SOCCER DIGEST:RANGERS MANAGER Walter Smith has revealed he is more likely to use the January transfer window to reduce his squad rather than add to it.
"We've got a big group of players at the moment so we don't necessarily have to bring anybody in," he said. "We could lose a few but it's not really that necessary for us to bring anyone in."
The Rangers manager also claims to have no concerns about his defence ahead of tomorrow's trip to Kilmarnock - despite conceding three goals to Dundee United in a 3-3 draw in midweek.
Meanwhile, Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc returns to action for today's league clash against Motherwell at Parkhead before heading off for a knee operation.
Midfielder Aiden McGeady, who missed the midweek match against Manchester United with a calf injury, remains on a lengthy injury list that also includes Glenn Loovens, Marc Crosas, Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.
Higginbotham speaks up for Delap
DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM has sprung to the defence of team-mate Rory Delap after Stoke City's long-throw specialist was accused of deliberately injuring Theo Walcott.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger pointed the finger at Delap after his foul resulted in Walcott being carried off on a stretcher near the end of last week's clash at the Britannia Stadium.
Controversy has raged all week about Stoke's tactics but Higginbotham is absolutely certain Delap had no intention to hurt the England player, who sustained shoulder damage after falling awkwardly.
Higginbotham, who has played with Delap at Southampton as well as at Stoke, said: "I've known Rory for eight years and there is not a nasty bone in his body.
"To accuse him of injuring Walcott on purpose was very wrong and not a nice thing to say.
"We all know Arsene Wenger is one of the best managers in the game and people are entitled to their opinion, but there is no malice in Rory.
"Injuries are part and parcel of football and they happen."
Call-up for Derry's McGinn
NORTHERN IRELAND manager Nigel Worthington has named Niall McGinn in his squad for the first time as he has been impressed with the Derry City midfielder's rapid progress.
McGinn has been called up for the friendly against Hungary at Windsor Park on November 19th after scoring nine goals after his arrival from Dungannon Swifts in January. The 21-year-old's good form has alerted a number of clubs in England and Scotland.
"Niall will join us in training for three days and we will be able to get a good look at him then," said Worthington.
Collins in under-19 squad
REPUBLIC OF Ireland under-19 manager Sean McCaffrey has named his 18-man squad ahead of the Uefa Under-19 Championship, first qualifying phase which takes place in Malta from the 21st-26th November. The Irish will face France, Malta and Liechtenstein with the top two teams in group four advancing to the elite qualifying phase which takes place early next year.
The Irish squad contains seven players who featured for the Irish under-17s in their remarkable journey to the Uefa Under-17 Championship finals in Turkey last year. Included in the squad is Aston Villa striker James Collins.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD: K Thorp (Crystal Palace), G Hanley (Galway Utd), L Oyebanjo (Histon), C Morris (Newcastle Utd), D Kelly (Norwich), N McArdle (Sunderland), G Gunning (Blackburn), S O'Connor (Liverpool), J Devitt (Hull City), C Clifford (Chelsea), G Morrissey (Blackburn), C Hourihane (Sunderland), D McCrory (Plymouth Argyle), A Doran (Blackburn), P Murphy (Ipswich), P Madden (Bohs), J Collins (Aston Villa), I Daly (Man City).
Hargeaves seeks another consultation on knee injury
OWEN HARGREAVES has gone to see famed knee surgeon Dr Richard Steadman in an attempt to cure the tendinitis problem that is threatening to wreck his career.
The Manchester United midfielder has not been fully fit since he joined the Old Trafford outfit from Bayern Munich last summer. Although the 27-year-old was able to play in last season's Champions League final against Chelsea, the pain he experienced when he returned to training this summer was as bad as ever.
Hargreaves has been given a course of injections to allow him to play pain-free for the remainder of the season. But it is now clear the move has not worked, leaving the club with little alternative than to send the 27-year-old to Colorado for a meeting with Steadman - who names Ruud van Nistelrooy and Michael Owen among his high-profile clients - after consultations in Sweden and London appear to have drawn a blank.
"We have been trying to manage the situation but that has not given us an answer," United mnager Alex Ferguson said.
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