Goalscoring hero Scott Parker described West Ham United's first point of the season as a platform to build on.
The Hammers ended a run of four straight defeats with Saturday's 1-1 draw against Stoke City.
Parker had put the visitors ahead in the first half at the Britannia Stadium before Kenwyne Jones equalised for the Potters.
"It is a platform for us to build on," said Parker."We have got off to a bad start and come here low in confidence.
"We can leave high in confidence and take a lot of positives. We look forward to Tottenham next Saturday.
"We controlled the game in the first half and probably deservedly went one-nil up. In the second half, we knew they were going to come at us, which they did.
"We can take huge positives out of today. We have come here, they have put us under immense pressure and we have defended really well. We have got a point and it is much needed."
Meanwhile, Parker denied suggestions that the absence of manager Avram Grant had upset their preparations for the trip to the Potters.
The Israeli manager was absent from the dugout due to a clash with the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
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"It is always going to be difficult when the manager is not there," explained Parker.
"We all understand the circumstances. That is football. We have just got on with it and got the result which is good."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Eleven years ago this week, February 20th 2001 to be precise,struggling first division Tranmere played host to Premier League outfit Southampton in the fifth round of the FA cup.
This game turned out to be one of the most memorable FA cup games in years gone by.
Already renowned giant killers Rovers were searching for more cup shocks. The previous year saw the super whites make the League Cup final, then know as the Worthington Cup final losing 2-1 to Leicester City in a closely-fought final.
For myself, the day was very memorable. Living in Coventry, we had to travel up on the day of the game. I remember my dad dragging me out of school early. Lads in my class were telling me how we were to get battered; a rise smile hit my face as I left school.
We had already played Southampton at the Dell and clung onto a 0-0 draw and the buzz leading up to the game was brilliant.
The first half was one for Rovers players and fans to forget. By half time, Rovers were three nil down and didn’t look half the team they had shown in the previous rounds. I remember aged seven asking my dad to go home half time. He replied “Just enjoy watching a Premier League team.” Goals from Hassan Kachloul, Jo Tessem and Dean Richards gave manager John Aldridge enough fire to fuel a team talk at half time.
The second half was one that Rovers fans will never, ever forget. Three quick goals from Paul Rideout brought the game back level at 3-3 and a fourth was added by Stuart Barlow. In that second half, the Rovers players showed tremendous courage and determination.
All night the Rovers fans created an atmosphere which was absolutely amazing and when the fourth and winning goal hit the back of the net, the KOP erupted. The scenes of jubilance were seen all over the ground, while the top-flight Southampton players and fans looked completely shell-shocked.
I will never forget John Aldridge’s celebration as he ran out of his technical area to punch the air in celebration. In contrast, Glenn Hoddle’s face looked like something out of a horror movie. He could not believe his team had let a three goal lead slip.
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As the final whistle went, Prenton Park went into pandemonium again with fans piling onto the pitch. Rovers fans had witnessed probably the most finest comeback this country had ever seen and although we were to crash out of the cup in the quarter final against Liverpool, it was certainly a moment never to forget for Tranmere supporters.
Shaktar Donetsk’s 20 year old midfielder Douglas Costa, a long time target for Manchester United has again been linked with the Premier League leaders. (The Metro)
Before signing for Shaktar in January 2010 the former Gremio star was on Manchester United’s radar, however, any potential deal collapsed at the time, paving the way for his move to the Ukraine.
Costa has been given comparisons to Ronaldinho in the past and his skill and flair is something Sir Alex Ferguson wants to see at Old Trafford. Rumours intensified when Costa watched Man United’s 1-0 victory over Bolton in the director’s box in March this year.
The young Brazilian’s agent, Cesar Bottega, has confirmed United’s interest in his player, claiming, “Manchester United have liked him for a long time and although Shakhtar are a good team and are doing very well, it is normal that if we get important offers for the player, these will be taken into account”.
United won’t be the only club after the services of Costa, he has also generated interest from Italy. Bottega went onto say “There is much interest around Douglas – he was one of the best young players in this season’s Champions League. Several clubs are following him and there was some contact, but no concrete proposal has yet arrived.”
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The Metro claimed Man City may want to hijack any United bid for the player, and with a £20 million valuation on Costa, he is likely to be hot property this summer.
Emmanuel Rivière is attracting interest across Europe. The Saint-Etienne striker has come to people’s attention after a decent season in Ligue 1. A whole host of French clubs are keeping tabs on Riviere, and closer to home, Arsenal have reportedly had the 20-year-old on their radar.
Young, French, pacey, forward come winner, Arsenal have been here before. That said, Thierry Henry was of slighter higher stock. By the time Henry joined the Gunners he was 22 and had five years at Monaco and six months in Serie A under his belt, he had made his debut for France two years earlier and had won a World Cup. Henry was unhappy at Juventus and Wenger was fully aware that if he could get the best out of him, Arsenal would have a great on their hands. This was a case of Wenger identifying a target and getting his man. With Riviere however, the desire seems to be a little more in the other direction.
Riviere was quoted as saying:
“Arsenal would be the jewel in the crown for me. They play a fast-moving, attacking style of football, and they’re always shooting on goal. It’s fantastic. I respect Thierry Henry for who he is, he has always inspired me.”
Arsenal have not been as open about any attempts to sign the player. It is almost taken for granted that any young starlet or prospect of the Gallic persuasion would be already known to Wenger and his scouts, you get the feeling that if Riviere was really something worth getting their hands on, they would have done already: Sagna, Clichy and Diaby are all young members of the current French squad who have been at Arsenal for many years already.
Although Riviere has only had one major season so far – last year he was nominated for the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year – eight goals and three assists in 30 appearances doesn’t sound electrifying. Saint-Etienne originally spotted him as a 15-year-old, playing in a tournament hosted by the prestigious Clairefontaine academy, where they won the battle to sign him over Lyon and PSG because of their illustrious history. He has been a regular for France at every age group from the under-16s and upwards, and surely this would be prime Wenger browsing? It is only after a full top flight season that the ears of some bigger clubs have begun to prick up. Shalke and Hoffenheim are admirers of Riviere, as well as a number of French clubs including Toulouse, PSG and Auxerre.
Signing Riviere would seem a strange thing for Wenger to do. While the player may be talented, he is still very much a rough diamond, and at 20 should really have progressed a little more. Strikers not Arsenal’s priority at the moment: unless young Emmanuel can don a pair of goalkeeping gloves, he should not be in Wenger’s thoughts at the moment. No sooner has the rumour mill got bored of retyping Loic Remy over, and over, and over again, have they stumbled across another French striker with aspirations of greater things to come. If Riviere didn’t originate form Martinique, like Henry does, there may not be the same hype surrounding him.
Verdict: Good business for Arsenal if it stays simply as a rumour.
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The variation in chants and heckles from Premier League grounds ranges from, as any fan knows, the mildly amusing to the hugely embarrassing; and as David James recently claimed that players are a lot more affected than many fans know we have to ask ourselves: have we let the level of abuse get out of hand? When people talk about the violence in football in the seventies and eighties they talk about it as though contemporary football is perfect. In twenty years time we may look back at today’s football and feel equally ashamed at some of the lesser derivatives of the sport. By that I mean the abuse from the fans, the chanting, the racism and the homophobia that still rears its ugly head.
Writing for The Guardian, David James said:
“People may be surprised to hear just how much the crowd affect players. From the reprehensible, such as the alleged racist abuse Tom Adeyemi suffered during the recent FA Cup tie at Anfield, to the bog standard, “you’re rubbish”, it has been a topic of conversation among players at every club I have played for.”
You only need look at Thierry Henry’s reaction after the Swansea game yesterday, when the Arsenal team were getting some stick from a section of the Arsenal fans, to see evidence of what James says. For a player who has had such a varied career and has survived incidents such as the handball against Ireland you would imagine that he would now be immune to such comments, apparently not though. Arsenal’s record goal scorer appeared incensed at the abuse from his own support; whilst that abuse was arguably warranted due to the lackadaisical performance Henry’s reaction does raise the other issue with negative chanting, which is that under no circumstances is it constructive.
There was an interesting interview by BBC Sport with Emmanuel Adebayor whilst he was at Real Madrid last year in which he talked about his time on the wrong side of chants from both Tottenham and Arsenal fans. His approach was philosophical in that he claimed to understand that, no matter how tailored the abuse seemed, it was never personal. With regards to the abuse he had received from Spurs fans in the Champions League quarter-final whilst playing for the Spanish giants he said:
“I was supposed to sign for Tottenham but everything went and Madrid came in. It is bad because people have to realise that we are footballers. Today we play for this club, tomorrow we may end up playing for them. So what about if I’m wearing Tottenham’s shirt tomorrow? As their player, are they going to encourage me or are they still going to sing that song?”
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Arguably the only way for a player that has received as much ill-treatment as Adebayor has over the years to avoid a grave sense of disillusionment with football is to brush off incidents with opposing fans, but does that excuse it? Do we want footballers to be in a position where they have to convince themselves that fans don’t really believe what they sing? Fans argue that being thick skinned is just part of the job for footballers who are paid so highly, and effectively paid by the fans, but does that mean that being vocally offensive towards players you dislike is part of the ‘job’ of being a fan? To complain about poor performances or Judas-like actions from players is one thing but genuine abuse inspired by a misplaced sense of hatred is another. Just because fans pay for their tickets it doesn’t give them a carte blanche. If you disliked the food at a restaurant you might complain but you wouldn’t take out that dissatisfaction by telling you waiter or waitress that you had doubts as to the sexual health of their mother. It sounds ridiculous but that is the kind of ‘jibe’ that players like Adebayor and Sol Campbell have had to deal with.
David James talked about a match against West Ham whilst playing for Aston Villa, he said:
“Around that time I had been in a car accident where the other driver had died. The West Ham fans called me a ‘murderer’. It was the most sickening thing to listen to. Standing in goal that day I literally felt physically disgusted. To make banter out of such a thing deeply inappropriate for everyone involved, not least the family of the deceased. Ordinarily I would ignore any kind of taunts but in that instance I had to let my disapproval be known.”
Clearly the vast majority does not exhibit this kind of behaviour, but that does not mean that the ‘innocent’ fans do not have a role to play in combating the ‘guilty’ sections of fans. Fans chant what they think is socially acceptable. The problem is that in football grounds it appears that almost anything is socially acceptable. Fans will not stop singing those kinds of, frankly sick, chants just by it being condemned in the media. It needs to be the fan base as a whole that stamps that behaviour out. We cannot expect the authorities to be able to identify that kind of behaviour in such large crowds, nor can we expect silent and passive disapproval to stop this culture. Confronting wildly offensive, idiotic and bigoted fans might not seem an attractive prospect but you can bet that the biggest dissuading factor for such fans would be humiliation in front of their peers. If a fan starts singing a song that is then condemned by all those around them, they’ll think twice before doing it again. This behaviour cannot be stopped overnight, but fans can start preventing it today.
For more news and views follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Manchester United made giant strides in their quest to land a record 19th title as their two closest rivals dropped valuable points at the Emirates and Britannia Stadium. Fergie’s men don’t make life easy for themselves and have a habit of late of giving the opposition 2-0 head starts; a trait they will not be able to get away with when the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea roll into town.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Rooney apologising for swearing outburst; Warner in new world cup ticket scandal, while Liverpool plan to hijack move for Enrique.
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Capello keen to establish England legacy – Guardian
Rooney apologises for swearing outburst – Daily Telegraph
Warner in new World Cup ‘ticket scandal’ – Independent
Harry denies bids – Sky Sports
Fergie wins Government backing – Daily Telegraph
Sir Alex Ferguson plotting to beat Liverpool in the chase to Young – Daily Mail
Liverpool plan to hijack Enrique’s move to Milan – Mirror
Mancini: I have no plans to leave City – Daily Telegraph
Moyes facing Everton exit in summer as financial hardship bites at Goodison – Daily Mail
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Wenger left deflated by Gunners’ dismal run – Mirror
Bruce willing to splash £10m to sign Welbeck – People
Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that Ipswich Town are interested in signing striker Jason Scotland.
The 31-year-old Trinidad & Tobago international frontman struggled to make his mark during his first season with the Latics, scoring just twice in 36 appearances – 18 of which came as a substitute.
Martinez told the Evening Post:"It's not the first time that a few clubs have been in for one of our players. We'll see what happens.
"It's fair to say there is strong interest there from Ipswich Town and a few other clubs have also asked us about Jason.
"It's just a case now of sitting down with all the parties and working out what is the best move for Wigan Athletic."
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Scotland joined the Latics for £2million from Swansea City, having scored 53 goals in 105 outings for the South Wales club.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
After months of debate about the idiotic Argentinian, January is here and Carlos Tevez can be sold by Manchester City. The daily discussion of where is he, what’s he doing and where will he go should finally come to an end by shipping him off to the next unfortunate owners.
Watching him strolling through airports and relaxing in his homeland for the past two months while still collecting his reported £250,000 wages has made me and many other football fans sick. Even Neil Warnock became popular for a moment when he said ““the sooner he leaves the country, the better. Within a few months he’ll be kissing another badge.” Couldn’t put it better myself.
He has been in England six seasons (if you bother to count this one) and when he has decided to play he is one of the best players that the Premier League has had the pleasure to witness. When he is in the right mood he will chase down defenders, run for the whole 90 minutes and probably get a goal or two. But the problem has been that he is very reluctant to put in a shift.
West Ham fans are the only people that may still like Tevez and that speaks volumes. If he hadn’t scored the goal to keep them in the top-flight they would probably hate him as well. After all, he jumped ship as soon as he could and just by being at Upton Park he almost got them relegated.
Since leaving the Hammers he has played for both sides of Manchester and the only thing that United and City fans can both agree on is their hatred of the 27-year-old. Despite cheering with delight in 2009 when they were able to swipe him from under the noses of their big red rivals, allowing them to create the infamous ‘Welcome to Manchester’ billboard, fans of the Citizens now realise that their showpiece signing was nothing more than a money-grabber, prepared to sell himself to the highest bidder. During his time in the North West he will have collected millions in wages but he gets bored very easily and goes off in search of his next bumper pay day.
AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf has already shrugged off speculation that Tevez could join the Rossoneri because of this. He said: “Looking back at his career, his agents and every move he has ever made, I think Tevez will go where they can promise him the most money.
“Milan would be the first time in his life that he has chosen a club for his career rather than the money. We’ll see what happens.”
Loyalty, like most other English words, is not in his vocabulary and that might explain why his career lacks of it. He hasn’t spent more than three seasons at any club since he turned professional and that doesn’t look like changing. On the pitch he will put in a big performance and will appear to be playing for the club but in reality he owns one of football’s biggest egos and expects to be the most important person in the team. He is not prepared to be part of the squad and sit on the bench. Following the sensational arrival of Sergio Aguero for this season there was no space for another Argentinian in the starting XI and because of Tevez’s previous attempts to leave there was no chance of him being first choice. When he was given his chance he wasted it, like his awful penalty against Wigan in September. It was no surprise that he was left on the bench but his own sense of self-importance blurred the fact that he was underperforming and so it led to the defining moment of his career, the Madness in Munich.
That one night showed off his character more than anything else. Rather than keeping his feelings under wraps and discussing them with his boss in private he preferred to make a public statement of his thoughts. He tried to stir up trouble for Roberto Mancini, to knock him out of his stride and get him sacked but it backfired spectacularly with the club and fans backing their manager. At the same time he caused issues for his team-mates who were forced into a corner over which side of the line they came down on. Under particular pressure was Pablo Zabaleta who had played his part in keeping El Apache at the club a year ago. The defender was one of the few who could talk to Tevez because of the striker’s unwillingness to learn English and was sat next to him on the bench that night. Obviously he followed everybody else and backed the manager but his friend’s petulance could have sent tremors through Eastlands.
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All of these are magnificent reasons to say bye but the icing on the cake will be that Tevez’s departure should also mean the league is rid of one of football’s most hated people ever, Kia Joorabchian. The Iranian-born businessman is not registered as a football agent but has managed to worm his way into the game through suspect ‘third-party’ ownership deals and has been ‘advisor’ to his prized asset for a number of years. This deal caused controversy when he joined West Ham in 2006 and since then he’s been spotted infesting Manchester City’s boardroom and was linked to Chelsea’s Ramires before he came to Stamford Bridge. Getting him out of the country and away from football would be the biggest bonus of the transfer window.
Tevez’s continued dissent has meant that Man City’s mega-rich owners would rather see the Argentina international playing golf somewhere in Buenos Aires than at the training ground but this feeling is spreading across the rest of the game. Earlier in the season he was linked with a move to Corinthians but they pulled out after balking at his £40 million price tag and since his inexplicable actions both Milan clubs, Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham have been rumoured to be interested. City only want to sell the Argentine but so far they have received three loan bids, one from AC Milan, one from West Ham and another from Irish second division side Limavady. These bids are not what the club would have expected and are definitely not what they want but potential suitors are nervous about splashing out on such a temperamental player. If Fernando Torres is worth £50 million then it is not an overinflated fee but nobody will want to spend so much money on a player who may not fit into the team, will probably cause problems in the not too distant future and will need to be the most important person there.
The whole Carlos Tevez saga needs to come to an end this month because we are all growing thin of it. I don’t want to see another image of him playing golf and I don’t want any more speculation about which club he will turn up at. Mancini said he wants it sorted in the next ten days and I hope that happens so we can all get back to our lives without him.
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Are you sick of hearing about Carlos Tevez or do you want him at your club? Comment below or follow me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.
Laurent Blanc is expected to provide opportunities to several fringe players when France meet Croatia in a friendly on Tuesday.France laboured to an unconvincing 2-0 victory over Luxembourg in Euro 2012 qualifying on Saturday, but can now boast a run of six consecutive victories stretching back to September 2010.
Blanc was unimpressed by his team’s performance and is set to use the match against Croatia as a chance to test out some alternatives.
“There are several areas to improve on from the Luxembourg game but we must continue down our regular path and continue our winning streak,” Blanc said.
“We will have a different team, we have the opportunity to make six changes and we will look to ensure that virtually all the players in the squad have participated in one of the two games.”
Bordeaux midfielder Alou Diarra is expected to captain the team, with Lyon’s Hugo Lloris remaining in goal.
Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny is in contention for his international debut at the Stade de France.
And World Cup rebels Franck Ribery and Patrice Evra could make their first home appearance on home soil after incurring the wrath of the French people with their training ground mutiny in South Africa.
Croatia come into the game after finally surrendering a 14-match unbeaten run with a 1-0 defeat away to Georgia on Saturday.
Coach Slaven Bilic has received fierce criticism in the Croatian press following the reverse, and the 42-year-old will expect an improvement from his players when they tackle France.
“I am looking for a response but we are still favourites,” Bilic said, referring to the team’s situation in qualifying Group F, in which the Croats trail leaders Greece by one point.
“We knew what we would face in Tbilisi, 55,000 fanatical fans, a solid Georgian team which defended fantastically well.”
“I understand the anger and the rage … It was not good but the situation in the group remains in our hands.”
Portsmouth are free to move out of administration after Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs opted not to appeal against Mr Justice Mann's decision to find in favour of the Championship club.
HMRC had argued that the Company Voluntary Arrangement that Pompey brokered with creditors to bring the club out of administration was flawed.
However, Mr Justice Mann found against HMRC, saying:"I find that none of the five heads of attack by HMRC amount to unfair prejudice nor have they been materially affected.
"In my view, HMRC will not be worse off by the situation left by the CVA bearing in mind what the alternatives could be for the club.
"Those alternatives are liquidation, or expulsion from the Football League or worse, bearing in mind the loss of a lot of their assets."
Responding to the ruling, HMRC said:"HMRC is naturally disappointed not to have won this appeal and we can confirm that we do not intend to appeal.
"Our aim when pursuing debt of any kind is to achieve a fair outcome for the taxpayer and we will take this forward in the wider context of the football industry through separate and outstanding legal proceedings over the status of the so called Football Creditors Rule.
"This is an important and complex judgment and until we have had the opportunity to study it in detail we can't comment further."
Pompey should now exit administration via the CVA that will see all unsecured creditors paid 20p in every pound owed.
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That would mean Steve Cotterill's side would start their Championship campaign on Saturday with no points penalty, provided an owner who passes the fit and proper persons test and meets the Football League's new regulations is brought in.
HMRC claimed it was owed £37million by Portsmouth while the club's lawyers had said Pompey would face extinction if the case had been lost.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email