Tag: england

[ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP] The clash of the round in the English League Cup was between two Welsh teams. Swansea City overcame southern Welsh rivals Cardiff for the first time in nine years. The hero, naturally, was a Spaniard. … Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey were among the Americans who saw action.

[TRANSFER TALK] American keepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan aren’t the only players headed to Aston Villa, owned by American Randy Lerner. According to his right-hand man, former U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Charles Krulak, Lerner is set to hand Villa manager Martin O’Neill $60 million for summer transfers in hopes of improving on Villa’s sixth-place finish last season and challenge the Premiership big four for a place in next year’s Champions League.

[ENGLAND] Paul Stretford, the agent of England star Wayne Rooney, has been banned for 18 months and fined $600,650 by England’s FA for how he became Rooney’s representative.

The best thing that can be said from an American perspective about the U.S. match against England at the new, improved Wembley Stadium Wednesday is that it’s over.

[IN THE SPOTLIGHT] Rio Ferdinand‘s kick in frustration at the door of a television interview room that accidentally hit a female security guard in the ankle and Frenchman Patrice Evra‘s exchange with a Stamford Bridge groundskeeper after Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Saturday epitomized a team on the verge of unraveling. They also rekindled United’s reputation for fiery outbursts.

[IN THE SPOTLIGHT] The short-term financial commitment of Liverpool’s co-owners, Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks, has been at the center of the debate that has torn the club apart in recent months. What is forgotten, of course, is that they did come up with $40 million to acquire Spaniard Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid — one of the best moves of the Rafael Benitez era at the Merseyside club.

[AMERICANS ABROARD] The chances that nine English Premier League Americans will be relegated increased over weekend as Fulham fell, 2-0, to Liverpool and Reading fell, 2-0, to Arsenal. Derby, which was doomed long ago, lost, 2-1, to West Ham. With three games left, Fulham, which has five Americans in its ranks, is second-to-last and five points from safety. Reading is one point above the drop zone with three games left.

[OFF THE POST] Liverpool mobster John Kinsella was sentenced to 14 years in prison in a trial in which his association with England and Liverpool star Steven Gerard was brought up. Kinsella, who is on the run, had intervened to prevent another gangster from harassing Gerrard. During the trial, the jury was read a letter from Gerard’s father explaining that Kinsella had protected the midfielder from another gangster, George "The Psycho" Bromley Junior

[VIDEO] Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 37 goals in all competitions this season, nutmegs Manchester United’s equipment manager.

[OFF THE POST] An under-15 team that won tickets to the Arsenal-Liverpool Champions League quarterfinal first-leg game last week was ejected from Emirates Stadium after they cheered Liverpool’s goal. The boys and their coaches were escorted out after being the victims of a torrent of abuse from Gunner supporters, according to the Skelmersdale Advertiser. “We were abused by grown men — men in suits,” said Ray Radford, the coach of the youth team, which was not allowed to reenter the stadium.

[AMERICANS ABROAD]Chances that Fulham — the English Premier League team with five Americans – might avoid relegation took another blow when it could muster only a 2-2 tie with the league’s worst team, Derby. The tie made Derby, which has two Americans in its ranks, the first team in the 16-year history of the Premier League to be relegated by March.

[REF WATCH] Recent incidents in the English Premier League have Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson saying, “The haranguing of referees is ridiculous, we know that” and Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the players’ union (PFA) suggesting an "exclusion zone" around referees.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Fulham fell, 2-0, to Newcastle, which hadn’t won in its last 13 EPL games. For Fulham, in second-to-last place and four points in the relegation zone, Kasey Keller started in goal, forward Brian McBride played the first 66 minutes before being replaced by Clint Dempsey, and Eddie Johnson went the full 90 upfront. There was better news for Reading.

Former England star Paul Gascoigne was released from a psychiatric health clinic after being held under the Mental Health Act since Feb. 20, when his antics included wandering around a hotel with three battery-operated plastic parrots that said “Give us a kiss” to other guests.

[OFF THE POST] Controversy has surrounded plans to erect a 12-foot tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the British city of Leicester after a “No Gandhi” campaign was launched by residents who prefer a statue of former England forward Gary Lineker. Now a TV soccer commentator, Lineker began his career at Leicester City, for which he scored 95 goals. Gandhi, who died in 1948, is known as the Father of the Nation of India and the world’s most famous pacifist.

[AMERICANS IN ENGLAND] Fulham’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United, combined with wins by fellow strugglers Reading and Birmingham, puts the American-laden Cottagers in increased relegation danger. Coach Roy Hodgson, who has five Americans in his squad, says Fulham will have to win at least five, of its last 10 games to avoid the drop – and “maybe even more than that.”

[AMERICANS IN ENGLAND] Reading, Fulham and Derby, which have a total of eight Americans in their rosters, occupy the three spots in the English Premier League’s relegation zone. The debut of striker Eddie Johnson on Saturday, when he replaced compatriot Clint Dempsey in the 76th minute, couldn’t prevent Fulham’s 1-0 loss to West Ham.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahemann may have given up 53 goals in 26 games – only last-place Derby has conceded more (55) – but the American also leads the English Premier League in saves. Compatriot Brad Friedel is the EPL’s third busiest keeper.

Former England star Paul Gascoigne was arrested and ordered into compulsory mental health custody after he refused to evacuate following a 3 a.m. fire alarm at the Gateshead Hilton Hotel. During his stay at the hotel, according to sources cited by the Telegraph, Gascoigne had wandered around with three battery-operated plastic parrots that said “Give us a kiss” to other guests; ordered plates of raw liver to his room; and answered his room door while naked.

[OFF THE POST] A Web site campaign launched less than a year ago has completed its takeover an English minor league club, which will be run by the 28,000 fans who paid $68 a share. The MyFC scheme, which limited fans to one share each, has culminated with the ownership of fifth tier club Ebbsfleet United. Via the Internet, the fan owners will “manage” the team by selecting the starting lineups for the club’s head coach.