Cisse does it again for Sunderland

Djibril Cisse continues his career revival with another goal for Sunderland

Being a Liverpool fan I've always liked Djibril Cisse and am glad to see he's banging them in for Sunderland. He got the winner against Blackburn yesterday and that make it a respectable four goals in eleven games.

Djibril Cisse - leg break

Cisse has had a torrid time over the years, not least of which where two career threatening leg breaks, which severely disrupted his time at Liverpool. I've always thought all he needed was time and patience to get back to his best, and now he seems to be getting there. I think Cisse will prove to be a great player for Sunderland. He's got pace to burn, and is a great finisher!

Djibril Cisse will be one of the top scorers in the Premier League this season and will get back to his pre leg-break from. Mark my words!

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Daniel Agger: Liverpool Need more Goals

Daniel Agger: Liverpool need more goals

Speaking to the club’s official website ahead of the win against West Brom, Daniel Agger admitted he was at a loss to explain the result at White Hart Lane. He said: “I don't think I can explain the defeat at Tottenham, but the result certainly wasn't good enough.”

Daniel Agger

Daniel Agger admitted Liverpool had created more than enough chances and only had themselves to blame for the shock loss.

Agger is clearly happy just to be back in the Liverpool side, after missing nearly a year through injury, and see first Sami Hypia and Martin Srktel play exceptionally well in his place. He has looked a bit ring rusty at times, and will have to get back to his best soon, or Skrtel will be straight back in the team when fit.

Daniel Agger only has to look at the clean sheets pre and post Skrtel to be worried! Having said that he's a class player who only needs time to settle back in. We've every confidence in Daniel Agger to help Liverpool back to those shut-outs.

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Liverpool FC News: Robbie Keane can fire Liverpool to glory

Liverpool FC News: Robbie Keane can steer Liverpool to Title, says Benitez

Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane goes to his old Tottenham Hotspur stamping ground on Saturday with a glowing vote of confidence from his Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez. In the latest Liverpool news Benitez believes players like Robbie Keane have made Liverpool, the leaders of the Premier League, superior even to his 2005 Champions League winners.

Keane took time to settle at Anfield following his £20million summer move from White Hart Lane but Benitez has no doubts Robbie the Irishman will prosper and add to his tally of two goals. "He has experience and he knows in a top side like Liverpool you have to win, to score goals, but he is working very hard,'' Benitez said.

"People talked about the work-rate of [Dirk] Kuyt and now he is scoring goals and Robbie Keane will be the same. Desire is the key word. He has passion. He's a Liverpool fan.''

Benitez, who reiterated his view that Spurs made a mistake in sacking Juande Ramos, will decide this morning whether to start Fernando Torres, who has recovered from his hamstring problem, or continue with Robbie Keane as his central striker.

Keane can play wide but Benitez argued that his best position was "clearly as a second striker or one of the strikers with some freedom because he has good movement''. The arrival of Keane and the Spanish winger, Albert Riera, has enhanced Benitez's belief in the team.

"We won the Champions League because it was a good team,'' the Liverpool manager said. "Now this team I feel is a little bit better. We knew technically Riera is good. Physically he is a good player for the Premier League. He is a winner. He takes responsibility.''

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Playing well is what matters

Cristiano Ronaldo: Focussing on playing well

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, after winning on Monday the FIFPro Player of the Year - an award judged by his fellow professionals - and scoring a double for Manchester Unit, insisted that talk regarding his body language is wide off the mark.

Cristiano Ronaldo said: "People are always writing things about me. It is up to them; for me it is not a problem. I will just try to play well and do my best. I am just focused on playing good football."

Still, since returning from an ankle operation lastmonth, Ronaldo admitted that he has not rediscovered the devastating form that saw him score 42 goals to help United to the Champions League and Premier League titles last term.

Ronaldo said, he was focussing on playing well: "I know last year was magnificent. It is still possible this season....my priority is not only to score goals. I don't have to do that. I just have to play well for the team. I just want to keep proving to myself that I am a good player" Cristiano Ronaldo proving he's a good player?? Whatever he says Ronaldo also has to prove he wants to stay at Manchester United.

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Football News: Owens a goner as Newcastle freefall

Football News: Newcastle in freefall as Liverpool & Everton wait for Owen

Football news circulating on the internet has it that Michael Owen is wanted by Liverpool and Everton. Meanwhile Newcastles season is going into freefall, as they lost 3-1 to West Ham, with what can only be described as a hapless performance.

Reports are that Everont and Liverpool will approach Owen during the winter with a view to convincing the England hitman to complete a free transfer at the end of the season.

The 28-year-old was in and out of contract negotiations all summer long. The Toon at one point attempted to ease their cash-flow crisis by slashing 20 per cent off his wages, while later reports suggested a bumper £140,000-per-week deal was on the horizon.

The Tynesiders have been mired in turmoil ever since Kevin Keegan's dramatic resignation as manager two weeks ago: a replacement has still to be found and owner Mike Ashley, shocked by the levels of vitriol from supporters, has put the club up for sale, albeit at a prohibitive asking price of 450 million pounds (823 million dollars).

Such strife occasionally triggers a doughty defiance, but not with Newcastle. They slumped to an embarrassing home defeat to newly-promoted Hull last weekend and this performance, which leaves them second from bottom of the table, bordered on the shambolic, despite a late flurry prompted by Michael Owen's well-taken goal.

West Ham, sensing Newcastle's nerves, were in no mood for sympathy. It took them just seven minutes to break through, although even this was overdue. Etherington and Di Michele had already seen shots blocked before the latter finally cracked the Newcastle rearguard. After that the inevitable defeat followed.

Football news of this kind is only more torture for the poor Geordie fans. Their club is being dragged into the gutter by a woeful management team. Ashley, Wise and co have simply not got a clue about what it takes to run such a big and well supported club. The sooner they leave and Newcastle get some stability the better!

Manchester City News: Robinho impresses

Manchester City News: Micah Richards impressed with Robinho

The latest Manchester City news lis that defender Micah Richards has heaped praise on new signing Robinho, saying he has impressed his teammates with the amount of work he gets through.

Richards said: "It is not just about his tricks. He has got a good work rate, he works for the team. He could have been a star who came here and cared about himself but he really cares about the team and wants us to do well."

Manchester City meet Portsmouth on Sunday in their latest Premier League game and Micah Richards sees a bright future at Man City. The completion of the £210million takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group is imminent and is expected to give the club Chelsea like power in the transfer market.

Richards, who graduated to the first team from the academy, said: "This is a great place to be at the moment. I've always said we are going to do something. Hopefully with the financial backing we are getting we can go out and win a trophy."

Well given the dross served up by various management teams at Manchester City in the last decade you can only wish for the supporters sake he is right! Manchester City are certainly in the news lately, and it can't be bad if they Premier League ends up with five teams battling for four places!

Arsenal Premiership: Blackburn given a lesson

Arsenal Premiership: Class gap a chasm as Blackburn given the run-around

Arsenal and their Premiership ambitions were given a huge boost after this performance. Star of the show, was England man Walcott.

Walcott’s pace and vision made the opening goal for Robin van Persie and his continual pacey runs constantly showed up the immobile Blackburn defence and midfield. Arsenal confirmed that more than ever the Premiership 'big four' and the rest have a massive gulf in class.

Walcott's substitution in the second half left it to Emmanuel Adebayor, who promptly helped himself to a hat-trick. You got the thought, that this game may even have prompted Ince to even consider the possibility of switching to the basket case that is St James’ Park.

However at Blackburn, he at least has his fate in his own hands here and you don't meet Arsenal storming the Premiership every week.

Walcott apart, Arsenal went coasted through the game and passed their way past Blackburn with a minimum of physical or mental effort.

Blackburn briefly sensed they were still in contention only for Adebayor to deliver a reality check after a glorious phase of possession by Arsenal just before half-time. That made it 2-0 and there was only one outcome after that.

Arsenal really will be a Premiership force again this season, despite the higher resources of rivals. You can't help thinking that the Premiership is lucky to have a club like Arsenal to act as a counterbalance to the unseemly way some clubs are run. Arsenal are a club truly built on the values of the beautiful game!

Liverpool vs Man U: Gerrard Back?

Liverpool vs Man U: Gerrard Back?

LIVERPOOL Vs MAN U: STEVEN GERRARD is set to hand Rafa Benitez a huge boost - by giving himself every chance of featuring against Manchester United on Saturday.

The Liverpool captain will return to full training in the next few days and should he come through that with no ill effects, his chances of facing Manchester United will increase dramatically.

His rehabilitation programme has gone much better than expected since then and he is now fit enough to join in with his team mates as they prepare for their biggest Premier League game of the season so far. Gerrard now stands a realistic chance of being involved in Saturday's lunchtime showdown with the reigning champions, although the final decision as to whether or not he plays will rest with manager Rafa Benitez.

Liverpool vs Man U is always a massive game and Liverpool will be praying Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres recover in time for this one! They're gonna need them!

Berbatov to Manchester United

Berbatov to Manchester United - a done deal at last!

Dimitar Berbatov is expected to finally move to Manchester United, they are reportedly expect ing to force through the purchase in the next 24 hours before the transfer window closes.

Berbatov to Manchester United has been one of the sagas of the summer, and it finally looks like coming to an end, with a 25 million pound deal, plus add-on's and interestingly Frazier Campbell, Manchester United's young forward who impressed at Hull, as part of the deal.

Tottenham have also signed the Russion forward Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow for a transfer fee believed to be £14 million so are quickly reinforcing in anticipation of the move.

Berbatov to Man U was always a certainty, and it's a wonder there was so much column space devoted to it! Berbatov at Man U will only make the rest of the Premier League wonder who is going to stop Man U this season?

Wayne Rooney: goals will come with a partner

Wayne Rooney's goals will come if he gets some forward help

Wayne Rooney goals will flow if Sir Alex fixes the errors of his ways, by buying Berbatov.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been remarkably confessional in the build-up to this season. Maybe his age is showing, but he admitted to Sir David Frost that it had been a mistake to sell Jaap Stam to Lazio in 2001 and then later, during the club's tour of South Africa, he conceded that errors had been made in his deployment of Wayne Rooney.

Pity no one asked him about his decision, two summers ago, to sell Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid. Was that a mistake too?

Ferguson may never say it was but he appears to regret letting the prolific Dutchman go. Why else would he be pursuing Dimitar Berbatov with such vigour? Upon signing him - and United are confident they can do so this week for about £25m - the Bulgarian will be expected to provide everything Van Nistelrooy once did - an outlet for the side's dynamic and willing runners, a target for those able to play a raking pass from deep, and of course goals. Despite his current lack of "focus", a record of 46 goals in two seasons proves the 27-year-old Bulgarian is more than capable of supplying those.

Oh how Wayne Rooney will be glad of a good old fashioned strike partner. He must have been willing Manchester United to buy anybody to play off this summer, rather than plough the lone furrow up-front again. Peter Crouch, Dean Ashton, Emile Heskey............alright, Emile is stretching it a bit, but I'll bet he'd have been happy with Peter Crouch!

Wayne Rooney should enjoy his football and his goals, much more this season, now it appears certain Berbatov is on his way. Footy Focus online has never been convinced that Wayne Rooney will get goals while playing upfront alone, and Man U's rivals will be sorry its about to end!

Football Transfer News

Football Transfer News - Saha to Everton, and the fight for Milner begins
First up in football transfer news is that Louis Saha is on his way to Everton. The striker will join Everton for an undisclosed fee, subject to passing a medical. The 30-year-old France international will become Everton's third signing of the summer after Lars Jacobsen and Segundo Castillo. Saha, who joined United from Fulham for £12.8m in January 2004, will sign a two-year deal with an option to extend his contract by a further 12 months.

Other football transfer news also concerns Everton, whose manager David Moyes is attempting to hijack Aston Villa's bid to land James Milner after making a £10m offer to Newcastle United for the England under-21 winger last night. Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan wants to keep Milner and has demanded the midfielder be given a pay rise. The winger handed in a transfer request but he wants to stay at Newcastle if they offer him a improved contract.

Aston Villa have reportedly met Newcastle's £10m asking price and it could, therefore, be left to the player to decide which team he wants to join, subject to agreeing personal terms.

Liverpool are making football transfer news of their own and are poised to complete the £8million signing of Albert Riera from Espanyol. Terms of the deal have been agreed between the clubs and 26-year-old Riera must only prove his fitness to seal his move to Anfield. The fee involved is thought to be around £8million, with Riera set to return to the Premier League having previously had a loan spell with Manchester City in the 2005-06 season.

There is more football transfer news here and here . Two days to go until the window closes!!

David Beckham - all over for England?

David Beckham will do well to hold onto his England place

David Beckham and his glorious England career should surely now be coming to an end. Beckham's latest display surely shows why Fabio Capello must call time on Beckham.

Paul McGrath has now joined ex England manager, Bobby Robson in insisting it's time Beckham was put out to grass.

Seeing parallels with his own situation when with the Republic of Ireland, McGrath says its time Beckham gave it up. Robson sees England as needing fast, vibrant wingers, and its hard to disagree.

Beckham was never the fastest of players, but now he simply doesn't get forward any near as much as he used to. He can still do it at dead ball situations, but he was never the fastest, and now he's clearly slowing with age.

Football Focus Online has joined the chorus - David Beckham, it's time to call it a day!! More football gossip here

Cristiano Ronaldo: Buys 150,000 number plate

Cristiano Ronaldo: 150,000 on CR7 number plate

Cristiano Ronaldo

Demonstrating that age old adage of footballers having more money than sense, Cristiano Ronaldo has spent a massive 150,000 on a number plate!

Ronaldo coughed up the huge sum for the registration CR7 - his initials and shirt number at Old Trafford, says The Sun.

The new number plate takes his spending with luxury car firm Liquid 45 to a whopping £490,000 in the past month. A couple of weeks ago he placed an order for a black Rolls Royce Phantom - which costs a jaw-dropping £340,000.

But the number plate won't go on the new car - it is destined for Ronaldo's runaround, a silver £140,000 Bentley convertible!

Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly one for splashing his cash about. It's an obscene amount of money, but if you've got it flaunt it and Ronaldo certainly has!

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Football Gossip

Football Gossip: Pennant winging his way to Blackburn?
Football gossip has it that Blackburn have been told by Liverpool to bid six million pounds for Jermaine Pennant, or forget it.

Paul Ince obviously is looking for a replacement for David Bentley and Pennant obviously fits the bill. Footy Focus can't for the life of us understand why Pennant is not getting a game in a Liverpool team that has as much width as a credit card standing on its edge, and as much pace as Joe Royle in his TV chair.

The game against Middlesbrough was crying out for a bit of pace and invention down the flanks, yet he was nowhere to be seen. The football gossip has it that Rafa Benitez is reluctant to sell him, as it's too late to replace him. Nonsense! He's not anywhere near getting a game!

If this football gossip is right, we think Liverpool will regret selling Pennant to Blackburn. The lad is very talented, only 25 and could well at last be maturing into one hell of a player!

Sunderland Football: Tottenham floored by Sunderland

Sunderland Football: Keano's proving a slippery Black Cat as Tottenham are stunned

So Sunderland football and the FA Premier League do mix! Roy Keano is beginning to show signs of not only being a fierce man motivator, but a real canny mover in the transfer market as well.

His Sunderland football side has been beefed up with proven Premiership players this year, and boy does it show, and with Anton Ferdinand another likely arrival you really can't see Sunderland and Keano boys struggling in the Premiership this year.

His signings of Malbranque, Chimbonda, El Hadj-Diouf and Cisse are already looking like masterstrokes. Footy Focus can't help thinking there's one manager with a paper thin squad, no signings in and a very red face wishing he'd have thought of moving for those four. David Moyes of Everton if you can't guess - how much better would Everton be with those on board. Cisse has always got goals, even in two injury hit seasons at Liverpool. and is lightening quick El Hadj-Diouf is a tremendous talent and one hell of a worker, while Malbranque is proven quality.

Sunderland's football was tremendous yesterday, and to win 2-1 after conceding an equaliser was superb. That Sunderland could have someone of the quality of Cisse on the bench shows the strides they are making.

Footy Focus sees Sunderland football as going to be a vast improvement on last years struggles. With Keano's motivation and the new signings, watch the Black Cats go!

Everton News

Everton News: Tiago turns down Everton to leave the Toffees stuck

Everton will be left reeling from the latest news that Tiago Mendes has turned down a move to Goodison Park on a season long loan. Mendes has been a flop for Juventus and Claudio Ranieri was keen to offload the midfielder.

It's the latest unwanted Everton news, as their summer in the transfer market turns into a disaster. Their slim squad has already opened the Premier League with a defeat, and unless they can reinforce soon, last seasons fifth placed finish will become a dream.

Everton manager Moyes is now reportedly lowering his sights in the transfer market to avoid becoming the bad news story of the summer. Everton are finding a problem to other similar Premier League clubs. That is, for all the wealth of the Premier League, if your not one of the top four, and your not in the Champions League, it is difficult to attract the top players from Europe.

"It doesn't look like the quality players I wanted are going to be the ones I'll be chasing. We just need to get numbers in. It's probably out of reach to bring in the six or seven we need now. There's a possibility we might end up bringing no one in." said Moyes.

Last season Moyes targeted three stellar signings to improve on his Uefa Cup qualifiers for the past two years. The Everton manager did not discover his transfer budget until mid-summer but has had £15m, plus money from the sale of Andrew Johnson, to spend since July.

Everton news is all gloomy and Footy Focus can't help wondering if Moyes has made a massive blunder by putting all on attracting real top quality talent, without a plan B if they didn't appear. I'll bet he wishes he was in for Steed Malbranque or El-Hadij Diouf now! They are looking like masterstrokes in comparison to Moyes' efforts! Everton's news surely can't get any worse - can it...

Berbatov to Man U

Berbatov to Man U: Berbatov forcing his way north

Tottenhams Berbatov is now clearly forcing his way to Man U. Reports are filtering out that he has handed in a transfer request, hence his weekend appearance on the bench.

Berbatov has been quoted as saying: "I'm now in Tottenham but no-one can disagree with me wanting to follow my dream,"

Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev was even more direct in his comments on the player's future. "We have two more weeks until the end of the transfer window and I think this will be the most important week," he said. "I read Alex Ferguson's statement that he wants another striker and I hope that this striker is Dimitar Berbatov."

It's all coming to the inevitable conclusion and Berbatov should get his move to Man U very shortly! It's an awful lot for a 28 year old, but hey if the Premiership lands back at Man U it will be worth it! Hicks and Gillett should take note!

Liverpool vs Middlesbrough

Liverpool vs Middlesbrough: Rafa seeking to maintain a good start

Liverpool vs Middlesbrough is a tricky one for Rafa, particularly in the white hot pressure of the Premier League. The expectations on Liverpool are such that Rafa Benitez is one bad result from a wave of pressure, particularly at the start of the season. Middlebrough have started well with a great win at home to Tottenham Hotspur, though many will be expecting them to shortly flop in time-honoured fashion.

Liverpool have some interesting selection posers, especially regarding Xabi Alonso. Benitez was clearly ready to sell him, and the rumours are now that he consequently wants away. All in all, the Barry, Benitez and Alonso saga has led to a miserable transfer season for all concerned at Liverpool. Alonso surely has to figure, in the continued absence of Mascherano. Benitez could even play his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation given the excellent promise of Damien Plessis. Footy focus would go for a line-up of Reina, Arbeloa, Agger, Carragher, Dosenna, Plessis, Alonso, Gerrard, Keane, Babel (if back), Torres.

Liverpool are still lacking natural width, so this formation gives them a bit more fluidity and invention than 4-4-2. Playing Benayoun and Kuyt as your wide midfielders won't land a Premier League title.

Liverpool vs Middlesbrough is in the view of Footy Focus online a banker home win. Liverpool may not be playing very well, but they should have far too much for Middlesbrough. Any side containing Gerrard, Torres, Keane, Carragher, Agger, Reina, and Alonso won't struggle for too long!

Transfer Rumours

Transfer Rumours: Latest Premiership Transfer Rumours

Here's the latest from the Premier League transfer rumours:

First up is Portuguese midfielder Tiago who faces a tough decision as to whether he be at Goodison Park or St. James's Park or even in sunny Madrid. It was looking like it might be Newcastle, but it seems as though Everton have come in at the eleventh hour.

Major transfer rumour of the day is that Dimitar Berbatov is putting the finishing touches to his £28 million move to Manchester United. The Bulgarian international is having a medical in Manchester after weeks of speculation over his future.

Also Zenit St Petersburg claim they have lowered their asking price for Andrei Arshavin to clear the path for the Russia forward to move to Tottenham. Spurs were originally told the 27-year-old, who starred at Euro 2008 for his country, would cost upwards of £20million and no fee was agreed between the clubs.

Still on Tottenham other transfer rumours have it that they have not yet given up their pursuit of Croatian defender Vedran Corluka - and are even prepared to take over Manchester City’s debt to Dinamo Zagreb in order to push the deal through.

Newcastle United who have been not subject to much in the way of transfer rumours, have manager Kevin Keegan stresseng that James Milner will not be sold, after it was speculated that Aston Villa could get the talented winger as the Magpies look to balance the books. However, the 22-year-old England U-21 international is apparently a key player in Keegan’s plans and the Toon boss also revealed that club owner Mike Ashley has no plans to cash in on Milner in the transfer market.

There you have it, the latest tittle tattle from the world of the Premier League transfer rumours. As they say in the movies it's a wrap!

Benitez set to leave

Benitez set to leave as Rafa reopens old wounds?

Rafa Benitez could well again be on the brink of leaving Liverpool after laying the blame for the Gareth Barry/ Xabi Alonso fiasco squarely at the door of Rick Parry.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Sunderland game, a clearly Benitez exasperated Benitez stated he has had no involvement with any talks on either player since April. It was noted however that he softened his tone, saying the talks between the clubs had been 'good'.

Benitez is clearly not happy again with Rick Parry, who he has blamed in the past for scuppering a number of deals at the last minute. Whether this incurs the wrath of the American owners, after last seasons near fatal outburst remains to be seen, with the difference this time being that his target is clearly Rick Parry.

We can only hope (being Liverpool fans!), that Rafa Benitez is not set to leave Liverpool and that it all somehow settles down. It must be said however that Liverpool's season again seems set to be one of boardroom turmoil!