I Feared Rooney Red - Fergie

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he feared Wayne Rooney would get sent off at Everton last Saturday.

Rooney was taken off after being booked for a foul on Mikel Arteta.

With the Goodison Park crowd baying for blood, Rooney kissed the badge on his Manchester United shirt, inflaming the situation further.

It left Ferguson with little alternative than to substitute Rooney against his former club when his skills were required to win a match which eventually finished level.

The Manchester United boss was unhappy at the decision of referee Alan Wiley to book Rooney but has waited in vain for an apology this week.

But he remains convinced if Rooney had stayed on the field there was a very real chance he would have been dismissed.

"I read in the paper a few weeks ago that Alan Wiley phoned David Moyes to apologise for the penalty kick Everton did not get at Stoke," said Ferguson.

"When you see that booking on Saturday you would think he might lift the phone to apologise as well because it was a ridiculous decision.

"It was unfair and put us under pressure. Wayne is a committed player and he tackles but any more and he would have been sent off.

"The crowd had got to the referee and it was difficult."

The FA decided not to take any further action against Rooney, as had been originally feared, but Ferguson felt they never had a case anyway.

"What damage did he do?" he said. "Look at the abuse he took off the Everton fans last week. It wasn't very nice either but nothing can be done about that." football365.com

...Read More»»

Mourinho Shrugs Off Stalemate

Internazionale coach Jose Mourinho was not concerned by his side's goalless draw at Fiorentina on Wednesday night and refused to criticise his players.

The Nerazzurri had chances to see off Cesare Prandelli's men but were held to their second successive stalemate, following the 0-0 draw with Genoa at the weekend which meant they dropped to fourth in the table.

"This was a very difficult game in which neither of the two teams risked too much," said Mourinho.

"We had three great goalscoring chances with Mancini, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hernan Crespo.

"Fiorentina also had a good chance but it has been a game without goals.

"I cannot complain about my players' performance considering the number of games we've had of late.

"In the last two games we haven't won but we haven't lost either. Both Genoa and Fiorentina are well organised teams."

Mourinho added: "I am not satisfied with the result because I always want to win but I'm happy with the fact that my team has played as a team."

Inter take on Reggina at the Oreste Granillo stadium on Saturday looking to cut the two-point gap to joint Serie A leaders Udinese and Napoli.

...Read More»»

Wenger: Gunners Were Naive

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was furious with his players after Harry Redknapp's magic touch led to rivals Tottenham earning a 4-4 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

The hosts were two goals ahead with a minute to play of the Premier League clash before Jermaine Jenas and Aaron Lennon struck.

Wenger blamed naivety from his young side, insisting they must mature.



"I am angry," said the Frenchman. "We have to look at ourselves and improve. The players are very down. We were two levels above Tottenham and they were there for the taking. It was damaging.

"The maturity problem will improve with intelligence. They will learn from their mistakes. We have to work out why that happened and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Former Arsenal midfielder David Bentley opened the scoring with a stunning 40-yard volley that dipped over Manuel Almunia.

"I feel like superman, I could fly home," he said after Spurs' fightback ensured his strike did not go to waste.

Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas struck either side of the interval to establish a lead, which was extended by Emmanuel Adebayor's eighth in seven starts against Spurs.

Darren Bent was brought on and pulled one back, although there appeared to be no hope after Robin van Persie struck.

With time running out, Jenas found the top corner, then Lennon tapped in after Luka Modric struck a post.

Jenas saluted the effect of Redknapp, who was appointed on Sunday to replace Juande Ramos as boss. They secured a win against Bolton that day and now have a memorable result against their bitter rivals.

"Harry is great motivationally," Jenas said. "The lads have done him a favour by reacting to it. It showed complete team spirit and togetherness. We always believed.

"We just showed that never-give-in spirit. Any team who comes to the Emirates and gets a result has done well but given the circumstances, this is just brilliant."

Spurs remain bottom of the table but Redknapp wants to use the result as a springboard for their season.

"It's going to be a long season, but there was a great atmosphere in that dressing room," Redknapp said. "I've tried to make them believe in themselves. There's ability in the squad. Bring on Liverpool. We'll give them a good go on Saturday.

"I've not thought about points. I like to see us when we play and pass the ball. We had long spells in the first half where we passed the ball ever so well. We just encourage them to play."

...Read More»»

Milan Ready For Beckham Talks

AC Milan have confirmed that talks regarding a proposed loan deal for David Beckham will begin on Thursday.

With the England international having completed the MLS season at LA Galaxy, he is now actively seeking a switch to Europe.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger is desperate to remain part of Fabio Capello's international plans, and realises he must be playing regular football in order to achieve that aim.

As a result, he looks set to swap life in Hollywood for that in Milan as the Rossoneri close in on a deal with his American employees.

AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani revealed that discussions were due to start next week but have been brought forward in order to push a deal through.

Beckham's lawyers will now meet with San Siro bosses to thrash out an agreement which will see the experienced midfielder head to Italy until the MLS gets underway again in March.

...Read More»»