Liverpool hopes to continue good away form

Newcastle, England (Sports Network) - Liverpool's poor form away from Anfield last season was a big reason why the Reds finished a distant third place in the Premiership standings.
This season things have changed, with the club recording four wins and two draws away from home, and hoping to keep that good form going when the team visits St James' Park on Saturday to meet Newcastle.
Assistant coach Alex Miller knows how much emphasis the team has placed on winning away games, and he feels confident that his men will continue to thrive.
"We knew at the start of the season that if we were to have any chance then we needed to be better away because we just weren't good enough last year," Miller told the club's website. The opening day win at Aston Villa set us up nicely and we have gone on from there...Full Story

Chelsea's Carvalho faces eight weeks on sideline

London, England (Sports Network) - Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho could be sidelined for up to eight weeks after he suffered a back injury in the club's 1-1 draw with Everton on Sunday.
Carvalho has undergone scans on his back and they have revealed that he has damaged his spinal column.
Portuguese team doctor Henrique Jones confirmed the injury, and now Chelsea manager Avram Grant will be left to piece together a defense that is already missing keeper Petr Cech as well as defenders John Terry and Paulo Ferreira.
Chelsea is currently fourth in the Premiership standings, five points behind leaders Arsenal and Manchester United, and will face Derby on November 24 after the international break.

Wigan axe Hutchings after only 12 games

Manchester, England (Sports Network) - Wigan announced on Monday that the club has fired manager Chris Hutchings 12 games into the Premiership season following the club's 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday.
The firing comes just six months after Hutchings was appointed to the manager role, following the departure of Paul Jewell at the end of last season.
Assistant Frank Barlow will take control of the team on a caretaker basis.
Hutchings served as an assistant to Jewell for six years before taking over in May. His tenure started well with two wins in the team's first three games, but Wigan has since been bounced out of the League Cup by Championship side Hull City and lost its last six games in league play.
"This has been a very difficult decision for me and the board to make but I felt we had to act in the best interests of the club and its long-term future," chairman Dave Whelan said in a statement.
"Chris has worked very hard since becoming manager and I cannot fault either his effort or commitment to the cause. However, it is crucial for the development of Wigan that we maintain our Premier League status this season and following results and performances in recent matches, we feel it is critical to act now."

Gallas earns draw for Arsenal with later equalizer

London, England (Sports Network) - William Gallas scored in stoppage time to help Arsenal salvage a 2-2 draw against Manchester United on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
The Arsenal defender handed United an own goal right before halftime to put the Red Devils ahead 1-0 at the break, but Francesc Fabregas pulled the Gunners level shortly after the restart.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked to have put United ahead for good in the 82nd minute, which would have ended Arsenal's 24-match unbeaten run and put United back at the top. However, Gallas atoned for his earlier miscue as he volleyed home the equalizer in stoppage time to give both teams a point.
Arsenal enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening half, but only really tested United keeper Edwin Van der Sar on one occasion.
The visitors had the better of the play but failed to find the net until right before the half.
A number of shots went off target as United was the more dangerous side, but it took a little help from the Arsenal defense to put Sir Alex Ferguson's club ahead.
Ronaldo got down the right flank with the ball and drove a cross to Wayne Rooney at the near post. The United striker did not get much on his shot, but it deflected into the net off of the sliding Gallas for a 1-0 United lead...Full Story

England in major trouble after second-half collapse

Moscow, Russia (Sports Network) - England's hopes of qualifying for EURO 2008 took a major hit on Wednesday as Roman Pavluchenko scored two goals in four minutes to help Russia earn a vital 2-1 comeback win over England at Luzhniki Stadium.
A win would have secured qualification for Steve McClaren's men, who looked to be a good bet when Wayne Rooney found the net for the Three Lions in the 29th minute.
However, Pavluchenko came on in the 58th minute as a substitute and proceeded to score twice, ending England's five-game winning streak in Group E. With Croatia all but assured of one spot from the group, Russia is poised to claim the second place with wins against Israel and lowly Andorra in its final two matches. England's only hope now is to beat Croatia and have Russia draw one of its final two games.
Russia put pressure on the English defense from the start but only had minimal chances in the opening 20 minutes. Keeper Paul Robinson was called upon to make a nice stop on Russia's Konstatin Zurianov, but the back line held up well for the most part in the first half...Full Story

Sunderland loses captain Whitehead for six months

Sunderland, England (Sports Network) - Sunderland manager Roy Keane confirmed on Wednesday that his team will be without captain Dean Whitehead for the next six months because of a knee injury.
Whitehead suffered the injury 10 days ago prior to the team's contest with Wigan, but was initially thought to be out six weeks. However, a scan on Wednesday revealed damage to the cruciate in the knee.
"It looks as though Dean will need surgery in a couple of weeks," Keane said. "It looks like it's a cruciate so that would rule him out for six or seven months, it's been a bad day.
"It's a bitter blow for Dean and for us. We are missing his leadership qualities and his presence."...Full Story

Red Devils lose to rivals, blow to title hopes

MANCHESTER, England (Ticker) - Manchester United's miserable start to the new Premier League season continued Sunday when it lost 1-0 to Manchester City.
The Red Devils have now won only two points from their first three games and questions marks hang over their ability to retain the title they won in May.
Brazilian signing Geovanni was the Blues' matchwinner with a 31st-minute shot that went in off United defender Nemanja Vidic.
City's hero was England defender Micah Richards, who made a number of fine tackles and interceptions which emphasized why he is regarded as the No. 1 young player in England.
It has been a dream start for City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who as England manager failed to fulfil the national team's expectations. City has won its first three games.
United tore into City from the start.
Nani twice tested goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, first with a near-post shot the Dane kept out with his legs, and then with a shot after Paul Scholes flicked a pass into his path...Full Story

Black Cats sign GK Gordon

Sunderland, England (Sports Network) - Sunderland signed goalkeeper Craig Gordon from Hearts to a five-year contract on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old has played with Hearts since 2002, and after inking a new contract in 2005, Gordon was signed with the Scottish Premier League club until 2009.
The terms of the transfer fee are not known. However, the deal reportedly beat the previous British record for a goalkeeper which was set when Fabien Barthez left Monaco for Manchester United in 2000.
"He is a top goalkeeper and he will be a massive asset for us over the next few years," said Sunderland manager Roy Keane.
Gordon, who made his Scotland debut against Trinidad & Tobago in 2004, was named player of the year by the Scottish Football Writer' Association in 2006.
Sunderland opens up its Premier League schedule this weekend at the Stadium of Light versus the Spurs. It is still unclear whether or not Gordon will be ready for the match. Not only has he just signed with his new club, but he is also nursing a sore shoulder.

Terry extends stay at Chelsea

London, England (Sports Network) - Chelsea captain John Terry signed a new five-year deal on Friday that will keep him at Stamford Bridge through 2012.
Terry had two years remaining on his previous deal, but after much speculation, will remain with the English giants.
"I'm really happy this has now been concluded," Terry told the club's website. "There has been a lot of speculation but these things take time and I never had doubts that I wanted to stay at Chelsea and that the club wanted me to stay."
The 26-year-old Terry came up through the youth system at Chelsea and made his debut at the club in 1998. He has been the anchor of the Blues' backline since taking over the captain's armband from Marcel Desailly prior to the 2004-05 season, and helped the club to Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006.
"As captain, John is clearly a key player for Chelsea and also a great symbol of the club so naturally we are pleased this has been agreed."
In addition to having success at the club level, Terry has earned 39 caps for England and was named as the captain of the squad following last summer's World Cup.
Terry made 27 appearances last season for Chelsea as he battled injury problems and helped the team to a second-place finish in the Premier League.

Cole still hoping to start season

London, England (Sports Network) - Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is very happy with the progress on his ankle injury, and feels that he has a good chance of starting the Premiership season with his teammates.
Cole, who underwent ankle surgery at the end of last season, returned to full training on Wednesday, quicker than originally expected.
"I am glad to be back and I am enjoying it," said Cole.
The Blues will start their season on August 11, at home against Birmingham.
"Hopefully I can start the season," said Cole.

Alonso moves to Premiership

Bolton, England (Sports Network) - Bolton signed Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Alonso on a loan deal for the upcoming season on Monday.
The 27-year-old will now play against his brother, Xabi, who plays for Liverpool.
Real was relegated from La Liga after last season, while Bolton finished in seventh place of the Premiership.
Bolton, which will open its season on August 11 against Newcastle, made this move with the hope of signing Alonso to a permanent deal at the end of the campaign.

Fulham signs Konchesky to four-year contract

London, England (Sports Network) - Fulham made its fifth signing of the offseason Friday, giving Paul Konchesky a four-year contract.
Konchesky previously played for West Ham. He joins offseason signings Chris Baird, Aaron Hughes, Steve Davis and Diomansy Kamara at Fulham.

Derby County adds Jamaican Davis

London, England (Sports Network) - Derby County, newly promoted to the English Premiership, signed Jamaican defender Claude Davis to a four-year, $6 million deal on Friday.
Davis, 28, played 18 games last season at Sheffield United, which was demoted after finishing 17th in the Premier League. The signing is pending a physical and a successful work permit.
Davis is the third signing of the offseason for Derby, joining Robert Earnshaw and Tyrone Mears.