Can Liverpool Lead Celtic and Rangers To TV Riches?

Football's television money will forever turn heads.

The Guardian reports that:

"The deal that shares television's billions equally between Premier League clubs is facing its biggest threat to date after Liverpool announced they would lead a challenge for overseas TV rights to be sold on a club-by-club basis." (www.guardian.co.uk)

A debate, Liverpool's men in suits say, that needs to happen.

For any doubters this is proof that the game's elite hardly saw the recent court ruling on the cross border availability of satellite TV coverage as a Robin Hood-esque win for the downtrodden poor over the nasty rich.

It's no surprise that top English clubs, whose gods are all financial, want to maximise their profits while raising the drawbridge on competition.

Does it mean anything for Scotland?

It could.

I'd be amazed if this issue wasn't being closely tracked in the boardrooms of Ibrox and Celtic Park.

I've written before about Ajax's desire to break free from their league's collective Eredivisie Live TV channel and market their own rights separately.

They argue that the television riches of the modern game's biggest leagues have robbed them of their elite status and only by jettisoning any sense of duty to the rest of the Dutch league can they hope to clamber back to the top table.

Celtic and Rangers will gauge, correctly, that they are the only real overseas draw the SPL have.

They would also fancy being freed from a collective deal at home. They'll know exactly how many viewers they draw to the SPL coverage on Sky and ESPN. Without seeing the figures I'd guess that the average audience of around 160,000 across 60 live games would be much smaller if the Old Firm were removed from the equation.

If the concept of these existing collective deals begins to shatter across Europe Celtic and Rangers will have the precedent they need to agitate for their own breakaway.

The onus on the SPL to get their next television deal right would seem to have become ever more important.

A refreshing wind of opportunity might just have blown through Glasgow.

There's likely to be a storm of foreboding gathering over every other SPL club.

Donate to the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon, 19 November 2011

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Manchester United: Derby Defeat, a Reality Kick Up the Backside for the Reds

Manchester United 1, Manchester City 6.

Hardly a scoreline worth thinking about, is it? Well unfortunately for the fans in the red half of Manchester, and to the elation of those in the blue half, it happened.

From the perspective of the red half this was a day that Alex Ferguson would never have anticipated, certainly not during his time in charge. 

For many keen observers of the Premier League this is something that has been coming. Since the summer of 2008, Sheik Mansour has poured his oil-fuelled billions into the club with the aim of making them the best side in Europe.

Without doubt you have to admit that Manchester City have now put themselves in a position to contend for the major trophies. We knew this before yesterday’s result, but the result itself seemed only to confirm it. 

So what of United? Where do they go from here? Based on the post-match reactions from a wide range of media sources, the obituaries are already being written about the demise of Manchester United, the changing of the guard, no longer favourites for the title etc. You get the idea.

The funny thing is that many of the people writing about our demise were the same ones who were commenting about our attacking vibrant brand of football in the wake of United's 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal.

The various articles about Manchester United’s demise are very much premature in my opinion, although under the same breath some of the underlying issues which were exposed horribly in the defeat against Manchester City have to be addressed. Especially after what Alex Ferguson described as the worst in Manchester United's illustrious history.

The only criticism of Manchester United is that on occasion, they cross that fine line of confidence and complacency. This is something that nearly cost the reds three points against Basle and most definitely against Man City. It is all good having a sense of invincibility psychologically, but that should not translate into serial lapses of concentration. 

Firstly Manchester United need to sort things out defensively. 12 goals so far in the league conceded, not to mention the three against Basle, is simply not championship quality. The Red's defence is the worst in the current league Top 4 (yes, even Newcastle have conceded less goals then we have).

Granted, some of Manchester United's defensive woes have not been preventable. When you lose three out of your four first-choice back four in the first game of the season (Vidic, Ferdinand and Rafael) it is a little too much to expect defensive solidity.

On the positives Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have both shown the flexibility and footballing intelligence to indicate they will be vital components in the side for many years to come. With the brick wall known as Nemanja Vidic returning to full fitness things can only get better. 

Unfortunately, within the squad two players in particular are proving that their days are numbered as Manchester United defenders.

The first player is Rio Ferdinand. This pains me, not only as a Manchester United fan, but as an England fan. One of the finest ball-playing defenders of his generation is clearly no longer at his best, and the injuries have certainly not been helpful; but the reality is that he has lost that vital yard of pace—something which I personally think has been in evidence for a couple of years.

That in itself is not entirely detrimental. Players such as John Terry and Carlos Puyol have never been pacey, but there reading of the game has remained exemplary. Ferdinand has always been a fantastic reader of the game, but his timing and positioning in recent games has been questionable. While I think he has a few more good games left in him, he surely has to leave at the end of the season, as United cannot carry a player who makes mistakes. 

The second player is Jonny Evans. For me he is a player who, despite his potential, has always had a mistake in him. Against Manchester City he had a shocker, and the red card was just simply the climax of such an insipid performance.

Credit must go to Alex Ferguson for sticking with him despite the criticism levelled at him last season. Unfortunately this season, despite the early promise that Evans showed, he demonstrated again that against top class opposition he is simply an accident waiting to happen.

I would never place him in the Titus Bramble category of clumsiness, although I simply don't think he is good enough to play for Manchester United in light of the club's ambitions.

So despite recent additions in the last year or so of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, another defender would not go amiss.

Midfield is another area in which United was dominated yesterday, with possession of 55 percent on the side of Manchester City, any higher than that would be Barcelona territory. It shows that we lack that presence in the centre of midfield. People who have read my articles before will know I have already touched upon this issue. So I won’t go too much into it. Manchester City won the game partly due to the brilliance of Silva and tenacity of Yaya Toure. Both are a good mix of player to have in the centre.

You could argue that United as yet do not possess either a world class creator or ball winner. We have Cleverly who has the potential and a fully fit Fletcher who is vital to the team. United I feel need someone in the mould of Daniele de Rossi or Riccardo Montolivo. Both are good play makers (especially the latter) and can win the ball. Both are out of contract at the end of the season, and both are players you could put in the world class bracket.

Overall we should remember that one game does not win the title, not in October anyway. I'm certainly not falling into the trap of writing Manchester United off. I still feel we have the quality and most importantly the determination and experience to walk away with the Premiership Trophy in the Red half of Manchester. 

Opinions welcome.

Read more Manchester United news on BleacherReport.com

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Manchester City striker Jo joins Internacional

18:14 BST, Wed 20 Jul 2011

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - Manchester City's Brazilian striker Jo has joined Internacional, the Premier League club
said on Wednesday.  

UK Football

The 24-year-old, who moved to City in 2008 for a then-club record fee of 18 million pounds ($29 million) from CSKA Moscow,
returns to Brazil having failed to make an impact at Eastlands.  

"Jo has left Manchester City for Brazilian club Internacional," City said in a statement on their website
(www.mcfc.co.uk).  

Jo, who has played three times for brazil, scored six goals in 41 games in his three years at the club that included loan
spells at Premier League Everton and Turkish side Galatasaray.  

Jo's move to Internacional comes a day after another Brazilian side Corinthians pulled out of a deal to sign City
striker Carlos Tevez.  

The Argentina forward had been expected to complete a move after City manager Roberto Mancini said on Monday that a deal
had been struck between the two clubs.  

Corinthians said they had run out of time to sign Tevez before the transfer window closes at 2100 GMT on Wednesday. 

UK Football

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Argentine Aguero says has joined Manchester City

21:12 BST, Wed 27 Jul 2011

MADRID, July 27 (Reuters) - Argentina forward Sergio Aguero has completed his move to big-spending Manchester City from Atletico Madrid, he said on his Twitter feed on Wednesday.

UK Football

"Now I am a City player," Aguero, who is known as "Kun" after a Japanese cartoon character, said on the feed, which can be reached via a link on his official website (www.sergioaguero.com).

"Happy to be at this club and in this city," added the 23-year-old. "Thank you to everyone for the welcome and the reception."

A separate statement posted on his website later on Wednesday said he had passed a medical and signed his contract.

One of the most sought-after forwards in world soccer, Aguero announced at the end of May he wanted to leave Atletico, who unlike City missed out on a place on next season's Champions League, Europe's elite club competition.

Spanish media reported the English Premier League side had agreed to pay 45 million euros ($65.4 million) to secure his services and he is expected to replace unsettled compatriot Carlos Tevez.

Juventus had also been chasing Aguero, who upstaged team mate Lionel Messi of Barcelona at the Copa America by scoring three times in four games.

He was one of the few bright spots for the hosts, who bowed out at the quarter-final stage after a penalty shootout defeat to eventual champions Uruguay.

Married to one of Diego Maradona's daughters, Aguero has spent five seasons at Atletico, where he won the Europa League in 2009-10.

He was raised at Independiente where he made his professional debut as a 15-year-old.

UK Football

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Football League: your thoughts | Tom Bryant

It's tight at the top of the Championship, Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield continue to boss League One and Crawley's money is still dominating League Two

? Click here for all of Saturday's results and scores

? Going into Saturday's games Middlesbrough, Derby County, Peterborough, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Blackpool and Leicester City were all hovering on 21, 20 or 19 points and hoping to leapfrog West Ham in second spot. It was an intriguing fixture list too, with fifth v sixth (Ipswich v Palace) and third v fourth (Middlesbrough v Derby County). But only Boro and Palace took their chances. Leicester imploded spectacularly, going down 3-0 at home to struggling Millwall thanks to Darius Henderson's hat-trick. Blackpool (who appeared to be harking back to Liverpool circa 1998 with their McManaman and Ince-based midfield) fell victims to the new atmosphere at Nottingham Forest after Steve Cotterill's arrival, duly losing 2-1 at home. And joining the promotion-chasing pack are Cardiff City, whose 5-3 home win over Barnsley has put them six points behind the league leaders Southampton. It is still early days but the tightness at the top of the Championship could well lead to a fascinating promotion chase.

? Peterborough were another club who blew their chance to go past West Ham today, but at least did so in typically entertaining fashion. The goals continued for both them and Leeds United (whose 3-2 win at Posh now puts them fifth). Darren Ferguson's side had scored 43 in 12 matches before Saturday, while Leeds had scored 37 in 12. When, within five minutes of the early kick-off, Leeds's on-loan striker Andy Keogh put the ball in the net, it suggested the clash would live up to its goals-galore billing. Gabriel Zakuani drew Peterborough level before Lee Tomlin was sent off. Then Adam Clayton edged Leeds back ahead, before Mark Little appeared to have earned Posh a point when he levelled at 2-2 two minutes from time. Darren O'Dea's winner for Leeds in the 95th minute was dramatic but, with these two free-scoring sides, can it really be described as unexpected?

? Things that had already happened before Derby County's 15-year-old striker Mason Bennett, who made his first start for the club against Middlesbrough, was born on 15 July, 1996: Ryan Giggs had already made 241 senior appearances for Manchester United, Germany had won Euro 96, Kurt Cobain had been dead for two years, genetically modified food was available in shops, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand had made their debuts for West Ham ? Feeling old yet?

? Perhaps Portsmouth are better off without a manager? Since Cotterill left them for Nottingham Forest, they've won two and lost one, including beating Doncaster Rovers 3-1. Or perhaps Doncaster just aren't much good ?

? Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield are showing few signs of letting up at the top of League One. Charlton, the league leaders, were 3-0 up against ninth-placed Carlisle by half-time and went on to win 4-0. A Jordan Rhodes hat-trick inspired Huddersfield to beat Preston North End 3-1 and extended their phenomenal unbeaten streak to a remarkable 39 games. Sheffield Wednesday's 2-0 win over Colchester keeps them well in the hunt too.

? At the other end of the table, Exeter's 3-1 victory over Rochdale, including two goals for Daniel Nardiello gave them a much-needed win, and lifted them from the bottom at the expense of Yeovil Town.

? Crawley's visit to AFC Wimbledon in League Two was always going to be a grudge match. The mysteriously wealthy Crawley divide opinion but AFC Wimbledon, who came up with them from non-league football last year, perhaps feel they have a little more right to be irritated than some, given that they earned their promotion without the finances of the Sussex club. There was added spice going into this game too when the Crawley manager Steve Evans complained that Wimbledon "celebrated as if they'd won the championship" when they beat them last year, while AFC Wimbledon's winger Christian Jolley said "we owe [Crawley] one as they beat us in the Carling Cup". Two own goals, a Claude Davis strike after nine minutes and a Jack Midson equaliser on half-time kept that rivalry very much alive. But in the second-half, Crawley ran away with it: three goals (one from the spot) mean AFC Wimbledon will no doubt want to avenge this 5-2 home defeat when they visit Crawley at the end of the season. Who is to say whether much of the rest of the league will be right behind them in hoping Crawley slip up, too?

? It was not the only League Two game with goals galore: Aldershot Town won 5-2 at Dagenham and Redbridge (just one place below them before kick-off), while Southend battered visiting Torquay 4-1.

Check out the latest league tables and have your say on all the action from the Football League below

• Championship 2011-12
• Championship
• League One 2011-12
• League One
• League Two 2011-12
• League Two

Tom Bryant

guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Juan / Spanish minnow Levante shocked at league lead (AP)

With the smallest budget in Spain's first division, Levante was expected to be battling to avoid relegation this season. Instead, a novice coach and the league's oldest back four have led the Spanish minnow to the top of the league standings for the first time in its 102-year history. Levante's first-year coach Juan Ignacio Martinez says he is as shocked as anyone at his team's...

Read more Juan news

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Polkraine 2012 Group Stage Now Sans Wayne Rooney

Among the many things deemed illegal in football, playing the upper calf area rather than the ball is one. Wayne Rooney forgot this simple law against Montenegro last week, and now he’s been suspended for the entire Euro 2012 group stage by UEFA. Obviously an appeal will be launched, but…


But Uefa’s policy is to suspend [...]

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Manchester City vs. Manchester United: 5 Bold Predictions for the Derby Match

This weekend we see the biggest match of the Premiership season so far. First vs. second, favourites vs. second-favourites, the masters vs. the pretenders. This year’s Manchester derby promises to be the biggest and most important for decades, with both teams desperate to get the early season advantage over their rivals.

With so much at stake, and so much quality on show all across the pitch, it would take a brave man to predict the outcome. However, if the final result is one that is hard to predict with any authority, there are perhaps things about this match that we can have a realistic chance of predicting correctly.

Begin Slideshow

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Sports News: Garcia romps to 11-shot victory

Sergio Garcia has ended nearly three years without a victory in astonishing fashion, winning his home Castellon Masters by 11 shots with a 27-under-par total.

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In Pictures: How Manchester City humiliated United 6-1 on an extraordinary afternoon at Old Trafford

An unbelievable result in the biggest game of the season so far sees Roberto Mancini's men earn an incredible win. Goal.com relives the key moments

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Football League weekender | James Dart

The best matches and bets from the latest round of matches, plus our pick from the Football League blogosphere

Key matches

? No team in League Two draws in the fans like Bradford City (averaging 9,947 per home game), even with the team 22nd in the division after a miserable 11 years that have seen the Bantams tumble from the Premiership. Yet still they come, taking advantage of one of the cheapest season tickets in the Football League (�195), going back to when the cost of one was slashed to just �138 in 2007-08. Not that the fare on the field has much lived up to this cut-price move and a return of four points from five Valley Parade encounters this season continues the trend. Still, the club is still willing to take action, reducing prices to �5 for Saturday's visit of Torquay, which recently-appointed boss Phil Parkinson hopes will "attract a few more in". The Gulls, meanwhile, have stumbled after a solid opening, winning just one of their last eight, and head north without Billy Bodin (international call-up) and Ian Morris (injury).

? Huddersfield remain arguably the most fascinating team in the Football League at present: despite a 36-match unbeaten run, capped by a thoroughly impressive 4-0 win at Brentford last week, Lee Clark's team are capable of tossing in the odd forgettable display (see the home draw with Leyton Orient and midweek JPT shoot-out loss to Bradford) and are still only fifth having drawn more (six) than won (five) in League One this season. "I have told them to forget about the penalty shoot-out but to be concerned by the standard of the goals that we are conceding," said Clark on Tuesday night. Stevenage are Saturday's visitors, themselves coming off three defeats in three, but their manager Graham Westley can't wait to take on the Terriers' streak. "Breaking records is something that really turns us on," he pouted.

Players to watch

? Max Clayton: the 17-year-old is one of the latest prospects hot off Crewe Alexandra's production line and capped his senior debut with the winning goal against Macclesfield in the week. "He will do better than that and in fact he will be disappointed with his performance," was the typically understated reaction from Dario Gradi, though it hasn't stopped the attacker being linked with a move to Tottenham. It wouldn't be the first time a Premier League side has shown interest in him too.

? David James: after Keith Millen exited Bristol City in the shadow of Steve McClaren's walk into the sunset from Nottingham Forest, the keeper was linked with the Ashton Gate vacancy. "He's not applied," insisted City chairman Colin Sextone. "David and his agent are taking that up with the paper."

Quote of the week

"It nearly cost them their careers. To turn up like that was disgraceful ? I was fuming, that's the first time I've lost it this season. I'm still shaking now because I was ready to have a fight tonight and that's not like me" - Yeovil boss Terry Skiverton sits on the fence after the Glovers' midweek JPT defeat to Bournemouth.

Best bet

? Burton Albion to beat Rotherham at 16-5: with one in six, none in four and two defeats in a row, the Millers look to be over-fancied at home to Burton, even if the Brewers let us down last weekend. It's a big price, especially with Andy Scott reduced by injury and international call-ups to just two available centre-halves, especially with the division's leading scorer Justin Richards up against them.

We'll monitor the "best bets" progress through the season, with a set stake of �10 per bet. Current loss: �5.70. Again, there's no tipping contest this season, but that doesn't stop you posting your best bet suggestions below the line. And for those that would like to take part, we have set up a private Championship Fantasy League, the pin for which is: 12647. Phil Avery is in front with Numbers Game.

What you may have missed from the blogosphere

? From The Seventy Two on why Ipswich are the best team in the Championship right now:

Ipswich's current haul of 10 points from a possible 12 sounds great and it's certainly not a statistic even the most faithful of Town fans were expecting. But what's even more impressive is how that compares to the top teams in the Championship.

? From Bring Me the Head of Keith Mincher on Carlisle boss Greg Abbott:

With the Greg Abbott tenure facing arguably its toughest challenge since his stewardship to last-day redemption against Millwall in 2009 as fan unrest grows against his instincts, questions remain over his player recruitment and his terrace stock plummets through walkaway punters and growing unrest it seemed an apt time to look back at his tenure. Just where has he led us and where will he take us next, if anywhere?

? You can read much more from our Football League blogosphere, which should now have been updated to include more of your recently suggested blogs.

Still want more?

? Steve McClaren must start again after his Nottingham Forest failure, writes Stuart James ?

? ? while David Bevan explains why Forest can use the managerial turmoil to wipe their slate clean.

? And Jeremy Alexander reports how Derby were stopped in their Championship tracks by Leicester.

• Football League

James Dart

guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Well Played Portland, Well Played | WVHooligan - Soccer Blog [Digg]

I'm sure you've seen this photo by now as it was all over the web last night and on the telecast of the Seattle-RSL game on ESPN2. This just adds to the

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MLS Week 28 Highlights | WVHooligan - Soccer Blog [Digg]

Week 28 is in the books and while I'll review/recap/etc. it here later on today I've posted the highlights of this week's action for all to see. (Thanks as

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Geometra Pro-A SG Football Boots White/Black/Red

Geometra Pro SG football boots made by Umbro Feature a special memory foam pass pad on the instep to aid ball control, plus a silicon-bonded grip zone on the toe to improve touch.

read more

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Paolo Di Canio goes through the motions to unlock Swindon's dark side | Jeremy Alexander

The Italian manager's passionate side is on show during a 3-3 home draw with Hereford United

Paolo Di Canio is made for Swindon Town and vice versa. Harry Redknapp, when they were together at West Ham United, called him "absolutely mad". The Italian had every right to be on Saturday after his side failed to nail a home victory over Hereford United they twice had in their hands before drawing 3-3. They led 2-0 beyond the hour and 3-2 at 90 minutes. "It's good in a way," he said, "because we didn't deserve to win." Jeremy Wray, interim chairman of the League Two side, called him "infectious" when appointing him in May. He did not say "predictable".

Swindon were in a tailspin from League One, where they went 23 games with one win and 12 goals to finish last. The previous May they had been one match from the Championship, losing 1-0 to Millwall in the play-off final. Fans have no idea what to expect but, as fans do, believe they deserve better. At present they are divided. This is Di Canio's first managerial role. His politics have not been infectious, "fascist but not racist"; the GMB trade union ended its sponsorship with the club. His passion is more persuasive.

At 2-0 the crowd sang his name to the Rigoletto aria La donna � mobile. The PA blasted out other Italian operatic favourites before each half. The club is anxious to make him feel at home in the face of scepticism at his inexperience.

In return he will not fail for lack of commitment. He has said he wants "100 Paolo Di Canios" training seven days a week with him. Funds have not stretched to that but he has given the squad an Italian injection and himself selection problems. Hereford, last but one in the division and set on improving their ground before their squad, could barely fill their bench, though produced two of their scorers from it.

On Saturday Di Canio lived every second in front of the dugout, lean as a whippet in a dark suit. After their last league match at Macclesfield, a 2-0 defeat, he had turned to canine metaphor himself. "With some players," he said, "if he has a chihuahua character, I can't make a chihuahua into a rottweiler. He could be a proud chihuahua but he remains a chihuahua. So many players at the moment are chihuahuas away from home. This is the truth."

Back on their own patch they were eager and honest as labradors before lapsing into lapdogs over the last half-hour. "We're not nasty," Di Canio said, as if it were a virtue. "We're very sad because we failed to jump into a different position." Another two points would have taken them up three places to 10th in the table, two points off the play-off zone with three-quarters of the season to run.

Asked before the match how it was under Di Canio, one supporter said: "Entertaining." He meant the manager, who has banned laughter, but it went for the team too. Rafaelle De Vita, born in Rome but signed from Livingston, put them ahead early on with a skimming header to a left-sided free-kick from Mehdi Kerrouche, who added the second before half-time, receiving from Matt Ritchie and converting with a turn and cross-shot. Hereford were as loose in distribution as marking.

Though they raised the tempo after the interval they hardly threatened until Tom Barkhuizen chipped in from the right over another Italian, Mattia Lanzano. Ten minutes later they were level, Yoann Arquin converting with a replica in open play of De Vita's goal. A crisp move in keeping with Swindon's first-half play put them back ahead through Simon Ferry but Sam Winnall's free-kick set up a third identical unopposed goal, this time by Harry Pell.

Di Canio followed all this at the front of the technical area, often turning to his dugout to convey animated feelings. His default position was hands on hips but then he was down on the haunches of despair or expressing himself with the shrugs and gestures of a man who might have knocked over a referee. When a penalty was refused (he had said last week "I'll tell my players to dive; it's the only way to receive something" and no doubt he could show them how) he was beside himself and the fourth official in supplication. Entertaining it certainly was.

Swindon have shown daring before in their managers, giving first chances to Lou Macari, Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle, and been rewarded. They have also ridden a rollercoaster for 20 years, rising to the Premier League before becoming the first such side to sink to the fourth tier, in 2006. Historically they have changed their away colours like a chameleon and their crest with regularity. No wonder their fans cannot make up their minds. They have not always behaved well. Over the last 40 years they have one of the worst hooligan records in the league. In 1978 they pelted Wrexham's goalkeeper with carrots.

At half-time Di Canio said he "didn't like the atmosphere; it was too quiet". The answer is clear: eat up their zucchinis and get behind him with more voice and more than a half-full ground. They could be on to a marriage made in madness. It might even be a laugh.

• Swindon
• Paolo Di Canio
• Hereford
• League Two 2011-12

Jeremy Alexander

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Manchester United Transfers: 10 Potential Targets for Sir Alex in January

Whom would Manchester United want to sign in January and why?

Spend a little time Googling "Manchester United Transfer" and you'll come up with an amazing array of players who might take Sir Alex Ferguson's fancy-in January or any time.

Many of these are just fantasy. Of course he would like to sign Neymar, but Chelsea and Real Madrid are interested and, as last summer's business demonstrates, the wily old Scot majors on "value" in the market. That's why he was so relatively quiet in 2010/11.

And who can say he got it wrong? While he spent upwards of £50 million, he also shipped out some of his old boys and reduced his salary bill with the retirement of Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar.

De Gea has received rave reviews; Phil Jones has been compared to Duncan Edwards and is touted as a future England captain; and Ashley Young has been regarded by some as the signing of the season.

Sir Alex doesn't often do big business in January, but when he did in 2006, he picked up Vidic and Evra (now captain and vice-captain), for a combined £11.7 million. Nice business.

One of the difficulties the Boss has is that United will always be monitoring players and this will inevitably get out. Also, as with every other top club, if an agent wants to improve the package for his star player, he only needs to discreetly place a transfer rumour about United, or similar.

In this article we won't just be putting forward 10 Potential Targets, but also the factors to be taken into account in selecting them.

For starters, however, here is a fairly complete list of the players already linked to United in the last month or so:

Scott Allan

Thiago Alcantara

Nicolai Boilesen

Michel Bastos

Barry Bannan

Ross Barkley

Mason Bennett

Gary Cahill

Seydou Doumbia

Christian Eriksen

Javi Garcia

Mario Gotze

Paulo Henrique Ganso

Nicolas Gaitan

Marek Hamsik

Gonzalo Higuain

Stevan Jovetic

Shinji Kagawa

Mateo Kovacic

Milos Krasic

Matt Lecointe

Ezekiel Lavezzi

Marko Marin

Luka Modric

Riccardo Montolivo

Lucas Ocampos

Mezut Ozil

Robin van Persie

Daniele de Rossi

Thiago Silva

Wesley Sneijder

Bruno Soriano

Brek Shea

Ricky van Wolfswinkel

Begin Slideshow

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Raul turns down Blackburn to stay at Schalke

18:57 BST, Tue 16 Aug 2011

BERLIN, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Schalke 04 striker Raul has opted to stay at the Bundesliga club which had earlier on Tuesday been officially informed of Blackburn Rovers' interest in signing the Spaniard.

UK Football

"Raul has informed us that he wants to stay at Schalke and that we should turn down Blackburn Rovers' request," club manager Horst Heldt said in a brief statement.

"We have already done that and we are delighted that Raul will contribute to our success."

Raul, who joined Schalke last season after spending 16 years at Real Madrid, helped his new club win the German Cup and reach the Champions League semi-finals.

He has a contract with the Bundesliga team until next year.

Blackburn started the English Premier League season by losing 2-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

 

UK Football

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Rangers: Taxing our patience

Will the monetary shenanigans at Ibrox never end?

On and on rumble the ramifications of Rangers' apparent fiscal folly in seasons gone by.

Will the emboldened taxman or the jilted Martin Bain get in the killer blow?

Craig Whyte has brought bad PR, repetitive answers to pressing questions and Gordon Smith to Govan. But does he bring the financial fortitude necessary to steer a steady course through turbulent waters?

We don't know.

The Martin Bain saga offers a mild diversion. Always struck me as a bit of an arse did the well groomed Martin. Now he's got a well groomed axe to grind. Maybe still an arse, he now feels hard done by and wants his dosh.

To which The Proclaimers might reply: "Get in line son, there's five million waiting."

Still, Fred Goodwin got a pay off and I'm sure Fred wasn't entirely to blame for the gargantuan collapse of one of Scotland's proudest institutions either.

Sideshow Bain aside, the tax question - a series of questions now - looms ever larger.

If I have to pay tax on my ever modest renumeration then a company with Rangers' klout should effing well pay their share as well. Simples.

I would also hope that action would be taken against those in power at Ibrox who sanctioned this accounting chicanery and anyone who knowingly benefited from the practices that were in place.

Of the enigma that is Craig Whyte I know not what to say. Except that it seems to me if he was in the running for 'business brain of the year' he'd not have bought Rangers at this moment in their history. You'd be wary of buying a used car off David Murray right now.

Truthfully though my own finances - rendered less than complex due to a distinct lack of funds - bore me stiff. Trying to engage with the accounts of a football club I don't support is not really my cup of tea. I lack the basic maths to go in for forensic accountancy.

It does confirm, coupled with yet more dire warnings this week about the SPL finances in general, my view that Scottish sport would benefit from a journalist like The Guardian's David Conn.

BBC Scotland's business editor Douglas Fraser had a go this week but, as Iain Hepburn has blogged, the Scottish football media isn't fit for purpose on these issues.

Then, of course, there are the supporters left bemused and befuddled by a crisis that is not of their making.

Thefootyblog.net covered this yesterday. The fans have my sympathy. They won't have the sympathy of everyone. I've got some experience of being a fan staring down this particular corridor of uncertainty. It's very unpleasant.

Realistically, I think, Rangers are going nowhere. There might well be a journey into administration, a temporary diminishing of those once great powers.

But if you're hoping that Rangers are about to disappear forever then you're likely to be as disappointed as Martin Bain is when he spills his moisturiser.

Rangers and the ten point deduction

Just for fun. If Rangers were to go into administration they'd automatically lose ten points under the SPL rules on such matters.

So I thought I'd take a hypothetical delve into seasons past and see where a similar deduction would have left the club over the last ten years.

2010/11 - Rangers were champions
Minus ten points Rangers would have finished second, 9 behind Celtic and 20 ahead of Hearts
2009/10 - Champions
2nd, 4 behind Celtic and 14 ahead of Dundee United
2008/09 - Champions
2nd, 6 behind Celtic and 15 ahead of Hearts
2007/08 - Runners-up
2nd, 13 behind Celtic and 16 ahead of Hearts
2006/07 - Runners-up
3rd, 22 points behind Celtic, 3 behind Aberdeen and 1 point ahead of Hearts
2005/06 - Third
3rd, 28 points behind Celtic, 11 behind Hearts and 7 points ahead of Hibs
2004/05 - Champions
2nd, 9 behind Celtic and 22 ahead of Hibs
2003/04 - Runners-up
2nd, 27 points behind Celtic and 3 ahead of Hearts
2002/03 - Champions
2nd, 10 points behind Celtic and 24 ahead of Hearts
2001/02 - Runners-up
2nd, 32 points behind Celtic and 17 ahead of Livingston

If we go back to 1999/00 a ten point deduction would still have seen Rangers win the SPL by 11 points.

This is overly simplistic. Depending on what was involved in any administration it could cause far deeper problems than simply the loss of ten points and involve a far greater weakening of Rangers' strength.

But history shows they've a long way to fall before they crash land amidst the chasing pack.

There is also an argument that in seasons past Rangers have enjoyed a false supremacy by spending money they just didn't have. That they cheated.

I'm not without sympathy for that line of reasoning. But if modern football was to make living beyond your means a hanging offence we'd need to regenerate Albert Pierrepoint to deal with the guilty.

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Serie A Calcio 2011-2012 Season Preview

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Football League in Focus: Derby County pulled up short by Leicester | Jeremy Alexander

A four-goal drubbing at the hands of Sven-Goran Eriksson's side came out of the blue but Nigel Clough is undeterred

Derby County could have thought they were back in the Premier League. They had the late-afternoon TV audience to themselves; Howard Webb, the World Cup final referee, was in charge; and they were visiting a City side bank-rolled from Thailand and managed by Sven-Goran Eriksson. The result hardly disabused them of the fantasy. A 4-0 defeat by Leicester was in line with Derby's last top-tier experience, a one-off season four ago under Billy Davies, then Paul Jewell, in which they broke record lows with one win and 11 points.

It was out of line with Derby's exciting Championship season so far. They kicked off with four straight wins. Pre-match notes said they were "chasing a seventh win in 10 matches, their best start in 42 years". In the event they were chasing their tails. Post-match notes had Nigel Clough saying: "We have to make sure we've got all our mistakes out of the way in one go." Derby still lie third. "We've had a brilliant season," the manager added, "and we mustn't let this result overshadow it."

The last round of midweek matches emphasised the tightness of the division. Only Cardiff of the top nine sides won. Only six points cover the top 10 now, Leicester being one of them after seven games unbeaten. Eriksson, celebrating a year in the job on Monday and a fourth clean sheet in a row, said: "Clean sheet again. Very good." Money, which always seems to be at his disposal, says more than he does. So did Matt Mills, his new captain and centre-back from Reading in a �13m summer spree. "We felt this sort of thing coming. Unfortunately for Derby they took a bit of a thumping," he said.

At �5m Mills cost �2m more than Clough has spent in two and a half seasons. Clough did not feel it coming. "We've looked really solid," he had said after five games. "It's something we identified in the summer, that we must be more resilient and difficult to beat. I think we've shown that." Leicester, recognising the same fault lines in their set-up with greater means to repair them, showed it more forcefully as well as their brightness in attack. Shaun Barker, yet to play this season because of a knee injury, cannot return too soon for Derby.

David Nugent, long of body and short of leg, scuttled beyond Mark O'Brien for the first goal ? a fast-buck predator who would have had another if his slide-in for an open goal had not flipped on to his hand ? and Darius Vassell converted the rebound when Neil Danns hit a post before half-time. City's midfield, still crisp despite the loss of Walkers to King Power, was thinking too quickly for Derby.

Clough called those goals "poor", the next two "daft". They came in short order at the end after Eriksson showed the variety of his hand with three attacking substitutes. Jeff Schlupp stabbed in after Mills's head was first to a corner before Steve Howard rose to Kasper Schmeichel's punt to put in Lloyd Dyer, who shot through the England "prospect" Frank Fielding.

"Shot through" summed up Derby. For all their alleged solidity their goalkeepers have made the most saves in the division. Schmeichel made none for 51 minutes. Where Howard was up for storming barns, Derby's striker Theo Robinson looked unlikely to say boo to a wheat sheaf. Where Leicester are fast-tracking for the Premier League, their quiet neighbours are taking time since General Sports and Entertainment bought the club in January 2008 and started knocking off �30m of debt.

If fans are content ? and crowds, at 26,833, are second only to West Ham's in the Championship averages ? this suits Clough, who spent 10 years taking Burton Albion to the threshold of the league. Last season, when Derby slipped from fourth going into December to 19th, it was suggested he might go back there. Last month, as Nottingham Forest still failed to get going, he was touted for the City Ground. Clough has spent 45 years trying not to be his father. "We'll clear the rubbish out of our minds and start again against the league leaders [Southampton] in two weeks' time," he said. Though the game may be going prematurely at 80mph, he is in no hurry. Leicester may have stolen their show but not their focus.

• Championship 2011-12
• Leicester City
• Derby County

Jeremy Alexander

guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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RUS 6-0 AND: Goal Storm Puts Russia Through

After a 6-0 win at home to Andorra on Tuesday, Russia qualified for their third European Championship in succession. Russia finished the campaign with 23 points from seven wins, two draws and a loss. The Republic of Ireland earned second place after a nervy 2-1 win over Armenia in Dublin. We will now wait for the draw to see how the groups will play out. Much will depend on the play-offs next month because Russia could wind up having to face sides like Spain, Germany, or the Netherlands in the pots above them and teams like Denmark, France, and Sweden

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Sports News: Chelsea rout pleases Villas-Boas

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has played down the importance of the 5-0 hammering of Genk, and the Fernando Torres double which helped the Blues stroll to the comprehensive Champions League win at Stamford Bridge.

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Late Nani strike completes United comeback

16:16 BST, Sun 7 Aug 2011

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Manchester United fought back from two goals down and struck deep into stoppage time to beat Manchester City 3-2 in a dramatic Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

UK Football

City defender Joleon Lescott and striker Edin Dzeko scored late in the first half to stun Premier League champions United, who had dominated the early stages of the traditional season curtain-raiser against the FA Cup winners.

United responded quickly after halftime, however, defender Chris Smalling steering Ashley Young's free kick past Joe Hart from close range and Nani finishing off a superb intricate passing movement with a deft chip from a narrow angle on 58 minutes.

With the match heading for a penalty shootout, United cleared a corner and confusion in the City defence allowed Nani to race clear, round Hart and slot the ball calmly into an empty net.

"It was a very good performance in terms of our football," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. "I couldn't believe we were 2-0 down at halftime but goals change games. The players kept their heads, played their football and got the result they deserved."

United started brightly, new winger Young combining well with strikers Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck as big-spending City failed to settle.

Rooney fired a free kick inches wide and tempers flared with a succession of clumsy challenges before Lescott rose above a static defence to grab the opening goal against the run of play on 38 minutes.

 

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

The shell-shocked United defence then failed to close Dzeko down and the Bosnian's fizzing long-range drive flew past goalkeeper David De Gea who reacted too slowly to attempt a save.

Ferguson made three substitutions at halftime, replacing experienced defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, and the changes made an immediate impact.

Young's free kick was neatly prodded home by Smalling and United unlocked the City defence again when Rooney and substitute Tom Cleverley exchanged neat passes to set up Nani's sublime finish.

United continued to dominate possession but City's greater strength in midfield kept them in the match and they always posed an aerial threat from set-pieces.

Deep into stoppage time Dzeko missed a chance from a corner and Rooney hoofed the ball down field.

City defender Vincent Kompany hesitated and Nani nipped in, took advantage of a favourable ricochet and gleefully grabbed the winner.

"We always believe we can win until the last minute," said the Portuguese winger who was named man of the match. "It is good to beat Manchester City like that."

UK Football

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Aston Villa at the gates, time to demand, updates and team news

What did I call it; the first real test for the manager. So, if it is and we get spanked, it shouldn't really matter, should it. Well, actually it should. Too many have fallen into the trap of accepting mediocrity and as supporters, we have to demand more, especially when we play a team that are competing.

If we don't demand, how do the club, manager or players know that we're not happy? Five years ago, we had a so-called plan to be playing Champions League football - most thought this was true, but it was only the owner giving himself enough time to dumb everyone down.

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Wednesday Bet of the day extra: Marseille - Arsenal has goals written all over it

Domestic woes will be put aside for tonight's opponents at the Velodrome, with both teams to score in the Champions League clash looking the most plausible bet

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Wenger's Job Safe At Arsenal

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Liverpool skipper Gerrard: I feared career was over

Liverpool

Steven Gerrard

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard admits he had career fears during his extended injury run.

read more

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Introducing Tweetsport

Time for a quick mention of my new friends at Tweetsport.

Regular readers will know I'm something of a Twitter addict. And with Twitter now just about the best place to get sports news, Tweetsport is the ideal site for all your sports news in one place. And you don't even need to be on Twitter to follow the action.

It's also Edinburgh based and that's a bonus for just about anything except budget aware tram developments and building works overseen by the city council (allegedly).

I can forgive an Edinburgh company just about anything. Even if it has been founded by an Aberdeen fan.

Tweetsport covers football (obviously) but also motorsport, tennis, golf, rugby, Olympics, cricket, athletics, cycling, horse racing and swimming. Some of them are almost certainly sports.

And it offers an easy platform to get the latest from players and pundits in and around major (and not so major) events.

You can even win a T-shirt to mark Scotland's trip to Spain to play that moderately talented bunch of duffers.

And stay tuned for a blogger's competition.

All you need to know about Tweetsport and their app gadgetry at www.tweetsport.co.uk

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Barcelona - Viktoria Plzen Preview: Holders looking to continue impressive unbeaten home run in Champions League

It is uncharted territory for the visiting Czech side as they grace Spanish soil for the first time in history to face the Catalan giants

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Aguero ready to fight for trophies with Man City

By Martyn Herman

18:51 BST, Thu 28 Jul 2011

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Sergio Aguero's description of his playing style would have been music to the ears of Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini on Thursday after the Argentina striker completed his move to the Premier League's big-spenders from Atletico Madrid.

UK Football

The 23-year-old has been the most sought-after striker in world football since he said he wanted to leave Atletico in May and his decision to sign a five-year deal with City will raise already sky-high expectations that they can challenge Manchester United for the Premier League title.

Aguero, seen as the natural replacement for fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez who wants to leave the club, said he was ready to fight to help City achieve their ambitions.

"My style has always been to fight to the death for every ball, and give 100 percent every game," Aguero, who scored three goals in four games in Argentina's disappointing Copa America campaign, said in an interview on Manchester City's website (www.mcfc.co.uk).

"I'll be concentrated to the maximum in everything I do, movement, running off the ball, winning the ball back and scoring goals..."

"To be honest, I don't think I'll have too many problems settling in to the team," added Aguero, whose transfer fee was reported to be around 45 million euros ($64 million) which would eclipse the sum they paid for previous record-signing Robinho.

"I'll do my best to do what the manager asks and try to work the way he wants me to. Of course he will know how he wants to use me."

Aguero said he had signed for Champions League debutants City to challenge for major trophies, having watched on televison as the club won its first silverware for more than 40 years by beating Stoke City in the FA Cup final.

"I saw the FA Cup victory last season," Aguero said. "I think we are a team that in the future will be fighting every year to win major trophies and let's hope its quite a few major trophies."

Aguero, who married one of Argentine great Diego Maradona's daughters, will wear the No.16 shirt at City and could get his first taste of action in this weekend's pre-season Dublin Super Cup tournament, the club said on its website.

"I've only heard good things about the squad and can't wait to get to know them," said Aguero, scorer of 74 goals in 175 appearances for Atletico during his five-year stay in the Spanish capital.

City, who are bank-rolled by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have already been spending heavily in the summer transfer window which closes at the end of August.

French left back Gael Clichy was signed from Arsenal while Mancini also pounced for highly-rated Serbian defender Stefan Savic from Partizan Belgrade.

($1 = 0.699 Euros)

UK Football

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Sports News: Wheldon killed in Vegas crash

English driver Dan Wheldon has been killed at the Las Vegas Indy 300, race organisers have confirmed.

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Wenger backs plans for goalline technology

05:53 BST, Tue 26 Jul 2011

LONDON, Jul 26 (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has added his voice to calls for the introduction of goalline technology to the English Premier League -- perhaps as early as the 2012/13 season.

UK Football

Trials surrounding the technology were reopened by FIFA president Sepp Blatter after last year's World Cup, during which England's Frank Lampard was denied a clear goal against Germany.

"You want it so you have a better chance to make the right decisions," Wenger said on the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

"You know it could be a help for the referees. The more help they get, the more decisions they get right. If out of 100 decisions they get 95 right instead of 85, you have to use technology.

"To reduce the number of mistakes as much as possible, I'm happy you can use it. And I would like to use it for more than goalline [incidents], but it's a first step," he added.

Wenger's backing follows an announcement by Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore that the start of the 2012/13 season was a "realistic aim" now that FIFA were "constructively engaged" in the debate surrounding the technology.

Arsenal open their new season at Newcastle United on Aug. 13.

UK Football

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Kean convinced Hoilett will pen new Blackburn deal

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean is upbeat over their push to secure Junior Hoilett to a new contract. The Canadian winger has been locked in talks with Rovers since last summer over a new deal. Kean said: "I believe that we are even closer again. I know Junior wants to sign and I think everything is almost in place for him to put pen to paper on a very long contract. "That will be massive for us and to ensure that the young players we are developing we can keep at the

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Chelsea's Mikel pleads for safe return of dad

By Mike Collett

17:14 BST, Mon 15 Aug 2011

LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel appealed to kidnappers on Monday for the safe return of his father after he was abducted in Nigeria last week.

UK Football

The 24-year-old Nigeria international played in Sunday's season-opening 0-0 draw at Stoke City despite knowing his father Michael was abducted on Friday.

In an interview with Sky Sports News, Mikel said: "We haven't heard anything, no phone calls, nothing.

"Whoever has got my dad or knows where my dad is please contact me and hopefully he will be released. Please let him go -- my dad is an old man and he hasn't done any harm to anyone as far as I know and I don't know why he has been taken.

"This happens a lot, not in the northern part of Nigeria but in the eastern part. It's a very safe place where we live in Jos, I think it's a first that my father has been taken in the northern part," the midfielder added.

His father's house in Jos was abandoned and the local police told Reuters they were investigating the disappearance but most of the local law enforcement were focused on dealing with a burst of religious unrest in the region.

At least 10 people were killed on Monday in the area around Jos when Christian and Muslim youths and the military clashed, local officials said.

Jos lies in the central "Middle Belt" of Africa's most populous nation, where the largely-Christian south meets the mostly-Muslim north, and has often been the scene of deadly religious violence.

Mikel, who has never managed a Premier League goal for Chelsea, came close to scoring against Stoke with a long-range volley that goalkeeper Asmir Begovic tipped over the crossbar.

"It was really difficult. I spoke to the manager (Andre Villas-Boas) who asked me if I wanted to play the game and I said I wanted to play," explained Mikel, who joined Chelsea in 2006 and won a league winner's medal last year.

 

REAL SHOCK

"I didn't want to let my team down or the club down or my family. If I didn't play I think my mum would have been very sad with me.

"I've told some of my team mates today but most of them didn't know on Sunday. I didn't want everyone coming up to me saying 'oh sorry Mikel', I just wanted to get on with the game."

Chelsea's young player of the year in 2007 said everyone back home knows he is a professional footballer.

"We live in a very safe and secure place in Nigeria so this is a real shock to me," said Mikel. "Me and my brother (in England) still cannot believe it.

"I don't know what to do at this point. It is very difficult for me."

Mikel said he would like to return to Nigeria but had been advised on safety and security grounds to remain in England.

Earlier, his management company The Sport Entertainment & Media Group said no ransom demand had yet been received from the kidnappers.

Chelsea said in a statement: "We will give Mikel and his family our full support at this most difficult time".

It is not the first time a relative of a Premier League player has been abducted in Nigeria after former Everton defender Joseph Yobo's brother was kidnapped in 2008.

Kidnapping of oil workers in the southern Niger Delta has been relatively common in the past but abductions have begun spreading further north.

UK Football

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Antti Niemi coming back just in time for Sharks

With the Sharks off to a 1-2-0 start, it looks like Antti Niemi is coming back at the right time.

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Euro 2012 Qualifiers: Czech Republic 0, Spain 2 and Spain 3, Scotland 1

Just as Del Bosque refuses to make changes to his squad selection, Spain refuses to make changes to the script of all its competitive matches since the World Cup: tidy, if uninspired, wins against the Czech Republic and Scotland sealed a perfect qualifying round for the Euro 2012.

[caption id="attachment_1657" align="aligncenter" caption="Is it something about the name \'David\'? Can we re-name Torres that?"][/caption]

There are few things to take away from this matches, but those happen to be important...

-Jordi Alba, the surprise call-up, after being ignored for the first match, performed exceedingly well at LB in the second, starting his Spain run with an assist and a good command of his position.
-David Silva, who had openly complained about his lack of starts, justified this with a couple of matches (and a couple of goals) that had the Spanish press comparing him to Messi and will make team selection rather complicated for Our Wise Walrus once Iniesta and Cesc are back in full health.
-David Villa reached the not-negligible sum of 50 goals for Spain in the Scotland match.
-Even The Marquis lost patience with Fernando Torres (about a year too late), though we suspect it'll take more than this for Roberto Soldado to earn a place in the Spain squad.

Full HD match highlights after the jump!

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Football League weekender | James Dart

The best matches and bets from the latest round of matches, plus our pick from the Football League blogosphere

Key matches

? No team in League Two draws in the fans like Bradford City (averaging 9,947 per home game), even with the team 22nd in the division after a miserable 11 years that have seen the Bantams tumble from the Premiership. Yet still they come, taking advantage of one of the cheapest season tickets in the Football League (�195), going back to when the cost of one was slashed to just �138 in 2007-08. Not that the fare on the field has much lived up to this cut-price move and a return of four points from five Valley Parade encounters this season continues the trend. Still, the club is still willing to take action, reducing prices to �5 for Saturday's visit of Torquay, which recently-appointed boss Phil Parkinson hopes will "attract a few more in". The Gulls, meanwhile, have stumbled after a solid opening, winning just one of their last eight, and head north without Billy Bodin (international call-up) and Ian Morris (injury).

? Huddersfield remain arguably the most fascinating team in the Football League at present: despite a 36-match unbeaten run, capped by a thoroughly impressive 4-0 win at Brentford last week, Lee Clark's team are capable of tossing in the odd forgettable display (see the home draw with Leyton Orient and midweek JPT shoot-out loss to Bradford) and are still only fifth having drawn more (six) than won (five) in League One this season. "I have told them to forget about the penalty shoot-out but to be concerned by the standard of the goals that we are conceding," said Clark on Tuesday night. Stevenage are Saturday's visitors, themselves coming off three defeats in three, but their manager Graham Westley can't wait to take on the Terriers' streak. "Breaking records is something that really turns us on," he pouted.

Players to watch

? Max Clayton: the 17-year-old is one of the latest prospects hot off Crewe Alexandra's production line and capped his senior debut with the winning goal against Macclesfield in the week. "He will do better than that and in fact he will be disappointed with his performance," was the typically understated reaction from Dario Gradi, though it hasn't stopped the attacker being linked with a move to Tottenham. It wouldn't be the first time a Premier League side has shown interest in him too.

? David James: after Keith Millen exited Bristol City in the shadow of Steve McClaren's walk into the sunset from Nottingham Forest, the keeper was linked with the Ashton Gate vacancy. "He's not applied," insisted City chairman Colin Sextone. "David and his agent are taking that up with the paper."

Quote of the week

"It nearly cost them their careers. To turn up like that was disgraceful ? I was fuming, that's the first time I've lost it this season. I'm still shaking now because I was ready to have a fight tonight and that's not like me" - Yeovil boss Terry Skiverton sits on the fence after the Glovers' midweek JPT defeat to Bournemouth.

Best bet

? Burton Albion to beat Rotherham at 16-5: with one in six, none in four and two defeats in a row, the Millers look to be over-fancied at home to Burton, even if the Brewers let us down last weekend. It's a big price, especially with Andy Scott reduced by injury and international call-ups to just two available centre-halves, especially with the division's leading scorer Justin Richards up against them.

We'll monitor the "best bets" progress through the season, with a set stake of �10 per bet. Current loss: �5.70. Again, there's no tipping contest this season, but that doesn't stop you posting your best bet suggestions below the line. And for those that would like to take part, we have set up a private Championship Fantasy League, the pin for which is: 12647. Phil Avery is in front with Numbers Game.

What you may have missed from the blogosphere

? From The Seventy Two on why Ipswich are the best team in the Championship right now:

Ipswich's current haul of 10 points from a possible 12 sounds great and it's certainly not a statistic even the most faithful of Town fans were expecting. But what's even more impressive is how that compares to the top teams in the Championship.

? From Bring Me the Head of Keith Mincher on Carlisle boss Greg Abbott:

With the Greg Abbott tenure facing arguably its toughest challenge since his stewardship to last-day redemption against Millwall in 2009 as fan unrest grows against his instincts, questions remain over his player recruitment and his terrace stock plummets through walkaway punters and growing unrest it seemed an apt time to look back at his tenure. Just where has he led us and where will he take us next, if anywhere?

? You can read much more from our Football League blogosphere, which should now have been updated to include more of your recently suggested blogs.

Still want more?

? Steve McClaren must start again after his Nottingham Forest failure, writes Stuart James ?

? ? while David Bevan explains why Forest can use the managerial turmoil to wipe their slate clean.

? And Jeremy Alexander reports how Derby were stopped in their Championship tracks by Leicester.

• Football League

James Dart

guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 1: First real test ends in failure

The first real test for the manager and it doesn't end how we would have liked. We got spanked. You can not call 4-1 anything else and well, it doesn't look good.

We can gloss it over though. Kid ourselves that everything is fine. We've only lost once and we are still in the top half of the table. We can kid ourselves but that is all we are doing.

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Sports News: Hernandez snatches point for United

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was denied a dream return to the starting line-up by Manchester United substitute Javier Hernandez's late header in a 1-1 draw at Anfield.

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Weekend banker bet: Aston Villa to beat Wigan

I know - someone is going to say that we shouldn't expect three points but I think we should be able to demand it. If Alex McLeish can not manage three points against Wigan, if the manager is booed off the Villa Park pitch at ninety minutes and is sacked a few minutes later, nobody will be disappointed.

If he didn't get three points and resigned on TV - I'd have utmost respect for him because there can not be any excuses if he doesn't manage to get three points. It is Wigan - a team that always flirts with relegation and will do again this season.

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