Live Football

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/90369?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Last-gasp+Vidic+spares+United+blushesch=Footballc3=The+Observerc4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CSunderland+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CObserverc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Paul+Wilsonc7=2008_12_06c8=1130261c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Manchester+Unitedc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FManchester+United” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpAn injury-time goal by Nemanja Vidic made sure Manchester United kept pace with their Premier League title rivals, all of whom had won earlier in the afternoon. But it was tough on Sunderland, who, for 90 minutes, played as though they wanted to teach their former manager a few lessons in stickability and refusing to give up the ghost when the odds seem stacked against you./ppUnited, who seemed to be on their way to their first goalless draw at home in the league in a season and a half, struck in the first of four added minutes when Michael Carrick beat goalkeeper Marton Fulop with a shot from outside of the penalty area. The ball rebounded off a post and Vidic could not miss. /ppThere does not seem a lot wrong with the Wearside fighting spirit. Far from turning up at Old Trafford as a disorganised, demoralised rabble, Sunderland displayed a compactness and willingness to work for each other that should serve them well in their attempts to climb the Premier League table. Either caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia has hitherto unsuspected talents as a motivator of men or Roy Keane just might have been part of the problem. /ppUnited could not afford to lose any more ground at home and, after a goalless first hour, the strain was beginning to tell. Once again, their much-lauded attack failed to live up to its billing and, when Carlos Tevez was sent on after 57 minutes, it brought a roar of approval from the United fans, the biggest cheer of the evening thus far. By that stage, the home supporters were beginning to groan as attack after attack hit a brick wall - whereas, had he been present, Keane could only have been proud of his team’s doughty display of defending. /ppHaving been hit with a four-match suspension for a post-match scuffle at Chelsea that had few witnesses and caused no injury - heaven knows what the FA might have done to him had he cracked anyone’s skull during a game - Patrice Evra made possibly his last domestic appearance of the year at left-back. Sunderland brought Dwight Yorke and El-Hadji Diouf back for their first starts since October, the former doubtless making a strong case for himself in his temporary role as a member of the selection committee. /ppYorke stationed himself just in front of his back four and attempted to make Sunderland hard to break down. As Djibril Cisseacute; was on his own in the United half, attempting to pose a threat to Rio Ferdinand and Vidic, this was always going to be a high-risk strategy. United simply had too much of the ball, and too much time to build attacks, to be kept waiting for long, although - as has been the case on a few occasions this season - they were not at their most incisive and tended to overcomplicate their attacks with flicks and feints that surrendered possession. /ppWhen Sunderland were opened up, Fulop made a good save to deny Dimitar Berbatov after a backheel by Cristiano Ronaldo and came to his side’s rescue again when Park Ji-Sung almost poked through a shot. In between, Fulop dived full length to stop a shot by Wayne Rooney, from a free kick that was intentionally diverted, at the last second, by Berbatov, and it took a good block by Dean Whitehead to cut out a dangerous cross from the right by Rafael da Silva. /ppThe exciting Brazilian right back was one of the few players offering United any width. With Park and Ronaldo constantly cutting inside from the flanks, the home side were playing pretty much as Sunderland wanted them too and, inevitably, finding it difficult to go through the middle against a nine-man defence. /ppEvery time Da Silva found space on the right, he posed a threat, yet United could not profit from a stream of decent crosses. By the end of the first half, without ever causing much of a problem for Edwin van der Sar, Sunderland were playing with a bit more style and confidence, possibly because a couple of their key players were feeling their way back to match fitness./ppOn one occasion, Andy Reid whipped the ball smartly and fairly from Ronaldo, and advanced 60 yards upfield, but the move fizzled out because of a lack of attacking support. When United regained possession and came straight back down the pitch, they found Ronaldo still lying down, pretending to be injured, when, in fact, he was only embarrassed. At least it looked that way from the speed by which he leapt to his feet. /ppCarrick brought the first save of the second half with a long shot, then Ronaldo skied an attempt under pressure from Reid after an inviting cutback by Berbatov. Ronaldo possibly injured himself in the collision because he departed the action shortly afterwards clutching his ribs. By his standards, the winner of the Balon d’Or had not been particularly effective or influential. /ppOn 70 minutes, just after Kenwyne Jones had arrived to bulk up the Sunderland front line, Diouf brought the first save of the game from Van der Sar with a deflected cross-cum-shot that the goalkeeper did well to clear with his legs. When Ryan Giggs volleyed a mile wide at the other end, it began to look as if it might not be United’s day. But then Vidic struck to steal the points./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchesterunited”Manchester United/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/sunderland”Sunderland/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Paul Wilson

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/64500?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Last-gasp+Vidic+spares+United+blushesch=Footballc3=The+Observerc4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CSunderland+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CObserverc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Paul+Wilsonc7=2008_12_06c8=1130261c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Manchester+Unitedc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FManchester+United” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpAn injury-time goal by Nemanja Vidic made sure Manchester United kept pace with their Premier League title rivals, all of whom had won earlier in the afternoon. But it was tough on Sunderland, who, for 90 minutes, played as though they wanted to teach their former manager a few lessons in stickability and refusing to give up the ghost when the odds seem stacked against you./ppUnited, who seemed to be on their way to their first goalless draw at home in the league in a season and a half, struck in the first of four added minutes when Michael Carrick beat goalkeeper Marton Fulop with a shot from outside of the penalty area. The ball rebounded off a post and Vidic could not miss. /ppThere does not seem a lot wrong with the Wearside fighting spirit. Far from turning up at Old Trafford as a disorganised, demoralised rabble, Sunderland displayed a compactness and willingness to work for each other that should serve them well in their attempts to climb the Premier League table. Either caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia has hitherto unsuspected talents as a motivator of men or Roy Keane just might have been part of the problem. /ppUnited could not afford to lose any more ground at home and, after a goalless first hour, the strain was beginning to tell. Once again, their much-lauded attack failed to live up to its billing and, when Carlos Tevez was sent on after 57 minutes, it brought a roar of approval from the United fans, the biggest cheer of the evening thus far. By that stage, the home supporters were beginning to groan as attack after attack hit a brick wall - whereas, had he been present, Keane could only have been proud of his team’s doughty display of defending. /ppHaving been hit with a four-match suspension for a post-match scuffle at Chelsea that had few witnesses and caused no injury - heaven knows what the FA might have done to him had he cracked anyone’s skull during a game - Patrice Evra made possibly his last domestic appearance of the year at left-back. Sunderland brought Dwight Yorke and El-Hadji Diouf back for their first starts since October, the former doubtless making a strong case for himself in his temporary role as a member of the selection committee. /ppYorke stationed himself just in front of his back four and attempted to make Sunderland hard to break down. As Djibril Cisseacute; was on his own in the United half, attempting to pose a threat to Rio Ferdinand and Vidic, this was always going to be a high-risk strategy. United simply had too much of the ball, and too much time to build attacks, to be kept waiting for long, although - as has been the case on a few occasions this season - they were not at their most incisive and tended to overcomplicate their attacks with flicks and feints that surrendered possession. /ppWhen Sunderland were opened up, Fulop made a good save to deny Dimitar Berbatov after a backheel by Cristiano Ronaldo and came to his side’s rescue again when Park Ji-Sung almost poked through a shot. In between, Fulop dived full length to stop a shot by Wayne Rooney, from a free kick that was intentionally diverted, at the last second, by Berbatov, and it took a good block by Dean Whitehead to cut out a dangerous cross from the right by Rafael da Silva. /ppThe exciting Brazilian right back was one of the few players offering United any width. With Park and Ronaldo constantly cutting inside from the flanks, the home side were playing pretty much as Sunderland wanted them too and, inevitably, finding it difficult to go through the middle against a nine-man defence. /ppEvery time Da Silva found space on the right, he posed a threat, yet United could not profit from a stream of decent crosses. By the end of the first half, without ever causing much of a problem for Edwin van der Sar, Sunderland were playing with a bit more style and confidence, possibly because a couple of their key players were feeling their way back to match fitness./ppOn one occasion, Andy Reid whipped the ball smartly and fairly from Ronaldo, and advanced 60 yards upfield, but the move fizzled out because of a lack of attacking support. When United regained possession and came straight back down the pitch, they found Ronaldo still lying down, pretending to be injured, when, in fact, he was only embarrassed. At least it looked that way from the speed by which he leapt to his feet. /ppCarrick brought the first save of the second half with a long shot, then Ronaldo skied an attempt under pressure from Reid after an inviting cutback by Berbatov. Ronaldo possibly injured himself in the collision because he departed the action shortly afterwards clutching his ribs. By his standards, the winner of the Balon d’Or had not been particularly effective or influential. /ppOn 70 minutes, just after Kenwyne Jones had arrived to bulk up the Sunderland front line, Diouf brought the first save of the game from Van der Sar with a deflected cross-cum-shot that the goalkeeper did well to clear with his legs. When Ryan Giggs volleyed a mile wide at the other end, it began to look as if it might not be United’s day. But then Vidic struck to steal the points./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchesterunited”Manchester United/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/sunderland”Sunderland/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Paul Wilson

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/53465?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Owen+on+fast+track+to+fitness+as+Newcastle+weigh+up+recruitsch=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=Premier+League+%28Football%29%2CNewcastle+United+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Louise+Taylorc7=2008_12_06c8=1129935c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Premier+Leaguec13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FPremier+League” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpMichael Owen has been turning up at the Newcastle United training ground at 9am most days to spend an hour working alone with his private sprint coach. Anxious about the loss of his England place, the erstwhile international striker then joins the rest of the club’s squad for training sessions choreographed by Joe Kinnear./pp”I don’t think Michael is 100%, he’s had some niggly injuries,” admitted the Newcastle manager yesterday. “But he is working extremely hard and has got his own specialist sprint trainer. That says a lot about his attitude. He is not super-fit yet but he is always liable to score.”/ppWhile Kinnear is likely to start Owen at home to Stoke City today he will probably begin the match with the newly fit Mark Viduka on the bench - a place he admitted few at the club expected to see the Australia striker again. “To be honest, we thought Mark was maybe finished,” he said. “The specialist was very concerned. We feared the worst but he has made a miraculous recovery.”/ppIf Viduka’s comeback from an achilles injury has delighted Kinnear, so, too, has the response he received from the club’s managing director, Derek Llambias, when they met midweek to discuss January transfer targets. “We have two or three players where we’ve not only spoken to their agents but we’ve also spoken to their clubs,” said Kinnear, who revealed he may have £12m to invest in the transfer window and could also explore the possibility of swap deals with other top-flight clubs./ppKinnear is, however, resigned to facing a fight to keep a group of experienced players, including Owen and Nicky Butt, who are out of contract at St James’ this summer and will be free to talk to other clubs in January. “I’ve spoken to a few of their agents [about new contracts] but they’re holding back,” he admitted. “They’re waiting to see what their options are.”/ppThe 61-year-old was equally open in his opinion of the minority of the Newcastle fans who subjected the Middlesbrough striker Mido to racist abuse during last Saturday’s draw on Teesside. “There’s no place for racism in sport and it’s up to the authorities to stamp it out,” he said. “The people involved should be punished.”/pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/newcastleunited”Newcastle United/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Louise Taylor

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/78513?ns=guardianpageName=Sport%3A+Boos+reveal+Ronaldo+as+a+Red+legend+for+our+timesch=Sportc3=The+Guardianc4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CRonaldo+%28Cristiano%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=David+Laceyc7=2008_12_06c8=1129910c9=articlec10=GUc11=Sportc12=blogc13=c14=Sportblogh2=GU%2FSport%2Fblog%2FSportblog” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpSix years ago, as part of the club’s centenary celebrations, Manchester United fans voted for the club’s 100 greatest players. Eric Cantona topped the poll ahead of George Best, which was not altogether surprising since the Frenchman had retired in 1997 and was still fresh in people’s minds whereas many United supporters had not been born when Best played his last game for the club in 1974./ppSuch is the ephemeral nature of football fame that were a similar poll to be conducted now Cantona and Best might well find themselves relegated to second and third place behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just been proclaimed European player of the year on the strength of his contribution to Manchester United’s success last season, when he scored 42 goals as the team retained the Premier League title and won the Champions League./ppIf United fans of a certain age had scoffed at the notion that Cantona was a greater footballer than Best they would surely succumb to apoplexy at the thought of Ronaldo being rated more highly than El Beatle. For Best was the stuff of legends whereas Ronaldo is just a pout with a few tricks./ppUnfair, of course, but this is what happens when precious memories come face to face with modern reality. And in this case the reality is that in terms of footballing gifts the Portuguese does stand comparison with Best. Ronaldo, like Best, can change the course of a match with the twinkling of a foot even if he lacks the twinkle in George’s eye. He also attracts rough treatment from opponents possibly roused not only by his skills but his habit of reacting to hard tackles with plaintive gestures towards the referee. Ronaldo’s type will always bring out the Chopper Harris in defenders./ppAlex Ferguson’s complaint that Ronaldo has become a target does not do the player any favours although in the case of the treatment he received from Villarreal in a recent Champions League match the United manager did have a point. At least in this instance the Italian referee, Roberto Rosetti, took action, unlike a fellow-countryman, Concetto Lo Bello, who was in charge of the 1968 European Cup final at Wembley and allowed Benfica to hack down Best at will./ppBest won the European award that year and was at the height of his popularity among fans of various persuasions. This is something that has changed in the game. Outstanding players used to be appreciated for their talents whatever their colours. A few, such as Thierry Henry, still are. But now, on opponents’ grounds, Ronaldo is liable to be booed whenever he touches the ball, although many will have forgotten why they are booing. Ronaldo does not go to ground quite so easily as he did and if his general demeanour still suggests a prima donna with a headache there are plenty of teams who could live with that should he ever leave Old Trafford./ppWhen Best was among the visitors it was touch and go whether the gates would be closed before the kick-off. Until George arrived the roar of the crowd was rarely if ever punctuated by the squeals of hysterical teenaged girls. And nobody booed./ppFootball fans have always wanted to see their teams win but there was a time when more of them turned out to pay homage to the great names of the day, friend or foe. In the 1950-51 season Blackpool, their home attendances restricted by the tight confines of Bloomfield Road, had an average gate of just over 29,000 but the figure for their away games was the highest in the league at nearly 46,000, such was the attraction of Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen. /ppToday’s best players may compare well with the giants of the past but the aura that surrounded the likes of Matthews and Best has all but disappeared. Frequent exposure on television has had much to do with this. Matthews was only seen live on the box on a handful of Cup final days or in the occasional midweek international and the better part of Best’s career was played out in black and white. Ronaldo, on the other hand, gets fouled in high definition and barracked in quadraphonic sound./ppIn a new list of United’s greatest 100, and if commonsense prevailed, he would probably make the top half-dozen but even that might mean dropping the man mischievously voted into last place last time. One Ralph Milne, not so much a legend as a leg end. Pity./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchesterunited”Manchester United/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/ronaldo”Cristiano Ronaldo/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by David Lacey

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/48791?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Wenger+had+won+round+Ronaldo%27s+mother+before+United+stepped+inch=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=Premier+League+%28Football%29%2CArsenal+FC+%28Football%29%2CManchester+United+%28Football%29%2CSport%2CFootball%2CRonaldo+%28Cristiano%29c5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=David+Hytnerc7=2008_12_06c8=1129917c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Premier+Leaguec13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FPremier+League” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpArsegrave;ne Wenger joked about his prowess as a lothario yesterday but Cristiano Ronaldo will always be the one that got away. The newly elected Ballon d’Or winner has revealed how he came within “an inch of signing for Arsenal” after he met Wenger on three occasions and he added that both he and his mother continued to hold the Arsenal manager in high esteem./pp”After I signed for Manchester United, she and I were sitting watching a Premier League game on television,” said Ronaldo, “and she yelled out ‘I know that guy’. I liked him.’” “I’m disappointed that I seduced only Ronaldo’s mum,” said Wenger with a smile./ppWenger does not have many regrets but he admitted that Ronaldo was among them. He revealed that the midfielder had been so close to joining his club from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2003 that he even had an Arsenal shirt made up for him. “I had Ronaldo at the training ground, I showed him around and I gave him a shirt,” said Wenger. “It has got his name on the back.”/ppUltimately, though, United’s superior contacts in Portugal, not to mention their willingness to dwarf Arsenal’s offer for the player, saw them close the deal. United had just returned from a pre-season tour of the United States when they faced Sporting in a friendly in Lisbon. Ronaldo was mesmerising and several United players urged Ferguson to make sure that he did not miss out. Ronaldo was purchased shortly afterwards for pound;12.24m, a record fee at the time for a teenager./pp”What killed the deal was that United came back from the States and played against Sporting Lisbon,” said Wenger. “Ronaldo was man of the match. The United players must have been dead coming out of the plane and Ronaldo was fresh so he must have been even more dominant./pp”United had a partnership agreement with Lisbon and in that partnership, they played them after coming back from the States. There was also Carlos Queiroz [United's Portuguese former assistant manager]. He knew Ronaldo well and since then, United have signed Anderson and Nani from Portugal because of Carlos Queiroz. It’s like I can sign [players] from France because I know them well./pp”It was a question of the amount of transfer fee to be paid [to Sporting]. The price, in fact, that we discussed was much lower. It was divided by three. Of course, Ronaldo has proved to be a bargain.”/ppWenger said that Ronaldo did not call to apologise for choosing United and that the pair had not spoken since. The pain for Wenger has increased exponentially, season by season./pp”We watched Ronaldo play at the Toulon [youth] tournament,” said Wenger. “We had bought [Luis] Boa Morte [years earlier] from the same tournament. I saw that Ronaldo was an exceptional talent but we could not predict that he would become the player he is. What we did not see in him at that time was his capability to score goals. He was something special but he did not score goals. He did not even go into the box. Now he is good in the air on corners.”/ppWenger marvels at how the major European clubs have scouts seemingly everywhere. “A friend of mine at Tours in the French second division told me that when they play at home, they have on average 15-20 foreign scouts,” he said. “It is Ajax, AS Roma … unbelievable. You are not any more the only one on the ball.”/ppClubs have to hope, Wenger said, that if they can make the first contact with the player, he might feel some sort of trust or loyalty, which could prove decisive. This was not the case with Ronaldo but Wenger has beaten United to other players, most recently the teenage midfielder Aaron Ramsey./ppWenger, who said that he would not allow his controversial former captain William Gallas to leave, sends his team out against Wigan Athletic today in the belief that Premier League history can repeat itself./ppArsenal were 13 points behind United at Christmas in 1997 yet they fought back to win the title. “I am confident we have the quality to do it again,” said Wenger. “But we have to deliver against so-called smaller teams.”/pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/arsenal”Arsenal/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchesterunited”Manchester United/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/ronaldo”Cristiano Ronaldo/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by David Hytner

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/40206?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+Pavlyuchenko+begins+to+justify+his+billingch=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=Tottenham+Hotspur+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=David+Hytnerc7=2008_12_06c8=1129913c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Tottenham+Hotspurc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FTottenham+Hotspur” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpWhen Roman Pavlyuchenko accepted the No9 shirt at Tottenham Hotspur, following the latest emotionally draining conclusion to a transfer window for the club, he was aware of the connotations. The previous bearer had also arrived for a big fee and although he lacked the reputation to match back then, he had exploded on to the stage in north London. After half a dozen appearances, the supporters knew that they had mercurial greatness in their midst. Dimitar Berbatov would be their idol. /ppPavlyuchenko has needed his broad shoulders. It is one thing to swap eastern Europe for west, without a grasp of the language or culture, and quite another to replace the seemingly irreplaceable. At speed, too. But add an unhealthy dose of early-season turmoil, White Hart Lane-style, and the Russian striker’s introduction was bewildering. His confidence, though, has never wavered./pp”I do understand that things are expected of me,” he said, via an interpreter. “Yes, Berbatov was here before me and he scored quite a lot and so I am expected to score loads of goals. But I understand this. Berbatov was a great player and so if people want to compare me to him, that’s fine. I can appreciate it. I take it as a compliment so no problem.”/ppIn his slick black leather jacket and dark designer jeans, Pavlyuchenko cuts an imposing figure. Watch him loom before a doorway and it is clear why opposition defenders have their hands full with him. The 26-year-old is a different player from Berbatov, who left for Manchester United on transfer deadline day amid such acrimony and who will return with his new club next Saturday to all the bile that White Hart Lane can muster. It will be plenty. While the Bulgarian’s game revolves around technique and vision, Pavlyuchenko is known for his power and non-stop running, together with his composure in front of goal./ppYet he is beginning to show why the club paid pound;13.8m to Spartak Moscow to secure his signature. He has set himself the target of “15 goals in all competitions” in his debut season and already he is nearly halfway there. Moreover, of his seven goals in 14 appearances, four have been the all-important opener in games, one has been an equaliser and another a 90th-minute winner - against Liverpool in the Premier League. After an inconsistent start he has made strides to win the affections of the home crowd./ppPavlyuchenko’s early weeks at the club were undermined by the assertion from the management that he was too similar to Darren Bent to forge a productive partnership. Juande Ramos, though, was replaced by Harry Redknapp in late October, having overseen a spectacular nosedive in fortunes, and Redknapp has dismissed the notion. So too does Pavlyuchenko. “I don’t feel that there is a problem,” he said. “I’m sure in time the relationship will develop.”/ppRedknapp’s dilemma is that he prefers to play the attacking midfielder Luka Modric in the hole behind a lone striker. The Croatian’s groin injury has allowed Redknapp to start with two up front in the past four matches and although Modric remains a doubt for Monday night’s visit to West Ham United, his imminent return could thrust Pavlyuchenko back into competition with Bent./ppUnlike many of his team-mates Pavlyuchenko has been reluctant to criticise Ramos, who phoned him personally to persuade him to sign. “I didn’t have the chance to work for a long time with the previous manager so it’s difficult to judge him,” he said. “But one thing I can say for sure is that with Harry, the players have opened up more. This is the main change. Everybody can see that results have picked up./pp”On a personal note, I realised in my first practice session that I would have to restructure my game totally because English football is a lot faster and more physically demanding. But at least it hasn’t taken me a year or six months to get adjusted, like some of the foreign players who come to Russia.” /ppRussian players have a reputation as notoriously bad travellers and Pavlyuchenko admitted that he had agonised over whether to make the move from Moscow. His principal worry was how he, his wife and their two-year-old daughter would settle. They are currently in the process of finding a nursery that can teach both English and Russian; no straightforward task./ppPavlyuchenko has said that he was “no good at studying” and he must now grapple with four hour-and-a-half-long English language lessons each week. “My team-mates are not teaching me any swear words but when I pick up some English and I try to use it on the pitch, they correct me if I am making mistakes,” he said with a smile. The only English sentence that he uttered was, “I hate English food.”/ppIt has perhaps been left to Redknapp to impart the more industrial aspects of the language. When he sent him on against Liverpool in the league fixture, he instructed him to “just fucking run around”. “These things I do understand,…” said Pavlyuchenko. “I know what is expected of me, that I have to score goals. This does not need to be translated. That’s why I was invited here.”/ppHe is determined to integrate and also to shake one or two other popular conceptions, which have begun to cling to him. No sooner had he signed for Tottenham than he was back in Moscow on international duty and he was photographed two nights before the World Cup qualifying tie against Wales in the company of two blonde women in a nightclub. He has also had quotes attributed to him about his supposed fondness for a drink./pp”If I go to nightclubs, it is when we go together as a team, if there is something to celebrate,” he said. “On my own, I probably go once in six months or a year so you can say that I am not a club goer, believe it or not. And if I go to a restaurant or some place like that, I always go with my wife. /pp”I spend all of my spare time with my wife and daughter. I went to the zoo with them recently, which I enjoyed. In my three months here, I have only been to London two times and that was basically passing through. My schedule is very busy and I haven’t seen London as such.”/ppPavlyuchenko started his career at Dinamo Stavropol before he moved to Rotor Volgograd and then on to Spartak, where his goals - he scored 77 in 147 games for them - brought international recognition. He unhinged England in Euro 2008 qualifying with both the goals in the 2-1 victory in Moscow in October last year and he starred at the finals, when he scored three times in Russia’s surprise run to the semi-finals./pp”We are now being taken seriously by all national teams,” said Pavlyuchenko. The same is true of him and Premier League opponents./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/tottenham-hotspur”Tottenham Hotspur/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by David Hytner

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/89881?ns=guardianpageName=Sport%3A+Sunderland+may+twist+Brown%27s+arm+to+take+up+reinsch=Sportc3=The+Guardianc4=Sunderland+%28Football%29%2CHull+City+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Louise+Taylorc7=2008_12_06c8=1129929c9=articlec10=GUc11=Sportc12=blogc13=c14=Sportblogh2=GU%2FSport%2Fblog%2FSportblog” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpRoy Keane’s car had barely screeched through the electronic gates of his Cheshire mansion on Thursday afternoon when Sam Allardyce made a very public pitch for the job vacated by the Irishman. At around the same time Phil Brown reaffirmed his commitment to Hull City but still remained high in the betting to become Sunderland’s next manager./ppBrown spent several years assisting Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers and the two remain close confidants. All the indications are that Hull’s manager will stay loyal to Humberside while backing his old friend’s candidature but Brown would hardly be human if a little part of him did not scream “right job, wrong time”./ppAs Niall Quinn, Sunderland’s chairman, sat at his home in Ireland pondering a slew of applications yesterday he will surely have wondered if Brown’s arm might be twistable. During a board meeting on Thursday night Quinn and his co-directors opened a debate on precisely who might be capable of stepping into Keane’s still smouldering shoes but resolved not to rush into a decision. “We have an open mind about the next manager,” he said last night. “We will be professional and will take as long as necessary to get the right man. We’re putting together a list and we’ll take it from there.”/ppAmong the names already in the frame is that of Gordon Strachan. Despite claiming the contrary, Strachan may feel he has taken Celtic as far as he can and would offer Sunderland some of the edgy, quirky factor afforded by Keane. Then there is Dick Advocaat, the experienced Dutch coach who has done such a good job at Zenit St Petersburg, and David O’Leary who played with Quinn at Arsenal and for Ireland./ppO’Leary’s stock has plunged since he led Leeds to the Champions League semi-finals and kept Aston Villa treading Premier League water but the brand of high-tempo, often highly fluent football his teams tried to play would suit the squad assembled by Keane, who demanded good passing and movement and did not believe the modern game should be all about height and athleticism./ppAllardyce harbours rather different, much more pragmatic, views but boasts an impressive track record of working with awkward players at Bolton and would surely soon have El Hadji Diouf, whom he lured to the Reebok, and Pascal Chimbonda eating out of his hand./ppA former Sunderland centre-half, Allardyce is not only very much available, having been out of work since his sacking by Newcastle 11 months ago, but previously rejected an approach from Quinn before Keane’s appointment in 2006. Back then, Sunderland were a Championship club and “Big Sam” was hyped as the next England manager but their respective fortunes have since altered significantly./ppSo, too have Brown’s. Indeed Hull’s manager has emerged from a brief, and disastrous, stint in charge of Derby as an arguably stronger and more suitable candidate than his old friend. A son of South Shields, Brown is a Sunderland fan even boasting the street cred garnered by being beaten up at St James’ Park while cheering the team on against Newcastle./ppHeavily influenced by the purist Bruce Rioch during his days as a Bolton right-back, Brown has successfully married Allardyce’s meticulous emphasis on sports science, psychology and statistics with his own more creative instincts at the KC Stadium. Moreover he has the knack of handling mavericks such as Geovanni and has turned the on-loan Sunderland player Paul McShane into a decent right-back, something Keane singularly failed to do./ppGranted Hull are organised and strong at set pieces but they also play some pleasing passing football. With the recession biting on Wearside and attendances dropping, Quinn will be well aware he cannot afford a return to the dour football which preceded Keane’s installation./ppAllardyce, however, is less concerned by aesthetics and may not be keen to accommodate the small and stocky Andy Reid, Sunderland’s best, most improvisational, passer and a crowd favourite. He also bought badly at Newcastle while assembling an overblown backroom team. In mitigation, if the signing of Joey Barton was a huge mistake, Allardyce did wheel and deal brilliantly at Bolton, attracting not only Diouf but, Nicolas Anelka, Youri Djorkaeff and Ivaacute;n Campo./ppSuch transfer market acumen could pay dividends when it comes to drastically reducing yet somehow reinforcing an oversized Sunderland squad featuring several barely used individuals such as Rade Prica, Liam Miller and David Healy on generous contarcts that might deter potential purchasers./ppLike Allardyce, Brown had an infinitely less distinguished playing career than Keane but, invariably sharp-suited and equipped with smart one-liners, he is unprecious and possesses humour and a brassy personality which might play well on Wearside. The 49-year-old would not be unduly stressed by the idea of replacing such a big name or the intensity of media coverage in the north-east. While Brown enjoys an excellent relationship with Hull’s chairman, Paul Duffen, and feels bound to a club which revived his managerial career, Sunderland offer greater resources and emotional resonance./pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/sunderland”Sunderland/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/hullcity”Hull City/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Louise Taylor

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/68236?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+People+are+out+to+get+Keane+and+me%2C+claims+Incech=Footballc3=The+Guardianc4=Blackburn+Rovers+%28Football+club%29%2CSunderland+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CSport%2CFootball%2CRoy+Keanec5=Unclassified%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Andy+Hunter%2CDaniel+Taylorc7=2008_12_06c8=1129919c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Blackburn+Roversc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FBlackburn+Rovers” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpPaul Ince epitomised a manager under siege yesterday when he claimed to be a victim of English football hypocrisy and of a public desperate to see him and Roy Keane fail because of their notoriety as “snarling” Manchester United stars./ppAfter only 19 games in charge of Blackburn, and with a slender squad beset by injury, Ince finds himself the bookmakers’ favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job following Keane’s departure from Sunderland this week. Blackburn entertain the leaders, Liverpool, this afternoon and are without a win in nine league games and on the back of a demoralising 5-3 Carling Cup defeat by United, when Rovers’ supporters called for Ince’s head and the return of the former manager Graeme Souness./ppInce chose not to face the media at Old Trafford on Wednesday night but issued a belligerent response to those clamouring for him to go at Blackburn’s training ground yesterday morning. The 41-year-old accused those critics who bemoan the lack of home-grown candidates for the England national job, yet demand his dismissal after less than six months at Blackburn, of double standards and claimed a conspiracy is at work to unseat himself and Keane because of the reputations they cultivated as players. Unlike the more introverted Irishman, however, Ince insisted he has no intention of walking away from Rovers./pp”I have been through tough times and I have got a thick skin,” Ince said. “But it winds me up when every day there is something about Blackburn, Blackburn, Blackburn; jobs on the line, jobs on the line, jobs on the line. Joe Kinnear is two points above us with a pound;70m team at Newcastle and nobody is mentioning him. Nobody is mentioning Harry Redknapp. It has just been Ince, Keane, Ince, Keane./pp”I think there are people out to get us. They look at Keane and I in our Manchester United days and see us as snarling old people. But we are not like that. We are nice guys, family men. I think people are envious and don’t want us to succeed. That has always been the case through my career and Keaney’s career. It doesn’t bother me. All I want people to understand is the hard facts and not just focus on two young managers who are trying to make their way in football and to kick us around all the bloody time.”/ppKinnear and Redknapp have collected 11 points from nine games and 13 points from seven respectively since being installed at St James’ Park and White Hart Lane but, despite the contrast with Blackburn’s recent form, Ince believes it is imperative that young English managers are given time to develop./pp”We have been moaning that we had to go outside our country to find an England coach,” he said. [Fabio] Capello has done a fantastic job but he will only be judged on what happens in a World Cup. It is important that the likes of myself, Gareth Southgate and Tony Adams get their grounding in the Premier League because you’d like to think the next England manager is going to be English. Not necessarily me, but somebody English.”/ppInce accused the radio phone-in culture and a local television station, which polled Blackburn supporters on his ability this week, of inflaming tensions at Ewood. “It is terrible, really terrible,” he said. As the travelling contingent at Old Trafford illustrated, however, concerns about the former England captain are not confined to the media. Blackburn’s directors are believed to have discussed how long they can allow the present run to go unchecked. On the evidence of last season, the portents are ominous for Ince, whose future is more likely to rest on the fixtures that follow Liverpool - Wigan, Stoke and Sunderland./ppOf the eight clubs that went nine or more league games without a win last season, five replaced their manager and avoided relegation: Newcastle, Fulham, Tottenham, Wigan and Bolton. Of the three who showed faith in their managers, two went down. Southgate, under the wise counsel of Steve Gibson at Middlesbrough, was the exception as Paul Jewell and Steve Coppell were relegated with Derby County and Reading respectively./ppInce has not spoken to Keane since his close friend left Sunderland but has no doubts he will prove himself in management. “I am absolutely devastated but he will be back,” he said. Their manager at United, Sir Alex Ferguson, is not so sure./ppFerguson, who faces Sunderland today, said: “We wish Roy well because he was a great player here. It’s a pity. It’s difficult to say whether he’ll be back. He was an incredible, controversial character who always had something to say about the game. He’s quite an interesting character.” /ppAs for the beleaguered Ince, the United manager added: “I certainly hope he gets time. He has taken over a club that doesn’t have the financial backing of a few years ago, so therefore it’s a difficult job now. Paul needs time to reshape the club.”/pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blackburn”Blackburn Rovers/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/sunderland”Sunderland/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/roy-keane”Roy Keane/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Andy Hunter, Daniel Taylor

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/80260?ns=guardianpageName=Media%3A+4IP%3A+The+first+project+is+out%2C+and+it%27s+a+football+community+toolch=Mediac3=guardian.co.ukc4=Norwich+City+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CTwitter+%28Technology%29%2CSocial+networking%2CChannel+4%2CDigital+media%2CInternet+startups+%28Technology%29%2CMediac5=Digital+Media%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CMedia+Weekly%2CCorporate+IT%2CTelevision+Media%2CFamily+and+Relationshipsc6=Jemima+Kissc7=2008_12_05c8=1129928c9=articlec10=GUc11=Mediac12=blogc13=c14=PDAh2=GU%2FMedia%2Fblog%2FPDA” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpa href=”http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/join_the_conversation.asp”img src=”http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/digitalcontent/norwich5dec2008.jpg” width=”460″ height=”267″ alt=”norwich5dec2008.jpg” //a/ppThe first project in strongChannel 4/strong’s stronga href=”http://www.4ip.org.uk/”4IP/a/strong scheme rolled out quietly today without much fanfare, but perhaps the broadcaster feels this isn’t the right time to be blowing the trumpet about a £60m innovation fund. Still, 4IP is starting to support some interesting and experimental digital media projects and as backing from venture capital and angel investors dries up, the project is going to become an extremely valuable resource for the startup community./ppFirst off the blocks is stronga href=”http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/join_the_conversation.asp”#FC/a/strong, a community conversation tool for football clubs that uses the messaging platforms Twitter and Jaiku. The mastermind is strongRick Waghorn/strong, subject of yesterday’s stronga href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/dec/04/startups-advertising”Elevator Pitch/a/strong for his ’stronga href=”http://addiply.com/”Addiply/a/strong’ local advertising platform, with some support from former IPC music journalists and web producer Neil Mason./ppThe first test will be around the Norwich vs Ipswich match this Sunday; when he’s not running Addiply, Waghorn is emthe/em football writer behind stronga href=”http://www.myfootballwriter.com/”myfootballwriter.com/a/strong. The project starts as part of the strongNorwich City/strong fan site, aggregating comments posted via fans through strongTwitter/strong or strongJaiku/strong, and they have developed the name ’strongBackchat/strong’ so that the conversation will be platform agnostic. All messages tagged strong#ncfc/strong will be picked up by this Norwich City version. so maybe we’ll see a few from Delia in there…/pp4IP head strongTom Loosemore/strong said the idea is “to try and replicate the banter before, during and after matches in a way that is editorially fun” and that the fund wanted to support Waghorn because “he’s a maverick journalist who takes risks”./pp#FC was put together fairly simply using strongYahoo Pipes/strong and the funding was in low five figures, said Loosemore. Will it make the mainstream? Far too early to say, but there might be a few more Twitterers and Jaikuers before the weekend’s out./pp”It is also this idea of media being these ‘camp-fire communities’; places of warmth and welcome; and decent chatter… with the journalist merely there to throw more logs onto the fire; to pass round the mulled wine and the mince pies as the conversation ebbs and flows around him or her,” a href=”http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=185″wrote Waghorn today/a./pp”Where this is all takes us going forward will be fascinating; it is very much a pilot project out of just one, passionate niche community; and given that this weekend is derby weekend in strongNorfolk/strong and Ipswich are due in town this Sunday, said community is likely to be more passionate than normal over the next 48-72 hours.”/ppThe team can expect the usual melange of moderation issues, and will have to find the right tone in mediating the conversation - if it needs to be ‘curated’ at all./pp”Waghorn doesn’t think that journalism can afford to live in ivory towers any more, whether that’s handing out tablets of stone at 7am every morning or 6.30pm when the TV news goes out./pp”Media is this 24/7, moveable feast and having dined out for the last 300 years on feeding our punters little more than scraps off emour/em table, we now need to join them at emtheir/em table; be part of emtheir/em conversation; be seen to listen; be seen to be willing to be part of a two-way process.”/pp/pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/norwichcity”Norwich City/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/twitter”Twitter/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/socialnetworking”Social networking/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/channel4″Channel 4/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/digitalmedia”Digital media/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/startups”Internet startups/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Jemima Kiss

divimg alt=”" src=”http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/34102?ns=guardianpageName=Football%3A+United+furious+as+Evra+banned+for+Stamford+Bridge+altercationch=Footballc3=guardian.co.ukc4=Manchester+United+%28Football%29%2CChelsea+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSportc5=Not+commercially+useful%2CPremier+Leaguec6=Dominic+Fifieldc7=2008_12_05c8=1129770c9=articlec10=GUc11=Footballc12=Manchester+Unitedc13=c14=h2=GU%2FFootball%2FManchester+United” width=”1″ height=”1″ //divpManchester United have reacted furiously to a Football Association regulatory commission’s decision to ban Patrice Evra for four games and fine the full-back £15,000, sanctions the club immediately denounced as “excessive”, for his part in the ugly post-match altercation with a Chelsea groundsman following the side’s Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge in April./ppThe four-man commission imposed the punishments on Evra after ruling that the Frenchman had attacked the Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell as the players conducted their warm-down on the pitch. Chelsea were fined £25,000 for failing to ensure Bethell conducted himself in an orderly fashion but an allegation made by a member of the visiting team’s staff that the groundsman had “engaged in racist conduct or language” was not proved. Chelsea, who had consistently denied the claim, were cleared of that charge./ppWhile there was a sense of vindication at the London club, United were moved to condemn the sanctions imposed upon their defender. The club released a brief statement confirming: “Manchester United notes the announcement from the FA and is disappointed with the decision and in particular considers the sanctions against Patrice Evra excessive. Manchester United and Patrice will consider all options once there has been an opportunity to digest the full reasons for the decision.”/ppThat hinted at a potential appeal with Evra — already banned from the game at Tottenham Hotspur on December 13 — now due to miss Premier League matches against Stoke and Middlesbrough, the FA Cup third-round tie with Southampton and the first leg of United’s Carling Cup semi-final next month./ppThat will leave the France international without a competitive game, other than the Club World Cup in Japan, between next Wednesday’s Champions League tie with Aalborg and Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford on January 11./ppEvra had admitted pushing the Chelsea head groundsman in the chest, then running back to confront Bethell after the incident had appeared to calm down. The commission also ruled that he had struck Bethell on the side of the head. Chelsea, who described the incident as “regret­table”, are unlikely to appeal./pp”Chelsea always strenuously denied the racist allegation and that position has been totally vindicated by the FA,” said the London club in a statement. “Alleging racism is one of the most serious accusations that can be made in football. Chelsea has a zero tolerance attitude towards racism and is fighting hard with the rest of football to rid all forms of discrimination from the game.”/pdiv style=”float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;”ullia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchesterunited”Manchester United/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/chelsea”Chelsea/a/lilia href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague”Premier League/a/li/ul/diva href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk”guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href=”http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html”Terms Conditions/a | a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html”More Feeds/a
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Original post by Dominic Fifield