Mario scrap was nothing - Mancini

Mario scrap was nothing - Mancini

Published Jan. 5, 2013 7:15 a.m. ET

Portsmouth have confirmed the club will start training at Fratton Park in February as administrators continue to cut costs.

Pompey have been training at the Wellington Sports Ground for 11 years, but the stricken club can no longer afford to rent the facility.

The League One strugglers have been in serious financial trouble after going into administration twice since 2010.

Portsmouth are also looking at other sites in the city in a bid to ease the burden on their home ground.

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A statement from the club read: "Portsmouth Football Club will stop using the training facilities at the Wellington Sports Ground in Eastleigh at the end of the month.

"Going forward, the club will use Fratton Park and will also look to use other facilities in the city."

The Gunners head to Swansea on Sunday for their FA Cup third-round tie looking to keep alive hopes of delivering a first piece of silverware to the Emirates Stadium.

While Wenger knows the importance of continued Champions League qualification, the French coach insists he has not lost the taste for an open-top bus parade.

"Of course it bothers me because I am not here to watch other people win trophies," said Wenger, whose side last tasted glory when they lifted the FA Cup in 2005.

"It is important and I will give my best to win on Sunday. I will just remind you that I have won the FA Cup four times.

"Of course that [reminders of a trophy drought] is not pleasant, but the only way to do it is to win."

Wenger, however, accepts any talk of Wembley would be premature, even if his side progress from what is a tough encounter in south Wales.

"It is the first round (we play). You cannot speak about winning a trophy, so for us it is important to show continuity and consistency, and the FA Cup is part of that," said Wenger.

"To get people to believe more in the team, it is important that we win on Sunday.

"It is an important moment of the season for us, for the team to strengthen the confidence of the team.

"We feel we are on a good run, but how far can we go? To win in the FA Cup will strengthen [our belief]."

Arsenal have produced some form in the Premier League over the past few weeks, their 1-1 draw at Southampton halting a run of four straight wins.

Swansea, though, were the last team to record a victory at Ashburton Grove, when they ran out 2-0 winners on December 1 following a late brace by Spanish striker Michu.

Wenger challenged his side to set the record straight when they travel to Liberty Stadium.

"They had a very good game here. We have to give them a different response on Sunday," Wenger said.

The Gunners are expected to make some moves to bolster the squad this month, with a ?10million bid for Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez said to be on the table, while fringe players like Johan Djourou and Sebastien Squillaci will be off-loaded. Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh has already joined West Ham on loan until the end of the season.

However, Wenger wants concentration to remain on the side producing the required performance against Swansea rather than thinking about how to boost any perceived deficiencies.

"The most draining is that you get the best out of your team and worry about the next game. In our job it is important that you focus on what is really important, the players who can help the club to win the games - those who are somewhere on the transfer market will not help you to win the games," Wenger told a press conference.

"For us it is important to focus on our next game and our next game can only be won by the players who are here."

Mancini is prepared to give Balotelli "another 100 chances" after playing down this week's confrontation between the pair on the training ground.

Mancini was photographed grappling with his fellow Italian in a training-ground bust-up on Thursday, the latest in a long line of controversies involving the 22-year-old forward.

The manager insists the matter was soon over and was blown out of proportion because of the player involved and the pictures made the incident look bad.

On Friday, Mancini said: "I don't always forgive him. Sometimes he was out for three or four weeks.

"I hope he can understand. Yesterday was nothing, compared to what he did other times - nothing. It is finished."

The latest headline-grabbing Balotelli moment came just over a fortnight after he dropped his challenge to a Premier League tribunal over a club fine at the 11th hour.

There had been speculation since then that Balotelli, who has not played since December 9 due first to selection decisions and then a virus, could be sold during this month's transfer window.

That has been dismissed by Mancini, who remains determined to coax the best out of his former Inter Milan protege.

He said: "I will give him another 100 chances, if it is possible, if I think he can change. I am here for this.

"Sometimes I am upset with him because he doesn't do everything for this, but I give him another chance, sure.

"This doesn't change anything, this is something that can happen."

It has been suggested that the recurring issues surrounding Balotelli both on and off the field are damaging to City's reputation but Mancini is confident his stance is backed by the club's hierarchy.

Mancini said: "They always support me and the team. I think they are like me, they hope that every day Mario can change and think only to play, think about his job."

Despite his regular backing for Balotelli, Mancini has frequently urged the player to reform his ways and voiced fears his talent could be wasted if he does not.

He said: "I think he should understand the career of players is very short.

"He is 22 - three, four or five years can pass in one second.

"I hope that the days arrives that he can understand that he can't leave his quality like this.

"I hope for him - also if he did a lot of mistakes - he can change."

Balotelli, who joined City for ?24million from Inter in 2010, has previously clashed on the training ground with team-mates Micah Richards, Vincent Kompany and Jerome Boateng.

All were captured by photographers because City's Carrington training base is surrounded by public footpaths and the fences erected for privacy cannot be made higher due to planning regulations.

The latest flashpoint occurred when Balotelli made a bad tackle on Scott Sinclair in a training match and Mancini ordered him off. Mancini grabbed Balotelli after he refused to leave but incident was quickly dealt with.

Mancini said: "It (the tackle) was two red cards probably, if the referee was there.

"I wanted him to leave the pitch and Mario said, 'No, I don't want to leave'. But it is finished now.

"The problem we have on that pitch is that we don't have a screen. We are happy for the paparazzi to get money for this!

"These things can happen at every club and every team. The other teams have screens around their pitch and we don't have a screen."

When asked how these issues might affect other players in the squad, Mancini said: "I don't know this.

"What I hope every day is that he changes his mind and thinks about his job and his life."

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