MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren hopes the club’s Premier League demise will serve as a wake-up call to his players but fears the season is beginning to take its toll.

WALES believe Russia will be running scared of Ryan Giggs in their Euro 2004 play-off showdown.

MANCHESTER UNITED'S FA Cup semi-final plans have been thrown into chaos, and part of the blame is being laid at the door of Sven-Goran Eriksson.

CHELSEA’S runaway leadership in the English Premiership did not prevent Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson from billing tomorrow’s showdown with Liverpool as the biggest game of the season so far.

Newcastle 1 Wolves 1

CHELSEA manager Claudio Ranieri had double delight as Scott Parker and Hernan Crespo scored the goals which beat Portsmouth and enabled his team to move to within a point of Manchester United in the Premiership title race.

THE bid by Manchester United fans and shareholders to prevent Malcolm Glazer buying the club gathered momentum over the weekend.

WAYNE ROONEY faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the Premiership season after he was injured in the Portugal.

CELTIC manager Martin O’Neill admitted he was far from bowled over after watching striker Marcio Amoroso in action for the first time yesterday – but refused to rule out a move for the Brazilian.

A YOUNG Limerick property tycoon has joined forces with JP McManus to buy a Manhattan property which houses one of New York’s most fashionable stores, in a deal worth $80 million (€62m) deal.

MANCHESTER UNITED will demand an increased ticket allocation for their Champions League qualifier against probable opponents Dinamo Bucharest.

Chelsea 0 Manchester City 0

WAYNE’S world has changed. Now, at least, England’s finest striking talent is not scared to put a foot out of line when he runs out at Goodison Park.

MANCHESTER CITY hero Jon Macken has urged his team-mates – and the club’s fans - not to get carried away by dreaming of the FA Cup fifth-round clash at Manchester United.

ON the night Alex Ferguson vowed Manchester United's off-field problems would not deflect his attention from regaining the Premiership title, Middlesbrough sauntered into Old Trafford and did it instead.

ROY KEANE believes Alan Smith has “a good chance” of taking over his role at the hub of the Manchester United midfield.

Mark Bradley

DAMIEN DUFF believes he can become a better player for Chelsea and Ireland now that Shaun Wright-Phillips has joined Jose Mourinho’s side.