All posts by h79snht.top

Stoke City’s first jaunt in the group stages of the Europa League sees a tough task for Tony Pulis’ men if they are to make it through to the knock-out stages of the competition. Elsewhere the Irish giant killers Shamrock Rovers have got themselves a plump draw with Tottenham Hotspur in their group, which promises to be quite an occasion for the Rovers’ fans.

The Europa League fixtures for the English clubs below:

Birmingham City

Sept 15: Braga (H)

Sept 29: Maribor (A)

Oct 20: Club Brugge (A)

Nov 3: Club Brugge (H)

Nov 30: Braga (A)

Dec 15: Maribor (H)

Fulham

Sept 15: Twente (H)

Sept 29: Odense BK (A)

Oct 20: Wisla Krakow (A)

Nov 3: Wisla Krakow (H)

Dec 1: Twente (A)

Dec 14: Odense BK (H)

Stoke City

Sept 15: Dynamo Kiev (A)

Sept 29: Besiktas (H)

Oct 20: Maccabi Tel Aviv (H)

Nov 3: Maccabi Tel Aviv (A)

Dec 1: Dynamo Kiev (H)

Dec 14: Besiktas (A)

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Tottenham

Sept 15: PAOK (A)

Sept 29: Shamrock Rovers (H)

Oct 20: Rubin Kazan (H)

Nov 3: Rubin Kazan (A)

Nov 30: PAOK (H)

Dec 15: Shamrock Rovers (A)

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has stated that he will not celebrate if he scores against Arsenal on Sunday, as a mark of respect to his former club.

The African forward has been in exceptional form since joining Spurs on loan from Manchester City at the start of the season, scoring three goals in three straight Tottenham victories.

The Togolese man ruffled Arsenal feathers however back in 2009 when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the London side’s fans after scoring against Arsene Wenger’s men for City, but has stated the same will not happen on Sunday.

“What happened two years ago was an accident and I do apologise to all the fans of Arsenal,” he stated in a press conference.

“Sometimes the emotions, we cannot control them, we are all human beings. I regret what I have done and I say sorry to everyone but at the end of the day sorry doesn’t change anything. For me, it’s over.

“I’m looking forward to playing against Arsenal again on Sunday. But believe me, if I have a chance to score – trust me, I will score – but as for the celebration, never in my life will I do something like that again.

“It will be a funny game, it’ll be fantastic. I have a chance to play against Arsenal again, the club that gave me the chance to be where I am today. I have a huge respect for the club,” he concluded.

Tottenham will go into the game as favourites following their 4-0 win over Liverpool in their last fixture at White Hart Lane, but Arsenal have improved over their last couple of games after a shaky start.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The English FA have revealed that they will have to wait for an extra week at least to learn the written reasons for Wayne Rooney’s three match ban from Uefa.

The Manchester United striker was sent off against Montenegro in The Three Lions’ last Euro 2012 qualifier, and the European governing body handed down a three match ban to the attacker.

The punishment means that Rooney is ineligible for all three of England’s Euro 2012 group games, with the player’s inclusion in the squad for the tournament in Ukraine and Poland now in doubt.

Despite Uefa’s sanctions, the FA may appeal the decision but are waiting to hear the reasons behind the length of the ban. However this will not be disclosed by Uefa for at least another seven days.

“The FA has today been advised by Uefa that we may not be provided with the written reasons regarding Wayne Rooney’s three-match suspension for another week at a minimum,” an official statement reads.

“Once the reasons are received, the FA will determine on any appeal after discussions with Fabio Capello and Wayne Rooney.”

Fabio Capello faces a dilemma in whether or not to include Rooney in his squad, but any reduction in the striker’s ban would surely sway his decision.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas has been fined £12,000 after being deemed guilty of improper conduct.

The Portuguese coach was fuming with referee Chris Foy after his side’s 1-0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road back in October, in which the home side were awarded a penalty and Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba were both sent off.

Villa Boas stated that the official’s performance in the game was “very, very poor” and queried Foy’s decision making process.

After investigation from the governing body, the Stamford Bridge trainer was found guilty of the charges.

“Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has today been fined £12,000 by the FA and warned as to his future conduct after being charged in respect of media comments which were found by an Independent Regulatory Commission to have constituted improper conduct,” an official FA statement reads.

“The comments were made after Chelsea’s away fixture at Queens Park Rangers on 23 October 2011. Villas-Boas had denied the charge and requested a non-personal hearing,” it concludes.

Villas Boas currently finds himself under pressure in the Blues’ hotseat, as his team have lost their last three league games and are currently 12 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Due to the sizeable gap and the weight of expectation at Stamford Bridge, calls have started for the manager’s head, something that he has been expecting.

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“When results like this happen, the head of the manager is called for execution. I’m not worried by the comments. I want to get my team back to winning ways, and we’ll try and do that against Leverkusen,” he told Sky Sports.

By Gareth McKnight

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The English FA’s appeal against Wayne Rooney’s international ban will be heard on December 9th by Uefa, as the home nation try to reduce the number of games the striker will miss for his country.

The Manchester United attacker was sent off for violent conduct in The Three Lions’ last Euro 2012 qualifier, a 2-2 draw with Montenegro in Podgorica, and was handed a three-match suspension by the European governing body.

The decision means that Rooney is now ineligible for the entire group stages of the tournament in Poland and Ukraine next year, but Uefa are willing to listen to the FA’s case for reducing the sanctions.

“The Uefa Appeals Body will deal with the case of England striker Wayne Rooney on Friday 9 December at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon,” an official statement reads.

“This follows Uefa’s receipt on Friday 4 November of the official written appeal from the English Football Association against the three-match suspension given to Rooney by the Uefa Control and Disciplinary Body on 13 October.”

The outcome of the appeal may well have a swaying factor in Fabio Capello’s decision whether or not to include Rooney in his squad for the tournament, as playing the entire group stages without the striker would be a blow.

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By Gareth McKnight

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There’s no substitute for experience in football; something that Tottenham fans found out last season as they tried to balance a Premier League campaign with the rigours of Champions League football. It’s something that Stoke are finding out this year too as they make the step up to European football; so far this season Stoke have only taken five points out of a possible twenty-one when playing on the weekend after a mid week European game. In fairness to Spurs they managed it quite well last year but never really looked like getting fourth spot. However it was Redknapp’s first time in the Champions League and the difference between the intensity of Europe’s top two competitions is vast indeed. It has not gone unnoticed at Tottenham.

For anyone to suggest that Spurs could not have qualified from their Europa League group with ease would be ridiculous. If they had wanted to they could have. But instead Redknapp has played teams that resemble anything other than his first eleven. Don’t get me wrong it is still surprising that that they look unlikely to qualify, their second string should easily be able to top a group that includes the likes of Shamrock Rovers. However I doubt you’ll find many people in north London who will be overly disappointed by their probable exit from the competition.

Last season was a learning curve for Spurs and there are a few things that they’ve evidently picked up from it.

Europa League

You could never say that when Harry was previously in the Europa League with Spurs that he gave it his all but he used to put out much stronger sides than he has done this season. Despite their good start to the season Spurs will be aware that there is a long season ahead and competition for places at the top will be ruthless. With seven equally capable teams competing for four spots under no circumstances will Redknapp be in doubt as to what his priorities are. At the beginning of the season he lamented the fact that they were even in the Europa League labelling it an unnecessary distraction. It’s not just the games themselves that tire out the squad it’s the travelling all over Europe mid week. We saw what happened to Arsenal against Fulham after they played a tough match against the German Champions in the week and Redknapp knows that a successful run in Europe is worthless in comparison to a possible place in next year’s Champions League.

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Confidence

Last year’s performance by Tottenham in the Champions League will have left them brimming with confidence and it is starting to show. They beat the then-champions Inter Milan in their group and comfortably brushed aside AC Milan in the knockout stages. There weren’t many fans who thought they were possible of this beforehand but the aren’t many doubting them now. Redknapp has always attempted to instil belief in his players and this year it is perfectly evident that they the message is getting through to them. Interviews like Ledley King’s for The Telegraph and the performances they have been putting in all season are demonstrative of that.

New players

Playing against the best last year perhaps showed Tottenham where their weaknesses lay. The sale of Crouch and Palacios and the acquisition of Adebayor and Parker as their replacements has shored up the suspect areas in their team. When they played Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League their defence was over exposed and Adebayor, then with Madrid, punished them. In two strokes Redknapp has turned that experience to his advantage.

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Every team has low points in the season, it is inevitable, but Spurs have shown so far that they are twice the team they were last season. They are a far more all-round accomplished team and have taken the lessons from last year on board. Redknapp has transformed his team from one that dreamed of playing at Europe’s top table to a team that deserves to be there.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has been awarded the 2011 African Player of the Year award, after impressive performances for club and country.

Toure has become an important player for Roberto Mancini’s men since signing from European champions Barcelona in 2010, and scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final last season to end City’s 35 year trophy-less spell.

The news was released by the Confederation of African Football’s official website, who revealed that it was a close race for top spot.

“The 28-year old pipped Ghanaian midfielder Andre Ayew and Malian Seydou Keita to scoop the top-most honour at the Awards Gala on Thursday at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra,” it stated.

Toure is only the second player from the Ivory Coast to win the award, following on from Didier Drogba’s success, and it is the highest personal honour an African player can receive given that it is selected by coaches in the region.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Leeds have confirmed that they have sacked manager Simon Grayson, with the last straw being the side’s 4-1 home defeat to Birmingham on Tuesday night.

The Elland Road outfit are currently in 10th place in The Championship, but are only three points adrift of the playoff berths.

The news was released on the club’s official website, with chief executive Shaun Harvey keen to enforce a change in manager.

“We have 18 games to go this season and are still within touching distance of the Play-Offs, but felt with the transfer window now closed we needed to make the change at this time in the belief that a new managerial team will be able to get more out of the existing squad of players and make the difference.

“Simon and his staff have given the club over three good years service and we would like to place on record our thanks and wish them all the best for the future.

“Current youth team manager Neil Redfearn has been asked to take temporary charge of the first team until a new manager is available,” the statement concluded.

Grayson had taken over at Leeds back in December 2008, and despite leading the side back to The Championship, fell short of making it back to the top flight.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Arsene Wenger has always prided himself on placing a lot of faith in youth. Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and Jack Wilshere are just a small example of the huge success that Wenger has had in finding and blooding young raw talent into his Arsenal squad over the years

As with all successes, there are always failures, and players who promised so much but failed to deliver. While Arsenal have had plenty of young talent come through the ranks, the Gunners have also had their fair share of youngsters who failed to make the grade at The Emirates Stadium or Highbury and never got to wear the Arsenal shirt for an extended period. Here are some of Arsenal wonderkids tipped to make the grade who fell by the wayside…

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Click on Bentley below to see the Top 10

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Thierry Henry has stated that scoring the winning goal against Sunderland on Saturday made him feel like a youngster again.

The veteran French attacker found the net in injury time to give The Gunners all three points in a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light, in what will be his last Premier League appearance for the north London outfit before heading back to New York Red Bulls.

The goal was a source of delight for Henry, who is eligible for Arsenal’s Champions League tie against AC Milan in midweek before returning to the United States.

“Just like a kid who came on and scored his first goal for the team he loves, that’s exactly how I felt, really like a kid,” he told BBC Sport.

“When it comes to Arsenal, I always feel something special. At the end of the day, I was there at the end of the move, but I just want to help.

“That’s all I wanted to do. I said it right from the start – I didn’t want to be a hero or whatever, just like one of the guys in the dressing room.

“When you come on as a sub, you want to help your team and change the game anyway, anyhow, and it did happen.

“A lot of the time, the guy who puts the ball in the back of the net will always get the credit, but the cross from Andrey Arshavin was perfect.

“You can always miss, but it was going to be very difficult to miss that one, so you have to give him a lot of credit for that one.

“I was just there at the right time and I finished it, so that’s the most important thing.

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“Obviously, I stayed a bit longer with the Arsenal fans at the end because I knew it was the last game for me in the Premier League, so I just wanted to say, ‘Thanks, that’s it’,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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