PADDY POWER enjoyed a strong return to growth during the first half of the year, with pre-tax profits up by 54% on the same period last year and earnings per share rising by 31%.

Olympian hero Kenny Egan punched his way into the history books at the Elite National Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin last night, defeating Belfast light heavyweight Tommy McCarthy to become the only Irish boxer in the 98-year history of the IABA to win nine Irish senior titles in a row.

Romania international defender Gabriel Tamas is keen on a move to Celtic, according to his agent.

YOU find your roving reporter today still roving, but a touch stiffly. After years immersed in the beautiful game as a fan, reporter and really bad player, I have finally sustained a proper football injury, and at the 2008 European Championships to boot.

Scotland found a new way to inflict agony on their fans by crashing out of the 2008 European Championships qualifiers in the last minute against Italy at Hampden.

SCOTLAND took a giant step towards qualifying for the 2008 European Championships with an amazing 1-0 win over France in the Parc des Princes.

France 0 Scotland 1

DAVID BECKHAM has welcomed Los Angeles Galaxy’s continued assistance in helping him continue his England revival — but is taking nothing for granted on the international front.

David Beckham has welcomed Los Angeles Galaxy’s continued assistance in helping him continue his England revival – but is taking nothing for granted on the international front.

Alex McLeish is expected to put his club football ambitions on hold by agreeing to manage Scotland.

JENS LEHMANN may turn 38 next year, but the Arsenal goalkeeper has no intention of hanging up his gloves just yet.

The Heineken Cup will break new ground in January after tournament organisers confirmed reigning champions Munster will take on Bourgoin in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Northern Ireland 1 Latvia 0

Sir Alex Ferguson expects to unveil at least one more new signing next week.

THE Euro 2008 Qualifying game between Germany and the Republic of Ireland on September 2 will kick-off at 8.45pm local time in the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart.

The Australian FA have denied reports former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has signed up to replace Guus Hiddink as Australia coach.

Veteran coach Luis Aragones has signed a contract extension that will see him remain in charge of Spain until the end of the 2008 European Championships.

Wales striker John Hartson has announced his immediate retirement from international football in order to concentrate on playing for Celtic.

England have been handed a favourable draw in their qualifying campaign for the 2008 European Championships in Switzerland and Austria.

Irish rugby and soccer international matches will be played for the first time at Croke Park, the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in 2007, it was confirmed today.

New Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton believes working alongside Sir Bobby Robson will compensate for his own lack of experience but made it clear: “I’m the boss.”

Steve Staunton is the man to put pride and passion back into Irish football.

Steve Staunton and Bobby Robson have both held talks with the Football Association of Ireland with a view to becoming the Republic’s new managerial double act.

Steve Staunton is poised to be appointed as the new manager of the Republic of Ireland by the end of the week.

Scotland manager Walter Smith has told the Tartan Army there is reason for optimism despite missing out on the World Cup.

The Football Association of Ireland today begin the process of “head-hunting” a new manager to again take the Republic of Ireland forward.

Famed for ski slopes, chocolate and pen knives, Switzerland is now desperate to gain respect for it’s footballing talent. James Whelan reports from Berne.

TOMMY BURNS expects Scotland’s World Cup failures to be the players who take the national team forward to the 2008 European Championships.

Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez is determined to use his side’s shock World Cup defeat of England to mount a serious challenge for qualification for the 2008 European Championships.

IN THE fevered build-up to Saturday’s Rule 42 vote, many newspapers chose to illustrate what a yes vote might mean by superimposing an image of Roy Keane over a picture of Croke Park.

RTÉ have secured rights to all of the Republic of Ireland’s competitive international home fixtures for the next four years.

RTÉ today announced details of an agreement with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) which covers television and radio rights for international football up to 2010.

NEW Scotland manager Walter Smith will take steps to limit the number of friendly matches his team plays in the future.

UEFA have warned hosts Austria and Switzerland they face losing the right to stage the 2008 European Championships if they fail to solve organisational problems - and it could be rescheduled for Ireland and Scotland.

Ireland’s home international football and rugby matches may have to be played in England during construction work at Lansdowne Road, sports chiefs admitted today.

England manager Sven Goran Eriksson is understood to have agreed in principle to a two-year contract extension following his verbal pledge to the FA to stay on beyond this summer.

The Ireland/Scotland bid team that failed to land EURO 2008 has insisted they did nothing wrong in their campaign but were victims of a geopolitical shift in European football from the west to the east.

Members of the Scottish and Irish bid to stage the 2008 European Championships will meet for a campaign post-mortem whether or or not they are successful later today.

Sports Minister John O'Donoghue has told the Dail that clarity on the use of Croke Park for soccer games would be helpful to the joint Scottish-Irish bid to host the 2008 European Championships.

THE Sam Maguire Cup was hoisted in triumph inside Parliament Buildings, Belfast for the first time last night.

The Sam Maguire Cup was hoisted in triumph inside Parliament Buildings, Belfast for the first time tonight.

BETTING tycoon JP McManus's decision to withdraw his €63 million gift towards the cost of a national stadium will not affect the likelihood of an arena being built.