Gerrard may need shoulder surgery

     Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard is likley to require shoulder surgery which will mean he's going to miss the rest of the season.

     The 32 year-old has reportedly been playing through the injury and the midfielder may need an operation which will mean he is going to miss two England fixtures at the end of the season. They are against Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

Suarez handed 10 match ban

     Liverpool and Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has been given a 10 match ban by the FA after being found guilty of biting Chelsea centre-back Branislav Ivanovic.

     The 26 year-old has been caught on footage biting Ivanovic on the elbow in the 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Sunday.

     Suarez has till Friday this week to appeal against the suspension. 

     Suarez has bitten someone before, the striker bit PSV Eindhoven's Otmen Bakkal on the neck in 2011. Also, he has been charged of racially abusing Man United left back Patrice Evra where he was eventually given an 8 match ban.

Bradford 4-1 Bristol Rovers

     Bradford moved into the play-off places as they thrashed Bristol Rovers 4-1.

     6 minutes in, striker Nakhi Wells headed Bradford ahead and later dispatched a penalty after Ricky Ravenhill was fouled by Fabian Broghammer. Center Back Andrew Davies headed into an empty net and then Tom Hitchcock grabbed one back for Rovers. 

     

     Gary Thompson finished the fourth after a Wells through ball.

This is my 100th post!

Balotelli given three match ban

     AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has been given a three match ban after insulting a match official during the 2-2 draw against Fiorentina.

     Being shown his 4th yellow card of the season, the Italian was going to miss one match but insulting the referee's official upgraded the ban to three matches. The 22 year-old will miss games against Napoli, Juventus and Catania. 

     Before the match, Balotelli was fined for smoking on a train when heading for the stadium.   

Barton to stay at Marseille

     Marseille midfielder Joey Barton says his parent club QPR have already agreed a deal to make his loan move to France, permanent.

     Barton, 30, moved to the club in August after the FA gave a 12 match ban to the former Newcastle player after being shown a red card against Manchester City on the final day of the season. Barton has made 23 appearances since joining Marseille scoring only once, in a 2-2 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach.   

G. Cahill had knee surgery on Sunday

     Chelsea center back Gary Cahill underwent knee surgery at the weekend on the 30th March. 

     The 27 year old missed the two England internationals against San Marino and Montenegro so Man City defender Joleon Lescott had to step in. Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez revealed that the solid defender had surgery on the the Sunday.

     Ashley Cole is also struggling with injury this time he has had some problems with his hamstring.

Galatasary 3-2 Real Madrid

      Even though Galatasary scored three times in the second half, Real Madrid still went through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

     An early volley from Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid 4-0 up but former-Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue scored a thunderbolt to decrease the aggregate score. Wesley Snidjer scored against his old club and former-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba added to the score-sheet. But a last minute strike from Ronaldo ended the Turkish sides hopes.

     Two booking in a mater of seconds saw Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa leave the pitch.

Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Malaga

     German giants Borussia Dortmund progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League after edging Malaga 3-2 thanks to two late goals.


     Malaga scored first, Joaquin playing a neat one-two with Isco before rounding a player and curling the ball into the corner of the net from 20 yards out. Great vision from Reus as the winger back heeled the ball through to Polish striker Robert Lewandowski who took the ball past Caballero and tapped in.

In a nervous second half, Malaga surely looked to have sealed a spot in the semi-finals after Bapstista was clean on goal and the Brazilian's shot was weak so substitute Eliseu tapped it in. No offside was given even though footage saw Eliseu was in a position which some referees could of given that decision.

     After a ball came in for a cross Santana met it but it was saved and from then it was a massive goal-line scramble which Marco Reus ended with a goal. Centre Back Felipe Santana tapped the ball in to the net to light up the Westfalensatdion. When the whistle blew, substitutes, coaches, fans and all sort of important people ran onto the pitch celebrating the miracle, the happiest person on the pitch was Dortmund gaffer
Jugen Klopp.

Swedish match abandoned due to player being hit by a pear

     A Swedish game between Djugarden and Mjallby was abandoned after a player was hit by a pear which fans threw onto the pitch.

      As Djugarden score the first goal at the 37th minute, fans were angry so they threw fruit, coins and even glass beer bottles onto the pitch. Television footage saw Gbenga Arokoyo fall to the ground in pain as an object hit him.

 

No one minute silence for Thatcher

     Premier and Football league clubs will not be asked to hold a one minute silence for the late former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

     Aged 87, the Baroness died in London on Monday after suffering a stroke. Winning three general elections, many think that Thatcher was one of the best Prime Ministers of all time. It will be left to individual clubs to decide if they want to pay tribute. 

P. Neville to leave Everton at end of season

     Everton captain Phil Neville says he will leave the Premier League club at the end of the season.

    Neville, 36, has a deal at Everton to keep him at the club until June 2013. The former Man United defender played for the Premier League giants in 1995 until 2005. The veteran has started only on 25 occasions this season but has played over 500 appearances for Everton and United together.

Man United 1-2 Man City

     Manchester City won a very exciting derby thanks to a 78th minute strike from Sergio Aguero which left United only 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

     In the second half, A deflected thunderbolt from James Milner from 20 yards out was the first goal in the game as the first half goalless. As a United corner came in, Phil Jones connected to it but it came off City captain Vincent Kompany who equalized for the red devils.

    Aguero used pace and strength to run into the penalty area and fire a superb strike into the roof of the net.

Crewe 2-0 Southend

     Crewe were announced Johnson Paint Trophy champions after defeating Southend 2-0.

          A well-worked corner was finished off by captain Luke Murphy 6 minutes in and in the second half young Crewe player Max Clayton scored after powering Southend's Moshini off the ball. The game had lots of controversy as Britt Assombalonga's header was apparently stopped by an arm on the line.

Balotelli fined for smoking on train

     AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli is going to be fined by the Italian club after being caught smoking in a train's toilet.

     This event has been added to the list of odd things Balotelli has done. The train guard spotted this unacceptable behavior from the 22 year-old when the squad were travelling back from Florence. Against Fiorentina, the game finished 2-2, Balotelli playing the whole 90 minutes.  

Tottenham 2-2 Everton

     A late equalizer from Tottenham's Gylfi Sigurdsson shared the points with an unlucky Everton side.

     After 33 seconds, striker Emmanuel Adebayor turned in a Jan Vertonghen cross to put Spurs in the driving seat. Climbing above Vertoghen, Phil Jagielka headed in the equalizer and a superb solo goal by Belgian playmaker Kevin Mirallas gave Everton the lead.

     A climatic finish saw Sigurdsson slot home the rebound after Adebayor hit the woodwork.

QPR 1-1 Wigan

     A last second free kick from Wigan's Shaun Maloney earned both teams a point in a vital game.

     QPR had the first real chance, Loic Remy hitting the post after Junior Hoilett knocked the ball down for him. At the 21st minute, the referee shocked everyone in the stadium after producing a red card to rangers striker Bobby Zamora for a high challenge on the Latics Spaniard midfielder Jordi Gomez. 

     With only five minutes to go, Stephane Mbia collected the ball in his own half took a few paces then unleashed a master through ball to Remy who scored to put QPR ahead and set Loftus Road alight but for only a few minutes as Maloney's curling free kick disappointed Rangers fans.

    

Gillingham 1-0 Torquay

     Gillingham have been promoted to League 1 after a 1-0 win against Torquay thanks to Danny Kedwell's 15th goal of the season.

     The striker scored 3 minutes after the first half, when he latched onto a long ball. Both teams had chances, the Gills striker Bircham hit the crossbar and Torquay hit the post with Rene Howe in a very exciting climax.  

Stoke 1-3 Aston Villa

     Premier League side Stoke lost to relegation threatened Aston Villa who moved out of the relegation zone thanks to two late goals.

     A side footed finish from speed master Gabby Agbonlahor put Villa ahead before 10 minutes. An 80th minute equalizer from Stoke midfielder Michael Kightly thought to have shared the points but a goal of the season contender from Matt Lowton grabbed the win. Christian Benteke slotted in the third as Villa celebrated.

Matt Le Tissier signs for Guernsey

     Former Southampton striker Matthew Le Tissier has signed back to Guernsey FC as the current fixture pile-up is too much for the club.

     Le Tissier, 44, is the president of the club along side his brother. The small island have 17 games this month after many postponements caused by bad weather.   

Eintracht Frankfurt 0-1 Bayern Munich

     Bayern Munich won the German Bundesliga in the fastest time recorded, with six games to go, after a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

A delightful back-heel finish from defensive midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was the only goal of the game which was enough for Munich to win the title. Only conceding on 13 occasions and  losing only once was one of the greatest stats ever in the Bundesliga.

Reading 0-2 Southampton

     Premier League side Southampton grabbed another three points this time against relegation favorites Reading, who stay last.

     A bright start by Reading was thrown out the window when on-form Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez finished past Federici when one-on-one in the first half. Slotting the ball into the back of the net, Adam Lallana grabbed his third of the season and sealed the victory.  

T. Ince worth £25m says father

     Blackpool manager Paul Ince says his son Thomas Ince could be worth £25m in the current transfer market.

     Premier League clubs Liverpool and Reading were interested in grabbing the 21 year-olds signature in the summer. Ince thinks that Wilfred Zaha's transfer to Man United has could be a benchmark for his son's value. 

Chico extends Swansea contract

     Swansea defender Chico Flores has signed a one year extension to his contract at the Welsh club.

     The Spaniard was a summer signing from Italian outfit Genoa for £2m and was bought by current Swansea boss Michael Landrup. The 26 year-old is currently in the sidelines after the 4-1 defeat of QPR and should make his recovery this weekend against Norwich. 

SWP ruled out for rest of season

     Queens Park Rangers quick winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

     The 31 year-old had surgery earlier in the week and has to sit out for QPR's relegation battle. The former Man City and Chelsea player has made 14 Premier League appearances for Redknapp's side, only scoring on one occasion.     

Tottenham 2-2 FC Basel

     Tottenham Hotspur came back from 2 goals down to draw against tricky Swiss side FC Basel in the quarter final of the Europa League.

     Valentin Stoker's close range finish put Basel ahead on the 30 minute mark and 5 minutes later Fabian Frei headed in to shock White Hart Lane. Volleying in for Spurs, Emmanuel Adebayor   put Tottenham back in the game before the second half. 

     After star man Gareth Bale was stretchered off injured, Gylfi Sigurdsoon equalized with a deflected shot.

Benfica 3-1 Newcastle

     Portuguese giants Benfica came back to score three goals against English side Newcastle.

     A Mousa Sissokho cross was neatly tapped in by striker Papiss Cisse to put Newcastle ahead after 12 minutes. Benfica responded with former-Bolton loanee Rodrigo Moreno rebounding the shot into the back of the net.

     Then Benfica took control of the game, Lima taking advantage of a Davide Santon back-pass and deadly striker Oscar Cardozo ending the game with a penalty.

Chelsea 3-1 Rubin Kazan

     A Fernando Torres brace helped Chelsea defeat Russian side Rubin Kazan 3-1 to boost their hopes in the Europa League.

     A clever pass from Brazilian center back David Luiz ended up in striker Torres stabbing the ball in for the first goal of the match. Nigerian winger Victor Moses superbly finished from 16 yards to grab the second for Chelsea. The rich Russian club pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, Israeli striker Bibras Natcho dispatching the kick after Chelsea's John Terry handled in the area.

     Chelsea sealed the victory with Torres heading in from fellow Spaniard Juan Mata's cross. 

Malaga 0-0 Borussia Dortmund

       Wasted chances from German giants Borussia Dortmund resulted in a draw against Spanish side Malaga in the first leg of the quarter final.

     German wonderkid Mario Gotze had two one-on-one chances but messed  them both up after the two shots were saved by keeper Willy Caballero.

   
A fierce shot from talented midfielder Isco and a header from Weligton were the only real chances for Malaga.

Real Madrid 3-0 Galatasary

     Spanish giants Real Madrid eased to victory over Turkish side Galatasary putting them in the driving seat for the second leg.

     A beautifully well executed chip from winger Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid ahead and striker Karim Benzama controlled and scored a pass from Chelsea loanee Michael Essien. A header from Argentine   striker Gonzalo Higuain rapped up the victory. 

     Despite the scoreline, Galatasary had great chances, Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue wasting opportunity's.    

Hull City 0-1 Watford

     Watford clinched a vital three points over promotion rivals Hull City thanks to Troy Deeney's first half strike.

     Four minutes before half time, the striker expertly curled the ball into the top corner and he nearly got a second, David Stockdale denying the 24 year-old after the break. 

     The result leaves Watford third behind Hull by a point and trailing Cardiff by 8 points.  

Bayern Munich 2-0 Juventus

     German giants Bayern Munich produced a convincing performance against Italian side Juventus, beating them 2-0.

     A deflected 35 yard thunderbolt by David Alaba put the Germans ahead. Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic squared the ball to Thomas Mueller who finished for Bayern. Substitute Arjen Robben had lots of inviting chances and ever since he came on Bayern look more of a threat. 

     Me, Cammessi, on Bayern 2-0 Juventus

     "Despite a 2-0 loss, Juventus looked like great contenders for the second leg thanks to the atmosphere of their fans. Meanwhile Bayern controlled the first leg.     

Barcelona 2-2 PSG

     A late Blaise Matuidi strike gave PSG a point against Spanish giants Barcelona, who were struck with the injury of star man Lionel Messi.

     The first goal was from Messi, the 25 year-old composing after a beautiful outside of the boot pass from Dani Alves. An 80th minute offside goal from PSG's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic changed the game and a few minutes later Xavi scored a penalty after Sirigu fouled Sanchez. 

     Then Matuidi smashed the ball beyond Victor Valdes, after a knock down from Ibrahimovic. 

Football pundit Smithqpr on PSG 2-2 Barcelona:

     "The Messi injury changed everything and ever since PSG have controlled the game through defender Thiago  Silva." 

PSG VS Barcelona Preview

Venue: Parc des Princes

Date: Tuesday 2nd April 2013

Kick off: 19:45

     Barcelona have key duo Xavi and Jordi Alba have recovered from injury to travel to France for the clash against PSG.

     After missing Saturdays 2-2 draw against Spanish minnows Celta Vigo, the players will be crucial for the quarter final. Barca boss Tito Vilanova has returned after a 10-week stay in the US for medical reasons.   

Warnock parts company with Leeds

     Championship side Leeds United have announced that they have parted company with manager Neil Warnock.

     Two hours after the 2-1 defeat against Derby, Warnock left Leeds, leaving the club 5 points clear of the relegation zone. The 64 year old took over at Leeds 14 months ago replacing Simon Grayson. 

     The former QPR manager has previously admitted that he would leave the club if they didn't secure promotion to the Premier League.  

Fulham VS QPR Preview

Venue: Craven Cottage

Date: 1st April 2013

Kick Off: 20:00

     QPR striker Bobby Zamora has been declared fit for the match against his former club.

     Also, Redknapp is still pondering over if he should recall Morrocan star Adel Taarabt who scored twice when the two sides met  last time.

     Meanwhile Fulham have Mahamadou Diarra ruled out of all matches until the end of the season as the midfielder requires knee surgery. After picking up a hamstring injury while playing for Costa Rica in midweek, Fulham striker Bryan Ruiz faces a late fitness test.

Cardiff 3-0 Blackburn

     Championship leaders Cardiff City eased to a victory over strugglers Blackburn Rovers by a three goal margin. 

     The Welsh club lost 2-1 to Peterborough  on Friday but responded with a win at home. Former Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell headed in from close range to grab the 1-0 lead. 

     The next goal was late on, Joe Mason taking it past two players before finishing cooly past Blackburn keeper Jake Kean. 4 minutes later Cardiff substitute  Peter Whittingham dispatched a penalty late on to seal the victory.   

Birmingham 2-3 Wolves

     Wolves scored three times in the first half despite a late comeback from Birmingham in the second half.

      Wolves midfielder Stephen Hunt tapped in to give his side the lead and soon goal king Sylvain Ebanks Blake stroked in a third. A penalty from the striker made it three 5 minutes before half-time.

      Birmingham responded with a Wade Elliot penalty at the 55th minute. He scored his second late on, rebounding a shot into the net.

Welsh PL game off due to officials not turning up

     A Welsh Premier League match between Carmarthen and Airbus has been postponed due to match officials failing to arrive.

     The Welsh FA have said that no officials were booked for the game. A seven hour road trip for Carmarthen's players and fans was wasted.

Chelsea 1-0 Man United

     A sublime Demba Ba goal put Chelsea through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, knocking out Manchester United.

     After a dull first half, Senegal and Chelsea striker Demba Ba produced an athletic finish to put Chelsea ahead. A chance right after the goal from United's Hernandez was saved by Petr Cech heroically.

      Whoever won the match would face Manchester City, so in this case City will face Chelsea in the semi-final on the 14th April.

Rennes make Makoun signing permanent

     Cameroon midfielder Jean Makoun has completed his permanent transfer to French side Rennes.

     After signing for Aston Villa in August, the 29 year-old has hardly made an impact as the midfielder has been loaned out to Olympiakos and Rennes. He has signed a contract to stay at the French club for 2 years. 

     The undisclosed transfer fee will be paid to Villa on the 1st July.