TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Pilkington poised for debut From reality television to the reality of the A-League, Luke Pilkington is set to make his Melbourne Victory debut Sunday. foxsports.com.au |
Mourinho: Italian game stifles coaches • Former Chelsea coach praises English system• Serie A 'does not want to innovate'Serie A coaches are more concerned about keeping their jobs than developing new tactics, said the Internazionale manager José Mourinho today."When after a third of the Italian championship nine coaches have lost their jobs, who is the coach that wants to innovate?" Mourinho told the weekly Portuguese paper Expresso. "The Serie A coach does not want to innovate, he wants to survive."The former Chelsea coach, who on Monday said he was keen to return to England in the future, said conditions were better in the Premier League.Mourinho cited Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Rafa BenÃtez as coaches who had been given time to innovate and develop their tactics."(In England) coaches go way beyond their first contract, even beyond the second and the third one and continue developing their work," he said. "Italy is much more results-oriented. Those who win continue, while those who don't get out."Mourinho said the same happens at the the big Spanish clubs such as Real Madrid, Valencia and Atlético Madrid although Barcelona were an exception.Inter, eight points clear at the top of Serie A, will meet Chelsea in the Champions League first knockout round in February.Jose MourinhoInternazionaleSerie AEuropean footballguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Grant waits to hear if he can spend • Pompey still subject to a transfer embargo• Club must guarantee that no more liabilities will occurAvram Grant was today waiting to find out whether he would be able to enter the January transfer market after Portsmouth's embargo was left in place. The club had hoped that today the three-month-old Premier League ban – imposed following their failure to pay around £10m in transfer instalments to English clubs – would be lifted.Grant has two lists of prospective new players ready: the first if he is given an amount of money to spend; the second comprising loans and free transfers.Yesterday the Premier League was due to pay every club its next £7m instalment of television money. The league had said that if Portsmouth failed to come up with the £10m it immediately owed, it was likely to use the TV payment to help satisfy the club's football creditors.Portsmouth's board, which was represented by Mark Jacob and Ahmed al-Faraj, the brother of the owner Ali, met the Premier League executive this morning.During discussions Jacob and Faraj offered the governing body precise details of the club's financial commitments regarding monies owed to other English clubs, HMRC – which served a winding-up petition on Fratton Park before Christmas – and the former owner SachaGaydamak, who is due at least £28m.While the Premier League remains in dialogue with Portsmouth the situation is complicated by the £3m deficit between the TV money and what the club owes to English clubs. If Portsmouth cannot find the outstanding money, then the governing body will have to find a formula acceptable to the relevant clubs – thought to include Spurs and Chelsea – for dividing the instalment.Portsmouth would have to provide the £3m shortfall, and convince the league no further transfer liabilities would be incurred, before the governing body will consider lifting the embargo. Meeting all these criteria could take some time, further tying Grant's hands with regard to recruiting new players at a critical moment in Portsmouth's season.The league has confirmed that the midfielder Jamie O'Hara, who has been among Grant's better performers this season, will not be able to sign a further loan deal from Spurs when the current agreement expires on Friday, due to the ban.The Premier League is expected to clarify the situation further over the coming days.PortsmouthAvram GrantTransfer windowBusinessPremier LeagueJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Benitez seeks manpower for injury-hit Liverpool Rafa Benitez wants to strengthen Liverpool further in the January transfer window amid a deepening injury crisis. cbc.ca |
AP Source: Mexico-Ecuador Possible at Meadowlands NEW YORK (AP) -- Mexico and Ecuador could play a World Cup warmup match at the new $1.6 billion Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 7, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. feeds.nytimes.com |