English Premier League Football's topics - tribe.net

Spurs

dannyeo — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:08:28 GMT

Another season of mid table mediocracy - please can we buy some decent players?

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Two 92minute goals from last weekend!

iMosaicmix — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:21:16 GMT

Wow!

First Liverpool leaves it very late after peppering a very game Fulham. Then on Sunday, I threw my remote against the couch when ManU overturned Aston Villa. I was sure hoping for a tight "squeeky bum time" run in for the title. Instead Aston Villa wilted under the pressure of the elite, much like their Champions League place challenge.

Two fantastic turns in the title race though. I just hope they aren't the last this season.

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

United's return to top form!

WooDy — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:37:40 GMT

What a weekend!! The goals are flowing and the new kids on the pitch are letting their presence be known! Anderson impressed me with his power and his defense is great! Nani is going to be fighting Ronaldo for touches and limelight and Owen is going to progress as his match fitness progresses! If we can stay healthy than I don't see where Arsenal can hang with us, and Liverpool looks to be a contender if they can keep shape!

Thoughts??

WooDy

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Pompey F.C. and History of The City of Portstmouth

Paul — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:03:54 GMT

Famous People Who were Born and/or Lived in Portsmouth

Portsmouth F.C. was established in 1898 and one of its first goalkeepers was Arthur Conan Doyle ( The Author of Sherlock Holmes ).

I thought you may like to learn about a city where History is imbued in the very air we Pompey Locals breathe.

The history of Portsmouth is entwined with the history of The Royal Navy and Portsmouth Harbour. Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth extends almost two thousand years. The time when the Romans first recognized its strategic significance and built the fort "Portus Adurni". and now the home to 80% of the Royal Navy's surface fleet.

As so many Famous events and People were Born, Lived and worked in Portsmouth over the centuries I thought it would be a good idea to tell its story and some of its famous people's history.

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George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham(28/08/1592-23/08/1628)
Buckingham with his wife Katherine Manners, their daughter Mary and son George, 1628.

While organizing a second campaign he was stabbed and killed at Portsmouth on August 23, 1628 by John Felton, an army officer who had been wounded in the earlier military adventure. Felton was hanged in November and Buckingham was buried in Westminster Abbey. His tomb bears a Latin inscription translating: "The Enigma of the World" and was also one of the most rewarded royal courtiers in all history.

Buckingham, George Villiers, 1st duke of (vil'yurz, bŭk'ing-um) [key], 1592–1628, English courtier and royal favorite. He arrived (1614) at the English court as James I was tiring of his favorite, Robert Carr, earl of Somerset. Villiers was made a gentleman of the bedchamber (1615) and, after Somerset's disgrace, rose rapidly, becoming earl of Buckingham (1617), marquess (1618), and lord high admiral (1619). In 1620 he married Lady Katherine Manners, daughter of the Roman Catholic earl of Rutland. By this time Buckingham controlled dispensation of the king's patronage, which enabled him to grant lucrative monopolies to his relatives. In 1621, Parliament began to investigate abuses of these monopolies, but Buckingham prevented action against himself (though not against his friend Sir Francis Bacon) by joining in the condemnation of his relatives. Buckingham favored the proposed marriage of Prince Charles (later Charles I) with the Infanta Maria of Spain and in 1623 went with Charles to Madrid. There his arrogance contributed to the final breakdown of the long deadlocked marriage negotiations. Buckingham, now a duke, returned to England, advocating war with Spain, which made him the hero of Parliament. He lost that popularity rapidly by negotiating (1624) the marriage of Charles with another Catholic princess, Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII of France. He was also blamed for the disastrous failure (Feb.–Mar., 1625) of an English expedition, under Graf von Mansfeld, to recover the Palatinate for Frederick the Winter King; Buckingham failed to supply it adequately. By this time Charles had become king, and Buckingham was more powerful than ever, a fact that enraged Parliament. After the embarrassing failure (Oct., 1625) of an expedition against Cádiz, Buckingham was impeached (1626), and Charles dissolved Parliament to prevent his trial. The following year Buckingham led an expedition (another disaster) to relieve the Huguenots of La Rochelle, and Parliament delivered another remonstrance against him. The duke was at Portsmouth preparing yet another expedition for La Rochelle when he was killed by John Felton, a disgruntled naval officer. The romantic aspects of the duke's career figure largely in Alexander Dumas's historical novel, The Three Musketeers.

Admiral Lord George Anson ( April 23rd. 1697 - 1762 )

George Anson, 1st Baron Anson was a British admiral and a wealthy aristocrat, noted for his circumnavigation of the globe.
Sailed around the world between 1740-1744 on HMS Centurion and brought back 500,000 pounds sterling value of Gold ( Equivalent in todays money 250 Million Pounds!!) as Booty from the Spanish in South America.

George's father was William Anson of Shugborough in Staffordshire and his mother was Isabella Carrier, who was the sister-in-law of Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, the Lord Chancellor, a relationship that proved very useful to the future admiral.

George Anson entered the navy in February 1712, and by rapid steps became lieutenant in 1716, commander in 1722, and post-captain in 1724. In this rank, he served twice on the North American station as captain of HMS Scarborough and of Squirrel from 1724 to 1730 and from 1733 to 1735. In 1737 he gained the command of the ship of the line, Centurion 60. In 1740, on the eve of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), he became commander (with the rank of commodore) of the squadron sent to attack Spanish possessions in South America.

Anson was Member of Parliament (MP) for Hedon for 1744 to 1747.

In 1747, Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the French Admiral de la Jonquière at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre, capturing four ships of the line, two frigates and seven merchantmen. In consequence, Anson became very popular, and was promoted to Vice Admiral and elevated to the peerage as Baron Anson of Soberton.

Anson subsequently continued his naval career with distinction as an administrator, becoming First Lord of the Admiralty (1757–1762). Seven British warships have borne the name HMS Anson in his honour.

Jonas Hanway (1712-1786)
Born in Portsmouth & Pioneer of Umbrella.

English traveller and philanthropist, was born at Portsmouth in 1712. While still a child, his father, a victualler, died, and the family moved to London. In 172 9 Jonas was apprenticed to a merchant in Lisbon. In 1 743, after he had been some time in business for himself in London, he became a partner with Mr Dingley, a merchant in St Petersburg, and in this way was led to travel in Russia and Persia. Leaving St Petersburg on the 10th of September 1743, and passing south by Moscow, Tsaritsyn and Astrakhan, he embarked on the Caspian on the 22nd of November, and arrived at Astrabad on the 18th of December. Here his goods were seized by Mohammed Hassan Beg, and it was only after great privations that he reached the camp of Nadir Shah, under whose protection he recovered most (85%) of his property. His return journey was embarrassed by sickness (at Resht), by attacks from pirates, and by six weeks' quarantine; and he only reappeared at St Petersburg on the 1st of January 1745. He again left the Russian capital on the 9th of July 1750 and travelled through Germany and Holland to England (28th of October). The rest of his life was mostly spent in London, where the narrative of his travels (published in 1753) soon made him a man of note, and where he devoted himself to philanthropy and good citizenship. In 1756 he founded the Marine Society, to keep up the supply of British seamen; in 1758 he became a governor of the Foundling, and established the Magdalen, hospital; in 1761 he procured a better system of parochial birth-registration in London; and in 1762 he was appointed a commissioner for victualling the navy (loth of July); this office he held till October 1783. He died, unmarried, on the 5th of September 1786. He was the first Londoner, it is said, to carry an umbrella, and he lived to triumph over all the hackney coachmen who tried to hoot and hustle him down. He attacked "wail-giving," or tipping, with some temporary success; by his onslaught upon tea-drinking he became involved in controversy with Johnson and Goldsmith. His last efforts were on behalf of little chimney-sweeps. His advocacy of solitary confinement for prisoners and opposition to Jewish naturalization were more questionable instances of his activity in social matters.

Lord Admiral Nelson ( 1758-1805 )

( Nelson and his mistress Emma lived for a time in Portsmouth )

Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British admiral famous for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars, most notably in the Battle of Trafalgar, a decisive British victory in the war, during which he lost his life.[1] Nelson was noted for his considerable ability to inspire and bring out the best in his men, to the point that it gained a name: "The Nelson Touch". His actions during these wars meant that before and after his death he was revered like few military figures have been throughout British history.

During the 18th century, even though he had been married for some time, Nelson became famous for his love affair with Emma, Lady Hamilton, the wife of the British Ambassador to Naples and she became Nelson's mistress, returning to the United Kingdom to live openly with him, and eventually they had a daughter, Horatia. It was the public knowledge of this affair that induced the Navy to send Nelson back out to sea after he had been recalled. By his death in 1805 Nelson had become a national hero, and he was given a State Funeral. To this day his memory lives on in numerous monuments, the most notable of which is London's Nelson's Column, which stands in the centre of Trafalgar Square.

John Pounds (1766-1839)

John Pounds was born in Portsmouth on 17th June 1766. His father was a sawyer in the royal dockyard and when was twelve years old, his father arranged for him to be apprenticed as a shipwright. Three years later John fell into a dry dock and was crippled for life.
Unable to work as a shipwright, John became a shoemaker and by 1803 had his own shop in St. Mary Street, Portsmouth. While working in the shop, John began teaching local children how to read. His reputation as a teacher grew and he soon had over 40 pupils attending his lessons. Unlike other schools, John did not charge a fee for teaching the poor of Portsmouth. As well as reading and arithmetic, John gave lessons in cooking, carpentry and shoe making. John Pounds died in 1839.

Jeremiah Chubb (1793-1860) and Charles Chubb (1779-1846)
Both brothers lived and worked in Portsmouth & are Famous Chubb Locksmiths.

The name of Chubb is famous in the lock world for the invention of the detector lock and for the production of high quality lever locks of outstanding security during a period of 140 years. The detector lock was patented in 1818 by Jeremiah Chubb of Portsmouth, England, who gained the reward offered by the Government for a lock which could not be opened by any but its own key. It is recorded that, after the appearance of this detector lock, a convict on board one of the prison ships at Portsmouth Dockyard, who was by profession a lockmaker, ad had been employed in London in making and repairing locks, asserted that he had picked with ease some of the best locks, and that he could pick Chubb's lock with equal facility. One of these was given to the convict together with all the tools which he stated to be necessary, as well as blank keys fitted to the drill pin of the lock and a lock made on exactly the same principle, so that he might make himself master of the construction. Promises of a reward of £100 from Mr Chubb, and a free pardon by the Government were made to him in the event of his success. After trying for two or three months to pick the lock, during which time he repeated overlifted the detector, which was as often undetected or readjusted for his subsequent attempts, he gave up, saying that Chubb's were the most secure locks he had ever met with, and that it was impossible for any man to pick or to open them with false instruments. Improvements in the lock were subsequently made under various patents by Jeremiah Chubb and his brother Charles.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( 1806-1859 )

Brunel, perhaps, was the most prodigious Engineer of his time and many of his works, which challenged and inspired his colleagues during this period, have survived to our own time and some are still in use.

He was born in 1806, the son of a distinguished French engineer, Sir Marc Brunel, who had come to England at the time of the French Revolution. Unlike most engineers of the time, Isambard Brunel received a sound education and practical training - partly in France - before entering his father's office and taking full charge of the Thames Tunnel at Rotherhithe when he was only 20.

At the age of 26, he was appointed Engineer to the newly-formed Great Western Railway and acted with characteristic boldness and energy. His great civil engineering works on the line between London and Bristol, are used by today's high-speed trains and bear witness to his genius He eventually engineered over 1,200 miles of railway, including lines in Ireland, Italy and Bengal.

Each of his three ships represented a major step forward in naval architecture.

Brunel's other works included docks, viaducts, tunnels and buildings and the remarkable prefabricated hospital, with its air-conditioning and drainage systems for use in the Crimean War. Inevitably, in such a prolific career, there were setbacks and disappointments such as the atmospheric railway but he readily admitted his mistakes. Indeed he himself suffered financially by supporting his ventures with his own money.

As his sketch-books and note-books show, he concerned himself with every aspect of the projects in which he was involved and his designs were the result of calculations and experiment.

Brunel suffered several years of ill health, with kidney problems, before succumbing to a stroke at the age of 53. Brunel was said to smoke up to 40 cigars a day and to sleep as few as four hours each night.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth in Hampshire, the second of eight children to John Dickens (1786–1851), a clerk in the Navy Pay Office at Portsmouth, and his wife Elizabeth Dickens (née Barrow, 1789–1863) on February 7, 1812. When he was five, the family moved to Chatham, Kent. In 1822, when he was ten, the family relocated to 16 Bayham Street, Camden Town in London.
Charles Dickens published over a dozen major novels, a large number of short stories (including a number of Christmas-themed stories), a handful of plays, and several nonfiction books. Dickens's novels were initially serialised in weekly and monthly magazines, then reprinted in standard book formats.

The travelling shows were extremely popular and, after three tours of British Isles, Dickens gave his first public reading in the United States at a New York City theatre on 2 December 1867.

The effort and passion he put into these readings with individual character voices is also thought to have contributed to his death. When he undertook another English tour of readings (1869–1870), he became ill and five years to the day after the Staplehurst crash, on 9 June 1870, he died at home at Gad's Hill Place after suffering a stroke, after a full, interesting and varied life. He was mourned by all his readers.

George Meredith (1828-1909)

Famous Novelist & Poet who was born in Portsmouth.

Contributed poems to various periodicals; an associate of the Pre-Raphaelite
group around Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Swinburne; published
the poem Modern Love 1862; author of several novels including
Diana of the Crossways 1885, which first brought him popular acclaim.

George Vicat Cole (1833-1893)

George Vicat Cole (usually known as Vicat Cole) was an important landscape painter working in the mid-19th century. In keeping with the realist mood of that period, he painted naturalistic English landscape scenes, without attempting deeper meanings or looking for rustic ideals. His speciality was the effect of atmosphere and light.

Cole was born in Portsmouth, and trained in the studio of his father George Cole (1810-1883), an eminent painter of landscapes, animals and portraits who rose as far as the Vice-Presidency of the Society of British Artists. As a young man, Cole copied prints of works of Turner, Constable and Cox, and the paintings of these men had a strong influence on him.

Cole had a difficult start as a professional painter in the early 1850s, when his pictures never sold for more than forty shillings. However, in 1854 he had his first picture at the RA Summer Exhibition, and from then on things looked up. At first his pictures were badly hung, but John Millais, seeing one of Cole's works placed where it would never be seen, interceded on his behalf. Gradually Cole's landscapes became increasingly popular, his technique more assured, and in 1870 he became ARA, the only painter to do so in that year. In 1880 he became RA, and in 1888 his work The Pool of London was bought under the terms of the Chantrey Bequest. His later work included much in the way of Thames scenes, which led him to be criticised by the Magazine of Art as having 'tied himself down to tickle the public taste with prettiness'.

Sir Walter Besant (14/08/9/06/1836-1901) Famous Novelist/Scientist and historian from London. His sister-in-law was Annie Besant.

The son of a merchant, he was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire and attended school at St Paul's, Southsea, Stockwell Grammar, London and King's College London. In 1855, he was admitted as a pensioner to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1859 as 18th wrangler. After a year as Mathematical Master at Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire and a year at Leamington College, he spent 6 years as professor of mathematics at the Royal College, Mauritius. A breakdown in health compelled him to resign, and he returned to England and settled in London in 1867. He took the duties of Secretary to the Palestine Exploration Fund, which he held 1868–85. In 1871, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn

He published in 1868 Studies in French Poetry. Three years later he began his collaboration with James Rice. Among their joint productions are Ready-money Mortiboy (1872), and the Golden Butterfly (1876), both, especially the latter, very successful. This connection was brought to an end by the death of Rice in 1882. Thereafter Besant continued to write voluminously at his own hand, his leading novels being All in a Garden Fair (which Rudyard Kipling credited in Something of Myself with inspiring him to leave India and make a career as a writer), Dorothy Forster (his own favorite), Children of Gibeon, and All Sorts and Conditions of Men. The two latter belonged to a series in which he endeavored to arouse the public conscience to a sense of the sadness of life among the poorest classes in cities. In this crusade Besant had considerable success, the establishment of The People's Palace in the East of London being one result. In addition to his work in fiction B. wrote largely on the history and topography of London. His plans in this field were left unfinished: among his books on this subject is London in the 18th Century.

Besant was a freemason, serving as Master Mason in the Marquis of Dalhousie Lodge, London from 1873. He conceived the idea of a Masonic research lodge, the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of which he was first treasurer from 1886.

Lionel William Wylie (1851-1931)

Famous Marine Artist who Lived and died in Portsmouth. Wyllie was born into a family of artists in 1851.
The rather bohemian family spent their summers on the coast of northern France.
Wyllie recalled the journey by steamer down the crowded Thames from London on their way to Boulogne.
When he was about 12 he went to art school in London, and in 1866 he started at the Royal Academy Schools.
In 1869 he won the Turner Gold Medal for landscape. In 1870 one of the first pictures he exhibited at the
Royal Academy was London from the Monument, a panoramic view of the city and the river and he began
working as an illustrator of maritime subjects for The Graphic magazine. He had to reproduce detail
accurately in black and white, and this discipline probably influenced him when he began making etchings
in the early 1880s. Wyllie's first known etching, made in 1884, is Toil, glitter, grime and wealth on
a flowing tide. It was commissioned by the print publisher Robert Dunthorne. Wyllie's Thames pictures
led him to be elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1889. By 1907, when he became a Royal Academician,
he had moved to a house at the entrance of Portsmouth Harbour. He had largely turned to painting naval
and historical subjects. Nevertheless, he continued to make prints of London and the Thames to the end
of his life.

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( 1859-1930 )

Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Doyles were a prosperous Irish-Catholic family, who had a prominent position in the world of Art. Charles Altamont Doyle, Arthur's father, a chronic alcoholic, was the only member of his family, who apart from fathering a brilliant son, never accomplished anything of note. At the age of twenty-two, Charles had married Mary Foley, a vivacious and very well educated young woman of seventeen.

Mary Doyle had a passion for books and was a master storyteller. Her son Arthur wrote of his mother's gift of "sinking her voice to a horror-stricken whisper" when she reached the culminating point of a story. There was little money in the family and even less harmony on account of his father's excesses and erratic behavior. Arthur's touching description of his mother's beneficial influence is also poignantly described in his biography, "In my early childhood, as far as I can remember anything at all, the vivid stories she would tell me stand out so clearly that they obscure the real facts of my life."

After Arthur reached his ninth birthday, the wealthy members of the Doyle family offered to pay for his studies. He was in tears all the way to England, where for seven years he had to go to a Jesuit boarding school. Arthur loathed the bigotry surrounding his studies and rebelled at corporal punishment, which was prevalent and incredibly brutal in most English schools of that epoch.

During those grueling years, Arthur's only moments of happiness were when he wrote to his mother, a regular habit that lasted for the rest of her life, and also when he practiced sports, mainly cricket, at which he was very good. It was during these difficult years at boarding school, that Arthur realized he also had a talent for storytelling. He was often found, surrounded by a bevy of totally enraptured younger students, listening to the amazing stories he would make up to amuse them.

By 1876, graduating at the age of seventeen, Arthur Doyle, (as he was called, before adding his middle name "Conan" to his surname), was a surprisingly normal young man. With his innate sense of humor and his sportsmanship, having ruled out any feelings of self-pity, Arthur was ready and willing to face the world and make up for some of his father's shortcomings.

Family tradition would have dictated the pursuit of an artistic career, yet Arthur decided to follow a medical one. This decision was influenced by Dr. Bryan Charles Waller, a young lodger his mother had taken-in to make ends meet. Dr. Waller had trained in the University of Edinburgh and that is where Arthur was sent to carry out his medical studies.

The young medical student met a number of future authors who were also attending the university, such as for instance James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. But the man who most impressed and influenced him, was without a doubt, one of his teachers, Dr. Joseph Bell. The good doctor was a master at observation, logic, deduction, and diagnosis. All these qualities were later to be found in the persona of the celebrated detective Sherlock Holmes.

A couple of years into his studies, Arthur decided to try his pen at writing a short story. Although the result called The Mystery of Sasassa Valley was very evocative of the works of Edgar Alan Poe and Bret Harte, his favorite authors at the time, it was accepted in an Edinburgh magazine called Chamber's Journal, which had published Thomas Hardy's first work.

Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle's first gainful employment after his graduation was as a medical officer on the steamer Mayumba, a battered old vessel navigating between Liverpool and the west coast of Africa.

Unfortunately he found Africa as detestable as he had found the Arctic seductive, so he gave-up that position as soon as the boat landed back in England. Then came a short but quite dramatic stint with an unscrupulous doctor in Plymouth of which Conan Doyle gave a vivid account of forty years later in The Stark Munro Letters. After that debacle, and on the verge of bankruptcy, Conan Doyle left for Portsmouth, to open his first practice.

He rented a house but was only able to furnish the two rooms his patients would see. The rest of the house was almost bare and his practice was off to a rocky start. But he was compassionate and hard working, so that by the end of the third year, his practice started to earn him a comfortable income.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also became one of the first goalkeepers of Portsmouth Football club in the 1880s.

During the next years, the young man divided his time between trying to be a good doctor and struggling to become a recognized author. In August of 1885, he found the time to marry a young woman called Louisa Hawkins. He described her in his memoirs as having been "gentle and amiable."

In March 1886, Conan Doyle started writing the novel which catapulted him to fame. At first it was named A Tangled Skein and the two main characters were called Sheridan Hope and Ormond Sacker. Two years later this novel was published in Beeton's Christmas Annual, under the title A Study in Scarlet which introduced us to the immortal Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Conan Doyle much preferred his next novel Micah Clark, which though well received, is by now almost forgotten. This marked the start of a serious dichotomy in the author's life. There was Sherlock Holmes, who very quickly became world famous, in stories its author considered at best "commercial" and there were a number of serious historical novels, poems and plays, based upon which Conan Doyle expected to be recognized as a serious author.

In the autumn of 1929, in spite of having been diagnosed with Angina Pectoris, Conan Doyle went off for his last Psychic tour to Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. He was in such pain by the time he returned, that he had to be carried ashore. Bedridden from that time on, he managed to have one last quixotic adventure on a cold spring day in 1930. He rose from his bed, and unseen went into the garden. When he was found, he was lying on the ground, one hand clutching his heart, the other holding a single white snowdrop.

Arthur Conan Doyle died on Monday, July 7, 1930, surrounded by his family. His last words before departing for "the greatest and most glorious adventure of all," were addressed to his wife. He whispered, "You are wonderful."

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Famous Author who lived & Schooled in Portsmouth.

Kipling's days of "strong light and darkness" in Bombay were to end when he was six years old. As was the custom in British India, he and his three-year-old sister, Alice ("Trix"), were taken to England—in their case to Southsea (Portsmouth), to be cared for by a couple that took in children of British nationals living in India. The two children would live with the couple, Captain and Mrs. Holloway, at their house, Lorne Lodge, for the next six years. In his autobiography, written some 65 years later, Kipling would recall this time with horror, and wonder ironically if the combination of cruelty and neglect he experienced there at the hands of Mrs. Holloway might not have hastened the onset of his literary life.

Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. He died of a hemorrhage from a perforated duodenal ulcer on 18 January 1936, two days before George V, at the age of 70. (His death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers.")

Rudyard Kipling's ashes were buried in Poets' Corner, part of the South Transept of Westminster Abbey, where many literary people are buried or commemorated.

Herbert George Wells (1866 – 1946), known as H.G. Wells,

w

as an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. He was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and produced works in many different genres, including contemporary novels, history, and social commentary. He was also an outspoken socialist. His later works become increasingly political and didactic, and only his early science fiction novels are widely read today. Both Wells and Jules Verne are sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".[1]

No longer able to support themselves financially, the family instead sought to place their boys as apprentices to various professions. From 1881 to 1883 Wells had an unhappy apprenticeship as a draper at the Southsea Drapery Emporium. His experiences were later used as inspiration for his novels The Wheels of Chance and Kipps, which describe the life of a draper's apprentice as well as being a critique of the world's distribution of wealth.

In 1883, Wells's employer dismissed him, claiming to be dissatisfied with him. The young man was reportedly not displeased with this ending to his apprenticeship. Later that year, he became an assistant teacher at Midhurst Grammar School, in West Sussex (teaching students such as A.A. Milne, until he won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science (later the Royal College of Science, now part of Imperial College London), studying biology under T. H. Huxley. As an alumnus, he later helped to set up the Royal College of Science Association, of which he became the first president in 1909. Wells studied in his new school until 1887 with an allowance of twenty-one shillings a week thanks to his scholarship.

Neville Shute (1899-1960)
Famous Author/Aero-Engineer who worked in Portsmouth.

Born in Somerset Road, Ealing, London, he was educated at the Dragon School, Shrewsbury School and Balliol College, Oxford. Shute's father, Arthur Hamilton Norway, was the head of the post office in Dublin in 1916 and Shute was commended for his role as a stretcher bearer during the Easter Rising. Shute attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich but because of his stammer was unable to take up a commission in the Royal Flying Corps, instead serving in World War I as a soldier in the Suffolk Regiment. An aeronautical engineer as well as a pilot, he began his engineering career with de Havilland Aircraft Company but, dissatisfied with the lack of opportunities for advancement, took a position in 1924 with Vickers Ltd., where he was involved with the development of airships. Shute worked as Chief Calculator (stress engineer) on the R100 Airship project for the subsidiary Airship Guarantee Company. In 1929, he was promoted to Deputy Chief Engineer of the R100 project under Sir Barnes Wallis.

Sir Alec Rose (13 July 1908 - 11 January 1991)

was a nursery owner and fruit merchant in Portsmouth England who had a passion for amateur single-handed sailing, for which he was ultimately knighted.

Alec Rose was born in Canterbury. During World War II he served in the British Navy as a diesel mechanic on a convoy escort, the HMS Leith. In 1964, Rose participated in the second single-handed transatlantic race, placing fourth across the line in his 36 foot cutter Lively Lady, originally built of paduak by Mr. Cambridge, the previous owner, in Calcutta.

Rose then modified the boat, including the addition of a mizzenmast, to sail single-handed around the world. He attempted to start this journey at2 approximately the same time as Francis Chichester sailing Gypsy Moth IV in 1966, but a series of misfortunes delayed Rose's departure until the following year. The journey was closely followed by the British and international press, and culminated in his successful return in Portsmouth on July 4, 1968, 354 days later, to cheering crowds of hundreds of thousands. The following day he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and nine days later he turned 60 years old. His voyages are detailed in his book "My Lively Lady."

On 17 December 1967, the then Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt, drove with some family members to Port Phillip Heads, south of Melbourne, to view Rose complete this leg of his voyage. Holt then went for a swim at nearby Cheviot Beach, but the surf was rough, he disappeared from view, and was presumed to have drowned.

Callaghan of Cardiff,Leonard James Callaghan,Baron,(1912-2005)
Born and Schooled in Portsmouth.

British statesman. He was first elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1945. As chancellor of the exchequer (1964–67), he introduced extremely controversial taxation policies, including employment taxes; he resigned when he was forced to accept devaluation of the pound. Prime Minister Harold Wilson Wilson, Harold (James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx), 1916–95, British statesman. A graduate of Oxford, he became an economics lecturer there (1937) and a fellow of University College (1938).

Callaghan served as foreign secretary (1974–76). He succeeded Wilson when the latter resigned as prime minister in 1976. Callaghan was by nature a moderate man, but his government was plagued by inflation, unemployment, and its inability to restrain trade unions' wage demands, and foundered after a series of paralyzing labor strikes in the winter of 1978–79. In the elections later in 1979, the Labour party lost to the Conservatives, led by Margaret Thatcher, Margaret Hilda Roberts Thatcher, Baroness, 1925–, British political leader.

Written and produced by Paul Hussey November 2007.
My Website: http://wwww.Fabprints.com

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Anyone alive in here?

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:05:36 GMT

Not that I have been really active in here, but is anyone still out there?

How's you team doing this season?

Any plans to go and watch the beautiful game live this season?

I'm fairly happy with ManU's performance thus far, got off to a rough start, but things seem to have taken a turn for the better...

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Okay, okay...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:39:16 GMT

So I've been slacking in my duties as of late, but I have been able to catch almost all ManU's matches this season thus far.

So who is everyone pulling for?

Any predictions for the season?

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Kickoff people, we have kickoff...

iMosaicmix — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:33:39 GMT

A mere few hours away until the new season.
Can't wait, can't wait!

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

FA Cup

iMosaicmix — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:34:27 GMT

Anyone gonna be watching the FA cup?
I believe it is pay per view right, no FSC or ESPN or Setanta coverage?

Anyone know if any pubs/bars in the city will be broadcasting it?

I think ManU will win it. They just seem to be the team of destiny this year. I just hope for a good game.

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

"One is a Gooner"

iMosaicmix — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:51:25 GMT

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007180703,00.html

The Queen's with us!

Hooray! The season's not a complete toss!

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Reds chief mocks beaten Chelsea...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:21:55 GMT

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has belittled Chelsea's achievements this season following their Champions League exit at the hands of the Reds.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho was reported to have described Liverpool as a small club and a cup team before the game.

"I don't care what he says, I don't listen," Parry told Radio Five Live.

"I guess when you've invested £500m it's a fantastic season to win the League Cup. He's welcome to his opinions, we care about Liverpool."

Liverpool beat Chelsea 4-1 on penalties and now face a final against either Manchester United or AC Milan.

Parry said he thought the atmosphere at Anfield on Tuesday matched that of their Champions League semi-final win over the Blues at the ground in 2005.

"It was another fabulous Anfield night," he said. "I thought we'd never see anything to beat the atmosphere in 2005, but I think this equalled it.

"It was very, very special and I think you only get these nights in Anfield.

"The supporters were fantastic and the players and manager have done a fantastic job and done us proud. It was magnificent to be there."

Parry admitted there could be security concerns if Manchester United beat AC Milan to set up an all-English Champions League final.

"There will be concerns from a security point of view if it's two English teams, sadly," he said.

"There will be issues we'll have to address. There will be a lot of supporters from both teams travelling without tickets, which the authorities will have to deal with.

"A lot of careful thought and planning would definitely be required."

Despite their Champions League success, the Liverpool chief executive admitted that the club's ultimate ambition was still to win the Premiership title.

The Reds are currently 18 points behind Premiership leaders Manchester United and have not won the league since 1990.

Parry said: "For us, the big prize is the Premier League, we've made no secret of that.

"Every one of us wants to be a Premier League contender. We're not quite there, but we'll do everything in our power to make sure we get there."

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Just a little chant...

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:31:09 GMT

Care Free Wherever You May Be
Chelsea Aint Got No History
Frank Lampards Fat, And All The Rest Are Queers
And You Aint Won The League in 50 Years

A great chant, but to bad they’ve already wrapped the Premiership season up for the most part...wish I could say the same for ManU.

Any of you have any good chants you’d like to share? Post em’ up!

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Today (3-21-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:39:44 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Birmingham will try to sign Portsmouth striker Andy Cole on loan until the end of the season. (The Sun)

Jlloyd Samuel will quit Aston Villa in the summer after not being given a "fair" chance. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder is planning a summer clear-out with Emre, Titus Bramble and Celestine Babayaro some of those at risk. (The Daily Mirror)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is set to make the first conciliatory move in his feud with manager Jose Mourinho as he is willing to hold peace talks. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate says Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo is not a diver. (The Sun)

But fellow Boro team-mate George Boateng says Ronaldo risks being "hurt" if he shows disrespect by showboating. (Daily Express)

Luton fans have turned on ex-boss Mike Newell after finding out he allegedly bagged 10% of transfer fees received during his tenure. (Various)

Charlton want a change to the way money from television for the Premiership is distributed to make it more even. (The Daily Telegraph)

Australia striker Mark Viduka is set to quit International football. (The Daily Mirror)

West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon reckons the player have only themselves to blame for their current predicament as relegation looms. (Daily Star)

Real Madrid are planning to lure Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez to the Bernabeu with an offer he cannot refuse. (The Times)

Rangers are battling with Chelsea for promising 14-year-old German keeping prospect Lars Babich. (Daily Record)

AND FINALLY...

Going, going, gone. A dinner for 16 at Claridge's - cooked by Gordon Ramsay and hosted by Sir Alex ferguson - went for a cool £45,000 at the charity HMV Football Extravaganza on Tuesday evening

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 11 replies

Today (3-19-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:31:06 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Tottenham boss Martin Jol values in-form striker Dimitar Berbatov at over £40m, but insists he would never sell the Bulgarian despite reported interest from Manchester United and Liverpool (Various).

West Ham want to sign Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the summer whether or not they are relegated (News of the World).

Bayern Munich's Owen Hargreaves says Manchester United is the only team he wants to join as they have made such an effort to sign him (News of the World).

Everton are interested in signing Blackburn's Michael Gray, who will be out of contract in the summer (News of the World).

Inter Milan want to sign Chelsea's John Terry (Mail on Sunday).

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is still tracking Marseille winger Franck Ribery (Express).

QPR striker Kevin Gallen, who is currently on loan at Plymouth, will leave Loftus Road in the summer, with Leicester one of the clubs keen to sign him (Mirror).

Jason Roberts could leave Blackburn in the summer after failing to regain his first-team place after recovering from injury (People).

Spurs will sign West Brom defender Curtis Davies for £7m in the summer, with Anthony Gardner possibly going in the other direction (News of the World).

Rangers want David Weir to stay at Ibrox until the summer of 2008. (Sunday Post)

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez still tops Real Madrid's managerial wish-list for the summer (Mirror).

Steve McClaren has hailed Spurs winger Aaron Lennon, saying the youngster could be England's equivalent to Cristiano Ronaldo in coming years (Independent).

The Premier League is to introduce 'Hawkeye' equipment to rule whether or not the ball has crossed the line for the 2008-09 season (Various)

Birmingham could be fined points after their game with Leeds was called off at short notice because the newly-laid pitch was unplayable (Various).

Former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson's next job will be at Marseille (Mirror).

Luton want Colchester assistant boss Mick Harford as their new manager to replace Mike Newell, with Plymouth's Tim Breacker also on the shortlist (Mirror).

Derby boss Billy Davies will leave in the summer whether or not they get promoted because of tensions with managing director Mike Horton (Various).

Barcelona's Frank Rijkaard is top of Chelsea's list if manager Jose Mourinho leaves in the summer (People).

Roman Abramovich could be under pressure from the Russian government to sell Chelsea to help fund a bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics (Express).

Fifa president Sepp Blatter is backing a joint bid from Ukraine and Poland to host the 2012 European Championships (Times).

AZ Alkmaar's Kew Jaliens has accused Newcastle's Nicky Butt of "animalistic" behaviour in the teams' Uefa Cup match last week (News of the World).

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has blasted England boss Steve McClaren for overlooking left-back Lee Naylor. (Sunday Post)

Rangers winger Chris Burke is an injury doubt for Scotland's Euro 2008 double-header against Georgia and Italy. (Sunday Post)

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has criticised the decision to schedule his side's league match with Falkirk on the same day as the CIS Insurance Cup final. (Sunday Post)

AND FINALLY...

Israel have called in Uri Geller to help with positive thinking ahead of their Euro 2008 qualifier with England (Mail on Sunday).

Uefa have refused to rule out the possibility of staging a Champions League game in Asia as a promotional event (Mirror).

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Today (3-16-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:00:23 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Juventus held talks with the agent of Chelsea star Frank Lampard. (The Sun)

The Italian side are plotting a £70m raid on the Premiership - with Lampard, Arsenal's Gilberto Silva and Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze on their hit-list. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has blamed the club's failure to buy anyone in the January transfer market on owner Roman Abramovich's marital problems. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko says he has no plans to quit the club and loves working for manager Jose Mourinho. (Daily Star)

Spanish reports have claimed Real Madrid are to go all out to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer and they have a verbal agreement with the Manchester United winger. (The Guardian)

Liverpool are weighing up a summer move for Tottenham's in-form striker Dimitar Berbatov, with Peter Crouch possibly moving back to White Hart Lane. (The Independent)

Liverpool have agreed to pay a six-figure fee to Ross County for 17-year-old midfielder Gary Mackay Steven. (Daily Star)

Bolton and Southampton are interested in signing Dundee defender Paul Dickson. (Daily Star)

Everton are set to sign Swindon teenager Lukas Jutkiewicz in the summer for £500,000. (Various)

Gillingham midfielder Matt Jarvis will join Nottingham Forest in the summer after rejecting a new deal. (Daily Star)

Plymouth are set to lose Tony Capaldi after contract negotiations broke down. (Daily Mirror)

OTHER GOSSIP

Angry Premiership clubs have threatened to ban promotion to the Premiership if penalty shoot-outs are brought in to decide Football League games. (The Sun)

Fulham manager Chris Coleman will be the surprise name on Manchester City's shortlist if they decide to sack Stuart Pearce. (The Guardian)

Pearce will be given a £100,000 pay-off from City - even though he is not entitled to compensation. (The Sun)

Reading manager Steve Coppell will break the habit of a lifetime by signing a two-year contract with the Royals. (Daily Star, Sun)

Manchester United are down to the bare bones for their crucial Premiership tie with Bolton this weekend. (Daily Express)

Defender Rio Ferdinand is an injury worry for United and England as he has suffered a cracked rib. (The Sun)

Manchester United keeper Ben Foster, who is on loan at Watford, will be given a new contract at Old Trafford this summer. (Daily Mirror)

England manager Steve McClaren will have just one full-scale practice session before their crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel. (Daily Express)

Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford have emerged as the favourites to succeed the sacked Mike Newell at Luton. (Daily Mirror)

The Football Association is considering hosting both FA Cup semi-finals at Villa Park this season. (The Guardian)

Arsenal's majority shareholder Danny Fiszman made a £3.9m killing by selling off some of his stake in the club. (The Times)

Fulham defender Franck Queudrue has thrown his hat into the ring for an England call-up - even though he is French. (The Times)

Rangers fans want Osasuna kicked out of the Uefa Cup over the police battering they received in Pamplona. (Daily Record)

Spanish police insist they were right to use batons against Rangers fans in the stand during Wednesday's Uefa Cup tie against Osasuna. (Various)

Uefa delegate Mano Mavrokoukoulakis says Rangers have to stop fans travelling abroad without official tickets. (Daily Express)

Kilmarnock players will receive a club record one-off bonus of about £5,000 per man if they win the CIS Insurance Cup final on Sunday. (Daily Star)

Henrik Larsson reckons Celtic would be more than capable of competing in the English Premiership. (Various)

AND FINALLY...

West Ham's Argentine striker Carlos Tevez has fallen in love with the fish and chips in England. (Daily Mail)

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock, who turned down the chance to manage Chelsea 15 years ago, has admitted he would probably take the job if the Blues decide to look for a new manager this summer. (The Sun, Express)

Warnock called Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon to try to get the club to change their policy of only allowing one mascot for the away team so his son and daughter could move be at Stamford Bridge, but Kenyon did not return his call. (Daily Express)

Hull manager Phil Brown will appear naked in the club magazine after making the pledge in order to help the club win the buy-a-player promotion. (The Times)

Cheers’
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

At long last!!

Louise — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 11:19:00 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6379165.stm

We've had some lovely spring days in UK over the last week and the views of Wembley were just stunninng! The Millenium stadium in Cardiff is good too but it supposedly has a changing room that is bad luck for the side that uses it. So maybe the return to Wembley might open the game up a bit more ;-)

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Today (3-1-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:20:29 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley told defender Anton Ferdinand that he has no future at the club. (The Sun)

Watford's on-loan keeper Ben Foster will return to Manchester United next season and challenge Edwin van der Sar for the number one spot. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is pushing through a move for Plymouth teenager Dan Gosling. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has told Atletico Madrid the bidding for El-Hadji Diouf starts at £10m. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth want to sign Rennes' £3m-rated midfielder Arnold Mvuemba after a spell on loan. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan's Swedish international midfielder Andreas Johansson wants to quit the club this summer. (Daily Mirror)

Southampton's 19-goal striker Grzegorz Rasiak is wanted by Rangers. (Daily Star)

Torquay boss Colin Lee is trying to lure ex-Everton striker Michael Branch to help their relegation battle. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

West Ham could have points deducted as the Premier League investigates the signings of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. (Various)

And the Hammers' woes have worsened with the news striker Dean Ashton may not play again this season. (Daily Express)

West Ham will have a clear-out this summer - with a whole team set to depart. (The Times)

Chelsea skipper John Terry was last night given the all-clear following a brain scan, after suffering from dizzy spells, nausea and headaches. (Daily Star)

Terry has undergone a second brain operation and will soon have a third. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger accused one of the Carling Cup final linesmen of telling lies over Emmanuel Adebayor's involvement in the fracas at the Millennium. (Various)

Wenger has called for Chelsea star Frank Lampard to back Adebayor over the incident that could see Adebayor banned. (The Times)

Middlesbrough skipper George Boateng says he could retire if he lifts the FA Cup at Wembley this season. (Various)

An American consortium is close to clinching a £5m deal to takeover Millwall. (Various)

Former Wimbledon and Cardiff owner Sam Hammam could be preparing a bid for QPR, along with former Crystal Palace chief Ron Noades. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney says team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world. (Daily Mail)

Newcastle midfielder Emre is facing a second racism charge after Watford's Al Bangura sent written evidence to the FA. (Daily Mail)

Meanwhile, the Magpies are ready to go to war over Fifa's £1m offer of compensation for striker Michael Owen's World Cup injury. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has been given an early 60th birthday present - he has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the FA after a 15-month investigation into betting surrounding his move from Southampton to Pompey. (Daily Express)

Rangers have vowed to fight Allan McGregor's two-match ban from Uefa. (Daily Record)

Chelsea head of scouting and youth development Frank Arnesen has defended the club's youth set-up amid criticism from manager Jose Mourinho. (The Times, The Sun)

Manchester United paid out £40m to service the costs of the debt used to finance Malcolm Glazer's £800m takeover. (Daily Telegraph)

Former England assistant coach Tord Grip has urged Steve McClaren to recall outcast David Beckham. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY...

Seven seasons after Roy Keane blasted their fans for a lack of passion, Manchester United m anager Sir Alex Ferguson has launched an attack on the Old Trafford prawn sandwich brigade. (Various)

Sports manufacturers Umbro signed a £2m shirt deal with Hearts, partly because of the publicity surrounding the club because of controversial owner Vladimir Romanov. (Daily Record)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Today (2-16-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:27:30 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Manchester United captain Gary Neville wants on-loan striker Henrik Larsson to stay at Old Trafford for the rest of the season. (The Sun)

Chelsea are to give teenage Rushden striker Paris Cowan-Hall, 16, a second trial at Stamford Bridge. (Independent)

Hull boss Phil Brown hopes to sign West Brom striker John Hartson. (Mirror)

Swansea City - Hartson's hometown club - have snubbed the chance to sign the 31-year-old Welsh striker on loan. (Daily Star).

West Ham will allow out-of-favour Ghana defender John Pantsil to leave the club this summer. (Daily Mirror)

Pantsil has told the Hammers 'pick me or I quit'. (Daily Mail)

Cardiff want Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan on loan. (Daily Mirror)

Nottingham Forest are lining up a move for Birmingham City midfielder Neil Danns. (Daily Star)

Cristiano Ronaldo has ruled out a move to Real Madrid in the summer according to Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz. (Daily Star)

Blackburn, West Ham, Charlton and Reading are trailing Swindon striker Lucas Jutkiewicz, 17. (Daily Star)

Yeovil Town want Aberdeen midfielder Gary Dempsey. (Daily Record)

Tottenham could swoop for injury-prone Liverpool winger Harry Kewell. (Times)

Leicester City failed in a bid to sign Portsmouth striker Svetoslav Todorov. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

England manager Steve McClaren has sent every player an individual DVD of the defeat by Spain, pointing out where they need to improve. (Various)

Wigan could ask the Premier League for dispensation to sign a goalkeeper on an emergency loan because of their injury crisis. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham City's co-owner David Sullivan is astonished at the amount being paid out in takeover deals for England's leading clubs. (Daily Mail)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has told Chris Sutton to seek Paul Scholes' advice as he looks to recover from an eye injury. (Various)

Rangers need a long run in the Uefa Cup to curb heavy financial losses this year. (Daily Record)

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov is in trouble with the SFA after accusing Rangers and Celtic of buying off players and referees. (Daily Record)

Reading boss Steve Coppell will field a second-string team in his side's FA Cup tie against Manchester United on Saturday. (Various)

AND FINALLY...

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson was co-pilot on Rangers' charter flight to Wednesday's Uefa Cup tie against Hapoel Tel Aviv. (Daily Record)

Yakubu wants to keep taking penalties for Middlesbrough - despite missing two in their FA Cup fourth round win over Bristol City. (The Sun)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Only 11 years away, can't wait :-)

Louise — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 15:55:13 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6352847.stm

Yeah!!

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Today (2-12-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:22:58 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Cristiano Ronaldo has told Manchester United to make him the richest player in the world with an offer of £8.3m-a-year or he will leave the club. (News of the World)

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson provided Owen Hargreaves with a private tour of Old Trafford on Tuesday as Manchester United move closer to signing the Bayern Munich midfielder. (Sunday Express)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's first signing following George Gillett and Tom Hicks's takeover of the club will be to buy Spain international David Villa from Valencia for £20m. (Sunday Express)

Tottenham boss Martin Jol will bid £3.2m in an attempt to secure Harry Kewell from Liverpool in the summer. (Various)

And the Londoners have also set their sights on Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka, who is out of contract in the summer. (News of the World)

West Ham striker Teddy Sheringham could move to Australia in the summer, with Sydney FC keen to secure his services. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Everton winger Andy van der Meyde has threatened to quit Goodison Park as he is "sick" of being left out of the starting line-up by boss David Moyes. (Various)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp wants defender Sylvain Distin to leave Manchester City in the summer on a free transfer and join him at Fratton Park. (News of the World)

Jose Antonio Reyes, on loan at Real Madrid, could return to Arsenal in the summer because the Spaniards do not believe he is worth the £20m asking price. (Daily Star Sunday)

Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder wants to sign Scotland striker Kenny Miller from Celtic in the summer. (Sunday People)

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce fears midfielder Kevin Nolan will try to engineer a move away from the club because of his repeated failures to earn an England call-up. (Independent on Sunday)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray will make a loan bid, with the promise of a £2m permanent deal, for Scunthorpe striker Billy Sharp next month if the Iron drop out of the League One promotion race. (Sunday Mirror)

Deportivo La Coruna defender Jorge Andrade is keen to join Chelsea this summer. (News of the World)

Celtic could move for Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon if Arsenal follow up their interest in Artur Boruc. (News of the World)

Hibernian, St Mirren and Falkirk are vying for the signature of Airdrie star Steven McDougall. (Sunday Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea are looking at sites in west London where they could build a new state-of-the-art 55,000-seater stadium after putting on hold talks to expand Stamford Bridge. (Various)

England's assistant manager Terry Venables is keen for the Premiership to limit the number of foreigners in the league, claiming it is a "big worry" for the future of the national team. (News of the World)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp could become Tottenham boss if Paul Kemsley, vice-chairman at Spurs, succeeds with a takeover bid. (Sunday People)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes "third-party ownership" of players, such as Javier Mascherano, leaves football open to corruption and says the Premier League must fight it. (News of the World)

Some "influential figures" at the FA want Steve McClaren sacked as manager if England lose to Israel in next month's European Championship qualifier. (Sunday People)

AC Milan bosses could ban their fans from travelling to Glasgow for the Champions League clash with Celtic to avoid crowd trouble. (Sunday Mail)

Scotland manager Alex McLeish will give forward Garry O'Connor one more chance to resurrect his career at national level after his no-show for a Euro 2008 qualifier under previous boss Walter Smith.

AND FINALLY...

Reading defender Ulises De La Cruz has not forgotten his roots back in Ecuador - he sends 15% of his monthly wage to Piqulucho, the tiny village where he grew up, which has already helped build a new school and ensured running water for the area. (Sunday Express)

Staff at Durham Tees Valley Airport had to call on-site Special Branch police after a persistent fan pestered Arsenal striker Thierry Henry for an autograph while he was on the phone. (Mail on Sunday)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

It's going to be interesting to see what ManU does in the way of trying to keep Ronaldo in the line-up...

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (2-9-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:28:31 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Atletico Madrid are lining up a £5m bid for Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta in the summer. (Sun)

Cristiano Ronaldo's agent watched Portugal's win over Brazil with Barcelona's director of football. (Sun)

Manchester United will offer Ronaldo an improved deal to try to persuade him to stay at Old Trafford. (Times)

Bolton fear Nicolas Anelka will quit the club unless attendances improve at the Reebok Stadium. (Daily Mirror)

Leeds boss Dennis Wise is trying to secure loan deals for Liverpool's Gabriel Paletta and West Brom striker John Hartson. (Daily Mirror)

Leeds also want Blackburn defender Michael Gray. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham are ready to sign struggling Everton striker James Beattie for a cut-price deal in the summer, but Blackburn are also keen. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough midfielder Gaizka Mendieta wants a move to the US. (Independent)

Jonathan Woodgate is still hopeful of returning to Real Madrid - even though the Spanish club are keen to sell him to Middlesbrough. (Independent)

Boro's Mark Viduka is wanted by Tottenham but has not ruled out a move back to Australia. (Independent)

Transfer-listed Dunfermline winger Owen Morrison has been offered a contract by Chinese Super League outfit Qingdao Zhongneng. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City will force Stuart Pearce to sit in the stands when the England Under-21s take on Italy on 24 March. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa may offer injured striker Chris Sutton a new contract - even if he does not play again this season. (Daily Express)

Iain Dowie will be asked to take over as Leicester boss if Milan Mandaric completes his takeover. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham are considering building a new stadium next to the tube station. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea will make a formal complaint to Fifa after Nigeria selected Mikel Jon Obi for a friendly despite the club saying he was injured. (Daily Mail)

Dado Prso wants to stay at Rangers next season. (Daily Record)

Rangers defender Stevie Smith could miss the rest of the season if it is decided he needs surgery to a groin injury. (The Sun)

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel could be recalled from his loan with Falkirk because of an injury crisis at Manchester City. (Daily Express)

Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper Ian Mackay, born in Spain but of Scottish parents, wants to play for Scotland. (Various)

Icelandic billionaire Thor Bjorgolfsson has denied he is funding a takeover bid for Hearts. (The Scotsman)

Hearts will double their board's borrowing powers despite a large increase in debts. (The Scotsman)

AND FINALLY...

Cristiano Ronaldo is planning to move into acting once his playing career is over. He said: "I could see myself as an actor. Playing the role of a comedian is more difficult but I might be capable of doing anything."

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

Well, I'd say Ronaldo is off to a good start in his career as a comedian... that's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time. So I take it we will see him on Footballers Wives of Dreamteam or something... LMFAO!

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (2-8-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:24:35 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Blackburn defender Michael Gray may go out on loan when the transfer window opens in the summer. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has cast doubt over his future by saying he does not know where he will be in six months. (Various)

Ex-Falkirk striker Tam McManus still wants to return to Hibernian - where he is on trial - despite an offer from Russian outfit Sibir. (Daily Record)

Aston Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen expects manager Martin O'Neill to splash out on new players in the summer. (Daily Express)

Norwich and Leeds are battling it out to snatch ex-Celtic striker John Hartson from West Brom, with Football League clubs allowed to bring in players on loan from 8 February. (Daily Record)

Middlesbrough midfielder Gaizka Mendieta may join former England captain David Beckham in the United States because he is being tracked by two Major League Soccer clubs. (Daily Express)

Burnley striker Kyle Lafferty, who was the subject of a failed £500,000 bid from Celtic last month, wants a move to the Premiership rather than Scotland. (Daily Record)

Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell, who has rejected all offers of a new deal and is set to become a free agent in the summer, wants to talk to the club's hierarchy again to assess their ambition. (The Independent)

Ross County have warned Scottish Premier League and English Premiership clubs to keep their eyes off 16-year-old midfielder Gary Mackay-Steven, who has been dubbed the hottest young property in the Highlands. (Daily Record)

FC Copenhagen defender Brede Hangeland says West Ham were interested in signing him in the January transfer window. (The Independent)

OTHER GOSSIP

American tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks have vowed to make Liverpool the greatest club in the world after agreeing a takeover deal for the Premiership club. (Various)

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso believes that the takeover will propel the club to title glory in the future. (The Sun)

Coventry want to talk to Macclesfield boss Paul Ince about becoming their new manager. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson's England place is under threat for the first time after Watford's Ben Foster was picked to start the friendly against Spain. (Various)

Manager Steve McClaren has admitted that the entire England set-up is on trial - and that they must get it right over the next 10 months. (Daily Mirror)

England captain John Terry, who will not start the friendly against Spain, says he wants to be remembered as a great skipper for his national side. (The Sun)

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has been hit by a new international injury curse after Stephen Carr picked up a thigh problem on duty with the Republic of Ireland. It follows Michael Owen being injured with England last year and Steven Taylor dislocating a shoulder with England Under-21s last season. (The Sun)

Republic of Ireland boss Steve Staunton has tipped the Republic of Ireland's crop of youngsters to provide an exciting future. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is ready to give new deals to Olof Mellberg and Gavin McCann. (Various)

Striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Inside United magazine that he feels this season is the last chance for the club's old guard to savour glory in the Champions League. (The Sun)

Toronto FC are set to be David Beckham's first opponents in Major League Soccer on 5 August following his decision to join LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in the summer. (Various)

Any chance of West Ham moving to the 2012 Olympic stadium is set to end but talks are still going on about Leyton Orient becoming a secondary tenant at the future athletics venue. (Daily Mail)

Rangers striker Dado Prso has been given the all-clear to play for at least one more season following fears that a knee problem could force him into retirement. (Daily Record)

Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires, who is now at Villarreal, hit out at Gunners boss Arsene Wenger in L'Equipe for subjecting him to "the worst moment" of his career - being substituted in the Champions League against Barcelona in 2006 after only 20 minutes. (Daily Express)

Aberdeen may enter the Intertoto Cup for the first time to end their five-year absence from Europe. (Daily Record)

Midfielder Mikel Jon Obi's Chelsea future could be in the balance after he ignored Blues boss Jose Mourinho's instruction not to play for Nigeria in Tuesday's friendly because of an injury concern. (Various)

Reading midfielder Glenn Little says the players, who are riding high in sixth place in the Premiership, have started to talk about qualifying for Europe - but only to make each other laugh. (Daily Express)

Huddersfield defender Nathan Clarke faces up to 10 weeks on the sidelines because of a knee injury. (Daily Star)

Former Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric's takeover of Leicester will finally go through this week. (The Independent)

Football Association members are expected to defer the date that shareholders make their final vote on the Burns report on the possible restructuring of the FA by two more months. (The Guardian)

Midfielder Matt Holland wants to convince Charlton boss Alan Pardew that he deserves a new contract, with his current deal set to expire in the summer. (The Independent)

Bayern Munich have denied that they want Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho to become their manager when Ottmar Hitzfeld, who replaced Felix Magath last week, ends his stint at the end of the season. (Daily Telegraph)

Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland will be offered a new long-term deal. (The Independent)

West Ham hope striker Dean Ashton, who broke an ankle last August, will be fit to return to first-team action by the end of the month. (Daily Telegraph)

Wigan's Chris Kirkland and Leighton Baines should be fit to face Arsenal on Sunday after overcoming shoulder and calf injuries respectively. (The Independent)

AND FINALLY...

Security teams are investigating how six of Manchester United's Opus books, which are worth £4,250 each and weigh 88lb, went missing from a distribution warehouse in London. Two of the volumes have surfaced in Memphis and China. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has rejected Sky's invitation to broadcast the Championship game with Derby this month so the fans can enjoy the match at the usual time of 3pm on a Saturday. (Various).

Rangers have taken advantage of a three-week gap between home fixtures to re-lay the pitch. (Daily Record)

Developers wanted to build near the home of former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, now a BBC pundit, but council officials in Northumberland vetoed the plans because the estate is home to a colony of red squirrels. (The Times)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

So Liverpool is now US owned... I sure the fans are cursing a blue streak!

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (2-2-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:17:42 GMT

Here's all the "news" for today...

Portsmouth's bid to sign Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop on loan was thwarted because of work permit problems. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce believes the sale of defender Matthew Upson to West Ham, which could be worth up to £9m, may have put his club's promotion prospects at risk. (Various)

Fulham midfielder Tomasz Radzinski fears he may not have a future at the club after boss Chris Coleman splashed out on Alexei Smertin, Simon Davies and Clint Dempsey. (The Sun)

Southampton defender Gareth Bale snubbed a £10m move to Tottenham in order to join Manchester United in the summer. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan have signed Blackburn defender Andy Todd. (Daily Star)

Former Spartak Nalchick midfielder Gogita Gogua has vowed to make Scotland pay for the collapse of his move to Hearts by helping Georgia beat Alex McLeish's side in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. He was refused a work permit because of Georgia's poor Fifa ranking. (Daily Record)

York City have vowed to fight for a payment from Hibernian for striker Clayton Donaldson, who is set to move to the Conference side in the summer for free because of an 'international loophole'. (Daily Record)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea fear defender Ashley Cole could be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against Blackburn. (Various)

Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate, who is on loan to Middlesbrough, has played down his chances of being picked for England's match against Spain on 7 February, despite his run of good form. (Various)

Micah Richards believes his Manchester City team-mate Joey Barton will join him in the England squad. (Various)

American tycoon George Gillett is set to buy Liverpool after Dubai International Capital withdrew their offer. (Various)

Newcastle could be the next target for Dubai International Capital. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has pledged to keep faith with the youngsters who have steered the club to the Carling Cup final when they face Chelsea in the battle for the trophy on 25 February. (Various)

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch believes the Anfield club have reactivated a Premiership title race that had seemed set to become a straight battle between Manchester United and Chelsea. (Daily Express)

Sheffield United's Jon Stead wants to reward boss Neil Warnock's faith in him after the striker arrived at Bramall Lane from Sunderland for an initial £750,000 on 11 January. (Various)

Lord Coe appears to have ruled out the prospect of West Ham moving to London's Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games. He told BBC News 24 that the primary function of the stadium would be for athletics. (The Independent)

Olympic minister Tessa Jowell has said that the difficulties preventing West Ham from moving into the stadium built for the Games appeared to be too great. (The Times and The Guardian)

Chelsea have hit back at claims of a lack of fans coming through the turnstiles by insisting that Stamford Bridge is at 98 per cent of the 42,055 capacity for all home matches. (The Times)

The Football Association and Manchester City are set to resume discussions over whether Eastlands boss Stuart Pearce will take over as England Under-21 manager on a part-time basis. (Daily Telegraph)

The Football League is understood to have earmarked the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the end-of-season play-offs after being unable to gain assurances about available dates for Wembley. (Daily Telegraph)

AND FINALLY...

Blackburn captain Ryan Nelson's nine-month injury problem became a pain in the backside - he had a buttock sliced open and holes drilled in the bone so surgeons could reattach his hamstring. (The Sun)

Conservative leader David Cameron has said terraces could return to football grounds under a Tory government, although he insisted that safety would still be the "first priority". (Various)

Cheers’
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Today (2-5-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:18:45 GMT

Come and get it!

Thierry Henry will be allowed to leave Arsenal in the summer, with Real Madrid or Barcelona likely to pay £25m for his signature. (Sunday Express, Daily Star)

Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United is even more uncertain after Barcelona joined Real Madrid in the hunt for the winger. (News of the World)

Ronaldo met Madrid officials in a chance meeting during his mid-season break in Dubai. (Sunday Mirror)

Rafa Benitez will be given a transfer fund of between £100m and £150m when Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks take over the club. (Various)

Barcelona and Real Madrid are on alert after learning Frank Lampard's contract talks have been delayed. (The People)

Portsmouth want Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate. (News of the World)

Gabriel Heinze is poised to quit Manchester United this summer to join Italian side Juventus in a £5m deal. (News of the World)

Arsenal are chasing teenage Czech defender Ondrej Mazuch, who plays for FC Brno. (News of the World)

The Gunners have pipped Liverpool to sign France Under-16 prodigy Gilles Sunu from Chateauroux (Daily Star)

Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard has asked the club's fans to lay-off Ronaldinho, who has yet to sign a new contract. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

Sheikh Mohammed will make a £450m takeover move for Arsenal after his Dubai International Capital group pulled out of negotiations for Liverpool this week. (The People)

Jerzy Dudek has rejected a new contract at Liverpool. (News of the World)

Former Middlesbrough defender Danny Mills says he can understand ex-team-mate Massimo Maccarone's "two-faced" jibe about England boss Steve McClaren. (Independent)

Some of West Ham's relegation rivals want the club deducted points if it is found they broke rules in fielding Argentine pair Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. (The Mail on Sunday)

Scotland manager Alex McLeish has pleaded for Hearts to resolve their dispute with goalkeeper Craig Gordon. (News of the World)

Garry O'Connor's agent, Gary Mackay, has made the first moves in an attempt to restart the Lokomotiv Moscow striker's Scotland career. (Sunday Mail)

Blackburn striker Paul Gallagher feels snubbed by Scotland after being left out of the B squad to face Finland. (Sunday Mail)

Joey Barton has made his peace with England colleagues Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney but is yet to have showdown talks with Frank Lampard. (People)

AND FINALLY...

Liverpool sent someone on a top-secret scouting mission to Barcelona ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie, but there's a chance their agent was spotted. The person in question was 6ft 7in striker Peter Crouch. "I had never played there and I had never been to the stadium so we decided to make a visit," he said. (Daily Star on Sunday

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

FA Cup news...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:57:11 GMT

Favourites Chelsea and Manchester United were both handed home ties in the draw for the FA Cup fifth round.

Champions Chelsea will host either Blackpool or Norwich, while United will face Premiership rivals Reading.

Two other all-Premiership matches came out of the hat, with Spurs away to Fulham and Blackburn travelling to the winners of the Arsenal-Bolton replay.

Preston will host neighbours Manchester City, with matches due to take place on the weekend of 17 and 18 of February.

And North End boss Paul Simpson, whose side overcame Championship rivals Crystal Palace in the last round, was relishing a tie against one of his old clubs.

"It's a fantastic draw for us," he said. "I have wonderful memories of my time at City and we hope we'll get a full house at Deepdale for it. It's a great day to look forward to.

"It will be a very tough game. But to be at home gives us a really good opportunity, if we carry on with our home form, to continue to the next round."

One Championship side is guaranteed to reach the last eight, after Plymouth were drawn at home to Derby.

5th Round Line-Up:

Chelsea v Blackpool or Norwich
Watford v Ipswich
Preston v Man City
Plymouth v Derby County
Man Utd v Reading
Arsenal or Bolton v Blackburn
Bristol City or Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion
Fulham v Tottenham

Cheers’
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Today (1-29-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:36:58 GMT

There is a ton of news today... the Transfer Rumors section is huge!

TRANSFER RUMOURS

England midfielder Frank Lampard is wanted by both Inter and AC Milan after they learned he can leave Chelsea in the summer for as little as £8m (Mail on Sunday).

Tottenham are to make a bid for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch after agreeing to sell Mido to Manchester City. (The People)

Or are Spurs set to make a £4.5m move for Everton striker James Beattie? (News of the World)

Helsingborg striker Henrik Larsson will stay on loan at Manchester United for the rest of the season after being talked into it by his nine-year-old son Jordan. (News of the World)

Manchester United have won the race for Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich - but they will have to wait until the summer before they can sign him. (News of the World)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley will swoop for Addicks striker Darren Bent in an astonishing £17m move. (Sunday Mirror)

Curbishley will also bid for defender Jonathan Fortune from his old club Charlton. (News of the World)

And the Hammers will not stop there, with Birmingham defender Matthew Upson also on their hit-list for £8m. (News of the World)

West Ham are set to make a bid for Portuguese defender Rolando. (The People)

Southampton defender Gareth Bale has been given 72 hours to decide his future - with Spurs thought to be leading Manchester United in the chase for his signature. (Mail on Sunday)

Newcastle are to bid for Deportivo La Coruna's Argentine defender Fabricio Coloccini. (The People)

Wigan have asked Chelsea about the possibility of signing midfielder Geremi. (News of the World)

Fulham want to offload striker Collins John, with Wigan, Charlton and Sheffield United eyeing a loan deal. (News of the World)

The Cottagers are also said to be leading the race for West Ham's Matthew Etherington. (News of the World)

Rangers are leading the race to sign out-of-favour Hearts midfielder Paul Hartley, with various sources reporting an offer from Walter Smith in excess of £1m. (Various)

Manchester City are targeting two full-backs - Tim de Cler of AZ Alkmaar and Edson Braafheid of Utrecht. (The People)

Bolton have made a £400,000 bid for Le Havre full-back Sally Sarr. (News of the World)

Blackburn defender James McEveley could be on his way to Derby for £1m. (The People)

Defender Wes Brown wants to leave Manchester United because of a lack of first-team opportunities - with Newcastle, Bolton and Middlesbrough interested. (The People)

Hearts keeper Craig Gordon could be set to depart the Tynecastle club, with Arsenal and Bayern Munich thought to have lodged bids of £6m. (News of the World)

Manchester City chairman John Wardle is digging into his own pocket to hand manager Stuart Pearce £3m to land Spurs striker Mido. (The People)

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce faces a fight to keep striker Nicolas Anelka this summer. (The People)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp wants Juventus midfielder Manuele Blasi in a £3.5m deal. (News of the World)

Watford have invited Belgian striker Emile Mpenza for talks as they prepare to splash their £9.25m Ashley Young cash. (Various)

Crystal Palace supremo Simon Jordan is desperate to get rid of their big-earning flops as the club's parachute payments come to and end after this season. (The People)

Fulham boss Chris Coleman has slapped in a £500,000 bid for Preston keeper Carlo Nash. (The People)

Turkish club Galatasaray will make a move for Newcastle's Emre if he is found guilty of racism. (Sunday Mirror)

Luton still want Southampton striker Leon Best - despite having already had two bids rejected. (The People)

Bolton are threatening Watford's hopes of landing Sheffield United winger Keith Gillespie. (Sunday Mirror)

Stoke are weighing up an approach for Trinidad & Tobago hot-shot Cornell Glen after the striker's departure from LA Galaxy. (The People)

Middlesbrough have joined the chase for Celtic's Shaun Maloney. (Sunday Mirror)

Southampton's David Prutton will complete his £250,000 move back to Nottingham Forest. (Various)

Jlloyd Samuel's miserable spell at Aston Villa is about to come to an end - with Bolton favourites to land the left-back. (The People)

Villa boss Martin O'Neill has told Spanish club Levante to 'clear off' after they lined up a £5m bid for Olof Mellberg. (News of the World)

Striker David Bentley's fine form for Blackburn has alerted Spanish side Valencia. (Sunday Mirror)

Norwich striker Peter Thorne has snubbed a move to Oldham. (The People)

MK Dons will cash in on their striker Izale McLeod before the January transfer window closes. (News of the World)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray wants Portsmouth keeper Dean Kiely on loan. (The People)

Stoke want to re-sign former skipper Clive Clarke from Sunderland. (News of the World)

Their current captain Michael Duberry is wanted in a shock move by Reading boss Steve Coppell. (The People)

The Royals have also been alerted to the news Clinton Morrison is unhappy at Crystal Palace. (News of the World)

And apparently they have made a £1.5m bid for teenage defender Mark Little from Wolves. (News of the World)

Sheffield United and Watford are battling it out for Colchester skipper Karl Duguid. (News of the World)

Leeds boss Dennis Wise is trying to sign Belgian right-back Gilles de Cock from Bruges. (The People)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is willing to pay £11m compensation for the exit of manager Jose Mourinho. (The People)

Abramovich wants Russia coach Guus Hiddink to take overall control of football at Stamford Bridge, with Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard becoming first-team coach. (Sunday Mirror)

Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini says he has not spoken to anyone at Chelsea and denies claims that he said he would love to manage the Blues one day. (The People)

Chelsea captain John Terry's new deal is worth a staggering £100m over the next 10 years and includes an option for him to become manager. (Mail on Sunday)

Terry is to sign his new £130,000-a-week contract - whether manager Jose Mourinho stays at Stamford Bridge or not. (The People)

Frank Lampard's agent Steve Kutner says the Chelsea midfielder is not close to signing a new contract, while striker Didier Drogba has told Mourinho he will quit if the Blues boss leaves in the summer. (News of the World)

Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to reject any bid by Manchester United to extend his contract at Old Trafford. (Sunday Mirror)

New Uefa president Michel Platini has told France midfielder Claude Makelele he will be banned if he does not play for the French national side. (News of the World)

German legend Franz Beckenbauer, who is a member of Fifa's executive committee, says he is "100 per cent behind any English bid" to host the 2018 World Cup. (News of the World)

Edgar Davids and Spurs boss Martin Jol had to be pulled apart after a training ground bust-up before the former Dutch international stormed off claiming he was leaving the club for good. (The People).

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce will be allowed to manage the England Under-21 side this summer but only if Newcastle coach Nigel Pearson takes charge for the two friendly matches in February and March. (Various)

Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard could play again this season, despite suffering a serious knee injury in September. (The People)

Businessman Kia Joorabchian has launched an £80m bid to take over Fulham after losing out in a similar battle for West Ham. (Sunday Mirror)

Paul Ince is the surprise name on the short-list for the Coventry job after being at Macclesfield for only three months. (Mail on Sunday)

Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer will be recalled to the England squad for the friendly with Spain - after two years in the injury wilderness. (Various)

Middlesbrough's on-loan defender Jonathan Woodgate will also get a recall. (Mail on Sunday)

Sheikh Mohammmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's takeover of Liverpool will go through in the next two weeks, despite a late bid from American George Gillett. (Various)

Newcastle boss Glen Roeder has said that Martin O'Neill did not have the courage to take on the job as manager at St James'. (News of the World)

Arsenal have suffered a blow with the news that striker Robin van Persie is almost certainly out for the season with his broken foot. (Mail on Sunday)

AND FINALLY...

John Terry stumped up £4,000 for a Tiger Woods montage at an NSPCC charity event in London last week - but for some reason didn't fancy the signed Roman Abramovich T-Shirt. (The People).

England boss Steve McClaren paid £5,500 for a Manchester United Opus book at the same do.

Manchester City officials were astonished that striker Bernardo Corradi came off even worse than keeper Nicky Weaver - recently back from a four-year injury hell - in fitness tests. (Sunday Mirror)

Hope there was some good "news" in there for you!

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Beckham

Lizzy — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:30:30 GMT

I know Becks career is waning, he's getting up there in age but IMO he's still got a couple more seasons in his feet....and I'm all for him coming to the MLS 'cos it would mean that I'd get to see him play live for however many times he'd come through Chicago..but if this comes to pass I'll vomit my toes up...any team but not the LA Galaxy please..not with bum bandit Donovan....

"" has been suggested Beckham could return to the Premier League, move to Italy or play for a Major League Soccer club in the United States. Los Angeles Galaxy is among the clubs reportedly interested.""

posted in English Premier League Football - 20 replies

Van Persie update...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 23:30:41 GMT

Costly goal for Van Persie
From correspondents in London
January 22, 2007

ARSENAL striker Robin van Persie sustained a broken bone in his foot while scoring his side's English Premier League equaliser against Manchester United at Emirates Stadium today (AEDT).

Van Persie had an X-ray immediately after Arsenal's 2-1 win which revealed he has sustained a partial fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

The injury is identical to the one sustained by Wayne Rooney before last year's World Cup, and is likely to keep van Persie out of action for at least six weeks.

The Dutch forward had only been named on the bench after struggling to overcome an ankle injury but, with his side trailing to Rooney's 53rd-minute header, he was sent on as a substitute midway through the second half.

He produced a fine finish to turn in Cesc Fabregas's cross seven minutes from full-time, and set Arsenal on course for a dramatic late win but, in doing so, broke his toe.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who saluted van Persie's strike, admitted he feared his player would be out for a significant length of time.

He said: "There is a big worry on Robin van Persie. He had scored a great goal because first of all (Tomas) Rosicky and (Cesc) Fabregas fight like mad on the side for the ball, then they get the ball in and Robin comes from a very deep position and scores an unbelievable goal, but he can deliver that."

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

On FSC this weekend...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 17:02:13 GMT

There are several good matches showing on FSC this weekend:

Saturday...
Newcastle vs. West Ham 7:00 am Pacific
Manchester City vs. Blackburn 9:00 am Pacific
Portsmouth vs. Charlton 11:30 am Pacific

and of course the best match of them all...

Sunday... Arsenal vs. Manchester United 8:00 am Pacific!

Best of luck to all of you Premiership supporters, and to all you ManU fans out there, remember...

“If you want to go to heaven when you die
Get your Red flag and fly it high
Buy a Red bonnet and write fuck the Gooners on it
If you want to go to heaven when you die!”

Cheers’
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 11 replies

Today (1-23-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:51:49 GMT

LIVERPOOL, ARSENAL AND CHARLTON WIN (YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING - CHARLTON??). CHELSEA AND MANU DROP POINTS. THE TOP FOUR GET CLOSER BUT STILL NOT CLOSE ENOUGH.

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Manchester United are set to offer Cristiano Ronaldo a double-your-money five-year deal worth £100,000 a week. (News of the World)

Chelsea will swoop for US defender Oguchi Onyewu, currently at Standard Liege, for around £3m. (Daily Star Sunday, News of the World)

Manchester United have won the battle to sign Southampton's wonderkid Gareth Bale - for around £8m. (Sunday Express)

Manchester United are also likely to sign Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Aldo Dusher, the man who broke David Beckham's metatarsal before the 2002 World Cup. (News of the World)

Wigan boss Paul Jewell is planning a £3m bid for West Ham striker Marlon Harewood. (Sunday People)

Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler is ready to follow David Beckham into Major League Soccer. (Sunday Mirror)

Middlesbrough have made a £4m bid for Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere with Massimo Maccarone set to leave the Riverside. (Daily Star Sunday)

Birmingham want up to £8m for Matthew Upson as they have to pay the defender's ex-club Arsenal a percentage of any transfer fee. (Daily Star Sunday)

Aston Villa could swap striker Milan Baros for Lyon's version of Peter Crouch in John Carew. (Sunday Mirror)

John Terry, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien are set to sign new deals at Chelsea, despite the uncertainty over manager Jose Mourinho's future. (Sunday Mirror)

Bolton and Blackburn are expected to slug it out as they try to land Manchester City's central defender Sylvain Distin. (Sunday People)

Tottenham want winger Damien Duff from Newcastle, who could be tempted to sell to raise funds for a central defender. (Sunday People)

England could play their Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium because of security concerns. (NOTW)

Juventus are planning a £30m offer for Liverpool's Steven Gerrard when they hopefully return back to Serie A for next season. (Various)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea's inspirational captain and central defender John Terry may not return until late February. (Daily Star Sunday)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger would not feel "proud" if leaving the club after winning the Premiership but incurring a £200m loss in the process. (Various)

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson also appears to take a dig at Chelsea's spending by praising his own homegrown stars. (Various)

AND FINALLY...

The Queen will present the trophy at May's FA Cup final. (Mail on Sunday)

It seems Francesco Coco's trial at Manchester City will not be turning into a permanent move after he turned up to the club's training ground puffing on a cigarette. (Sunday Mirror)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Today (1-19-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:55:39 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Blackburn defender Lucas Neill will snub Liverpool to sign for West Ham. (Various)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has hit out at Neill after he turned down Champions League football to double his money with the Hammers. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham defender Calum Davenport is set to join West Ham for £3m. (Various)

St Etienne and Real Betis are reportedly interested in Aston Villa striker Milan Baros. (The Independent)

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has told Chelsea that Tal Ben Haim is "a lot better than they think" after the Blues had a £2m bid rejected for the defender and refused to up the offer. (The Sun)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will get the chance to sign the player he craves most after Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho hinted he wants to leave Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)

Reading have made an approach to sign Luton defender Leon Barnett and are among the clubs interested in Middlesbrough centre-half Seb Hines. (Various)

Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze, who has been linked to Tottenham, Juventus, AC Milan and Valencia but could leave on a free transfer in the summer, has told Manchester United he is going nowhere. (Daily Star)

Manchester United have failed in an £8m bid for Southampton defender Gareth Bale. (Various)

Southampton have slapped a £12m price tag on Bale. (Daily Express)

Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has turned down a move to West Ham. (Daily Express)

Middlesbrough are ready to swoop for Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere. (The Sun)

Fulham are interested in West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. (Daily Mirror)

Mido is set to be offered an escape route from Tottenham by Celta Vigo. (Various)

Reading will make a final £2m bid for Colchester defender Greg Halford, whose value they believe is being over-inflated at £4m by his club. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth are targeting Arsenal defender Lauren. (The Sun)

Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie, who has just returned from a loan spell at Stoke, wants to go back out on loan after falling out of favour at Villa Park. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom captain Curtis Davies has revealed that he laughed when he heard his club had priced him out of a move to the Premiership by putting a £10m price tag on his head and he added: "I did not realise the club valued me so highly." (Daily Mirror)

Wigan have launched a £5m bid for Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop. (Daily Mirror)

Everton are set to move for Crewe contract rebel Billy Jones. (Various)

Watford are to take midfield free agent Khalilou Fadiga, who had a heart scare when at Bolton, on trial. (Daily Mirror)

Watford have told Tottenham they can sign winger Ashley Young - if Spurs splash out and then loan him back to the Hornets for the season. (Various)

Portsmouth striker Kanu has been told he can join PSV Eindhoven. (Daily Mirror)

QPR are set to release veteran Wales keeper Paul Jones, 39. (Various)

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner is in talks with Reading over taking their director of football Nicky Hammond to the Midlands club. (Daily Star)

Reading are considering a move for Metz midfielder Daniel Bocande. (Daily Star)

West Ham are on the verge of beating Charlton to the signing of Sevilla striker Kepa Blanco. (Daily Star)

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock has told prospective buyers that striker Geoff Horsfield will not be sold cheaply. (Various)

Wigan striker Lee McCulloch will ask for a transfer to realise his dream to play for Rangers. (Daily Record)

Kilmarnock are bidding to sign Celtic midfielder Rocco Quinn on loan. (Daily Record)

Bolton are looking at Rennes defender Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe, who spent last week on trial at Celtic. (The Daily Telegraph)

Liverpool are looking into the possibility of signing Valencia defender Roberto Ayala, who is expected to join Villarreal in the summer, until the end of the season. (The Guardian)

Middlesbrough defender Ugo Ehiogu is ready to reject Watford and Leeds in favour of a move to Rangers (Daily Express)

Hearts have rejected a £2.5m offer from Fulham for goalkeeper Craig Gordon (Daily Mirror)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko says he is sick of being made the scapegoat over the problems at Stamford Bridge. (Various)

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is turning down jobs in the hope of succeeding Jose Mourinho in the summer - if the Chelsea boss leaves Stamford Bridge. (The Guardian)

Jack Kachkar, the Canadian businessman on the verge of buying Marseille, has denied that he intends to appoint former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson as coach if the sale goes ahead. (The Times)

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is set to miss Sunday's Premiership showdown with Manchester United after suffering a knock in training. (The Sun)

Former England captain David Beckham received an apology from Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon in front of the whole squad after he called the midfielder "a half-actor living in Hollywood" for choosing to agree to join LA Galaxy in August. Real are also back-pedalling over their threat that Beckham would never play for the club again (Various)

Helsingborg chairman Sten-Inge Fredin has cast doubts over Manchester United's chances of extending striker Henrik Larsson's loan deal beyond March 12 after initially appearing to be ready to consider an extension to the agreement. (Various)

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to be crowned player of the year because his form is "frightening". (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal have opened new contract talks with striker Nicklas Bendtner, who is on loan at Birmingham and who has attracted interest from Lyon, AC Milan and Juventus. (Daily Express)

Charlton defender Ben Thatcher has apologised to Pedro Mendes for the elbowing incident that put the Portsmouth midfielder in hospital in August and led to an eight-game ban for Thatcher, who was at Manchester City at the time. Charlton visit Portsmouth on Saturday. (Various)

West Ham striker Dean Ashton, who broke an ankle in August, is targeting a return to first-team action next month. (Daily Telegraph)

AND FINALLY...

David Beckham's new club LA Galaxy will help pay his wages by holding February trials in which would-be players can pay around £65 to have an opportunity to earn a place in the squad. (The Times)

Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, who watched Everton play Reading on Sunday, allegedly said of the beautiful game on the set of football film Escape to Victory in the 1980s that he "hated the game". (Daily Mail)

Coventry chairman Geoffrey Robinson did not only mistake football agent Andy Gray for Sky Sports pundit Andy Gray in a telephone conversation regarding the future of departing manager Micky Adams. He also allegedly patted Adams' assistant Alan Cork on the back after a game, saying: "Well played, Pagey", having mistaken him for Sky Blues defender Robert Page. (Daily Mail)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Today (1-16-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:49:21 GMT

Here's todays news boys and girls...

TRANSFER RUMOURS

West Ham have offered Marlon Harewood. Hayden Mullins and £4m for Charlton striker Darren Bent. (The Sun)

Liverpool want to table a bid for Real Madrid captain Raul. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn are planning to hijack Bolton's bid to land Birmingham midfielder David Dunn after Steven Reid suffered a fresh injury setback. (Various)

Everton defender David Weir is set to team up with former boss Walter Smith at Rangers. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham have had a £10m bid for Watford winger Ashley Young accepted. (Daily Mail)

Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd admits he will find it hard to turn down a new £8m bid for Young from the Hammers, who are battling with Aston Villa for the winger. (Daily Mirror)

Watford will spark a three-way battle when they accept West Ham's £8m bid for Young, who is also wanted by Villa and Tottenham. (Daily Star)

Everton are ready to enter the bidding for Sheffield Wednesday defender Madjid Bougherra. (Daily Mail)

Hearts look to have won the race to sign Georgia international midfielder Gogita Gogua, who spent last season at Russian side Spartak Nalchik. (Daily Record)

Rangers could have their bid to land Falkirk's Alan Gow hijacked, with Manchester City, Newcastle, Portsmouth and Wigan all monitoring the 24-year-old. (Daily Record)

Portsmouth's Cameroon winger Rodolph Douala may be offered a deal by Nantes. (Daily Mail)

Aston Villa are preparing to sell striker Milan Baros to Lyon. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane could return to Celtic to get young defender Darren O'Dea on loan. (Daily Record)

Middlesbrough hope to sign West Brom's Zoltan Gera for £3m. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been offered a peace pact to end his conflict with the Blues board - in that he will be allowed to bring in a defender and any discussions about his future will be delayed until the end of the season. (The Sun)

Mourinho's relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has broken down "irreparably". (Daily Mirror)

Mourinho has insisted he can only commit to the Blues a week at a time and he and Abramovich are scarcely on speaking terms after the owner of the club stormed out of a meeting with his manager 10 days ago after a row over the signing of Andriy Shevchenko. (Daily Express)

Mourinho will demand the biggest pay-off in football history if he loses his power struggle with Abramovich, with the full amount of the rest of his contract totalling £25m. (Daily Star)

Chelsea captain John Terry is close to becoming the highest paid player in Premiership history by signing a contract worth £150,000 a week. (Daily Mail)

Former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, who was one of the founding fathers of the American soccer league in the 1970s, has accused Major League Soccer of wasting its money on David Beckham, who is set to join LA Galaxy in August. (Daily Mirror)

Mandaric hopes to complete his £25m takeover of Leicester this week. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth first-team coach Joe Jordan has been told he can leave the Premiership club if he is offered the Scotland managerial role. (Various)

AND FINALLY...

Six teenage Wigan fans were in tears after their bus left them at Chelsea on Saturday but Leighton Baines and Matt Jackson organised a £400 whip-round for their fares home and one of the Latics players' wives drove the youngsters to the station. (Daily Mirror)

Action-movie great Sylvester Stallone joked he may find a part for US-bound David Beckham in his next picture.

"I haven't met him yet, but I might just put him in my next Rambo film and chase him round the jungle for a couple of months," he said.

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

My two cents...

I'm going to have to agree with Milan Mandaric on the whole Becks thing... the MLS should use that money to help build some real football pitches or perhaps to reform the the way in which their playoff system works, rather than using it to purchase a celebrity in hopes of marketing him to the public to bring in more supporters... it's not gonna work, Becks or no, the MLS game will be be lame due to the fact that normal season games count for nothing.

posted in English Premier League Football - 11 replies

Today (1-10-07) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:23:47 GMT

In the headlines...
EMBARRASSED! LIVERPOOL ARE MADE TO LOOK LIKE MUGS AT ANFIELD BY A YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED ARSENAL. IS IT TIME FOR BENITEZ TO TAKE RESPONSIBILTY? WHO'S TO BLAME FOR THIS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE?

TRANSFER RUMOURS

West Ham have made a dramatic £7m bid for Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg after missing out on Shaun Wright-Phillips. (The Sun)

But the Hammers face competition from Italian sides AC Milan and Juventus for the Swede. (Daily Express)

Arsenal have targeted Marseille's Franck Ribery, which is why they are prepared to let Ljungberg go. (Daily Mirror)

The Gunners have also been linked with Dutch international left winger Ryan Babel from Ajax. (The Independent)

Arsenal's right-back Lauren is another target for the struggling Hammers. (Daily Mail)

West Ham have told Mark Viduka they will better his wages at Middlesbrough to tempt him to Upton Park. (Daily Express)

Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is prepared to offer Viduka a staggering £60,000 a week. (Daily Mirror)

Owen Hargreaves fears Bayern Munich's "crazy" price tag has ruled him out of a dream move to Manchester United. (The Sun, Independent)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has turned the screw on manager Jose Mourinho by cutting his transfer budget. (The Sun)

Chelsea may swoop for defender Josip Simunic - the player that referee Graham Poll famously booked three times during the World Cup. (Daily Star)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has joined the race to sign Luton striker Rowan Vine. (The Sun)

Newcastle are increasingly concerned that an agent-driven plan to move Obafemi Martins to Chelsea in the summer is unsettling the Nigerian. (The Guardian)

Teenage star Gareth Bale will snub Manchester United to stay at Southampton. (The Sun)

Bale has stalled on a new contract extension, prompting disagreement on Saints' board over whether to sell or not. (The Guardian)

Rangers will make a £1m move for Blackburn hardman Andy Todd. (Daily Record)

Aston Villa striker Milan Baros is a shock transfer target for La Liga strugglers Levante. (The Sun)

Villa have enquired about Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy and are ready to test the Reds with a £6m bid. (Daily Mail)

Phil Jagielka will quit Sheffield United for Liverpool in a £9m deal at the end of the season - if the Blades are relegated. (Daily Mirror, Daily Star)

Albert Luque has been offered a quick way out of his Newcastle nightmare by Dutch giants PSV. (Various)

Sheffield United, Blackburn and Portsmouth have joined the race to sign Belgian striker Emile Mpenza, who plays for Al Rayyan in Qatar. (Daily Mirror)

Hamilton whizzkid Jamie McCarthy is heading for Reading for talks over a £250,000 deal. (Daily Mirror)

Watford have put a £9m price tag on the head of star Ashley Young. (Various)

Wigan's David Wright is wanted by Ipswich boss Jim Magilton in a bargain £200,000 deal. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs are lining up a transfer window move for Kilmarnock star Steven Naismith. (Daily Record)

Former Chelsea midfielder Alexei Smertin is in talks with various clubs over a return to England, say his current employers Dinamo Moscow.

OTHER GOSSIP

Walter Smith will be confirmed as Rangers' new manager today. (Daily Telegraph)

Rangers will have to fork out £250,000 to have Walter Smith released from his contract. (Daily Record)

Former Liverpool boss Graeme Souness is making a shock bid to buy Wolves from owner Sir Jack Hayward in a £20m deal. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid are ready to offer under-fire Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho an escape route out of Stamford Bridge. (Daily Express, Mirror)

Chelsea's misfiring striker Andriy Shevchenko has been told he will be dropped if he cannot score against Wycombe in the Carling Cup. (The Sun)

The father of Pompey owner Alexandre Gaydamak has been bankrolling the club's transfers, even though he is also the owner of an Israeli team. (Daily Express)

Aaron Lennon's new five-and-a-half-year deal with Spurs is worth £11m. (The Sun)

Milan Mandaric will give Leicester manager Rob Kelly £3m to save the Foxes from relegation when he completes his takeover of the club this week. (The Sun)

Lord Stevens' bung team will tell the FA the names of the eight agents who have refused to help with their inquiry. (Various)

The inquiry team have already started questioning the eight agents involved in the 17 suspect transfers. (Daily Express)

Stevens' team attended a meeting with Scottish Football Association officials to discuss methods of obliging SFA-licenced agents to assist with their probe. (The Guardian)

The FA has appealed for Lord Stevens' team to reveal the Premier League clubs suspected of breaking transfer rules when they meet today. (Daily Telegraph)

AND FINALLY...

Nottingham Forest defender Julian Bennett reckons he knows all about their FA Cup fourth round opponents Chelsea after playing against them on the PlayStation. (The Sun)

Forest boss Colin Calderwood said he nearly crashed his car when they were drawn against Chelsea. (Daily Star)

Reading star Bobby Convey is praying Tuesday's game against Burnley goes ahead so his family do not have a wasted 4,000-mile trip. The Convey clan have seen the winger miss the Chelsea and Manchester United games through injury and the FA Cup tie at the weekend was called off. (Daily Star)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Gunners!

Lizzy — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:31:53 GMT

Great result tonight! 6-3 over Liverpool! And FSC had the Saturday match on this afternoon and I got a chance to watch that! Been a good day!

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

In todays (1-8-07) papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:21:14 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Liverpool have joined the race to sign Charlton's £15m-rated striker Darren Bent. (Sunday Mirror)

Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy have again hinted at the capture of Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham after saying they are poised to sign a player who will make a "monumental impact" on and off the field in the United States. (The People)

West Ham will compete with Chelsea for Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim. (Sunday Mirror)

Newcastle are planning a move for Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson. (The People)

Sunderland may snatch striker Anthony Stokes, who has been on loan to Falkirk from Arsenal, from under the noses of Charlton. (Sunday Mirror)

Southampton defender Gareth Bale will decide in the next 48 hours whether to join Manchester United. (The People)

Charlton have failed in a bid to land Portsmouth striker Andrew Cole because they cannot match his terms. (The People)

Real Madrid are keen on signing misfiring Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and are offering Ronaldo in exchange as part of the deal. (Various)

Ronaldo has also been offered, along with fellow Bernabeu striker Antonio Cassano, to AC Milan but they have rejected any deal for the pair. (AS in Spain)

West Ham have upped their bid for Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips and are now chasing Arsenal right-back Lauren as well as Man City's Joey Barton. (The Daily Star on Sunday)

Real Madrid are set to sign Arsenal target Franck Ribery from Marseille for £15m. (The Star)

Reading and Charlton are competing for the services of Colchester defender Greg Halford. (The Star)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is lining up a £4m bid for French Under-21 and Auxerre defender Younes Kaboul. (The Star)

Chelsea could ease their defensive problems by luring Sylvain Distin from Man City for £3m.

Arsenal are ready to let Freddie Ljungberg leave the club. (News of the World)

Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to take over as manager at Marseille and wants David Beckham to join him at the French club. (News of the World)

Wigan will renew their interest in Man Utd striker Alan Smith by tabling a £6m bid. (News of the World)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wants Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe to boost his side's assault on the Premiership title. (Sunday Times)

Back to top

Heard a transfer rumour? Let us know ...

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho's future is in doubt and he may walk away from Stamford Bridge in the summer. (Various)

Guus Hiddink was recruited as Russia coach by Chelsea chairman Roman Abramovich and is favourite to replace Mourinho. (Various)

Mourinho would have played Lassana Diarra instead of Frank Lampard in the FA Cup win over Macclesfield but the French youngster missed the pre-match briefing after turning up 40 minutes late. (News of the World)

Bradford City could be set to bring Peter Reid back into the managerial ranks as they look to replace current boss Colin Todd. (The Star)

Arsenal will offer striker Emmanuel Adebayor a new deal to fend off any advances from Manchester United. (News of the World)

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack's first-team place has been questioned by some of his team-mates. (Sunday Times)

Back to top

AND FINALLY...

Fulham's new striker, Vincenzo Montella, is getting used to his new surroundings in London. He now orders a single espresso as..."otherwise you get given a cup of dishwater." (The Sunday Express)

Arsenal's stadium sponsors, Emirates, want the club to have a third-choice white kit similar to that of rivals Tottenham. (Sunday Mirror)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

I know it's just a rumor, but I would be so excited as a ManU fan to see the Reds pick up Emmanuel Adebayor...
"Arsenal will offer striker Emmanuel Adebayor a new deal to fend off any advances from Manchester United. (News of the World)"

posted in English Premier League Football - 5 replies

In yesterdays (1-4-07) papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:57:59 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

West Ham believe they have succeeded with a £9.8m bid for Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. (Sun)

Preston have turned down Sheffield United's £6m bid for striker David Nugent. (Daily Mail)

Fulham are ready to bid for Southend's Freddy Eastwood and also want Chelsea's Lassana Diarra on loan. (Daily Star)

West Ham's Javier Mascherano must ask Fifa to allow him to join Liverpool as rules disallow playing for more than two clubs in a season. (Daily Star)

Alan Curbishley will swoop for Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka or West Brom's John Hartson to save West Ham's season. (Daily Star)

The Hammers are also chasing West Brom's Nigel Quashie (Sun), Tottenham's Anthony Gardner (Daily Mail) and Blackburn's Lucas Neill. (Guardian)

Arsenal have turned down Curbishley's audacious bid to sign Theo Walcott on loan. (Times)

Viduka is set to snub West Ham and opt for a summer move to Italy. (Sun)

Manchester United have made contact with Bayern Munich once again about midfielder Owen Hargreaves. (Sun)

Inter Milan will block Luis Figo's move to a Saudi Arabian club after failing to land David Beckham. (Sun)

Chelsea are refusing to pay Bolton's £3.5m asking price for defender Tal Ben Haim. (Daily Star)

The Blues are also interested in Deportivo's Jorge Andrade, Man City's Sylvain Distin and Roberto Ayala of Valencia. (Times)

Fulham have signed Italian striker Vincenzo Montella on a six-month loan deal from Roma. (Daily Express)

Manchester City defender Micah Richards wants to join Chelsea but he could be forced to wait until the summer for his dream move. (Guardian)

Manchester United's David Jones will join Derby for £1.1m. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill says he is not sure if Milan Baros wants to stay at the club. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth want West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun but if that bid fails, they will go for West Brom's Zoltan Gera. (Independent)

Villa and Everton are leading the chase to sign Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson on loan. (Times)

Ferguson has held talks with Rangers chairman Sir David Murray in a bid to save his career. (Daily Record)

Ferguson's former Ibrox manager, Dick Advocaat, is monitoring his situation with a view to bringing him to cash-rich Russians Zenit St Petersburg. (Daily Record).

Rangers and Celtic will step up their interest in Hibernian pair Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown in the next 24 hours. (Daily Record)

In-form Falkirk striker Alan Gow has been in talks with both Hibernian and Aberdeen, with Rangers, Celtic and Wolves also interested. (Scottish Sun)

Rangers boss Paul le Guen is closing in on Steaua Bucharest midfielder, Nicolae Dica, who is rated at £2.5m. (Scottish Sun)
Back to top

OTHER GOSSIP

Sven-Goran Eriksson is in talks with Marseille, one other club and a national association. (Daily Star)

Wigan are set to lower their ticket prices in a bid to lure fans back to the JJB Stadium. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool will not have a big transfer kitty when the Dubai takeover goes through as the club will be mortgaged for £300m. (Daily Express)

AND FINALLY...

Tamworth general manager Russell Moore has promised Norwich co-owner Delia Smith a warm welcome when the two clubs meet in the FA Cup on Saturday. "We'll have a bacon sarnie, then a hot buffet afterwards," he said. "My wife Pam is particularly looking forward to meeting her. No doubt she'll have a chat with her and hopefully pick up some tips." (Various)

Cheers’
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

January transfer window

Allen — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:25:20 GMT

Being a Newcastle fan I hope we make a few signings to help with our injury hit squad. I was just wondering if their was any gossip on any signings to any club ??

posted in English Premier League Football - 17 replies

Champions League Question

Louise — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:48:14 GMT

I thought that if you won your group in the Champions League the first game of the next round would be played at home? So this time round Liverpool would be away and Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea would all be at home? I was so sure of this on Friday night after a couple bottles of plonk that I bet my whole house that Arsenal were at home whilst my boyfriend bet £20 otherwise!! The UEFA website says we're all away in the next round? I need to know to satisfy my curiosity and not the stupid bet :-)

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Today (12-15-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:25:35 GMT

Everton may give new West Ham boss Alan Curbishley an early problem by swooping for £10m-rated Hammers captain Nigel Reo-Coker. (Various)

Tottenham will renew their attempt to sign Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing in January. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool are making a move for French teenage striker Gilles Sunu, 16, who plays for Chateauroux. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth are interested in former Rangers defender Michael Ball, who has fallen out of favour at PSV Eindhoven. (The Independent)

Stoke striker Sam Bangoura is on the verge of a six-month loan switch to FC Brussels, with a view to a permanent transfer. (Various)

Helsingborg defender Andreas Granqvist claims that Wigan are interested in signing him. (The Independent)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane wants to sign his former Manchester United team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on loan. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United are tracking Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield Wednesday and Oldham are tracking striker Robbie Winters after he was made a free agent by Norwegian club SK Brann. (Daily Star)

Reading are set to make a £1m bid for Hull keeper Boaz Myhill. (Daily Mirror)

QPR have admitted defeat in their battle to keep striker Ray Jones, who has refused a new deal and who has been linked to Fulham, Liverpool and Wigan. (Various)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has ruled out selling Nicklas Bendtner, who is on loan at Birmingham, and Anthony Stokes, who is on loan at Falkirk. (Daily Star)

Aberdeen have brought back 17-year-old striker David Ross from Inverurie Locos - two years after telling him he had no future at Pittodrie. (Daily Record)

Cardiff defender Darren Purse insists he has no intention of leaving the club, despite interest from Watford and Wigan. (Daily Telegraph)

Peterhead will listen to offers for defender Craig Tully as boss Steve Paterson looks to generate funds to add to his squad. (Daily Express)

Back to top

OTHER GOSSIP

West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson has admitted that he wanted Alan Curbishley to be the new manager before he sacked Alan Pardew. (Daily Mail)

Curbishley has vowed to make up for his lost years at West Ham after admitting he did not fulfil his potential there as a player. (Daily Express)

Luton defender Sol Davis played his first competitive game since suffering a stroke in October by turning out in the 1-1 reserve-team draw at Northampton - and he also scored an own goal. (The Sun)

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has praised Glenn Roeder because the Magpies boss has never complained about the club's injury plight. (Various)

Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Sar, 36, has been offered a new one-year deal by boss Sir Alex Ferguson. (Various)

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo believe the physical nature of the Premiership means there are hardly any technically gifted players. (The Sun)

Hull chairman Adam Pearson is hoping to install ex-Charlton boss Iain Dowie as manager after the Boxing Day game against Leicester. (Daily Star)

Everton midfielder Tim Cahill is confident he will return in January after suffering a knee injury in November. (The Independent)

Rangers boss Paul Le Guen will take a massive gamble by leaving five key players out of Thursday's Uefa Cup match against Partizan Belgrade - Barry Ferguson, Dado Prso, Jeremy Clement, Charlie Adam and Libor Sionko. (Daily Record)

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has warned the fans that the club will not splash out like Chelsea if the £450m takeover by Dubai International Capital goes through. (Various)

Midfielder Steven Gerrard believes the future is bright for Liverpool - if the takeover goes ahead. (Various)

Hearts midfielder Paul Hartley's career is in the balance as he prepares for a showdown with club owner Vladimir Romanov. (Daily Record)

Charlton head coach Les Reed has clashed with two of his players, which has increased speculation that ex-West Ham boss Alan Pardew may be hired in a bid to save the club from relegation. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa may face a goalkeeping crisis, with Stephen Taylor visiting a specialist to assess a knee injury and with Thomas Sorensen likely to be ruled out until the new year with a shoulder injury. (The Times)

Bolton striker El Hadji Diouf believes the club are ready to mount a serious bid for a Champions League place. (The Sun)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is set to invest at least £20m in a bid to revive the fortunes of the Russian national team. (The Times)

Falkirk striker Alan Gow, who has been linked to Levante and QPR, will make a decision on his future in January after refusing to sign a new deal. (Daily Record)

The Uefa presidential election is hotting up, with senior figures suggesting that the battle between Lennart Johansson and Michel Platini is too close to call. (The Guardian)

Former England captain David Beckham has been omitted from Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's list of world-class Old Trafford players of the last 20 years. (Various)

Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey admits that owner Sir Jack Hayward's offer to sell the club for £20m last month has failed to lure any bidders. (Daily Telegraph)

Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez has praised Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan for his displays at international level and says he expects him to gain 50 caps. (Daily Mail)

Hibernian goalkeeper Simon Brown hopes the arrival of John Collins as manager can lead to a recall to the first team at Easter Road. (The Herald)

Back to top

AND FINALLY...

Coventry boss Micky Adams says breath tests will be given to any players the club suspects may have been going out over the festive season and the team will also be weighed daily to ensure they are eating properly and are having the correct fluid intake. (The Sun)

A fan gatecrashed a Norwich training session and demanded a trial. At first, players jokingly urged boss Peter Grant to grant his request but when the supporter became agitated and angry it led to him being removed by two police officers. (Various)

The retractable roof at Wembley will take 40 minutes longer to close than originally planned because of safety concerns. It had been hoped it would take 15 minutes. (Various)

Cheers'
J.S.

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Pardew sacked as West Ham manager...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:28:38 GMT

Alan Pardew has been sacked as manager of West Ham.

The Hammers are in 18th place in the Premiership following a run of three straight defeats that culminated in Saturday's 4-0 thrashing at Bolton.

"Alan has made an important contribution since joining in September 2003 but this season's results have been disappointing," said a statement.

"Chairman Eggert Magnusson and the board feel it is the right time to make a change in the club's best interests."

The statement continued: "The search for a successor is now under way in order that a new manager can be in place ahead of the January transfer window.

"First-team coach Kevin Keen will take temporary charge of team affairs until a new appointment has been made.

"No further statements on this matter will be made by the club before that time."

Former Charlton boss Alan Curbishley, who played for the Hammers from 1975 to 1979, has been installed as the early favourite to take over as manager.

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 7 replies

Setanta Sport...

JamaicanSteve — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:52:56 GMT

Do any of you have the Setanta Sport network? Nick & Steven or World Soccer Daily/Weekly have been talking about it for the last year or so now and I'm thinking about picking it up. If you've got it, or know someone who does, I'd love to hear about it! Are they/you hapy with it? Is it worth adding another $15 a month to my cable bill, mind you I've already got FSC?

Anyway, if you haven't heard of this network, here's the link: http://www.itvn.com/index_setanta.html?s=3&p=4&w=101162&t=0&c=510

I guess they get all the Prem games, and I mean all of them...

Cheers'
J.S.

posted in English Premier League Football - 17 replies

Today (12-1-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:15:06 GMT

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce has been told the club cannot afford to re-sign Shaun Wright-Phillips from Chelsea - despite the fee likely to be less than a third of the Â£21m they sold him for. (The Sun)

Liverpool and Barcelona are ready to battle it to sign Blackburn's 28-year-old Australian defender Lucas Neill. (Various)

Keith Gillespie is desperate for Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season. (Daily Star)

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan wants to sign Watford defender Danny Shittu (Scottish Sun)

Tottenham are ready to bid Â£2.5m for 17-year-old French midfielder Adel Taarabt, who has just broken into the Lens first team. (Daily Star)

Motherwell striker Scott McDonald is on the brink of a Â£600,000 move to Wolves (Scottish Sun)

And Spurs boss Martin Jol also his eye on West Brom defender Curtis Davies and is set to move for him in January. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United have rejected 'wonderkid' Freddy Adu after the American teenager spent a week on trial at Old Trafford. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea's Lassana Diarra is wanted on loan by Marseille and Lille, but Newcastle are also interested in the French midfielder. (Daily Star)

Rangers are tracking Lazio's Â£3m-rated Macedonian striker Goran Pandev (Scottish Daily Express)

The Ibrox club are also credited with an interest in Hibs right-back Steven Whittaker and Aberdeen skipper Russell Anderson (Scottish Daily Mail)

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock wants Leeds' Â£2m-rated defender Matthew Kilgallon. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth are ready to pay Â£2m for South Korea international striker Lee Chun-Soo. (Various)

Charlton keeper Stephan Andersen will join Denmark's Brondby in January. (Various)

Fulham have agreed a deal to sign 23-year-old forward Clint Dempsey from American side New England Revolution. (The Times)

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has moved to ward off Arsenal's interest in Charles N'Zogbia, saying the midfielder will not be leaving St James' Park. (The Times)

Celtic will offer Arsenal Â£1m for striker Anthony Stokes, who is currently on loan at Falkirk. (The Independent)

Everton boss David Moyes is chasing Sparta Prague's 22-year-old midfielder Thomas Sivok. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has told former Spain international Gaizka Mendieta he can leave the club. (The Independent)

Striker Carlos Tevez has insisted he will fight for his place at West Ham, dampening speculation linking him with a move back to Argentina. (Various)

Back to top

OTHER GOSSIP

West Ham's hopes of moving into the London Olympic stadium have been boosted after the club's new owner Eggert Magnusson had a "constructive" meeting with London 2012 officials. (Various)

Bayern Munich's England international midfielder Owen Hargreaves will not play again this season after suffering a setback in his rehabilitation from a broken leg. (Various)

Back to top

AND FINALLY...

Veteran Steve Claridge is hoping a club somewhere will take him up on his offer to play for nothing so he can chalk up his 1,000th match - he is stuck on 999. (Various)

Newcastle misfit Albert Luque escaped injury yesterday when a lorry, sporting a Liverpool flag in its window, accidentally ploughed into his Â£60,000 Porsche. Luckily the Spaniard was outside his car checking for a puncture at the time. (Various)

Real Madrid are in talks to sponsor rugby team CRC Madrid Noroeste, who play in the same league as FC Barcelona Rugby. (Various)

Real also hope to have their own 140-seat private jet for team travel by the end of the year. (The Times)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Today (11-29-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:46:41 GMT

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Chelsea may allow Andriy Shevchenko to rejoin his former club AC Milan on loan in January. (The Sun)

Or, Blues owner Roman Abramovich will insist the out-of-form £30m striker - his close friend - stays and plays. (Daily Star)

Manchester City want to re-sign Shaun Wright-Phillips from Chelsea. (Mirror)

But City must brace themselves for a £15m bid for their latest young star Micah Richards from the Stamford Bridge outfit. (Mirror, Times)

Liverpool will battle Manchester United for Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe - and could offer Craig Bellamy in part exchange. (Mirror)

Aston Villa want Rapid Vienna defender Markus Katzer and Blackburn's Lucas Neill. (Mirror)

Celtic have relunctantly agreed to sell Stephen Pearson in January, with Derby County favourites to sign the midfielder. (Daily Record/Express)

Celtic are considering a £600,000 January bid for Aberdeen defender Russell Anderson. (Express)

Fernando Ricksen has signed a contract to remain at Zenit St Petersburg for three and a half years after a successful loan from Rangers. (The Herald/Scotsman)

Rangers will today sell Fernando Ricksen to Zenit St Petersburg for £1m after his successful loan. (Sun)

Norwich City are considering a £450,000 bid for Hibernian winger Ivan Sproule. (Express)

Wolves' former Celtic defender, Jackie McNamara, could be heading back to the SPL with Hibernian. (Daily Record)

Birmingham will try to sign on-loan Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner permanently for £3m if they get promoted. (Mirror)

Middlesbrough will listen to offers for Gaizka Mendieta in January. (Star)

David Beckham will not leave Real Madrid in January because he hopes to win his first major trophy at the Bernabeu this season. (Various)

Hertha Berlin playmaker Yildiray Basturk could be interested in a move to Tottenham. (Guardian)

Tottenham want teenage Derby midfielder Giles Barnes. (Express)

Kilmarnock hope to extend goalkeeper Chad Harper's contract. (Various)

Back to top

OTHER GOSSIP

Newcastle coach Lee Clark is unhappy about BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson's criticism of the Magpies.

Hibernian have told star duo Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown they will not be given a pay rise to stay at Easter Road. (Daily Record)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his side's next four games will make or break their season. (Various)

Goalline technology will be tested in the Italian league on Sunday. (Guardian)

Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia has been told his future at the club could be as a holding midfielder. (Times)

Gretna could ditch plans to build a new stadium in favour or sharing Queen of the South's Palmerston Park. (Various)

Back to top

AND FINALLY...

A study by Dr David James (not the Portsmouth keeper) has revealed that the average energy output of a professional player over a season could power a house for 10 days. (Times)

West Ham's Argentina striker Carlos Tevez will be punished for storming out of Upton Park after being substituted on Saturday by being forced to wear a Brazil kit in training next week. (Sun)

Teddy Sheringham will help to judge a £10,000 competition for fans to produce a work of art reflecting football. (Express)

Research at Loughborough University shows only a tiny percentage of Britons born between March and August make it in elite sport. (Daily Mail)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Heard a chant...

JamaicanSteve — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:00:42 GMT

...today that I hadn't heard before... went something like this (to the tune of "This old man"):

"We're the Mancs...
We're insane...
We drink lager and sniff cocaine...
With a nick nack patty whack give the dog a bone...
Why don't (insert opposing team's name here, I'll be using the Gooners) Arsenal fuck off home"

Thought I'd share... always nice to know what your team's fans are chanting at the matches. Got any favorites you want to share?

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Any Gooners here?

Lizzy — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:18:10 GMT

I just joined today...only did the whole tribe thing yesterday and lucky for me I found this tribe. I live for Football and especially Arsenal...anyone else out there?

posted in English Premier League Football - 24 replies

ManU vs. Chelsea...

JamaicanSteve — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:42:52 GMT

... any thoughts, any predictions, any body plan on watching?

Of course, I will be cheering for the Reds! Having to drive an hour or so to be able to catch the match on tv since I'll be away from home for the holidays...

GO YOU REDS!

My prediction... 2-1 ManU with one goal from Saha and one from Rooney.. oh yeah, and one for Chelsea from Drogba(sp?).

Cheers'
J.S.

posted in English Premier League Football - 10 replies

Chelsea 0 - MLS All-Stars 1

iMosaicmix — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 23:27:54 GMT

Hope you all caught the MLS All-Star game this weekend. It was a pretty good match, though I was suprised at how easily the MLS dominated the game. Chelsea did not have a good game. Great goal by De Rosario (former Earthquake).

posted in English Premier League Football - 5 replies

A call to arms...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 18:42:08 GMT

Okay, okay, okay... I know I’ve not been the best Mod as of late, and I have to admit I’ve been using MySpace quite a bit, but I’m going to give it a whirl and renew my faith in Tribe. As many of you may have noticed, it looks like great changes are on the horizon and that Tribe is doing its best to turn things around. I’m really excited about the prospect that Tribe may be returning to its once proud self and focussing again on the idea of community and great design.

So, on that note... I’m strongly encouraging everyone in this particular Tribe to make an effort! Chat, post, give feed back, just do whatever it takes to keep Tribe growing and moving in a positive direction. Out of all the community sites I’ve ever been involved with, Tribe was/is by far my favorite and I would love to see it return to its roots once again.

Cheers’
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Transfer Madness

iMosaicmix — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 00:39:06 GMT

How are you all feeling about your clubs (in)activity in the window?

Arsenal did alright by me. Actually, better than alright by getting rid of two problem players. Reyes & Cole both wanted out, so good luck in your new endevours. I personally would've preferred keeping Cole. He is the best left back in England, but the Chelsea move has been in the works since last years tapping up drama. He also was one of the last English players on the squad. Reyes scored some good goals, but was so inconsistent & was always falling over. Good riddance to you sir. Pascal Cygan also left. He was an adequate stop gap type of player, but never seemed to have any real quality and was really a defensive liability.

As for incoming players, Gallas will do good things towards solidifying the defense. He will probably play in the center with Tore & Senderos (when he returns from the WC shoulder injury). Baptista will be a welcome addition to the strike force. Finally a large target man for the Gunners. He should compliment Adebayor, Van Persie, Walcott & Henry nicely. Denilson seems to be a strong youth player who should do well especially being mentored by Gilberto. Don't think he'll see much playing time though unless the injuries crop up.

All in all though, I still think Arsenal will struggle to reach the 4th spot this season. Unless they gel nicely, I imagine that a UEFA Cup spot will be our likely outcome. Don't think will make the Champions League final again either. You never can count us out, but I think the retooling of the team will help us out more next year than this one.

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Internation Breaks

iMosaicmix — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 10:13:06 GMT

Blah. Hate them. Especially when there's no good footy on the tube.
England-Andorra won't even be shown until Tuesday night.
Brazil-Argentina won't be shown at all.

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Opening Day is here

iMosaicmix — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 05:00:21 GMT

Thank goodness.

Despite the somewhat entertaining friendlies and the joy of the World Cup, I can't wait to get back to the real business of the EPL.

Come on you Gunners!

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Who's going where???????

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 01:17:01 GMT

Now that the big show is over who is going to be joining the various Premier League clubs prior to kick off??

Will Ronaldo be welcomed in Manchester?

Will Newcastle pick up a striker to replace Owen???

What would you like to see

posted in English Premier League Football - 8 replies

Schoolchildren 'devastated' by World Cup ticket failure (19/06/06)

frankslice — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:16:25 GMT

Schoolchildren spoke today of their disappointment at missing out on seeing a World Cup match in Germany because an agency failed to provide them with tickets.

About 450 youngsters aged between 11 and 15 from across the UK travelled to Germany to watch matches in the tournament but were unable to get in to the games when their tickets failed to materialise.

Teachers who have returned to the UK said today they believed a scam might have been involved, depriving the youngsters of the "once in a lifetime" opportunity to see a World Cup match.

A group of 23 boys from Mayville High School in Portsmouth, Hants, travelled to Cologne to see the Czech Republic v Ghana match at the weekend but were told by tour company Activ4 that the tickets were not available. They were then told to travel to Frankfurt for the Portugal v Iran match, but before they departed they were told there were no tickets for this match either.

Fifa spokesman Andreas Herren said: "This is absolutely regrettable for the young kids because they have been deprived of a great opportunity to watch World Cup action."

A spokeswoman for Activ4 said an emergency meeting was being held to establish what happened.

Harsh stuff!

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (6-14-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 16:06:00 GMT

So here's the news for today... so much Rooney stuff.

Wayne Rooney dominates the back pages again with most claiming the Football Association has vetoed England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's plans to use him against Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday for political and legal reasons.

Several also suggest his return is likely to be delayed by a week because fitness coach Ivan Carminati has told Eriksson Rooney is only 70% match-fit.

The Sun claims Rooney's absence could mean a sensational World Cup debut for Theo Walcott, while the Daily Mirror believes both could finish the game playing together in attack.

Meanwhile, David Beckham has promised that England's stars will not be distracted by the presence of wives and girlfriends. (The Sun)

Trinidad & Tobago striker Dwight Yorke says Manchester United helped him get in shape for the tournament by allowing him to train with them for six weeks and adds that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is desperate for them to beat England. (Various)

Trinidad & Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker says he would not want to be England boss "in a million years". (The Sun)

Australia striker John Aloisi says England have blundered by not choosing Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink as their new boss. (Daily Mirror)

Inter Milan winger Luis Figo will reconsider retirement plans after his flying start with Portugal. (Daily Mail)

Costa Rica striker Paulo Wanchope is hoping to secure a move to the German Bundesliga after the tournament. (The Guardian)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

I know it sounds green of me...

Brian — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 02:41:51 GMT

I know it sounds green of me but can someone please explain in simple terms "offsides"

Brian

posted in English Premier League Football - 5 replies

Today (6-9-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 15:17:38 GMT

It all begins today! Here the news...

Frank Lampard says England's players will regard anything other than World Cup victory as a failure. (Various)

David Beckham says his World Cup nightmare would be to face Germany in a penalty shoot-out. (Various)

England will be facing Paraguay in their opening game in temperatures in excess of 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit). (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea defender Paulo Ferreira was given permission by Portugal to fly back to his home country for the birth of his first child on Wednesday. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg says he is desperate to beat England - because he is fed up of getting ribbed by his English team-mates. (The Sun)

Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning captain Carlos Alberto - who called Michael Owen a "midget" last year - says the Newcastle striker is capable of being a major star at the World Cup. (Various)

Paraguay's star striker Roque Santa Cruz says Peter Crouch would be more suited to playing basketball than football. (Various)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (6-7-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 15:04:24 GMT

There's a ton of news today folks... and I added the German Gossip bit for you as well. Enjoy...

Everton are set to renew their interest in Celtic midfielder Stilian Petrov and are also considering a move for Hearts defender Andy Webster. (Daily Record)

Real Madrid are plotting a £30m double bid for Arsenal stars Cesc Fabregas and Jose Antonio Reyes. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth are lining up a bid for Wigan striker Henri Camara. (Various)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has confirmed he is chasing Egypt striker Mido after his spell at Spurs came to an end (Mirror).

The League Managers' Association has warned Middlesbrough to scrap plans to install captain Gareth Southgate as manager because he does not have the required coaching badges. (Daily Star)

However, Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson is set to emulate Newcastle and seek dispensation from his Premiership colleagues. (The Independent)

Ex-Brentford boss Martin Allen will fly back from holiday to take charge at Tranmere. (The Sun)

Crystal Palace plan to talk to former Inter and AC Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni about their vacant managerial post. (Various)

Bolton have made a bid for Marseille defender Abdoulaye Meite. (Various)

Marseille winger Franck Ribery will make a decision on his future this week with Manchester United and Arsenal hoping to bring him to the Premiership. (The Guardian)

Liverpool have made a £3.5m bid for Birmingham winger Jermaine Pennant. (The Sun, Mirror)

Hearts want former Rangers star Alexei Mikhailichenko to be their new director of football. (Various)

Gretna owner Brooks Mileson quashed speculation that his club would bring Marvin Andrews after the World Cup. (Daily Record)

GERMANY GOSSIP
Wembley groundsman Steve Welch has prepared a practice pitch fit for a World Cup final at England's training base at Baden Baden. (The Sun)

Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is being monitored by Sweden's medical staff after his migraine problems flared up again while midfielder Tobias Linderoth sat out training with a hamstring problem. (Daily Mirror)

Paraguay keeper Justo Villar has warned England to expect a rough ride in their World Cup opener on Saturday. (Daily Star)

Germany captain - and new Chelsea signing - Michael Ballack sat out the team's latest training session with a slight calf strain. (Various)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was fuming after Wayne Rooney hit a scissor-kick with his injured foot on his first day back in England training. He fears the striker could do long-term damage. (The Sun)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has snubbed England and says Germany and Holland are the only team who can stop Brazil at the World Cup.

Ukraine captain, and new Chelsea recruit, Andriy Shevchenko is still recuperating from a knee injury but should be fit for next week's opener against Spain. (The Guardian)

Brazil midfielder Emerson says England's midfield are a big threat to their rivals while defender Cafu says Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney are one of the best attacking duos in Germany. (Various)

Argentina coach Jose Pekerman says teenage sensation Lionel Messi is recovering from his thigh injury. The star striker will wear a pair of special boots in Germany stitched with the words: "The Hand of God, Mexico 86." (Daily Mail)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Who do you support, for how long, and why?

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 16:05:11 GMT

Liverpool FC.

It started in the late 70's / early 80's. I was a kid, the NASL was in full swing, the Liverpool was the shit and Souness was my hero.

Later, when I lived in Germany, most of my friends were English and Irish. They were split roughly down the middle - Leeds and Liverpool. I had to side with my boyhood Reds and have been die-hard ever since.

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Today (6-1-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 09:20:46 GMT

Read all about it...

Wayne Rooney has told friends he will be fit enough to kick a football as early as next week. (Daily Mirror)

Michael Owen has been told by England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson that he can duck out of tackles in the final World Cup warm-up game. (Daily Star)

Chelsea have a clause which means they can claim back £7m of the transfer fee for Andriy Shevchenko, should he be injured at the World Cup. (Various)

Liverpool are to launch a £9.5m bid for Charlton striker Darren Bent. (The Sun)

AC Milan will use the money from the sale of Andriy Shevchenko to bid for Steven Gerrard. (Daily Star)

Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd has had a £1m bid for West Brom defender Paul Robinson rejected - but he will increase the offer. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn have joined the race to sign 6ft 8ins, £7m-rated Red Star Belgrade striker Nikola Zigic. (Independent)

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock wants to sign Matthew Kilgallon from Yorkshire rivals Leeds. (The Sun)

Blackburn are to double the wages of Morten Gamst Pedersen in a bid to keep him at Ewood Park. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan striker Jason Roberts is set for talks with Turkish club Besiktas after they tabled a new bid of £2m - with wages of £30,000 a week. (Various)

Bolton are interested in signing Lazio's Ousmane Dabo - who wants £30,000 a week. (Various)

Newcastle are the latest club to join the race for Chelsea defender Robert Huth. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool keeper Chris Kirkland has agreed a season-long loan deal with Wigan Athletic. (Daily Mail)

Didier Drogba's future at Chelsea is in doubt after the Ivory Coast striker failed to attend a pre-World Cup training camp. (Guardian)

Jason Euell has snubbed a £1.5m move to Cardiff as he fights for his place at Charlton Athletic. (Daily Star)

Alan Curbishley is the latest person to turn down the vacant manager's post at Middlesbrough. (Express)

QPR want to take Manchester City's Bradley Wright-Phillips to Loftus Road on a one-year deal. (Daily Star)

Former Met Police commissioner Lord Stevens will tell the Premier League that 60 top-flight transfers in the past two years were corrupt. (Express)

Aston Villa are ready to offer Danny Mills a contract after he was told he is surplus to requirements at Manchester City. (Express)

A new report says job security for football bosses is diminishing. (Times)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

FA Cup final

Allen — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:11:01 GMT

I have to say that the fa cup final is one of the best I have seen (I have seen all since 1994) Steven Gerrards goals where fantastic and was my man of the match with two goals plus his superb assist. The commentator made me laugh just before he scored by saying that he was out of the game because he was limping lol. Must bring some hope to england fans who may be wondering where the goals might come from in the world cup. If westham had of won it would have been a total fluke as their goals where all lucky - liverpool deserved it. Hopefully arsenal can come up with a wonderful display against barcelona in the final.

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Barcelona winners !!!

Allen — Wed, 17 May 2006 20:54:11 GMT

I felt that arsenal had barcelona under control until the last 15 minutes of the game, maybe arsenal should have pushed for a second once they had taken the lead. The sending off was fair and eventualy the extra man proved to be the difference.

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

UEFA Champions League Final

iMosaicmix — Wed, 17 May 2006 19:47:30 GMT

Go Arsenal!
Pre match prediction: 2-1 Arsenal

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Ballack to Chelsea

Allen — Tue, 16 May 2006 22:50:57 GMT

Anyone have an idea on how chelsea will fit him in to their midfield ??
My suggestion is that they play a 3-5-2 with Cole on the left , Robben on the right, makelele holding midfielder and ballack and lampard central.

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Whole lotta news going on...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 03 May 2006 15:18:26 GMT

Southampton boss George Burley has been targeted by Charlton as a replacement for Alan Curbishley. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal face a battle to hold on to Cesc Fabregas as Real Madrid try to tempt him back to Spain. (Daily Mirror)

The Gunners will have to fend off an armada of Spanish clubs, with Fabregas, Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry and Lauren all targets. (Daily Express)

Tottenham are showing an interest in Borussia Dortmund's Swiss defender Philipp Degen. (Daily Telegraph)

Everton will bid £4m for Wolves defender Joleon Lescott. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are keen on 19-year-old Lyon striker Hatem Ben Arfa as a replacement for Jermain Defoe. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce will meet the Blues' board on Friday to discuss his future following the Blues' relegation. (Independent)

Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is set to offer Carlisle striker Michael Bridges the chance to revive his Premiership career. (Independent)

Manchester City are talking to Lazio midfielder Ousmane Dabo, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Daily Telegraph)

Arsenal are also interested in the 29-year-old Frenchman. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea have been scared off midfielder Carlos Tevez by the £80m price tag slapped on him by Brazilian club Corinthians. (Independent)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is ready to make a £2m bid for Birmingham striker Emile Heskey. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough are keen on a job-swap with Sven-Goran Eriksson if Steve McClaren lands the England job. (Mail)

Manchester United will listen to offers for Ruud van Nistelrooy, with Barcelona eyeing him as an alternative target to Thierry Henry. (Daily Mail)

Niall Quinn's consortium will approach Martin O'Neill to spearhead a revolution at Sunderland. (The Sun)

Liverpool midfielder Salif Diao is surplus to requirements and is likely to return to France. (Independent)

Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer says he has no chance of being fit for the World Cup. (The Sun)

Chelsea star Joe Cole will open talks on his Stamford Bridge future on Wednesday as he has only one year left on his contract. (The Sun)

Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler fears he has played his last game at Anfield for the club. (Daily Mirror)

Hearts have signed controversial Czech midfielder Rudi Skacel from Marseille for £500,000 on a two-year deal. (Daily Record)

Cheers'
jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Fourth place..

Allen — Thu, 04 May 2006 21:49:57 GMT

With Arsenals win tonight, and presumably a win aginst Wigan the pressure is on Tottenham, but I can see spurs scrapping a one goal win over westham. Then all eyes will be on the champions league final to see if Arsenal deny thier neighbours a champions league spot.... with no relegation issues to settle im glad somethings gone to the last day of the season.

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

newbie to football

Brian — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 04:29:56 GMT

I've been watching premier league for about a year (have the soccer channel IO cable) stiil having trouble picking a favorite team. coming from baseball and NFL already know who to root for if I still had an interest but I do not. Not familiar with english league. just by seeing how they play, i like chelsea, manchester united, west ham united. think I'm on the right track? would like to understand the histories behind these football teams. I dislike sounding green, but i am. Please clarify or send me somewher that can help me out.

posted in English Premier League Football - 5 replies

Middlesborough miracles

iMosaicmix — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 01:27:17 GMT

Can anyone believe two 4 goal come from behind home victories in the UEFA cup?
Wow is all I can say. I wish they had been on TV. The highlights don't give the pit to glory feeling those two matches must have had.

Unfortunately for Boro, it makes me think the lose the final since it won't be at The Riverside.

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Rooney

Mon, 01 May 2006 01:54:42 GMT

His injury and Englands thinned WC hopes blows big time!!

This sucks! A replay of last time around.
Rooney is not Pele but the 3 lions look like sheep without him.

grrrrrrrrrr!!

(I'm not happy, especially as he was serving Satan's 11 while he got hurt, Sorry Steve!! )

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

CRAP!

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:48:30 GMT

What a crap weekend for ManU & England fans! The one game I really wanted to see ManU win and not only is the final 3-0 Chelsea, but Rooney brakes a bone in his foot which looks like it win keep him out of the World Cup! Also, now ManU is tired with Liverpool in the race for second in the Premiership... total crap weekend!

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Read all about it!

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:31:28 GMT

Today (5-1-06) in the papers...

Wayne Rooney told his team-mates in the Man Utd dressing room after injuring his foot that he would not be fit for the World Cup finals. (Daily Mail)

Michael Owen could be dumped from England's World Cup squad if he is not 100% fit. (The Sun)

Sven-Goran Eriksson believes England can still win the World Cup without Wayne Rooney. (Daily Express)

Steven Gerrard believes England can't win the World Cup without Wayne Rooney. (The Sun) Chelsea defender William Gallas wants to quit Stamford Bridge in the summer. (Various)

Real Madrid have made Sven-Goran Eriksson their number one target to become their new manager. (The Sun)

Tottenham manager Martin Jol reckons Aaron Lennon should be picked in England's World Cup squad. (Daily Star)

Harry Redknapp would have quit as manager of Portsmouth if Pompey had been relegated from the Premiership. (The Sun)

To bad about Rooney, I hate to see my favorite player injured... shame about the World Cup.

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (4-28-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 15:33:02 GMT

Read all about it...

Luiz Felipe Scolari wants £5m a year to be the new England manager - double what the FA are offering. (The Sun)

Scolari has agreed to take the England manager's job but only on condition that he can bring his backroom staff - including his nephew. (Daily Mail)

Scolari wants the England job because he believes he can become the first coach to win the World Cup with different countries. (Daily Mirror)

Scolari has agreed a four-year deal but is yet to agree terms. (Daily Express)

Aston Villa manager David O'Leary has been told he must sell players before he can buy to strengthen his squad. (The Sun)

Harry Redknapp wants to stay at Portsmouth next season. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield United are pondering a £2.5m move for QPR centre-half Danny Shittu as they try to bolster their squad for next season's Premiership. (Daily Mail)

Patrick Vieira has had a training ground row with Juventus team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (The Sun)

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley wants to sign West Brom left-back Paul Robinson. (Daily Mirror)

Reading midfielder James Harper has rejected the chance to play for Ghana in the World Cup. (The Sun).

Arsenal's Robert Pires has had talks with Benfica about a possible move to Portugal next season. (Daily Mirror)

Ipswich have put unsettled Spanish full-back Sito on the transfer list. (Daily Star)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (4-24-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:13:16 GMT

So here's the news for today...

Felipe Scolari is the new favourite to become the next England manager and his appointment could be made within the next 48 hours. (Various)

Sol Campbell will be called into Arsenal's defence against Villareal to replace injured Philippe Senderos. (Various)

Newcastle caretaker-boss Glenn Roeder is a real contender for the permanent post but chairman Freddy Shepherd still has Martin O'Neill as his first choice. (Daily Express, Telegraph)

Liverpool third-choice keeper Scott Carson is primed to get a late call-up to the England squad. (Mirror)

Fulham boss Chris Coleman is adamant captain Luis Boa Morte will not leave the club in the summer despite interest from European clubs. (Independent)

Arsene Wenger and Edgar Davids had to be separated in a tunnel bust-up after Saturday's north London derby. (Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph)

Actor Sean Bean and lifelong Sheffield United fan says manager Neil Warnock will shake up the Premiership. (Sun)

Hidetoshi Nakata will not find out until the end of the season if his loan move from Fiorentina will be made permanent. (Various)

The FA are sticking by their decision to pre-select Merseysider Mike Dean to referee the FA Cup final between West Ham and Liverpool. (The Guardian)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Come on The Arsenal! Arsenal's make or break week!

iMosaicmix — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 07:34:21 GMT

vs Tottenham at Highbury Saturday morning on the FoxSoccerChannel.

vs Villareal CF in Villareal, Spain Wednesday morning on ESPN2.
One-Nil to The Aresenal!

Come on The Arsenal!

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Today (4-20-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 15:28:14 GMT

Get ready, there is a ton of news today!

Real Madrid claim they have been offered Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy for next season. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea star Ricardo Carvalho has been offered to Barcelona and Real Madrid this summer. (Daily Mirror)

Former England star David Platt has written off Sven-Goran Eriksson's side's chances of lifting the World Cup in Germany this summer. (Daily Star)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been told he must fork out £8m to land long-term target Aldo Duscher. (The Sun)

Ferguson is also planning to swoop for Villareal's Argentine midfielder Roman Riquelme. (Daily Express)

Chelsea are watching Lecce's under-17 Italy youth international Vittorio Triarico. (The Independent)

Real Madrid are eyeing Fulham pair Luis Boa Morte and Wayne Bridge - on loan from Chelsea. (Daily Telegraph)

Neil Warnock has been accused of telling his Sheffield United players to break Gary Kelly's legs. (The Sun)

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is incensed at Real Madrid's attempt to unsettle Steven Gerrard by claiming he was top of their wish list. (The Sun)

Chelsea and Barcelona are keeping tabs on PSV Eindhoven's Peruvian striker Jefferson Farfan. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa look set to lead the £3m race to sign Wolves defender Joleon Lescott. (Daily Star)

Manchester City could welcome back former striker Paul Dickov from Blackburn Rovers. (The Independent)

El-Hadji Diouf's Bolton future is in doubt after boss Sam Allardyce criticised his attitude. (The Sun)

Sam Allardyce is trying to sign Espanyol defender Alberto Lopo on a free transfer. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has joined the race for Egyptian Ahmed Hassan. (Daily Mirror)

Everton have won the race to sign Oldham wonderkid Scott Spencer. (Daily Star)

Wigan boss Paul Jewell has denied reports of a "verbal agreement" with Pascal Chimbonda allowing him to leave in the summer. (Daily Telegraph)

Former Spurs striker Helder Postiga is in line for a Premiership return with newly promoted Reading. (The Sun)

Reading plan a £1m move for Belgium full-back Olivier Deschacht of Anderlecht. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom boss Bryan Robson says the club's board were at fault for failing to sign Ugo Ehiogu in January. (The Sun)

Everton manager David Moyes is targeting a £4m summer move for Cardiff star Cameron Jerome. (The Sun)

Micky Adams wants to offer Coventry veteran Dennis Wise a new deal. (The Sun)

Crewe boss Dario Gradi fears he will lose star defender Madgid Bougherra. (The Sun)

Derby are targeting French international winger Ibrahim Ba. (The Sun)

Ray Lewington is top contender to take boss David Tuttle's job at relegated Millwall. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle striker Alan Shearer could still face Celtic in his testimonial on 11 May, despite suffering a career-ending injury. (Daily Record)

Mark McGhee will not walk out of relegated Brighton. (Daily Record)

Hearts defender Jose Goncalves is almost certain to miss the remainder of the season because of a hamstring inury. (Daily Record)

Old Firm fans have been warned by MP's not to tarnish the reputation of Scottish football when Celtic face Rangers on Sunday. (Daily Record)

Sven-Goran Eriksson is one of two leading contenders to take over at Real Madrid at the end of the season. (The Times)

Manchester City are keen to re-sign Blackburn striker Paul Dikov. (The Times)

Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov has put in a transfer request after a half-time bust-up with Celtic manager Gordon Strachan during Sunday's draw with Hibernian. (Daily Record, Daily Express)

As Michael Ballack's move to Chelsea draws nearer, defender Ricardo Carvalho has been told he can leave the club if the club receive a suitable offer. (The Times)

Portsmouth co-owner Alexandre Gaydamak is facing a police investigation over his £27m stake in the club. (The Times)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (4-10-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 16:40:33 GMT

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho tells Manchester United that the title race is over. (Sun, Express, Star)

Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren fears fixture congestion could wreck his team's hopes for cup double. (Mirror)

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley admits finding the FA's delay over announcing a new England manager awkward. (Sun)

Wayne Rooney faces rumours of a potential rift with other England players over gambling debts. (Mirror, Star, Mail, Times, Independent)

Charlton defender Luke Young has ruled himself out of the World Cup with serious ankle ligament damage. (Star)

Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson warns Chelsea that the title race is still on. (Express, Sun, Mirror, Star)

Leicester City caretaker manager Rob Kelly is a contender for the Wolves job if Glenn Hoddle leaves. (Times)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez leaves Sunday's match-winning hero Robbie Fowler sweating on a new deal. (Star)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Sunderland coming to the Pacific NW - Summer Tour

Swiss — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:42:21 GMT

Sunderland are due to play in Vancouver BC, Seattle and Portland this coming july. They could very well be a Premiership club again by that time. Should be good games.

posted in English Premier League Football - 9 replies

Where will your team be this time next year ???

Allen — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 14:17:42 GMT

Hard to believe that some teams luck change over the course of twelve months, Hopefully my team are going to do an "everton" and change our luck, Im a Newcastle fan and I hope we can get top 6 next year, people may laugh and say Im stupid but we have been runners up and in the top six a few times before, even with a crap defence - remember albert and peacock ??? Anyways whats everyone elses predictions for their teams???

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Today (4-12-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:47:00 GMT

Read all about it...

Football Association chiefs conducted several secret meetings with candidates for the England job at a stately home in Oxfordshire. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal's Ashley Cole has "told pals" he wants to leave the Gunners at the end of the season. (The Sun)

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has denied talk of a rift with manager Jose Mourinho. (The Daily Telegraph)

Lyon want more than £23m for midfielder Mahamadou Diarra, reportedly a target for Manchester United. (Various)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been warned that there is no room for any future errors in the transfer market. (Daily Express)

Liverpool want to bring Real Madrid star Raul to Anfield. (Daily Mirror)

Paul Scholes is back in training with Man Und after his long-term eye problems. (Daily Mail)

Sam Allardyce has had a second interview for the vacant England job. (The Sun)

Sponsors are threatening to pull out of deals with the FA unless they receive guarantees that David Beckham will stay as England captain. (The Sun)

Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe's position is under renewed threat after he was criticised by another shareholder. (The Guardian)

Tottenham are interested in Borussia Dortmund's Delton Buckley. (Daily Mail)

Leicester could appoint current caretaker boss Robert Kelly as their permanent manager. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa are still interested in signing Wolves centre-back Joleon Lescott. (The Sun, Daily Express)

Charlton's out-of-favour striker Franny Jeffers is a target for Blackburn and Everton. (Daily Star)

Sounds to me like Sir Alex is officially on thin ice...!?

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 3 replies

Today (4-5-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:33:26 GMT

Franck Queudrue is ready to hand in a transfer request at Middlesbrough, saying "I am at a turning point in my career" (Sun).

Gary Neville has hired former FA compliance officer Graham Bean to help him in his appeal over a £5,000 fine for his celebrations in Manchester United's win over Liverpool in January (Telegraph).

The FA is to cut the short-list of contenders for the England job down to four candidates at a meeting on Wednesday (Telegraph).

Bryan Robson says he will not be under pressure to sell players if West Brom are relegated (Express).

Juventus defender Lilian Thuram says they will attack Arsenal "like a hurricane" in their vital Champions League game in Turin (Mail).

Everton's Joseph Yobo, who has 15 months left on his contract, has put new deal talks on hold until the end of the season at the earliest (Mail).

Kenny Dalglish says Liverpool should offer Robbie Fowler a long-term deal (Guardian).

John Gregory is to turn down the chance to become technical director of the Hungarian Football Association (Guardian).

Tottenham are to make a bid of over £10m for Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov in the summer (Independent).

Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric says a new contract for manager Harry Redknapp will be discussed soon (Independent).

Villarreal are to make a £9m move for Aston Villa's Milan Baros before the World Cup (Mirror).

Jermain Defoe insists he is happy to stay at Tottenham despite reported interest from Liverpool (Mirror).

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Today (3-31-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 16:28:43 GMT

So here the news for the day...

Sven Goran Eriksson is set to begin talks with Real Madrid on Saturday about taking over as manager next season. (The Sun)

Reading manager Steve Coppell wants Birmingham defender Matthew Upson to be his first Premiership signing. (The Sun)

Bolton's Stelios Giannakopoulos has been told by manager Sam Allardyce that he will not be going anywhere. (Daily Mirror)

Former Liverpol manager Gerard Houllier has joined the race to take over at Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

Ex-Sunderland striker Niall Quinn is putting together an £80m takeover package to buy his old club. (Daily Express)

Birmingham's Jermaine Pennant has told Steve Bruce he will stay at the club for the remainder of his contract. (Daily Express)

Djibril Cisse fears he will miss out on a place in the French World Cup squad after falling out of favour with Liverpool. (The Times)

Chelsea target Andriy Shevchenko has said he wants to finish his career at AC Milan. (The Sun/Daily Telegraph)

Andy Johnson will leave West Brom this summer, whether or not the Baggies are relegated. (The Sun)

Villareal are keen to sign Arsenal's Robert Pires, who is out of contract this summer. (Daily Mail)

Cheers'
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

What's YOUR team doing...!!!

iMosaicmix — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 08:16:31 GMT

I'm pulling for the Arsenal to surprise Juventus & advance. We could be the darkhorse to win it all.
I'm convinced we will outlast the contenders to end up in 4th place at season end.

The youth of the team & and the January transfers of Eboue and Adebyour have been tremendous. The emergence of Hleb finaly hitting his stride at the same time that the rest of the team seems to be finding identity. I'm convinced Arsenal have turned the corner and again returned to the excellence they aspire too.

What Prem team are you following?

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Today (3-15-06) in the papers....as if anyone cares.

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 16:23:22 GMT

Big news in the papers today!

Chelsea are ready to make an official move for Arsenal's Ashley Cole despite last year's tapping-up row. (The Sun)

Ruud van Nistelrooy is on his way out of Manchester United, with Tottenham, AC Milan and Roma leading the chase. (The Sun)

Alan Curbishley and Stuart Pearce are being lined up by the Football Association as the management team to lead England. (Daily Express)

Barcelona and Mexico defender Rafael Marquez has ruled out a move to Chelsea. (The Independent)

Roy Keane is ready to retire at the end of the season. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea are lining up a £25m move for Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea have put Corinthians and Argentina striker Carlos Tevez at the top of their list of targets. (The Times)

Tottenham are ready to bid £3m for 19-year-old Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri. (The Sun)

Sol Campbell and Robin van Persie will be available for Arsenal when Charlton visit Highbury on Saturday. (The Guardian)

Paul Le Guen jetted into Scotland on Tuesday to begin laying down plans for his revolution at Rangers. (Daily Record)

I'm wondering what is in the future for my beloved ManU...giving up the highest scoring striker in the Premiership doesn't seem like the best move to me!? Rooney is really going to have to step things up!

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 5 replies

Race for Fourth!

iMosaicmix — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:39:23 GMT

Sat. 25 12:15 ET Portsmouth v Arsenal Fratton Park
Tue. 28 13:45 ET Arsenal v Juventus Highbury UEFA Champions League
Sat. 1 Arsenal v Aston Villa Highbury
Wed. 5 14:45 ET Juventus v Arsenal Stadio Delle Alpi UEFA Champions League
Sun. 9 Man Utd v Arsenal Old Trafford
Sat. 15 Arsenal v West Brom Highbury
Mon. 17 Man City v Arsenal City of Manchester Stadium
Sat. 22 Arsenal v Tottenham Highbury
Sat. 29 Sunderland v Arsenal Stadium of Light
Sun. 7 Arsenal v Wigan Highbury

Come on The Arsenal!!!

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (3-13-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 16:51:25 GMT

Steven Gerrard gifts Arsenal all three points.

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley insists he is not the only candidate for the England manager's job. (Daily Express)

Newcastle caretaker boss Glenn Roeder says Wayne Rooney will be the world's best player in a couple of years. (Daily Express)

Sunderland chiefs have called for irate fans to stop hounding chairman Bob Murray and get behind the beleaguered club. (Daily Express)

Aston Villa boss David O'Leary has backed Mark Hughes to guide Blackburn into the Champions League. (Daily Star)

Middlesbrough fans have been warned to be careful for their safety when they travel to Rome for Wednesday's Champions League clash. (Daily Star)

Dwight Yorke says his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson is his friend again after he spent the last few weeks training with Manchester United. (Daily Star)

New Rangers boss Paul Le Guen will stage a clear out of unwanted players at Ibrox. (Daily Star)

Under-fire Birmingham boss Steve Bruce reckons he is getting two hours' sleep a night as he plots the Blues' escape from relegation. (The Sun)

Leicester caretaker boss Rob Kelly is set be handed the job full time. (Daily Star)

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (3-3-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 16:30:30 GMT

Sam Allardyce has hit back at David Beckham's claim that the England boss must have international or Champions League experience. (The Sun, Star)

English football is set for the biggest transfer-scam probe in the history of the game. (The Mirror, Daily Mail)

Stewart Downing is set to return for Middlesbrough on Saturday after shaking off more knee trouble. (The Sun)

Gary Megson says he was forced to quit Nottingham Forest by a bad 'atmosphere' created by frustrated fans. (The Sun)

Manchester United are planning a £6m raid for Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora. (The Mirror)

Barnsley have rejected loan bids from Yeovil and Notts County for striker Daniel Nardiello. (Daily Star)

Marian Pahars has pleaded with Southampton boss George Burley for a new contract following three years of injury problems. (Daily Star)

Shay Given claims Glenn Roeder has transformed Newcastle from relegation to European candidates. (The Sun)

Tottenham have blocked a move from Leeds to sign Calum Davenport on loan. (The Sun)

Ricardo Carvalho has warned Barcelona that Chelsea might take dives in their Champions League game. (Daily Express, Daily Star)

Wigan boss Paul Jewell is set for more talks about his future - but wants assurances about his budget. (Mirror)

Neil Warnock will be offered a job for life at Sheffield United. (Mirror)

Villarreal have sparked a security alert after admitting thousands of Rangers fans have tickets for the wrong end of their ground. (Daily Record)

Tony Mowbray says the Scottish Cup semi will be a home game for Hearts if played at Murrayfield. (Record)

Cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (2-27-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:35:37 GMT

MANU GET SILVERWEAR, ARSENAL LOSE AND LIVERPOOL AND CHELSEA WIN

Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy had "an exchange of words" with manager Sir Alex Ferguson after being left on the bench in the Carling Cup final. (Daily Mirror, The Sun)

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o is considering moving to Chelsea in order to escape from the racism in Spanish football. (The Sun)

England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is pondering whether to experiment with a Peter Crouch and Wayne Rooney combination up front in Wednesday's friendly against Uruguay. (Daily Express)

Former QPR boss Ian Holloway has accepted a deal from the club where he will stay on the payroll for the remainder of his contract. (Daily Mail)

Andy Gray, the former Spurs and Crystal Palace midfielder, will decide whether to take up an offer to coach Sierra Leone. (Daily Mail)

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Carling Cup

iMosaicmix — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 07:19:49 GMT

Anyone in the Berkeley area know if Kip's is going to have this? Might have to give them a call...

Anyone think Wigan can pull the shocker trophy grab?
I predict 2-0 ManU with Rooney & Van Nistelroy on the mark.

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Today (2-24-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:09:42 GMT

Read alla bout it...

Real Madrid have secured a "firm agreement" to sign Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole. (Daily Express, Daily Star)

Martin O'Neill has turned down the chance to manage Newcastle, preferring to stay in the running for the England job. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea will get rid of Assier del Horno at the end of the season, with Real Madrid interested in him as a replacement for Roberto Carlos. (Daily Mail).

Terje Hauge, the referee who sent off Del Horno against Barcelona, has received death threats. (The Sun, The Guardian)

The Blues will appeal against the red card Del Horno received against Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid are lining up a £15m move for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan boss Paul Jewell is a surprise contender for the vacant Newcastle manager job. (Daily Mirror)

Hull boss Peter Taylor says he would jump at the chance of managing England. (The Times)

So, any matches you are looking forward to watching this weekend?

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Madrid V Arsenal

stuartscanlon — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:29:41 GMT

Anyone see this yesterday?

Seems to me that in the prem most teams have gotten the knack of clogging the midfield and not letting a team settle on the ball. This disrupts Arsenal's passing game. Madrid did not use those type of tactics and as a result Arsenal ran rough shod over them in the midfield. Ljungberg did really well in the first half as a central playmaking midfielder.

thoughts?

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Carling Cup

stuartscanlon — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 21:14:23 GMT

any brave predictions?

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

HELL OF A DEAL!

JamaicanSteve — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 18:02:09 GMT

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This is such a great deal! and Nick in Steven of World Soccer Daily/Fox Football Friday are standing behind. If I hadn't used up my vacation time already I'd be there in a New York second! I'm for sure going to take advantage of this next year if it is still being offered.

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Today (2-20-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:33:56 GMT

Thierry Henry has been house-hunting in Barcelona - sparking further fears he is on his way out of Arsenal in the summer. (Star)

Sven-Goran Eriksson has assured troubled Sol Campbell he will be part of England's World Cup squad this summer. (Sun)

The worst-kept secret in sport will finally be revealed this week when the Football Association confirm that the new Wembley will not be ready for this year's FA Cup final. (Mail)

Wigan boss Paul Jewell wants to charm Sweden striker Johan Elmander - by sending a scout to watch his every game. (Mirror)

Mark Hughes is ready to veto Sheffield United's bid to land Blackburn forgotten man Dominic Matteo. (Star)

David Platt wants a return to management after applying for the vacant job at Walsall. (Sun)

Paul Merson, sacked as Walsall manager earlier this month, could make a shock return to the club as a player. (Mail)

FA chief executive Brian Barwick will sit down with his Soho Square colleagues on Thursday and try to persuade them that Martin O'Neill should be the next England boss. (Mirror)

Lomana LuaLua has pleaded with Portsmouth's new millionaire co-owner Alexandre Gaydamak to hand him a new deal. (Various)

Celtic keeper Artur Boruc had to apologise to his team-mates after criticising them in a fans' forum. (Daily Record)

Villarreal are worried Rangers' long-ball game could end their Champions League hopes. (Daily Record)

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Carling Cup...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 20:50:55 GMT

...final is coming up between Wigan and Manchester United. Looks like it is going to be televised and not be pay-per-view!

The final is on Sunday the 26th of February!

So who are all of you pulling for...or do you even care for that matter!? I personally will be pulling for Manchester of course...

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Today (2-10-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 18:15:25 GMT

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney insists England will win the World Cup this summer. (The Sun, Daily Mirror)

Former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill is almost certain to be offered the England manager's post. (Various)

Martin O'Neill once promised he would never manage Newcastle as he is a lifelong Sunderland fan. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric has hinted he will step down from the job in the summer. (Daily Express)

Former Aston Villa manager John Gregory has been lined up as the new boss of Queens Park Rangers. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool's Harry Kewell says the team should "hang their heads in shame" after the loss to Charlton. (Various)

Leicester will again try to appoint Ian Holloway, who was suspended by QPR this week, as their new manager after Mike Newell turned them down. (Daily Mail)

Sol Campbell's ankle injury means he will miss Arsenal's Champions League clash with Real Madrid. (Various)

Newcastle striker Michael Owen is planning to return to first-team action before the end of March. (The Times)

Everton will be relying on third-choice keeper Iain Turner for some time yet as Richard Wright and Nigel Martyn will be out for two weeks. (Daily Telegraph)

Scotland face a Uefa lottery to decide their Euro 2008 qualifying fixtures after six hours of negotiations ended in stalemate. (Daily Record)

Paul Le Guen is the man Rangers want as Alex McLeish's successor, with Charlton's Alan Curbishley second choice. (Record)

I think Mr. Rooney might be getting a little ahead of himself...don't get me wrong, I'll be pulling for England, but they have some serious competition...

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 2 replies

Newcastle dismiss manager Souness

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 16:55:00 GMT

Newcastle boss Graeme Souness has been sacked, with Glenn Roeder installed as caretaker manager and Alan Shearer given the role of his assistant.

Souness, 52, took charge of Newcastle in September 2004 after Sir Bobby Robson was sacked.

Souness expressed his disappointment at being forced out. "I'm saddened at the way things have worked out," he said.

"I have enjoyed living and working in Newcastle, and my family and I have been made to feel particularly welcome by the Geordies.

"I wish the club, the players and the supporters good fortune and success going forward," added the Scot who left St James' Park at 1420 GMT after spending the morning at the club.

Meanwhile, assistant boss Dean Saunders has been suspended on full pay ahead of a meeting with the club to iron out a settlement.

Souness' 16-month tenure at the Magpies helm was a rollercoaster ride.

With only 36 victories in his 83 matches, the pressure was almost always on him - and the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City on Wednesday proved the final straw.

Magpies fans protested at the match by displaying a 'Souness Out' banner during their side's woeful display at Eastlands.

Yet despite not having the backing of the fans and with his side languishing in 15th place in the Premiership, Souness vowed to stay on.

He insisted: "I am not a quitter and will not quit."

For much of his reign, Souness was hampered by injuries to key personnel - but he also spent over £47m on players.

The biggest arrival was that of England striker Michael Owen for £17m last summer, but he soon became another player on the club's treatment table.

It will now - at least in the immediate future - be up to Roeder, promoted from his position as Academy coach, to try and revive the struggling Tyneside giants.

He will be helped by Magpies' skipper Shearer, who is playing his last season before retiring.

Former England striker Shearer has made no secret of his desire to one day take over as Newcastle boss.

I'd like to hear what you Newcastle fans have to say about this news...

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Today (2-1-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 16:28:41 GMT

A whole lot of shaking going on...

Sven-Goran Eriksson has apparently revealed to diners at an event in Stockholm that his successor as England coach will be Guus Hiddink. (The Sun)

Lee Bowyer's wage demands ended the possibility of a move back to his former club Charlton. (Mirror)

Spurs succeeded in landing Murphy but failed in a late bid to land Portsmouth's left-back Matt Taylor as back-up for Lee Young-Pyo. (Mirror)

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is a target for Real Madrid. (Mirror)

Tottenham rejected late moves in the January transfer window from Liverpool and Manchester United for England striker Jermain Defoe. (Daily Express)

Liverpool were believed to want to do a straight swap with Djibril Cisse while United were prepared to offer Louis Saha and £2m for Defoe.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged striker Thierry Henry to sign a new deal with the club now, rather than wait to see how the season ends. (various)

Derby County want Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood to take over at Pride Park. (Daily Record)

Middlesbrough failed in a late bid for Ivory Coast international defender Abdoulaye Meite. (various)

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 1 reply

Liverpool draw Man Utd in FA Cup...!

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:41:28 GMT

Liverpool were handed a home tie against Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The two rivals, who have won the trophy 17 times between them, were paired together in the draw for the final 16.

League One sides Brentford and Colchester were both rewarded with Premiership ties.

Brentford will make the short trip to Charlton, while Colchester face an away tie at the winners of the Everton and Chelsea replay.

Colchester boss Phil Parkinson, whose side beat Derby in the fourth round, said he was delighted with the draw.

"I'm very pleased. I think everyone at the club deserves it. It's fantastic news and we're absolutely delighted," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"The place is already buzzing after the season we're having.

"That will pay the wage bill for the whole of the season - it means a lot to a club like us."

Brentford chairman Greg Dyke feels his side will have a chance of following their win over Sunderland with another Premiership scalp.

"I'd rather have been away at Old Trafford but it's a good draw - we could even win that," he said.

"We'll get a lot of our fans there so it should be a good game.

"It's worth a lot of money, given that we're in a lot of debt it's a good draw for us."

Bolton, who knocked out holders Arsenal at the weekend, face an all-Premiership tie at home to West Ham.

Aston Villa and Manchester City face each other at Villa Park in the only other tie featuring two top-flight clubs.

Under-fire Newcastle boss Graeme Souness is handed a home game against his former club Southampton.

Looks like things are starting to get interesting! I can't wait to watch the ManU vs. Liverpool match!

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 7 replies

Here's what the papers say...(1-27-06)

JamaicanSteve — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 16:42:12 GMT

FA chief Brian Barwick is not ruling out the possibility of appointing an Englishman as the next manager of England. (Daily Star)

Australian FFA chief Frank Lowy says he will triple Guus Hiddink's pay to stop him becoming Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor. (The Sun, The Guardian)

Newcastle are lining up Sven-Goran Eriksson as Graeme Souness' replacement at St James's Park. (Daily Express)

A survey by The Independent found two-thirds of England players want the next England boss to be English.

Liverpool keeper Scott Carson could be on his way out of the club. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United are searching Europe for an experienced midfielder with Johann Vogel and Thomas Gravesen top of the list. (The Times)

Barnsley goalkeeper Scott Flinders is poised to join Premiership champions Chelsea for £1m. (Daily Star)

Wayne Rooney acted as peacemaker in the tunnel row during Manchester United's Carling Cup victory over Blackburn. (Daily Mail, The Sun)

Scottish Premier League strugglers Dunfermline could make four new signings between now and next Tuesday. (Daily Record)

Steve Coppell is set to be handed a pay rise and new two-year contract at Reading. (Daily Star)

West Brom's senior players fear the club are budgeting for the Championship after boss Bryan Robson was told to cut his squad. (Daily Mail)

Sir Clive Woodward could be axed from his post as Southampton director of football if a consortium succeed in taking over the club. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth have had their £4.1m bid for Porto striker Benni McCarthy rejected but have been told to raise their offer to £6.1m. (The Independent)

Cardiff will turn down Norwich's £2m bid for teenage striker Cameron Jerome but the Canaries are targeting Colchester's Greg Halford. (The Sun)

Rangers youngster Jukka Santala is being tracked by Danish side FC Nordsjaelland. (Daily Record)

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 4 replies

Today (1-23-06) in the papers...

JamaicanSteve — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:50:03 GMT

United win and Chelsea lose their 100% home record!

Newcastle are set to sack boss Graeme Souness and install Bolton's Sam Allardyce in his place. (Daily Mirror)

Everton may hijack Manchester City's bid to sign Greek international striker Georgios Samaras from Dutch side Heerenveen. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United chief executive David Gill says Sir Alex Ferguson will remain as boss for "many years". (The Sun)

Sven-Goran Eriksson will be sacked as England manager after this year's World Cup in Germany. (Various)

AC Milan have asked Uefa to investigate claims that Marseille players received injections before the 1993 Champions League final. (Daily Telegraph)

It is always interesting to see what is in the papers...a few months ago there was a lot of talk in regard to whether Sir Alex would be around after this year, but it was reported today in the Sun that he will be aound for some time still, keeping in mind however that this is the Sun we are talking about so who really knows...

Anyone catch the ManU/Liverpool match this weekend?

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 10 replies

Neville charged over goal salute...

JamaicanSteve — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 16:23:50 GMT

Manchester United defender Gary Neville has been charged by the Football Association with improper conduct.
The charge relates to his celebrations following Rio Ferdinand's last-gasp winner in the 1-0 win against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The FA's action, based on referee Mike Riley's report, comes after Greater Manchester Police expressed concerns over Neville's behaviour.

Refereee Riley failed to see the incident but offered his verdict on Neville's actions after reviewing video footage.

Neville was seen to grab his shirt and gesticulate wildly towards Liverpool fans after Ferdinand's late winner.

The England defender was initially unapologetic about his behaviour.

He said: "I would have been apologetic if I had run up to one of their players and tried to belittle them, but this was a celebration.

"You are caught up in the moment and for a few seconds you go bananas.

"I laughed when I heard someone say it was not the behaviour of a 30-year-old because they are probably the same people who have accused us of lacking passion in recent games."

As the case is not on the FA's new fast-track disciplinary process, Neville may escape with just a heavy fine.

Anyone have any thoughts on this type of thing? I can certainly understand whereNeville is coming from in regard to going bananas about such a goal...

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies

Cole to pay fine...

JamaicanSteve — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:36:50 GMT

Cole fails in 'tapping-up' appeal

Ashley Cole has failed in his bid to get the Court of Arbitration (CAS) to judge his appeal against a £75,000 fine for breaking Premier League rules.

The Arsenal defender, 25, was issued the fine after discussing a possible move to Chelsea while under contract.

But a CAS statement said the Premier League's regulations "do not contain any reference to a right of appeal to the CAS.

"As this decision terminates the arbitration procedure, it will stand."

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho also was fined £75,000 in the dispute and the club £300,000 pounds by the Premier League in August of which neither appealed.

Cole's lawyer had questioned last year why footballers could not speak to prospective future employers.

cheers~
Jamaican Steve

posted in English Premier League Football - 0 replies