Blog Entries for Oatesomr

Benjani willing to fight at Rovers

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Blackburn Rovers striker Benjani wants to repay Sam Allardyce's faith in him and fire the goals to help propel his new side up the Premier League table this season.

The 32-year-old Zimbabwe international has struggled to get first team football of any kind over the last two seasons, with only 26 appearances during that period.

After showing goalscoring form at Portsmouth he was snapped up by Manchester City, but a combination of bad luck with injuries and also the Eastlands' club's big [...]

Fans united in lower ticket interest as prices rise

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Although Manchester United have managed to sell more than 50,000 season tickets, they have failed to reach their target of 55,000 sales, and have not matched the sales figures they achieved last year.

Since United fans are currently involved in a mass protest against the Glazer family's continuing ownership, the difficulties that the club have had in shifting tickets could be seen as a one-off occurrence and not as part of a wider trend affecting the entire Premier League. United may be Champi [...]

Martinez moves to bolster leaky defence

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has stuck his neck out and signed Steven Caldwell in an attempt to bolster his struggling defence and help prevent the Latics suffering Premier League relegation.

The 29-year-old dropped out of the top flight with Burnley at the back end of last season and he was a free agent after leaving Turf Moor.

He has been on trial with Wigan for the last few weeks and he has now joined his brother Gary on the books at the DW Stadium.

Martinez's job [...]

Mancini impressed with Balotelli's debut

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Marked out as a trouble maker back in Italy, Roberto Mancini may have pulled off a shrewd move by snapping up Mario Balotelli.

The 20-year-old made his Manchester City debut last night, coming off the bench to grab the only goal in a 1-0 win against Timisoara in Romania.

Although the fee of £24 million can hardly be described as a bargain, he certainly showed signs that he will be able to live up to his price tag. Next season he could be some people's Premier League betting tips to [...]

Blackburn set for quick takeover?

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

The prospective owner of Blackburn Rovers is keen to get a deal done quickly so manager Sam Allardyce can splash the cash.

Ahasan Ali Syed is currently under taking a period of due diligence at the club as his advisers check over the club's accounts.

Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire Syed revealed that time is of the essence. He said: "I am very keen to move very fast and buy this club at the earliest moment.

"I am aware that Big Sam has big ambitions for this transfer wi [...]

West Brom boss wants striking addition

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

West Brom are still looking to add to their striking options ahead of the start of the season as they dream of avoiding Premier League relegation, though their number one target is not the most renowned goalscorer in England.

Manager Roberto Di Matteo wants to sign Liverpool David Ngog, who boasts a proud record of having scored eight goals in his three-year professional career to date.

The 21-year-old scored one goal for Paris Saint-Germain before he was signed for Liverpool fo [...]

Can Aston Villa survive without Martin O'Neill?

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

After Martin O'Neill's shock departure from Aston Villa, fans of the club must be wondering what they can possibly hope to achieve next.

The side finished sixth in the Premier League three times in a row and last season made it to the Carling Cup final, where they were unlucky to be beaten by Manchester United.

Some fans had started to turn against a manager they saw as incapable of moving them to the next level, while a number of the side's key players were linked with moves away from t [...]

Have Newcastle made a mistake with Sol Campbell?

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Chris Hughton may be pleased at signing Sol Campbell, but for Newcastle fans it should really set the alarm bells ringing.

The 35-year-old may have made a steady return to the Premier League with Arsenal last term, but he did nothing to suggest he should be starting matches every week.
At the moment, with Newcastle's squad wafer thin and Steven Taylor out for a lengthy period, it seems that's exactly what will happen.

Although Campbell would no doubt provide useful back up, his lack [...]

Giggs admits threat from City

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Ryan Giggs thinks Manchester United's old rivals City need to be more consistent and unite as a team if they want to go for the Premier League title next season.
Manchester City finished fifth last term and had to watch from below as United and Chelsea battled for the title until late into the campaign.

Roberto Mancini has already spent close to £70 million to bring David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng to Eastlands as they look to progress next season and the Premier League [...]

Paul Scholes isn't ready to retire

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Paul Scholes isn't ready to be put out to pasture just yet, the Manchester United midfielder has revealed.
In June, the 35-year-old hinted he would retire from football at the end of the coming season, but now this seems this is far from certain.

He said: "I do not know if it will be my last season. I will just take every game as it comes.

"If I am feeling okay and doing the job the manager wants then we will see how things are at the end of next season."

Schol [...]

Redknapp wants Cole at White Hart Lane

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Harry Redknapp has again reiterated his desire to bring Joe Cole to White Hart Lane to help keep Spurs in the Premier League top four next season.

The veteran manager is preparing to take Spurs into the Champions League for the first time in the club's history - after taking them into the Premier League top four last season during his first full season in charge.

Redknapp is busy spending his summer looking for players who can improve the squad he has already assembled at White Hart Lan [...]

Maradona learns a tough World Cup lesson

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

It was a far cry from the scenes of celebration in the Argentina v Mexico game, and as Maradona stood with a blank look on his face towards the end of his side's 4-0 thrashing by Germany it was hard not to feel sympathy for a man so obviously out of his depth.

The blank look said it all. Here was a coach who had relied on the raw talent of his players to get him this far but, faced with his first real challenge, was unable to turn the tide of a game that had started to slip away from his team [...]

Agger not leaving Anfield

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Denmark defender Daniel Agger is determined to remain at Liverpool and help them win their place back in the Premier League top four.

The centre-back is currently away at the 2010 Football World Cup but will be undoubtedly keeping his eyes and ears open about goings on back at Anfield.

Rafa Benitez has left Liverpool after a disappointing season which saw them finish seventh, and a number of names are being linked with the Anfield hotseat.

However, the club's failure to get Cham [...]

World Cup luck deserts Germany for once

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

When they woke up on Friday morning, the German side were considered potential world beaters. Tomorrow they will face rather less flattering headlines.

Following their comprehensive 4-0 defeat of Australia, the Germans were considered one of the few teams to have made their mark on a tournament which got off to a slow start.

However, their second game proved more of a challenge and ultimately Serbia grabbed a 1-0 win to leave Die Mannschaft's tournament credentials in tatters and the Wor [...]

Sven: World Cup fear stunted Ivory Coast

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

There's been much debate over why this World Cup is yet to really get going, but Ivory Coast manager Sven Goran Eriksson is in no doubt why his side could only lumber to a 0-0 draw with Portugal.

The game was the opening fixture in Group G, this tournament's Group of Death, and many were expecting the two sides to go hell for leather in an attempt to secure a vital three points.

However, the match was as uninspired as many of the other early contents and ended goalless after a rather ins [...]

Spector tries some World Cup mind games

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

With just hours to go before the start of the World Cup, England's opening opponents have concentrated on stoke the fires in the pre-match build up.

So far, much of the talk from the Three Lions camp has concentrated on not underestimating the USA who, it has to be remembered, have a fairly decent record in recent tournaments.

However, the Americans appear to be taking a rather more relaxed approach to the clash with Jonathan Spector pointing out that the weight of expectation is all on [...]

Nani the latest World Cup injury victim

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Nani has become the latest player to be ruled out of the Football World Cup because of injury.

The Portuguese winger added his name to the ever lengthening list of stars who will miss the tournament in South Africa after he injured his collar bone during a training on Friday.

Although the incident took place before the squad flew out to their World Cup base camp, the 23-year-old, who bagged three goals during qualification, has only just been ruled out.

According to a team statemen [...]

Drogba's World Cup dream is back on

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been cleared to join up with the rest of the Ivory Coast squad as they prepare for their World Cup 2010 battle this summer.

The Elephants' star forward was hit by an injury nightmare after a heavy challenge during a pre-World Cup friendly with Japan left Drogba with a broken arm.

He was immediately sent to Bern for an operation and Ivory Coast Federation spokesman Roger Kouassi has confirmed that procedure was a success.

However, there is s [...]

Wayne Rooney not a World Cup doubt - Capello

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Fabio Capello is convinced Wayne Rooney remains in top condition to lead England into the World Cup 2010, despite seemingly suffering with a problem during their last game.

The Manchester United forward played the full 90 minutes as England beat Mexico 3-1 in their final home World Cup warm-up game, but was seen signalling to the bench that he wanted to leave the pitch.

England had used all their substitutes so Rooney was forced to complete the game despite the problem. However, Capell [...]

Ancelotti eyes more titles

stef.oates@omruk.co.uk — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Carlo Ancelotti claims the success seen this season means Chelsea can now go on and dominate the Premier League for years to come.

The Italian manager ensured he won the domestic title in his first season at Stamford Bridge after an 8-0 win over Wigan saw them finish one point ahead of rivals Manchester United.

It was Chelsea's first Premier League title win since 2006, and things could get even better for Ancelotti's team as they have the chance to be the first Chelsea side to do [...]