Arsenal
Theo Walcott admits he faces a huge task to secure a place at the World Cup and accepts he cannot rely on past glories to persuade Fabio Capello to take him. After scoring a hat-trick in the qualifier against Croatia at the start of last season, it looked like Walcott was an automatic choice on the right flank but the 20-year-old has suffered a string of injuries since and has not added to his England goal tally. Aaron Lennon staked his claim while Walcott was sidelined, while David Beckham is a squad regular and Shaun Wright-Phillips seized his chance last week, scoring one and setting up another in the friendly against Egypt at Wembley. “Without a doubt, there’s a lot of competition,” Walcott said. “We want all our players back 100 per cent fit and I’m just finding my feet now with my fitness. Hopefully I can play consistently for Arsenal, stay fit – that’s the most important thing – and have a good end of the season. I feel as fit as anything now, I’m training well and just need to put the work from training into games now. It’s sort of pre-season, I’ve had around seven games and that’s normally what you have in pre-season. Its been up and down but I’m glad to be back fit now.”
Aston Villa
James Milner has had a hectic spell, having played for the England Under-21s in last summer’s European Championships and being a virtual ever present for Villa this season. But he dismisses any fears of burnout ahead of the World Cup finals providing he undergoes the right preparations in between matches. He said: “We’ve played a lot of games but that is where the preparation and the recovery side come in. We get looked after very well. We know what to eat, when to eat, drinking the right recovery drinks, having massages, things like that. It is how you prepare and recover that makes that difference and, in any case, if you are playing more games, it means you are more successful. I am sure the players would rather be playing more games than less.”
Birmingham City
Alex McLeish refused to make excuses for the 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Portsmouth, but felt his side could have earned a replay had Liam Ridgewell’s second-half ‘goal’ stood. Ridgewell’s bundled effort appeared to have crossed the line but his strike was not credited. “We should have had a lifeline with a perfectly legitimate goal but unfortunately it wasn’t to be,” McLeish said. “It would have given us a lifeline and I wouldn’t bet against my team coming back if we got that goal. They’ve done that this season. You would expect an official at this level to see that. They do the fitness tests and part of that is the vision side of things. It’s a shame the guy missed that, I’m sure he will be hurting about it. I don’t see how he could be obscured because he was over the line. Nobody was over the line so he should have been on that corner flag. (David) James actually landed and caught it behind the line.”
Blackburn Rovers
Steven Reid has joined Championship title hopefuls West Bromwich Albion on a month’s loan. Reid, who turns 29 on Wednesday, has spent much of the season on the fringes at Ewood Park but Baggies manager Roberto Di Matteo believes he is the player he has been looking for. “Steven is an exciting player and I’m delighted to welcome him to the club,” said Di Matteo. “We’ve been looking to strengthen our squad for the final push and Steven certainly fits the bill. He’s a versatile player with loads of experience. We’ve had some great references about Steven so hopefully he’ll perform at the level we expect him to.”
bolton wanderers
The 2-1 win at West Ham was Owen Coyle’s first away victory as manager, but he stressed afterwards that he was not preoccupied with the record. “I’m led to believe this is my first away win in the Premier League but I wasn’t conscious of that. I knew it was just around the corner,” said Coyle.
burnley
Winger Fernando Guerrero has left Burnley after cutting short a season-long loan deal. The Ecuadorian joined on a temporary basis from Independiente del Valle last summer with a view to securing a permanent transfer. However, after just seven Barclays Premier League substitute appearances – the last on 12th December – the 20-year-old has had his loan terminated.
Chelsea
John Terry was content with his performance in the international friendly against Egypt on Wednesday, his first since losing the England captaincy, and felt he continued to play a leadership role. “I played well against Egypt,” he said. “It was important for me to come through that with a good performance. I think I did carry on as a leader against Egypt. I think anyone who was watching the game could see that.”
everton
Jack Rodwell has brushed off speculation linking him with Manchester United and says he is happy at Everton. “Every time I step on to the pitch, I give my all,” Rodwell said. “The manager (David Moyes) knows he can count on that. I would like to think I am level-headed enough to deal with that side of things and not let it affect me. I just train hard every day and get on with doing my best for the team. I’m happy at Everton. I can’t be anything else after the opportunity they have given me and the way things have gone.”
Fulham
Roy Hodgson felt the 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday was a fair result. “I’m only the more disappointed because it was a home game and the advantage now passes over to Tottenham because they will be at home for the replay,” he said. “We’re pretty evenly matched and I’m disappointed we couldn’t get the goal that would have put us through. We were close at the end but, on the basis of the play, 0-0 was a fair result, although it was anything other than a dull cup tie because of the quality and commitment on show. The atmosphere was magnificent. I’m pleased we didn’t lose as that would have been a bitter disappointment.”
Hull City
Much has been made of Hull’s poor form on the road, which is the main reason they find themselves in the bottom three, but Phil Brown maintains survival is all that matters. “It isn’t something that plays on my mind, it’s probably something that plays on other people’s minds,” he said. “Last year there had to be three worse teams and we had to get enough points to stay in the Premier League – that was the deal. We got the majority of our points away from home, so if we get the majority of points at home this year and stay in the Premier League – that’s the deal.”
Liverpool
Rafael Benitez has confirmed Jamie Carragher does not want to discuss a new contract. The Reds stalwart will have a year remaining on his current deal from this summer, but does not want to discuss new terms at present. Benitez said: “There is no news about Carragher. We have spoken to him and he was very clear that at this moment he just wants to concentrate on doing his job. I think Jamie prefers the situation as it is. The information I have is that he is comfortable with how things are and that he wants to wait.”
Manchester City
Shay Given feels Manchester City, currently fifth, are now well placed to go on and claim a Champions League place. “We have played fewer games than some of the other sides and this is going to go to the wire,” he said. “There are three or four other teams fighting for fourth and it’s probably as tight as the title race. We showed what we can do against Chelsea but now we have to back it up. Our away form has not been good enough so that win at Stamford Bridge really gave us huge belief and confidence.”
Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he should have used Michael Owen more often than he did this season. Owen has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with the hamstring injury he picked up during the Carling Cup final victory over Aston Villa at Wembley. “Michael has been such an important player for us and I know I have not used him as much as I should have,” said Ferguson. “That is a lot to do with Rooney’s form and our choice of playing one striker. He has been a little bit unfortunate with that. But we recognise he has made a great contribution.”
Portsmouth
Avram Grant saluted the spirit of the club’s players and supporters after booking a place in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Birmingham City. He said: “Football is more than football. All these people are so happy. You can break many things but you cannot break our spirit. The spirit of the players and fans was high. Other people maybe thought we would break but nobody can break our spirit. I’m very proud, when you see players of the age of Hermann Hreidarsson and David James giving their heart for the team. It’s important for the spirit of football.”
Stoke City
Aaron Ramsey has thanked Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan for his help in the aftermath of the tackle that broke the Arsenal youngster’s leg. Ramsey, 19, fractured his right tibia and fibula in a challenge with Ryan Shawcross in the second half of the Gunners’ 3-1 victory at the Britannia Stadium last weekend. “I would like to thank the medical team here at Arsenal for their efforts, as well as the staff at both hospitals,” he said. “Glenn Whelan was especially kind and I really appreciated his immediate assistance on the pitch as well as the medical support from Stoke City.”
sunderland
Chairman Niall Quinn says manager Steve Bruce will have time to turn things around at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats are currently just three points above the relegation zone in the Barclays Premier League, having not won a top-flight match in 14 attempts. But Quinn has revealed that billionaire owner Ellis Short has said Bruce is under no pressure. “I’m the first person to realise the fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about,” he said. “Steve Bruce has only been here nine months and it takes a while for a team to settle in. But we’re really happy that we have the spine of a side that can consistently get into that top 10.”
Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Redknapp hailed Heurelho Gomes after the Tottenham keeper prevented Fulham from snatching victory in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final. Gomes pulled off good saves from Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff, Brede Hangeland and Zoltan Gera in a goalless draw at Craven Cottage that came alive in the second half. Redknapp almost sold the Brazilian following a string of blunders that reached a nadir with an own goal at Craven Cottage in November 2008. “Gomes looks different to the goalkeeper who came here in 2008 when I first arrived,” said Redknapp. “He had a terrible time here then but he’s a different lad now, full of confidence, who looks what he is – a top keeper. He had a bad day here in 2008 but it didn’t affect him.”
west ham united
Manager Gianfranco Zola admitted young defender James Tomkins had a tough time against Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Bolton. “It wasn’t James’ (Tomkins) best game,” he said. “But when Johan and Kevin are playing like that it’s not easy. James has potential. He needs to work on his game.”
Wigan Athletic
Roberto Martinez has been impressed with how 19-year-old Victor Moses is adapting to life in the Barclays Premier League after joining from Crystal Palace in January. “He feels that he has always been playing at this level,” Martinez said. “He is full of enthusiasm and has huge belief in his talent and that gives you a great option going forward. I have always said that we need to be patient in terms of giving him the right time and moment to feel himself. But every day he grows and matures and it shows. Every time he has been on the pitch he has shown something different. I felt when he came on against Birmingham, he had a real impact. He showed the influence he can have on the game and that’s a great sign for a young player adapting to the Premier League. The quality he has got is going to be a huge strength for ourselves.”
wolverhampton wanderers
After the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United, Mick McCarthy refused to blame Sam Vokes for failing to snatch what could have been a crucial point with a close-range miss at the end. “Sam would have expected to score that goal from the position he was in,” McCarthy said. “He works very hard on that part of his game. As long as we have breath we will carry on fighting and you never know, he could be the one who gets the goal to keep us up.”
“At this moment Carragher just wants to concentrate on doing his job” – Rafael Benitez
Credits: PremierLeague.com
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