Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville is the new boss of Valencia — his first managerial post. Neville, who is also part of Roy Hodgson’s England coaching team, was named first-team coach at the Mestalla — where his brother, Phil, is a coach — for the rest of the season in a surprise announcement by the club on Wednesday. “Valencia Football Club has reached an agreement with England coach Gary Neville to be the coach of the first team until June 30, 2016,” the club said. Nuno Espirito Santo stepped down ‘by mutual consent’ after Sunday’s 1-0 La…
Author: David F.
Four-time World Player of the Year and counting,Lionel Messi has spoken of his admiration for retiring NBA legend Kobe Bryant after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant announced his decision to retire at the end of the season earlier this week having won five NBA titles and two Olympic gold medals in a hugely succesful career. “It’s always sad to hear when a sportsman is retiring. But Kobe Bryant will always be in the history books as one of the greatest,” Messi wrote on his official Facebook page. “It was he who helped me become interested in…
Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson has said his old skipper Gary Neville has the leadership skills to be a success as manager of Spanish side Valencia. Neville replaced former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who quit on Monday, and the 40-year-old’s first match in charge will be Wednesday’s must-win Champions League tie against Olympique Lyonnais. “His leadership skills are strong, he’s honest and he’s hard working,” Ferguson told Sky Sports on Wednesday. “He is the type of character who is not afraid of making big decisions, which is a vital skill when leading. I think he’ll do well and I wish…
Diafra Sakho’s latest injury news is a big blow for West Ham United, manager Slaven Bilic said, after the striker suffered a muscle strain in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with West Bromwich Albion. The 25-year-old, who won the free kick which led to Mauro Zarate’s first-half opener, was forced off in the 74th minute. Sakho, who has scored three goals in 12 league appearances this season, returned to first-team action in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on November 22 after more than a month out with a thigh injury. He joins Dimitri Payet on the treatment table and…
Victor Valdes wife has gone hard on Manchester United for failing to invite the Spanish goalkeeper to a high-profile charity event at Old Trafford. The Premier League club held its annual dinner for Unicef on Sunday and many United players were in attendance, but Valdes, who is still not in good terms with boss Louis van Gaal, was not on the guest list. The 33-year-old’s wife Yolanda Cardona took to Instagram to criticise the club for their conduct. Underneath a picture taken at the event of Juan Mata, Marco Rojo, Sergio Romero, David De Gea, Ander Herrera and their partners,…
Premier League champions Chelsea have submitted a planning application to re-develop their Stamford Bridge ground into a new 60 000-seater stadium, the club said on Tuesday. The current ground, which dates back to 1877 and has been home to the west London club since 1905, holds only 41 600. “A planning application for a new stadium at Stamford Bridge with an expanded seating capacity has been submitted,” the club said on their website (www.chelseafc.com). “This follows a successful consultation process during which we received very helpful feedback.” Billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich has prioritised increasing the club’s match-day revenue since…
The return of former club captain Steven Gerrard to Liverpool’s training ground has put a smile on everyone’s faces, manager Juergen Klopp said ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup quarterfinal at Southampton. Gerrard has finished his first season with Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy who he joined after 17 years at Anfield, and has been training with his old teammates. “It’s a good situation. Everybody had a smile on their face when they saw Stevie,” Klopp told a news conference on Tuesday. “It’s good to have him here and we hope we can help him, and he can help us…
Liverpool are glad with the form of Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and are not looking to replace him, manager Juergen Klopp said on Tuesday. Regular starter Mignolet, whose performances have come under scrutiny this season, will be rested for Wednesday’s League Cup quarterfinal at top-flight rivals Southampton, with Adam Bogdan set for a rare start. “Simon Mignolet is one of the smartest keepers I’ve had. He’s still young enough to develop. He is very open,” Klopp told reporters. “It was not the easiest situation before I came here but since I came here, nothing to criticise. “I’m absolutely satisfied with…
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero and goalkeeper Joe Hart could be fit to return from injury in time for Saturday’s Premier League game against Stoke City, manager Manuel Pellegrini has said. Aguero, City’s leading scorer with seven league goals this season, left the field in the second half of last weekend’s 3-1 win over Southampton and missed Tuesday’s 4-1 quarter-final win over Hull City in the League Cup. Hart, who missed both games, injured a hamstring against Juventus in the Champions League on November 25. “Hart could be fit for Saturday. If not, Tuesday, while Kun (Aguero) has pain in…
Dutch club Utrecht are taking Swansea City to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the Welsh side’s transfer of keeper Michel Vorm to Tottenham Hotspur in 2014. Utrecht are claiming a sell-on fee for the Dutch international, who they sold to Swansea in 2011 for a reported 1.5 million pounds ($2.3 million), while the Premier League club are not having that. The claim on the ground is that Vorm moved to Spurs on a free transfer. The matter is scheduled for hearing on January 29, according to the CAS website. Vorm moved to Tottenham at the same time…
Selling of key key players for huge sum of money could hurt Southampton’s chances of finishing in the European places this season, manager Ronald Koeman has said. The Dutchman took charge of the club before the 2014-15 season and saw a host of players, including Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Callum Chambers, and Adam Lallana (Liverpool), leave for big money even before the club had played a competitive game under him. Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and full-back Nathaniel Clyne were sold to United and Liverpool, respectively, before the start of this season, and Koeman said the transfers had hurt the Saints’ chances…
England international Gary Cahill has signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea, the Premier League champions announced on Wednesday. The deal will enable the 29-year-old defender remain at Stamford Bridge until 2019. “I’m really pleased to commit my future to Chelsea and it’s great the club has put their faith in me,” Cahill told the club website. “I have achieved a lot here and I hope I can keep on learning, helping the team and lifting trophies over the next four years,” the defender added. Cahill, who joined Chelsea from Bolton in 2012, won the Champions League and FA Cup…
Jose Mourinho predicted a very tight Premier League title race and although the Chelsea manager could not have pictured his team languishing in the bottom half of the table, he has so far been proved right. After 14 games, just two points separate Manchester City, Leicester City, Manchester United and Arsenal, with Tottenham on their coat-tails and Liverpool six points off the summit in sixth place. Twelve months ago, Chelsea had already established a six-point lead over nearest challengers Manchester City with Southampton another four points back in third. Mourinho said this season’s Premier League would be “more difficult to…
Kevin De Bruyne’s fantastic start to his Manchester City career has led to teammate Raheem Sterling comparing the Belgian’s impact to the influence Barcelona forward Luis Suarez had on his former club Liverpool. Suarez, in his final season at Liverpool, almost single-handedly won the Premier League title for the club in 2013-14 by scoring an astonishing 31 goals. The Merseyside club eventually fell short, finishing two points behind City. De Bruyne has had a similar impact on his side, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists in 15 starts in all competitions this campaign. “He’s a top player. He’s someone…
Heavily criticised Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez must gather his players for the visit of Getafe with the possible exit from the King’s Cup for playing an ineligible player just the latest setback in a turbulent first season. Real won 3-1 at third-tier Cadiz on Wednesday but fielded the suspended Denis Cheryshev. The winger faced a ban carried over from last season when on loan at Villarreal and elimination is the punishment for breaking Spanish federation rules. “We found out at halftime and took him off then as we wanted to do the right thing,” Real coach Rafa Benitez told…
West Ham United forward Diafra Sakho may be out for up to two months after picking up a thigh injury in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with West Bromwich Albion, manager Slaven Bilic said on Thursday. Sakho, who was taken off in the 74th minute of Sunday’s game against West Brom, has scored six goals for the Hammers in 14 appearances in all competitions this season. He returned to first-team action in the loss to Tottenham Hotspur on November 22 after more than a month out with a thigh injury. “We are still waiting for the results of his (Sakho’s)…
Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski was officially honoured by the on Monday after his stunning five-goal haul in a single Bundesliga match sent four records tumbling. Lewandowski needed just eight minutes, 59 seconds to score five goals after coming off the bench in the second-half of Bayern’s 5-1 drubbing of Wolfsburg in Munich on September 22 for the German league leaders. “It was an historic night for me,” said Lewandowski after being presented with four certificates. He has claimed the record for the fastest hat-trick, which took him just 3:22, the fastest four goals, 5:42, the quickest to five and…
Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen is finally injury free and looking striker to experiencing his first Club World Cup starting in two weeks, the Belgium international said on Monday. Vermaelen, 30, damaged a hamstring at last year’s World Cup finals in Brazil before signing for Barca from Arsenal, prompting some to question why the club completed the deal. He eventually needed surgery and did not make his official debut until the final weeks of last season and has struggled to win a regular place in coach Luis Enrique’s starting line-up. However, as Barcelona prepare to jet off to the Club World…
Southampton forward Shane Long is hopeful he did okay enough for the coach during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by Manchester City to start Wednesday’s Capital One (League) Cup quarterfinal against Liverpool. The Irish international led the line against City with Southampton’s top scorer Graziano Pelle suspended and he scored in the 49th minute, his first goal for the club in two months having been restricted by an ankle injury. “It was nice being back up front again and to give the gaffer a different option,” the former Hull City and Reading striker told the club’s website (www.saintsfc.co.uk). “I feel good how…
English Premier League clubs splashed out almost £130 million on agents’ fees last year in a £15 million rise on the previous 12 months. Liverpool spent the most of any club as they paid out £14.3 million to the sport’s middle men over the last two transfer windows, according to figures released by the Premier League on Monday. The second highest spenders were Manchester United (£13.8m), followed by local rivals Manchester City (£12.4m) with the total reaching £129.86 million for the year ending September 30. Chelsea and Arsenal both spent £11.9 million, while at the other end of the scale…