That and being benched for half a season in favour of Ashley Young and Fellaini.

The highest level of football starts today thousands miles away in Shanghai, China with the Supercoppa Italiana. There have been worries about the typhoon, but its power will apparently decrease, and it won't reach the city by the time the match starts. The field, though, is an appalling condition.

So, we start with shambles, one of the many that always haunt Italian football every season.

(It could have been worse, but Massimo Ferrero has decided to keep his new coach Walter Zenga after being knocked out from the Europa League by mighty Vojvodina.)

Last season, Juve won their fourth consecutive scudetto. Roma imploded, but they did just enough to finish 2nd above their neighbor Lazio. The three are the Italian representatives for the Champions League. For the Europa League, the nation has to do with Fiorentina and Napoli, who finished 5th thanks to Rafa's terrible relationship with his players. (Many have come out to the media during the pre-season.) Let's hope Genoa will have their papers in order so that they won't be kicked out from continental competition in case they qualify again this time. As to big clubs named Inter and Milan, they were nowhere to be seen. But they have been busy in the market.

The saddest news from last season was, of course, the bankruptcy of legendary Parma, thanks to Tommaso Ghirardi's financial management. The club has been reborn and will start again from Serie D, with captain Alessandro Lucarelli sticking with them. Cesena and Cagliari were also relegated, replaced by Carpi, Frosinone, and Bologna, with the debut season for the former two.

Antonio Conte still heads the national team, a collection of overexperienced players and mediocre boys. Sebastian Giovinco is the savior, but he somehow hasn't been called up lately.

That is it for now. Benvenuto! Welcome!

p.s. Don't forget to wage your bet as to where this guy with number 45 will end up:

Fixture list to be found here: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/arsenal-to-face-sunderland-in-opening-game

Sunderland at home for the first match and matches with Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea in the first month.

MON YOU RIP ROARING REDS!!

So, the King is dead, long live the King. The close season saw the departure of club legend Kenny Dalglish from the managerial hotseat, along with the Director of Communications, the assistant manager, the teaboy, a couple of boot cleaners and that bloke who sits outside the Kop asking for spare change.

Winds of change are blowing through Anfield and the arrival of Brendan Rogers promises a change of playing style to tika-taka passing. A change was very much needed after a dire 2nd half of last season in the league. The poor league form was not carried into the cups though, with a win at Wembley in the Carling Cup, followed by a defeat in the FA Cup, providing some high points for the club.

Fans were wary of the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, but it could prove an astute move. He is a young and ambitious manager with a definite philosophy on how the game should be played. He has been making all the right noises so far and the fans seem generally excited with the season ahead.

It was apparent the playing staff needed strengthened next season and it remains to be seen who we sign. Kuyt and Aurelio have already gone, with Aquilani and Maxi likely to follow them out of the exit door. Joe Cole has been thrown a lifeline and will return to Anfield to try and resurect his Liverpool career. No definite transfer targets currently exist except Gylfi Siggurdson from Hoffenheim, who played on loan with Rodgers at Swansea last season.

Last seasons league campaign was the worst since Liverpool were last promoted to the top flight of English football and Brendan Rodgers joins the club with expectations at their lowest since the early 90s. Rodgers is likely to be given time after the rash of managers we have had in the last few years. He will certainly have a baptism of fire with visits from Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal early in the season.

Fixtures - http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/lfc-s-2012-13-fixtures-revealed

Team - http://www.liverpoolfc.com/team/first-team

Players In

None yet

Players out

Fabio Aurelio (released)

Dirk Kuyt to Fenerbahce (800k)

Loans

TBC

Welcome to the League 1 thread for the 2012/2013 season.

Last season saw Charlton run away with the league with an impressive 101 points and Chris Powell's men will be looking forward to championship football next season, Sheffield Wednesday will join them in the championship after securing 2nd place ahead of their bitter rivals Sheffield United despite the exit of Gary Megson midseason. Whilst Huddersfield secured promotion in dramatic fashion by beating the 90 point Blades on penalties in the play-off final.

We must also say farewell to Rochdale, Exeter City, Chesterfield and Wycombe Wanderers who will all be playing in League 2 next season, here's hoping they have better seasons next time around.

The three teams coming down from the championship this season are Doncaster Rovers, Coventry City and Portsmouth after all suffering torrid seasons last year they will be hoping to bounce straight back.

We also must welcome the four newly promoted clubs, Swindon Town, Shrewsbury Town, Crawley Town and Crewe Alexandra.

Managerial Changes:

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TD]Team[/TD]

[TD]Outgoing manager[/TD]

[TD]Manner of departure[/TD]

[TD]Date of vacancy[/TD]

[TD]Position in table[/TD]

[TD]Incoming manager[/TD]

[TD]Date of appointment[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Bournemouth[/TD]

[TD]Lee Bradbury[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]25 March 2012[2][/TD]

[TD]Pre-season[/TD]

[TD] Paul Groves[/TD]

[TD]11 May 2012[3][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Crawley Town[/TD]

[TD]Steve Evans[/TD]

[TD]Signed by Rotherham United[/TD]

[TD]9 April 2012[4][/TD]

[TD]Pre-season[/TD]

[TD] Sean O'Driscoll[/TD]

[TD]16 May 2012[5][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Crawley Town[/TD]

[TD]Sean O'Driscoll[/TD]

[TD]Signed by Nottingham Forest[/TD]

[TD]19 July 2012[6][/TD]

[TD]Pre-season[/TD]

[TD] Richie Barker[/TD]

[TD]7 August 2012[7][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Bury[/TD]

[TD]Richie Barker[/TD]

[TD]Signed by Crawley Town[/TD]

[TD]7 August 2012[7][/TD]

[TD]Pre-season[/TD]

[TD]Kevin Blackwell[/TD]

[TD]26 September 2012[8][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Coventry City[/TD]

[TD]Andy Thorn[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]26 August 2012[9][/TD]

[TD]14th[/TD]

[TD]Mark Robins[/TD]

[TD]19 September 2012[10][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Colchester United[/TD]

[TD]John Ward[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]24 September 2012[11][/TD]

[TD]22nd[/TD]

[TD]Joe Dunne[/TD]

[TD]27 September 2012[12][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Bournemouth[/TD]

[TD]Paul Groves[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]3 October 2012[13][/TD]

[TD]20th[/TD]

[TD]Eddie Howe[/TD]

[TD]12 October 2012[14][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Hartlepool United[/TD]

[TD]Neale Cooper[/TD]

[TD]Resigned[/TD]

[TD]24 October 2012[15][/TD]

[TD]24th[/TD]

[TD]John Hughes[/TD]

[TD]14 November 2012[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Scunthorpe United[/TD]

[TD]Alan Knill[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]29 October 2012[16][/TD]

[TD]22nd[/TD]

[TD]Brian Laws[/TD]

[TD]30 October 2012[16][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Portsmouth[/TD]

[TD]Michael Appleton[/TD]

[TD]Signed by Blackpool[/TD]

[TD]7 November 2012[17][/TD]

[TD]17th[/TD]

[TD]Guy Whittingham[/TD]

[TD]24 April 2013[18][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Doncaster Rovers[/TD]

[TD]Dean Saunders[/TD]

[TD]Signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers[/TD]

[TD]6 January 2013[/TD]

[TD]2nd[/TD]

[TD]Brian Flynn[/TD]

[TD]17 January 2013[19][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Oldham Athletic[/TD]

[TD]Paul Dickov[/TD]

[TD]Resigned[/TD]

[TD]3 February 2013[20][/TD]

[TD]20th[/TD]

[TD]Lee Johnson[/TD]

[TD]18 March 2013[21][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Notts County[/TD]

[TD]Keith Curle[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]3 February 2013[22][/TD]

[TD]10th[/TD]

[TD]Chris Kiwomya[/TD]

[TD]23 February 2013[23][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Preston North End[/TD]

[TD]Graham Westley[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]13 February 2013[24][/TD]

[TD]17th[/TD]

[TD]Simon Grayson[/TD]

[TD]18 February 2013[25][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Coventry City[/TD]

[TD]Mark Robins[/TD]

[TD]Signed by Huddersfield Town[/TD]

[TD]14 February 2013[26][/TD]

[TD]8th[/TD]

[TD]Steven Pressley[/TD]

[TD]8 March 2013[27][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Swindon Town[/TD]

[TD]Paolo Di Canio[/TD]

[TD]Resigned[/TD]

[TD]18 February 2013[/TD]

[TD]6th[/TD]

[TD]Kevin MacDonald[/TD]

[TD]28 February 2013[28][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Stevenage[/TD]

[TD]Gary Smith[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]20 March 2013[/TD]

[TD]15th[/TD]

[TD]Graham Westley[/TD]

[TD]30 March 2013[29][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Sheffield United[/TD]

[TD]Danny Wilson[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]10 April 2013[30][/TD]

[TD]5th[/TD]

[TD]David Weir[/TD]

[TD]10 June 2013[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Doncaster Rovers[/TD]

[TD]Brian Flynn[/TD]

[TD]Appointed as "Director of Football"[/TD]

[TD]3 May 2013[31][/TD]

[TD]1st[/TD]

[TD]Paul Dickov[/TD]

[TD]20 May 2013[32][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Hartlepool United[/TD]

[TD]John Hughes[/TD]

[TD]Sacked[/TD]

[TD]9 May 2013[33][/TD]

[TD]24th[/TD]

[TD]Colin Cooper[/TD]

[TD]24 May 2013[34][/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Who supports who :

Teams                             Supporters
-----                             ----------
AFC Bournemouth			  Robokid87
Brentford                         darren1983, Dan_Simmonds
Bury
Carlisle United                   Mwalker99, Jorg
Colchester United                 
Coventry City                     G-man11, Skybluedave, Covfan, JasontheYank
Crawley Town
Crewe Alexandra                   ssestig, Leftism
Doncaster Rovers                  DJB_1990     
Hartlepool United                 come_on_poolies
Leyton Orient                     DanielM_90, Stu Coleman
Milton Keynes Dons
Notts County                      Mr Villa
Oldham Athletic
Portsmouth                        Dafuge, Standard Liege!, Sheer Class, Benjani'sBootCleaner, johnwalker, wisla_krakow 
Preston North End
Scunthorpe United
Sheffield United                  Cleon, HotChocolate, Super Bladesman
Shrewsbury Town
Stevenage
Swindon Town                      STFC will rule again, slawbawn
Tranmere Rovers
Walsall
Yeovil Town			  DazRTaylor                       

The teams:

AFC Bournemouth

Stadium: Dean Court

Manager: Paul Groves

Promotion Odds: 12/1

Last season: 11th

Brentford

Stadium: Griffin Park

Manager: Uwe Rosler

Promotion odds: 14/1

Last season: 9th

Bury

Stadium: Gigg Lane

Manager: Richie Barker

Promotion odds: 50/1

Last season: 14th

Carlisle United

Stadium: Brunton Park

Manager: Gregg Abbott

Promotion odds: 25/1

Last Season: 8th

Colchester United

Stadium: Weston Homes Community Stadium

Manager: John Ward

Promotion odds: 33/1

Last season: 10th

Coventry City

Stadium: Ricoh Arena

Manager: Andy Thorn

Promotion odds: 11/1

Last Season: 23rd in Championship - Relegated

Crawley Town

Stadium: Broadfield Stadium

Manager: Sean O'Driscoll

Promotion odds: 16/1

Last Season: 3rd in League 2 - Promoted

.

Crewe Alexandra

Stadiums: Alexandra Stadium

Manager: Steve Davis

Promotion odds: 25/1

Last season: 7th in League 2 - Promoted

Doncaster Rovers

Stadium: Keepmoat Stadium

Manager: Dean Saunders

Promotion odds: 14/1

Last season: 24th in Championship - Relegated

Hartlepool United

Stadium: Victoria Park

Manager: Neale Cooper

Promotion odds: 33/1

Last season: 13th

Leyton Orient

Stadium: Brisbane Road

Manager: Russell Slade

Promotion odds: 66/1

Last season: 20th

Milton Keynes Dons

Stadium: Stadium mk

Manager: Karl Robinson

Promotion odds: 10/1

Last season: 5th

Notts County

Stadium: Meadow Lane

Manager: Keith Curle

Promotion odds: 12/1

Last season: 7th

Oldham Athletic

Stadium: Boundary Park

Manager: Paul Dickov

Promotion odds: 50/1

Last Season: 16th

Portsmouth

Stadium: Fratton Park

Manager: Michael Appleton

Promotion odds: 16/1

Last Season: 23rd in Championship - Relegated

Preston North End

Stadium: Deepdale

Manager: Graham Westley

Promotion odds: 12/1

Last season: 15th

Scunthorpe United

Stadium: Glanford Park

Manager: Alan Knill

Promotion odds: 33/1

Last season: 18th

Sheffield United

Stadium: Bramall Lane

Manager: Danny Wilson

Promotion odds: 5/1

Last season: 3rd

Shrewsbury Town

Stadium: New Meadow

Manager: Graham Turner

Promotion odds: 33/1

Last Season: 2nd in League 2 - Promoted

Stevenage

Stadium: Broadhall Way

Manager: Gary Smith

Promotion odds: 20/1

Last season: 6th

Swindon Town

Stadium: County Ground

Manager: Paolo di Canio

Promotion odds: 10/1

Last season: 1st in League 2 - Promoted

Tramere Rovers

Stadium: Prenton Park

Manager: Ronnie Moore

Promotion odds: 25/1

Last season: 12th

Walsall

Stadium: Bescot Stadium

Manager: Dean Smith

Promotion odds: 80/1

Last Season: 19th

Yeovil Town

Stadium: Huish Park

Manager: Gary Johnson

Promotion odds: 50/1

Last season: 17th

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/fixtures/default.stm

October

City away on the 28th but a relatively easy run in bar that, first 10 games aren't the easiest, win those and it puts us in good stead for Number 20..

Current playing squad

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/squad_profiles/default.stm

Transfers IN

Phil Jones - Blackburn Rovers - Undisclosed Fee (believed to be £16.5m plus a few add ons)

Ashley Young/David De Gea appear to be done. Whilst we're expected to put in a bid for Luka Modric in after Chelsea's was rejected, also heavily linked with Alexis Sanchez and the media suggests that Gill has met with his people over the last week to discuss a deal.

Transfers OUT/retirees

Owen Hargreaves, Edwin Van Der Sar, Paul Scholes, Bebe (Besiktas loan for a season, hopefully will stay there and never come back), Corry Evans (Hull on a permanent deal),

Let the madness commence.

New thread, carry on.

Here's hoping for repeated success this year.

Fixtures 11/12

First team

Reserves

I think we can all agree this is the best Arsenal thread in ages.

Team

Transfers:

In

Charlie Adam (from Blackpool)

Jordan Henderson (from Sunderland)

Stewart Downing (from Aston Villa)

Doni (from AS Roma)

Jose Enrique (from Newcastle United)

Sebastian Coates (from Nacional)

Villyan Bijev (from California Odyssey)

Craig Bellamy (from Manchester City)

Loans:

Alberto Aquilani (loaned to AC Milan)

Joe Cole (loaned to Lille)

Dani Pacheco (loaned to Atletico Madrid)

Stephen Darby (loaned to Rochdale)

Peter Gulasci (loaned to Hull City)

Villyan Bijev (loaned to Fortuna Dusseldorf)

OUT:

Raul Meireles (to Chelsea)

David Ngog (to Bolton Wanderers)

Sotirios Kyrgiakos (to Vfl Wolfsburg)

Christian Poulsen (to Evian)

Milan Jovanovic (to Anderlecht)

Paul Konchesky (to Leicester City)

Emiliano Insua (to Sporting CP)

Daniel Ayala (to Norwich)

Nabil El Zhar (Released)

Thomas Ince (to Blackpool)

Gerard Bruna (to Blackpool)

Chris Mavinga (to Stade Rennais)

Philippe Degen (Released)

Deale Chamberlain (Released)

Dean Bouzanis (Released)

Steven Irwin (Released)

Alex Cooper (Released)

Nicola Saric (released)

no trolling or troll feeding, yadda, yadda

fixtures are here

Relegated from the PL

West Haaam

Birmingham

Blackpool

Promoted from league 1

Peterbrough

Brighton

The side that shall not be named as we dont want to involve MLG in our thread.

League winning odds - with bet365

West ham 5/1

Leicester 6/1

Birmingham 8/1

Reading/Forest 12/1

Middlesbrough 14/1

Them who shall not be named 16/1

[b]Barnsley [/b]
[b]Birmingham City        Gripper[/b]
[b]Blackpool              Wandsfan93[/b]
[b]Brighton & Hove Albion Simon Tipple [/b]
[b]Bristol City           Barnzy [/b]
[b]Burnley                Phil Holden [/b]
[b]Cardiff City        bluebirds/chops[/b]
[b]Coventry City        G-Man11[/b]
[b]Crystal Palace[/b]
[b]Derby County[/b]
[b]Doncaster Rovers[/b]
[b]Hull City              TigerChris [/b]
[b]Ipswich Town [/b]
[b]Leeds United           englandmanager, Pukey[/b]
[b]Leicester City         MIR17/Gizmo7 [/b]
[b]Middlesbrough          Powlay [/b]
[b]Millwall               Docks [/b]
[b]Nottingham Forest      NF/sebs/cms/Forest Rule/rich, Mar$hall, robterrace[/b]
[b]Portsmouth             Sheer Class/Standard liege/Benjani, jonwalker [/b]
[b]Southampton            MLG[/b]
[b]Watford                Hershie[/b]
[b]West Ham United        MrDiCanio/Recky[/b]
[b]Peterboro[/b]
[b]Reading                readingfanman, erik86, SCIAG, AdyTaylor, NICK_GIFF[/b]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ppy6_foot-2008-remi-gaillard_fun

Goalkeepers

Artur Boruc

Mark Brown

Michael McGovern

Defenders

A. Hinkel

Lee Naylor

Gary Caldwell

Dianbobo Balde

Mark Wilson

Steven Pressley

Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe

John Kennedy

Stephen McManus

Darren O'Dea

Scott Cuthbert

Midfielders

Scott Brown

Paul Hartley

Evander So

Thomas Gravesen

Massimo Donati

B. Robson

Aiden McGeady

Shunsuke Nakamura

K. Mizuno

Attackers

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink

Derek Riordan

Cillian Sheridan

Scott McDonald

Chris Killen

Rocco Quinn

Michael McGlinchey

Nicholas Riley

Fixtures

Southampton - A - July 18th

Fulham - A - July 19th

Middlesboro - N - July 22nd - Algarve Challenge Cup

Cardiff - N - July 24th - Algarve Challenge Cup

TBC - Oporto - July 26th - Algarve Challenge Cup

Tottenham - N - August 1 - Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament

Feyenoord - A - August 3 - Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament

SPL Fixtures

wtf is an invalid token ?

Lyon are again major favourites to win the title and IMO they'll do it again easely. The interesting thing will be how Marseille will do without Ribery? Will PSG finally have at least a decent season? Was Toulouse a one-season-wonder or is there more in the club? And how will Guy Roux manage at another club then Auxerre (he's Lens's new manager)?

News:

Toulouse net Cetto from Nantes

Toulouse FC have signed Argentinian defender Mauro Cetto on loan from relegated FC Nantes Atlantique for the season.

Reversal of fortune

The 25-year-old captained Nantes during their relegation campaign but will now have the chance of UEFA Champions League football with Toulouse playing in the third qualifying round next month. His arrival will help coach Elie Baup cover for the absence of injured centre-backs Daniel Congré and Dominique Arribagé who will miss the start of the campaign.

High quality

"We needed someone ready to step in at the top, and he is", said Baup. "He is a high-quality defender." Cetto had a taste of the UEFA Champions League during his first season with Nantes, 2001/02, playing four games. The former Rosario Central player made 109 Ligue 1 appearances for the Canaris. Toulouse have also signed striker André-Pierre Gignac, defenders Herita Ilunga and Jon Jönsson and goalkeepers Alan Mermillod and Rudy Riou.

Maurice-Belay on way to Sochaux

FC Sochaux-Montbéliard have signed AS Monaco FC winger Nicolas Maurice-Belay for an undisclosed fee.

Four-year deal

Maurice-Belay, who has agreed a four-year contract with the French Cup winners, spent last season on loan at relegated CS Sedan-Ardennes, appearing in 30 Ligue 1 games. The previous campaign he got his first taste of UEFA Cup football with Monaco. The 22-year-old will not be eligible to play in Saturday's French Super Cup match against champions Olympique Lyonnais.

New faces

Maurice-Belay becomes Sochaux's fourth summer signing following the arrivals of midfielders Stéphane Dalmat, Lionel Mathis and Bojan Jokic. Sochaux kick off their Ligue 1 campaign away to Paris Saint-Germain FC on 4 August before entering the UEFA Cup in the first round on 19 September.

St-Etienne cling on to 'new Drogba'

The world's top clubs will have a while longer to wait before they can get their hands on Bafétimbi Gomis after the striker agreed new terms at AS Saint-Etienne.

'New Drogba'

The 21-year-old striker was one of the unheralded stars of French football last season, ending the campaign as St-Etienne's top scorer with ten goals in 30 Ligue 1 games. Both UEFA Cup holders Sevilla FC and German champions VfB Stuttgart were looking to prise the man Marca called "the new Drogba" away from Les Verts, and for a while it seemed they might be successful.

Friendly appearance

Gomis' signed a new contract with Les Verts earlier this week, extending his existing deal by a year to June 2011. New St-Etienne coach Laurent Roussey was then relieved to field him during Wednesday night's 3-3 friendly draw against local minnows FC Andrézieux-Bouthéon. Prior to that, the unsettled academy graduate had been refusing to play in any friendly fixtures.

Unsettling interest

St-Etienne had finished eleventh in the Ligue 1 table last season under Roussey's predecessor Ivan Hašek, once more missing out on European football. Since competing in the UEFA Cup in 1982/83 the one-time giants of French football have had only one European campaign - a UEFA Intertoto Cup sally in 2005 - so it was inevitable big offers would unsettle the young Gomis.

'The right place'

However, it seems that Roussey - who helped St-Etienne win their last French title in 1981 - helped persuade Gomis to stick with the club. "I spoke with Laurent and realised that, at 21, you need the right place to develop and not money," said Gomis. "Laurent has huge plans. He is starting his coaching career while I am starting my playing career. We both have lots to prove."

Rothen to remain with PSG

France midfielder Jérôme Rothen has pledged his future to Paris Saint-Germain FC by penning a three-year extension to his current contract, tying him to the club until June 2011.

Final appearance

The 29-year-old, who has eleven caps, joined the capital club for €10m in summer 2004 shortly after playing in the UEFA Champions League final for AS Monaco FC against FC Porto. Injuries have restricted the former SM Caen and ES Troyes Aube Champagne star to 73 league appearances and four goals since then, although he did win the French Cup in 2006.

Relegation scrap

Rothen said: "I always wanted to be more involved in the team. I hope now I can celebrate wins with the fans who showed me their suppor." PSG played in the UEFA Cup last season but will not this term after being involved in a relegation battle for much of last season. Rothen's deal comes hot on the heels of Paul Le Guen snapping up defender Grégory Bourillon, midfielder Didier Digard and centre-back Zoumana Camara.

Tahirovic signing thrills Lille

LOSC Lille Métropole have signed one of the most talented young players in Sweden, Halmstads BK forward Emra Tahirovic, as they look to regain their place among the French élite.

'Huge potential'

Despite qualifying for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League for the first time last season, Claude Puel's side finished tenth in Ligue 1 to miss out on a return to Europe. Swedish Under-21 international Tahirovic has been in impressive form in the Allsvenskan this term, scoring four goals and creating five in his 13 appearances. "He is athletic, able to play deep and comfortable with both feet," said Puel of the 19-year-old. "He is a player with huge potential."

Camara comes to terms with PSG

French side Paris Saint-Germain FC have agreed a four-year contract with AS Saint-Etienne centre-back Zoumana Camara, who was capped once by France in 2001.

'Among the best'

"He is among the best players in France at his position," said PSG president Alain Cayzac after agreeing an undisclosed fee with St-Etienne. The 28-year-old, who was born and raised in the Paris suburbs, previously played for FC Internationale Milano, Olympique de Marseille, Leeds United AFC and RC Lens, among others. PSG, who failed to clinch a European spot last season, have previously signed Didier Digard from Le Havre AC and Grégory Bourillon from Stade Rennais FC this summer.

Transfers:

Auxerre:

In:Marcos Antonio (Gil Vicente, POR), Ciani (r.p, Lorient), Maoulida (Marseille), Chafni (Ajaccio), Lesage (Le Havre), Tamas (Spartak Moscou, RUS), Langil (Nîmes), Ré. Riou (Lyon)

Out:Cool (retraite), Radet (free), Akalé (Lens), Ciani (t.d, Lorient), Be. Cheyrou (Marseille), Dufour (Grenoble), Mathis (Sochaux), Kaboul (Tottenham, ANG), Sagna (Arsenal, ANG)

Bordeaux:

In:Lavie (r.p, Gueugnon), Jussié (t.d, Lens), Blanc (entr.), Tunani (pro contract), Saivet (pro contract), Chalmé (Lille), Baldé (r.p, Legia Varsovie, POL), Bellion (Nice),A.Diarra (Lyon)

Outarcheville (Glasgow Rangers, ANG), Cid (Bolton Wanderers, ANG), Enakarhire (r.p, Dynamo Moscou, RUS), Ricardo (entr., Monaco), S. Dalmat (Sochaux), Sekour (p., Nantes), Faubert (West Ham, ANG), Beto (t.d, Huelva, ESP), Mavuba (Villareal, ESP), Smicer (f.c), Ayité (Brest)

Caen:

In:Gomis (Laval), Nivet (Troyes), Thébaux (libre), Eluchans (Indepediente, ARG), Boucansaud (Troyes), O. N'Diaye (pro contract), Jemaa (p., Lens), K. Svensson (Rangers, ECO)

Out: Valéro (Nîmes), Ben Askar (t.d, Al Shamal, QAT), Adnane (p. Cherbourg)

Le Mans:

In:Ibrahima Camara (t.d, Parme AC, ITA), Bouhours (pro contract), Edjenguele (pro contract), Portalès (pro contract), Traoré (GFCO Ajaccio), Garcia (entr, Dijon), Maïga (t.d, Raja Casablanca, MAR),Pinault (r.p, Angers),Choplin (r.p, ESSG), Lupède (r.p, ESSG), Ibrahim Camara (Sénart-Moissy, CFA), A. Keita (Djoliba AC, MAL), Gervinho (Beveren, BEL), El Bahri (Rabat, MAR)

Out:O. Thomas (Nantes), Hantz (entr., Sochaux), Fischer (Niort), K. Touré (f.c), Fanchone (Strasbourg), Tokplé (f.c), Lucau (Sedan), Bonnart (Marseille), I. Bangoura (Dynamo Kiev, UKR)

Lens:

In:Akalé (Auxerre), J. Kébé (r.p, Châteauroux), Runje (Besiktas, TUR), Sablé (Saint-Etienne), Laurenti (Ajaccio), Vignal (r.p, Kaiserslautern, ALL), S. Feindouno (r.p, Istres), Jabi (r.p, Grenoble), Khiter (r.p, Ajaccio), Martins Pereira (r.p, Amiens), Le Crom (Troyes), Aubey (Toulouse), G. Roux (entr.), Kalou (PSG)

Out: Gillet (Le Havre), Jussié (t.d, Bordeaux), J. Kébé (Boulogne-sur-Mer), Chabbert (Amiens), Tixier (Le Havre), Jemaa (p. Caen), S. Keita (FC Séville, ESP)

Lille:

In:Touré (r.p, FC Gueugnon), Béria (FC Metz), Hazard (pro contract), Benzerga (pro contract), Lebbihi (pro contract), Rami (pro contract), Ewane (pro contract), Chedjou (pro contract), Makiese (pro contract), Taravel (pro contract), Yanes (Independiente Santa Fe, COL), Lacroix (r.p, ESSG), Maric (Egaleo FC Athens, GRE), Tahirovic (Halmstads, SUE)

Out: M. Robail (Dijon), Owona (t.d, FC Brussels, BEL), Tavlaridis (Saint-Etienne), Audel (Valenciennes), Keita (Lyon), Bodmer (Lyon), Zywiecki (t.d, Dijon), Chalmé (Bordeaux), Vitakic (Grenoble)

Lorient:

In:Marin (Sedan), Salin (r.p, Libourne), Cantareil (Marseille), Ciani (t.d, Auxerre), Vahirua (Nice), B. Robert (Guingamp), Hautcoeur (p., Saint-Etienne), Bénatia (p. Marseille)

Out:Pédron (retraite), Moullec (Nantes), Barry (r.p, Marseille), Fiorèse (r.p, Marseille), Yesso (f.c), Gignac (Toulouse), Ayari (free), Taïder (r.p, Toulouse), Marlet (f.c), Dansoko (f.c), Recorbet (f.c), Barrientos (f.c), Medjani (p., Ajaccio)

Lyon:

In:Belhadj (r.p Sedan), Perrin (entr., Sochaux), Keita (Lille), Bodmer (Lille), Grosso (Inter, ITA)

Out: Caçapa (free), Houllier (entr.), Tiago (Juventus), Abidal (Barcelone, ESP), Idangar (f.c), Berthod (Monaco), Malouda (Chelsea, ANG), Benhamida (Montpellier), Bettiol (Troyes), Ré. Riou (Auxerre), A.Diarra (Bordeaux)

Marseille:

In:Faty (Rennes), Gragnic (Libourne Saint-Seurin), Begeorgi (r.p, Libourne Saint-Seurin, pro contract), L. N'Diaye (r.p, Strasbourg), Barry (r.p, Lorient), Benatia (r.p, Tours), Fiorèse (r.p, Lorient), Deruda (r.p, Libourne), Bamogo (r.p, Celta Vigo, ESP), Be. Cheyrou (Auxerre), Bonnart (Le Mans), Givet (Monaco), Ziani (Sochaux), Zenden (Liverpool, ANG), D. Cissé (t.d, Liverpool, ANG), Mandanda (p. Le Havre)

Out:Gimenez (t.d, Hertha Berlin, ALL), Begeorgi (p. Amiens), Sergio (f.c), K. Ba (Libourne), Cantareil (Lorient), Ribery (Bayern Munich, ALL), Deruda (p. Amiens), Bocaly (p. Libourne Saint-Seurin), Maoulida (Auxerre), Barry (Sedan), Pagis (Rennes), Bamogo (p. Nice), Bénatia (p. Lorient)

Metz:

In:Bessat (Louhans-Cuiseaux), Mendy (Paris FC), Vivian (Grenoble Foot), Delle (pro contract), Bourgeois (pro contract), Trivino (Créteil), Baldé (p. Amiens), Barbosa (Troyes), Fejsa (Hajduk Kula, SER)

Out:Béria (Lille), Gomez (free), Contout (Amiens), Bocandé (f.c), Walter (f.c)

Monaco:

In:Licata (r.p, Gueugnon), Vallaurio (pro contract), Joneleit (pro contract), Muratori (pro contract), Ricardo (Bordeaux), Mangani (r.p, Brest), Berthod (Lyon)

Out: Warmuz (retraite), Mangani (p. AC Ajaccio), Givet (Marseille), Y. Touré (Barcelone, ESP), Gigliotti (Saint-Etienne), Dos Santos (Strasbourg), Lanteri (free)

Nancy:

In:Macaluso (t.d, River Plate), Gaudu (pro contract), Mozika (pro contract), Malonga (pro contract), Y. Camara (pro contract)

Out: A. Keita (f.c), Lécluse (Angers), Sapina (Mouscron, BEL), Dosunmu (p. Germinal Beerschot Anvers, BEL), Kroupi (free), Rudolf (free), Diakhaté (Dynamo Kiev, UKR), Faye (p. Reims)

Nice:

Inolci (r.p, Bastia), Moussilou (r.p, Saint-Etienne), Padovani (r.p, Sannois-Saint-Gratien), Scaramozzino (r.p, Cannes), Modeste (pro contract), Hellebuyck (Paris SG), Hognon (Saint-Etienne), Bamogo (p. Marseille), Yahaya (Tema Youth, GHA)

Out:Yahia (Bochum, ALL), Veigneau (r.p, Monaco), Fauconnier (free), I. Touré (r.p, Metalurg Donetsk, UKR), S. Camara (p., Montpellier), Scotto (f.c), Vahirua (Lorient), Varrault (Saint-Etienne), Bellion (Bordeaux), Fanni (Rennes)

Paris SG:

In:Haddad (r.p, Valenciennes), Bueno (r.p, Sporting, POR), M.Sakho (pro contract), Arnaud (pro contract), Digard (Le Havre), Bourillon (Rennes), Z.Camara (Saint-Etienne)

Out:Cousin (Angers), Rozehnal (Newcastle, ANG), Baning (p. Sedan), Dja Djedje (t.d, Grenoble), Cissé (Besiktas, TUR), Hellebuyck (Nice), Piètre (f.c), Kalou (Lens)

Rennes:

In:Hansson (Heerenveen, P-B), Badiane (pro contract), Lemoine (pro contract), Oniangue (pro contract), Luzi (Charleroi, BEL), Borne (pro contract), Pagis (Marseille), Catherine (Tours), J. Leroy (Sochaux), Fanni (Nice)

Out: Faty (Marseille), Melchiot (Wigan, ANG), Revault (Le Havre), Rochat (t.d, FC Zurich, SUI), Coulibaly (f.c), Mvuemba (f.c), C. N'Diaye (p., Créteil), Utaka (Portsmouth, ANG), Bourillon (PSG), A. Coulibaly (Grenoble)

St. Etienne:

In:Tavlaridis (Lille), Payet (Nantes), F. Diawara (r.p, Sochaux), Tiéné (r.p, Reims), Gigliotti (Monaco), Varrault (Nice), Matuidi (Troyes), Nivaldo (Belenenses, POR), Douala (Sporting, POR)

Out:Sablé (Lens), Diatta (free), Hasek (entr.), O. Sarr (Troyes), Moussilou (r.p, Nice), Hognon (Nice), Ilunga (Toulouse), Vincent (p. Gueugnon), Hautcoeur (p., Lorient), Z.Camara (PSG), Mermillod (Toulouse)

Sochaux:

In: Hantz (entr., Le Mans), Jokic (ND Gorica, SLO), Previtali (pro contract), Mathis (Auxerre), Genghini (r.p, Raon-l'Etape), Josse (r.p, Brest), S. Dalmat (Bordeaux)

Out:Perrin (entr., Lyon), Le Tallec (r.p, Liverpool, ANG), F. Diawara (r.p, Saint-Etienne), Potillon (f.c), Zerara (GB Anvers, BEL), Lonfat (f.c), Deichelbohrer (f.c), Ziani (Marseille), Brunel (Angers), Bühler (FC Sion, SUI), J. Leroy (free)

Strasbourg:

In:Weber (pro contract), Othon (pro contract), Bah (pro contract), Zenke (pro contract), Carlier (r.p, Clermont), Furlan (entr., Troyes), Fanchone (Le Mans), Paisley (Troyes), Dos Santos (Monaco), Rodrigo (p., Ajaccio)

Out: Rangelov (p. Cottbus, ALL), Deroff (Guingamp), L. N'Diaye (r.p, Marseille), Joao Paulo (r.p, Young Boys, SUI), Krebs (Hanovre, ALL), Carlier (p., Clermont), Papin (entr.), Devaux (Reims), Assami (Istres), Yachir (p., Reims), Tum (p., Bursaspor, TUR)

Toulouse:

In:Riou (Istres), Cherfa (pro contract), Constant (pro contract), Taïder (r.p, Lorient), Ilunga (Saint-Etienne), Jönsson (IF Elfsborg, SUE), Gignac (Lorient), Akpa Akpro (r.p, Brest), Mermillod (StEtienne)

Out:Pentecôte (p., Bastia), Ayasse (Reims), Cherfa (p. Tours), Benvegnu (Amiens), Robic (Tours), Bonnet (p. Sedan), Aubey (Lens), A. Camara (Rodez)

Valenciennes:

In:Pujol (Sedan), Ducourtioux (Sedan), D. Traoré (pro contract), Sanchez (Montevideo, URU), Audel (Lille), Sommeil (Sheffield United, ANG)

Out:Flachez (Grenoble Foot), Haddad (r.p, PSG), Dufresne (Châteauroux), Bourgeois (Dijon), Hassli (FC Zurich, SUI), Bratu (r.p, Nantes), Liron (Reims), Paauwe (Möenchengladbach, ALL)

For Victor_Renner, managerial changes:

Bordeaux: Laurent Blanc replaces Ricardo

Le Mans: Rudi Garcia replaces Frederic Hantz

Lens: Guy Roux replaces Francis Gillot

Lyon: Alain Perrin replaces Gerard Houllier

Monaco: Ricardo replaces Laurent Banide

Sochaux: Frederic Hantz replaces Alain Perrin

Strasbourg: Jean-Marc Furlan replaces Jean-Pierre Papin

Fixtures for the 1st round:

Saturday 4/8 17.00 CET

Strasbourg-Marseille

Saturday 4/8 20.00 CET

Caen-Nice

Bordeaux-Lens

Valenciennes-Toulouse

Monaco-St. Etienne

Rennes-Nancy

Paris SG-Sochaux

Lille-Lorient

Sunday 5/8 18.00 CET

Le Mans-Metz

Sunday 5/8 21.00 CET

Lyon-Auxerre

Increases the chance of the traditional 442 being used at times too.

Jeez, I'm crushed tbh

Anyway, we're back for another season as we attempt to reclaim what is rightfully ours. We'll also try to better that 4th place, and attempt to bring the Premiership Trophy back to the Bridge. The following details some Chelsea related goodness, which will be added to this week but not after that as I blatantly won't be arsed. But it'd be nice if we could reach more than the 54 pages of last season. Y'know.

Senior Squad

1 Petr ÄŒech

2

3 Ashley Cole

4 Claude Makélélé

5 Michael Essien

6 Ricardo Carvalho

7 Andriy Shevchenko

8 Frank Lampard

9 Khalid Boulahrouz

10 Joe Cole

11 Didier Drogba

12 Mikel John Obi

13 Michael Ballack

14 Gérémi

16 Arjen Robben

18 Wayne Bridge

19 Lassana Diarra

20 Paulo Ferreira

21 Salomon Kalou

22 Magnus Hedman

23 Carlo Cudicini

24 Shaun Wright-Phillips

26 John Terry

40 Hilário

41 Yves Makabu Ma-Kalambay

42 Jonas Elmer

43 Ryan Bertrand

44 Michael Mancienne

46 Jimmy Smith

47 Ben Sahar

48 Michael Woods

49 Scott Sinclair

50 Lee Sawyer

51 Sam Hutchinson

+ Steven Sidwell

+ Claudio Pizarro

+ Alex

+ Tal Ben Haim

Reserves

Liam Bridcutt

Jack Cork

Fabio Ferreira

Anthony Grant

Carl Magnay

Adrian Pettigrewe

James Simmonds

Rhys Taylor

Sergio Tejera

Per Weirauch

Harry Worley

Under 18s

Nicky Ahmed

Shaun Cummings

Ricardo Fernandes

Aldi Haxia

Niclas Heimann

Jordan Hibbert

Billy-Joe King

Jacob Mellis

Morten Nielsen

Nana Ofori

Adam Phillip

Danny Philliskirk

Jack Saville

Jan Sebek

Miroslav Stoch

Jordan Tabor

Tom Taiwo

Transfers

IN

Steven Sidwell, Reading, Free Transfer

Claudio Pizarro, Bayern Munich, Free Transfer

Alex, PSV, Loan Return

OUT

Nuno Morais, APOEL Nicosia, Free Transfer

Tom Bird, Released

Sam Hurrell, Released

Tomi Saarelma, Released

Nick Hamann, Released

James Russell, Released

2006/07 Pre-Season Fixtures

July 15th 2007: Club America vs Chelsea, Palo Alto, CA

July 18th 2007: Suwon Bluewings vs Chelsea, Los Angeles, CA

July 22nd 2007: Los Angeles Galaxy vs Chelsea, Los Angeles, CA

July 25th 2007: Feyenoord vs Chelsea, Rotterdam

July 28th 2007: Rangers vs Chelsea, Glasgow

July 31st 2007: Brondby vs Chelsea, Brondby

August 5th 2007: Manchester United vs Chelsea, Wembley

2007/08 Premiership Fixtures

Here

Some notes on these fixtures then. Starting at home to a newly promoted team again. In recentish years we've had Wigan and Sunderland in this fashion, and naturally nicer to start at the Bridge. The big three, we play away each before they come to the Bridge, Liverpoool is early and United very late, I wonder if it gets cunningly re-arranged. Villa home Boxing Day, and a wonderful wonderful Fulham away on New Year's Day is immense. Finish at home to Bolton, last time we did that, we relegated them.

Our fixtures after CL Group games:

Matchday One: Sept 18/19

- Manchester United A

Matchday Two: Oct 2/3

- Bolton A

Matchday Three: Oct 23/24

- Manchester City H

Matchday Four: Nov 6/7

- Everton H

Matchday Five: Nov 23/24

- Derby A

Matchday Six: Dec 11/12

- Arsenal A

Could've been easier but to be fair we don't know where we'll be yet.

Oh, and since it's unveiled today, The new away kit

Julien Brellier (born 10 January 1982, in Echirolles) is a French professional footballer currently unattached after leaving Scottish Premier League club Hearts. He is a defensive midfielder who plays just in front of the back four.

Brellier started his career at French club Montpellier and was recruited by Italian giants Internazionale Milan in 2000. He made a limited number of appearances with Inter and was loaned out to Lecco and Legnano before joining Venezia, initially under a co-ownership agreement. He played part of the 2004-05 season with Salernitana and was released in May 2005. He was given a trial by Hearts, where he impressed manager George Burley and was signed on a two year deal by the Edinburgh side in August. [1]

Brellier quickly became a firm favourite with the Hearts fans: his unspectacular, diligent covering role in midfield allowing fellow midfielders Paul Hartley and Rudi Skácel greater attacking freedom, from which they scored a combined total of 30 league goals during the 2005-06 season. By the latter part of that season a giant French flag, with the words "Le Juge" emblazoned across it, became a regular spectacle at Hearts' home stadium Tynecastle, while the crowd took to singing his name to the tune of Verdi's La donna è mobile.

Despite Brellier being one of the most popular players at Tynecastle, it was frequently reported in the media that Hearts' owner Vladimir Romanov did not share the supporters' high opinion of him. [2] After the signing of Bruno Aguiar Brellier was used more often as a substitute and, in an April 2006 interview, he suggested he was unhappy with the treatment he had received. [3] However in June 2006 it was confirmed that Brellier had agreed to extend his stay with Hearts until 2007. [4]

The 2006-07 season continued in a similar vein to the previous year for Brellier, with the Frenchman starting less than half of Hearts' games. His cause was not helped by a controversial sending-off in the Maroons Champions League qualifying round defeat to AEK Athens [5] Following much speculation during the season, in May 2007 it was confirmed that he would leave Hearts, after rejecting a final contract offer.[6]

On the 14th of June, Brellier's agent, the brother of former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, confirmed that the player was in talks over a possible move to Rangers.

So he left hearts because he didn't get a game. I can't see what makes him think he'll get ahead of Thommo, Fergie and Hemdani.

Right then:

Chelsea Squad, 2006/07

1 Petr ÄŒech

3 William Gallas

4 Claude Makelele

5 Mickaël Essien

6 Ricardo Carvalho

7 Andriy Shevchenko

8 Frank Lampard

9 Khalid Boulahrouz

10 Joe Cole

11 Didier Drogba

12 John Obi Mikel

13 Michael Ballack

14 Gérémi

16 Arjen Robben

19 Lassana Diarra

20 Paulo Ferreira

23 Carlo Cudicini

24 Shaun Wright-Phillips

26 John Terry

29 Jimmy Smith

39 Jonas Elmer

40 Hilario

41 Yves Makabu Ma-Kalambay

43 Ryan Bertrand

44 Michael Mancienne

Pre Season Schedule:

Saturday August 5th - MLS Allstars vs Chelsea - Bridgeview Stadium, Chicago Lost 0-1

Tuesday August 8th - Feyenoord vs Chelsea - De Kuip, Rotterdam Won 1-0

Wednesday August 9th - Chelsea vs Celtic - Stamford Bridge, London Drew 1-1

Sunday August 13th - Chelsea vs Liverpool - Millennium Stadium, Caerdydd Lost 1-2

2006/07 Season Fixtures

Summer Transfers

In

Michael Ballack - Bayern Munich - Free

Andriy Shevchenko - Milan - £30m

Salomon Kalou - Feyenoord - Undisclosed

John Obi Mikel - Lyn Oslo - £16m

Hilário - Nacional de Madeira - Free

Khalid Boulahrouz - Hamburger SV - £6m

Ben Sahar, Miroslav Stoch, Per Weirauch, Morten Nielsen - Youth Team

Out

Dean Furman - Rangers - Free

Lenny Pidgeley - Millwall - Free

Dean Smith - Aldershot - Free

Eidur Gudjohnsen - Barcelona - £8m

Robert Huth - Middlesbrough - £6m

Jiri Jarosik - Celtic - £1m

Filipe Morais - Millwall - Free

Jack Watkins - Released

Phillip Younghusband - Released

Maniche - Loan Return

Carlton Cole - West Ham - Undisclosed

Damien Duff - Newcastle - £5m

Asier Del Horno - Valencia - £4.75m

Hernan Crespo - Inter - 2 year loan

Glen Johnson - Portsmouth - 1 year loan

Some stuff

2006/07 Ticketing Policy

Ticket News

Decent Chelsea sites

TOCFCWS

CFCNet

Talk Chelsea

It's also looking more likely that Tynecastle will be out of use come January due to stadium expansions.

Players that seem to be on their way oot:

Pospisil

Skacel

Webster

Hackett

Johnston

Brellier

Players in:

Bednar

Rumours in:

Ahn Jung-hwan - Duisburg

Albert Meyong - Belenenses

Farcical Rumours:

Gudjohnsen - Chelsea

Tristan - Deportivo La Coruña

It's been a rough ride for the last 12 months, but we've finally got the mananger we desire in charge for the next 3 years. Having watched his interviews, I'm brimming with excitement for the new season - and I feel that it's appropriate that all Rangers discussion goes in a brand new thread for a brand new era.

In case you've missed it:

PLG Interview Part 1

PLG Interview Part 2

PLG Interview Part 3

The club was formed as Newton Heath (L&YR) F.C. in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. After nearing bankruptcy in 1902, the club was taken over by J.H. Davies who changed its name to Manchester United. The Old Trafford Football Ground was bombed during the Second World War, leading the club to seek charity from their then-illustrious neighbours Manchester City, who allowed them to play their games at Maine Road for a period. United appointed Sir Matt Busby as manager after the Second World War, and his then-unheard-of policy of producing most of the players through the club's youth team brought great success, with the club winning the Football League in 1956 and 1957. This success was halted by the Munich air disaster of 1958, in which eight of the club's players died. It was thought that the club might fold, but instead went on to win the football league in 1965 and 1967, and the European Cup in 1968.

The club did not see success again until the 1990s and early 2000s when Alex Ferguson guided it to eight league championships in eleven years, most recently in the 2002-3 season. In 1999, Manchester United became the only team to win the UEFA Champions League, FA Premier League and the FA Cup in the same season. The club had been run as a Public Limited Company since 1991, and an attempted takeover by Rupert Murdoch had been blocked by the British Government in 1999, but in 2005 Malcolm Glazer completed a hostile takeover of the club which plunged the club into massive debt as his bid was based on borrowing most of the money.

-------------------------------------------------------

Full name: Manchester United Football Club

Nickname(s): The Red Devils

Founded: 1878, as Newton Heath LYR F.C.

Ground: Old Trafford

Greater Manchester

Capacity: 76,000

Chairman: David Gill (Chief Executive)

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

League: FA Premier League

2005-06: Premier League, 2nd

Sponsors: AIG

-------------------------------------------------------

Honours

(Old) First Division/Premier League[5] titles: 15

1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003

(Old) Second Division[6] 2

1936, 1975

FA Cup 11¹

1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup 2

1992, 2006

UEFA European Cup/Champions' League 2

1967-68, 1998-99

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1

1991

Intercontinental Cup 1¹

1999

European Super Cup 1

1991

FA Charity/Community Shield 15¹

1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 (* joint holders)

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award 2

1968, 1999

-------------------------------------------------------

Records

Record League Victory: 10-1 v Wolves, Division 1, 15 October 1892

Record Premiership Victory: 9-0 Ipswich Town 4th March 1995

Record Cup Victory: 10-0 v Anderlecht, Champions Cup, Preliminary Round, 26 September 1956

Record away win: 8-1 v Nottingham Forest February 1999

Record League Defeat: 0-7 v Blackburn Rovers, Division 1, 10 April 1926

Record Cup Defeat: 1-7 v Burnley, FA Cup, 1st Round, 13 February 1901

Most Appearances : 754 Bobby Charlton

Most Goals scored : 247 Bobby Charlton

Most League Goals: 199 Bobby Charlton (1956-73)

Most League Goals in a Season: 32 Dennis Viollet, Division 1, 1959-60

Most Goals scored in a Match: 6 George Best v Northampton Town, 7th February 1970

Most Capped Player: 129 Peter Schmeichel - Denmark

Most League Appearances: 606 Bobby Charlton (1956-73)

Record League Attendance: 73,006 v Charlton, Premiership, Old Trafford 7 May 2006

Record 'home' League Attendance: 83,250 v Arsenal, Division 1, Maine Road, 7 January 1948

Record Attendance Old Trafford: 76,962, Wolves v Grimsby Town, FA Cup semi-final, 25 March 1939

Longest unbeaten Run : 45 (All competitions), December 24, 1998 to October 3, 1999

Most League Goals in a season: 103 1956/57, 1958/59

Most points in a season: 92 - 42 games 1993/94

-------------------------------------------------------

Current squad

As of May 31, 2006

2 DF Gary Neville (captain)

3 DF Patrice Evra

4 DF Gabriel Heinze

5 DF Rio Ferdinand

6 DF Wes Brown

7 MF Cristiano Ronaldo

8 FW Wayne Rooney

9 FW Louis Saha

10 FW Ruud van Nistelrooy

11 MF Ryan Giggs

13 MF Ji-Sung Park

14 MF Alan Smith

15 DF Nemanja Vidić

17 MF Liam Miller

18 MF Paul Scholes

19 GK Edwin van der Sar

20 FW Ole Gunnar Solskjær

22 DF John O'Shea

23 MF Kieran Richardson

24 MF Darren Fletcher

26 DF Phil Bardsley

27 DF Mikael Silvestre

28 DF Gerard Piqué

30 GK Luke Steele

31 MF David Jones

33 MF Chris Eagles

34 DF Paul McShane

38 GK Thomas Heaton

40 FW Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

41 MF Floribert N'Galula

42 FW Giuseppe Rossi

44 DF Adam Eckersley

46 MF Lee Martin

47 DF Jonny Evans

48 MF Kieran Lee

49 MF Ritchie Jones

50 MF Darron Gibson

51 FW Fraizer Campbell

― GK Ben Foster

-------------------------------------------------------

Transfers

IN:

Sweet F.A.

OUT:

Jonathan Spector - West Ham United - £500,000

David Bellion - Nice - Undisclosed fee

Tommy Lee - Macclesfield Town - Free transfer

Phil Picken - Chesterfield - Free transfer

Markus Neumayr - MSV Duisburg - Free transfer

Mads Timm - Odense BK - Free transfer

Quinton Fortune - Released

Mark Howard - Released

Eddie Johnson - Released

-------------------------------------------------------

Out on loan

FA Premier League

1 Tim Howard (on loan to Everton)

Belgian Second Division

43 Dong Fangzhuo (on loan to Royal Antwerp)

Souleymane Mamam (on loan to Royal Antwerp)

Brazilian Série A

Rincón (on loan to São Paulo)

Fabio (on loan to Fluminense)

Rafael (on loan to Fluminense)

-------------------------------------------------------

Main Transfer Speculation/s

IN:

Javier Mascherano / Corinthians / Midfielder / £15m

Armando Petit / Benfica / Midfielder / £5m

Fernando Torres / Atletico Madrid / Striker / £25m

Mahamadou Diarra / Lyon / Midfielder / Extortionate

Michael Carrick / Tottenham / Midfielder / £14m

OUT:

Ruud van Nistelrooy / Everywhere / Striker / Too little

Gerard Piqué / Real Zaragoza / Defender / Loan

-------------------------------------------------------

2006/2007 Fixtures

-------------------------------------------------------

Here is a picture I drew

-------------------------------------------------------

Here is Mourinho when he saw my picture

-------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy!

Too slow Mark

Much of the United focus of late has rightly been on off-pitch matters, and there'll be plenty of talk of that as we go on no doubt, but putting that aside for now and concentrating on footballing matters, there's a lot to look forward to. A proven, world-class keeper, the new winger we've been crying out for and hopefully more new arrivals to come.

Throw in a fully fit and raring to go RvN, a resurgent Ginger Prince, Rooney, Ronaldo and Fletch with another season under their belts, Rossi, Jones, Pique and co. starting to come through, the defence getting ever more solid, more crunching tackles from ghifb, and the return of one Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

A disappointing past two seasons can't be ignored, and there's questions to be answered in many areas, but with a bit of luck, some consistency of team selection from the man with the plan, and perhaps a new defensive midfielder, there's no reason why we can't be up there and giving that penultimate game some real meaning.

I guess these are as good a place to start as any....

Fixtures 05/06

Seeing as the FA are a load of fascists, the dates for some key fixtures:

20/8 Blue Scouse (A)

10/9 Bitters (H)

17/9 Mickeys (A)

5/11 Rentboys (H)

26/12 Robbos' Baggies (H)

2/1 Gooners (A)

7/1 Cup 3rd Round

14/1 Bitters (A)

21/1 Mickeys (H)

8/4 Gooners (H)

29/4 Rentboys (A)

7/5 Curbishley's Easy Three-Pointers (H)

13/5 Cup Final

17/5 CL Final

**FUll Fixture List Here**

Another nice welcome for Wayne on opening day

Not long until the derby

West Brom at home on Boxing Day /

Tricky spell in January there

Charlton last at OT AGAIN

How many of those will stay as Saturday 3pm KO's?

Transfers In

Edwin VAN DER SAR - £2m* from Fulham

PARK Ji-Sung - £3.9m from PSV Eindhoven

Ben FOSTER, £1m from Stoke City

Players Out

Roy Carroll - Free, to West Ham United

Ricardo - Free, to Osasuna

David Poole - Free, to Yeovil

Benjamin Collett - Free, to New Zealand Knights

Daniel Nardiello - Free, to Barnsley

Paul Tierney - Free, to Livingston

Ramon Calliste - Released

Lee Lawrence - Released

Steven Hogg - free, to Shrewsbury

Michael Stewart - Free, to Hibs

Loans Out

Eddie Johnson - loan, to Crewe Alexandra

Jonathan Spector - loan, to Charlton Athletic

Christopher Eagles - loan, to Sheffield Wednesday

Provisional Squad Numbers 05/06

1. Tim HOWARD

2. Gary NEVILLE

3. Phil NEVILLE

4. Gabriel HEINZE

5. Rio FERDINAND

6. Wesley BROWN

7. Cristiano RONALDO

8. Wayne ROONEY

9. Louis SAHA

10. Ruud VAN NISTELROOY

11. Ryan GIGGS

12. David BELLION

14. Alan SMITH

15. KLEBERSON

16. Roy KEANE

17. Liam MILLER

18. Paul SCHOLES

20. Ole Gunnar SOLSKJAER

21. PARK Ji-Sung

22. John O'SHEA

23. Kieran RICHARDSON

24. Darren FLETCHER

25. Quinton FORTUNE

26. Philip BARDSLEY

27. Mikael SILVESTRE

28. Gerard PIQUE

29. Jonathan SPECTOR

30. Luke STEELE

31. David JONES

33. Christopher EAGLES

35. Paul MCSHANE

36. Mark HOWARD

37. Kenny COOPER

38. Tom HEATON

40. Sylvan EBANKS-BLAKE

41. Floribert N'GALULA

42. Guiseppe ROSSI

43. Philip PICKEN

Useful Links

The pitiful excuse for an official site

Manutd.com

Fanzine News Sites

Red News

Red Issue

United We Stand

Fans' Groups

IMUSA

SU

Stats, Archives Etc

Red 11

The Stretford End

Online Shops

T-Shirts United

'MON REDS

Anyway, the fixture list has been printed for next season and we start away to Middlesbrough on Saturday, August 13th. Other important dates for this year are :

Saturday August 20th - First home game and against newly promoted Sunderland.

Saturday September 17th - The day when the Manc's will fall at Anfield

Wednesday December 28th - The first Merseyside derby of the season at Goodison park.

Saturday March 25th - The second Merseyside derby, this time at Anfield obviously.

Saturday April 29th - Final home game against Aston Villa.

Sunday May 7th - Final game of the season against Portsmouth.

Liverpool's Premiership Fixtures 2005/06

August

Sat, Aug 13 Middlesbrough (A)

***Full fixture list removed due to copyright reasons***

Please note that the fixtures in December will change a bit because we'll be playing in the World Club Championships in Japan.

Talking Points For The New Season

1) Will Reina bring something better between the posts or will he be a flop?

2) Who would you like to see at the club?

3) We've been heavily linked to Dirk Kuyt, would he be something for us?

4) Pellegrino, Diarra, Biscan, Smicer and Diouf have left and Baros and Diao look to be leaving aswell. Any shocks? Bad moves? Who would you like to see leave?

Season 04/05

Season 03/04

Transfers In

Ian Murray (Hibernian) FREE

Brahim Hemdani (Marseille) FREE

Transfers Out

Bojan Djordjic (Plymouth) FREE

Shota Arveladze (AZ Alkmaar) FREE

Fixtures

You can view the fixtures here

Champions League 3rd Qual Seedings<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Seeded teams coef. Unseeded teams coef.

------------------------ --- ------- ------------------------ --- -------

Liverpool (TH) * Eng 115.864 Slavia Praha Cze 35.223

Manchester United Eng 110.864 Real Betis Esp 34.326

Internazionale Ita 101.191 FC Basel Sui 33.889

Panathinaikos Gre 70.714 Wisla Kraków Pol 32.930

Celtic ** Sco 63.477 Partizan Belgrade ** Srb 30.012

Villarreal Esp 58.326 Udinese Ita 30.191

Sporting CP Lisbon Por 55.740 Shakhtar Donetsk Ukr 28.200

AS Monaco Fra 53.325 Maccabi Haifa ** Isr 21.218

Ajax Ned 52.144 Everton Eng 20.864

Club Brugge Bel 50.477 Steaua Bucuresti ** Rom 20.101

Anderlecht ** Bel 47.477 Brøndby IF ** Den 19.676

Glasgow Rangers Sco 40.477 Rapid Wien ** Aut 15.209

Dinamo Kiev ** Ukr 40.200 CSKA Sofia ** Bul 15.118

Werder Bremen Ger 40.166 DVSC Debrecen ** Hun 14.389

Lokomotiv Moscow ** Rus 38.470 Trabzonspor ** Tur 12.872

Rosenborg BK Nor 36.666 VÃ¥lerengen IF ** Nor 11.666</pre>

Let the 05/06 season begin...

Scooter > Wicom

Fixtures for 2005/06

Wednesday July 13: Wycombe Wanderers (Wycombe) W 5-1 (Robben, C.Cole, Duff, Jarosik 2)

Sunday July 17: Benfica (Lisbon) W 1-0 (Rocha og)

Sunday July 24: AC Milan (Boston, USA) W 1-0 (Robben)

Friday July 29: DC United (Washington, USA) W 2-1 (Duff, Crespo)

Sunday July 31: AC Milan (New Jersey, USA). D 1-1 (Drogba)

Charity Shield:

Sunday Aug 7: Chelsea vs. Arsenal

--------------------------------

05/06 Fixture List:

Can be found here

--------------------------

Transfers In:

Asier Del Horno - Athletic Bilbao (£8m)

Shaun Wright-Phillips - Manchester City (£24m)

Jonas Elmer - Grasshopper Zurich (Undisclosed)

Lassana Diarra - Le Havre (£3m)

Transfers Out:

Scott Parker - Newcastle (£6.5m)

Mikael Forsell - Birmingham (£3.5m)

Mateja Kezman - Atlético Madrid (£5.3m)

Alexei Smertin - Charlton (loan)

Nuno Morais - Marítimo (loan)

Released

Ben Hudell

Sam Tillen (Brentford)

Sebastian Kneissl (Braunschweig)

Danny Woodards

Felipe Oliveira (Maritimo)

And some useful links:

Up-to-date Chelsea News

More Chelsea News

Sky Sports Chelsea Page

Official Site

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Romanov will come good over Tynecastle

GRAEME CROSER

GEORGE FOULKES believes Vladimir Romanov has the means and the will to keep Hearts at Tynecastle.

The Lithuanian banker has called an extraordinary general meeting for next month to vote on halting the sale of the stadium to Cala Homes.

He is expected to win the vote comfortably on January 10 although remaining in Gorgie will cost around £2 million per year.

That’s the sum which Hearts are currently haemorrhaging on an annual basis and the loss of such a sum is the main reason cited by chief executive Chris Robinson for moving.

The loss will need to be underwritten to satisfy the bank and keep the club at its home of 118 years, and chairman Foulkes is convinced Romanov is intent on providing such guarantees.

He said: "I think that on January 10 we have to work out whether we withdraw from the Cala sale but before we do that we need to get more details in writing from Mr Romanov.

"I am sure that will happen in the near future.

"The issue of guarantees is now very relevant. If anything it is now more urgent that things are sorted by January 10.

"If we withdraw from the Cala deal we need to underwrite the club’s financial position. We’ve been in discussions with Mr Romanov about that.

"Yes, he holds the future of the club in his hands. For other options to be considered they need to be spelled out in financial detail. I am hopeful that he will do that - he has shown a lot of enthusiasm so far."

News of the egm arrived just hours after the Stadium Working Group presented its report, and among its findings was the recommendation that the sale to Cala be halted. The SWG believes that the club could have a future at Tynecastle, with the stadium’s architect Jim Clydesdale holding the belief that for a fee of around £100,000 the club could complete alteration work which would keep them at the ground for five years.

Sighthill Park was offered by the report as the other viable home for Hearts in conjunction with Edinburgh city council’s plans to build a Sports Village to replace Meadowbank.

Robinson immediately rejected suggestions that the club could remain at Tynecastle.

He said: "This report says what we all want to hear - that we can stay at Tynecastle. But how does that deal with the financial realities at Hearts?

"We are losing over £2 million a year by playing at Tynecastle and this report does not state how we should address that.

"We’ve got to look at the report within the context of where the club is financially.

"I would love to stay here but the board’s job is to look at the reality of the situation and this report does not make Tynecastle viable."

However, Robinson did admit that Romanov would hold the key to the future.

He continued: "We have to look at the situation within the context of what Vladimir Romanov might have planned.

"Mr Romanov will receive his own copy of the report and I’m sure he will come to his own conclusions.

"We have our agm in January and I would expect a statement to be made then.

"If land can be acquired and there are deep enough pockets then a move could happen. I think the key is to find more commercial activities while the pitch size is also something that needs a radical solution.

"You might be able to tinker with it over the next year or so but ultimately it will have to be changed considerably to comply with UEFA regulations."

Romanov has a deal in place to add Robinson’s 20 per cent stake in Hearts to the ten per cent he already owns, although it has not yet been formally concluded.

However, it is understood the chief executive will be obliged to vote in line with Romanov’s wishes at the egm and the majority of other shareholders are expected to do likewise.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've said for months, and I'll say it again, I don't believe Romanov is the savour the many fans think he is.

I'm with Robinson on this. I can't see how Romanov can possibly expect the club to play at Tynecastle without putting Hearts in danger of folding.

1 How/when will Ramanov recoup his many Millions he claims will be put into saving Hearts?

2 How will/can Hearts sustain a wage structure for £10m worth of talent?

3 Why did other Scottish clubs tell Ramanov go shove his head up a dead bear's ass?

4 How would Ramanov justify spending millions redeveloping certain aspects in and around Tynecastle?

He's talking **** and he knows it, and I personally think this is a very bad move on our behalf putting Ramanov in control of our club.

As we all know, the current thread will be gone, and a fresh start shall be upon us. The fate of the entire thread rests on the shoulders of the administritive bosses, but I suggest we let it go, and look forward to a bold and new beginning.

This, my friends, is the future of Manchester United Football Club. We must be strong, for things aren't going our way. But with percerverance, and a little luck, Manchester United will soon be back to where they belong - top of the league.

My brothers, embrace the future and open your eyes to a new dawn. A dawn where the overpaid justify their fees, a dawn where the Manager opens his eyes to the glaring truths, a dawn where the old and shying come back to their previous best.

This dawn is going to f*cking ROCK

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">August

7 Aberdeen (A)

14 Livingston (H)

21 Hibernian (H)

28 Celtic (A)

September

11 Hearts (A)

18 Inverness CT (H)

25 Dundee (A)

October

2 Kilmarnock (H)

16 Motherwell (A)

23 Dundee Utd (H)

27 Dunfermline (A)

30 Aberdeen (H)

November

6 Livingston (A)

13 Hibernian (A)

20 Celtic (H)

27 Hearts (H)

December

4 Inverness CT (A)

11 Dundee (H)

18 Kilmarnock (A)

27 Motherwell (H)

January

1 Dundee Utd (A)

15 Dunfermline (H)

22 Aberdeen (A)

29 Livingston (H)

February

12 Hibernian (H)

19 Celtic (A)

March

2 Hearts (A)

5 Inverness CT (H)

12 Dundee (A)

19 Kilmarnock (H)

April

2 Motherwell (A)

9 Dundee Utd (H)

16 Dunfermline (A)</pre>

Transfers

IN:

Warren Jacmot (free) - Lyon

Jean-Alain Boumsong (bosman) - AJ Auxerre

Alex Rae (bosman) - Wolves

Marvin Andrews (bosman) - Livingston

Dado Prso (bosman) - AC Monaco

OUT:

Henning Berg - Retired

Ronald de Boer (bosman) - Qatar FA

Frank de Boer (bosman) - Free transfer

Michael Mols - Retired

Egil Ostenstad - Free transfer

Christian Nerlinger - Free transfer

Emerson - Free transfer

Nuno Capucho - Free transfer

Billy Gibson (bosman) - Partick Thistle

Daneile Fortunato - (free) Ancona

Andy Dowie - Free transfer

Chris McLeod - Free transfer

Darryl Duffy - Free transfer

Sandy Gebbie - Free transfer

Gary Frazier - Free transfer

Champions League 3rd Qual Round Seedings

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Seeded teams coef.

------------------------ --- -------

Real Madrid Esp 146.351

Manchester United Eng 119.510

Deportivo La Coruña Esp 104.351

Liverpool Eng 90.510

Juventus Ita 84.531

Internazionale Ita 82.531

PSV Eindhoven Ned 65.246

Bayer Leverkusen Ger 62.331

Sparta Praha ** Cze 54.915

Anderlecht Bel 49.529

AS Monaco Fra 51.947

Club Brugge ** Bel 43.529

GLASGOW RANGERS Sco 42.601

Rosenborg BK ** Nor 42.227

PAOK Thessaloniki Gre 41.467

Dinamo Kiev (**) Ukr 41.301

Unseeded teams coef.

------------------------ --- -------

Wisla Kraków ** Pol 31.177

Benfica Por 29.970

FC Basel Sui 25.384

Red Star Belgrade ** Srb 21.654

Grazer AK Aut 19.971

Maccabi Haifa Isr 19.012

Shakhtar Donetsk ** Ukr 17.301

FC København ** Den 15.758

Maccabi Tel-Aviv ** Isr 14.012

Ferencvaros ** Hun 13.045

Dinamo Bucuresti ** Rom 12.880

Hajduk Split ** Cro 11.734

Trabzonspor ** Tur 11.656

Baník Ostrava Cze 10.915

CSKA Moscow ** Rus 8.572

Djurgårdens IF ** Swe 8.516</pre>

Let the 2004/2005 campaign begin

Norwich 37 -29 33

Southampton 37 -20 32

C Palace 37 -21 32

West Brom 37 -27 31

</pre>

Fulham v Norwich City

If Norwich win they stay up, if they draw or lose they stay up if none of the other 3 win. If any of them do then they are down.

Fulham (from): van der Sar, Volz, Knight, Goma, Bocanegra, Malbranque, Clark, Pembridge, Boa Morte, Radzinski, McBride, Cole, Bouba Diop, Rehman, Timlin, Pearce, Crossley

Norwich City (from): Green, Drury, Shackell, Fleming, Helveg, Huckerby, Francis, Safri, Bentley, Ashton, McKenzie, Svensson, Jonson, Charlton, Holt, Doherty, Stuart, Ward.

Carlos Bocanegra is set to come in to the Fulham side for left-back Liam Rosenior, who was sent off in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.

Bocanegra steps up from the bench for the Cottagers, who will have Senegal midfielder Papa Boupa Diop back in the squad after suspension.

Striker Andy Cole, who has been out with an Achilles problem, faces a late fitness check to see if he can return but Holland Under-21 international striker Collins John is again ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Norwich still haven't won away from home though.

Southampton v Manchester United

If Southampton win and Norwich don't and Palace don't win by a bigger margin (at least 2 goals more unless they score 6 or more) then Southampton stay up, If they draw Norwich lose and neither of the other two win then they stay up. If they lose they are down.

Southampton (from): Niemi, Telfer, Lundekvam, Higginbotham, Bernard, Delap, Jakobsson, Le Saux, Quashie, Oakley, Redknapp, Prutton, Phillips, Camara, Blackstock, Jones, Nilsson, Ormerod, Smith.

Manchester United (from): Carroll, Howard, G Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O’Shea, Fortune, P Neville, Ronaldo, Scholes, Keane, Fletcher, Kleberson, Miller, Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Smith, Saha, Rooney.

Crouch is suspended, Prutton returns after a ten match ban. Heinze is still injured for United.

Charlton Athletic v Crystal Palace

If Palace win and Norwich and Southampton don't then Palace stay up, if they win by 2 more goals than Southampton do and Norwich don't win then they stay up. If they draw and Norwich and Southampton lose and WBA don't win then they stay up.

Charlton Athletic (from): Kiely, Andersen, Young, Kishishev, Holland, Murphy, El Karkouri, Konchesky, Rommedahl, Johansson, Fortune, Euell, Lisbie, Hughes, Thomas, Jeffers, Bartlett, Perry, Fish.

Crystal Palace (from): Kiraly, Butterfield, Powell, Borrowdale, Routledge, Hughes, Riihilahti, Kolkka, Johnson, Freedman, Speroni, Torghelle, Ventola, Leigertwood, Popovic, Hall, Granville

Dowie will be without Uruguay defender Gonzalo Sorondo for the short trip to The Valley.

Sorondo was sent off during last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Southampton - his second red card of the season - so misses the Addicks showdown through suspension.

Otherwise, only long-term absentees Emmerson Boyce (foot) and striker Tommy Black (leg) are unavailable for the south London derby.

West Bromich Albion v Portsmouth

West Brom must win and have none of the other three win, if they do then they stay up, otherwise they are down.

West Bromwich Albion (from): Kuszczak, Hoult, Gaardsoe, Moore, Clement, Albrechtsen, Scimeca, Wallwork, Robinson, Greening, Richardson, Gera, Campbell, Horsfield, Kanu, Earnshaw, Inamoto, Murphy.

Portsmouth (from): Ashdown; Primus, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Taylor; O’Neil, Cisse, Skopelitis, Hughes; Yakubu, Kamara, Chalkias, Fuller, Rodic, Mezague, Duffy, Keene.

Teenagers Richard Duffy and James Keene are in a Pompey squad much reduced by injuries for the trip to the midlands.

Defender Duffy, who has been on loan at Coventry and Burnley, has yet to make a Barclays Premiership appearance this term. Striker Keene, who has also been out on loan at Kidderminster, made his debut in last week’s home draw with Bolton Wanderers.

Alain Perrin’s options have been hit by injuries to Lomana LuaLua, Patrik Berger, Steve Stone, Svetoslav Todorov and Vincent Pericard and he may use the final match of the season to look again at on-loan midfielder Valery Mezague.

The influential Richardson is brought back into Robson’s squad after being ineligible against United, while defender Richard Chaplow is also pushing for a recall after recovering from his knee problem. Robson will have no qualms about relying on Polish keeper Tomasz Kuszczak again if, as expected, regular number one Russell Hoult fails a fitness test on the groin he pulled at Old Trafford last week.

All games at 3pm Southampton v Manchester United and Fulham v Noriwch are on Sky.

Rangers launch a youth development company

By Gordon Parks

RANGERS have found a way to avoid getting any deeper into debt from now on they'll be buying players from... Rangers. The Ibrox club yesterday launched a new company which will develop youngsters in the hope of selling themon to the first team.

Current associate director Ian Russell, investor Paul Murray, hotel boss Jim Whitelaw and businessman Walter Nimmo are behind a £1million cash input for the plan which will be overseen by youth chief George Adams.

The company, which has already purchased striker Bajram Fetai, will demand a transfer fee from the club after 10top--team appearances and will look to bring in money to sustain the youth development at Murray Park.

Chairman John McLelland said: 'It's a concept that I think is unique and, rather than just have the youth development budget,the club will have the proceeds of the youth development success.

'What we don't want to happen is five players to join the first-team squad and we have to beg, borrow and steal to refinance the youth development company.

'We've set a value on those players and if there is any debate we will use the FIFA system to calculate the value.

'If George successfully feeds players to the first team or if some get sold on then the proceeds will go back into youth development.'

Adams unearthed a conveyor belt of talent during his time in charge of youth development at Celtic.

He said: 'It will take a long time before we get a constant supply coming into the first team but at under 13s ,14s, and 15s we have some of the best talent.

'When I came to Ibrox my eyes were opened a bit and I only regard myself as being at the club for six months, as the first six months was tidying up.

'I was setting up coaching centres and scouting networks as well as bringing in the best coaches and I feel now that we are heading in the right direction.

'I'm delighted to see the young boys coming through at Celtic as there is no better feeling that seeing someone you've worked with emerging, no matter what club he's with.'

Adams has asked for patience as he puts in place a programme to challenge Rangers' Old Firm rivals.

He added: 'I'm very well aware that it can't happen overnight and anyone who thinks it can is in cloud cuckoo land.

'This facility is being used all day seven days a week and Alex is working hard behind the scenes.

'If I didn't think that I could turn it around then I wouldn't be here and I think that I'll succeed.

'I hope that it goes to UEFA when we are compensated for Alan Hutton as we'll get a few bob for him.

'Our target is to bring in a couple a year. You look at what has happened at Celtic with Shaun Maloney, David Marshall, Craig Beattie and Ross Wallace and that's our target.' <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Aww nawwww

Linked with us so far:

Paul Konchesky

Roger Garcia

Simon Davies

José Mari

Marco Borriello

Hide Nakata

Harry Kewell

Thierry Henry

Alessandro Nesta

Christian Vieri

Patrick Kluivert

Edgar Davids

Wayne Rooney

The Pope

Andriy Shevchenko

Adrian Mutu

Gianfranco Zola

Jaap Stam

Yildiray Basturk

any more?

[This message was edited by silver_blue on 09 July 2003 at 13:18.]

The various ifs, buts, and whatnots

If Man Utd fail to take four points or more from their next two games, and Chelsea lose at Newcastle on Sunday, then a point is enough for Arsenal to regain the title.

If Man U take maximum points from their next two games, Chelsea lose or draw at Newcastle, then a win for Arsenal gives us the title

If Chelsea win at Newcastle, Arsenal would still need four points from their remaining 5 games to be sure of the league.

No confirmed team news as yet, I believe Carr is suspended for Spurs, Arsenal could have Ljungberg and Cole back after injury.

Come on you rip roaring reds

Come on late Sol Campbell winner to clinch the title

PS Keyser would like to wish Arsena and all their fans the best of luck for this fixture.

'It'd be great if they could win it at the Lane, I'd be delighted for you Rob' he told me earlier

early team news, Reyes out, apart from that I think we'll be at full strength

how are Chelsea shaping up?