Australia Bram-boosled by Srilankans

A fearsome spell of inswing bowling from Nuwan Kulasekara was the definitive performance in a bizarre third ODI at the Gabba, where both captains would have batted first, but 100 may have been a winning total. Kulasekara took a career-best 5 for 22 as he damned Australia to 74 all out, with the aid of Lasith Malinga, who tore down the tail.Sri Lanka's run chase shaped as a straightforward one, but they lost six wickets before they reached their target, meaning 16 wickets had been lost in the day for 149 runs. Had Australia held early chances off Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne, they may have won early the momentum to spark a heavier collapse, but instead the visitors limped home in the 20th over, with their last recognised batting pair at the crease.Having rested several key players for the first two matches, Australia returned to near-full strength at Brisbane, with Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade arriving to bolster the batting, but none of them could make it to double figures. In fact, only the last pair of Mitchell Starc and Xavier Doherty did.The captains shared the opinion that the pitch was full of runs at the toss, but both men seem to have underestimated the effect of Brisbane's humidity. It was in the air that Kulasekara won the battle, not off the pitch. Few batsmen are equipped to negate the amount of movement he achieved, particularly in the middle of his spell, but the lateness of Kulasekara's inswing made him almost unplayable, and Australia will perhaps feel there is little they could have done better to counter bowling of that quality.The deliveries that bowled Clarke and Moises Henriques began about a metre outside off stump, and only began to move around halfway down the pitch, when the batsmen were already committed to the stroke. Both men played for big inswing, but as the ball swerved hard at the stumps like a snake suddenly smelling prey, they still had their inside edges passed and their woodwork rattled. George Bailey had made a similar mistake first ball, only he had offered no stroke to a delivery he believed to be passing safely outside off stump, and it struck him flush on the front pad and would have hit middle and off.Sri Lanka's bowlers only mustered modest swing to begin with, but Angelo Mathews used a little extra bounce to dismiss Warner, who holed out to mid on playing a cross-batted stroke that was ill-judged in any case. Warner had been among the runs during the Test leg of the tour, and the manner of his dismissal in Brisbane may add heat to the debate about Australia's rotation policy, and whether batsmen are being done a disservice by being rested when they are in form.Kulasekara worked himself into a honeyed rhythm after that dismissal, and by the 12th over, had embarrassed Australia's first-choice team. His first two scalps were the result of fine catching as well as great bowling, as Jayawardene held on to a tough chance off Phillip Hughes' bat at third slip, before wicketkeeper Kushal Perera dove to his left to snaffle David Hussey's inside edge.Malinga also found movement in the air when he came into the attack at 6 for 30, and removed Mitchell Johnson with an outswinging yorker in his second over, before taking a wicket in each of his two next overs.Doherty was circumspect at the crease to begin with, leaving the strokemaking to Starc, who was intent on making the best of a bad situation, and the pair rode their luck for eight overs, before Shaminda Eranga ended the innings with a slower ball. Had they survived five more overs together, it may have been their side that took the series lead.Dilshan's innings of 22 was populated almost exclusively by booming drives, most of which failed to make contact - many by quite a distance. Faced with a small target and difficult conditions, Sri Lanka's batsmen appeared to have opted for a hyper-aggressive approach, reasoning that if just one of them came off, victory would come easy.However at 4 for 37, that strategy had only delivered them jitters and handed the opposition momentum. Kushal Perera and Upul Tharanga chose then to reserve their belligerence only for the poor deliveries, and in a match where even minuscule contributions with the bat were invaluable, two wicketless overs before the tea break eased Sri Lanka's nerves, and three quick boundaries after resumptions hurtled them close to safety. Starc picked up two more scalps before Sri Lanka reached their target, but with so few to get, neither breakthrough gave rise to real hope of a famous win.The action moves to the SCG now, where Sri Lanka have flourished in ODIs, and the visitors will hope to wrap up the series there, and maintain their dominance of Australia in their own conditions in recent years.

RESULTS:

Sri Lanka 6 for 75 (K Perera 22*, Johnson 3-11) beat Australia 74 (Starc 22*, Kulasekara 5-22, Malinga 3-14) by 4 wickets

Zola set to be new coach of Chelsea?, Wenger warns Arsenal will have to pay a fortune for Edinson Cavani

Zola's Dream: Chelsea's legend dream is to become the teams manager

Chelsea legend Gianfranco is in the frame to be named Blues manager

Gianfranco Zola has emerged as a serious contender to become Chelsea's next full-time boss  and help change the Stamford Bridge mood.Although the Blues hierarchy already feared that Pep Guardiola was slipping from their grasp, Wednesday's confirmation that the Catalan has opted to join Bayern Munich was still a blow to Roman Abramovich.Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp, Michael Laudrup of Swansea and Diego Simeone, whose Atletico Madrid side humiliated the West Londoners in August's UEFA SuperCup, have all been linked with the post.Frank Rijkaard is also available, after being sacked this week by Saudi Arabia.But with Blues fans starting to vote with their feet and pockets as well as showing their displeasure at interim manager Rafa Benitez, Zola will be a live option to take over in the summer when the board sit down next month to start planning the club's future.The Watford boss has never hidden the strength of his love for Chelsea, where an astonishing six-year spell as a player saw him voted as the club's all-time leading player by supporters."One of my dreams is a day when I can become the manager of Chelsea," Zola admitted earlier this season. "Chelsea is in my heart. I hope one day I will get the chance to be manager there."The 46-year-old, who had previously conceded he would be "crazy to say no" if he was ever offered the Stamford Bridge job, added: "Let's put it this way, one day I would like to be good enough to manage Chelsea. It is in my heart."Mr Abramovich has been very good to me and asked me a couple of times to go back to Chelsea to work but what's the point of going there and not having anything to do for the club."The way I see it is that I want to go there when I know I can give something back to the club."As the brickbats raining down on Benitez intensified on Wednesday - to the point where even former Blues stalwart Ray Wilkins was critical of the supporters - the pressing need for a manager the fans can galvanise around was clearer than ever.Wednesday's attendance of 38,484, for the 2-2 draw with Southampton, was the lowest for a league match at the Bridge in SIX years.Frustrated fans again turned on late substitute Fernando Torres and the unwanted Benitez.Zola's first managerial spell, at West Ham, saw him sacked after the Hammers only narrowly survived relegation from the Premier League in 2008-09.But the Sardinian has demonstrated he has learned from his Upton Park experiences in his first season at Watford, steering the Vicarage Road club into a Championship play-off position.The Chelsea hierarchy seem determined to stick with their plan to allow both Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season, despite the clear opposition of the supporters.But the scale of the vitriol directed towards Benitez - and which is in danger of reaching as far up the ladder as Abramovich - has made the idea of a universally-popular appointment far more appealing.Bringing in a fans' hero with the promise that he will be given time to stamp his mark on the club would also meet with approval.And with there being no prospect of an olive-branch being offered to Roberto Di Matteo, sacked in November to make way for Benitez, Zola's stock is rising among Abramovich's advisors. Benitez, meanwhile, has to lift the mood of the dressing room ahead of Arsenal's visit on Sunday, aware that a run of just two wins in seven home games since he took charge is becoming a crisis.The Spaniard, though, is again set to omit skipper John Terry, even though both Benitez and the skipper want the centre-half on the field.Benitez explained: "I couldn't put him on against Southampton because he has no match fitness."He's not fit to play 90 minutes."We'll see how he trains, but it will be difficult for him to start against Arsenal. He needs games and minutes, but at the right time."To change a player with no match fitness, when you have to play high if you're chasing a game, would be a risk. I will try not to take a risk."I will try and do my best and make the right team selection."

NO WAY: wenger warns Cavani's double bid payment 

Wenger warns Arsenal will have to pay a fortune for Edinson Cavani

Arsene Wenger has admitted he has NO CHANCE of buying Edinson Cavani in the current transfer window.Arsenal manager Wenger confirmed his admiration of the Napoli and Uruguay striker on Thursday, but insists he has not made a bid for the 25-year-old - says there is no way the Italians will sell even if he did.Cavani has a £45million buy-out clause in his contract and Chelsea had a £35m enquiry knocked back last summer.Even though Wenger says he has “big money” to spend, it would seem he is out of Arsenal's league. Wenger said: “Napoli are playing for the championship and the Champions League in Italy. So what is the interest of Napoli to sell Cavani? None. Unless you say, ‘Okay, we pay twice the price of what the player is worth.’"He is also cup-tied for the Champions League on top of that - all the players who can strengthen us are cup-tied in the Champions League."We can spend the money that we have decided to spend, if it is for a player we think gives us a plus. I do not want to speak about Cavani because we have not made an enquiry for him."We can strengthen everywhere. At the moment, it is more important that the team remains focused. If we find something, we will do it. But I prefer to do business in the summer and have identified players for then.“Even if you buy anybody, you have no guarantee that you will be in the top four."You think we cannot get into the top four as we are now? I think we can.”The Gunners boss, who also set to miss out to Manchester United on Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, reiterated that non of his perferred targets are likely to be available in the winter month.The best news Wenger can hope for is that Arsenal will announce that Theo Walcott is to sign his new contract on Friday after agreeing a £90,000-a-week deal.

Luis Suarez Admits he dived against Stoke City

Luis Suarez Accepted that he dived against Stoke and BRENDAN RODGERS slammed Luis Suarez after his amazing cheat confession and told him: “It is unacceptable.”The Liverpool boss was shocked that Suarez dived to try to win a penalty against Stoke and stunned the Uruguayan was stupid enough to admit it on TV.Rodgers rapped: “Most players wait until the end of their career when they write books and put those sort of things in.“He’s been honest enough to come out and say it in the middle of his, but this is something in the game we’re trying to clean up.“My feeling as manager of this club is that it’s wrong and it is something we will deal with. I have only ever called it as honestly as I’ve seen it.“I’ve defended him when I felt it was right and will continue to do so.“He and I have a strong relationship and he understands and knows that.“My feeling at the time was that it was wrong but I need to protect the group and if that’s in jeopardy I’ll speak out on it.“He is aware of my feelings and when it happened, it was something only Luis could explain.“The bottom line is that from my perspective as manager and leader of the club it was wrong to say what he said.“It was not acceptable. Diving is not something we advocate here. Our ethics are correct and no one is bigger than the club.”in terms of penalties, we’ve only had one. It might affect people’s thinking.”Suarez infuriated the Stoke players at Anfield in October when he stumbled in the second half of the 0-0 draw and threw himself to the ground.And he told Argentinian TV: “I dived there and I’m going to be sincere with you because we were drawing against Stoke and I wanted to invent something.”Suarez escaped a booking for the dive and ironically Liverpool’s only spot-kick this term came when he was fouled in the return fixture at the Britannia Stadium last month.But Suarez will not be fined for his TV confession and the club believes its condemnation of his actions and words is punishment enough.

Top 10 most followed football clubs on Twitter

Social Networking has become a very important element for promoting and marketing sports franchises etc. Teams are able to use them as means for keeping in touch with fans, bunch up suggestions and announce promotions, press releases, news, and post game quotes and stats. Social Networking is also perfect for match updates.

Here is a list of the top ten most followed football clubs on twitter:

10. Chivas CD (@cdchivasusa)

No. of followers – 859,441

9. Flamengo (@CR_Flamengo)

No. of followers – 977,811

8. Corinthians (@SiteCorinthians)

No. of followers – 1,278,575

7. Liverpool (@LFC)

No. of followers – 1,446,016

6. Fenerbahce SK (@Fenerbahce)

No. of followers – 1,607,825

5. Chelsea (@chelseafc)

No. of followers – 1,769,513

4. Galatasaray (@galatasaraysk)

No. of followers – 2,105,267

3.  Arsenal (@Arsenal)

No. of followers – 2,195,147

2. Real Madrid (@realmadrid)

No. of followers – 6,558,892

1. Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

No. of followers – 7,859,178

It is to be noted that top football clubs like AC Milan and Manchester United do not have official twitter accounts.

Football news and results as 16th January

FA CUP RESULTS:

Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United

For Wayne Rooney it was a bittersweet night. Ultimately it was his goal that put Manchester United into a fourth-round tie against Fulham but he also put a second-half penalty into the Stretford End and it has become such a recurring theme that it would be no surprise now if Robin van Persie takes over from the spot.Sir Alex Ferguson, turning away in disgust, certainly made little attempt to conceal his annoyance at Rooney's fifth miss in his last nine attempts. Ferguson had already warned Rooney he needed to become more clinical and he repeated it more forcibly after his side had held off a disappointing West Ham side."We have to improve. The boy [Rickie] Lambert at Southampton, he's scored 33 out of 33. That's what penalty-taking is all about. There have been several great penalty-takers over the years. [Matt] Le Tissier got 47 out of 48. There's a player in Scotland who played for Rangers who got 57 in a row."His statistics were a little skewed – the player he meant, Johnny Hubbard, actually scored 65 out of 68 for Rangers from 1949 to 1959 – but everyone understood the point. Nani, Javier Hernández and Van Persie have also missed penalties this season whereas Rooney's career record for the club is nine misses out of 28. "Your penalty kicks are to take advantage of a hand ball or a foul and score a goal," Ferguson added. "We can't just say it's one of those things."The home side should be grateful that West Ham were not accomplished enough to make it anything more than a minor irritation. Just as Liverpool took too long to find any momentum in the league fixture here on Sunday, Sam Allardyce's team waited until the second half to offer even the briefest sense that they could cause an upset. Even then there were only sporadic moments when they threatened. As for Allardyce's complaints about the referee Phil Dowd's performance, the West Ham manager was not entirely convincing.His complaint was essentially alleging favouritism, angered that Dowd had awarded a penalty against Jordan Spence for handling Ryan Giggs's cross but not taken the same action after the ball had struck Rafael Da Silva's arm early in the second half. "The difference is that Jordan Spence plays for West Ham and Rafael plays for Manchester United. The incidents are the same. If you give one, you've got to give both, simple as that."Allardyce was sufficiently annoyed to risk an FA charge – the rules forbid any suggestion of refereeing bias – but his argument was undermined by the fact that Spence's handball came from a cross when there was distance between him and the opposition player, whereas Rafael's was at point-blank range. Allardyce, all things considered, might have been better off expressing his anger at his team's performance. It was terribly drab, with only a 15-minute spell in the second half when they looked as if they might recover from that moment, after nine minutes, when Rooney turned the ball in from close range.It was Rooney's ninth goal of the season, quite possibly the easiest and certainly the most poignant, Rooney celebrating by pointing to the skies in a dedication to his wife Coleen's younger sister, Rosie McLoughlin, who died on 5 January after a long illness.Anderson started the move with a wonderfully measured through-ball, dissecting the entire West Ham defence and leaving Hernández running clear on goal through the inside-left channel. Hernández took a touch to open up the shooting angle but had the presence of mind to realise that Rooney was sprinting through the middle. Once the ball was played across the six-yard area all Rooney had to do was make sure he applied a full touch.The response from West Ham was poor. Throughout the entire match they barely examined whether Anders Lindegaard, deputising for David de Gea, might be a touch rusty. Ferguson praised the way Phil Jones and Chris Smalling marshalled a young, experimental defence but Allardyce had played a weakened side and the truth was they made it fairly straightforward for their opponents.Perhaps with a touch more ambition it might have been different. United had three players – Rooney, Anderson and Nani returning from injury and a right-winger, Antonio Valencia, who has been off form for several weeks now. Their best player was Ryan Giggs, prompting Ferguson to say the 39-year-old could continue next season, but it was a night when the home side could get away with not playing at their maximum. They controlled the match while giving the impression they were a good two or three notches below their best.

Arsenal 1-0 Swansea

It seemed crazy for Arsène Wenger to keep playing Jack Wilshere, the kid who spent 17 months out injured, the boy who has not stopped chasing and coaxing and creating since he stepped back on to the pitch in October. Rest Wilshere? Who has started nine games in a row? No chance. He has become the heartbeat of Arsenal – the conductor, the driving force, the de facto leader.Having pushed his team on against Swansea City with a compelling blend of energy and imagination, he capped his performance with an emphatic matchwinner four minutes from the end to earn Arsenal a fourth-round tie at Brighton and Hove Albion. "I'll never hit one like that again in my life," he said, after striking the decisive goal past Michel Vorm.It was fitting that Wilshere defined the result because he had demonstrated a relish to take charge that stood out a mile. His commitment, his involvement, over recent weeks had convinced Wenger to position him in the role he flourished in throughout the youth teams, with the No10 on his back. He was positioned in the advanced playmaker role and, as he grew into the game, it was something Swansea could not handle. "He was outstanding," observed Wenger. "He played in a different position tonight, a bit higher up. It suits him well." His true position? "I think he is a complete midfielder," Wenger said, a little cautiously.In fairness to Michael Laudrup's team, who have been so enterprising this season, with six changes to give a few of their key performers a breather it was difficult to sustain their composure as a full-strength Arsenal began to crank up the pressure.The first half had been even. Swansea were as much of a threat as Arsenal and came close to taking the lead when Kyle Bartley ghosted in to rattle the bar. The temperature was raised in the second half, however, as Swansea suddenly found themselves on the ropes, trying to resist a red and white swarm. Arsenal forced 26 attempts on goal.They found an interesting balance to their game. With Francis Coquelin and Abou Diaby forming a more robust midfield base, and Olivier Giroud a handful up front even if he blundered in front of goal, Wilshere, with the pace of Theo Walcott and the guile of Santi Cazorla either side of him, pulled the strings with great dynamism.Swansea's defending was astounding at times, with last-ditch clearances that had Wenger wondering how it was possible for the game to be goalless for so long. Laudrup described his players' efforts as "heroic". Leon Britton and Danny Graham did as much as any authentic defender to clear the decks, Dwight Tiendalli stepped in with an astonishing double interception, and Vorm flung out arms and legs to keep Swansea in it. It was engrossing. The only respite came from Ki Sung-yueng's drive but Wojciech Szczesny kept his wits about him to tip aside the danger. There was some anxiety when Laudrup introduced Michu but this time the Spaniard was unable to make an impact.Wilshere would deal the devastating blow. After a neat exchange with Giroud the ball sat invitingly. With a swipe of his left foot he powered it past Vorm to send Arsenal into the next round.It was pertinent to hear Laudrup, who has substantial personal experience of the world of the young prodigy, try to temper his praise of Wilshere with caution. "I think sometimes people are a little too fast, too quick with the big words," he said, urging people to give him time and space to develop into a better player, and arguing it is too early to use the term "world-class".On matters closer to home Laudrup had no complaints. "In general when you play a game and the opponent, like here in one half, are better than you, they deserve to win," he assessed, before adding that the challenges are coming thick and fast. "We just have to continue. We have a trip back, arrive back at 2am and on Saturday we play Stoke at home. Then we play Wednesday in that game that the whole of Swansea is thinking about, which is the second game of the League Cup semi-final [against Chelsea]."For Arsenal Wenger suggested that it was more than just the FA Cup at stake. The strength of his cup teams indicates he is feeling the pressure to deliver trophies but the Arsenal manager claimed the urge to respond to a sobering defeat against Manchester City was just as important. He needed his strongest possible team and his strongest player.

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE RESULT:

Chelsea 2-2 Southampton

Chelsea had been braced for the death of the slow-burning dream. They had come to consider Pep Guardiola, now Bayern Munich-bound and the ideal choice as their next permanent manager, as being beyond them. Instead the shock waves came from the latest home failure against a Southampton side that had looked finished as they trailed to fine first-half goals from Demba Ba and Eden Hazard.Chelsea had won 87 of the 89 Premier League matches since 1992 in which they had been two goals to the good at the interval yet they surrendered here, as the Southampton manager, Nigel Adkins, made attacking changes and enjoyed almost implausible reward. After his first substitute, Rickie Lambert, had reduced the deficit, his team prolonged their recent encouraging sequence with a dramatic equaliser on the counter, which was smashed home in emphatic style by Jason Puncheon.Rafael Benítez had bemoaned how visiting teams had frustrated Chelsea at this stadium by sitting deep and packing numbers behind the ball. Yet this was a twist to his burgeoning frustration. The Southampton left-back Luke Shaw was deep inside his own half when he began the surging run that led to Puncheon's late goal.It was difficult to forgive the manner in which Chelsea caught a sucker punch when in control and the home crowd was in no mood to do so. They had responded badly to Benítez's decision to replace Frank Lampard with Fernando Torres in the 80th minute and, after the Spain striker, playing towards the right flank, had laboured and snatched at his one chance, the full-time whistle brought another round of boos, together with the reminder for Benítez that he is not wanted here.This was the night when Chelsea were supposed to put daylight behind them in third place but the lowest home league crowd of the season departed with further fuel for their grievances. Benítez has overseen only two Stamford Bridge wins in seven games in all competitions.Southampton created little but they were rewarded for their refusal to accept the seemingly inevitable and their determination to stick to their game plan, which involved only one up front, staying compact and not chasing the game when they trailed to leave themselves exposed. Adkins remarked that this had seen Aston Villa undone here by an 8-0 scoreline while he also had the experience of the 5-1 FA Cup defeat by Chelsea at St Mary's Stadium on the Saturday before last.Even so, it was remarkable that Chelsea were unhinged by Shaw's burst and Puncheon's spectacular left-footed blast because their comfort had been marked for long spells. Lambert's goal, two minutes after his introduction, had been a dreadful one to concede and it felt as though Chelsea had been lulled into false security. Nathaniel Clyne looked to have been slide-tackled by Hazard, only for the Chelsea winger weakly to allow him to wrest back possession, maraud further forward and cross. Lambert dropped off Gary Cahill, César Azpilicueta froze and the striker craned his neck to head firmly beyond Petr Cech.But Chelsea responded. Ba volleyed over from Juan Mata's dinked pass and Lampard sent a free-kick over the wall and wide. The next goal looked likelier to be Chelsea's, despite this being far from a vintage performance. And yet, when Puncheon took his touch to tee up the decisive moment and the crowd howled at full-time, Benítez found himself forced to lament his players' lack of know-how and game management, along with their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.The outpouring upon the final whistle contrasted with the apathy at the outset, when there had been little to stir the senses in the cold. Chelsea, though, got the breakthrough they wanted midway through the first half and it seemed for a while to have fortified them.Benítez started with arguably his most exciting attacking midfielders but it was the selection of Ba in preference to Torres up front that appeared the vote-winner, given the boos that the latter had suffered here against Swansea City in the League Cup last Wednesday.Ba marked his Chelsea debut after his £7m arrival from Newcastle United with two goals in the FA Cup drubbing of Southampton and he offered another glimpse of his clinical nature. Lampard showed skill on the right and Azpilicueta crossed with zip. Oscar flung himself into an attempted header, with Jos Hooiveld in close attendance, and the ball spun up towards Ba. In a flash he had leapt into a right-footed volley and squeezed it past Artur Boruc into the corner.Chelsea finished the first half with panache. Twice Lampard went close and Hazard brought a reaction save out of Boruc before Chelsea took charge with another eye-catching strike. Southampton once again failed to clear and after Ramires's deflected shot had come back off a post Hazard guided home the rebound first time and left-footed. A home win looked assured. Chelsea's disbelief would be tangible.

COPA DEL REY RESULT:

Barcelona 2-2 Malaga

Lionel Messi was on target again but Barcelona had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to 10-man Malaga in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final.Manuel Iturra capitalised on sloppy Barca defending to give the visitors a surprise lead after 25 minutes at the Nou Camp, before two goals in as many minutes saw the holders swiftly forge ahead.Messi, who picked up his fourth straight Ballon d'Or award earlier this month after netting a record 91 goals in 2012, equalised in the 28th minute thanks to an enterprising run down the right and a neat left-footed finish.Captain Carles Puyol notched a second goal less than 90 seconds later, somehow twisting his neck enough to direct a looping header past Carlos Kameni.However, Malaga refused to lie down and Ignacio Camacho's slick half-volley got them back on level terms a minute from time - despite having lost substitute Nacho Monreal to a 75th-minute red card for a shove in the back of Pedro Rodriguez.Also on Wednesday night, Real Zaragoza and Sevilla battled out a goalless draw at La Romareda to ensure there will be all to play for in next week's second leg at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.Real Madrid defeated Valencia 2-0 in the first leg of the first Copa quarterfinal at the Bernabeu last night, while Atletico Madrid and Real Betis kick off the fourth last-eight tie at the Vicente Calderon on Thursday.

LATEST NEWS:

Pep Guardiola will coach Bayern Munich next season and the one who led Barcelona to 14 titles over four seasons and turned the Spanish club into arguably the best team in the world, has agreed to become the coach of Bayern Munich starting next season.Bayern announced the three-year deal on Wednesday, after a meeting of the top management.Earlier in the day, Jupp Heynckes told Bayern he wanted to end his coaching career when his contract expires at the end of the season.Rumors of Guardiola coming to the German powerhouse have been swirling around local media for weeks and Bayern made it official just a day after Guardiola expressed his desire to manage in England at some point.Guardiola's arrival is a major coup for Bayern."You have to say, hat off," former Bayern star and president Franz Beckenbauer said."Matthias Sammer and Guardiola - I don't know where you can find a better partnership," Beckenbauer told Sky television, referring to Bayern's director of sport.Even Bayern's rivals were impressed."A great compliment to Bayern that they have landed this coup," said Hans-Joachim Watzke, the managing director of Borussia Dortmund.Guardiola's arrival will be good for the entire league, "because the whole world can see that they managed to bring such a coach to Germany," Watzke said.Guardiola, who turns 42 on Friday, stepped down at the end of last season and is on a one-year sabbatical.Under his guidance, Barcelona dominated Spanish and European competitions with its passing game and frequent scoring from standout Lionel Messi.Barcelona won the Champions League twice during Guardiola's tenure, in 2009 and 2011, and captured three Spanish championships and two cup titles.In his first season after being promoted from Barcelona's reserve side, Guardiola won an unprecedented treble, taking the Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey."We are very pleased that we managed to win the football expert Pep Guardiola for Bayern Munich although he had been contacted and sought by many famous clubs," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful coaches in the world and we are certain that he can give a lot of luster not only to Bayern but also to German football."Guardiola, a former Barcelona midfielder who has never coached outside Barcelona, comes to the most scrutinized club in Germany. Bayern's top management is staffed by some of Germany's biggest past stars, with no small egos.Bayern is Germany's biggest club, with 21 Bundesliga titles and one championship before World War II.Bayern president Uli Hoeness said only a coach of Guardiola's caliber could be an adequate replacement for Heynckes, who will be 68 when he retires.Bayern lost the Champions League final last season to Chelsea and has failed to win a trophy in the past two seasons.But it has a large lead in the Bundesliga this season, which resumes this weekend. Bayern is nine points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern also is in the knockout stage of the Champions League, with Arsenal its next opponent.In the German Cup, Bayern faces Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals. Dortmund has won the last two championships and took the double last season.Heynckes praised his own team in glowing terms last week."Bayern has never played such a modern, attractive and contemporary football in its history," Heynckes said.In Bayern, Guardiola will find Spanish compatriot Javi Martinez, whose transfer was worth €40 million ($53 million). The club's biggest stars are Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gomez.

Football News and Updates,Transfer News and Updates (Ins,Outs)

REAL MADRID 2-0 VALENCIA

Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid put their disappointing league performances behind them as they cruised past Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final. Karim Benzema scored just before the break as Real gained control of the match. An own goal from Andres Guardado in the 74th minute put the game beyond doubt.Mourinho saw Barcelona move 19 points clear at the top of La Liga after Real recorded a disappointing draw at Osasuna at the weekend.With Barcelona cemented at the summit of the league, Real are focusing on the Copa del Rey and the Champions League as an alternative source of silverware this season. Cristiano Ronaldo was back from suspension but, uncharacteristically, did not get on the scoresheet. After a well-worked team move left Benzema to roll home from just inside the 18-yard box, the result rarely looked in doubt. Just 15 minutes from the end, Guardado turned in a dangerous Fabio Coentrao cross into his own net to double Real's lead. Ronaldo might have increased the deficit late in the game, if it weren't for some heroics from Vicente Guaita as the match drew to a close.

Real Chelsea Fans want me to win says Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez has taken a sly dig at the Chelsea fans who are making his life hell, insisting that the club’s real supporters want him to succeed.Large sections of Blues supporters have been vocal in their objection to the club’s decision to sack manager Roberto Di Matteo and replace him with Benitez.And criticism of the Spaniard hit at an all-time high last week as Chelsea slumped to a Carling Cup semi-final first-leg defeat against Swansea.There is likely to be a similar reaction if they drop more points at home against Barclays Premier League strugglers Southampton on Wednesday.But Benitez said: ‘All the fans, everyone around, want to win. Some of them maybe will show more or less passion. But every proper fan will want their team to win.‘It’s not the case that whatever I do I will be criticised, not if I carry on playing games and doing well. The main thing is to concentrate on doing things well. I am professional and doing my best, spending a lot of time here. If we continue winning games, we can do well.‘Anyone who’s a fan of a club wants their team to win. They’ll enjoy us carrying on winning and doing well. That’s my feeling.‘You have a word in English: manager. The manager has to manage. The manager has to consider everything, and afterwards he has to decide.‘I talk with my staff, the players, and I have all the feedback and information. Then I make a decision. I consider everything before making a decision.’Chelsea have struggled at Stamford Bridge under Benitez, winning just one of his five domestic matches at the west London stadium, the 8-0 humiliation of Aston Villa on December 23.However, the manager insists the uncomfortable atmosphere at home is not a contributing factor.‘The main thing is the attitude of the other teams. In the last two games (against QPR and Swansea), they were very, very deep.‘If you see the chances we had, we had to create chances but not with too much space. It’s because teams are playing with too many players behind the ball.‘It’s something that happens to a top side at home. We have to be more clinical in these games.’Meanwhile, Southampton manager Nigel Adkins has admitted there was no contact made with Jay Rodriguez when the player won the penalty that beat Aston Villa at the weekend, but he still claims the striker is not a diver and that the Saints do not advocate simulation.Adkins, 47, said: ‘He’s not a diver. We don’t advocate diving here whatsoever. We could have had eight penalties this season, we don’t surround the referee, we allow the referees to make the decisions.’

Remy deal is done, reveals Harry and M'Vila is on his way to QPR

QPR manager Harry Redknapp expects Marseille striker Loic Remy to complete his £8million move to Loftus Road on Wednesday after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms. Redknapp, who was speaking after his side's 1-0 FA Cup third-round replay win at West Brom, is also confident of sealing a £7m deal for Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila in the next couple of days. The pair are expected to go straight into the Rangers squad for the weekend Barclays Premier League clash with WestHam.Redknapp said:'Remy had a medical today and the personal stuff is all sorted. 'I watched him so many times when I was at Tottenham. The fee then was around about £20m. He's a good buy for us. 'It's all done, all sorted. I didn't think we'd get him. I went to see him at Marseille last week and he wasn't keen but the chairman Tony Fernandes worked ever so hard. He wouldn't give up and the boy decided to come.'He's quick, a French international, his movement is excellent and he has the potential to be a real star in the Premier League. 'Newcastle United wanted him and Graham Carr (chief scout) doesn't make too many mistakes. Graham's got good judgement.'As regards M'Vila, Redknapp said: 'I also liked M'Vila when I was at Tottenham. He's 22, played against England a couple of years ago for France, and was fantastic. 'They (Rennes) turned down £28m from an English club for him a year ago. Spurs offered £15m for him in August. The deal looks okay. 'M'Vila's had a few off-the-field problems. If he behaves himself, and plays as we know he can, he'll do well.'M'Vila is currently banned from international duty until June 30, 2014 after he and four team-mates broke a curfew to visit a Parisian nightclub just days before a key game with the Under-21 side, against Norway in the European Championship play-offs in October. Redknapp is also still hopeful of signing Tottenham midfielder Jake Livermore on loan and has not ruled out renewing his interest in West Brom duo Jonas Olsson and Peter Odemwingie. Neither of the duo started Albion's 1-0 defeat at the hands of QPR in an FA Cup third round replay at the Hawthorns this evening. A second-half goal from Jay Bothroyd secured Rangers a home tie with MK Dons in the fourth round.

Celtic 2 Steaua Bucharest 1

Celtic geared up for the resumption of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League season with a friendly win over Steaua Bucharest in Marbella. The Hoops trailed at half-time to Stefan Nikolic's strike but goals early in the second period from Georgios Samaras and Mohamed Bangura earned victory for a team overseen by assistant manager Johan Mjallby.Bangura had an early effort blocked after chesting down Adam Matthews' excellent cross, moments after a mix-up between Thomas Rogne and goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska almost let in Steaua for an opener.The Romanian side took the lead in the 13th minute, though, when Adrian Popa set up Montenegro forward Nikolic to finish powerfully past Zaluska from the edge of the penalty area. Rogne blocked Alexandru Chipciu's goalbound shot and Popa hammered in a fierce shot which crashed off the crossbar and out of the ground. Rusescu went close early in the second half but within minutes, Celtic were 2-1 up.One substitute, Samaras, equalised before another, Kris Commons, provided the cross for Bangura to superbly head the Scots in front. Zaluska saved sharply to prevent Iasmin Latovlevici's deflected cross flashing inside the near post and also denied Adi Rocha, while Nouioui Lassad missed a good chance for Celtic after Charlie Mulgrew's free-kick was fumbled.

Strachan ends 40-year wait to be Scotland boss

Gordon Strachan believes he is the right man at the right time to transform the flagging fortunes of Scotland’s national team.The former Celtic boss was confirmed as successor to Craig Levein at a news conference. And he immediately vowed to reverse a situation where the Tartan Army have become more famous than the players.A member of the Scotland Hall of Fame, 55-year-old Strachan earned 50 caps, played in two World Cups, won titles as a player and manager and led Celtic to the last 16 of the Champions League.And now he plans to channel his 40 years of experience at the coalface to make a success of a job which eluded him in 2004. Strachan, who will still live in England and is contracted until the end of the 2016 European Championship qualifying campaign, plans to appoint a Scottish assistant and a younger coach on a part-time basis.‘I am very, very proud and my family are proud I’ve become Scotland manager,’ he said. ‘It’s a great day for me and it’s been 40 years in the making.‘I’m being positive. I know fine well this is a good job because my entire family are really excited by it.‘This job might not have any value to someone at 42 just coming into the game as a manager.‘But, for me, it’s right. I could have done other things in the last two-and-a-half years, but it would just have been for the money.‘However, once I was offered this job, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it.’Strachan was unsuccessfully interviewed by the SFA in 2004 but recovered from the setback to lead Celtic to three- in-a-row before an ill-fated spell in charge of Middlesbrough ended in 2010.He refuses to rule out a future return to club management, but said the Scots job is ideal for his current needs: ‘When is the perfect time to come in? I really don’t know. I just feel it’s the right time for me. We just want to get better.‘The fans are more famous than the team at the moment and we have to try to get up there and together be as famous as them.’Strachan will take control for the forthcoming friendly against Estonia and has known for two weeks that he was the SFA’s choice after months of speculation.The popular choice of supporters and media, he admitted it had been a struggle to keep his news secret, with even close family members kept in the dark.‘The phone has been going like the clappers for the last two weeks and I couldn’t pick it up,’ he said.‘Even my brothers and sisters didn’t know. Just my wife and Garry Pendrey, who was my assistant.‘My son Gavin knew after the second week.’Denying that he was ever concerned by the delay in making an appointment, he insisted: ‘In the football world you kind of know what’s going on and I knew they had not started speaking to people.‘It would have worried me if they hadn’t asked me, that’s for sure.’Strachan will name a squad in two weeks’ time for the Estonia game in Aberdeen, concentrating for now on appointing a backroom team.Gary McAllister has been mentioned, with others such as Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley tipped for the younger coach role.‘My assistant will be Scottish they’ll all have to be Scots,’ he added. ‘I will be working closely with Under 21 coach Billy Stark especially, but I’m hoping to bring in someone who is maybe a bit younger.‘He would join me and the other assistant and make a three plus Billy, and Mark (Wotte) will add his experience.’

BPL Teams On alert as Pep Reveals Premier League Dream

Pep Guardiola has fuelled the intrigue surrounding his future by stressing his desire to work in England.Guardiola sent a message of congratulations to the Football Association as they prepared to launch their 150th anniversary celebrations in London on Wednesday. And just like Jose Mourinho, who sent a similar message 24 hours earlier, he outlined his ambitions to coach in England, comments sure to alert the biggest clubs in the country.'As a player, I couldn't realise my dream to play there,' said Guardiola.'But I hope in the future I have a challenge to be a coach or a manager there and feel the experience of all the coaches and players that have been there. 'It is unique, to play in that league. I want to feel the supporters, the environment, the media and the style of the players.'I am still young, just 41, so I hope in the future I could train there and enjoy that. I have always found English football very fascinating. The support of the home team is amazing.'In Italy, Latin people will support you when you are playing and when you lose, they kill you. In England, I'm always surprised people always support everything and that is nice. That's why I hope to have the challenge to train there.' Guardiola has been coveted by the biggest clubs in the world since stepping down as Barcelona coach last year after creating one of the best teams of all time. He has spent much of his time in New York, improving his English, and Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been linked with a move for his services.His plan is to return to work this summer and speculation this week linked him with Bayern Munich, but the Catalan told the FA of his special bond with England and Wembley. He added: 'I had the opportunity to play two finals at Wembley and that's why my relationship with England is pretty close.I played there twice, once as a player when I was 19 and it was my first Champions League as a player, as Barcelona finally won the Champions League. It was a huge honour to play at the old Wembley.'When I was manager of Barcelona, for our second Champions League in three years, it was a real pleasure to play in the new Wembley. 'Congratulations on this huge anniversary, because 150 years is a lot of years. 'Also because they created the rules of football and have a responsibility for the game. They have been important in the development of our beautiful, beautiful game.'

TRANSFER NEWS AND UPDATES (INS AND OUTS):

Arsenal 

OUT - Marouane Chamakh to West Ham on loan.

OUT – Johan Djourou to Hannover 96 on loan 

Chelsea

OUT- Daniel Sturridge to Liverpool for £12 million.

IN – Demba Ba from Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee.

IN: Wallace from Fluminensefor an undisclosed fee. (Summer)

Fulham 

OUT - Stephen Kelly to Reading for an undisclosed fee.

Liverpool

IN – Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea for £12 million.

OUT – Joe Cole to West Ham United on a free transfer.

OUT – Adam Morgan to Rotherham on loan.

Manchester United

OUT- Bebe to Rio Ave on loan.

OUT – Joshua King to Blackburn Rovers for £1 million.

OUT- Angelo Henriquez to Wigan on loan.

OUT- Robbie Brady to Hull City for £2 million.

Newcastle United 

IN – Mathieu Debuchy from Lille for £5 million.

OUT – Demba Ba to Chelsea for an undisclosed fee.

Queens Park Rangers

IN – Tal Ben Haim, a free agent.

IN – Jake Livermore from Tottenham on loan.

OUT – Michael Harriman to Wycombe on loan

Reading FC

IN – Stephen Kelly from Fulham for an undisclosed fee.

IN – Hope Akpan to Crawley for an undisclosed fee.

IN – Daniel Carrico from Sporting Lisbon for £600,000.

OUT – Dominic Samuel to Colchester on loan.

Stoke City

OUT-  Danny Higginbothams to Sheffield United on a free transfer.

Sunderland AFC

IN – Kader Mangane from Al Hilal on loan.

IN – Alfred N’Diaye from Bursaspor for an undisclosed fee.

OUT – Dong – Won Ji to Augsburg on loan.

OUT – David Meyler to Hull for an undisclosed fee.

Swansea City

IN – Roland Lamah from Osasuna on loan.

Tottenham Hotspur

IN - Ezekiel Fryers from Standard Liege £3 million.

IN – Lewis Holtby from Schalke on a free transfer. (Summer)

OUT- Carlo Cudicini to LA Galaxy on a free transfer.

OUT – Jake Livermore to Queens Park Rangers on loan.

West Bromwich Albion

OUT – Chris Wood to Leicester City for £2 million.

West Ham United

IN – Wellington Paulista from Cruzeiro on loan.

IN - Sean Maguire  from Waterford United.

IN – Joe Cole from Liverpool on a free transfer

IN - Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal on loan.

Wigan Athletic

IN - Roger Espinoza from Sporting Kansas City on a free transfer.

IN – Angelo Henriquez from Manchester United on loan.

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Other Leagues

Giuseppe Rossi from Villareal to Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee.

Alexandre Pato from AC Milan to Corinthians for  £12.2 million.

Lucio from Juventus to Sao Paulo on a free transfer.

Rafael Marquez from New York Red Bulls to Leon on a free transfer.

Jan Kirchhoff from Mainz to Bayern Munich on a free transfer. (Summer)

Shakhtar Donetsk signs Brazilian midfielder Taison for €20m.

ACF Fiorentina have confirmed that Francesco Della has been transferred to AC Siena.

Former Liverpool left back, Dossena, has joined Palermo from Napoli on a six month loan deal.