News in brief - Fri 27th Feb

ARSENAL
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis believes Arsenal are well positioned to ride out the current uncertain financial climate and says the board will continue to back manager Arsene Wenger in the transfer market. The Barclays Premier League club have announced pre-tax profits for the six months ended 30th November 2008 were £24.5m, up from £20m, with increased contributions from both the football and property aspects of the Gunners' parent holding company. Gazidis said: "If Arsene believes that there are players out there who can help the squad, the board is always behind him, but don't forget we believe in the young players we have. When you look at the ages of the players we are putting out on the field and their level of performance, the next two or three years will look very bright indeed. We have achieved a half-year pre-tax profit of £24.5m which in this environment is very solid. I think the industry as a whole will be affected in the medium to long term. Fortunately at Arsenal, we are very well positioned and our key sponsorship contracts are long-term agreements which fix our revenue there."

ASTON VILLA
Martin O'Neill took comfort in the commendable displays of Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton as Aston Villa lost 2-0 on CSKA Moscow's plastic pitch in sub-zero temperatures. Villa went out of the UEFA Cup 3-1 on aggregate but after leaving behind eight senior players, O'Neill was delighted with the debuts of the two 19-year-olds. He said: "We had two players making their first starts in wide positions and I thought they did exceptionally well. We were always in the game until the last minute and we always felt we were capable of scoring a goal, and we had one or two opportunities to do so. We have tried our utmost and, although it was not to be, in terms of team effort and what the young players gave, I was delighted."

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Manager Sam Allardyce has called on his players to toughen up and grind their way out of relegation trouble. Rovers are third-bottom of the Barclays Premier League and, having gone six matches unbeaten immediately after Allardyce took over from Paul Ince in December, have now lost their last two. Admittedly those defeats were against Aston Villa and Manchester United, but Allardyce believes there are other drawn matches which should have been won. And he knows Rovers have to stop the rot before it becomes damaging, starting at Hull City on Sunday when he faces Phil Brown, his former assistant manager at Bolton. Allardyce said: "We could have got ourselves out of our position by achieving so much more in terms of points on the board. We know we have let ourselves down in giving too many soft points away in the last few Premier League games, one of those being Manchester United having watched the match again. In the last five games we have only taken five points. There could have been so many more points on the board - it should have been three wins and two losses. We have to be a bit tougher on ourselves, be a bit more determined, and make sure we get out of the game what we deserve. The performance is good but the points total is not good enough at the moment. Even then the mentality has to be if we are not playing well we don't get beat. If we get something out of a game we don't deserve that is what helps keep you up in this division. Let's hope we can put that together. It is only small things we have to improve on but you have to do it on more than talent."

BOLTON WANDERERS
Manager Gary Megson has called for his team to improve their consistency between now and the end of the season. Wanderers have won two of their last three Barclays Premier League matches but prior to that they had recorded one victory in eight. At this stage last season the club were staring relegation in the face but a run of 11 points from their final unbeaten five matches secured their top-flight status. Although the situation is not as bad this campaign - they are seven points above the drop zone in 12th - Megson knows a brief run of unbeaten matches may not be enough to save them if they cannot keep amassing points until the end of the season. "As you get towards the end of the season there is less opportunity to put things right if you need to," he said. "You can't have one good period you have to look at it all the way through. But the three points you can get now are exactly the ones you can get in May and exactly the ones you should have got in October."

CHELSEA
Guus Hiddink says he has not had a problem with goal hero Didier Drogba's commitment or motivation since taking over as interim coach at Stamford Bridge. Drogba, his season hampered by injury, suspension and a fall-out with former boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, looked back to his predatory best when he pounced to fire the 12th-minute winner in the 1-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg triumph over Juventus. Hiddink was full of praise for his efforts saying: "I cannot and will not talk about the past because I was not here to judge, but what I normally ask from professional players is to be very committed. There has not been one player that I have had to motivate. If I had to motivate a player, then I think I start fighting with him or neglecting him, generally speaking. I have not had this problem at all with Drogba. From the first day I was here, he enjoyed training and worked hard. He worked hard against Villa and again against Juventus. So I don't have any problems with under-motivated players."

EVERTON
Leighton Baines is ready to fill the set-piece void left by Mikel Arteta's injury. Arteta is renowned for his abilities from dead ball situations and has scored three times from direct free kicks this term. But after the influential midfielder was ruled for the remainder of the season with a ruptured cruciate ligament, the emphasis will now be on Everton's other set-piece specialists. Former Wigan man Baines is often seen alongside Arteta at dead-ball situations, and he thinks he is the man to step in to the Spaniard's shoes. He said: "I'm always there over them and if I can take them then I will. Mikel has taken precedence really on those situations, but it's available and I'm more than happy to step in. But I think I'm just destined to be the dummy run, I think someone else will come in and take them whilst I'm just there!"

FULHAM
Brede Hangeland is looking forward to challenging Barclays Premier League and European Champions Manchester United for a place in the last four of the FA Cup. He said: "At home we're very confident and it was a really good performance on Tuesday - if we keep doing that we'll be very hard to beat at home. We were happy with the way we came back after being a goal down. Swansea played very well over the two legs and gave us a very hard test but in the second half after they scored I thought we dominated the game and showed great character. To go through was the main objective and now we're playing the best team in the country but luckily we're playing them at home which should give us some comfort. I think we'll give them a good game and we look a lot stronger at home and there will be a big difference playing them at Old Trafford and at home. Hopefully that will work to our advantage and we'll have a chance to go through."

HULL CITY
Goalkeeper Matt Duke has signed a one-year contract extension, tying him to the club until 2011. The 31-year-old recently dislodged Boaz Myhill as first choice at the KC Stadium after several years in the shadows. Duke, who joined Hull from non-League Burton Albion for £20,000 in 2004, also overcame testicular cancer last year. Duke said: "I'm delighted and was more than happy to sign the new contract. I've worked hard over the years and I'm just glad to have been given my chance. The aim now is to stay in the team."

LIVERPOOL
Rafael Benitez expects Fernando Torres to miss Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough with his ankle injury, but believes Steven Gerrard could start the match. Torres was struggling from the off in Wednesday night`s 1-0 win at Real Madrid, but skipper Gerrard only came on for the last few minutes following a hamstring problem. Benitez was thrilled with the victory which gives him the opportunity to lead Liverpool to the Champions League quarter-final for the fourth time in five seasons. He said: "This was a very important victory, particularly as we did not have Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres was troubled by an ankle injury from the first minute. But we were able to play them on the counter-attack. We knew how Real play and we were able to organise our tactics accordingly."

MANCHESTER CITY
Mark Hughes believes the results of Manchester City's multi-million pound investment are beginning to show after Thursday night's UEFA Cup victory over FC Copenhagen. Wales striker Craig Bellamy scored twice in seven second-half minutes to secure a 4-3 aggregate triumph and a place in the last 16 against another Danish side in Aalborg. "We keep trying to tell people we are very early in our progression but some people don't want to hear that," Hughes said. "Where we are at the moment is right on track."

MANCHESTER UNITED
A plan hatched by Sir Alex Ferguson and former assistant Carlos Queiroz lay behind Manchester United's successful charge to the Carling Cup Final. In seasons past, Arsenal's youngsters have been the ones to catch the eye in England's secondary knockout competition. This term it has been United, with half-a-dozen youngsters forming the basis of Ferguson's squad during a run that has seen them account for Middlesbrough and Blackburn as well as Championship opponents Queens Park Rangers and Derby County. The likes of Darron Gibson, Danny Welbeck, Rodrigo Possebon and Fabio Da Silva, who could replace twin brother Rafael, are all set to be part of the United party that tackles Tottenham, having benefited, not from reserve-team combat, but early elevation into Ferguson's first team set-up. Ferguson said: "Some time ago, I took a deliberate decision with Carlos Queiroz that the way forward with our youngsters was that as soon as we identified they had the quality and temperament to become first-team players, then we would bring them into the squad and let them train with the seniors. This has made a huge difference to their readiness for the big time and they are able to make the most of a first-team chance as and when it comes along."

MIDDLESBROUGH
Josh Walker has signed a new contract which will keep him at the Riverside Stadium until 2011. The 20-year-old, a graduate of the club's academy, has made six senior appearances since the turn of the year with manager Gareth Southgate having to turn to his youngsters because of injuries and suspensions. Born in Newcastle, central midfielder Walker made his senior debut as a substitute at Fulham in the final game of the 2005-06 season under former boss Steve McClaren. The England Under-19 international has also had loan spells with Aberdeen and Bournemouth.
Walker becomes the third youngster to sign a new deal in recent weeks after Rhys Williams and Seb Hines.

NEWCASTLE UNITED


Newcastle United managing director Derek Llambias says relegation is simply unthinkable. The Magpies head for Bolton Wanderers on Sunday having dragged themselves five points clear of the Barclays Premier League drop zone after a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Everton last weekend. However, the job is far from done with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea due at St James' Park in their next three home matches. And while remaining confident they will avoid the drop, Llambias said: "It's totally inconceivable. You just couldn't go there - and we won't go there. I might be bullish about it, but you have got to have that faith."

PORTSMOUTH
Portsmouth have revealed they rejected a buy-out approach from former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega because of fears it could impact on the club's long-term future. Vega made a move for the Barclays Premier League club earlier this month but Portsmouth claim he failed to prove he could fund the takeover. The 37-year-old former Switzerland international has moved into property management since retiring in 2003. In a statement, Portsmouth said: "As Mr Vega was consistently unable to demonstrate an ability to secure financing for his proposal - as had previously been agreed between both parties and which is fundamental to the long-term prospects of the club - the board, which includes the owner, decided to reject the proposal unless Mr Vega could satisfy them that the club's future would not be compromised. This was not forthcoming."

STOKE CITY
James Beattie has told his team-mates to put last weekend's disappointing 2-2 draw with Portsmouth behind them and concentrate on Sunday's trip to Aston Villa. The Potters were within seconds of clinching only their second Barclays Premier League victory since 22nd November before Ryan Shawcross' own goal. Three points would have taken Stoke four clear of third-bottom Blackburn but Beattie admitted there was still a long way to go in the relegation battle. "We can't let it get us down. We have to pick ourselves up for Aston Villa on Sunday," said the striker, whose two goals against Pompey took his tally to four in five matches since his £3.5m January transfer from Sheffield United. "If you look at the table now all the bottom half is involved and you will have to go on a little run to get out of it."

SUNDERLAND
Chairman Niall Quinn insists major investor Ellis Short has already demonstrated his commitment to Sunderland's growth by refusing to cash in on Kenwyne Jones. At a time when many clubs are having to cut back, the Black Cats were offered the chance to make a huge profit on their £6m investment in the former Southampton striker by selling him to Tottenham Hotspur. But backed by Irish-American Short, they instead handed the Trinidad and Tobago international a lucrative new contract. That, Quinn believes, is evidence of his desire to help the club achieve its dreams of achieving success on a sustained basis. He said: "He [Short] doesn't want to be patted on the back or held up as some sort of hero. I don't think this club has ever had a chance like this before and might never have it again. You look at the Kenwyne Jones saga this transfer window. The offers were well in excess of £15m - near enough £20m - and we said no. That kind of says it all. I don't really want to go championing him, but I would want to point out that people should know we are in good hands. The easiest thing to do there financially, if there was no real belief in what we were trying to do, was for the ownership to take the easy money and field a lesser player every week. That may have happened at this club in the past."

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Harry Redknapp has selection dilemmas ahead of the Carling Cup final after Jamie O'Hara forced himself into the Tottenham manager's plans on Thursday night. O'Hara, returning from a hip injury, put in a box-to-box performance against Shakhtar Donetsk as Spurs drew 1-1 at White Hart Lane and went out of the UEFA Cup 3-1 on aggregate. After being reduced to tears by being left out of last season's cup-final squad, O'Hara will compete with David Bentley for a place in midfield against Manchester United on Sunday if there is no reaction to his injury. Redknapp said: "Jamie has been unlucky - he's had an injury or he would have been in my team. He was top class against Shakhtar. He can play wide or inside and he is in my plans. He is a fantastic boy as well, you'd have him in your side any day of the week."

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Manager Tony Mowbray has told his players it is time to show they have got what it takes to win their battle for survival. Albion face tricky back-to-back matches at Everton on Saturday and then at home to Arsenal on Tuesday. Rooted to the foot of the Barclays Premier Leauge table, it is a period which could make or break their bid to avoid an instant return to the Championship. Mowbray said: "We are going away to the team who are sixth and then meet the team who are fifth over the space of a few days. So we have a big, big ask coming up in the next few days and we will have to see whether we are up to the challenge which is in front of us. There is pressure on us to win but if don't win let us move on to the next match. We have shown against Everton already this season that we can give them more than a tough game."

WEST HAM UNITED
Gianfranco Zola is expecting a reaction from his team in the wake of their FA Cup exit at Middlesbrough. The Hammers suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the Riverside but the manager has challenged his players to bounce back at home to Manchester City on Sunday. He said: "The guys are not willing to sit on this too long and we are determined to put another run of good results together. We know what we are capable of achieving and will work very hard to make this happen."

WIGAN ATHLETIC
Steve Bruce remains hopeful British managers will get the chance to take a job with one of England's 'big four' but he admits the chances remain slim. Bruce has done remarkably well in lifting the Latics from relegation contenders to seventh place in the Barclays Premier League during his 15-month reign at the club. However, he knows taking charge of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal is an entirely different prospect. "It (foreign managers) seems to be the way forward. Would Manchester United now go for the manager of Aberdeen?" he said, in reference to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. "I sincerely hope the British managers get a chance because it is difficult for any of us to win anything. The last manager to get a crack at a big cub was David Moyes at Everton and look at the fantastic job he has done. I'm sure any of us wouldn't mind a crack at managing that lot (at Chelsea). When you look at them - Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry - they are a fantastic bunch of players."

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