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Teenage frontman Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is ready to offer "something different" to the Arsenal attack should he be thrown into Carling Cup action at Newcastle. Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is again likely to select a balance of experience and youth as he continues the search for a first trophy since 2005. Emmanuel-Thomas, who had been linked with a loan move to Championship leaders QPR, has chalked up eight goals in five matches for the Arsenal reserves, and was a late substitute in the defeat at Chelsea earlier this month. The 19-year-old would relish another first-team opportunity up at St James' Park. "I think I can offer something different. There is no-one that plays exactly my style," Emmanuel-Thomas said. "I am a big guy that likes to run with the ball and beat players. I can create chances, I can score goals, I can make goals and the way I see things in the game has become a lot better than it used to be. I've got to keep doing it and keep showing that it`s not just a one-off. Hopefully the boss will see what I am doing and that I am doing it on a regular basis and hopefully he will give me my chance."
Gerard Houllier wants midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker to stay at Aston Villa on a long-term basis after appointing him captain during Stiliyan Petrov's two-month absence through injury. Reo-Coker is out of contract next summer but Houllier revealed Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner has already held talks with his agent. Houllier said: "Just from what I see, Nigel's attitude and his work-rate has been consistent. In terms of performance, he knows exactly his role in the team. He works for the team and he has improved a lot, even over the last few games.
Alex McLeish says former Sporting Gijon skipper Michel must remain patient with Barry Ferguson keeping him out of the starting line-up. McLeish said: "It is a bit of a thankless task for Michel because he was the captain of Sporting Gijon and we saw him play really well against the Real Madrids and Barcelonas of this world. But Ferguson's form has been exceptional and I've not devised a system where I can get the two of them into the same team. I know there are ways of doing that but I don't think it suited the rest of our players. Michel has been extremely unlucky. He wouldn't have envisaged being understudy to Barry. He may have thought he could have played in the team with Barry. It has been tough for him but at the end of the day we need a squad and I need cover for Ferguson and other players."
Blackburn hope to complete the sale of the club to India-based company Venkys next month. Rovers chairman John Williams said: "A series of meetings, including discussions with the Premier League, have followed an extensive due diligence process. Both parties are hopeful that the transaction will be completed in November." Venkys chairperson Anuradha J Desai added: "We expect to be the first Indian company to acquire a Premier League team and we are particularly delighted that the team is Blackburn Rovers, with whom we believe we have many shared values and ambitions."
Ian Holloway accepts it will be difficult for Blackpool to keep Charlie Adam if the midfielder is wanted by bigger Barclays Premier League clubs. "I know Charlie's a brilliant player and I have a lot of good players who, cunningly, we're not paying a lot of money to," said Holloway. "Others will see that and they'll covet them and then come in. And I won't be able to do a damn thing."
Gretar Steinsson believes loan striker Rodrigo is only just getting started at the Reebok. "He's a player I'm sure the fans will see a lot more of this season," the defender said of the Benfica-owned youngster. "It's enjoyable to see the things he does in training, and I'm not surprised so many clubs in Europe were after his signature. He's a player who has tremendous ability and I'm sure he'll show that whenever he gets the opportunity."
Brazilian defender Alex believes Chelsea have adopted a philosophy similar to his countrymen's attacking style. Carlo Ancelotti's side currently top the Barclays Premier League and have yet to concede a league goal at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have also chalked up 25 goals from their opening nine matches, conceding just twice. Alex, currently on the comeback trail following a thigh problem, said: "The way we've been playing throughout this year, I would liken us to Brazil. Brazilian teams have the same mentality. They just want to attack. However, there is one difference - here we try to have more composure in defence."
Tony Hibbert hopes to spend his whole career at Everton after signing a new deal. The homegrown defender signed a two-year contract extension in the wake of the 2-0 derby win over Liverpool, committing himself to the Toffees until 2014. That would take Hibbert past his 33rd birthday so after coming through the Everton academy he could retire as a one-club man. The Huyton-raised right-back helped the Blues win the FA Youth Cup in 1998 before making his first-team debut against West Ham in March 2001. "I have been here so long now and it is great to get another deal and extend that stay," he said. "I always wanted to, and planned to, and I am just glad the club have asked me to stay longer. I would love to finish my career here. Everton is a big part of my life. I have been here since I was a kid and it is great for me and for my family to be given a couple more years on top of what I have already got. It has been a special time - it was great news for me to get a new contract and a derby win in the same week is just fantastic." Hibbert is now the longest-serving player at Goodison Park and has made more European appearances than any other Everton player. In all, the 29-year-old has so far made 257 appearances for the Blues but is yet to score for the first team.
Midfielder Simon Davies hopes the club do all they can to hang on to Mark Schwarzer during the January transfer window. The 37-year-old goalkeeper looked set for a £2.5m move to Arsenal in the summer, only for the deal to fall through as Fulham stood their ground. Davies has just signed a new deal keeping him at Craven Cottage until 2013 and hopes the veteran Australian will also stay on with Mark Hughes' squad. "I am sure they are speaking to Mark," Davies said. "There is no doubting his ability and what he has done for the club. It is a no-brainer about trying to keep him, and I hope he stays."
Steven Gerrard is confident Liverpool can race up the Barclays Premier League table now Fernando Torres is back among the goals. The Reds, who are in the bottom three, returned to winning ways on Sunday as Torres fired the winner in the 2-1 success over Blackburn Rovers and Gerrard was delighted to see his team-mate score his first goal in six weeks. The Spanish World Cup winner has come in for severe criticism this season for a number of below-par performances but club captain Gerrard insists the mercurial striker is back to his old self. And the Reds talisman believes an in-form Torres can elevate the club into the higher echelons of the division. "It'll do wonders for Fernando's confidence," Gerrard said. "All week in training he looked dangerous and lively running in the channels, and against Blackburn he was exactly the same. He had Blackburn tormented, he kept the ball really well, and this team is so different when Fernando is on form. He's had a difficult summer with injuries and a difficult start to the season with a few niggles, but now he's starting to look fit and sharp and I'm sure the win and the goal will do him the world of good and hopefully he'll go from strength to strength. If we keep him fit and he's on form, we'll move up this table really fast."
Chief executive Garry Cook has promised the club have no intention of breaking UEFA's new financial fair-play rules. Under new regulations enforced by European football's governing body from next season, no club should make an aggregate loss of more than 45m euros (about £39m) over the three seasons from 2011/12, or it will face being excluded from European competition. Earlier this month City announced losses of £121m for the 12 months up to May 31, 2010, up from £92.5m for the previous year. But Cook stressed the club do not plan to fall foul of the new rules, so will not head into the next transfer windows with the same "intensity". He said: "Clearly our intention is to comply. Our two-year plan was to take a budget and build a competency to compete at the highest level, not forgetting the need for succession planning in every position. We are pleased with how that worked, and will not be signing players to the same level of intensity in the next transfer windows. Financial fair play is on our conscience. We talk about it at every board meeting, and it's part of our long-term plan."
Sir Alex Ferguson believes his experience was crucial in keeping Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and does not believe the club will ever go for a novice manager. Ferguson said: "I don't think Manchester United could ever go down the road of having a young manager, to be honest with you. It's a job that needs a lot of experience at the top end of the game. We have the benefit of my 24 years at the club, so fortunately that's the way we could deal with it. At Manchester United, you can never be surprised. There is always something happening in the club and there are always issues to deal with. I don't think you can deny we got a lot of publicity that we didn't enjoy, but you have to deal with these situations and I think we dealt with it very well. I've got the benefit of having been at the club for such a long time I have experienced a lot of things. It's big enough dealing with winning matches without the publicity attached that doesn't always put football in a good light. We always try to always be a good part of the game, and all the right things about the game, but for a couple of days last week, there was unfortunate information. To be manager of our club, you have to have someone strong who can deal with all these issues."
Newcastle manager Chris Hughton is yet to make a decision over his new number two. The former Tottenham full-back launched a search last week after assistant Colin Calderwood returned to management in his own right at Scottish Premier League side Hibernian. He said: "It's something I have wanted to take some time over. I don't expect to take too long over it, but I haven't named one yet. I have a few in mind, but certainly no decisions have been made yet."
Tony Pulis says he has no problem with Tuncay Sanli - but has challenged the forward to build upon his impressive cameo against Manchester United on Sunday. Tuncay came off the bench at the Britannia Stadium and netted a sublime 81st-minute equaliser before Javier Hernandez's second goal of the contest sealed a 2-1 victory for the visitors. The Turkey international looks set to make Pulis' first XI for Wednesday's Carling Cup last-16 tie at West Ham as he did in the previous two rounds, but he has not started any other matches for the Potters this season. Reports suggested that, having been omitted from the squad to face Bolton in the Barclays Premier League earlier this month, the 28-year-old left the Reebok Stadium in a taxi just prior to kick-off. Pulis has played down talk of a rift with the player, but wants to see Tuncay produce the kind of magic he did against United on a more regular basis. "It was a great goal when we needed a bit of inspiration," Pulis told Stoke's website. "He can produce things like that, but he needs to do that more often for us. People have asked me if there is a problem with Tunny; there isn't. He's as good as gold and he's a great lad to have around the place."
As he begins his preparations for the match with Newcastle, Geordie Steve Bruce, who admits he has never even been to the derby before, will hope for good news on Egyptian winger Ahmed Elmohamady, who limped off with a foot injury at the weekend. He said: "Elmohamady has got a nasty one with the top of his foot. He kicked the bottom of somebody's boot. It's a sore one, but I think he will be okay."
Luka Modric says Tottenham fans can expect to see the best from him in the coming weeks. Modric returned to prominence in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Everton after what has been up-and-down season for the midfielder. After being sacrificed at Inter Milan during last week's Champions League match due to Heurelho Gomes being sent off, the 25-year-old caught the eye as captain against Everton. Modric feels he is starting to rediscover the form that has made him a fans' favourite and hopes to impress when Spurs take on Manchester United this weekend. "It's always tough against Everton and this was exactly the same," he said. "I think this was my best game of the season so far. I feel better and better every game and I will start to play much better." Both goals arrived in a four-minute spell in the first half as Leighton Baines curled home a free-kick for the visitors, quickly cancelled out by Rafael van der Vaart's tap-in from Peter Crouch's knockdown. "I thought we deserved to win," he added. "We were unlucky with some chances and it was a good point after a tough game in Milan on Wednesday. We were the team pushing to win but couldn't find a way through in the second half."
Peter Odemwingie has still not fully recovered from the knee injury picked up at Bolton three weeks ago. Assistant coach Eddie Newton said: "Peter is doing well but we're still erring on the side of caution at this stage."
Captain Matthew Upson admits there will be plenty of soul-searching within Avram Grant's squad as they look to turn their season around. "The manager has to figure out the answers and we have to work on it," said Upson. "That is the only way to progress. If we do that we have enough to see us through this league campaign. It's just a case of getting it out there on the pitch. We have to go away, analyse and find out the reasons why we unperformed. We know two wins is really going to pick you up out of there and thrust you into mid-table area. I think that is an area we feel we can realistically maintain."
Roberto Martinez has assured goalkeeper Chris Kirkland he still has a vital role to play at the club. The former Liverpool keeper lost his place as first choice at the DW Stadium to on-loan Ali Al Habsi after an indifferent start to the current season. With Al Habsi unable to play against his parent club, Kirkland returned for last weekend's Barclays Premier League match against Bolton and performed solidly in a 1-1 draw. There have been reports claiming 29-year-old Kirkland, a former Coventry City prodigy who has one England cap, is considering his future but Martinez does not want him to leave. Martinez said: "I have got a great relationship with Chris and we have spoken about his role at the football club. I told him he has been a number one for many seasons and has earned the respect of the fans and everyone. Some of the things that have been in the press I think have been taken out of context. We need Chris Kirkland at this football club, there is no other issue at all. If he was to be happy and not playing, there would be something really wrong. He is a great competitor, has great standards and his role at the football club is vital - playing or not playing."
Michael Kightly will try to boost his recovery from injury by undergoing surgery this week. The highly rated wideman has been out for almost a year after suffering problems with his patella tendons and will go under the knife in a bid to get back into first-team action. Kightly, who starred for Wolves in their Championship title-winning season in 2009, picked up the knee trouble while recovering from an ankle ailment incurred during last November's defeat to local rivals Birmingham. And, despite undertaking extensive rehabilitation to remedy the tendon trouble, the 24-year-old flew out to Sweden on Tuesday to see a world-renowned surgeon in a bid to speed up the healing process. "It's been almost a year now since I played, and so we've decided to try something different to try and speed up my recovery," Kightly said. "On a couple of occasions I've actually stepped up my rehab and got close to getting back only to not quite make it. So I'm going to have the operation in Sweden to try and push my recovery on. There is still no timescale on my recovery but I'm feeling positive and hoping that this will help me complete my recovery."
Blackpool's play-off final victory over Cardiff City ensured they would be the 44th different club to play in the Premier League. The ...
priemer clubs league 2010/2011 Arsenal Data Club: Arsenal Football Club Nickname: The Gunners Established: 1886 Official site: www.arsena...
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