Scottish Mag

Glenn Roeder is ready to make Nobby Solano his full-time, first-choice right-back. Solano's form while dropping into the Newcastle back four in place of the injured Steve Carr has been a revelation. And Roeder last night insisted he is certain to take up the option of extending the Peruvian's contract by at least another year beyond this summer. "Nobby has been shown to be equally good as a right-back as he was as a right-midfielder," said Roeder, who has struck a right-back off his list of January transfer targets. "I didn't realise he had played there for Boca Juniors and Peru. His reading of the game is fantastic. "Ultimately he doesn't want quick, young players against him but his positional play is so good they never get the chance to hurt him. It reminds me of Steve Perryman, who played at right-back for Spurs after being a midfielder, and kept going into his mid to late 30s. "He had no pace whatsoever but his positional sense was so good he never got done. Nobby is exactly like that." Solano's contract expires at the end of the season but contains a clause allowing United to extend it by another year. And that is the minimum period that Roeder would like to retain his services. "The thought of Nobby not being here next year has not crossed my mind," added the Newcastle boss, although he sees Solano's ultimate destiny lying a long way from Tyneside. "Nobby has told me he has an ambition to manage Peru one day, and he has got the tactical knowledge and football brain to do that. He is an excellent talker - he will be able to convey - and he knows what every position should be doing."

Fuck...

You really are a wanker...

Not guilty either...

So whilst Nobby hides his weakness well, our manager chooses to use the media to highlight it to everyone. Well done Glenn....

Smith, McCoist and Durrant is meant to be a done deal.. Wonder what fucking clown we will get in charge of the national team now.. Bloke on Five Live last night seemed to think Smith will stay in charge on Scotland too (for the time being at least). There is no way that will work. Every Rangers player that is picked will be questioned etc..

TRANSFER RUMOURS Javier Mascherano will join Liverpool in a few days - but needs to check he is eligible to play because of Fifa regulations limiting the number of clubs a player can represent in one season. (Various) West Ham will spend more than £20m in January in a bid to save their Premiership status - with £5m Fulham skipper Luis Boa Morte their first target. (Various) Other targets for the Hammers include Matthew Upson, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Mark Viduka. (Various) Tottenham have made a £4m bid for West Ham's Anton Ferdinand. (The Sun) Spurs boss Martin Jol has seen a £7m offer for Charlton's Darren Bent rejected. (Daily Mail) Tottenham are ready to offer Wayne Routledge and Calum Davenport to Watford, in return for Watford striker Ashley Young. (The Guardian) Young is closing in on a £5.5m move to Liverpool, with Watford ready to replace him with £1m Will Hoskins from Rotherham. (Daily Express) Manchester United will try to sign Blackburn's David Bentley - if their move for Owen Hargreaves falls through. (Daily Mirror) Charlton boss Alan Pardew has made a shock bid for Portsmouth's veteran striker Andy Cole. (Daily Mirror) Rangers are closing in on a double swoop for Wigan defender Andy Webster and Falkirk striker Alan Gow. (Daily Record) Aston Villa will sign Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley, but not until the two teams have played in the FA Cup and league. (Daily Mirror) Charlton have agreed a £2.7m fee for Arsenal striker Anthony Stokes. (The Sun) Newcastle are still confident they can capture the signature of Liverpool's Peter Crouch. (Various) Chelsea want to sign Valencia's veteran Argentine defender Roberto Ayala. (Daily Mail) Fulham striker Collins John has rejected a move to Watford after they failed to meet his personal demands. (Various) Real Madrid are considering a shock £7m bid for Everton defender Joleon Lescott. (Daily Mirror) Sheffield United are on the verge of signing Egypt international defender Ahemed Fathi from Ismaily in a £700,000 deal. (The Sun) QPR have rejected two £2m bids from Spurs and Man City for winger Lee Cook. (Various) Southampton's young star Gareth Bale has rejected a new contract with the club. (Daily Mirror) Hibs player Scott Brown says he has been threatened by the club's supporters after requesting a transfer. (Daily Record) Sunderland boss Roy Keane will raid former club Celtic for midfielder Stephen Pearson in a £400,000 deal. (Daily Mirror) Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is lining up a surprise swoop for Coventry's Stern John. (The Sun) Benfica's Manuel Fernandes is keen to stay in England despite his loan spell with Portsmouth coming to an end. (The Sun) Marseille star Franck Ribery says he has snubbed a second bid by Arsenal - but will consider joining the Gunners in the summer. (Daily Star) Millwall want to re-sign their joint-record scorer Neil Harris from Nottingham Forest. (The Sun) Sheffield United winger Paul Ifill will join Crystal Palace. (Daily Mirror) OTHER GOSSIP Macclesfield boss Paul Ince claims institutional racism is blighting black players' chances of becoming Premiership managers - but says he still hopes to move there one day. (Various) Walter Smith is poised to return to Rangers to take charge of the club for the second time - with Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant as his assistants. (Various) Liverpool legend Sammy Lee has told boss Rafa Benitez to stop being so criticial of Bolton. (Daily Star) Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill fears Manchester United's veteran striker Henrik Larsson - who played under him at Celtic - will come back to haunt him in Sunday's FA Cup tie. (Various) AND FINALLY... Macclesfield's £600-a-week defender Matty McNeil hopes laughter affects Chelsea's megabucks stars in Saturday's FA Cup tie. The 29-year-old former fruit and veg van driver is nicknamed Borat by his team mates - because of his resemblance to Sacha Baron Cohen's character. Although he hates the name, he hopes it will make the Blues' players lose concentration. (Various) Palermo's sporting director Rino Foschi received an unwelcome festive present after his team fell 13 points behind leaders Inter Milan - inside a nicely wrapped parcel was a bloody goat's head. (Daily Express)

Glenn Roeder has admitted Newcastle United may have to rely on loan signings to fill the gaping holes in their squad as Wes Brown became the latest player to distance himself from a January move to St James's Park last night. Roeder has never confirmed or denied that he is interested in the Manchester United defender, but The Journal understands he is one of the players wanted by Newcastle's manager. But Brown, like Liverpool striker Peter Crouch earlier this week, has insisted he is happy to stay where he is, despite the fact he would gain far more first-team football at St James's Park. "I'm a Manchester lad and Old Trafford is still the only place for me," said the England international, who is only on the fringes of the first-team squad at Manchester United. "My contract runs to 2008 and I would love to see out my career at (Manchester) United - I've no intention of going anywhere else. It's going great at the moment - everyone's enjoying themselves and there's a cracking team spirit in the dressing room." Brown's comments may mean little if Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson decides he wants to sell him. But with Manchester United still involved in the title race, the Champions League and the FA Cup, the Scot is unlikely to want to weaken his squad. Despite Brown's fall from grace - Ferguson once described him as the best natural defender in British football - he is still highly-rated at the club. The 27-year-old did hold talks with Ferguson last month about his future after losing his place in the side to Nemanja Vidic and that may well have alerted Roeder to his possible availability. Roeder knows he needs to sign a centre-back, a left-back and a tall striker during the January transfer window and he is unlikely to give up on Brown until the window closes at the end of the month. However, it is difficult to see where Newcastle can go for the quality of player they are after as clubs are always reluctant to sell in the middle of the season when they know they will also struggle to strengthen. And, with Roeder refusing to buy simply to solve his short-term problems, he conceded yesterday that he may have to fall back on the limited loan market or head abroad. He said: "There are not a lot of quality players out there at the moment, but this does not mean we cannot find two or three players who will suit our needs. "We have had Seppe Rossi on loan but can still take another couple in this transfer window and that's what we may have to do. "What I do not want to do is to sign players who we will be lumbered with for the next three-and-a-half years. There is a saying in football that while you cannot hide good players, you cannot get rid of bad players and we want to avoid that." Meanwhile, Nicky Butt and Emre will be given until the last possible moment to prove their fitness ahead of the tricky-looking trip to face Championship-leaders Birmingham City in the FA Cup third round tomorrow. Emre has been struggling with a groin strain and Nicky Butt has still not trained because of the swollen ankle that forced him to miss the 2-2 draw against his former club Manchester United on New Year's Day. With Scott Parker suspended for the tie, Newcastle need one of the due to declare themselves fit, or Roeder will have to give another Academy player, South African Matty Pattison, a start at St Andrews. Butt is believed to be the more likely to recover in time, but Roeder insists he has not ruled his Turkish international midfielder out of things. He said: "Emre is touch and go but we haven't given up on him."

Smith, McCoist and Durrant is meant to be a done deal.. Wonder what fucking clown we will get in charge of the national team now..

Clyde 1 are convinced that Walter Smith will be going upstairs and Ally McCoist will be in charge of team affairs. Seem to reckon it is a done deal...

Dunno what you are laughing at, Calderwood is a stick on to be linked with the post..

Souness for Ibrox.....

Rangers manager Paul Le Guen has left the club by mutual consent. The Frenchman had stripped Barry Ferguson of the captaincy after claiming the player was undermining him in the dressing room. No surprises there then....

Fulham have accepted a bid from an unnamed Premiership club for Dutch striker Collins John. The Cottagers moved to sign Vincenzo Montella on loan from Roma on Thursday and the arrival of the Italian has seemingly paved the way for John to end his time at Craven Cottage. John has scored just once so far this season for Chris Coleman's side, with the Cottagers boss preferring Heidar Helguson and Brian McBride in attack for the majority of the season. Coleman denied that Fulham had received any approaches for John at the start of the week, but the London side have now accepted a bid from an unnamed party as they look to offload the 21-year-old. Watford have been strongly linked with the former Twente Entschede starlet in the past, and Adrian Boothroyd is known to be searching for striking reinforcements after the serious injury to Marlon King. Charlton are also believed to be a potential suitor for John as new boss Alan Pardew looks to construct a team capable of avoiding the drop.

A ginger beard? No wonder you are pulling munters.....

First day back to be told we can go home at 3.15...result

December is always a key month in English football, with a multitude of games being packed into the schedule and plenty of points on offer for teams looking to become upwardly mobile before the New Year arrives. December 2006 in the Premiership saw Manchester United consolidate their lead at the top of the table, despite a rare loss at West Ham, and the Opta Player of the Month reflects United's general dominance. Cristiano Ronaldo was virtually unplayable throughout December, featuring in all six of Manchester United's games, and scoring in four of them. Indeed, the Portuguese scored two goals in three successive matches for United, contributing six of the nine goals the Red Devils knocked past Aston Villa, Reading and Wigan Athletic. Not only was Ronaldo in deadly goalscoring form, but he also created two more strikes for his side and delivered 25 crosses, second only to Ryan Giggs. If he can continue this form for another month or so then surely he will be named the Premiership's player of the season. He was the league's top scorer in December with seven goals. In second place is Newcastle United captain Scott Parker who was a key figure in the Magpies' steady recovery during December. His side played a mammoth seven games in the month, winning four of them, with Parker notching his side's third goal in their 3-1 win against Spurs. He also ended the month with one assist and made 25 tackles in the heat of the engine-room. Third place goes to Manchester United's Louis Saha who may not have generated headlines as glowing as Ronaldo but was still effective for the league leaders. The Frenchman scored only one goal but was constantly involved in their build-up play and had a pass completion of well over 80%. Fourth and fifth places go to two players from London clubs, Arsenal's Robin Van Persie and Chelsea's Frank Lampard. The former finally hit a rich vein of goalscoring form in December, ending the month with three goals, while the latter was one of the few Chelsea players to show some consistency, scoring twice and creating three other goals for the champions. Player Team Index Score Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United 2270 Scott Parker Newcastle United 1520 Louis Saha Manchester United 1494 Robin van Persie Arsenal 1448 Frank Lampard Chelsea 1384

Juventus are thought to be targeting a move for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, according to reports in Italy. Reports suggest Juventus have lined up Crouch as a possible replacement for David Trezeguet. Trezeguet's long-term future at Juve is shrouded in doubt, with the player thought to be considering his options. Juventus are now believed to be drawing up a list of targets to replace Trezeguet, should the Frenchman leave Turin. Crouch is thought to come under the gaze of Juve officials, as doubts continue to grow over his Liverpool future. It has even been suggested that Liverpool and Juventus might do a straight swap between Crouch and Trezeguet. The England international has struggled to hold down a regular place in Rafa Benitez's side this season, with Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy keeping him out of the side. Newcastle United have been credited with an interest in the player, but Crouch insists he has no plans to quit Anfield. Juventus are also thought to have targeted Ajax ace Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Werder Bremen star Miroslav Klose as possible striking reinforcements.

No, you need to find a more satisfying job...

No...

Barry Ferguson has been stripped of the Rangers captaincy and BBC Sport understands that he has played his last game under manager Paul Le Guen. A statement from Rangers said: "Paul Le Guen has confirmed he has chosen, on this occasion, to drop Barry Ferguson for tomorrow's game. "And the captaincy will be given to Gavin Rae." Le Guen is not expected to expand on his reasons until after the match against Motherwell at Fir Park. The sensational move follows a row with Ferguson after Saturday's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to St Mirren. Le Guen and Ferguson had also had a recent disagreement over the importance of the club captaincy and matters came to a head at a meeting on Monday. The latest news comes after more pressure mounted on the Frenchman with Rangers sit third in the Scottish Premier League, 17 points adrift of city rivals and reigning champions Celtic. The manager obviously knows that, by taking such a decision, he has put his neck on the line Jim Templeton of the Rangers Supporters' Assembly And the signings made by Le Guen since taking over from Alex McLeish in the summer have failed to make a positive impression. But, despite league results unacceptable to many Rangers fans, Ferguson has been in excellent and inspirational form. There have been increasing rumours of a personality clash between the captain and manager and of splits between the club's Scottish and French players. It is the second time that Le Guen has shown that he does not accept anyone questioning his authority. On-loan Manchester United right-back Phil Bardsley had a training-ground disagreement with the former Lyon boss in October and did not play for Rangers again. But dropping his captain comes with greater risks for Le Guen. Ferguson is lauded by many Rangers fans, who are already questioning the Frenchman's management credentials. Jim Templeton, of the Rangers Supporters' Assembly, told BBC Sport: "At a time like this, it is a lift we need, not something like this happening to our one class player. "Paul Le Guen could not have picked a worse time and I would imagine that 90% of Rangers fans will be behind Barry Ferguson. "The manager obviously knows that, by taking such a decision, he has put his neck on the line, so the club need to come out and state why this has happened. "If that reason is not acceptable to the fans, there will be trouble ahead. "Making Gavin Rae captain is as strange as dropping Barry Ferguson. "I know he has had injury problems, but making someone captain who has been unable to hold down a regular first-team place makes no sense whatsoever." The 28-year-old Ferguson came through the young system at Ibrox before moving to Blackburn Rovers for £7.5m in 2003. But, after two injury-hit and homesick years in the Premiership, he won a return to his boyhood heroes in January 2005.

Who the f*ck are Man United......... 11 games into the season and I am 5th with Sheff Utd following a win at Old Trafford

Well done lads, another good defensive display. Taylor starting to look a player again. Got to give credit to the youngsters apart from the Everton game Taylor, Ramage, Huntington, Edgar and even Solano have surely shown Roeder etc just how shite the likes of Bramble, Carr and Babayaro really are. I know we keep making excuses before each match that its only lads playing at the back and not to expect to much, but I am far more confident in some of these lads than I am watching Carr and Bramble.

Get fucking in there, what a goal!!

Newcastle United: Shay Given, Nolberto Solano, David Edgar, Steven Taylor, Paul Huntington, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker, Emre, James Milner, Antoine Sibierski, Obafemi Martins. Subs: Pavel Srnicek, Albert Luque, Matty Pattison, Alan O'Brien, Andy Carroll. Manchester United: Edwin Van Der Sar, Gary Neville, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha. Subs: Tom Heaton, John O'Shea, Ji-Sung Park, Gabriel Heinze, Michael Carrick.