Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has officially joined Liverpool Football Club as their new manager.
“The 62-year-old former Fulham, Inter Milan and Switzerland manager has agreed terms with the club on a three-year contract and becomes the 18th manager in our history,” the club said in a statement.
It added that Hodgson would begin his management duties as early as Thursday by overseeing the first day of pre-season training at the club.
Hodgson takes over from Rafael Benitez, who quit Anfield last month after a disappointing season saw them finish seventh in the table.
“This is the biggest job in club football and I’m honoured to be taking on the role of manager of Britain’s most successful football club,” said Hodgson.
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While the World Cup has been going on in our back yard the English FA quietly announced the preliminary fixture list for the 2010 / 11 season, set to start in August. The opening weekend starts off with a bang when Arsenal take on Liverpool at Anfield and Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester City.
Quite who pitches up for the Arsenal and Liverpool match is anyone’s guess at this stage what with the World Cup holding up transfer dealings and all. For Arsenal, a mass exodus of central defenders is underway. Senderos has left for West London to play for Fulham, while Gallas seems to have decided that Italian football would suit his ageing legs. The futures of Campbell and Sylvestre are also yet to be decided. The Cesc to Barcelona stories may turn out to be true with the player now expressing his admiration for coach Pep Guardiola. Liverpool, meanwhile, are set to appoint Roy Hodgson as their new manager and will no doubt look to implement some changes in personalle as the Reds look to return to their former days of glory. Central to this endeavour will be the retention of key players, namely Torres and Gerrard. No matter who takes to the field we are guaranteed a storming match, Arsenal fans taking comfort in the knowledge that a certain diminutive Russian looks set for another season in North London.
The Tottenham and Manchester City match will be of great importance to both sides as they get their campaigns for Champions League qualification underway. The corresponding fixture last season proved this with Tottenham taking the coveted fourth spot in the final weeks of the season. No doubt Manchester City will make some big money signings, probably taking their riches to the best performing players of the World Cup. Tottenham will also be dealing with a congested fixture list, their Champions League debut requiring a tricky qualification round with an opponent yet to be decided.
With the forthcoming season set to be Sir Alex’s last in charge, the Red Devil’s will begin their quest to overtake Liverpool as the top division’s leading champions against the returning Newcastle. Chelsea begins their title defence in earnest against West Brom, a relatively easy start for the Blues. The full fixture list is available here.
Pic : News of the world
Roy Hodgson flies back from the World Cup today, hoping to tie up a deal to become Liverpool‘s new boss.
The Fulham manager was favourite to succeed Fabio Capello if England had lost yesterday and the Italian was forced to quit. Hodgson is Liverpool’s No.1 target to replace Rafa Benitez and the Anfield board rubber-stamped an official move for him last Friday.
Talks have been held up by Hodgson’s role as a BBC TV pundit in South Africa. But with the experienced boss due back in London this evening, club officials expect to make an official announcement in the next 48 hours.
Liverpool have interviewed several candidates for the job, including Martin O’Neill, Manuel Pellegrini and Alex McLeish, with Reds legend Kenny Dalglish and MD Christian Purslow holding secret meetings over the past three weeks.
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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger stated that he is great admirer of England star Joe Cole.
Cole has been strongly linked with a move to the Gunners after Chelsea confirmed earlier this week the midfielder would be leaving Stamford Bridge next month following the expiration of his contract.
A host of sides, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham have been credited with an interest in Cole, but reports suggest Arsenal are leading the hunt for the former West Ham man.
Wenger refused to confirm his side would be making a summer swoop for Cole, but admitted he was a fan of the talented 28-year-old.
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After six years in charge, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has left the Reds by mutual consent.
The club have agreed a compensation package with the 50-year-old after a turbulent 2009-10 season.
Liverpool, having begun the campaign among the title favourites, finished a disappointing seventh in the Barclays Premier League and were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage.
The Premier League result represented an alarming slide for the club after a runners-up finish the previous season.
Benitez, who memorably led the Reds to Champions League glory in 2005, told the club’s official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: “It is very sad for me to announce that I will no longer be manager of Liverpool FC.
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed that he would like to become a top-class manager in the future.
The 24-year-old was speaking as he collected the 2010 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award.
Rooney topped the poll of journalists with just over 81 per cent of a record number of votes cast, finishing ahead of Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez to win the prestigious accolade, which has been running since 1948.
Both United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and England coach Fabio Capello were present to watch Rooney receive his award at the FWA’s Barclays-sponsored gala dinner at the Lancaster London Hotel on Thursday night.
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The English Premier League club West Ham United have fired their manager Gianfranco Zola.
Zola was widely expected to leave Upton Park following a turbulent campaign which saw the club’s co-owner David Sullivan strongly criticise the Italian and his players following a series of disappointing results.
Former Chelsea star Zola just managed to keep his side in the top-flight, but they finished only one place above the relegation zone and he has paid the price for his faltering relationship with the club’s owners.
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Chelsea won their 4th English Premier League title by smashing Wigan 8-0 in an emphatic finale to a season in which they pipped Manchester United by a single point and banged in a Premier League record 103 goals.
As well as denying United what would have been an unprecedented fourth consecutive title, Chelsea’s biggest ever top flight victory ensured Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in charge ends with the league trophy back in west London for the first time since Jose Mourinho masterminded back-to-back triumphs in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
“It’s fantastic, we did our best and I did my best for this club,” the delighted Italian said after delivering the title that had proved elusive for his predecessors Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink.
“It’s been a great Premier League season and I think in the end we deserved to come out on top.”
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Manchester United will wait until after the World Cup to start negotiations with Wayne Rooney to extend his contract for a further five years.
Rooney will head to South Africa as part of Fabio Capello’s England squad and if he is a success, his value and wage demands could increase considerably.
The 24-year-old still has two seasons remaining on his current £90,000-a-week contract and any new deal is likely to make him the highest paid player at Old Trafford. England captain Rio Ferdinand is United’s top earner, on £110,000-a-week, but a strong World Cup for Rooney could lead to a salary well in excess of that figure.
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Peter Crouch scored Tottenham Hotspur’s only goal against Manchester City last night to book their spot in next year’s Champions League.
Crouch headed home from close range on 82 minutes after Younes Kaboul had got the better of Craig Bellamy to leave City stunned as their bid to overhaul fourth-placed Tottenham was blown to pieces.
The England striker’s eighth goal of the season could be worth up to £50 million to Tottenham, who are guaranteed to finish at least fourth in the Premier League and can now look forward to competing against Europe’s elite for the first time since the 1961-62 season.
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