preston

A17th-minute Paul Hayes strike secures a much needed first victory of the season for preston at [detalii...]

Cardiff City 1 preston North End 1 Darren Fergusons preston remain rooted to the foot of the Championship after Andy Keogh secured Cardiff a point with 94th-minute [detalii...]

Leicester claim a narrow victory over fellow strugglers preston in a forgettable Championship clash at the Walkers [detalii...]

Andy Keogh keeps Cardiff s promotion dream alive with an injury time goal that denies preston a first win in seven [detalii...]

Gestul managerului de la preston North-End, Graham Westley, i-a lasat masca pe proprii sai [detalii...]

preston rooted to bottom of Championship table It was felt change of manager might bring better fortunepreston North End have terminated the contract of their manager Darren Ferguson in an attempt to retain their Championship status.The 38-year-old son of the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson arrived at Deepdale in January this year having impressed at Peterborough.However, he has been unable to turn preston into promotion challengers, and leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table, five points adrift of safety.preston said: "At a board meeting held today the directors of preston North End decided to terminate the position of Darren Ferguson as manager."The club expressed their appreciation of the efforts made by Darren but felt that the league position represented a significant threat to the club and it was felt that a change of manager might bring better fortune."preston North End guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Phil Brown today returned to management with preston North End on an 18-month contract, as the Championship strugglers seek to avoid [detalii...]

preston chairman left frustrated after Man United end two loan deals following sacking of Darren [detalii...]

preston NE 1 Ipswich Town 0 Losing sequence not down to under-fire manager, says Ipswichs Grant [detalii...]

Meci nebun in liga a doua a Angliei, oferit de Leeds United si preston. Partida s-a incheiat cu victoria oaspetilor, scor 6-4. Pare deja un meci in care spectacolul s-a cuibarit pe arena Elland Road. Insa rezultatul de pe tabela nu reflecta in totalitate show-ul din iarba. Si [detalii...]

preston make official approach to talk to Stevenage manager Stevenage say move is unwelcome at this stage of the seasonStevenage have confirmed that they have received an approach from preston to speak to their manager, Graham Westley, concerning the current vacancy at Deepdale.Earlier this morning, the North End chairman, Peter Ridsdale, admitted the club had approached another manager currently in work to fill the vacancy created by Phil Browns sacking last month.A statement on Stevenages official website revealed Westley was the man in question and suggested the 43-year-old will have the final say on his future."Stevenage confirm that preston North End have asked for permission to speak to Graham Westley with the view to employing him as their new manager," it read. "The club have informed preston that their approach is unwelcome at this crucial stage of the season. However, as always in these situations, the managers desire will influence the outcome."Over the weekend reports had suggested that the caretaker managers, Graham Alexander and David Unsworth, had been handed the reins on a permanent basis at preston, but Ridsdale moved to dismiss this by confirming the latest developments."We have approached another football club for permission to speak to their manager," he said in a statement. "Ive spoken to that clubs chairman and were now waiting for permission to be granted."preston North EndStevenage guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Championship clubs preston and Burnley are looking for new managers after Darren Ferguson and Brian Laws get [detalii...]

preston North End have apopointed David Unsworth as their caretaker manager following the sacking of Darren [detalii...]

Former Hull manager signs 18-month contract preston North End seven points from safety in ChampionshipPhil Brown today returned to management with preston on an 18-month contract, as theChampionship strugglers seek to avoid relegation.The 51-year-old had been out of work since leaving Hull last year and his immediate aim will be to inspire an upturn in the fortunes of the divisions bottom club."preston North End are a big club with great history and tradition and I am really looking forward to the challenge and opportunity," said Brown. "I would like to thank the chairman, owner and board of directors for putting their faith in me and whilst I know the current position is one we do not want to be in, I have every belief in the players and my own ability to get us out of the situation we are in."The supporters of this football club are some of the most knowledgeable in the country and like them I want to see the club progress and I hope to be a part of a successful preston North End."North End are seven points adrift of safety after a disastrous campaign which cost Darren Ferguson his job after less than a year in charge.Brown steered Hull to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history in 2008, but was sacked following the clubs slump in form towards the end of last season, which culminated in relegation from the Premier League.Phil Brownpreston North End guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

All eyes will be on David Nugent tomorrow, but defeat for preston could leave Ferguson with much to contemplateThe preston North End manager, Darren Ferguson, may be grateful for the return of David Nugent to Deepdale with Portsmouth tomorrow afternoon. Not because the striker is now a shadow of the player who scored 37 goals in under 100 appearances for North End, but because while the attention is on the once feted preston striker, it will at least not be on him.Beaten 2-0 at home by Doncaster in their Championship opener and then thumped 4-0 by Swansea, Fergusons side is rooted to the bottom of the table. The financial strife the club found itself in during the summer led the new chairman Maurice Lindsay to admit that preston came perilously close to going under. This was always going to be a challenging season for Ferguson.It is still very early days, but if preston slip to their third straight defeat Ferguson, who has always believed in playing attractive football in the style made so successful by his dad, may have to think long and hard about sacrificing his beliefs in favour of knuckling down for a fight for survival.Hell have the popular defender Sean St Ledger back in his squad for the visit of Portsmouth tomorrow - whose ongoing financial turmoil makes prestons seem positively provincial in comparison - which is just as well. Making his side hard to beat over the coming months may be his best hope of preserving Championship status.With Lindsay vowing to cut the wage bill further from 10m in the summer to 6.5m other squad members could follow big earners such as Neil Mellor and Darren Carter, who left for Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall respectively, out of Deepdale.There will likely be cheers from the home fans for Nugent, providing he doesnt score. But if preston roll over for Pompey, who have a point gained in a 1-1 draw with Reading to show from their opening two games, those cheers could very quickly turn to jeers, and all eyes will be upon Ferguson.preston North EndChampionshipGregg Roughley guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

59-year-old leaves role at Plymouth to join League One side Former Leeds chairman hopes to return club to Championshippreston North End have appointed the former Leeds United and Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale as their new chairman of football. The club has been without a chairman since Maurice Lindsay stepped down last Thursday due to ill health.Trevor Hemmings, the owner, was expected to make the new appointment from within his personal business empire, making Ridsdales arrival at preston, who are currently 14th in League One under Phil Brown, something of a shock.Ridsdale moves to Deepdale from Plymouth Argyle, where as the acting chairman he oversaw James Brents takeover of the stricken League Two club.The 59-year-old, who also had a brief tenure at Barnsley, is best remembered for his time with Leeds from 1997 to 2003, when a lavish transfer policy led the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League before a dramatic slide in fortunes and relegation from the Premier League.In a statement released by preston, Ridsdale said: "I am delighted and privileged to be joining preston North End. preston is a football club that has an incredible football heritage, a large and loyal supporter base and a club that frankly ought to be competing to join the Premier League rather than playing in League One."I sincerely hope that working with prestons existing staff and with the continued support of its fan base, I can play a part in ensuring that we return to the Championship as a minimum in the not too distant future."preston North EndPlymouth ArgyleBusiness guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

preston North End have failed to pay certain liabilities Club plc suspended from trading on stock exchangepreston North End have been served with a winding-up petition from Her Majestys Revenue and Customs, following the clubs "failure to pay certain liabilities".The Championship side borrowed 550,000 from the businessman Trevor Hemmings investment vehicle, Guild Ventures, on Thursday to "meet the cost of players wages due this month". Yet despite the cash injection, which took Hemmings investment in the Deepdale club to 13.82m including interest, the winding-up petition was issued yesterday.preston North End plc will be suspended from trading on Alternative Investment Market (AIM) stock exchange from Monday morning, pending clarification of the companys financial position.The club said in a statement: "The board of preston North End, announces that, having received a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs, following failure to pay certain liabilities, the companys ordinary shares will be suspended from trading on AIM."The suspension will take effect from 7am on 17 May 2010 pending clarification of the companys financial position. The board are currently considering the options available and a further announcement will be made as soon as possible."preston North EndChampionship guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Manager keen to stay in the Premier League Stuart Gray in caretaker role at Turf MoorSam Allardyce has ruled himself out of the running to become either the Burnley or preston North End manager, following the sackings of Brian Laws and Darren Ferguson yesterday.Allardyce was removed as the Blackburn Rovers manager earlier this month and is keen for a return to football as soon as possible. Yet despite both Burnley and preston also being in Lancashire a source close to Allardyce confirmed he is not interested in taking charge at either club.It is understood that Allardyce is keen to continue managing in the Premier League, and he may be monitoring the situation at West Ham United and Fulham, where Avram Grant and Mark Hughes are both under pressure in the relegation zone.Burnley, meanwhile, have appointed Stuart Gray as their caretaker manager as they seek a permanent replacement for Laws. Gray will be assisted by the youth team coach Terry Pashley and the club captain, Graham Alexander.A club statement said: "The trio will oversee Burnleys next three games following the departure of Brian Laws as manager and his assistant Russ Wilcox."preston have also appointed a temporary replacement for Ferguson. David Unsworth, the first-team coach, will take charge. Maurice Lindsay, the club chairman, said: "We are delighted David has agreed to take care of the club at a difficult time; it couldnt be in better hands. David is a preston man. He loves the club and is one of most enthusiastic people in the game of football and he will have full support of the club and the players."preston confirmed their assistant manager Kevin Russell was sacked along with Ferguson.Sam AllardyceBurnleypreston North EndBlackburn RoversJamie Jackson guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Defender on loan at Championships preston North End Manager Pulis describes him as excellent professionalThe Stoke defender Danny Pugh has signed an extension to his contract which will keep him at the Britannia Stadium until 2013.The 28-year-old is on loan at the Championship side preston, where he will stay until mid-January after agreeing to an additional months loan. However, the Potters do not intend to allow the player to leave permanently and have moved to keep Pugh for longer."It is important we look after the players who helped start off what we have achieved over the past three years and Danny is one of them," the manager Tony Pulis told stokecityfc.com."Although he has found it difficult to command a place in the squad this season he is an excellent professional and every club needs players with his qualities who can be relied upon to come in and do a good job if required."The impact he has made at preston is evidence of that and he will benefit from playing regular first-team football."Stoke City guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

With the help of a fan the Observer looks at an in-form Football League playerThe lowdownStarted out as a defender for his hometown club, Barnsley, before moving to Hartlepool and then rapidly on to York and Macclesfield, where he moved up front and scored a club record 26 goals in 2004-05. Joined preston in 2008 after brief spells at Hull and Stoke. View from the terrace:What can you say about The Beast - 6ft 3in, 14st and uglier than a 100 quid parking summons. He already has five goals this season, including a hat-trick on Tuesday against Leeds. Gainly he is not but has a great touch for a big guy and Darren Ferguson has already described him as "unplayable" twice this season, as Neill Collins and Alex Bruce of Leeds found to their cost. I doubt if hell ever get the call from Fabio Capello, but if you are a Championship centre-half and preston are on your radar be prepared to be bullied and battle weary at the end of the game. John Roper, psg.me.ukpreston North EndChampionshipObserver fans network guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Manager axed after home defeat against preston Scunthorpe four points from safety in ChampionshipScunthorpe United have sacked their manager Ian Baraclough following Tuesday nights 3-0 defeat at home to preston North End. The result left the club in the bottom three of the npower Championship, four points from safety.A statement on the clubs website read: "Scunthorpe United Football Club has relieved Ian Baraclough of his first team duties with immediate effect. The difficult decision was reached in light of the teams disappointing performances."Kevin Pressman, the assistant manager, and Steve Parkin, the first team coach, have also left the club.Speaking after defeat against the divisions bottom club, preston, Baraclough said: "We got beaten up tonight, plain and simple. I can fully understand that people are frustrated, of course I can. Ive been in the game long enough to realise that if youre not getting results then people arent happy, but I feel I can do the job."ScunthorpeChampionship guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Plane flew low over Deepdale to mock rival fans Phil Brown said he wanted to shoot it downThe jape which saw a plane fly over Deepdale to taunt preston North Ends fans about their relegation from the Championship is to be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority.The Blackpool supporters stunt is to be examined to determine whether the low-flying plane breached regulations. The aircraft trailed two banners over the ground, reading: "Poor little preston enjoy League One" and "We are superior love Blackpool FC."After the match, North Ends manager, Phil Brown, said the mockery was "distasteful" and "if I had a gun I would have shot the plane down". A spokesman for the CAA told the Lancashire Evening Post: "Rules about flying aircraft over built-up areas are very clear, and we are investigating whether any infringements were committed. An aircraft cannot fly over a built up area below 1,000ft. We are currently looking at the pictures to make an assessment."Our legal enforcement team will look into it, and if an infringement is believed to have been made, the issue will be taken up through the courts and the pilot behind it could be prosecuted."The prank was believed to be revenge for one played on the Seasiders last year. North End fans hung a banner on a bridge on the M55, saying "forever in our shadow" when Blackpool travelled to Wembley for their Championship play-off final match against Cardiff.preston North EndBlackpool guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

The race is on for Olympic tickets. But how can we be sure of getting the right ones, asks Richard [detalii...]

The race is on for Olympic tickets. But how can we be sure of getting the right ones, asks Richard [detalii...]

Marlon King made a controversial return to football following his release from [detalii...]

Darren Ferguson insists players are behind him as pressures increases following limp [detalii...]

Paul Hayes scores two before half-time for preston Wolves hammer Walsall, Wigan held by OldhamA lacklustre Blackburn Rovers were shown up by their Lancashire neighbours preston North End in a 3-0 drubbing tonight.Two first-half headers from summer signing Paul Hayes, the second of them from a cross delivered by the former Blackburn player Keith Treacy, put preston in control before Michel Salgado fouled Sean St Ledger and Chris Brown scored prestons third from the penalty spot.There was better fortune for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a successful short trip to Walsall ended in a resounding 4-0 win.Ninteen-year-old striker Ashley Hemmings headed the opener from Greg Halfords fine cross and Sam Vokes scored twice in five minutes shortly before half-time, first tapping in Scott Malones cross and then seizing on defensive confusion to make it 3-0.Sylvan Ebanks-Blake powered into the box to smash home an emphatic fourth and substitute Kevin Doyle was a handful for the League One club, three times going close.Wigan Athletic were held to a 1-1 draw at Oldham and were forced to come from behind to secure that result, having fallen behind in the first half when Dale Stevens volleyed home superbly after running onto a poor clearance on the edge of Wigans 18-yard box.The equaliser came when Jordi Gomez was clumsily hauled down in the penalty area by Paul Black and got up to convert the penalty.Blackburn Roverspreston North EndDave Middleton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Brown and his assistant Brian Horton both leave the club Graham Alexander and David Unsworth in temporary chargeThe new preston chairman Peter Ridsdale has sacked the clubs manager Phil Brown and assistant manager Brian Horton.After relegation from the Championship last season preston targeted promotion at the first attempt, but are currently sitting in 10th place, five points from the play-offs, having only won one of their previous 11 games.In a statement on the clubs website Ridsdale said Graham Alexander and David Unsworth had been placed in temporary charge of the first team.Ridsdale said: "Phil Brown joined the Club in January 2011 with the objective of trying to ensure that we could maintain our status in the Championship division of the Football League."Regrettably this did not happen and the Club were relegated to League One. Following relegation we had hoped that we would be in a position to compete for an immediate return to the Championship but after a promising start we have only won one of our last 11 league games and we are out of all three cup competitions."Brian Horton, assistant to Phil Brown has also left the club with immediate effect. Both Phil and Brian leave with our best wishes for the future."More to followPhil Brownpreston North End guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Ellington says he was subjected to monkey chants at New Den Striker claims abuse was worst he has suffered during careerThe preston North End striker Nathan Ellington has claimed he was subjected to the worst racial abuse he has witnessed during his career at Millwall on Saturday. The former Wigan Athletic forward, on loan from Watford, said he was the target of "monkey noises" and accused of being "a thief" as he warmed up before coming on as a substitute in the 4-0 Championship defeat at the New Den."Ive never seen a more racist and abusive crowd as I saw today at Millwall! Disgrace to the human race," Ellington wrote on Twitter. "There was major abuse while warming up non-stop, there were kids in the crowd as well but they dont care."I didnt bite or report it, its just sad really that there are still people with so much anger at a football match. Ive played in most grounds in the country but never had constant stick with genuine hate in faces. All players warming up got different abuse. A section were abusing us with hateful and racist words."A spokesman for preston said the club would speak to Ellington before deciding whether to pursue the matter. Millwall said: "Its regrettable we found out after the event. Had he brought it to our attention on the day we would have used all the facilities at our disposal to investigate."preston North EndMillwallChampionshipRace issuesKaty Murrells guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Albion have a commanding eight point advantage over third-placed Forest after winning their fourth successive [detalii...]

Roy Keane admits his Ipswich future is out of his hands after seeing his teams miserable run extended with [detalii...]

Goals from Neil Danns, Keith Treacy and Darren Ambrose help ease Crystal Palaces relegation [detalii...]

Charles NZogbia secure Wigan a place in the last 16 of the Carling Cup with a winning goal deep into injury [detalii...]

Countdown conundrum spells out PNECRISIS Stunt follows Blackpool banners flown over DeepdaleThe ongoing animosity between Blackpool and preston North End fans has resurfaced in the form of another stunt, but this time in the surprisingly sedate setting of the Countdown television studio. Viewers of the Channel 4 show were given PNECRISIS to solve as the show-closing conundrum - and it was no coincidence.A producer on the show, who happens to be an ardent Blackpool fan, rigged the nine-letter teaser to poke further fun at preston supporters, who were incensed after their Lancashire rivals flew banners over Deepdale mocking the club during the final game of the season after relegation into League One.preston fans started the trend of pranks last season by hanging a banner saying "forever in our shadow" on the M55 motorway, which links the two towns, as Blackpools supporters made their way to Wembley for the Championship play-off final with Cardiff City.North End did not take the Blackpool flyover very well with Phil Brown, the manager, calling it "distasteful" and saying: "If I had a gun I would have shot the plane down." But the club has reacted to the Countdown stunt in better humour."We can see the funny side of the joke and accept that with any setback you will always have opposition supporters ready to poke fun," they said in a statement."If this is the handiwork of somebody who supports a rival, then we will begrudgingly accept that its a novel way of trying to do so. Most of the jibes are water off a ducks back to our supporters who are purchasing season tickets as we look forward to a hopefully successful season."A Channel 4 statement said: "One of the members of the production team is a life-long Blackpool fan and it was intended to be friendly banter, all done in good humour."And if youre still wondering what the answer to the conundrum was: "PRICINESS".Blackpoolpreston North EndGregg Roughley guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Moyes side beat preston 3-0 in a friendly but continue to be overshadowed by their city [detalii...]

preston manager says sides fightback from 4-1 down to beat Leeds 6-4 was the most amazing match of his [detalii...]

Reading left it late to enhance their promotion chances but their victory pushed preston North End closer to relegation from the Championship.Jimmy Kebe looked to have put Reading on course for a routine victory with an early goal but an own goal from the Royals goalkeeper, Alex McCarthy, gave preston hope of a point. But the substitute Hal Robson-Kanu then poked in an ugly winner which dampened prestons celebration of Sir Tom Finneys 89th birthday.preston were much improved after half-time but Readings late goal left them eight points adrift of safety. At the other end of the table Brian McDermotts side are in the play-off places and on current form they will be tough opposition for anyone.Reading had the first moment of danger when Shane Long flicked an Ian Harte free-kick narrowly wide but that was a rare chance in a tight first 10 minutes. Brian Howard forced the first save from Iain Turner, with a low shot on the turn from 20 yards, before another Harte set piece was deflected just wide.preston had their moments on the break, with Eddie Johnson and Iain Hume looking lively, but it was no surprise when Reading took a 21st-minute lead. Long tormented the right-back Barry Nicholson with a run into the area and when his cross was deflected up and over Turner, Kebe was left with an unmissable header from inside the six-yard box.Howard was running the show and he forced Turner into a good save with a cross-shot from the right, but preston ended the half on top without creating an opening.The Reading captain, Ivar Ingimarsson, was booked in the first minutes of the second half for a cynical handball on halfway as Phil Browns side looked for a breakthrough. They found it in the 52nd minute. Keith Treacy whipped in a dangerous free-kick from the right which Johnson flicked on to the far post. The ball bounced out, on to the back of the unlucky McCarthy and into the net.Long then shot wide before McDermott made a double change. Mikele Leigertwood and Mathieu Manset came on but preston nearly scored again. Another excellent Treacy cross was helped on by Hume and the captain, Billy Jones, was just unable to turn the ball in from close range. Johnson was then involved at the other end when he blocked Zurab Khizanishvilis effort, with Readings players demanding a penalty for handball.Harte then rattled the woodwork with a curling shot from 25 yards as Reading piled on the pressure before Robson-Kanu struck with eight minutes to go. Turner came for a cross from the left and collided with his own defender, leaving the winger to lob the ball in from close range.ChampionshipReadingpreston North End guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

West Bromwich a invins preston in aceasta dupa-amiaza cu 3-2 si si-a consolidat gandurile de promovare. Ex-dinamovistul a jucat din nou tot meciul pentru [detalii...]

Scot reacts after his sons sacking as North End manager Moves also afoot to end Matty James season-long loanSir Alex Ferguson has reacted to the sacking of his son Darren by preston North End by recalling two of the Manchester United players who had been on loan at the club and starting a potential legal battle to make sure a third cannot play for them again.preston began their search for a new manager yesterday, with the clubs chairman, Maurice Lindsay, praising Ferguson Jr for the "very dignified" manner in which he had accepted the news, but the United manager has reacted swiftly.Ferguson has recalled the defender Ritchie de Laet and the striker Joshua King and has also made it clear he wants Matty James to return to Old Trafford. Both deals were not due to expire until after the Bank Holiday double-header against Derby County and Crystal Palace."This has come as a shock to us and a bit of a blow," Lindsay, said today. "Ritchie de Laet and Joshua King wont be available for Saturdays game [against Derby] because we got a message from Manchester United this morning to inform us that they had been summoned back immediately and, under the terms of the agreement, they can do that."Its a big blow for us. These are two players, young and enthusiastic, who seemed to be enjoying it at preston, so to be told by their parent club that they cant play for us again really is sad indeed."Darren Ferguson had won only 13 out of 49 games but his father is close friends with prestons majority shareholder, Trevor Hemmings, through their shared love of horse racing, and is said by insiders at Old Trafford to be "furious" about the sacking.De Laet and King were due to play in the next two games, whereas the 19-year-old James is on a season-long loan at Deepdale, where he has become an integral part of the team. All three have told preston they would rather stay but Ferguson has ordered them back despite being aware that prestons future is at risk if they are relegated."Its unfortunate [with De Laet and King] but we recognise Manchester Uniteds legal right and have to respect that," Lindsay said. "They have also suggested they would like Matty James back as well but its a bit different legally and I will have to speak with David Unsworth [the caretaker manager] first. David being the tough, effervescent, confident character he is, he will deal with it."Darren Ferguson was sacked with preston bottom of the Championship, five points adrift of safety. Lindsay added: "I was hoping this would never occur but when were approaching the new year bottom of the league and with the future of the club itself in serious jeopardy if we are relegated, there clearly had to be some soul-searching and we had to tell Darren that for the sake of the club we needed a new manager. I went to his house for the sad task of talking to him and he was very dignified."Sir Alex FergusonManchester Unitedpreston North EndDaniel Taylor guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Former Stevenage boss replaces Phil Brown It is a privilege to be handed the reinsGraham Westley has been appointed as the new manager of preston.The League One club today confirmed the 43-year-old as successor to Phil Brown after agreeing a compensation package with Westleys previous employers Stevenage.Westley guided Stevenage from the Blue Square Bet Premier to League One courtesy of back-to-back promotions, and also masterminded the FA Cup giant-killing of Newcastle last year.Another surprise FA Cup win over Championship side Reading last weekend proved to be the final game of Westleys second spell in charge of Stevenage.He managed them between 2003 and 2006 before returning in 2008 to guide the Hertfordshire club to FA Trophy success and into the Football League for the first time.He will be joined at Deepdale by assistant John Dreyer and first-team coach Dino Maamria, having agreed rolling contracts to replace Brown who was sacked in mid-December following a goalless draw with Stevenage."It is a privilege to be handed the reins at this historic football club," Westley said."When you see images of men like Sir Tom Finney, Alan Kelly and Bill Shankly looking back at you from the stands at Deepdale, you get a very clear sense of the responsibilities that you are accepting."My job is to do my very best to reignite the clubs on-field performance and in the first instance help the club to punch at its weight. We will take things on from there."preston North EndLeague OneLeague One 2011-12 guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Florida hit a season-high five home runs, including a three-run shot by preston Tucker in the seventh inning that put the Gators ahead, to beat Mississippi State 8-6 on Sunday to advance to the College World [detalii...]

Stoke City recall Michael Tonge and Danny Pugh Jon Parkins expected move to Cardiff takes losses to sixpreston North End have suffered another major blow after two more of their loan players were recalled early.Sir Alex Ferguson reacted angrily to the news of his son Darrens dismissal as manager yesterday by recalling Ritchie de Laet, Joshua King and Matty James.Now the Stoke City manager, Tony Pulis, has followed suit by ordering Michael Tonge and Danny Pugh, also on loan, back to the Britannia Stadium.With prestons forward Jon Parkin on the verge of a move to Cardiff City, having completed a medical today, the Championships bottom side are set to lose six first-team players in two days before their home match against Derby County tomorrow.preston North EndStoke CityCardiff CityTransfer windowStuart James guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

preston Tucker drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning and Florida survived some shaky bullpen work to advance to the College World Series finals with a 6-4 victory over Vanderbilt on [detalii...]

Iain Turner, portarul celor de la preston North End, a marcat un gol incredibil in partida cu Notts County, un gol care merita vazut si tinut [detalii...]

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - preston Tucker drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning and Florida survived some shaky bullpen work to advance to the College World Series finals with a 6-4 victory over Vanderbilt on [detalii...]

Leicester City 1 preston NE 0 With three foreigners lingering as a legacy of Paulo Sousa's brief tenure, midfielder Richie Wellens has warned the new Leicester City manager about the pitfalls of [detalii...]

Former Wednesday and preston manager rejoins Everton It made sense to bring him in as soon as possible, says MoyesAlan Irvine has returned to Everton for a third time to become manager of the clubs successful youth academy.The former Sheffield Wednesday and preston North End manager, who played for Everton in the 1980s and served as assistant manager to David Moyes, is to replace Ray Hall, who was due to retire next summer but now assumes an international ambassador role for the next three years."Once we knew Alan was available it made sense to bring him in as soon as possible and make the change quicker than expected," said Moyes. "Ray has done a terrific job during his time with the academy and we are delighted that he has agreed to play an active part in the handover and that he will remain an important part of the set-up for a further three years."Irvine previously worked with the youth academies at Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, while it was under Hall that a procession of talent emerged - including Francis Jeffers, Michael Ball, Richard Dunne and most notably Wayne Rooney - who helped sustain Everton financially in recent years.Everton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

ANGLIA (Championship)- Gabriel TAMAS (WBA - preston W. 3-2 // Tamas a fost integralist in defensiva celor de la West Bromwich)AZERBAIDJAN- Adrian NEAGA (NEFTCI BAKU - FC Baku 1-0 // Adrian Neaga a adus victoria pentru gazde, [detalii...]

The hope at Deepdale is that Brown can do what he did at Hull and lift the club out of the doldrums and into the promised landThe futures bright. The futures orange. In normal circumstances preston North End fans wouldnt want the tangerine hue of their fiercest rivals Blackpool anywhere near the club but the perma-tanned visage of the clubs new manager, Phil Brown, was already in evidence at the training ground this morning even ahead of the official announcement this afternoon of his appointment as successor to Darren Ferguson.Brown, who also played under and then assisted Sam Allardyce at Blackpool in his first coaching role, could not have taken on a much tougher task with preston adrift at the bottom of the Championship, seven points from safety, and reeling from a players exodus sparked by Fergusons dismissal last week.The hope for North End supporters will be that Brown, who has brought his long-time assistant Brian Horton with him to preston, will do what he succeeded to do with Hull and take the club from an unpromising position in the second tier to the Premier League in 2008, and not what he managed at Derby County prior to that, where he was sacked just seven months into the job in early 2006 after the Rams had slumped to 19th spot.The vast majority of the fans have welcomed the appointment. At Crystal Palace on Monday when preston lost 1-0 to their relegation rivals there was an unmistakable air of doom, the away supporters around me normally so voluble hardly roused by what was an admittedly lacklustre encounter.Brown is being welcomed as a possible saviour, with previous form in that role, at a club which has been struggling in the Championship since Alan Irvine failed in the play-offs at the end of the 2008-09 season. preston are serial offenders in the play-off arena having the worst record of any team in the Football League - eight failures in total.If Brown can bring anything it will be a belief that has been seriously lacking at Deepdale in the modern age. Bury, Rochdale and Accrington Stanley are the only other Lancashire sides to have missed out on life in the Premier League, preston having fallen into the second tier following Tom Finneys retirement 49 years ago never to return to the top flight.That belief had been further dented by Fergusons 12-month tenure, during which it became clear to many observers that he was out of his depth. He tinkered with his first team too much and too often gave local reporters the impression that he didnt know how to reverse the relegation form preston had exhibited during his year in charge.The first task for Brown will be to shore up a threadbare squad decimated when Sir Alex Ferguson removed the three Manchester United loanees 24 hours after his sons dismissal, a dire situation exacerbated when Stoke manager Tony Pulis followed suit by recalling his two players a day later.The new manager neatly deflected the question of transfer funds at this afternoons press conference stating "the group [of players] is fairly strong" but many will be disappointed if owner Trevor Hemmings doesnt provide money for new players, a new striker the top priority following the departure of Jon Parkin to Cardiff.Brown did say "assurances have been given" in response to a direct question and the fans will be looking for evidence pretty quickly in the January transfer window amid unconfirmed rumours that Watfords Nathan Ellington was also at training today.The problem for preston is that the crowds they have been getting after stagnating in the Championship since 2000 are diminishing inexorably. Brown admitted preston will need to win more than half of their 22 remaining games to survive the drop and he needs to make a pretty immediate impact, if only to start winning over the disillusioned supporters remaining never mind the ones who have drifted away in recent years.Certainly if Browns past record is anything to go by - the famous half-time team talk in front of the Hull fans at Manchester City, the rendition of Sloop John B after he steered Hull to Premier League survival, his improper conduct charges - it will not be without incident off the pitch.preston North EndPhil BrownChampionshipTony Paley guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Scunthorpe v preston called off this morning Full list of postponements in football, rugby and racingThe Championship game between Scunthorpe and preston this morning became the latest victim of the wintry weather, after it was postponed because of a frozen pitch. Despite being covered for the last fortnight, parts of the pitch were deemed unplayable, forcing the Iron to postpone a second successive home game, following the fixture against Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago.Boxing Day postponements Football ChampionshipScunthorpe v prestonLeague One Peterborough v ColchesterTranmere v Sheff WedLeague TwoBradford v ChesterfieldMacclesfield v MorecambeAccrington Stanley v CreweStockport v RotherhamBlue Square Bet Premier Forest Green v KidderminsterSouthport v BarrowScottish First Division Queen of South v DundeeStirling v MortonScottish Second Division Peterhead v StenhousemuirAirdrie Utd v East FifeBrechin v AyrDumbarton v ForfarScottish Third Division Annan Ath v BerwickElgin v ClydeRugby Union PremiershipBath v ExeterGloucester v NorthamptonNewcastle v Leeds (rescheduled for 27 December)Magners LeagueConnacht v Munster (rescheduled for 27 December)Horse Racing Towcester, Royal Down, Wincanton, Huntingdon, Wetherby.ChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoBlue Square PremierPremiershipRugby unionMagners LeagueHorse racingScunthorpepreston North End guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Richard Garcia scored one goal and made the other to hoist Hull City out of the Championship relegation zone and pile the pressure on the preston North End manager Darren Ferguson.The Australian forward missed a glorious chance after 15 minutes but produced an excellent diving header to convert Robert Korens cross shortly afterwards. The on-loan Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone made his debut for Hull but preston gave him little to defend in the opening period aside from an early Adam Barton effort.After the interval North End posed a greater threat and Iain Humes 25-yard drive was excellently tipped on to the inside of the post by Mannone. But a horrible error from Sean St Ledger - playing out of position at left-back after the North End captain Callum Davidson departed at half-time - allowed Garcia to set up Nick Barmby for his third goal of the season.Jay Simpson could have added gloss to the scoreline for Hull when he hit the post in stoppage time, but it did not matter as a beleaguered North End were left rooted in the relegation zone.Ferguson made three changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Barnsley with Billy Jones, Paul Coutts and Keith Treacy making way for Barton, Wayne Brown and Hume. Hull made two changes from the midweek draw at Leeds United, as Mannone replaced Matt Duke in goal and Koren returned from a hamstring injury to replace the suspended John Bostock.Mannone sprung into action in the sixth minute, beating away a rasping 20-yard drive from Barton. Jon Parkin poked home the rebound from an offside position. Garcia shot wastefully wide in the 15th minute after Korens measured pass caught out the preston defence, but the same combination gave Hull the lead moments later.Koren was the architect, marauding down the right to deliver a fine cross that Garcia finished superbly with a full-length diving header. The Slovenian playmaker should have doubled Hulls advantage when Anthony Gerrards pass found North Ends backline static once more. But a heavy touch gave the goalkeeper Andy Lonergan time to scramble off his line and make what appeared to be a fine reflex save despite the assistant referee signalling a goal kick.North End enjoyed their best spell of pressure in the five minutes before half-time and Parkin smashed into the side netting, but the home side were still greeted with boos at the half-time whistle.Seven minutes into the second half North End came agonisingly close to equalising. Humes low 25-yard drive received the faintest of touches from the outstretched Mannone before rolling agonisingly across the line.The visitors sealed the points in the 72nd minute when Garcia pick-pocketed makeshift preston left-back St Ledger to leave substitute Barmby with a tap-in.preston almost pulled a goal back when a calamitous mix-up between Dawson and Mannone presented Parkin with a chance but a combination of the offending defender and goalkeeper saw off the danger. The Hull substitute Simpson hit the post in stoppage time with the goal at his mercy following another error, this time from preston defender Craig Morgan.Championshippreston North EndHull City guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Adam Lallana came off the bench to fire Southampton past preston North End and into the Carling Cup fourth round after their 15th successive home victory.The Saints manager Nigel Adkins made 10 changes to the side which swept to the top of the Championship at the weekend but kept Lallana in reserve. The England Under-21 found the net barely a minute after coming on to knock preston out.Saints went ahead in the 27th minute, when preston failed to deal with a corner from Lee Holmes. The teenager Ben Reeves headed back across goal and the Dutch centre-half Jos Hooiveld, on loan from Celtic, reacted first in the box to tuck the ball home.The nearest preston came to finding the net in the first half came in stoppage time, when a free-kick from Steven Smith was tipped over by the Saints keeper Bartosz Bialkowski. But they scored a shock leveller six minutes after the interval, when Bialkowski could only parry a shot from Darel Russell and Adam Barton squeezed in the rebound.Adkins turned to Lallana in the 66th minute and the move paid immediate dividends. With his first touch, Lallana pushed the ball out to Holmes and then raced into the area to get on the end of the wingers cross at the near post and head in the winner. "He is a class act and scored a great goal when the game was evenly poised," the manager said. "It was a great impact from a very talented player."Southampton were never severely tested and Adkins said he was pleased with some of his younger players. "It was a good game for our young players. Ben [Reeves], in particular, played very well on debut. I was really pleased with his contribution. He looked very assured on the ball."Its a valuable victory. We were able to start 10 different players and utilise our squad depth. Weve got a tough week coming up with Burnley, Cardiff and Watford."Phil Brown was bemused at his teams performance. "I was really bamboozled at times at the way we played. We just didnt attack enough in truth."I thought we defended really well and though they scored two goals I didnt think they created many other clear-cut chances. The frustrating thing for me was that we would win the ball and immediately give it back to them. Football is all about application and attitude and we were just simply disappointing."Browns attention has turned to Saturdays encounter with Tranmere at Deepdale. He said: "We may not have performed like I know we can tonight but playing at the St Marys Stadium will be a great experience for the younger lads. We havent played on a better surface all year."There is no negative response to me for this defeat because we always knew Tranmere is the bigger game and ultimately we will be judged on our league results."Carling Cup 2011-12Southamptonpreston North EndCarling Cup guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

North End in League One for first time since 2000 Swindon down to League Two after defeat at Hillsboroughpreston North Ends long-anticipated relegation to League One was confirmed yesterday with their 1-0 defeat against Cardiff at Deepdale. Peter Whittinghams early goal secured victory for City and combined with Crystal Palaces 1-0 win against Leeds, condemned Phil Browns team to life in the third tier for the first time since 2000.Relegation is a startling fall for a club who have reached the Championship playoff final twice in the past decade but having lost 22 of 43 league games prior to kick-off, survival always seemed an unlikely outcome. They were dominated by Cardiff, who would have moved into second place had Norwich not won 3-2 with a late goal against Derby.Sitting one place below Cardiff in fourth are Swansea, who guaranteed a playoff place with a 4-1 win over Ipswich. At the bottom Scunthorpe have dropped to 23rd and look likely to join preston after a 2-1 loss at home to Millwall, who climbed to seventh place.Relegated from League One are Swindon, whose 3-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday sees them rooted to bottom spot with two fixtures left to play. Darren Potter and Neil Mellor, twice, scored for Wednesday. At the top of the division Southampton strengthened their hopes of an automatic-promotion place alongside the champions Brighton, who drew 1-1 at Colchester, with a 2-0 victory over Hartlepool at St Marys. They remain second, level on points with third-place Huddersfield, who beat Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1.Bury secured promotion from League Two with a 3-2 win at Chesterfield, secured through Ryan Lowes 87th minute goal. The home side would have wrapped up the title had they been victorious themselves. Meanwhile, Stockport are all but relegated to the Blue Square Bet Premier League despite a fighting 2-2 draw with Northampton at Edgeley Park.preston North EndCardiff CitySwansea CityIpswich TownScunthorpeMillwallSwindonSheffield WednesdaySouthamptonHartlepoolHuddersfieldDagenham & RedbridgeBuryChesterfieldStockportNorthamptonColchesterNorwich CityDerbyBrighton & Hove AlbionSachin Nakrani guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

prestons Greenlands Labour Club scrutinised following fight using boys as young as eight for adult audienceCouncil chiefs have ordered the review of the licence of a Lancashire club after it staged cage fighting using children as young as eight.Concerns were raised after the boys took part in a fight at the Greenlands Labour club in preston before a 250-strong adult audience. The city council will be checking to see whether any licence conditions were breached and will ask the club not to stage similar events involving juveniles.A video of the bout on 10 September, posted on the internet, showed children fighting in a cage without protective padding or headgear.The deputy leader of preston city council, John Swindells, said: "I, like many other people, am appalled by the incident of cage fighting involving children taking place in preston. I am really concerned about the potential of harm to the children who were as young as eight years old."Having checked the licence conditions for Greenlands there is also a condition that children should not be on the premises at public events after 6pm, and I think it needs to be looked into whether this particular condition has been breached."I, and many people in preston, cannot just ignore or condone this cage fighting event involving children taking place in our city. As such I have now made a request for the licence at Greenlands Labour club to be reviewed. A formal licensing review process will now follow."Police will not be taking action over the event. A Lancashire police spokesman said the force had looked into the matter fully and there were no issues to pursue.The review could take up to three months as the club is allowed 28 days to make its representations, and then there is a similar period for the public to have their say.Swindells added: "I am not against cage fighting for adults and the Greenlands Labour club is a valuable and important community facility. However, I would ask [the club] "I will certainly not to put on any future cage fighting events involving children. I will certainly be asking the licensing committee to tighten the conditions so that such events involving children are not allowed to happen in preston."The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has condemned the cage fighting as "barbaric" and expressed shock at the lack of restrictions on it."Getting more young people doing sport is great but I do ask myself whether it really does have to be in a cage," Hunt told the BBC. "It feels very barbaric and I know there are concerns about children that young doing a sport like that. I think if adults choose to do it, thats one thing ... I suppose I do share some of the shock that I think many of your viewers will feel."Michelle Anderson, owner of the Greenlands Labour club, defended the event. "The children were not doing cage fighting, they were just grappling. There was no punching, kicking or striking. The event was perfectly legal. There was only one fight for kids, which was a demonstration fight. The other fights were for adults."The 39-year-old, who has run Greenlands Labour Club for the last six years, and holds boxing nights there, added: "If you criticise this, then youve got to ask yourself if its all right for kids to do boxing or judo."A spokesman for Sharefight, the company commissioned to film the event, said the video had been online for two weeks without drawing complaints but was taken down last night "out of respect" for those who had shown concern. The event had taken place in a safe environment and under strict conditions, he said.ChildrenChild protection guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Charles NZogbia may not constitute too many peoples idea of a reliable insurance policy but he proved exactly the sort of back-up Roberto Martinez required tonight. The Wigan winger, who has infuriated managers as different as Joe Kinnear and Alex McLeish, justified the Spaniards decision to keep him in reserve for emergencies.One such presented itself when preston led through Keith Treacy and NZogbia answered the call. An inspired cameo of pace and penetration from the Frenchman, capped by a 92nd-minute winner, averted an upset and prevented Wigans troubled start to the season from becoming worse.But for NZogbias misguided attempts at brinkmanship and excessive wage demands, he would have joined Birmingham City last month. Having remained at Wigan, Martinez insisted he is being rehabilitated."Its quite clear the talent Charles has got," said the Wigan manager. "The way he has behaved and acted since the window closed has been an example for everyone. Hes a player that many fans would pay money to watch. He is a team player and worked really hard."His was a catalytic contribution that left preston frustrated. "When you get to 88 minutes, you probably think you should win the game," said their manager, Darren Ferguson. "But we were so naive its incredible. Individual mistakes cost us the game." Their difficulties began when Jordi Gomez levelled, drilling a low shot past the previously underworked preston goalkeeper Andy Lonergan.Even then, cruelly, the visitors had an opportunity to progress. Instead, from their corner, Wigan counter-attacked at breakneck speed in a manner that left Ferguson lamenting Danny Mayors inability to foul NZogbia long before he bore down on goal. Instead, he proceeded, exchanging passes with James McCarthy before the Frenchman applied the coup de grace.NZogbias impact stretched beyond his goal. His arrival brought a change of shape to Wigans favoured 4-2-3-1 formation from a diamond in midfield. That afforded neither full-back much protection and preston capitalised. The right-sided midfielder Mayor won a freea€‘kick that his left-sided counterpart, Treacy, drilled through what Martinez termed "a half-hearted wall". The Wigan manager said: "The goal was an example of how we started the game. We left ourselves with a mountain to climb."It could have been bigger. Paul Coutts struck the woodwork twice, hitting the post following Mayors low cross and the bar after Adam Bartons perceptive pass. "Theres a few turning points," said Ferguson.He had hoped this game would provide one for a club with downward momentum. Instead the dramatic turnaround condemned preston to a fifth successive defeat. It revived memories of a similarly late derby defeat at Burnley earlier this month - "Deja vu," said Ferguson.Yet, while his presence in the directors box - he is serving a three-match touchline ban - echoed Arsene Wengers appearance in the stands at White Hart Lane 24 hours earlier, he is not short of role models closer to home. "I only have to look how my dad [Sir Alex] started at [Manchester] United, a horrendous start. I have to keep working hard and keep my belief."Carling CupWigan Athleticpreston North EndRichard Jolly guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

There was a time in Kenyas history when the country would by enthralled by Safari Rally fever as vehicles raced in the "worlds toughest rally." In those days the names of Juha Kankkunen, Bjorn Waldegard, Vic preston, Joginder Singh and Shekar Metta were on the mouths of every right thinking Kenyan as we speculated just how far the Kenyan hero Patrick Njiru would [detalii...]

The Observers Fans Network previews 2010-11Having recently met our manager Darren Ferguson at a fans forum, Im feeling very positive about the coming season. He arrived only in January but has quickly overhauled the place. It looks like everything is in place for us to do very well compared to last season - Id say a play-off place is likely.Last season 17th Prediction 5thThe new boys Im very happy with the transfer business so far, and we havent finished yet. Its not just the players that Ferguson has brought in since he arrived that have pleased fans, its the outgoings too. The manager has cleansed the club of most of the wasters we were lumbered with and is slowly building a team of players who really want to play for him and the club.Men to watch With so many new faces in the team this season its difficult to say who will be the stars. Matt James, back on loan again from Manchester United, should be up there with the best, and so too will Paul Coutts, who signed from Peterborough in February. Also worth watching is Keith Treacy, who joined in February from Blackburn.Best youngsters Former youth players Adam Barton and Danny Mayor are already establishing themselves in the first-team squad. Both could make a real impact this season.Target for the boo-boys Its almost impossible to predict wholl get it this season because the manager has removed so much of the dead wood. But Id say that if Chris Brown is used regularly then he could well be the one.Hate figure preston fans hate everything about Blackpool. Everything. Burnley are a close second.Going up Middlesbrough, Sheffield Utd, prestonGoing down Scunthorpe, Watford, Millwallpreston North EndChampionship guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Rebecca Adlington is determined to stick to what she believes in as she prepares for London 2012, she tells John [detalii...]

The amazing 6-4 victory at Leeds was a rare sweet spot after nearly a decade in the doldrums for the fallen Lancashire giantsForget Englands 44 years of hurt - for preston North End fans you can add another five years to that figure. Sir Tom Finneys retirement in 1960 resulted in immediate relegation the following year from the old Division One and its fair to say the fans have been suffering ever since as the club have failed to return to the top flight.Which makes last nights extraordinary goings on at Elland Road all the more sweet as days like that, or of course nights, are rare for a club which has struggled for so long while so many of its neighbouring north-west teams have prospered.Even the hated Blackpool are now having their day in the sun, which made the ignominy of North Ends slip to the bottom of the Championship last Friday night when Portsmouth stuck six past Leicester City all the more galling.This season started pretty much how the last campaign ended and the manager Darren Ferguson wasnt doing any better with the team he had put together over the summer. After preston had lost 4-3 to Burnley on Sky earlier this month - having led 3-1 till eight minutes to go - I texted a number of friends to say: I am retiring from football for now.This morning I am back in love with the game after an evening few North End fans will forget. Where were you when we beat Leeds at 6-4 Elland Road? is the hot topic on the pne-online website. Its not surprising as last night was the first time any team had put six past Leeds on their home turf while only ancient preston fans would remember the last time the team scored six on their travels - at Blackpool in 1955 when that man Finney scored.There were tales, maybe apocryphal, of supporters getting in their cars when their team went 4-1 down to Leeds. Me? I was on the bus on the way home from work for the first-half following the match on the Sky Sports app, getting home resigned to another thumping. And then in the kitchen having given up, before joining my son in the sitting room as we listened to the commentary and watched a bewildered Iain Dowie report on the match on Sky.Dowie managed to get the score wrong once which he can be forgiven for but he did say when Leeds were 4-1 up that North End were attacking like crazy and creating chances. That they did was mainly thanks to Jon Parkin, the Beast as he is affectionately known.Parkin, the subject of much ribald comment from opposing supporters, weighs in around the 14 stone mark and when he joined the club a photograph of him in a kebab shop was widely circulated on the fans websites. "Feed the Beast and he will score" has become the Lilywhites followers motto though and that was certainly the case last night, his third and prestons fifth a trademark chest down and volley.His hat-trick laid the foundations but the contribution of loan signing Iain Hume, who got the sixth, was equally as significant according to those who were there.Ferguson said when he arrived in January this year that his teams would play entertaining football. The problem has been that much of that entertainment has been laid on for the opposing fans thanks to a porous defence. At 6-4 with 20 minutes to go last night I was still fearing that they might lose.The manager will be hoping that he can get injured Manchester United loanees Joshua King and Matt James back as soon as possible to supplement the back-to-form Parkin and lively Hume. After that who knows what might happen?The Championship is a mad league this season. High-flying Watford won 6-1 at Millwall last week, then beat Middlesbrough 3-1 but were 3-0 down at home to Swansea last night. Who is going to go up and down is anyones guess.Meanwhile, my two sons and I are travelling to Deepdale on Saturday where we will be able to buy the DVD of last nights game at the club shop and then watch preston play Reading. What odds a 0-0 draw?preston North EndChampionshipTony Paley guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

UPDATE: Iata lista completa a meciurilor ce nu se vor disputa azi: Premier League Chelsea v Manchester United Arsenal v Stoke Birmingham v Newcastle Liverpool v Fulham Wigan v Aston Villa Championship Cardiff v Burnley Millwall v Barnsley Portsmouth v Scunthorpe Watford v [detalii...]

The way they celebrated a draw at Deepdale this afternoon it really felt like a win. Iain Humes goal at the start of added time, after preston North End had gone behind to Yakubu Ayegbenis debut goal for Leicester City, was a long time coming, the striker having missed the target several times during the match - a sore reminder of a desperate lack of firepower up front.The look of despair on Andrew Lonergans face when Yakubu slipped one in at his near post on the hour seemed to sum up prestons afternoon as the goalkeeper banged his hands into the turf after conceding their 46th goal of the campaign. But just as it looked as though nothing could stem the rot, Phil Browns first league game in charge brought a single point - welcome relief from three defeats on the trot in the Championship - and a definite air of positivity.After all, that is what he had been hired for, the chairman eulogising over Browns sunny personality and self-confidence, which he hoped would be transferred to a team in the doldrums.Browns "sweet talk" charm, the quality that allegedly enabled him to talk a woman out of committing suicide off the Humber Bridge during his tenure at Hull, certainly had some effect today. But for anyone who worries that permatanned positivity is a rather flighty approach to football management should perhaps take comfort from the addition of Browns No2, Brian Horton. For while Brown failed at Derby - sacked after seven months when the team sank to 19th in the league - those were the days when he was without his able assistant Horton, the two now reunited at Deepdale. "Brian was priceless when we did what we did at Hull," Brown told local media. "If he had been with me at Derby County before that, I might not be sat here now ... in fact I might still be at Derby let alone have gone to Hull."The preston chairman, Maurice Lindsay, certainly talked up the importance of the combination of the two - the cartoon-like "infectious" and "supreme self-confidence" of Brown who, "makes the dressing room feel happy in themselves", paired with Hortons experienced and more level-headed approach, making him "a good foil and right-hand man for Phil".Certainly Browns "remarkable network of friends we can tap into [for new signings]", as Lindsay described it, manifested itself here, as the one bright spark of the game, Nathan Ellington, a new arrival on loan from Watford who came on in the second half, helped to inject experience into the strikeforce.The old adage "its not what you know but who you know" has played itself out to full effect at Deepdale, preston losing six players in 72 hours with Darren Fergusons dismissal provoking his allies as Sir Alex and Tony Pulis immediately withdrew their loan players. But the 51-year-old Brown quickly called in favours and arranged loans of Amine Linganzi and the much-needed striker Ellington after only a few days in the new job.Ellington started on the bench, looking on as Hume and Paul Hayes summed up prestons problems upfront, which were painfully obvious as the two missed tap-ins and failed to create anything really dangerous for Leicester to deal with.In contrast, the visitors pressed forward, Paul Gallagher twice hitting the woodwork, before their loan signing from Everton, Yakubu, struck. But preston fought back in the final minutes of play, Humes goal greeted with a resounding roar.Championshippreston North EndLeicester CityAnna Kessel guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Club issue statement before Billy Davies press conference Nottingham Forest face Swansea City in play-off semi-finalBilly Daviess increasingly turbulent reign as Nottingham Forest manager has taken a bizarre twist, after reporters wishing to attend his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursdays play-off semi-final first leg against Swansea City were asked to contact his lawyer beforehand and told that certain subjects would not be discussed.Davies later claimed that he involved his lawyer so as "not to waste your [the medias] time" and to ensure that "we can just talk about the play-offs". His actions, however, are highly unusual, and Forest have distanced themselves from the statement that was issued before his press briefing. "Billy Davies will make no comment regarding other football clubs, nor talk about transfer windows and money spent at the club this season," the statement said.Those that have followed events at the City Ground closely will know that Davies has often spoken about those topics over the course of the season, expressing his frustration with the clubs recruitment strategy at various points. His remarks have gone down badly with the board at times, in particular after Forest lost 2-1 at Norwich City last month, when he was deemed to have overstepped the mark.It is almost inevitable that there will be speculation about Daviess future at the end of the season, whether Forest remain in the Championship or are promoted to the Premier League, although the former Derby County and preston North End manager said he is intent on seeing out the final 12 months of his contract at the City Ground."Ive got one year left with Nottingham Forest and I will continue with the progression of this club through the summer and right to the very last day of my contract," he said. "Its pure and simple - I want to continue with the progression of this club. Ive got one year left and Im focusing on nothing else except continuing with the progression of the club. The information given to me [when appointed in January 2009] was: Get us out of this division. That was a three-and-a-half-year plan with the chairman and the board. And over the three and a half years that will continue to be the plan."Davies described getting Forest into the play-offs for a second successive year - they lost to Blackpool at the semi-final stage 12 months ago - as a "wonderful achievement" and also highlighted his impressive record of reaching the play-offs five times in the past six years."If anybody had said when I took over at preston that preston would be in two play-off situations, they would have laughed at you," he said. "If somebody had said when I took over at Derby, that Derby County would get automatic promotion, they would have laughed at you. When I took over at Forest, fighting relegation and seeing the club where it was, if somebody has said then that the club would be in two play-off semi-finals, I am sure they would have laughed at you."Nottingham ForestStuart James guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Former Barnsley manager takes reins at Darlington Arena Simon is extremely hungry to succeed as a managerDarlington have announced Simon Davey as their new manager, replacing Steve Staunton. The former Barnsley manager will take charge of the clubs trip to Burton on Saturday after signing a contract until the summer of 2011."Were delighted to secure Simons services as our new manager and were looking forward to him getting to work straight away," said the club chairman, Raj Singh. "This signals the end of a hectic fortnight for us and were naturally very pleased to now have who we think is the right man for the job."Simon has had a thorough grounding in coaching with preston and Barnsley, followed by a very encouraging three years in charge of Barnsley, and hes extremely hungry to succeed as a manager. Hes bought into what were trying to achieve here and hes excited by the opportunity."Davey, who had a brief loan spell with Darlington as a player in 1997, was Barnsleys manager from 2006 and took them to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2008 with a memorable run which included wins over Liverpool and Chelsea.The 39-year-old had previously been in charge of the academy at Oakwell after starting out his coaching career in a similar capacity at preston."The structure here at Darlington is fantastic," said Davey. "We are maybe heading for the Conference, all-but mathematically, but the challenge is to finish as strongly as possible so we hit the ground running next season."The battle is almost gone this season but its not impossible yet so theres no reason why we cant give it a go, and give everything weve got, to see how far we can push it. If we cant achieve that in the short term then obviously the long-term goal is instant promotion next season and getting this club back to where it belongs, in the Football League."I appreciate it has been a very difficult time for Darlington fans, but we need everyone behind the club for us to be able to do that and we need the fans, everyone, to support the players and do this together."DarlingtonLeague TwoJohn Ashdown guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Capitanul Steven Gerrard i-a salvat de la o infrangere pe cei de la Liverpool, in cea de-a treia runda a Cupei Angliei. Reading, echipa ce se lupta pentru a se salva de la retrogradare in liga a doua engleza a condus din minutul 24, dar elevii lui Benitez au reusit sa termine partida la egalitate, calificarea urmand a se juca pe Anfield. Scorul celei de-a treia runde a Cupei Angliei a fost inregistrat de preston North End, echipa ce a invins cu 7-0 pe Colchester [detalii...]

The Ipswich manager, Roy Keane, admitted tonight that his future was "out of his hands" after his side suffered a sixth successive Championship defeat.Keane confirmed that he wants to stay on at Portman Road, but accepted that his fate will ultimately rest in the hands of the clubs board of directors.Ipswich have a three-point cushion over the Championships bottom three, and have reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup where they play Arsenal next month, but whether the Irishman will still be in charge when those fixtures come around remains an open question.Keane seems unlikely to walk out on the East Anglian club, as he did at Sunderland two years ago, but while the pressure on preston boss Darren Ferguson was eased by on-loan striker Iain Humes 50th-minute goal it did nothing to assist Keanes cause by delivering a ninth defeat in 11 league games - a run which has seen the team slip from fifth place in October.Keane, responding to questions about his future, said: "It is out of my hands. You wont believe how much this is hurting. Im a proud man and dont like getting beaten."But Ive been in football since I was eight years of age and I know the run we are on is not acceptable."We are in a relegation battle at the moment. We try and win every game but this was primarily about not getting beaten and we are being dragged down into it."Its not about having good players at the moment, its about having good characters."The first half was fine, but a game is about 90 minutes. We got into some good positions but we dont seem capable of scoring many goals and that puts you under pressure."Ipswich began brightly and twice went close to taking an early lead. prestons on-loan defender Ritchie de Laet was mightily relieved to see his goalkeeper, Andrew Lonergan, clear a poor back-header away from Jason Scotland, and the Town striker went even closer 60 seconds later with a shot which beat Lonergan but flew wide.It took preston 27 minutes to muster their first threat, but it nearly produced a goal when defender Billy Jones headed against the bar from Danny Pughs corner.Ipswichs brittle confidence was shaken, and Hume should have punished them four minutes before half-time but volleyed over from 10 yards.The Canadian made amends five minutes into the second half, when he found the bottom corner of the net with a crisp finish from Jon Parkins cross, and in the ensuing 15 minutes North End should have put the game beyond doubt.Parkin wasted a chance when he fired tamely at Brian Murphy, Adam Barton missed a header from Humes cross and Pugh and Darel Russell both had shots blocked.Ipswich somehow survived and almost grabbed an equaliser when Lonergan failed to deal cleanly with Grant Leadbitters corner and Parkin cleared off the line.Ferguson chose to end Humes three-month loan spell from Barnsley by withdrawing his striker to generous applause five minutes from time.The North End boss hopes to take the striker permanently from Barnsley during next months transfer window."He has come in and done well and the fans love him," said Ferguson. "Hes got that infectious feel about him and said on Friday he was going to get a goal. It was a very good finish."preston remain bottom despite the victory but the danger of being cut adrift from the rest of the pack has been averted after a first win in eight games."Its been a long time coming but its a great result for us," added Ferguson. "Its a start, but nothing else. We probably need another 10 wins out of 25 games."Dont worry about Roy Keane. He is a very tough and strong character, and I think he will be fine."preston North EndIpswich TownChampionship guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Photo courtesy of Nathan Morales.This Saturday, March 12, the Fog Men travel south to Marina to face the Aptos Beach Dogs. Last year’s matchup between the two had the Fog losing narrowly 22-24. Kickoff for the A-side game is at 12:30pm at the preston Park in Marina. The B-side game will follow around 2:30pm. See below for directions to the pitch. View Larger Map The social will follow the B-side game and will be held at Carbone’s, 214 Lighthouse Ave, [detalii...]

Gonit de Barcelona in aceasta vara, Jesjua Angoy Cruyff, nepotul mult mai celebrului Johan Cruyff a marcat un gol senzational pentru rezervele lui Wigan, in partida cu preston. Jesjua a nimerit vinclul cu un sut dintr-o pozitie similara cu cea din care Florin Costea a marcat golul [detalii...]

If teams are supposed to be moulded in the image of their manager then somewhere along the line at Portman Road, the message has been lost in translation.Ipswich Town bear few, if any, of the hallmarks which set their manager apart from the crowd during his distinguished playing career.Roy Keane was feisty, confrontational, aggressive and, most importantly, rarely looked as if he knew the meaning of the word defeat during his 635 appearances for Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.Ipswich, by contrast, are a shrinking violet of a team, low on confidence and wilting readily at any sign of adversity.It is a malaise which has seen them lose six Championship matches in succession, and nine of their past 11, this latest defeat allowing the bottom-of-the-table preston to claim a first victory in eight games and serving only to intensify speculation over Keanes future.The Irishman, who signed a two-year contract in April 2009, intimated after this latest defeat that he would not walk out, as he did at Sunderland little over two years ago. But he also conceded that the clubs recent run of results and performances are "unacceptable" and that his future is now "out of his hands".Keane, however, retains support in the dressing room, particularly from the midfielder Grant Leadbitter, whom he signed from Sunderland for 2.6m in September 2009 and who has called on the clubs board to back, not sack, the manager.Leadbitter said: "Every single player in the dressing room wants Roy Keane to stay. Everyone is behind him and we still have faith in him. Its us losing the games, not the manager, and we have got to put things right. We are disappointed but thats football. We have got to bounce back."Keane is being forced by Ipswichs financial policy to play more young players than he would like, and pointed to his own centre-backs Tommy Smith and Troy Brown, both 20, in comparison to prestons veteran Wayne Brown, 33, and Leon Cort, 31. "The two centre-halves were the difference," Keane said. "Im not criticising ours but they are very young and it is all about being streetwise."Few players are more so than prestons on-loan striker Iain Hume, whose 50tha€‘minute goal eased some of the pressure building around their manager, Darren Ferguson.Hume, who returned to Barnsley after the game but hopes to sign for preston permanently during the transfer window, has fought back from an injury which almost ended his career two years ago. The 27-year-old suffered a fractured skull in a collision with the Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan and still bears the scars physically, if not psychologically."It has been a tough time," Hume said. "Last season I wasnt playing to the best of my ability but I have come to preston, played every week and got my energy and confidence back."Championshippreston North EndIpswich Town guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Former England U18 captain qualifies through mother Captain Robbie Keane out with ankle injuryThe Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark has been called into the Republic of Ireland squad for Wednesdays friendly against Norway in Dublin.The London-born 21-year-old, who is a former England Under-18s captain, has been drafted in by Giovanni Trapattoni after Fifa indicated that it might be able to consider Clarks application to play for Ireland before the match.Clark qualifies through his mother and grandparents and has opted to play for the Republic after talking to his clubmate Richard Dunne, who is set to win a 64th cap against Norway.Clark has been included in a final 25 after Trapattoni named an initial 27-man squad. The captain Robbie Keane has withdrawn with an ankle injury and the defender Paul McShane and striker Caleb Folan will be missing with thigh and knee problems respectively.Republic of Ireland: Shay Given (Manchester City), Keiren Westwood (Coventry); John OShea (Manchester United), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Sean St Ledger (preston), Greg Cunningham (Manchester City), Kevin Foley (Wolves), Kevin Kilbane (Hull), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Darren ODea (Celtic); Marc Wilson (Stoke), Darron Gibson (Manchester United), Glenn Whelan (Stoke), Paul Green (Derby), Liam Lawrence (Portsmouth), Stephen Hunt (Wolves), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Keith Treacy (preston), Damien Duff (Fulham), Keith Fahey (Birmingham); Jonathan Walters (Stoke), Kevin Doyle (Wolves), Shane Long (Reading).Republic of IrelandAston Villa guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

England rugby international Steve Borthwick on working at McDonalds and the local pool and gymI started off doing a local paper round as a first taste of work, like quite a lot of other kids in preston where I grew up. Then, when I was 16, I needed some money to pay for my driving lessons, so I got myself a job at McDonalds.Looking back, I cant say I was particularly suited to it: I never ate any of the food, and I havent done since! I remember there being a problem with the equipment; Im quite big (6ft 6in), and, unfortunately, it was all set up for people who werent quite so tall. The range for cooking the fries had a hood above it which was way too low for me, so I spent the whole time hunched under it. And the serving area was quite low, too, so I had to duck down half the time. I was always blocking off the passage. I dont think I was really built for McDonalds; there wasnt a whole lot of space in those kitchens. To be fair to them, though, a lot of my friends worked there, too. It was hard work but we always had good laughs.At the same time, I was doing my swimming lifesaver qualification and once Id got that, I went to work at the local leisure centre. That was a good place, and I was far more suited to it; Im obsessed with sport. I was doing anything from minding the pools to mopping floors to cleaning the gyms and squash courts. But it was near my house, and it was the gym I used myself, so it suited me fine.It was never quiet except for last thing at night. There was this person who used to come for a swim for the last 15 minutes before closing, even though no one had been in the pool for an hour. Wed always be waiting around for him to have his ritual swim.They had good managers there, too. I bumped into one the recently back in preston, he was reminding me how I used to work for him. There wasnt much downtime, but Id much rather be working hard than be counting the minutes before going home.I was taught to work for what you want. Thats how life was, back then. I was fitting it all in around exams, doing my lifesaver, rugby training ... there was a lot going on. That alone taught me a fair bit about time management.And also about doing a job properly. Ive never liked leaving a job half done. I think its important to make a job worthy of your involvement.Steve Borthwick supports the MBNA Tackling Numbers campaign in association with Premiership Rugby, promoting numeracy among children. Work & careersRugby unionGraham Snowdon guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Greenlands Labour Club in preston hosts ticket-only event that includes the eight-year-olds 10-minute boutA social club in the north-west of England has been hosting cage fights with children as young as eight.The Greenlands Labour Club in preston, Lancashire, hosted a ticket-only fight night that included the eight-year-olds bout which lasted 10 minutes.In video footage, one of the boys who is bare-chested, stands over another child who is on the floor of the cage. A man in the front row can be seen urging one of the children to keep his chin up, as another man raises his arms in the air. The smaller child has his arm twisted during the bout.The crowd shout encouragement as the two children wrestle each other in headlocks on the floor of the cage, while others can be heard cheering their names.At one point, one of the children appears to burst into tears, and medical staff are called in to check them. None of the children are wearing headgear or padding, but the organisers pointed out that they were not allowed to kick or punch each other and that it had been "an extremely good event."There is no suggestion that any of the bouts at the Reps Retribution night, which also included semi-professional events, breached any rules or licencing laws.The British Medical Association said it was disturbing as it is opposed to boxing and cage fighting. "This example of cage fighting among young children is particularly disturbing, especially as they are not even wearing head guards," said a spokesman."Boxing and cage fighting are sometimes defended on the grounds that children learn to work through their aggression with discipline and control."The BMA believes there are many other sports, such as athletics, swimming, judo and football, which require discipline but do not pose the same threat of brain injury."The sport, also known as Mixed Martial Arts, encompasses a range of martial arts that are used during bouts in cages.Steven Nightingale, 28, a professional cage fighter who runs the Reps MMA gym in preston, said the sport is safe and growing in popularity.He said: "Competitions start from the age of five, it is definitely a big up-and-coming sport. It is all based around martial arts. The kids are not getting hit or anything at all when they are under age. We do not let them strike - punch and kick - until the age of 14 or 15."Asked about the crying child during one bout, he said: "The kid has never been beaten before, he is the one who wins the gold medals."When they get beaten, they are going to get emotional, also the referee and corner man said you do not have to carry on."Nightingale denied a packed social club was the wrong environment for the bout, claiming it would help their progress.Paul Jackson, manager of Warriors gym in nearby Plungington said: "The main question I would ask is why were the parents allowing them to do that? I wouldnt really agree with anything like it."Its like a circus performance but if its consenting adults, thats different. It depends on what the rules were as well."If they were joint-locking then Id be questioning that because the bones arent developed fully yet."Michelle Anderson, owner of Greenlands Labour Club, who attended the event on September 10, said: "There was nothing wrong with it."The kids were there to fight; they have fought before. The parents were there. Would people rather these kids were out on the streets with guns and knives?"ChildrenHelen Carter guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Keane and Dunne overcome injuries to make 29-man squad Westwood set to start in goal against Macedonia and UruguayRobbie Keane and Richard Dunne have both been included in the Republic of Ireland squad for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia and the friendly with Uruguay.Keane, who returned to action for West Ham United as a substitute in Sundays 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Stoke City, was selected after recovering from a calf injury.Dunne, who found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons over the weekend after a disagreement with Aston Villa coaching staff, was also included among a 29-man squad as he continues his recovery from a shoulder problem which was expected to sideline him for a month.The Coventry City goalkeeper Keiren Westwood, who is in line to win his sixth senior cap against the Macedonians on 26 March in the absence of the injured Shay Given, will be supported by the uncapped duo Darren Randolph and David Forde of Motherwell and Millwall respectively.Republic of squad for matches against Macedonia and Uruguay Keiren Westwood (Coventry), Darren Randolph (Motherwell), David Forde (Millwall); Kevin Foley (Wolves), John OShea (Man Utd), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Sean St Ledger (preston), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Darren ODea (Celtic), Kevin Kilbane (Huddersfield); Marc Wilson (Stoke), Darron Gibson (Man Utd), Glenn Whelan (Stoke), Paul Green (Derby), Liam Lawrence (Portsmouth), James McCarthy (Wigan), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Keith Treacy (preston), Keith Andrews (Blackburn), Keith Fahey (Birmingham), Damien Duff (Fulham); Robbie Keane (West Ham), Jonathan Walters (Stoke), Kevin Doyle (Wolves), Shane Long (Reading), Leon Best (Newcastle), Andy Keogh (Bristol City)Republic of Ireland guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Chesterfield all but secure promotion from League Two, and there were key wins in the Championship for Scunthorpe and preston Click here for all of Saturdays scores and scorers Congratulations to Brighton - promoted midweek and now officially champions of League One - and to Chesterfield, whose promotion from League Two needs only a little t-crossing and i-dotting: theyre 12 points and a goal-difference swing of 16 ahead of Shrewsbury with four to play. In the Championship, five of the top six positions appear all but sewn up, but Leeds - who needed an 88th-minute own-goal to avoid defeat at home to Watford - are insecure in sixth. And who, given their current form (12 games without defeat, eight successive victories) would bet against Reading stealing the second automatic promotion place? A crucial day at the bottom in the second tier. Had Crystal Palace, in 21st, beaten 22nd-placed Scunthorpe the bottom three would have been cast adrift. Instead they lost a hard-fought match which saw eight players booked and a further two sent off, Doncaster above them extended their rotten run to one win in 15, and in the battle of the bottom two preston beat Sheffield United 3-1 to give themselves half a chance of avoiding the drop, and all but condemn the Blades to League One. There will be two Steel City derbies next season, almost certainly. There was no change at all at either end of League One, where the top six all won and the bottom six all lost. There were no away wins in League Two, though seven of the 11 games were drawn. Gillinghams 1-1 home stalemate against Morecambe was their 16th game without defeat, while at the other end of the form table Northamptons creditable 2-2 draw at Wycombe was their 16th match without a win. Stockport are fit for the last rites after a 2-0 defeat at Shrewsbury, while Barnets Martin Allen-inspired resurgence appears to have departed with their manager - they lost 2-0 at second-placed Bury and, to make matters worse, the team immediately above them, Burton Albion, ended their own rancid run of one win in 10 with a 2-0 victory over Cheltenham. The Bees are now three points behind Northampton and Burton (who have a game in hand). Allens new employers Notts County, incidentally, lost 2-0 to Bournemouth in League One to remain in the relegation zone. Check out all of the latest league tables and have your say on all of the Football League action belowChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoChesterfieldReadingLeeds UnitedCrystal PalaceScunthorpeSheffield Unitedpreston North EndDoncaster RoversBurton AlbionBarnetGillinghamSimon Burnton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

36-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract Eagles target Eddie Howe decides to stay at BournemouthCrystal Palace have appointed Dougie Freedman as their new manager.The Eagles missed out on their No1 target this afternoon when Eddie Howe opted to stay at Bournemouth.The clubs chairman, Steve Parish, has therefore turned to Freedman, the ex-Palace striker who was appointed caretaker after George Burleys sacking on New Years Day.The 36-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half year contract. Palace are currently in the relegation zone, sitting 18th with only Scunthorpe United and preston North End below them.Crystal Palace guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Leeds led 4-1 after 39 minutes Jon Parkin hits hat-trick for visitorsLeeds have had a few ups and downs in their history and their astonishing 6-4 home defeat to preston marks a new extraordinary chapter.Jon Parkin struck a hat-trick as preston produced an amazing comeback to beat Leeds at Elland Road. North End, who began the evening in the drop zone, recovered from 4-1 behind after 39 minutes to snatch a barely believable away success.Parkin had given them an early lead before the hosts responded brilliantly with Davide Sommas double added to goals from Luciano Becchio and Alex Bruce seemingly putting them in control. Anyone in attendance who thought the game was over was to be proved badly wrong, though, as preston produced a remarkable riposte.Parkin, who was taunted during the game but applauded by the home support when he was substituted late on, was the star, scoring either side of goals from Keith Treacy and Callum Davidson, before Iain Hume added a sixth.The pressure is mounting on a former Leeds hero Gordon Strachan as his Middlesbrough side were beaten 3-1 by Derby County at Pride Park with Kris Commons producing two moments of magic.Boro took the lead when Kris Boyd, restored to the starting line-up after being dropped for the previous two games, glanced in his second goal for the club. But Derby responded and after Commons had a penalty saved by Jason Steele, they equalised just before half-time when Commons corner was headed home by Shaun Barker.Commons was the star of the show in the second half as he produced two classy finishes to give the Rams a second consecutive home victory which prompted County fans to taunt Strachan with chants of "youre getting sacked in the morning".Aaron Mokoenas first league goal in English football helped Portsmouth to a 3-1 victory over Bristol City - their second win at Fratton Park in five days. The South Africa international, who joined Blackburn from the Belgian club Genk at the start of 2005 before moving to Portsmouth last summer, thumped home a header after 58 minutes to restore Pompeys lead.It was the third goal in an action-packed eight-minute spell. John Utaka put Portsmouth ahead in the 51st minute but the lead was short-lived as Jon Stead equalised two minutes later. After Mokoenas goal, Hayden Mullins sealed the win on the break in the fourth minute of injury-time.Simon Church struck the winner barely 20 seconds after stepping off the bench as Reading edged out Ipswich to climb into the play-off places. The game looked to be heading for stalemate after both sides had been reduced to 10 men early in the second half, Luke Hyam and Royals skipper Matt Mills seeing red.Scott Sinclair continued to showcase his talents as Swansea upset the form book with a 3-2 win over Watford at Vicarage Road. Sinclair scored his sixth goal in the last four games to put his side on the way to their first away win of the season, ending Watfords four-game unbeaten streak in the process.The former Chelsea man superbly fired home from Joe Allens pass, with Stephen Dobbie doubling their advantage on the half-hour mark and Franck Nouble seemingly putting the game to bed in the second half.It was a disappointing night for Watford, who had won their last three games, but late goals from Troy Deeney and Martin Taylor gave them hope of salvaging an unlikely point. They thought they had done so in injury time but the offside flag denied John Eustace and spared the Swans, who move level on points with the Hornets as both teams remain in the early play-off picture.ChampionshipLeeds Unitedpreston North EndMiddlesbroughDerby CountyPortsmouthBristol City guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Ferguson returns to club on four-and-a-half-year contract Replaces Gary Johnson who left on Monday nightPeterborough have confirmed the return of Darren Ferguson as their new manager.Ferguson, 38, replaces Gary Johnson at London Road, where he enjoyed back-to-back promotions before leaving in November 2009.Johnson left the League One club on Monday night after disagreements with the chairman, Darragh MacAnthony.Ferguson, who has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract, was dismissed by preston just after Christmas, but has the chance to take Peterborough up for a third time after they moved back into the play-off places with a 2-1 win over Brentford last night.Peterborough guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Draw with bottom-placed North End enough to keep QPR top Swansea City keep up pressure on top two with winTwo of the divisions more talkative managers came face to face at preston North End but neither Phil Brown nor Neil Warnock succeeded in winning the football debate as their sides drew 1-1. A point apiece was enough to keep Warnocks QPR top while proving insufficient to lift North End off the bottom."QPR will go up as champions so Im pleased with the performance," said Brown. "But were in the business of winning and weve not done that again. The lads have got the spirit but they seem to be playing inhibited football." Warnock appeared rather happier. "Ive no complaints," he said. "Thats a very good point. Lets give preston credit, it proves there are no easy games. From now on its going to be a grind."Brendan Rodgerss third-placed Swansea City found things rather more straightforward with a 3-0 home win over injury-ravaged Doncaster Rovers, who failed to muster a single shot on target. Their fellow promotion hopefuls LeedS United United and Norwich City drew 2-2 in an attractive game at Elland Road, where Robert Snodgrass shone for Simon Graysons side.At the opposite end of the table, Selhurst Park hosted a relegation contest which saw Crystal Palace beat Sheffield United 1-0 courtesy of a stunning goal from Darren Ambrose. The Palace midfielders eye-catching 25-yard, left-foot volley left Sheffield United without a win since Micky Adams took over as manager. "Im not worried about me, Im worried about the team," said Adams. "But you cant legislate for a wonder goal."Middlesbrough assuaged their own relegation worries with a 3-2 victory set against a backdrop of crowd trouble at play-off chasing Millwall, with Leroy Lita claiming a late winner from Merouane Zemmamas cross. The introduction of Zemmama from the bench proved a watershed."Merouane was a bit of class," said Boros manager Tony Mowbray. "Hes a Moroccan international who I first signed for Hibernian five years ago. Hes always had fantastic technical ability but hes matured into a man now."Championshippreston North EndQPRSwanseaDoncasterMiddlesbroughMillwallLouise Taylor guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

A dozen teams in the Premier League have true self-contained derby rivalries but it is not too late for some of the rest to find their other halfOne hopes the Civil Aviation Authority investigators are not too strict with the perpetrators of the lame Blackpool stunt who sent a low-flying plane over Deepdale at the weekend trailing a message taunting preston North End for slipping into League One. It was not much of a joke, admittedly, and the CAA team could also take a dim view of the complete lack of originality and wit, though it must be remembered that Blackpool themselves may be going down this season and the Seasiders supporters responsible were probably taking one last, fairly pathetic opportunity to claim superiority in a supposed rivalry.I say supposed, because while Blackpool and preston are geographically neighbours and technically rivals, the only person I have ever heard mention such a relationship is Jimmy Armfield, and that was mostly because he has such a long memory. Blackpool and preston must have been proper rivals once, when they both played in the same division, both appeared in FA Cup finals and boasted players between them of the calibre of Armfield, Stanley Matthews, Bill Shankly and Tom Finney. But since that post-war era was consigned to history by the abolition of the maximum wage both teams have been up and down the leagues, particularly Blackpool, and when clubs only pass as ships in the night, sometimes not seeing each other for years, real rivalry does not usually flourish.To judge by the weekends events some Blackpool fans may not wish to hear this, but preston have not spent the past half-century hating Blackpool or wishing they would climb back to the big time so that rivalry could be resumed. Until this season, or perhaps one could say until Simon Grayson, then Ian Holloway, set them on the right path, hardly anyone beyond the Fylde coast spared a thought for Blackpool. They were history, like Matthews, wooden rattles and Cup finals that were not played on the same day as important league matches. preston have no obvious or official rivals, and matches against Burnley or Blackburn Rovers would have more bite and feeling than occasional meetings with Blackpool.Blackburn and Burnley are locked in a real rivalry, a bona fide love-hate relationship that excludes all others and makes interlopers unwelcome. And of course they pioneered the plane-flying jape. Burnley (because they are a club of similar size, proximity, history and because they have often found themselves in the same division) are not particularly fond of preston. There is a bit of local rivalry there, as there would be with Bolton Wanderers, but nothing to touch the main east Lancashire item. Perhaps because the clubs are so close together, the dialects so similar and the whole area more or less impenetrable to outsiders, the Blackburn-Burnley rivalry has managed to persist despite, or possibly because, the teams have often found themselves in different divisions. The key here is that Blackburn and Burnley see themselves as rivals anyway, even without the football. Like Wigan and St Helens in rugby league, the towns are preoccupied with sneering at each other, measuring themselves against each other and making jokes at the others expense. A sporting context comes in handy, but is not essential. That was never the case with Blackpool and preston, which is why their footballing rivalry soon fell away.The best and worst of football is to be found within the great rivalries. Caring not just about whether your own team win but whether the other team lose definitely makes a big difference, though on the downside one of the most depressing aspects of modern football is the way in which fans of, say, Everton or Manchester City, now seem to define themselves more by their hatred of the rival team than love of their own. For very few derby rivalries are evenly matched, with each club sharing roughly equal amounts of success and failure. Generally one team are doing much better than the other, and envy soon turns to resentment.Looking at the 20 teams currently in the Premier League, no fewer than a dozen can claim true, self-contained derby rivalries within the division. To wit, both Manchester teams, both Merseyside teams and both (central) Birmingham teams, plus the north London, Tyne-Wear and Black Country rivals. It is true that Sir Alex Ferguson often says his main derby is the north-west one with Liverpool, but one always suspects he says that to wind up City fans. As will be seen this weekend, the Manchester rivalry is alive and well. Chelsea and Fulham have a close proximity and something of a shared history - had Fulham been prepared to move into the newly refurbished Stamford Bridge in 1905 it is possible Chelsea would never have been brought into existence - but little else ties the two clubs and games against Queens Park Rangers next season are likely to be more intense.Of the six clubs that remain, half have historical rivals outside the Premier League, even if they do not always feel like acknowledging them. Blackburn have been mentioned, West Ham United have a famous, or possibly infamous, animosity towards Millwall, while Stoke City - geographically isolated in terms of Premier League opponents - have always had to share the Potteries with Port Vale. The Valiants are very much the poor relations these days, and matches have tended to be few and far between, but like east Lancashire the Potteries is one of those self-contained regions where rivalries last a lifetime.That leaves three Billy-No-Mates teams. Bolton, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic. Bolton traditionally fancy themselves as rivals of Manchester United, though at best this is outdated wishful thinking based on events of more than 50 years ago and has no basis in modern reality. United fans have more of a rivalry going on with Barcelona than with Bolton. Wigan like to look upwards to Bolton, though Bolton supporters are reluctant to look downwards and take the bait. Parts of Wigan are very close to Bolton, indeed the Reebok Stadium is handier for many Wigan supporters than Boltonians, and because there was no league team in Wigan until the 70s plenty of people who live in Wigan support Bolton. Plenty of others support Manchester or Merseyside teams, too - it is one reason why the DW Stadium is rarely filled to capacity - but Wigans late arrival into the professional ranks means most prospective partners for rivalry have already been booked.Bolton are available but uninterested, mainly because there is no history between the teams. There is, however, and always has been, a natural affinity between Wigan and Blackpool, dating back to the Wakes Weeks and doubtless beyond. Many a Wigan hen party ends up in Blackpool, George Formby not only sang of a little stick of Blackpool rock but went to live there, and most of the donkeys from Blackpool beach spend their winter holidays in Wigan. So far, though, the relationship has been a non-footballing one. There is still time for that to change. Indeed, if the bottom three does no change between now and the end of the season, Blackpool and Wigan will be meeting again next season with quite a lot in common.Blackpoolpreston North EndWigan AthleticPaul Wilson guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Have your say on Saturdays action, including the east Midlands derby and another unwelcome goalfest for Stockport Click here for all of Saturdays scores and scorers More misery for Nigel Clough at Pride Park - Derby lost to Nottingham Forest in todays early kick-off and have now won only one of their last nine league games. Still, at least it wasnt a local derby or anything. The result wasnt anywhere near as bad as the 5-2 defeat to Forest last month but Cloughs Derby are stagnating. The board have given their manager commendable backing and it would be hugely satisfying if he weathered the storm and went on to make a success of the club: it would certainly give something for the likes of Sullivan and Gold to think about. Today was a good chance to see whether Watford could count themselves among the elite in the Championship. It started badly, then got worse as Cardiff scored three goals in the first 31 minutes. It was a shock Watford never really recovered from and the game ended 4-2. Lee Bradbury has hung up his boots to concentrate on managing Bournemouth full-time. Today must have been a good chance to show he can do the job on a permanent basis - if he beat League Ones top side, Brighton, it would impress the board and fans, if they lost he could hardly be blamed for a team moulded by his predecessor, Eddie Howe. The fans will be happy today though - the Cherries beat Brighton 1-0. Chris Powell is just starting out too. His Charlton side beat Plymouth 2-0 in Powells first game in charge at home. Maybe Darren Ferguson should have stayed at Peterborough. He did nicely today following his sojourn at preston, his team beat Hartlepool 4-0 and are nicely positioned in the play-offs. Posh could end up passing preston if the teams swap divisions at the end of the season. Leyton Orient probably arent too happy about the likelihood of West Ham or Spurs taking up residency at the Olympic Stadium but theyre playing brilliantly on the pitch. They beat Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 today - it was the second time theyd scored four in the last three games. More fun and games from Stockport in League Two. They lost to Lincoln 4-3, thanks in part to an Ashley Grimes hat-trick (Grimes had only scored four league goals in his entire career before today). Stockport have now conceded 61 goals this season and have a goal difference of -31. Theyre actually two points ahead of Lincoln, who are second bottom, but have played five games more. Hereford are bottom but have four games in hand over Stockport.Check out all of the latest league tables and have your say on all of the Football League action belowTom Lutz guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

The Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish confirmed tonight that he would be speaking to Steve Coppell regarding the vacant managers position at Selhurst Park after Palace recorded a rare win that left preston North End fuming at a controversial referees decision.Palace, with the caretaker manager Dougie Freedman at the helm, moved up to third from bottom in the Championship after the loana€‘signing debutant Steffen Iversen scored the only goal of the game.Both clubs tried to manage the intense speculation surrounding their managerial appointments following the dismissals of Darren Ferguson and George Burley last week - with prestons caretaker manager, David Unsworth, ruling himself out, while Parish denied the rumours that have appeared over the past few days.Cara€‘parking spaces had been booked for Chris Hughton and Coppell - who are linked with the Palace job, though only Coppell turned up. Parish linked Coppell with the club when he admitted an "affinity" with Palace would be desirable and confirmed he would call Coppell - who took charge at Selhurst Park four times between 1984 and 2000 - for advice."Steves been to four or five games this season, he lives locally, he comes to see the games," said Parish of Coppells presence today. "I dont know what Steves situation is at the moment. I dont know if he wants to manage. I will absolutely be giving him a ring and just having a chat. If nothing else, I know Steve would be a great sounding board for us in terms of who we should get. He cares for the club deeply, hes a legend here - during this process Id be mad not to have a chat to him."The club chaplains column in the matcha€‘day programme, titled "Revelations", carried a large picture of Hughton and a fulla€‘on eulogy of the former Newcastle United manager but Parish rubbished claims that he was a target for Palace. "Weve got a list. We had about 20 or so applicants, so well plough through that list and try to meet up with five or six this week," he said."Chris Hughton Ive never met in my life. He came to the Millwall game presumably because he wanted to take in a game in London and that set everybody talking. Ive not spoken to Chris, weve not had a job application from Chris. Hes a very good young manager, obviously somebody who, if he applied for the job, Im sure we would consider out of courtesy but Ive not spoken to him."Hughton had been spotted at Palaces defeat by Millwall on Saturday but was also in the crowd at QPR v Swansea City - neither of whom are seeking a managerial replacement.As for Freedman, the former Palace player confirmed he would like the job but said he would not be applying. "I dont have to put my name forward," he said. "People know me around here."prestons board confirmed that they hope to fill their position from a list of 40 applicants by Friday as Unsworth rued the referees decisions that he believed prevented preston from winning.Unsworth complained that Keith Treacys booking for an alleged dive following a challenge from Paddy McCarthy on the edge of the area - minutes before Iversens goal - should have been a penalty."Its an absolute stonewall penalty and its come at a point that could have changed the course of the game," he said. "If wed won we could have gone above Palace. Its a real tough one when youre bottom of the league and decisions like that dont go for you."Were all devastated because the big decision in the game the refs got totally wrong."Unsworth also complained that the freea€‘kick from which Palace scored in the 58th minute - Iversen rising in the box to convert the substitute Kieron Cadogans cross - should never have been given. "The referees been bullied by the crowd, so hes got two massive decisions wrong and its really tough to take."ChampionshipCrystal Palacepreston North EndAnna Kessel guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Have your say on Saturdays action, with Andy King starring for Leicester and Will Hoskins scoring another brace in vain Click here for all of Tuesdays scores and scorersWith the Premier League throwing up an unusually madcap afternoon, even less attention than usual will be given to the other 72 league clubs. A shame, for as always theres plenty to talk about. Ill get the ball rolling by saying this: Leicester keep winning, with Andy King scoring twice against Barnsley to take his tally for the season to 14. The 22-year-old joined Chelseas youth system aged nine only to be released as a 15-year-old, whereupon he was hoovered up by the eagle-eyed Foxes. Whether he would ever have made it at Chelsea well never know, but he certainly seems good enough to progress from the Championship. At this rate, he might not have long to wait. Not all of Leicesters transfer business is so astute. With the arrival of Yakubu Ayegbeni and Darius Vassell, who started together today, their attack is immensely experienced but its also a little on the old side. The player they forced out, Matty Fryatt, is at 24 considerably younger and would surely be a better medium-term bet. Nigel Pearson, his former manager at Leicester and now again at Hull, clearly knew he was on to a winner when he spent 1.2m on Fryatt last month, and todays hat-trick at Scunthorpe brings his running total for the Tigers to six goals in seven games. Another good piece of transfer business: Bradley Wright-Phillipss move to Charlton - he scored his second goal this week to secure the Addicks third win on the spin. Tis all over, surely, for preston. The visit of Bristol City appeared to offer them the chance to ignite their fight for survival - City had, after all, won just one of their previous 10 games, and had failed to score in any of their last five. But although preston enjoyed plenty of possession, and mustered 16 goal attempts to their opponents 10, they still suffered their biggest home defeat of the season (4-0, since you ask), and lost their teenage full-back Conor McLaughlin to a suspected broken leg. Fighting preston in the misery stakes: Plymouth, who have lost seven of their last eight, the latest todays 2-0 reverse at Brentford; Stockport, whose run of one win in 15 (and none in nine) continued with a 2-0 defeat at Torquay; Sheffield United (won none of their last nine, had two men sent off in todays 3-0 defeat at Ipswich) and Coventry, who have also won none of their last nine, and lost 1-0 at Leeds today. In contrast, Nottingham Forest, who scored in the first minute against Watford today and held on, have won eight of their last nine league games (and drew the other), are now second in the Championship and have the most fearsome form in the country. Is Will Hoskins cursed? Hes scored 17 goals this season, but a surprisingly small number of them have brought Bristol Rovers anything to smile about. He scored a brace today for the fourth time this season, but his last three two-goal hauls have come in 3-2, 4-2 and 6-2 defeats. Other than the four he scored in a happy run of three games, all won, in late September and early October, not one of his goals has helped the Pirates to victory. Clearly Peterboroughs ludicrous goal-magnetism wasnt down to Gary Johnson, the manager who left them so abruptly in January after nine months in charge. Since Darren Ferguson took over two days later they have played five games, kept one clean sheet, scored 15 and conceded 12. Prior to Fergusons arrival Peterboroughs 22 league fixtures had featured an impressive 88 goals, at the rate of four goals a game; since his appointment there have been 27 in five, at 5.4 a game. Theyre so entertaining theyd make a Blackpool fan hiss with jealousy.Check out all of the latest league tables and have your say on all of the Football League action belowFootball LeagueChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoLeicester CityHull Citypreston North EndBristol CityPlymouth ArgyleStockportSheffield UnitedCoventry CityBristol RoversPeterboroughSimon Burnton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

And so 2011 can now offically begin as AC Jimbo, Barry Glendenning and co return with the first Football Weekly of the new year.Rafa Honigstein muses on the continuing crisis at Chelsea and dismisses the prospects of Roy Hodgson being replaced by some of the Bundesligas finest.John Ashdown makes his long-awaited return to near-earth orbit to round up all the action from the Championship - not least the problems with preston North Ends Deepdale Duck.Sid Lowe tells us about Royston Drenthes latest spot of bother and finally - with the transfer window open once more - we run the rule over the latest rumours including David Beckham popping over to Tottenham Hotspur and Ronaldinho taking advantage of the Blackburn nightlife by joining Rovers.Mr Zonal Marking Michael Cox is with us on Thursday for Football Weekly Extra. Post your questions for him, as well as your feedback on todays show, on the blog below.James RichardsonBen GreenJohn AshdownBarry GlendenningRaphael HonigsteinSid [detalii...]

Decision comes after 3-0 defeat to Millwall Dougie Freedman to take temporary charge of clubCrystal Palace, currently mired in the relegation zone of the Championship, sacked their manager, George Burley, today. The decision followed the clubs 3-0 defeat to Millwall."George Burley has today been relieved of his duties as first team manager of Crystal Palace FC," read a statement on the clubs website. "We would like to thank George for his dedication and hard work and share his regret that things didnt work out for him here."Palaces assistant manager, Dougie Freedman, will take charge of the first team on a caretaker basis for the game against preston.Burley took over at Selhurst Park in June last year, following an unsuccessful spell as manager of Scotland.Crystal PalaceGeorge BurleyTom Lutz guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

20-year-old agrees one-month loan with Championship side Sears could make his debut tonight against prestonScunthorpe United have completed the loan signing of the West Ham United striker Freddie Sears and he could make his debut in tonights clash at preston North End.The 20-year-old, who had spells on loan at Crystal Palace and Coventry City last season, has joined the Championship club for a month and will bolster their attacking options.Ian Baracloughs side head to Deepdale on the back of a six-match winless streak in all competitions.Baraclough said of Sears: "Hes a lad who first came to our attention a few years ago when he burst on to the scene with West Ham. We were presented with the chance to bring him in and were delighted to have him on board."ScunthorpeWest Ham United guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Cardiff and Forest fail to make up ground on leaders QPR Leeds strengthen play-off chances with 2-1 win at prestonNorwich City recovered from a disappointing draw at home to the relegation-threatened preston to record an impressive 3-2 Championship win at Leicester City.The diminutive Wesley Hoolahan headed the Canaries in front after 20 minutes before Richie Wellens equalised two minutes later. Norwich were back in front four minutes into the second half when Grant Holt scored his 17th of the season from the penalty spot after the busy Hoolahan was brought down by Matt Oakley.Holts strike partner Aaron Wilbraham then gave Norwich the security of a two-goal cushion with a neat finish. Leicester rallied late on and pulled the score back to 3-2 with a lasta€‘minute Paul Gallagher striker.Leeds United were the only other team in the top six to win after a comfortable 2-1 win over preston North End at Deepdale.Goals from Neil Kilkenny and Billy Paynter were enough for Leeds as they strengthened their play-off chances and pushed preston closer to relegation. Iain Hume scored a late consolation for the home side, who are now 10 points adrift of safety.Danny Grahams late goal was enough to earn a creditable 1-1 draw for Watford against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium. Stephen Dobbie had given Swansea a first-half lead after putting the finishing touch to a fantastic build-up.Cardiff City also failed to make up ground on the leaders as they lost 1-0 to relegation-threatened Crystal Palace. Dougie Freedmans men scored a late winner through the Fulham loanee Kagisho Dikgacoi.Nottingham Forest were another promotion-chasing side beaten by a team at the wrong end of the table, going down 2-1 to Sheffield United, who recorded their first win under Micky Adams.Dele Adebola had given Forest the lead and Richard Cresswell missed a penalty for Sheffield United before goals from Sam Vokes and Matthew Lowton gave the Blades an invaluable three points.The wins for Crystal Palace and Sheffield United put more pressure on Scunthorpe, who went down 2-1 at Barnsley. The Blackpool loanee Marlon Harewood scored twice on his full home debut for Barnsley before Michael Collinss late consolation for United.Middlesbrough secured an important 2-1 win over Derby County to go level on points with the Rams in the table. Tony Mowbrays men fought back after Jamie Wards opener with goals from Seb Hines and Merouane Zemmama.Both Burnley and Reading kept their play-off hopes alive with impressive away victories at Hull City and Ipswich Town respectively. Burnley won 1-0 after an early strike from their new loan signing Nathan Delfouneso, as Reading secured a relatively comfortable 3-1 win at Portman Road. The Royals goals came from Shane Long, Ian Harte and Noel Hunt, with Connor Wickham replying for the hosts.Bristol City came out on top in a mid-table clash against Portsmouth as Albert Adomah and a Greg Halford own goal gave them a 2-1 win, with Dave Kitson scoring in injury time for the visitors.Doncaster Rovers and Coventry City played out a 1-1 draw at the Keepmoat, with James Hayters late goal cancelling out Freddie Eastwoods opener.ChampionshipNorwich CityLeicester CitySwanseaWatfordCrystal PalaceCardiff CitySheffield UnitedNottingham Forestpreston North EndLeeds UnitedHull CityBurnleyIpswich TownReadingMiddlesbroughDerby CountyBristol CityPortsmouthBarnsleyScunthorpeDoncasterCoventry City guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Former Chelsea striker joins Blues west London neighbours Gudjohnsens contract runs out at end of the seasonEidur Gudjohnsen has joined Fulham on loan from Stoke until the end of the season.The 32-year-old former Chelsea and Barcelona striker, who becomes a free agent in the summer at the end of his one-year contract with the Potters, has made just five substitute appearances since arriving at the Britannia Stadium last August."It has been an incredibly frustrating time for Eidur," said the City manager Tony Pulis. "But he has been an outstanding professional and a great influence around the place in his time here."Unfortunately, he didnt get the games that he needed to build up his match fitness, but this loan move presents him with a chance to do that."Meanwhile, Fulham have loaned out the Florida-born forward Eddie Johnson to preston for the rest of the campaign.FulhamStoke CityTransfer window guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

Cardiff go above Norwich with 3-0 win Swansea drop to fifth with defeat at BurnleyCardiff City moved back into the second automatic promotion place in the Championship with a comfortable 3-0 win over out-of-sorts Portsmouth.It took only eight minutes for Seyi Olofinjana to put Cardiff in front after some smart work by Craig Bellamy. Dave Joness side doubled their lead just before half-time when a Peter Whittingham corner sparked a scramble in the box and the ball fell to Jay Bothroyd, who converted a simple chance. Whittingham added a third in the 73rd minute.Cardiff spirits will have been lifted further by Swansea Citys loss at Burnley, which leaves Brendan Rodgers side five points off the automatic places. Swansea took the lead at Turf Moor through Fabio Borini, but an Ashley Williams own-goal and Chris Eagles penalty earned victory for Burnley, for whom Graeme Alexander was making his 1,000th professional appearance, becoming only the second player to achieve the feat.Leeds and Nottingham Forests wobbles will have encouraged Hull City, who remain in contention for a play-off place after two Matty Fryatt goals led them to a 3-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers at the KC Stadium. Richard Garcia scored Hulls first goal, before Franck Moussa levelled for Doncaster.Scunthorpe United added another twist to the relegation tussle with a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park that dragged Crystal Palace back into trouble. Goals in each half from David Mirfin and Ramon Nunez put Scunthorpe in control before Sean Scannell pulled one back for Palace with 20 minutes to go. That set up a frantic finale in which the visitors Joe Garner then Scannell were sent off. Victory takes third-bottom Scunthorpe to within three points of their opponents.In the days other relegation battle, preston North End also kept their survival hopes alive, while probably ending Sheffield Uniteds, in a 3-1 win at Deepdale. Keith Treacy scored twice in the second half to put preston only four points from safety.Brighton and Hove Albion secured the League One title with a 3-1 win at Walsall. Inigo Calderon put them ahead in the sixth minute with a header. The hosts levelled five minutes later through Andy Butlers header before Glenn Murray and Elliott Bennett struck to seal the title.League Two leaders Chesterfield are now only a point away from securing promotion after their 2-1 win over Macclesfield.ChampionshipCardiff CityPortsmouthBurnleySwansea CityHull CityDoncaster RoversScunthorpeCrystal Palacepreston North EndSheffield UnitedLeague OneBrighton & Hove AlbionWalsallLeague TwoChesterfieldMacclesfieldTom Davies guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

An exhibition on the history of womens football and the FAs launch of a Womens Super League should help to bring fans back to the game View pictures of the exhibition hereLily Parr, born in 1905, had a prodigious appetite for food and Woodbines. But calorie consumption and chain-smoking didnt prevent her from becoming the most celebrated female footballer of hers or any other age.Parr was a star. Her appearance in the all-conquering Dick, Kerr "ladies" football team from preston helped to draw a crowd of over 53,000 to Goodison Park, Liverpool, on Boxing Day in 1920. "Another 5,000 were locked out," says Colin Yates, artist, teacher, football coach and organiser of an exhibition in Manchester called Moving the Goalposts: A History of Womens Football in Britain (1881-2011). Yes, 1881. "When I go into schools and talk about the womens game, the boys are derisive and the girls seem to think its a fairly recent phenomenon," he adds.Boys and girls made similar assumptions about black players when he first took football-related anti-racist initiatives into schools. He was able to tell them about Arthur Wharton, whose mother came from Ghanaian royalty, and who was playing in goal for preston North End around the same time that Parrs fame was spreading beyond the boundaries of that Lancashire town.Phil Vasili co-wrote a play about Wharton with Irvine Welsh and, having three footballing daughters, he was happy to provide the words to go with the pictures and cartoons at the womens football exhibition. That 1881 game was between Scotland and England in Edinburgh, and both teams wore high-heeled boots, he tells us. "Unfortunately, the next match between the teams, in Glasgow, had to be abandoned because of attempts by some of the young men in the 5,000 crowd to get too close to the women players!""There was a salacious side to it," Yates confirms. But by the first world war, the womens game was being more appreciated for its skills than its sex appeal. Women were expected to vacate the football fields as well as the factories when the carnage was over as the FA was becoming increasingly uncomfortable about a popular alternative to the mens game. Spurious arguments were put forward about the dangers of competitive sport to womens health and fertility.The final straw came in 1921 when womens teams played charity matches to raise money for the families of striking miners. FA-registered clubs were promptly banned from allowing womens football on their grounds.Ninety years on and the FA this week launched a Womens Super League. On its website, the FA proclaims: "To be successful in England, womens football has to emerge from the shadow of the mens game and establish its own identity."Lily Parr and her team-mates would have been astonished. Moving the Goalposts is at the Peoples History Museum in Manchester until 15 May.Social historyEqualityGenderWomens footballExhibitionsChris Arnot guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]

The Sheffield Wednesday chairman, Milan Mandaric, is not known for his patience, and with Wednesday having won one of their last seven league games and slipped to 10th in League One, manager Alan Irvine may not survive bowing out of the Cup to a team lying 21st in League Two. It wont be easy for the Owls; Hereford are a fast improving team under former player and physiotherapist Jamie Pitman, and the visitors are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions. Richard RaeVenue Hillsborough, Saturday 3pmRef S TannerOdds Sheff Wed 8-15 Hereford 6-1 Draw 7-2Head to head Sheff Wed 3 Hereford 2 Draws 0Sheff WedSubs from Jameson, Beevers, Sedgwick, Purse, Potter, Palmer, Heffernan, Madine, BuxtonDoubtful NoneHerefordSubs from Heister, preston, Canham, Green, Stratford, Thomas, Weir, Evans, Purdie, BauzaDoubtful NoneMatch pointers Wednesday have lost one of their last 16 Cup matches against teams from a lower division. Hereford have gained more points away than at home in the league this season.FA CupSheffield WednesdayHereford guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More [detalii...]