Blackburn Rovers have confirmed that defender Chris Samba and David Dunn have been diagnosed as having swine flu. The pair both missed the 5-0 thrashing at Chelsea on Saturday, with Rovers concerned that other members of their staff could be affected. Manager Sam Allardyce told the club's official website:"Dunny and Chris Samba have a virus and a couple of the…

Brazilian striker Robinho has admitted that a move to Spanish giants Barcelona would interest him. Robinho joined Manchester City 14 months ago for a British record transfer fee of £32.5million from Real Madrid but struggled for consistency last term and has missed much of this season though injury. Barca recently declared their interest in the diminutive star who would not be averse…

Wigan Athletic left-back Maynor Figueroa is facing a lengthy spell out of action after suffering knee ligament damage in the 3-1 victory at Burnley. The 26-year-old Honduras defender was injured early on at Turf Moor, but managed to last almost half-an-hour before being forced to limp off. Subsequent tests have shown ligament damage in his left knee and manager Roberto Martinez is…

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy was delighted to see Sylvan Ebanks-Blake score his first Premier League goal in the 1-1 derby draw with Aston Villa. The 23-year-old has been troubled by injuries since Wolves returned to the top-flight, but made no mistake from the penalty spot to secure a Molineux draw with Villa. McCarthy told the Birmingham Mail:"He's like the…

Everton manager David Moyes felt that his side had run out of steam in their 3-2 reverse at Bolton Wanderers. The Toffees battled back from two goals down at the Reebok Stadium to draw level thanks to stunning strikes from Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini, only to be undone by a late Ivan Klasnic goal. Moyes commented:"It was a long…

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora earned the backing of manager Roy Hodgson despite missing an open goal in the 2-2 draw at Manchester City. Zamora missed from six yards out soon after half-time at Eastlands, but his blushes were spared as goals from Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey ensured that the Cottagers left with a share of the spoils. Afterwards, Hodgson said:

Manager Gianfranco Zola was delighted by the fighting spirit shown by his West Ham United side in their 2-2 draw at home to capital rivals Arsenal. The Hammers were 2-0 down at half-time at Upton Park, but hit back late on to secure a point thanks to goals from Carlton Cole and Alessandro Diamanti. Afterwards, Italian Zola commented:"No matter what,…

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was left frustrated by his side's inability to close out the game at West Ham United, which ended 2-2 following a fightback by the home side. The Gunners led 2-0 at the interval through goals from Robin van Persie and William Gallas, but conceded twice in the final 16 minutes to drop two valuable points. "It…

Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool can use the confidence gained from Sunday's 2-0 victory over Manchester United to bounce back from their disappointing season so far. Goals from Fernando Torres and substitute David N'Gog ended the Reds' four-match losing run, which had piled the pressure on Benitez's shoulders. "We needed to win for our confidence and it will be a big…

Danny Simpson has conceded that he would be interested in a move to Newcastle United, if the opportunity was to present itself. The Manchester United full back is currently on loan at St James Park and has impressed so far this season on Tyneside and has relished playing regular first team football, something he has been unable to attain at Old…