Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has revealed a broken arm will keep defender Mike Williamson out for the rest of the season.Williamson, who has been a rock at the back for Newcastle this season, broke his arm in training on Thursday morning. He was set to have an operation later on in the day.
That will pile the pressure on a Newcastle defence that conceded three goals at Anfield last weekend ahead of Saturday’s clash with Birmingham City at St James’ Park.
Pardew said: “He was being supervised at the time it happened.”
“It was just a genuine injury and he had a slight weakness in that arm as he has hurt it before and unfortunately that has been the issue.”
“Obviously it is disappointing and he wanted to finish the season.”
“For us the focus is now on Steven Taylor who has been patient in the background but now has an opportunity.”
“That is how football works sometimes – it gives you a chance at a strange time.”
“It was a freak injury and really unfortunate for Mike who will miss the end of the season.”
Newcastle have won just two of their last 14 Premier League games and Pardew wants his players to answer their critics on Saturday.
They were easily beaten 3-0 at Liverpool last weekend without really troubling home goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
“We lost to Liverpool who are an up-and-coming team and one definitely in form,” Pardew said.
“The major criticism of us in the fall-out from that game was that we did not really look bothered.”
“I do not think that was the case but we certainly were not on the same level as we were against Manchester United.”
“We now have to answer the questions that have been put to us.”
“The aim is to put in a committed display for the fans and those fans who travelled in great numbers to Liverpool.”
Newcastle will be without defender Thomas Kadar (hamstring), midfielders Dan Gosling (knee), Hatem Ben Arfa (broken leg), Kazenga Lua Lua (broken leg). Forwards Alan Smith and Leon Best (both ankle) will also be unavailable.
From the 3 to 7 September 2010, FIFA held its Fair Play Days, for the 14th time. The annual event that encourages fair play, discipline and respect on and off the pitch, coincided with the International match days. “I expect players, officials and fans to set a perfect example of fair play” explained FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Following my latest Sunday roast, I settled down to watch a mouthwatering afternoon of football. Manchester United V Liverpool. Chelsea V Blackpool. And Athletico Madrid V Barcelona. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much Rooney’s, Drogba’s and Messi’s football ability that attracted my attention.
During the second half of the Manchester United match, Nani decided to perform two poetic dives. One of which was in the box, aiming to win a penalty, and the other indefinitely halted a promising Liverpool attack. Hardly an example of fair play towards players, officials and fans, from such a talented footballer. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’s not the first, and he certainly won’t be the last.
Was Nani booked? No. Was he punished after the game? No. So where exactly does this leave Sepp Blatter and his comments?
For a moment, the mesmerizing football of Barcelona took my mind off Nani’s actions. Lionel Messi was elegantly running rings around defenders, as he does almost every week. Right up until another incident of note. In the 92nd minute, Tomas Ujfalusi took it upon himself to blatantly kick the World Player of the Year out of the game. A straight red was awarded for Ujfalusi, and an ankle injury to Messi. Again, a kick in the teeth to Blatter’s respect campaign.
All this before I have even mentioned Lee Bowyer’s argument with a fan, Arsene Wenger’s choice of words towards the fourth official, or Marouane Fellaini’s elbow purposely being hurled in the direction of Mike Williamson’s head. And that’s just this weekend.
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So considering the above-mentioned events, you would expect FIFA to step in, on the grounds of disrespect. Nothing. Not a peep from FIFA on any incident. So can somebody please tell me the point in the respect campaign? If nobody adheres to it, then why bother continuing?
Personally, I think the respect campaigns are a superb idea, as long as they’re acted upon. At the moment, the campaign just seems to go as far as a ‘respect’ armband on the referee, and a handshake before the match. Once on the pitch, it appears irrelevant. Address it or ditch it please, Mr Blatter.
Fulham will be aiming to bounce back from their defeat at Blackburn by beating Newcastle who chasing a third straight Premier League victory in 2012.
Sitting just six points above the relegation zone in 14th wasn’t the position Martin Jol envisaged the Cottagers being in when he took over in the summer. The Dutchman has presided over a stop start campaign at Craven Cottage and he will have been angry that his players failed to build on their impressive win against Arsenal a fortnight ago. Their inability to beat struggling Blackburn, who played over an hour with 10 men, was typical of their inconsistent form. Fulham have won just four of their last 14 games usually following up victories with a string of defeats, which has made it difficult for them to climb the table. Lapses in concentration, missed chances and lethargic performances are certainly starting to take their toll although the first half of the campaign was hectic. The game at Ewood Park was their 37th of the season which is just one shy of a full top-flight campaign. Despite exiting the Europa League they had to endure a hectic Christmas period straight after and have hardly had any time to put their feet up and charge the batteries. Coming up against energetic Newcastle is the last thing Jol will have wanted as he tries to steer the club away from danger.
The Magpies have roared back into life in the New Year beating Manchester United and QPR at St James’ Park to leapfrog Liverpool into sixth. A minor blip over Christmas saw the pundits predict Alan Pardew’s men to struggle in the second half of the campaign especially with leading scorer Demba Ba heading off to the African Cup of Nations. Leon Best was the man charged with leading the line against Rangers on Sunday and his expertly taken goal proved to be the difference between the two teams. The Republic of Ireland international has played second fiddle to Ba for much of the campaign but proved his worth to the club with his first goal in four months. Admittedly Best has been a consistent performer for Newcastle since coming into the side at the start of 2011 following the sale of Andy Carroll and his work rate, hold up play and aerial strength has made him a real asset in black and white. A similar thing could be said for Danny Guthrie who returned from injury at the weekend to deputise for Cheick Tiote but found himself filling in for Yohan Cabaye as well after the Frenchman was stretchered off. Both Best and Guthrie typify the hard working and tenacious Newcastle United that will go to the capital confident of making three wins on the trot in 2012.
Fulham 14th : 23 points
Last six: L W D D L W
Team news: Moussa Dembele and Dickson Etuhu are doubtful after picking up knocks whilst this game will come too soon for Mark Schwarzer
Key Player: Danny Murphy
Despite his advanced years Murphy still plays a vital playmaking role in the heart of Fulham’s midfield. His guile and quality on the ball will be useful in breaking down Newcastle’s resolute midfield and defence.
Newcastle United 6th: 36 points
Last six: W W L W L D
Team news: Yohan Cabaye could miss out after injuring his ankle on Sunday although Peter Lovenkrands could return.
Key Player: Leon Best
With his strike partner Demba Ba away at the African Cup of Nations the onus is on Best to score the goals in his absence. The former Coventry striker notched his fourth of the season on Sunday and will be keen to add more before Ba returns.
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PREDICTION
Fulham are in a rut failing to build on some impressive wins and will need to start being more consistent. They’ll face a tough test against Newcastle who will heading to the Thames with all guns blazing in their pursuit of a Europa League place.
Blackpool manager, Ian Holloway, has insisted that he is not worried by the prospect of his captain and best player, Charlie Adam, leaving Bloomfield Road this summer, because the situation is not in his control. The club, who find themselves languishing in the relegation zone with 5 League games remaining, turned down bids from Tottenham and Liverpool for the Scottish midfielder in January, and it is thought he will leave this summer no matter which division his current team will be playing in next season.
A growing number of observers believe that speculation linking Adam with a departure from Blackpool has unsettled the club, pointing to the team’s run of two wins in 16 games since the turn of the year to support this view. In my opinion, Blackpool were right to reject the bids offered to them in January, not just because they were rightly considered by Holloway as disrespecting the club and the player’s quality, but also because without him, the Tangerines may have been further adrift at the foot of the table by now.
If he had been sold, and Blackpool embarked on a similar or worse run than they have recently endured, then his sale would have been the principal factor in the club’s demise, something Holloway would have been unable to justifiably contest. The actual reason for the team’s slide down the table is that the squad isn’t good enough. Sure they have suffered a number of injuries in each position throughout the campaign, but not significantly enough to distinguish them from any other club.
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Blackpool are not the only team in recent history to achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time, play above themselves in the opening stages when others are still finding their feet and then get found out after January when other teams work out how to beat them with ease. Hull won promotion to the top flight for the first time in 2008 and were beaten just once in their opening nine games, which included a 2-1 defeat of Arsenal at the Emirates and a 1-0 win against Spurs at White Hart Lane. Despite this feat, the Tigers won just twice in the League after their autumn honeymoon and entered the final game of the season one precarious position above the relegation zone and with more than one keen eye on other results. They were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United but survived after Middlesbrough and Newcastle were also defeated, by West Ham and Aston Villa respectively, ensuring a second season in the Premiership.
The squad’s true ability was discovered the following season as they were relegated with 30 points, and it would be difficult for Holloway to avoid acknowledging parallels with Hull, even though Blackpool have already attained 33 points from as many games.
Without a doubt, Blackpool have provided Premier League onlookers with immeasurable entertainment and colour this season, not least because of their bright kit, goal-laden games and eccentric manager, which far succeeds the dour and uninteresting insipidness offered by Hull and Phil Brown over two terms. Unfortunately, the Tangerines joined the Premier League at the start of what has become an unusual season, where as many as eleven clubs face the prospect of relegation with just a handful of games remaining. As much as I would personally like to see them survive, it seems likely that Holloway will be once again managing in the Championship come August, but at least he can recognise that maintaining Adam’s services is the reason they still have a shout at such a late stage.
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Roque Santa Cruz hopes he will now get the chance to impress Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini after a proposed loan switch to Lazio fell through on transfer deadline day.
The former Paraguay international had been expected to leave Eastlands after Mancini told him he would not be part of his first-team plans this season.
However, Santa Cruz hopes that Robinho's permanent move to AC Milan, which was confirmed on Tuesday, will give him a chance to shine.
Lazio had wanted to sign the 29-year-old on a season's loan with a view to a £6.5million permanent move, but Santa Cruz told the Manchester Evening News:"They were there right until the end but they didn't come to an agreement with the club.
"I have heard from the manager he won't be counting on me too much. I heard that a week before the season started and I had time to see if I could arrange a move.
"But in the end the club were happy to keep me and they weren't happy with anything that came through.
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Manchester United could leapfrog rivals City and go top of the Premier League if they beat basement boys Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are in sparkling form at the moment and go into the game off the back of two successive 5-0 wins. This is the time of year that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side usually picks up momentum as they make their charge towards top-flight glory. United have been imperious since their 6-1 drubbing at the hands of City back in October winning eight of the subsequent nine games keeping seven clean sheets in the progress. Despite having 12 players out injured including captain Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, midfield enforcer Darren Fletcher and winger Ashley Young fringe players like Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov have stepped in to fill the breach with the Bulgarian striker helping himself to six of United’s 10 goals over the last two games. He scored five in this fixture last season and is sure to be hungry for goals again as the Ferguson sets himself up for another championship assault.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean has a very different agenda as he prepares to take his side to Old Trafford knowing a defeat could cast them further adrift at the bottom. Rovers will go into the game with renewed optimism after holding Liverpool on Boxing Day gaining a vital point in their survival bid. However I doubt Kean and his players will believe they can beat United on their own patch with and last season’s 7-1 thrashing likely to be fresh in their minds. Goalkeeper Mark Bunn will be keen to avoid a similar score line this time round and should he perform like he did on Merseyside on Monday then he could be the difference for Blackburn. The club will hope their supporters once again provide positive noises from the stands after they got behind Kean and the players at Anfield as they attempt to engineer the biggest scalp of the season thus far.
Manchester United 2nd : 45 points
Team news: Sir Alex Ferguson is without 12 first team players but could have Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand and Fabio back for the visit of Blackburn on New Years Eve.
Key Player: Wayne Rooney
Since rediscovering his knack of scoring goals at the start of December the England strikers performances have been near perfect. Rested for the game against Wigan on Boxing Day he’ll be firing on all cylinders as he looks to guide United to Premier League glory in 2012.
Blackburn Rovers 20th : 11 points
Team news: Blackburn have doubts over Paul Robinson, David Dunn and Junior Hoilett who all have knocks. Six other players are definitely out until the New Year.
Key Player: Mark Bunn
With Paul Robinson a doubt for the trip to Old Trafford it looks as if Bunn will start for the second successive game. His performance against Liverpool on Boxing Day was nothing short of spectacular with his reaction save from Andy Carroll’s header out of this world. Will be crucial to thwarting United’s goal hungry attack.
PREDICTION
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United are unstoppable at the moment scoring 10 in their last two games and looking on course to regain the Premier League top spot. At the other end of the table Blackburn are staring into the abyss and defeat at Old Trafford will see them start 2012 rock bottom.
Blackburn Rovers will carry the threat of relegation and a major selection headache into their trip to Everton on Saturday.The Trotters are suffering an ill-timed slide down the English Premier League table as their form under manager Steve Kean worsens, slumping to 15th with nary a win from their past eight games.
There is just three points separating Blackburn from the drop zone and four points between them and last-placed Wigan Athletic, and with six games left – including visits from Manchester United, Manchester City and Bolton – there is little margin for error.
Making matters worse, the club is dealing with a sudden availability crisis due to a rash of injuries.
New Zealand international Ryan Nelsen limped from the field with a knee injury during Blackburn’s 1-1 draw with Birmingham City last Saturday and will not feature in the fixture.
So too is on-loan Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz, who is battling a hamstring strain, and captain Chris Samba, who is laid low with a twisted ankle.
Add to that Steven N’Zonzi’s suspension for his red card against Arsenal, Gael Givet’s ongoing contract dispute and Kean’s apparent dislike for Nikola Kalinic and the Trotters are beginning to look thin indeed.
But in some better news, Junior Hoilett is expected to play despite suffering hamstring soreness last weekend.
The Canadian starlet fired his third goal in four games against the Blues and will be sorely needed in a Blackburn outfit short on attacking options.
The Merseyside visit will pose a test to Hoilett and his team-mates and Everton will be keen to keep their six-game unbeaten run alive.
The Toffees have staked a claim for seventh on the table with 44 points from 32 games, and could find themselves one point off sixth place and a possible Europa League berth if they win and Liverpool topple Arsenal on Sunday.
That Everton have managed to keep their season ticking along while carrying their own extensive injury list is a credit to boss David Moyes.
Moyes has had to do without a number of first-team regulars, including Tim Cahill (foot), Louis Saha (ankle), Marouane Fellaini (ankle), Mikel Arteta (hamstring) and Jack Rodwell (ankle).
Republic of Ireland international Seamus Coleman, who was shortlisted for the PFA’s Young Player of the Year award earlier this week, is also in doubt to play with a recurrence of an ankle injury.
Since arriving at St James Park almost three years ago, football fans have seen it all from Joey Barton. Assaults, injury anguish, rows, suspensions and even jail but perhaps his biggest crime of all is not repaying the unconditional loyalty shown to him by Newcastle’s infamous Toon Army.
By his own frank admission he “owes Newcastle United” and what better time to reimburse the fans as they gear up for a challenging Premier League season.
Some people would suggest that football should have longed turned its back on Barton due to his mindless thuggery both off and sometimes on the pitch and whilst I do not condone his list of crimes perhaps this is the year he will rehabilitate a career we all know holds so much talent.
The growth of his comical moustache to build team spirit at Newcastle does not hide his previous sins but it shows a willingness to sacrifice his “hard man” image in order to aid Newcastle’s fight for survival next season. The midfielder sported the facial hair as he helped the Geordies to a penalty shoot-out win against Deportivo La Coruna in the Riazor Stadium and lift the ‘prestigious’ Trofeo Teresa Herrera Cup.
Bushy Barton has done his bit in pre-season and he was also a huge part of Newcastle’s promotion from the Championship last year. The free-kick against Peterborough was wonderful and his pass for Routledge to bag a memorable goal was undoubtedly Premier League class and if Chris Hughton can coax Barton back into the player he was at Man City it will be very much like a “new signing.”
The player himself will hope that in perhaps what is his last chance, the monotonous regularity of his behaviour will be clouded out by a good season on the pitch and build up a rapport with the fans.
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He recently insisted he is “as good as anybody in this country” whilst adding “If I can sustain fitness for a long period of time, I’m very confident of finding the form that got me in the England squad”.
In this case however, given his troubled past, talk, and unless spoken on the pitch is cheap. Newcastle United will hope that he has finally turned a corner that seemed so far away and that he will cast aside the demons which are scrutinised so much more in the Premier League than in the Championship.
Arsene Wenger reaffirms his commitment to Arsenal after reports in France suggested that he is considering his future at the end of the season. Apparently Wenger claimed that if he wasn’t able to get the best out of his players then he will look to move on, while also suggesting that the loss of Fabregas and Nasri was a significant blow to his plans for this season.
Elsewhere in the news Villas-Boas is slowly making his mark at Chelsea; Fergie claims Phil Jones was a steal at £16.5m, while Dalglish stands by Carroll.
Wenger reaffirms Arsenal commitment – Guardian
Terry and Suarez to back anti-racism campaign in Stamford Bridge clash – Daily Mail
Villas-Boas makes his mark – Daily Telegraph
Dalglish stands by Carroll after Capello fuels doubts – Independent
Chelsea plot £20m raid for Toon star – Mirror
Rafael van der Vaart says Adebayor is the reason for his great form – People
Blackburn boss Kean all set to net a ‘decent’ pay rise despite struggles – Daily Mail
Sir Alex: Phil Jones was a £16.5m steal – Mirror
Liverpool set to secure Chris Samba signing – People
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Blatter’s new controversy – this time over tickets – Independent
American business Thomas Di Benedetto is believed to be close to securing a takeover deal for Serie A club AS Roma.Di Benedetto landed in Rome on Monday for exclusive negotiations with Roma’s holding company Italpetroli and stakeholder Unicredit bank.
The reported US$108 million bid from Di Benedetto – an investor in Liverpool owners New England Sports Venture – is believed to be favoured over four other offers to purchase the club.
“Our aim is to make Roma one of the top clubs in the world,” Di Benedetto told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We want a team that the city will always be proud of, but of course this will take time.”
“Rome is a wonderful city and for us to be able to represent it in the world is a great opportunity.”
Roma’s widely-reported financial concerns – the club are believed to hold debts of up to US$56 million – are set to worsen if the club misses out on lucrative qualification for the Champions League.
Vincenzo Montella’s side are sixth in the table, six points behind Udinese in the last Champions League qualification berth.
“We all hope that Roma qualifies for the Champions League,” Di Benedetto said.
“Roma have recently recovered after a difficult period. But they still lack continuity.”
Di Benedetto is believed to represent several other NESV board members interested in purchasing up to 67 percent of the club.
“They’re my friends, they’re all successful businessmen or managers with the necessary economic resources for this deal,” Di Benedetto said.
“James Pallotta, one of the owners of the Boston Celtics, will provide his sports knowledge and he has already carefully evaluated the club’s potential.”
“Michael Ruane has had a successful career in investments funds and real estate and his involvement will mostly regard the plan for the new stadium.”
“Richard D’Amore is an expert in new media and will help us develop in that area.”