13/12/2006 - Manchester City FC Podcast

07/12/2006 - Manchester City Football Club

29/11/2006 - Manchester City F

23/11/2006 - Manchester City F

16/11/2006 - Manchester City

09/11/2006 - Manchester City F

2006/11/02 - Manchester City FC Podcast

26/10/2006 - Manchester City FC Podcast

19/10/2006 - Manchester City FC Podcast

12/10/2006 - Manchester City FC Podcast

Saturday clockwatch - live!

1. Prepare a nutritious, succulent afternoon meal: bread 'n' spread, maybe, washed down with a tall glass of Liver Compromiser
2. Kick back and let the auto-refresh tool take the strain OR, if you're an old-school nerd, get frisky with F5.
3. Email your thoughts to rob.smyth@guardian.co.uk
4. Feel free to join or sponsor Rob's Movember team, a cause for which he is sacrificing what dignity he has left
5. Ask Alanis Morissette whether this is ironic
6. Follow the latest scores around England and Europe by clicking this little fella

3.42pm Latest scores department:

England 9-8 Australia
Aston Villa 1-0 Bolton
Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth
Manchester City 0-1 Burnley
Spurs 1-0 Sunderland

3.41pm "Great story (3.35pm) about the class warrior pulling down the rugby posts, but it isn't it a bit undermined by coming from someone called Julian?" Says Robin Hazlehurst.

3.40pm "No...diff Chris Holland..." says Luciano Howard.

3.39pm "Nothing's gone wrong with Man City per se," says Angus Chisholm. "They were just the victim of ridiculous five-games-into-the-season hype." I know what you mean, but come on: being outplayed at home by Burnley isn't in the script, surely?

3.38pm Blackburn's Pascal Chimbonda swings a big right-hander at Jamie O'Hara - but Andre Marriner only books him. Alan McInally on Sky Sports is several shades of apoplexy over that, and he sounds extremely lucky.

3.37pm Another potential shock: it's Grimsby 0-1 Bath City. Chris Holland scored the goal. Is that the same Chris Holland who was at Newcastle?

3.36pm "John Martin is, of course, correct that none of the examples mentioned in the song are actually ironic," says Jesse Galdston. "I always thought that this was some sort of meta-irony that she did on purpose. Perhaps I am overthinking it?" What gives you that idea?

3.35pm Here's Julian Menz. "Good afternoon Rob. When I was but a nipper (well, 16), we organised a night-time raid and tore down the rugby posts (some idiot thought a good old fashioned game of rugger would keep the youth in line) on our school sports-field. Symbols of Toryism and the capitalist hegemony. Billy Bragg was playing loud, and we were proud. How things have changed. Rugby is still a stupid sport though. Is Wilkinson still alive? I thought he'd moved to south London and married Dennis Thatcher."

3.34pm: England 9-8 Australia Right at the start of the second half, Matt Giteau's penalty takes Australia to within a point of England.

3.32pm Luton are now beating Rochdale, who are second in League Two, 3-0. Blimey.

3.31pm "I'm keen to join in this Movember moustache fun but, I can't decide which style to go for," says Tim Travers. "I'm torn between the full blown Magnum PI lip topiary or the more refined Terry Thomas lip hugger. Any thoughts?" Magnum. Always.

3.30pm "Your mention of the Alanis song is interesting," lies John Martin to ensure publication. "Is there anything in the song that mentions anything that is actually ironic? 'Like a traffic jam, when you're already late'. That's not really an irony, more just bad luck. Isn't it ironic that nothing in
the song is actually ironic?" My head hurts.

3.27pm "There's something quietly erotic about Wilkinson putting a side to sleep," says Alex Netherton. Yep, I regularly invite people round for postmodern orgies in a room with a load of widescreen TVs showing the 2003 World Cup semi-final. It'll make a great Crash-style film one day.

3.26pm "Good causes aside, I hate Movember," says Karl Meakin. "As all my friends sport luxurious efforts ranging from the Ron Mael to the full Derek Smalls, I suffer from the embarassment of Bernard Sumner Disorder and end up with two mini-staches that don't quite join up. Still, could be worse. Could be
Gary Neville."

3.24pm And these are the latest FA Cup scores. Not much of note as yet, although Luton are beating Rochdale 2-0.

3.23pm These are the latest scores:

England 9-5 Australia
Aston Villa 1-0 Bolton
Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth
Manchester City 0-1 Burnley
Spurs 1-0 Sunderland

3.22pm "Hi Rob," says Robin Hazlehurst. "When a team are pushing hard in rugby I think that's called a scrum. So if they're pushing for a try that should be an attacking scrum. If that helps you with the terminology." This is easy. I'll know what a drop goal is by the time this game has finished.

3.21pm "What do we know about Jamie O'Hara?" muses Mikey Stafford. "Likes a Wag and has a mean left peg. Someone tell the Rovers defence because they let him unleash a shot from 30 yards that was precisely in Paul Robinson's bottom left-hand corner. However the question has to be asked - should any keeper be beaten from that distance? It was a good shot but Robinson's view was unimpeded and I believe he could have done better." If you believe it, Mum, we all believe it.

3.20pm: Manchester City 0-1 Burnley (Alexander 20 pen) Joleon Lescott is penalised for handball, and the inevitable Graham Alexander gives Burnley a deserved lead at the City of Manchester stadium. What has gone wrong at City?

3.19pm The trouble with these multi-sport clockwatches is that there's no half-time period and therefore no toilet time. I'm dying here, and there's 100 minutes to go!

3.18pm: Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth (O'Hara 15) Jamie O'Hara scores his first goal for Portsmouth, who will go above Blackburn if they win today. That would also put Phil Brown FC bottom. Anyway, Mikey Stafford's dissertation on O'Hara's goal should be with us within the next couple of minutes.

3.17pm: Half-time: England 9-5 Australia

3.16pm "Looks like Jonny's spleen is surviving quite nicely," says David Hilmy. "However one wonders whether one man, whose 70-odd caps must equate to most of the experince among at least a dozen of the others, is going to be enough? It also beggars the question why England seem to have so little experience in the Saxons [read: talent pool]."

3.14pm Wilkinson makes a couple of great defensive tackles to deny Australia a try. In the course of the second he wins a penalty, and is congratulated more than he would have been had he put over a penalty or a drop goal. I think this means he did a good thing.

3.13pm: Spurs 1-0 Sunderland (Keane 12) Sunderland have started really well today but it's Spurs who take the lead through Robbie Keane, who is playing in the hole behind a front two today. It's his eighth goal against Sunderland, and I've no idea how it came about because I'd switched over to the rugby, where Australia are pushing for a try in the last couple of minutes of the first half. "Pushing for a try"? That doesn't sound remotely convincing. I'm out of my depth.

3.12pm "MG certainly beats what the Norwegians call him, which is 'Gamsten' – translates as, er, the Gamst," says Vern Mapp. "I try to tolerate his gorgeous pouting sultry metrosexual visage as it stares down at me every morning from a poster advertising haircare products whilst waiting for my bus to work, but I normally just mutter 'twoncey pat'. Or something…."

3.09pm "Rob," says Big Evil. "There seems to be a growing trend of playing natural wingers in central midfield. Sunderland have no pace on the flanks at all, with Malbranque and Reid there and Kieran Richardson shoehorned into a central midfield role. I don't even know why Morten Gamst Pedersen is getting a game, but surely Diouf on the left and Emerton on the right wing would suit both players and Blackburn a lot more. Ricardo Gardner, who was a pretty decent left winger under Allardyce, is now being tucked infield with the unremarkable Matty Taylor on the left wing. And if the newspapers are right, Villa also plan to play Stewart Downing in the middle too. Does this mean that expansive wing play is dying? Or does it simply mean that Premiership football is evolving to require higher athletic standards in central midfield? Central midfielders do seem to be a heck lot more busy nowadays." I agree with this up to a point, but a number of Premier League sides are still very dependent on genuine wingers or wide forwards: Manchester United, Villa, Spurs, Manchester City, and so on.

3.07pm: Aston Villa 1-0 Bolton (A Young 5) Jussi Jaaskelainien makes a great save to deny John Carew, but Ashley Young follows up to score. I haven't actually seen the goal; I'm just paraphrasing the words that fell out of Charlie Nicholas's face on Sky.

3.06pm "I hope England don't win this because it will mean more new rules to keep the game going in Australia and the Antipods," says Richard Jones. "This will always be the same under down there. They cannot stand to lose and when they do they act with insufferable puerility and try and change the rules.
Watch it happen if OZ loses to England and worse still to Old South Wales."

3pm: England 9-5 Australia Wilkinson kicks the easiest penalty in the history of rugby. Thirteen minutes to half-time.

2.55pm: England 6-5 Australia (Genia) After a bit of pressure five metres from the line, Will Genia bursts through a criminally large gap to score. Giteau, on the left, drags the conversion wide of the far post.

2.54pm "Rob," says George Schaller. "Movember is not too big over here in the States so I'm a little confused. Do you feel awkward explaining the humor in mustache growing to someone who wears a mustache year round? I can just see the poor guy coming home to his wife and asking her if she knew that mustaches are now a joke to some people." I don't think I know anyone with a moustache. Anyway it's not who you know, it's what you grow.

2.53pm "The C-section helped cushion the blow of giving birth to such an ugly child," says Mikey Stafford. "MG was due to originally typing on Blackberry – nine letters is a lot on that infernal contraption. Back on the lappy now, so quite happy to wax lyrical on the bould Morten Gamst from Vadsø, Finnmark in Norway. Only joking, by the way, you were a beautiful baby." What's with the past tense?

2.52pm Australia's first decent attack brings them to within 10 metres of the England line, but then someone is penalised for holding.

2.47pm Wilkinson hits the post with a penalty from the halfway line. England are all over Australia at the moment.

2.43pm: England 6-0 Australia (Wilkinson 10) Wilkinson kicks a fine penalty from wide on the left, and the scoreline reflects England's territorial advantage in the first 10 minutes. I almost sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I. Almost.

2.40pm "Movember is well supported on the pitch - entirely the product of natural testosterone I hasten to add," hastens to add Gary Naylor. "None favour the look of my favourite 'tache I see." That is majestic, like everything John Waters does. Except that. I want to watch Pecker now. I love that film.

2.37pm "Here is the team news from my non-crack-addled mind," says Mikey Stafford, the lucky man covering Blackburn v Pompey for us. "Yup! The previously ever-present Keith Andrews makes way for MG Pedersen, who has four career goals against Pompey. For their part Paul Hart's men are looking for a third straight 4-0 win, who'd have thought we'd be saying that prior to Pompey's relegation to the Championship? It's a bona fide relegation six-pointer Robert, the air is electric around Ewood. Just as well, seeing as it is at least two degrees colder than it was when I set out from London 80 days ago. Is the sky still blue down there?" Not sure as there's no natural light in our special Clockwatch Bunker. Anyway, two things Stafford:

'MG Pedersen'? Are you his DJ/rap buddy or could you just not be bothered to type 'Morten Gamst'. Nine extra letters, that's all.

'Robert'? Are you my mother? Please don't say you are. I have enough on my plate covering football and rugby.

2.36pm: England 3-0 Australia (Wilkinson) "Welcome home!" says the ever-excellent Sky commentator Miles Harrison as Jonny Wilkinson effortlessly nails a left-footed drop goal to give England an early lead.

2.35pm Potential giantkilling No1: Paulton 0-7 Norwich. It's not the winning, it's the taki Oh.

2.33pm Precisely 220 seconds after the scheduled start, Jonny Wilkinson gets things going at Twickenham. I have no idea how I'm going to follow this once the football starts.

2.32pm "Greetings Rob," says Scott W. "Interesting to see you've managed to get £22.50 worth of sponsorship money for growing a 'tache. Perhaps I could get a similar sum for refusing to brush my teeth. Or am I missing the point?" I rarely brush mine. Women love it, you know.

2.30pm "Were you smoking crack when you tippy tapped out the Blackburn formations?" says Mikey Stafford, who knows me too well. "4-1-3-1-1? Do you think that is a Sam Allardyce formation?" Stafford, don't get me started on my love of Dame Edna Uncle Sam. Blackburn fans will almost certainly be able to correct me, but Nzonzi sits and Dunn floats behind the striker, right? Or do Emerton and Nzonzi both sit? Technically you could argue it's a 4-1-1-3-1 formation, but that just looks weird. Too weird.

2.28pm The fantastic music from Requiem For A Dream, which has been sadly rendered unlistenable because of its use in Lord of the Rings and on Sky Sports News, blares out as the players get into a pre-match huddle at Twickenham. The minute's silence for Remembrance Day is largely well observed, although I think you could hear a few nuggets. Hard to be sure as I was also hearing voices around the office. Not from nuggets, obviously.

2.27pm "Kudos Rob re: Movember," says Michael Bourke. "Is a great cause, and a brave challenge. Apparently I look like a debonair English chap from the '30's, Charlie Chaplin or Hitler. Depends who you ask. Nice to see the Kangaroos behind it as well. Be brave." I'm quite radged off about my lack of growth over the first seven days. You can barely notice it. It's like Niles Crane's moustache. I might just keep going - or I should I say growing - all the way through to next Movember. I am Movember's Child. The good thing is that there are special salons where you can get it sculpted, so once I've grown something you can actually see I can hopefully get it turned into a Magnum PI mo.

Man City v Burnley team news Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland return in a very attacking City line-up.

Man City (4-2-3-1) Given; Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Bridge;
Ireland, Barry; Wright-Phillips, Tevez, Bellamy; Adebayor.
Subs: Taylor, Richards, Johnson, Santa Cruz, Petrov, De Jong, Weiss.

Burnley (4-2-3-1) Jensen; Mears, Carlisle, Caldwell, Jordan; Alexander, Bikey; Eagles, Elliott, Blake; Steven Fletcher.
Subs: Penny, Duff, McDonald, Gudjonsson, Nugent, Thompson, Guerrero.

Referee Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

Blackburn v Portsmouth team news

Blackburn (4-1-3-1-1) Robinson; Chimbonda, Samba, Nelsen, Givet; Nzonzi; Diouf, Emerton, Pedersen; Dunn; Di Santo.
Subs: Brown, Roberts, McCarthy, Andrews, Kalinic, Hoilett, Salgado.

Portsmouth (4-D-2) James; Vanden Borre, Kaboul, Wilson, Ben-Haim; Mokoena; Brown, O'Hara; Boateng; Piquionne, Dindane.
Subs: Ashdown, Mullins, Williamson, Webber, Smith, Kanu, Belhadj.

Referee Andre Marriner (W Midlands)

Aston Villa v Bolton team news

Aston Villa (4-4-2) Friedel; Luke Young, Cuellar, Dunne, Warnock; Milner, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Ashley Young; Carew, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Guzan, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Delph, Shorey, Gardner, Clark.

Bolton (4-1-4-1) Jaaskelainen; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Robinson; Muamba; Lee, Cohen, Gardner, Taylor; Kevin Davies.
Subs: Al Habsi, Elmander, Steinsson, Mark Davies, Klasnic, Basham,
Andrew O'Brien.

Referee Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)

2.20pm "Ah, Stuart Hall," swoons Ian Copestake. "Has he ever commentated on an entire match? That would be a joy. Here he is in his other guise talking about representation and the media."

2.17pm "Commentating on the rugby is very easy," says Matthew Towers. "You start off with something mildly homoerotic like 'can England's big men grind the Aussie pack's faces in it', then you move on to contrasting the 'grit and grunt of the English powerhouse pack' with the 'sparkling Aussie backline', then if you've still got any will to live you speculate on whether King Jonny will last more than ten minutes without straining his spleen. It's really that simple. Oh and then you mention that my beloved Leicester thrashed the Saffers last night. PS you ought to push that Movember thing a bit harder, at the moment
it looks like the only people who care enough to drop you a couple of
quid are a couple of losers you met on the internet." Isn't the use of 'losers' tautologous? Anyhoo, I'm waiting till I look properly sexx freaky before I ask my friends.

Tottenham v Sunderland team news Sunderland's team includes only four former Spurs players: Malbranque, Reid, Bent and Campbell. "Whatever happened to" David Bentley is dropped after a self-obsessed stinker at the Emirates last weekend.

Tottenham (4-3-1-2) Gomes; Corluka, King, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto; Jenas, Huddlestone, Palacios; Keane; Crouch, Defoe.
Subs: Alnwick, Hutton, Bale, Bentley, Pavlyuchenko, Dawson, Kranjcar.

Sunderland (4-4-2) Gordon; Bardsley, Turner, Da Silva, McCartney; Malbranque, Henderson, Richardson, Andy Reid; Bent, Campbell.

Subs Fulop, Ferdinand, Nosworthy, Murphy, Meyler, Healy, Adam Reid.

Referee Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)

England v Australia team news

England Monye, Cueto, Hipkiss, Geraghty, Banahan, Wilkinson,
Care, Payne, Thompson, Wilson, Deacon, Borthwick, Croft, Moody,
Crane.
Replacements: Hartley, Bell, Lawes, Haskell, Hodgson, Goode,
Erinle.

Australia Ashley-Cooper, Hynes, Ioane, Cooper, Mitchell,
Giteau, Genia, Robinson, Moore, Alexander, Horwill, Chisholm,
Elsom, G. Smith, Palu.
Replacements: Polota-Nau, Dunning, Mumm, Pocock, Burgess, Cross,
O'Connor.

Referee Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

2.11pm "If your football ground had to have an @ in it what would it be called?" says Ian Copestake. "www.Barclays.Championship.trophy@liverpoolfc.com seems to be a
domain name that is already taken however."

2.07pm "Come come Rob," says Gary Naylor, beckoning me towards him, "I hope your excitement at this bumper day of sport hasn't blinded you to the match of the day, kick off 3.00pm at Edgeley Park, when stone-broke Stockport County take on the might of Tooting and Mitcham FC. Stuart Hall, who will be 80 on Christmas Day, has his priorities right and is already in his seat for Five Live. The magic of the Cup, eh?"

2.04pm The rugby starts at 2.30pm. When it comes to rugby, I don't know my arse from my elbo I am not strictly an expert, so apologies for the relative poverty of this afternoon's coverage. Blame the clockwatch crunch.

2.03pm "Thoughts on the big game tomorrow?" asks Michael Scallon, mistaking me for someone with the capacity for cogent thought. "If United play John O'Shea, they'll get battered in my opinion. You can substitute 'John O'Shea' for '4-4-2' as well." 4-4-2 is better than 4-5-1, surely? United are almost certain to lose so they might as well have a go. I'd play a proper 4-3-3, with a tight midfield of Anderson, Carrick and Fletcher, and Rooney and Valencia roaming in support of Berbatov. But whatever happens I can't see Chelsea not winning. United's 09-10 season has multiple similarities to their 03-04 campaign, and I think a low-scoring but thoroughly emphatic defeat at Stamford Bridge in November will be another of them.

1.52pm "All Blacks v Wales has to at least rate a mention!" says Jason Waite. "Or are you not covering?" I would love to cover that. I'd also love to cover the Championship, the Scottish League, David Haye's pre-fight nap and Doncaster v Birmingham & Solihull. And I'd also love to have four different mullets, which a little button on the side of my head allows me to choose between each day.

Preamble Hello. Yeah sure there are cultured, grown-up things you can do on a Saturday afternoon, art galleries and other places where you can pointedly narrow your eyes as if you actually have a clue what's going on, but give that a break today and embrace an old-school bumper Saturday of sport. Like when Dickie Davies used to do it. Okay so we don't have fat heroes called Shirley or Leslie or whatever in lycra, but we do have just rugby and football, that's not actually that much is it. Could we done under the Trade Descriptions Act for calling it a bumper Saturday of sport a bumper crop o' fun:

• Four Premier League matches!
• England v Australia at Twickenham!
• More FA Cup matches than you can shake an antiquated cup competition at!
• Nothing else!

These are the Premier League games, with those untrusty Smyth predictions that you've come to know and ignore.

Aston Villa 2-1 Bolton
Blackburn 2-1 Portsmouth
Manchester City 4-1 Burnley
Tottenham 2-1 Sunderland

And you can see all the FA Cup fixtures by clicking here. Paulton Rovers are already 3-0 down to Norwich, so there that goes.

Shrewsbury v Staines - live match centre

FA Cup: Can the Conference South team spring an upset against the Shrews? Follow the action here

Newcastle v Peterboro - live match centre

Championship: Who will win at sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park? Find out with our live score service

Ancelotti in no hurry to expand squad

• Suspension of transfer embargo provides safety net
• Blues will not spend lavishly in January

Carlo Ancelotti will dip into the transfer market during the midwinter window in January only if injuries to key players leave his squad depleted. The Italian was speaking after the Court of Arbitration for Sport froze Fifa's 12-month suspension on Chelsea registering new personnel over the Gaël Kakuta affair pending the hearing of the Londoners' appeal.

Chelsea expect the case to be heard in Lausanne early next year, most likely at the beginning of February, having opted against asking the CAS to fast-track their appeal. They will now be able to purchase players in January in the knowledge that, should the CAS uphold Fifa's ban, this would be their final opportunity to bring in fresh blood until the summer of 2011, though Ancelotti followed the lead of the club's chief executive, Ron Gourlay, in suggesting the club will not be spending lavishly in mid-season.

Instead Chelsea consider the CAS's suspension as having provided them with a safety net should injuries restrict Ancelotti's options over the coming months. "It's a decision that gives us the possibility to buy new players if it's necessary but at this moment it's not necessary," said the Italian. "[Our decision to seek the freezing of the suspension] makes sense because we want to have the opportunity to buy if needed. I know the best players are not available in the middle of the season. But, for us, it is not a problem at the moment. Our aim now is to maintain the players we have in good condition because we have a big squad with a lot of good players.

"Now we have the possibility to buy thanks to this decision and we have some time to look for new players. But we don't want to take a decision in this moment. For now I'm very happy with the squad and it's not necessary at the moment to take new players. I know we will lose four in January [to the African Cup of Nations] but, if we maintain the players' fitness, we can do a good period without the African players."

Asked whether not strengthening the squad represented a risk when the next opportunity to sign new players might not be until the summer of 2011, Ancelotti said: "No. We have to wait. I am happy with the squad. I have experience of working with older players and not having any problems. I've trained some players at Milan until they were into their 40s, so these players have a lot of time yet."

Kakuta, the French teenager who was banned from playing for four months by Fifa after Chelsea were found guilty of inducing him to break his contract with Lens back in 2007, will now play for the club's reserves against Fulham at Griffin Park on Monday night.

Liverpool hold European crisis talks

• Liverpool face £10m shortfall if they fail to progress
• Benítez insists they will finish in Premier League top four

Rafael Benítez has held talks with his Liverpool bosses over the implications if the club fail to reach the last 16 of this season's Champions League.

Discussions were also held on if the club fail to qualify for next season's lucrative European competition.

The Liverpool manager revealed today that the club did not budget this term for anything beyond the group stages.

And Benítez insisted he was confident that financial problems next season will be avoided "because we will achieve a top four finish".

Liverpool have never failed to reach the last 16 under Benítez's management, but they are in grave danger of that eventuality now with qualification from Group E out of their hands after the midweek draw in Lyon.

They must hope that Lyon win their next match away to Fiorentina, and that Liverpool win their final two group games to produce the "miracle" Benítez admits they need now.

Reaching the Champions League next season is also under threat with them currently sixth in the Premier League, a point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who are at Anfield on November 21.

Before that Liverpool face Birmingham at Anfield on Monday, needing to get their current form back on track.

Liverpool face earning £10m less from their European campaign this season if they do not reach the last 16, with another £10m lost if they do not qualify for next season's group stages.

Benítez says: "I spoke to Christian Purslow (Liverpool's managing director) the other day about the finances. The first thing, though, is that we have confidence we can still reach the last 16 of the Champions League this season.

"But whatever happens, the budget was done for this season based on us only qualifying for the group stages. And we did that, that is complete. Whether we can still bring in more money, we will wait and see. The commercial department is working very hard, for the next season (in Europe) it is a question of time.

"The Premier League is a long race, we must keep going. I am confident the team will finish in the top four and we are able to continue to do well in Europe, so let's start against Birmingham with the right result. We have to do our job against Birmingham, and then I can guarantee that things will start to get easier."

Rangers v St Mirren - live match centre

SPL: Can Rangers move up to second in the table? Get the latest from Ibrox with our live score service

Spurs up ante with Chelsea over ground naming rights

• Tottenham claim new ground will offer more to sponsors
• Executive director says stadium will outstrip rivals

Tottenham have claimed that sponsors would derive more benefit from putting their name to the club's new stadium than to Chelsea's current one, as they responded to Roman Abramovich's plans to sell off the naming rights to Stamford Bridge.

Spurs plan to build a 56,000-capacity ground next to their present home, to be ready for the 2012-13 season, and are seeking sponsors for the venue.

Paul Barber, Tottenham's executive director, said a brand new stadium could be more attractive to commercial interests than one that is more than 100 years old. "I think Chelsea have got some challenges because it is what it is," he said. "It's a good, old-fashioned football stadium, with a great atmosphere in it, but it's not brand new and it's not got all those features we will have.

"Our stadium will be as technologically advanced as any in the world. It's going to be as environmentally advanced as any other. And there will be some brands that want those kind of associations, that want top-class football in a fantastic environment."

Barber's comments in the Telegraph follow Chelsea's announcement of plans to auction naming rights on their Stamford Bridge ground.

Barber also predicted Spurs' new home would outshine Arsenal's. "Our stadium, by the time it's built, is going to be a generation beyond Arsenal, so therefore it is going to be more advanced both technologically and environmentally," he said.

Torres faces three-week lay-off for Liverpool

• Specialist advises conservative treatment to avoid surgery
• Rafael Benítez may still play Torres against Birmingham

Rafael Benítez could start Fernando Torres against Birmingham City on Monday even though the Liverpool striker is understood to have been told by a specialist in Spain that he needs to rest for three weeks to clear up a groin problem.

Liverpool's medical team fear that the Spain striker may ultimately need an operation on a hernia injury, similar to the one Steven Gerrard had last season, but Torres, desperate to avoid surgery at any cost, asked to be allowed to seek another medical opinion.

Benítez, the manager, agreed and the club provided a private jet to take Torres to Valencia on Thursday where he consulted a specialist, Dr Ramón Cugat. Following an examination Dr Cugat prescribed a conservative treatment, based on complete rest for three weeks, which it is hoped will clear up the problem without recourse to the surgeon's knife.

Torres returned to Liverpool's Melwood training ground yesterday and the club and player are expected make the final decision on his treatment shortly.

Liverpool have not confirmed the diagnosis reported in the Spanish press and indicate that he will be monitored in the run-up to Monday's home Premier League match.

However, the Spanish press has already ruled him out of Spain's friendlies against Argentina on 14 November and Austria on 18 November. If Torres agrees with Cugat's treatment and takes a break instantly, he is likely to miss four matches for Liverpool: three in the Premier League plus the crucial Champions League encounter away to Debrecen on 24 November which the Reds must win to remain in the competition.

Benítez could instead try to nurse the striker through this crucial part of the season and allow him a break further down the line.

Meanwhile Torres' former Liverpool team-mate Xabi Alonso has risked the wrath of his old club by claiming that the striker ought to be playing in La Liga. Alonso left Merseyside for Real Madrid in a £30m move this summer.

"La Liga deserves players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Lionel Messi," Alonso told Sport magazine. "Now we are only missing my good friend Fernando Torres. I hope to see him back in Spain one day but I don't think he will come to Real Madrid. I think he has too big a heart for Atlético for that."

Smith fears Rangers will be banned from Europe

• Rangers manager says ban would be 'enormous blow'
• Club will be hauled in front of Uefa next Thursday

The Rangers manager, Walter Smith, has admitted he fears the club could be banned from competing in Europe because of the latest misdemeanours of their supporters.

Trouble flared at half-time during Rangers' Champions League draw with Unirea Urziceni in Romania on Wednesday night and the Scottish club will be hauled before Uefa next Thursday. Fines already issued since 2006 because of the conduct of the Rangers support in Europe mean a more severe penalty is possible this time around; the manager has contemplated the impact of a ban.

"Obviously we have received warnings before and it will be hugely disappointing if it does impact on the footballing side of things," Smith said. "I'm not currently aware of the whole background of the situation. So whether you're critical of the supporters or critical of the policing and the stewards ... it is left up to you.

"But it is a situation Rangers have been in before and we can't run away from the fact. If it does impact and the consequences mean we do have to miss European games then that would be an enormous blow for the club. I have no indication as to what Uefa are proposing but the thing Rangers can't run away from is it's not an isolated incident."

Pressed further on the impact any European ban would have on Rangers, who are facing financial troubles at present, Smith added: "In the current climate it's the last thing the club needs. European football is important to this club."

Uefa, meanwhile, has begun disciplinary proceedings against Unirea over a "lack of organisation" regarding the entry procedure for spectators.

Uefa's control and disciplinary panel will meet next Thursday to discuss the cases, with a spokesman for European football's governing body already having admitted that Rangers' "background" will be taken into account.

Smith, who was unwilling to re-enter the debate over the Old Firm being invited to join a new, two-tier English Premier League, was more upbeat over the recently impressive performances of his goalkeeper Allan McGregor. The player earned a reprieve at Rangers after his part in the infamous Scotland Boozegate and gesture scandal last season. "Since Allan came back from that wee aberration he's been great," Smith added. "If anything it helped him focus on the most important aspect and that is playing. He has been really good for us this season and he's back to what I would consider as his best form."

Portugal to call up Ronaldo for World Cup qualifiers

• Latest medical reports say Ronaldo will be out for three weeks
• Queiroz wants forward to help - 'even if only for a few minutes'

Carlos Queiroz intends to call up Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal's upcoming World Cup play-offs against Bosnia-Herzegovina, despite the latest medical reports from Real Madrid saying the forward will be out of action for at least two more weeks with his ankle injury. Ronaldo has missed Madrid's last seven matches after suffering an injury to his right ankle during the Champions League win over Marseille on 30 September, and then aggravating it while while playing for Portugal in their World Cup qualifier against Hungary on 10 October.

The world's most expensive player met with Dutch specialist Professor Niek van Dijk in Amsterdam on Thursday after tests conducted by Madrid the day before revealed that no improvement had been made on Ronaldo's injury since undergoing an MRI scan last week.

Van Dijk, who operated on the 24-year-old's right ankle in the summer of 2008, advised Ronaldo to continue his treatment before returning for a fresh evaluation in 15 days' time. That means he will almost certainly be ruled out of both of Portugal's World Cup play-off matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the first leg taking place in Lisbon on 14 November and the return meeting scheduled for Zenica four days later.

However, the former Madrid coach Queiroz insists he is still planning on including Ronaldo in his squad for the fixtures.

"I'm going to call up Cristiano Ronaldo and I hope that he can help us, even if it is only for a few minutes," said Queiroz. "The specialists have to make the decision on if he can play. Naturally we are concerned, because the most important thing is the player. We want a great Ronaldo, we want a fit player and the first consideration is to know whether he is able to play and contribute anything to the national team."

Queiroz is set to name his squad tomorrow.

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