TheDailySoccerNews.com

by.cruiser

Newcastle have appointed Alan Pardew as the new Manager and it will be interesting to see how he take on Liverpool in his first match after his controversial signing for five and a half years.

It was a strange decision as former boss Chris Hughton were just getting the results when he was sacked by owner Mike Ashley and Pardew was brought in on a long term deal.

The fans were not happy that Haughton were dismissed so it waits to be seen how the former Southampton, Charlton, West Ham and Reading coach will receive before kickoff.

When these two sides faced each other it is usually high scoring and with recent events between these two sides it could be a thriller.

Liverpool have won five of their last eight games and have recovered from a bad start under Roy Hodgson. They thrashed Aston Villa 3-0 on Monday Night Football but their form on the road has been questioned. Hodgson’s side have lost five and managed just one win this season away from home. Read the rest of this entry »

Ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne has been given a suspended prison sentence after he admitted a drink-driving charge.

The 43-year-old Tyneside-born former England midfielder was stopped by police in Newcastle on 8 October.

Newcastle Magistrates’ Court was told that Gascoigne was found to be driving while more than four times the legal alcohol limit.

He was given an eight-week sentence, suspended for a year, and banned from driving for three years.

He was also given an alcohol treatment order.

Gascoigne’s original sentencing date on 11 November had to be adjourned after it came to light he had checked himself into rehab. Read the rest of this entry »

by.Auls

Manchester United

Manchester United have not played a game for 7 days, with some of the senior players not playing for 10 days, thanks to the weather this weekend but they come into this game with a chance to wrap up the top of their Champions League Group and avoid the likelihood of playing Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the next stage.

United need just a point from this game to top the group after securing 13 points from their opening 5 games. This game also represents a chance for a bit of history for the Red Devils as the first side to keep 6 clean sheets in the group stage of the competition. United beat Bursaspor twice, Rangers in Glasgow and have also won at Valencia.

This game also represents a chance for the side to get back to winning ways as the fringe players lost last time out at West Ham United in the Carling Cup. That is the only defeat United have suffered this season in all competitions and the first since a home loss to Chelsea back in April. The side have won 6 consecutive games at Old Trafford. Read the rest of this entry »

Aston Villa manager and former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier believes that he took Liverpool “into the 21st century”.

The Frenchman spent six-years in charge at Anfield between 1998 and 2004, during which time he guided the Reds to a famous League Cup, FA Cup Uefa Cup (now called the Europa League) treble in 2001.

But towards the end of his reign on Merseyside, Houllier came under much criticism as he eventually parted ways with the club.

However, he believes that he had a significant part to play in the club winning the Champions League a year after he left, since he built the team that beat AC Milan in the final of the tournament.

“I always think that the mission of a manager is three-fold,” Houllier said, according to The Mirror, ahead of his return to Anfield – albeit as a manager of another club. Read the rest of this entry »

Both these sides have proved their critics wrong as they are lying 12th and 9th respectively in the Premiership, which many would be expecting them to be battling against relegation.

West Brom managed a 4-1 win against Everton to end their poor run of four defeats and a draw in November. The goals which came against Everton, is something Di Matteo wants to keep flowing when they entertain Newcastle at The Hawthorns.

But in midweek, they were knocked out of the Carling Cup after losing to Ipswich, will check on the fitness of a number of players ahead of today’s clash with Newcastle.

As for the visitors Newcastle, they head into this match after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea which surprised many. That result took them to the top half of the standings after suffering a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Bolton two weeks ago.

However it must be borne in mind that Newcastle have not managed maximum points since beating Arsenal at the Emirates in early November and Hughton will hope that since it is a live match, it will come to their good cause. Read the rest of this entry »

This is an early kickoff on Friday night and both sides having suffered a drop in form will want to get the better of each other here when they clash at the Olimpico Stadium.

Lazio will welcome the visit of Inter Milan whom they have failed to beat in 13 attempts. Lazio could only draw with Catania in their last match and that could have been far more worse if Catania’s strikers took their chances well on the night.

Lazio only managed to collect 5 points from their last 15 points available to them and the likes of the likes of Stefano Mauri, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Cristian Ledesma and Cristian Brocchi have not been performing to their true abilities. Sergio Floccari is also a striker who have not been getting the goals and is a cause for concern despite scoring five goals. Meanwhile, Mauro Zarate and Hernanes are averaging one shot on target roughly every 60 minutes. Read the rest of this entry »

Form is temporary, class is permanent. That’s what we are told, and it is exactly what every Chelsea fan in the country is hoping following the recent run of poor form that has seen us slip from the top of the table.

There is at least one high-profile believer in Didier Drogba, who himself has not scored in six matches – a barren run for someone who netted 37 times last season.

That this spell has coincided with the striker’s bout of malaria is no coincidence, and as he sits down to discuss the situation it is obvious from his laid-back demeanour that the self-belief is still intact.

‘I am improving, I am improving,’ he nods when asked about his form. ‘I really feel good because a few weeks ago I was in a poor condition, I was sick, and now I can make runs and create some good opportunities. It’s just the goals that are missing and they will come.

‘I am doing everything right, I am not worried because I know I’ve been sick. What I had is not common, it is not something like flu where you have it and a week after you feel good.

‘I know normally, the best scenario is for me to be ready in two months. Normally with malaria you are out for two months,’ he points out. For the record, Drogba missed two games in four days in October, and a third in November with the virus.
‘I have lost weight, my body has not recovered fully yet but I am much better. I am not worried because I know what malaria is, and normally it takes a long time to recover, but I think I am a few weeks ahead of where I should be so I am really happy. Read the rest of this entry »

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says Bastian Schweinsteiger will not be going anywhere until 2012.

The Germany international has yet to commit himself to a new deal beyond 2012 and it has been rumoured that Bayern may sell him next summer should he not sign an extension by then, otherwise they risk losing him on a free transfer 12 months later.

However, speaking at the club’s Annual General Meeting last night, Rummenigge ruled out that eventuality and said he still hopes Schweinsteiger will pledge his long-term future to the club.

“We will not be letting the player go before his contract ends in 2012 in any case,” he said.

“Bastian has developed a great deal in the last two years and I am very optimistic that we and his agents can find an agreement.

“Our aim is to give Bastian a long-term contract.”

Rummenigge’s words were met with resounding applause from the members present at last night’s AGM. Read the rest of this entry »

Pep Guardiola was proud of his players’ performance at the Nou Camp on Monday night and claimed: “we had a good time tonight and that makes all our hard work worthwhile”.

Speaking to a packed press room after his team’s demolition of Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola expressed his satisfaction as he chalked up his fifth win against Madrid and explained that for him the key to the win was his insistence on maintaining the team’s trademark attacking identity.

Time to enjoy the win
Pep Guardiola was happiest with “how we did it – that makes us proud. Now just let us sit back and enjoy that win – we’ll reflect and look at the whole game, but now it would be wrong not to revel in the win. Games like that happen very rarely indeed”.

True to club’s traditions

Guardiola stressed that the win was very much in the Barça tradition:“Cruyff and Rexach were the first to get that way of playing started. That’s the track to take and those of us who have come after them must be loyal to that. It’s an idea that we shouldn’t betray – it has been implanted in this club for a long time now”. Read the rest of this entry »