Spurs report Liverpool & Man Utd for poaching

Tottenham have complained to the Premier League over Manchester United and Liverpool's pursuit of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.

Sir Alex Ferguson's comments that he expects a deal to go through for Berbatov have infuriated Spurs as has Rafael Benitez's interest in Keane with the Spurs chairman Daniel Levy singled out United boss Ferguson for criticism.

"It is unbelievably hypocritical given his comments in respect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid," Levy said.

"The behaviour of both clubs has been disgraceful. We told both clubs very early on that we had no interest in selling Robbie or Dimitar, respectively, and that they should refrain from pursuing the player.

I have absolutely no wish to sell either player and to date we have not accepted any offer for either"

"Both clubs arrogantly chose to ignore this request and we now have evidence that both clubs have systematically been working to prise the players away from us, outside of Premier League rules of conduct."

Ferguson announced on Friday that United had made Tottenham an offer for 27-year-old Berbatov and that he was confident that the deal would go through. Benitez admitted earlier this month that he was interested in bringing Keane, 28, to Anfield this summer.

But it was Ferguson's comments that prompted Levy to speak out about the attempts to unsettle his strikers.

"Today's public comments by Manchester United's manager, announcing that he has made an offer for Dimitar and is confident that the deal will go through with time working in their favour, is a blatant example of sheer arrogance and interference with one of our players.

"It is also probably one of the worst offences by any manager in the Premier League to date. As a result, we have today made an official complaint to the Premier League about the conduct of Manchester United."

Stumble It!

Man United have Spurs' Berbatov in their sights

Manchester United are prepared to play a waiting game in the pursuit of want-away Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov.

United leave for their pre-season tour of South Africa on Thursday but are not going to be rushed into paying silly money for the 27-year-old.

It is understood United have made a bid for the Bulgarian striker worth £20million plus add-ons and given Berbatov's barely-disguised desire to move to Old Trafford and Champions League football, United are hopeful an agreement will be reached at some stage.

United have previous experience of protracted transfer dealings with Tottenham when Michael Carrick moved to Manchester in 2006.

That saga lasted several weeks and that situation could be repeated given Spurs have valued Berbatov at £28million and United are adamant they will not pay anything like that sum for the striker.

Berbatov's arrival would be likely to lead to the departure of Louis Saha - the Frenchman could even travel the other way if Tottenham are interested.

Stumble It!

Cristiano Ronaldo needs 12 weeks to recover

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing at least three months on the sidelines, according to Antonio Gaspar the Portuguese national team physiotherapist.

The Manchester United wide man has had a difficult summer, failing to deliver at Euro2008 and then toying with Spanish suitors Real Madrid and his Old Trafford employers.

Ronaldo underwent surgery on his right ankle last Monday and the Portugal physiotherapist Antonio Gaspar has confirmed the playmaker will not return to action before October.

"We are going to use everything that is possible to us and that will help him recover as quickly as possible," Gaspar told Spanish sports daily AS. "But Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in an optimum state for the competition until 12 weeks are up"

Stumble It!

Friday's Transfer Rumours

Even the transfer gossip is coming up a bit short today - although the London papers have plenty of general speculation re-hashed as a new story.

Adebayor going to Milan is being touted as an almost done deal - with AC Milan midfielder Yoann Gourcuff is being used as part of the "bait" to finance the estimated £30m cost of Adebayor.
(Source = Daily Express)

So the Sun reckons that Arsene Wenger wants to sign Ajax and Holland striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar to replace the departing African.
(Source = The Sun)

Down the road a bit ...

Frank Lampard has left Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich stunned by rejecting a £140,000-a-week deal over four years - although that works out as £29.2m in wagers Lampard says it's not enough - he needs 5 years to secure his future.
(Source = Daily Star)

So Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has stirred things up by claiming Lamps is "the best professional" he has worked with as he tries to lure the midfielder to Inter Milan.

The Stamford Bridge club are considering making bids for Real Madrid forward Robinho and Valencia striker David Villa reports "The Independant" - which frankly sound like a rehash of our blog entry yesterday.
(Source = Independent)

Stumble It!

Queiroz takes Portugal coach position

Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as the new coach of Portugal's national side.

The 55-year-old, who had a previous spell in charge of Portugal in the 1990s, has signed a four-year contract to succeed Luiz Felipe Scolari.

FPF president Gilbert Madail said that Queiroz was his first choice for the post after Scolari departed for Chelsea at the end of Euro 2008 after five-and-a-half years in charge.

Queiroz has also previously managed Real Madrid, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

He has had two spells with United, first coming to Old Trafford in the summer of 2002.

He then spent an unsuccessful year in charge of Madrid before rejoining United on a one-year rolling contract in 2004.

"I'm very proud and honoured to go back to serve my country" said Queiroz.

His decision leaves United boss Sir Alex Ferguson without an assistant with just five weeks to go before the start of the new Premier League season.

Former United stars Mike Phelan and Brian McClair are already on the coaching staff at Old Trafford, as is Dutchman Rene Meulensteen, and they could take on extra responsibility in the short-term.

Stumble It!

Premier League Transfer gossip

Warning most of this is pure bollocks!

As the summer grinds on - and very little major transfer action actually is happening - I thought that I would start a daily thread of the various rumours - with their sources.

The cynical webmasters amongst you might think that i'm just trying to up the hits on this blog ... and you might be right !!
:-)

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has boasted to Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal that Cristiano Ronaldo has already signed for the Spanish club.
(Source = just about every newspaper)

Frank Lampard looks to be on his way out of Chelsea as owner Roman Abramovich has refused to sanction the new five-year deal the midfielder is demanding.
(Source = The Sun)

AC Milan claim Arsenal have written a letter to them offering to sell Emmanuel Adebayor, but don't want to pay the £35m fee that the Gunners want for the striker.
(Source = The Sun again !)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has set Gareth Barry's price at £17m plus defender Steve Finnan. Wow!
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is trying to do a cut-price £6m deal for Real Zaragoza's Argentine forward Pablo Aimar.
(Source = Daily Mirror)

Everton are tracking Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito as David Moyes considers potential replacements for unsettled striker Andy Johnson who might move to Wigan. (Source = several)

Stumble It!

Liverpool ready to sell Peter Crouch to Portsmouth

Peter Crouch looks likely to make a switch from Liverpool to Portsmouth in a deal that could be worth up to £11m.

The two clubs reached an agreement over the weekend and Liverpool confirmed on Monday they had given the 27-year-old permission to talk.

"We have reached a verbal agreement with Portsmouth and have given them permission to speak with Peter," a Liverpool statement said.

Liverpool are expected to initially receive in the region of £9m for Crouch, who joined the club from Southampton in July 2005 but only started nine Premier League games last term.

Anfield boss Rafael Benitez initially said he would consider offers for Crouch in the region of £15m but has been forced to scale back his demands for a player with only a year left on his current contract.

Crouch has scored 40 goals in 135 appearances for Liverpool but has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place in recent times.

Stumble It!

Manchester City buy Jo

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Brazilian striker Jo from CSKA Moscow.

At 6ft 3in tall is he the Brazilian answer to Peter Crouch?

His full name is Joao Alves de Assis Silva and the 21-year-old is the first signing by City boss Mark Hughes since his arrival at Eastlands.

Jo helped CSKA win four trophies during a three-year spell in Russia has signed a four-year deal scoring 44 goals in 77 games for CSKA Moscow.

Stumble It!

Gareth Barry moves to Liverpool - once Reds pay up

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill says Gareth Barry's transfer to Liverpool will remain deadlocked unless the Reds meet the Midlands club's asking price.

Aston Villa have rejected a bid of around £15m for the 27-year-old midfielder and their asking price is thought to be between £18m to £20m

O'Neill told the club website: "We put a valuation on him and Liverpool value him differently at the moment. That's what the stalemate is, nothing else. When somebody says they want to leave there's not much you can do. If they meet our valuation he will go."

He added: "Gareth has pointed out he wants to go and has made his position clear, that has been the case since the beginning of June, when he said he wanted to join Liverpool."

Earlier this week Villa captain Barry was disciplined and ordered not to report for pre-season training for giving an unauthorised interview to a newspaper in which he criticised O'Neill.

In the interview Barry said "There's no going back, it's time for me to move on," and "I'm desperate to play Champions League football and that's why I have to leave Villa."

Stumble It!

Deco moves to Chelsea in £8m deal

Luiz Felipe Scolari begins life as Chelsea's manager with the signing of the Barcelona midfielder Deco on a two-year contract.

The Chelsea yesterday completed the purchase of the 30-year-old playmaker who has followed his Portugal manager to west London in an £8m deal which may have an effect on Frank Lampard's future at Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League club had been unsure whether Deco, who was below par in a Barcelona side well adrift of Real Madrid last season, represented value for money but Scolari was obviously persuaded by Deco's good form at Euro 2008.

The midfielder was a key member of Scolari's squad in Austria and Switzerland as Portugal reached the quarter-finals and has long been viewed as the coach's on-pitch lieutenant.

But what now for Frank Lampard? The England midfielder is currently on holiday in Italy but with only a year to run on his contract he has been courted by Chelsea's former manager, Jose Mourinho, who is now at Internazionale.

Deco's arrival appears to threaten Lampard's place in the team.

Stumble It!

Rugby : All Blacks Thrash England Again

New Zealand piled on the misery as England's tour to forget ended with a 44-12 comprehensive defeat in Christchurch.

The All Blacks led 20-0 at half-time in Christchurch through tries from Richard Kahui and Dan Carter, who added two penalties and two conversions.

England finally got on the board when Danny Care crossed for a converted try after he took a quick tap penalty.

But Ma'a Nonu, Sione Lauakiadded further converted tries for the All Blacks, with Tom Varndell's score little consolation for England.

New Zealand ended the match on the front foot and although they had tries from Sivivatu and Thomson chalked off for infringements they did add a fifth converted try through replacement scrum-half Cowan on the final hooter.

New Zealand 44-12 England
----------------------------------------------------------------------
New Zealand (20) 44
Tries: Kahui, Carter, Nonu, Lauaki, Cowan
Cons: Carter 4, Donald
Pens: Carter 3

England (0) 12
Tries: Care, Varndell
Cons: Barkley

Stumble It!

Paul Ince set for Blackburn Rovers managers job

Paul Ince looks set to be installed as Blackburn's next manager after the Premier League gave the green light for his appointment.

The Premier League board ratified the appointment on the basis that the 40-year-old gains his UEFA Pro Licence within the next two years.

The decision removes the last remaining obstacle in the way of Blackburn offering the job to the current MK Dons manager, who is viewed as one of the most promising young English managers in the game.

The decision was made that much easier by the League Managers' Association (LMA) saying they would have no objections were he to be offered the job.

Young English managers are in such short supply in the top flight of English football that LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said the organisation would actively support Ince were he to be appointed.

Stumble It!

Scolari is the new Chelsea boss

Chelsea have confirmed Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new manager.

The Brazilian was one of the favourites to succeed Avram Grant in the Stamford Bridge hotseat but the timing of his appointment has come as a surprise.

Scolari is currently managing Portugal at Euro 2008 and was not expected to make a decision about his future until after the tournament.

A statement from Stamford Bridge read:

"Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm that Luiz Felipe Scolari will be the club's new manager from July 1, 2008.

Out of respect for his current role as Head Coach of the Portuguese national team, and to ensure minimum disruption to this work, there will be no further comment from Chelsea FC nor from Felipe about his new role until his employment with us commences."

Despite a number of big-name managers being linked with the job following Avram Grant's sacking last month, it is understood Scolari was always Chelsea's number one choice and nobody else was offered the position.

He is likely to be unveiled during the first week of July, at which time the details of his contract will also be revealed although figures of £6.25m per annum are being floated.

Before becoming an international manager, he enjoyed success at club level in Brazil, winning South America's equivalent of the Champions League - the Copa Libertadores - with two different clubs.

The 59-year-old has no experience of managing at club level in Europe.

Stumble It!

Chelsea job betting has Spalletti as new favourite

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has emerged as the new favourite to take over at Chelsea - according to leading UK betting site Bet365.

The announcement that Carlo Ancellotti will be staying in Milan has upset the market and punters are running out of high profile names to turn to.

Spalletti is now the 3/1 (4.00) favourite with Bet365 whose spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Roman Abramovich has apparently had a couple of knockbacks in finding a replacement for Avram Grant in the Chelsea hot-seat and some punters think he'll be turning to Spalletti next."

Personally, I think that he looks a bit like a Gianluca Vialli clone (without the beard) and I wonder if he has the sort of managerial pedigree that the Russian money-man is looking for ...

I'll keep my coin in my pocket over this one.

Stumble It!

Captain Beckham to lead England

David Beckham has been named England captain for Sunday's friendly against Trinidad and Tobago.

Beckham has been rewarded with the armband by manager Fabio Capello following his recent return to form and fitness.

The LA Galaxy midfielder set up John Terry's goal in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the United States on Wednesday - his 101st England appearance - and becomes Capello's fourth captain in as many matches after Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry.

"People will always question whether I can still play at this level but I want to carry on. I am not ready to stop playing for my country," said Beckham.

"I have a few more wrinkles now but I still feel I can do what I did 10 years ago. I was happy with my performance against France in March, my first game under Fabio Capello, and it was the same against the United States the other night. I was happy to set up the opening goal."

Stumble It!

Premier League Wages and Profits

The Premier League is generating more money than ever but only eight clubs are actually turning a profit says a Deloitte study of the 2006-07 season.

In 2006-07 Premier League clubs' salaries rose 13% - slightly ahead of a median 11% rise in revenue - and the situation is worse in the Championship as average wage increases of 14% outstripped median revenue growth of 3%.

There are startling disparities between the important wages-to-turnover ratios at clubs in England's top two divisions.

The average Premier League figure stood at 63% and the Championship level at 79% but there was a lot of variance. Tottenham had the lowest wages/turnover ratio or just 42%, followed by ManYoo (44%), Arsenal (50%) and then the two Sheffield clubs.

Liverpool stood at 58% and Chelsea was a high 70% - but then with a Russian sugar-daddy normal financial metrics mean little to the Blues at present.


There were high figures figures of 80% and 85% at Middlesbrough and Blackburn respectively. Alarmingly, Sunderland's ratio was 90% and Derby's 125%. But the latter two probably reflect the payment of performance-related bonuses to players for winning promotion.

Overall, only eight Premier League clubs showed operating profits, namely Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, Reading, Sheffield United and Watford.

If your club isn't on this list then they're spending beyond their earnings - and any downturn in fotoball revenues could hit home hard ...

Stumble It!

Mancini leaves Inter Milan - Mourinho to take over?

The agent of Roberto Mancini has indicated that his client is no longer the coach of Serie A outfit Internazionale, although an official announcement has yet to be made by the Italian champions.

Mancini looks to be on his way out of the club less than a fortnight after delivering the club's third consecutive Serie A title.

The 43-year-old's agent, Giorgio De Giorgis, indicated in an interview with Sportitalia television on Tuesday night that Mancini has left the club following a 25-minute meeting with Inter president Massimo Moratti earlier in the day.

The agent told Sportitalia television: "Roberto never expected it to end like this. Roberto is very disappointed also because he has not yet finished his job - he wanted to try and win even more league titles, and maybe even the Champions League."

Mancini has endured a turbulent season at the San Siro, tendering his resignation in the immediate aftermath of the club's Champions League elimination by Liverpool in March only to be talked into a rethink by Moratti.

De Giorgis also suggested that former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been lined up as Mancini's replacement.

Reports in Italy suggest Mourinho arrived in Milan on Tuesday evening and may be presented as the club's new coach as early as Wednesday while Mancini has been linked with the Chelsea vacancy at Stamford Bridge.

Stumble It!

Hull City just 3/10 to be relegated from Premier League

HULL CITY JUST 1.30 FOR THE DROP

Yes - Hull City won promotion to the Premier League via the playoff system with a 1-0 victory over Bristol City - hurrah!

But just two days later the reality of the situation has come home to roost with UK bookmaker Bet365 making the Tigers hot favourites to go straight back down.

Hull City are priced at 3/10 with bet365 to go straight back down - or if you're a loyal fan you can back the Tigers at 12/5 (3.40) to survive for a season (also at Bet365)

Spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Phil Brown will now have a lot more money for players at his disposal, but he'll have to spend it wisely to have any chance of surviving in the Premiership."

Stumble It!

Frank Rijkaard favourite to land Chelsea job at bet365

Frank Rijkaard is the early favourite at bet365 to become the new Chelsea boss after Avram Grant was sacked by owner Roman Abramovich.

After months and months of speculation, Chelsea announced that they had terminated Grant's contract - and Rijkaard, who recently left Barcelona, is now the 15/8 favourite to fill the hot seat.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth "The inevitable has happened and all the odds on quotes about Avram Grant going were spot on. Rijkaard has been linked with the jobs for months and he's currently top of our list at 15/8."

Roberto Mancini, who recently guided Inter Milan to the Serie A title is next in bet365's market at 3/1, while Guus Hiddink has drifted to 5/1 from an initial 7/2.

Sven-Goran Eriksson, who held talks with Chelsea when he was England boss, is 5/1 despite still being in place at Manchester City.

You can get 14/1 about a return for Jose Mourinho, who left Stamford Bridge less than a season ago back in September which is the same price as another Chelsea favourite, former striker Gianfranco Zola.

Stumble It!

Aussie Keeper prefers Fulham over Bayern Munich or Juventus?

Australian Mark Schwarzer has rejected offers from Bayern Munich and Juventus ... to join Fulham ?

WTF? Are we in the twilight zone? I have nothing more to say on this ...

Stumble It!

Man City into Uefa Cup via "fair play".

Manchester City will play in next season's Uefa Cup after claiming a place via the Premier League's fair play table.

England were awarded an extra place in the tournament after the Premier League came top of Uefa's fair play rankings - which also includes a component for "positive play".

Sven-Goran Eriksson's Manchester City side actually finished sixth in the Premier League fair play table, but all the sides above them had already qualified for Europe.

City will now be placed in the the Uefa Cup first qualifying round stage which starts in July.

Manager Sven Eriksson has been quoted on the clubs website as saying "It's like the dream came true - our dream to play in Europe has been strong all season. It's a confirmation that we are a good team, but also a team that behaves well on the pitch."

"It's a step in the right direction because the target for this club in the future is to play in the Champions League, and the Uefa Cup is a very good school to learn about European football."

City, who finished in ninth place in the league table, qualified for the Uefa Cup on the same basis in 2003.

The fair play system awards points based on criteria including respect for opponents and the referee, positive play as well as the number of yellow and red cards received.

City will not be able to host the first qualifying round tie at Eastlands as the pitch is due to be relaid once a Bon Jovi concert has taken place on 22 June.

Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium, which usually plays host to rugby league in the summer, has been mentioned as a possible alternative.

The draw for the first qualifying round will be made on 30 June, with City placed in the Northern section.

Stumble It!

Fulham's great escape from relegation

Fulham kept their Premier League status on goal difference after they claimed a 1-0 win over FA Cup finalists Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

A header from Danny Murphy from a Jimmy Bullard free-kick in the 76th minute was enough to give them victory over Harry Redknapp's side.

Reading finished their campaign with a 4-0 win over Derby at Pride Park but thanks to Murphy it was not enough and they will join the Rams in the Championship next season.

James Harper opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle and Leroy Lita also scored for the Royals but it wasn't enough with Reading finishing 3 goals short of safety.

Birmingham City were also relegated despite a 4-1 home win over Blackburn.

Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel fumbled David Murphy's 31st-minute strike from 30 yards out which gave Birmingham the lead.

Morten Gamst Pedersen equalised three minutes after the break before Cameron Jerome scored twice and thenan injury-time header from Fabrice Muamba earned a big win - on a sad day for the Blues.

Stumble It!

EPL : Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal

With little at stake for either side other than pride, both sets of fans arrived for a relaxed end of season afternoon, and that atmosphere was reflected on the pitch.

Theo Walcott handed Arsene Wenger a winning finish to the season with the only goal at Sunderland.

The England Under-21 international fired home from Gilberto's 24th-minute pass to claim the points as the Black Cats fought them all the way to the whistle.

In truth, had the Gunners been more clinical in front of goal, with Emmanuel Adebayor and Gilberto both passing up good opportunities, they might have won more comfortably.

However, they were not (as usual this season) and the Wearsiders kept them at full-stretch to the end with Roy O'Donovan going close and Michael Chopra seeing appeals for a late penalty waved away.

In the event, one goal was enough for Arsenal to cement their position in third place as Roy Keane's men ended a tough campaign with a home defeat, but a spirited display which was warmly applauded by a sell-out crowd of 47,802.

VIDEO LINK :
Sunderland 0 - 1 Arsenal
24 [0 - 1] T. Walcott

(Theo Walcott's goal only - sorry)

Stumble It!

EPL : Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool

Andriy Voronin opened the scoring at White Hart Lane as Liverpool ended their season on a high, while Spurs season fizzled to the disappointing conclusion as it has done since winning the Carling Cup.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres wrapped up victory at Tottenham with his 24th goal of the season better Ruud van Nistelrooy's first season total when he arrived at Manchester United.

Both managers will want to improve their respective teams league performances with Ramos wanting to gatecrash the top four with Spurs, while Benitez wants a title challenge rather than playing in end-of-season sideshows when the main events of the day are elsewhere.

Liverpool side finish the season on the 4th place while the Spurs can be found in mid-table in 11th place.

VIDEO LINK :
Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 2 Liverpool
69 [0 - 1] A. Voronin
74 [0 - 2] F. Torres

Stumble It!

EPL : Middlesbrough 8-1 Man City - so long Sven !

Sven-Goran Eriksson's anticipated final match in charge of Manchester City ended in humiliating fashion as his 10-man side lost 8-1 at Middlesbrough.

The former England boss has guided the club to ninth in the Barclays Premier League and a likely place in the UEFA Cup via the Fair Play League but that does not appear enough to save his job.

Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra has expressed his disappointment with the final outcome of Eriksson's 10 months in charge and the former Thai Prime Minister is fully expected to dispense with the Swede's services sooner rather than later.

That is much to the disgust of City's supporters, who chanted their support for the Swede throughout the match.

The hosts took the lead in the 16th minute when Tuncay raced on to a long ball and, as he entered the penalty area, he accidentally caught Dunne's leg as the defender tried to get back. The City captain was harshly dismissed by referee Phil Dowd and Stewart Downing clinically dispatched the penalty.

Later on in the first half Rochemback went forward, and he picked out compatriot Afonso Alves who slotted home left-footed in the 37th minute.

Downing scored again in the 57th minute when, after Boateng's right-wing cross was knocked on, he smashed a superb volley with the outside of his left foot inside the far post to end the match as a contest.

Two minutes later, Afonso Alves made it 4-0 when he raced on to Arca's through-ball to stab past Isaksson. Chris Riggott then had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside as Boro threatened to run riot.

City's luck was obviously not in as, in the 70th minute, Boro grabbed a fifth when Johnson's long-range shot was deflected past Isaksson.

Rochemback made it 6-0 with a 30-yard free-kick 10 minutes from time and substitute Aliadiere fired home the seventh in the 85th minute.

Elano scored a consolation before Afonso Alves completed his hat-trick.

VIDEO LINK :
Middlesbrough 8 - 1 Manchester City

15 R. Dunne (red card Man City)
16 [1 - 0] S. Downing (penalty kick)
37 [2 - 0] A. Alves
58 [3 - 0] S. Downing
60 [4 - 0] A. Alves
70 [5 - 0] A. Johnson
80 [6 - 0] F. Rochemback
85 [7 - 0] J. Aliadiere
87 [7 - 1] E. Blumer
90 [8 - 1] A. Alves

Stumble It!

EPL : Chelsea 1-1 Bolton - disappointment and injury gives Chelsea the blues

The afternoon began in hope for Chelsea but ended in disappointment for Chelsea as they failed to snatch the Premier league title.

Andriy Shevchenko's second-half strike was cancelled out by Kevin Davies' added-time leveller but the Blues were also left reeling from the loss of captain John Terry with shoulder injury in the first half.

The England defender was stretchered off after clashing with team-mate Petr Cech and Bolton striker Davies and could be out of next week's Champions League final against Manchester United in Moscow.

The Blues captain received lengthy treatment on the pitch before he was replaced by right-back Juliano Belletti and early reports suggested he had partially dislocated his shoulder.

But in the seventh minute, the title-chasers should have gone in front when Michael Ballack's low cross from the left found Didier Drogba at the far post - but he shot high and wide of the target.

Chelsea continued to push for an opening goal but found Bolton a tough test and Matthew Taylor underlined the threat the visitors posed at the other end when he fired a 30-yard drive just wide of Cech's left-hand upright.

The news of Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty at Wigan left the home fans subdued and Terry's loss had clearly unsettled Avram Grant's side. Chelsea's frustration was growing but Bolton's rearguard refused to buckle.

In an effort to re-ignite their title push, Grant replaced Claude Makelele with Shevchenko at the start of the second half.

The move was clearly designed to put more pressure on the Bolton defence and in the 46th minute Florent Malouda almost broke the deadlock. The French winger let fly with a volley from fully 25-yards which Al Habsi tipped against the crossbar.

Seconds later, Joe Cole got to the touchline and pulled the back for Malouda to try his luck again but this time his effort was deflected to safety.

The deadlock was finally broken moments when Lampard's shot was turned home by the alert substitute Shevchenko.

Bolton almost grabbed an equaliser when a Davies header came down off the crossbar and Ashley Cole cleared the ball off the line after it hit Stelios Giannakopoulos.

But the Chelsea fans realised it was not going to be their day when news of United's second goal from Ryan Giggs spread around the stadium.

And disaappintment was complete in the dying seconds when Taylor shot through a crowded area to level the scores and end Chelsea's hopes for good.

Chelsea 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
62 [1 - 0] A. Shevchenko
90 [1 - 1] K. Davies

VIDEO LINK :
Chelsea 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Stumble It!

EPL : Manchester Utd win at Wigan to claim title

A Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and a late goal from Ryan Giggs gave Manchester United a 2-0 victory over Wigan at the JJB Stadium to claim the Premier League title.

The Portuguses winger scored his 31st league goal to help Sir Alex Ferguson's side lift their 17th league title which left them just one behind Liverpool's haul of 18.

United were handed an opportunity to break the deadlock after Emmerson Boyce brought down Wayne Rooney in the penalty area and referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot.

Ronaldo stepped up to take the 33rd-minute spot-kick and calmly side footed the ball past goalkeeper Chris Kirkland who dived the wrong way.

Giggs, on as a substitute to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 758 appearances for the club, added a second for United in the 80th minute.

VIDEO LINK :
Wigan Athletic v Manchester United 0-2

Stumble It!

ManYoo and Chelsea both getting action on title odds

It seems that it's a bit of a fan-fest this week as the top prices on both Manchester United and Chelsea are being snapped up by loyal fans.

Chelsea's win over Newcastle on Monday means that it will all go down to the final day of the season, and the title equation is quite simple ... Chelsea need to get more points on the final day than United.

Chelsea are priced at 4/1 (5.00) to win the title - and that price is being hit quite mard by some punters as they do the maths and work out the real chances of a Chelsea win.

Meanwhile Manchester United were priced at 1/4 (1.25), but bookmakers have been swamped and now the best price you can get is a 1/5 (1.20) quote.

So which price do I think is best? In order to answer that we need to make some basic assumptions about the two games - and come up with some match estimates.

Wigan Athletic v Manchester United
Wigan have actually been quite strong at the JJB recently. They have a 8-5-5 home record and are unbeaten in their last SEVEN home games.

United are hardly all-conquering when travelling - at just 9-5-4 in their 18 away games this season. But United have won their fxitures here at the JJB in the last two seasons 2-1, and 3-1.

Away games are hard to win - even Manchester United have won just half of their road fixtures so far and the 1.25 price on an away win speak volumes for bookmaker hype and spin - trying to sell awful odds to legions of fans with red-tinted glasses.

If this were a game with nothing on it then I'd have this game at 21%-24%-55% estimate, but United will be absolutely desperate - so I'll push it out to 13%-17%-70% - but no more.

Chelsea vs Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea don't lose league games at home, but they do draw a lot going 12-7-0 last season and 12-6-0 this season, and Bolton have avoided defeat in 3 of their last 4 trips to Stamford Bridge too.

Still Bolton are just 2-4-12 this season, and are safe from relegation now, so you must expect the home side to have far more motivation.

I'd make this game a 80%-13%-7% chance, with a Chelsea victory the mostly likely result by a long chalk.

The Betting Verdict
From here it's simple - just calculate the percentage likelihood of Chelsea getting moe points than ManYoo in the final game - and we should have our "fair odds".

The chances are :
Chelsea win (80%) * Man United draw or loss (30%) = 24%
Chelsea draw (13%) * Man United loss (13%) = 1.7%

So I think that Chelsea have a total 25.7% chance of the title (fair odds 3.89) while Manchester United have a 74.3% chance of winning the league (fair odds 1.34).

So Manchester United are strong favourites to win the league, but given the current prices - I'd put my tenner on Chelsea @ 5.00

RELATED LINKS :
Manchester United @ 1.20 at Centrebet
Chelsea @ 5.00 at Betsson
See all the Live Premier League Betting Odds at BookieLabrat.

Stumble It!

Man City being turned into a Thai toy for owner

Manchester City have reportedly offered Luiz Felipe Scolari the managers job at Eastlands - but have told him he must accept before the European Championships.

Various newspapers report that the current Portugal coach has been offered a contract worth around £3million a year to take over from Sven Goran Eriksson, who appears certain to be sacked at the end of the season - after Sven led City to their best league finish in 20 years !!

Both The Times and The Independent report that Thaksin Shinawatra has insisted that Scolari gives City an answer before Euro 2008 - but understandably Scolari is reluctant to do so, knowing that a winning performance could attract plenty of other attention.

Meanwhile Manchester City will arrive in Thailand on May 14 to open a club store and hold a clinic before playing against Thailand Premier All-Stars on May 17. A match with a South China Invitation XI follows in Hong Kong on May 22.

Who knows who will be in charge then ... this Shinawatra chap is rapidly turning things into a farce .. unfortunately I expect City to go backwards in 2008-09

Stumble It!

Liverpool get approval for new stadium - to open in 2011

Liverpool have been given the go-ahead for their new 60,000-seater stadium by the planning committe of the local council.

The new stadium to be built in Stanley Park is scheduled to open in August 2011 and will feature an 18,500-seat single tier stand for the Kop, which holds Liverpool's most vocal supporters. The current Kop seats 13,500.

The design is the third version of the plan. The original plans were discarded when Tom Hicks and his now-estranged business partner George Gillett were unimpressed by the design they inherited when they bought the club last year, and the second, more ambitious, scheme had to be scaled down due to rising costs.

In January the American sports tycoons completed a £350m refinancing package on the loan used to purchase the club and £60m was earmarked for the stadium. But Hicks, whose feud with Gillett has plunged the club into turmoil, said last month that he was still working with investment bank Merrill Lynch on raising the finances.

In recent years Liverpool have been left behind financially as rivals Manchester United expanded Old Trafford to seat 76,000 and Arsenal moved from 38,000-seat Highbury into 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium in July 2006.

Builing work on the new stadium will not begin on the project before September 2008.

Stumble It!

Manchester Utd losing it off the pitch

Manchester United will probably win probable second successive Premier League title and will take part in a Champions League final, but the club's accounts show a significantly bleaker picture of the club's finances.

Under the ownership of the Florida-based Glazer family, all the borrowings have been loaded onto ManYoo PLC and total loans now stand at a massive £666m by far the highest of any English football club, ever.

The total owed to all creditors, including the banks, was up to £764m and includes £56m that United owe to other clubs in transfer fee instalments on players Sir Alex Ferguson has signed.

When the United headline results were announced back in January, it was said that it produced record income of £210m and operating profits of £75m. But the full accounts show, that even though United made a further £11m profit from buying and selling players, the interest and other accounting provisions pushed United into recording an overall loss of £58m for the year!

The total interest payable by the club on its borrowings was £81m, although only £42m was actually paid. The rest is allowed to roll up until the whole amount has to be repaid in 2016, or, alternatively, until the Glazers can refinance it.

A total of £152m is currently owed to hedge funds, at a staggering 14.25% interest a year - £22m of that from 2007-08 alone. Last year the Glazers tried to refinance but were unable to strike a deal with financial institutions, and a spokesman acknowledged that the credit crunch is making it more difficult now.

Before the Glazer family's 2005 takeover, United prided itself on being the only Premier League club regularly to make a significant profit, to have cash in the bank and, unlike all the others, no debts.

The accounts also reveal that by far the highest proportion of income, £92.5m, is still generated on home match days, and although the club has announced more modest ticket price rises for next season than for the previous two, supporters groups continue to protest that they are paying the debts of a takeover they opposed.

"It is outrageous that supporters are paying the huge interest on these borrowings, which are worrying for the club's future," said Sean Bones of the Manchester United Supporters Trust. "Our money is pouring out to pay the Glazers, while they have not put a penny into the club."

A spokesman for the Glazer family pointed to the club's success on the field, and in generating income off it, as evidence of the family's competent management. "The family continue to run United as a business," he said. "Their model is to encourage success on the pitch by backing Sir Alex Ferguson, and to grow revenues off it. The interest payments are more than covered by the cash generated."

This amount of debt is incredible, the numbers being bandied about are like telephone numbers, and when you consider that Arsenal's stadium cost £360m to purchase all the land and construct then the total debt of £764m at United is obviously not backed by physical assets.

This could all end in tears if the TV money stops coming in ...

Stumble It!

Football Association look in Accrington v Bury betting pattern

The Football Association have announced they will look into the Accrington V Bury game after it emerged some bookmakers stopped taking bets on the Coca-Cola League Two clash on Friday after a raft of bets on the Shakers to win.

We also had a punter highlight this game early on Friday evening on our forum that we share with BestofTheBets.com and one punter working in the industry was able to confirm that Will Hill had suspended betting.

Subsequently both William Hill and Coral suspended betting markets on the game, while Betfair also reported unusually high amounts being placed on the clash.

Andy Bishop scored both goals for the visitors in Saturday's clash, and Accrington boss John Coleman refuted allegations that some of his players had been out on a stag party the night before the game.

After the loss, he said: "It's rubbish. There were rumours flying around about a stag do but it is not true. "We kicked into the game and gave our very best for 90 minutes."

The FA's director of communications Adrian Bevington revealed they would be speaking to the bookmakers over the allegations. He said: "This was a very unusual betting pattern - if the allegations are true. We were made aware of the situation on Friday.

"We will look very closely at the information Betfair and other bookmakers provide and take any subsequent action with the Football League and the two clubs concerned."

Stumble It!

EPL Relegation battle will go to the final day.

Fulham have climbed out of the drop zone for the first time this year setting up a tense final day for three clubs hovering around the relegation zone.

Fulham who fought back from 2-0 behind to beat Manchester City 3-2 last week, made it three wins out of four by beating fellow relegation strugglers Birmingham 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

That result, helped by goals from strikers Brian McBride and Erik Nevland, left Birmingham second bottom and saw Reading slip into the bottom three after they lost 1-0 at home to Spurs.

Bolton virtually assured themselves of Premier League football again next season by beating Roy Keane's men 2-0 thanks to El-Hadji Diouf's first-half strike and an own goal from Daryl Murphy late on.

It means they have a +11 superior goal difference to third-bottom Reading, which should be enough to survive even though although Bolton travel to Chelsea on the final day of the season while Reading go to hapless Derby.

THE BETTING :
It would take a huge swing for Bolton to go down and Boylesports make them a massive 300/1 for final day relegation.

Birmingham are the hot 1.17 favourites (at Bet365) to return to the Championship as they host Blackburn on the final day even though they have the best goal difference.

Fulham travel to Portsmouth who will have one eye on the FA Cup final six days later and a win will almost certainly guarantee sruvival - they're priced at 1.62 at Paddy Power.

Reading are at Derby (as mentioned), but with a inferior goal difference of six goals they'll either need Fulham to slip up - or a huge win over the Rams in order to survive. Reading are 1.62 for the drop at Bet365.

RELATED LINK :
Live Premier League betting Odds

Stumble It!

Liverpool make early bid for Gareth Barry

Liverpool's Rafa Benitez has launched a bid to sign Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry.

There has been plenty of speculation linking Liverpool with a move for Barry recently, and the Reds have now formally contacted Villa with an opening bid for the England midfielder.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill will probably not accept the offer for his club captain, who has two years to run of his current contract and has been an instrumental figure in his side's impressive Premier League campaign, but O'Neill has confirmed the offer, with Liverpool presenting "a mish-mash of players" in exchange for Barry.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez is determined to pair Barry in midfield with his England team-mate Steven Gerrard and is expected to make significant squad changes ahead of next season. Barry, who celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Villa debut next week, has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football and would come close to doubling his weekly wages of £40,000 with a move to Anfield.

O'Neill is thought to have already made plans for Barry's departure with Chelsea's Steven Sidwell lined up as his replacement while Liverpool striker Peter Crouch would most likely represent part of any swap deal with Barry.

A bid of £10m had been mentioned, but O'Neill values Barry higher than that price and is understood to be looking for a package involving £8m plus former Villa striker Crouch.

Barry recently said that he has to adopt a "selfish" approach in his desire to make the most his footballing career and now may make his final home appearance for Villa against Wigan tomorrow clocking up almost almost 400 appearances over 10 years.

Stumble It!

EPL : Derby 2-6 Arsenal (w. Video link)

Arsenal finally kicked to life in the second half of their game against Derby County to simply outscore their relegated opponents.

The Arsenal side had a distinctly young look about it early on - and Derby actually played well for the first 30-40 minutes pressing the Arsenal side into several mistakes.

Adebayor's presence after the break solidified the side, as did the switch of Brazilian midfielders with Gilberto on for Denilson giving the side a better balance.

Still six goals in the end - and of course a couple leaked at the other end - but you cannot grumble about the entertainment level that Arsenal offered ... and it was noticable that even the local Derby supporters stayed to watch right to the final whistle.

Here is all the video coverage - all eight goals !!
Derby 2-6 Arsenal - video.

Arsenal :
Fabianski, Toure (Djourou 78), Gallas, Song Billong, Clichy, Eboue, Fabregas, Denilson (Silva 64), Walcott, Van Persie (Adebayor 46), Bendtner.

Goals :
Bendtner 25, Van Persie 39, Adebayor 59, Walcott 78, Adebayor 81, 90.