their impressive academy into training with the first team. Yet that does not mean he knows how to manage senior players or how to organise a team to defend properly. Fulham have conceded 32 goals in his 15 matches and he has lost eight of his 11 league matches, leading to reports that he could soon be replaced by Alan Curbishley, the club's technical director.

The Dutchman is probably lucky still to be in a job after the debacle against Sheffield United but he has clung on and takes his Fulham side to Old Trafford on Sunday. Will it be an emotional occasion? Probably not. Yet as Meulensteen looks around, he may find himself wondering if it was a mistake to leave.

Jacob Steinberg

Swansea City v Cardiff City: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:37 AM PST

Michael Laudrup and Malky Mackay led out the sides when these sides met in November, but for this derby it will be Garry Monk and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who patrol the respective dugouts. Much change in Wales, then, and the hope for Cardiff is that they build on last week's win over Norwich and complete the double over their fierce rivals. Swansea could be without Jonjo Shelvey. Sam Petherick

Kick-off Saturday 5.30pm

Venue Liberty Stadium

Last season n/a

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee A Marriner

This season G18, Y59, R5, 3.8 cards per game

Odds H 4-5 A 7-2 D 5-2

Swansea City

Subs from Vorm, Cornell, Routledge, Michu, Pozuelo, Amat, Vasquez, Lamah, Tiendalli, Ngog, Emnes, Richards, Cañas

Doubtful Shelvey (hamstring), Cañas (ankle)

Injured None

Suspended None

Form LWLLLD

Discipline Y41 R1

Leading scorer Bony 7

Cardiff City

Subs from Lewis, Campbell, Cala, Theophile-Catherine, Kim, Eikrem, Gunnarsson, Daehli, Berget, Whittingham, Taylor, McNaughton, Cowie, Connolly, Smith

Doubtful None

Injured Hudson (hamstring, 15 Feb)

Suspended None

Form WLLLLD

Discipline Y29 R0

Leading scorer Campbell 5

Our favourite things online this week: from Sussex football to Sochi's dogs

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:14 AM PST

Featuring NFL team logos, synchronised swimming, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic tweeted Cristiano Ronaldo and bankrupt footballers

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions on our last blog.

1) Sussex football by David Bauckham

David Bauckham has been publishing photos of lower-league football on his Flickr page since 2008 and this gallery from the ever-reliable In Bed With Maradona is a perfect starting point for anyone unfamiliar with his work. The man has an eye for a photo.

2) Racing to save the stray dogs of Sochi

When will the Winter Olympics controversy end? First it was the massive cost, then the environmental concern, then the worry over Russia's anti-gay legislation and then the stories about how the government was planning to exterminate the city's stray dogs. Thankfully a Russian billionaire is ploughing some money into a dog shelter that is trying to save the strays, which would otherwise face the death sentence. David M Herszenhorn takes up the story for the New York Times.

3) NFL team logos remixed with famous brands

Some people have too much time on their hands. But at least they make good use of it.

4) Zlatan Ibrahimovic tweets Cristiano Ronaldo

When Starbucks started putting people's names on cups and customers responded by posting pictures of misspellings online, some marketing genius at Nike must have taken notice and gone about concocting a plan to sell a few T-shirts. Sometimes you have to sit back and admire the genius and subtlety of advertising. That Ronaldo replied "Thank you for the birthday present @Ibra_official. It will look better on me than you though" carried that suspicious whiff of a marketing campaign. Either way, it's a lovely bow.

5) Dispatches: Hunted

This Channel 4 documentary lasts an hour, but you'll have seen enough of Sochi's vigilantes before the first ad break. It's essential, if harrowing, viewing.

6) The future is bleak

Andy Murray is Wimbledon champion, worth about £30m and can even expect some love in England these days, but life is not so rosy for tennis players lower down the rankings. As Paul Wachter puts it in this piece for Grantland: "Of all major professional sports, tennis is the cruelest to its non-stars." He proves his point by meeting some struggling players, who compete for prize money of $310 in front of a crowd of eight people. At least they're living their dream.

7) Medal predictions for every Winter Olympic competition

Over the next 18 days, 294 Olympic medals will be handed out in Sochi. Most of them will go to Norwegians, Americans and Canadians, according to this predictions table from Brian Cazeneuve at Sports Illustrated. Great Britain may boast a selection of "fridge kids", but Cazeneuve reckons the team's best hopes are with the genteel sport of curling. If the summer Olympians win most of their medal sitting down, it probably fits that the winter team pick up their golds while sweeping the floor.

8) Mesmerisingly quiet photos of synchronised swimming

Synchronised swimming is all about movement, but this selection of stills on the Slate photoblog captures the peaceful nature of the sport. Jordan G Teicher runs the blog and is well worth following on Twitter – as is the photographer, Paul Schlemmer.

9) Sochi hotel guests complain about topless portraits of Putin in rooms

Visitors to Sochi have been bemused by the curious case of the city's double toilets. But, as Andy Borowitz points out in the New Yorker, it could have been much, much worse.

10) Day-by-day guide to the Winter Olympics

Get it bookmarked.

11) Football's lost fortunes

Paul Campbell

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:11 AM PST

Tim Sherwood recognises that this match is "crucial" to the top-four hopes of both clubs and he is keen that it serves as a springboard for Tottenham after the first little wobble of his Premier League tenure. The 1-1 draw at Hull was arguably a poorer result that the 5-1 home loss to Manchester City. In terms of points, Everton are having their best season since the 1986-87 season. David Hytner

Kick-off Sunday 1.30pm

Venue White Hart Lane

Last season Tottenham 2 Everton 2

Live Sky Sports 1

Referee M Clattenburg

This season G16, Y57, R1, 3.7 cards per game

Odds H 11-10 A 5-2 D 12-5

Tottenham Hotspur

Subs from Friedel, Gomes, Naughton, Fryers, Sandro, Chiriches, Kaboul, Capoue, Chadli, Sigurdsson, Bentaleb, Townsend, Kane, Defoe

Doubtful Sandro (calf), Chiriches (back)

Injured Lamela (thigh, unknown)

Suspended None

Form DLWWWW

Discipline Y41 R2

Leading scorers Adebayor, Soldado 5

Everton

Subs from Robles, Naismith, Barkley, Traoré, Deulofeu, Stones, Hibbert, Garbutt, Gueye, Vellios

Doubtful Traoré (hamstring), Coleman (hamstring), Deulofeu (hamstring), Barkley (toe)

Injured Lukaku (ankle, Mar), Koné (knee, Apr), Gibson (knee, Apr), Oviedo (leg, Aug)

Suspended None

Form WLDWDW

Discipline Y39 R1

Leading scorer Lukaku 9

Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:58 AM PST

Pepe Mel will be buoyed by the news that David Gómez, his assistant when manager at Real Betis, has joined the coaching staff at The Hawthorns. West Brom need all the input they can get as they continue to hover dangerously close to the relegation zone. As do Crystal Palace, but they still look like a team reborn under Tony Pulis and will hope to continue their recent good home form. Daniel Prescott

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Selhurst Park

Last season n/a

Referee C Foy

This season G14, Y36, R3, 3.0 cards per game

Odds H 8-5 A 2-1 D 9-4

Crystal Palace

Subs from Hennessey, Alexander, Mariappa, Moxey, Dann, McCarthy, Dikgacoi, O'Keefe, Bolasie, Williams, Bannan, Thomas, Wilbraham, Gayle, Murray, Guedioura

Injured Murray (match fitness), Thomas (match fitness)

Suspended None

Form LWWLDL

Discipline Y31 R2

Leading scorer Chamakh 4

West Bromwich Albion

Subs from Myhill, Sinclair, Amalfitano, Vydra, Bifouma, Lugano, Berahino, Dorrans, Tamas, Reid, Popov, Daniels

Doubtful None

Injured Anelka (knee, 22 Feb), Sessègnon (groin, 22 Feb), Olsson (hamstring, 22 Feb)

Suspended None

Form DLDLWD

Discipline Y46 R0

Leading scorer Berahino 4

Aston Villa v West Ham United: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:46 AM PST

Rather than fully focusing on this fixture, West Ham spent the past few days working on overturning Andy Carroll's three-match ban. They were ultimately unsuccessful in their quest and it now leaves them with a headache in attack. Carlton Cole is likely to play instead, leaving Aston Villa hopeful of winning and creating breathing space between themselves and the bottom three. Daniel Prescott

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Villa Park

Last season Aston Villa 2 West Ham 1

Referee M Dean

This season G16, Y59, R3, 4.1 cards per game

Odds H 11-10 A 14-5 D 5-2

Aston Villa

Subs from Steer, Holt, El Ahmadi, Albrighton, Sylla, Tonev, Luna, Gardner, Bowery, Helenius

Doubtful None

Injured Vlaar (hamstring, 23 Feb), Okore (knee, March), Kozak (broken leg, Aug), N'Zogbia (achilles, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LWDLWD

Discipline Y53 R0

Leading scorer Benteke 7

West Ham United

Subs from Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Reid, Potts, Johnson, Chambers, Armero, Diarra, Collison, Morrison, Razak, Nocerino, Boriello, Vaz Tê , Lee

Doubtful Vaz Tê (match fitness)

Injured O'Brien (shoulder, Apr), Diamé (knee, unknown), J Cole (groin, unknown)

Suspended Carroll (first of three)

Form WDLWLD

Discipline Y41 R5

Leading scorer C Cole 5

Liverpool v Arsenal: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:17 AM PST

Arsène Wenger's team have not always fared well in so-called 'defining' periods, but their recent Anfield record bodes well ahead of a 12-day spell featuring Liverpool, twice, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Arsenal have not lost there in the league since Peter Crouch scored three in a 4-1 Liverpool win in March 2007 and, with Tottenham, have the best away record in the division. But Liverpool have Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge, the source of 37 league goals already this term. Something very important will have to give. Andy Hunter

Kick-off Saturday 12.45pm

Venue Anfield

Last season Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2

Live BT Sport 1

Referee M Oliver

This season G16, Y62, R2, 4.1 cards per game

Odds H 11-10 A 5-2 D 13-5

Liverpool

Subs from Jones, Allen, Kelly, Aspas, Moses, Alberto, Ibe, Smith

Doubtful None

Injured Johnson (ankle, 16 Feb), Agger (calf, 16 Feb), Sakho (hamstring, 16 Feb), Coates (knee, Mar), Lucas (knee, Mar) José Enrique (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form DWDWWL

Discipline Y33 R0

Leading scorer Suárez 23

Arsenal

Subs from Fabianski, Viviano,Jenkinson, Gibbs, Zelalem, Sanogo, Vermaelen, Rosicky, Miyaichi, Gnabry, Podolski, Bendtner

Doubtful Sanogo (match fitness), Vermaelen (calf)

Injured Ramsey (thigh, 15 Mar), Kallstrom (back, 15 Mar), Diaby (knee, unknown), Walcott (knee ligaments, August)

Suspended Flamini (second of three)

Form WDWWWW

Discipline Y34 R3

Leading scorer Giroud 10

Paul Lambert pleased with backing from Aston Villa owner – video

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:17 AM PST

Paul Lambert says he is pleased with the backing he has received from Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner

Ole Gunnar Solskjær: Swansea City game is more than just a derby – video

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:06 AM PST

Ole Gunnar Solskjær looks forward to his first South Wales derby as Cardiff City manager

Norwich City v Manchester City: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

Manchester City beat Norwich 7-0 in November and this return fixture could well yield a similar outcome. City's away form is no longer a concern, whereas Norwich have won only one of their last 11 games in all competitions. After losing to Chelsea, the visitors will also be eager to return to the type of form that landed Manuel Pellegrini January's manager of the month award. Sam Petherick

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Carrow Road

Last season Norwich 3 Man City 4

Referee J Moss

This season G14, Y50, R2, 3.9 cards per game

Odds H 9-1 A 1-3 D 4-1

Norwich City

Subs from Bunn, Nash, R Bennett, Whittaker, Garrido, Jacob Murphy, Josh Murphy, Redmond, Tettey, Becchio, Van Wolfswinkel, Hoolahan, Pilkington

Doubtful R Bennett (thigh)

Injured Turner (hamstring, 23 Feb), Howson (back, 23 Feb), E Bennett (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LDWLDL

Discipline Y35 R2

Leading scorer Hooper 5

Manchester City

Subs from Pantilimon, Demichelis, Clichy, Richards, Jovetic, Lescott, Rodwell, Boyata

Doubtful None

Injured García (muscle, 11 Feb), Fernandinho (muscle, 15 Feb), Nasri (knee, 18 Feb), Agüero (hamstring, Mar)

Suspended None

Form LWWWWW

Discipline Y45 R0

Leading scorer Agüero 15

Carroll's three-match ban upheld

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:39 AM PST

• Independent tribunal rejects Hammers' case
• Suspension starts away to Aston Villa

Andy Carroll is to serve his three-match ban with immediate effect after an independent arbitration tribunal threw out West Ham United's final attempt to have the suspension revoked, determining there was "no serious issue to be tried".

An interim tribunal, convened under Rule K8 of the Football Association's regulations and appointed by the arbitration specialists Sports Resolutions (UK), listened to Carroll's case on Friday and, after five hours of deliberation, deemed the original three-man independent commission to have been correct in upholding the red card shown to the England striker by Howard Webb for violent conduct during last Saturday's victory over Swansea City. Carroll had tussled in the air with the visitors' defender Chico Flores and swung round his right arm, making contact with the top of the Spaniard's head.

The independent commission's decision to uphold the ban – agreed not unanimously but by two votes to one – was reached because they deemed Webb not to have made an "obvious error" in showing a red card. West Ham then threatened legal action unless the FA agreed to refer the incident to arbitration. They argued, under Rule K section of the FA's rulebook, that there had been "irrationality or procedural unfairness" in the three-man panel's reasoning and were seeking a "stay" on the ban before a final hearing – to be heard by a full tribunal – so that Carroll would be available to play in the interim.

The game's governing body agreed on Thursday to refer the matter to arbitration but, despite West Ham submitting extensive evidence that they hoped would see the original decision overturned, Nicholas Stewart QC, sitting alone as the interim tribunal, duly decided the correct procedure had been followed all along.

The FA and West Ham were represented by counsel and solicitors at the hearing, which had convened in central London at 11am on Friday and revealed its findings at 4pm. "The ground for dismissal of the application is that there is no serious issue on the validity of the FA regulatory commission decision upholding the three-match suspension," wrote Stewart. "There is no serious prospect that the full tribunal appointed under FA rule K will decide in the claimant's favour."

The club, who were ordered to pay the FA's £13,092 costs as well as those of the interim tribunal and hearing, confirmed they would not be taking the matter any further. "Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision, as we have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall abide by them," they said. The player, who had set up both his side's goals to beat Swansea on only his second league start of the season, will miss Saturday's visit to Aston Villa and next week's critical home games against Norwich City and Southampton.

That will frustrate the West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce, who felt the original verdict had denied the club "justice". "In this case the [independent commission] were looking at it from the view of one thing only: was it an obvious mistake?" he said. "So we based our procedure on this and I'm 100% certain it was an obvious mistake: Howard Webb should have given a free-kick for Andy against Flores – [if] at that stage the whistle blows, there's no incident – so that's an obvious mistake because it is an obvious free-kick.

"For me the conclusion could only have been that Webb felt that, even though he hadn't seen it 100%, he was reluctant not to give a red card on the basis that, if Andy had caught Flores full in the face or elbowed him or used violent conduct, which he didn't – it was at very best reckless – then he would've been in trouble with his group of referees and his bosses for not giving it."

Allardyce remains disgusted with Flores's overreaction, clutching his face on the turf despite contact having been made with the top of his head. "He has allowed people to say to players: 'You can get away with simulation to get someone sent off or get a decision in your favour,'" he said. "That is clear for all to see on what happened. Howard thought Andy had smashed him straight in the face by his reaction, and then when you see it after there is little or no contact and it is nowhere near his face, so it is a shame. The other scenario that he must feel a lot more guilty of is he has just got his manager sacked."

Dominic Fifield

Chelsea v Newcastle United: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:24 AM PST

Chelsea are still rightly basking in that eye-catching victory at Manchester City, though their next three league matches are against teams who have taken points from the sides' collisions earlier this season. Newcastle's win at St James' Park back in November effectively cost Ashley Cole his place in the first team, so off the pace was the full-back that day. Yet the visitors have won only once in their last seven games in all competitions and were embarrassed in the Tyne-Wear derby last week. Throw in regular disruption off the pitch and they appear to be vulnerable. Chelsea must exploit an opportunity. Dominic Fifield

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue Stamford Bridge

Last season Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0

Referee H Webb

This season G20, Y57, R2, 3.1 cards per game

Odds H 1-4 A 16-1 D 5-1

Chelsea

Subs from Schwarzer, Hilário, Blackman, Cole, Lampard, Schürrle, Salah, Ba, Matic, Kalas, Ake

Doubtful None

Injured Torres (knee, 11 Feb), Van Ginkel (knee, Apr)

Suspended None

Form WDWWWW

Discipline Y37 R1

Leading scorer Hazard 9

Newcastle United

Subs from Elliot, S Taylor, Dummett, Aromstrong, Obertan, Cissé, Haïdara, De Jong, Gosling, Bigirimana

Doubtful Cissé (back), Obertan (knee), Bigirimana (foot)

Injured Gouffran (muscle, 8 Feb), Coloccini (knee, Mar), Tioté (hamstring, Mar)

Suspended Rémy (second of three)

Form LDWLLL

Discipline Y34 R4

Leading scorer Rémy 11

Southampton v Stoke City: squad sheets

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:06 AM PST

This looks a harder assignment for Stoke than last week's meeting with champions Manchester United. Southampton are on a roll again and the visitors will have to be at their most vigilant to contain Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert. And to win, the visitors will also have to find a way to score, which they have failed to do in five of their last six away matches. Paul Doyle

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue St Mary's Stadium

Last season Southampton 1 Stoke 1

Referee C Pawson

This season G6, Y16, R0, 2.7 cards per game

Odds H 4-7 A 6-1 D 3-1

Southampton

Subs from Gazzaniga, K Davis, Clyne, Hooiveld, Targett, Ward-Prowse, Reed, Wanyama, Isgrove, Stephens, Do Prado

Doubtful Chambers (knock), Wanyama (knock)

Injured Lovren (ankle, Mar), Ramírez (ankle, Mar)

Unavailable Gallagher (personal)

Form WDDWLL

Discipline Y41 R0

Leading scorer Rodriguez 10

Stoke City

Subs from Sorensen, Butland, Shotton, Muniesa, Guidetti, Palacios, Odemwingie, Assaidi, Huth, Ireland

Doubtful Wilson (illness), Arnautovic (knock), Walters (knock)

Injured Wilkinson (ankle, 12 Feb), Etherington (calf, 12 Feb)

Suspended None

Form WLLLDL

Discipline Y51R3

Leading scorer Adam 7

Mauricio Pochettino feels flattered by Real Madrid link – video

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:06 AM PST

The Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino refuses to rule out managing Real Madrid in the future

The Fiver | Good old-fashioned pettiness and spite

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:42 AM PST

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

DIY

The Fiver has always believed that subtlety is unnecessary. When we go to them foreign countries and our stomach is groaning like a yawning sea monster, we bellow "DOUBLE WHOPPER MEAL, NO GHERKINS, YEAH? " at the nearest person. When we see a potential Fiverette, we fix her with a bulbous-eyed, dead-faced stare that makes it abundantly clear we want to make beautiful little Fivers, and when we have an accident at work we simply scream WAHHHHHHHHHHH until somebody arrives with a mop.

So we were pretty impressed with today's news of a plan about as subtle as Gareth Keenan's sledgehammer, in which a team reportedly scored eight own goals in 10 minutes during a regional cup match. Frank Sinclair, Wes Brown and Jamie Carragher can't see what all the fuss is about, but elsewhere the MF word has been tentatively mentioned. It's a good job it didn't happen in Italy or people would have been really suspicious.

Oh. What happened was this. Bagheria needed to draw against Borgata Terrenove to get through their three-team Coppa Sicilia group in a regional match in Italy. When they went 6-3 down with 10 minutes to go, they started hoofing the ball into their own net. It seems this was not a case of bribery but good old-fashioned pettiness and spite. By scoring eight own goals, Bagheria ensured Borgata qualified on goal difference ahead of Partinicaudace. Confused? Splendid, now lie down on the couch, relax your shoulders and tell us about mother.

"I can guarantee there was no agreement between us and Bagheria," said Giovanni Cammarata, who is reported as being the coach of Partinicaudace but must surely be the coach of Bagheria given the nature of his comment. After all why would Partinicaudace have to deny having an agreement with Bagheria? We're confused now LOOK WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE LITTLE FIVERS WITH MOTHER FIVER OK.

Sandro Morgana, the regional president of the Italian football federation, has got his best men on the case. "I will personally inform our prosecutors about this," he said without any self-importance whatsoever, "and they will look into the case and establish which sanctions should apply." Whether that could be fines, bans or even a stint in the clink is unclear. One thing is clear, though: the Bagheria players really didn't think this through, did they?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It took me a long time to understand the song they sing about me, that it was not them trying to bully me. People explained to me that it was more an expression of love" – Per Mertesacker explains how he's now on board with Arsenal fans' Big [Effing] German chant in this exclusive chat with David Hytner.

FIVER LETTERS

"So, apparently, a man in India has travelled 1,056 miles for a 'bogus' prize. A true pedant would have gone the extra mile to counteract the hoax" – Josh Cryer.

"Re: (Adrian) Chiles play (yesterday's Fiver). As your example of an ITV viewer who emailed in their request for a fiver, and the Fiver apparently emailed in a request for a fiver – both of which should be ignored. Your own journalism stated: '… any viewers that hadn't fallen asleep to write him a letter and he'd send them £5.' Note the word 'letter' not 'email'. No apologies for being a pedantic so and so" – Simon Burke.

"Adrian Chiles has joined the pantheon of cultural celebrity forces who can single-handedly change our language. Before his flippant televisual comment, the use of the term 'fiver' signified an unfunny, tea-timely email. Now, it just refers to anything unfunny. And slightly lumpy" – Mike Wilner (and others).

"As a counterbalance to this infernal Wetherspoon's love-in (Fiver letters passim), here is some traditional Fiver letters hyperbole: JD and his homogenised quaff barns are to drinking what Sepp and his global monstrosity are to football. Both have taken a traditional pastime from the control of local communities/countries and smilingly sold it back to them in the form of sterilised omniscience. They're zookeepers who've dressed all their animals up to look like lions because, well, everybody likes lions, don't they?" – Richard Robinson.

• 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: Josh Cryer.

JOIN GUARDIAN SOULMATES

We keep trying to point out the utter futility of advertising an online dating service "for interesting people" in the Fiver to the naive folk who run Guardian Soulmates, but they still aren't having any of it. So here you go – sign up here to view profiles of the kind of erudite, sociable and friendly romantics who would never dream of going out with you.

BITS AND BOBS

Franck Ribéry is doubtful for Bayern Munich's Big Cup first leg against Arsenal on 19 February due to a nasty case of … wait for it, you're going to like this one … burst-blood-vessel-in-the-tail knack! "Surgery became necessary at short notice because bruising associated with the damage was affecting a nerve," said a bummed club suit.

Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic has decided to do one before David Moyes's wobbly Jenga tower falls over. "It was something that we all mutually agreed together," wept the United boss.

The ref who sent Him off for standing near Athletic Bilbao's Carlos Gurpegui has been handed a month's hobby-time by the Spanish FA, though His three-match ban has still been upheld.

Newcastle reserve boss Willie Donachie has resigned after allegedly giving 19-year-old defender Remie Street a close-up view of his knuckles.

Ajax boss Frank de Boer has fluttered his eyelashes at Liverpool and Spurs. "Those are clubs that I think in the future I could be a manager of. I think the history of the clubs and what you can do with the team is my cup of tea," he milk-and-two-sugared.

And good news for Adam Johnson's empty mantelpiece: he's won the Premier League player of the month award.

STILL WANT MORE?

Rob Smyth and Paul Doyle picked out 10 things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend so you don't have to.

Blackeye Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson actually had a black eye in this interview with Andy Hunter, in which he recalls how he is enjoying football more than ever after a brush with death.

The Gentleman Ultra dons his cravat and profiles Catania. His verdict? Violent, beautiful and loud.

The modern football lover can embrace stats without ruining the romance of the game, coos Sanjit Atwal.

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

SIGN UP TO THE FIVER (AND O FIVERÃO)

Want your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up. And you can also now receive our weekly World Cup email, O Fiverão; this is the first edition, and you can sign up for it here.

'HOW CAN AN AIR BOAT BE SELFISH?'

Rob Smyth

Saturday, 8 February 2014