Kenny Dalglish Slams The Premier League

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has criticised the Premier League for announcing that the first round of the Carling Cup will be played three days after international fixtures, the Anfield outfit kick-off the campaign against Sunderland on 13th August which is just days after England face Holland in a friendly.

Speaking on Liverpool’s official website, the Scot said; "I would ask why the season is starting on a Saturday when there are international friendlies the midweek before.

"Clubs are doing their best to bring in good players and that usually means they are international players.
"There is a free week after the first weekend so I don't understand why we can't start the season on a Sunday to prevent players having to travel back on a Wednesday night in time for a Saturday start.

"If you are going to have international games then have them. But surely it makes sense to put the league games back a day if it's possible. To me it's common sense."

Jordan Henderson Relishing Liverpool Opportunity

Jordan Henderson has insisted that he is eager to for the new season to begin, Liverpool’s new £20million signing from Sunderland who is currently in Denmark at the European Championships with the U21 Squad will be giving his all to fight for a place in the team and says once he makes the starting XI he intends to stay there.

The 20-year-old knows the stiff competition he will face to break into the team, but he is relishing the opportunity and says he would love to play in the middle of the park for the Anfield outfit.

"There'll be competition at any big club but I've got to make sure I work extremely hard and do everything I can to make sure I'm starting," said the youngster.

"If I train well and work hard I'll get my chance - and I'll take it as well. I spoke to the manager and he said I can play in a few positions.

"I'm not really bothered, all I care about is making sure that I'm in the starting XI and playing regular football. If I could choose I'd probably be centre midfield."

Liverpool have invested big in Henderson knows the fans will expect him to live up to his expensive price-tag.

"It's a lot of money but I don't make the figures up," he continued.

"It just shows Liverpool have a lot of faith in me and I'll keep learning and working hard to repay them.
"There are a lot of parts of my game I need to work on. I'll do everything I can."

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Ian Holloway Signs Duo

Blackpool have secured the services of two players on the final day of the transfer window, Ian Holloway has moved quickly to sign James Beattie on loan until the end of the season & Andy Reid has joined permanently for an undisclosed fee from Sunderland.

Andy Reid transfer to Blackpool could now open the door for Charlie Adam’s departure to Liverpool.

Rangers striker James Beattie joins the Tangerines after only managing just seven appearances for the Ibrox club since joining them in August.

A number of clubs had been linked with the former England striker but the 32-year-old has decided to join Blackpool.

Beattie will hope that an impressive spell at Blackpool will secure a permanent move.

Blackpool are currently lying in 12th spot in the Premier League with 15 games remaining in the season.

Sunderland Sign Sulley Muntari

Sunderland have completed a loan deal to land Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, the Ghana ace has joined the Black Cats until the end of the season and joins fellow countrymen Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah at Sunderland.

Muntari had been plying his trade in the Serie A with current European champions Inter Milan and could make his debut against Stoke next weekend.

Steve Bruce spoke of his delight at landing Muntari with his first signing of the January transfer window.

"Sulley is a fabulous acquisition for the club," Sunderland's manager told his club's official website.

"When the opportunity arises to bring in a player of his ability, even in the short term, you have to take it and I'm delighted we've been able to.

Speaking on Muntari’s ability to adapt to most positions, he added;

"His adaptability is a great asset. He did extremely well at Portsmouth so he knows the Premier League well and you have to be some player to move to Inter Milan for the fee that he did. He's a great addition.

"If you had said to me six months ago that we'd be looking at Sulley Muntari who had just won the Champions League I would have said 'not a chance'.

"This is an ideal opportunity to bring in a top-class midfield player who moved to Inter for about €17m. To bring him in now can only give the club a lift."

Darren Bent Justifies His Price Tag

Darren Bent hit the winner for Aston Villa yesterday against Manchester City.  This was after an eventful week when a feud between Bent’s former manager Steve Bruce and current manager Gerard Houllier had erupted around the sale of Bent's transfer from Sunderland to Aston Villa last week.

Steve Bruce suggested that Aston Villa had approached Darren Bent long before the deal went through and is not happy on how Gerard Houllier went about pursuing Darren Bent after the striker handed in a written transfer request.

Gerard Houllier hailed the striker, scoring on is debut and repaying a slice of 24m Villa paid for his service after media critics were baffled by the move suggesting that he’s not worth that much.

Speaking after the game, Houllier said; "I thought the boy handled the pressure very well."

"The finish was that of a natural-born finisher, something you cannot teach somebody. That is what he is here for."

The England striker hit the only goal of the game yesterday when Manchester City’s Joe Hart could only parry Ashley Young’s shot into the path of Bent, who was on hand to tap in the rebound on his debut.

The striker said; "People questioned why I joined this football club but look at the players around me," said the striker, who was watched at Villa Park by England manager Fabio Capello.

"Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor, Mark Albrighton and Stewart Downing are all players that can create chances out of nothing and as a striker you want that kind of service,"

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Steve Bruce Slams Bent & Houllier

Sunderland Manager Steve Bruce has slammed Gerard Houllier over Darren Bent’s move to Aston Villa. Bruce has accused Houllier of approaching the striker long before the deal went through.

Bruce insists a top class manager would have shown respect and called him to say they were interested in the forward but up until this point he still hasn’t received a phone call from the Frenchman.

The Black Cats boss also admitted that Bent want to leave for Turkey last summer but the he managed to convince the England international to stay.

"I would have thought out of respect and a manager of his status, I would have thought maybe a phone call from him to say 'Listen Steve, we're after your centre forward and your striker.'

"I would have thought, maybe that might have been the way forward, it usually is with the great managers I've had the pleasure to deal with in the past, that's usually the case.

"But in this, so the whole thing has disappointed us and I thought we'd averted it last summer - he (Bent) wanted to go to Turkey last summer and we averted it then.

"So, it's the timing for me - if I'd have known four weeks beforehand or five, six weeks beforehand from his agent or Darren that they were unhappy at the club and wanted to move on then I wouldn't be in a position that I'm in now, with ten days before the window ended and with an injury to Danny Welbeck, that's put us in the situation that we're in and it gives you very little time to try and do anything.

"So it's the timing of it and that's the disappointing thing - all Benty's thought of is himself but I suppose that's football and that's the way it is."

"There's a lot of people bitterly upset and disappointed, and rightly so.

"My big disappointment of course is Gerard Houllier too who up until this time now, I still haven't had a phone call from.

Bruce said he was shocked when Darren Bent handed in a written transfer request, just as the club and fans were, "I think what shocked us all was the written transfer request with Benty that it was so brutal, you know.

"And then in my experience with him, what's the point of keeping someone who doesn't really want to be here.

"I have to say in the last few weeks we have all been scratching our heads saying 'has there been something wrong with Benty, he doesn't look himself'.

"But we didn't see it coming and, yes, we were quite within our right to do that, but in my experience of these things, what is the point?"

Bruce: Bent Let Club Down

Steve Bruce has admitted that he feels, the club and the fans have been let down by Darren Bent’s decision to leave Sunderland for Aston Villa, Bent joined the Midlands outfit this afternoon in a £18 million deal after he rocked the club by handing in a written transfer request.

"It's hugely disappointing that Darren has decided that his future lies away from Sunderland and the players, our supporters and the club as a whole have every right to feel massively let down," he told the club's official website.

"The timing is especially hard to take, given that we are progressing positively and are in a great position to push on.

"Everyone has been nothing but supportive of Darren in has time at Sunderland but it's obvious he's not been himself in training.

"We've certainly not seen the best of him in games in recent weeks - and we now understand why.

On building the Club, Steve Bruce added; "I've always stated that my aim is to build a talented, young squad for the long-term to help the club achieve sustained success.

"I want Sunderland fans to know that our ambitions haven't changed on that front."

Darren Bent Hands In Transfer Request

Darren Bent has today rocked Sunderland when the club confirmed that he has handed in a transfer request after Aston Villa reportedly made an offer of £18 million for the striker, the England international travelled to Birmingham today for a medical and to agree personal terms with a move that would smash Villa's transfer record.

Bent, 26, joined the Black Cats for an initial £10m from Tottenham in August 2009 when he signed a four-year deal with the north-east. This will leave a big void in Steve Bruce’s attacking options, Bent scored 25 times last season and has hit the net eleven times so far in the current campaign helping the club to sixth place in the Premier League standings.

John Terry reveals injury woe

Terry struggling with nerve pain

Chelsea captain John Terry has revealed the he has been struggling with a nerve pain in his leg which kept him out of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Sunderland at the weekend, the defender has also been withdrawn from the England squad when they face France in a friendly match tomorrow night and is expected to miss Chelsea's game against Birmingham at the weekend.

The 29 year old is due to see a couple of specialists in hope of finding a cue to his long-standing injury, insisting that the injury has worsened in recent weeks and that the time has come to have a rest.

"It started towards the end of last season, but with Chelsea being in the mix until the day of the FA Cup final, I didn't have the chance to rest or pull out of games. Then I went straight to the World Cup with England.

"I had three weeks' rest after that and thought I would come back without it, but since then it has got worse and worse.

"It has been manageable up until the last two weeks, but when we played Fulham I stretched to win the ball against Clint Dempsey and it got a lot worse.

"It is at a point where I can't carry on with it. I used to be able to make it through games because the adrenaline gets going and you blank the pain out, but now there really is no decision to make.

"After games I am in agony and not sleeping at all. I used to play with pain at seven out of 10. Now it's 10 out of 10. I need to take a few weeks rest, see a couple of specialists and solve the problem."

Terry received epidural treatment last week, but the injury failed to improve and the defender is not sure when he will return to action, he added, "The epidural could have helped with the pain for between six weeks and two years. They said it works on 75 per cent of cases, but unfortunately I am in the other 25 per cent.

"Basically, I am trying whatever is suggested. I'm at my wits' end.

"I know I won't play on Saturday against Birmingham City, but beyond that there are no clues. It could be weeks, it could be months."

Sunderland sign Asamoah Gyan

Sunderland have signed Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan, the striker will go straight into the team and form a formidable partnership with Darren Bent. Sunderland have been monitoring Gyan for sometime and have finally appeared to have got their man for thirteen million pounds which will be a club record.