Sky Sports | Football | News | King grateful to Sky Blues

Marlon King believes his form is starting to return after thanking Coventry City for giving him a chance back in football.

The striker signed for Coventry in September following a spell in prison and has yet to score in nine appearances for the club.

However, he is looking to claim the Sky Blues' second goal in Saturday's 2-0 win at Scunthorpe after his shot came back off the post and rebounded into the net off Iron keeper Joe Murphy.

King is confident his mistakes are now in the past and he is happy with the backing he has received since joining Aidy Boothroyd's Coventry.

Confidence

"Everybody makes mistakes!"said King.

"I've made mine, the same as everybody else. But I have to put things behind me and get on with my life.

"Amid a lot of negative stuff I can only thank the board, the management, my fellow players and the fans of Coventry for their support.

"I am starting to regain my form and confidence. It's coming and I shall be claiming my first goal since resuming as a footballer."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Hodgson's Torres belief

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson insists that he still has full belief in striker Fernando Torres.

Torres was again far from his best on Sunday as Liverpool missed a number of good chances before succumbing 2-1 to Tottenham.

Earlier this season Hodgson admitted Torres was struggling with his confidence following an injury-hit World Cup.

But he looked to be back to his best when he scored a brilliant brace in their victory over champions Chelsea.

Torres then scored against Wigan, but three successive blanks have followed, leaving Hodgson to offer his backing to the Spaniard.

"I think 'crisis of confidence' may be too strong,"said Hodgson.

"I was pleased with Fernando Torres.

"Fernando himself, because he sets very high standards, will be disappointed he didn't take one of the goal chances which his good play - to be fair - created."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Boss hails McFadden progress

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has hailed the progress James McFadden is making as he battles back from knee surgery.

It was initially feared the attacker's season would be effectively over after he suffered cruciate ligament damage in training in September.

But the 27-year-old is progressing better than expected, with McLeish suggesting he could even be back before the end of the season.

However, the Birmingham boss is wary of setting a comeback date, believing the rejoining of the cruciate has to take time to heal.

McLeish told theBirmingham Mail:"What's really helped him is the condition he came back in in the summer. He's probably his leanest ever, and his fittest ever.

"He had that psychological first whole Premier season last year, which I'm sure would have enhanced his confidence and his all-round physical and mental strength.

"I just had a good feeling about James before he was struck down this season so cruelly.

Good shape

"He's training well. He's kept himself in good shape and all that helps in the recovery of a player from injury.

"If he had gone off and indulged, having pints of shandy in the house every night and biscuits and that, it wouldn't aid his recovery. You've got to credit the player for his discipline.

"The progress he's made, you're thinking 'wow, he's going to be quick, back before Christmas'.

"But you have to be careful and put the reins on a wee bit and let that surgery heal properly.

"That actual rejoining of the cruciate actually has to take time to heal."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Allardyce yet to learn funds

Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce claims he has yet to be told how much he will have to spend in the transfer window if Venky's complete their takeover.

The Ewood Park boss met the club's prospective new owners, Indian brothers Balaji and Venkatesh Rao, who are part of the family owners of Venky's, before Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.

A deal has yet to be completed, but a£46million agreement is thought to be close as Blackburn look for the impetus to escape the Premier League relegation zone.

But it has been reported that Venky's will only offer a transfer budget of£5million for Allardyce, who would instead be encouraged to look for loan signings.

However, the Rovers boss insists he has yet to be informed, saying inThe Sun:"I don't know the figures. There's no point discussing them.

Hello

"People have said£5m would be disappointing and, when another said£300m, people were 'oohing' and 'aaahing'.

"I rather keep it to ourselves. I'd not want to publicise it."

Allardyce added:"I had a couple of minutes with them before the game in the boardroom.

"Chairman John Williams invited me up to say hello to them and if, and when, the deal has been struck, we'll look to sit down and see the way forward.

"I'm told the deal has not been finalised yet but I would hope they would have been impressed and excited by a performance like that (against Chelsea)."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Calderwood backing Riordan

Hibernian's new manager Colin Calderwood believes Derek Riordan will be the ideal captain for the club.

With Chris Hogg and Kevin McBride on the bench in their 1-0 defeat to Dundee United, Calderwood had a decision to make.

Calderwood was happy passing the armband to ex-Celtic man Riordan, stating he is a natural leader in the group.

"We need a captain and he's the leading goalscorer,"explained Calderwood.

"He's been here a while and the responsibility of being the captain and leader of the group will help him."

First victory

Calderwood has now suffered defeat in his opening two games as the club's new manager, a run Mark Brown is eager to end.

Hibs tackle city rivals Hearts this Sunday and Brown believes the Edinburgh derby is the ideal chance to get Calderwood's reign up and running.

"It would be the perfect one to give the gaffer his first win,"said Brown.

"It's a big game and, with it being a derby, it's just that little bit more important.

"Losing to United was a tough one to take. We battled hard and to lose from such a late goal is hugely disappointing.

"But we'll dust ourselves down and the gaffer will have us working hard all week."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Ronaldinho beams at recall

Ronaldinho has expressed his delight at being recalled to the Brazil national side.

The AC Milan forward has been named in Brazil's squad for this month's friendly against Argentina.

Ronaldinho last featured for his country 18 months ago, while he was overlooked for this summer's 2010 World Cup.

But the 30-year-old is now beaming at his return to the international fold and is eagerly anticipating facing Brazil's foes Argentina.

He said:"I am very happy to be recalled. When I stop and think about putting the national team shirt on again I feel much happier.

"I am also very proud because I have been recalled just in the moment in which Brazil are to play a friendly match against Argentina.

"Playing against Argentina is always something very special."

Meanwhile, Brazil head coach Mano Menezes is hopeful that Ronaldinho could return to his world-class best for the Green and Yellow.

He said:"I can't call on him for such an important and difficult game and expect him to resolve all the problems.

"But we will try to get the best from him. We want the Ronaldinho that in some moment was one of the best players in the world."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Trotters receive Petrov boost

Bolton midfielder Martin Petrov could be in line to face Tottenham at the weekend following a hamstring injury.

The winger sat out the 1-0 home defeat against Liverpool on Sunday but has now returned to full training.

Wanderers boss Owen Coyle admits he has a selection headache ahead of Saturday's early kick-off at the Reebok Stadium.

The Scot may recall the former Manchester City star or keep Matt Taylor in his starting line-up and, with competition for places very healthy, Coyle insists he is always willing to talk to frustrated players.

"My door is always open, so it never gets a bashing,"he said.

"Anybody can come and have a chat. I think that's healthy, important. That's the way I work."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Inter rule out Bale bid

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has admitted he likes Gareth Bale but says it would be madness to try and sign him.

The Tottenham winger is the man of the moment after devastating performances at home and away against Inter in the UEFA Champions League.

After scoring a superb hat-trick in a losing cause at the Giuseppe Meazza a fortnight ago, Bale inspired Spurs to a 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane on Tuesday.

Such a scintillating display has fuelled discussion about Bale's future, although Harry Redknapp has stated he is not for sale even at£25-30million and the player himself is staying focused on Tottenham.

A number of Europe's leading clubs have nevertheless been linked with the 21-year-old and Inter know better than anybody else just how much damage he can inflict.

However, Moratti maintains that he is not planning to launch a big-money bid for the Wales international.

Disappointed

"Bale? For sure he did well both in Milan and in London, but I already knew him,"Moratti toldgazzetta.it.

"Yes, he did some great things, but we will not go crazy to sign him."

Inter's loss to Spurs has left Group A wide open and Moratti admits he was disappointed by his team's performance.

"What happened? I would like to know myself. There was a lack of play and character. We went wrong on our approach,"he said.

"There's no need to react severely, but we have to understand what has happened because we cannot play like this if we want to reach targets."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Diarra handed six-game ban

Bordeaux captain Alou Diarra has seen his suspension for pushing a referee extended to six matches.

The France international was initially handed a three-game ban for shoving Wilfried Bien after being booked in a 1-0 win over Auxerre on 16th October.

His actions led to him being shown a red card and forced to pay the price of his ill-advised actions.

Diarra has now been informed that he must sit out six fixtures, with the Ligue de Football Professionnel's disciplinary committee confirming the punishment.

A statement from the LFP read:"The commission, having reviewed the investigation report and having heard from the player Alou Diarra, assisted by Jean-Louis Triaud (president of Bordeaux) and Alain Deveseleer (director general of Bordeaux), have suspended the player for six games.

"This penalty includes the three-game initial ban handed out following the disciplinary committee's decision on 21st October to suspend the player as a precaution."

Diarra has already sat out games against Brest, St Etienne and Monaco and will now also be missing for fixtures against Valenciennes, Nancy and Arles-Avignon.

Harsh

The 29-year-old will be in contention to make his return to action in a home date with Lille on 27th November.

His ban only applies to Ligue 1 fixtures so he will be free to represent France in an upcoming friendly date with England, should he be called upon by Laurent Blanc.

Bordeaux are understandably disappointed to find that they will be without their captain for another three matches, but president Triaud has revealed that there are no plans to appeal the LFP's ruling.

"I think it was a harsh decision,"he said.

"I expected a little less given that he immediately apologised, didn't show any verbal violence and it was quite a modest jostling.

"I don't think we will appeal the decision though. It would be useless."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Serie A round-up

Inter Milan were rescued from their second defeat of the week by a controversial penalty as they salvaged a 1-1 draw against struggling Brescia at the San Siro.

Rafa Benitez's men, who lost 3-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane in UEFA Champions League action on Tuesday, now edge within three points of Serie A leaders Lazio, who take on city rivals Roma on Sunday.

Andrea Caracciolo put the visitors in front in the 14th minute, but Samuel Eto'o equalised from the spot in the 73rd minute after appearing to slip inside the penalty area and fool the referee into awarding a spot-kick.

Striker Caracciolo placed his shot past Luca Castellazzi before Lucio could get in a covering tackle for his fifth career goal against the Nerazzurri early on.

The frustration of the home fans was evident by the second half, but Eto'o was doing all he could to create openings - and he won a penalty in the 73rd minute.

Berardi was adjudged to have fouled the Cameroonian, who seemed to be slipping over anyway inside the penalty area.

The referee, who had already waved away several half-hearted appeals for a spot-kick from the Inter man, this time ruled in favour of the striker and awarded a penalty, which the striker converted.

The hosts then threw everybody forward in search of a winner, but they were unable to find one.

Bolognaleft it late to snatch a 2-0 victory at home toLecceand climb out of the relegation zone.

Marco Di Vaio broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 84th minute before Henry Gimenez sealed the win a minute later.

Lecce spent the opening period defending but were unlucky to miss out on a point after a more encouraging second half.

Riccardo Meggiorini and Di Vaio came close before the break but there was little to write home about from a dull first 45 minutes.

It was Bologna's turn to defend after the restart as their opponents found their feet, but the home side then managed to strike in the dying minutes of the clash.

Di Vaio hit his sixth of the season as he pounced inside the penalty area to nod in a cross from Miguel Britos.

He then turned provider for the late goal as his low cross was converted by the waiting Gimenez.

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Addicks rubbish takeover talk

Charlton Athletic owner Richard Murray has dismissed speculation linking the club with a potential takeover.

Despite a series of reports over the past few days, Murray has dismissed claims the club is about to be sold to new investors.

Murray told the club's official website:"I have made no secret of the fact that we are actively seeking new investment in the club, and that process continues.

"We have appointed Calimere Point, and Tim Fisher, to advise the club on potential new investment, and we have constant conversations with interested parties. But, while we note the recent press speculation, we'd like to make clear to supporters that no deal is imminent.

"Having been involved with Charlton for so long, the future of the club is paramount in my thoughts, and the identity of any new owners or investors is of huge importance to the board and I. They have to be right for the board and the club.

"Our recent form on the pitch has been good, and obviously the better our league position, the more attractive the club becomes.

"When we are in a position to provide more information regarding possible takeovers or anything else, the club will announce it via the usual channels. We're committed to being as open as possible with fans, but we're not going to issue a statement every time there is some kind of rumour."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Walcott wants home turnaround

Theo Walcott insists Arsenal will soon turn the Emirates Stadium into a

fortress once again.

The Gunners failed to make the most of their home advantage on Sunday as they suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to promoted Newcastle.

West Brom also triumphed at the Emirates before the last international break and, although victories over Birmingham and West Ham have followed, manager Arsene Wenger has admitted his side are"struggling for wins".

But England winger Walcott is confident his side can overcome their rough patch at home and force themselves back into the Premier League title race.

"The Emirates is a fantastic stadium, the pitch is massive, teams want to come here, put men behind the ball and catch us on the break,"said Walcott.

"If we don't get that early goal it is sometimes very difficult for us to break teams down, and the fans get a bit edgy when we don't get the goals we should be giving them.

Fortress

"But we can cope with it and hopefully our home will soon become a fortress again, because when we first came to the Emirates it was difficult for teams to get results there.

"I am sure it will change."

Arsenal have, in contrast, produced solid form in their home Uefa Champions League games this season, romping to commanding 6-0 and 5-1 victories over Braga and Shakhtar Donetsk, respectively.

"Europe is totally different to the Premier League, which is so much quicker and no team are easy, there are a lot of difficult games,"added Walcott.

"There are several teams fighting for the championship, five or six sides, and a lot of teams will lose games.

"Everyone is fighting to win the championship and we want to be up there at the end of it."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Ki - Best yet to come

Award-winning Ki Sung-yong insists there is more to come after a fine start to his Celtic career.

The South Korean arrived from FC Seoul in January and has been in good form of late, leading to the 21-year-old scooping the Clydesdale Bank Young Player of the Month award for October.

While delighted to receive the accolade, the midfielder has promised fans there is more to come from him, as well as insisting his award should be shared among the whole Celtic team.

He said:"I am not at my best yet. There is more to come from me.

"I didn't expect this reward. But it's not for me, it's for all the players who have been playing recently."

Celtic boss Neil Lennon, speaking ahead of Wednesday night's SPL clash with Hearts at Tynecastle, was full of praise for the young midfielder.

Fantastic

"Ki has been fantastic,"he said."I'm delighted with his attitude and the patience that he showed at the start of the season.

"We knew we had a good player there. He manipulates the ball well under pressure and he has a good presence about him as well.

"I like his temperament and he brings added composure to the game. His all-round game has come on leaps and bounds."

Meanwhile, Ki has hailed the Hoops after their 9-0 demolition of Aberdeen at Parkhead on Saturday.

Title hopes

He believes if Lennon's men can keep up this level of performance, they can win the league.

He said:"We didn't expect 9-0. Maybe five or six but especially in the second half, we dominated the game and punished them.

"It was an unbelievable result. It was my first time experiencing 9-0 and it won't happen in my life again.

"If we had lost again it would have been very hard to catch Rangers so that's why we worked harder in training and in games.

"If we keep playing like this I think we can win the league."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Macheda going nowhere

The agent of Federico Macheda claims to have received assurances from Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson regarding his client's future.

Reports have suggested that the striker could return to his native Italy in the winter transfer window, while West Brom have admitted an interest in the past.

But Macheda's representative, Giovanni Bia, is confident that the 19-year-old will not be leaving Old Trafford after holding talks with Ferguson in October.

Bia toldcalciomercato.it:"I was in Manchester 10 or 15 days ago and I spoke with Ferguson.

"The issue of a transfer is not even being considered. Ferguson is focusing on him. He wanted Federico at Manchester.

"The Scottish manager thinks that, if all goes as it should, Macheda can become one of the strongest strikers.

"It is therefore impossible that the player will be transferred in January."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Mancienne targets points boost

Michael Mancienne is confident Wolves can rise to the challenge of picking up points against their rivals for Premier League survival.

Wolves' last four games have been against the top four in the table and results have not matched the spirited performances produced by Mick McCarthy's side.

Though Wolves beat Manchester City at home, there were unfortunate away defeats at Chelsea and Manchester United before the run was concluded with Wednesday's 2-0 home reverse by Arsenal.

Bolton Wanderers are Wolves' next opponents on Saturday and the club face several teams they will fancy their chances against before Christmas.

Mancienne wants Wolves to build on their recent displays as the team look to secure the points to move out of the Premier League's bottom three.

Pressure

"We need to carry on playing as we have been and try and get some points,"said Mancienne."That's what we've got to focus on.

"There will be pressure because these are the games we need to get points from, but I think we can do that."

Wolves again delivered a positive display against Arsenal at Molineux and Mancienne feels the team were unlucky to come away with nothing.

"We could have had something again,"Mancienne told the club'sofficial website.

"The boys have been playing so well recently and although we conceded an early goal we had so many chances to get back in the game.

"I don't think we deserved to lose. To get nothing out of the game is obviously very disappointing.

"We are playing well against some of the best teams in the world and competing with them, so it is mixed emotions."

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Sky Sports | Football | News | Hughton after home improvement

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton has admitted that he is worried by the club's form at home so far this season.

The Magpies have made an excellent start in the Premier League, sitting in fifth position after 12 games following their promotion last season as winners of the Championship.

However their record at St James' Park is not favourable, having lost to Blackpool, Stoke and Blackburn already on their own patch, despite huge victories over Sunderland and Aston Villa.

Their position comes off the back of impressive away wins at Everton, West Ham and Arsenal, but Hughton knows that he needs to rectify results on their own turf and make Tyneside a fortress.

His side take on Fulham on Saturday, and Hughton will be hoping to sleep soundly that night by taking three points and putting doubts about their home form to rest.

Lose sleep

"All managers lose sleep, it's part and parcel of the job and part and parcel of the contract, I think,"said Hughton.

"But the important thing is you try not to ponder too much on what is the past and rather how you can affect the future.

"We have an issue we have to address at home and that's what you need to concentrate on.

"Amongst all of that, there have probably been more positives than negatives and what we have to do is keep as many positives as possible and learn from the negatives.

"It's natural that you look back on points you felt you could have gained, mistakes you have made in a game.

"But of course, the other side to that is results you have picked up, results at Everton and Arsenal. Would we have expected to pick up those points? Arguably no.

"The important thing about this game is you can't afford to look back too often."

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