The Daily Dust | Good News from the UK » Premiership

The vuvuzelas is now banned in England

Simon Tingle — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:24:40 +0000

Surely the news every British football fan wanted to hear as a number of English clubs have banned fans from bringing vuvuzelas to their grounds. The trumpets were an ever present, and very noisy, feature at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

While the South Africans may love to watch football to the sounds of a traffic jam, it appears the English crowds are not so keen. So far Tottenham, Arsenal, Birmingham, Everton, Fulham and West Ham have all banned vuvuzelas from their Premiership grounds.

A number of Football League clubs have also followed suit by banning the trumpets, that make the noise of a swarm of bees crossed with a car horn when blown.

It seems that the majority of British football fans favour chants from the crowd over the noise created by the vuvuzelas. An Everton statement read: “In the wake of the World Cup in South Africa we have received many emails from our supporters asking that we ban vuvuzelas on the grounds that they are simply irritating – but none urging us to permit their use at first-team fixtures.”

A West Ham Statement read: “The club wish at all times to ensure that all supporters are allowed to enjoy the game they are watching and prides itself on the passionate, loud and robust support from our fans at all matches at Upton Park.”

Where do you stand on the vuvuzelas debate – are they noisy and irritating or do they add to the atmosphere? Let us know in the comments section below.

USA See England As ‘Easiest Game’

Simon Tingle — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:06:57 +0000

USA and West Ham defender Jonathon Spector fuels the flames ahead of England’s opening World Cup game.

The Premiership defender has stated how much pleasure it would give him if his USA side managed to beat England on Saturday.

Speaking on BBC World Service’s Sportsworld programme, Spector said:

“There will be some great bragging rights in England next season if we manage to win.

“You could say it’s our easiest match because there is no pressure on us to win.

“We are not expected to get anything from it where as the other two games there will be (pressure).”

The pressure will be fully on England though, as Capello’s men look to get their World Cup campaign off to the best of starts.

Victory against the USA would make England favourites to win Group C, while a defeat would leave them needing to find results in their other two group games to progress to the knock-out stage.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Capello said:

“I can understand the pressure because in every moment we walk around you can see the security, the journalists, you can see when you move to golf, to safari, you need to police a lot of this.

“I understand that this is a really, really important moment for the country, but I am relaxed.”

From us all at the Dust: Come on England!!!

Hull City Appoint Dowie

Simon Tingle — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:40:15 +0000

Iain Dowie takes over from Phil Brown as Hull City’s new manager.

Dowie, 45, has previously managed at Oldham, Crystal Palace, Charlton, Coventry and QPR.

Speaking on taking over at Hull and the challenge ahead, Dowie said:

“I want us to play open, attractive football but out of possession I want us to be difficult.

“It’s about cool heads, taking opportunities when they come, and a positive outlook.

“The tenacity and desire they showed against Arsenal will be absolutely paramount.”

Dowie has been given a contract until the end of the season and will be assisted by former England keeper Tim Flowers and Steve Wigley.

Dowie started his managerial career very brightly, with a successful spell at Oldham and Palace, before he experienced more mix times at Charlton and Coventry.

His time at QPR was far less successful, with Dowie lasting only 15 games before he was sacked in 2008.

Dowie will certainly not have much time to acclimatise to his new job, with Hull traveling to bottom club Portsmouth this weekend.

With City sitting just one place above Portsmouth in the table, it is surely a must win game if Hull are going to avoid the drop.

Sol Campbell To Sign For Arsenal

Simon Tingle — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:10:36 +0000

In a shock move, Arsene Wenger looks set to bring Sol Campbell back to Arsenal.

The 35-year-old defender, who has recently been training with the Gunners, appears to have earned himself one last shot at Premiership football.

Campbell, who sensationally quit Notts County after just one game earlier this season, looks set to sign a contract at the Emirates this week.

The ex-England centre back played 45 minutes for Arsenal reserves last night and is hoping to sign a deal to stay at the club until the end of the season.

Speaking on Campbell’s return to the club, Wenger said: “He has a fantastic attitude and good fitness”

“Of course he is not the youngest but he is in a very good shape. He can still play in the Premier League, I’ve said that many times.”

Campbell, who spent five years at Arsenal between 2001-06, added: “I need to get minutes under my belt, a couple of reserve games at least, before I can start looking any further ahead.

“There are still a few technicalities to iron out but it’s fantastic, great, marvellous.

“I’m ecstatic to be back and I have worked hard to get there. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not stupid. He wouldn’t have taken me back if he didn’t like what he has seen.”

Tony Pulis Hits Out At Arsene Whinger

Simon Tingle — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:19:11 +0000

Stoke’s manager tells Wenger to stop “moaning like a drain.”

It will surprise no-one that Arsene Wenger has been suggesting his Arsenal side have had a raw deal this week.

The Gunners’ manager, who could make a career out of whinging, firstly criticised Wolves for fielding an under-strength side against Arsenal’s rivals Manchester United on Tuesday night.

He then went on to complain that his side were playing too many games, after only managing a 1-1 draw against Burnley on Wednesday night.

This all came on the back of last weeks news that Arsenal are seeking compensation from the Dutch Football Federation over the injury picked up by Robin van Persie while on international duty in November.

It seems that one Premiership manager has had enough of Arsene’s constant whining though.

Stoke manager, Tony Pulis, said: “Wenger is moaning like a drain because it doesn’t suit Arsenal. He ain’t moaning because it doesn’t suit Stoke.

“He is saying it because it doesn’t suit him and that was what Mick (Mcarthy) has done.

“I don’t think it (Man Utd’s 3-0 victory over Wolves) was the walk in the park for United that people are suggesting.”

On the subject of the fixture build-up debate, Pulis added: “No disrespect to Wenger or any foreign manager but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking professional athletes to perform twice in three or four days.”

Premiership: Kranjcar Double Sees Off City

Alex Homer — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:59:51 +0000

Niko Kranjcar scored two as Tottenham Hotspur highlighted their Big Four credentials on Wednesday by defeating nouveau riche Manchester City 3-0 at White Hart Lane.

Kranjcar’s first came after a goalmouth scramble as Stephen Ireland blocked a header from Peter Crouch only for the Croatian midfielder to bundle the ball in.

Jermain Defoe ensured Spurs shook off any hangover from their 1-0 defeat to Wolves at the weekend with his 14th goal of the season.

Kranjcar put the gloss on a comprehensive victory when he attacked the goal directly from the right wing, nicked the ball around Emmanuel Adebayor and nutmegged Shay Given for his second.

Aaron Lennon was Harry Redknapp’s chief attacking outlet throughout the first half as he consistently beat Silvinho for pace.

In defence, second-half substitute Jermaine Jenas helped Tottenham create a bottle-neck for City in midfield, negating any opportunities wide and shutting down Robinho.

Chelsea 2 – Portsmouth 1

Across London, Chelsea returned to top spot with a 2-1 win over Portsmouth including goals from Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard.

Anelka sidefooted the opener before Frederic Piquionne’s equaliser put Carlo Ancelotti’s first win in five matches temporarily in doubt.

Former Blues’ boss Avram Grant looked on however as Frank Lampard blasted his spot kick down the middle after 79 minutes to restore Chelsea’s three-point lead.

Burnley 1 – Arsenal 1

Graham Alexander’s penalty meanwhile ensured Arsenal dropped two points at Turf Moor as the Burnley skipper cancelled out his opposite number, Cesc Fabregas’s, opener.

Chris Eagles struck the post and Steven Fletcher had a goal ruled out for a dubious offside as the Gunners were rocked by injury to Fabregas, substituted for Aaron Ramsey.

Liverpool 2 – Wigan 1

David N’gog and second-half substitute Fernando Torres each netted before Charles N’Zogbia’s injury-time consolation as Liverpool brushed past Wigan.at Anfield.

Premiership: Arsenal close on Chelsea and United

Alex Homer — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:19:55 +0000

Andrey Arshavin sealed a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Enfield on Sunday as Arsenal closed the gap on Manchester United and Chelsea, both of whom dropped points.

Dirk Kuyt gave the home side the lead when Manuel Almunia failed to cope with Aurelio’s free kick as Lucas pressured, only for the Dutch man to pounce on the loose ball.

Buoyed by their half-time lead, and fielding Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard in the same starting XI for the first time since early October, Liverpool were in the ascendency.

If Howard Webb denying Gerrard’s solid penalty claim under challenge from William Gallas was anything to go by however, Liverpool were in for more bad luck.

It was Glen Johnson, five minutes into the second half, who accidentally provided Arsene Wenger’s men a route back into the game, when Samir Nasri’s tame cross initially brushed Jamie Carragher before going in off the unwitting former Portsmouth right-back.

Worse was to follow with Arshavin’s technician’s finish after 58 minutes; his first touch allowed him to lash past the static Pepe Reina.

Rafa Benitez reshuffled his pack when he substituted mid-week debutant Alberto Aquilani on for Javier Mascherano in a bid to give the Reds some attacking teeth.

Benitez’s men’s bark was worse than their bite though as the 20m Roma transfer failed to make the requisite impact and Arsenal reduced Chelsea’s lead to six points with a game in hand.

Chelsea 3 – Everton 3

Everton provided the first upset of a topsy-turvy weekend as Chelsea twice conceded from set pieces in their unexpected draw at Stamford Bridge.

Leighton Baines’s cross dealt the first blow after 12 minutes. His free kick saw John Terry lose out to Marouane Fellaini, whose back-header off the post contrived to go in off Petr Cech.

The League-leaders duly hit back 11 minutes later as Ricardo Carvalho’s run took him into Tim Howard’s box before the ball eventually fell to Didier Drogba to bend in a curler.

Nicolas Anelka doubled the home advantage five minutes later from Branislav Ivanovic’s assist after fellow Frenchman Louis Saha failed to clear in his own area.

With normal service seemingly resumed it was with some shock the Blues went into the break level as substitute Yakubu, on for the injured Jo, scored in stoppage time.

Ivanovic’s second assist gave Drogba his second goal but the Ivorian was at fault for Everton’s final equaliser – only clearing Johnny Heitinga’s free kick as far as the back of Saha’s head.

Manchester United 0 – Aston Villa 1

Gabriel Agbonlahor’s header from an Ashley Young cross gave Villa their first win at Old Trafford since 1983.

A combination of stalwart defence and counter-attacking intent was the key to Martin O’Neill’s approach as Young’s cross was the culmination of the visitors’ first meaningful attack.

Wayne Rooney meanwhile provided the uncharacteristic low-light of the afternoon as he was yellow-carded for diving by referee Martin Atkinson.

Stoke City 2 – Wigan Athletic 2

Maynor Figueroa provided the stand-out highlight of Saturday’s action when he powered a flat 60-yard strike over Thomas Sorensen at 47.13mph at the Brittania stadium.

Emmerson Boyce’s header gave Wigan the lead after quarter of an hour before Tuncay beat Chris Kirkland at his near post. Figueroa’s strike would have been a worthy winner of any game but Ryan Shawcross equalised within a minute.

Sorensen recovered from the shock of the Honduras International’s spectacular lob to save Hugo Rodallega’s penalty late-on and rescue the Potters a point.

Tottenham 0 – Wolves 1

At White Hart Lane further upset was afoot as Kevin Doyle’s third minute header saw Wolves win successive matches in the top flight for the first time since 1983.

Doyle growing reputation was matched by his leap as his diagonal run met Nenad Milijas’s left-foot centre comfortably, above the flat-footed Michael Dawson.

Sunderland 1 – Portsmouth 1

Darren Bent’s tenth goal of the season looked to have sealed victory but Younes Kaboul spoiled the Black Cats’ party when he met Jamie O’Hara’s corner – his happiness was short-lived as Kaboul received his second yellow for celebrating by taking off his shirt.

Birmingham 1 – West Ham

Lee Bowyer completed a hat trick of victories for West Midlands teams as his sixth of the season sealed victory over his former employers.

Bolton 3 – Manchester City 3

Carlos Tevez scored twice to save City, who came behind three times to rescue a point at the Reebok stadium. Mark Hughes criticised referee Mark Clattenburg after the game for handing Craig Bellamy a dubious second yellow for diving.

Burnley 1- Fulham 1

For all Bobby Zamora’s clinical skill in finishing after 50 minutes, Fulham lacked the clinical ability to finish off a Clarets side equalising through Wade Elliott’s volley.

Hull 0 – Blackburn 0

Well enough after heart surgery, Sam Allardyce returned to the touchline for the final few minutes to watch a Jimmy Bullard-less Hull lacking the Tigers’ spirit of recent weeks.

Premiership Roundup: Tevez Humbles Chelsea

Alex Homer — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:40:00 +0000

Carlos Tevez ended a run of seven consecutive draws for Manchester City, adding to Emmanuel Adebayor’s strike to secure their 2-1 win over Chelsea at Eastlands.

Goalmouth pinball granted Carlo Ancelotti’s men the lead inside eight minutes. Michael Ballack crossed from the right and the chance eventually fell for Nicolas Anelka to shoot. Shay Given parried, only for the rebound to creep in off Adebayor’s back.

Scoring a goal at both ends in the second half, Adebayor made amends for City’s earlier misfortune after 37 minutes.

Petr Cech punched a corner clear only for Shaun Wright-Philips to half-volley forcefully back into the box. The ball appeared to strike Micah Richards’s hand before falling at Adebayor’s feet and he swept home to equalise before the break.

Ten minutes into the second half Ricardo Carvalho was yellow-carded for a high foot trying to clear on the edge of his penalty area. Tevez bent the resulting free kick under Cech, neatly bypassing Jolean Lescott’s midriff en route round the wall.

Given put the gloss on a spirited home performance when he saved a late Frank Lampard penalty low down to his right, ending the England midfielder’s run of 27 successful spot kicks and ensuring the Blues dropped points.

West Ham United 0 – Manchester United 4

Manchester’s better-known half, United, meanwhile capitalised on the unexpected favour from their derby rivals as their 4-0 crushing of West Ham cut Chelsea’s lead at the top to two points.

An early injury to Gary Neville compounded Sir Alex Ferguson’s ongoing defensive personnel problems, leaving Darren Fletcher playing right back alongside substitute centre back Michael Carrick also out of position.

But United countered defensive inexperience with flowing offense as Paul Scholes opened the scoring from the edge of the area.

Darren Gibson retained his starters’ berth after his Carling Cup double and repaid the manager’s faith with a first-time strike from the edge of the area after a Ryan Giggs lay-off. Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney added to the visitors’ scoreline.

Arsenal 2 – Stoke City 0

Arsene Wenger’s men ended a three-game domestic losing streak to move into third thanks to goals from Andrei Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey.

Arsenal might have expected a tougher physical encounter, lacking a recognised frontman without a single outfield player topping six foot with the smallest among them, Arshavin, the replacement spearhead.

But the little Russian more than coped, latching onto a Cesc Fabregas assist to give the Gunners the lead after 26 minutes when he slotted into the corner and Ramsey rounded off the scoring with ten minutes remaining.

Everton 2 – Tottenham Hotspur 2

Across North London Spurs dropped two points when Everton came back from two goals down courtesy of marauding runs from right back Seamus Coleman.

Jermain Defoe opened the scoring after 47 minutes before Michael Dawson’s diving header from a corner made it two in two games for the normally goal-shy defender.

Louis Saha volleyed a Coleman centre to give the Toffees momentum, which Tim Cahill increased when he stooped to head Leighton Baines cross-shot four minutes from time.

Spurs almost snatched victory late-on as Wilson Palacios burst into the box, beating Tony Hibbert to the ball to earn a penalty but Tim Howard provided the extra-time heroics keeping out the in-form Defoe’s spot kick.

Portsmouth 2 – Burnley 0

Second-half substitute Nwankwo Kanu proved the difference between these two bottom-half sides, setting up Herman Hreidarsson to open the scoring.

Aruna Dindane atoned for his first-half penalty miss, heading Jamie O’Hara’s free kick to complete the scoring with six minutes left.

Blackburn 0 – Liverpool 0

Elsewhere Steven Gerrard could not cap his 500th appearance for the Reds as their top four chances were dented again, as Blackburn shut up shop to celebrate Sam Allardyce’s homecoming.

Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog were both guilty of missed chances as Gerrard worked tirelessly to no avail at Ewood Park.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 – Bolton Wanderers 1

Nenan Milijas’s 30-yard strike gave Wolves a welcome victory over fellow strugglers Bolton at Molineux.

The Serbian midfielder added to Jody Craddock’s early strike. Johan Elmander’s close range finish gave Bolton hope but they squandered numerous chances to equalise.

Aston Villa 3 – Hull City 0

Injury to Hull’s Jimmy Bullard marred a routine victory for Aston Villa at Villa Park. After hurting his left knee, Bullard tried to continue before leaving the field in tears.

Goals from Richard Dunne, James Milner and a late John Carew penalty sealed the points for Martin O’Neill’s side.

Wigan Athletic 2 – Birmingham City 3

Birmingham continued their three-game winning run thanks to a second-half double from Sebastian Larsson.

Charles N’Zogbia opened the scoring for Wigan before Larsson struck twice and Christian Benitez netted. Jordi Gomez struck late but Roberto Martinez will take little consolation after another injury to keeper Chris Kirkland.

Fulham 1 – Sunderland 0

Bobby Zamora handed the Cottagers victory after seven minutes in the battle of 2009’s most inconsistent Premier League teams.

After his sixth goal of the season, Roy Hodgon claims 28-year-old Zamora could provide an alternative to Emile Heskey in England’s World Cup squad for South Africa.

‘Terrific’ Ngog Dive Bags Liverpool Point Against Blues

Alex Homer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:13:38 +0000

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish showed gallows humour in reacting to referee Peter Walton’s decision to award Liverpool a penalty in Monday’s 2-2 draw at Anfield.

Substitute Steven Gerrard, on for the hamstrung Albert Riera, stepped up to convert the 71stminute spotkick after David Ngog went over Lee Carsley’s challenge without any contact apparent.

McLeish said: “He [Peter Walton] is a top referee but he didn’t get that one right and I’m sure when he looks at it again he’ll see that Ngog dived.

“It was a terrific dive. Lee didn’t touch him.”

The Reds started the brighter team as Ngog, in for the injured Fernando Torres, volleyed acrobatically at the back post to give them the lead after 13 minutes.

Christian Benitez began the visitors’ revival after 26 minutes when he converted a James McFadden free kick, flicked on twice before it found the Frenchman unchallenged.

Delighted with their £7.7 million signing’s first goal for the club in his 11th game, the travelling contingent, Blue-nosed regardless of the cold, chanted: “There’s only one Benitez.”

And Cameron Jerome gave them more to sing about when he opened his own account with a rasping 30-yarder that dipped over Pepe Reina’s head in first-half stoppage time.

Gerrard’s second-half appearance buoyed the Kop but it was his arrival on to a Glen Johnson cross, in the 63rd minute, that almost levelled; his header struck the foot of the post.

The penalty incident marred the Blues’ second 45 as centre-backs Roger Johnson and Scott Dann constantly put their bodies in the line of the Reds’ surge for a winner.

Rafa Benitez did not defend Ngog in post-match interviews, grateful at least of a point with one win in the last nine in all competitions.

With Torres now out for a minimum three-week course of treatment on his groin injury, and Gerrard sitting out England’s friendly against Brazil in Doha on Saturday, Rafa would do well to keep all of his squad onside.

Premiership Warms Up: Chelsea Top With United Win

Alex Homer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:47:04 +0000

John Terry flicked on a Frank Lampard free-kick to seal Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over reigning champions Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

Terry’s run, after 76 minutes, took him from back to front posts across a static bank of six defenders but United were more aggrieved by Didier Drogba’s movement in the box.

Wayne Rooney was yellow-carded for remonstrating after Drogba appeared to bundle over Wes Brown and attempt to divert Terry’s goal-bound header from, the visitors appealed, an offside position but the goal stood.

Rooney was unlucky not to open the scoring. His one-two with Antonio Valencia in the 66^thminute teed up a low drive which sneaked just wide of the left post. A minute later his curler was turned away for a corner by Petr Cech.

A slow playing surface had cut out one-touch passes and encouraged the tactical exchange anticipated by Carlo Ancelotti and Sir Alex Ferguson.

In the first-half stalemate, the best chance fell to Anderson, as Rooney and Ryan Giggs broke quickly. Anderson however failed to make the requisite back-post dart and Giggs’ square rolled out harmlessly.

Ancelotti’s substitution of Deco, for Joe Cole after 63 minutes, gave Chelsea more bite in the second half, with Nicolas Anelka troublesome in dropping deep.

And Branislav Ivanovic’s heading from right back reigned in injury-hit United’s ploy to use the long ball to Rooney as a means of relief.

Late substitutes Gabriel Obertan and Michael Owen personified Sir Alex’s surge for an equaliser but Ancelotti’s men held out to go five points clear at the top.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 – Arsenal 4

Own goals from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ronald Zubar and Jody Craddock, just eight minutes apart, ensured Arsenal end the weekend second-placed after their 4-1 win.

Cesc Fabregas added the Gunners’ third before half-time and Andrey Arshavin rifled in the fourth after 66 minutes for Arsene Wenger’s side at Molineux.

Arshavin continued where he left off in the Champions League, firing home from the edge of the area as keeper Wayne Hennessey failed to parry a corner far enough clear.

Craddock headed in a corner as consolation in the 89^thminute for early relegation candidates Wolves; the defender’s third in two games.

Manchester City 3 – Burnley 3

Elsewhere, Kevin McDonald’s late volley bagged Burnley their first away point of the season and Manchester City their fifth successive draw in their six-goal thriller.

Graham Alexander’s penalty then Steven Fletcher’s side-foot, from a Chris Eagles cross, put Owen Coyle’s men 2-0 ahead.

Shaun Wright-Phillips and Kolo Toure’s first league goal at Eastlands, either side of the break, drew City level before Craig Bellamy’s finish looked to have capped their comeback.

McDonald’s equaliser however brought jeers at the final whistle: his £500,000 price tag poignant as the Clarets’ courage matched City’s coffers.

Tottenham 2 – Sunderland 0

Tottenham capitalised on City’s draw as their 2-0 home defeat of Sunderland, with goals from Robbie Keane and Tom Huddlestone, propelled them into the top four.

Heurelho Gomes saved a penalty from Darren Bent, on his return to White Hart Lane, while Gomes’ opposite number, Craig Gordon, fared far worse, fracturing his arm in a collision with Jermain Defoe. Black Cats’ boss Steve Bruce was left to rue no luck since the beachball goal incident.

Aston Villa 5 – Bolton 1

The power of John Carew and pace of James Milner, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young – all scorers – put down an early marker of Villa’s ambitions of another dig at European football next season.

Carlos Cuellar’s first Villa goal, a header, rounded off the scoring in a display dented only by Johan Elmander’s goal just before half-time.

Hull 2 – Stoke 1

Elsewhere, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink followed up Jimmy Bullard’s long-range shot to ease pressure on Hull City manager Phil Brown. His stoppage-time tap-in lifted the Tigers out of the relegation zone after their 2-1 win over Stoke.

Blackburn 3 – Portsmouth 1

Jason Roberts scored either side of Ryan Nelsen’s header as Blackburn came from behind. Jamie O’Hara’s 30-yarder was not good enough to lift Portsmouth off bottom spot.

West Ham 1 – Everton 2

Dan Gosling followed up his own shot for Everton’s second in their first league win since September. Louis Saha opened the scoring before Tony Hibbert’s own goal gave West Ham false hope.

Wigan Athletic 1 – Fulham 1

The lowest Premier League crowd of the season, 16,172, saw Emerson Boyce break the deadlock after 12 minutes. Clint Dempsey’s penalty made it two in two for the American before a goalless second 45.

Liverpool and Birmingham kick off 8pm Monday.

Champions League: Arsenal Delight, Liverpool Denied

Alex Homer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:25:23 +0000

Cesc Fabregas scored two before being substituted as Arsenal romped past AZ Alkmaar 4-1 at the Emirates to all but secure their place in the last sixteen of the Champions League.

The Spanish skipper opened the scoring after 25 minutes, cutting inside from the left and shooting through the defender’s legs to beat Sergio Romero embarrassingly at his near post.

Andrey Arshavin played a through ball between the Alkmaar centre halves for fleet-of-foot Samir Nasri to double the Gunners’ advantage before half time.

Nasri shimmied between two defenders on the edge of the area before slotting into the bottom right-hand corner to score his first goal since breaking his leg in July.

And the little Russian played a hand in Fabregas’s second, feeding his overlap on the left to finish a flowing counter-attack after 52 minutes.

Fabregas opened his body as if to shoot across Romero before rotating his hips to lift the ball over the keeper into the roof of the net.

Arsenal’s fluid midfield continued to press forward and find space in behind the Dutch visitors’ back four.

The counter-attack proved most fruitful however as the Londoners bagged their fourth. Eduardo was involved in a tussle on the halfway-line before back-heeling the ball for Arshavin to maraud down the right wing.

The former Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder squared for a hat-trick of assists as Abou Diaby gathered with his left foot before side-footing across the keeper.

Substitute Jeremain Lens managed a late consolation for Ronald Kaeman’s side, bursting through on the right wing before beating an off-balance Manuel Almunia at his near post.

Arsenal are sitting pretty on ten points and only an unlikely combination of results for Olympiakos and Standard Liege, and the Gunners losing both their remaining fixtures, would halt their progress to the knockout stages.

Lisandro’s dinked last-minute equaliser meanwhile cruelly denied under-fire Rafa Benitez and Liverpool a chance to revitalise their challenge for European silverware.

Lisandro’s goal, in front of a box office Stade Gerland crowd, put Lyon through as current leaders of Group D on ten points with Fiorentina second on nine.

The Reds lag behind on four points with only two games to salvage progression.

Substitute Ryan Babel gave the Reds the lead after 83 minutes, ghosting inside from the left before hammering the ball into the top left corner with his right boot.

Liverpool were otherwise toothless up front as Fernando Torres struggled throughout with a hernia problem.

Andriy Voronin missed the most gilt-edged of chances when he shot straight at Hugo Lloris when put through one-on-one by Javier Mascherano’s long ball over the top.

Defensive frailty cost the Kop dear ultimately and Liverpool will have to rely on others’ failings to join Manchester United and Chelsea, not to mention Arsenal most probably, in the next stage.

Wednesday’s only Premiership match saw Zavon Hines lift West Ham out of the relegation zone as his close range finish secured their 2-1 win over ten-man Aston Villa.

Habib Beye was sent off after 85 minutes before Hines’s latched onto Scott Parker’s pass inside the six-yard box and supplied the finish.

Mark Noble earlier stroked home his penalty to put the Hammers 1-0 up at half time before Ashley’s Young cross-cum-shot curled in.

Crowd trouble marred Rangers’ clash at Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni, though a late Marius Onofras had already taken the gloss of Lee McCulloch’s long-range opener in the 1-1 draw. The Scots must now beat Stuttgart at Ibrox to qualify.

Dempsey Clint-ches 3-1 win over struggling Liverpool

Alex Homer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:34:02 +0000

Liverpool crashed to a fifth defeat in their last eleven games after going down to nine men in their 3-1 loss at Fulham.

The Reds dominated the first half with 74% possession but found themselves behind, after Bobby Zamora shook off Emiliano Insua and tapped in Damien Duff’s cross at the back post.

Fernando Torres equalised after 42 minutes from the edge of the area with an opportunist right-foot volley finding the bottom left-hand corner.

Rafa Benitez controversially substituted El Nino after 62 minutes, citing his four-day recovery after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester United, but things went from bad to worse for the Reds without their talisman.

First Eric Nevland lived up to his impact player reputation, restoring the Cottagers’ lead from close range when he tapped in Zoltan Gera’s knock-down after 73 minutes.

Philipp Degen was then sent off for a late challenge on Clint Dempsey before last defender Jamie Carragher was dismissed when he was adjudged to bring down Zamora.

Replays showed Carragher played the ball but Roy Hodgson’s side was not in sympathetic mood upfront as Dempsey finished the game off in style.

The American dropped his shoulder to send Pepe Reina the wrong way before his left-foot finish, as the Fulham faithful began to chant: “we want four”.

Fellow West Londoners Chelsea stayed top of the table with their second 4-0 defeat of Bolton in four days.

Ancelotti’s men did not take the lead till the stroke of half-time, when Frank Lampard punished Bolton from the spot after Didier Drogba was bundled over by J Lloyd Samuel.

With Samuel given his marching orders, Wanderers struggled to come to terms with the Blues’ creativity.

Deco doubled the lead when he cut inside from the right hand side of the box to bend a left-footer home.

Zat Knight scored in his own net, failing to clear a Ricardo Carvalho center before Drogba wrapped the game up with a samba goal reminiscent of the training ground.

Meanwhile Manchester United eased past Blackburn Rovers with goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

Berbatov pounced on a shot dragged across goal from Patrice Evra and swiveled to volley home with his right foot to give United the lead.

Rooney’s first-time left-foot strike across goal, from an Anderson cross, sealed the three points for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men after 87 minutes.

Elsewhere, two goals in just over a minute before half-time helped Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby.

Robin van Persie opened the scoring when he met Bacary Sagna’s near-post cross then Cesc Fabregas intercepted a pass from Wilson Palacios from the resulting centre and fired home from outside the area.

Van Persie and Sagna combined again for the Gunners’ third when Mark Clattenburg played the advantage after a foul on Eduardo.

Portsmouth also maintained their winning ways from the Carling Cup, smashing Wigan for four despite off-field problems.

Aruna Dindane scored a hat-trick while on-loan Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne netted again to continue his form from mid-week.

Captain Graham Alexander heaped pressure on Hull manager Phil Brown with both Burnley goals in his 100^thappearance for the Clarets.

Another of last season’s promoted sides, Wolverhampton Wanderers, managed a point at Stoke City as defender Jody Craddock’s double got the Midlanders back to 2-2.

Ten-man Sunderland fought back to 2-2 against West Ham through Kieron Richardson before Robert Kovac was sent off late on for the Hammers.

In a weekend littered with a record nine red cards, Everton and Aston Villa were no exception, finishing with ten-apiece in their 1-1 draw. John Carew cancelled out Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s earlier strike.

Shay Given ensured Manchester City stay fourth as Sunday’s only Premiership fixture saw him deny James McFadden from the spot in their 0-0 draw at St Andrews.

Top 10 Richest Men In British Football

Simon Tingle — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:15:33 +0000

And the winner isn’t even with a Premiership side.

FourFourTwo.com has released their annual rich list highlighting the who’s who of British football owners.

Chelsea’s rich Russian, Roman Abramovich, came third in the list with an estimated fortune of £7.8bn, leaving the Chelsea owner £800m better off than this time last year.

Last year’s winner, Manchester City’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, had to settle for second place in this year’s list with a paltry £17bn to his (ridiculously long) name.

Coming out on top was Lakshmi Mittal, who made his £18.4bn fortune from the steel industry and has a 20% share in Championship club QPR.

Mittal came in second place last year but has seen his wealth increase from £12.5bn to £18.4bn in just 12 months thanks to a resurgence in his share’s value after last year’s slump.

With fellow QPR owner, Bernie Ecclestone, coming eighth in the list with a £1.44bn fortune, the future looks bright for any forthcoming Rangers signings.

We’re just waiting for Robinho to hand in a transfer request and declare that “Queen Rangers Park is the biggest club in the world and I’m happy to be here.”

The Top 10 richest men in British football were:

1. Lakshmi Mittal (QPR) – £18.4bn

2. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan (Man City) – £17bn

3. Roman Abramovich (Chelsea) – £7.8bn

4. Joe Lewis (Tottenham) – £2.5bn

5. Stan Kroenke (Arsenal) – £2.079bn

6. Denis O’Brien (Celtic) – £1.73bn

7. Malcolm Glazer and family (Man Utd) – £1.5bn

8. Bernie Ecclestone (QPR) – £1.466bn

9. Alisher Usmanov (Arsenal) – £1.3bn

10. Lord Grantchester and family (Everton) £1.2bn

3 Premiership Clubs Taking Holiday From Transfer Market?

Simon Tingle — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:58:22 +0000

It’s always the same – you wait an age for one transfer ban and now three could come along at once.

Manchester City have now joined Chelsea and Manchester United in being accused of dodgy dealings in the transfer market.

As we reported earlier, City have been accused by French club Rennes of transfer irregularities over the signing of 17-year-old defender Jeremy Helan back in 2008.

Rennes claims that Helan joined Manchester City despite there being no contract between the two clubs.

Renne’s sporting director, Pierre Dreossi, said: “We have referred this to Fifa.” City have hit back by releasing the following statement:

“We are comfortable that we have acted within the rules throughout the process and in no way induced any breach of contract by Jeremy Helan.”

The news is sure to have City sweating though, especially following the transfer ban given to Chelsea by Fifa last week.

Chelsea have been banned from registering any new players until 2011 after being found guilty of inducing Gael Kakuta to Stamford Bridge.

It’s been a bad few days in the transfer department for Manchester sides, with Manchester United also under the spotlight over their signing of Paul Pogba from Le Havre.

Le Havre claims that Manchester United offered the 16-year-old’s parents financial inducements to tempt the teenager to Old Trafford.

United have strongly denied these allegations and have threatened the French club with legal action.

I’m sure there will be clubs up and down the country holding their breath over what allegations will come out next.

I’m waiting for Man City to sue Everton for hypnotizing them into thinking Lescott is worth £22m!

An unmarked envelope of cash to the Sun

Top 10 Premiership Players Ever!

Simon Tingle — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:13:32 +0000

Since the Premiership first formed back in 1992 there have been a number of stars who have graced the pitches up and down the country. Here is the Daily Dust’s Top 10:

10. Torres

He may have only had two full seasons in the Premiership but Torres has already won legendary status at Anfield.

The striker not only has blistering pace and agility but also an eye for goal like no other. His goal against Blackburn in April, where he volleyed it in from the edge of the area, was a perfect example of this.

9. Le Tissier

Matt Le Tissier may not have had the stereotypical footballer’s physique, and was often criticised for looking overweight, but he more than made up for that with skill and vision. Le Tissier was renowned for scoring spectacular goals and the fact he spent his whole career at Southampton, in an age when player loyalty was almost dead, is a credit to the man himself.

8. Gerrard

Although the English media certainly exaggerate the talents of Gerrard (Man-mountain, Liverpool’s heart etc etc) there is no doubting his quality in midfield. The 29-year-old can play in a number of positions in midfield and his ability to come up with decisive goals in big games has made him an Anfield hero. He has pace, power, skill, a good pass and a blistering shot. He really is the all-round modern midfielder.

7. Ronaldo

The recently departed Ronaldo needs little introduction. He took some time to settle in England at first, with his debut season revolving around a number of fancy step-overs that took him nowhere. However, once Ronaldo found his feet in the Premiership there was no stopping him. He may be famous for his tricks but the winger also has a tremendous pass and an unbelievable free kick. Ronaldo may have secured an £80m move to Real Madrid but he will have to produce something special to match his 2007/08 season, when the Portuguese star notched 42 goals in all competitions.

6. Scholes

Paul Scholes may not get as much media attention as others on this list but he fully deserves his place here. The English midfielder has been an integral part of Manchester United’s midfield for over a decade now. He not only has a superb eye for a pass but has also scored his fair share of goals for Manchester United over his long career. When Scholes finally does hang up his boots, Sir Alex Ferguson will have quite a job on his hands to find a replacement to match the qualities of the ginger midfielder.

5. Giggs

Much like Le Tissier, Ryan Giggs is renowned for spending his entire career at one club, Manchester United. The Welsh winger first broke onto the scene in the early 90’s and was famous for his tricky runs and lightening pace. Giggs may have slowed down some what in recent seasons but the great thing about him is he has managed to change his game to suit this. Giggs now plays more of a playmaker role and his incisive passers and pin-point crossers have helped Manchester United win the Premiership for the last three seasons. The fact that at 35-years-old Giggs is still a major part of Manchester United’s midfield says it all.

4. Henry

Some people may be surprised that Henry has only managed fourth 0n the list. The Frenchmen was not only charismatic but had a certain arrogance on the pitch. And rightly so, as Henry was blessed with lightning pace, sublime skill and scored goals for fun. The reason the striker didn’t make the top three is down to one reason – his reliance on his pace. If you took away Henry’s super speed then his style of play would be a lot less affective. I’m not saying he was a one trick pony but the difference between the top three and Henry is the fact that none of the top three had pace and yet they were all world class players. Henry certainly deserves his place high up on the list but it will be very interesting to see how effective he’ll be when he reaches his mid-thirties?

3. Cantona

Cantona was another player who had arrogance in abundance, but when you’re as gifted as Eric it’s understandable. Cantona was known simply as ‘King Eric’ by Manchester United fans and in 2001 they voted him their ‘player of the century.’ He may be as famous for his flying kicks and strange philosophies about seagulls as he is for his footballing skills but there is no denying his overall quality as a footballer. He scored sublime goal after sublime goal for Manchester United during the 1990’s and was a hero to the fans that adored him. Here’s a little example of exactly why from youtube.

2. Zola

He may have been a pint-sized player but Gianfranco Zola exuded class. The current manager of West Ham enjoyed a sparkling career in England during his playing days at Chelsea. Due to his low centre of gravity Zola was able to tie defenders in knots and always had an eye for the killer pass. Arguably his most memorable goal was a cheeky back flick against Norwich which nestled beautifully in the top corner. To watch the goal click here. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you of Zola’s talents then this video of him tying defenders in knots should do the trick – Just click here.

1. Bergkamp

And so the winner, perhaps a surprising choice to some, is Dennis Bergkamp. The Dutch forward may have often lived in the shadows of Henry during their time together at Arsenal but his all round play far out-shone his French striking partner. Bergkamp not only had a beautiful touch, a great shot and sublime skill but he could almost run games on his own when he was on top form. And, unlike Henry, he did all this without being blessed with any real pace. He scored countless goals in the Premiership, perhaps the pick of them all against Newcastle, but he also set up just as many with his creative passing and deft flicks. Just a taster of his array of skills can be seen on this Youtube video.

So the Daily Dust’s all-time Premiership player goes to: Dennis Bergkamp. We are not worthy.

Here are the players who were considered but just didn’t make the cut:

- Schmeichel
- Shearer
- Roy Keane
- Lampard
- Rio Ferdinand

2008/09: Whats left to play for across English football?

Jake J — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:48:31 +0000

As the season comes to an end, we look at the state of play in England.Barclays Premiership
The race for the title of best team in England is still up for debate thanks to Manchester United’s recent wobble. Liverpool are chasing them down, hoping for their first title for two decades. Chelsea are still in the race and could be there should the rivals become preoccupied with each other.

Arsenal have hit form and Aston Villa lost form, meaning the race for the fourth Champions League spot is over for another season. Villa will have to be happy with a Europa League (terrible new name for the UEFA Cup), as will Everton, but the Merseysiders will surely be happier about that arrangement than Villa.

We covered the relegation battle a few days ago, but its still the tightest fight for a good few years. Any one of 8 teams could get involved, but we predicted that Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom were ultimately destined for the drop.

Coca-Cola Championship
Wolves last night moved six points clear at the top of the table and to within four points of a return to the Premiership. Birmingham are clinging on to second, but have the likes of Sheffield United and Cardiff breathing down their necks, so the second automatic spot is still open.

Bristol City’s slim dreams of a second-successive playoff finish were laid to rest with a 1-1 draw at home to Ipswich. This leaves Preston and Swansea to cling to Burley’s coat tails as the last glimmer of playoff hope. Reading are sat comfortably in the playoffs.

Charlton clung to their second-tier status with a point away a Coventry. Fail to win all of their last three games and the Addicks face League One football in 2009/10. Fighting to avoid the same fate are Southampton, Nottingham Forrest, Norwich City and Barnsley, with Forrest and the Saints the most likely candidates to join Charlton.

Coca-Cola League One
Leicester are now within two points of bouncing right back to the Championship at the first time of asking. The second automatic promotion slot is far from defined. Peterborough are currently leading the race, but can look at MK Dons to see how a small blip can change your season. Millwall and the aforementioned Dons sit 3 and 4 points respectively behind The Posh with only 3 games to go.

Leeds seems assured of a playoff place, but Tranmere’s is mainly under threat from Scunthorpe, only two points behind, having two games in hand.

Hereford and Cheltenham Town seem destined to occupy two of the four relegation spots, being 12 and 10 points from safety, respectively, with only 12 left to play for. The last two spaces are being fought out between Brighton, Northampton, Crewe and Carlisle, while Hartlepool and Swindon aren’t quite safe yet.

Coca-Cola League Two
The race to escape the ‘basement’ division has been very tight but title-chasing Brentford have created a gap in recent weeks , but that gap is still only 5 points between the top 4. Brentford edge it because they have a game in hand.

The fight for the remaining automatic promotion slots with all of Exeter, Wycombe, Bury, Rochdale and Gillingham all involved. Once past the automatic hopefuls, playoff dreams stretch all the way to 12th place with Chesterfield, Shrewsbury, Bradford, Dagenham & Redbridge, Morcambe and Lincoln all in with a chance of snatching a place, with one of the first three looking to be the best bet.

Despite their Johnstone’s Paint Trophy heroics, yesterdays 0-0 home draw with Chesterfield condemned them to relegation from the Football League. Starting the season with -30 points has meant the Hatters didn’t really have a chance. Without the deficit, they would have been in mid-table, so its been a brave fight.

Chester, Grimsby and Bournemouth are the likely candidates for the fight to avoid filling the second and final relegation spot.

E.ON FA CUP
This years FA Cup has ignored last years fall of the ‘big four’ and reverted back to its usual structure with the 4 teams in the semis coming from the Premiership’s top 6 sides. Once again it being touted that Manchester United and Chelsea will meet each other (hopefully in a more interesting final than in 2007), but with United’s current form Everton could spring a surprise and Arsenal can always put in a performance.

Home comforts as Liverpool bounce back

Jon K — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:52:41 +0000

After the midweek thrashing from Chelsea and the anniversary of Hillsborough looming over the fixture, it would have been easy to let the events off the pitch overshadow a vital Premiership game.

With Liverpool chasing leaders Manchester United by one point and a game, the importance of the tie was not lost of stand-in captain Jamie Carragher. He called it the most important Premiership game he had played in throughout his 13 year career at Anfield, and he was quite correct in that evaluation. After the Reds where torn apart by a dominant Chelsea performance, how they would bounce back in the league could prove all-important and bounce back they certainly did, with Torres starting off what would turn out to be one of Liverpool’s most comfortable games all season with a tremendous half-volley to send the Kop into raptures.

Blackburn boss Big Sam controversially dropped striker McCarthy and replaced him, rather bizarrely, with defender Christopher Samba. The outspoken manager was clearly hoping to utilize the Congo internationals strength and perhaps with proper support, this was a ploy that could have exploited a zonal marking system that has been heavily criticised in the days leading up to the game. It was support that Samba would never receive, as Liverpool dominated the entirety of the game, taking 68% of possession and not once looking vulnerable at the back.

Torres added a second before half-time to effectively seal Blackburn’s fate, although they seemed nonchalant in the face of defeat. In fact, the entire game held the feel of a quickly-assembled training ground match, with neither team being made to work too hard. Rovers seemed resigned to their fate before a ball had even been kicked, and what was talked up as being a potential banana-skin for the title challengers turned out to be their most comfortable victory in years. Perhaps not in terms of goals, but the gulf in class between the two opposing teams seemed evident from the get-go. Rovers fans will no-doubt be worried by the utterly pedestrian way in which their team circummed to Liverpool, as they try and stave off the possibility of being dragged into a relegation battle.

It came as little surprise, then, when Daniel Agger was allowed acres of space before unleashing a fierce strike beyond keeper Robinson and the game beyond any reasonable doubt. Substitute striker N’gog added a forth in the closing minutes to add a goal much more important in terms of goal difference than the match itself.

With the massive task awaiting them at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, this effortless victory without the input of skipper Steven Gerrard will have been just what the doctor ordered.

The Daily Dust | Good News from the UK » Premiership

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