Double injury blow for Liverpool

McIlroy charged

Manchester United’s Paul Scholes has been diagnosed with damaged knee ligaments, will have surgery on Thursday and will be out for three months. The 32-year-old midfielder suffered the injury in training ahead of the Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev last week.

Liverpool suffered a double injury blow during yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. Striker Fernando Torres has been ruled out for three weeks with an adductor injury while Xabi Alonso fractured the fourth metatarsal in his left foot.

England’s hopes of hosting the 2018 World Cup Finals have been boosted after FIFA dropped its policy of rotating the tournament between continents. Countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments are barred from applying.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has signed a new deal to remain at the club until 2011.

Luigi De Canio has been appointed as first team coach at Queens Park Rangers. The 50-year-old Italian has previously managed Udinese, Napoli, Reggina, Genoa and Siena and has signed a three-year contract at Loftus Road. Mick Harford, who had been in caretaker charge following the sacking of John Gregory, has left the club.

New Tottenham Hotspur boss Juande Ramos took charge of his new squad for the first time this morning while the club appointed Gus Poyet as first-team coach after a compensation package was agreed with his former club Leeds United over the weekend.

As well as losing his assistant, Leeds United manager Denis Wise has been given a three-match touchline ban and fined £5,000 for using abusive language towards referee Danny McDermid during his club’s 1-1 draw with Gillingham on September 29. Wise had a previous suspended one-match touchline ban invoked and a further two-match suspension issued. In addition, McDermid has been charged after he allegedly swore at Wise.

Neil Warnock has secured his first signing as Crystal Palace manager by signing Portsmouth’s Franck Songo’o on a month’s loan. The French winger played for Palace in tonight’s Championship clash with Watford at Selhurst Park. The away side won 0-2 thanks to strikes from Tommy Smith and Marlon King.

Hartlepool are to retire their number 25 shirt Following the death of Hartlepool United midfielder Michael Maidens in a road traffic accident, the Victoria Park club have decided to retire their number 25 shirt. All Hartlepool players wore his surname on the back of their shirts for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Brighton.

The Football Association have charged Morecambe manager Sammy McIlroy with improper conduct following the Shrimps’ 3-1 defeat at Rotherham in a League Two match on Saturday, 20 October. Morecambe lost the game 3-1. McIlroy has until 7 November to respond to the charge.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

Robson to quit Irish role

There were four Premier League games played today including a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield. Steven Gerrard gave the home side the lead after only seven minutes with a ferocious free-kick but Cesc Fabregas notched the equaliser with only 10 minutes remaining to preserve the Gunners unbeaten start to the season. The result also means that Arsene Wenger’s men return to the top of the Premier League table. Elsewhere, Blackburn Rovers record their fourth consecutive victory with a 1-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur, courtesy of a last-gasp screamer from Christopher Samba. Mikel Arteta and Yakubu were on the scoresheet as Everton beat Derby County 0-2 at Pride Park and Bolton Wanderers drew 1-1 with Aston Villa at the Reebok Stadium in front of only 18,413 fans - the lowest Premier League attendance in the stadium’s 10-year history.

Leyton Orient missed the chance to return to the top of League One after being beaten 4-2 by Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.

In the Scottish Premier League, Dundee United beat Ranger 2-1 at Tannadice while Falkirk held Aberdeen to a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie.

Sir Bobby Robson will quit his role as Republic of Ireland’s football consultant after next month’s Euro 2008 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

FA Cup first round draw

Manchester United beat Middlesbrough 4-1 at Old Trafford to return to the top of the Premier League. The result means United have scored four goals in four successive games and is the first time in 100 years they managed such a feat. Chelsea also turned on the style to beat Manchester City 6-0 at Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, Reading recorded a third consecutive home win with a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United, a battling Birmingham City side twice came from behind to overcome Wigan Athletic 3-2 at St Andrews, 10-man Sunderland earned a point in a 1-1 draw with Fulham on Wearside while Portsmouth and West Ham United were involved in a goalless draw at Fratton Park, which included a last-minute penalty save by Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green from Pompey’s Benjani Mwaruwari.

Juande Ramos has been appointed as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Ramos’ first game in charge will be next week’s Carling Cup clash with Blackpool as development coach Clive Allen and youth team boss Alex Inglethorpe will oversee Sunday’s Premier League clash against Blackburn at White Hart Lane. Spurs have also confirmed that they have requested permission from Leeds United to speak to assistant manager Gus Poyet about a similar role in North London.

Manolo Jimenez has replaced Juande Ramos as the coach of Sevilla.

The FA Cup first round draw has been made and the stand out ties see Ryman Premier League outfit Billericay Town entertain a Swansea City side that are 107 places above their non-league opponents. Gainsborough Trinity of the Blue Square North will also be hoping to cause an upset against Hartlepool United. Elsewhere, Leeds United face Hereford United at Edgar Street while Nottingham Forest make the short journey to Lincoln City.

Nathan Davies

Segers leaves Spurs

Rovers return to top

Sevilla have announced that Juande Ramos has resigned as coach, paving the way for him to join Tottenham Hotspur as Martin Jol’s replacement.

Hans Segers has also left his position as Tottenham Hotspur’s goalkeeping coach with immediate effect. His role at Tottenham will be filled on a temporary basis by Perry Suckling, who is currently the Academy goalkeeping coach.

Leeds United assistant manager Gus Poyet will not be at Elland Road for this weekend’s League One clash with Millwall. Poyet has been linked with a possible move to Tottenham Hotspur to assist Juande Ramos, who is expected to be installed as the next manager at White Hart Lane. Leeds have confirmed that midfielder Alan Thompson will assist manager Dennis Wise.

Portsmouth have altered the location of their proposed new stadium from the Hard to Hornsea Island due to concerns from the Royal Navy who intend to base two new super aircraft carriers close to the original site.

Liverpool’s proposed new stadium will be more costly than first expected. The initial estimate of £250m has increased to at least £400m. Liverpool are hoping to receive the City Council’s seal of approval for the new plans at a meeting on 5th November.

Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has broken his right tibia. Pennant was forced off during Wednesday’s Champions League defeat at Besiktas and now requires surgery, which could see him on the sidelines for up to 10 weeks.

Manchester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has joined Cardiff City on a one-month loan deal.

Tranmere Rovers moved back to the top of League One with a 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town at Prenton Park, courtesy of goals from Paul McLaren, Shane Sherriff and Gareth Taylor.

Nathan Davies

UEFA Cup round-up

Renwick named Berwick boss

Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol and his assistant Chris Hughton have been sacked. The news broke after Jol took charge of the UEFA Cup match against Getafe, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. Development coach Clive Allen will manage the team for Sunday’s game with Blackburn Rovers in conjunction with youth team boss Alex Inglethorpe. Sevilla coach Juande Ramos has reportedly agreed to become Spurs’ new manager at the start of next season.

Elsewhere in the first group games of this season’s UEFA Cup, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman and Victor Anichebe were on the scoresheet as Everton beat Larissa 3-1 at Goodison Park. Bolton Wanderers drew 1-1 with Braga of Portugal while Aberdeen lost their Group B match 3-0 to Panathinaikos in Athens. The result also means that a Scottish club has yet to win on Greek soil.

Bolton Wanderers have appointed Gary Megson as their new manager. Trotters chairman Phil Gartside said:

“We feel Gary is the right man to take Bolton forward. We have to be fully focused on the task ahead and make sure we achieve immediate success. I have spoken to the staff and the players. We are all committed to getting behind Gary and turning our fortunes around.”

Megson has managed 48 games in the Premier League but won only seven.

The Football Association have fined Chelsea £30.000 for failing to control their players during a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 23. Chelsea assistant coach Steve Clarke has been given a £5,000 suspended fine for “using abusive and/or insulting words”. Clarke and Chelsea have also been warned as to their future conduct.

Charlton Athletic striker Svetoslav Todorov has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Sheffield United have announced their latest trading figures and revealed operating profits of £6.3m.

Southampton have confirmed that SISU Capital Limited are the mystery bidders looking to become majority shareholders in the club.

Berwick Rangers have appointed Michael Renwick as manager. Renwick has been coaching at Cowdenbeath.

Nathan Davies

Championship round-up

Pericard released

Liverpool face an uphill struggle if they are to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League after a 2-1 defeat against Besiktas in Istanbul. The Reds now have just one point from a possible nine to leave them bottom of Group A. Celtic continued their miserable Champions League away form by slumping to a 1-0 defeat to Benfica in Portugal. The one bright note for British clubs came at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea comfortably beat Schalke 04 2-0.

In the Championship, Bristol City beat Southampton 2-1 at Ashton Gate to move up the second in the table. The visitors misery was compounded when Youssef Safri was sent off late on. At Ninian Park, Wolverhampton Wanderers came from 2-1 down to beat Cardiff City 2-3 and now find themselves in third.

Gary Megson has parted company with Leicester City after only six weeks, increasing speculation that he will become the next Bolton Wanderers boss. Assistant boss Frank Burrows and Gerry Taggart have been put in temporary control at Leicester, who are now looking for their sixth manager in 18 months. Foxes chairman Milan Mandaric added that he had agreed a compensation package with Bolton - thought to be about £300,000.

The FIFA world rankings have been released. England fell from ninth to 11th following defeat against Russia while Scotland are hot on their heels after climbing from 14th to 13th. Elsewhere, Argentina lead the rankings, Brazil are second, Italy third, the Republic of Ireland are 32nd, Northern Ireland 36th and Wales 58th.

As expected, the Football Association of Ireland has terminated the contract of Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton by mutual consent following an emergency meeting. Under-21 boss Don Givens will take temporary charge of the senior side after Staunton’s assistant Kevin MacDonald and goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly were also axed.

Stoke City striker Vincent Pericard has been released from prison for a second time. Pericard was initially sentenced to four months in prison in August after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice but was granted an early release after being fitted with an electronic tag. He was then re-arrested on October 11 following problems with the tagging system.

Nathan Davies

Champions League round-up

Gretna go Green

Arsenal and Manchester United maintained their 100% starts to this season’s Champions League campaign in some style. Arsenal romped to a 7-0 victory over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium while Manchester United eased to a 2-4 victory at Dynamo Kiev. Rangers also remain unbeaten in Group E after holding Barcelona to a goalless draw at Ibrox.

In the Championship, Watford extend their lead at the top of the table with a 0-3 win against Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena. Elsewhere, West Bromwich Albion move to second spot after a 2-1 home victory against Blackpool, Burnley made home advantage count with a 2-1 victory over Norwich City, Sheffield United won 0-1 at Leicester City and Plymouth Argyle managed a 1-2 win against Charlton Athletic at the Valley.

In the Northern section, second round of thre Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, Doncaster Rovers beat Oldham Athletic 3-0 at the Keepmoat Stadium. Rovers will now travel to face Grimsby Town for the area quarter-final.

Speaking on German TV, Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has warned Arsene Wenger of the consequences of leaving him out of the first-team squad. Lehmann said:

“I think - and this is aimed at my dear manager - one shouldn’t humiliate players for too long. It’s possible that some day I’ll feel like talking about the whole issue. At the moment I’m just swallowing it all as part of the humiliation. That’s something one has to take in. But I’m an Arsenal player and I won’t just fade away quietly.”

Leicester City have turned down a second approach from Bolton Wanderers to speak to Gary Megson about becoming their new manager.

Coventry City are the subject of a Football League transfer embargo after they failed to meet instalment payments for Leon Best’s transfer from Southampton.

Ipswich Town have denied inviting David Beckham to train with them during Los Angeles Galaxy’s close season.

The Football Association have fined Leeds United assistant manager Gus Poyet £1,500 and warned him about his future conduct after he criticised referee Andy D’Urso following Leeds’ 3-0 Carling Cup second round defeat at Portsmouth. Poyet had denied a charge of misconduct but it was proved. At the time, Poyet said:

“Andy D’Urso is not good enough for us and I don’t want to see him at a Leeds match again. He can’t forget things he’s done to us [Poyet and manager Denis Wise] in the past. It’s sad and has happened again since we’ve been in management. He keeps laughing during games and doesn’t make any decisions. If there is something complicated in the box he never gives it. We had a bet with the fourth official who would get the first yellow card and of course it was us. It is too much. It is personal. He has sent me off before and that’s not hard but when it is against the team it is not right.”

The Scottish Premier League has postponed Celtic’s home match against Falkirk and Rangers trip to St Mirren to help Scotland prepare for their vital Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy. Both games were scheduled for the weekend before the 17 November international.

Gretna are in talks with the Scottish Government over the development of the country’s first so-called Eco Stadium. The proposed stadium would be constructed on a site on the outskirts of Gretna and should alleviate the concerns of local residents about previous plans to redevelop Raydale Park.

Nathan Davies

Hull beat Barnsley

Clattenburg takes break

Tottenham Hotspur remain in the Premier League relegation zone after losing 3-1 against Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Obafemi Martins and Claudio Cacapa gave the home side a commanding half-time lead. Robbie Keane pulled one back for Spurs but James Milner sealed victory for the Magpies.

In the Championship, Hull City beat Barnsley 3-0 at the KC Stadium.

UEFA have halved the two-match ban originally handed to AC Milan goalkeeper Dida after he had been found to have breached Uefa’s principles of “sportsmanship and integrity” for over-reacting to minimal contact by a fan on the pitch during AC Milan’s Champions League clash with Celtic at Celtic Park. Dida will now only miss Wednesday’s game against Shakhtar Donetsk. Celtic were fined £12,500 following the incident.

Manchester City’s Dietmar Hamann has been banned from driving for six months and fined over £7,000 for a series of motoring offences.

Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba has signed a new five-year deal at Ewood Park.

Southampton’s plc board has agreed in principle to proposals that would see a unnamed UK-based investor purchase 55% of the shares in parent company Southampton Leisure Holdings. The proposal, which would require the backing of shareholders, was revealed in a statement to the Stock Exchange.

Southend United chairman Ron Martin has been arrested on suspicion of corruption and money laundering but he claims his arrest is not related to the football club.

Los Angeles Galaxy have failed to reach the Major League Soccer play-offs, which means David Beckham’s season is over already. The former England captain now faces six months without a competitive match for his club until the MLS season resumes in April.

The referee who took charge of this weekend’s controversial Merseyside derby, Mark Clattenburg, will not be in charge of a Premier League game this weekend. Apparently, this is due to a planned holiday and is not the result of criticism he received last weekend. Everton complained over Clattenburg’s handling of a match that saw Tony Hibbert sent off while Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt was only booked for an atrocious two-footed lunge. Everton were further enraged when Clattenburg ignored their claims for a penalty moments later. Jamie Carragher appeared to haul Joleon Lescott to the ground as Everton’s nine men fought for an equaliser but cries for a penalty were ignored. Clattenburg will be refereeing the UEFA Cup game between Lokomotiov Moscow and Atletico Madrid on Thursday night.

Nathan Davies