SOCCER: Gerard Houllier's miserable year will end on a suitably troubled note with confirmation that his captain, Steven Gerrard, has succumbed to a thigh injury and will miss Liverpool's potentially treacherous FA Cup trip to Yeovil Town on Sunday.
The 22-year-old underwent a scan on the strain at Melwood training ground yesterday, having limped from the field 59 minutes into the 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday. The injury had been sustained during the opening five minutes with Gerrard, so integral to Liverpool, insistent that he should play on.
"Stevie sustained the injury after just five minutes but he was brave enough to stay on for as long as he did," said Houllier, who will lose his captain and inspiration for up to a fortnight, rendering him extremely doubtful for next week's Premiership trip to Chelsea.
"After half-time it became too much for him. His attitude epitomises what being a captain is all about."
Gerrard's absence at Yeovil and Stamford Bridge comes as a big blow, though Houllier will at least welcome Michael Owen back to training this morning for the first time in a month. The England vice-captain has not featured since hobbling out of the UEFA Cup tie with Steaua Bucharest in late November with a thigh complaint.
A scan over the weekend confirmed the injury has cleared up.
"Michael's doing a lot better now," added Houllier. "As soon as he can train he will train. We will see how he is before Yeovil, but I would not totally rule out the possibility of him being involved at this stage."
Owen has not played a full 90 minutes since the 3-2 defeat at Charlton Athletic on September 28th - during which he scored his eighth goal in as many club appearances this season - before suffering a shin injury in the loss to Arsenal the following week, which eventually forced him to withdraw from England's final Euro 2004 qualifier in Turkey.
There have been only four appearances since, with an ankle complaint and then the thigh strain severely restricting his impact. Whether Houllier risks asking him to play his first game in six weeks at Huish Park remains to be seen.
Everton's hopes of signing the Motherwell midfielder Stephen Pearson appear to have been dashed, with Celtic likely to sign the Scotland international next month. David Moyes had been keen to bring the 21-year-old to Goodison Park at the end of the season via a transfer tribunal.
Tottenham Hotspur, who enter the New Year in the relegation zone, received another setback yesterday when striker Freddie Kanoute made clear he intends to play for Mali in the African Nations Cup and will miss up to five games for the club.
Kanoute, who is believed to hold both French and Malian passports, has never played for Mali, but the former France under-21 striker is eligible under new FIFA rules because he has not played a full international.
But Tottenham's caretaker manager, David Pleat, denied a firm decision had been taken. "His decision to play for Mali has not been confirmed," Pleat said. "The matter is complicated. But it is a tester for him whether he wants to stay and fight."
Should Mali progress to the quarter-finals, it will keep Kanoute in Tunisia at least until February 7th. During that time Spurs face Liverpool and Charlton at White Hart Lane and Fulham away, plus possibly two FA Cup ties.
It is believed Spurs know who their next manager will be, though reports that it will be PSV Eindhoven's Guus Hiddink were dismissed by sources in Holland yesterday.
Charlton's Alan Curbishley and Celtic's Martin O'Neill are favourites to take the job, though neither is likely to be seduced if the club's current league position becomes a place in the Nationwide League.
However, unless the right players are enlisted - and investment has not always equated to successful recruitment in Spurs' recent past - the threat of relegation will endure.
Leeds United are to receive another £1 million instalment from Manchester City for Robbie Fowler now that he has made 30 Premiership appearances. The payment means Leeds will have received £5 million of a possible £6 million package. The remainder is based on appearances with performance-related top-ups.
Meanwhile, David Beckham has had an unexpected taste of criticism from his Real Madrid team-mate Ivan Helguera. Helguera claims that although the England captain is playing "great football", his defensive efforts pale in comparison to those of Claude Makelele, who left for Chelsea in the summer.
"I assure you, compared to Makelele he's not on the same level, no matter how much people go on about it. He's not as defensive as Makelele."
