Saints manager Steve Davies-Evans spoke to the media on Tuesday morning ahead of their home clash with Wigan Athletic at St Marys this weekend.
Press; Steve, how's the mood in the squad and how happy are they after a great win at Sheffield Wednesday on the weekend?
SDE: Ah well the boys are rightfully happy at the moment. Winning breeds confidence which is why it's important to keep the positive results coming so that we can build on every game.
Press: Wigan this week, where do you see their strengths?
SDE: Well I think any team with the likes of Robert Earnshaw, Yoldiray Basturk and Callum McManaman in their team will be a handful for anyone. McManaman was in the top three goalscorers in this division and he's got a great partnership with Earnie. They also have Chris Birchill who is always capeable of a goal so we'll have to be on top of our game. Wigan are an excellent team and after losing to Middlesborough on penalties in last years playoffs, they will really want to get out of this division in the top two this season.
Press: Your assistant manager Malcom Webster stated this week that the team could benefit from an attacking re-shuffle. Is that why you brought in the two new central midfielders this week?
SDE: Well we have areas that we felt that we could benefit from bringing in new players and we had targeted the midfield as one of them areas so hence we brought in Javier Santafe Vivo and Renato Augusto.
Press: So talk us through the two players, what can Saints fans expect from them?
SDE: Well I think everyone is fully aware of Javiers [Santafe Vivo] skills. He's a brilliant midfielder that can score goals for us as he did with two in the playoff final. Renato [Augusto] is another box to box midfielder that loves to get amoungst the goals. He's a huge coup for the club so we have to thank Rob at Fiorentina for allowing him to join us.
Press: Will you be signing any new players this week?
SDE: Well we have agreed for two new players for to come in but there's still a way to go on one of them. Hopefully by the start of next week, we'll be sta here with a new central defender and another new central midfielder.
Spurs Manager Richard Jefferies spoke to Spurs TV on Tuesday lunchtime on his hopes for this season.
STV So Richard how are you looking forward to this season ?
RJ Well once again it will be a challenge and its one i'm looking forward to, as now we have the added incentive of European Football. I think the squad looks good as it has to because now I have no more money to play with.
STV You bought Ched Evans last week, how do you see that working out?
RJ Well Ched is a lad we have been looking at for a while but we always got turned down but with the well documented problems at City we made a move and the administrator accepted. He will fit in well with our other strikers and will obviously improve. I am sure he will prove to be a success at this football clib.
STV So we are fairly set as a squad then ?
RJ Yes the money is spent, i dont see anyone leaving and i dont expect any more new faces in, we will continue to do our best and try to play good exciting attacking football and see where we end up.
STV What about Europe, will you be putting out your best team ?
RJ Yes we have waited a long time for this chance and I will be trying to win every game to give our travelling fans some great trips abroad.
Thanks
-- Edited by richj363 on Tuesday 19th of October 2010 12:17:24 PM
-- Edited by richj363 on Tuesday 19th of October 2010 12:17:47 PM
After the start of the new season, Sevilla manager Liam Riste gave an interview to Sevilla Football Club Television as he starts his second full season in charge at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
SFCTV: What was your impression of life at Sevilla after your first full season in charge?
LR: I am very pleased with how my team is looking. They shown they can compete with the big boys and took 4 points from Real Valladolid who won La Liga. We have achieved our target of a 3rd place finish and have many positives to take from last season.
SFCTV: Now as the new campaign has got under way, what are your hopes and goals for this season?
LR: The new campaign sees us all get a year older and a year wiser. Unfortunately, some players' legs will therefore wear quicker than previously... This could be a problem as our squad isn't the biggest, which was proven to be our downfall last season come finish.
I am looking to keep the same objectives as previous, a third place finish, European football secured and maybe with the possibility of a decent few cup runs to entice the crowd along the way.
SFCTV: You started this campaign with a 1-0 win over Recreativo Huelva who you were tipped, and also, yourself predicted to win by a bigger margin. What are your views on the game?
LR: It might have taken 89 minutes for us to scrape a win, but it was 89 minutes of being dominant and kept out by them. The goal was a long time coming but I kept faith as we always score late goals. A win is a win and it was nice to get off to a winning start, especially with three key players out injured.
SFCTV: You have mentioned your squad is small, but with three injuries to key players, the squad seemed to have coped well, do you not agree?
LR: Of course I agree. But I would like to bolster the numbers and add more quality to my squad which I believe will make us a more serious threat for silverware.
I would love to have the chance to win some more silverware as I only have the English Championship to my name. I haven't had a chat with the chairman yet, but I would certainly welcome some cash in exchange for slightly more challenging targets. I have achieved what has been asked of me so far here, and would like to test myself further.
SFCTV: You have Real Zaragoza next week with a full squad, what does this game mean to you?
LR: Well at the beginning of the season, it was the highlight of my diary as my mate Ash Harris was manager. However, the game has lost a bit of edge for me, but I will remain focussed on winning! We have a full squad to play a managerless team, so we will be expecting a win!
SFCTV: You have mentioned Ashley Harris' move away from Zaragoza and he has recently mentioned his delight at playing you with his new Espanyol team in the future, what are your thoughts on this?
LR: Ash and I are always in contact and he made it very apparent last season to me that he was very interested in the Espanyol job, although his desire to get Zaragoza promoted delayed his inevitable CV reaching their board. I am very pleased for him as this is a big break that every manager dreams of.
On playing him, I have previously beaten his Wigan team with my Championship winning Aston Villa side. We played a long time ago and shall both be anticipating this seasons clash looking for bragging rights.
SFCTV: He stated how you had the advantage before but this is more close. Go on, give us a prediction!
LR: We play in week 9 of the season where anything can happen, so it's a bit early for predictions. Although there is only one good team playing in Barcelona these days, fact (laughs).
In all seriousness though, we shall look forward to it and it will be played in a good fashion and nature. Definitely one fixture to watch out for.
SFCTV: Finally, is there any transfer news to comment on?
LR: Well some of the back pages of papers have suggested Bale is a prime target for a few clubs. This is true. Recently I have had a lot of interest in Bale. I would just like to say that I value Bale of the highest standard and his valuation to me is sky high! It would take a club record sale for him to leave Sevilla.
I am also looking at signing another player which will not be named, but the deal may have to be player exchange as transfer funds are low. Along with the fact that the link with Zaragoza has dissolved with Ash's departure. A feeder club team may, or may not be advertised.
SFCTV: Well thanks for your time again and all the best for the season, we look forward to talking to you again in the near future.
Dan Reed talks with local sports media for the first time in months to give an interview today.
So Dan your first season as a manager ended with your team Celta Vigo going down is this how you expected your arival to football management to turn out?
Obviously nobody wants to get renagated but we did start in a tough postion in the previous season, we had just managed to stay up as an unmanaged team by beating fellow manager and friend Ashley Harris's former team Real Zaragoza in the playoffs. It is fair to say that we were indeed the underdogs as even we agreed that we had the weakest team of La Liga at that time. I had alot of aged players and had some gaps in certain possitions, though we worked with the small amout of funds we had to bring in some new youth talent which we managed to do with some good transfer negotiation.
Sadly though we still struggled and only managed to get a total of 3 points with a one win victory over Valencia with no other results to move us up the table.
So do you have a few more plans for the team this season?
Well we are hoping that our chairman will give us a few more funds this season so that we can continue building on our squad, though we do have stong plans to come back up to La Liga as we feel that we stand a strong chance of at least holding our own in Segunda, and we cant let Ash hold the fact that he got Zaragoza promoted and we couldn't over our head can we!
You have mentioned Ashley a few times this interview are you happy for him now he has become manager of Espanyol?
I am ecstatic for him I feel that he deserves this position and that he will soon love the club as I know the fans will love him.
Anyway back to this season you played your first game in Segunda last week and got a 3-3 draw against unmanaged Deportivo were you happy with this result?
Well even though we new we were going down last seaon it did leave the team with some confidence issues and we went out there a little shaken and soon became 2-0 down though once they had abit of time they found thier feet and got into a 3-2 lead, sadly though i feel we couldn't control that lead and let in the last goal to end the game 3-3. The main thing is though that the lads know they can do it now and the vibe in the changing room was not an unhappy one as we have our confidence back and I think we will get some good scores in the upcoming games.
Well thank you for your time and I wish you luck in your time in Segunda and hope to see you back in La Liga soon!
Fiorentina Manager Rob calls a press conference at training ground to reveal aspirations for the season ahead and new player.
Rob..Morning all
Media..Morning Rob can you end speculation that you have signed a new keeper.?
Rob..I would first like to say a big thank you to Sabastien Frey who has done a great job for us throughout the majority of his career, but as my goal is to challenge Juve for the title, I saw this was an area i needed to address. So I would like to introduce to you Fiorentina's new Goalkeeper Jose Manuel Reina
Reina.. Morning
Media..Morning Pepe how does it feel to join up with your old team mate's Fernando and Xabi at Fiorentina.?
Reina.. I am very proud to joining Fiorentina, I know the boss has brought me here for one main reason which is clean sheets and i aim to deliver on that, and as for the boys they have made me feel right at home already.
Media..Rob, apart from Reina being an excellent Keeper in the prime of his career what is the thinking behind bring him in this season.?
Rob..Its quite simple as you said yourself Pepe's one of the best out there and we need to be competing in all areas of the field if were to challenge Juve for the title,and i think Pepe's the man to aid us in our goal.
Media.. with it being still early doors you think once again that Juve will be the ones to beat?
Rob..I know its still early in the season but recent history and form tells me this is definitely the case, i believe if we can finish above Juve this season we will win the title, we suffered i very very heavy defeat to them last year and i aim to rectify that this year by hurting them were it hurts the most and that's by winning the league.
Media..What can the fans who have come back in their droves expect to see from the team this season?
Rob..in a word Goals.. we are constantly one of the highest scorers in the league that's why the Fans pack the stadium every week and I can't thank them enough for this.
Media.. So your expecting a Big season from Torres and Antonio leading the line again?
Rob.. oh yes !! Defo its like the Master and his apprentice they both scored a huge amount of goals for us last year and have started in the same vain again this season, but there is goals throughout the team with Xabi, Pirlo, Viana and Jovetic plus we have a very good young attacking midfielder Augusto who is on loan at southampton. so its a Big promise of goals for the fans again but hopefully with the acquisition of Pepe and the boys at the back clean sheets at the other end.
Media.. any further arrival's Rob
Rob.. maybe we are in talks to bring in a star but i can't say anymore on that at the mo..but thank you for your time today..
With that Rob and new signing Reina leave the press conference.
-- Edited by redrob on Thursday 21st of October 2010 01:10:44 PM
-- Edited by redrob on Thursday 21st of October 2010 01:11:57 PM
-- Edited by redrob on Thursday 21st of October 2010 01:13:45 PM
Manchester United last week launched their new home and away shirts for the forthcoming season.
Manager, Craig Radford gives us a little insight to these kits
Our new kits for Season 8 combines the club history with new age technology as every shirt we produce will be made entirely from recycled polyester as part of Nike's 'Considered Design' programme.
The home shirt is still the traditional red colour with a white collar, while the away shirt is white with a black and red trim - with a bold chevron print on the sleeves. Designs by JOP, the new shirt sponsor features on the front of the shirts. Inside both shirts, on the back of the clubs crest, we opted to have the clubs mantra "Believe". The message sits right next to the heart, so the players get a sense of pride whilst wearing the jersey.
The strips have been engineered to hopefully give our players a more competitive advantage than ever before. They are designed to keep the lads drier and more comfortable, allowing them to maintain their optimum body temperature and help to perform at their peak on the pitch.
-- Edited by CRadford7 on Thursday 21st of October 2010 03:48:47 PM
Recently appointed Inter Milan manager Mark Rollings has described his new role at the club as "the toughest test he has faced in management" but he the young manager wouldn't have it any other way. Eyebrows were raised when Rollings took the job noone seemed to want and skeptics have suggested the task to return Inter to the top of Italian football is too steep for a man still to prove himself at the top level.
One way or another the squad looks set for a major overhaul over the coming season, with Rollings a seasoned operator in the transfer market. The Nezazurri have already moved to sign promising centre back Chris Smalling from Fulham and Inter sources have suggested club executives have been negotiating aggressively with clubs on Rollings' other targets.
The task of turning the club around on just £5million investment seems steep but Rollings spoke with optimism of his task ahead.
"Its certainly a challenge! I have a plan of how I want to go about things and we don't want to compromise too much away from that. In some instances that will obviously mean we have to be patient and wait for the right player to become available but things are moving forwards quickly. We were delighted to get Chris (Smalling) and I think he will become an Inter legend! One thing I can promise fans is that there will be more signings to come and they should start getting excited about this football club again!"
Last season was an obvious let down. What are you targets for next season?
"You are right that last season was disappointing. However we came up against a good side in Man City. Stuart set his team out to attack and unfortunately I couldn't get the better of him. A few seasons ago we couldn't beat Liverpool, these things just happen from time to time."
"The target for this season is simple, to regain the league title. It is a shame that the league has been weakened slightly due to the events at Man City. I would have preferred Stuart to have stayed so that I could get one over him. I fully understand why he left though."
Any transfer news for the supporters?
"We do have a quality young striker coming in. I have had to let a couple of our players go in return but the squad is too large and needs trimmed. I am optimistic that we will have the best strikeforce for a years to come as long as they reach their potential."
Are you going to name names or keep us guessing?
"No, Bojan Krcic will be joining the squad next week. I have high hopes for him along with Pato. In the meantime though he has a tough challenge on his hands as both Obefami and Roman will be competing for a starting place."
"I am looking forward to this season. There is a lot of young talent in this team who will be successful as long as they can keep their discipline on the pitch. That is something I will be keeping a close eye on as on too many occasions last season I was missing first team players due to bookings."
Real Madrid striker Wayne Rooney set for switch to Anfield.
The 30-year-old, whose deal expires next summer, revealed he had spoken to manager Chris Hanton and requested the he be allowed to join Liverpool.
A statement from Rooney read: "I have enjoyed my time here at Madrid but its time to move closer to home and to my family. I am truely excited at the prospect of playing for a club with the history and tradition of Liverpool Football Club FC"
"I have never had anything but complete respect for Real. How could I not have done given its fantastic history and success over the years which I have been lucky to play a part in.
"However I felt it was time for a new challenge and as soon as I heared that Liverpool were interested, I knew that I just had to sign. I am now just looking forward to making my debut and scoring in front of the Kop."
The England star backed current manager Hanton and added that it had been an 'honour' to have worked for such an experienced manager .
"I hope that my final game next week for this great club can be a victory. Despite recent difficulties, I have no doubt that the manager will return the glory days to the club. I would like to thank the manager and everyone connected to the club, players, staff and fans alike for helping to make my time here so enjoyable.
-- Edited by mg1 on Friday 22nd of October 2010 04:12:16 PM
Stephen Ireland was on the team sheet and ready to make his debut yet the lad was not allowed to play and worst still we were not allowed to replace him in the team leaving us with ten men from kick off. How is this allowed to happen in the professional sport of football?
I have no idea, I feel sick for the team and our fans, 10 players against any team will be a struggle, I need answers and so does the rest of the league .... Is it safe to say you are not happy? Happy my arse, I will not say any more and hope that the FA can see fit by rectifying the issue.
