A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Laws moves on to Scunthorpe United
BRIAN LAWS has left Shamrock Rovers to take up the position of manager at Scunthorpe United. The former Nottingham Forest defender was installed as temporary director of football at Rovers after former manager Stephen Kenny was sacked in early September.
“Shamrock Rovers would like to thank temporary director of football, Brian Laws for his contribution to the club over the last six weeks,” the club said in a statement.
“Brian was brought in to lead the first team until the end of the season and also to evaluate the football set-up at the club.
“The board of directors has met with Brian and he is preparing a report which will be useful to the club into the future. The director of football position was always a temporary one until the end of the 2012 season. Shamrock Rovers would like to wish Brian the very best in his new position as manager at Scunthorpe United and in all his endeavours in the future.”
Laws is taking over from Alan Knill, who was sacked yesterday by League One strugglers Scunthorpe.
Happy Messi aiming to finish his career at the Camp Nou
Lionel Messi dreams of retiring at Barcelona, the club who trained him as a teenager and where he began his professional career in 2004, the Argentine World Player of the Year said yesterday.
Collecting his Golden Boot award for scoring a Europe-leading 50 league goals last season, Messi spoke of his gratitude to Barca for giving him the chance to realise his dream when they took him on at their youth academy as a scrawny 13-year-old in 2000.
Now 25, Messi has four years left on his contract and a buyout clause worth €250 million and club officials have said an extended and improved deal may be imminent.
“My dream is to finish my career at the club,” Rosario-born Messi, who is poised to become a father for the first time, said at the ceremony in the Catalan capital.
“The most important thing is that I continue developing here and I would like to do that until the end,” he added.
Messi took his senior career goals tally to 301 on Saturday when he scored twice in Barca’s 5-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.
Richards ruled out of action for up to eight weeks
Micah Richards will be out for six to eight weeks after tearing a cartilage in his knee during Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Swansea City on Saturday.
Richards required oxygen on the pitch after appearing to twist the knee unchallenged when turning to clear a cross in the 84th minute of the match at the Etihad Stadium, with the length of the treatment he required contributing to the match’s record 12 minutes of added time.
Richards had missed the opening of City’s season due to an ankle injury he incurred playing for Great Britain during the London 2012 Olympics.
It capped a bad week for the defender, who was reprimanded by City manager Roberto Mancini for publicly questioning his defensive tactics during the team’s 3-1 defeat by Ajax.
Hughton changes tactics to accomodate Hoolahan
Norwich manager Chris Hughton has admitted to changing his tactics to accommodate Canaries playmaker Wes Hoolahan.
The Republic of Ireland international (30) has been an integral part of the first team since he moved to Carrow Road from Blackpool in 2008.
He played a key role in last season’s 12th-placed finish but did not seem to have a place in Hughton’s starting line-up when the former Newcastle boss replaced Paul Lambert as manager in June.
However, Hughton has revealed he has always appreciated Hoolahan’s ability and that opinion has not changed in the first four months of his tenure as Norwich boss.
“My view of Wes hasn’t changed. Before I came here I knew he was a good, influential player,” he said. “Wes is a good player. He was a good player before I came here. So he’s certainly not going to become a bad player overnight.”
Hoolahan is relishing playing just behind striker Grant Holt and put in a great cross for Michael Turner’s equaliser in Saturday’s draw at Aston Villa.
Messi nominated for fourth award
Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is in line to become the first man to win the World Player of the Year award for the fourth time in a row after the shortlist for Fifas Ballon d’Or was published yesterday.
The 25-year-old, was among the 23 players named in the list which includes Real Madrid and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, runner-up to Messi in last year’s vote.
Andres Iniesta of Barcelona, named the Player of the Tournament after Spain retained their title at Euro 2012 is also included as is Radamel Falcao, who has been in brilliant scoring form all year for Colombia and Atletico Madrid
Ten men are also named on the shortlist for Coach of the Year Award including Vicente del Bosque, who led Spain to the Euro 2012 title in Ukraine and Poland in July, and Chelsea manager, Roberto di Matteo.
PLAYER NOMINATIONS: Aguero (Arg), Alonso (Spa), Balotelli (Ita), Benzema (Fra), Buffon (Ita), Busquets (Spa), Casillas (Spa), Ronaldo (Por), Drogba (Ivory Coast), Falcao (Col), Ibrahimovic (Swe), Iniesta (Spa), Messi (Arg), Neuer (Ger), Neymar (Bra), Ozil (Ger), Pique (Spa), Pirlo (Ita), Ramos (Spa), Rooney (Eng), Toure (Ivory Coast), Van Persie (Neth), Xavi (Spa).
