Newcastle terminate Ben Arfa's contract

Newcastle United terminated France midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa's contract on Sunday ahead of his imminent move to French Ligue 1 side Nice.

"Newcastle United can today confirm that Hatem Ben Arfa and the Club have reached an agreement to terminate the contract between both parties with immediate effect by mutual consent," the Premier League club said on their website. "Newcastle United wishes Hatem all the best for his future."

Nice said on Saturday that Ben Arfa would have a medical on Monday.

The player, who has 13 caps and scored two goals for France, joined Newcastle from Olympique de Marseille in 2010 but fell out of favour at St James' Park after former manager Alan Pardew raised questions about his fitness and work ethic.

Ben Arfa moved on loan to Hull City at the start of the season but that deal was terminated last month following a disagreement with manager Steve Bruce.

LVG has no right to complain - Cruyff

Former Netherlands great Johan Cruyff has told Louis van Gaal he has no right to complain about the hectic holiday season programme in the Premier League when he chose to go and work there.

Writing in his weekly column in the daily De Telegraaf, Cruyff said the Manchester United manager had to accept the English way of running their league without a winter break.

"If you choose for (a job in) England, then you choose for their successful system, which is based on the proposition that the stadiums open as soon as the fans are available to watch, which is the holiday period," Cruyff said.

"Playing football between Christmas and New Year is a war of attrition and thus in favour of physically stronger teams."

Any attempt by Van Gaal to try to change the system would be doomed to failure, added Cruyff, who has had a strained relationship with his compatriot and has criticised Van Gaal's organisation of the United team since taking over in July.

"It has been working (well) since time immemorial and in 100 years it will still be so," Cruyff said.

"Complaining makes no sense if everyone else around you is happy. Moreover, everybody is well paid for working over the holiday period."

Van Gaal said the over-crowded festive fixture schedule neglected player welfare and short-changed millions of supporters.

"Everybody knows the body cannot recover within 48 hours," he said last month.

"Therefore there is a rule within Uefa and Fifa that you cannot play the games within two days. The scientists have proven it, everybody knows it and, in spite of that, we have to play.

"It is the culture of England. I don't mind, but it's not good for the players, for the health of the players, and it's not good for the game," said Van Gaal.

Carver says he'll apply for Magpies job

John Carver declared his interest in taking the reins at Newcastle United on a permanent basis following their 1-0 FA Cup third-round exit at Leicester City on Saturday.

Carver has been in charge of Newcastle team affairs as caretaker for two matches while Alan Pardew's move to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace was being sorted out.

Only after Pardew's deal went through on Saturday did Carver feel able to go public with his own ambitions, explaining that he now wants to take charge permanently.

Newcastle have confirmed that the main St James' Park job will be a head coach's role, rather than a traditional managerial post.

Yet Carver, who has been the club's head coach for the last 18 months anyway, said: "I am going to throw my hat into the ring. I did tell the players but I couldn't make it public. Now I am.

"Alan has gone now, it's been announced. At the time when all that is going on it's difficult to say how you feel, but obviously deep down inside I want to be head coach of this football club. I would be a fool if I didn't want the job."

Carver admitted: "I haven't spoken with (owner) Mike (Ashley), but there's no need for me to speak with Mike or be in touch.

"The role is for head coach, not manager. The job of a head coach is to prepare the players and the team for the next match, which is what I've been doing."

The timing of Carver's declaration was not exactly the kindest with Newcastle's travelling army of 4 319 fans turning on the team late in the game and not for the first time loudly expressing their dissatisfaction with Ashley.

It left Carver shrugging: "The fans pay their money and they are entitled to do that and react that way.

"It's hugely embarrassing but they are entitled to do that. One thing I was going to make sure the players did was go over (and applaud them). I wasn't going to shirk that responsibility and I wanted to make sure the players didn't either."

Carver was unfortunate to have been without injured senior players for the Leicester game but the setback, while it "hurt", did not deflect his ambition.

"Results dictate what happens but I don't feel any different. I still want to be head coach," Carver said.

Redknapp shrugs off Cup upset

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp refused to "shout and scream" at his players despite suffering the humiliation of being dumped out of the FA Cup third round at home by lower league opposition on Sunday.

League One (third tier) Sheffield United, who reached the semi-finals of last season's tournament, convincingly ran out 3-0 winners to extend QPR's dismal run of winning only two FA Cup games in a decade.

Marc McNulty put the Blades in front on 36 minutes before winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce made the most of some slack QPR defending to score twice and secure United's place in the fourth round, with the knockout specialists already in the Capital One Cup last four.

"They were better than us today," Redknapp told the Premier League strugglers' website (www.qpr.co.uk). "We looked lethargic, they looked sharp and they thoroughly deserve their win.

"What can you say afterwards? There's no point shouting and screaming. Our home form has been excellent all season, it's been fantastic.

"But the last goal today summed us up, it was a horrendous goal to give away. Their second goal was a poor goal as well -- it was a ball into the box that we should have dealt with easily."

After a busy period of league fixtures, Redknapp made seven changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Swansea City on Thursday but the QPR boss still said his side lacked fresh legs.

"We had to make some changes because of the number of games we've played," he said. "The lads you bring in, you hope they'll come in and do a job.

"But I felt we only started playing when the two Chilean lads (Eduardo Vargas and Mauricio Isla) came on. We played football, we passed and moved, and we looked brighter. Before then, there was a lack of movement with us."

QPR, who are 16th in the Premier League table with 19 points from 20 matches, return to league action at fellow strugglers Burnley next weekend before hosting Manchester United on January 17.

"There aren't many positives I can take from today," Redknapp said. "There aren't any, in fact. Like I say, we have been excellent at home all season, but today they were sharper.

"Now we have to come back. Our next home game is against Manchester United, which will be a tough game. Next weekend we play Burnley, and that's a massive game for us.

Walcott back and happy alongside Alexis

Theo Walcott was thrilled to be back in business for Arsenal in their FA Cup third round win on Sunday as he declared his delight at playing alongside "special player" Alexis Sanchez.

Walcott played 76 minutes of Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Hull City at the Emirates Stadium, enjoying his first start in exactly a year since suffering the knee injury which kept him out of England's World Cup plans.

It was a quiet but encouraging return which prompted the 25-year-old old to tell the BBC: "It was nice for me personally to blow the cobwebs away after being out for a year to the day. It was nice to get involved and get a few chances. I wanted to put them away and it wasn't to be."

Yet the man who says he is still determined to end his career as "an Arsenal legend" suspected he may be watching another in the shape of Sanchez, who was brilliant the entire match before scoring Arsenal's decisive second after 82 minutes.

"Alexis Sanchez is a special player and it was nice to get on the pitch with him finally. I'm looking forward to plenty more," said Walcott.

His return spells good news for England as well as Arsenal, the FA Cup holders who are seeking to improve in the second half of the season after dropping to sixth in the Premier League.

Walcott said it felt good to be back after the sometimes solitary slog to recover fitness.

"I think mentally it is very hard when you are in the treatment room alone, when your team mates are going out to train or going to the World Cup," said the player, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

"But I had a lot going on in my life off the field which helped me keep going."

Walcott showed he had not lost his electric pace but his finishing, as he miscued one glaring opportunity, demonstrated some rustiness.

'Hammers taking FA Cup seriously'

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has vowed to play his strongest possible side against Everton in the FA Cup third round on Tuesday and believes the competition has not lost any of its glamour despite a lack of upsets.

West Ham have surpassed expectations in the Premier League this season and are seventh in the table with 32 points from 20 matches, but the high-flying Hammers picked up one point from three games over the festive period.

Allardyce is hoping for a return to form against an out-of-sorts Everton at Goodison Park on Tuesday and said the Hammers will be taking the FA Cup more seriously than last season when they were fighting for Premier League survival.

"Last year it was the bottom of our priorities because we were concentrating on getting out of trouble," Allardyce told a news conference on Monday.

"Looking at the team there won't be too many changes. We haven't had the results we wanted recently but I think the performances have still been very good.

"We'll play the strongest team available against Everton.

"It's not possible to play the best team each game because of the fatigue levels. But we've had four or five days rest which has helped so we can play a strong team."

League One (third tier) Sheffield United provided the only major shock of the third-round when they beat Premier League Queens Park Rangers 3-0 on Sunday.

Despite a lack of giant-killings, the 60-year-old Allardyce still has great affection for soccer's oldest domestic cup competition.

"It's a great tournament with the opportunity of playing at Wembley at the end," he said.

"I remember watching it from the age of about eight or nine and the chance of an underdog beating a big boy hasn't lost its glamour.

"There haven't been so many shocks in this round but the glamour is still there.

FA Cup can liberate struggling Everton

Four straight Premier League defeats have left Everton fans feeling blue but manager Roberto Martinez is confident victory over West Ham United in the FA Cup on Tuesday will provide the perfect tonic for his side.

Everton have slipped to 13th in the Premier League and supporters have started voicing concerns over performances.

But Martinez, who guided Everton to fifth last season, believes there is enough quality in his team's ranks to improve their lacklustre campaign.

"All we are concentrating on is how we can help each other in terms of performance," Martinez told a news conference on Monday. "We're here to build something for the future, not just for now, and become a winning team.

"The message to the fans is very clear, we're all together and at any time in adversity it is about finding a way to become a winning side.

"It's time to help each other, help the players, and we will get reward for it because the talent is there."

Everton host West Ham at Goodison Park in the FA Cup third round and Martinez, who won the competition in charge of Wigan Athletic in 2013, is looking forward to turning his attentions away from the Premier League.

"The FA Cup can liberate us," he said. "It can give you real freedom, you have nothing to lose and that's refreshing.

"We are playing a side who are a consistent team I think it will be a very open game, a proper cup tie and a really good game of football. It could be a pivotal moment in our season."

With the January transfer window now open, Martinez will try to sign a goalkeeper to fill the void vacated by the injured Tim Howard but the Everton boss will not rush into the market.

"Unless we can bring a goalkeeper who fits well into the way we want to play and the way we are as a team I won't bring him in," he said.

"I would rather make a long-term signing rather than throw a youngster into first team action. I don't think short-term would be a good solution for us right now.