Gerrard makes Hillsborough plea

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has called for Uefa to make sure the club do not have to play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.
The second leg of the Champions League quarter-final could fall on 15 April, the 20th anniversary of a disaster in which 96 people died.
"You would think they would accept the significance but feelings don't always come into it," Gerrard said.
Liverpool have requested that Uefa let their tie be staged on April 14.
The Premier League side thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at Anfield on Tuesday to reach the last eight but, with the draw for the next round taking place on Friday, UEFA have yet to confirm whether Liverpool will have to play on the day.

"We hope that UEFA show some common sense," Gerrard added on the club's website

The disaster happened shortly before Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest when Liverpool fans packed in behind a goal at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground were crushed to death.
The midfielder said the club should not be expected to play on the anniversary of the day when so many of their supporters died.
"We're still waiting to see whether UEFA will make us play on the day. That would be far from ideal given all the emotion that always surrounds the club on that day.
Gerrard grew up in Liverpool and lost a cousin in the disaster.
"It should be a time that Liverpool Football Club remembers the people who were lost and their families," said Gerrard.
"Hillsborough is always on my mind because I lost a member of my family there and any success we get as a club this year will be dedicated to those people who lost their lives."

Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn

Andrey Arshavin scored a superb solo goal to open his Arsenal account as Blackburn were completely outclassed.

Andrey Arshavin scored a superb goal in second half
The Russian was involved in the opening goal when he pressured Andre Ooijer into putting through his own net.
Samir Nasri's free-kick hit the bar and Arsenal missed a host of chances before Arshavin made it 2-0 when he dummied Danny Simpson and smashed the ball in.
Substitute Emmanuel Eboue then scored two late goals, first tapping in a rebound and then converting a penalty.
Arsenal had failed to score in their last three Premier League games at The Emirates, but it took them only 75 seconds against Rovers to end that barren run.
Nicklas Bendtner's pass released Theo Walcott down the right wing and his cross was bundled in by Ooijer under pressure from Arshavin.
We could have scored many more - Wenger
It was a signal of Arsenal's intent, and thanks to Walcott - making his first league appearance for four months - they were rampant down the right.
The England winger should, perhaps, have had a penalty when he appeared to be brought down by Stephen Warnock.
Fighting for their top-flight survival, Rovers were struggling to stem the tide and a frustrated El-Hadji Diouf was lucky to be shown only a yellow card after jumping into a challenge on Manuel Almunia.
Yet for all Arsenal's dominance a second goal was elusive - Nasri's 25-yard free-kick that smashed against the bar was the closest they came in the first half.
Rovers' only threat seemed to be physical as Aaron Mokoena and Zurab Khizanishivili were cautioned and Diouf continued his spat with Almunia.
The visitors' only effort at goal in those opening 45 minutes was a Morten Gamst Pedersen header that Almunia clawed away for a corner.

After the interval, Arsenal should have run up a cricket score as they totally outplayed their opponents, but their finishing too often failed to match their approach play.

Walcott dragged a shot wide after being played in by Bendtner, who was guilty of a glaring miss moments later when only 10 yards out.
Paul Robinson did well to save Walcott's acrobatic volley before Bendtner headed wide and then shot tamely after a superb Arsenal move.
In between those chances Rovers took off Warnock, who had been given a torrid time by Walcott, and brought on Martin Olsson.
But the chances kept on coming - and falling to Bendtner, who will not look back on this match as one of his best.
The Dane missed a one-on-one with Robinson and, just before being substituted, blazed over from another superb position.
It was the right result - Allardyce
Just before Bendtner departed Arsenal finally manage to extend their lead.
The outstanding Arshavin showed superb control when he left Simpson for dead with some nimble footwork and then lashed the ball past Robinson at his near post.
The Russian was denied a second goal soon after when Robinson beat away his volley, but Eboue was on hand to tuck away the loose ball.
Eboue, who only arrived on the pitch with seven minutes to go, completed the scoring when he confidently stroked home from the penalty spot after fellow substitute Carlos Vela had been upended by Olsson.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger:"Arshavin has lots of talent - his intelligence, vision and finishing are top quality.
"We were convincing and this team goes from strength to strength. We could have scored many more goals today.
"It was a spirited performance with good cohesion - that enhances every game and it is good to see."

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce:"We talked about containing Arsenal to begin with but we started so slowly and we quickly went 1-0 down.
"It was the right result. We weren't good enough at the end of the day.
"We would have got out of jail if we had got a point today because Arsenal missed a lot of chances as well as the four goals they scored."

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Clichy, Walcott (Diaby 79), Song Billong, Denilson, Arshavin, Nasri (Eboue 83), Bendtner (Vela 79). Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Gallas, Van Persie, Gibbs.
Goals: Arshavin 2, 65, Eboue 87, 90 pen.

Blackburn: Robinson, Simpson, Samba, Ooijer, Givet (Dunn 13), Diouf, Mokoena, Khizanishvili (McCarthy 66), Warnock (Olsson 55), Pedersen, Roberts. Subs Not Used: Bunn, Kerimoglu, Andrews, Treacy.

Booked: Diouf, Mokoena, Khizanishvili, Ooijer.

Att: 60,091

Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

new adidas predators

As promised on Footy Boots earlier, another sneak preview of the new Adidas football boots for Euro 2008. We’ve already released details of the new Predator Power Swerve, and here’s what the new adiPure looks like ahead of the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
The new football boot is made from 100% K-leather which moulds to the shape of your feet, making it one of the most comfortable boots on the market and it incorporates proven adidas technologies such as Traxion outsoles and an adiprene sockliner.
The football boot meets the demands of many football fans who have grown up with adidas’ football heritage, but now require a football boot which gives them the best advantage on the pitch.
Pure Technology explained:
New Last Offers a fantastic performance fitMaterial 100% K-leather for glove like fit and offering excellent feel for the ballLightweight and breathable3 Stripes Stitched in and embedded for a pure, handcrafted feelSockliner Premolded sockliner with adiprene� insert for additional comfort Outsoles New full plate outsoles offering Traxion� technologyHeel lining Brown synthetic leather

new nike vapour

Turn up to any top flight football match these days and there’s more coloured football boots on show than at Milan fashion week or the World Ice Dancing Championships.
Brown Football Boots
Since Ronaldo ran out at the 1998 World Cup finals in his yellow Nike creations, brightly coloured football boots have become the norm. Indeed, it’s now a rarity these days to see a player turning out in plain football boots anymore.
But at Euro 2008, the players contracted to Nike, with the exception of Cristiano Ronaldo, are going to change all that as they wear special edition Nike football boots created in close accordance to the tournament’s location.
The collection is inspired by the host countries of the 2008 European Championships (Austria & Switzerland) and the style of football boots seen on-field during the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.
The Mercurial Vapor, the T90 Laser and Tiempo will all incorporate clean and technical outsole plates in a vivid blue, contrasted with vintage soft & crafted chocolate brown leather. Each football boot has a different tonal laser graphic on the heel to represent the location of this summer’s tournament and it is also screened in the sockliner.
The new look football boots will be show cased, amongst others, by Franck Ribery in his Nike Mercurial Vapor IV’s, Gennaro Gattuso, Fernando Torres and Florent Malouda in the Nike T90 Laser II football boots and Cesc Fabregas, Ruud Van Nistlerooy and Andrea Pirlo who all wear the Nike Tiempo.
The Nike Mercurial Vapor IV football boot which is built for optimum speed and acceleration to allow players to skip past the opposition. This football boot has continued to be the football boot of choice by the winner of the Golden Boot Award in the English Premier League for the past six seasons.
The Nike T90 Laser II football boot provides increased power and accuracy through the application of innovative shotshield technology on the front of the foot. Shotshield technology gives cleaner ball contact and superior control to allow the athletes to place the ball more accurately. An integrated offset lacing system offers an increased boot-to-ball contact surface, minimizing uneven ball strike and allowing greater ball control, accuracy and swerve.
Nike Tiempo gives the wearer ultimate touch in their game. The fold-over tongue on this boot provides a smoother ball-striking surface. Textured studs provide the playmaker with a 360 degree grip for optimal traction and pressure dispersion and the forefoot flex groove enhances flexibility for a more natural and efficient range of motion. The re-engineered heel features Zoom Air technology to give the player ultra responsive cushioning for protection and comfort.

Top 20 Young Footballers to Watch - 2008

Like most English tabloids, The Sun is mostly full of gossip, nonsense and hastily assembled headlines. But every once in a while they do something decent, like compiling a list of 20 young players to watch in 2008 (list after the jump.) It’s a little bit Euro-centric, but there’s still plenty of talent to get excited about. The two players I’m most looking forward to seeing are Alexandre Pato (pictured playing for Internacional) and Bojan Krkić. Pato signed for Milan in August 2007, but “The Duck” has to wait until January 2008 to be officially old enough to register with Serie A and show the world his skills. Krkić is the Serbian/Catalan striker who’s already shown flashes of brilliance for Barcelona, and will hopefully show us more in the second half of the season.

Complete list in alphabetical order after the jump.

Sergio Agüero (Argentina, Atletico Madrid) 19 year old attacking midfielder/striker
Ever Banega (Argentina, Boca Juniors) 19 year old holding midfielder
Karim Benzema (France, Lyon) 20 year old striker
Breno(Brazil, Bayern Munich) 18 year old defender joining Bayern in January
Macauley Chrisantus (Nigeria, Hamburg) 17 year old striker
Denilson (Brazil, Arsenal) 19 year old midfielder
Lorenzo De Silvestri (Italy, Lazio) 19 year old fullback/wingback
Franco Di Santo (Argentina, Chelsea) 18 year old striker joining Chelsea in January
Giovani Dos Santos (Mexico, Barcelona) 18 year old attacking mid/striker in the Ronaldinho mould
Stevan Jovetic (Montenegro, Partizan Belgrade) 18 year old striker attracting interest from Manchester United
Bojan Krkić (Spain, Barcelona) 17 year old wonderkid striker who’s been likened to Johan Cruyff. No pressure Bojan!
Toni Kroos (German, Bayern Munich) 17 year old midfielder already playing in the Bundesliga
Lucas Leiva (Brazil, Liverpool) 20 year old box to box midfielder
Lulinha (Brazil, Corinthians) 17 year old creative midfielder
Alexandre Pato (Brazil, Milan) 18 year old striker who’s been with Milan since the summer, but can finally play in 2008
Gerard Piqué (Spain, Manchester United) 20 year old defender
Ivan Rakitić (Croatia, Schalke 04) 19 year old midfielder
Adel Taarabt (France, Tottenham Hotspur) 18 year old left footed midfielder, currently injured
Carlos Vela (Mexico, Arsenal) 18 year old striker who will return to England in January after a loan spell in La Liga
Theo Walcott (England, Arsenal) 18 year old striker/winger who famously went to the World Cup despite never playing in the Premier League.

Rovers must take a chance on Ince

So Sven got the axe and Mark Hughes took over at Manchester City, ‘Big Phil’ Scolari will be the man charged with taking Chelsea on to glory, which leaves Blackburn next in line for the big unveiling.
Chairman John Williams is set to put the Rovers’ faithful out of their misery in the very near future, but his short-list appears to be making grim reading for the majority of them.
Fans’ favourite Alan Shearer has ruled himself out of the running no doubt because the BBC Match of the Day sofa feels a lot more comfortable than the Ewood Park dug-out (That’s why Hughes always stood through games!)
That has now left the media with three names thought to be absolute certainties.
Big Sam Allardyce, Steve McClaren and Paul Ince.
Looking at the merits of each of them, then McClaren would be the obvious choice. He guided Middlesbrough to their first trophy win with the 2004 Carling Cup, turned them into an established Premier League side and masterminded an historic run to the UEFA Cup final in 2006 which saw him rewarded with the England manager’s job.
There is no need to discuss his record with the Three Lions, but it would appear he can do the business in the bread and butter of club management. However that would only be scratching the surface because, being a Boro fan who is appreciative of McClaren’s efforts at the Riverside, I have to say the brand of football served up was pure boredom for most of the five years.
Anyone who watches Boro games and wonders why there are swathes of empty seats, well I have the answer! Mr McClaren turned thousands of fans away with his ‘must not lose’ approach to games as opposed to a ‘must win’ attitude we wanted to see.
We warned the rest of the country that the FA were making a mistake hiring the brolly carrier but it fell on deaf ears and we all know what happened. Mind you we were just glad to get shot of him, despite it being too late to entice a fair number of supporters to return.
I would tell Rovers chief John Williams to forget him and while he is at it not to bother with Allardyce.
Big Sam did wonders with Bolton in getting them to the Premier League, keeping them there and turning them into a side which qualified for European football on two occasions. However the brand of football did not do him any favours with the rest of the country who watched their teams battered off the park by the Trotters.
Allardyce got his crack at a big club with Newcastle but failed to get the Geordies on side with his style of play and I do not think Rovers fans would warm to that kind of approach given they like their passing game as much as the Toon Army.
Football betting punters will probably put their money on one of those two to get the nod, but if I was on the Rovers’ board, I would stick my neck out and give Ince the job!
A former Manchester United team-mate of Hughes, Ince also appears to have picked up the hang of this management game like a duck to water!
He was given his chance by Macclesfield and turned them from a pub team plummeting towards the Blue Square Premier League, into a side which would have been capable of securing a League Two play-off place had he stuck around long enough.
MK Dons moved to take Ince last summer and he stepped up to the plate again by delivering the League Two title in the past season with a style of play clearly picked up from his old mentor at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ince looks like he has got the experience and temperament to deal with players on any level and I would not mind a football bet that he would be a big success at Ewood Park. It is now over to Rovers to forget the safe option and go for a gamble, albeit a very slight one in my opinion!

Aaron ramsey too much too young?

Aaron Ramsey has been described as the best player to come out of Wales since the legendary Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, but is he really ready to make the step up to the Premier League and does he really warrant the current scramble for his signature amongst some of the top flight’s big guns?


There is no doubt that the 17-year-old Cardiff City midfielder has great potential with Wales’ youth guru Brian Flynn describing him as ‘sensational’.
He added: “He has everything - temperament, attitude, ability and work-ethic - to be a top Premier League and international player for the next 15 years.”
However let’s look at the facts about Ramsey or ‘Rambo’ as his Cardiff team-mates have nicknamed him. Just 22 appearances for the Bluebirds and two goals with no Wales caps, despite his recent call-up from the Under-21s to the senior squad by head coach John Toshack.
Despite that Manchester United, Arsenal and now Everton have all dived in with £5million bids to Cardiff for Ramsey’s services this summer. United look hot favourites to take him to Old Trafford, but will this make or break the lad’s career in the game?


Toshack has already issued a stern warning to Ramsey that he will not be considered for the Wales squad unless he is playing regular first-team football. He also highlighted the likes of fellow Welsh starlets David Cotterill, Lewin Nyatanga and Chris Gunter who have all gone into Premier League clubs very young with Wigan, Derby and Tottenham respectively, and have barely featured thus hampering their international aspirations.
Manchester United have reportedly stressed that Ramsey would be immediately loaned back to Cardiff if he joined them in order to continue his development in the first team at the Championship outfit. This begs the question, what is the point in him moving on?
Goalkeeper Ben Foster is a great example of a player, who joined United as a youngster from Stoke, was then loaned out for two seasons with Watford, returned to Old Trafford and is still third in the pecking order - albeit a serious knee injury has played a part in his situation this past season.
However United could argue that if Ramsey stays at Cardiff and develops into the brilliant player everyone believes he will, then the price tag will increase accordingly and so will the competition for his signature.


On the whole I feel to combat these problems the top sides should start agreeing water-tight contracts with clubs in which they would get first refusal on a highly-rated young player in the future for a set fee. That would leave the player free to focus on developing his game in the lower leagues, stay in the plans of the national team coach and reduce the pressure on his young shoulders as opposed to sitting on the bench at a massive club with four players ahead of him in the pecking order.
The odds are that Ramsey will take the risk and move on this summer as the lure of being part of a big club will no doubt be too great to spurn. However let us hope the step up does not become as difficult as it has for many before him!