Ryan Nelsen has defended Anton Ferdinand’s decision not to shake Ashley Cole and John Terry’s hands.
Ferdinand chose to snub both Terry and Cole during the pre-match ritual, after an incident last season in which it was alleged that the former England captain racially abused him. The 27-year-old also chose to ignore the former Arsenal left back, due to his role as a character witness assisting the Chelsea captain’s acquittal.
Nelsen who partnered Ferdinand at centre back for the fierce goalless London derby said to SkySports, “Anton didn’t deserve this, all the stuff that’s gone on.
“He and his family have had to go through so much. I feel really bad for him. He just said: ‘This is my personal thing. Whatever you guys do, do it’.
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“In the end the Premier League forced everyone to do it, but I personally don’t think anybody in Anton’s situation would have done it.”
Wilfried Zaha is a target for both Spurs and Liverpool, with Eagles boss Dougie Freedman claiming that the player will be sold when the time is right.
The youngster is seen as Palace’s next big asset, and looks set to follow in the footsteps of former team mate Victor Moses into the Premier League.
Zaha has drawn scouts from the Premier League for over a year now, and anyone at Molineux on Tuesday night would have witnessed a screamer from the England U21 star to further add proof of his talents.
Newcastle wanted the striker back in the summer, and more recently Wigan manager Roberto Martinez showed an interest in the 19 year old.
With plenty of attraction coming from the Premier League, Dougie Freedman accepts the reality that there will be a time when his star player will have to leave, with Liverpool and Spurs both signalling their intention prior to the January transfer window.
“When he is ready and when I think he’s ready to go to the right club, I will tap Wilfried on the shoulder and tell him I can’t help him any longer, Freedman told TalkSport.
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“It’s a little bit different with my kids, the relationship has been there a long time. Wilfried can play at the top level if he continues going with his movement, he’s got wonderful technique and ability. His all round game is coming together.”
Tomasz Kuszczak has stated that Manchester United priced him out of moves to a new club in the Premier League, Championship and around Europe.
The Polish stopper signed for Brighton in the summer after being frozen out of action at Old Trafford, and has revealed that he could have left Sir Alex Ferguson’s side much sooner if allowed.
“For the last year, I had the chance to move to many good teams,” Kuszczak told Mirror Football.
“I always said that I want to play, I asked for permission to leave. At United, they said they would let me go. But for five million pounds.
“Shay Given had three years on his deal at City and was sold to Villa for £2m.
“I had one more year at Old Trafford and they wanted £5m. This sum of money was unacceptable.
“It wasn’t everything fair from their side. For three years I tried to leave but Sir Alex Ferguson said he needs me. Not everything was down to me. But he was thinking only about his team.
“West Brom was the most determined to sign me. We dropped to £4m, but that was too much.
“Clubs from Russia, Turkey and Olympiakos [wanted me]. I was close to CSKA Moscow and their keeper Igor Akinfeev had an injury and they wanted to loan someone. I reached individual agreement but Manchester wanted too much.
“Then I negotiated the deals with clubs from the Premier league and Championship, Turkey, Russia, Dinamo Moscow and Kuban Krasnodar.
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“There was a lot of money involved but in April my second daughter was born and I preferred to stay in England,” he concluded.
Gabriel Agbonalhor scored the only goal at the Stadium of Light as Aston Villa secured a vital win against fellow strugglers Sunderland.
It was another toothless performance from the Black Cats attack that will have Martin O’Neill tearing his hair out after succumbing to defeat at the hands of his former employers.
Paul Lambert’s men were fully deserved of victory with captain Ron Vlaar and Ciaran Clark kept the home sides attack with a powerful defensive display to ensure a first victory on their travels since January.
The visitors started the brighter and should have taken an early lead through Agbonlahor, who saw his snap effort from the edge of the area blocked superbly by Phil Bardsley.
Sunderland quickly picked themselves up but former Villa man Craig Gardner could only strike tamely wide from range before captain Lee Cattermole side footed just wide of the post from Adam Johnson’s lay-off.
It looked as if the hosts would be the ones to make the breakthrough in the second half, but it was away side that struck first 10 minutes after the restart. Matthew Lowton’s cross from the right was nodded back into the six-yard area by Christian Benteke and Agbonlahor was on hand to stab home from close range.
O’Neill threw Louis Saha on in an effort to force a goal and the Frenchman went close, heading Sebastian Larsson’s free kick just over the bar. That came just after they had a penalty shout rejected despite Johnson’s cross appearing to strike Benteke on the arm inside the Villa box.
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Andreas Weimann then forced Simon Mignolet into a smart save before Brad Guzan scrambled to prevent Fletcher turning home a loose ball after he’d spilled Cattermole’s dipping effort.
Substitute Fraizer Campbell then passed up a chance to equalise as Villa held on to register a priceless win.
Steffan Freund has praised Norwich manager Chris Hughton for helping him settle in England when he signed for Tottenham.
Hughton was Spurs’ assistant head coach when Freund joined the White Hart Lane outfit from Borussia Dortmund in 1998.
And Freund, who is now Spurs’ assistant head coach, has admitted he owes a lot to Hughton for helping him adapt to life in England.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s Capital One Cup fourth round tie at Carrow Road, Freund told Sky Sports: “He helped me a lot in the beginning. My English is still not good enough but, at that time, I could not speak any word.
“He helped me a lot to settle here in London and to play well for Tottenham. He is a fantastic person and it’s nice to see him being successful as a coach now.”
Freund also admitted that Andre Villas-Boas’ side see the Capital One Cup as one of their priorities this season but is aware that they must take every step as it comes.
“It is a possibility to win some silverware,” he added.
“But I think it is good to go step by step. It will be a really hard a difficult game for us.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Clint Dempsey has admitted that Tottenham must be at their very best when they meet Norwich tonight and feels the Carrow Road side are capable of an upset.
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He told Spurs’ official website: “It will be difficult. They are a team with quality and a good work rate, so we’ll have to be sharp and put in a professional performance.”
Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic has praised Steven Gerrard ahead of their friendly clash with England.
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker described the national captain as “fantastic” in the build up to the game during which the midfielder is set to win his 100th cap.
It was feared that the Liverpool hero may be unfit to face Ibrahimovic’s side, but scans have cleared him of a suspected knee injury suffered against Chelsea.
The 31-year-old centre-forward believes the Three Lions’ skipper is unlike other English players and deserves to reach the milestone in his career:
“I think Steven Gerrard is a fantastic player. He has been loyal to his club, he has won some big trophies with the club.” He is quoted by SkySports.
“He always plays at a high level when he is not injured. He is a very good person to have as a team-mate in your team.
“He always gives 200%, is a good fighter and has good skills and a good touch with the ball also.
“He feels more like an international player rather than a normal English player.
“English players have big hearts always fighting, very aggressive but for me Gerrard for me feels more international.
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“He has more skills than the normal player.”
Ibrahimovic is no stranger to playing alongside big name players having spent time at Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan during his career.
Football fans in Germany feel stronger ties with their club than in the Premier League, according to Borussia Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Most German clubs from the top two divisions abide by the so-called “50 plus one” rule, whereby a minimum of 51 percent of the club must be owned by its members, the supporters, who have a say in choosing the boardroom staff amongst other key decisions in the management of their clubs.
Dortmund need only a draw against Manchester City on Tuesday to finish as winners of Group D in the Champions League, while City are already eliminated; and Watzke reserved particular criticism for the ethos of their English opponents, who are owned and bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said, “In England people seem not to be interested in this. But the German is romantic: when there is a club, he wants to have the feeling it is my club, not the club of Qatar or Abu Dhabi.”
Amidst cries in England that the Premier League is out-pricing its fans, supporters of Germany’s premier clubs depart with very little money by comparison.
In Dortmund’s Signal Iduna stadium, season tickets for the 25,000 seat-strong standing area cost just €190 (£154), with entry to the first three Champions League group games available for an extra €30.
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Some players have garnered reputations that see them put on lists of the most hated footballers everywhere. Whether it’s arrogance, bad behaviour off the pitch, a reputation for diving, doing one too many dirty tackles or something else, numerous footballers have come to expect booing and derision from rival fans.
However, some Premier League players have played so badly, are so unlikeable; have such a high salary not matching their abilities, and more that even their own fans can’t stand the sight of them. Some players can even be booed by supporters of their own clubs.
Some of the players on the list have become so unwanted that they have been put out on loan or are in serious danger of being sold in the January transfer window. A few of these players have even got to the stage where it seems that they cannot wait to leave.
A number of the clubs that these players come from have been having problems with form recently, with many fans wanting to see their clubs get rid of players they feel are not good enough.
So, this is a list of 10 Premier League players that even their own club’s fans despise…
Click on Gervinho to get the ball rolling
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While most of us had to wait until the 25th to open any gifts that came our way last month, Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United were lucky enough to get their biggest Christmas present a good ten days early. The return of their club captain and outstanding defender in Nemanja Vidic brought both a fresh wave of optimism and a timely boost to a United defense that has sought to ship goals for fun in recent months.
But as with all gifts, the New Year period usually gives us a chance to take stock of what we’ve been lucky enough to receive over the festive period. Some gifts, like the eight surplus pairs of socks a doting Aunt may have brought you, you won’t necessary need. Others, such as the more perishable items, will already be long gone. And then you have the gifts that simply don’t always seem to work properly upon operation.
Quite whether Nemanja Vidic is going to have to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair, it is of course far too early to tell. But this is one Christmas gift that Fergie simply cannot afford to ignore should it start playing up as we progress through the Premier League season.
While the dodgy Christmas gift metaphor is perhaps verging on a little uncouth for a defender as imperious as Vidic, given the big Serb’s recent injury hell, it feels difficult to buy into some of the unnerving optimism that some United fans have been indulging in since his return in the 3-1 over Sunderland last month.
After replacing Rio Ferdinand in the second half of the victory over Martin O’Neill’s men, Vidic made what was only his sixth appearance of the season in all competitions. After seeing his 2011-12 season decimated by a ruptured cruciate knee ligament picked up in the Champions League group stages, a hasty comeback this term saw Vidic require surgery on the meniscus in the same right knee. He’d not been seen since September 19th.
Yet following his re-entry into the team, there is a school of thought that those still clamoring for a new centre-back are searching for a problem that now no longer exists. The need for a much-feted central midfielder continues to be wheeled out with more conviction. Of course, Fergie’s been eager to ease Vidic back in the team, but surely that’s no more than simple common sense?
While that may be true, comments from the man himself suggest that he’s far from out of the woods just yet. Again, it would be dangerous to speculate at the potential ramifications of Vidic’s injury, but there are no guarantees the way we’re seeing him currently managed will necessarily be consigned to the short term.
Speaking to club’s official website, Vidic confirmed that following his previous doomed comeback attempt, he must be more careful the second time around. But his words sounded a little more out of hope, than expectation.
“The doctor is managing the games [I play],” Vidic told manutd.com.
“Over the first two or three months I have to really look at the games I can play because sometimes I might have a reaction.
“This is a process I have to go through. I am glad I have managed to play after three months. It is nice to be on the pitch and playing games. Hopefully I can.”
While you hardly need a PhD in Sports Science to allude to the fact Vidic needs to be carefully managed back into the swing of things at Manchester United, it’s the longer-term prospects of the player that seem a little more hazy to predict. There’s every chance that Nemanja Vidic can go on to make a full recovery from his injury, as the likes of Ruud van Nistlerooy, Michael Owen and Xavi have from similar cruciate ligament injuries. But at 31, Vidic’s body isn’t in its mid-twenties and at its full powers of recover anymore.
Because regardless of the implications his injury might have had on his physical ability, it’s his ability to get on the field in the first place which could be of more pressing concern.
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Manchester United need a settled back four. For all their heroics up the other end of the pitch, the continuous haemorrhaging of goals at their own end cannot continue and despite the wealth of talent they have at their disposal defensively, it counts for very little if they can’t get it on the pitch at the same time.
Regardless of the impact his knee has on his ability to perform week in, week out for Fergie’s side, Vidic isn’t going anywhere. As one of the Europe’s finest defenders, he is always going to have a part to play, and having a slightly off-key Vidic for 20 games a season is better than what most other defenders can offer over the course of an entire term.
Although if come the end of this term Vidic is having issues in playing week in, week out, Ferguson cannot hesitate to look to bring in a world class centre-half during the summer. It sounds like scaremongering and again, it’s speculating upon something that is yet to happen. But with Rio Ferdinand now 34 and Phil Jones and Chris Smalling perhaps still some way off taking the mantle, they can’t afford to have the rock of their defence develop a Ledley Kind like yo-yoing presence in and out of the side.
All at Old Trafford will be crossing their fingers that Vidic goes on to escape unscathed from his injury hell. But the club cannot sustainably fight for glory both domestically and in Europe long-term without a settled and stable defensive unit. The progress of Nemanja Vidic in the next six months will go a along way to determining what that back four will look like next season.
Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker believes that his injury lay off will benefit him in the long run.
The England international has missed the bulk of the Premier League season so far following an Achilles injury suffered at EURO 2012 over the summer.
He made his first start of the campaign during the club’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, and is now expected to play a key role in Andre Villas-Boas’ midfield with Sandro ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury.
Despite his lack of game time, Parker believes that he is ready to play:
“I think the break has really done me good and I feel fit and sharp. I touch wood when I say it because football can come around and bite you on the backside, but I feel really good.” He told the club’s official website.
“On a personal level I feel fine, really good. I’ve had a few games now and I’m raring to go and get right back into it.”
He also feels that the break will be beneficial in the long run, and he may be fitter than he has been for some time:
“In a weird way I think my body needed that rest because I’ve played a lot of football for many years now and that was probably the longest I’ve been out for as long as I can remember.”
Now he is back, Parker is fully committed to helping Spurs maintain their good start to the season and help them qualify for next season’s Champions League:
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“We need to stay as strong as we can and try to maintain what we’ve done in the first half of the season. We got some great results over the Christmas period and we need to maintain it.”