ALEX FERGUSON will resist the temptation to fly Roy Keane to Japan for the last match of Manchester United’s Far East tour.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND World Cup star Gary Breen has joined West Ham United on a Bosman ruling after the experienced central defender failed to agree an extension of his contract with First Division Coventry City at the end of last season.

JOE KAVANAGH and Kieran McDonald took remarkably different paths to today's All-Ireland quarter-final but both were inspired by an enduring love of the game.

MANCHESTER UNITED will play Celtic in Roy Keane's testimonial at Old Trafford on Tuesday, May 9.

MANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson has blasted Patrick Vieira's claims that Ruud van Nistelrooy is "a cheat and a coward."

WIGAN manager Paul Jewell has vowed to defend Jose Mourinho if the FA charges the Chelsea boss with misconduct after he accused Lee McCulloch of "cheating".

PORTUGAL coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has named his squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Latvia and Estonia.

SPANISH star Xabi Alonso, who makes his Liverpool debut at Bolton in the Premiership, admits he is in awe of skipper Steven Gerrard.

Man Utd 3 Dinamo Bucharest 0 (Aggregate: 5-1)

LIVERPOOL manager Gerard Houllier has dismissed as “absolute rubbish” newspaper claims that he has been offered a job setting up a football academy for Soccer Australia.

GARY NEVILLE believes Manchester United face the prospect of kissing their Champions League dream goodbye for another season if they suffer a ‘Battle of Britain’ nightmare against Rangers.

THE girlfriend of Manchester United and England football star Gary Neville accepted “substantial” libel damages yesterday over newspaper allegations that she was unfaithful to him during the Euro 2004 championship.

ALEX FERGUSON believes the exertion of the Christmas period took its toll as Arsenal and Manchester United could only produce a stalemate at Highbury last night.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

SOCCER star Niall Quinn is no stranger to heading balls into the back of the net. But now he hopes he and others who’ve played leading roles in sport can provide a safety net for young Irish footballers who don’t make the cut and return empty-handed from Britain.

THERE is no way of knowing for certain whether the arrow of political correctness has penetrated the shoulder, let alone the heart, of professional football. Somehow you very much doubt it. There remains something distinctly primeval about the game.

CLAUDIO RANIERI fears his players are trying too hard to make an impression and that it could prevent Chelsea from mounting a serious challenge to Manchester United's and Arsenal’s bids for trophies this season.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN started their Champions League campaign with a shock 3-0 win over a sluggish Real Madrid in Group B of the Champions’ League last night.