England fans heading to Euro 2012 have been warned about the potential for high mobile phone bills because Ukraine is outside an EU-wide cap on call charges. Fans travelling with smartphones could be opening bills mounting up to more than five grand if they are not careful about their usage, according to a study by price comparison website uSwitch.com. Mobile phone networks have been forced to cap roaming charges within Eurozone countries at thirty five pence per minute to make calls, eleven pence per minute to receive calls and eleven pence to send a standard text message, as well as a fifty euro cap on data, with these caps set to fall further from 1 July. 
But this is not the case for destinations outside the EU. Based on average costs across the five major networks, using a mobile phone in Ukraine to make and receive just two five-minute phone calls per day, listen to a two-minute voicemail message and send five text messages and one photo message would run up a bill of thirty five smackers per day, according to uSwitch. And with the cost of one megabyte of mobile Internet data in Ukraine costing an average of over six quid, a smartphone user could ring up a daily data bill of two hundred and twenty eight knicker with a modest amount of video streaming, emailing, browsing websites and using services like Skype to keep in touch, the website warned. Those fans visiting Ukraine for the nine days from 11 June when England play their pool matches could have to pay an extra two thousand three hundred and sixty two knicker on top of their usual monthly phone bills. And those who stay in Ukraine from the first pool match on 11 June until the final on 1 July face a total bill of more than five thousand notes - more than eleven times the cost of a ticket to the final in the best seats, which will set fans back four hundred and eight two quid, uSwitch said. 
Or, they could just stay at home and watch it on the BBC for their one hundred and forty quid licence fee, of course. Mind you, the beer's cheaper in the Ukraine, apparently. It recommended that fans 'curb their mobile usage' and take other steps such as buying a local SIM and using free Wi-Fi to avoid coming home to a huge bill. USwitch.com technology expert Ernest Doku said: 'Watching England might be priceless, but using your mobile phone abroad isn't. Footie fans have to think ahead as using their phones while following England could add more than five thousand pounds to what is likely to be an already expensive trip. The first thing England fans going to Ukraine - or indeed anyone taking a holiday outside the EU - should do is talk to their network. They may be able to advise a bundle, or at least let you know the costs involved with using your phone abroad. Those using their phone can help to limit the damage by keeping data roaming switched off as much as possible. At the moment, O2 and Vodafone are the only networks that place an automatic cap on data usage worldwide for pay monthly customers and O2, Orange and Vodafone all send text alerts so customers can keep track of their data spend. T-Mobile has told us it plans to introduce a new system to prevent customers from running up unexpected data bills abroad and hopefully this will be in place before Euro 2012 kicks off. When it comes to calls and text messages, the best way to keep costs down to an absolute minimum is to buy a local SIM card, put it in your phone and top it up. Those mobile users wanting to go online should be on the ball and use free Wi-Fi to help keep a lid on costs.'
Alan Pardew hopes that Newcastle United's targets all 'flop' at Euro 2012 – so that the club isn't priced out of the market. A clutch of players involved in the European Championships have been watched by Pardew and his staff this season. Lille right-back Mathieu Debuchy, a close friend of Magpie Yohan Cabaye, is a possible replacement for Danny Simpson, should Simpson leave this summer as rumoured. Debuchy was this week named in Laurent Blanc's provisional France squad along with Montepellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who has also been linked with a move to yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Newcastle. Pardew's scouting team, headed up by Graham Carr, will track their progress at the championships, and the fear is that a target's price goes through the roof on the back of a strong tournament before a deal can be done. However, the flipside is that some players' valuations may drop. 'We'll be represented at the Euros,' Pardew said. 'There are a couple of players we're looking at, and as far as I'm concerned, I hope they have an awful one! The valuations will go up and down – we'll look at that. Someone's reputations will go through the roof, and someone's won't. That might affect the price.' While Newcastle, ideally, want to do their summer transfer business early, that is only possible if the selling club is ready to come to the table.
Pardew believes that many clubs will hold off doing business until after the tournament in the hope that their assets increase in value. 'Most clubs want to hold off to see how their players do,' added Pardew. Meanwhile, Yohan Cabaye says the whole is greater than the sum of the parts at Newcastle. The midfielder was a hugely influential figure in the club's fine season, which ended with a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League and qualification for the Europa League. Cabaye left Lille last summer looking for a new challenge after helping the club to the French double. His decision to join Newcastle was questioned in France. However, Cabaye hasn't looked back since crossing the Channel. The twenty six-year-old, also in Blanc's preliminary Euro 2012 squad, said he has 'no regrets' about joining United. Cabaye, is already looking forward to playing in the Europa League next season. 'Finishing fifth was beyond the expectations of the club and fans,' said Cabaye. 'We had a long unbeatean run at the start of the season, which helped gain confidence.' Cabaye is part of a growing group of French and Francophone players, among them Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Sylvain Marveaux, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Demba Cisse. 
And fitting into to United's multi-national and multi-cultural dressing room was easy. 'There are many French and African players here, as at Arsenal, so there isn't a language barrier, which makes things easier,' added Cabaye, signed for a cut-price £4.3m after being identifield by the club's chief scout, Graham Carr. 'We get along well with everyone – there really is a good atmosphere in this group. We do not exclude anyone.' Cabaye is a certainty to make the Blanc's final squad for the summer's European Championships, where France will meet England in the group stage. And he credits his move to the Premier League with helping his international career. Asked about his move to Newcastle, Cabaye told French radio station RMC: 'Newcastle was the only club with which negotiations were initiated. This was the only real offer I received, but I did not go there by default. After the title and the Cup victory in France, I think collectively and individually it was not possible to do more. I needed to grow, and I’m really happy with my choice. It even helped me to play more with Les Bleus.'
The Greedy Shit Michael Owen, who once spent four years at Newcastle getting paid a quite obscene amount of money - the equivalent of the gross national product of a small third world country - to lie on a treatment table, has revealed on Twitter that The Scum will not be offering him a new deal. Oh dear. What a pity.
The thirty two-year-old former England forward joined the Old Trafford club in July 2009, moving faster than he ever had in any match during the previous four years but has made just fifty two appearances. Bright side, Mikey, if you'd been a horse, you'd've been put out of your misery by now. 'The manager informed me after our testimonial match on Tuesday that the club would not be offering me a new contract,' said Owen. 'I have loved every minute of the three years I have spent at such a fantastic club.' Owen, who also had spells with Liverpool and Real Madrid as well as the Newcastle treatment table, added: 'I would like to thank the players, staff and fans for their support and wish them well for the future. I now plan to have a short holiday during which I will contemplate my next move.' I hope the odious Little Shit ends up at some League Two club getting lumps kicked out of him on a weekly basis by big, oafish clodhopping defenders. Owen's last game in a United shirt came in Belfast on Tuesday in a testimonial for former goalkeeper Harry Gregg. His time at Old Trafford was, as usual, blighted by injuries - and whinging that hge couldn't get into the England team - and he managed just four league and cup appearances this season with his final one coming in United's 2-0 win over Otelul Galati during the Champions League group stages in November when he sustained 'a thigh injury.'
Sour-faced miserable Scotsman Kenny Dalglish has been sacked as Liverpool Alabama Yee-Haws manager. Which is funny. No, I mean, really funny. 'After a careful and deliberative review of the season, the club came to the decision that a change was appropriate,' read a statement. 'Results in the Premier League have been disappointing and we believe to build on the progress that has already been made, we need to make a change.' And, they reckon the best way to achieve this is to kick miserable, sour-faced Scotsman Dalglish's arse out of the door, seemingly. Dalglish said that his 'departure' (ie sacking) had been handled in a 'honourable, respectful and dignified way.' By saying 'kenny, you're sacked', basically. Owners Fenway Sports Group stressed that the decision to remove - ie. sack - Dalglish 'was not reached lightly or hastily' (albeit, it occurred just four days after the end of the current Premier League season ... so, that's pretty hasty, one might observe) and that the search for a new manager would 'begin immediately.' Wigan manager Roberto Martinez and former Reds boss Rafael Benitez have been installed as early favourites to fill the vacancy, with former Moscow Chelski gaffer André Villas-Boas also being widely tipped. Dalglish's departure - ie. sacking - comes after face-to-face talks with principal owners John W Henry and Tom Werner in Boston on Monday. The sixty one-year-old has paid the price for Liverpool's poor Premier League performances, especially at Anfield. Despite reaching the FA Cup final and winning the Carling Cup, the Reds finished eighth in the top flight having lost as many games as they won. 'I am disappointed with results in the league, but I would not have swapped the Carling Cup win for anything as I know how much it meant to our fans and the club to be back winning trophies,' said Dalglish. 'It has been an honour and a privilege to have had the chance to come back to Liverpool as manager. Whilst I am obviously disappointed to be leaving, the matter has been handled by the owners and all concerned in an honourable, respectful and dignified way and reflects on the quality of the people involved and their continued desire to move the football club forward.'
Werner insisted that the club owed a 'great deal of gratitude' to Dalglish. 'Kenny came into the club as manager at our request at a time when Liverpool Football Club really needed him,' he added. 'He didn't ask to be manager; he was asked to assume the role. He did so because he knew the club needed him.' Dalglish had been expected to take a holiday this week, but flew to the US instead to review the season with Henry and Werner. Dalglish's dismissal follows the departure of director of football Damien Comolli and the club's head of sports medicine Peter Brukner in April. Dalglish returned to manage the club for a second time in the wake of Roy Hodgson's departure in January 2011, initially on a caretaker basis until the end of the season. After a strong finish to the season he was made permanent manager on 12 May 2011 on a three-year contract, but has been unable to carry that momentum into the new campaign. Dalglish's second stint in charge at Anfield also proved controversial. The Scot defended Luis Suarez in the wake of the striker's ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra when the teams met in October. After the Uruguayan's apparent refusual to shake Evra's hand in the return fixture in February, an apology from both the player and the manager came only after the intervention of the US owners. Hopefully the public humiliation dished out during the 2-0 defeat of the Scousers at St James' Park in April also helped bring about his demise as the Liverpool Alabama Yee-Haws 'global brand' took another bashing. Perhaps more damaging for the USA owners was Dalglish's appalling media persona, which saw him continuing to defend Luis Suarez even after the Uruguayan had been found guilty of racial abuse. Dalglish also seemed intent on fielding some of the most inoffensive questions imaginable with sarcasm and hostility during pre and post match TV interviews - something which he had previously mastered during his time on Tyneside.
But this is not the case for destinations outside the EU. Based on average costs across the five major networks, using a mobile phone in Ukraine to make and receive just two five-minute phone calls per day, listen to a two-minute voicemail message and send five text messages and one photo message would run up a bill of thirty five smackers per day, according to uSwitch. And with the cost of one megabyte of mobile Internet data in Ukraine costing an average of over six quid, a smartphone user could ring up a daily data bill of two hundred and twenty eight knicker with a modest amount of video streaming, emailing, browsing websites and using services like Skype to keep in touch, the website warned. Those fans visiting Ukraine for the nine days from 11 June when England play their pool matches could have to pay an extra two thousand three hundred and sixty two knicker on top of their usual monthly phone bills. And those who stay in Ukraine from the first pool match on 11 June until the final on 1 July face a total bill of more than five thousand notes - more than eleven times the cost of a ticket to the final in the best seats, which will set fans back four hundred and eight two quid, uSwitch said. 
Or, they could just stay at home and watch it on the BBC for their one hundred and forty quid licence fee, of course. Mind you, the beer's cheaper in the Ukraine, apparently. It recommended that fans 'curb their mobile usage' and take other steps such as buying a local SIM and using free Wi-Fi to avoid coming home to a huge bill. USwitch.com technology expert Ernest Doku said: 'Watching England might be priceless, but using your mobile phone abroad isn't. Footie fans have to think ahead as using their phones while following England could add more than five thousand pounds to what is likely to be an already expensive trip. The first thing England fans going to Ukraine - or indeed anyone taking a holiday outside the EU - should do is talk to their network. They may be able to advise a bundle, or at least let you know the costs involved with using your phone abroad. Those using their phone can help to limit the damage by keeping data roaming switched off as much as possible. At the moment, O2 and Vodafone are the only networks that place an automatic cap on data usage worldwide for pay monthly customers and O2, Orange and Vodafone all send text alerts so customers can keep track of their data spend. T-Mobile has told us it plans to introduce a new system to prevent customers from running up unexpected data bills abroad and hopefully this will be in place before Euro 2012 kicks off. When it comes to calls and text messages, the best way to keep costs down to an absolute minimum is to buy a local SIM card, put it in your phone and top it up. Those mobile users wanting to go online should be on the ball and use free Wi-Fi to help keep a lid on costs.'Alan Pardew hopes that Newcastle United's targets all 'flop' at Euro 2012 – so that the club isn't priced out of the market. A clutch of players involved in the European Championships have been watched by Pardew and his staff this season. Lille right-back Mathieu Debuchy, a close friend of Magpie Yohan Cabaye, is a possible replacement for Danny Simpson, should Simpson leave this summer as rumoured. Debuchy was this week named in Laurent Blanc's provisional France squad along with Montepellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who has also been linked with a move to yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Newcastle. Pardew's scouting team, headed up by Graham Carr, will track their progress at the championships, and the fear is that a target's price goes through the roof on the back of a strong tournament before a deal can be done. However, the flipside is that some players' valuations may drop. 'We'll be represented at the Euros,' Pardew said. 'There are a couple of players we're looking at, and as far as I'm concerned, I hope they have an awful one! The valuations will go up and down – we'll look at that. Someone's reputations will go through the roof, and someone's won't. That might affect the price.' While Newcastle, ideally, want to do their summer transfer business early, that is only possible if the selling club is ready to come to the table.
Pardew believes that many clubs will hold off doing business until after the tournament in the hope that their assets increase in value. 'Most clubs want to hold off to see how their players do,' added Pardew. Meanwhile, Yohan Cabaye says the whole is greater than the sum of the parts at Newcastle. The midfielder was a hugely influential figure in the club's fine season, which ended with a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League and qualification for the Europa League. Cabaye left Lille last summer looking for a new challenge after helping the club to the French double. His decision to join Newcastle was questioned in France. However, Cabaye hasn't looked back since crossing the Channel. The twenty six-year-old, also in Blanc's preliminary Euro 2012 squad, said he has 'no regrets' about joining United. Cabaye, is already looking forward to playing in the Europa League next season. 'Finishing fifth was beyond the expectations of the club and fans,' said Cabaye. 'We had a long unbeatean run at the start of the season, which helped gain confidence.' Cabaye is part of a growing group of French and Francophone players, among them Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Sylvain Marveaux, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Demba Cisse. 
And fitting into to United's multi-national and multi-cultural dressing room was easy. 'There are many French and African players here, as at Arsenal, so there isn't a language barrier, which makes things easier,' added Cabaye, signed for a cut-price £4.3m after being identifield by the club's chief scout, Graham Carr. 'We get along well with everyone – there really is a good atmosphere in this group. We do not exclude anyone.' Cabaye is a certainty to make the Blanc's final squad for the summer's European Championships, where France will meet England in the group stage. And he credits his move to the Premier League with helping his international career. Asked about his move to Newcastle, Cabaye told French radio station RMC: 'Newcastle was the only club with which negotiations were initiated. This was the only real offer I received, but I did not go there by default. After the title and the Cup victory in France, I think collectively and individually it was not possible to do more. I needed to grow, and I’m really happy with my choice. It even helped me to play more with Les Bleus.'The Greedy Shit Michael Owen, who once spent four years at Newcastle getting paid a quite obscene amount of money - the equivalent of the gross national product of a small third world country - to lie on a treatment table, has revealed on Twitter that The Scum will not be offering him a new deal. Oh dear. What a pity.
The thirty two-year-old former England forward joined the Old Trafford club in July 2009, moving faster than he ever had in any match during the previous four years but has made just fifty two appearances. Bright side, Mikey, if you'd been a horse, you'd've been put out of your misery by now. 'The manager informed me after our testimonial match on Tuesday that the club would not be offering me a new contract,' said Owen. 'I have loved every minute of the three years I have spent at such a fantastic club.' Owen, who also had spells with Liverpool and Real Madrid as well as the Newcastle treatment table, added: 'I would like to thank the players, staff and fans for their support and wish them well for the future. I now plan to have a short holiday during which I will contemplate my next move.' I hope the odious Little Shit ends up at some League Two club getting lumps kicked out of him on a weekly basis by big, oafish clodhopping defenders. Owen's last game in a United shirt came in Belfast on Tuesday in a testimonial for former goalkeeper Harry Gregg. His time at Old Trafford was, as usual, blighted by injuries - and whinging that hge couldn't get into the England team - and he managed just four league and cup appearances this season with his final one coming in United's 2-0 win over Otelul Galati during the Champions League group stages in November when he sustained 'a thigh injury.'Sour-faced miserable Scotsman Kenny Dalglish has been sacked as Liverpool Alabama Yee-Haws manager. Which is funny. No, I mean, really funny. 'After a careful and deliberative review of the season, the club came to the decision that a change was appropriate,' read a statement. 'Results in the Premier League have been disappointing and we believe to build on the progress that has already been made, we need to make a change.' And, they reckon the best way to achieve this is to kick miserable, sour-faced Scotsman Dalglish's arse out of the door, seemingly. Dalglish said that his 'departure' (ie sacking) had been handled in a 'honourable, respectful and dignified way.' By saying 'kenny, you're sacked', basically. Owners Fenway Sports Group stressed that the decision to remove - ie. sack - Dalglish 'was not reached lightly or hastily' (albeit, it occurred just four days after the end of the current Premier League season ... so, that's pretty hasty, one might observe) and that the search for a new manager would 'begin immediately.' Wigan manager Roberto Martinez and former Reds boss Rafael Benitez have been installed as early favourites to fill the vacancy, with former Moscow Chelski gaffer André Villas-Boas also being widely tipped. Dalglish's departure - ie. sacking - comes after face-to-face talks with principal owners John W Henry and Tom Werner in Boston on Monday. The sixty one-year-old has paid the price for Liverpool's poor Premier League performances, especially at Anfield. Despite reaching the FA Cup final and winning the Carling Cup, the Reds finished eighth in the top flight having lost as many games as they won. 'I am disappointed with results in the league, but I would not have swapped the Carling Cup win for anything as I know how much it meant to our fans and the club to be back winning trophies,' said Dalglish. 'It has been an honour and a privilege to have had the chance to come back to Liverpool as manager. Whilst I am obviously disappointed to be leaving, the matter has been handled by the owners and all concerned in an honourable, respectful and dignified way and reflects on the quality of the people involved and their continued desire to move the football club forward.'
Werner insisted that the club owed a 'great deal of gratitude' to Dalglish. 'Kenny came into the club as manager at our request at a time when Liverpool Football Club really needed him,' he added. 'He didn't ask to be manager; he was asked to assume the role. He did so because he knew the club needed him.' Dalglish had been expected to take a holiday this week, but flew to the US instead to review the season with Henry and Werner. Dalglish's dismissal follows the departure of director of football Damien Comolli and the club's head of sports medicine Peter Brukner in April. Dalglish returned to manage the club for a second time in the wake of Roy Hodgson's departure in January 2011, initially on a caretaker basis until the end of the season. After a strong finish to the season he was made permanent manager on 12 May 2011 on a three-year contract, but has been unable to carry that momentum into the new campaign. Dalglish's second stint in charge at Anfield also proved controversial. The Scot defended Luis Suarez in the wake of the striker's ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra when the teams met in October. After the Uruguayan's apparent refusual to shake Evra's hand in the return fixture in February, an apology from both the player and the manager came only after the intervention of the US owners. Hopefully the public humiliation dished out during the 2-0 defeat of the Scousers at St James' Park in April also helped bring about his demise as the Liverpool Alabama Yee-Haws 'global brand' took another bashing. Perhaps more damaging for the USA owners was Dalglish's appalling media persona, which saw him continuing to defend Luis Suarez even after the Uruguayan had been found guilty of racial abuse. Dalglish also seemed intent on fielding some of the most inoffensive questions imaginable with sarcasm and hostility during pre and post match TV interviews - something which he had previously mastered during his time on Tyneside. 
