A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Celtic trio land Premier awards
Celtic have come out on top in the Scottish Premier League awards with Neil Lennon voted manager of the season, defender Charlie Mulgrew named player of the season and winger James Forrest picking up the young player prize.
Lennon earned his accolade after taking the Hoops on a 17-match winning run during the course of the season, which saw Celtic claim the SPL title.
Mulgrew’s award is his fifth of the campaign after winning votes from Celtic fans and players, his fellow professionals at PFA Scotland and the Scottish Football Writers Association. Forrest also increased his tally of gongs after being named young player of the year by Celtic fans, as well as claiming awards from PFA Scotland and the Scottish Football Writers.
SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “The Premier League is more than just 90 minutes on a Saturday and these awards celebrate the excellent work our clubs do off the pitch to support their local community, develop young Scottish talent and improve the match-day experience for fans.”
Evra confident that United empire can strike back
Manchester United captain Patrice Evra does not think it will be the “end of the empire” if they lose their Premier League crown to Manchester City.
Evra said: “I know that if we don’t win the league then a lot of people will say this is the end of the empire and ask how we will survive. But there is a lot of talent at this club.”
To win a 20th league title, United need to better City’s result against QPR when they face Sunderland on Sunday, or else win by eight more goals than their rivals.
However, Evra believes Alex Ferguson’s side have done well to take the title race to the final day of the season, in a campaign which has been disrupted by injuries. Nemanja Vidic has been sidelined since December, while Darren Fletcher remains out of action with a bowel condition.
Tom Cleverley, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Michael Owen have also missed large chunks of the season.
“We’ve had to deal with a lot through injuries and losing experienced players last summer and it’s never easy to find a solution immediately,” the French defender added.
Delaney tells Keane he should 'get over himself'
FAI chief executive John Delaney has told Roy Keane he should “get over himself”, and stop his constant sniping over the infamous Saipan bust up.
Speaking at the official opening of Ardee Celtics new facilities in county Louth Delaney told Keane: “You should get over yourself, it’s 10 years ago since it all happened”.
Talking to a local radio station Delaney said, “For his own good – not for anybody else’s good, but for his own good – Roy should just let it go. Roy has a lot to say a lot of the time, he was a great man to tell us to get over things a while ago, I think for his own sake he should get over himself.
“I’m aware of the shadow of it, but every time Roy gets a microphone, especially in an Irish domain, he tends to talk about it.”
Assou-Ekotto eager to move to greener pastures
Benoit Assou-Ekotto has stunned Tottenham by admitting he could leave White Hart Lane this summer as part of a gentleman’s agreement with chairman Daniel Levy.
“When I met my chairman last January, he told me that if a club bigger than Tottenham came for me, it (the club) would not necessarily be against a departure,” Assou-Ekotto said.
“There was a gentleman’s agreement. As he is a man of his word, I hope it will make things easier if a great club comes in. If there is a change at Tottenham – some more money is made available maybe – I wouldn’t be against the idea of staying, but otherwise I’ll try to move forward, as I did when I left Lens.
“A few months ago, I said I never wanted to participate in the Europa League, because this competition is useless. If I have to leave Tottenham, it will be to join a club that makes the Champions League. Spain, Italy, Germany, wherever. The grass is green everywhere!”
Meanwhile, Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen has admitted he would like to sign for the White Hart Lane side.
Hazard plays it cute on transfer rumours
Eden Hazard is refusing to confirm which club he would like to play for next season after indicating he could wear either red or blue.
The 21-year-old Lille midfielder had already openly stated his intention to move to the Premier League amid speculation linking him with Europe’s top clubs.
That has led to reports of a bidding war between Manchester City and Manchester United, and when Canal+ mischievously asked whether Hazard prefers red or blue, the question drew a non-committal response from the Belgium international.
“I like both,” he replied. “They’re both nice colours. I think they both suit me.”
* Hull have sacked manager Nick Barmby, accusing him of “casting public doubt on the integrity” of the club’s board.
The 38-year-old, who has only been in the job for six months after taking over from Nigel Pearson in November, was widely reported to have been suspended last week in the wake of an interview he gave questioning the lack of money made available to him in the January transfer window.
