The Magpies are flying high in the Premier League

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Newcastle United are currently sharing equal points with Chelsea in the Premier League and together both teams are sitting in fifth place. Alan Pardew is hoping that the success of the team is going to mean they take another big step in European football in the near future.

The next match the team are going to be playing is on Saturday, when they face Wigan, a team who are already dangerously close to relegation. Newcastle recently beat Liverpool and if they win a point when they play Swansea, they are going to be able to overtake Liverpool in the league.

If the team manage to stay in fifth place or above then they are going to be guaranteed entry into the Europa League. This is something that Pardew has said he would be delighted to see.

Chelsea are managing to retain their position in the FA Cup as well as the Champions League although it is expected that their fixtures list, which is very intensive, is going to have a detrimental effect on their ability to play.

Pardew has commented, “I think we are going to be facing some very challenging matches in the future. Many of these are going to be at away venues where the team don’t tend to perform as well. We definitely have some difficult games ahead but I’m confident that if the team continue to play as they are then they will be able to get into the Europa league.”

It has been five seasons since Newcastle last played in the Europa League and it is something that fans of the football club are already dreaming of. Pardew continued, “Despite my hopes I know it is very important that we focus on the next game and not get lost in the potential future of the club. Fans can dream, but we focus on the next game.”

Patrick Vieira reacts to his comments being misinterpreted

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Patrick Vieira has recently reacted to what he thinks is a misinterpretation of comments he made about Manchester United. The Frenchman, who plays for Manchester City, recently created a great deal of controversy with fans of Manchester United, when he said that their attempt to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement in order to play was the club desperately trying to improve its game.

He says that the quotes have been taken out of context when they were used during an interview. They were initially made in order to be part of a campaign Vieira does as part of his charity work. They were made for a video about supporting the fight against starvation in Africa.

A statement released by Manchester City has read, “He gave the interview to the BBC and people have been misinterpreting the statement. Mr Vieira also feels that during the interview which was done with Dan Roan, from the BBC, the questions from the reporter were very leading with regard to seeking comment from him about Manchester United.

They were especially leading in regard to Manchester United being given preferential treatment by referees at matches.” Mr Vieira maintains that is comments have been taken dramatically out of context.

Man Utd. make hard work of it against Fulham

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In the recent big match at Old Trafford, the hosts huffed and puffed for the most part without fully exerting the influence over the ever defensive Fulham. United are now leading their rivals, Manchester city by three points in the title race. Rooney was at the right place in right time for firing the winner just three minutes before the break after cut-back at far post from Jonny Evans.

The goal has proved to be enough for three points but United were unable to further cut the 3 goal difference advantage of City despite having many chances in the second half. The cottagers has little to to offer in their 4-5-1 formation, and also had the knowledge that they had won only once at United’s ground since the year 1959.

They got a good chance early in the match but, the keeper David de Gea saved the Goal and denied Clint Dempsey. There was pressure at the other end but when Ashley Young floated over a cross, Rooney ducked underneath it.

Evans, with his presence of mind, nudged the ball back to the striker who beat Mark Schwarzer, finishing simply from close range. Schwarzer then made some smart moves saving attempts from both Rooney and Young and everyone was relieved when the final whistle blew.

The Beckhams sell up to move permanently to LA

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David and Victoria Beckham have recently made the announcement that they are going to be leaving the United Kingdom permanently in favour of Los Angeles. They are also reportedly selling their homes in France in addition to their £18 million UK property.

A source close to the couple has recently commented, “They have been wanting to sell their home for some time now. They were nervous about putting the house up for sale when the property market was in a slump and they just recently made the decision that the time for the sale was right.

It is still the case that they have lost money on the property because they conducted a great deal of renovations but I don’t think money is something they are too concerned about.”

They purchased the home, which is located in Hertfordshire, in 1999 for a reported £2.5 million. However, in this time they’ve spent over £18 million on renovations. The home now includes a petting zoo, gym, studio, swimming pools as well as tennis courts. It has also been reported that Victoria Beckham intends to buy an apartment in London to act as a base for when she is in the city for work.

Riot breaks out at football match in Athens

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A soccer match at the Athens Olympic Stadium was the scene of mass rioting last Sunday. FC Olympiakos and FC Panathinaikos are long-standing rivals and a match between them is known as “The Derby of Eternal Enemies”. Out-of-control fans underscored that enmity in a disgraceful exhibition that left 20 police officers injured and at least 50 fans in custody.

The trouble started before the game even got underway, when Panathinaikos fans scuffled with police as they tried to enter the stadium without tickets. Midway through the game, with the score 1-0 in favour of Olympiakos, an outburst of burning flares and improvised Molotov cocktails rained down on the pitch, iron bars and seats were hurled and the game was called off entirely.

This level of violence over a football rivalry is not entirely unprecedented but the fact that these “fans” showed up with weapons of destruction gives the scene an alarmingly dark side. The Greek Super League has a practice of not allowing a visiting team’s fans to attend a match. This is intended to prevent this sort of over-the-top behaviour, which has been a problem in the past, but not to such a horrific extent.

Panathinaikos faces disciplinary measures that include a stiff fine and the possibility of having to play to an empty stadium for the rest of the season – if they play at all