Fulham takeover

A fan group has bought Fulham and officially announce their takeover in front of the press today. The news adds to a week of mixed emotions with the club winning 3-1 but being hit with a further 3 point deduction for failing to clear their debt.

"Terry Manifold has fought hard and stayed on in the face of so much. We want to thank him because that little bit of stability can only help in rebuilding the club now. A loan has been agreed and we will need to look to make profits on player sales in the near future to start to clear that so the suffering from the interest is minimised. We all hope Terry can continue to lead the club back to security."


Russian investment imminent

Russian Yuri Semikov has admitted he is days from announcing the purchase of a football club following an on going negotiation period. Semikov had been linked to various clubs including Fulham, Newcastle, Chievo and Real Valladolid after stating his intent to invest in a club.

"A deal is done. Now we just tidy up the loose ends and the paperwork can be done." Semikov has refused to comment on who it was he was dealing with.


Davidson hopes to resolve deals

Paul Davidson has told a French newspaper he hopes to conclude his negotiations quickly because things are dragging out. Davidson is the second potential investor in 24 hours to come out and discuss on going takeover talks and seems disappointed nothing has been signed yet.

"The first bid was rejected but we have gone back with fresh ideas. I can understand that if you own a successful football club then you are reluctant to let go but I wish our negotiations had gone quicker. I would have liked to get stuck in by now." Davidson too refused to comment on speculation about who he was negotiating with.



Rumour Mill

David Gold has told fans the Birmingham team is now stable and confident of winning League One despite not being considered for promotion during the pre-season speculation.

Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has told his manager to target the struggling Sunderland team to take the second automatic place.

Massimo Cellino the chairman of Cagliari has denied being in contact with ex-manager Steve Davies-Evans.

Stephen Wells is struggling to adapt to the food in Spain and is considering a return back to England permanently to rediscover bangers and mash.

Assistant manager Chris Coleman has urged the defensive youth players at Genoa to take their chance and progress to the first team with the defence buckling in recent weeks.

Roberto Benigni has praised Jonny Sinclair for his unwavering loyalty to the club despite not picking up a point all season.

Norwich have contacted Jonny Sinclair's agent about a return to the play-off chasing Championship club.

David Cortez believes Real Valladolid can push on and break into the top half of the La Liga.

Real Zaragoza chairman Eduardo Bandres has admitted he is concerned his team doesn't have the experience to stay out of the relegation zone.

Wolves owner Jack Hayward has threatened his manager with the sack if the situation doesn't improve.

Steve Davies-Evans has been highlighted as the future Wolves manager amid reports of his uncertain future in Sheffield.

Luis Garcia believes their Sheffield rivals are catch able following a 3-1 win over Leicester.

Nathan Ashton has told the Charlton fans his goal against Sunderland this week has topped a great start to his professional career.

Antonio Montella has admitted the chance to play for Juventus is something everyone dreams of and that he will fight to break into the first team.

Davies-Evans stuns Owls

Press: Following a 2-2 draw with Leeds a small section of the fans voiced their displeasure at recent results. How do you feel about this?

SDE The thing about football fans is that they have the right to voice however they feel. They pay a lot of money to watch their team. I think that there is a minority of Sheffield Wednesday fans that might not be overly happy with the past two results but we didnt lose either game and Im sure that they will be enjoying this season a lot more than they did last season when this club was rooted to 11th place.

Press: Mr Ecclestone has been very vocal about his desire for promotion following heavy investment into the club. With all the recent speculation regarding your future do you feel this is undermining your attempts to gain promotion?

SDE In the same way as the football fans, Mr Ecclestone also spends a lot of his own money on this football club and he has every right to voice what he wants for the football club. He has been superb to back me with transfer funds this season and hopefully he can see that I have helped the team move in the right direction.

Press: It has also been suggested that a number of managers have been approached recently about the possibility of taking over at Wednesday next season. Do you feel let down by these rumors with the club still in a play-off position?

SDE Ill be honest and say that it isnt easy reading in the news every week that you are going to a different club or that a new manager is going to take your job. I joined Sheffield Wednesday to do a job and I think that the media in England make it impossible for you to soley concentrate on your job alone. I know they are only looking to do their job and trying to sell papers etc but they must realize that the media in this country is so ruthless that its partly behind the fact that the national team have not won the world cup since 1966. There is far too much pressure on managers to compete when their lives are splashed in column inches every week.

Press: Is there any truth in the reports emanating from Spain that you have expressed an interest in taking over at Real Betis?

SDE Rather than let this one get out of hand and exaggerated anymore, Id like to state the case in hand from the horses mouth as such. I have applied for the position at Real Betis. This has been done for footballing reasons only. I feel that I havent been allowed to do my job for one reason or another at Sheffield Wednesday and I would love to get the chance of managing Betis. I think they are a great club and have the chance of promotion this season. They have some very important games coming up and I feel that I can offer them the guidance that they need in order to gain promotion again back to the Premiera where they truly belong.

Press: Would you prefer to see out the rest of the season before moving on?

SDE to be honest, Thats not a question I feel I cn answer as It will now be down to Mr Ecclestone. If he would like me to finish the job he hired me for then yes I would stay on and try and do everything possible to get Sheffield Wednesday into the Championship, but if not, I would like to move to Betis so I can get settled asap and hopefully help them get back into the playoffs before the end of the season.

Press: Finally the last few seasons have you seen you in charge of a number of clubs, are you looking for a club that you can finally call home and take a more long term approach to running a club?

SDE To be honest, that is exactly what I want. I had a great season last year when I was at Cagliari when I was allowed to concentrate on the football club and thats exactly what I want to do at Betis. I want to join a club that I can get my head down and settle into. I think that Betis would be a great chance to do that. They have superb support and a great structure from board down and I would love to be a part of that. I feel that my style of attacking football is suited to Betis and I think that the fans would enjoy watching it every week.

Press: Steve, Thanks for your time and we wish you all the best for the future.

SDE Thank you very much.

"We want Glenn Whitter"

Roma chairman has today stunned many by openly announcing his determination to appoint Palermo manager Glenn Whitter as the new Roma boss. Franco Sensi told the Gazzetta that the club couldn't survive without a manager for much longer and that things needed to change.

"Glenn Whitter has surprised many this season. Palermo are a real force and few expected that. Italy is producing some outstanding new managers like Whitter, Huw Evans (Brescia) and even Anthony Tate (Lazio) who has been there less than a month! We think Whitter has the qualities to be the next Roma manager and it is my job to make it happen."

Sensi refused to speculate on how high he would be willing to pay Palermo compensation to take Whitter and as yet there has been no comment from Palermo.

Sheffield Wednesday reactions

The fan representative for the supporters club spoke to Soccer Star and explained he understands expectations were high but things haven't quite worked. "With so much money being put in all expectations were bound to increase. The pressure on the manager would have been higher than it should have been and a lot of fans appreciate this. Yet on the other hand, £29 million is £29 million. You cant buy the world with that but we should still be in the fight for the top 2 with so long left of the season. To be out of it already and be languishing amongst teams like [Sheffield] United who haven't spent a penny shows something went wrong with the management of that cash still."

One pundit described the chaos unfolding at Wednesday in his weekly column in the Soccer Star. "The money was spent on building a squad and I think that was his mistake. Sunderland are the only team in that league who has had a big squad with depth in quality all season. To fill the holes in the squad with the cash was a fruitless exercise when you then need to look to improve the first team. The first team needed improving first and any remaining cash had to add depth where it could. So I think with hindsight, his job was going to be difficult from the moment he set out that transfer policy. Every manager is different, maybe he was wrong to pick that policy and maybe Bernie [Ecclestone] was wrong to pick a manager with that mindset."

Bernie Ecclestone has finally reacted to the announcement that manager Steve Davies-Evans wants to move to Real Betis. Davies-Evans was brought in from Cagliari only at the beginning of this current season and despite having £29 million to spend the club is already being written off by many for the automatic places even with 6 games left to play.

Rumours have recently spread that Ecclestone was disappointed at the slow progress over the last 2 seasons in which over £30 million has been put into the club by the chairman, and some sections of the fans have bemoaned the lack of creativity as the club trotted out a number of 1-0 wins during their best patch of form this season.

Ecclestone was less sympathetic though. Clearly put out by his want away manager openly and bluntly expressing his desire to leave, the owner has taken a day before reacting. "I feel let down. Davies-Evans knew what he was stepping into when he accepted the job. The money and expectation were part and parcel of the offer. Pressure will always increase at this time of the season with people looking at final places in the table. We had a good cup run this season but couldn't transfer that form to the league. We have been good without being special.

To show dissent is a problem but at this stage of the season it is unacceptable. It undermines any faith the players have in the team and the fans will become isolated from us. Removing the managers support is like chopping the body away; everything else falls to the floor. I am sorry to announce that Steve Davies-Evans has been sacked with immediate effect from the club for this reason. We will look to bring in a manager who can breathe enthusiasm and confidence back into the team, and ideally who can bring some attacking flair to the teams mentality. The search will begin immediately."

Ecclestone refused to speculate on whether further cash would be made available to an incoming manager prior to the transfer window closing and admitted he had no one in particular in mind and would consider all applicants on their merits and looking for the above mentioned qualities.

Speculation now surrounds the future of Steve Davies-Evans. A Spanish radio station tonight announced reports that the Welshman was already in contract discussions with Real Betis after he expressed an interest to join them, but also claimed that another English club had approached Davies-Evans although was yet to put any firm offer down.



Clubs "within hours" of sale

Newcastle United and Real Valladolid have both confirmed on their club websites that they are both very close to agreeing takeovers in the boardroom. Both clubs have been in negotiations for some time and it is believed a number of bids have been refused particularly for Real Valladolid. It now seems as if both clubs are looking at 'when' the deals will be done and not 'if' they will happen.

Paul Davidson and Yuri Semikov are the two new names who have filled the newspaper columns in recent weeks. Davidson made his money from his pipe fitting company while Semikov is currently residing in Russia but has openly told the press he wants to invest in a European club. However late dark horses at recently departed Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed who reportedly made £24 million from the sale of his shares at Fulham, and Ray Ranson the ex-Coventry chairman who famously fell out with ex-manager Mark Rollings, now of Sampdoria.

Neither club has announced who it is they are in the latter stages of discussions with.

Murcia media

Real Murcia manager Dale Price speaks to FourFourTwo

Mr Price you have been the surprise package this season did you ever think your season would go this well?

Yes I did to be honest, I knew it would be a struggle but I am confident in my abilities as a manger and I believe I am getting the best out of the players we have at the club.

Do you see your future at Murcia?

No I dont and I have said that from the very start and the chairman (Juan Pina) and me have spoken about my future he knows that coming to Murcia was only a short term thing just to get the club off the bottom of the league, so far this season I have achieved this and more and hopefully we can push on and get to the play-offs.

You say you have no future at Murcia so where do you see yourself next season?

My aim is to return to England where I had a successful time at Norwich City.  The biggest mistake of my career was leaving England to come to Spain.  When I announced that I was leaving Norwich I had the chance to take over at Middlesboro I turned them down.

Have you spoken to any clubs about moving to England?

Yes I have had a couple of meetings set up but my chairman I have travelled to England on 2 occasions and I got one more trip planned this week.

Can you tell us what clubs they are?

No I cant but all 3 clubs are in the north of England. Not much more I can say other than discussions are ongoing.

What do you make of the news that your friend Steve Davis-Evans has been sacked By Sheffield Wednesday and he wants to take over your old club Real Betis?

I have got to say that I am not shocked that he got sacked as soon as he applied for the Betis job it was only a matter of time.  I hope he gets the Betis job I feel if he got his head down and concentrated on the football he could do well there

Thanks for your time Mr Price

Thank you, good bye

 

 

Cardiff manager Stuart Price spoke to the media about the sacking of Steve Davies Evans

"I was very shocked to read he left. I thought they were having a good season even if it wasn't as good as the chairman wanted. I think they might be easier to beat with out Steve than if he stayed"

Nothing has been said about his move to Betis yet

"I wish him well where ever he ends up. He is a good manager but he should just stay somewhere and build. Just one season at a team makes success so hard"

You moved from Seville to Cardiff do you think moves are a good thing?

"Moving every season is wrong I moved because I achieved all I wanted there. It doesn't help the manager or the team. People should stop looking at jobs being 1 season jobs. If things are going well why do people want to leave I understand if things are not really working"

Cheers Stu

West Brom Press Statement

Manager Paul Harrington held a press conference today to discuss the future of the club.

" i have today, handed my resignation to the chairman and would like to announce my decision to leave West Brom to the press. I have enjoyed 2 good seasons at the club, taking them up to the Premiership last year, and then, against all the odds when everyone backed us to go straight back down, i have not only kept them up, but got this club on the verge of the top 6 in their first season. This club, and the players havent had the recognition they deserve and thats been tough, but it has also helped us by making sure we got our heads down and worked had, and im sure the fans appriciate that!" 

"I hope the club and the fans understand why im leaving, i feel that after getting this team so far there is not much more i can do for the club. My intention is too stay here untill the end of the season to finish what i started and get us into the top 6. The possibility of finishing ahead of an established Premier League team like West Ham was truly just a dream at the start of the season, but i would like to stay here to make that dream a reality, but that will be up to the chairman."

When asked what the Chairman's intentions were, Harrington was unclear.

"i'm not sure what he has decided in relation to me staying on for the rest of the season, but i would hope he lets me carry on untill then, at the start of the year, he gave me 3m to turn a relegation bound team into a side that could fight for survival, now we are 14 points above the relegation zone and have 4m in the account, add to that the fact i rejected Roma eariler in the season as i was focused on getting West Brom as high as possible, and i hope the Chairman takes all that into account before making his decision."

Harrington then left to prepare for the crucial league game against Newcastle this week, and when asked where, and who he would like to manage next, he only expressed his desire to stay in England

Davies-Evans appointed Nottingham Forest interim manager

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Davies-Evans has tonight made a sensational return to football as the new interim manager at Nottinham Forest. The east midlands side are currently rooted to the bottem of League 1 with only one win this season and have acted quickly to install Davies-Evans in a 7 game contract that will run until the end of the season. 
Davies-Evans tonight gave his first press conference and spoke of his intent to install some confidence back into the City Ground .

 Press: Steve, It's been a whirld-wind few days, Are you pleased to be at Nottingham?

SDE - "Absolutley! Things came to a head at Sheffield Wednesday and it became impossible for me to do my job. I am delighted that I have joined Forest and I will be doing everything I can to help take this club forward."

Press: Exactly how long do you expect to be at Forest?

SDE - "Well we will see how it goes but I have a contract until the end of the season and we will take it from there."

Press: Would you like to stay on at Forest if things go well?

SDE - "Like I said, We will see how it goes. I'm not trying to avoid the question but there is nothing more I can say. As it stands, I am here til the end of the season and that's all I can focus on. The chairman and myself will review the situation at the end of the season and we will take it from there."

Press: What can the Nottingham Forest fans look forward under your stewardship?

SDE - "Well I think any side I have ever managed has never been easy to beat. I expect 110% from every player every week and that will be no different here. We have a great bunch of lads that maybe don't realise how good they actually are. They haven't had a regiem to work under for a while but I will be working with each and every player in order to restore some much needed confidence. This club has taken abit of a battering for the past two seasons so I want us to stand up and show everyone what we are made of."

Press: You have been heavily criticised by your fellow managers over your previous transfers. Will you have any money to spend?

SDE- "I will have a small amout of money to spend and I have already lined up a deal that will see a very good, young midfielder come in this week to give us abit of bite in the center of the park. I will also be bringing in a striker on loan that most Forest fans will be familiar with and someone that unserstand this football club. I will be trying to bring in a few players over the next few weeks until the window shuts to help us go forward. The forest fans will not be seeing too many players leaving."

Press: Finally Steve, Ironically your first game as Nottingham Forest manager is the against the team that was your last opponents at Sheffield Wednesday - Leeds United. It also sees you yet again go up against your brother Dave. Has he been in contact and how do you see the game going?

SDE - "Yeah I have spoken to Dave this afternoon. He was pleased that I am back in football and we shared a joke that we were up against eachother again. As for the game....Just like every other opponent we will face this year - the pressure is on them! Nobody expects us to take a point from any game so they should walk over us....shouldn't they? I know Dave has targeted 3 points from this game but I am the manager here now and I will be doing everything possible to make sure that we start with a positive result. We have some games in the coming against teams around us so we will be trying our best to start picking up points."

Press: Steve thanks for your time and good luck at the City Ground.

SDE - "No problem, thanks"

-- Edited by Bluebird99 on Wednesday 18th of March 2009 10:55:35 PM