A HOST of celebrities from footballers to film stars appear in the pages of Tony Blair’s memoirs.

FOOTBALL’S obsession with turning Transfer deadline day into a drama to rival a James Bond thriller came to a grinding halt yesterday as the Premier League seemed to run out of money and Robbie Keane out of options.

ROBBIE KEANE and Marco Tardelli have sought to dampen concerns about the Irish skipper’s fitness as the Irish squad prepares to fly out to Yerevan today ahead of Friday’s opening Group B qualifier against Armenia.

UEFA president Michel Platini claims the governing body’s new rules on spending have ended the “total anarchy” that surrounded player transfers.

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Alex Ferguson doubts whether Paul Scholes is interested in resurrecting his England career.

LIAM IRWIN, son of former Manchester United stalwart Denis, showed enough on his international debut last night to suggest he could become a regular fixture on the international underage scene.

ROBBIE KEANE was celebrating on the double last night after he scooped both international player and international goal of the year at the 20th FAI International Awards.

MANCHESTER UNITED defender Wes Brown last night joined Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson in announcing his retirement.

ALEX FERGUSON held the Community Shield aloft with such enthusiasm following his team’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea that he looked more like an eight-year-old on a Wembley stadium tour than battle-hardened manager about to undergo his 24th season in football’s toughest league.

LIVERPOOL FC and Tipperary senior hurling – spot the similarities.

ROY KEANE goes into his second season as Ipswich manager targeting at least a place in the top six.

CARLO ANCELOTTI has branded suggestions he was eyeing Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao as a replacement for Ashley Cole as “totally rubbish”.

ALEX FERGUSON believes Manchester United come face to face with the biggest obstacle to their quest to reclaim domestic superiority this season when they take on Chelsea in tomorrow’s Community Shield.

AN internet campaign is under way to demand the GAA drop its ticket prices amid grumbling from fans over the high price of attending inter-county matches.

IS there a more accomplished juggler of carrot and stick in football management than Alex Ferguson?

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has expressed misgivings about Aiden McGeady’s proposed transfer to Spartak Moscow, as reports suggest the player will make his mind up on the move in the next 24 hours.

JOHN O’SHEA has revealed that it was Shay Given who inflicted the injury which wrecked most of the Waterford man’s season at Manchester United.

ANDY GRAY’S recipe for success this season is a simple one: finish ahead of Chelsea and you win the league.

STRANGE days.

A NIGHT where the scoreboard wasn’t supposed to matter but that was before Manchester United went and racked up seven goals to leave everyone with a love for the domestic game feeling a tad red-faced.