..::Football II::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Friedel maintains starting spot for Tottenham's trip to Reading

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed Brad Friedel will start Sunday's Premier League match against Reading.

The Spurs boss revealed the American will retain his role as the No. 1 keeper, despite the arrival of France international captain Hugo Lloris from Lyon.

The Portuguese boss has claimed the 41-year-old will keep his place in between the sticks because of his impressive displays against Norwich and West Brom.

Villas-Boas told reporters: "We feel that Brad is looking consistent, and deserves [to start] bearing in mind his performances against Norwich and against West Brom."

Friedel currently holds the record for the most consecutive Premier League starts - a record which will be extended by at least one more game.

His record of 307 consecutive starts - a run stretching back to 2004 with Blackburn, Aston Villa and now Spurs - had looked in danger following the arrival of 12.5 million pound signing Hugo Lloris on transfer deadline day.

The American goalkeeper has already warned the 25-year-old Frenchman that he faces a battle to take the No.1 jersey at White Hart Lane.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger set to welcome back Szczesny for Southampton clash

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been handed a major boost after declaring that the club's No. 1 goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny should be fit to face Southampton this weekend.

After missing the team's last two Premier League outings against Stoke and Liverpool with a rib injury, the Polish goalkeeper has been confined to the sidelines, while understudy Vito Mannone went on to keep two clean sheets.

Nevertheless, Wenger has intimated that now that he's back and fully fit, Szczesny will be thrown straight into the starting lineup against Nigel Adkins' side.

"Wojciech is back to full fitness and is in the squad. He played quite well against Sunderland and kept us in the game. It's good to have him back," Wenger told reporters.

There will also be a late fitness check on midfielder Abou Diaby after he picked up a hip injury while on international duty with France, and given his history of injuries, Wenger remains reluctant to risk him causing further damage by playing him from the start.

He continued: "Diaby has to be assessed. He has a very minor problem. He is in a position where we can certainly play him.

"We just have to assess the risk to play him or not. That will be done tomorrow.

"At the moment it's really a 50-50 situation as we play again on Tuesday night in Montpellier. We won't take a gamble on him, especially because of his history."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sir Alex Ferguson confirms Van Persie and Kagawa fit to face Wigan

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed there are no new injury concerns ahead of the visit of Wigan, with Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa both available for selection.

Kagawa had been a doubt with a back problem after opting to sit out of Japan’s 1-0 win over Iraq in midweek and was not expected to be risked this weekend after having scans, but the midfielder appears to have won his fitness race.

Van Persie too was a doubt due to being withdrawn at halftime of Netherlands’ World Cup qualifier against Hungary, however Sir Alex said that he has a full squad to pick from, except those already ruled out.

Speaking about injuries to United’s official website, Ferguson said: "On the injury front, everyone's fit, apart from the ones we know about - Jones and Smalling.“Jones was a bad blow for us. He got an injury in training last weekend.

“He'll be out for 8-10 weeks. We expect Smalling to be back training inside a month. But with Jonny Evans now back we're in better shape at center back than we were a couple of weeks ago.”Several players, including Kagawa, have returned to United after travelling long distances, but Ferguson is hopeful they will all be fine for the match.

He continued: "You always have concerns about players travelling [long distances] in international breaks - we had Chicharito [Javier Hernandez], [Antonio] Valencia and Kagawa.
“They've all done it before, although with Shinji we don't know exactly how he reacts to travelling back from long distances. Hopefully he'll be okay.”

Another player who will be available is Darren Fletcher, who has not played a competitive match for United since December due to a chronic bowel condition, but after several appearances for the Under-21s and increased activity in training, Ferguson has named him in the squad.“Darren's training well and played in the Reserves on Monday night,” he noted. “The next step is when we can involve him in a game in the first team.

“He's in the squad tomorrow, simply because I think it will give him a boost. It's a chance to progress."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool owner John Henry denies planning to sell the Boston Red Sox

Liverpool owner John Henry has denied rumors that he is looking to sell his other major sporting franchise, the Boston Red Sox.

Reports in America indicate that Henry and Fenway Sports Group are looking to offload the baseball team for a figure of around $1 billion. However, Henry has rebuffed the suggestions.

“A sale of any kind is so far from our thinking it hasn't even come up apart from technical planning issues involving death or disability,” he told the Boston Globe. “This report is completely without foundation. The Sox and any of the other components of FSG are not for sale and will not be for the foreseeable future.”

The reports also suggest that executives at FSG questioned whether they have the financial capacity to support both the Red Sox and Liverpool, but Henry said these claims were untrue.

"We have separate budgets for each entity, so they really aren't interrelated," Henry added. "The budgets of the Red Sox are based on Red Sox revenues and the budgets for Liverpool are based on Liverpool revenues."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'There's nothing worse' - Rooney reveals fear of infamous Sir Alex Ferguson 'hairdryer' treatment

Wayne Rooney has revealed all over Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary 'hairdryer' treatment, including one explosive rant just before the Manchester United players went to lift the Premier League trophy.

The Red Devils striker, who is currently out of action with a thigh injury, made the revelations in his new autobiography which marks 10 years playing in the Premier League.

United manager Sir Alex is famous for having a temper, but Rooney’s book has revealed the extent of the 70-year-old’s tirades, and just how the players feel when on the receiving end.

"There’s nothing worse than getting the 'hairdryer' from Sir Alex," said Rooney.

"When it happens, the manager stands in the middle of the room and loses it at me. He gets right up in my face and shouts.

"It feels like I've put my head in front of a BaByliss Turbo Power 2200. It's horrible.

"I don’t like getting shouted at by anyone. It's hard for me to take, so sometimes I shout back. I tell him he's wrong and I'm right."

The 26-year-old also admitted that the United players did not escape the hairdryer even when they had won the league title and were going to lift the trophy.

The Red Devils won the title in 2006-07 with two games remaining but suffered a last day defeat to West Ham, and Sir Alex tore into the players just before the presentation.

"Most sides would be celebrating in the dressing-room, getting ready for the champagne and the photos," said the England international.

"Not us. We're staring at the floor like school kids, the manager giving us the 'hairdryer'.

"After the rollicking it takes a while before everyone cheers up enough to put their Premier League-winning smiles back on."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid first club to surpass 500 million euro income barrier

Real Madrid has closed the 2011-12 fiscal year with income totalling 514 million euros, a seven percent growth compared to the previous period.

This is the highest figure earned by an international sports institution, and los Blancos have become the first club to surpass the 500 million euro barrier in the sports industry.

Members’ contributions, from both annual membership and tickets, account for 9.5% of the total income.

Madrid's net earnings are 24.2 million euros, which is 23.3% less than in the previous period.

This decrease is put down to increased costs arising on the security front, changes in tax regulations, hedging of contingencies and risks derived from the evolution of the economic context, as well as increased amortization expenses from investments made.

However, the club's net debt has still dropped by 26.5%, to 124.7 million euros.

Estimated income for the 2012-13 campaign is 516.6 million euros, with net earnings of about 24.4 million.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barclays Premier League 2012.09.15 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2012.09.15 Fixtures

Stroke City Vs Manchester City

QPR Vs Chelsea

Manchester United Vs Wigan

Fulham Vs WBA

Aston Villa Vs Swansea City

Arsenal Vs Southampton

Sunderland Vs Liverpool

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[Wolverine GTR]

Sunderland 1-1 Liverpool: Suarez saves point for Reds after Fletcher opener

Luis Suarez's second-half strike ensured a 1-1 draw for Liverpool in its trip to Sunderland after Steven Fletcher’s first-half strike put the host ahead.

The Reds remained frustrated as they continue to look for their first win of the Premier League season with four matches played.

The Black Cats will also be unhappy that they were unable to notch their first three points of the campaign in the Stadium of Light clash.

Jonjo Shelvey had the first shot of the match, snatching a 25-yard strike wide. Luis Suarez fired an identical shot wide of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet’s right post a few minutes later.

Center back Carlos Cuellar caused Sunderland fans to squirm when he tried to head back to the shot-stopper but his headed pass lacked power, and Fabio Borini almost put Liverpool ahead but Mignolet saved smartly and Shelvey fired the rebound wide.

With 29 minutes on the clock Sunderland took the lead with essentially its first shot of the match. Craig Gardner did the hard graft, dribbling down the right before firing a pinpoint cross for teammate Fletcher to tap in from six yards out.

Liverpool seemed rattled by going behind against the run of play. Suarez, who was already being booed whenever in possession, added to the away side’s frustration by being deservedly booked for diving inside the penalty area.

The second half began with the visitors back in the ascendancy, Johnson rattled the crossbar after cutting inside onto his favored right-foot from 20 yards.

Raheem Stirling - still being favored on the wing ahead of Stewart Downing - sent in a dangerous ball from the right which was semi-cleared, allowing Steven Gerrard to gleefully latch onto, then less gleefully fire inches wide, skimming the post on its way off the pitch.

With 71 minutes gone Sterling’s efforts were finally rewarded. The winger sent in another tricky cross from the right which ricocheted off Titus Bramble’s, allowing Suarez to pounce and tap in to level the scoreline.

The Uruguay international had a chance to put his team ahead as the game dragged on, but he couldn't nod Shelvey’s saved shot on target, and the home fans were relieved to watch the striker’s effort sail well over.

There was not to be a late winner at the Stadium of Light, meaning both clubs remain winless in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea City: Brad Guzan and Eric Lichaj's impact on display as Villians get a shutout

United States internationals Brad Guzan and Eric Lichaj help Paul Lambert secure his first win as Aston Villa boss as two of his summer signings scored to help secure a 2-0 victory against Swansea at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.

Matthew Lowton's excellent first-half volley and a late goal from Christian Bentenke was enough to give the Villians their first victory since March, and inflict a first Premier League defeat on Swans manager Michael Laudrup.

The game started with both sides sharing half chances and plenty of attacking intent, with Villa working hard to press all over the pitch to disrupt the visitor's passing style.

And after a spate of corners for both sides it was the Swans who had the first real chance of the game on the 10-minute mark. A dangerous corner was swung in from the right and captain Ashley Williams met it with a perfectly timed header, however Villa keeper Guzan - who again kept Shay Given out of the starting XI - was equal to his effort before he again saved well from Nathan Dyer's follow-up effort.

Five minutes later and the hosts grabbed the lead. A dangerous corner was cleared by the Swans, but only to the left-hand side of the penalty area where Villa right-back Lowton chested down the ball down and lashed a left foot volley beyond an unsighted Michel Vorm to notch his first ever Premier League goal.

There was a nice touch from all sides of the ground in the 19th minute, as a minute's applause was given for Villa captain Stilian Petrov as he continues his recovery from acute leukaemia.

Swansea continued to play their usual free-flowing style as the half wore on but were unable to create any clear-cut chances against a well drilled and hard working home side.

And it was Villa who almost grabbed the game's second goal when Andreas Weimann had an effort well saved by Vorm. The Austrian received the ball in the area after neat build up play, and following a cute exchange with Darren Bent, his shot was kept out by a full stretch Vorm at his near post.

Villa looked to be coasting into the break with the lead, however Swansea nearly grabbed themselves an equaliser moments before the interval.

An incisive ball found the lively Dyer in space down the right-hand side and he fizzed the ball across the six-yard box, however Danny Graham, couldn't get a connection with the goal gaping.

Lambert's side came out after the break playing in much the same fashion as the first half, and almost doubled their lead when after a succession of corners Leon Britton was forced to head off the line to deny Weimann a goal when the youngster swiveled in the penalty area and smashed his shot towards the corner of the net.

Come the hour mark and Villa remained in control of the game, but had to be cautious of Swansea's pace on the counterattack as Laudrup's side attempted to get back into the game.

Bentenke came on to the pitch soon after for Villa and enjoyed a lively debut following his move from Belgian side Genk.

But the 21-year-old should have put the game beyond doubt with five minutes left when he failed to connect inside the six yard box following a knock-down by Bent.

However, minutes later Bentenke did make it count when he latched onto a long punt forward which was missed by Williams, and lobbed the ball over a helpless Guzan.

Ex-Villa sriker Luke Moore later came off the bench for Swansea, but he was unable to take any chances that fell his way, as his side slipped to a deserved first defeat of the season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 6-1 Southampton: Gervinho double helps Gunners pile on the misery for sorry Saints

Arsenal romped to a 6-1 win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton in an all-action Premier League encounter at the Emirates.

Gervinho led the way for Arsenal with a double and Lukas Podolski, Nathaniel Clyne, Theo Walcott all added goals a piece in the rout. Southampton's lone score game from Daniel Fox, though Jos Hooiveld had an own goal.

The Gunners got to a strong start in the first half as Gervinho scored his first goal and Hooiveld and Clyne added a goal each. Fox responded for Southampton but the newly promoted side had no answer for Arsenal in the second half.

Arsenal continued to assert domination in the second half as Gervinho's second and Theo Walcott's late effort made it six.

The result stretched the home side's unbeaten start to the season as Southampton are still to find their first point after rejoining the top flight.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was unable to call upon Abou Diaby or Theo Walcott, though the latter made the bench. Wojciech Szczesny was restored to the starting lineup, as Gervinho replaced Olivier Giroud up front and Francis Coquelin came into the centre of midfield.

Saints begun with the same side that battled to a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United, with trio of new signings Gaston Ramirez, Emmanuel Mayuka and Maya Yoshida having to make do with a place on the bench.

Arsenal begun the brighter of the two and their early pressure was rewarded in the 10th minute after Hooiveld turned the ball into his own net as Kelvin Davis could only get a foot to Keiran Gibbs' low, drilled cross from the left byline.

Per Mertesacker tested Davis with a powerful header from Santi Cazorla's looping ball into the box as Arsenal began to assert their dominance, before Gervinho fizzed an effort just wide of the post.

Hooiveld was replaced by Maya Yoshia around the half hour point as Saints fully capitulated, conceding three goals in a matter of minutes.

Steven Davis gave away a needless foul on the edge of the area, allowing Podolski to step up and bend a left footed effort that was well beyond Kelvin Davis' grasp.

Almost immediately after the restart Saints left back Daniel Fox was caught napping and a simple Mikel Arteta lofted pass down the line allowed Gervinho to steam in on goal and smash home at the near post.

Arsenal got their fourth in a manner similar to the game's opener. Another powerful surge down the left from Gibbs saw the full-back whip in a cross that ended up in the Saints net via a wicked deflection off Clyne.

Moments before the interval Wojciech Szcznesy granted the visitors a lifeline, making a total mess of a cross from deep to allow Fox to poke in from yards out.

Rickie Lambert missed a good chance to get his side back with a fighting chance though slotted wide, as Arsenal continued to enjoy the upper hand in the second half.

The Gunners further stretched their lead after substitute Aaron Ramsey made an instant impact, outfoxing Clyne as he burst into the box, only to see his prodded effort rebound off the post to allow Gervinho to bundle home from a couple yards out.

Gervinho and Podolski were replaced to rapturous applause, with replacement Walcott puting the icing on the cake, bending home with his left foot as the visitors' defence made a hash of clearing Thomas Vermaelen's strike.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!

Manchester United 4-0 Wigan: Debut delight for Powell and Buttner caps landmark day for Scholes

Manchester United comfortably beat Wigan Athletic 4-0 in a pulsating Premier League clash at Old Trafford.

Chicharito had a fourth minute penalty saved by Ali Al Habsi after he was adjudged to have brought down Danny Welbeck, but a Paul Scholes close-range effort, a goal from the Mexican and debut finishes from Alexander Buttner and Nick Powell, all in the second half, were the difference.

It was a day of landmarks for three of Sir Alex Ferguson's men as Ryan Giggs made a record 600th Premier League appearance, whilst Scholes and Rio Ferdinand played their 700th and 400th match for the club.

Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa started on the bench as they were nursing knocks picked up on international duty.

United should have been 1-0 up inside the first five minutes when the on-rushing Welbeck was clipped by Al Habsi in the area. Replays suggested it was a harsh decision and the goalkeeper did well to save Chicharito's weak effort from the spot.

The visitors held their own the first half but it was Welbeck who was proving to be a pain up front for the hosts.

He had four chances in the opening 25 minutes. His first was a volley which just went wide and left Al Habsi stranded, before an effort was blocked by Gary Caldwell.

From the resulting corner, Scholes and Welbeck had further volleys blocked and the England international then headed over from a Carrick center.

Wigan nearly scored with a header of its own with an effort sandwiched in between United's chances. Shaun Maloney whipped in a a free-kick on the right and Ivan Ramis rose highest but failed to keep the ball down.

The second half proved a step too far for Wigan as the floodgates opened.

Scholes finished just inside the six-yard area following a bout of pinball in the box. The visitors just could not get the ball clear and the landmark-celebrating midfielder was on hand to rifle home past Al Habsi on 51 minutes.

Twelve minutes later and it was two. Chicharito atoned for his first-half penalty miss, helping in Buttner's cross from what initially looked like an offside position A second look saw Maynor Figueroa keeping him on.

Buttner deserved a goal for his lung-bursting runs down the left-hand side and eventually, one of those runs finally paid off.

He beat three Wigan defenders for pace before side-stepping Ramis. The ball almost went out of play on the byline but instead of letting it go out, he smashed it across the face of the goal and the ball bounced off Al Habsi and into the goal.

The best of the goals was the fourth and final goal of the game. Welbeck burst into the Wigan half and ended up in a dead-end. The ball should have been cleared but ended up at the feet of Chicharito, who laid off to Powell on the edge of the area. The former Crewe man took a touch before rifling home from 20-yards to seal the victory.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!


2 Debut GoalsCongratzzzzzzzz For Buttner & Powell & Congratzzzzzzzz For Paul Scholes

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[Wolverine GTR]

Fulham 3-0 West Brom: Brilliant Berbatov bags double on home debut as Odemwingie sees red

Fulham picked up its first points since an opening-day victory against Norwich thanks to two Dimitar Berbatov goals and a late third from Steve Sidwell, which earned a comprehensive 3-0 win over 10-man West Brom.

The Bulgarian striker netted twice in the first half, with the first coming after half an hour with a wonderful effort into the top corner, and another coming from the spot on the stroke of halftime, with Baggies attacker Peter Odemwingie seeing red for a stupid kick five minutes before.

Sidwell wrapped up a deserved victory moments from the end, crashing a half-volley into an unguarded net.

Fulham started brightly, and almost took the lead when Berbatov tried to get on the end of Sascha Riether's cross, but Jonas Olsson was there to prevent him getting a touch.

Fulham was pressing more and more as the first half wore on, and eventually found an opener just after the half-hour mark. Alex Kacaniklic had been finding lots of opportunities to run at Jones, and this time he found Berbatov, who had time to take a touch and curl home a great effort into the top corner.

A little over five minutes later, Fulham's task was made a whole lot easier as Odemwingie inexplicably kicked out at Riether after losing the ball. It was a terrible decision from the striker, right in front of the home dugout, and he was swiftly shown the red card by referee Roger East.

And as the first half entered stoppage time, it looked to be all over as Kacaniklic rampaged down the left again, being brought down by Jones in the area for a clear penalty. Berbatov stepped up and made it look simple, sending Ben Foster the wrong way to double the lead at halftime.

The second half started with a double swap for the visitors as Marc-Antoine Fortune and Shane Long were replaced by Romelu Lukaku and Chris Brunt, and for a while the game lacked any real sort of tempo.

However, as the half progressed, Fulham got more and more dominant. Lukaku forced a decent stop from Schwarzer after a deflection, but it was Foster who really began to impress in goal.

The former Manchester United man made three fantastic stops in the space of a couple of minutes, with the third an outstanding reflex move to push the ball over the bar from Damien Duff's wickedly deflected shot.

The home side's dominance was pretty clear, with attack after attack being launched on the Baggies' goal, and only Ben Foster really impressing for the visitors.

Fulham's dominance was realized in the dying moments, when Sidwell crashed in a rebound after Rodallega's header hit the bar following good work from substitute Pajtim Kasami.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

QPR 0-0 Chelsea: Di Matteo's men denied in fiery west London derby

The hysteria surrounding Anton Ferdinand's non-handshake with John Terry failed to translate itself into goals at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon, with QPR and Chelsea playing out a 0-0 draw in the west London derby.

The Blues failed to score for the first time in the new Premier League season, but a clean sheet, their second of the campaign, means they maintain their unbeaten start.

Mark Hughes handed Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar his debut for the club, with Robert Green named amongst the substitutes, while the visitors made two changes to the side that fell to a 4-1 Super Cup defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid, with Terry and Ryan Bertrand included.

The pre-match hype firmly surrounded Ferdinand, Terry and Ashley Cole following July's racism trial in which the Chelsea left back gave evidence on his teammate's behalf against the QPR man.

All three were included in their respective starting XI's, and, as speculated, Ferdinand refused to acknowledge either player in the handshakes prior to kick-off.

While tensions never boiled over as the football quickly became the focus, they did help to produce a fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining first half.

Eden Hazard proved the focal point of the away side's fluid play through the middle of the park, and the Belgian was afforded the first chance of the game, only to be thwarted by Cesar in the QPR goal, who also stood tall to prevent Fernando Torres 10 minutes later.

Hazard was unfortunate not to win his side a penalty after half an hour of play, going down under pressure from Shaun Wright-Phillips in the box, but referee Andre Marriner waved away any suggestion of a spot-kick as he had also done with Terry's earlier appeal.

Yet the Rs were never under the cosh, with the hosts often displaying the tenacity to catch Chelsea on the break and put the away side's defense under pressure, with Bobby Zamora managing to test Petr Cech.

Their cause may not have been helped by the loss of both Fabio da Silva and Andy Johnson to injury, but Hughes' men went into the break on deservedly level, albeit goalless, terms.

And it was QPR who looked most likely in the opening stages of the second period, with Jamie Mackie testing Cech well with a swivelled shot from the edge of the box, while Wright-Phillips and Jose Bosingwa both looking to make in-roads against their former club.

Mackie's introduction as a substitute gave the hosts' some attacking bite in the final third, and the 26-year-old played a key part in a galvanized second-half display, yet it was a John Obi Mikel error that nearly led to the deadlock being broken.

The Nigerian's loose back-pass inadvertently played Zamora through on goal, however, the striker was unable to find the angle after rounding Cech, allowing Terry the time to get back and clear the shot.

Roberto Di Matteo handed cameo appearances to Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge, and the former Wigan man looked lively, teeing up Hazard late in second 45 with a gilt-edged opportunity. However, the 21-year-old blazed his effort high over the bar, and both sides were forced to settle for a point.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stoke City 1-1 Manchester City: Javi Garcia nets debut goal but Crouch frustrates Premier League champions again

Manchester City was unable to give manager Roberto Mancini something to celebrate on his 1000th day in charge of the club as it was held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke.

The champions were in complete control of the game for the opening 15 minutes but it was Stoke which opened the scoring through Peter Crouch, the striker scoring a fairly scruffy goal from five yards out after breaking through three challenges.

The visitors were level after a neat set piece beautifully delivered by Carlos Tevez for Javi Garcia to mark his debut with a goal. Chances followed for both sides but neither were able to convert and the points were shared for a fourth successive fixture at the Britannia Stadium.

Michael Owen was forced to wait for his Stoke City debut as he was named on the subs bench, Tony Pulis opting for a solid 4-5-1 formation to try and contain the Champions. There were starts for Steven N’Zonzi and Charlie Adam following their moves to the Britannia Stadium in the summer.

City handed first starts to new signings Scott Sinclair, Maicon and Javi Garcia with Mario Balotelli returning following injury. Jack Rodwell and Gareth Barry both returned to the City squad, with Edin Dzeko also named on the bench despite scoring four goals while on international duty with Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The visitors dominated the opening part of the game with some excellent interplay in midfield between Yaya Toure and Garcia, the Spaniard looking like he’d been playing for the club for years rather than actually making his debut.

However it was the hosts who took the lead after quarter of an hour through Crouch, the striker showing great persistence to break through three challenges to open the scoring. The tall striker controlled the ball on his chest inside the penalty area, spun past Vincent Kompany, ran through the challenges of Joleon Lescott and Garcia before calmly slotting the ball past Joe Hart from five yards.

The visitors were shaken by Crouch’s opener but they soon settled back into their passing style and with 10 minutes of the half to go they were level through Garcia. The Spaniard showed excellent movement inside the penalty area to get in front of Glenn Whelan and head home Carlos Tevez’s free kick, giving Asmir Begovic no chance.

The home side managed to get to the break without conceding again but the halftime team talk from Pulis inspired his side and it came out for the second half full of energy. The control that Manchester City had on the game for the majority of the first half was gone as the Stoke players closed every ball down and applied excellent pressure all over the pitch.

Mancini was clearly concerned about the change in the game’s momentum and moved to get a grip back on the game by introducing Gareth Barry for Tevez. The midfielder definitely gave City more solidity in the middle of the pitch and slowly it began to get back into the game.

The moment a lot of Stoke fans had been waiting for arrived in the final moments of the match as Owen was introduced in place of Crouch to a standing ovation from the crowd, but the striker had no chance to give the fans the goal they wanted.

The visitors should have won the game in injury time but were denied twice by last ditch clearances, the first a save from Begovic from a Garcia header and the second a acrobatic clearance by Shawcross off the line.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Champions stroll to confident home victory

Borussia Dortmund bounced back from their 1-1 draw with Nurnberg a fortnight ago to record a thoroughly convincing 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park.

The champions dominated proceedings from the off and took the lead on the half-hour mark through Mats Hummels. Jakub 'Kuba' Blaszczykowski added a second soon after, and Robert Lewandowski added insult to injury with a late third.

Dortmund had been unusually static when they travelled to Nurnberg for their last game before the international break, but immediately set out in pursuit of an early goal.

Just three minutes were on the clock when Ilkay Gundogan threaded a lovely ball through the Leverkusen defence for Marcel Schmelzer, who forced an early save from Bernd Leno with a left-footed effort from a narrow angle.

Seconds later, Kuba wriggled clear in the visitors' box, but could not make a meaningful contact on his shot, before Schmelzer, once again released by Gundogan, sent in a lovely ball from the left that narrowly evaded both Lewandowski, and the Poland captain.

The 24-year-old striker was soon sent clear by another excellently weighted pass, but failed to get the ball out of his feet before a covering challenge came in, while Gotze's 20-yard strike had Leno scurrying across his line to make another decent stop.

At the other end, Leverkusen were able to fashion a couple of early chances in a Dortmund-dominated first half.

Stefan Kiessling seized possession of a loose ball just outside the six-yard box, but saw his shot charged down, before the former Germany forward cut the ball back from the byeline for Gonzalo Castro, who shot straight at Roman Weidenfeller when he should have broken the deadlock.

However, Dortmund's pressure soon told, and on the half-hour mark, Schmelzer picked out the completely unmarked Hummels from a corner, and the Germany international headed the ball into the roof of the net to give his side the lead.

The goal saw the game settle into more of a rhythm, and Dortmund were made to work far less hard for their second. Another excellent defence-splitting ball released Lukasz Piszczek on the right-wing, and the full-back pulled it back to Kuba, who slotted it home with ease.

Lewandowski had appeals from a penalty turned down on the stroke of half time, but in truth, his side were already in a commanding lead and looking good value to pick up their second win of the season.

Seconds after the restart, a partially cleared corner fell kindly to Kuba on the edge of the box, but the Pole's strike went a couple of yards wide of the post.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the match was going to be completely one-sided, but Leverkusen soon managed to apply a bit of pressure on the hosts' back line, with Lars Bender forcing a decent save from Weidenfeller and Daniel Carvajal sending in a cross that narrowly missed Kiessling's head.

Dortmund were still looking comfortable though, and had their defence to thank for clearing a couple of threatening crosses from Gotze and Kuba, while Leno had to get down low to block Neven Subotic's header after another Schmelzer corner.

Reus flashed in a free kick which Kehl headed over, and Piszczek failed to pick out the unmarked Lewandowski with just under 15 minutes to go, before the third goal finally arrived.

Wollscheid took down the onrushing Reus around 30 yards from goal, and the 23-year-old took the free kick himself, sending a perfect ball onto the head of Lewandowski, who headed past the stranded Leno to net his first Bundesliga goal of the season.

Dortmund came close to adding a fourth through Lewandowski, who had a strike correctly ruled out for offside and Ivan Perisic, who struck the underside of the bar with a header, but the work had been done.

Dortmund were showing signs of their fluid best, and Leverkusen had long been consigned to their second defeat from just three games this season.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Norwich 0-0 West Ham: Hughton still searching for first league win after Hammers stalemate

NORWICH, England -- Chris Hughton remains without a win as manager of Norwich City as his side was held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham at Carrow Road.

The Canaries edged the encounter on chances created but failed to take advantage of the opportunities they carved out, with their best spell coming in the lead-up to halftime.

As the match wore on Norwich's pressure faded but West Ham could not grab a winning goal of its own despite the positive impression made by substitute Matthew Jarvis.

Hughton's team has now drawn three consecutive matches and has turned in respectable performances in all three but are still yet to touch the win column.

With Andy Carroll injured, Carlton Cole led the line for West Ham and was flanked by Ricardo Vaz Te and Matthew Taylor. Norwich made only one change to the team that drew against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, introducing Andrew Surman on the left side of midfield in place of Anthony Pilkington.

Surman was close to making an immediate impact. After good work from Grant Holt on the wing the former Southampton midfielder stepped past James Collins before firing narrowly wide across goal from a tight angle.

West Ham was largely placed on the back foot but while it did not venture forward too often, it tended to create a quality chance to score every time they did. Cole had a header cleared off the line by Russell Martin before John Ruddy did well to deny Kevin Nolan from a similarly central position in the penalty area.

Sam Allardyce's team had only itself to blame for the errors it made in its last away game, against Swansea City, that led to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat and calamitous defending from Joey O'Brien almost gifted Norwich the lead after 28 minutes. The left back's clumsy control near the touchline allowed Robert Snodgrass to nip in but the winger failed to pick out Simeon Jackson, who was waiting in the penalty area.

Snodgrass was at the center of things again when West Ham's failure to clear its lines led to a remarkable sequence of four chances in quick succession, but Jussi Jaaskelainen stood firm to make three saves and Sebastian Bassong headed the final opportunity over the crossbar.

The first half ended on a controversial note when Surman, making another excellent darting run, was hacked down by Collins around the edge of the box. The Canaries players furiously appealed for a penalty but referee Chris Foy was entirely correct in awarding a free kick just outside the area.

After Jackson and Snodgrass had both shot narrowly off-target from distance early in the second half, Allardyce decided that he had seen enough and threw Jarvis and Modibo Maiga into the fray in place of the ineffective Cole and Taylor. The away side improved thereafter and one trademark Jarvis cross dipped just beyond Vaz Te at the far post.

Norwich struggled to create chances in the closing stages as its midfield tired but substitute Harry Kane wasted a golden chance to secure the points when he weakly shot at Jaaskelainen at the end of a three-on-two counter-attack.

The crowd's frustration only increased as full time drew closer and Norwich now face a daunting run of fixtures against Newcastle United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal as its continue their search for three points.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'We offered to shake hands, we did our part' - Di Matteo salutes Chelsea players in Loftus Road handshake episode

Roberto Di Matteo was proud of the way his Chelsea players handled the John Terry and Anton Ferdinand situation “professionally”.

The game against QPR almost played second fiddle in the build-up as the attention was focused solely on if the two defenders would shake hands ahead of kick-off.

Ferdinand ended up snubbing both Terry and Ashley Cole – who was a defencs witness at the July trial – and Di Matteo was perfectly happy with the conduct of his own squad.

“I have to say both sets of players showed a great attitude this afternoon. They focused on the football and played the game in the right spirit,” he told reporters.

“Our players handled the situation today very professionally.

“We offered [to shake hands], we did our part, if other people don’t want to that’s their decision.

“I think we should shift the focus to the football side, not the handshake before and the handshake after.”

The game did eventually take center stage and finished goalless. Di Matteo's only disappointment was that his side could not put the finishing touches on its chances.
He added: “The only disappointment is we didn’t score the goals from the chances we created. Coming to Loftus Road is always difficult because of the history and the rivalry between the clubs.

"One goal would have been enough for us to win the game. Certainly the incident with Terry and Nelsen looked a stonewall penalty to me. I’m not sure if the referee didn’t see it. On the Hazard one, there was contact but maybe the referee didn’t feel there was enough.

"It’s a difficult job to be a referee - it’s easy for us to watch it after the game.

QPR boss Mark Hughes insisted after the game that his side was the better of the two, in constant control throughout, which showed its progression.

He said: "I thought we were excellent in terms of control of the game, that augers well for the future given we were up against the European champions.

"In terms of an upgraded performance, that was as good as we could expect today.

"We were always looking to try and win the game. As a performance, it’s an improvement on what we produced against Man City.

"We’re going in the right direction. It’s only a matter of time before we get three points on the board.”

Hughes also took time to sympathise with seemingly ousted goalkeeper Rob Green, whose position as first choice has been challenged by new signing Julio Cesar.

"It’s difficult for Rob because we’ve put him in a situation we didn’t think he’d be put under,” he continued.

“We had the opportunity to get one of the best goalkeepers in the world and his performance today showed it was the right decision to bring him in to the team.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Allardyce delighted with West Ham strength-in-depth

NORWICH, England -- West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has expressed his happiness at the quality and strength-in-depth available to him this season.

The Hammers picked up their seventh point of the campaign in the 0-0 draw against Norwich City on Saturday and Allardyce was able to introduce Modibo Maiga, Matthew Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun from the substitutes' bench.

The former Bolton Wanderers manager also pointed out that his side's successful start to the Premier League season had taken the pressure off his players.

"It's nice to have the squad together and not to have phone calls flashing around," Allardyce told reporters.

"The first time we had the squad together was on Friday, and looking at them I think we have some quality talent and strength-in-depth. That will stand us in good stead and the start we've had takes the pressure off."

West Ham spent sustained periods of the match at Carrow Road on the back foot and Allardyce admitted that he was satisfied to come away with a point.

"In the end it [the result] could have been anyone's the way it went," he said. "There were chances created by both sides and none taken, but in the end we got a clean sheet and a valuable point.

"We're satisfied with that because our finishing was not as good as it should have been and our final ball too. Three clean sheets in four games is a great base to build a successful team on."

Norwich manager Chris Hughton, meanwhile, was frustrated to see his team fail to collect three points despite another positive performance.

The Canaries had drawn their previous two matches against QPR and Tottenham despite arguably having the better of both games but Hughton insists results will come for his side if they continue to perform at the same level.

"There's a bit of frustration because on the back of three games I can't fault the performances or the chances we're getting," he remarked.

"Up against a strong, powerful West Ham team you have to cope with the way that they play and the problems they give you and I felt we coped very well. When we've got opportunities we need to show a little more quality and guile and maybe get some more fortune in the final third.

He added, "I would be sitting here more concerned if we weren't creating chances. We are, and against quality teams you won't create loads of clear-cut chances, but I felt we did enough today – on the balance of the play we had enough to win."

Hughton was unconcerned, meanwhile, by the slow start to the season made by striker Grant Holt, who was Norwich's top scorer during the 2011-12 campaign.

"We want every player to show their best and strikers want to score goals," he continued. "That's what Grant has done and I'm quite sure that will be the case again.

"I think he started slowly last season as well. I don't think the summer has affected him – I can only speak as I've found things [since arriving] and he is focused on games and training.

"I'm sure with his quality, if he keeps getting in the right positions and we keep creating chances, it won't be long."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bayern Munich 3-1 Mainz: Mandzukic, Schweinsteiger and Kroos clinch victory

Bayern Munich maintained their place atop the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory over Mainz at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Mario Mandzukic slotted the hosts into the lead after only two minutes of play, before Bastian Schweinsteiger doubled their advantage with a header just before the quarter hour mark.

What threatened to be a demolition job never occured though, as despite large spells of Bayern pressure, Mainz were able to work themselves back into the game.

Adam Szalai handed the visitors hope with a penalty in the 59th minute, but there was no more to come from the visitors, as Kroos scored with a well-taken volley in stoppage time to wrap up the points for the hosts.

There was no place in the matchday squad for Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery, with both players sitting out the match after picking up injuries last week. However, Bayern barely noticed the absence of their wing wizards, as they raced into the lead after only two minutes.
Thomas Muller did the hard work, racing onto a loose ball at the edge of the box and squaring to Mandzukic, who made no mistake in front of an unguarded net.

The home side looked to move forward through the flanks, as they peppered the Mainz goal with a host of crosses from out wide. This avenue of attack brought reward in the 13th minute as Schweinsteiger put them two goals ahead.Badstuber was the supplier, whipping in an inch-perfect cross into the heart of the area that the midfielder attacked, unmarked, to head home.

All signs pointed to a thrashing in the making, but Bayern did not seem in any rush to add to their two goal cushion, instead finding comfort in keeping the visitors trapped chasing shadows in their own half, without really finding the cutting edge of the opening exchanges.

The inevitability of their situation perhaps prompted Thomas Tuchel to make a double switch in the 37th minute, as Szalai and Elkin Soto were thrown on for Marcel Risse and Marco Caligiuri in a bid to provide more thrust up front.

The visitors were able to raise their game slightly, but despite fashioning a few relatively promising openings, they never managed to call Manuel Neuer into action as the first half drew to a close.Their improvement continued into the second half, as they were able to cause some problems in the Bayern back four with spells of sustained pressure. And with just under an hour gone, their endeavour was rewarded as a moment of carelessness from Dante handed them a lifeline.

The Brazilian was late in challenging Baumgartlinger inside the area, leaving the referee with little choice but to award a penalty. Szalai sent Neuer the wrong to bring the visitors to within a goal.

Mainz’s tails were up as they persisted in attacking Bayern, but the hosts, despite their unsteady defense, always posed a danger on the counter. Mandzukic struck the woodwork after a scramble in the box, before both Muller and Shaqiri hit the side netting after getting on the end of a pair of promising breaks.The Switzerland international was withdrawn soon after, with Javi Martinez coming on to solidify the midfield for the closing stages.Claudio Pizarro also came off the bench late on, and almost added a third after being put clean through, but Wetklo was able to block his finish.

The third goal would come though, and it arrived via the boot of Kroos, who volleyed home expertly at the far post from Javi Martinez's cross to add gloss to the scoreline with the last kick of the game.