All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe!

The January 2013 transfer window only opened four days ago, but it is safe to say that the media is rife with transfer rumours across Britain and Europe!

Clubs have 27 more days to reshape and strengthen their squads with players that they feel can help them achieve 'comparative' success, whether they are chasing trophies, eyeing up promotion or bidding to avoid relegation.

With purse strings being pulled ever increasingly tighter by the owners of many clubs, perhaps the loan market will play a more significant role than ever in this winter window!

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip:

Is your club involved?

Chelsea, Newcastle, Lille, West Ham, Liverpool, QPR, Inter Milan, New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Fulham, FC Twente, Tottenham, Toulouse, Monaco, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, PSV, Aston Villa, Wigan, Sporting Kansas City, Liverpool, Sunderland, Hull, Hannover, Ipswich, Nottingham Forest, Swansea, Reading, Sporting Lisbon, AC Milan, Corinthians, Bayern Munich, Mainz 05, West Brom, Zenit, Dianamo Kiev, Genoa, Southampton, Birmingham, Bolton, Blackburn, Brighton, Bristol City, Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers, Fleetwood, Lazio, Willem II, Bournemouth and Northampton........are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Chelsea have completed the signing of striker Demba Ba from Newcastle on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee - skysports.com and caughtoffside.com

Newcastle United have completed the signing of Mathieu Debuchy (right) from Lille - soccernet.espn.go.com and skysports.com

Joe Cole has completed his transfer to West Ham United from Liverpool, with the 31 year-old signing an 18-month contract at Upton Park - soccernet.espn.go.com

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has been offered Inter Milan forward Wesley Sneijder, 28, to boost his side's relegation scrap - The Sun and transfermarketweb.com

QPR boss harry Redknapp was also happy to confirm that loan moves for Los Angeles Galaxy's Robbie Keane and New York Red Bulls' Tim Cahill are under consideration - skysports.com

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has been quoted by Spanish newspaper AS as describing reports linking striker Radamel Falcao, 26, with Real Madrid as "totally false" - skysports.com

Borussia Dortmund CEO Aki Watzke has rubbished recent reports linking centre-back Mats Hummels, 24, with a January move to Manchester City - soccernet.espn.go.com

Manchester United may wait until the summer before bidding for Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha (right), but his arrival could mean the end of Nani’s time at the Manchester club - footballgossip.org.uk and soccernet.espn.go.com

Fulham have confirmed the signing of teenage forward Chris David from FC Twente after having missed out on him during the summer after a problem with his medical - skysports.com

Tottenham are leading the race to sign France midfielder Moussa Sissoko, 23, on a pre-contract agreement from Toulouse, but face competition from Monaco - The Times and footballgossip.org.uk

Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has signed a six-month loan deal with West Ham United, at least according to Jack Sullivan, the son of Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan. Arsenal are expected to make a significant contribution to Chamakh’s £60,000-a-week wages during his time at Upton Park - footballgossip.org.uk

Arsenal are looking at a move for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Kevin Strootman (right), 22. Arsene Wenger has earmarked a move for the young Dutch international, and will offer Russian winger Andrei Arshavin as part of an offer that the Arsenal boss hopes will tempt the Eredivisie side into selling the Dutch international - caughtoffside.com

Aston Villa are considering a move for Manchester City's out-of-favour 30-year-old defender Joleon Lescott - Daily Mirror and footballgossip.org.uk

Tottenham will listen to offers for England international midfielder Jake Livermore, 23, this month, with West London rivals QPR and Fulham monitoring the situation - Daily Mail

Wigan Athletic have completed the signing of Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza (right) from Sporting Kansas City. The 26 year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the DW Stadium - sportsmole.co.uk and skysports.com

Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell is keen on a £7million move to Hull City - The Sun, The Mirror and Daily Mail

Hannover have confirmed that they are hopeful of sealing a deal for Arsenal defender Johan Djourou. Hannover are keen to take Djourou, who has two years left on his current deal, on a loan deal with a view to that becoming permanent in the summer - sktsports.com

Ipswich Town have raided Championship rivals Nottingham Forest to sign 25 year-old striker David McGoldrick on loan - skysports.com

Swansea City striker Danny Graham, 27, is Reading manager Brian McDermott's next target following the capture of  Daniel Caricco (right), 24, from Sporting Lisbon - The Times and Daily Express

Fabio Coentrao's future at Real Madrid is in danger after the 24-year-old full-back failed to show up for the first training session of the year - Marca (in Spanish) and caughtoffside.com

Brazil striker Alexandre Pato, 23 - a previous target of Manchester City and Chelsea - has left AC Milan for Corinthians for around £12m - Tottusport (in Italian) and caughtoffside.com

Bayern Munich have confirmed a deal that will see them sign Mainz 05 defender Jan Kirchhoff at the end of the season. The 22-year-old will join Bayern on a three-year deal in the summer, once his current contract has expired - sportsmole.co.uk

Arsenal are reportedly among the clubs who are considering a January bid for Jonas Olsson, but West Bromwich Albion insist the defender is going nowhere. Last summer WBA took steps to ensure Olsson would not leave, and gave the Swede a new four-year contract, but the terms are rumoured to include a £3million release clause - skysports.com

Joel Obi's agent says the player is unlikely to leave Inter Milan, but confirmed Sunderland's interest in the Nigerian ace. The Black Cats have been linked with a January move for the 21-year-old, but his agent insists that a deal is unlikely -skysports.com

Inter have confirmed the arrival of former Italian international striker Tommaso Rocchi from Lazio. Inter have secured the services of the experienced striker on a permanent deal with reports suggesting the 35-year-old will be there till June - goal.com and insidefutbol.com

Yann M’Vila (right) is ready to leave Rennes during the current transfer window if a fee can be agreed with the French club. The news is likely to be listened to carefully by a number of clubs who have been keen on M’Vila in the past. Interested parties include Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Zenit St.Petersburg and most recently QPR - insidefutbol.com

Genoa's Andreas Granqvist will not be returning to England after links with Liverpool and Sunderland, as he is set for talks with Zenit and Dynamo Kiev - La Gazzetta dello Sport

Southampton manager Nigel Adkins has insisted he is not interested in signing Birmingham City's 19 year-old goalkeeper Jack Butland - soccernet.espn.go.com

Brighton's 21-year-old defender Lewis Dunk is a target for both Bristol City and Blackburn - skysports.com

QPR have signed defender Tal Ben Haim on a short-term deal until he end of the season. The Israel was a free agent since leaving Portsmouth in August - skysports.com and footballgossip.org.uk

Bolton manager Dougie Freedman is set to sign Barnsley striker Craig Davies, 26, in a £300,000 deal. Freedman wants the powerful frontman to bolster his struggling side - Daily Mail

Martin Olsson's agent has claimed that West Ham are one of a number of clubs looking to land the 24 year-old Blackburn defender- skysports.com

Willem II have confirmed that they are hoping to agree a deal with Bournemouth for Lorenzo Davids (right) - skysports.com

Swindon have completed the permanent signing of defender Darren Ward, 34, following his release by Millwall - skysports.com

Doncaster Rovers have announced the signing of 29 year-old midfielder Lee Fowler from Fleetwood for an undisclosed fee - skysports.com

Northampton have completed the signing of defender Clarke Carlisle on an 18-month contract - skysports.com

All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe

With the climax of the 2012 European Championships upon us, clubs will have been studying with interest the performance of many of the players who have participated in the tournament.

In addition there has been a lot of media talk regarding the buying and selling of players since the close of last season. Now with player contracts expiring in just 48 hours a frenetic six weeks lies ahead, before the new English football season kicks-off, as players and their agents will officially be allowed to approach or be approached by clubs regarding their availability.

It is pretty safe to say that if a player’s contract expires on the 30th June, and they have not been offered or negotiated a new deal with their current club, then they will be officially ‘on the market’ and looking for pastures new to pursue their careers.

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip:

Is your club involved?

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Arsenal, AC Milan, Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Juventus, Bologna, Ajax, Wigan, Napoli, Real Madrid, Anzhi Makhachkala, Benfica, Deportivo La Coruña, West Ham, Sochaux, Newsastle, Lille, FC Twente, Borussia Monchengladbach, Aston Villa, Feyenoord, Fulham, Norwich, West Brom, Aalborg, Everton, Valencia, Servilla, Huddersfield, Reading, QPR, Sunderland, Southampton, Vitesse Arnhem, Middlesbrough Bordeaux and Celtic........are all caught up in the latest transfer rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Paris Saint-Germain join Manchester City in the race for Arsenal's 28-year-old striker Robin van Persie – Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and caughtoffside.com

Porto’s Portuguese international midfielder Joao Moutinho (right), already tracked by Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter, has been targeted by Tottenham as well. Andre Villas-Boas wants to make the £32m Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho his first signing at Tottenham – Daily Star and transfermarketweb.com

Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan’s main excecutives have met again to discuss Brazilian international centre-back Thiago Silva's transfer to the French club. The fee is believed to be in the region of €47million – transfermarketweb.com

Long time Tottenham target Diego Forlan has been made available for transfer by Inter Milan. Inter are inviting offers for the former Manchester United and Athletico Madrid striker, who starred for Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but has failed to reach such peaks in Italy – Corriere dello Sport

Liverpool have fallen behind Juventus in the race to sign 21-year-old Uruguayan sensation Gaston Ramirez from Bologna. The fee is thought to be in the region of £20million – TalkSPORT

Liverpool will move for Wigan forward Victor Moses, 21, if top target Gylfi Sigurdsson chooses Tottenham – The Sun and skysports.com

Ajax boss Frank de Boer has told Tottenham not to give up on signing 25-year-old defender Jan Vertonghen (right), despite their dispute with the Dutch club – The Metro

Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi is set to complete a move to Paris St Germain early next week, according to his agent – skysports.com

Brazilian international right backwing Maicon (30), who's is expected to leave Inter, is the latest target of Napoli. He is already being tracked by Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Anzhi Makhachkala and Paris Saint-Germain - transfermarketweb.com

Currently on a deal with Benfica until June 2015, Brazilian striker Alan Kardec (23) is likely to be released after having played on loan for Santos during last season, and Deportivo La Coruña have targeted him - transfermarketweb.com

West Ham are trying to sign Tottenham's experienced French centre-half William Gallas, 34, on a free transfer - The Sun

Sam Allardyce is keen to strengthen the West Ham attack with a £5m move foe Sochaux's 24-year-old striker Modibo Maiga – Daily Mail

Newcastle will go back to Lille with an improved bid of around £6m for France international right-back Mathieu Debuchy. Inter Milan are also said to be keen on the 26-year-old – Daily Mirror and skysports.com

A delegation from Newcastle United have arrived in Holland to open talks with FC Twente over striker Luuk de Jong (right). Newcastle have already seen one bid of €10million (£8million) for de Jong rejected by Twente and they have now reported to upped that to €12million (£10milion). Newcastle are pushing hard for 21-year-old de Jong with German side Borussia Monchengladbach also reportedly very keen – skysports.com

Aston Villa are on the brink of signing Feyenoord's Morocan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi for £3million – Daily Express

Fulham, Norwich and West Brom are in a three-way battle for Danish striker Nicklas Helenius, 21, who caught the eye with Aalborg last season - footylatest.com

Fulham want Tottenham's midfield misfit David Bentley, 27, either on loan or at a bargain fee – Daily Mirror

Huddersfield Town have opened talks with Oliver Norwood and now appear in pole position to land the Manchester United youngster. The midfielder has never played a first-team game at Old Trafford and is now ready to leave the club after his contract expired. United will be due compensation for Norwood as he is under 23 - skysports.com

Reading boss Brian McDermott must beat off West Ham and QPR to sign Sunderland contract rebel Kieran Richardson – The Sun

Sunderland are weighing up a move for 30-year-old defender Carlos Cuellar, who is out of contract at Aston Villa – TalkSPORT

Tomas Sivok's agent claims Premier League duo Everton and Fulham have expressed an interest in the Czech Republic international centre-back. Valencia are also said to be keen on the 28-year-old defender (right), along with their Primera Liga rivals Sevilla – skysports.com and transfermarketweb.com

Southampton have joined Fulham and QPR in the chase for Vitesse Arnhem's £2m-rated midfielder Alexander Buttner – The Sun

Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray has confirmed that he is close to sealing a deal for Argentine midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma. Ledesma, who began his career with Genoa has previously been with QPR and finished last season with Walsall – skysports.com

Bordeaux’s 28-year-old centre-back Michael Ciani would be open to a move to Celtic according to the Ligue 1 club's president Jean-Louis Triaud. The France international, who has also been linked to Newcastle, Wigan and Primera Liga side Servilla

All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe

The domestic football season may be all but over but the transfer rumours inevitably continue to fuel the internet and the newspapers. With the European Championships only a couple of weeks away and the Olympics to follow, it would seem that clubs across Europe are keen to do as much business as possible before these tournaments begin. It is in their interests to make their moves early and get any new players on board as quickly as possible, so the players have longer to settle in. There is also the chance that players involved in the summer tournaments may increase in value should they shine. Likewise the opposite may be true. It's a gamble but the 'bigger' clubs across Europe are keeping the sports journalists on their toes as we speak!

Here is a round up of today's latest transfer gossip:

Is your Club involved?

Manchester City, Lille, Juventus, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Porto, Napoli, Manchester United, San Paulo, Tottenham, Marseille, Everton, Ajax, AC Milan, Newcastle, Bolton, QPR, Aston Villa, West Ham, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Wigan, Wolfsburg, Crystal Palace, Stoke City, Wolves, Blackpool, Swansea and Sochaux..........are all caught up in transfer rumours as we speak.

Manchester City are ready to pull the plug on their proposed move for Lille playmaker Eden Hazard, 21, unless the player and his agent lower their financial demands - The Times

Belgian international Eden Hazard (right) admits Chelsea's Champions League victory has made a difference to his plans - Daily Mail and football.co.uk

Juventus will turn their attentions to Manchester City's Edin Dzeko, 26, as they prepare to pull out of the race to sign Arsenal forward Robin van Persie, 28 - Daily Mail and The Guardian

Manchester City are set to take advantage of Juve's move by stepping up their interest in Van Persie, while the Italians could bid for Liverpool forward Luis Suarez, 25, as well as Dzeko - The Guardian

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has given Liverpool a boost by distancing himself from any move to Real Madrid or Barcelona - Daily Express and Daily Mirror

Manchester City face a battle to retain the services of playmaker David Silva who will be offered the chance to return to his native Spain by Real Madrid - Daily Star and The Guardian

Barcelona are set to make a £10million bid for Manchester City right-back Pablo Zabaleta, as a replacement for Dani Alves - The Sun and The Guardian

Top of Chelsea's shopping list this summer is the Atlético Madrid striker Radamel Falcao (right). The Columbian  will cost a cool £50m. Other options include Porto's Hulk, Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuaín and Napoli's Edinson Cavani - Daily Mirror and The Guardian

Chelsea have given Arsenal a deadline of next week to make a decision on whether they want to sign on-loan midfielder Yossi Benayoun, 32, on a permanent basis - The Metro and footballpress.net

Brazilian midfielder Lucas Moura, 19, who currently plays for Sao Paulo, is another target for the European champions, although Manchester United are also interested - The Times

Tottenham want 25-year-old Marseille striker Loic Remy and could swap Luka Modric, 26, for Real Madrid's Lassana Diarra, 27 - footballpress.net , Daily Mirror and The Guardian

Modric is determined to join a Champions League club ahead of next season, although Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is thought to be holding out for a fee of £50m - Daily Telegraph

The Tottenham chairman Levy also travelled to Holland on Monday in an attempt to close a deal for Ajax's Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen (right), who is also wanted by Arsenal and AC Milan - Daily Mail

Louis Saha has made it clear that he is not looking to leave Tottenham in the summer - The Sun and sportinglife.com

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is adamant Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva will not be sold this summer. Both have been linked with Manchester City.

American star Landon Donovan has reiterated his desire to return to Everton - sportinglife.com

Newcastle have been told they need to increse their offer in order to sign Bolton midfielder Mark Davies. The Magpies have made an offer about £3.5 million pounds for the player - Evening Chronicle

QPR are hoping to make the most of the uncertainty at Aston Villa with a move for goalkeeper Shay Given, 36, who played under Rangers boss Mark Hughes at Manchester City. West Ham's 31-year-old Robert Green could also be a target - Daily Telegraph and skysports.com

Adel Taarabt could be on his way out of Loftus Road with Wolfsburg reviving an interest in the £8m-rated 22-year-old playmaker - Daily Mail and The Guardian

QPR boss Hughes is also plotting a move for Wigan Athletic forward Victor Moses, 21, (right) - Daily Mirror and The Guardian

Joe Cole insists he has unfinished business at Liverpool despite being linked with a return to boyhood club West Ham this summer. However Lille are thought to be open to taking him back for another 12 months - skysports.com and Daily Mail

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is plotting a triple swoop on Sunderland for Kieran Richardson, Craig Gordon and George McCartney - Daily Mirror and The Guardian

West Ham have completed the permanent signing of Portsmouth goalkeeper Stephen Henderson, 24, on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee - footballpress.net and sportinglife.com

Crystal Palace midfielder Stuart O'Keefe has signed a new three-year contract. The 21-year-old, who broke into the first team this season, has committed himself to Selhurst Park until the summer of 2015 - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Stoke City have been told they must increase their offer to a figure in the region of £10 million if want to sign Wolves' Matt Jarvis, 25 - footballpress.net

Thomas Ince (right) insists he is committed to Blackpool despite their Championship play-off final defeat to West Ham - skysports.com

Blackpool want to turn 29-year-old Swansea forward Stephen Dobbie's loan into a permanent deal - Daily Mirror

Sochaux have signed the deal extension of the striker Cedric Bakambu (21), until June 2015 - footballpress.net

Fantasy Football 2011/12 - The npower Championship. Update!

With the football international break upon us, I thought I would take this opportunity to update you all on my progress in this seasons Texaco sponsored Championship Fantasy Football league.

Two months ago I selected eleven players from the second tier of English football that I felt would excel for their respective clubs this season, as I pitted my wits against friends and football fans around the country, in a 'foolish' attempt to convince myself that my knowledge of Championship football was equal to or maybe even superior to that of other football fans.

I must point out that I have stayed within the rules, which fundamentally consist of four main criteria - keeping within my set 'fictitious' financial budget, selecting a maximum of no more than three players from any one club, choosing one of two formations for my team, namely 5-3-2 or 4-4-2 and finally observing the rules regarding the transfer of players in/out my side, as set out at the start of the competition.

Now, who would have thought with nearly a quarter of the season gone, newly promoted Southampton would be top of the league, with Middlesbrough second and Derby, along with another newly promoted club Brighton in the top six.

More surprising is possibly the shocking form of managerless Nottingham Forest and South London's Millwall, and the rather average start to the season made by the likes of relegated Birmingham and last seasons play-off finalists Reading.
Money-bags Leicester started poorly but are making good progress, as are Leeds and Cardiff.

My own club Crystal Palace have surprised me with a solid start to the season after fighting off relegation for the previous two seasons, and they are also into the last 16 of the League Cup. Peterborough too have kicked on well after promotion from League One last season...........but it's still very early days!

So how has this reflected on the Championship fantasy football team I selected two months ago?

At the beginning of the 2011/12 campaign my team was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders: Ian Evatt (Blackpool), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Sean St Ledger (Leicester).

Midfield: Kevin Nolan (West Ham and Captain), George Boyd (Peterborough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Lee Bowyer (Ipswich).

Strikers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton, pictured right), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).

Since then I have made five transfers: First to go was Sean St.Ledger, a player I really thought was going to score me a lot of points after his £1.2m move from Preston, but he has failed to deliver. Leicester started the season poorly and St.Ledger has rarely featured, so I think that was a good move. I replaced him with Palace's versatile Norwegian full-back/midfielder Jonathan Parr and he has one cleen sheet and two assists in five appearances. Steady if not spectacular.

I recently made another defensive transfer when I off-loaded former Palace favourite Jose Fonte from a Souhampton side that was scoring goals for fun but conceding too many for my liking. Derby's Jason Shackell has replaced Fonte, but although he was a cheaper option he has not really improved my defence significantly with one cleen sheet in three appearances, but if Derby continue their good form he may prove a valuable acquisition. Without doubt the purchase of a Middlesborough defender would have been a better option, as three of their defenders are the top defensive points scorers in the league!

In midfield I believed the experience of Lee Bowyer would have been a bright light in the Ipswich side, but both Ipswich and Bowyer started slowly, and although Ipswich's season has picked up, Bowyer has failed to impress in my opinion. I replaced Bowyer with another Derby player, the experienced Ben Davies and he has had a greater impact, with four assists in his six games since I brought him in.

Kevin Nolan was my most expensive purchase at the beginning of the season, but he has had a stop-start season so far, terrific one week and anonymous the next. Maybe he is taking time to settle in at West Ham. However I have been more impressed with the displays of his team-mate Matt Taylor, a summer signing from Bolton, so I swapped Taylor for Nolan.

In midfield I have also replaced Peterborough's highly rated George Boyd with Saints Adam Lallana who has so far had an outstanding season for his club. The England U'21 international is currently the top point scoring midfielder in the Championship. Lallana has four goals from midfield and a host of assists in a free-scoring Southampton side, who have bagged 25 goals in their opening 10 games!
Meanwhile Boyd has made a disappointing start to the season.

Up front Rickie Lambert is rattling in the goals with eight in just ten appearances, but Rob Earnshaw concerns me. He has only netted three times this season, and has recently lost his place in the Cardiff team. I am definitely looking for a new striker, perhaps Miller, Jermaine Beckford, Glenn Murray, Ross McCormack or Chris Wood would be more effective. I have the international break to decide who to partner Lambert with.

As it stands today my current team is as follows:

Goalkeeper: Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders: Ian Evatt (Blackpool), Jason Shackell (Derby), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Jonathan Parr (Palace, pictured right).

Midfield: Matt Taylor (West Ham), Ben Davies (Derby), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Adam Lallana (Southampton).

Strikers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton and Captain), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).

Rickie Lambert, Blackpool defender Ian Evatt, and Leeds midfielder Robert Snodgrass have been my stand-out players so far this season. As far as my own season goes I am in the main competition along with tens of thousands of other players, and also in three private leagues.
My current points total is 125, after ten league games.

I am 2,386th overall in the whole competition, 3rd of 28 players in the 'Holmesdale Radio' private league, 26th of 752 in the 'Official Crystal Palace FC' private league and 3rd of 99 in the 'Where Eagles Dare' private league.

Until next time............good luck!

Transfer Deadline Day - No Rumours just Done Deals!

Updated regularly all-day today..............The August transfer window is now officially closed. Here are a list of the 'done deals.'





Paris St Germain have completed the signing of Uruguay captain Diego Lugano from Fenerbahce on a three-year contract.

Juventus have signed Dutch player Eljero Elia from Hamburg SV on a four-year deal, for a fee of €9 million.

Plymouth Argyle have snapped up 28 year-old defender Simon King on a month's loan from Gillingham.

Siena have signed Argentine striker Pablo Andres Gonzalez and Serbian defender Milan Milanovic from Palermo, both on loan.

Hannover have snapped up Austria international Daniel Royer from SV Ried for an undisclosed fee.

West Ham have signed Guy Demel from Hamburg. The full-back has signed a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Birmingham have signed former Wrexham defender Jack Deaman on a one-year professional contract.

Peterborough Utd sign striker Emile Sinclair from Macclesfield on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Udinese have signed Uruguay right-back Maximiliano Pereyra on a permanent transfer from River Plate, and goalkeeper Daniele Padelli on a season-long deal from Sampdoria.

AS Roma have completed the signing of centre-back Simon Kjaer on a season-long loan deal from Wolfsburg.

Lille, the French champions have signed Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole on loan for the rest of the season.

Chievo Verona have signed USA midfielder Michael Bradley from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Caglairi have signed 24 year-old Portuguese midfielder Rui Sampaio from Beira Mar.

Newcastle Utd have signed Davide Santon from Internazionale on a 5 year contract, for an undisclosed fee. Last season the the 20 year-old full-back was sent out on loan to Cesena.

Vitesse Arnham have signed Chelsea's 20 year-old midfielder Ulises Dávila for the rest of the season. Dávila only joined The Blues 4 days ago from Mexican side Guadalajara, on a five-year deal.

St Etienne have confirmed the signing of winger Max Gradel from Leeds United on a four-year contract, for a fee of around £2.5 million.

Crystal Palace have extended their loan deal with QPR defender Peter Ramage until January.

Wolfsburg have confirmed that Alexander Hleb has joined the Bundesliga side on loan from Barcelona.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of long-term target Scott Parker from West Ham United for a fee of £5 million.

QPR has joined goalkeeper Tommaso Trani on a two-year deal following his release by AC Milan

Évian TG, the French Ligue 1 club have confirmed the signing of Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen from Liverpool.

Inter Milan have completed the transfer of Diego Forlan from Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Inter have also agreed a loan deal to take Mauro Zarate from Lazio.

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has confirmed that he has lined up a deal for Shamrock Rovers defender Enda Stevens. The 21-year-old is set to join Villa on a three-year deal in January.

Arsenal have signed Brazil defender Andre Santos on a long-term contract from Fenerbahce. The 28-year-old left-back moves to the Emirates for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £6 million.

Swindon have signed West Ham's Saudi Arabian-born striker Ahmed Abdullah, on a six-month loan deal.

Genoa have signed Andrea Caracciolo from Brescia on loan with the view to a permanent deal for €1.6 million.

PSV Eindhoven have signed Slovenian international striker Tim Matavz from Groningen on a 5 years deal.

Scunthorpe have had an undisclosed six-figure bid accepted by Bury for midfielder Damien Mozika.

Watford have completed the signing of Joe Garner from Nottingham Forest on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Hamburg have announced the signing of Croatian international midfielder Ivo Ilicevic from Kaiserslautern on a four-year deal, for a fee in the region €4 million.

Parma have signed Lazio striker Sergio Floccari on loan with a view to a permanent move.

Liverpool have completed the signing of United States Under-18 striker Villyan Bijev from California Odyssey after the youngster impressed on trial.

Fulham have wrapped up the signing of Juventus' Czech Republic defender Zdenek Grygera on an initial one-year contract.

West Ham have confirmed that Tottenham winger David Bentley has joined the club on a season-long loan.

Millwall have captured the permanent signing of Dany N'Guessan from Leicester.

Rotherham have confirmed that Leyton Orient striker Alex Revell has joined The Millers on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Port Vale have completed the loan signing of Rangers youngster Andrew Little on loan until January.

AS Roma have signed Bosnian playmaker Miralem Pjanic from Olympique Lyon for €11 million.

Arsenal have agreed terms with Werder Bremen to sign German international defender Per Mertesacker on a four-year deal for a reporteted £9 million.

Scunthorpe have made their second signing of the day, bringing in Everton defender Shane Duffy on loan for a month.

Blackpool have signed 19-year-old West Brom defender James Hurst on a season-long loan deal.

Brentford have captured Mike Grella on a permanent deal, and he will see out the season at Griffin Park after becoming a free agent.

Rennes have re-signed Morocco international Youssouf Hadji from fellow Ligue 1 outfit Nancy for €1.7million.

Cardiff City have confirmed the signing of defender Ben Turner from Coventry City for a fee of £750,000.

Charlton have confirmed that 19-year-old striker Michael Smith has joined them from Darlington on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.

West Ham confirm the signing of Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury on an initial season-long loan.

Oldham have signed Norwich City midfielder Tom Adeyemi on loan until 3rd January.

Bury have signed Northampton Town striker Shaun Harrad for an undisclosed fee.

AS Roma have confirmed the loan signing of Argentina midfielder Fernando Gago from Real Madrid.

Aldershot Town have signed 19-year-old left-back Jordan Brown on a one-month loan from West Ham.

Wigan have confirmed the signing of Shaun Maloney from Celtic, for a fee of £1 million.

Ajax have signed Russia striker Dmitri Bulykin from Belgian side Anderlecht on a free transfer.

Atalanta, the Serie A newcomers have bolstered their midfield for the coming campaign with a double loan capture, signing Luca Cigarini and Matteo Brighi.

Preston have signed winger Keammar Daley from Jamaican club Tivoli Gardens on a two-year deal.

AC Milan have signed midfielder Antonio Nocerino from Palermo on a five-year deal.

Wigan have signed Chelsea's 21-year-old Dutch left-back Patrick van Aanholt on a season-long loan deal.

Manchester City have confirmed they have signed free-agent Owen Hargreaves on a one-year contract.

Blackpool have signed Sheffield United forward Daniel Bogdanovic on a one-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Rochdale have signed Manchester City midfielder Ahmed Benali on a season-long loan deal.

Celtic have signed Moroccan left-back Badr El Kaddouri on a six-month loan from Dynamo Kiev.

Bolton have completed the signing of Liverpool's French striker David Ngog, for a fee of £4 million.

Bradford have signed former Hull goalkeeper Matt Duke on a two-year deal.

MK Dons have signed Sheffield Wednesday defender Mark Beevers in a loan deal until 31st December.

Bolton have confirmed that they have signed Gael Kakuta from Chelsea on loan until 1st January.

Burnley have signed West Ham striker Junior Stanislas for an undisclosed fee. They have also agreed an undisclosed fee with the Hammers for frontman Zavon Hines, who moved to the Clarets 13 days ago.

Bury have made another signing today, with Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Giles Coke joining on a two-month loan deal.

Hearts have signed midfielder Callum Tapping from Tottenham for a nominal fee. The 18-year-old, has signed a two-year contract with an option of a further 12 months.

Rochdale have signed Peterborough frontman David Ball on a three-month loan deal.

Trabzonspor of Turkey have confirmed the signing of Marek Cech from West Brom for an undisclosed fee.

Leicester City have completed the signing of Everton striker Jermaine Beckford, for a fee which could rise to £4 million.

West Ham have signed Ivory Coast utility man Guy Demel from Hamburg.

Millwall have signed Bournemouth winger Liam Feeney for an undisclosed fee.

Oxford United have completed the signing of Middlesbrough forward Jonathan Franks on loan until 1st January.

Stoke City have announced the capture of midfielder Wilson Palacios from Tottenham, on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £8 million.

Lincoln have signed sign 22-year-old defender Mitchell Nelson on loan from Bournemouth until October.

Oldham have signed former Newcastle striker Shefki Kuqi until the end of the season.

Southend United have signed Swindon midfielder Michael Timlin on loan until January.

QPR complete the signing of Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City.

Blackburn sign defender Scott Dann from Birmingham on a four-year deal, for a fee approaching £8 million.

Liverpool announce that Craig Bellamy has left Manchester City and re-signed for The Reds.

Arsenal sign Yossi Benayoun on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

MK Dons have signed Norwich City midfielder Anthony McNamee on a free transfer.

Birmingham complete the signing of midfielder Wayne Elliott from Burnley for a fee of £500,,000.

Southampton have taken Celtic centre-half Jos Hooiveld on loan.

Chelsea have signed Raul Meireles on a four-year deal, for a fee believed to be in the region of £12 million.

Arsenal have signed Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta, for a fee in the region of £10 million.

Sunderland have signed Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner on a season-long loan.

Blackburn sign Sheffield United striker Jordan Slew. The 18-year-old frontman will cost Rovers an initial £1m.

Millwall have signed Hull City striker Jay Simpson on loan until January.

Birmingham have signed West Brom defender Pablo Ibanez for a fee of £1.5 million.

Aston Villa have captured Spurs full-back Alan Hutton, on a permanent deal until 2015, for a fee in the region £4 million. His North London team-mate Jermaine Jenas has also joined Villa on a season-long loan.

Atletico Madrid have agreed to take Brazil playmaker Diego on loan from Wolfsburg.

Stoke have confirmed the signing of Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome on a four-year deal, for a fee of £4 million.

Everton have confirmed the signing of striker Denis Stracqualursi on a season-long loan from Argentinian side Tigre.

Fulham have completed the free signing of former Porto striker Orlando Sa on a three-year deal.

Hull City have signed Leicester striker Martyn Waghorn on loan until January.

Swansea have re-signed their former left-back Federico Bessone from Leeds on a two-year deal deal.

Blackburn have confirmed the signing of Everton striker Yakubu on a three-year deal, for a fee in the region of £2 million.

Everton have confirmed the signing of Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe on a season-long loan.

West Ham have captured Spurs midfielder David Bentley on a season long loan.

QPR have completed the signing of Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand, for a fee in the region of £4.5 million.

Fulham have signed FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz for a fee of £10.5 million

Stoke have completed the £10 million signing of England and Spurs striker Peter Crouch.

Fantasy Football 2011/12 - The npower Championship

The opening game of 'The Championship' football season kicks-off in just 48 hours, when Hull City host Blackpool, and I have decided to take part in the forthcoming Texaco sponsored Championship Fantasy Football league for the 2011/12 season.

In doing so I shall be pitting my wits against friends and football fans around the country in an attempt to gain some bragging rights, and similarly dent a few egos of those fans who 'believe' they know everything about the second tier of English football.

I shall attempt to keep you updated throughout the season on my progress, good or bad as I suffer like any football manager does by trying to select an initial starting eleven of the best players available, without exceeding my 'fictitious' set budget.

Then as every week passes I will have to cope with injuries, suspensions, players moving clubs, along with 'jettisoning my flops' - those players that promised so much but failed to deliver! Then as the manager of my team I will be responsible for any wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, whilst keeping within my financial means.

Click on this link for the rules on how to pick your team, score points and make transfers.

The 'Team of the Season' for 2010/11 in terms of top points scorers in their respective positions was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Paddy Kenny (QPR).

Defenders - Angel Rangel (Swansea), Ian Harte (Reading, pictured right), Clint Hill (QPR), Ashley Williams (Swansea).

Midfielders - Lewis McGugan (Nottm Forest), Max Gradel (Leeds), Andy King (Leicester), Adel Taarabt (QPR).

Strikers - Danny Graham (Watford), Grant Holt (Norwich).



Here is my team to start the 2011/12 campaign:

Goalkeeper:

Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders:

Ian Evatt (Blackpool, pictured right), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Sean St Ledger (Leicester).

Midfield:

Kevin Nolan (West Ham and Captain), George Boyd (Peterborough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Lee Bowyer (Ipswich).

Strikers:

Rickie Lambert (Southampton, pictured right), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).


If you fancy playing and you want to prove you know the most about the beautiful game then go head-to-head with your friends, work colleagues or family by logging onto Texaco Fantasy Football and sign up right away.

It's free to play and there's plenty up for grabs including: npower Championship Play-off Final tickets, VIP 'behind the scenes' experiences at your favourite npower Championship club, Texaco fuel vouchers, signed shirts, mini-footballs, and even the chance to meet your club's manager!

If you miss the opening match deadline (the new season gets underway at 19:45 on Friday 5th August), don't worry just join the league as soon as you can. Remember the competition is not won in the first week of the season, but in May of next year.

Good Luck!

Stoke out for revenge against West Ham - FA Cup Betting News with Betfred

versus

West Ham United have turned things around in recent weeks, and they will be looking to replicate their recent Premier League form when they meet Stoke City in an intriguing FA Cup quarter-final tie this Sunday, but the hosts could be out for revenge.

The Hammers steamrollered Stoke 3-0 at Upton Park last weekend, in a Premier League fixture thanks to goals from Demba Ba, Manuel da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger and anyone making football predictions may fancy The Hammers to do the business once more.

But it could be a lot different in the FA Cup as the Brittania Stadium is a notoriously difficult place to win at, and West Ham have been fragile on the road this term, with just two league wins all season.

The football odds compilers make Stoke 11/10 to win the cup tie, and it's worth noting The Potters have yet to lose in front of their home fans since the turn of the year. In 2011 they have won three and drawn one of four Premier League games at the Brittania Stadium, but their away form not unlike that of West Ham's has been pretty dire, and that could go some way to explaining the recent rout at Upton Park.

Tony Pulis has already confirmed that Thomas Sorensen will play in goal and he could make a number of other changes for the FA Cup clash, which could make 13/5 for a West Ham victory look somewhat more tempting.

Up until a few weeks ago, it was West Ham's cup successes that had helped to save Avram Grant from the 'revolving door.' However the London side are facing a huge relegation battle, and there is always the fear the FA Cup can be more of a distraction than a blessing.

West Ham's defence has looked suspect on several occasions this season. That coupled with the loud Staffordshire home support, a big powerful Stoke attack and those legendary Rory Delap long throws will test West Ham's resilience to the core.

Stoke star Glenn Whelan reckons the crowd could be the preverbial 12th man for City, and help give them an edge to exact some measure of revenge on the Hammers for the league result.

He told BBC Radio Stoke: "We're on our home patch, that's where we're solid and hopefully that's what we'll be on Sunday.
If we can get right at them in the first five or ten minutes, I'm sure the crowd will be right behind us."

The resurgence at West Ham means they are now a vastly superior team to the one they were only a few months ago when they recorded a 1-1 draw at the Brittania Stadium thanks to a goal from, who else, their captain and talisman Scott Parker.

This is the second successive weekend that these clubs are meeting, and the fourth time they will have locked horns this season. Stoke are yet to win!

But a wounded Stoke are going to be a dangerous animal, and one the travelling Hammers need to ensure they don't take lightly.

My Tip of the Week:

Stoke look like they are going to be too strong for West Ham, but it should be a tight game unlike the Upton Park clash. With this in mind, odds of 2/1 for under 1.5 goals in the game looks a good bet.
I also fancy Stoke's fit again Matthew Etherington to get on the scoresheet against his former club. He is 10/1 to be first goalscorer and 11/4 to score at anytime with Betfred.

Sunday 27th March: Stoke City v West Ham, kick-off 2pm, live on ITV1.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

Maverick Mal - A Short Biography of Malcolm Allison

Malcolm Allison was born in Dartford, Kent on the 5th September 1927.

'Big Mal' became one of British football's most colourful, charismatic and controversial characters to have ever graced the game, as well as being an incredibly innovative coach of his era.

His naturally flamboyant, outspoken and brazen nature made him the maverick character that he indeed was.

He played football for Erith & Belvedere before signing for Charlton Athletic in 1945.
He only played two first-team games for the club before Ted Fenton signed him for West Ham United for a fee of £7,000 in February 1951.

Allison had a poor relationship with Ted Fenton and openly described Fenton as a "useless manager."
The under pressure Fenton eventually agreed that Malcolm Allison should take over the training sessions, where he in turn he acted as mentor to a young Bobby Moore. He introduced all-day training which included weights in the afternoons. In fact he more or less ran the playing side of things, and the fans enjoyed the style of football introduced by Allison.

His playing career was cut short when on 16th September 1957, at the age of 30 Allison was taken ill after a game against Sheffield United. Doctors discovered he was suffering from tuberculosis and he had to have a lung removed. He made well over 200 appearances in his time with the East London club.

Allison took on a coaching role at Cambridge University, and moved into management at non-league Bath City in 1963. His moderate success at Bath City had alerted a number of Football League clubs, and in May 1964 he took up the position of manager of Plymouth Argyle. He soon returned to Bath to sign full-back Tony Book. However, Allison knew the Plymouth board would be reluctant to permit the purchase of a player with no League experience, who was approaching his thirtieth birthday. Allison encouraged Book to doctor his birth certificate, making him appear two years younger.

However all his trophy wining success in English football was crammed into a four year spell at Manchester City in the late 1960's.
Joe Mercer was named City manager in July 1965, but due to poor health Mercer sought a younger, energetic man to be his assistant. He offered the position to Allison, who he knew from coaching courses at Lilleshall.

The Mercer-Allison era is believed to be strongest in Manchester City's history. Renowned for a free-flowing style of football, developed by Allison in their first season City they won the Second Division championship. Two years later (1967-68) they won the First Division league title. The club won the FA Cup (1969), the League Cup (1970) and European Cup-Winners Cup (1971).
Allison was also responsible for introducing a red and black away kit because he wanted his side to look like AC Milan.

The following year Allison took over from Mercer as manager of the club, with a team including such greats as Bell, Summerbee and Lee.

City nearly won the League in Allison's first full season but lost key matches after the balance of the side was disrupted by the signing of the flamboyant Rodney Marsh, along with Allison's repeated desire to tinker with the side to little effect.
Although Allison resigned the following year he had left a lasting impression. It was said that during his time at City, "His influence was felt throughout the club and his approach was refreshing. His charisma and style brought excitement to sixties Manchester."

On the 31st March 1973 Allison was appointed manager of Crystal Palace. Despite his arrival the Eagles were relegated, losing five out of their last seven games.

Malcolm immediately instigated a huge stylistic shift both on and off the field, raising Palace's profile with his charismatic media appearances, rebranding the club’s rather homely nickname ‘The Glaziers’ as ‘The Eagles’ and ending the club’s 68-year association with claret and blue kits. Palace’s highly recognisable red and blue striped home kit was introduced, and later, the all-white strip with red and blue sash, changes which still reflect in the character of the club today.

The following season (1974-75)was even more disastrous because of a second successive relegation.

However the 1975-76 was Allison's most successful season at Selhurst Park as he spurred his side onto a fantastic FA Cup run. Brilliant victories against higher league opposition in the shape of Leeds United, Chelsea and Sunderland lead to the club's first ever FA Cup semi-final. Palace lost the semi-final to eventual winners Southampton at Stamford Bridge, with Allison resembling a Chicago gangster in his fur or sheepskin coat, 'lucky' fedora hat, and a cigar never far away.
With the team failing to reach Wembley and win promotion Allison resigned in May 1976.

Despite two successive relegations during his tenure, Palace supporters will always remember the mid 1970s as the era of FA Cup runs and Allison's fedora hat. His period at the helm of 'The Eagles' was not the most successful but during his time in charge the seeds were sown for the success that would follow under Terry Venables.

Much in line with his flamboyant persona, his career was shrouded in numerous controversies. His outspoken nature and 'laddish womanising antics' were ideal for the tabloids but nothing topped Allison's decision in 1976 to invite the famous porn star Fiona Richmond to Palace's Park Langley training ground for a photo shoot with a cameraman from the News of the World.

Richmond went in goal while Palace's slightly bemused but uncomplaining players took penalties at her, and the session ended with the club's goalkeeper Paul Hammond covering the former Playboy model in mud.

But that was just the start of it. Moments later, Richmond appeared in the dressing rooms wearing only a fur coat, which she promptly whipped off before jumping in the players' communal bath, along with Allison.


Then Crystal Palace player, Terry Venables later said of the incident, "I was in the bath with all the players and we heard the whisper that she was coming down the corridor." So far, so good. "We all leapt out and hid, because we knew there'd be photos and that wouldn't go down too well. Malcolm and Fiona dropped everything and got in the bath."

Allison received a Football Association disrepute charge after a photograph was published in the News of the World showing him in the Crystal Palace players' bath with the porn star.

Among Big Mal's 'other women' were Roger Moore's ex-wife Dorothy Squires, 1950's movie legend Jane Russell, Profumo scandal hooker Christine Keeler, two Miss UK's! and a Playboy Club employee called Serena Williams!

After Palace, Allison had short managerial stints at Galatasaray in Turkey, and back at Plymouth before Allison returned to Manchester City as manager in 1979. It was an unmitigated disaster and he left for Palace again in 1980.
Stints with a number of other clubs never saw Allison scale those giddy City heights again, apart from a golden period out of the British spotlight where he won the Portuguese league and cup with Sporting Lisbon.
Allison’s final spell in management came at Bristol Rovers in the early 1990's, where he introduced a tactical concept called the 'Whirl' which involved players regularly swapping positions on the field of play.

Allison settled into semi-retirement as a radio pundit on Teeside, despite being 'accidentally' caught on air using an array of expletives!

With his enthusiasm for expansive football, Allison would have made a fine director of coaching at the FA, but his extravagant lifestyle seemed to colour his approach to club management - he couldn't be left alone with a chequebook!
He remains the only English football manager to have published an autobiography that sounds like a psychedelic LP, 'Colours of My Life.'

Sadly his health is in decline. In 2001 it was revealed by his son that Allison was suffering from alcoholism, and he is now in a care home suffering from Alzheimer’s. It's a heart-rending end for one of football's greatest entertainers.

As a football manager, he was moderate, his achievements as a coach far outweighing his titles as a number one.

But as a PR guru, he was simply peerless!





Friday 15th October 2010, only four days after writing my short biography on Malcolm Allison -
I am truly saddened to say that today Malcolm Allison passed away, aged 83.
God bless you 'Big Mal' and may your rest in peace.

Betting Scams - Rigging Football Matches

Upton Park, 4th November 1997, Crystal Palace are leading West Ham United 2-1 when in the 65th minute Frank Lampard collects the ball on the edge of the penalty area and drills home a well-earned equaliser.

Seconds later, as the West Ham players celebrate, the ground decends into darkness as, inexplicably, the floodlighs fail.
A quarter of an hour later, two of the floodlights on the North Stand flicker into life before going out once more. With the ground in darkness the referee David Elleray has no option but to abandon the game.

A month later at Selhurst Park, Wimbledon (who were ground sharing with Crystal Palace at the time) were holding Arsenal to a draw, when precisely the same thing occurred. Selhurst Park's floodlights died after just 13 seconds of the second half. On this occasion, engineers managed to restart them just 12 minutes later, only for them to go out again - this time permanently - while the players were warming up to go back on. Referee Dermot Gallagher immediately called the game off.

Again, nobody had the faintest notion of what happened. No one suspected anything suspicious, after all electrical problems did happen, and in the darkness fixing them quickly was almost impossible, so there was no option but to abandon the matches. So the blame was laid squarely at the feet of shoddy maintenance and dodgy wiring.

It would be two years before police finally uncovered what really occurred during those games and, when they did, they found a scam so devious that it stood to make the operators millions of pounds whenever they felt like putting it into practice!

The man behind it was Wai Yuen Liu, who Police suspected of having links with the Triad gangs of Hong Kong. Based in London, Liu was a notorious gambler and convicted credit card fraudster, and was the first point of contact for the syndicates in the Far East. With the help of two Malaysian henchmen, Liu set about targeting games that would reap the biggest dividends for the syndicate back home.

After their successes at Upton Park and Selhurst Park, the gang set about rigging the Premiership game between Charlton and Liverpool at The Valley. But first they needed a a contact at the ground.
They eventually approached Roger Firth, a 49 year-old security guard who had been working there for four years. With the promise of £20,000 in cash for his co-operation, the syndicate had now secured guaranteed access to the ground's power supply.
It only took a couple of hours to install a device capable of picking up a radio signal into the circuit controlling the flow of power to the lights. The device could then be used to switch off the lights using a hand-held remote control, similar to that used to open and close garage doors.

Under British betting rules, a match is considered void and all stakes are returned if it does not reach full-time. The crucial difference in betting legislation in the Far East is that if the game is abandoned after half-time, the result at the time of abandonment stands as the final score........and this is how the syndicate planned to make their millions, by stopping games in the second-half, when the scoreline stood at a point which would allow them to make the most possible money.

The syndicate's activities may have remained undetected, but for a loss of nerve on the part of security guard Firth. Firth still feared officials at The Valley might rumble the gang, and things fell apart when he tried to bribe another security guard. It was the man Firth tried to bribe that contacted the police.

As their investigation progressed, the police discovered a working remote control device in the car used by the men at Charlton and a further eight devices in their possession. The idea that 11 matches - each capable at the time of generating up to £30million - could be interfered with, gives you some idea of the kind of money they stood to make.

When the case came to trial in August 1999, Chee Kew Ong, a Malaysian businessman and Ena Hwa Lim, a Malaysian electronics engineer were both sentenced to four years imprisonment, while Wai Yuen Liu received a 30 month sentence. Roger Firth meanwhile, got 18 months.

Although it affected Asian betting, it thankfully left no slur or question mark on English football, and precautions were put in place to ensure it couldn’t happen again. It must be said, the Malaysian syndicate did not at any point make any attempt to subvert players to influence the scores.