Spurs stage second-half comeback

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