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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain plays 45 minutes for Arsenal under-21s
Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo is targeting Wembley and top scorer prize
Toronto FC in unlikely swoop for Jermaine Defoe and Michael Bradley
Ian Holloway happy to try to steer Millwall back on road to success
Everton's Roberto Martínez: no key players will leave in transfer window
Michel Platini slams Jérôme Valcke for speaking out on Qatar World Cup
Moyes could win manager of month
West Brom appoint Pepe Mel
England line up Ecuador, Honduras and Peru for World Cup warm-ups
Allardyce: 'You come out fighting or you sink and die'
Sam Allardyce's troubled time at West Ham could emulate his Newcastle nadir | James Riach
Birmingham pay Pannu nearly £1m
Chelsea tumble back into the red
270. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Cardiff
Cardiff's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes approach for Mame Biram Diouf
Chelsea Ladies recruit England pair to keep up with Manchester City | Paul Doyle
Peter Tatchell: Thomas Hitzlsperger may have turned tide of homophobia
Uniteds, they fall
Manchester United v Swansea City: Michael Laudrup anxious about Premier League clash – video
The Fiver | Sam Allardyce and his signature style
Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers fined £8,000 for referee comments
Crystal Palace anticipating tough 90 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur, says Tony Pulis – video
Crystal Palace part company with veteran striker Kevin Phillips
Doctors tell Morton boss Shiels to give up interviews
Chris Smalling's fancy dress suicide bomber prank called 'thoughtless'

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain plays 45 minutes for Arsenal under-21s

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:01 PM PST

• Winger had not featured since season opener in August
• Oxlade-Chamberlain on course for return to Arsenal first team

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Arsenal and England a welcome boost by making his long-awaited comeback from injury, three days after Theo Walcott was ruled out for the rest of the season and the World Cup. The winger has not featured since the opening day of the season because of a knee injury but completed 45 minutes for Arsenal's under-21s in a 1-0 victory over Fulham in the last 16 of the Under-21 League Cup at Motspur Park.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's return is a timely one for both club and country after it emerged that Walcott ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in a knee during last Saturday's victory over Tottenham in the FA Cup. Arsène Wenger has instructed his scouts to look for potential replacements for Walcott during the January transfer window, but will have been cheered by Oxlade-Chamberlain's first appearance for five months.

After such a long spell on the sidelines, Oxlade-Chamberlain was understandably rusty in front of Arsenal's assistant manager, Steve Bould. However he was responsible for Arsenal's best moments in the first half and went close with a stinging volley from long range, before being withdrawn at half-time. The 20-year-old may potentially be included in Wenger's squad for the trip to Aston Villa on Monday but a more realistic target is the visit of Fulham on 18 January.

Jacob Steinberg

Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo is targeting Wembley and top scorer prize

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:01 PM PST

• Spaniard has Sergio Agüero's goal tally in his sights
• Negredo points out that West Ham tie is not yet over

Álvaro Negredo has called for humility from his Manchester City team-mates before the League Cup semi-final, second leg against West Ham United, and admitted he hopes to finish the season as the club's top scorer ahead of Sergio Agüero.

With Manuel Pellegrini's side 6-0 ahead from Wednesday's first leg at the Etihad – where Negredo scored a fabulous left-foot hat-trick – the return appears a formality.

"We have to be humble about the second leg," the Spain international said. "You can never say the tie is over. We're close to Wembley but instead of going to West Ham hoping for a small loss we need to go there and win."

After 15 goals in 15 home games the former Sevilla forward is experiencing what he describes as "a great moment, maybe the best moment" before adding the caveat "but I hope to get better than this".

He said: "I am very happy, it was a good team performance, we played very well. We have a big squad with a lot of confidence and enthusiasm to win things here. Against West Ham we had a lot of intensity and control of the game. We know that if teams want to beat us at home, they have to play really well."

Personally, things look equally promising. "I'm only one goal behind Sergio [Agüero] now so I need to catch him because I know when he comes back [from injury] he will score more goals. My only goal is to grow, to improve as a player. It could be the best season of my career. I'm feeling comfortable, I'm scoring goals and making some assists."

For the moment he is enjoying his attacking partnership with Edin Dzeko. "It's really good but with great players it is easy to play," he added.

"We are always looking for each other, the partnership is working very well. We always look after each other and that's the most important thing. We have a special connection. He speaks a little bit of Spanish, we are able to talk. He's also a very good player."

The Spain international refuses to contemplate the possibility of an all-Manchester League Cup final yet. "Maybe the fans are all thinking about United," said Negredo. "But from my point of view as long as we are in it, I don't mind whether it's them or Sunderland."

Louise Taylor

Toronto FC in unlikely swoop for Jermaine Defoe and Michael Bradley

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:37 PM PST

Tim Leiweke, executive behind David Beckham's Galaxy signing, aims to make statement of intent in new role at MLS strugglers

Toronto FC are on the brink of an extraordinary double swoop for Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe and Roma's Michael Bradley, as Tim Leiweke, best known as the man who secured David Beckham's services for LA Galaxy, aims to make his mark as CEO of Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment, the owners of the long-underperforming MLS side.

Defoe's arrival has been rumored throughout the winter, with reports from Toronto suggesting both that he was being tempted by an extraordinary wage package designed to make him one of the best-paid players in the league and somewhat alleviate the downside of being out of the Premier League spotlight during a World Cup year.

But even as Toronto began to tease their fans with a series of video clips in advance of an anticipated Defoe announcement on Monday, and even as they confirmed the return of former talisman Dwayne de Rosario to the team on Thursday, news of another signing likely to send significant reverberations of a different sort around North American soccer was swirling — as it became clear that Toronto were favorites to secure the signature of Roma and US national team midfielder Bradley.

It is believed Roma will receive a fee of between $7m to $10m, with the player himself getting a five to six year deal worth a reported $6.5m per year – the type of blockbuster deal that last year persuaded Clint Dempsey to return to MLS. As with Defoe, it would be more than enough compensation for the loss of footballing status that comes with swapping life with a contender for a Champions League place for a team yet to play a knockout game in MLS.

Of course the arrival of Defoe and Bradley in the spine of a new-look Toronto would instantly bring the expectation of passing that benchmark as an absolute minimum, even among a Toronto side that can charitably be said to still be taking shape under coach Ryan Nelsen, as he contemplates his first pre-season with the team.

Nelsen will be encouraged by the fact that Defoe has been a goalscorer wherever he has gone, and Bradley is of course the fulcrum of the US national team midfield and key to their World Cup hopes — even if he has found himself out of favor at Rudi Garcia's new-look Roma.

If the two do arrive, Toronto will have the luxury problem of having to restructure the contract of one of their existing two Designated Players Gilberto and Matias Laba to fit in with the existing MLS rules of a maximum of three Designated Players.

But whatever the outcome of the deals, for the first MLS pre-season for several years, a lot of eyes are looking to Toronto in expectation rather than doubt.

What's the matter with Toronto?

It's sometimes hard to remember that when Toronto FC entered MLS, before the hype around the Cascadia teams, before the fan-led campaign that introduced Philadelphia, the Canadians' arrival was seen as a bellwether moment for the culture of the league. Teams like Chicago and DC United had set something of a standard for a growing supporters culture, but the enthusiastic and above all, numerous, Toronto fanbase looked set to take it to the next level.

The trouble was, Toronto have given those fans precious little to cheer about in the intervening years. As non-playoff year followed non-playoff year (Toronto have never made the post-season, unlike both of their Canadian counterparts and later arrivals in the league Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact, who each got there in their sophomore year), that initial burst of enthusiasm has got lost in a series of managerial miscues, underwhelming signings and a general air of haplessness.

The sight of one putative savior, Danny Koevermans, on the verge of tears as he described the experience of playing for "the worst team in the world" during a nine game losing streak in 2012, became an emblematic image of what the Toronto project had become.

So when, at the end of last year, the rumors first started that MLSE and Toronto were on the verge of signing Defoe, it seemed natural to dismiss it as wishful thinking, were it not for the involvement of Leiweke and his track record of achieving the unlikely.

But even as details of the prospective deal began to emerge and give it credibility (including the slightly bizarre but apparently true report of musician Drake intervening to persuade his fan, Defoe, to come to the rapper's hometown team), there still seemed to be something of a gap between the thought of Defoe arriving, and Leiweke's late-November promise that Toronto were on the verge of the biggest signing in MLS history. The addition of Bradley into the mix means that in cash terms at least, if not the relative stature of the players in comparison to Thierry Henry or David Beckham, say, Leiweke's claims may well have some merit.

At the very least they've given a beleagured Toronto fanbase something to cheer about again.

Graham Parker

Ian Holloway happy to try to steer Millwall back on road to success

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

Revitalised former Crystal Palace manager says he would not swap his new job for another anywhere in the world

When Ian Holloway left Crystal Palace on 23 October he was a broken man. The effervescent character and cheery demeanour were replaced by a haggard, withdrawn look. But when Millwall, who teeter a point above the Championship relegation zone, came knocking last weekend, his excitement returned. It was nice to feel wanted again, even if he had not envisaged such a swift return.

While Palace have steadied under their new manager, Tony Pulis, and sit a point off Premier League safety, Holloway still believes the team had lost their fight under his guidance and, suffering from exhaustion, he decided it was best for all concerned to step aside. He even suggested Pulis as a replacement to the Palace co-chairman, Steve Parish, on the night of his final game, a 4-1 defeat by Fulham.

"It was my philosophy," he said of his reason for vacating Selhurst Park. "What Tony Pulis did at Stoke was outstanding and he wasn't appreciated. He has never been relegated and after the Fulham game I felt as flat as a pancake. We were excellent for 43 minutes and they bang two goals in and I felt the heart was out of the team. The chairman [Parish] spoke to me afterwards and I said you are better off with Tony.

"He has more experience at locking up defences and coaching that way, so I believe they have a better chance. I helped them get all that money [£15m from the sale of Wilfried Zaha to Manchester United] and found them someone else but when you work that hard it drains you. Anyone who goes up, especially in the last [play-off] position, is immediately playing catch-up. All of a sudden all the new players came in [Palace made 16 signings] and I was exhausted because I had no chief scout and was blind, and you don't want to get promoted and be blind."

The manner of his departure led to inevitable questions about his credibility as a manager in the top tier, yet Holloway rejects the claim that, despite success with Palace and Blackpool in the second tier, he might be better suited to the Championship. "If I had a fair crack as a Premier League manager, with a budget as good as some, I believe I can do it. But I'm going to have to get there – I'm not one of these foreign fellas who comes in because he has known José Mourinho for 10 minutes. I'm not being funny but that normally gets you in the door, doesn't it?"

He sees no reason why Millwall cannot follow in the steps of Palace and Blackpool, even if the immediate objective is survival. It was a phone call from their former manager, Kenny Jackett, that sparked the idea of succeeding Steve Lomas, who was sacked on Boxing Day, and once he met the club's US-based owner, John Berylson, he was "blown away" and had no hesitation in committing to a two-and-a-half-year deal.

"It's a privilege to be here. End of story," he said. Yet talk of success is tempered by the starkness of the club's current position. They have conceded a league-high 49 goals in 24 games and have managed two wins in 15, capped by a chastening 4-1 defeat by League Two Southend in the FA Cup last Saturday. There are also suggestions that having so many senior personalities in the changing room is detrimental.

"I have to unite us, join everybody together. At the minute there are too many chiefs here, not enough Indians. There are a lot of senior pros just added, I have to clear their minds. I have already told them I can't pick them all in the one team so stop moaning, sit on the side and be happy to help when you come on.

"They all know I will tell them the truth and give them what they want. That senior group is something I can't wait to work with. I might have to prune it, I don't know yet until I see how they respond to each other. There needs to be a balance between senior players and youth players, experience and inexperience. It isn't going to be a quick fix. I have to dig in and I have guaranteed that, if anybody in the world came in for me right now, I would not go."

Everton's Roberto Martínez: no key players will leave in transfer window

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:30 PM PST

• Martínez close to pre-contract agreement for Aiden McGeady
• Everton not prepared to meet Spartak Moscow fee now

Roberto Martínez has "guaranteed" that no key players will be leaving Everton this month and that he is close to a pre-contract agreement with the Republic of Ireland international Aiden McGeady.

The 27-year-old is out of contract with Spartak Moscow at the end of the season and though Everton have considered signing the winger in January, they are not prepared to meet the Russian club's demands for a significant fee.

Spartak paid Celtic £9.5m for McGeady in 2010 and, while Martínez has not entirely discounted a permanent deal this month, he confirmed a free transfer in the summer is more likely.

"We are very close for the summer, that's true," the Everton manager said. "You know I like Aiden." As for strengthening Everton's Champions League challenge with a January move for the winger, who was suspended from training by Spartak coach Valery Karpin earlier this season, Martínez added: "As things stand now, no, because there are too many difficulties. Many things can happen in the window but right now it would be difficult."

McGeady could sign the pre-contract agreement within days. Martínez has also confirmed his admiration for the former Liverpool winger Tom Ince, who has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs, but an Everton approach for the Blackpool player is not believed to be imminent.

He said: "I like Tom. As a young, English talent he's a phenomenal footballer but it would be unfair of me to talk about him because he's got a very important second half of the season with Blackpool and it would be unfair to bring speculation to him. A young English footballer of that calibre would interest a lot of teams but it's not for me to mention."

Martínez wants to sign a striker before sanctioning the permanent sale of Nikica Jelavic, who has offers from Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United among others, but has reiterated his message that Leighton Baines and Ross Barkley will not be sold this month.

The Everton manager, who has injury doubts over both Baines and Barkley before Saturday's Premier League game against Norwich City, said: "You can imagine that the fans would be a little bit worried that we don't lose any of our top performers and I can guarantee that this won't be happening; we won't be losing any of them. I'm quite confident that we'll bring maybe one or two in but it's one of those windows where we could have a lot to lose because bringing the wrong person in would affect the dynamics that we have in the dressing room. We're not going to bring anyone in for the sake of it."

Martínez revealed he also intends to reward Seamus Coleman's outstanding progress with a new contract in the summer. The Republic of Ireland defender only signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal at Everton in December 2012 but, with six goals this season from right-back, he is in line for an improved contract.

"I'm sure at the end of the season we will look at his contract," the Everton manager said. "His role in the team is growing, he is getting more important so we will always look at that. He is happy at Everton and has a long-term contract but I always said that players who do well and perform, it is my intention to sit down in the summer and reassess. He deserves a reward. He has been terrific."

Andy Hunter

Michel Platini slams Jérôme Valcke for speaking out on Qatar World Cup

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:21 PM PST

• Uefa president unhappy over talk of winter plans
• Executive committee of Fifa to decide, Platini adds

Uefa's president, Michel Platini, has revealed his displeasure at the Fifa secretary general, Jérôme Valcke, going public with his plans for a winter World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Valcke, Fifa's secretary general, caused a storm when he told a French radio station the tournament would not be held in June or July due to the fierce desert heat.

Fifa distanced itself from his comments, insisting Valcke was stating a personal view and no decision has yet been taken, but Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, himself said two months ago that moves were afoot to reschedule the 2022 tournament and that it "can only be November-December and not in January-February".

Platini criticised Valcke's latest comments, telling the French newspaper L'Equipe: "When the executive committee was held in early October, it was decided to launch a major consultation of all football and no decision would be taken before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It was also agreed not to talk about this before then.

"I do not see why it is discussed publicly. Two months ago Blatter spoke about it. Now it's Valcke. This is supposed to be a decision for the executive committee of Fifa. But maybe the executive committee doesn't matter.

"If the decision has already been taken, then it does not even need to meet, except for those people who enjoy chatting."

Platini has always backed a winter World Cup and is the only Fifa member to have confirmed he voted for Qatar, but he added: "We have to consult the entire football family before making a decision."

Moyes could win manager of month

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:53 PM PST

• Scot on shortlist for December manager of the month
• Pellegrini, Mourinho and Martínez also in the running

The Manchester United manager, David Moyes, reeling from three defeats in a row in 2014, must think that every cloud has a silver lining after being nominated for the Premier League's manager of the month award for December.

Moyes's side have endured a terrible start to the new year but they did manage four wins, a draw and two defeats from seven league matches at the end of 2013.

The Scot has been nominated along with Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini, who went unbeaten in December, Chelsea's José Mourinho and Everton's Roberto Martínez. Chelsea had five wins from seven games, one draw and a defeat, while Martínez, who replaced Moyes at Everton, led his side to four wins from six matches, one draw and one defeat.

United started December with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur before subsequent 1-0 home defeats by Everton and Newcastle United. A run of four wins followed, against Aston Villa, West Ham United, Hull City and Norwich City, before United lost 2-1 at home to Tottenham on New Year's Day.

Swansea City knocked United out of the FA Cup on Sunday before Sunderland beat them 2-1 in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.

It is the first time since 2001 that United have lost three games in a row.

West Brom appoint Pepe Mel

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:20 PM PST

• Former Real Betis manager succeeds Steve Clarke
• Keith Downing and Dean Kiely to stay on

West Bromwich Albion have appointed Pepe Mel as their head coach, bringing an end to an exhaustive search for a successor to Steve Clarke, who was sacked 26 days ago. Mel, who led Real Betis to seventh place in La Liga last season before being dismissed in December, has signed an 18-month contract at The Hawthorns and will take charge of his first game on Monday week, when Albion face Everton at home.

The Spaniard had featured prominently among the Albion board's thoughts at the outset and was close to taking the job before Christmas, only for talks to break down after he was unable to agree terms, primarily because of issues in relation to the two backroom staff he wanted to bring to The Hawthorns at that time.

Albion have no desire to make wholesale changes every time a coach leaves and were keen for Keith Downing, the joint assistant head coach who has been in charge in a caretaker capacity since Clarke departed, and Dean Kiely, the goalkeeping coach, to remain. Mel has accepted that will be the case, with Downing due to lead the team for a final time against Southamptonon Saturday, when the new head coach will watch from the stand.

Albion decided to return to Mel after exploring the credentials of a number of candidates, including Thomas Schaaf, the former Werder Bremen coach, and Quique Flores, the erstwhile Valencia manager. Dave Jones, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager who was recently sacked by Sheffield Wednesday, also came under consideration.

Mel, who has managed Tenerife, Getafe, Alaves and Rayo Vallecano in Spain, as well as the Brazilian side Corinthians, secured Betis a place in the Europa League this season but he was unable to maintain the club's upward trajectory and was sacked in the wake of a 4-0 defeat to Sevilla.

Albion, however, believe that they have recruited a head coach in keeping with the image of the club. Mel, who has been learning English for the past year, has a reputation for playing high-tempo, freeflowing, entertaining football.

Dave McDonough, Albion's director of technical performance and scouting, felt that the 50-year-old would be a good fit from the start and the other members of the club's five-man selection panel appear to have come to the same conclusion after a protracted process.

"I'm delighted to welcome Pepe to the club," Richard Garlick, Albion's sporting and technical director, said. "His appointment concludes an extensive recruitment process during which we have cast the net far and wide to identify the most suitable candidate to take the club forward. Pepe was a strong contender from the outset due to his impressive achievements and has emerged as our number one candidate. He is a forward-thinking coach whose teams are renowned for playing an attractive and positive style of football."

Mel inherits a side 14th in the table, only four points clear of the relegation zone or, if the glass is half full, two points off a place in the top half. There is no shortage of class in the Albion squad, the vast majority of whom helped the club to finish eighth last season, in Clarke's first season as head coach. Clarke, however, ultimately paid the price for a desperately poor 2013 in which Albion won only seven of their 34 league games.

Downing has taken charge of the last five matches, which have yielded three draws and a win in the league and a disappointing FA Cup defeat at home to Crystal Palace last Saturday. "The board is extremely grateful to Keith, the coaching staff and players for their efforts over the past month, which has yielded six points from four unbeaten league games,"

Garlick said: "Keith will have an important role to play in supporting Pepe as he coaches in England for the first time."

Stuart James

England line up Ecuador, Honduras and Peru for World Cup warm-ups

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:38 PM PST

• Peru match to be played at Wembley
• USA declined friendly match in Miami

Roy Hodgson has lined up three Latin American opponents for England to take on as part of their preparations for this summer's World Cup in Brazil. Although no agreement has been finalised, the Football Association is in talks with Ecuador, Honduras and Peru about playing friendlies at the end of May and start of June.

The first match, planned to be against Peru, would be at Wembley with games against Ecuador and Honduras at England's pre-tournament base in Miami. The opponents have been selected as England will face two sides from the region – Uruguay and Costa Rica – in Group D.

Talks had taken place with US Soccer chiefs about playing Jürgen Klinsmann's side but it is understood the FA wanted to play the match in Miami while the United States wanted to hold the friendly nearer their own pre-World Cup base on the West Coast of the country.

Klinsmann has said he rejected Florida, where England will be based, as being too humid for a pre-tournament camp but that climate will be perfect preparation for Hodgson's men with their opening match deep in the Amazon jungle in the city of Manaus. That match against Italy takes place on 14 June with England heading to São Paulo and Belo Horizonte for their meetings with Uruguay and Costa Rica on 19 June and 24 respectively.

Allardyce: 'You come out fighting or you sink and die'

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:25 PM PST

• You come out fighting or sink and die, says Allardyce
• Carroll likely to be on the bench for Cardiff game

Sam Allardyce has insisted in an email to West Ham fans he will "come out fighting" following his team's dismal 6-0 defeat at Manchester City, a result that has persuaded the club to drastically reduce under-18 ticket prices for the semi-final, second leg on Tuesday week.

West Ham, who have conceded 11 goals in their past two games and appear bereft of confidence ahead of their Premier League match at Cardiff City on Saturday, risk sliding to the bottom of the Premier League this weekend but are likely to be boosted by the return of their £15m striker Andy Carroll.

Carroll, who has not played since the end of last season due to a serious foot injury, has trained well this week and is expected to be selected on the bench by Allardyce, whose lack of attacking options in recent months have been a major cause for concern.

Allardyce on Thursday sent a determined message to West Ham supporters – "you either come out fighting or you sink and die" – despite a barren winter that has not provided a single league victory since November's home win against Fulham.

He said: "The players can't feel sorry for themselves. We are professionals and we've got to take the criticism thrown at us because that's what happens in the game at this level. We've got to be man enough to take it on the chin and be determined enough to show people that what they think at this particular moment in time is wrong.

"You either come out fighting or you sink and die – I come out fighting as a manager and my staff and players are the same. We've got to get out there, face the music and use it to anger us, if you like, make us mad, and win football matches.

"What we have to do now is get our defenders back in the team defending like we know we can, as a team, better. We have got to improve our clean-sheet ratio as quickly as possible and once we start doing that, we'll start winning more points and hopefully more games."

West Ham will permit under-18s to watch the second leg of their League Cup semi-final for £1 in a bid to increase the attendance for what looks like a dead-rubber against City. The fee will be the same for travelling under-18s from Manchester. However, adult tickets will not be reduced after going on sale for an initial £42.

West Ham's abject display at Eastlands followed a 5-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup, and Allardyce's side will return to league action against Cardiff knowing that a defeat for them and a win for the bottom club Sunderland at Fulham would see the Hammers slip to the bottom of the table for the first time this season.

Allardyce added: "Many teams have gone to Manchester City and, like us, have suffered a painful time. It's hard to take and difficult to accept but the facts are that Manchester City are the best team in the league at home and have been the best team in the league since the start of the season."

James Riach

Sam Allardyce's troubled time at West Ham could emulate his Newcastle nadir | James Riach

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 12:12 PM PST

Two heavy cup defeats have fuelled the fans' discontent, more of the same could spell the end for West Ham's manager

Six years ago on Friday Sam Allardyce woke up an unemployed man, the scars of his sacking by Newcastle United still hurting. If that remains the most regrettable period of his career – he was only in charge for eight months – Allardyce's current predicament at West Ham United does not lag far behind.

At Newcastle his appointment was met with severe scepticism, to put it mildly. Despite previous success with Bolton and an interview for the England job, the purists on Tyneside outweighed the pragmatists. Change the accents and the Barking Road in June 2011 could have been the Gallowgate in 2007.

Supporters who meet an appointment with muted, if any, enthusiasm will always be more eager to call for an execution, and the numbers keen to see Allardyce remain in the post are certainly dwindling.

His reception at Eastlands during the 6-0 debacle at Manchester City said it all. Angry chants emanated from the away support as Allardyce watched his side give up without a semblance of a fight, yet there remain those who believe alternative options are limited. Ten years ago if a side was languishing in the bottom three as West Ham are, supporters would have welcomed Allardyce with open arms.

Injuries have hampered the Hammers hugely this year, but some argue that such reliance on Andy Carroll was a mistake in itself. The striker is expected to be on the bench for Saturday's game at Cardiff, while the club are still waiting on a work permit before any deal for Lacina Traoré can be completed.

Allardyce described promotion from the Championship as one of his finest achievements, yet despite a 10th place finish in the Premier League last season, this campaign has been an undoubted catastrophe. George McCartney's assertion that against City "there wasn't much in it for the first 10 minutes", said it all.

Despite the injuries, six players who started in Manchester, a defeat that followed arguably greater embarrassment at Nottingham Forest, were also named in Allardyce's starting XI on the opening day of the season. That number would have been increased by two had Kevin Nolan not been suspended and Adrián not preferred to Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Before the losses at City and Forest, a poll of the West Ham online fanzine Knees Up Mother Brown showed that a small majority still wanted Allardyce in the job. However, their editor, Graeme Howlett, believes that number may have shifted.

"The last two results are almost unprecedented in recent history," he said. "Allardyce's insistence that he had no option but to throw the kids in en masse at Nottingham Forest last weekend bore some semblance of rationality given our extensive injury list, but his position was weakened somewhat having served up a second helping of tripe in the space of just three days by meekly surrendering to the ridiculously talented – yet far from invincible – Manchester City with his strongest available team.

"Sam's appointment was never fully welcomed nor accepted by the fan base as a whole and some of his detractors have used the current crisis as a convenient vehicle upon which to vent their anger and frustration. However there are also large numbers of fans who initially welcomed his arrival and are now calling for his immediate replacement.

"There is a certain amount of sympathy for Allardyce given the chronic injury crisis, however it remains the case that we failed to gain sufficient points when all bar Andy Carroll were fit at the start of the season. It's certainly a convenient excuse for our current position."

Ali Worth, a member of the West Ham Supporter Advisory Board, believes the club's performance against City compared unfavourably with the fight put up by Crystal Palace in the Premier League in December. She said: "There was a big difference in quality, but Palace went and held them for most of the game. We didn't even bother turning up. Would we be better off without a manager?

"It's not just about these two games, it's about our league position overall. We've stupidly bought just one player and wasted all our money on a guy who is injured. If they sack him there is a big compensation package. It might not do us any good to get rid of him now, although it pains me to say it."

Neville Nixon, editor of westhamfans.org, said: "Most people who need someone to rescue them in this situation would call Sam Allardyce. It's better the devil you know, but it will be a miracle if we stay up."

David Sullivan and David Gold's open letter in support of their manager earlier in the week was perceived by some as a fatal vote of confidence, ahead of a three-week period that includes matches against Chelsea and Newcastle. The club continues to back Allardyce and insists it will do so for the foreseeable future. More of the same, though, would surely spell another desperate dismissal.

James Riach

Birmingham pay Pannu nearly £1m

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:39 AM PST

Accounts for 2012-13 reveal huge salary and consultancy fees as £4m loss sinks club further into crisis

The Birmingham City director Peter Pannu was paid nearly £1m in 2012-13, a year in which the club lost £4m and sank into a perilous financial situation which continues to threaten its solvency.

Appointed a director in September 2012 of the club's holding company, Birmingham International Holdings, registered in the Cayman Islands tax haven and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Pannu was paid a salary of HK$6.7m (£525,073) for the nine months to 30 June 2013.

In addition Pannu's company, Asia Rays Limited, registered in Hong Kong, was paid HK$5.9m (£464,569) for consultancy services to BIHL, whose overwhelmingly main business is owning Birmingham City.

This figure of close to £1m follows more than £1m paid to Pannu the previous year, also in the form of a salary and consultancy fees to Asia Rays.

Pannu declined to answer questions from the Guardian about City's financial situation as disclosed in accounts for the club and holding company released last month, or about his own pay. Pannu did not clarify whether the £525,073 salary paid to him as a director of BIHL includes the payment of £389,620, apparently to him as the highest paid director of Birmingham City, in the year to June 30 2013. The club also rented offices from Asia Rays at a cost of £60,000.

The Birmingham club's supporters trust, Blues Trust, said of that £389,620 payment: "It seems out of kilter given the current state of the club's finances."

The largest shareholder in BIHL, leader of the £81m takeover of City from David Sullivan and David Gold in 2009 and still the club's chairman, Carson Yeung, is awaiting the verdict after his criminal prosecution in Hong Kong on charges of money laundering, which he denies. The club's and BIHL's accounts and subsequent statements show that the prosecution of Yeung, who owns 26% of BIHL and whose assets are frozen, is weighing heavily over St Andrews and hopes of salvaging the stricken club.

The accounts of BIHL, which lost £9m in 2012-13, include a warning from the auditors that the loss and liabilities "indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the group's ability to continue as a going concern".

BIHL's chance of remaining in business, the accounts state, depends on finding additional money, which the company has said it has secured in a series of deals it hopes can be completed shortly. However the auditors state that there is "uncertainty surrounding the outcome of future funding," and that this too raises a "significant doubt" about whether BIHL will remain a going concern.

Edwards accountants, the Walsall-based auditors of the club itself, said the club needs "additional funding to be made available to continue its operations for at least 12 months". The accountants had examined forecasts by the club's directors – Pannu, Yeung and Yeung's son Ryan – of cash the directors expect the club will earn, their assumption that £15m owed to Yeung will not have to be repaid and the proposed deals to raise new money and said: "We do not have sufficient appropriate audit evidence to conclude whether the directors' [assumption the club will remain a going concern] is appropriate in the circumstances."

Pannu and the Yeungs have stated that they will borrow £5.4m, secured against unspecified future income. BIHL, of which Pannu is the chief executive, has said it has also agreed to raise around £7m by placing shares, and a further £24m by issuing a bond, convertible into shares, to a Hong Kong-registered company, U-Continent, which has a sole director, Yue Zhon Yang.

Ultimately both of these deals to raise significant money for BIHL depend on Yeung agreeing not to be repaid his £15m loan to City – about which the club's accounts say no documentation exists.

That arrangement, by which Yeung will in effect swap his £15m loan for more shares in BIHL, can happen, according to BIHL's statements, only if the Hong Kong department of justice "or other relevant Hong Kong government body" does not "raise an objection to the transaction".

So the future of Birmingham City, formed in 1875, bought by BIHL fronted by Yeung in 2009, then relegated to the Championship in 2011, depends to some extent on the Hong Kong justice department. The verdict on Yeung's money-laundering trial is expected at the end of February.

Daniel Ivery, a blogger on Birmingham's finances at the Often Partisan website, said the club's financial position depends on too many variables and BIHL should sell now. A Blues Trust spokesman said they are extremely worried about the club's future and are examining ways for fans to raise money in case they can be part of a solution. BIHL said in October it does not intend to sell the club.

David Conn

Chelsea tumble back into the red

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:31 AM PST

• Wages continued to rise and broadcast income fell
• Chelsea also spent an extra £56m at new players

Chelsea's full accounts have revealed the scale of the challenge they face in fulfilling a long-held promise to eventually become self-sustaining, showing that wages continued to rise and that the club subsequently lavished more than £56m on players after the accounting period closed.

The club revealed at the end of last month they had made a £49.4m loss in the year to 30 June 2013, compared to a modest profit of £1.4m a year earlier that was the first of the Roman Abramovich era, but claimed they remained on track to meet Uefa's new break-even rules.

Yet the full accounts, lodged this week at Companies House, show that the loss – put down to a range of factors including an early exit from the Champions League that hit broadcasting income – was recorded despite a £14.5m profit on transfers during the financial year.

The notes to the accounts also reveal that since 30 June the club have spent more than £56m on players including Willian and Marco van Ginkel and received just £673,000 in transfer income.

Transfer fees can be amortised over the length of a players' contract for accounting purposes, so have less impact onUefa's Financial Fair Play calculations than wages.

The accounts show that matchday income dropped to £70.7m from £77.7m the previous year, when they won the European Cup, and broadcasting income fell to £105.4m from £112.8m. They also record a £4m "provision for termination payments and compensation" that presumably relates to the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo during the season.

The club argue that a 19% rise in annual commercial income to £79.6m and a turnover figure of £255.8m that was only marginally down on the previous year show they are moving in the right direction. Nor do the figures include a recently signed £300m, 10-year kit deal with Adidas.

Chelsea are confidentthat despite tumbling into the red again, they will comply with the acceptable €45m (currently £37.5m) "deviation" permitted during Uefa's first two-year accounting period once allowable expenditure on youth development, infrastructure and charitable giving are excluded from the total.

But the rising wage bill – which went up to £176.6m, a modest increase of £5.5m - and the latest splurge on players will raise questions over their ability to comply in the coming seasons.

Uefa makes its calculations on a rolling basis and the next accounting period will take in the three years covering 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14, again with a total permitted deviation of €45m (currently £37.5m).

Abramovich has ploughed well over £1bn in the club over his decade as owner, but Chelsea's chairman Bruce Buck has insisted their long-term goal is to become self-sustaining.

Owen Gibson

270. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Cardiff

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's verdict appears in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.

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Cardiff's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes approach for Mame Biram Diouf

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 10:34 AM PST

• Hannover striker a target for Premier League club
• Mats Moller Daehli set to join Welsh side from Molde

Cardiff City have made an approach to sign the Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf.

The new Bluebirds manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, worked with the former Manchester United player at Molde and is keen to secure his services for his Premier League club.

The Norway international Magnus Wolff Eikrem has already joined Cardiff from Heerenveen, while a deal for his compatriot Mats Moller Daehli is expected to be completed with Molde before Saturday's meeting with West Ham.

Solskjaer is now also looking to bring in Diouf after a Hannover spokesperson confirmed the Bundesliga club had received an approach from Cardiff. The Welsh club are believed to be prepared to pay about £2.5m to sign the 26-year-old, who has scored 30 goals in 61 appearances for Hannover.

Chelsea Ladies recruit England pair to keep up with Manchester City | Paul Doyle

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 09:53 AM PST

City's entry into the top flight by signing five internationals raises the stakes as the Women's Super League expands

Chelsea Ladies have signalled their intention to keep pace with an exciting arms race in the Women's Super League by completing the signing of two England internationals, Katie Chapman and Gilly Flaherty.

The midfielder Chapman has won 82 caps for her country while the 22-year-old defender Flaherty has been capped at youth level and has been called up by the England manager, Mark Sampson, for next month's training camp in La Manga.

Both players have joined Chelsea from Arsenal, where they won a host of honours and previously worked with Emma Hayes, who was assistant at the north London club before being appointed Chelsea manager in 2012. Their arrival follows the recent captures by Chelsea of Laura Bassett and Rachel Williams from Birmingham Ladies.

"Emma is looking to build a team and they're moving in the right direction," says Chapman, whose triumphs at Arsenal include six league titles. "We've made some good signings this season and strengthened the squad. Obviously we've come from a winning team and we are winners ourselves so we're aiming to come here and prove ourselves as players and make the club stronger."

"Katie is the best at what she does in this country and I am sure any manager would say the same," said Hayes. "Her experience and winning mentality is what sets her apart and she is a fabulous role model too. Gilly is the best uncapped player in the country. She will become a bedrock for club and country as she has all the hallmarks of a top-class player."

Chelsea finished second from bottom of the league last season but are determined to challenge at the top end when the new season kicks off in April with a fresh structure, as an eight-team league is expanded to include 18 sides spread over two tiers and featuring promotion and relegation. The stakes have been raised higher by Manchester City, who will compete in the top flight for the first time this season and have declared their ambition to make an immediate impact by signing four England internationals in recent months as well as the New Zealand midfielder Betsy Hassett.

That investment exceeds the increased commitment shown to the women's game last season by Liverpool, who transformed themselves into champions after two successive bottom-place finishes. That was the first time in nine years that Arsenal did not win the league.

"There's been a lot of movement in the women's game to strengthen different teams," says Chapman. "Hopefully that will make it more competitive and there will be more teams in the running for the league, which is a good sign in itself."

This season's expansion of the league is part of the Football Association's plan to improve the women's game and spread its appeal. It represents the latest evolutionary stage of the semi-professional WSL, which was introduced in 2011 with fixtures running through the summer rather than the winter in a bid to attract bigger crowds, a move that has met with success so far as average attendances across the league exceeded 500 for the first time last season.

The introduction of Manchester City this term is expected to raise the interest and standard still further. But Chapman, while welcoming City's participation, reckons the Manchester club should not be considered as favourites and Chelsea's greater experience will count. "They're obviously new to the league so it's a whole new ball game for them," says Chapman of City. "They've got to come in and stamp their authority and see what the league is like, whereas Chelsea have been there and know the league and have strengthened the squad for this season and are aiming high … I think we stand in good stead and Chelsea are going to be the ones to watch."

Paul Doyle

Peter Tatchell: Thomas Hitzlsperger may have turned tide of homophobia

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:51 AM PST

Gay rights activist has special praise for the Sun newspaper's anti-homophobic leader column about the retired Aston Villa player who outed himself

The supportive tabloid coverage of Thomas Hitzlsperger's announcement that he is gay will embolden thousands of footballers and young people to be open about their sexuality, said leading gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.

The activist said that fear of a backlash from the media has discouraged public figures from coming out, but the positive response to Hitzlsperger suggested this may be a thing of the past.

He reserved special praise for the Sun, which hailed the former German international on its front page as a "winner" and "brave" on Thursday. "The Sun's coverage mirrors the huge positive shift in public attitudes towards gay people," Tatchell said.

"The praise and tributes showered on Thomas will, hopefully, send a signal to current players that it's safe to come out. Indeed, judging from the public reaction, any footballer who comes out it is likely to experience reputational enhancement rather than damage.

"Cynics could say that coming out is now a good PR move that will put a player in the headlines, boost their public support and probably lead to new sponsorship opportunities."

Hitzlsperger, 31, a former Aston Villa player, spent two weeks bracing himself for the media coverage of his announcement, which he made in a long interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit.

His first day as an openly gay man was spent responding to messages of support on Twitter, including tweets from the British deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, and the Swedish footballer Anton Hysén, who made the same announcement to slightly less fanfare in 2011.

Writing on his personal website, Hitzlsperger praised other athletes – including the Olympic diver Tom Daley – for saying they are in same-sex relationships, but said he hoped it would soon "cease to be something to write or talk about".

"I have taken a conscious decision to confront publicly the prejudice and hostility shown towards homosexuals. I have nothing to be ashamed of," Hitzlsperger wrote.

"Homosexuality is simply ignored in football. The media … have been interested in the subject for years. It's just that the players concerned have not dared to declare their inclinations because the world of football still sees itself to some extent as a macho environment."

In his native Germany, Hitzlsperger's announcement made practically every front page of the big-selling national titles. The tabloid Bild carried a huge banner headline with the words: "Respect! Ex-national footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger expresses boldly ... Yes, I love men!"

Berlin broadsheet Der Tagesspiegel praised Hitzlsperger for daring to become the first high-profile gay footballer, saying: "Thomas Hitzlsperger has done something that no prominent footballer has ever dared to do before. The ex-international has made his sexuality open. Is this the end of a taboo?"

Over the whole front page of the broadsheet Die Tageszeitung, Hitzlsperger is shown giving a jubilant thumbs-up next to a caption saying: "The former international Thomas Hitzlsperger has outed himself as gay. Before him no German international had ever dared to do this ... olé, olé, Super Thomas, olé."

But it was the Sun that pleasantly surprised gay rights supporters in Britain. In a leader column, the red-top condemned homophobes as a "moronic minority" and said it would take "almost superhuman bravery" for a top-flight footballer to follow in Hitzlsperger's footsteps.

"For the Sun to run that front page sends a really powerful and positive message to millions of readers and lesbian, gay and bisexual people that it's okay to be gay and that the world is changing," said Sam Dick, director of campaigns at the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall.

Tatchell, the most prominent gay rights activist in Britain, said it was "shocking" that the coming out of a retired footballer in 2014 prompts such mammoth news coverage. He added that there remained a "lingering homophobia in the not so beautiful game" that prevents other prominent footballers from coming out.

"A person's homosexuality shouldn't be a big deal but obviously it is. Openly gay players are a rarity. In the past, fear of homophobic media coverage has been a significant factor holding back players from coming out. Quite clearly Thomas's experience shows that fear is unfounded," he said.

Josh Halliday

Uniteds, they fall

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:51 AM PST

On today's Football Weekly Extra, James Richardson has John Ashdown, Paul MacInnes and Iain Macintosh in the pod to reflect on two miserable Capital One Cup semi-final performances by West Ham and Manchester United, beaten 6-0 by Manchester City and 2 -1 by Sunderland, respectively. The manner of both defeats, coming hot on the heels of the teams' FA Cup exits, means these are dark days for Sam Allardyce and David Moyes.

Still, at least they have the Premier League to look forward to. Or not. United host Swansea again, while the Hammers travel to Cardiff for a must-win game that they may well won't. Meanwhile, City and Chelsea both have the chance to go top, with Arsenal – minus Theo Walcott – not in action until Monday.

Also in today's show, we discuss Thomas Hitzlsperger's announcement that he's gay and Fifa's totally unsurprising decision to move the Qatar World Cup from summer to winter, and we even have time to squeeze in a word or two from Sid Lowe.

Have a listen, and tell us what you think about all the football, film theory and assorted nonsense we managed to cram into this bumper 57-minute edition in the comments below.

Manchester United v Swansea City: Michael Laudrup anxious about Premier League clash – video

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:42 AM PST

Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup says he would rather play against a club with the same points as his own team than top opponents

The Fiver | Sam Allardyce and his signature style

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:36 AM PST

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SERENITY NOW

Last night didn't turn out to be the best evening for future multiple La Liga winner Sam Allardyce. There he was, standing on the touchline at the City of Manchester Stadium, trying his best to look agitated for the gallery as a shower of chancers, frauds and competition winners claiming to be West Ham United made a royal show of themselves in the League Cup semi-final, but not quite managing it. His best effort at theatrical rage was a brief frown which suggested the first rumblings of mild irk, and at one point he blew a bubble which popped in a slightly snappy manner, but other than that, nothing. Watching him, you could be forgiven for thinking he simply doesn't give a flying one any more. But that can't be the case. All very strange.

After the game – which Manchester City won 6-0, Edin Dzeko so bored we later found out he'd lost count at five – Allardyce let out an elongated yawn, in the style of someone who has just woken up from a seven-year coma and can't quite yet summon the energy to scratch their arse or get up to go potty. But listening carefully to the tape again, the reflex in fact turned out to be his post-match press conference. "What do you expect when you've got lads on free transfers playing against players that have cost hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds?" he drawled. "We are not the first team to get beat here by many goals and we won't be the last." Fair points both, until you remember Crystal Palace managed to hold City to a single goal a fortnight ago, while League Cup semi-finals of the past have seen the likes of Bradford City win at Aston Villa, Rochdale beat Blackeye Rovers, and Walsall hold the old, good, 80s Liverpool at Anfield. In other words, there's no need to be shipping six goals in a major semi-final, at all, ever, no matter how you spin it.

West Ham fans have never been collectively convinced by Allardyce and his signature style of soccer, which might be good enough for the likes of Real Madrid but doesn't cut it at the Academy of Football. So it was little surprise that the club's travelling support, witnessing last night's debacle a mere 80 hours after watching their team get hammered by five at Nottingham Forest, broke into a chant which featured repeated uses of the word eff in a percussive style and detailed the quickest routes away from the Boleyn Ground if one is driving a removals van during rush hour. Allardyce insists he is going to dig in and fight, and he still has the backing of Gollivan, but a fourth consecutive loss on the road at Cardiff on Saturday could convince the club to let their manager go, with the odds on his being the next sacking now down to a pointless 1-5. With the big man odds-on to be back on the market very soon, poor Carlo Ancelotti will already be suffering sleepless nights.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"His contract will be changed and wages will be reduced by 50%. We would be delighted to get rid of him, but a football player with his reputation, there are no offers. He should play football and work hard, like his team-mates, but he clearly misses the Belgian cafes … Logically, football clubs don't generally offer contracts to players who love liquor and drive under the influence" – Terek Grozny president Magomed Daoudov unloads both barrels on Belgian player Jonathan Legear – who once crashed his Porsche into a petrol station – after he recently whinged about life at the Russian club in a magazine interview.

DOCTOR'S ORDERS

New Morton boss Kenny Shiels claims he has been advised to give up post-match interviews … by his doctor. "Every decision I make must be in the best interests of Morton and I'm very susceptible to being controversialised and it's happened to me in the past," he, er, raged. "I'm not going to go down that road anymore. There's a name for it – you can't help it. If someone asks you a question, you're emotionally imbalanced at that time and you feel an urge to tell the truth."

FIVER LETTERS

"Are West Ham missing a trick? With the amount of gum Big Sam chews, could he not chew enough to fashion a cover to stick over the West Ham goal, thus freeing up their goalkeeper to single-handedly take on opponents, much the same as he did last night?" – Chris Chadwick.

"Re: David Moyes's comment about referees: 'We're actually beginning to laugh at them' (yesterday's Bits and Bobs). What wasn't reported was that he added 'they'll soon know what it's like being Manchester United nowadays' …" – Tony Timms.

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Overhead futsal brilliance from way downtown.

BITS AND BOBS

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has been described as "thoughtless" by a survivor of the 7 July London bombings after he dressed up as a 'suicide bomber'. "I do not think people who do these things mean any harm but unfortunately the effect it has on people like me and people who are in a worse position – those who lost loved ones – is hurtful," said Jacqui Putnam. Smalling's management said he had intended to make a pun on Jägerbomb by strapping bottles of the drink and Red Bull to his body.

Not content with signing their rivals' best players, Bayern Munich have upped the smug-o-meter by offering to subsidise their fans' £62 Big Cup tickets for the match against Arsenal. "This is intended to represent a small thank you for the great support of the followers," Bayern holier-than-thou'd.

Former Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham has retired after revealing that life at Skrill North side Altrincham failed to live up to the heady highs of captaining invincible Gibraltar. "I always said I would play for the club I have always supported and I genuinely hoped it would prove the catalyst for firing me up again and getting me back to how I used to be. But the harsh reality is, it didn't," he parped.

Skrill Premier side Nuneaton have put their entire squad up for sale, believing it's in the best interests of the play-off-chasing club to sell all their players. "We should look to maximise the return to the club … none of this is rocket science," sniffed club owner Ian Neale.

Good news for Mr Roy dept: Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has taken on the task of trolling World Cup venue Manaus. "I find it almost irresponsible that one has to play football in such a place, in the middle of the jungle, in the middle of the Amazon region," he growled.

Racing Santander fans stormed club president Angel Lavin's box and threw drinks at him after the club's players refused to kick off in their Copa del Rey match against Almeria in protest at not being paid.

Crystal Palace have parted company with Kevin Phillips, 89. "He wants to get closer to home, which is the Midlands," cheered Tony Pulis.

St Mirren's Paul McGowan has been sentenced to 130 hours' community service, rather than receiving a prison term, after admitting a double assault charge. "I would have taken that if you'd have asked me beforehand," said McGowan.

Brendan Rodgers has been handed an £8,000 bill for getting one or two things off his chest about ref Lee Mason after the 2-1 defeat at Manchester City.

And Lord Walton of Detchant has spoken against a government proposal under which courts could stop people being annoying in public, by pointing out that it would stop him from taunting Sunderland fans. "My friend Lord Shipley … is for reasons best known to him, … a Sunderland supporter. If I were to chide him and say that he is foolish to continue to support that team, which has been absolutely hopeless all season … he would reasonably regard me as a confounded nuisance. If one looks at this clause and interprets it in a strictly literal sense, I would potentially be in breach of this statute."

STILL WANT MORE?

Raphael Honigstein interviews Thomas Hitzlsperger, who tells him: "I preferred living with a man".

Neil Jones digs out the forgotten story of the death-cheatin', riot-survivin', Vietnam war-defyin' Dallas Tornado's 1967-68 world tour.

DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! DOWNLOAD FOOTBALL WEEKLY NOW! etc.

Eusébio's greatest hits and Belgium's version of the Soccer Sixes star in this week's Classic YouTube.

Find out how each of the Premier League's clubs have fared in the first half of the season, on one handy page of infographics.

Tenth in the Championship and the fact that home fans have stopped demonstrating so much outside the club ranks as something of an achievement for Blackeye Rovers this season, reckons Paul Wilson.

Oh, and if it's your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.

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Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers fined £8,000 for referee comments

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 08:22 AM PST

• FA also warns Rodgers about his future conduct
• Liverpool boss criticised officials after loss at Man City

The Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been fined £8,000 and warned about his future conduct by the Football Association for his post-match comments after the 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at Manchester City.

Rodgers claimed the performance of the officials in his team's defeat at Manchester City on 26 December was "horrendous" and questioned why a Greater Manchester referee, in Bolton's Lee Mason, was appointed to the fixture.

"Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been fined £8,000 and warned as to his future conduct after he admitted an FA misconduct charge," read an FA statement.

"Rodgers was charged for a breach of FA Rule E3 in that his post-match comments following Liverpool's game at Manchester City on 26 December 2013 constituted improper conduct in that they called into question the integrity of the match referee, and/or implied that the match referee was motivated by bias; and/or brought the game into disrepute; and/or amounted to a failure to act in the best interests of the game."

Crystal Palace anticipating tough 90 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur, says Tony Pulis – video

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:36 AM PST

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis says his team is expecting a difficult Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday

Crystal Palace part company with veteran striker Kevin Phillips

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:27 AM PST

• Striker, 40, scored promotion-winning penalty
• He wants to live closer to Midlands home, says manager Pulis

The veteran striker Kevin Phillips, who scored the penalty that secured Crystal Palace's promotion to the Premier League last season, has left the club, their manager Tony Pulis said on Thursday.

Phillips, 40, is one of the oldest players to appear in the Premier League. He made five substitute appearances for Palace this season but has not played since their 4-1 home defeat against Fulham in October.

Pulis, speaking before Palace's London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, explained: "He had a six-month contract and that has run out. I had a good chat with Kevin and he wants to get closer to home, which is the Midlands, which I understand."

Phillips, who made his league debut for Watford nearly 20 years ago and has played for eight clubs, scored with an extra-time penalty against Watford to give Palace a 1-0 win in the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May, which sealed their return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence.

Pulis also said that the winger Jimmy Kebe is joining the Championship club Leeds United on loan for the rest of the season and that he was looking to bring in new players in the January transfer window to boost their chances of avoiding an immediate return to the second tier.

"The important thing at this football club is that we bring players in who have got something to prove," said the Welshman who has seen results improve since he took over from Ian Holloway in November.

"I don't want to be bringing players in who are just going to turn up and jog through the next six months. I need players who are going to roll their sleeves up and work hard and add to what we have got already."

Palace are 18th in the league with 17 points from their 20 games and visit sixth-place Spurs on Saturday. The north London club won the return fixture 1-0 at Palace on the opening day of the season.

Doctors tell Morton boss Shiels to give up interviews

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:19 AM PST

• 'I'm susceptible to being controversialised,' says Shiels
• 'I have spoken with the doctor. You get emotionally imbalanced'

The recently appointed Morton manager, Kenny Shiels, says he will not conduct matchday interviews with the press after claiming he has been advised against it by his doctor. The Northern Irishman was appointed last month but has so far refused to speak to the media after matches. He now says it makes him "emotionally imbalanced".

He was forced to watch his first two matches in charge against Falkirk and Hamilton from the stands after serving a touchline ban hanging over from his spell in charge at Kilmarnock.

Shiels was sacked by Kilmarnock in June just days after he was given a four-match ban, with two of the games suspended, for bringing the game into disrepute for questioning the impartiality of the Scottish Football Association's judicial panel and the integrity of Celtic.

But now he says his doctor has told him to stop giving interviews after games for the good of his health.

"I have spoken with the doctor and you get emotionally imbalanced," the 57-year-old told BBC Radio Scotland. "It's important I don't compromise my position as manager of Morton Football Club.

"There's a name for it – you can't help it. If someone asks you a question, you're emotionally imbalanced at that time and you feel an urge to tell the truth.

"And, if you feel hard done by, you want to tell the truth about something that happened in the game and you become a victim of that. There are people out there waiting for you to drop your guard.

"It's my nature that's the biggest problem and Neil Lennon has that problem too at Celtic. He will tell you he is the same – when you are passionate about something and you put all your energies into it.

"I am probably not intelligent enough to deal with that because journalists can catch me. I don't think it's fair to condemn Scottish football. It's not their fault, it's my fault."

Shiels says he will continue to meet journalists at other times but has handed over post-match duties to his assistant, David Hopkins. He added: "Journalism in promoting the game is so important and the Scottish journalists are brilliant at it.

"Every decision I make must be in the best interests of Morton and I'm very susceptible to being controversialised and it's happened to me in the past. I'm not going to go down that road anymore."

Chris Smalling's fancy dress suicide bomber prank called 'thoughtless'

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 06:29 AM PST

• Survivor of 7 July attacks says victims still feel the pain
• Manchester United player should have 'thought twice'

Chris Smalling's decision to dress up as a suicide bomber for a fancy dress party has been described as "thoughtless" by a survivor of the 7 July bombings in London.

Jacqui Putnam, who survived the Edgware Road blast in 2005, said people should "think twice" before making light of terrorism.

The Manchester United and England defender has apologised for his "insensitive" decision to wear the costume.

Smalling's management said he intended to make an elaborate pun on the popular "Jagerbomb" drink by strapping bottles of Jagermeister and Red Bull to his body.

He has been pictured in the Sun appearing to wear an army-style vest with the alcohol bottles with a mock circuit board and cables attached. He also appears to be wearing an Arab keffiyeh headdress.

Ms Putnam said that even after eight years, people affected are still coming to terms with the terror attack. "It does not make it any easier when you see people who make light of it," she said. "It is silliness really. I do not think people who do these things mean any harm but unfortunately the effect it has on people like me and people who are in a worse position – those who lost loved ones – is hurtful.

"I am sure that he did not mean to offend anyone but I wish people would think twice. If people could only think twice about the pain this could cause to people who have lost loved ones in these circumstances it would be appreciated by survivors and the bereaved alike."

Graham Foulkes, 61, from Oldham, whose son David died in the 7 July London attacks told the Sun the "jagerbomber" costume was "one of the most offensive things I have seen".

Smalling's management company, the Wasserman Media Group, said in a statement: "Chris and his girlfriend hosted a fancy dress party to celebrate Christmas and their belated birthdays with close friends in the assumed privacy of his own home.

"He dressed in a costume consisting of empty bottles of Jagermeister and cans of Red Bull strapped to his chest in an attempted comedy play on the popular 'Jagerbomb' drink.

"Although he fully accepts in hindsight it was an ill-thought out and insensitive decision, absolutely no harm was intended whatsoever and he apologises for any offence caused."

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Friday, 10 January 2014

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

07:14

Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

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