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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Premier League - Arsenal profits rise to £24.5m

Arsenal have recorded pre-tax profits of £24.5 million for the six months ended November 30 2008, up £4.5m from the same period in 2007.

The robust performance strengthened the position of the club's current ownership, which is under takeover pressure from Red and White Holdings, led by Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, which recently upped its stake to 25 per cent.

The rise in profits came largely from increased revenue from the sale of Arsenal's old Highbury stadium as flats, with the club's property business bringing in a profit of nearly £5m following the sale of 186 apartments for £76.7m.

However, Arsenal warned that not all properties had been sold and that progress was slowing due to the recession and collapse of the housing market.

Arsenal saw an extra £3.3m matchday turnover as the Emirates Stadium hosted an additional Carling Cup fixture, while ticket prices rose 2.8 per cent. Broadcasting revenue also rose to the tune of £4.5m.

Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: "I am pleased to report that the six months to November 30 2008 has produced another strong set of financial results.

"Profits were ahead in both our football and property businesses and combined to deliver an overall pre-tax profit for the group of £24.5m compared to £20.0m for the equivalent period last year.

"I believe these results are all the better for having been achieved against a background of what is clearly a very difficult economic climate.

"Clearly there are some significant challenges ahead of us, both on and off the pitch, over the closing months of this financial year and beyond."

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Welcome Back DUDU!!!

Arsenal match-winner Eduardo scored twice on his first appearance for almost a year and then hailed his achievement as "the best day of my life".

The Croatia forward has been out since February last year following an horrendous leg break but proved his fitness on international duty in midweek.

That convinced manager Arsene Wenger to hand him a recall in place of Robin van Persie for Monday night's FA Cup fourth-round replay against Cardiff, and the Frenchman was rewarded with a fine first-half effort and a second-half penalty which Eduardo 'won' and converted.

Nicklas Bendtner and Van Persie also got on the scoresheet as Cardiff were comprehensively outclassed. But the night belonged to Eduardo, whose return was greeted with gusto by the Emirates faithful.

"It was the best day of my life," he said.

"It was a special moment to score, very emotional. I celebrated by kissing my wedding ring - because my wife and daughter and family supported me right through this."

Wenger, meanwhile, paid tribute to the striker's reserves of mental strength.

"Everybody is very happy for him. This is the kind of game we love to play, and it was good to see them play with the handbrake off," he said.

"He played a big part in that, and I'm very pleased for him.

"He's been extremely strong mentally. I've never seen one minute of doubt in his mind, not one minute where he said 'I don't want to do this'.

"He is always wanting more. This guy is small but he has the mental strength of a mountain."

The night was not without its worries - Eduardo came off with a slight hamstring complaint - but Wenger insisted he could yet prove crucial to the Gunners' season.

"He had a slight tightness of the hamstring, but we expect it will be a small thing.

"We'll know at the end of the season how important it [his comeback] is, but I'm very happy to have him back. He can play as a striker, on the flank, behind the striker, up front on his own. That is important for us."

Despite leaking four goals, Bluebirds goalkeeper Tom Heaton - on loan from Arsenal's Barclays Premier League rivals Manchester United - put in a fine display.

He made a stunning double save from Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner - both from virtually point-blank range - but was in top form throughout to ensure Cardiff did not go home on the end of an embarrassing scoreline.

Boss Dave Jones said: "All I can take from tonight is that Tom played very well. If it wasn't for him it could have been a cricket score.

"I'm glad the game is over, because we didn't do ourselves justice tonight whatsoever.

"Sometimes when you come to an Arsenal or one of the big clubs you just have to suffer for 90 minutes - and tonight I think we suffered for 90 minutes. I don't think we did ourselves any justice.

"If I could have substituted 10 of them I would have, because we just didn't perform."

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Wenger must start delivering or follow sclolari

To be honest i feel wenger is getting too comfortable and taking us for granted. His bunch of kids have failed us and to be real i forsee us playing thursday nite football. Im sorry for being crude but guys lets face reality. For the past two seasons all we have been doing is going down and if this continues till the end of the season, here is what i would say - Wenger has to follow scolari. He can take diaby and eboue with him. We are tired of seeing man utd scums getting all the trophies..

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

What Nonsense is this? - ARSHAVIN DEAL NOT DONE IN TIME - REPORTS

Andrei Arshavin's transfer to Arsenal was not completed before the transfer deadline on Monday, according to several reports.


The deal was officially ratified by the Premier League on Tuesday afternoon, but several newspapers claim that Zenit St Petersburg's paperwork was not filed before the 5pm deadline on Monday.


The Guardian suggests that some of Zenit's forms were not submitted in time, while there are 'suggestions that there was a slight issue with Arsenal's submissions'.


The Premier League offered a suitably ambiguous statement about the deal, with a spokesman saying:


"Substantively the deal was done before the deadline. It was lodged with us prior to the transfer window closing and we were satisfied that the deal was done it time."


Furthermore, an FA spokesman said: "We have been liaising with the Premier League and are satisfied that everything is in order."


The Daily Mail suggests that several of Arsenal's main rivals are 'sure to demand a more detailed explanation' of why the deal was allowed to go through, if the paperwork was not filed in time.


Deals that have not strictly complied with transfer deadlines have been allowed to go through in the past, such as Benjani's move from Portsmouth to Manchester City last January (a deal that was not confirmed for several days), as well as the swap deal taking Ashley Cole to Chelsea and William Gallas to Arsenal in 2006.

Source football365.com

Monday, February 2, 2009

Asharvin Update!

Arsenal have been told by the Premier League that they will have to wait until Tuesday for the Andrei Arshavin deal to be ratified.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had earlier told Sky Sports News that the deal would go ahead.

Wenger was quoted as saying: "We will make an announcement tonight. Yes, it will be a positive announcement. Yes, it will go through."

It is understood that Arshavin would wear the number 13 shirt vacated by Alexander Hleb when he joined Barcelona last year.

The transfer looked likely to proceed in a relatively straightforward fashion when the Zenit St Petersburg midfielder was pictured in Hertfordshire this morning, having flown into the country on Sunday.

That appeared to be a signal that Arsene Wenger's interest in the player was about to yield results, but sources close to the deal then revealed that Arshavin was on his way back to a London airport and the transfer was on the brink of collapse.

But negotiations continued behind the scenes - with the asking price, personal terms and a possible payment from Arshavin to Zenit all mooted as potential sticking points - and a final deal may still be struck.

For more information please visit www.football355.com

Transfer Deadline - The very Latest - Part 2

16.11: Lordy, now there's talk that Manchester City have met the absurd £25m asking price for Roque Santa Cruz.

Aldershot have completed the double loan signings of Andy Lindegaard and Alex McCarthy.


16.10: West Brom have signed defensive midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu on loan from Paris St Germain for the rest of the season.


16.07: There are officially 53 minutes to go but we suspect that won't be the end of the matter.


15.56: And now Arsenal and Zenit St. Petersburg have agreed a fee for Andrei Arshavin, though the deal has yet to be completed because of that pesky payment the Russian club wants from the player. They apparently want 50% of his signing-on fee.


15.54: Finally, things are happening. Liverpool and Spurs have agreed a fee for Robbie Keane so he has just over an hour to complete the move.


15.46: And there it is - Ryan Taylor has moved to Newcastle and Charles Insomnia has gone to Wigan, who have thrown about £3.5m at the Toon too. The Frenchman says he is joining Wigan for 'European football'. What kind of porkies did Steve Bruce tell him?


15.28: Wigan chairman Dave Whelan expects the Charles N'Zogbia/Ryan Taylor swap deal to go ahead today. Presumably, Newcastle are signing Taylor purely to stop him scoring against them.

Elliot Omozusi has returned to Fulham from his loan spell at Norwich, and the Cottagers have sent Australian defender Adrian Leijer there instead.


15.19: Ten minutes after SSN bod Andy Burton told us that Spurs have rejected the chance to swap Darren Bent for Obafemi Martins, his colleague David Craig revealed that the whole story was utter nonsense. Brilliant stuff, boys.

Doncaster Rovers have completed the signing of Hibernian midfielder Dean Shiels for an undisclosed fee.


15.13: Arsenal youngster Henri Lansbury has joined Scunthorpe United on loan.


15.05: Fulham have signed Julian Gray on a permanent basis (well, until the end of the season) from Coventry after a loan spell.


15.01: Middlesbrough have apparently turned down a new offer from Portsmouth for Gary O'Neil. Sensible.


14.58: Leeds United have signed highly-rated American striker Mike Grella on a permanent contract.


14.46: Oldham striker Chris O'Grady has joined Stockport County on loan until the end of the season.


14.43: Now Sky Sports are reporting that Andrei Arshavin's move to Arsenal is still on and is "very close". The deal could hinge on money Zenit believe they are owed by Arshavin himself.


14.41: League One side Hartlepool have signed Norwegian striker Rune Lange from Valerenga on a short-term contract until the end of the season.


14.31: Calum Davenport is having a medical at Sunderland so the West Ham defender could soon be partnering Tal Ben Haim.

For more please visit www.football365.com

Transfer Dealine Day Events - The Very Latest!

14.18pm: The Premier League has announced it will grant applications from clubs to complete transactions after the 1700 deadline today if there is email confirmation from the two clubs involved that a deal has been agreed in principle. The club signing the player must also satisfy the board that the prevailing weather conditions have prevented the signing from being completed by the deadline.


14.14pm: Everton have signed Brazilian striker Jo on loan from Manchester City for the rest of the season. The £18m man scored just one Premier League goal for City.


14.13pm: The Ledley deal might not be done yet but Stoke have signed Henri Camara on loan from Wigan until the end of the season.


14.07pm: The Joe Ledley to Stoke deal we mentioned earlier looks to be on - a fee of £7m has been mentioned.


14.05pm: Blackpool have completed their seventh signing of the January transfer window with Francesco Carratta joining on a free transfer.


14.04pm: TalkSport (yes, we know) claim that Liverpool will only sell Keane if they bring in a replacement first. The name of Javier Saviola was being mentioned this morning.


14.03pm: SSN are following 5 Live in saying that Santa Cruz is unlikely to join City as they failed to meet a £25m asking price set by Blackburn.


14.00pm: Brighton have completed the signing of Oldham striker Craig Davies for an undisclosed fee.


13.43pm: That Dos Santos to Pompey deal could be off because of concerns about the Mexican's fitness. Is he still hungover after that Xmas party?


13.19pm: Liverpool have confirmed that they have given permission for Robbie Keane to talk to Spurs but no fee has been agreed. A Liverpool official has said: "We've allowed Robbie to talk to Spurs but we've not yet finalised a deal with them for the player."


13.14pm: BBC Radio 5 Live is reporting that Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz is staying at Ewood Park and not going to Manchester City.


13.06pm: 'Arry Redknapp's camapign to wind the clock back 12 months to Tottenham continues apace with Giovani Dos Santos apparently having a medical at Portsmouth.


12.57pm: Portsmouth have signed another. Angelos Basinas has arrived from AEK Athens on an 18-month deal.


12.54pm: Word on players moving to Stoke. Cardiff's Joe Ledley, Wigan's Henri Camara and Burnley's Chris McCann are the names being bandied around this afternoon.


12.53pm: As well as Michael Mifsud, busy Barnsley have also siged Andranik Teymourian on loan from Fulham and winger Adam Hammill on loan from Liverpool.


12.52pm: Sky Sports News are claiming that Inter Milan want either David Bentley or Jermaine Jenas from Tottenham in a swap deal with Ricardo Quaresma.


12:46pm: Hereford have signed Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi on loan from Liverpool.


12:40pm: Keeping up? The latest from the forum is that 'Reliable sources at the Arsenal Supporters Trust have informed us that Andrei Arshavin is currently at Highbury House, the turquoise carbuncle of an office building the club use near the stadium above the North Bank bridge, the non-matchday box office and the All Arsenal Store. Significantly, it also houses the directors' boardroom.'


12:37pm: Sky now claim that Robbie Keane is at Tottenham and is having a medical.


12:35pm: Wycombe Wanderers have signed highly-rated Crawley Town striker John-Paul Pittman for an undisclosed fee.


12:26pm: Wolves have completed the signing of Hearts captain Christophe Berra on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

Bristol City have turned down an undisclosed bid for striker Dele Adebola from Championship rivals Nottingham Forest.


12:09pm: Brighton & Hove Albion have persuaded Jim McNulty to join the club from League One rivals Stockport County.


12:07pm: Sky Sports News are now also claiming that Arsenal's talks with Arshavin are continuing. This is bonkers.

The station has defied the Forum by insisting that a medical did not take place earlier this day and claims that Arshavin is still at a London airport awaiting developments...


12:05pm: Coventry City frontman Michael Mifsud has joined Championship rivals Barnsley on a loan deal until the end of the season.


12:01pm: Cardiff City have confirmed that they have lodged a £3million bid for an unnamed striker, reported to be Steven Fletcher.

Watford boss Brendan Rodgers is confident that Tommy Smith will remain with the Hornets, despite Championship rivals Cardiff making a £1.6million enquiry.


12:00 noon Only five hours left in the transfer deadline.


11:58am: On-loan Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse has rejected reports that he is looking to engineer an early exit from the Stadium of Light.


11:52am: Sunderland defender Michael Liddle's loan deal at Carlisle has been extended until the end of the season.


11:50am: Finally some official word from Arsenal!

'Due to adverse weather conditions, the FA Cup fourth round replay against Cardiff City scheduled for February 3rd at 7-45pm has been postponed.

'A date is yet to be determined but match tickets for this fixture remain valid.'


11:48am: News from Radio Five Live is that, wait for it, talks between Arsenal and Arshavin are continuing.

And that Keane is on 'the verge' of going back to Tottenham.


11:38am: As reported earlier... Sky are now saying that Deadline Day is set to be extended. Premier League, the FA and FIFA are apparently in talks over an extension beyond tonight's 5pm deadline...


11:36am: Man City keeper Kasper Schmeichel is looking for a loan move away from the club.


11:34am: Latest claims from the Famous Football365 Forum: Ricardo Quaresma has been spotted at the Emirates, Keane deal is 'done', Arshavin may have failed a medical...


11:32am: Sheffield Wednesday have signed Michael Gray on a permanent basis from Championship leaders Wolves.

Bristol City have turned down a bid from their Championship rivals Nottingham Forest for veteran striker Dele Adebola.


11:24am: Inter Milan have left Ricardo Quaresma out of their updated Champions League squad, prompting reports he could be offered to Tottenham in exchange for midfielder Jermaine Jenas.


11:20am: Huddersfield are set to snap up French forward Jonathan Tehoue.

Barnet have made a double transfer deadline day swoop by signing Mark Hughes and Matt Lockwood on loan.


11:05am: SSN update: Robbie Keane is on his way to London (No idea how; perhaps he can ski).


11:03am: Coventry striker Michael Mifsud is set to join Barnsley on loan.


11:02am: Hang on a moment, you might want to cancel your plans for tonight...

There's a rumour going round that the Premier League is considering extending transfer deadline day because of the weather conditions. Good grief...


11:00am Only six hours left in the transfer deadline.


10:52am: Newcastle United have reportedly firmed up their interest in Michael Johnson by lodging a bid for the Manchester City midfielder.

Coventry City have completed the signing of Livingston defender James McPake for an undisclosed fee.

Scunthorpe United manager Nigel Adkins has confirmed his interest in signing Barnsley striker Kayode Odejayi.


10:47am: Norwegian forward Rune Lange hopes to complete a move to Hartlepool after visiting the League One club.


10:40am: SSN claim that Spurs have tabled an improved bid for Robbie Keane and that Liverpool have promised to give them an answer by 12pm. The offer, though, is cash-only offer...


10:32am: Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi believes that the Bundesliga club are ready to let him leave the Veltins Arena after being linked with a possible deadline-day move to Blackburn.


10:30am: Middlesbrough have offered a new contract to goalkeeper Ross Turnbull.


10:27am: Veteran Roma defender Christian Panucci will remain at the club until the end of the season, according to his agent.


10:11am: Man City striker Jo has arrived at Everton ahead of the completion of a loan deal.


10:06am: Peterborough United have signed Manchester United defender James Chester on a month's loan.


10:00am: Only seven hours left in the transfer deadline.


9:55am: Hibernian are braced for a busy day of transfer activity after offers were received for Rob Jones and Steven Fletcher.


9:52am: Sky are now saying that Arshavin deal is off as Arsenal are not prepared to meet Zenit's valuation and the station is reporting that he is returning to Russia. If, that is, he can find an airport that is open...


9:46am: Norwich City have signed Rangers forward Alan Gow on loan until the end of the season.


9:31am: Portsmouth manager Tony Adams insists he is not worried despite reports saying Avram Grant has been linked to his job.


9:29am: Stoke City boss Tony Pulis says he is 'desperately' trying to add to his squad before the transfer window shuts and has been linked with several players, including Guirane N'Daw and Gary O'Neil.


8:53am: Bayer Leverkusen rejected a bid from Espanyol before allowing Theofanis Gekas to join Portsmouth on loan.


8:47am: Reading have reiterated that there have been no firm bids for Premier League target Stephen Hunt.


8:39am: Seems as if Andrei Arshavin has managed to make it to England despite the snow. SSN report that the Russian playmaker is in Hertfordshire - presumably that means near or at Arsenal's training base. Added to that they've now televised pics of him at a hotel about a mile from the hospital where Arsenal hold their medicals.


8:25am: Skysports.com reports that Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma on loan.


8:16am: Zenit St Petersburg have snapped up Celtic target Szabolcs Huszti from Hannover.


8:11am: Sky Sports News are saying that Aaron Lennon could be part of the deal that sees Robbie Keane go back to Spurs.


8.02am: Christian Panucci's agent has claimed the Roma defender has turned down the chance to move to Hull City.

Nottingham Forest are set to seal the signing of Hibernian captain Rob Jones.

Fulham are believed to have lodged a bid for highly-rated Spanish forward Alvaro Negredo.


7.50am: The Daily Andrei Arshavin Update Ahoy!

Sky Sports News claims that the Russian left Zenit's training camp last night in a private jet to fly to Arsenal to complete personal terms.

That's the encouraging news, Arsenal fans.

The bad news is that SSN say that a fee has still yet to be agreed with Zenit and that it was Arshavin's personal decision to leave the camp...


7.40am: Gossip of a different kind...

The Sun is repeating yesterday's story that Tony Adams is on the brink at Portsmouth and Avram Grant is poised to replace him.

One interesting new claim in the story is that, with Pompey still trying to sign players yesterday. 'Adams has been used to persuade players to join the club before being given the push'. Yikes. Now that's ruthless.


7.32am: Some of the overnight completed deals you might have missed:

Sunderland have signed Manchester City defender Tal Ben Haim on loan until the end of the season.

Shay Given revealed on Sunday night the prospect of "going places" with Manchester City persuaded him to move from Newcastle.

Portsmouth have signed Bayer Leverkusen striker Theofanis Gekas on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent deal.

Norwich City have snapped up Celtic striker Chris Killen on loan for the rest of the season.


7.31am: Fulham are believed to have lodged a bid for highly-rated Spanish forward Alvaro Negredo.


7.30am: The headline news so far is that Robbie Keane is apparently heading back to Tottenham from Liverpool.

There is some confusion about how far the proposed deal has progressed, however.

While The Guardian says a £15m bid has been made, The Daily Telegraph says it has been rejected. 'Although Anfield sources said they would consider selling the player if Spurs increased their offer considerably, Rafael Benitez's confidence that Keane will remain a Liverpool player after the 5pm transfer window closes this evening looks well placed,' it reports.

The Independent, however, claims that it's a done deal:

'Tottenham Hotspur last night clinched the £15m deal for Robbie Keane to return to White Hart Lane. Negotiations with Liverpool concluded around 11pm with Spurs confident that their former striker will sign today before the 5pm transfer deadline'

Reports also claim that Liverpool are in for Javier Saviola and that Tottenham want Internazionale striker Mario Balotelli.


7.24am: Gossipy news in very brief:

Charles N'Zogbia is believed to be having a medical at Wigan ahead of a £6.5m move.

Newcastle and Sunderland have both been rebuffed in their attempts to sign Sami Hyypia from Liverpool.

Pompey have rejected an attempt - believed to be by Bolton - to sign Sean Davis.

The Times claims that 'Hull City are in talks to sign Christian Panucci, 35, on loan after the former Chelsea defender fell out with Roma last week.'

For More Please visit www.football365.com