Tottenham left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto is suspended for tomorrow’s Carling Cup fourth-round clash against Liverpool at White Hart Lane.

Gareth Bale will return from suspension for Tottenham’s Barclays Premier League clash against rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

STEVE COPPELL confirmed he is considering his future after Reading’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed last night, with the manager’s resignation expected to be confirmed early this week.

Derby manager Paul Jewell is boosted by the return of six players for Sunday’s final Barclays Premier League game of the season against Reading.

IT is a measure of a footballer’s calibre that his age becomes an irrelevance. Gael Clichy may still look no older than his meagre 22 years, but in a tumultuous season for Arsenal, he has performed with the unruffled expertise of a veteran.

Derby manager Paul Jewell will hand a late fitness test to David Jones ahead of Monday’s Barclays Premier League clash with Arsenal.

AFTER narrowly avoiding relegation, most fans would celebrate a top-half finish with the sort of gusto usually reserved for Champions League winners.

Mile Sterjovski and Marc Edworthy could return to Derby’s squad for tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League trip to West Ham.

Derby manager Paul Jewell will select from an unchanged squad against West Ham.

HAVE Everton run out of steam as the race for the fourth and final Champions League spot enters the finishing straight?

Everton 1 Derby 0

Everton lost Tony Hibbert (hip) and Steven Pienaar (knee) for the Premier League meeting with relegated Derby, while Phil Jagielka was rested to the bench from the team that lost at Liverpool last weekend.

Derby boss Paul Jewell is keen to keep hold of on-loan midfielder Hossam Ghaly for next season – but admits he may face a struggle.

Derby manager Paul Jewell will be without defender Marc Edworthy for Sunday’s Barclays Premier League game against Everton at Goodison Park.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has made two changes for today’s rock-bottom Premier League clash with Derby at Pride Park with his side surely never standing a better chance of ending their 32-match winless streak away from home.

Derby are waiting on the fitness of defender Jay McEveley ahead of tomorrow’s home Barclays Premier League game against Fulham.

SIX MONTHS and 25 games without a Premier League win, Derby County have lost most things this season, but not it seems their sense of humour.

Derby goalkeeper Roy Carroll is fit to face Middlesbrough in tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League clash at the Riverside.

Derby defender Alan Stubbs is certain to miss tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League clash against Manchester United at Pride Park.

Derby manager Paul Jewell could hand a recall to skipper Robbie Savage for the Barclays Premier League trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

ROY KEANE’S temptation to succumb to the roaring passion, which has so often been the catalyst for volcanic eruptions, must be stronger than ever.

Derby 0 Sunderland 0

Derby midfielder Giles Barnes will miss tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League game with Sunderland at Pride Park.

Jay McEveley is poised to return to the Derby side for tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League clash with Wigan after a seven-week lay-off with a knee injury.

DAMIEN JOHNSON has admitted Birmingham must “learn to close out games” if they are to win their battle to stay in the Premier League.

New signing Alan Stubbs and Roy Carroll are expected to make their Derby debuts in the Barclays Premier League clash with Birmingham at St Andrews.

DANIEL STURRIDGE’S first Barclays Premier League goal moved Manchester City back into a UEFA Cup spot as they denied Derby a long overdue victory at Pride Park.

HOW appropriate that a member of the consortium set to buy Derby County is reported to be a member of the Walt Disney clan. With Mickey Mouse displays such as this, the new board will surely feel right at home.

Derby boss Paul Jewell looks set to field his strongest possible line-up for tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth-round tie with Preston at Pride Park.

BEJANI vindicated Harry Redknapp’s decision to reject the overtures of Newcastle as his hat-trick emphatically ended Portsmouth’s six-match goal drought at Fratton Park.

THE date was October 16, 2001, and Paul Jewell had sunk as low as he could go with Wigan. Bottom of the old Second Division, the Latics were hammered 5-1 at Wrexham in an LDV Vans Trophy Northern Section first-round tie in front of just 1,550 fans.

Derby 0 Wigan 1

Derby manager Paul Jewell is likely to hand debuts to a number of players for tomorrow’s visit of his former club Wigan to Pride Park.

NEW Derby signing Laurent Robert has insisted he never had any doubts about returning to ‘the best league in the world’.

Birmingham are closing in on the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Peter Luccin.

Tottenham left-back Gareth Bale could make his club debut in the clash at Manchester United after resuming full training following thigh and knee problems in pre-season.

Tottenham boss Martin Jol will consider shuffling his striking options for tomorrow night’s White Hart Lane clash with Everton after watching his misfiring side sink at Sunderland on the opening day of the Barclays Premier League season.

Tottenham are without new signing Gareth Bale for the Premier League clash at Sunderland as the left-back is recovering from thigh and knee problems picked up in pre-season.

Tottenham full-back Gareth Bale faces a race to be fit for his club debut this weekend as Martin Jol’s defensive concerns intensify ahead of the Barclays Premier League season.

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce decided to pull out of the deal to sign Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly after a training ground incident, according to sources close to the club.

Birmingham have pulled out of the move sign Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly for “footballing reasons”, according to a club statement.

Steve Bruce could make further additions to his Birmingham squad after finally securing Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly for £3m yesterday.

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce believes new signing Hossam Ghaly has the technique, hunger and aggression to be a major asset in the fight for Barclays Premier League survival.