All Goals
Archive for Febbraio, 2011
27
Feb
AS Roma 2 – 2 Parma
Former Wolves and Tottenham defender Dean Richards has died at the age of 36.
Wolves confirmed on their website that Richards had passed away on Saturday morning after a long battle with illness.
Wanderers boss Mick McCarthy led the tributes to Richards, while Wanderers fans chanted his name as their side paid a fitting tribute to their former player with a 4-0 win over Blackpool.
McCarthy said: “I can’t tell you how sad I feel for him and his family – 36 years of age. It is just devastating for them.
“He was a nice fella, and he is well remembered here because he scored a goal against the Albion (West Brom), so he will always be fondly remembered. I didn’t know him, but he has played against my teams and he was a very good footballer.
“Anybody who dies at that age – and I believe he has two kids and a wife – it’s devastating, so my sincere condolences to his family and close circle of friends who will be feeling it today.”
Opposite number Ian Holloway added: “Dean lived a couple of doors down for me when I lived in St Albans. He was a wonderful fella, my love goes out to his family.”
Richards moved from hometown club Bradford to Wolves in 1995, making 145 appearances in a four-year spell and becoming a crowd favourite.
He subsequently moved on to Southampton, who were then in the top flight, where he spent two years before switching to White Hart Lane for £8.1million, despite the player not having earned any senior international caps for England.
Richards, who played four times at under-21 level, spent four years in north London although his time there was dogged by injury. He retired in 2005 after suffering dizzy spells and headaches.
He made almost 350 appearances in a career spanning 13 years before his retirement, before returning to the game in August 2007 as a youth team coach at Bradford.
A statement on the Tottenham website read: “Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur was saddened to hear of the death of our former player Dean Richards, who passed away this morning at the age of 36 after a long-term battle with serious illness.”
It continued: “There will be a tribute paid to the defender ahead of our fixture next Sunday at Molineux against his former club Wolves. We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Dean Richards at this very sad time.”
A statement from Bradford’s said the club were “truly devastated” by the news, while Saints described him as “a whole-hearted and popular player with fans and colleagues alike”.
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
Claudio Ranieri has launched a stinging attack on Italian football, just days after he quit as coach of AS Roma.
Ranieri, who has also coached in England and Spain during his career, spent 18-months at Roma after being sacked by Juventus, but four straight defeats and violent fan protests saw him tender his resignation after the 4-3 defeat to Genoa. The Italian, in his first comments since leaving, did not hold back in his assessment of Serie A.
“In football there is heaven and hell. You can decide where you want to stand between the two but compared to England, it’s hell here,” he told Rai TV. ”I still want to coach. England fascinates me but I also like the Italian league. This year at Roma I became the only scapegoat but now there’s them, the players, who must show everything.”
The 59-year-old also hit out at some of his former players, which many will take to be a sly dig at club captain Francesco Totti, who he repeatedly clashed with during his time in charge.
“This year too many people let their personal interests get in the way of those of the team,” Ranieri added. “When we spoke in the changing rooms everyone was agreed that we needed to rotate the team but then on the pitch when certain players were substituted … Even now that I’m longer there, someone will have to sit on the bench.
“There are players who give 110% for one coach but then don’t gel with another. Of course I believe that a good coach needs to make the most of each of his players’ characteristics.
“But when I was a player I tried hard to understand what my coach wanted. I wasn’t a great player but my motto was ‘never give up’. That’s like the English spirit, the players are lions and you have to hold them back. Here, this year with Roma I was disappointed that not every player had this spirit.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
27
Feb
Rooney: My worst season ever
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney admits that he is in the midst of his worst season in the Premier League.
Rooney scored 40 goals in 50 games for club and country in 2009-10, but after a dismal summer at the World Cup, injuries, difficult contract negotiations and tabloid scandal affecting his personal life, he has struggled to recapture his best form.
The striker was a key part of Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Wigan on Saturday and now says that he can make a major impact on the remainder of the season.
“I have to say it’s been a difficult season for me – probably the worst I’ve ever had,” Rooney told The News of the World. ”That week when I asked for a transfer was something I wouldn’t want to go through ever again, but I feel I made the right decision to stay because this club is always going to be challenging for trophies.
“I picked up a few niggles as well and missed a few games, so I didn’t really feel like I was playing a part. The good thing is that I feel fresh at a time when most players are picking up injuries or feeling jaded. I really want to kick on from here and have a big impact on the most important matches of the season.”
Rooney scored a stunning overhead kick to seal a 2-1 win against rivals Manchester City two weeks ago and he says that the goal could help turn his confidence around.
“The goal against City gave me a big lift because it was in such an important game. I’ve seen it again quite a few times and I’ll never get sick of it,” he added. “This is usually the time of year when we really go for it. We want the title back. It was hard losing it to Chelsea as we did.”
United travel to Chelsea on Tuesday, where they have not picked up an away win for nearly nine years and the striker is hoping to complete his rehabilitation and kill off the Blues’ title ambitions in the process.
“We’ve got a really terrible record at Stamford Bridge – in fact, I don’t think I have ever won there in my entire career,” he said. “I’ve got some pretty bad memories about the place, like the time when I fell down and broke my metatarsal just before the 2006 World Cup. But you get these things in football and there’s no way to explain them.
“It won’t play on our minds. If anything, it will make us even more determined to go there and win. It’s a really massive game and Chelsea need to win it more than we do. Hopefully the pressure will tell on them.
“I am a bit surprised to see them so far behind us in the league but I would never write them off completely. They have shown down the years they are a team capable of going on a long run of winning games.
“We can make it really hard for them by beating them but they will be thinking the same thing about us because it will have a big say on where the title goes.”
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
27
Feb
Nani focused on trophies
Portuguese ace wants to bring titles to Old Trafford
Nani admits he is having his best season at Manchester United, but insists it means nothing without silverware at the end of it.
The Portugal winger, who arrived at the Premier League club in 2007, has played a key role in United’s campaign this term, scoring 10 goals and claiming 13 assists.
But the 24-year-old says he will only reflect on his individual achievements once the Red Devils, currently top of the league and still competing on three fronts, have brought trophies to Old Trafford.
Trophies
“It is my best season at United,” said Nani in the Daily Express.
“It is good to have that many goals and assists but the most important thing is to win the trophies with the team.
“When I have won the trophies I will look back at how I have contributed.”
Nani has inevitably been likened to compatriot and ex-United ace Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at the club.
But while the winger says he is friends with the Real Madrid star, he has shrugged off any comparisons.
“I don’t compare myself to Ronaldo or anyone else, I just think about myself and the club and what I can do for them,” he said.
“I know people liken me to Cristiano but I just want to be Nani, a good player who people enjoy watching.”
He added: “We are good friends. He spoke to me before the Marseille game and wished me good luck. He always tells me how well I am doing.”
Despite his prolific form this season, Nani says he is still working on his game in order to reach his full potential.
Improve
“I hope to improve much more,” he added.
“It is good for your confidence to know people are looking at you to win matches for the team. When you are on the pitch, it means you want the ball all the time because everything is going so well.
“I know, though, that I can do better. That is why I’m training hard every day and staying fit for every game.”
Credit: http://www.skysports.com
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