We’ve all heard of a come-and-get-me plea, where a disgruntled player wants a transfer and starts making noises in the press, hoping to be snapped up by a new club. However, what about when a Championship club chairman does the same thing in the media, only this time in the hope that a certain Manchester […]

What happens when you’re drawing or losing a football match in the English second flight? Do you a) panic and tell the team to play it long, b) send your central defender into attack or c) bring on Kevin Phillips to save the day?

One game down, forty-five to go as far as the 24 teams in the Championship is concerned, but what did the opening weekend of fixtures tell us? Many regard Doncaster’s 1-0 win at Derby as the performance of the weekend, but that’s only working on the assumption that Rovers were playing League One football last […]

After all, David Nugent has demonstrated that he’s more than capable of scoring against Championship opposition, as the striker’s eighteen goals for Preston last season will testify. This campaign has been an entirely different kettle of fish, with the player either injured, unfit or out of favour with Harry Redknapp, who has seemed willing to […]

Fans of Preston North End can consider themselves unlucky not to be in Monday’s FA Cup quarter final draw. Their team did them proud against Portsmouth on Sunday and, if it hadn’t been for some inspired goalkeeping from David James, they surely would have gone on to win the match rather than lose to an […]

It’s all very well claiming a goal if it gets deflected into the net by a defender, but Pompey’s Hermann Hreidarsson is taking things too far by claiming his team’s winner against Preston. The official Portsmouth site reports that the Icelander thinks he should be awarded for the goal, despite appearing to handle the ball […]

Some more transfer heresy and hearsay….
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is after Congolese defensive “wonderkid” Paul Jose Mpoklu but will have to beat off interest from Tottenham in the 15-year-old. (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has promised that he’ll be staying at Arsenal for twenty more years. (Daily Star)
…Russsian fat cat billionaire […]

Sol Campbell won the FA Cup twice with Arsenal and he might not get a better chance to land a hat-trick of winner’s medals with Portsmouth this season. Pompey have what seems like a favourable last 16 draw at Deepdale on Sunday, although Soccernet reports that the England defender is warning his team-mates against complacency […]

Saturday’s roundup of the best transfers…
Everton’s record signing Yakubu faces a fight to win back trust from his teammates and fans after he didn’t come back on time from his Africa Cup of Nations sojourn. (Various)
Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard is after Didier Drogba and will try to prise him from Chelsea’s clutches with a £20m […]

Transfer malarkey and all that jazz…
Arsenal’s bench warming midfield elder statesman Gilberto has signalled that he may be off soon after declaring that he doesn’t have a future at the North London club. (Various)
Chelsea will bag Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan for the cheap as chips price of £1m in the summer. (The Sun)
Manchester United have […]