Newcastle United have written to the Football Association calling for action to be taken against Manchester City's Nigel de Jong over his leg-breaking challenge on Hatem Ben Arfa.
Ben Arfa broke both bones in the lower half of his left leg during the 2-1 defeat at Eastlands on Sunday, with Dutch international de Jong being axed from the Netherlands squad as a result of his actions.
However, match referee Martin Atkinson took no action against de Jong at the time and United would like the FA to take a look at the incident again.
A statement from the Magpies read:"Newcastle United FC have written a strongly-worded letter to the FA in relation to the tackle by Manchester City's Nigel de Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa in Sunday's Premier League fixture, which resulted in Ben Arfa sustaining a broken tibia and fibula of his left leg.
"The club has asked the FA for the appropriate action to be taken against de Jong for the tackle which in the club's opinion was unnecessary and used excessive force.
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"Newcastle United will also be writing to the appropriate body regarding the performance of the match officials, specifically the referee, in relation to a number of incidents during the game including the tackle on Ben Arfa."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
One of the hottest talking points of the season so far should came to an end today as Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany learned that his appeal over his red card in the FA Cup Manchester derby was unsuccessful. Chris Foy’s decision to send the City central defender off early in their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United has caused everyone to have an opinion on the matter and predictably the two clubs cannot agree on the referee’s call.
Roberto Mancini claimed after the game that Wayne Rooney’s reaction to the challenge made on his United team mate, Nani, was the reason that the unpopular Foy brandished a straight red card; that sees Kompany banned for four games. However, Sir Alex Ferguson; speaking yesterday at the Ballon d’Or in Zurich; felt that Rooney was within his rights to react to the challenge but has empathy with his managerial counterpart.
“To my mind it was a reckless challenge. I have no complaints about Wayne, I don’t think it was unacceptable. I think it was a natural reaction to a bad challenge.” Ferguson said.
“I can understand where Roberto’s coming from because that’s what happens with players today, they all appeal for penalties or players to be sent off. It’s an unfortunate part of our game.”
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It’s getting closer isn’t it? Summer is in the air, bees and wasps (can’t stand them, more annoying than trying to decipher a Steven Gerrard interview) are starting to appear, that summer holiday is getting ever closer, and the transfer market is looming ominously, just over the horizon.
It’s that time of year when all things are possible (if only in journalists minds), when dreamers dare to dream, and the rumours have already begun. United are linked with hundreds of players every summer, but rarely are the media stories accurate. Last summer? Over 100 players linked with moves to United. How many signed? None.
It seems certain, however, that United will enter the market this summer, and strengthen in some pretty major areas, with Edwin Van der Sar hanging up his gloves and Paul Scholes (in all probability) hanging his boots on the next peg along. So where will United strengthen? And who will they sign? Here I’ll attempt to separate fact and fiction and hopefully provide a window into the summer ahead.
Goalkeeper
It seems almost certain United will sign a goalkeeper this summer, with the decorated Dutchman hanging up his gloves. So who are the candidates in this key position, and will Sir Alex learn from his mistakes when attempting to replace The Great Dane.
David De Gea
A goalkeeper of commanding presence, De Gea (nicknamed Van de Gea for his similar stature to Van der Sar) has already accrued experience under pressure in Atletico’s Europa League triumph last season, as well as facing Messi, Ronaldo, Villa and (last season) Silva in La Liga. Arguably one of the brightest young prospects around and is certain to become Spain’s first choice between the sticks.
Potential Price: £20m
Manuel Neuer
Neuer, older than De Gea at 24, has been linked with United for even longer than De Gea. Forced into Germany’s World Cup starting XI due to the death of Robert Enke and Rene Adler’s injury, Neuer was a key figure in Germany’s march to the semi-finals and has also been key in Schalke’s progression to a Champions League semi-final against United.
Potential Price: £15m
Pepe Reina
This would certainly be controversial wouldn’t it? Liverpool’s first class Spanish stopper, idolised by the Kop, moving to United. If his nationality was anything other than Spanish, Reina would be first choice for his country, but is held back by the excellent Iker Casillas. A keeper with excellent reactions and a tendency to frustrate penalty takers with his agility.
Potential Price: £25m
Verdict: For me it has to be De Gea due to his youth and potential to be United’s first-choice keeper for 20 years (or more). De Gea would provide a calmness and assurance and is certainly not inexperienced, despite his youth.
Central midfield
United’s central midfield has been the focus of much criticism from fans and pundits alike this season, accused of a lack of creativity, a problem which will only become worse if Paul Scholes were to retire in the summer.
Wesley Sneijder
Inter Milan’s world class attacking midfielder was at the centre of both their treble triumph of 09/10 and the Netherlands march to the World Cup final, where they were defeated by Spain. A class midfield operator (many would argue the best in the world), Sneijder pulls the strings, often from a position just behind the striker. May be a gamble as unproven in Premier League.
Potential Price: £35-40m
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Luka Modric
The man many United fans crave to replace the Ginger Prince, Modric, originally considered too lightweight when he arrived in England, is calm, composed, able to find space and pick a pass, as well as pop up with the odd goal, albeit only two this season in the Premier League. His passing range is excellent, although, like Sneijder, he seems to need the insurance of a purely defensive minded player alongside him in CM.
Potential Price: £30-35m
Charlie Adam
He had to pop up somewhere. A man who’s been a bone of contention on Twitter for weeks, as arguments rage between me an everyone else (it seems) concerning his merits as a future United player. The Blackpool captain has a superb passing range, capable of splitting a defence with a subtle ball or pinging 60 yard crossfield passes. Also provides a massive threat on free-kicks (something lacking at United right now), is a clinical penalty-kick taker and provides leadership and drive from the centre of the park.
Potential Price: £8-10m
Jack Rodwell
The young prospect on this list is player with great potential, a man who can play at centre-back and in defensive midfield, central midfield or attacking midfield. Unclear what his best position is, but some believe he has the potential to become another Roy Keane for United.
Potential Price: £15-25m
Verdict: I know there’ll be some stick for this but I feel that with United’s potential outlay probably standing at £20m or more on a goalkeeper alone if De Gea joins, we simply won’t be able to afford an outlay of up to £40m on Sneijder or £35m on Modric (Redknapp actually said he wanted £50m for Modric a few weeks ago). Therefore I’d sign both Adam and Rodwell from this list, adding another £23m to the £20m for De Gea.
Winger
A winger may well be a luxury rather than a necessity this summer, with Giggs, Valencia, Nani and Park already on the books but adding depth may well be useful given that, at times this season, players such as Fletcher, Hargreaves and Bebe have been pressed into service on the flanks.
Ashley Young
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An exciting winger who can also play through the middle behind the striker, Ashley Young will only have a year left on his contract this summer and, with Giggs now at the age of 37, United will need a replacement soon.
Potential Price: £15m
Alexis Sanchez
Has set Serie A alight this season, firing in goal after goal for Udinese, as well as impressing for Chile at the World Cup. Was likened by Sir Alex to a young Cristiano Ronaldo.
Potential Price: £25-35m
Gareth Bale
The exciting young Welshman was recently voted Footballer of the Year by his fellow professionals and has been likened to a young Ryan Giggs.
Potential Price: £30m
Verdict: A winger is probably not essential, although if perhaps just one CM was signed, Young may also follow behind.
Signings: De Gea, Adam, Rodwell/Young
Total Outlay: £43 million
Even if Young were to be signed instead of Rodwell, is would not affect the total outlay of the club, which would still be £43m. I also wouldn’t rule out a striker being signed for £10-15m, making this a summer similar to 07/08.
Potential departures:
Van der Sar (Retired)
Scholes (Retired)
Owen (Free)
Kuzczak (£4m)
Diouf (£2m)
Berbatov (£15m)
If these departures occurred, United would recoup £21m in fees, making net spend £22m.
Please note, this is just my opinion about what may happen based on simple logic about the players who will retire (and therefore areas which need to be strengthened), but guessing what SAF will do is very difficult. The signings I suggested (De Gea, Adam, Rodwell/Young) would add immeasurable depth to United’s squad and provide potential for variation tactically, providing SAF with options. Feel free to disagree (as I’m sure many of you will), and leave comments below.Read more of Josh’s articles at the excellent Red Flag Flying High[bet_365 type=’odds’ size=’300′ af_code=’365_050711′]
As October approaches, Liverpool have just won Premier League to their name; a 1-0 victory over West Brom at Anfield in which they were far from dominating in. Admittedly, their fixtures have included Arsenal, Man Utd and Man City, as well as a trip to the miserly St Andrews, and as a result Roy Hodgson has struggled to get any momentum going with a new group of players. Liverpool fans will have far lower expectations than of previous years, but for a club with the prestige that Liverpool possess, those expectations will always remain higher than most.
There is still a vast amount of the Anfield faithful that remember an era when winning trophies was merely a formality. For those fans in particular, it must be difficult to see their team going through such a torrid time on and off the pitch. The sale of the club is an issue that has rumbled on for far too long, and still looks to be no closer to resolution. Without a new buyer, the club remains in financial and political limbo as the team struggles to find its feet.
Roy Hodgson was always going to be given time. The lowly league finish last season means that for this term, anything above will be seen as progress. The fans will be wary of the moves that Man City have made in the transfer market, despite managing to keep hold of their own prized assets, as well as the squad that Harry Redknapp has assembled at White Hart Lane. Within the space of a year Liverpool have gone from having three main rivals for the league, to having five rivals who are all performing better than them; they are now so far beyond what Man Utd and Chelsea are capable of.
It becomes difficult to fathom what supporters will deem as acceptable this season. Rafa Benitez was much maligned by the time his tenure on Merseyside was up – I personally believe that despite some faults, he was, and still is, a manager of really high quality and for the Champions League exploits alone, deserves a huge amount of credit. Sixth or above in the league will be a good first season for Hodgson, and a fair reflection of the squad assembled at the club. The Europa League, in my opinion, is a different matter. Liverpool are one of the best teams in the competition; while there is a serious Iberian threat to their chances (Atletico Madrid in particular), there will be no teams they do not believe they can beat.
Hodgson’s arrival was seen as the beginning of a new dawn, a chance to start afresh. But in reality, no supposed new era can begin without the issues in the boardroom being resolved. In Hodgson, the club have a tactically astute manager with vast, extensive experience, but who has his hands tied behind his back in terms of the scope he is given to work in, as well as the stability of his employers.
Liverpool fans are not naïve enough to believe that they should be winning leagues in the way that they used to twenty years ago, or how Man Utd have done since, but they will still want more than they are currently getting. The American owners have seemingly bitten off more than they can chew, and perhaps underestimated just what the club means to people. Hodgson will be given time, but over the next two to three years, Liverpool will need to be re-affirm their status in the old ‘Big Four’, they are too big not to be there for more than that period of time.
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Carlos Tevez’s representative Kia Joorabchian has stated that he is keen to finalise a transfer for his client from Manchester City to AC Milan.
The temperamental Argentine forward is set to leave the Etihad Stadium in the current transfer window after a number of disciplinary issues.
The Scudetto holders have already had a loan move for the South American forward rejected, and Inter have been linked with a move for the attacker in recent days.
Despite this, Joorabchian has stated that he will meet Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani in Rio de Janeiro in the next coming days to hopefully conclude a deal.
“We’re here (in Rio) to finalise with Milan. We haven’t heard from Inter since August,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini has stated that there are a number of teams interested in buying Tevez, and that City may delve into the market once he is sold.
“We need to sell three or four players and with Carlos we could close a deal with a club in the next three or four days,” the Italian coach stated in a press conference.
“We hope for us and for Carlos we can do a deal. There are two or three teams in Italy, a team in France, and another team involved – I hope for him he can start to play football.
“We could maybe bring someone in, but we need to sell,” he concluded.
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Javier Mascherano has called on Barcelona and Real Madrid to forgo the ‘theatrics’ when they meet in the Champions League on Wednesday.The lead-up to Wednesday’s ‘El Clasico’ semi-final first leg at the San Bernabeu has been marred by a war of words between Barca boss Pep Guardiola and Real counterpart Jose Mourinho.
Mind-game master Mourinho has been trying to get under Guardiola’s skin all season and was at it again following Real’s win over Barca in the Copa del Rey final, chiding the Barca boss for being a constant critic of referees.
The normally reserved Guardiola unleashed an astonishing outburst in response, sarcastically describing Mourinho as the ‘f—— chief’ and saying the Portuguese manager had won ‘his own personal Champions League’ off the pitch.
The ongoing row will no doubt have the Bernabeu at fever pitch by kick-off on Wednesday evening, but one man is hoping football takes precedence over the mind games – Barca midfielder Mascherano.
“I want a clean game without theatrics. What we like most is to play good football. That is what Barcelona do,” the former Liverpool man said.
“I think that the most important thing for us happens on the pitch, and we will see how it ends. Obviously we want a good game that everyone can enjoy.”
Chelsea's Carlo Ancelotti has been named as the Premier League Manager of the Month for August, while Manchester United's Paul Scholes has taken the Player's award.
Ancelotti's Blues have started the defence of their league title with three wins out of three, keeping three clean sheets in the process as they thrashed West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic 6-0 and beat Stoke City 2-0.
The Italian told his club's official website:"I enjoy getting started on the Premier League and I am happy to win the Manager of the Month.
"It is a good moment recently. We have started very well, but now we have six important games in 21 days."
Meanwhile, the evergreen Scholes has won the nod for impressive displays in the Red Devils' opening three league games of the new campaign.
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The 35-year-old midfielder has helped United beat Newcastle United and West Ham United by 3-0 scorelines, while finding the net in the 2-2 draw at Fulham.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Vedran Corluka and his agent will sit down with Tottenham Hotspur big wigs this week in an attempt to secure a loan move to Roma in the January transfer window according to talkSPORT.
The Croatian defender has lost his place at White Hart Lane after the sudden emergence of Kyle Walker who has been sensational in an improving Spurs side this season. Corluka has made just three league appearances under Harry Redknapp this season and is desperate for first team football.
With Euro 2012 on the horizon, the 25-year-old is on the verge of losing his place in the Croatian national team due to lack of first team football at the Lane. Roma though are set to offer Corluka an escape route that will consist of a six month loan, with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.
Redknapp does not have the strength in depth that he requires for a title challenge in the second half of the Premier League season and so may not be keen on losing another defender in January without a replacement lined up.
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Corluka’s agent Nikky Vuksan said: “Roma are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and I would accept him wearing their shirt. I hope to have a meeting with Tottenham soon so we can clarify his future.”
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has admitted he is devastated captain Steven Gerrard is out for the season.The inspirational England midfielder had surgery on a groin problem in March and was returning to fitness but suffered a setback in training last week.
Liverpool will have to cope without the 30-year-old when they host Manchester City in the English Premier League on Monday.
Dalglish said: ?We know he will not be involved again this season.”
?We still don?t know exactly what the problem is.”
?It?s a blow for the players but we just have to get on with it.”
?With respect to our injured squad members, the most important ones are those who are fit because they are the ones who can be chosen.”
?We just have to get on with it and maybe this can test the resolve of our players. We will not be feeling sorry for ourselves because we have some players missing.”
?That is the position we are in and it is up to us to make the best of it. This football club is better than sixth place but you can only prove that on the pitch.”
?We have to prove we deserve to be higher in the Premier League.?
Despite the massive setback, Dalglish remained upbeat about the remainder of the season.
?Somebody?s misfortune can always turn into another person?s opportunity,” he said.
?Some players will be closer to the first team than they would have been otherwise.?
Monday?s opponents Manchester City are three places above Liverpool and occupying one of the Champions League qualification spots.
They have a FA Cup semi-final coming up next Saturday and Dalglish hinted they might already have one eye on that game.
He said: ?It will be a difficult test; Man City are going for a Champions League spot.”
?Next week they have a tough semi-final against Manchester United in the FA Cup and they will have half an eye on that because it is a massive game for them.”
?I am sure a Champions League spot is important for them but I think a trophy will be most important for them. If they can get that, I think they would say this season has been successful.”
?Sometimes when you see a trophy your concentration lapses a bit.?
As well as Gerrard, Liverpool will be without defenders Glen Johnson (hamstring), Daniel Agger (knee) and midfielder Jonjo Shelvey (knee).
Many football fans might be surprised to learn that Piers Morgan writes a football column for the Daily Mail. He is certainly not a man one would instantly associate with the game. Indeed his latest effort is filled with outlandish predictions and lets just say unorthodox analysis. Of course Piers Morgan is a man who likes to shock people, and is not a shrinking violet, but the disdain he displays for Manchester United in his article is verging on the ridiculous. Morgan does in fact admit he detests Man United, and he predicts in his Daily Mail column that United will miss out on a top four position this season. He also makes a bold prediction about Wayne Rooney’s fortunes this season, he writes;
“Wayne Rooney will score 10 fewer goals than last season. The reason? Premier League defenders will have watched his dismal displays in the World Cup and suddenly realised he is not as unstoppable as they thought.”
These comments should be taken with a pinch of salt, but Morgan firmly states that this is his genuine belief of what will happen this season. I am going to go out on a limb and say that Piers Morgan has got his predictions totally wrong.
Firstly, Manchester United will be challenging at the top end of the table for the whole season. The quality of the manager and players will ensure this. The side is certainly no weaker than last term, so quite why Morgan is predicting such a fall from grace with such vehemence is puzzling. Okay Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are a year older, but their quality this season will not be hugely diluted by that fact. Scholes showed his class in Man Utd’s 3-1 Charity Shield victory over Chelsea on the weekend, and he and Giggs will still have big parts to play in the coming campaign. Unlike the beginning of last season, United have not lost anyone this summer, but have in fact added what looks like a very talented young striker to their ranks, in the form of Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez. Manchester United only finished one point off title winners Chelsea last season, so for them to drop out of the top four is almost unforseeable.
Morgan is correct when he states that Wayne Rooney had a dismal World Cup, that is undeniable. But to predict he will have an unsuccessful Premier League season is bold and most probably unwise. Defenders will still be very wary of his ability, and he will still be Man Utd’s main goal threat, his quality has not diminished. It is by no means guaranteed that Rooney will repeat the superb form he displayed last season again, but the prediction of him scoring ten less goals this season is likely to be off the mark.
Manchester United have won three titles in four years. Last season the club were gunning for what would have been an unprecedented fourth straight title, the fact that they eventually did miss out certainly does not rule them out this time around. Although it was only the Charity Shield, Man Utd have already put in an impressive winning performance over title rivals Chelsea and it does bode well for their season. Since the leagues inception Manchester United have not failed to challenge at the top end of the table, and despite Piers Morgan’s dire predictions, there is no reason to suggest that that is likely to change this season.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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