ASTON VILLA defender Ciarán Clark wants to play more Premier League games to ensure Giovanni Trapattoni selects him for Euro 2012 finals in Ukraine and Poland.

EMBATTLED FIFA president Sepp Blatter yesterday appeared to stand by his suggestion that racism on the pitch should be settled by a handshake.

NEWCASTLE UNITED youngster Shane Ferguson has reaffirmed his commitment to Northern Ireland to end speculation he could defect to the Republic of Ireland.

LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish believes striker Luis Suarez will be full of confidence as he prepares to pull on the red shirt again this weekend.

AT best, Mick McCarthy was trying some individual motivation.

IF you’re good enough, you’re old enough goes the popular sporting saying and Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea obviously agree.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter last night provoked a furious backlash after claiming racist abuse between players on the pitch should be settled by a handshake.

MANCHESTER UNITED avoided further humiliation after their derby drubbing as they breezed through last night’s Carling Cup fourth round clash at Aldershot, winning 3-0.

GOALKEEPER Joe Hart admits life can be frustrating with Mario Balotelli but he is convinced the striker now has his head “screwed on”.

ALEX FERGUSON has a keen sense of football history and, after the extraordinary events at Old Trafford yesterday, was quick and succinct in describing the worst defeat in his quarter-century as Manchester United manager, an occasion which seemed to herald a momentous day in the modern game.

CHELSEA’S attempt to stay close on the heels of leaders Manchester City was spectacularly derailed when the first-half dismissals of Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa killed off any hopes they had of claiming three points from an explosive west London derby yesterday.

I THINK this must be what they mean when they talk about Man’s inhumanity to Man.

DAVID MOYES was relieved Everton ended their losing streak at Fulham yesterday but is not getting ahead of himself.

ONLY time will tell us whether it is a string of one-offs or a pattern but Liverpool’s troubles at Anfield will do little to encourage belief that they can end their two-year exile from the Champions League.

“AFTER the game, I went straight home, got into bed and put the pillow over my head. A sense of guilt had engulfed me.”

LIVERPOOL midfielder Jordan Henderson could be given a second chance to impress quicker than he may have expected as manager Kenny Dalglish contemplates his recall.

MANCHESTER United legend Roy Keane says Manchester City need to win tomorrow’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford to justify the hype surrounding them.

CARLOS TEVEZ is expected to learn the outcome of his disciplinary hearing at Manchester City early next week.

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS yesterday declared it would be harder for Chelsea to win the Barclays Premier League this season than it was when Jose Mourinho landed back-to-back titles at Stamford Bridge.

YOU would have got some odds on Manchester United scoring as many times as the winning side in Croke Park yesterday but Pat Gilroy wasn’t about to join in the chorus of disapproval that accompanied Donegal’s less-than-popular tactics.