TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| JosĂ© Mourinho says he wants to return to English football • Former Chelsea manager 'will not leave Inter mid-season'• Hints he may consider future if Italian champions retain titleJosĂ© Mourinho says he wants to return to English football but has pledged to remain with Internazionale, the Italian champions, until the end of the season."I want to come back to England. I'm not the kind of guy to keep his feelings hidden," the former Chelsea boss said after watching his old club beat Fulham 2-1 yesterday. "I have always said the same – I love it here, I love it here, I love it here."Mourinho, 46, was sacked by Chelsea in September 2007 after three years in charge and took over at Internazionale at the end of the 2007-08 season."I won two titles in three years [at Chelsea] and all the other cups too," the Portuguese manager told the Sun. "I was very successful, so it is normal that other clubs here will want me. I won two titles with Porto, two with Chelsea and now I want to make it two, plus two, plus two by winning it again with Inter. That would be special."I don't leave any club in mid-season to go to another. So until the end of the season there's no chance that I will leave Inter."Chelsea, now managed by Carlo Ancelotti, play Internazionale in the Champions League last 16 in February.Jose MourinhoPremier LeagueChelseaInternazionaleSerie Aguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
FA Cup third round: Stoke City 3-1 York City Stoke survived an early scare before completing a comfortable victory. After a 30-minute delay to the kick-off due to York's coach being held up in bad weather, Stoke were stunned by their Blue Square Conference opponents when Neil Barrett gave York a deserved lead in the 20th minute.For a moment, an upset appeared to be on the cards, but within three minutes, Stoke had the advantage thanks chiefly to the long throw of Rory Delap. Danny Parslow deflected one of Delap's deliveries past his own goalkeeper to draw the match level and seconds later Ricardo Fuller put Stoke in front after Leon Cort teed him up from another Delap assist.Matthew Etherington completed the scoring with a neatly executed free-kick in the second half to ensure Stoke did not fall victim to a giant-killing.FA CupStoke Cityguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Carver snubs Laws to stay at Plymouth • Argyle offer improved contract to Paul Mariner's assistant• Loyalty to Mariner cited as reason for rejecting BurnleyJohn Carver has decided against joining new Burnley manager Brian Laws's backroom staff. Instead the former Newcastle coach will remain at Plymouth, where he is assistant to Paul Mariner.Carver is understood to have agreed an improved contract at the Championship club, who are fighting a relegation battle. He said he had rejected Burnley's offer out of loyalty to Mariner."The club's board has a five-year plan and I want to be part of that. I felt I had to be loyal to Paul for giving me this opportunity. In the short term we have a lot of hard work to keep Plymouth in the Championship," Carver told BBC radio.Laws was yesterday appointed by Burnley as Owen Coyle's successor on a two-and-a-half-year deal. His backroom staff includes the former Scunthorpe and Sheffield Wednesday assistant Russ Wilcox. The club's 38-year-old captain Graham Alexander will take up a new role as player-coach.Plymouth ArgyleBurnleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Ferguson 'must quit' in protest at Glazers • Letter-writing campaign proposed at fans' meeting• Protest march planned for Milan Champions League gameManchester United supporters fighting the Glazer family's ownership of the club are contemplating asking Sir Alex ÂFerguson to make the ultimate sacrifice and resign in protest.The idea was put forward at a specially convened meeting of fans' groups to determine an action plan to drive out the Glazers. The Manchester United Supporters' Trust, which arranged the meeting before Saturday's 3-0 defeat of Burnley, are also exploring the possibility of asking Eric Cantona to act as their figurehead, and plans are being put in place for a protest march before the Champions League tie against Milan on 10 March.More than 300 fans attended the talks and Johnny Flacks, a founding member and former chairman of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association, proposed a letter should be written to Ferguson asking him to step down as manager as manager."This is not intended as an Alex Ferguson rant," Flacks said yesterday. "But he claims to be a socialist, a former shop steward and a man of the people, so he must be horrified by what is going on. It would work only if thousands of people sent a copy of this letter to Ferguson letting him know that our fear, if the Glazers stay in control, is that his legacy is going to be destroyed. We wouldn't want that and I don't think he would either."Match report: Manchester United 3-0 BurnleyCreate your own analysis with our chalkboardsStats centre: The latest standings across EuropeThe Sport blog: Discuss the day's burning issuesThe fans' meeting was followed by Âsustained anti-Glazer chanting at Old Trafford during the Burnley game and stewards confiscated a large banner that was briefly unfurled at the Stretford End and read: "Love United, hate Glazer".Ferguson has always defended the Glazers since the Florida-based family took control of the club, but he had expressed his misgivings before they moved into power and is now operating under strict financial constraints. The Glazers have raised the prospect of selling and leasing back Old Trafford and their Carrington training ground and are looking to borrow ÂŁ500m in a bond issue, as a partial replacement for the ÂŁ700m debts their 2005 takeover has loaded on to the club.The supporters' groups vehemently opposed the takeover in the first place and appealed for Ferguson's help then as well, without any success. Nonetheless, the idea of asking Ferguson to resign will inevitably provoke widespread opposition and, in some cases, shock given his importance to the club and his status as the most successful manager in the business."That is the ridiculous scenario," Flacks said. "We are talking about a manager who has achieved so much for the club and has created the monster that is Manchester United. But we have to look at the greater good and at the moment we have the ludicrous situation where a club that gets over 70,000 supporters is losing money."This would be Ferguson's chance of saying that something had to be done. He would be looking after the club in the longer term if it meant the Glazers would sell more quickly. And if he said he was going to resign, maybe that would also encourage potential buyers to hurry up."Flacks has known Ferguson for many years and was so close to him at one point the United manager would regularly attend IMUSA meetings and invite him to the old Cliff training ground. "Moving to Carrington was his baby and he must be horrified that the Glazers could now be thinking of selling Carrington and then arranging for it to be leased back," Flacks said. "That would make Manchester United no better than a non-league club not even owning a training ground."The Trust has pointed out that Flacks's comments do not necessarily represent those of the group as a whole.A march before the Milan game may involve a concerted effort to leave the stadium with large expanses of empty seats at kick-off, with the protestors not entering the stadium until five or 10 minutes later. There will also be a campaign to encourage season-ticket holders not to renew if the Glazers are still in charge.Privately, one member of Ferguson's staff has already expressed his support but the captain, Gary Neville, has made it clear he wants no part of it. "We're always very well protected and we never get involved in the financial side of things There have been talks and rumours over the years going back to when the Glazers took over, and even when Michael Knighton nearly took over in the 1980s. As players we never get involved in those things; our job is purely on the pitch and we allow people who are paid to do jobs in other areas of the club to do their job. It's nothing to do with us at all."Manchester UnitedBusinessPremier LeagueDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Glory wary of Dadi threat Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell concedes Eugene Dadi will be out to prove a point when Wellington Phoenix come to town for an important A-League encounter on Friday night. foxsports.com.au |