Moyes bar ‘scuffle’ case dropped

30 July 2014 Last updated at 15:28 David Moyes was sacked from his role as manager of Manchester United in April Former Manchester United manager David Moyes is no longer being investigated over an alleged scuffle in a bar in Lancashire, police have said.

Moyes was spoken to by police after builder Josh Gillibrand, 23, claimed he was attacked at the Emporium wine bar in Clitheroe in May.

Witnesses reported Moyes was abused by a group of young men shortly before he entered the bar.

Lancashire Police said no further action will be taken against any party.

It is understood Moyes, who was sacked by Manchester United in April, had been socialising with his friend, Blackburn Rovers managing director Derek Shaw.

Police said at the time there were “a number of differing accounts” of what happened.

A force spokesman said: “After careful consideration of all the circumstances in this case it has been decided that no further action will be taken against anyone.

“A thorough investigation has been carried out and everyone identified as having been involved in this incident or having witnessed it have provided accounts to the police.

“All these accounts were given voluntarily, it has not been necessary to arrest any person.

“These accounts have been considered and it has been decided that this is the most appropriate course of action.”

Moyes was sacked as United’s manager after 10 months in the role.

Before he took over at the club, he had been in charge at Everton for more than a decade.

Josh Gillibrand claimed he had been attacked at the Emporium wine bar in Clitheroe

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Liverpool beat Man City in New York

Almost 50,000 people turned out to see the top two from last season’s Premier League play in New York

Liverpool won a penalty shootout against Premier League champions Manchester City in New York after the two teams had drawn 2-2 in 90 minutes.

After a scoreless first half in the friendly at baseball’s Yankee Stadium in front of almost 50,000 fans, striker Stevan Jovetic gave City the lead.

Midfielder Jordan Henderson equalised before Jovetic struck again, but winger Raheem Sterling levelled.

The Reds won 3-1 on penalties after City missed their opening two attempts.

The top two in last season’s Premier League met in the International Champions Cup, a friendly tournament featuring eight European clubs.

Liverpool next face Italy’s AC Milan – a win for Brendan Rodgers’s side could see them reach the final in Miami – while City face Greek side Olympiakos.

Liverpool: Jones (Mignolet), Kelly (Robinson), Toure, Coates (Sakho), Enrique (Johnson), Gerrard (Lucas), Henderson, Allen (Can), Coutinho, Lambert (Sterling), Sturridge.

Manchester City: Caballero (Hart), Clichy (Richards), Kolarov, Boyata, Nastasic, Fernando, Navas, Zuculini, Milner (Iheanacho), Jovetic (Toure), Dzeko (Sinclair).

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Southampton ‘will produce more stars’

Southampton have more young players ready to break into their first team after the exit of several big names, says ex-Saints star Calum Chambers.

The 19-year-old right-back was the fifth player to leave Southampton this summer with a £16m move to Emirates.

But Chambers, who only made his Saints debut at the start of last season, believes more youngsters will come through the ranks.

“They have a great youth system… they’ll produce more players,” he said.

Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren have all joined Liverpool from Southampton, while Luke Shaw signed for Manchester United.

Chambers, whose move was finalised after only 25 senior appearances, told Arsenal’s official website:  “It has been a bit of a whirlwind for me.

“From under-21s to first-team football is such a big step. I think it is more mentally than physically challenging.

Calum Chambers has become the third youth-team product to leave Southampton for Arsenal in recent years.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain followed Walcott to Arsenal in 2011 for £15m. The midfielder has made 66 appearances for Arsenal.

Theo Walcott left the Saints to join the Gunners in January 2006. He has since made 281 appearances for the club.

Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Chambers made 79 league appearances for Saints between them.

“I have managed to keep my feet on the ground and worked hard.

“Every experience I got was such a good feeling to go out there and play against players of such quality. I just want to keep doing it more and more.”

He is the third player in recent years to move from Southampton’s academy to Arsenal following Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Although he played last season at right-back for Southampton, he started his career as a midfielder.

“I was a midfielder about a year and a half ago for the under-21s,” he said. “I saw an opportunity in the first team at right-back and thought that for my progress it would be best to move there.

“I used everything I learned in midfield – like first touch, scanning and all that – and brought it into right-back. I learnt how to play there with the under-21s and went through each game afterwards with the coaches and worked on little bits, and it just went from there.”

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Clayton training with Wolves

Former Crewe striker Max Clayton is training with Championship newcomers Wolves, reports BBC Radio Stoke.

Clayton, 19, is out of contract at Gresty Road and has spent the last few weeks at Sunderland trying to earn a deal with the Premier League side.

“We’ve got a list of players we’d like to have and some have expressed an interest that they’d like to come”

Steve Davis Crewe manager He is now at Molineux in his latest effort to find a new club for the start of the season.

Clayton has been with the Alex his whole career and scored 16 goals in 92 appearances for the League One side.

His trial with Gus Poyet’s Black Cats lasted nearly three weeks but ended without the two clubs agreeing a compensation fee for the player.

Alex manager Steve Davis is keen to strengthen his squad for the forthcoming campaign and is hoping the impending transfer for Mathias Pogba to Italian club Pescara will free up funds.

Only two players – midfielder Chris Atkinson and goalkeeper Scott Shearer – have been brought in so far, but Davis remains optimistic more will follow.

“We’ve got a list of players we’d like to have and some have expressed an interest that they’d like to come,” he told BBC Radio Stoke.

“We’re in their hands but we’re hopeful three or four of them will come to us.”

Crewe begin their League One season at Fleetwood Town on Saturday, 9 August.

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Leicester edge Walsall in friendly

Danny Drinkwater’s 87th-minute goal gave Leicester City a friendly win away at Walsall on Wednesday.

Captain Wes Morgan headed home a Marc Albrighton cross to give City an early lead and David Nugent added another midway through the first half.

Walsall pulled one back through a trialist frontman, who then set up Ashley Grimes for the equaliser.

The Foxes had the better chances, but left it late as Drinkwater struck a 25-yard effort into the top corner.

Leicester City: Hamer, Konchesky (Schlupp 68), Morgan (c) (Wasilewski 61), Pearson (De Laet 61), Hammond (James 68), King (Drinkwater 68), Albrighton (Knockaert 61), Hopper (Moore 61), Mahrez (Taylor-Fletcher 61), Nugent (Ulloa 68), Wood (Vardy 58).

Walsall: O’Donnell, Taylor (Henry 68), O’Connor, Downing, A Chambers (Kinsella 86), Sawyers (Bakayoko 80), Baxendale (Heath 80), Benning (Morris 72), J Chambers (Holden 80), Grimes (Bradshaw 68), Trialist (Webber 68).

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Van Gaal right about fitness – Shaw

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has put new signing Luke Shaw on a special fitness programme

Manchester United’s Luke Shaw has admitted that manager Louis van Gaal was right to question his fitness.

The England left-back, 19, says he underestimated how difficult the step-up from Southampton would be after his £27m summer move to Old Trafford.

Shaw said he “totally agreed” with comments about his fitness made by Van Gaal in a news conference this week.

“To play in this formation you have to be really fit. I am fit but I am not at the high level he demands,” he said.

United have adopted the 3-5-2 system with wing-backs used by Van Gaal during the Netherlands’ progress to the World Cup semi-finals in Brazil.

“I have got to get fitter to get up and down. It’s something I have got to work on,” added Shaw, who has been put on a special fitness programme by the United manager.

Player From To Amount (£m) Date

He only played in Tuesday’s penalty shoot-out win over Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup  in Washington because youth product Reece James pulled out of the match with injury.

Shaw says the demands of preparation and training at United were “a surprise”.

“I didn’t come into United thinking it would be much harder,” he said. “That’s something I think I made a mistake on.”

Shaw, the world’s fourth most expensive defender, was as a second-half substitute as United drew 0-0 with Inter before winning a penalty shootout 5-3.

“I felt great. I could have played another 45 so that’s something that shows there is a progression there after the last game,” Shaw added.

“The focus is now to get fitter and fitter and be flying by the start of the season.”

Darren Fletcher scored the match-winning penalty in United’s 5-3 shootout success over Inter

Van Gaal reckons his side were good value for their win.

“We deserved the victory, I think,” he said. “I am pleased not only because of the way we kept possession, but because of the quality of the opponent.”

United now fly to Detroit for Saturday’s match against Real Madrid, expected to take place in front of a 100,000 crowd. Real forward Cristiano Ronaldo could be fit to face his former club, with coach Carlo Ancelotti saying the World Player of the Year was recovering well from a knee injury.

The Champions League winners were beaten 1-0 by Roma in Dallas on Tuesday, Francesco Totti scoring the Italian side’s winner.

A win on Saturday for United, who beat Roma in their first match, will see them qualify for the final of the friendly tournament on Monday, 4 August in Miami, where they could face Manchester City or Liverpool.

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Glazers in £88.7m Man Utd share sale

31 July 2014 Last updated at 00:16 Malcolm Glazer (right) with his sons Joel and Bryan. Manchester United’s US owners are set to pocket about $150m (£88.7m) by selling more of their shares in the club on the New York Stock Exchange.

The club said the Glazer family is selling eight million shares, or about 5% of the business.

The Glazers, who will keep control of the club, previously sold 10% of their holding via a stock listing in 2012.

The deal comes two months after Malcolm Glazer died. His six grown children control the club.

The latest share sale was announced on a day when United shares closed at $19.31 apiece.

The Glazers bought United for £790 million ($1.34bn) in 2005.

Once the shares are sold, the six children of the late Mr Glazer will still own more than 80% of the club’s total shareholding.

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Real Sociedad v Aberdeen

Continue reading the main story Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has no fresh injury worries for his side’s visit to Real Sociedad in the third round of Europa League qualifying.

Long-term absentee Clark Robertson is the only Dons player not available.

New midfield signing Jeffrey Monakana, 20, is available after joining McInnes’s side on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.

A place in the play-off round is the prize for the eventual winner of the tie.

The Pittodrie outfit made it to the third qualifying round by beating FC Groningen of the Netherlands.

After the first leg finished goalless, Aberdeen picked up an impressive 2-1 win away from home to book a date with Spanish outfit Real.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: “It’s par for the course in any cup competition, the further you go you’re always going to come up against good opposition.

“In the last round we were confident we could get a result, without being over-confident, and we’re always confident we can get a result regardless of the opposition, but it would be a huge surprise to everyone if we got through this tie.

“Any team that qualifies for European competition from La Liga deserves all the respect, they’ve certainly got good players and we’ll have to play well.

“But we have that game advantage, in terms of playing competitive matches, over them and hopefully that proves pivotal and helps us get the outcome we want.

“Any time you get a result like that [Groningen] it can only serve you well going forward.

“There’s no getting ahead of ourselves but it shows what can be done and we showed different aspects of our play that were good enough to win the tie. Over the two legs the better team went through.”

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Birmingham wrap up Johnstone deal

Johnstone has scored two goals in six games for the Scotland Under-19 side.

Birmingham City have signed Celtic’s Scotland Under-19 striker Denny Johnstone on a three-year contract.

The 19-year-old has been on trial with the Championship club over the last few weeks and completed his move after a compensation fee was agreed.

“Negotiations with Celtic have been long but we got there in the end,” Blues boss Lee Clark said.

“The board have backed me because I feel the boy can offer future value to the squad.”

Birmingham’s new recruits for 2014-15

Grant Hall (Tottenham, season-long loan)

Clark told the club website:  “Celtic wanted to keep him, but the boy wanted to move on. Two unnamed Scottish Premier League clubs also wanted to bring him in as their number one striker.”

Johnstone, who has won six caps for Scotland’s Under-19 side, came through the academy system at Parkhead and was a regular in Celtic’s Uefa Youth League side last season.

He becomes Birmingham’s 10th summer signing and the Blues manager is confident his new recruit has the qualities to stand out.

“I just think Denny will give us something different to the other strikers we have at the club,” he said.

“He’s very competitive and can hold the ball up well, but he’s also got terrific movement in and around the box.”

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QPR trialist Collison plays in draw

Former West Ham United midfielder Jack Collison played 90 minutes on trial for QPR in their 0-0 draw at Southend.

Collison left Upton Park at the end of last season after being sidelined by a persistent knee injury, but impressed during the friendly at Roots Hall.

QPR lined-up in a 3-5-2 with wingers Matt Phillips and Michael Petrasso starting in a makeshift forward line.

South Korean left-back Yun Suk-Young made his first appearance for the Hoops since returning from the World Cup.

QPR: Murphy (Lumley 46), Harriman, Onuoha, Hill, Donaldson (Kpekawa 79), Suk-Young (Sutherland 46), Collison, Faurlin, Petrasso (Comley 64), Phillips (Sendles-White 62), Doughty.

Southend: Bentley (T. Smith), Fagan (Deegan), Thompson, Ibenfeldt, Richards-Everton (Prosser), Coker (Jordan Williams), Clifford (Jenkins), Atkinson, Guyonnet (Cregg), Weston (Chedozie), Corr (Brown).

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