This game was a bit dead. With Clint Dempsey getting the start, the pre-game hype machine was ready for some fireworks, but Fabian Johnson's very late withdrawal during warmups threw something of a wet blanket over proceedings, and the game never sparked to life.

The first half was dull, frankly.

Liverpool target Eljero Elia looks set to snub a move to Anfield in favour of joining Schalke, reports talkSPORT.
The 25-year-old Dutch international winger is a long-term target for the Premier League side, despite enduring a difficult campaign with Juventus after arriving in Turin in an £8million deal from Hamburg last summer.

By Max Grieve

With apparently false obstinacy, both red and blue repeated the tired lines. "We'll pick a team that will do this club justice," said Dalglish. His captain nodded in approval: "We've got the game against Fulham, and then we can get ready for Chelsea".

Swansea's on-loan midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has told Hoffenheim he wants to leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season. Gylfi Sigurdsson in action for Swansea Newcastle have been linked with the player who is currently on loan at Swansea, and the former Reading star is now attracting the attentions of Manchester United.

If the reports from earlier today are true, then Spurs could be scrapping any thoughts of negotiating a permanent deal for Emmanuel Adebayor and turning their attentions elsewhere. Ade's wages have been reported as being between £170,000 and £200,000 a week and that has always been the likely stumbling block for any permanent transfer.

Following an awful defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League, Manchester United turn their attentions back to the Premier League title race with a home match against West Brom Sunday afternoon....
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England's Euro 2012 plans have been thrown into disarray after Fabio Capello stepped down as national team manager.
Capello's resignation came after he publicly disagreed with the Football Association's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy.
He spoke out against the FA on Italian state broadcaster RAI on Sunday and resigned after a meeting with the FA on Wednesday.

Today's announcement at Southwark Crown Court means that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is free to resume full duties at White Hart Lane. We are therefore unlikely to see a repeat of Monday's game at Liverpool where Harry was absent due to transport problems and it's likely that all the players will be happy to see his familiar face in the dugout.

Some areas of the press are suggesting that it hasn't been such a stellar year for Gareth Bale in comparison with last season. Those reports tend to just point to the winger's hat trick in the San Siro but they conveniently forget that this has been a much more consistent campaign for the Welshman.

Kickoff from White Hart Lane at 7:00PM GMT/2:00PM EST

Liverpool's youngsters return to NextGen Series action today, with their quarterfinal matchup with Tottenham's U19s taking place in London. The brief break in senior squad action allows for attentions to turn to a competition that, on the whole, has been a terrific advertisement for youth football on the continent.

Having strengthened the forward line, Newcastle United continue to pursue some cover in central defence. Although without much luck so far. Now that we've unexpectedly strengthened our strike force with the addition of Papiss Demba Cissé, the club's attentions have turned back to what they said was the priority position they need to get cover [.

A name that has been cropping up since Graham Westley's departure last week is Gary Smith. In fact, Smith is currently the favourite for the job with bookmakers and is reportedly on Phil Wallace's 6 man shortlist along with the likes of Paul Buckle and Paul Ince. However, Smith is the one candidate that not many supporters know much about.

Premier League Preview: Upset at the Bridge and a third defeat for United? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

With Tottenham tied on points with Manchester United and City hitting a bump in form, the title race is becoming more wide open, and in turn it leaves three teams three of the original Big Four, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea fighting it out for the fourth place.

Jose Reina believes the Anfield faithful can play a big part in helping Liverpool book their place in the Carling Cup final.
The Reds hold the upper hand in their semi-final showdown with Manchester City, with Steven Gerrard's penalty at the Etihad Stadium handing them a narrow lead.
The road to Wembley will now head to Merseyside on 25th January, with everything riding on the second leg of an evenly poised encounter.

Matches in the Third Round of The FA Cup frequently draw attendances that are lower than they would be otherwise. The simple fact that tickets are not usually provided as part of annual season tickets combined with the possibility of people feeling the pinch in the weeks after Christmas is usually enough to keep many away.

Word has begun circulating that Chelsea are expected to close the signing of Gary Cahill in the next 48 hours. More, after the jump:

English Recruits

So, this one looks like it'll finally be finished. The worst-kept secret of the winter is coming to its final hours, after an apparent break-through in negotiations took place Sunday evening, during which Chelsea representatives were able to reach a consensus with Cahill's agent.

Liverpool face a major battle to sign Brazilian teenage sensation Lucas after the talented midfielder revealed he is happy to stay at Sao Paulo.
Lucas is rated as one of the best young talents in South America and has been linked with a number of big European clubs, including the Anfield giants.

In celebration of January, In The Stands have chosen one player per Premier League side that we believe will make a difference. Arsenal: What they need: With an improved defence in recent weeks Arsenal may turn their attentions to another attacking midfielder to give Wenger increased attacking option.

Martin Skrtel has hailed the influence to Liverpool of Craig Bellamy after the Welsh international's two-goal display against Newcastle United in the final game of 2011 on Friday night.
Liverpool's No.39 was a constant menace to his old side and the Slovakian was quick to mention just how important a figure he is for Kenny Dalglish's side.

Martin Skrtel has hailed the influence to Liverpool of Craig Bellamy after the Welsh international's two-goal display against Newcastle United in the final game of 2011 on Friday night.
Liverpool's No.39 was a constant menace to his old side and the Slovakian was quick to mention just how important a figure he is for Kenny Dalglish's side.

A couple of days ago, I happened to comment on Twitter following Man Utd's 5-0 thrashing of Wigan at Old Trafford and Man City's 0-0 away draw with West Bromwich Albion, that the title was now down to a two horse race as both Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool had failed to beat either Wolves, Fulham or Blackburn respectively.

It was an extraordinary couple of days of football in the immediate aftermath of Christmas. The title race was not exactly turned on its head, but suddenly was brought to life.

With half the season still to go for those looking at mobile casinos to enjoy, both Manchester sides suddenly find themselves level on points at the summit, while Tottenham have also made their intentions known.

The second half onslaught was exhilarating but not quite enough to regain the two points that another freakish goal had taken away.

Arsene did rotate some of the players. Djourou came in for Coquelin, Rosicky for Ramsey, and Benayoun for Walcott. It was a strong team and one that should have secured the win with relative ease.

The second half onslaught was exhilarating but not quite enough to regain the two points that another freakish goal had taken away.

Arsene did rotate some of the players. Djourou came in for Coquelin, Rosicky for Ramsey, and Benayoun for Walcott. It was a strong team and one that should have secured the win with relative ease.

And so the conjecture continues. No, no, not speculative tittle-tattle focused on which new wunderkind recruits are coming to the Arsenal in the January transfer window, I am talking about where we will tour next summer. Granted, it is still supposition but anything to turn our attentions from the endless stories linking us with the world and his wife (as well as those poor unfortunates heading for the Emirates exit).

And so the conjecture continues. No, no, not speculative tittle-tattle focused on which new wunderkind recruits are coming to the Arsenal in the January transfer window, I am talking about where we will tour next summer. Granted, it is still supposition but anything to turn our attentions from the endless stories linking us with the world and his wife (as well as those poor unfortunates heading for the Emirates exit).

Friends,

I'm leaving. No not permanently- much to the chagrin of some of you Liverpool stalkers. But I will be absent for the next month whilst I traverse the globe with my bride to be. I'm a mess of sorts. One part excited, equal parts nervous. To those of you that are married, you probably are all too acquainted with said feelings- and those of you that are not well, just use your powers of deduction to figure out what this might feel like.

Morning all.

We'll turn our attentions to the Champions League shortly with a huge game against Borussia Dortmund to come tomorrow but first, if you haven't seen it already, you can find the full transcript of Arsene Wenger's L'Equipe interview over on Arseblog News. It provides some context to the selected quotes which first appeared and is a fantastic read overall.

Morning all.

We'll turn our attentions to the Champions League shortly with a huge game against Borrussia Dortmund to come tomorrow but first, if you haven't seen it already, you can find the full transcript of Arsene Wenger's L'Equipe interview over on Arseblog News. It provides some context to the selected quotes which first appeared and is a fantastic read overall.

The latest centre forward to be linked with a move to White Hart Lane is Goran Pandev, a 28 year old Macedonian striker who is currently on loan at Napoli from Inter Milan.

Pandev has enjoyed a mixed career to date and while he has netted 24 times in 61 games for his country, his record elsewhere has been a little unimpressive.

The adage has it that winning while playing poorly is a sign of a good time, but the sentiment in this corner of the interweb is that we win these games because our forward line between them just have more quality than most others in the division. Lennon's, Defoe's and even Bale's ability in the way they took their goals were of the highest order; Fulham for all their pressure did not have that class and clinical touch to apply the coup de grace as necessary.

Arsenal now turn their attentions back to the Champions League and with good form in the bag and a victory already against tonight's opposition in France there is little to suggest that Arsenal aren't capable of getting a big result. Arsenal's win over Chelsea makes it eight wins from nine games which dispels any credible [.

Changing Future Roles In Response To The Silva Footballing Age - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

If there was a certain area in which Manchester City beat Manchester United so assuredly last weekend, in one of the massive premier league results of recent times, it was the wings.

Where Ashley Young and Nani played the typical winger role, taking on Manchester City's fullbacks, trying to win those one on one battles, Manchester City's wingers, James Milner and David Silva, made a point of winning the game elsewhere certainly their involvement in the vital goals that pushed the Sky Blues clear of United was a mastery of movement rather then setting out to burn fullbacks.

After the weekend's disasterous defeat to Manchester City, Manchester United now turn their attentions to the Carling Cup. Tuesday night
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Liverpool has been dealt a decisive blow in their pursuit of Nigerian international defender Taye Taiwo.
The AC Milan full back was heavily linked with a move to Anfield in the summer transfer window, with Kenny Dalglish thought to be tracking the player before a move to AC Milan in May.
Despite the recent nature of the move, speculation has persisted that a move away from the San Siro could take place in the New Year, forcing agent Fabio Parisi to dismiss the claims.

I started thinking about this question again in the wake of some recent comments by Dennis Bergkamp about what's going on at Arsenal. He stated his views about tactics, a need for a true goal scorer, and Patrick Vieira. Naturally, this led a few writers to wonder if Bergkamp would be a good future manager at Arsenal.

Online exclusive: Rangers v LFC LIVE

Once the dust has settled on Liverpool's showdown with Manchester United this weekend the Reds will turn their attentions towards a prestigious friendly against Rangers at Ibrox a match you'll be able to watch live and exclusive only on Liverpoolfc.

The theme for the rumour mills this week concerns the possibility of young footballing talent moving to Spurs and the latest name in the hat is that of Max Clayton, a young striker who had scouts from no less than 17 Premiership sides watch him score the winner for Crewe in the week.

Crewe boss Dario Gradi has a long history of bringing through young quality players and he had high hopes for Clayton after the Johnstone's Paint Trophy win over Macclesfield.

A lot of people have got it in for Aaron Ramsey right now.

Following our victory over Bolton I read several comments on AA and elsewhere to the effect that our young Welshie had a bad game and should be dropped to the stiffs.

Before the match someone even said he was turning into the new Denilson – always passing backwards and sideways as if, having grown up in a rugby-loving country, he was unaware that, with a round ball, you're allowed to pass forwards.

Reports this morning confirm that Chelsea have secured the signature of the Somali-born Scottish starlet. More after the jump:

Catch Me If You Can

News this morning stateside confirms that Chelsea have secured the services of long-running youth target Islam Feruz.