NEWS IN BRIEF - 11th OCT 2011

News in Brief - Tues 11th Oct

A review of the news from around the grounds of each Barclays Premier League club.

ARSENAL

 Wojciech Szczesny says that surpassing his Dad's number of international appearances will be a "big success" for him. Szczesny's father Maicej won seven caps between the posts for Poland before his international career ended in 1996. Szczesny junior is currently on six after making his debut for the national side in November 2009 and he should reach seven when Poland face Italy in a friendly next month. The Arsenal keeper is well on course to eclipse his father next year and admits that it would be a dream come true for him. "It will be a big success," he said. "As a kid I always dreamed about achieving the same things as my Dad did but it doesn't mean that my career stops then. Leo Beenhakker, a famous coach who used to be in charge of the national team, told me that when you stop believing you are good that's when your career stops. Even though I will surpass my Dad I am going to keep working hard and get as many caps as I can for Poland.

ASTON VILLA

 Assistant manager Peter Grant has urged players like Andreas Weimann and Nathan Delfouneso to keep impressing in training - to give boss Alex McLeish no choice but to pick them. Grant insists that work done Monday through to Friday is essential to the claret and blue coaching staff. He says players who impress during the week before a match get picked - with boss McLeish having no favourites when it comes to selection. He was adamant that McLeish is only interested in getting good results for Villa and not picking big names to keep them sweet. He said: "Andreas came on against Wigan because he deserved to. One of the reasons we put him out on loan for a month was because in pre-season training we thought he was excellent. We brought him back with the proviso that he would be involved with us and he's thoroughly deserved that. Nathan has been fantastic too. What we tell the players is every day they have to produce the goods and not just on a Saturday. They need to show it in training and train exceptionally well because that is what we are watching all of the time."  

BLACKBURN ROVERS

 David Dunn insists that the squad remain fully behind Steve Kean and has backed the under-fire boss to lead the club out of danger. He said: "It is very difficult for the players to see what we saw on Saturday (the fan protest) towards him because we know how hard he works. We know how hard he works at the training ground, together with all the staff. We need to be a little bit patient and I'm sure that things will turn around."

BOLTON WANDERERS

 Owen Coyle believes a local derby against Wigan Athletic this weekend is the ideal occasion to shake his side from their current malaise. "You'd like to think any game would be the perfect one to shake things up, but because it's a derby, there is that little bit of extra spice and everything that goes with it," he said. "The players know what is expected of them. We haven't sat around and felt sorry for ourselves because that doesn't do anyone any good at all. We've got to go out and win football matches, it's as simple as that."   

CHELSEA

 The Football Association have recognised Chelsea for having the best disciplinary record during the 2010/11 season. The game's governing body have given the club's foundation a cheque for £30,000.  

EVERTON

 Seamus Coleman admits he would play anywhere in order to help Ireland in their final Euro 2012 qualifying match. Giovanni Trapattoni's men face Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday knowing a point will be enough to seal second place in Group B and a play-off berth. The Everton man was omitted from Trapattoni's final 18-man squad for Friday night's 2-0 victory in Andorra. However, his chances of figuring against Armenia have been boosted because Stephen Ward is suspended and Kevin Kilbane injured. The missing duo leaves the Irish boss with a shortage of full-back options. And whilst Coleman has largely been utilised as a wide midfielder since breaking into the Everton senior squad, full-back is the position in which he began his career with Sligo Rovers. If selected it would be the perfect way in which to celebrate his 23rd birthday which falls on the same day as the match. "Wherever he (Trapattoni) needs me, I would be more than happy to play," Coleman admitted.

FULHAM

 Bjorn Helge Riise would be happy to extend his loan spell at Portsmouth. The Fulham midfielder has played two matches for Pompey since he moved to Fratton Park last month on a temporary deal which will expire in early November. He told the club's official website: "Hopefully I can play my part while I'm here. I want to do as well as possible during my time at Pompey and help the club climb the table. I want to play as many games as I can while I'm here. The only way I'm going to do that is by offering something on the pitch. If I can do that then hopefully I can stay at Pompey for longer, because I'm enjoying my time here."   

LIVERPOOL

 Goalkeeper Pepe Reina has been impressed by Charlie Adam since his summer arrival from Blackpool. He said: "It's a case of so far, so good for Charlie at Liverpool. The team is improving all the time and Charlie is also getting better. I probably analysed him more than most before he signed because I knew how dangerous he is at free-kicks. He also has great deliveries. Charlie is a great player to have in the squad and he can become very important for us. Playing for Liverpool isn't easy but Charlie is prepared for it. He has been at Rangers and has Champions League experience. He was also Blackpool captain and that means he can handle responsibility."

MANCHESTER CITY

 Corinthians director of football Edu has confirmed the club are still interested in signing Carlos Tevez. The former Arsenal midfielder was quoted last week suggesting the controversial Manchester City forward was no longer in their thinking. But Edu has confirmed they are very much still interested in luring their former star back to Brazil. Corinthians tried and failed to sign Tevez in August, something Edu blamed on their transfer window shutting before the European one. "It was quite difficult to sign him because at the time it was shortly before our transfer window," explained Edu, who said he would hold talks about Tevez. "Now we are here [in England] and we will talk and see what the situation is and we will look to sign him in the summer. I will talk to the president - we offered 40million euros and now the money we had we have spent some of as that is football. We want to see how Tevez is and what his situation is, we will see if we can do a deal - he is very famous in Brazil and everyone loves him, and the fans want him."    

MANCHESTER UNITED

 Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson blocked Stuart Pearce's plans to recall Danny Welbeck to the England Under-21s scene. Pearce was down to one fit striker after Nathan Delfouneso and Martyn Waghorn picked up injuries in Thursday's European Championship qualifier in Iceland - and pondered turning to Welbeck for Monday's match in Norway. However, Pearce revealed a chat with Ferguson ended those plans. The England Under-21s manager said: "I spoke to Sir Alex straight after the (Iceland) game. He had concerns about Danny travelling back from Montenegro (with England's senior side) and then getting on a plane to Oslo. I quite understood that but I had to make the call because I've only got one striker in the squad. I had a decent chat with him and moved on from there. I quite understand his position."   

NEWCASTLE UNITED

 France coach Laurent Blanc was aggrieved at the treatment handed out to Yohan Cabaye after he sustained an ankle injury against Albania on Friday. Blanc said: "He took a heavy blow on his ankle. Our Albanian friends shook us up well."  

NORWICH CITY

 Striker Steve Morison is looking forward to this weekend's match against Swansea City. "If you asked the lads, you would want to play again tomorrow - we want to get back to playing as soon as possible," he said. "We've got a great game at home against Swansea - a game we really are going to be looking forward to. I think people are going to stand up and take notice of Norwich a little bit now, and think they are no mugs and they are here to stay. You want the games to come thick and fast, that's what we love and what we are used to a little bit in the Championship. They're getting on to playing twice as many games as we have. But it's a really enjoyable experience so far and we're really looking forward to the next game. Swansea, it's a Premier League fixture now and not a Championship one, and I think it's a game both teams need to win, and if we keep playing like that we've got a chance."   

QUEENS PARK RANGERS

 QPR are yet to win in W12 this season but defender Luke Young has been buoyed by two solid performances against Newcastle United and Aston Villa, which saw Rangers draw both matches when their displays were worthy of more. "Hopefully we can bounce back this weekend," said Young. "At home we have been playing good football without getting the wins. We've picked up a couple of draws but I felt that - particularly in the first halves - we really took it to our opposition. We will be playing the same way this weekend and if Blackburn come at us, it may help us to get in behind them."  

STOKE CITY

 While Tony Pulis says the Barclays Premier League must remain Stoke's priority, he is adamant he won't compromise their chances in the Europa League, FA Cup or Carling Cup. He said: "We are really pleased with how we have started, especially as we have had a spell of playing matches every three days. The other thing to remember is every one of those games have been big matches ... we got Tottenham in the Carling Cup and now we've got Liverpool in the next round. Some clubs in the Premier League have only played half the games we have. But I want to try to be as competitive as I can in the cup competitions. The Premier League is the most important thing, but I want to have a crack at the cups. Having got to Wembley last season, it would be great to get a little bit of luck and do well in the cups again."

SUNDERLAND

 Midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady feels the return of David Meyler will provide a timely lift to the Black Cats' campaign. Meyler made his comeback as a last minute substitute against West Brom last weekend following eight months on the sidelines with knee ligament damage. And although the Republic of Ireland international is still some way from being in the frame for a first-team spot, Elmohamady has welcomed the return of a popular figure in the dressing room. Elmohamady said: "Meyler's a fantastic player and I'm really pleased he came back. He's a good lad around the dressing room and it's hard for any player to come back from setbacks like that. To suffer two big injuries in eight months is really tough. But he's got a lot of fight and he'll help the team now."   

SWANSEA CITY

 Stephen Dobbie has shrugged off reported interest from Millwall and insisted he does not want to leave the Liberty Stadium. Lions boss Kenny Jackett has been linked with a loan switch for Dobbie as he bids to solve his struggling side's problems in front of goal. But Dobbie said: "I don't want to go out on loan. I have worked all my career to get to the Premier League, so now that I am here I am not going to give it up without a fight. I hadn't heard anything about Millwall being interested and I don't know anything about it." He added: "But it's nothing for me anyway. I am just working hard in training and doing my best in the reserve games to try to get back into the team."  

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

 Kyle Walker caught Scott Parker's eye before his cracker against Arsenal. In fine form this season, full-back Walker secured his place in Tottenham folklore with a stunning winner against the Gunners on 2nd October. Walker's performances earned a call into the England squad alongside Parker last week. Unfortunately, he didn't feature but Parker played in the 2-2 draw in Montenegro on Friday as the Three Lions secured a place in next summer's Euro 2012 finals. "Since I have been at Tottenham, Kyle has really stood out," said Parker, who followed his fine display against Arsenal with another for England. "He is a fantastic player. He is young. He has bundles of energy and is very quick. He scored a very good goal last weekend but his performances before that were really good."

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

 Assistant head coach Michael Appleton wants the team to be quick out of the blocks against Wolves this weekend to make up for their sluggish start in the previous Black Country derby. The Baggies were beaten 3-1 by Wanderers at Molineux towards the end of last season, having put in a first-half display that Appleton rates as one of the most disappointing since Roy Hodgson took over in February. On Sunday, Albion have a chance to make amends when their local rivals visit the Hawthorns and Appleton is calling for concentration from the first whistle. "Since the gaffer came in, the first halves against Swansea and Wolves were probably the only two 45 minutes where, as a group of people - players, head coach and staff - we've been disappointed about how we've played or let the opposition get the better of us," Appleton said. "That includes playing the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in that time. The key thing on Sunday is to start the game right. It's a bit of a cliché but we want to start the game properly. I'm sure if we do start properly and get a foothold in the game then we'll have a good chance of collecting the three points." 

WIGAN ATHLETIC

 Roberto Martinez is backing Franco di Santo to continue making a big impact at Latics this term after three goals in his last three Barclays Premier League outings. Martinez said: "Franco's really enjoying his football, but that's not just been now that he's in a great goalscoring run of form, he's been like that ever since he's been here. His contribution this season has been fantastic though, he's a completely new man. He's had a real focus and a real desire to be successful. He wants to score goals for us and he wants to play for Argentina, but more than that his overall contribution has been phenomenal. There are not many strikers out there who are as strong as him, he can run all day and he can strike the ball with his right or left foot and he's good in the air. He's still only 22 so now is the perfect time to enjoy his football with us."   

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

 Mick McCarthy believes wholesale changes are not necessarily the answer to a run of four successive Barclays Premier League defeats as he ponders his options for Sunday's Black Country Derby at the Hawthorns. The boss is deliberating over which team to select for the short trip to face West Brom, and will of course await the return of his internationals later this week before making a decision. It is a similar team which took seven points from the first three matches of the season which has since suffered the four consecutive defeats, leaving the boss with an open mind about whether to stay loyal to those players or make changes. "When you've lost three games in a row and you make it four, everybody who's not on the pitch at the start is a fans' favourite," he said. "That's just the way it is. I still maintain we're getting punished, not through playing badly but making mistakes, so I'm not to just go making wholesale changes. Because with that you don't get anywhere. You have to give a fair bit of loyalty to people I think because then you get it in return as well. The team that played against Newcastle was the team that played in the first three games and was fabulous. Actually, it's the team that's played well in most games apart from the QPR one. So everyone can tell me everyone else is a better player when we're getting beat. It's down to opinions and thankfully for me, mine's the one that counts.