English Premier league and Cup news

[Azzuri]

Torres: Goals will silence any Liverpool doubts


Fernando Torres knows the only way he can silence the doubters is by scoring goals for Liverpool.

The striker said: "My objective now is to be an idol at Liverpool and if I keep scoring goals like this then hopefully it will help me become a favourite for the fans.
"I know that many people have doubted me because of the size of the transfer fee but my answer will always be with the goals I score.
"That is the most important thing in the world, especially for me as a striker who feeds on goals.
"I don't want to set a target but if I avoid injuries and stay in good form then I want a minimum of 15 goals. "That will be a good number

[M|ch]

Mourinho Happy With Shevchenko Return Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho expressed his happiness with the form and fitness of Andriy Shevchenko


Andriy Shevchenko has been on the outer this season despite having recovered fully before the Premeirship kick-off.
It has usually been club form that earns a player an international cap, but in this case, it has turned out to be just the opposite. Good displays for Ukraine have seen the striker find favour at Chelsea.
"Sheva is selected," said Mourinho. "It is good to have him back. We need every player. We are starting the period where we need everybody.
"We need to rotate players. We are now playing in three competitions at the same time.
"In the next two weeks, we have to play five matches and that's the story we are going to have, hopefully, until the of the season, playing in a lot competitions and matches.
"So we need every player with Drogba injured and with Pizarro still at this moment in the air and on the way back to London, the situation is not easy in attack.
"We need everybody and it is good to have Shevchenko back. He played two matches for his national team, the results were not good for his team but I saw the matches and especially, in the second one, I was happy with the way he performed. So yes, he is selected and he will have minutes tomorrow."
"Sometimes it is not just about fitness," he continued. "Sometimes players have a great fitness situation and they are not performing well.
"I think he's improving in every aspect. Against Italy he played a good game not just because he scored the goal, football is not just about goals.
"I think his contribution to the team was positive. He brought to his game, some of the aspects I want him to bring. I was very happy watching that game. So I hope he can perform for us because we need him.
"Last Wednesday I was watching three or four matches at the same time - doing a lot of zipping. I was taping other matches to watch them all, I saw every one of my players except Essien in Saudi Arabia and I'm happy with the way he performed."

[M|ch]

Premier League - Super rich Arsenal to splash cash

Eurosport - Mon, 24 Sep 21:18:00 2007

Arsene Wenger has been promised a mammoth £70million transfer kitty after Arsenal revealed themselves to be one of Europe's richest clubs.


Figures unveiled on Monday morning show the Gunners' move to the Emirates Stadium has driven a near 50% increase in turnover to more than £200million for the year ending May 31, 2007.
That sum means they are only edged into second place in the continent's money league by Real Madrid.
But with operating profit of £51.2million, up an amazing 274%, the Barclays Premier League club now have a level of profitability far in excess of Real.
Match-day revenues of £3.1million per game at their new 60,000 home are double those generated at Highbury, and have seen the Gunners leapfrog main domestic rivals Manchester United and Chelsea - whose respective turnover for the same period was £167.8m and £152.8m.
The revelation of Arsenal's wealth is an ample response to those critics who questioned the effect the cost of relocation to Ashburton Grove would have on the club, and in particular Wenger's transfer funds.
But after reiterating that Wenger did not spend all his budget this summer, delighted managing director Keith Edelman claimed the Frenchman would now have previously unheard of sums available to reinforce his squad.
"I think we are in a very good position," Edelman said.
"Clearly Arsene's performance and the team's performance on the pitch has been outstanding, obviously backed up by our very strong financial position.
"We gave Arsene a budget in the summer and he didn't even spend all of it on transfers and hopefully we'll be able to carry that forward into future years."
He added: "We have got plenty of financial firepower to makes the transfers Arsene wants to make.
"We had over £70million of cash at the end of the year and if Arsene wants to spend that money we will make it available."
The results posted this morning have been achieved despite the lack of a mega-rich foreign owner, the source to which most rivals have turned to increase their clout.
With Red and White Holdings Limited, backed by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, recently increasing their stake in the club to around 21%, rumours have abounded of a possible takeover bid.
But Edelman insists the results show there is no reason to change the way in which the club is run.
"We think it's very important as a board that the club develops revenues it generates itself and is not dependent on people putting money in every year, because that's not a very stable basis on which to run a club," he told Arsenal.com .
"We regard ourselves as custodians of the club and fans as well. It's important that the club does have a stable financial base."
He added: "If you look at the shareholders and the look at the board, we are all here because we love the club. Yes we want to run it well as a business, but only because we want to be a great club.
"That could be contrasted with what could be called financial owners, who come to purchase clubs to make money out of them and they don't have that affinity to be a rabid fan - to live, breathe and eat Arsenal Football Club."
With the new Premier League TV deal yet to be reflected in their figures and the Gunners also set to launch their own TV channel in the new year, it seems everything is in place for the financial success to continue.
Football finance expert Professor Tom Cannon, of Buckingham Business School, agrees the current Gunners hierarchy will now find it easier to stave off any overtures from Red and White Holdings - who are chaired by former club vice-chairman David Dein.
"It makes the board's position even more easy to defend," Cannon told Sky Sports News.
"The one thing that David Dein might have been able to mobilise if these figures had been a bit less remarkable would have been 'you need the money'.
"But there's no evidence that Arsenal need outside investors and all the evidence suggests they don't need somebody to come and load them with debt."
Cannon also hailed the impact of the Emirates on the north London "cash machine".
"They are brilliant figures for Arsenal on every level," he continued.
"In turnover, to break through the £200million mark, over-taking Manchester United and Chelsea, and in terms of profits, the £51m profit just demonstrates what a cash machine the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal have become."
Cannon added: "The Emirates Stadium has probably been the greatest success in stadium development over the last 10 or 15 years, not just in Britain but in Europe.
"And it demonstrates very clearly why so many other clubs, like Liverpool, are determined to get into new stadia."

[M|ch]

Manchester United Crash Out To Coventry Manchester United's young fringe players are apparently less impressive than Arsenal's, as Championship side Coventry City knocked them out of the Carling Cup with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.





Iain Dowie's Coventry side sprung a Carling Cup shock by bundling a makeshift Manchester United side out at the third round hurdle.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson changed his entire team from the one that beat Chelsea on Sunday but it back-fired and he paid the price with an embarrassing defeat.
Coventry had taken 11,000 fans with them from the West Midlands, an amazing turn-out, and they saw their Sky Blue heroes go ahead after 27 minutes when Michael Mifsud converted Michael Doyle's cross.
And it was Mifsud who put the game beyond United with 20 minutes remaining, with a shot into the roof of the net after good work from Jay Tab for the Championship side.

[M|ch]

Chelsea Rocked By Drogba Knee Injury Premier League title contenders Chelsea have been stunned to learn that ace striker Didier Drogba is facing a knee operation that could keep him out of action for several months.

Chelsea's Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba has had a scan on an injured knee which has revealed degeneration in his left meniscus, which requires surgery.
Drogba sustained the injury playing for Ivory Coast last month.
A decision on whether to operate immediately or to try and effect running repairs designed to help him get through Chelsea's hectic Christmas/New Year programme must be made over the next few days.
The Chelsea medical staff will discuss the options with Drogba and assess his ability to cope with training on Thursday before advising manager Avram Grant on the best course of action.
However, if Drogba is considered to be unfit to play against Sunderland on Saturday, the club are likely to recommend that undergoes an operation as quickly as possible.
Another factor to take into account is the African Cup of Nations.
It might be possible, if risky, to keep patching Drogba up with the help of pain-killing injections until January. But he will then be unavailable anyway because of the African Cup of Nations.
And Drogba, 29, would probably be reluctant to jeopardise his international career - and his long-term health - for the sake of the next month's Barclays Premier League fixtures.
But a prolonged period without Drogba would be a major blow for Chelsea, who rely heavily on his goal power and all-round contribution.
The Blues failed to win any of the three matches he missed earlier this season when he was suffering from a different knee injury. Moreover, they only managed to score one goal during those three games.
The minimum recovery period from knee surgery is between usually three to five weeks, excluding the time necessary to regain match fitness. If he underweent surgery immediately, that would keep him out until the African Cup of Nation starts in January.
Chelsea's upcoming programme starts with Sunderland at home, then continues with Valencia in the Champions League, Premier League leaders Arsenal away on December 16th and potentially tricky Christmas fixtures against Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Fulham.
Taking into account the African Cup of Nations, Drogba could be unavailable to Chelsea until February.
That could prompt Grant to make a determined bid to sign another striker in January. Bolton's Nicolas Anelka is thought to be high on the list.

[Thuggishh_E]

Guys this sunday we will have the Big Four clashing against each other:
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Liverpool vs Man U