Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks tasted Premier League football last season with the Tangerines and now the shotstopper is looking for his side to make a swift return to the top flight.
The Seasiders sit just one point off the play-off places in the Championship table in seventh spot, in what has once again been a very competitive league this term with any side capable of getting a result in any game.

Manchester United have been dealt a further blow in their attempt to retain the Premier League title with the news that influential midfielder Darren Fletcher will be ruled out of action through illness indefinately.

A club statement read: "Over the past year he has had several absence periods which we have attributed to a viral illness in order to respect his right to medical confidentiality.

Lots of chat today over whether Arsenal chose the right people for the 125 year statues.
In issues like these, you're basically asking people to decide who their favourite Arsenal players were - a ridiculously subjective exercise.
So, at least for the initial statues, you have to go with the obvious candidates.

Yuuup (tm) ... Yakubu, yes, that Yakubu scored four goals Saturday for Blackburn Rovers in a 4-2 win over Swansea City. That's one of those great sports photos that tells the entire story, as the Swansea players are seemingly in as much shock as everyone else on planet Earth. Alternately, the standing still, jaw dropped, eyebrows raised defense probably (stress probably) isn't the best way to go

He used to push refs.. now Di Canio just attacks dugouts

I enjoyed the game between Wimbledon and Swindon at Kingsmeadow on Saturday but I missed a lot of the match. It wasn't that it was a poor game. Far from it. It was just that there was a human firecracker called Paolo Di Canio standing in front of the Swindon bench and he was going off every couple of minutes.

By Alan Duffy

There has always been an alleged whiff of alleged dodginess allegedly surrounding the alleged football manager Harry Redknapp. Well now the man touted as the next England boss will be facing actual charges in an actual courtroom rather than flimsy rumour and speculation.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has suggested that Luis Suarez may be feeling the strain over Patrice Evra's recent allegations.
In a post-match interview, Dalglish again made it clear that the club is 100% behind Suarez, but he also seemed to suggest that the the stress from Evra's unsubstantiated allegations may have been playing on the Uruguayan's mind during the game:
"Sometimes you don't finish [chances], but that doesn't take away from him [Suarez], his ability, and his integrity and everything else as a footballer.

How 'bout that Chelsea match, eh?

I don't have much time today as I'm at work (shhh ... don't tell anyone) but this article by the Swiss Ramble football blog regarding Valencia's finances and current economic state is 100% MUST READ material for Valencia fans worldwide.

I can't stress enough how good this blog post is.

Their Words They've just got to get their heads down and work and not worry so much about the change, but it's a difficult position. Vancouver Whitecaps co-owner Steve Nash, speaking to The Province. Other Sources 9/11 Memorial: MLSers recall when soccer returned to NY - from MLSsoccer.com's John Bolster: "We really felt like we were part of something that would take some of the stress away from people's daily lives.

The Guardian looks at United's commercial drive.

The Mirror reports on Rooney's stress which lead to his hair transplant.

F365 praises Sir Alex for his ability to create title winning teams.

The United Religion wonders what has happened to Patrice Evra.

The Daily Post talks about United's relationship with England.

Wenger's wet dog impersonation Arsene Wenger was once again unable to contain his frustration as Arsenal lost at home to Liverpool on Saturday. And this was when the score was still 0-0. The Frenchman found a handy way to remove some excess rainwater and some stress at the same time.

Today marks 2 years of 3four3!

When I first started, the idea was really just to get my thoughts on paper, flesh them out and refine them over time. I thought I would systematically deconstruct all the issues I saw with the sport in the U.S., and methodically build up solutions.

Join our League: 943152-228585 If playing FIFA and Football Manager wasn't bad enough I now I have to spend my time putting together a bloody Fantasy Football team. The stress is overwhelming.... Before it used to be easy. Van Der Sar. Done. Nemanja Vidic. Done. Steven Gerrard/ Frank Lampard. Done.

According to Caughtoffside.com Didier Drogba has decided enough is enough:

A Blues source says the 33-year-old has grown disillusioned with the West London club following the January arrival of Fernando Torres from Liverpool and he is now keen on a move to North London and to work under Harry Redknapp at Spurs.

I hate tryouts. I've always hated tryouts. Kids are stressed. Parents are stressed. Coaches are stressed. Some of it reasonable, some of it not. In some areas with large programs, it amazes me the intrigue and drama that goes on with the 'B' teams and the accusations (sometimes valid, sometimes not) of clubs considering things other than skill in their evaluations.

The UEFA Champions League semifinals kick off today with upstart Schalke hosting favored Manchester United in the first leg of their tie (2:45 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel).

Schalke might be the underdog in this series, but that didn't get in the way of its overwhelming upset of cup holder Inter Milan in the quarterfinals.

I've been told by by doctor that I must reduce my stress, so I thought that I'd type up a transcript of former Newcastle United manager, Chris Hughton's recent long interview to Richard Keys and Andy Grey on 'Talk Sport'. In it, Chris gives some very interesting insights on what it was like managing the [.

Four games without a win. No goals scored in four. 3 out of 12 points gained. A hammering in the Champions League. And a shitty little partridge in a pear tree... Being a Spurs fan hasn't been much fun in recent weeks, with players, staff and fans starting to crack under the stress of watching our push for the top 4 fall to pieces.

Erik Hamren likes to talk about attitude and the will to win. That is the kind of thing I like to call heart. Team Sweden didn't show very much of it last night though. Still, even playing at half speed we won and that is probably the most important thing to remember. Its funny to think that I actually tipped this game correctly and I do wish I had been wrong about.

The so-called business end of the season in the English Premier League can be full of excitment and stress, but this tweet sums from @ManUnitedYouth sums it up best:
"This time of year is just horrible and brilliant and nerve-wracking and thrilling and sickening and incredible.

Fulham not playing on the weekend because of the FA Cup is like a snow day in January. You're happy that you have some free time (presumably without stress) from work, but then realize it's January and you can't go outside.

So, you'd rather just work that day and take it off in July, when the weather is nice.

Home United's return to Bishan Stadium is being marked with a number of activities. Yesterday players were at a shopping mall near the stadium meeting potential fans and trying to prise them away from the comfort of their stress filled lives (it's in the paper everyday so gotta be true) and attend a real life football match in a real life stadium.

Charlie Adam was 'desperate' for a move to Liverpool during the January transfer window, his agent has claimed, suggesting the Blackpool captain feels he was 'seriously mucked about' by the club.
Liverpool was continually linked with Adam throughout last month and had two offers for the midfielder turned down by the Seasiders.

Manchester City is doing one of the best seasons for them this year, they are having the second place after Manchester United, with only goal difference. However, there are a lot of bad signs in terms of what is going on inside the team. I remember reading an interesting article in Champions magazine, and it was talking about the signs of a collapse of a team.