TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Glory thump hapless Jets Newcastle Jets' four-match winning streak came to a crashing end as a Jamie Harnwell-inspired Perth Glory romped to a 4-0 A-League triumph at ME Bank Stadium. foxsports.com.au |
West Ham v Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolves can dare to dream. Written off in pre-season, Mick McCarthy's hardy team have adapted to the more rarefied air of the Premier League to give themselves an excellent chance of staying up. Unsung heroes such as Karl Henry personify their work ethic. Their margin for error, however, is zero, particularly in games against their rivals for the drop such as West Ham. Tension and commitment will frame this encounter. West Ham, for whom on and off-the-field drama has come as standard, feel that they must take the points. It will not be easy. David HytnerVenue Upton ParkTickets £35-51 (0871 222 2700)Last season n/aReferee P DowdThis season's matches 16 Y52, R4, 3.50 cards per gamesportingbet odds West Ham 3-4 Wolves 16-5 Draw 12-5West HamSubs from Kurucz, Nouble, Sears, Ilunga, Ngala, Lee, Stech, Edgar, Payne, Da Costa, DaprelaDoubtful Ilunga (hamstring), Parker (hamstring)Injured Cole (knee, 17 Jan), Gabbidon (hamstring, 17 Jan), Noble (hamstring, 17 Jan), Dyer (hamstring, Feb), Hines (knee, Feb), Boa Morte (knee, Mar), Davenport (legs, unknown)Suspended NoneForm guide LWDLLLDisciplinary record Y41 R3Leading scorer Cole 7WolvesSubs from Hennessey, Elokobi, Surman, Maierhofer, Castillo, Mancienne, Hill, Halford, Ebanks-Blake, Zubar, David JonesDoubtful NoneInjured Kightly (ankle, Feb), Murray (knee, Feb), Edwards (ankle, Mar), Keogh (ankle, Mar)Suspended NoneForm guide LLWLLWWDisciplinary record Y38 R2Leading scorer Doyle 5Match pointers• Wolves have not won a league match away to West Ham since March 1978• There have been 38 goals scored at Upton Park this season, more than at any other stadium in the division• West Ham and Wolves have both scored six goals from indirect free kicks, a joint high for the Premier League along with Bolton• Wolves have three players who have scored more than one league goal this term, fewer than any other side• West Ham have kept one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League matchesWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | 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 |
Accrington Stanley 1 Fulham 3: match report Fulham ultimately secured a comfortable FA Cup victory but passage through to round five was far from smooth. telegraph.co.uk |
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 |