Allardyce hails his "best ever" West Ham side

What difference a year makes. Roundly criticised by fans and owners alike for some turgid performances last season, West Ham United host champions Manchester City on Saturday with a new attacking style instilling new-found belief at Upton Park.

Often regarded as a mid-table team stuck in first gear with the handbrake on, West Ham have ripped the shackles off this season with a free-flowing style that has lifted them to fourth in the Premier League table with 13 points from eight games.

The arrivals of Ecuador's World Cup striker Enter Valencia and Senegal's Diafra Sakho, who has scored six goals in his last six matches, have added potency to the West Ham attack and eased the burden placed upon injured striker Andy Carroll.

Such is the feelgood factor that has engulfed the east London side, manager Sam Allardyce, who was booed by some fans last season, can take particular delight with the squad he has assembled.

"It looks like being the best side since I've been here and the big bonus is the new players hitting the ground running," Allardyce, who took charge of West Ham in 2011, told a news conference on Thursday.

"The rest of the team has been lifted by that increase in quality and energy and we've got over some injury problems too.

"We've scored 15 goals in our first eight games and our total last year was 40. It shows what goalscorers can do."

Second-placed City, who trail leaders Chelsea by five points after eight matches, will provide the Hammers with a stern examination after beating them on four occasions last season.

Two of those games were in the two-legged Capital One (League) Cup semifinal which City won 9-0 on aggregate and City also clinched the league title with a 2-0 win over West Ham on the final day of the season.

Sergio Aguero scored all four of City's goals in the 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but with Manuel Pellegrini's side returning from their ultimately disappointing 2-2 draw at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday, Allardyce is confident of causing an upset.

West Ham have not beaten City in their last 10 matches since a 1-0 league win over them at Upton Park in March 2009.

"We've got a different team to when we played Man City last season," Allardyce said.

"They're a fabulous side but if we're going to challenge them at any time this season this might be it, coming off a Champions League game.

"If we can keep their superb attacking force quiet we'll then have to see if we can exploit any weaknesses.

Costa released from hospital - reports

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been released from hospital following treatment for an illness, British media reported on Thursday.

Costa, who has scored nine Premier League goals since joining from Atletico Madrid during the close season, has been dogged by niggly injuries in recent weeks and picked up a groin strain while on international duty with Spain.

However, according to media reports the 26-year-old, who has missed Chelsea's past two games against Crystal Palace and Maribor, spent time in hospital with stomach pains after the international break.

Loic Remy has led the attack for Jose Mourinho's side in the absence of Costa but the French striker picked up a muscular injury after scoring Chelsea's opener in their 6-0 Champions League win over Maribor on Tuesday.

As Chelsea's only fit senior striker, Didier Drogba is likely lead the line for the table-toppers when they travel to sixth-placed Manchester United on Sunday.

Sunderland sign France's Reveillere

Sunderland have signed former France international Anthony Reveillere for the remainder of the season, the English Premier League club announced on Thursday.

The 34-year-old full-back has been training with the north-east club in recent weeks after becoming a free agent following his release by Italian side Napoli in pre-season.

Now he has been signed by Sunderland manager Gus Poyet and could go straight into the squad for Saturday's match at home to Arsenal where Sunderland will look to recover from their 8-0 thrashing at Southampton last weekend.

Reveillere, capped 20 times by France, started his career at Rennes, but had his greatest success with Lyon, for whom he made almost 300 appearances and won five Ligue 1 titles.

Valdes to train with Man United

Former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes is to train with Manchester United, the English Premier League giants announced on Thursday.

The 32-year-old Valdes, who left Barcelona at the end of last season after spending his whole career at the Catalan club, is recovering from a major knee injury which scuppered a proposed move to Monaco.

Valdes, who has been capped 20 times by Spain, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in March and underwent surgery which ruled him out of the rest of the season as well as the World Cup.

"Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has offered the 32-year-old former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes a chance to complete his rehabilitation from a knee injury and to work his way back to fitness with the club," United's statement said.

"Valdes, a free agent, will have his recovery supervised by the United medical staff before training with the first team, as he bids to regain full fitness," the statement added.

Van Gaal gave Valdes his Barcelona debut as a 20-year-old in 2002, but the keeper played under the Dutchman for just six months before the manager left the Camp Nou.

Valdes won six Primera Liga and three Champions League titles during his time with the Catalan giants.

Benzema quietly doing CL business for Real

Whatever Karim Benzema does in a Real Madrid shirt his achievements are generally overshadowed by the exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo yet the France forward has a splendid Champions League record of his own.

Benzema struck twice in Wednesday's 3-0 Group B victory at Liverpool, taking his tally in Europe's elite club competition to 40 goals in 67 appearances, a strike rate that compares with Ronaldo's 70 in 106 matches.

Ronaldo netted the opening goal at Anfield, leaving him one short of Raul's Champions League scoring record of 71 goals, and the post-match reaction and Thursday's headlines in the sports papers predictably focused on the prolific Portugal captain.

Benzema has had his fair share of struggles since joining Real from Olympique Lyon in 2009 but appears to be blossoming under the Spanish club's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti has gone out of his way not to put public pressure on the 26-year-old to score goals, repeatedly pointing out that his work rate and assists are crucial to the team's success.

It is something of a turnaround from the situation under Ancelotti's predecessor Jose Mourinho, who once contemptuously referred to Benzema as a 'cat' and said he needed a dog to go hunting instead.

Mourinho's fellow Portuguese Ronaldo has given strong backing to Benzema and said after Real's 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao this month, in which the Frenchman scored twice and Ronaldo hit a hat-trick, that he was La Liga's best striker.

"I give my all whenever I'm on the field," Benzema told reporters after the Liverpool victory, which gave Real a maximum nine points from three games as they seek to become the first club to retain the European title in the Champions League era.

"It's true that in the Champions League I'm lucky enough to score goals but the other competitions are just as important," Benzema added.

"We have a lot of players to make a good team. We're in better shape than last year."

Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers, while full of praise for Ronaldo, also noted that Real are not simply a one-man team.

"They were outstanding," he told a news conference. "They've got many players with big-game experience and they have quality right the way through the group."

Real's next outing is Saturday's La Liga 'Clasico' at home to Barcelona and they host Liverpool at the Bernabeu on November 4.

BATE face probe after claims of racist abuse

BATE Borisov are facing discipliary action after Shakhtar Donetsk forward Luiz Adriano said he suffered racist insults from the crowd during his five-goal performance in Tuesday's Champions League match.

European soccer's governing body Uefa said proceedings had been opened against the Belarus side because of "racist behaviour of supporters."

"I heard rude abuse...racist ones," the 27-year-old Brazilian forward told Shakhtar's website (http://shakhtar.com/en/) following the 7-0 win in Minsk.

"Supporters behaved improperly and that is why I am disappointed and feel resentment. It was an ugly act from their side."

Luiz Adriano, who joined Shakhtar in 2007 from Porto Alegre side Internacional, became the first player in the history of the competition to score four goals in the first half.

He also joined Barcelona's Lionel Messi as the only player to hit five goals in a Champions League game.

Uefa said the hearing would take place on November 13.

Sporting want rematch with Schalke

Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting © Action Images

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23 October 2014, 14:11

Portugal's Sporting Lisbon have lodged a protest with European soccer's governing body Uefa and demanded a rematch with Schalke 04 after a last-gasp penalty gave the Germans a 4-3 win in their Champions League game on Tuesday.

"The green-whites (of Sporting) have demanded the match to be played again or alternatively to receive the bonus for a draw," Schalke said in a statement on Thursday.

"Schalke 04 have been asked by Uefa for their position on the matter and will submit this shortly while taking into consideration the protection of the club's own interests."

Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting converted the penalty, awarded deep in stoppage time for what Russian referee Sergei Karasev said was a handball by Sporting's Jonathan Silva.

TV replays showed the player made contact with his head rather than his arm. The Portuguese had earlier come from two goals down to level 3-3.

The late victory lifted Schalke to second in Group G on five points with Sporting on one.

Lukas Podolski © Gallo Images

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Late gamble pays off this time for lucky Arsenal

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23 October 2014, 14:22

Arsene Wenger may have rolled the dice to beat Anderlecht in the Champions League on Wednesday but the Arsenal manager is aware that his side cannot always bluff their way to victory.

Arsenal struggled for large periods against the Belgian side and looked to be heading for their second defeat in Group D after another stagnant Champions League performance.

But Wenger's sleight of hand in the closing stages ensured Arsenal finished with six attack-minded players on the field and it worked wonders as Kieran Gibbs and substitute Lukas Podolski scored in the final two minutes to snatch a 2-1 victory.

"We took all the risks and, in the end, it paid off," Wenger, whose side are second with six points from three matches, told reporters afterwards.

"It's a little bit of a gambling situation that happens in this kind of game and it worked. It did not look obvious, that is for sure.

"In the end, the quality of the players who came on and our experience made the difference, unexpectedly."

Arsenal, who have won just two of eight games in the Premier League this season, have struggled to play with the elegance for which they are renowned in recent weeks and the performance against Anderlecht added to Wenger's frustrations.

"We had the spirit but it was disappointing that we didn't create more," the Frenchman said. "I put that down to the fact that Anderlecht defended very well.

"It's a bit unexpected to take the three points, considering the quality of the match that Anderlecht played.

The Belgian side were just minutes away from ending a run of five successive home defeats in the group stage of the competition before Arsenal left them ruing their missed chances which would have sealed the win.

"We controlled the game in the first half without creating any chances. In the second half, we opened ourselves up and were a bit more vulnerable on the counter-attacks," Wenger admitted.

Midfielder Jack Wilshere was also relieved to escape from Brussels with three points after admitting Arsenal are far from their best at the moment.

"Maybe we didn't put in the performance here, but we got the result - and we'd much rather have it that way," Wilshere told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

"It wasn't our prettiest performance, but we won the game and that's all that matters.

"We've been through a bit of a rough stage where we haven't been winning games, so the main thing was to get the three points.

Time will tell with Balotelli’

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers conceded Wednesday that Mario Balotelli had still to prove his worth after the Italian striker's latest lacklustre display for the Merseysiders.

Balotelli was replaced at halftime during Liverpool's comprehensive 3-0 group stage loss at home to holders Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.

At that stage Liverpool were already 3-0 behind and, to make matters worse, Balotelli was seen swapping shirs with the Spanish giants' Pepe.

However, Rodgers insisted Balotelli – criticised by former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness for lacking a "football brain" – was working hard despite a return of just one goal in 10 appearances since his £16 million ($26 million, 20 million euros) move from AC Milan.

Balotelli's performances have been compounded by a combination of Liverpool's defensive problems, the ongoing absence through injury of fellow-striker Daniel Sturridge and the fact the man he was bought to replace, Luis Suarez, scored 31 goals in the Premier League last season.

Rodgers said Thursday he liked players who are "different" as long as their personalities were put towards the service of the team as a whole.

"The Mario Balotelli show is no different to me. He is treated like any other player," Rodgers explained.

"We have an image of a team here, of how we play and work and how we represent the club.

"I like players that are different. I like individual personality in people with hair and coloured boots but as long as they don't see themselves as an individual, that is what is important.

"They have to fit into the parameters of the team and if those players over the longer term don't it can be difficult for them to work here.

"But in terms of that, he is genuinely working hard and doing his best at Liverpool."

The Northern Irishman added: "As long as he is doing his best that is all I can ask as a coach: whether that best is going to be good enough that remains to be seen – but that is the same for every player, not just Mario."

Rodgers was unimpressed when told of Balotelli's shirt-swap on Wednesday and, turning to the issue on Thursday, the manager said: "Any action will be kept between ourselves.

"We just had a conversation about the culture in this country and in particular Liverpool and that is it, matter closed."

As well as criticising Balotelli, Liverpool great Souness said Rodgers had to shoulder some of the blame for believing he could succeed in getting more out of the striker than the top managers who had previously worked with the eccentric forward.

"Roberto Mancini twice, Jose Mourinho had one look at him and very quickly said 'I can't work with this guy', Cesare Prandelli said after the World Cup he made a giant mistake taking him to Brazil," Souness said.

"What makes you (Rodgers) think you can get something different from him?" added Souness, himself a former Liverpool manager.

Levante fires coach Mendilibar

Levante have fired Jose Mendilibar, becoming the second Spanish club in as many days to remove a head coach.

The 53-year-old Mendilibar replaced Joaquin Caparros this season but failed to maintain the same level of play, with the team scoring a league-low four goals through eight rounds and sitting next-to-last in the standings.

The club has not named a replacement for Mendilibar, who previously coached clubs including Osasuna, Valladolid and Athletic Bilbao.

Mendilibar is the second coach to be fired from Spain's top division this week, his departure announced just hours after last-place Cordoba replaced Albert Ferrer with Miroslav Djukic on Monday.

Goal-hungry Messi targets El Clasico

Lionel Messi took a step closer to the Champions League scoring record against Ajax on Tuesday and now turns his target to the El Clasico with Real Madrid on Saturday and the all-time La Liga goals tally.

His partnership with Neymar is blossoming this season after a slow start and he set the Brazilian up for the first goal against Ajax before striking the other in the 3-1 win to give him 69 Champions League goals, two short of Raul's record.

Both were taken off in the second half with Barca coach Luis Enrique looking to rest them ahead of the Real game and Barca's mood of relaxation against a clearly inferior Ajax almost came back to bite them.

Anwar El Ghazi knocked home a loose ball inside the area to raise Dutch hopes before Sandro Ramirez wrapped up the points for the Catalan side.

In La Liga Messi has 250 goals, one short of the scoring record of Telmo Zarra for Athletic Bilbao in the 1940's and '50s, but he denies it will be on his mind against Real.

"The record is the least important, what is important is that we have a good game and get the win," he told reporters.

Barca lead the La Liga table with Real four points behind in third place but they are in strong form with 25 goals in five games.

"It is El Clasico, it would be great to win but still it doesn't decide anything as there is a long way to go in the league," said Messi.

Barca fans can look ahead to the mouthwatering prospect of Luis Suarez linking up with deadly duo as he returns from his four-month biting ban and he could make his debut this weekend.

With Pedro struggling for form and youngsters Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi not ready for regular football there is a place waiting in the team for Suarez to fill.

"We are looking forward to the arrival of Luis and it will be great to play with him as he will add a lot of strength to the team," Messi said.

"He is a great striker who scores a lot of goals. I am happy for him as he has been out for a long time."

In the ten years since his debut, which Messi celebrated last week, he has gone from being a naive teenager to a leader of the team.

However, he showed a much-publicised air of arrogance last weekend against Eibar when he refused to be substituted.

In the end Luis Enrique took Neymar off instead of him but against Ajax he did go off without any complaints.

"I have heard what has been said about the matter. He (Luis Enrique) is the coach and when he wants to take me off he does and there is no problem," said the Argentine.

Roma debacle against Bayern a 'one-off

AS Roma's 7-1 home defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League is being seen in Italy as an unfortunate one-off rather than another sad reflection on the dismal state of Serie A.

Tuesday's match produced the inevitable soul-searching, plus comparisons with Roma's loss at Manchester United in 2007 and Germany's World Cup semifinal win over Brazil in July, both by the same scoreline.

The general view, though, was fairly clear-cut – Roma are on the right track and have the time and resources to bounce back from a nightmare match in which they fell apart like a Sunday league team playing after a heavy night out.

The Manchester United defeat in 2007, under Luciano Spalletti, came in a Champions League quarterfinal, second leg in a season in which Roma had already lost touch with Serie A leaders Inter Milan, although they went on to finish second.

"The biggest difference is that game was a quarterfinal, while here there's a chance to remedy the situation," Marco Cassetti, who played against United, told Sky Sport Italia. "After Manchester, there was no chance for a re-match."

Even after Tuesday's defeat, Roma are second in Group E and well-placed to reach the knockout stage with their home match against Manchester City in early December now looking decisive.

Their Serie A challenge is well and truly alive as they trail leaders Juventus by one point, with a visit to Sampdoria on Saturday giving them a chance to quickly put Tuesday's fiasco behind them.

WELL-ORGANISED

Roma's thumping was all the more shocking because they had made impressive progress in 15 months under coach Rudi Garcia, finishing second in Serie A last season, and are seen as one of Italy's best-organised teams.

It would be tempting to say their defeat just goes to prove the weakness of the opposition in Serie A, except that Bayern routinely hand out the same treatment to some of the Bundesliga's top sides.

The Bavarians came into the game on the back of a 6-0 win over Werder Bremen and already have a goal difference of 19 in the Bundesliga where, almost inevitably, they are still unbeaten.

"It's a very bad and humiliating defeat but it's the first time something like this has happened under Garcia," former Roma midfielder Alessio Scarchilli told Sky.

"This game caught the imagination of Roma as it drew nearer, and they were a little lacking in organisation against such a strong team.

"They reacted after the first goal and got the game under control but then conceded the second and third goals and surrendered mentally."

Sporting director Walter Sabatini said Roma, who had proudly gone into the competition saying they wanted to be considered among the possible winners, would have to reconsider their European potential.

"We certainly have to re-evaluate ourselves at international level," he said. "We will ask ourselves what happened as we really did not expect this.

"We expected to play a proud game. Instead it all went down the drain so quickly and the lads lost confidence.

"It is a lesson that we could have done without but we will try to turn it to our advantage."

Roma will quickly learn whether the lessons have been learned as they visit Bayern in the return fixture on November 5.

Bayern get Papal seal of approval

A meeting with Pope Francis on Wednesday could not have been timed better for Bayern Munich as the German champions capped a two-day stay in Rome in style at the Vatican following Tuesday's 7-1 demolition of Roma in the Champions League.

The Bavarians have now firmly established themselves as one of the frontrunners for Europe's top club competition this season, after scoring five goals in the first 35 minutes on their way to their European record away win which left them top of Group E with maximum points from three games.

Bayern coach Pep Guardiola completely outclassed his Roma counterpart in every aspect of the game as Bayern, led by Dutchman Arjen Robben, who netted twice, moved up to nine points, five ahead of second-placed Roma.

Before leaving the Italian capital, Bayern met the pontiff at the Vatican, with the football-loving Argentine head of the Roman Catholic Church saying he was 'surprised by the result'.

"You delivered a wonderful game of football yesterday," he told the team on Wednesday morning, Bayern said in a statement.

It was indeed a spectacle what Bayern delivered against the Italians with Robben heaping praise on the team's tactical preparation.

"I am still convinced that Roma are a tough team but we really must thank our coaching team because they prepared us outstandingly for this game," Robben said.

"I have never seen anything like it, at least not against such a strong team like Roma. They had no answer to our attacking game and that quickly decided the match."

Guardiola made three changes to the team that crushed Werder Bremen 6-0 in the league on Saturday but they were equally dominant.

The undefeated Bavarians have now won six of eight league games while also winning every group game so far in Europe along with their first round German Cup win as they set their sights again on a treble of titles after 2013.

Their flawless defensive operation which included former Roma's Mehdi Benatia in a rare start this season, as well as their attacking game, showed Guardiola was right to insist they would be improving only gradually after a long summer for many of his players.

With winger Franck Ribery back fit and on target on Tuesday and several more players, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, expected to return in the coming weeks, Bayern will only be getting stronger.

With nine points in the bag, the first target of the season to make it past the group stage of the Champions League looks to have been largely accomplished.

"This was a huge step into the right direction," said captain Philipp Lahm. "Especially with Manchester City drawing 2-2 against CSKA Moscow. But we are not through just yet. In two weeks we need to win again and then it will look really good.

Bayern can improve on Roma rout

Arjen Robben says Bayern Munich still have room for improvement and must keep their feet on the ground despite routing Roma in the Champions League's group stages.

The Netherlands winger scored twice in Tuesday's romp at Rome's Olympic Stadium as Bayern raced into a 5-0 halftime lead and the hosts suffered their heaviest defeat in Europe – matched only by their 7-1 drubbing at Manchester United in 2007.

With the return leg in Munich in a fortnight's time, Bayern are now in pole-position to reach the knockout stages after three wins from three Group E games, but Robben said the Bundesliga leaders must not get carried away.

"It was crazy to be 5-0 up at halftime in Rome," admitted Robben.

"We have to enjoy the moment, but we must also keep our feet on the ground.

"It's still early in the season and although this may sound stupid, there are still things we can improve on."

Having had an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday before flying back to Munich, Pep Guardiola will get his squad back to Bundesliga business as they travel to face Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday in a top of the table clash.

Germany forward Thomas Mueller said Guardiola had detailed Roma's weaknesses before kick-off which had allowed the Bavarian giants to set a new away record in Europe.

"We were well set up by the coach, he had pin-pointed where the weak points in the Roma side were and they were exactly where he said they would be," said Mueller.

"We knew exactly what we had to do and we have the individual class to make it happen.

Marksman Adriano happy in Ukraine

Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian forward Luiz Adriano, only the second player to score five goals in a Champions League game, is planning to finish his career in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Adriano equalled Lionel Messi's feat of hitting five in a match and also netted the third fastest hat-trick in Champions League history as Shakhtar beat BATE Borisov 7-0.

The 27-year-old, who Shakhtar manager Mircea Lucescu has called "the best Brazilian currently playing football", is also one of the most prolific scorers in the Ukrainian league, where he reached 100 goals last season.

Adriano, who joined Shakhtar in 2007 at the age of 19, said he would be happy to stay in Donetsk until the end of his career.

"My current contract expires in 2015," Adriano told AFP. "However, I will be happy to finish my career in Shakhtar - the club which gave me so much."

Adriano said he had received plenty of positive recommendations about the club from fellow-Brazilians before joining Shakhtar.

"Time has showed that it was a correct move - to join Shakhtar. Probably my best career move," Adriano said.

He added that it took him about a year to adjust to Shakhtar playing style and manager Mircea Lucescu's demands.

"On arrival to Shakhtar I found out that Lucescu wanted me to spearhead the club's attack," he said.

"Previously I'd been playing in the second attacking line. I spent almost a year adjusting myself to the new realities.

"But currently I feel myself completely comfortable within Lucescu's system of playing."

Adriano added that he considered Lucescu to be the best coach to work with Brazilian players.

"He (Lucescu) was just born to work with Brazilians," he said.

"Though we (Brazilian players) have plenty of common football qualities we also have a lot of individual features that Lucescu helps every player develop and display."

The striker revealed he was considering becoming a Ukrainian citizen to make himself eligible for the national team.

"It's true, I have an intention to receive Ukrainian citizenship," the striker told the Ukrainian press.

"But my final decision will depend on the situation in Ukraine," Adriano added, alluding to the conflict between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country.

"In the case that things return to normal I will be happy to to receive a Ukrainian passport."

National coach Mikhail Fomenko has said he would be happy to have a forward of such class at his disposal, adding that Adriano would be called up to the national team the moment he received a Ukrainian passport.

Adriano has won six Ukrainian league titles, four cups and the 2009 Uefa Cup with Shakhtar.

Ferguson backs 'formidable' Van Gaal

Alex Ferguson has said the "formidable" Louis van Gaal is the right man to return Manchester United to winning ways once again.

Ferguson, who retired as United manager at the end of the 2012/13 campaign after a career that saw him become British football's most successful boss during more than 26 years in charge at Old Trafford, looked on as struggling successor David Moyes was sacked after less than a season at the helm.

Not only did United not win any major trophies last season, they also failed to qualify for the lucrative Champions League.

In a bid to rectify both these issues, United brought in van Gaal, fresh from guiding his native Netherlands to third place at this World Cup in Brazil and a vastly experienced club manager.

Ferguson, writing in the recently published updated version of his autobiography, said the 63-year-old van Gaal was a "good choice" for United.

"Louis, who took the job, is what I would call a managers' coach," Ferguson added. "He's one of these committed ultra-professionals. Football is his life.

"Wherever he has managed, every footballer will have learnt from him. He's strong, single-minded, as he showed again with the Netherlands at the World Cup.

"I like Louis and have always had a good rapport with him. If I had to choose one word for him it would be 'formidable'.

"His urge is to play attractive football. He likes to watch players play and players train and to be involved at all levels, including in the development of young players.

"His background at Ajax shows that his faith in youth will not diminish. He was a good choice."

Ferguson also congratulated van Gaal to make United great Ryan Giggs, briefly in caretaker charge after Moyes's sacking, as his assistant manager.

"Louis could help Giggs learn about this business. In turn, Ryan could help Louis in understanding the inner workings of United," Ferguson said.

"As I look back on all those trophies, and those 963 appearances and 168 goals, I recall him as a physical freak. How he could have performed at the level he played at for all those years is beyond me.

"With Giggs I found perfection."

The book also contained the Scot's thoughts about rival managers, including old foe Arsene Wenger who oversaw an end to Arsenal's nine-year wait for a trophy last season by guiding the Gunners to a 3-2 FA Cup final win against a Hull side managed by Steve Bruce, one of Ferguson's former United captains.

"Arsene has always been dogged and determined about his beliefs and has never succumbed to pressure to change," said Ferguson, who added the Frenchman could yet be with north London club Arsenal even longer than he himself was with United.

"The standard and the method have been consistent. He has always been good at acquiring and developing young players. He is never afraid to play young people – which is bold, because young players are not fully formed.

"Who is to say that Arsene will not beat my record? I have my doubts, but he's having a good crack at it."

Meanwhile Ferguson reiterated his support for West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, much criticised by the club's fans for his supposedly unattractive style of football but who has since taken the Hammers into their current position of fourth in the Premier League.

"I hope that before I die, someone can explain the 'West Ham way'. What is it? They last won a trophy in 1980, the FA Cup," Ferguson said.

"I had to sympathise with Sam. He couldn't win. There is this preconception with West Ham fans that 'Big Sam' is a survivalist who tells teams to boot the ball up the pitch.

"The truth is that he stayed up with a team of very average players. That's management. He drew the best from them.

QPR chairman rebukes Redknapp, Taarabt

Queens Park Rangers chairman Tony Fernandes has apologised to supporters and rebuked the Premier League club's manager Harry Redknapp and striker Adel Taarabt for their public spat over the player's fitness.

In a statement on the club's website (www.qpr.co.uk), Fernandes called a halt to a row that has escalated since Sunday.

"We regret these issues being played out in public and both Harry Redknapp and Adel Taarabthave been notified of our disappointment regarding their handling of the situation. I have spoken to them both personally," he said.

"On behalf of the club, I would like to apologise to the QPR supporters for the embarrassment this has caused and confirm that the issue has been dealt with internally," he added.

"The club's entire focus is now on the Aston Villa fixture next Monday and hopefully after a tough few days we can turn a negative into a positive and build on Sunday's improved display," added the Malaysian entrepreneur.

Redknapp had called former Morocco international Taarabt "about three stone overweight" and unfit after failing to select him for the 3-2 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

The player hit back at his boss, showing off his physique in the Daily Mail newspaper and claiming the manager did not watch the team training.

Redknapp then replied by branding him "the worst professional I have ever come across".

Taarabt has not started a game for QPR since August.

The promoted side are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League on four points from eight games, with Redknapp's future increasingly called into question.

Fergie admits United job was big for Moyes

Alex Ferguson has broken his silence on David Moyes's short, traumatic reign at Manchester United, saying the former Everton manager underestimated the size of the job while denying he retired leaving the club in decline.

In an updated version of his book, "My Autobiography", Ferguson also says it was "nonsense" to suggest he hand-picked Moyes for the job alone and that a due process was involved in his appointment.

Ferguson has not previously spoken at length about Moyes's 10 months as his successor but does so in a new chapter updating the book that was published last year after his retirement from Old Trafford after 26 years as manager.

He has also denied suggestions that he left Moyes with an ageing squad and an "antiquated" club saying that 11 of the squad that won the title in 2013 in his last season were aged 25 or under.

He says that Moyes just found the step up from Everton to United too big a task to handle.

"He hadn't realised just how big United is as a club," says Ferguson who watched on in person at Old Trafford as results went against United throughout last season which ended with them finishing seventh, their lowest league position in the Premier League era.

HAMMER BLOW

"Each defeat was a hammer blow to him," says Ferguson.

"I could see that in his demeanour. In January we bought Juan Mata and that gave everyone a lift but I could see the walls squeezing in, leaving David with less and less room to breathe.

"I know that feeling from 1989, when we went through a terrible spell. You feel you are being crushed. The results gnawed away at David. Nobody could dispute how disappointing the season was. And it cost a man his job."

Ferguson famously wanted to knock once-dominant Liverpool "off their perch" as England's most successful title-winning club and by the end of his time he had done that, with United overtaking Liverpool's record of 18 titles with 20 of their own – 13 of which came during his long tenure as boss.

He writes that seeing Liverpool challenge for the title last season while United finished seventh and did not even qualify for Europe was particularly hard to bear.

"It was hard to watch that kind of outcome when Liverpool are the ones dishing out the pain.

"It was a rough season for a United fan and it was tough for me because I knew there were plenty of good players in our squad. They weren't showing their form – and that seemed to place a huge weight on David's shoulders."

Moyes was eventually sacked after a 2-0 defeat at his old club Everton, but Ferguson says he was not consulted over his dismissal either.

"I was in Aberdeen as the events unfolded. On the Monday, I was flying back to Manchester and sitting next to me was a lad with a newspaper that ran: 'David Moyes to be sacked'. I was unsure what was happening at that exact moment."

Ferguson also says he was not solely responsible for Moyes appointment, a view widely reported in the media and long held by United fans.

"We did everything the right way: quietly, thoroughly, professionally. A clear process was followed. Surely people don't really believe the Glazer family would allow the new manager to be chosen by one person. There appears to be an accepted view out there that was no process. Nonsense.

Chelsea chief executive quits club

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said on Wednesday he was leaving Stamford Bridge after a decade in which Chelsea were crowned kings of Europe but also suffered plenty of off-field dramas too.

Gourlay said in a statement he was off to "pursue new business challenges" after five years in his current role.

Chelsea said in a statement: "Ron's efforts have helped the club to achieve its position as one of the leading football clubs in the world."

Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in 2012, but they were also widely criticised for their handling of the John Terry affair when the FA found their skipper guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, then of Queens Park Rangers, in October 2011.

They also endured an uneasy second half of the 2012-13 season when Rafa Benitez took charge of the club, an appointment hugely unpopular with the majority of their fans, although he did bring them silverware by winning the Europa League.

Gourlay leaves the club with the team at the top of the Premier League and a day after they beat Maribor 6-0 in the Champions League, their record victory in the competition.

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Van Gaal believes United can win title

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal insists they can still overhaul Premier League leaders Chelsea despite there being a 10-point gap between the two sides.

Van Gaal's team's 2-2 draw at West Brom on Monday has left them further in need of a positive result against Jose Mourinho's side on Sunday.

It promises to be the biggest test of the Dutchman's Old Trafford reign yet with United still to have faced any of last season's top four.

But the former Netherlands and Barcelona coach remains relaxed and claimed his team's title hopes are not over just yet.

"That's possible but difficult to say because then I am arrogant," he said. "But I have done it a lot of times."

Van Gaal insisted his team's failure to defeat West Brom did not mean their prospects against the unbeaten leaders should be dismissed.

"Now we have to play Chelsea, but you cannot compare West Bromwich Albion with great respect," he said.

"I think Chelsea and (second placed) Man City are another level. We have to see if we can beat them.

"I am already thinking it starts with the offensive and also how the attackers are defending. You could see that in their (West Brom) first goal."

United were forced to rely on Daley Blind's 87th-minute equaliser to get a point in what was another reminder to Van Gaal that his team remains very much a work in progress.

West Brom had twice led through Stephane Sessegnon and Saido Berahino.

However, on each occasion they were pegged back with substitute Marouane Fellaini netting his first goal for the 'Red Devils' and Blind ensuring they at least stretched their unbeaten run to three matches.

Van Gaal rejected suggestions United should sacrifice flair for solidity.

"I don't think that is the solution," said the 63-year-old.

"I get asked this question a lot. You are right, today two errors, also in the past because I think we could have eight points more.

"Then we are up there. But it is only a matter of time (until we get where we want to be). I believe in it.

"I think also football is made to be attractive for the fans and I think all of them enjoyed this as it was a great game.

"But it is two points lost. I think we were the better team and I am very disappointed by the result.

"We were two times behind but I don't think West Bromwich Albion created too many chances.

"I have said to my players I cannot be happy. I am happy about our play style but not the result."

As for Fellaini's contribution, he added: "He was a very good substitute I think, but until now he is always injured and we have to build him up."

West Brom were excellent value for their point following a display which provided further evidence they are progressing under head coach Alan Irvine.

"The players are massively disappointed having put in such a performance and coming so close," said Irvine, who took over the job in the close season.

Leading scorer Berahino made it seven for the campaign as he gave England manager Roy Hodgson another reminder of his talents.

"Saido is in great form. He deserves what he is getting, his application has been really top class," said Irvine.

"If he scores goals every week then he has a great chance (of a senior call) but Roy will decide when is the right time for him," added the 56-year-old Scot.