Football News: Micah Richards In Confrontation With Villa Fans And More News Of The Day

1. Leicester move out defender
Leicester City defender Joe Davis has re-signed Fleetwood Town on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal. The 22 year old initially joined Fleetwood in October and has made 13 appearances for them already this season. Davis failed to make a single appearance for the Premier League Foxes, after joining them in 2014 from Port Vale. He is now hoping to do enough to seal a permanent deal.

2. Shaktar are open to selling Teixeira
Shaktar Donetsk admit they would not stand in the way of Alex Teixeira moving to one of the top clubs in Europe. Manager Mircea Lucescu has said he wants to see his players get moves to big clubs, though he insists nothing is done yet. "If there is an offer that will satisfy both player and the club I will fully support his move," said Lucescu. "At the moment, Alex is Shakhtar's player. We'll see in the summer, now there's no point talking about it. This year, he needs to play so that he grows even more, despite the fact that Alex's level is very high even today. I want to see my players perform in the best, top teams in Europe. This means that both my assistants and I have not been working in vain for so many years. We signed players, who were 17-19, and brought them to the level of the top clubs. I wonder how many coaches in Europe are working based on such a scheme?" Teixeira has been linked with a move to English Premier League champions Chelsea, who are looking to recover after a disastrous start to their season.

 

3. Left back moves on loan
Barnsley have sent their teenage left back George Smith to Crawley Town on a 28 day loan. The 19 year old has made 23 appearances for the Tykes this season, but has been out of favour since November. He has now dropped down a division to join League Two side Crawley. "He's highly regarded and I know he's looking forward to getting some games under his belt," Reds boss Mark Yates told the club's official website. "Hopefully it's an arrangement that can benefit both parties."

4. Not all of Exeter were supporting the local team
League Two Exeter City faced off against Liverpool in the FA Cup yesterday, with the vast majority of the city backing their local side, which is owned and run by a supporters' trust. It seems not everyone in the area was showing full support for the Grecians though:

 

5. Caley sign striker
Inverness Caledonian Thistle have signed a new striker in time to face Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup. 25 year old Alex Fisher was released by National League side Torquay United just before Christmas and has now signed for Caley until the end of the season with the option of another year. The forward had scored five times in twenty one games for the Gulls. The Highland club tweeted: "Delighted to welcome Alex Fisher to #ICTFC." The signing followed the announcement of the loan extension of top scorer Miles Storey's loan from Swindon Town to allow him to stay until the end of the season. Caley are the current Scottish Cup holders.

6. Bilic would swap top 4 place for an FA Cup
With West Ham United up near the top end of the Premier League, and a new stadium in the offing, dreams of a Champions League spot next season have dared to rear their head. Manager Slaven Bilic would prefer to win the FA Cup than secure a Champions League place for next season, if the choice were offered to him. The big Croatian, who was a defender for both West Ham and Everton during his playing career, said: "I would rather win the FA Cup than get a place in the Champions League - all day long. Ideally finishing fifth or sixth as well would be nice. I want to win silverware. I remember the FA Cup about 20 years ago and still now the final can't be bigger. It's a celebration. We're doing well in the Premier League and we're not looking for anything to make up for it. We're not in a position to worry about league position so we want to progress in the cup. We went out of the Capital One Cup earlier in the season against Leicester City in extra time but we gave out best in that game. We see the FA Cup as an opportunity to progress. The FA Cup has never lost its value and it's special to the fans." Nice to hear a modern day manager treat the cup with the respect it deserves.

 

7. Sene has skils
Celta Vigo player Josep Sene shows a nice little pirouette to gain some space v Cadiz:

8. Richards in confrontation with angry Villa fans
Aston Villa fans have long been suffering while watching their team play, as the club have struggled year after year to just about hold on to a place in the Premier League. This season seems to be a season too many, despite a summer influx of signings, such as new captain Micah Richards. With new manager Remi Garde yet to taste victory, a draw against lowly Wycombe Wanderers was just too much for the Villans, who gave vent to their feelings. Richards, after he was taken off, attempted to appease the fans, who claim the players have no passion.

"We're trying!" @AVFCOfficial captain @MicahRichards speaks with fans after his side failed to win yet again. #AVFC https://t.co/ArAMWgASPG

— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) January 9, 2016

 

9. Another winger leaves Boro
Middlesbrough have offloaded another winger in January, as Yanic Wildschut has joined Mustapha Carayol in heading for the exit door. While Carayol joined Leeds United on a loan move, Wildschut has left on a permanent deal, for an undisclosed fee, to join Wigan Athletic. The 24 year old was out of contract in the summer, and had already been on loan with Wigan this season, making 17 appearances plus adding 4 goals while at the DW Stadium. "Everyone at the club has worked so hard to get the deal over the line and it shows our ambition that we are now able to unveil Yanic as a Wigan Athletic player," manager Gary Caldwell said on Wigan's official website. "On his day, he has already shown us what he can do and how devastating he can be. He's not the finished article yet, he will be the first to admit that, but his potential is huge and we are delighted that it is here in Wigan that we can both work together for the long term." Wildschut admitted his delight at making a return to promotion chasing Latics. "I have loved playing for Wigan, everyone at the club has been great to me, the fans sing my name, and I'm so happy that everything is now done," Wildschut said. "I can concentrate on playing now again and helping us climb the table."

10. Lacazette scores the first goal in Lyon's new stadium
Alexandre Lacazette has scored the first ever goal at Olympique Lyonnaise's new stadium:

Written by Tris Burke January 09 2016 17:18:31