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Stoke close in on David James but Portsmouth stall over wages

• Clubs haggling over responsibility for goalkeeper's salary• Tottenham Hotspur interested in re-signing Younes KaboulStoke City hope to be in a position to announce that David James has signed on loan for the remainder of the season but senior officials at the Britannia Stadium...

A deity in the wings, Kenny Dalglish may be the man to cool fans' fury | Paul Hayward

There would be obvious appeal in hiring an Anfield legend as a human shield against the displeasure of the KopLike Bill Shankly, Kenny Dalglish gave up the Liverpool job and soon regretted it. Plagued by stress-related blotches, and still haunted by the Hillsborough disaster, King Kenny resigned in...

Why Sir Alex Ferguson's demeanour is driving me to distraction | Harry Pearson

I'm not sure if it's me or the gum-chewing, prune-faced Glaswegian who is losing it mostEver since the start of the new decade an eerie and unnatural feeling, a strange and unnerving sentiment, the exact and sensational nature of which I have been struggling to identify, has pervaded my...

Kicking antisemitism out of football | Hideously diverse Britain

London Assembly member Murad Qureshi decided to act when he heard antisemitic chants at a top-flight football matchThe more you delve into this area the more complicated it gets. Perhaps that is a good thing. Lines blur. ­Allegiances shift. No chance to be complacent.This one is about Murad...

Ian Herbert: Bad deals, bold tactics: how Europe's giants fell so fast

If football were a neat and tidy business, it would be tempting to say that the beginning of the end for Rafael Benitez occurred on this self-same Friday last year. It was 9 January; the afternoon before his side visited Stoke City – as they do once again tomorrow – when the Liverpool...

Milner makes the difference as Villa put Wembley in sight

A goal of magisterial quality from James Milner gave Aston Villa the edge in their Carling Cup semi-final first leg, but there remains everything to play for when the tie is concluded next week.

Africa Cup of Nations: Reports and fixtures

Yesterday

James joins Stoke with an eye on World Cup

David James will only join Stoke City on loan until the end of the season because the 39-year-old believes that he can win a new contract in the Premier League in the summer on the back of what he hopes will be a successful World Cup finals with England.