Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract, keeping him at St James' Park until 2016.
The centre-back has impressed on Tyneside after arriving from Portsmouth in January and he is delighted to have settled his long-term future.
"Playing in the Premier League with a club like Newcastle has been a dream for me, and I was delighted to agree a new contract to continue doing that until 2016," he said.
"I've played in the lower leagues before, so to get the opportunity to play at St. James' Park every other week – and grounds like The Emirates and Old Trafford – is fantastic for me.
"Me and my family have settled here quickly and it's great to know that we'll be staying here for a long time to come."
Magpies manager Chris Hughton added:"Mike has been outstanding for us since he came here. He was somebody who I tracked for a while before we got him, and he has perhaps exceeded even the expectations we had of him.
"He has a brilliant attitude and in my opinion has been one of the best English centre-backs in the league this season. I thoroughly believe that his best years are yet to come, so we're thrilled to have agreed the new contract."
Meanwhile, young striker Nile Ranger has also penned a five-and-a-half year deal.
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"I'm loving it at Newcastle. I really feel I can develop here and I can only learn from some of the players here," he added.
"The fans have been great with me from day one and even though I'd spent my whole life down south until I came here, this feels like home now."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
From the United States’ political tussles with Iran and Iraq to the personal ‘beef’ fought out between gangsters and rappers from the east and west sides of Los Angeles, there has always been a fierce rivalry between the east and the west in virtually any part of the world. And the same applies to the footballing landscape in London, England where West Ham United and Chelsea ply their sporting trade; with the former representing the east side of the capital and the latter on behalf of the west.
They are the two biggest clubs from their respective areas, but if you take a look at the current Barclays Premier League table then you will see that there is a substantial difference in stature between the two. Both their respective league positions will testify the difference between the two clubs on and off the pitch. Despite Chelsea’s recent problems, they are in small pickings compared to that of the Hammers as the gulf between them in terms of size, revenue and success on the pitch could not be much vaster in the top division at the time of writing.
But amazing as it may sound to some people, until 1994 there was not much to separate the two sides in terms of their past triumphs and their potential for future success. They had both achieved a very mild degree of affluence up to that point, but in the sixteen years since then, the Blues of the west have eclipsed anything that the Hammers of the east have achieved in their entire history. So let’s take a trip back to 1994.
It’s the end of the 1993-94 Premiership season and West Ham have just finished 13th whilst Chelsea have finished 14th. The Hammers are without a major trophy since 1980 whilst the Blues’ barren spell goes back even further; they are without a significant honour to their name since winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971. Their respective honours stand up relatively equal to each other if you take into account the popular use of applying points to each significant piece of silverware a club has won; 10 points for winning a League Championship, 10 for a major European trophy excluding the European Cup/Champions League which is equal to 15 points, 6 for an FA Cup win, and 3 for a League Cup triumph. From this point of view West Ham are on 28 points whilst Chelsea are on 26.
Looking back at this time it seems hard to believe now, but it was not until Matthew Harding ploughed his millions into Chelsea in 1994 that they actually showed signs of improving. They reached the final of the FA Cup in 1994 and the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup in ’95, but even then they were still finishing in the bottom half of the table. And in the years before these mini-triumphs, they were the epitome of mediocrity – no major trophies won since 1971 and apart from a fifth place finish in 1990 they spent much of their time in the lower reaches of the top-flight – occupying five of their ten seasons in the 1980’s stuck in the old Second Division.
In 1982, whilst in the second tier of English football, Ken Bates bought the club for £1 thus inheriting and taking responsibility for the club’s debts of £1.5 million. This was not a club that were exactly ‘going places’, but a combination of level-headedness, in not getting ahead of themselves expecting quick-fire success, and a tightening of the purse strings meant that the club’s off-the-field matters were stabilised giving them the potential to gradually grow into the force that they are today.
It took a couple of years for Harding’s revolution to take shape. You could say the ball that is still rolling started in the summer of 1995 when, under Glenn Hoddle as manager, they acquired the services of former European footballer of the year Ruud Gullit; a winner of numerous domestic and continental honours for club and country and although they managed to finish in a meagre 11th place at the end of the 1995-96 season (one position behind West Ham which, incidentally, was the last time to date that the Hammers have finished above their west London rivals) the signing of Gullit was a sign of things to come.
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Harding’s funds in helping import an influx of top continental players would be something that the Stamford Bridge faithful would become accustomed to. At the start of the 1996/1997 season, tempted by Harding’s millions and the presence of Mr. Gullit, now installed as player/manager with Hoddle appointed England national coach, they acquired the services of players such as Frank Lebeouf, Roberto Di Matteo, Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli; the latter fresh from winning the Champions League with Juventus. Players of this quality would unlikely have gone to a side that had consistently finished in the bottom half of the table throughout their history, let alone the season just gone, without someone of Gullit’s stature in the game being at the club.
And it was in this campaign that Chelsea’s first real success came to fruition where, in the season that Harding tragically died in a helicopter crash on his way home from a League Cup tie at Bolton Wanderers, they beat Middlesboro to win the FA Cup whilst finishing the league campaign in a healthy sixth place. Chelsea, to date, have never finished a season outside the top-six since and this statistic will no doubt continue for a few more years yet and since that season they have won three League Cups, a Cup Winners’ Cup, four more FA Cups and of course, three league titles. West Ham meanwhile, are still without a major trophy since their FA Cup win over Arsenal in 1980.
Whereas Chelsea made use of the foundations that were laid down in the boardroom by Bates, Harding and their associates, West Ham have yet to find any. It is too early to say whether the David Gold/David Sullivan team can weave their magic wand upon the Upton Park trophy cabinet, turning its ever-occupying dust into silverware, but it could quite possibly be the start of ‘something’.
Ken Bates bought out the Blues, ridded them of their debts and gave them stability whilst Gold and Sullivan are attempting to do the same after the debacle that occurred under Eggert Magnusson’s Icelandic consortium which still leaves West Ham in a financial mud heap to climb from. There is undoubted potential for the Hammers being the only major club side from the east end, with a fan base that stretches out to the far reaches of Essex and if Chelsea can achieve all they have achieved then there is no reason why West Ham cannot do the same. The clubs were like two peas in a pod before the money came rolling in for the Blues with backing from men with a passion for the club’s well being.
The Irons have not found a man like Matthew Harding who lived and breathed Chelsea from when he was a boy and who, when given the chance, made the right investments which enabled the re-development of the infrastructure at Stamford Bridge with the building of a new stand, plus the all-important aspect of attaining the right players either by transfers or from their now much lauded youth academy. This was all Harding’s doing. The work he did for Chelsea was just as integral to their current success as the role played by Roman Abramovich has been. They were already an established top-six side when Abramovich took over in 2003 and much of that was down to Harding. The first brick laid in the construction of Chelsea’s title winning side in 2005 was planted by Matthew Harding in 1994.
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Manchester City have a reasonably illustrious history but don’t forget that they were a League One side in 1999 and have often been propping up the top half of the table since they returned to the Premiership until, of course, the money rolled in giving a guile and confidence to the club. I know it’s now that matters and football didn’t end in 1994 but it’s an interesting case in point to look back and see how similar they were to each other until Chelsea were bankrolled properly unlike the shenanigans that seems to occur at West Ham each time a new owner takes over leading to the inevitable debts that engulf the club.
It’s not all doom and gloom for West Ham fans. Things can change. Chelsea were the same as West Ham are now so the latter just need to find a foundation on which to build success upon just as Matthew Harding did. Maybe the Hammers have finally found the right men in messrs Gold and Sullivan but only time will tell and that will only be confirmed when there is not a snigger to be heard when a West Ham fan says: ‘I think we will beat Chelsea.’
Written By Ricky Murray at ‘This is Futbol’
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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri said Alexandre Pato should not fear for his spot despite the addition of Antonio Cassano to the squad.
Allegri assured Pato that he would not be shuffled out of the side in preference to Cassano, with both players offering different qualities as final-third danger men.
“Pato should remain calm because he is an extraordinary player with great qualities. Cassano has completely different qualities. Pato is a real striker while Cassano passes the ball,” Allegri said.
“The fact Pato’s best quality is scoring goals is shown by the numbers because he played 100 matches and scored 50 goals. We cannot question Pato’s quality only because he played a bad game in Lecce (in Milan’s 1-1 draw last Sunday), no problem at all.”
Allegri praised Sunday’s Serie A opponent Cesena, who tested Milan’s city rivals Inter before going down 3-2 at the San Siro on Wednesday.
“I believe Cesena had a good game against Inter Milan on Wednesday. It’s a team with a good defence (and) they play well up front too,” the manager said.
“They’re good in recovering the ball, so we should be very careful. We can’t underestimate them and we need to play with great intensity like we did on Wednesday against Bari.”
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“It is important we get back to winning ways in the championship, that’s why we have to play the game the best we can.”
Van Der Sar has announced that he will retire from football at the end of the season. With Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, the best two defenders in the Premier League, sitting in front of you, you may say it would be easy to be a goalkeeper at Manchester United. But there is no way that Ferguson would take a risk on anything other than a consistent, experienced and able Goalkeeper.
With the likes of Van Der Sar (40), Brad Fiedel (39), Jussi Jääskeläinen (35) Mark Schwarzer, (38) and Marcus Hahnemann (38) all playing in the Premier League, it is apparent that in the modern game, Goalkeepers are looking after themselves better, and being looked after better than ever before and can extend their careers long into their late 30’s.
What this means is that Ferguson does not need to take a risk on a young Goalkeeper, or spend time developing one, because you can buy an experience Goalkeeper these days and not have to worry that you will only get a few years out of him, in the same way that you might about a striker.
Manchester United spent six years looking for a GK before they found Van Der Sar, and Ferguson admits that he should have bought him as soon as Schmeichel left. Van Der Gouw, Bosnich, Barthez, Caroll, and Taibi were some of the calamitous short term replacements but none did what Van Der Sar has done. Ferguson will definitely not put his side through this process again. I think he will spend the money and but a top class player since it is much less risky to buy a proven option than invest in youth.
It is true also that the only way goalkeepers get better is by playing regularly. This has been demonstrated this year by Ben Foster who never quite made enough of an impression at United to be kept on, but now he is settled at Birmingham, his form puts him as one of the best keepers in the Premiership.
In short, his other new goalkeeper Lindegaard, 26, will have a few opportunities from now until September and he will have to play out of his skin if he is to get anywhere near persuading Ferguson out of reinvesting.
Ferguson does not have time to buy a keeper with potential and try and bring them through, such as De Gea. Unlike with outfield players, top clubs have to buy a keeper who is already somewhere near the finished article; there is no room or time to develop a keeper.
Some would argue that the centre of midfield is United’s weakness; this was highlighted in the Champions League against Barcelona where they were out-passed by a superior side and made to run in circles round them. But to be fair, Barcelona do that to everyone (except Inter last year). Fletcher is determined and enthusiastic and is improving every season. Anderson too looks like he is finally starting to grow into the rather large boots you would expect of such an expensive player (circa 15m). Yes Hargreaves does have glass legs and a midfield option may be required, but only after a goalkeeper. So who should it be?
I think Ferguson will go for Stekelenburg from Ajax. He took over the Holland gloves from Van Der Sar and seems a perfect option. His contract is running out in a year too so he will not be as expensive as some of the others. Vitally he is tall, which will be important in the physical Premier League. Names such as Neuer, Akinfeev and Lloris will no doubt be thrown into the mixer but Ferguson is bound to ask Van Der Sar’s advice and I don’t see him recommending anyone other than his compatriot. If you are a betting man a suggest a coupled of quid on him now.
That said, rumours will no doubt circulate over the concluding months of the season, with Pepe Reina and Gigi Buffon the latest two to be linked with an Old Trafford move. I really can’t see Reina going, not from Liverpool to United, and I doubt Dalglish would be willing to let one of his few world class players leave.
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Gossip on a new goalkeeper may not be as exciting as the potential signing of a new Brazilian wonder-kid, or the latest goal-scoring machine, but when it comes to transfers, I doubt much else will be on Fergie’s mind between now and the end of the season. For the time being, let us applaud the achievements of Edwin Van Der Sar.
From 1990-2011 he has won the English Premier League 3 times, Uefa Cup, Eredivisie 4 times and the Champions League twice.
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As we continue our look back at moments that have defined English football, we take a trip back to Arsenal’s record breaking invincible team of 2003/04 and the biggest single threat to their hopes of going 38 games unbeaten that season.
No. 2: Manchester United v Arsenal at Old Trafford, 21st September 2003
Considering just how many classic clashes there have been between these two old foes over the last fifteen years, this meeting should have been nothing but a footnote on the tapestry that has become the Premier League’s most pivotal rivalry.
In reality, as the board went up to signal three minutes of stoppage time at Old Trafford, pundits were reflecting on a bad tempered stalemate between two sides striving to get out of second gear. The talk looked set to be of Patrick Vieira’s late red card, as the Frenchman was given a second booking for a petulant kick at Ruud van Nistelrooy, and the subsequent anger of the Arsenal players at the reaction of the Dutchman, encouraging referee Steve Bennett to reach for his top pocket.
Chances across the 90 minutes had been scarce – a Ryan Giggs free-kick hit the outside of the frame of the goal and Dennis Bergkamp had nearly played in Vieira, but those brief moments aside, the two sides had well and truly cancelled each other out.
The true significance of this result would not be felt until Arsenal completed their historic season with a win over Leicester City eight months later, but when Martin Keown felled Uruguayan Diego Forlan in the box during added time, the controversial van Nistelrooy was given the chance to complete a miserable week for Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman, having witnessed his side’s 3-0 mid-week capitulation at the hands of Italian giants Inter Milan, was surely about to see his prediction that an Arsenal side could go the season unbeaten dashed for another year.
Looking unusually ruffled, having missed both his previous attempts from the spot, van Nistelrooy smashed the resultant penalty against Jens Lehmann’s crossbar, and in the ensuing chaos was confronted by a succession of angry Arsenal players, crowding the crestfallen striker as he made his way out of the penalty area.
The animosity between the two sets of players had long been established. Van Nistelrooy was a particular figure of hate for the longer established members of the Gunners’ squad, and the intensity of the penalty situation boiled over and resulted in an ugly post match scuffle as referee Bennett brought the game to a close.
The fallout from the final moments of the game was far reaching. Both sides were admonished in the press for being unable to control their players but the punishments imposed by the FA looked set to have a major impact on Arsenal’s hopes of winning the Premier League title, four key players were fined and banned. Right back Lauren received the most severe sanctions, being forced to sit out four Premier League fixtures. Martin Keown was banned for three matches and both Ray Parlour and Patrick Vieira were given single game suspensions.
Arsenal were also fined heavily, and many suggested that the Gunners, who had been unable to find fluidity during the early weeks of the season, would struggle to keep up with United and new rivals Chelsea.
The significance of the disciplinary action should have served as a warning to United’s central defender Rio Ferdinand who was awaiting an FA hearing after missing a scheduled drug test. The eight-month ban later imposed on the former West Ham man was arguably the most significant moment of the season, although it was the punishments laid on Lauren, Keown, Parlour and Vieira that initially grabbed the headlines.
Arsenal would go on to hit their stride after the New Year and whilst they drew eleven further games, their profligacy never looked like being punished by their inconsistent rivals. History will eventually forget that late summer’s afternoon when Manchester United came six inches away from destroying Arsenal’s invincible season before it even got off the ground, and the ugly ramifications that followed. Ultimately, the success of the months ahead was the defining element of the invincibles’ crown.
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As a footnote, Martin Keown never started another Premier League match for Arsenal after the announcement of the punishments inflicted on the Gunners for their involvement in the Old Trafford tussle. Jens Lehmann, who watched Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penalty cannon off his crossbar, would wait another thirteen months before tasting a first league defeat in Arsenal colours.
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Manchester City’s strike trio of Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotell will only improve, manager Roberto Mancini has warned.Bosnian striker Dzeko cost the Eastlands club 27 million pounds, but his well-taken brace against Aris Salonika in the Europa League’s round-of-32 indicated that it was a sound investment by the Eastlands club, who outclassed their Greek opponents 3-0 on Thursday. “I think that he (Dzeko) played well,” Mancini told ESPN. “He scored two goals, which for him, is very important. It was important that we started very well.”The expensively-assembled strike force of Tevez, Balotelli and Dzeko started alongside each other for the first time, and Mancini said the trio would only get better with experience of sharing the forward space.”In the first half (the strikers played) very well. It was the first time (that they played together), I think that they need to play again, but second half when we tired I think we had some problems with the balance of the team.”Mancini added that City’s round-of-16 opponents, Dynamo Kiev, would pose a threat given their extensive experience within European competition.”I played against them a lot of times. It’s a big team – one of the best teams in the Ukraine – they play always in the Champions League and they have a lot of experience, so they’ll be a very difficult game,” the Italian said.
Paraguayan side Libertad all but secured their place in the knockout stages of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over San Martin.San Martin defender Julio Cesar Moreyra was sent off for an intentional hand ball after 23 minutes and Libertad midfielder Sergio Aquino stepped up to convert the resulting penalty.The Peruvian champions squandered their best chance to equalise when striker Heber Arriola had a penalty of his own saved by Libertad goalkeeper Tobias Vargas.Libertad are unbeaten from their four matches and top Group One with 10 points, while San Martin are second with six.In Group One’s other match on Tuesday, Mexican outfit San Luis played out a 1-1 draw with Colombia’s Once Caldas.Once Caldas have drawn three of their four games to sit third in the group with three points while San Luis are bottom with two.In Group Three, three-time champions Nacional recorded a surprise 1-0 away victory over Argentinos Juniors.Nacional striker Santiago Garcia scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute to silence the fans at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Buenos Aires.Despite the loss, Argentinos still top the group with seven points from four games, while Mexican side America are one point behind but have game in hand.Nacional are third on four points while Brazilian side Fluminense are bottom of the pool with two.
Birmingham have been fined 40,000 pounds by the Football Association due to a pitch invasion after their Carling Cup clash with Aston Villa.More than 1000 Birmingham fans invaded the St Andrews pitch after their team’s 2-1 win over their west Midlands rivals Villa in December.
The club was also warned about its future conduct and suspended half of the fine until the end of the 2013-14 season.
In response to the punishment, a Birmingham statement read: “The fine could have been much more significant but was determined after the FA commented on the professionalism adopted by Birmingham City in its preparation of the fixture, which was well documented, and the level of co-operation the club gave following the investigation and charge,” the statement read.
“Club officials would like to thank the FA and regulatory commission for their patience and assistance with this matter.”
Birmingham went on to win the Carling Cup, securing the trophy with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Wembley on February 27. It was the Premier League club’s first silverware in 48 years.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham.Scudamore has accused managers of not showing enough respect to officials and Ferguson is currently serving a five-match FA touchline for criticising referee Martin Atkinson following his side’s defeat at Chelsea.
“Richard Scudamore has not got a lot to do, has he? He?s trying to elevate the Premier League and fine, good – that’s his job. I don’t think managers disrespect referees,” Ferguson said on Friday.
“I got done for what I considered a fair comment but he didn’t, he gave me a five-match ban. That’s fine, but that doesn’t say we don’t respect referees.”
“It’s a difficult job, we all know that, you wouldn’t referee a game would you? But I think Richard is jumping off a high diving board here without thinking about it.”
With just eight games remaining the Premier League title race is still wide open.
United lead the way but Arsenal, Chelsea and even Tottenham are still in with a chance of lifting the trophy in May, according to Ferguson.
“With eight games to go you can’t exclude anyone. Arsenal, ourselves, Chelsea and Tottenham – you can’t exclude anyone,” he said.
“Whoever becomes the most consistent will win this league, I can guarantee that. We want to be consistent, we hope we will be and if we are, we have a good chance.”
“We are involved in three competitions which is great. The difference between now and 1999 [when United won the treble] is that nobody was injured then, apart from Henning Berg in the Champions League final.”
“At this moment in time this next few weeks are crucial to get players back from injury.”
Midfielders Anderson (knee) and Ji-Sung Park (hamstring) are both doubts.
Defenders Rio Ferdinand (calf), John O’Shea (hamstring) and Rafael (hamstring), and midfielders Owen Hargreaves (shoulder) and Darren Fletcher (virus) are all missing.
Cruziero ensured top spot in Group 7 of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday, while Deportes Tolima scored a consolation win.Cruziero ended their group stage efforts undefeated after a 3-0 away win at Estudiantes of Argentina in a match between two sides who had already progressed to the last 16.
With both sides having their focus on the next stage, it was the visitors who claimed an 11th minute lead through Thiago Ribeiro.
He was joined on the scoresheet by his strike partner Wallyson on the stroke of half-time, before Gilberto wrapped up the victory with his effort eight minutes from time.
The win propelled Cruzeiro to 10 points leaving them on top of the group after six matches, with Estudiantes second with eight points.
In the other group match, Colombian side Deportes Tolima ended their campaign on a positive note with a 2-0 win at Guarani of Paraguay.
Deportes, who stunned Brazilian giants Corinthians in the first round, hit the front four minutes into the second half thanks to Danny Santoya’s goal.
Luis Closa put the result beyond doubt with his goal 21 minutes before the conclusion of the match, the result was moot with both sides eliminated from the competition.