Ebola crisis: Australia to staff treatment centre in Sierra Leone, Tony Abbott confirms

Wed 5 Nov 2014, 7:11am

PHOTO: Over 4,900 people have died from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. (Supplied: Dan Baschiera, file photo)

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed the Government will staff an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.

Mr Abbott said the Government would not deploy health workers but would contract a private company to send staff to the region.

More than 4,900 people have died, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in the worst epidemic of Ebola since it was identified in 1976.

There have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in Australia, however a number of people have been tested after returning from West Africa.

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Australia to commit $20 million to help staff Ebola clinic

Mr Abbott said the government will not deploy health workers but are contracting a private health provider to send staff to West Africa.

It's believed staff members from healthcare provider Aspen Medical will be on the ground within days.

There are hopes the 100-bed treatment centre will be up and running by the end of November.

It comes after the Australian government struck a deal with the United Kingdom, so that any Australian health workers who contract the virus can be treated safely.

"The last thing anyone would want to do is have personnel going to Africa, coming back to Australia and acting as carriers for this horrible disease," Mr Abbott said.

Australia has previously commited $18 million to fight Ebola but has refused to send medical teams to West Africa.

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Jose Mourinho blames his love of the club for Chelsea crowd jibe

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho responds to the backlash among supporters following his comments regarding the quiet atmosphere at Stamford Bridge on Saturday against QPR.

Jose Mourinho has admitted his criticism of Chelsea's home support may have gone too far, but said it was an emotional response tied to his affection for the club.

The Blues boss felt like Chelsea were playing in an "empty stadium" for the first half hour of last Saturday's 2-1 Premier League win over QPR.

Supporters have responded in varying degrees of anger, bemusement and frustration -- as well as agreement -- to Mourinho's jibe.

"This is not, for me, just a job. It it more than that, because it's Chelsea," said Mourinho, who was speaking ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League Group G clash at Maribor.

"Maybe I go a little bit too far. But I see myself in the stands, watching Chelsea and I want to play, I want to help.

"If I'm not a player I cannot play, if I'm not a coach I cannot make decisions.

"If I'm just a fan what can I do to help? That's just my view.

"Everybody at Chelsea Football Club knows how much I love the club, how much I want it to improve and how much I want to be part of the club in the future.

"Even a moment of criticism has to be analysed with different eyes, with the eyes of somebody who knows why I came back to Chelsea and why I'm here with my heart and why I want to stay for a long, long time."

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Mourinho to ponder Oscar conundrum ahead of Liverpool clash

Chelsea's Oscar celebrates. Picture: Stephen Pond/PA Wire

Jose Mourinho faces a selection quandary ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League Group G clash at Maribor.

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Mourinho is determined to avoid complacency against a side beaten 6-0 at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, with the assumption being that those with a point to prove may be given the chance.

Yet the Blues boss may be reluctant to turn to his fringe stars after being critical of their performance despite victory at Shrewsbury in the Capital One Cup.

Oscar played at Manchester United, Shrewsbury and against QPR and could be rewarded with a rest ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash at Liverpool, yet Mourinho may not feel he can be without the Brazilian.

Mourinho said: “Does he need a rest? Maybe yes after last week. But is it the right decision to leave him out? I don’t know.

“You can imagine it’s not easy to make a decision to rest a player who in this moment is my best player.”

Mourinho did not even ask for Chelsea’s European match to be considered or enquire if Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off could be delayed against a Liverpool team who play in the Champions League 24 hours earlier at Real Madrid.

He said: “What do you want me to do? What can I say? Of course they (the Football Association and Premier League) don’t (listen).

“I won’t waste my time (asking for a fixture change).”

Captain John Terry did not feature against Shrewsbury - only three players who started against QPR also began against the League Two side in Oscar, Gary Cahill and Filipe Luis - and gains his rest during the international breaks.

Mourinho said of the 34-year-old, who has retired from England duty: “Terry does not play in the national team, so when the international break comes he has his rest.

“He always has that rest, so he does not need many other rests during our competition.”

Terry suffered fitness and confidence issues in the 2012-13 season and was not regarded as a first choice under Mourinho’s predecessor Rafael Benitez.

But the Portuguese sees no change in the defender’s ability, who he appointed captain during his first spell as boss from June 2004 to September 2007.

“He is the same,” Mourinho said. “I do not see any difference.

“What he was is what he is.”

Terry and Mourinho will call for Chelsea to be ruthless against the Slovenian side in a bid to enhance their chances of early qualification for the last 16 after their opening draw with Schalke.

“We still need to qualify,” Mourinho added. “People with nine points are almost there, but when you have seven we have to win two more matches and we are not there.

“I have to focus and make the players focus on their (Maribor’s) other two matches - 1-1 against Sporting, 1-1 against Schalke - and make them understand we won 6-0 because we played very well.

“We destroyed them in the first half and we gave them no chance because of our very strong attitude.

“We have to get maybe 12 points to win the group, maybe 10 to qualify.

“We have to dispute the first (place). It is not fundamental but it maybe gives us a better chance in the draw.”

The probable presence of Ramires, who has recovered from a groin injury, is beneficial for the Blues.

“He’s fundamental in our squad,” Mourinho added. “Tactically he is good. He can play in many positions.

“He is intense, he is good in transition, he is dangerous in attack. He has a fantastic engine to drop back and to press.

“He is an important player for us in our balance between more technical players and a player like Ramires.”

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MANCHESTER UNITED WILL PAY ‘FLOP’ £1.5M TO TERMINATE OLD TRAFFORD CONTRACT

• ANDERSON TO BE FORCE OUT

  MANCHESTER UNITED WILL PAY ‘FLOP’ £1.5M TO TERMINATE OLD TRAFFORD CONTRACT

  

FANS OPINION

• •    He's so far below Premier League standard it's unreal. Utter garbage.   
    @maguirenumber6
  • I actually feel sorry for Anderson, just a little bit. It wasn't his fault United paid £26M too much for him I suppose #mufc
    @Toby_Hancock
  • Alot of talk about Anderson getting released. Fantastic news.
    @SGCW7

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 

Manchester United are looking to sell midfielder Anderson, but if a buyer cannot be found the club will pay £1.4million to terminate his contract, Telegraph reports.

The Red Devils are set to cancel the Brazilian’s last six months at Old Trafford if there are no interested teams for the midfielder, in which Anderson currently earns £60,000-a-week.

Anderson joined United from Porto for £26million back in the summer of 2007 but has played nowhere near his high price-tag.

Now considered a flop, manager Louis van Gaal has told the 26-year-old he can leave the club after failing to impress over the past few months.

During the transfer window Anderson was listed but United received no offers, showcasing how far the midfielder once compared to Ronaldinho has fallen.

Last season United loaned Anderson out to Serie A side Fiorentina in the hopes it would revitalize his career, but he only managed seven games before being dropped to the bench.

Now it seems the Red Devils will do anything to get rid of the former prodigy, even if it means paying a large £1.4million sum to end his Manchester United career.

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Gary Neville: Angel Di Maria has “looked lost” in wide role for Man United

By Ibrahim Akkas

Posted on November 4, 2014

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Gary Neville has claimed that Angel Di Maria has “looked lost” in his new wide position for Man United.

Di Maria, 26, joined Man United for a British record fee of £59 million in the summer from Real Madrid.

The playmaker initially took the Premier League by storm, as he settled in seamlessly to England’s elite division.

However, following tough games against arguably the two best teams in the league – Chelsea and Man City – Van Gaal opted to play Di Maria in a wide position.

Against Man City, Di Maria failed to truly influence the game as Man United  lost yet another away game.

Neville claims that Di Maria “looked lost” in the wing position and hasn’t been nowhere near effective in that position.

Neville told Sky Sports: “He’s been nullified [against Chelsea and Man City] and he’s been sensational in those first five or six matches when he played, that in-side left in a three in midfield.

“He’s [Louis van Gaal] has played him out on the left and right wings in recent weeks and he’s been nowhere near as effective. In fact he’s looked lost at times in that wing position.”

Man United’s next game sees them host Crystal Palace in the Premier League, as they look to stop their run of three games without a win.

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Here Is How Liverpool Should Lineup Against Newcastle – Start Borini With Balo

Newcastle vs Liverpool Predicted Lineup

The late goals against Swansea in the Capitol One Cup mid-week was uplifting for the Reds, if anything. Brendan Rodgers’ Reds gave a good account of themselves against a resilient Swansea side who were prepared to wait out the game. With one eye on the trip to the Bernebeu on Tuesday, Rodgers’ travels to St. James’ Park to face Alan Pardew’s Newcastle who have seen a change in fortunes recently. Here is how the Reds might line-up :-

Fabio Borini

Formation : 4-4-2 (Diamond)

Simon Mignolet

The Belgian picks himself in the team as the undisputed first-choice keeper at Melwood. A week’s rest ought to have done the Belgian some good as the heads back to the line-up after many critics questioning his command as a top-flight goal-keeper.

Javier Manquillo

The 20 year old was one of the brighter players in a Red shirt against the Swans. Squaring up against the lightning quick Jefferson Montero, Manquillo put in a performance worthy of a lot of praise. He keeps his place in the starting .

Martin Skrtel

The Slovakian centre-half is Liverpool’s best centre-half bar none. Having got a dereved rest mid-week, Skrtel would be expected to slot right back into the back-four against a resurgent Newcastle side.

Dejan Lovren

If the winner against Swansea would have done anything for Lovren, it would be that the Croat would have gained a whole of confidence from it. After enduring a difficult start to his Liverpool career, Lovren will look to use that goal to spark his stuttering Reds career.

Alberto Moreno

Despite having a pretty good game at left-back, Glen Johnson would most likely make way for young Alberto Moreno in the left full-back position. The pacey Spaniard will slot straight back into the back-four and look to upturn his for that seems to be going downhill lately.

Steven Gerrard

The skipper will come back into the starting 11 in his deep lying playmaker position for the Newcastle game. The 34 year-old English international will look to carry on the good work the Reds midfield put in against the Swans when they take on the Magpies.

Joe Allen

Welsh midfielder Joe Allen will most probably sit beside Gerrard in midfield and control the midfield. After having missed out on the Swans game mid-week, Allen would be expected to start against Newcastle as the Reds look to get their campaign back on track.

Emre Can

The young German midfielder will continue to hold down his Premier League starting spot for the 3rd week running. Can adds another dimension to the Reds midfield and will eventually be a vital cog in the Reds midfield for years to come.

Adam Lallana

After a bright couple of weeks, the spark of the creative midfielder kind of died down. However, against a stubborn Newcastle side, Lallana’s creativity might just be the key to getting the 3 points away from home.

Fabio Borini

A determined performance against Swansea mid-week to say the least will ensure the Italian striker holds his spot in the XI against Newcastle. Still a long way from proving his critics wrong, at least Borini has started out on the right note.

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli is an enigmatic striker who on his day can take on any defence in the world, Reds fans will be hoping his days come more often than they have recently. A goal against Swansea must ease up the pressure on the Italian and give him the space he needs to start hitting the back of the net regularly.

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Eden Hazard vs Neymar – Who Is The Best Young Winger In The World?

Eden Hazard (Chelsea) vs Neymar (Barcelona)

Note: this is actually the part two of the comparison article which we published earlier.

Eden Hazard vs Luis Suarez – Is The Chelsea Winger As Good As El Pistolero?

Now, we move on as we look into Neymar Dos Santos of Barcelona and Eden Hazard of Belgium. They are probably the future of the beautiful game and we have often come across comparisons between the two players. But who is better?

Neymar

Neymar with his characteristic hairstyle and nose tape has become a fashion icon and his performances on the field took a hit last year. This year though, he has been in starling form scoring in almost every other match. Yet issues with consistence and the issue of bogging down after initial outbursts seem to be a cause of concern. His antics-especially diving and over acting for a foul-has created many a negative opinion about the Brazilian Forward.

Neymar’s strengths are quite similar to that of Eden Hazard. Dribbling is certainly on top of that list. His passing too is something that not many forwards can boast. At the end of the day though, the writer feels that Eden Hazard, at least as of now, is a better player than Neymar and the very fact that we can’t compare them through a statistical point of view as they’re part of two different leagues makes it harder for us to compare. So let’s have a look without statistics..

1. Eden Hazard is miles ahead of Neymar when it comes to defensive capabilities. Jose Mourinho stresses that each and every player played his part in defence as well. Mourinho actually sold Juan Mata, a two time Chelsea Player of the Year as he didn’t do his job defensively and Eden Hazard has learnt from that.

2. On his day, Neymar’s dribbling skills are as good as anyone but on others, he looks as though he is holidaying and is pedestrian on the field. These are the times that you wonder whether you need to play him. Eden Hazard though, even if he has a bad day, (which is rare) ensures that he has a say on the match. And this is one reason why he is lethal day in and day out.

3. Neymar’s antics on and off the field like diving, his nose tape and what not have made him many critics. His diving especially has damaged his image and has made referees cautious while making decisions involving him. These traits of Neymar certainly put Hazard ahead.

4. Last but not the least, Hazard’s work rate is much more than Hazard’s. This is a follow up to point one actually as Mourinho’s tactics have made hazard work much more than his colleagues in the same position.

After having a look at the above mentioned points, it is clearly Hazard who is the better player among the two.

Now, we go back to step one. Is Hazard better than Suarez? At least as of now, no. Neymar? A certain yes. We have discussed in detail, I think and I’ve finally come to a conclusion and I do hope that you have too.

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“He just has to play” – Paul Scholes expects Louis van Gaal to replace Juan Mata with Wayne Rooney

Posted on October 31, 2014

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Paul Scholes has revealed that he expects Louis van Gaal to replace Juan Mata for Wayne Rooney for the Manchester Derby.

Rooney, 29, is available for the first time since the 27th of September following his professional foul on West Ham winger Stewart Downing.

There had been question marks over the fitness of Rooney this week, but reports yesterday suggested that he is ready to start and Van Gaal is expected to start him.

Wayne Rooney set to start against Man City – reports

During Rooney’s absence, 26-year-old Juan Mata replaced him in the Man United team. However, the Spanish playmaker hasn’t impressed or produced displays which will give Van Gaal a selection headache.

Scholes claims that last week’s clash with Chelsea seemed to ‘pass’ the former Chelsea midfielder.

Scholes wrote in his Independent column: “As for United, my key change would be Wayne Rooney back in for Juan Mata. I cannot see Louis van Gaal doing any different.

“The Chelsea game just seemed to pass Mata by on Sunday and that is what will count against him. He seemed to be overpowered. Rooney has a great record against City and he just has to play.”

Mata despite scoring two goals this season has failed to make a significant impact for the Red Devils. The former Chelsea man is known for his playmaking abilities, but Mata has only assisted one goal this season.

Juan Mata has completed 92% of his passes this season.

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Manchester United must fear City backlash

WhoScored.com previews the Manchester derby

By Eurosport8 hours agoPitchside Europe

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Sergio Aguero (PA Sport)

The shift in power in the City of Manchester since Sheikh Mansour arrived has been stark, to say the least.

United have gone from footballing heavyweights to pushovers, while City have forgotten their past as Premier League part-timers to become big-hitters at the top of the table. Manchester's red side look like they are closing the gap on their now superior rivals after a lavish summer of spending, but City are most certainly favourites going into this Sunday's derby. 

City have won the last 3 clashes between the sides, including a sweeping 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in March of this year, but United, down in 8th in the table after finishing 7th last season, will take hope from City's glaring inconsistencies this season.

Manuel Pellegrini's elaborately assembled squad have misfired of late, punctuating a recent run of 3 consecutive wins with draws in the Champions League, and they have followed up those results with a loss at West Ham last weekend before crashing out of the Capital One Cup at home to Newcastle in the week.

They have won just 6 out of 15 competitive games this season, losing the Community Shield to Arsenal, off the pace at the top of the Premier League, out of the League Cup and looking like they could fail to make it out of their Champions League group.

A reliance on Sergio Agüero, who has scored 11 of their 22 league and European goals this season, is unacceptable for a team of their riches and a squad of their depth. Agüero tore Tottenham apart recently and when he is not shackled City can be simply devastating, but without him against Newcastle they lacked cutting edge and against a more defensively organised West Ham they could only find a goal via the genius of David Silva. 

Silva himself arguably is not producing the level of return that a player of his quality should. He has just 2 assists in 12 Premier and Champions League appearances this season, both of which came in the win at a leaky Hull side. While Agüero can make do without Silva's service and fashion chances of his own, City's other forwards need more from their main creator.

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Comparison of Manchester City and Manchester United derbies since 2012 (WhoScored.com)

Although their form in cup competitions has been below par and they are already six points behind Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, they are actually one point better off this season than they were at the same stage a year ago. What is more, they have already faced Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal this season. 

In league games, City are averaging more possession (58.1%), a better pass success rate (85.2%), more shots (17.4), more tackles (21.3), more interceptions (14.0) and more dribbles (10.8) than they did last season, too, so there is an argument to say that in the league at least, it could be more a case of Chelsea's vast improvement than City's demise.

There are, however, issues to be dealt with for Pellegrini and this weekend will provide a true test of his ability to manage his wobbling squad.

The players need no greater motivation than a Manchester derby, in which City have produced some of their best displays in recent years and there is every chance of another one, and with it a City backlash, this Sunday.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.

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