Pearce’s Under-21s fight back

Wales draw in Belfast

—– American tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks complete their takeover of Liverpool.
Their offer is worth £5,000 per share. That’s values the club at £174.1million, plus the club’s reported £44.8million debt bringing the total bid to £218.9million.
They are also believed to have guaranteed to invest a further £200million.
Part of that will be ploughed in to the building of the new stadium at Stanley Park, so ruling out the possibility of ground-sharing with Everton.
Gillett - the 68 year-old owner of Montreal Canadiens - and Hicks - the 60 year-old owner of the Dallas Stars ice hockey club and the Texas Rangers baseball team - joined forces to out-bid Dubai International Capital. They are named co-chairmen.
Earlier suitors included Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, US billionaire Robert Kraft and local building magnate Steve Morgan.
In a show of continuity, manager Rafa Benitez is assured that his position is not under threat while chief executive Rick Parry will retain his post. Departing chairman David Moores becomes honorary life president.
At a hastily convened press conference, the new owners make an impressive start.
George Gillett says: “This is truly the largest sport in the world, the most important sport in the world, and this is the most important club in the most important sport in the world.
“What a privilege we have to be associated with it and we hope that with the good graces of Rick and his team that we will have on-the-pitch success and economic success.”
Liverpool become the seventh of the current 20 Premiership clubs to come under foreign ownership.

—– England Under-21’s first game under Stuart Pearce demonstrates the fighting spirit famously associated with the new coach.
They come from two down to earn a 2-2 draw against Spain in the friendly at Derby County’s Pride Park.
The equaliser comes from Reading’s Leroy Lita who scored twice in the win at Pearce’s Manchester City on Saturday.

—– The appetite for the proposed return of the Home Internationals appears to be vindicated as a full house of 14,000 at Windsor Park assemble in Belfast for the friendly between Northern Ireland and Wales.
Unfortunately, they witness a low-key goalless draw.

—– In a sign of the times, four friendly internationals take place in London of the same night.
Portugal beat Brazil 2-0 at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Denmark beat Australia 3-1 at Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road, Ghana beat Nigeria 4-1 at Brentford’s Griffin Park while South Korea beat Greece 1-0 at Fulham’s Craven Cottage.

Kubik flees Gulls

Home internationals revival

—– On his 21st birthday, Billy Sharp scores his 21st goal of the season to take Scunthorpe United back to the top of League One.
The Iron beat fellow promotion chasers Bristol City 1-0 at Glanford Park.
Earlier in the day, United withdrew Marcus Williams and Dave Mulligan from the squad for a breach of club discipline.

—– One of the more baffling managerial appointments comes to a predicable premature end as former Czech Republic international Lubos Kubik parts company with League Two Torquay United after less than three months in charge.
A personal friend of Gulls chairman Chris Roberts, he had not played in English football and had minimal managerial experience.
United won only one of his 12 league games in charge, and are currently five points adrift at the bottom of the Football League.
Former boss Colin Lee, who returned to Plainmoor as assistant manager last month, is set to be named as his replacement.

—– Reports reveal that tentative talks have taken place designed to revive the Home Internationals.
With England unlikely to take part, the Republic of Ireland could take their place.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic are said to be keen, but Wales less so.
Although the Scottish Football Association states the idea is “very much in the conceptual stage”, Northern Ireland coach Lawrie Sanchez confirms: “IFA chief executive Howard Wells and president Jim Boyce are very much for the Home Internationals. Lobbying is taking place.”
A spokesman for the Football Association says: “We only have two or three friendlies a year and it’s difficult to see how the Home Nations would fit in.”
The Home Internationals were last played in 1984.

Six-point lead restored

Celtic are hot Cup favourites

—– Manchester United restore their six point Premiership lead as they ease aside Tottenham Hotspur with an emphatic 4-0 win at White Hart Lane.
A closely fought first-half was only divided by a questionable Cristiano Ronaldo.
United turn on the style after the break with further strikes from Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
Their only setback comes when keeper Edwin van der Sar suffers a broken his nose. With their substitutes already used, John O’Shea dons the gloves in the closing minutes.
Although delighted with the win, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t let his team get carried away: “To come to Tottenham and win 4-0 is exceptional. It looked as if once we got in front we started to get a bit careless and casual. You can’t do that. Zeros against your name is the name of the game because going towards a title race that is going to be important.”

—– With Heart of Midlothian knocked out at Dunfermline Athletic yesterday, Celtic stay on course for a league and cup double.
The runaway SPL leaders breeze in to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup with a 4-1 win at Livingston.
Celtic are now quoted as odds-on to lift the cup in May.

Real Chelsea are back

Liverpool held by ‘small’ Everton

—– The Italian Football Federation suspends all matches indefinitely after a policeman is killed at last night’s Serie A match between Catania and Palermo.
Following the match-fixing scandal, the game in Italy falls further in to crisis as officer Filippo Raciti dies as violence flares during the Sicilian derby.
The match is suspended after an hour when tear gas, used by police to break up the fighting outside the stadium, drifts onto the pitch.
The two teams fled for the dressing-room, with the game suspended for thirty minutes.
After the match, fans continue running battles with police on the streets and around a hundred people are injured.
In response, the FIGC calls off all this weekend’s professional and amateur games, and also cancels Italy’s friendly with Romania next week.
Prime minister Romano Prodi states: “I feel a duty to say that we need a strong and clear signal to avoid the degeneration of this sport which we are seeing more dramatically and more often.”

—– With Petr Cech and John Terry back in their ranks, a near full-strength Chelsea move to within three points of Premiership leaders Manchester United with a 1-0 win at Charlton Athletic.
The 205th Mersey derby ends goalless with the main drama reserved for Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez’s after-match comments. He appears to class Everton as a ‘small’ club: “When you play against the smaller teams at Anfield you know the game will be narrow.”
Ten-man Arsenal have to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.
Wigan Athletic end their club record run of eight consecutive defeats with a 1-0 win against Portsmouth at the JJB Stadium.
It leaves them five points clear of the relegation places after West Ham United lose 0-1 at Aston Villa.

—– Derby County retain their six points advantage at the top of the Championship following a 1-0 win at Southampton.
Preston North End are second after a 3-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday with West Bromwich Albion moving up to third via a 1-0 win at Hull City.
Birmingham City are held to a 1-1 draw at Colchester United.
Queens Park Rangers move out of the bottom three with a 3-1 win against Burnley at Loftus Road but Leeds United are still bottom after they lose 1-2 at Norwich City.

—– Oldham Athletic are the new leaders of League One with Chris Hall’s last minute only-goal-of-the-game against Tranmere Rovers at Boundary Park.
Nottingham Forest miss the chance to join them on 55 points after being held to a 2-2 draw at Bradford City.
Rotherham United move back to the bottom of the table despite a goalless draw at Brighton & Hove Albion.
They replace Brentford who win 3-1 at Blackpool.

—– Walsall extend their lead in League Two to four points despite a 1-1 draw against Rochdale at the Bescot Stadium.
Swindon Town’s 0-1 home defeat by Hartlepool United sees Pools move in to third place.
No doubt about the eye-catching result of the day. Last week’s 1-4 defeat at Torquay United ended in Grimsby Town’s first goal in ten hours of play and a seventh consecutive defeat - so where did today’s 6-0 win at Boston United come from? It’s the Mariners biggest away win since 1957.

Mascherano move on hold

No Olympic Way for Hammers

—– Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce is confirmed as the temporary part-time England Under-21s coach.
He will take charge of next week’s friendly against Spain and this summer’s European Under-21s Championship finals, but stresses he will not apply to become Peter Taylor’s permanent successor: “Manchester City is my main priority. The club have been extremely good in allowing me to go and get more experience but, after the summer, I will be back at Manchester City.
“I won’t be involved in the Under-21s after the summer because I will not be applying for the job.”

—– The Premier League has still to approve Javier Mascherano’s move from West Ham United to Liverpool despite his registration documents being sent to them before the transfer window closed.
FIFA controversially granted dispensation for the 22 year-old Argentine to join Liverpool even though he has already played for two clubs since 1 July.
A Premier League statement says: “The board will consider the terms of the registration as quickly as possible and notify the parties involved of its decision accordingly.”
Speculation suggests that there are doubts about his eligibility as, contrary to League rules, he is part ‘owned’ by a third party.
Kia Joorabchian has a 50 per cent stake in Mascherano and his West Ham team-mate Carlos Tevez. Portsmouth’s Manuel Fernandes is in a similar situation.
Mascherano, who had already played for Corinthians, has played only six minutes for West Ham since 22 October.

—– West Ham United’s anticipated move to London’s new 2012 Olympic Stadium appears to have been thwarted.
Organising chairman Lord Sebastian Coe reveals that the stadium will have 10,000 fewer seats than the Hammers’ current home at Upton Park.
He told BBC News: “At Games time the stadium will hold 80,000 but afterwards it will have 25,000 seats. We have always made it clear we will go forward with track and field facilities but we will encourage other sports to become involved.”