Soccer Venues

Bolton midfielder Gavin McCann has said that he will be retiring from professional football after failing to recover from the injury. McCann, formerly of Everton, Sunderland and Aston Villa, will now take up a coaching role assisting the youth set up at the Bolton academy.

McCann said: “Unfortunately I’ve had to call it a day.

“There are times now when my ankle is sore and aches, and further down the line I will need another operation.”

McCann made a total of 363 appearances at club level and won one one cap for England in a friendly against Spain at Villa Park in 2001.

…Continue readingMcCANN RETIRES

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has put pen to paper on a new Three-year contract extension that will keep him at Old Trafford till 2014.

The 29-year-old England international joined United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2006 and has played more than 200 games for the Old Trafford club.

Carrick built his reputation as an excellent passer of the ball but this season he has mainly been deployed in a more defensive midfield holding role.

…Continue readingCARRICK EXTENDS CONTRACT

Stoke City player Andrew Davies has joined Middlesbrough on loan till the end of the season. The 26-year-old began his career with the Teessiders and made his initial debut for the club in a 3-1 League Cup defeat by Ipswich in November 2002.

Southampton signed the defender in October 2007 for £1m, where he stayed for one season before moving to Stoke on a free transfer in August 2008.

Davies goes straight into the squad for Saturday’s trip to Millwall.
…Continue readingDAVIES JOIN BORO

Racing Santander are keen on signing Birmingham striker Nikola Zigic in this transfer window. The 30-year-old, who joined Blues from Valencia in May, has already had two spells with Racing in his career.

Racing have just been taken over by Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed and would appear to have funds available.

However, McLeish denied the deal would only be done if he can sign Rubin Kazan striker Obafemi Martins.
…Continue readingSANTANDER WANT ZIGIC

Tomasz Kuszczak has said that he is aiming to be the Manchester United number one. The Poland international is currently deputising for Edwin van der Sar, who has missed the last three matches with flu.

United have been linked with several goalkeepers but Kuszczak, 28, believes he should be made number one when Van der Sar, 40, decides to step down.

“I do not want this to sound arrogant but I think I am good enough,” he said.

…Continue readingKUSZCZAK AIMING FOR NO.1 SPOT

Blackpool fixture pile-up is a cause of concern for the Premier League. The promoted club is the only one in the top-flight without undersoil heating and it’s likely that the Premier League may now make installing such a system a requirement of playing in the division. At present, perhaps surprisingly, it is not.

…Continue readingBLACKPOOL’S FIXTURE CONCERN

The new home of Real Club Deportivo (RCD) Espanyol Football Club in Barcelona, Spain, has won first prize for the best sporting facility worldwide in 2010, in a competition organised by the Guinness group.

Arup participated in the structural design and fire protection of this stadium during the project phase, in close collaboration with the architects Reid Fenwick Associates and Gasulla & Associates. Located in the city of Cornellá, Barcelona, the new Espanyol stadium has a capacity to hold 45,000 spectators, and various commercial and sports facilities, such as a library and a hotel.

…Continue readingESPANYOL WIN STADIUM AWARD

The Honorary President of the Football League Lord Brian Mawhinney has given his public support to a campaign to stop the site of Bristol’s potential World Cup stadium from being registered as a “town green”.

Lord Mawhinney is also Chairman of the England 2018 Technical Bid Panel, which is the organisation behind the selection of the 16 English host city stadiums, and Bristol’s development plans were a lynch pin in the city’s successful candidacy.

…Continue readingNEW STADIUM IN BRISTOL