All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe!

With pre-season already underway and the 2012/13 English domestic football season only a month away, it is safe to say the media is rife with transfer rumours!

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip:

Is your club involved?

Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, Arsenal, Athletic Bilbao, Fiorentina, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Swansea, Bolton, Sao Paulo, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Malaga, Lyon, Wigan, Chelsea, Porto, Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, West Ham, Blackburn, QPR, Getafe, Reading, Sheff Wed, Hull, Fulham, Houston Dynamo, Vitesse Arnhem, Stoke, Watford, PSV Eindhoven, Southampton, Rayo Vallecano, Gillingham, West Brom, Al-Gharafa, Norwich, Leeds, Lens, Al-Sadd, Everton, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbahce, Derby, Coventry and Preston........are all caught up in the latest transfer rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus are locked in a three-way battle to sign Arsenal captain Robin van Persie. United, City and Juve are said to be happy to pay somewhere in the region of £15million but Arsenal are thought to be demanding in excess of £20million for their star player. – Press Association

Arsenal have lined up Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente (right) 27, to replace Robin Van Persie should the Dutchman leave the Gunnners – Daily Mail

Also under consideration for the potentially vacant role leading Arsenal's attack are Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski – The Guardian

Midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski will stay at Borussia Dortmund. The German club will extend the Polish international captain’s deal for another two years until 2015 - transfermarketweb.com

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists there is no chance of Andy Carroll leaving the club on loan, but admits the Reds will consider any offers they receive for the striker – sportinglife.com

Liverpool are hoping to sign midfielder Joe Allen, 22, from Swansea City for £15m – Daily Star

Swansea are considering a move for Bolton midfielder Mark Davies, 24 as Liverpool intensify their efforts to sign Joe Allen - Daily Mail and The Guardian

Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo insist that they have turned down an offer from Manchester United for Lucas Moura (right). The midfield ace, who is currently in England with Brazil's Olympic squad, was reportedly the subject of a €35million (£27million) offer from the Red Devils - sportinglife.com

Real Madrid will not pay more than £27m for Luka Modric, 26, despite Tottenham revealing they will let the Croatian playmaker leave for £35m – Daily Mirror and The Guardian

Spurs are eyeing Malaga's Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla, 27, as a replacement should Modric leave White Hart Lane - talkSPORT

Tottenham have also begun negotiations to bring Lyon and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 25, to White Hart Lane but the move has stalled as the French club are demanding £16m, £4m more than Spurs are offering – Daily Mirror, The Guardian and transfermarketweb.com

Andre Villas-Boas has received another boost ahead of the upcoming English Premier League season with the news that striker Rafael van der Vaart will remain at Spurs this year. Van der Vaart had been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane over the summer transfer window, but the 29-year-old Dutch international quashed the rumors and confirmed his desire to play under Villas-Boas next season – The Sun

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has told Chelsea to come up with £10million or forget signing Victor Moses.Whelan told ESPN: "They need to pay the brass up front - we don't want any part-exchange deals they have offered. We are not interested in picking up one of their players on loan or in part exchange. They know the price for Moses. We are looking to reach £10m” – sportinglife.com

The agent of in-demand frontman Hulk (right) claims Porto remain determined to keep the Brazilian striker out of the clutches of a European rival. Speculation regarding the Samba star is nothing new, with Porto having had to fend off regular rounds of transfer rumours. Chelsea have been monitoring his situation closely, with the Blues known to be long-time admirers of the 25-year-old – skysports.com

Manchester City and Zenit St Petersburg have been alerted to Martin Skrtel's possible availability after the defender revealed that contract extension talks with Liverpool had stalled – The Times and transfermarketweb.com

Valencia have signed the Argentinian international midfielder Fernando Gago from Real Madrid. Last season he was on loan at AS Roma - sportinglife.com and transfermarketweb.com

West Ham, Blackburn and QPR are battling it out for the signature of Getafe’s 26 year-old right-back Miguel Torres for a fee believed to be around £2m – The Guardian

Watford have agreed deals to sign Manuel Almunia and Fitz Hall. Goalkeeper Almunia and central defender Hall will arrive at Vicarage Road on free transfers after leaving Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers, respectively, this summer – skysports.com

Reading manager Brian McDermott has played down speculation that he is trying to sign veteran Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi – sportinglife.com and ESPN.co.uk

Reading manager Brian McDermott is prepared to let Michail Antonio join Sheffield Wednesday on a permanent basis for the right price after rejecting an offer for the winger – skysports.com

Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Amos believes a loan move to Hull City is just what he needs in order for his career to develop – sportinglife.com


QPR are trying to secure a work permit for Junior Hoilett (right) before signing the 22-year-old forward, who is out of contract at Blackburn. and clear the way for Jamie Mackie to go the other way to Blackburn – Daily Mail, The Guardian and Daily Mirror

QPR are looking at the Vitesse Arnhem left-back Alexander Buttner. The 23 year-old is also a target for Fulham - skysports.com

Stoke City have agreed a £1.6million fee for Houston Dynamo defender Geoff Cameron – Daily Express

PSV Eindhoven have rejected Southampton's offer for Jeremain Lens, sources at the Dutch club have confirmed. PSV and Southampton’s valuation of the striker differ. West Ham and Fulham are also thought to be interested in the PSV striker – skysports.com and The Guardian

Southampton have completed the signing of Gillingham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga on a four-year deal. The 20-year-old Argentinian joins from the npower League Two club for an undisclosed fee – sportinglife.com<

Swansea have tied up a £2million deal for goalscoring midfielder Michu from Rayo Vallecano – Daily Express and skysports.com

Chelsea defender Ben Gordon has agreed a loan move to Birmingham. Blues boss Lee Clark has made a new left-back one of his top priorities and he has moved to agree a deal with Chelsea for Gordon – skysports.com

West Brom have rejected Al-Gharafa's bid for 31 year-old striker Peter Odemwingie. Qatar outfit Al-Gharafa tabled a £4million bid for the Nigeria international earlier this week – skysports.com

Norwich have tabled an increased offer to Leeds United for their skipper Robert Snodgrass, 24 (right).
Leeds turned down a reported £1.5million bid for Snodgrass three days ago, but the Canaries, have returned with an offer "way in excess of £2million" and Leeds are currently considering whether to cash in on a player who has less than a year remaining on his contract - Press Association Sport

Chelsea are set to land 19 year-old Thorgan Hazard, Eden's younger brother this summer from French club RC Lens – Metro

Eduard Campabadal, a defender and Guillermo Andrés López, a striker both 19 and considered up and coming talents in La Liga are close to joining Wigan - transfermarketweb.com

Qatari side Al-Sadd hope to beat Zenit St Petersburg to the signature of Arsenal’s Andrey Arshavin, 31 – Daily Mail

Spartak Moscow are set to revive interest in Everton defender Johnny Heitinga – Daily Mail, The Guardian and transfermarketweb.com

Everton's Joseph Yobo is close to a £2.5m move to Turkish outfit Fenerbahce – The Guardian

Derby have signed Coventry defender Richard Keogh in a £1.1million deal - Daily Mirror and transfermarketweb.com

Coventry have snapped up highly-rated Manchester United defender Reece Brown on a season-long loan deal.The versatile 20-year-old, who is the younger brother of United's Wes, becomes City's seventh new face this summer and arrives just 24 hours after Derby striker Callum Ball also sealed a season-long move to the Ricoh Arena – skysports.com

Former Swansea City striker Lee Trundle, 35 has signed a one-year contract with League One side Preston North End.

Crystal Palace F.C Pre-Season 2012 - Fixtures, Results, Teams and Goalscorers

Friday 20th July: Lewes FC 1-5 Crystal Palace, at The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Road, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2XD. Attendance: 971
Palace scorers: Wilbraham, Baxter, Zaha, Fenwick, Easter.

Palace starting XI: Price, Ward, Parsons, McCarthy(c), Ramage, Garvan, Zaha, Baxter, Wilbraham, Appiah, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Moxey, Fenwick, Diaz, Williams, Murray, A.Martin, Easter, O'Keefe, Sow, Sekajja, Wynter.

Tuesday 24th July: Dulwich Hamlet 0-3 Crystal Palace XI, at Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, Dog Kennel Hill, London, SE22 8BD. Attendance: 1,312
Palace scorer(s): Woodley, Taylor, Allassani.

Palace starting XI: Kurucz (trialist), Akuruka, Parsons, Chambers, Holland, Daniel, Fenwick, Marrow(c), Appiah, Sekajja, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Allassani, Taylor, Wynter, Innis, Sow, Woodley, Kai-Kai, Jerome Williams, Boateng, Porterhouse, Freedman.

Friday 27th July: Margate 3-1 Crystal Palace XI, at Hartsdown Park, Margate, Kent, CT9 5QZ. Attendance: 1,499
Palace scorer: Sekajja.

Palace starting XI: Fitzsimons, Akuruka, Daniel, Taylor, Wynter, Fenwick, Dorman, Marrow, Appiah, Sekajja, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Sow, Chambers, Kai-Kai, Holland, Boatang.

Saturday 28th July: v Aldershot Town 0-2 Crystal Palace, at The EBB Stadium, High Street, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 1TW. Attendance: 1,356
Palace scorer(s): O'Keefe, Zaha.

Palace starting XI: Price, Ward, Moxey, Martin, McCarthy, O'Keefe, Baxter, Dikgacoi, Garvan, Wilbraham, Easter.
Subs that featured: Parsons, Jedinak, Murray, Fenwick, Appiah, Zaha, Ramage, Wright, Wynter, Diaz.

Wednesday 1st August: Cray Wanderers 0-1 Crystal Palace Club Xl, at Bromley F.C, Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9EF. Attendance: 551
Palace scorer: Appiah

Palace starting XI: Fitzsimons, Wynter, Daniel, Dorman, Holland, Taylor, Fenwick, Sow, Sekajja, Appiah, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Chambers, Akuruka, Carney.

Saturday 4th August: Welling United 2-1 Crystal Palace, at Park View Road, Welling, Kent, DA16 1SY. Attendance: 745
Palace scorer: Dikgacoi

Palace starting XI: Speroni, Tiago (trialist), Parsons, Wright, Yogo (trialist), Ramage, Baxter, Dikgacoi, Murray, Jedinak, Parr.
Subs that featured: Williams, Garvan, Proctor (trialist), Appiah, Marrow, Wynter, Sekajja.

Wednesday 8th August: Swindon Town 0-1 Crystal Palace, at The County Ground, Swindon, Wilshire, SN1 2ED. Attendance: 4,312
Palace scorer: Easter (pen)

Palace starting XI: Speroni, Ward, Moxey, Martin, McCarthy, Dikgacoi, Williams, Jedinak, Zaha, Murray, Easter.
Subs that featured: Price, Wright, Kossoko (trialist), Parr, Baxter, Ukay (trialist), O'Keefe, Rosa (trialist), Appiah, Ramage.

Saturday 11th August: Reading 2-0 Crystal Palace, at Madejski Stadium, Reading, West Berkshire RG2 0FL. Attendance: 6,251
Palace scorer(s): n/a

Palace starting XI: Speroni, Ward, Moxey, McCarthy, Martin, Wright, Garvan, Williams, Kossoko (trialist), Wilbraham. Parr.
Subs that featured: Baxter, Ramage, O'Keefe, Murray, Easter, Dikgacoi, Zaha.

'Best Bet Special' - 2nd Leg Play-Off Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello and welcome to the second leg of my 'special' edition guest blog. I am going to be previewing this week's 2nd leg play-off fixtures, and in particular those games involving Championship sides.
Drama, nerves and excitement are guaranteed, but hopefully I can also try and win you some cash with my best bet tips.
 
I told you last Wednesday predicting the play-off was hard, and as if to prove the point a narrow victory for Burnley was the only game I got right! Here’s hoping for better luck this week:


Sheff United v Preston - 2nd leg

Mon 11th May KO 19.45 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

It is still all to play for at Bramall Lane after the two sides couldn’t be separated in the first game at Deepdale. Sean St Ledger gave Preston the lead only to be pegged by back Brian Howard minutes into the second half. With no away goals rule this one could go all the way to penalty kicks.

Current Match odds:

Sheff U 11/10 Preston 3/1 Draw 12/5

Scorecast:
Sheff U 1-0 7/1 2-0 17/2 2-1 8/1 3-0 17/1

Preston 0-1 17/2 0-2 20/1 1-2 13/1 0-3 69/1

Draw 0-0 17/2 1-1 6/1 2-2 15/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

It is almost too close to call but I am going to stick my neck out and tips United to go through - but only after extra time or penalties. I think it will be level after the 90 minutes.
1-1 draw @ 15/2


Reading v Burnley - 2nd leg

Tuesday 12th May KO 19.45 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Despite having an array of attacking talent on show, Saturday’s first leg failed to live up to expectations. The game looked to be heading for a bore draw until a moment of madness by Andre Bikey. The Reading defender inexplicably pulled back Stephen Thompson in the area with only six minutes of the match remaining. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, and Graham Alexander duly converted the penalty to give the Clarets a vital first-leg lead.

Current Match odds:

Reading Evens Burnley 16/5 Draw 5/2

Scorecast:
Reading 1-0 7/1 2-0 9/1 2-1 8/1 3-0 20/1

Burnley 0-1 12/1 0-2 25/1 1-2 14/1 0-3 79/1

Draw 0-0 10/1 1-1 6/1 2-2 16/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

Steve Coppell's Reading team are in poor form of late, and they will have to produce a much improved performance on Tuesday night if they want to progress any further.
Meanwhile Owen Coyle's Burnley have been going great guns of late, and I fancy them to grind out a draw at the Madejski Stadium, and book themselves a place at Wembley on May 25th.
O-O draw @ 10/1


The Best Of The Rest:
Eight other teams face off this week in the race to earn promotion from Leagues One and Two.

Here are my predictions:

Home wins:
Sunday 10th May KO 18.30 Gillingham v Rochdale
Thursday 14th May KO 19.45 Leeds v Millwall

Draws:
Sunday 10th May KO Noon Bury v Shrewsbury
Friday 15th May KO 19.45 MK Dons v Scunthorpe

'Best Bet Special' - 1st Leg Play-Off Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello and welcome to a 'special' edition of my guest blog, previewing this weekend's 1st leg play-off fixtures, and in particular looking at The Championship as four teams fight it out for that lucrative final promotion place, that will ultimately take them to the 'promise land' - The Premier League.

Drama, nerves and excitement are guaranteed but hopefully I can also try and win you some cash with my 'best bet' tips.

Last time out I correctly predicted two home wins and two draws in my sections list so here’s hoping for more correct football predictions this week.

Preston North End v Sheff United

Friday 8th May KO 19.45 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Going into the final 45 minutes of the season Alan Irvine’s Preston were still outside the play-off places. But a Sean St-Ledger header against QPR coupled with Sheffield Wednesday’s defeat of Cardiff saw the Lilywhites sneak through in dramatic style, at the expense of The Bluebirds. Kevin Blackwell’s Blades still held hopes of automatic promotion on the last day, but with Birmingham ending the campaign with a win they had to be content with a play-off spot.

Current Match odds:

Preston 13/8   Sheff Utd 2/1 Draw 12/5

Scorecast:
Preston 1-0 15/2 2-0 13/1 2-1 11/1 3-0 37/1

Sheff U 0-1  8/1 0-2 16/1 1-2 12/1 0-3 47/1

Draw 0-0 9/1 1-1 6/1 2-2 18/1

My ‘best bet’ prediction:

Tight, passionate and tense – all the attributes we expect from the play-offs. Preston know they need to take some sort of result over the Pennines' for the 2nd leg, and they have been in good form at Deepdale recently. Because of that I am going for a narrow home win.
Preston 1-0 win @ 15/2 

Burnley v Reading

Saturday 9th May KO 17.20 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Burnley’s mammoth season continues – this will be their 59th game of a campaign, which has also included a journey to the FA Cup fifth round and the semi-final of the Carling Cup. Standing in their way is Steve Coppell’s Reading. Pre-season favourites for automatic promotion the Royals will be disappointed to have finished 4th, as they now face the lottery of the play-offs. However with last year’s final day relegation still fresh in the memory, they will be hungry and determined to make a return to the Premier League at the first attempt.     

Current Match odds:

Burnley 6/4 Reading 2/1 Draw 5/2      

Scorecast:
Burnley 1-0 15/2 2-0 13/1 2-1 10/1 3-0 33/1

Reading 0-1  17/2 0-2 17/1 1-2 12/1 0-3 45/1

Draw 0-0 9/1 1-1 6/1 2-2 17/1

My ‘best bet’ prediction:

Burnley are a tough proposition at Turf Moor, and despite their long season they are showing no apparent signs of fatigue. I think they will take a valuable lead to the Madejski Stadium for the 2nd leg.
Burnley 2-1 win @ 10/1


The Best Of The Rest:
Eight other teams face off this week in the race to earn promotion from Leagues One and Two. 

Here are my predictions:

Home win:
Thursday 7th May KO 19.45 Rochdale v Gillingham

Away win:
Friday 8th Mat KO 19.45 Scunthorpe v MK Dons

Draws:
Saturday 9th May KO 12.45 Millwall v Leeds
Thursday 7th May KO 19.45 Shrewsbury v Bury

'Best Bet' - Championship Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello, I'm Tom Mallows and welcome to my latest fortnightly football betting preview on behalf of this site.

I shall be looking at this weekend's Coca-Cola Championship fixtures, along with some of the LIVE TV games in more detail.
Hopefully I can try and win you some cash with my 'best bet' football tips.

Last time out I correctly predicted a 1-0 Sheffield United win at Reading at 11/1, as well as correctly picking two home wins and a draw from my sections list. Here’s hoping for more success this week.

Here’s my pick of the action this weekend:

Birmingham v Preston

Saturday 25th April April KO 17:30 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

It’s a day of destiny for Alex McLeish’s Birmingham. With Sheffield United losing to play-off hopefuls Burnley in midweek, the Blues know a win can seal a return to the Premier League at the first attempt. Preston’s play-off hopes are fading fast and they know they have to win both their remaining games, and hope the likes of Burnley and Cardiff immediately above them lose theirs - if they are going to crash the party.

Current Match odds:

Birmingham 4/5 Preston 4/1 Draw 13/5

Scorecast:
Birmingham 1-0 6/1 2-0 8/1 2-1 17/2 3-0 18/1

Preston 0-1 13/1 0-2 31/1 1-2 18/1 0-3 109/1

Draw 0-0 10/1 1-1 13/2 2-2 21/1

My ‘best bet’ prediction:

There is no margin for error for either side, but with the carrot of the Premier League dangling tantalisingly in front of Birmingham I think they will do enough to win and secure automatic promotion.
Birmingham 2-0 win @ 8/1


Norwich v Reading
Monday 27th April KO 19.45 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

Two sides at either end of the table who need the points for very different reasons. Reading would have fancied automatic promotion at the start of the year, so will be disappointed that the play-offs is the best they can do. Norwich are staring relegation in the face following a disappointing derby defeat against Ipswich last Sunday. They remain third bottom, two points adrift of safety with two to play.

Current Match odds:

Norwich 8/4 Reading 2/1 Draw 12/5

Scorecast:
Norwich 1-0 17/2 2-0 14/1 2-1 9/1 3-0 35/1

Reading 0-1 9/1 0-2 16/1 1-2 10/1 0-3 43/1

Draw 0-0 10/1 1-1 6/1 2-2 14/1

My ‘best bet’ prediction:

Reading may be riding high in the table, but they only have one win in their last six matches. Norwich are scrapping for their lives, but I don’t think they have enough quality to take all three points, so I predict a share of the spoils.
Draw 1-1 @ 6/1

The Best Of The Rest:

Fancy a sections list this weekend? A multiple bet can win you some 'serious' cash.

Here are my tips for this weekend's matches:

Home wins:

Bristol City v Sheff Wed
Doncaster v Crystal Palace
Sheff Utd v Swansea

Away wins:

Barnsley v Wolverhampton
Southampton v Burnley

Draws:

QPR v Plymouth
Coventry v Watford
Derby v Charlton
Blackpool v Nottm Forest

My Tip Of The Weekend:

Cardiff City v Ipswich Town

It's sure to be an emotional day in South Wales as Cardiff bid farewell to Ninian Park, their home for 99 years, and also look for the point they need to seal a play-off spot. It will be a significant day for Ipswich too, as Roy Keane takes charge of the Tractor Boys for his first game at the helm. The Bluebirds have more to play for though and I think they will be smiling come the final whistle. Sorry Roy!
Cardiff 2-1 win @ 15/2

'Best Bet' - Championship Betting Tips with Betfair

Hello and welcome to my latest guest blog previewing this weekend’s Coca-Cola Championship fixtures as well as looking at some of the LIVE TV games in more detail. Hopefully I can try and win you some cash with my best bet football tips.

Last time out I got my prediction for the Bristol City v Preston game spot on as well as correctly picking three draws in my sections list. Here's hoping for more success this week.

Here’s my pick of the action this Easter weekend:

Reading v Sheff Utd
Friday 10th April KO 17:30 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

It's third versus fourth in this Good Friday clash, live in front of the Sky cameras. Kevin Blackwell's Blades have won four in a row, a run of form which has seen them overtake Reading into third and are now just three points behind Birmingham in the race for automatic promotion. Reading meanwhile have had just one win in six so will look to stop that slide against the Blades.

Current Match odds:

Reading 5/4 The Draw 13/5 Sheff Utd 5/2

Scorecast:
Reading 1-0 8/1 2-0 12/1 2-1 9/1 3-0 26/1

Sheff Utd 0-1 11/1 0-2 20/1 1-2 13/1 0-3 54/1

Draw 0-0 10/1 1-1 13/2 2-2 17/1

My 'best bet' prediction:

Two talented sides who would not look out of place in the Premier League. The Blades are coming up on the rails of Reading at the moment, they have the momentum and I fancy them to come away from the Madejski Stadium with a narrow victory.
Sheff Utd 1-0 win @ 11/1


Wolves v Southampton
Friday 10th April KO 15.15 LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

It’s not been a good few weeks for Southampton. Their parent company has gone into administration, with the prospect of a potential ten point penalty as a result, added to their precarious league position as they face the threat of relegation to the third tier of league football (even without a points deduction) - it would be safe to say that things down on the South Coast right now are looking bleak! They left Watford on Tuesday night with a point when three would have seen them jump out of the relegation zone. They now have only five more league games to save their Championship status, beginning with a tricky trip to the Black Country on Good Friday.
Wolves remain top of the tree, although their lead was cut following a disappointing derby defeat at Birmingham on Monday night. Mick McCarthy's side will look to secure automatic promotion as soon as possible, starting with a victory against the Saints.

Current Match odds:

Wolves 4/7 The Draw 3/1 Southampton 13/2

Scorecast:
Wolves 1-0 6/1 2-0 7/1 2-1 10/1 3-0 12/1

Southampton 0-1 20/1 0-2 49/1 1-2 23/1 0-3 189/1

Draw 0-0 13/1 1-1 8/1 2-2 17/1

My ‘best bet’ prediction:

Southampton look doomed in my opinion. Wolves may have lost their last game but I think they will have enough quality to get the win and hammer another nail in the Saints coffin.
Wolves 2-0 win @ 7/1

The Best of the rest:

Fancy a sections list this weekend? A multiple bet can win you some 'serious' cash.

Here are my tips for this weekend's matches:

Home wins:

Burnley v QPR
Preston v Blackpool
Sheff Wed v Derby
Swansea v Norwich

Away wins:

Charlton v Birmingham
Nottm Forest v Bristol City

Draws:

Ipswich v Doncaster
Plymouth v Coventry
Watford v Barnsley

My Tip Of The Weekend:

Crystal Palace v Cardiff City

Dave Jones' Cardiff are bang in form at the moment as they look to seal a play-off spot. Palace, rooted in mid-table, don’t have much to play for so I fancy the Bluebirds to come away from Selhurst Park with all three points.
Cardiff to win 2-1 @ 11/1

The 'Goal' That Never Was & The Top 5 'Genuinely Good Goals' That Got Away!

As the shenanigans of 'The Stuart Atwell Circus' left Watford this weekend, Steve Coppell the Reading manager has renewed the campaign for video technology, after blundering officials awarded his team a 'phantom' goal during their fixture with Watford at the weekend (20 September 2008).

Coppell was as puzzled as Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd, the players and the fans when the officials awarded Reading a goal after the ball clearly went wide in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road in their Championship League clash.

While they were waiting to see whether the officials would give either a corner or a goal kick, they were amazed when referee Stuart Atwell awarded Reading a goal after after he received a signal from his linesman Nigel Bannister, indicating that a goal had been scored. This put Reading one up.

'I was in the stand at the time and I haven't seen it since. But when the whistle went I wondered what it was for as I couldn't see a foul,' Coppell said. 'Everyone trooped back to the centre and then it became obvious that the referee had given the goal. But after speaking to Noel Hunt after the game it became clear that the ball went out of play wide of the goal.'

Coppell said the incidents strengthened the argument for the introduction of cameras and goal-line technology to help officials decide whether the ball had gone into the net and crossed the goalline.

But he dismissed the suggestion that, after realizing the officials' blunder, Reading should have then let Watford equalize.

'Let's get this clear. The responsibility is not with the opposition to right a wrong,' he said. 'It is up to the officials to get it as right as they can.'

Boothroyd said it appeared the mistake was by the linesman rather than the referee.

'I've never seen anything like it. It's like a UFO landing, a mistake like that,' he said. 'I've been to see the referee and, in fairness, he's only going on what the linesman says. He's working in a team and if someone comes in his ear telling him it's a goal then I suppose he's got to give it.'

Watch it here:
Link

There is a growing list of instances where the wrong call has been made over whether
the ball did or did not cross the line and here are some of the most famous genuinely good goals that got away.....!


1/ Clive Allen - Coventry v Crystal Palace, September 1980.

Allen, playing for Palace in those days, collected a free-kick passed square to him by Gerry Francis and lashed it goalwards, the ball arrowing into the far corner of the net. Only this thunderbolt hit the stanchion behind the goal & rebounded out with such ferocity that the referee did not even see that it had gone a good three feet over the line.

'They called my free-kick at Coventry the goal that never was & soon after that they got rid of the stanchion at the back of the net,' Allen said. 'We were 2-1 down at the time so it would have been an equaliser — but we lost 3-1. We went on a bad run after that & that certainly contributed.'

2/ Pedro Mendes - Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, January 2005.

Tottenham were holding United to a goalless draw at Old Trafford with just over a minute to go. Roy Carroll raced from his goal in an attempt to pump the ball back into the Tottenham penalty area, but after a bit of head tennis the ball fell to Pedro Mendes some six yards inside the halfway line. Spotting Carroll haring back towards his own goal he let fly. The goalkeeper regained his ground in time to make what should have been a routine catch, but inexplicably spilled the ball behind him, where it bounced once before he scooped it back out, the ball having been an estimated two feet behind the line.
'Carroll has been denied the most embarrassing moment of his career, that is a travesty,' said commentator Alan Parry at the time.
It certainly is a decision that Mark Clattenburg, the referee & in particular Rob Lewis, his linesman, will want to forget.

3/ Jonathan Howard - Middlesbrough v Chesterfield, April 1997.

Chesterfield, of Division Two, looking to cause a huge upset, raced into a two-goal lead in this famous FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. Still ahead 2-1 and trying to weather a comeback from Middlesbrough, Jonathan Howard appeared to have given them some breathing room when he fired a shot that rebounded down off the crossbar. David Elleray, the referee, was unsighted and did not award a goal, though replays later showed it was several inches over the line. The match ended 3-3 with Middlesbrough winning the replay 3-0.

4/ Tommy Black - Crystal Palace v Leeds United, February 2003.

Trevor Francis, the then Crystal Palace manager, was absolutely livid when referee Dermot Gallagher disallowed a Tommy Black ‘goal’ that would have given his side a 2-1lead over Leeds United in an FA Cup fifth-round tie at Selhurst Park. Gallagher decided the ball had not crossed the line, but again replays proved otherwise & what made it even more galling for Palace was that Michael Duberry, the Leeds defender, actually clawed the ball back into play using his hand. The visitors went on to give Terry Venables an undeserved 2-1 victory on his return to a former stomping ground.

5/ Gerry Taggart - Bolton Wanderers v Everton, September 1997.

Bolton were denied their first ever victory in the Reebok Stadium when Stephen Lodge, the referee, failed to spot Gerry Taggart’s looping header fall six inches behind the line, before it was cleared by defender Terry Phelan. The match finished goalless, and the two sides finished level on points at the end of the season. Bolton were relegated on goal difference, whilst Everton stayed up.