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West Ham United manager Avram Grant has promised the club's fans that there will be several more new faces at the club before the season starts in less than three weeks' time.

Despite being linked with a host of big names this summer, the only new arrivals at Upton Park since the end of last season have been Pablo Barrera, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Frederic Piqiuonne.

The Hammers have looked good in pre-season so far, securing 2-0 and 1-0 victories against Borussia Monchengladbach and Panathinaikos respectively, with Grant saying:"It was a very good week.

"The boys trained very hard, they showed a good attitude. Most of the training was of a high intensity which is not easy and they did it very well.

"We also reached our targets in the games. The first was to be familiar to the system that we are going to play this season. Second was we wanted to improve our fitness as we prepare for the league. Everything went well.

"We want to create a structure that can develop and improve the team all the time. We don't have the money of the top four, or top seven as it has become, but we can be a very good team with a vision for the next years.

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"It is encouraging. The squad is not complete yet, we told the players we want to make the squad as strong as we can. Even if the club are limited with money, because we are in debt, we know what we are doing and we know we want to do.

"The owners are trying to give their best for the team so we will buy or loan a few more players. Even if I don't like loans so much – most players here will be players for the long term."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

The Euro 2012 draw has been made and it’s good news for England who will be playing in Group D against hosts Ukraine, Euro 2000 winners France and recent friendly opponents Sweden. As a result of the draw the England Euro 2012 odds have proven very popular with punters wanting to take some early value on Fabio Capello’s side.

England fans will be thinking “It could have been a lot worse after that draw”, England were second seeds just like Germany and could have ended up in a group with Holland, Portugal and Denmark. Instead it was Germany who took the remaining spot in Group B. England were widely available at around 11/1 before the draw with many bookies but most have shortened, including William Hill who now only offer 7/1.

Republic Of Ireland are in Group C in a tough group with Spain, Italy and Croatia. Republic Of Ireland got a draw the last time they played Spain in a major tournament in 2002 and they’d love the same result again. Group A looks the more favourable group with hosts Poland taking on Russia, Greece and Czech Republic. The problem is the two qualifiers from the weakest group will meet the two qualifiers from Group B which looks the toughest group so the runners up in Group B won’t be too disheartened at having to play a group winner.

England will be without the suspended Wayne Rooney for the beginning of the tournament but recently beat Spain without the striker and also beat Group D opponents Sweden 1-0 without Rooney which is a good sign for England’s chances. England’s recent results against France and Ukraine haven’t been as good though, in a friendly against France in November 2010 where Fabio Capello experimented with his team England were beaten 2-1 at Wembley whilst England have two fairly recent competitive matches against Ukraine from World Cup 2010 qualifying. England beat Ukraine at Wembley but lost the away tie 1-0 which is a worry.

Most will expect England to at least qualify from this group but winning the group will be very important as the runners up in Group D will take on the winners of Group C, which will in all likelihood be Spain. Winning the group would probably mean a quarter final against Italy which looks a much more favourable tie. England are favourites to win the group at around 6/4 whilst France are 2/1 in the Euro 2012 group betting.

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle was pleased with the draw, he told Sky Sports news “Nothing threatening there, we should be able to qualify, all in all a very good draw for England” whilst current England manager Fabio Capello declared himself “satisfied” with the draw and stated that he thought Spain were still the favourites.

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It has been many years since Wayne Rooney wasn’t the favourite to be England’s top scorer at a major tournament but his suspension means that Darren Bent is 11/2 favourite to score the most goals for his country, Ashley Young is next best at 7/1 whilst Wayne Rooney is 8/1 despite the fact he will miss at least half the games that England play at Euro 2012. For more betting opportunities at Euro 2012, click here.

Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu hailed the quality of his young squad after they bundled Roma out of the Champions League.Roma fell 3-0 at Shakhtar on Tuesday to crash out of the Champions League last-16 with a 6-2 overall aggregate.The Ukrainian champions were aided by the dismissal of Roma defender Philippe Mexes, whose rough treatment of Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano left Roma needing three goals with 10 men in below-freezing conditions.Lucescu said he never doubted his side would make it through to the quarter-finals of Europe’s most prestigious tournament.”We prepared well, knowing we couldn’t afford to lose the margin we earned in Rome,” Lucescu said.”We had problems at the beginning as Roma produced some strong football but we were well-organised and managed to rearrange and eliminate errors during the match.””We attacked well and after we scored the first goal we stopped thinking about Roma because the cooperation and coordination between our players grew much stronger.””We have many youngsters who are very quick and they showed it. I am very happy with my lads; they have a great future ahead of them.””One cannot think that we won only because Roma were reduced to 10 men. We played very well against 11 men too, and would have won as well.””I expected a result like this because I have trust in my team; I trust in our preparations, in the atmosphere at our stadium, in our supporters.”Roma boss Vincenzo Montella was always going to struggle to help his side overturn the deficit they suffered under his predecessor Claudio Ranieri, especially given Shakhtar have not lost at home in any competition since October 2008.But the Italian found reason to be hopeful for the future in his coaching debut at European level.”Ahead of the game I asked my players to prove that we are improving regardless of the result and qualification,” Montella said.”I’m satisfied because the approach was very good and we played very well while it was 11 against 11.””Then Mexes was sent off and it’s difficult to play at this level with 10 men, especially against a side like Shakhtar; they are very good at keeping possession and use all parts of the pitch.””We played a good game but once again we finished with ten men and we had a few players booked for fouls we could have avoided.””I think we are improving and we shouldn’t be demoralised by this defeat – that was the main problem in the team when I arrived.”

England captain Steven Gerrard is hoping to play a more advanced role against Algeria in Friday's make-or-break World Cup encounter.

Gerrard believes the return of a fit-again Gareth Barry to the anchor role in midfield from the side that drew 1-1 with the United States in their Group C opener last week will give him more licence to attack.

"I should imagine I will play in a more forward and attacking role and that suits me," said the Liverpool midfielder.

"It's great to have Gareth back and available, hopefully he'll provide protection for the two centre-halves."

Head coach Fabio Capello has broken with tradition to confirm that Barry will start against Algeria after shaking off an ankle injury but has kept the rest of his plans under wraps.

Reports claim that he will stick with Robert Green despite the goalkeeper's costly error against the US.

Jermain Defoe could partner Wayne Rooney in attack in place of Emile Heskey.

"I have made up my mind, but I will announce the team on Friday and the players will find out on Friday," said Capello when asked about his potential line-up for the game in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, Capello is also keen to dismiss suggestions that Algeria are the weakest team in the group following their opening defeat to Slovenia.

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"They have scored a lot of goals. Algeria are dangerous at free-kicks and corners. Also on counter-attack they play very well," he explained.

"I saw all the games that have been played. Not one game is easy. It will be a big mistake to think this game will be easy."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Fantasy Football returns hand-in-hand with Premier League football after a positive week for the England during the international break. So who’s looking likely to make their mark?

The Captaincy Debate

Norwich host Arsenal in the first game of the weekend. With the Gunners coming to town, it also means the Premier League most in-form player Robin van Persie will be at Carrow Road. The Dutchman needs no introduction with his current form (but he has scored eight in his last four if you needed further convincing).

Perhaps though this is the weekend RVP’s run of form comes to an end. Let’s turn our attention to the 1st v 3rd clash, and who’d have thought that would have been said ahead of a Manchester City versus Newcastle game this season. Nevertheless, the likes of David Silva, Edin Dzeko should be catching your eye in terms of potential captains. The way the Toon are playing currently, it might be worth as an outside bet considering Demba Ba as he can’t stop scoring.

Let’s move back down south to North London this time as Spurs take on Aston Villa on Monday. Even though van der Vaart has arguably been the key player for the Lilywhites over the season so far, Gareth Bale is starting to rediscover some of the form that last season led to him being lauded around Europe. He was on target for Wales last weekend as he put in another convincing appearance. Shay Given is one of the Premier League’s best keepers but Bale must be confident of adding to his recent tally.

Captain: It’s hard to veer away from Robin van Persie at the moment. Any time he gets near the 18 yard box, you think he’s going to score.

Vice Captain:  Although Mancini might rotate ahead of City’s trip to Napoli, David Silva  will probably be a survivor in the team. Even though Newcastle’s defence has been impressive, there’s not been much that has stopped the little Spaniard.

Long Term Look

This week, he might find it hard to continue to score points but in the long term, Ryan Taylor is a good player to have in your defence. Although he hasn’t exactly been the headline maker in Newcastle’s unbeaten run, Taylor is the current top points scorer in the defenders category.

The ex-Wigan man has two goals, two assists and four clean sheets. The two goals were both memorable moments, the first was the winner in the Tyne-Wear derby and the second a fantastic long range half volley which proved to the winner against Everton nearly a fortnight ago.

Whilst Newcastle’s run may well come to an end, Taylor is averaging just over 5 points per gameweek (Official Fantasy Premier League ). His price has increased at an alarming rate, so now could be the time to grab the defender before his price goes up even further.

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 For more football chat on Twitter – Follow @arhindtutt

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Real Madrid travel to Lyon’s Stade de Gerland on a revenge mission in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.With last season’s final held at their Santiago Bernabeu home, Real were determined to win their 10th European crown in front of their own fans.But they came unstuck in the first knockout round, losing 2-1 on aggregate to French club Lyon, making it six consecutive seasons in which they have failed to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition. For a team that prides itself on a rich pedigree in continental competition, yet another disappointment – coupled with poor results on the domestic front – played a major part in the dismissal of coach Manuel Pelligrini.Jose Mourinho – who lifted the European Cup with Inter Milan inside the Bernabeu – was approached to take over soon after his side’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in May last year.The Portuguese, who also won the European Cup with Porto in 2004, has made an immediate impact on the domestic front with Real. They are right behind league leaders Barcelona in the hunt for the La Liga title and have reached the final of the Copa del Rey for the first time in six years.But the most important test of Mourinho’s credentials is likely to come in the Champions League, a tournament which club President Florentino Perez is determined to recapture.Real defeated Levante 2-0 at home on Saturday and have won four consecutive matches in all competitions. Lyon beat Nancy 4-0 on the same day and also dispatched local rivals St Etienne 4-1 the week before. Claude Puel’s side have recovered from a slow start to sit third in Ligue 1, four points behind leaders Lille.Lyon also boast an enviable record in the Champions League – they reached the semi-finals last season and have progressed to the knock-out stages every year since 2004.First-choice Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez is in doubt for the French side after picking up a hamstring problem.Former Lyon striker Karim Benzema may start up front for Real against his former club.

Italian football website Tuttomercato.com have reported that Manchester City are weighing up a bid for Roma’s French centre-back Philippe Mexès, but what is the Citizens’ recent obsession with recruiting defenders?

This summer they have already signed Hamburg’s German defender Jerome Boateng for a fee of around £10.3million. Last summer they were involved in a drawn out saga for Joleon Lescott for a reported £22million from Everton.

Aside from those two they have Nedum Onuoha, Micah Richards, Kolo Toure and Vincent Kompany on the books at Eastlands and all of them can play as a centre half.

Why do they need all these defender? Surely they must think that some of the above are not up to it, or are they just being foolish with their money?

Mexes, 28, is certainly a player who comes with a reputation and his Roma side narrowly missed out on the Serie A title after finishing just two points behind treble winning Inter Milan. However, this past season Mexes has not been a regular starter as Claudio Ranieri has preferred Juan and Nicolas Burdisso as a central defensive partnership.

The French defender also failed to make Raymond Domenech’s 23-man France squad for the World Cup in South Africa…maybe he was born under the wrong star sign, but more likely it had something to do with the fact Domenech had a falling out with the player.

Despite all that his club manager Ranieri believes that he is the best French defender and has been unlucky with injuries over the 2009/10 season:

“Mexes is a first-choice player in every way.

“Unfortunately, he’s missed some matches due to injury and not because of my decisions.

“For me he’s the best French central defender. But, at the moment, Juan and Burdisso are just above him.”

Mexes has been at Roma since 2004 and has insisted that he does not wish to leave. But it is doubtful whether he would resist a big money move to Manchester City. It could also be a good move for Roberto Mancini’s club as the mooted transfer fee is believed to be just over £8million, which could be a bargain.

However, with so many players on the Sky Blues’ books already the arrival of Boateng and perhaps another defender could mean that the likes of Onuoha and Richards may be deemed surplus to requirements.

A few seasons ago Richards (a target for Harry Redknapp’s Totteham) was built up as one of the best young defensive talents in the Premier League, but you could argue that his growth has been stunted at City and it could be good for him to leave the club as he is still only 21 years of age. Also, from talking to a few posters on the BBC’s 606 it would seem as if he has come under some stick from his own fans, who argue that the player it lazy and has been found out.

As for Mexes, if Mancini wants to bring the player to Eastlands he may face some stiff competition as Arsenal and Serie A’s AC Milan are also tracking the player and are rumoured to be interested in signing the player.

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Do the Manchester City fans think that Mexes would be a wise move? Do the club need a defensive clearout?

Follow me on Twitter: ajwilliams1987

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Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers will be demanding his side remain focused for 90 minutes against Bolton at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday after they squandered a 2-0 lead at Wolves last week.

The Swans were seemingly home and dry after goals from Danny Graham and Joe Allen put them two up at Molineux only to see their lead slip as Wanderers scored twice late on to deny them a first away win of the season. Still it was their first point on the road and Rodgers will be happy with his sides performance despite their late surrender. Their passing mentality and penchant to probe is clearly working in their favour as they continue to perform above expectations averaging more passes than Manchester United with 513 per game. They’ve yet to lose at the Liberty Stadium since promotion and are yet to concede goal during that run. Everyone always says strong home form is the key to avoiding relegation and if Swansea can maintain their current run on home soil then they stand a good chance of being a Premier League team next season. One of the main positives in the past few weeks is that record signing Graham has finally found his shooting boots scoring three in as many games. He’ll be confident of increasing that tally against a beleaguered Bolton defence that has conceded a record 24 goals already this season.

It’s certainly been a testing season so far for the Trotters with thoughts of relegation creeping into the minds of supporters after seven defeats from nine and only two wins. Their victory away at Wigan two weeks ago was their first since the opening day but they fell back into old habits last Saturday losing 2-0 at home to Sunderland. In stark contrast to Swansea’s form on home soil Owen Coyle’s side can’t seem to buy a win at the Reebok Stadium with both of their victories coming on the road. It’s all a far cry from this time last year when they sat in eight place with fans daring to dream of European nights at the Reebok once again. Things have gone downhill since their FA Cup semi-final hammering at the hands of Stoke back in May. Coyle has failed to arrest the slide and their trip to Wales is unlikely to help with the Swans extremely hard to beat at the Liberty Stadium. However the history books do favour an away win in this fixture with Bolton unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Swansea last tasting victory 21 years ago. This will be the first time the pair have faced each other in the top flight and the Trotter faithful will be eager to see their side continue their good run the Welsh side and get their season up and running. They will have a small slither of insider knowledge which could work to their advantage as midfielder Darren Pratley left the Swans to sign for Bolton in the summer having spent five years at the club.

Key Players

Joe Allen – Whilst the likes of Scott Sinclair and Graham might take the plaudits it’s Allen who is making Swansea tick as of late. The Welshman has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and his endless reserves of energy in central midfield and willingness to run his socks off have made him a key figure in Rodgers’ side. Bolton will do well to handle his powerful but intelligent running.

Gary Cahill – It’s been an odd season for the England defender who has failed to reach the heights of previous campaigns. Whilst he may just be a victim of his sides collective slump he’ll need to pick up quickly if he is to keep his place in Fabio Capello’s England squad prior to Euro 2012. Has a massive job on halting the Swan’s front line of Graham, Sinclair and Nathan Dyer.

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Joe Allen received praise from team mate Ashley Williams after scoring his first goal in the Barclays Premier League last weekend. Allen also covered more ground than any other Swansea player with 12.095km Scott Sinclair has been looking good with the ball at his feet for Swansea, and has completed more successful dribbles than any other player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 49, 15 more than the next ranked dribbler, Manchester United super star Luis Nani Bolton covered 99.238km in that game compared to Sunderland’s 106.959km, with Darren Pratley covering more ground than any other Bolton player in three out of his four starts this season. Ivan Klasnic remains Bolton’s top ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index despite his early run of goals drying up. Klasnic has had ten attempts on target this season, 100% of all shots attempted, thought the striker hasn’t managed an attempt at goal in his last three appearances

Argentine club Independiente defeated Penarol of Uruguay 3-0 in their Copa Libertadores Group Eight match on Thursday.In a clash between seven-time competition winners Independiente and five-time champions Penarol, it was the Argentine hosts who came out comfortably on top at Estadio Libertadores de America in Buenos Aires.After a goalless opening 45 minutes, it was forward Facundo Parra who broke the deadlock just 60 seconds into the second half. Midfielder Cristian Pellerano made it 2-0 from a Nicolas Cabrera header on 70 minutes.Substitute Nestor Silvera capped off a comprehensive win when he struck five minutes from time.Independiente are joint top of Group Eight, alongside fellow Argentine club Godoy Cruz de Mendoza.In Group Three, Argentinos Juniors came from a goal down to win 3-1 at home to Mexican side America.Argentine attacking midfielder Daniel Montenegro struck against his countryman to put America 1-0 ahead 27 minutes in at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.But the hosts were level when Pavel Pardo fouled Santiago Salcedo inside the box moments before the half-time whistle. The Paraguayan centre-forward picked himself up to convert the spot-kick and make it 1-1 going into the break.Salcedo was on target again on 73 minutes, meeting a Gustavo Oberman corner to put Argentinos 2-1 ahead.Substitute Cristian Sanchez Prette, on loan from Romanian side Cluj, snatched a third to make it 3-1 in the 90th minute.Argentinos top Group Three with four points, ahead of America who are second with three points.Elsewhere, Columbians Atletico Junior came from a goal down to beat Gremio of Brazil 2-1.Borges had put the visitors in front just four minutes in Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, but Giovanni Hernandez levelled for the hosts on 28 minutes.John Edwis Viafara struck the winner for Atletico 16 minutes from time.

Jose Mourinho is set to be appointed the new coach of Real Madrid after the Spanish club sacked Manuel Pellegrini on Wednesday evening.

Pellegrini, who had only been in the hot-seat at the Santiago Bernabeu for one year, was widely expected to be axed after failing to land any silverware at the end of a season of huge investment in the Madrid squad.

Real lost out to Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title and saw their hopes of a dream Champions League final success at their Bernabeu home ended by a last 16 defeat to Lyon.

Meanwhile, Mourinho guided Internazionale to a first European crown in over 40 years and also a domestic double.

The Portuguese coach was strongly linked with the Madrid job 12 months ago but opted to stay in Milan for a second season.

However, all that remains is for the former FC Porto and Chelsea boss to reach a contractual agreement with Inter before he can be confirmed as the new coach of Real.

"I am willing to recognise that I have committed some errors, (but) at this moment I am absolutely convinced the incorporation of Mourinho, who is one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best, is an opportunity Madrid, who fight permanently for excellence, couldn't let pass by," said club president Florentino Perez.

"There is nobody on the board who has given an opinion against the signing of Jose Mourinho.

"On the contrary, they are enthusiastic at being able to recruit one of the best coaches in the world."

Former president Perez returned to office at the Bernabeu last summer and immediately sanctioned a summer of big-spending which brought players of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso to the club.

"The change of coach is always difficult, but we are convinced that after this first year and this first phase, now is the moment to give a new impulse to our project," he added.

"A year ago we there was a huge and unprecedented effort to configure and put together a squad capable of aspiring to the highest level.

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"We have advanced a lot, but we still have a lot of ground to cover.

"This club demands the maximum and is always in search of excellence.

"Winning and being leaders in Europe has always been the desire of our members and fans, and therefore, that's the objective of this board."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email