UK Roundup

Birmingham clinch Clapham, Clemence signings

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) -- Birmingham City has sealed two more transfer-window signings by completing deals for midfielders Jamie Clapham and Stephen Clemence.

Clapham, a 27-year-old left wing back has joined from Ipswich Town for 1.3 million pounds (US$2.09 million). Clemence, 24 and also left-footed, has cost 900,000 pounds (US$1.45 million) from Tottenham Hotspur.

Both players have signed three-year contracts, according to Birmingham's official Web site.

The pair, together with newly-signed French forward Christophe Dugarry and Senegal defender Ferdinand Coly, could go straight into manager Steve Bruce's team for the English Premier League game against champion Arsenal at St Andrews on Sunday.

Bruce, whose team lies 15th in the 20-team Premier League, has also said he wants to bring in "one other defender from a premiership club" in time for Sunday's game.

The new signings came as the club announced pre-tax losses for the year ended August 31, 2002 of 6.4 million pounds (US$10.3 million), up from 2.6 million the previous year.

Bellamy signs new deal at Newcastle

NEWCASTLE, England (Reuters) -- Wales winger Craig Bellamy has signed a new contract with Newcastle United that will keep him at St James' Park until the end of the 2006/07 season.

"I believe the club is on the verge of winning things and I want to be part of it," Bellamy said in a statement on the club's Web site Friday.

The 23-year-old, who joined Newcastle from Coventry City in June 2001, has scored several important goals for Newcastle this season and formed a dangerous partnership with fellow striker Alan Shearer.

The speedy Welshman has also starred for his country in their European championship qualifying campaign, notably scoring the winner in a famous 2-1 victory over Italy in October.

"The decision to commit myself to Newcastle United was an easy one, we have a talented young squad, and excellent manager and backroom staff and the fans are fantastic," said Bellamy.

Blackburn hints at Dunn departure

BLACKBURN, England (Reuters) -- Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness has hinted the English Premier League club may reluctantly sell highly-rated midfielder David Dunn.

Dunn's season has been interrupted by injury and poor form, with his personal life also the subject of tabloid coverage.

Souness suggested that the 23-year-old, who was called up to the senior England squad last September, might be better off at another club.

"If we ever get to the stage where David Dunn is sold, then Blackburn Rovers would be reluctant sellers, very reluctant sellers," Souness said, quoted by his club's official Web site Friday.

"There sometimes comes a time when a player needs to hear a different voice and for whatever reason we don't think David has been at his best this season.

"That has been disappointing because we all know what David Dunn at his best is like."

Dunn is currently sidelined with a torn calf muscle and is not expected to play again for at least two weeks.

Southampton release Ecuador midfielder Chala

SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) -- Southampton has released Ecuador midfielder Cleber Chala following his failure to break into its first team.

The high-flying English Premier League club said Friday it had cancelled the 31-year-old's contract "by mutual consent."

Chala, who joined Southampton in November 2001 for 350,000 pounds (US$562,900) from El Nacional, will now return to Ecuador.

"It was all very amicable. Cleber has behaved in a very professional manner. He has made a big effort to learn English and to try and force his way into the side," Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe told his club's Web site Friday.

"He has been unable to do that, not from a lack of ability but because the team is playing extremely well this season and, like several other talented players, he has not been able to get in the side."

Chala, a regular in Ecuador's World Cup team last year, did not make a single first-team appearance for Southampton, which is currently sixth in the Premier League.

He has been looking to move after being told by Ecuador he would not be picked for his country unless he was playing first-team football for his club.

Chala's compatriot Agustin Delgado remains in Southampton's first-team squad.

Everton plans China tour

LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -- Everton is planning an end-of-season tour of China in a bid to raise further the club's profile in the Far East.

The English Premier League club, currently fifth in the standings, has a shirt sponsorship deal with Chinese telecommunications company Kejian.

It also has two China internationals, midfielder Li Tie and defender Li Wei Feng in its first-team squad.

Everton spokesman Ian Ross said the planned tour was part of the Kejian deal.

"Since the deal with Kejian was announced and our Chinese players arrived, there has been massive interest in Everton Football Club from the Far East," he told Everton's official Web site.

"It will be good for the players and officials of our club to meet our new army of fans in China."

Dates and opponents for the tour have yet to be decided.

Sunderland signs Estonian keeper Poom

SUNDERLAND, England (Reuters) -- Sunderland has sealed the permanent signing of on-loan Estonian goalkeeper Mart Poom from Derby County.

Poom, who has been on loan at Sunderland since November, has signed a three-year contract with the English Premier League strugglers.

The move was confirmed Friday on the official Web site of division one club Derby County, which is trying to reduce its wage bill after relegation from the Premier League last season.

"It's great to be able to secure the services of a much sought after keeper," Derby's Web site quoted Sunderland manager Howard Wilkinson as saying.

"Poom has attracted interest from some of Europe's top clubs. He's an experienced and proven premiership goalkeeper.

"I've watched him closely for some years now and have been very impressed."

Sunderland, third from bottom in the Premier League, has been looking to strengthen their goalkeeping pool following injuries to Dane Thomas Sorensen and Norwegian Thomas Myhre.

Fulham Ladies team to go part-time

LONDON (Reuters) -- Fulham Ladies football team will change from fully professional to part-time at the end of the season, club chairman Mohamed Al Fayed said Friday.

Launched in April 2000, England's first professional women's side has won a string of trophies, but is paying the price for the rising costs of running Fulham's main team in the English Premier League.

"It was my vision for Fulham Ladies to be at the forefront of realizing the true potential of women's football in this country with the support of the Football Association," Al Fayed told the club's Web site.

"However, in the three years that Fulham Ladies has been professional, no steps have been taken by this governing body to enable the game to progress on a domestic level and opportunities for media exposure to raise its profile have been neglected.

"The mediocre advances in women's football during this period have made it impossible for me to continue at a professional level. I have invested millions of pounds into Fulham FC and the priority for me is to focus on the club's core business of Premier League football.

"Fulham shall continue to support women's football with a semi-professional team that we hope will endeavor to compete with the best clubs in the country."

Among Fulham Ladies' main rivals in a 10-team National Division, as well as FA and League Cup competitions, are the Doncaster Belles and the women's team fielded by Premier League rival Arsenal.

Leeds need to sell more players, says Venables

LEEDS, England (Reuters) -- Leeds United manager Terry Venables has said he needs to sell more players before he can strengthen his squad at Elland Road.

Venables has trimmed the Premier League club's wage bill this week with the departures of Lee Bowyer and Olivier Dacourt, but there is continued speculation that striker Robbie Fowler could be the next to leave.

"We still need to bring money in," Venables told reporters Friday.

England striker Fowler has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City, with some newspaper reports suggesting that a 7 million-pound (US$11.25 million) fee has been agreed.

"Earlier in the week it looked like something may happen and then it just took a dive and we forgot about and then it just raised its head again yesterday," Venables said.

"But as of now nothing's happened and he'll be with us tomorrow and we'll see.

"It's either going to go away or will come to something and then we'll have to make a decision."

Leeds, which plays at Manchester City on Saturday, could also lose Nigel Martyn in his search for first-team football, while midfielder Seth Johnson has been linked with Middlesbrough and defender Michael Duberry has interested Birmingham City.

Birmingham winger Stan Lazaridis, a player highly rated by Venables, could move the other way if the Duberry deal is pursued, but Venables has poured cold water on an imminent bid to sign Roma's experienced Spanish midfielder Josep Guardiola.

"I have not pursued anything along those lines," he said.

Dacourt's loan move to AS Roma could bring in around 5 million pounds if it becomes permanent at the end of the season, but Leeds received less than 500,000 pounds for Bowyer from West Ham United.

New deal

Bowyer had indicated that he would leave for nothing when his contract expired, although Venables admitted he would have liked the 26-year-old to have signed a new deal with Leeds.

"From my point of view he's been excellent in his training and everything he's done," Venables said. "One or two silly things have occurred but overall he's been fine and I was hoping he would decide to stay.

"But when you know someone is coming up to the end of their contract, you know the percentages and the odds are against you because if they were going to stay they negotiate in advance, although I was never quite sure until recently what was going to happen."

Leeds, which has put together a six-game unbeaten run, has not conceded a goal in its last three games, a sequence Venables is keen to continue as he looks to take his side into the top half of the table.

"We're doing all right and we've got to keep that up, especially when you're coming up against forwards like (Nicolas) Anelka and boys like (Eyal) Berkovic and (Ali) Bernabia, who can hurt you with their passing and their finishing.

"Anelka is a big threat. I've always rated him very highly. In the summer I was asked who was my signing of the season.

"When there are so many players it's not easy, but he was the one I said before the season started and he looks to fulfil that."

Vieira, Ljungberg out for Arsenal

LONDON COLNEY, England (Reuters) -- Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira will miss Sunday's Premier League clash at Birmingham City and fellow midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg is out for at least a fortnight, manager Arsene Wenger said Friday.

"Patrick will be in contention for next week," the Frenchman told reporters at Arsenal's training ground. "He has an inflamed groin. He's played on it, but after the Chelsea game I decided to get it cured.

"It's not a major problem... he wanted to play on Sunday and, if I had to, I could play him. But it would not cure (it) and we want to clear it completely."

Ljungberg, who scored a remarkable 17 goals for the Double winners last season, has struggled to hit top form since close-season hip surgery and is currently unable to train properly due to a painful Achilles tendon.

Wenger said: "Freddie is out for at least two weeks... with an inflamed Achilles. He had a scan and there's nothing really there. But with pain, you cannot really practice."

Midfielder Ray Parlour is short of match fitness and is not expected to face Birmingham when the Premier League leader looks to defend its five-point lead over Manchester United.

Houllier rallies Liverpool before crunch match

LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -- Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has described Saturday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa at Anfield as a "massive game for the club".

The Reds are seeking to end their worst league run in over 50 years after going 10 games without a victory to fall off the title pace.

"This game is more massive than it really should be at this stage of the season -- mainly because we are desperate to win a game," Houllier told reporters Friday.

"It is still only three points, but psychologically it is more than that because we want to put an end to this bad run.

"During the past 10 games, we could have won a couple of times and should have won a couple more times.

"There are only a couple of occasions when we did not deserve to win, so you can imagine the motivation, the expectation and the mood the players will be in for the game."

Houllier admitted all hopes of the club lifting a first league title in a decade would be over if Aston Villa are not put to the sword.

"Certainly if we do not win it will be difficult to catch up 12 points on Arsenal," he said. "We have only 18 games to play and we need to win an awful lot of them if we want to have a chance to win the title."

The Reds have been handed a pre-match boost with the news that Michael Owen is set to return to the starting line-up after two weeks out with a hamstring injury.

Owen has been sorely missed in attack, along with England colleague Emile Heskey, who remains a doubt with an ankle injury.

"Michael is all right and should be able to start the game," Houllier said. "I didn't start him against Sheffield United in midweek because it was a little too early for him.

"I knew the pitch wouldn't be the best and I also knew that he only had one training session under his belt.

"He needed to have more, which he now has and he seems ready to fire on all cylinders again."

Enforced absence

Owen's enforced absence has meant an opportunity for 19-year-old striker Neil Mellor, who made his mark with a first senior goal in the 2-1 midweek League Cup defeat at Sheffield United.

With Czech striker Milan Baros and Senegal's El Hadji Diouf also challenging for places in attack, Houllier admitted he was delighted with his attacking options.

"Neil is a good prospect for the future, although I didn't really rely on him at the start of the season," Houllier said. "However, he surprised me in pre-season friendlies by scoring three of the team's nine goals.

"Since then he has improved a lot and he is firing at the moment. I am pleased with him and right now I can tell you it is better to have a headache by having too many strikers to choose from than not enough.

"I remember some days here when too many strikers were injured and we could only play with one. Now I am spoilt for choice."

Giggs will get back to his best -- Queiroz

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -- Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has backed Ryan Giggs to return to form, dismissing suggestions the winger is no longer trying his hardest for the Premier League club.

Giggs's substitution against Blackburn in the League Cup on Tuesday was greeted by cheers from some United supporters.

He was recalled to the side last Saturday against Portsmouth in the FA Cup after being on the substitutes' bench for the last two Premier League games against Birmingham City and Sunderland.

"What is important is not to listen too much to the criticism," Queiroz told reporters. "I know and he knows he can not always perform at the same level.

"But what is important is that he keeps his focus, keeps his concentration and keeps working. He's a great player and has a lot of experience but sometimes you have a moment when you try to do the right things and things don't happen.

"A good example is the last game (against Blackburn). We can not criticise him because he doesn't try, because he doesn't run, because he was not there.

"It was just not a positive game. All of us have the right not to have a good day, and that happened with Ryan."

Queiroz backed Giggs's professionalism in attempting to play his way through his poor spell of form.

"No-one can point a finger at him for not trying. He was in the team and tried to fight for every ball. He just didn't succeed," he added.

"His attitude was professional, though. He tried to keep going and tried as much as he could to be honest in the team. The good performances Ryan gave us at the start of the season will come back."

Growing resentment

Despite growing resentment from some supporters, Giggs has played more minutes for United than any other player currently at the club.

"I cannot tell you how many games he has played, but I can tell you he is number one player at United in terms of minutes played," Queiroz said. "From the competition point of view he has reasons to be tired. I think he has played 88 per cent of minutes in all games, that includes league cup and European competition.

"What is important is to work with him, make him believe and make him play like he did in the early part of the season."

United are five points behind leaders Arsenal as they prepare to play West Brom on Saturday.

"We go there knowing they can not lose, but neither can we," Queiroz added. "They are facing a difficult position keeping the team in the Premiership. I believe that with our quality, concentration, desire and respect we can do it, but we need to work hard.

Captain Roy Keane returns to the United line-up after missing the Blackburn game with a hamstring strain, but fellow midfielders Nicky Butt and Quinton Fortune are still injured.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.