Blackburn manager Steve Kean hails Yakubu after Manchester United win

? Tells reporters: "He's on fire, the Yak"
? Refuses to criticise fans who have abused him

Blackburn manager Steve Kean praised his young side after their shock 3-2 win at Manchester United ? but refused to use the result to criticise the Rovers' fans who have hurled abuse at him for most of this season.

When asked if he felt vindicated by the victory, Kean said: "Of course," before insisting that "the fans and the owners all want the same thing" and hailing his team's "massive" result.

This result's massive," he said. " To come here with such a young side and win it can be a real springboard for us to go and kick on."

"The young lads are starting to grow up very quickly and today they did very well," he said. "We've learned our lessons after losing a late lead against Sunderland. We've been tried to pass our way up the pitch rather than lashing it out, and you saw that especially in the second half.

"It was tricky out there on the pitch. It was soft. It was a very physical pitch and our lads' legs were heavy. We can build on this for the next match against Stoke.

Kean reserved particularly praise for Yakubu, who scored twice in the win. "He's on fire, the Yak," he said. "Our fans our loving him now. If you give him service he's certainly a goalscorer.

"It's great to win in a place at a place like Old Trafford, especially with such a young side," he added. "It's a springboard for us to kick on."

Yakubu, meanwhile, was full of praise for his manager. "Look at the way we played today. We fought for each other, we gave everything," he said. "Give credit to the manager, he was under pressure coming here to Old Trafford and to get three points."

Kean said: "Kean added on ESPN: "We got a very good point at Anfield and considering we have such a very young team the lads are growing up."

Kean has put his faith in younger players, with several who played in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool and today's win over United having come through the club's youth system.

• Blackburn Rovers
• Steve Kean
• Premier League

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/31/steve-kean-manchester-united-victory

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Manchester United's Federico Macheda close to QPR loan, says agent

? Italian forward set for six-month loan switch
? Deal has '95%' chance of going through

Federico Macheda's agent claims the Manchester United striker is "95%" certain to join QPR on loan in the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old Italian has made six appearances for United's first team this season and has been linked with a move to Wigan, with Sir Alex Ferguson keen to give some of his youngsters as much exposure as possible.

However, Macheda's representative, Giovanni Bia, claims there is no chance of a switch to the DW Stadium and instead the player will probably move to the west London club on loan.

Bia told Skysports.com: "There was nothing concrete with Wigan. The club closer to Macheda is QPR.

"I think it 95% that Macheda will go to London, because he needs to play and this is the only suggestion of a transfer to date.

"He'll go on a simple loan for six months, because Sir Alex Ferguson believes in him and wants to take him back to United at the end of the season. The other five per cent of chance is that Macheda stays in Manchester."

• QPR
• Manchester United

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/30/federico-macheda-qpr-loan

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Copper posts for first annual fall in 3 years

Copper rose in the last session of 2011 but sharp losses from earlier in the year caused the base metal its first annual decline in three years.

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Copper rose in the last session of 2011 but sharp losses from earlier in the year caused the base metal its first annual decline in three years.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange climbed 2.4 percent to close Friday's session at $7,600 a tonne.

In New York, US copper's most-actively traded contract, March, settled up 2 percent on the day at $3.4360 per lb.

For 2011, though, both LME and US copper showed a 21 percent drop due to losses from earlier in the year when the metal was sold down on fears related to the European debt crisis and an economic slowdown in China.

This year's decline was a stark contrast with the past two years when copper rallied back from losses sustained during the 2008 financial crisis. The metal gained 140 percent in 2009 and 30 percent last year.

Since hitting all-time highs of nearly $10,200 a tonne in February, copper has lost about a quarter of its value.

“The single major factor behind this is the unfolding of the euro zone crisis, which had some direct and indirect impacts on metals,” said BNP Paribas analyst Stephen Briggs.

“Another key factor was the economic slowdown in China ... There is still a risk of hard landing, and perhaps the market is concerned about that,” he added.

China's factory sector shrank in December as demand at home and abroad slackened, a purchasing managers' survey showed on Friday. China accounts for 40 percent of the world's refined copper consumption.

De-stocking in China this year of a wide variety of metals has surprised market players and analysts, who had forecast much higher prices for copper and other materials such as aluminium, lead, nickel and tin.

Aluminium fell 18 percent on the year and lead lost 20 percent, while zinc and nickel tumbled 25 percent.

Tin fell the most among the metals in 2011, losing 28 percent. - Reuters

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/copper-posts-for-first-annual-fall-in-3-years-1.1206534

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Manchester United's Federico Macheda close to QPR loan, says agent

? Italian forward set for six-month loan switch
? Deal has '95%' chance of going through

Federico Macheda's agent claims the Manchester United striker is "95%" certain to join QPR on loan in the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old Italian has made six appearances for United's first team this season and has been linked with a move to Wigan, with Sir Alex Ferguson keen to give some of his youngsters as much exposure as possible.

However, Macheda's representative, Giovanni Bia, claims there is no chance of a switch to the DW Stadium and instead the player will probably move to the west London club on loan.

Bia told Skysports.com: "There was nothing concrete with Wigan. The club closer to Macheda is QPR.

"I think it 95% that Macheda will go to London, because he needs to play and this is the only suggestion of a transfer to date.

"He'll go on a simple loan for six months, because Sir Alex Ferguson believes in him and wants to take him back to United at the end of the season. The other five per cent of chance is that Macheda stays in Manchester."

• QPR
• Manchester United

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/30/federico-macheda-qpr-loan

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