ScorecardSaif Hassan’s century propelled Bangladesh Under-19s to a 58 run win over Zimbabwe Under-19 in the second youth ODI in Chittagong on Thursday.Batting first, the home side made 241 for 8 in 50 overs. Saif batted till the 42nd over to make exactly 100 off 154 balls with a dozen boundaries. His opening partner Pinak Ghosh struck 65 off 99 balls with six boundaries and a six. The rest of Bangladesh Under-19s side added just 58 in their last eight overs after Pinak and Saif were dismissed in successive overs. Offspinner William Mashinge was the pick of the Zimbabwe Under-19s bowlers with figures of 3 for 37 in seven overs.In reply, the visitors were bowled out for 183 in 46.1 overs with Taufail Zaheer top-scoring with 63. Left-arm spinner Saleh Ahmed Shawon took four wickets while captain Mehedi Hasan and Ariful Islam picked up two wickets apiece.The third youth ODI will be held at the same venue on November 14.
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has slammed Real Madrid for going public about their interest in Gareth Bale. However, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has continued to state that the club will not give up in trying to sign the Welsh Wizard.
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says a move to Real Madrid may be too good to refuse for Bale, noting that the opportunity to play for Los Blancos does not come along very often.
Spurs are also in the news for a positive reason. The Lilywhites completed a £26 million club record transfer for Roberto Soldado. Soldado tallied 30 goals in 46 appearances for Valencia. The 28-year-old believes the transfer was a good move for both sides.
Away from north London, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes the club must hold on to Luis Suarez in order to be successful.
“I think he’s got a huge decision to make and his teammate, I’ve got to show him respect and give him space to make whatever decision he wants to make,” Gerrard stated. “But I think everyone in this room and everyone at this club knows what I want Luis Suarez to do.”
Gerrard also said he would not want LFC to sell Suarez to Arsenal, but he would understand if he went abroad to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger finally confirmed that the north London club has made a bid for the Uruguayan star.
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With the ongoing Gareth Bale transfer rumours, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has raised an important question to his star Cristiano Ronaldo. Ancelotti stated that he’s not looking to change his position on the field but wants to put Ronaldo where he feels the most comfortable.
Finally, in the midst of all the Wayne Rooney transfer news, Man United legend Bobby Charlton believes Rooney should be a mainstay at Old Trafford for years to come, noting that he hopes one day Rooney will score as many goals in a United shirt as he did.
There is an ominous tower looming on the horizon of Europe’s footballing future. There a whispers about its implications, but few are yet to fully comprehend the vastness of the impact it will have upon them. Among these pilgrims, trudging towards a structure that grows increasingly larger, are Manchester United owners the Glazer Family, Sheikh Mansour, Roman Abramovich and other Premier League club owners. As they move closer the wealthy executives spot Michel Platini at its summit, scrutinising a number of documents. The president of UEFA is comparing their finances with the rules of the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and if their club is in the red, they will not be allowed to progress to European competition. Soon the full force of this will be felt across England and it could well change the landscape of the national game in coming years, as well as seeing a shift of power across the continent to Germany.
With the FFP rules continuing to clamp down on European clubs they will no longer be allowed to spend more than they receive in income. Therefore expenditure cannot exceed football-related earnings including TV rights, gate receipts, competition prize money and sponsorship. Currently, teams are allowed to register losses but the limits to these are being reduced with the aim of having every club break even. If any team fails to meet these standards, they could face expulsion from European competition as of the 2014-15 season.
These laws will stop owners from dragging the club out of trouble with their own personal wealth. Abramovich and the like will no longer be able to keep their clubs afloat out of their own pocket, an aspect of the game that Bayern Munich owner Uli Hoeness has been extremely critical about. He told The Mirror.
“The oil mafia takes money out of my pocket to invest it in footballers. For me this stinks to high heaven and I include Mr Abramovich in all this. If Bayern win it [the Champions League final], we will make around £20million. That is what the game is all about: sporting success based on sound economic sense. When the financial fair play rules come in it will be a golden era for Germany’s clubs.”
His claims are not unfounded. The Bundesliga already operates in an FFP environment, with the majority of clubs breaking even. With a large proportion of top-tier German sides also owned largely by the fans, it makes cash injections from wealthy owners almost impossible, reducing the risk of overspending. Large stadiums are regularly sold out, making it the league with the highest average attendance across the continent. FFP has by no means sacrificed the quality and competitiveness of the competition which recently overtook Italy in the UEFA coefficients rankings, earning it an extra qualifying spot in the continent’s premier club competition.
Indeed, the Bavarian club are an ideal example of a how to economically manage off the field. Their consistent growth in revenue has enabled the club to continue spending responsibly and continue to challenge for major honours. This Saturday will provide their second Champions League final in just three seasons.
Other German outfits such as Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 have seen their stature in the game improve in recent years. Domestic triumphs for BVB have raised revenues whilst the Gelsenkirchen club reached the semi-final stage of the previous Champions League. The proof is there to be seen that you can be self-sufficient and remain competitive. You do not need to spend big in order to win big.
England may have the most representatives of any nation in the 2012 Deloitte Football Money League top 20 (Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool) but only the Gunners comply with FFP, though Tottenham could also be safe if they participate in next season Champions League. Failure to do so could mean the sale of key players such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in order to raise the revenue that is lost from no taking part in the tournament.
Of course, the only team that can deny them that now is Chelsea. Should the Blues win the showpiece finale this weekend, they will qualify for next season’s edition of the tournament. If they lose, decreased revenues the following season would push them further away from breaking even. Hence the recent interest in building a larger stadium on the current site of Battersea Power Station in order to drum up more income.
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This weekend’s Champions League final could have huge implications on the credibility of FFP. Should Chelsea win, they will continue to be successful despite glaring losses, enabling them to stay afloat. On the other hand it could prove Platini’s point, that clubs that look after their finances will reap the rewards on the pitch. English clubs would then need to strive for the Bundesliga model as German clubs have shown you can be financially prudent and still achieve success. The Premier League giants, along with certain La Liga clubs and Serie A outfits, could struggle to remain competitive during the transition. With other teams across the continent scaling back their expenditure there is every chance that the Bundesliga could continue in the ascendancy and become Europe’s strongest league.
It looks increasingly likely that Wenger will make Gervinho his first major signing of the summer, and much has already been written about this Ivorian striker/winger.
Not wanting to cover the same ground necessarily, but wanting to add to the debate, I would like to add some musings and a question or two that I hope you Gooners out there will have a few answers to them.
Whilst I have made my own preference for a returning 4-4-2 system known in previous articles, it would appear that the signing of Gervinho makes this less likely.
He would appear to be a starter for the Ivory Coast, playing on the left of a three man attack with Drogba and Kalou, scoring twice in their most recent African Nations qualifier against Benin.
For Lille, he and Hazard have played either side of Sow in a genuine 4-3-3, which concerns me slightly. My concern stems from the fact that Lille have played with both Gervinho and Hazard as out and out wingers, with three more defensively minded midfielders behind them.
With Arsenal playing Cesc in a more advanced role in the three and expecting the two wide players to defend more, I have no knowledge of Gervinho’s capacity to get back and support the full back.
The question is therefore would be – will he play like Nasri, who tracks back, or will he play like Arshavin, who genuinely has attack on his mind?
If he can play the wide left role in big games, in what effectively becomes a five man midfield, it will be a real bonus for Arsenal – think of the work-rate of Walcott and Nasri in the Chelsea match as a perfect example. If he can do this then I believe he will be an amazing signing as his dribbling ability at speed, his assist ratio, and an obvious eye for goal, easily match that of the frustrating Russian.
The Gervinho signing therefore may suggest the exit door for Arshavin, and one would hope that we might still get enough of a fee to fund most if not all of the deal for the Ivorian.
So accepting I have a fairly warm feeling for this signing, it does still leave a few questions in my mind. If the new boy is a guaranteed starter in the left berth of the attacking three, will Walcott or Nasri play first choice on the right? This of course assuming that Fabregas will stay as our talisman and skipper next season, and that he will play at the fulcrum of the midfield, not Nasri.
Jack Wilshere will certainly play and Song/Frimpong or another signing will also play. Again, this is not what I would opt for, but this is highly likely if Wenger sticks with the formation of the past three years.
My other query will come from leftfield to some of you, but it has been troubling me for the past month since the link to Gervinho first was touted. It surrounds the complete silence of Emmanuel Eboue on the subject.
Now given that Eboue is hardly the shy, retiring type and is always ready with a quote of a supportive comment for team-mates, why has there been no word from him on the potential signing of his classy international team-mate?
They have played close to 30 games together for the Ivory Coast and spent the summer of 2010 at the World Cup in close company in South Africa, so why are the press fishing for the odd snippet from Djourou or Sagna, who saw him play in the French league three years ago? I am not sure if they overlapped, but Eboue and Gervinho were also both at Beveren in 2005.
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Maybe I am being a little paranoid and Eboue has probably taken a long summer break away from civilisation, but is it only me that thinks this is a bit odd, that the person within Arsenal best qualified to comment on this big potential signing has not uttered a word?
I am very hopeful that Wenger will make this signing a reality, and remain positive about the impact that the Ivorian could have on us next season.
Article courtesy of David Seager from Gunnersphere
Tottenham Hotspur frontman Peter Crouch was pleased to make his mark as an England substitute in the 2-1 loss to France, netting just a minute after entering the fray.
Crouch volleyed home a far-post corner from Ashley Young to give England something to show for a below-par display, with the Spurs striker having now scored 22 goals in 42 international appearances.
He said after the game:"The manager was looking at other things and obviously knows what I can do. I've been around the set-up for a while now.
"Pleasing to make the impact, obviously just disappointed with the result.
"I thought France in the first half played some great stuff to be honest and we had a little bit of a comeback at the end.
"Maybe if the game had gone on a little bit more, we'd have had a different result.
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"It was quite quick to get the goal and obviously I'm very pleased.
"When you're on the bench, you hope for a chance and hope you can make an impact when that comes and, thankfully, I did that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Another eventful week at Sixfields, players told their contracts will not be renewed, the last home game of season 2011/12 and the usual award ceremony’s on the pitch beforehand.
First things first, six players were told this week that will not be having their contracts renewed. Aidy Boothroyd has said he likes to let them know well in advance so they have time to find themselves a new club which is fair if you ask me, a lot of managers let their contracts run right down and tell them at the end of May leaving little to time before the new season to get their names out there.
The first duo to be told that they would not be having an extended season at Sixfields were Jason Crowe and Ryan Gilligan.
Crowe was re-signed by Gary Johnson before the FA Cup 1st round tie at Luton which was Johnson’s last game in charge, Crowe just didn’t seem to have what he had when he played for us first time round before his move to Leeds United, he seemed to be caught out of position easily and he has lost a lot of pace which meant he struggled against against fast wide men he also has not really had much of a look in since Boothroyd took over so the writing was on the wall.
Ryan Gilligan joined us from Watford and did well in his first few seasons but he has just seemed to go off the boil in the last few years through lack of form and injuries. I am sure Ryan will do well for a club in the Blue Square next year and who knows maybe he will come back to haunt us in a few years time.
The second duo to be told they were not having contracts renewed were Lewis Young and Nathanial Wedderburn.
Lewis has not had the best of seasons at the club. He has the pace but no strength on the ball and tries to do a little to much when taking on his man. He often struggles to find that killer ball into the box but he is still young and still has a lot to learn so again it would not surprise me if he turns up at Sixfields on an opposing team in a few years time.
Wedders has been unlucky in my opinion he has been injured for most of the season and only made his first start against Crawley a couple of games ago, he has great vision when passing the ball but i think mobility could be the issue here and that’s probably why he has been released.
The final pairing shown the door are Freddy Hall and Andy Holt.
Freddy always did quite well when he got on for a game but his days at the club were numbered when Shane Higgs got injured and ADB went for loan cover rather than Freddy. He can be a little suspect on crosses but good luck to him and I hope he finds a new club quickly. Which brings me to Andy Holt who has been with the club for the last six years and what a servant he has been. The man wears his heart on his sleeve and gives 100% every game. In my eyes the reason he been released is due the fact his legs have gone at this level but he departs as a club legend at Sixfields.
On to the Gillingham game and they were still in with a distance shout of making the playoffs while for the Cobblers it was something of a run out for players looking to earn a contract for next season.
ADB made a couple of changes Lewis Wilson came in up front for his full debut and Anthony Charles was at centre back.
The game kick-off with Gillingham appearing quite slow out of the blocks and to be fair I think we dominated proceedings in the first half. Player of the Year Michael Jacobs had the first chance of the match as his shot from distance flew just goes over the bar.
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The Gills have the next opportunity as Charlie Lee heads just over the bar when he should have hit the net. Jacobs then hit the post and Wilson smacked the rebound just wide. Then on 40 minutes Northampton make the breakthrough as on his full debut Lewis Wilson get his debut goal from close range after good wing play from Toni Silva. Soon after the break Giilingham equalised after a defensive mix-up which Kuffour took full advantage of.
The rest of the game was quite scrappy with both teams creating chances but none clear cut. Gillingham tried to pile the pressure on in the last six minutes but to no avail and all in all a draw was a fair result as we consigned Gillingham to another season of League Two football. A draw was a fair result from where I was watching and as usual with the last game of the season the final whistle was blown and a pitch invasion commences.
All in all it was an good way to finish this season at Sixfields and now I am looking forward to a better campaign next year where I expect to see some better home form as Boothroyd asserts his authority at the club.
The race for second place in Euro 2012 qualifying Group E will be on in earnest on Tuesday, with Sweden, Finland and Hungary all in action.The Netherlands have a six-point lead in the group, with six wins from six matches, with Sweden the next best on 12 points.
Hungary are third with nine points ahead of their trip to minnows San Marino, and Finland are fourth with six, desperately in need of full points from their trip to Sweden to keep their hopes alive.
Sweden coach Erik Hamren certainly has no worries up front before the Finland match, even without suspended superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In their last match the Swedes had no trouble accounting for Moldova 4-1, with Bolton striker Johan Elmander bagging a brace and PSV Eindhoven front man Ola Toivonen was also on the scoresheet.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Germany could increase their lead on top of Group A to 10 points with a win in Azerbaijan.
In Group C, Estonia will look to keep their slim chances of finishing second intact – and bounce back from their 3-0 loss in Italy on Friday – when they visit bottom side the Faroe Islands.
Second-placed Belarus will be trying to keep the pressure on Group D leaders France when they play host to cellar dwellers Luxembourg while Bosnia and Herzegovina can keep their push for second place going when they welcome Albania.
Aston Villa striker John Carew has been challenged by Gerard Houllier to show his class, with both Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor sidelined by injury.
The 31-year-old Norway international is out of contract at the end of the season and Houllier is unsure whether Carew will still be at Villa Park next term, with the frontman without a goal in eight appearances so far this term.
Houllier commented:"John is at the end of his contract and it is an opportunity to express what he wants – whether he wants to stay at the club or whether he wants to go somewhere else.
"In both cases, I would say he has got to be at his best to put himself in the shop window.
"There is no talk of a contract yet. I want to see people. We'll see about it after Christmas.
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"It is a big opportunity for John to play a run of games. When he wants to, John can be awesome. I think a run of matches could help."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
A long time ago (last weekend), in a galaxy far far away (to be more specific, Germany), it was time for the underachievers to strike back. For on “Surprise Saturday,” five of the seven games went against the grain. Now as in any epic, there were protagonists in this weekend’s action – Hertha Berlin, Leverkusen and Freiburg all have different reasons as to why they can be defined as underachievers.
Hertha had a bright start to the season but have faded badly since the departure of Markus Babbel whilst Bayer Leverkusen haven’t managed an assault on the title race despite finishing second last season. Their current coach Robin Dutt led Freiburg into the top half in 2011 but they’ve been languishing ever since his departure – until Saturday that is.
Schalke were looking to banish memories of their defeat at the Allianz Arena. Instead, they were caught cold by Freiburg, finally starting to show signs of life after a miserable spell with Marcus Sorg in the first half of the season. January signing Sebastian Freis netted the first before Daniel Caligiuri slotted a penalty meaning Christian Streich’s side took all three points despite a late consolation from Teemu Pukki.
Even the most resilient Schalke fan will admit any title chances they did harbour have faded after two poor performances on the road. However, Freiburg will be delighted to move off the bottom for only the second time in 2012. It was a good weekend also for their former manager, Robin Dutt.
He welcomed a Bayern Munich team which have been floundering away from home. They were wasteful in front of goal yet again and a mistake from Manuel Neuer allowed Stephen Kiessling to give the home side the lead with ten minutes to play. The victory was sealed in a sweeping counter attack where Karim Bellarabi applied the finishing touch, ensuring in the process that Leverkusen edge closer to Schalke in fourth.
As for Bayern Munich, their title chances are fading quickly as they continue to lose ground on Borussia Dortmund and it’s bizarre to think the only team to win at the runaway leaders this season are Hertha Berlin.
They finally won a game on Saturday, having lost every previous encounter in 2012. Nikita Rukavytsya scored the winner with a mishit half volley looping over Werder Bremen’s Tim Wiese. Coach Otto Rehhagel didn’t mind and neither did the rest of the Olympiastadion who witnessed Hertha’s first Bundesliga goal in just over a month. It meant back-to-back defeats for Werder, the team who Rehhagel led to the Bundesliga back in 1988 and 1993.
The team on course to lift the Bundesliga title this season is Borussia Dortmund. BVB edged out a plucky Mainz side 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park to extend the gap at the top to seven points. It was a sensational weekend for the Champions with their victory and defeat for the three teams trailing them.
However, credit must go to Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg. The trio have created a platform to build from in their remaining ten games. It wouldn’t be surprising if Leverkusen were to sneak into the Champions League places whilst it’s hard to see both Freiburg and Hertha surviving the drop. Nevertheless, on what could well prove to be a seminal weekend in the Bundesliga, may the force be with the underachievers.
For more on the Bundesliga, follow @arhindtutt
Matchday 24 Results:
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Bayern Munich
Freiburg 2-1 Schalke
Hamburg 0-4 Stuttgart
Hannover 2-2 Augsburg
Hertha Berlin 1-0 Werder Bremen
Kaiserslautern 0-0 Wolfsburg
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Mainz
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West Ham’s season has lurched to another low after reports of a brawl at the relegated club’s end-of-season gala awards on Monday.Police were called to Grosvenors House Hotel in Park Lane in London after tables were reportedly overturned, a vase smashed and chairs thrown, with security allegedly pursuing a group of fans as they fled the premises.
It has been suggested the trouble began when striker Demba Ba refused to sign an autograph for a fan.
West Ham are reporting that Ba was racially abused.
The brawl capped a dark few days for the Hammers, whose relegation from the English Premier League was confirmed on Sunday after a 3-2 loss at Wigan.
The result led to the immediately sacking of manager Avram Grant, with West Ham hosting Sunderland in their final game of the season on Sunday.
Captain Scott Parker followed his Football Writers’ Association footballer-of-the-year win with the player, supporters’ player and goal of the season awards at the Hammers’ gala event.