Wolves fans' abuse of Karl Henry disgusting - Roger Johnson

 

Henry was born in Wolverhampton and joined his hometown club in August 2006 

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Roger Johnson has said the club's own fans were disgraceful in abusing Karl Henry.

The midfielder was substituted during last weekend's defeat to Newcastle and was taunted by a section of the Molineux crowd.
"I thought it was a disgrace, disgusting. It stinks," said Johnson who replaced Henry as captain.
"If the fans want to have a bitch at me about it then fine, but I thought they were bang out of order."

There are no reasons for this sort of abuse. It should never happen, especially to someone who has served Wolves so well

Wolves skipper, Roger Johnson

 

Henry was the subject of sarcastic cheering when he was replaced by Wolves manager Mick McCarthy after 58 minutes for Adlene Guedioura.
Johnson believes 28-year-old Henry does not deserve such treatment after his lengthy service with the club.
The midfielder captained the club for three years, before being replaced in the role by summer signing Johnson.
Henry has made almost 200 appearances for the club and captained Wolves to promotion and two seasons in the Premier League.
Johnson added: "There are no reasons for that and it should never happen - and, for someone who's served this club so well for so long and been captain, it was undeserved.
"It's not going to help anyone."

Ivan Gazidis insists Arsenal do not need Champions League

 

Ivan Gazidis has been at Arsenal since 2008 

 

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis is confident Arsenal could still compete financially if they missed out on the Champions League.

The Gunners earned £26m from Europe last season but Gazidis believes they could still keep pace with the top English clubs without it.
They currently sit 15th in the Premier League table, 12 points behind leaders Manchester United.
"Every club has the temptation to think that money is the answer," he said.

We don't have a salary ceiling, I don't know where that story comes from

Ivan Gazidis Arsenal chief executive

 

"We would rather qualify for it but we have a really sustainable model that can cope. Not just cope, but we can do well and compete.
"It would be very foolish to build a business model that relied on being in the Champions League for perpetuity and I don't think any clubs do that and, if they do, then they probably aren't being run as responsibly as they should be."
Arsenal - who have been in the Champions League in each of the past 14 seasons - bought in £64m in transfer fees in the summer and spent £48.3m, with over half of that spent on transfer deadline day as Arsene Wenger boosted his squad with the signings of Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta.
Gazidis was also quick to add that the Gunners would be able to compete with Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs in terms of player wages.
"We don't have a salary ceiling, I don't know where that story comes from," said Gazidis, who was speaking at Leaders in Football.
"We have a very sophisticated business model that looks at what we need to do to compete today and what we need to do to compete next year and five years from now."

FA says goal-line technology will not be used next season

Incidents such as Frank Lampard's disallowed goal in the 2010 World Cup have added to the impetus for introducing goal-line technology

Football Association general secretary Alex Horne has confirmed that goal-line technology will not be used in the Premier League next season.

Horne said accuracy testing would not be complete in time for the 2012-13 campaign, with 2013-14 more realistic.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will not approve any technology until after the 2012 European Championships finals.
Horne said: "I think that'll be too late for 2012-13."
He continued: "I think it'll be 2013-14 because there's then a big capital decision-making process for any league or any competition who want to apply [the technology]."

 

Goal-line technology 'not ready' for next season

Horne said there were eight or nine systems competing for licences and that all of them could prove successful in technology trials, with individual governing bodies then deciding which of them - if any - to use.
"There's not going to be one technology for all of world football," he said.
"There's a phase of testing up until March 2012 that will establish whether technology can actually achieve reasonable accuracy - 90 per cent, 99 per cent, maybe 100 per cent.
"It's happening live in stadia all around Europe. They can simulate light, they can simulate dark, they can simulate balls rolling across the line, balls being fired in from all different angles."
Horne also confirmed that the technology would only be used to establish whether or not a goal had been scored and not for decisions such as offside.
"Those single points of scoring a goal are so vital and there are so few of them in a football match compared to tennis or cricket that that is where we need the technology," he said.
"If you start using technology to judge offsides, for example, then I think you've gone too far."

England's Danny Welbeck puts 'no limits' on his improvement

Euro 2012 Group G qualifier: Montenegro v England

• Venue: City Stadium, Podgorica
• Date: Friday, 7 October
• Kick-off: 2000 BST
• Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live and online; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles; watch live on Sky Sports 1

No 'club hatred' in England camp - Welbeck

Manchester United's Danny Welbeck insists he is putting "no limits" on his progress as he joined the England squad for their decisive Euro 2012 qualifier in Montenegro.

Welbeck has flourished after returning to Old Trafford from a loan spell at Sunderland last season, scoring five goals as United stand at the top of the Premier League table.
The 20-year-old striker is an outsider for selection in Podgorica, with England requiring a point from Friday's meeting with Montenegro to confirm their place in Poland and Ukraine next summer.
England coach Fabio Capello is, however, a confirmed admirer and Welbeck wants to build on the good impression he has created for club and country.
He said: "I just want to keep on improving because there is no limits. When I went on loan to Sunderland, just getting minutes in the Premier League and playing week in week out with the big boys was a really big step for me and I loved my time there."

Welbeck added: "You don't want to put a limit on anything. You don't want to be happy with where you're at. The main ones like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo score goals, break records and carry on breaking them. They don't want to stop.
"I just want to keep on improving. I'm only 20 years of age, so playing week in week out with these players at United and coming here to train with the best players in the nation is just a big buzz and I don't want to stop there.
"I'm confident in my own ability and once I get on the pitch I feel at home. I've always been brought up to play the game and not the occasion. At Manchester United they've always drilled that into us. You've got to win but win and enjoy yourself as well.
"That mentality about not getting over-awed by anything has just been drilled into me."
Welbeck looks to United team-mate Wayne Rooney, with him in the England squad, for guidance and also to Old Trafford's elder statesman Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs.

 
Welbeck has found the net five times this season for Manchester United 
 
He said: "Growing up I just always loved Ryan Giggs and fortunately I have had the chance to be playing with him. He's my role model but there are players you look at and you take positives from their game and try and put it into yours. I really loved watching Thierry Henry - although not against United.
"I didn't think I would play with Ryan Giggs but I was alongside him in attack against Basel last week and the way he's going he might still be playing when I've finished."
And Welbeck said: "Wayne Rooney is a great professional, good for giving advice on and off the pitch. He talks you through games and training as well. I'm pleased to be playing with any striker at United and I hope it's likewise.
"Michael Owen is good for giving advice as are all the professionals. I'm learning from the best. Michael terrorised the world stage with England at a young age and Wayne Rooney is one of the best footballer's in the world.
"They are so easy to talk to. I'm always watching them in training and how they act around the dressing room and in their circle."

Everton to take 'firm action' against fans who threw missiles

 

Missiles appeared to be hurled at Carroll as he celebrated his opening goal 

 

Everton have vowed to take "firm action" against any fan found guilty of throwing missiles at Liverpool players in Saturday's Merseyside derby.

Objects appeared to be thrown from the crowd at Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Luis Suarez in the second half.
"This behaviour is totally unacceptable and will be rightly condemned by all right-thinking Evertonians," said director of communications Ian Ross.
Everton are working with police to examine video footage of the match.
The Football Association are waiting for referee Martin Atkinson's official match report before deciding on what action they will take.

If we can identify any supporter who threw anything - and we mean anything - on to the pitch on Saturday we will take immediate firm and far-reaching action.

Ian Ross Everton director of communications

 

Everton had midfielder Jack Rodwell controversially sent off - a decision they have appealed against - before Liverpool won the 216th Merseyside derby 2-0 with goals from Andy Carroll and Suarez.
Items including plastic bottles and what is thought to have been a coin were hurled onto the pitch during the closing minutes of the game.
Mr Ross added: "We are fully aware of the incidents which occurred during Saturday's derby game.
"We are currently working with Merseyside Police on collating and analysing all available CCTV footage of the incidents.
"If we can identify any supporter who threw anything - and we mean anything - on to the pitch on Saturday we will take immediate firm and far-reaching action."

Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Newcastle

 
Ba made it four goals in two games for Newcastle 
 

Newcastle made it their best start to a season in 17 years with victory over Wolves at Molineux.

Demba Ba scored his fourth goal in two games when he headed in Yohan Cabaye's corner at the near post.
Argentine midfielder Jonas Gutierrez added a superb second when he surged past four challenges to fire in low.

Poor decisions cost us - McCarthy

Steven Fletcher headed in for Wolves late on, who were denied a penalty and what appeared to be a legitimate equaliser in stoppage time.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy will rightly be aggrieved by those two decisions.
The first was made by referee Mark Halsey who judged Steven Taylor's foul on Jamie O'Hara to have been outside the area when it was inside, and the second was made by the assistant referee who deemed Adam Hammill's cross to have gone behind before it was headed back for Kevin Doyle to net.
McCarthy will point to their bad luck but the statistics now show that Wolves have lost four league matches and have claimed one point from a possible 15 - so it may prove to be another difficult season for the Midlands side.
In contrast, the Newcastle juggernaut rolls on.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 10 PL games. The previous time they went 10 games unbeaten in the top flight was August 1997.

The Magpies are unbeaten and enjoying their best run since 1994, although few would have thought the class of 2011 would come close to emulating their ancestors.
Alan Pardew's current squad has been put together with a relatively low budget but the resolve and unity within the team is priceless.
Another surprise is that Newcastle have the meanest defence in all four leagues and they did their utmost to preserve the tag at Molineux.
Young Dutch keeper Tim Krul saw his value rocket up with a sensational display.
He dived low to stop O'Hara's free-kick from swinging in before twice saving from Doyle. But his Hollywood moment came in the second half when his double save denied Fletcher and Hammill.
For all of Newcastle's braveheart efforts, Wolves were also guilty of profligacy with Fletcher and Doyle wasting chances when in good positions.
The visitors attacking unit played their part too.

Newcastle were lucky admits Pardew

They looked pacy and powerful in attack and opened the scoring when Ba scored his fourth goal in two games when he headed in Cabaye's corner from the left.
Newcastle extended their advantage seven minutes before half-time when Gutierrez went on a mazy run before slotting in.
Minutes later Wolves were denied a penalty which could have brought them back into the game.
Fletcher did give his side hope with three minutes remaining when he scored from Hammill's cross, but another dubious decision denied them a deserved equaliser.
It was Hammill again who swung the ball to the far post which was nodded back by Matt Jarvis for Doyle to covert. The Wolves players ran away to celebrate only for the party to be halted by the assistant's flag.
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy:
"Bad decisions have cost us, but poor defending has cost us first and foremost.
"When you're having a tough time you need the right decisions to go your way. It doesn't help our cause does it?
"We were wasteful in front of goal and had enough chances in the second half to win the game."
On the decision not to award a penalty: "I spoke to Mark [referee Halsey] and he said he didn't want to guess. It didn't require a guess because it was in the area.
"I could just point fingers at everyone else but we conceded poor goals."
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew:
"We were lucky today. Wolves were very, very good and off the back of two home defeats they weren't going to give in.
"Perhaps deserved a point at the very least. In the first half we showed we had quality in this team and in the second half we showed we had the spirit to hang on.
"We've been better than that and controlled the game much better in other matches. Today we had good fortune and did play well at times."

Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool

 
Jubilant Liverpool players congratulate Andy Carroll (second right) after the opening goal 
 

Liverpool's £58m strikeforce of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scored the goals that settled the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park - but Everton were left complaining bitterly about Jack Rodwell's controversial early red card.

Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson - who has shown 15 red cards since the start of last season - after 23 minutes for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Suarez.
Everton had started well but were then forced to mount a rearguard action with 10 men following Rodwell's dismissal.
The hosts survived when goalkeeper Tim Howard saved Dirk Kuyt's penalty late in the first half after Phil Jagielka felled Suarez.

 

Rodwell red card was wrong - Moyes

But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.
And Suarez took advantage of a misunderstanding between Leighton Baines and Sylvain Distin to add a second with eight minutes left.
Everton boss David Moyes will be frustrated at the turn of events that halted his side's early momentum - but counterpart Kenny Dalglish will happily take victory on his return to Goodison Park as Liverpool manager, the place where his first spell in charge ended more than 20 years ago.
Tim Cahill was fit for Everton after suffering a shin injury at Manchester City last week - and his value was illustrated as he was swiftly into his stride and unsettling the Liverpool defence.
It was Suarez, however, who had the first chance. Jagielka's sliced clearance found Kuyt, but Suarez could only head his cross tamely into the arms of Howard.

Merseyside derby red cards

• 1 October 2011 - Jack Rodwell
• 6 February 2010 - Sotiros Kyrgiakos & Steven Pienaar
• 4 February 2009 - Lucas
• 27 September 2008 - Tim Cahill
• 20 October 2007 - Tony Hibbert & Phil Neville
• 25 March 2006 - Steven Gerrard & Andy van der Meyde
• 28 December 2005 - Phil Neville & Mikel Arteta
• 20 March 2005 - Milan Baros
• 19 April 2003 - David Weir & Gary Naysmith
• 16 April 2001 - Igor Biscan
• 29 October 2000 - Thomas Gravesen
• 27 September 1999 - Sander Westerveld, Francis Jeffers & Steven Gerrard

As a frenetic opening continued, Cahill - whose robust approach had already prompted Jamie Carragher to register his displeasure to Atkinson - rose above the Liverpool defence to force keeper Pepe Reina into an athletic tip over the top.
Everton defender Distin then demonstrated neat footwork to evade a succession of challenges inside the area before sending a rising, angled effort narrowly off target.
The game was engulfed in controversy when Rodwell appeared to win the ball cleanly in a midfield challenge with Suarez. The tackle drew an angry response from Liverpool's players- Lucas in particular as Suarez writhed in agony - but it was an obvious injustice when the England Under-21 midfielder was shown the red card.
As half-time approached with Everton desperate to get into the dressing room and regroup, Liverpool were awarded a penalty for Jagielka's rash challenge on Suarez. This time there was no disputing Atkinson's decision, but Howard rescued Everton by diving low to his left to keep out Kuyt's spot-kick.
At the end of a frantic first 45 minutes, there was still time for Charlie Adam to strike the bar from 20 yards before referee Atkinson departed to a deafening chorus of jeering from Everton's fans.

Dalglish didn't see Rodwell red card

Little had been seen of £35m man Carroll until just after the restart when he twice rose powerfully to meet corners, forcing Louis Saha to clear acrobatically off the line and Howard to save low at his post.
Saha had been in lively mood after he was restored to the side and gave Reina an anxious moment with a low effort from distance that flashed just wide.
It was the signal for Dalglish to contemplate changes and they came after 66 minutes when Adam and the subdued Stewart Downing were replaced by Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy.
Liverpool had hardly been placing Everton under relentless pressure, but they finally forced their way through with 20 minutes left. Bellamy played in Jose Enrique, and when Kuyt ducked under his cross Carroll forced home from eight yards.
Everton were, perhaps understandably, deflated at the setback and it was no surprise when Suarez added Liverpool's second after 82 minutes. Distin and Baines were involved in a mix-up as the Uruguayan advanced into the area, and he was not about to pass up the gift to shoot low past Howard.
The striker's celebrations in front of the Gwladys Street end were interrupted by a number of bottles being thrown on to the pitch but Liverpool remained in command to collect three points in comfort, with Kuyt striking the woodwork in the closing seconds.