Owls Crash Out Of Championship After Draw

Sheffield Wednesday crashed out of the English football Championship after there disappointing draw with relegation rivals Crystal Palace at Hillsborough earlier this afternoon. The Owls were desperately seeking the victory that would have relegated their opposition but fell short of the mark in front of some a passionate home crowd. It lays the final nail in the coffin for Wednesday after a season plagued with disappointment and further exposed the frailty and shortcomings of one of the supposedly biggest clubs in English football’s second tier. They now face a battle to merely survive as a football club, with financial pressures mounting on the fallen South Yorkshire giants who were regularly playing Premier League football what seems only a few short years ago. Promise of new investment seemed to be around the corner from both a local consortium and the USA, but Sheffield Wednesday must surely now look a far less attractive prospect with fixtures to come against the likes of Bournemouth and Yeovil Town already certainties on next seasons fixture list. In spite of the excellent home support they regularly received this season, the club have regularly failed to convert chances into goals, and have struggles from the off to win games in the Championship. Palace in contrast were performing well and chasing a playoff place until a ten point deduction for falling into administration drastically altered the path of there season. The Eagles will have the last laugh though, as the Owls are sent tumbling back into English footballs third tier.

Barca Boss Admits Tough Task Ahead at Nou Camp

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has admitted his side face an uphill task when they don the Barcelona football shirt to face Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan side in the second leg of the Champions League semi final next week. The Spanish giants trail 3 - 1 after being outplayed for the majority of the first leg in Italy - and in spite of boasting some of the best attacking players in the world of football such as Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, coach Guardiola admits they face an uphill battle to retain the Champions League trophy. The second leg of the tie is set to take place in Barcelona on Wednesday the 28th of April, and Inter will know that scoring an away goal could be critical to heap the pressure on the Catalonians. The Italians also boast a highly experienced and resolute defence which could prove to be critical in the melting pot atmosphere of the Nou Camp - and stopping Messi will clearly be central to their chances of success. The Argentine has been in scintillating form for Barca this season both in Europe and the Spanish domestic competitions - and a masterful hat trick against Arsenal in the last leg of the Champions League further strengthened his claims to being the best footballer in the world at the moment.

Scholes Nods Vital Winner in Pulsating Manchester Derby

Evergreen Paul Scholes capped a fantastic individual display with a vital winner in a pulsating Manchester Derby. The midfielder was perfectly placed to power home a Patrice Evra cross for his sixth goal of the current campaign, heading into the bottom corner beyond the despairing dive of Shay Given deep into the third minute of time added on. The 35 year old once again proved his wealth of experience is vital to United with a display combining both quality of passing and tenacious desire. The former England star showed strength in the tackle and a desire to win back possession for his side that belied his years - and having just signed another 1 year contract extension, the Salford born star is seemingly set to go from strength to strength for Manchester United. United had created the better chances during the first half of an intriguing encounter with Giggs and Rooney both going close, yet in spite of a frenetic final 10 minutes the game was looking set for a draw until Scholes was on hand to snatch the 3 points for United. Scholes’ winner may yet prove even more important in the broader context of the Premier League as Chelsea’s defeat to London rivals Tottenham later that afternoon has cut the Blues lead to just 1 point, meaning that the title race is now wide open again.

Adebayor Hangs Up International Boots

Manchester City Striker Emmanuel Adebayor has today declared that he will retire from international football with immediate effect. Adebayor and his international team mates were attacked by gunmen on their team bus on the 8th of January - an incident that left members of the party dead and several players also injured. The Togo star has admitted that he has since understandably struggled to mentally come to terms with the devastating effects of the tragic incident that occurred prior to the African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola, and as such has now opted to retire from playing for his country at the age of just 26. Clearly deeply shaken by the incident, Adebayor was quoted as saying: “We were just footballers going to play a football match and represent our country, yet we were attacked by people who wanted to kill us all. It is a moment I will never forget and one I never want to experience again.” Emmanuel Adebayor had represented Togo on 38 occasions - scoring 16 goals in the process. He won the African footballer of the year award in 2008.

West Ham Issue Complaint to Premier League Over Fulham Team Selection

West Ham United have registered an official letter of complaint to the Premier League’s governing body regarding Fulham’s team selection against Premier League relegation rivals Wolves. The Hammers are incensed that Fulham manager Roy Hodgson rested 6 key players including top score Bobby Zamora and influential midfielders Danny Murphy and Damien Duff for the league game against Wolves in preparation for their Europa League clash against Wolfsburg on Thursday night. Fulham went on to lose the game 2 – 0 against Wolves last weekend - handing 3 vital points to Mick McCarthy’s side which may yet prove to be vital in securing their Premier League status come the end of the season. Wolves themselves were earlier this season handed a suspended fine in the region of £25,000 after falling foul of the same Premier League rule E20 which dictates that top flight team’s must select their strongest available line up for all Premier League fixtures. The matter remains an issue of some contentious debate in English football, as fans would argue that title challengers such as Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool have regularly “rotated” their first 11 without question, yet smaller clubs have seemingly been subjected to regularly scrutiny over their selection policies this season.

The matter remains an issue of some contentious debate in English football, as fans would argue that title challengers such as Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool have regularly “rotated” their first 11 without question, yet smaller clubs have seemingly been subjected to regularly scrutiny over their selection policies this season. If you have the passion to complain, many clubs have contracts with live answering services to answer fan feedback lines.

Premier League Stars Face Ultimate Test of Fitness as Season Crunch Time Approaches

The Premier League title race in 2010 is the closest in years, with 3 of English football’s leading teams all still in with a strong shout of claiming the biggest prize in English domestic football. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal face a fight to the wire to see who will claim the Premier League crown, and as the games come thick and fast as season approaches crunch time, fitness levels of the club’s top stars are certain to play a key part in deciding who will take the season’s big prize. Although the majority of the Premier League’s leading sides now have extensive squads and player rosters at their disposal, maintaining the fitness levels of key players is paramount at this critical stage in proceedings – and their daily fitness regimes play a critical part in maintaining their optimum performance levels week in week out. As well as drills on the training ground with their fellow squad members, premier league players also face gruelling fitness programmes in the gym – completing aerobic workouts on the treadmill, exercise bike and commercial cross trainer amongst others - as they seek to gain a competitive edge over their league rivals. At this level the smallest margins can often decide the final results of matches – with Manchester United in particular famed for their goals at the final stages of games as their superior fitness levels and concentration come into play over some of the leagues less established opposition. Likewise, much has been made in the English tabloids of the “maturity” of Chelsea’s squad in comparison to their title rivals – with players such as Michael Ballack seemingly reaching the latter stages of their career. With key aspects such as this in mind, it seems very possible that the fittest team may indeed be the one that goes on to claim this season’s title.

Injury Rules Beckham Out Of England World Cup Squad

England veteran David Beckham now sadly looks certain to miss out on the World Cup in South Africa this summer following news that he will need surgery on an injury to his Achilles the player sustained while playing at loan club Milan. The player’s shin guards were not enough to protect the right winger from the heartbreaking injury blow, and he now looks set to miss out on becoming the first England player to make appearances at four separate World Cup competitions. However, although the England star - who is well known for his style and dress sense both on and off the field - will not be donning his own range of soccer shoes (the excellent David Beckham Adidas Predator Absolions) at this summers World Cup, recent newspaper reports amongst the Italian footballing press suggest that AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani will invite Beckham back for another chance to showcase his skills in Seria A next season should he sufficiently recover from this latest injury setback. Players across the major leagues in Europe are looking at ways to better protect themselves whilst playing without sacrificing flexibility and comfort, and the latest Puma King Shinguard have been developed to allow breathability and comfort whilst maximizing protection and minimizing the chance of impact injuries.

Capello Stamps Foot Down Over WAGS and Player Excess

England manager Fabio Capello has continued his famous hard line approach to man management by criticising the excesses of professional footballers in the English game. Speaking before this week’s 3 - 1 friendly win over Egypt at Wembley, Capello condemned the Hollywood lifestyles of professional players in the modern day arena, and was quoted as saying “the private life is a big problem for some players.” Although the Italian admitted that he believed that the problem was not rooted purely in English football but also across the other top leagues in Europe, he expressed his personal dissatisfaction at the way some young players acted off the field, stating that the large quantities of money associated with playing at the top level was potentially having a negative impact on their careers and development - particularly on young individuals within the game. Capello has already openly dictated that the players WAGs (wives and girlfriends) - who are famous for there lavish lifestyles, designer clothing, fashionable sports sunglasses and lives in the media spotlight - are not welcome with his playing squad at this summers World Cup, and that he wished them to keep a much lower profile than they famously held under the tenure of former coach Sven Goran Eriksson. Off the field issues have blighted the England squad in recent weeks, with revelations about the private life of John terry and Ashley Cole taking up tabloid inches that the England boss would have much preferred to be reserved for on the field performances after a successful qualifying campaign in the build up to this summer’s world football showpiece.

Terry May Face Bridge In FA Cup Quarter Final

Former England captain John Terry may possibly be set to face Wayne Bridge in the quarter finals of this years FA cup after his Chelsea side were drawn at home against either Manchester city or Stoke City. If City can beat Stoke in their cup replay they will then face a daunting trip to Stamford Bridge to face the might of current cup holders and Premiership frontrunners Chelsea. The draw has presented the possibility of a potential classic cup encounter between two Premier League heavyweights that would be made all the more fiery if Chelsea’s captain was to come face to face with former team mate Bridge. The relationship between the two former close friends and team mates has reportedly broken down following the publication of a report surrounding Terry’s private life concerning an extramarital affair with Bridge’s former partner - an issue that has recently been the subject of much coverage in the English sporting press and tabloid media, and that has ultimately led to Fabio Capello relieving Terry of the England captaincy. However, Bridge and his City team mates must first make their way past Tony Pulis’ battling Potters to reach the next round. The quarter final ties will take place on the 6th and 7th of March 2010.

England Face Up To Major World Cup Injury Scare Following Cole Surgery

England are facing up to a potential crisis at summer following emerging news that Chelsea left back Ashley Cole may struggle to be fit for the 2010 World Cup. Cole has been an England stalwart in recent years, establishing himself as a near automatic selection on the left hand side of England’s defence. The Chelsea star recently suffered a broken ankle playing for his club against Everton on Wednesday night and at first it was believed he would be missing for around 3 months. But now it appears the injury could be even worse than first feared after he underwent surgery earlier today. Although Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was hopeful of a return before the end of the season, he has admitted he is still unsure whether Cole would be back to fitness in time to play for Chelsea before this summers footballing showcase in South Africa. England’s alternatives at left back are arguably very limited, although Manchester City’s Wayne Bridge is a natural alternative in this position. However he lacks the speed of Cole and the same level of experience at international level. He may also struggle to form a bond in defence with England’s John Terry following the recent emergence of the controversial extramarital affair and personal issues concerning the private life of the former England captain.