CELTIC captain Neil Lennon remains perplexed as to why the Parkhead side failed yet again to perform away from home in the group stages of the Champions League.

REAL MADRID booked their place in the next round of the Champions League, but they needed a farcical own goal from Banel Nicolita to see off battling Steaua Bucharest.

STEVEN GERRARD finally ended his scoring drought with a critical European strike and revealed the deep-rooted fears that have dogged him over his own form this season.

CRISTIANO RONALDO seems set to defy Alex Ferguson by playing in Portugal’s Euro 2008 qualifier with Kazhakstan tomorrow.

CUP glory for Manchester United and Munster and all-Ireland success for Waterford hurlers, are among the predictions of the 2007 edition of one of Ireland’s longest-running publications.

DUTCH striker Ruud van Nistelrooy scored four times as Real Madrid beat Osasuna 4-1 yesterday to move third in La Liga.

THE FA have confirmed that they will be looking into remarks made by Luton boss Mike Newell attacking the appointment of female officials for matches.

MANCHESTER UNITED’S sixth successive league victory may not have come as a surprise at Ewood Park, nor did the fact that Blackburn’s manager Mark Hughes sees similarities between the side being assembled by Alex Ferguson and the team he helped to their first Premiership title 14 years ago.

CHELSEA have refused to comment on Alex Ferguson’s criticism of Jose Mourinho’s planned meeting with referees’ chief Keith Hackett.

ALEX FERGUSON has confirmed he wants Alan Smith to go to Cardiff on loan to improve his match fitness — but the striker is undecided.

Anthony Stokes is scoring goals for fun and writing his own headlines. Now comes the hard part — meeting absurd expectation. The young Irish striker spoke to Liam Mackey.

ARSENE WENGER has grown accustomed to seeing analysis of his methods spill over into unfettered adulation, but now he finds himself subjected to a different, less flattering, brand of scrutiny.

ALAN PARDEW admits it “hurts” to see former West Ham trainee Freddy Eastwood banging in the goals for Southend.

MANCHESTER United left-back Patrice Evra has been recalled to the France squad by Raymond Domenech.

ARSENE WENGER is in no doubt teenager Theo Walcott could “help” England — but he warned it would be wrong to bill the Arsenal youngster as the nation’s saviour-in-waiting.

THREE England players feature on the 30-man shortlist for FIFA’s World Player of the Year award.

LIVERPOOL boss Rafael Benitez has demanded a radical overhaul of the relationship between clubs and national teams after striker Dirk Kuyt suffered an ankle injury on duty with Holland.

LAWRIE SANCHEZ fears that Northern Ireland’s rising mood of optimism in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign could be curtailed on Wednesday.

LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez believes this season’s squad is better equipped to cope with the rigours of a hectic Premiership winter.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey is still in search of the source of the White Nile so Allan Prosser gets a recall to mediate over your views and opinions again this week.