Man City's Schmeichel completes Cardiff switch
Cardiff have signed Manchester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel on a month's loan.
Schmeichel goes straight into the squad for the visit of Scunthorpe on Saturday after a proposed move to Coca-Cola Championship rivals Coventry collapsed earlier this week.
The 20-year-old started the campaign as Sven-Goran Eriksson's first choice at Eastlands but has lost his place to fellow youngster Joe Hart in recent weeks.
'The Bluebirds confirm the signing of Kasper Schmeichel from Manchester City initially on a month's loan,' read a Cardiff statement.
'The keeper will link up with the squad and will take the number one shirt vacated by Ross Turnbull, who has returned to Middlesbrough.'
'This does not mean Kasper has no future here, he just needs to get some games,' said City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Schmeichel had been due to join Coventry but that deal collapsed earlier this week amid the midlands outfit's current financial problems.
The 20-year-old started the campaign as Eriksson's first choice, appearing in the opening seven games of their impressive start to the Premier League campaign.
However, Schmeichel, son of Manchester United legend Peter, lost his place to Joe Hart for the home win over Newcastle earlier this month and has been frozen out ever since.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
McClaren's luck to mirror Napoleon's?
European Championship Qualifying: Scores | Fixtures | Tables | Stats | News Archive
Updated: Oct. 15, 2007
McClaren's luck to mirror Napoleon's?
Richard Jolly
Archive
As England head to Russia for their crucial Euro2008 qualifier they could do worse than take heed of former manager Graham Taylor's interest in the fortunes of a previous visitor to Moscow.
Empics
Moment of truth in Moscow: Steve McClaren facing vital showdown with Guus Hiddink
Taylor, a hugely unfortunate, though not particularly good England boss, is fond of quoting Napoleon Bonaparte, who himself preferred lucky generals to good ones; but Napoloeon's luck famously ran out in Moscow with the onset of the Russian winter. The question here is will Steve McClaren's?
England's recent sequence of 3-0 wins has been notable as much for its good fortune as it's compliant opposition; the majority of injuries have had their upsides, either by sparing McClaren a difficult decision or in allowing an opportunity to a player who has grasped it.
Yet defeat on the Luzhniki Stadium's plastic pitch would represent a change of fortune that could ultimately result in the end of McClaren's tenure without leading England to a major international tournament.
Caretakers excepted, Don Revie is his only predecessor with such an unwanted distinction.
Standing in McClaren's way is Guus Hiddink, the man many believe should have been appointed instead of him and with an unrivalled record of overachievement with different countries in international football.
Yet, aided by having a superior set of players at his disposal, the Yorkshireman bested the Dutchman at Wembley last month. To do so again would confound most expectations of him.
Expectations of Hiddink are regularly confounded. In his team selection and his tactics, he can be a gambler, unafraid to sideline his biggest names and willing to back his own hunches. Two decades at the summit of management shows he is often right and his reputation can survive the few occasions when he is not.
McClaren's cannot. If no previous England manager has attracted such vitriolic criticism so quickly, it is because none have had the fundamental disadvantage of being Steve McClaren. But after six weeks of surprisingly successful decision-making, two more matches of correct choices will take England to Euro 2008.
Yet if it really is a masterplan then McClaren's talents extend to deception. The reality is that things have fallen into place. His assertions that Gareth Barry, for instance, has always been a fine player, while true, carry less credibility after ignoring the Aston Villa captain for almost a year.
Having rediscovered his faith in David Beckham, injury spared him from further subservience to the former captain. And after Emile Heskey defied predictions on his recall, his limitations, especially in front of goal, should preclude regular selection. His metatarsal injury spared McClaren a difficult decision against Estonia on Saturday.
However, decision-making cannot be dodged on Wednesday.
With Barry's presence a certainty now, Frank Lampard remains an issue. So, too, do England's tactics. McClaren has recognised that 4-4-2 has its failings, yet his principal attempts to implement another system - in Croatia last year - yielded far worse results.
Should England, as they did in Zagreb, alter formation in a quest to retain possession? It would enable the manager to reinstate Lampard, though it is only those in the England clique who fail to understand why he has been booed after two years of mediocrity in the colours of his country.
Empics
Barry: Indispensable or expandable?
More pertinently to the team's fortunes, Russia, like most Hiddink sides, are likely to have three players in the centre of midfield and England risk being outnumbered.
Yet the inability of some players to function in formations other than 4-4-2 may mean that the safest approach is to persevere with the same system.
Replacing the injured Ashley Cole with Barry at left-back would permit a way back for Lampard and thereby ease the mind of a manager who is always reluctant to offend his supposed star players.
However, that would bring a return of the malfunctioning Steven Gerrard-Lampard axis in the centre of midfield. Accommodating the Chelsea and Liverpool men as well as Barry in the same 4-4-2 shape requires the omission of either Joe Cole, whose flair is vital, or Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose pace could be invaluable on the counter-attack, with either Barry or Gerrard adopting a wider role.
In this argument Wright-Phillips is the more likely to be sacrificed, with solidity required and Gerrard a more dependable option.
Then there is another uneasy alliance in attack. Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen hardly conform to each other's concept of an ideal partner. The former rarely reproduces his Manchester United form for England, while the latter is either a scorer or anonymous, yet it is inconceivable McClaren will sideline either. Even Paul Robinson, his confidence seemingly at an all-time low, is in the rank of the 'undroppables'.
So, if England are to keep the clean sheet that will make thoughts of a summer trip to Switzerland and Austria more realistic, much depends upon Sol Campbell.
With Jamie Carragher alienated and John Terry unlikely to be fit, Campbell's international exile has been ended. Should his alliance with Rio Ferdinand prove as effective as it did during the 2002 World Cup, it could enable England to display the sort of resilience they demonstrated a decade ago in Rome, when a goalless draw sufficed.
The consequence, however, would be that McClaren would face a dilemma when his captain returned. That's a problem for another day, for now he has enough on his plate: whether to persevere with Robinson, whether to recall Lampard, whether Rooney and Owen are compatible, how to cover for the missing Cole and which formation to favour.
Decisions, decisions. This represents the ultimate proof of if McClaren is the man to make them.
Updated: Oct. 15, 2007
McClaren's luck to mirror Napoleon's?
Richard Jolly
Archive
As England head to Russia for their crucial Euro2008 qualifier they could do worse than take heed of former manager Graham Taylor's interest in the fortunes of a previous visitor to Moscow.
Empics
Moment of truth in Moscow: Steve McClaren facing vital showdown with Guus Hiddink
Taylor, a hugely unfortunate, though not particularly good England boss, is fond of quoting Napoleon Bonaparte, who himself preferred lucky generals to good ones; but Napoloeon's luck famously ran out in Moscow with the onset of the Russian winter. The question here is will Steve McClaren's?
England's recent sequence of 3-0 wins has been notable as much for its good fortune as it's compliant opposition; the majority of injuries have had their upsides, either by sparing McClaren a difficult decision or in allowing an opportunity to a player who has grasped it.
Yet defeat on the Luzhniki Stadium's plastic pitch would represent a change of fortune that could ultimately result in the end of McClaren's tenure without leading England to a major international tournament.
Caretakers excepted, Don Revie is his only predecessor with such an unwanted distinction.
Standing in McClaren's way is Guus Hiddink, the man many believe should have been appointed instead of him and with an unrivalled record of overachievement with different countries in international football.
Yet, aided by having a superior set of players at his disposal, the Yorkshireman bested the Dutchman at Wembley last month. To do so again would confound most expectations of him.
Expectations of Hiddink are regularly confounded. In his team selection and his tactics, he can be a gambler, unafraid to sideline his biggest names and willing to back his own hunches. Two decades at the summit of management shows he is often right and his reputation can survive the few occasions when he is not.
McClaren's cannot. If no previous England manager has attracted such vitriolic criticism so quickly, it is because none have had the fundamental disadvantage of being Steve McClaren. But after six weeks of surprisingly successful decision-making, two more matches of correct choices will take England to Euro 2008.
Yet if it really is a masterplan then McClaren's talents extend to deception. The reality is that things have fallen into place. His assertions that Gareth Barry, for instance, has always been a fine player, while true, carry less credibility after ignoring the Aston Villa captain for almost a year.
Having rediscovered his faith in David Beckham, injury spared him from further subservience to the former captain. And after Emile Heskey defied predictions on his recall, his limitations, especially in front of goal, should preclude regular selection. His metatarsal injury spared McClaren a difficult decision against Estonia on Saturday.
However, decision-making cannot be dodged on Wednesday.
With Barry's presence a certainty now, Frank Lampard remains an issue. So, too, do England's tactics. McClaren has recognised that 4-4-2 has its failings, yet his principal attempts to implement another system - in Croatia last year - yielded far worse results.
Should England, as they did in Zagreb, alter formation in a quest to retain possession? It would enable the manager to reinstate Lampard, though it is only those in the England clique who fail to understand why he has been booed after two years of mediocrity in the colours of his country.
Empics
Barry: Indispensable or expandable?
More pertinently to the team's fortunes, Russia, like most Hiddink sides, are likely to have three players in the centre of midfield and England risk being outnumbered.
Yet the inability of some players to function in formations other than 4-4-2 may mean that the safest approach is to persevere with the same system.
Replacing the injured Ashley Cole with Barry at left-back would permit a way back for Lampard and thereby ease the mind of a manager who is always reluctant to offend his supposed star players.
However, that would bring a return of the malfunctioning Steven Gerrard-Lampard axis in the centre of midfield. Accommodating the Chelsea and Liverpool men as well as Barry in the same 4-4-2 shape requires the omission of either Joe Cole, whose flair is vital, or Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose pace could be invaluable on the counter-attack, with either Barry or Gerrard adopting a wider role.
In this argument Wright-Phillips is the more likely to be sacrificed, with solidity required and Gerrard a more dependable option.
Then there is another uneasy alliance in attack. Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen hardly conform to each other's concept of an ideal partner. The former rarely reproduces his Manchester United form for England, while the latter is either a scorer or anonymous, yet it is inconceivable McClaren will sideline either. Even Paul Robinson, his confidence seemingly at an all-time low, is in the rank of the 'undroppables'.
So, if England are to keep the clean sheet that will make thoughts of a summer trip to Switzerland and Austria more realistic, much depends upon Sol Campbell.
With Jamie Carragher alienated and John Terry unlikely to be fit, Campbell's international exile has been ended. Should his alliance with Rio Ferdinand prove as effective as it did during the 2002 World Cup, it could enable England to display the sort of resilience they demonstrated a decade ago in Rome, when a goalless draw sufficed.
The consequence, however, would be that McClaren would face a dilemma when his captain returned. That's a problem for another day, for now he has enough on his plate: whether to persevere with Robinson, whether to recall Lampard, whether Rooney and Owen are compatible, how to cover for the missing Cole and which formation to favour.
Decisions, decisions. This represents the ultimate proof of if McClaren is the man to make them.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Henry predicts Double joy for Gunners
Henry predicts Double joy for Gunners
Thierry Henry believes Arsenal can win the Champions League as well as becoming domes
Thierry Henry believes Arsenal can win the Champions League as well as becoming domestic champions this season.
Henry left the north London club this summer in a £16.1million switch to Barcelona after eight highly-successful years which saw him become the Gunners' all-time top scorer.
The 30-year-old never won a European trophy with the club although he was part of the side that reached the 2006 Champions League final before losing 2-1 to Barca.
This year, the Gunners have made a flying start to their European campaign and top Group H after victories over Sevilla and Steaua Bucharest.
They also lead the Barclays Premier League having dropped just two points all season to confound critics who predicted a tough season following Henry's departure.
Now the Frenchman has predicted double success for Arsene Wenger's young team, telling the Evening Standard: 'I have been watching Arsenal and see that they are playing entertaining football and winning every game home and away.
'I know the young players there very well and they can definitely win the Premier League and Champions League this season. I watched how they beat Sevilla in the Champions League and I think they sent out a big message to the rest of Europe. Sevilla is not an easy team to play, but Arsenal played a great game.'
The Gunners experienced a period of unrest in the summer with the shock exit of former vice-chairman David Dein and Henry's departure followed by uncertainty over Wenger's future until the manager agreed a new contract at the Emirates.
Henry revealed he has maintained his relationship with his fellow Frenchman, with whom he started his career at Monaco more than 10 years ago.
'Me and Arsene have been in contact a few times since I left. I always talk to him because even with the difference of age, the bond and respect is there,' Henry said.
'It is tremendous that he has signed a new contract. He has great eyes and just has a talent for spotting young talent. He is a great human being as well and that's what makes the difference. He makes players feel comfortable and always gets the best out of them.'
Henry wishes to say a final farewell to the Gunners fans, many of whom were distraught at his exit.
'I think I will try and do it in December because we have a winter break in Spain and I will have the time,' Henry added.
'I would rather go back in a non-playing situation and be able to enjoy it. I don't want to get drawn against Arsenal in the Champions League this season. That would not be a proper way to say goodbye to the fans.
'When I go, I will probably just sit in the stands. I won't walk out on the pitch or anything like that.
'The focus should be on the team and I don't want to draw any attention away from them and what they're doing. They will be playing a game and I want to respect that.'
The former Juventus player has experienced a frustrating start to his career at Barca after being ruled out through injury but he now feels he has overcome his problems.
He said: 'I played eight seasons without missing anything. It was a shock to the system to not play for six months and coming back has not been easy, but I am starting to feel better.
'The pain is going away and I felt sharper for the first time against Real Zaragoza a couple of weeks ago. It's been a long time since I felt like that.
'The atmosphere is good at Barcelona. It is like a family and reminds me of Arsenal.'
Henry, though, is less than optimistic about France's chances for Euro 2008, with Les Bleus third behind Scotland and Italy in Group B.
He said: 'We are not even talking about whether we can win Euro 2008 because we are fighting to qualify right now - I don't know if we will. There is a possibility that we will be at home watching it.'
Richards hopes for Arsenal move... one day
Manchester City defender Micah Richards has revealed he hopes to play for his boyhood heroes Arsenal one day.
The 19-year-old centre-half has been superb for City in their flying start to life under Sven-Goran Eriksson and he has also performed well at right-back for England.
Richards was born in Birmingham and grew up in Leeds but the north London side were his favourites as a child and his long-term goal is to be a Gunner.
'I was a big Ian Wright fan when I was younger, so I supported Arsenal,' he told Nuts magazine.
'Wright and Patrick Vieira were my idols so yeah, if the opportunity came to play for them one day I'd take it.
'But right now I'm concentrating on trying to keep City in the top half, and we've got the players to do it.'
Thierry Henry believes Arsenal can win the Champions League as well as becoming domes
Thierry Henry believes Arsenal can win the Champions League as well as becoming domestic champions this season.
Henry left the north London club this summer in a £16.1million switch to Barcelona after eight highly-successful years which saw him become the Gunners' all-time top scorer.
The 30-year-old never won a European trophy with the club although he was part of the side that reached the 2006 Champions League final before losing 2-1 to Barca.
This year, the Gunners have made a flying start to their European campaign and top Group H after victories over Sevilla and Steaua Bucharest.
They also lead the Barclays Premier League having dropped just two points all season to confound critics who predicted a tough season following Henry's departure.
Now the Frenchman has predicted double success for Arsene Wenger's young team, telling the Evening Standard: 'I have been watching Arsenal and see that they are playing entertaining football and winning every game home and away.
'I know the young players there very well and they can definitely win the Premier League and Champions League this season. I watched how they beat Sevilla in the Champions League and I think they sent out a big message to the rest of Europe. Sevilla is not an easy team to play, but Arsenal played a great game.'
The Gunners experienced a period of unrest in the summer with the shock exit of former vice-chairman David Dein and Henry's departure followed by uncertainty over Wenger's future until the manager agreed a new contract at the Emirates.
Henry revealed he has maintained his relationship with his fellow Frenchman, with whom he started his career at Monaco more than 10 years ago.
'Me and Arsene have been in contact a few times since I left. I always talk to him because even with the difference of age, the bond and respect is there,' Henry said.
'It is tremendous that he has signed a new contract. He has great eyes and just has a talent for spotting young talent. He is a great human being as well and that's what makes the difference. He makes players feel comfortable and always gets the best out of them.'
Henry wishes to say a final farewell to the Gunners fans, many of whom were distraught at his exit.
'I think I will try and do it in December because we have a winter break in Spain and I will have the time,' Henry added.
'I would rather go back in a non-playing situation and be able to enjoy it. I don't want to get drawn against Arsenal in the Champions League this season. That would not be a proper way to say goodbye to the fans.
'When I go, I will probably just sit in the stands. I won't walk out on the pitch or anything like that.
'The focus should be on the team and I don't want to draw any attention away from them and what they're doing. They will be playing a game and I want to respect that.'
The former Juventus player has experienced a frustrating start to his career at Barca after being ruled out through injury but he now feels he has overcome his problems.
He said: 'I played eight seasons without missing anything. It was a shock to the system to not play for six months and coming back has not been easy, but I am starting to feel better.
'The pain is going away and I felt sharper for the first time against Real Zaragoza a couple of weeks ago. It's been a long time since I felt like that.
'The atmosphere is good at Barcelona. It is like a family and reminds me of Arsenal.'
Henry, though, is less than optimistic about France's chances for Euro 2008, with Les Bleus third behind Scotland and Italy in Group B.
He said: 'We are not even talking about whether we can win Euro 2008 because we are fighting to qualify right now - I don't know if we will. There is a possibility that we will be at home watching it.'
Richards hopes for Arsenal move... one day
Manchester City defender Micah Richards has revealed he hopes to play for his boyhood heroes Arsenal one day.
The 19-year-old centre-half has been superb for City in their flying start to life under Sven-Goran Eriksson and he has also performed well at right-back for England.
Richards was born in Birmingham and grew up in Leeds but the north London side were his favourites as a child and his long-term goal is to be a Gunner.
'I was a big Ian Wright fan when I was younger, so I supported Arsenal,' he told Nuts magazine.
'Wright and Patrick Vieira were my idols so yeah, if the opportunity came to play for them one day I'd take it.
'But right now I'm concentrating on trying to keep City in the top half, and we've got the players to do it.'
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