Representatives of a new grouping of St Patrick's Athletic fans calling themselves "Pats for Richmond" will present an open letter, in which they seek information on the future of the club's Inchicore home, to directors at this evening's game against Shelbourne, reports Emmet Malone.
Open letter to St Pat's board
Amid speculation that the club are set to sell Richmond Park for around 26 million, the supporters are seeking reassurances that the board sees the stadium as having a long-term future and want to know whether formal negotiations have taken place with regard to a possible ground share with Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght.
Arteta staying at Goodison
Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has chosen the week of the Merseyside derby to insist he has no intention of joining Liverpool.
The rumours around Merseyside for some weeks have been that Arteta - great friends with fellow Basque and Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso - was going to switch sides in the summer.
But Arteta, sent off when the sides met at Goodison Park in December when Everton lost 3-1, said: "There has been so much speculation, people in the street have been asking me about it. But I'm really honest in saying I'm not going there. Definitely not."
Wembley's sewer thing
Problems with the sewer pipes at the new Wembley Stadium will not delay the opening of the arena, the company in charge of the project said yesterday.
Australian builder Multiplex said work to repair the underground pipes would have no impact on the May 13th completion deadline for the £757 million stadium. The pipes, running beneath the 90,000-seater stadium in north west London, have buckled due to ground movement.
A Multiplex spokesmasaid: "we do not believe the drain and sewer system remedial repairs will have any impact on the completion of the stadium."
Jol rules out move to PSV
Tottenham head coach Martin Jol has ruled himself out of the running for the PSV Eindhoven job should Guus Hiddink quit in the summer. Hiddink has yet to make his intentions clear but, if he opts to leave, there is growing speculation in the Netherlands that Jol will top PSV's shortlist of possible successors.
However, the Spurs coach flatly denied he had any intention of leaving White Hart Lane to go back home.
"I would not be interested in the job. I am focused on this club. This is my first club as a manager and I love this club," he said.
In brief . .
Burnley have signed Dubliner Alan Mahon from Wigan on loan . . . Bayern Munich have targeted Barcelona's Mark van Bommel as a replacement for Michael Ballack . . . Manchester United have offered Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, whose contract expires at the end of the season, a pay-as-you-play deal for next season . . . The FA Cup semi-final draw takes place live on BBC1 at 12.55pm today.
TONIGHT: English League Championship: Burnley v Norwich City.
