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Lot number 738, a rarely-used Liverpool and England striker. We’ll start the bidding at £15million…

Should your team be bidding for Peter Crouch this summer? It’s clear that if the former QPR hitman gets a regular run of games for most Premier League clubs, he’ll score a fair few, both on the floor and in the air. It’s just a shame that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez seems intent on persisting with a formation that includes just one forward, and that Crouch has to compete with the goal machine that is Fernando Torres.

While there’s been a whole heap of speculation surrounding Crouch all season, most of which has been rebuffed by the striker, it now appears as though the talented forward is moving to pastures new. Sky Sports report that Rafael Benitez has slapped a £15million price tag on his head (after getting a ladder out to reach that far), which is the equivalent of one-and-a-half Gareth Barry’s if Liverpool’s economics are anything to go by.

“Crouch wants to play every week but knows he must fight it out with Fernando Torres,” Benitez said.

“We keep seeing Portsmouth linked with the player but we have had no offer as yet.

“A £15m price tag would not be unreasonable.”

Which is basically the Spaniard’s way of saying ’show me the money’ to potential buyers. Harry Redknapp is clearly a fan of Crouchaldinho, having been his manager when the pair were at Southampton. Will there be a little and large act at Pompey next season, with Crouch and Defoe wreaking havoc amongst opposition defences?

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More Championship footballers in hot water with the pur-leeze

Not the greatest of times to be a Southampton supporter. Last season, they were knocking on the door of the Premier League, demanding to be let in. This time round, they could be heading in the opposite direction, teetering on the brink of relegation to League One. Add into the melting pot that two prodigiously talented but essentially stupid players were arrested yesterday and you have yourselves an ugly mess. The Times reports:

Bradley Wright-Phillips and Nathan Dyer, the Southampton players, were arrested and questioned yesterday in connection with an alleged theft at a nightclub. It has been alleged that Dyer, a midfield player, was pictured rifling through handbags in a cloakroom, while Wright-Phillips, a forward, stood watch after the pair broke a club curfew last month to visit Bar Bluu in Southsea, Hampshire.

Presumably they didn’t need the cash and were only doing it for a ‘buzz’, something that footballers seem to require given they have a lot of spare time on their hands. It will be interested to hear what their explanation was, if indeed they supply one. It would also be interesting to hear what Arsenal legend Ian Wright had to say about his son’s misdemeanour. Should the pair be sacked by Southampton or do they deserve a second chance?

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Lundekvam To Claus Door On Career

Southampton captain Claus Lundekvam is set to retire after a long-term ankle injury. He had hoped to make a return to action this month but after a recurrence he has decided to hang up his boots.

The lanky Norwegian has spent the last 12 years with the Saints after making a £350,000 move from Brann Bergen in 1996, making over 400 appearances and Peter Crouch feel normal.

This is it for me, it’s game over. It’s very sad, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

Maybe once the season is finished and the players have gone I’ll find it hard to deal with.

Wednesday’s Transfer Rumours

Wednesday’s piping hot transfer rumours…

Manchester United are ready to bag Sporting Lisbon’s defender Miguel Veloso for £15m. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth gaffer ‘Arry Redknapp is after Crystal Palace left-back Lee Hills. (Daily Mirror)
…But Lee Hills himself reckons that he isn’t leaving Selhurst Park anytime soon. (Daily Star)

Sunderland are ready to swoop for Southampton’s 21-year-old midfielder Andrew Surman in the summer transfer window. (The Daily Mail)

Chelsea are sniffing around FC Brno’s Czech midfielder Luboš Kalouda, but will have to beat off interest from CSKA Moscow to sign the 20-year-old. (The Independent)

Coventry’s new boss Chris Coleman is to make his first move in the transfer market by bringing Fulham defender Ian Pearce in on loan. (The Times)

Supreme Goodison baldie, Lee Carsley will be gifted a new contract because of his barnstorming form. (The Sun)

Spurs boss Juande Ramos will recall England’s number 1 (in terms of gaffes) Paul Robinson, for Uefa Cup tie with Slavia Prague. (Daily Mail)

Is David Bentley the best January acquisition ever?

The Times has lovingly compiled the Top 25 January signings, and in at number one is David Bentley’s transfer from Arsenal to Blackburn. Times journo Tom Dart writes:

“Already on loan, Blackburn made the deal permanent two years ago. Whatever the undisclosed fee was, it was a bargain – Bentley blossomed and was in the England squad within 18 months.”

The Top 5, according to Dart is:

1. David Bentley - Arsenal to Blackburn (undisclosed)
2. Emmanuel Adebayor - Monaco to Arsenal (£7m)
3. Scott Carson - Leeds United to Liverpool (£1m)
4. David Nugent - Bury to Preston North End (£100,000)
5. Theo Walcott - Southampton to Arsenal (£5m, rising to £12.5m)

So agree with this top five? Enjoy it? The Times will bring you the 25 worst January transfers next!

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Arsenal manager admits Walcott disappointment

Since his £12 million move from Southampton two seasons ago, Theo Walcott has made just nine league starts for Arsenal. The Independent report that Arsene Wenger is disappointed about the 19-year-old’s development at the Emirates Stadium, admitting he expected the player to have been playing to a higher standard by now.

The admission that Walcott has not “come on” as would have been hoped was a significant one made by Arsène Wenger yesterday. “He will get where I expect him to be,” the Arsenal manager said, “at the moment he is not.” Wenger added that he was unconcerned and said he believed that by the end of the season “he can make that step” to the first team.

Recent evidence has not been persuasive with Walcott’s latest outing, against Birmingham City, one of his most disappointing to date. “He was troubled a little bit,” Wenger conceded. “It can happen at that age and it’s part of the learning process. They have to deal with that. The expectation level is very high because he is very young and he has been projected early in the spotlight.”

Indeed, it could be said that Wenger helped contribute to the attention that Walcott has received, with it commonly thought that the Arsenal manager persuaded Sven-Goran Eriksson to include the youngster in his England squad for World Cup 2006. Is he paying the price now?

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What was the biggest FA Cup shock of the day?

Upsets left right and centre in today’s FA Cup action. But what was the biggest shock?Coventry somehow managed to obliterate Blackburn 4-1, whilst League One Huddersfield beat Birmingham 2-1. Special mention should also go to Sheffield United who booted out Bolton with a 1-0 win lowly and injury ravaged Oldham, who beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park.

So what was your upset of the day?

Here are today’s 3rd round results in full:

Barnsley 2-1 Blackpool
Blackburn 1-4 Coventry
Bolton 0-1 Sheff Utd
Brighton 1-2 Mansfield
Bristol City 1-2 Middlesbrough
Charlton 1-1 West Brom
Chasetown 1-3 Cardiff
Chelsea 1-0 QPR
Colchester 1-3 Peterborough
Everton 0-1 Oldham
Huddersfield 2-1 Birmingham
Ipswich 0-1 Portsmouth
Norwich 1-1 Bury
Plymouth 3-2 Hull
Preston 1-0 Scunthorpe
Southampton 2-0 Leicester
Southend 5-2 Dag & Red
Sunderland 0-3 Wigan
Swansea 1-1 Havant and W
Swindon 1-1 Barnet
Tottenham 2-2 Reading
Tranmere 2-2 Hereford
Walsall 0-0 Millwall
Watford 2-0 Crystal Palace
West Ham 0-0 Man City
Wolverhampton 2-1 Cambridge Utd
Manchester United LATE KICK OFF Aston Villa

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From Barnsley to West Brom, via Hull City: BBC to broacast Football League matches

It’s not been a great year for Auntie, what with losing a load of funding, being found out to be dirty rotten cheats ripping of quiz contestants and Gary Lineker still smirking at the camera. So it with a smile on our face that we bring you better news from White City, the Beeb will be broadcasting Football League matches from 2009. Well, it worked for ITV Digital.

So, what are the details?

The BBC will show Football League and Carling Cup matches from the 2009 to 2012 seasons after winning the contract in a joint bid with Sky.

Oh yeah, the Carling Cup too, we forgot that.

It means Championship matches will be screened live on the BBC for the first time, with 10 first-choice games per season exclusively live on the BBC.

And what’s more…

The Carling Cup final will be simulcast live with Sky, and two semi-final legs shown exclusively live on the BBC.

No, we don’t know what that means either. So, is this a step forward for the Championship or just another sign that BBC sport ain’t what it used to be?

Who is the best player outside the Premiership?

For a while it was Kevin Phillips, for ages it was Jason Koumas, there was even some rubbish talked about Robert Earnshaw at some point. But who is currently the best player outside the Premiership? Well, here are some options, but feel free to pick your own?

Kevin Phillips (West Brom) - Is he past it? Probably, but a bit of expeience never hurt anyone.

Darius Henderson (Watford) - Scores a shed load of goal, but is he just a flash in the pan?

Zolton Gera (West Brom) - Top class midfielder, who really should be playing in Premiership soon.

Robbie Fowler (Cardiff) - Stop laughing at the back, he used to be the next Jimmy Greaves, that’s got to be worth something.

Jimbo Beattie (Sheff United) - The only good thing about Bryan Robson’s reign?

Peter Halmosi (Plymouth) - An outsider for the title, this Hungarian winger is leading Ollie’s Argyle revolution.

Any better suggestions?

Southampton selling out: Good or Bad?

While rich women have to have one of those small fluffy dogs to carry around, rich men cannot be seen dead without a football club under their arm these days. And with most of the Premiership clubs gone the Championship is now facing a looting. Who’s next but those one time Premiership strugglers and home to the talennts of Le Tissier and, um, Benali, Southampton. Let the BBC take up the story:

“Southampton have revealed that their plc board has agreed in principle to proposals which would see a mystery investment company buy into the club.”

A mystery investor, well that’s re-assuring. Well, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley seems to be linked with moves to more clubs than Nicolas Anelka recently but that has always seemed a bit far fetched. we are betting it is some nameless dullard who made their name selling computers or insurance. That’s the thing with club owners, they are either made or very boring, thank God for Simon Jordan.

So as yet another club contemplates losing its soul for about 3 minutes once the money starts rolling in, is this a good move for Southampton fans?

Three Things You Learned From The Weekend’s Championship Matches?

It was back to the rat-race for Championship players at the weekend and they looked more than happy about it; turning in some great performances.

Sheffield Wednesday continued to get their season back on track with a impressive win at Stoke while Watford continued to steamroll their way to the Premiership as Marlon King grabbed another goal against Hull. Meanwhile, Neil Warnock almost got off to a winning start before Palace returned to their usual form and Man Utd’s Lee Martin proved to be a wise loan signing for Plymouth with a man of the match performance.

But here’s your chance to tell everyone what you learned from the weekend’s Championship results, and to see what others thought as well. Sort of a lower-league love-in, only not quit as disgusting.

Barnsley 1-1 Burnley

Blackpool 1-1 Palace

Colchester 3-2 West Brom

Norwich 1-3 Bristol City

Plymouth 1-0 Coventry

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Ipswich

Scunthorpe 0-0 Leicester

Sheffield United 1-1 Preston North End

Stoke 2-4 Sheffield Wednesday

Watford 1-0 Hull

Wolves 2-0 Charlton

Championship Prediction Mania

Like the first day back at school after half-term, domestic football returns tomorrow and it doesn’t look too appealing. But wait, don’t run off to MFI to buy that decking for garden just yet, their are some appealing fixtures in the Championship. How about Neil warnock’s first game in charge of Crystal Palace? Then, of course, there is the battle of the B-ley teams at Oakwell (ok, we’re stretching it here). What will happen is anyone’s guess, but why not show your guess is better than ours by challenging our predictions, below:

Cut and paste into the comments with your own predictions, or just put down a few thoughts:

Barnsley v Burnley - away win

Blackpool v Crystal Palace - draw

Colchester v West Brom - home win

Norwich v Bristol City - home win

Plymouth v Coventry - draw

QPR v Ipswich - home win

Scunthorpe v Leicester - away win

Sheff Utd v Preston - draw

Stoke v Sheff Wed - home win

Watford v Hull - home win

Wolves v Charlton - draw

Southampton v Cardiff - away win

Midweek Championship Predictions: Charlton, Southampton, Hull, Cardiff Cit and more

With a full programme of Championship games this week, it is time for punters to show that they know their stuff outside the Premiership by beating Caughtoffside at our predictions game. Simply go for a home win, away win or draw.

Here are the fixtures, check out our picks and cut and paste into the comments to show your own:

Barnsley v Bristol City - draw

Burnley v Ipswich - home win

Coventry v Blackpool - home win

Hull v Charlton - draw

Leicester v Wolves - away win

Norwich v Scunthorpe - home win

Plymouth v Crystal Palace - draw

Preston v Southampton - away win

Sheff Utd v Cardiff - draw

Watford v Sheff Wed - home win

The winner will get a pat on the back and a firm handshake. And maybe some crisps… but probably not.