English Football Fans

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Crouch Stunned By Spurs' Sol Attack

Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch has voiced his disgust at the abuse Sol Campbell received during last weekend's clash against Tottenham Hotspur...

Police have launched an enquiry into the rowdy behaviour of Spurs supporters during their club's 2-0 loss at Fratton Park.

"A complaint has been received and it will be investigated fully," a police spokesperson told The Sun.

Most alarming of all the accusations levelled at the Lilywhites fans is that they racially vilified Portsmouth skipper Campbell, who earned the nickname 'Judas' when he left White Hart Lane for Arsenal in 2001.

While the 34-year-old has grown accustomed to the insults hurled at him by the still-bitter Tottenham faithful, the degree of abuse he was subjected to last weekend shocked the Pompey players, staff and supporters.

Crouch, also a former Spur, has copped plenty of stick throughout his career due to his awkward, gangly appearance - but even he was appalled by the chants aimed at Campbell.

"I am not often surprised but I was by the events of the weekend," the former Liverpool player said in The Sun.

"There is not a player in the Premier League or playing today who has not suffered abuse from other fans at one time or another.

"We all expect some banter but on Sunday a line was crossed. That is why people are still talking about it."

Gerrard dedicates goal to fans

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has dedicated his 100th goal for the club to the fans.

The England international fired home a ferocious free-kick to help Liverpool to a 3-1 Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on Wednesday evening.

Having achieved the milestone, Gerrard paid tribute to the support he has received during his time at the club.

"It was great to get my 100th goal in front of the Kop to say thank-you for all the support the fans have given me over the years," he said.

some silverware

"But the most important thing tonight was to get another win to put ourselves in the driving seat in the group.

"We are a very confident group this season and there is a good bond between the players on and off the pitch.

"But we have not won anything yet and it's important we do win some silverware this season."

Chelsea wait on Drogba news

Chelsea could be down to the bare bones for Sunday's Aston Villa match after Didier Drogba joined a long injury list.

Drogba suffered suspected knee ligament damage in Chelsea's 0-0 Champions League draw with CFR Cluj on Wednesday night, leaving the field on a stretcher and the stadium on crutches with his right leg in a brace.

Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari was already without Deco, Joe Cole, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho.

Ashley Cole sat out the match with a sore back while John Terry (back) and Alex (buttock) both finished it in pain.

Scolari should get a clearer picture of where he stands over the next 24 hours but the potential loss of eight key players could be a major problem.

immediately crumpled

An extended lay-off for Drogba, who was making only his third start after undergoing a knee operation in the summer, would leave Nicolas Anelka as Chelsea's only fit out-and-out striker.

With Carvalho sidelined for the next fortnight, Scolari will be anxious both Terry, who was holding his back in the closing stages, and Alex recover for the weekend or Chelsea will be out of senior centre-backs.

Scolari is at least optimistic that Ashley Cole will return to face Villa, though the long-term prognosis for Drogba did not look promising.

The Ivorian appeared to jar his right knee as he stretched to reach a cross from Florent Malouda and immediately crumpled to the floor.

Scholes out for 10 weeks

Manchester United's Paul Scholes will be out of action for 10 weeks after suffering medial ligament damage.

Scholes was injured just 16 minutes into the Red Devils' 3-0 Champions League win over Aalborg on Tuesday night and it immediately became obvious that he could not continue.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested after the match that Scholes would be missing for about eight weeks but after being assessed by club medical staff on Wednesday, the damage is even worse. Ryan Giggs came on as his replacement for Scholes, and laid on the first goal for Wayne Rooney.

plus points

Sir Alex Ferguson told the club's official website: "There were a lot of plus points but we lost Paul Scholes.

"We had one or two other injuries. Young Rafael got injured and Rooney has an ankle problem. He felt a weakness in it when he went to receive a ball and we took him off straightaway.

"So there was maybe a cost to pay for the victory. Nonetheless we have four points now and it's where we want to be." Dimitar Berbatov scored the other goals for United, his first for the club.

Zaki prepared to leave options open

Wigan Athletic striker Amr Zaki will wait until the summer before deciding whether to remain at the JJB Stadium.

Zaki has so far been one of the stars of the new Barclays Premier League campaign after joining Wigan on a season-long loan from El Zamalek.

The Egypt international striker made it six goals in eight matches with a well-taken penalty in Sunday's 2-1 home win over Manchester City.

Manager Steve Bruce recently revealed there is an agreement in place with El Zamalek for the Latics to sign Zaki permanently.

However, Zaki is aware his goal exploits have pushed him into the spotlight and that he could become hot property next summer.

my wish

"To attract the attention of clubs so quickly is a good sign for me that I am doing well," said Zaki.

"I must thank God for this success. Credit also goes to (Wigan chairman Dave) Whelan and Bruce for their determination to sign me.

"Despite this, all I want now is to concentrate on my game and improve.

"In the summer I will decide what to do - whether I will go back to Egypt, continue at Wigan or move to another club.

"But my wish is to stay here in the Premier League."

Monday, September 29, 2008

Hughes Blasts Foreign Fakers

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has accused foreign Premier League players of being serial simulators following his side's weekend loss to Wigan Athletic...

Wigan claimed the points at the JJB Stadium thanks to Amr Zaki's first-half penalty, which set the scores at 2-1 after City's Vincent Kompany had cancelled out Luis Antonio Valencia's 16th-minute opener.

It was a controversial call from referee Steve Bennett, as Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios certainly made the most of what little contact he received from Javier Garrido's challenge.

Hughes made no attempt to hide his frustration with the decision, insisting Bennet made a number of crucial errors that influenced the result.

"We felt it was an extremely harsh penalty. The lad is clearly looking to gain an advantage and dived theatrically," he said in The Sun.

"We wondered if it was because of where the referee was standing but it wasn’t."

Diving has become a thorny issue in English football over the last few years, with many pointing to the influx of imported talent as the source of problem.

Opinions remains divided, however, as some pundits believe British players are every bit as guilty of faking for a free-kick as the likes of Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Hughes insisted homegrown stars are nowhere near as wily as foreign players when it comes to hoodwinking referees.

"I didn’t use to fall down as easily as some foreign players," added the former Manchester United forward.

"They are a bit more adept at winning free-kicks than British ones. The ability to draw fouls is seen as a skill.

"Yet maybe this is what we have to expect from this point onwards."

Ramos Not Worried About Losing Job

Under-fire Tottenham boss Juande Ramos has played down speculation that he is one or two more losses away from losing his job.

Hailed as the Spurs' saviour when arriving from Sevilla during last season, the Spaniard has overseen Tottenham's worst ever Premiership start, with the 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth keeping them rooted to the bottom of the table.

At Fratton Park, the traveling fans showed their discontent with the infamous 'you don't know what you're doing chant', but Ramos is confident that he can turn things around and that he will be given the time to do so.

When pressed on whether he can still count on the full backing of the board he said: "Absolutely. We speak regularly and everyone is aware of our delicate position.

"Whether I survive is something for the chairman and the board to decide but I'm not hurt (by the fans' abuse). What hurts is not winning matches."

"We are in a complicated situation and nobody seems to help us when we need it," he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

"Portsmouth scored from a penalty today but in the same kind of incident we were denied a penalty - the same as against Wigan last week. In critical moments we are not getting these decisions.

"We have been playing with two strikers in most games but we used just one against Newcastle and it worked better. Bent had played every minute of the six previous games and needed a break.

"It is true that when you come here and feel up for winning that it is very disappointing when you lose, but the players know we have another game in another competition on Thursday and we must recover from this very quickly."

Redknapp: We Rejected Bid For Diarra

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has admitted that the club rejected a £15 million offer for Lassana Diarra on the final day of the transfer window.

With the finances at Fratton Park subject to increasing concern on the South Coast, owner Alexandre Gaydamak is looking to offload the club as he struggles to cope with the spiralling wage bill.

Such worries have added credence to speculation that Redknapp would be forced to cash in on the club’s saleable assets, with Diarra reportedly set to join the likes of John Utaka and Niko Kranjcar out of the exit door.

However, the experienced manager has attempted to play down the speculation, believing that the fact that all players have a price on their head is nothing unique to Pompey.

"At the moment I don't want to sell anybody. I turned down a £15million bid for Diarra on transfer deadline day. I'm not saying who from - he might want to go there," Redknapp said.

"But he is worth more than that. You show me a club that's not up for sale if somebody offers fantastic money.

"I don't know if the owner here wants to sell but I bet every club has a price on it.

"I know we have fantastic assets here - and they are on the pitch. I've spoken to the owner and he's told me we don't have to sell.

"We had to sell Sulley Muntari and Pedro Mendes in the summer to get Peter Crouch and and a few others. It happens in football but I wouldn't have a clue what players earn or what they cost.

"I had to sell Benjani last season which I didn't want to do but I needed to do that to get Defoe who is younger. Nearly every team is in debt and has to sell to buy. Nobody is making millions."

Diarra played in Porsmouth’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, though an otherwise solid display was tainted with his dismissal late on for two bookable offences.