North America
+ FC Edmonton have named Dutch-Canadian Dwight Lodeweges as the team’s first Coach. Lodeweges, currently the Head Coach for the Dutch premier league’s NEC Nijmegen will be joined by Associate Coach Hans Schrijver, a former member of the Dutch Olympic team.
+ Edmonton Journal: Original Drillers help resurrect pro soccer in Edmonton.
+ Kristian Jack: Jorge Andrade’s trial with Toronto FC will not take place. His representatives are unable to track him down in Portugal and he has failed to show up to camp.
+ The Crew will not play Toronto FC on Thursday in Bradenton, Fla. Toronto will scrimmage the University of Central Florida that day in its first scrimmage of the preseason.
+ The Yorkies: Toronto FC Florida training camp surprises.
+ Ze Roberto (the one who played at Bayern Munich) apparently has spurred interest from the Red Bulls.
+ Sam Stejskal: Collins John looking for redemption.
England
+ Roberto Mancini felt Adam Johnson proved exactly why he splashed out £8million to sign him on deadline-day after he helped Manchester City to a 2-0 win over Bolton.
+ Sunderland’s Steed Malbranque was released from hospital following a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth last night. Malbranque picked up a chest problem in the first half of the Premier League match at Fratton Park and was sent for precautionary tests.
+ Some Canadian Guys: David Edgar finally getting some action.
+ Portsmouth will return to the high court next Friday after succeeding in their attempt to have their winding-up order adjourned.
+ David Conn: Crunched creditors call time on living the dream.
+ Gianfranco Zola has put his future at West Ham United in doubt by telling the club’s new owners that he will not allow anyone to "walk over my principles" after warnings of pay cuts at the London club and the suggestion that Zola could be "too nice" to be a successful manager.
+ David Sullivan says he has no intention of sacking Gianfranco Zola despite the manager’s fury at proposed cuts to the wage bill.
+ David Sullivan cannot sack Gianfranco Zola as West Ham United’s manager until the end of the season because of an agreement he struck when he took control of the club but last night there were serious questions over the Italian’s immediate future.
+ Martin Samuel: Gianfranco Zola is like Ossie Ardiles — nice bloke, but as useful as Bungle in a fight to the death.
+ The Telegraph: West Ham’s five biggest problems.
+ Chelsea are ready to take advantage of Barcelona’s bid for Cesc Fabregas by launching a £30million raid for Dani Alves this summer.
+ Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that John Terry will feature in today’s trip to Goodison Park despite a slight injury concern but admits he would consider granting him the weekend off should the club captain request time with his family.
+ Paddy Agnew: The realpolitik of the John Terry decision.
+ Manchester United’s owners have come under renewed attack from disgruntled supporters following news that one of the club’s longest-serving stewards was sacked for siding with the Glazer protestors.
+ Rio Ferdinand has withdrawn his appeal against additional one-match ban for Craig Fagan clash.
+ Manchester United are watching two of Roma’s 15-year-olds Valerio Verre and Filippo Cipriani. But Roma want to offer them professional contracts when they turn 16 later this year.
+ The Canadian Stretford End: 4-5-1 – What’s the key?
+ Arsène Wenger has insisted he will not abandon his principles in the wake of traumatic defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea which he admitted were "very painful" to endure, but called for patience and realism as Arsenal confront the prospect of a fifth successive season without silverware.
+ Gabriele Marcotti: Get real Arsene, you can afford some reinforcements.
+ Alberto Aquilani will miss Liverpool’s trip to Arsenal today because of illness. The Italian has been vomiting over the last day or so and Rafael Benítez has decided he is too weak to feature at the Emirates.
+ Rafael Benitez has confirmed he expects Liverpool to lose out to Arsenal in the race to sign Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh less than a month after the Anfield club appeared to be in pole position to reach a pre-contract agreement with the Moroccan international.
+ Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has pipped his old club Valencia in the race for Milan Jovanovic after the Serbia striker signed a three-year contract with an option for a further 12 months.
+ Roman Pavlyuchenko has opened his heart to Harry Redknapp in a bid to clinch a move back to Russia. Lokomotiv Moscow still have an offer on the table for the 28-year-old, who hopes the Tottenham Hotspur boss will let him leave after tonight’s match at Wolverhampton.
+ Wigan and Sunderland are to revive interest in Cruz Azul midfielder Cristian Riveros.
+ George Caulkin: Sunderland must not blow their chance to become a success.
+ Chester’s Blue Square Premier match at Forest Green was called off just over two hours before kick-off after the visitors’ playing staff reportedly refused to fulfil the fixture. The club have allegedly failed to pay their squad in full for the past three months.
+ The Football Association has been asked to investigate the circumstances of Flavio Briatore’s takeover of Queens Park Rangers by Antonio Caliendo, the club’s former majority shareholder bought out by the Formula One tycoon.
+ Rob Bagchi: Virtuosos, hustlers and bustlers: why the best strikers never lose it.
+ The Football Association must deduct points from clubs whose fans indulge in racist behaviour or risk further erosion of the English game’s "moral authority", according to a report submitted by its own anti-racism taskforce yesterday.
+ Patrick Barkham: Can gay footballers ever come out?
+ Umbro has launched the England football team’s new away shirt in an unusual fashion – by having it worn by Tom Meighan, the lead singer of the band Kasabian, at a concert in Paris.
Spain
+ Cesc Fabregas has struck a verbal agreement with Barcelona to return to the club next season, Cadena Ser radio reported on Tuesday. Barcelona have denied the claim.
+ Barcelona have confirmed that defender Eric Abidal is facing up to two months on the sidelines with an adductor injury.
+ Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema will almost certainly miss out on a return to Lyon in the Champions League, after medical tests revealed he will be sidelined for at least a week with an adductor injury.
+ Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claims Cristiano Ronaldo rejected a move to Barcelona in order to join their bitter rivals.
Italy
+ Lazio have sacked coach Davide Ballardini and replaced him with former Napoli boss Edy Reja.
+ Sampdoria general director Giuseppe Marotta insists Antonio Cassano’s exclusion from the squad is simply a "technical choice".
+ José Mourinho has been advised by Italian police to tighten up his security after they uncovered a plot to burgle one of his houses in north Italy.
+ Bari have conceded that keeping Paulo Barreto at the club is becoming more complicated with every goal he nets.
France
+ Fourth-tier Quevilly caused the upset of the night in the Coupe de France by defeating Ligue 1 Rennes 1-0 to advance to the quarter-finals.
(Nice goalkeeping on the opener! Yeesh)
+ The Ligue 1 match between Bordeaux and Auxerre has been postponed in order to give the French champions more time to prepare for their Champions League clash against Olympiacos.
(Must be nice!)
Germany
+ The row over the extension of Joachim Low’s contract as Germany coach beyond the World Cup has officially ended.
+ A superb late strike from substitute Hugo Almeida gave holders Werder Bremen a 2-1 win over Hoffenheim and a place in the semi-finals of the German Cup on Tuesday.
Portugal
+ Benfica ran out worthy 4-1 winners over Sporting in the Carling Cup semifinal.
Brazil
+ Ronaldinho’s hopes of a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad have faded after he was not picked by coach Dunga for their last warm-up game against Republic of Ireland in London.
+ Roma defender Cicinho is set to finalise his loan move to Sao Paulo, according to his agent.
Argentina
+ Diego Maradona has brought an end to a campaign for the return to the Argentina team of the playmaker Juan Román Riquelme. "It’s a closed subject," the Argentina coach said. "I called Riquelme up [last March] and he didn’t come. I love how he plays and I hope he returns to his best form for Boca Juniors who need him."
Ivory Coast
+ The future of Vahid Halilhodzic as Ivory Coast coach appears to be in doubt as Al Hilal coach Erik Gerets has been approached to replace Halilhodzic, according to a report in Het Nieuwsblad.
Nigeria
+ Mark Gleeson: Nigeria’s firing of Shaibu Amodu was inevitable.
Australia
+ Sydney FC skipper and former Australia international Steve Corica will bring the curtain down on a career spanning 21 years after today confirming his decision to retire at the end of the current A-League season.
Comments (8)
wow thats an very interesting developing with the andrade news….hope you guyys keep me posted with the news
Adebayor’s goal yesterday was filthy!!!
Dirtier than John Terry’s memoirs. To be at a bookstore near you soon… probably just after the World Cup I imagine.
Andrade’s missing! Smells like second thoughts. LOL… Too good to be true, from the begining???
That youtube video is jokes! How was homeboy even able to lift his leg up to kick the ball in them tight-us jeans?????
Wilshire’s on loan @ Bolton???? Where the hell have I been??????? Some Gooner… :(
Glad Zola is speaking out against the stupid comments (and timing of comments) by the new owners. They should shut the fuck up and take care of the business end. Zola is no elite manager but he is not West Ham’s biggest problem and he deserves to be treated with more respect than that….. fuckin clowns
What the fuck is this Paddy Agnew talkin about? Almost the stupidest thing ever “written”.
Yorkies! always very funny stuff, thanks… I needed that
Ah yeah, and the John Terry memoirs, no joke, it is probably in the works
portsmouth could be shut down. that would create such a mess. what do you do with the points the other teams got off them already? (i’m guessing you would have to remove them).
jovanovic will join liverpool on a free transfer this summer. which is probably the end of any possibilities of chamakh joining.
barca flat out denying fabregas rumours? now i’m positive he’s joining them this summer. if this happens, arsenal will drop out of the big 4.
That video of the unveiling of the England Kit looks like Wayne Rooney kareoking (I might have misspelled this word, oh well) just before you click on it take a closer look.
The bandwagon of which manager should be sacked next is getting ridiculous, first Arsene Wenger and now Gianfranco Zola. That is the media for you in England!
That goal in the Coupe De France game looked like it bounced really funny off the ground there. Not to say the goalkeeper did the right thing, but it looks like he was expecting it to bounce straight at him, which I think it should have – unless the field was muddy or icey or something.
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