THE group of Manchester United fans planning a protest at the Cheltenham Festival have been told they have the right to demonstrate outside the racecourse but any action inside would be subject to further discussions.

UNSETTLED Roberto Carlos has dismissed a move to Chelsea by insisting he will only leave Real Madrid for one club - Santos of Brazil.

CHELSEA striker Hernan Crespo has been dropped by Argentina for next month’s Copa America in Peru.

DENIS IRWIN admitted a mouth-watering return to Old Trafford in August helped him to change his mind about retiring and to continue playing with Wolves in the Premiership.

GERARD Houllier, beaten only once in 10 Merseyside derbies as Liverpool boss, rounded on Liverpool’s critics after they hauled themselves to the brink of the Champions League.

THE Parkhead conveyer belt of talent is set to launch another two starlets onto the senior stage as Celtic manager Martin O’Neill looks to rest his weary first-team stars.

RIO FERDINAND’S drugs case could force the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) to pull out of their official testing programme with UK Sport.

RYAN GIGGS has agreed a new one-year contract extension with Manchester United. The deal commits the 35-year-old winger to the Old Trafford club until June next year.

THE stepfather of Shannon Matthews was remanded in custody yesterday charged with possessing 140 pornographic images of children on two computers.

DIMITAR BERBATOV is being backed to take Manchester United to another level after sealing a £30.5million (€38m) move from Tottenham.

IF the GAA’s decision to open Croke Park to rugby was historic, the significance of today’s soccer match in the heartland of Gaelic sport is mind boggling.

RAFAEL BENITEZ believes Gabriel Heinze had no alternative but to leave Manchester United and England after the Premier League blocked his proposed move to Liverpool.

JACK CHARLTON, the man who first led Ireland to a European Championship finals and two World Cup finals, believes Ron Atkinson should replace Steve Staunton as Republic of Ireland manager.

NEW signings Nani and Anderson yesterday penned five-year deals with Manchester United.

ENGLAND captain David Beckham has become the top paid footballer in the world, earning €22.4m last year, bi-weekly soccer magazine France Football reported last night.

LOVE him or hate him — and opinion on that is sharply divided — there is no denying Manchester United captain Roy Keane is one of the best players ever to don the green jersey of the Republic of Ireland.