West Bromwich Albion midfielder Ronnie Wallwork is to spend a second month on loan at Huddersfield Town.
Wallwork, 30, has also been given permission to play for the Terriers in their first-round FA Cup tie at Accrington Stanley on 10 November.
The former Manchester United player has so far started six games for Huddersfield since joining the League One side at the end of September.
He had struggled to hold down a place in Albion's first team.
30 October 2007
Middlebrough boss Gareth Southgate has moved to quell fears that Jeremie Aliadiere has once again picked up a hamstring injury.
The French striker limped out of the defeat to Manchester United at the weekend just before the hour mark and it looked as though he had picked a recurrence of the problem he suffered earlier in the season.
Southgate, though, says the player was merely suffering from a bout of cramp.
He told the Echo: "We were very conscious of him having been out for six weeks, and we knew he wouldn't last 90 minutes. We hoped he could give us an hour, and we got 55 minutes out of him in the end. He cramped up and we had to make sure that he is right in the longer term for us."
30 October 2007
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo sees no reason why Sir Alex Ferguson's side cannot clinch a Premier League and Champions League double this season.
United have won their last eight games in the Premier League and are currently second in the table while they are well-placed to move into the group stages of the Champions League.
United won an unprecedented treble in 1999 and Ronaldo is confident the current team can come close to matching those achievements.
"I believe we'll win the Premier League and Champions League this season," the Portugal international told a national paper.
"We have the team, we have the players and we believe we can do it. There's a good chance we will. All the players feel good, feel sharp, feel quick and they are showing on the pitch their desire to play for Manchester United. In the last three or four games we have scored many goals and we are more confident now. Arsenal are very strong and are playing fantastic, attractive football. It will be a big game for us (on Saturday) but it's a good opportunity to see how good we are. Arsenal have started well but the season is a marathon - you have to be consistent."
28 October 2007
Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes could be facing as many as three months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Scholes has been experiencing problems in his knee, and has not responded to the treatement, prompting fears that the injury might be more serious than initially expected.
Recent scans have proved to be inconclusive, and the player will undergo another one today.
The midfielder was initially expected to be out for a few weeks, but if the scan confirms the worst, he will have to go under the knife and then begin a lengthy rehabilitation.
It is understood that the club doctors are resigned to the surgery, and a three month recovery period, which means that player may not return until February.
The objective now seems to be getting the player ready in time for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
It will come as a huge blow for Sir Alex Ferguson, but the Manchester United boss will be delighted by the form shown by Anderson, and Hargreaves upon his return.
27 October 2007
Manchester United joint chairman Joel Glazer ruled out a breakaway from the Premier League over the way clubs negotiate their TV rights.
Glazer said: "I think the collective TV rights model is working very well. It's a major reason why the Premier League is the most popular league in the world. All games are competitive and it, of course, attracts the world's top players."
Some in the game had speculated that the club might try and split from the collective deal.
But Glazer said that had never been the case. "We're very supportive of the current model. It's something we've said from the outset."
27 October 2007
Sir Alex Ferguson feels Martin Jol is probably relieved his tortuous time as Tottenham manager has finally come to an end.
Ferguson interviewed Jol for a job as his assistant at Manchester United, having been impressed by the work he had done in his native Holland at RKC Waalwijk.
Ferguson was as saddened as anybody when Jol's exit was confirmed on Thursday.
However, having been subjected to the "drip, drip, drip effect" of speculation over his tenure, Ferguson feels his old rival might be glad it is all over.
"Martin has great qualities," said Ferguson.
"He is a decent man who has showed his integrity but he is probably relieved it is all over. I don't know the full ins and outs but we have all witnessed a drip, drip, drip effect right from the start of the season when there was talk of the people from Tottenham meeting the Seville coach (Juande Ramos). Whether it happened or not, it appeared in the press, so the press were continually on about the guy's future. The media were not doing that out of malice. I am sure they were getting information, tittle-tattle and bits of rumour. That is enough to exacerbate it. But it cannot be healthy that every day Martin turns the paper over, his future is being discussed."
27 October 2007
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has declared Owen Hargreaves fit and ready to start against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The England international has been restricted to just three appearances since his £18million move from Bayern Munich after failing to shrug off a knee problem.
However, an injection to cure swelling caused by tendonitis appears to have worked and the 26-year-old is now in line to face Boro.
"Owen is fit to start tomorrow (Saturday)," said Ferguson.
"It's been frustrating for him, missing games is not what he came here for. He's come here for a big fee and he must be a bit disappointed with the way things have gone. But it is a long season and he is back now which is terrific news for us because it gives us a better chance of doing well."
27 October 2007
South Korea international Ji-Sung Park hopes to be able to return to the Manchester United first team by January.
Park has been sidelined since March when he damaged cruciate knee ligaments against Blackburn Rovers and is still recuperating after surgery.
He told Ilgan Sports: "At the moment I am trying to recover as hard as I can. Recently, I started jogging and step-by step I am moving closer to a return in January. I am not yet training with the other players at the moment, I am training alone. Competition is fiercer than before with the signing of players like Nani. It is important that I have the confidence to perform to my best when I return."
27 October 2007
Who has the loudest fans in the Premier League?
Decibel meter readings taken across home matches for all Premier League teams during August and September, showed that the loudest home crowd was Sunderland.
Average peak volume of the Sunderland crowd at home reaching 129.2 decibels & 150; louder than a rock concert (115 decibels) and almost as loud as an air raid siren/military jet (130 decibels).
As a volume of 110-115 decibels can cause hearing damage after just 15 minutes, football fans are being advised to wear ear protection if they want to hear the referees whistle clearly across their supporting career.
The findings are especially embarrassing for Arsenal and Manchester United, whose grounds dwarf the 49,000-seater Sunderland home ground by 11,000 and 21,000 seats respectively.
Quietest home fans were Fulham who could only muster an average maximum volume of 115.4 decibels at home.
And although not the loudest, Everton fans proved that they have the stamina to keep it up all match. Their chants were the most frequent (one every three minutes on average) and longest (52 seconds each on average) of all teams studied.
The ear-bending research was commissioned by 118118 who are searching for the best and loudest football chants in the country.
NOISE LEAGUE TABLE:
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City
Aston Villa
Everton
Chelsea
Middlesbrough
Derby County
Newcastle United
West Ham
Birmingham City
Arsenal
Portsmouth
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Liverpool
Manchester United
Wigan Athletic
Reading
Fulham
26 October 2007
Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United legacy could be extended yet further after Edwin van der Sar revealed that he expects to prolong his stay at Old Trafford, whilst hinting he may adopt more of a coaching role in the future.
Following his forced retirement from the game, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently took up an ambassadorial role with the club, while Ryan Giggs has also intimated he might too remain with The Red Devils after hanging up his boots, and now Van der Sar has suggested he could stay after his playing days are over.
He said: 'I am playing at a very high level every week and, with my experience, I can maybe help the younger players a lot in the future. Officially, my agent has not heard anything official from the club yet but I expect to hold talks with the relevant people in December. Last year we extended my contract in that month, so that could well happen again. I am very happy here at the club. You can guess what I will do if and when I get a new offer from the club.'
If the Dutchman does stay in the North West, he could prove to be an influential figure in the development of United and England hopeful Ben Foster, who is currently out with a long-term cruciate injury.
