Ryan Nelsen has not made retirement plans; the 34 year old has stated he wants to play football for as long possible.
The New Zealand international signed for Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer in the summer and was integral in helping the London club secure their first clean sheet of the season against Chelsea.
Nelsen told the Fulham Chronicle: “I don’t know [how long I’ll play for]. I’ll just keep on going because I feel pretty good.
“I feel better than I did a few years ago because I’ve worked really hard on my fitness. I’m so lucky to at my age, be playing at the highest level. I don’t take anything for granted and everything is a bonus.
“I always have done extra bits [of work]. I love keeping fit and working. I enjoy it so I just go at it and hopefully it helps me in the long run.”
Queens Park Rangers will be eager to pick up their first win of the season when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
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Well Wednesdayites, we’re now in the midst of a glorious one-game unbeaten run, having clawed back Burnley three times in our last game, and hopefully it’s the start of a resurgence of sorts.
After a run of six straight defeats, in which we conceded 13 goals and scored only three, we’ve picked up a valuable point and can now try and kick on from that.
Yes, we scored as many goals against The Clarets than we have in the last six, but we also conceded more than two goals in a game for the eighth time this season, and lets face it, we really need to get our backline sorted. No team who wants to stay in a division can concede that amount of goals on a regular basis, it’s just not going to work.
However, on the plus side, every cloud has a silver lining and all that, we managed to come from behind on three occasions and battle our way to a point against a side that not so long ago were in the Premier League. It showed bottle, it showed a bit of fight, and to be honest, I’m not surprised that Chris O’Grady was at the heart of it.
O’Grady, who has established himself as a fan favourite at Hillsborough, made sure that Dave Jones didn’t regret his decision to start the former Rochdale man as he bagged a brace that was followed by an absolute beauty from Michail Antonio as our boys recovered from a Charlie Austin hat-trick.
As I say, we shouldn’t really celebrate a draw, we want to be winning games, but, as O’Grady has said post-match, it’s about setting positive foundations.
He said, “Getting back to where you want to go is not always about picking up a big win; it’s about setting the foundation and starting things off. That’s what we’ve done. We played well on Saturday (at Wolves) but didn’t quite get the result. Now we’ve played well and got a result. This Saturday, we’ll be wanting to build again and go again.”
We’re just above the relegation zone, have dropped dramatically off the pace which we set in the early part of the season and are now nine games in with only eight points. However, look at Charlton, the team that won our division last year, and are just one place and one point above us, they were technically better than us last season, and they’re struggling just like we are, we should have expected it.
Anyway, like I say, lets enjoy our current unbeaten run, take in the positives from the draw at Burnley and try and work against the negatives. We scored three, lets keep that up, and I think that O’Grady deserves his place in the starting line-up. He helped take us up last season and obviously cares very much about pulling on the famous blue and white stripes. As long as he’s playing out of his socks, and scoring goals, then he deserves to be there.
I’ve got faith in Wednesday, I’ve got faith in Jones, I’ve got faith in Wednesdayites everywhere to continue to back the team that we’ve so avidly supported over the years, now lets use these foundations, and build a fortress.
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Charlie Adam insists that Stoke City are in no danger of letting complacency set in simply because a run of easier fixtures are around the corner.
Stoke have had a very hard run of games in the opening eight games of the Premier League season where they have already played last season’s top four.
Their next eight games will see them play against the likes of Sunderland, QPR, Fulham and Newcastle at the Britannia and will now travel to Norwich, West Brom, West Ham and Aston Villa.
The Scotsman has acknowledged the hard start to the Potters’ campaign and insists that the next run of fixtures are even more important and could have a significant impact come the end of the season.
“There’s no reason why we should be complacent,” Adam told the Stoke Sentinel.
“And certainly not if we want to build on what we have done so far this season and what the club did last year.
“It’s great to play at places like Manchester United, but they are not the games that decide your season.
“It’s games against the likes of Sunderland that are going to influence where we finish.”
Stoke are recently coming off a 4-2 defeat at Old Trafford, despite taking the lead due to a Wayne Rooney own goal, the midfielder insists that it was simply not good enough conceding four goals from crosses.
“The goals we scored gave us an opportunity to do something in the game, but overall we are disappointed by the goals we conceded.
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“In that second half they had the quality to kill us off.
“To lose a goal a minute before half-time was crucial and then we lose a goal a few seconds after half time.”
Aston Villa are preparing to sell Darren Bent in January as his disagreement with manager Paul Lambert intensifies, reports Mirror Football.
A whole host of Premier League sides will be alerted to the availability of the England striker who has been repeatedly left on the bench and stripped of the captaincy at Villa Park by Lambert.
Villa’s record signing has been left in limbo over his future at the Midlands club after being snubbed by Lambert. He is understood to be willing to battle for his place in the team but is concerned that he further disappear out of the international picture after not featuring in Roy Hodgson’s recent World Cup qualifier squad.
Reports suggest that Villa will now seek a buyer in the transfer window for the striker they paid £18m to Sunderland for just 18 months ago and owner Randy Lerner will want to recoup at least £12m for Bent.
Bent had been handed the captain’s armband by Lambert at the start of the season but has since lost it after the arrival of defender Ron Vlaar.
The 28-year-old then lost his starting berth for the games against West Brom and Tottenham with summer arrival Christian Benteke appearing to be the preferred strike partner for Gabby Agbonlahor.
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QPR will be interested to hear about his availability with owner Tony Fernandes a long-term admirer while Liverpool are seeking a goalscorer after losing Fabio Borini to injury.
Villa are rumoured to be lining up a £5m move for Burnley’s goal machine Charlie Austin to replace Bent at the club.
Arsenal and Liverpool have shown an interest in signing Dutch star Ibrahim Afellay in recent months but it appears the winger may make his loan spell at Schalke permanent, according to talkSPORT.
Afellay starred in Schalke’s shock 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night in the Champions League group stage and it seems performances like that have prompted the German club to sign the player permanently.
Afellay is on a season long loan from Barcelona and it seems the winger is surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp, so a scramble for his signature may still be on.
Arsenal and Liverpool would have to make extremely convincing arguments as to why the Dutchman should move to England though as he is clearly enjoying his football in Germany both domestically and in Europe and Schalke look set to make their move.
“Afellay outright to Schalke? If he maintains his current form there is a good possibility,” Schalke general manager Horst Heldt told Bild.
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boss Gus Poyet wants to make Wayne Bridge’s loan move a permanent deal, but believes it could be too early in the season to open negotiations, according to Sky Sports News.
The former England international has had a spectacular fall from grace at his parent club Manchester City. The left-back was a regular for his first two seasons with the Skyblues after his transfer from Chelsea for £10million in January 2009, but has since made just three appearances in two seasons.
Bridge, who is reportedly still being paid 90k-per-week, has spent short periods on loan at West Ham and Sunderland, before moving to Brighton in the summer for a season-long loan.
At Brighton, the Southampton-born defender has been ever-present, making 14 league appearances and netting twice, despite not having recorded a league goal since his first season at Stamford Bridge in 2003.
With the exiled left-back’s contract set to expire at the end of the current season, Brighton head coach Gus Poyet has told reporters he would love to sign Bridge on a long-term deal, but admits there are difficulties in starting contract negotiations too early.
“From the club point of view, it’s very easy. From Wayne’s it’s very difficult,” said Poyet.
“We are trying to be realistic and wait. At the right time we will talk for sure because you can see he is different class.
“When the right time comes, slowly, we will probably get close to [whether Wayne staying is] a possibility or not.
“I think it’s a bit too early, especially for him.
“If I was him, it’s not a problem to ask the question or start talking.
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“But I don’t want to put Wayne in a difficult situation and him say ‘Not now’ and maybe people will think he won’t be here,” he added.
Manchester City and Manchester United will renew their rivalry with a derby day clash at the Etihad stadium on Sunday.
City emerged victorious in both Premier League encounters last season, securing a memorable 6-1 victory at Old Trafford, before snatching the second clash on the 28th April 1-0 in what proved to be a pivotal game in the title race.
There has been suggestions already that the two Manchester clubs are set to battle it out for the title again with no real competition emerging. This head to head could again prove crucial in the final league table standings.
There has also been talk that Manchester City could have a slender advantage with their sole focus being on domestic competitions following their early exit from the Champions League.
The Red Devils managed to pull three points clear of City following a 4-3 win against Reading and Ferguson has spoken about the need to shore up their defence to avoid defeat on Sunday, with City currently unbeaten.
David Silva will be given as much chance as is needed to prove his fitness for the clash but he is touch and go to feature. The only other two injuries for City are Micah Richards who has remained sidelined for some time with a knee injury and Alexander Kolarov (groin).
United are likely to be without Tom Cleverley after he limped out of the midweek 1-0 loss to CFR Cluj in the Champions League.
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There have been just five goals scored in the last six league meetings between City and United at the Etihad Stadium and no more than one in any of those games.
Reading will looking to build upon their encouraging draw against Swansea, but know that in fixtures like these they need to secure 3 points if they are to survive.
West Ham are without a win in four games and despite their promising start following their promotion to the Premier League things risk going rather flat.
The 0-0 draw at the Madjeski was hardly a classic but the clean sheet as well as stopping a run of seven consecutive defeats would have been seriously welcomed.
Now the season is over half way through its course the Royals fans will be praying that a point gleaned will spark their turn around in fortunes.
They did the double over West Ham last season and most be hoping they can achieve this feat in the Premier League.
A tube strike in London mean’t that Sam Allarydyce’s men got the day off on Boxing Day and they will be hoping to capitalise against the Premier League’s leakiest defence.
A Victory against Chelsea prematurely raised hopes that the Hammers could start to move on up towards the Europa League places. They have come crashing back down to Earth since them and pip up mid table, with just one point in nine.
Carlton Cole ready for the short journey to Berkshire, with the red card shown to the forward against Everton having been rescinded.
Carroll still suffers from a familiar knee problem whilst Ricardo Vaz Te has only just come back from a dislocated shoulder. Yossi Benayoun has returned to parent club Chelsea due to injury and Mohamed Diame is sidelined with a hamstring issue.
Reading will be revitalised by the return of Jason Roberts who is set to be available after four games out with a hip injury. Sean Morrison is set to be out with an ankle injury and Alex McCarthy remains a long term absentee.
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West Ham have scored just five away goals all season fewer than any other side and will be hoping to improve on that here.
Prediction: Reading 1-1West Ham
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Swansea manager Michael Laudrup has applauded the performances of his team so far this season, and urged them to maintain their form.
The Swans have amassed 25 Premier League points, leaving them in ninth position and within touching distance of European qualification.
Despite dropping points against Reading on Boxing Day, Laudrup is still proud of his team who have performed to higher standard than he had expected:
“Halfway through the season is a moment to stop and think about what we have achieved. The numbers are there,” he is quoted by Sky Sports.
“We have 25 points. We have a plus four goal difference and we have one of the top scorers in the league (Michu).
“I think we can be very pleased. Twenty-five points is more than I thought we would have at this stage, given half the starting XI have been new players to the club who have had to adapt.”
Swansea now face a hectic fixture schedule, as they prepare for their clashes with Fulham and games in both domestic cup competitions.
Laudrup believes that his team must push on and not relax following their achievements so far:
“We have so many games between now and the beginning of February, we don’t have time to stop and think how well we have done.
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“If you double our current points tally, that is 50. We will not necessarily reach that but the important thing for us first is to reach the magic number of 40 points the sooner the better.
“When we reach 40, then we will be able to see how many games are left and set our target for the rest of the season.”
Liverpool have taken the upper hand in the race for Norwegian defender Vegard Forren, by offering him a trial, report Sky Sports.
The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Everton in recent times, with the Toffees said to be keen on bringing him to the Premier League.
However, reports in his homeland claim that he has been invited to the Reds’ training complex by manager Brendan Rodgers, who is tempted to make an official bid for his signature.
Everton boss David Moyes has scouted the centre-half on two occasions, and is thought to be preparing a move.
Fulham, Manchester United and a number of top European clubs are also said to be monitoring his situation.
He has previously rejected a switch to Belgian giants Club Brugges, claiming that he sees his future in the Premier League, leaving the door open for the Merseyside duo.
There have been some reports that Liverpool had agreed a £4m deal to sign the 24-year-old, however these are believed to be false.
Forren has been impressive in the Norwegian Tippeligaen, helping his current club Molde to the 2012 title under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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He has drawn comparisons with current Anfield defender Daniel Agger, due to his solid reading of the game and attacking abilities.