Today's other stories in brief
Family feud has Davenport in dock
WEST HAM United defender Calum Davenport appeared in court yesterday charged with assaulting his sister in an incident which saw him later stabbed in both legs.
Davenport (26) is accused of causing actual bodily harm to Cara Davenport (28) on August 22nd.
He pleaded not guilty at Bedford Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning.
Davenport, of Greenfield, Bedford, spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth and to deny the charge.
His sister’s boyfriend, Worrell Whitehurst (25) is charged with attacking the centre-back as well as his mother, 49-year-old Kim Stupple, in the driveway of her home in Bedford, and will appear at Luton Crown Court next Monday.
Davenport, a former England under-21 international, has been able to return to light training and swimming after surgery which left him with a 15-inch scar on his leg.
His case was adjourned for committal to January 12th at the same court.
Obertan gives himself a year to shine
MANCHESTER UNITED new-boy Gabriel Obertan has given himself a year to become an Old Trafford regular. Obertan joined United from Bordeaux this summer after a recommendation from former player Laurent Blanc.
Obertan made his debut in the League Cup victory at Barnsley last month and has since gone on to make two more appearances for Alex Ferguson’s men – both as a substitute.
“I have ambition, says the 20-year-old. “If I keep working hard and show what I can do, why not aim to be a regular in the team? “I might need a year to achieve that, but I hope I can do it.”
Portugal to do own check on Ronaldo
REAL MADRID have confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will travel to Portugal for an assessment of his ankle injury in a new twist to the superstar’s club-versus-country dispute.
Ronaldo was called up by Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz for the two-leg World Cup play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina despite Real insisting the player will not be fit to return to action for at least a fortnight.
The Spanish giants believed Fifa’s regulations on the status and transfer of players for international duty gave Ronaldo the right to be assessed by the Portuguese federation’s medical staff in Spain, but the player will now return home for a fitness check.
A statement on Real’s official website read: “Real Madrid wishes to announce that Cristiano Ronaldo will travel to Portugal in the next few hours to put himself at the disposal of the medical services of the Portuguese federation.”
Everton hope to tie down Saha
EVERTON INTEND to open talks with Louis Saha over a contract extension that would prevent the former France striker becoming a free agent at the end of this season.
The 31-year-old Saha signed a two-year contract with the option of a third year when he moved to Goodison Park from Manchester United in 2008, with the transfer fee based on appearances.
Though restricted to only 18 league starts at Everton by the injury problems that also plagued his spell at Old Trafford, Saha has made an impressive contribution when fit and is the leading scorer this season with nine goals.
He also scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history – 25 seconds – in the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea in May.
Everton are keen to take up the option of a third year with Saha and plan to discuss terms with the French international early in the new year.
Maradona faces touchline ban
FIFA HAVE announced the disciplinary hearing into Argentina coach Diego Maradona’s comments after the recent World Cup qualifier against Uruguay will be held this Sunday.
Maradona aimed a foul- mouthed tirade at his critics after his side clinched their place at next summer’s finals with a 1-0 win on October 14th.
The former World Cup-winning player could be handed a touchline ban.
Hughes convinced Robinho will settle back at City
MARK HUGHES is convinced the future of record signing Robinho will look a lot more settled once he is back playing again.
The €36 million Brazilian has made the trip to Abu Dhabi this week for warm weather training as he looks to step up his recovery from an ankle injury. Not that Robinho’s absence has meant he has been out of the news.
Instead, his status at Manchester City has been dissected, to the extent that it now seems certain he will leave in January. Yet Hughes insists such talk is groundless.
Having swept Robinho up from Real Madrid on the last day of last season’s summer transfer window, the City manager chief has had no indication the 25-year-old wants to move elsewhere.
“At the moment Robinho is not fit,” said Hughes. “But people still want to talk about him because he is a high-profile player. They have not had the opportunity to talk about him play so, for them, the next best thing is to speculate about his future.”
