Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are prepared to let Brazilian forward Robinho leave the club, with Barcelona his likely destination, if they can bring in French midfielder Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich as a replacement.(Daily Mail) 
Tottenham are lining up a £5m move for Club Brugge defender Vadis Odjidja in January.(The Sun) 
Sheffield United defender Matthew Kilgallon will leave the Blades in January after rejecting a new £20,000-a-week contract. The £4m-rated 25-year-old is wanted by Wigan, Bolton, Celtic and Middlesbrough.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping to avoid a touchline ban for his remarks about referee Alan Wiley's fitness by citing as his defence the precedence that no manager has been banned for post-match comments and that they were made away from the technical area.(Daily Mirror)
Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is ready to leave Notts County and take up the Sweden managerial post - only three months after joining the Magpies as director of football. (Daily Mirror) 
Eriksson, though, has apparently already spoken to the Swedish FA about the national team coaching vacancy behind Notts County's back, according to his agent Lars Sternmarker. "(Swedish FA president) Lars-Ake Lagrell has talked both to Sven and me," said Sternmarker. "But what we talked about and further quotes about this you have to ask Mr Lagrell."(The Sun) 
If Eriksson does quit Notts County for the Sweden national job he will be forced to take huge pay cut on his £10m-deal with the League Two side.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he plans to remain in football as long as he lives and cannot imagine ever retiring from the game. "If I have health, I want to work as long as I live but adapt to my potential," said Wenger.(The Sun) 
Newcastle caretaker manager Chris Hughton will be offered the job at St James' Park on a permanent basis this week - with owner Mike Ashley also preparing to take the club off the market.(Daily Mirror) 
Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni is ready to steal Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill from under the nose of England boss Fabio Capello. Cahill, who has featured in a number of Capello's England squads but has yet to play, qualifies for Ireland via one of his grandparents.(Daily Mirror) 
Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny will use Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro's escape from a drugs ban as part of his defence in Tuesday's appeal against a nine-month suspension for taking prohibited substance ephedrine. Cannavaro failed a drugs test after using cortisone to prevent an allergic reaction to a bee sting but was given a reprieve.(Daily Mail) 
Former Hull striker Dean Windass wants to replace Mike Newell as the new Grimsby manager.(Daily Mirror) 
Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson has agreed terms on a new two-year contract with the club.(Daily Express) 

AND FINALLY

Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey incurred the wrath of Fabio Capello last week by flouting the England manager's rule on mobile phones. The 31-year-old was caught texting at the dinner table. (The Sun) 
England coach Capello's patience may also be tested by photos of Tottenham striker Peter Crouch out partying in a nightclub with teammates in the aftermath of Spurs' 2-1 victory over Portsmouth last Saturday.(Daily Mail) 
Liverpool will search Manchester United fans ahead of this Sunday's clash between the sides at Anfield for any items, including beach balls, which could be thrown onto the pitch and potentially cause a repeat of the "freak" goal scored against the Reds by Sunderland's Darren Bent last Saturday.(The Guardian)
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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is weighing up a move for Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, 23, who currently plays for CSKA Moscow. (The Sun) 
Mexico striker Guillermo Franco, 32, says he is joining West Ham after his deal with Villarreal expired last month and a move to South American champions Estudiantes fell through. (The Sun) 
Hull are giving a trial to former Manchester City defender Glauber Berti, the 26-year-old Brazilian is currently unattached.(Daily Mirror) 
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is set to launch a £2m bid for Hull striker Caleb Folan, 26. (Daily Star) 
Stoke defender Leon Cort is wanted by Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Newcastle. (Daily Mail)
Coventry boss Chris Coleman is battling Championship rivals Swansea and Doncaster to land Wolves' 19-year-old striker Sam Vokes. (Daily Star) 
Sheffield United will move for Ipswich's Northern Ireland centre-half Gareth McAuley, 29, in a long-term loan deal with current Blades centre-back Matt Kilgallon, 25, being targeted by Wigan and Newcastle. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

England boss Fabio Capello, who reportedly earns £6m a year, picked up a £1m bonus for guiding England to the World Cup in South Africa. (The Sun) 
And Capello will earn a £2m bonus if England win the World Cup next summer. (The Times) 
Scotland boss George Burley will hold talks with the president of the Scottish FA, George Peat, next week to discuss his future after Scotland failed to qualify for the World Cup. (The Times) 
Meanwhile, Burnley boss Owen Coyle says he has no interest in replacing Burley as Scotland boss. (Daily Express) 
However, three names in the frame for the Scotland job, should Burley get the sack, are Rangers boss Walter Smith, former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan and Dundee United boss Craig Levein.(Daily Record) 
Bryan Robson is being lined up as the next Thailand national team boss to replace Peter Reid, who is Stoke's new assistant manager. (Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, who has been banned for nine months after ephedrine was found in his system, has been nicknamed "Benylin Bill" by his teammates in a bid to cheer him up. (The Sun)
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Sheff Utd 1-0 Preston (agg 2-1)

Sheffield United overcame Preston to book their place in the Championship play-off final courtesy of Greg Halford's second-half header. 
An edgy game saw chances at a premium before Halford rose above Youl Mawene to power home Kyle Walker's deep cross. 
Preston threw men forward and Jon Parkin tested Paddy Kenny before Brian Howard cleared off the line from Neil Mellor's six-yard drive. 
But United held firm with some stout late defending to progress to Wembley. 
Kevin Blackwell's side were rewarded for their attacking intent and now find themselves just one game away from a return to the Premier League, two years after they were controversially relegated.

Sheff Utd: Kenny, Naughton, Kilgallon, Morgan, Walker, Howard, Montgomery, Stephen Quinn, Halford (Bromby 82), Beattie, Cotterill.
Subs Not Used: Hendrie, Lupoli, Webber, Sharp. 
Booked: Stephen Quinn, Cotterill. 
Goals: Halford 59. 

Preston: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St. Ledger, Nolan, Sedgwick (Mellor 72), McKenna, Nicholson (Carter 72), Wallace, Parkin, Brown (Elliott 62).
Subs Not Used: Neal, Chilvers. 
Booked: Wallace, Parkin, Mawene. 

Att: 26,354 
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).
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Sheff Utd 2-1 Barnsley

Sheffield United moved into third place in the Championship after a dramatic derby win over struggling Barnsley. 
John Joe O'Toole bundled home Gary Naysmith's throw to put United ahead on 81 minutes and Arturo Lupoli met Darius Henderson's cut-back to make it 2-0. 
Blades keeper Paddy Kenny saved Jamal Campbell-Ryce's last-minute penalty, before Daniel Bogdanovic finally pulled one back for the visitors. 
A touchline fracas involving both dug-outs marred the end of the match. 

Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell on moving to within five points of Championship leaders Wolves: 
"It was another big win for us. 
"Tonight, the top two were looking and it's 0-0 with 70-odd minutes gone, then two goals go in, so psychologically they know that we are chasing them. 
"To be as close as we are now is terrific credit to this side." 

Barnsley boss Simon Davey on the touchline row: 
"It was nothing. I was disappointed with the multi-ball system. That was the issue. 
"When United scored their first goal all the balls disappeared. We had 24 when we were drawing and then there's one in the stadium when we're losing. 
"I spoke to the referee and there were words exchanged, but it's nothing." 

Blackwell on the touchline row: 
"I thought they wanted more time and I thought: 'Where's he going with this?' 
"But I don't control the multi-ball system and it never went missing. I don't know what he's on about." 

Sheff Utd: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Bromby, Naysmith, Halford, Montgomery, O'Toole, Cotterill (Lupoli 70), Ward (Beattie 90), Henderson. 
Subs Not Used: Bennett, Howard, Walker. 
Booked: O'Toole. 
Goals: O'Toole 82, Lupoli 87. 

Barnsley: Muller, Hassell, Moore, Foster, Kozluk, Teymourian, De Silva, Colace (Bogdanovic 84), Campbell-Ryce, Macken, Mifsud (Hammill 76). 
Subs Not Used: Steele, Guedes, Devaney. 
Booked: De Silva, Campbell-Ryce. 
Goals: Bogdanovic 90. 

Att: 27,061 
Ref: Grant Hegley (Hertfordshire).
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