The Football League have refused to ratify Stoke City midfielder Liam Lawrence's deadline-day switch to Portsmouth, with the Republic of Ireland international now poised for an interim loan move.
The 28-year-old was snapped up by Pompey, along with Dave Kitson, as part of the exchange deal which saw Marc Wilson head to the Britannia Stadium.
However, the Football League say that the relevant document were not received by 6pm last Tuesday, a view refuted by Pompey administrator Andrew Andronikou.
He told The News:"The Lawrence deal has not been ratified by the Football League yet and we are still waiting to hear the outcome.
"Unfortunately, we are not Tottenham and are not allowed to have this issue sorted the next day as they did with Rafael van der Vaart.
"This sort of thing will only happen to us. There is proper brinkmanship going on just because we are Portsmouth Football Club.
"From our end, all documentation was sent on time, well before the 6pm deadline. I was there myself to see it."
City chief executive Tony Scholes added:"We're disappointed that this transfer hasn't gone through.
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"However, it is important that we work with Portsmouth, the player and the authorities to find an expedient solution as if it had gone through.
"That will probably take the form of a loan move until the end of the year and then Liam would finalise his permanent move to Fratton Park in the January window."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Blackburn manager Steve Kean is confident that his side can get the necessary points to avoid relegation this term, and feels that the club have been hard done by in some refereeing decisions this season.
The Ewood Park club sit bottom of the Premier League currently on 11 points, but showed resolve to get a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Boxing Day.
Despite acknowledging that his team were in a bad situation, the Scottish coach feels the Lancashire outfit will get out of the relegation mire.
“Of course we believe, absolutely no question,” he told Sky Sports.
“I believe even now, with our injuries, we can go back and look at some real tough decisions.
“I know everybody can do this, but we can go back and look at a last-minute penalty against Norwich, a last-minute penalty against Everton.
“There have been a number of games where we have just fallen the wrong side of decisions.
“I think we should already have six or seven more points, even though we have got so many defenders out injured.
“We are really confident if we have a good transfer window, which I am sure we will, and get these defenders back, then we will really fly out of the blocks in the second part of the season,” he concluded.
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Blackburn face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday to complete 2011’s fixture list.
Manchester United’s search for Edwin van der Sar’s replacement has come to an end, well as far as the Daily Mail is concerned anyway. They have reported that ‘Atletico keeper De Gea to sign five-year contract with Manchester United as clubs agree £17.8m deal’.
Its common knowledge that the Spanish stopper is one of Manchester United’s top targets, but reports in The Daily Mail are way off the mark according to quotes from David de Gea published on dbs-football.blogspot.com.
“There is nothing, it is all lies. I know nothing about offers from any team, whether it is other clubs or a renewal from Atletico. I have given my all to this team since I have been here, and that will continue today and tomorrow, I will always fight for this team.”
The young Spanish keeper’s comments mean United have got plenty of work left to do if they want to pull off the signing of the 20 year old. There hasn’t been any public refusal from Atletico to do business with United over the highly rated Spanish keeper’s services, so there is still a strong possibility of a deal being carved out.
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With the introduction of new Premier League legislation this season allowing clubs to name an unlimited number of under-21s in their squads, the Tottenham Hotspur starlet John Bostock may well have been hopeful. The 18-year old midfielder who made his debut for Spurs in a Uefa Cup tie against Dinamo Zagreb in 2008 has not featured much since. He recently bemoaned the chances of youngsters such as himself getting playing time in the cosmopolitan Premier League. Having spent a short spell at Brentford last year he has now committed to a season long loan at Hull City. Bostock now has to use this opportunity to do his talking on the pitch if he wishes to command a more prominent role on his return to north London
The gifted midfielder’s transfer from Crystal Palace to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007 was particularly bitter. The then Palace chairman Simon Jordan was determined to retrieve the highest possible amount for the club’s prized asset. The two clubs failed to settle on a fee which was eventually set by a tribunal at £700,000. Bostock would have felt flattered by an ambitious Premier League club recognising his promise and fighting to secure his services.
The feeling of being wanted by a club, which all players seem to crave was not to last. Bostock has recently hit out at the number of foreign players in the league blocking the path of young players into regular top flight football. He spoke in broad terms about the problem in the Premier League which is harming youth development. “You look at the foreign contingent over here and it’s blocking us. It’s hard because we might have to wait until we are 21 or 22.” But could his sweeping comments be interpreted as a swipe at his club’s Croatian contingent, which Harry Redknapp palpably enjoys working with. Attack minded midfielders such as Kranjcar and Modric are way ahead in the pecking order at White Hart Lane. For an aspiring 18-year old his comments are unrealistic but his eagerness to play for the club which fought for him is admirable.
In comparison to many promising players of his age a scenic route around the grounds of League One and the Championship is the best way of eventually securing first team football. Having spent a month at Brentford last year, Bostock recently agreed to a season’s loan at Hull City. His arrival at the KC Stadium may be the remedy this beleaguered side have been looking for. The financial state of the club remains perilous yet the Hull faithful would have been cheered by Bostock’s match winning performance in their first match of the season against Swansea. He tested De Vries early on before unleashing an unstoppable 30-yard screamer which was always destined for the top right-hand corner. Already being touted as the Championship goal of the season it was not simply this wonder strike that had the fans brimming with delight. Operating in the hole behind the lone front-man Bostock was able to exploit this space despite the increasing pressure placed on him by Swansea’s defence.
Performances of this nature will not go unnoticed at the England under-19 international’s parent club. Players who just want to play must relish their opportunities however unorthodox or unexpected. Frequently players on loan will enjoy encouraging starts before fading away due to frustration at a change of setting, team-mates and tactics. If Bostock adopts the right attitude and develops as a player he will return to Tottenham with a renewed hope of competing with their biggest stars.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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Managerless Sunderland travel to the Midlands to face fellow struggles Wolves at Molineux just 72 hours after sacking Steve Bruce following a disastrous start to the season.
Former Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy suffered a similar fate at the Stadium of Light five years ago and will take great pleasure in adding to the misery on Wearside. The Wolves boss saw optimism levels rise in the Black Country after winning their first two games and putting in some dynamic performances. However their next 11 games saw them win just once and slide down the Premier League table to 17th with that victory coming against Wigan at the start of November. McCarthy has now found himself under increasing pressure to turn things around at Molineux with supporters not prepared to tolerate another morale sapping relegation battle. Defensively they need to improve tenfold with summer signing and captain Roger Johnson failing to provide a stable presence in the back four and stop goals flowing in. Wolves have conceded 23 goals in their 13 games so far and need to get back to basics with their defending with the partnership of Johnson and Christophe Berra proving ineffective against the ruthless Premier League forwards. They also need some big performances in the final third against Sunderland this week with winger Matt Jarvis, in particular, not showing the kind of form that won him an England cap earlier in the year.
The Black Cats go into the game without a manager in the dugout after chairman Ellis Short dispensed with the services of Bruce after two years in charge. Three home wins in 2011 and an appalling start to the season saw the former Birmingham and Wigan manager relieved of his duties with the club lying two places above the relegation zone. Defeat against the Latics last week was the final nail in Bruces coffin with his already sour relationship with the clubs supporters completely evaporating as they turned on him once and for all. It’s no surprise that he find’s himself out a job after seeing Sunderland slip to 16th in recent weeks following a run of one win in their last eight games and a series of displays that fell way below the standard expected on Wearside. It was always going to be a challenge once Darren Bent left in January but to lose Danny Wellbeck and Asamoah Gyan just a few months after left the club without first choice centre forward. £30 million was spent on improving the squad in the summer with the former boss opting to spend £8 million on teenager Connor Wickham and unknown South Korean Ji Dong Won. Nicklas Bendntner was also brought in on loan but has failed to suitably plug the gap and it has ultimately Bruce paid the penalty. His tactics often left Sunderland looking directionless on the pitch at times this season and it has cost them dearly and whoever takes charge for the trip to Wolves will need to get the defence structured and the midfield disciplined. Getting Bendtner scoring and Sessegnon purring in behind the Danish strike will be key to the Black Cats starting the post-Bruce era with a bang.
Wolves – 17th
Last Five
Lost 3-0 v Chelsea (A), Lost 2-1 v Everton (A)Won 3-1 v Wigan (H), Lost 3-1 v Manchester City (A), Drew 2-2 v Swansea (H)
Potential Starting X11: 1. W. Hennessey 23. R. Zubar 14. R. Johnson [C] 16. C. Berra 3. G Elokobi 11. S. Ward 4. D. Edwards 20. N. Milijas 17. M. Jarvis* 29. K. Doyle
Injury News: McCarthy will be without key defender Richard Stearman for the visit of Sunderland whilst Kevin Foley has been ruled out until Janaury with an ankle injury.
Key Player: Matt Jarvis
It’s been a disappointing season from the Wolves winger who has looked a shadow of the player that made his England debut earlier in the year. Jarvis’ performances this season have been well below par and fairly inconsistent with his brilliance on the wing only appearing in flashes. A display worthy of an England cap would be welcomed on Saturday against Sunderland as his club strives to move clear of the drop zone.
Match Fact: This will be only the fifth time Woves have met Sunderland in the Premier League the omens definitely favour McCarthy’s side. Wanderers have won their last three games against the Black Cats and would take great pleasure in making that four in a row.
Sunderland – 16th
Last Five: Lost 2-1 v Wigan (H), Drew 0-0 v Fulham (H0, Lost 1-0 v Manchester United (A), Drew 2-2 v Aston Villa (H), Won 2-0 v Bolton (A)
Potential Starting X11: 24. K. Westwood 16. J. O’Shea [C] 4. M. Turner 6. W. Brown 2. P. Bardsley 7. A. S. Larsson 6. L. Cattermole 16. J. Colback 11.K. Richardson 28. S. Sessegnon* 52. N. Bendtner
Injury News: Managerless Sunderland are still without key players Simon Mignolet and Connor Wickham whilst Fraizer Campbell remains out for the long-term.
Key Player: Stephane Sessegnon
A rare bright spot in what has been an awful start to the season for Sunderland the former PSG midfielder’s importance in the side has soared. The departure of Asamoah Gyan in the summer has left Sessegnon as the only real flair player in the Black Cats squad and has proved a capable partner for Bendtner up front. His agility on the ball and forward thinking nature will come in handy against Wolves on Sunday.
Match Fact: Sunderland first met Wolves in 1890 – a staggering 121 years ago! Since then they have visited Molineux 60 times since then but have emerged victorious from the Midlands just 15 times.
Last Time at Molineux
Wolves 3-2 Sunderland
Foley, 51 Hunt, 81 Ebanks-Blake, 89
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Bent, 67 Wellbeck, 77
Attendance: 25,112
Referee: Mike Jones
PREDICTION
Both sides have struggled to string a decent set of results together this season and find themselves fighting to pull away from the drop zone. Sunderland sacked manager Steve Bruce on Wednesday after their 2-1 defeat to Wigan and the Black Cats will travel to the Midlands without a leader in the dugout – something that could prove disastrous. Wolves are also in a slump and need to start being more ruthless at home having lost three out of six at Molieneux. This could be considered a game that will shape both clubs seasons going into the festive period.
%image% Australia scored a surprising 2-1 victory over European heavyweight Germany at Borussia Park on Tuesday.
Despite Mario Gomez’ first half goal, the Australians rallied in the second half to topple the home side.
A neatly-taken goals by Blackpool’s David Carney, the 1000th goal conceded by Germany, and a penalty from Luke Wilkshire, consigned the Germans to defeat.
A late goal from Asamoah Gyan earned Ghana a 1-1 draw with England at Wembley.
Recent Liverpool signing Andy Carroll put the Three Lions ahead just before the interval but the English were denied a victory over the World Cup quarter-finalists when Sunderland forward Gyan curled in a fine goal for the Africans.
France and Croatia played out a scoreless draw at the Stade de France, in a rematch of the 1998 World Cup semi-final which saw Croatia coach Slaven Bilic controversially have his opposite number Laurent Blanc sent off.
World Cup semi-finalist Uruguay overcame a late comeback to grab an entertaining 3-2 win over Ireland.
A Shane Long headed effort cancelled out Diego Lugano’s goal but then strikes from Edinson Cavani and Abel Hernandez put the Uruguayans 3-1 ahead.
A Keith Faley penalty gave the Irish a chance but the Uruguayans held on.
The hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Russia and Qatar respectively, played out a 1-1 draw in Doha.
Qatar grabbed a surprise lead through Mohamed Kasoula, but they were denied a famous victory when Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko equalised with a shot that Qatari goalkeeper Meshal Mubarak got a hand to.
Former World Cup champions Italy beat Ukraine 2-1 in Kiev thanks to goals from Giuseppe Rossi and Alessandro Matri.
Greece was held to 0-0 draw by Poland in Piraeus despite a handful of scoring opportunities falling their way in each half.
Portugal beat Finland in Aviero thanks a brace from debutant Rúben Micael.
Canada edged out Belarus at a near-empty stadium in Antalya in Turkey courtesy of a 58th minute strike from Houston Dynamo defender Andre Hainault.
A Michael Krohn-Dehli winner saw Denmark come out on top against Slovakia. Denmark drew first blood after an own goal from Slovakia’s Kornel Salata although the Slovakians drew level Filip Holosko but it was the Brondby midfielder who had the last laugh for the Danes.
A solitary goal separated Bulgaria and Cyprus with the Bulgarians coming out on top courtesy of a contentious Martin Petrov goal.
In Asia, China resoundingly defeated Honduras by three goals thanks to a from goal from Huang Bowen, and a Yang Xu double – all of which were set up by Schalke midfielder Hao Junmin.
In Latin America, Ecuador were held 0-0 by Peru in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Peruvians, who were reduced to 10 men, managed to hold on after goalkeeper Salomon Libman’s saved Ecuador captain Walter Ayovi’s penalty in the first half.
A Matias Fernandez free-kick and Jean Beausejour strike saw Chile beat Colombia 2-0.
A while ago I watched the official FIFA film of the 1994 World Cup. It opened by asking typical Americans what they knew about football. Let’s just say knowledge was scarce, responses ranged from ‘nothing’ to ‘is it that game where they kick the ball?’. Obviously it was moulded to satisfy a certain stereotype, but the message was loud and clear. What do Americans know about football?
Well, that was a few years ago now and things seem to have changed. While, for various reasons, football will never be as popular as the ‘big four’ sports in the US, it is undeniable that Uncle Sam is starting to make a big impression on the world’s game.
The USA are currently thriving in its role as an exporter, rather than a retainer of its best talent. Of its 23 man squad for the World Cup only 4 play in the MLS, with the rest spanning clubs from all over Europe from AC Milan to Villarreal. This is no different to other footballing nations from the Americas. The squads that Brazil, Argentina and Chile took to the World Cup all contained a vast majority of players who play outside of their domestic leagues.
The amount of Americans playing in the top leagues in Europe has a knock-on effect to levels of interest for football in the USA. As the likes of Clint Dempsey go abroad and become better players the national team improves – as shown by the US winning their World Cup group for the first time since 1930. As the national team improves on the World stage football becomes more popular back home, and as a result more people play and watch football at the domestic level. As the levels of interest grow the domestic league gets more exposure and more players go and play abroad.
Much like the other professional leagues in the US, the MLS is very well run in terms of youth and up and coming players. With more and more teams boasting emerging youth teams – led by DC United, the MLS also has what they call the ‘Superdraft’ which was introduced in 2000. As with basketball and the NFL, the teams in the league get to choose the best young players graduating from university. While at university these players play regular, competitive games in a team structured as if it were professional, so that the MLS is the next natural step up. This draft occurs every year and ensures that there is an endless conveyor belt of talented, intelligent, young players coming into the league. Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, and Michael Bradley are just some of the players who have gone on to national team level after benefitting from the Superdraft system.
When David Beckham made his shock move to the LA Galaxy he said that he wanted to make a difference and he certainly has. Granted he is now past his best, but would Henry have considered going stateside had Beckham not upped the league’s profile? Henry is a player who is likely to catch the imagination of the American public, a skilful player who scores goals and he has a good chance of boosting the reputation of football in America even further.
It could be argued that the US is now replacing the Far-East as the untapped market for English Premier League teams. Spurs, Man Utd and Man City are all embarking on tours of the States this summer. To show how much the MLS has improved over the last decade and how important the market over there has become, it worth looking at the last time Ferguson took United to the America. In 2004 they played 3 exhibition games against Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Celtic, a tour of America without playing an American team. This year they play Philadelphia, Kansas City and an MLS All-Star XI.
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The USA will probably never win the World Cup and the MLS will never match the NBA, NFL or MLB. But as a nation, they still have a lot to offer the world game.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated that he is happy with the upturn in form of his side over the last six weeks, but feels his team can still get better.
After a poor start to the season, The Gunners have managed to turn their season round with improved performances and results, capped off by a 3-0 win over West Brom on Saturday.
Despite the Emirates outfit now finding themselves in 7th place, the French coach feels there is a lot more to come from his team.
“I think we have made some improvements, that is for sure. There is still some room for improvement,” he told Mirror Football.
“But I have always said ‘come back in December’ because, for us, the real test we knew was Chelsea.
“After winning a big game we had to see if we could repeat that performance and then get the consistency from now on,” he stated.
Saturday’s win puts Arsenal level on points with Liverpool, and gives Wenger’s men a positive goal difference for the first time this season.
Wenger wants to overtake the Anfield club into sixth place, and is relieved that his side have now scored more goals than they have conceded.
“Well, we put ourselves at a big handicap with the 8-2 at Manchester so we had a mountain to climb. I was not used to seeing that as well.
“It was a shock every time when you see a minus in front of your goal difference.
“That could make the difference at the end of the season so not only is it the first time we have a positive goal difference, but if you look at the teams that are just above us there is not a massive difference.
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“We are plus two, they are plus four so that is catchable,” he concluded.
Arsenal’s next fixture is against Norwich at Carrow Road next Saturday.
In 1789 Benjamin Franklin famously said that “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” When applying this sentiment to Premier League football, many would describe Sir Alex Ferguson’s unerring ability to discover a raw diamond as equally inevitable. The Manchester United manager, incredibly in his 25th year at the club, is on course to achieve the second ‘treble’ of his Old Trafford career. Although his side have been accused of lacking the ‘fantasy’ of previous Manchester United teams, Ferguson’s pragmatic approach to player acquisition during the last few transfer windows appears to be paying dividends this season.
Whilst rivals Manchester City and Chelsea have spent big on the likes of Joleon Lescott, Edin Dzeko and Fernando Torres over the course of the last two seasons, Ferguson has instead invested in relatively unproven youth. However, some of these acquisitions, most notably Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling, are justifying the Scotsman’s frugal approach to squad-reinforcement.
Twenty-two-year-old Hernandez, a £6m signing from Mexican club Chivas, has seamlessly adapted to English football. The forward is statistically the Premier League’s most clinical player, having bagged nine league goals from just 13 shots on target. He has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons with Old Trafford legend and infamous ‘supersub’ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having scored on six occasions after coming on as a substitute.
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Smalling, a man who was playing non-league football less than three years ago, has admirably deputised for the side in the absence of England captain Rio Ferdinand. The former Fulham man was signed from the Craven Cottage club for £7m in January 2010 (before completing his move to Old Trafford six months later) and has shown himself to be a cool and composed defender. Prior to Manchester United’s recent 2-1 reverse at Stamford Bridge, Smalling’s five Premier League starts had seen the side concede just four goals.
On the other hand, some critics have pointed to the signings of Bebe and Gabriel Obertan as proof that Ferguson is losing his eye for talent. Then Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc initially expressed surprise at his former manager’s move for Obertan, and the winger’s displays since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer of 2009 appear to vindicate Blanc’s reservations. Obertan has made a meagre 14 league appearances over the course of the last two seasons, and has failed to show any of the form which saw him awarded Man of the Match in the final of the 2009 Toulon Tournament. His failure to establish himself as a first-team player in the absence of Antonio Valencia is a damning indictment on the Frenchman, with Ferguson instead preferring to re-position central midfielders such as Darren Fletcher and Darron Gibson.
The decision to sign Bebe looks even more baffling. The 20-year-old was signed for £7.4m last summer, an astoundingly high fee when taking into account the fact he was available for free just five weeks before moving from Vitoria Guimaraes to Manchester United. Despite scoring in a Carling Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and in a Champions League victory against Turkish side Bursaspor, Bebe has looked woefully out of depth in a red shirt.
Notwithstanding inauspicious starts to their Manchester United careers, Bebe and Obertan may point to the current first-team regulars that benefitted under the tutelage and guidance of Ferguson. Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic and Nani all arrived at Old Trafford as relative unknowns, and each one endured a tough start to life in English football. However, Evra, Vidic and Nani have all flourished in the Premier League; indeed each member of the trio is widely considered to be the best in the league in their respective position.
If Ferguson’s most recent recruits can follow the examples of the three mentioned above, his deserved reputation as one of European football’s most prolific talent-spotters will surely continue.
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Sven-Goran Eriksson has distanced himself from rumours suggesting he is being lined up to be Roy Hodgson's successor at Fulham.
The former England, Manchester City and Mexico manager is currently without a job after failing to guide Ivory Coast out of their group at the World Cup in South Africa.
The Elephants beat North Korea 3-0 but exited the tournament after losing 3-1 to Brazil and being held to a goalless draw by Portugal.
The Cottagers seem certain to lose Hodgson, who guided them to the Europa League final last season, to Liverpool, but Eriksson is adamant that he has not held any talks with the club.
When asked on BBC Radio 5 live to confirm that no-one had contacted him about the Fulham job, he said:"100 per cent confirmed.
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"But it's a dream for every manager, coming back or going into the Premier League, it's the best league in the world."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email