Sunderland appoint Di Canio

     Former Swindon boss Paulo Di Canio has been appointed manager of Sunderland, signing a two and a half year deal. 

     The 44 year old resigned from Swindon in Feburary and has not have any Premier League experience. The Italian has had playing expereince with West Ham the 44 year-old scoring one of the best goals of the Premier League.

     After sacking Martin O'Neill, Sunderland had Brighton's Gus Poyet, former QPR boss Mark Hughes and Di Canio on their list of managers but the former Swindon gaffer was chosen by the Black Cats.  

Champions League predictions...

TUESDAY:

Bayern Munich VS Juventus

C: 2-1

D: 3-0 

PSG VS Barcelona

C: 1-1

D: 1-2

WEDNESDAY:

Malaga VS Borussia Dortmund

C: 1-2

D: 0-2

Real Madrid VS Galatasary 

C: 3-0

D: 4-1

Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool

     Liverpool fought back from a goal down at half time to grab three points against relegation threatened side Aston Villa.

     A lay-off from speed king Gabby Agbonlahor put Belgian striker Christian Benteke into a position to score which he did, the 22 year-old volleying the ball into the back of the net.

   
2 minutes into the second half, Jordan Henderson chipped the ball over Villa and American keeper Brad Guzan and soon Steven Gerrard composed from the spot to put the reds ahead.

St Mirren 1-1 Celtic

     Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic slipped up after a late penalty from St Mirren denied them a 15 point lead at the top of the table.

    Celtic scored early on, Kris Commons' meeting Efe Ambrose's cross. After the ball had been cleared off the line by Celtic's Beram Kayal, rock-solid defender Victor Wanyama was shown red for a foul on St Mirren's Paul McGowan. Later on, McGowan took and scored and 81st minute penalty.

Messi scores in 19th consecutive match

     Barcelona magician Lionel Messi has become the first player ever to score against every club in the La Liga consecutively.

     The 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo was his 56th of the season. At top of the table in the La Liga stand Barcelona while Real Madrid sit second. If Atletico Madrid beat Valencia, Real will drop to third.  

Sunday Transfer Gossip

• Liverpool eye on-form Swansea and Netherlands goalkeeper Michel Vorm and will make a bid to sign him in the summer.
• Arsenal want to use £70m on Dortmund double Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze plus Leverkusen defensive midfielder Lars Bender.
• Man United insist they will not sell Mexican goal machine Javier Hernandez even though Real Madrid seem to be interested.
• Barcelona's Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez may move to England with Man City ready to bid. 
• Tottenham hope to beat Liverpool to the signing of Fernabache striker Moussa Sow, the striker rated around £8m.
• Super-rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are ready to offer Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes £160,000 a week to try and tempt him away from Spain. 
• Either Manchester City or Arsenal are going buy Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic for a fee around £28m.    
• Once again Christian Eriksen has been linked with a move away from Ajax, this time to Premier League club Liverpool.
  

Rangers win Scottish Third Division

     Rangers are celebrating winning the Scottish Third Division after Queens Park lost against Elgin even though the Gers drew 0-0 with Montrose.

     Rangers boss Ally McCoist was interviewed by the clubs webiste and he insists that they were the best side in the league. He also says that the players should celebrate. The trophy will be presented on the 4th May when Rangers play Berwick Rangers. 

Bayern Munich 9-2 Hamburg

     German giants Bayern Munich produced a master-class performance to batter Hamburg 9-2.

     Peruvian striker Claudio Pizzaro grabbed four while Dutch winger Arjen Robben got a brace. Xhedran Shaqiri, Frank Ribery and Bastiian Schweinstiger were the other goalscorers. The two players who scored for Hamburg were defenders Jeffery Bruma and Heiko Westermann.

     If Dortmund would of lost or drawn against Stuttgart, Munich would of been awarded the Bundesliga trophy but Borussia won 2-1.

O'Neill sacked by Sunderland

     Martin O'Neill has been sacked by relegation threatened Sunderland following a list of poor results.

     After the 1-0 loss against Premier League leaders Man United, Sunderland are standing on the brink of the relegation zone only one point off it. The 61 year-old's successor will be in the coming days.

     Signings like winger Adam Johnson from Man City and striker Steven Fletcher from Wolves.

AFC Telford relegated from Blue Square Bet Premier

     Blue Square Bet Premier side AFC Telford have been relegated from the league after a 3-0 loss against Nuneaton Town.

     Dropping out of the league after 29 games without a win, Brown scored a brace and Phillips scored one for Nuneaton after winning 3-0. 

Peterborough 2-1 Cardiff

     Two late goals from midfielder Grant McCann gave Peterborough a crucial three points against Championship leaders Cardiff.

     Aron Gunnarsson, 23, opened the scoring with a jammy finish from close range. Being fouled by Don Cowie, Mark Little won a penalty and McCann finished. A few minutes later, McCann scored another penalty, this time Matt Connolly the one to give it away. 

Southampton 2-1 Chelsea

     Chelsea blew their chances for the Champions League with a 2-1 loss against Southampton.

     A calm finish from Jay Rodriguez put Southampton ahead before Chelsea defender John Terry headed the ball in 10 minutes after. Striker Ricky Lambert scored a stunning 30 yard free kick to round off a great performance from Southampton. 

Arsenal 4-1 Reading

     As first start for Nigel Adkins ended in a defeat, Arsenal maintained their push for the top four with a 4-1 thrashing over Reading.

     A deadly finish from Gervinho opened the scoring for Arsenal and soon Santi Cazorla finished for the second of the game. French striker Olivier Giroud drilled in a third for the Gunners before Hal Robson-Kanu headed in to reduce the deficit. Midfielder Mikel Arteta tucked in a penalty to secure the win. 

Man City 4-0 Newcastle

     Manchester City reduced Man United's lead at the top of the league to 15 points after thrashing Newcastle 4-0.

     Argentinean striker Carlos Tevez slid in to put City ahead and Silva added the lead to two with a threatening finish from Spanish international David Silva. Defender Kompany grabbed the third with a deflection off Gareth Barry's shot. Midfielder Yaya Toure powered a shot which came off Newcastle player James Perch.  

Sunderland 0-1 Man United

     Man United extended their 18 point lead at the top of the table with an edgy display against relegation contenders Sunderland.

      Dutch goal-king put United ahead with a finish which deflected off Sunderland defender Titus Bramble and directed into the top corner. In the second half, both teams had few chances but an injury time shot from Van Persie was saved by Belgian keeper Simon Mingolet.

Premier League Predictions SAT, SUN, MON

SATURDAY:

Sunderland 1-3 Man United

Arsenal 3-0 Reading

Man City 2-1 Newcastle

Southampton 0-1 Chelsea

Swansea 1-3 Tottenham 

West Ham 1-0 West Brom

Wigan 1-1 Norwich

Everton 2-1 Stoke

SUNDAY:

Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool

MONDAY:

Fulham 1-2 QPR

Game of the week:

Man City VS Newcastle

Bradford 2-2 Southend

     Phil Brown started his managerial career with Southend with a 2-2 draw against Bradford.

    Gavin Tomlin put the away side ahead and a minute later former-Watford winger Brit Assombalonga grabbed the second in quick succession. 

     Former West Ham player Zavon Hines pulled a goal back and soon 6ft 4in striker James Hanson equalized.  

Watford 3-3 Burnley

     An injury time goal rescued a point for Burnley against promotion favorites Watford in a thrilling 6 goal draw. 

     Burnley goal king Charlie Austin put his side ahead after only 40 seconds before a 25 yard strike from striker Troy Deeney equalized for Watford. His 28th of the season, Austin powered home a penalty after Marco Casseti fouled Alex Kacaniklic in the area.

     Two goals from Fernando Forestieri, one a solo goal and one which curled in the top corner, put Watford in the lead for the first time in the game. Sam Vokes tapped in to secure a point for each team.  

Crystal Palace 0-4 Birmingham City

     Birmingham City thrashed and stunned promotion pushers Crystal Palace, winning 4-0 away from home. 

     Wonderkid Nathan Redmond scored the first with a low strike into the middle of the goal and Damien Delaney scored an own goal to put City 2-0 ahead. On-loan midfielder Ravel Morrison scored the third to put Lee Clark's side in the driving seat. A stunning free-kick from Shane Ferguson sealed the vital win. 

Cardiff's Hudson to undergo surgery

     Cardiff City captain Mark Hudson is set to undergo ankle surgery and is highly unlikely that he will play again this season.

     The 30-year old has struggled in training many times this week and is a massive blow for the Bluebirds promotion push. He is most memorable for his goal against Derby from 68 yards. 

Goal-line technology costs too much says Platini

    UEFA president Michel Platini has stated that goal-line technology is too expensive to use in the Champions League.

     Instead the 57 year old thinks money should be spent on youth football. FIFA is set to use goal-line technology in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Used in the Champions and Europa League, Platini is happy with the 5 man refereeing system. 

Wilshere out for two weeks

     Arsenal have confirmed that England youngster Jack Wilshere is to have another week on the sideline to recover from an ankle injury.

     Wilshere, 21, suffered the problem against rivals Tottenham when the Gunners lost 2-1. He is missing the two games against Reading and West Brom but should be back for the Norwich match. 

England fans 'racist' vs San Marino

     FIFA have been told by the anti-racism network that England fans have been reported for racist abuse of the Ferdinand brothers.

     The chanting was directed at Rio Ferdinand, who pulled out of the squad later on in the week, and his brother Anton Ferdinand. The game finished 8-0 to England. Rio had traveled to Qatar to work as a television pundit, covering on the game. 

Allardyce to sign contract only when it's safe

     West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has confirmed that he will sign a new contract only when the club is safe from relegation.

     The 58 year-old announced that his contract renewal has begun. The Hammers are currently 14th in the league, 5 points short of what Allardyce hopes to achieve, 38 points. 

Coventry deducted 10 points

     League 1 cash-strapped side Coventry City have been deducted 10 points by the Football League.

     A high court hearing declared that the club are not in administration. The sky blues have 7 days to appeal about the deduction. After the points dropped, Coventry were 10th but now they are 14th. 

Arsenal midfielder Diaby out for 9 months

     Arsenal have lost midfielder Abou Diaby once again through injury, undergoing surgery on his knee.

     The 26 year-old has only played 92 games since joining the gunners in 2006. The injury occured in Wednesdays training session. This injury has left Arsene Wenger with more crucial player out injured, midfielder Wilshere and winger Walcott. 

Sheffield Wednesday make triple loan signings

     Championship side Sheffield Wednesday have signed Bolton's Stuart Holden, Hartlepool's Steve Howard and Hull's Seyi Olofinjana all on loan deals.

     

     Holden, 27, has joined Wednesday after injury pushed him out the starting XL.

     After an unsuccessful approach for Bolton striker Kevin Davies, gaffer Dave Jones turned to Hartlepool veteran Steve Howard. 

     Olofinjana, 32, joined Hull for £3million in 2009 from Stoke City. All three signings could all play against Barnsley on Saturday.   

Relegation for AFC Telford if no win on Saturday

     Blue Square Bet Premier League side AFC Telford will face relegation if they lose against Nuneaton Town after the 3-2 defeat at Lincoln.

     With four different managers this season, Telford have only won once this season, a 4-1 win over Dartford on the 9th October.

Palace sign Dindane for rest of season

     Al-Salilya striker Aruna Dindane has signed for Championship giants Crystal Palace until the end of the season.

     The 32 year-old has had a spell with Portsmouth in the 2009-10 season. The Ivorian has been capped 67 times by the nation and has scored 11 times. 

Fletcher and Cattermole out for season

     Sunderland have lost key duo Steven Fletcher and Lee Cattermole to injury for the rest of the season. 

     Scotland striker Fletcher, 26, was stretchered off for the 2-1 loss against Wales on Tuesday after damaging crucial ankle ligaments. Cattermole, 25, has undergone knee surgery and has not featured since the 1-0 loss against Arsenal.    

Suarez incident to be examined by FIFA

     Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is being examined by FIFA for throwing a punch at Chile defender Gonzalo Jara.

     After tangling in a corner, footage suggests Suarez aimed a punch at the Nottingham Forest's Jara. Referee exchanged words but no action was taken.

Montenegro 1-1 England

     England's 2014 World Cup dreams are far from there as Montenegro hold the three lions.

     An opening chance was presented to England, Rooney clean through on goal, the Man United striker chipping the keeper only to find that his effort was smashed against the post. Also, Liverpool defender Glen Johnson fired a shot from 35 yards which hit the bar. Then England did score. Rooney headed in after a Steven Gerrard corner. Montenegro's Dejan Damjanovic scrambled the ball in after scrappy play from the Montenegrins.

WC Qualifiers Results: The Americas

Venezuela 1-0 Colombia

Chile 2-0 Uruguay 

Ecuador 4-1 Paraguay 

Bolivia 1-1 Argentina

Mexico 0-0 USA

Costa Rica 2-0 Jamaica 

Panama 2-0 Honduras 

WC Qualifiers Results: Africa

17:00

Egypt 2-1 Zimbabwe 

19:30

Algeria 3-1 Benin

WC Qualifiers Results: Europe

16:00
Armenia 0-3 Czech Republic
17:00
Estonia 2-0 Andorra
Azerbaijan 0-2 Portugal
18:30
Turkey 1-1 Hungary
19:00
Ukraine 2-1 Moldova
19:15
Denmark 1-1 Bulgaria
19:30
Serbia 2-0 Scotland
Netherlands 4-0 Romania
19:45
Wales 1-2 Croatia
Poland 5-0 San Marino
Northern Ireland 0-2 Israel
Malta 0-2 Italy
Rep. Ireland 2-2 Austria
Germany 4-1 Kazakhstan
Belgium 1-0 Macedonia
20:00
Montenegro 1-1 England
France 0-1 Spain

Top 10 Richest Players in the world

10. Rio Ferdinand (Man United and England defender)

9. Rivaldo (Sao Caetano and Brazil striker)

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG and Sweden striker)

7. Wayne Rooney (Man United and England striker)

6. Samuel E'to (Anzhi and Cameroon striker)

5. Ronaldinho (Atletico Minero and Brazil winger)

4. Kaka (Real Madrid and Brazil midfielder)

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal winger)

2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina striker)

1. David Beckham (PSG and England midfielder)

Montenegro VS England Preview

Venue: Podgorica Stadium

Date: Tuesday 26th March

Kick off: 20:00 GMT

     England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is set to return after missing out against San Marino. 

     Hodgson is set to make a few vital changes which is crucial for the epic clash. A win may put England in first place in the group, currently the three lions are 2nd behind Montenegro by two points.

U20 Euro 2013 groups announced

     After the U20 Euro 2013 groups were announced, England found themselves with Chile, Iraq and whoever wins the U20 African Championship.

     The 24 nation tournament includes 4 African countries: Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and Mali. As Peter Taylor was appointed U20 England boss, Brazil failed to qualify for the tournament, which was a massive shock because they were reigning champions.

Group A: France, Spain, USA, African qualifier

Group B: Cuba, Portugal, South Korea, African qualifier

Group C: Australia, Colombia, El Salvador, Turkey

Group D: Mexico, Greece, Paraguay, African qualifier

Group E: Chile, England, Iraq, African champion

Group F: Croatia, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Fiji or New Zealand. 

  

QPR's Johnson a target for Swindon

     League 1 side Swindon Town have confirmed their interest in QPR's injury prone striker Andy Johnson. 

     The 32 year old has not played since September after a serious knee injury he suffered against Chelsea. Swindon are only going to grab Johnson on loan if anything. The well-known striker played for Everton but soon transferred to Fulham for a wallet-busting £10.5 million.    

Davies to be released by Bolton

     In the summer, Kevin Davies is to be released by Bolton Wanderers after 10 years of playing for the Championship club.

     The 36-year old was announced he wasn't going to be offered a contract by the club. The former Blackburn and Southampton striker has scored 6 this season out of 38 games and was linked to a move to fellow Championship team Sheffield Wednesday.

Year                             Apps:          Goals:

2003-04	43	10
2004-05	41	9
2005-06	47	8
2006-07	33	9
2007-08	41	4
2008-09	40	11
2009-10	42	9
2010-11	45	10
2011-12	37	8
2012-13	38	6

England U21's easily win vs Austria

     England U21's warmed up for this summers European Championship by  thrashing Austria 4-0.

     Austria, who didn't qualify for EURO 2013, had their keeper sent off after he handled the ball outside of the box. England capitalized after Liverpool winger Jonjo Shelvey finished from the free kick. Doubling the lead, wonderkid Josh McEachran scored from the spot after Patrick Farkas was shown a second yellow. Bolton kid Marvin Sordell finished before Conor Wickham scored a brilliant solo goal to seal the victory. 

Reading appoint Adkins

     Premier League side Reading have appointed former-Southampton boss Nigel Adkins to take over from Brian McDermott, who was sacked 2 weeks ago.

     Adkins, 48, signed a contract at the Madejski Stadium, leaving him as boss until 2016. Also, the Englishman will have ex-Southampton assistant manager Andy Crosby by his side once again. Since the sacking of McDermott, Reading have played once, losing 1-0 against leaders Manchester United.

     "I am pleased to be the Reading manager. We will take it one game at a time and try to keep this club in the Premier League. It's a good club - I've been impressed with them." Nigel Adkins said at his first press conference as Reading gaffer.

 

Phil Brown named Southend boss

     Former Hull gaffer Phil Brown has been named League Two side Southend's boss after the sacking of Paul Sturrock.

     The 53 year old has been out of management since the 11 month spell at Preston. He will take charge for the trip to Bradford on Friday. 

Trapattoni announces team vs Austria

Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni has announced that Paul Green has been dropped from the starting XL despite a good performance in Friday's goalless draw against Sweden. Replacing Green, Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan is starting for Ireland. Derby striker Conor Sammon is playing instead of the injured  LA forward Robbie Keane.

LINE-UP:
D. Forde
S. Coleman
J. O'Shea
C. Clark
M. Wilson/S. Kelly
G. Whelan
J. McCarthy
J. McClean
C. Sammon
J. Walters
S. Long

Vydra, Ince and Parkinson win Football League awards

     Watford striker Matej Vydra has been named Championship Player of the Year 2013.

     The Czech 20 year old was presented the award at the Football League awards. He beat off competition from Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray. Blackpool winger Tom Ince was named Young Player of the year, the former Liverpool player scoring 18 goals this season.

     Swindon's Matt Richie was awarded Player of League 1 while   Port Vale goal king Tom Pope was Player of League 2. Bradford boss Phil Parkinson bagged the Outstanding Managerial Award for bring the Bantams to the final of the Capital One Cup.    

Grimsby 1-1 Wrexham (1-4 pens)

     Wrexham became the first ever Welsh club to win the FA Trophy after defeating Grimsby on penalties. 

     Striker Andy Cook put Grimsby ahead after a first shot was blocked. Wrexham equalized, a penalty from Kevin Thornton was enough to send the teams into extra time. After no teams scored, Wrexham thrashed Grimsby on penalties 1-4.

WC Qualifiers Results: Africa P2

12:00
Tanzania 3-1 Morocco
13:00
Ethiopia 1-0 Botswana
Lesotho 1-1 Zambia
Mozambique 0-0 Guinea
13:30
Rwanda 1-2 Mali
14:30
DR Congo 0-0 Libya
16:00
Equatorial Guinea 4-3 Cape Verde
Ghana 4-0 Sudan
Liberia 2-0 Uganda

Silly Football Senetences

"You are aNEUERing!"
"That was PETROV-fying and TERRY-fying!"
"Nice to MICHU!"
"DID IER get it?"
"Look at that SILVA!"
"Didn't MATA though."
"Wanna CECH that?"
"I'm starting my own KOMPANY."
"Look over there, let's BALE!"
"A S-BRUCE tree!"
"MCLEAN up your mess!"

"Look out for the BRAMBLEs!!!"
 

San Marino complain on Twitter over ITV comments

     San Marino may be the worst international team in the world but they have pride by taking to Twitter after ITV mocked the country for the 8-0 loss against England.

     The San Marino football association tweeted their protest at ITV after disrespecting the side while getting  thrashed against the three lions. Pundits hardly knew any players/coaches which brought fury again to San Marino.

     The FA are yet to reply to the comments.

Sunday Transfer Gossip

Chelsea will make a summer move for Everton star Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian is worth around £25 million.

Liverpool belive they can sign Austrian striker Andreas Weimann on cheap in the summer if Aston Villa are relegated.

Arsenal are interested in signing Atletico Madrid's Brazilian youngster Diego Costa.

Midfielder Anderson is set to leave Man United, before the 2014 World Cup based in his own country, Brazil.

Super rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are targeting Man City midfielder Yaya Toure.

Tottenham have been warned that Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo, 26, is virtually 'un-transferable'. 

Man United want to sign Benfica's solid center back Ezequiel Garay in the summer for £15 million.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is set to reject bids from other clubs in the summer for French midfielder Yohan Cabaye.