Football Field Dimensions For Different Levels of Play

In North America, football is a game where the male players are wearing helmets and pads and the field has goal posts on opposite ends. The official or regulation dimensions of a football field may vary depending on the levels of play.
Here are the dimensions of football field in different levels:

National Football League (NFL) or Professional

Outside Dimension:
Length - 120 yards or 360'
Width - 53 and 1/3 yards or 160'
End Zone:
End zones are ten yards deep.
End line:
The end line border is 6'and it marks the end zone's back.
Team Benches:
Team benches are set next to the restraining line which is between the 30 yard markers.
Field Numbers:
NFL field numbers are about 6' in length and 4' in width.
Restraining Line:
All NFL fields have a 6' restraining line next to the side lines. These lines mark the closest area non-players can be to the football field.
Hash Marks:
The hash marks of NFL are the thinnest among all of the levels of football game. It measure about 70' and 9" from the side lines and are about 18' and 6" in width.
Goal Posts:
The goal post of NFL is about 10' in length and 18' and 6" in width.
NCAA or College
Outside Dimension:
Length - 120 yards or 360'
Width - 53 and 1/3 yards or 160'
End Zone:
An NCAA end zone is ten yards deep.
End line:
The end line border is 6'.
Team Benches:
Team benches are also set next to the restraining line which is between the 30 yard markers.
Field Numbers:
The field numbers of NCAA are about 6' in length and 4' in width.
Restraining Line:
All college fields have a 6' restraining line next to the side lines.
Hash Marks:
The hash marks of NCAA measure about 60' from the side lines and are about 40' wide. These are wider than the NFL's hash marks.
Goal Posts:
College or NCAA goal post is about 10' in length and 18' and 6" in width which is the same as NFL.
High School
Outside Dimension:
Length - 120 yards or 360'
Width - 53 and 1/3 yards or 160'
End Zone:
End zones are ten yards deep.
End line:
The end line border is 6' and it marks the end zone's back.
Team Benches:
Team benches are set next to the restraining line which is between the 30 yard markers.
Field Numbers:
The side line field numbers are about 6' in length and 4' in width which marks the ten yard line mark.
Restraining Line:
All high school football fields have a 6' restraining line next to the side lines.
Hash Marks:
The hash marks of high school are the widest among all of the levels of football game. It measure about 53' and 4" wide and the distance is the same from the border of the side lines.
Goal Posts:
The goal posts of high school measure about 10' in length and 23' and 4" in width. These are wider compare to the NFL and college level.
Canadian Football League (CFL) Football
Outside Dimension:
Length - 150 yards or 450'
Width - 65 yards or 195'
End Zone:
End zones are 20 yards deep.
Dead Line:
The end zone's back marks the dead line.
Field Numbers:
The field numbers of CFL are about 6' in length and 4' in width.
Hash Marks:
The hash marks of CFL is designated 24 yards from the sidelines of the playing field, thus, its width is 17 yards or 51'.
Goal Posts:
The goal post of CFL is about 10' in length and 18' and 6" in width.
All fields have the same outside dimensions except for CFL. The hash marks are different for all levels. Also, the goal posts for high school are different from the other levels.

Goal Keeping-How to Catch a Football

Catch a football?! That's easy, you say. You just stick your hands up and grab the football out of the air, right? Not so fast! All that matters in the end is that you catch the football right? Well, not exactly. If you want to be a good receiver, you need to learn how to not only catch the football, but also the proper techniques for catching it. Here is why. If you catch the football using proper technique, it will be easier to tuck it away for running. Not getting the football tucked could result in a fumble. Not only that, but if you use improper technique for catching the football, you will not consistently make catches. You will drop a lot of passes that should have been caught.
Here are a few tips for catching a football correctly.
#1 - If you are facing the ball as it is approaching you above waist height, form a triangle with your two hands, palms out, placing the tips of your thumbs on opposing hands together and the tips of your index fingers on opposing hands together. Your pinkies and other fingers should be slightly spread out, but pointed in the direction of the football. Reach your hands out towards the ball and catch it with your fingers away from your body. Be sure to use your fingers and not your palms. A football that is thrown hard, will often bounce right off of your palms. As the ball makes contact with your body, squeeze the ball and in one swift motion, tuck it under your arm. Preferably you will want to tuck it under the arm that is closest to the sideline and away from defenders who will be trying to strip it from you. Yes, there is a proper way to tuck the ball also. More on that in a later post.
#2 - If the ball was thrown low and you will have to make the catch below waist height, your pinkies should go together, palms up, with your thumbs facing outward. Again, squeeze the ball and tuck it.
#3 - If you are catching the ball on the run and it is coming over your shoulder, reach both hands out, palms up with your pinkies touching, thumbs out, and other fingers extended. Squeeze and tuck the ball as soon as possible.
#4 - Always watch the ball all the way into your hands. When you can see a defender coming with your peripheral vision or hear footsteps, it is tempting to look away, but you must force yourself to concentrate on making the catch. You cannot run with the ball if you do not first catch it.
#5 - Always use two hands whenever possible. Sometimes the only way to make a catch is by diving or using one hand. Most of the time, however it is possible to get two hands on the football. Don't try to be the hero by making a one handed grab when it was possible to use two hands. No one will think you are the hero, if you drop a catchable pass.
#6 - Be aware of the sidelines. You don't have to take your eyes off the ball to do this. Just know where you are in relation to the sidelines. The more you play, the better feel you will get for this.
#7 - Practice, practice, practice. You know what they say...practice makes perfect. No. Perfect practice makes perfect. Get your Dad to throw you some passes. Ask him to make sure you are catching the ball using correct form. The more passes you catch, the better you will get. As you get better, have him throw the ball just out of reach, so you can practice diving for it. Have him throw it to you from different angles and at different velocities. If you really want to get good, have your Dad or a friend throw you 200 - 300 passes a day, every day.

Football Kicking Drills

Often football games come down to the bitter end. It's not uncommon for a game to be decided in the last few minutes and often the game comes down to a field goal. A made or a missed field anytime during a game could decide the outcome of that game. However, a made or a missed field goal near the end of the game will almost certainly mean the difference between losing and winning. Making field goals is very important to every team. So, football kicking drills that help a kicker improve are equally important.

No Step Kicking

Proper body position and technique are critical in kicking the ball for distance. In order to build-up strength and develop proper form, all kickers should perform No Step Kicking as one of their football kicking drills.

As the name suggests, this drill simply asks a kicker to kick the ball without running up to it. The kicker should just stand over the ball, with the plant foot (non-kicking foot) a football's length from the ball and the toe even with the ball. Then the kicker should kick the ball. The toes on the plant foot need to be even with the ball so that the drill will work properly. Obviously a kicker doesn't want to plant his/her foot here when actually kicking field goals.

At first the ball will not fly very far. However, the kicker should concentrate on proper body position, proper contact, and proper follow through and slowly the kicks will get better. The kicker will also notice a difference in accuracy and length after leaving the drill to kick actual field goals.

One Step Kicking

This drill builds from the other drill but the kicker takes one step.

To start this drill the kicker should kick a regular field goal. Then he should see where his last step, just before kicking the ball, was from. That should be where each subsequent kick begins. From that spot the kicker should take a step and kick the ball while concentrating on all the same things as in the One Step Kicking Drill.

Across the Field Kicking

Most kickers don't aim to put the ball between the uprights, they actually aim to kick the ball on an imaginary line. That's why Across the Field Kicking is another one of the great football kicking drills.

For this drill, the kicker kicks the balls across the field from sideline to sideline. The kicker will place the ball on a line (a tee or a holder can be used). Then the kicker will try to kick the ball (in the air) across the field while keeping it even with the line where the ball was originally placed.

Bad Hold Kicking

Inevitably something will go wrong when kicking one or more extra points and field goals. Either there will be a bad snap or a bobble by the holder that results in a bad hold. For these times, there is a football kicking drill that can be practiced.

For the Bad Hold Kicking Drill, the kicker uses a tee and practices kicking the ball from several different odd positions. This will give the kicker some idea where and how to kick a ball when the hold is bad.

In the End All That Counts

Kickers have to be mentally tough because of the pressure they are put under at the end of games. A kicker often sits for most of a game and is then asked to win the game for the team. If the kicker is mentally strong and he practices the right football kicking drills then he should be able to nail that game-winning field goal.

Origin of Soccer

Although it may be impossible to accurately state when and where the game of soccer originated, history has shown us glimpses of a game similar to our present day version being played for over 3000 years.
Around the 2nd or 3rd Century BC, it was documented that the Chinese military during the Han Dynasty played a game involving kicking a ball into a small net.
A game similar to soccer was played by the ancient Greeks and Romans but their game could include up to 27 players on a side compared to the modern day game of 11 players to a side.
Soccer became one of the most popular sports of the masses due to its popularity as a war game. A game of "football" which the British called it, was played in the east of England during the 8th Century where the head of a defeated Danish Prince was used as the ball.
During medieval times, villages and towns were pitted against each other in game battles that could take all day. There were no structured rules to abide by and kicking, biting, gouging and punching turned the game into a virtual battle of survival. These matches became so violent that the English authorities made many attempts to have soccer banned.
King Edward III from England passed laws in 1331 to abolish the game and Queen Elizabeth I had a law passed that provided a one week jail sentence for anyone caught playing soccer.
Despite these efforts, the game of soccer became so popular in England over the next few centuries that it evolved as the most popular sport of its time.
At this point, the only shortcoming of the sport was its lack of rules or standards. In 1815, Eton College, a famous English school, established a set of rules to be implemented by other schools, colleges and universities.
A standardized version of these rules were later adopted in 1848 by most of England's colleges and universities that were known as the Cambridge Rules.
Unfortunately, at this point, there were still two different sets of rules being used. Some colleges favored the Rugby Rules which allowed carrying the ball with your hands, tripping and kicking to the shins. which were contrary to the Cambridge Rules.
In 1863, The Football Association was created by eleven English soccer clubs and schools to establish a single set of rules to be enforced when they played against each other.
The supporters of the Rugby School rules objected to the changes and the two groups split apart. The Football Association later changed the rules in 1869 where they forbade the use of hands, except by the goalie, which led us to the game of soccer as we know it today.
The English still called it a game of "football" because the ball was played primarily with the feet but in the late 18th Century, the word, "soccer", was first used by a student of Oxford University by the name of Charles Wreford Brown. The students at Oxford were known for using slang where they added "er" to the end of words that they intentionally shortened. The game of Rugby was called "rugger". Brown shortened the word "association" and added "er" and the term "soccer" was born.
Since the 19th Century the game has evolved to where it is today. It is the World's Game that is played by more people than any other sport and is universally recognized as the most popular game in sports history.
The World Cup which is held every four years to crown a World Champion draws millions of spectators to the 32 games played and is watched by billions of fans from around the globe thanks to modern day satellite television technology.
The popularity of soccer continues to grow as organized youth soccer programs are getting a young fan base involved at an early age which will fuel its growth for years to come.

Ronaldinho

As the soccer world cup approaches every fan is looking forward to watching the genius knowns as Ronaldinho the soccer player.
Every young boy dreams to be as good as Ronaldinho the soccer player. Ronaldinho is the best player in the world and plays soccer with a smile on his face !
Ronaldinho the soccer player is known as the best soccer player in the world. Ronaldinho video clips and soccer tricks are being sent online as soccer fans marvel at his skills.
History of Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho the soccer player became known as " little Ronaldo " in Portugese in order to distinguish himself from the other famous Brazilian, Ronaldo. Ronaldinho's real name is actually Ronaldo de Assis Moreira and he is widely known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho in his native Brazil.
In his childhood Ronaldinho the soccer player was a star at Futsol and beach soccer and he then moved onto Brazilian club Gremio before moving to Paris SG.
His performance as part of the winning Brazil World cup squad in 2002 attracted the interest of bigger clubs and he moved on to FC Barcelona for £18 million.
Ronaldinho Profile
Club Awards
Spanish La Liga: 2004-05 , 2005-06
Champions League 2005-06
Spanish Super Cup: 2005-06 with Barcelona
International Awards
Under-17 World Cup 1996-97
Copa America: 1998-99 2004-05
FIFA World Cup: 2002
Confederations Cup: 2004-05
Ronaldinho has also won many individual awards including World player of the year and European footballer of the year.
When you watch Ronaldinho movie and video clips you will be amazed at the skill, even his official adverts for Nike are a joy to watch !
Some soccer players earn the respect of opposition fans and Ronaldinho scored two brilliant individual goals for Barcelona away to their closest rivals Real Madrid and the Madrid fans saluted Ronaldinho with a standing ovation despite Real Madrid suffering a 3-0 defeat.
The profile of Ronaldinho is impressive and there is no doubt that Ronaldinho the soccer player will be regarded as one of the greatest ever.

Football Blocking Rules

Football blocking rules vary from coach to coach. Basically, the type of offense you run and the football players you have on your roster will usually determine the blocking rules that you use. My experience with youth football blocking is to keep it simple as the sky is the limit as far as blocking rules in football are concerned.

At the younger youth football levels i like to coach up what i call "Straight up blocking". In the straight up blocking system your players will be taught a shoulder drive blocking technique. Basically, they learn to step towards the defender with their near foot , keep their head on the play-side of the defender, and drive the defender away from the running hole, using their shoulder as point of contact to drive their man out of the running lane. Now some coaches at the youth football level don't like the shoulder drive block for whatever reasons but i have found that it is simple and an effective technique to teach our youth football players. Once they learn how to drive block in practice the next step would be to coach them up in how to double team using the same shoulder block technique.

Football Vs Soccer - How They Are Related, and How They Are Not

Two of the most beloved sports Football and Soccer have much in common. Lately, many are wondering why there is such an international pull for soccer while football remains an American sport. This articles intent is to bring out some of the similarities and differences between soccer and football based on: history, team size, and fan size.


History: Football vs. Soccer
Football is actually a relative from soccer. Though the date is unsure of when the sport was first known to be played, there were many professional teams starting to spring up in the late 1800s. It was not that much different from its closer cousin rugby, but was showing some far different plays from soccer already.

Here is an interesting fact. Soccer or "football" as is as known in most European and South American Countries is actually the founder of both rugby and football. The major disconnections occurred when the rules for soccer changed to a "no hands" rule. At this point rugby was born. Later as rugby split into two different kinds of play: traditional rugby which allows drop kick goals and more footwork, and American football which has kickoffs and field goals (reminiscent of its soccer days) tackling and hand offs (similar to rugby) and forward passing, options, and other additions.

Soccer on the other hand has a long history, according to the Munich Ethnological Museum there is a Chinese text dated around 50 B.C. talking about "soccer" games in china. Though it is unsure how similar these games were to what we know as soccer today.

Team Size: Football vs. Soccer
There is a tremendous size difference between football and soccer. In football you not only have players that make up a team, but you have specific teams within your team. There are three major teams that consist of a football team: The offense, the defense, and special teams. Each one has a specific objective. The offense with a quarterback, receivers, and guards' objective are to score touchdowns, while the defensive team's job is to stop the opposing team from scoring by tackling the quarterback, runners, or blocking passes. Special teams deal with punts, field goals, and kickoffs. All in all there are anywhere from 30 - 60 players that combine to make a football team.

Soccer is a continuous sport. Meaning unlike football where you have set plays and an offensive and defensive team, in soccer the ball is always going. That being the case there are still offensive and defensive parts to the play of soccer. One can tell whether a team is on the offensive or defensive by where the ball is on the field. If the ball is on your side of the field then you are on defensive, if it is on your opponent's side then you are on the offensive.
 
Fan Size: Football vs. Soccer
Determining which sport has a greater or more loyal fan base is difficult. Here in the United States American football by far has the larger fan base. However, outside of the United States (and perhaps Canada) you do not hear much about football, only soccer. Entire cities have been known to shut down for the world cup, and yet the most watched event was last year's super bowl. One thing is a fact. Both soccer and football have loyal fans that are not going anywhere.
Conclusion
Soccer or Football? Well when it comes right down to it, you are choosing between two very popular sports that will continue to gain momentum in the years to come.

Killer Moves For A Successful Game

Soccer Tricks are interesting moves in the field of soccer sports. It is developed by players to make the sports more exciting for the audiences. It gives variation to the common moves of the sports and adds breathtaking actions for the thrilling fans.

Since soccer has millions of fans all around the world, tricks provide more appeal to the game.

These soccer tricks, comes in two types in the soccer game. The stall tricks and air tricks. Stall tricks is done by keeping the ball on the body of the player while the air tricks is done by hitting the ball and sending it to the air with a part of the body. The tricks need a lot of hard work to master.

soccer player are always discovering new advance tricks to impress the audience and improve their game play. Professional soccer players exert a lot of effort and devote a lot of time and patience in practicing to achieve perfection with their tricks.

How To Increase Sprint Speed

Hey guys today im gona tell you about Sprint....................
Even the slowest person on the field can increase quickness with a little conditioning.Incorporating speed training for football into ur practices, u will increase ur teams overall quickness and dominate the competition from the first snap of the game.

Players must first have the desire to improve their speed, and as a coach u must pair them up with players that are just a little bit faster than they are this gives them attainable goals! So many times the fastest kid goes against the slowest just to show-off.This is bad coaching --ur in charge pair the kids up so this doesn't happen.Players need to be paired as equally as possible to level the playing field(or running field in our case).The players should feel that they can beat their opponent and have the motivation to do so.

Finding cheap ways to run through sprinting exercises for ur players is as easy as rummaging through ur house to find a few items. No need to buy expensive vests and equipment.

• Pack on the pounds: Fill backpacks with sand bags a third or half full and fill the rest of the empty space with a towel to keep it from bouncing around.
• Get an old tire, tie a rope around it about 7 feet long and fasten to ur players with a belt and have them run with the tire behind them flat on the ground(longer grass works better).
• pair up player of equal size and have them stand face-to-face. One player is runnung the other is pushing on their shoulders for resistance and moving backwards.

Please Note: These simple drills are meant to be done in short running bursts of less than 30 yards at a time with a short rest period in between.

Football Solid Defence

As a youth football coach when you begin to plan put the dynamics of your defence together you should consider the following: Pressure, Contain, Filter, Force, and Cover. With these elements in mind and within your defensive system make sure that you have these areas or keys covered and that your players know their assignments within the keys.
Let's cover each item: Pressure- it's important that you pressure the offence into hurrying in order to take away their time and space and possibly put them in a position with your pressure that they make mistakes and as a result create turn-overs.
Contain - it's important that within this pressure that you have good contain so that they cannot get outside the pocket or the box and that everything is contained or bracketed inside. Lets face it, if you lose contain you give them the outside corner which usually results in a score.
Filter - it's important that within the Pressure and Contain that every play is filtered back inside where you have your strength and more help, its where your best tacklers are positioned.
Force - it's important that within this filtration that you have solid run support and that your players come in force, aggressive to the ball, some coaches refer to this as gang-tackling.
Finally, Cover- it's important that within the keys of your football defensive system that you have good downfield coverage.
Regardless of the front or defensive football system that you want to play these elements are the keys and your players should know their assignments within the defence.

Number of Players in Football

Hey Friends i will tell you the number of players in the game of soccer...................
The official soccer rule states that each team can enter the field with 11 Players (Including Goalkeeper).

The number of substitutes depends on the competition the match is played in, but OFFICIAL FIFA matches the number of substitutes can Range from One to Seven, with Three Substitutions Eligible For Each Of the Two Teams.

However, in friendly matches, it's often the case that both teams agree upon a set number of substitutions or simply go all-out and allow every bench player to get in the game at some point, replacing one of the first team members.

Football Fouls

Hello guys i am here to tell you about fouls in soccer game.................
Fouls are so problematic rules nowadays.

Referee can easily misjudge or interpreted and these mistakes cause arguments On or Off the pitch.

A foul is whistled and direct or indirect kick is given when a player Trips, Kicks, Pushes, Punches, Charges or Hold an Opponent.

Opponent Beating Tricks

Hey guys......... doing well...........? Today i will tell u some tricks for soccer..........i hav made a list of soccer tricks which is following............

• Scissor

                     I know scissor looks old but believe me "OLD IS GOLD". Its very effective. ur opponent needs to concentrate fully on the ball to tackle u. but that's very hard when u perform a good scissor.

           The scissor is a great move to combine with another trick. Start with a scissor and follow up with a feint shot.

• Step Over

                        Step over is effective trick when u once fully master it. U use to send ur opponent the wrong way, or to buy urself some time or space. U can use it while dribbling, but also when standing still.

           U can customize the move itself. Like, try double step over by "STEPPING OVER" with ur right foot n then ur left.

• Shoulder feint

                         its a very unknown move n useful because it is easy n position don't matter. U can use to move ur opponent wrong side.

• Marseille

                      It looks show off trick, its kind of very very very useful trick. Just not to overuse it. This annoy ur opponent.

Hope this helps u out........ Reply plz............

Freestyle Soccer Tricks

Hello ppl how are you........? Hope so fine......Today im gona tell you about Freestyling......... The soccer ball is no longer just used for the sport of the same name. Now, thousands of people across the globe are currently showing off some incredibly skilled moves in a sport known as freestyle sport. While not a sport in the general sense (there are no teams and often no winner), freestyle soccer instead showcases complex and innovative tricks that are eye candy for anyone watching. Whether their bouncing a soccer ball off the back of their necks or jumping rope while sending a soccer ball flying into the air with only their head, practitioners of this growing sport trend are continuing to break new grounds and astound fans and spectators with some really amazing tricks.

There are many different types of freestylers who are perfecting soccer tricks year round. Most of these types tend to focus on one area of the body, or perhaps a certain shtick that makes a trick unique and memorable. For example, one freestyler may focus on them that pertain to the lower body, while another may focus on upper body tricks. To get even more specific, there are those that make only practice and invent tricks that involve the head, or the foot, or even the neck. If the body part isn't enough for one person to focus on, they make try jumping rope while bouncing a ball or riding a bike, perhaps. These are really only bound by a person's imagination.

There are two main types of freestyle soccer tricks: the air tricks and the stall tricks. The basic principles are used in both, to make sure the ball doesn't hit the ground while at the same time keeping it moving continuously. It's a difficult task, but once achieved, it can be one of the coolest things to watch. The difference between these two types is in how these basic principles are achieved. In air tricks, the soccer ball is bounced off the body and oftentimes it gets some great air. The thing is, the ball is mostly in the air, which is not the case in stall tricks. These involve keeping the soccer ball moving, but on the body rather than on the air. For example, one freestyler may hit the soccer ball in the air, catch it on the back of his neck, and move his neck in such a way where the soccer ball will sit there, rolling, and never falling to the ground until the trick is over.

As you can see, there is a lot of skill needed to perform freestyle soccer tricks. It takes a lot of practice and familiarity with the ball itself. One needs to feel comfortable with the soccer ball in order to get it to do what one wants. Without getting anymore Zen-like, I'll just mention that they can be some of the most creative ways to use a sports ball, and one can only wonder how the sport will continue to grow and evolve in the future.

Mental Soccer Skills

Hi soccerians welcome to soccer craze......... "Mental Soccer Skills"

Thinking what are Mental Skills...........?

i will not take too much time of urs.......... The most important part of our body is brain n it should work for game while playing soccer........To pull off soccer tricks, u need CONFIDENCE. Most ppl think it as arrogance or wrongly interpret it as arrogance. That's y u should take a sportive stand. Learning soccer tricks requires perseverance. Don't Give Up Ever When A Trick Fails. Motivation and perseverance r key attributes.

         Creativity is a very important attribute, even when u lear all ur tricks from tutorials. Its hard to train, but it's possible. Juggling is a good way to train ur creativity. Start juggling n use all ur body parts. Challenge URSELF To Become BETTER. So u should use this all my observation n make ur self better.........REPLY PLZ.........

Premier League chief defends spending spree

Premier League boss Richard Scudamore says that the increased sums of money in English football are being used to good effect.

After a frenetic transfer deadline day last Monday, which saw the likes of Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and David Luiz swap clubs for a combined total of over 120 million pounds, the big-spending tendencies of Premier League clubs amid an economic downturn have come under fire.

But speaking about the Premier League’s corporate and social responsibilities, chief executive Scudamore believes that the surge in spending allows the governing body to play a wider role in the community.

“I wouldn’t want to create anything like the impression that we are suddenly getting involved (in corporate and social responsibility) because of last Monday,” Scudamore said.

“As I say, we’ve had 28 years of ‘Football in the Community’ going in professional football. The Premier League’s got a long track record since it started of community involvement so this is just another extension.”

“On the left hand side, we have TV rights and transfer fees, we have large amounts of money in the game being used on talent acquisition. And on the right hand side, we have large amounts of money going to some good causes (to) fulfil our corporate and social responsibilities.”

Bleak times ahead for England

If you wanted to know the reasons that England are struggling at international level you only need to take a look at the current England squad for their friendly against Denmark on Wednesday.

Now that Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch and Ben Foster have all been released because of injuries and Gabby Agbonlahor has not joined up with the party for personal reasons, the squad looks average at best.

Goalkeepers:

Joe Hart. Top young keeper with a long international future.
David Stockdale. Fulham reserve.
Robert Green. Surely no comments required!

Defenders:

Glen Johnson. Dubious international pedigree. Playing left back for Liverpool, right back for England.
John Terry. International class, but probably past his best and tried and failed at international level.
Gary Cahill. Untried.
Joleon Lescott. Manchester City reserve. Not good enough.
Ashley Cole. International class. 30 years old. Tried and failed at international level.
Michael Dawson. Potentially top class but 27 already and struggles with injury.
Leighton Baines. Good Premier League player but has failed to step up a level in the past.
Kyle Walker. Promising player but called up after just three or four Premier League games.

Midfield:

Gareth Barry. Capello must be the only man in England who thinks Barry is international class.
Stewart Downing. Been around the England squad for six years. Never quite been good enough and no better now than he ever was.
Frank Lampard. Too old and never fulfilled his international potential despite earning eighty-three caps.
James Milner. Manchester City reserve. No more than a journeyman.
Scott Parker. Great player for West Ham but 30 years old and not really deemed good enough before now.
Theo Walcott. In and out of the Arsenal side, but a genuinely good player. Has shown he can do it at international level.
Jack Wilshere. A very promising young player who deserves his chance.
Ashley Young. A fine Premier League player but hasn’t been able to reproduce it yet for England.

Strikers:

Darren Bent. Great Premier League striker but another who looks out of his depth in international football.
Carlton Cole. West Ham reserve.
Jermain Defoe. Has done it in internationals but in poor form.
Wayne Rooney. World class but woefully short of his best.
That may be a very harsh assessment of the squad, but I think it is realistic. There is very little in that group of players that fills me, as an England fan, with any optimism that the title winning drought is likely to end any time soon.
From the squad I would say that Joe Hart, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshire and Wayne Rooney are the only ones who could take England to the top. I suppose you could add the potential of Gary Cahill and Kyle Walker, but that is far from clear and it stops there. Steven Gerrard would be worthy of a place in the team and Ashley Cole is probably still good enough to persevere with.
I fear that we could be in for a fairly bleak time at international level following the debacle of last Summer’s World Cup.

Tevez: ´I love my City shirt´

Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez has affirmed his love for the club and dispelled rumours that he is unhappy at Eastlands.

“I don’t think anyone loves the shirt more than me,” Tevez told the club’s website mcfc.co.uk.

In December, the Argentina striker handed in a transfer request to City bosses amid reports that he was homesick, missing his children and even considering retiring from the game.

Yet he subsequently withdrew the request and now appears to be happier than ever at Eastlands.

“I never walked out of the club or wanted to do any harm to the club, not for anything in the world. I do not think there is anyone who loves the shirt more than me. I show that in every game I play. I give everything I have got,” he said.

“I do not speak very often to the press. I just have it in my head, I do my talking out there on the field, which is the most important thing.”

“People might want to have a pop at me but I am completely at ease here. I want to do my best for the City shirt.”

“It is a period in my career where I have begun to enjoy things more. I am happy and very relaxed as a result of the football I am producing.”

The Argentine, 27, now turns his attention to Saturday’s Manchester derby, with City looking to overhaul United’s five-point lead at the top of the table.

Yet Tevez seemed to suggest that he and his team-mates would be more than happy with a fourth-placed finish.

“We are right in there battling it out for a Champions League place. That is what the team is aiming for and where the team ought to be.”

Walker, Stockdale set for England debuts

Defender Kyle Walker is a surprise inclusion in Fabio Capello’s 25-man England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Denmark.
The 20-year-old Spurs right-back has impressed in recent months in loan stints at Queens Park Rangers and now Aston Villa, and with concerns over the fitness of Micah Richards and Phil Jagielka, has been rewarded with an international call-up.
Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale’s fine performances while deputising for Mark Schwarzer – who was on Asian Cup duty with Australia – have seen him also chosen for this first senior international involvement.
Front men Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent have all been recalled after missing England’s 2-1 November loss to France with injury, as has Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.
Steven Gerrard has been named as captain, after Rio Ferdinand suffered a calf-strain in the warm up before Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.
Capello said Bent, who turns 27 on Sunday, was a walk-up start in his side after impressing in recent matches.
“Bent was not as good before the World Cup as he is at this moment,” the England coach said of the Villa man. “He was not the same player.”
“I went to see Aston Villa twice. It is completely different.”
“Before he was only playing for the box. Now, he is a player who can play for the team.”
“At Sunderland before, it was important for them to go straight for the goal. I told him he had to change. He had to work a lot, press a lot.”
“He has probably changed something in his mind, not only in his style.”
Capello said 19-year-old Jack Wilshere would also play a crucial role in the match.
“He has always been good at short passes and winning back the ball. Now he is playing with confidence,” Capello said.
“He is a really important player for Arsenal and I hope he will be for us too.”
The England squad: Ben Foster (Birmingham), Joe Hart (Man City), David Stockdale (Fulham); Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Man City), John Terry (Chelsea), Kyle Walker (Aston Villa); Gareth Barry (Man City), Stewart Downing (Aston Villa), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Man City), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Aston Villa); Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Darren Bent (Aston Villa), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Ferguson beaten but proud

Sir Alex Ferguson lamented some poor defending from set pieces on Saturday as his side’s 2-1 loss to Wolves ended a 29-game unbeaten streak.
Wolves responded well after going a goal down to a Nani strike early on, and goals from George Elokobi and Kevin Doyle handed them a memorable victory, although they remain at the bottom of the English Premier League on goal difference.
Ferguson said that while he was disappointed to see his men suffer their first league loss of the season, he was proud of the way his side had been playing.
“I’m disappointed obviously, it’s been a long run for us,” Ferguson told ESPN.
“The players have done us all proud; we can be pleased with that part, but today in the second half we didn’t really get going.”
“The consistency that we’ve shown over the past two months has been terrific so today was a big disappointment.”
“I’ve said that before the game, and it stands strong again after the game. They are a handful on set-pieces as they proved today, and it’s cost us the game.”
Ferguson also revealed that central defender Rio Ferguson had strained a calf during the warm-up for the game and will be sidelined for ‘a couple of weeks’.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, meanwhile, was delighted to have picked up three points and is hoping to use the shock result as a springboard to lift his side out of the drop zone, targeting greater consistency in the final third of the season.
“We are in this position because whilst we have beaten some of the top teams, we have been bobbins against those around us. West Ham, Wigan, Blackpool – they have all taken points from us,” McCarthy said.
“It is all right lounging around and basking in the sunny day of beating Manchester United, we have to do it against other teams and do damage to them to make sure we preserve our Premier League status.”

Football Fouls

Hello guys i am here to tell you about fouls in soccer game........
Fouls are so problematic rules nowadays.

Referee can easily misjudge or interpreted and these mistakes cause arguments on and off the pitch.


A foul is whistled and direct or indirect kick is given when a player Trips, Kicks, Pushes, Punches, Charges or Hold an Opponent.

Eredivisie wrap: PSV, AZ suffer shock losses

Eredivisie league leaders PSV Eindhoven gave the chasing pack something to cheer about on Saturday, slipping to a 1-0 home defeat to ADO Den Haag.
Substitute Charlton Vicento’s cross found Wesley Verhoek unmarked at the far post in the second minute of injury time and his cool finish helped lift ADO into fifth place in the Eredivisie.
The result means reigning champions Twente trail PSV by just a single point and can overhaul the leaders if they beat Utrecht on Sunday.
Elsewhere on Saturday, relegation battlers Excelsior shocked AZ Alkmaar after coming from behind to post a 2-1 home win.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson gave the visitors the lead after 10 minutes but Tom Vincken equalised with a penalty on 65 minutes before a freakish free-kick from Jordy Clasie sealed the three points.
Clasie’s floating free-kick from long-range deceived everyone, including Alkmaar goalkeeper Sergio Romero, and bounced inside the penalty area before crossing the line.
VVV Venlo remain entrenched in the relegation zone despite cruising to a 3-0 win over 10th-placed NAC Breda, while Heerenveen and NEC Nijmegen played out a goalless draw at the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

Allegri: Milan still have work to do

AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri insists his side must maintain their focus if they are to claim their firstSerie A title since 2004.
Allegri’s side head to Genoa on Sunday five points clear of second-placed Napoli and seven ahead of bitter rivals Inter Milan, who have a game in hand, and the coach has no doubts it will be a tough road trip for his squad.
“We are all concentrating as we know that tomorrow (Sunday) we’ll be facing an aggressive team, who will try to stop us playing,” Allegri said.
“They’re very good at doing this at home, therefore we should concentrate and put in a good performance from a technical point of view.”
Allegri insisted the form of Milan’s fellow title contenders meant his side could not relax for a second in the run home.
“The championship is starting its most important phase. We know that the championship won’t be ending on Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday,” he said.
“There are still 15 matches and we have to win most of them in order to win the championship. We should be able to keep the balance as we have done so far.”
“We were aware that Inter Milan would be able to compete for the championship, as well as Roma and Napoli, who remains one of the competitors even if they lost against Chievo.”
“We should be focused on what we’re doing without thinking about other teams, since the points we have now are not enough to win the championship.”
And the coach defended out-of-form striker Alexandre Pato, who has endured speculation in recent days over his future at the San Siro.
“I have Pato, I’m happy to have Pato and I want to keep Pato. There are no doubts on this. In the end I think he’ll get back to full fitness and prove to be an important player AC Milan,” he said.

Napoli aim to bounce back

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri hopes his side can bounce back from their surprise 2-0 defeat to Chievo Verona when they host Cesena on Sunday.
Mazzarri’s side have surprised many this season after finishing sixth place in the Serie A last year, sitting in second spot on the table with 15 games remaining – just five points behind league leaders AC Milan.
But despite having the chance to close the gap between themselves and Milan to just two points on Wednesday, Mazzarri’s men were outplayed and eventually beaten in Chievo to break a four-match unbeaten run.
The coach insists the Chievo game is a performance his side is desperate to atone for against Cesena.
“The display against Chievo was a bad performance, this is what I’ve tried to make my players understand,” the 49-year-old said.
“We have gone over the game and when we play it in the right way we always create difficulties to all our opposition.”
Mazzarri said being able to eke out good results when not playing well was the hallmark of a championship side.
“AC Milan, Inter Milan or Roma are able to do this, they can find ways of achieving good results even if they’re not playing at their best,” he said.
“We’re not able to do this, we can only play our best and give a performance. If we want to compete against teams which are superior than us, we should be humble and try and find something that maybe they don’t have.”
“Maybe I should have made some more substitutions against Chievo as well. There will certainly be more substitutions next time.”

Kharja quality no surprise, says Leonardo

Inter Milan coach Leonardo has hailed the influence of new loan signing Houssine Kharja, who scored in his side’s 3-1 win over Bari on Thursday.
The 28-year-old Moroccan international midfielder joined Inter on loan from Genoa during the January transfer window and Leonardo said the Paris St Germain product had already made a positive impression at the club.
“I’ve known him for a long time, he has been in Italy for long time – he was born in Paris,” Leonardo said.
“What has been really positive is his response; you may know what a player is able to do and to give so much, but there is usually a period of assessment, whereas he has entered the pitch and given the right answer – this has been really extraordinary.”
“The team is now offering many possibilities. This is something good and this is what we wanted. We’ll decide match by match.”
With Inter – who trail Serie A leaders AC Milan by five points with a game in hand – facing a crunch game against fellow title contenders Roma on Sunday, Leonardo said this season was one of the toughest in recent years.
“I think this is one of the most difficult championships of the last few years, since all teams are holding very close positions in the rankings and it’s very difficult to achieve results,” he said.
“I’m very satisfied with the team since we have achieved a series of positive results which have allowed us to be part of the teams battling to win the championship.”
“But the battle is not between two teams, but among four or five teams and everything can still happen.”

Campeonato Paulista wrap: Santos held, Carlos fires Noroeste

Santos missed the chance to go to the top of the Campeonato Paulista on Saturday after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Santo Andre.
Adilson Batista’s side could have gone ahead of leaders Palmeiras, who are not in action until Sunday, but they faced a spirited outfit who entered the game with five draws from six matches.
Defender Marcelo Godri gave Santo Andre the lead after just five minutes, delighting the Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho crowd in Sao Paulo.
But with their talented side, Santos always possessed a threat in front of goal and managed an equaliser on the stroke of half-time thanks to former Manchester United midfielder Rodrigo Possebon.
Neither side could manage a winner in a tight second half, with Santos ruing their missed opportunity to go top.
In other matches, Noroeste came from behind to thump Mogi Mirim 4-1, thanks to a Jose Carlos double.
Ze Roberto gave Mogi Mirim a 21st-minute lead but Carlos’ brace and goals to Aleilson and Diego capped a memorable victory.
Anselmo Ramon’s 94th-minute equaliser saw Oeste claim a point in their 1-1 draw away at Americana.

Guardiola: Messi makes us great

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola has sung the praises of Lionel Messi after he led his side to a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The Argentine struck a hat-trick in the win, which was Barca’s 16th La Liga victory in succession.
The win saw Barcelona break the record of 15 league wins in a row, set by the Real Madrid side of 1960-1961.
“We wouldn’t be what we are without Messi,” Guardiola said after the match.
“Without him we would be a good team, but he makes the difference.”
“All of the great teams in history have a player who is different and Messi is one of those – he makes the difference.”
Messi was typically modest after the match, despite the fact his hat-trick saw him move ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the La Liga scoring charts, with the striker having now netted 24 goals this season.
“It’s what least concerns me,” Messi said.
“The important thing is to keep our run going and keep working hard because Madrid will always be close.”
But even if Messi was unwilling to talk himself up, Atletico Madrid boss Quique Sanchez Flores was in no doubt who the best player in Spain is.
“He is the number one,” Sanchez Flores said.
“He plays how he wants to and where he wants to – I haven’t seen anything like it.”
“Out of everything he did tonight, what most impressed me was the tackle he made in front of the benches, when he ran back (to dispossess Sergio Aguero) and won the ball.”
“He even does that; he has everything.”
Barcelona are now 10 points in front of title rivals Real Madrid, who face Real Sociedad on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Qatar to offer Guardiola €20 million per year

Qatar Football Federation chiefs want Pep Guardiola to take over as national team boss after Bruno Metsu was sacked from the post.
Having played for Al Ahli for two years, Guardiola formed excellent relationships with numerous Qatar football officials and he even helped the Arab country win the 2022 World Cup bid.
The Qatar national team chief, Skeikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmad al-Thani now wants to return the favour and he is willing to offer the Barcelona coach €20 million per year to take over the national team post.
The sheikh is a big fan of Barcelona’s style of football and he wants Guardiola to implement the same philosophy to lead Qatar to 2022 World Cup finals.
Seeing that the talented coach has already achieved a lot at Barcelona, he could be tempted to embark on a new challenge.

Premier League predictions

Saturday 5th February

Aston Villa v Fulham

A game between two teams who looked as though they might be in trouble but now seem to have turned a corner. They are both picking up points and climbing up the table.
Although these two teams are very evenly matched and I wouldn’t be able to pick between them if Fulham were at home, it becomes easier today because Fulham are still so much better at home than they are away.
Soccernews prediction: 2-0

Everton v Blackpool

Before the season started Blackpool were odds on to get relegated and Everton were not even in the betting. After a few games, Everton looked favourites to go down and Blackpool looked to be more than safe. Then Everton picked up a little and both teams looked set for a season in mid-table.
Now, both teams are struggling and they will both be anxiously looking below them in the table. Three points for either side in this one will give them a welcome comfort zone. I think Everton will be celebrating and the pre-season betting will start to look good again.
Soccernews prediction: 2-1

Manchester City v West Brom

This is a game between two teams who flatter to deceive. West Brom are universally accepted to play some great football. We all thought they would do well after great performances in games at Manchester United and Arsenal. As it is, they are only just above the drop zone and looked pretty average in their draw against Wigan a few days ago.
Manchester City are a team on the up and a club on a mission. Unfortunately, neither of those things have been obvious when they lost at Villa and drew with Notts County and Birmingham in their last three games. They’ll get back to winning ways here.
Soccernews prediction: 3-1

Newcastle v Arsenal

It was quite sad watching Newcastle in their defeat at Fulham on Wednesday evening. They play some nice football but if they were still playing that game now, they still wouldn’t have scored!
Arsenal’s back four is not the best and when they come up against Drogba and Torres or Berbatov and Rooney, it is not clear that they will be able to cope. However, Nile Ranger and Leon Best? I think they’ll be alright.
Soccernews prediction: 0-2

Stoke v Sunderland

Stoke are up and down in form this season but will be pleased to be back at home after three away games in a row. They are much more comfortable in front of their own passionate and ferocious fans.
Sunderland are still sixth in the table and proving that Steve Bruce is a top manager and they are a good team. However, they’ll have their work cut out to get anything today.
Soccernews prediction: 1-0

Tottenham v Bolton

Tottenham ended a slightly poor run with a win at Blackburn in the week and Bolton did the same with a win over Wolves. Both teams will have been mightily relieved to pick up three points.
Today’s game will simply come down to who is the better side. However well Owen Coyle has done with Bolton, that is Tottenham.
Soccernews prediction: 2-0

Wigan v Blackburn

This game will be the one that only gets twenty seconds of highlights right at the end of ‘Match of the day’. Neither team are likely to do very much that would excite their own fans, let alone the neutrals.
I may be being a little harsh, but I think I might go to bed before this game comes on.
Soccernews prediction: 0-0

Wolves v Manchester United

Mick McCarthy’s men are rock bottom as teams around them have started to pick up points. They are desperate for a win and their opposition just happen to be the unbeaten league leaders who seem to have found some form. There can only be one result.
Soccernews prediction: 0-2
Sunday 6th February

Chelsea v Liverpool

This would be a huge game at any time, but with the Torres transfer it has become even bigger.
Put that transfer to one side and you still have a game between the two clubs who spent big in the transfer window and have some exciting new players. It should be a classic and I’m prepared to bet that it will be a better game than the one between Wigan and Blackburn!!
Soccernews prediction: 2-1

West Ham v Birmingham

These two teams are fighting it out for the third relegation spot. They are level on points but Birmingham have a better goal difference.
Potentially this is the biggest and most important game in the Premier League this weekend. A win for either side will open a gap on the other and edge them towards safety. Defeat to either side would be a savage blow.

Schmidt set to leave Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen star Dominik Schmidt has revealed that he is expected to leave the Bundesliga side in the summer.

Schmidt, who made his first team debut earlier this season, and Bremen have failed to agree on a new contract.

“Contract negotiations have been put on hold. Both parties have been in talks for a while, but we have so far failed to reach an agreement,” the 23-year-old Schmidt was quoted as saying by Kreiszeitung.

“We have exchanged thoughts about what we expect, but an agreement is very far away at the moment. Obviously, financial things are the biggest problem here,” commented Bremen sporting director Klaus Allofs.

Spurs boss hints at Becks move

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has hinted he could make a new attempt at signing David Beckham.

Redknapp could make a move for the former England captain, when his contract with Los Angeles Galaxy expires in December.

Redknapp said: “I could do, yeah. I love him, I love the way he plays. That ball that Van der Vaart hit for Crouchy, David hit about seven of them the other morning in training.

“It was like he had radar and Crouchy kept heading them in the goal. I kept saying ‘That’s what I have been asking you to do lads’.

“David has been fantastic. He is a top-class bloke. He has been great around the place. You would love to have him at your club.”

Samba pens new Blackburn deal

Christopher Samba has committed his future to Blackburn Rovers by signing a new deal contracting him to the club until 2015.

Samba, 26, appeared to be set for the exit at Ewood Park after publicly criticising the club’s decision to sack manager Sam Allardyce in December.

But an upturn in the team’s form under new boss Steve Kean and some encouraging player acquisitions have persuaded the Republic of Congo international to reconsider.

“It is a good feeling. We have been in discussions for a little time and I needed a couple of answers,” Samba said.

“But the way we have played and the players the manager has brought in means we are not far off being a top club in the league.”

“I’m in a period of my career where I need to make important choices.”

“I’ve made the choice to take the challenge to try and take the club as high as possible, to maintain that position and to be recognised as one of the top clubs in the country.”

Former Hertha Berlin defender Samba is the latest player to agree a new deal after Blackburn also agreed contract extensions with Ryan Nelson, Michel Salgado and Jason Roberts.

“This is more great news for us,” Kean said.

“Chris is a major part of the picture at Rovers and his form has created a lot of interest from around the football world.”

“The fact that he wants to be part of what we are trying to build here is further evidence of the exciting times that lie ahead.”

Fabregas sweet with FA

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will face no action from the Football Association despite allegations he verbally abused referee Lee Mason.

Fabregas was accused by opposition manager David Moyes of directing offensive language at Mason during the half-time break in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Immediately after the game, which Everton lost to a Laurent Koscielny goal in the 75th minute, an infuriated Moyes insisted that the Spain midfielder should have been punished for his alleged comments.

“I think at half-time in the tunnel was the worst,” Moyes said.

“Fabregas should have been sent off in the tunnel for his comments about the officials. It was disgusting.”

“I am not going to repeat what they were. They were disappointing comments from someone who is such a talented footballer.”

But Mason chose not to submit an Extraordinary Incident Report and the FA confirmed on Wednesday that the issue was closed.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claims that he spoke to the match officials at half-time, not Fabregas.

“I was next to Fabregas at half-time and I can’t see why David Moyes is furious with him,” Wenger said.

“Fabregas didn’t speak to the referee at half-time, I did.”

But the Arsenal captain appears to have admitted he did pass some comment on Mason and his assistants as the players were leaving the field for the break.

“There has been much talk about me saying things to the officials at half-time on Tuesday night,” Fabregas said.

“All I can say is that I have respect for all match officials.”

“Players from both sides were saying things as we came off the pitch, and this always happens in football. Clearly the officials feel that nothing serious happened.”

Suarez set for Reds debut

Luis Suarez may make his Liverpool debut against Stoke City on Wednesday after receiving international clearance to play.

Uruguay international Suarez joined Liverpool from Eredivisie outfit Ajax for a reported fee of 23 million pounds on Monday.

The 24-year-old forward goes straight into the squad for the match at Anfield, but he may start on the bench due to a lack of match practice.

Suarez has not played since early December after receiving a seven-match ban for biting an opponent.

Striker Andy Carroll, a 35 million-pound signing from Newcastle United, is unavailable due to a thigh injury.

Liverpool will be looking for their third-consecutive win under Kenny Dalglish, who replaced Roy Hodgson as manager in January.

But they will be without striker Fernando Torres for the first time following the Spaniard’s 50 million-pound British-record transfer to Chelsea.

No blues for departing Davies

Birmingham signing Curtis Davies has revealed he was ‘happy to see the back’ of former club Aston Villa after his January transfer move.

Central defender Davies had not made a league appearance for Villa since the 2009/10 season and had spent the earlier part of this term on-loan at Championship club Leicester City.

Davies appeared destined to link up with Leicester again before a swoop on January 28 by Villa’s rivals Birmingham kept the 25-year-old in the English Premier League.

“It’s good – good to be here. They’re a good set of lads and it seems a good club so I’m just ready to get going and try and play Premier League football again,” Davies said.

“I was on my way to Leicester and had got the paperwork done really and Villa called my agent late on in the evening and said Villa hadn’t signed off the papers and said the Blues had put in a permanent deal. I was obviously happy to come across and talk to Blues and happy to get the deal done.”

And there is no love lost between Davies and former club Villa, where he had been frozen out first by manager Martin O’Neill and then his successor Gerard Houllier.

“At the end of the day I hadn’t played a league game for Villa for eighteen months, so maybe if I was a regular in the side and had jumped ship to come to the Blues then that would’ve probably been a different thing,” he said.

“But it was more a case that they were happy to see the back of me and I was happy to see the back of them really. I wasn’t playing for them – I was just sitting there doing nothing and I wanted to go and play.”

Guardiola aims to kick cup habit

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola wants to improve his side’s poor recent performances in the Copa del Rey by securing a spot in the final on Wednesday.

After scoring a 5-0 rout in the first leg clash with Almeria, Barcelona are a near certainty to progress to the final when they travel to the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.

Guardiola is keen for a repeat of the 2008/09 season, when his side scored its first cup triumph in 11 years.

“Tomorrow is a good time to reach the Copa del Rey final, which we have only done once in three years,” Guardiola said.

“That is the aim, and the opportunity is there. We are all pushing to get to the final. Few players haven’t been part of this campaign, so tomorrow we will decide who plays.”

“The best way to go through is to go out to win. Not focusing on the result from the first leg and going out to win is the best way to get through.”

“The best form of defence is attack, and the only thing I want us to do is attack. We are going for it, so don’t be surprised if we win comprehensively. That is what we will try to do.”

Despite leading Real Madrid by seven points in La Liga, Guardiola insists he will be taking nothing for granted as the season enters the serious end.

“A manager as prestigious as (Real’s Jose) Mourinho, who is so competitive, won’t give up on anything in January,” Guardiola said.

“He won’t give up on anything until the end. We had a first half of the year with only one loss and one draw.”

“It is a good first half and a good start to the second that we are having. But in order to win we will need another 51 points.”

“There are no guarantees that we are going to do that. In football, what you have done before doesn’t guarantee anything.”

Ranieri relief at Roma run

Roma boss Claudio Ranieri believes his players are finally producing the form they are capable of after an indifferent start to the season.

With just one win from their first six matches and with rumours of player discontent swirling around the club, there was speculation regarding former Chelsea boss Ranieri’s position at Roma.

But with wins from their last four matches, Roma are up into fifth position – although they are still nine points adrift of league-leaders AC Milan ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Brescia.

“I usually make evaluations on what I feel and on what I can see through the players,” Ranieri said.

“Even if we have lost, I’ve found a compact and determined team willing to achieve a positive result, regardless of whether we have got a result or not, since there is no guarantee that you will get a result.”

“But I’ve found the team again and my words have proved to be right and we are now competing for the three cups.”

Ranieri said he will be wary of the threat posed by Brescia, who on Sunday replaced coach Mario Beretta with his predecessor Giuseppe Iachini – the man who guided them to promotion from Serie B last term.

“Tomorrow it is going to be a difficult match. The team has called back the coach who got them in to Serie A. He knows his players very well and knows how to get the best performances out of them,” he said.

“I don’t want difficulties. We all know that there could be a decrease in concentration when playing against smaller teams, but this would be the biggest mistake we could make right now – never relax.”

“The opposing team is battling to stay in Serie A and they will do everything to cause us problems, make us lose focus and hit us on the counterattack like they did in the home match (which Roma lost 2-1 in September).”

Eredivisie: De Graafschap 0 Utrecht 0

Utrecht and De Graafschap sit eighth and 12th respectively in the Eredivisie after grinding out a goalless draw at De Vijverberg on Tuesday.

In a fixture originally scheduled for Saturday but postponed due to a frozen pitch, neither side could gain the ascendancy in a dour struggle.

Utrecht midfielder Michael Silberbauer was sent off on the hour mark, while Yuri Rose and Steve de Ridder were cautioned for the hosts as both sides struggled to carve out clear chances and in the end had to settle for a share of the spoils.

De Graafschap have a limited amount of time to recover before their next assignment – Friday’s match against third-place Ajax at Amsterdam Arena – while Utrecht host the reigning champions Twente on Sunday.

Torres joins Chelsea

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

In a deal reported to be worth 50 million pounds, Torres has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the London club.

“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Fernando Torres on a five-and-a-half year contract,” a Chelsea statement read on Monday.

“The move to bring the Spanish World Cup and European Championship winner to London from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee was completed on Monday evening.”

Torres, who joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid in 2007, scored 81 goals in 142 total appearances for the Reds including both goals when the Reds defeated Chelsea at Anfield in November.

McKay a wanted man

Rising Socceroo Matt McKay cannot guarantee he will remain at Brisbane beyond this season as he looks to cash in on his breakthrough Asian Cup campaign.

The attacking midfielder is suddenly a player in demand after emerging as a surprise star of Australia’s run to the Asian Cup final.

The 28-year-old kept Socceroos mainstay Brett Emerton out of the starting line-up for the decider, won 1-0 by Japan in extra-time, after winning over coach Holger Osieck with a man-of-the-match display in the 6-0 semi-final demolition of Uzbekistan.

McKay is sure to be on the radar of clubs both at home and abroad following his exploits in Qatar.

Brisbane Roar, the runaway A-League leaders, recently signed their captain to a long-term contract but coach Ange Postecoglou has all but conceded McKay will be poached in the near future.

McKay was tight-lipped about his future when he arrived in Brisbane on Tuesday morning but hinted his Roar days could be numbered if the right offer was tabled.

“(I’m) definitely (staying with Brisbane) this season. I’ve signed a new three-year deal and it’s a very good deal,” he said.

“The Roar are going places and I want to be a part of that, but if the offers were to come in then that is out of my hands.”

“The club will deal with it there and then. But I am really excited about the rest of the season.”

“I want to concentrate on this title (so) I can promise you I will be here for the rest of this season.”

Osieck regarded McKay as a handy back-up player before the Asian Cup but was forced to drastically change his thinking as the tournament progressed.

One of the few A-League players in the squad, the Roar skipper went from bench player to an integral member of the side in just four games.

“I said I didn’t want to go there to make up the numbers and I probably surpassed that,” McKay said.

“He (Osieck) said he wasn’t sure of me at first but told me that I’d proved myself and he was very happy with my performances.”

“Being in that team with the calibre of player was a great feeling and I learnt so much. It made me a better player.”

“I am very happy with the way I went – just disappointed with the final result – (and I think it) showed the A-League’s a good breeding ground for players.”

With McKay set to return, Brisbane can secure the minor premiership with victory over North Queensland in Townsville on Saturday night.

The Roar have gone 23 games without defeat, setting a new record for the longest unbeaten streak in Australian football history.