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Mark Hughes has blasted the decision to hold John Terry’s trial until after Euro 2012.

Terry will learn if he has been found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence on July 9, just as many clubs will be returning to pre-season training following their summer breaks.

And Hughes was mystified as to why the date had to be put so far back in the calendar.

“They’ve made a decision that impacts on one of my players, they’ve given a date which is slap bang in the middle of pre-season,” he said.

“I don’t know how they’ve come up with the date, whether they have had discussions with the FA and made sure it doesn’t impact on the Euros.”

“If John goes to the Euros it probably impacts on his holidays. But it’s not in Anton’s down time.”

Hughes suggested that the saga has already had an impact on the West Ham academy graduate.

A media frenzy surrounded the preparations for Chelsea and QPR’s recent FA Cup clash over whether the players would shake hands or not, eventually seeing the pre-match pleasantries cancelled after intervention from the FA.

“It seems to have been dragging on forever. Certainly from my point of view and Anton’s, we’d have preferred it to have been done and dusted by now,” Hughes said.

“We weren’t involved in any discussions, otherwise we would have put our point over that there could be a little bit of an issue from our point of view.”

Money will be a major motivation for Thai Port FC on Saturday, when the club takes on Buriram United in the rescheduled League Cup final .

The final, a repeat of the 2010 showdown, is worth 120,000 euros to the winner.

It was originally scheduled for last October but had to be postponed as the country suffered its worst floods in 50 years.

Cup holders Thai Port will be trying to stop Buriram securing a unique treble, having just won the Thai FA Cup, following a virtual stroll to the Premier League title.

Indeed, the clubs could hardly be more different, Buriram enjoying the patronage of a ‘slick’ political benefactor, Newin Chidchob.

A flashy new stadium (The Thunder Castle), money and marketing nous have ensured that for fans of the Thunder Army, Buriram really is the ‘City of Happiness’ – this season’s league win is the club’s second consecutive title and was captured with a 16-point margin over its nearest rival Chonburi FC.

In stark contrast, Thai Port have had plenty of off-field problems recently and a fairly average season, although many fans were actually very happy with The Lions seventh-place finish.

Goals have been in painfully short supply over recent weeks, though; going a period of 360 minutes without one! The fact is the club just does no have a natural goalscorer in its ranks.

And the future’s not looking too bright for the club either, as it was recently announced that it will be losing three of its local players – Worawut Wangsawad and Mongkol Namnaud (Muang Thong United) and Todsapol Lated (Suphan Buri).

Four foreign players – Cameroon pair Munze Ulrich and Moudourou Swa-Moise, Nigerian Jacob Aikhionbare and South Korean Kim Dong-Chan have also been released, although rumours suggest that they may still be able to appear in the final.

Although Thai Port caused something of an upset in the 2010 League Cup final by defeating Buriram 2-1, most Thai football fans think that this year such a fairytale ending is much less likely.

Buriram stormed to the league title with ease this season, while dispatching Muang Thong United with relative ease in the Thai FA Cup final. The club’s coach Attaphol Buspakom has successfully combined a group of experienced local players with several talented foreigners, mainly from Africa.

The Cameroonian pairing of Ekwalla Herman and Florent Obama has looked solid at the back, while their compatriot Franck Ohandza, the leading scorer in the 2011-12 TPL.

Eighteen-year-old Frank Acheampong has also been impressing football fans and journalists alike, with some enthusiastic members of the local press going so far as to label him ‘Ghana’s Messi’.

Thai Port’s coach Thongchai Sukkokee, nevertheless still will not rule out an upset.

Thongchai said that Thai Port’s aim is to ‘defend the title’ and prevent Buriram from bagging the treble. While conceding that his playing squad was ‘inferior’, he gave credit to the power of the club’s ’12th man’.

“The mental strength of our squad and the support from our fans can help guide us to victory,” he said.

Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell dealt with his long-term injury lay-off in an unusual way, by attending games dressed in disguise.

Campbell, 24, moved to Sunderland from Manchester United for 3.5 million pounds in July 2009.

He has made just 34 league appearances for the club after having to undergo two separate knee ligament operations.

During the injury set-backs, Campbell opted to cheer his team-mates on from among the supporters at the Stadium of Light.

“I was in disguise at a couple of games, yes, it’s true, but you know it didn’t last very long,” he told Sky Sports News.

When asked what he wore, Campbell said: “Everything. Hat, scarf but it was great to be part of the crowd and watch the lads do well.”

Since his return to full fitness, Campbell has been in fine form, grabbing the equaliser in Sunday’s 1-1 FA Cup fourth-round draw with Middlesbrough, before scoring a superb opening goal in the 3-0 league victory over Norwich on Wednesday.

“It’s been a long road, but there’s always been that light at the end of the tunnel and to score on a night like that, it’s been brilliant,” he said.

Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner heaped praise on Campbell since his return to the side, adding the striker’s quality gives Martin O’Neill’s resurgent team a whole new dimension.

“Fraizer’s a player that we’ve been missing all season. He’s a top, top player and he’s like a new signing,” Gardner said.

“He runs the channels, he’s strong, he’s quick, he scores goals and we’ve missed him.”

“He’s a character and a good lad but to be out for so long and to come back and score two important goals is a credit to the lad. He’s been brilliant.”

Younes Kaboul praised Tottenhan’s performance in their 3-1 English Premier League victory over Wigan on Tuesday.

Centre-back Kaboul called the win a return to the ‘quality football’ missing during Spurs’ 1-0 FA Cup victory over Watford last Friday.

Tottenham are now just five points behind joint-leaders Manchester City and Manchester United in the title race, after a Gareth Bale brace either side of Luka Modric’s goal eased the home side to victory at White Hart Lane.

Kaboul added that his side’s focus remained on their own performances rather than those of their rivals, as City slipped to defeat at Everton.

“We played very good football tonight again,” he said.

“It was not easy but from the start we played quality football and we scored early.”

“We are playing at home and we lost last week to Man City, we didn’t play very well against Watford, so tonight we had to play quality football once more.”

The win over Wigan was timely given City’s 1-0 reverse at Goodison Park, but Kaboul insisted the Spurs players are more concerned with their own results as they continue to chase the leaders.

“We don’t watch what happens with the other teams. We just look at ourselves,” he said.

“The only danger is for us, no-one else. As long as we win the games there will be no problem.”

“We don’t really watch what happens above us or below us, we just play football to win and take three points every game.”

Next up is a trip to face Liverpool on Monday, with Kaboul confident Spurs can get the better of Kenny Dalglish’s side at Anfield.

“Next Monday is going to be a massive game against Liverpool,” he said.

“At the moment they are a very good team. We have to go there to have good ambitions and just try to take three points.”

Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye has been handed a three-match suspension after his appeal over a violent conduct charge was thrown out by the FA.

Cabaye was cited by the FA following Newcastle’s 1-0 loss to Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, after a tangle with Brighton’s Adam El-Abd saw Cabaye’s boot make contact with the defender’s face.

The incident went unpunished by the match officials but was picked up on review of the match, and Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has blamed ESPN television pundit Ray Stubbs for escalating the situation.

The charge of violent conduct will stand against the player who will have to serve his three-match suspension, which starts with immediate effect.

Cabaye took to Twitter to give his take on the ban, labelling it an ‘injustice’.

“3 matches ban it’s a real injustice but life goes on!!! In my teammates I trust,” he wrote.

Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean is in a positive frame of mind heading into Wednesday’s clash with Newcastle at Ewood Park.

Although they sit third from the bottom of the English Premier League, Blackburn will be looking to build on their 3-1 win over Fulham and their 1-1 draw at Everton when they host Newcastle – who knocked them out of the FA Cup on January 7.

Further buoying Blackburn’s hopes will be the news that Newcastle’s Senegal duo Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba will not play in the match because they will not make it back in time from the Africa Cup of Nations.

“We know Newcastle well, we know that there a team that could possibly miss a few of their first teamers at the moment,” Kean said.

“We’ve only lost one game in the last five (league games) and we’re actually disappointed we didn’t get a draw from that in the Stoke game.”

“We’ve went to three tough away games at Anfield, Old Trafford and Everton and managed to get points from that and managed to beat Fulham with ten men.”

“So we’re in a good vain of form and we’re confident we can keep the run going.”

Blackburn midfielder David Dunn echoed his manager’s sentiments about the team’s form, and is looking forward to an upturn in the club’s fortunes.

“I think the last couple of weeks our performance has improved massively. I think we’ve been playing some really good stuff and maybe a little bit unlucky not to have picked a few more points up,” Dunn said.

“If we keep performing like we have in the last two or three weeks, we’ll certainly get a few more points on the board.”

Fulham and West Bromwich Albion will both be keen to put FA Cup disappointment behind them when they meet in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Both sides suffered defeats in the FA Cup fourth round, with neither outfit looking sharp up front, something that will need to change in order to claim three points at Craven Cottage.

Fulham will be particularly frustrated at being eliminated from the iconic competition after their 2-1 defeat at Everton on Friday.

Martin Jol selected a strong side with plenty of attacking quality to take on Everton but the Dutchman’s forwards created surprisingly little and could only manage a goal from the penalty spot.

On-loan attacker Landon Donovan was the star for Everton, setting up both goals for the home side.

West Bromwich Albion faced a different kind of problem in their 2-1 loss to Norwich City on Saturday.

Playing away from home, West Brom created the bulk of the game’s chances but lacked a cutting edge and were eventually beaten by an 84th-minute strike from Simeon Jackson who capitalised on a defensive error by Craig Dawson.

Debutant goalkeeper Jed Steer was a key player in Norwich’s victory making a string of crucial saves including two in the final minutes that his manager Paul Lambert labelled ‘world class’.

After 22 matches in the 2011/12 season, Fulham are in 12th place in the Premier League on 26 points, with West Brom just a point behind in 15th position.

Wednesday’s game will be the first time West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has sat on the bench at Craven Cottage since he left Fulham in July 2010, and he will hope his side can continue its good away form in the league, which has seen them claim 17 points from 11 games.

But Hodgson’s side could be significantly undermanned with winger Jerome Thomas and Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara struggling with injuries sustained against Norwich.

If they miss out they would join a lengthy injury list that includes other usual starters Chris Brunt, Paul Scharner and Steven Reid.

Fulham are set to welcome back crafty attacker Moussa Dembele from injury, which would further bolster the home side’s attacking brigade that has scored eight goals in three league games since New Year’s Day.

Sunderland will look to extend their unbeaten streak at the Stadium of Light to seven games when they take on Norwich City on Wednesday.

Sunderland has not lost at home since December 3, the day Martin O’Neill was recruited as manager, but the home side will find it tough against a Norwich side that is unbeaten in 2012 and has not lost away from home since December 3.

Norwich defeated West Brom 2-1 away from home on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round, their second win at the Hawthorns in two weeks.

19-year-old goalkeeper Jed Steer was the hero on debut for Norwich making several fine saves, including two late in the match that were rated ‘world class’ by manager Paul Lambert.

Steer was in the side due to Lambert’s decision to rest regular goalkeeper John Ruddy, one of a host of key players given a night off that also included Steve Morison, Bradley Johnson and Kyle Naughton.

Sunderland’s FA Cup fourth round duties are not over yet after they could only manage a 1-1 draw against northern rivals Middlesbrough on Sunday.

Frazier Campbell cancelled out Barry Robson’s opener to earn Sunderland a draw and a replay on February 7.

It was Campbell’s first match in 18 months following two knee surgeries and the Sunderland striker, who came on at the start of the second half, was thrilled after the match.

“It’s a dream start,” Campbell said. “I didn’t expect to get any minutes today so to get on and score was brilliant.”

Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill was quick to praise Campbell as a player who never let his injuries get him down.

“He’s been coming in every day with a smile on his face, and he lifts everyone at the football club because of his attitude,” O’Neill said.

“It was great for him to have something to celebrate.”

O’Neill’s side could move above Norwich with a win on Wednesday.

Sunderland are 10th on the Premier League table with 27 points, just two points behind ninth-placed Norwich.

Arsenal must end a three-match English Premier League losing run when they meet Bolton if they are to keep touch with the top four.

Inspired by captain Robin van Persie, who tops the league’s goalscoring with 19, Arsenal sit fifth on the table, but are five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The deficit has come on the back of a disappointing run of defeats at the hands of Fulham, Swansea City and Manchester United.

A trip to the Reebok Stadium to meet Bolton on Wednesday gives them an opportunity to turn their form around.

It will again be left to the inspirational van Persie to lead his team.

The Dutchman has been in career-best form and is netting nearly a goal every league game, and also hit a brace in their come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger’s men are arguably becoming too reliant on van Persie for goals and to secure points, with no-one else netting regularly.

Winger Theo Walcott has been in good form, but has struck just three league goals this campaign.

Wenger is slowly regaining several first-choice players, however, he is still likely to be without Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Andre Santos and Abou Diaby because of injury.

Strikers Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bolton won last season’s home league fixture against Arsenal and enter this encounter on the back of three consecutive wins in all competitions.

Their last league outing was a surprise 3-1 win over Liverpool, a victory that lifted them out of the relegation zone and a point clear of Blackburn Rovers.

Former Liverpool striker David N’Gog has provided a presence up front, while Chris Eagles and Nigel Reo-Coker have worked hard in midfield.

They have rued their injuries throughout the campaign, with Marcos Alonso, Ricardo Gardner, Lee Chung-Yong, Stuart Holden and Sean Davis all missing.

If they can control van Persie, Bolton are some hope at home, but the forward is in irresistible form.

Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna is delighted to have returned to first-team football after four months out with a broken ankle.

Right-back Sagna made a cameo appearance in Arsenal’s 3-2 FA Cup victory over Aston Villa, a match in which the north London team came back from a two-goal deficit to book their place in the fifth round.

Sagna said his time on the sidelines was a difficult period, but the support he received from his family, friends and the Arsenal fans helped to get him through it.

“I am absolutely delighted,” he told the Arsenal website.

“It’s been quite difficult all these months – four is a long time.”

“I just needed to get back as quick as possible and now I finally am.”

“Now I just need to work even harder to get back because I have only had two training sessions and it is not easy. But I will do it.”

“I will still work with the fitness coach but I will only get fit by playing games.”

“I am just biding my time to start a game now but I am not rushing. I just want to give the maximum to get myself into the best position.”

“It was nice to have support from my wife, kids and my friends. The fans have also supported me a lot during my recovery and it was quite helpful when I was working.”

Sagna suffered the break during Arsenal’s 2-1 English Premier League defeat to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on October 2.

Alex McLeish wants the FA to investigate an incident involving Arsenal striker Robin van Persie in the FA Cup fourth round clash.

Arsene Wenger’s side came from two down to win 3-2 on Sunday, thanks to a penalty brace from the Dutch international and a fortunate Theo Walcott goal.

In a controversial incident in the second-half, the Scot believed Carlos Cuellar was caught in the face by van Persie’s elbow, but the referee Michael Jones did not award a foul.

“I thought it was a clear elbow, but the referee did not seem to think there was anything in it,” McLeish said.

“I thought he put the elbow towards Carlos’ face. The big man is not a guy to lie down; he got up pretty quickly.”

McLeish suggested the FA should look at the alleged elbow, adding: “Yes, if it was an elbow in the face – look at my face and my nose is a result of elbows all my career. It is something which is dangerous.”

“I never mentioned it to the referee. I saw it in real time.”

“I don’t like to point the finger at players, but it has happened to mine enough times.”

Villa ended the first-half with a shock lead, courtesy of goals from Richard Dunne and Darren Bent, before van Persie and Walcott swayed the game back in the hosts’ favour.

The 53-year old thought his men had done enough to secure victory in the first period alone, and was understandably disheartened by their failure to hold on to the victory.

“I am very disappointed we did not see it out and it is a missed opportunity,” he said.

“The fans will be gutted at seeing us let that lead slip away.”

“I said to the lads at half-time that I would like to be congratulating them at full-time, because it was an international performance in the first half.”

“The penalty gave them a huge lift, and we looked a bit leggy, but we went right to the end and could even have had an equaliser with a late couple of chances, but it was not to be.”

“We have to learn from this and try to obtain that winning mentality.”

Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill is ready to make a final attempt to sign out-of-favour Bolton striker Kevin Davies.

The former Aston Villa boss said he may try to sign the veteran centre-forward on Monday before the transfer window closes after Bolton counterpart Owen Coyle had disclosed that Sunderland had phoned about his player.

Fraizer Campbell may have made a fairytale comeback from a 17-month injury lay-off to keep Sunderland’s FA Cup hopes alive but O’Neill is still ready to follow up his interest in Davies which was triggered by an injury to Nicklas Bendtner.

“I did make an enquiry and Owen (Coyle) I think would want to try to keep him but wouldn’t stand in his way and I may well follow that up tomorrow,” O’Neill said after the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

“Obviously come Wednesday morning that is it and we have a couple of injuries to contend with and while I am absolutely delighted with Fraizer, and that helps enormously of course, I think we will maybe have a look.”

“Even if we are unable to do something we will still have a genuine look in the last two days just to bolster the squad if we could.”

O’Neill has fresh injury worries over former Middlesbrough midfielder Lee Cattermole who missed the tie with a hamstring injury and Wes Brown who went off in the second half with a knee problem.

Both players will have scans on Monday when their manager re-opens talks with Coyle over Davies.

O’Neill reserved special praise for Campbell who made a goalscoring return from two serious injuries making his first appearance since August 2010.

“I am really delighted for Fraizer and everyone else at the club is and it is hard not to be with the injury he sustained,” O’Neill said.

“He took his goal brilliantly with what was his first or second touch and he gave us extra energy that we seemed to lack in the first half. Fraizer always has a smile on his face and he has given everyone around the club a lift.”

“I am delighted we are still in the cup. We played very sloppily in the first half and Boro got a foothold in the game and they deserved to go in front but we showed more urgency in the second half and that was epitomised by Fraizer Campbell and we deserved in the end the draw, which was a fair result.”

“We started off slowly in the game, which was surprising considering it was a cup game, and an important match for us.”

“When they got in front, and they deserved to, we thought we had an equaliser but it was chalked off. I’ve not seen a replay of it.”

“But in the second half we got a bit of tempo in the game. Fraizer Campbell got us a big goal,

gave us a big lift and then we thought we might be able to get it, but it would have been hard luck on Middlesbrough and we both live to fight another day.”

The replay is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7.

Talisman Robin van Persie struck twice as Arsenal came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.

Three goals in a destructive 10-minute spell turned the game on its head at the Emirates Stadium, after Villa had deservedly led at the break thanks to goals from Richard Dunne and Darren Bent.

Arsene Wenger’s side, who had lost their last three games in all competitions, appeared to be on course for another miserable day until two Van Persie penalties and a Theo Walcott effort rescued the outcome.

Visitors Villa took the lead 32 minutes into the match.

A short-corner routine lead to Keane clipping the ball into the box, and centre-back Richard Dunne rose highest to power a header into the top corner.

Villa doubled their advantage with a fast break-away moments before half-time.

Darren Bent ran on to Stephen Ireland’s precise through ball and clinically tucked a shot home from a tight angle after Lukasz Fabianski had saved his initial effort.

The hosts were handed a lifeline nine minutes into the second half, when Aaron Ramsey won a penalty after being cynically felled by Dunne in the area.

Van Persie stepped up to coolly send Shay Given the wrong way and bag his 24th goal of the campaign.

Just moments later Hutton’s goal-line clearance fortuitously struck Walcott and bounced into the net after the winger had initially tricked his way through the defence and seen a low shot blocked.

The turnaround was then completed when referee Michael Jones awarded another blatant spot-kick after Laurent Koscielny’s surging run was brought to a halt by Bent, with Van Persie emphatically converting into the roof of the net.

Earlier, Sunderland needed a 59th-minute equaliser from Fraizer Campbell to draw 1-1 at home to local rivals Middlesbrough, and secure a replay against their Championship opponents.

Campell has missed 18 months of football in the last two years due to successive knee injuries, but he returned to action off the bench at the Stadium of Light, making his first appearance since August 2010.

And the home side needed the former Manchester United striker to cancel out Barry Robson’s early opener for Middlesbrough.

The two teams will meet again at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday 7 February, with the winner to host Arsenal in the fifth round.

Manchester City director of football Brian Marwood has reportedly written to referees’ chief Mike Riley seeking clarification over recent decisions.

The letter is thought to have been written after City’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the League Cup on Wednesday, which saw them eliminated from the competition.

Earlier this month City defender Vincent Kompany controversially saw red in their 3-2 FA Cup third-round clash against Manchester United.

And Mario Balotelli was recently handed a four-match suspension for his role in a stamping incident involving Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Scott Parker.

The Sunday Times has reported Marwood has written to Riley concerning the deicisions.

Merseyside Police have arrested a man over an alleged racist gesture during the FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Manchester United.

Match Commander, Chief Superintendent Jon Ward, had earlier confirmed footage of the game was being reviewed following the emergence of a still image on the internet which showed a Liverpool fan appearing to make a ‘monkey’ gesture.

A 59-year-old man has now been taken to a police station and is undergoing questioning by officers.

A statement read: “Merseyside Police can confirm that a 59-year-old man from North Wales, has been arrested this evening following an alleged incident at the LFC vs MUFC match this afternoon. (Saturday, 28 January).”

“The man has been taken to a police station, and will be questioned by officers.”

“Merseyside Police would like to thank North Wales police and Liverpool Football Club for their assistance with this matter.”

The game was expected to be highly charged following an incident involving Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra earlier this season, which saw the Uruguayan banned for eight games for alleged racist abuse of the defender.

A Liverpool statement read: “Following today’s game we were made aware of an image being circulated on social media relating to an incident at this afternoon’s FA Cup tie. We are now working closely with Merseyside Police to establish the facts of what occurred and identify the individual involved.”

Liverpool defeated Sir Alex Ferguson’s side 2-1 in the fourth-round clash at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, thanks to goals from Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt either side of Park Ji Sung’s equaliser.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle praised midfielder Darren Pratley after the 2-1 FA Cup victory over Swansea City.

The hosts fell behind to a Luke Moore goal, before Pratley scored an equaliser against his former club, and Chris Eagles netted a second-half winner to book a fifth-round place.

Pratley has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place since his summer move to the Reebok Stadium, but Coyle hailed the attitude of the midfielder.

“I think he’s been frustrated this season,” Coyle said.

“It’s great to see him hit the back of the net, but he could’ve had a hat-trick!”

“It was great to see the energy he brought to the team and in scoring his goal I think he was very respectful of his former club with his reaction.”

Coyle praised the effort shown by his side as they came back from behind to beat Swansea and progress to the last 16.

“It was more than a win,” he said.

“I thought we were excellent today, we started really well and felt hard done by to lose the opening goal because we’d had various chances to be in front.”

“But the reaction was great, in the second half we scored a great goal but should’ve added to it.”

“There’s no doubt we were very deserving winners today.”

Meanwhile, Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers felt his side were unlucky not to be in the hat for the next round.

“I felt that we deserved something from the game,” Rodgers said.

“We weren’t at our best or nowhere near our best but I still felt we’d done enough to earn something out of the game at the very least.”

“I made changes to ensure the team was fresh and put a lot of trust in the players but there were too many mistakes today, that was the problem for us.”

“I have a big respect (for the FA Cup), I really wanted us to go through today and I picked a team to do that.”

Alan Pardew said Newcastle have not had a penalty decision go their way ‘all year’ after Brighton knocked them out of the FA Cup.

Will Buckley grabbed the winner via a deflection off Mike Williamson in the 76th minute, but there was late controversy after Yohan Cabaye’s shot was charged down by what appeared to be Ashley Barnes’ hand.

“There was a big shout from our fans and I guessed it hit a hand,” Pardew told reporters.

“But we haven’t had one of them all year.”

“We must have had 11 penalties against us and hardly had a shout of one for us from a referee. I didn’t expect to get a break, if I’m honest.”

Pardew said the result was tough on his team because of the way they had controlled the game, and conceded it was an important game that had escaped them.

“It was tough on us because we had good control of the game, although we were hoping to threaten the goal a little bit more than we did. You’re always liable to get caught on the break which we were.”

“We were unfortunate on the goal, I thought. Danny (Simpson) had just been booked and couldn’t really make a challenge, so he (Buckley) skipped past Danny – and then the deflection. It’s the only shot they’ve had of any threat so it is disappointing.”

“We knew today’s game was important because the core of our team are coming back to us. There was no (Fabricio) Coloccini, no Chieck (Tiote), Papiss (Cisse) and Demba (Ba).”

Meanwhile, Brighton manager Gus Poyet was in good spirits.

The manager was more pleased with the result than his side’s performance.

“It’s special, this cup; it’s beautiful,” he said.

“I’ve said before I play, after I’ve played, it’s the best cup in the world.”

“It would be a dream (to lead the team to the FA Cup final). I think right now we will look at the draw tomorrow. Depending on who we get we might celebrate, but I won’t tell you who for.”

“It’s massive. It’s true that we beat Sunderland this year, but I think it was a different time in the season, and Newcastle have been better this year than Sunderland which just shows that it’s been a very difficult game.”

Poyet admitted they were lucky, not only because of the outcome, but due to who was available to Pardew.

“There were no silly mistakes, no silly risks. They’re quicker than you, stronger than you, read the game better, so it was a game that we needed to be spot on, especially in our half and we did that. That gave us the chance to go on and win the game.”

“We got lucky. It was the best time to play Newcastle. Everybody knows that Mr (Demba) Ba is on fire this season, and he was not here.”

Kenny Dalglish said Liverpool have not yet seen the best of striker Andy Carroll.

The Liverpool manager said Carroll, who moved to Merseyside from Newcastle United for 35 million pounds 12 months ago, said there was still plenty for Carroll to learn.

But Dalglish also admitted Carroll played a key role in the 2-1 FA Cup fourth round win over rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Saturday.

“Andy Carroll is good in the air, we have to develop that,” Dalglish said.

“He’s got to develop that and he has to work within the framework as well and we’ll work with him.”

“We’ll be a lot more patient with him than many other people. We’ll work with him and I’m sure we’ll get the rewards in the end- we’re starting to bear fruit now.”

QPR manager Mark Hughes has backed the FA’s decision to abandon the traditional pre-match handshake routine at Loftus Road.

Hughes said allowing the players to run straight out in Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Chelsea was the best solution.

“It was absolutely the correct decision,” Hughes said after the match.

“There was so much tension in such a brief moment in time that it clouded the issue, which today was surely the FA Cup tie we’re all involved in.”

“The fact that we took the whole issue out of the equation was exactly the right thing to do.”

“Chelsea had their views and I’m pleased we all came to the same decision.”

The drama surrounding the pre-game ritual concerned the speculation over the relationship between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, but Hughes preferred to praise his centre-back for his.

“Anton has conducted himself really well,” Hughes said, despite QPR’s exit from the competition in a 1-0 defeat.

“Not only this week but for a number of weeks. He was excellent in the game as well.”

“It was a difficult situation for him because the focus seemed to be on Anton which was understandable given what happened in the last 48 hours.”

“For him to come through that shows great credit. He put in a really good performance.”

Hughes also praised his side’s performance in defeat in a game of far fewer talking points than the controversies surrounding the build up.

“We’re disappointed because we worked exceptionally hard in terms of discipline and making sure we had a good defensive shape,” Hughes said.

“We worked hard this week on making sure we had a good platform so we could go in the opposite direction and create chances at the other end.”

“Defensively our discipline of tracking runners and blocking balls through to their front-men was excellent.”

Hughes’ plan was foiled by referee Mike Dean who adjudged Clint Hill’s push on Daniel Sturridge enough to award a penalty which Juan Mata converted.

“I think Mike Dean will be a little bit disappointed when he sees what decision he’s given,” Hughes said.

“He said to Paddy Kenny that he had to give the penalty because the lad (Sturridge) was going to head the ball in, which wasn’t my take on it to be perfectly honest.”

“I just felt Sturridge went down a little bit easily and unfortunately for us he’s given the penalty which at that point was probably one of our better periods in the game.”

“We’re disappointed that we haven’t got any reward, albeit we probably didn’t do enough to win but we could have very easily got a draw out of the game.”

28th January 2012

After three straight Premier League defeats, Arsene Wenger have no choice but to field his strongest line-up against Aston Villa and try to restore the confidence at the Emirates. Boosted by the derby win over Wolverhampton, the Villans will be looking to pour more misery on the Gunners and record what would be their fourth straight victory on the road.

Arsenal needed a lot of time to recover from the dismal start to the season, but once the Gunners finally hit the ground running, they looked practically unstoppable. However, with so many important players on the sidelines, Arsene Wenger’s side were always going to start running on empty at one stage of the season, and it looks the time has come. I really cannot remember the last time Arsenal suffered three straight Premier League defeats, so it is more than clear that the FA Cup clash with Aston Villa will be seen as the game of the season at the Emirates. The Gunners desperately need to restore some of the lost confidence before the Premiership campaign resumes, which is why Arsene Wenger is expected to field his strongest available line-up. Thierry Henry, Mikel Arteta and Bacary Sagna are all rated doubtful, whereas Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh, Jack Wilshire, Kieran Gibbs, Abou Diaby, Carl Jenkinson, Andre Santos and Francis Coquelin are all unavailable.

Following the real rollercoaster ride that was the last season, Aston Villa desperately needed some stability and it looks that is exactly what they got with the arrival of Alex McLeish. Once the controversy regarding his transfer from club’s arch rivals subsided, the experienced manager was able to fully focus on the job ahead and that has produced pretty good results. Given that this is supposed to be a transition season for the Villans, their mid table position is not at all disappointing, especially as the team are playing much better than the results are showing. Alex McLeish’s side appear to have big problems at their Villa Park, where they have just ended the four-match losing run, but three straight victories on the road give them reason for optimism before the trip to London. In all fairness, teams like Bristol Rovers or Wolverhampton cannot be compared to Arsenal, but Villa will, nonetheless, fancy their chances in this clash. Robbie Keane is expected to start up front alongside Darren Bent, whereas Stephen Ireland and Emile Heskey are back in contention.

Conclusion

Arsenal may be going through a rough patch at the moment, but their performance against Manchester United was not that bad at all and the Gunners can be trusted to give their best in this clash. Aston Villa have been doing well on the travels of late, but I just cannot see them getting anything from the Emirates.

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: William Hill

Andre Villas-Boas said midfielder Ramires suffered knee ligament damage during Chelsea’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Queens Park Rangers.

Brazil international Ramires is facing up to four weeks on the sidelines with a medial ligament injury after being forced off late in his side’s 1-0 fourth-round victory at Loftus Road on Saturday.

“It looks like a medial knee ligament injury,” Villas-Boas said.

“It is not so bad in terms of the worst knee injuries but he’ll have the MRI scan tomorrow and we’ll know the full extent and I think hopefully he is going to avoid an operation.”

“We have to know the extent of the ligament injury and eventually with the treatment and results we have been having medically, we could be looking at a four-week period.”

“We have to look at the extent of the injury. Maybe more than that, but hopefully not.”

The build-up to the match focused on whether or not Anton Ferdinand would shake the hand of Chelsea captain John Terry, who is under police investigation for allegedly racially abusing the QPR man during the teams’ league meeting at Loftus Road on October 23.

In a bid to defuse any tension between the clubs’ supporters, the English Football Association opted to cancel the traditional pre-match handshakes.

“I was informed of the decision 45 minutes before the game,” Villas-Boas said.

“I think it was a wise decision bearing in mind the expectancy that was aroused from the fact that a couple of events could happen in that handshake.”

“I think the decision of both clubs backed up by the FA was sensible to avoid that expectancy and the possible crowd reaction from whatever would happen from that handshake.”

“It was a question of avoiding troublesome situations and I think it was a good decision. Everything was clear and both teams got on with their jobs.”

QPR manager Mark Hughes echoed the sentiments of his counterpart.

“It was absolutely the correct decision,” he said when asked about the cancelled handshakes.

“There was so much tension in such a brief moment in time that it clouded the issue, which today was surely the FA Cup tie we’re all involved in.”

“The fact that we took the whole issue out of the equation was exactly the right thing to do.”

Shay Given says he does not hold a grudge towards Thierry Henry for the handball that ended Ireland’s 2010 World Cup qualification dream.

During the World Cup play-off between Ireland and France at Dublin’s Croke Park in November 2009, Henry controlled the ball with his hand before setting-up William Gallas to score the decisive goal in France’s 2-1 win, denying the Irish any involvement in the tournament.

The Arsenal striker later confessed it had been a deliberate action, although FIFA refused to sanction him.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Given, who was between the posts for Ireland that day, refused to label Henry a cheat ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round meeting between their club sides.

“I think some really harsh stuff has been written about him but I don’t follow that line of thought (that he is a cheat),” Given said.

“He handballed it and players do that sometimes. His was quite a blatant one and he probably thought himself that the referees would pick it up. But I don’t blame him.”

“In a sense it wasn’t even Thierry Henry’s fault, it was the officials who never saw it.”

“I know he handballed it but it was so blatant we felt the officials should have picked it up, yet they didn’t.”

“Of course it was disappointing, especially all through the summer when the World Cup was on.”

“It was disappointing to think we could, should have been there probably.”

“But it’s water under the bridge now. It was hard at the time for the players and the Ireland fans. But you move on in football and you move on in life.”

“I certainly do not hold grudges. I just want to keep Thierry Henry quiet on Sunday for Aston Villa’s sake – not for what he did two years ago.”

Liverpool defeated Manchester United 2-1 at Anfield in the fourth round of the FA Cup earlier today and the Reds will now believe that they can go on to win the competition.

However there will be lots of other clubs with exactly the same idea.

Out

The Premier League’s top two teams Manchester City and Manchester United have now both exited the FA Cup. This will no doubt be greeted with delight by the managers of the clubs still in the competition.

The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will all now see winning the competition as a realistic aim. They may not win the Premier League title but this is a chance for them to win silverware.

Everton

As I wrote yesterday about Everton it’s the last chance for a lot of clubs to claim a trophy. Everton are one of those clubs who will now be more hopeful of a trophy after the Toffee’s overcame Fulham 2-1 last night.

Everton may not go on to win the FA Cup but the competition gives David Moyes men hope of a bit of glory this season.

Liverpool

It’s been a great week for Liverpool and their fans. The Reds followed up their progression into the Carling Cup final by beating arch-rivals Manchester United. It wasn’t the best performance from Kenny Dalglish’s side this season but they kept going and got their reward with a goal from substitute Dirk Kuyt.

During the eighties the Scot inspired numerous cup victories, as both player and manager. It looks like he could carry on that tradition in his second spell at the club.

Arsenal

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is in dire need of a trophy. The club has gone six years without claiming a trophy and there are question marks over the Frenchman’s future at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners face Aston Villa tomorrow afternoon in the fourth round.

The FA Cup is Arsenal’s only realistic chance of winning a trophy this season. Wenger’s men are still in the Champions League but will face far stiffer opposition in Europe’s elite competition than in the FA Cup.

Chelsea

Chelsea are also still in the Champions League but are currently a team in transition. The FA Cup has to be a more realistic aim for Andre Villas-Boas men this season. The Blues got through to the fifth round with a 1-0 victory over QPR at Loftus Road.

A penalty from Juan Mata was enough to ensure safe progression into the fifth round for the Blues. Chelsea will now have to be considered one of the favourites for the competition.

Tottenham

Tottenham are having a fantastic season and a 1-0 win at Championship Watford ensured that Harry Redknapp’s men progressed into the fifth round. The Spurs boss has endured a difficult time of late with a trial for tax evasion currently on-going.

The victory would have given the 64 year-old something to cheer anyway. Redknapp is expected to take over the reigns of the England team this summer and a FA Cup final victory in May would be a very welcome leaving present.

Open

With the top two teams in the country out of the FA Cup early this season the competition could be very interesting. Just like the Carling Cup we could see some of the smaller sides make the advanced stages and I believe that can only b good for the competition.

Who will win this seasons FA Cup?

Liverpool and Chelsea both progressed to the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, with wins over their respective rivals.

Anfield club Liverpool claimed a 2-1 victory at home at English Premier League champions Manchester United, courtesy of a late strike from Dutchman Dirk Kuyt.

Daniel Agger fired the hosts ahead through a back-post header in the 21st minute, with Park Ji-Sung responding for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men on 38 minutes when he powered home a cross from Rafael.

But Kuyt had the final say on the contest in the 88th minute, drilling a shot past goalkeeper David de Gea after Andy Carroll flicked a header into the attacker’s path.

In a west London derby, Chelsea gained revenge away to Queens Park Rangers, reversing their 1-0 league loss at Loftus Road earlier this season with victory by the same scoreline.

Similarly to their league outing, the match was decided by a contentious penalty – converted by Juan Mata – as referee Mike Dean adjudged Clint Hill to have fouled Daniel Sturridge in the area, despite minimal contact.

More to follow…

PFA Chairman Clarke Carlisle has encouraged Anton Ferdinand to reject a handshake from Chelsea skipper John Terry.

The two English centre-halves go face-to-face for the first time since the race row in QPR’s 1-0 win at Loftus Road in the Premier League in October.

Chelsea travel to Mark Hughes’ QPR again on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round a week ahead of Terry’s appearance in court, as he faces up to allegations of racial abuse directed at Ferdinand.

Ferdinand has been urged by some, including Terry’s manager Andre Villas-Boas, to put the incident in the past and shake hands to show respect to one another, but Carlisle – who is also the Kick It Out campaign ambassador – feels that exchanging pleasantries may not be the best idea.

“I can understand why Anton Ferdinand would not want to accept a handshake from John Terry because the pair have a personal disagreement and that has led to criminal proceedings against one of them,” he said.

“It would be stupid if Ferdinand is forced into shaking his hand. It would be under false pretences.”

“It is already a delicate situation and a forced handshake could cause wider problems. You hope the two guys will respect each other on the pitch, whatever the outcome of the handshake beforehand.”

Villas-Boas felt very differently on the situation and insisted that shaking hands is an imperative part of showing respect between opponents.

“The handshake is extremely important,” said the Portuguese. “It is a question of respect for the opponent.”

“Football is based on good values more than anything else. These two players should continue to promote those good values.”

“It will be a big moment before the kick-off but when it comes to the time to shake hands, the players should set an example and I expect they will stand up to their responsibilities and do it.”

Mark Hughes was naturally eager to stand by his player, as he claimed that a decision regarding a handshake will be left to Ferdinand.

“The handshake has to be Anton’s own personal decision,” he said. It won’t be influenced by myself or the club.”

Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini told his team-mates he would score before heading in the winner in the 2-1 FA Cup victory over Fulham.

The Belgian netted in the 73rd minute of the fourth-round clash at Goodison Park on Friday, giving David Moyes’ side a hard-fought, come-from-behind win.

Everton assistant manager Steve Round said Fellaini had warned pre-match he would find the net against Fulham.

“Felli has had a bit of stick lately because he has had quite a few chances that haven’t gone in,” Round said after the win.

“They have been cleared off the line, he has had headers and goalkeepers have made great saves.”

“He said beforehand that he was definitely going to score today so I think he was proving a point.”

Everton had won just one of their past three home encounters coming into the clash, and looked to be heading for another defeat when Danny Murphy gave Fulham the lead from the penalty spot.

But Denis Stracqualursi equalised in the 27th minute before Fellaini’s second-half winner, and Round said the FA Cup was important to them.

“Our form at home hasn’t been great recently, but we showed character to come from a goal behind, which was a little bit against the run of play,” Round said.

“The cup run definitely gives us confidence. The manager said to the team before the game that Everton have a great history in this competition, and that when you represent Everton, the cups are extremely important.”

Meanwhile, Fulham manager Martin Jol said his side had missed a glorious opportunity to progress to the fifth round.

Everton were without Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka, but Fulham struggled to expose the weakened defence.

“You know it is going to be difficult here but with our quality up front I thought we could have done better,” Jol said.

“We couldn’t exploit our quality on the night. They put us under pressure and we couldn’t find a way around them.”

Rafael Van der Vaart said Tottenham did not deserve to progress into the FA Cup fifth-round draw.

The Dutchman’s fortuitous first-half strike was enough to secure a 1-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road on Friday but the hosts had plenty of chances to stage an upset.

“I think we played a bad game today,” Van der Vaart told ESPN.

“Sometimes you have these days. The 100 percent sharpness is not there.”

“I think it was a difficult game, the pitch was heavy and yes they played a great game.”

“It was a lucky strike but I’m happy it caused the win.”

Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini said his team-mates were aware the tie would be tricky and he was pleased to progress.

“Once you’ve been in England for a while you know what the FA Cup is about,” Cudicini said.

“We knew it would be a difficult game and it was. So we’re pleased to go through.”

Cudicini’s fingertip save from Sean Murray’s curled effort in the second half denied Watford their best chance to equalise, and the Italian targets a league and cup double this term.

“Yes, sometimes you just need a little touch and the ball went onto the post,” he said.

“Lucky but at the same time it was what we needed at that moment.”

“We have a great squad. We have shown that in the Premier League and we hope for a long run in the FA Cup as well.”

Tottenham and Everton both won through to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Friday.

Spurs won 1-0 at Watford thanks to Rafael van der Vaart’s first-half while Everton deservedly came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Goodison Park.

Harry Redknapp’s men failed to inspire at Vicarage Road as the Championship side threatened an upset on numerous occasions but were constantly denied by a solid Carlo Cudicini.

Van der Vaart’s goal three minutes before half-time came against the run of play as Watford, while creating a plethora of chances, failed to find the cutting edge in the final third.

Jermain Defoe finally registered Spurs’ first shot on target after 30 minutes, but the striker, who found it difficult to get into the contest, hit is shot into the ground which made the save routine for Scott Loach.

Spurs gradually established longer spells of possession and they were rewarded by Van der Vaart’s fortuitous strike. The midfielder was handed too much room 20 yards from goal but his tame effort eluded Loach.

Early in the second half, Spurs centre-backs Michael Dawson and Stan Livermore got in a muddle in their own box, ultimately gifting possession to a wide-open Sean Murray.

The composed 18-year-old curled around Cudicini but his shot struck the post.

The inspired home side and their boisterous support deserved an equaliser but Tottenham had all hands at the pumps at the back.

Watford had two more brilliant chances with just over ten minutes remaining. Mark Yeates sent in a long free-kick which bundled around the area.

Meanwhile, Everton deservedly came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1.

Danny Murphy’s early penalty gave the visitors a perfect start, but David Moyes’ men fought back through goals from rare-starter Denis Stracqualursi and Marouane Fellaini.

Following a subdued opening, the game sprang into life in the 12th minute when the visitors were awarded a blatant spot-kick after Jonny Heitinga slid in and blocked Clint Dempsey’s goal-bound shot with his hand.

Referee Howard Webb immediately pointed to the spot and Murphy, who had not missed in 11 attempts, sent Tim Howard the wrong way.

This woke the hosts up and Landon Donovan’s inviting cross was seized upon by Argentine striker Stracqualursi, who made no mistake to clinically head home and open his account for the club on 27 minutes.

US striker Clint Dempsey had a decent opportunity to put Fulham back into the lead minutes into the second period when he latched onto Ruiz’s incisive cross, but he blazed his header over.

David Moyes introduced Royston Drenthe for Magaye Gueye, which sparked a change in fortune for his side.

The turnaround was completed when Donovan demonstrated more technical quality by delivering a pin-point cross for Fellaini, who towered above the Fulham defence to head into the far corner past an outstretched David Stockdale.

27th January 2012

FA Cup 4th round draw has served as with a real treat as it doesn’t get much better than the clash between arch rivals Liverpool and Manchester United. Both sides enter the game in good spirits and that should guarantee us an exciting game of football at Anfield.

Few weeks ago it seemed that Liverpool had finally stabilized their form and that they would be able to mount a serious top 4 challenge, but the Reds suffered several unexpected slip ups in the Premiership of late and now sit six points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea. Meanwhile, Kenny Dalglish’s side eased off to the FA Cup fourth round by beating Oldham Athletic, whereas they impressed to beat Manchester City in the Carling Cup semi-finals, thus coming really close to their first trophy of the season. The absence of Luis Suarez is seriously affecting team’s attacking performance, especially as Andy Carroll can do nothing to shake off the tag of one of the most overpaid players in the history of football, and if it wasn’t for effervescent Craig Bellamy, there would be no one in the side capable of breaking the opposition defences. Following the difficult Carling Cup game against Manchester City and with the must-win game against Wolves in mind, Kenny Dalglish is likely to rest several star players against United, which should damage the Reds’ chances in this match.

Manchester United had the misfortune of facing their bitter rivals Manchester City and Liverpool at the start of the FA Cup campaign, but that could prove to be a blessing in disguise as the Red Devils could have knocked out two rivals for the trophy even before things get serious. Fergie’s men recovered well from the Premier League defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup 3rd round derby, whereas they kept the rich vein of form by beating Bolton and Arsenal in the Premiership. Sir Alex Ferguson is now determined to keep the spirits high before the crucial games in the second part of the season and the only way to do so is with a good performance at Anfield. With home game against Stoke next on agenda, Fergie is expected to field a very strong side in Liverpool, especially as his players haven’t played too many games of late. Phil Jones remains a doubt with a twisted ankle, but Rio Ferdinand could return.

Conclusion

Liverpool might find it hard to give their best in this match following the very demanding game against Manchester City, whereas Manchester United have no such problems and they are expected to go for a win here. We are likely to see a tight game, nonetheless, but the Red Devils appear to be closer to victory.

Verdict: Manchester United Draw No Bet

Best Odds: 21/20

Bookmaker: William Hill

Liverpool’s Stewart Downing has defended his form ahead of the club’s FA Cup fourth-round showdown with Manchester United.

The former Middlesbrough man joined Liverpool for an estimated 20 million pounds from Aston Villa in the off-season, but has struggled for form and is yet to score a league goal in 22 appearances.

The only goal the winger has managed was against Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup third round, but the 27-year-old believes his form has improved recently.

“The media do build things up a lot more than we do here, but that’s the way football is,” Downing told the club’s official website.

“I just get my head down – whatever is said is said, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I started quite brightly, then was in and out, and now I’m starting to pick up form again.”

“I want to play all the time but the only way I can do that is to play well.”

“I’ve got to get my head down and work hard, and the last couple of weeks I’m pleased with how it’s gone personally.”

“As long as the manager is happy with me, and the club and the players, then that’s fine by me.”

Downing said he had thrived under Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish.

“The manager has been really good to me from the first day I came,” he said.

“He’s given me lots of confidence – and it’s the same with every other player.”

“He’s great to play for. That’s all you want as a player – a manager who is honest with you, who gives you the confidence to go out and play.”

Liverpool face bitter rivals United on Saturday, and the winger is fully aware of how much damage their opponents can do.

“It’s a massive game against Manchester United and you have to start well against a big team because if they get early goals it’s hard to get back into the game,” he said.

“We have to do that because top players hurt you if you’re not on your guard.”