Category Uncategorized

Hamburg striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will leave the club at the end of the season after being denied a return to Real Madrid, his agent says.

The 34-year-old Dutchman has been the subject of two transfer bids from former club Real this month, both of which have been rejected by Hamburg.

As a result, Van Nistelrooy’s agent, Rodger Linse, says that his client will not extend his contract at Hamburg when it runs out at the end of the season.

“A contract extension with Hamburg can now be ruled out. This is not possible any more,” Linse told the Hamburger Morgenpost.

“He cannot understand it (why Hamburg did not let him go) and he has got a problem with it. It is very, very painful,” Linse said.

“It is sad because Hamburg have no idea what they are doing to Ruud with this decision.”

A prolific goalscorer at former clubs PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Real, Van Nistelrooy netted 46 goals in 68 games during his three-and-a-half-year stay in the Spanish capital.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He made the switch from Real to Hamburg in January 2010 and has scored six goals in the current Bundesliga campaign, which sees Hamburg sit in sixth position, 17 points adrift of leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Real are eager to sign a striker as cover for Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, who is out for several months following back surgery.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has stated that he was happy with his side’s 1-0 win over Croatia on Monday, and does not mind who La Roja come up against in the next stage.

Substitute Jesus Navas netted late in the game to seal a victory for the holders, which also means that Spain top Group C.

With the world champions’ opponents in the next round set to be decided in Tuesday’s Group D fixtures, Del Bosque has admitted that his team are playing well.

“It was a difficult game for us, we had a high percentage of ball possession and we proved we can control the game,” he told reporters, published by Sky Sports.

“We were fighting for a victory, not a draw and we have taken a step forward here by qualifying, this is motivation for the quarter-finals.

“The team played well, even though things didn’t go according to plan.

“It was a very tense match, very tough. They closed ranks at the back very well and didn’t give us much space.

“We threw on Cesc (Fabregas) because we needed not only possession of the ball but someone to get forward into goal scoring situations.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“We have no preference whether it is France, England or Ukraine, we have to be ready to take whatever comes,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Popular former midfield player Thomas Hitzlsperger could make a shock return for a second spell at Aston Villa according to both The Guardian and The Mirror, with Villa manager Alex McLeish failing to rule out the possibility.

The German, who was affectionately known as ‘Der Hammer’, spent five years at the club between 2000 and 2005 and enjoyed a successful relationship with the Villa faithful, which still remains. He originally left Villa Park to return to his homeland, playing for VfB Stuttgart and after a brief unsuccessful period at Lazio in Italy, he returned to England with West Ham. However, after West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League last year, Hitzlsperger finds himself without a club as a free agent.

Before any potential return however, manager McLeish has been told to cut Villa’s wage bill before bringing in any new faces: ‘Thomas’ name has been mentioned,’ said McLeish of the 29-year-old German international. ‘The midfield, in terms of experience, maybe we are a little bit lacking. But we won’t be bringing players in until we trade. We still have a very heavy wage bill and we’ve got to try and work to adjust that. There’s players at the club we respect totally, but they haven’t played much first-team football and we have to try to let them seek football somewhere else’.

Tonight West Ham and Birmingham City are set to do battle at Upton Park in the first leg of the semi-final of the Carling Cup. For both teams who face the threat of relegation from the Premier League, the Carling Cup provides them with the opportunity to get to Wembley and the possibility of winning some silverware. With just two matches standing between the Hammers and the Blues and the final, which players will prove to be the tie winners?

After resting several key figures in the FA Cup fixture at the weekend, West Ham will bring back the likes of Matthew Upson and Frederic Piquionne into their starting XI. They will perhaps be most greatly boosted by the inclusion of Scott Parker, their midfield talisman. Parker has been immense for West Ham this season and this is reflected in the Picklive stats, where he’s the Hammers’ third top points’ scorer with an average of 51.

This is only bettered by fellow midfielder Mark Noble, who is leading the way for West Ham in Picklive this season, and Danny Gabbidon who has netted 54 points per game. With Birmingham likely to be on the defensive in the first leg, it is fairly likely that West Ham could earn a clean sheet and thus Gabbidon would be a wise selection. Picking Scott Parker for your Picklive Trio is a must, as if you’ve seen West Ham play this season, you’ll know just how important Parker is to Avram Grant’s side.

For Birmingham, getting to the Carling Cup final would prove to be an achievement that Alex McLeish and his side can be proud of. After the side’s 4-1 drubbing of Millwall in the FA Cup they should be full of confidence and looking to continue their good cup form. One man in particular who that applies for is Matt Derbyshire, and after limited game time this season, he will not want to pass up another opportunity should he be rewarded for his brace on Saturday.

Birmingham’s top Picklive points’ scorers this season have been Barry Ferguson, Liam Ridgewell and Roger Johnson, scoring an average of 56, 45 and 44 points per game respectively. This makes Ferguson a sensible selection, but with West Ham hardly prolific in front of goal, the choice of Johnson in your trio could well be a good one.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

So when you settle down to play live fantasy football tonight, who will you select as your Picklive trio? May I suggest Danny Gabbidon, Scott Parker and Roger Johnson. Make sure you join us for the match later by clicking the link below and proving you’re the fantasy football king!

[divider]

Love fantasy football? Love live footy? You’ll love live fantasy football! Take part in the West Ham v Birmingham match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!

England crashed out of Euro 2012 as their penalty shoot-out misery continued against Italy in Kyiv setting up a semi-final date with Germany.

It’s the sixth time the Three Lions have exited a major tournament in such fashion and the fourth time at the quarter final stage as Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missed the decisive spot-kicks after holding Cesare Prandelli’s men over 120 minutes.

The Azzurri dominated much of the game and on the balance of play deserved to win in normal time squandering a host of chances with Daniele De Rossi setting the tone early on with a rasping drive from 25-yards that smacked off Joe Hart’s right hand post.

Roy Hodgson’s men were starved of possession in a frenetic opening but soon settled as Glen Johnson’s scooped effort forcing Gianluigi Buffon into a smart save. Wayne Rooney then sent a diving header over the bar before John Terry bailed out his side with a last ditch challenge on Mario Balotelli after he beat the offside trap to latch onto Andrea Pirlo’s lofted pass.

Balotelli then volleyed straight at Manchester City teammate Hart after being found by Riccardo Montolivo’s disguised loop pass before a neat interchange between Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney saw the former screw wide from 18-yards. After the break Italy took over and should have been in front within four minutes as Claudio Marchisio found De Rossi four yards from goal but mis-hit his volley despite having time and space to take a touch.

Hart then palmed a De Rossi drive straight into the patch of Balotelli who was also denied by the keeper before Montolivio fired the second rebound over the bar. Pirlo continued to dictate from a deep lying midfield position as England struggled to get anywhere near the 35-year-old but it was substitute Alessandro Diamanti who came closest to breaking the deadlock clipping the post with a cross-cum-shot. Antonio Nocerino then thought he’d won it six minutes from time after heading into the roof of the net but was correctly denied hero status by the offside flag.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Extra time passed without incident as the inevitable penalty shoot out loomed for both teams. England looked to be on course for an unlikely victory after taking the lead after the first two rounds but Young rattled the bar before Cole’s tame spot kick was saved by Buffon allowing Diamanti to strike the critical blow to send Italy into the semi finals.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed that he will look elsewhere if he cannot tie down a move for Tottenham star Luka Modric.The Blues have been chasing the Croatian midfielder over the English Premier League offseason, with Modric attempting to push the move through by handing in a transfer request at White Hart Lane.

But Chelsea’s 27 million-pound bid two weeks ago was dismissed out of hand by the north London club and Villas-Boas admits it will take ‘incredible’ money to entice the midfielder from their Premier League rivals to Stamford Bridge.

“You know what the situation is, it is public,” Villas-Boas said after his side defeated Portsmouth 1-0 in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. “You can understand the position that the club has taken.”

“At the moment we are scanning the market for everything. (Modric plays in) one of the positions we are looking to strengthen.”

“But here you saw we adapted Yossi (Benayoun)’s position in the middle and also against Wycombe he was marvellous in the position.”

“It is just a question of finding the solution. If it happens it happens, if it doesn’t happen it doesn’t happen.”

The Portuguese boss hinted that if a deal is not done soon, he will move on to other options.

“It does not depend on us. Spurs have a right to defend their player and property. We just have to wait,” he added.

“We respect whatever position Tottenham takes and the prices we are talking about is an incredible amount of money.”

Crouch began his career at White Hart Lane and he apparently hopes to end it there. His first stay at the Lane as a teenager ended without him making a first team appearance. After moving about a fair amount, he found his way back to Tottenham once more with a move from Portsmouth in 2009. He’s now a Spurs regular and is keen for things to stay that way.

“I’m so happy here that I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Crouch told The People. “For a time at Liverpool, I didn’t think I would ever leave there – but eventually felt I had to move on. Here I am so settled and there is no limit to what we can achieve. Unless they kick me out, I’ll be hanging around!”

Although he looks back at his time with Liverpool with something approaching affection, he’s clearly very happy at Tottenham. Of course, players show a different face to the media than they do when it comes to contract negotiations, but Crouch seems to be sincere. Will the news that Crouch is willing to commit to Tottenham for the long-term have fans jumping for joy?

Now I’ve always thought that Crouch was underrated striker. He has a great touch, is dominant in the air, and does chip in with the goals. When things go right for Crouch, he’s as good a striker as anybody else in the Premier League. He has been England’s most consistent striker for the last couple of years. Yet, some might say that that reveals more about the state of England’s attack than Crouch’s ability.

There is room for criticism – does Crouch score enough goals? He has played 62 games for Tottenham and scored 21 goals. Not the best return for a striker. In his time at Portsmouth he scored 11 goals in 38 appearances. Whilst at Liverpool he scored a measly 22 goals in 85 appearances. Whilst these stats aren’t bad per se, they aren’t particularly prolific either.

If Spurs really are ready for the big time as Harry Redknapp and a number of pundits seem to be claiming, they are going to need strikers that provide the goods. At the moment too much of the goal-scoring burden is put on midfielders like Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale. If Spurs are going to contend for the title, they desperately need a 20+ goals per season striker. Perhaps this man could be Defoe, but it certainly doesn’t look to be Crouch.

Whilst his comments are flattering for Spurs fans, the cold hard truth of the matter is that Crouch either needs to raise his game or consider his future. As Spurs aim for glory, certain players will get left behind as others go onto great things. I hate to say it, but at the moment, Crouch looks more likely to get left behind, rather than swept along with the tide.

If you’re interested and want to hear more feel free to follow me on Twitter

*

Click on Giorgia Palmas below to see her in all her glory

Manchester United made sure not to hand the Premier League title over to rivals Manchester City and take the battle down to the last day with a 2-0 win over Swansea on Sunday.

With the Red Devils level on points but behind on goal difference with their cross-town rivals the emphasis was on an emphatic victory, with Paul Scholes and Ashley Young scoring in the first half.

However, the champions could not add to their tally in the second 45, and are now dependent on QPR getting something from their game against City at the Etihad Stadium on the last day.

Despite being underdogs to lift the crown, Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to give up hope.

“We have to go there with the right spirit to win the match. You never know,” he told Sky Sports.

“Our responsibility next week is to win the game.

“We’ve got next week. QPR need a point, so you never know. I just wish Sparky (QPR boss Mark Hughes) was playing,” he stated.

In regards to the victory over Swansea, the Scottish trainer felt his team played well and were good value for their win.

“We did what had to do. We won the match. We had a lot of chances. I thought we played very, very well.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“I was pleased to win the match,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Chile have picked up just a second win of the Copa America tournament, while Uruguay became the latest favourite to be held to a draw.In a Group C double-header at Mendoza’s Estadio del Bicentenario, Peru frustrated Uruguay into a 1-1 stalemate – the fourth draw in six completed games at the tournament in Argentina – while Chile’s class helped them overcome Mexico 2-1.

Despite Uruguay’s much-vaunted front three of Napoli’s Edinson Cavani, Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan, Peru’s well-organised defence enjoyed the better of the early going.

After a lively opening, it was Peru who drew first blood when Paolo Guerrero was picked out by a great ball from Michael Guevara on 25 minutes.

The Hamburg striker coolly rounded Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera before slotting into an empty net.

Uruguay – the third-favourite nation behind Argentina and Brazil – began to wrest control late in the half and could have been back on level terms when Forlan launched a vicious swerving free-kick towards goal five minutes before half-time, but Peru goalkeeper Raul Fernandez performed an acrobatic save.

They did not have to wait long to equalise, however, and Suarez fired home on the stroke of half-time after a neat turn and pass from Ajax midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro.

The second half was a pulsating affair, with both sides having chances to take away three points as things became willing.

Guerrero had a great chance to seal a win for Peru in the 90th minute, but the 27-year-old put his close-range header wide of the mark.

In the later game, Chile showed their quality but needed to come from behind against a stubborn Mexico side.

Just six of the faces that helped their nation lift the Gold Cup on June 25 were included in Mexico’s largely Under-22 squad, with five overage players and only two who boasted more than 10 caps.

It showed as Chile dominated large sections of the game, with Barcelona target Alexis Sanchez busy and Sporting Lisbon midfield Matias Fernandez the hub of his side’s attacking moves.

Fernandez went close from a free kick and then open play, while team-mate Humberto Suazo was only thwarted in his hunt for a goal by some agile goalkeeper from Mexico’s Luis Ernesto Michel on 30 minutes.

The half appeared destined to end scoreless despite Chile’s domination, until 19-year-old defender Nestor Araujo threaded a header beyond Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo after Giovani dos Santos’ ball was flicked on in the area.

The goal failed to shake Chile, however, and they pulled level 22 minutes into the second half when substitute Esteban Paredes prodded home from close range.

They then finally made their domination count when Fernandez’s corner was headed into the net by Arturo Vidal, though Bravo was needed to keep the score at 2-1 when he blocked Edgar Pacheco’s effort shortly before the final whistle.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that his side had enjoyed a 'good day' after they saw off Wigan Athletic 2-0 to draw level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.

United took advantage of their rivals losing 1-0 at Birmingham City, with their win over the Latics at Old Trafford also seeing Wayne Rooney return to action as a substitute.

Ferguson told MUTV:"While it wasn't a great performance, it was competent and if you'd asked me at the start of the day, would I have taken joint top spot at the end of it, I would have said yes.

"It's been a good day for us, no question about that. This league is without doubt a high-quality league now. All the games you play are very difficult.

"You saw that last week when a young Aston Villa team came out and set about us. It was the same again today.

"I think we know ourselves that come the second half of the season we'll definitely get better.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

"At this moment in the time, we just need to be in that bit at the top of the league. We're joint top with Chelsea now."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email