Kewell Not Thinking Of New Deal

Harry Kewell is not even thinking about a new contract as he tries to claim a regular place in the Liverpool side.

The Australian midfielder, whose contract runs out in the summer, has suffered four years of injury problems at Anfield.

From the new year he would be free to discuss his future with other clubs.

But after figuring in 11 of Liverpool's last 14 matches, it is clear that boss Rafael Benitez is giving Kewell every chance to prove his worth and win a new deal.

Benitez is currently trying to bolster his defence, and after Sunday's 0-0 draw at Manchester City he made it clear he was trying to bring in a young centre-back due to the injury problems of Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger.

Chief executive Rick Parry insists there is money to spend, despite the very public fall-out between Benitez and the club's American owners, but it is unlikely the Spanish manager will have anything but a limited amount to spend in this transfer window.

Parry said: "Money is always available if we need it. We are not going to give our plans away, but if we need to do something, we will do it."

Alvaro Arbeloa is expected to continue in central defence against Wigan on Wednesday, with Hyypia (ankle) and Agger (broken metatarsal) still unlikely to be fit, while youngster Jack Hobbs is unlikely to be risked against the potential return of Emile Heskey.

And Kewell will also hope to get a further run in the side for Anfield's first game of 2008.

Kewell, in a Liverpool FC magazine interview, explained his attitude to the next few months.

He said: "The last four years have been hellish with one injury after another.

"But I can't even think about a new contract. That is what people have been talking about and saying about me, but I will tell the truth so the fans know the truth.

"And that is why I haven't honestly thought about it. I can't think about it at the moment.

"With my injury history and my record over the last two seasons, games and goals wise, I can look no further than the next match.

"That is all I am prepared to do. Take one training session at a time and do my best and give my all every time."

Kewell, who has been hit by a succession of groin problems, added: "Given my Liverpool career, and the way it has gone, all I want to do is take the chance that the manager is giving me.

"I want to repay him for that, and the boys who have helped me through, for sticking with me and not giving up.

"You don't want to know what I have been through in four years, with injury after injury. The places I've been mentally during all those times, it has been pretty dark."

Liverpool will have Peter Crouch back from his three-match suspension to be in contention against Wigan, the side he broke his goalless run against last year.

Source : www.football365.com

Ramos Searches For Keeper Coach

Tottenham head coach Juande Ramos is continuing his search for the right goalkeeper coach to work with Paul Robinson.

Robinson, 28, has been working closely with Perry Suckling from the backroom staff of the academy while Ramos looks for a successor to Hans Segers, who left White Hart Lane at the same time as former boss Martin Jol.

"We have been looking ever since my first day," said Ramos. "We've been trying to resolve it."

Sporting director Damien Comolli defended Segers at the club's AGM last February when a fan questioned whether the Dutchman was to blame for Robinson's poor form at the time - then the goalkeeper was left without a coach when Ramos succeeded Jol.

High-profile errors led to Robinson losing his England place to Scott Carson for the last game of Steve McClaren's reign, and new boss Fabio Capello will surely cast an eye on Spurs' New Year's Day trip to Aston Villa when the two goalkeepers face each other.

Robinson was blamed for Russia's winner in Moscow when England had Euro 2008 qualification in their sights, then Carson was guilty of a blunder against Croatia when England's failure was confirmed.

With Robert Green staking his claim and Ben Foster to return from injury, Capello has a major decision on who takes the jersey.

"I don't know all the English keepers that well to make that assessment," said Ramos.

"We are very happy with Robinson and what he brings to the team and how he's helping his team-mates."

Robinson produced stunning saves against Manchester City in the Carling Cup quarter-final but has also been prone to errors recently - he was to blame for one of the goals against Reading in the crazy 6-4 win at the weekend.

Ramos believes the whole team needs to take collective responsibility for the goals conceded and need to tighten up defending dead balls. Reading scored three of their goals from set-plays.

"I am worried that the team concedes so many goals," said the Spaniard. "The whole team gives away goals not just Robinson.

"At the moment for corners we have 10 players in the box so every player is responsible for the goals we concede.

"The defenders and the goalkeeper have to solve the problem, especially for set-pieces where we have almost everyone in the box. It's not a question of bad positioning or being caught on the break.

"A team that wants to call itself a great one cannot concede three goals from set pieces. It's a symptom that defensively that team is very weak."

With Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov and Jermain Defoe in impressive form in attack, getting the defence sorted is seen as the key to launching a bid for European qualification.

"There is a lot left to do to achieve that," Ramos said. "There are many games left and at the moment we are very far from those places. We have many teams in front of us let's see how far we can go."

Meanwhile, Didier Zokora is back from suspension for the clash at Villa Park but he expected to play for Ivory Coast next month in the African Nations Cup.

"We received the fax that asked for his release," said Ramos.

Source : www.football365.com

Bourdais has New Fight On His Hands

After dominating Champ Car in the United States for the last four years, Sebastien Bourdais will now put his talent on the line in Formula One.

During his title-winning seasons from 2004 through to last year, the incomparable Frenchman won 28 of 55 races, an astonishing 50% success rate in a series where such superiority is rare.

It was perhaps only a matter of time before Bourdais was afforded the chance he craved to prove himself in the pinnacle of open-wheel motorsport.

It has been a long six-year wait for Bourdais as he first tested in F1 with Arrows in 2002, although they were a team on the verge of bankruptcy at the time.

A test with Renault soon followed, but boss Flavio Briatore opted at the time to hand the test driver role to another Frenchman in Franck Montagny.

That led to 28-year-old Bourdais heading to America to seek his fame and fortune, and he did not look back.

Signing up with the Newman-Haas team, Bourdais gave a glimpse of what was to come when he became the first debutant since Nigel Mansell a decade earlier to put his car on pole.

Three race wins and a further four podium finishes followed, resulting in Bourdais finishing fourth overall in the standings and claiming the Rookie of the Year title.

For the following four years he took centre stage, but it was a drive in F1 he long craved.

However, for a man who has been used to winning races, titles and spraying champagne, Bourdais will have to get used to fighting for scraps next year.

A long-overdue run in F1 may beckon, but in joining Toro Rosso, Bourdais will have to exercise a tremendous amount of patience if he is to help the team improve drastically.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

PS3, PSP firmware updated

Less than a month and a half after Sony added a remote-start option and information bar, among other features, to the PlayStation 3's firmware, the console maker has today added more new features to its console.

Topping the list for many in the PS3's firmware update 2.10 is the introduction of DivX and VC-1 video-playback technology. Last month, DivX Inc. revealed that its proprietary file-compression format--which has gained popularity for transmitting media files over the Internet due to its ability to balance quality with low bit rates, leading to smaller file sizes--was already active in the PS3 software-development kit version 2.0. Earlier this month, the fall update to the Xbox 360 added similar functionality.

The PS3's firmware update also upgrades the console's Blu-ray Disc drive, which bumps the player up to Profile 1.1 and adds picture-in-picture support as well as other features. Update 2.10 also adds a voice-changer feature, which lets users change the tone of their voice in both voice and video chat.

Sony's flagship console wasn't the only system to receive a firmware update today. The Japanese giant also updated the PlayStation Portable's firmware to version 3.80. The primary new feature added as part of update 3.80 is Internet Radio, which lets owners of the portable access "thousands of stations in a wide range of diverse genres."

[UPDATE] Shortly after today's update went live, reports arose that all original PlayStation games were now playable using the PS3-to-PSP Remote Play function. GameSpot has confirmed with Sony that today's firmware updates do indeed confer Remote Play functionality for all original PlayStation games downloaded over the PlayStation Network and some spun using the original PS game's disc on the PS3.

source : Gamespot.com

GTAIV UK release date set ?

Source: A report citing "senior industry sources" on the site of UK trade mag MCV says Grand Theft Auto IV is set for an April 25 launch in the UK.

What we heard: The original release date for Grand Theft Auto IV was announced by Peter Moore at Microsoft's E3 2006 press conference. When that date (October 16, 2007, in North America) proved to be too optimistic, Take-Two officially delayed the game, saying it would instead arrive during the second quarter of its fiscal year 2008, which runs from February through April next year.

Last month, rumors that the game would be delayed again flared up after comments from Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick at a financial summit were widely misreported. Zelnick himself came out to squash those rumors publicly, reiterating that the publisher would still have the game on shelves sometime within the previously announced three-month window.

Now MCV is reporting that Grand Theft Auto IV has a release date and that it will just barely make it inside the release window. According to the site, GTAIV will launch in the UK on Friday, April 25. As for where that information comes from, MCV cites "senior industry sources" in the story's deck head and "sources close to the game's publisher" in the body text.

Unnamed sources are always tricky. Beyond simply assessing if a source is in a position to know the truth of any given situation, there is also an issue of whether or not the information being passed along is finalized or still in flux.

MCV has previously cited unnamed sources with varying degrees of accuracy. Last year unspecified sources told the publication the Wii would debut for £149 in the UK by November 24, 2006; the system actually launched December 8 of that year and cost £179. More recently, this week's announcement that the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit would be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center ran contrary to an unsourced MCV story from July stating that the event was leaving the LA area entirely.

In MCV's defense, unnamed sources have also served the site well on several occasions. MCV was the first to report that Vivendi Universal Games was acquiring Cold Winter developer Swordfish Studios, and the deal became official the next day. Unspecified industry sources also helped MCV nail down the release date for the Godfather games when Electronic Arts was still keeping mum.

The rumored April 25 UK launch date for Grand Theft Auto IV is in the last week in Take-Two's second fiscal quarter. Given Take-Two's insistence on meeting its release window for Grand Theft Auto IV and how much the company has riding on the game, it does make sense to give the developers as much time as possible to polish it up before the game ships out.

However, it's not uncommon for publishers to shuffle release dates around, especially four full months before a game is supposed to launch (keep in mind that Grand Theft Auto IV was only two months away from its original release date when Take-Two delayed it). MCV's source may be well connected, and April 25 may be the publisher's current UK target, but that doesn't necessarily mean the release date is set in stone just yet.

Zelnick was implying as much yesterday in a conference call following the release of Take-Two's quarterly financial report. Responding to a question from an analyst, Zelnick said it wasn't the publisher's intention to be vague, adding, "We'll announce the date when we have the date."


source : Gamespot.com

Saha Reveals Hammers Hairdryer

Sir Alex Ferguson gave his Manchester United players the 'hairdryer' treatment after their defeat at West Ham.

The Red Devils blew an early lead at Upton Park to go down 2-1, surrendering top spot in the Premier League in the process.

And Ferguson wasted no time in turning his fury on the players after allowing the Hammers to fight their way back into the contest.

Striker Louis Saha told The Sun: "The manager had a go at some of us. We let ourselves be put under pressure.

"We're not shocked but we are disappointed. We had the lead and threw it away.

"We've had some very good games but this was not one of them but you have to give some credit to West Ham," he added.

Ferguson himself admitted Alan Curbishley's men deserved the three points.

He said: "West Ham were the better team, particularly in the first half. They were aggressive and tackled everything that moved. We couldn't get our game going.

"We took the lead but didn't deserve it. We just didn't perform and you can't really pick out a player who played well."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

United Eye Porto Ace Boswinga

Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Quieroz has confirmed the club are tracking Porto defender Jose Bosingwa.

Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson is thought to be drawing up a list of targets as he searches for a long-term replacement for Gary Neville.

With doubts surrounding Neville's fitness and Wes Brown set to leave at the end of the season after rejecting a new deal, Ferguson is keeping tabs on the progress of Boswinga, among others.

United have showed a liking for the Portuguese market after bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson in recent years, and Bosingwa could be next.

Queiroz is quoted in the Daily Mail saying: ""There are some Porto players good enough to play for United if they want to Jose is one of them.

"He is a very good player and we are keeping an eye on him."

Aston Villa are also thought to be keen on Bosingwa as Martin O'Neill looks to bolster his defensive options.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Berbatov Wants A Move - Agent

Tottenham could face a fight to keep star striker Dimitar Berbatov during the January transfer window.

Chairman Daniel Levy insists the club will not listen to offers for key players during the transfer window, but Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev is quoted as saying he has spoken to Levy and told him the striker wants to leave if a "suitable" offer comes in.

The 26-year-old striker has rediscovered his stunning form for Spurs in recent weeks and fired four goals in the 6-4 win over Reading on Saturday.

However, Dantchev claims the player is keen to join a team with greater trophy-winning potential than the north Londoners.

The agent is reported to have told The Sun: "I have already spoken to the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and told him that if a club which corresponds to Dimitar's class and ambition comes in with an offer which suits his current club in January, he would like to be allowed to go.

"I would like to stress this is not about money, this is about sporting ambition, nor has it anything to do with the new manager Juande Ramos. Dimitar is perfectly happy with Ramos and the way he is working but after Tottenham's bad start to the season it is unlikely they will have the chance to do something big this season."

Spurs' position could not be more contrasting, with Levy insisting: "Once again for the record, we are not a selling club, rather we are building for the future.

"When we have players on long contracts we have no need to entertain offers."

Spurs have been linked with a host of signings since the appointment of Juande Ramos as head coach.

But Levy is not anticipating radical changes in January, despite a poor defensive record, and has stressed that Spurs will only look at "essential" deals.

Levy said: "Juande, (sporting director) Damien (Comolli) and I have reviewed the squad and Juande feels that we are not looking at any major changes.

"We are all clear that the January window is the worst time to buy quality players so we shall not be doing any business that is not essential."

Ramos, Levy and Comolli have already sanctioned the move for Chris Gunter from Cardiff, while Ajax's Urby Emanuelson has been suggested as a possible target from sources in Holland.

Darren Bent was linked with a move to West Ham last week but Spurs were keen to stress that they wish to keep the £16.5million striker, who arrived in the summer from Charlton.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Reds Held In Eastland Bore Draw

Liverpool's Premier League title aspirations suffered another blow when they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at Manchester City on Sunday.

Rafa Benitez's side went into the game hoping to put the pressure on second-placed Manchester United after their defeat on Saturday, and again move within eight points of leaders Arsenal.

But instead they failed to fashion a winner against a City side seemingly content to stifle their opponents.

Sven-Goran Eriksson started with only Darius Vassell up front ahead of a five-man midfield, and as a result chances were scarce.

Liverpool created most of them, with Yossi Benayoun going close on more than one occasion.

But the only real excitement came in the closing minutes when the Reds finally threw everything into attack.

The closest they came to the winner saw Dirk Kuyt's close-range header superbly saved by Joe Hart before the excellent Richard Dunne cleared the ball off his own line.

David Bentley reproduced the form that brought him an England call as Blackburn came from behind to beat Derby 2-1 and leave the Rams rooted to the foot of the table.

The Blackburn winger was outstanding, scoring one goal and having a hand in the other as Rovers came away with maximum points.

With Roque Santa Cruz continuing his excellent goalscoring run with Rovers' equaliser, Derby found themselves on the back foot for long spells.

Yet they were dreaming of only their second league win of the season when Matt Oakley put them ahead.

However a missed penalty by Steve Howard proved to be the turning point at Pride Park as Blackburn regrouped and gave an indication they could be pushing for a place in Europe for the second successive year.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Benitez Close To New Signings

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez says he may look to bring in "one or two" players in January to try to rekindle his side's title challenge.

Benitez saw his side fail to break down a resilient Manchester City side in Sunday's 0-0 draw at Eastlands.

The point leaves them 10 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal with a game in hand, and it was an ideal opportunity missed to close the gap.

When asked about his transfer dealing next month, the Spaniard - who is rumoured to have limited funds available - revealed afterwards: "We don't talk about money.

"We have some players, have some targets and we will try to sign the players we need.

"Maybe one, maybe two, if everyone is fit you never know. We are working hard and are very close."

Benitez had few complaints over his team's display and was left to rue some gilt-edged opportunities spurned.

"It was a good game, good effort, the team was playing really well and creating chances but today we couldn't (score)," he said.

"We knew they were playing really well at home, but we had our chances and could have won.

"In the last 15 minutes, we were on top of them. For me, we deserved to win."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Deco Hints At Barca Exit

Barcelona midfielder Deco has hinted that he would be interested in a move to England if he leaves the Nou Camp.

The former Porto player has indicated he could leave Barca at the end of the season if they fail to enjoy a successful campaign.

Deco has struggled for form and fitness this term and he is believed to be considering his future at Barca.

The Portuguese international has revealed he would like to try his luck in England and he believes Manchester United would be an ideal destination if he does leave Barcelona.

"If we don't win anything this year I will be off," Deco is quoted as saying in The News of the World.

"Playing for Barcelona is a dream that I have realised.

"This is my fourth season and has been a fantastic period in my career but if things don't go well I will be leaving.

"The English league is somewhere I'd like to play.

"You can compare Manchester United to Barcelona."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Fergie : Leaders Have `Massive Chance`

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted there is a "massive chance" Arsenal will now go on to take their Barclays Premier League crown.

The Scot regards being top at New Year as one of the season's significant milestones and that position is now occupied again by the Gunners, who won 4-1 at Everton to go two points clear after United had stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.

He said: "I always feel if you reach New Year on top you have a massive chance. We still have a great chance but obviously it was disappointing to lose the way we did."

Unsurprisingly however, the League's most successful manager was unwilling to write off his players following one below-par performance on a day when Wayne Rooney was absent through illness.

He added: "It's a great team we've got and we just have to galvanise ourselves and get the reply you always look for after a bad performance.

"We need to go on a long run now because we are coming to the crucial part of the season. In many ways the season starts mushrooming.

"There are league games, Champions League football and FA Cup ties. It's a congested fixture list and you have to respond and play football properly."

The new year - which starts the day after Ferguson's 66th birthday - begins with a home game with Birmingham, who are managed by one of his former players at Aberdeen, Alex McLeish.

And Ferguson was confident Rooney would be back for that game along with fellow illness victim Michael Carrick.

He said: "Wayne and Michael should be okay, they were both suffering from a virus. Michael was taken ill during the night, the doctor attended to him on Saturday morning and there was no way he could have taken part.

"Wayne was ruled out on Friday. There's little bits going down at this time of year, quite a few clubs have got it I suppose. But hopefully they will be ready for Tuesday."

The Hammers came back from behind to record their third successive victory over United thanks to headed goals from set-pieces from substitute Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson.

United had taken an early lead through Cristiano Ronaldo's 18th goal of the season but the Portugal international missed a second-half penalty which would have significantly decreased West Ham's comeback chances.

West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was keen to take credit even though he never touched the ball.

He said: "I showed him a lot of room to my left. I then moved that way to try to throw him a dummy that I was going to go to my left. I went to my right and he missed it with a horrible strike.

"I would have liked him to hit the target because I think I would have saved it. For a player of that quality it's surprising."

United midfielder Darren Fletcher was quick to defend his team-mate.

He said: "It's not him to blame, he's been fantastic for us and won us many games and many points. We were still in a winning position so it's nothing to do with the penalty that lost us the game. It was individual errors at set-pieces that cost us."

Defender Wes Brown agreed. He said: "Ronny missed it but we were still winning 1-0 and we were still in control. We dropped too deep after that, which put pressure on us. We conceded from two set-pieces that we should have dealt with. We have let ourselves down."

West Ham will try to repeat the trick at Arsenal on New Year's Day and manager Alan Curbishley was confident his players could rise to the big occasion again.

He said: "You have to give us some credit: their exceptional players didn't cause us too much damage because everyone was putting so much effort in. When you play the top teams, sides sometimes stand off and allow the game to become a passive game. If you do that, they will destroy you.

"I had to remind myself that we had only lost two in the last 10 games and they were against very good teams. Sometimes you end up worrying too much about the opposition and forget about examining how your own side can cause problems."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Rooney back For Birmingham

Sir Alex Ferguson will hope to have Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick back for Birmingham City's visit to Old Trafford on New Year's Day.

Both players missed the trip to east London for the 2-1 defeat to West Ham after suffering with a virus.

"Wayne and Michael should be ok, they were both suffering from a virus," Sir Alex told MUTV.

Rooney, who was ruled out on Friday with illness, and Carrick, who fell ill overnight, are both expected to be available for United's first game in 2008.

Sir Alex added: "Michael was taken ill during the night, the doctor attended to him on Saturday morning and he just couldn't perform, there was no way he could have taken part.

"Wayne was ruled out on Friday, he went down with a virus. There's little bits going down at this time of year, quite a few clubs have got it I suppose. But hopefully they'll all be ready for Tuesday."


Source : www.manutd.com

Gunners Capitalise On United Slip

Arsenal capitalised on Manchester United's shock defeat by West Ham to roar back to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday night.

The Gunners came from behind to crush Everton 4-1 at Goodison Park, just hours after United had blown a 1-0 lead to go down 2-1 at Upton Park.

Tim Cahill put the Toffees ahead 19 minutes into a hotly-contested affair at Goodison Park.

But two high-quality finishes from Eduardo da Silva turned things round early in the second half.

Emmanuel Adebayor added a third after a horrendous mix-up between Joseph Yobo and Tim Howard before Tomas Rosicky blasted home a fourth.

To add insult to injury Everton had Mikel Arteta sent off late on after catching Cesc Fabregas with a stray elbow, while the Gunners had Nicklas Bendtner red-carded for two bookable offences - the second a rash challenge on Andy Johnson.

Earlier in the afternoon Cristiano Ronaldo was made to pay dearly for a crucial penalty miss as the reigning champions slipped up in their bid to end 2007 on top of the table.

The Portugal winger dragged a second-half spot-kick wide with his side 1-0 up, and then the Hammers scored twice in five minutes to seal a famous victory.

Ronaldo had earlier put the Red Devils ahead with his 18th goal of the season, finishing a superb 14th-minute break with a header from a Ryan Giggs cross.

But late headers from Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson completed a dramatic turnaround.

The match of the day came at White Hart Lane as Tottenham recorded an extraordinary 6-4 win over Reading.

Dimitar Berbatov scored four times, the first after only seven minutes.

But the home side were forced to come from behind three times.

First Kalifa Cisse and Ivar Ingimarsson made it 2-1 before Berbatov levelled.

That was the first of seven goals in 20 crazy minutes as Dave Kitson, Berbatov, Kitson again and Steed Malbranque made it 4-4 before a Robbie Keane penalty and Berbatov completed the carnage.

Injury-hit Chelsea closed to within four points of the reigning champions with a battling 2-1 win over Newcastle.

Michael Essien gave the home side a half-time lead when he swept home from six yards shortly before the half-hour mark but Nicky Butt levelled when he eventually bundled home Charles N'Zogbia's cross at the second attempt.

However, Salomon Kalou scored a controversial winner three minutes from time after the ball deflected through to him, Newcastle appealing for offside.

Sunderland hauled themselves out of the drop zone with a 3-1 victory against Bolton.

Kieran Richardson, who only returned from a four-month injury lay-off on Boxing Day, scored his first goal for the club when he blasted the ball past Jussi Jaaskelainen following brilliant work from Kenwyne Jones.

The roles were reversed when Jones powered home a header from Richardson's corner.

El-Hadji Diouf halved the deficit before half-time when his flighted free-kick evaded everyone and curled into the net but Sunderland substitute Daryl Murphy kept his composure in stoppage-time to seal the win.

Fulham dropped to second-bottom after Sebastian Larsson handed Birmingham a 1-1 draw at St Andrews.

Carlos Bocanegra's eighth-minute header put the visitors ahead in Ray Lewington's final match as caretaker-boss.

But Blues equalised after the interval when Larsson latched on to Fabrice Muamba's through-ball before his finish deflected in off Elliot Omozusi. Hameur Bouazza was then sent off for a second yellow card.

Wigan replaced Sunderland in the bottom three after Aston Villa staged a second-half fightback at the JJB Stadium.

Titus Bramble notched his first Latics goal with a bullet header from Ryan Taylor's pinpoint corner in the 28th minute but Curtis Davies marked his first Premier League start for Villa with his first goal for the club, heading in Gareth Barry's corner after the break.

Gabriel Agbonlahor then flicked a header past Chris Kirkland to complete the turnaround.

Tuncay Sanli's fourth goal in the last six games handed Middlesbrough a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth.

The Turk tapped into an empty net after David James parried Gary O'Neil's volley from Stewart Downing's inswinging cross.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Ronaldinho Backed For MIlan Move

FIFA agent and AC Milan consultant Ernesto Bronzetti says Ronaldinho could move to the Rossoneri - but not until June.

The Barcelona striker has struggled to make an impact at the Nou Camp this season, prompting speculation he could soon be on his way out of the Primera Liga club.

Milan are one of a number of sides said to be interested in the Brazil star and Bronzetti agrees it would be a match made in heaven.

"(Milan president Silvio) Berlusconi clearly said that he likes Ronaldinho and that if Barcelona wanted to sell him one day, Milan would be first in the queue," he told Sky Italia.

"It's clear that if Ronaldinho had to choose a club, having seen the affection for him that Berlusconi shows, he would choose Milan, obviously not England.

"It would happen in June maybe. They are like an engaged couple waiting for a marriage which no one has said is happening."

An added point in Milan's favour is the large contingent of Brazilians already in their side.

The possibility of linking up with compatriots Kaka, Cafu, Dida and teenage wonderkid Alexandre Pato could persuade the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year to move to the San Siro.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Brother Rules Out Ronaldinho Move

Ronaldinho's brother and manager, Roberto de Assis Moreira, has rejected reports the Barcelona star has been in contact with AC Milan.

The Brazilian striker, who has also been linked to Chelsea in the past, has struggled to make an impact at the Nou Camp this season, prompting speculation he could soon be on his way out of the Primera Liga club.

Milan are one of a number of sides said to be interested in the 2002 World Cup winner, but Assis revealed Ronaldinho has no plans to leave Barca in the immediate future.

"There have been no negotiations with Milan at this moment. There has, on the other hand, been a lot of speculation from the press," Assis said.

"He has a contract with Barcelona until 2010 and that is very important to him. Besides, the club's board has already shown their interest in extending that agreement."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Benitez Looking for Reds Improvement

Rafael Benitez insists the "best is yet to come" from Liverpool and their goalscoring sensation Fernando Torres.

Benitez knows the Reds must continue their winning ways at Manchester City on Sunday and then against Wigan next Wednesday to retain the momentum they need for a continued Barclays Premier League title challenge.

With Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all dropping points this week, Benitez can sense an opportunity - starting at Eastlands against Sven-Goran Eriksson's fifth-placed side.

Torres, with 15 goals in 18 games, is a certainty to start - the young Spaniard's precision a key element for Liverpool.

Benitez dismisses suggestions that all realistic hope of the title has gone.

With the Reds nine points behind leaders Manchester United - albeit with a game in hand - the manager said: "My team can do better, and so can Fernando.

"He has settled well in England - but he can still learn more.

"Our season has not been bad, but it could be better. We are in a good position. It could be better, but the best of us is still to come."

Benitez sees plenty of signs from his team that they are capable of significant improvement.

"We move the ball quickly; we make a lot of chances - and we must keep doing this but also we must be more clinical," he prescribes.

"We must score in key moments - that has been the area where we can improve more.

"I believe we can still win the league, but we must concentrate on continuing the way we have been over Christmas.

"Before the holiday period we hoped for a good spell; now we have six points and two wins, and we will see what happens against Manchester City and Wigan."

Benitez expects to be without defender Sami Hyypia, who has an ankle injury, and must decide whether to risk Danish youngster Daniel Agger in his first match for three months following a broken metatarsal.

He could alternatively switch Alvaro Arbeloa into the heart of defence alongside Jamie Carragher, or draft in teenage rookie Jack Hobbs.

But even with such problems, the Spaniard still has confidence in his squad.

"Now we are a little bit closer to the top, at the end of the holiday period we may be a bit closer still," he suggests.

"Others have dropped points - we must make sure we do not.

"We have confidence we can win away games; we have produced good away form. At the moment we cannot make any more mistakes, but if our rivals drop points like they have done we could find ourselves in a fantastic position."

Much will depend on Torres continuing his hot streak, but Benitez still wants more from the ex-Atletico Madrid star.

He says: "Fernando is playing well, scoring goals and showing character and quality. He has settled down really well in England and he is playing well but can play better.

"He is only 23; he can improve and learn. He can play better than we have seen so far."

Benitez maintains he will be able to do business in the transfer window.

"We will try to find the right player at the right price. We have talked - there are no problems, because we do think the same way," he said of himself and Liverpool's owners.

"We will continue to work, like every club, to improve our squad.

"We will try to do the same; if we can find the right players at the right price maybe we can do some business.

"If we cannot, we will try to improve what we have. But I believe I can go to the board and ask if the right player comes along - and I think they would say yes.

"We are not thinking about selling any of our players, because we will need them for the rest of the season.

"We have the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Champions League. We are not thinking about letting anyone leave."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Grant Sets Sight On Transfer Targets

Avram Grant is continuing his search for players to bolster his depleted squad and keep Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League title race.

Grant lost Frank Lampard on Boxing Day for up to month with a thigh tear, joining senior players John Terry, Didier Drogba and Claude Makelele on the sidelines.

The more immediate concern is covering for Ashley Cole after the left-back got sent off for handball against Aston Villa and lost his appeal with the Football Association.

Cole is suspended for the clash against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, along with Ricardo Carvalho after the centre-back's horror tackle on Gabriel Agbonlahor.

If Grant's squad is stretched now, he will also lose more players when the African Nations Cup starts next month, with Chelsea expected to strengthen in the transfer window.

Grant hinted at looking for long-term investments as well as short-term solutions.

"We are thinking about this and need to think about this," said Grant. "We are following players.

"In every position, even where we have good players, if there is a player good for us we will take them. Especially now when we have injured players and the African Nations."

Despite Andriy Shevchenko's recent goals, Chelsea have been persistently linked with Nicolas Anelka, while a potential move for Luka Modric seems to have been made easier as Tottenham are not expected to pursue the Croatia midfielder.

One position Grant is not looking for is goalkeeper. Petr Cech has been guilty of errors against Arsenal and Villa but his boss has backed him to return to his normal impressive form when he is fully recovered from a side problem.

"Petr Cech is a great goalkeeper," said Grant. "He is not his best from a physical side so we have to think what is best for him and for the team.

"Every goalkeeper has bad days. We are not happy from this and he is not happy from this. But he is still the best goalkeeper in the world, for me.

"He is a very nice guy and he's very strong mentally."

Chelsea slipped up at this stage last year and are behind the pace this time around after dropping points against Arsenal and Villa - but Grant insists they are still in the title race.

"Last year it was nine points or 12 points in March and everyone said that nothing was finished," he said.

"We are not even in January. It's seven points, so anything can happen.

"I'm very optimistic by nature. Thinking about the negative things is not the right way to think about it.

"The last three months was not easy and not for one day did I have the whole squad available. I'm sure it will happen one day but I don't know when.

"When there is a fact and you can't change it, my nature is to get used to it quickly and get the best out of the situation. Like we did last time."

Grant, however, also accepts that after significant progress since taking over in September, he is now facing a huge challenge to maintain momentum.

"For me, a difficult time is a challenge," he said. "It was a big challenge from the first day and now it is bigger.

"I hope we continue as we were before the injuries and suspensions. Seven points is not the end of the world."

The Premier League manager who appears to have a biggest challenge at the moment appears to be Sam Allardyce in his bid to change the fortunes of Newcastle.

"I respect him a lot, he's a great manager and I know him personally," said Grant.

"But pressure is the name of the game. I don't see a club without pressure - fighting relegation or at the top.

"There is always pressure in football to make the right decision."

Source ; www.sportinglife.com

Inter Hope To Bolster Midfield

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has announced that coach Roberto Mancini will have funds to strengthen his squad this January.

A defensive midfielder is the main target because of the ongoing injury problems affecting Patrick Vieira and Olivier Dacourt, while defender Walter Samuel (knee) has seemingly been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Moratti said: "To be honest, I did not really want to look at alternatives for the midfield because I had no intention of entering into the market, but now Samuel has injured himself, the conditions are there to consider it.

"There is a dialogue open with (Inter's transfer director Marco) Branca to see what would be the most intelligent move.

"I don't think it could be an Italian player, it could easily be a foreigner."

Moratti wants the player to be available for both European and domestic action. He explained: "He could be useful for both competitions. If he is not able to play in the Champions League, then he will play in Serie A and allow somebody to rest for the cup."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Wenger Awaits Beckham Arrival

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes the youngsters in his squad will learn a thing or two from having former England captain David Beckham around the training ground.

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, who still has a family home in Hertfordshire, is set to use the Gunners' complex at London Colney to keep up his fitness levels during the Major League Soccer close season.

The 32-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar needs one more international appearance to reach a landmark 100 caps, and hopes to be picked by new England boss Fabio Capello for his first friendly against Switzerland at Wembley in February.

Wenger believes the time will be well spent.

"He will come in January to practise with us, occasionally with the first team or the reserves," the Arsenal manager confirmed.

"He can always give good advice and we will help him to keep fit. The youngsters will look up to him, of course."

Wenger is glad to see Beckham back doing what he does best on the field, and praised the player's "mental strength".

The Arsenal manager revealed he had even "considered signing" the midfielder himself - but accepted "for years he was at Manchester United and it was impossible."

Wenger reflected: "I admire how strong Beckham has been mentally through his career because he went through some tough times.

"I respect the fact that he has always loved football and he has always shown respect for his managers even when he was dropped. He didn't come out in a silly way, a spoilt way.

"Also, he has always delivered when it was expected of him, he has shown toughness.

"When he had to score the free-kick in the last minute against Greece, in the crucial World Cup qualifier in October 2001, he put it in the net. It is a sign of mental strength."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Barton Charged With Assault

Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton will appear at Liverpool City Magistrates Court on Friday after being charged with common assault and affray.

The 25-year-old was one of three people arrested by Merseyside Police in Liverpool in the early hours of Thursday morning following an incident in Church Street, in the city centre.

Barton, from Widnes, Cheshire, remains in custody and will appear in court alongside two others charged in connection with the same incident.

Andrew Barton, 19, from Widnes, has been charged with actual bodily harm and affray and has been released on bail.

Nadine Wilson, 27, from Huyton, Merseyside, is charged with common assault and affray and released on bail.

Barton missed Newcastle's game against Wigan on Boxing Day due to an ankle injury and is believed to have travelled to Liverpool for a night out in the city.

The player, who grew up in Huyton, signed for Newcastle from Manchester City this summer in a £5.8 million deal and has one full England cap to his name.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

No Real Deal For Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas is not ready to quit Arsenal and move to Real Madrid, according to the player's agent.

The Spanish midfielder has starred in the Gunners' impressive start to the season and has been a long-term target of the Primera Liga champions.

Real president Ramon Calderon has let his admiration of Fabregas be known and suggested the Gunners star would be keen on a move to the Bernabeu.

In an interview on Spanish television on Boxing Day, Calderon said: "Cesc would look very favourably at the chance to wear the Real Madrid shirt. We will see what happens."

However Fabregas signed an extended eight-year contract at Emirates Stadium 12 months ago and his agent Joseba Diaz insists the 20-year-old is not about to break his agreement.

"Cesc has a message for the fans," Diaz told The Sun. "He's very happy at Arsenal and loves (manager) Arsene Wenger.

"There is no chance he would move. He is absolutely committed to the club.

"All he thinks about is helping them win the Premier League title and the Champions League."

Source : www.footbal365.com

Aguero To Miss Copa Del Rey Clash

Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero will only miss the Copa del Rey second leg against Granada 74 following his sending off against Espanyol in the final league game of 2007.

The in-form Argentinian was shown a straight red card - his second dismissal in successive home matches in La Liga - for lashing out at Marc Torrejon after the Espanyol defender had tugged at Aguero's shirt.

Aguero has only been given a one-match ban though, which means he will sit out the cup match against second division Granada 74, where Atletico hold a 2-1 lead from the first leg.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Park Makes Positive Return

Ji-sung Park gave United another Boxing Day boost when he made his first appearance since injuring his knee against Blackburn Rovers in March.

The South Korean put the misery of almost nine months on the sidelines behind him when he came on for Cristiano Ronaldo in the Reds' 4-0 win at Sunderland.

Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to see Ji back on the pitch, especially in this busy period.

"I was delighted with Ji-sung Park's performance," Sir Alex told MUTV.

"It was an important day for him. He came on and got more than half an hour under his belt so we are all pleased with him."

Park looked his usual busy self on the right side of midfield and showed no signs of his extended absence.

"He's a natural mover," Sir Alex added. "When his team passes the ball he moves - he's always had a great talent for that and today was another great example of that.

"He kept moving, he kept passing, he kept running behind the Sunderland defence. He gave us a lot of energy today and it was good to see."


Source : www.manutd.com

King Out To Impress Capello

Tottenham captain Ledley King has revealed his determination to stay fit and impress England boss Fabio Capello before the next international break.

King, 27, made his first appearance of the season in Boxing Day's win over Fulham following knee surgery in the summer and a niggling recent thigh problem.

The centre-half's next aim is to get a run of games and to be part of the new England set-up under new boss Capello.

"It is an exciting time, and I am no different to any player - I want to impress the new (England) manager," said King.

"I want to stay healthy - and once I have got a number of games under my belt then I can start to think about that."

Plenty has happened at White Hart Lane since King started his recovery from surgery - a change of manager and an emphasis on improving fitness and losing weight under Tottenham boss Juande Ramos.

Weight has never been an issue with King - it has been a string of injuries starting with the metatarsal complaint that ruled him out of the last World Cup.

He had knee surgery that summer and suffered feet problems, which ruled him out for four months last season before he had another operation at the end of the campaign.

"I want to stay injury free and get a whole season behind me and under my belt and show what I can do," he said.

"It always seems as though I am playing with an injury or coming back from one, and I think my play has suffered as a result."

King announced his comeback with a series of well-timed tackles against Fulham, before being given a breather with 17 minutes remaining of the 5-1 rout.

"I'm pretty relieved to come through unscathed," he said.

"It's been more than six months since my last game and it has been a frustrating time. But I've been through these injury problems before and I've just tried to remain positive.

"A lot of people have helped me through - the physios, family, everyone - and I always believed I would be back playing to my highest level.

"It's difficult. You are obviously going to have those days when it hits you a bit. But that is what team-mates are for - they pick you up, and you pick each other up at difficult times."

Playing such little football in the last year has raised doubts over whether King can play more than a match a week. But he is relishing the challenge of getting as much football under his belt as possible.

"The only way to really know if you are ready is if you get out there and play," he added.

"I've done a fair bit of training and have been champing at the bit to get out there.

"The Christmas period is hectic. It is tough to come back at a period like this when I have been out for so long, so there is no problem with the knee. But whether three games in six days is too much, we'll have to decide."

Robbie Keane celebrated his 100th Premier League goal when he netted his second against Fulham.

The 27-year-old was kicking his heels for three matches after a suspension and could have reached his ton at the weekend but for Arsenal's crossbar and Manuel Almunia's penalty save.

He is still on a fine run of 29 goals in his last 40 Spurs appearances.

"It feels like I was on 98 for ages now," he said.

"I am delighted to be able to go into the new year with 100 goals - and to do it at a club like Tottenham makes it even more special."

Source : www.football365.com

Alonso ` Will be Tested By Piquet `

Emerson Fittipaldi has warned Fernando Alonso that new team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr will challenge him on the track - but he still believes that the double world champion will be in the mix for the title.

The Brazilian legend believes that his countryman has the pace to worry Alonso, and this, coupled with his knowledge of the Renault car, will present a difficult prospect.

"Nelsinho will be worse than Lewis Hamilton for Fernando Alonso," the triple world champion told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Nelsinho drives excellently, he is very quick, and last year he did over 15,000km in testing with Renault. For all these reasons I think he will give Alonso more trouble than he got from the McLaren driver (Lewis Hamilton)."

Despite the threat Nelsinho poses, Fittipaldi is confident that Alonso will challenge the Ferraris and McLarens for the championship. Fittipaldi suggests that Alonso's prior relationship with Renault and the team principal will work in his favour.

"Thanks to Fernando, (team boss Flavio) Briatore in the past had the possibility of optimising the team's performance. If he manages to do that again, the Spaniard will be able to fight for the title."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Santa Claws Rover Level

Roque Santa Cruz headed home a controversial 84th-minute equaliser to wreck Manchester City's perfect Premier League home record this season as they drew 2-2 with Blackburn on Thursday night.

Manchester City had gone 1-0 up on 27 minutes when Darius Vassell headed home Martin Petrov's cross from the left wing.

Petrov was in good form all night and had earlier set up a chance for Rolando Bianchi, which the Italian somehow managed to miss from three yards.

Just a minute later Santa Cruz equalised when he headed home David Bentley's free-kick from eight yards.

However, Manchester City quickly regained the lead on the half-hour mark when Petrov's ball across the face of the Blackburn box was turned into his own net by Ryan Nelsen.

The second-half was a quiet affair until Santa Cruz's 13th goal of the campaign.

The former Bayern Munich striker headed home Bentley's corner, however the goal was only allowed to stand after the nearside linesman informed referee Howard Webb he had incorrectly flagged for offside against a non-active David Dunn when Bentley's cross was put into the box.

That late goal saw City's 100 per cent home league record come to an end in their 10th game and left them fifth in the table, a point behind fourth-placed Liverpool. Rovers climb up to ninth.

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes praised assistant referee Darren Cann's "honesty" after he appeared to change his mind and allow Santa Cruz's late goal.

Hughes said: "He has been honest to admit he had got decision wrong. He flagged initially for David Dunn, but he changed his mind and we're absolutely delighted he was able to do that.

"In the past I've questioned officials but on this occasion he was strong enough to change his mind."

Hughes felt Rovers were good value for a point in the end and told Sky Sports: "We never laid a glove on City in the first half and in the second half we needed a response and I thought we were excellent, we took the game towards them. Another 10 to 15 minutes and we could have won that game.

"It's a positive result, we've got two games coming up (away to Derby and at home to Sunderland) which we feel will help us get points on the board and hopefully this result has kickstarted us."

Having seen his side concede an equally controversial goal at Tottenham recently, City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson could be forgiven for feeling somewhat hard done by.

Yet the Swede remained his usual ice-cool self, although he indicated he felt the ruling was wrong.

"Dunn was in an offside position and he tried to flick the ball but it went over him," observed Eriksson.

"By being in that position, Dunn decides what our goalkeeper is going to do.

"Whether that is interference according to FIFA I don't know but to me it is interference. I asked the referee to explain it to me afterwards and he did say it is a big grey area."

Source ; www.sportinglife.com

Lampard Out ` For Weeks `

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has a torn right thigh muscle and will be out "for a few weeks", according to the club.

Lampard limped out of the Blues' 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Boxing Day during the first half and underwent a scan on Thursday which revealed the extent of the injury.

A statement released by Chelsea read: "Scans today have revealed a tear in Frank Lampard's right thigh.

"The tear is not in the same leg that Frank injured earlier this season.

"He will begin his rehabilitation immediately and we hope to have him back playing within a few weeks.''

His absence will be another blow to Chelsea's faltering title bid.

They are already without skipper John Terry and striker Didier Drogba due to injury, while Ashley Cole and Ricardo Carvalho are due to serve supsensions following red cards against Villa.

Portuguese defender Carvalho is now set to miss league appointments with Newcastle and Fulham and an FA Cup tie against QPR, while Cole will miss Saturday's clash with the Magpies if his appeal is unsuccessful.

On top of that, boss Avram Grant is due to lose four players - Drogba, Mikel John Obi, Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou - next month to African Nations Cup duty.

Before the news on Lampard's injury broke, Grant had already admitted he would need to add to his squad during the January transfer window.

He told the Daily Express: "I was hoping to use the transfer window but now, because of the suspensions and injuries, as well as the African Cup, I must think about using it more."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Grant Plans Window Shopping

Avram Grant admits that he will have to bring in new players during the January transfer window if Chelsea are to remain in the hunt for the Premier League title.

The Chelsea squad has been hit by injuries to key players recently and Grant's resources are likely to be stretched to the limit over the coming weeks.

Ricardo Carvalho and Ashley Cole both face suspensions after being sent off in the 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

Frank Lampard could also miss some of the action after hobbling off with a thigh injury, while John Terry and Didier Drogba are among those already sidelined.

Drogba, John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou are all set to travel to the African Cup of Nations in the New Year, and Grant accepts that he will need reinforcements.

The Chelsea manager had been planning to strengthen regardless but acknowledges that the need has now become greater.

"I was hoping to use the transfer window but now, because of the suspensions and injuries, as well as the African Cup, I must think about using it more," Grant said in the Daily Express.

Chelsea are already seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester United but Grant is confident they can still compete for top spot.

He said: "It will be tough for us because of the missing players but I will not give up. I accept the challenge."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Keane Impressed By United

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is convinced former club Manchester United will retain their Barclays Premier League title after witnessing a romp on Wearside.

United maintained the pressure on Arsenal with a comprehensive 4-0 victory at the Stadium of Light to leave Keane's Sunderland deep in relegation trouble.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men simply had too much for the top-flight novices and raced into a 3-0 lead before the break.

Louis Saha's 86th-minute penalty simply cemented a win which had long been in the bag to leave Keane in little doubt as to the season's outcome.

He said: "I have been asked this question for the last month or two and I have said before my money is still on United and today has not changed that, it has not wavered it one bit.

"Any team that wins the league, history will tell you - and the manager of United has got so much experience - that they will get stronger as the season goes on.

"We did not kid ourselves when we were beaten 1-0 down there. It's like ourselves, it takes eight, nine, 10 games to get into the swing of things, even more so for the big boys who might have brought in one or two big signings.

"United, as the manager has said, if they are there or thereabouts coming into the new year, they will have a hell of a chance and I would not disagree with that one bit."

United were on their way with just 20 minutes gone when Wayne Rooney ended his six-game wait for a goal with an unerring finish.

He then turned provider to allow Saha to double the lead on the half-hour, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who had earlier forced Craig Gordon into two important saves from free-kicks, finally beat him with a third in first-half injury time.

From then on, it was simply a matter of by how many United won, although they had to wait until the death for number four.

Ferguson was understandably delighted with his strikers in particular.

Asked about Saha's goal, he said: "It will do him a load of good, his confidence.

"We were having no problems at all - he and Rooney worked particularly well together and they were a real threat today."

Keane, who handed a debut to 17-year-old striker Martyn Waghorn, was defiant after a defeat which left his side just one place off bottom.

He said: "We are where we are. The best team will win the league and the three worst teams will go down - and I believe we are not one of the three worst teams in the Premier League.

"But it would be nice to back that up with some positive results and some wins.

"We are doing okay. We have got lots going for us in terms of the spirit of the players, the attitude of the players, and I am very lucky with the support and the staff I have got.

"But again, I keep saying, we do need a few more players of real quality."

Source ; www.sportinglife.com

Wenger Calm As United Seize Top Spot

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists he is not worried about the prospect of beginning 2008 trailing Manchester United in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.

The Gunners failed to reclaim top spot from United on Boxing Day when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Portsmouth.

Now they must prepare for Saturday's trip to in-form Everton in the knowledge that United, who dismantled Sunderland 4-0 and finish the year at West Ham, have their destiny in their own hands.

But Wenger insisted: "Although a 0-0 draw is a disappointment it is not too bad.

"We have lost one game since the beginning of the championship so you will have problems to convince me we are in crisis.

"If we go six months again by just losing none then we will be champions.

"The expectations are very high and when you do not get to the game you want to play it is disappointing.

"If you ask me I prefer to be in front, but with one point difference that is not that big a deal.

"I believe that if we just focus on our performances and get a good result at Everton then everything is all right."

Wenger saw skipper William Gallas and midfielder Tomas Rosicky squander late chances at Fratton Park but the home side had a great opportunity themselves when Benjani Mwaruwari was put clear by ex-Gunner Kanu.

The Zimbabwe international was unable to finish the move having been held up by goalkeeper Manuel Almunia but Wenger was convinced Pompey had been playing for a draw all along.

He said: "Portsmouth didn't play at all in the second half. They didn't come out at all, they just defended. It was surprising to see them just making the numbers with 10 at the back."

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp hit back however, claiming it was unrealistic to expect teams to take on Arsenal in a cavalier fashion.

He said: "I don't want to argue with Arsene, he's got his opinion and I am a great fan of the way Arsenal play the game, they are fantastic.

"But we are Portsmouth, let's not get carried away. What are we supposed to be doing with Arsenal - ripping them to pieces?"

The game was also Pompey's fifth successive failure to score in front of their own fans and followed a 4-1 defeat at Liverpool.

But Redknapp was convinced the players' good early-season form should not be underestimated.

He said: "We went on a great run of 11 games unbeaten. I don't think you will ever see Portsmouth win six away games on the spin again in the Premier League. I just don't see that happening, certainly not in my lifetime. It would be a miracle if it does."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Hamilton Ready To Lead

Lewis Hamilton believes he can be McLaren's "leader" next season as he bids to bounce back from a year which saw the team dogged by controversy.

Hamilton's rivalry - and professional relationship - with team-mate Fernando Alonso dominated the season on the track while McLaren's involvement in the 'spygate' scandal also gained some unwanted attention off it.

But while he concedes that last season had low points he is enthusiastic about building on what he still considers to be dream rookie campaign in Formula One.

And with Heikki Kovalainen joining McLaren in place of the departed Alonso, he also believes he could become the team's number one driver - a policy they actively distanced themselves from this year.

He told BBC News 24: "Politics-wise it (2007) was a disaster but that is the business, there is nothing you can do about it.

"You won't see a season quite like it again but I hope next season is just as exciting without the politics.

"For me it's great, I'm almost seen as the leader of the team and hopefully I can do the job."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Alonso : No World Title in 2008

Fernando Alonso has dismissed his chances of regaining the Formula One world title in 2008.

Alonso, 26, was champion in 2005 and 2006 with Renault before moving to McLaren and finishing third last season.

The Spaniard has rejoined Renault for 2008 but believes it is 'madness' to expect him to win the title in his first year back with the Regie.

"Today that idea is madness," Alonso told sports programme El Larguero.

"You have to be realistic and this year they (Renault) were a long way behind and it's too big a leap.

"But everything is possible, they have to make the car better.

"We opted for Renault because it is the most optimistic choice for 2008 and with possibilities to do good things.

"However, every team has to make a huge step up in quality for next year because McLaren and Ferrari won all the races this year."

Alonso admitted he still harbours ambitions to drive for Ferrari at some stage in the future.

"I didn't know whether to stay at McLaren or what I was going to do," he said of his exit from the Woking-based team after just one season.

"We looked at everything and in the end we decided it would be better to go our separate ways.

"From there I started looking for teams. Almost all the teams approached me, but not Ferrari.

"It wouldn't be right to say that I want to sign for Ferrari barely a fortnight after I signed for Renault but of course it would be nice if I could go there one day."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Bridgestone Tie up New Deal

Bridgestone have officially become the sole tyre supplier to F1 from next season through to 2010.

The Japanese manufacturer became the only supplier when Michelin left the sport at the conclusion of the 2006 season.

However, the deal to make Bridgestone the official supplier has only been signed now despite an agreement being reached with the FIA 18 months ago.

Bridgestone's director of motorsport Hiroshi Yasukawa told Autosport: "Becoming the 'Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship' is a prestigious honour for Bridgestone and we await the start of the 2008 season with great anticipation.

"Our participation in Formula One is a core element of our company's expansion and development and this is an exciting step for us as a company."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

United On Top as Gunner Slip Up

Manchester United are the new leaders of the Premier League after they beat Sunderland 4-0 on Boxing Day and then saw title rivals Arsenal held to a 0-0 draw at Portsmouth.

United strolled to a straightforward victory at the Stadium of Light.

Wayne Rooney was put clear in the 20th minute and had no trouble beating Craig Gordon with a cool finish, and he turned provider when he broke forward and crossed to Louis Saha who guided the ball home after 30 minutes.

A sublime Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick in first-half injury-time put the game beyond Sunderland and when Nani went down in the box, Saha converted the late penalty (86).

Sir Alex Ferguson and co were then able to watch their close rivals slip up at Fratton Park.

Arsenal had two great chances to grab the points in the closing stages but William Gallas lifted a shot over the bar from close range and then Tomas Rosicky screwed an effort just wide in injury time.

The result leaves Arsene Wenger's men trailing United by a point at the halfway stage of the season.

It was a good day all round for United as Chelsea also dropped points.

The Blues were involved in a riveting 4-4 draw against Aston Villa in a game which saw three players sent off.

Villa took an early 2-0 lead with a Shaun Maloney double. Zat Knight was sent off in first-half injury-time for bringing down Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko scored the resulting penalty, before levelling with a brilliant strike in the 50th minute.

Chelsea went ahead through defender Alex (66) but Martin Laursen equalised for Villa.

Ricardo Carvalho was dismissed for a two-footed lunge at Gabriel Agbonlahor but Chelsea went ahead regardless through Michael Ballack's 88th-minute free-kick.

However, Villa earned a penalty when Ashley Cole was sent off for handling on the line, and Gareth Barry scored from the spot to secure a well-earned point.

Liverpool laboured to a late 2-1 win at Derby and had captain Steven Gerrard to thank for the victory.

Spain international Fernando Torres' excellent dribble and finish put Liverpool a goal up at Pride Park although Rafael Benitez's men struggled to extend their lead.

Jay McEveley equalised on 67 minutes and chances came and went for both sides, before Gerrard - who moments earlier hit the bar - made a tireless burst forward to steam into the box and bundle the ball past Lewis Price in the 90th minute.

The pressure on Sam Allardyce was cranked up by Newcastle's miserable 1-0 defeat at Wigan.

Ryan Taylor's delightful curling free-kick beat Shay Given to put the Latics ahead - and heap further stress on Allardyce following the 2-2 draw with Derby last weekend.

Birmingham enjoyed a much-needed 3-0 win against Middlesbrough at St Andrews.

Stewart Downing sliced Gary McSheffrey's driven free-kick into his own net in the 21st minute and Mikael Forssell stabbed home after Cameron Jerome flicked on from a corner.

McSheffrey added a third in added time, converting a penalty after being fouled by Huth in the box.

Everton beat Bolton 2-0 after a goalless first half at Goodison Park.

The home side edged ahead after 51 minutes when goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen made a mess of clearing Phil Neville's deep cross, allowing the ball to pass him and hit the net.

Tim Cahill made it 2-0 after a scrappy build-up when Rob Styles played a smart advantage and Joleon Lescott crossed accurately.

Earlier in the day, Tottenham were impressive in a 5-1 win over Fulham as Robbie Keane and Tom Huddlestone scored two apiece and Jermaine Defoe added a late goal, while Moritz Volz was sent off for Fulham.

West Ham and Reading shared the points in an entertaining 1-1 draw at Upton Park in which the Royals had Brynjar Gunnarsson sent off in the first half.

Nolberto Solano put the Hammers ahead but Dave Kitson secured a point.

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Manchester City Defender Micah Richards Hails Boss Eriksson

Manchester City defender Micah Richards is filled with praise about his club boss Sven Goran Eriksson and feels that the manager has taken the club to an all new level.

Former England boss Eriksson took over the reins of the club in July and since then City has undergone a vast change in terms of performance and results.

Last season they narrowly escaped relegation by a miserly four points, but this season they are proud to be fourth on the Premiership table after 18 games.

While speaking about his manager to Sky Sports the 19-year old said, "Sven Goran Eriksson's been a revelation. He has been great".

"If you look at the football we played last season - no disrespect to Stuart Pearce - but we used to play long ball.

"But with the players we have now, Elano, Giovanni and [Vedran] Corluka [for example], they always want to play.

"We look like a decent footballing team, which is something we have wanted to be for a long time now.

"It is good that we can go out there and play some football, and show the fans that we are not just a kick-around team."

Source : www.premiershiplatest.com

Fergie Hails United Super Squad

Sir Alex reiterated his belief that the current squad is among the best he's ever assembled after United trounced Sunderland 4-0 at the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day.

The Reds boss made five changes to the team that beat Everton at Old Trafford last weekend but the squad's strength ensured United's winning form was never threatened.

"I said earlier in the season that I think this is one of my strongest squads and I think the players are proving that at the moment," Sir Alex told MUTV.

"We have some big games coming up and the players are all playing their part – Gerard Pique came on for Nemanja Vidic today, Ji-sung Park got his first match since March and other players got some valuable minutes, which is very important in terms of having everyone ready for what lies ahead."

Despite the manager's tinkering, United remained fluent going forward and solid at the back. In fact, Tomasz Kuszczak was only stretched on one occasion, tipping over athletically from Ross Wallace before the break.

"I thought we were very sharp and our passing was excellent today," the United boss said. "The first goal put us in the driving seat because Sunderland have been going through a sticky patch lately and I felt if we could go in front we would make it difficult for them. It was a marvellous move for the first goal and it was well taken by Wayne [Rooney]."


Source : www.manutd.com

Owen Set To Return

Sam Allardyce will use Michael Owen 'sparingly' upon the Newcastle United striker's return to action.

Owen has been out for six weeks with a thigh injury suffered while playing for England in a friendly with Austria in mid-November.

He is back in training and could feature at some stage for the Magpies during the Christmas and New Year period.

But Newcastle boss Allardyce is wary about Owen suffering a setback and appears likely to adopt a cautious approach to the forward's comeback.

"Owen is still ahead of time," said Allardyce in the Daily Mirror. "We said six weeks when it first happened. He is back in the fold again.

"Any player who gets injured on a regular basis, it is our concern to try and avoid that situation as much as possible. It does not come overnight, prevention of injuries is a slow process.

"It is a challenge when you have a quality player of that nature who is as bitterly disappointed as we are that he is getting little niggly injuries.

"It is not as if they are serious injuries like he had before. So that is another challenge compared to what he used to have.

"But he is fit again and hopefully that will be the end of it for a decent period of time.

"He has worked very, very hard again to get back in the squad and now it is about keeping him available for selection as much as possible, and keeping his core strength and his availability open to us on a regular basis.

"A goalscorer like him could be major for us. We are building him up and using him sparingly at first. Hopefully that will build up match fitness and stave off any injuries."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Kaka : We Face Difficult Task

AC Milan star Kaka admits his team face an uphill task to wrest the Scudetto from Internazionale after losing to their arch rivals last weekend.

The reigning European and Club World Cup champions lost 2-1 to their neighbours on Sunday to slip to 25 points behind the leaders in 12th spot - albeit with three games in hand.

Newly-crowned FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka arrived in Brazil to enjoy the Christmas and New Year celebrations with his family and told reporters the Rossoneri will have to work hard if they want to claw back the deficit.

"Fighting for the title became quite difficult for us, but Milan are always battling to achieve that goal," said Kaka.

"The points difference is too big. We hope we can clinch at least a Champions League berth."

The 25-year-old went on to defend goalkeeper and compatriot Dida, who was criticised after failing to keep out Esteban Cambiasso's scuffed winner in the Milan derby.

Kaka said: "We have nothing to blame Dida for because some others failed in the build-up play. Besides, we are united and we all defend Dida."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Beckham Says Ferguson Decided His Departure From Manchester United

According to David Beckham, he left Manchester United not out of his decision but because manager Sir Alex Ferguson thought it was time for the midfielder to leave.

Beckham, who now plays for MLS side LA Galaxy, went to Real Madrid in summer of 2003 after spending over 10 years at Old Trafford where he won six Premiership titles plus two FA Cups and the Champions League crown in 1999.

The 32-year-old former England captain is quoted in the Daily Mail, as saying: "I read Bobby Charlton's book that says I was offered a contract, and that the figures offered were very fair. At that moment, I hadn't been offered any new contract at Man United.

"Sky Sports were at one of our games, and I was stood next to Gary Neville and I'd heard rumours other teams were interested in me, but I never thought it would happen and I remember turning to Gary on the pitch and saying, 'They've had talks', because I'd heard Man United had had talks with Barcelona.

“And Sky lip-read it wrong because they said I was saying, 'I've had talks'. I'd never spoken to anyone at that moment. The only time I spoke to Real Madrid was after I phoned up Peter Kenyon and said, 'Can I speak to the manager? I need to know, is this what the manager wants?' "And he said, 'Yeah, it's time for you to go', and I was like, 'OK', and that was the first day I spoke to Florentino Perez at Real Madrid."

Source : www.premiershiplatest.com

Flamengo Target Ronaldo

RIO Brazilian giants Flamengo claim they have started negotiations to sign AC Milan striker Ronaldo.

After agreeing a six-month loan deal for Internazionale frontman Adriano last week, Flamengo have now set their sights on another big-name signing.

Flamengo president Kleber Leite told www.globoesporte.com that talks have begun over acquiring the 31-year-old Brazil frontman from the European and recently-crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions.

"Flamengo have been authorised by Milan to talk to Ronaldo," said Leite.

"We've had a preliminary conversation and noticed he wants to change the direction of his life," said Leite.

The 1994 and 2002 World Cup winner has recently undergone fitness tests with Brazil team doctor Jose Luiz Runco after suffering some pains in his left shin.

Runco said: "I have a good opinion of Ronaldo. He needs to play, whether that is in Brazil or anywhere else."

Leite used Runco's words to tantalise fans over the possible signing, adding: "Both we and Ronaldo are interested and Runco has already given a positive medical report."

Source : www.sportinglife.com

Baptista Hails Real Team Effort

Real Madrid ace Julio Baptista will never forget his match-winning strike against Barcelona, but insists the credit for the 1-0 victory should not go to any one man.

Baptista struck the only goal of the game in the 36th minute with a superb half-volley from the edge of the box following a one-two with Ruud van Nistelrooy.

That goal helped put Real seven points clear at the top of La Liga heading into 2008 but 'The Beast' was quick to share the plaudits around for his side's triumph.

"It has been a great game, one impossible to forget. I felt great," the Brazilian midfielder told his club's official website.

"My goal was important, but this is not an individual victory, but a triumph of the entire team. We won such an important game as this thanks to the work of all the players and a great team effort.

"The collective feeling has been extraordinary and something impossible to describe on a personal level.

"That was naturally one of the most important goals in my life and I know I will never be able to forget it.

"I am very satisfied both for having scored and for the victory, but we must remember in this moment of euphoria that we haven't won anything yet."

Source : www.sportinglife.com