ON the first day of the trial, Wayne O’Donoghue nervously held rosary beads between his fingers, and as the jury came back into court yesterday to give their verdict, he blessed himself.

LIVERPOOL have, for the first time, raised the prospect of a complete takeover of the club as they continue to pursue financial backing to build a new £170m stadium.

EVEN as Cork romped to their facile 4-16 to 0-3 win over Galway in the All-Ireland senior camogie semi-final just under four weeks ago, one player in particular stood out for the victors.

ARSENE WENGER has vowed to sign a new Arsenal contract to ensure that he leads the club into their new 60,000-capacity stadium in 2006.

Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0 (Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties)

LEEDS chairman John McKenzie has insisted he is not at war with manager Peter Reid.

MALCOLM GLAZER is within touching distance of owning 100% of Manchester United.

BRAZIL’S 1970 World Cup-winning team are the greatest side in sport, according to BBC Radio Five Live listeners.

ROY KEANE will have to get his tactics spot on or will find himself sitting through one of the longest bans in English soccer history.

INTER MILAN’S want-away striker Ronaldo has been dropped from manager Hector Cuper’s squad for tonight’s Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.

CHELSEA chief executive Peter Kenyon has confirmed the club have been offered the chance to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack.

Frank Malley

THE Football Association of Ireland have refuted suggestions that moves were afoot to coax Roy Keane back into the Irish international team.

ARSENAL midfielder Ray Parlour has admitted his relief at returning from the longest injury of his career, and expressed the desire to consign the painful memory of his time on the sidelines to the past.

IF FOOTBALL is, as we are often told, a metaphor for life then God help us when it comes to the players’ Christmas parties.

KIERON DYER is a man in demand.

BARCELONA needed a late goal from substitute and former Arsenal star Marc Overmars to extend their perfect Champions League record with a 2-1 away victory over Bayer Leverkusen in their first match in the second phase last night.

ARSENE WENGER may consider recalling centre-back Matthew Upson from a loan spell at First Division Reading with England star Sol Campbell facing a ban for Arsenal’s vital clash at Manchester United a week on Saturday.