Hughes confident of solving Robinho problems

Mark Hughes: End to a very mixed week for Man City.

Mark Hughes does not believe indiscipline will become a problem at Manchester City and insists he has the backing of the club's billionaire owner to ensure that.

City's record signing Robinho courted unwelcome controversy this week when he left the club's warm-weather training camp in Tenerife, without permission, to return home to Brazil.

Hughes has since revealed he will deal with the matter internally, but the timing of Robinho's disappearing act served to further undermine City in a week when AC Milan midfielder Kaka snubbed their lucrative offer to move to Eastlands.

Despite that Hughes remains convinced the club's lofty ambitions remain on track and warned that should players step out of line in that quest, he will have the backing of owner Sheikh Mansour to dish out whatever punishment he deems necessary.

"I will deal with Robinho in such a way that I absolutely would not expect this to happen again and I feel confident that if there was a longer problem with any player, even Robinho, I would have the go-ahead from Sheikh Mansour to deal with it in whatever way I saw fit," Hughes told the Daily Mail.

Hughes was also keen to dismiss speculation that Robinho's decision to return to his homeland suggested he was already looking for a way out of Eastlands, less than six months after signing for £32.5million.

Hughes said he was sick of talk he needed to convince Robinho of the club's ambitions, especially after a below-par start to the current campaign which finds them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

"People talk about assurances to Robinho, but any reassurances would just be repetition. He knows how I feel," he added.

"I have always felt that the top players are easier to control because they have a professional mentality and a winning mentality and that is why they are at the top.

"Now it seems a bit bizarre to be talking like this considering what has happened with Robinho, but it will be addressed, mainly because I expect certain standards from my best guys.

"I have no problem with good footballers.

"The ones that are a problem are those ones that have a higher opinion of their ability than is apparent and a higher opinion of their worth to the team."

Jose may move for Drogba and Jenas

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has admitted he could yet put in bids for Didier Drogba or Jermaine Jenas before the transfer window shuts.

Mourinho's Inter sit top of Serie A at present and while the former Chelsea boss admits he is happy enough with his current squad he is keeping tabs on the availability of both Drogba and Jenas.

Drogba has been out of favour with current Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari in recent weeks, prompting speculation he may leave Stamford Bridge.

And while Mourinho remains a keen admirer of the Ivorian, with whom he won two Premier League titles during their time at the Blues, he stopped short of suggesting he would actively seek to prise Drogba away from west London.

"Jermaine Jenas and Didier Drogba - these are both players that I like," Mourinho wrote in The Daily Telegraph.

"Drogba is a very special player for me, there is no doubt about it.

"We had a great relationship at Chelsea and he was an important player for me.

"Will something happen? I don't know."

He added: "I like players adapted to my style of play, my philosophy of play. If I know them and have a good feeling from the past it is better, but I always feel I can create this kind of good feeling with players that I have never worked with before."

Mourinho also admitted he has been a long-time admirer of Jenas.

But with his reluctance to enter the transfer market, Mourinho said it may be that a trade deal would be the only way of bringing the England international to the San Siro.

"I never worked with him (Jenas) but he is a player I have followed," he added.

"When he was at Tottenham, even when he was at Newcastle, he was a player that I liked very much. Who knows?

"If it is true that Tottenham have some targets in the Inter squad, then why not?

"Maybe then there is a possibility of doing a swap. But everything is harder in January and I don't think Inter will go into the market."

FA Cup: Pompey dumped out, Villa held by Donny

FA Cup holders Portsmouth have been dumped out the competition by Championship side Swansea.

To make matters worse for beleaguered manager Tony Adams, the Swans' 2-0 win came at Fratton Park and an on-loan Southampton player opened the scoring.

Collecting Jason Scotland's cute floated pass, Dyer chested the ball down and drilled it past James into the bottom right corner.

Things then got worse for Portsmouth moments before the break when Nadir Belhadj brought down Jordi Gomez in the area and Jason Scotland converted the penalty to make it 2-0.

Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora spared Fulham's blushes away to non-league Kettering, firing home late goals as the Cottagers won 4-2 at Rockingham Road.

It looked like it might be easy for the Premier League side when Simon Davies gave them a 12th minute lead with a sweet volley, but Craig Westcarr fired in a deflected free-kick 10 minutes before the break.

Danny Murphy restored Fulham's advantage but Westcarr quickly tied it up again with an 83rd-minute penalty.

But with the hosts dreaming of a replay, quickfire goals from Johnson and Zamora decided it late on.

Chelsea made hard work of Ipswich at Stamford Bridge before prevailing 3-1.

Michael Ballack opened the scoring as he turned in Ashley Cole's cross after quarter of an hour, but Alex Bruce levelled for the Tractor Boys when he stabbed home from close range when Chelsea failed to clear a free-kick.

Chelsea struggled to impose themselves, but went back in front when Ballack curled in a free-kick for his second before Frank Lampard's late goal wrapped things up.

Earlier, a quickfire double in the final minutes of the first half gave West Ham a 2-0 win over Hartlepool but it was not without controversy as referee Lee Mason gave the Hammers a dubious penalty.

Switzerland international Valon Behrami rifled in a shot from the edge of the area in the 44th minute and moments later Mason pointed to the spot when Michael Nelson handled the ball, albeit outside the area. Mark Noble made no mistake with the spot-kick.

Ian Ashbee's wonder strike capped a 2-0 win for Hull over Millwall after Michael Turner's headed opener.

Jobi McAnuff had a hand in all four Watford goals as the Hornets beat Crystal Palace 4-3 to go through.

McAnuff teed up Jay DeMerit and Jack Cork before Palace got back in it through Clint Hill early in the second half.

But the Hornets then made sure of progress as McAnuff crosses picked out Will Hoskins and Grzegorz Rasiak, making sure a late Paul Ifill double was not enough for the visitors.

A dramatic late goal from Martin Paterson earned plucky Carling Cup semi-finalists Burnley a replay at home against West Brom following a 2-2 draw.

The Clarets had led through Graham Alexander's penalty but West Brom looked good for the win as goals from Robert Koren and Kim Do-Heon turned it around before Paterson's late intervention.

High-flying Aston Villa face a replay after being held goalless away by Doncaster, while Sunderland and Blackburn must also try again after a goalless encounter at the Stadium of Light.

Middlesbrough left it late to beat Wolves at Molineux, with Marvin Emnes coming off the substitutes' bench to fire in the winner seven minutes from time.

Sam Vokes had earlier cancelled out Afonso Alves' opener.

Goals from Danny Webber and Lee Hendrie gave Sheffield United a 2-1 victory over Charlton and a ticket into the fifth round.

Charlton got a 69th-minute goal back through Chris Dickson but were well beaten.

Elliott Ward's late goal broke Torquay hearts as Coventry won 1-0 at Plainmoor.

Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov struck within a minute of each other to see Manchester United into the fifth round of the FA Cup at Tottenham's expense.

Roman Pavyluchencko gave Spurs a fifth-minute lead but the advantage looked shaky long before Scholes levelled with a shot that flicked off Tom Huddlestone.

And within a minute, former Tottenham favourite Berbatov had belted home what turned out to be the winner, brilliantly controlling Michael Carrick's chipped pass with his first touch and steering his second into the corner.

Arsenal boss Wenger hits out at ''unfair'' fixtures

Arsene Wenger: Backing Rafa's rant.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit out at the ''unexplainable advantage'' handed to Manchester United by next week's fixtures in the Premier League.

Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson has repeatedly claimed the league has been ''handicapped'' this season in a bid to stop United sauntering to a third successive title; but while Wenger had added his support to a fair schedule for all of the four Champions League teams when the issue was raised earlier this season, the Gunners manager has been left less than impressed by the arrangements for next week.

United are in action on Tuesday at West Brom, before they then have a break until the visit of Everton on the following Monday, February 2. Arsenal, meanwhile, are away at Cardiff in the FA Cup on Sunday, before they travel to Goodison Park on Wednesday night.

''I feel that next week [Liverpool manager Rafael] Benitez has a case if you look at the way the fixtures are arranged,'' said Wenger. ''You can say that Manchester United have been extremely advantaged, unexplainably advantaged.

''But that is what we have to cope with. 'It is difficult to explain why one team plays on Tuesday and the others are all on Wednesday. It is unfair competition.

''Next week the fixtures are advantaged for Manchester United, who before had a point against Liverpool - I supported them when they had a case. But this week, I think Benitez has a case.

''Manchester United play on Tuesday at West Brom, after they play against Everton who will have played on Sunday, again on Wednesday night.''

Wenger continued: ''I do not think you need to be a specialist in football to understand that in this case it is an unfair advantage for Manchester United.

''Will it have an advantage on the global season? I don't know, you would have to analyse that better. It is not Manchester United's fault, it is not Liverpool's fault. It is the organisers of the fixtures. They have a case to explain.''

The Gunners have improved their form lately, but remain outside the top four.

Wenger, though, declared: ''We have not sacrificed the league yet. It is the most important competition. What counts is the points - we are only six points from the top team at the moment.''

The Arsenal manager added: ''We have come back into a good position and the league is the most important competition for me because that tells you how strong we are after 38 games.

''Our focus is on the league, the Champions League and the FA Cup - we do not especially choose.''

Hull complete record £5m deal for Bullard

Hull City have completed the signing of midfielder Jimmy Bullard for a club record £5m fee from Fulham.

The 30-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at the KC Stadium, after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms worth £45,000 per week, raising Hull's total outlay to a staggering £15.53million.

Bullard is likely to be officially unveiled on Saturday and paraded to supporters before the FA Cup fourth-round clash against Millwall at the KC Stadium.

The Tigers made their move for Bullard after Bolton pulled out of a potential deal last week and are thought to have beaten off a number of clubs for his signature.

Middlesbrough and Arsenal, amongst others, were also linked to the player after it became apparent he was seeking a move from Craven Cottage.

The deal smashes the previous club record fees of £2.5m paid for defenders Anthony Gardner last summer and Kamil Zayatte earlier today.

Manager Phil Brown said: ''It is a sign of how serious [chairman] Paul Duffen is, how serious Phil Brown is and how serious Hull City is with regards to this Premier League campaign.

''The only way to sell Hull City's plight to Jimmy Bullard is to show him the ambition of the football club, the ambition of the manager and the chairman and play the type of football he likes to play.

''He has been impressed with the way we have approached the Premier League this year and he heard what he wanted to hear.''

Bullard is Hull's third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of Kevin Kilbane from Wigan and Manucho on loan from Manchester United last week.

In other business, Hull have also completed the permanent signing of Zayatte from Swiss club Young Boys and agreed a new contract with left-back Andy Dawson until 2011.

Guinea international Zayatte, 23, has impressed on loan this season and has now agreed personal terms on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Dawson, 30, has played for the club in all four divisions and shone in the early part of the season before suffering an Achilles injury in November.

He is now fit again and in contention to start against Millwall, while Zayatte is also available for the fourth-round clash after suspension.

Manucho is set to make his first start but Kilbane is cup-tied and Craig Fagan banned.

Hull are hoping for a lift against the Lions after an alarming slump in form in the Premier League.

The Tigers have slipped to ninth after a run of just one win in 13 games and are just six points above the bottom three.

Brown said: ''For me it is a massive game. Millwall will be a tough match but it will be nice to get into the fifth round for everyone at the football club.

''It is 20 years since we have been in the fourth round and we are here now with a chance to progress further.''

Meanwhile, Brown has commented for the first time on the departure of striker Marlon King this week.

King had been on a season-long loan from Wigan but the agreement was terminated after a dispute between the player and Brown.

King took exception to Brown's decision to leave him out of the starting line-up to face Arsenal last week and was consequently left out of the squad altogether. He has since agreed to join Middlesbrough on loan.

Brown said: ''As far as I am concerned, whenever I pick a team it is for the right reasons.

''For one player to disagree with that in front of the rest of the players is not the way forward for my changing room, hence the reason we decided to part ways.''

King scored five goals for Hull during his time at the club but Brown suggested he was not impressed with the player's overall contribution.

When asked if he was disappointed how events had transpired given how well King had played, Brown replied: ''That's opinion.''

Brown has also dismissed reports linking him with a loan move for another Wigan striker, Henri Camara.

Arab tycoon to lead Chelsea takeover bid?

The Arab tycoon behind the takeover of Manchester City may become the man to finally test Roman Abramovich's Chelsea resolve.

The Russian billionaire owner insists he has no intention of selling the club - a position underlined by chief-executive Peter Kenyon at a fans' forum last weekend.

But Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim, working with a group of German investors, believes everything has its price - and may be ready to launch a takeover bid.

Fahim is understood to have drawn up a proposal with Falcon Equity - a Swiss-based private equity partnership.

Fahim, CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Hydra Properties, also chairs Falcon Equity, which is run by Holger Heims, former managing partner of 'DVC' Deutsche Venture Capital.

''We have looked before at some European clubs to see if the numbers added up, and now we are doing the same with Chelsea,'' admitted Heims to Arabian Business.

''I can't go into more details at this stage. 'I don't believe anything is ever not for sale if you come up with the right price. It's not about trying to buy a football team but about a business.

''You don't make money because 11 guys run around the pitch, you make money because of all the other commercial aspects that go with a football club, particularly real estate and television rights.''

Fahim added: ''It's not entirely clear if Chelsea is for sale, but regardless of that, we first need to see if we are in a position to buy it.

''Given that Roman Abramovich has invested more than £500m into the club, it would not be cheap, and with the current credit crunch, nobody wants to be over-exposed on one deal.

''But through a number of investors, there is money available to put together a deal,'' he told Arabian Business.

Abramovich's personal fortune is understood to have been affected by the global credit crunch but he is expected to underline his continuing commitment the club when their accounts are published next month.

But Fahim will have to come up with an exceptional deal to persuade Abramovich to relinquish his hold on the Blues - especially as he continues to reject any suggestion of selling up.

Kenyon said: ''We have had investment of £600m in the last five-and-a-half years with excellent facilities and football during that time.

''Next year we expect our operating profit to break even. Our financial accounts for 2007-08 are published in February and any notions about the owner losing interest are dispelled in that.

''The owner does not have to sell Chelsea and he doesn't want to.''

Meanwhile striker Didier Drogba is determined to win back his place in the Chelsea first team despite increasing speculation over his future at Stamford Bridge.

The Ivorian striker, axed from coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's last two squads, is expected to return for their FA Cup fourth round tie against Coca-Cola Championship side Ipswich on Saturday.

Drogba's future is again under scrutiny with speculation that he could be off-loaded to Manchester City as part of an audacious Chelsea move to land unhappy Brazilian Robinho.

But Scolari feels Drogba can still play a massive part in their challenge for silverware this season, even though he left him out of the FA Cup third round replay win over Southend and the subsequent league success over Stoke.

The Brazilian coach's faith in the Ivorian is underlined by Drogba's own intentions to return to action in top form.

''I've not played for the last two matches and I'm in a hurry to return to my best level and be a first-team regular again,'' he said.

''If you look back to last May, I've been out for four to six months and it has been very difficult for me.

''But now I feel in top form. I know what I am capable of doing and the real satisfaction for me is that my knee is completely right.''

Burnley 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Reason to believe: Chris McCann scored Burnley's 2nd.

Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe scored extra-time goals to break Burnley hearts and hand Carling Cup holders Tottenham a mouth-watering final date with Manchester United following the 3-2 (6-4 aggregate) result.

Owen Coyle's brave Coca-Cola Championship team won the match 3-0 in normal time with goals from the outstanding Robbie Blake, Chris McCann and substitute Jay Rodriguez.

That made the tie 4-4 on aggregate following Tottenham's 4-1 first-leg win at White Hart Lane, and ensured a period of extra-time.

But just when Coyle's men looked set to progress to Wembley by virtue of having scored an away goal in the first leg of this astounding semi-final, substitute Pavlyuchenko slotted home in the 118th minute - and Defoe netted another minute later.

It was incredibly harsh on Burnley - who thoroughly exposed the frailties of Harry Redknapp's side at a freezing, windswept and rain-lashed Turf Moor.

Tottenham's Barclays Premier League status remains under threat - they are without a win in six league matches - but Redknapp is heading back to Wembley on March 1, having guided Portsmouth to FA Cup glory last season.

The Tottenham boss made six changes from the side which stumbled to a 1-1 home draw against Portsmouth on Sunday, yet none of his players made a favourable impression.

Debutant goalkeeper Ben Alnwick was at fault for Burnley's first and third goals as Coyle's men attacked with pace and vigour from the outset.

Blake, Chris Eagles and Wade Elliott were willing to support striker Martin Paterson at every opportunity .

Burnley almost took a freak lead in the sixth minute when Benoit Assou-Ekotto attempted to find Alnwick with a routine back-pass.

His touch was far too heavy and his lofted pass almost lobbed Alnwick, who made a fine one-handed save to turn the ball aside for a corner.

It was a warning to Tottenham and sparked the home crowd into life.

Yet the Clarets fans were almost silenced two minutes later when recalled winger David Bentley swung in a corner from the left.

The former Blackburn man was subjected to vicious abuse from the Burnley fans because of his Ewood Park links, and two missiles - one a toilet roll - were thrown in his direction.

Bentley remained calm, and his dangerous inswinging delivery was headed just over the bar by Jonathan Woodgate.

Of Tottenham's starting line-up, Woodgate and Didier Zokora were the only two survivors from the side which beat Chelsea 2-1 in last year's final.

McCann rifled a low shot wide of Alnwick's left-hand post in the 22nd minute, just after Bentley was booked for a cynical foul on Eagles.

On the half hour mark, a piece of delightful interplay between Eagles and Elliott on the edge of the visitors' 18-yard box gave the former a shooting opportunity that was deflected clear.

Yet the hosts continued to probe and were rewarded in style in the 34th minute when Blake claimed a brilliant opener.

Woodgate fouled Joey Gudjonsson 25 yards out and to the right of Alnwick's goal, but the rookie stopper allowed Blake to whip in a curling free-kick which beat him at his near post.

Suddenly, Turf Moor sensed the kind of upset Coyle had described beforehand when he said his side would need to "scale Everest and beyond'' to progress to the final.

However, the pendulum swung in Tottenham's favour after the break - and Bentley combined with Defoe to provide Luka Modric with a shooting opportunity on the edge of the penalty area in the 48th minute.

The Croatia playmaker hit a left-foot shot over the bar, and in the 64th minute substitute Gareth Bale outpaced the Burnley defence down the left and drove a cross-shot hopelessly wide of the far post.

Burnley continued to probe and were rewarded in the 73rd minute when Blake showed nimble footwork to outfox Chris Gunter and fire a low cross to the far post, where McCann was lurking to side-foot the ball home.

The Clarets had Spurs on the ropes, and their fightback appeared complete when Rodriguez prodded in a loose ball after Alnwick fumbled Blake's free-kick.

Tottenham began extra-time purposefully, and Tom Huddlestone's long-range shot drew a smart stop from Jensen at his near post.

In the 118th minute, Pavlyuchenko rifled home a left-foot shot from six yards - and Defoe curled home a second moments later.