help for heroes

All 72 Football League clubs will be taking part in the Football League’s ‘Help For Heroes’ week which runs from March 6th until March 14th.

The aim of the initiative is to raise awareness and much needed funds and to show support for the efforts and sacrifices of our Armed Forces.

‘Help For Heroes ‘ is the official charity partner of the Football League throughout the 2009/10 season and during this week all 72 clubs will be supporting the charity, with special events and collections.

All clubs will be involved with the following:

• Stage a designated Football for Heroes match at their home ground
• Provide a promotional photo featuring managers and players with Help for Heroes banners and balls
• Emerge from the tunnel behind a Help for Heroes banner
• The respective captains and the match officials will pose for a photo at kick-off with a Help for Heroes banner
• Both managers will wear Help for Heroes wristbands for the duration of the game
• The home team will sign a Football League Help for Heroes ball which will then be auctioned off for the charity

In addition to this, clubs across The Football League will also be holding bucket collections, providing discounted tickets for our heroes and staging cheque presentations from previous Help for Heroes games.

Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League said: “The contribution being made by our armed forces around the world is truly humbling. As a nation we do not thank them enough for the sacrifices they make. The Football for Heroes week will provide an excellent opportunity for supporters to show their appreciation for the outstanding work being done.”

If you were supporting at many of the League clubs on Saturday you may have already witnessed the collections and special events taking place. The Football for Heroes fixture list will continue this week at the following games:

Monday 8th March
Colchester United v. Brighton & Hove Albion
Tuesday 9th March
Bury v. Darlington (TBC)
Crystal Palace v. Bristol City

For more details of the charity and how you can help visit ‘Help For Heroes’ here.

Despite Wayne Rooney showing signs of frustration with his team mates during the game, he did manage to control himself impeccably in front of the referee and only the continual booing of John Terry let some members of the crowd down.

The FA’s two latest films ‘Are You Losing it?‘ address the issues of anti social behaviour in the form of abusive behaviour from fans  at a match and also an over bearing adult screaming and shouting at his child from the touchline.

The Football Association say that they are making progress in their Respect Campaign with an increase in the number of qualified and trainee referees this season, a drop in the number of dissent cautions throughout the Football League in all divisions and referee assaults down by 25%.

The Respect programme has become a compulsory module in the FA’s training courses for all new referees and coaches coming into the game each season.

On the down side there is still much work to be done; 800 grassroots games were abandoned in 2008/09 season due to player or spectator misconduct and 1 in 4 parents would not consider confronting an offensive spectator for fear of physical retaliation.

You can help further improve the game by joining The FA Respect Campaign here.

Many top flight football clubs are faced with the prospect of being earmarked for relegation during the festive period. With the Premiership tables being crammed full of football clubs with wealthy backers, it seems somewhat a dreadful situation for them to know to have spent millions on players and managers only to see results fall flat. Ultimately relegation looms. We can just look at Newcastle United for such a classic example last season. Newcastle was a sad story of mismanagement which actually started off as being quite promising. A rich multi-millionaire in Mike Ashley with a long standing clothing business bought the club in 2006 but where things turned sour was the continuation of the infamous revolving door policy for managers which led to all kinds of instability in the dressing room. Players lost interest and the club’s results slid until they were demoted in 2009 to the Championship via a lack lustre performance against Aston Villa – a match they had needed to win.

A club like Newcastle United, who enjoyed 16 years of the premiership football and they have begun their Championship campaign with gusto, much to the surprise of sports pundits. Some football bookmakers on the online betting circuit had faith in seeing the Toon promoted with odds of 15/8 back in August 09. Not bad considering that Newcastle United had just dumped its talisman, Alan Shearer, in favour of the untested Chris Hughton as manager at the time. However, the last thing a club would want to know is the betting odds; the first priority for any ex-Premiership club was to get rid of the excesses and there usually are plenty of them in player wages.

Players who expressed no desire to play on were quickly shown the door. In the case of Newcastle, those players were Damien Duff (undisclosed), Obafemi Martins (£9m) and Shay Given (£6m). Obviously, the sale of high profile players would help cushion some of the blow of reduced income from TV and sponsorship deals. That coupled with a parachute payment which totalled around £12m for dropping a league down.

Compare this to being in the Premiership, where a club get £38m just for being in that league and that’s discounting other lucrative deals on top. Ticket prices are normally affected as well with 8-10% price reductions to try and entice disgruntled fans back into stadiums as well as keeping those all important season ticket holders. Right now, Newcastle can comfortably fill around 42-49,000 spectators for a home match which is nothing to be sniffed at. Newcastle United has always been credited for having a large hardcore fan-base and this season so far has proved nothing less.

Both West Brom and Newcastle have adapted well to life in the Championship whilst Middlesbrough have been the surprise strugglers despite the help of the newly recruited, Gordon Strachan. Newcastle had to do much more to bolster its chances for promotion at the start. Much to their credit, there work has so far paid dividends, with a club managing to keep a lot of its past season’s players who have so far proved that a class above the rest in this league.

A higher wage bill will probably be the price to pay for returning to the Premiership.  Some may argue that playing in the Championship has done Newcastle more good then if they experienced another hapless season in the Premiership. Just look at them now as they have got rid of some deadwood and now play with certain ambition in them that has led to back-to-back wins – a feat they could not achieve in the past few years in the top flight league.

The Premiership 2009-2010 season is just as tight at this stage with three out a possible 11 teams trying to avoid the drop. Like Newcastle United before them, Portsmouth have been handed the uphill task of trying to regain some kind of form against a dire backdrop of boardroom controversies.

Will they be relegated to the Championship? A betting man will no doubt put money on it.

paul hart qpr coach

Queens Park Rangers have parted company with suspended manager Jim Magilton, the former Ipswich manager left the club late on Wednesday night by ‘mutual consent.’

Claims that Magilton had head butted midfielder Akos Buzsaky following the game at Watford on December 7th were denied by the outgoing manager, but QPR have decided to move on with yet another new coach at the helm.

Former Portsmouth coach Paul Hart has been handed the job at Loftus Road and he will be joined by Mick Harford who will work as his assistant at Rangers.

Hart becomes the fifth ‘full time’ manager to arrive at QPR in the last two years, Harford is among the list of caretaker managers that have served during that same period.

What can Paul Hart bring to QPR that John Gregory, Luigi de Canio, Paulo Sousa, Iain Dowie and Jim Magilton couldn’t manage?

Portsmouth believed that Hart was instrumental in keeping the south coast club in the Premier League last season in what was a difficult season for the club both on and off the field.

However the coach was not offered a full time contract until this season was well under way and then within a few weeks of signing he was sacked by Portsmouth with the club at the bottom of the league table.

It is fair to say that Portsmouth have been a better team this season than their results suggest, but moreover it is impossible to assess a club that has struggled financially and seen many of its key players move away.

QPR do not have those problems, but they do face the problem of expectancy, they are a well financed club that expects to be fighting for promotion and are currently falling well short.

Personally I cannot see Hart or anyone else for that matter, getting a long enough run to win over the management at QPR and as I said when Magilton joined the club it is akin to accepting the poison chalice.

Jim Magilton managed the club for 23 games, Paolo Sousa lasted for 26 while Ian Dowie stayed for 15 games. Not a great record, and I believe the results of those constant switches can be seen in the results on the pitch.

Good luck to Paul Hart, a really nice guy who deserves a break, but I can’t really see him being at Loftus Road come the end of the season.

Chairman Jim Russo and senior board members Vince Russo and Robin Williams resigned at the club AGM on Tuesday and immediately demanded the repayment of £4.9 million of loans to Valley Grown Salads, a business that the Russo’s have a stake in.

Watford FC will automatically face a ten point penalty if they do go into administration, dropping them from current tenth in the league on 30 points, to second from bottom of the Championship.

Former manager Graham Taylor has taken over as temporary chairman of Watford, but no comment on the financial situation has been made as yet.

Could former owner Elton John help his much loved club out?  Well he is planning a concert to help raise funds for the club in May next year, but that may be too little too late for the club.

brian laws sacked

Sheffield Wednesday have predictably parted company with Brian Laws following the 3-0 defeat to high flying Leicester City, that plunged the Yorkshire club into the Championship relegation zone over the weekend.

Despite the urgency of Laws dismissal, the Owls say they are in no rush to sign a replacement manager, with the Academy boss Sean McAuley taking the reins as caretaker boss.

In a statement from the club, Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford praised the efforts of Brian Laws, particularly in his first two years with the club;

“A very positive legacy has been left by Brian in terms of the quality of the playing squad we now have at Sheffield Wednesday and we will now focus our attentions on securing the right manager to help these players push up the league in the short term and make us competitive for a return to the Premier League in the long term.

Brian has put in an immense amount of work as manager at this club and he should be remembered for some genuine achievements on the pitch and for stabilising Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

We are very fortunate to have someone of Sean’s capabilities within our club to drive change and ensure that Sheffield Wednesday’s best interests are served. We will not rush into the next permanent appointment as this will be a key appointment in terms of determining the long term future of our club.”

Northern Ireland manager and former Sheffield Wednesday player Nigel Worthington has thrown his hat into the ring according to media reports, his contract with the International team expires at the end of the year and he is said to be considering his options for the future.

Worthington told the Belfast Telegraph;

“Let’s be honest about this, in two weeks time I will be out of work and I have to weigh up my options. I spent 11 great years at Sheffield Wednesday as a player and the club means a lot to me. If the opportunity arose to speak to them, then I would have to listen to what they have to say. It would only be fair to myself and my career but at this moment in time there has not been any contact and I am still under contract with the IFA and enjoying working with Northern Ireland.”

Others who are being tipped for the Wednesday shortlist include Darren Ferguson who was recently sacked by Peterborough and former Burnley coach Steve Cotterill.

jim magilton

Queens Park Rangers have suspended manager Jim Magilton pending an internal investigation relating to an incident in Monday night’s 3-1 loss to Watford at Vicarage Road.

The suspension takes immediate effect and Magilton has been told to stay away from the club until they have conducted a thorough investigation into the incident that is believed to involve a ‘bust up’ between the manager and QPR player Akos Buzsaky.

Magilton is reported to have been involved in an angry confrontation with the player in the changing room after the game, with Patrick Agyemang attempting to calm the situation. Buzsaky is alleged to have left the dressing room early in the wake of the confrontation.

A statement on the QPR website gives no further information, saying:

“The club can confirm that manager Jim Magilton has been suspended with immediate effect, pending an internal investigation. The suspension relates to an incident which occurred at Monday’s Championship fixture against Watford at Vicarage Road.”

QPR started the season in fine form, losing just one from the first nine games, but recent results have gone against them and they have picked up one point from the last four games. To add to their woes, Monday’s beating by Watford followed a more humiliating 5-1 home loss to Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Magilton was brought in this summer as a replacement for Paulo Sousa who lasted for 26 games in charge of the perhaps over ambitious London club.

The former Bolton player has been in impressive form for the Magpies scoring nine goals so far this season. While the 29 year old is chuffed with the award he says his main goal is returning to the Premier League with Newcastle at first time of trying.

He said he would be happier for Newcastle to win every remaining game without scoring himself, to get back to the Premiership.

Stern John, who joined Ipswich from Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the year, says he would be up for making the deal permanent if he is wanted by the Suffolk club.

John made his debut for the Tractor Boys in last weekends 2-1 win over Cardiff and said he is keen to leave Selhurst Park and will see what happens in January.

He is contracted with Palace until next summer, with a possible one year extension, but admits that the chances of remaining with Palace are slim with the current financial difficulties at the club.

Derby County are keen to terminate the contract of Australian midfielder Ruben Zadkovich, who was brought to the club by previous manager Paul Jewell, but has spent 10 months out injured and has yet to feature in the first team under current boss Nigel Clough.

Zadkovich has been offered a termination agreement to cover the remaining six months of his contract at Derby and Clough said they are waiting for a response from the player’s agent. The Australian has made seven appearances for Derby since joining the club in April 2008.

Nigel Clough says he is keen to re-sign Everton striker James Vaughan on loan in January. The 21 year old was injured soon after arriving at Pride Park on a previous loan agreement in September.

Vaughan has recovered from surgery on the injured knee and is back in training with Everton and Clough said he is hoping to get him down to the midlands to train with Derby in an effort to re-sign the player on loan in the January window.

The Rams face losing the services of Paul Dickov and DJ Campbell in the New Year, both players are on loan from Leicester City until the end of the year.

football league

The Football League are inviting fans across the country to take part in its third online supporters consultation, giving supporters the opportunity to influence the future of professional football.

The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 lets fans have their say on a range of important issues that are relevant to the future of the game. The survey covers controversial subjects such as the introduction of goal line technology, sin bins and salary caps to refereeing standards, diving and football on television.

Fans are also invited to give their views about the club they support with a range of topics up for discussion including ticketing, stewarding, communication with supporters and whether they feel valued by their club.

The 2010 Survey follows on from previous supporter consultations in 2006 and 2008, both of which saw more than 40,000 fans contribute their views.

Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney said at the launch of the 2010 survey;

“This is the opportunity for fans to tell us their views on the football they watch.The opinions expressed by supporters in our two previous surveys contributed to our thinking as we developed our Regulations on Agents, our new Home Grown Players rule and our smoke-free policy at matches. They have also given clubs a better understanding of what their fans like and dislike about watching football, which has helped The League identify best practice at club level and improve the supporter experience. I hope fans to take this opportunity to make a difference, once again.”

Take part in The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 here.

By completing the survey, which is being run in conjunction with sports research specialists SportsWise, supporters will have the opportunity to win a ‘money can’t buy’ prize to see their team train and meet the players. There are also 100 Mitre Official Football League balls on offer to lucky winners.

The results of The Football League Supporters’ Survey 2010 will be published in the New Year

kevin nolan sends magpies top

Preston will have every right to feel hard done by following last night’s Championship game at home to Newcastle, the hosts produced the better football throughout the game but succumbed to a Kevin Nolan goal in the 74th minute that saw all three points go to the Magpies.

Newcastle are now two points clear at the top of the table, ahead of West Bromwich Albion and six clear of third placed Leicester City, and manager Chris Hughton will no doubt claim, Alan Hansen style, that playing badly and winning is the sign of a true championship contending team.

Preston had made the better chances during a fairly drab affair at Deepdale with Neil Mellor forcing good saves from Steve Harper on two occasions and firing wide on another attempt when he was clear on goal. Michael Tonge making his first appearance since joining Preston on a loan deal, also made an impact and should have been rewarded following a long range effort that shaved the crossbar.

But it was Kevin Nolan’s eighth goal of the season that secured the points for Newcastle, pleasing Hughton but leaving Preston manager Alan Irvine ruing his teams misfortune, he said after the game;

“I don’t think we should have lost the game, certainly. I thought that we matched Newcastle for many parts of the game. I felt as if we had some good chances to score ourselves. But we didn’t take our chances and Kevin Nolan finished his chance, which was maybe not even that much of a chance, very well.”

Preston are currently in 12th place in the Championship with 24 points, one point behind Middlesbrough and only three points off the play off positions with a long way to go in the season.