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West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson admits he is relieved striker Shane Long is only ruled out for six weeks.

The 24-year-old suffered a knee injury in a challenge from Aston Villa’s Alan Hutton during Saturday’s derby win, a tackle Hodgson claimed merited a red card.

But the Republic of Ireland international will still miss his country’s Euro 2012 play-off with Estonia despite aiming to be back playing in December.

“I was a bit relieved although six weeks is still a lot,” Hodgson said. “It means he will still possibly miss six games.

“You don’t take the situation lightly – but we know it could have been a lot worse.

“The ideal scenario would have been no injury at all but, if there has got to be one, at least it’s not a serious break or ligament damage.”

Hodgson said Albion had “no plans at the moment” to recall striker Chris Wood from his loan spell at Birmingham after Long’s setback.

The West Brom boss is hoping another Albion striker, Simon Cox, can help Ireland overcome Long’s absence.

He said: “It is a blow for them and a big blow to Shane who is a very patriotic Irishman who was looking forward to helping his country get to the European finals.

“But it looks like they can fill the gap and maybe Simon Cox can help them.”

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It is said that you learn more in defeat than you do in success. In Liverpool’s case, they will have learned a lot from yesterday’s defeat at the hands of Stoke City. So fickle is football these days, that following three straight victories, there was heightened talk of a possible title push this season. One defeat later, and people start to question whether or not the players are good enough. At least yesterday should make one thing perfectly clear: Liverpool are not yet ready to be considered challengers for the Premiership, and they shouldn’t be judged as such.

This is after all, a club who were facing a very real possibility of administration less than a year ago. Add to that the team’s shocking performances under previous manager Roy Hodgson, and it was a club going in the wrong direction, fast.

That the squad Kenny Dalglish has assembled over the summer was even being talked about as possible contenders gives an indication of how far it has come. The work of Dalglish, Director of Football Damien Comolli, and of course the owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) this summer can not be understated. They identified problem positions in the team, and filled them with quality players. Many of the players signed conform with the new FIFA Fair Play Rules that are due to be enforced in the coming years. Others fit the FSG strategy, of young players with good resale value. It has also been reported that by clearing out virtually all of their “dead wood” (players of little use such as Phillip Degen, Christian Poulsen, Milan Jovanovic etc), they have lowered their wage bill by £30m. This is now a club with a long-term plan.

However, this plan is, as stated, a long-term one, and immediate success simply isn’t going to happen. Yesterday is proof of that. This isn’t something that Liverpool fans will like to hear, but if that were Manchester United in that position yesterday, you would fully expect them to grab an equaliser, and possibly go on to win the game. United have that ruthlessness that is required, and the ability to carve out a win when it looks unlikely. Liverpool, just like on the opening day of the season against Sunderland, failed to show these characteristics, and have lost valuable points because of it.

It’s no disgrace dropping points away to Stoke however. They have now lost only once at the Brittania in their last 15 games- it has become one of those venues that teams dread playing in. They have also played three games more due to their European committments, and so are probably a touch fitter and sharper. Like I said, no disgrace, but that doesn’t excuse the performance yesterday. Liverpool were poor. Simple as. The fact is that once Stoke took the lead, Liverpool offered very little. Jordan Henderson had the best chance for Liverpool when put through by Jose Enrique, but he shot straight at Asmir Begovic, and then had two more shots blocked before Adam couldn’t find the net either from the rebound. The only other chance for Liverpool came then the ball broke to Suarez in the last few seconds but his instinctive swing at the ball sent it wide. They had a decent shout for a penalty turned away, but all in all, they didn’t play well enough.

It is easy to criticise Stoke, as they were happy sit on their lead and show virtually no ambition in attack. Who can blame them? They are playing a team that they are expected to lose to and have found themselves a goal up. They have every right to shut up shop in that situation. Charlie Adam had an off-day, and because of that, Liverpool’s passing game suffered. He was clearly still feeling the effects of the knock that kept him out of Scotland’s victory over Lithuania, and his ball retention was lacking. The Reds were also evidently missing the presence of an out-and-out right-back, as Martin Skrtel filled in there, offering little in the form of attacking support. Few good moves took place down the right-hand side. Other problems for Liverpool was that their passing lacked accuracy and conviction, and they didn’t get enough men in the box.

Criticism of many Liverpool players, a lot of it from there own fans, is premature. Jamie Carragher is the focus of many people’s attention, having given away the penalty, and there have been calls for him to be dropped. Carragher should not, and will not be dropped. He is still a very good defender and a defensive organiser. Without him in the side, the defence would be significantly weaker, as he is the one who calls the shots in the backline. He is also a leader. Arsenal have been the perfect example of a team without enough leaders, and Liverpool don’t want to make that mistake unnecissarily. Henderson has also come in for some stick. He was very good against Bolton, as were the rest of the team, and he was poor yesterday, as were the rest of the team. To he is not good enough already is being very short-sighted. He has just turned 21 years old, has a full season of Premiership football to his name, and is an England international. Give him time, and he will develop into a top class footballer.

This is a team with several new faces. The likes of Henderson, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique and Charlie Adam have only just started playing for the club and need more time to get accustomed to how Dalglish wants them to play. All four will play key roles for Liverpool this season, and I am sure all of them will be successes. Top four will be the priority this season, and the squad is capable of getting there. After they got top four, and only after that will a title challenge become a realistic target. All they need is patience.

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West Brom v Stoke Live Streaming

West Bromwich Albion defender Marek Cech will quit the club if he does not get the first-team football he craves.

The 28-year-old has lost his place in the side to Nicky Shorey since Roy Hodgson replaced Roberto Di Matteo as manager in February.

The Slovakia international is still at The Hawthorns after Albion exercised an option to keep him for another 12 months during the summer.

Cech, who threw his shirt into the crowd after making a rare appearance during the midweek Carling Cup win at Bournemouth, just wants to play first-team football.

Despite his frustrations he is adamant his spell with the Baggies has been beneficial.

“No player is happy to sit on the bench,” Cech said.

“I’ve one year left of my contract at West Brom and, if I get the right opportunity to change clubs during that time, then I will.

“But, if not, I will be professional and fight hard for a place in the team.

“Every league I’ve played in has given me a lot as a professional – at Porto, Inter Bratislava and Sparta Prague.

“West Brom is another good experience in my life and career.”

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West Bromwich Albion striker Peter Odemwingie insists he will only leave the club for a chance to play in Europe.

The 30-year-old caught the eye last season scoring 15 league goals in 32 appearances in his debut English campaign.

Wigan made an offer believed to be around £1.5 million, but that was rejected by the club and the Nigerian striker has now revealed that he would only leave for a big side.

”To my dear WBA supporters,” Odemwingie tweeted. ”I love this club and will leave only to a TOP team which is understandable.

“Nothing abnormal is going on. Contract is not signed cos of the duration of it. Figures agreed long time ago cos I know this is not real madrid. Please be patient.”

Earlier, West Brom manager Roy Hodgson maintained he was hopeful the striker would pen a new deal as he ‘owes’ the club that made him.

“Peter’s been made an extremely good offer,” the Baggies boss said. “I’m optimistic he’ll sign.

“We owe him a debt but he owes us too as we were the club that gave him his chance.”

First-team coach Michael Appleton added his voice to the many hoping that Odemwingie would stay.

“Peter is 30-years-old and I would imagine at some point in his career he’s been in a situation where he’s been in negotiations with his contract,” he told the Birmingham Mail.

“It has to be right for him, for the club and I’m sure over the next couple of weeks it will be agreed and we can all get on with playing football and everyone comes out happy.

“We want him to stay. We took a chance on taking him from Russia 12 months ago and saw something in him we liked and could work with.

“He had a fantastic season last year and we want that again this season with us. Staying at West Brom will give him that opportunity.

“He got 15 goals last season and if he can get anywhere close to that then I’m sure we will give ourselves a good chance next season.”

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West Bromwich Albion have offered a play-as-you-pay contract to free agent Owen Hargreaves.

Baggies boss Roy Hodgson claims the ball is now in the 30-year-old’s court if he wants to resurrect his career at the Hawthorns.

The England international was released by Manchester United this summer after four injury plagued seasons at Old Trafford.

He is still eager to play and released videos of himself in training at the start of the summer.

He has held talks with West Brom, and has convinced the club he is fit and able to play again to the extent where they have made him an offer.

But Baggies manager Hodgson does not know whether joining his squad appeals to the former England player, who may have other options to consider.

“When I left at 6pm on Tuesday, Owen was just about to leave at the same time,” Hodgson said.

“And we made it clear: ‘Look, we’ve done the test, we agree with you, and your man Alex, that the knee’s okay and you can play football. And of course if you’d like to come and play for us that would be lovely.’

“But whether or not our offer is going to be interesting to him, that’s what I don’t know.

“He was looked at by our doctor, Mark Gillett, who was at Chelsea, who’s quite an eminent person in his field.

“And we had all the test results that he of course brought with him as well. And we spoke to his man, Alex McKechnie, who had been rehabilitating him for the last year.

“He didn’t go through a stringent medical, but he was looked at by someone who should know what he’s talking about.”

Hodgson sensed no bitterness from Hargreaves about his exit from Old Trafford.

“No, he was very sanguine about the whole affair, and I think he just wants to play football again,” said the former Liverpool and Fulham manager.

“He was bitterly disappointed the way he had to leave English football, but he didn’t speak badly about anybody.

“He was just more concerned, I think, to convince us, or maybe he’s trying to convince other teams, that ‘Listen, I’m a fit player, you can use me’.”

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The Premier League have launched a new campaign to give referees more protections and respect this season.

The ‘Get on with the Game’ campaign will look to reduce the number of incidents of dissent towards officials from players and managers, according to chief executive Richard Scudamore.

He is convinced the new initiative will lead to a reduction in incidents of match officials being disrespected.

“We’ve gone to the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB) and asked them what will help them,” Scudamore said at the official launch of the new season in London today.

“We came up with a reduction in disrespectful behaviour, turning backs on referees and we don’t want players surrounding referees, as well as the conduct of managers.

“In post-match interviews we don’t want to stamp out constructive criticism, but it’s more about the colour and the disrespectful language.

“We heralded the idea we were going to look at something over the summer. It’s the first time we’ve met with all the players together.

“We met with [Professional Footballers' Association chief executive] Gordon Taylor, representatives of players from all the clubs. That was very positive.

“They to a man said the relationship between the referees and players had improved since the 2008 launch.

“They were keen to make sure we didn’t throw all those things out. The players themselves understand.

“All the managers have been to pre-season meetings – again, very very constructive.

“My confidence comes from the willingness of those people to engage in this discussion.

“Of course we’re all waiting on the first incident – there’s always going to be incidents. We’re looking to reduce the incidents, but we won’t eliminate them.”

Scudamore was joined by West Brom manager Roy Hodgson, and he endorsed the move.

“Referees are an integral part of our game and some times we are less kind to them than we should be,” Hodgson said.

“We all make mistakes, managers, players and referees.

“If we are caught out letting our emotions run away with us, we know the day after we are wrong and that we shouldn’t do it.

“These initiatives are really important and we really need to stress it.

“If you don’t behave properly, how can you expect the younger people around you to behave properly?

“Maybe (we should) try to encourage players to stop seeing referees as some sort of fearful policeman-type figure who’s got nothing to go with football and embrace the fact he’s there to do his job.

“He’s got a performance to put on on a Saturday afternoon on which he’s going to be judged and through which he’ll either continue as a (top-flight) referee and go up the ladder or unfortunately, like the snake, slide down the ladder.”

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West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson has admitted his club cannot compete financially with many other sides.

The Baggies boss has dampened down expectations from fans who hope to improve on the 11th place finish from last season.

Albion have brought in six players this summer in Gareth McAuley, Billy Jones, Zoltan Gera, Ben Foster, Martin Fulop and Shane Long.

But Long was the only player to cost a sizeable fee – £4.5million – with the others all Bosman free signings apart from Foster, who has joined on loan from Birmingham.

“People need to be sufficiently aware to realise we are still fighting with lesser resources and we are still pulling rabbits out of the hat to some extent,” Hodgson said.

“If you spend £100million you are likely to get more or better players than the team that spends £2-3million.

“If you want a Savile Row suit, you pay Saville Row prices but you can still put a suit on your back from Tesco’s.

“There are limits and it would be unfair to expect the Tesco man to look as good as the Savile Row man.”

“We are not Manchester City or Liverpool,” he added. “People talk about spending £50million as if it is nothing at all.

“We talk about net spends of £2-3million if we’re lucky. You have to put those things into perspective – and I think our fans can.

“I’d like to think they have got as realistic an attitude towards things as we have.”

West Brom v Man United Live Streaming

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Liverpool midfielder Christian Poulsen has refused to leave the club this summer to fight for his place in the team.

The 31-year-old has failed to establish himself since Roy Hodgson signed him from Juventus for £4.5million 12 months ago.

The Denmark international has been deemed surplus to requirements by current boss Kenny Dalglish after making just 12 appearances last year.

Poulsen has found himself marginalised under Dalglish, with the Scot preferring Jay Spearing as an understudy to Lucas as a defensive presence in the centre of the pitch.

The Reds manager has also brought in more competition for the midfield places with swoops for Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson, while Alberto Aquilani has returned following a loan at Juventus.

Despite the harm that inactivity may do to his international career, the Dane is willing to stay and fight for a place at Liverpool.

“Of course I want to play more,” Poulsen told Sky Sports.

“I’m happy now with my family [in Liverpool] and I think it’s a really good club who have treated me really well. I hope I can change my situation so I can play more.”

Questioned about his future, he said: “Let’s see. I’m happy and so unless I hear anything, I think I will be here for the coming season.”

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West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson will break the club’s record transfer fee in a £7million deal for Reading striker Shane Long.

The 24-year-old, who scored 24 Championship goals last season, has been attracting interest from West Ham, Everton and Newcastle United.

But the Baggies look to have beaten off their rivals and have been in discussions all weekend with the Republic of Ireland’s international’s agent.

The transfer would surpass the £4.7million Albion paid Real Mallorca for Spanish midfielder Borja Valero three years ago.

West Brom’s desire for a new striker is even more pressing as last season’s leading scorer, Peter Odemwingie, is battling to overcome an ankle problem.

Hodgson is hoping to sign Long in time for Sunday’s Premier League opener with Manchester United at the Hawthorns.

It will be the first monetary outlay of the summer by West Brom after Gareth McAuley, Zoltan Gera and Billy Jones arrived on Bosman free transfers and Ben Foster joined on loan from Birmingham.

West Brom v Man United Live Streaming

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