• Home
• Archives
• Write for Us
• Advertise
• Links
• Live Scores
• Contact

• Latest Headlines
• Transfer News
• Editorial
• Football Tickets
• Editorial
• Soccer Tickets
• Football Kits

Two chances at Europe for runners-up

The UEFA cup is being replaced by the Europa league as of next year and there has been a slot made available for the runner up in the league if they fail to get through the qualifying stage for the Champions League.

Rangers fell at the first hurdle this year dropping out of Europe way back in August to Kaunas but if that had happened under the new structure they would have had another chance of European football in the Europa League.

Although this is good news, it is not all good as this now means that qualification for the Champions League will be tougher with them possibly facing Top Dutch teams in the second qualifying round and Premiership teams in the third round.

Scotland will still maintain their automatic place in the group face for the league winners even though it was feared they may lose it due to poor performance by Scottish teams in Europe this season.

Santa Cruz out for Rovers

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz has been ruled out of Saturday’s trip to West Brom with a calf injury.

The Paraguayan was forced out of Wednesday night’s 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa after feeling the injury during the warm-up.

A scan undertaken on Thursday has shown that Santa Cruz has a grade one calf tear and could be out for up to two weeks.

Abidal out for two weeks

FC Barcelona defender Eric Abidal will miss the side’s next two matches due to a meniscal cyst in his right knee.

The Frenchman noted the issue in training and tests pointed out that a cyst had formed. If conventional treatment hasn’t improved the situation by next week, other measures could be required.

In that case, the player might undergo an artriscopia, a visual examination of the joint.

As a result, Abidal misses Saturday’s Liga clash with Malaga and Tuesday’s Champions League game with Basel.

Real Madrid stunned in Copa Del Rey

Real Madrid have lost their first leg match in the fourth round of the Copa Del Rey, 3-2 to third division side Real Union.

Juan Dominguez was the home side’s hero with two goals in the first half, and Goikoetxea got the winning goal three minutes after the hour mark.

Real Madrid played a large part of the match with a heavily dented concentration level after the collapse of Ruben de la Red.

The midfielder collapsed after about twelve minutes and needed several minutes to regain consciousness. The latest reports fortunately indicate that it was ‘only’ low blood pressure that caused the incident.

Terry - “I had so much respect for those players off the pitch”

England International John Terry has praised past Chelsea coach Graham Rix for being a big influence on his career.

“Unfortunately Graham is not in the game at the moment and he has an awful lot to give coaching-wise. It would be good to see him back in the game,” Terry told chelseafc.com

Rix also has a place in Terry’s choice of a defining moment in the last 10 years.

“There was one day when we were playing a pre-season game and it was a mixture of first team and reserves - Chelsea against Kingstonian.”

“I was playing the first half and people like Luca (Gianluca Vialli), Ray (Wilkins) and Graham always say it was the defining moment. Franco gave the ball away really cheaply and I came out screaming at him to keep it.”

“They looked at each other on the bench and they tell me now they said that will do for us, he’s not afraid to tell the older players.”

“I had so much respect for those players off the pitch, I’d clean their boots, make cups of tea for them on the bus, do anything for them, but on the pitch, we were all the same and wanted one thing - to win - and I gave it everything to do that.”

“Back then being England captain seemed a million miles away. To break into the England squad was my target at the time and my ambition was to be Chelsea captain one day.”

Matthew Di Caterina

Next Page »

Football News | Football Kits |