TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Vidmar urges last-ditch surge Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar admits it is make-or-break time as the reds confront a three-match period that could determine their championship aspirations. foxsports.com.au |
Football transfer rumours: Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to Man City? Today's Mill is heading Up West with its sturdiest front-zip chunky fleece bootsIt's that time of year again, when the Mill dresses up in its windproof cagoule and sturdiest front-zip chunky fleece boots and and heads off Up West with its fishing stool and its salvaged Ben10 play tent, plus a sense of new term excitement stuffed into its polyester bumbag alongside the Pork Farms savoury breakfast slice. Taking up its spot on the pavement outside Big Transfer Talk Stores the Mill will spend the night twitching and shivering and occasionally awaking from fevered dreams of snatching the last Jason Roberts from the shelves after a wheezing 30-yard sprint and a series of eye-gouging hand-offs, or snatching a knockdown Honduran under-21 international left-winger from the claws of Steve Bruce in a sweaty, rabbit-punching clinch in the Central-American-reduced-to-clear aisle. Because it's that time of year again, the moment when rumour turns to, not exactly reality, but perhaps a slightly more intense and more obviously desperate brand of rumour. And suddenly the Mill finds itself jostled towards the front of things, seizing its moment, making its stand, and perhaps even getting on the local news weird human interest slot, with me, Darren Cakebread, live from a freezing Oxford Street surrounded by gurning folk from the provinces.So in today's Sun Roberto Mancini is already warning he will "raid the Reds" if Liverpool don't finish in the top four. "If they put Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres on the market, City will be interested," he mumbled through his tightly knotted blue and white woollen muffler. "I would like to have Maicon. With Ibra there's always been a rapport of great loyalty. He's world class. Which manager in the world wouldn't like Ibrahimovic?" he added, cradling a very small plastic action figurine of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and doing its hair with a special comb.Also in The Sun Avram Grant has been told to raise £6m by selling players. David James, Younes Kaboul, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Nadir Belhadj and David Nugent could all be on their way in a January clear-out. "The club is paying for its excesses of the past and living way beyond its means," said a club insider, blaming the past.Meanwhile Portsmouth have invited Man City to make "a silly offer" for Kaboul, like a piece of cotton wool, or a chocolate coin, or a handful of fingernail clippings. And Arsène Wenger has admitted he wants to buy a striker. "We are in the market," he said last night. Sheffield United defender Matthew Kilkgallon is planning to "snub Mick McCarthy's survival fight" by refusing even to acknowledge his invitation to Mick McCarthy's survival fight, but instead attending a similar survival fight next door and only waving vaguely and without any visible sign of recognition when Mick McCarthy's survival fight desperately tries to catch his attention over the garden fence by whistling and waving and leaping up repeatedly so that Mick McCarthy's wild tugboat captain hair appears briefly in moonlit silhouette above the top of the trellis.Darren Ferguson is "in the frame" for the Preston job, but only if he behaves himself. "The publicity surrounding Darren when he left Peterborough was like an episode of The Muppet Show," said chief executive Derek Shaw, flapping his ears and playing the trumpet. And Phil Brown is after galloping Manchester City goal disappointment Benjani.In the Mirror surly want-away Russian cello case Roman Pavlyuchenko has "launched an amazing attack" on Harry Redknapp. "Do you want to hear the most recent joke in London? It is this: Harry Redknapp put Roman Pavlyuchenko into the starting line-up," he raged last night, not really getting much response, thinking about repeat the punchline, then just coughing a bit and moving on to some more observational stuff about the first time you meet your girlfriend's parents.In the Daily Mail, Roberto Mancini wants to sign Bari's £6m-rated defender Leonardo Bonucci, who used to be in his Inter youth team. Pavlyuchenko could be off on loan to Sporting Lisbon along with bad luck charm Gareth Bale. Spurs want preening pony-tailed midfield show-off Miguel Veloso in return. David Moyes wants to sign 17-year-old midfielder Maxime Lestienne from Belgian club Mouscron. And furtive-looking Asterix and Obelix villain Franck Ribéry has already agreed to join Real Madrid from Bayern Munich, kidnap the druid Getafix and unsuccessfully infiltrate the village as a divisive Roman secret agent.In the Telegraph, Darren Ferguson and Owen Coyle are "leading the Bolton race". And according to Goal.com lumbering, flailing, elbow-waggling, shinpad-flapping, tumbling, barging, hair-flicking, tiny-pleading-gesture-making, nostril-clearing, shot-shinning Bayern Munich goal-flounderer Luca Toni is on the verge of a move to Roma.Napoli sporting director Riccardo Bigon has denied midfielder Marek Hamsik is on his way to Barcelona. And Former Napoli and Sampdoria coach Walter Novellino has "rubbished" talk he might end up at Bolton, which seems a little harsh as it was only a suggestion.Manchester CityLiverpoolSteven GerrardFernando TorresFranck RibéryReal MadridBarney Ronayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Burnley face £1m bill for O'Driscoll • Doncaster want payment if O'Driscoll leaves for Burnley• Brian Laws also considered for Turf Moor manager's job Burnley are likely to face a £1m compensation demand from Doncaster Rovers should they offer their vacant managerial position to Sean O'Driscoll, after the 52-year-old emerged as a leading candidate to succeed Owen Coyle at Turf Moor.Doncaster have refused to confirm reports that they granted Burnley permission to approach the man who guided them into the Championship, although it is understood O'Driscoll and the former Sheffield Wednesday manager Brian Laws are the remaining names on the Clarets' shortlist. The Leeds United manager, Simon Grayson, also interested the Burnley hierarchy but has made it known he views his rebuilding work at Elland Road as incomplete.Laws, a former Burnley player, is a free agent after parting company with Wednesday last month when the Owls were Âlanguishing 20th in the Championship. The 48-year-old is believed to have impressed in two interviews with the Burnley chairman, Barry Kilby, and would welcome the task of trying to keep the Clarets in the Premier League."Of course it would interest me," Laws told the Lancashire Telegraph. "I have a great affinity with Burnley, but there's no more I can say on that."While Laws's availability and the absence of any compensation fee will appeal to Burnley, who hope to end a turbulent period caused by Coyle's controversial defection to Bolton Wanderers with an appointment before this weekend, O'Driscoll is also under consideration for the role. "We are still interviewing, we are still looking," said Kilby today.The former Bournemouth manager has established an impressive reputation since joining Doncaster in 2006, winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in 2007, the League One play-offs the following year and also insisting on the style of football that so endeared Coyle to Burnley. He was rewarded with a new three-year contract by Doncaster last summer and Burnley will find themselves in a compensation wrangle for the second time in a fortnight should they offer O'Driscoll the chance to manage in the Premier League."We don't want to lose Sean but should it happen we shall be seeking serious compensation," insisted the Rovers chairman, John Ryan. "Doncaster arguably play the best football in our division and we've not been called 'the Arsenal of our division' for nothing. That's down to Sean and his assistant, Richard O'Kelly."BurnleyDoncasterPremier LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Bayern Munich wants to keep Ribery Bayern Munich would like to give Franck Ribery a long-term contract extension, although it remains to be seen whether the France winger will accept it, the Bundesliga club's chairman said Friday. cbc.ca |
County given four-week stay of execution • Taxman asks that period of grace be marked as 'final'• Other creditors did not want adjournmentNotts County were given 28 days to pay off their creditors in the high court today.HM Revenue and Customs presented a winding-up petition this afternoon over a £324,206 outstanding debt but the taxman accepted that a 28-day adjournment would be in order for the club to settle the debt in full. However, HMRC pointedly applied for that period of grace to be marked "final".If the funds do not arrive in the next four weeks HMRC will seek immediate liquidation proceedings.Marston's plc appeared alongside HMRC seeking repayment of the club's £95,000 debt to it, with a third creditor also represented commanding a debt of £3,791.Neither of the supplementary applicants was willing to apply for an adjournment, however the registrar found that because this was the first hearing in the matter, the four-week deferment would be appropriate.Chief among the concerns of Marston's was that any fresh funds received at Meadow Lane would be consumed by ongoing operating expenses. Marston's dismissed Notts executive chairman Peter Trembling's talk last night of fresh investment as mere "rumour".Notts CountyMatt Scottguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |