Monthly Archives: September 2010

Houllier targets top four

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Aston Villa boss Gerard HoullierNewly appointed Aston Villa (9/1 to finish in the top four) boss Gerard Houllier believes that the club is set for a new era as they target a top four finish in the Premier League this season.

Villa have been on the hunt for a new manager since Martin O’Neill walked out on the club just five days before the start of the new season.

USA boss Bob Bradley was the favourite to become the next manager at Villa Park but Houllier has been given the challenge of getting the Midlands side into the Champions League qualifying positions.

The Frenchman has been given a three-year-deal as he looks to stabilise the club after the surprise exit of O’Neill.

The club and Houllier’s representatives are still finalising terms but the 63-year-old is expected to be in the role after the match against Stoke City on Monday.

The former Liverpool (6/4 to finish in the top four) boss has stated that he is keen to get on with the job as the club looks to move forward.

He said: “I’m pleased, I’m proud, I’m hungry, I’m healthy and I can’t wait to come.

“I had several offers but it looked as if Aston Villa like to do things as a team. I like to work as a team and I can feel that we are going to be in this together.

“It’s a new era, in terms of training, in terms of habits, in terms of everything,” he added.

Houllier has not managed in the Premier League since he left Anfield back in 2004 but the former Lyon boss believes he can still make an impact in one of the toughest competitions in the world.

When asked if Villa could challenge for a top four finish Houllier stated that given time the club can achieve that target.

He said: “The team will probably improve in the long run and if we are spared by injuries and also manage to get one or two players at the right time, then why not?

“But the aim of course is Europe, places of honours and silverware.

“We know where we want to go, we know it will take time, that’s why I was passionate about getting back into management,” he added.

Houllier looks likely to take charge of the side ahead of their Premier League clash against Bolton Wanderers at Villa Park on September 18.

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Houllier relishing ‘challenge’

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Gerard Houllier is looking forward to the ‘tremendous challenge’ of trying to take Aston Villa to the next level (9/1 Premiership Top 4 Finish) after the club confirmed him as their new manager.

The 63-year-old former Liverpool manager will return to the Premier League following a six-year absence after ending his current position as technical director for the French Football Federation. And Houllier he is now aiming to carry on helping Villa progress from Martin O’Neill’s reign in which time he guided them to a regular top-six finish and Europa League football.

Houllier said in a statement: “I am very happy and proud to join this great and historic club.

“It was a very difficult decision for me to leave the FFF [French Football Federation].

“But I could not turn down the opportunity to manage a club whose approach, both on and off the pitch, I have long admired.

“Aston Villa is one of England’s biggest clubs and has an amazing set of fans.

“This is a tremendous challenge and one I am very much looking forward to taking on.”

It is not known who will become Houllier’s assistant after his former Liverpool number two Phil Thompson ruled himself out of the running in order to stay working as a television pundit.

The future of Kevin MacDonald, who took over as caretaker manager when O’Neill quit Villa a month ago, is also uncertain as Houllier might want to bring his own backroom team in to Villa Park.

However Villa are delighted to have secured Houllier’s services with chief executive Paul Faulkner revealing that the Frenchman met their requirements of managing a Premier League club and having ‘a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad’.

He added: “In fact, he stands out as a football man who understands the ethos of our club and shares our core values.

“We look forward to working with Gerard and supporting him.

“We ask our supporters to get behind the new manager and the team as we look to build on the progress we have made over the past four years in all areas of the club.”

Houllier’s first game at the Villa helm will be on Monday when they travel to face Stoke City (Stoke 7/5, Villa 9/5, Draw 9/4 – 90 Minutes) in the Premier League at the Britannia Stadium.

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Sullivan calls for Hammers calm

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Co-owner David Sullivan has insisted there is no need for any West Ham fans to panic, despite their dreadful start to the new Premier League season (West Ham 7/4 to be relegated).

The east London outfit have lost all three of their Premier League matches thus far and the club’s only victory came thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Scott Parker against League Two side Oxford United in the Carling Cup.

West Ham currently find themselves rooted to the foot of the league having been beaten by Manchester United, Bolton and Aston Villa, conceding nine goals and scoring just one.

The Hammers are likely to remain there for the next week at least as they prepare to welcome league leaders and defending champions Chelsea (1/3 to beat West Ham) to Upton Park on Saturday.

Having replaced Gianfranco Zola with Avram Grant at the back end of last season and brought in six new players during the transfer window the Hammers had been expected to move away from the wrong end of the league.

However, Grant’s new additions have failed to bed in and with constant speculation linking the likes of Scott Parker and Carlton Cole with moves away from London it has been a tough start for the Israeli manager.

West Ham owners Sullivan and David Gold were outspoken in their criticism of former boss Zola when the team were struggling last season.

However, Sullivan has come out in support of Grant and insists there is no truth behind the rumours the new manager is already under pressure to produce results.

“I’d like to put the record straight,” Sullivan told the London Evening Standard.

“Nobody is pressing any panic buttons and reports to the contrary are rubbish. We are building a new team under a new manager and transition is a tough time but game by game, I anticipate an improvement over the coming months.

“We expect the team to come together over the next few games and see some real progress. When we looked at the early fixtures we knew we faced a tough time but we only managed two points from the same fixtures last season.”

The former Birmingham owner also backtracked on comments he had made about the foreign contingent at Upton Park after he suggested last weekend that some of them ‘couldn’t be bothered’.

Sullivan now insists that it was just one or two players he was talking about when made his controversial outburst and claims the other members of the squad are all working hard to improve the Hammers situation.

Grant has also given his backing to the players and the board, insisting everyone is trying to do their best to rectify the current situation.

However, Grant will do well to start his salvage operation against Chelsea (6/5 Premier League outright) with the Blues having won all three of their opening matches, scoring 14 goals and conceding none thus far.

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Toshack in Wales fond farewell

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John Toshack hopes that his decision to step down as Wales manager might help the side qualify for the Euro 2012 finals (Wales 20/1 To Qualify).

Rumours began to spread that the 61-year-old was set to quit after the Welsh lost their opening Euro 2012 Group G match to Montenegro and now the former Liverpool striker has confirmed that his six-year tenure has come to an end.

Toshack has enjoyed relatively little success while in charge of Wales and failed to guide his side to any major tournament finals during his spell in charge.

He also had a very public spat with Robbie Savage, which resulted in the much-travelled midfield hard man calling time on his international career at the age of just 30, as he refused to conform to Toshack’s methods.

Toshack spent just 41 days in charge of Wales back in 1994 before quitting the job, but his first unsuccessful spell did not put him off having another crack at the seemingly impossible task of guiding a country with such a small pool of players to the heights of a major championship.

The former Real Madrid boss hopes that by leaving at an early stage of the current qualifying campaign, it will give his successor the chance to have a real go at reaching Poland and Ukraine in two years time.

“Wales are still very much in this group, and now the decision has been made hopefully they’ll be able to get some positive results in the next two games,” he said. “If the results do go against us, I think I would have preferred that to happen with me still in charge.”

The Cardiff-born tactician revealed that he has planned to look at the situation after Wales’ first three qualifiers and made it clear that he was initially prepared to carry on for two more games after the opening group defeat (Wales 33/1 to win Group G).

But, after consultation with the FAW, it was felt that the time was right for a change at the top.

“I thought after three matches of this group we would review everything,” he said. “Even after the disappointment of the game in Montenegro that was still the way I felt.

“But we have come to the agreement that this might be better for everyone concerned.”

Wales are already six points behind England and Montenegro in Group G, having played one game less, and face qualifying matches with Switzerland and Bulgaria next month.

The search for Toshack’s successor is now underway and Stoke Boss Tony Pulis has already ruled himself out, saying that it is “too early” for him to consider at present, while Dean Saunders, Chris Coleman and Ian Rush have all been mentioned as possible candidates.

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Capello reveals his pension plan

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Fabio Capello has confirmed he will quit as England coach after Euro 2012 (England 9/1 Outright) because he wants to ‘enjoy my life as a pensioner’.

The 64-year-old Italian tactician narrowly escaped the axe from his £6million-a-year post this summer following the Three Lions’ disastrous World Cup campaign in South Africa in which several lacklustre performances ended with a dismal 4-1 thrashing against Germany in the second round.

However, the Football Association stuck with Capello and his bid to get England to the European Championships in two years’ time (England 1/7 Group G Winner) has started impressively with two opening wins against Bulgaria and Switzerland with seven goals scored and only one conceded.

England’s good start has been all the more admirable given that the experienced and influential Chelsea duo John Terry and Frank Lampard have both been absent due to injuries. And the likes of Adam Johnson and Theo Walcott – who both missed the World Cup – have both shown why they can now be key men for the national side in the Euro 2012 qualification campaign.

A victory against a Montenegro side, which has also started with two wins, at Wembley next month would put England (1/25 Yes – To Qualify) in an excellent position to make the finals in Poland and Ukraine. And, while there have been suggestions that Capello could even be asked to stay on until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he has made his mind up to call it a day and put his feet up.

When asked if he would be leaving after 2012, Capello said: “Absolutely. Yes.

“We have to qualify first of course but after that I will be too old.

“I want to enjoy my life as a pensioner.”

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Gerrard hails stylish England

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Steven Gerrard hailed England’s impressive performance against Switzerland and feels the Three Lions have now gone some way to banishing the memory of their poor World Cup with back-to-back Euro 2012 qualifying wins (England now 9/1 NOT to qualify).

The 4-0 success over Bulgaria at Wembley on Friday was followed up with the 3-1 win in Basel and Gerrard was delighted with the display, saying England “tore their opponents apart” at times.

The abysmal World Cup showing over the summer will soon be forgotten if Capello’s side can continue to play like they did on Tuesday and the stand-in skipper claims the feel-good factor is back in the camp.

Gerrard admitted: “I think all the players who were over in South Africa realised it wasn’t good enough.

“We knew we had to regroup, stick together and try and raise our performance levels. I think over the last two games we’ve certainly done that.”

Many had predicted a tight game in Group G but England, with Adam Johnson, Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and James Milner all starring, were always on top and should have been further in front than 1-0 at half time.

The Liverpool star admitted he was expecting a tough defensive showing from Switzerland, who famously beat world champions Spain in South Africa, but insisted they could not live with England as an attacking force.

“They’ve got a good record, especially at home,” Gerrard added. “Many people were talking about them being hard to score against and hard to beat, but I thought we tore them apart at times.”

England take on Montenegro next in the group, in what could prove a tougher game than originally expected, after they picked up their second win on Tuesday.

Following a 1-0 win over Wales on Friday, the so-called ‘minnows’ also won 1-0 in Bulgaria and will head to Wembley next month in good heart (Montenegro 22/1 to win the group).

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Carragher eyes attacking Liverpool

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Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool, on offer with tote at 6/4 to finish in the 2010-11 Premier League top four, have enough strike power to compete this season.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson was forced to sell wantaway Javier Mascherano and also tried to recruit a striker in the transfer window but failed to land several targets, including Mario Gomez of Bayern Munich and West Ham forward Carlton Cole.

However, defensive stalwart Carragher believes there is enough attacking talent at Anfield to fire them forward in the first half of the season.

The former England man believes a fit-again Fernando Torres, supported by David Ngog, youngster Daniel Pacheco, Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt provide plenty of options for the Merseysiders (Top Six finish – 3/10).

“We are looking for Fernando Torres to stay as fit as possible but I think David Ngog in the last 12 months is a completely different player, and his start to the season has been fantastic,” he said.

“We’ve also got Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel as well.”

Meanwhile Pepe Reina, who made a poor error to let Argentina’s Carlos Tevez score against him when in goal for Spain on Tuesday, admitted losing Mascherano to Barcelona is a big blow to the club.

The goalkeeper admitted: “Javier is very competitive, very Argentinian and he always offers his maximum in every game. For Barca this is a good new thing, but it’s not for us.

“He was not someone who got into controversy. He never caused rows in the dressing room. He was good on the pitch, broke up counter-attacks and now we need other players with his characteristics.”

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Chelsea stars close to comeback

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Carlo Ancelotti is hoping that Chelsea (6/5 to win Premier League) stars John Terry and Frank Lampard both continue their progress returning from injury in time to face West Ham at the weekend.

The duo both missed the latest round of international games, but that has allowed the Italian manager to assess the rehabilitation of his captain and vice-captain at Chelsea’s Cobham training base.

Chelsea have had an impressive start to their Premier League season and are the only side with maximum points from their first three games.

In that time the Blues have scored 14 goals and conceded none and their fans will be hoping that impressive record can continue against West Ham at Upton Park this weekend (West Ham 15/2, Chelsea 1/3, draw 18/5).

The Hammers are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with three defeats from three games, and things could be looking even worse for their fans as Ancelotti has claimed there is a chance that both Lampard and Terry could line up for the game.

“Lampard had surgery on Tuesday and I think that he will start to train this week. I don’t know when but we will see how he trains and we will take a decision for the game against West Ham,” said the manager.

“Terry didn’t have surgery but he used the last week to improve his hamstring. He will start to train with the squad this week and I think he will be able to play against West Ham.”

After the West Ham game, Chelsea then get their Champions League campaign underway with a trip to play Slovakian side MSK Zilina (Chelsea 11/2 to win tournament).

For all their success since Roman Abramovich took over the West London club, the Champions League trophy has been the one that has eluded them over the years.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien recently said that he was confident that curse could be broken this season, especially after the club looked so impressive winning their first ever league and FA Cup double last season.

The Ghana star said the club aim to “win every competition” they enter and, while they seem a certainty to get out of the group with MSK Zilina, Spartak Moscow and Marseille (Chelsea 2/9 to win Group F), he thinks they stand a great chance of winning the Champions League.

“As a player you get the inner feeling that something big is around the corner and I feel the same way I felt last season when we won the double,” said Essien.

“However I am sure we can go one further and add the big one – the UEFA Champions League to our collection of trophies.”

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Relieved Levein takes positives

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craig leveinCraig Levein chose to ignore Scotland’s poor display against Liechtenstein and insisted their late, late win over the minnows was all that mattered as they breathed life into their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign (16/1 to win Group I).

Scotland appeared to be heading for a humiliating 1-1 home draw against a side routinely beaten at this level, before Stephen McManus’ 97th-minute winner changed the mood completely in Glasgow.

Veteran Mario Frick, on his 36th birthday, had given the visitors a remarkable lead a minute after the interval, before Kenny Miller equalised just past the hour mark.

The expected goal onslaught did not materialise, however, and the Tartan Army had to wait until the very last seconds of the match to celebrate an unlikely win.

Despite the nature of the victory and the overall poor display from his side, Levein was keen to play up the positives – as Scotland, who are now 11/2 to qualify for Euro 2012, find themselves top of Group I following two games.

He said: “I’m a very happy man. The facts and the stats will show that we are top of the group.

“We can play much better. I can understand the criticism that will be levelled at us but I would like to give credit to Liechtenstein – they made it difficult for us.

“People want to talk about what we did do or didn’t do but that is irrelevant – it’s the result that matters and our result on Friday night in Lithuania looks better.

“The good thing for me is that the players didn’t give up. They kept going and showed grit and determination.”

The winning goal at Hampden Park came seven minutes into stoppage time despite the fourth official signalling for just five minutes to be added on but Levein, predictably, was pleased the extra seconds were tagged on.

He added: “I think the referee had every right to add the extra time. Even in injury time, there were substitutions and time-wasting.”

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Gerrard wary of mean Swiss

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England captain Steven Gerrard has warned fans not to expect a goal rush against Switzerland in Basle on Tuesday night (Switzerland 16/5 – To Keep A Clean Sheet).

The Three Lions move on from the 4-0 hammering of Bulgaria at Wembley in the opening game of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign by taking on the stingy Swiss.

Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men set a new record at the World Cup for minutes played without conceding a goal – 559 – which beat the previous best of 550 minutes set by Italy.

Switzerland also rolled over eventual world champions Spain in their opening group game although they still failed to get into the second phase after a defeat to Chile and a draw with Honduras.

Gerrard admits he has personally run the rule over the Swiss and says England must be patient as they look for chances later.

The Liverpool star said: “They’re a top side. Defensively they’re very good. We’ll be watching more tapes of them before the game.

“I followed them really closely in the World Cup because we were linked with a player called (Gokhan) Inler with the rumours that (Javier) Mascherano was supposed to be leaving Liverpool.

“They’ll be difficult to break down. I liked Inler, thought he was good, but I don’t control what players we sign.”

While the Swiss are mean at the back, lack of goals was their problem in the summer while they only scored more than two goals on one occasion during World Cup qualifying – against minnows Luxembourg – in 10 games.

In contrast, England scored 34 times during qualification for the 2010 World Cup finals although the feel-good factor around Fabio Capello’s side evaporated during a dreadful campaign in South Africa.

Capello is looking forward, though, and admits he is delighted to have unearthed the strike partnership of Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe (England 4/7 – To Score First Goal).

The Italian said: “Sometimes over the course of a season it is like players have a chemical moment. I can see that in them now.

“Against Bulgaria, Defoe’s movement was fantastic and Rooney’s passing was fantastic.

“Rooney has played in a lot of different positions, left wing in the Champions League, as a lone centre-forward and in midfield.

“On Friday I asked him to play just in front of their two central defenders.

“He had a lot of possession, was free to move around the pitch and was really good with the ball at his feet.

“He is so technically strong his passing was excellent.”

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