Championship round-up

Morecambe bosses sign new deals

Liverpool may have been bottom of Champions League Group A with only one point after three games but after three successive European victories they have sealed a place in the last 16. This reversal in fortunes was sealed this evening with a comfortable 0-4 victory over Marseille in France. Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel were on the scoresheet. Liverpool qualify from Group A behind FC Porto. At Stamford Bridge, Valencia held Group B winners Chelsea to a goalless draw.

Cardiff City secured three points from their Championship clash at Blackpool with the only goal of the game coming from Steve Thompson after 14 minutes. It was Cardiff’s first win at Bloomfield Road for 39 years. Queens Park Rangers condemned Owen Coyle to his first defeat as Burnley boss with a 0-2 victory at Turf Moor. Goals by Damion Stewart and Rowan Vine sealed the win and lifted QPR off the bottom of the Championship. Ipswich Town maintained their unbeaten home record by beating Leicester City 3-1 at Portman Road. The visitors had Patrick Kisnorbo sent-off after 39 minutes.

Chasetown of the Southern League Division One Midlands are in the third round of the FA Cup after beating Port Vale 1-0 at The Scholars Ground. Danny Smith scored the only goal of the game late on to set up a home tie against Cardiff City. Meanwhile, Walsall, Barnet and Luton Town all won their second round replays 1-0 at home against Northampton Town, Burton Albion and Nottingham Forest respectively while Southend United beat Oxford United 3-0 at Roots Hall.

In the Scottish Premier League, Celtic beat Falkirk 4-0 at Celtic Park to stretch their lead at the top of the league to five points. Aiden McGeady bagged a hat-trick for the home side while Darren Barr was sent off for Falkirk just past the hour.

Italian Fabio Capello is the new favourite to succeed Steve McClaren as the next England manager after Jose Mourinho ruled himself out of contention. According to reports, the Football Association has already approached Capello, 61, and an appointment could be made very soon. Fellow countryman Marcello Lippi, a World Cup winning coach with Italy in 2006, is thought to be Capello’s main rival.

Watford’s Al Bangura has launched an immediate appeal after losing his case to stay in the UK at an Asylum and Immigration Tribunal hearing. The 19-year-old now faces being deported back to Sierra Leone after escaping the country four years ago and being granted limited discretionary leave to stay in the UK. To complicate matters further the youngster, who has made over 50 appearances, scoring one goal, since joining Watford in April 2005, became a father only nine days ago. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Hornets boss Aidy Boothroyd said:

“He came over as a 15-year-old boy, he escaped two civil wars and he got a lucky break in life as he was scouted by a football club. After the immigration hearing I said I had a faith in the British justice but obviously I was totally mistaken as it is a completely ludicrous decision, this country great as it once was seems to allow anyone in for benefit as they fancy and we have one young man here who pays his taxes, has a fiancée, a new-born son and they expect him to go back to Sierra Leone - it is ridiculous. I can’t go into too much detail, but we have been sent a document for the reasons why and we are appealing - rather than these pen pushers someone higher up, perhaps Jacqui Smith the home secretary could look at it and make a decent decision rather than the one we have got. He is deeply disappointed. He thought his life had changed for the better and as I have said before, you put faith in the system and it comes back to haunt you. We are all disappointed and he is having to be consoled. We have ten days to appeal and we are working hard, and of course we are trying to go to Jacqui Smith but that is easier said than done but we hope common sense will prevail. He is a terrific young player, very talented and he will be a big, big player for us in the future - but this is more than football.”

Didier Drogba has been named in the Ivory Coast preliminary squad for next month’s African Nations Cup, despite the fact that he is recovering from knee surgery. Coach Uli Stielike will be hoping that Drogba recovers in three weeks as predicted yesterday by Chelsea boss Avram Grant. Meanwhile, Portsmouth’s Djimi Traore has been left out of the Mali squad. The Nations Cup finals start on January 20 in Ghana.

Everton defender Leighton Baines has been ruled out for up to six weeks after a scan revealed a tear on his hamstring. It is a blow to his manager David Moyes who initially hoped to have Baines back within a fortnight.

Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs has collected an OBE from the Queen for services to football.

Bayern Munich have suspended goalkeeper Oliver Kahn for their final Bundesliga fixture of the year against Hertha Berlin and fined him 25,000 euros for ‘disciplinary reasons’. It is believed, Kahn’s criticism of new signings Franck Ribery and Luca Toni is at the centre of the controversy.

The Football Association have launched a new scheme, named ‘One FA Cup’, which will allow children to watch selected FA Cup third round matches for only £1. Adults buying full-price tickets for the selected games can take a child along for £1 thanks to the FA funded initiative. Both home and away fans will benefit. The games selected are Blackburn Rovers v Coventry City, Plymouth Argyle v Hull City, Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United, Sunderland v Wigan Athletic, Huddersfield Town v Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers v Cambridge United.

Coventry City are reportedly on the verge of sealing a takeover deal with Ray Ranson’s Sisu Capital group and have distanced themselves from reports of interest from billionaire Alki David. The Greek businessman withdrew his interest and said:

“After looking through the finances and seeing the numbers, the club is falling apart. The debt does not tally. Good luck to whoever takes them on.”

Brentford have parted company with manager Terry Butcher by mutual consent. His assistant Andy Scott has been named as caretaker manager. Bees chairman Greg Dyke said:

“Terry could not have worked harder for this club and it is a great shame to see him go. He’s a decent, honest, likeable bloke and for men and women of my generation he is still a footballing hero. He goes with my very best wishes for the future.”

Morecambe manager Sammy McIlroy and his assistant Mark Lillis have signed new 18-month contracts.

Nathan Davies

McGhee recommended by fellow bosses

Jackson handed touchline ban

Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of the running to become the next England coach. In a statement on his agent’s website, Mourinho said:

“After Steve McClaren left the England football team, my representatives maintained contact with the FA. In that sense, I had myself useful discussions with Brian Barwick and Trevor where we exchanged ideas to evaluate the entire situation about the England squad and set the goals in case of real invitation being addressed to me. After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite it being a fantastic position for me. I’m sure the FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs. I reiterate my respect for English football and, after three good years in England, I firmly believe that the England squad will soon be back to their usual great results.”

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan and Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish both believe Mark McGhee should become the new Scotland coach.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted a Football Association charge of using abusive and insulting words towards an official after a half-time argument with referee Mark Clattenburg at Bolton Wanderers on November 24. Ferguson will now accept his punishment and has not requested a personal hearing. A Regulatory Commission will consider the charge in due course.

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba could be back in action in three weeks time after undergoing a successful knee operation.

Everton’s Leighton Baines will be out of action for at least two weeks after picking up a hamstring injury during the first-half of Everton’s 3-0 victory against Fulham on Saturday.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Gareth Bale will be sidelined for at least three months after injuring his right foot during Spurs’ 2-3 defeat against Birmingham City on December 2 following a tackle with Fabrice Muamba.

Aberdeen’s request to postpone Saturday’s Scottish Premier League fixture against Motherwell at Fir Park, ahead of a vital Uefa Cup tie with Copenhagen, has been rejected by the Scottish Premier League. An SPL spokesman said: “We did receive a request from Aberdeen this morning and it was considered this afternoon. And, weighing up all the factors, we informed Aberdeen that the fixture will be going ahead as planned.” Rangers had last weekend’s meeting with Gretna postponed ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Champions League tie against Lyon. The main difference between the two cases is that while Gretna agreed to postpone the game, Motherwell were opposed to the idea. A statement on Motherwell’s official website read:

“The club can confirm that an approach was made today by Aberdeen to request the postponement of Saturday’s match. While we wish Aberdeen every success next week in the UEFA Cup, Motherwell Football Club could not agree to the request. This was a matter ultimately for the SPL but the postponment of a Saturday match to a midweek date would significantly affect attendance at the fixture and would inconvenience supporters. Aberdeen are not due to play their UEFA Cup match until next Thursday which we believe is a sufficiently long gap between games.”

Lyon striker Kader Keita, arriving in Scotland with his team mates ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League tie with Rangers, was initially denied entry to Scotland. Fears that the 26-year-old from the Ivory Coast would have to return to France were allayed when immigration officials at Glasgow Airport granted him an emergency.

Swansea City of League One beat Ryman League side Horsham 6-2 at Liberty Stadium in this FA Cup second round replay. Swansea now entertain Blue Square South outfit Havant & Waterlooville in the third round.

Greek billionaire businessman Alki David is negotiating a deal to buy Coventry City. The Sky Blues say they are still fully committed to a bid from Ray Ranson. The club must prove its solvency by Thursday or enter administration.

The Football Association has given Lincoln City boss Peter Jackson a two-match touchline ban. Jackson admitted using abusive and/or insulting language towards officials following Lincoln’s 0-1 home defeat by Chester.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

McGeady scoops prize

Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League has been cut to only one point after struggling Middlesbrough beat them 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium. Stewart Downing scored from the spot after only four minutes and that lead was doubled through Tuncay Sanli on 73 minutes. Tomas Rosicky pulled one back late on but it was not enough to save Arsene Wenger’s men from their first league defeat of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester City 2-1 at White Hart Lane. Pascal Chimbonda gave the home side a controversial lead when he deflected the ball in with his arm from an offside position on the stroke of half-time. Substitute Rolando Bianchi levelled after 61 minutes but with only seven minutes remaining, City’s Stephen Ireland was shown a straight red card for a late two-footed lunge on Lee Young-Pyo. From the resulting free-kick, Spurs substitute Jermain Defoe was on hand to pounce on the rebound after Steed Malbranque’s cross-shot came back off the post.

At the Reebok Stadium, Bolton Wanderers beat Wigan Athletic 4-1 while Dean Ashton scored the only goal of the game as West Ham United beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

In the Championship, Stoke City held leaders Watford to a goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium.

Former England boss Sir Bobby Robson was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show.

Celtic’s Aiden McGeady is the Clydesdale Bank Premier League player of the month for November.

Nathan Davies

Premier League round-up

Deuchar wins award

Liverpool suffered their first League defeat of the season as Reading beat them 3-1 at the Madjeski Stadium. Stephen Hunt’s penalty put Reading in front after 17 minutes but Steven Gerrard equalised soon after. In the second period Kevin Doyle and James Harper secured a shock victory for the Royals who move up to 12th in the table.

Manchester United beat Derby County 4-1 at Old Trafford, thanks to goals from Ryan Giggs (his 100th league goal for the club), two from Carlos Tevez and a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo. Steve Howard scored a landmark goal for the struggling visitors. As well as being his first strike of the season, it was Derby’s first goal in seven games and their first away from home this season.

Portsmouth stormed into fifth place in the Premier League table with a sixth straight away win. Aston Villa were the victims on this occasion as a spectacular brace from Sulley Muntari helped Harry Redknapp’s men to a 1-3 triumph. Before this afternoon, Portsmouth had not won in the top-flight at Villa Park for 52 years.

Meanwhile, Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored a second-half hat-trick for Everton as they beat Fulham 3-0 at Goodison Park, Sunderland lost 2-0 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before having Liam Miller dismissed on 88 minutes for pushing Claudio Pizarro in the face and a last-gasp header from Habib Beye secured a priceless 2-1 home win for Newcastle United against Birmingham City.

A rainy, cold, dark afternoon across the country saw two games abandoned due to waterlogged pitches. Referee Graham Laws abandoned the Championship meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City at Hillsborough after 27 minutes while the League Two clash between Morecambe and Darlington at Christie Park lasted 22 minutes. Both games were goalless before they were scrapped and will now by rearranged for a later date.

In the Scottish Premier League, St Mirren travelled to Celtic Park and held Gordon Strachan’s men to a 1-1 draw. The Buddies actually took the lead through Stephen McGinn on 74 minutes but out of favour Celtic striker Derek Riordan equalised to spare the home side’s blushes on 85 minutes.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has undergone surgery on his knee injury. The Stamford Bridge club have not specified how long he will be missing. Club doctor Bryan English said:

“Didier’s knee locked yesterday afternoon and the decision was taken to have the operation immediately in the medical interests of the player. The procedure went well and he will begin his rehabilitation as soon as possible.”

Stephen Vaughan has resigned as Chester City chairman and director after six years at the club.

St Johnstone’s Kenny Deuchar has been named the Scottish Football League Irn-Bru Phenomenal player of the month for November. The on-loan striker, who returned to Gretna on December 3, won the award on the back of his time at the Perth club.

Nathan Davies

Villa’s fine form recognised

Fox shows potential

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Anderlecht after last night’s 1-1 UEFA Cup draw against Tottenham Hotspur at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels. Spurs’ Didier Zokora appeared to be hit by objects thrown from the crowd while goalkeeper Paul Robinson also picked up a metal rod after the match. This is not the first time Anderlecht have been in trouble with UEFA this season after being fined for crowd disturbances during a Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahce. “The control and disciplinary body will meet on 13 December to make a decision on this case,” a Uefa spokesman said.

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has been named as the Premier League manager of the month for November while Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor took the player award.

The Football Association is believed to have contacted Jose Mourinho’s agent about the former Chelsea boss taking over as England coach.

Barnsley manager Simon Davey has signed a new four-year contract.

Nottingham Forest move to second place in the League One table and ended Brighton & Hove Albion’s 10-match unbeaten record with a 0-2 victory at the Withdean Stadium. Nathan Tyson scored in each half before Sammy Clingan saw red for the visitors following a lunge on Brighton’s Jake Robinson after 53 minutes.

Takeover talks are back on at Swindon Town after local businessman Andrew Fitton, who is heading up a consortium to buy the club, met the club’s main shareholder Sir Seaton Wills and reignited a deal that collapsed yesterday.

Brentford have been given an option to buy a 7.6-acre site on which to build a 20,000-seater stadium close to their current Griffin Park ground. Chairman Greg Dyke said:

“This is a major milestone and a huge step forward. Our aim is to move into a new stadium in Lionel Road and to move there as a club free of debt. We need a modern new stadium, to keep the club in Brentford, and we want a brighter financial future, which will mean we can compete more effectively in the Football League. This deal will help us do all three. There’s still a lot of work to be done but today is a big day in the history of Brentford Football Club.”

Motherwell’s Mark McGhee is the Clydesdale Bank Premier League manager of the month for November.

Dundee’s Alex Rae is the First Division’s Irn-Bru Phenomenal manager of the month for November. However, it was not all good news for the Dens Park boss as he learnt he will serve a two-match touchline suspension as a result of misconduct during a recent match against Hamilton Academicals. In addition, Rae is facing the prospect of a further four-match ban after being reported for using “offensive, insulting an abusive language” to an assistant referee at Dunfermline Athletic. Rae has until December 12 to launch an appeal with the Scottish Football Association against the charge.

Celtic goalkeeper Scott Fox, currently on loan at East Fife, is the Irn-Bru Phenomenal young player of the month for November. The Scotland Under-20 international joined the Third Division leaders on a season-long loan in August.

Nathan Davies

UEFA Cup round-up

Clemente contract not renewed

Tottenham Hotspur have qualified for the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup after a 1-1 draw against Anderlecht in Belgium. Bart Goor opened the scoring for Anderlecht but the visitors levelled when Dimitar Berbatov scored from the spot.

Bolton Wanderers are within touching distance of the UEFA Cup knockout stage after victory over Red Star Belgrade. Gavin McCann scored the only goal of the game for the visitors on the stroke of half time. The result leaves Gary Megson’s team top of Group F on six points but while Bolton have now completed their group fixtures, four teams in the group have one round of games left to play. Bayern Munich, Aris Salonika and Braga could all still finish above the Premier League strugglers and the final standing could be decided on goal difference.

In the Blue Square Premier, Kidderminster Harriers beat Cambridge United 1-0 at Aggborough.

Hundreds of Bolton Wanderers fans have been detained at the Hotel National in Belgrade by Serbian police ahead of the club’s Uefa Cup Group F tie with Red Star Belgrade. Bolton have expressed their concern, as they believe fans, on an official trip, were held without reasonable explanation and prevented from visiting Belgrade city centre before the match. The Trotters have released the following official statement:

“The directors, management, and players of Bolton Wanderers Football Club, wish to express their frustration and disappointment at the way the club’s supporters have been treated upon their arrival in Belgrade ahead of tonight’s Uefa Cup match. The club and its travel partner TMG share the anger and discontent felt by our supporters detained temporarily by the Serbian police at the Hotel National, without reasonable explanation, and sympathise with those who have subsequently been prevented from visiting Belgrade city centre before the match. This sentiment is shared by the Uefa delegation, the Football Association, the British Embassy, the president of Red Star Belgrade and travelling British police. Strong and intensive representations to the Serbian police have been made continuously since this incident arose. However, all attempts to resolve this situation have met with the response of “the matter is under consideration” from the Belgrade police. The actions of the Serbian police have been made entirely unilaterally and with no prior warning or agreement with Bolton Wanderers FC or other relevant parties. Bolton Wanderers FC are fully aware of a crowd order situation that arose last Sunday (when a Serbian police officer was attacked with flares), and we do understand that this may have increased security issues for the local police. There have also been unconfirmed reports that Serbian police have received specific intelligence suggesting Bolton supporters may be at risk of attack in Belgrade city centre. However, the club is seeking further information and clarification. Bolton Wanderers wish to state that the health, safety and well being of all our supporters remain the No.1 priority for the football club. However, until any further information is available on this matter, we wish to apologise for any inconvenience that today’s unfortunate events have caused our supporters.”

Manchester United will be kitted out in classic style, sponsor-free shirts for their Premier League clash with Manchester City on February 10, 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air crash. England will also pay tribute when they play Switzerland at Wembley on February 6 - the day of the anniversary.

Everton manager David Moyes has denied a Football Association charge of improper conduct. Moyes was charged following comments about referee Mark Clattenburg following his side’s 1-2 home defeat to Liverpool in October. Moyes has requested a personal hearing and the charges relate his comments after the game and a week later.

Gillingham chairman Paul Scally has proposed selling the Priestfield Stadium to a company of which he would be sole owner - and then leasing it back to the club. Shareholders will consider the proposal at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

Swindon Town are in serious financial trouble after the collapse of a potential takeover of the club. A consortium led by local businessman Andrew Fitton has withdrawn their interest. Director Bob Holt said:

“The deal has fallen through because the shareholders, who are selling, and the purchasers haven’t come to an agreement. We have reached the point now where there are insufficient funds to continue trading. The directors of this football club are not shareholders, nor in control of the deal. Receivership is something that we will avoid at all costs, although any creditor could go to the courts. The board will endeavour to get the major shareholders and Andrew Fitton around a table as soon as possible to continue negotiations.”

Hibernian’s Steven Fletcher has signed an extension to his contract that ties the 20-year-old to the club until summer 2013.

Wales have organised a friendly in Luxembourg on March 26. Earlier this week, the FAW announced a home friendly with Georgia on August 20. The venue and time for both matches are to be announced.

Serbia will not renew the contract of coach Javier Clemente, which is due to expire at the end of the month.

Nathan Davies

Euro progress for Everton

UEFA to consider standing areas

Newcastle United drew 1-1 with Arsenal at St James’ Park to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Sam Allardyce. The visitors opened the scoring after just four minutes through Emmanuel Adebayor but Steven Taylor grabbed a second-half equaliser for the Magpies. Arsenal remain unbeaten in the Premier League and are now four points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the table.

Everton are through to the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup as winners of Group A after a late Tim Cahill goal earned them a 1-0 victory over Zenit St Petersburg at Goodison Park. Mikel Arteta missed a first-half penalty for the Toffees. It was also a good European night for Aberdeen as they retained a chance of qualifying from Group B without even kicking a ball. The fact that Athletico Madrid won 0-2 in Copenhagen while Panathinaikos beat visitors Lokomotiv Moscow by the same scoreline, means Aberdeen will progress if they can beat Copenhagen at Pittodrie on December 20.

The League One clash between Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham Town was called off due to a waterlogged pitch at the Memorial Stadium. A new date for the contest has yet to be arranged. Meanwhile, the match between hosts Southend United and Huddersfield Town did go ahead with the home side winning 4-1. The game saw the Shrimpers’ Leon Clarke notch the 2000th league goal at Roots Hall while Huddersfield were reduced to nine men with both Matthew Glennon (75) and Frank Sinclair (90) seeing red.

There were three games in League Two this evening, Rotherham United beat Chesterfield 0-2 at the Recreation Ground, Mansfield Town and Bradford City drew a blank at Field Mill and Rochdale beat Accrington Stanley 1-2 at the Fraser Eagle Stadium.

East Fife hosted Brechin City at New Bayview in tonight’s Scottish Cup third round replay with the visitors winning 1-2. Brechin now face a trip to Hamilton Academicals in the fourth round.

Sunderland winger Carlos Edwards broke his leg in a clash with Jay McEveley in the 1-0 win over Derby County at the Stadium of Light on Saturday and will be sidelined for six weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur are to write to the Football Association in protest at the way Robbie Keane’s red card appeal was dealt with. Keane failed to overturn the red card he received from referee Phil Dowd for an innocuous challenge on Fabrice Muamba during Sunday’s 2-3 home defeat against Birmingham City but Spurs officials are particularly furious that their captain was not given the opportunity for a hearing. Club secretary John Alexander said:

“The justification for upholding the referee decision makes no sense to us. If Robbie had been given an opportunity to attend - the current rules do not give him any opportunity to attend at the hearing of his appeal - we believe that the verdict would have been different.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant position as South Korea head coach. The Korean Football Association are set to make a decision by Saturday. McCarthy and former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier were the two main contenders for the post but Houllier is also understood not to be interested. .

UEFA has said it is prepared to consider allowing fans to stand at European football matches again in the future after Uefa said it was prepared to take a fresh look at the issue. Uefa rules ban standing areas at any grounds hosting European football. A UEFA spokesman said:

“We’ve said the rules still apply, but we’re open to dialogue and would look at new designs. There are stadia in Germany that have standing which the authorities say are perfectly safe. These are nothing like the old terraces, and it can be argued that they are much safer than having fans standing in seated areas as often happens.”

Nathan Davies

Football League round-up

Pars sack Kenny

Celtic progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League despite a 1-0 defeat at the hands of AC Milan at the San Siro. Gordon Strachan’s men can leave Italy smiling after Benfica’s 1-2 victory at Shakhtar Donetsk ensured that the Bhoys progress to the last 16 for the second year running.

Filippo Inzaghi scored the only goal of the game at the San Siro to become the leading scorer in UEFA competitions with 63 goals, surpassing Gerd Muller’s record.

Championship leaders Watford came from 2-0 down to beat Colchester United 2-3 at Layer Road while Coventry City stunned West Bromwich Albion by beating them 2-4 at The Hawthorns. To make matters worse for the Baggies they had Paul Robinson sent off after 71 minutes after his second booking. Wolverhampton Wanderers slide to sixth after a 1-0 defeat at Barnsley, Charlton Athletic jump to third with a 0-2 triumph at Cardiff City’s Ninian Park and fourth place belongs to Bristol City after a 2-0 home success over Ipswich Town. At the other end of the table, Norwich City climb off the bottom with a 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle. Queens Park Rangers replace the Canaries at the foot of the table after a 1-2 home defeat by Crystal Palace.

Swansea City remain top of League One after beating struggling Northampton Town 3-0 at the Liberty Stadium and condemning the Cobblers to their fifth loss in a row. There were also 3-0 home wins for second-place Carlisle United and fifth-placed Leeds United against Swindon Town and Port Vale respectively.

Dagenham & Redbridge slip into the relegation zone after a 0-1 reverse at home to leaders Milton Keynes Dons. Darlington keep the pressure on in second pace with a 0-4 win at Grimsby Town. Wrexham and Lincoln City both climb out of the bottom two with away victories. The Red Dragons beat Bury 0-1 while the Imps steamrollered Stockport County 1-3.

In the Blue Square Premier, Histon beat Rushden & Diamonds 2-3 at Nene Park.

Airdrie United are through to the fourth round of the Scottish Cup after beating Queens Park 2-4 after extra-time in this third round replay at Hampden. The Diamonds will now face Kilmarnock at New Broomfield in the fourth round.

Newcastle United goalkeepers Shay Given and Steve Harper have released a statement in support of under-fire boss Sam Allardyce after newspaper reports that senior players in the Magpies’ squad were unhappy with tactics and planning a dressing room revolt. The statement read as follows:

“Having seen an article in one of this morning’s national newspapers, we feel it is vitally important that Newcastle United’s two longest serving players set the record straight. The story that has appeared is total and utter nonsense. Sam Allardyce has the full backing and support of every Newcastle United player and we are all working together as one to bring success to the football club. At Newcastle United we have a player committee which is led by our captain Geremi, and which also includes James Milner, Mark Viduka and ourselves. Many issues are openly discussed between players and the Manager, as is commonplace at any club. Far from that being “player power” or any other ridiculous description, this is sensible and constructive communication and a key part of the process of helping to build a stronger football club, which will take us forward. It is fair to say both of us are absolutely furious at what we have read today. It is mischief-making of the highest order and appears designed to unsettle everyone on the eve of our big game against Arsenal on Wednesday night.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s Robbie Keane has failed in his appeal against the red card he received during his club’s 2-3 defeat against Birmingham City on Sunday. The 27-year-old will now serve a three-game ban, missing matches against Manchester City, Portsmouth and Arsenal. Keane was dismissed by referee Phil Dowd after a challenge on Fabrice Muamba but Spurs felt the decision was harsh and argued that Dowd appeared to consult with the fourth official before producing a red card.

The Football Association has announced a friendly between England and Switzerland at Wembley on February 6, 2008.

Former Everton manager Howard Kendall has stated his desire to become the next Republic of Ireland manager - despite being out of management since leaving Everton in 1998. The 61-year-old would like former Newcastle and England star Peter Beardsley as his assistant.

Charlton Athletic striker Chris Iwelumo has been named the Championship’s player of the month for November.

Setanta television boss Colin Davidson has warned that allowing Rangers to pospone their Scottish Premier League fixture against Gretna ahead of their Champions League clash with Lyon could set a dangerous precedent. Speaking in the Sun newspaper, executive producer Davidson said:

“We have to be careful about the precedents set. We’re in danger of damaging the SPL’s credibility. Setanta Sports would never stand in the way of any Scottish club in their quest to succeed in Europe. We will stand by the SPL’s decision on that and we will be happy to take the game up when it’s rescheduled. But there must be hard and fast rules laid down. There is a danger of opening the floodgates and that can’t be allowed to happen. You’ve got to have respect for your own championship. We can’t have a situation where Rangers put in a request just nine days before a fixture is due and a decision is given three days later. Obviously, everyone wants to see all the Scottish teams do well, but I also have a contract to protect and subscribers who want to watch live football at the weekend.”

When explaining the decision, the SPL claimed that Lyon’s French league game against Caen on Saturday had also been postponed but as it transpires this is not the case. Lyon general manager Marino Faccioli said:

“It’s a big advantage to Rangers because their players will be fresher and they will have more time to focus on the game than we do. Good luck to them in getting their game postponed, but it would never happen in France. We’d just be told to get on with our game.”

Dunfermline Athletic have sacked manager Stephen Kenny and installed veteran striker Jim McIntyre as temporary head coach.

Nathan Davies

Irons held at home

Rangers win preperation time

Cristiano Ronaldo scored in each half as Manchester United beat Fulham 2-0 at Old Trafford to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to three points.

In the Championship, Scunthorpe United and Blackpool drew 1-1 at Glanford Park. The home side took a first-half lead through Andy Butler but were reduced to 10 men after 71 minutes when Kelly Youba was given a straight red card for his tackle on Stephen Crainey. Blackpool seized the advantage when Michael Flynn notched the equaliser on 88 minutes.

Eladio Parames - personal advisor to Jose Mourinho - says the former Chelsea boss would consider becoming the next England manager if the Football Association approached him.

Ipswich Town have given the green light to a takeover by entrepreneur Marcus Evans. The takeover will be rubber-stamped at an emergency general meeting of shareholders due to take place on December 17.

Coventry City are heading for administration although they reman hopeful that a takeover by entrepreneur Ray Ranson and Sisu Capital will be completed before then. The Sky Blues have debts of up to £38m. A statement on the club’s official website read:

“The board of Coventry City Football Club can confirm that it has today filed in court notices of intent to go into administration. This is merely a legal process protecting the bank and its creditors and should speed up the potential takeover of the club and therefore take Coventry City into a solvent financial situation. This legal notice gives Coventry City a 10-day window to complete the takeover talks with Ray Ranson and Sisu Capital, along with all other parties. Following recent speculation, the club can confirm that staff and player wages have now been paid and we look forward to a successful conclusion of the takeover in the near future.”

The match between Rangers and Gretna this coming Sunday has been postponed after the Scottish Premier League agreed that the Ibrox club should have extra time to prepare for their crucial Champions League Group E qualifying decider against Lyon in Glasgow three days later. Rangers have to avoid defeat to progress to the last 16 of Europe’s premier club competition. The match has been rearranged for January 16. Lyon have also been granted a weekend off and cancelled their match at Caen.

Nathan Davies

Sunday’s football

Qualifiers not under suspicion

Liverpool beat Bolton Wanderers 4-0 at Anfield to move up to third in the Premier League table. Rafa Benitez’s men scored twice in either half with Fernando Torres, Sami Hyypia, Steven Gerrard (penalty) and Ryan Babel all on the scoresheet. This result means that Liverpool are still unbeaten this season in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Alex McLeish won his first game in charge of Birmingham City as an injury-time effort from Sebastian Larsson sealed a 2-3 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The Blues went ahead through a Gary McSheffrey spot kick before a second-half double from Robbie Keane put the home side back in control. However, Cameron Jerome equalised and Robbie Keane was harshly sent off for a late challenge on Fabrice Muamba - a decision Spurs will appeal against - before Larsson’s decisive strike.

In this afternoon’s FA Cup second round ties, Chasetown of the Southern League held League One side Port Vale to a 1-1 draw at Vale Park to earn a replay at the The Scholars Ground on December 11. Mark Branch equalised for the visitors after Luke Rogers had put Vale ahead in the 18th minute. Harrogate Railway could not equal Chasetown’s effort despite pushing their League Two opponents Mansfield Town, right to the wire with two second-half goals from Danny Davidson. Alas, goals from Gareth Jellyman and a double from Michael Boulding was enough to see the Stags win 2-3.

Aldershot Town extended their lead at the top of the Blue Square Premier with a 0-4 triumph against Salisbury City at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium

In the Scottish Premier League, Aberdeen beat Hibernian 3-1 at Pittodrie.

The FA Cup third round draw was made this afternoon and the tie of the round pits Aston Villa against Manchester United at Villa Park. Other notable ties include all-Premier League clashes between Tottenham Hotspur and Reading at White Hart Lane, Sunderland and Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light and West Ham United and Manchester City at Upton Park. Havant and Waterlooville’s reward for beating Notts County is a trip to face fellow non-leaguers Horsham or Swansea City while the winners of the Port Vale versus Chasetown replay will host Cardiff City. Meanwhile, Burnley entertain Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers are at Stamford Bridge to take on holders Chelsea and Stoke City tackle Newcastle United at the Britannia Stadium.

The draw for the Euro 2008 group stages has been made. Of the four groups, Group C looks particularly tough as it includes Italy, France, Holland and Romania. Joint hosts Switzerland have been drawn in Group A, along with Czech Republic, Portugal and Turkey while their co-hosts, Austria will face Croatia, Germany and Poland in Group B. Reigning champions Greece will play Sweden, Spain and Russia in Group D.

AC Milan’s Kaka has been named European footballer of the year after winning France Football magazine’s Golden Ball award - otherwise known as the Ballon d’Or. The 25-year-old Brazilian beat Cristiano Ronaldo into second place while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was third. 96 international football journalists voted from a shortlist of 50 players to decide the winner.

UEFA have stressed that none of the 15 matches under suspicion of match-fixing, as reported yesterday, were Euro 2008 qualifiers and all involve preliminary rounds of club competitions.

Nathan Davies