The Premier League is set to reach 500 goals earlier than ever before
"The next goal scored in the Barclays Premier League will be the 500th"
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News 1
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News In Brief
News in Brief - Thurs 17th Dec
ARSENAL
Andrey Arshavin has a pain threshold that the famous back four would be proud of, according to Arsene Wenger. The Russian playmaker barely trained last week after suffering an injury to his right foot but he played through the pain barrier at Anfield on Sunday and used that foot to devastating effect when he smashed the winning goal past Pepe Reina. That was reminiscent of Arshavin's bravery back in March when he scored his first goal for the club against Blackburn minutes after having stitches inserted in a foot wound. No wonder his manager is comparing the Russian with some of the toughest players to have pulled on an Arsenal shirt. "I have not met many with his pain threshold," said Wenger. "I've had a few [brave players] - the Nigel Winterburns, Bouldy, Dixon, Keown - they were tough boys. Andrey is a hard boy too, especially for a forward."
ASTON VILLA
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce tipped Aston Villa for a top-four finish after his side were beaten 2-0 at the Stadium of Light. Goals from Emile Heskey and James Milner secured victory for Martin O'Neill's side, and Bruce was quick to praise the visitors. He said: "If there is going to be one [team] that's going to be breaking into it [the top four], they are going to be there. They are big, strong, powerful - you look at their bench and they have got unbelievable strength in depth. I think this is Martin's fourth season and they are unrecognisable to where they were when he took over. The progress he has made and his players, it's an unbelievable difference."
BIRMINGHAM CITY
Alex McLeish believes Birmingham City "have proved a lot of people wrong" after victory over Blackburn at St Andrew's took their impressive run to five straight wins. McLeish said: "I am proud of the players and I think the fans should be proud of them as well. They have shown a fantastic appetite since day one in this Premier League and they have also shown they can rise to the challenge of expectation levels. When you see the league table, it is a great sight but I've been there before with some of the clubs I've managed, Motherwell and Hibs and even higher."
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Sam Allardyce was pleased with Nikola Kalinic's first league start for the club in the 2-1 defeat at Birmingham City. "I liked him, he's got good movement, he just needs to find the back of the net like every striker," Allardyce said. "That will help him even more. I think he's a good young prospect for us and I was pleased with his performance, I would have just liked him to have got that goal at the end, it was his header that got cleared off the line. That would have been great for him and for us."
BOLTON WANDERERS
Gary Megson believes Bolton can now start looking up rather than down after they built on their impressive 3-3 draw with Manchester City on Saturday with a 3-1 win against West Ham. "We thought that if we won this we would be out of the bottom three given the nature of Wolves' game (against Manchester United)," Megson said. "We have a hugely significant and difficult game at Wigan on Monday night but we've taken four points out of the last six and we have got to try and keep that momentum that we have gained."
BURNLEY
Owen Coyle claims his bargain basement Burnley side are not getting the recognition they deserve. Coyle said: "We know we have moved the goalposts in terms of expectation now but we have only spent £4m to assemble this team, which is the smallest budget known to the Premier League, and the players have not had the credit they deserve. We have spent £9m and brought in £5m, and we don't have any bona fide Premier League players, just some who have had fleeting glimpses of it. Yet we have shown, at Turf Moor in particular, we can go toe to toe with the very best and we are sitting here with 18 points having worked our socks off to get them. Derby were relegated with 11 points with double the budget that we have got so we are doing this against all the odds."
CHELSEA
Florent Malouda says Chelsea have learnt from past mistakes and will not allow their season to unravel after some poor recent form. "If you make a mistake once, you have to learn from it, and that's what we are trying to do. That's why we are reacting," he said. "We are not worried, because we are experienced. We started the season at a champions' pace and we knew that there would be a moment when we lost points. We are aware that this is not good enough, but we have to stay confident in the way we train and the way we play. We have lost points and conceded goals. The difference is that physically it is a bit harder, because we are in a busy period. That's why we need everybody to stay fresh. That's what will make the difference between a strong team that doesn't make mistakes, and a team that does."
EVERTON
Leon Osman is hoping to be back in action for Everton very soon, having returned to full training this week. The midfielder has been absent from David Moyes' side since damaging a bone in his foot against Wolves in October. And although he was understandably delighted to be back out on the training field, he did not want to pin point any particular fixtures for his return. "I had my first training session today and it went pretty well," Osman said. "I've still got quite a bit of work to do, but progress has started. I'm targeting each day as it comes at the minute, and we'll go from there."
FULHAM
A limited number of returned tickets for Fulham v Manchester United have now become available and will go on sale to Season Ticket Holders and Members from 9am on Thursday 17th December. In total fewer than 100 tickets have been returned and will be available to purchase from the Ticket Hotline 0870 442 1234 (option 1). These tickets cannot be purchased online. Limited hospitality places are still available for Saturday's match against United from £225 (+ VAT). Call 0208 336 7555 for further details.
HULL CITY
Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill believes Hull City are capable of pulling off another shock win at Arsenal this weekend. The Tigers famously came from behind to win at the Emirates Stadium last season with goals from Geovanni and Daniel Cousin. Myhill said: "They are the so-called glamour fixtures when you first get into the Premier League. All fixtures in the Premier League are difficult but we go there with confidence. You never know what can happen. A lot was made of our result there last year. We defended well and gave a good account of ourselves."
LIVERPOOL
Rafael Benitez believes the additional competition for Champions League places from the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur will actually help his stuttering side. "It is easier to lose games for the top four because the other teams are stronger, too," said Benitez. "You can see Aston Villa, Tottenham or Manchester City can beat anyone, too, so maybe it will be better for the competition. Now we are in a bad position but it can help us because, if other teams continue to lose points, there are 22 games to play so we have to be positive."
MANCHESTER CITY
Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee has stepped up his interest in Paul Marshall after inviting the Manchester City midfielder back for a second week on trial. Marshall, 19, spent last week at Pittodrie, with McGhee confirming he had been impressed by what he saw. He said: "The fact that Marshall is still here says it all, and I will continue to assess him." Marshall has also expressed his desire to join the Dons, saying last week: "I want to sign for Aberdeen because it is virtually impossible to break into the City team with the kind of money the club is spending." Marshall, who has been on City's books since the age of 11, had loan spells at Blackpool and Port Vale last season but has yet to make his first-team debut for his parent club.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Sir Alex Ferguson admits skipper Nemanja Vidic is almost certainly out of Saturday's trip to Fulham. Vidic sustained a calf strain during the 3-0 win at home to Wolves on Tuesday night - amatch in which he scored United's second goal. Wes Brown also faces a two-week lay-off, which would be enough to rule him out of the entire festive programme, after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa on Saturday.
PORTSMOUTH
Avram Grant says Portsmouth's fight for survival can go to the wire. "We won't finish the season in January or February," said Grant, whose side are at the foot of the table. "It will be a long, long season for us and a long, long battle. If the players play with a lot of spirit and show a lot of character, we can do things, even at the last minute."
STOKE CITY
Tony Pulis feels the postponement of this week's match with Fulham has denied his side the chance to build crucial momentum. The Cottagers were due to visit the Britannia Stadium in the Barclays Premier League this midweek but the Londoners' European commitments have seen it put back to 5th January. That means that, with trips to Aston Villa and Manchester City to come, by Boxing Day Stoke will have played just one match at home in a run of five. Pulis told the club's official website: "The fact that the Fulham game has had to be moved has made it a tough period for us. Had we played them this week, it would have broken up that run of away fixtures and given us a much better chance to put some more points on the board before Christmas. If we can get something out of the next two games, then we will look on things in a different light because we then have four home matches out of five."
SUNDERLAND
Steve Bruce admits the absence of skipper Lorik Cana for Saturday's match with Manchester City will be "a big blow". The Black Cats welcomed back Lee Cattermole from injury as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa but promptly lost Cana when he was sent off for a second bookable offence for a foul on James Milner. Bruce said: "He (Cana) can't go to ground when he is on a yellow card but I am not going to take that competitive edge away from him. He has got to learn from it, that's for sure, but, certainly, he is not a problem. But it happened and he is suspended and he will be missing at the weekend, which will be a big blow to us."
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Harry Redknapp admits January could be a "disaster" month for Tottenham as he braces the club for the loss of two key defenders to the African Nations Cup. Redknapp has been unable to field his first-choice centre-half pairing for most of this season as Jonathan Woodgate has struggled with a groin injury while Ledley King's long-term knee problem shows no sign of abating. Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong have performed admirably in the absence of the England duo but Redknapp could lose Bassong and Benoit Assou-Ekotto for the whole of January, as they will be representing Cameroon in the African Nations Cup. "It's a disaster really, a disaster for us losing a couple of players," Redknapp said. "When you sign them I guess you know you're going to lose them every couple of years playing in those games. It's a chance you take. We'll be okay at left-back. Gareth Bale's training great and looking okay, doing well. But we've got a problem obviously at centre-half if one of the other two boys don't get fit - if Ledley or Woody don't get fit. That is a problem."
WEST HAM UNITED
Steve Clarke believes Robert Green needs to play "the game of his life" this weekend at home to Chelsea after the goalkeeper's blunder against Bolton led to a defeat that leaves West Ham second bottom of the Barclays Premier League. With thematch balanced at 1-1, Green dropped Gary Cahill's bouncing effort in the 77th minute, allowing Ivan Klasnic to finish with ease. "Football is all about mistakes," said Clarke. "He has made a mistake but he is a man and he'll deal with it. He'll recover and the best thing he can do is go out on Sunday and have the game of his life. That is what he has to do - he has to respond."
WIGAN ATHLETIC
Although Wigan Athleticwent down 2-1 at Liverpool, manager Roberto Martinez felt it might have been a different story had substitute Jason Scotland not blasted a close-range volley against the crossbar at 1-0. Scotland has yet to score in the Barclays Premier League since his summer transfer and his miss came just five minutes before Torres scored the Merseysiders' second. Martinez said: "The key moment is when Jason Scotland hit the crossbar. If that had gone in it would have been a completely different game as you could see the anxiety around the ground. We gave them a little bit too much respect and space in spells and the concentration was not what it should be. Liverpool got their chances and took them; we got ours and didn't."
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
All supporters travelling to Prenton Park for Wolves' FA Cup match against Tranmere are to be reminded of the new date and time of the match. New Date/Kick-Off: Sunday January 3rd2010, 6.15 p.m. The change of date and time is due to the match being streamed live onwww.thefa.com. This change was made after Tranmere had printed tickets and dispatched them toWolves so they feature the original date and kick off time of Saturday January2nd2010, 3:00pm, but this information should be ignored. Original ticket information has been displayed on the website and other mediums from Wednesday of last week until late Friday showing the original date and kick off. For anyone that has purchased a ticket for this match, this new information is fundamental. If you are in any doubt about the arrangements please contact the Wolves Ticket Office on 0871 222 2877.
Match Result 1
Man Utd 3-0 Wolves: Champions ease to win
Angry Wolves fans launched a blistering attack on manager Mick McCarthy for a team selection that virtually handed Sir Alex Ferguson a 3-0 victory on a plate to mark his 900th game as Manchester United manager.
Chants of ''we want our money back'', ''where is our first team'' and ''£40 to watch the reserves'' bellowed out of the visiting section after McCarthy made 10 changes to the side that defeated Tottenham on Saturday.
Although Wolves' second string battled hard, the result was a formality and, if United had got themselves out of third gear, they would probably have won by a more comfortable margin than goals from Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Antonio Valencia gave them.
McCarthy, presumably, was not offering his team selection as a gift to mark the latest milestone in Ferguson's long and illustrious career.
The Yorkshireman had his reasons for making 10 changes, notably the weekend encounter with Burnley, one of the sides who rose from the Championship with Wolves last term.
But Wolves now have five days to prepare for that one.
For half an hour the hardy band of travelling fans had plenty to cheer as their representatives gave everything in the Wolverhampton cause.
If Rooney had taken the third-minute opening that presented itself when Darron Gibson's shot crashed into him, the landslide the team sheets suggested might have materialised.
Instead, Marcus Hahnemann, the one player to keep his place from White Hart Lane, made a close-range save, as he did to deny the England striker when he got on the end of Patrice Evra's low cross midway through the half.
It seemed barely credible the visitors should give United any more assistance.
But that is exactly what Ronald Zubar did as he rose to head away Gibson's corner under minimal pressure and instead punched it out of the area.
Having been so lethargic before, Rooney upped the pace by drilling home his 13th goal of the season.
Once in front, there was never any real suggestion United would not join Chelsea at the Premier League summit, having failed in that objective against Aston Villa at the weekend.
On his first league start, Gabriel Obertan was guilty of taking too much time to get his crosses in, a failing that CristianoRonaldoreceived a few admonishments for earlier in his career.
If the young French winger needed any proof the direct route was best, he got it when Vidic rose highest at a Gibson corner and got enough power into his header to carry it over the line, even though Hahnemann attempted a goal-line block.
The effort secured victory and the hosts knew it, which probably explained the sense of lethargy that gripped them at the start of the second period.
Vidic's departure was the most notable aspect of that period. The defender did raise his hands to say he was willing to continue after originally indicating a desire to come off and Ferguson will be hopeful of having him fit for Saturday's testing trip to Fulham.
It did not matter on this occasion, though, and the scene was set for a brilliant piece of skill from Dimitar Berbatov.
Such a maddeningly laid-back figure, the Bulgarian first collected Paul Scholes' lofted pass before delivering a brilliant overhead kick into the path of Valencia, who drove a first-time shot into the roof of the net.
The 15 minutes Ferguson afforded Michael Owen as replacement for Rooney was presumably not what England boss Fabio Capello had in mind when he said he wanted the striker to play more often.
But, then again, this was not what Manchester United away was meant to mean for Wolves when the fixture list came out, either.
McCarthy will only know whether his grand plan has worked on a professional level on Sunday afternoon.
Many disgruntled Wolves fans making that late-night trip back down the M6 might not be quite so easily convinced.
Nemanja Vidic heads home the second from a corner.
Match Result 2
Sunderland 0-2 Aston Villa: Milner stars for Villa
Newcastle old boy James Milner returned to haunt Sunderland with a stunning long-range strike as Aston Villa maintained the pressure on the Premier League's big boys.
The England midfielder thumped home a 25-yard missile to seal a second away win in four days after Villa's weekend heroics at Manchester United.
Emile Heskey had put the visitors in front with 24 minutes gone and, although the Black Cats more than made a game of it, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young both hit the woodwork before Milner made sure of the points.
Steve Bruce's men might have got themselves back into the game four minutes after the break but Andy Reid wasted arguably their best chance of the game, and Villa were in no mood to allow their advantage to slip as they became only the second away team after Chelsea to win at the Stadium of Light in the league this season.
Sunderland, who introduced Lee Cattermole as a late substitute on his return from a knee injury and then saw skipper Lorik Cana sent off for a second bookable offence, have now won only one of their last eight top-flight fixtures, and the bulk of a crowd of 34,821 left reflecting upon a rapidly-dissolving good start to the campaign.
If ever they needed a reminder that football can be a game of fine margins, Sunderland were given it in a frustrating 90 minutes.
Having surrendered a 1-0 lead with literally seconds of injury time to play against struggling Portsmouth at the weekend, they found themselves trailing at the end of a first half during which they had gone toe to toe with one of the Premier League's form teams.
James Milner smashes his goal into the net.
Match Result 3
Liverpool 2-1 Wigan: Welcome relief for Rafa
David Ngog leaps highest to head home.
Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Wigan in the week of the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly's first match at the club would not have impressed the legendary manager but it was a welcome relief for current boss Rafael Benitez.
•Benitez: Victory mattered more
Young French striker David Ngog's 10th-minute glancing header from Fabio Aurelio's cross and Fernando Torres' second-half scrambled effort proved enough to see off a Latics side, for whom Charles N'Zogbia scored an injury-time consolation.
It was only Liverpool's fourth win in 16 matches and just their second at Anfield since September 26 but it will do much for the team's shaky confidence.
Although Ngog impressed in the first half the crowd eagerly awaited the arrival of substitute Torres for his 100th appearance, which eventually came in the 64th minute. The striker duly delivered with his 61st goal for Liverpool to wrap up victory.
Wigan have won two of their last 10 outings and are just two points clear of the relegation zone, having conceded more goals than any other Premier League team, with 17 in their last four away games.
In the absence of Torres, who was dropped to the bench after Sunday's defeat to Arsenal, Benitez switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Steven Gerrard playing in central midfield and Dirk Kuyt playing alongside Ngog.
Centre-back Daniel Agger sliced a 25-yard shot wide in the fourth minute while Aurelio's poor contact prevented him opening the scoring from 12 yards.
However, the pressure was building and Wigan cracked in the 10th minute.
Aurelio's inswinging right-wing cross was met by Ngog just in front of Kirkland and he glanced a header past the former Liverpool goalkeeper and into the far corner.
Wigan midfielder Paul Scharner headed N'Zogbia's cross straight at Jose Reina before Kirkland redeemed himself for his misjudgement on the goal.
His brilliant 17th-minute reaction save from Kuyt after Yossi Benayoun's quick throw had released Ngog down the right prevented Liverpool adding a second.
But having taken the early advantage the home side laboured to extend it with Wigan happy to sit back and compress play into a 30-yard zone from the edge of their penalty area.
Javier Mascherano received the full force of Mohamed Diame's clearance square in the face and staggered around the centre-circle like a punch-drunk boxer for a few seconds but was able to continue after treatment.
Aurelio was the heart of most of Liverpool's chances and, after almost picking out Benayoun at the far post two minutes before half-time, he then set up a chance for Ngog.
The Brazilian's pass deflected off Hendry Thomas into the penalty area but the Frenchman's shot rolled inches wide of the far post.
To mark the Shankly anniversary Liverpool paraded a host of his former players during the interval, including the likes of Ian St John and Kevin Keegan.
If it was meant to inspire the current squad the impact was lost on Benayoun, who should have done better in trying to get to Aurelio's teasing left-wing cross.
Wigan counter-attacked quickly from Liverpool's corner and although Reina spilled N'Zogbia's shot he had time to recover.
In the 51st minute Kirkland again displayed the talent which, were it not for his injury problems, would probably have him in Fabio Capello's England squad as he somehow tipped over Kuyt's first-time shot on the run from Ngog's cross.
However, the arrival of Torres in the 64th minute for Ngog was to change things.
The Spain international immediately won a corner but Agger completely missed a five-yard header from Gerrard's cross.
Wigan should have equalised in the 74th minute when Hugo Rodallega and Scharner prevented Reina claiming NZogbia's free-kick but Scotland, still to open his account for the club he joined in the summer, smashed a left-footed volley on to the crossbar and over.
Liverpool were gradually going backwards and their opponents sensed a chance to snatch a point.
However, that was snuffed out in the 79th minute by Torres. He was put clean through by Boyce's back-header from Jamie Carragher's punt and should have beaten Kirkland comfortably.
However, he mis-kicked and Titus Bramble half-stopped the ball on the goalline but somehow Torres scrambled it over for his 49th goal in 69 league appearances.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Davies prepared for battle
Curtis Davies knows he is not guaranteed an automatic first-team place
"I know I am not a big enough player to be able to walk straight back into the side"
- Curtis Davies
Davies prepared for battle
Davies is back in full training after spending more than three months on the sidelines after undergoing shoulder surgery in September.
He was a first-team regular last season alongside Martin Laursen until the Villa skipper was forced to retire because of a knee injury.
FOURTH CHOICE
Davies said: "It is good to be back in training although it has been difficult this week because of the weather and I've not managed to train with the first team yet. When there was a chance to train with them, unfortunately I was ill for a couple of days but it is fantastic just to be back involved.
"I am in full training now. Hopefully I can get a few weeks in now. Running-wise I am fit but it is getting the touch, positional stuff and sharpness back. Hopefully I will be able to get a game in soon although I know it is going to be really hard to get back into the first team.
"It will be a big challenge to me to try and get back in. I will be coming back as the fourth choice centre-half, fifth technically with Ciaran Clark in the squad.
"Carlos Cuellar and Richard Dunne have done really well in recent weeks, and so was James Collins before he got injured. I am the guy on the outside looking in. I played most of the games last season but I know I am not a big enough player to be able to walk straight back into the side."
Davies has been restricted to just two first-team appearances this season but hopes to get his campaign back on track to recapture his best form.
Villa face a demanding Christmas travelling to Arsenal on 27th December and then hosting Liverpool two days later and O'Neill will need strength in depth to cover during the busy festive fixture programme.
Davies has already played against Liverpool this season, scoring in the 3-1 win at Anfield in August and he will hope to be given the chance to repeat the feat in the return fixture at Villa Park.
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