West Ham remain in deep relegation trouble at the foot of the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
Jordan Henderson's first league goal of the season for the Black Cats was enough to settle the contest in the 34th minute.
The newly-capped England midfielder finished brilliantly with his left foot after a delightful ball into the middle by Asamoah Gyan.
The result leaves the Hammers three points from safety at the foot of the table, while Sunderland may allow themselves to start thinking about a European place as they leapt into seventh.
Just behind Steve Bruce's men are West Brom who continued their impressive start to the season with a 3-1 win against fellow top-flight new boys Newcastle.
Cameroon midfielder Somen Tchoyi set the Baggies on their way in the 32nd minute before Peter Odemwingie netted a second-half double.
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Peter Lovenkrands turned in an injury-time consolation for the Magpies after Albion keeper Scott Carson could only manage to parry an effort from Andy Carroll.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Bolton manager Owen Coyle has stated that he would not be surprised if Fabrice Muamba returned to Premier League action, but knows the midfielder has a long recovery ahead of him.
The former England under-21 star collapsed in an FA Cup clash against Tottenham last month, and was rushed to hospital after having a cardiac arrest.
Muamba was recently released from care, and Coyle has saluted his player’s bravery.
“Given what a fighter he is, it wouldn’t surprise me if Fabrice comes back,” he told The Sun.
“But I’ve got to stress he still needs that time with his family unit.
“For me, it’s about Fabrice getting better and if that progress continues to a level where he comes back and starts playing football, then great.
“But I’ve never broached the subject because it wasn’t appropriate as far as I was concerned at this stage,” he concluded.
By Gareth McKnight
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In just under a week, Chelsea the current European Champions will fly to Monaco to face the Europa League Champions, Atletico Madrid, with both teams having to take time out of a full list of fixtures to do so. The fixtures that would have fallen the weekend of the Super Cup have to be rearranged for both teams with Chelsea forced to play the middle of this week for the game against Reading.
Whilst a midweek game is not really a big game changer for clubs, the fact that Chelsea have to fly to Monaco for a fixture many some deem to be pointless is something that concerns many at the club. Whilst Uefa may bill the fixture as somewhat of an honour it is not exactly deemed to be so by the majority of people in the game – Jose Mourinho left both Porto and Inter before the Super Cups were played following winning the Champions League at both – for a man who is so set on collecting sets of trophies he calls himself the Only One, it speaks volumes about how the match is viewed.
Of course the governing bodies in football bill the match as the best against the best and a showpiece of the ‘beautiful game’ and for us mere mortals to discount the value of the game would show exactly how little we really understand about the sport – mind you we are the little people who have been advocating for goal line technology for years whilst the big guns drag their heels, but then again what do we know?
Imagine if one of Chelsea’s players were to get injured during the game or a serious incident was to occur – you couldn’t really blame either manager if they decided to play less than what we would see as their first team. Chelsea have to face Newcastle this weekend before the Super Cup on Friday evening and then have an international break before their next fixture on the 15th of September.
It is pretty clear which of those games both Chelsea and Atletico would want to win – their league games are paramount, and having to rearrange fixtures to fit in with the Super Cup is not exactly what either club really want. In addition to the Super Cup, Chelsea have also had to rearrange their fixture against Southampton because of the World Club Championship in the not exactly next door Japan – again not exactly a trophy that will take pride of place in their hefty trophy cabinet and one which will fall just as the Champions League is hotting up to boot.
After going back to the summit of the Premier League for the first time in a very long time, Chelsea are getting a taste of being winners again and will not want excessive and unnecessary traveling getting in the way. Despite the fixtures being re arranged, they still have to play extra games and their already full schedule just expands even further.
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Uefa may feel that such competitions add to the value of the game – and they do – by lining their pockets. For the clubs involved it is not exactly their highlight of the season and is quite frankly viewed as an unnecessary bother and one a club wishes they were not a part of.
Manchester City’s pursuit of AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has received a blow with his coach Zdenek Zeman declaring his desire to hold onto his star man.
Roberto Mancini reportedly attempted to bring the midfielder to the Premier League during the summer, but was unable to complete a deal.
It has been speculated that the Italian international is frustrated by life under his new manager, after being deployed out of position, which has prompted rumours that the Sky Blues may return with a big money offer.
However, Zeman believes such speculation is nonsense and that his vice-captain is staying put:
“I’ve never had problems with De Rossi, I don’t know who spread this voices, certainly not me, and I think not even Daniele.” He is quoted by SkySports.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain are also thought to be interested in the 29-year-old, but Zeman ruled out a potential sale to the Ligue 1 outfit:
“Ancelotti (PSG’s manager) wants De Rossi? Daniele is wanted by many, not only by the PSG, he has made an important career, he plays for the national team, I think he could help many teams.
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“However, he is staying at AS Roma.”
De Rossi was key part of the Italian team who finished runners up during EURO 2012.
Off the bat, it might seem a ridiculous notion that Wayne Rooney is in any kind of trouble on the pitch. He’s England’s best player, was Manchester United’s leading light up until this past summer, and carries most of the load when the national team head off into the great unknowns of international competition.
Rooney’s injury—one that could have been much more severe—has allowed Alex Ferguson to circumvent those obvious selection headaches when all his strikers are fit. The problem is, are they all firing?
Wayne Rooney was once spoken about in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with many proclaiming that England’s finest was better than what the rest of the world were able to put forward. Rooney had power and aggression in his game, qualities that were equally comparable to those two stand-out figures in Spain. But those comparisons aren’t fair now and they weren’t fair then. What is obvious, though, is that Rooney is head and shoulders above the players who have been around the England setup for the past few years.
Wayne Rooney seems to flutter in and out of each season, with moments of brilliance punctuated by sloppy or wasteful play and, of course, that self-destruct button. His goal scoring exploits are not always as spectacular as we know it can be, with the goal against Barcelona in the Champions League final with the backdrop of Wembley being the true showcase one of England’s most gifted players. But that’s the problem, we haven’t seen it enough, while Messi and Ronaldo continue to reach milestones and defy belief.
The season opener against Everton saw the disappointing side of Rooney, as Manchester United failed to overcome a team who should be a level or two below the 19-time league champions. It’s games like that where we see the greats of the game shine through, even when the rest of their team is performing poorly. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen United’s number 10 light up patches of darkness for his team on a regular basis.
With the arrival of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa this summer, it looks as though Rooney finally has the surrounding cast to support him: a late address of the issues raised by the player in that 2010 statement. But are they a supporting cast to Rooney, or has Rooney been pushed down a level onto the second tier?
In van Persie, United have one of the most technically gifted players in Europe. His scoring record does most of the talking, but it’s his brilliance—consistent brilliance—that should separate him from Rooney. A number of years ago, most would have laughed off the idea that van Persie is a better footballer than Rooney. Fair enough, but were those dismissals based on the Dutchman’s lack of trophies, the fact Arsenal hadn’t made a successful charge on the league title for a number of years, his injuries, or was it something a little closer to home? Perhaps players like van Persie represented a real threat to Rooney’s position as the jewel in England’s crown; the foremost player for the country representing one of the most successful teams in the league.
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But now those fears are right on the doorstep for Rooney. Alex Ferguson would surely be mad to bench van Persie upon Rooney’s return from injury. The Dutchman’s form almost guarantees goals, without any need for adjusting to his new team. Does Rooney really guarantee anything positive? And I’m talking about guarantees you get from players like Messi or Xavi or now van Persie? If not, that’s the problem. When does he get out of this “slump” as a very good player and become the great player that he was projected to be as a teenager? What has England really seen from him on the international stage, what has United seen from him when things start to get a little blurry in European competition? Is it any coincidence that those stories of a move away from United surfaced over the last few weeks (how accurate they are is a whole other story).
Maybe all will be well. Maybe Rooney will rise to the challenge of a new king at Old Trafford and become the player who reaches a consistent level of excellence. He can score the goals, certainly, but has he really been the driving force for United since that outstanding season in 2009/10? That is the Rooney we want to see more of, and perhaps his versatility will shine through, too; there is a spot that needs addressing in the midfield. For Rooney, he needs to turn those hopes and promises into guarantees.
Alan Shearer has criticised Newcastle owner Mike Ashley for not improving the squad since last season’s heroics, which saw the Magpies finish fifth.
The English tycoon spent £8.1million in the summer to bringing in Vurnon Anita, Gael Bigirimana, Curtis Good and Romain Amalfitano (on a free).
Of the four signings, only Anita has managed to establish himself in the Toon’s starting line-up, and former Newcastle marksman Shearer says Ashley should have spent more money in order to keep challenging up at the top of the Premier League table.
“Newcastle missed a huge opportunity in the summer,” Shearer told The Sun.
“Having punched above their weight last season and almost made it into the top four, this was the time to spend.
“The club was up and running again after so many years mired in uncertainty.
“There was once again a feel-good factor and even Mike Ashley was enjoying it.
“But he needed to put his hand in his pocket and strengthen with two or three quality players.”
And Shearer feels his former club should have been able to compete with Tottenham in the transfer window, despite the fact that Andre Villas-Boas’ side were far more active during the summer months.
“It’s up to Ashley how much he spends — but just look at what Spurs did.
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“They pipped Newcastle to fourth place and went out and spent £57million on six players. Newcastle spent £8.1m on three and got a fourth in on a free.”
Newcastle are 15th, just two points above the relegation zone. Saturday’s defeat to Manchester City means the club have won just one of their last ten games in all competitions.
When it comes to narratives this is a game where the battle to avoid relegation takes a backseat. Coincidentally the return of Harry Redknapp to St Mary’s for the first time since Southampton’s relegation in 2005 falls on the same day as his 66th birthday. Interestingly enough current Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino will also be treated to a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ as he celebrates turning 41. The ideal present for both would be three points in this basement clash. Pochettino revealed during the week he is well aware of Redknapp’s history on the South Coast and will hope the strong media focus on the Rangers chief will work to his sides advantage as they look to bounce back from last weeks defeat at Newcastle. Plugging those defensive holes remains a major issue for Southampton but with a free scoring attack, spearheaded by Rickie Lambert, they are favourites to pick up three crucial points against rock bottom Rangers.
Redknapp, meanwhile, will hope the venomous welcome expected to greet his presence at St Mary’s won’t distract his QPR side as he seeks to trigger a late survival push. But with just two wins in the league all season the outlook looks bleak for the West London side, whose heavy January investment has yet to pay off. Loic Remy was one of those big money signings and the onus will be on him to fire them to safety and improve on a pitiful return of 19 goals in 27 games. As a whole the R’s shown few signs they’re up for the fight and already seem resigned to playing in the Championship next season. But in Redknapp they have a man renowned for being able to galvanise a squad in stick positions and he’ll need to do just that if he is to lay his ghosts to rest on the South Coast and keep spur his side to safety.
Team News
Jose Fonte is expected to stay on the bench as he continues to regain his fitness but Jason Puncheon and Gaston Ramirez should be recalled the starting lineup.
QPR won’t be able to call upon Bobby Zamora after he was ruled out with an ankle injury meaning Loic Remy is likely to start up front. Tal Ben Haim (hip) is a major doubt.
What the managers said…
“I do know the past of Southampton but I do not know every single detail of what happened. I am always interested in football matters so I have become interested in this matter as well. But my main goal is always to generate a positive atmosphere for my team and always respect what the people say. I will thoroughly respect whatever they want to say on Saturday but I think what is truly important is they get behind the team and push us to try and get the three points as best as we can.” Mauricio Pochettino expects Harry Redknapp to receive a stinging reception on his first return to Southampton (Metro)
“We’ve got to go there tomorrow and try to win the game. That’s the aim. We’ve got to be positive and see if we can pick up three points. We had a good run of five games, and then we had a set-back at Swansea against a good Swansea team. We didn’t play very well first half and found ourselves getting beat there, and last weekend was the Man United game. So we’ve had two defeats after a good run of five unbeaten. We need to get back on track tomorrow if we can.” Harry Redknapp wants a repeat of QPR’s form from the start of the year (qpr.co.uk)
Pre-Match Statistic: These two sides haven’t contested a Premier League game since the 1995/96 season when Southampton beat QPR 2-0 at The Dell.
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Shaun Derry is keen to move on from Queens Park Rangers after dropping down the pecking order at the club.
Derry captained the team and made 28 appearances for Rangers last year, but no longer figures in the club’s plans after Mark Hughes’s summer spending spree.
At 34 Derry is running out of time to optimise his career and said to Open All Rs that he will be looking for regular football: “I need to be playing football and will try to play at some place.”
Competition for places is fierce in central midfield for the London outfit. Alejandro Faurlin and Esteban Granero were favoured in that position against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Stephane Mbia and Samba Diakite are also comfortable in that position as the ex-Crystal Palace man faces a struggle to even make the substitute’s bench for the R’s.
It was thought that many of Rangers fringe players would be sent out on loan once the Football League emergency loan window opened but so far no moves have materialised.
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Every round of Premier League fixtures involves controversial refereeing decisions that makes fans and pundits alike question the standard of officiating in this country. From offside decisions to the failure to award a corner when it should have been, there is no end to the debate every weekend.
The fear is that it can only get worse because, after years and years of talking about the same incidents that result in the same decisions, there seems to be no improvement from the men in the middle, or even their assistants.
The recent festive period failed to disappoint. The round of fixtures before Christmas saw Anthony Taylor hit the headlines by sending off both West Ham’s Carlton Cole and Everton’s Darron Gibson for what were challenges worthy of yellow cards at most. Cole’s dismissal looked to have changed the outcome of the game with Everton going on to take all the points afterwards, and then Gibson’s red in the dying stages stunk of an attempt to level things out by Taylor.
Both reds have since been rescinded but West Ham will still feel aggrieved because they ultimately lost points from what was a poor decision. This is the harsh reality of what poor refereeing does – it costs teams points, points that they can never get back.
Boxing Day brought up several more controversies and the managers who’s teams were affected look set to be fined for speaking out against the respective referees. All managers have a case to argue and all but Sir Alex Ferguson saw their team suffer as a result.
But how can things improve in the Premier League? It is clear a lot needs to be done and it could be said referees need more immediate policing. As it stands, the performances of officials are analysed on DVDs after games and, apart from more serious incidents, are not really punished for bad performances.
One way to go about things would be to have someone in the stands watching the referee live, marking his performance, his decision making and his positional awareness. Then, when it comes to reading his match report he will have someone there to either agree or disagree with his reasons behind what he claims he did and did not see.
The official in the stands would also be able to speak with the referee during the game, giving his thoughts on incidents in order to aid a referee when his view isn’t particularly clear. This is already the job of the referee’s assistants and it should also remain that way, but with the help of a man who can see every that’s going on from an elevated view, there would be much less room for error.
We all makes mistakes, but we also tend to learn from them. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case with referees at the moment. One mistake in a game can be acceptable, especially when you consider the speed at which the game is played as well as the fact officials don’t have the luxury of replays.
But, if a referee makes more than one mistake and subsequently costs a side a result, then they should be made to face the consequences. When a player makes a mistake and mis-times a tackle he is punished, so why shouldn’t referees receive the same treatment? After all, it is their mistakes that can prove just as costly to the outcome of a match as a player making a mistake and being sent off.
The argument in favour of a video referee also has significant substance behind it because the referees will be able to have the help of someone who can see replays, just like in rugby and cricket. The fear of a video refereeing disrupting the flow of the game is fair enough, but adding on an extra few minutes to a football match in order to ensure decisions are made correctly doesn’t seem like much of a hindrance, does it?
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The general consensus is that the majority of referees in the Premier League just aren’t good enough to handle the pressure of what is a stake in the game these days. Money, bragging rights and reputations are all on the line and can be won and lost on the basis of just one or two wrong decisions.
So unless some drastic changes are made to the way referee’s performances are analysed and even the introduction of some extra help from the stands, teams, players, managers and fans will continue to feel hard done by each and every week.
What do you think? Do referees need more training and even more help in order to erradicate serious mistakes, or should we accept that it’s what happens in football and move on? Leave your thoughts below.
Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are preparing to swoop in for Nemanja Vidic and lure the towering centre-back away from the Premier League with a huge 250k-per-week contract offer, according to the Daily Mail.
Rumours have been circulating over the Serbian’s future at Manchester United and the player has been linked with a move to either Juventus or Barcelona this January.
Although considered a key player at Old Trafford, the defender’s future at the club has been in question since his second serious knee injury within the last year, and Ferguson has shown interest in signing Fulham’s Brede Hangeland, who is of a similar mould to the Serbian international.
It has been reported that United are expecting a £33 million bid for Vidic from Anzhi to bring him back to the Russian League. Vidic is currently sidelined after aggravating his previous injury to his cruciate knee ligament against Liverpool at the start of the season, however the centre-back is expected to return to fitness by the start of January, meaning he would be immediately available for Anzhi should the deal go through.
Nemanja Vidic’s agent Silvano Martina has previously played down talks of a move away from the Premier League.
“Vidic is not playing at this time because he`s had surgery, so he`s only thinking about his recovery and not about the transfer market.
Vidic is already part of a top club and there are no negotiations with Juventus or Barcelona” he added.
A statement is yet to be made about a potential return to the Russian League. Anzhi’s huge contract offer to Vidic may be tempting, but will not make the defender the club’s top earner. Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o is currently on a 350k-per-week deal for the Russian big spenders.
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