A round-up of other soccer news in brief
St Ledger joins Boro on loan deal
PRESTON North End have confirmed that defender Seán St Ledger has joined Middlesbrough on a three-month loan deal with a view to a permanent move in January.
The Republic of Ireland defender linked up with Gareth Southgate’s squad ahead of last night’s game against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
The 24-year-old signed for the Lilywhites in the summer of 2006 and went on to play more than 130 games for them.
St Ledger was named as Preston’s Player of the Year in 2008.
Keane's Ipswich still waiting for their first win
FORMER Norwich striker Rob Earnshaw returned to East Anglia last night to deny Roy Keane’s 10-man Ipswich their first Championship victory of the season.
Ipswich took the lead inside a minute when Grant Leadbitter, making his home debut, fired the ball into the bottom corner from 12 yards after being set up by recalled striker Stead.
But Earnshaw, who had a prolific record down the road with Norwich, struck just moments after being introduced off the bench in the 59th minute, registering his first goal of the campaign.
Ipswich Town finished the game with 10 men when defender Gareth McAuley was dismissed for a professional foul on substitute Dele Adebola on the edge of the area.
It means Ipswich have made their worst start to a season for 40 years while Forest have now drawn their last seven away games.
Ipswich, who began the game second from bottom and with just two points from a possible 18, failed to avail of their dream start.
Platini's plan gets the green light
UEFA president Michel Platini’s plan to make clubs live within their means was approved by European soccer’s governing body yesterday.
The new rules, dubbed “financial fair play” and due to be introduced in 2012, will in principle ban clubs from spending more than their revenue.
They are aimed at ending the trend of rich owners buying into the game and transforming the fortunes of a club.
“We don’t want to kill or hurt the clubs, on the contrary we want to help them in the market,” said Platini after a Uefa executive committee meeting had rubber-stamped the rules.
“That (living within your means) is the basis of accounting but it hasn’t been the basis of football for years now,” the former France international added.
Platini said club owners themselves had asked for the reforms while Uefa’s deputy general secretary Gianni Infantino said more than 50 per cent of clubs were losing money.
Maradona enters clinic to lose weight
UNDER-PRESSURE Argentina coach Diego Maradona has checked into a clinic in northern Italy in a bid to lose weight, his personal doctor said yesterday.
“Maradona travelled to Italy to check into a spa he knows where he will do a diet to lose five kilos,” his personal doctor Alfredo Cahe said. He is fine, a lot better than many people think, he is serene.
Italian media said Maradona, whose team are in danger of missing out on next year’s World Cup after recent defeats by Brazil and Paraguay, had checked into the Henri Chenot clinic in Merano. The clinic could not be reached for comment.
The 48-year-old has fought a long battle with weight problems and the Italian media noted he had used Chenot’s services to get fit while playing for Napoli 20 years ago.
Burley gets full backing
GEORGE Burley will continue as Scotland manager, the Scottish FA said yesterday.
“We have today given our full backing to George as Scotland National Coach, SFA chief executive Gordon Smith said in a statement.
The 53-year-old Burley’s position had been in doubt since Scotland’s 1-0 loss to Netherlands last Wednesday, which meant they could not qualify for next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
Whelan signs new four-year contract
STOKE City’s Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan has committed his future to the club by signing a new four-year contract.
The 25-year-old moved to the Britannia Stadium from Sheffield Wednesday for £500,000 in January 2008 and has established himself as a regular in central midfield. “I’m obviously delighted to have secured my future here with the club,” said Whelan. “I’ve worked hard since I arrived here and it’s great to have been rewarded with a new deal.”
Whelan played an important part in the Stoke’s promotion-winning campaign of 2007/08 but initially struggled to make the breakthrough at Premier League level. However, he re-established his first-team place in the latter half of last season and hopes to be able to progress now the finalities of his new contract have been signed.
“It’s taken a week or two to iron out but I never had to think about it really,” he told stokecityfc.com.
“I want to play at the highest level and achieve as much as I can and I feel I can fulfil my ambitions at Stoke. I was obviously disappointed for myself (at the start of last season) because I wanted to show I could play at this level.
“But I kept my head up and worked as hard as I could and fortunately I got my chance and have taken it.
