*******Villa Star Barry hands in Transfer Request!********

Bidding has already started after the shock news that G_Barry has handed a transfer request into manger Craig Johnson. He added that he believes that the recent team performances are ruining his chances of making the national side.

The team have had a relatively poor run of results, which can only be put down to the manager of the month curse!

Check out the latest on the post that i have submitted on the forum or e-mail with any offers.

Wolves boss imc was more than happy with his sides

1-1 draw with Chelsea "although it was a game where both sides had nothing to gain it was important that we were committed and continued to build on our good form,confidence is high and we are taking each game very seriously!!! right i,m off down the pub to get bladdered" the wolves boss waved his hand and left.

Arsenal kept it's streak of unbeatens alive, although for the moment as Liverpool present a daunting task in the League this week, with a bend but not break 1-0 victory over upstarts Watford. Indeed Frail may have been looking for a bridge to jump off of rather than celebrating if his gamble didn't pay off. Frail sat ace keeper Jerzy Dudek and opted to insert former England U-21 International Stuart Taylor between the pipes. In addition, with a less game savvy keeper in net, Frail risked by only starting 4 defenders, a major change from the normal 5-man defensive unit that Arsenal fields for matches.

The result was a rather boring affair that saw the Gunners claim their 11th straight decision resulting in points, and having the Highbury side remain undefeated going back into League play where they are likely up against their biggest test yet, in the form of Liverpool. 9 wins and 2 draws have seen the Gunners become a marked team, especially by preseason Premiership favoured Liverpool. Frail has guided his club to success against the Reds before, but in all those cases Arsenal was the underdog and Liverpool was the marked team.

Arsenal are still the underdog, but have made themselves the marked team. Liverpool have come good with five wins on the trot after some early season stumbles. Sleep will be a luxury this week for the coaching staff at Highbury. The League is not on the line at this early stage of the season, but Gunners fans dream of ultimate outcome this week would be at least managing a point against the Reds, and then seeing the Spurs throw a wrench into the Man United machine with a draw at the very least.

"This doesn't determine the League at all," says Frail, "But for Arsenal, victory puts more pressure on the chasing pack. Make no mistake, I would much rather maintain or increase the four-point cushion, but at the worst the lead is back to 1 point as we start into the second leg and League play. The added weight to this game, apart from the rivalry, is the undefeated streak. It will end in time, it is just my duty to postpone that time as long as I can."

Frail also commented that he expects a much, much better showing from his marquee talent, inluding new signing Wayne Bridge. Arsenal has the type of talent to throw off the Reds, but the Reds simply present a pool of talent that no other team in the game can approach. Frail's challenge this week is for Ronaldinho, Harry Kewell, Marcus VanBommel, Patrick Vieira and the entire defensive unit but primarily Bridge, to prove to him that they belong in an Arsenal kit.

"All I can do is make sure they are prepared. If the conclusion comes down to poor preparaiton, then I'll own that, but lately I've put the lads in ideal situations and they simply haven't come through. This week, that needs to change if victory is to cross anyone's mind."

BRIDGE TO JOIN ARSENAL

A deal was finally confirmed today that sees two of the League's best defenders switch teams. Arsenal, apparently intent on bringing in more multi-faceted talent to the London club, have secured the rights of England International wingback Wayne Bridge, from Newcastle. Arsenal boss Gabe Frail was said to have been on the fence about this decision, but was won over be the defender's form in Newcastle's Cup victory on Saturday. Expect to see Bridge donning his Arsenal strip for the first time in this week's key Premiership clash between Liverpool and Arsenal.

The reason for Frail's unease at confirming the switch earlier is that it is costing the Gunners their early-season free-market capture in the form of Croatian International Igor Tudor. Ultimately, Frail wants

to expand the abilities of his defensive unit, and saw Tudor as a redundant player to William Gallas. Bridge possesses the passing ability that Frail has come to love out of his Dutch wingback Wilfred Bouma, and having the two in there is something that Frail is keen to see.

Now the question surrounding this deal is primarily why Tudor was sacrificied rather than Gallas. In the end it is Tudor's relative newness to the game that made him more marketable, so says an Arsenal insider. The Gunners can only hope that one week of preparation is long enough to allow Bridge to gel with the Arsenal defence, who must learn to cope quickly without Igor Tudor.

The Kick Off cup group stages finished with few surprises in the champions of each group as the big 4 of Newcastle, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool all came out on top. The real shocks came in the runner up spots in all 4 groups as they were filled by unfancied Forest, Sunderland, Man City and Watford. The big names crashing out were Fulham, Villa, Sheff Wed's, Leeds and Div 2 pace setters Brum and Coventry but the biggest shock came in group 2 where the leagues wooden spoon team Watford claimed the massive scalps of Spurs, Chelsea and Wimbledon.

Newcastle boss Matt Birch hinted at more transfers after closing two of the biggest deals seen in Kick Off history.

Birch "It is true that Lucio may also be on his way out of St James' as I continue to refine the squad. I'm looking to bring in another stronger tackler but also need to land a good sub striker to act as cover. I am on my way to talk to a manager about a possible deal which if accepted, would arguably seal my squad for the season."

The Toon boss was left with his mouth watering after his sides display against Bradford last night.

Birch "That is by far the best we have played all season. We did not dominate the match quite as much as we have in other games, but we were much more focussed and concentrated and patient. We were solid at the back, Abby had a blinder in goal and the midfield really controlled the game without rushing in with poor passes. Hammy played well in the holding role in front of the two wing backs, Zola was magnificent getting forward while the new strike partnership of Raul and Goater looks exceptional. The Goat seemed to play off Raul very well and he looks to be more comfortable to have the pressure off his shoulders, while Raul scoring two on his debut has already won over the doubters who scoffed at the massive price I paid for him.

"But the man of the match today was without any doubt Wayne Bridge. He knew it was going to be his last game for us and I told him to just go out there and have some fun. Gabe must be delighted to have signed him, but I am equally looking forward to having the Tudor rose coming the other way as with so many key league games coming up, we needed more of a defensive minded defender to hold out the great premiership strike forces we are soon to face."

In a prematch interview before the cup decider against Ipswich Town, the ManCity boss had these comments to make. "It's going to be a tough game, I would have to say Litmanen and Saviola are their biggest threats but we're hopeful of containing them. It's also Torrado's return to Portman Road where I'm sure he'll get a warm reception from the fans there. If we lose this game and fail to qualify for the knock-out stages, I think that loss against Bradford will have been the critical moment."

With the news that Gary Breen was out injured for three weeks, the Manchester City supremo confirmed that he was looking to bring in a short-term loan replacement. "It's a big loss to lose a Gary at this point in the season. He's been a rock at the back for us and has on occasion permitted us to play three at the back. I've been in negotiations with a couple of teams in the hope of bringing in some cover. Although it is very unlikely that this arrangement could lead to anything permanent."

Nottingham Forest warmed up for their final cup group game in the worst possable way as they were ripped to shreds by a rampant Chelsea side.

They were 1 goal down inside 60 seconds as Marcel Desailly found a gap between Simon Francis and Mikael Silvestre to tee up Brazilain marksman Ronaldo for the first of his five goal haul.

Nathan Ellington completed the rout with a rocket shot from the edge of the area deep into injury time as Forests defensive frailties were once again exposed.

Forest now face Chinh Nguyens Fulham at Loftus Road in the final group game and anything short of a win will almost definatly kill of any hope of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Forgotten man Jack Lester is likely to be recalled after Sinama Pongolle was dropped to the reserves.

Fulham and Forest have no injury concerns prior to this fixture so boh teams are likely to field their strongest sides.

Toon boss Matt Birch was pleased after his sides draw against top team Arsenal. Birch "I am pleased we didn't lose and while we did dominate the game without winning, I am delighted with the overall performance of the lads. New boy Gus was absolutely fantastic, and Arial Ultra got on the scoresheet yet again while Zola chipped in with his 7th assist of the season. Zola was only brought here to provide cover for the midfield yet he has edged out Dev to the bench and was the main deciding factor in letting Jenas leave the club. All credit to him, he got his chance and has taken it with both hands and is now virtually indespensible to the club. But with all the good performances, there have to be some negatives otherwise we would have won comfortably. I've yet to find a successful strike partnership. Goater has been looking sharp in training all season but things are just not clicking on the pitch. He failed to settle with Shearer and with Sheringham this season, despite their obvious talents which is why I've broken our transfer record this week in signing Raul in a 35 million pound deal. Hopefully they can gel together as I see them as ideal partners and hopefully they can provide the extra push needed to qualify from the cup and climb back up the league table.

delighted wolves boss imc was all smiles as wolves won in the league against the leaders in div 2 coventry, we worked very hard as a unit today and got our just rewards. imc singled out David Batty as the match winner " david heas fought his way out of the reserves and put an awesome display on today, he has been working very hard on his fitness and it showed today, it wasnt too long ago that he was on the verge of leaving the club but he has repayed the faith i put in him!!!!"

wolves manager imc today called on strikers christian dugarry and pierre Vhooijdonk to stand up and be counted!!! imc talking to "Sky Sports News" said "christian and Pierre are working hard for the team but they need to start converting the chances they are creating, its no good having 99% possession if we cant put the ball in the back of the net, its a new partnership this season but its taking longer for them to form an understanding of each others game, last season pierre was 2nd leading goalscorer in div 1 behind Larson, this season he just cant find his scoring boots, having said that i have complete faith that things will turn around and that the VHooijdonk/Dugarry partnership will start to score lots of goals"

HYPPIA FIT FOR SPURS

In a rare event for Tottenham, Edward Tomlin allowed the cameras briefly into his training ground to prove that Hyppia was ready and fit again for this week's game against Fulham. Hyppia seemed to have finally shaken off his injury and was seen running at full pace and committing himself to tackles.

In a brief interview Hyppia seemed happy to be back in action: "It's great to be fit again, I feel fit and ready to play for Spurs - people thought I wanted to leave, but I'm really happy here."

Edward Tomlin is only missing Gavin McCann through suspension for the league fixture but seemed nervous. "They've got a new manager, so it will be interesting to see who they put out and how they play. We can't be too confident because we haven't scored many goals of late, but I hope we can put that right"

He also thanked Newcastle manager Matthew Birch for his comments on how his team drew when they should have allegedly beaten Spurs 10-0. "Yeah, well it's nice of him to complement us - I'm sure he's looking forward to visiting us at White Hart Lane"

MCFC confirmed that Lee Bowyer would be out injured for 2 weeks with a case of being really ugly. "It's disappointing for Lee, I mean he showered and shaved and put gel in his hair n'all for the match but it wasn't enough to prevent his injury. It's not his fault he looks like the inbred version of Gary Neville but sometimes you pay the price as a professional footballer."

"We were unlucky against Leeds. We dominated and should've come away with maximum points. They had two shots on target and they secured their draw. The lads are just as disappointed as I am but they know there's all to play for against Ipswich, if we're to qualify for the next round. For now we're all concentrating on the vital league game against Sunderland."

Arsenal FC chief Gabe Frail was described as appearing very distraught as the physios examined his super-star Dutch midfileder Marcus VanBommel, who fell to the pitch late in Arsenal's Cup tie with Wolverhampton. In fact, "the bommer" was one of a trio of Arsenal players who will be untimely absenses as the Gunners face the sternest threat to their undefeated run yet in the form of Newcastle United and Matt Birch.

"The Toon isn't the most talented opposition we have faced, but Birch adds that aspect of reckless abandon that has seen his to great success more often than not. The Odds don't seem to apply to Birchy. If you ask me I think he's shagging a Leprachaun for good luck every week!" quipped Frail.

Arsenal are indeed up against it facing the Toon, and facing them down two starters and a handy defensive sub. The only ray of hope in is the return of American International centreback Eddie Pope from his loan stint to the Bantams and Wes Brown's return to eligibility. The Gunners are very likely to be relying on the defence and scoring depth to carry the weight against the Toon. VanBommel's ommission from eligible status strips an already thin Gunner midfield to the bone, leving Patrick Vieira and recent promotion Jermain Pennant to carry the slack, with Harry Kewell's role in flux.

"I don't think we will be difficult to predict. We have obvious holes but I don't think anyone is missing that cannot somehow be covered for. The key will be to keeping the lads on the pitch because with 3 down already we don't have much cover. Expect a bit of Ronaldinho, with a bit more of Ronaldinho, and for a change...more Ronaldinho!"

Until last season, the Gunners were proud to not present themselves as a one-player team with a simple supporting cast. The emmergence of the Brazilian World Cup winner as the premier striker in the game has in the game over the last season and a third has made that a tough label to shake.

"We are far from one-dimensional and we do not need to ride Ronnie to victory, but the fact that we can if we need to makes us all the more dangerous. I don't think we need him to score for us to defeat the Toon but he must be a presence, a force, a distraction. Barring that I think we become a very vulnerable and beatable team, and I'm sure that is what Birch is after. I'm simply trying to give Ronnie the space, but also the companions so if he cannot score and the Toon defence marks him tight that chances wll be exposed in the Toon defence for Kewell, Donovan, and possibly Bouma coming up from his wingback slot."

I think many supporters of the two sides would have liked to have seen the sides fully fit for the battle, but with Frail and Birch facing off, the game becomes more of a chess match, as both managers have brought down mightier oppenents with their tactical savvy. So the question of who will take home victory really lies on the ability the managers to outfox the other without tripping himself up.

GAME ON!

Toon assistant Stuart McCall was pleased with the sides victory over the weekend "I think the lads did themselves proud, they did not over exert themselves enabling us to chose from virtually a full squad ahead of the big clash with Arsenal but they did break just enough sweat to thrash Blackburn 5-2. Shezza has earned himself a regular starting place with his hat-trick and Gus did well on his debut. We are especially pleased with the weekend as results went our way and qualification from the cup group is firmly in our own hands, though an amazing 5 teams still have a chance to go through on the last day."

"I can also announce that Steve Howey will be leaving to go on loan to Bradford and will in fact face his own club in that final group game so we have most of our bases covered!"

Wolves manager imc was upbeat despite there 3-1 loss to arsenal in the cup, imc "the lads can hold there heads up high, up to halftime we matched arsenal to every ball and made them work hard for the result, it was a giant step up in class for our lads!! arsenal are the countrys top team, the lads will build on this, we had alot of positives to take from this game to use in our next league match" !!!

SPURS SEE OFF CHELSEA

It was only Markus Babbel's 40 yard wondergoal that separated Spurs and Chelsea, with both sides spurning several good chances to score. Edward Tomlin could at least cheer for his side's first clean sheet of the season:

"I thought the back 3 and Toldo were magnificent today. They stuck at their job and Harte's distribution was top drawer today. Only thing I'm upset with is our lack of finishing, which was awful except for Markus' tap in - he practices them all the time in training."

Tomlin's side now have to win at Wimbledon and hope that Arsenal do not lose to Watford in order to realistically qualify for the knockout stages of the cup - they would depend on goal difference if Arsenal lost.

Newcastle boss Matt Birch was delighted with the signing of attacking midfielder Gus Poyet this week.

MB "We let Jenas go because we need an immediate push. Jenas will be good for Spurs in the long run, but Gus will be massive for us right away and with some important games coming up, I felt justified in making the sacrifice."

MCFC released the following statement. "Lee Bowyer agreed a four year contract after his transfer from Leeds Utd. The management confirmed that Bowyer was signed to add some extra steel to the midfield. Luis Enrique and Lionel Morgan have gone the other way. I'm sure both will perform adequately at the higher level and I'm sure Morgan will surprise a few managers who turned up their chance at signing the youngster. The club denied speculation that Bowyer will share a room on away trips with kit managers Abdul and Habib."

"Edgy" was the word given by the ManCity boss to describe City's 1-0 win against Notts Forest. " We only turned it on in the last 20minutes and Willy Sagnol, who had his best game since he joined the club, and Weaver had to be on the top of their game to keep out Forest. Forest can feel unlucky not to have got anything from the game. All credit to Dubzi he's building a sharp little team down there and their position in the league doesn't do them justice."

TOMLIN LOOKING FORWARD TO CHELSEA ENCOUNTER

Edward Tomlin seemed to be in upbeat mood before his Spurs' team cup tie with Chelsea in his latest press conference at White Hart Lane.

"It should be a fantastic game" said Tomlin. "This will be a real test for us. They've got some fantastic players, especially the Van Der Vaart lad. I was really happy to get a point at St.James last week considering the injuries we had. Some might think we should have lost, but I thought we worked hard and deserved a point when otherwise we could have got none. We were down to the bare bones for that game, at least we've got Harte and Babbel available again. This should hopefully be a more pleasant prospect for me, the lads and the fans, who were fantastic last week. My only worry is that Sami isn't quite fit yet."

Tomlin refused to comment on any speculation on the future of Gustavo Poyet, but did confirm that Sami Hyppia would not be leaving the club.

Toon manager Matt Birch has been carefully monitoring the progress of certain players following his side's failure to cause Spurs any scares at the weekend. Birch was of course without lucky charm Paul Devlin who is injured for three weeks but refused to put the blame on Dev's absence.

Birch "The lads have a chance to redeem themselves this weekend, with Shezza particularly under pressure. I have had words with Mr Frail of Arsenal regarding a possible swap deal involving Shezza and Donovan, but I've also got quite a kitty ready for when the next scouting window opens. Let's hope I don't have to dip into the market untill I'm totally ready."

Newcastle boss Matt Birch was left fuming after his side failed to break Spurs on the weekend.

Birch "With their best defenders out and playing an unfamiliar tactic, I had a game plan well thought out to counter their strike force and create plenty of good chances for us. We should have won this game by ten clear goals and all indications in practice were excellent. As I watched the game I just felt sorrow and pity and shame. The lads just didn't seem to care, they were beyond pathetic. We managed to get a draw but the game was a total non-event. The half time tea cup throwing didn't make the players blink. The substitutes looked eager to get on the pitch but as soon as they got on, they just fell asleep with the rest of them. It was like watching 22 men having a leasurely stroll in the park.

Thankfully Spurs were just as bad as us and the draw saw us end the month unbeaten but if the lads think they can perform like that week in, week out then they have another thing coming."

Coventry Manager, Sean Mckeown was overjoyed at his team's performance this weekend, against his old side Ipswich. In a well fought out game, Coventry ended up 3-0 winnners. 'It wasn't a dirty game, and to be honest from my position, i couldn't see anything wrong with H Postiga's challenge. So, Ipswich were unfortunate to lose such an influential player so early on. But, to coin a phrase, that's football, and some day's all the decisions will go your way, and on others they wont. It kinda evens itself out over the course of the season.'

Sean reflected on his time back at Portman Road. ' It's great to be back at the Home of Football, everyone knows what my time here meant to me. I think Andrew Archer has done a great job here, and with the small resources he has had, has built a team, worthy of a top 3 finish. I hope he can continue the rest of the season as he has started'.

Furious, the only word to describe Ipswich manager Andy Archer after a dismal performance against Coventry.

Archer also had harsh words for the official after he sent of Helder Postiga. Archer said "The decision was piss poor Helder is not a dirty player and it was his first offence, now i am without him for a week and its all because of that pillock.

'Very pleased' was the way the Manchester City manager described the impressive 3-0 victory against Blackburn. 'The whole team performed well and worked hard for each other. We'll work on the positives we learnt in that match for the league game against Forest. Having said that I would've taken this result last week in the league and taken the draw in the cup. The league remains the most important goal for us this season.'

Having completed the exchange of Mark Kinsella for Kit Symons plus 250k, the ManCity boss refuted claims that he was trying to rebuild the "classic" defence of the late 1990s. "Just because Tony Vaughan and Kit Symons were here under the 'management' of Mad Frank Clark doesn't mean we'll be heading back to that golden age of Mancunian defending. The supprters can rest assured that I won't be signing Jason VanBlerk and Eddie McGolkdrick any time soon."

Sheffield Wednesday manager Joe Davies returned this week from his 3 week absense from the game to take the reigns of the club back.

'First of all id like to thank Sean at Coventry for keeping my seat warm while i was away. I hope he gained some valuable experience of managing a top team like mine. Thanks sean, it was much appreciated mate. I now see that my problems lie within the league. I have won 2 games on the trot in the cup and now am second in the league. Division 1 however is a different story.... as usual we are sittin on the faces of the red scum at utd but we are second from bottom. Somebody obviously turned the league upside down and forgot to put it back!!!

I have got no problem in scoring goals as anybody can see, i just cant keep them out! Action will be taken and it could involve the sale of K_Dyer as much interest has come up for him in my time away and so i believe he may be able to get me what im looking for. He is a top player as i well know and will not be able to leave easily. So if ur interested then get ur bids in boys!!!!!

cheers then...

i like pizza!'

"The daily Star"

by Brian Woolhead

"He didnt talk to me in the last 3 months"

muzzy izzet took a parting swipe at Arsenal manager Gabe Frail, Izzet said Frail was seen more on the golf course working on his handicap, than at highbury? he once passed me in the corridoors of highbury and didnt even reconise me and whenever i was shipped out on loan i was told by physio!!!! maybe now i can get my career back on track and prove to what an asset i can be to wolves!!

Ipswich manager Andy Archer laast night confirmed the departure of G_Torrado to Man City. Archer said, " I felt the side needed freshening up a bit and so i decided it was time for Gerardo to move on. Steve Finnan hs moved the other way in a deal believed to be worth an estimated £15m pounds.

news report from molineux

wolves manager imc as promised confronted angry fans outside molineux,s main entrance, he tentively opened the main door and walked to the top steps? trying to make himself heard above shouting fans ? it got nasty fans started to throw fruit at macca (unfortunately for imc the fruit was still in the tins) OUCH!!! then the eggs started (unfortunately still in the hens), there was feathers everywhere !!! HA once the fans had run out of hens & tins it became silent, wolves manager imc took his opportunity to tell the fans his reasons for selling their IDOL (Joelian Lescott), basically "we havent got a pot to piss in"..... old "GOLDEN TIT" Sir Jack Haywood, wouldnt sanction anymore signings and we as a club would have to generate our own funds by selling players but as a gesture of "goodwill" at the next home game there would be "FREE PIES FOR EVERYONE" at halftime!!!!! the crowd took the news well and started chanting macca,s name!!!!!!!!!!!

"MACCA OUT MACCA OUT MACCA OUT!!!!!!!!

with this wolves manager imc hastily ran back to doors holding his hands up high and clinching his fists "shouting I WONT LET YOU DOWN" hehe

The following players have been deemed surplus to requirements at the City of Manchester Stadium-

M_Kinsella, P_McLaren, P_Berger and C_Jorgensen.

The club has also stated they are willing to listen to offers for-

P_Dickov and L_DJaffo.

"Having exceeded the budget in getting Torrado, I'm looking to raise some quick funds." Stated the manager. "All offers will be considered."

Manchester City Football Club unveiled the signing of Gerardo Torrado at a press conference on Wednesday.