Juventus want Romelu Lukaku

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Oct 3, 2013

Manchester United striker has revealed that it is vital for everyone at the club to stick together through a tough patch and then better things will come in the near-future.

The Red Devils have been questioned already this season, in particular, new boss David Moyes, who took over from Sir Alex Ferguson earlier this year.

The English champions were outclassed by fierce-rivals Manchester City last weekend and were then beaten at home by West Bromwich Albion to further damage Moyes’ reputation at the club.

They were back in action last night in the Champions League and despite Welbeck giving United the lead, they eventually drew 1-1 with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.

After the game, the English striker admitted how important it is the whole club stick together through hard times.

Welbeck told Sky Sports: “In the end it was a decent result. We went ahead when we got the goal early on and we made ourselves hard to beat, it was really difficult for them to score. Towards the end they got that goal and that’s the disappointing part.

“I don’t think many teams have come here and got three points. We would have liked to get three points but it wasn’t to be.

“I think four points from the first two games is alright, especially coming away to Shakhtar and getting a draw. Obviously, we’re Manchester United and we want to win every game, but coming here and getting a point, we have to be satisfied.

“Things aren’t going as well as we would have liked in the Premier League, but what we’ve got to do is gather together and concentrate on our next game and not look too far into the future.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

FA are a disgrace and a joke, blasts Tottenham boss

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Oct 3, 2013

Tottenham Hotspur manager has labelled the FA’s decision to let Chelsea striker Fernando Torres off the hook for scratching Jan Vertonghen in the face as a disgrace and a joke.

During the clash at the weekend between the two side’s, Torres was eventually sent off when he was shown a second yellow-card, but on the day, officials claimed they did not see the striker scratch Vertonghen’s face, and that is why the incident went to the FA review panel and they were to judge whether or not to extend the ban from one game, to four.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, the FA announced that they felt the matter was dealt with on the day by the match officials and for that reason, there was no need to slap a ban on the Spaniard.

This decision was not taken well by Andre Villas-Boas who slammed the FA in his press conference yesterday.

‘It’s extremely difficult to know where to start.

‘Obviously, it’s almost a farcical decision. What I think is the FA has made the decision almost a joke. It looks incredible. How can you see the images, pretty clear, and come out without punishment? I think the decision is a disgrace.

‘If the committee can’t solve such clear images I don’t think it sets a good first example.’

‘It doesn’t matter to me which player and which club is involved,’ added Villas-Boas.

‘Neither do I want to put into question Fernando’s integrity; neither their manager’s.

‘We don’t want Fernando suspended because it can make them weaker — their bench is so strong that whoever comes in for him makes them stronger — but what I think is the FA has lost all opportunity to put some sense into the images that everybody saw.’

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Arsenal duo hail Mesut Ozil

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Oct 3, 2013

Arsenal duo Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud have both hailed Mesut Ozil after he scored his first goal for the club on Tuesday night.

The Gunners eased past Italian side Napoli thanks to goals from Ozil and Giroud, with the win leaving them top of Group F after two games.

The German international gave Arsenal the lead in the first-half with a neat finish before he set up Giroud who slammed home to make it 2-0 and after the game, the French striker admitted that he believes the two of them are on the same wavelength.

“Mesut was unbelievable tonight, as usual,” said Giroud afterwards. “It is really simple to find him on the pitch and we have a really good understanding on the pitch. He assisted on my goal and he always does the right thing in the right moment.

“This is his fifth assist since he joined us and I think he was the man we needed to really improve ourselves. He has incredible technique and he did very well tonight. His goal is quite difficult to score because he was far [from the goal], he had really good precision in his shot.

“I have the same [understanding] with Jack and Tomas and Aaron and Theo as well so I’m really pleased to play with these kinds of players.”

As for Ramsey, he was delighted to see Ozil get his first goal for the club.

“We are all really pleased for him because he’s given a lot of assists this season,” he said. “I was happy to set him up and the team were happy for him to get his first goal.

“I think he’s settled in pretty well. He’s made a few assists already and got his first goal tonight so that’s pleasing for him and the team. Hopefully he will score many more.

“We’re really pleased to take six points,” added Ramsey. “I thought we started off really well and put them under pressure with two goals in the first half which we deserved, and then we killed the game.

“We thoroughly deserved the win I thought. We’ve done ever so well since that blip against Aston Villa, we won every game and hopefully we can continue that. It’s always nice to get off to a good start in the Champions League.

“I think the games against [Borussia] Dortmund will be massive, they are a tough team to play against and they got to the final last year but we’re at home and we’ll be confident of getting the right result against them. If we do we will put ourselves in a really positive position.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Jack Wilshere happy with competition

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Oct 2, 2013

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere believes the competition at the club is healthy and good for all the players, even if it means some of them sitting out of games.

The English midfielder had to settle for a place on the bench against Napoli on Tuesday night in the Champions League and only made a brief cameo at the end during the 2-0 win.

After the game, Arsene Wenger said that Wilshere was only on the bench to keep his fitness levels up, but the midfielder knows that competition for places is high this season and he is looking forward to challenging his team-mates.

“I have played a lot of games recently, so I was just happy to get on and help at the end,” explained Wilshere. “It was just a formation thing. I am feeling fine, Tomas Rosicky is coming back from injury and he needed a game.

“It is exciting. We still have Santi Cazorla to come back, so we are going to have a great squad.

“If we can keep everyone fit, we are going to be real contenders in all four competitions. We have not really had this over the last few years, all of this competition for places. We are all excited and we just have to keep it up now.”

“When I broke into the team, it was similar,” he said. “There was Fabregas, Diaby, Song, players like that. It brings the best out of me and it will bring the best out of the other players as well.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

MANCHESTER UNITED REACTION

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Oct 2, 2013

Manchester United made it four points from two games in the Champions League tonight after picking up a point in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk.

A Danny Welbeck goal wasn’t enough for United to bring back all three-points for the English side, but the result sees them top the group, level on points with Donetsk.

Below you can read some reaction from the draw.

United goalscorer Danny Welbeck:

“In the end it was a decent result. We got the goal early. They then got a goal and that’s the disappointing part. I don’t think many teams come here and get three points – we would have liked to have got three points.”

United manager David Moyes:

“The team stood up well tonight. We got a good goal early doors. It looked like we would have stopped them from scoring until the goal. We said at half time we had to keep the ball better. I’m disappointed we didn’t pass it better. If we got the second goal from Robin [Van Persie] we would have seen it out.”

MANCHESTER CITY REACTION

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Oct 2, 2013

Manuel Pellegrini couldn’t inspire his men to an impressive Champions League victory tonight against last year’s champions Bayern Munich as they ended up losing 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

A late Alvaro Negredo goal was just a consolation as the hosts were completely outplayed by the German side, but despite the loss, City are still second in their group.

Below you can read some reaction from tonight’s game.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards:

“We knew they were a really good team and they showed that. That is why they are champions.

“They didn’t play with a striker and there was so much movement. It felt like thy had an extra man and I wish them all the best. Hopefully we can now improve. We tried, there were some tired legs out there but we can do better than that.”

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini:

“We played very bad and Bayern made a great game. We made some big errors for their goals. We were playing in a different way, they had possession of the ball and I didn’t think we could make the change.

“David Silva could only play for 20 minutes and when he came on we had more of the ball. It was an important game to see what level we are playing at so we must revise a lot of things.”

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben:

“The first 70 minutes we played some terrific football. We were so dominant against a big team in Europe. We didn’t expect an easy game like that.

“It is a compliment to our team but we expected more from City. We didn’t give them any space, we pressed them right up to the goalkeeper and they just kicked it away. Sometimes they gave us too much space and we used space well.”

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola:

“I’m happy to come here against a big, big club and play like this. We are so so happy because we have six points and it’s a big step forward.”

WATCH: Alvaro Negredo Goal Manchester City vs Bayern Munich 1-3 UEFA Champions League (02/10/2013) HD

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Oct 2, 2013

WATCH: Danny Welbeck Goal vs Shakhtar Donetsk | Manchester United 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk | 02/10/2013 HD

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Oct 2, 2013

Real Madrid impressive yet again in the Champions League

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Oct 2, 2013

Johan Wiland played great against Juventus, but Ronaldo & Co put an end to that golden streak.

Madrid are now finding themselves as the current leaders of group B, with six points meanwhile Juventus only have two after yet another draw, this time against Galatasaray.

Copenhagen are third with a better goal difference than Galatasaray, who also have one point.

The second spot is now suddenly an open race, after Juventus’ poor form and Madrid’s fantastic start.

Match highlights:

Goals:

21′ – 65′ – C. Ronaldo

71′ – 90+1′ – Angel Di Maria

Assists:

Marcela (RM) (1)

Di Maria (RM) (1)

Benzema (RM) (1)

MOTM: Angel Di Maria (RM)

Flop of the match: Lars Jacobsen (FCC)

Yellow cards:

Luka Modric (RM)

Thomas Delaney (FCC)

Daniel Braaten (FCC)

Written by Eric Cagenius

PSG dominating – Ibra shows class

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Oct 2, 2013

The referee had only just blown for kick-off, but the Benfica goalkeeper already had to get the ball out of his net. Great pass and move on PSG’s behalf and the ball ended up at rightback Gregory Van der Wiel who found a completely unmarked Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and 1-0 was a fact.

In the 25th minute young Brazilian centerback Marquinhos who seems to have a nose for goal scored yet again for his new club PSG, after another beautiful attack from PSG that ended up with MArquinhos putting it into the net calm and collective.

In the 30th minute Zlatan scored his second goal of the day, just as many goals as he has scored in the league this year, after heading the in the ball via a Benfica defender.

Second half mainly consisted of PSG keeping the possession, and Ibrahimovic continuously being dangerous infront of the net.

The match ended 3-0 to PSG and they are now group leaders in group C after maximum six points and 7-1 in goal difference.

Written by Eric Cagenius

Rangers Directors Accused!

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Footballisgood

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Oct 2, 2013

Rangers directors have been accused of being “hell-bent” on denying shareholders their right to vote on the composition of the board after the club dismissed a resolution to appoint four new members.

The Rangers board claimed an attempt to install Paul Murray, Malcolm Murray, Scott Murdoch and Alex Wilson, in a proposed vote at the club’s annual general meeting on October 24, was ”unlikely to be properly constituted under s338 of the Companies Act 2006”.

However, the group seeking change insists it submitted its request in a “perfectly valid” manner.

The row follows an earlier agreement which saw a group of dissenting shareholders, led by Clyde Blowers chairman Jim McColl, drop demands for a general meeting to vote on a resolution to remove chief executive Craig Mather, Brian Stockbridge and Bryan Smart and install Paul Murray and Frank Blin, in return for a guarantee that the club’s AGM be held before the end of October. An earlier compromise deal fell through.

Current directors could be voted off at the AGM but the board announced it considered the new resolution invalid and “vexatious” because no amendment to the terms of the withdrawal of the original request had been discussed beforehand.

In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, Rangers said: “The board is also concerned that the contents of the proposed resolutions may also be either ineffective or frivolous as any director appointment must comply with the company’s articles of association and is subject to prior regulatory approval.”

The club also claimed that the request, which was received on Friday, arrived after notice for the AGM had been sent to the printers. The club’s annual accounts, which revealed operating losses of Â£14.4million, were published four days later on Tuesday.

In a statement released to Press Association Sport, a representative of the dissenting shareholders accused the board of being unreasonable and insisted their aim was to strengthen the board with “successful professionals who are lifelong Rangers supporters”.

The statement added: “We confirmed to the board that we would meet the reasonable additional costs and expenses of including these nominations in the AGM notice.

“We heard nothing from the board all weekend until their lawyer, Field Fisher Waterhouse, was in contact at lunchtime on Monday requesting a large volume of information to authenticate our notice and to inform us that, in any event, ‘the AGM documentation was sent to the printer for printing and posting on Friday’.

Written by George Coomber

FIFA To Blame For Qatar Mess

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Footballisgood

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Oct 2, 2013

Sports minister Hugh Robertson has condemned FIFA for making “a mess” of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but sees no option other than moving the tournament to the winter.

FIFA’s executive committee is due to decide later this week on the principle of moving the tournament, and is expected to agree that it should be moved from its usual time of June and July to earlier or later in the year due to the extreme heat during those months.

UEFA’s 54 member nations have already backed a move.

Robertson, who was part of the delegation for England’s failed bid for the 2018 World Cup in 2010 – at the same time that Qatar won the 2022 finals, also believes that those other countries who bid for 2022 should be compensated by FIFA.

He said: “I don’t think anybody in the world of football thinks a World Cup in Qatar in the summer is a sensible or deliverable option.

“To that extent, this is a mess of FIFA’s own making.

“I don’t blame the Qataris at all – they wanted the World Cup and every country is entitled to have that ambition and they entered the bidding competition in the way suggested by FIFA. I entirely blame FIFA.”

The minister, who admitted that the Government’s relations with the world governing body had deteriorated since 2010, also said there should be no disruption to the football seasons either side of 2022.

He added: “I don’t have much of a relationship with FIFA. I have a good one with UEFA but we did say in 2010 after the 2018 World Cup bid that we didn’t wish to deal with FIFA again until they have reformed their governance.

“I also don’t see that moving this [moving to winter] should be allowed to disrupt the years either side of the event.”

Written by George Coomber

Zlatan to meet Haris Mijajlovic

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Oct 2, 2013

It’s impossible to miss it. It is all over social media. Newspapers, Facebook, Twitter yes everyone are talking about it. It’s the touching story of an eight year old kid from Bosnia, named Haris Mijajlovic who is sick with leukemia and only has one month left to live. He has one last wish before he passes away, and that is to meet his big idol Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“I understand that the chance is very small, but if Zlatan could only come to the airport in Sarajevo and meet my son, just for a moment, so that the boy sees that he really exists, his mother Amela Kamenja told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet earlier today.

According to Bosnian site klix.ba Zlatan has decided to meet the boy after tonights Champions League game against Benfica. Amela’s sister Maryam tells the site that the family either travel to Paris or Zlatan comes to Zarajevo to make the boy’s wish come true.

Written by Eric Cagenius

Ajax’s rage against Swedish referee

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Oct 2, 2013