QPR have failed in their attempts to sign Brazilian striker Henrique, as the player has been refused a work permit.
The Loftus Road club are on the warpath in this month’s transfer window, and had hoped to bring the 20-year-old to England to bolster their attacking options.
Despite agreeing a fee with the forward’s club Sao Paulo, the Brazil under-20’s star will not move to London due to complications in registration.
“He didn’t get a work permit for various reasons,” a QPR spokesman told reporters.
The news will not have been a huge surprise for Mark Hughes’ men, as Henrique is yet to represent his nation at senior level.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports have stated that Taye Taiwo has completed a loan move to QPR from AC Milan.
The Nigeria international left back had been speculated as a potential target for Hughes, with negotiations over a deal underway last week.
Taiwo has had limited opportunities in Italy since moving to the San Siro from Marseille back in the summer, and will hope to get his career back on track with a short-term spell in the Premier League.
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Bolton host Sunderland at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday in a game of little significance to either end of the English Premier League table.Wanderers are nine points and goal difference behind fifth-placed Liverpool and sixth-placed Tottenham, meaning Owen Coyle’s side will not be featuring in Europe next season.
Birmingham City and Stoke City have qualified for the Europa League courtesy of their respective Carling Cup and FA Cup heroics.
All that is left for Bolton this season is pride and they could edge higher up the table if they defeat the Black Cats and seventh-placed Everton lose to Manchester City on Sunday.
Sunderland are just six points above the relegation zone and have lost nine of their past 11, with their only win since their 2-1 triumph over Blackpool in January a com-from-behind 4-2 win over Wigan.
Steve Bruce’s side seem safe from the relegation mire, but an away win would certainly lift confidence levels and mathematically sew up their top-flight status for next season.
Sunderland’s problem has been their impotency in front of goal, having been kept scoreless in six of their past eight games, losing five of them.
Their profligacy in the front third has not been helped by season-ending injuries to strikers Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck – the latter of which scored the only goal in Sunderland’s victory in the reverse fixture in December.
Darren Bent – now with Aston Villa after an 18 million-pound move in January – provided the assist for Welbeck against Bolton at the Stadium of Light, just one sign of how the fortunes have changed for Bruce’s side in the space of a season.
Bolton have problems of their own, with Gretar Steinsson, Sam Ricketts, Stuart Holden, Mark Davies and Daniel Sturridge all missing in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Blackburn.
Only Sturridge is rated a chance to return and – with seven goals in nine appearances since the striker’s loan move from Chelsea in January – he looms as one Bruce will have to watch carefully on Saturday.
When Harry Redknapp brought Rafael van der Vaart to White Hart Lane on transfer deadline day, it was not a move that was greeted with universal praise. Although the fee Spurs had paid was pleasing, many fans believed that the club simply did not need him, due to the plethora of midfield talent already available to Redknapp, in particular Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar who were seen as similar players to the Dutchman. However, Van der Vaart’s performances so far have more than justified the decision to buy the him, and confirmed Harry Redknapp as one of the shrewdest operators in the transfer market.
Rafael van der Vaart’s career bloomed early. A graduate of the famous Ajax academy, Van der Vaart became a regular for the Dutch giants as a teenager, and picked up his first full international cap at the tender age of 18. He was seen as one the hottest prospects in European football but his career drifted somewhat, and when he moved to German outfit Hamburg it came as a surprise. Van der Vaart was excellent for his new club and when Real Madrid came calling, you got the feeling that he had finally got the move that his talent warranted. However, his time at the Bernabeu proved frustrating, as he was unable to hold down a place in the first team, with the signing of Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria this summer, it was clear the Dutchman’s time was up.
It looked like Tottenham and Harry Redknapp were going to endure a disappointing transfer window, but when the call came that Van der Vaart’s proposed move to Bayern Munich had collapsed the night before, and that he was available for half of the price the German club were willing to pay, Redknapp wasted no time in making the deal happen. As much as he might hate it, Harry Redknapp has the tag of a master ‘wheeler-dealer’ and it is this kind of transfer that have earned him that title.
A few years ago Spurs fans would have been in euphoria at the prospect of a player like Van der Vaart joining them, yet the reception that greeted his signing was decidedly muted. Many believed that it was not an area Redknapp needed to be strengthening. For me though, Van der Vaart’s quality is such that there was never any doubt in my mind that it would prove to be a fantastic deal.
The Dutchman’s performances so far have been nothing short of brilliant. He has settled in well and already looks like one of the most dangerous midfielders in the league, some of the balls he has put in to the box, as he did this weekend against Wolves, have been world class. Van der Vaart is a hugely talented player who would not look out of depth for any team in the world, and for Redknapp to sign him for such a small price is a major coup.
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When you consider that £25 million was spent on James Milner this summer, Spurs’ deadline day signing must go down as one of the best deals of the window. He adds quality to Tottenham, and that is what they need in an increasingly competitive league if they wish to be challenging at the top table again this season.
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Mark Hughes takes charge of his first game as QPR boss against Newcastle on Sunday hoping to guide his new side to a much-needed win and away from danger.
Beating the Magpies at St James’ Park won’t be easy though after they swept past Manchester United with ease a fortnight ago to start 2012 in style. Alan Pardew’s side endured a frustrating festive period winning just once and having to contend with a series of injuries and suspensions to key players. However their display against the champions certainly laid down a maker for the New Year as they aim to qualify for the Europa League. The goals of free transfer Demba Ba have been a huge plus point for the Toon Army with the Senegal hit man scoring 15 times already this season. He’ll be missing for the visit of QPR on Sunday after jetting off to the African Cup of Nations along with midfielder Cheick Tiote. With the former West Ham forward leaving a massive hole in attack the likes of Leon Best, Shola Ameobi and Hatem Ben Arfa will need to step up over the next couple of weeks and ensure Newcastle continue on the straight and narrow until Ba returns. Ben Arfa has offered a glimmer of hope for supporters with his sparkling displays in recent weeks putting him into contention for a regular starting berth. The Magpies will need his Gallic artistry on Sunday as they aim for a second win on the spin in 2012.
Winning is a term that has become alien at Loftus Road with the R’s recording just two wins in their last 15 games causing them to plummet down the table towards the drop zone. The sacking of Neil Warnock last week courted a large amount of controversy with supporters unhappy that their former boss had been ousted after just half a season. However the appointment of Hughes has cooled the anger towards owner Tony Fernandes with the former Blackburn boss seen as the man to save Rangers’ Premier League skins. Scoring goals has been the biggest problem for the club this season with Heidar Helguson the only player managing to find the net on a regular basis. As an ex-striker himself there is no doubt Hughes will provide a solution to that with both Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell struggling for goals since joining last summer. He’ll have to sort it out quickly though with the QPR scoring a paltry five goals in their seven games over Christmas. Doing it at Newcastle on Sunday will be a huge task against one of the top flights strongest defences who also benefitted from a managerial change mid-way through previous campaign.
Newcastle United 7th : 33 points
Last six: W L W L D L
Team news: Sammy Ameobi and Danny Simpson are both sidelined but Danny Guthrie could return to replace Cheick Tiote who is at the African Cup of Nations with leading scorer Demba Ba.
Key Player: Yohan Cabaye
The Frenchman has enjoyed a superb first season in England and kicked off 2012 in style with a stunning free kick in the win over Manchester United. With Cheick Tiote off on international duty there is extra responsibility on Cabaye’s shoulders to hold the midfield together and still be Newcastle’s chief playmaker.
QPR 17th : 17 points
Last six: L L D L L L
Team news: Captain Joey Barton is suspended for the game against his former club whilst Alejandro Faurlin is out for the season.
Key Player: Heidar Helguson
With Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell both struggling for goals this season the Icelandic striker has stepped up to the plate finding the net scoring seven times in 11 starts. His power in the air and penchant to score important goals will be key to beating Newcastle on Sunday.
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PREDICTION
Newcastle will be purring after beating Manchester United last time out but with Demba Ba missing they will be going all out to ensure he isn’t missed. Mark Hughes takes charge of his first game as QPR boss and will be hoping his positive influence can have a positive effect on his new side.
Real Madrid host Barcelona in a potential title decider on Saturday, the first of four eagerly anticipated clashes between the two teams.Reigning champions Barca top the La Liga table by eight points from second-placed Real.
Pep Guardiola’s side dismantled Real 5-0 during their first meeting at the Camp Nou in November.
A victory in the corresponding fixture at the Bernabeu could see them stretch their advantage to a near-unassailable 11 points.
And with only six matches of the season remaining after this round, it would make Barca overwhelming favourites to collect their third consecutive championship crown.
But the title race is one only part of a fascinating series of matches between the two arch-rivals.
On Wednesday they contest the Copa del Rey final at Valencia’s Estadio Mestalla, before meeting over two legs of the Champions League semi-final in the last week of April and first week of May.
Elsewhere in La Liga, bottom club Almeria have a daunting assignment at home to third-placed Valencia, who thrashed immediate rivals Villarreal 5-0 last weekend.
Almeria went down 3-1 away to Barca after taking a surprise lead early in the second half at the Camp Nou.
They are four points adrift of second bottom Malaga and seven points away from safety.
Malaga have an opportunity to climb above third-from-last Hercules and draw level with 17th-placed Real Zaragoza when they are in action at home to mid-table Mallorca.
Also on Saturday, Sevilla travel to Getafe with their hopes of securing a Champions League qualification berth fading.
Gregorio Manzano’s side are fifth, eight points behind fourth-placed Villarreal, who do not play until Monday, when they host Zaragoza.
In Sunday’s matches, Hercules will hope to continue their survival bid when they travel to Levante.
Deportivo La Coruna are at home to Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon travel to face Real Sociedad and Osasuna await the visit of Athletic Bilbao.
Atletico Madrid, seventh in the table but level on points with sixth-placed Bilbao, are away at Espanyol.
One thing nobody has control over is what they are to be named when they arrive on Earth. Here I’m going to give you five footballers whose parents were either a fantastic laugh or deliciously cruel. It can simply be that in some cases it was a matter of not knowing any English slang when naming their child. Whatever way these blokes must have took some stick over the years.
5. Quim (Braga, Benfica)
For those who don’t know Quim is a slang term for a woman’s downstairs parts. I first heard the use of quim on Bo Selecta. Go on Youtube and find ‘Marilyn Manson Bo Selecta’ and watch a posh toff parody of the musical freak calling everybody ‘Mildred’ and asking ‘where does he keep his quim?’
4. Danny Shittu (QPR, Watford)
Poor old Danny Shittu. An African name that had he stayed in Nigeria probably wouldn’t have caused many problems. Playing football in England however means Shittu must have been subjected to more ridicule already than most people would take in a lifetime. At least he sees the funny side though. In a post-match interview one time after he’d scored he said: “I’m not as bad as my name suggests.”
3. Rod Fanni (Nice, Rennes)
Do I even need to comment on his name? No? I didn’t think so.
2. Bernt Haas (Grasshopper, Sunderland, West Brom)
Hahahahaha. What a superb name. I can only imagine the one-liners Bernt must have heard a million times when he was out and about in the North East. ‘Howay Bernt, hoows your arse failing?” I can’t do a Geordie accent but you get the point.
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1.Stefan Kuntz (VFL Bochum, Kaiserslautern)
There was only ever one winner. English people around the World laughed themselves silly during Euro 96 whenever his name was mentioned. If you haven’t seen it you must Youtube Czech Republic’s Euro 96 game with Germany where John Motson says: “Bierhoff has a chance to stake his claim now that the two strikers have been taken off…..Kuntz.”
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To say that there is a lengthy line of players who in recent years have occupied more column inches on the front page than the back is something of an understatement. Whether it is down to the money in the game now, or simply the way footballers are idolised to an almost God like status by the public, they are behaving in a worse and more disgraceful manner than ever before, and at some point this is going to start impacting on what they do on the field.
Don’t get me wrong, quite frankly I could not care less what footballer’s do in their own time and how they chose to behave is down to them, but when it begins to affect both what they do on the pitch and the team morale and pre match preparations – there is a problem.
Case in point is Wayne Rooney – throughout his career he has been involved in various indiscretions, of which there would be little point listing due to the fact everyone is fully aware of them to begin with, and each and every time his form on the field has been impacted.
Nicklas Bendtner has become the latest player to be forced to issue an apology for off the field behaviour after being caught with club Captain Lee Cattermole on an alleged criminal damage spree.
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Why either player felt that this would be appropriate conduct is beyond comprehension, but it is hardly what a struggling Sunderland need – and manager Martin O’Neill will not tolerate such behaviour in any way, shape or form with neither Bendtner nor Cattermole starting what was a vital game against Spurs on the weekend.
Likewise players who find themselves in trouble with the law and have to deal with potential arrests and court appearances – this can obviously range from players who do time in prison – Pennant and Barton can testify to how this effects your career in a highly negative way – or just driving offences – yet even this is hardly a great example of behaviour from a role model for young children – something our footballers are.
It can even be something as simple as getting too involved in a hobby – long have people accused Owen of being more interested in his horses than being fit to play football, and likewise with Ferdinand and his magazine, restaurant and music – anything but football distractions.
Not to do a disservice to players who are complete and utter professionals here – someone like Gary Neville may not be your cup of tea, but he gave his heart and soul to the game for as long as he played it and was also a fantastic role model off the field, and in an age where some footballers are in danger of forgetting what they do is actually a job – yes a dream job – but a job none the less, and 100% of their attention needs to be directed towards it this is a precious commodity.
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Yes, playing football is a short career and can end in a heartbeat, and full credit to footballers for pursuing off the field interests and endorsements whilst they can, but when their off the field commitments or problems begin to impact on their day job – that is a problem.
Nacional moved into sixth spot on the Liga Sagres table after breaking a four-game winless run with a 1-0 win over Pacos de Ferreira.An 84th-minute strike by substitute Edgar Costa was all that separated the two closely-matched sides on Monday at the Estadio de Madeira.
The 23-year-old attacker entered the fray at half-time and struck the decisive blow when Pacos goalkeeper Cassio came for a long ball and failed to collect, allowing the striker to place a cheeky chip over him and into the empty net.
Nacional midfielder Bruno Amaro was sent off in stoppage time after a clumsy foul cost him a second yellow card.
It was the first time Pedrag Jokanovic’s side had won in any competition since February 27, but it kept the Madeira club’s hopes of securing a Europa League spot alive.
Pacos’ own attempts to secure continental football took a hit. They now lie seventh and a point from a Europa League place in fifth..
To say the transfer window (so far) has been uneventful is tantamount to saying the Arctic is a bit nippy, as the majority of Premier League clubs are seemingly being careful with their finances. In some cases clubs simply have to sell before they can buy, much to the frustrations, no doubt, of many managers and supporters.
The lack of spending at the top of the Premier League has surprised many, especially given the open nature of last season’s title race. You would have thought the likes of United and Chelsea would have looked at a big outlay this summer, to ensure the also-rans remain at an arm’s length in their pursuits of the title. Only City have made substantial moves this summer, although you do feel that they may well struggle to strike a balance. This means this season’s race for the title, Champions League and Europa League places are very much as they were last year, unless we witness a major change in the transfer wind in the coming fortnight.
The media is predicting that a transfer storm is set to erupt, but it begs the question as to whether Tottenham really need to partake in some last minute shopping.
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Does Harry need to bring any players in before the transfer window shuts in 16 days time and if so who would you like to see him bring in?
Manchester United will be ruing a series of missed chances and refereeing decisions after a controversial Demba Ba penalty earned ten-man Newcastle a point at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils had earlier taken the lead through Javier Hernandez after Wayne Rooney’s second half free kick ricocheted off the Mexican in the penalty area. However they were pegged back after Ba cooly converted a spot kick after Rio Ferdinand was adjudged to have fouled Hatem Ben Arfa in the penalty area despite getting a clear touch on the ball. The Magpies were later reduced to ten men after Jonas Gutierrez was sent off but survived a wave of United pressure with Tim Krul producing a number of saves as they hung for a point that keeps them in the Premier League top four. Sir Alex Ferguson will be disappointed that his side failed to find the decisive goal during a frantic final few minutes that saw Hernandez have a stoppage time strike ruled out for offside. However credit must go to Krul and the defence in front of him that proved to be a virtual force field as the champions surged forward at every opportunity in search of a winner. Despite losing in the blue half of Manchester last week the Geordies came into the game full of confidence and produced another impressive performance that once again justified their position that many labelled as a flash in the pan. They rode their luck at times as United bombarded their goal in the last 10 minutes showing admirable resolve to hang on for a point.
From the first whistle Newcastle looked to attack with Ben Arfa Ba and former Red Devil Gabriel Obertan proving to be an effective attacking trio up against an experienced home defence. The former two combined brilliantly to produce the first real chance of the game with Ben Arfa’s delicate ball through releasing Ba who volleyed provided an early test for David de Gea. Ryan Taylor then miscued a volley from an Obertan cross before United sparked into life with Krul in the visiting goal the only reason why they went into the break on level terms. The young Dutch keeper had already saved twice from Hernandez before producing a fingertip save to deny Ryan Gigg’s who’s deft flick looked destined for the net. Despite his heroics in the first half there was nothing Krul could do to prevent United’s opener four minutes after the restart. Steven Taylor’s clumsy challenge on Hernandez brought a free kick that Rooney slammed straight into the black and white wall. The England striker reacted quickest to the rebound volleying it back into the area with the ball deflecting off Taylor before hitting the Mexican striker and trickling over the line. It was harsh on Newcastle who had defended superbly up until that point but were soon to reap the rewards of contentious penalty on 64 minutes with Ferdinand’s challenge on Ben Arfa producing a flag on the far side much to the bemusement of everyone situated in Old Trafford. After a brief consultation with his assistant Mike Jones, a late replacement for the unwell Phil Dowd, pointed to the spot with Ba cooly converting against a cauldron of whistles and jeers.
It was a goal the Magpies deserved for their performance but their objective of holding on was made much tougher after Gutierrez was sent off after receiving his second yellow following a rash challenge on Nani. From then on it was backs to the walls stuff for the away side as United poured forward in search of a goal but just couldn’t find a way past a resolute Geordie back line. Krul was on hand again to produce another fine save from Nemanja Vidic’s header before tipping away Patrice Evra’s effort. Credit must also go to Taylor who blocked any ball that dared to find it’s self on target whilst former Old Trafford youngster Danny Simpson then produced a remarkable save on the line before Hernandez saw his close range header ruled out for offside as the home side’s frustrations threatened to reach boiling point. It wasn’t to be though as Newcastle held on to claim a precious point and remain in the top four whilst United will regret missing their chance to close the gap on City.
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