Alex McLeish refused to concede he has taken charge of his final Bank of Scotland Premier League game as manager of Rangers as the club slipped further into crisis.

Birmingham regained their pride and picked up a precious point in their bid to stay in the Barclays Premiership against the champions elect at St Andrews.

Turkey’s sports minister accused FIFA of leaning too heavily on president Sepp Blatter’s version of events and vowed to challenge the severe punishment doled out after violence marred November’s World Cup play-off against Switzerland.

French President Jacques Chirac today urged immediate negotiations between the government and students and unions to defuse escalating anger over a new labour law that sparked nationwide marches and clashes with police.

Villarreal 2 Everton 1 (Villarreal win 4-2 on aggregate)

Chelsea 4 West Brom 0

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has been filled with “so much confidence” in his team by their reaction to Saturday’s Twickenham humbling.

Southend continued their remarkable Coca-Cola Championship revival as QPR crashed to an eighth straight away defeat at Roots Hall.

Geordan Murphy will start Ireland’s final World Cup warm-up trying to put a four-year-old heartbreak to the back of his mind.

Tottenham 0 Norwich 0

Sheffield United 2 Leeds 0

London Irish 18 Harlequins 12

The Donegal publican framed for a murder that never was today hit out at a decision to transfer five gardaí named in damning Morris Tribunal reports to Dublin.

The great musical legacy of Sean O’Riada will live on for many generations to come, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today as he received the entire O’Riada collection on behalf of the nation.

Fulham face the toughest test of their recent revival when they face Premiership leaders Chelsea in the west London derby tomorrow – but they are ready for a battle.

Crystal Palace boss Iain Dowie has predicted Louis Saha will ’get a bucketload’ now the Frenchman has broken his six-month goalscoring duck – and that could be bad news for Newcastle and Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger has admitted Manchester United deserve their place in the Carling Cup semi-finals – but he does not think much of the tactics used to win it.

Carlow 0-7 Limerick 2-15

Harry Redknapp will hold talks with under-fire Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe before deciding whether to retire from football – or try to bring the Saints back up to the Barclays Premiership.

Celtic tonight vowed to track down the supporter responsible for hitting Fernando Ricksen with an object during Rangers’ 2-0 Old Firm victory.