New Chelsea signing Fernando Torres says he is delighted with his move to Stamford Bridge and is eyeing a long career at the London club.
The former Liverpool striker signed a five-and-half-year deal reportedly worth 50 million pounds as Chelsea look to bolster their striking stocks ahead of the knockout stages of the Champions League and the conclusion of the English Premier League campaign.
The 26-year-old said he is looking forward to making an immediate impression at his new club, who face off against Liverpool in the league at Stamford Bridge this Sunday.
“I am very happy with my transfer to Chelsea and I am looking forward very much to helping my new team-mates this season and for many years to come,” he told the Chelsea website.
“Having played against Chelsea many times since coming to England, and in some very big games I will never forget, I know there are many great players here and I will work hard to win a place in the team. I hope I can score some important goals for the supporters to enjoy this season.”
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck hailed the signing of one of the world’s best players as a major coup for his club.
“This is a very significant day for Chelsea, capturing one of the best players in the world with his peak years ahead of him,” Buck said.
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“We have long admired the talents of a player who is a proven goalscorer in English football and Fernando’s arrival is a sign of our continuing high ambitious. I hope every Chelsea fan is as excited as I am with this news.”
Torres, who joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid in 2007, scored 81 goals in 142 total appearances for the Reds including both goals when the Reds defeated Chelsea at Anfield in November.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola refuses to speculate on how long he will remain at the Camp Nou after signing a one-year contract extension.
A product of the club’s youth academy and a European Cup winner as a player, Guardiola has enjoyed extraordinary success since his promotion from youth coach to first-team manager in 2008.
The 40-year-old won the treble of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey in his first season in charge and followed it up with a second league title in 2009/10.
Club officials are desperate to tie their prized asset to a long-term deal, but Guardiola insists he will not accept a significantly extended contract while he is still unsure of his own long-term ambitions.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Guardiola said.
“If I could, I’d renew my contract every half a year. But that isn’t possible. I need to see if I still have the desire and strength, and if the players are still ok. People say that everything is thanks to the players and the manager, it isn’t though – it’s down to everyone. When one part fails, then you have to react.”
“This is natural, and when we go our separate ways it will be because these things happen. It’s not a reason to be angry; it will simply be because things aren’t going well. Everything erodes with time, and we have to be very aware of this.”
Guardiola also showed his customary tact when pressed on the issue of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.
Barca officials have made no secret of their desire to bring the former youth team player back to Catalonia, but on this occasion Guardiola refrained from further antagonizing their forthcoming Champions League opponents.
“It is a lack of respect to Arsenal to talk too much about him,” he said.
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“He is one of their players, and if we sign him then it will be to a long-term contract and even then, only if Arsenal sell him. We will see then whether it is a possibility or not.”
“He is an Arsenal player, and we can’t lack respect for him, his club and his manager.”
“There is no offer on the table, and there won’t be until Arsenal say publically that they want to sell the player. Until Mr Wenger and Cesc decide otherwise, he is their player.”
Chelsea have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals following a 2-0 win away to FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.A brace from Frenchman Nicolas Anelka gave the English Premier League champions a comfortable win at the Parken Stadion and earned a measure of respite for under-fire manager Carlo Ancelotti.With the team a distant fifth in the league, Italian coach Ancelotti is reportedly under significant pressure to retain his job – particularly after Chelsea’s fourth-round FA Cup exit at home to Everton on Saturday.But there was no sign of another disaster thanks to a dominant performance in their round-of-16 first-leg match against the Danish title holders.Big-money signing Fernando Torres was recalled in favour of Didier Drogba but struggled again to make an impression, despite a slight improvement on his recent performances.Copenhagen goalkeeper Johan Wiland was able to smother an early chance after a heavy touch from the Spain striker.Zdenek Pospech had the best opportunity for the hosts when he broke through the Chelsea defence and had his shot blocked, with the ball then ricocheting around the area before being cleared. But it was the English side who made the breakthrough when striker Anelka accepted a misplaced pace from former Chelsea winger Jesper Gronkjaer on 16 minutes.The Frenchman raced clear of the defence and slotted a typically cool finish beyond Wiland for 1-0.Chelsea pressed their advantage but Torres failed to extend the lead, gifting Wiland another simple save before wasting a good pass from midfielder Frank Lampard.Anelka also went close with a header from Florent Maloud’s cross.Midfielder Martin Vingaard came on for Copenhagen at half-time and troubled Chelsea’s Petr Cech with a long-range effort. He also curled another shot straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.But while the Danish hosts lifted their tempo considerably, it was to be Chelsea who struck again. With 53 minutes on the clock, Lampard released Anelka in behind the opposition defence and the 31-year-old made it 2-0 with another emphatic shot past a helpless Wiland.Copenhagen might have had a penalty when defender Branislav Ivanovic brought down Gronkjaer, but the flag was already up for offside.N’Doye Dame, Vingaard and Claudemir all had speculative attempts easily dealt with by Cech as Chelsea eased through the final exchanges.They now hold an significant advantage of two away goals and will be confident of progressing to the quarter-finals after the return match on March 16.
Let’s face it, Wales face an uphill task against England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday and without Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, Gary Speed will need Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey and co to play to their full potential if they’re to stand any chance against Fabio Capello’s men. However, they have got a secret weapon up their sleeve in the form of Miss Wales.
Courtenay Hamilton, Miss Wales 2010, is helping the Wales squad with the national anthem ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ – ‘Land of my Fathers’ to get the 70,000 plus crowd revved up on Saturday afternoon. Priced at 7/1 with bet365, Wales need all the help they can get and at least the England players might be distracted prior to kick off. Take a look at the gallery below to see why…
Click on Courtenay below to see Wales’ secret weapon
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This is the 2nd part of the article focusing on former Premier League clubs. Since the Premier League was formed in 1992 there has been 44 competitive teams to date, some teams have failed to return to the top flight, whilst others have made flying visits or for the even more unfortunate, further relegation down the football league pyramid sealed their fate. However, this article is to remember those teams that made up the Premier League of yesteryear and see whether their club is set for a return to the big league or nowhere near it.
Leeds United
Leeds United were certainly one of the bigger boys to make up the Premier League in the past, the West Yorkshire club won the (old) Division One title in 1991-1992 season, the season before the league names and structures changed in England. It wasn’t until the late Nineties that United enjoyed their best Premier League spell under David O’Leary who guided his Leeds side into the ‘Top 4’ for three consecutive seasons – the club qualifying for European competitions. They reached the Semi-Final of the UEFA Cup in 1999-’00 losing to Galatasaray and a season later United reached the Semi-Final of the Champions League but were defeated by Valencia. With star players like Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer this Leeds team was considered one of the best in England at the time, however the high transfer fees and player wages were to be the downfall of the club, but also set a precedent or a warning for other clubs in the future.
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Failure to qualify for the Champions League in the 2001-2002 season saw a financial problem within the club after chairman Peter Ridsdale had taken out large loans to fund the transfers and wages of players like Robbie Fowler, Seth Johnson and Rio Ferdinand. United’s plight worsened rather rapidly with the sale of Rio to Manchester United causing David O’Leary to be sacked after falling out with Ridsdale. Eventually more star players were sold to repay loans and the club was able to survive relegation by finishing 15th, but a season later with a squad largely full of loan players, Leeds United were relegated after 14 years in the top division.
Since then Leeds have failed to return to the Premier League and further disappointment was in store for the fans. The club finished 5th in their second season in the Championship but were beaten in the Play-Off final by Watford. However, the following season would rub salt in the wounds as the club suffered its first relegation to the 3rd tier of English football in their history and were also in Administration due to financial difficulties. After failing in the play-offs in their first two League One seasons, United were able to achieve promotion in the 2009-10 season by finishing 2nd and their first season back in the Championship sees them currently in 5th position with a great chance of promotion under manager Simon Grayson.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for Forest and another sleeping giant…
Nottingham Forest
Perhaps the biggest club currently outside of the Premier League given their list of honours, but Forest were relegated in the inaugural season in 1992-93 which saw the end of legendary manager Brian Clough’s career as manager after 18 years, and Forest’s 16 years in the top flight. However, under Frank Clark, Forest were able to bounce back to the Premier League after one season and finished in a credible 3rd place during the 1994-1995 season. Their team boasted a number of quality players like Stuart Pearce, Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Stan Collymore and Bryan Roy to name a few. Despite getting to the UEFA Cup Quarter-Finals the following season, Forest’s league form declined and they finished in 9th place. The following season Forest were relegated from the Premier League – finishing bottom – but were able to bounce back at the first time of asking under manager Dave Bassett, with controversial Dutch striker Pierre van Hooijdonk scoring 34 goals. However, Bassett was sacked half-way into their Premier League return season and Forest finished bottom of the pile once again and were relegated out of the top flight in 1998-99.
Since then Forest have failed to make it back to the big league with a few mid-table finishes in the Championship, although in 2002/03 season under Paul Hart, Forest finished 6th but failed to qualify to the Play-Off final. Two seasons later saw Forest relegated once again, becoming the first ever former European Cup winners to drop into the third tier of domestic league football. Forest spent three seasons in League One before achieving promotion back to the Championship; they finished in a credible 3rd place last season and currently sit in 6th place.
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Southampton
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The Saints were one of the founding clubs since the Premier League started and enjoyed an impressive 27 years in the top flight before they were relegated in the 2004-05 season. Despite a number of poor finishes during their Premier League history, they will be mostly remembered for star player Matthew Le Tissier who decided to stick with his boyhood club despite interest from bigger clubs. It was Le Tissier’s goals that were able to keep the Saints up in their first few seasons but they finished in 10th place under the management of the late Alan Ball in 1994-95. Later Glenn Hoddle also finished in 10th place with the Saints but their best season came under the management of Gordon Strachan in 2002-03, with the club finishing in 8th place whilst also finishing runners-up in the FA Cup. The club was relegated two seasons later and since then have suffered further relegation into League One, including a deduction of points for entering administration. The Saints are now 5th in League One with a great chance of promotion.
Sleeping Giants
Whilst the football league has a number of former Premier League clubs, there are also a number of clubs who’ve never experienced the glamorous top flight experience in the last few decades, despite having the big stadium and crowd support with a rich history, certainly another article for another day.
England’s hopes of securing victory in Cardiff received a boost with the news that Gareth Bale has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. The Tottenham winger limped off from training with the reoccurring problem and the news is a devastating blow for Gary Speed and his preparations.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Comolli braced for a busy summer at Liverpool; UEFA would welcome law to reform the FA, while Frank Lampard fears for his future under Capello.
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Standing campaign to tour grounds – Guardian
Comolli braced for busy summer – Sky Sports
Manchester United sue anti-Glazer fan – Daily Telegraph
Aaron agony as pal hit Jackpot – Sun
Big guns line up to watch Wickham on Under-21 duty – Mirror
Fergie set to talk to the BBC! United boss ready for summit over access – Daily Mail
Tottenham go head-to-head with Arsenal for Oxlade-Chamberlain – Daily Mail
Uefa would welcome law to reform FA – Guardian
Spurs warning over WHL future – Sky Sports
Lampard fears for future under Capello – Daily Telegraph
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Guus sparks Blues alert – Sun
Benitez reveals his ‘dream’ job is to return as manager of Liverpool – Daily Mail
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has accepted a charge of improper conduct and is likely to be fined over his controversial Ghana tweets.Cole landed himself in hot water with the FA after posting inflammatory comments directed at Ghana fans on his Twitter account during England’s 1-1 friendly draw against the visiting African nation.
Cole tweeted: “Immigration has surrounded the Wembley premises! I knew it was a trap! Hahahaha.”
“The only way to get out safely is to wear an England jersey and paint your face w/ the St. George’s flag!”
Cole later deleted the offending remarks but not before they were brought to the attention of the FA, who subsequently charged the 27-year-old with improper conduct.
He has now accepted the charge and requested a personal hearing, where it is expected he will be fined or be given a warning.
An FA statement read: “The FA has charged West Ham United’s Carlton Cole with improper conduct relating to media comments. The charge relates to comments made on Twitter during the England v Ghana fixture on 29 March 2011.”
“Cole has requested a personal hearing which will take place before 21 April, 2011.”
The FA set a precedent for punishing Premier League players for their behaviour on Twitter earlier in the season, when the governing body fined then Liverpool striker Ryan Babel 10,000 pounds.
Babel had tweeted a mocked-up picture of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt, suggesting Webb had been biased in the Reds’ 1-0 defeat to United in the FA Cup.
Spanish side Getafe have been bought out by the Royal Emirates Group for a fee believed to be in the region of 70 to 90 million Euros.The group, chaired by a member of the Dubai ruling Al-Maktoum family, has bought a 100 percent stake in the club.
“Royal Emirates Group plans to invest heavily in inducting new blood and promoting the team in the region with the aim to make Dubai a transcending sky bridge between Europe and the Middle East,” a Royal Emirates Group statement said.
“(Getafe president) Angel Torres felt this landmark agreement will lead to new business relationships being forged between UAE and Spain.”
“In the spirit of this joint endeavour and to show the solidarity of the people of Dubai it was announced that Getafe CF will now add the tag line “Team Dubai” to its crest.”
“Royal Emirates Group plans to invest heavily in inducting new blood and promoting the team in the region with the aim to make Dubai a transcending sky bridge between Europe and the Middle East. “
Getafe become the second La Liga side to be bought out by a group from the Middle East, after Qatari billionaire Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani bought Malaga in last year for 25 million Euros.
After finishing sixth last season, Getafe have struggled to back that progress up this campaign, currently sitting 14th in La Liga, just four point above the relegation zone.
Aston Villa and Stoke City both edged closer to Premier League survival with a point each on Saturday.It was a classic game of two halves, with Stoke dominating early on and Villa eventually playing their way back into the match.
Darren Bent cancelled out Kenwyne Jones’ opener just before half-time and the home side perhaps deserved the win on the balance of play in the second half.
The visitors had all the early pressure, forcing a succession of corners, with only superb goalkeeping by Brad Friedel preventing them from taking a lead.
First Robert Huth picked up a loose ball after a trademark Rory Delap throw was only half cleared, but Friedel was alert to parry away the defender’s volley.
Then, from the resulting Matty Etherington corner, Jones’ goal-bound header was superbly clawed away by Friedel.
But the pressure finally paid off in the 20th minute when Stoke took the lead in familiar fashion with Jones rising highest to head home Delap’s long throw.
Villa struggled to cope with Stoke’s physical presence and it took half an hour for them to get into the game, even then only producing half chances for Luke Young who shot wide and Emile Heskey who headed over.
And when Bent did get into a scoring position, a last-ditch tackle from Ryan Shawcross denied him.
However, Bent grabbed the equaliser two minutes from half time, glancing a header from a Kyle Walker cross off the post and into the net.
The home side upped their game at the start of the second half. Stewart Downing had goalkeeper Asmir Begovic scrambling after his drive cannoned off Huth and out for a corner.
Then Heskey steered a low cross from Nigel Reo-Coker wide, before two substitutes combined, Gabby Agbonlahor heading Marc Albrighton’s cross into the ground and the arms of Begovic.
Stoke substitute Ricardo Fuller did have the ball in the net late on, but the striker was ruled offside as Jones passed to him.
And it was to get worse for Fuller as he was carried off on a stretcher forcing his side to play added time with only 10 men.
Honours were even as Birmingham and Wolves played out an entertaining draw in a pulsating Midlands derby at St Andrews.Wolves manager Mick McCarthy will surely be the more disappointed with his side after failing to capitalise on playing an hour of the game with an extra man after the sending off of Birmingham midfielder Craig Gardner.
Wolves took a crucial early lead in the seventh minute after Birmingham goalkeeper Ben Foster brought down Stephen Ward in the box and Stephen Fletcher dispatched from the penalty spot.
But after crashing a free kick off the crossbar, Seb Larsson grabbed the equaliser for Birmingham in the 27th minute.
A long punt by Foster had Michael Mancienne in all sorts of trouble and the defender only succeeded in heading the ball into the path of the Swede who smashed the ball through Wayne Hennessey’s legs and into the goal.
But only seconds after the goal the home side were reduced to 10 men.
Gardner had already been booked when he went down under the challenge of Jody Craddock, however referee Kevin Friend adjudged the Birmingham player to have dived and showed the second yellow card followed by the inevitable red.
Wolves went into the second half with attack in mind, winger Adam Hammill coming on for defender Richard Stearman.
But for all their attacking options Foster was rarely troubled. In fact it took 24 second-half minutes for him to be forced into a save and even then it was a weak Jamie O’Hara effort.
Meanwhile Birmingham continued to ask questions at the other end as Larsson fizzed another free kick over and Lee Bowyer shot wide from the left channel.
In the end Birmingham were content to let Wolves have the ball until they got to the final third where they defended in numbers.
Frustratingly for the away side they could not take advantage and end the game in the same predicament they began with – second from bottom of the Premier League.