Tottenham are still interested in signing Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao after failing to prise him away from Internacional in the summer, the Metro understands.
Boss Harry Redknapp was keen to bring the 22-year-old to White Hart Lane during the transfer window as he sought to strengthen his attacking options.
He has since signed Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City but still has a spot open in his squad for a striker after letting Peter Crouch move to Stoke and Robbie Keane leave for LA Galaxy of the MLS.
Damiao was the subject of a £15 million move by Spurs during the summer, but the North London side aren’t prepared to pay anywhere near that amount when the window re-opens at the start of 2012.
They hope that a package made up of a significantly lower fee and a number of incentive-based payments will be enough to tempt Internacional into selling the striker.
However, their has also been protracted interest from Barcelona and Spurs could have a huge battle on their hands if the La Liga giants decide to enter the race for Damiao’s signature.
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Bids from both clubs will hinge on whether the South American club lower their demands for Damiao, with their current price tag considered too steep by both Redknapp and Nou Camp boss Pep Guardiola.
Blackpool manager Ian Holloway was relieved his side could halt their run of five losses with a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa.
The Seasiders had the chance to clinch the game late on when Villa’s Jean Makoun was dismissed, but Holloway said he was satisfied with his side’s fourth point in 2011.
“I suppose I’ll have to be happy (with a point). We had a bit of a nervous opening quarter of an hour,” he said.
“It was the first time we looked like that all season and they got an absolute classic counter-attacking goal.”
Holloway said his side put forward their usual aggressive tactics but were denied a winner by a stern Villa defence.
“We threw everything we had at them and they defended resolutely. Hopefully, we’ve seen a change of the tide. They broke away in the last minute and they didn’t score, which has been happening to us of late,” he said.
Villa boss Gerard Houllier agreed that referee Howard Webb’s decision to send off Makoun midway through the second half was the correct one.
“I don’t think my opinion (on the sending off) would change things,” the Frenchman joked.
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“I think first of all the sending off was a reckless tackle. I know it was not malicious, I know it was not to hurt, but this one, his feet were off the ground. I know he got the ball, I know it was a good tackle but the rules are simple. When you have got your feet off the ground, it’s a direct red.”
“Obviously, 20-25 minutes, it’s a different game. Down to 10 men, you have to show different qualities. I’m pleased that we were resilient, we showed some resolute defending. We were disciplined, and I was very, very satisfied, very proud of the effort of the players because they really fought hard to keep the point.”
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has spoken of his delight at being back playing after featuring for the Old Trafford club against Valerenga in Norway.
The Serbian centre-half missed the bulk of last season after rupturing his cruciate ligaments, but played in the side’s goalless draw on Sunday.
Vidic admitted that he will need to work on his fitness but is glad to be back to action.
“I felt well,” he told MUTV.
“After eight months without a game it’s obvious that you have to get used to your positioning, and still fitness-wise it’s not as hopefully it will be in a few weeks, but I’m pleased. My knee felt well, I felt well and hopefully the next game will be better.
“It was frustrating, but obviously I knew I would be out for six months. I tried to make the best of it, to work hard and when I come back to be the same as I was before the injury.
“This was my target and we’ll see how good a job I did in that six months. It’s hard, but it’s part of the football career.
“Any sportsman has the risk of injuries and hopefully this is the past and better days are coming for me,” he concluded.
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Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is surprised by Asamoah Gyan’s decision to leave Wearside to sign for United Arab Emirates club Al Ain, and has stated that the striker has no future at the club.
Speculation has shrouded the African frontman’s future over the last month despite The Black Cats’ lack of attacking options, and Bruce has revealed that Gyan went back on his word.
“I had a conversation with him 48 hours ago and he assured me, he shook my hand, that he wanted to be a Sunderland player, wanted to see the season, wanted to go the African Nations again in good form, wanted to work on his fitness levels then all of a sudden within a few hours it seems things have changed,” he told Sky Sports after his side’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
Bruce was astonished by Gyan’s decision to leave, especially given his destination and has admitted the forward is not welcome back to the Stadium of Light.
“Other people can make their own conclusions. You leave the biggest and best league in the world to go play in the United Arab Emirates. I’m sorry but sometimes football, sometimes it’s baffling to say the least. Very disappointed in the timing of it, the whole thing has left a bad taste if I’m being honest.
“I don’t believe he’s got a future here, I don’t think he can. You can’t leave this club and want to leave and want to go the United Arab Emirates and we’re going to welcome you back with open arms, I can’t see it but you never know,” he continued.
The news is a blow for Sunderland, especially after their defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, with Bruce not happy with his defence.
“They (Chelsea) were excellent in possession of the ball. We found it very difficult to get after them, which we did and we did valiantly to keep at it and stick at it, but when we got it we gave it away too cheaply.
“For all that good possession that they had, they haven’t really carved us open, they don’t have to do much for both goals really so that’s disappointing,” he concluded.
Sunderland’s next game is against Stoke at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and with only two points from four games so far this term the home fans will be keen to see their side get a win.
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Manchester United just never know when they are beaten and a stunning comeback saw Fergie’s men go 5pts clear at the top of the Premier League. Sir Alex believes that the result could galvanise United’s title push and on this second half showing you will be a brave man to back against the Red Devils in claiming a record 19th title.
In the papers this morning we have seen a mixed bag of stories that includes Dalglish claiming the return of Gerrard will give the Reds momentum; Fabregas desperate for silverware and John Terry fights back for southern softies.
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Dalglish says return of Gerrard will add momentum – Guardian
New clip leaves Richard Keys in firing line – Daily Telegraph
Spurs plan to leave N17 even if bid fails – Guardian
Fabregas desperate for silverware – Daily Telegraph
Fabio Capello: I trust women officials to rule over the game – Daily Mail
Terry fights back for ‘southern softies’ – Guardian
Chelsea’s £52m swoop KO’d – Sun
Football ruled out by Olympic board in 2006 – Daily Telegraph
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Villa to launch bid for Jenas – Sun
Wenger cools Chamberlain talk – Sky Sports
Hart has to pull his finger out – Capello – Mirror
After months of undying speculation, it appears as if the Nottingham Forest takeover saga, may be coming to an end.
Fawaz Al-Hasawi, Abdulazis and Omar Al-Hasawi are the individuals ready to take full control of the club. Varying dates have been set for the final completion, from many differing reports.
So many questions, so little time. How wealthy are they? Why choose Forest? What are their plans?
If Fawaz Al-Hasawi thinks he’s being bombarded with tweets at the moment, he’s got a shock ahead.
One of the main questions being asked now, is whether Steve Cotterill will remain as manager, with bundles of money allegedly available. With a reputation of carrying clubs when they’re at their worst, this current season could prove a vital one, if he were to remain in charge, to prove whether he can handle pressure when supporters are looking to be in the top half.
He’s accustomed to talking about winning at all costs, regardless of how. If hoofball was even a small option, it should be explored.
Can the man known as a Firefighter become the Cruise Line entertainer? But this time, he’d be on a perfectly stable ship, with the impetus on playing good football, and winning in style.
Currently many fans have him down as the clown at the circus – something he would have to amend, and fast. Money brings expectation, and after the poor start of last season, the Forest contingent are aware of the impact a stuttering start can have. If he didn’t start well, pressure would mount, and it could lead to an early chop.
The majority of the Forest faithful, it seems, believe with a new owner, must come a new manager, and who could blame them?
Whatever new owners may state, Steve Cotterill is not their man. This factor will always be rumbling on, in the background, as much as it would probably be denied. Cotterill would have money available, allowing him to build his own squad, costing millions if Forest got off to a terrible start.
Another manager would have to arrive, wanting to build his own squad. Millions wasted, and Forest already making themselves a laughing stock.
Exciting times seem to be upon us at the City Ground, but with many fans remaining stubborn, and reluctant to purchase a season ticket with Cotterill in charge, it may be a wise decision, for the financial benefits, and additionally, the footballing benefits, if the current Forest manager were to be relieved of his duties.
Nottingham Forest don’t have time to be handing managers opportunities because they would feel sorry for him otherwise. Ruthlessness is the name of the game, and the new owners need to show it immediately.
Going to the City Ground last season, to some, became a chore. Uninspiring football, and patience-testing excuses, from Steve Cotterill. A fresh change would give these customers a new lease of life, and gradually, week by week, the love being pumped back into Forest by the fans, would become visible.
The younger generation of fans have never seen Forest achieve. Watching them week after week, year after year, either losing out in the playoffs, or escaping relegation, they’ve been on a rollercoaster ride that fans of other clubs could only dream about.
The older generation have had that taste of success, and they want it again.
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They’ve been waiting a long time for the giant they once knew, to awake from their coma.
Now could be that time. Strap yourselves in, because it’s sure to be a very bumpy ride.
Kenny Dalglish may have to sell before he can buy if he wishes to make further additions to the squad this summer. Damien Comolli hinted that further funds need to be generated by clearing some of the dead wood at Anfield.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include great expectations at Anfield; Kenny missing a transfer trick, while Liverpool pay the price for their past failings.
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
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VIDEO – The ‘Greatest’ Premier League Goals Ever?
Liverpool and Tottenham paying high price for transfer failings
Is the financial burden worth the risk?
Great Expectations at Liverpool?
Do local councils do enough for their football clubs?
Are Liverpool missing a transfer trick here?
Liverpool weighing up £5m bid for Spaniard
Liverpool should no longer fear his absence
One of Liverpool’s strangest pre-seasons in years
*Best of Web*
LFC Season Preview 2011/12 – This is Anfield
It’s too early to judge if Liverpool have overspent on their summer signings – Anfield Opinion
How To Survive Preseason Friendlies – Tomkins Times
The Lyon Duo I would like to see at Anfield – Live4Liverpool
Liverpool are building a better future – BBC
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Click on Miss Suric below to see her in all here glory
“I can see a very nervy one-nil victory,” I said, when taking part in a game of Predict The Manchester City Score for a City podcast that I host, expecting Wolves to come to The City of Manchester Stadium, park the bus and for it to be all City, yet the team being unable to find the second goal (leading to a tense final few moments). As happened with Blackpool. And Bolton. And Birmingham (though City failed to get the first goal).
I, unlike Mick McCarthy, hadn’t done my homework on the opposition. Credit where it’s due, Wolves didn’t get what they deserved from their performance – City were only good for about 15 minutes of the entire match. The rest of the time they were distinctly average, while Wolves pressed and caused trouble every time they went into the home side’s box. McCarthy didn’t give the home defence time to pass the ball out, which led to long balls and, subsequently, City losing possession.
In many ways, I was actually quite close to reading the game correctly, though for entirely the wrong reasons. City did win by one goal. It was a nervy finish, where Wolves threw the kitchen sink. I couldn’t have been more wrong about the middle bit, though.
Having scored four times, it seems silly talking about a nervy finish. I thought the days of cowering behind the person in front of me, watching both teams score freely, were over when Roberto Mancini arrived. It’s rare that a team will score three times against City (though Wolves have scored five in total this season, which, I suspect, will be the most any team scores against them – tempting fate, obviously).
Nevertheless, City were 4-1 up with 25 minutes to play. And, having been fortunate to have gone in to the dressing rooms from a first half dominated by the visitors at 1-1, everybody in the stadium thought they had ridden their luck and were now pumping up the goal difference (which will never do any harm, especially since City are now suddenly considered title challengers – yeah, I know, crazy, what with never having been near it before). But, a silly penalty and a goal that might or might not have crossed the line later, and suddenly, the comeback was on, when it really shouldn’t have been.
In many ways, I hope that this is a lesson to some (not all) City fans. Far too many of us (me included, on several occasions, this season) seem to think that all the club needs to do to win a game by three, four, five goals is to walk out onto the pitch. “It’s only Wolves, we will win this game at a canter” is a phrase that tripped far too easily off the tongue over the past week. A fortnight earlier, it was “It’s only Blackpool, we can beat these easily.”
Yet neither turned out to be straightforward in the end.
No game in this league is easy. It’s a cliché I know and I feel very dirty for writing it, but it’s true: all games are difficult, but some games are more difficult than others. But with the investment comes a raise in expectations and ‘four goals good, two goals bad’ appears to have become the philosophy for certain people. The more important philosophy, though, should be ‘four goals good, two goals good also, as long as we’ve kept a clean sheet’.
Granted, those who expected City to win big before kick off on Saturday almost had a point – from being 4-1 up on 66 minutes, it should have finished as a big win. In fact, the three conceded goals worry me a little: a poor clearance from a normally reliable centre-back (made up by his equaliser), a needless foul for a penalty, and a free header from a corner (whether it actually crossed the line or not – in fact, this argument is a nice excuse for losing a goal through poor marking). I expect these defensive frailties are a blip, because, despite Saturday’s result, City’s defence is still the best in the league: 19 conceded in 23 matches, compared to Manchester United’s 19 in 21 and Chelsea’s 19 in 22.
Despite the criticism of having been playing defensive football, yet still having scored more than Tottenham, the team dubbed as the season’s entertainers by Fleet Street, City have been picking up results. When flowing attacking moves have been seen on the pitch and when the team is leading by a couple of goals, it’s become the fashion for the City fans to sing ‘boring, boring City’ in an ironic manner. I’ll admit, it does make me smile.
That and winning more games, these days. That bit is quite a bonus to being a City fan at the moment, especially considering we once saw only 10 home league goals in one season not so long ago. And three of them came in one game. Good Lord, if you missed that game with Fulham, you missed 30% of the home goals scored that campaign. That was ‘boring, boring City’.
But, if being solid at the back, keeping clean sheets (11 in the league this season) and winning games by one or two goals is considered boring, then I’ll take that boring City over the one that both scores and concedes for fun. I know that the latter might be more entertaining for the neutral, but I’m not a neutral. And City have caused more than enough people to develop heart conditions over the years, it’s only fair they stop.
In fact, call me selfish, but I’d actually quite like to win something in the next few seasons and, by keeping clean sheets, any team will win more than they draw. Any good team is built on solid foundations and behind the best defence in the Premier League (containing who I believe is the best defender in the Premier League in Vincent Kompany) is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Roberto Mancini has shown this season that he likes his defence tight and, on the whole, it has been. He doesn’t underestimate the opposition as it seems a lot of fans have been doing recently. He doesn’t think that a game will be a walkover because the opposition are below seventh in the table. It would be nice to score six or seven in a match, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not a necessity. It’s high time that fans didn’t go to games and get frustrated that the team isn’t three goals up at half time (slight exaggeration, I know).
Mancini’s City aren’t a machine that grinds out 1-0 victories with unattractive football. There’s good football played along the way. In fact, no, there’s been some excellent football played along the way. So perhaps a more appropriate chant would be ‘efficient, efficient City’.
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Though, I suppose, that doesn’t quite scan.
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Germany manager Joachim Low believes England have improved under Roy Hodgson and are a far better side than they were during the 2010 World Cup.
The Germans thumped England during the knock out stages in South Africa and the two nations could face-off again in the semi finals this week, if the Three Lions can overcome Italy in Kiev tonight.
Low feels England are much tougher nut to crack now and would fully expect a far tougher game:
“Roy in a short time, and he is known for this, has really built a good, compact team and got them ready. They are not so open any more, they are not as divided as they were in 2010 and they really play well as a team. Roy has managed to organise this team very well and they are tactically better than in 2010.”
Italy stand in England’s way tonight in what promises to be the most cagey game in Euro 2012 so far.
Elsewhere in the news today Glen Johnson hails the decision of Roy Hodgson to appoint Steven Gerrard as captain; Andre Villas-Boas distances himself from England job, while Ferdinand talks about the previous divisions within the national setup.
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Headlines
Rio Ferdinand has hailed the collective spirit of the England squad and suggests it was a far cry from the divisions that used to exist – [Daily Mail]
Andre Villas-Boas has distanced himself from the Tottenham and claims talk of him taking the job is simply ‘lies’ – [Sky Sports]
Glen Johnson has hailed the appointment of Steven Gerrard as England captain and believes it has improved him as a player – [Guardian]
Glasgow Rangers new owner has told the players they will face legal action if they try and force a move from the club – [Guardian]
Gary Neville has warned the England players not to provoke Mario Balotelli, ahead of tonight’s quarter final against Italy – [Guardian]
Porto have revealed talk of Hulk leaving are just rumours and no formal bids have been made – [Independent]
Fabio Capello is furious at the suggestion that he has been on a spying mission and is passing on his knowledge of the England squad to the Italian coaches – [Daily Mail]
Gareth Bale is set to pledge his future to Tottenham, despite the club’s failure to secure Champions League football last season – [Mirror]
Nani has been assured that talks over a new contract at Manchester United will resume after the Euros – [Mirror]
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Olivier Giroud will have an Arsenal medical in the next 48hrs ahead of signing a five-year Arsenal deal this week – [Sun]
Spurs have made a shock move to sign Liverpool midfield target Gylfi Sigurdsson – [Daily Express]
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PLEASE NOTE – click on the sources to unveil the original articles
The Los Angeles Galaxy suffered just their third defeat of Major League Soccer season on Wednesday, losing 3-0 at the Portland Timbers.The Western Conference-leading Galaxy arrived at Jeld-Wen Field unbeaten in their last 14 MLS matches, a record stretching back to a 2-1 loss away to Dallas on May 2.
Aiming to tie the franchise record of 15 consecutive matches without defeat, the Galaxy were buoyed by the return of David Beckham from suspension.
By contrast, MLS debutants Portland had managed just one win in their last 10 matches.
They were without captain Jack Jewsbury to a strained hamstring, while centre-forward Eddie Johnson withdrew concussed after being struck in the head with a ball during the warm-up.
But despite the odds seemingly being stacked in the Galaxy’s favour, they could find no answer to a rampant Portland side.
The hosts took a deserved lead 24 minutes into the match through Mike Chabala.
The defender, who only joined from Houston on July 21, exchanged a one-two with Darlington Nagbe, finding space in the box before beating LA goalkeeper Josh Saunders with a crisp strike.
Colombian striker Jorge Perlazza made it 2-0 nine minutes later, sliding in ahead of Galaxy defender AJ DeLaGarza to convert Diego Chara’s cross.
And defender Eric Brunner headed home Salvatore Zizzo’s corner in the 67th minute to secure a memorable 3-0 victory for the Timbers.
Galaxy remain top of the Western Conference, but are only three points ahead of second-placed Dallas, who have a game in hand over the league leaders.
Portland are seventh, one point ahead of San Jose and 10 clear of last-placed Vancouver.
In other matches on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Union were held 1-1 in their match away to the Chicago Fire.
Visitors Union had led at half-time courtesy of Veljko Paunovic’s 34th-minute goal, but had to settle for a point following Pavel Pardo’s equaliser nine minutes into the second half.
Philadelphia, second in the Eastern Conference, are two points behind Columbus Crew, but have played one match fewer than the leaders.
Chicago are down in eighth, level on points with bottom side Toronto.
Finally, first-half goals from Roger Espinoza and Teal Bunbury helped Sporting Kansas City see off Real Salt Lake 2-0.
Kansas held out to record a clean sheet and the win, despite losing goal-scorer Espinoza to a straight red card with 33 minutes still to play.
The defeat leaves Salt Lake fifth in the Western Conference, while Kansas are fourth in the East, four points off the Crew.