Hodgson relishing ‘biggest job’

Posted on July 2, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Roy Hodgson claims being Liverpool manager ‘is the biggest job in football’ as he looks to bring the glory days back to the Merseysiders (Liverpool 8/1 Premier League 2010-11 Outright) having signed a three-year contract at Anfield.

The 62-year-old has opted to quit Fulham, whom he guided to last season’s Europa League final against the odds, and will take the first day of pre-season training with the Reds on Thursday before being officially unveiled as Rafael Benitez’s successor.

Hodgson’s good work at Fulham last season, where he was manager since December 2007, saw him guide the unfashionable Londoners to wins against top European sides such as Juventus and Wolfsburg and earned him the League Managers Association manager of the year award.

And it appears that his other work with the Cottagers over the past two-and-a-half-years, where he dragged the club from being relegation certainties to a top-seven outfit, has attracted the Liverpool hierarchy to his managerial credentials.

On taking the job, Hodgson, who has vast management experience having coached clubs sides such as Blackburn and Inter Milan, while enjoying fairly successful stints in charge of the Switzerland and Finland national teams, said on the Reds’ website: “This is the biggest job in club football and I’m honoured to be taking on Britain’s most successful football club.”

The confirmation of Hodgson’s appointment ends a summer of speculation about who would replace Inter Milan-bound Benitez, who quit after a disappointing campaign in which Liverpool finished in seventh spot in the Premier League and missed out on the Champions League.

The hard work now starts for Hodgson as he will look to ensure star players like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are not tempted to jump ship for pastures new ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Arsenal at Anfield (Liverpool 5/4, Arsenal 7/4, draw 9/4 90 Minutes) on August 14.

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Fabregas keeps options open

Posted on July 1, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Cesc Fabregas insists it is by no means certain he will swap Arsenal for hometown club Barcelona this summer (Arsenal 7/1 – 2010/11 Premier League Outright).

The Gunners captain is away with Spain at the World Cup finals but the Catalan giants’ pursuit of his signature is well documented, with incoming Barca president Sandro Rosell looking to bring in a marquee player.

Fabregas appears to be keeping his options well and truly open, however, as he instead concentrates on Spain’s bid to add the world crown to the Euro 2008 title (Spain 11/4 Outright).

The 23-year-old told The Mirror: “I haven’t said that I will definitely leave Arsenal.

“Everything is possible. Now I have my head and my focus on the World Cup.

“I am very proud to be captain of Arsenal and I love the club and have respect for them. It gave me much pride to be made captain.”

Fabregas joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old and has gone on to make almost 200 career appearances for the north Londoners.

But Vilassar de Mar-born central midfielder has found it harder to establish himself in La Roja’s XI since his debut in 2006, with strong competition from the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Marcos Senna over the years.

Spain have made it through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup where they face Paraguay in Johannesburg on Saturday (Paraguay 7/1, draw 11/4, Spain 1/2 – 90 Minutes).

And Barcelona star Xavi reckons Vicente del Bosque’s men are finding form at just the right time after losing their opening group game to Switzerland despite dominating over 90 minutes.

Speaking after the win over Iberian peninsula neighbours Portugal in the second round, the 30-year-old said: ?We played a great game. It was a great collective effort.

“We maintained possession and we wanted to play our style of football.

“Portugal basically gave us the ball. They tried to regain possession for counter-attacks but we dealt with it.

“We really enjoyed our football. It was the best match we’ve played in this World Cup so far.

“We controlled the ball in both halves but maybe attacked more in the second.

“We scored the goal and then we could enjoy it more.”

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Spain to stick with Torres

Posted on July 1, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Fernando Torres may not have been at his best this World Cup but Spain are set to keep faith with the striker when they take on Paraguay in the quarter-finals on Saturday (Spain 1/2 to win).

Despite struggling with injury in the lead up to the tournament, Torres was expected to be in the running to land the golden boot, but he has failed to hit the back of the net in any of Spain’s games so far and has been scratching around for form and full fitness.

The Liverpool marksman, who could leave Anfield later this summer, looked rusty in the group games and even though he was sharper against Portugal in the second round win, it was again left to David Villa to wrap up the victory.

In fact Spain only looked a real threat to the resolute Portuguese defence when Torres was replaced by Fernando Llorente midway through the second half.

There had been suggestions that Llorente could be in line to start in attack against Paraguay but that has been ruled out by Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who has every confidence in the player and will keep the faith.

“Our striker right now is Fernando Torres,” said Del Bosque. “He’s played four games, a lot of minutes and will play more. We’ve got full confidence in him.”

Spain have goals throughout the team so they do not have to rely on Torres but if the striker can find his shooting boots in the remaining matches World Cup glory will be on the cards for the Spanish.

Torres is 4/1 to grab the first goal against Paraguay but once again Villa, who has been the star of the show for Spain so far this tournament, is 3/1 favourite.

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How do you replace a man like Roy?

Posted on July 1, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Fulham have set about the task of replacing Roy Hodgson in time for the big Premier League kick-off at Bolton (Fulham 9/5 to win) but have placed Ray Lewington in caretaker charge in the meantime.

As expected, Hodgson has left Craven Cottage for Liverpool officially on Thursday and Fulham now have the almost impossible task of trying to replace the man who turned them from Premier League strugglers to Europa League finalists.

Hodgson worked wonders during his time at the club with one of the smallest squads in the Premier League and they are huge shoes to fill.

The Liverpool fans may not be over-excited at the appointment, but the Fulham fans will be gutted to have lost their leader and will now be wondering who is capable of replacing him.

It is the million dollar question and in a way you have to feel sorry for Hodgson’s replacement in the same way you did when Sammy Lee took over from Sam Allardyce at Bolton and when Ian Dowie replaced Alan Curbishley at Charlton.

Can Fulham get any higher than last season? Probably not so the new manager can only go one way and that is probably another reason Hodgson left for the bright lights of Liverpool as he no doubt felt he had taken them as far as he could.

Lewington has been handed the job in the meantime but no doubt the Cottagers will be seaking a more high-profile appointment to build on the great work that Hodgson achieved.

A statement from Fulham read: “Fulham confirm that at 9.20am this morning, Roy Hodgson resigned from his position of first-team manager, effective immediately.

“The club would like to wish Roy the very best for the future and thanks him for all that was achieved during his tenure. Ray Lewington will take temporary charge of team matters until a successor is announced in due course.”

A shortlist will be drawn up in the coming days, expected to include the likes of Sven Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and possibly Curbishley, with Fulham fans praying a return to scrapping for survival is not looming again next season.

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How do you replace a man like Roy?

Posted on July 1, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Hodgson worked wonders during his time at the club with one of the smallest squads in the Premier League and they are huge shoes to fill.

The Liverpool fans may not be over-excited at the appointment, but the Fulham fans will be gutted to have lost their leader and will now be wondering who is capable of replacing him.

Lewington has been handed the job in the meantime but no doubt the Cottagers will be seaking a more high-profile appointment to build on the great work that Hodgson achieved.

A statement from Fulham read: “Fulham confirm that at 9.20am this morning, Roy Hodgson resigned from his position of first-team manager, effective immediately.

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Dutch boss eyes upset

Posted on July 1, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk has been quick to try to use a psychological edge ahead of his side’s World Cup quarter-final tie with Brazil (Holland 16/5, draw 11/5, Brazil 20/21).

Van Marwijk says that although his side will generally be seen as the underdogs for the last-eight clash, it is vital that the players believe that they can win (7/1 to win the World Cup outright).

Holland have won all four of their games so far, the latest coming in Monday’s 2-1 success against Slovakia.

“I’m looking forward to this match,” said Van Marwijk.

“Against Brazil, perhaps we might be the underdogs for the first time in South Africa.

“But we are here for one reason, to get the big prize. We have to believe in it.

“People might have laughed at us when we said we were capable of winning the World Cup.

“But you have to show a real mentality, a constant focus. I think we are showing that.”

The Dutch have shown plenty of flair in attack, coupled with strong defensive displays.

“In all of the matches we have played so far, we have shown that we can control a match,” added Van Marwijk.

“We have scored seven times. We have been able to show how good we play.

“I think that our defence has done a wonderful job so far. We have conceded just two goals.

“(John) Heitinga, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and our goalkeeper (Maarten Stekelenburg) have done a great job.

“I think we are improving in every aspect but I would like to see everything converge into one match.

“We simply want to win and I don’t think we are doing such a bad job.”

The return of Holland’s talisman, Arjen Robben, against Slovakia was key for van Marwijk’s side as he showed after scoring his team’s opener against the Slovakians.

“It was important that he played for 70 minutes,” said Van Marwijk.

“I think he has just passed that fear factor, having recently returned from injury.

“It’s great news to have Robben fit.”

“Brazil is a very mature team,” van Marwijk said.

“They have stability. That is what they convey.

“I have talked about our positive form but we shouldn’t get too big-headed.

“The Brazilians also convey this confidence, it is almost like they are invincible.”

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Paraguay coach unconcerned by Spanish threat

Posted on June 30, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino has insisted his team have nothing to fear from facing Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The South Americans set up a last-eight meeting with the European champions after defeating Japan on penalties on Monday but will start the game as underdogs as tournament outsiders (Paraguay 50/1 to win World Cup outright).

Whereas their opponents, led by Spanish ace David Villa, have started to play with freedom, Paraguay have struggled to create clear goal-scoring opportunities and have scored only three goals in four games in South Africa.

Spanish midfielder Xavi claimed after their 1-0 win over Portugal that his country are now starting to hit form after a slow start to the finals.

But Martino is not concerned by the statistics and believes playing Spain will give his side extra space to express themselves.

“In three of the four World Cup matches we had to take the game to our opponents and that’s difficult for a team like ours,” said Martino.

“Our future rivals will let us play. Spain will give us more space.”

In a forgettable encounter in Pretoria, Paraguay squeezed past Japan 5-3 on penalties after the game had finished goalless after normal and extra time.

It is the first time in their history that Paraguay have reached the quarter-final stage of the World Cup and Martino reckons his side deserve their place in the draw, knowing that victory against Spain will take them through to a semi-final against either Argentina or Holland.

Martino said: “It’s never nice for a match to be decided in this way but I think we sought the win a little more.

“I think we were lucky in the penalty shoot-out. That made the difference.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the match people wanted to see but I don’t think either team has anything to reproach themselves for.

“When you look at how the players played, the solidarity they showed, their enthusiasm, their will to make the history books, both teams did it the same way.

“To speak of an achievement in getting to the quarter-finals is all right but to consider this my greatest achievement is, I think, a bit premature.”

Spain and Paraguay will line-up in the fourth and final quarter-final on Saturday night (Paraguay to win 13/2, Spain 1/2, draw 13/5).

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Brazil facing Elano blow

Posted on June 30, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Brazil star Elano could miss the rest of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in their second group game (Brazil 10/11 – To Reach Final).

The former Manchester City midfielder was forced off against Ivory Coast after a strong tackle by Elephants defender Cheik Tiote and broke down in training on Tuesday as he looked to prove his fitness to coach Dunga.

Elano will now sit out the quarter-final showdown with Holland in Port Elizabeth on Friday as A Seleção look to make the last four for the 11th time ever (Holland 16/5, draw 11/5, Brazil 20/21 – 90 Minutes).

Brazil’s team doctor told the media: “I’m not saying that he won’t be able to play again at this World Cup but he won’t be ready for Friday.

“He has bad bruising and it was after he trained on Sunday that he said that he was having problems.

“The bone is swollen and we have to release the pressure on it so he will do nothing strenuous for the rest of the week.”

“We still hope he can play next week but I can’t say that he will be able to categorically.”

Elano has scored two goals during the tournament so far despite missing the games against Portugal, in Group G, and Chile in the second round.

The pressure is on the Samba Kings after quarter-final eliminations at the last two World Cups in Germany and Japan & South Korea as they bid for their sixth world crown.

Former Arsenal star Gilberto Sliva, 33, is probably playing at his last World Cup and he admits he is looking to make it third time lucky after appearing at the 2002 and 2006 editions of the tournament (Gilberto 13/2 – Anytime Goalscorer).

Ahead of the clash with the Dutch, who topped Group E with three wins out of three, Gilberto admitted he has full belief in the Brazilians’ chances of going all the way to Soccer City, Johannesburg on July 11 and lifting the trophy.

He told FIFA.com: “The mood in the squad is very good at the moment, everyone is enjoying a lot what we’re doing for our country.

“Everyone is hungry to achieve one more trophy for Brazil. This is what we talk about all the time.”

Gilberto added: “We expect a very hard game because Holland have got a quality team with very good players.

“We know that (if) we give them space it will be very difficult for us and we could have a problem. This is what we want to avoid.

“We have played against Holland in these big World Cup matches before and it will be an emotional game. But I’m sure we will do our job as we did against Chile.”

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Grayson talks up Leeds’ chances

Posted on June 30, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Leeds boss Simon Grayson reckons the Championship promotion race is “wide open” as he looks to lead the Whites to back-to-back promotions (Leeds 14/1 – 2010/11 Championship Outright).

The Elland Road outfit may have limped over the line to finish as runners-up in League One last season, but it was enough to get them back in the second tier of English football.

And now Grayson is looking to kick on by insisting he is not just going up into the Championship next term to make up the numbers.

He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I’m not going to settle for finishing fourth from bottom and staying up.

“It’s a risky strategy anyway and a negative way to look at things. To be honest, I don’t think that many people in Leeds would see it as an achievement.

“Most people would probably see it as a disappointment and I accept that.

“Staying up is your first target but I won’t be the only manager who’s looking at the Championship and seeing a wide open league.

“Twelve teams could have a real chance, maybe more. I said in May that I go into every season looking for promotion and I still believe it might be a possibility.”

Totesport makes Nottingham Forest the 8/1 favourites to win the Championship next term, with Middlesbrough (9/1) and Queens Park Rangers (10/1) just behind them.

Leeds must do without the goals of Jermaine Beckford next season after the striker made the move to the Premier League with Everton.

Billy Paynter has been snapped up from Swindon as his replacement although Grayson is still weighing up whether or not to make permanent moves for last season’s loan stars, Michael Doyle and Neill Collins.

Grayson added: “They’re players who did really well for us last season but they’re obviously tied to other clubs.

“I’m not going to say we will try to sign them or that we won’t. It’s a case of looking at all the options and seeing what’s best for the club.

“We’re at the end of June and there’s no need for clubs or players to rush into decisions.”

Leeds kick off their season with a home clash against Derby on August 7.

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Robinho ready for ‘world football classic’

Posted on June 30, 2010 by SoccerCapper

Manchester City star Robinho Brazilian superstar Robinho believes his country’s quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands will be a great spectacle, while his team remain confident of progressing (Holland 16/5, draw 11/5, Brazil 20/21).

Robinho endured a difficult domestic season in England with Manchester City before being loaned out to Santos in his homeland in January but has enjoyed a successful World Cup, with Brazil breezing into the last eight.

Boss Dunga has been criticised in his homeland for the style of play, with a greater emphasis on defence than has perhaps been seen in previous Brazil sides, but Robinho is sure the quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands will be a mouth-watering contest (Brazil 4/9 to qualify, Holland 13/8).

“It’s a world football classic. It’s going to be like a final,” he explained.

It could be argued that neither Brazil nor the Netherlands have produced an exceptional performance as yet in South Africa. The European giants comfortably made it through their group, beating the likes of Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, but did not produce the kind of ‘total football’ for which the nation is so famous for.

The Oranje saw off a spirited Slovakia side in the last 16 but while Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder may have impressed the likes of Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart have arguably failed to deliver at this stage in the competition.

Brazil have surpassed Spain as favourites for the tournament after easing through a group that included North Korea, Portugal and the Ivory Coast and comfortably seeing off Chile 3-0 in the last 16. However, while Brazilian teams in the past have been characterised by the flair and guile of players such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario and Pele, amongst numerous others, the current side relies as heavily on other aspects of their game.

The superb goalkeeping ability of Julio Cesar, the experience of defender and captain Lucio and the workmanlike attitude of holding midfielder Gilberto Silva are as crucial to this crop of Brazilian stars as the skills of players such as Robinho and Benfica playmaker Ramires.

Dunga has brushed aside any criticism of his team by Brazil?s press in the past, and like Robinho he expects their quarter-final showdown to be one for the football purists.

He said: “We know the Netherlands are a very difficult team to play against.

“Their football is actually very similar to South American football. They don’t try to stay defending and rely on long balls.

“They have technical quality and we will need to be ready for that. It’s a solid team.”

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Category Archives: news-t

Hodgson relishing ‘biggest job’

Fabregas keeps options open

Spain to stick with Torres

How do you replace a man like Roy?

How do you replace a man like Roy?

Dutch boss eyes upset

Paraguay coach unconcerned by Spanish threat

Brazil facing Elano blow

Grayson talks up Leeds’ chances

Robinho ready for ‘world football classic’