Monthly Archives: July 2010

Bhoys braced for Braga test

Posted on by
Reply

Neil Lennon’s first competitive game in charge of Celtic since his appointment as the club’s permanent manager will be in Portugal against Braga in the third qualifying round of the Champions League (Celtic 4/5 – SPL 2010/11 Outright).

The Bhoys travel to the Iberian peninsula on either Tuesday July 27 or Wednesday July 28 for the first leg, ahead of the return clash at Parkhead a week later.

Last season, Celtic failed to make the group stage of the Champions League after coming up against Arsenal in the play-off round so Lennon will be hoping to get over his first big hurdle.

Should the Bhoys beat Braga, who were runners up to Benfica in the Portuguese Liga last season, then they will go into the play-off round again this time around where they could meet the likes of Tottenham, Sampdoria and Sevilla.

Celtic kick off their SPL campaign with a trip to Inverness on August 8 and they will hope to still be in with a shout of the Champions League proper by that time.

Braga have never been in the Champions League before in their 89-year history.

The Champions League final will take place on the much-maligned Wembley pitch on May 28, 2011.

Celtic continue their pre-season with a friendly against Manchester United in Toronto this weekend (Bhoys 4/1 to win).

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Zlatan committed to Barca cause

Posted on by
Reply

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told Barcelona they have no chance of cashing in on him this summer (Barcelona 4/5f  – La Liga 2010/11 Outright).

The Catalan giants were this week forced to take out a massive 155m euros loan to cover their costs even though they have cashed in on the likes of Yaya Toure and Dmitri Chigrinski this summer.

Barca have also signed Spain World Cup winner David Villa to raise big question marks over the future of Ibrahimovic in their first-choice XI.

But the former Inter Milan hitman says he is staying at the Nou Camp despite a slow start to life in Catalonia following his move from Italy 12 months ago.

Ibrahimovic told a press conference in his homeland: “I was a Barca player when I left (to go on holiday) and I’ll be a Barca player when I go back.

“I have four years left on my contract.

“I want to congratulate everybody that has used my name, because it’s fun to have been at Chelsea, at Manchester City, without having been there.”

Ibrahimovic has also decided to make an international comeback after stepping away from the biggest stage after Sweden failed to make the 2010 World Cup (Sweden 33/1 – Euro 2012 Outright).

The 28-year-old has been handed co-captaincy duties, along with midfielder Anders Svensson, by new coach Erik Hamren.

Ibrahimovic claims he has now recharged his batteries after the disappointment of missing out on South Africa 2010.

He added: “What I have always said is that I am proud to play for the national team.

“You can count on me to be there at the national team’s next game.

“After the last game (against Denmark), when we didn’t get into the World Cup, I felt my motivation disappear.

“So I decided to give up. I had no desire to play. I’m a competitor, I play to win. After your career, you want to be remembered as someone who won.

“If I’m chosen for the next game, I’ll be there.”

Sweden have been drawn in Group E for the Euro 2012 qualifiers (Sweden 11/4 – Group Winner) where they will meet Holland (1/3), Finland (16/1), Moldova (250/1), Hungary (20/1) and San Marino (2500/1).

Totesport.com has installed world champions Spain as 7/2 pre-tournament favourites ahead of Germany (5/1) and Holland (15/2).

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Ollie slams ‘Ludicrous’ reports

Posted on by
Reply

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has dismissed speculation he walked out on the Seasiders over a contract dispute as “as ludicrous as it gets” (Blackpool 2/7f to be relegated).

Holloway led Blackpool to promotion via a play-off final win over Cardiff City, but with a limited budget the Bloomfield Road will face a massive challenge to stay in the Premier League.

However, the Seasiders boss believes unity and team-spirit will aid their bid for survival and claims the whole club are working together to give Blackpool the best possible chance of avoiding the drop.

“We will be doing things, but we will be doing what suits us,” explained Holloway. “We will be doing it together, we will be sticking together and we will be working together. That’s what got us where we are. When I say ‘we’, I mean the lads, the staff and the chairman.

“We are all in this together, whatever people might write and might try to cobble together as a complete pathetic story. Good luck to them but they won’t drive a wedge between any of us.

“There have been all sorts of rumours flying about everywhere, including myself walking out. That is about as ludicrous as it gets, but it’s a mad house in the Premiership and I’m glad I’m in it.”

Despite Holloway’s words of confidence Blackpool are still heavy favourites to finish rock-bottom of the Premier League with Totesport (10/11 rock bottom).  West Brom (10/3) and Newcastle (3/1), the other two promoted sides, are amongst the early contenders to finish bottom of the Premier League 2010/2011.

Blackpool are yet to add any new faces to the side that won promotion last season, and with a limited budget Holloway is not expected to make major changes.

However, following the World Cup business has been quieter than usual, with the possible exception of Manchester City and Wolves, and we may well see a few new faces arrive at Bloomfield Road between now and the start of the new campaign.

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Hodgson digs in over duo

Posted on by
Reply

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has issued a firm ‘hands-off’ warning over star striker Fernando Torres who has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona (Reds 9/1 – 2010 Premier League Outright).

The Spain World Cup winner, who suffered a thigh problem during the final win over Holland which could see him miss the start of the Premier League season, is currently on holiday.

But Hodgson has already met with the 26-year-old former Atletico Madrid star, as he has with England midfielder Steven Gerrard.

And the former Fulham chief insists neither is up for sale as he bids to lead the Reds back into the top four during the forthcoming season.

Hodgson said: “As far as we are concerned he is a Liverpool player and we want him to remain a Liverpool player.

“He is not for sale and we don’t welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him.

“We spoke about football, the World Cup, his injury, and I told him how much I am looking forward to working with him.”

Hodgson also says he has held “positive” talks with Gerrard who has spent his entire career with the Anfield outfit.

“We are in a situation where we hear our players are being courted by other teams but it is all just rumours,” Hodgson added.

“What we haven’t had is a club wanting to buy Steven Gerrard. Steven Gerrard is not for sale – I made that clear to him.”

One player who looks set to move on imminently is left-back Emiliano Insua who is in talks with Italian side Fiorentina over a £5m switch.

Meanwhile, Hodgson admits he has been unable to touch base with Argentina captain Javier Mascherano who is believed to have returned home following the World Cup.

Hodgson revealed at the club?s Swiss training camp: “I have tried to contact Javier. I have left him voice messages and sent him texts but had no reply.

“To be fair to him, that’s not unusual because he’s had a tough World Cup and I believe he’s gone back to Argentina.

“It’s not always easy to get in touch with people. I have tried to reach him to make clear I am happy to talk with him at his convenience.”

Liverpool kick off the Premier League season with a home clash against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal (8/1 – Opening Day Fixtures – Game With Most Goals).

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Given set for season opener

Posted on by
Reply

Shay Given has been given the green light to step up his rehab work as he looks to be ready for the start of the new Premier League season following a dislocated shoulder (Man City 9/2 – 2010/11 Premier League Outright).

The Manchester City star’s recovery from surgery has gone to plan and he is currently away with his team-mates on their pre-season tour of the USA.

Given’s place in the City XI next term was thought to be under threat following the emergence of Joe Hart, who caught the eye last term on loan at Birmingham City.

But the former Newcastle stalwart insists he has no intention of fading away from the first-team picture as he looks to give Blues boss Roberto Mancini a massive selection headache.

Given told the Daily Mirror: “I saw the specialist last week, he was delighted with it and he told me to kick on with the rehab work.

“If it keeps progressing the way it is then I’m hoping to be playing before we leave America.

“By the second last game or the last game I should be in with a shout of playing and I’m definitely looking to be ready for the start of the new season.”

City kick off the new Premier League season with a trip to Tottenham while Given will also hope to be involved when the Republic of Ireland kick off their Euro 2012 qualification campaign away against Armenia on September 3.

Prior to the new season, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men take on Argentina in a friendly game on August 11 to mark the opening of the new Aviva Stadium which used to be known as Lansdowne Road prior to its redevelopment.

Trapattoni will be determined to make sure his side gives qualifying for Euro 2012 their best shot following their World Cup 2010 play-off heartbreak against France thanks to Thierry Henry’s infamous handball (Ireland 80/1 – Euro 2012 Outright).

But one player who will not be on board is injury-plagued West Brom midfielder Steven Reid who has retired from international football.

Reid said: “I wish the squad every success for the forthcoming European Championship qualifiers and thank the players, the backroom team and the management for their help, support and friendship over the past nine years.

“I would also like to say a massive thank you to all the Irish fans for their support. They always got behind me and it was an honour to represent them.”

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Barca hint at Fabregas defeat

Posted on by
Reply

Arsenal have been given a huge boost following Barcelona president Sandro Rosell’s admission that the club might have to give up on signing Gunners (13/2 Premier League winners) captain Cesc Fabregas.

The Spanish star has been strongly linked with a move back to the Nou Camp having left the Catalan capital as a teenager to join Arsenal.

Since moving to north London as a 16-year-old Fabregas has gone on to make a huge name for himself, staring for the Gunners season after season.

However, in that time the 23-year-old has just one winners medal to show for his efforts, helping Arsenal claim the 2005 FA Cup on penalties.

Having helped Spain win the European Championships, and recently the World Cup, Fabregas’ stock has shot through the roof, leading to Barcelona making a £30million bid for the playmaker.

However, Arsenal were quick to turn down the offer, claiming the midfielder wasn?t for sale no matter the price.

Despite the player’s pleas to be allowed to re-join Barcelona (4/5 Primera Liga winners)  Arsenal have stood firm and now look as though they may have succeeded in warning off the Spanish giants.

Barca president Rosell has admitted they may be unable to sign Fabregas this season and has hinted they may give up on their pursuit.

“Arsenal feels very hurt by Barca,” said Rosell to Catalan TV3.

“They don’t want to listen to offers or sell and they are not putting the player (Fabregas) on the market.

“There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it.”

Barcelona’s admission could also stem from their current financial plight, the club having to take out a 155m euro loan to help ease their recent money troubles.

However, Rosell went on to say that he was confident that one day Fabregas would come back to the Nou Camp.

“He (Fabregas) will arrive, even if it is not now, it will be next year,” added Rosell. “We will see.”

Arsenal fans will now hope Fabregas (50/1 Premier League topscorer) will focus his attention on the Gunners domestic and European campaigns rather than pine for a move back to Barcelona.

The Gunners begin their pre-season fixtures on Saturday against Barnet (11/1 to beat Arsenal) before they head to Austria for their usual training camp.

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Hodgson stands firm over star man

Posted on by
Reply

World Cup bettingRoy Hodgson has insisted star striker Fernando Torres is not for sale as he aims to rebuild Liverpool after a poor season last time out (Reds 12/1 to win the title).

Speculation has been rampant over the summer that the Spanish star may move on to pastures new after enduring a disappointing campaign at Anfield.

Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing in a lowly seventh place in the Premier League. They now face a third qualifying round clash against Rabotnicki or Mika to qualify for the Europa League.

Torres himself was plagued with injury but the appointment of Hodgson, who succeeded Rafael Benitez in the Liverpool hotseat two weeks ago, is seen by many as the start of a new era at the Merseyside club.

Hodgson was quick to meet his star players, including Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, but has only just had the opportunity to meet with Torres after the Spaniard returned home following his World Cup exploits.

The Liverpool boss admitted afterwards that he found the striker a “very pleasant man”.

He went on to say “As far as we are concerned he is a Liverpool player and we want him to remain a Liverpool player. He is not for sale and we don’t welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him.

“We spoke about football, the World Cup, his injury, and I told him how much I am looking forward to working with him.”

Hodgson also confirmed that managing director Christian Purslow was at the meeting with Torres and spoke to him for a far greater length of time than he did.

Meanwhile, Liverpool officials flew to Spain to see Torres in order to assess the extent of the injury he sustained in last Sunday?s World Cup final. A slight tear in an adductor muscle has ruled the player out of action for thenext three weeks.

This means that Torres is unlikely to feature in the Europa League clash between Rabotnicki or Mika, whilst it is doubtful whether he will play many pre-season games before Liverpool’s tough opening match against Arsenal on August 15 (Liverpool 5/4, draw 23/10, Arsenal 7/4).

Hodgson has also had talks with Gerrard, which he believes were positive. He made it clear that Liverpool don?t want to sell their captain and also stated that they have had no offers for him, despite rumours to the contrary.

Meanwhile, the situation regarding Javier Mascherano is a little more complicated as Hodgson has yet to receive a response from his texts and voice messages. However, he believes this is not unusual as Mascherano is probably recovering from a gruelling World Cup back in Argentina.

Hodgson also dismissed rumours linking him with a move for Nice striker Loic Remy. He said; “He’s a player who was mentioned to me by the scouting department and a player the club were following before I came.

“He’s a player I know very little about. If I am going to be interested in a player I am going to have to watch him playing, study him and make judgments which I have not been able to.”

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Tigers and totesport continue link

Posted on by
Reply

Hull City looked good in their new adidas kit, sponsored by totesport.com, on Wednesday evening when they comfortably beat North Ferriby 6-0 in a pre-season friendly.

The club are confident the new kit will be worn to success as they look to immediately bounce back and return to the Premier League after relegation last season.

Hull have seen a few changes ahead of the new campaign with Nigel Pearson coming in as new manager, Adidas as a new kit manufacturer and a few different faces in the playing squad, but totesport’s support remains.

The bookmaker has continued its sponsorship of the Tigers as they go into the second year of the two-year deal with the club and is offering fans a tempting 16/1 about them topping the table.

The Tigers have had a strong start to preparations ahead of their new life in the Championship after beating Winterton Rangers 2-1 and romping home to beat North Ferriby.

Goals from Peter Halmosi, Mark Cullen, Daniel Cousin, Will Atkinson, Danny Emerton and new signing Noberto Solano secured the win over the Northern Premier League Division One side.

Solano joined City after playing for Leicester last season under Pearson and will add some experience to a side which is looking to blood some young players in the Championship.

The former Aston Villa and Newcastle United winger will join up with Premier League veteran Nicky Barmby who will be looking to feature in Pearson’s plans this season.

Barmby played alongside his new manager when the pair were at Middlesbrough and the 36-year-old believes the new Tigers boss will do well at the KC Stadium.

He said: “You can tell certain players are going to stay on in the game and become a manager and Nige was one of those characters.

“I still have a lot of desire to be involved in the first team but with the young lads there is a lot of fulfilment there and I’m really enjoying it,” he added.

The Yorkshire side will face a tough challenge as they look to return to the top flight in a Championship division with plenty of strong-looking squads.

Hull will also have some juicing Yorkshire derbies, with Leeds United, Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley all looking to have successful seasons.

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Blues to step up Torres interest

Posted on by
Reply

Chelsea are reportedly set to step up their chase of Liverpool forward Fernando Torres, despite the injury setback suffered by the hitman as they bid to retain their Premier League crown (6/4 for the Blues to win again) next season.

The Spain international pulled up with a problem towards the end of the World Cup 2010 final, and recent scans indicated that he had torn a thigh muscle that could keep him out for about three weeks.

This is believed to have left new boss Roy Hodgson mulling over a conundrum that often plagued his predecessor Rafael Benitez during his reign on Merseyside.

The former Reds manager often ushered the prolific goalscorer back onto the pitch early owing to a lack in depth of attacking options, which often meant that the forward would be playing in pain either through injury or through recovery.

Now reports are emerging claiming the west London club are plotting to capitalise on this, by making it clear to Torres that they would use him sparingly to give him as much time as possible to make a recovery from any injury that he may face if he should move to Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool, for their part, are believed to be in line to reject any offer that may come their way for the sale of the Spaniard, but it has been speculated that they may change their outlook if Torres should ask to be allowed to leave the club.

It’s understood Hodgson is desperate to meet with the Kop idol to thrash out his future, as he wants a firm answer to be able to plan for the future either with or without him.

Liverpool are believed to want as much as £50 million for the striker, despite his injury-riddled recent past and a relatively underwhelming World Cup campaign on a personal level.

Meanwhile, the Blues step up their pre-season preparations this evening with a friendly at Crystal Palace (Blues 7/2 for the victory).

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Roy aims for magic and new faces

Posted on by
Reply

Roy Hodgson has admitted some of the Liverpool squad are “disenchanted” following last season’s poor form but he has vowed to bring the magic back to Anfield – Liverpool are valued at 12/1 to win the Premier League - and says the club are working hard on signing new players.

Hodgson is currently preparing for his first game in charge of the Reds – a pre-season friendly against Al-Hilal in Switzerland on Saturday evening – and, just a few weeks into his new job, says the search for new players to improve the squad is about to be stepped up.

Liverpool have been linked with a whole host of players so far this summer, including the likes of Paraguay ace Victor Caceres, Fulham defender Brede Hangeland and even former Everton forward James Beattie, but Hodgson has said the club’s fans should not believe everything they read in the papers or on the internet.

Among the former Fulham boss’ most-important tasks, however, before he can add new talent to his squad, is persuading star duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that the future is bright at Anfield. So far Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea) has been the only first-team departure since the end of the season, but Emiliano Insua (Napoli) and David Ngog (West Brom on loan) could be the next players to leave.

Hodgson is prepared to give all of his youthful squad a chance to impress out in Switzerland before he begins to chop and change before the start of the new season, which kicks off with a tough encounter at home to Arsenal on August 15 (Liverpool to win 3-0 – 20/1).

“We are working very hard on making certain the players we have at the club who you would call the ‘good players’ are going to be with us for next season,” Hodgson told the club’s website.

“The board are working very hard in that area. Some players are a bit disenchanted after what happened last season and we want to make sure we get that enchantment back.

“We are looking to add to and improve the squad, but I prefer not to talk or say what we are doing until we have something concrete to announce.”

It is obvious that Hodgson needs to sign several players, most notably in defence and attack, ahead of the new season but he is well aware some of the names doing the rounds in the media are way off his list of targets.

“We are being linked with players left, right and centre and it amuses me that we are sometimes linked with players we haven’t even heard of,” he added.

“I have great faith in the Liverpool public that they will see through the snippets of information they may read in the newspapers, take it with a pinch of salt and wait for an official announcement.”

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.