Gretna Soap Opera: Talk About Your Relegations

Greta FC, which was recently relegated from Scotland's premier league, was further relegated two steps further down on Thursday to the fourth level of Scottish soccer:

An offer from football agent Paul Davies has been made for the club, which is currently under consideration, but should the club be saved it will have to start next season in the lowest tier of league football again.

It represents a massive drop for the crisis club, which went into administration in March, and offers promotion lifelines to Airdrie United - who will step up to Division One - and Stranraer, who move up to Division Two.

SFL chief executive David Longmuir said Gretna's administrators had not been able to guarantee the club would be able to fulfil its fixtures.

"We and the SFL had to make sure we protected the integrity of our league,"

"There was no commitment from the administrator that Gretna could fulfil the fixtures at all in the coming season, which means we had to do what we thought was right for our league."

If they don't clean their act soon, they will either be expelled from the football (soccer) league or go out of business.

Islanders Reach Qualifying Round

The Puerto Rico Islanders, a member of the First Division of the United Soccer Leagues, won a berth in the qualifying round for the CONCACAF Champions League over the weekend:

The Islanders, who won the first leg, 1-0, at home, will join Harbour View of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago's Joe Public as the Caribbean representatives to the inaugural Concacaf Champions League.The three Caribbean teams will be among 16 teams vying for eight spots in group play. Two teams from Mexico and the USA and one each from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras earn automatic passage to the group stage.

Should a team from Canada other than Toronto FC advance from their country's three-team tournament, we could see two USL-1 teams in the qualifying round.

Temporary Reprieve For Iraq

It was announced Thursday that FIFA will, for the time being, lift its suspension of Iraq's soccer federation:

However, FIFA agreed to revoke the ban after the Iraqi government provided written assurances that they had not dissolved the Iraqi Football Association (IFA).

FIFA released a statement on Thursday confirming they had lifted the ban so Sunday's World Cup qualifier would proceed but warned Baghdad that it was only provisional and had conditions attached.

FIFA said they still had concerns over the Iraqi government's attempts to control its national federations and have called for a delegation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the IFA to join them to Zurich to discuss the issues.

This weekend's 2010 World Cup qualifying match between Iraq and Australia will be played as scheduled.

CONCACAF Champions League Qualifying Format

Here's the qualifying format for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

TFC Gets Early Jump On Qualifying

At Montreal:

Marco Velez scored the only goal of the match Tuesday (72') to give Major League Soccer's Toronto FC a 1-0 road win over the Montreal Impact from the United Soccer Leagues' First Division in the opening match of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, a round-robin tournament that features not only TFC and the Impact, but another USL-1 club, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Each team plays two games against each of the other two teams, with the winner moving on to the qualifying round for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

Three Lions Blank Team USA At Wembley 2-0

At London:

Goals from John Terry (38') and Steven Gerard (59') powered England to a 2-0 win over the United States at an international exhibition match at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night.

Another One From The WHO GIVES A RAT'S POSTERIOR SECTION ABOUT EURO 2008 Department

Here's a Reuters story about another case of "Who Gives A Rat's Posterior Section" on the part of Austrians as far as their status for their country's co-hosting next month's EURO 2008 tournament is concerned:

In a capital famed for its imperial architecture, world-class art museums, traditional black-tie balls and classical music, talk of Euro 2008 is still largely greeted with bewilderment or indifference by most Vienna locals.

"We are not a footballing nation -- we are a winter sport nation," said Dariusz Hoefer, 47, a city-centre shop owner.

Student Christian Hofstadler, 21, agreed.

"I don't really know anyone that bothered about Euro 2008. I guess the Austrian football team is to blame -- they have been very weak historically," he said.

Maybe these Viennese would be better off if they took a month-long siesta.

Iraq Banned?!

At Sydney, Australia:

FIFA on Monday suspended Iraq's soccer federation because of Baghdad's disbanding of the country's National Olympic Committee and all sports federations.

The executive board of world soccer's governing body announced it had imposed the ban after the Iraq government dissolved its National Olympic Committee and national sport federations in breach of FIFA and Olympic regulations.

The board will recommend that the FIFA Congress, which meets in Sydney on Friday, suspends Iraq from all tournaments for 12 months, but left the door open for a reprieve if Baghdad reversed its decision by 1400 GMT on Thursday.


This should teach government to take their noses out of the businesses of the various sports federations.

It's League One For Stockport

At London:

Liam Dickinson scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal at 67 minutes to lift Stockport to a 3-2 victory over Rochdale Monday to win the League Two promotion final at Wembley Stadium, sending the Hatters to League One.

im Gannon's Stockport made it fifth-time lucky at Wembley but were made to sweat in their 3-2 Coca-Cola League Two play-off final win over local rivals Rochdale.

County manager Gannon, 10 years a player at Edgeley Park, had been a Wembley loser four times with Stockport, who clinched their first promotion in 11 years.

The Hatters fell behind to Rochdale defender Rory McArdle's 23rd-minute corner, but once Nathan Stanton's own goal hauled Stockport level, Gannon's side seized control.

Anthony Pilkington headed County into a 49th-minute lead and Liam Dickinson bludgeoned home a third before Dale winger Adam Rundle set up a nerve-jangling finale with a 77th-minute volley.

For Stockdale, this marks their first promotion in 11 years. The Hatters will join Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough, and Hereford in moving up to League One. As for the perennially snakebitten Dale, next season will mark their 35th straight in English soccer's fourth division. They will be joined by two teams coming up from the Blue Square Premier (formerly Nationwide) Conference, table-topping Aldershot and Exeter City, who won the promotion final at Wembley Stadium on May 18, 1-0 over Cambridge United.

Doncaster League Championship Bound

At London:

James Hayter's goal (48') propelled Doncaster to a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the League One promotion final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.


James Hayter's second-half header helped Doncaster win promotion and consigned Leeds to a second season of third-tier football after a tense League One play-off final at Wembley finished 1-0 to Rovers.

Hayter took advantage of dismal marking to head in a 47th-minute corner and continue Rovers' remarkable ascent of the football pyramid.

The Rovers are heading to the second level of English soccer for the first time since 1957. They will join Swansea and Nottingham Forest in the League Championship next season.

Lyon Cap First League/Cup Double On Overtime Tally

At Paris:

Sidney Govou scored the only goal of the match (102') to pace Lyon to a 1-0 Coupe de France final victory over PSG on Saturday to register their first ever domestic league and cup double.

Lyon had to wait for the 102nd minute to see winger Govou collect a Karim Benzema cross and score with a powerful shot from inside the box to give them further cause for celebration a week after they sealed their seventh successive league title. PSG, chasing a double of their own after winning the French League Cup, had the better chances in the game at the Stade de France but failed to lift the trophy for the eighth time.

Lyon, who looked rusty and short of ideas until Govou gave them victory, had been waiting for a Cup triumph since winning the competition for the third time in 1973.

"We're ever so happy because it's been such a long season and we had waiting for this for years," Govou told reporters.

Lyon won their seventh straight Ligue 1 crown last week, while PSG, who earlier this year won the League Cup crown, barely avoided relegation again this season.

'Jers Top QOTS For Scottish Cup Crown

At Glasgow:

Kris Boyd's double (33', 72') helped lead Rangers to a 3-2 win over second-division Queen of the South to win the Scottish Cup championship Saturday.

Roma Wins Coppa Italia

At Rome:

Goals from Philippe Mexes (36') and Simone Perrotta (54') powered AS Roma to a 2-1 win over Serie A champions Inter Milan Saturday to win the final of the Italian Cup.

How Does It Feel To Have A Top Flight Soccer Club?

At London:

Dean Windass scored the only goal at 38 minutes to lift Hull to a 1-0 win over Bristol City to win the League Championship promotion final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, resulting in the Tigers gaining promotion to the Premiership.

In a tight game typical of this Championship season Windass was able to produce the one outstanding moment of quality with his 39th-minute strike and earn himself another trip to face the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea next season.

This coming season will mark Hull's first-ever season in England's top flight. The Tigers will join West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, who had already won automatic promotion to the English Premier League.



And yes, boys and girls, that IS the fellow's name.

Ax Falls On Avram Grant After Silverwareless Season

Chelsea gave Avram Grant the boot today:

It read: 'Chelsea can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today. 'This follows meetings over the last two days. Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September. 'We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made.' Grant joined the club last summer from Portsmouth to take up the post of director of football.'

Who will next be given the role of Jose Mourinho's successor?

Can Gretna FC Be Saved?

It could well be touch and go:

At a meeting with employees on Monday, administrators appointed in March after English owner Brooks Mileson fell seriously ill and severed all financial ties with the club, made all 40 staff, from goalkeeper to groundsman, redundant.

Not all is lost: a potential buyer is in talks with administrators, but the prospect of losing Gretna FC has fans asking whether having a rich benefactor, a phenomenon that is increasingly common in British football, is such a good idea.

"We'd rather not have had Mr Mileson's money if this was the outcome," said Heather Bryden, a Gretna fan of 30 years who used to work on the gate at home games.

Gretna's difficulties, including debts of some four million pounds ($7.92 million), are partly linked to their success. Their pitch, which one former employee said needed 350,000 pounds' worth of refurbishment, was not up to SPL standards, forcing the team to hold all their home matches 120 kms away in Motherwell.

This meant many fans were no longer attending Gretna matches as trips to Motherwell were too expensive.

I have written in an earlier post this week that this club had gone through three consecutive promotions to reach the top flight in Scotland. This also could make a valid argument against US Soccer adopting a system of promotion and relegation.

Talk About Time On Their Hands

Apparently, soccer fans in Bosnia-Herzegovina either love their national coach, or feel like Rangers fans in Manchester:

Hundreds of fans took to the streets after the NSBiH sacked national coach Meho Kodro last week because he refused to lead the team in a friendly against Iran, scheduled for May 26.

The former Bosnia captain turned coach said he had not been consulted about the fixture.

The protesters gathered in downtown Sarajevo at noon, carrying placards reading "Mafia" and "Association Out" and chanting offending slogans against the NSBiH officials.

Special police forces in full combat gear intervened after some protesters began throwing stones, bottles, smoke bombs and a stun-grenade at the FA building and into the crowd.

"We detained more than 30 people after a peaceful protest turned into vandalism," Sarajevo police spokesman Jusuf Zornic said. He added that two policemen and a police dog were injured in the clash but no major damage was reported.

To Some Folks In Austria....

The price of beer is more important than their country's performance in the upcoming EURO 2008 tournament:

A large beer will cost 4.50 euros ($7.09) in the fan zone in the historic centre of Vienna, whereas the same drink will cost 5.0 Swiss francs or 3.10 euros in the Basel, for example.

'It is crazy. Completely idiotic,' said Christian Habermueller, 35, who offers horse and carriage rides to tourists in Vienna's city centre.

Talk of the tournament is still largely greeted with a shrug of the shoulders or a blank expression in Vienna, but news that their Alpine neighbours will be able to buy the same beer for less has the Austrians furiously gesticulating.

'You won't find any locals there with such prices,' said Florian Krug, a 38-year-old Vienna administrator.

Then, why in Sam Hill don't you go to Switzerland, if the price of beer is so freaking important?

EURO 2008: From The WHO GIVES A RAT'S POSTERIOR SECTION ABOUT EURO 2008 Department

The chief petitioner for an effort to get Austria to withdraw from the upcoming EURO 2008 finals has been fined for his efforts:

Michael Kriess, the son of former Austrian international Werner and a coordinator of the campaign which attracted 10,000 signatures, said a court had fined him 1,500 Euros for damage to the country's reputation and standing.

The court in Innsbruck was not immediately available for comment.

The black Austrian eagle with a golden crown appears on the website of the online petition with a football obscuring its head.

Kriess said he would challenge the fine in court in June.

"I am not worried about the Austrian team embarrassing themselves. I'm fully expecting it," he said of the tournament, where Austria are in Group B with Germany, Croatia and Poland.

Hey, Mike, how 'bout leaving the country during the tournament?

HAPPY RED DEVILS

Jubilant Manchester United players celebrating their club's first European club crown in nine years. Getty Images Photo

UCL FINAL: Edwin Van der Sar Jubilant After Making Game-Winning Save

We see Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar celebrating after saving Nicolas Anelka's penalty kick to seal the Red Devils' European championship. Getty Images Photo

UCL FINAL: John Terry Dejected After Missing Championship-Winning Spot Kick

A dejected Chelsea captain John Terry after he missed the penalty kick that would have won the Blues their first European championship. Getty Images Photo

UCL FINAL: Petr Cech Stops Cristiano Ronaldo Spot Kick In Shootout

Here's Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech saving Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty kick during the shootout. Getty Images Photo

UCL FINAL: Frank Lampard at 45 Minutes

Here is Frank Lampard, equalizing the game at 45 minutes for Chelsea. Getty Images Photo

UCL FINAL:Cristiano Ronaldo at 26 Minutes

Here, we see Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the game's first goal in the 26th minute. Associated Press Photo

MANCHESTER UNITED WINS THIRD EUROPEAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

At Moscow:

Manchester United won their first Champions League title since 1999 by defeating Chelsea to win the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League title. The match was decided in the penalty-kick shootout, with the Red Devils won 6-5 in seven rounds, after the match was deadlocked 1-1 through 120 minutes.

High drama
United had prevailed 3-0 in the FA Community Shield shoot-out on 5 August after a 1-1 draw and were on course to be crowned European champions when Cristiano Ronaldo headed them into a 26th-minute lead. Chelsea equalised 19 minutes later through Frank Lampard and appeared more likely winners thereafter, Didier Drogba and Lampard striking the woodwork. The former was red-carded for slapping Nemanja Vidić deep into extra time, before Petr Čech's save from Ronaldo's penalty put the prize within reach of the ten men only for John Terry to fire wide the potentially clinching kick. Three conversions later, Van der Sar outwitted Anelka and United were celebrating again.

One would wonder if Didier Drogba had not done his Moe Howard impersonation on Nemanja Vidic in that second overtime period.

Here's another account:

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was the hero with a penalty save to deny Nicolas Anelka after Chelsea captain John Terry had missed the chance to win the Blues the trophy by firing his own spot-kick hit the post.

The dramatic shootout looked to be going Chelsea's way after Petr Cech saved Cristiano Ronaldo's effort but Terry's miss opened the door for Sir Alex Ferguson to clinch his second Champions League crown.

It was United's third European club crown to go win championships in 1968 and 1999.

Champions League Final Update

At halftime at Moscow, Manchester United and Chelsea are deadlocked at 1-1. Cristiano Ronaldo scored at 26 minutes to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead. Frank Lampard equalized for the Blues right before the end of the 45th minute.

UPDATE:
Neither team scored in the second half. The championship match will go into two 15-minute overtime periods, played to their conclusion, with no sudden death or Golden Goal.

ANOTHER UPDATE:
The game is going into the penalty-kick shootout. I will be the first such final to reach this point since the AC Milan-Liverpool final in 2005 at Istanbul.

One Chelsea player who won't take part is Didier Drogba, who was tossed out of the game during the second overtime period after he slapped Nemanja Vidic on the face during a fracas.

Coach Canned In Dallas

And we ain't talkin' 'bout Avery Johnson here:

DALLAS, May 20 (Reuters) - Major League Soccer's FC Dallas have sacked their Northern Irish coach Steve Morrow after losing their last four games, the club said on Tuesday.

'We have set high standards, expectations, and goals for this team and organization,' said Dallas general manager Michael Hitchcock in a statement.

This is a team still awaiting their first appearance in the MLS Cup final.

Talk About Your Relegated Clubs

The end may be near for a club that was recently relegated from the Scottish Premier League:

The staff were summoned to an 11am meeting with administrator David Elliot of Wilson Field Ltd, where the news that money has run out was confirmed.
There remains a glimmer of hope for Gretna, who have been relegated from the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, with one potential buyer still looking at the club.
Director of football Mick Wadsworth, who loses his job, said: 'All the staff have been made redundant this morning.
'We're told there is still one interested party, but because there are no funds at the moment to carry on then everybody has been made redundant.
'So the assumption from that, for most of us, is that it's the end of the line regarding employment at Gretna.'
Gretna could still take their place in the Scottish Football League next season, if a quick sale can be achieved and the club can be revived.

I believe that this was the club that won three consecutive promotions to climb up to the top flight in Scottish soccer. Unfortunately, they certainly looked like they were in way over their heads.

PSG Soap Opera: In The Top Flight For Another Year

At Sochaux, France:

Amara Diane's double (22', 83') enabled PSG to defeat hosts FC Sochaux 2-1 to secure another season in Ligue 1:

Diane opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and a battling performance from the capital club kept Sochaux at bay until Guirane N'Daw headed home in the 73rd minute.

But Diane fired home his second to ensure PSG escaped the drop by the skin of their teeth for a second successive season.

Pedro Pauleta should have signed off from Ligue 1 in style as he came close to firing his side into the lead with a well worked free-kick, but his effort hit the wall.

The folks at PSG had better be sure not to get into still another relegation battle next season or it may come back and bite them in the posterior section. Congratulations.

Pompey Cop FA Cup

At London:

Nwankwo Kanu scored the only goal of the match Saturday (37') to lift Portsmouth to the FA Cup championship as the Premiership club defeated League Championship (2nd tier of English soccer) club Cardiff City 1-0 at Wembley Stadium:



Kanu was Portsmouth's hit-and-miss hero again as his first-half goal won the FA Cup for Harry Redknapp's team, who had just enough Premier League pedigree to see off Championship outsiders Cardiff 1-0.
But Kanu and Pompey's joy was despair for the Welsh club's Finnish goalkeeper Peter Enckelman, who palmed a low cross by John Utaka straight to the long-limbed striker, who half-volleyed it into the net from about three yards.
Kanu scored only his seventh goal of the season, and the first since his semi-final winner against West Brom last month, which was a similar close-range effort from a keeper's parry.
And although he squandered two other marvellous opportunities in a match that failed to produce any great exciting football, he was granted a standing ovation by the delirious Pompey fans when replaced by Milan Baros for the final few minutes.
It was Pompey's who 11th 1-0 win of the season, earning them a place in next season's UEFA Cup - their first European adventure to go with their first FA Cup triumph for 69 years.

Here we see Pompey manager Harry Redknapp holding the FA Cup in triumph following the game.



Tony Marshall photo/Empics


Here's one of Harry's charges joining in the fun. Jamie McDonald photo/Getty Images

From The PEOPLE ARE NO DAMNED GOOD Department

Heluva way to mess up a festive atmosphere.

Hundreds of Rangers fans went on the rampage when a big screen showing the match in the city's Piccadilly Gardens failed to work just before kick-off.
Fifteen officers were injured, as well as a police dog, and 42 arrests were made as hundreds of riot police and supporters fought running battles.
One fan of Rangers' Russian opponents, Zenit St Petersburg, was stabbed but his injuries were not life-threatening.

Stuff like this could jeopardize hopes of English (or British) cities hosting any more major international championship matches for the near future.
Here's a look at some of the rioting as captured on closed-circuit camera:

ZENIT WIN UEFA CUP TITLE

At Manchester, England:

Goals from Igor Denisov (72') and Konstatin Zurianov (90'+4) enabled Zenit Saint Petersburg to capture their first international title, defeating Rangers 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday.



Dominant in possession throughout, a repeat of Zenit's 4-0 semi-final triumph against FC Bayern München never looked likely as coach Dick Advocaat's former side proved difficult to break down. The Glasgow outfit had chances of their own at the start of the second half but it merely fired Zenit into life and the cup was effectively theirs 18 minutes from time when Denisov met the ball with a powerful run in midfield, found Andrei Arshavin and then collected the return before coolly sliding it to Neil Alexander's left. Zyrianov doubled the margin with virtually the last kick of the game to spark wild Zenit celebrations.







It is the second time that the trophy was won by a Russian club in the last four years (CSKA Moscow, 2005). Rangers were gunning for their first major European title since winning the UEFA Cup in 1972. Had they won, they would have been the first Scottish club to win a major competition since Aberdeen won the old Cup-Winners Cup in 1983. Getty Images Photo

Repeat Title For Red Devils; Toffees Clinch UEFA Cup Berth; Cottagers Stay Up While Reading and Birmingham City Go Down (Alongside Feckless Rams)

Sunday marked the conclusion of the 2007-08 English Premier League season:

At Wigan:

Record-holder Ryan Giggs marked a lifetime's loyalty with the best present possible as he delivered another Premier League title to Manchester United as they beat Wigan 2-0.

United were in front but needing calming despite Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half penalty when Giggs kept his nerve to coolly slot home Wayne Rooney's through ball.

A quarter of an hour earlier, Giggs' had been introduced for his 758th United appearance, equalling a milestone left by Sir Bobby Charlton that will surely be eclipsed in Moscow on May 21.

At London:

The afternoon began in hope but ended in despair for Chelsea as Manchester United retained the Barclays Premier League title.

Substitute Andriy Shevchenko's second-half strike was cancelled out by Kevin Davies' added-time leveller in a 1-1 draw against Bolton but the Blues were also left reeling from the loss of captain John Terry with shoulder injury in the first half.

At Liverpool:

Record signing Ayegbeni Yakubu struck twice to help Everton to a 3-1 win against Newcastle and back into Europe for the third time in four seasons.

The £11million that boss David Moyes paid for Yakubu has clearly paid off, with fifth place now secured.

At Portsmouth:

Fulham fans danced with delight after Danny Murphy's header 14 minutes from time kept them in the Barclays Premier League with an amazing third away win in a row as they beat Portsmouth 1-0.

Midfielder Murphy was left virtually unchallenged to nod in a Jimmy Bullard free-kick of a largely dismal game at Fratton Park which left FA Cup Finalists Portsmouth nursing their fourth consecutive defeat before next week's Wembley final against Cardiff.

At Derby:

Reading were relegated from the Barclays Premier League despite a convincing 4-0 victory over Derby at Pride Park.

The Royals put in a performance to be proud of as they swept the Rams aside with relative ease. James Harper curled home to hand the Royals a deserved half-time lead before Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle and Leroy Lita made it a second-half rout.

However, their efforts were to prove in vain as Fulham's victory at Portsmouth ensured Steve Coppell's men will join Derby and Birmingham in the second tier next season by virtue of goal difference.

At Birmingham:

Birmingham fans turned on chairman David Gold and co-owner David Sullivan as their side's relegation from the Barclays Premier League was confirmed despite substitute Cameron Jerome's late double in a 4-1 win against Blackburn.

At Middlesbrough:

Sven-Goran Eriksson's anticipated final match in charge of Manchester City ended in humiliating fashion as his 10-man side lost 8-1 at Middlesbrough.

The former England boss has guided the club to ninth in the Premier League and a likely place in the UEFA Cup via the Fair Play League but that does not appear enough to save his job.

At Sunderland:

Theo Walcott handed Arsene Wenger a winning finish to the season with the only goal as they beat Sunderland 1-0.

The England Under-21 international fired home from Gilberto's 24th-minute pass to claim the points as the Black Cats fought them all the way to the whistle.

At London:

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres wrapped up a 2-0 victory at Tottenham to set a record for goals scored by a foreigner in his first season in the Premier League.

Torres' goal was his 24th since arriving from Atletico Madrid, taking him past Ruud van Nistelrooy's total when he arrived at Manchester United.

At London:

Aston Villa's last-ditch push to secure a UEFA Cup place ended in failure as they concluded their season with a 2-2 draw at West Ham.

Skipper Gareth Barry appeared to have fired a second-half winner when he expertly finished a move he started but Hammers striker Dean Ashton struck a late equaliser to earn his side a point they scarcely deserved.

But ultimately Villa's efforts to secure European qualification were rendered meaningless by Everton's victory over Newcastle which took the matter out of their hands.

And here are the final standings for the EPL season:

May 11, 2008	GP	PT
Man Utd	38	87
Chelsea	38	85
Arsenal	38	83
Liverpool	38	76
Everton	38	65
Aston Villa	38	60
Blackburn	38	58
Portsmouth	38	57
Man City	38	55
West Ham	38	49
Tottenham	38	46
Newcastle	38	43
Middlesbrough	38	42
Wigan	38	40
Sunderland	38	39
Bolton	38	37
Fulham	38	36
Reading	38	36
Birmingham	38	35
Derby	38	11

Manchster United and Chelsea have clinched berths in the group stage for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League, Arsenal and Liverpool clinched berths in the third qualifying round for the Champions League, Everton has clinched a berth in the second qualifying round for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup. Liverpool can clinch a UEFA Cup berth by beating Cardiff in the May 17 FA Cup final. It appears likely that Manchester City will also be heading for UEFA Cup play. Reading, Birmingham City, and Derby County have been relegated to the League Championship.

PSG Soap Opera: Out Of Relegation Zone

At Paris:

Johnny Clement's equalizer on 59 minutes lifted PSG to a 1-1 home draw with St. Etienne to climb to 16th place in Ligue 1 on Saturday:

Clement's strike cancelled out Loic Perrin's opener for the visitors on the stroke of half-time.

With relegation rivals Lens and Toulouse both losing, PSG vault above them out of the bottom three and are now a point clear of the drop zone heading into their last game, against Sochaux next Saturday.

The result means St Etienne drop to sixth, a point behind Lille in the race for the final UEFA Cup place.

Should PSG drop down from the top flight, Paris would be left as the only major European capital city without a top-flight soccer club.

Inter vs. Roma For Coppa Italia Crown

At Catania, Italy:

AS Roma, still with a shot at overtaking Inter Milan for the Serie A crown, held relegation-threatened Catania to a 1-1 home draw in game two of their semifinal-round set in the Italian Cup tournament, allowing them to take the series 2-1 on aggregate.

Serie A leaders Inter and second-placed Roma are assured of a Champions League place next season so Italy's third UEFA Cup spot will now go to the seventh-placed team in the league. AC Milan, Fiorentina, Udinese and Sampdoria, one of whom will go into the Champions League qualifiers, are therefore guaranteed a UEFA Cup spot because eighth-placed Genoa cannot overhaul them with two games left. Midfielder Alberto Aquilani converted a penalty on 27 minutes after Mirko Vucinic was fouled to put Roma in full command of the semi-final, second leg following their 1-0 win in last month's first leg. Cristian Silvestri headed in a free kick unmarked for the hosts two minutes later and the Sicilians could have had a penalty when Roma goalkeeper Gianluca Curci pushed Marco Biagianti, but generally the visitors controlled the game.

Roma will play Inter in the Cup final in Rome on May 24.

Rijkaard Era Ending At Barcelona

FC Barcelona prez Joan Laporta announced Thursday that Frank Rijkaard is leaving as Barca coach at the end of the season.

Former Netherlands international Rijkaard took charge of Barcelona in 2003 and led them to back-to-back league titles and victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final in Paris in 2006. However, his side have failed to win any silverware for the past two seasons and suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat by arch-rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Former captain Pep Guardiola will succeed Frank as Barca coach.

2008-09 UEFA Champions League

Here's a list of the clubs that have so far clinched berths in the Group Stage of next season's UEFA Champions League:

England:
Manchester United
Chelsea

Spain:
Real Madrid
Villarreal

Italy:
Inter Milan
AS Roma

Germany:
Bayern Munich

France:
Lyon
Bordeaux

Netherlands:
PSV Eindhoven

Portugal:
FC Porto

Romania:
CFR Cluj

Russia:
Zenit Saint Petersburg

New Look To DC United Uniforms

It was announced to Tuesday that Volkswagen has reached a five-year agreement with DC United.

The deal coincides with a partnership announced today between Major League Soccer and Volkswagen that makes the car company the league's official automotive sponsor, providing the carmaker with MLS and collective team marks, logos and marketing assets at events including the Pepsi MLS All-Star Game and the MLS Cup, the league's championship game."With Volkswagen's roots already embedded in the sport, this is a partnership that makes sense at both the club and league levels," Doug Quinn, president, Soccer United Marketing, said in a statement.Under the automaker's partnership with D.C. United, the team will debut new uniforms featuring the Volkswagen logo, the first corporate insignia to adorn team jerseys, during a nationally televised game with the Chicago Fire on Thursday night, the automaker said.

Here is reigning Major League Soccer MVP Luciano Emilio showing off his new duds. DC United Photo

Lyon Gets Crack At PSG In French Cup Final

At Lyon, France:

Juninho Permanbucano scored the game's only goal to lift Ligue 1 leading (and seven-time league champs) Lyon to a 1-0 home win over Ligue 2 club Sedan in semifinal action in the Coupe de France tournament.

Twenty-four hours after PSG overcame Amiens SC, Lyon also found the going tough against Ligue 2 opposition. Sedan were by no means overawed against their top-flight hosts and fashioned some promising opportunities of their own, while Lyon found Sedan goalkeeper Patrick Régnault in inspired form until Juninho's set-piece rendered him helpless. Lyon's final appearance on 24 May at the Stade de France will be their first in this competition since a 2-0 loss to Olympique de Marseille in 1975/76, while Les Gones have not lifted the trophy since 1973.

Lyon will play against PSG for the title on May 24 in Paris. The relegation-threatened club from the capital city already won the League Cup and thus qualified for a shot at next season's UEFA Cup tournament.

Kayserispor Wins Marathon Match For Turkish Cup

At Bursa, Turkey:

It took a super-long penalty kick shootout for Kayserispor to win the Turkish Cup on Wednesday, defeating Gencerbirligi following a scoreless 120 minutes.

Aydin Toscali scored Kayserispor's final penalty before Mehmet Cakir missed the 28th spot kick in the shootout at the Ataturk stadium in the northwest Turkish city of Bursa.
It was the first time in 20 years that the final did not feature one of the four big teams -- Istanbul's Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas or Trabzonspor on the Black Sea.

This means Kayserispor will move on to the second qualifying round of next season's UEFA Cup.

Partizan Cops Domestic Cup Crown-----In Serbia

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Lamine Diarra's hat trick paced Partizan Belgrade to their 10th domestic cup championship:

Diarra struck after 12, 41 and 90 minutes in Belgrade, to follow up his semi-final heroics when his two goals helped defeat city rivals FK Crvena Zvezda 3-2. The cup triumph has secured the first installment of a potential domestic double as Partizan also lead the Serbian Superliga by three points from Crvena Zvezda with four matches to play.

Partizan is also leading their league by three points over archrival Red Star Belgrade with four games remaining.

PSG Soap Opera: A Spot In The Coupe de France---And Teargas

At Amiens, France:

Relegation-threatened PSG needed a late goal on the road advance on Tuesday to the French Cup final.

And that's not all that happened:

he match was interrupted after just over 30 minutes when teargas was sprayed from a section of the stands filled with PSG fans. It resumed after a 10-minute break.

PSG, which is currently going through a tough relegation battle again this season will play the winner of Wednesday semifinal between defending Ligue 1 champs Lyon and Ligue 2 club Sedan.

The final will be played in Paris on May 24.

An Ice Cube?

A freaking ice cube?!

May I please have a drink with that?

West Brom, Stoke City In Premiership

By clinching top-two finishes in the League Championship this season, West Bromwich Albion (who last played in the top flight in the 2005-06 season) and Stoke City (after a 23-year absence) won automatic promotion to the Barcley's Premiere League.

The next four finshers in order, Hull, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, and Watford, qualified for the playoffs to determine the third and final promoted club.

The bottom three clubs, Leicester, Scunthorpe, and Colchester, were relegated to League 1.

Speaking of League 1:

Swansea and former two-time European champions Nottingham Forest won automatic promotion to the League Championship, with Doncaster, Carlisle, Leeds United, and Southend (the latter two having played at the second level last season) qualifying for the playoffs for the thrid and final promotion berth. The bottom four---Bournemouth, Gillingham, Port Vale, and Luton Town--were sent packing down to League 2

Speaking of League 2:

The top three finishers--Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough, and Hereford--won automatic promotion to League 1. The next four clubs--Stockport, Rochdale, Darlington, and Wycombe--qualified for the promotion playofs. The bottom two clubs--Mansfield and Wrexam--were relegated from the Football League and are heading down to what is still referred to as the Conference National.

UEFA Cup: 'Jers and Zenit Are Manchester Bound

Semifinal round action in the UEFA Cup concluded Thursday:

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Pavel Pogrebnyak's double (4', 73') helped power Zenit Saint Petersburg to a 4-0 home frontier-styled fistbeating of Bayern Munich in the second game of the two clubs' series, with the Blue-White-Sky Blues taking the series 5-1 on aggregate.

At Florence, Italy:

In stark contrast to the Bayern-Zenit semifinal, no goals were scored in regulation time of either of the two matches between Rangers and Fiorentina. After 30 minutes of overtime failed to settle the issue, it came down to the penalty kick shootout. The visitors' Nacho Novo scored the game winner, enabling Rangers to win the shootout 4-2.

Rangers and Zenit will play for the UEFA Cup title on May 14 at City Stadium in Manchester, England.