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PMF News Headlines
News & Rumours
Looking for the latest gossip? Then look no further. The
press are always looking for a story, and most of them can be found here.
Player unrest, transfer gossip, stories. Most of what you read in here has
been heard on the grapevine. It's up to you to decide whether or not you are
going to believe everything you read.
To view the rumours from previous months,
click here
Check the rumours archive from
last season -
click here
28th November
Edu finally moves to Blackburn
After several weeks linking him all over Britain and the continent,
Brazilian midfielder Edu has finally joined Division 3 club Blackburn Rovers
from Watford for a reported £5m. The former Arsenal star handed in a
transfer request at Vicarage Road last month, wanting to play for a bigger
club, and is reportedly delighted to have move to Blackburn. He is
expected to be unveiled to the fans shortly with the squad number 25.
Wolves sign three and release four
With transfers again allowed, new Wolves boss Dafydd Williams has made a
few changes to his playing staff, signing three players and releasing four.
The three to arrive are Icelandic international defender Larus Sigurdsson
(£625,000 from Charlton), Croatian striker Mate Bilic (£560,000 from
Charlton), and Japanese international striker Akinori Nishizawa (free
transfer). Released from their contracts at the Molineux were right-sded
players Sean Connelly, Shaun Newton and Darren Bazeley, while 39 year old
goalkeeper Bobby Mimms has apparently retired from playing to concentrate on
coaching at the club.
Gudjonsson snaps up Donovan for a cool £13m
American sensation Landon Donovan has made his long-awaited transfer to
England, with a reported £13m move to Arsenal. New Gunners boss Johan
Gudjonsson had apparently watched the youngster several times before joining
the club, and immediately enquired about him on taking the Arsenal job.
In two years at former club San Jose Earthquakes, Donovan netted 35 goals in
just 42 games, and established himself as a regular and a favourite with the
USA national side.
PFM managers get their international bows
A number of PFM's best managers have moved into international management
over the past week as they look to keep active before PFM's Season 2.
The biggest is Matt Hansen's long-awaited move into the senior England
position, while Rich McRich has returned to the Scotland post. Pat
McEvoy also grabbed the Ireland job, while Christian Hjulsgaard of Watford
joins Denmark. For more information, please visit the newspaper
section.
Boss stamps early Dons authority
Despite being in the job for less than a month, Wimbledon manager Hugo
Boss has immediately stamped his authority on the club. After the
transfer nightmare created by DJ Hedley, Boss has released seven players
from their contracts - including Korean international Ahn Hyo-Yun and former
club trainee Mikele Leigertwood - while also bringing in some experienced
players. He signed two players from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers in
Neil McCann and out-of-favour goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, while Sheffield
United pair Mark Kinsella and Neil Shipperley have also arrived. Fans
are already talking about the future transfer plans of their new Boss.
20th November
Edu linked with all and sundry
Up-for-sale Watford midfielder Edu has been linked with no less than ten
clubs in PFM in the past few days, not to mention a multitude of continental
teams. Apparently leading the race to sign the Brazilian are Bradford
and Blackburn, with both reportedly prepared to offer big money to land
their man. Also watching the situation are Spanish clubs Real Mallorca
and Deportivo La Coruna, while it has been rumoured that Italian side AC
Milan might also be prepared to make a bid if the timing was right.
Board to raise attendances?
Rumour has it that the PFM Board is prepared to order all clubs to halve
their ticket prices and subsidise any losses in order to improve attendances
at Reserve League matches. These changes could take place as soon as
this weekend as the Board look to improve the flagging image of the
competition.
Top clubs to head overseas?
As the Reserve League's image falters, there have been rumours from the
Middle East and Asia that a number of larger clubs are preparing to send
their top players overseas in order to generate profit. UAE club Al
Shabab claimed on their website that they had agreed to host Manchester
United in a three-match series next month, while club insiders suggested
manager Ani Palat would use reserve players to play back home. Also
reported to be heading out of England are Liverpool (linked to China),
Everton (Australia), Chelsea (USA), Manchester City (Middle East) and
Watford (Scandinavia).
19th November
Celtic and Rangers enquire about move to PFM
According to News of the World, Scotland's Glasgow giants Celtic
and Rangers have made a joint enquiry about joining the PFM League within
the next three years. With TV money minimal in Scotland, the two
giants of Scottish football have been linked with a move to PFM, but this is
the first reported official contact between the two clubs and PFM. PFM
Executive Cory Skilton denied the reports though, telling reporters in
London today that 'no official contact has been made between anyone in PFM
or anyone from Scotland'.
Asper linked with permanent Toffees move
It has been rumoured that Swedish goalkeeper Mattias Asper is prepared
to say no to former club Blackburn Rovers in order to stay at Everton.
Asper joined Everton for a reported £1m as temporary cover for the injured
Mark Bosnich and Steve Simonsen, and is apparently so happy at the club,
that he doesn't want to move back to Blackburn. The player himself was
unavailable for comment, although this would back up rumours that Everton
manager Aussie Jones is looking for prospective buyers for backup goalie
Simonsen.
Rooney stalling over contract talks
Goodison Park officials are reportedly worried about keeping starlet
Wayne Rooney at the club. The young striker only just reached eligible
age to sign a full contract with the club, but is apparently stalling over
signing it. Rooney's agent said there was nothing to worry about
though, claiming that Rooney "loves the club" and "would never leave Everton
for another club without a very good reason".
Hedley linked with Barnsley job
Former Wimbledon manager DJ Hedley - who resigned from the club recently
- has been linked with a swift return to management with Division 4 club
Barnsley. The Tykes' current manager Will Gallacher is apparently
skating on thin ice at the club, and club officials are said to be in
advanced unofficial negotiations with Hedley in regards to him taking the
job.
18th November
Watford to extend stadium?
The latest news from Vicarage Road is suggesting that Watford FC are
looking to expand their stadium. It is expected that club chairman
Trevor Dolphin will make an announcement soon that could see the stadium
have its capacity expanded by up to 6000 seats. Early reports are
suggesting that the Hornets are prepared to splash out around £7,000,000 to
make their stadium good enough for a prospective move up the divisions.
Gudjohnsen linked with Blackburn...and
Juventus
Unhappy Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen was today again linked with PFM
Division 3 club Blackburn Rovers, but Italian newspapers are also reporting
that Serie A giants Juventus are tracking the Icelandic star.
Gudjohnsen has failed to impress new manager Jacques Gautier at Stamford
Bridge, and could be on the move for a reported £8m when the PFM Transfer
Window re-opens on December 1.
3rd November
Hedley resigns
Wimbledon manager DJ Hedley sensationally resigned as manager of the club
just minutes after his side's 2-1 defeat away to Charlton on Saturday. The
outspoken manager was apparently furious with his side's defeat and just
minutes after the final whistle he announced that he had resigned from his
position with immediate effect.
Many think the premature reaction is typical of Hedley's character, and
believe the former Dons boss has made a huge mistake.
One fan said, "I'm amazed, we lost to a better side away from home. It seems
a little erratic that Hedley has resigned.
The Wimbledon board are apparently keen to appoint a new manager before the
clubs next match and Dafydd Williams and Hugo Boss. have already been linked
with the vacant position. Wimbledon are expected to make an announcement
this week.
1st November
Danko insists Boro will improve
New Middlesbrough manager Bryan Danko has told Boro supporters that his team will improve over the next few weeks. After a fine first PFM season where the club missed out on promotion to the top flight only by goal difference, Middlesbrough have had a poor pre season and were far from impressive in Danko's first match in charge against Birmingham City last weekend. Although Danko insists that he needs time to settle into his new job and that given time he will once again turn Middlesbrough into promotion hopefuls.
There has been talk since Danko's arrival that the Middlesbrough board made a big mistake in their new appointment, but Danko is one man who is determined to prove the doubters wrong. Boro supporters will be hoping that his actions speak louder than words.
Lampard is staying put
New Chelsea manager Jacques Gautier has reassured supporters that Frank Lampard is going nowhere. The French manager was quick to stem rumours that the England midfielder could be on his way to Newcastle in a multi million pound deal. He said today, " Frank really boosts our midfield, he is a key player at Chelsea and I wouldn't let him go."
The news will come as a great relief to Chelsea supporters after seeing their side's dismal first PFM season. And it looks as though the club could finally have appointed a manager who will steer them in the right direction.
Powers finally returns
Max Powers has finally issued a statement to Arsenal supporters explaining his absence from last weekend's game against Liverpool. The Arsenal supremo had taken a break in Italy and apparently had the full backing of his players and assistant.
The statement will come as a relief to most Arsenal supporters, although some are still questioning the commitment of their manager, especially after reading his statement nearly a week after it was originally planned.
Many Arsenal supporters are also concerned by Power's comment today that he will not be strengthening his squad at all until the start of the PFM's second season. This will come as a concern to the many who feel that Arsenal are not committed to the reserve league and are quite happy to settle for a lowly finish in their group.
Another concern for supporters, which was confirmed this evening by the PFM board, is that Powers had not submitted his team sheet to the PFM authorities by yesterday's 6pm deadline, and it was left to Arsenal's assistant manager to fax the club's team sheet to PFM House.
Problems certainly seem to be mounting for Powers.
Blowter misses team sheet deadline again
New West Ham United manager Bryan Blowter's job could be on the line already after missing the team registration deadline for the second week running since his arrival at Upton Park. Under PFM rules all PFM clubs must submit their team sheets to PFM House before 6pm on the Thursday before their match, although Blowter has failed to meet the deadline both weeks since his appointment at West Ham.
An insider at Upton Park said this evening, "I haven't a clue what Blowter is playing at, he just doesn't seem at all interested in this job and to be honest the club has turned into a shambles since McConnell's departure. If he doesn't pull his finger out soon then he will have wasted a lot of peoples time." He added, "The West Ham board are far from happy with the start he has made at the club."
Brent back in the saddle
George Brent was last night confirmed as Southampton's new manager. The former Watford manager is still fuming with his old club after revealing that he only found out he had been sacked by the club after reading it in the newspaper.
Brent is likely to relish the challenge at St Mary's and will almost certainly want to prove that his old employers were wrong to sack him, especially if the two sides meet in the tournament stage of the PFM reserve league.
Southampton supporters are said to be unhappy with the appointment though and feel that Brent may not be committed enough to the job in hand. Brent will certainly want to prove a lot of people wring over the coming months.
New managers appointed
Four PFM clubs appointed new managers yesterday after a week of managerial changes. Sunderland announced Ruud Amed as their new manager last night, whilst Chelsea announced Jacques Gautier as their replacement for McSwigen.
Ex Watford manager George Brent is back in management with Southampton and Damien Rix's successor at Barnsley is Will Gallacher.
Chelsea manager Jacques Gautier has wasted no time in stamping his authority at the club, by selling three players just hours after being appointed managers and just hours before the transfer deadline. Neil Lennon being the biggest name to move in a £3.25m move to Newcastle United. |
