Newcastle United marked their one hundredth game in UEFA club competition with a 3-0 victory over FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the UEFA Europa League Group D. Yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Magpies asserted their authority after sixteen minutes, with striker Shola Ameobi side-footing home after a low cross from Gabriel Obertan. They doubled their lead when Bordeaux defender Henrique diverted Danny Simpson's centre into his own net. Papiss Cissé, who looked marginally offside, guided in a third from the impressive Shane Ferguson's cross just after the break. Newcastle's power and pace were too much for Bordeaux to handle as the Ligue 1 club's unbeaten seventeen-game run came to an emphatic end. The French side looked pretty in patches during the first-half but lacked any penetration and they have now lost on each of the five trips they have made across the Channel to play English opposition. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew made seven changes as he weighed up sending out a team strong enough to beat Bordeaux against keeping his players fit and fresh to play The Scum on Sunday. 
He still selected a Magpies line-up with the strength of Cheick Tioté, the style of fellow midfielder Yohan Cabaye and the threat of striker Cissé. Cabaye, who has been trying to recapture his dynamic form of the latter part of last season, quickly showed signs of doing so when his angled shot from the edge of the area went narrowly wide of the far post. The visitors might have gone in front but for striker Ludovic Obraniak heading over from ten yards. That miss was soon punished, however, when Cabaye instigated a well-worked Newcastle move. The Frenchman sent a sweeping cross-field ball to left-sided winger Obertan, playing against his former club. He jinked past a defender before sliding a low cross to the far post where captain Ameobi applied a simple finish. Bordeaux showed some of their flair in a move which led to Yoan Gouffran having a shot deflected high off defender Mike Williamson. A long-range Ludovic Sane strike was palmed away by home keeper Rob Elliot before Bordeaux's efforts were undone with an inexplicable own goal. Right-back Simpson, back after a lengthy hamstring injury, swung in a cross which keeper Cedric Carrasso was positioned to catch before Henrique launched a leg at the ball and put into his own net. Vurnon Anita had a shot fended away by Carrasso but the game was all but wrapped up by the Tyneside club when Ferguson's cross was met by Cissé, whose first-time effort went in off the far post. With victory sealed, and keeping more than one eye on Sunday's visit of The Scum of Humanity, Pardew had the luxury of withdrawing Cabaye and Tioté towards the end. United now have four points from their two games and lead the group ahead of Bordeaux, Belgian side FC Brugge and Maritimo of Madeira.
Meanwhile, it would seem that UEFA hopes to boost the Europa League's profile by asking managers and players to refer to it in glowing terms. European football's governing body is handing out prompt sheets to the communication departments of Europa League clubs before media conferences. The sheet, headlined 'Discover the Drama,' includes phrases such as 'prestigious' and 'rich in heritage.' 'The most important quality we want to communicate is that the UEFA Europa League is dramatic,' it reads. The Europa League continues to be overshadowed by the Champions League, despite a high-profile rebranding of the competition in 2009.
Winners of the Champions League take home £7.24m, while the Europa League winners earn mere a third of that and the difference in TV revenue is also vast. The prompt sheet - found at Stottingtot Hotshots's media conference ahead of Wednesday's piss-poor 1-1 draw with Panathinaikos in Athens - asks press officers to brief players and coaches on the Europa League's many virtues. 'At the start of the press conference, below messages should be used by the club press officers,' reads the sheet. 'In addition, they may also be used by club press officers when briefing coaches and players as their would be of great support to us.' Curiously, Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas, who won the Europa League with Porto in 2011, praised the competition on Wednesday without prompting. One images that Brendan ('you're getting sacked in the morning') Rodgers was somewhat less in love with the competition's virtues after his side's catastrophic 3-2 defeat at home to Udinese.
John Terry's defence against claims that he racially abused Anton Ferdinand was 'improbable, implausible [and] contrived,' according to the Football Association panel which found him guilty of the charge. A sixty three-page report explaining why he was banned for four games and fined two hundred and twenty thousand smackers has been published. It makes fascinating reading. The document says that it is not the FA's case that the Moscow Chelski captain and former England international is a racist, necessarily. Terry, thirty one, cleared of abusing the Queens Park Strangers player in court, has fourteen days to appeal. The incident between Terry and Ferdinand occurred during QPR's 1-0 victory over Moscow Chelski at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011. It was alleged Terry described Ferdinand as 'black' and used 'extreme sexual swear words.' Terry's case was that he used the word 'black' and swore at Ferdinand but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought the defender had accused him of saying. But the report says that parts of Terry's defence were 'improbable, implausible and contrived,' which 'serve to underline and reinforce our decision.' It added: 'His repetition of words that Mr Terry claims were said to him first by Mr Ferdinand is implausible if they were really intended to be a robust denial. A much more plausible and likely explanation is that Mr Terry was angry; angry at Mr Ferdinand's taunting and provocation of him, angry at the way the match had gone, and angry at the way in which it seemed likely to end. The much more likely explanation for what he said is that all of this provoked him into saying [the words].'
Terry was cleared at court where the criminal burden of proof is 'beyond all reasonable doubt.' The independent FA commission which investigated the case used the lesser civil test, that of on the 'balance of probabilities.' In court, Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said it was 'highly unlikely' Ferdinand had accused Terry of racially abusing him, but it was possible Terry believed at the time that an accusation had been made. Riddle went on: 'In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.' But the FA report says that, on the balance of probabilities: 'The commission is quite satisfied that there is no credible basis for Mr Terry's defence that his use of the words were directed at Ferdinand by way of forceful rejection and/or inquiry. Instead, we are quite satisfied, and find on the balance of probabilities, that the offending words were said by way of insult.' The report also questions Terry's demeanour if he had been accused of making racist comments. 'The commission is entitled to use its collective experience of life and people to judge demeanour,' it states. 'We have watched the film footage many times. In the critical phase, during which he uses the words, Mr Terry can be seen to be smiling initially, before his facial expression changes to disdainful and contemptuous. At no point is his demeanour and facial expression that of someone who is imploring, injured, or even quizzical in the face of an unfounded allegation by Mr Ferdinand that he had just been racially abusive towards him. Anger is a conceivable reaction to such an accusation, but at no time does Mr Terry convey any sense of "no, I didn't" with his facial expression, or body language.' The report adds: 'It is not the FA's case that Mr Terry is a racist. There is a large body of testimonial evidence, including statements from black footballers, to say that he is not.' Which appears to suggest that the FA are saying John Terry is not a racist but, instead, a liar. Interesting.
That certainly seems to be odious Ashley Cole's take on the incident. Cole has used an expletive to criticise the Football Association after his evidence in the John Terry racism case was questioned. Cole's statement supporting Terry was queried by an independent FA commission after it found Terry guilty. Cole responded on his official Twitter account: 'Hahahahaa, well done FA I lied did I, BUNCHOFTWATS.' Nice. Cole, who has been capped ninety eight times by England, was near Ferdinand and Terry during the match and gave a statement in support of Terry to the criminal trial at which his team-mate was cleared. In his witness statement describing what he claims Ferdinand said to Terry during the incident, the word 'black' was added at a later day. According to the commission report, this had the effect of 'bolstering Mr Terry's claim that the words that he spoke to Mr Ferdinand were not said by way of an insult, but as repetition and forceful denial of what Mr Ferdinand had accused him of saying.'
Cole sent out the tweet at 12:51 on Friday, about three hours after the commission's full report was released, during Moscow Chelski manager's Roberto Di Matteo scheduled news conference for the Norwich City match. Di Matteo was asked if it was an appropriate comment to make and Moscow Chelski press officer, Steve Atkins, intervened to answer. 'I would say not but again I think we should reserve any comment on that until the more appropriate time,' said Atkins. Di Matteo added: 'I judge the players on what I see when they train and play. I try and select a team that will hopefully be able to win against Norwich. That is my job. I always said about the social networks that it is a good vehicle if used appropriately. Players need to realise that tweets can be viewed by anybody and they have to be responsible. I do not think the players, apart from this, are out of control. I think it is for [England manager] Roy Hodgson to decide [if Cole plays for England].' One very much imagines that it will be anyone but Hodgson's decision if Cole plays for England again after such comments.
He still selected a Magpies line-up with the strength of Cheick Tioté, the style of fellow midfielder Yohan Cabaye and the threat of striker Cissé. Cabaye, who has been trying to recapture his dynamic form of the latter part of last season, quickly showed signs of doing so when his angled shot from the edge of the area went narrowly wide of the far post. The visitors might have gone in front but for striker Ludovic Obraniak heading over from ten yards. That miss was soon punished, however, when Cabaye instigated a well-worked Newcastle move. The Frenchman sent a sweeping cross-field ball to left-sided winger Obertan, playing against his former club. He jinked past a defender before sliding a low cross to the far post where captain Ameobi applied a simple finish. Bordeaux showed some of their flair in a move which led to Yoan Gouffran having a shot deflected high off defender Mike Williamson. A long-range Ludovic Sane strike was palmed away by home keeper Rob Elliot before Bordeaux's efforts were undone with an inexplicable own goal. Right-back Simpson, back after a lengthy hamstring injury, swung in a cross which keeper Cedric Carrasso was positioned to catch before Henrique launched a leg at the ball and put into his own net. Vurnon Anita had a shot fended away by Carrasso but the game was all but wrapped up by the Tyneside club when Ferguson's cross was met by Cissé, whose first-time effort went in off the far post. With victory sealed, and keeping more than one eye on Sunday's visit of The Scum of Humanity, Pardew had the luxury of withdrawing Cabaye and Tioté towards the end. United now have four points from their two games and lead the group ahead of Bordeaux, Belgian side FC Brugge and Maritimo of Madeira. Meanwhile, it would seem that UEFA hopes to boost the Europa League's profile by asking managers and players to refer to it in glowing terms. European football's governing body is handing out prompt sheets to the communication departments of Europa League clubs before media conferences. The sheet, headlined 'Discover the Drama,' includes phrases such as 'prestigious' and 'rich in heritage.' 'The most important quality we want to communicate is that the UEFA Europa League is dramatic,' it reads. The Europa League continues to be overshadowed by the Champions League, despite a high-profile rebranding of the competition in 2009.
Winners of the Champions League take home £7.24m, while the Europa League winners earn mere a third of that and the difference in TV revenue is also vast. The prompt sheet - found at Stottingtot Hotshots's media conference ahead of Wednesday's piss-poor 1-1 draw with Panathinaikos in Athens - asks press officers to brief players and coaches on the Europa League's many virtues. 'At the start of the press conference, below messages should be used by the club press officers,' reads the sheet. 'In addition, they may also be used by club press officers when briefing coaches and players as their would be of great support to us.' Curiously, Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas, who won the Europa League with Porto in 2011, praised the competition on Wednesday without prompting. One images that Brendan ('you're getting sacked in the morning') Rodgers was somewhat less in love with the competition's virtues after his side's catastrophic 3-2 defeat at home to Udinese.John Terry's defence against claims that he racially abused Anton Ferdinand was 'improbable, implausible [and] contrived,' according to the Football Association panel which found him guilty of the charge. A sixty three-page report explaining why he was banned for four games and fined two hundred and twenty thousand smackers has been published. It makes fascinating reading. The document says that it is not the FA's case that the Moscow Chelski captain and former England international is a racist, necessarily. Terry, thirty one, cleared of abusing the Queens Park Strangers player in court, has fourteen days to appeal. The incident between Terry and Ferdinand occurred during QPR's 1-0 victory over Moscow Chelski at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011. It was alleged Terry described Ferdinand as 'black' and used 'extreme sexual swear words.' Terry's case was that he used the word 'black' and swore at Ferdinand but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought the defender had accused him of saying. But the report says that parts of Terry's defence were 'improbable, implausible and contrived,' which 'serve to underline and reinforce our decision.' It added: 'His repetition of words that Mr Terry claims were said to him first by Mr Ferdinand is implausible if they were really intended to be a robust denial. A much more plausible and likely explanation is that Mr Terry was angry; angry at Mr Ferdinand's taunting and provocation of him, angry at the way the match had gone, and angry at the way in which it seemed likely to end. The much more likely explanation for what he said is that all of this provoked him into saying [the words].'
Terry was cleared at court where the criminal burden of proof is 'beyond all reasonable doubt.' The independent FA commission which investigated the case used the lesser civil test, that of on the 'balance of probabilities.' In court, Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said it was 'highly unlikely' Ferdinand had accused Terry of racially abusing him, but it was possible Terry believed at the time that an accusation had been made. Riddle went on: 'In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.' But the FA report says that, on the balance of probabilities: 'The commission is quite satisfied that there is no credible basis for Mr Terry's defence that his use of the words were directed at Ferdinand by way of forceful rejection and/or inquiry. Instead, we are quite satisfied, and find on the balance of probabilities, that the offending words were said by way of insult.' The report also questions Terry's demeanour if he had been accused of making racist comments. 'The commission is entitled to use its collective experience of life and people to judge demeanour,' it states. 'We have watched the film footage many times. In the critical phase, during which he uses the words, Mr Terry can be seen to be smiling initially, before his facial expression changes to disdainful and contemptuous. At no point is his demeanour and facial expression that of someone who is imploring, injured, or even quizzical in the face of an unfounded allegation by Mr Ferdinand that he had just been racially abusive towards him. Anger is a conceivable reaction to such an accusation, but at no time does Mr Terry convey any sense of "no, I didn't" with his facial expression, or body language.' The report adds: 'It is not the FA's case that Mr Terry is a racist. There is a large body of testimonial evidence, including statements from black footballers, to say that he is not.' Which appears to suggest that the FA are saying John Terry is not a racist but, instead, a liar. Interesting. That certainly seems to be odious Ashley Cole's take on the incident. Cole has used an expletive to criticise the Football Association after his evidence in the John Terry racism case was questioned. Cole's statement supporting Terry was queried by an independent FA commission after it found Terry guilty. Cole responded on his official Twitter account: 'Hahahahaa, well done FA I lied did I, BUNCHOFTWATS.' Nice. Cole, who has been capped ninety eight times by England, was near Ferdinand and Terry during the match and gave a statement in support of Terry to the criminal trial at which his team-mate was cleared. In his witness statement describing what he claims Ferdinand said to Terry during the incident, the word 'black' was added at a later day. According to the commission report, this had the effect of 'bolstering Mr Terry's claim that the words that he spoke to Mr Ferdinand were not said by way of an insult, but as repetition and forceful denial of what Mr Ferdinand had accused him of saying.'
Cole sent out the tweet at 12:51 on Friday, about three hours after the commission's full report was released, during Moscow Chelski manager's Roberto Di Matteo scheduled news conference for the Norwich City match. Di Matteo was asked if it was an appropriate comment to make and Moscow Chelski press officer, Steve Atkins, intervened to answer. 'I would say not but again I think we should reserve any comment on that until the more appropriate time,' said Atkins. Di Matteo added: 'I judge the players on what I see when they train and play. I try and select a team that will hopefully be able to win against Norwich. That is my job. I always said about the social networks that it is a good vehicle if used appropriately. Players need to realise that tweets can be viewed by anybody and they have to be responsible. I do not think the players, apart from this, are out of control. I think it is for [England manager] Roy Hodgson to decide [if Cole plays for England].' One very much imagines that it will be anyone but Hodgson's decision if Cole plays for England again after such comments.
