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Saints sign Baggies frontman on loan

St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes has returned to former club West Brom to sign striker Marcus Haber on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old Canadian joined Albion from the Vancouver Whitecaps on an 18-month contract in January but he has not made a first-team appearance.

The 6ft 3in frontman has already had two loan spells, with Exeter and Vancouver, and he will see out his contract in the Scottish Premier League, although the Baggies have a one-year option on his deal.

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I can leave Wigan – N’Zogbia

Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia has revealed that the club will not stand in his way if a bigger club wants to acquire his services.

N’Zogbia joined Wigan in January 1999, when he angered fans of Newcastle by voicing his desire to play at a higher level.

And the 24-year-old is keen to take another step upwards in his footballing career.

“When I came here, I was in a period where I wanted to relaunch myself,” N’Zogbia told L’Equipe. “Today I’m at Wigan but if tomorrow a good club with great aims contacts me, I am open.

“I have talked about it with my bosses. They won’t put a spoke in the wheel.”

Despite their apparent willingness to sell Wigan will still hope to have N’Zogbia available for their first game of the season at home to Blackpool on 14th August.

Full Time Result betting has Wigan at 1.80, while Blackpool can be backed at 4.33 and the draw is 3.25.

Following the entire France World Cup squad being suspended for their friendly against Norway next month, N’Zogbia has been selected by new coach Laurent Blanc for the match.

Should he win his first cap, it would put an end to talk of him playing for England.

He continued: “They talked about me (playing for England) but for me it’s just something in the press.

“Until the moment someone at the Federation comes and talks to me about it face to face, I haven’t even asked myself the question.

“In my head I’m French. There’s no reflection to make.”

Wigan are 3.25 to be relegated from the Barclays Premier League 2010/11.

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I can leave Wigan – N’Zogbia

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Webster relishing Rangers role

Andy Webster can see some light at the end of the tunnel in his Rangers career after taking a central role during the pre-season preparations.

The 28-year-old has only made one competitive appearance for Rangers since his arrival, initially on loan from Wigan, in January 2007.

Suffering a knee injury in his first training session set the tone for the following years, with the only bright spot a goalscoring debut against Gretna in September 2007.

A loan spell at Bristol City failed to kick-start his Ibrox career as he struggled to establish himself in Walter Smith’s plans after recovering from a string of injuries.

But his fortunes were rejuvenated in glorious fashion last season as a loan spell at Dundee United helped him return to the Scotland fold and win a Scottish Cup winner’s medal.

The former Hearts defender has started all three pre-season matches Rangers have played so far to give him encouragement that his Ibrox career is finally lifting off.

“Having done all of the hard work in pre-season, it has been nice to be involved when the games have come around,” Webster told www.rangersfc.co.uk.

“I hope this is me finally getting there now. Everything that has gone on before is in the past and I’m looking forwards and making sure I’m ready for the start of the campaign.

“At this stage, it’s all about getting a level of fitness and with the squad we’ve got, a lot of the boys have played in the majority of the games so far.

“The more you play and the more involved you become, the more comfortable you then get with your surroundings and I’m happy to be in the side at the moment.”

Webster has lined up alongside David Weir in central defence, with Madjid Bougherra moved out to right-back when Rangers beat Blackburn in their first Sydney Festival of Football game on Sunday.

The Algeria defender sat out Wednesday’s rain-lashed goalless draw against the hosts with a minor knock but he will return as Rangers face AEK Athens in their final game tomorrow.

Kenny Miller will also feature despite continuing to suffer pain from shin splints.

Smith said: “Madjid will be okay. He took a kick on the calf but he has recovered from that and he will play against AEK.

“Kenny has the shin splints issue which is painful but it will only become a worry to us if it becomes chronic, which will mean he will have to miss games.

“However, just now if he gets a couple of days’ rest in between matches then he is okay.

“It doesn’t seem to be painful when he is playing – it’s after the game that he feels it.

“We will give him a bit of a rest when we go home and that should clear things up.”

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King eager for another chance

Former Wigan striker Marlon King is determined to rebuild his football career after serving a jail term and has vowed to stay out of trouble.

Last October, King was jailed for 18 months having been found guilty of sexual assault and actual bodily harm over an incident in a London nightclub, which occurred in December 2008 while he was on loan to Hull from Wigan.

King’s Wigan contract was terminated, however he believes he can have a future in the game and is hoping a club is willing to take him on.

He told Sky Sports News: “I haven’t even thought about what league. Because there’s no way I’m going to come out and think I’m going to walk into any team. I’ve got to earn my right. And given my opportunity I’ve got to take it.

“You need someone to give you that opportunity. I’d just like to say that given that opportunity I can at least do a job on the field and keep my nose clean off it.”

King insists a responsibility to his family will ensure he will avoid off-field problems.

“I don’t need to make the manager a promise because if I get in trouble then I let my family down, I let a lot of people down,” he said.

“I’ve been away from them for nine months and they didn’t deserve that. I owe it to them to do the right thing.

“I’ve discussed it with everybody and everybody’s got to look after their best interest. If the club want to put something in my contract to say if anything happens … that’s fine. Because they won’t find me in a situation like this or anything else again.”

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Diarra committed to Bordeaux

France midfielder Alou Diarra has insisted he is committed to Bordeaux despite ongoing interest from French champions Marseille.

Diarra is with Bordeaux in Paris this weekend for a pre-season tournament, and said he was not interested in a move.

“I am happy to be in Bordeaux,” he said on lequipe.fr. “I’m happy to be with my team-mates and I will defend my colours. There’s nothing to be unsettled by.”

Diarra was a member of the France team that failed so spectacularly and controversially at the World Cup in South Africa, to the point that the entire squad has been dropped by new France coach Laurent Blanc.

However, Diarra is confident he will be considered again for the national team.

“I’ve not talked to (the other France players) since our return,” he said. “Sportingly it was a bad experience, but we move on.

“The coach knows me, he knows the man, I accepted being dropped. It is normal. It also suits me because I’m not 100 per cent.

“Everything depends on what the new coach wants but to forgo the 23 for the long term could be a bad thing for France.

“Honestly, we want to move on and I am looking to September and the next selections for the France squad.”

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