Footie Updates on the 1st of December

The Gunners might face the Spurs over the weekend without the talismanic French international Thierry Henry due to a neck injury, which saw him off the squad in the match against Bolton last weekend. Some of the team's great players-Baptista, Ljungberg, Eboue, and Clichy- also didn't play during the match against Fulham Wednesday night, while Cesc got subed during half-time. The team lost 3-0 to the Cottagers. Their race for the title seems to be slowly fading. Their upcoming matches are against Porto for the Champions' League and the Blues at Stamford Bridge for the Premiership on the 10th. Wenger considers the matches the 'moment of truth' for the Gunners.

Fergie claims Drogba should've been given a red for the aerial challenge on Vidic, smashing his elbow to the face of the Red Devils players. The Ivory Coast striker only got a yellow. [Whatever Fergie.]

John Terry was given 2 weeks to respond to FA's charge for the player's alleged improper conduct, involving the referee Graham Poll which got him a second yellow during the match against the Spurs. The skipper claimed the ref gave him conflicting reasons for his second yellow. The FA said in a statement: "John Terry claimed in an interview with Chelsea TV, which was subsequently widely reported, that Graham Poll had given him conflicting reasons for his second yellow card, saying: 'On the pitch, Graham Poll said to me that it was for the barge on [Hossam] Ghaly where I just kept running. "'Then, after the game, he then said to me it was for the fall when me and Ledley King fell so, you know, he's obviously had a look at it, or got people to look at it and decided that's probably the best option for him and it covers every angle for him.' The claim is denied by Poll. If Terry is found guilty, he'll be fined, rather than get a suspension.

Rafa Benitez, Liverpool manager, targets again next season's UCL by finding the Reds a spot on the top 4 of the EPL. At least he concedes that the top 2 already belong to ManUtd and Chelsea (or Chelsea and ManUtd?) On the other hand, Moyes, Everton's manager almost thinks about the same thing. According to him, they won't think about it for now. They're just going to look at how things unfold for the Toffees.

Newcastle sit pretty on top of Group H of the UEFA Cup after a nil nil draw against Eintracht last night, getting 10 points out of the 4 matches played. The Toon sail through to the last 32 of the Cup. The next round will be played in February of 2007. Not a Toon fan but maybe this is worth posting: Magpies boss Glenn Roeder said: "This was without doubt the toughest of the four (group) games. It has been a magnificent effort by a squad that is severely ravaged by injuries to finish with 10 points with three wins and a draw." Eintracht manager Funkel said, "The best compliment I received was from the visiting manager, who said no team so far has put his team under so much pressure."
Royals striker Kev Doyle claims he is yet to hit his top form. He warns that a leg problem has caused him to play at the level he is playing now. He believes there is more to show and more for people to see. The Republic of Ireland striker has scored 7 goals in the last 14 matches and is one of the top strikers in the League. He claims he is ready to play at full capacity.