STEVE BRUCE admits he’d love to see Stephen Ireland in Sunderland stripes in the upcoming Premier League season — but fears the Manchester City midfielder may be too expensive an acquisition.

HE might be just 12 but, already, Charlie Purcell is following in the footsteps of some famous football names.

AT the home of Munster rugby last night, Sunderland’s Premier League class proved the difference against a local XI — but Limerick city picked up a bonus point on a good night for the city.

RYAN GIGGS likes the American way of life but has played down the prospect of ending his remarkable career in Major League Soccer.

THE Republic of Ireland may not be in South Africa but supporters of the Boys in Green will have savoured France’s defeat to Mexico last night, a result that leaves Raymond Domenech’s side staring at the prospect of saying an early ‘au revoir’ to the 2010 World Cup.

FRANCE captain Patrice Evra has dismissed claims there is disharmony within the squad and that players do not play as a team.

WHEN asked to name his World Cup heroes, the men he most wanted to emulate, there was never any chance of Wayne Rooney playing safe and going for Paul Gascoigne or Gary Lineker.

ARGENTINA coach Diego Maradona took a swipe at fellow legends Pele and Michel Platini and also criticised the World Cup matchball during another no-holds-barred press conference in South Africa yesterday.

NEW Inter Milan coach Rafael Benitez is confident he can follow in Jose Mourinho’s footsteps, claiming this is the start of an “historic period” for the club.

IVORY COAST boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is quietly confident striker Didier Drogba could play in today’s World Cup opener against Portugal.

SOUTH KOREA skipper Park Ji-sung is challenging his team-mates to write themselves into the history books by reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

FLORENT MALOUDA fears the French players may always have to live with the shame of a chaotic World Cup campaign.

SHAY GIVEN admits he took little consolation from France’s abysmal World Cup campaign.

FRANCE exited the World Cup at the first-round stage with barely a whimper after this humbling defeat by the host nation at the Free State Stadium.

THE case against the England fan who berated the players after wandering into the team’s dressing room after Friday’s World Cup match with Algeria was adjourned yesterday.

THE fan who walked into England’s dressing room and ranted at the dejected players was charged with trespassing yesterday and banned from World Cup matches.

CRISTIANO RONALDO has defended Wayne Rooney over criticism of his World Cup displays so far and backed his former Manchester United team-mate to improve.

IT is beginning to leak out like rainwater from a rusty old pipe.

IT IS two years since Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Portugal in a competitive international but the world’s most expensive player says he is “not concerned” by his ongoing struggles to find the net.

FRANCE’S chaotic World Cup campaign went into meltdown yesterday after the players mutinied over the treatment of Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home in disgrace following a row with coach Raymond Domenech.