Beckham will not celebrate scoring against Man Utd
David Beckham is on loan at AC Milan from LA Galaxy
English Premier League News – BBC Sport : David Beckham will not celebrate if he scores for AC Milan against Manchester United in the Champions League.
He will face his former club for the first time since leaving in 2003 when AC Milan host United on 16 February.
Beckham told Inside United magazine: “I do not think I would celebrate. I respect the supporters and the club.
“To me they are the best fans in the world and the support they gave me week in, week out was incredible. Nothing will ever better that.”
The midfielder, who is on loan at Milan from LA Galaxy, still remembers and appreciates the support given to him by United fans after he was sent off while playing for England against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.
“The relationship I have with the fans is still important to me,” he said. “I went through some difficult times but they never stopped supporting me.
“I would not have got through everything without them.”
Beckham played 394 times for United over eight seasons, helping the club win six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions league.
“I always wish I was part of Manchester United, it is just in me. Even though I am not there any more, I am still a huge fan,” he said.
“Coming to terms with not being a United player was certainly the toughest thing I’ve ever had to deal with.
“When you are a Manchester United player and a Manchester United fan you never want to play for any other club.
“I always want them to do well and be successful because the club still means so much to me. I’ve still got season tickets and I will always keep them because I love to watch every game where possible.
“I would love to take my sons one day. United will always be such a special place to me, so we will just have to see what the future holds.”
Beckham will go back to Old Trafford for the first time as a player when Milan travel to Manchester for the second leg of their Champions League clash on 10 March.
“When I was at Real Madrid it just never felt right to come back to Old Trafford. The thought of playing against United always gave me that sick feeling because I missed the club so much,” he said.
“But when the draw was made this time it felt as though it was the right time to go back. I felt really emotional.
“It will also be extremely emotional for myself and my family on the night. I met so many amazing people during my time there, on and off the pitch, that I am looking forward to seeing everyone again.”
Source: English Premier League News, BBC Sport.
Wayne Rooney as good as Ronaldinho says David Beckham
Beckham (left) and Rooney (right) are England team-mates
English Premier League News – BBC Sport : AC Milan midfielder David Beckham believes Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is now as good as two-time world player of the year Ronaldinho.
Beckham and team-mate Ronaldinho will face Rooney when United travel to Milan for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg match.
Asked if England team-mate Rooney was comparable to the Brazilian, Beckham said: “Without a doubt.
“I’ve always said Wayne is one of the best goalscorers in football.”
Rooney has scored 23 goals in 32 appearances for United this season as the club seek to retain their Premier League crown as well as progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The 24-year-old has shouldered much of the goalscoring responsibility following world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80m departure to Real Madrid in the summer.
And Beckham insists Rooney is on a par with Ronaldinho, who twice won the Spanish league with Barcelona and the World Cup with Brazil in 2002.
“He is at a great club like Manchester United and he’s doing what he does best – scoring goals,” said the 34-year-old, who is on loan at Milan from LA Galaxy.
The match at the San Siro represents an emotional occasion for Beckham, who joined United as a youngster and won six Premier League titles and the 1999 Champions League before leaving for Real Madrid in 2003.
Robert Heenan
“It’s one of the biggest games for me personally. But the most important thing is the team going through and beating United which I hope we do,” explained Beckham.
“United are on fire, they’re playing well. Wayne is scoring goals like he can. It’s going to be a tough game.”
Like United, Milan lost a prized asset – Kaka – to Real Madrid in the summer, as well as coming to terms with the retirement of legendary defender Paolo Maldini.
Their performances this season have been inconsistent – Friday’s victory 3-2 win over Udinese ended a run of four straight defeats – but Beckham feels the Rossoneri can still match favourites United.
“Obviously there are a couple of players not here but the team is just the same, they’ve got this great team spirit within the squad and that’s definitely not changed,” added Beckham.
Bolton boss Owen Coyle positive on Gary Cahill recovery
Cahill's presence could have a big impact on Bolton's survival chances
English Premier League News – BBC Sport : Bolton’s Gary Cahill is making good progress in his recovery from a blood clot, according to manager Owen Coyle.
The clot was feared to have ended the 24-year-old defender’s hopes of a place in England’s World Cup squad.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but the clot has dissolved. We’ll revisit it in two weeks and we’ll see what the picture is,” said Coyle.
“But there should be some news in two weeks and hopefully it will be of the better variety.”
Cahill was treated in hospital after being taken ill last week but is now recuperating at home.
Former England Under-21 international Cahill, a £5m signing from Aston Villa two years ago, had been one of Bolton’s most consistent players this season.
He was part of England’s squad for the World Cup qualifying victory over Kazakhstan in June 2009 but is yet to win a senior cap.
Stoke 0 – 1 Birmingham
English Premier League Football News By Phil Dawkes
Birmingham climbed up to seventh in the table after extending their run of unbeaten Premier League matches to 11 with a hard-fought win over Stoke.
Cameron Jerome scored the game’s only goal, swivelling to bundle home from close range early in the second half.
It was a rare moment of incisiveness in a match high in tempo but often lacking in attacking efficiency.
Ryan Shawcross missed two good chances for Stoke, who remain just four points above the relegation zone.
The win continues a superb run for Birmingham in what has been a fantastic first season back in the top flight so far for the Midlands club.
They have now matched a 101-year-old club record of 11 undefeated games since a run of three wins and eight draws in 1908.
Pulis frustrated by bad luck
Their success owes a great deal to a rock-solid backline, forged around the central defensive duo of Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, and once again the pair performed well to repel a regular aerial assault from the home side.
Stoke may have been unbeaten at the Britannia Stadium since September, but they have won only one of their last nine games and are currently the Premier League’s lowest scorers.
Once again, they will be left ruing their inefficiency in front of goal which meant that they failed to capitalise on the rare lapses made by the Birmingham defence.
That was highlighted as early as the fourth minute when Shawcross was left completely unmarked from a corner but flashed his header across goal.
Then from another set-piece, this time a free-kick, Barry Ferguson’s misdirected header fell to Robert Huth in acres of space in the box but the defender fluffed his shot wide.
Shawcross missed another glorious opportunity soon after when Matthew Etherington’s corner cleared everyone at the near post and the defender needed only make contact in the six-yard box to score a certain goal, but he missed the ball completely.
Birmingham’s diligence in defence meant that their attack often lacked the numbers to fashion anything meaningful during the first half.
Their only real chance came just after the half hour when a corner sparked a goalmouth scramble which Stoke were unable to clear and Lee Bowyer’s hooked return found Liam Ridgewell at the far post but his header lacked the power to trouble Thomas Sorenson.
However, from their first meaningful foray forward after the break the visitors took the lead.
From a corner, Dann’s header struck Shawcross and fell to Jerome who was able to swivel and get enough purchase on the ball to bundle it past the flailing Sorenson.
Stoke responded well and produced two efforts on goal, but Birmingham keeper Joe Hart was a match for both.
Lawrence’s cross was just beyond the reach of James Beattie but beyond him Etherington was able to fire goalwards only to see Hart pull off a stunning one-handed save to deny him.
Minutes later the England keeper produced another stunning save, this time to palm away an Abdoulaye Faye header from a corner.
Stoke also had an appeal for a penalty turned down by referee Martin Atkinson after Huth appeared to have been pulled back by Stephen Carr as the centre-back moved to meet a cross in the box.
Stoke continued to pepper the Birmingham box with long balls aimed at starting striker Beattie and replacements Mamady Sidibe and Ricardo Fuller but they lacked accuracy and were met by firm resilience from the visiting defence.
Unfortunately for Stoke, they had no guile to complement their work-rate and Birmingham had only to remain disciplined to earn their ninth win of the season.
Source: English Premier League Football News, Stoke – Birmingham Result, Soccer News at BBC Sport Football.
Chelsea will not miss Didier Drogba
Drogba scored his 19th goal of the season against Fulham
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti insists his side can cope without top scorer Didier Drogba in the next few weeks.
The striker is on international duty with Ivory Coast for the African Cup of Nations, along with Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel.
Ancelotti said: “Didier has scored 19 goals but without him, this year, we’ve done very well.
“We won three games in the Champions League without him. We can do the same in the Premier League.”
Both Drogba and Kalou were given special dispensation to delay their flights to Angola, the country hosting the Cup of Nations, to play against Fulham on Monday.
Fifa regulations state the duo should have been released for international duty on 27 December but, along with midfielder John Mikel Obi, were allowed to leave two days past the deadline.
Drogba underlined his importance to Chelsea’s cause when he notched his 14th Premier League goal of the season in the 2-1 victory over Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
However, Ancelotti is confident he has enough depth in his squad to cover
“In some matches we can change the system,” said the Italian, who is also without striker Nicolas Anelka because of a muscle problem.
“We’ve played the diamond in every match but we can use our wingers in some matches. Florent Malouda or Daniel Sturridge can play. It depends on the match.”
Monday’s victory was only Chelsea’s second in eight matches as they extended their lead over second-placed Manchester United to five points.
“It was not a good December for us but that month is finished and now we look forward to January,” added Ancelotti.
“We can do better and maintain our position at the top of the table.”
Source: English Premier League Football Club, Chelsea news, Soccer Sport news at BBC Sport.