England’s Under-21s beat Norway Under-21 3-1 at Reading.
David Bentley scores twice in the last game under coach Peter Taylor’s current contract.
Frank Lampard is ruled out of England’s friendly against Uruguay tomorrow.- England’s Under-21s beat Norway Under-21 3-1 at Reading. Blackburn Rovers’ David Bentley scores twice in the last game under coach Peter Taylor’s current contract. Aston Villa’s Peter Whittingham had opened the scoring before Borre Steenslid’s leveller. Taylor, who is also the Hull City manager, had earlier confirmed his interest in succeeding Sven-Goran Eriksson as the senior team’s head coach.
- Chelsea’s Frank Lampard is ruled out of England’s friendly against Uruguay tomorrow due to a tight hamstring. Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had earlier allayed Rafa Benitez’s worries about the injury risks surrounding Steven Gerrard’s participation in an arguably insignificant game. The Liverpool manager has concerns about burn-out in an especially long season. Eriksson stresses he has similar concerns while Gerrard expresses his desire to play in the Anfield encounter. Charlton Athletic’s Darren Bent is set to make his debut.
- Manchester City announce a pre-tax profit of £16.8million for the six months to 30 November 2005. It includes the £21million received from Chelsea for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the summer. The Premiership club also reports a £57million debt so it is thought they will use around £5million to pay off short-term loans.
- Championship strugglers Millwall announce a pre-tax loss of £2.4million for the six months to November 2005. A drop in attendances have contributed to a loss that is £600,000 greater than for the same period in 2004. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, new chairman Peter de Savary could not rule out a reduction in the playing staff: “Should relegation to League One occur, the board have contingency plans in place to take account of this change of status. With 13 players’ contracts expiring during the close season, we are in a strong position to plan the size of our squad accordingly.”
- In League One, Barnsley move up to third with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth while Brentford are held to a goalless draw at Doncaster Rovers. Despite the new investment from Robbie Williams, Port Vale lose 1-2 at home to Scunthorpe United.
- In League Two, there’s a goalless London derby as Barnet hold Leyton Orient at the Matchroom Stadium and a 1-1 Lancashire derby draw between Rochdale and Bury.