EPL, Premiership, English Premier League

View Keegan leaves Newcastle for more information.

While it was reported earlier that Keegan had been sacked or had resigned, it appears that Newcastle and Keegan may be patching things together.

“Newcastle United Football Club can confirm that discussions are ongoing between the board and Kevin Keegan. Both the club and Kevin would like to reiterate that Kevin remains as manager. He has not resigned nor has he been sacked, as has been confirmed in respective statements made by Kevin and Newcastle United Football Club.”

Newcastle fans were obviously angered at Newcastle’s management and reacted to the news by protesting. Keegan would also receive €8 million in compensation; both of these factors may have caused the Newcastle bureaucracy to think again.

League Managers’ Association chief executive Richard Bevan made a few statements about the situation:

“It is not ideal having to speak to you on managers’ positions so early in the season but I was speaking to Kevin Keegan at length last night. He has not resigned. He is in a difficult position - he’ll be discussing really important issues with the Newcastle board over the next few days. The football club and the fans are massively important to Kevin and after such heavy coverage and speculation yesterday it was important to make this statement that he has not resigned. I can understand that there is an eagerness for more information on the problems but at this stage I think it is important that we let the parties communicate and it would be inappropriate for me to pre-judge any outcome or explain the issues much more at this particular point”

“I’m just saying he has not resigned, he will be working hard to communicate with the Newcastle board and we’ll have to wait and see what the outcome is over the next few days.”

Reportedly owner Mike Ashley wanted to sell Joey Barton and possibly Michael Owen. When asked if these intentions had resulted in Keegans apparent upset he said, “I can’t confirm that either way.”

View Joey Barton: Life of a true Asshole for more information.

• UPDATE: Kevin Keegan has resigned from Newcastle after much debate between him and the Newcastle managerial staff.

“I’ve been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible. It’s my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want. It remains my fervent wish to see Newcastle United do well in the future and I feel incredibly sorry for the players, staff and most importantly the supporters. I have been left with no choice other than to leave.” A crowd of fans appeared outside St.James Park and demanded for the director of football Dennis Wise and owner Mike Ashley to resign. Newcastle Club released a statement lamenting Keegan’s loss:

“Over the last few days, the club has devoted itself to the discussions it has held with Kevin and as a result of those discussions had put together a set of practical suggestions for how to move forward. The club made it clear to Kevin that if he had any outstanding concerns on its proposals, he should raise them with the club. The club regrets that Kevin has, instead of taking up that offer, chosen to resign.”

Alan Curbishley’s resignation as West Ham’s manager was accepted by owner Gudmundsson. His resignation appears despite having obtained the best start to a season for West Ham in over 9 years. Curbishley felt that the Hammer’s transfer policies which let Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney were unacceptable. A statement by the club was made: “We can confirm we have accepted Alan’s resignation as it is in the best interests of both parties. A shortlist of candidates is being drawn up and an announcement will be made in due course about the new manager.”

View West Ham’s Curbishley Under Pressure for more information.

Curbishley illustrated why he left West Ham, a pattern which seems to be unfolding at Newcastle also:

“I started my West Ham United career when I left school in 1974 and have remained a lifelong fan. I have been incredibly proud to manage such a great club and my decision to resign has been very tough. The selection of players is critical to the job of the manager and I had an agreement with the club that I alone would determine the composition of the squad. However, the club continued to make significant player decisions without involving me. In the end such a breach of trust and confidence meant that I had no option but to leave. Nevertheless, I wish the club and the players every success in the future.”

The series of transfer policy changes seem to be the result of the acquisition of tactician Gianluca Nani (View West Ham secures new tactician, Nani for more information). In response to the criticism for having let go Ferdinand and McCartney (to Sunderland for €4.5 million) the club responded by saying that the sales were “based on our best long-term interests” and were “right for the club” . “In the past week, agreement could not be reached with Ferdinand on a new contract to replace his original deal that had just two years left to run. McCartney handed in a formal written transfer request after failing to resolve his personal reasons for wanting a move away.”

“West Ham United are looking to a bright future after a summer of consolidation and a positive start to the new season at the Boleyn Ground. The club is fully committed to a high-quality first-team squad based on solid financial foundations that will challenge at the top end of the Premier League and in the cup competitions. As stated before and during the close season, our intention was always to hone the size of the playing staff with several key performers returning to fitness and the emergence of homegrown talent. This has now been achieved with seven players sold or released and four recruited. Along with the importance of adding quality new signings with bright futures, a key aim has been to secure important players on long-term contracts. Such investment has ensured the club can keep together its strong spine of England internationals Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, Kieron Dyer and Dean Ashton along with players with proven international pedigree like Lucas Neill, Valon Behrami, Julien Faubert and Craig Bellamy.

“Unsurprisingly this summer we received a number of significant bids for leading players - in itself emphasising the high number of quality internationals at Alan Curbishley’s disposal - and all were rejected. However, in particular, the transfers of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney along with the release of Freddie Ljungberg were right for the club and decisions had to be taken based on our best long-term interests. In the past week, agreement could not be reached with Ferdinand on a new contract to replace his original deal that had just two years left to run.”

In May West Ham management described how a change in transfer policies was beginning and how they would begin to slim down the first string team:
“We have probably the biggest first-team squad in the Premier League and our transfer strategy has to be carefully planned going forward. West Ham have a first-team squad of 40, so there is considerable room for maneuver. The last thing you should do when you have a problem is to throw money at it.”

In the summer of 2007 Curbishley signed higher profile players such as Freddie Ljungberg, Kieron Dyer, and Lucas Neill. This season the Hammers best signing was Valon Behrami; they also obtained Herita Ilunga, Jan Lastuvka, and David Di Michele. But multiple first string players left including: Bobby Zamora, McCartney, John Pantsil, Richard Wright, and Ferdinand. Curbishley took over for Alan Pardew in December of 2006, he was promised significant funds which were to succeed in bringing West Ham to the Champions League. During the 2006/2007 season West Ham almost fell into relegation but were saved by Carlos Tevez and Benayoun. During the 2007/2008 season both players left but Curbishley succeeded in reaching the the top table of the league in 10th place.

West Ham’s Vice-Chairman said that the candidates would be considered soon and a manager would probably be chosen before the next game against West Brom. “I have asked for a comprehensive list, in terms of nationality, experience and qualifications. The parameters go along with what we are trying to achieve at the club. The key element is that we want this to be a sustainable club. It is totally inaccurate to say we have anyone lined up for the job already - we want a strong English club with English players, with its roots in the academy.” As of now, Houllier and Mancini are strong candidates. Mancini has was the Serie A title for the past 3 years until he was recently fired after losing to Liverpool in the Champions League; Jose Mourinho took his place.

POTENTIAL REPLACEMENTS:

• Previous West Ham defender and current Croatian manager Slaven Bilic.
• Former Liverpool manager and current French Federation technical direction Gerard Houllier.
  and three Italians…
• Former Italian and Chelsea player Gianfranco Zola.
• Former Inter-Milan manager Roberto Mancini.
• Former Italy manager Roberto Donadoni.

• Since 2001 over 5 managers have come and gone at West Ham. From 1902-1990 West Ham had only 6 managers.

In order to reassure fans West Ham owner Gudmundsson made a statement about the clubs plans, “In my first full season as chairman I can assure supporters we are working hard to bring sustained success to West Ham United. We have a long-term strategy that takes into account all aspects of West Ham United’s past, present and future and we will not be deterred.”

Manchester City have signed Brazilian Robinho for a record €32.5 million. The former Real Madrid player has been chased by Chelsea and it was strongly believed that they would obtain him. However, City obtained the 24 year old in a late bid. The contract will last 4 years; manager Mark Hughes described the signing:

“I am absolutely delighted to get the opportunity to work with such an incredible talent like Robinho. This is a real statement of intent as to the ambitions of this club. I have said that in order to compete with the best teams in the Premier League we have to be in the market for players of this calibre, and Robinho is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world. I am looking forward to introducing him to the rest of the squad, and to the City fans at the earliest opportunity.”

“It’s been one hell of a day. It’s a huge statement of intent. A lot of credit has got to go to Dr Thaksin [Shinawatra, club owner] for being able to bring the Abu Dhabi company to the table and this huge investment that is going to go forward. They wanted to present something to the people of Manchester and they have been able to do that. It’s a fantastic signing for us. If we’re going to get to the places we want to get to we are going to have to compete against outstanding teams. We have to attract world-class players and that is what we have done. He is an exceptional talent and opposition teams are going to fear him.”

Robinho was unhappy at Real Madrid and has stated his desire to leave the Bernabeu multiple times especially after Madrid considered selling Robinho to obtain Ronaldo. Real Madrid awkwardly described the deal: “We have sold Robinho for reasons of a human nature and for sporting reasons. The fact that he has accepted an offer from Manchester City says that he is not going for sporting reasons. It’s an important sum of money. It’s not the objective of Real Madrid to sell players, neither do we need the money, but for reasons of human and sporting nature, it has been decided this is for the best. It’s a decision agreed by all the coaching staff, who understand it is best for the player and for the club” said Real President Ramon Calderon. “[Real Manager Bernd] Schuster thought until yesterday that he could recover the player, but that has not been the case. Every time I have spoken with him he was very sad, crying and asking to leave Spain. Real Madrid are more important than any one player. He’s a great kid, but badly advised.”

Robinho will most likely make his first appearance against Chelsea September 13th. Chelsea was also pursuing Robinho and released a statement describing why they did not secure him, “We were unable to agree terms with the club [Real] as we were not going to pay the 40 million euro asking price.”

View Robinho yearns for Chelsea transfer for more information on Robinho’s record, statistics and recent news.

Alan Curbishley appears to be under significant pressure early in the season as West Ham struggles through every game. They recently played Macclesfield at Upton Park for the Carling Cup and barely squeezed through even though the score was 4-1. Macclesfield scored in the 5th minute and it wasn’t until the 74th minute that West Ham responded with a strike by Lee Bowyer. The impact was obvious as fans began singing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ for over 60 minutes while West Ham was down. The game remained tense and in the 90th minute Izak Reid for Macclesfield earned a red card. Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander thought his team played well and were cheated by the referees 90th minute call.

You don’t get anything when you come to these places. It was scandalous, typical of the referees, a ridiculous decision. We played very well, I’m delighted with the players but they didn’t deserve the referee spoiling the game for them. People will think it is sour grapes but we didn’t get a decision all night, and Izak Reid is now distraught. I told the referee but they don’t listen any more, that is why they need half an hour after the game to get their story together. I’m not saying we would have won it but we would have had a better chance.”

In the extra 30 minutes West Ham succeeded in scoring 3 goals.

Alan Curbishley noticed the jeers and responded: “What can I do about it apart from win games and keep going? I’ve had this now for a little while, I’ll get on with it, I’m a big boy as I’ve said before. The disappointing thing is the players are the ones that have to go out and perform. The fans are brilliant when they are behind us and they have to realise the effect it has when they are not behind us. It can all change at the weekend. Football is a bit like this, you go through periods like this. It has happened to other managers and happened a bit last year.”

• West Ham recently lost to Manchester City 3-0 and will be playing Blackburn Saturday.

26 year old Russian international Pavlyuchenko will most likely join Tottenham once he obtains a Visa to travel and work in London. “A deal has been agreed between the clubs and the transfer may be concluded by Thursday.” While the deal has not been formally finished both parties have agreed to the terms which will be signed in the near future. “Right now I’m getting my visa and as soon as it is ready I will fly to England to sign a contract. Everything has happened very quickly so I could not even say goodbye to my team-mates.”

A Spartak Moscow representative commented: “There is a concrete sum which Tottenham proposed and we have agreed the amount. If Roman will agree a contract then we are ready to let him go. If Roman begins to play in England, this will be good both for him and for the team.”

Pavlyuchenko played formidably in Euro 2008. He was the leading RUssian scorer with 3 goals and was crucial in helping Russia reach the semi-finals. He also scored 2 goals in a friendly against England giving Russia the win (2-1).

Tottenham are looking for a striker to replace Robbie Keane who left to Liverpool for €20.3 million and Berbatov who may also leave.

“I could not decide if I wanted to go to England at first - first yes, then no. The only thing that stopped me from leaving was my family. But now all doubts are behind me and I decided to sign a contract with Tottenham and the formalities are practically settled.”

In an exciting match with repercussions beyong the field Sunderland succeeding in beating Tottenham 2-1. The first half showed Tottenham’s David Bentley and Sudnerland’s El-Hadji Diouf take shots from 25 yards out. Bentley’s went wide; while Diouf’s shot was on target it was also headed wide by a defender for a corner. Tottenham’s Gareth Bale dove in the 26th minute while trying to win a penalty and was instead awarded a yellow. French Steed Malbranque fired off a powerful low shot only to have it hit Tottenham’s post in the 40th minute, it rebound and was then cleared but probably rattled Tottenham’s nerves. Bale had a great opportunity to head the ball in from a Bentley cross but instead hit the ball over the goal. In the 55th minute Ledley King was unable to clear the ball; Richardson beat Jermaine and took the shot and scored from 25 yards out. Woodgate had an excellent opportunity to score after a Bentley free kick but the ball went miserably wide. 73 minutes into the game Luka Modric dashed into Sunderlands box and took a hard shot. Gordon managed to deflect it but Jenas was there and tapped the ball in. Only 9 minutes later Daryl Murphy crossed the ball into Tottenham’s box; Cisse jumped in the air and headed the ball far post to score. Cisse scored the late game winning goal for Sunderland in the 87th minute after having come on as a substitute in the 65th minute. My silly friend Stuart actually thought that Cisse was 56 years old (he was fooled by the Cisse’s silver/gray hair color). Oh, if only 56 year olds could do what Cisse did in that game…

Berbatov was not playing for Tottenham, a result of a recent spat between him and Tottenham manager Ramos. He felt that Berbatov had a bad mentality and attitude which was reflecting negatively on the rest of the team. Berbatov put in a transfer request a week ago in hopes he could move to United. [Stuart may be seen and ridiculed below]

He may face punishment from club officials as Ramos described: “That is a decision the club has to make. That is a very interesting question you should ask the club. He didn’t play because he wasn’t in the right condition, this is what he told me before the game when I spoke to him. So he did not play. We’ll have to wait and see, tomorrow we’ll speak to the player and then we’ll make a decision. It’s a situation that is very personal, there are players able to play under these circumstances and others whose head is not right. Berbatov is in the latter category. We’ll have a meeting with the player and clarify a few points and see if there is a decision to be made. We’ll meet primarily to know if he is in any state to play in the next match or we have to find another solution. He hasn’t got any power, if he is no condition to play the game he in not going to play, that is the same as any other player.”

Roy Keane (Sunderland’s manager) never let the win go to his head or the rest of his team. “We won’t be dancing in the streets in Sunderland for beating Tottenham away from home, we’ll have a cup of tea and sandwich as normal. We fancy our chances and we’re happy with the progress we’re making. Players showed the other side to them. The character of the players is there for everyone to see. We have that and you can criticise in other areas but not character. When you’ve won the game you say Berbatov’s a talented boy but (Darren) Bent is also a good player.”

As for Cisse’s performance Keane said, “Someone told me he scored on his debut for Liverpool but I couldn’t care less what he did in the past. It’s a good start. Djibril only trained with us yesterday and he was always going to be on the bench, he gives us good options if things aren’t going our way.”

After the victory against Wigan Saturday Scolari described how he was preparing to finalize the Chelsea squad. “Tomorrow when I am back at the club I will discuss these things. It is important [to be focused] before a game. Last week we only talked about Wigan but tomorrow I will talk about players. Tomorrow when I come into the club I will discuss this or that, who comes, who goes. First we finished the game. Now we get back to London and I start a new week.” What happens remains to be seen but we may see the departure of Shaun-Wright Phillips.

“If Deco is scoring goals or if Lampard is scoring goals is not important, what is important is if Chelsea win. Chelsea is more important than us. They are friends and if one scores the other players are happy. I read that Lampard, in the last two or three seasons, has scored 20 goals every year. This season maybe 25, but maybe 15 or 10. Maybe even five. It is not important [as long as] Chelsea win.”

Wigan’s manager Steve Bruce seemed disappointed by the 1-0 loss to Chelsea because he felt that they competed physically for the ball but were unable to technically dominate the game.

“When you play the top teams you have to have people ready and willing to do their jobs and run a million miles. My midfield four ran themselves to a standstill. You have to do that, you have to physically work harder then they do but we just lacked that little bit of quality. The set-piece delivery just wasn’t there. It was terrible and that is the one disappointment. In pre-season [Olivier] Kapo, [Jason] Koumas, and [Daniel] de Ridder have all delivered and our set-pieces are usually good. But here they were appalling and it didn’t matter who took them, because they all had a go. You need good dead-ball specialists and we have some good ones but they were a huge disappointment.”

In reference to Deco’s impressive performance Bruce joked: “Who is that lad by the way? Where has he been playing for the last couple of years? Seriously though, he oozes class and that is why he is at the very highest level. Chelsea had a bad day but there was one bit of brilliance from Deco.”

“Chelsea have agreed terms for Andriy Shevchenko to return to AC Milan. Details of the agreement will remain confidential.”

Ukranian Andriy Shevchenko is heading back to AC Milan. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the recently appointed Chelsea manager, has indicated that he had no plans to include Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko in the starting line-up. Shevchenko has endured two miserable seasons at Chelsea since he was transferred from AC Milan. He was transferred while Jose Mourinho was still in charge.

Shevchenko was the second all time leading scorer for AC Milan. The 31 year old has won the Ballon D’or and is the 3rd highest scorer in European club competition; in 2004, he won the European Football Player of the Year. However, since he transferred to Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) he’s been struggling to perform and somehow has not clicked with the offense. In 2003 he was ranked third for FIFA World Player of the Year; by 2006 however, he was ranked 21st. Shevchenko began playing with the Dynamo Kiev under-14 team in 1990; he transferred to AC Milan in 1999 for €25 million and later transferred to Chelsea in 2006 for €30 million. He is AC Milan’s 2nd highest goalscorer with 127 goals out of 205 games.

He recently played during a pre-season match (Railways Cup) against Locomotiv Moscow; he came on as a substitute, missed the deciding penalty shot and Chelsea lost. His recent disappointing performance will only enforce Scolari’s decision to not play him: “I’m not thinking about giving Shevchenko a game.”

• In all competitions while at Chelsea, Shevchenko appeared in 106 games, and scored 28 goals with 12 assists.

• He appeared in 47 premier league games he scored 9 goals with 7 assists.

• Out of 15 Champions League games he scored 4 goals with 2 assists.

He will start again with AC Milan after his medical on Monday. Shevchenko was excited about returning saying “For me it’s like winning the Champions League. There were complications but now everything is resolved I’m really happy.”

While Milan wanted to loan Svhechenko Chelsea wanted a permanent transfer; this resulted in some early difficulties. Milan chief Adriano Galliani described the deal: “After a series of frenetic phone calls during the whole day, we reached an agreement with Chelsea. I have heard from Andriy about 48 times in the last three hours. Andriy made a mistake in leaving and I think after two years he has understood that this is his home. Now he has made economic sacrifices but at this point what counts is that he has come back to us. Tomorrow he will be in Milan, Monday he will undergo a medical and then sign a contract. We have managed to bring home a player who has scored the most goals in our shirt in the last 50 years.”

Torres began the season with an excellent start by scoring his first goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Sunderland. Defender Hyypia described the goal:
“It was a good finish from Fernando. I was just behind the shot and I could see exactly where it was going. It was a great strike and it gave the keeper no chance.”

After last seasons’ performance Torres can bask in confidence and a great chance to become the highest scoring player in the EPL. Especially since Ronaldo is injured and missing out on opportunities to score. Last season Torres scored 24 goals in EPL games and 6 in Champions League.

“None of us were surprised that Fernando scored in that way because we have seen him do it before in games and he also does it in training” said Hyypia. “It is great for us that we have that kind of player in our team, and he is right back in the groove.”

“Hopefully it won’t be my last opportunity but of course every year we have high hopes that we’ll be closer to the top. This year is the same. We have strengthened the team with good quality players in the summer and hopefully we will be stronger this season.”

Newcastle recently obtained Argentinian Coloccini (Check: Newcastle signs Argentinian Coloccini) as a central defender. He played in the first game of the season for Newcastle against Manchester United. Though United was wanting offensively with Ronaldo and Tevez out, it was sure to be a difficult game for Newcastle. Newcastle tied United 1-1 and proved that a solid defense could well repel the United attacks while they have a limited offense. “Yesterday [Sunday] was the first time they have played together and there are signs today that it could be quite a good partnership which may get even better” said Keegan (Newcastle manager).

“That could be our central defensive partnership for the next five years. They are both signed for that length of time, so now it is up to them. I have told Steven to watch and learn. I am sure he will because he has such a great attitude. He got a bad knock when we scored that would have seen a lot of players come off, but not Steven. If he does what we ask, he will make another step up and go from the Under-21s to where Coloccini is. The key is he wants to learn because some young players don’t.”