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25 September 2007 Former Manchester United and Chelsea keeper Mark Bosnich turned out for QPR's reserves in the 2-0 win over Barnet on Monday.
The former Australia international has been training with the club having been managed by R's chief John Gregory at Aston Villa before moving to Old Trafford.
It's unclear whether or not Rangers are mulling over a contract offer for the 35-year-old, but he could be a useful short-term addition to the squad.
Nicky Ward and Ben Sahar grabbed the goals against the Bees in the behind-closed-doors game. 22 September 2007 West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray pointed an accusing finger at referee Graham Salisbury after his side enhanced their Championship promotion credentials with a stylish 3-2 victory at Scunthorpe.
The Baggies inflicted the Iron's first league defeat at Glanford Park in nine months courtesy of second-half goals from summer recruits Leon Barnett, Chris Brunt and Filipe Teixeira.
Last season's beaten play-off finalists trailed 1-0 at the break after Andy Crosby converted a 16th-minute penalty when Salisbury deemed Carl Hoefkens' challenge on Andy Butler to be a foul.
Mowbray was disgusted with the decision, and said: "For me, you just don't give penalties for what he suggested was holding. I sat and watched Newcastle play Derby live on Sky the other day and watched a player assault somebody in a bear hug. And there's a corner here and this referee has given a penalty for holding. I find it unbelievable but we got the points so it's not such a big issue. But it's a lack of common sense and if you showed me a video of the game there probably would be holding. But it's nothing that you don't see in every single match all over the country and you don't get a penalty. It takes away common sense because he could have told him not to do it again and if he did then he could give a penalty, but it was nothing that doesn't go on every Saturday."
Scunthorpe, who lost Crosby to injury at half-time, struggled to cope with Albion after the break as defender Barnett, a £2.5million summer recruit from Luton, slammed home a 49th-minute equaliser.
Winger Brunt, bought from Sheffield Wednesday for £3million, tapped home 11 minutes later and Portuguese midfielder Teixeira applied the coup de grace in the 78th minute with a delightful effort which flew past Murphy from 20 yards.
That ensured Martin Paterson's late strike was no more than consolation for Adkins' spirited side, who had not lost at Glanford Park in the league since Blackpool won 3-1 in December 2006.
Burnley, Sheffield United and Preston had all tasted defeat at the home of the League One champions already this season. Yet Albion refused to surrender in the same manner and claimed their first away win this term.
Mowbray added: "I think that justice was done in the second half and I think that we deserved to take the points. Sometimes you don't get your rewards but we created a lot of chances and deserved the win. But credit to Scunthorpe and we had to be respectful of their record and what they achieved already this season."
The Baggies' 2,100-strong following left Glanford Park believing their side is more than capable of claiming a coveted place in the Premier League.
Iron boss Adkins said: "It was a cracking game of soccer wasn't it? It was a good team performance and we competed well against an excellent side. We were very unfortunate to lose our captain (Crosby) to a thigh injury and they got a lift from their equaliser. The crowd went a little bit quiet and for that 10 to 15-minute period they were in the ascendancy. It's ended up 3-2 but we could have got a point in the end and have entertained our supporters. We're on a journey of discovery and we've pitted our wits against the best of the best. It's the first time we've been beaten in the league since December 16, but it was a cracking game." 07 September 2007 Tranquillo Barnetta was again on target as UEFA EURO 2008 co-hosts Switzerland continued their impressive run of form with a 2-1 victory against Chile.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen's Barnetta struck twice in last month's morale-boosting 2-1 friendly triumph against the Netherlands and he and Switzerland picked up where they left off.
As he had done versus the Dutch, the in-form winger broke the deadlock early on and although 18-year-old Alexis Sanchez equalised just before half-time, Marco Streller restored the advantage nine minutes after the restart as Switzerland continued their fine fettle. 30 August 2007 FC Zurich goalkeeper Johnny Leoni and Karlsruher SC defender Mario Eggimann are in line for Switzerland debuts after being called up by Jakob Kuhn for the forthcoming Four Nations Tournament staged by their UEFA EURO 2008 co-hosts Austria.
Leoni, 23, has helped his club to two consecutive league titles while 26-year-old Eggimann captained Karlsruher to promotion to the Bundesliga last season.
Getafe CF's 31-year-old midfielder Fabio Celestini is back in the squad for the first time since UEFA EURO 2004 as Manchester City FC's Gelson Fernandes returns to the Under-21s after making his senior bow last week against the Netherlands.
Captain Alexander Frei is available after injury as Switzerland face Chile in Vienna on 7 September before meeting Japan in Klagenfurt four days later.
Switzerland squad
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (CD Nacional), Johnny Leoni (FC Zurich), Pascal Zuberbuhler (Neuchatel Xamax FC).
Defenders: Valon Behrami (S.S. Lazio), Philipp Degen (BV Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Birmingham City FC), Mario Eggimann (Karlsruher SC), Stephan Lichtsteiner (LOSC Lille Metropole), Ludovic Magnin (VfB Stuttgart), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal FC), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Steven von Bergen (Hertha BSC Berlin).
Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Fabio Celestini (Getafe CF), Benjamin Huggel (FC Basel 1893), Xavier Margairaz (CA Osasuna), Hakan Yakin (BSC Young Boys), Johan Vonlanthen (FC Salzburg).
Forwards: Alexander Frei (BV Borussia Dortmund), Gökhan Inler (Udinese Calcio), Blaise Nkufo (FC Twente), Marco Streller (FC Basel 1893). 23 August 2007 The Football Association has fined 10 Premier League and Football League clubs and warned nine others for their poor discipline during 2006/07.
Blackburn, Millwall, Chester and Barnet all had suspended fines hanging over them from the 2005/06 season.
But the FA ruled that the quartet had "failed to show an acceptable improvement in their record" last term.
Bolton, Leeds, West Brom, Huddersfield, Accrington and Wycombe were fined, with part of the punishment suspended.
Letters of warning were sent to Chelsea, West Ham, Wigan, Ipswich, Queens Park Rangers, Swindon, Brentford, Bradford and Macclesfield.
The FA punishments in full:
Blackburn: Fined £100,000 (including £70,000 suspended from 2005/06), with a further fine of £50,000 in place for the 2007/08 season.
Millwall: Fined £30,000 (including £20,000 suspended from 2005/06), with a suspended fine of £30,000 in place for 2007/08.
Chester: Fined £13,000 (including £10,000 suspended from 2005/06), with a suspended fine of £10,000 in place for 2007/08.
Barnet: Suspended fine of £5,000 from 2005/06 invoked, with a further £5,000 carried forward to 2007/08.
Bolton: Fined £20,000 (with a further £40,000 suspended)
Leeds: Fined £15,000 (£30,000 suspended)
West Brom: Fined £10,000 (£30,000 suspended)
Huddersfield: Fined £7,500 (£20,000 suspended)
Accrington: Fined £50,000 (£5,000 suspended)
Wycombe: Fined £5,000 (£5,000 suspended) 17 August 2007 Norwich manager Peter Grant is set to be without left-back Adam Drury for the Championship visit of Southampton to Carrow Road.
The 28-year-old was withdrawn during the second half of the Canaries' 5-2 demolition of League Two side Barnet in the Carling Cup in midweek with an ankle problem and is rated as a doubt to face Saints.
If he is unavailable Simon Lappin - who scored in that win - will revert to left-back with Luke Chadwick coming into midfield.
Julien Brellier is also set to miss out after complaining of a stiff back after turning in a fine performance in last Saturday's 0-0 draw at Preston so Mark Fotheringham will continue in his place in central midfield.
Darren Huckerby remains sidelined with the groin problem which has prevented him from kicking a ball since last season and Chelsea loanee Jimmy Smith faces at least another month out with his calf problem.
Jamie Cureton will play his first league game for the club since 1996 and will be hoping to emulate his performance on Tuesday when he scored twice inside the first 16 minutes.
New signing Wayne Thomas goes straight into the Southampton squad.
The 28-year-old signed in a £1million deal from Burnley on Thursday and is likely to be pitched straight into Saints' makeshift defence.
With Claus Lundekvam (ankle) still injured and Darren Powell suspended for one final game, Thomas will probably line up alongside on-loan Alan Bennett, allowing Chris Makin to revert to his favoured full-back position.
Goalkeeper Kelvin Davis is in full training after a virus and could replace Bartosz Bialkowski following some indecisive displays from the young Pole.
Adam Hammill is also back in training after missing the Carling Cup defeat by Peterborough with a foot injury and fellow midfielder Inigo Idiakez has recovered from hamstring trouble, although the veteran Spaniard is short of match fitness. 11 August 2007 Luke Chadwick wants Carrow Road to be turned into a fortress if Norwich city are to realise their dream of returning to the Premier League.
Last season the Canaries lost eight home games, including to the likes of Crystal Palace, Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday and Chadwick described results at home as 'massively important' as the nine-month long quest for promotion begins.
City's first home game of the season is against Barnet in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, followed by the return of Southampton, who spoiled last season's final home game with a 1-0 victory, in the Championship.
'Everyone's raring to go,' he said. "Everyone's really upbeat and can't wait for the start of the season. It's been a long time coming and it was a disappointing campaign last year so hopefully we can put this right this year. Home form's going to be massively important especially with the crowd we get which must be one of the biggest in the league. It's a great atmosphere down there so hopefully we can give the crowd something to shout about and make it a fortress once again.'
Chadwick, 26, who signed on a full-time basis from Stoke City in January, is hoping for a much better season than last year's injury-plagued campaign.
And he is also hoping to find the goal trail after finding the net during the derby defeat to Ipswich Town at Portman Road - but is not setting himself any targets.
'Every time I go out on the pitch I'm looking to score goals and make goals, and that's my job on the field,' he said.
'Hopefully I'll get a few more goals this year and set a few up and the other lads will get a few as well and we'll be up at the top of the league at the end of the season. Obviously the midfield players have got to chip in with a few more goals. We've lost a lot of goals with Earnie (Robert Earnshaw) going as he was one of the league's top scorers. But we've got people like Hucks (Darren Huckerby) and Brownie (Chris Brown) and David (Strihavka) who will score a lot of goals. All the new lads have settled in. It's a great dressing room to come into and everyone's really friendly and it's a great atmosphere at the club so they've settled in well and hopefully they'll be able to perform. David is learning a lot of English so he's always got his phrasebook with him and he's coming on quickly so hopefully he'll get some goals for us.'
The former Manchester United and West Ham winger believes the teams relegated from the Premier League last season are among City's biggest rivals this time around.
'Everyone's got a chance going into it,' he said. 'There must be about 10 or 15 teams who think they can get into the top six. Obviously the teams that have been relegated have got a bit of money to spend like the Watfords, the Sheffield Uniteds as they've got parachute payments so they'll have strong squads. But I think we've got a good squad together so hopefully we'll be up there challenging.' 03 August 2007 West Brom have signed Marseille centre-half Bostjan Cesar on a season-long loan deal - with a view to a permanent transfer.
The 25-year-old Slovenia international, who has won 24 caps, joins fellow countryman Robert Koren at the club.
Boss Tony Mowbray told the club's website: "Bostjan is a left-sided centre-half and a real competitor. What I like about him is that he has natural defensive instincts. He's a defender's defender."
Mowbray added: "He's a regular alongside Robert in the Slovenian national team and has played for some substantial clubs."
The Baggies have already signed centre-backs Leon Barnett and Shelton Martis this summer.
Cesar will be eligible for Saturday's friendly with visiting Heerenveen if international clearance is granted in time. 02 August 2007 Website MyFootballClub has achieved its target of recruiting 50,000 fans - only three months after launching its bid to take over a football club.
Four clubs have already approached the website, which will now collect £35 from each member towards a £1.4m takeover fund to buy a club.
Members will have the right to vote on all major decisions affecting the club.
"There has been much takeover talk but this has caught the fans' imagination," creator Will Brooks told BBC Sport.
"The website has received over £100,000 in six hours."
Currently, Leeds is the club members would most like to take over, followed by Cambridge United, Nottingham Forest, Accrington Stanley, Barnet and Brighton.
After reaching the milestone of 50,000 members, Brooks has now set his sights on surpassing Barcelona's 155,000 membership base.
Brooks added: "In three months, over 50,000 have registered with MyFootballClub and now hundreds are becoming members every day. In time, we could match Barcelona's 155,000 owners."
Four clubs - from the Football League and the Conference - have been in touch with Brooks to explore the possibility of being taken over by the website.
"To be in a position where clubs are now coming to us is quite an endorsement," said Brooks.
"A new fan base of tens of thousands will greatly enhance the club's prospects.
"On top of money from the MyFootballClub members, there will also be a significant boost in ticket and merchandise sales, as well as the potential for more lucrative sponsorship and television deals."
Barcelona's fans vote on who will be the club's president every four years but Brooks' vision for any club taken over by MyFootballClub offers supporters a more radical model of involvement.
"The football club will be run in an extremely prudent manner, with all the requisite personnel and expertise at every level," he revealed.
"Club employees will brief members and all major decisions - on and off the pitch - will be put to the members' vote."
Over the last three months the website has negotiated a sponsorship deal with EA Sports and brought in former Fulham managing director Michael Fiddy to provide legal advice.
The Financial Services Authority has also approved the setting up of the MyFootballClub Trust to safeguard members' interests.
"Members will own the football club through the MyFootballClub Trust," said Brooks. "Every member has one share in the Trust and therefore one vote." 31 July 2007 Marseille defender Bostjan Cesar has agreed a deal to join West Bromwich Albion.
According to French sources, Baggies boss Tony Mowbray has won the race for the highly-rated Slovenian as he continues to strengthen for the new season.
It is reported that Cesar will initially come to The Hawthorns on loan, but West Brom have the option to buy him for a fee in the region of €1million (£700,000).
The 25-year-old centre-back made just seven appearances for Marseille last season and has been allowed to go out for a new challenge.
Mowbray has already brought in defenders Leon Barnett and Tininho this season, although Paul McShane has left for Sunderland. |
