SOCCER SHORTS:AN inquest into Gary Speed's death was told that the Wales manager was found hanged at his home by his wife.
The 42-year-old was discovered dead at his Cheshire home on Sunday morning. Det Insp Peter Lawless told the coroner that Speed's body was found by his wife Louise just before 7am.
He said there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances and a postmortem found Speed's death was caused by hanging.
The inquest has been adjourned until the end of January.
Leeds fans paid a perfect tribute to the late club favourite during last night's English League Championship game against Nottingham Forest by chanting his name for 11 consecutive minutes from the 11th minute of the game, to mark the shirt number he wore in United's championship-winning campaign in the 1991-92 season.
Portsmouth tackle renewed crisis
PORTSMOUTH Football Club has met with yet another disaster. The company which owns the club, Convers Sports Initiatives – which is 80 per cent owned by Vladimir Antonov, who has been arrested for alleged bank fraud – has been placed into administration.
Antonov, wanted for questioning in Lithuania, has resigned as the chairman and director of the club.
A statement by CSI said Andrew Andronikou and Peter Kubik of the accountants Hacker Young, who handled Portsmouths £120 million (€140 million) insolvency last year, when Pompey became the first Premier League club to go into administration, have been appointed to handle the CSI collapse. The Football League said its board will decide whether Portsmouth should be deducted 10 points “when all the facts become available”.
The intention, formed during frantic recent days at Fratton Park, is to try to keep Portsmouth solvent this time and for the administrators to sell the club quickly as a going concern.
Injury forces Spurs rethink
ROMAN Pavlyuchenko has suffered further frustration at Tottenham Hotspur with a training ground injury that has ruled him out of the must-win Europa League group tie against PAOK Salonika at White Hart Lane tonight.
Pavlyuchenko damaged his knee in a collision with midfielder Andros Townsend. Harry Redknapp said the player had “tweaked his knee quite badly” and the manager has been forced to rethink his options.
He intended to make 11 changes to the side that won in the Premier League at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday but Pavlyuchenko’s absence means Jermain Defoe is likely to be asked to continue. Redknapp also said Giovani dos Santos, who might have been expected to feature, was struggling with a groin strain.
“Rotating for the Europa League has worked this season . . . We’ll go with the same group for this tie,” said Redknapp, who also indicated his intention to start with the 18-year-old striker Harry Kane.
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Drogba snubs Chelsea offer
DIDIER Drogba’s agent has revealed he has rejected Chelsea’s offer of a one-year contract extension and vowed to “go where he is offered the most money” after turning down a loan move to AC Milan.
The 33-year-old Ivory Coast striker looks increasingly set to walk away from Stamford Bridge for nothing when his contract expires next summer. “We know what we want . . . and what offers we have,” said his agent, Thierno Seydi.
Celtic ponder Europa role for Brown
CELTIC have yet to decide whether captain Scott Brown will feature in their Europa League game against Atletico Madrid tonight.
Brown has been sidelined with an ankle injury since mid-September but has returned to training.
Kelvin Wilson is in a similar position after recovering from an Achilles problem, while Badr El-Kaddouri is cup-tied and Thomas Rogne was not registered in time.
SCUNTHORPEUnited have extended the loan of Everton central defender Shane Duffy until January 8th.
It is the third time the club have extended the deal for the 19 year old.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has made 14 appearances for Scunthorpe so far, scoring once in a 4-2 win over Tranmere.
