Bolton and Manchester United meet in the Premier League a week on Saturday and you could be there to witness the action live! We have teamed up with 188BET once again to give away tickets for the match at the Reebok Stadium. You could be there to see Sir Alex Ferguson’s young guns take on Owen Coyle’s Trotters.
United have ben superb in the Premier League so far this season and will travel to the Reebok Stadium on the back of an 8-2 mauling against Arsenal. Wayne Rooney and co will be looking to make it four consecutive wins and keep their head above rivals City. Bolton on the other hand have lost their last two after opening their season with a 4-0 win away at newly promoted QPR. Coyle can take solace though as his side have played some neat football and were unlucky to lose their last two fixtures against Man City and Liverpool.
As usual the competition will run on a first come first serve basis! The 1st and 10th sign ups to 188BET will receive a pair of tickets for the game after they’ve placed a bet. If you miss out on the tickets don’t be disappointed as there are still prizes to be won. The 15th and 20th signups will receive a pair of tickets to a first team training ground experience whilst the 25th sign up will win a signed Bolton shirt.
The competition closes at 11:59pm on Thursday 8th of September so as long as you sign up and make your bet before then you’ll have a chance of winning. So sign up, place your bets and keep your fingers crossed! You be watching Bolton v United for free in just over a week’s time!
Click on the banner below to win home tickets to Bolton v Man United [divider]
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini insisted his side deserved at least a draw following their 1-1 result at Notts County in the FA Cup.
City fell behind on Neal Bishop’s header on the hour, but new signing Edin Dzeko ensured the visitors would host a replay at the Eastlands – provisionally scheduled for February 19 – with his first goal in English football 10 minutes from time.
Mancini admitted he would have preferred to have secured a fifth-round berth at the first time of asking, but said he expected his side to account for their League One opponents in the replay.
“We didn’t deserve to lose but this is the FA Cup,” Mancini said after the game.
“The other team fought – that’s normal. If you don’t play hard in these games you can lose them.”
“We didn’t want a replay before the game but I am happy to have one now.”
“The pitch was very hard but it was important to play football.”
“The replay will be different. We must play well if we want to win but it will be a different game – our pitch is different. We can play our football on it.”
County manager and former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince said his players had done enough to deserve a replay, though he admitted City’s superiority had nearly won out.
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“I’ve never seen the clock go so slow in my life,” Ince told ITV Sport.
“It was a fantastic team performance. I thought we deserved it. We started slow to be fair. Once we got in to them and played at the right tempo we got into it.”
“You do get tired, we don’t have their ability but we showed character. It was a great opportunity at our own place, and we deserve another crack.”
Liverpool are said to have agreed a fee of £12 million with Roma for the potential transfer of striker Fabio Borini, Mirror Football report.
Brendan Rodgers is keen to bolster his new squad this summer, with the contingent’s attack in need of a revamp after a poor goalscoring display in 2011-12.
The Northern Irish coach knows the Italian forward well, as Borini spent a loan spell at Swansea when Rodgers was in charge at the Liberty Stadium.
With Andy Carroll appearing to be surplus to requirements at Anfield, Rodgers has moved quickly to try and bring Borini to Merseyside.
The sprightly marksman spent last season on loan with Roma, and the capital city side bought his full ownership rights from Parma earlier this summer.
Despite this, the Serie A outfit are seemingly willing to listen to offers for their striker with Liverpool now given access to talk to the player after a fee was agreed.
A deal for the forward is thought to be close to being wrapped up, which would make Borini Rodgers’ first signing as Reds boss.
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Champions Lille begin their title defence at Nancy when the new Ligue 1 season kicks-off on Saturday.Surprise winners of the league and cup double last term, Rudi Garcia’s men have seen star players Gervinho and Yohan Cabaye depart to Arsenal and Newcastle United respectively.
But their replacements in Dimitri Payet (St Etienne), Laurent Bonnart (Monaco), Benoit Pedretti (Auxerre) and David Rozehnal (Hamburg) look set to ensure Garcia’s side will contend again this season.
Garcia said last season’s playing group had gone out of their way to welcome their new recruits, as they embark on their title defence.
“The new recruits are feeling good, there is good humour and the culture of hard work is as important as ever,” Garcia said.
“I even feel that the new players were a bit surprised by the way the group interacts. They already have many friends.”
“We feel we can find the continuity of last season, the euphoria at least. I think a determined mindset is an important element, it was one of the keys to our success last year.”
Lille have also held on to star attacker Eden Hazard, scorer of the winner against Nancy when the sides last met in May.
Elsewhere, Marseille and Sochaux – two sides involved in European action this term – will face off at Stade Velodrome.
Ligue 2 champions Evian will travel to Brest in their first game in the French top flight, but have got form over top division teams, as they beat Champions League side Marseille 3-1 in the Coupe de France last season.
Ajaccio – runners up in the second division last season – host Toulouse in their opening game at Stade Francois Coty.
Caen survived the drop by two points last campaign, and will begin what is tipped to be another battle for Ligue 1 survival when they host Valenciennes at Stade Michel d’Ornano.
Montpellier and Auxerre will meet at Stade de la Mosson, Nice host Champions League outfit Lyon, while Paris Saint-Germain – playing in the Europa League this campaign – welcome Lorient.
On Sunday, promoted club Dijon – who earned their top-flight status by finishing third on goal difference – will host Stade Rennes at Stade Gaston Gerard.
And Bordeaux take on Saint-Etienne at Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas to complete the first round of fixtures.
Roberto Martinez says Wigan must hit the heights of their 2-2 draw with Arsenal last month if they are to match the Gunners this weekend.
The Latics have a wretched record in the capital in recent years, and they will be travelling south in search of a first-ever win over the Gunners in north London.
However, Wigan have taken four points off Arsene Wenger’s side in their last two home encounters, including a dramatic 3-2 victory at the DW Stadium at the end of last season.
And Martinez wants his team to reproduce that kind of performance if they are to get a result on Saturday.
“When we played them at the DW last year, it was a fascinating game and one of the biggest moments in the club’s history,” Martinez said.
“And the game we played a few weeks ago was also a great game of football – with 10 men, we managed to get a draw which was a great achievement and that gave us a lot of confidence.”
“As a footballer, you want to go to the Emirates and play as good as you can. The challenge that we’ve got is to try to be as competitive as we’ve been at home against such a fantastic side like Arsenal.”
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James McCarthy has an outside chance of a first Wigan start in three months after recovering from ankle ligament damage, while striker Franco di Santo is also back in the frame after his late substitute appearance against Fulham last weekend.
Victor Moses (shoulder) and on-loan midfielder Tom Cleverley (hamstring) are still on the sidelines as Martinez’s injury crisis finally shows signs of clearing.
Chelsea and Porto have reportedly settled on a £38 million transfer fee for striker Hulk, with a move set to be wrapped up in forthcoming days according to The Guardian.
The west London club have been splashing Roman Abramovich’s money in a bid to revamp their squad ahead of next season, with deals for Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Kevin De Bruyne already in place.
With Didier Drogba leaving the club on a free transfer the Stamford Bridge side are eager to bring in a replacement frontman, with the burly Brazilian earmarked as the next big-name signing.
Chelsea are thought to have initially offered £30 million for the South American, however Porto were keen to recoup £40 million for the star.
However, with the help of financial facilitators assisting in the negotiation process, a fee of £38 million is said to have been agreed.
Hulk now only has to agree personal terms with the Champions League winners, which is said to be a formality, and pass a medical in west London.
Similar to the Hazard deal, owner Abramovich is said to have taken a hands on role in securing the transfer, with technical director Michael Emenalo assisting in the absence of a full-time manager.
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Tottenham Hotspur face a race against the transfer clock in their bid to sign Ivory Coast forward Souleymane Coulibaly, according to The Mirror.
The 16-year-old currently plays for Siena, however has expressed his desire to move to the white side of North London. Spurs have been relatively quiet in the transfer window up until now, with most of the attention on the club surrounding the possible departure of Luka Modric to Chelsea. Speculation over the futures of Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermanine Defoe, and Robbie Keane is bound to intensify as Spurs look to sign the teenage superstar by the end of the transfer window.
Coulibaly has impressed particularly at international level and has been labelled the ‘new Drogba’ by many of his admirers. The teenager scored 9 goals in 4 games at the U-17 World Cup this year making him the highest goal scorer of the tournament. However, despite an apparent desire amongst all parties involved for a transfer of around £2m to take place, a deal is by no means imminent at the moment.
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Because Coulibilay is not old enough to be granted a work permit in England he can only arrive in the country with his family. The teenager is having to wait for his father to be granted an Italian passport before moving to London, and this process can take a number of weeks. Spurs will be desperately hoping that this can be arranged before the transfer window closes on the 31st August.
Shocks aplenty as Sunderland, Newcastle and Blackpool all succumb to lower opposition in the 3rd round of the greatest cup competition. Alan Pardew put the Magpies defeat purely down to fatigue; an excuse that doesn’t hold much weight given the quality and depth of their squad compared to their hosts. Manchester City will be hoping to avoid a potential banana skin this afternoon, when Mancini faces his former boss, Sven Goran-Eriksson.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that includes Samir Nasri looks set to extend Arsenal contract; Kenny Dalglish calling for unity, while Spurs are keen to take Beckham on a permanent basis.
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Samir Nasri’s father believes midfielder will extend Arsenal contract – IMScouting
Dalglish calls for unity – Sky Sports
Johnson launches attack on ‘clown’ Merson – Guardian
Walcott apologises for diving – Daily Telegraph
German international Rene Adler hopes for Manchester United deal – IMScouting
Manchester City punch-ups show our fighting spirit, says Joe Hart – People
Spurs keen to take Beckham permanently – Daily Telegraph
Liverpool set to press £20m Lukaku move – Mirror
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Warnock brands Diouf a ‘sewer rat’ for abusing stricken Mackie – Daily Mail
Football advisor Kia drives into Toon – People
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Let me start this week’s blog by welcoming striker Clive Platt to Sixfields. He has signed a 2 year deal at the club and will join on 30th June when his contract expires at Coventry City.
Clive brings with him a lot of experience to Sixfields as the striker has taken in more than 600 senior appearances and scored more than 100 goals. With the lower leagues being his bread butter, he has spent time at Peterborough United, Walsall, Rochdale, MK Dons, Notts County and also has previous experience working with Aidy Boothroyd during his time at Colchester United. Hopefully this means that Aidy will know how to get the best out of the 34-year-old front man.
During 2011/12 he made 23 starts and 10 substitute appearances for Coventry City, scoring four goals. Aidy has said he will be basing a lot of his signings on leadership qualities and desire to play. I have no doubt in my mind that Clive has all this and more and can’t wait to see him in the Claret & White next season.
One thing I am concerned about is where this signing leaves last season’s top scorer Adebayo Akinfenwa. I can’t see the two of them playing together as they are similar in what they offer in the power stakes. I really hope something can come from the two of them, maybe use Bayo for an hour and then bring Clive of the bench and use his skills to finish off the game. This would be solution for me to eventually see them working well together in the same team. It also concerns me that Aidy has said that if the right offer comes in he will sell Akinfenwa which I think a majority of fans will be seriously worried about as where would have been now had it not been for his 18 goals last season?
John Johnson has signed a new contract with the club which I am really pleased about as he can play anywhere across the back-line and even fill in at defensive midfield. I really felt towards the end of last season he started to knuckle down and work hard being rewarded with fine performances for the club. He has signed a one year deal with the option to extend to another year which is a great move by the club. So come on Johnno keep on going from strength to strength. Anthony Charles has also signed a one year deal with the club. He joined in January after a big injury layoff and I like Aidy Boothroyd do believe that there is more to come from the big defender. With a full pre-season behind him Charles can go on and play a key part in the squad next season.
Last Thursday saw the Richard Butcher memorial game take place at Sixfields in honour of the late midfielder and youth product of the club, from what we heard in a speech made by the Macclesfield vice-chairman. Richard was a top guy, the ultimate professional and he is sorely missed in the football community. It was an entertaining game between the Wembley ‘97 winning team and a Cobblers all star team. Over 1,500 fans turned up to watch the game that all stars who went onto win the game 3-2. It was good to see so many of the old pros turn up and play for the all star team including Russell Wilcox who was part of the Graham Carr Division 4 winning team in 1986/87 season. Hopefully lots of money was raised for what is a great cause.
Our pre-season friendlies have recently been announced, two of which will be at Sixfields against Derby County & Chelsea U21’s which I believe should bring a good turnout from the people of Northampton.
Speaking of Derby they are apparently the front runners to sign our very own Michael Jacobs, I just hope this saga ends soon and Michael either decides to stay or go, the sooner the decision is made the sooner Aidy Boothroyd will know whether or not he will have funds needed to rebuild our squad ahead of the new season.
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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson expects Dimitar Berbatov to recover from being dropped for the Champions League final.Berbatov, 30, was joint top-scorer in the English Premier League last season, but did not even warrant a place on the United bench for their 3-1 loss to Barcelona at Wembley on May 29.
Ferguson acknowledges Berbatov had cause to seek a transfer in the close season, but was adamant he expects all of his players to cope with the consequences of squad rotation.
“Yes, I’d understand that, but you could say that about them all,” Ferguson said.
“I don’t pick the same team every week, do I? I’ve only done that once in the last three years.”
“So they all understand it’s the squad that wins the games, wins the cups and I’ve got a good squad.”
“If you go back 20 years ago, they could never understand that. Whereas today they accept it and there’s no problem.”
Ferguson credited the emergence of Mexico international Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez with forcing Berbatov out of the first team.
“Chicharito hit such good form that you had to put him in every game,” Ferguson said.
“It was unfortunate for Berbatov. It didn’t make him a bad player, he was just an unlucky player in that this lad came in.”
Ferguson also said academy products Tom Cleverley and Danny Welback, who spent last season on loan with Wigan and Sunderland respectively, would remain at Old Trafford.
“They won’t go on loan again,” Ferguson said.
“Going on loan only serves one purpose: keeping them happy by playing all the time.”
“At their ages, it wouldn’t do us any good because other clubs would be benefiting from what we could be benefiting from. Because of the experience they have had, keeping them now benefits us.”