football !!

Robinho has told Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini he wants to play in either Italy or Spain after rejecting the chance to join Fenerbahce.

The 26-year-old Brazil international, who went out on loan to Santos last season, looks increasingly likely to leave Eastlands.

Turkish side Fenerbahce have apparently been knocked back in their attempts to secure the former Real Madrid forward's services and there is also interest from elsewhere.

Mancini said: "Robinho has two or three options. When he chooses, we will then know where he wants to go.

"I have spoken with Robinho and he can stay if he works well and trains well. I have a good relationship with him. But I think he wants to play in Italy or Spain."

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Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has claimed England will never win while under-fire boss Fabio Capello is in charge of the national side.

Capello today awoke to another wave of criticism in the tabloids, with the Sun branding him a "donkey", and Mourinho has added his voice to the onslaught.

"The problem is the manager," Mourinho said in the Daily Mirror. "Capello will not work for England."

Capello is one of Mourinho's numerous predecessors at Real Madrid, a club the Portuguese coach says still remembers his managerial flaws.

"He has a one-track relationship with players," he said. "Ask anyone here at Real Madrid. He can't change. You cannot go around just shouting at players. They need to feel special.

"It is clear. Capello will not work for England. He does not know the players. They are frightened of him and they can't play for him.

"For me, it is a mess for England. Players need clear tactics. They cannot be confused about what they have to do. It is the manager's fault. And it is a big shame."

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Werder Bremen are closing in on the signing of former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre.

The 33-year-old is a free agent after leaving the Gunners in the summer.

"We are in promising talks, it looks like Silvestre is coming to us," Bremen sporting director Klaus Allofs told Kicker.

 

The refree of the FIFA world cup 2010 final said:

Case closed. Wasn´t it?

 

After two slightly disappointing performances by West Ham ( :lol: ), I remain fully confident that the next two games against perennial under-performers ManU and Chelsea ( ) will result in solid, convincing wins for Grant and the new gang.

:eh:

 

The guy I work with is a West Ham fan. Its fun being able to make fun of him and his team ALL season. I expect them to give away at least 10 goals between the two games

 

AC Milan have signed Robinho from Manchester City on a permanent deal, the Italian club have announced on their official website.

The Brazil forward, 26, was unsettled at Eastlands and spent the second half of last season on loan at Santos.

A statement from AC Milan read: "AC Milan announces it has acquired player Robinho on a permanent deal from Manchester City.

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Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart have confirmed the signing of experienced midfielder Mauro Camoranesi from Italian giants Juventus.

The Italian had been linked with a move to a British club this summer but Stuttgart have won the race for his signature.

Camoranesi has inked a one-year deal with the German side, ending his eight-year stay with the Old Lady.

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Klaas Jan Huntelaar has become the first big-name player to make a deadline-day move, joining Schalke for £13million euros from AC Milan.

The Holland international, 27, joins former Real Madrid team-mate Raul, who signed earlier this summer, at the Gelsenkirchen.

Schalke boss Felix Magath told Bild newspaper: "Negotiations were tougher than expected. I am happy to have Klaas Jan. He will help us."

Huntelaar has failed to fully establish himself at first Real and then Milan since leaving Ajax in January 2009, scoring 15 goals in 50 appearances in that time.

But he was prolific during his time in Amsterdam, finding the net 80 times in 104 games after joining from Eerstedivisie side AGOVV Apeldoorn.

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Former Spain striker Fernando Morientes has announced his retirement from football as he wants to have more free time with his family.

The 34-year-old spent last season at French champions Marseille.

Morientes will now move into a job in Spanish television, where he will commentate on Europa League matches and Euro 2012 qualifiers.

He told radio station Cope in an interview reported in Tuesday's edition of Spanish newspaper Marca: "After 17 years of top-level football... I want to spend more time with my family."

Morientes became a star at Real Madrid, where he won three Champions League titles (1998, 2000 and 2002) and two La Liga titles (2001 and 2003).

He joined Liverpool in 2005, but his time at Anfield proved to be disappointing and a 2006 move to Valencia followed before he switched to Marseille.

Morientes also scored 27 goals in 47 games for Spain between 1998 and 2007.

 

Tottenham have confirmed the £8million signing of Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid after the Premier League approved the deal.

Spurs had been sweating on clearance to bring the 27-year-old to White Hart Lane after technical difficulties hampered their efforts to submit the relevant paperwork for the move before Tuesday's 6pm transfer deadline.

But after investigating the club's claims that there were difficulties involving computer servers used in the transaction between themselves and Real, the Premier League ratified the signing.

The Premier League said in a statement: "The Premier League can confirm the transfer of Rafael van der Vaart's registration from Real Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur."

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Former Hoffenheim goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand has signed a contract with Portuguese giants Sporting until June 2013.

The seven-time Germany international has moved to Portugal on a Bosman transfer after he had cancelled his contract with Hoffenheim in the summer.

Hildebrand, 31, is excited by the challenge of playing for Europa League participants Sporting.

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Eidur Gudjohnsen has moved to Stoke on a permanent one-year deal, not on a season-long loan as first thought.

The 31-year-old Iceland striker sealed a switch to the Potters on transfer deadline day as manager Tony Pulis added a number of new players to his squad.

Stoke become Gudjohnsen's fourth Premier League club, having had previous spells with Bolton, Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as stints at Barcelona and Monaco.

 

Some good news on the Vuvuzelas front in the European competitions at least.

BERNE (Reuters) – Vuvuzelas have been kicked out of European competitions after UEFA said that the controversial plastic trumpets drowned out supporters and detracted from the emotion of the game.

The plastic horns became a hallmark of the World Cup in South Africa, producing a monotonous droning sound, often likened to a swarm of bees, which provided a backdrop for every match.

Goto:

Vuvuzelas banned from European soccer competition - Yahoo! News

 

Pep Guardiola admitted Barcelona were well below their best in their surprise 2-0 defeat at home to newly-promoted outfit Hercules on Saturday.

Barca dominated proceedings early on, but went behind to a goal from Paraguay forward Nelson Haedo Valdez after 26 minutes.

The South American, making his debut for the visitors, added a brilliant second on the hour and there was no way back for Barcelona.

"I congratulate Hercules. They came here and played well. They made it difficult for us and they got their reward," Guardiola said.

But the Barca coach admits his side produced an off-colour performance in their first home match of the Primera Division campaign.

"We lacked our usual fluidity. There are so many details we can improve on. We'll have a look at it and try to overcome it. We have overcome so many things since I've been here and we will again," he said.

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Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren admitted that the "pressure is mounting" after his third straight defeat in charge of the Bundesliga club.

The 2-0 defeat in Dortmund completed the Wolves' worst ever start to a Bundesliga season and McClaren knows that he must turn things around quickly.

"I knew that it was going to be hard to start with, but it is harder than I thought," he admitted.

"The pressure is mounting."

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After the 1-1 draw at home to Blackburn, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes the next six matches could shape the club's season.

Despite investing millions in the summer, City are struggling to make an impact and have collected only one win in four league games.

A club who view the Champions League arena as the next step are already seven points behind leaders Chelsea.

The teams are due to meet at Eastlands a week on Saturday - one of a number of crucial games, according to Mancini.

City also face Wigan and Newcastle in the league as well as Salzburg on Thursday in the Europa League, then Juventus.

In addition they have a Carling Cup tie against West Brom to contend with before the international break in October.

 

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola claims his side will struggle to play better than in their 5-1 win over Panathinaikos in the Champions League.

Having lost 2-0 at home to promoted side Hercules in the Primera Division on Saturday, Barca were back to their brilliant best against the Greek champions.

Lionel Messi scored twice, set up two more for Pedro and Dani Alves, and also saw a second-half penalty saved by Panathinaikos keeper Alexandros Tvorzas.

David Villa scored Barca's other goal - his first for the Catalan club in the Champions League - on a happy night at the Nou Camp.

And Guardiola, who saw his side go behind after 20 minutes, was delighted.

"It's difficult to play as well as we did today," he said after the match.

"It was an extraordinary game and we gave a great image of ourselves- that's the way we have to play."

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Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish has admitted he wanted to replace Rafa Benitez at Anfield before the appointment of Roy Hodgson.

Dalglish was player-manager at Anfield between 1985 and 1991 and he was the last man to bring the championship to the club.

The 59-year-old felt the time was right for Benitez to leave and he revealed he put himself forward to replace the Spaniard at the helm.

However, Liverpool rejected Dalglish's overtures and moved instead for former Fulham chief Hodgson to take charge at Anfield and the Scot admits he was disappointed to be overlooked for the job.

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Zlatan making friends again....

YouTube - Zlatan Ibrahimovic kicks a teammate on milans training!

 

Cristiano Ronaldo's fortuitous goal proved decisive as Real Madrid won 2-1 away to Real Sociedad, their second victory in three La Liga games.

After a goalless first half on Saturday night, Argentina winger Angel Di Maria gave the visitors the lead when he cut in from the left and curled a superb shot into the far top corner.

Raul Tamudo equalised with his thigh from Antoine Griezmann's free-kick but Ronaldo's deflected free-kick 16 minutes from time sealed the points.

Mourinho was full of praise for promoted Sociedad after the game, saying: "In the first half La Real [Sociedad] deserved to win and in the second Madrid were better. For me, the fairest thing would have been a draw.

"They were alive right until the end, they are a team with good character and with a stadium that helps them a lot.

"I said that it was going to be the most difficult game that we had played yet and the game proved me right. La Real are a very difficult opponent and my players have had character and have known how to react and battle and we've picked up three golden points.

"We'll see if many teams leave here with three points this season. La Real, for what they have done, a point would've been a fair reward for them."

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Sir Alex Ferguson has told Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier he would be "wasting his time" trying to sign Michael Owen from Manchester United.

Houllier revealed earlier in the week that he would welcome the opportunity to work with Owen again following their successful time together at Liverpool.

Owen's lack of regular action for United prompted suggestions that the 30-year-old could be on his way to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

However, Red Devils boss Ferguson is not planning to let the forward leave and has reassured Owen he will feature enough this season.

"I'm not aware of Gerard wanting him but, anyway, he's wasting his time there," Ferguson told The People.

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Shay Given feels he has no chance of getting off the bench at Manchester City and will ask to be loaned out in January if that does not change.

Joe Hart, who has become England's first choice since the World Cup, spent last season on loan at Birmingham City but he has taken over from Given since returning to Eastlands.

The Irish goalkeeper is not exactly jumping for joy about that.

"It's very, very frustrating. I know it doesn't matter what I do on the training pitch, I won't be playing at the weekend. If I'm flying around like Clark Kent in goals, I still won't play on Saturday. That can be demoralising," he told the Sunday Times.

A move away from the club before the transfer window closed was vetoed by City, but Given is not prepared to sit on the bench.

"The club said I wasn't going anywhere and that was frustrating," he said.

"We'll see what happens come January and hopefully if the situation's the same I can go on loan and try and get some games in.

 

West Brom claimed a stunning 3-2 win at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday, while Sunderland held Liverpool 2-2 and Chelsea were beaten.

Manchester City ripped up Chelsea's 100% record with a 1-0 win over the Premier League champions at Eastlands in Saturday afternoon's early kick-off.

A largely uninspiring early kick-off was settled by City captain Carlos Tevez, who drove at the Chelsea defence before unleashing a 20-yard strike which beat Petr Cech just before the hour mark.

The result brings to an end the leaders' five-match winning streak and draws Roberto Mancini's team level on points with Arsenal and Manchester United.

Arsenal's unbeaten run also came to an end at the Emirates Stadium, where they slipped to a shock 3-2 defeat to Roberto Di Matteo's Baggies.

Chris Brunt missed a first-half penalty before Peter Odemwingie and Gonzalo Jara put the Baggies 2-0 up, the second goal coming courtesy of a gaffe by Gunners stopper Manuel Almunia. Former Arsenal man Jerome Thomas scored a third with 20 minutes left before Samir Nasri pulled two back for Arsene Wenger's men, who suffered their first home defeat since January.

Steven Gerrard's second-half equaliser prevented Liverpool from succumbing to their third defeat in seven days as they had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Sunderland at Anfield.

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Valencia won at Sporting Gijon to go top of the Primera Liga table after Real Madrid drew at Levante, while Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao.

Real Madrid relinquished top spot in the table after Jose Mourinho's side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at promoted Levante.

Real striker Gonzalo Higuain saw a goal disallowed for offside before Sergio Ramos blazed over at the far post just before the interval.

The visitors spent the second period camped in Levante's half and substitute Karim Benzema went close with a shot that Manuel Reina almost spilled into his own net, while Pedro Leon fired over and also saw a shot parried by the home goalkeeper.

 

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea claims to be fully focused on Los Rojiblancos, amid reports linking him with Manchester United.

The teenage keeper is regarded as one of Europe's hottest properties, having made the step up into the spotlight at Atletico with consummate ease.

Having been drafted into the first-team fold in January, the 19-year-old quickly became a mainstay in a side which tasted Europa League glory.

His rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed by some of the world's biggest clubs, with demand for such talent always high.

United, and Spanish giants Barcelona, are reported to be among those monitoring De Gea, with Sir Alex Ferguson in attendance for Atletico's 1-1 draw with Valencia last week.

The official line from the Red Devils was that their boss was in Spain to run an eye over Champions League opponents Valencia, but it has been suggested that he also took the opportunity to track a possible transfer target.

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Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, who is out of contract next summer, has been linked with a switch to Italian giants Juventus.

South Africa international Pienaar, 28, is yet to sign a new deal at Goodison Park and was linked with a move to Premier League rivals Tottenham last summer.

Everton boss David Moyes could decide to sell the player in January rather than lose him on a free transfer in July.

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Carlos Tevez acknowledges Manchester City must improve their results against the league's lesser teams in order to challenge for the title.

Roberto Mancini's side proved they can go toe-to-toe with the Premier League's best following a 1-0 success over red-hot Chelsea on Saturday.

However, the win has only moved City within four points of the leaders having lost against Sunderland and dropped points in games with Blackburn and Tottenham.

Tevez feels his team-mates raise their game against the big boys and that, in order to take their form to the next level, they need to improve their intensity and concentration against the weaker teams.

"We always play very well against the big teams but the important thing now is we concentrate and play the same game against the smaller teams," said Tevez.

"If we can do that it will take us to the next level."

 

Leicester City have confirmed the appointment of former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson as the club's new manager on a two-year contract.

The Championship club sacked Paulo Sousa on Friday and have moved quickly to fill the vacancy by bringing in Eriksson.

Eriksson was in the stands on Saturday to watch Leicester move off the bottom of the table thanks to a 3-1 victory over Scunthorpe United at the Walkers Stadium.

The ex-Lazio and Manchester City manager has now been confirmed as Sousa's successor and he is looking forward to the challenge.

"I am extremely pleased to be the new manager of Leicester City," Eriksson told the club's official website.

"This challenge provides great motivation for me and I look forward to working with the players, meeting the supporters and hopefully achieving great success for Leicester City.

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Emile Heskey has rejected the chance to temporarily end his retirement from international football and solve an England striker crisis.

Heskey announced his decision to quit playing for his country in the aftermath of England's disappointing World Cup campaign.

Capello wanted the Aston Villa player to shelve those plans for the Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro at Wembley on October 12.

Heskey has been in fine form for Villa and is relishing playing under his former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier.

Capello watched him score the winner with a superb header against Wolves at Molineux on Sunday in what was his first Premier League start for six months.

But Heskey has informed Capello's lieutenant Franco Baldini of his intention to stick with his original decision.

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Sir Alex Ferguson pronounced himself content with a draw after seeing Manchester United survive a first-half battering at Sunderland.

The Red Devils battled their way to a 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light with keeper Edwin van der Sar making a vital save from Steed Malbranque and Bolo Zenden hitting a post as the Black Cats dominated before the break.

Either side might have snatched victory at the death, but Ferguson was happy enough with a point on Wearside, their fourth successive Premier League draw on the road.

He said: "Sunderland had the most chances in the game and I have to say we were fantastic defensively.

"That's the area in which we have been leaking goals and throwing games away this season, so I am pleased with that.

"It was a very determined Sunderland team, their home record this season has been very, very good, so I am not pleased but I am satisfied."

Asked about his side's failure to date to win a league game on the road, Ferguson said: "It's a concern, the first three.

"I can't class today's as a disappointment because we had to battle to get the point today.

"But we have thrown the other three away."

 

West Ham scores a stunning defeat over Tottenham week before last.

West Ham plays a solid game to a draw with unbeaten Fulham this past weekend.

End result?

Back at the very bottom of the Premier League table.

Boy, I sure do know how to pick teams to root for!

Hey, the Red Sox finally won a world series in superb fashion... about 8 years after I started following them. So, figure about 6-10 years from now, West Ham will be at the top of the Premier League!
You heard it here first!

(And probably nowhere else!)

 

Liverpool's prospective new owners have promised to rid the club of their debts and restore the Reds to their "rightful place" in football.

New England Sports Ventures (NESV) said they will remove all "acquisition debt" from Liverpool - some £200million - if their takeover is successful.

The owners of the Boston Red Sox also confirmed their £300million bid had been accepted by Liverpool's board.

Whether it is successful depends on the High Court's ruling on a legal challenge by current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who are facing a £144million loss and are claiming the board do not have the power to accept the offer against their wishes.

A statement from NESV said: "NESV wants to create a long-term financially solid foundation for Liverpool FC and is dedicated to ensuring that the club has the resources to build for the future, including the removal of all acquisition debt.

"Our objective is to stabilise the club and ultimately return Liverpool FC to its rightful place in English and European football, successfully competing for and winning trophies."

NESV are principally owned by John W Henry and have been credited with restoring the fortunes of the Boston Red Sox.

 

Heard about that bit yesterday. Interesting indeed. This ownership group has been very good for the Red Sox, so hopefully they'll bring that same level of ownership to Liverpool.

 

Just another case of unlimited supply of money to buy players (hello ManCity?).

 

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt fears history could repeat itself if his side does not start winning soon.

Bayern have picked up just eight points from the first seven Bundesliga games of the season and are already 13 points adrift of the summit.

Butt was part of the Bayer Leverkusen team which, after finishing runners up in the league, the cup and in the Champions League in 2002, only just avoided relegation the following season and he can already see parallels between the two situations.

"Not only were we in the Champions League final with Leverkusen, but we also had very many players in the summer of 2002 at the World Cup," recalled the Bayern custodian.

"Those efforts and successes certainly played a role over the course of the season."

"We have got to find solutions and find them quickly. The situation is dramatic."

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Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti would welcome Kaka to the Nerazzurri with open arms.

The Real Madrid star has been linked with a return to Serie A since the summer, with Inter reportedly keen to acquire his services.

"Kaka is a great champion and, if he comes, he will reinforce an already strong group," said Zanetti. "We would be happy to have him. He would be received with open arms just like any other champion."

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Manchester City and Argentina striker Carlos Tevez claims he has grown disillusioned with football and could quit the game at any time.

Tevez has revealed that the stresses of life as a Premier League performer are taking their toll on his body and mind.

He may only be 26, but the City ace claims his distinguished career to date has left him drained.

"I have been playing many games this season, and my body is feeling it. I am tired," the South American superstar said in the News of the World.

"I started to play when I was really young and I have always fought so much but now I'm feeling the effort.

"I'm an old guy now, and I started to think about some stuff. For example, I am less tolerant as a person today than I was a few years ago. "

"Let me tell you I am not enjoying the life of a footballer."

 

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes an early season chat with Dimitar Berbatov has helped get the best out of the Bulgarian.

"I just had a word with him at the start of the campaign," said Ferguson.

"I told him: 'Look, only you can solve this conundrum. You're the one in control here. You've got fantastic ability and you need to realise that ability and make the most of it. We'll be here to support you'.

"And he's started the season in terrific form for us. Dimitar has been, without doubt, our star forward."

Ferguson feels any player signed by United generally needs time to adapt to the club.

"When you bring a player to Manchester United, not everybody takes to the situation straight away.

"Not all signings become hits overnight.

"Valencia did, of course, but he's almost an exception. Others take time, and Dimitar was a bit like that. It's just a fact.

"Nobody's ever doubted the ability of the lad, but what we're seeing now is a striker who's playing with belief and confidence.

"All strikers are massively reliant on those two factors - belief and confidence.

"And at the moment Berbatov has both."

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Henrik Larsson admits the biggest regret of his career was snubbing Sir Alex Ferguson's pleas for him to stay longer at Manchester United.

"If there is one regret I have from my career, it is that I came home to Sweden when Mr Ferguson was trying to get me to stay at Manchester United," Larsson told fifa.com.

"I should have stayed at United for longer because I had a great time there and everyone at the club was very keen to keep me. My time there was too short.

"The whole experience was fantastic and, although I was 35 at the time, I still felt that I had some good football in me. That is a regret."

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Bayern Munich striker Miroslav Klose has admitted he could imagine playing for another German Bundesliga club, saying: "I'm open to anything."

The 32-year-old believes it would be wrong to rule out the possibility of leaving the Allianz Arena.

"I am open to anything: whether I get a contract extension or change clubs, I can see myself playing for another club in the Bundesliga," Klose told Bild.

"The important thing for me is to remain playing internationally, as playing at Euro 2012 is my goal."

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Inter Milan have suffered a double injury blow with the news Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso will be out of action for around three weeks.

Striker Milito and midfielder Cambiasso suffered thigh muscle strains whilst on international duty for Argentina as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat in Japan on Friday.

It is likely that head coach Rafa Benitez will be without the pair for the Champions League home game against Tottenham on 20 October and at least three Serie A matches against Cagliari, Sampdoria and Genoa.

 

Oh no.....

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Liverpool's ownership war will return to the High Court in London on Thursday after the Premier League team's American owners used the US courts to prevent the sale of the club.

The High Court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by Tom Hicks and George Gillett to block the club's English directors decision to sell Liverpool to the owners of baseball's Boston Red Sox.

The ruling cleared the way for the board to agree a 300 million pound (475 million dollar) takeover by John W Henry's New England Sports Ventures (NESV).

But before the board could finalise the sale, Hicks secured a temporary restraining order from a Texas court and the case will now go before High Court judge Christopher Floyd again on Thursday.

Liverpool takeover battle back in High Court - Yahoo! News