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Scholes regrets Three Lions decision

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Manchester United veteran Paul Scholes has admitted that he regrets turning down the opportunity to play for England (9/1 to win the 2012 European Championships) at the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

The midfielder was believed to have been contacted before the tournament by national boss Fabio Capello who wanted to use the player’s experience for the major competition.

However Scholes declined the chance to play for England with his priorities set on spending time with his family before the start of yet another season with United.

The 35-year-old had to watch as the Three Lions scraped through the group stages of the tournament before being knocked out by old rivals Germany in the first knockout round.

Scholes has since revealed that it was Capello’s assistant Franco Baldini who spoke to him in an attempt to bring the player out of international retirement.

He said: “I said no, but not straight away.

“If I’d have had a couple of weeks to make a decision I would definitely have gone.

“And watching the World Cup  I wish I had gone. Following England’s display, people said I must be thankful that I wasn’t involved.”

“I can honestly say that isn’t the case,” he added.

England could have used a player like Scholes as they lacked a cutting edge in South Africa, only scoring three goals in the tournament.

However the United veteran will be fresh and ready for the new Premier League season.

The Red Devils will begin their top flight campaign when they take on Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Monday (Man Utd 2/9, draw 5/1, Newcastle Utd 12/1).

United will be looking to win back the Premier League title from rivals Chelsea who won 6-0 against West Brom on the opening day of the season but Scholes is not worried about the Blues favourite tag.

He said: “That doesn’t worry me.

“The three seasons in a row we won the league I don’t think many people fancied us.

“The more people who don’t think we are going to win it the better.”

This could be the midfielder’s last season with the club who have already won the FA Community Shield after beating Chelsea 3-1.

Scholes along with the likes of Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville could all be coming to the end of their time at Old Trafford in a playing capacity with positions in coaching roles a possibility.

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FA drop Fabio hint

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The FA have confirmed that England’s next manager will be an Englishman, amid speculation current boss Fabio Capello’s time in charge of the Three Lions could be coming to an end (England 9/1 to win the Euro 2012 tournament).

Capello’s current deal runs until 2012, including the European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine, and the FA insist that he will remain as the manager, despite the speculation.

“We are working on the basis that Fabio will be with us until 2012,” said the FA’s Adrian Bevington in an interview with BBC 5 live.

“The view beyond that, based on the discussions I’ve been involved in, is that we should have an English manager after that.”

The Italian tactician has found himself the target of the press yet again following his treatment of former captain David Beckham.  Capello announced after England’s 2-1 victory over Hungary at Wembley that he would not pick the veteran midfielder for any more competitive matches and, while many pundits agree with his decision, the general feeling is that he handled the situation badly.

Beckham is England’s most capped outfield player, having represented his country 115 times, and has always made himself available for the national side.  The FA and a number of England fans are unhappy with the fact that Capello revealed Beckham would not play again in a television interview, rather than explain the situation to the player himself.

The former AC Milan and Real Madrid boss oversaw England’s worst ever World Cup campaign during the summer and there were calls for him to be axed following the dismal display in South Africa.  However, the FA chose to stick with Capello for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign despite the humiliating 4-1 loss at the hands of bitter rivals Germany in the last 16.

A well known Sunday tabloid newspaper has reported that Manchester City will try and tempt Capello away from England if Eastlands boss Roberto Mancini struggles in the early stages of the season (City 6/1 to win the Premier League).  While press reports of this nature should probably be taken with a very big pinch of salt the media have started to speculate that the Italian is facing the axe from the FA, with other sources claiming he has just three games to turn England’s fortunes around.

England are next in action on November 17 in a friendly against France at Wembley.  Capello has stated he will pick Beckham for the tie against the French as a farewell game but the former captain has insisted he has no plans to retire and will continue to battle for a place in the England side, despite Capello’s comments.

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Ollie hails Blackpool heroes

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Blackpool manager Ian HollowayBlackpool are still the favourites to be relegated but boss Ian Holloway believes his side have a great “work ethic” and hailed their effort following the spectacular opening-day 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium (Blackpool 1/3 to be relegated).

Holloway had struggled in the transfer market until last weekend, with the Seasiders boss failing in moves for Angel Rangel and Jon Stead amongst others.  However, Holloway has now enjoyed some success in bringing in new faces and has captured Chris Basham, Craig Cathcart, Marlon Harweood, Elliot Grandin, Ludovic Sylvestre and Malaury Martin.

Harewood only joined the Seasiders on Wednesday but was thrown straight into the action at Wigan and repaid his boss’ faith by bagging a brace as Blackpool got off to a fantastic start in their first season in the top flight in 40 years.

The Blackpool boss admits he didn’t expect such a comprehensive victory against Latics and praised his side’s work ethic.

“I don’t think any of us in our wildest dreams believed that we could come here and do that,” he told Sky Sports. “But there was a spell in the first half where, had they [Wigan] scored, I don’t know what my lads’ belief would have been like.”

Holloway is aware the hard work must continue if Blackpool are to upset the odds and retain their place in the Premier League but he insists he does not focus on what other people outside the club are saying.

He added: “If you listen to other people’s verdict on us, they suggest that we’re not going to do very well, but I don’t read too much into that.

“We’ve a great group of lads, we’re going to work hard for each other and we’ve had a great day today.”

The Seasiders face a trip to The Emirates Stadium next week to take on title contenders Arsenal, who will surely provide a bigger test than Wigan, who should be concerned about their own chances of survival after their dreadful display against Blackpool (Wigan 5/4 to be relegated).

West Brom, who were promoted along with Blackpool last season, endured a difficult start to life back in the Premier League as they suffered a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of reigning champions and title favourites Chelsea, while Newcastle, who finished top of the Championship, travel to Old Trafford on Monday to open their Premier League campaign at Manchester United (Match Betting – Manchester United 2/9, draw 5/1, Newcastle 12/1).

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Hammers boss backs Green

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Rob Green can bounce back from his World Cup disaster and hit new heights this season, says West Ham boss Avram Grant (Hammers 9/2 to be relegated).

The Hammers manager says that, although Green and other England players may get a rough ride from fans – particularly of opposition clubs – early this season it should not affect their form.

Green’s clanger saw him allow a harmless-looking shot from USA’s Clint Dempsey to find the net in England’s opening 1-1 draw at the World Cup.

The keeper was axed for the rest of the tournament but has been publicly backed by his club manager.

“I believe any player needs to give answers on the pitch,” Grant told the club’s official website.

“I remember David Beckham after the World Cup in 1998, it was his best season. I remember Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006, the supporters did not like him and it was his best season.

“In the 2002 final Oliver Kahn conceded a goal my grandmother could have stopped and Germany lost the title, but he was still a good goalkeeper.

“Rob is a very good goalkeeper, very good mentally, high quality.

“It will not be the last time a goalkeeper lets a goal in like that, there were many at the World Cup.

“But with the support – it happened to Beckham and it happened to Ronaldo and I hope his reaction will be the same.”

Green was overlooked for this week’s friendly against Hungary, even though Ben Foster withdrew with an injury and Paul Robinson announced his international retirement.

But the West Ham (1/8 to stay up) boss feels Green has no intention of following Robinson’s lead and says he can force his way back into Fabio Capello’s plans.

“I didn’t have to speak to him,” said Grant. “It’s part of the game.

“I don’t think he needs to retire because in my opinion he will play many games for the England team. At the moment he is one of the top two goalkeepers in the country.”

Meanwhile, Grant says he is preparing to live out his dreams at Upton Park.

As a young man in Israel, he says he loved the way West Ham (20/1 to finish in top six) would try to entertain with attacking football.

He visited the club and sat at the feet of former boss Ron Greenwood.

Grant told the Daily Express: “I know everything about West Ham and their traditions. I know what they believed in, how they wanted to play the game and be judged. It was probably the main reason I took the job. I absorbed everything about them and about English football too

“I would very much like to carry on the traditions of this club.

“This season, for me and for West Ham, is a big challenge, but always success is a journey, not just a target.”

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Wenger commits to Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has given the Gunners a boost ahead of their season-opener with Liverpool by signing a new deal at the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal 19/10 to beat Liverpool).

The 60-year-old tactician joined Arsenal from Japanese side Grampus Eight in 1996 and has become the club’s longest-serving manager with 14 years in north London.

He has guided the club to three Premiership titles, while also claiming the FA Cup on four separate occasions.

The fiery Frenchman has yet to win the Champions League but did lead his troops to the final in 2006, only to see them beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.

The former Monaco boss has been linked with a number of managerial posts during his time at Arsenal, with Real Madrid mentioned as a possible destination over the past few years.

But Wenger has always remained loyal to his current employers and has now penned a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2014.

It is not known whether the Strasbourg-born manger intends to carry on in management when his new deal runs out but it seems likely that he will remain with the Gunners for the rest of his career as he appears as enthusiastic as ever about his current charges’ chances of bringing trophies to the Emirates.

“My heart belongs to Arsenal and my desire is to see this team win silverware,” he said. “My commitment and drive are as strong and fresh as ever. Signing a new deal means that I can see this talented group of players reach their potential. Trust me, they are ready to deliver.

“With my staff and players we are in front of an exciting challenge and we are looking forward to achieving much success.”

Wenger is the Premiership’s second-longest serving manager behind Sir Alex Ferguson but he has not delivered any silverware for five years and there were rumours that he was keen to try his luck elsewhere.

However, the latest news will end any speculation and means the players can now focus on the job of trying to break the duopoly of Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the Premiership table.

With Liverpool under new management and Manchester City spending money like it’s going out of fashion, the Premiership could be a more open affair this season, with Arsenal looking to win domestic football’s biggest prize for the first time since the 2003/04 season.

Having the likes of Robin van Persie fit for the whole season will be key to Wenger’s chances of winning the Premiership crown and he should be fit to face the Reds on Sunday at Anfield (Van Persie 5/4 to be Gunners top goalscorer in Premier League).

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Hughton aware of United challenge

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Newcastle United manager Chris HughtonNewcastle United boss Chris Hughton admits he would have liked to begin the season with a home game instead of a daunting trip to face Manchester United at Old Trafford (Newcastle 12/1 to beat Manchester United).

The Magpies are now back in the English top flight following one season in the Championship after stand-in boss Alan Shearer failed to keep them in the Premier League towards the end of the 2008-2009 campaign.

The North-East giants ran away with the Championship last season and will hope to re-establish themselves in the top division having surrendered their top-flight status in May 2009 following sixteen successive seasons in the Premier League.

Despite calls to strengthen the squad, Hughton has only brought in Sol Campbell, James Perch and Dan Gosling to date, with just a couple of weeks to go before the transfer window closes until January.

Newcastle and United had a number of memorable encounters during Kevin Keegan’s time in charge at St James’ Park, when the Tynesiders were a match for the majority of Premier League teams, but their star has waned in recent years culminating in relegation just over 12 months ago.

But a wave of optimism is now back at the club and they will be looking to cement their place in the best league in Europe this season.

Hughton admits the fixture computer could have been kinder to his side but he is looking to draw on the performance of the players a couple of seasons ago, when they drew 1-1 with Sir Alex Ferguson’s team on the opening day at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ (Man Utd 2/9 to beat Newcastle).

“Looking at Manchester United and the squad they’ve got and the quality they’ve got, it will be a massive challenge for us,” he said. “But this is what we worked so hard for last season to get straight back up into this division.

“It’s probably not the ideal choice. I think the ideal choice would have been to have a home game but we have been there before on the first game of the season two seasons ago and we certainly gave a very good account of ourselves so we’re aware that everything’s possible even though we’re massive underdogs.”

United are out to win back the Premier League trophy after losing out to Chelsea in the race for the title last term and they have already shown that they are well up for the fight with victory over Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the Community Shield last weekend.

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Ancelotti warning for champions

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Chelsea (13/8 to win the Premier League) boss Carlo Ancelotti says the Premier League could be a five-horse race, and that the Blues will have to be better than last season to finish top of the pile again.

Ancelotti starts the new season with a home date against West Brom (Chelsea 1/7 to win) – and there is plenty to live up to after guiding Chelsea to the double last term.

The Italian insists that it will not be a straight fight with Manchester United at the top this year, and points to Liverpool’s potential under new manager Roy Hodgson as well as Manchester City’s big-budget squad as potential challengers.

“It will be more difficult to win the title this year,” Ancelotti told the Press Association.

“It is not enough to be like last year; we will need to work harder.

“Manchester United will be our biggest rivals.

“They have quality, tradition and history but I know that we have to pay attention to the other teams.

“Arsenal bought a fantastic striker in (Marouane) Chamakh, Liverpool have a new manager, they could be a strong opponent, and we have to look at Manchester City because they bought a lot of good players and they have to build a team. They could be involved in the title race.”

However, Ancelotti has done his level best to ensure Chelsea start the new campaign with the strongest squad possible, ensuring that Carvalho’s departure to Real Madrid this week was followed quickly by the capture of Brazil midfielder Ramires for around £18million.

The Benfica 23-year-old has joined on a four-year contract on the back of his involvement in the World Cup

“He is a fantastic player,” Ancelotti said.

“He will be the future of the Brazil national team and I hope he will be the future of Chelsea.

“He won’t have any problems adapting to the English game because he is not Brazilian 100%. Because usually a Brazilian doesn’t like to run, he likes to play football. He is a runner.”

Ancelotti said he was disappointed that Portuguese star Carvalho carried through on his agreement to leave this summer, after six years at Stamford Bridge.

But the Chelsea manager (Chelsea 4/11 to be top London club) insisted that the player’s exit did not mean he was in the market for a new centre half, despite being linked with Benfica centre half David Luiz.

Ancelotti said: “As a centre-back, we have (John) Terry, (Branislav) Ivanovic, Alex and (Jeffrey) Bruma. We are okay. We do not need anyone else.”

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Hodgson – Torres could face Gunners

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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has revealed star striker Fernando Torres could yet be fit to play against Arsenal on Sunday as the Reds aim to kick off their season with an important win at Anfield (Liverpool 11/8, Arsenal 9/5, Draw 23/10 – match betting).

Spain international Torres has been carrying an abductor injury he sustained in the World Cup final and has only just made a return to training ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

However, despite a summer of disruption caused by injury and speculation that he would leave the club, Torres could feature against the Gunners.

He committed his future to Hodgson’s side a few weeks ago and will hope to have an injury-free campaign to help Liverpool get back amongst the top four and into the Champions League.

When asked if Torres could play on Sunday, Hodgson said: “Yes, there’s a chance he could play. He’s made a remarkable effort to get himself fit and ready for Premiership football.

“He’s worked extremely hard in the two and a half weeks he’s been back. I haven’t ruled him out but I haven’t ruled him in either.

“His chances were rightly being played down by the sports science people. They said, quite rightly, that in an ideal world he’d have a longer preparation period.

“It’s quite simply a balancing job. Do we take the risk of putting him in early or do we hold him back and put him through a more strenuous pre-season programme?”

He added: “The player’s feelings also have to be taken into account, so it’s a delicate mixture. But the bottom line is yes, he could be considered for Sunday.”

Liverpool follow up their season-opener against Arsenal with a home Europa League play-off first leg clash against Turkish side Trabzonspor on Thursday (Reds 9/1 to win the Europa League outright).

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Seasiders land Basham

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Blackpool are 5/2 to avoid relegation from the Premier League and Ian Holloway will be hoping the arrival of Chris Basham from Bolton will boost their chances.

It has been a busy week for Holloway, who has drafted in six new players, and the Seasiders boss will be hoping and praying he can put together a side capable of competing in the top flight.

Holloway worked miracles last season as the Seasiders won promotion from the Championship via the play-offs but this challenge is even bigger and they face a huge battle to beat the drop.

Blackpool fans could only dream of the Premier League this time last year but now they have made it, Holloway is determined to keep them there. It is an experience that should be enjoyed but Holloway says Blackpool are not there to make the numbers up and he wants a side that can compete.

Holloway has had his difficulties in the transfer market as well as he has struggled to match the kind of wages other clubs pay but at least he has got some bodies in this week and in Basham he has landed a very highly-rated young midfielder.

Basham may have struggled for a game at the Reebok Stadium but was being kept out of the side by Engalnd under-21 star Fabrice Muamba and Trotters boss Owen Coyle felt it was only fair to let him move on.

“Chris is a great lad but unfortunately there is plenty of competition here in the position that he plays,” Coyle revealed. “As a young, enthusiastic player making his way in the game then it wouldn’t have been fair for us to keep him as he wouldn’t have got as many chances to play as he would have liked.

“I wish him nothing but good luck at Blackpool because it is a fantastic opportunity for him to play in the Premier League.”

Craig Cathcart, Ludovic Sylvestre, Elliot Grandin, Malaury Martin and Marlon Harewood have also arrived this week and could all figure against Wigan at the DW Stadium tomorrow.

Every game in the Premier League is going to be tough but Holloway will feel they have a chance of taking something from a Wigan side, who could also be facing a battle to beat the drop.

The Seasiders are 3/1 to win at Wigan, who are the 5/6 favourites, while the draw is 5/2. Holloway would undoubtedly want to take something from the game as next up will be a trip to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal.

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Wenger makes future admission

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Arsene Wenger has been offered a new deal to extend his stay at Arsenal and the Frenchman expects the formalities to be sorted out in the near future (Gunners 6/1 – 2010/11 Premier League Outright).

The 60-year-old has been with the Gunners since 1996 although he has won nothing in the last five seasons since beating Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final (Arsenal 7/1 – 2010/11 FA Cup Outright).

But Wenger has kept Arsenal competitive, both domestically and in Europe, while he has also been forced to live within his means as the club moved from, Highbury to the Emirates for the start of the 2006/07 season.

However, there had been suggestions that Wenger was facing a make-or-break year following the half-decade barren run prior to his announcement that the Gunners want to tie him down to a new deal.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to face Liverpool at Anfield, Wenger said: “I have to show as well how much I believe in this team by showing my commitment.

“My situation will be sorted out very soon.

“I believe my commitment to the club has nothing do with the speculation of how the season would go, because that would be unfair.

“If I do not do well, and one day the club is not happy with me I can completely understand that I do not stay here any more.

“But I believe we will do well.”

Wenger has spent the summer fighting to keep hold of captain Cesc Fabregas who has been the subject of least one big-money bid from Catalan giants Barcelona.

It is a battle the Frenchman appears to have won although no Gunners fan is likely to sleep too well until the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

However, Fabregas is struggling for fitness ahead of the new season after being given extra time off because Spain got to the World Cup final.

Striker Robin van Persie is also in the same boat after Holland’s run in South Africa while Alex Song and Denilson face late checks on calf and abdominal problems.

Johan Djourou (hamstring), Nicklas Bendtner (groin) and Aaron Ramsey (broken leg) are all definitely sidelined but summer signings Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny are in the squad and ready to make their Gunners debuts.

Arsenal are 9/5 to get their season off to a winning start at Anfield this weekend.

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