Tag Archives: experienced

Yaya Toure: Manchester City can rule the world

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We can rule the world! Yaya goes gaga over Manchester City's potential

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UPDATED:

00:23 GMT, 11 May 2012

Yaya Toure has told his Manchester City team-mates that the club can become ‘bigger than any club in the world’ if they beat rivals United to the title on Sunday.

The midfielder also said the players must fight until the 'final ball' against QPR, adding: 'This Sunday coming, we must deliver.'

The 28-year-old also paid tribute to his team’s never-say-die attitude in hauling in their rivals.

We can be heroes: Yaya Toure has backed his team to achieve greatness

We can be heroes: Yaya Toure has backed his team to achieve greatness

He said: ‘In front of us we had an experienced team, a strong team and one of the best in the Premier League and to make up eight points on them is very hard.’

In the interview with CNN, he added: 'We always believed in ourselves because we’ve got quality players, fantastic players.

'I think the key was when Mancini started making a speech in the dressing room, like he said, “Guys we don’t have to give up because the Premier League is like that and maybe United can drop some points and we can come back. We have to believe to the end because we’re in the most competitive competition in the world”.

'I think Mancini was totally right. He's an unbelievable guy who always fights to help his players to get them in good form and I think everything he’s done now he’s done fantastically well.'

West Ham ready for play-off final

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Hammers hope old heads and fresh legs can propel them to back to the big time

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UPDATED:

14:06 GMT, 4 May 2012

West Ham have the perfect blend of youth and experience to secure an instant return to the Barclays Premier League through the npower Championship play-offs, according to assistant manager Neil McDonald.

The Hammers enjoyed the perfect start to their play-off campaign, winning 2-0 at Cardiff in the first leg of the semi-final on Thursday.

Two Jack Collison goals gave the London outfit a huge advantage going into the return fixture at Upton Park on Monday, as West Ham bossed the majority of the clash at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Young guns: Jack Collison (right) helped West Ham to a win over Cardiff

Young guns: Jack Collison (right) helped West Ham to a win over Cardiff

Collison is a product of the Hammers' youth system and shone on an otherwise scrappy night in south Wales.

And McDonald believes having the Welsh midfielder and Mark Noble, who have been part of the club since they were youngsters, playing alongside experienced professionals such as Kevin Nolan and Robert Green gives his team the edge as they bid for elevation to the top flight.

'It's good to have that balance,' he said.

'We've got a lot of experience in the team, we've got a lot of players who have come through the ranks as well so it's just trying to find that mixture in the dynamics between the squad.

'I think we've got that perfect mixture at the moment. We've got two players (Collison and Noble) who identify with the club the whole way through and that's fantastic.'

Bullet: Collison scores as West Ham take another step towards Wembley

Bullet: Collison scores as West Ham take another step towards Wembley

Despite taking such a commanding lead into the second meeting between the teams, McDonald is wary that the job is not yet done.

Cardiff manager Malky Mackay stressed after the game on Thursday that West Ham's 2-0 lead could be “dangerous” for his opponents, hinting that the Hammers may rest on their laurels at Upton Park in three days' time.

But McDonald insisted complacency will not be allowed anywhere near the West Ham dressing room prior to the second leg.

'We've kept a clean sheet, which is an extra bonus, and we've scored two really, really good goals,' he said.

'We're happy with the first game but we've still got a game or two to come and it will still be very, very difficult.

'We'll have to be on our guard, just like we were (last night), to finish the job off.'

Old head: Kevin Nolan hopes to win promotion for the third time

Old head: Kevin Nolan hopes to win promotion for the third time

Mackay hopes his young and ambitious squad have it in them to overturn the deficit at Upton Park, but he accepted it will be a tough challenge against a Hammers side brimming with talent and experience.

'You're playing against a team and a squad of 35-odd professionals who have a wealth and depth of experience,' he said.

'That's why we knew we had a big task ahead of us with the team we were going to play.

'They've played 10 games less than us this season and they've got a huge squad so we knew the experience was against us.'

Meanwhile, the Bluebirds boss revealed that a hamstring problem kept Kevin McNaughton out of the first leg, and the right-back remains a doubt for the rematch.

He felt a tightness in his hamstring and we couldn't risk him,' said Mackay.

'It was touch and go but we couldn't risk him.'

Tom Daley reaches World Cup platform final

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Daley makes platform final in London as teenage star returns to competition

Tom Daley did enough to progress to Thursday night's platform synchro final at the FINA World Cup on his return to competition following his public feud with British Swimming performance director Alexei Evangulov.

Daley and experienced team-mate Peter Waterfield showed signs of rustiness in their first competition since finishing sixth at last July's World Championships as they relied on an impressive last dive to win through to the 12-team final.

Looking good: Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield in action on Thursday morning in London

Looking good: Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield in action on Thursday morning in London

Evangulov warned Daley last week that he faced missing an Olympic medal if he did not cut down his media commitments, while the Russian also claimed the former world champion's Chinese rivals trained 'three times harder'.

Daley's management team later denied those assertions in a statement released on his behalf but he has the chance to let his diving do the talking at this week's test event at the Olympic Aquatics Centre.

Reaching the final: Daley and Waterfield compete in the 10m Platform during the Diving World Cup

Reaching the final: Daley and Waterfield compete in the 10m Platform during the Diving World Cup

With Waterfield the teenager did little to dispel Evangulov's comments this morning, though, as the cobwebs of their long break were evident.

Harry Redknapp could face abuse in live Tottenham v Watford match on ESPN

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As Redknapp steps back into the dugout for live TV clash, ESPN prepares for fans' taunts in match coverage

Broadcasters ESPN are on alert ahead of Harry Redknapp's return to the touchline on live TV.

The Spurs manager, who has been in court all week for the trial at which he is accused of tax evasion, will be back in the dugout for the FA Cup clash against Watford on Friday night.

There are fears that Redknapp will face a torrent of abuse at Vicarage Road amid the ongoing case at Southwark Crown Court.

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Spotlight: Harry Redknapp outside court with his son Jamie on Thursday

Spotlight: Harry Redknapp outside court with his son Jamie on Thursday

An ESPN spokesman said: 'Our
commitment is always to serve fans with the best coverage of the match,
and to bring them closer to the action.

'Equally, we are very mindful of our
responsibilities as a broadcaster and to Ofcom’s rules, and will take
all appropriate actions from a production standpoint.

'Live sport is unpredictable – and
with that comes challenges – but we have an experienced team in place
that knows how to handle live sports and events.'

Redknapp – who denies the charges is is facing in court – was abused by fans at Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League last year ahead of his trial.

During the match he made a clenched-fist gesture at the home supporters and later criticised their chants.

He said: 'I can't repeat what they
were saying. I am not allowed to repeat what they were saying to me. I
didn't do anything to them, no.

'I have spent enough time in Ireland
to know what lovely people they are. If you go and meet them afterwards
they are probably lovely people.

'But they get together and shout a load of nonsense and that is football. That's life. I don't hold any grudges.'

Redknapp has vowed to take charge of
team affairs for the match against Championship side Watford despite the
huge distraction of his court case.

Spurs coach Kevin Bond, who has been
overseeing preparations with Joe Jordan, says the manager has no problem
stepping out at the match.

Raring to go: Tottenham's players train on Thursday morning

Raring to go: Tottenham's players train on Thursday morning

Raring to go: Tottenham's players train on Thursday morning

He said: 'Clearly the manager is not here, but very little (has changed) really.

'The training carries on pretty much
as normal and everybody has been getting on with things as normal so
there's not really a lot of difference except obviously Harry is not
here during the day.

'We had a similar scenario a few
weeks ago when Harry had a small (heart) procedure done and he wasn't
here for a week or so leading up to the Fulham game.'

Bond and Redknapp usually make the 250-mile round trip from Dorset to Chigwell together, but the Spurs boss has been staying in London this week during the trial, which is expected to finish at the end of next week.

The pair have been talking on the phone twice a day, however, with Redknapp keen to know how his players are getting on following last weekend's agonising 3-2 defeat to Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City.

City won the match in injury-time thanks to a penalty from Mario Balotelli, who has since been banned for four games for a stamp on Scott Parker that went unpunished at the time.

Bond admits Spurs now only have a slim chance of winning their first championship in 51 years.

'The City result and the way it came was a kick in the teeth,' he said. 'We are eight points adrift (of City) so strictly speaking we are probably not (in the title race), but in three or four games' time that might be different. Hopefully we can get closer to them than we are now and then we would be back in it.'

Thoughts of any fightback in the league will have to wait until Tuesday's match against Wigan as Spurs face a tough hurdle against Sean Dyche's men.

Trial: Milan Mandaric arrives at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday

Trial: Milan Mandaric arrives at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday

Gareth Bale (thigh), Scott Parker
(hamstring) and Younes Kaboul (groin) are all doubts after coming off in training on Wednesday, but it is likely that none of the trio
would have played as Redknapp is likely to rest several of his star
players.

Champions League qualification
remains Spurs' main priority, meaning the likes of Steven Pienaar, Danny
Rose and Niko Kranjcar should get some game time, but Bond
insists resting key players does not mean the club are not taking the FA
Cup seriously.

'Champions League is our No 1 goal, but the FA Cup is hugely important to us,' the 54-year-old said.

'As a youngster when you played, you
didn't dream about finishing in the top four so you could play in the
Champions League, you all dreamed about playing at Wembley and lifting
the cup. The players crave a cup final. They crave playing in the big
games, the one-off games.'

Watford looked to be npower Championship play-off contenders until a recent poor run of form left them 18th in the table.

Bond still expects a tough game from the Hornets, however.

'We are fully aware of how difficult a
game it will be for us,' he said. 'It's Sean Dyche's first job as a
manager and he has done very well there.'

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