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.
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will miss Saturday’s blockbuster FA Cup quarter-final with Manchester United after reinjuring his hamstring.Manager Arsene Wenger said the 23-year-old midfielder – whose careless backheel gifted Barcelona their first goal in Tuesday’s 3-1 Champions League loss at the Nou Camp – would miss around two weeks with the injury, which has plagued him for some time.”He is very disappointed because it is becoming a bit of a problem for him but it is very superficial,” Wenger said. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will also sit out the clash at Old Trafford after injuring his finger in the Barcelona game, and with Lukasz Fabianski still missing with a shoulder complaint Manuel Almunia looks set to start between the posts.Arsenal are already missing winger Theo Walcott and midfielder Alex Song, as they look to rebound from the disappointment of losing the Carling Cup final to Birmingham on February 27 and their Champions League exit at the hands of Barca.
Huddersfield Town boss Lee Clark has rubbished speculation linking him with the vacant managerial position at Premier League Fulham.
The 37-year-old spent more than five years as a player with the Cottagers, but says that he is fully focused on the job in hand at the Galpharm Stadium.
He told the club's official website:"I've spoken to the chairman this morning and he has had no contact from Fulham, our chief executive has had no contact from Fulham and I have had no contact from Fulham.
"Most of the time I don't comment on speculation, but there has been absolutely no contact from Fulham and I don't want people to become unsettled.
"It came as a genuine surprise to me when I saw the story on television this morning, but I take the same attitude towards it that I do when our players get linked with clubs from a higher division.
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"It's a good sign that these clubs are interested because it means that we are doing things right here. I'm completely focused on getting things ready for the new season with Huddersfield Town."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Davy Klaassen has spoken out about his nightmare start at Everton, and fans have been voting on whether the Dutchman deserves another chance.
When Davy Klaassen moved to Goodison last summer, fans were excited about the playmaking force that guided a young Ajax side to a Europa League final as their captain and talisman.
The Toffees seemed to get a shell of the player that had looked so superb in that Ajax side though, as the £23.5m move resulted in just three Premier League starts.
Klaassen has been speaking out about his future this week, and it sounds like the 25 year-old is itching to prove himself.
“My overall experience at Everton has been good… the club is excellent and the people are very nice,” he said.
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“It is an ambitious club and I 100 per cent enjoy being here. I feel at home and am determined to play more for the team.”
Klaassen grabbed 14 league goals in his last season with Ajax, an incredible number considering the countless goals he also created with his fantastic eye for a pass and wonderful crossing technique.
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Marco Silva is expected to take over the Toffees this summer, and fans clearly think the more attacking coach can get the best out of him, as a whopping 85 per cent want to keep the Dutchman.
You can find the full poll results for yourself below…
Former England manager Steve McClaren has advised Liverpool to move for Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez if Philippe Coutinho leaves.
According to The Times, Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder thinks that he has played his final game for the Merseyside outfit amid interest from Barcelona.
However, the publication states that the Merseyside outfit will not be tempted to sell this month unless an offer of around £133m is tabled.
The Spanish giants were rebuffed in their efforts to secure Coutinho’s signature in the summer, but it appears that they have renewed their interest.
If Barcelona get their way, there will be a position to fill in Jurgen Klopp’s team, and McClaren thinks that Sanchez is the right fit.
The Chile international will come to the end of his contract at Arsenal next summer, which means that he could potentially leave for a cut-price figure this month.
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been prominent in the transfer gossip pages when Sanchez is mentioned, but McClaren has tipped the attacker to move to Merseyside.
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The Liverpool Echo quotes the ex-England boss as saying:
“It’s difficult. I would look at Sanchez from Arsenal as there may be a bit of movement there. £160million is a lot of money. You can buy a lot for that [but] Liverpool won’t want to lose Coutinho’s quality. I could [see Sanchez at Anfield]. Sanchez will be ambitious and he’s that type of player that could replace Coutinho.”
There is no such thing as patience when it comes to the transfer market – at least that’s the way it should be. I’ve written that before. I’ve also said that Arsenal don’t quite know how much of a good opportunity they have this summer to really make up ground on the top teams in England and around Europe. The fans aren’t stupid, as much as Arsene Wenger may want to think they are. So booing at the Emirates Cup is warranted, and it has little to do with “Wenger out” or not being a real supporter.
It is worth pointing out that the booing of Gonzalo Higuain was ridiculous, almost as if to say he snubbed Arsenal. The deal was on the table and even Napoli didn’t believe they had a chance of snapping him up due to the continued links with Arsenal. It’s far, far from the player’s fault, and any vitriol aimed at him was beyond childish.
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But fans don’t want to go through the pain of the struggle for fourth when the resources are quite clearly available to strengthen beyond that. I still maintain that Ivan Gazidis was intent on the club spending big this summer, but the indecision and lack of communication from the manager has left the club in this position. Yes, there probably will be signings – the club numerically can’t go without any. But are they the top targets? Will it be too late? Is the squad, as it is, good enough through the qualifying round of the Champions League?
Wenger offered up a few gems prior to the Emirates Cup on the weekend, namely by asking whether anyone could name a player who was better than what the club currently had, once again assuming that the media and supporters are oblivious to good footballers outside their own club. As I wrote last week, sometimes someone just needs to have a quiet word and tell Wenger that he should avoid ruffling the feathers in the way he does. It makes him look foolish, as well as the rest of the board.
Even with all the money in the world – because let’s be honest, £100 million is still a lot of money to use in a strengthening project over a summer – Wenger appears to be remaining true to his form, that being a lack of clear options. And here’s the thing: I don’t see Wayne Rooney or Luis Suarez as options, because if the whole summer is being wasted to only get them in during the last half hour of the window, then can they really be considered options? Not if you’re out of the Champions League and a handful of points adrift from the top spot in the league.
I also wasn’t too keen on Mikel Arteta’s summation of the current situation when he said the best players move at the end of the window. Far from the truth, as Edinson Cavani has already moved, Higuain has gone, Mario Gomez, Stevan Jovetic, Mario Goetze, James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Isco… I could go on forever.
Not only is there indecisiveness but there is also a lack of planning. Where is the concrete evidence to support that? Well you don’t really need any, do you? Arsenal are unbelievably easy to read when it comes to transfer dealings. They speak in riddles, but really it’s just a song and dance to tell you that nothing is actually happening – and sometimes they flat out tell you that.
Prior to this summer Arsenal fans didn’t really know what the situation was at the club. Through the media they were constantly fed contrasting stories about funds be available or the need to balance the books and stay afloat. For that it wasn’t always easy to condone the rising tide of anger at the Emirates. But now it’s different. The public has had the CEO of the club lay it out in the simplest of terms that money is available, that the struggles of the past few years have been building towards this summer. The boos at the Emirates Cup, fully warranted, were a ripple of what’s the come if the club continue on the same path. Signing will be made, but without the world-class players who can genuinely turn this team around, the growing boos will very much carry plenty of weight.
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Do supporters have a right to be angered by the inaction of Arsenal?
Wales have slipped to a 6-1 hammering at the hands of Serbia on Tuesday night.
The hosts looked markedly the better side in the World Cup qualifying fixture from the first whistle and stormed into a 2-0 lead through goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Zoran Tosic.
Gareth Bale gave the Celtic visitors hope with a sublime free-kick to make it 2-1, but Filip Duricic restored the Serbs’ two-goal cushion before the interval.
Three second-half goals from Dusan Tadic, Branislav Ivanovic and Miralem Sulejmani completed the rout.
Chris Coleman was massively disappointed by the result and admitted that the performance from his side was simply not good enough.
“Obviously I did not see it coming,” he told reporters, published in Sky Sports.
“We knew it would be difficult coming here but on the back of Friday’s performance against Belgium we thought we could get something but we can’t accept that level of performance.
“To say it is disappointing is an understatement. We have to do much better than that and we are capable of doing much better.
“At times it was men against boys, the goals we conceded were criminal really and the individual errors were disappointing.
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“To lose 6-1 is an absolute hammering and we can’t ignore that, the manner of the performance was particularly disappointing.
“At this level you cannot gift teams goals, you have to at least be hard to beat and play with a bit of pride and we didn’t do that. We caved in,” he concluded.
Leeds United midfielder Ronaldo Vieira has been handed a call-up to the England Under-21 squad for this summer’s Toulon Tournament.
Vieira made 32 appearances for Leeds during the 2017-18 campaign – scoring once and providing three assists for the Championship club.
The 19-year-old is highly regarded at Elland Road, and will make the step up from England Under-20s to the Under-21s squad this summer.
The Leeds fans have been reacting to the news, and a number were keen to pay tribute to the teenager, who is contracted to his current team until the summer of 2021.
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However, there are also those that feel the central midfielder could do with a summer of rest ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, and it is a fair point when considering the amount of football Vieira has played at such a young age.
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That said, surely the positives of representing his country at Under-21 level will far outweigh the negatives.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Leeds fans can be seen below:
It’s quite the odd situation at Liverpool right now, with, despite the fact that the transfer window has not yet officially opened, Nathaniel Clyne’s imminent arrival set to be the sixth of the summer. SIXTH! The England right-back shone with Southampton last season, helping the Saints to register the second best defensive record in the Premier League last term – only Champions Chelsea conceded fewer goals – making him a seemingly ideal successor to Glen Johnson, who has been released.
Even with Clyne added to the quartet of Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez, James Milner and Danny Ings, Brendan Rodgers is likely to want more signings, particularly with Raheem Sterling’s future up in the air, and here are FIVE more potentially Anfield-bound stars…
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Mateo Kovacic
Even though the logic behind speculation of a move for Kovacic is a little questionable following the arrival of James Milner, links between the Reds and the young Croatian persist. Amid the Roberto Firmino completion talk, reports still insisted that the 21-year-old remains on Rodgers’ radar, with his neat passing and sheer potential standout factors.
Inter Milan are, however, seemingly reluctant to do business, which could be a factor contributing to the dragging of this one. The lack of English credibility to this deal is also something worth considering, but the sheer persistence of the rumour lends it some credibility.
Christian Benteke
With the ever-reliable Liverpool Echo now claiming that Benteke is the top target at Anfield once again, there’s every chance this rumour could drag on for a little while. Opinion between Reds fans appears to divided in regard to the big Belgian, whose goalscoring ability and proven Premier League record cannot quite make up for his apparent lack of suitability to a Rodgers team.
Aston Villa are desperate to keep their man following his heroic end to the season – he notched 12 in 13 games – and are holding out for £32.5m, which is an issue for Liverpool.
Javier Hernandez
One of the more bizarre links out there involves Hernandez. The Mexican is certainly an able hit-man, but the bitter rivalry between Liverpool and Man United would suggest that a deal will be tough, if not impossible, to sort out. A lack of future at Old Trafford for ‘Chicharito’ may open the door, so there is a chance that the Central American could be rocking up on Merseyside…
Although not truly effective as a lone striker, Hernandez could offer Rodgers an intriguing option alongside Daniel Sturridge, when fit, or Danny Ings, with the service of Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho seemingly ideal for the ex-Chivas Guadalajara ace’s movement.
Denis Cheryshev
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Reading into the abundant rumours of Raheem Sterling’s move to Manchester City and suggestions that Roberto Firmino’s purchase was in no way influenced by the aforementioned Englishman, Chershev looks to be a possible replacement. The Russia international is now back at Real Madrid following a decent loan spell with Villarreal, but with no senior Los Blancos appearances to his name at the age of 24 and competition fierce, his future looks bleak.
It’s claimed that Liverpool are attempting to push a £15m deal for his signature, which, albeit slightly risky, would hand Rodgers yet another attacking threat with his pace and direct running tailor-made to succeeding Sterling.
Salomon Rondon
Should Christian Benteke prove to be too expensive, the Venezuelan could be pursued… well, according to reports. 13 goals as Zenit Saint-Petersburg ran to the league title is a positive return, but his 6ft. 3” frame makes him a little similar to Mario Balotelli in terms of stature and raises the same worries being broadcast by many fans in regard to Benteke.
Rondon does, however, appear to be in hot form after following his Zenit heroics with Venezuela’s winner against Colombia in the Copa America – albeit they still finished bottom of Group C and were eliminated.
New Everton boss Roberto Martinez is keen to make a summer move for Chelsea winger Victor Moses, according to reports from the Sunday People.
The now Goodison Park chief coached the Nigerian international at Wigan, and is believed to be keen to reunite with his former star after being named Toffees manager.
Moses is thought to be facing a tough fight for first-team football next term, with Jose Mourinho already being linked with a number of big name stars.
The likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar are already ahead of the 22-year-old in the pecking order, and speculation suggests that the ‘Special One’ could make moves for a number of established stars in the coming months.
Martinez is keen to take advantage of this, and is confident that he can tempt Chelsea to allow the man they signed for £9m last summer move on.
Moses himself could be keen on a switch, after watching his career stagnate since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Martinez may also make moves for a number of his former Wigan players, with Callum McManaman, Shaun Maloney and Ivan Ramis all on his wish list.
James McCarthy remains one of the Spaniard’s top targets, but he will face competition from Arsenal and Wigan for the midfielder.
Should Victor Moses leave Chelsea? And would he be the ideal man for Everton?
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