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Nigeria still want Cole

Nigeria have still included West Ham’s Carlton Cole in the Nigeria squad even though he is ineligible to play.

Cole player for England at under-21 level and now being 24 is too old to change his nationality but the Nigerians have refused to give up yet.

“We have not completely ruled out Carlton Cole.

“His agents and the English FA are trying to help him secure a special Fifa clearance.”

“So we can only wait to see what happens but it’s no longer in our hands.”

Full Nigeria squad:

Goalkeepers: Greg Etafia (Moroka Swallows, South Africa), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei-Yehuda, Israel)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Obinna Nwaneri (Sion, Switzerland), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Yusuf Muhammed (Al Hilal, Sudan), Danny Shittu (Watford, England), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Daniel Ola (AC Cesena, Italy)

Midfielders: Christian Obodo (Udinese, Italy), Seyi Olofinjana (Stoke City, England), Lukman Haruna (AS Monaco, France), Yusuf Atanda Ayila (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine), Kalu Uche (Almeria, Spain)

Strikers: Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe, Spain), Nwankwo Kanu, John Utaka (both Portsmouth, England), Joseph Akpala (Club Brugge, Belgium), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, England), Carlton Cole (West Ham, England)

Kranjcar to miss England match

Croatia’s Niko Kranjcar took a hit in their last game against Slovenia and went into surgery for his ankle on Wednesday. He has not been listed for September’s qualifiers and is likely to miss October’s games as well. Slaven Bilic has reported that Kranjcar will be on crutches for at least six weeks and he should be back in full training after about two or three months. Bilic said, “There is no need to say how Kranjcar is important, how much he means for Croatia’s squad. His absence is a big handicap for us.” However, with his absence, it will give others a chance to play and we will see more of those who we did not see as much of in the Euro2008. Bilic has named 22 names for their qualifying campaign; here is the lineup:

Goal: Stipe Pletikosa and Vedran Runje

Defense: Vedran Corluka, Dario Simic, Robert Kovac, Josip Simunic, Danijel Pranjic, Hrvoje Vejic, Dario Knezevic, and Ivica Krizanac

Midfield: Darijo Srna, Niko Kovac, Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Jerko Leko, Ognjen Vukojevic, and Nikola Pokrivac

Forward: Mladen Petric, Ivica Olic, Ivan Klasnic, Nikola Kalinic, and Mario Mandzukic

Bilic has also stated to the fans, “not to underestimate Kazakhstan,” and England, this time around, will be looking for a victory after falling twice to Croatia in the Euro qualifying; but whatever the qualifiers bring, this Croatian squad will pull through.

Jill Guthrie         

Hargreaves to miss England qualifiers

Owen Hargreaves has joined Steven Gerrard on the sidelines and will miss the opening World Cup qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

Hargreaves had hoped to be fit for Manchester United’s defeat to Zenit St Peterssburgs for the Super Cup game but failed to make it with tendinitis in his knee and looks set to be out for a while yet.

Ferguson talking about the England games said : “Owen will not be ready as he needs recovery time,”

Capello had signalled that Hargreaves could play a key role in the games against Andorra and Croatia after a lacklustre performance against Czech Republic by his England team.

Ferguson though does not feel his player is fit enough for international football yet.

“Anyone could play against Andorra. But Croatia is different - you need players who are 100%,” he said.

“We sent Owen to the right specialist and he had the right treatment, so it is just a matter of him getting on with it now.

“It has not been easy for him. Having tendinitis can be irritating for a player.

“But he has trained for 10 days and it is now important to give him some minutes on the pitch.

“I think it (the England games) will be too early for him. He is not ready for that.”

Maloney back for qualifiers

Following Shaun Maloney’s return to Celtic Scotland manager George Burly has decided to include him ion the squad for the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Iceland.

Maloney who made his return for Celtic against Falkirk at the weekend performed well and looks set to earn a place in the team for this weeks old firm game at Parkhead.

Gerrard out of World Cup Qualifiers

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard is going to miss the opening games of England’s 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a groin Injury.

Gerrard will have to undergo surgery on his groin which will mean that he will miss 10-15 days of football.

England’s first game is against Andorra for which they should be strong enough to cope without Gerard however the game against Croatia only 4 days later will be the big test for them.

Gerrard has been one of only a few England players to consistently perform in recent games however this will give an opportunity for some of England’s other players to shine.  

NI Squad Announced For September Qualifier

Manager Nigel Worthington has today announced his 22 man squad for the start of his side’s World Cup qualifying campaign against Slovakia away on September 6th followed by Czech Republic on September 10th. 
 
 He has opted for mostly the same group of players he called up for the recent friendly against Scotland, however he has continued in his search for new talent, calling up Partick Thistle and Northern Ireland Under 21 goalkeeper Jonathan Tuffey, as cover for 1st choice Maik Taylor and Linfield’s Alan Mannus. The squad is also strengthened due to the return from injury of defenders George McCartney and Aaron Hughes, veteran midfielder Keith Gillespie and strikers Kyle Lafferty and Peter Thompson.
 
  It would also seem Worthington found the Scotland friendly a useful exercise to test younger members of the team, as Manchester City’s left back Ryan McGivern and Crewe Alexandra’s midfielder Michael O’Connor have done enough to earn a recall for the serious business of the vital first two qualifiers. McGivern, although unfortunately sent off in his senior debut for two yellow card offences, showed good composure and distribution, and has made a good impression on the manager in the 60 minutes he had on the field. Michael O’Connor, having earned his first cap against Georgia at Windsor Park in March, put in another solid display at Hampden Park against the Scots, showing enough quality to keep a place in the squad.
 
  This is squad is again light in midfield however, low in numbers as Worthington has again overlooked midfielder Stuart Elliot and the pace of Ivan Sproule, and Birmingham City captain Damien Johnson has again suffered a bad stroke of luck in his series of injuries with a recurrence of a back problem, requiring surgery, keeping him out of action for no less than two months. Worthington however managed with only 16 players against Scotland with five pull outs due to injury, and the side still put on a solid display. The only area for worry in the squad perhaps would be the midfield, where Johnson’s experience in particular will be missed. Only two substitutes have been named in midfield, and there may well be more injuries before the first game. This will not worry the manager though as there is enough talent in the squad to manage, and despite lack of experience Michael O’Connor and Dean Shiels will step up and fill in if and when they are needed.
 
  Despite absentees in midfield, elsewhere there are few shocks as most of the squad that almost took Northern Ireland to Euro 2008 remains. A strong defence and striking outfit has been named with plenty of cover for potential injuries, including McGivern as mentioned earlier, and also forward Martin Paterson who showed pace and attacking instinct in is first start for Northern Ireland in the recent friendly against Scotland.
 
  Northern Ireland mainly need to improve their form away from home, a well known fact among the players and the manager also, so this first qualifier is crucial in the eventual outcome of this campaign. Losing to Iceland in the first game of the last campaign was a disastrous start, and the two away losses to Iceland once again and Latvia in September 2007 all but ended our qualifying hopes. This is a battling Northern Ireland team, who have hopefully learnt from last years failure, and who will come back stronger than before this time out. The home form will take care of itself with the ”green and white army” behind them, and if the away results improve after a confidence boosting performance in Scotland, then there is no reason why we can’t reach our first major tournament since the World Cup in 1986.
 
Squad in full
 
Goalkeepers: Maik Taylor (Birmingham), Alan Mannus (Linfield), Jonathan Tuffey (Partick Thistle).
 
Defenders: Chris Baird, Aaron Hughes (both Fulham), Stephen Craigan (Motherwell), Michael Duff (Burnley), Ryan McGivern (Manchester City), George McCartney (West Ham), Jonathan Evans (Manchester United), Gareth McCauley (Ipswich Town).
 
Midfielders: Steven Davis (Rangers), Michael O’Connor (Crewe Alexandra), Sammy Cingan (Norwich City), Chris Brunt (West Bromwich Albion), Dean Shiels (Hibernian), Keith Gillespie (Sheffield United).
 
Strikers: David Healy (Sunderland), Warren Feeney (Cardiff- on loan to Dundee United), Kyle Lafferty (Rangers), Peter Thompson (Stockport County), Martin Paterson (Burnley).

Domenech denies point’s ultimatum

Domenech has denied claims that his bosses have demanded at least 5 points from Frances first three qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup.

“If I had thought like that in 2004, I would have left after two matches,”

“Qualifying is the main thing.”

“I don’t want five points, I want nine points from three matches. The idea is to have the maximum.”

Domenech has been under intense pressure after the dismal performance of the French team at this year’s Euro tournament. Domenech survived a vote of confidence by the narrowest of margins but the French Football Federation have made it clear that they will not accept and more slip-ups.

When Domenech was asked about if he had been given a  point’s ultimatum he said: “Not at all. This is the first I’ve heard about it. Nobody has said to me: ‘You can start again but you will have a knife under your throat.’

Talking about Viera he said : “He wants to be part of the team and to go with us to South Africa,”

“I want him with us, but I want the real Patrick Vieira, the one I know, not a weak and injured player.”

“I told him: ‘Forget about dates and don’t fix objectives, it is your body that will tell you if you are in a good shape or not.’”

Domenech has also not ruled out bringing Makelele back into the squad even though the player yet again retired from International football after Euro 2008.

“The French shirt is important and he knows it. He knows what I’m looking for and he is still open. He says: ‘At my age I don’t have the power’, but he is still happy when I call him.”

Hargreaves nears return

Owen Hargreaves hopes to be fit to help England I the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup that take place against Andorra and Croatia in September.

The Manchester United midfielder has been out injured with tendinitis but is hoping to make an appearance against Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Super Cup.

“Maybe I will be fit for England, but Manchester United come first,” he said.

“Monaco is a possibility,” talking about the match against Zenit.

The last appearance that Hargreaves made for England was against the USA back in May.

“I have felt it the tendinitis for the past 16 months, but hopefully I will be back playing in a week or two.”

“Physically I demand a lot of myself. I wish it wasn’t the case but I just have to cope with it.

“Obviously I am trying to get better - I do a bit more every day.

“Last season I was fit towards the end. That is the reason the boss brought me here.

“Obviously there is a big season ahead for Manchester United and England and I want to be fit and available.”

The 2010 World Cup Qualifying campaign starts for England on the 6th of September facing the Andorrans and there is a tough game against Croatia only 4 days later. Hargreaves is very much in the mind of the England boss especially after the poor performances recently.

“I think there is Hargreaves,” said Capello, looking ahead to the challenge posed by Croatia. “I’ve said before, we suffered on the counter-attack when other teams play a 9-1 formation. If you score a goal it changes completely.

“I noted a lot of things against Czech Republic, the good things and the bad things. It is important for me because the four games we played before, the level of teams were not like this.”

No U-Turn for Scholes

Paul Scholes has once again iterated he will not be returning to the International set up to help lead England to the 2010 World cup.

The Manchester United midfielder retired from International football 4 years ago after a disappointing 2-2 draw at Wembley against the Czechs and has continually refused to return to the England team even under previous boss McClaren.

“When Steve McClaren was appointed he rang me and asked me to return. He also came down to training and asked if I fancied it,” Scholes told the Manchester Evening News.

“That meant a lot to me, but I don’t think I was ever that close that I would have said yes.”

When asked if he would turn down an approach from Capello, Scholes said, “Yes. It wasn’t about thinking it was too much or I wasn’t capable - it was just that when I was playing I was not enjoying it one little bit.”

Scholes has continued to play a vital role in Man Utd’s midfield and has won 2 consecutive league titles since hanging up his England shirt and insists he still has plenty of hunger at club level.

“I am 34 in November and hope to still be playing when I am 35.

“Anything after that will be a bonus. As long as I still feel I am contributing to United, I will carry on.”

New Northern Ireland home shirt

The new Northern Ireland home kit has been revealed in full following a teaser released several weeks ago. Captain Aaron Hughes models the new kit, complete with traditional green shirt with white trim, white shorts with green trim and mainly green socks with white turn downs.
 
The new kit is set to be launched officially on September 5th, in time for the national team to wear it in the opening World Cup qualifiers on September 6th and September 10th away to Slovakia and home to the Czech Republic. This will remain the current kit until 2010, lasting the full qualifying campaign.
 
The shirt is available to pre-order from the IFA or JJB website for delivery on 4th September, however it will be on general sale from Friday 5th September at www.uksoccershop.com

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