The bookies might have stopped taking bets on Gordon Strachan becoming the new Leeds United manager but Stephen McPhail, whose three-month loan with Nottingham Forest ended on Saturday, could probably do with Paul Hart, Forest's manager, beating the odds and taking over at Elland Road.
Away from home
Hart, who as Leeds' academy director was instrumental in McPhail's early development at the club, still has a high regard for the player, despite his career stagnating the past couple of seasons, and wanted to make his move to Forest permanent - Leeds, though, are looking for a fee in the region of £750,000, which is about £750,000 more than Forest can afford to spend these days.
McPhail, 24 next month, has been at Leeds for nine years but has had mixed fortunes under the lengthy succession of managers at the club in that period, and hasn't been helped by a string of injuries. He did, though, win his ninth senior cap against Canada last week and he'll now hope whoever takes over at Leeds is willing to give him another chance to establish himself.
Another Home Farm old-boy, Gareth Farrelly, could also do with an upturn in fortunes after having his loan spell at Burnley from Bolton prematurely ended last week, with Burnley deciding not to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis. Farrelly, then, who won the last of his six Irish caps in 2000, is back in the Bolton reserves.
Bells mix youth and experience
David Bell, you might know, is a member of the Irish under-20 squad that starts its World Youth Cup campaign next weekend in the United Arab Emirates. You might also know that one of his club mates at Rushden and Diamonds is his Donegal cousin, who also goes by the name of David Bell.
A while back we enlightened you with the fact that the club's website had the under-20 lad's date of birth down as "December 24, 1909", which would make him 94 this Christmas Eve. And what about the Donegal David? According to the FAI website he has, recently, been "capped for Ireland at Under-1 level". Well, as they say, if they're good enough, they're old enough.
(PS: Scarborough's website gives another of the Irish under-20 squad's date of birth as 1232 - which could put 771-year-old Stephen Capper's eligibility for an under-20 tournament in to question).
Quotes of the week
"I would rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon than have O'Leary back."
- Simon Jose, of the Leeds United Independent Fans' Association, on rumours that the club is trying to tempt Davo back to Elland Road. Is that a "no thanks" then, Simon?
"We are very, very close to an historic moment for the boys."
- Berti Vogts previewing Scotland's game against Holland on Wednesday. Oh Lordy (see below)
"Oranges 6, Lemons 0." (see above)
- The Scottish Daily Record's sober take on Scotland's setback in Holland.
"He scores goals, but I don't think he is an out-and-out goalscorer. I think he is a cross between myself and Emile."
- Michael Owen half-slanders Wayne Rooney.
"Presumably the lawyers acting for Mr Ferguson in his case against Coolmore Stud will be remunerated on the basis of 'no foal, no fee'."
- Letter from Mike Byrne to The Irish Times last week.
Citius, altius or elsius
There are, we've noticed, some sceptical folk out there who doubt whether Greece will have all their bits and pieces built in time for next year's Olympic Games. Amongst these doubting Thomases are PAOK Salonica supporters who, according to the Greek sports minister Yiorgos Lianis, have been heard to chant at recent matches "vulgar insults against the Olympics", which will be staged in Athens, home to their least-loved rivals, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and AEK. Yiorgos has, evidently, had enough.
If any PAOK diehards are rude once more about the Games they will face criminal charges, which kind of backs up their main objection to the event - namely that the authorities will use it as an opportunity to curtail Greeks' democratic rights.
More quotes of the week
"Someone appears to be looking over my fence with large green eyes."
- Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe on Leeds' lusting after Gordon Strachan, or else he spotted ET at the bottom of his garden.
"Eleven dead, 70 million wounded."
- Headline in Turkish newspaper Sabah last week after Latvia ended Turkey's Euro 2004 qualifying hopes.
"When I was in Milan I would take a plane in the morning and go off to Naples, Rome or Sardinia for the day. Here, in London, I don't see myself leaving for Blackburn, so I go to France."
- Chelsea's Marcel Desailly, thanking God for the Channel Tunnel.
"A bit of pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake butcher's man there."
- Mark Lawrenson, as heard by Dangerhere.com, during the Wales v Russia game. Meaning? Em . . . no idea.
"Rio Ferdinand sits on the balance sheet at £30 million - he will be amortised over the value of his contract, or sooner as the case may be."
- Manchester United PLC-type person Sir Roy Gardner. Since when did "amortised" mean "facing lengthy ban from the game due to alarming forgetfulness and, thus, will make that £30 million fee look even more of a fleecing than it already was"?
Squaring the circle
Hearty thanks to the father of a nine-year-old who got in touch last week to share what their "sharp-eared" youngster had heard on a BBC Northern Ireland football report: "It's all square at the Oval". Love it.
Much Adu about young thing
At just 18 Ireland's Willo Flood will be one of the younger players to appear at the World Youth Cup, which starts on Thursday, but he's almost an auld fella compared to the late call-up (pending FIFA approval) to the United States' squad, 14-year-old Freddy Adu.
The Ghanaian-born teenager, who moved to America when he was eight, hasn't even kicked a ball in the US league yet (he won't start his professional career until next season when he'll play for Washington's DC United) but is already reputed to be the highest paid player in the country, thanks largely to a sponsorship deal with Nike.
He played for the US under-17 team when he was just 13 and, by all accounts, turned down offers to join Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Barcelona.
Last week his six-year deal with the MLS (Major League Soccer) was announced at a press conference in Madison Square Gardens, followed by an appearance on the David Letterman Show. When he makes his debut for DC United he will become the youngest player to join a US professional league since 14-year-old pitcher Fred Chapman appeared for Philadelphia Athletics (baseball) in 1887.
Nobody in America doubts his talent, but there are plenty who doubt his age - the United States Soccer Federation even sent investigators to Ghana in an attempt to verify his alleged date of birth (June 2nd, 1989) but failed to find proof one way or another.
If Liam Miller thought he was suffering from hype he should spare a thought for young Freddy, whatever his age.
