Newcastle United have been promoted back into the Premier League after one year in the Championship, allowing their players to breathe a sigh of relief.

Newcastle were predicted to struggle in the Championship after they were dumped out of the Premier League in epic style after a 1-0 loss on their own ground in their final Premier League match two seasons ago.

However, the size of the club and the managerial ability of Chris Hughton was more than enough to help the club get straight back into the top flight of English football. Newcastle’s players can now enjoy a party with a few games of the season left to go.

Winger, Jonas Gutierrez, said: “Diego helped to calm me down when Newcastle United slipped into the second division last season. He said he didn’t care which division I was playing in as the most important thing to him is to have players playing well.”

“That was very important to me because I knew Newcastle weren’t going to let me join another team. Now I can relax, at least a little bit. We needed to finish in first or second place to get automatic promotion and that is what we have done.”

“If we had finished between third and sixth we would have had to go into the play-offs and my season would have ended very close to the World Cup. Now I have time to charge my batteries for the World Cup and that is what I have always wanted and needed.”

This will also be the case for a number of other players in the Newcastle team who will be going off to South Africa to play in the World Cup. It may even work in the favour of the countries they play for because promotion is something, which can inspire a player and spur them on.

Hopefully Newcastle would have learnt a few lessons from the last time they were in the Premier League. Furthermore, they should have their heads around who controls what area of the club and who controls the players on the pitch.

Confusion in these areas was one of the main reasons the club went down last season and now they have a chance to show one and all that it was a blip and nothing else.

It marks a remarkable recent history for Newcastle as they were playing in the Champions League one season and then a few years later they were not even in the top of English football.

Hughton now looks favourite to keep his job and not be replaced by anyone else. This is wise and it is fair to let him see how he can handle the team in the top flight. However, he will be under no illusions that the club cannot go back down and his job will be balanced on a fine wire if Newcastle don’t get some Premier League wins straight away.

Chelsea player, Joe Cole, has said that he is yet to receive an offer from the London club, which will keep him at the club until the end of his career.

Cole will be out of contract in the summer and says he hopes an agreement can be reached before the end of the season or at the end of the season. He has spent a long time out with injury and only recently got back into the side.

You would think that Chelsea would want to keep a player as versatile as Cole. This is because unlike many other players in the Chelsea side, he can play on either wing if needed.

He said: “I’ve never spoken publicly about contracts before. I don’t think contracts should really be discussed mid-season. I have always signed mine in the summer in the past.”

“But this time it’s different. We can’t seem to find common ground and it’s distracting. At the moment there is no offer on the table, so I know where I stand. I still hope to talk in the summer.”

“There are no niggles. Of course, I am not match fit, but how can I be when I don’t play? I want to be part of the Chelsea team to win the Premier League and the FA Cup. But I need an opportunity to start games back to back.”

“I know I can help my team achieve our dream this season if given a chance. I am not giving up on this Chelsea team. I am not giving up on England and the World Cup either. I need to be playing consistently well for Chelsea before I can hope to be part of the World Cup squad. I just want to play football for Chelsea.”

Cole is at the right sort of age where a move to a new club would probably be the last big move of his career. He is not showing any signs that he wants to go elsewhere and if Chelsea do not act quickly, they may miss out.

Cole just wants to play football, that much is obvious. It is a big summer for England and Cole will want to give himself the best possible chance of being on the plane to South Africa.

This will mean that he has to rely on Chelsea picking him and if he is not chosen to play, then it may affect his World Cup chances, he may blame Chelsea for this and he may move onto another club.

There are many sides who would be happy to have him. Manchester City would be the favourites because he would fit in with what the club are trying to do and they would not have an issue in financial terms.

Manchester United are also said to be keen on Cole as they are looking for a good winger who can play well at the highest level and someone who still has a few miles left in the gas tank.

A highly rated Liverpool player has lost patience with the club and launched a seething attack on manager, Rafa Benitez.

Albert Riera says the manager has not communicated with his squad, which has led to certain areas of the team becoming unsure and confused over the roles they are being asked to play in the team.

Riera is a highly rated winger who would have been hoping to nail down a place in the side ahead of the World Cup this summer. He is one of the fringe players for Spain who would want to get himself noticed.

However, he says this is virtually impossible in a Benitez squad because of the fact the manager chops and changes the team so regularly. It makes it impossible for a player to settle.

He said: “When the coach says nothing to you and you are well, with no physical problems and training well, you cannot help but think it must be something personal.”

“If I’m doing something badly and you are my boss, and you value me, then you are going to come and tell me what I have to do to play again. This is what hurts me. You see that the team are not doing well and there are no changes. It’s a little frustrating because you see that you can help.”

“I’ve been here two years and I know how he (Benitez ) is. He’s never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him. He thinks he’s in charge and everything else falls on deaf ears. His dialogue with the players is practically nil.”

“I would like to be here for the rest of my career, but players live to play. My objective is to go to the World Cup and for this I have to play. Right now the only market open is the Russian one, I have offers from two teams and, looking at my situation, that has made me reflect a lot.”

It is so clear that there is a bitter frustration building up in Riera and there will be similar feelings in other parts of the Liverpool squad. This is natural because a big summer is coming up and players want to play.

Riera snapped Liverpool’s hand off when a good contract offer was made to him but for some reason or another, Benitez doesn’t seem to want to play him. This will be very annoying to a player who will feel that he can add another dimension to a side.

The Spaniard has a very good point too in relation to the fact that one of the main reasons Liverpool are struggling is the fact that they do not change key areas of their side.

Fringe players get rotated on a weekly basis but the important, core areas, which go a long way towards winning games stay in place. When these areas are not playing well, it reflects on the whole of the team..

David Beckham will be out of action for at least four months, according to the surgeon that is set to operate on him.

Beckham pulled up during AC Milan’s last match with what looked like a very serious and career threatening injury. It also looks as though it has ended any chances the player has of playing in the World Cup this summer.

Beckham is a well-respected professional player and many still consider him as the best kicker of a dead ball in the entire world. This injury set back is not what Milan or England needed.

The surgeon said: “To start kicking and playing football [will be] about three months. For [maximum] performances and maximum kicks and jumps, maybe it takes one month more, 3-4 months before one is able to do light playing.”

Milan coach, Leonardo, also said: “David’s injury makes us sick. When I think of his personal history, everything I know about him, how hard he works, I feel so bad for him.”

“Tonight was a very important win for us, but David’s news definitely puts a downer on the evening. David knew he was injured immediately.”

Beckham pulled up with a broken ankle and immediately starting making gestures towards the Milan bench that he thought his foot was broken.

It is a horrible reminder of when Beckham broke his foot playing for Manchester United a few years ago, again just before a major World Cup. You cannot help but feel sorry for him.

Beckham would have brought a number of valuable things to the table for England at the World Cup. Firstly, he would have been one of the most experienced players in the side, which would have helped the youngsters.

Secondly, no one can take a free kick in the England team as good as he can and when it comes down to it, the two or three goals scored like this can make the difference for a team trying to reach the later stages of an important competition.

Beckham’s Milan team mates said they felt a little distressed at how much pain Beckham appeared to be in. While the opposition coach has already said there was nothing in any challenges on Beckham during the whole evening, the Milan players and staff clearly feel there was some intent.

There is the smallest of chances that Beckham could still be on the plane to South Africa. However, these chances are very very small. The point is that the tournament will be about to start when Beckham is allowed to start training again.

It does open up a gap in the England team for someone who plays in Beckham’s position to come in and do the business just when the country needs it. Hopefully the impact will not be so great by the time England kick a ball at the World Cup.

AC Milan have closed the gap on city rivals Inter to just one point at the top of Seria A after a 1-0 win over Chievo. The Rossanari grabbed all three points, despite a lacklustre display, courtesy of an injury-time winner from veteran Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf.

However, the game was marred by injury to David Beckham, who is now expected to miss this summer’s World Cup after tearing his Achilles tendon in the second period. Milan boss Leonardo will take the injury on the chin, though, and can now set his sights on winning the club’s first Scudetto title since 2004, such is the dominance of bitter rivals Inter.

Jose Mourinho has aided Milan’s resurgence with a string of poor results domestically in recent months, letting a one-time eight point lead be reduced to a single one. The turnaround in fortune could prove a blessing for the Italian game as its popularity has suffered due to a combination of Juventus’ fixing scandals, Inter’s four consecutive titles and a general dip in quality of the top sides.

A head-to-head close season between two of the most successful sides in the history of the Italian game should now put Seria back into the limelight and, should Milan overhaul Inter completely, could re-ignite interest in the league in the long-term.

Meanwhile, the race for the last UEFA Champions League spot heated up as all three teams contending for fourth place dropped points on Sunday. A double from Alessandro Del Piero couldn’t provide victory for Juventus who were held 3-3 at home by Siena and they remain in fifth place.

Elsewhere, Palermo remain in the coveted fourth spot despite going down 3-2 away to Udinese. The other team in contention for the European spot is Sampdoria, and they were denied three points away to Bologna as an injury time equaliser from Andrea Raggi sealed a 1-1 draw at the Renato Dall’Ara.

Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has said there is good news on the horizon for club and fans as players are making quick recoveries from injury.

Owen Hargreaves and Ryan Giggs have both been on the sidelines of late and both are close to full returns to the team. Hargreaves has been out for a long time with a troublesome knee and Giggs broke his arm in a match just after the New Year.

United will need all of their playing staff fit and firing if they are going to have any chance of winning another title but things are looking good as they have missed players at regular points through the current season.

Ferguson said: “Ryan will be fit for the Liverpool game. His performances in training have been fantastic. He is getting another plaster on today but we will be getting a fresh player back, which is good.”

“For weeks we had to try and work out the best games for him to play in, in terms of freshness and rest. Now he has had a month’s rest. Owen Hargreaves went to see a specialist on Thursday and that’s why he didn’t play but there’s nothing wrong and he’s training.”

“He’ll play in the next game, he has to play in the next game because he’s ready to play. Roy Hodgson has great experience, the kind of experience you need in international management. He would be ideal for that type of thing.”

“But I don’t think you can’t pre-empt that. I am sure if Fabio does well at the World Cup, he will want to stay on as England manager. Why would he not want to? It is the hardest challenge for him because the expectation is high and he looks to me to be the type that relishes that. Roy has brought his experience and authority to the club. He has formed a team that no-one likes to play against. They are very well organised and they play with great discipline. That is down to the manager.”

United will be going for a little bit of revenge on Sunday after the drubbing that Fulham gave them in the Premier League match at Craven Cottage. Fulham ran out 3-0 winners on that occasion.

It was an occasion when United were having to mix up their defence every single week and now that they have a settled side, it is likely that they could get a result in front of their own fans on their own ground.

Hargreaves probably won’t start but if things are going well during the game he will get thrown on at some point. He is likely to get a standing ovation because he has been a loyal player to the club during his injury when he could have packed the game in or gone elsewhere.

United need the win and for once there are no shortage of players who want to put their hand up and be counted.

The Football Association has admitted defeat as it has lost a battle to stop the Wembley pitch from being re-laid for the tenth time in just three years.

It is thought that a number of key England players made complaints about the pitch in recent games. The complaints seem to have carried enough weight to force the FA into paying for another pitch.

The new ground has been constantly changing since it was first opened. The Egypt players said the other week when they played England that they did not have any issues with the quality of the pitch.

However, Slavan Bilic, manager of Croatia, said a couple of years ago that he was shocked at just how quickly the Wembley pitch seems to deteriorate once the players start a match.

An FA spokesperson said: “The groundstaff did very well to stage the Carling Cup, despite around 80mm of rain in the week with a further 40mm the night before the match, and they used a canopy to shield the pitch from the rain on Saturday night and on Sunday. They worked round the clock and could not have done more.”

“Conditions were better ahead of the England match, but the pitch was still not good enough for our liking. Ultimately, it has not fared well through what has been an extremely harsh winter and it needs to be replaced. The stadium caters for football and non-football events, so replacing the pitch more than once a year is the reality of a multipurpose venue.”

The point is that there are so many talented groudsmen all over England that never got a look in at the top flight because of their association with some of the lower league clubs in England.

James Milner, Aston Villa player, said he had played on better League One and League Two pitches when he spent time on loan early in his career. This marks quite a contrast in the quality of pitch handling at the highest and lowest levels.

It is fair enough to say that Wembley does get used for other sporting occasions, but these sporting occasions are very limited. There is plenty of space to host NFL matches and still maintain a good quality pitch.

Many more football clubs have to keep their ground in a good condition and it gets played on every single week. Some teams also allow rugby clubs to play in their stadium, which drastically damages the turf.

Wembley should have one of the best pitches in the world because it is an iconic stadium for football and for many other sports. The cost of a relay each time is going to mount up and it is an area the FA could cut back on if they reviewed the people in charge of the pitch.

England also need to be playing on a slick and neat surface ahead of the World Cup in South Africa if they want any chance of having some success.

Manchester United striker, Michael Owen, has been told that he will not be able to play again this season.

Owen picked up a hamstring injury during the Carling Cup win over Aston Villa last weekend. The news will also put an end to any ambitions the player had of making the England World Cup squad this summer.

Owen is a player who is well known for getting injured at the wrong times in a season. He never played his full quota of games and now he will not play again for United in the current campaign.

Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It’s a bad blow – he’s out for the season. Unfortunately it’s more serious than we thought. He will be operated on, on Monday morning.”

“It’s a terrible blow for the lad and is disappointing news for us too. He has never missed a training session all season. I think the heavy pitch at Wembley on Sunday made some contribution to it but really it is just bad luck.”

Owen added: “Unfortunately the specialist says I will miss the end of the season. I have loved every minute of my first campaign with Manchester United and have already enjoyed some memorable moments. I am determined to come back at the start of next season in peak condition.”

Ironically the news has opened a door for a number of other English strikers to come in and have a shot at getting on the plane for South Africa. Owen stood a good chance of being picked but there is still a striker spot up for grabs.

This news will be a huge blow to United and United fans. With such a competitive Premier League run in expected, the club would have been hoping that the experience of every single player they had would have seen them through any trouble.

United are now desperately thin in terms of attacking options. If Wayne Rooney gets temporarily injured that it does not bear thinking about how United would score the goals, which would take them to a record 19th League crown.

However, Ferguson is old and wise enough to know how to deal with this situation. Hopefully he can nurse his attack through the rest of the season, letting them off the leash on vital occasions to score vital goals.

For England, Fabio Capello was probably looking at a few options any way so this news would have just removed one more name from the list of players he is tracking for potential World Cup places.

Owen seems destined to be the player who has the injury tag follow him around for the rest of his career. It does not seem to matter which club he ends up playing for, he always seems to pick up a few injuries along the way that stop him from having an extended run in the side.

Watch this space, a lot could happen to both United and England in the coming months.

Former professional football player, Tony Cascarino, has said that England will need Peter Crouch more than Wayne Rooney in South Africa this summer.

Crouch came off the bench to bag a brace in the win over Egypt on Wednesday night. His dominance and physical presence seemed to transform the fortunes of the England side on the field.

Rooney played from the start of the game and gave a typically busy performance, which was capped by a TV clip that showed the Manchester United front man yelling at the entire team in the first half.

Cascarino said: “Who’s the more important striker for England, Wayne Rooney or Peter Crouch? Guess again: it’s Crouch. I’d argue he’s England’s most important attacker – potentially the team’s most important player, in fact.”

“Not the best player, you understand; but there’s a difference between “best” and “most important”. Crouch is one of those players who can make the entire team more effective just by his presence. He’s not the most individually talented, he need not even have an especially good game; but as we saw on Wednesday, when he’s in the team, England are improved.”

“It’s because of what Crouch does to opponents – he scares defences who are intimidated by his height – and what he does to his own team-mates. He adds a dimension to England’s attacks that isn’t present when two small forwards such as Rooney and Jermain Defoe are up front. And by doing that, Crouch influences England as a whole, because they become less predictable and more confident, whether he’s seeing much of the ball or not.”

“There’s enough flair in the England side to create chances without a tall target man, but Crouch gives an extra option. Wingers can cut inside and pass short to onrushing midfield players such as Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, or send over high crosses and feel optimistic Crouch will get on the end of the ball. They’ve got more choice when Crouch is there. And not being able to predict what will happen makes defences nervous and more vulnerable.”

It is highly debateable to say that Crouch is a better player than Rooney. Any football fan or pundit would pick the United striker ahead of the Spurs player. The point is that together they can become formidable.

Rooney has the work ethic and the skill to create something out of nothing while Crouch gives them something at the very top of the pitch. Just the sheer size of the Tottenham player makes him a daunting striker to play against.

The two need to combine and start working towards making England a threatening attacking team to play against. Teams have worked out how to play against Crouch but not when he has Rooney snapping at his heels as well.

Hopefully the two will bag enough goals to be able to send England into the later stages of the World Cup when literally any thing can happen.

Former England player and current legend, Chris Waddle, has said that Theo Walcott does not understand the game enough at international level.

Waddle is speaking ahead of the World Cup this summer and there is still a big chance for someone in the side to step in and make the right and left wing positions their own.

Waddle was an England regular who played in some of the toughest club and country competitions in the world. He will know better than most the qualities needed to read the game at the highest level.

He said: “People keep saying he’s young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17. I’ve never seen any difference in Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age.”

“I’ve never seen him develop. He just doesn’t understand the game for me – where to be running, when to run inside a full back, when to just play a one-two. It’s all off the cuff. I just don’t think he’s got a football brain and he’s going to have problems. Let’s be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time. I just don’t know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what. He’s at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I’m just surprised he’s never developed his game.”

“I’m surprised Walcott was in the squad. He doesn’t play a lot of football, he hasn’t done anything. he hasn’t done anything for a long time and I think Croatia was a one-off. I just think he’s got a lot to learn. I’ve been more impressed by Adam Johnson at Manchester City than Theo Walcott.”

Waddle’s comments about Johnson at Manchester City will be echoed by many people within the current football community. It is a little strange how a player who was set to join Real Madrid at one point cannot be good enough to play for his own country.

Walcott is a decent player but the point is he still has a lot to prove on the international stage. Johnson needs a chance and he could be a fresher and surprising choice for England’s World Cup squad this summer.

It is a nice problem for Fabio Capello to have and the boss will be hoping that competition for places continues to stay fierce. The one thing he will not want to happen is a spurt of injuries, which threaten to dent the spine of the side.

You cannot be a bad player if you can score an away hat trick in international football. Walcott needs to work hard and remember that he has a top line manager in Arsene Wenger to go to advice for at Arsenal.

It’s difficult to call all of the midfield positions for England’s squad, which will go to South Africa in June. Walcott and Johnson may well end up both going. Watch this space over the coming months.