FA Cup Final: Robbie Fowler has admitted he will be "totally gutted" if left out of Liverpool's FA Cup final starting line-up. The club's vice-captain still clings to the hope he will face Arsenal from the start in tomorrow's showdown at the Millennium Stadium.
The odds look to be stacked against him now after seeing big rival Michael Owen score six in a week and start five of Liverpool's last six matches.
If Fowler misses out, it will be Finnish defender Sami Hyypia who will captain Liverpool, Fowler having had that honour for the victorious Worthington Cup final in the continued injury absence of club captain Jamie Redknapp.
Redknapp Fallout: Southampton have sounded out sacked West Ham manager Harry Redknapp about an immediate return to management, while Charlton's Alan Curbishley has admitted he was "flattered" to be linked with the vacancy at Upton Park.
The departure of Redknapp and his assistant Frank Lampard is almost certain to end the West Ham career of Frank Lampard Jnr. The midfielder will cost around £10 million and Leeds are leading a group of interested clubs which includes Arsenal, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
Little over 24 hours after leaving West Ham, Redknapp described the idea of managing Southampton as "attractive". The 54-year-old already lives on the south coast.
Transfers: Football's transfer market is approaching its silly season. Here are some who could be on the shopping lists of would-be Premiership title chasers this summer: Teddy Sheringham (Man United): Stalling on new two-year deal. Dwight Yorke (Man United): Starting chances limited. Frank Lampard (West Ham): Upset with Redknapp sacking. Kieron Dyer (Newcastle): Top of many wanted lists. Kevin Phillips (Sunderland): May prefer life down south. Gareth Southgate (Aston Villa): Not on best of terms with boss. Lilian Thuram (Parma): Strongly linked with Manchester United. Edgar Davids (Juventus): Constantly linked with Premiership. Rivaldo (Barcelona): Clubs would bite Barcelona's hands off. Emmanuel Petit (Barcelona): Spurs lead chase for unsettled star. Dani (Barcelona): Linked with a move to the Premiership.
On The Move: Middlesbrough will release former Republic of Ireland winger Alan Moore when his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Drugs Row: Rangers defender Bert Konterman has pointed the finger at Dutch farmers in the current drugs scandal in Holland.
Dutch internationals Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids have both recently tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone. But Konterman believes his international team-mates are the innocent victims of greed. He said: "In Holland, a lot of farmers inject cows with nandrolone to enhance the beef and make more money. I think this is what has happened, the Dutch players have had dinner while with the national team and probably had beef with a lot of nandrolone in it."
Irish Award: Bohemians' Glen Crowe was last night named as the Eircom-sponsored Soccer Writers' Association of Ireland Personality of the Year. The 23-year-old scored 35 goals this season.
UCD coach Theo Dunne received a special merit award.
FAI Cup Sell-Out: Sunday's FAI Cup Final is a sell-out. The game will be shown live on Network 2 (kick-off 3.30). If a draw after 90 minutes there will be a replay at Dalymount Park next Friday.
