walsall

walsall bottom of League One after defeat at Peterborough We are in a results business, says chairman Jeff Bonserwalsall have sacked their manager Chris Hutchings and his assistant Martin OConnor. The club are bottom of npower League One, eight points from safety following a 4-1 defeat at Peterborough United yesterday.Dean Smith, the head of youth football, has taken temporary charge while the club find a replacement for Hutchings, who took charge at the Bankss Stadium in January 2009.walsalls chairman, Jeff Bonser, told the clubs official website: "Chris and Martin have both worked extremely hard during their time at the club. They have been professional throughout and have conducted themselves with great dignity in what have been difficult times."Their preparation and professionalism has been second-to-none but we are in a results business and unfortunately results have not gone their way. We wish Chris and Martin all the very best for the future and hope they find future employment in the game and enjoy the success that their hard work and professionalism deserves."walsall guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Smith had been serving as caretaker since start of month walsall had received over 90 other applications for postwalsall have given their caretaker manager Dean Smith the job until the end of the season.Smith took the reins from Chris Hutchings following his dismissal at the start of January and guided the Saddlers to draws at Tranmere Rovers and Bristol Rovers prior to last Saturdays 4-2 defeat at home to high-flying Huddersfield Town.The 39-year-old, who had been the teams head of youth, has been preferred to over 90 other applicants for the role and is charged with keeping walsall in League One.That is a tall order with the club currently propping up the table, seven points and a healthy goal difference away from safety, but the chief executive, Stefan Gamble, believes the former Saddlers captain is the right man for the job and has also promised funds to spend in the January window."We are really pleased to have Dean on board on a full-time basis," he said. "The rest of the board and I have been very impressed with how he has conducted himself since taking over and we are confident in his abilities as a manager."He has all the relevant qualifications, including his Uefa Pro License, and he fits the bill in terms of what we are looking for which is a young, fresh and hungry coach. We had a large number of applicants for the role. There were some excellent candidates but, as a board, we believe Deans attributes reflect the modern and innovative approach to football management we are seeking."As a player, Smith rose through the ranks at walsall and went on to become the clubs youngest ever captain at the age of 19. The central defender made over 150 appearances between 1989 and 1994 before being sold to Hereford United and then Leyton Orient, Sheffield Wednesday and Port Vale.He started his coaching career in a youth-team role at Orient before quickly becoming assistant manager at Brisbane Road in 2005, a position he held until January 2009.Smith, who joined walsall as head of youth in July 2009, said: "It is an honour to be given the job on a full-time basis. Ive really enjoyed the last couple of weeks and I am fully focused on the task at hand. It is a fantastic opportunity for me and it is one which Im relishing."walsall guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

From walsall to the fringes of World Cup recognition - Chris Woakes rise through the ranks has been prodigiousProvenancePlays for Warwickshire and is originally from walsall. He was at walsall FCs school of excellence as a winger until the age of 14, when he gave up to concentrate on education. Attended Barr Beacon Language College from 2000-07.Everybody loves himHes been highly rated both by his county and England since his teenage years, earning selection for Englands Undera€‘19s and making several appearances for the Lions team. Has a notable fan in the former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald. And they love him in Herefordshire, where he made a few appearances in Minor Counties cricket as a youngster.Pride of the Lions? Very much so. On his first appearance, against West Indies at Derby in 2009, he dismissed the tourists first six batsmen before lunch, including Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, admittedly on a helpful green seamer. Those figures of six for 43 remain his career best. Later that year, he dismissed Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey in a two-day game against Australia at Canterbury. Then in February 2010, he played for the Lions against Paul Collingwoods senior England team in a Twenty20 game in Abu Dhabi ahead of the World Cup. He didnt take a wicket but did claim three catches, including Collingwood off Adil Rashids bowling.All-round hero He has an impressive record of producing the goods when the pressure is on. His highest firsta€‘class score of 136 not out came against Hampshire early last season, rescuing Warwickshire from 98 for seven to set up a total of 382. His other first-class century also came against Hampshire, with 131 in a stand of 222 with Jonathan Trott at the Rose Bowl. Then in a crucial game against relegation rivals Kent last September, he took six for 52 in the first innings, top-scored from No9 with 51 to steer the Bears from 49 for seven to 140 all out, and added another five wickets in the second innings to secure a 95-run win. Thanks largely to Woakess match, Warwickshire stayed up, Kent went down. England cricket teamEngland in Australia 2011WarwickshireCricketAndy Wilson guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Casper Ankergren believes manager Gus Poyets high standards have been the secret behind their League One success this season. The Seagulls secured promotion last Tuesday after a dramatic 4-3 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge and guaranteed the title with a hard-fought win at walsall on Saturday. Ankergren, speaking at the [detalii...]

Paul Hayes scores two before half-time for Preston Wolves hammer walsall, Wigan held by OldhamA lacklustre Blackburn Rovers were shown up by their Lancashire neighbours Preston North End in a 3-0 drubbing tonight.Two first-half headers from summer signing Paul Hayes, the second of them from a cross delivered by the former Blackburn player Keith Treacy, put Preston in control before Michel Salgado fouled Sean St Ledger and Chris Brown scored Prestons third from the penalty spot.There was better fortune for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a successful short trip to walsall ended in a resounding 4-0 win.Ninteen-year-old striker Ashley Hemmings headed the opener from Greg Halfords fine cross and Sam Vokes scored twice in five minutes shortly before half-time, first tapping in Scott Malones cross and then seizing on defensive confusion to make it 3-0.Sylvan Ebanks-Blake powered into the box to smash home an emphatic fourth and substitute Kevin Doyle was a handful for the League One club, three times going close.Wigan Athletic were held to a 1-1 draw at Oldham and were forced to come from behind to secure that result, having fallen behind in the first half when Dale Stevens volleyed home superbly after running onto a poor clearance on the edge of Wigans 18-yard box.The equaliser came when Jordi Gomez was clumsily hauled down in the penalty area by Paul Black and got up to convert the penalty.Blackburn RoversPreston North EndDave Middleton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Despite grumbles from the terraces over a lack of investment the play-offs are a realistic goal for the SaddlersAston Villas struggles may suggest otherwise but this is a golden spell for the West Midlands. For the first time since 1983 all four of the regions major clubs - Villa, Birmingham, Wolves and West Bromwich Albion - are in the top flight, with the genuine prospect of at least three of them staying there for some time to come.Optimism, therefore, is generally high in an area that has been starved of success, and it is not restricted to the elite. In League One walsall are aiming to better last seasons 10th-place finish, their highest standing for six years, and in a division made more open by the absence of promoted Norwich and Leeds, believe they can even make the play-offs.The new campaign started poorly for the Saddlers, with the team losing their opening league game against MK Dons 2-1 before going out of the Carling Cup with a 1-0 loss to Tranmere three days later. But victory at Brentford followed by an impressive 2-1 win against Plymouth on Saturday has boosted confidence ahead of tomorrows trip to Brighton."The expectation at the start of any new season is to better what you did last time and so for us that means finishing higher than 10th," said the striker Steve Jones. "There is confidence we can do that. Promotion is also a possibility. First we need to beat Brighton, though. They beat us 1-0 in the opening game of last season and we want revenge."Jones misses the trip to the Withdean Stadium with a sprained ankle and while the absence of last seasons third top-scorer is a blow, the presence of Reuben Reid gives walsall reason to believe they can secure a third successive victory. Reid has joined the club on loan from West Brom and having scored the winner on his debut against Plymouth, looks a canny acquisition. That would certainly prove the case should the 22-year-old notch 19 goals this coming campaign, as he did for Rotherham in 2008-09.The signing of Reid is typical of nearly all those walsall have made in the past three seasons - a free transfer with a point to prove. Alongside Reid this summer came the former Manchester City forward Jon Macken from Barnsley, while 12 months ago there was half-a-dozen such purchases, including Jones, who had just been released by Burnley, Sam Parkin from Luton and Darren Byfield from Oldham. The latters arrival was greeted warmly by walsall fans who remembered him scoring the teams winning goal in their 3-2 League One play-off final victory over Reading in 2001.But, overall, such prudence has not gone down well with supporters. During the final game of last season, a 2-1 win over MK Dons, fans protested against Jeff Bonser, the clubs owner since 1991, for what they perceive to be a lack of ambition on his part. Three spectators have been banned from attending home games as a result of the demonstration but the frustrations continue, particular after the striker Troy Deeney, who scored 14 times for walsall last year, was sold to Watford earlier this month for 500,000. There were further protests during the Plymouth game with more expected until Bonser is seen to have provided the manager, Chris Hutchings, with funds to significantly bolster his squad.Given Bonsers declaration that he is "not in the business of dreams" following walsalls relegation from the Championship in 2004, the 65-year-old is unlikely to suddenly instigate a spending spree. However, there is a view that he has grown the club since saving it from receivership 19 years ago. walsall, who were then in the old fourth division, are now sound financially and have developed commercially, with the club signing its first-ever stadium sponsorship-deal in 2007, turning the Bescott Stadium into the Bankss Stadium, and seeing corporate hospitality improve there to such an extent that the Football League held its annual conference at the venue last May. Motorists may also have noticed the large advertising hoarding that overlooks the M6, where company logos are displayed alongside the clubs crest."The protestors frustrations are understandable but many of them are in their twenties and have grown up watching the club play in the Championship," said one walsall observer. "They dont truly appreciate that historically, walsall are a third-tier club. Not only are they now established in that division, they also have the scope to grow further. Bonser is no sugar-daddy, but neither is he the devil."walsalls potential will always be limited by their location. The town is located just north of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich and is used to the bulk of its 250,000-strong population supporting clubs from that area. Home attendances rarely peak over 8,000 and can often dip to below half of that. Followers have also never seen their side play in the top division.There is hope, though, that they can clamber back into the Championship. Under Hutchings, who took over from Jimmy Mullen in January 2009, walsall have progressed steadily and contain an encouraging mix of experience and youth, with the likes of Jones and Byfield lining-up alongside Reid and the highly-rated defender Emmanuele Smith. The powerful 21-year-old has come through the clubs youth set-up to become the focal point of their backline and, like Deeney, is expected to leave for a bigger club sooner rather than later. walsall will hope to send him off having played his part in the West Midlands renaissance.walsallLeague OneSachin Nakrani guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Sheffield United won for the second time in three games as QPR, Brighton and Chesterfield all moved closer to promotion Check out all of Saturdays results and the latest league tables. Micky Adams got his second win in 16 games as Sheffield United gave their hopes of Championship survival a timely boost. Adams, himself a former White, had called on the ex-Leeds players in his side - Sam Vokes, Richard Cresswell, Michael Doyle and Shane Lowry were all involved - to show their opponents what they were missing, but in the end it was a present Leeds player, Eric Lichaj, who set the Blades on the way to victory with his 55th-minute own goal. Bjorn Helge Riise sealed a win that might not have moved United out of the relegation zone but at least gave them some fresh hope. QPR won. Nothing unusual there. But Norwich were held by Hull - Nick Barmby, 37 years young, scored the equaliser - as were Cardiff, by Millwall, so Rangers advantage is back up to nine points. Nottingham Forests hopes of automatic promotion faded further with a 3-2 defeat at Swansea, their winless run now stretching to seven matches. The Swans are only a point behind Norwich after the on-loan Chelsea striker Fabio Borini scored a brace in their 3-2 victory. The game of the day in League One came at walsall, where the Saddlers came from 2-0 down against Hartlepool to win 5-2. Colin Larkins first goals since September 2009 had put the visitors in control but five different walsall players scored in the last half hour to give the manager Dean Smith a happy birthday. The win, however, failed to move walsall out of the bottom four, with relegation rivals Yeovil, Dagenham & Redbridge and Bristol Rovers all winning as well. At the top, Brighton stretched their lead to seven points with a 1-0 victory at Oldham while Huddersfield drew a blank against Swindon. Fourth-placed Southampton kept pace - they have a game in hand over Peterborough and three over Huddersfield - but Bournemouth slipped to a third defeat in a row at Carlisle. In League Two, Chesterfield got back to winning ways after last weeks defeat at Crewe, hammering Rotherham 5-0 on Friday. After fourth-placed Shrewsburys draw against Wycombe, the Spireites need 11 points from their remaining eight games to be sure of promotion. The only team in the bottom nine to win, Morecambe, did so at the expense of Barnet, who saw Burton edge away from them in 22nd thanks to a point against play-off hopefuls Gillingham.ChampionshipLeague OneLeague Two guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

walsall pay rent through intermediary Graham Westley celebrated and investigated Regular readers will be aware that Digger has for some time been seeking a response from walsall about who really controls the freehold of the Bankss stadium. As revealed here last week, all the signs are that though the Suffolk Life pensions company holds the title, it is merely in trust for the clubs owner, Jeff Bonser.Digger was still waiting for a response yesterday when the trade magazine Pensions Management published an article quoting Bonser: "The money thats paid from walsall Football Club goes to Suffolk Life. I have a pension with Suffolk Life. Im not going to discuss my personal pension arrangements."Now all this fuss about who owns the Bescot site had come about when the club issued a statement to say that "its landlord Suffolk Life Annuities Limited [had informed the club] of their intention to sell their freehold interest in the Bankss Stadium site."Digger has separately received confirmation from a source with knowledge of the arrangements that walsall do indeed pay rent to Bonsers pension, as is consistent with the arrangements for self-invested personal pensions. So in fact, the landlord in all but title is none other than Bonser himself. One mystery solved, then (if a mystery it ever was). Sadly, how walsall will fare without their former property assets to rely on for security once Bonser has sold them separately to the club is much the bigger - and potentially more damaging - mystery.Graham gamesmanship?Graham Westley was feted at the Football League awards on Sunday night for his Stevenage side having put in the outstanding performance of the season. That was, of course, their 3-1 FA Cup third-round triumph over Newcastle United. But will the hand that gives also take away?The Football League has separately written to Westley to request his opinions on a spate of as yet unexplained injuries that seem to hit one of his players midway through each half. Oxford United drew the Leagues attention to the matter after their 2-1 defeat by Westleys men last Tuesday.Match officials have also noted how, when such injuries occur, the remaining fit players crowd Westleys dug-out, and they are wondering whether some form of gamesmanship is involved. Digger also sought Stevenages opinions but no one called back.Whiteley shrugs off arrestAlso at Sundays Football League awards Alan Whiteley, the Cardiff City director and company secretary, seemed to be shrugging off any concerns over a Serious Fraud Office investigation that led to his arrest last week. The inquiry is entirely unrelated to his football activities and Whiteley seemed to be enjoying a successful night for his club, which picked up the Community Club of the Year award.Ferdinands fast tweetBoltons Stuart Holden is out for six months after the tackle that earned the Manchester United defender Jonny Evans a red card on Saturday. The former Everton midfielder Landon Donovan did not like the tackle, or the reaction from protective United fans. "You Man United fans are so predictable," he wrote on Twitter. "Their players have never done a thing wrong, ever." Well, why stop at fans Landon? Rio Ferdinand was the quickest to exculpate Evans, tweeting: "I hope Holden is ok, an honest, solid tackle between him and Evans and Evans gets a red card... I dont agree at all."Elections can be difficultLennart Johansson, the 81-year-old former Uefa president who lost in the 2007 elections he contested against its current holder, Michel Platini, has not looked well at the Uefa congress this week. Upon arrival at the official hotel Johansson was being pushed around in a wheelchair, offering observers a reminder of how, a year after his electoral defeat, he suffered a serious stroke. He was 78 years old; some in the Hilton Arc de Triomphe noted that, if Sepp Blatter wins the Fifa election in June, he will have turned 79 before his mandate ends.BusinesswalsallMatt Scott guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Nottingham Forest finish sixth after win at Crystal Palace Dagenham and Bristol Rovers go down, Wycombe go upQPRs confirmation as Championship winners left only the configuration of play-off places to be settled and Nottingham Forest secured sixth place in the division in style with a 3-0 victory at Crystal Palace.Billy Daviess side needed only a point to make sure of the final play-off slot and were soon in front through Lewis McGugans 17th-minute volley. Palace were reduced to 10 men when Dean Moxey was dismissed for a foul on Marcus Tudgay 10 minutes later, and it was Tudgay who headed Forests second after 70 minutes. David McGoldrick added a third.Forest will play Swansea City in the play-offs after Brendan Rodgerss team climbed snatched third place following their 4-0 win over relegated Sheffield United.Stephen Dobbie scored twice, Scott Sinclair hit his 24th goal of the season from a penalty and Leon Britton scored late on in a comfortable win.Cardiff City slipped below them after they drew 1-1 at Burnley.Southampton confirmed their near-inevitable promotion from League One with a 3-1 win over walsall. Guly do Prados smart finish set Nigel Adkinss side on their way before David Connolly doubled the lead. Julian Gray pulled a goal back for walsall on the stroke of half-time but Alex Oxladea€‘Chamberlains second-half goal made sure of victory.walsall were spared the drop by Dagenham & Redbridges 5-0 defeat at Peterborough, which sent the east London side down after only one season in the third tier. Bristol Rovers also succumbed to the inevitable, a 2-1 defeat at Colchester confirming their descent into the fourth tier.Wycombe held on to third place in League Two, a 3-1 win over Southend taking them back up a year after relegation. Anthony Grant gave the visitors the lead but Scott Donnelly, Ben Strevens and Scott Rendell replied to secure a return to League One.Fourth-placed Shrewsbury Town did what they could, beating Oxford United 3-0 at home, but they will now have to contend with the play-offs, where their semi-final opponents will be Torquay United, who secured seventh spot despite losing 3-1 at Rotherham United, because Gillingham - eighth on goal difference before yesterdays matches - also lost, 3-1 at Chesterfield, whose victory secured the league title. As a result, Stevenage, who came from behind to draw 3-3 draw at home to Bury, took sixth spot and a play-off place in their first Football League season. ChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoNottingham ForestCrystal PalaceSwansea CitySheffield UnitedCardiff CityBurnleySouthamptonwalsallDagenham & RedbridgePeterboroughWycombeSouthendShrewsburyOxford UnitedStevenageGillinghamBuryChesterfieldTom Davies guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

The club chairman says he has spent 4m on the club over the years and denies claims that he is selling the stadium to line his pocketswalsall, that solid Football League citizen, in box-like Bankss Stadium by the banks of the M6, seems an unlikely club for protest. Yet fans are in revolt, and their target looks surprising too: Jeff Bonser, Black Country lad and Saddlers fan-made good - in bath grips and toilet flush handles - 21 years an apparently model chairman.Unlike Bury, Stockport County and other lower division contemporaries with which Bonser compares walsall, his club have progressed to steady respectability, never slunk into administration, had four years in the Championship, 1999-2000, and 2001-04, and did not collapse when they went down.The objectors, though - more numerous, according to Bob Thomas, supporters trust chairman, than the vocal core whom Bonser laments - accuse the owner of feathering his nest at the clubs expense. They point in particular to the extraordinary split in his ownership of walsall. He and his brother Robert own a majority of the club shares personally, but hold the stadium separately - in their pension fund. walsall Football Club pay rent, to play in their own home ground, 460,000 this year, to the chairmans pension fund. Since the brothers bought the lease in 1995, the club has paid 4.5m rent into their pension fund."In his overall stewardship, there could have been many worse chairmen than Jeff Bonser," acknowledges Thomas. "But many fans feel very strongly that financially, he has looked after himself first."This month, Bonser suddenly put the stadium, not the club, up for sale. With that rent of 460,000, which rises with inflation, the brothers can expect a buyer to pay 7m-8m for it to their pension fund. In a detailed interview with the Guardian, a request Bonser granted because, he says, he wanted his own perspective heard, he says he is selling because of the protests: "I havent lost my love of football, but of being involved in football. Im getting personal grief, I dont go to the games any more. The fans will appreciate what they had with me, when Ive gone."The roots of this tale of football, land and money lie in the early 1990s, in the sprawling former sewage works where walsall built their new stadium after selling tumbledown Fellows Park for 5.7m. The club put all that was left after repaying debts and other costs, into the land clean up and construction, but Severn Trent, the landowners, did not sell the freehold. The club was always a tenant, paying 75,000 annual rent initially, rising with inflation.Bonser took over in May 1991, when the developer ran into financial difficulties, buying, as he describes it, "two commodities". The first was 78% of the club shares. The second was the lease of the new stadium, which cost 300,000. He and Robert bought that "commodity," with their pension fund, and from then, the club paid rent to it, and it, at first, paid a small sum to Severn Trent. Then in 1995, the brothers pension fund bought the freehold too, in a land swap deal.Bonsers explanation for doing this is that the pension fund was a better vehicle for investing in ground improvements. "Football clubs cant borrow money from banks - theyre considered a bad risk because of the idiots who run them and the 50-odd clubs which have been insolvent [since 1992]," he says. "Owning the ground in the pension fund meant we could invest in it."Bonsers core justification is that he has invested solidly in the club via his pension fund, albeit with rent coming back at a commercial rate. He has loaned 1.9m to the club interest free and never taken a salary or expenses. When he told a local newspaper the club has never paid a penny into his pension fund, he says he was referring to not being paid a pension as part of any salary. He is straightforwardly open that his and Roberts pension fund, administered now by Suffolk Life Annuities, does own the stadium, and does receive the handsome rent from the club.A working man forged in the Black Country, Bonser has at his fingertips financial details going back years, the niceties of tax and pension law, all that has come in and all that has gone out. He lists the investments in the stadium since he bought it: an all-weather pitch the club rented out, a "top quality" entertaining facility called, with due modesty, the Bonser Suite, the new Floors-2-Go stand, a further conference suite, a huge, lucrative advertising billboard in prime position on the M6 and 600,000 made from surrendering some land to hotel developers.In total, Bonser says, his pension fund has invested 3.8m. Whenever it does, the rent increases by a commercial percentage, around 7%, of that investment. The club pays that from then on, but also keeps all the additional income generated by the investments. In its first year the billboard, which cost his pension fund 400,000, made 183,000 net for the club, he says."Thats my frustration. An ordinary fan sees the 460,000 rent and would say: Bonsers lining his pockets."He points out that his pension fund could have made a much greater return if it had invested 3.8m over the years in commercial ventures or property, than in the Bankss."The fans see the rent increased but they dont see the money we spent and the money walsall Football Club will make every year. I was a fan from my Dad taking me to my first game in 1949, age four. I love the club and want the best for it, and that is how we put it on strong foundations, unlike many others."Yet it has also, clearly, been shrewd work. When Bonser first looked at the 40 acres of old sewage muck, he understood the brass was in the stadium - the land - not the club itself. To many fans any reckoning, that Bonser may be about even overall - before, that is, the plum profit he and Robert stand to make when selling the stadium -must include concrete facts. He never reunited walsall with the stadium the club spent all its money helping to build, and he, and his pension fund, have done very well."I dont believe Jeff Bonser is the evil monster that many do," says Thomas. "But neither do I see him as the benign philanthropist. Yes, there has been investment in the ground, and it is true the club has had the benefit of it, but hes done very nicely out of walsall FC. "Now, with the rent at 460,000 and increasing every year, and the ground on the open market so anyone could buy it, fans are very worried about the clubs future."Bonser has fallen back on the lament of many lower division club chairmen, coming to the end of their time and making exits from which they stand to profit: the fans do not appreciate him any more. "walsall Football Club wont find another landlord to invest in it like we have," he argues. "Another landlord will just want the rent; end of."david.connguardian.co.ukwalsallFootball LeagueDavid Conn guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Laurence Bassini declared bankrupt in 2007 Share structure lacks transparencyBaron Ashcroft, the Conservative peer, is selling his Watford shares to Laurence Bassini, the owner of Watford FC Limited, a recently formed shell company. WFCL will take control of the Championship club through a 53.95% stake after Ashcroft, Graham Simpson and Yianna Simpson agreed to sell their shares for about 450,000 last week. Yet Bassini is not a registered shareholder of WFCL. Instead the Highgate-based knee surgeon Panos Thomas, who is, will hold the shares on trust for Bassini. Why, how and where those shares will be held for Bassini are not explained.Much about Bassinis business past has been inscrutable. He has admitted to the Watford Observer to having been declared bankrupt "for about a year" from 2007, and temporarily claimed benefits. This led to him changing his name from Laurence, or Lawrence (which he had also used), Bazini. "Businessmen have their highs and lows," he said. It is hard to discover Bassinis highs.Digger has founded 12 companies he has served as a director. One, which he founded alongside others in 1995, still trades but he left its board in 1996. Another was struck off in 2000, four years after its incorporation, having shown a deficit of 19,372 in the only accounts it ever filed. The other 10, apparently mostly retail and restaurant companies ("Dancing Divas", anyone?), were struck off without ever filing accounts.Bassini has suggested he has previously received financial help from his "very wealthy" family, which includes a barrister brother. Digger contacted this brother, who refused to corroborate or deny this claim. Digger also called Thomas to ask about his new business partner and why there was a need for WFCLs convoluted share structures. He also refused to comment.So Watford will receive a "3.5m working capital facility" (or loan) from a man whose wherewithal is impossible to gauge. But the money is not his own. WFCLs spokesman told Digger "he has access to sufficient funds" but "has no obligation to disclose his backers". That is not good enough.Saddlers pension pot Jeff Bonser, the walsall chairman, has his pension with Suffolk Life, as discussed here on Wednesday, and Suffolk Life is described by walsall as their "landlord". It holds commercial property on behalf of clients pension funds. Bonser retains control over the asset inasmuch as it is by his instruction that Suffolk Life has put the ground on the open market for sale. The Bescot Stadium site could very well now end up in the hands of someone with no connection to the club or community.It seems a terrible shame that Bonser, who has run a tight ship at walsall for so many years, has not reunited the club with its property assets rather than selling them as separate entities. In the seven full seasons since the ground was transferred to Suffolk Life, walsall have made a cumulative trading loss of 322,000. Over that time they have paid their "landlord" (ie Suffolk Lifes shareholders or Bonsers pension; take your pick) almost 2.5m in rent. It seems the club and stadium have been pretty good to their owners and it would be a pity to disadvantage walsall now.Loan danger It is difficult to disagree with any proposal from Lord Burns for football - unless you are a Football Association stakeholder. His Burns report had modest aims and even they were rejected by the FAs reactionary grass roots. Yet even now he continues with his sensible suggestions for the game. On Thursday Digger attended an event held by the liberal thinktank CentreForum at which Burns advanced another idea: ending the practice of directors loans to clubs. Almost all recent club failures have been preceded by vast sums injected by directors; eventually the clubs rely on such props, which are invariably withdrawn, and clubs can find they are dangerously stretched. Burns is bang on again.Power cut for ex-Sky duoRichard Keyss and Andy Grays loss is Andy Townsends and Garth Crookss gain. E.On has called the ITV and BBC pundits off the bench to replace the former Sky anchors for its FA Cup-based radio ads as a result of the unseemly events that led to Keys and Gray leaving Sky. So now we have an odd situation whereby TalkSport has seen ads featuring Keys and Gray, its star new signings, forcibly withdrawn.Follow Matt Scott on Twitter: diggermattscottWatfordwalsallAndy GrayRichard KeysMatt Scott guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Wolves win 3-2 at walsall in pre-season friendly Steven Davis scores both Rangers goals against BlackpoolA strong Tottenham side, captained by their unsettled midfielder Luka Modric, drew 1-1 in a pre-season friendly against Orlando Pirates in South Africa on Tuesday.The Premier League side took the lead in the 16th minute when Rafael van der Vaart scored with a superb free-kick past Senzo Meyiwa in the Pirates goal.The Wales international Gareth Bale almost replicated Van der Vaarts effort later in the half but Meyiwa managed to tip his set-piece over the bar.The defender Happy Jele equalised for the Pirates when his shot from a narrow angle was too strong for Brad Friedel who should have done better. Daine Klate thought he had put the hosts ahead on half-time but his effort was ruled offside.The second half was a disjointed affair with both sides making several substitutions.Wolves won 3-2 at the League One side walsall. Michael Kightly opened the scoring for Wolves before Jon Macken equalised. Leigh Griffiths 40th-minute strike was soon cancelled out by walsalls Will Grigg before Christophe Berra scored the decider for Mick McCarthys side.A young West Brom XI won 3-2 at Kidderminster with Kemar Roofe scoring a hat-trick for the Baggies. Jamille Matt had put the hosts ahead and veteran Steve Guinan pulled one back late on.Steven Davis underlined his value to Rangers with both goals as the Scottish champions concluded their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 win at Blackpool.Fresh from signing a new five-year contract earlier on Tuesday, the Northern Ireland midfielder struck twice late in the first half of a tame friendly at Bloomfield Road.Ally McCoists men, who begin their title defence against Hearts on Saturday, were much sharper than a Blackpool side playing for the first time since their relegation from the Premier League.Tottenham HotspurWolverhampton WandererswalsallBlackpoolRangersWest Brom guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

England midfielder prepares for Portugal tour with Villa Aston Villa and Manchester City reach impasse over feeAston Villa have reinforced their message that James Milner will leave only on their terms by naming the midfielder among the party who travel to Portugal on Wednesday. Milner held talks about his future with Martin ONeill today and, although he will not feature in the friendly at walsall tomorrow, his inclusion in the first-team squad for the trip to the Algarve has underlined Villas stance that nothing will change unless Manchester City meet their valuation.With no indication that City are ready to pay the 30m asking price at the present time, ONeill has effectively signalled that it is a case of business as usual at Villa by taking Milner with him to compete against Benfica and Feyenoord in the Guadiana Cup. The Villa managers decision mirrors how he handled Liverpools pursuit of Gareth Barry two years ago, when he fell out with the midfielder but later integrated him back into the team as the Merseyside club struggled to fund the deal.Although City are clearly not operating with the same financial constraints that Liverpool were then, Milners proposed transfer has reached an impasse because of a 6m disparity in the two clubs valuations. It remains likely that common ground will be found but until that happens Villa are determined that Milner will continue to honour his contract and represent the club, whether that be in a pre-season friendly or the opening Premier League match against West Ham United.That path ahead was mapped out in a meeting at Bodymoor Heath today, when Milner reported back for his first day of pre-season training after being given an extended break. The discussions provided Milner with an opportunity to express his disappointment that ONeill had claimed he had "intimated" he wanted to leave the club this summer and that he was not interested in signing a new contract. Villa described the talks as amicable, although whether the air has truly been cleared remains to be seen.Aston Villas statement said: "James Milner trained with the rest of the Villa squad today. He and the manager, along with chief executive Paul Faulkner and the players representative, Matthew Buck, had an amicable conversation and, while James will not play in the game at walsall, he will fly with the squad to Portugal on Wednesday ahead of the Guadiana Cup in which Villa will compete with Benfica and Feyenoord this weekend."Aston VillaMartin ONeillTransfer windowStuart James guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Win denies Dons second-round clash with AFC Wimbledon Huddersfield, Charlton and walsall among others throughStevenage prevented the prospect of a meeting between the MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup second round after they knocked the Dons out on penalties at stadiumMK.Lewis Guy put the Dons, a legal continuation of the old Wimbledon club which won the 1988 FA Cup, in front against Stevenage after 49 minutes but Darius Charles goal in the final seconds took the tie into the additional period.No one was able to snatch a winner in extra-time and Stevenage prevailed 7-6 in a sudden-death shoot-out.Conference South side Woking came up just short at home to Brighton, losing 3-0 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. They looked on course for an upset when Ola Sagbanmu scored in the 103rd minute but Elliott Bennett levelled for the visitors, who then had their assistant manager Mauricio Taricco sent off seconds later.Huddersfield stunned Cambridge with two stoppage-time goals to beat the Blue Square Premier team 2-1 in a dramatic climax to tonights FA Cup first-round replay.Lee Clarks men looked like slumping to a dismal 1-0 defeat at home, with Rory McAuleys 53rd-minute goal almost enough to cause an upset. However, Lee Peltier levelled up for the visitors in the first additional minute and Gary Roberts scored the winner three minutes later.They will now face Macclesfield, who knocked out Southend 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.In-form Charlton, meanwhile, will face Corby Town or Luton in the second round after Kyel Reids close-range strike in the 18th minute was enough to beat Barnet at The Valley.Dartfords failure to finish off Port Vale in the first game between the teams, when they conceded a late equaliser, cost them dearly as the Conference South side were thrashed 4-0 at Vale Park. Marc Richards scored twice, the first a penalty, and there were also goals for Sean Rigg and Justin Richards for Vale, who will meet Accrington in the second round.Fleetwood were beaten at the second attempt by walsall, who had goalkeeper Jimmy Walker to thank for a draw in the first match between the teams. walsall were improved tonight and won 2-0 with both goals from Reuben Reid. A trip to Torquay awaits them in the next round.Leyton Orient were pushed hard by Dagenham and Redbridge in a keenly contested derby at Brisbane Road, but eventually prevailed 3-2. Scott McGleish and Alex Revell put the home side 2-0 up early on, but two goals inside a minute midway through the second half - a penalty from Danny Green and long-range strike from Solomon Taiwo - got Dagenham level.However, McGleish scored his second goal of the evening for Orient in the 76th minute and they can look forward to a televised second-round clash with Droylsden on November 29.James Brown headed Hartlepool into the second round, converting Evan Horwoods cross in the 70th minute at Rivacre Park to dump Vauxhall Motors out of the cup and earn a home tie against Yeovil.Wade Smalls eighth-minute strike secured a 1-0 win for Aldershot against Brentford, and they will meet Dover next.Peterborough thrashed Stockport 4-1 with goals from Kelvin Langmead, Craig Mackail-Smith, Lee Tomlin and Aaron Mclean - Greg Tansey replying. Peterborough will travel to Bury in the second round.FA CupHuddersfield guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Southampton have all but secured their return to the Championship after a 3-1 victory at Plymouth. Two goals from Rickie Lambert and another from Ryan Dickson moved Nigel Adkinss team three points clear of third-placed Huddersfield with one game to play - and an 18-goal difference to their rivals - while relegating Argyle to League Two in the process.Saints took the lead on the stroke of half-time through Lamberts header and they doubled that advantage two minutes after the interval, when Dickson poked home. Lambert then added a third from the penalty spot before Yannick Bolasies injury-time consolation.Southampton face relegation-threatened walsall on the final day of the League One season this Saturday, while Huddersfield host Brentford, needing both a Saints defeat and a near-miracle winning scoreline.Argyle join Swindon in League Two.League OneSouthamptonPlymouth Argyle guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Three SPL matches already postponed, including Rangers League One games at Rochdale, walsall also offHeavy snowfalls across the country are already playing havoc with the weekends sporting schedule, with a number of fixtures having already fallen foul of the inclement weather.The following football matches are already OFF:npower League One Rochdale v Bournemouthwalsall v Southamptonnpower League Two Bury v StevenageClydesdale Bank Premier League Aberdeen v MotherwellRangers v St MirrenSt Johnstone v Dundee UnitedThe Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Championship First Division Queen of the South v MortonRoss County v DunfermlineThe Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Championship Second Division Ayr Utd v Forfar AthleticBrechin City v East FifeDumbarton v PeterheadThe Irn-Bru Scottish Football League Championship Third Division Albion Rovers v Annan AthleticClyde v ArbroathFootball ConferenceGateshead v Hayes & YeadingLeague of WalesNeath v LlanelliWeatherScottish Premier League guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

MK Dons manager will miss all remaining games this season Charge followed incident during draw with GillinghamThe MK Dons manager Paul Ince has been handed a five-match touchline ban after being charged with improper conduct by the Football Association.Ince was charged following an incident in the 2-2 draw with Gillingham last month and has also been fined 5,000.The former England captain was sent to the stands at the Priestfield Stadium for contesting a decision made by the referee Phil Crossley in the aftermath of Gillinghams equaliser.The ban begins immediately meaning Ince will miss Saturdays clash with Wycombe Wanderers as well as the remaining fixtures of this season against Leeds United, Brighton and Hove Albion and walsall.The fifth game will be the opening fixture of next season - if Ince is still in charge at the club. Reports today claim that Ince will be sacked in the coming days as part of a cost-cutting measure at the League One club, with John Gorman taking charge.Paul InceMK DonsLeague One guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Make your predictions in our ongoing competition and take a look at the best betting suggestions in the lower divisionsWelcome to our tipping round-up. If you dont know the drill by now, every week I post my betting suggestions for the weekend (which you may well wish to steer clear of), as well as our predictions contest. The blog can also act as a talkboard for any Football League-related discussions over the weekend.Oxford to beat Lincoln at 11-10The scratchy end of the season from a punting perspective, when most of the teams with something left to play for find themselves heavily fancied, no matter their position in the table, and value is thin on the ground. No matter, we head to the Kassam Stadium first up, where 12th-placed Oxford host Lincoln, themselves very much in the relegation mire, and one of the few whose miserable form ranks them as value to oppose. Seven defeats in eight have left them just two points clear of Barnet in 23rd, capped by the 2-0 home loss to a slumping Cheltenham side last time out. For Oxford, a top-half finish is the limit of their ambitions, but four consecutive draws against Wycombe, Accrington, Chesterfield and Barnet is a fair form line to take into this home encounter. Credit to the Imps, who are laying on free coach travel for their fans (350 of them, the supporters not coaches), but the relative low take-up hints at an understandable lack of faith.Charlton to beat walsall at 11-4A longer-shot option for the second bet, with the Saddlers in the midst of a desperate battle for League One survival. Not that their form - one win in six - suggests that this perilous state of affairs is having much of an impact upon their performances. Granted, in the realistic fight for 20th place they sit in the box seat and the Addicks have little to play for, but Charlton didnt care about that when denting Rochdales play-off hopes last weekend. And in the game prior to that, when leading 2-0 they conspired to get two men sent off, enabling the hosts Bristol Rovers to battle back and grab a late point. Opt for smaller stakes.NB: prices with Betfair and correct at the time of publicationTipping contestInto the penultimate round of matches and it couldnt be much tighter at the top after a tricky set of fixtures last weekend ...The top of the table so far (The full table will be posted in the comments section below) ...markier 86PiggyPingoPiglet 85captainmorganrum 80Bobby142 76horne94 71stevegrant 70TheRealRingo 69Thewalthamstowone 68richardw 68Me 68As for this week: make your result (not scoreline) prediction for each of the games below, with one point per correct result. Note the deadline is MIDDAY BST on Saturday.Leeds v Burnley (12.45pm)Watford v QPRExeter v Plymouth (Midday)walsall v CharltonAccrington v BarnetOxford v LincolnIm tipping draw, QPR, Exeter (sigh), Charlton, Accrington and Oxford. You can also follow me on Twitter if you want more money-losing tips/predictions through the week.James Dart guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Midfielders future remains a mystery as Villa hold talks England international will feature in Guadiana CupJames Milner has been included in Aston Villas pre-season plans, although his future at the club is still clouded in mystery.The England midfielder returned to training today having been given an extended holiday following the World Cup. The midfielder held talks with the manager, Martin ONeill, at the clubs Bodymoor Heath training ground, as Manchester City line up an improved 24m bid.A club statement read: "James Milner trained with the rest of the Villa squad today at Bodymoor Heath. He and the manager, along with chief executive Paul Faulkner and the players representative, Matthew Buck, had an amicable conversation and, while James will not play in tomorrows game at walsall, he will fly with the squad to Portugal on Wednesday ahead of the Guadiana Cup in which Villa will compete with Benfica and Feyenoord this weekend."Aston VillaTransfer window guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Dispute with chairman ends nine-month spell in charge 11th league manager to lose job since ChristmasGary Johnson became the latest manager to lose his job after disagreements with the Peterborough chairman, Darragh MacAnthony.Johnson left Posh by mutual consent this evening, making him the 11th league manager to lose his job since Christmas.A short statement on the clubs website read: "It was mutually agreed that Gary Johnson and Peterborough United Football Club Ltd part company. The manager and chairman could not see eye to eye on policy."Johnson departs following a 6-2 FA Cup hammering by Fulham, but with Posh well placed in League One - they are seventh in the table, with games in hand on all the teams above them.Peterborough have taken eight points from their past four league games, including a 4-1 win over walsall in their last game.Johnson took over at London Road in April last year, succeeding Jim Gannon, who was only in the job for two months following Mark Coopers short stint in charge.MacAnthony was recently forced to defend the clubs decision to sell the striker Aaron McLean to the Championship side Hull City.Peterborough guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Make your predictions in our ongoing competition, plus take a look at the best betting suggestions in the lower leaguesWelcome to our weekly Friday tipping round-up. Most of you know the drill by now, but for those that dont, every week I will post my betting suggestions for the weekend, as well as our predictions contest. As for last week, you probably dont want to know about any more of my failures.Exeter to beat walsall 15-8So, I opposed them last week and they duly overturned Rochdale, whose boss Keith Hill labelled it "the only performance Ive not been happy with so far this season". Next up for the Grecians is a trip up the M5 to a Bescot Stadium shrouded in last-place misery. Six defeats in seven (the other game ending in a draw at fellow strugglers Leyton Orient) have saddled the Saddlers with the divisions lanterne rouge, culminating in last weekends 1-0 home defeat to 19th-place Yeovil. As form lines go, the Glovers recent 3-1 defeat at home to Exeter tells you all you need to know for this game. If you want more, then look at the impressive forward battalion assembled by manager Paul Tisdale: Richard Logan, Daniel Nardiello, John OFlynn, Marcus Stewart and Jamie Cureton, who scored the winner against Dale. Nardiello and OFlynn scored in the midweek JPT win at Hereford, with the former in the running for a league return after an absence from injury. Whoever Tisdale settles on up front, though, ought to provide more than enough firepower for a team at strangely long odds. Perhaps the bookies knew I was going to tip them.Rochdale to beat Yeovil 21-20For several of the reasons outlined in the first prediction, Dale should be backed again. Yes, they were rotten last week. Truly rotten. Yes, Yeovil are coming off a win (albeit at walsall). But for fifth to be hosting 19th at odds against seems ludicrous, especially after seven days in which Hill will have ripped into his players following their wake-up call of a performance last weekend.Rotherham to beat Stevenage 6-5Ever since Shaun Harrads hat-trick for Burton denied Rotherham victory from a 3-0 lead, the Millers havent quite looked as sure of themselves as in the early stages of the season, even if it sparked a six-game unbeaten run, the last of which offered a midweek JPT triumph at the Brewers and a measure of revenge. Nevertheless, its a surprise to see them beyond even-money for the visit of Stevenage, currently nestled neatly in mid-table and coming off a home defeat to Wycombe.NB: prices with Betfair and correct at the time of publicationTipping contestBobby142 extended his lead at the top of the table after a tricky round of picks. Only two people got more than three correct, with a special tip of the cap to OurManFlint picking five out of six and only falling down on Bradford. Like yours truly. As youll note from the scoring, late starters have been awarded one point for every week they have missed.The top of the table so far (Ill post the full table in the comments section below) ...Bobby142 14Thewalthamstowone 12marker 12bakerian 12JohnAsh 11rainster 11TheRealRingo 11josedinho 10denispat 10captainmorganrum 10zaragozaram 10templetontherat 10PiggyPingoPiglet 10Me 9HornetRAO 9stevegrant 9glasscaseofemotion 9MrMondypops 9SchwarzGelbRedWhite 9OurManFlint 9FCZeRoberto 9As for this week: make your result (not scoreline) prediction for each of the following games below, with one point per correct result:Brighton v BournemouthRochdale v Yeovilwalsall v ExeterRotherham v StevenageLincoln v MacclesfieldIm tipping Brighton, Rochdale, Exeter, Rotherham and a draw.James Dart guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Manchester derby is third match drawn Non-league Tamworth will go to EvertonThe draw for the third round of the FA Cup has been made at Wembley. Manchester City, the holders, have been drawn at home to Manchester United.Other highlights of the draw include Arsenal against Leeds and non-league Tamworth playing away to Everton. Chelsea have drawn Portsmouth at home, Tottenham will play Cheltenham at home and Liverpool will be at home to Southend or Oldham. Stoke, last years beaten finalists, will play away at Gillingham.The matches will be played on the weekend of 7 and 8 January.FA Cup third roundMiddlesbrough v ShrewsburyNottingham Forest v Leicester CityManchester City v Manchester UnitedDagenham & Redbridge or walsall v MillwallCrawley v Bristol CityDoncaster v Sutton United or Notts CountyBristol Rovers v Aston VillaTottenham Hotspur v CheltenhamSheffield Wednesday v West Ham UnitedMilton Keynes Dons v QPRHull City v IpswichCoventry v SouthamptonBrighton & Hove Albion v WrexhamFulham v CharltonBirmingham v WolvesNorwich v BurnleyArsenal v LeedsDerby v Crystal PalaceFleetwood or Yeovil v BlackpoolSwindon v WiganBarnsley v SwanseaChelmsford or Macclesfield v BoltonNewcastle v BlackburnEverton v TamworthSheffield United v Salisbury or GrimsbyLiverpool v Southend or OldhamGillingham v StokeChelsea v PortsmouthWatford v BradfordPeterborough v SunderlandWest Brom v CardiffReading v StevenageFA Cup 2011-12FA CupManchester CityManchester UnitedMartin Pengelly guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

No hard feelings towards Tottenham despite sacking by text I always loved it in England. I was even in walsall and loved itMartin Jols last involvement in English football might have ended in distrust, disarray and a shambolic botched sacking but Fulhams new manager has dismissed the idea that he was attracted back to the Premier League by thoughts of scores to settle and unfinished business.After twice leading Tottenham to fifth-place finishes Jol was sacked in October 2007, the news broken to him by text message in the middle of a Uefa Cup tie against Getafe. Though Spurs had by then won only one of 10 league games, the clubs worst start to a season for 19 years, his replacement, Juande Ramos, had been pursued for months, and was photographed in a Spanish hotel holding discussions with Spurs deputy chairman that August."I wont lie, I didnt feel great at that moment," Jol said of his dismissal. "But later on you go to another club. I was in Germany, and Hamburg have 55,000 season-ticket holders, not bloody 30,000, so that was a bigger club. I played in the semi-finals in Europe, and I played in the quarter-finals with Spurs, so it was even better. Theres no looking back, no hard feelings. A couple of years ago Daniel [Levy, the Tottenham chairman] phoned me up as if nothing had happened, so that helped. He looked after me - and why not? I did well for him."A rumoured 4m payout would have eased the pain caused by the manner of his departure, but Jol hinted that his chances of succeedingat White Hart Lane had been undermined by the presence of the clubs then sporting director Damien Comolli, who now occupies a similar role overseeing player recruitment at Liverpool. "I said to Daniel when I came to England: If you leave me [alone], if you let me work for you, they will push you around the streets of London like a king. And they never did."Since leaving London Jol spent a single successful season at Hamburg followed by 18 months at Ajax, ending with his resignation last December. But throughout that time he has been repeatedly linked with vacancies in England, where he also spent three years as a player in the mid-80s. Fulham finally got their man at the third attempt, having held discussions with the Dutchman, now 55, about replacing Lawrie Sanchez at the end of 2007, and Roy Hodgson last summer."When I left Spurs I said I was like Arnold Schwarzenegger - Ill be back. And now I am back. Its got nothing to do with unfinished business," Jol said. "England is the football country in Europe, maybe in the world. Thats the only reason why you want to come back. I love the English people. Maybe that is wrong because at the end at Spurs there were a few people who were not nice to me. I always loved it here, and not only in London. I was even in walsall and loved it, and that is maybe not the best of places."Jols targets will inevitably be a little lower than those which he failed to meet for his last English employer. "Here the target is to be in the league, then as high as possible in the top 10. I could never say that at Spurs," he said. "But last season Fulham were eighth, after having a bad start. You never know."The first priority, apparently, will be to entertain: "Theres always one principle for me and that is to make people happy. I will always try to do something on the flanks and try to play attacking, nice football."His first fixture will be a Europa League qualifying tie against Runavik of the Faroe Islands, with the first leg to be played at Craven Cottage next Thursday. "Well treat it like a friendly with a serious touch," he said. As for transfers, the Dutchman expects to sign "four or five" players over the summer, with a focus on youth. "On average we are a bit old," he said. "Hopefully we can find one or two Dembeles [players like the clubs 23-year-old striker Moussa Dembele] and build a good young team for the future."Though he refused to comment on specific targets, his commitment to reducing the average age of his squad would appear to make a much-touted move for Robbie Keane, who turns 31 next month, unlikely.FulhamMartin JolSimon Burnton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

League One club will play Juve in Turin on 8 September Italian team take their colours from Notts County stripNotts County are to play Juventus in a prestigious friendly to mark the opening of the Serie A clubs new stadium in Turin. The 41,000-seater stadium is due to be officially launched at a ceremony on Thursday 8 September and the Magpies have been invited to play in an exhibition match that evening.The match follows an historic link between the clubs dating back to 1903, when a Juventus player, the Englishman John Savage, helped to arrange for the Italian club to wear the famous black and white kit that Notts County, the Football Leagues oldest club, traditionally play in.Juve have worn black-and-white stripes ever since, and the Magpies chairman, Ray Trew, said: "I have to admit that when the offer first came in I was slightly taken aback and when we sat down to look at the fixture list, weve obviously got a home game against walsall just two days later and then a trip to Exeter the following Tuesday."However, given the historical relationship between our two clubs and the sheer prestige of the occasion, we were prepared to move heaven and earth to make this happen."I have spoken to Martin Allen and while its not ideal obviously, given the schedule of fixtures around that time, he was in agreement that we simply couldnt pass up this opportunity. It will be a fantastic night for everyone associated with this great football club, the players, the staff and of course the fans."Notts CountyJuventus guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]