Tag Archives: fever-takes

Portsmouth appoint Steve Cotterill as manager to replace Avram Grant

• Former Notts County manager takes over at relegated club • ‘Steve is the perfect fit,’ says chief executive Portsmouth have confirmed the appointment of Steve Cotterill as the club’s new manager. The 45-year-old has signed a three-year deal at the cash-strapped south coast club, who were relegated from the Premier League last season. Cotterill took charge of Notts County earlier this year and led the Magpies to the League Two title before leaving Meadow Lane at the end of the season. The Pompey chief executive, David Lampitt, welcomed Cotterill’s arrival, saying: “Steve is the perfect fit for the rebuilding job we want to do here. He’s talented, ambitious, energetic and positive, with a very good footballing CV, coming here on the back of a great achievement at Notts County. “We’ve got lots of challenges ahead and like the rest of us here at the club Steve is ready to tackle them head on to bring stability and long-term success to Pompey.” The appointment of Cotterill comes just one day after creditors voted in favour of a deal to take Portsmouth out of administration. Portsmouth’s creditors yesterday voted 81.3% in favour of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) deal which will see non-football creditors receive only 20p for every pound they are owed. Although Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, who are owed £37m by the club, are continuing to challenge the CVA, the administrators are passing more control over to Lampitt. Cotterill began his managerial career at Sligo Rovers, before guiding his home-town team Cheltenham into the Football League in 1999. Short spells followed at Stoke and Sunderland, where he was assistant manager, before Cotterill took charge of Burnley for three years. Cotterill will be formally unveiled at a press conference at Fratton Park today. Portsmouth Championship Notts County guardian.co.uk

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Portsmouth appoint Steve Cotterill as manager to replace Avram Grant

World Cup 2010: David James to start for England against Algeria

• Follow Sean Ingle’s live blog and discuss the decision • Robert Green pays price for goalkeeping error against USA David James is set to be handed a shock recall to England’s starting line-up for this evening’s critical Group C fixture against Algeria after Fabio Capello decided against selecting Robert Green following his costly error against the United States. The veteran Portsmouth goalkeeper is to replace Green at the Green Point stadium after the England manager opted for experience in a fixture that the national team can ill afford not to win. Capello had been impressed by the manner in which Green recovered his poise following his handling mistake against the US , which presented Clint Dempsey with an equalising goal, but he remained concerned that his defenders’ faith in the goalkeeper had been significantly eroded. Furthermore, Green appeared nervous in front of the media at open training at the ground yesterday, fumbling two shots from Ray Clemence in one of the early drills. While the youngster, Joe Hart, has been consistently the most impressive of the three goalkeepers in training since the squad first convened in Austria ahead of the tournament, Capello has now opted for the 39-year-old James’s know-how in the hope he will provide surety as England attempt to kick-start their World Cup campaign. James won his 50th cap in the recent defeat of Japan in Graz but, having been a regular over the first year of Capello’s reign, slipped behind Green in the pecking order last season. Even so, he had been expected to start the tournament as the Italian’s No1 and was disappointed not to be selected against the USA in Rustenburg last Saturday. He will now have his chance to impress tonight. Capello is only due to speak to his goalkeepers later today to confirm who he has decided to pick, with the rest of the side to be informed some two hours before kick-off this evening. World Cup 2010 England World Cup 2010 Group C Dominic Fifield guardian.co.uk

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World Cup 2010: David James to start for England against Algeria

World Cup: Unseen photos from 1966

As World Cup fever takes hold of the country ahead of tonight’s England’s match, we take a look back to the 1966 tournament, courtesy of Life.com, at a selection of never seen before images taken by Time & Life magazine’s photographer Art Rickerby

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World Cup: Unseen photos from 1966