Toyota Football Fever Show
31
What the UK papers said this week?
1) Ronaldo - I don't want to leave
United
CRISTIANO RONALDO will commit his future to
Manchester United — before securing his place as the
world's best footballer.
The Portuguese winger has been linked with
a summer move to Spanish giants Real Madrid but Ronaldo,
who has been in dazzling form for club and country, is happy
to continue his development at Old Trafford.
He said: "I have been improving my game
and I'm in great shape this year. “The Manchester
United players are by my side and I also have a great help
in the national team. "Am I the best in the world?
Of course I believe I am one of the best — I feel
mature.
"I have a good contract in financial
terms and what really matters to me is to show my game.”It's
a good sign to know that I have so many clubs interested
in me, such as Madrid. It means that I am valued and my
work pleases. "But I'm very happy where I am and I
hope to stay at Manchester United for many years."
2) Eggy: “I did the right thing”
EGGERT MAGNUSSON insists he does not regret
spearheading a takeover of West Ham.
The Icelandic businessman took charge at Upton
Park in November but has failed to transform the club's
fortunes. He sacked Alan Pardew in favour of Alan Curbishley
and sanctioned a number of new arrivals during the January
sales.
Curbishley's arrival as boss has resulted
in two wins from the last 13 Premiership games — leaving
the Hammers eight points from safety, but Magnusson still
believes he was right to pick West Ham.
Eggy said: "I have never regretted it.”It's
been a challenge so far but I'm sure we will get there sooner
or later. "I cannot go into details but some things
I discovered when I came here surprised me. "Things
were not as good as I thought regarding the club as a business."
3) Cough up or I’m off
KANU has threatened to quit Portsmouth after
dismissing their latest contract offer as a “pure
joke”. The Nigerian striker is furious the club have
tabled only a one-year extension - and Kanu claims he deserves
a more lucrative deal following his 12-goal haul this term.
Kanu, 30, rapped: “Discussions are
still going on. But I recently read the club have offered
me a generous offer, which I found very funny. I felt I
should set the record straight. “I’ve been in
football for a long time to know what generosity means.
“I’ve seen players getting a long-term contract
with good money which, to me, sounds very generous. “But
when you give someone a one-year contract and call it generous,
I consider it to be a pure joke.
4) Spurs in Metzelder hijack
Ambitious Tottenham want to strengthen their
defence in the summer by hijacking Christoph Metzelder's
move to Real Madrid.
The Borussia Dortmund centre-half is a free
agent at the end of the season and is looking for a fresh
challenge. Spurs are keen as they want to improve their
resources at the back with concerns about Ledley King's
long-term fitness still lingering.
They realise a move to La Liga is an attractive
proposition for the Germany international but it is not
certain that Real Madrid will press ahead with the move.
That leaves the door open for Tottenham to
offer Metzelder a similar deal at around £30,000 a
week.
Quotes of the Week
There's nothing better than when you finish
at Chelsea and are coming away with England" John Terry
seems to want to get away from Stamford Bridge!
"Can Lampard and Gerrard play together?
They can. They can. They can" England boss Steve McClaren
is obviously trying to convince himself.
"They've been there, done it and won the World Cup.
I've won the CIS Cup. I'm getting there" - Scotland's
Scott Brown isn’t quite up to the Italians level yet…
"In my opinion, the press will drink
McClaren's blood and he will be finished" ‘Super
Agent’ Pini Zahavi gets a bit melodramatic.
"For me it is a penalty. Why when Cristiano
is involved is it always polemic?" Cristiano Ronaldo
becomes the first footballer ever to say ‘polemic’
– and he’s Portuguese…
Last Weeks European Championship Qualifier
Results
Saturday 24th March
Czech Republic 1-2 Germany
Baros (77) Schweinsteiger (42)
Kuranyi (62)
Greece 1-4 Turkey
Kyrgiakos (5) Sanli (7)
Unal (55)
Metin (70)
Karadeniz (80)
Israel 0-0 England
Lithuania 0-1 France
Anelka (73)
Netherlands 0-0 Romania
Portugal 4-0 Belgium
Nuno Gomes (53)
Ronaldo (55, 75)
Quaresma (69)
Rep of Ireland 1-0 Wales
Ireland (39)
Spain 2-1 Denmark
Morientes (34) Gravgaard (49)
Villa (45)
Wednesday 28th March
Andorra 0-3 England
Gerrard (54,76)
Nugent (90)
Italy 2-0 Scotland
Toni (12,70)
Upcoming Premiership/Champion’s
League Games
Premiership (Saturday 31st, Sunday
1st & Monday 2nd)
Liverpool v Arsenal
Suspensions
Injuries LIV - Garcia, Kewell, Crouch
ARS - Henry, van Persie, Walcott, (Clichy), (Eboue)
Prediction 2-1
Reason: An important match
in the battle for third place in the league, in which Arsenal
are currently ahead. Liverpool will feel that home advantage
should tip the scales in their favour, and this coupled
with the impotency of the current Gunners strike force should
be enough for the Reds to take all three points.
Bolton v Sheff Utd
Suspensions BOL - Ivan Campo
Injuries BOL - O’Brien
SHF - Hulse, (Lucketti)
Prediction 1-0
Reason: Bolton have suffered
a terrible blip in form lately, playing like relegation
contenders, but are still fifth in the table. They need
to start winning fast though if they are to qualify for
Europe next year and this home game with struggling Sheffield
United will be one they hope to win. The Blades are fighting
for survival, but Bolton should win a tight game.
Charlton v Wigan
Suspensions
Injuries CHA - Gibbs, Reid, (D Bent), (Thatcher)
WIG - (Folan)
Prediction 2-0
Reason: Alan Pardew has
managed to breath new life into his Charlton side, and a
win here would move the Addicks to within a point of the
safety zone. This will be a strong motivator for Charlton
to put in a good performance at the Valley, and despite
Wigan’s slight upturn in form, Charlton should come
out on top.
Fulham v Portsmouth
Suspensions
Injuries FUL - Bullard, Elliott, (Elrich)
POR - Mendes
Prediction 2-1
Reason: Portsmouth have
begun a slow slide down the table, and it doesn’t
seem like stopping at Craven Cottage. They have an inability
to score goals, whereas Fulham have no trouble at home,
and as they still need points to be sure of safety, the
Cottagers should win this.
Man Utd v Blackburn
Suspensions BLA - Bentley
Injuries MAN - Neville, Silvestre, (Ronaldo), (Fletcher),
(Saha), (Solskjaer)
BLA - Savage, Ooijer, Reid, (Todd)
Prediction 2-0
Reason: Mark Hughes has
managed to turn his Rovers side into an efficient unit that
rarely make mistakes when playing lesser opposition, but
sometimes struggle when up against the big sides. At Old
Trafford Man Utd will be looking to win every game in the
run-in, and this game shouldn’t pose too many problems.
Newcastle v Man City
Suspensions
Injuries NEW - Ameobi, Owen, (Carr), (Babayaro)
MAC - NONE
Prediction 3-1
Reason: Newcastle are still
struggling to find consistency under manager Glenn Roeder,
with the leaking defence the main problem. But at St James’s
Park their back line should not be tested too severely by
a goal shy City side, that despite winning against Middlesbrough
two weeks ago, lacks the quality for a sustained run.
West Ham v Middlesbrough
Suspensions MID - Morrison, Cattermole
Injuries WHM - Savage, Ooijer, Reid, Todd
MID - Upson, (Ashton), (Gabbidon)
Prediction 1-0
Reason: West Ham seem to
have found some confidence, after their morale boosting
win over Blackburn. Despite the fact that luck played an
important role in the result, the Hammers will see it as
the break they needed, and will surely attack this game
to try and keep their survival hopes alive. They should
do enough against an uninspired Boro.
Watford v Chelsea
Suspensions
Injuries WAT - Stewart, King
CHE - Bridge, J Cole, (Lampard), (Essien)
Prediction 0-2
Reason: Watford have long
been exposed as having a lack of talent necessary to stay
in the top league, and despite being almost certainly relegated
the Hornets may still have a sting in their tail for one
of the big boys. Chelsea though are a professional unit,
and should take a win from Vicarage Road.
Tottenham v Reading
Suspensions
Injuries TOT - Gardner, Assou-Ekotto, Dervite, (Tainio),
(King), (Murphy)
REA - Convey, Sonko, Mate, (Halls), (Brown), (Bennett)
Prediction 3-1
Reason: This should be a
very entertaining game at White Hart Lane between two sides
with an attacking mentality, but I feel that home advantage
will tell for Spurs, and with such a dangerous strike force,
they should emerge as the winners when the dust settles.
Aston Villa v Everton
Suspensions
Injuries AST - Laursen, Sutton, Delaney, (Samuel), (Gardner)
EVE - Valente, McFadden, Cahill, (van der Meyde)
Prediction 1-1
Reason: It is difficult
to see anything but a draw here, as both teams are very
tight units, who rarely give anything away. Villa don’t
quite seem to have enough threat up front, even with John
Carew in the side, but likewise the Toffees are posing less
of a threat without Tim Cahill in the side.
Champion’s League Quarter Final
First Leg’s
AC Milan v Bayern Munich
Prediction AC MILAN FIRST LEG WIN
PSV v Liverpool
Prediction LIVERPOOL DRAW IN HOLLAND
Chelsea v Valencia
Prediction CHELSEA NARROW VICTORY
Roma v Man Utd
Prediction ROMA VICTORY IN ITALY
Premiership Form Table
| 1 |
Manchester United |
6 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
2 |
15 |
18 |
W W W W W W |
| 2 |
Chelsea |
6 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
13 |
18 |
W W W W W W |
| 3 |
Arsenal |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
5 |
3 |
13 |
W D W W W L |
| 4 |
Tottenham Hotspur |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
14 |
12 |
2 |
12 |
L L W W W W |
| 5 |
Everton |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
D W L W D W |
| 6 |
Wigan Athletic |
6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
W L D W W D |
| 7 |
Reading |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
10 |
W W W L L D |
| 8 |
Blackburn Rovers |
6 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
9 |
L W L W W L |
| 9 |
Charlton Athletic |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
8 |
D L L W D W |
| 10 |
Liverpool |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
W D L W L D |
| 11 |
Newcastle United |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
7 |
-1 |
7 |
W L W L D L |
| 12 |
Bolton Wanderers |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
12 |
-5 |
7 |
D W W L L L |
| 13 |
Sheffield United |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
11 |
-5 |
7 |
W L W L D L |
| 14 |
Middlesbrough |
6 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
-4 |
6 |
D D L W D L |
| 15 |
Fulham |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
-3 |
5 |
L W L L D D |
| 16 |
Aston Villa |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
-4 |
5 |
L W L D L D |
| 17 |
Watford |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
10 |
-5 |
5 |
L W D L D L |
| 18 |
Portsmouth |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
-5 |
5 |
D L W L L D |
| 19 |
Manchester City |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
3 |
9 |
-6 |
3 |
L L L L L W |
| 20 |
West Ham United |
6 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
6 |
13 |
-7 |
3 |
L L L L L W |
