Saturday, April 25, 2009
FOOTBALL PREMIAR LEAGUE TABLE
| Pos. | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 32 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 56 | 21 | 35 | 74 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 33 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 63 | 25 | 38 | 71 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 33 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 55 | 20 | 35 | 68 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 33 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 58 | 32 | 26 | 62 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 33 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 49 | 43 | 6 | 54 |
| 6 | Everton | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 47 | 34 | 13 | 53 |
| 7 | West Ham | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 37 | 1 | 45 |
| 8 | Fulham | 33 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 44 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 33 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 39 | 36 | 3 | 44 |
| 10 | Manchester City | 33 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 51 | 44 | 7 | 41 |
| 11 | Wigan Athletic | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 36 | -5 | 41 |
| 12 | Stoke City | 33 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 33 | 48 | -15 | 39 |
| 13 | Bolton Wanderers | 33 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 39 | 50 | -11 | 37 |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 35 | 50 | -15 | 37 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 33 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 31 | 43 | -12 | 35 |
| 16 | Hull City | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 36 | 56 | -20 | 34 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 55 | -20 | 34 |
| 18 | Middlesbrough | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 31 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 33 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 37 | 53 | -16 | 30 |
| 20 | West Bromwich | 33 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 30 | 63 | -33 | 25 |
Latest football premiar league results
| Match |
|---|
| Manchester United2 - 0Portsmouth |
| Chelsea0 - 0Everton |
| Match |
|---|
| Liverpool4 - 4Arsenal |
| Match |
|---|
| Manchester City4 - 2West Bromwich |
| Tottenham Hotspur1 - 0Newcastle United |
Saturday April 18
| Match |
|---|
| Sunderland1 - 0Hull City |
| Stoke City1 - 0Blackburn Rovers |
| Portsmouth1 - 0Bolton Wanderers |
| Middlesbrough0 - 0Fulham |
FOOTBALL 2009 FIXTURES
Barclays Premier League
Bolton v Aston Villa, 15:00
West Brom v Sunderland, 15:00
The Coca-Cola Football League Championship
Barnsley v Wolverhampton, 15:00
Birmingham v Preston, 17:20
Blackpool v Nottm Forest, 12:30
Bristol City v Sheff Wed, 15:00
Doncaster v Crystal Palace, 15:00
Southampton v Burnley, 15:00
Coca-Cola Football League One
Cheltenham v Carlisle, 15:00
Colchester v Peterborough, 15:00
Hartlepool v Leeds, 15:00
Huddersfield v Brighton, 15:00
Millwall v Leyton Orient, 15:00
Northampton v Hereford, 15:00
Swindon v Bristol Rovers, 12:00
Coca-Cola Football League Two
Accrington Stanley v Chesterfield, 15:00
Bournemouth v Grimsby, 15:00
Darlington v Brentford, 15:00
Gillingham v Bury, 15:00
Macclesfield v Barnet, 15:00
Notts County v Dag & Red, 15:00
Shrewsbury v Lincoln City, 15:00
The Homecoming Scottish Cup
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Championship First Division
Airdrie Utd v Ross County, 15:00
Dundee v St Johnstone, 15:00
Partick v Livingston, 15:00
Queen of South v Clyde, 15:00
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Championship Second Division
Alloa v Queens Park, 15:00
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Championship Third Division
Annan Athletic v Berwick, 15:00
Elgin v East Stirling, 15:00
Montrose v Cowdenbeath, 15:00
Stenhousemuir v Albion, 15:00
Blue Square North
AFC Telford v Tamworth, 15:00
Alfreton Town v Redditch, 15:00
Burscough v Blyth Spartans, 15:00
Droylsden v Fleetwood Town, 15:00
Farsley Celtic v Southport, 15:00
Gainsborough v Harrogate Town, 15:00
Hucknall v Gateshead, 15:00
Hyde v Solihull Moors, 15:00
Stafford Rangers v Hinckley Utd, 15:00
Vauxhall Motors v King's Lynn, 15:00
Workington v Stalybridge, 15:00
Blue Square South
AFC Wimbledon v St Albans, 15:00
Chelmsford v Weston-S-Mare, 15:00
Dorchester v Bromley, 15:00
Havant and W v Eastleigh, 15:00
Hayes & Yeading v Bognor Regis Town, 15:00
Maidenhead Utd v Hampton & Richmond, 15:00
Team Bath v Bishop's Stortford, 15:00
Thurrock v Bath City, 15:00
Welling v Newport County, 15:00
Worcester v Basingstoke, 15:00
Scot-Ads Highland Football League
Brora v Deveronvale, 15:00
Clachnacuddin v Buckie Thistle, 15:00
Fort William v Keith, 15:00
Huntly v Forres Mechanics, 15:00
Inverurie Loco Works v Wick Academy, 15:00
Lossiemouth v Cove Rangers, 15:00
Principality Building Society Welsh Premier League
Caernarfon v Carmarthen, 14:30
Haverfordwest v Neath, 14:30
Llanelli v Connah's Quay, 14:30
Newi Cefn Druids v Rhyl, 14:30
Newtown v Bangor City, 14:30
Port Talbot v Welshpool Town, 14:30
Porthmadog v Aberystwyth, 14:30
Prestatyn Town v Caersws, 14:30
The New Saints FC v Airbus UK, 14:30
JJB Sports Irish Premier Division
Bangor v Dungannon Swifts, 15:00
Cliftonville v Crusaders, 15:00
Coleraine v Glentoran, 15:00
Glenavon v Ballymena, 15:00
Institute v Newry, 15:00
Linfield v Lisburn Distillery, 15:00
League of Ireland Premier Division
Shamrock v St Patricks, 19:00
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Barclays Premier League
Arsenal v Middlesbrough, 13:30
Blue Square Premier
Cambridge Utd v Altrincham, 16:00
Crawley Town v Histon, 16:00
Eastbourne Borough v Barrow, 16:00
Ebbsfleet United v Salisbury, 16:00
Grays Athletic v Forest Green, 16:00
Kidderminster v Kettering, 16:00
Oxford Utd v Northwich, 16:00
Rushden & D'monds v Woking, 16:00
Torquay v Burton Albion, 16:00
The Homecoming Scottish Cup
Falkirk v Dunfermline, SF, 15:00
FA Tesco Women's Premier League
Bristol Academy v Blackburn Ladies, 14:00
Doncaster Rovers Belles v Birmingham Ladies, 14:00
Nottm Forest Ladies v Chelsea Ladies, 14:00
Monday, 27 April 2009
Barclays Premier League
Newcastle v Portsmouth, 20:00
The Coca-Cola Football League Championship
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
UEFA Champions League
Barcelona v Chelsea, SF, L1, 19:45
Coca-Cola Football League One
Northampton v MK Dons, 19:45
Scunthorpe v Cheltenham, 19:30
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
UEFA Champions League
Scot-Ads Highland Football League
Clachnacuddin v Rothes, 20:00
Keith v Buckie Thistle, 20:00
Lossiemouth v Inverurie Loco Works, 20:00
Nairn County v Forres Mechanics, 20:00
Thursday, 30 April 2009
UEFA Cup
Dynamo Kiev v Shakhtar Donetsk, SF, L1, 17:30
Werder Bremen v Hamburg, SF, L1, 19:45
FA Tesco Women's Premier League
Chelsea Ladies v Arsenal Ladies, 19:45
Friday, 01 May 2009
League of Ireland Premier Division
Bohemians v Dundalk, 19:45
Cork v Sligo, 19:45
Drogheda Utd v Derry City, 19:45
Galway Utd v St Patricks, 19:45
Carlos Tevez leaves Manchester United with £90m dilemma
It is the £90 million conundrum that most managers would love to have — just who should Sir Alex Ferguson start up front for Manchester United? After watching Carlos Tévez plunder his first hat-trick in English football during United’s Carling Cup quarter-final victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday, Ferguson conceded that the Argentina forward had “definitely made my job more difficult”.
But will Tévez’s exploits be enough to earn him a starting place against Sunderland at Old Trafford in the Barclays Premier League tomorrow evening or will he find himself back on the substitutes’ bench that he has become accustomed to keeping warm this season?
While Sunderland wrestle with altogether different problems as they contend with the wreckage left by Roy Keane’s departure as manager, Ferguson must decide whether to stick with his more tried and tested alliance of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov or drop one in favour of accommodating Tévez, who, after a frustrating start to the season, finally hit the high notes against Blackburn. For, as Tévez has discovered to his cost this season, three into two simply does not go.
Ferguson has started with all three strikers in only one match this season and since watching that backfire as United slipped to a 2-1 league defeat by Liverpool at Anfield in September, it is not a tactic he has repeated, however tempting it might have been.
In the three subsequent European and league games, Ferguson experimented with three different partnerships — Rooney and Tévez against Villarreal at Old Trafford, Berbatov and Rooney away to Chelsea and Tévez and Berbatov at home to Bolton Wanderers — but has appeared to settle primarily on using Rooney and Berbatov in tandem, with Tévez coming off the bench.
Of the 20 matches United have played in all competitions since Berbatov’s £30.75 million arrival from Tottenham Hotspur, the Bulgarian and Rooney have started up front alone in nine of them, scoring ten times between them.
Tévez has partnered Rooney alone only twice in that time and Berbatov alone three times and, tellingly, the Argentinian has failed to score in any of those matches, with only one goal managed by either partner, Berbatov scoring in the 5-0 win at home to Stoke City last month. The statistics, then, would appear to support Ferguson’s first choice of Rooney and Berbatov, although the United manager has never been one to take account of numbers alone.
Ferguson will always attempt to gauge the mood and confidence of his players and having seen Tévez destroy Blackburn, he may find it difficult to leave the player out, especially against a managerless Sunderland team who have lost five of their past six league games.
Rooney and Tévez dovetailed well enough last season — so much so that the club won the European Cup and Premier League — but given that their games are similar, Ferguson may decide to drop the £27 million England forward, as opposed to Berbatov, if he decides to start with Tévez.
Tévez’s two-year loan deal expires at the end of the season, but United remain hopeful of securing his services permanently in a deal that could be worth up to £32 million.
Jonny Evans knows only too well the frustrations inherent with sitting on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to come along.
Evans may have less reason to be frustrated than Tévez, a world-renowned name who would walk into most teams in Europe, but like the Argentinian, the United central defender has had his path to the first team blocked at the other end of the pitch by Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Still, he is convinced that Tévez’s chance will come if he keeps turning in performances such as the one he produced against Blackburn. “The goals were the best way for Carlos to respond,” Evans, 20, said. “He is a real fighter.
“The fans know what Carlos is all about. He works hard every time he is on the pitch and it will do him good to get his name on the scoresheet. No matter what is happening, his workrate is phenomenal, which is great for the team.”
Missing the target
None of Manchester United’s main three centre forwards has a formidable scoring rate in the Barclays Premier League this season. Wayne Rooney has four goals and Dimitar Berbatov, two, both from the equivalent of 11 full games, while Carlos Tévez has one from the equivalent of six complete matches.
River Plate want Pit-Bull
River Plate president Jose Maria Aguilar has claimed the club could sign veteran Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids.
Aguilar said that he had spoken to the 36-year-old, a free agent after leaving Ajax last year, about the possibility of signing with the Argentinian giants.
"I had a meeting with Davids and we talked about football in general and the chance of creating a partnership between his foundation and River," Aguilar told the Clarin newspaper.
"Obviously, we also talked about the possibility of him playing for River. Today it is very complicated because we have to build a strategy to do it, but there is a chance ahead of the next tournament."
Pepe gets ten-match ban
Real Madrid defender Pepe has been handed a 1o-match ban by Spain's Competition Committee after the Getafe game.
Pepe was shown a red card and had to be escorted off the pitch by team-mate Iker Casillas after twice aiming kicks at the prone Javi Casquero, who he had just pushed over to concede an 87th-minute spot-kick. He also struck Juan Albin in the face in the ensuing melee.
Pepe immediately went public following the game to apologise for his actions but the authorities have come down hard on the Portugal defender who will now miss the final six games of this campaign and the first four of next season.
The ban, which is the longest ever imposed on a Real Madrid footballer, breaks down as four games for his actions towards Casquero, four for those against Albin, one for the red card and one for insulting match officials.Additionally, both Madrid and Pepe will be fined after the Brazilian-born defender ran on to the pitch to celebrate Gonzalo Higuain's late winner in the match.
Yesterday, Pepe expressed his deep remorse for his actions, which he claimed were borne out of frustration at conceding a penalty he thought would lose Madrid the match and with it their last chance at challenging Barcelona for the title.
As it happened, Casquero's penalty was saved by Casillas before Higuain's dramatic winner.
Pepe added that he had lost all enthusiasm to play football in the immediate aftermath of the incident, but said he did not want to be remembered in football for it and that he would "look to do things right" in the future.
It was also announced today that Higuain has had his yellow card from the game rescinded. It was his fifth of the season and would have resulted in a one-game suspension.
Fergie happy with Benitez jibes
Sir Alex Ferguson is happy for Rafael Benitez to keep aiming his verbal volleys at Manchester United as he trusts his players.
Benitez has launched a series of scathing attacks on Ferguson since the turn of the year, the latest being a claim in Spain that the United manager is fearful of Liverpool because he knows they are a better side than his own.
It seemed like a strange comment in a week when United opened a three point lead at the Premier League summit, although it did maintain a feud Ferguson continued last week when he claimed Benitez had behaved with contempt towards Sam Allardyce for his reaction at a goal against Blackburn at Anfield recently.
But Ferguson has no wish to silence Benitez.
He prefers to let his team do the talking. And at the moment they are the ones shouting loudest.
"He is definitely saying a lot," said Ferguson of Benitez's jibes.
"But I am happy for him to carry on with it.
"I have to trust my players. I know they are good enough.
"I have trusted them for years now. That is why I have picked them.
"They are a good bunch of lads and we will just carry on the way we always have."
Gerrard to miss Hull clash
Liverpool captain will play no part in the Merseyside outfit's crucial Barclays Premier League clash away at Hull City on Saturday.
England international Gerrard is still struggling with the groin injury which has ruled him out since the first leg of the Champions League defeat to Chelsea earlier this month.
The midfielder was an unused substitute in the 4-0 win over Blackburn and failed to figure in the two 4-4 draws with Chelsea and Arsenal.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez has admitted the trip to Hull has come too early for Gerrard, but is confident the England international will be back for the home clash with Newcastle on May 3.
"He is not fit and won't be available. I think he will be available next week because he's improving, but this game is too soon," Benitez told the club's official website.
"The rest of the team is available - we have a full squad."
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Premier League Table
| Home | Away | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Manchester United | 30 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 68 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 31 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 34 | 67 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 31 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 34 | 64 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 31 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 58 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 31 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 52 |
| 6 | Everton | 31 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 51 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 31 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 44 |
| 8 | Wigan Athletic | 31 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -2 | 41 |
| 9 | Fulham | 31 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 40 |
| 10 | Manchester City | 31 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 38 |
| 12 | Bolton Wanderers | 31 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 9 | -9 | 37 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 31 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 11 | -16 | 35 |
| 14 | Blackburn Rovers | 31 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | -15 | 34 |
| 15 | Hull City | 31 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | -17 | 34 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 30 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 6 | -14 | 33 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 31 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -12 | 32 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 31 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -15 | 29 |
| 19 | Middlesbrough | 31 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | -24 | 27 |
| 20 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 11 | -31 | 2 |
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Formed: 1882
Nickname: Spurs
Colours: White shirts, dark blue shorts
Stadium: White Hart Lane (36,240)
Address: Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Road, London, N17 0AP
Official webiste: www.spurs.co.uk
Tottenham were actually formed out of an old cricket club in 1882. They were a non-league club when they won their first FA Cup title in 1901, the only team ever to achieve this and probably the reason why they are so synonymous with the competition to this day.
That was the first of eight FA Cup titles, to which they have added two League Championships (1951 and 1961 - the year they did the Double), three League Cup's, two Uefa Cup's and the Cup Winners' Cup.
The team has not been the force of old in recent years but they hope to build a side capable of winning trophies both at home and abroad.
Fast Fact: Spurs won the FA Cup in 1901 as a non-league club, the only team ever to achieve this honour.
Fast Fact: Spurs were the first football club to float shares on the London Stock Exchange in 1983.
Tottenham Hotspur Squad List
- Goalkeeper:
- Defender:
- Midfielder:
- Striker:
No pain no gain for Pavlyuchenko as Tottenham star puts off surgery
Point to prove: Pavlyuchenko
Roman Pavlyuchenko will play through the pain barrier to make his mark at Tottenham.
The Russia striker has struggled to hold down a starting role since arriving at White Hart Lane from Spartak Moscow last summer.
The 27-year-old has spent the last three games on the bench and is suffering from a groin injury that requires surgery.
But Pavlyuchenko will put off going under the knife in a bid to impress Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, according to Tvoi Den newspaper in Moscow.
Tottenham will get over their travel sickness, insists midfielder JenasEverton boss Moyes eyes Spurs star Jenas for summer move to GoodisonBlackburn 2 Spurs 1: Allardyce sambas out as Rovers leave Harry distraughtTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC ...............
Roman Pavlyuchenko will play through the pain barrier to make his mark at Tottenham.
The Russia striker has struggled to hold down a starting role since arriving at White Hart Lane from Spartak Moscow last summer.
The 27-year-old has spent the last three games on the bench and is suffering from a groin injury that requires surgery.
But Pavlyuchenko will put off going under the knife in a bid to impress Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, according to Tvoi Den newspaper in Moscow.
Tottenham will get over their travel sickness, insists midfielder JenasEverton boss Moyes eyes Spurs star Jenas for summer move to GoodisonBlackburn 2 Spurs 1: Allardyce sambas out as Rovers leave Harry distraughtTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC ...............
Manchester Uniteds Nemanja Vidic denies Inter Milan rumours
nsisting he has heard nothing from the San Siro based club, Silvano Martina said Vidic has no desire or need to leave the Premier League champions.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his intentions to bring in big names this summer in a bid to strengthen his team, and as a result the Italian media have linked the Serbian defender with a move.
Adamant the papers are wrong, Martina said: 'It's just the newspapers that are talking about it; no-one has contacted me and I don't think I will receive any calls.
'There is little money moving around and I guess the transfer market will be slow.'
Now in his fourth season with United, Vidic has earned himself the accolade of being one of the club's best ever defenders.
Explaining why his client will look no further than Old Trafford, Martina added: 'He is a European and world champion with this club and there is no reason for him to leave.
'He is a regular starter under Ferguson and will play against Porto in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
'I think I've said it all.'
Alongside Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar, Vidic has been a rock on which United's quintuple bid is based.
Such has been his impact on the club, Rio Ferdinand last month said the 27-year-old deserved to be named this season's PFA Player of the Year.
"He has been our most consistent player this season along with Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar," Ferdinand said. "Those three have been our standout players in terms of consistency.
"I think he should definitely be up there this year for player of the year, he's a top player.
"The attacking players normally get the accolades and the adulation so it would be nice for a defender to win it. JT won it a few years ago but not many centre-halves have won it over the years. I think he will be up there." ........................................................................
Ronaldo- Uniteds dreams of Quintuple are still alive
Ronaldo- Uniteds dreams of Quintuple are still alive
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