All posts by h79snht.top

Manchester City’s Gareth Barry will captain England against Ghana, despite being left out of Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier in Wales.Midfielder Barry was on the bench as England won 2-0 in the Group G match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

But with John Terry – only just reappointed as captain on a permanent basis – one of six players released from the squad, it falls to Barry to lead the team out in Tuesday’s friendly at Wembley.

“He’s a good player, a good captain,” England coach Fabio Capello said.

“He’s also the player with the most England caps.”

The 30-year-old – capped 45 times at full international level – will skipper a much-changed line-up against World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana.

Among others, Liverpool striker Andy Carroll and Everton defensive duo Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines are all expected to come into the team.

West Ham midfielder Scott Parker will retain his place if he recovers from a niggling injury.

“If Parker is fit he will play,” Capello said.

“He’s got some little problem but I hope he will be fit.”

Pep Guardiola has said Barcelona are yet to book a Champions League semi-finals place despite their romping victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.Barcelona picked up a healthy advantage in the first leg of the quarter-final encounter at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, winning 5-1 courtesy of goals from Andres Iniesta, Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Seydou Keita and Xavi Hernandez.

Ukranian Premier League holders Shakhtar had their own chances, although they could only muster a solitary goal in the 60th minute when Dario Srna’s effort deflected off Yaroslav Rakytskiy and into the back of the net.

But despite Barca’s four-goal advantage heading into the return leg in Ukraine, Barca manager Guardiola remained wary of his opponents.

“The result is what it is, but Shakhtar are led by an experienced coach and I am still afraid,” he said.

Guardiola is adamant the tie is not yet over and claimed he is not thinking about a likely semi-final meeting with arch-rivals Real Madrid, who have one foot in the next stage after comprehensively beating Tottenham on Tuesday.

“We have to play in Donetsk first and then we will think about Real Madrid,” Guardiola said.

Shakhtar Donetsk boss Mircea Lucescu admitted his shock at such a heavy drubbing, and has all but conceded the tie to the La Liga powerhouse.

“We weren’t expecting this,” Lucescu said.

“We have a great team that can play much better than we did. I decided not to close up and defend. I decided to try and play, to catch them out.”

“But when we had a chance to score we missed it and they instantly went 1-0 up with an incredible goal from (Andres) Iniesta that changed everything.”

“They (Barcelona) were clinical in taking their own chances, grew in confidence and, I think, the tie is already decided and they are going through.”

Shakhtar goalscorer Rakytskiy lamented his side’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal against the Spanish powerhouse.

“Their early goal knocked us back a little bit,” he said. “We had enough chances in the first half to even go in front.”

“Fortune favoured Barcelona today, but the final score is our fault and it’s down to a lack of attention – we helped them to score four goals.”

“We shall analyse our mistakes and surely we’ll show what we’re about in Donetsk. We hope to win at home.”

Roma interim boss Vincenzo Montella concedes his side face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League after a shock loss to Palermo.Montella – who stepped into the role to replace Claudio Ranieri in February – admits the task ahead of his men has become more difficult in the wake of the 2-1 loss at home, which leaves Roma four points adrift of the Champions League places with six games to play.

It was their second successive loss at home, after a 2-0 defeat to Juventus on April 3, and Montella said although his side face a hard task to secure a Champions League berth, they would be fighting tooth and nail.

“The Champions League situation is difficult now, but anything can happen in football,” Montella said.

“It’s a shame, as we had done some good things today and created plenty of interesting scoring opportunities. Even if a little disorganised, we did try to win the game.”

Montella, 36, said the squad had been affected by non-football matters over the past few weeks, specifically their takeover by American businessman Thomas Di Benedetto which was completed on Saturday night.

A consortium led Di Benedetto acquired a 67 percent share of Roma for 70.3 million euros as the club became the first major Italian side to have foreign ownership.

“We allowed ourselves to be influenced by the club affairs, even if players at this level – including their coach – should focus only on the field,” Montella said.

“In any case, the team has already shown in other incidents that it struggles when it is time to make the step up in quality.”

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has categorically denied rumours he is leaving the club amid reports he could break his contract.He controversially walked out on Plymouth Argyle in 2007 to take over at Leicester City, but has insisted he will be in charge of the side at Tottenham on Saturday.

Holloway also said he would quit the club if he was charged by the FA for fielding a weakened team against Aston Villa earlier in the season – he was fined but went back on his word and chose to stay at Bloomfield Road.

And amid reports he could walk out on another club, Holloway has moved to dismiss reports he is ready to leave.

“I had a contract at Plymouth which I walked out on and I will never do that again,” Holloway said.

“I have a contract at Blackpool for this year and next year and I am delighted and very proud to be a very small part of a magnificent football club.”

“I have got a great chairman and we have a great relationship. He will choose when I am not here anymore because he runs the club. I have signed a contract for this length of time and then it will be his choice to talk to me about a new one.”

“As far as I am concerned, I have a contract and will never be walking out on one again. I would not have signed one of those if I was not totally intent on seeing it through. That answers anything people may have read in the newspapers.”

“People believing this must be complete lunatics.”

Blackpool face Tottenham on Saturday looking for their first win in nine games – the last time they did taste victory was in fact against Spurs, a 3-1 win back in February.

But Holloway will be without defenders David Carney (shoulder) and Chris Basham (broken leg) for the trip to White Hart Lane, with Blackpool currently out of the bottom three on goal difference.

Richard Dunne and Anthony Stokes will miss Ireland’s Carling Nations Cup campaign which begins against Northern Ireland on Tuesday.Aston Villa defender Dunne has struggled with persistent shoulder and Achilles injuries this season and is suspended for Ireland’s upcoming Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia, leading coach Giovanni Trapattoni to leave him out of his squad to face Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

“He (Dunne) is suspended also for the Macedonia game so it is better (for him) to stay at home,” Trapattoni said.

Celtic striker Stokes will join Ciaran Clark and Caleb Folan on the sidelines after he cited tiredness for his unavailability.

The 22-year-old played for his club in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday, but informed the Irish Football Association shortly after the match the he would be unavailable for the qualifier against Macedonia and the three Carling Nations Cup fixtures.

Trapattoni said he is yet to decide on his final squad for Tuesday’s match against Northern Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, with several players still away on club duty.

“Up to now I don’t know which squad I will have,” Trapattoni said. “Now I wait on players. I have players having scans and I hope they will be ready.”

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington said he had no new injuries in his squad and was looking forward to welcoming Blackpool’s Craig Cathcart into the fold.

“Craig Cathcart is coming this afternoon. Everybody else trained this morning,” Worthington said.

“They are in good fettle and it was a lively session. They are in good form.”

Defender Gareth McAuley will wear the captain’s armband on Tuesday just a day after signing with West Brom on a free transfer from Ipswich.

“I’m delighted to get it sorted out. It’s been going on for a couple of weeks and that’s it done,” McAuley said.

“It’s another step up, another progression in the journey of my career. It’s a challenge to get into the team first and foremost.”

“I’ve worked hard and sometimes you get the rewards. I’ve now got to get into the team and prove I can play there.”

Northern Ireland team: A Blayney, A Thompson, C Cathcart, G McAuley, L Hodson, J Carson, S Clingan, S Davis, J Gorman, W Feeney, J McQuoid.

Manchester United’s title winning squad was greeted by thousands of fans during a parade through the city on Monday.Rain greeted the open-top bus as United showed off their record-breaking 19th English Premier League title, albeit after a 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.

Striker Dimitar Berbatov was part of the parade despite not being included in the squad for the final at Wembley.

Veterans Paul Scholes, who has been offered a one-year contract extension but has not yet accepted, and Michael Owen, whose contract has expired, were also part of the trip from the city centre to Old Trafford.

Forward Wayne Rooney said it was important the players forgot about Saturday’s defeat and turned their attentions to next season.

“Winning the league is a massive achievement. We have to forget about what happened on Saturday and move on,” he told MUTV.

“The idea now is to win the 20th (league title). We will be fighting hard to make sure we are there again next season.”

Defender John O’Shea, who like Berbatov was not selected in the squad against Barcelona, said the parade would help the players move on from the loss.

“With the weather, we wondered if anyone would turn out,” he said.

“We never should have doubted it. It makes you realise how important this club is to people and will help the players get over what happened on Saturday.”

Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has been given permission to talk to Aston Villa about their vacant managerial position.Villa is canvassing for a replacement for ailing Frenchman Gerard Houllier, who was forced into an early retirement by poor health last week.

Latics chairman Dave Whelan revealed on Wednesday he had granted English Premier League rivals Villa permission to approach Martinez, but said he expected his manager to stay on at DW Stadium.

“They wrote to me asking for permission to speak to Roberto,” Whelan told The Telegraph.

“He was on holiday at the time and I granted Villa permission. He arrived back yesterday and I presume he has spoken to Villa.”

Martinez has one year left on his deal with the Latics and is expected to reciprocate the loyalty shown in him by Whelan, who stuck by his manager despite the threat of relegation in 2010/11.

“I have made it clear to him I will be extending his contract,” Whelan said.

“I have never let him down on anything and he has never let me down.”

“I know I can never say never in football, but I would be very surprised if he is Aston Villa’s new manager.”

Houllier managed just nine months in charge at Villa Park before a reoccurrence of a heart concern left him hospitalised and Villa without a manager.

Villa have already drawn a line through former England and FC Twente manager Steve McLaren’s name, as well as ex-Liverpool and Inter Milan boss Rafa Benitez.

McLaren was the frontrunner for the role until a supporter backlash on the internet reportedly nixed the deal.

Benitez is believed to have lobbied hard for a return to England but was turned down when Villa chairman Randy Lerner baulked at his request for a 60-million-pound transfer kitty.

AC Milan defender Philippe Mexes is ready to shine at the San Siro as he embraces a new adventure with the Serie A champions.The 29-year-old was unveiled by the club alongside fellow recruits Taye Taiwo, Stephan El Shaarawy and Alberto Paloschi as pre-season training got underway at the Milanello training centre.

And his first aim is to honour Milan’s shirt by trying to match the achievements of the league champions last term.

“I am proud to wear this shirt and I want to honour it by showing what I can do,” he told Il Corriere dello Sport.

“I am very proud and I want to thank my team-mates. I am very happy with this Milan shirt and I want to show I can match my new colleagues after they won the Scudetto last year.”

France international Mexes joined Milan in a free deal in June after his contract at Roma expired.

The Toulouse-born defender joined Roma in 2004 from Auxerre.

The transfer window is starting to get into gear with an array of prospective deals in the offing. Tottenham have been heavily linked with a move for Juan Mata and Afellay; Liverpool has been keeping tabs on Shane Long, while Newcastle will look to Jermain Defoe if there move for Erdinc falls through.

It promises to get even busier in the coming weeks, as the football season commences in a little less than three weeks.

*

McLeish backs N’Zogbia to star – FFC

Man Utd eye one more buy – FFC

Suarez dreams of title success – FFC

Villas-Boas happy with squad – FFC

Europe’s top clubs threaten to revolt against Fifa – Guardian

Xavi: Fabregas final piece in Barca puzzle – Daily Telegraph

Toon want Defoe if Erdinc bid fails – Sun

Berba: You won’t see me puffing – Sun

Agüero set to complete Man City move – Guardian

Liverpool boss Dalglish take a Long look at Reading striker Shane’s game – Daily Mail

Blackburn target Champions League – Guardian

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Terry: Torres is not the new Shevchenko – Daily Telegraph

It’s a Mata of money! Spurs make late bid to hijack Arsenal’s move for Valencia star – Daily Mail

England drop two places in FIFA world rankings – Mirror

[ad_pod id=’footballfancast_article_mpu’ align=’none’]

Corinthians remain on top of the Brazilian Serie A after a 2-1 win over America Mineiro on Wednesday.The victory kept the club’s one-point advantage over Flamengo intact and snapped a two-game losing streak.

It did not take long for Tite’s side to get going with Jorge Henrique netting a goal for Corinthians inside the first minute.

But Kempes silenced the crowd in Sao Paulo with his goal after 14 minutes that ensured things were level at the break.

Paulinho scored the winner with 23 minutes remaining for Corinthians while their opponents ended the match with 10 men after Gilson was given a second yellow card in a spiteful contest.

Flamengo remain just one point behind the table-toppers after they won 1-0 at Cruzeiro thanks to Deivid’s first-half strike, while goals inside the first 20 minutes from Diego Souza and Dede saw third-placed Vasco Da Gama beat Santos 2-0.

Other results saw Figueirense beat Botafogo 2-0, Avai win 3-0 at Ceara, Coritiba draw 1-1 with Palmeiras and Gremio held to a 2-2 draw by Atletico Mineiro, who equalised through Leonardo Silva with just two minutes remaining.