Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has tipped club teammate Steven Gerrard to lead England during this summer's Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

A dramatic sequence of events led to Chelsea skipper John Terry losing the Lions armband last Friday, which was followed by the resignation of manager Fabio Capello, who was upset at not being consulted by the FA over the captaincy row.

Liverpool's top four hopes are delicately balanced at the moment. The club is only four points behind Chelsea, and with 42 points still to play for, fourth place is still very much in the club's hands. However, Kenny Dalglish's team has struggled for consistency this season, and has regularly failed to capitalise on the inconsistency of Chelsea and Arsenal.

Liverpool drew their 8th Premier League home game of the season against Spurs last night, and whilst the club is only four points off a champions league place at the moment, history suggests that a top four finish is now practically impossible.Liverpool have dropped a staggering 16 points at home this season.

Sevilla have fired coach Marcelino García Toral after the 46-year-old failed to halt a run of disappointing results.

Marcelino, who took charge last summer following the departure of Gregorio Manzano, leaves with Sevilla 11th in the standings and just four points above the relegation zone.

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 6, 2012) US Soccer Players -- As halftime came to an end during Sunday's Chelsea - Manchester United broadcast on Fox, studio host Rob Stone fell back on what has become a cliché of getting professional soccer over to a broader audience. Each and every game is of unquestioned importance.

Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna go into Week 5 on top of the table, while Jose Torres, Edgar Castillo, and Michael Orozco all sit within four points back.

"Not good enough."

Three words used often by football fans to describe aspects of the club they support. They're used in relation to certain players, performances, the manager, the board, the price of a pint and a pie, how their club handles various communications, pretty much anything they've got the hump with for one reason or another.

By Amy Eustace

There came a point at the beginning of last year when you simply knew it was coming. Perhaps it was the infamous Roy Hodgson face rub – a sure sign that man had reached his last bastion of pure desperation – the previous December, or the penalty that Steven Gerrard sent soaring uncharacteristically over the bar against Blackburn the same month.

Juventus moved four points clear at the top of Serie A after a 2-0 win over Atalanta thanks to goals by Stephan Lichtsteiner and Emanuele Giaccherini. The visitors continued their Serie A title push with a well deserved win although they had to wait until the 53rd minute to open the scoring when Stephan Lichtsteiner [.

In the most recent match-day programme Marcus Evans sent out a rare direct message to the fans.
As inconsistent results continue into the New Year, our club balances just four points above the Championship's relegation zone. So it's difficult, as a fan, not to feel concern for the direction our club is going.

Liverpool get back in the swing of things to see out a busy January, heading to the Reebok in hopes of getting three points for only the second time in six matches. As has mostly been the case in league over the past month and a half, they won't face an entirely overwhelming opposition, with Bolton only a point above Wigan in 19th.

'Gladbach - Bayern Munich 2:30pm ET - GolTV 1st versus 4th in the Bundesliga, with Bayern in their historic spot at the top of the table. 'Gladbach trail by four points and 19 goals, with Bayern picking up the season after the winter break on a three-game win streak. These two teams opened their seasons against each other, with 'Gladbach winning 1-0 at Allianz Arena.

Valencia midfielder Ever Banega has agreed to stay in La Liga by signing a contract that will keep him at the Spanish outfit till 2015.

Banega, 23, has attracted the interest of both Merseyside clubs in the past while also being linked to Arsenal and German giants Bayern Munich more recently.

Arsene Wenger has issued a wake-up call literally to his players, urging them to stay focused throughout the 90 minutes of Sunday's home clash with Manchester United.

While the Gunners emerged 1-0 winners through an Aaron Ramsey goal when the Red Devils last visited the Emirates nearly eight months ago, they were thrashed 8-2 by the reigning Premier League champions at Old Trafford in August.

Freiburg's Papiss Demba Cisse joins the Magpies for a reported £10m. Newcastle now sports a Senegalese flavour to their team. The new no 9 joins countrymen Demba Ba and Cheikh Tiote, both enjoying outstanding Premiership seasons. All three are at the ACN, so fans will get to see him next month depending on how Senegal do in that competition.

Frustration is boiling over at the Emirates- an underperforming squad has started 2012 in a well documented poor fashion.

Sadly the return of the King Thierry Henry has been tarnished by some mindless fans at Swansea on Sunday aggravating the Frenchman.

The Gunners have now lost two league games on the bounce and languish well behind their title rivals and crucially are four points behind Chelsea in forth.

The most frustrating thing is that, after a disastrous start to the season, we had done the hard bit.

Written off by everyone, we somehow battled back up the table, all the way to the top four.

A team that seemed to have been cobbled together off the back of Steptoe and Son's wagon on the last day of the transfer window was starting to look like it could really do the business.

Barcelona returned to within five points of Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 4-2 defeat of ten-man Real Betis, on a day when Athletic Club improved their European chances by beating Levante.

Josep Guardiola's men made an explosive start at Camp Nou as Xavi Hernández opened the scoring after ten minutes and Lionel Messi took his league tally to 18 shortly afterwards.

Arsenal were dealt yet another blow in their bid for a top four finish as a dismal 3-2 defeat away to Swansea City leaves Arsene Wenger's men with a lot of work ahead of them.

Goals from Scott Sinclair (penalty), Nathan Dyer, and Danny Graham ensured that the Swans overcome impressive goals from Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott either side of the interval.

szólj hozzá: Swansea City 3-2 Arsenal

Arsenal's bright start through who else but Robin Van Persie was dashed within minutes as Aaron Ramsey brought down Nathan Dyer, an absolute pest to the Gunners, and Scott Sinclair converted the penalty. The foul looked pretty soft. Andrey Arshavin who had threaded the pass through for RVP's goal was guilty of less precision in the second half as Ramsey could not latch onto his errant service gifting the ball to Joe Allen.

Stoke City head to Anfield currently sitting alone in eighth and unbeaten in their last four. Tony Pulis' side has managed success both domestically and in Europe, as they'll accompany the two Manchester sides in the first knockout round of the Europa League early next month. Liverpool will hope to continue their relative hot streak at home, during which they've scored eight goals in their last two matches at Anfield and finally found a way to finish chances.

If one remembers the instant relegation Brighton and Hove Albion suffered on the last occasion they ascended to English football's second level, it's been a heartening first half of the season for the Seagulls. Many expected them to do well given the verve they showed in cantering to the League 1 title in May and a position just four points off the play off zone constitutes real progress.

If one remembers the instant relegation Brighton and Hove Albion suffered on the last occasion they ascended to English football's second level, it's been a heartening first half of the season for the Seagulls. Many expected them to do well given the verve they showed in cantering to the League 1 title in May and a position just four points off the play off zone constitutes real progress.

Ah Levadeiakos... one of those teams, along with Panionios, Volou, and Xanthi, that I just love seeing AEK beat.

Couldnt watch the game because I had to work, but hey, we got the three points. Highlights from what Ive heard/seen: Sialmas' goalara, good keeping by Konstantopoulos, and a well reffed match (aside from the unnecessary to Sialmas).

Timeline: How Kenny Dalglish's year back as Liverpool manager unfolded

Great expectations, big-money buys and a thorny issue – 12 eventful months for Kenny Dalglish on his return to Anfield 8 Jan 11 Roy Hodgson leaves Liverpool, three days after a 3-1 defeat at Blackburn.

The holiday schedule always throws up upsets and today was no exception as both Manchester United and Chelsea lost at home.

United was maybe the biggest surprise of the season as they lost 3-2 at home to Blackburn Rovers, on what was Sir Alex Ferguson turned 70th birthday.

United missed a great chance to go top of the league and Blackburn fully deserved the win.

After dominating the first period at Carrow Road last night, Tottenham had to show great patience in turning that dominance into a vital win. With sides all around dropping points, Spurs read the script for once and sealed the victory that cemented third place – four points ahead of nearest rivals Chelsea and with a game in hand.

Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole has confirmed that he would like to make his loan move a permanent one at the end of the season after a terrific first half of the year in Ligue 1.
Cole made the move to Lille at the start of the season after falling out of favour with Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish and has found a new lease of life in France.

New regime, but controversy still reigns at Anfield My year with Liverpool, by David Maddock

Life for Liverpool in 2011 began with embattled bitterness, a siege mentality and a sense of conspiracy...and ended that way too. With Roy Hodgson becoming increasingly isolated as he railed against the dark forces he felt were plotting against him, it seemed inevitable he would go, after a disastrous Christmas haul of four points from 18.

By Alan Duffy

Fulham Manchester United Premier League 21st December 2011

Manchester United kept up the pressure on their City rivals with an impressive performance at Craven Cottage against an admittedly appalling Fulham side.

By Alan Duffy

Everton 1-1 Norwich City Premier League 17th December 2011

Dutch wideman Royston Drenthe rescued a point for Everton at Goodison Park after the Toffees had failed to make their dominance against Norwich City count.

Today's SPL Advent calendar throws up not a nugget of cheap chocolate but a Stewart's bridie - current SPL basement dwellers Dunfermline.
The road to the SPL is not paved with gold.
On their return to the top flight Dunfermline find themselves bottom of the league. They've taken only four points at home in a miserable run that has seen them fail to win at East End Park.

In my two decades as Newcastle fan I have had worse Christmases, tucking into my Turkey in 2008 whilst languishing four points above the relegation zone springs immediately to mind. This was made all the worse by having to bypass drinking my despair away due to a nice early drive to Wigan the next morning.

Because of MLS' relative newness to the sports scene, MLS fans have more "ownership" in the league's success. Unlike fans of the NFL, MLB and other mainstream sports, fans of Major League Soccer have real concern about their league and its place on the sports landscape. Fans work hard to bring friends to games, introduce family to the sport and cheer for MLS teams in international competitions.

Gazzetta dello Sport Milan assist for Juve The Rossoneri are stumped (2-0) by Bologna. Di Vaio and Diamanti are goalscorers. Antonio Conte's team take on Roma in Rome at the stadio Olimpico tonight. The Bianconeri could move four points ahead of their rivals. Luis Enrique hangs in the balance: "Resignation?

By Alan Duffy

West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Wigan Athletic Premier League 10th December 2011

Roberto Martinez and his Wigan side made it seven points from their last four Premier League games after coming from behind to win at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Let me say this before I say anything...
Trabzonspor and Trabzonspor fans will never forget Inter Milan!
The score came out of Milan in the last minutes of the match, against CSKA Moscow ,really hurt Trabzonspor and their fans...
Let's not forget ,Trabzonspor is the only team who got four points from Inter in this group.

It is reported today that Mick McCarthy has his eye on two Arsenal youngsters to boost his side's campaign this term. A campaign which despite a good result recently, is still a fight to avoid relegation.

The win against effectively a managerless Sunderland side at the weekend put daylight between the old gold and black and the bottom three.

By Joel Greenwaldt
The Baltimore Blast completed a perfect 5-0 road trip with a 10-4 victory over the Rochester Lancers on Saturday evening at the Blue Cross Arena. The victory moved the Blast to 5-1 on the season and 2 1/2 games ahead of the second place Lancers who are now 3-4.

The 2011 Nike International Friendlies trophy is on the Stadium Field and ready for kickoff!
Day 3 of the 2011 Winter Showcase kicked off today at 9 a.m. with 40 Development Academy games and the final round of Nike International Friendlies.
Today's the big day for the U.S. U-17s, taking on Brazil at 5 p.