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The Punjab Cricket Association approved a budget of Rs 3.5 crore for2001-02 at its annual general body meeting at the PCA stadium inMohali on Sunday, laying emphasis on coaching and equipment fordistrict associations beside creating a unique benevolent fund schemefor former Punjab cricketers, a huge increase in the inter-districtchampionship prize money, and advancement of the Centre of Excellenceplan.Addressing newsmen after the meeting of the PCA, its president,Inderjit Singh Bindra said that the association would spend a majorchunk out of the budget amounting to Rs 30 lakh on coaching of playersand providing equipments.The association had increased the prize moneyfor the inter-district championships from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.Besides, the winners and the runners-up will be awarded a cash prizefrom this season onward, he added.Bindra further said that the association commended the outstandingperformance of state team in various age groups of the North Zonechampionship. At least five Punjab players played for the Indian teamlast season. The AGM also decided to honour Harbhajan Singh and formerIndian player Navjot Singh Sidhu for excelling at the highest level.The meeting also complimented MP Pandove for successfully pleadingPCA’s case in the Board’s Tour and Fixture committee meeting held atJaipur to host the first Test against England from December 3 to 7 andthe first One Day International against Zimbabwe on March 7 next year.Bindra revealed that a provision of Rs 25 lakh has been made in thebudget for present and past cricketers of the state under thebenevolent fund for players. The association from this season willregister every player.The executive committee also authorised the technical committee to fixall the venues of the Ranji Trophy and Deodhar Trophy matches allottedto the PCA during the ensuing season. The state teams in all agegroups, including the Punjab Ranji team, will also have a sponsor fromthis year.In an amendment of the PCA constitution carried out at the meeting,the AGM also approved the election of Prabhu Chawla (Editor, IndiaToday) and Lalit Modi (of Modi Group) as two new vice-presidents inthe association, thus bringing the number of vice presidents to five.The Modi group has agreed to sponsor the “Centre of Excellence” schemeof the association from this season, Bindra added.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has admitted that he is concerned by the number of foreign players in the English top flight, and feels it may be a detriment to the national side in the long run.

Only 38% of the players who participated in Premier League fixtures over the weekend were qualified to represent England, which is much lower than the other major European leagues.

When quizzed whether he was concerned by the figure, Scudamore admitted to wanting more home-grown players.

“In a way they do which is why we have put such an emphasis on the Elite Player Performance Plan,” he stated to Sky Sports.

“We are making huge strides under our director of youth Ged Roddy, with everybody at the Football Association and Football League on board with the development plan which is entirely designed to bring through more and better young players, coached in better environments by better coaches.

“That is not to decry anything that is going on at the moment, but we would like to see that balance reduced. We don’t want it eliminated, we still want to attract the best foreign talent we can. They have graced our Premier League, but certainly we do want to see more home-grown talent.

“You can’t get involved in numbers. I want that number increased and if it was back towards 50% that would be good, if it was higher I would only want it to be higher if the English talent was good enough.

“We’re not going to set high targets on this, it depends on how the rest of the game develops. Say we’re sat here in 10 years’ time with 100% of players English home-grown because football economies in Russia, China and the rest of the world have developed where all of the world’s best talent drains off to these places, it would be a false number,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Manchester United will play Juventus in a testimonial game for Gary Neville at Old Trafford on May 24.Neville, 36, announced his retirement on February 2 after enjoying a 602-game, 18-year career with United.

Neville, who made his senior debut against Torpedo Moscow in a UEFA Cup tie in 1992 aged 17, and was part of the side that won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League in 1999, is touched by the gesture from the club.

“I am delighted to be given this game by the club, it is going to be a very emotional night, especially as I pull on that red shirt once more,” Neville said.”I intend to savour every moment and I hope the fans can share in my special night.”

The right-back, who has been capped 85 times for England, has pledged to donate the match proceeds to community projects and supporter initiatives in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Neville retired after a series of injuries had affected his performances; and his last competitive match was on January 1 in the 2-1 Premier League win against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has confirmed that he allowed Kenwyne Jones to join Stoke City in an £8million deal because he felt the striker was not playing up to his full potential.

The 25-year-old frontman scored 28 goals in 101 appearances for the Black Cats, but Bruce felt that Jones could have done better.

He told the Sunderland Echo:“There has always been a frustration with me, and I think with supporters, who have watched Kenwyne that you see an abundance of talent, but it has not come out often enough for us for whatever reason.

“In management you get paid to make some important decisions sometimes. Stoke have been badgering me for a year. Everyone knows they love a big, traditional centre-forward and he might go and suit them.

“Towards the end with Kenwyne, things were not working out, so I have accepted Stoke’s offer and given him permission to speak to them.”

Having allowed Jones to move on, the Black Cats are poised to sign Manchester United frontman Danny Welbeck on a season-long loan.

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Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing has stated that he is eager to show Kenny Dalglish his worth in an attempt to nail down a regular starting place in the side.

The 23-year-old is currently serving a three-match ban after being sent off against Fulham on December 3rd, but may play an important part of the remainder of the season for The Reds following Lucas Leiva’s knee ligament injury.

With the Merseysiders likely to be toying with the idea of buying a new central midfielder in January, Spearing wants to stay in the manager’s plans.

“The club is massive worldwide and the owners have come in and shown that they’re going to back the manager. A club the size of this is always going to attract big players,” he told the LFC magazine.

“It has always been my dream to play week in, week out so it’s up to me to prove to the manager on a daily basis that when the transfer window does open and he has money at his disposal that he can look at a position like mine and think: There’s no need to sign anyone there – we’re pretty strong.

“Kenny has given me a lot of confidence and has shown the faith that young local lads like me need to get a chance. But half of it has to do with myself as well; the effort I put in day in, day out. There’s a lot of stuff in training that not a lot of people see.

“It’s the way I’ve been brought up because you don’t get much from life without hard work. My dad said to me that I had to take each day as it comes and prove every single day that I was better than the last one.

“The only way that I was going to get games was by working harder than anybody else in training; not necessarily show that I was better than anybody else but prove that I could compete and not be overawed – to show them I’m up for the fight,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Bolton came close to gaining a point at Old Trafford on Saturday. With the game at 0-0, Jussi Jaaskelainen’s fumble allowed Dimitar Berbatov to secure a late winner for League leaders Manchester United. But after the game Coyle refused to blame Jaaskelainen, he said ‘we win as a team, we lose as a team’. I love this positive attitude towards team unity and I think it is one of the things that has made Owen Coyle one of the best managers in the Premier League this season.

I think it is this atmosphere, where everyone is part of the team, that has seen Owen Coyle contribute to the development of Jack Wilshere. This season he is doing it again with Daniel Sturridge. Owen Coyle is fantastic at getting the best out of players, he does this by building player’s confidence; self-belief is crucial both to form and in realising potential.

One way to give a player this confidence is to just play them every game; let him know that he is valued . The other way is to make them feel part of the unit. Young lads from Chelsea and Arsenal train in a squad of international super-stars. I doubt they feel they belong at that level until they break in to the first team. But it is tough to break through because of the quality of competition. It is even harder to develop if you don’t get to play.

This year Daniel Sturridge has scored 4 goals in 6 games for Bolton – it looks like he is fulfilling his potential. Last season Wilshere spent the latter half of the season at The Reebok Stadium with Owen Coyle. He played 14 times and scored once. It might have only been a short period of playing Premier League football, but there was less pressure on Wilshere at Bolton. This way Wilshere got some experience of playing top flight football but did so under less scrutiny. The benefits of this have been demonstrated by Wilshere’s form this year.

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The last thing a young player needs is a manager who is feared. Owen Coyle is definitely not that. He is a tracksuit manager and loves getting involved with the players, so no player is isolated. Coyle tries to play all his players at darts or table-tennis, it might sound stupid but it is the type of non-formal situation to get to know your manager and it is a great way to make players feel part of the club. He also loves a to play in training sessions and has even played for the reserve team this season.

Coyle’s skills are not limited to young players; Johan Elmander has improved dramatically this year. In the previous two seasons he was a player who was strong and skilful but just didn’t seem to have the confidence a striker needs to score goals, but this season he has already scored 10 goals in the Premier League.

Coyle has taken Bolton from a team who had been accused of playing one dimensional football to a team who play good football and every player contributes. Players don’t look scared to attack, and have a great team spirit; Coyle’s enthusiasm is infectious.

Coyle is not afraid to give the likes of Wilshere and Sturridge regular first team action, he backs their ability and builds players up with confidence so they can realise that potential. Having shown that he can get the most out of players, young and old, I would not be surprised if he ends up at a top club in the coming years.

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Share this appreciation of Owen Coyle, one of the few tracksuit managers in the Premier League? Get in touch with Joe here.

Perhaps Wellington Silva will visit the renowned Owen Coyle finishing school soon…

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Veteran Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has admitted that he is desperate to be allowed to leave Craven Cottage and join Arsenal before the transfer window shuts.

The 37-year-old Australia international is reported to be a top target for Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who is keen to being in an experienced keeper to help out Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski.

New Cottagers boss Mark Hughes does not want to lose one of his star performers, but Schwarzer is adamant that he wants the opportunity to move to the Emirates Stadium.

He told the Australian Daily Telegraph:"I need it to happen. I've had a couple of chats with Mark Hughes and it's delicately poised.

"Who wouldn't be keen to go to Arsenal? At this stage in my career it's an amazing opportunity to play at that level and one I really want to take.

"It's taken a long time and the season's very close. On one hand you understand them not wanting to disrupt too many things, but I want things resolved as quickly as possible.

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"Only time will tell whether that happens or not."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

As the Premier League reaches its quarter stage, many players have excelled and impressed in the opening nine games with some high score demolitions and last gasp winners. However, some players have not been up to expectations and this is a chance to name and shame.

The Champions of last year have been embarrassed by their rivals; however they have inflicted similar defeats of their other rivals. Some teams have underachieved so far and some the complete opposite but there is no denying that some players have just been poor. Whether it be missed chances, lack of effort, goalkeeping howlers or defensive mistakes, plenty of performances have raised eyebrows this season for good and bad reasons and here is a list of the top 10 players that have disappointed so far this season.

Click on Roger Johnson to unveil the top 10 players to have disappointed this season

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Compiled by Brad Pinard

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The future of Cesc Fabregas has been discussed in detail for the last two years. Ever since he has become a top class midfielder, he has been linked to his boyhood club, Barcelona. Arsenal do not rely on Fabregas and his presence in the squad has become disruptive. I think Arsenal should sell Fabregas this summer.

If Fabregas leaves, Samir Nasri can take over the central role. Nasri has been excellent this season and I fully believe he will become as good as Fabregas (if he is not already). In Jack Wilshere, Arsenal have another exciting central midfielder. Wilshere has out-performed Fabregas at times this year and I believe he is good enough to play in a three man midfield. With the combination of Wilshere and Nasri I don’t think Arsenal will miss Fabregas.

So, not only do Arsenal have sufficient cover, but I also think Fabregas has given all he can for Arsenal. It seems to me that everyone has been talking about the fact that Fabregas has not won any major silverware, more than they do about Arsenal not winning any silverware. This is a distraction for the other members of the squad.

Before the Barcelona game, Fabregas hugged and joked with the Barcelona players. That night Fabregas looked like a kid in a playground, not a general going into battle. I cannot imagine Patrick Vieira or Tony Adams acting in this way. The night was ‘his’ not Arsenal’s; he was returning to his old club. I don’t think that benefitted anyone in the team, a captain should be more professional. At the Nou Camp, he put personal history before the future of Arsenal.

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Arsenal is a club where the future is always talked about. They have developed ‘next-year syndrome’ where improvement and development are more common than success. This is something they need to rectify. The Fabregas-Barcelona saga in the last two years has contributed to an attitude where people consider the future of Arsenal and not the present. I say let him go this summer and be done with it.

If Fabregas leaves, Arsenal could be left with between £35-45m; a huge amount of money. With that cash, Wenger, being Wenger, could buy four good players with the potential to become great. I would rather see him buy two quality players in their prime.

Which areas to invest the money would be another matter, personally I would like to see them try and involve Mascherano in the transfer, a defensive-minded midfielder, who is disciplined in a positional sense, could be just what Arsenal are missing. But there are also problems on the wing and in goal to remedy. If Fabregas leaves, who should Arsenal bring in?

I have heard many people calling for the purchase of a new defender but I don’t think that is necessary. Thomas Vermaelen is going to be fit next year, his return will make a difference. Furthermore, Djourou has developed well. Interestingly, Arsenal have conceded just 8 goals in the 17 Premier League games Djourou has started and kept 9 clean sheets.

But before I get any more carried away with future transfers, it needs to be said that Barcelona might not buy him. Their fans are definitely not convinced. Xavi and Iniesta currently boss the Barcelona midfield and are two of the best players in world football. Xavi is 31, so while Fabregas is the ideal long term replacement, he might not be a regular for another three or four years.

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I doubt Fabregas would want to leave Arsenal for anywhere other than Barcelona. So if they do not make a good enough offer this summer, the player will remain at The Emirates. This could mean another few years where the Fabregas story takes precedent over Arsenal’s.

If you agree that Fabregas should be sold this summer you can follow joe on twitter @joeaustin8

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Joe Cole has arrived in Switzerland for a medical before officially signing for Liverpool.

The 28-year-old England international has joined up with his new team-mates at a training camp where he will complete the formalities on his free transfer move to Anfield.

Cole is the first player brought to the club by new manager Roy Hodgson following his release by Chelsea at the end of the last campaign.

The Reds beat off interest from Tottenham and West Ham to sign the midfielder and club legend Ian Rush believes Cole can help bring the best out of star duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Cole is expected to put pen to paper on a four-year contract worth a reported £90,000 per week in the next few days.

"When you look at what we've got attacking-wise, we've got younger lads but we needed more experience and Cole brings that," said Rush, who is the club's all-time leading goalscorer.

"Joe could play just behind Fernando Torres. People don't know his position because he can play on the left, right and just off the striker, and I think it's a wonderful signing.

"Skill-wise he is the best in England – there is no one better.

"I'm sure Roy Hodgson will play him in every game, especially if he is playing well, and maybe getting regular football is a reason why he has come to Liverpool.

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"To get Joe to come out of London and come to Liverpool is a coup for Hodgson himself.

"A lot of people were expecting him to stay in London because that's where he was born and been brought up.

"I think this sends a sign out to Liverpool supporters that the club do mean business."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email