15-point penalty
Leeds have been told by the Football Association that there will be no further inquiry into their 15-point penalty.
United were handed the punishment last month after a turbulent summer which saw them enter administration until Ken Bates' controversial deal to buy back the club.
The club's initial appeal against the deduction was rejected at a meeting of all Football League chairmen before the season started, but they had hoped they would be given the chance to have their case heard by an independent review panel.
But tonight they received notification that the FA do not feel it is right to carry on appealing.
A statement on the club's website read: 'Leeds United have been informed by the Football Association that they do not believe it appropriate for there to be any further inquiry into the decision and the process adopted by the Football League surrounding the club's 15-point deduction.'
Chief executive Shaun Harvey added: 'We are amazed that the Football Association do not feel it is appropriate to intervene in a matter which we believe is fundamentally wrong and sets a dangerous precedent for the future.
'We will fully reflect on this surprising decision and are taking the advice of our legal team. We will not be making any further comment at this time.'
United, who were deducted 10 points in May after going into administration, were hit with the further penalty last month when they were handed their Football League share.
They have, however, already wiped out the entire deduction after winning their first seven Coca-Cola League One games and sit on six points as they look to bounce straight back into the Championship under manager Dennis Wise.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Leeds lose out in demand for inquiry
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Next in line to succeed Henry?
by Bruno Salla
Despite all the debate around Thierry Henry's departure from Arsenal, Emmanuel Adebayor has not let the added pressure of replacing the Frenchman affect his game and, so far this season, has proven that he could be the Gunners' new attacking sensation. 
The tall striker netted a hat-trick against Derby and has been in top form this season.
The tall striker netted a hat-trick against Derby and has been in top form this season.
With five goals in his last two Premier League games, the unpredictable Togolese striker, who according to Wenger brings a strong physical impact to the side, is currently in the form of his life.
He caught up with ESPNsoccernet's Bruno Salla for a quick interview.
Q. Arsenal have been the target of many critics during the off season but now lead the Premier League with 16 points. Is this revenge for the team?
A. No it's not. We are just very happy. At the start of the season, people wouldn't give us a chance to finish ahead of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. We accepted it, but we really wanted to show those people that they were wrong.
We have a very talented team, that plays attractive football and which can win a trophy this season. Predictions don't interest me much, in May we will see who will be Champions.
Q. One of the main differences with last season is that Arsenal are competitive at home, impressive I should even say. What has changed?
A. The confidence. It is getting better and better each day, as last season we were struggling on the pitch due a lack of confidence. We started the championship with two or three draws and it affected us. We didn't know what to do, we were not playing intelligently. So far this season, the team is playing without pressure, just focusing on its football and with confidence. It is a good thing for the players and the coach. We are happy all together; we always try to go forward on the pitch with the desire to win.
Q. Does this make Arsenal a serious contender for the title this season?
A. It is too early to say that. The road is still very long. We just want to keep on improving and going one step further each game. We are playing very well currently and we learn a lot. Everybody has seen how mature we have been so far and now each player knows how to play for 90 minutes. Even when we are behind, we don't panic. We have to keep this dynamic. We control the ball, that makes everything easier and makes it more difficult for our opponents.
Q. When Thierry Henry left, it's fair to say some of the players and fans were expecting the worst. Were you also worried?
A. When Thierry left, I guess many players, like me, had doubts. Thierry was very important for the team and the club. He was carrying all the pressure on his shoulders when the team wasn't playing well, although he wasn't responsible for it he was the one that was criticised. And he was OK with that. He didn't complain. This season, there is no star in the changing room, if there's something wrong the whole team is criticised and not only one man. We are all in the same boat.
Q. Did you fear that Arsène Wenger would not extend his contract?
A. Yes. If he also left, then we would have been knocked out, like a hammer to the head. He stayed and that is great news, a relief. He is doing an excellent job.
Q. When talking about Henry's successor, people pointed out Robin Van Persie and Eduardo but not yourself. Did that upset you?
A. It's just part of a footballer's life I guess. You have to give the people the freedom to judge. And for most of them, it is still Robin or Eduardo, there's nothing I can say about that. I can only play well and we will see the outcome at the end of the season. Then we will see who has replaced Thierry. It is useless to say 'It's me' or 'It's him'. The squad is young; we are willing to win trophies together and not to think about who is going to be the new Thierry.
I don't ask myself too many questions, I'm focussed on the pleasure I can get from playing on the field. Against Tottenham, for example, I scored a beautiful goal and I was very happy afterwards. But gaining the three points for the team was the most important thing and we also achieved that.
Q. Are you back in your best shape after the injury troubles you have been through over the summer?
A. I was feeling really well physically and mentally before my injury in Austria. That was really hard to accept and to live with at the start. It really affected me. I knew I would miss the first two or thee games of the season and there's nothing more important than the summer's preparation. But now I'm back and I'm playing. I can't play three games a week yet as I'm not at 100% - perhaps only 80% I'd say. It will take some time but I will get there.
Q. Since the World Cup in Germany, you have been refusing to play with the Togolese team. What's going on and will you change your mind?
A. There were many controversies surrounding the bonus issue. The problems are still there and though we are trying to solve it will take time. When you are African you have to learn to handle these things (laugh). We have a very important game at home against Mali in October and we have to concentrate on winning to qualify for the African Nations Cup.
Arsenal flourish in age of change
Arsene Wenger's vice-like grip over the reins of power at Arsenal is matched, if his testimony is accurate, by his grasp on the remote control in his North London house. 
Gilberto: Brazilian changeling converted from midfielder to centre-half.
The Arsenal manager is adamant his viewing habits do not extend beyond the global game. Yet if Wenger ignores the plethora of home makeover shows, his management shares similar principles.
Operating where potential is the operative world and the value of an asset can be multiplied if used for a different purpose, Wenger's ability to reinterpret players means he sees more than flesh and bones where others identify more than mere bricks and mortar.
Where some players' positions are set in stone, Arsenal's must be altogether more malleable. More than any of his contemporaries, Wenger has shown a willingness to alter his charges' duties. The two latest to discover his zeal to amend them are Gilberto Silva and Emmanuel Eboue. The Brazilian's solidity was invaluable in midfield last season, but there is increasing evidence that Wenger views his future in defence.
If Gilberto's outings at centre-back last season were seen as an emergency measure and his first appearance of the season there, against Manchester City, was a consequence of Philippe Senderos' late withdrawal, Arsenal's business at the end of the transfer window was telling nonetheless.
It involved the arrival of an anchor midfielder, Lassana Diarra, and the departure of a central defender, Johan Djourou, albeit on loan. Excluding Gilberto, that has left Arsenal with three specialist centre-backs and five central midfielders.
Moreover Diarra, like his fellow Frenchman Mathieu Flamini, is best suited to the holding role in midfield that was Gilberto's domain.
Add in Abou Diaby's physicality, which compounds his physical resemblance to Patrick Vieira, and his aptitude for a tackling role is evident. Cesc Fabregas' emergence as the dominant figure in the centre of pitch means a solitary spot is available alongside him and Arsenal's 'Invisible Wall' is, it appears, becoming a defensive barrier.
But while Gilberto moves backwards, Eboue appears to be making the opposite journey. In his brief career as a first-choice, the Ivorian has emerged as the most exhilarating right-back in the Premier League.
Now Eboue, the closest equivalent to Cafu seen in England, seems to have been told to make his turbo-charged bursts from a more advanced position on the right flank. The sale of Freddie Ljungberg, following 12 months after Robert Pires and Jose Antonio Reyes made their final Arsenal appearances in the Champions League final, has left a shortage of specialists on the wings.
If some measures since then - such as the very right-footed Diaby's occasional station on the left of midfield - appear a stop-gap, others, like Eboue's move, have an air of permanence about them. This is, in part, because of the recruitment of Bakary Sagna, who shares many characteristics with Eboue. The French right-back's assured start, especially on his Champions League bow against Sevilla, suggests he has been signed as a first choice.
The ability to identify the attributes that would enable a player to prosper elsewhere has long been a hallmark of Wenger's.
Others deployed on the flanks have been, or will be, subject to his conversions. Tomas Rosicky and Alexander Hleb both arrived as central midfielders. Neither has been fully remodelled as a winger, as their tendency to drift infield shows, but both are perceived differently in the Premier League than they were in the Bundesliga. Prior to that, Pires and Ljungberg, hitherto usually central players, found themselves redefined as the wide midfielders. Theo Walcott, meanwhile, knows his long-term switch will be to a striking role, even if it will not happen for several seasons.
The precedent for that has been set. Thierry Henry was an exceptionally quick winger when Wenger bought him. He left as Arsenal's record goalscorer and the most notable example of the Arsenal manager's facility to recognise talent and where it could be best deployed.
Henry, however, is not alone. Emmanuel Petit was Monaco's left-back when Wenger persuaded him to divert his taxi to Tottenham to visit his old manager. Within 12 months, he had formed half of an impenetrable barrier Wenger had constructed in front of the Arsenal back four (with Patrick Vieira), helped them to the double and become a World Cup-winning midfielder.
Lauren was recruited as a midfielder and found himself reinvented as a right-back. Kolo Toure spent his first season at Arsenal as a multi-purpose substitute, seen most often in midfield and, unsuccessfully, as a left-back against PSV Eindhoven.
When Tony Adams retired, Toure was placed in the heart of the defence for the Community Shield against Manchester United. It was interpreted as a short-term switch, but was the prelude to a permanent move. Four years later, he ranks among the division's best defenders, his initial season appearing an excellent apprenticeship in Arsenal's ways.
Operating where potential is the operative world and the value of an asset can be multiplied if used for a different purpose, Wenger's ability to reinterpret players means he sees more than flesh and bones where others identify more than mere bricks and mortar.
Where some players' positions are set in stone, Arsenal's must be altogether more malleable. More than any of his contemporaries, Wenger has shown a willingness to alter his charges' duties. The two latest to discover his zeal to amend them are Gilberto Silva and Emmanuel Eboue. The Brazilian's solidity was invaluable in midfield last season, but there is increasing evidence that Wenger views his future in defence.
If Gilberto's outings at centre-back last season were seen as an emergency measure and his first appearance of the season there, against Manchester City, was a consequence of Philippe Senderos' late withdrawal, Arsenal's business at the end of the transfer window was telling nonetheless.
It involved the arrival of an anchor midfielder, Lassana Diarra, and the departure of a central defender, Johan Djourou, albeit on loan. Excluding Gilberto, that has left Arsenal with three specialist centre-backs and five central midfielders.
Moreover Diarra, like his fellow Frenchman Mathieu Flamini, is best suited to the holding role in midfield that was Gilberto's domain.
Add in Abou Diaby's physicality, which compounds his physical resemblance to Patrick Vieira, and his aptitude for a tackling role is evident. Cesc Fabregas' emergence as the dominant figure in the centre of pitch means a solitary spot is available alongside him and Arsenal's 'Invisible Wall' is, it appears, becoming a defensive barrier.
But while Gilberto moves backwards, Eboue appears to be making the opposite journey. In his brief career as a first-choice, the Ivorian has emerged as the most exhilarating right-back in the Premier League.
Now Eboue, the closest equivalent to Cafu seen in England, seems to have been told to make his turbo-charged bursts from a more advanced position on the right flank. The sale of Freddie Ljungberg, following 12 months after Robert Pires and Jose Antonio Reyes made their final Arsenal appearances in the Champions League final, has left a shortage of specialists on the wings.
If some measures since then - such as the very right-footed Diaby's occasional station on the left of midfield - appear a stop-gap, others, like Eboue's move, have an air of permanence about them. This is, in part, because of the recruitment of Bakary Sagna, who shares many characteristics with Eboue. The French right-back's assured start, especially on his Champions League bow against Sevilla, suggests he has been signed as a first choice.
The ability to identify the attributes that would enable a player to prosper elsewhere has long been a hallmark of Wenger's.
Others deployed on the flanks have been, or will be, subject to his conversions. Tomas Rosicky and Alexander Hleb both arrived as central midfielders. Neither has been fully remodelled as a winger, as their tendency to drift infield shows, but both are perceived differently in the Premier League than they were in the Bundesliga. Prior to that, Pires and Ljungberg, hitherto usually central players, found themselves redefined as the wide midfielders. Theo Walcott, meanwhile, knows his long-term switch will be to a striking role, even if it will not happen for several seasons.
The precedent for that has been set. Thierry Henry was an exceptionally quick winger when Wenger bought him. He left as Arsenal's record goalscorer and the most notable example of the Arsenal manager's facility to recognise talent and where it could be best deployed.
Henry, however, is not alone. Emmanuel Petit was Monaco's left-back when Wenger persuaded him to divert his taxi to Tottenham to visit his old manager. Within 12 months, he had formed half of an impenetrable barrier Wenger had constructed in front of the Arsenal back four (with Patrick Vieira), helped them to the double and become a World Cup-winning midfielder.
Lauren was recruited as a midfielder and found himself reinvented as a right-back. Kolo Toure spent his first season at Arsenal as a multi-purpose substitute, seen most often in midfield and, unsuccessfully, as a left-back against PSV Eindhoven.
When Tony Adams retired, Toure was placed in the heart of the defence for the Community Shield against Manchester United. It was interpreted as a short-term switch, but was the prelude to a permanent move. Four years later, he ranks among the division's best defenders, his initial season appearing an excellent apprenticeship in Arsenal's ways.
Emmanuel Eboue has found his attacking impetus employed further forward.
Flamini, having had his, found Wenger had identified qualities the midfielder himself did not know he possessed, enabling him to become an accomplished left-back at the end of the 2005-6 season. It was such an unexpected switch that it prompted the thought: what next? Jens Lehmann, with his temper, would make a fearsome midfield enforcer.
As Pascal Cygan's ventures at left-back (not to mention his displays in the centre of the defence) showed, Wenger's talent-spotting is not flawless.
Yet when comparative unknowns such as Toure and Denilson develop into coveted players, it should give Gilberto and Eboue confidence in Wenger's ability to redefine them. It shows that some of the qualities required to be an Arsenal player - principally technique and pace - enable them to prosper in several positions and such resourcefulness often renders further forays into the transfer market unnecessary.
But just as Arsenal's identity has been transformed under Wenger, so has that of some of their players and perhaps his version of home improvements, including the alterations he is making to Gilberto and Eboue's game, will convert Arsenal back into title challengers.
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