Latest Football news, Euro and World Soccer

Administrator urges League to rethink penalty
Portsmouth’s administrator Andrew Andronikou has given a ‘team talk’ ahead of Monday’s game against Liverpool and told the players he will do all he can to persuade the Premier League not to dock nine points - a scenario he feels would “distort” the league.

David Beckham ‘looks like he is out of World Cup’ admits England coach Fabio Capello
David Beckham’s World Cup dream over after former captain tears Achilles tendon during AC Milan’s Serie A game with Chievo.

Robbie Keane will return to Spurs, Jordan insists
Tottenham Hotspur first team coach Joe Jordan insists there is no chance of Robbie Keane remaining at Celtic beyond the end of his loan period.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Alan Hansen: Whoever invests in Liverpool had better have deep pockets
The new investors will have to throw some serious money at the club merely to get Liverpool on a level footing with rest.

Manchester United 3 Fulham 0: match report
Wayne Rooney shows just why Real Madrid are ‘obsessed’ with signing him by scoring twice against Fulham as United go top.

Owen Coyle praises Kevin Davies lead role in Bolton Wanderers’ survival fight
Bolton manager Owen Coyle says Fabio Capello should contemplate calling up Kevin Davies for the World Cup.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Butler puts W.Va. in top seed territory
Clutch Da’Sean Butler makes West Virginia look like a top seed.

Real ‘obsessed’ with signing Wayne Rooney, admits former president

• Former Real president thinks Rooney would cost £80m
• ‘I imagine in that case Manchester United would have to sell’

Real Madrid have an “obsession” about signing Wayne Rooney but would need to fork out £80m or more to do so, according to their former president Ramón Calderón.

Real, who have spent £240m assembling a team with names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Xabi Alonso, were knocked out of the European Cup in midweek by Lyon.

The current president, Florentino Pérez, has been linked with moves for José Mourinho to replace the manager Manuel Pellegrini, and the Manchester United striker Rooney.

Calderón said: “It seems that it’s an obsession for the president to go for Rooney. I imagine Manchester United wouldn’t like to lose a player like him.

“Sometimes it’s a point of money and if there is a proposal maybe there will be a deal. You have to take into account that the most important thing is what a player wants to do. Ronaldo was a good signing. He is one of the best. He is a professional, a real professional and he is doing a really good job.

“I don’t know if it is possible to spend again another 100 or 80 million more euros. I imagine in that case you [Manchester United] would have to sell.”

Asked on BBC Radio Five Live if Ronaldo regretted his move to Madrid, Calderón added: “I don’t think so.

“He did what he wanted to do, he came to a big club. The idea was to win everything but you can’t buy everything with money. Even though you think you’ve got a lot of very good players together, that’s not the same as having a good team.”

Keane will return to Spurs in summer, says Jordan

• Celtic’s hat-trick hero made it eight for the club since January
• ‘He was a major player in getting us out of trouble last season’

Tottenham’s first-team coach Joe Jordan says there is no chance of Robbie Keane remaining at Celtic beyond the end of his loan period.

Keane, 29, joined Celtic until the end of the season in January and has so far scored eight goals, including a hat-trick in yesterday’s Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock.

However, Jordan is adamant the Republic of Ireland international still has a big role to play at Spurs.

He told the Sunday Herald: “Without a doubt [Keane will return], he’s the captain. Harry [Redknapp] brought him back here and he was a major player in getting us out of trouble last season, not just on the pitch, but in the dressing room as well.There’s not many of them going about. It wasn’t just the player, it was the person we wanted.”

Fernando Torres says Liverpool need ‘four or five top-class players’

• Spanish striker rules out move back to La Liga
• Club remain ‘a long way’ from dominating Premier League

Fernando Torres has expressed the view that Liverpool need “four or five” top-class players.

New faces are needed because the side remain “a long way” from dominating the Premier League, Torres told the Spanish newspaper AS. “If we do not reinforce the squad,” he said, “next year all we will be able to do is fight for fourth again.

“Being in the Champions League is not so important for me,” admitted Torres of his manager Rafael Benítez’s goal of a top-four finish. “What is really important is that the club makes an effort and brings in important players to improve the quality of the squad.

“I want to be fighting for the Premier League, the Champions League or the Europa League, but to do this we need signings to come. We need four or five top-class players to compete, players better than the ones we have.”

However, Torres dismissed whispers of a move back to Spain this summer, with Real Madrid or Barcelona.

“I don’t plan on going back to La Liga for a while. I have made my move away from home and I owe Liverpool a lot. I like it here, and people have treated me like one of their own. I am very happy here and hopefully my future is here. I think the club deserves to win again, but at this point they know they are a long way away.

“The fans are worried that players are going to leave and that’s a problem. But I think the club will go the right way. Since Christian Purslow took over [as chief executive], we have signed a big new sponsorship deal and money has come in. So I think things will move forward.”

Torres is contracted to Liverpool until 2013, having accepted more money last May. Asked if he had thought of leaving early, he said: “It’s too early to talk about that.”

Man Utd 3-0 Fulham

This match almost entirely concealed its significance. Victory, thanks largely to a pair of goals from Wayne Rooney, takes Manchester United to the head of the table, but there was little sense of occasion. The emphatic result was achieved merely by two late strikes against weary visitors.

There is seldom a good time for a mid-table side to visit Old Trafford, but the scheduling was particularly taxing for Fulham. On Thursday evening they had played a Europa League match at Juventus and Roy Hodgson felt obliged to make four changes to the line-up for the meeting with United. That step may have been made out of necessity more than any conviction that there is such genuine depth in his squad.

Nonetheless, it is the mark of Hodgson’s managerial finesse that his side’s 3-1 loss in Turin came as something of a surprise. United knew well the effectiveness Fulham have, particularly at Craven Cottage. Sir Alex Ferguson, forced to send out a makeshift centre-half pairing composed of midfielders Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, had been beaten 3-0 there in December.

It would be a falsehood to suggest United were frothing with desire for vengeance. A match that kicked off at 1.30 looked, in the first-half, like the sort of game that might have been played a couple of hours earlier by hungover men in parks football. Clear-headed though he was, for example, Gary Neville had some feckless moments. In the 14th minute he lost the ball to Simon Davies, with the latter shooting slightly high. Near the interval, Neville then played a pass so poor that it put Antonio Valencia in enough trouble for him to commit a foul and collect a booking.

United still did the bulk of the attacking, but were at risk when Danny Murphy found Bobby Zamora and the striker’s volleyed chip went slightly too high. Throughout all the uncertainty, it still looked a certainty that Rooney would make his talent count. The second-half had barely begun when he played a pass to the left-winger Nani, collected the return and shot low into the corner of the net.

The goal did not galvanise United, but they exercised more control and Rio Ferdinand, for instance, volleyed over from a corner. By then, too, the visitors had been destabilised by the loss of Brede Hangeland to injury, with Chris Baird stepping back from midfield to deputise.

When Fulham threatened it was because a deflection put the ball behind Nemanja Vidic, but Zamora dithered and the United centre-half recovered to block his attempt. As if realising that they might still be at risk, Ferguson’s team then scored again. Dimitar Berbatov controlled a pass from Michael Carrick, broke clear on the right and picked out Rooney, who shot past Schwarzer in the 84th minute. On the verge of full-time, Rooney fired a pass to the right and the substitute Park Ji-sung’s cross was headed in by Berbatov.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Pacquiao dominates Clottey
Fighting on the star, Manny Pacquiao showed once again why he is the star. With the biggest fight crowd in the U.S. in 17 years cheering him on at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao dominated a strangely passive Joshua Clottey from the opening bell Saturday night to retain his welterweight title and cement his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

No World Cup guarantees for Beckham
England international David Beckham fears he may not get to realise his dream of playing in his fourth World Cup in South Africa this summer.

Pompey administrator irked by Lloyd bid talk
Portsmouth’s administrator, Andrew Andronikou, has launched an attack on the man supposedly bidding to become the the cash-stricken Premier League club’s fifth owner of the season.

Video: Highlights of Pacquiao-Clottey
Manny Pacquiao takes it to Joshua Clottey to earn the win. Check out the highlights from Texas.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Torres future hinges on Anfield recruitment
Fernando Torres could quit Liverpool in the summer if the Premier League club do not recruit enough quality players to turn them into title contenders.

Ligue 1: Bordeaux, Montpellier and Lyon held
Bordeaux’s recent slump continued as they failed to find a way past Monaco on Saturday.

Drogba stars Chelsea’s addictive drama

John Terry may be captain but he is getting help from a striker who leads from the front

Breaking news: Didier Drogba is the new Chelsea captain. Not officially, you understand, because John Terry has managed to hang on to one of his armbands, but midway through the second half of this demolition of West Ham the team’s top scorer and chief thespian ordered Terry to reorganise his defence and England’s fallen leader obliged.

Drogba was all over West Ham in a 4-1 win and is Chelsea’s best hope of removing the smirk from José Mourinho’s chops when Internazionale trot out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday sporting their 2-1 first-leg lead. Most of us had not realised the Big D exerted so much tactical influence in Carlo Ancelotti’s team until he raised two fingers to Terry from the halfway line to denote Branislav Ivanovic’s shirt number.

Ivanovic had been racing forward from the right-back berth like a dog in the park who had been locked up way too long. After jabbing up two digits, Drogba then wagged his index finger at Terry, who straightaway passed the order down the line to “Bran” to keep tight to the rest of the back four. Ivanovic stopped marauding and Florent Malouda, who dazzled on Chelsea’s left-flank, and Drogba, with his second goal of the match, finished West Ham off.

Fabio Capello is known to have said that Terry remains the notional England captain on the pitch but had to be stripped of the armband out of an old Italian sense of rectitude. So England’s followers can expect to see him imposing his authority almost as much as he did before Rio Ferdinand was promoted to the role. But it was revealing to see him power share with Drogba in the arena where he is meant to be the domineering cockney lord.

Part of Drogba’s genius has been to shape events around his own theatrical personality. When a manager is fired from the ejector seat people always wonder whether Drogba was a catalyst in the victim’s journey toward the heavens. He is the turbulent soul of a sometimes mechanical side. Whatever the political reality of his standing in Roman Abramovich’s affections his influence in games is boundless. When Drogba is inspired, so are Chelsea. His emotional state is a barometer for the ambitions of this team.

A 55th-minute headed goal after Terry had impersonated Frank Lampard by surging into the penalty box and a simple finish from a spill by Robert Green, the West Ham goalkeeper, took Drogba’s haul to 21 Premier League goals for the season and 27 in all competitions. These Rooney-esque stats outshine those of Nicolas Anelka, whose last goal was against Burnley nine matches ago and who is becalmed on 12. The Drogba-Anelka numbers game looked like being a tight contest until Anelka was left behind by Drogba’s barn-burning brilliance.

Mourinho’s relationship with him was complex. The returning hero exhausted his repertoire of psychological tricks to exploit his senior striker’s vast potential. Sometimes he would venerate, other times he would vilify, in front of the other players. And there were times when Mourinho would claim to feel betrayed by some flirtation Drogba was having with an Italian club. Most assumed player would follow coach to Milan but it never happened. Their duel, on Tuesday, will be high-class ego theatre.

Chelsea impress less than they excite. Against West Ham, though, Malouda filed possibly his most impressive performance in a Chelsea shirt. On this evidence, the Republic of Ireland may yet see Thierry Henry karmically punished for the play-off double handball by Malouda taking his place on the left of the France attack, but no doubt Henry’s fame will prevail. If Malouda plays like this for the rest of Chelsea’s season, though, a dozen or so right-backs are going to end up with migraines.

A quiet soul, Malouda excelled without using officialdom and injustice as a monolith to fight against, as Drogba did during an amusing spasm on the edge of the West Ham penalty box. Incensed by a decision by Mark Clattenburg, the referee, Drogba appeared to have been given a sizeable electric shock as he writhed and kicked his way back to the vertical.

How much duller would Stamford Bridge be without his histrionics? It was worth the ticket price just to see him shake his finger at Clattenburg. If Rada employ specialist coaches, they should hire Drogba to teach indignation. Any actor playing a lone hero taking on Washington or a corrupt corporation would gain from studying Drogba’s blazing eyes and his wronged demeanour.

Like Rooney at Manchester United, he is the human line between victory and defeat. There was a deepening sense here that Chelsea’s season will be settled by Drogba’s contribution against Mourinho’s Inter on Tuesday and in the Premier League super-clash against United at Old Trafford on Easter weekend. He is some item, some entertainer.

THE FANS’ PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

TRIZIA FIORELLINO, Chelsea Supporters Group It was a good result, but a poor performance – it was just as well West Ham were so bad because we were not on top of our game. There were a few good individual performances: Malouda was excellent, Alex played really well and Turnbull put in a competent display. But Drogba didn’t do much and got two goals – that tells the story. It’s difficult to be too happy because I get the impression they don’t want the league enough – they’re so set on the Champions League they don’t put enough in to league games. You can get way with that with West Ham, but we must get our heads right before we go to Manchester United.

The fan’s player ratings Turnbull 8; Ivanovic 8 (Zhirkov 79 7), Alex 8, Terry 8, Ferreira 7; Mikel 6; Ballack 6, Lampard 6, Malouda 9 (Kalou 86 7); Anelka 8 (J Cole 65 7); Drogba 7

TIM CONLAN, Observer reader It was quite a good game, but we set out our stall by playing practically a reserve team. Sticking Mido and Ilan up front was a fairly negative tactic, but, ironically, we did compete very well and Ilan should have scored before they did. But Malouda ran Spector ragged – he gives opponents too much room. I think 4-1 slightly flattered them, but their goalkeeper didn’t really have a shot to save. Parker’s goal was worth the admission money on its own. We all shouted: “Don’t shoot!” because he normally hits the floodlights from that distance. Dyer had a start today and played 60 minutes, and he looked quite fresh.

The fan’s player ratings Green 7; Spector 4, Gabbidon 6, Upson 6, Daprelà 7; Kovac 5, Parker 9, Behrami 6, Dyer 6 (Stanislas 67 n/a); Ilan 4 (Diamanti 83 n/a), Mido 5 (C Cole 67 n/a)

TO TAKE PART IN THE FANS’ VERDICT, SPORT@OBSERVER.CO.UK

Liverpool monitoring McLeish contract talks
Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish is again being linked with the Liverpool manager’s job after initially being revealed as a potential candidate to replace Rafa Benitez by Soccernet on March 5.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Southampton 1-0 Leeds United
Dan Harding’s first-half goal gives Southampton victory over promotion hopefuls Leeds.

Sheff Utd 1-1 QPR
Neil Warnock’s QPR earn their manager a point on his return to his former club.

Birmingham City 2 Everton 2: match report
Craig Gardner scored his first Birmingham goal as Alex McLeish’s side recovered from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point against Everton.

Premier League action: in pictures
Chelsea beat West Ham; Arsenal steal late victory at Hull.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists he is not under pressure despite recent losses
Two defeats in four days has sparked speculation over Rafael Benitez’s future at Liverpool, but the Spaniard insists he is not feeling the pressure.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

The Joy of Six: Shock falls from grace | Paul Doyle and Scott Murray

From Des Walker’s career to the rapid decline of the first ever English champions, here are half a dozen inexplicable slides

1) Des Walker

Few players emerged from the wreckage of England’s Euro 92 campaign with any credit, but Des Walker strode out of it with trademark elegance. While all around him were losing their heads and reputations, the Nottingham Forest centre-back remained unflappable and confirmed the impression that here was the most gifted English defender of his generation. He was only 26 and would surely be a linchpin for years to come. Then he went to Italy, where great defenders tended to get even better, and inexplicably lost it. At Sampdoria Sven Goran-Eriksson tended to play him at left-back but that cannot explain why his performances for his country dipped deeply, and so quickly.

His England downfall began in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley in April 1993, when Marc Overmars left him lumbering like a lead-footed oaf and all Walker could muster by way of response was a clumsy tackle that gave Holland a penalty. That was embarrassing for a player for whom pace had always been a key characteristic, but Overmars was exceptionally fast too so no one was writing Walker off just yet.

He looked alarmingly out of his depth in the next match against Poland, however, floundering in a comically confused way for Dariusz Adamczuk’s goal. Similar ineptitude followed against Norway and though he did win a couple more caps in worthless matches, his international career was effectively over. Walker made his last appearance for England at the age of 27, when centre-backs are usually coming into their prime. Though he continued to play for Sheffield Wednesday, Terry Venables emphasised just how far Walker had fallen by ignoring him while deploying centre-backs such as Neil Ruddock, John Scales, Colin Cooper, David Unsworth. And Steve Howey. PD

2) Preston North End

Tom Finney deserved better luck. English football’s most precocious talent in the immediate post-war period, he’d been offered a bank-busting five-figure deal to join Palermo in 1952, only for the miserable jealous members of the Preston board to flatly refuse the transfer. A gentleman to his socks, Finney didn’t sulk over his lost fortune, instead continuing to give the club stellar service. But karma never paid him back.

In 1953, the day before Stanley Matthews finally got his hands on an FA Cup winner’s medal, Arsenal scraped a 3-2 win against Burnley on the last day of the league season, pipping Preston to the title on goal average by 0.99 of a goal. The year after, the Lilywhites lost the lead in the FA Cup final, going down 3-2 to West Bromwich Albion. And a further four years on, Preston found themselves runners-up in the league again, this time behind Wolves. Finney was eventually forced to retire through injury at the end of the 1959-60 season, no medal to show for his efforts, no coffers filled with lire. He had made Preston one of the must-watch teams of the 1950s, though.

And they crumbled without him. Only four teams in the First Division conceded fewer goals in 1960-61 – their keeper Fred Else was unquestionably the player of the season – but without Finney the attack was blunt, and they could only manage to score 42 themselves. Newcastle, who went down with Preston in last place, scored nearly twice as many. The previous season had ended in celebratory fashion, with Finney being waved off into the sunset. Now a poor Manchester United side came to Deepdale and rattled in four goals, the defence finally buckling under a season’s pressure, the defeat condemning Preston to the Second Division. They’d previously been relegated five times in their history, but each time managed to bounce back, usually pretty quickly. But not this time: this grand club, the first-ever champions of England, have never played top-flight football since. Karmic retribution for the hopes and dreams cruelly denied the legendary Finney? You decide. SM

3) Manchester City

Champions of the big leagues don’t often get relegated simply through gross ineptitude. The 1978-79 scudetto winners Milan went down to Serie B in 1980, but only because they were sent there for their part in the totonero betting scandal. Juventus followed them in 2006, but again it had nothing to do with on-pitch woe; calciopoli cost them, and in any case they had their title revoked, so they weren’t even champions any more. Marseille went one better in 1993-94 – the only domestic and European champions to lose their top-flight status the season after – but again that was down to financial shenanigans, and again Marseille had seen their 1993 domestic pot revoked. Bad Bernard Tapie, in your box Bernard Tapie.

Falls from grace all, for sure, but nobody was kicking the ball up into their own face in the name of sport, so we’re not counting them. Only two of the big boys meet our on-pitch criteria. One is Nuremburg, Bundesliga champions of 1968 and at one time the most successful club in Germany, who went down the season after, infamously eccentric coach Max Merkel deciding his title-winning team was too old and getting shot of nearly all of them in favour of kids. The few remaining experienced players, meanwhile, couldn’t be doing with Merkel’s intensive training methods, so stopped bothering. The club took the best part of a decade to bounce back, and even then it was only for a while before lower-division ignominy awaited.

But Nuremburg can’t hold a candle to the one, the only, Manchester City. Or Typical Manchester City, to give them their full name. In 1936-37, the striker Peter Doherty scored 30 goals, Eric Brook 20, Alec Herd 17 and Fred Tilson 15 as City scored 107 times on the way to their first-ever title. Cue English football’s one and only full and total Meltdown of the Champions: the next year, they scored more goals than anyone else in the division, 77, but still went down with a positive goal difference. They had only failed to score in four league games, but two of those matches came in their final three fixtures (which, it hardly needs to be said, came between a 6-2 win). “The use of the word ’staggering’ may be justified from different angles,” reported the Observer. That’s our City! SM

4) Stade de Reims

Maybe all good things do have to come to an end. But that’s no reason to press the self-destruct button. The fall of ‘Le Grand Reims’ was as stupid as it was swift. In nine seasons between 1953 and 1962 Reims won the French title five times and reached two European Cup finals, all while playing with a panache that spawned the now familiar term ‘champagne football’.

Not only a masterful coach, Albert Batteux, who had become manager at just 30-years-old, proved a shrewd recruiter, most obviously when he signed Just Fontaine after Raymond Kopa was lured to Real Madrid (where he spent three triumphant years before rejoining Reims and contributing to yet more success).

During his dominant reign Batteux effectively built three teams, and on the side guided France to third-place at the 1958 World Cup with a squad featuring several of his Reims stars. But the manager’s superiors weren’t worthy of him, and financial foolishness meant their investment in players began to dry up and in 1963, amid mealy-mouthed excuses, they declined to renew Batteux’s contract after Reims had finished runners-up in the league.

Compounding that folly was the French Football Federation’s ridiculous decision to ban Kopa for six months over an argument with the national team manager, Georges Verriest, (which had started when Verriest questioned Kopa’s commitment to the team after he pulled out of a match due to his son’s illness). In 1964 Reims were relegated. They’re now in the third tier of French football. Batteux went on to lead Saint-Etienne to four straight titles between 1967 and 70, plus two Cups. PD

5) Dundee United

Transition is always tricky. But for a euphoric, fleeting moment in 1994 the Tannadice faithful were convinced they had found an exciting new heir to Jim McLean. In almost 22 years at the helm McLean had steered the club to unprecedented glories and whoever came after him was always going to have to endure incessant talk of a poisoned chalice, especially as McLean had not really departed, merely moved upstairs to look ominously over the shoulder of the new man. But from the moment he arrived Ivan Golac exuded an insouciance that quickly proved infectious.

With flowing longish hair and the decidedly unMcLean-esque disposition of a genial hippy (except on one celebrated occasion), the Scottish league’s first overseas manager charmed fans and won over the players with a novel training regime that included sporadic trips to a local cafe for motivational egg-rolls, and rambles in a nearby park “to look at the trees and smell the flowers”. Results in the league were iffy but that was ignored amid a heroic march to the 1994 Scottish Cup final, where the opponents were all-conquering Rangers, in the middle of their nine-in-a-row run.

Craig Brewster’s winning goal may have been more than slightly shambolic, but it enabled United to finally get their hands on the one trophy that McLean had never won. “There’s no doubt at all that the manager can hopefully strengthen the team and we can definitely expect greater things from Dundee United,” gushed McLean in a post-match interview. Less than a year later ‘Ivan the Terriffic’ was sacked and United were relegated. PD

6) Ipswich Town

Few people expected Alf Ramsey’s championship side of 1961-62 to retain their title – they had, after all, been handed the prize on a plate by a more talented Burnley side who only won twice in their last 13 games – but nobody expected it to turn so sour, so quickly.

The hapless tone of Ipswich’s 1962-63 campaign was set on a pre-season tour to Hamburg, when the team was accidentally booked not into a hotel but a brothel near the Reeperbahn. At one end of the sassy Strasse, the Beatles were performing to audiences of gangsters and prostitutes while whacked out on ridiculously strong speed; down the other, an incandescent Ramsey was adding to the seedy atmosphere by parping hot jets of sultry steam from his lugs.

Alf’s mood would barely lift all season. The tactical masterplan which had landed Ipswich their title – withdrawing the wingers to create space for strikers behind confused advancing full backs – was quickly negated by opposing managers. Bill Nicholson of FA Cup winners Spurs showed the way in the Charity Shield, simply by putting his midfielders on the wingers; Spurs won 5-1. Ipswich were in the relegation places come November, having won two of 16 games, by which time Ramsey had accepted the England job. Ramsey stayed on in an advisory capacity for the rest of the season – which he whiled away by kicking his successor Jackie Milburn around the training ground like an old sock. (The two had come to blows in a Spurs-Newcastle match during the early 1950s).

The reigning champions ended the season safe in 17th, thanks to a late flourish of wins, but Milburn’s authority had been undermined from the off, and he never really recovered, his abject team ending the following season in last spot. Ipswich certainly hadn’t outstayed their welcome in the top flight: having won their title as a newly promoted side, it had taken them a mere two years to be dispatched back to the lower reaches. SM

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks loses billionaire status

• Tom Hicks’ fortune valued at $950m in Forbes list
• Texan ranked 701st richest man in the world

Liverpool’s co-owner Tom Hicks has lost his billionaire status, according to Forbes magazine’s latest rich list. However, the Texan businessman was still ranked the 701st richest man in the world, with an estimated fortune of around $950m (£620m).

The American, who also owns the Dallas Stars ice hockey franchise, has already agreed a deal to sell the Texas Rangers baseball team for £310m. However, he appears in no hurry to offload his 50% share in Liverpool, despite increasing pressure from disillusioned supporter against the way he and his co-owner George Gillett have run the club.

“We all know about his problems with his sports clubs here in the US and over there in England,” Forbes senior editor Matthew Miller told the Liverpool Echo. “He has had some debt problems. He has only just missed the cut [to be classed as a billionaire]. We think he is a 900 million to 950 million US dollars guy.”

Hicks and Gillett owe Royal Bank of Scotland £237m and have been unable to raise the money needed to build the club’s proposed stadium at Stanley Park. They looking to raise £100m through outside investment by the summer as RBS have requested they slash the amount of their debt.

Manchester City and council agree £1bn development around Eastlands

• Manchester City plan ‘world class leisure complex’
• Stadium expansion an option under redevelopment plan

Manchester City have signed a £1bn agreement with Manchester City Council to develop land around their Eastlands stadium.

The extensive scheme will transform one of the poorest areas of the city, with the promise of thousands of new jobs as the site is turned into a “world class sports and leisure complex”.

Ever since Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover of City in 2008 there have been suggestions that he wanted to develop spare land around the stadium, with a new training ground among the ideas that have been mentioned.

That plan is now set to reach fruition as part of the wider project, with Milan’s luxurious Milanello complex the template for a centre that will include training pitches and state-of-the-art medical facilities.

In addition, the club will look into the financial viability of extending the stadium from its current 48,000 capacity.

The first phase of the development will involve a “market place-style fan zone” in Joe Mercer Way, the current approach to the stadium.

With a Metrolink stop set to be incorporated at the Sport City side as part of the current expansion of the local transport network, ample opportunity for further development is envisaged.

“The longer term considerations for the area reflect the long term commitment of our owners to the club and the community it serves,” said the City chief executive Garry Cook.

Robinho stresses desire to stay at Santos

• Robinho eager to secure deal with Manchester City to stay in Brazil
• Santos move ‘was the right choice’ says striker

The Manchester City striker Robinho has reiterated his desire to extend his loan stay at Santos and hopes talks have already been initiated with the Premier League club.

Robinho returned to Santos in January, signing a six-month loan deal that is set to expire on 4 August. The 26-year-old, who spent the first three seasons of his career at Santos, has been in impressive form since his return and, having notched up five goals in eight matches, puts his re-found goalscoring prowess down to his happiness.

“It was the right choice,” said Robinho. “I’m good physically and mentally. I hope to continue like this until the end of my spell at Santos.

“Where I have to be happiest is within the four lines of the pitch, and this is happening. I intend to continue for long. I hope that the board is already addressing this issue. You just have to look at my face to see my desire to stay at the club.”

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Man City sign agreement to develop Eastlands land
Manchester City have signed an agreement with Manchester City Council to develop land around their Eastlands stadium.

MLS players vote to strike over labour agreement
Major League Soccer players have voted to go on strike if no new labour agreement can be agreed with the league before the season is due to open on March 25.

Quinn: Bruce is safe even if Sunderland go down
Under-fire Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is safe, even if the club fail to win another game this season according to chairman Niall Quinn.

Fulham progress in Europa League ‘not impossible’, says Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson admits Fulham face uphill struggle to stay in Europa League but insists beating Juventus not impossible.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Group mulls over Rangers takeover
The group considering a possible takeover of Rangers will decide within a fortnight whether to make an offer for the club.

HMRC to accept Portsmouth set-up
The validity of Portsmouth’s administration will not be challenged by HM Revenue & Customs, the BBC learns.

Hargreaves must wait for return
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves will not make his return from injury in a reserve game on Thursday, as originally planned.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">

Lyon president hails emotional high of victory over Real Madrid

• Jean-Michel Aulas delighted by draw at Bernabéu
• ‘It’s the best performance I’ve seen from Lyon’

The Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas, has revealed his emotions got the better of him as he watched his side send Real Madrid crashing out of the Champions League at the Bernabéu last night.

Miralem Pjanic’s crucial away goal 15 minutes from time secured a 1-1 draw to tip a nervy encounter in the French side’s favour as Madrid came up short in front of their expectant home support.

Lyon’s run to the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition has been in stark contrast to their form in Ligue 1 this season, which has been occasionally lacklustre, and Aulas has backed his side to book a return date to Madrid by reaching the final at the Bernabeu on 22 May.

“It’s amazing. It’s the best performance I’ve seen from Lyon,” Aulas told www.ligue1.com. “The players and the coach have been overly, and harshly, criticised this season so this result only makes me all the more happy. I can’t tell you how delighted I am.

“I shouldn’t say this, but I even had a little tear in my eye. Now the dream is to come back here for the final, but before then, there’s the quarter-final and then the semi-final to tackle.”

Lyon rode their luck on occasion, particularly in the first period. There were just 16 seconds on the clock when the Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was called into action, coming out to deny Kaká, and within five minutes Madrid were ahead.

Guti’s ball over the top from inside his own half put Cristiano Ronaldo in on the left and the winger’s low left-footed drive fizzed under Lloris. Kaká and Ronaldo went close before Gonzalo Higuaín missed an incredible opportunity to put Madrid 2-0 up in the 25th minute when he contrived to hit the post with the goal at his mercy having rounded Lloris.

“I admit that in the first half, we were a bit lucky with that shot from Higuaín that hit the post. But we bounced back well in the second half,” said the Lyon coach, Claude Puel. “We managed to get the ball wide which we didn’t do in the first 45 minutes. Real also dipped a little physically. But I think on our second-half showing, we deserved to go through. It took a really great second half to get the result.”

The Lyon captain, Cris, believes the 2-1 aggregate victory will force the rest of Europe to sit up and take notice of his side, who until last season were the dominant force in French football with seven straight title victories before Bordeaux broke their monopoly.

“No one believed in our chances before the game but we showed we can do it,” the Brazilian defender said. “Now people will look at us differently. We’re very happy, but we still haven’t won anything.”

Live Thursday college basketball scoreboard

Portsmouth handed major boost after HMRC accepts move into administration
HM Revenue and Customs abandons claim that owner Balram Chainrai did not have legal right to put club into administration.

classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"
codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0"
id="bet365_affiliate_creative_banner_image"
width="300"
height="150">