Kieran Gibbs believes English players are closing the gap on their foreign counterparts when it comes to technical ability. For many years homegrown footballers have been lauded for their strength and stamina but not their passing ability. England was big on graft but the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Spain had the edge on craft. But Gibbs thinks improved coaching methods in England - not least at Arsenal - are helping young footballers to bridge that gap. The 19-year-old is part of a new generation of English talent and he can see a definite improvement in technique among his peers. "I think it is changing," Gibbs said. "There is a new angle coming into the way we are taught to play, especially here at Arsenal. You always learn first how to play the game technically and the coaches and everyone else at Arsenal really help you with that. It's quite hard to get my head around the fact I am now playing in the first team but I couldn't have done anything without the coaching. It is all credit to them."

 Ashley Young has backed Emile Heskey to come good for Villa, insisting the striker is a class act. Heskey has struggled to cement a first team place in claret and blue after his move from Wigan in January 2009. But Young believes he's seen enough of the powerful forward to know there are good times ahead for him. He said: "He brings a lot to Villa and England. If you look at his track record for England he's a great player to have. He can win headers, he's strong, he can run, he can score goals. He's great to have as a forward. I think he's been brilliant in the way that England have played with Wayne Rooney playing off him. I think that Emile has been that target-man that England have needed and he's been brilliant. When he plays at Villa he's got all the qualities. If you look at the last few games where he's played he's been a true professional. He comes in and does his job."

 Alex McLeish says he expects to be able to submit a definitive list of his transfer targets to the Blues board within the next few weeks. The Blues manager and his backroom staff have been working tirelessly over the past few months to identify the key players both home and abroad that would enhance the Blues squad in January. "If we've got Premier League ambitions we need to bring in the quality," he said. "I think we need three or four players. We've watched two or three players (in each position), but we haven't made our mind up about the one, the two or the three on any respective list of strikers or midfielders. And we're still a bit thin on the ground in the wide areas. There's still a bit of work to be done but we'd like to be in a position maybe at the end of this month or just going into December with some hard and fast names we've nailed and that we think we can go forward with."

 Places are available next Saturday and the following Tuesday 24th for fans to take part in The Rovers Experience, the club's exclusive Stadium Tour. Starting at 2.00pm on Saturday, or 11am on Tuesday 24th, The Rovers Experience not only takes a look at what goes on behind the scenes at Ewood Park, but also celebrates the history of the football club. Would you like to like to see, hear and learn more? The join us on a Stadium Tour! prices are just £6.50 for Adults and £3.50 for concessions or just £15 for a family ticket. You can contact us via telephone on 01254 296114 or via email on tours@rovers.co.uk.

 Supporters will be able to watch Wanderers take on Blackburn Rovers from only £15 when the two Lancashire neighbours lock horns at the Reebok Stadium for the Barclays Premier League match on Sunday 22nd November 2009. Tickets for this fixture will be priced at £15 for adults and £5 for concessions in the North Stand, and are now on open sale. Tickets for the return fixture on Saturday 20nd February 2010 at Ewood Park will also be priced at £15 for adults and £5 for concessions after the club agreed on a joint ticket pricing initiative following success of the scheme last season. Tickets can be purchased by post, with applications including a self-addressed envelope and a cheque, which must be signed, dated and made payable to BWFC with the value left open; over the phone (0844 871 2932*), by fax (0844 871 2931) or in person at the Reebok Stadium.

 Burnley are proud to support the Tickets For Troops initiative and will be supplying 50 tickets for next Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at Turf Moor. Tickets For Troops provides tickets for all serving military personnel and veterans who have been medically discharged since 2001. They are able to buy tickets to top sporting events and musical and theatre productions for just £1 with all proceeds going to various Armed Force Charities. The Clarets have thrown their weight behind the cause and look forward to welcoming up to 50 service personnel and veterans to Turf Moor. All serving military personnel and any veterans who have been medically discharged since 2001 will qualify for tickets and will need to register at the charity's website www.ticketsfortroops.org.uk Burnley FC will also hand over a cheque for over £6,500 to the Royal British Legion at the Villa match from money raised from the club's auction of the special poppy embroidered shirts the Clarets wore in their recent win over Hull City.

 Goalkeeper Petr Cech has visited his friend Carlo Cudicini and has revealed that the Tottenham Hotspur player is in good form as he recovers from the injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He has badly injured his pelvis and fractured both his wrists, but Cech confirmed that the Italian seems to be coping as well as possible with the situation. "It is very sad but sometimes life brings unfortunate situations," Cech said. "I went and saw Carlo yesterday in the hospital. He has always been a great character and you can see he is coping well with it. He is doing well and he will undergo some operations today to help him to be as fit as possible. I think that everybody should keep fingers crossed for him to get well soon."

 Striker Louis Saha will not rush his comeback from injury as he does not want to risk longer-term damage. The Frenchman has scored nine goals this season, his last coming in the 2-1 victory at West Ham at the weekend. He came off just short of an hour in that match to prevent further aggravation to a calf problem and although he is hopeful of playing against former club Manchester United at Old Trafford a week on Saturday, Saha will not play unless he is 100 per cent. He said: "I have to be sensible with my calf strain. I do not want it to be damaged further by playing too long with it. I tried my best in the [West Ham] game but I started to cramp in the second half so it is better to be cautious and come off so someone fitter can come on."

 Zoltan Gera is full of praise for manager Roy Hodgson, crediting him for the team's display of considerable resolve in the recent defeat to Roma and draw with Wigan. Despite finishing the Roma game with nine men and coming away from Italy with a frustrating result, the team was buoyed by some positive words from Hodgson. "It was a disappointing game against Roma and we were very disappointed the next day but we have a very good team spirit and we showed that in both the games," said Gera. "It was a good result against Wigan and we've played very well so far this season. We had a couple of good chances against Wigan but to honest a draw was a fair result. The manager told us lots of positive things after the Roma game. He said we played very well against a very good, experienced European side. We controlled the first-half and with eleven against eleven we were the better side. "I think the manager is very intelligent and has a lot of experience. He I've learnt a lot from him over the last 18 months. He's one of the best Managers I've ever worked with. "I think he's done so well in the last two years at the club. Everybody said two seasons ago that Fulham would go down. He kept the club in the Premier League and then achieved the best ever results for the club."

 Hull City are through to the third round of the East Riding County Senior Cup after beating Hessle Rangers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. Despite creating the better chances in the opening 45 minutes, the Tigers fell behind just before half time. However, they hit back soon after the break when substitute Mark Cullen tapped in from Darragh Satelle's low cross. The winning goal came with around 20 minutes remaining when Nathan Hanley fired a free kick into the top corner of the net from the edge of the box. 

 Emiliano Insua has insisted Liverpool will return from the international break desperate to make amends for recent disappointments in their league campaign. The Reds' international players return to Melwood this week ahead of Saturday's clash with Manchester City, when Rafael Benitez's men will be looking to haul themselves closer to the top four in the league standings. But with 18 goals having already been shipped in 12 league games this season, Insua knows the emphasis is on regaining the watertight nature which has been the hallmark of Liverpool's defence over recent years. "I'm not sure why our record hasn't been as good this season," Insua said. "Maybe it's partly down to concentration. But it is also clear that we are conceding too many goals from set-pieces. We know we have to improve in this area. The players and the staff have to work to try and find a solution."

 Mark Hughes feels Craig Bellamy has shaken off the 'bad boy' image which marred his early career. The Welsh striker has often courted controversy down the years but has taken a more mature approach to his football over recent years, firstly at West Ham and now at City. At 30-years-old he is arguably enjoying his most productive spell, while his versatility has proven invaluable to Hughes at times this term. The City manager admits as much, happy to pile praise on a man who has all too often been publicly lambasted. "The perception of Craig for too long has been too negative," Hughes said. "He'll admit himself that at times he's let himself down. What has never been in question was his ability, and because of the focus on City he now has a platform to allow people to understand what a good player he is. I've worked with him before at Wales and Blackburn and he was outstanding for me. But because of the lack of focus on his efforts there, his performances were not flagged up as they should have been."

 Nemanja Vidic is scheduled to step up up his comeback from a calf injury on Wednesday and have another outing for Serbia when they face South Korea. Vidic came through a 45-minute run-out on Saturday in the 1-0 victory against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park without any difficulty. It was his first game in three weeks following a calf injury and came after an agreement between coach Radomir Antic and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Antic said: "We arranged before the game Vidic would play one half. He will also play in the game on Wednesday. Everything is okay." Vidic's return is a boost for Ferguson ahead of the match against Everton on Saturday as Rio Ferdinand is troubled with a similar problem.

 Defender Hermann Hreidarsson could be on the brink of a return to action following a frustrating injury-marred season. The 35-year-old has not played after sustaining a foot injury in pre-season. But he has made good progress in recent weeks and is set to step up with training in a bid to be fit for the trip to Stoke next weekend. Manager Paul Hart said: "We've been told Hermann can now step up his training. The scans are still showing he still has a little bit of a tear in the tendon underneath his foot, but it doesn't appear to be getting any worse. If we don't step it up now, we could be waiting a long time. We've taken the advice of the specialist and he is stepping it up so hopefully he won't get any adverse reaction. He has got the enthusiasm of a 17-year-old and the desire of an animal. We miss him when he's not around."

 Stoke City have announced that Steve Martin has been appointed to the position of Youth Academy Director at the Britannia Stadium. The 41-year-old from Portsmouth takes up the challenge of heading up the Potters' Academy after spending the past six-and-a-half years at Fratton Park. Martin fills the position which was vacated by Steve Holland recently when he moved to Chelsea to take up a similar role with the Stamford Bridge club. In announcing the appointment, Chief Executive Tony Scholes said: "Steve's attributes will give us a strong focus on player recruitment at this level. This is an exciting time for him to be joining the Club and we will be looking to him to build upon the work that has already been done on the development of our Youth Academy and move forward the plans that have been put in place for the future." Martin has operated in a number of different roles within the Academy set-up at his hometown club Portsmouth, the most recent of them as Recruitment Officer.

 Nyron Nosworthy is desperate to feature for Sunderland in their upcoming match with high-flying Barclays Premier League rivals Arsenal. The Black Cats host Arsene Wenger's men at the Stadium of Light after the international break with Nosworthy hoping to face the club he supported as a youngster. He said: "I was a fan when I was a kid. I have not played against them in a while, so it would be great if I can get a chance in this game. Arsenal are a fantastic team and they play the best football in the league. They might not have won anything for a while, but they still play the Wenger Way. I'm looking forward to it. I remember the George Graham days. But Arsene came in and made big change to the way they play. It's fantastic to watch, but I'm not a stalker, I don't think about them the whole time. Sunderland are the only team I'm really interested in now."

 Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini does not face permanent damage after his road accident, according to agent Federico Pastorello. Cudicini suffered a broken wrist and a dislocated pelvis but his agent has played down the extent of his injuries and insisted the Italian's career is not at risk. Pastorello said: "The worst is now over and we will analyse the time for his recovery after the operation. There was never any risk of permanent damage whatsoever."

 West Ham have extended Matt Fry's loan spell at Gillingham for a further month. Fry has made a big impression at Priestfield and has been an ever-present in the Gills defence since joining on a one-month loan. The new deal will keep the 19-year-old at the club for a further seven league and cup matches until 12th December.

 Roberto Martinez admits he needs to strengthen his squad in January after recent events left him short of cover. Left-back Maynor Figueroa's knee ligament injury has ruled out the Honduras international for two months while Marlon King's departure has left the Latics manager short of a striker. King's departure will have a lesser impact as he played just 14 minutes in three substitute appearances as Martinez has opted to play one up front this season. Figueroa's lay-off allowed Erik Edman to make his first league appearance since last May but there is no other recognised left-back in the squad. "We need to strengthen, as we have lost a player (Figueroa) and cannot leave ourselves open," said Martinez. "We know our budget, the money we have to spend, but it is not just about that. It is about finding the right players and personalities. We will work on different markets to try to make things happen."

 Left-back Stephen Ward is relishing a return to training next week. Ward is back a week ahead of schedule from cartilage surgery and is hoping to make his 100th Wolves appearance against Chelsea next Saturday. He said: "Hopefully I'll be ready to join in full training at some point next week. I've still got a bit more fitness work before joining in with the rest of the lads but I'm there or thereabouts. It's good to be fit again - it feels like I've turned the corner."