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Wednesday Football
24 October 2007
by Jerrad Peters

A trio of British sides sit atop their UEFA Champions' League Groups after Tuesday's round of matches. Manchester United are three points clear of AS Roma in Group F and Arsenal have an identical lead over Sevilla in Group H. Rangers are level on seven points with Barcelona in Group E.

United, who defeated Dynamo Kiev 4-2 in the Ukrainian capital, secured the victory through goals from Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, and Christiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo scored his second from the penalty spot after Dynamo defender Goran Gavrancic deflected the ball with his elbow inside the area. Referee Viktor Kassai, a Hungarian, had initially called for a corner-kick before his linesman advised him otherwise. Indeed, the hosts may well have had the most realistic shout for a penalty when United's Namanja Vidic appeared to tackle Artem Milevskiy in front of Edwin Van der Sar. Nevertheless, the visitors were fully worth the three points; and Rooney's goal served as an early birthday present. The England forward turns 22-years-old today.

Four years his junior, Theo Walcott delivered a sublime performance for Arsenal in the Czech Republic. The youngster scored twice against Slavia Prague -- the second a following a brilliant run to the left of the keeper which concluded in his deftly nudging the ball against the right goalpost and into the net. "His second goal had a touch of Thierry Henry about it," reminisced Gunners manager Arsene Wenger after his side's 7-0 triumph. Cesc Fabregas, enjoying a break-out campaign at the club, scored twice as well; and Nicklas Bendtner and Alex Hleb also figured in the scoring for Arsenal. It was, however, Walcott's night. "It was an amazing night," commented the 18-year-old. "We played some brilliant football. But it's all about the clean sheet." Slavia boss Karel Jarobim could be forgiven for thinking it was all about Walcott. "We were powerless to stop Walcott," he said.

The Republic of Ireland has sacked Steve Staunton. The Football Association of Ireland convened emergency meetings at Dublin's Crown Plaza Hotel, Tuesday night, where it was agreed that Staunton would be relieved of his duties as national team manager. The 38-year-old came into the job after the Republic's failed attempt to qualify for last summer's World Cup. But after last week's draw with Cyprus, the writing was on the wall for Ireland's EURO 2008 qualification campaign as well. Staunton, who retired from a successful playing career in 2006 after a season at Walsall, will be replaced by Don Givens on a temporary basis. Former Aston Villa boss David O'Leary, however, is the frontrunner to succeed Staunton permanently.

Bolton Wanderers, meanwhile, look somewhat closer to filling their vacant managerial position. Sammy Lee's departure over the international break left Archie Knox in charge of the club temporarily; although chairman Phil Gartside is keen to staff the vacancy as soon as possible. Atop his list is Leicester City boss Gary Megson. Currently at Leicester City, Megson has struggled to rejuvinate the club over his brief four weeks in charge and is generally disliked among the supporters at Walkers Stadium. Foxes owner Milan Mandaric, however, has already resisted two overtures from Gartside regarding the 48-year-old former West Brom manager. If Megson cannot be pried from the East Midlands, Paul Jewell is likely to resurface as a Premier League manager at Reebok Stadium. Jewell has been idle since leaving Wigan in the spring and has already been recommended to the position by Latics chairman Dave Whelan. The 43-year-old earned promotion with Wigan in 2005 and kept the club in the top flight for three seasons.

Hernan Crespo would like to be reunited with Didier Drogba at the San Siro. The 32-year-old Inter Milan striker won a Premier League title with Drogba in 2006 and, yesterday, labeled the Ivorian "a wonderful player." He continued, "If he can handle a bit of rotation, he would do well here at Inter." Currently, each of Crespo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Suazo, Julio Cruz, and Adriano are available for manager Roberto Mancini's squad.

Drogba, who announced his desire to leave Stamford Bridge last week, has since renounced the controversial statements. In fact, the 29-year-old pledged that from now on he would be "giving 100%, because I feel good." He continued, "I love the fans. They show me the respect I deserve." The Ivory Coast striker initially lashed out at the new culture at Chelsea in the wake of Jose Mourinho's departure last month. His sudden change of heart, however, is nothing if not energetic. "Sit up and take notice," he stated, yesterday. "Chelsea are on the march. The 2-1 win in Valencia really got our mojo working."

David Nugent could be poised to leave Portsmouth in January. The 22-year-old has failed to catch manager Harry Redknapp's attention since a high-profile, 6M-pound move from Preston in the summer. Meanwhile, each of Kanu, John Utaka, and Benjani have nailed down consistent places in the squad. Redknapp, who will be unlikely to recoup all of the money he spent on the forward, still hopes that one of Derby and Sunderland will be keen to take Nugent off his hands after Christmas. Both Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch continue to be linked with a move to the South Coast. Any funds gained from Nugent's sale would only expedite those transfers.

Sepp Blatter is in England, today, to take part in the festivities surrounding the 150th anniversary of Sheffield Football Club. Part of the FIFA president's journey, however, will include a visit to #10 Downing Street for a brief meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown. On the agenda: England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.