Ahead of TheGame: Adams hires Metgod

News in 60 seconds

ADAMS HIRES METGOD
The new Portsmouth manager has appointed John Metgod, the former Nottingham Forest midfielder, as his first-team coach. Adams is concerned, however, that he will not be given time to succeed, with the club on the brink of being sold to a South African consortium. "I do worry because we are very driven by results," he said. "We are living in a society of now." We know what you mean, Tony.

FA QUIZ KINNEAR
The Newcastle manager has been asked to explain his criticism of Martin Atkinson, the referee, after the defeat by Fulham on Sunday. Kinnear called Atkinson a Mickey Mouse official for not awarding a foul in the build-up to a decisive penalty.

PEARCE PICKS RICHARDS AND LENNON
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Tom Huddlestone and Joe Hart are in line for a England senior call-up after they were left out of the Under-21 squad to face the Czech Republic. Stuart Pearce has chosen Micah Richards and Aaron Lennon for the friendly at Bramall Lane on November 18.

KEANE SLAMS REF TALKS
The Sunderland manager has criticised a meeting between officials and managers that is being planned to revive the FA's Respect campaign. "We should be trying to respect the referees anyway," Keane said. "We don't need a PR stunt to try to do that."

PFA AGAINST DRUG-TEST PLANS
The Professional Footballers' Association will oppose new proposals to make 30 Premier League players take doping-tests in their homes. "To invade the privacy of a player would be a step too far," Gordon Taylor, the PFA chief executive, said.

ELANO SHOWS FRUSTRATION
The Manchester City midfielder is unhappy at being left out of Mark Hughes's starting XI. "It's his right, he is the manager," Elano said. "I respect him and I will keep working, arriving on time and doing my duties, but my sadness is not playing."

CARLING CUP: DROGBA RETURNS
The Chelsea forward is likely to make his first start of the season against Burnley tomorrow, while Carlos Vela is expected to feature for Arsenal against Wigan tonight. Plus, all the other team news on this week's Carling Cup ties.

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If you've got another couple of minutes

Video: Police attack
Premier League players may not always show officials sufficient respect but their petulance is nothing compared to that shown by their counterparts at Aurora, the Bolivian champions, at the weekend.

Outraged that Eduardo Zenteno was sent off against Wilstermann, their local rivals, the squad attacked riot police when they tried to escort the player from the pitch. The ensuing melee involved pepper gas, a corner stick-wielding goalkeeper and challenges that make Stoke players look like pussycats.

Becks misses date
Word reaches AOTG that David Beckham has not had time to give Salma Hayek a one-hour coaching session she bought for £175,000 at a charity auction hosted by Madonna in February. Given Beckham's wages at LA Galaxy, the Hollywood actress should have known you could buy only about 15 minutes of his time at that price.

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In TheGame

Oliver Kay: Whisper it, but Liverpool can win the title
Our main man in the North West says the Anfield club look a better bet to win the Premier League than Manchester United or Chelsea. "While United are not yet firing on all cylinders, the same could be said of Liverpool," he writes. "Now that Albert Riera and Robbie Keane look comfortable, Fernando Torres is back from injury and Javier Mascherano and Ryan Babel are approaching full fitness, it could be full steam ahead."

Graham Spiers: Zealots stain Celtic heritage
Our Scottish football expert has criticised the small band of supporters who forced the Parkhead club to commemorate Armistice Day with a minute's applause for fear they would disrupt a minute's silence. "A political argument against so-called British imperialism might be legitimate to express," he writes. "But not, surely, to the detriment of the memory of Europe's war dead."

Should Capello call on Bent?
With Emile Heskey injured and England lacking few alternative forwards of a similar mould, the Spurs striker has forced his way into contention for a place in Fabio Capello's squad to face Germany next week, scoring 11 goals in 16 games and seven in the past five under Harry Redknapp. Does, then, a player once regarded as a £16.5m misfit deserve his chance with the national team?

Spurs Fanzone: Bye, Bye Baby Blue
Our White Hart Lane regular notes that Redknapp has inspired his players not to only believe in him but also his system. "Generically, it is the same as Ramos fielded," he writes. "But the players have bought into it."

Bill Edgar's trivia
Today's question: "Which Zimbabwean scored a hat-trick for the visiting side at Anfield on the day that Liverpool's own Zimbabwean, Bruce Grobbelaar, was arrested over match-fixing allegations?" Edgar has also revealed the answer to yesterday's question.
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>>>>>THE TABLOID TALE<<<<<
Party ace ticked off for racket - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Victor Anichebe was given a warning by council officials after hosting a late-night party. 2) The Everton forward played loud music until 7am after returning from an evening out with a "gaggle of drunk girls". 3) Residents at the posh block of flats called him a "neighbour from hell".

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0
Second half goals Chelsea have conceded this season. No other English league club has managed it.
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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox

Patrick, from Wansworth, has a note of best wishes for Andrew Cole, who announced his retirement in The Times today:
"Good luck to Andy. He scored 30-plus goals a season, has a full set of medals and won Man U the Premiership part of the treble in '99 with a sublime piece of skill. [He scored the winner in the final game of the season]. He never fulfilled his international potential, yet he was a huge part of the 90s' greatest team."

Watching the Premier League from Singapore, Matt thinks Darren Bent deserves an England call-up:
"If you are going to pick players on form rather than reputation, then he has to be in the squad. He is probably the perfect partner for Rooney. He has the strength needed to hold up the ball and the pace to stretch a defence.

"As well as Heskey has done in the last few games, there is going to be a moment in a big game when a chance falls to one of our strikers and, on current form, you would much rather that chance fell to Bent than to Heskey."

Mark Allen fears Gianfranco Zola's side face the drop:
"West Ham are very poor indeed. They have a squad of overpaid, overrated, injury-prone second-raters: Parker, Bellamy, Upson - they could not cut the mustard at bigger clubs.

"Who, realistically, are West Ham likely to finish above this season? West Brom and Stoke perhaps but now Spurs and Newcastle have got going, the Hammers will have to battle it out with the likes of Fulham, Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn, whose squads look stronger and more suited to a relegation dogfight.

"With an inexperienced manager at the helm, disaster beckons. If only Harry had not joined Spurs!"

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And expect...

Kinnear to praise Mickey's decades-long relationship with Minnie as a paragon of diplomacy and good judgment.