| Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher extends cautious welcome to potential new owners Liverpool defender's optimism over takeover, which is subject to legal challenge from owners, is shared by the club's fans. telegraph.co.uk |
French League Bans Away Fans At Marseille - PSG Matches PARIS (Reuters) - The French Football League (LFP) has banned away fans from attending Ligue 1 clashes between champions Olympique Marseille and Paris St Germain, citing security reasons following violent clashes between rival fans. feeds.nytimes.com |
Wayne Rooney has apologised, says Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson After finally signing new contract, Wayne Rooney apologises to Manchester United manager and pledges to win back supporters. telegraph.co.uk |
Rooney's future with United unclear Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United is yet to be determined after meetings were held between the club and the striker's representatives Thursday. cbc.ca |
Aberdeen 4-2 Hibernian | SPL match report At least Colin Calderwood cannot claim to be in any way unaware of Hibernian's deficiencies after their trip to Aberdeen. The former Scotland defender's first match in charge highlighted the defensive flaws that undermined the tenure of his predecessor, John Hughes, to such damaging effect. The Hibs players made absolutely no attempt to pull the wool over Calderwood's eyes.Hibs had arrived in the north-east looking to prolong the suffering of another manager, Mark McGhee, but left in the knowledge Calderwood has his work cut out in trying to revive fortunes at Easter Road. Bluntly, he has taken over an insipid bunch. Hibs are not particularly short of attacking touch, even if that has been diminished by the sale of Anthony Stokes to Celtic. Yet their lack of commanding defenders, or an effective midfield spoiler, makes them a soft touch to play against. It has also taken them closer to the SPL's relegation zone than its upper echelons.Calderwood can take at least some solace that the majority of his first‑team squad are in the final year of their contracts. The new manager, once a defender of some repute, will not have much trouble identifying shortcomings.McGhee will have enjoyed this win, though; and how he needed it. Aberdeen's manager entered the game with a record of 12 wins from 46 matches in charge, with a single point taken out of the last possible 18. An attendance of 7,587 highlighted local disenchantment.McGhee's colourful, often confrontational, justification of Aberdeen's form has proved essential viewing and listening in recent weeks. At least now he need not seek excuses. Tuesday's League Cup visit of Falkirk to Pittodrie no longer looks so threatening to the manager.Despite Aberdeen dominating the early exchanges, it was the visitors' Colin Nish who had passed up the best chance to open the scoring. Chris Maguire proved more lethal, the Aberdeen forward accepting a fine pass from Sone Aluko before delivering an equally impressive, angled finish.If the Hibs defence was only partly at fault for that strike, they were blatantly culpable as a Scott Vernon goal doubled the Aberdeen lead. Sol Bamba completely missed an attempt at a header as the ball entered his penalty area, an error that was compounded as the Ivorian defender crucially deflected Vernon's shot beyond the stranded Mark Brown.Hibs' best hope of first-half salvation fell to John Rankin, who wastefully fired straight at Mark Howard when one-on-one. In Rankin's defence, the chance had fallen to his weaker foot, his right.Vernon, who has proved one of McGhee's better signings, turned home a Maguire cross five minutes after the interval to finish the contest. It was the much-travelled striker's sixth goal in a red shirt, a decent return at this formative stage of the campaign.Salt was rubbed into an ever-widening Hibs wound by the identity of Aberdeen's fourth scorer: Paul Hartley, once a cult hero in a Hearts shirt, took great delight in notching his latest penalty, awarded after Chris Hogg had hacked at Aluko.Nish limited the embarrassment with a header from Paul Hanlon's cross. It was the striker's last action of the match, as he had to depart with an ankle injury. That moment rather summed up Hibs' forgettable afternoon.Bamba's stoppage-time goal, also a header, was rather irrelevant. Calderwood would rather the defender popped up usefully in another penalty area – his own – where his services are badly needed.Scottish Premier LeagueAberdeenHibernianEwan Murrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |