TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Manchester City 2 Stoke City 0: match report Roberto Mancini wins opening game of Manchester City tenure thanks to goals from Martin Petrov and Carlos Tevez. telegraph.co.uk |
Sid Lowe: FIFA world player award voting full of mystery Even Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that Leo Messi was a worthy winner when he collected the FIFA World Player award to go with the Ballon d'Or. cbc.cacbc.ca |
Trouble brewing for the Socceroos It may be going too far to suggest a crisis is looming for soccer in Australia, but there are signs that all isn't what it could be in the near future for the Socceroos. cbc.cacbc.ca |
Cook fans flames as Mancini calls for calm • Manchester City manager sees no cause for alarm in return• FA issues warning as police guard against crowd troubleRoberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, has promised that Carlos Tevez will be "calm" when he returns to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Wednesday in a Carling Cup semi-final laced with enough bad feeling for the Football Association to contact both clubs to remind the Argentinian and Gary Neville to act responsibly and make it clear they are on their final warnings.The FA has become increasingly alarmed about the potential for flashpoints, specifically after Tevez's withering attack on Neville as a "boot-licking moron", and that was reflected yesterday when the two managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Mancini, tried to play down the prospect of the rancour boiling over.Greater Manchester police has already expressed its concerns to the FA about the players' behaviour potentially inciting crowd problems. The FA has specifically told City that it will take a dim view of Tevez making any more derogatory comments in the media.Ferguson, who revealed that Rio Ferdinand would make his first appearance since late October when United play Hull City in the Premier League's only game tomorrow, said he was "not interested" in Tevez's behaviour as "he's not our player any more". Claiming that he had not seen Neville flash his middle finger towards Tevez after the striker had scored the first of his two goals in a 2-1 first-leg win, Ferguson added: "Players argue with each other and have a go at each time and time again. It's not an issue for us."Mancini's response was also in keeping with the FA's request for both clubs not to inflame the situation, explaining that Tevez may have been "tired" when he castigated Neville during an interview with an Argentinian radio station. "It's important that it is finished now, and it is," Mancini said. "I am sure Carlos will be calm and think only of playing. We all have to be calm."However, the message did not appear to have reached City's chief executive, Garry Cook, who was filmed telling supporters over a microphone that the club were on course to overtake United and become "without doubt the biggest and best football club in the world". Cook was at a New York pub named the Mad Hatter and he went on to say it was a case of "not if but when we are at Wembley having beaten Man United yet again". Despite the presence of television cameras Cook had been under the impression it was a closed event for him and the supporters.Tevez has been nursing a slight hamstring problem and will be rested when Mancini takes his side to Scunthorpe United on Sunday in the FA Cup. There is no sense, however, that he is in danger of missing the trip to Old Trafford, while Mancini will also have Emmanuel Adebayor available on Wednesday for the first time since the terrorist attack in Angola at the Africa Cup of Nations. Mancini said it would be "difficult" to imagine the Togo international starting but that he would probably be on the bench.Robinho could have left the club by then, with City said to be willing to strike a deal to send the forward on loan to the Brazilian club Santos.Ferguson again intends to play his strongest possible team, which could now include the fit-again Ferdinand. "He's been training very well for the last three weeks and this is the time to bring him back," Ferguson . "It's a big boost because it's been a rough time for us with injuries to so many defenders."Ferguson, though, still has no return date for Owen Hargreaves, having initially said the midfielder would return from his knee operations in early November. "We are trying to get to the point where he feels confident about playing." the United manager explained.Manchester UnitedManchester CitySir Alex FergusonCarlos TevezPremier LeagueDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Paddy Agnew: Never a dull moment with Mourinho So what does the above sound like? Yet another coach willing to blame the referee for his side's shortcomings? No, no, the above speaker is none other than the Special One, Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho and, remarkably, he was speaking just minutes after his side had run out utterly convincing 2-0 winners of last weekend's Milan derby. cbc.ca |