Wenger says no more replays anymore

Blues close the gap

—– Having received extensive criticism for fielding a so-called weakened team, Reading justify their point by earning a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup Fifth Round tie at Manchester United.
Similarly, United select a changed team to recent Premiership games but the closely fought contest appears to prove Royals manager Steve Coppell’s belief that he has assembled a strong squad, not just a strong starting XI.
Having lost 2-6 at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the season, Blackburn Rovers get their tactics spot on as they come away from Arsenal with a goalless draw so becoming the first team to come away from the London giant’s new home with a clean sheet.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger vents his frustration by undermining the traditions of the FA Cup by calling for an end to replays. As he looks forward to the trip to Ewood Park (their 46th match of the season), the Gunners boss doesn’t exactly do the East Lancashire Tourist Board a favour: “That [scrapping replays] would mean sacrificing something that is part of the tradition of the English game, so we have to adapt. Blackburn, from a tourist’s point of view, is not a great place to go and it’s a game we didn’t need.”
Chelsea avoid the possibility of upsetting the Norfolk Tourist Board as they beat Norwich City 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.
West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray is given a terrific reception on his return to Middlesbrough. The Boro legend’s team do him proud as the Baggies earn a replay with a 2-2 draw at the Riverside.
The luck that has deserted Watford in the Premiership appears to be being repaid in the FA Cup as they sneak past Ipswich Town 1-0 at Vicarage Road.
The only non-Premiership club definitely through to the quarter-finals is Plymouth Argyle. They beat Championship leaders Derby County 2-0 at Home Park.

—– Derby’s lead in the Championship is down to three points after Birmingham City win 1-0 at Crystal Palace as Blues boss Steve Bruce once again runs the gauntlet on his return to Selhurst Park.
Southampton continue their challenge with a 5-2 win against Barnsley at St Mary’s while Sunderland’s rise under Roy Keane continues as the Black Cats move up to a season-high of 5th after a 4-0 win against Southend United at the Stadium of Light.
Cardiff City continue their revival as they beat Leeds United 1-0 at Ninian Park despite finishing the game with only nine men.
The Milan Mandaric era at Leicester City starts in spectacular fashion. The Foxes beat Midlands rivals Coventry City 3-0 at the Walkers Stadium with all three goals coming in the first 30 minutes.

—– Scunthorpe United return to the top of League One as they beat bottom-of-the-table 1-0 at Glanford Park.
They replace Oldham Athletic who lose 1-2 at home to Millwall. Former Latics’ coach Willie Donachie has now guided the Lions in to the top half of the table after a terrible start to the season.
After their midweek FA Cup exit, Bristol City get their promotion bid back on track with a 1-0 win at Blackpool but Nottingham Forest slip up with a 1-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Cheltenham Town move out of the bottom four as Damien Spencer’s last minute strike gives them a 1-0 win against fellow strugglers AFC Bournemouth at Whaddon Road.

—– With leaders Walsall beaten 1-2 at home by Lincoln City last night, they are joined on 64 points by Hartlepool United at the top of League Two after their 1-0 win at bottom club Torquay United.
Stockport County post their best post-war sequence of results as their 1-0 victory at Accrington Stanley is their seventh league win in a row. It’s also seven games without conceding a goal - they are the first seven games of on-loan keeper Wayne Hennessey’s senior career.

Newcastle win in Belgium

Jackett not required

—– Following coach Steve McClaren’s comments that he was in favour of replacing England’s friendly matches with more intense training camps, the Football Association reduce the schedule of friendlies from 20 to 18 over the four-year period starting in 2008.
Speaking after last week’s disappointing game against Spain, McClaren said: “Maybe this one came at a bad time. We ended up using it as an experiment, because we didn’t have seven or eight of our senior players.”
Significantly, at least six of those senior players played for the full 90 minutes of Premiership games at the weekend.
As well as leading clubs’ reluctance to release their top players, long gone are the days when England friendlies are viewed by the public as ‘must-see’ events.
The Spain game attracted a crowd of 58,207 - nearly 20,000 below Old Trafford’s capacity.
The FA’s proposed reduction of an average of half-game a season may well have been higher had it not been for commitments to television deals and the need to try to justify the huge cost of the new Wembley Stadium.

—– Newcastle United look almost certain to reach the last 16 of the UEFA Cup after a 3-1 away win in the first leg of their tie with Belgian part-timers Zulte Waregem.
After the match played at Ghent, Toon boss Glenn Roeder showed no signs of complacency: “We should have done better with the free kick that led to their goal and not giving a foul away would have helped.
“It was a relatively comfortable win, but we were sloppy at times and that disappointed me.”

—– Kenny Jackett stuns Swansea City after admitting his desire to leave his post of manager at the League One promotion chasers.
His departure is agreed by ‘mutual consent’.
Chairman Huw Jenkins blames the level of criticism from the supporters and media: “I was very surprised when I received a call from Kenny, and I’m very disappointed with how things have worked out.
“He was upset. He’s thought things over and felt the criticism against him was difficult to take.”
The former Watford defender leaves the Liberty Stadium after nearly three years in charge of the Swans.
He led them to promotion in his first full season in charge, and they were only denied consecutive promotions last term by penalties in the Play-Off Final against Barnsley.
Despite significant backing in the transfer market, City are currently two points outside the Play-Offs having lost at home to leaders Oldham Athletic at the weekend.
Assistant manager Kevin Nugent is placed in temporary charge.
Jackett becomes the 29th manager of a Premiership or Football League club to lose his job this season.

Rovers trail Bayer

Sullivan has Birmingham blues

—– Having won the first FA Cup Final at the original Wembley Stadium in 1923, Bolton Wanderers’ hopes of repeating the feat at the new Wembley in May are dashed by Arsenal.
The Gunners are 3-1 winners in the Fourth Round at the Reebok Stadium after Bolton’s Abdoulaye Meite took the replay in to extra time with a last minute equaliser.
Arsenal duly prevail and are probably thankful that they didn’t have to go to penalties as they miss two spot-kicks in the 120 minutes.

—– Shabani Nonda’s late goal leaves Blackburn Rovers in a favourable position despite a 2-3 defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie at Bayer Leverkusen.
The two precious away goals are Rovers reward for their positive 4-4-2 formation.
Despite losing their 13-match unbeaten run in European competitions, Rangers hopes of progressing to the next round are also intact after a 1-2 defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel.

—– Birmingham City co-owner David Sullivan confirms he is willing to sell his stake in the club.
Despite moving up to second in the Championship, Blues attracted their lowest home gate for over six years in their 1-0 win over Stoke City on Sunday when he also used his programme notes to question the attitude of some sections of City’s supporters.
Sullivan tells Sky Sports News: “I’ve built my life around it (Blues matches), my holidays, my kids holidays, everything. I have gone to games half dying with illness and I have been there.
“You get to the point, and I think the manager felt it a bit himself this week, you really want to be somewhere you are really appreciated.”

QPR suspend coach after China brawl

Wigan back Jewell in ref rage

—– Milan Mandaric completes his takeover of Leicester City.
The former Portsmouth owner does not reveal how much he paid for the Foxes (thought to be in excess of £25million) but says he aims to take City back into the Premiership within three years. They are currently in 17th position in the Championship.
Despite earlier speculation, the Serbian-American businessman confirms that manager Rob Kelly will be given the chance to prove his worth: “I have been in dialogue with Iain Dowie and other managers. A lot of managers would like to be at Leicester but we have made a decision to stay with Rob and give him our full support.
“He is an intelligent and honest manager who knows what needs to be done.”
Leicester dropped out of the Premiership in 2004.

—– Queens Park Rangers suspend assistant manager Richard Hill for an indefinite period following last week’s brawl during a training match against China’s Olympic team.
China’s Zheng Tao suffered a broken jaw.
The Football Association is also investigating the incident, and remain in ongoing communication with the Metropolitan Police who confirm that a 43-year-old man was arrested on Saturday on the suspicion of actual bodily harm.

—– Wigan Athletic manager Paul Jewell is charged with improper conduct by the Football Association following his angry confrontation with referee Phil Dowd after the controversial defeat at Arsenal on Sunday.
In response, the Latics not only back their boss but lodge a complaint with the FA and Premier League regarding the Staffordshire official’s conduct.
They allege that “a number of their players were verbally abused in an aggressive and menacing manner by Mr Dowd”.

—– Meanwhile, Luton Town manager Mike Newell is fined £6,500 by the FA over his sexist comments regarding female assistant referee Amy Rayner in November.
After the match with Queens Park Rangers, Newell said that the appointment of women referees and assistants was “tokenism for the politically-correct idiots”.

—– In the night’s FA Cup Fourth Round replays, Middlesbrough need penalties to finally end the brave efforts of Bristol City following a 2-2 draw at the Riverside.
City’s League One rivals Blackpool take Championship Norwich City to extra time at Carrow Road but the Canaries run out 3-2 winners.

—– West Bromwich Albion move up to second in the Championship after a 2-1 win at Colchester United.
On their first-ever league visit to the Essex club, the Baggies end the Us’ 14-match unbeaten run at Layer Road.

—– Following Saturday’s 0-5 drubbing at AFC Bournemouth, Leyton Orient’s League One survival hopes suffer another heavy blow as they lose 1-4 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The visitors had scored only once in their eight previous games.

Windsor Park under threat

Todd leaves Bradford

—– The Government publicly announce their backing for England’s anticipated bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals.
Due to FIFA’s rotation system, it is expected that they will be staged in Europe with England being the hot favourites.
Chancellor Gordon Brown, who is likely to become Prime Minister later this year, says: “By 2018, it will be more than 50 years since England first hosted the World Cup. With the Olympics in London in 2012, hosting the World Cup in 2018 would make the next decade the greatest in Britain’s sporting history.”
The Football Association don’t have to be submit their official bid until 2010 but chief executive Brian Barwick recognises the significance of political backing: “Government backing is a central part of any successful World Cup bid and this study underlines this government’s commitment to bringing the world’s biggest sports events to these shores.”

—– While England already has enough stadiums of the high quality to stage a World Cup finals, Northern Ireland are facing up to the dilemma of staging home games outside of their county.
They may have to play their matches in Scotland or England unless the government pay to replace Windsor Park’s damaged roof.
The North Stand roof was damaged in storms over the Christmas period and early January and the Irish Football Association do not have the £325,000 required to pay for the repairs.
The stand is owned solely by the IFA with Irish League club Linfield owning the remainder of the stadium.
IFA president Jim Boyce admits: “We simply don’t have that sort of money. As there is no other stadium in Northern Ireland capable of hosting international football, going to probably Scotland, or maybe England, would be the only avenue open to us.”

—– Bradford City part company with manager Colin Todd.
The 58 year-old former England defender had been in charge of the League One club since June 2004 so being the Bantams longest-serving boss in the last twenty years.
As result of the disastrous financial decisions made during the Premiership days, Todd had one of the hardest jobs in football.
As ever, it was results that brought his reign to an end as City slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Now in 16th position but only three points above the bottom four, a club statement says: “Colin has had to deal with some very difficult situations but has always met these challenges in a professional manner.
“Unfortunately, results over the last 20 league games have been poor and so it is time for a change.”
Veteran defender David Wetherall is placed in temporary charge.

Bolton maintain Euro bid

Blues back in top two

—– For the 11th time in their 18 competitive games at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal concede the first goal but come back to maintain their unbeaten record at their new home.
The Gunners beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 but the Latics feel they are denied a great opportunity to ease their relegation concerns.
Leading 1-0 late in the game, their strong claims for a penalty are turned down when Emile Heskey appears to be hauled down by Mathieu Flamini.
Moments later, Flamini looks to be in an offside position when he crossed for the Arsenal equaliser.
Manager Paul Jewell doesn’t hold back on his criticism of the referee: “Phil Dowd has cost our team the points - it could cost us £50million.”

—– Following the earlier kick-off, Bolton Wanderers briefly move up in to a Champions League place but their UEFA Cup pursuit remains on track after a 2-1 win against Fulham at the Reebok Stadium.
Gary Speed gives Bolton the lead with a penalty then, early in the second half, they extend their lead through skipper Kevin Nolan in his 200th Premiership appearance.
Having looked to have been cruising to victory, Wanderers are left with an uncomfortable finish after Fulham pull one back when Zat Knight heads home a corner.

—– Despite their 1-0 win against Stoke City taking them back up to second in the Championship, Birmingham City are booed off at the field at the end of the game at St Andrews.
Blues boss Steve Bruce struggles to hide his frustration: “What I have witnessed and experienced today has saddened me a little bit. But I will get on with it and keep my mouth shut. We have got a lot of young lads and they need help, not booing and jeering.”
Birmingham’s lowest home league attendance (15,854) since October 2000 isn’t helped by an 11.30am kick-off time.

Business as usual for top two

Tigers end Rams run

—– It was billed as a ‘must win’ game for both teams as West Ham United’s relegation fears are greatly increased by Watford’s 1-0 win at Upton Park.
The Hammers truly pay the penalty as the only goal comes from a Darius Henderson spot-kick while Marlon Beresford misses a penalty for United.
No such problems for the top two. Manchester United maintain their six-point advantage with a 2-0 win against Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford (the Addicks are priced at 20-1 to win the game) while Chelsea ease past improving Middlesbrough 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool’s first game under their new American owners ends in disappointment. Despite making plenty of clear cut chances, the Reds lose 1-2 at Newcastle United.
The unlikely prospect of European football coming to Reading is still very much on track as the Royals stay in sixth place with a 2-0 home win against Aston Villa.
They are now on a relegation-safe 43 points while Sheffield United - promoted with them from last season’s Championship - also seem increasingly likely to stay up. The Blades are ten points clear of danger after a 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur at Bramall Lane.

—– Championship leaders Derby County are denied a club record equalling ninth consecutive league win by a late Hull City equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Pride Park.
The Rams increase their lead at the top to seven points though as Preston North End lose 0-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers while West Bromwich Albion are held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton at The Hawthorns.
Leeds United stay on the bottom of the table but only three points separate the bottom six after their 2-1 home win against Crystal Palace. There’s further intrigue at Elland Road as manager Dennis Wise says an unnamed Leeds players will never play for the club again after ‘leaking’ details of the Whites team to a Palace colleague in a pre-match conversation.

—– With Scunthorpe United inactive due to the weather, Oldham Athletic take over at the top of League One with a 1-0 win at Swansea City.
Nottingham Forest also take closer order with a 1-0 win against Northampton Town at the City Ground.
Fourth-placed Yeovil Town maintain their chase with a 4-1 win at Carlisle United.
AFC Bournemouth move out of the bottom four with a 5-0 win against fellow strugglers Leyton Orient at the Fitness First Stadium courtesy of the first hat-trick in former England international Darren Anderton’s illustrious career.

—– Hartlepool United move up to second in League Two after they come from behind to beat leaders Walsall 3-1 at Victoria Park.
With Swindon Town’s trip to Rochdale another victim of the weather, Lincoln City’s 1-0 win against bottom club Torquay United at Sincil Bank means the top four are separated by five points.
Grimsby Town’s revival continues as their 4-2 win against Bristol Rovers at Blundell Park takes their goals tally to ten in two games.

Arsenal make US link

QPR’s week gets a whole lot worse

—– Tottenham Hotspur’s bye into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup is confirmed after the Court of Arbitration uphold the governing body’s decision to expel Feyenoord from the tournament.
The Dutch side were thrown out after crowd trouble during their group match against AS Nancy. They appealed against that decision but the CAS dismissed the appeal and fined the club £40,000.
Spurs will lose out on gate receipts and TV money but go through to meet Parma or Braga.

—– Arsenal announce a partnership with Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids that is designed to build the Gunners brand in the United States while helping to develop the MLS club.
Managing director Keith Edelman says: “This is a very important step for Arsenal as this becomes our first venture into the US marketplace.
The Rapids are owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke’s company Kroenke Sports Enterprises.
The deal comes days after Liverpool’s takeover by American tycoons George Gillet and Tom Hicks.

—– Having hit the headlines earlier in the week with a mass brawl in a friendly match against the China Olympic team, Queens Park Rangers fortunes slump further as they crash to a 0-5 defeat at fellow Championship strugglers Southend United.
It’s the Blues first win against QPR since they won 5-4 at Loftus Road in January 1964.

Premiership dominates Rich List

Italian government in stadium crackdown

—– A training ground friendly turns anything but friendly as a mass brawl breaks out in a game between Queens Park Rangers and the visiting China Olympic team.
The fight involves around 30 people and results in a broken jaw for China’s Zheng Tao who is left unconscious.
Although the game is refereed by the Premiership’s Dermot Gallagher, as it is not designated as an ‘official’ game, it could be outside of the Football Association’s jurisdiction.
However, both sides immediately take the matter in to their own hands.
QPR chairman Gianni Paladini suggests he is prepared to sack some of his players: “When we find out what went wrong, I will come down very strong.”
Seven members of the China Under-23 team are sent home. Manager Li Xiaoguang says: “We have noticed some of the young players can not control themselves well. But, although the participants in this incident were the players, I will take all the blame.”

—– Although the latest edition of the Football Money League report shows that Real Madrid are the game’s top earners, the list of the 20 richest clubs is dominated by the Premiership.
Published by consultants Deloitte, it includes eight clubs from England’s top flight.
Although their rivals’ position is boosted by individual television deals, Premiership clubs are set for even greater wealth with their massive collective deal that comes in to effect new season.
The full list is:
1 Real Madrid - £192.7million
2 Barcelona - £171million
3 Juventus - £165.8million
4 Manchester United - £160million
5 Milan - £157.5million
6 Chelsea - £145.8million
7 Internazionale - £136.3million
8 Bayern Munich - £135million
9 Arsenal - £126.9million
10 Liverpool - £116.1million
11 Lyon - £84.2million
12 Roma - £83.8million
13 Newcastle United - £82million
14 Schalke - £81.1million
15 Tottenham Hotspur - £70.7million
16 Hamburg - £67.1million
17 Manchester City - £59million
18 Rangers - £58.4million
19 West Ham United - £57.3million
20 Benfica - £56.1million

—– Following the death of a police officer who was hit by an object at the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo last week, the Italian government allows only six stadiums to restart staging matches in front of supporters this weekend.
The six stadiums are in Rome, Genoa, Siena, Cagliari, Palermo and Turin.
It means AC Milan and Inter will continue to play behind closed doors as the San Siro stadium does not meet security criteria.
The new measures include a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans, stricter stadium bans for those involved in violence at grounds and a ban on financial or working relationships between clubs and fan associations.

—– Torquay United’s new director of football Colin Lee appoints Keith Curle as head coach until the end of the season.
43 year-old Curle played for the Gulls between November 1983 and March 1984, and later played under Lee at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He was sacked as Chester City’s manager in February 2006 having previously been in charge at Mansfield Town.

Ireland saves Ireland’s blushes

Robbo blast Pearce appointment

—– Amid another uninspiring performance, England slump to their first home defeat under coach Steve McClaren as Spain win tonight’s friendly 1-0 at Old Trafford.
The Spaniards are facing a struggle to qualify for Euro 2008 but they are far the superior team as England struggle to make a single clear-cut chance.
The only goal comes just after the hour when substitute Andres Iniesta fires past debutant keeper Ben Foster.
With his team jeered off the pitch, McClaren struggles to hide his disappointment: “There were a few performances which weren’t up to their usual standards. That is the disappointing aspect of this performance. The players know that and it will be made clear.”
The saving grace is that key players should be back for the two crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers away to Israel and Andorra next month.

—– The Republic of Ireland come within seconds of their most embarrassing result of all-time before Stephen Ireland hits the winner against tiny San Marino almost five minutes into added time of their Euro 2008 qualifier.
Manuel Marani equalises Kevin Kilbane’s opener in the 86th minute.
Ireland’s late, late winner denied San Marino their first-ever Euro qualifying point. They had conceded 25 goals in their first three games in the current campaign.
Despite the narrowest of escapes, Republic boss Steve Staunton remains remarkably upbeat: “We controlled the game from start to finish and could have scored six or seven but we were sloppy at the back.”

—– Former England skipper Bryan Robson reveals he was interested in becoming the England Under-21 coach.
Currently available after being sacked as manager of West Bromwich Albion last year, he also admits that he was surprised that Stuart Pearce was given the job through the summer’s European Championships on a part-time basis: “I did have an interest in the job on a full-time basis. Appointing a part-time coach was a strange decision by the Football Association.”

—– Colin Lee, who will continue as caretaker boss until he appointments a permanent manager, is named Torquay United’s new director of football.
Lubos Kubik left Plainmoor at the start of the week after only 15 matches in charge of the Football League’s bottom club.
Lee explains his new role: “Over the next three years I intend to implement a new blue print for the football department of Torquay United to put us on a par with comparable sized clubs higher up the Football League ladder.”

—– Isn’t Niall Quinn brilliant!
The Sunderland chairman rejects Sky Sports request - and money - to change the traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off time to allow for the live broadcast of Championship leaders Derby County’s upcoming visit to Wearside.
Quinn tells the Black Cats’ supporters: “I’ve constantly stressed as a former player who has played in front of a pulsating Stadium of Light that your support is vital. I’m not some marketing guy looking for commission. I’m someone who knows what it’s like to be roared on.”

—– AFC Wimbledon are deducted 18 points by the Ryman League Appeals Committee for fielding a player without international clearance.
The Dons, who have already been expelled from the FA Trophy for fielding Jermaine Darlington, now have points taken off for the 11 games in which the former Cardiff City midfielder featured for them.
The Dons are currently fourth in the Ryman Premier Division on 51 points, but will drop to 12th on 33 points.
It all seems more than a little harsh for an English-born player previously playing for a Welsh club.
They are set to take their case to the Court for Arbitration for Sport where they’ll be represented by supporter and leading defence lawyer Jim Sturman.