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9am: Fanzine Fanzone
Mick Hume and Rob Hobson, our fans in red and blue, take to the scales in the fight for bragging rights. Ballsy, biased and brilliant — it's the nervous voice of the terraces and there's more than ten hours to go . . .
11am: Gabriele Marcotti’s analysis
Now it's time to get serious. Forget those nerves and examine the facts. Our European Football Correspondent examines the five factors that will decide the final
2pm: The view from Red Square
Tony Halpin, our Moscow Correspondent, brings you all the build-up and atmosphere in the Russian capital. Yes . . . it is too early to reach for that vodka
4pm: Ahead of TheGame: Special Edition
By now, you’re a nervous wreck and thinking of only one thing. Well, get your teeth into this . . . all the latest news, debate, gossip and vintage video in our daily football e-mail
7.45pm: Live commentary
Stuck at work or just can't bear to watch? Follow all the action from behind the couch with our rolling coverage from 7.45pm.
Plus — live on mobile
Text Times to 86626 to receive our updates on your phone
It could be billed as a battle between youth and experience. In the red corner, as Martin Samuel writes in today’s Times, there is the naïve but brilliant attacking force that is Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez. In the blue, is a team built upon a midfield of Essien, Ballack and Makelele that is formidable for its cunning and physical strength. This evening, only one will be left standing. Who do you fancy?
Recent history suggests Chelsea have worked out how to negate Manchester United's creativity, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s team having won only two of the past 14 matches between the sides. Yet the United manager insists that the inexperience of his forward line – who, if they perform to their best, could surely decide the match – will work in their favour in the Luzhniki Stadium. With youth, he says, comes a fearlessness that will help them to overcome the pressure of playing in a Champions League final.
Continue reading "Who will win in Moscow?" »
English clubs have lifted Europe’s senior club trophy on ten occasions, and we could have included eight winning goals to fill most of this top-ten list (two were won in a penalty shoot-out). So, to make the list more interesting, we have discounted goals ...
Continue reading "The ten greatest English moments in European Cup/Champions League finals" »
 Has the British invasion been aborted ? Manchester United, the best supported club in the world, have astoundingly failed to sell out their 20,000 allocation for the Champions League final. Many supporters are deciding to watch the game from the safety of their own front rooms rather than risk rip-off prices and fears of violence.
But what about the fans who have paid top dollar for tickets then realised they can't afford the trip? On the Craigslist.org website there are nearly 500 tickets for sale, many at face value, reigniting the debate over whether Moscow was a suitable venue for a final between two British clubs.
Have you been forced to sell your ticket because of prohibitive travel costs? Let us (and Uefa) know your thoughts.
 Carlos Tevez, the Manchester United striker, has declared that his team are superior to Chelsea and are clear favourites to win the Champions League final in Moscow. “That is a psychological problem for them," the Argentinian said. "They may say the Premier League is another story, another issue, but we're convinced that it will have an impact on what happens in the final.
“We are favourites and everyone knows it. We are not worried by Chelsea - we are concentrated and focused - but for them it is different. This is more than a final for them. Their whole season rests on the outcome of this game and I'm convinced that they have some problems in that team."
Tevez believes United are used to being under pressure in every game and that the only extra incentive they have is to try to win the European Cup 50 years after the Munich air disaster.
Will Chelsea be trying too hard? They need victory to claim silverware this season and Roman Abramovich is desperate to win in his home country? Avram Grant's job could be on the line should they fail and to make matters worse, reports from Italy suggest Frank Lampard will join Inter Milan this summer.
What do you think? Is Tevez playing mind games? Will Chelsea players and staff be feeling the pressure? Or will United be creaking under similar levels of expectation? Have your say.
 Chelsea fans will have been rocked this morning by reports that Frank Lampard will be quitting the club following the Champions League final for a four year contract at Inter Milan worth a cool £5.8 million per year to the England midfielder. And although Chelsea have been quick to play down the speculation ahead of the biggest game in the club's history, there is a nagging doubt that one of their key players could soon be off to pastures new.
If so, could Chelsea cope without Lampard, who has proved talismanic since his move from Upton Park in 2001 and showed his dedication to the cause with his brave performance against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final following the death of his mother.
Where will Chelsea find a 20 goal a season midfielder? Could Michael Ballack fill his shoes. Villified for his sluggish early season form, the German has shown his true worth in the second half of the campaign, while the combative Michael Essien seems entirely wasted at full back.
Do Chelsea have a contingency plan should Lampard prefer pasta to pies? Let us know your thoughts.
Question: Which team were the leading league goalscorers among the 92 league clubs in the season just finished as well as being the leading FA Cup goalscorers from the third round onwards?
Yesterday we asked you: Which club finished runners-up in the same division in the league for six years in a row?
Continue reading "Bill Edgar's Tuesday trivia question" »
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Well,it's that time. The final Game Podcast of the season. And to give it a proper send-off, Mark Hughes is on board this week.
Alyson Rudd joins us to run through the FA Cup Final (Congrats to Pompey, BTW), preview the Champions' League Final and helps us put together our Team of the Season. For those who don't bother reading after the jump, here it is:
David James - Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra - Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard MBE, Joe Cole - Fernando Torres, Roque Santa Cruz
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
(BTW, I had very little say in this - I just adjudicated where there was a dispute - so please vent your anger at Guillem, Bill and Alyson)
We also do our final Quick Hitting of the season and, as ever, Bill's on board with another stat. So join the Podcast Debate below. In fact, let's keep it going all summer. I'll post if you post...
Continue reading "Mark Hughes and The Official Game Podcast Team of the Season" »
What are the facilities like at the Luzhniki Stadium?
 Nothing is ever perfect for commentators, but we’ll be OK. I was here for the England game last year so I know what to expect.
How much preparation do you have to do before a game?
An enormous amount. I always try to find a new angle or an interesting statistic. It will be hard this time because everyone knows the two teams so well, but that’s also why the game is so intriguing.
Continue reading "QA: Martin Tyler" »
1 Moscow mayhem
I expect quite a few horror stories to come out of Moscow this week. Ticketing chaos, street crime, catering problems. Whatever the outcome of the match, a common theme will be disappointment among the thousands of travelling fans.
2 No kicks for United
No one has really mentioned it but the kicking of Edwin van der Sar, the United goalkeeper, has been atrocious this season. To say he is a bit of a shanker is an understatement and he’s got away with it time and again. Chelsea should be alert to this.
Continue reading "Tony Cascarino's Champions League Fiver" »
The news in 60 seconds
'GHOST GOAL' REFEREE TO TAKE CHARGE OF FINAL
The man who memorably awarded Luis Garcia's highly-controversial goal against Chelsea in the second leg of the 2005 semi-final will take charge of the Champions League final on Wednesday. Just another decision that has favoured Manchester United this season?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3961800.ece
Continue reading "Ahead of theGame: 'Ghost goal' referee to take charge of final" »
Well, that's the FA Cup out of the way. Now we can concentrate on the battle of the Premier League big boys in the Champions League final on Wednesday. Manchester United are attempting to do the Double, but Chelsea will hope to secure a share of the silverware after missing out on the league title on the last day of the season.
Roman Abramovich is desperate to win the European Cup in his home country and Avram Grant is under pressure to mastermind a famous win over Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot is targeting a second victory in the competition and would love to win the trophy in the 50th anniversary year of the Munich air disaster.
So who do you think will win the Champions League final? Will it be a tactical match? Which players hold the key to victory? Vote in the poll and leave your comments below.
Question: Which club finished runners-up in the same division in the league for six years in a row?
Come back tomorrow for the answer.
Michel Platini, the Uefa president, has told the FA that he will support a European bid for the 2018 World Cup only if the nomination is not split. This means that the first step for any campaign is to persuade Russia, Spain and the Low Countries to pull out. Tricky.
Platini, the former Juventus and France midfield player, could, of course, use his power for good. He could sift through the various propositions, look at logistics and cost to the economy of that country, consider the needs of competitors and fans, and employ his expertise to make a recommendation to Fifa, where he has the ear of Sepp Blatter, the president.
Alternately, he could play the horrid little politician and do nothing. What a disappointment he has been.
DEBATE: Michel Platini, Uefa president. Discuss.
7: By Portsmouth, the fewest goals to win the FA Cup, except Wanderers in 1872 and 1873
1: Goals conceded by Portsmouth, the joint fewest goals conceded in winning the FA Cup since 1903
2: Successive seasons an African has scored the Cup Final winner — Didier Drogba did it for Chelsea last year
33: Years since the same player got a semi-final and final winner. Kanu follows Alan Taylor, of West Ham United
4: Times the FA Cup has gone south of London: Southampton: 1976; Portsmouth: 1939, 2008; Old Carthusians: 1881
1: Right foot forward
Why were so many players slipping over during the FA Cup Final on Saturday? It was like watching Bambi On Ice. Players should make sure they have the right footwear, not just boots that look good.
2: Kewell says farewell
Harry Kewell has left Liverpool after an injury-plagued five years at Anfield. What a talent, but what a waste. He had everything — the skill and pace to pass opponents. Yet he never appeared to have that hunger.
3: Rebuilding starts here
AC Milan have failed to qualify for the Champions League next season. They are still a giant of European football but will find it harder to attract star players. Now they need to focus on revamping their ageing squad.
4: No credit crunch
Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick have signed lucrative deals at Manchester United, with Carrick reported to be on £70,000 a week. For those who thought that wages were stabilising, think again.
5: Nearly is not enough
Avram Grant needs a victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final to avoid the “Nearly Man” tag. Nearly winning the Premier League, Carling Cup and Champions League is not good enough.
It was Saturday morning as I negotiated the bottom loop of the M25 somewhere between junctions seven and eight when a familiar statistic barked out of my wireless. “Around 400 million football fans all over the world will be watching this afternoon’s FA Cup Final.” I gunned the engine, switched lanes and swore loudly. I would not be one of them.
On the scale of social faux pas, missing an FA Cup nestles somewhere between audibly breaking wind at a funeral and eating oysters with a salad fork. It’s noteworthy but not the end of the world. The first time I had to forgo the Wembley festivities was, ironically enough, the West Ham United v Arsenal clash of 1980. I was a Saturday boy for Tesco in Basildon and having just got my first girlfriend, needed money to keep her in bus fares, Cinzano, Pizzaland lunches and Joan Armatrading albums.
I was on wines and spirits and business was predictably brisk. The booze-buying bedlam continued right up until 2.45pm, then suddenly everything in the world seemed to stop. At about three minutes to 3 a whistling, bearded, shirtless man looking not unlike Charlton Heston in Planet Of The Apes strolled in and bought two bottles of Merrydown dry. As he handed over his money he told me the big news: “It’s the Cup Final today!” Open-mouthed, I glanced at the empty shelves, empty aisles and tumbleweed blowing through the checkouts and handed him his change and he ambled off. At 3.13pm a cheer went up in the electrical section. Trevor Brooking had scored. It proved to be the winning goal and later on I celebrated West Ham’s victory by restocking on Hirondelle medium white.
My excuse 28 years later was that I had to attend rehearsals for my first West End play. My fellow cast members’ speeches got faster and they kept glancing furtively at their watches. Some things never change. Later that night I watched the highlights and saw Pompey grind out another trademark 1-0 victory. Well, at least I got some drama on Saturday . . .
PHILL JUPITUS
 Could a case be made for Harry Redknapp to be tapped on the shoulder by the Queen's sword?
After all, he has achieved more than most within English football during a career that has spanned over 40 years as player and manager.
Just take a look at his life at the helm ...
His reputation as a man that turns doom to glory began when he helped Bournemouth escape relegation to the bottom tier of the Football League in his first year in charge. Not content with that minor miracle, he also led his minnows to a shock third round FA Cup victory over mighty Manchester United. A period of consolidation followed before he took the Cherries up as champions of the Third Division.
Then take a look at his West Ham CV. He turned them from a yo-yo club in the early nineties to a top-flight fixture that even flirted with Europe in the Uefa Cup in 1999 after they finished fifth in the Premier League, above the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle.
This wasn't achieved with a pot-load of cash, either. Redknapp relied upon his eye for a bargain and his belief in giving young hopefuls a chance. Ten years ago he declared that the West Ham youth team would eventually comprise the spine of the England side. Those teenagers included Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick. He wasn't far wrong, was he?
And now we get to Portsmouth. When he took over as manager in 2002, they were in danger of dropping out of the Championship under Graham Rix. A year later, they were promoted to the Premier League as champions. He comfortably kept them up against the odds the following year but left after a row with Milan Mandaric, the owner. What happened to the club then? They sank, that's what.
Velimir Zajec and Alain Perrin between them took the club to the depths of despair as relegation became inevitable. Until Redknapp returned to Fratton Park, that is, where he somehow rescued them from a Titanic-sized disaster. Ok, in the meantime he could not stop Southampton dropping into the Championship, but problems behind the scenes at St Mary's were blamed for this.
So now Pompey are going from strength to strength in the Premier League with a blend of youth, in the form of Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe, and old stagers written off by bigger clubs and rejuvinated under the Redknapp magic, such as David James and Sol Campbell.
Last year he was in the running for the top job when Steve McClaren was sacked as England manager. Then Newcastle tried to lure him to St James' Park as Sam Allardyce's replacement.
Yesterday's FA Cup win topped off his career. But who has achieved more with so little? Is there anybody out there that would begrudge Redknapp the proper recognition he deserves for a lifetime of dedication to the game he loves and the pleasure he has given thousands around the world?
The question is simple: should Harry Redknapp be knighted? Vote now and leave your comments below.
Frank Praverman
 We just can't get enough of your footballing smug shots. After asking you to send in snaps of you and your footballing heroes, we have been deluged by some of the best examples of arms-around-the-shoulders camaraderie there may ever have been between fan and hero.
We admit that the idea was inspired by our Travel section and its forum for smug holiday pics, but we thought we could do better and boy have you have proved us right.
In fact, your overwhelming response has forced us to open up this new gallery for you to fill all over again. But fear not, all your old favourites are safely tucked away in our archive if you want to revisit them. This time we really want you to outdo each other - a photographic Top Trumps if you will.
So if you and Carlos Valderrama share the same hairdresser, you bumped into Ian Wright at the circus or even stood next to Sam Allardyce in the dole queue we want to see the evidence. And as always, we'll feature the best snaps right here.
E-mail your pictures to: sport@timesonline.co.uk
Click "continue reading" to see your pictures, including when Pete Hardaker took on Chris Kamara in the fashion stakes. And lost.
Continue reading "Football smug shots " »
Portsmouth defeated a brave Cardiff City side at Wembley to lift the FA Cup. Did you enjoy the game? Did it have enough quality and drama for the neutral? It was an even contest, but would you have preferred to see a big four side taking part? Has Harry Redknapp's success in winning a major trophy iced the cake on the most romantic competition in years? We want your say. Add your comments on the FA Cup Final.
The news in 60 seconds
TEVEZ AT HOME IN MANCHESTER
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's flirtations with Real Madrid, his Argentinian team-mate says he wants to sign a permanent deal with Manchester United. "I would certainly love to extend my contract," Tevez said. "La Liga is a possibility but that day is a long way off. I know a lot of South Americans prefer to play in Italy or Spain when they move to Europe but I am really pleased that I came here. This is the best league in the world and I am among some of the best footballers in the world." Hear, hear, Carlos.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3947272.ece
Continue reading "Ahead of TheGame: Tevez at home in Manchester" »
Another ten of the most difficult football trivia questions were posed on Friday. Now that they've left your head feeling like a bowl of spaghetti we can put you out of your misery. Scroll to the bottom to read the answers and also the one to Thursday's teaser.
Question One: Four English clubs spent at least six seasons in European competition in the 1990s (defined as the nine seasons from 1990-91 to 1998-99). They were Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and which other club?
(A) Newcastle United
(B) Chelsea
(C) Aston Villa
Question Two: Brahim Hemdani has started 18 matches for Rangers this season in the Champions League and Uefa Cup. How many domestic league games has he started (before this weekend)?
(A) 12
(B) 23
(C) 34
Question Three: Which player was on the losing side in European Cup finals against Liverpool twice in the space of five seasons for different teams?
(A) Berti Vogts
(B) Ule Stielike
(C) Rainer Bonhof
Question Four: Which is the only top division club to have been relegated via the play-offs since they were introduced in the 1986-87 season?
(A) Charlton Athletic
(B) Leeds United
(C) Chelsea
Question Five: Manchester United have won ten league titles since Liverpool were last champions in 1990, reducing the Anfield club's lead in title successes from 18-7 to 18-17. Before that sequence, how many titles did Liverpool win without United doing so?
(A) 10
(B) 11
(C) 12
Question Six: Which player appeared 22 times for England Under-21 in the late 1970s and early 1980s yet never won a senior England cap?
(A) Gary Owen
(B) Peter Barnes
(C) Dennis Tueart
Question Seven: How many players have scored for both teams in an FA Cup Final since the Second World War?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
Question Eight: The European Championship finals were expanded to include eight teams in 1980. How many host countries have failed to reach the last four of the past seven European Championships, starting from 1980?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
Question Nine: What is the average age of the 20 goalkeepers – one at each Premier League club – who saw the most action in the league last season?
(A) 27
(B) 30
(C) 33
Question Ten: Villa Park and Hillsborough have staged the most FA Cup semi-final matches (including replays) since the Second World War. Which venue has held the third most?
(A) Maine Road
(B) Old Trafford
(C) Wembley
Continue reading "Bill Edgar's fiendishly difficult Friday Quiz - with the answers" »
My advice to Cardiff City and Portsmouth’s players: if you want detailed memories of the FA Cup Final, buy the DVD. Too many players get caught up in the occasion and blow it. Take the atmosphere in at the final whistle when you’ve won. It’s so easy to let your mind wander.
I’ve known players who constantly look around even during the match, soaking up the atmosphere – “have you seen that banner?” But you can get caught up in it and lose your head – Paul Gascoigne’s reckless tackle in the 1991 Final that saw him hospitalised, for example.
Continue reading "Tony Cascarino's football lesson No 11:How to win the FA Cup" »
The death of Justin Fashanu could have been a watershed in football's attitude towards gay players, but instead the sport has reacted with disinterest and denial. There have been no openly homosexual players in British professional football since Fashanu, who hanged himself in a London garage in May, 1998, eight years after he came out.
I don't remember much about Brentford's game at Griffin Park against Torquay United in 1991-92, but I remember Fashanu - Torquay were his last English club - being on the receiving end of plenty of homophobic abuse, just as he was across the country.
Continue reading "Football's coming out?" »
1 It’s the year of the underdog, and to borrow from Ian Holloway, Saturday is woof day. We should be pleased about the snapping of the big clubs’ stranglehold on a competition they take less and less seriously.
2 Cardiff have managed to produce an FA Cup Final song that is not utterly terrible, merely deeply naff.
3 As one of the best groups of supporters in the country, Portsmouth’s loyal and vocal support deserve their day out. Maybe their most famous fan, John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood will get a commemorative tattoo, if there’s any space left on his body.
4 The "I love the Nineties" nostalgia trip that is Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Robbie Fowler up front for Cardiff.
Continue reading "Ten reasons to be cheerful about the FA Cup Final" »
1 We’re loving the novelty factor of these participants right now, but if it’s a bad game, people will say: "Well, that’s what happens when the best teams aren’t there."
2 Remember the tedium that was Millwall versus Manchester United, the last time a Premier League club faced a side from a division below? The most one-sided contest since (insert any recent Derby County match here).
3 The novelty and thrill of the trip to Wembley is devalued as both clubs were there for the semi-finals last month.
4 Hasselbaink and Fowler? Potent in 1998, pensionable in 2008, no?
Continue reading "Ten reasons to be fearful about the FA Cup Final" »
 FA Cup Final day. The only day of the year that your mum wouldn't admonish you off for watching television by saying "It's a lovely day. Turn that thing off and get outside." And it always seemed to be sunny, so you closed the curtains to avoid glare giving your living room the feel of a funeral parlour.
In the 1970s and 1980s the main source of indulgence for the younger football fan was watching the all-day coverage of the Final - switching between BBC1 and ITV to see who had the best celebrity interviews (Stan Boardman was a perenial figure) or watching unlikely contents such as Gary Lineker thrashing Mark Lawrenson at snooker in 1986.
The TV marathon would continue with reporters interrupting card games on team coaches or reining in the awestruck players for a few more words as they inspected the pitch before kick-off. And later, the match would be recreated in the park with other bleary-eyed kids emerging from their darkened lairs shouting "I'm Keith Houchen".
But forgive these nostalgic ramblings. We want to hear your favourite Cup recollections: from street parties to respraying your car in club colours to victory parades. It's your chance to recapture the magic days of the Cup.
1891: Blackburn Rovers
Result: Blackburn 3, Notts County 1
Rovers had lost 7-1 at home to Notts County in the league just one week before the final, albeit with a weakened team, yet they beat the same opponents after moving 3-0 ahead on the half hour.
1901: Tottenham Hotspur
Result: Tottenham 3, Sheffield United 1 (after 2-2 draw)
Tottenham were members of the Southern League yet, after trailing at half-time in the replay, they stormed back to defeat their top-division opponents.
1936: Sheffield United
Result: Arsenal 1, Sheffield United 0
Arsenal had won three successive league titles from 1933 to 1935 while Sheffield United were in the second tier but it was a surprisingly close game.
1949: Leicester City
Result: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3, Leicester 1
Leicester had only just escaped relegation from the second tier and they succumbed to one of the country’s strongest clubs. Sammy Smyth scored Wolves’ third goal after a 50-yard dribble that took him past three opponents.
1957: Aston Villa
Result: Aston Villa 2, Manchester United 1
United won the title by a mile that season but they could not secure the Double against their mid-table opponents, who benefited from an early injury to Ray Wood, the United goalkeeper, in the days before substitutes were allowed.
1973: Sunderland
Result: Sunderland 1, Leeds United 0
Sunderland had failed by a distance to gain promotion to the top flight while Leeds had been one of Europe’s greatest teams for many years. But Ian Porterfield’s first half goal produced arguably the greatest FA Cup Final surprise.
1976: Southampton
Result: Southampton 1, Manchester United 0
United just missed out on the title while Southampton pursued promotion to the top flight in vain. But Bobby Stokes scored the game’s only goal for Southampton eight minutes from time.
1982: Queens Park Rangers
Result: Tottenham Hotspur 1, Queens Park Rangers 0 (after 1-1 draw)
Tottenham finished fourth in the top division while QPR could not escape from the second tier, but the higher-ranked team prevailed only via a penalty by Glenn Hoddle in a replay.
1992: Sunderland
Result: Liverpool 2, Sunderland 0
Liverpool had begun their decline from perennial title challengers but they were still hot favourites against a team that finished eighteenth in the second tier. Sunderland were beaten by second-half goals from Michael Thomas and Ian Rush.
2004: Millwall
Result: Manchester United 3, Millwall 0
Dennis Wise’s team had finished tenth in the second tier and they were completely outclassed by a United side for whom Ruud van Nistelrooy scored twice.
BILL EDGAR
Question: Name the manager of a Premier League club in the season just finished who was once fined as a player for insulting a policeman at the end of a match.
Come back tomorrow for the answer.
Yesterday we asked you: Who were the last team to reach a double-figure goal tally in Europe’s senior club competition?
Answer: Liverpool. They beat Oulu, of Finland, 10-1 at Anfield in the European Cup first round in 1980-81.
So Rangers fell just short in their bid for the Uefa Cup, a first European trophy since beating Dynamo Moscow in the 1972 European Cup Winner's Cup final.
Walter Smith's side gave their all, but the Russians, prompted by the excellent Andriy Arshavin, proved too good, winning 2-0 in the City of Manchester Stadium.
We would like to know what you thought of the Rangers performance against Zenit. Were they simply not good enough on the night or had they punched above their weight just to reach the final in the first place?
Were their safety-first tactics found wanting, ultimately and should Walter Smith have been bolder than just to deploy Jean-Claude Darchville ploughing a lone furrow up front?
The quadruple has gone now, but Rangers already have the CIS Insurance Cup in the bag and are still in the running for the Scottish Premier League title and the Scottish Cup. Do you think they can win the treble, or will this defeat prove too deflating an experience, will three away games in six days in the SPL take its toll, or can they keep their nerve?
The news in 60 seconds
LEE RETURNING TO LIVERPOOL
The Anfield club is in talks with the former Bolton boss about him becoming Rafael Benitez's assistant manager. Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, met Lee yesterday and further talks are expected to take place today. The move has been approved by estranged co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. So, the Americans have finally managed to agree on something.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article3932240.ece
Continue reading "Ahead of theGame: Lee returning to Liverpool" »
 The Reading manager has been considering his position since his team were relegated to the Coca-Cola Championship on the last day of the season. John Madejski, the Reading chairman, says that he will not dismiss Coppell and around 300 supporters demonstrated outside the Madejski Stadium last night demanding that he stay on. But are they right?
The likeable Scouser struggled in Reading's second season in the Premier League. Does he have the qualities to lead the team back into the top flight? Or is his time with the Royals up?
Cast your vote and leave your comments below.
 In a season in which the world’s most famous cup competition has thrown up surprise after surprise, would any of us really be shocked if Robbie Fowler popped up and scored the winner for Cardiff on Saturday?
Now in the twilight of his distinguished career, the 33-year-old might have thought his trophy-winning days had passed. But footballing fairytales have a habit of unfolding in the most mysterious ways and the Toxteth Terror has always enjoyed a ‘special’ relationship with the FA Cup.
Most of us will remember ‘that suit’ on Fowler’s first appearance in a final in 1996. That day he went home a loser, but he made up for it five years later when he helped Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 in Cardiff.
Continue reading "Vintage video: Fowler's greatest hits" »
 With Europe's top clubs all having laid out their managerial plans for next season, Martin Samuel asked whether you would give Jose Mourinho a top job. You weren't backward in coming forward and below the seven times Sports Writer of the Year answers the best of your comments.
I think all the big clubs like Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and even Arsenal should try to get him. Look at what he made of Chelsea. Jose Mourinho knows how to focus on winning, which is ideal for struggling, big clubs because he binds strong players together. Chelseafan.
MS: Some of the others I can understand, but Arsenal? Nobody could have run that club better than Arsene Wenger, and quite possibly nobody will.
Continue reading "Martin Samuel responds: Is José Mourinho still special? " »
Question: Who were the last team to reach a double-figure goal tally in Europe’s senior club competition?
You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out the answer.
Yesterday we asked: In 1953 which two clubs became the first to have faced each other one hundred times in the league?
Answer: Aston Villa and Sunderland.
The news in 60 seconds
RONALDO: I AM GOING NOWHERE
The Manchester United forward has denied reports claiming he wants to move to Real Madrid this summer. He said: "I'm at the right club, playing with the right players and I learn things all the time. That's what is great about being at United. I improve all the time and I want to improve every season. I think I'm a better player now than five years ago." Sighs of relief all round then. Note, he only thinks he's a better player. Five years ago, Ronaldo scored four goals, this season he scored ten times as many.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3923803.ece
Continue reading "Ahead of TheGame: Ronaldo: I am going nowhere" »
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The Premier League season is over and, in my humble opinion, United are deserving champions. Matt Hughes drops by to share his views on a dramatic final day and Steve Bennett gets little love from Guillem and Bill.
Guillem and I also grabbed some lunch with Lauren, the Portsmouth fullback (and accidental Cameroonian), who talks about what will be his fifth FA Cup Final, more than any other overseas player. One day they should make a film out of Lauren's early life, which featured military coups, desperate boat trips, polygamy, 22 brothers and sisters and a fair amount of juvenile delinquency.
We also treat you to some Quick Hits and Bill offers another statistical riff. Join the debate below...
Continue reading "Lauren's Journey and Matt Hughes on the Premier League Run-In" »
Question: In 1953 which two clubs became the first to have faced each other one hundred times in the league?
Come back tomorrow for the answer.
Yesterday we asked you: Who are the only two players to appear in the Premier League this season who share the same first and second name?
Answer: Michael Johnson - the Derby County central defender and the Manchester City central midfield player.
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