Blackpool manager Paul Ince has been given a five-match stadium ban for an incident after his side’s match against Bournemouth last month.
was sent to the stands for throwing a water bottle during the Championship game on September 14, but it was his behaviour after the game that led to a lengthy FA hearing.
Ince was charged with a number of offenses, including using abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official and behaving in a way that constituted violent conduct.
The FA announced on Tuesday that the 45-year-old would be banned from the stadium for five games, and fined £4,000.
Ince will miss ‘ games against Wigan, Blackburn, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Birmingham.
It was perhaps the lowest experience of Steven Gerrard’s international career, the night Steve McClaren’s England were .
And has when England meet Montenegro and Poland at Wembley in the next week.
lie one point ahead of Ukraine and Montenegro – with Poland a further two points back – as they look to secure their place in Brazil for next summer’s World Cup, knowing that successive home wins will do the job.
But with the top four all playing one another on Friday evening, even a play-off spot is far from guaranteed.
While the national side and its relationship with the England supporters may still bear the scars of that night six years ago, Gerrard hopes that that memory will drive his team-mates.
"It was a very tough time in 2008," Gerrard told the Football Association’s official website.
"It was the lowest experience I have ever had as an England player and I don’t want it to happen again.
"It was a horrible situation to be in. Hopefully the hurt and the pain from that time will help drive us all on."
Clive Rose
With Poland meeting Ukraine on Friday and Montenegro manager , Group H is far from a done deal.
But Roy Hodgson’s troops have their destiny in their own hands and Gerrard is looking for his colleagues to thrive under the pressure.
"I am sure there will be nail-biting situations in the next couple of games when our backs will be against the wall.
"All the players believe, and are very confident, we can get over the line by securing the two wins we need.
"Of course, the responsibility and pressure is on us but you can look at that in two ways.
"You can be nervous and dread it or you can be excited, really look forward and try to enjoy it.
"These are the games you dream of from a very young age, to be playing for England with the chance of qualifying for a World Cup in Brazil.
"That is what whets my appetite and I am sure the other lads feel the same."
Manchester United were right to let Ravel Morrison leave the club for the good of the player, according to former assistant manager Mike Phelan.
Morrison’s strong early season form has led to murmurs of a possible call-up to the national squad and his outstanding performance and solo goal in the has only served to further enhance his reputation.
The 20-year-old left in January 2012, joining for a initial fee of just £650,000, having been a key member of United’s FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2011, scoring twice in the final.
However, his time at Old Trafford was blighted by behavioural problems, including a number of court cases, and eventually Sir Alex Ferguson decided to wash his hands of the midfielder.
"He needed to get out of Manchester," Phelan told BBC Radio 5 live. "He has gone away from the club now which I think in hindsight is the correct thing to have done.
"It is easy to say we let our most promising player leave but is it worth the hassle to wait and maybe not see fruition to it?"
Morrison’s initial impact at Upton Park was minimal, playing just nine minutes in the second half of the 2011-12 Championship season as West Ham successfully chased promotion.
The following term, he moved on-loan to Lee Clark’s Birmingham City, and after initial teething troubles which saw him start just one of their first ten league games, he eventually began to star at the heart of midfield, including a masterful performance in the 4-0 win at Crystal Palace at the end of March.
And following a summer which saw the player undergo treatment on his teeth – a chronic tooth and gum problem having had a knock-on effect on his general fitness – the precious talent is starting show what all the fuss was about.
After scoring games, manager Sam Allardyce said "the penny has dropped" with Ravel Morrison.
Phelan, who left United following the retirement of Ferguson at the end of last season, hopes the midfielder can build on his present form and not suffer any more setbacks.
Jamie McDonald
"It is still a risk with Ravel, but he seems to have got his head in the right situation, his performances are decent and getting better. Hopefully he can maintain that," he added.
"At Manchester United there were other things going on which were a distraction for him and that played a part in his downfall. He had a tendency to disappear for the odd day or two and then we would manage to find him and bring him back in.
"It really was a day-to-day project with him. One day he was there and then another he wasn’t. He is a nice guy when he is with you, when he is around football, but obviously there were distractions.
"At the end of the day is it too much work to put into one person and keep the harmony and the balance? That was a decision that the club had to make."
Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini will delay surgery on his injured wrist until December, according to reports.
, who arrived at Old Trafford on transfer deadline day from , strained ligaments in his wrist joint during the 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk last Wednesday and requires surgery.
It was initially thought the Belgian international would undergo surgery immediately following a meeting with a specialist on Monday – a move which would have ruled the 25-year-old out until December. But it is now thought that he will put off any operation until the Christmas period.
Fellaini is therefore likely to continue playing with a splint on his injured wrist, and could be in the Belgium side for their World Cup qualifier with Croatia on Friday, when they can secure their place in Brazil.
Michael Regan
His availability pleased his national team manager Marc Wilmots, who had been ready to go to war with over the powerful midfielder.
"Marouane Fellaini should be able to play for Belgium against Croatia in Zagreb on Friday," said Wilmots on Monday.
"Marouane has suffered wrist ligament injury and will have to undergo surgery. He will join the squad and train on Tuesday with a splint.
"As far as I am concerned, in principle he is able to play Friday. This does not mean that he will automatically play. I have not heard from Manchester United asking that the operation should be as quickly as possible."
Lee Clark suspects he will be axed if Birmingham’s takeover gets the go-ahead.
Blues boss Clark has done a remarkable job in difficult circumstances because the Championship club has been left in limbo by a power struggle at St Andrew’s.
But Clark believes he will not be in Solihull businessman Gianni Paladini’s plans of the troubled Championship club succeeds.
Clark has been battling on, and it is thought the cash-strapped side do not have the money to sack him anyway.
Owner Carson Yeung has had his assets frozen pending money laundering charges in Hong Kong and is using third parties to sell, even though he values the club at £32million.
It is thought that Paladini wants a foreign manager – with a bigger name – to take charge.
Stevan Jovetic has warned England all the pressure is on them ahead of Friday’s side at Wembley.
Manchester City forward Jovetic will fulfil the role of playmaker for Montenegro, who go into the game with no fear, having drawn their three previous encounters with England.
Jovetic, who has made just one start for City since a £22million summer move from Fiorentina, said the pressure will be off the visitors at Wembley because Roy Hodgson’s side are expected to triumph.
"Yes, I think they have more pressure than us because they are expected to win – and expect to win," said Jovetic.
"England are the favourites because they have so many good players and they are a huge nation. But we have played them three times and shown we can compete with them.
"The fact that we have drawn three times with England gives us confidence for this game and also the fact we have Moldova at home.
"England have us and then Poland, and I think it’s going to be a big fight to see which country goes through."
Despite having a population of just 625,000 and only playing their first international in 2008, Montenegro have consistently punched above their weight against more established football nations, in particular England.
Under Fabio Capello, in a Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley in October 2010 and were in Podgorica a year later, when Wayne Rooney was sent off late on.
Getty
Montenegro continued to thwart Hodgson’s men in March this year, when a late equaliser earned them in a World Cup qualifier – further proof, Jovetic claimed, that his nation can be a thorn in England’s side again.
"We’ve played England three times, once at Wembley and twice in Montenegro, and they have all ended in draws," said Jovetic.
"I expect a very difficult game again but I believe in the Montenegro squad and we will give everything to win the game.
"For us it means everything to get to the finals of the World Cup or the European Championship, because we are such a small country."It’s important to qualify, not just for football reasons, but also for the prestige of the country.
"We have seen neighbouring countries – Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia – reach the finals in the past and now we want to get there.
"I’m very excited by the game. It’s always a very big occasion when you play England.
"For us, it’s even more important this time because we have two games left in the group and if we get good results we can still qualify for the World Cup for the first time."
Action Images
Asked if Montenegro would look to target Rooney, after the England striker’s red card for lashing out in Podgorica, Jovetic said: "No, no. He is a very good player and he has shown that so many times. No, we’re not going to do that.
"It’s normal that you play with passion when you play for your national team. I think he is a very good player we are not going to set out to provoke him."
Jovetic said he had spoken briefly to City team-mate Joe Hart about Friday’s encounter, when he will be looking to pile further misery on .
"We’ve spoken a lot about the game and he said ‘Good luck’ when we left the stadium after the game against Everton on Saturday – but I’m not sure he really meant it," said Jovetic.
"It was good for his confidence for him to play well against Everton. For me, he is one of top three goalkeepers in the world.
"As I say, I expect a very difficult game, but I believe we can win."
Julian Finney
Although Jovetic has made just three appearances for City, the 23-year-old, who was left out against Everton with a calf niggle, said he would ensure he was ready for Friday.
"It’s true I haven’t played much football," said Jovetic. "When I arrived in Manchester I had a problem with my hamstring.
"The other players were already playing and I was doing the preparation. Then I went away with the national team and I came back with another little problem and the team were playing well.
"I played against Stoke and after that I played against Wigan and I felt good. I didn’t play against Everton because I’ve had a calf problem for two days.
"I spoke with the manager and he didn’t want to risk me and felt it was better that I didn’t play.
"I would like to have played more going into this game but I’ve had a couple of injuries and not been able to get a run in the team.
"Now I hope I’m going to stay fit and things will get better."
England’s group: How things stand
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
England 8 4 4 0 25 3 22 16
Ukraine 8 4 3 1 19 4 15 15
Montenegro 8 4 3 1 15 8 7 15
Poland 8 3 4 1 18 9 9 13
Moldova 8 1 2 5 4 15 -11 5
San Marino 8 0 0 8 1 43 -42 0
Remaining games: October 11, Moldova v San Marino, Ukraine v Poland, England v Montenegro. October 15, England v Poland, Montenegro v Moldova, San Marino v Ukraine.
Let me tell you what I know about the wild, hedonistic lifestyle of Jack Wilshere.
I know that two years ago, when he was 19, .
I know he invited little Jack Marshall and his family to an Arsenal game and then a barbecue at his house.
I know he drove up to Scunthorpe to help Jack’s brother, Josh, who was being bullied at school.
“Josh will come home and say, ‘Can I give Jack a ring?’,” Jack Marshall’s mum, Tracey, said at the time of Wilshere’s involvement.
“If Jack’s busy, he’ll explain and say he will call him back. And he always calls back.”
And I know that after Jack Marshall died two years ago this weekend, Wilshere and his family attended the funeral.
None of this, of course, necessarily makes the Arsenal midfielder a paragon of virtue.
None of it means he is immune to the harmful effects of smoking if he smokes regularly.
He insists he doesn’t, by the way.
He insists was a mistake that won’t happen again.
But what it does mean is Wilshere has the kind of maturity many young footballers don’t possess. It means he has developed a decent sense of his responsibilities to himself and those around him.
And it means that maybe, as England approach their , we should give him a break.
This is a lad, don’t forget, who has spent much of the last two years in a grim fight to recover from career-threatening injury.
We have enough difficulties trying to forge a winning England team without trying to turn our players into pariahs for nothing.
Harry Redknapp has written in his autobiography how young Spurs players asked him to help them cry off England duty.
There’s no point pretending it’s not an issue any more.
Wilshere is a lad who has been playing for both Arsenal and England this season when he is short of full fitness because club and country have felt unable to do without his talent.
Few have cut him any slack.
Many, including some ex-professionals who should know better, have suggested he’s not really that special.
I did that after an FA Cup tie against West Ham when he had just turned 18. It was stupid and I soon regretted it.
To damn him now, though, beggars belief.
The reaction to a picture of him smoking a cigarette last week was, frankly, staggering.
Smoking passes for debauchery now, apparently. The forces of puritanism stalk our leading footballers and last week caught out Wilshere.
But footballers, however well paid, however talented, need to be allowed to have some kind of hinterland.
So you’ll forgive me if I don’t join the posse that’s been rounded up to hunt down the desperado.
Because I couldn’t care less if Wilshere had the odd cigarette after a game. It doesn’t say anything about his character or have any bearing on his ability as a player.
There is no suggestion he is a regular or prolific smoker, so nor does it have any impact on his fitness.
And spare me the familiar claptrap about footballers as role models. Bring up your own kids. Don’t ask footballers to do it for you.
If Wilshere had done something wrong, then maybe some of the attention would be justified.
But he had a cigarette.
Unless I’m missing something here, that was it.
Shock horror.
Some of England’s cricketers were subjected to the same implied criticism when they were pictured having a smoke after their Ashes victory this summer.
OK, so maybe urinating on the outfield at The Oval was pushing the envelope a bit.
But have we really become so prissy and so sheltered we think they and Wilshere deserve to be hauled over the coals for having a cigarette?
Come on. It’s an irrelevance.
We have a kid here still finding his way in the game but who possesses a sublime talent.
Wilshere’s someone who could be the mainstay of the England team for some time to come.
He’s someone we should be giving thanks for, not haranguing for some imagined misdemeanour.
It’s old fashioned, I know, but I prefer to think of a young man who helps a dying kid and his family as someone to admire.
David Vaughan claims he and his Sunderland team-mates have been gagged when it comes to talking about Paolo Di Canio.
Gus Poyet was unveiled as new coach on Tuesday, to replace the maverick Italian.
Di Canio was sacked with Sunderland bottom of the Premier League, amid claims of a dressing-room revolt.
Midfielder Vaughan said: “I can’t say too much about that, because the club have told us not to.
“Under Paolo, the players did have some good times but the club decided to change things, so it’s down to us to improve our results.
“We need points quickly, otherwise we will end up being cut adrift. There’s plenty to play for, so hopefully we can climb the table.”
And Poyet has found an unlikely ally in former champion jockey Willie Carson as he looks to revive Sunderland’s old nags.
Carson, who handed the Uruguayan his first coaching job when Swindon chairman, said: “I have always been impressed with Gus and he is someone I greatly admire.”
Kyle Walker remains convinced his Tottenham side have enough quality to finish in the top four, despite their major setback at the weekend.
suffered at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
After spending over £100million on new signings during the summer, Andre Villas-Boas suffered his worst home defeat since taking charge of the club last summer.
But England right-back Walker is adamant Tottenham will only get stronger as the season progresses and feels the new additions will make all the difference in helping them back into the Champions League.
Walker said: “It’s a bit too early to be talking about where we can be at the end, but if we keep playing to our strengths, then I see no reason why we cannot make the top four.
“We’ve made a lot of changes to the squad during the summer, but everyone who has come in has fitted in really well within the dressing room, all the lads get along and that really helps.
“We’ve signed quality throughout the squad and the more we get used to playing as a team, the better we are going to get.”
World Cup Rankings Soccer Jerseys Cheap Blog - ambiancemal 