Monday, October 31, 2011

Stoke 1 Newcastle 3: Toon go third as Ba treble punishes team who turned him down


Newcastle United continued to defy expectations, winning at Stoke’s intimidating Britannia Stadium to leapfrog Chelsea into third in the  Barclays Premier League.

Their goal hero was Demba Ba, a man rejected by Stoke halfway through last season because of an allegedly dodgy knee, which also put off suitors in the summer  following West Ham’s relegation and his departure from Upton Park. Stoke chairman Peter Coates labelled Ba injury prone.


Since that move from Hoffenheim to the Potteries collapsed, Ba has scored 14 goals — eight for  Newcastle after this hat-trick — and only Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie have scored more in the Premier League in 2011.

The first here was a deft diving header, the second a simple  side-foot finish from Leon Best’s mis-hit shot and the third came from the penalty spot.

For the moment, at least, the Newcastle manager has every right to enjoy a return to third spot and the knowledge that his faith in a free-transfer striker has left his team just a point behind champions Manchester United.

This is already Newcastle’s  longest unbeaten run in the top flight for 61 years and, say it quietly, if Newcastle beat Everton at  St James’ Park this Saturday  lunchtime they could go second.

After that, and the international break, Newcastle have successive visits to the two Manchester clubs before hosting Chelsea on the first Saturday of December. If they are still third at that point, Newcastle can and should be taken very seriously indeed.

‘The first two goals were poor for us, although the first one was offside, but we should have dealt with two basic balls better. It was always going to be uphill after that.’

Pulis once described Ba as a ticking time-bomb because of his knee. ‘I would have taken him on a free,’ said the Stoke boss last night. ‘But he was coming to us for £9million (in January). The medical people decided it was too big a risk.’

And for that, Pardew and Newcastle are truly grateful.

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk, www.goal.com


 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Alex Ferguson: My worst defeat ever


Manchester City gave Sir Alex Ferguson the worst day of his football life as they stormed Old Trafford to thrash neighbours United 6-1 in the Barclays Premier League.

On an astonishing afternoon which Ferguson admitted left him ‘shattered’, Roberto Mancini’s rampant team inflicted United’s biggest home defeat since 1955 — and equal biggest since 1927 — as they tore their opponents apart to go five points clear at the top.

The day was a triumph for Mancini and City forward Mario Balotelli, who recovered from setting his house on fire with fireworks early on Saturday to score the decisive opening two goals.



Ferguson said: ‘It was our worst ever day. It’s the worst result in my history, ever. Even as a player I don’t think I ever lost 6-1. I can’t believe the scoreline.’




‘I’m shattered. It’s an incredible disappointment,’ he said.

The turning point came early in the second period, though, when United defender Jonny Evans was sent off. After that City ran away with the game and two goals in added time ensured United suffered their worst home defeat since City thumped them 5-0 in 1955, and equal worst since a 7-1 trouncing by Newcastle in 1927.


Manchini said: ‘I don’t know what happened on Friday. The most important thing was that Mario and his friend were OK. He is in a hotel now. Today Mario played very well. If we want to talk about Mario we can put him in the first five players in the world.


‘But he is young and at his age he can make some mistakes.

"‘What did his T-shirt say? Well, that is Mario. But that is why he is so popular with the supporters because he is crazy.


‘But I love him because he is a good guy. I hope the day arrives that he changes his mind completely. When he does that he will become one of the best three players in the world, like Messi, like Ronaldo.’

Ferguson, who left captain Nemanja Vidic in the stands, said: ‘The first goal was a blow, but that’s retrievable. The sending-off was the killer blow. It’s a perfect result for us to react to because there is a lot of embarrassment in the dressing room which will make an impact.’

source: www.thesun.co.uk

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Can Man City win European Cup?


SUNSPORT answers the key questions on Manchester City's chances of winning the Champions League this season.

IS THE SQUAD UP TO IT? 

CITY'S squad is envied around Europe and even Barcelona wanted to avoid them in the group stages.
But what they don't have is Champions League experience as a team — that's how the regulars make it look so easy — in what is a tough group.
YES OR NO? NO

THE RIGHT BOSS FOR EURO GLORY?

ROBERTO MANCINI won trophies for fun when he was a boss in Italy — but he always came up short in this competition.
Ultimately, it cost him his job at Inter and his successor, Jose Mourinho, showed him how it should be done.
NO

DO THEY NEED TEVEZ?

WELL, the Argentine does have a Champions League winners medal so knows what it takes to be successful in it.
But City have done just fine without him in the league with Aguero, Dzeko and Balotelli all banging them in. If they stay fit, it will be 'Carlos who?'
NO

DO CITY HAVE TOO MANY EGOS?

THERE are plenty of those, as City know from what happened with Carlos Tevez in Munich.
But Mancini is a strong manager and has already shown he is willing to take a hardline approach with the likes of Tevez and fellow sulking striker Edin Dzeko.
NO
source: www.thesun.co.uk

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Go train on your own! City playing hard ball with Tevez as Argentine returns to Manchester


According to the coaches he has worked with, Carlos Tevez has never been the greatest lover of training grounds. 

On Thursday— on his return to Manchester City — things will get a whole lot worse for the club’s former captain. 

It may be only five months since Tevez finished the last Barclays Premier League season as City’s top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions. And it may be less than half a year since he helped them into the Champions League places.

But as City manager Roberto Mancini begins the process of preparing his squad for crucial games in the league and in Europe, Tevez will be told to train alone.

Having served a two-week club suspension in the wake of an explosive night in Munich, Tevez will find the gates of the City training ground open to him again. That, however, is as far as the welcome will go.

Tevez will find, perhaps to his surprise, that he no longer has a seat in the first-team changing room and he certainly has no place on the field.

He will be sent out to train with a specially designated member of Mancini’s fitness team. Only after his state of mind and fitness has been assessed will the Argentine be considered ready to work with the reserve team.

As Mancini sat on the plane home from Munich two weeks ago, he spoke fervently to his staff of how there would be no way back for Tevez. 


 
Whatever happened to other players in terms of form and fitness, his publicly declared intention to banish the player from his team would hold firm.
On Thursday, at the club’s training ground, Tevez will discover that this remains very much the case.

Mancini was told by the City hierarchy on Wednesday that the decision on how to deal with Tevez on a day-to-day basis would be left up to him. 

If he wanted to include him in his first-team plans until his future was determined one way or the other then that, he was told, would be a decision the club would respect.

Mancini, though, never contemplated it for a second. The Italian, once a bit of a loose cannon himself, knows how a disaffected player can spread unrest through a group of footballers and this is a risk he is not prepared to take.


 
While Tevez’s future is thrashed out by City’s own disciplinary procedure in the coming days, the player will be told to work to a specifically designed training programme put together to reflect the poor state of fitness Mancini believes him to have carried in recent weeks.

As such, he will not even always be told to report to Carrington at the same time as the first-team players he so recently used to lead. 

When deciding in the aftermath of the defeat by Bayern Munich two weeks ago that he would take Tevez on, this is the scenario Mancini envisaged. It is not ideal.

Saturday’s game at home to Aston Villa and then a Champions League meeting with Villarreal next Tuesday are important games that will be played against a backdrop of something approaching soap opera.

As for Tevez, he never really liked this city. He does not like the food and does not like the weather. On Thursday it is expected to rain. Again.
Welcome back to Manchester

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk, www.bet365.com, www.teamtalk.com
 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Abramovich’s stand-off with worried Chelsea fans

WORRIED Chelsea fans last night announced they will fight to stop owner Roman Abramovich moving the Blues away from Stamford Bridge.

Supporters are concerned after the Russian billionaire tabled a £10million offer to buy out the shareholders who own the 41,800-seat ground.

That would leave him free to re-develop the 13 acre SW6 site for residential and commercial use and move the team to a new home nearby.

But one leading fan, who asked not to be named, said: "The great thing about Chelsea is that the ground is owned by the fans so nothing can happen here without our agreement.
"Chelsea Pitch Owners bought the land 14 years ago to see off the property developers and their bulldozers back then because this is the home of Chelsea Football Club and always has been.

"The intention was always to keep the club here at our spiritual home — and nothing's changed.

"So we will be writing to all the shareholders urging them to remember why we acted in the first place — and asking them to vote against Mr Abramovich's proposals at the CPO emergency meeting on October 27."

source: thesun.co.uk