Grants Hair Loss

Dundee united manager Andy Grant is exptremely dissapointed in the draw for the next round, matching up the favourites, with Petes cardiff city side. He had hoped to get a lower league team in this round with the hope of progressing and finding form before meeting the big guns. However, he did warn 'Anybody that counts Dundee United out, is a fool. We still have a fantastic squad of players, tho a wee bit thin on the ground at the moment. I can guarentee that my lads will go out with fire in their bellies and show the world what we can do.

The pressure is ALL on Pete. Its a no win situation for him. If he wins, it is expected with uniteds poor form. However, if he loses, he will be slated by the general public.

Meanwhile, on the transfer front, United have been attracting a lot of interest on soem major stars. It is rumoured that Thierry Henrys spell on tayside might be coming to an end with a move to the continent, a likely move. Along with him, would be N_Calvert...a fantastic defender who can pass a mean ball too.

More news on that story to follow

Bantams reveal shock major signings!

Bradford boss Matt Birch finally revealed the identity of their up-coming major new signings. In an after match press conference following his club's progression through to the knockout stages of the IWC, Birch was talking about his side's future and let the names slip out.
Birch "We have a strong unit already in place at Bradford but we have been looking to strengthen in all departments. We have Diego returning on the 12th of July as well as finally dotting the i's and crossing the t's on the deal with Chelsea for Cudicini. This will most definately give the first team a major boost as I'm very keen to have Diego partner Diddy up front with Cesc playing just off the pair. All three players are very different from each other and I think they will really compliment each other. Diego has shown at Feyenoord that he plays best alongside a more experienced striker, which Diddy is. Cesc seems to play best just behind Diego as they interact so very well while Diddy I think will start banging in the goals again with Diego around as that will relieve some of the tension and pressure that has been surrounding him over the last couple of weeks. As far as the goal keepers are concerned the speculation surrounding a big name keeper coming in has really inspired Moreira to great heights, he's had a lot of clean sheets this month and I think having Cudicini at the club will help him settle down to be more consistent and he can also pick up a lot from Carlo's experience. Jose-Filipe is the future of the club but it remains to be seen whether he can hold off Carlo for the number 1 jersey in the short term.
I think those two players will be the last of the major signings this season. We have a small squad of major players and we will be looking to keep hold of every single one of them. We would of course still like a bit more cover in the squad but with Weir, Recorbet, Tais and new boy Marquinho all fighting for the bench places we might just be able to cope for the moment."
Player Profile's:
C_Cudicini 33 ita 24 1 1 1 15 300 500 500 500,
Diego 21 arg 1 10 14 19 10 300 400 800 800.

Pompey Report Prem Club for Tapping

Pompey have reported an unnamed premier club for illegaly tapping up star
midfielder Riera. They have reported that agents and chairmen met at a top
resteruant in London over a possible move away from Fratton Park, This is
the second tapping up report of this player.

News also comes after Riera was dropped for Sundays game at Spurs

More news to follow soon................

Dundee far from United.

Another disjointed display saw the tangerines remain 5 points behind the league leader. A single Henry goal was enough to take a point from this match which united would have hoped to win. Grant said 'Its another poor show my players and i feel the pressure from the supporters to win, is too high for the lads. We have made a few changes and will look to take in another couple of stars at the half way mark of the season and hopefully, we will be able to make the final push to finally give the crowd something to cheer about. I made a mistake when i sent my team out, however as i thought 'High-flying' Derby would have been a lot more adventurous than they were. We are still in the hunt for thr trophy however and won't give up until it is impossible to win it.

Don Radzinski

" Aberdeen today continued their decent run of form with a 1-0 win at
Ipswich. Loan striker T_Radzinski was the man that got the goal against a
stubborn Ipswich defence. Unfortunately for the dons, stu watson was sent to
the stands after going ballistic at a dissallowed second goal for radzinski.
It is yet to be decided if watson will be banned from the touchline for the
fa cup second round clash with west ham on wednesday."

DRUNKEN DISORDERLY HITS OUT

Ex-arab, Duncan Ferguson has hit out at Theirry Henry and condemmed his efforts over the first half of the season. He said 'Henry hasn't been doing it for the lads and should hold his head in shame. It was a bold desicision to put Henry on the T-list by grant but a decision i think will pay off in the future. I hear that D_Ralph is on his way which would be an amazing signing for United. Of his age, there are no others like him and he will certainly make it hard for premiership defenders. There seems to be a new team spirit within the camp and this will bode well for the rest of the campaign.'

The upcoming FA cup match will also prove to be interesting as Cardiff have both of their main strikers, out injured and suspended. This leaves the welsh side without a recognised striker but Grant is under no illusions as to the task which faces his squad. He said'Cardiff are amazing - simple as that. No one will ever get an easy game against them and they will still go into this match as favourites - All we can do is try our best.

POMPEY DUO NET AWARDS

Portsmouth manager Richard Locke and Defender P_Mexes netting Divisional
awards for June. Manager Richard Locke was delighted to have won Manager of
Month but says "there are many teams who have had a great month allthough I
think we deserved it overall." We did very well in both cups and held our
own in league.

Defender P_Mexes picked up a joint Player of Month for an outstanding month.

Meanwhile, reports claim that P_Mexes may be heading out and could be
joining european club Monaco

Fulham 1 - 4 Bradford City
D_Drogba (55), F_Siriex (77), J_OBrien (80 og), F_Fabregas (86)

Bradford City gave themselves some breathing space at the top of Division 1 with a thumping 4-1 victory away to Fulham while rivals Southampton and Rangers both lost. City were always in control of this match with Arjan De Zeeuw, Darren Eadie and Stuart McCall pulling the strings and the scoreline by no means flattered the team. One time target Edwin v/d Zar played out of his skin to keep out the Bradford strikers and showed just why he was subject to a massive transfer offer from Bradford.
The results topped off a great week for Bradford City as manager Matt Birch took home the manager of the month award for June while Diego in the last throws of his loan spell at Feyenoord took away the player of the month award for the European Division 1.

Bradford City (6-2-2):
J_Moreira 7,
A_deZeeuw 10*, Ge_Jones 6, Alex 8, D_Weir 8, D_Eadie 9, A_Smertin 7,
S_McCall 10, F_Siriex 10,
F_Fabregas 9, D_Drogba 8.
Subs: D_Recorbet 6, St_Burton 6, Marquinho 6.

Facup at West Ham

Aberdeen today caused a major fa cup shock by putting out premier west
ham. The Pittodrie side stunned the leagues with a 2-0 win in which both
goals were own goals. The win was even more shocking in that the dons
midfield had been decimated with injuries. Stu Watson said
I'm very proud of my players, this was a fantastic result for the boys and
we now look forward to a quarter final clash. I knew the tactics i chose was
a risk with the players I had out but it payed off. It could easily have
ended up a 4-0 loss but I decided that we had to go for it.

ARSENAL SELL VETERAN STAR

Arsenal have let there consistent star striker Marc viduka go in a cash deal it was announced today and to a unexpected club. the club is div3 side Bolton wonderer's. the div3 side have put up 12mill for the experienced striker in hope he can fire in the goals in div3. the deal was struck just a week or so since the new manager Sam gossage. Marc is said to be very sad to be leaving highbury after a very successful season but leave with no bad feelings.
Marc had this to say: I'm very said to leave such a great and talented sqd but Ive think it might be good for me to go and experience life in the lower leagues. Ive won 2 promotions and the iwc with arsenal and it was defiantly the best period of my career. id like to wish Steve and his team the best of luck and hope the cash helps bring in a talented young player. thank you.

well its a sad day for all arsenal fans but I'm sure the announcement of a new striker arriving at highbury will not be far

Back on Track

Derby got back to winning ways on Sunday with a comfortable 2-1 win at struggling West Ham. Derby signalled their intent as early as the second minute when crowd favourite Franco Souza pressed forward with a mazy run, only to be fouled by West Ham midfielder Black. However, soon after, on six minutes, the deadlock was broken, after a superb pass from Sean Gall was dispatched confidently into the net by veteran striker Paulo DiCanio. The Derby faithful were still celebrating this goal when, five minutes later, Elber found Juninho, and the ball once again ended up at the back of the net. 2-0. After that, Derby eased off, and it may have cost them after West Ham pulled it back to 2-1 after the break, but Derby had enough class to hold on for the win. At this half-way stage, Derby are 2 points of the lead, having played 5 of their 7 matches away from Pride Park. The second half of the season sees them play 5 out of 7 at home, and they will be looking for some convincing wins to put daylight between them and their rivals at the top of the Prem.

Late KO is a 'pain'

Dundee United manager Andy Grant let rip at fellow manager, Pete Green, after their Kick Off was delayed by several hours. The TV cameras will not be there but instead the game is being delayed as Pete has taken his players on a camping trip! Grant said 'This will grate on my players and will ensure that they play to maximum potential.' Grant would not reveal his tactics but did announce that he would be starting with Calvert and Henry who are destined for the exit from tannadice.

New day, new dawn

Today heralds a new era in dundee uniteds history. Today is the day that superstar striker, Thiery Henry departs from the club. However, the board have ensured a new, fresh stock of talent enters the club. Ralph, Castelan and Onhoua will ensure a better allround performance is given and ensure the club will benefit in the long run. As has always been stated by the board, the future of the club is far more important than that of the individual. We hope that Ralph will get his shooting boots on quickly and help the fans to eradicate the memory of Henry

Pre Cup Thoughts

Bradford City skipper Stuart McCall spoke to the press today ahead of his side's FA Cup Quarter Final clash away to Aberdeen "This is a massive massive game for us, so far we've had a pretty good season, top of Division 1 at the half way point, qualification through the Inter Wing Groups and beating two premiership teams, the FA Cup holders and the Inter Wing Cup holders in the FA Cup so far. We have also been heavily tipped to win this clash and reach the Semi Finals though that kind of prediction is to take away from the hard work and great management of Aberdeen. But it is imperitive we win this match, never before have so many of the favourites been knocked out so early in the competition and though Dundee United are now clear favourites for the cup, every team left in will be hoping to make the Semi's and avoid the Arabs and try and grab that bumper payout from a cup final. I think we stand as good a shot as any team for the whole thing, this is our best ever chance of a cup trophy and we are going to do our utmost to win it and if that means we play ugly boring football then so be it. If we bore and disgust the opposition fans we don't care, our fans have been behind us and the gaffer all the way as they are used to the way we play sometimes and as long as we keep on getting success then they'll be happy."

McCall refused to comment on who would be starting the match following all the transfer comings and goings of the last week "That's for the gaffer to decide but also for the powers that be, as far as I know no transfers have yet gone through so untill the red tape is sorted out and the contracts have been signed we'll just keep you all guessing."

RIERA SET TO STAY

After growing speculation latest reports suggest that Pompey Boss Richard
Locke has taken star midfielder Riera off the transfer list after clear the
air talks.

A number of clubs have made offers but it now looks as tho he will stay.
Nothing has been made official from the club but we will bring you more

from pittodrie

"Aberdeens new signing E_Carrierre has been put up for sale before he has
arrived. The player has been rumoured to be a transporter of the drug
ecstasy. Manager stu watson said
good player as he is, we cant afford to have a drug dealer on our staff.
With all the young lads at the club we took the decision to move him on
quickly.

Carrierre arrives on sunday from euro wing Bayern munich."

Injuries, suspensions and red tape threaten to derail City's season.

After progressing to the semi finals of the FA Cup, still being top of Division 1 and making it through the group stages of the Inter Wing Cup everything seems to be peachy at Valley Parade. However the seasons success could well be derailed through off the field problems. Diego was set to return to the club from his successful loan spell at Feyenoord but the PBeMFF FA are unwilling to end the loan spell before seasons end though both clubs are lobbying for dispensation. Bradford are also carrying a number of long term injuries with new signings Cudicini and Arvhage out for the forseeable future as well as a number of Bradford players being suspended and a number getting ever closer to long term suspensions. City have tried to redress the balance by loaning in Amdy Faye from Newcastle and loaning in old favourite Rufus Brevett who looks set to make the switch permanent next week after failing to impress Leeds boss Stacey Barker. Even so City look likely to be down to the bare bones for the next few weeks at least.

Bradford chairman Julian Rhodes "I've spoken with Matt about the current crisis and I'm doing everything in my power to keep him with a squad large enough to get through the hectic schedule ahead but we are not a big club and don't have unlimited resources like some of the Premiership big guns have and have had to work the loan market and have emptied our bank balance in order to re-sign Brevett. Finances won't stretch any further at this current point in time so we are just hoping for a bit of luck over the next few weeks. Our initial priority at the start of the season was consolidation in the league with promotion being a bonus if it came and with three difficult league games coming up it's going to be make or break time in the league. It's hard to set priorities with the squad in the shape it is now but we've still got chances for glory in all three competitions so we'll just play it by ear for the time being and hope we don't have to make sacrifices in any of the competitions."

The new look tannadice squad are looking to go out and avenge the shock opening day defeat by default, promoted, Leeds. Manager, Grant, still has sleepless nights from that moment where, his season was left in tatters. It has taken a monumental effort to get the club back on track after such a defeat. Grants new guns will be out, trying every trick in the book to beat Leeds.

It is understood that the transfer kitty supplied by the united board has some of the underperformers, worried. It is hoped that the cash will go to the purchase of 2 or 3, top class players.

If the quality that the tannadice side requires is not available, Grant will be allowed to hold on to the transfer kitty in order to use it more wisely, next season..when cash will be even more valuable.

Dib Dib Dobba Drops A Bollock

Aberdeen today sacked chief scout C_Ashwaste after his latest scouting
mission turned up with a player that wasnt even close to standard. Gaffer
Stu Watson was gauranteed by the former scout that he would find a player
capable of complimenting prospect A_Cerci for a fee of 1.5 million but came
back with a dud.
Willie Miller said
Hes clearly not a capable talent finder and has been proved to be a money
merchant. We wont be wasting our time with him any more and hope to find a
better replacement for the coming season.

Watson will now be actively seeking an experienced striker on his own

Age Concern

There was concern expressed today at Pride Park by Derby County manager at the
ageist attitudes of certain managers. Derby County prides itself on its 'equal
rights for old farts' policy, and finds it worrying that other clubs not only
don't adhere to such policies, but openly criticize those that do. Derby
County will be sending a formal complaint to the FA asking for action to be
taken against this worrying development.

Derby County continued their pressure on top of the league Middlesboro on Sunday with 5-1 drubbing of Leeds United. The result will give the men from Pride Park alot of confidence before the top of the table clash next week home to Boro. However, although the result was convincing, the first goal was a while in coming - the 27th minute to be precise - when Sean Gall made the incisive pass to DiCanio, and he made no mistake. Gall was to take the MOM award, and he repeated his passing prowess in the 35th minute, this time setting up Elber to make it 2-0. And just before half-time, Gall made a hat-trick of assists, this time setting up County's third striker Franco Souza. 3-0 at half-time and the tie was all but over. On the hour, Leeds pulled one back, but in the last 10 minutes goals from youthie Mo Konjic and another goal from Souza filled the scoreline. Roll on Sunday!!

STAR MID TO LEAVE POMPEY

Pompeys website www.geocities.com/pbemffpompey today reported that midfield
star Riera has left the club pending a medical. It is not known which club
he will go to but it is rumoured that a number of players comes in.

More news to follow

Fabregas, just not good enough

Andy Grant slammed out at managers and commishes alike today. Firstly came the news that Bradfords boss had been touting fabregas for a move to tannadice, and commenting that 85m would not be enough to sign his signature.

Grants retort was typically honest and to the point. He said 'There is no point talking about this 'situation' as it will never, ever happen. The lad, although a decent performer in the lower leagues is nowhere near the quality needed at tannadice. As for the asking price, if i were interested, it would be ridiculous. I would, theoretically, pay 25m tops for him...but as i said previously, he is of no interest.'

He also launched into a tirade against the games rulers, thought to be fuelled by a heated altercation, which took place outside of Uniteds training ground, Gussie Park. It was confirmed today that trading embargos would be put in place to limit the amount of players the tannadice team can sign and this seemed to enrage the chief. 'Everything and everybody is against me', said Grant. 'This is the only way that people can break my dominance in the game. Thoughts ran through my head of retiring my entire team and leaving the game but i will keep in charge until the end of the season and re-assess the situation then. '

Grant was then led away by Uniteds assistant manager, Terry Leighton, and ushered into the stadium before he could make mad swipes at the general media.

Serious doubts are no in place as to whether Grant will remian in charge at the club where he started his managerial career and the one which he holds so dear. It is also unclear whether the club want him to remain in the position as although his outbursts are entertaining, they do not show a professional attitude.

Grampian news will be bringing you updates through the week with any developments in this very interesting story

Aberdeen Put Spoilers on Valencia

Aberdeen manager stu watson was today delighted to take 3 points from euro
premier team Valencia. Although the game was meaningless for aberdeen it was
very much make or break for valencia which made it even more impressive.
Although delighted with the win, it came at a cost for aberdeen who now have
3 players out for the next game. The scorers were A_Barness, S_Dean and
A_Cerci

Bradford City 0 - 0 Malmo

Bradford City qualified from group 7 if the Inter Wing Cup with a solid but unspectacular no score draw against Malmo. With City only needing a point to qualify and Malmo having already given up the ghost this was always going to be a slow and quiet affair and when it became clear that Malmo were happy to play out the 90 minutes with ten men behind the ball, the game petered out and died. Bradford boss Matt Birch "We were always going to be happy with a point and were never going to do anything silly so when it became clear Malmo came here to grind out a point I was happy to order the lads to just keep hold of the ball and not give them a chance. We did that very well and Moreira did not have anything to do between the sticks. I'm delighted we made it through to the knockout stages of the cup and will bring the lads into Valley Parade to watch the draw for the next round together. We are building up a good team spirit here and we think we can go far in both competitions so we're looking forward to playing anyone. As long as we stay fit and don't get too many suspensions then I think we can go a long way in the cups. The league remains the priority but a good cup run or two would do wonders for the clubs profile and bank balance. We have been widely tipped as one of the top ten teams in the game but there are still plenty of poeple who think we are average so we want to shove those words down their throats and become a real force to contend with. We aim to get to the top and leave no questions unanswered but we need to be in the top division to do that and we need to make it as far as we can in both cups."

Bradford City (4-4-2):
J_Moreira 7,
A_deZeeuw 8*, Ge_Jones 7, D_Weir 6, Alex 6,
A_Smertin 8, D_Eadie 7, S_McCall 7, F_Siriex 6,
F_Fabregas 6, D_Droba 7.
Subs: D_Recorbet 5, L_Saha 6.

Cup double still on

After an interesting week on Tannadice St, Dundee united have progressed to the knock-out round of the IW Cup. The elite has been narrowed down to the final 16 and only the best of the best will make it further. Ina dramatic finish to the group. Staceys leeds were held to a 0 - 0 draw by man united and looked to be heading out of the tournie until a shock result came through from Pittodrie{Latin for 'the dung heap} with pbemff's Aberdeen whooping Euro giants Valencia. So we see United top the group and leeds taking second spot.

It still proves to be a mystery why United have seen off some quality opposition in the cup competitions and not in the league, however....Its not over till matt birchs mum sings.....and at the moment, shes eating a cream cake!

United chiefs are dissapointed with yet another suspension coming and feel that referees are trying to hold united back. There is only so much they can do and only so long they can send my players off and allow them to get injuries by hard defenders who are not interested in playing football but kicking stars.

The refs will learn!

Transfer News from tannadice

Dramatic moves have been made in the transfer market by Dundee United boss, Andy Grant. Top scorer, for the last 2 seasons, Thierry Henry, will be departing from the club and making his way to italy to see his career out in Milan. Departing with Henry are long term lover N_Calvert and cameraman, F_Miccoli. Grant has made sure that some very good young talent will be arriving at tannadice too though. Young players N_Onuoha, R_Castlen and D_Ralph will be making the move to Tannadice and hope to have a bigger effect than that of the dissapointing Henry and Calvert. Along with the players, Dundee United will receive a lump sum of cash, rumoured to be in the region of 15m. This will add to Grants transfer kitty for the upcoming auctions which will hopefully see another couple of stars moving to the tannadice team. A more rounded team is now expected to run out on the pitch and with a better sense of togetherness shown by the squad. This can only pay dividends for united who have rid the dressing room of ego's,

Eleven on the Trot

It wasn't pretty, but it was effective, almost. Derby managed to maintain
an 11-match unbeaten streak on Sunday with a 1-1 draw away at defending
champions Dundee United. Derby were coming into the match on the back of
three wins, with 12 goals scored in those matches, but from the start, it
was obvious that County had much more respect for their opponents from
Tannadice. However, it looked briefly like another win was on the cards,
when crowd favourite Franco Souza notched his 8th goal of the season just
before half-time. However, the County faithful were to be denied an
historic victory when new signing Sol Campbell gave away an unnecessary
penalty, only for former teammate Thierry Henry to slot home the equaliser.
However, the draw leaves Derby 2 points off top, although they slipped to
fourth place on goal difference. The only consolation was that arch-rivals
fell to a surprise defeat at the hands of Arsenal. With one more match to
play before the half-way stage, County will be looking to keep the pressure
on the top teams, and then re-produce their stunning form of the second
half of last years season. It remains to be seen whether they will be able
to do that.

MOM Reaction from Pittodrie

Aberdeen were today delighted to hear that Manager Stu Watson had won the
division 3 manager of the month award for June. Willie Miler said. Its great
that his good work this month has been noticed by his fellow managers and
hopefully he can build on this.

Meanwhile the supporters club announced their player and young player of the
month awards. First of all the young player of the month award went to 17
year old defender S_Dean. He was signed earlier in the month as a prospect
but has made a first team place his own. The player of the month award also
went to a defender in C_Bentham. Although still eligible for the young
player award he has been a great help to dean. Hes put in good performance
after good performance and is being tipped to become aberdeens youngest ever
captain next season when short retires.

well done to the manager and these players

Pompey were today critisising Charlton for cheating and playing dirty
tactics.

Pompey boss Richard Locke claimed that Charlton tried to get his players
sent off with silly little dives. It comes after Portsmouth will have key
players susspended for the cup game against Crystal Palace

Bradford City 1 - 0 Arsenal
Ge_Jones (15)

Bradford City scraped through to the quarter finals of the FA Cup thanks to a resolute defence and a little luck. City enjoyed the lions share of the play and took an early lead through defender Jones but Arsenal could have been on level terms before the break only for the referee to rule the goal out for an infringement. City had two men injured in the game but this was a sign of how much they wanted the win. Weir went off in the first minute after a reckless challenge on Viduka and Alex was strethcered off injured before the half hour mark but came back onto the pitch and almost managed to play out the rest of the match before having to eventually go off again just before the final whistle. The never say die attitude of Alex to play through the pain barrier really summed up the grit and determination of the Bradford team though he will now be out injured for the next one or two weeks.

Bradford City (6-3-1):
J_Moreira 9,
A_deZeeuw 8, Ge_Jones 9, D_Weir n/a, Alex 8, A_Smertin 9*, D_Eadie 9,
S_McCall 8, W_Tais 9, D_Recorbet 6,
D_Drogba 7.
Subs: L_Saha 6, F_Fabregas 7, St_Burton 6.

Unrest amongst the County Masses

There is a growing unrest amongst the County faithful at the performances
of new signing Sol Campbell. Fans are blaming him for giving away penalties
in the last two games, causing Derby to lose their winning position at
Dundee United and, more recently, at Liverpool in the FA Cup. In the latter
match, Derby took the lead through midfield maestro Doni, only to lose 2-1,
with the penalty incident a key turning point. This week, manager Graham
Frith is meeting with Campbell to discuss the situation, but he is said to
be in concialatory mood, with Campbell also ready to hold his hands up for
recent errors, but more determined than ever to help County in their push
for league honours.
Strangely enough, Campbell has just been voted Player of the Month for the
month of June, but fans will be looking for more from the big man.

Bradford City 0 - 1 Southampton

Bradford boss Matt Birched heaped praise on Saints counterpart Jim Leslie following the home defeat which brought Southampton level on points with them at the top of the table "They came here to do a job on us and that is exactly what they did. They weathered the early storm and then took control of the match and once they took the lead there was nothing we could do. This leaves the table very tight with just two points separating the top 4 teams so it's anybody's game. We were hoping that a win would have given us some breathing space and allowed us to concentrate on the cups but it was not to be so we are going to have to make a massive effort over the next few weeks to try and stay in control of our own destiny. It's going to be very interesting indeed."

In other news, Bradford wrapped up the signing of Cudicini from Chelsea this week and said goodbye to Burton, Vaesen, Kitson and most surprisingly Bradford hero Diddy Drogba, Birch "This was a very hard decision to make, Diddy had done so well for us but if you want to make it to the top you have to make some hard decisions. He has improved as a player since his arrival and has attracted the attentions of some big clubs who can offer him bigger deals than we can. We decided to cash in while the time was right and made a tidy profit into the bargain. The decision was made easier though by the promise made by Fabregas, he wants to give up his midfield role in order to concentrate fully on becoming a striker, he showed last season that he can score goals and so I'm going to take a leap of faith on him and hope he can develop his game ready for our eventual elevation to the top flight, of course landing an experienced striker like Alessandro Del Piero gives us more options up front and young Arvhage will definately add a lot more strength to our midfield so I think we have made a deal which will see us get stronger once the lads have settled in".

Bradford City (4-4-2):
J_Moreira 6,
A_deZeeuw 5, Ge_Jones 6, A_Smertin 6, D_Weir 5,
S_McCall 7*, F_Siriex 6, F_Fabregas 5, D_Eadie 6,
D_Drogba 5, L_Saha 5.
Subs: D_Recorbet n/a, Marquinho n/a.

Cash bonanza for tannadice side.

Dundee uniteds board have been left dispondant with the first half of the season. As it stands, the Tayside club appear to be out of the premiership title, dashing hopes that they could make it 3 titles in a row and make pbemff history.


"bonanza"

However, they are still in the hunt for the 2 cups. A one time winner of the FA Cup, Grant has never managed to win the IWC. The board at this point, felt that they had let down Grant in his attempts to sign players and have made a whopping 85M Euros available to Grant in his search for a couple of top players. This sum is unrivaled within the world of pbemff and it is hoped that at least 2 of the old newcastle stars can be picked up.

In return, the board expect Grant to put in a good performance in both cups and come back into the reckoning in the league. They feel that 3rd spot is the least they should aim for.

More news of potential signing targets will be reported as they happen!

from the pitt

" Young Aberdeen striker J_Klinnsman has moved to Bayern Munich. The 21 year
old was frustrated at a lack of first team football and requested a transfer
last week. A couple of euro clubs were interested in him but Bayern came out
on top in a deal that sees defender A_Oleson and middy E_Carrierre join the
pittodrie ranks. Aberdeen wish klinnsman all the best at his new club."

All Change in Birmingham Midfield

After a public debate and protracted transfer talks, Birmingham City
yesterday confirmed that promising midfielder J_Gray had passed his medical
and signed for Premiership heavyweights Cardiff City. Veteran Spanish
midfield maestro J_Juanito, and the Dutch youngster A_Robben moved up the M5
to Birmingham in exchange, bearing with them a briefcase of cash to seal the
deal. At the press conference yesterday afternoon, where Birmingham boss
Chris Knight unveiled his two new players, a third new midfielder C_Blue was
also presented to the media. C_Blue was unearthed by Birmingham's scouting
operations and signed for a club record fee of 10.8 million pounds. Speaking
at the press conference manager Chris said "We couldn't hold Gray back any
longer, and we needed more options in midfield to protect our back 4 and to
keep feeding chances to Robbie [Blake]. I wish Gray all the best, and now we
must look forward to watching Juanito, Robben and Blue playing for
Birmingham and hopefully maintaining our good season so far." When asked by
the press what he thought of being snapped up by Birmingham, C_Blue said in
his endearingly broad Zummerset drawl "Well it's all been a bit sudden
really. One day I am driving my tractor to the ground to play for Tiverton,
the next I've got me own car and matching shirt and shorts. It's like me old
ma used to say - life is like a packet of smarties .... or something like
that. My Uncle Roger thought ...". At this point Manager Chris Knight
stepped in hurriedly and called an end to the Press Conference.

Leeds put to the slaughter

Leeds united were simply outplayed by Tannadice outfit, Dundee United. A convincing 4-0 win was recorded which is the biggest win of the season for united. Leeds defender Mills was quite rightly sent off after an act of sheer hooliganism. The united boss also managed to get his tactics spot on. This win takes united aware from the bottom of the table and a little bit closer to the top group. If united are to challenge for the title, a monumental effort would be needed and for results to fall in their favour. Although not impossible, it seems highly unlikely, with the tangerines best chance of silverware will come from cup competitions

Boring Bantams Lose Ground On Saints

Bradford City travelled north of the border to Glasgow to play against Celtic and looked to be happy to play out the 90 minutes for the draw. With so many attacking players unavailable for the trip the Bantams started the match with seven defenders on the pitch. They played with a backbone of three defenders with four defenders playing just in front of the backline, trying to keep the ball away from the danger area at all times. There were attacking outlets in the form of McCall, Siriex and Saha but for much of the match they seemed content to just hold onto the ball. Bradford did nearly manage to snatch a cheeky win and had the best chances of the game but with the match mindset so negative it was always going to end 0-0.

The draw gave Southampton the chance to go clear at the top of the table after their victory over the other Glasgow side, Rangers and also saw Everton enter the promotion race as victory in their match saw them draw level on points with Bradford.

Bradford boss Matt Birch "Of course I'm dissapointed with us losing a decent lead at the top of the table, last week was the killer, losing at home to Southampton but this week it was all about damage limitation with the state the squad is in at the moment. A draw is always better than a loss and I was not about to come here and lose. We travel to Everton next weekend and it could be the same thing again, we are still a couple of key players down and the worst thing we can do is lose to another promotion rival. I just hope we can come through this tricky spell of games and still be in the hunt for promotion, it would not be a disaster not to get promoted this term as I've got plans for every eventuality but you never go into a campaign thinking the worst."

Crucial Victory

On Sunday, Derby County started the second half of the season in confident
mood, taking on arch-rivals and fellow title contenders, Cardiff City, at
Pride Park. In the reverse fixture on the first day of the season, Derby were
squeezed out 2-1 in what has proved to be their only defeat in the league to
date, and so the County players were doubly determined to see City off this
time round. However, the players were obviously nervous and were very
fortunate to see Zitelli's early goal disallowed for handball. That scare
seemed to inspire Derby, and two minutes later, midfield maestro Doni hit a
vicious shot that put Derby 1-0 up. Half an hour later, Derby were fortunate
to go 2-0 up, when Cardiff keeper slipped and let Derby defender Bollan's weak
effort find the net. From that point, Derby shut up shop, and Cardiff were
never going to get back into the game. Derby now sit in second place, two
points behind leaders Middlesboro, who they play in a couple of weeks. Derby's
fate this season is now in their own hands.

Bradford City have transfer listed two of their regular starting defenders, Jones and Alex despite boasting a decent defensive record this season. The news follows the recent return of old favourite and former captain Rufus Brevett in a cut price transfer from Leeds as well as the loan signing of Faye from Newcastle. Bradford boss Matt Birch "We have had a succesful season so far and the defence has been solid but it has lacked a leader and has at time been a little inconsistent. If we are to push further in the cups and try and play top flight football soon then we need to have a big man at the back, a leader who can gel the defence together and control the run of the game from the back. I've been happy with the contributions Alex and Jonesy have made during their time at the club but I've got no finances to work with and my chairman has told me point blank that I have to free up the resources myself. Unfortunately for the two lads they have drawn the short straw but I am sure there will be plenty of teams who can offer them first team football and I wish them both the very best of luck in the future and thank them for their service and if the situation changes I'll be delighted to keep them at the club."

The Bantams have already turned down a 5 million pound offer for Alex with a couple of teams interested and a potential 10 million pound plus player offer rumoured to be in the offing, meanwhile a number of clubs are in the midst of a bidding war for the signature of Jones

Dundee United to keep money.

Andy Grants huge transfer budget of 85m is expected to stay in the tangerines coffers for the forseeable future. It is expected that no players of a high enough quality will be available this season. instead, Grant will play the long game and bide his time to make the right signing for dundee united. He said 'I am not going to make a signing for the sheer hell of it. The players that we have at tannadice and those who are out on loan are of a high enough quality that we should be able to compete and unless there are players available who will enhance the quality in my first team, i won't shell out. It is important that i bring in the quality needed to compete in this and future seasons.'

In other news, new signing, Ralph experianced his first taste of scottish life after he went out and got wrecked on whisky. To finish the night, he went out and bought a mars bar supper and had to train the entire next day to work off the fatty delicacy.