West Ham United boss Avram Grant was delighted with his side's spirit in their 3-1 Carling Cup victory over Stoke City at Upton Park.
After falling behind early on, the Hammers showed plenty of fight to reach the quarter-finals, with Scott Parker equalising six minutes from time, before Manuel Da Costa and Victor Obinna netted in extra-time.
That resolve pleased Grant, who was concerned after a 2-1 home league reverse at the hands of Newcastle United.
Grant told his club's official website:"We wanted to show that Saturday was an exception for us.
"We didn't start the game well, but the reaction in the second half was great. We played well, dominated the game and scored three goals.
"We spoke about what we were not doing right, the mentality and the character. We changed the tactics a bit at half-time and I was delighted at the response.
"The turning point was a few weeks ago, after we lost but didn't give up and continued to do the right thing. We had three draws where we deserved to win.
"Even on Saturday, we started the game like a top team then someone pushed a button and we stopped.
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"We have a plan and a project for many years and I think we're doing the right things. We just need to be more stable.
"I must say that the second half on Saturday was not good, but, if you look at our last seven games, it's been the exception."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Stoke winger Matthew Etherington has denied claims that he has returned to gambling, after rumours that below-par performances on the pitch were due to a lapse.
The Potters’ midfielder revealed in the past that he has blown £1.5million on greyhounds, horses and poker, but after scoring the winner in the Britannia Stadium outfit’s 1-0 win over Stoke at the weekend hit back at his critics.
“I don’t think I’ve been awful this season but it just hasn’t happened for me,” he stated to The Daily Mail.
“I still think I’m putting in performances but obviously not at the level I was previously.
“You get that sometimes and I’m just as frustrated as the fans are. I’m not doing anything different, my personal life’s still brilliant as ever, no problems on that front. It’s just not happened for me.
“I’ve heard a few people talking and shouting their mouths off as usual but no, I’ve not gambled in two and a half years. I’m not gambling and I’m very happy.
“I’m not going to go into it but I’ve heard a few people talking, they put two and two together and make five sometimes. Just because my form’s not been as good as it has the last two years at this football club doesn’t mean that I’m gambling again, I’m not.
“You get on with it and now hopefully after this goal it’ll be a bit of a boost,” he admitted.
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Steve Bruce was satisfied to end an up-and-down season for Sunderland with a top-10 finish after beating West Ham 3-0 on Sunday.Sunderland were on course for Europa League place after a flying start to the season, which included a 3-0 win away to Chelsea.
But a succession of injuries to first-team players, coupled with the departure of striker Darren Bent in the January transfer window, resulted in a dire loss of form in the second half of the season.
But two wins from the last two matches sees Sunderland sneak into the top half of the table, albeit on goal difference.
“I’m delighted for us and all Sunderland fans. We set out to be in the top 10 and we’ve had a pretty awful three months,” Bruce said.
“We’ve put in back-to-back victories away from home, I thought we were well worth it today, and to go up four places, to finish above Newcastle for the third time in the last three years is obviously very pleasing for the supporters.”
“To finish in the top 10, for the third time in 55 years I believe, shows we’ve made a bit of progress and the next step is can we keep improving?”
“We’ve been badly injured and badly hampered by the loss of key players but to finish in the top 10 is very, very pleasing. I’m delighted for the club.”
West Ham came into the match at Upton Park with their relegation to the Championship already confirmed.
Avram Grant was dismissed immediately after their defeat to Wigan last week, leaving first-team coach Kevin Keen to take charge against Sunderland.
Despite overseeing a comprehensive home defeat, Keen insists he is the man to take the club forward.
“Yes I’d love the job,” Keen said. “My audition for the job started as soon as I got it and I think this week I’ve conducted myself quite well.”
“I love the club, I played for the club for nine years, I’ve come back and I’ve coached the club for nine years. It’s in my blood.”
“I feel I can really take the club on and contribute. I feel it is time for me to go on and become a manager.”
“If you asked the players about respect and who they’d want to take the job I think you’d get a big affirmative from the majority.”
“It’s a tough profession but I’ve been in it a long time and I feel I’ve got the attributes to take the club forward.”
Everton manager David Moyes was delighted to see striker Yakubu net his first goal of the season, a strike which clinched a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Stoke City.
The 27-year-old Nigeria international has struggled for form so far this term, but showed his finishing ability by rifling in the only goal of the game midway through the second half at Goodison Park.
Moyes told the Daily Post:"It is great for Yak to get the goal. If you work hard I think the supporters appreciate you and your team-mates appreciate you.
"I think Yak has certainly improved his work and he is starting to feel more confident himself. It would be great if we could get back the old Yakubu.
"He is certainly getting much more like it and I think you can sense the crowd feel that way. I thought he held the ball up well, brought people into the game.
"He had a chance in the first half and I am sure he will be disappointed he didn't do better.
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"You need your strikers to do something. Top clubs have strikers who do things to win games – Rooney, Drogba, Torres.
"We needed someone to do something and it was Yak skipping past a defender and rifling one home."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas has denied that there has been a bust-up between himself and Ashley Cole, and has defended his team selection for the defeat to Napoli on Tuesday.
The Stamford Bridge club were beaten 3-1 in Italy, with senior figures Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard starting the fixture from the bench.
Despite Cole replacing an injured Jose Bosingwa during the game, Villas Boas has rejected claims that the pair had been involved in an argument.
“It’s not true,” the Portuguese trainer stated in a press conference, published on Sky Sports.
“You don’t expect them to be jumping up and down with excitement when the manager doesn’t use them.
“The club is more important than any individual. Full backing, part backing or whatever backing – it doesn’t matter,” he admitted.
Reports in the English media have stated that Lampard was also fuming about not starting the match at San Paolo, but Villas Boas has stood by his team selection.
“In the end it is the decision of the manager and Frank accepts that.
“Of course it is difficult for him. It is a difficult decision to take, but it is always taken in the best interests of the team.
“Sometimes whatever you say to players is not enough to convince them your choice is the right one.
“I don’t have any regrets about team selection. It was what I felt was completely right. The team was well set up,” he stated.
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Chelsea have not won a game in six matches in all competitions, and face Bolton at home this weekend.
Mario Balotelli and Andrea Pirlo have been recalled to the Italy squad to take on Estonia and the Republic of Ireland in June.Manchester City striker Balotelli has not featured for Italy since their 1-1 draw against Romania in November 2010.
He has been left out of subsequent national squads through a combination of injury and indiscipline, with Italy coach Cesare Prandelli refusing to select players who do not meet his expected standards of behaviour while at their clubs.
In line with the policy, Roma’s Daniele De Rossi has been omitted after the red card he received against Bari on May 1 resulted in a three-match domestic ban.
Midfielder Pirlo, who will move from long-term club AC Milan to Turin giants Juventus in the close season, has not played international football since Italy’s 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland in October 2010.
The 32-year-old playmaker has endured an injury-interrupted season for Milan, making just 19 starts in all competitions for the Serie A champions.
Italy host Estonia in a Euro 2012 qualifying match at Modena’s Stadio Alberto Braglia on June 3, before taking on Ireland in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on June 7.
Prandelli’s side top qualifying group C with 13 points, five ahead of second-place Slovenia.
Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook recently went on record as stating that after this summers spending spree, the club would be looking to seriously cut down their outgoings as the owners look to make City a sustainable business whose huge losses will be reduced in the future, the Telegraph quotes Cook as stating
“It is safe to say that player acquisitions on the scale we have seen will no longer be required in the years ahead now that we have such a deep and competitive squad. These results (the club lost £121 million in the 2009/10 season) should come as no surprise. Investments made in the 2009-10 financial year are consistent with our owner’s vision to operate on a successful and sustainable footing in the future.”
I would have been sceptical over what Cook was claiming had it not been for a rule that will be introduced by UEFA which compels clubs who wish to enter their competitions to be run in a financially sound manner. The rules state that clubs must have not have a loss of a total greater than £39 million in the three years until the end of the 2013-14 season, those who do not adhere to this rule will not be permitted to enter UEFA run tournaments.
The Manchester City owners not only want glory domestically, but they will undoubtedly want to turn their club into one of the biggest and most successful in Europe, and they will obviously not be able to do this if they are not competing in the Champions League. The massive amount of spending we have seen since the Abu Dhabi group took over then, will probably not be seen again.
Manchester City’s proclamation that they will become a financially viable operation follows that of fellow big spenders Chelsea in the past couple of years. Roman Abramovich changed the face of English football when he took over at Stamford Bridge and the club saw unprecedented spending lavished on signing up some of the best talent from across the word. In the past few seasons however, Chelsea’s outlay on transfers has diminished greatly as the clubs hierarchy look to make put the club on an economically sound footing rather than posting huge losses season after season. Abramovich recognised that throwing money around left right and centre could not go on indefinitely, and now it seems the owners at Man City share the same view.
Man City though, will still be able to spend money this January without having to worry too much about UEFA’s new rules that are going to come into place in the next few years. You imagine if the club are in the running for the Premier League title, or if they are being pushed for a Champions League place, Sheikh Mansour and Roberto Mancini will have no qualms about spending a good deal of money to get them over the finishing line.
Manchester City are going to have to rein in their expenditure on players in the coming years. Not only will they have to in order to meet UEFA regulations, but from a footballing side it also makes sense. If a club is going out every close season and buying in a load of new players it does little for morale in the dressing room, and also prohibits a team from bonding and forging a united and winning mentality, a team needs time to gel in order to be successful, a fact that has been recognised at Chelsea for instance. I have no reason to doubt what Cook is saying, its the sensible thing to do in nearly every respect.
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Everton announced via their official Twitter account on Thursday night that defender Ramiro Funes Mori had joined La Liga side Villarreal on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, and Toffees fans were quick to react to the news.
The Argentina international’s future always seemed to be in doubt when he struggled to break back into the starting XI following almost a year on the sidelines because of injury, and the writing was on the wall when he was substituted off at half-time in his first start of the 2017/18 season against West Ham United on the final day.
His exit ends a three-year spell on Merseyside in which he made 67 appearances, and he may not be the last centre-back to leave with Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka also potentially going if Marco Silva strengthens significantly at the heart of his newly-inherited backline.
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Everton supporters, who have urged their club to sign a £22.5m attacker following his latest World Cup display with one saying he could be “the new Mahrez”, took to social media to have their say on Funes Mori’s exit, and while one described it as “slightly worrying” that he had left before Willians or Jagielka, another said it was “totally unexpected”.
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Leeds United are preparing to face Derby County at Pride Park in their Championship clash, however, fans are desperate for Liam Cooper to be left out of the matchday squad.
Paul Heckingbottom will be able to recall a number of players back to his first-team after a number of suspensions left the Whites depleted in areas.
The new manager has admitted that Cooper, as well as Samuel Saiz and Gaetano Berardi, are all looking forward to getting back involved with the team, however, fans are not convinced all of them should be involved.
The defender, who is also the club’s skipper, has been unavailable for the Elland Road outfit for the last four matches due to a poor disciplinary record.
He has been a mainstay in the defence, especially when Thomas Christiansen was in charge, making 26 appearances in the Championship, however, supporters are hopeful a new manager will mean less game-time for Cooper.
Fans have taken to Twitter to state that they want him as far away from the starting XI as possible, with a number of the Whites’ faithful believing he is a liability at the back.
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According to recent reports, Thomas Vermaelen has agreed to a contract with Manchester United, with the current Arsenal captain unhappy with his lack of minutes at the Emirates.
If this goes through, it will be the second time in three summers United have landed Arsenal’s club captain. The squad at Old Trafford is in need of plenty of surgery this summer and Vermaelen would be a good replacement for Rio Ferdinand, provided, of course, he returns to his best form.
Louis van Gaal is said to have a transfer budget of around £200 million this summer. Plenty to work with in order to get this team back to its best.
With a lot of talent on display at the World Cup in Brazil, these are six players who could follow Vermaelen to United this summer.
[ffc-gallery]Click on Cavani to reveal
Football – Uruguay v Costa Rica – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group D – Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, Brazil – 14/6/14Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani celebrates with team mates after scoring their first goal from the penalty spotMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
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Edinson Cavani
Football – Uruguay v Costa Rica – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group D – Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, Brazil – 14/6/14Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani celebrates with team mates after scoring their first goal from the penalty spotMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Manchester United were last week rumoured to have placed a bid for Edinson Cavani, who hasn’t always looked happy at PSG. The Uruguayan forward has had an indifferent season by his standards but would be a great signal of intent by United if they were to land his signature. Cavani has won trophies, has the experience of playing at the highest level in the Champions League and is a regular with his national team. This is certainly a player who could help deliver the league title to Old Trafford next season.
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Daley Blind
Football – Spain v Netherlands – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group B – Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil – 13/6/14Holland’s Daley Blind (R) in action with Spain’s Cesar Azpilicueta Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul ChildsLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Daley Blind starred for the Netherlands at left-back in their 5-1 win over Spain, but the 24-year-old’s future may lie in the centre of the pitch. Blind arrived in the Ajax first team as a full-back but was converted to the central holding role under Frank de Boer, where Blind has blossomed and arguably performed better than he has in the back four. What is certain, based on his game against Spain at least, is that Blind is more than able in either position, two positions Man United are in need of strengthening this summer. It wouldn’t be a surprise is Louis van Gaal used his connections to the player to make him one of his first signings as United manager.
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Ricardo Rodriguez
Football – VfL Wolfsburg v Manchester City Pre Season Friendly – Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany – 12/13 , 4/8/12Ricardo Rodriguez – VfL Wolfsburg Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Adam Holt
This World Cup is sure to be an important point in the career of Ricardo Rodriguez. Even though Wolfsburg are building a strong team in the Bundesliga, the growing reputation of Rodriguez has led to plenty of attention from around Europe. The Swiss international is considered one of the most talented left-backs on the continent and could comfortably take over from Patrice Evra at United for the long term. Rodriguez had a good game against Ecuador, showing his quality at both ends of the pitch and providing assists for both of Switzerland’s goals. He certainly won’t come cheap, but he could offer better value for money over Luke Shaw.
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Toni Kroos
Football – Real Madrid v Bayern Munich – UEFA Champions League Semi Final First Leg – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – 13/14 – 23/4/14Toni Kroos – Bayern Munich Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Another twist has emerged in the Toni Kroos transfer/contract saga: Chelsea are said to be interested. That’s Chelsea, Real Madrid and Man United, obviously, who have sounded out the Bayern midfielder. Kroos’ major issue at Bayern is wages, where the club aren’t happy to meet the player’s demands. But with his current contract up in a year, Kroos would comfortably get what he wants at either Chelsea, Real or United. Bayern therefore have a decision to make: sell now, agree to his demands, or lose him for free next summer. Considering they’re yet to come to any sort of resolution, expect Kroos to be out the door at some stage in the next year. This is without question something United should take advantage of.
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Granit Xhaka
Football – Wales v Switzerland UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying Group G – Liberty Stadium – Swansea, Wales – 7/10/11Granit Xhaka and Valon Behrami – SwitzerlandMandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew Couldridge
Granit Xhaka was said to be on Manchester United’s radar before his move to Borussia Monchengladbach, having been a part of the Basel team who knocked United out of the Champions League in 2012. The young Swiss midfielder had a difficult first season in Germany but really found his form this past year. He’s energetic, knows how to play a possession game, has a good range of passing, and works extremely well on the defensive side. At 21, he’s exactly the kind of midfielder who will help to breathe life into the United squad.
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Juan Cuardado
Football – Colombia v Greece – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group C – Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, Brazil – 14/6/14Colombia’s Juan Cuadrado warms up before the matchMandatory Credit: Action Images / Jed LeicesterLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
A lot has been expected of Juan Cuadrado heading into this World Cup, with the Fiorentina winger impressing throughout last season. The winger, who can play through the middle as a forward and as an attacking full-back, has drawn a lot of attention from around Europe, with Barcelona most recently said to be interested. But United, in need of an overhaul on the flanks, could do with a player of the Colombian’s quality. He’s extremely quick, has plenty of tricks in his locker and is able to score from long range. It’s no great surprise he’s considered such an integral part of this talented Colombia side.