BRIDGE JOINS READING

Wayne Bridge has been signed by the Championship club Reading FC. He is the first player to be signed by Reading FC this summer. The English left back has joined the Royals camp on a contract of 1 year.

Bridge’s former club Manchester City released him at the end of the last season.

Queens Park Rangers and Brighton & Hove Albion were also interested in signing Bridge, but, Bridge rejected their offers and opted to join Reading.

Bridge had played for Brighton on loan in the last season. He was quite consistent for them throughout the season. He featured for them in a total of 37 matches and found the back of the net 3 times.

Because of Bridge’s consistent performance in the last season, Brighton wanted to sign him on a permanent basis. But, they didn’t succeed in that.

Talking to the reporters after signing for Reading FC, Bridge said, “I am glad to be a part of Reading FC. I talked to Nigel Adkins yesterday and he told me that his main target is to earn promotion in the next season. I felt good after that conversation. He seemed to be quite positive about things.”

“Reading is quite a decent side on paper and if we live up to our potential, there is no reason why we can’t get promoted to the Premier League.”

The director of football at Reading FC, Nick Hammond, has also expressed his happiness over the signing of Bridge. Hammond said, “After the exit of Nicky Shorey and Ian Harte, we were looking for a left back. Wayne was on our radar as he had a great season with Brighton. I am happy that we managed to secure his services. He is a fine addition to the side.”

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

STICKY PATCH

The Brighton manager Gus Poyet has seen his team go through a sticky patch a few months ago, as they were in real danger of missing out on the play-offs position. However, recent improvement in form has meant that they have climbed back into the top six of the table.

One of the main reasons for their recent form has been the striker Leonardo Ulloa, who scored a hat-trick in the recent match against Huddersfield Town. Ulloa arrived at the club in January and has already scored five goals in just seven matches. The manager Poyet has said that he is extremely delighted for the 26-year-old, who is on top form.

Poyet has said that it is difficult for any player coming to the English football to adapt immediately, and it is especially hard for the South Americans. The Argentine striker has also arrived in the middle of the season, which is even more difficult. The 26-year-old was signed for around £ 2 million from Spanish club Almeria, who are currently playing in the second division. Ulloa’s hat-trick for the club is also the first that has been seen at the Amex Stadium. Poyet has also praised his movement, heading abilities, and the ability to link up with others.

“I am delighted for him because the fitness side has been difficult for him. It is difficult for any player to come to England in the middle of the season and get the pace of the game. For a striker to score three so early in his career in England is fantastic. We need to make sure we keep him there. With him scoring goals, it’s easier. The fans now know why he is here,” said the Brighton manager. The club’s last defeat was almost a month ago against Sheffield United.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

BRIDGE RETURNING SOON

The Brighton and Hove Albion manager and the former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has revealed that the return of Wayne Bridge from the sidelines will substantially reduce the injury headache he has been facing in the last few weeks.

Brighton has suffered a lot in terms of injuries in recent weeks, which has also coincided with a poor run of form for the Championship club. They have just one victory in the last five matches, which has allowed them to slip out of the play-offs position. Getting promotion to the top flight is one of the main priorities for Gus Poyet this season.

He has said that the return of the Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge will be a major boost when it comes to team selection. The 32-year-old defender is currently on a season long loan deal from the Premier league champions. However, he has missed the last four matches due to an injury. However, Poyet has said that he could be back for the match against Charlton Athletic during the weekend. This is an absolutely must win game for Brighton if they are to keep any hope of challenging for the play-offs position come the end of season.

Despite this boost, Poyet has revealed that players like Adam El-Abd and Marcos Painter still continue to remain on the sidelines. “Wayne Bridge and Adam El-Abd were not ready (for the weekend’s loss to Crystal Palace) so I could not play them, then when we needed a little help from Orlandi he had to go off injured. We think he has broken his rib. Wayne has the best chance of being ready for Saturday so we need to hope that the medical staff can produce something special this week,” said Gus Poyet, whose team are in the ninth position in the table.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

POYET UNSURE ON BRIDGE

The Brighton and Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet has revealed that it is extremely early to consider whether the former Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge will stay at the club beyond the current season. The 32-year-old former England international joined the club on a loan deal till the end of the season.

He has played very little football in the last few seasons after being frozen out at Manchester City by the manager Roberto Mancini. It is astonishing given that he was signed by the club for £ 12 million from Chelsea only in 2008. However, he has fallen spectacularly from the heights of being the deputy left back for England.

It is expected that the wages and the transfer fees of the 32-year-old will be the major stumbling block in getting the deal done by the Championship club. Due to the fact that he has only one season left on his current contract, Gus Poyet is not sure whether Bridge will be making Brighton his next destination on a permanent basis. When the former England international is available on a free transfer, Gus Poyet reckons that there will be a number of clubs interested in taking him. Due to the lack of first-team opportunities at Manchester City, Bridge has spent the last few seasons at West Ham, Sunderland, and Brighton.

“From the club point of view, it’s very easy. From Wayne’s it’s very difficult. We are trying to be realistic and wait. At the right time we will talk for sure because you can see he is different class. When the right time comes, slowly, we will probably get close to [whether Wayne staying is] a possibility or not. I think it’s a bit too early, especially for him,” said the Uruguayan. Brighton are currently eighth in the Championship at the moment.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

BRIGHTON SMASH WEDNESDAY

Brighton has defeated Sheffield Wednesday by 3-0 in a Championship match played at the Amex Stadium. This was the third consecutive victory for Brighton in the ongoing season.

The Brighton players are in amazing form and they just outplayed Wednesday. The Stadium was filled with Brighton supporters and they were thoroughly entertained. A record number of people watched the match. Not even a single seat in the stadium was empty.

The Brighton team has been in terrific form in the ongoing season. The team has won the last three games in a dominating fashion. The Brighton players have scored 11 goals in the last three games which is enough to suggest how well the team is playing at the moment.

Wayne Bridge was the stand out performer for Brighton in Friday’s match. The Englishman was in supreme touch. Brighton got a free kick in the 25th minute of the match. Bridge smashed a powerful shot which beat Chris Kirkland after receiving deflection from Rhys McCabe. At the half time break, Brighton was ahead by 1-0. In the second half, the Wednesday players made a lot of mistakes.

Mackail-Smith doubled the lead of Brighton in the 54th minute when he took advantage of the opportunity created by Bruno Saltor and tapped the ball home. This was the fifth goal for Smith in the last three matches. Will Buckley took the game beyond the reach of Wednesday by making the score 3-0 just a few minutes later.

The performance of Brighton was very poor in the last season, but, the team is turning it on this time around. The manager of Brighton, Gus Poyet, was overjoyed after the match against Wednesday. As per Poyet, the team didn’t put up these kind of dominating performances in thee last season, but, the boys are looking determined in the ongoing season which is wonderful to see. But, the players need to maintain their intensity till the end of the season.

Want to win a Cristiano Ronaldo signed photo? Send us your score prediction for the next match via twitter, and you might win! 🙂

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

BRIDGE STAYS AT BRIGHTON

Brighton and Hove Albion defender Adam El-Abd has said that he is confident that the former Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge can have a positive impact at the club. The 32-year-old former England international arrived at the club on a season long loan deal from Manchester city.

He has played very little football in the last few seasons after being deprived of first-team football at Manchester city. He has spent time on loan at Sunderland and West Ham, but both have not been as successful. The Brighton and Hove Albion defender Adam El-Abd has said that Wayne Bridge has the ability to make a positive impact due to his experience with some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Adam El-Abd has also said that Tommy Elphick, who recently completed his transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion to Bournemouth, will settle at his new club without any problems. Bournemouth managed to capture the player for an undisclosed fee. Tommy Elphick has signed a three-year contract with the club. Due to the huge number of injury problems at Brighton and Hove Albion, Tommy Elphick has been unable to get regular first-team football, but Adam El-Abd says that he expects Tommy to impress at his new club.

“You don’t play as many games in the top flight as he has without having ability and class. It’s great to have him here and a part at Brighton. It’s a great move for Tommy. This time last year he was on the injury table with me and spent a year out. He’s got a three-year deal and is going to play some first-team football. It will be great for him to go and play some games. He came back well from a serious injury so we wish him all the best,” said Adam El-Abd.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

BRIDGE OFF TO BRIGHTON

Former Chelsea and Southampton left back Wayne Bridge has left Manchester City on a season-long loan deal for Brighton and Hove Albion.

The former England international has been left out on the cold at Manchester city by manager Roberto Mancini, who has used him very sparingly in the last few seasons. Wayne Bridge was a £ 12 million signing from Chelsea in 2008, but he has been finding first-team opportunities extremely limited. He has been spending the last couple of seasons on loan at West Ham and Sunderland. These loan moves are now once again extended towards Brighton and Hove Albion, who have secured him on a season long loan deal.

The 31-year-old has 36 international appearances with the England national team, but he has been left out on the cold by manager Roberto Mancini. He made 10 appearances for the Premier league clubs Sunderland, with whom he was on loan at last season. Brighton and Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet has said that he is extremely delighted to bring in a player of the quality of Wayne Bridge, who has experience at the very top of the game. He has also said that the experience of Wayne Bridge will prove extremely crucial in the race for the promotion this season.

“There were a lot of things that had to come together to make it happen. It was not an easy one to secure, but this is what we want at this club. He’s a quality player. It’s difficult to say how happy I am because it’s not easy to get top-class players. He’s been one of the top three left-backs in this country for many years. We have all got to learn from him and I’m sure that he will have a very good season with us,” said Poyet.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

READING KEEN ON BRIDGE

Newly promoted club Reading are looking at the possibility of getting Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge on a permanent deal in the summer. The 31-year-old is out of favour at Manchester City.

He has played less than a handful of games for the club in the last two years, but a potential move has also not been possible due to the high wages. The defender is on a contract worth around £ 100,000 per week and it is thought that he is not willing to take wage cut right now.

He has a few years left on his current contract at City after signing it following his £ 12 million move from Chelsea in 2009.

He has not been featured in the Manchester City first-team since September. After spending a lot of time in the reserve squads, Wayne Bridge decided to leave on a loan deal to Sunderland till the end of the season.

Following the end of his loan deal, Sunderland did not show any interest in converting the loan deal into a permanent one due to the high wages demanded by the player. However, now it has emerged that Reading, who are back in the Premier league after a few seasons in the Championship, are looking to sign the full-back.

“We have some targets. People who will add quality to the group. That’s all I will say. We will have possibly three or more players in, but we won’t bring in 10 players, more like four or five to add to the group that we have. I’ve had stacks of phone calls and it’s amazing how many friends I have now. I’m so much more attractive than I was a week ago,” said Reading manager Brian McDermott. The club are expected to spend big in the transfer window this season.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.

BRIDGE LOOKING AT LOAN MOVES

Wayne Bridge is set to become the most sought-after player in the January transfer window after it was revealed that Manchester City would be interested in sending the player out on loan.

Wayne Bridge has rarely played for Manchester City this season after being left out of the 25 man squad for the Premier League. He has not been part of the team when it comes to the Carling cup and the Champions League as well. Hence, it seems to have been decided within Manchester City that they would be sending the former Chelsea left back out on loan.

One of the major stumbling blocks in a potential permanent move to other clubs is the current contract of Wayne Bridge. He is thought to be on a contract that reportedly pays him around £ 90,000 for a week, which is an extraordinary sum of money even for a striker. Even if Manchester City do not demand a transfer fee for the player, he is unlikely to be willing to forego the huge contract that he is currently enjoying. Hence, a loan move is the only solution for both parties involved. Of course, a loan move is something that is not new to Wayne Bridge given that he was already on loan to West Ham last season.

This time around, a number of clubs both from the Premier League and the championship, have shown interest in the left back. One of the most audacious attempts among them has to be Brighton and Hove’s attempt to sign the left back. Even with the support from Manchester city, one can be sure that clubs like Brighton and Hove will not be able to afford the wages of Wayne Bridge. Other clubs interested include the likes of QPR, Doncaster and Swansea.

Published in Uncategorized by isport.