Wembley may host 2010 CL final

Hodgson resigns as Finland boss

UEFA have announced a shake-up of their competitions. The format of the Champions League has been reviewed and the new structure will see the top three Premier League clubs qualify automatically for the group stage. In all, 22 clubs qualify automatically, including the Scottish champions while five more places will go to the 15 leading countries in Europe, decided through qualifying rounds, and the remaining five reserved for the champions of the lowest 40 clubs. However, the fourth-placed Premier League side will face a stiffer test in the qualifying round, as they are more likely to face stronger opponents than under the current format. The Intertoto Cup is to be abolished while the UEFA Cup will be drastically revised between 2009 and 2012. There will eventually be 12 groups of four teams, with the top two of each group progressing to the knockout stage, where they will be joined by the eight clubs that finish third in the group stage of the Champions League.

It was also announced that from 2010 the Champions League final will take place on a Saturday afternoon instead of a Wednesday night - with Wembley in the running to host that year’s final. Wembley faces competition from Berlin’s Olympiastadion, the Allianz Arena in Munich, Real Madrid’s Bernabeu and the Mestalla in Valencia.

Isthmian League outfit Horsham held Swansea City to a 1-1 draw at their Atspeed Stadium, courtesy of an 85th minute equaliser from the penalty spot by Lewis Taylor, and will now take their place in the FA Cup third round draw.

An aeroplane carrying the Cardiff City team to Humberside Airport, ahead of their Championship clash with Hull City, has been diverted to Manchester Airport after suffering instrument failure. The Cardiff squad will continue the journey by coach.

The three-man shortlist for the FIFA player of the year award has been announced. Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, AC Milan’s Kaka, and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi are in the running. The award, which is voted for by managers and captains of national teams of FIFA’s member countries, will be made on December 17.

Everton boss David Moyes has ruled himself out of the running to become the next Scotland manager.

South Africa have announced their squad for the 2008 African Cup of Nations and surprisingly omitted Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy. South African’s national coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira also left out first choice defender Bradley Carnell and midfielders Delron Buckley and Macbeth Sibaya.

Bristol City have announced plans for a new 30,000 capacity stadium. A site in south Bristol was already earmarked for the development. The club hopes planning permission will be in place by the end of 2009 and the new stadium will be ready in time for the 2011-12 season. For legal reasons, the exact location of the ground could not be specified but it is said to be “not too far” from the Ashton Gate ground, which could now be sold off for housing.

Leicester City’s new manager Ian Holloway has recruited Tim Breacker and Des Bulpin as his assistants while Gary Penrice has been brought in as head of recruitment.

Roy Hodgson has resigned as coach of Finland, which could lead to offers of the vacant manager’s jobs with England, Scotland or the Republic of Ireland.

Nathan Davies

UEFA Cup round-up

Scottish Cup fourth round draw

A game of two halves at White Hart Lane saw Tottenham Hotspur recover from two goals down to win their UEFA Cup Group G match with Aalborg 3-2 with a powerful second-half performance. Dimitar Berbatov, Steed Malbranque and Darren Bent sealed the comeback for Juande Ramos’ men. Elsewhere, a last-minute strike from Stelios Giannakopoulos salvaged a point for Bolton Wanderers against Greek side Aris Salonika at the Reebok Stadium while Athletico Madrid eased to a 2-0 victory over Aberdeen in Spain to leave the Scottish side adrift at the foot of Group B.

In the Blue Square Premier, Woking beat visitors Ebbsfleet United 1-0.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp - one of five men arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. - has strenuously denied any wrongdoing after being arrested by police following an inquiry into alleged corruption in football Portsmouth’s chief executive Peter Storrie, former chairman Milan Mandaric, Charlton Athletic midfielder Amdy Faye, currently on loan at Rangers, and agent Willie McKay were also reported to be the other men arrested. Redknapp held a press conference on Thursday to clear his name and defend others.

“I’ve called this press conference today because I thought I needed to clear up the chain of events from yesterday because there has been so much speculation about what went on and the reasons why I was called in. I went to watch a game in Germany on Tuesday, to see Stuttgart play Glasgow Rangers and I travelled back on Wednesday morning - when I arrived back in Heathrow my wife was on the phone leaving hysterical messages. The police had come round to our house at six in the morning accompanied by photographers of a very well known tabloid newspaper. I don’t know how they found out about the police arriving - I don’t know - good guess? My wife then allowed them in, they raided my house, they also raided Peter Storrie’s house. They took a computer away from my house that I bought my wife two years ago and she just learnt to turn it on four weeks ago - there’s nothing on it. I got a message to report to the police station where I spent a good part of the day and the whole crux of the meeting they wanted to discuss with me, to discuss with Peter, was the fact an agent had been paid an agent fee and he’d paid some of the money to the player - who was his player. That was the whole top and bottom of it as far as I was concerned. I had a meeting with my whole staff and players today. I called them in and said ‘you’ve read plenty of stuff in the papers; this is exactly what it was all about. I said the agent had allegedly paid some of agents’ fee to the player’. They all wanted the agent’s number because they’ve never heard of an agent before who’d wanted to give a player money. As far as I was concerned, I wondered what I was doing there. I’m really not involved, as I’m not involved in who gets agent fees and who doesn’t. Peter got called in, you couldn’t meet a nicer or straighter guy than Peter Storrie. He works with honesty and integrity. Milan was called in, he was the man who came in and saved this football club, now at Leicester. This club is completely transparent, it’s totally honest and nothing goes on that we’re afraid of. Any investigations that have gone on, the club have co-operated fully and helped everyone. I was bitterly disappointed that the police should come knocking on my door at six in the morning with photographers. My wife was in on her own, she was absolutely petrified. If you can tell me that’s the way to treat anybody, then I’m afraid that’s not the society I was brought up in. I still feel I was only called in because I have a high profile, I add a bit of a profile to the investigation. Really and truly, this is absolutely nothing to do with me. It’s nothing to do with my field. What the agent does with his player is nothing to do with us - that’s between the agent and the player. I’ve had some fantastic support. Some great emails. I say emails - Karen passed them on to me because I haven’t got a computer! I’ve had some fantastic text messages - this is a fantastic football club. It’s a well-run club from top to bottom. We’re in the highest position we’ve been in for fifty years and we need to get back concentrating on the football. Why it had to be brought into the public domain I still find very difficult to understand. It has deeply hurt both me and my family.”

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has received a touchline ban from UEFA after being sent to the stands following a row with fourth official, Reinold Wiedemeijer, during the Gunners 3-1 Champions League defeat in Sevilla on Tuesday. Wenger will also be barred from the dressing room his side’s crucial Champions League tie against Steaua Bucharest on December 12. In addition, the ban could be extended after an investigation by UEFA.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws has been named as the Championship manager of the month for November. Colin Calderwood of Nottingham Forest has won the League One award while Mark Robins of Rotherham United has won the League Two prize.

The draw for the fourth round of the Scottish Cup has been made and thrown up some interesting ties. Holders Celtic entertain Stirling Albion while Highland League minnows Huntly and Cove Rangers have both been drawn at home against Dundee and Ross County, respectively. Junior outfit Linlithgow Rose face a trip to Queen of the South. Elsewhere, East Stirlingshire will be laughing all the way to the bank after they were drawn against Rangers at Ibrox while three all-Scottish Premier League ties see Falkirk meet Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian host Motherwell and Hibernian take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Easter Road. All matches to be played on the weekend of January 12th and 13th.

Nathan Davies

Champions League round-up

Asian Player of the Year

Liverpool beat FC Porto 4-1 at Anfield to keep alive their hopes of qualifying from Group A for the Champions League knockout stages. Fernando Torres gave the home side the lead before Lisandro Lopez headed an equaliser on 33 minutes. Liverpool struggled to regain control of the game but when Torres netted his second after 78 minutes, there was only going to be one winner. Steven Gerrard slotted home a penalty on 84 minutes and Peter Crouch completed the scoring with two minutes remaining. Elsewhere, Chelsea ensured qualification from Group B with a comfortable 0-4 victory against Rosenborg in Norway and Celtic are on the brink of reaching the last 16 after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at Celtic Park.

Aston Villa climbed to sixth in the Premier League table after a 0-4 victory against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. John Carew, Gareth Barry (penalty), Ashley Young and Marlon Harewood were on the scoresheet for the Villains.

There were two games played in the Championship this evening. Two goals from Roman Bednar helped West Bromwich Albion to a 1-2 victory against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park while Stephen Elliott scored the only goal of the game at Molineux as Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Colchester United 1-0.

Five men - aged 69, 60, 55, 48 and 30 - have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting - part of the police force’s ongoing investigation into corruption within football. Portsmouth said manager Harry Redknapp and chief executive Peter Storrie were among those held. Mr Redknapp and three others have since been released on police bail. Meanwhile, police said a 30-year-old remains in custody. On his release, Mr Redknapp said:

“We all helped the police with their inquiries, but it doesn’t directly concern me, it’s other people involved. I’ve been answering questions to help the police. I am not directly concerned with their inquiries. They have to arrest you to talk to you, for you to be in the police station. I think that’s the end of it, it didn’t directly concern me.”

In July, officers raided Newcastle United, Portsmouth and Rangers football clubs as part of the inquiry.

Alex McLeish has been unveiled as the new manager of Birmingham City. The former Scotland boss has signed a three-and-a-half year contract. Andy Watson and Roy Aitken, McLeish’s assistant coaches with Scotland, are also joining him at Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Birmingham City do not expect Carson Yeung’s takeover of the club to go through, according to joint owner David Gold. The Hong Kong-based businessman bought a near 30 per cent stake in the club in July but he has not tabled a deal to gain complete control.

Former Wigan Athletic boss Paul Jewell has been named manager of Premier League strugglers Derby County on a three-and-a-half-year deal after Milton Keynes Dons had denied the Rams permission to speak to Paul Ince about the job.

Saudi Arabian Yasser Al Qahtani has been named Asian Player of the Year. The 25-year-old captains his national side and currently plays for Al Hilal.

Nathan Davies

Champions League round-up

Saints appoint McInnes

Manchester United ensured they will finish top of Champions League Group F with a 2-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon at Old Trafford. The visitors took an early lead through Abel but United hit back in the second-half with goals from Carlos Tevez and a superb injury-time free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Rangers lost 3-2 at VfB Stuttgart but are still hopeful of progressing to the knockout stages after Barcelona drew 2-2 with Lyon in France - a result that means Rangers need only a point in their final Champions League match against Lyon at Ibrox to progress from Group E. Meanwhile, Arsenal lost for the first time this season as Sevilla knocked them off top spot in Group H with a 3-1 victory over the Gunners in Spain.

Championship leaders Watford fell to a 1-2 home defeat to Burnley. Owen Coyle’s first victory as Burnley boss came courtesy of second-half goals from Andy Gray and Joey Gudjonsson. Danny Shittu pulled one back with four minutes remaining but the Clarets held on to win. Charlton Athletic missed the chance to go second as Sheffield United left the Valley with a resounding 0-3 victory. James Beattie (penalty), Gary Cahill and Chris Armstrong did the damage. Elsewhere, Ipswich Town made it 12 home wins in a row with a 2-0 victory over Southampton, bottom-placed Norwich City won away from home for the second time in a row after claiming a 1-3 win at Blackpool and Crystal Palace came from behind to beat visitors Preston North End 2-1.

The one game in League One this evening saw Swansea City beat Hartlepool United 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium, courtesy of an 81st minute strike from Angel Rangel.

The pick of tonight’s FA Cup first round replays came at the Memorial Stadium, where Bristol Rovers eventually beat 9-man Leyton Orient 6-5 on penalties after a rollercoaster 3-3 draw. Oldham Athletic are through to the second round after a 1-2 away win at Doncaster Rovers. Athletic hung on for victory despite being reduced to 10-men on 84 minutes when Neal Trotman saw red. Luton Town also won away from home, beating Brentford 0-2 while Nottingham Forest comfortably beat League Two strugglers Lincoln City 3-1 at the City Ground. Forest will now travel to Luton Town in the second round.

Alex McLeish has resigned as Scotland manager is expected to be unveiled as the new Birmingham City boss at a news conference tomorrow. The Blues are believed to have agreed a compensation package with the SFA.

Former Derby County boss Billy Davies has expressed an interest in becoming the new manager of Scotland.

Birmingham City caretaker manager Eric Black has quit the club with an eye on becoming Steve Bruce’s right-hand man at Wigan Athletic. Black had previously assisted Bruce at St Andrews and is now set to follow him to the JJB Stadium after just one game in temporary charge of the Blues - the 0-2 home defeat to Portsmouth on Saturday.

Uefa president Michel Platini believes the Football Association should appoint an Englishman as the next England coach.

Louis van Gaal is unlikely to be the next England manager after he revealed that the clause that allows him to leave his current club, AZ Alkmaar, if he is offered an international job does not come into effect until 2009. Van Gaal has been in charge at Alkmaar since 2005.

Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association for failing to control their players during the 0-2 victory at Derby County on Saturday. Referee Andre Marriner was confronted by angry Chelsea players, led by captain John Terry, after he sent off Michael Essien for pushing Derby striker Kenny Miller in the face. Chelsea have until December 12 to respond, while Essien has been handed a three-match suspension for his red card.

The Football Association has issued Everton manager David Moyes with an improper conduct charge for comments he made about referee Mark Clattenburg after his side’s 1-2 defeat by Liverpool at Goodison Park. Moyes has until December 11 to respond to the charge.

Paul Sturrock has been confirmed as the new Plymouth Argyle manager. The 51-year-old left Swindon Town yesterday to replace Ian Holloway who is now at Leicester City. This is Sturrock’s second spell in charge of Argyle after enjoying a successful spell at Home Park from October 2000 to March 2004.

Derek McInnes is the new manager of St Johnstone. The 36-year-old won promotion to the hot seat after coaching the Perth club’s reserves and under-19’s. McInnes signed a two-and-a-half year contract at McDiarmid Park after Owen Coyle and his assistant Sandy Stewart moved on to Burnley.

Nathan Davies

FA charge Ferguson

Monday night football

Billy Davies has left his position as manager of Derby County by mutual consent. Academy boss Kevin Thelwell takes charge for Saturday’s match with fellow relegation battlers Sunderland. Milton Keynes Dons manager Paul Ince is the hot favourite to take over on a permanent basis.

The Football Association have charged Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with using abusive and insulting words towards referee Mark Clattenburg during Saturday’s 0-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers. Ferguson was sent to the stands at half-time for telling the official “exactly what he thought of him” and must respond to the FA by December 11.

Chelsea’s Michael Essien has lodged an appeal with the Football Association for wrongful dismissal after his red card during Chelsea’s 0-2 win at Derby County on Saturday. The 24-year-old was sent-off after an incident with Rams striker Kenny Miller in second-half stoppage time.

Steve Bruce has been officially unveiled as the new manager of Wigan Athletic. Bruce admitted his frustration at the way a financial dispute with former club Birmingham City, which delayed his arrival at the JJB Stadium, became public knowledge.

An agreement has been reached - in principle - by Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to play a series of three biennial “Celtic Cup” tournaments. The respective football associations have committed to arranging the tournaments on a league basis.

AZ Alkmar boss Louis van Gaal has declared an interest in becoming the next England manager. The former Holland coach says there is a clause in his AZ contract, which allows him to leave for a national team post.

FIFA have decided that every non-playing World Cup finalist from 1930 to 1974 will receive a retrospective medal - with a medal going to the families of those who have died. The decision follows calls from the Football Association and 2018 World Cup bid ambassador Richard Caborn. Before the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, only those who played in the final received a medal. Subsequently, 11 members of England’s 1966 squad who did not play in the final will now receive recognition. The players on the sidelines on that famous day include Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur), Jimmy Armfield (Blackpool), Peter Bonetti (Chelsea), John Connolly (Manchester United), Ron Springett (Sheffield Wednesday), Gerry Byrne (Liverpool), Ron Flowers (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Norman Hunter (Leeds United), Terry Paine (Southampton), Ian Callaghan (Liverpool) and George Eastham (Arsenal). In addition, Pele will receive a third winners’ medal having missed the 1962 final because of injury.

Paul Sturrock is expected to take over as Plymouth Argyle boss tomorrow after leaving Swindon Town this afternoon. A compensation deal has been struck between the clubs. Sturrock managed Argyle between October 2000 and March 2004, when he moved to Southampton.

Ian Holloway’s first match in charge of Leicester City has ended in a goalless draw against Cardiff City at the Walkers Stadium.

In the Blue Square Premier, Stevenage Borough came from behind to beat visitors Altrincham 2-1.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

Saints lift Challenge Cup

The draw for the World Cup 2010 qualifiers was made this afternoon and has thrown up some interesting contests. England have been drawn in Group Six along with Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. Scotland line up in Group Nine against the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland and Macedonia while Wales feature in a tricky looking Group Four along with Germany, Russia, Finland, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein. Northern Ireland have been placed in Group Three along with Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino. The winners of each European group will qualify for the finals automatically and the best eight runners-up play off for four more qualifying berths.

Fulham drew 2-2 with Blackburn Rovers at Craven Cottage with all the goals coming in the second-half. The Cottagers struck first with a Danny Murphy penalty after 51 minutes before Brett Emerson levelled the scores six minutes later. Diomansy Kamara put the home side back in front but with just over 10 minutes left, Stephen Warnock ensured a point for Mark Hughes’ men. Fulham have now scored first eight times in the Premier League this season but only gone on to win once.

West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at Upton Park. The Hammers took the lead through Carlton Cole after 20 minutes only for Michael Dawson to equalise for the visitors in the second half. Spurs could have won it but Robert Green saved an injury-time penalty from Jermain Defoe.

Zoltan Gera missed a late penalty for West Bromwich Albion as they were held to a goalless draw at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Black Country derby.

Cheltenham Town beat Leeds United 1-0 at Whaddon Road. Steven Gillespie’s 86th minute strike was enough to separate the sides. Dennis Wise’s men have now won only two of their last seven games in all competitions.

Brian Little’s first game in charge of Wrexham ended in a 2-2 draw against local rivals Chester City at the Racecourse. The Red Dragons, who remain bottom of League Two, fell behind after 26 minutes when Kevin Roberts struck for the visitors. Michael Proctor equalised ten minutes later but the Seals regained the lead on the stoke of half-time through Paul Linwood. However, Proctor added his second after 74 minutes to ensure a share of the spoils.

Gretna held Heart of Midlothian to a 1-1 draw at Firs Park. Michael Stewart was sent off for Hearts after only 20 minutes but six minutes later a Laryea Kingston strike put the visitors in the lead. Early in the second-half, Kingston turned from hero to villain though as he put in his own net.

St Johnstone lifted the Scottish League Challenge Cup this afternoon with a 2-3 victory over Dunfermline Athletic at Den Park.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

FIFA distribute free tickets

Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal of the game as Bolton Wanderers surprisingly beat an out of sorts Manchester United at the Reebok Stadium. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was sent to the stands for the second half after a half-time rant at referee Mark Clattenburg. This was Gary Megson’s first victory as Bolton boss and sees his side jump from second bottom to 15th in the Premier League table. Arsenal took advantage of United’s defeat to move three points clear at the to of the table with a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic. Arsene Wenger’s men left it late though with two goals in the last seven minutes by William Gallas and Tomas Rosicky.

It was a good day for the Merseyside clubs as Everton steamrollered a disorganised Sunderland side 7-1 at Goodison Park and Liverpool travelled to Newcastle United where they beat the Magpies 0-3.

Manchester City beat Reading 2-1 at Eastlands courtesy of Stephen Ireland’s injury-time volley. The result means City maintain their 100% home record.

Elsewhere, there were good away victories for Aston Villa, who won 0-3 at Middlesbrough, Portsmouth who beat Birmingham City 0-2 at St Andrews and Chelsea who beat bottom-placed Derby County 0-2.

A rift has developed between Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and the club’s American owners after the Spaniard openly questioned their transfer policy. Earlier in the week, Benitez was told by club co-owner Tom Hicks to “quit talking about new players” after suggesting they were holding up his transfer plans. However, Benitez continued his rant after his side’s 0-3 victory at Newcastle by saying: “They don’t understand what the transfer window means in Europe. They need to understand how difficult it is to sign players.”

Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick is in no rush to appoint a new England coach. Barwick is in Durban for Sunday’s 2010 World Cup draw and said: “There is no time frame. We will not get trapped into a time frame. We will see how long it takes. The first thing we have got to do is concentrate on the World Cup draw, which is why we are here then take a breath, pause and move it forward. The concentration factor, 100 out of 100, is on the World Cup draw and when we get back home we start in earnest the recruitment of the next manager.” In deciding who should replace Steve McClaren, Barwick will consult Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as well as England players John Terry and Steven Gerrard.

Up to 210,000 tickets for the 2010 World Cup will be distributed free of charge to the South African public. FIFA General secretary Jerome Valcke stated: “the cost of the free tickets will be met by our commercial partners”. There will be four categories of ticket prices with only the cheapest category available to South Africans.

Nathan Davies

O’Neill out of running

U’s win away

England received more bad news today with the publication of the FIFA world rankings. After failing to qualify for Euro 2008, England have slipped to 12th in the rankings, which means they will not be among the top seeds in the 2010 World Cup qualifying draw. Scotland slipped one place to 14th and will also be amongst the second seeds. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland jump up four places to 32nd while the Republic of Ireland drop three places to 35th, which means both nations are classified as third seeds. Wales are in the fourth set of seeds after maintaining a world ranking of 58th place. The Europeans face a different qualifying format than at previous World Cups, with 53 teams split into nine groups, eight of six teams and one of five. The nine group winners will automatically qualify with the best eight runners up playing off for the last four European places in South Africa. The draw takes place in Durban, South Africa on Sunday.

Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant England coach’s position as has West Ham United’s Alan Curbishley.

Franz Beckenbauer has suggested that England should turn to former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann as they search to replace Steve McClaren.

Paul Jewell is no longer interested in the vacant manager’s position with the Republic of Ireland, which leaves Terry Venables as the favourite to succeed Steve Staunton. Other managers linked with the post include Graeme Souness, Gerard Houllier, David O’Leary and Philippe Troussier. Meanwhile, Jewell has also turned down the chance to return to management with Birmingham City, largely due to the uncertainty that surrounds the proposed takeover of the club by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung.

Scotland could bid to host Euro 2016 depending on the results of a feasibility study, according to First Minister Alex Salmond. Initial talks have already taken place with the SFA. New or significantly upgraded stadia would be needed and further complications could arise if the number of teams involved rises from the current 16.

Manchester United defender John O’Shea has signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.

Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes has agreed a new deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2010.

Steve Bruce has signed a contract with Wigan Athletic after resolving his financial dispute with former club Birmingham City. Bruce will officially become Latics boss on Monday. Caretaker boss Frank Barlow will oversee his weekend’s trip to Arsenal.

Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dave Allen has resigned from the board as chairman and as a director with immediate effect.

The Football Association have given Morecambe boss Sammy McIlroy a two-match touchline ban and fined him £350 for using improper conduct towards referee Darren Deadman in the game against Rotherham on October 20. The ban will commence on Monday December 3 and McIlroy will be watching from the stands for the games at Brentford and at home to Darlington.

In the Blue Square Premier, Cambridge United picked up three points away from home at Burton Albion.

Nathan Davies

Nationality not issue for FA

Aldershot move four points clear

Steve McClaren has been sacked after England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008. Assistant coach Terry Venables has also lost his job. McClaren’s 18-games in charge is the shortest tenure of any England coach but his position was untenable after the 2-3 defeat to Croatia at Wembley last night. FA chairman Geoff Thompson said:

“Like every England fan, we are all bitterly disappointed that we have failed to qualify for Euro 2008, and I know Steve feels that disappointment more than anyone. Of course we have no divine right to play in major tournaments, but it is quite right that qualification is expected. I would like to thank Steve for the work he has done since taking on the position last summer. His commitment to the job could not be questioned and I wish him the best for the future. The recruitment process for the new coach begins now and we will do everything to get the right man for the job.”

FA chief executive Brian Barwick has confirmed that nationality will not be an issue when selecting the new England coach.

Martin O’Neill is the favourite to succeed McClaren after reports that Jose Mourinho would not be interested in the position.

Former AC Milan, Roma and Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has said he would be interested in the England manager’s job.

Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce has ruled himself out of the running to become the next England manager.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has thrown his support behind a potential revival of home internationals after all four ihome nations failed to qualify for Euro 2008. SFA chief executive Gordon Smith has said he is in favour of the move. This is the first time since 1994 that no home nations have qualified for a major tournament.

Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb will be sidelined for three weeks after damaging a hamstring while staring for Belarus in an impressive 2-1 Euro 2008 qualifying victory over Holland on Wednesday.

The delay over Steve Bruce’s appointment as manager of Wigan Athletic is believed to be due to a financial dispute between himself and former club Birmingham City. The St Andrews based club claim Bruce owes them over £225,000 over image rights. As a result, Birmingham are now refusing to sanction Bruce’s move to the Latics and are prepared to take legal action to stop it going through.

Former St Johnstone boss Owen Coyle is Burnley’s new manager after agreeing a three-and-a-half year deal at Turf Moor.

Leicester City have appointed Ian Holloway as their new manager. Holloway resigned from his job at Plymouth Argyle yesterday and has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Walkers Stadium to become the club’s fourth manager of 2007 - succeeding Rob Kelly, Martin Allen and Gary Megson.

Watford have signed Hereford United striker Lionel Ainsworth on loan, with a view to a permanent deal in January. The deal was completed before this evening’s Football League deadline for loan signings. Part of the deal sees Watford youngsters Theo Robinson and Toumani Diagouraga extend their loan deals at Edgar Street until the end of the season. Hereford also have the option to make Diagouraga’s stay permanent.

Luton Town have been placed into administration and have subsequently been docked 10 points. This leaves the club at the bottom of League One on nine points and seven points from safety. The Hatters are looking for prospective buyers to put proposals to the creditors before end December 2007. In the meantime, chairman David Pinkney has agreed to fund trading losses.

Staines Town of the Ryman League beat League Two club Stockport County 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time in this rescheduled FA Cup first round replay at Wheatsheaf Park.

In the Blue Square Premier, Aldershot Town extended their lead at the top of the table to four points with a 3-2 home win over Grays Athletic.

Nathan Davies

Euro 2008 round-up

Brown takes over at Dumbarton

England have failed to qualify for Euro 2008 after a woeful 2-3 defeat to Croatia at Wembley. England were two goals down after only 13 minutes after an eighth minute howler from Scott Carson helped Nico Kranjcar’s shot into the net and then Ivica Olic slipped in a second. In the second-half, Frank Lampard pulled one back from the penalty spot before Peter Crouch equalised. However, the celebrations were cut short with 13 minutes to go when Mladen Petric fired in from 25 yards to break England’s hearts. Croatia qualify as Group E winners as well as Russia who decisively beat Andorra 0-1 to seal second place. Meanwhile, the FA have already announced that they will hold a board meeting in the morning to discuss the future of manager Steve McClaren.

Northern Ireland’s dreams of qualification for Euro 2008 are also over after a 1-0 defeat to group winners Spain. Sweden also progress from Group F after beating Latvia 2-1.

Wales ended their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Germany in Frankfurt.

The 16 countries that will take part at Euro 2008 have been finalised with four teams ensuring qualification this evening. Russia, Turkey, Sweden and Portugal secured the results that earned them a place in the finals alongside hosts Austria and Switzerland. Other qualifiers are Euro 2004 winners Greece, Holland, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Spain, Poland, France and not forgetting Croatia. The teams will be placed into four groups of four at the draw on December 2 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The official unveiling of Steve Bruce as the new Wigan Athletic manager has been delayed due to “unforeseen circumstances” between Bruce and his former club Birmingham City. The Latics remain hopeful of appointing a new manager by the weekend.

Marcello Lippi has turned down an offer to become Birmingham City’s new manager.

Newcastle United’s Michael Owen has flown to Germany for treatment on the thigh injury he sustained during England’s 0-1 friendly win in Austria last Friday.

Ian Holloway has resigned as Plymouth Argyle manager and could be bound for the vacant managerial position at Leicester City. An official Argyle statement read: “Plymouth Argyle confirm that Ian Holloway has tendered his resignation as manager of the club. A board meeting has been convened for Friday where this will be considered. In the meantime, Ian continues to be employed by the club and subject to the terms of his contract of employment.”

St Johnstone manager Owen Coyle could become the next Burnley manager by the weekend after the two clubs agreed a compensation package. Coyle, 41, will travel to Turf Moor on Thursday to begin negotiations on a possible move.

The Football Association has hired influential lobbying company, European Consultancy Network, to work on England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

Ross County have confirmed Derek Adams as the club’s permanent head coach after a successful spell in temporary charge since Dick Campbell was dismissed on October 2.

Former Rangers and Dundee defender John Brown has been named the new manager of Scottish third division strugglers Dumbarton.

Nathan Davies