Premeirship thread

[Lucky*7*]

Boro begin search for new manager 
 
Middlesbrough will start their search for a new manager when Steve McClaren leaves the club on 16 May.

McClaren, who will replace Sven-Goran Eriksson as England coach next season, takes charge of Boro for the final time in the Uefa Cup final on 10 May.

"On 16 May the chairman and I will turn our attentions to finding a new boss," said chief executive Keith Lamb.

Martin O'Neill is the favourite for the job, with Alan Curbishley and Tony Mowbray also in the running.

Lamb added: "We will take some time to consider our options, but we can assure Boro fans that any decision will be made with the intention of continuing to take the club forward, building on Steve's work.

"Qualification for the Champions League remains our ultimate target.

"Steve's replacement will need to be someone we believe can help up achieve those aims."

Chairman Steve Gibson said they were working on finding McLaren's successor and had already had several applications.

"Five years ago when Bryan Robson left I had a limited number of people interested in the job," he told the Boro website.

 Fans take McClaren to task 

"This time I have a greater number of people interested and I think that is a measure of the stature of the club, so we have a lot of available options open to us.

"We have a shortlist and a strategy and that will unfold hopefully soon rather than later."
 

[Lucky*7*]

Bent pledges future to Charlton
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent has pledged his future to The Valley, despite being linked with Arsenal and Liverpool this week.
 
Bent said: "There are a couple of us here who he signed quite recently, like myself and Darren Ambrose, who are quite devastated because Alan (Curbishley) has given us our opportunities and has been there for us this season.

"It was a hard decision for him to make and it is hard for us to accept really. It is going to be difficult because he is a fantastic manager."

However, Bent told the club's official website: "I have got to be professional about it and try to continue to knock the goals in for Charlton next year.

"There is no reason for me to leave. I am comfortable here and I am happy - I would not want to go anywhere."

[Lucky*7*]

Premier League reject Newcastle Roeder push
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Newcastle's bid to appoint Glenn Roeder as permanent manager without the relevant coaching qualifications has been rejected by the Premier League.
 
But Roeder could get around the need to have a UEFA pro licence if enough member clubs of the Premier League supported a request by Newcastle.

In a statement the Premier League said: "The Premier League board have considered Newcastle United's inquiry regarding the potential appointment of Glenn Roeder as their manager.

"Premier League rules require that managers hold the UEFA pro licence and do not provide for any dispensation.

"The only way the board would be prepared to allow Newcastle United to appoint Glenn Roeder as manager without the pro licence is if so directed by member clubs.

"In the event of permission being sought sufficient support from clubs would have to be obtained and a formal resolution tabled at the forthcoming Premier League AGM."

[Lucky*7*]

Blackburn boss Hughes delighted with new deal
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Blackburn Rovers boss Mark Hughes is delighted with his new three-year contract.
 
Hughes said: "I am very excited by what is happening with Rovers and I am very happy to pledge my future to the club.

"We have enjoyed a great season and I am looking forward to being a part of the club's success going forward."

Despite some criticism over his style of play, Hughes has emerged as one of the brightest bosses in the game, leading the club into Europe and to two major cup semi-finals.

Hughes' assistant Mark Bowen and goalkeeping coach Eddie Niedzwiecki have also signed new deals which will keep them at Ewood Park for the same timescale.

Rovers chairman John Williams said: "Mark ticks all the boxes for us, he is well liked by the playing staff and very popular with our fans.

"His record speaks volumes. I am delighted with this development and it is excellent news for the club."

[Lucky*7*]

N'Gotty on way from Bolton
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Bruno N'Gotty is set to be on his way from Bolton Wanderers.
The Bolton Evening News says the former France international defender is out of contract at the end of the season and it is understood, although not confirmed by Wanderers, that he is not to have been offered a new contract

[Lucky*7*]

Arteta staying at Everton
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta says he'll be with the club next season.
Arteta has been linked with Liverpool and Manchester United, but says: "I am really looking forward to next season and doing better, producing even more great football and helping the side.

"And of course, it will be at Everton."

[Lucky*7*]

Villa set to sell Berson to Auxerre
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Aston Villa midfielder Mathieu Berson is set to complete a permanent switch to Auxerre for around £1million.
The Frenchman has impressed in a season-long loan deal with the French outfit, who are now keen to cement a long-term deal.

 

[Lucky*7*]

Barry: Villa need quality signings
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry admits manager David O'Leary needs to sign "quality" over the summer.
 
Barry said: "It's a big contrast to past seasons but it's just the way things have gone. Everyone at the club - the players and the management staff knows it's been a hugely disappointing season. We should be higher and we haven't achieved our objectives."

With a pre-season trip to Holland and Germany now penned in, Barry added: "We'll be working hard over the summer and hopefully there will be some new faces to add to the squad.

"Hopefully there will be some quality players to improve us

[Lucky*7*]

 
 
 
 
Spurs tracking unhappy Anderlecht fullback Vanden Borre
tribalfootball.com - May 5, 2006

Tottenham are pondering a move for Anderlecht left-back Anthony Vanden Borre.
The Belgium international is considering demanding a move away from Anderlecht and that has alerted interested clubs ahead of the summer market.

Along with Spurs, Udinese and Hamburg are also monitoring developments.
 
 

[Lucky*7*]

D'Alessandro keen on Pompey deal 
 

On-loan Argentine midfielder Andres D'Alessandro has told Portsmouth he wants to stay at Fratton Park.
However, Pompey would probably have to break their transfer record of £4.4m to sign the 25-year-old on a permanent basis from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.

"I'm really happy. I want to stay," said D'Alessandro.

"I don't know what's going to happen. There are other clubs interested but my choice is to stay here. Harry Redknapp wants me and I want to play for him."

Wolfsburg claim at least two Bundesliga rivals are interested in matching their asking price for the player, believed to be £5m.
 

[Lucky*7*]

Campo prepared to stay at Bolton 
 

Bolton midfielder Ivan Campo insists he is willing to reject offers from other clubs and pledge his future to Sam Allardyce's team.
The 32-year-old former Real Madrid player, whose current deal runs out in June, has been linked with moves to Real Sociedad and Real Mallorca.

"It is not only teams in Spain that have been asking about me but others as well," he said.

"I do not want to speak to them until I have talked to the Bolton manager."

Campo, who joined Bolton initially on loan from Real Madrid in August 2002 before signing permanently on a free transfer the following July, is due to meet with Wanderers boss Allardyce next week.

"Bolton is a special place for me now because of the coaches, the players and the supporters. I would like to stay as I am very happy here," Campo added.

Campo has featured in only 17 games this season after suffering two fractured metatarsals.

"I am just glad to be back playing again as I have had some bad luck this year," he said.
 

[Lucky*7*]

Etherington suffers ankle injury 
 

West Ham's Matthew Etherington has been taken to hospital for an X-ray on an ankle injury and is doubtful for the FA Cup final against Liverpool on 13 May.
The midfielder, 24, fell on his ankle in a training session at Upton Park and is unlikely to be fit for Sunday's Premiership clash with Tottenham.

Hammers' manager Alan Pardew said: "Unfortunately Matty has taken a really bad knock today [Friday].

"I think he is doubtful, not just for Sunday but for the Cup final."

The Hammers are already without suspended midfielder Hayden Mullins and there is a doubt over striker Dean Ashton, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.

Pardew said: "That is a really bad blow. The whole squad is disappointed that Matty has this injury."

Ashton limped out of West Ham's 1-0 win over West Brom on Monday night, and Pardew admits it would be a gamble to play him.

Pardew added: "Dean is our biggest worry and certainly won't be ready for the Tottenham game. So if he does play in the final it will be a gamble in that respect.

"The same applies to James Collins and Anton Ferdinand if they haven't had a game before the final but, physically, they should be okay for it."

 

[Lucky*7*]

Roeder the only option - Waddle 
By Vicki Hodges 

Chris Waddle says Newcastle should pin their hopes on Glenn Roeder becoming their full-time boss because of the lack of top-class managers available.

"It's like the England job, nobody hits you in the face," said Waddle.

"Glenn's credentials are OK. He knows the club, knows the area, and knows what the fans want and he's been getting results in the job already."

Roeder is currently prevented from taking over as he does not have the necessary coaching qualifications.

But the club are still hopeful of by-passing Premier League regulations which stipulate that all managers most hold a Uefa Pro Licence.

Newcastle could get round the rules by convincing two thirds of Premiership chairmen to back Roeder's appointment.

If Newcastle are successful in their bid to install Roeder to the helm, he would remain the eighth boss - including caretaker managers - to take over since Kevin Keegan's departure in 1997.

Waddle says whoever takes over needs time to establish themselves.

  Glenn has done well as caretaker boss and as there are no obvious candidates sometimes you're better sticking with someone you know

Chris Waddle

"The club are desperate to win something, but getting rid of the manager every season is not going to work," the former England international, who spent five years at Newcastle in the early 1980s, told BBC Sport.

"You need a plan. It might take two years to put into action but if it reaps the rewards in two-three years time then it's worth it."

Several people have been touted as possible successors to Graeme Souness, among them Martin O'Neill and Sam Allardyce, but Waddle says no-one stands out.

"Glenn has done well as caretaker boss and as there are no obvious candidates sometimes you're better sticking with someone you know," said Waddle.

"But it's time to put someone in place for the next five to ten years."

 
Roeder took over the reins at St James' Park in February

If Roeder is given the go-ahead to take charge at Newcastle, Waddle believes he could be the man to bring the good times back to St James' Park.

Since taking over from Souness, who was sacked in February, Roeder has guided up the table by winning 10 out of the 16 games.

"Glenn knows what the club wants," said Waddle. "They've got to play attractive football because the fans demand it and so far he's been able to deliver.

"But if he does end up getting the job, he'll have to say they need four to five players to make this team strong again because the team they've got at the moment is decent but it's not going to challenge the top four."

Roeder may get Waddle's approval, but out-going Charlton boss Alan Curbishley does not feel he should be handed the job without the necessary credentials.

Curbishley, who is on the committee of the League Managers Association (LMA), said: "I have nothing against Glenn Roeder personally, but this is a rule the LMA have fought hard for because there are a lot of experienced and qualified managers going out of the game.

"When a job does become available, the LMA feel that the applicants should be those people who have got their qualifications and they should be given the opportunity to get back into football.

"Everybody signed up to these rules and that is the way it is. The LMA are adamant about the process and it is just unfortunate that Glenn Roeder has got caught up in it all."

 

[Lucky*7*]

Everton v West Brom 
 
Goodison Park
Sunday, 7 May
Kick-off: 1500 BST
BBC Radio Five Live

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Mikel Arteta could return for Everton after missing the last four games with an ankle problem.

Definitely out are goalkeeper Richard Wright (gashed knee), Tony Hibbert (hernia operation), Tim Cahill (knee) and Lee Carsley (suspended).

West Brom defender Martin Albrechtsen will miss the game with the broken toe he suffered against West Ham.

Jared Hodgkiss could make his first Premiership start but Neil Clement and Thomas Gaardsoe are both injured.




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Everton (from): Turner, Yobo, Weir, Stubbs, Naysmith, Davies, Neville, Van der Meyde, McFadden, Osman, Kilbane, Beattie, Ruddy, Valente, Ferrari, Ferguson, Arteta, Anichebe, Vidarsson.

West Brom (from): Kuszczak, Hoult, Hodgkiss, Watson, Davies, Robinson, Gera, Wallwork, Quashie, Greening, Kamara, Kanu, Ellington, Campbell, Martinez, Carter, Nicholson, Inamoto.



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Everton boss David Moyes:
"We lost 4-0 at West Brom earlier in the season, but we have not been relegated and the praise should go to the players for achieving that.
"We did not start to do anything different after that.

"But there were good players at the club who were not in form and that affected the beginning of our season."


West Brom boss Bryan Robson:
"This club has always had an 'A' plan and a 'B' plan. That is the way it is structured. As a manager you operate the same with your staff.
"I knew the players I would have wanted to take on if we were still in the Premiership. Now we are in the Championship then there are the certain type of players you would want to bring in.

"I've been in the Championship twice before and I was fortunate to win promotion on both occasions. I need to make sure I do it a third time with West Brom."




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BIG-MATCH FACTS


EVERTON take on doomed West Brom eager to avenge the 4-0 defeat at the Hawthorns in November, and give themselves a chance of back-to-back top half finishers for the first time in Premiership history. The Merseysiders will need Arsenal to beat Wigan, so they can end in 10th spot - six places lower than last season, but still a magnificent achievement given they were rock bottom in October.

The fans will be given the opportunity to pay their respects to Toffees legend Brian Labone, who died this week, aged 66. If the players could honour his memory by concluding the campaign with successive Premiership victories, and achieve that 10th place, the club would get £5.36 million in merit payments added to their coffers.

The Merseysiders hold a 100% home Premiership record over West Brom (two wins out of two), and are unbeaten in nine League games against the west Midlanders at Goodison Park. Four of the five wins in that sequence have come on the last four occasions. Everton confirmed they'd had a second bid from Manchester United for Wayne Rooney on the day of the last home League encounter with Albion, when local youth product Leon Osman scored twice in the 2-1 victory.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION escaped the drop in the dying minutes of this equivalent Sunday last season, but their fate had, in reality, been determined long before the last game this time around. They travel to Merseyside with 29 points having survived with 34 a year ago. They scored 36 goals then, and have only managed 29 so this this season.

The Baggies have not won in two months - drawing three and losing 10 since a 2-0 home victory over Blackburn on 4 February. Their first experience of Premiership football was a one-season sojourn - their second lasted two campaigns.

Albion have won their last two matches against Everton, with an aggregate of 5-0. Four of those came in their Hawthorns clash of six months ago. Nathan Ellington converted a dubious penalty, Neil Clement headed another, Ellington curled in his second and Robert Earnshaw completed the rout. It puts Albion on course for their seventh 'double' over the Toffeemen, but they haven't experienced such a feat against them since 1978/79.


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REFEREE:
Alan Wiley (Burntwood, Staffordshire)


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SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM

EVERTON


Club stats
Fixtures
11th 49 points
Highest realistically achievable: 10th
Lowest could fall: 12th

The 0-1 victory at Middlesbrough last time out was Everton's first maximum in seven League matches.
It was also their first goal in five games, and only score in 514 minutes (eight hours 34 minutes) of Premiership football.
Kept back-to-back clean sheets and not conceded in 196 minutes (three hours 16 minutes) of Premiership football, since Michael Essien scored Chelsea's last goal in their 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge on 17 April.
Lost two more than won in this season's Premiership campaign (won 14, lost 16).
Of 14 Premiership victories, 10 were by a 1-0 margin.
Of 16 victories in all competitions, 12 have been 1-0.
Recovered one point from a losing position - 2-2 draw at West Ham.
Won 14 of the 19 League games in which they have opened the scoring.
Dropped only four points when a clean sheet has been kept in the highest echelon (won 11, drawn two).
Everton players have been shown seven red cards in Premiership matches this season - only Birmingham equal that.

Seeking a first win in four home Premiership games.
Drawn two and lost one in the highest division at Goodison, since the 4-1 win over Aston Villa on 14 March.
Scored 20 and conceded 20 in home League games this season.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION


Club stats
Fixtures
19th 29 points
Will finish next to bottom

Not won in 12 League and Cup matches.
Gained one win in 16 in all competitions.
Lost nine of the last 12 top flight matches.
Failed to score in five of the last six - netted just one goal in the half dozen.
Failed to score in the first half of 16 of their last 18 Premiership matches, and in 27 of their 37 League games this season.
Won five of the six Premiership matches in which ahead at half time.
Won 12 Premiership matches during the 63-game managerial reign of Bryan Robson.
On the longest current run in the highest League of 12 matches since scoring more than a single goal in a game.
Gone 12 Premiership matches since winning by more than a single goal (2-0 v Blackburn on 4 February).

Wigan is the only club West Brom have beaten away from home in the Premiership this season.
Scored fewer goals on the road in the top tier than any other club - just eight.
Not won in seven away Premiership matches. Drawn three and lost four on the road, since the 0-1 triumph at the JJB on 15 January.
Won one of 15 League and Cup matches away from home.
Chasing only their sixth away victory in the Premiership all time from 57 games.
Failed to score in six of the last 11 away League games, scoring one goal in each of the other five.
Conceded three goals in each of the last two on the road (at Arsenal and Newcastle).


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KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES

EVERTON


Squad profiles

If he takes the field, Kevin KILBANE will be facing a former club.
If on the field from the outset, KILBANE will be making his 100th start for the Merseysiders.
Duncan FERGUSON, needs two goals to total 100 in English and Scottish League football.
If he features, Tony HIBBERT will be making his 150th appearance for the Goodison Park club.
When next he keeps goal from the outset, Nigel MARTYN will be making his 100th start for Everton.
When next involved, Alessandro PISTONE will be making his 150th career Premiership appearance (Newcastle and Everton).
WEST BROMWICH ALBION


Squad profiles

If they figure, Kevin CAMPBELL and Steve WATSON will be playing against their former club.
CAMPBELL will also be making his 50th appearance for the Baggies.
Nathan ELLINGTON, needs to score one goal to total 100 in his League career (Bristol Rovers, Wigan and West Brom).


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LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME:
Everton 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
28 August 2004 - Ref: Peter Walton
Everton scorers: Osman 2, 70
WBA scorer: Dobie 7



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THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE:
West Bromwich Albion 4-0 Everton
19 November 2005 - Ref: Dermot Gallagher
WBA scorers: Ellington 45 pen, 69, Clement 51, Earnshaw 90



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HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
League: Everton 55 wins, WBA 51, Draws 31
Prem: Everton 3 wins, WBA 2, Draws 0


HEAD TO HEAD at Everton
League: Everton 40 wins, WBA 14, Draws 14
Prem: Everton 2 wins, WBA 0, Draws 0





 

[Lucky*7*]

West Ham v Tottenham 
 
West Ham will be without Matthew Etherington after he injured his ankle in training on Friday.
Dean Ashton (hamstring) is also out but Spurs striker Bobby Zamora could get a start against his old club.

Tottenham have a growing injury list as they bid to secure a fourth place although Edgar Davids is available.

Ledley King (metatarsal) and Jermaine Jenas (shin) are out while Robbie Keane, Mido, Paul Stalteri and Michael Carrick are all major doubts.





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West Ham (from): Hislop, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Collins, Konchesky, Benayoun, Reo-Coker, Fletcher, Etherington, Ashton, Harewood, Walker, Scaloni, Ward, Newton, Reid, Sheringham, Zamora, Katan, Ephraim.

Tottenham (from): Robinson, Cerny, Lee, Stalteri, Kelly, Dawson, Gardner, Lennon, Huddlestone, Davenport, Reid, Murphy, Tainio, Davids, Defoe, Barnard, Keane, Mido, Naybet.



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West Ham manager Alan Pardew on fielding a weakened side:
"We are having a bad run at just the wrong time.
"There is a lot riding on Sunday's game for both Tottenham and Arsenal and I am fully aware our fans want to see us produce a performance against Spurs.

"But we have to give ourselves the best possible chance of fielding a strong team in the cup final and that means taking no risks with our big players."