TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Ferguson criticises City over 'unacceptable' Hughes sacking • 'For some reason Christmas brings out the worst in directors'• Manchester United manager critical of Mark Hughes's oustingSir Alex Ferguson has branded Manchester City's handling of Mark Hughes's dismissal as "unacceptable". City have come under fire this week for the whole way they have gone about installing Roberto Mancini as Hughes's successor after he was sacked immediately after last Saturday's victory over Sunderland.The City chief executive Garry Cook has attempted to defend his position, although that has managed only to draw more ire from Ferguson."It was unacceptable behaviour," said Ferguson. "It doesn't matter whether you have lost 20 games or two, there is a way to treat people. For some reason Christmas seems to bring out the worst in directors. I do not know how you can do something like that."From Saturday morning the rumour mill was working and Mark must have realised it was his last game. It was a terrible position to be in."The Bolton Wanderers manager, Gary Megson, has also added to the criticism of City, suggesting that the sacking of Hughes underlines the impatience of modern-day football. Megson feels that rich owners have no understanding of the game and are to quick to get rid of managers unable to live up to their impossible standards set."It [Hughes' sacking] didn't surprise me because nothing ever does surprise you in football," remarked Megson. "It was really sad because you had a manager losing his job, and yet they've only lost two games all season."They were doing okay, people were talking about it taking a while for everything to bed down, and then he was not given a while. I think it's just purely and simply the nature of football in general, and the Premier League in particular."These people, when they put their money in, a draw away from home at Bolton or Birmingham, isn't an acceptable thing any more. It's as if the opposition doesn't exist, and just because you've spent a huge amount of money, you can plough on regardless and you are going to beat everybody. It doesn't work like that."Sir Alex FergusonMark HughesManchester CityManchester UnitedPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Jose Mourinho feels the love as Chelsea somehow beat Fulham without him Jose Mourinho loves Chelsea. Almost as much as he loves Jose Mourinho, finds the Daily Bung ... telegraph.co.uk |
Assimiou TourĂ© describes terror of Togo Africa Cup of Nations attack • Players hid under their seats and prayed• 'They peppered the first bus with bullets'The Togo defender Assimiou TourĂ© has spoken of his terror during Friday's attack on his team's bus as it entered Angola. The Bayer Leverkusen player said he had prayed that he and his colleagues would get out alive.The 22-year-old was on board the Togo coach when it came under gunfire from politically-motivated militants, reportedly killing three people and wounding others. In Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper, TourĂ© said he and his team-mates had prayed for their lives for half an hour."It was horrible. I was scared to death," he said. "The driver and two others on the bus were hit in their lower body and others got bullets in their calf. They have undergone surgery and are in intensive care. Nothing happened to me. Thank God I was sat in the penultimate row at the back. They shot at the front of the bus."Togo, despite warnings to arrive in Angola by plane, travelled by coach with an army escort. The escort, according to TourĂ©, prevented a massacre."We were coming from the Congo and were only about 10 minutes away from the Angolan border with our two buses," he said. "In the middle of the forest, we were suddenly ambushed and shot at."We were fortunate – they absolutely peppered the first bus with bullets, probably thinking that we were all sitting in there, but that was only our luggage. The whole thing lasted about half an hour. We had an escort and they shot back and kept the attackers in check and called for assistance."If the army had not been there, then none of us would be alive now. All I could do was jump under my seat and pray."TogoAfrica Cup of Nationsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
FC Twente lead rise of the outsiders Familiar names dominate the English, Spanish and Italian leagues but elsewhere lesser lights are breaking throughWhile English football goes weak at the knees at the prospect of a gatecrasher to the top four, and the names piled on top of each other in Spain and Italy are familiar enough for Joe Schmoe to recite in his sleep, it can be tempting to wonder whether an outsider will ever again win one of the marquee European leagues.Almost a decade has passed since such an oddity last occurred. Some Roma supporters were so paranoid about cursing their Serie A prospects in 2001 they dared not even utter the word scudetto during the run-in, referring instead to the nebulous "trukke trukke" until the title was secured. A year earlier Deportivo La Coruña conquered La Liga for the only time in their history. The Premier League must rewind further still, back to an extraordinary title for Blackburn Rovers 15 years ago (although you could argue it was as recently as 2005, when Chelsea's first league for almost half a century ushered them into the establishment thanks to the Abramovich-Mourinho axis).Tales of the unexpected are not, however, so uncommon in Europe's lesser leagues. Last season there was the arrival of Rubin Kazan and Wolfsburg, new names on the honours list in Russia and Germany, while Bordeaux and AZ Alkmaar triumphed in France and Holland after a lengthy spell on the periphery.At the midway point of this season, a decent number of races are being led by clubs chasing their first domestic title. FC Twente, under the enterprising stewardship of honorary Dutch linguist Steve McClaren, have been pushing the pace in the Eredivisie all season. Braga, who have 11 Brazilians in their squad, are holding their own in Portugal. In Turkey, Kayserispor, a club whose development was signposted by a cherished victory in the Intertoto Cup in 2006, are playing smart enough football to lead a pack of usual suspects on goal difference. And Bayer Leverkusen are in a promising position at the head of the Bundesliga, even though history would suggest their fans may need to find a German translation of "trukke trukke" in order to keep their nerve as the second half of the season gets under way.Leverkusen are one of the few teams in Europe to be undefeated domestically so far. Presumably somebody in Liverpool may just have noticed that the man orchestrating their defence, somebody excelling sufficiently to earn the award of best defender in the Bundesliga for the first part of the season, happens to be a 36-year-old by the name of Sami Hyypia.It is no surprise that one of the other unbeaten sides is Barcelona. But credit is due in the Dutch league where the top two – Twente and PSV Eindhoven – are both yet to lose. It makes an interesting comparison with the number of defeats amassed by the top two in, for instance, France (nine), England (eight), and Italy (five).The winter break has given the hopefuls a breather, as well as a chance to reassess the condition of their squads. FC Twente are keen to import some attacking reinforcements, with a nimble striker from Azerbaijan already signed and Arsenal's teenage tyro Jack Wilshere on the radar.If anyone coming in can be half as successful as the forwards McClaren bought in so shrewdly in the last transfer market — the Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz has a tremendous scoring record of 13 goals from 17 games so far, while Miroslav Stoch, the Slovakian on loan from Chelsea, is also faring well – Twente might fancy their chances of holding off PSV and company.As those familiar with the legend of Bayer Neverkusen know all too well, it is one thing setting the pace, but to cross the line you need all the class, and all the courage, that you can lay your hands on.European footballFC TwenteEredivisieBayer LeverkusenBundesligaAmy Lawrenceguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
AC Milan falls to 9-man Inter Milan in derby: Italian roundup Goals from Diego Milito and Goran Pandev gave Inter Milan a 2-0 win over city rival AC Milan on Sunday, extending its lead at the top of the Serie A to nine points. cbc.ca |