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Louis van Gaal blasts 'unbelievably stupid' Marouane Fellaini
The Manchester United midfielder is sent off in the last ten minutes of the game against Hull, and will now miss the first three games of next season
Seeing red: a dejected Marouane Fellaini leaves the field after being sent off Photo: REUTERS
By Mark Ogden, at the KC Stadium
10:30PM BST 24 May 2015
Louis van Gaal accused Marouane Fellaini of being “unbelievably stupid” after the Manchester United midfielder ruled himself out of the club’s first three games of next season with a red card during the 0-0 draw against Hull City.
The stalemate at the KC Stadium confirmed Hull’s relegation to the Championship – a blow which could be compounded with Uruguayan forward Abel Hernández facing retrospective action and suspension for punching United defender Phil Jones in the stomach during the second-half.
But while £10m club record signing Hernández is likely to serve any suspension away from Hull, with the striker expected to lead an exodus of players from the club, United manager Van Gaal admitted Fellaini’s three-match ban – for stamping on Paul McShane – would prove costly for the Belgian midfielder.
Paul McShane was left bloodied by Fellaini's stamp
“Fellaini doesn’t need to do that,” Van Gaal said. “For him, it is unbelievably stupid because next season he starts in the tribune (stand) because he cannot play three games.
“So in preparation for the season, he starts as a sub, which is not so good for him personally.” Van Gaal, who claimed Ángel di María limped out of the game in the first-half with a “minor hamstring injury”, confirmed that he will go on holiday today having informed all his players of their futures at the club.
Colombian forward Radamel Falcao, who was not in the match day squad at Hull, has been told that his loan from Monaco will not be turned into a permanent deal.
Louis van Gaal was left livid by Fellaini's sending off
Van Gaal admitted, however, that the club have yet to be told by goalkeeper David de Gea whether he intends to stay or pursue a move to Real Madrid.
“I cannot say when it will be resolved,” he said. While Van Gaal prepares to head to his holiday home on the Algarve, Hull manager Steve Bruce admitted he will spend the coming days contemplating his future at the club following relegation.
Bruce, who was handed a new three-year contract by Hull owner Assem Allam in March, had his name chanted by the club’s supporters at the end of the game, with the fans also affording the players a standing ovation.
But despite the apparent widespread backing, the former United captain insisted he must reflect on the impact of relegation.
“I am exhausted at the minute,” Bruce said. “My future is for others to decide, but I will always analyse myself more than anybody and it is clear I haven’t been good enough.”
“I’ve always been up for a fight, but I don’t think it’s the time to talk about myself. I’ll reflect on everything and have a conversation with the powers that be.
“It is one of those awful experiences, this is a particularly low time and we’re hurt to the bone with disappointment.” Despite playing in the FA Cup Final last season and investing over £40m on new players since the end of last season, Hull have dropped back into the Championship after just two years in the top flight.
Steve Bruce has admitted that he and his side haven't been good enough
And Bruce admits that a lack of firepower has led to his team’s fate.
"Too many times I have come out and said we have not done bad, but we have not scored,” Bruce said. “That is 17 or 18 times we have not scored now and that’s why we are in this position.”
Norwich win promotion to the English Premier League
2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final at Wembley worth £120 million for the Canaries
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 26 May, 2015, 12:33am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 26 May, 2015, 12:34am
Agence France-Presse in London
Norwich City's Bradley Johnson, Martin Olsson and Gary Hooper embrace on the pitch after beating Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley to win promotion to the English Premier League. Photos: AFP
Norwich City won the promotion jackpot as they swept back into the English Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final on Monday.
Alex Neil’s side raced into a two-goal lead inside the first 15 minutes at Wembley thanks to goals from Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond and that early blitz was enough to secure an immediate and lucrative return to the Premier League just 12 months after the pain of relegation.
Promotion is worth an estimated £120 million (HK$1.43 billion), but, while the cash is important to Norwich’s prosperity, it was the thought of taking their place alongside the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United that fuelled the jubilant celebrations at the final whistle.
Norwich manager Alex Neil told Sky Sports: ”I believed we would do it, but it’s one thing believing it and another thing doing it.
“Big players arrive on the big stage and you saw that in the first 20 minutes – we were unbelievable.
“We worked so hard to get here. The worst thing you can do is walk off having been scared.”
Norwich City's Scottish manager Alex Neil celebrates after the final whistle of the English Championship play-off final between Middlesbrough and Norwich at Wembley.
Norwich striker Cameron Jerome said: “It’s amazing. It’s been a long old season. We were both unlucky to miss out on automatic promotion. Someone’s got to lose and it’s unfortunate for them.
“We were magnificent today. We moved the ball well and we were deserved winners.”
Winning promotion in such style will add to the growing reputation of the 33-year-old Neil, a fiery Scot who has already earned comparisons with former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and seems to have the midas touch when it comes to the play-offs.
Neil guided Hamilton into the Scottish Premiership via the play-offs last season, and now he has led Norwich to promotion in the same fashion after a remarkable 17 wins in the 25 games since he was hired to replace the sacked Neil Adams.
Advocaat exits Sunderland and retires from club management
May 27, 2015 2:38:59 PM
After guiding the club to Premier League safety, Dick Advocaat has decided not to remain as Sunderland head coach.
Dick Advocaat will not extend his stay as Sunderland head coach and has decided to retire from club management.
The Dutchman arrived at the Stadium of Light in March following the dismissal of Gus Poyet and guided the club to Premier League safety with a game to spare.
Advocaat, who has previously managed PSV, Rangers and Zenit among others, was visibly emotional after securing the necessary point at Arsenal last Wednesday, before ending the season with a 3-1 defeat at Chelsea.
"At certain moments in your life you have to make a decision and I am almost 68 years old now," he told the club's official website. "A number of clubs contacted me but the decision was always Sunderland or nobody. I would like to thank the chairman [Ellis Short], Lee [Congerton, sporting director], the staff and of course the fans.
"We gave everything in our time there and achieved what we set out to. Sunderland has been one of the highlights of my career."
Short added: "Although I am extremely disappointed, I understand and absolutely respect his decision. In his brief time here he made a real impact and lifted the club with his experience and enthusiasm.
"We will always be grateful to him for what he achieved."
Advocaat has also spent time in charge of Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Russia and Serbia during an illustrious coaching career.
Ashley Barnes is expected to miss the majority of next season after suffering a double knee ligament injury during Burnley's 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
The forward scored five Premier League goals for Sean Dyche's side, although it was not enough to save the club from relegation.
Now preparations for life in the Championship - and a bid for an immediate return to the top flight - have been dealt a blow with news of Barnes' injury, with scans confirming the 25-year-old suffered anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament damage.
"To say this is bad luck is an understatement," Dyche told the club's official website.
"Obviously it's a big blow and our thoughts are with Ashley, but the irony is that our 'preventable' soft tissue injuries have improved year-on-year.
"Ashley will be looked after. He will undergo surgery next week and we know what a tough lad he is and he will be back on the road to recovery as soon as possible.
"The positive side is that we are well rehearsed now in this type of injury and Ashley has Dean [Marney] and Kevin [Long] just in front of him and they all have Sam [Vokes] to look to as someone who has recovered and is back playing again."
The Spaniard finished the Blues' Premier League title-winning season wearing a protective mask and was suffering with breathing as a result of the injury
Cesc Fabregas has undergone successful surgery on his broken nose, Chelsea have confirmed.
The Spain international was injured during the Blues' 2-1 victory over Stoke City at Stamford Bridge last month.
Fabregas had to wear a protective mask for the remainder of the campaign, as Jose Mourinho's men wrapped up the Premier League title.
The former Arsenal and Barcelona star was suffering with breathing problems as a result of his injury, but Chelsea confirmed in a statement on their official website that the issue had been resolved through surgery.
'We already have the best players!' - Mourinho on why Chelsea don't need to buy anyone
By Ewan Roberts
May 28, 2015 09:06:00
The Portuguese feels it is virtually impossible to improve his squad, claiming the "big names" are already at Stamford Bridge, and is more concerned with ensuring no one is sold
Jose Mourinho says Chelsea's priority during the summer transfer window will be to keep his title-winning squad together, not bring in new players, and admits it is hard to improve his side further.
The west Londoners romped to Premier League glory in the 2014-15 campaign, ending the season with an eight-point winning margin over previous champions Manchester City.
And Mourinho is already switching his focus to defending the title, but believes new signings will be less important than retaining the core of his successful team and says it will be nearly impossible to find players who are upgrades to his current starting XI.
"We like the players, we are happy with the players. Two or three are always coming to the club, that's normal," said the Portuguese coach ahead of Chelsea’s post-season friendly against Thailand All-Stars.
"But the players I am looking for are my players, the players I want to keep. Last season I had players I wanted to sell. The most important thing in the market is not to lose players
"How can I find a better striker than Diego Costa? A better midfielder than [Nemanja] Matic? A better right-back than [Branislav] Ivanovic?
"Our squad this season was very good. We didn't have many injuries. We had three players play 38 matches of the Premier League."
Mourinho also played down the prospect of any big-name signings, adding: "If you come to a champion team you are not a big name. The big names are the champions."
The Premier League winners are in Bangkok for their post-season tour to take on a select XI of the best players from the Thai league at the Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday.
The 67-year-old Dutchman has decided to walk away from club coaching rather than continue at the Stadium of Light
Dick Advocaat has confirmed he will not extend his short-term Sunderland contract despite guiding them clear of relegation from the Premier League.
The 67-year-old took over from Gus Poyet for his first taste of Premier League management, going on to achieve his sole aim of avoiding relegation with one game to play.
With Adovcaat's contract running until the end of the season, Sunderland were keen to tie the Dutchman down for a longer spell but he has decided to retire from club management.
"At certain moments in your life you have to make a decision and I am almost 68 years old," Advocaat told the club's offical website. "A number of clubs contacted me but the decision was always Sunderland or nobody.
"I would like to thank the chairman [Ellis Short], Lee [Congerton], the staff and of course the fans. We gave everything in our time there and achieved what we set out to.
"Sunderland has been one of the highlights of my career."
Advocaat has nearly 20 managerial jobs in a coaching career spanning over 28 years and became Sunderland's oldest ever manager when he replaced Poyet in March.
Abel Hernandez has admitted a Football Association (FA) charge of violent conduct and will serve a three-match suspension.
During the final game of the Premier League season, the Hull City striker punched Manchester United's Phil Jones in the stomach.
The incident was not seen by referee Lee Probert, but was picked up by television cameras, and the FA charged the forward earlier this week.
On Thursday, it was confirmed that Hernandez had accepted the charge and will now be suspended for three games, although it is not thought likely the Uruguay international will remain at the KC Stadium next season.
Gerhard Tremmel has left Swansea City following the end of his Liberty Stadium contract, while Alan Tate said his goodbyes after 13 years in south Wales.
Tate initially arrived on loan from Manchester United in 2002 and was part of the Swansea side that narrowly avoided relegation from the Football League in 2003.
The 32-year-old established himself as a firm fans' favourite as Swansea rose through the divisions, but courted controversy in 2006 when he, along with team-mate Lee Trundle, displayed a Welsh flag emblazoned with an anti-Cardiff City message following a 2-1 win over Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy final.
The versatile defender missed the decisive penalty as Swansea lost the League One play-off final to Barnsley later that season.
Tate captained Swansea in their opening Premier League fixture in 2011 - a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City - but fell out of favour as the Welsh club established themselves in the top flight and spent time on loan at Leeds United, Yeovil Town, Aberdeen and, most recently, Crewe Alexandra.
Tremmel, meanwhile, played second fiddle to Michel Vorm and then Lukasz Fabianski during his three seasons at the Liberty but was ever-present as Swansea won the 2013 League Cup to collect the first major silverware in the club's history.
Third-choice stopper David Cornell has also been released, while Rory Donnelly headlines a group of nine youth players to make their Swansea exits.
Paul McShane is one of six players who will leave Hull City following the club's relegation from the Premier League.
The 29-year-old initially moved to the KC Stadium on loan in 2008 and went on to make 118 league appearances.
McShane is joined by Liam Rosenior, Yannick Sagbo, Maynor Figueroa, Steve Harper and Joe Dudgeon in departing the club following the expiry of their contracts.
Defender Alex Bruce and midfielder Stephen Quinn, meanwhile, have been offered new deals.
"Regrettably, following relegation we have made the decision to release the majority of those players whose contracts have expired," manager Steve Bruce told the club's official website.
"We would like to place on record our thanks for the service they have given to the club, particularly our two longest-serving players Liam Rosenior and Paul McShane.
"Both players have been outstanding for us and they leave with our very best wishes for their futures.
"The aim now is to retain as many of the remaining squad as possible and look to add some new faces this summer as we bid to compete at the top end of the Championship and bounce straight back into the top flight."
West Ham are hopeful that James Collins will recover from a calf injury in time to start pre-season training.
The centre-back lasted just 14 minutes of the London club's final home fixture of the Premier League season against Everton earlier this month after suffering a calf injury.
Collins is to undergo rehabilitation, but West Ham are hopeful of speedy recovery.
"James injured his calf in the first half of the match with Everton and will rehab for four to six weeks," read a statement on West Ham's website.
"We hope that he will be fit in time to start the pre-season with the squad."
Mark Noble missed the final match of the campaign at Newcastle United with a toe injury, but is also expected back for pre-season.
"Mark injured his big toe during the final training session of the season in Chadwell Heath," the statement added.
"He has had an injection and needs a few weeks of rest."
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino refused to be drawn on speculation linking the club with a move for Burnley striker Danny Ings.
England Under-21 international Ings is out of contract at Turf Moor, but reports in the media have suggested Spurs are willing to offer £12million in order to prevent other teams from talking to him.
Ings, who scored 11 goals in 35 appearances as Burnley were relegated from the Premier League, is also thought to be attracting interest from Liverpool.
But Pochettino says that he is not thinking about transfer targets at this time as Tottenham prepare for an end-of-season friendly against Sydney FC.
"I think there are a lot of rumours about that [Ings] now," he said. "I will not comment about.
"I think it's not the right moment. It's the moment to enjoy Sydney. I'm looking forward to Saturday's game."
Champions League qualification is not a 'piece of cake', warns Van Gaal
By Gill Clark
May 26, 2015 00:41:00
The Red Devils must safely negotiate a two-legged play-off in August in order to enter the group stages and their manager is expecting a tough test
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has warned his side that qualifying for the Champions League proper will not be a "piece of cake" after their fourth place finish secured a play-off spot.
The Red Devils missed out on a place in Europe's elite tournament last season after a disastrous campaign under David Moyes saw them finish in seventh place.
However, United will return to the competition next season and face a two-legged play-off in August which, if they were to lose, would see them drop into the Europa League instead,
Van Gaal's side will be seeded for the draw for the play-offs which takes place on August 7, but even so the Dutchman has warned his team they must not take qualification for granted.
"First we have to qualify ourselves still because we have to play two matches to qualify for the Champions League and that’s not so easy," he told MUTV.
"I hope that we succeed but still we have to be aware that it’s not like it’s a piece of cake.
"But I have a lot of confidence that we qualify ourselves but first I want to hear the draw and then we will talk about it."
Should Manchester United win their play-off they will be placed in Pot 2 for the draw for the Champions League group stages.
Newcastle United have confirmed that Jonas Gutierrez and Ryan Taylor will be released by the club.
Winger Gutierrez has been a popular figure at St James' Park since joining Newcastle in July 2008 and he scored 12 goals in 205 appearances.
The Argentina international returned to the first team earlier this year following a successful battle against testicular cancer and was on the scoresheet in the final-day 2-0 victory over West Ham - a win that secured the club's Premier League safety.
Full-back Taylor's time on Tyneside has been dogged by fitness problems since he joined in 2009 and he has twice had to overcome serious knee injuries.
The former Wigan Athletic man managed 10 goals in 110 appearances for Newcastle.
Managing director Lee Charnley told the club's official website: "It was a great pleasure to see Ryan and Jonas come back into the team in recent weeks and compete at the highest level after the injury and illness battles they have had to overcome.
"To come through those difficult periods with such strength and dignity will have given hope and inspiration to many and it is clear that our supporters have a deep connection and affection for both players, as does everyone associated with the club."
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has described comments by his father aimed at manager Arsene Wenger as "idiotic".
Maciej Szczesny told Polish outlet Blastingnews this week that the British media, along with Wenger, had made the most out of his son's smoking scandal to ease pressure on the club.
Szczesny was reportedly caught smoking in the Arsenal dressing room earlier this year, with the Poland international having lost his place to David Ospina this season.
Szczesny senior - himself a former Poland international goalkeeper - also suggested his son should leave in search of regular game time.
However, the 25-year-old dismissed the comments made by his father, which surfaced just days before Saturday's FA Cup final against Aston Villa.
"Really shouldn't be dealing with this one day before the cup final but my father leaves me no choice," he wrote via his official Facebook page.
"I have not spoken to him in more than 2 years and just like everybody else I have had enough of his idiotic comments about The Football Club and The Manager I owe so much to!
"Therefore please do not consider his comments as my shared view. Thank You for your understanding!"
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker said he went through a "post-World Cup trauma" that affected more than half his season.
Arsene Wenger's men ended up finishing third in the Premier League, but a distant 12 points behind champions Chelsea.
Mertesacker and Arsenal team-mate Mesut Ozil were part of the successful Germany squad at the World Cup in Brazil, before returning for club duty.
The 30-year-old said the season had gone better than he expected after taking so long to move on from the international success.
"It took nearly half a year to realise the problem - most of the Germany players, including Mesut Ozil, got injured. I avoided that but didn't play at my best," Mertesacker said.
"That was because I hadn't experienced this feeling before. We had a kind of post-World Cup trauma for half a year.
"I didn't know how to handle the situation. I tried to forget about the World Cup.
"We will forever have in our memories what happened and stuff, but the season started, everyone was setting new targets and you need to be really focused on that, and try to forget about what happened last summer.
"Obviously with all the reviews and the pictures, and what you go through, it takes time.
"I had to come back with new targets after the World Cup. It took half a year and I expected a worse season, honestly. I expected something more severe."
Arsenal may yet add to the Community Shield they won in the lead-up to the season, with a clash against Aston Villa in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Mertesacker will play a big part for Wenger's men - the central defender needs to help contain in-form Villa striker Christian Benteke.
"Benteke is physical," he said.
"He's got good feet, not only good at heading the ball, he's a complete striker and I really think he'll be one of their targets to feed him with good balls.
"I will probably mark him, but we all need to be aware of his threat. In dangerous situations, he often gives good, clever balls to his team-mates, especially in the semi-final of the FA Cup when everyone was focused on Benteke and he played decent balls into the feet of the midfielders."
Paul Scholes has urged former club Manchester United to keep hold of Angel di Maria, despite the Argentina international's difficult first season in the Premier League.
Di Maria - a British-record signing from Real Madrid - made a bright start to life in England following his £59.7million transfer but his form dipped dramatically as United qualified for the UEFA Champions League play-off round via a fourth-place finish.
The 27-year-old lost his spot in the starting line-up after being sent off against Arsenal in March's FA Cup tie, only returning to the XI for United's final match of the season at Hull City last week.
Paris Saint-Germain, who hold a long-standing interest, and Bayern Munich are reportedly interested in prising Di Maria away from Manchester, but Scholes says Louis van Gaal must retain the Argentine.
"A good start but, for £59.7m, the hope was that he would give United much more," Scholes wrote in his column for the Independent.
"I accept he has had problems off the pitch settling into life in Manchester, but there is no way he can see the season as anything other than a disappointment.
"This was, after all, the best player in last season's Champions League final. Nevertheless, the quality is there and I don't think United can afford to lose him.
"They need that kind of player if they are to compete at the highest level in the Champions League. Let’s see what next season brings."
Di Maria, who will feature for Argentina at next month's Copa America in Chile, registered 10 assists and scored three goals in 27 Premier League appearances last term.
Garry Monk will not allow Swansea City's players to rest on their laurels next season as they look to build on a historic Premier League campaign.
The 36-year-old has enjoyed a record-breaking first full season in charge of Swansea as he guided them to a record points total (56) and their highest finish (eighth) since winning promotion in 2011.
Swansea did the double over both Manchester United and Arsenal this season and Monk wants to make sure there are many more highlights to come in the future.
"The players have produced when the pressure has been on and that has always kept the wolf from the door," he told the South Wales Evening Post. "The maximum we have lost is two games in a row.
"I have talked to the players about nipping the bad periods in the bud as soon as possible, and we have done that.
"On the flip side, we have gone through periods where we have been three unbeaten. The next thing for us is to have six-game unbeaten runs. That's our challenge for next season.
"We have to be adaptable — professionals should be able to do that. Next season will be the same type of formation but there will be tactical tweaks — personnel changes will change the way we play."
Aston Villa are powerless to stop Christian Benteke leaving the club, with manager Tim Sherwood revealing the Belgian striker has a buy-out clause in his contract.
Sherwood and some of his playing squad have gone public in bids to convince Benteke to remain at Villa, amid interest from rival Premier League clubs after the international ended the season with 12 goals in as many matches.
But Sherwood appears to be preparing for the worst heading into Saturday's FA Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley, telling reporters: "There's a buy-out clause in his contract so it would be impossible for us to stop him if he wanted to go.
"But someone has got to meet that buy-out clause and if they don't, then it's not even going to be considered because we don't want to lose him.
"I think the clause is £100million. Most players have them these days. I don't know the exact figure but it will be quite substantial.
"He has made no indication that he wants to leave. We haven't had that conversation."
One of the clubs reportedly interested in the 24-year-old are Liverpool, but Sherwood believes Benteke can do better if he stays in Birmingham for another season.
"We're building up to a European Championship, which is a huge stage for Christian, and a tournament where you feel that Belgium will be one of the favourites to win it," he added.
"By playing for Aston Villa it hasn't hindered him being the first choice for Belgium up to now. If he were to stay here and score at the ratio that he has since I took over, and ends up with 20 or 30 goals next season and then has a good Euros, he is probably playing for Real Madrid [in 2016].
"Christian could go to the best club in the world if he scores 30 goals next season. He could be that good."
