TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Carlo Ancelotti 'satisfied' with start of Chelsea reign Italian reflects with satisfaction on his opening months as Chelsea enter new year as Premier League leaders. telegraph.co.uk |
Everton 3 Carlisle United 1: match report It was eventually comfortable but last season's beaten FA Cup finalists were given a mighty scare by Carlisle. telegraph.co.uk |
Galatasaray claim to have signed Everton full-back Lucas Neill • One-and-a-half-year deal signed, Turkish club says• Everton understood to have been considering £750,000 bidGalatasaray this morning claim to have signed the full-back Lucas Neill from Everton. The Merseyside club were understood to be considering a £750,000 bid from the Turkish club for the Australia international."Galatasaray have signed Australia international Lucas Neill on a one-and-a-half-year deal from English Premier League side Everton," a statement on Galatasaray's official website said.The claim may be a little premature but Neill told Sky Sport he is likely to be a Galatasaray player before next week: "I think I'll be joining up and I'm looking forward to joining my new team-mates on Sunday."I'm now delighted I'll be joining a massive European club with great ambitions for the season. It'll be a wonderful new challenge for me. I'm absolutely delighted a club like Galatasaray will be my next team."Neill, admits the move has come as a surprise: "I was very shocked," he said. "I didn't instigate any kind of move from Everton but once I found out the two clubs were in negotiations it became clear I had to look after myself and my family."Keen to stress he was leaving Everton on good terms, the player added: "I've loved it from the moment I got there. The club have been so welcoming and the guys in the changing room have been amazing."To everybody at Everton, I'll thank every single one of them. My time there has been magnificent and I'll wish them the very best for the season. There is no ill feeling whatsoever and let's hope Everton have a fantastic second half of the season."Neill will team up with fellow Australian Harry Kewell, formerly of Liverpool, when he arrives in Istanbul.The 31-year-old agreed a one-year deal with the Toffees in September after becoming a free agent following the end of his contract with West Ham.Neill has made 12 league and two cup appearances for David Moyes's side but has not played in Europe, meaning he would be free to play for Galatasaray in the Europa League.EvertonGalatasarayTransfer windowguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Celtic fans were right to boo us after Falkirk draw, says assistant Mark Venus • Celtic travel to Greenock Morton in nervous mood• Nine-point lead is nothing, says Rangers manager Walter SmithThe latest evidence of increased pressure at Celtic has come from the assistant manager Mark Venus, who today admitted that supporters had been correct to boo the team from the field following Saturday's draw with Falkirk.The most notable discord yet towards Tony Mowbray and his players was heard immediately after the 1-1 draw with the Premier League's bottom side, a result that left Celtic, who have dropped 19 points in as many SPL games, nine points adrift of Rangers."I think if you draw with the bottom of the league team at home, let's be honest, I think I'd be booing as well," Venus said. "Irrespective of how you've played, irrespective of how hard you've tried and irrespective of what didn't and did go wrong, if you draw with the bottom of the league team I think you've got every right to boo."Such words will offer little solace to Mowbray, who declined to preview tomorrow's Scottish Cup fourth-round trip to Greenock Morton.Venus's subsequent response of "I don't know, basically" when asked if he thought the Celtic support are generally behind the management team was hardly encouraging either. "We'd like to improve in both boxes, or at both ends of the pitch," he added. "We emphasise that to the players and that's an open fact. I think it's something we need to improve on."He did back up the theory of the Celtic full-back Andreas Hinkel, that refereeing decisions have contributed at least in part to their troubles. "I think if you stop the bus halfway through the season and we've lost 19 points then I think there have been some strange refereeing decisions along the way," Venus said. "That's no excuse for us, I'm just saying we've had some strange decisions. I agree with what he [Hinkel] said about the strange decisions."Morton may be toiling at the lower end of the First Division, but tomorrow night remains a potentially hazardous occasion at the ramshackle Cappielow. Celtic's followers remain haunted by the cup defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle a decade ago, which marked the end of John Barnes's stay at Parkhead.Mowbray's reign is an improvement on that of the former Liverpool player yet in direct opposition to a relatively weak Rangers side, he is badly in need of an upturn in fortune. Venus, whether through an attempt at humour or not, offered a peculiar answer when asked if the tie has banana skin connotations."I don't know what a banana skin is; I think it's something that's left after you have a banana, isn't it?" he said. "The bottom line is that I think it is a difficult game. A really difficult game against a team that is going to be fired up. We've obviously got a few injuries to contend with that you'd suggest might weaken our options. So I think it's going to be a tough tie."Walter Smith has refused to read too much into Rangers' emphatic advantage at the summit of the Premier League after moving nine points clear. An unconvincing win at Hamilton on Saturday was enough for the Scottish champions to extend their lead thanks to the Celtic result later in the day.But Smith was quick to point out Rangers were trailing their rivals by seven points this time last year and ended up winning on the final day of the season. "I don't think we are that far out in front in the league," said the Rangers manager. "It's a good headline to say you are nine points in front but Celtic still have a game in hand so we would look at it as being six points in front."At this stage last season Celtic were seven points in front of us, so it doesn't mean much at this stage. We have each other to play on two occasions, never mind the rest of the games. It's nice to be in that position but I don't think it means a great deal at this stage of the season."CelticMortonScottish CupScottish Premier LeagueEwan Murrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Notts County 2-2 Wigan Athletic It is 19 years since Notts County played in the FA Cup fifth round and you would hope they do not spend another two decades rueing the concession of two second-half goals after playing Wigan Athletic off a scarred Meadow Lane pitch for the first 45 minutes. Goals from Jason Scotland and Ben Watson cancelled out first-half efforts from Lee Hughes and Ben Davies, forcing a replay in Lancashire.Notts County's previous owners had Premier League aspirations and for the entire first half it was hard to discern which side earned its corn in League Two and which came from the top flight of milk and honey. County, in the form of Hughes, were doing all the menacing – the in-form striker dragged a right-foot shot across the goal in the fifth minute.Whether it was due to the rutted pitch, Charles N'Zogbia's absence or County's pressing game, Wigan were struggling to create anything in midfield and it took a slip by Jamie Clapham in midfield for Jordi Gómez to set up Hugo Rodallega on the edge of the penalty area but the Colombian's thumping low drive was tipped on to the post brilliantly by Kasper Schmeichel.One minute later the home side were ahead – Hughes scampered on to Davies's weighted pass and rolled the ball under Vladimir Stojkovic with the confidence of a striker scoring his 11th goal in nine appearances.Neal Bishop was a ball's width away from doubling County's lead when he directed Davies's dangerous free-kick goalwards. An even more dangerous free-kick from the midfielder did bring County a second goal four minutes before the break. From 22 yards he curled the ball up and over the wall and into the sprawling Stojkovic's bottom right-hand corner.The Cup shock alert system was now at orange, like Wigan's shirts, and on the stroke of half-time James McCarthy scuffed a left-foot shot on to the post after bundling his way into a shooting position seven yards out.The second half started with County again on the front foot and Davies very nearly scored direct from another free-kick only for Stojkovic to react late and claw it around the post. However, a quick one-two between Rodallega and Scotland gave Wigan hope seven minutes after the break – the latter poking the ball beyond Schmeichel from 10 yards.Scotland's goal seemed to galvanise the Premier League side and the Trinidad and Tobago international twice went close and Titus Bramble scooped a shot over the bar from inches as Wigan enjoyed a purple patch.The substitute Luke Rodgers drew a wonderful save from Stojkovic with his first touch of the ball as an ever more desperate Wigan committed more players forward – though Roberto MartÃnez did ignore the travelling support's pleas for N'Zogbia's introduction until the 70th minute.Rodgers was proving the most threatening replacement and, having been supplied by the irrepressible Hughes, the attacker again drew a top-quality save from Stojkovic.On the merit of their second-half performance Wigan just about deserved a replay and it was delivered in the most inelegant fashion as another substitute, Watson, headed an N'Zogbia corner over the line from close range.That rematch at the DW Stadium was only confirmed by Stojkovic's final top-class save of the afternoon, which prevented a most unfortunate Wigan own goal.FA CupNotts CountyWigan AthleticMikey Staffordguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |