Savage ready for battle

Given his unchallenged position as the most irritating player in English football, one would have thought that Birmingham City's Robbie Savage would have been the last to succumb to that most naff of footballer status symbols, the personalised number plate.

And, after the death threats that followed this month's victory at Aston Villa, in which Dion Dublin was sent off for head-butting him, he has realised that sporting a SAV plate is tantamount to putting a "please vandalise" notice in the window.

The plate has quietly been replaced by one proclaiming "Wales For Euro 2004" and, excited as he is about becoming a dad for the first time in the next few weeks, he should also resist a Baby On Board sticker in case it is misinterpreted by critics who need little excuse to loathe him.

"Thankfully the police got involved and all the threats stopped," Savage said as he prepared for Wales' European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan tomorrow.

"It was nice to get back in action against West Brom on Saturday and as far as I am concerned it is over now."

Such incidents will never be over, of course, for a player with a propensity to throw himself to the ground faster than Francis Jeffers seems to infuriate opposing players and fans alike.

However, there are not likely to be many Azerbaijan fans in the Millennium Stadium to take offence.

Sol Campbell has lost his battle to be fit in time for England's Euro 2004 qualifier away to Liechtenstein tomorrow.

And Iceland's Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen has warned Scotland he is in the mood to derail their Euro 2004 campaign at Hampden Park tomorrow.

After a disastrous draw in the Faroe Islands at the start of their qualifying campaign, the Scots bounced back with a 2-0 win in Iceland.

"I was disappointed with my own performance at home," he said. "But I'm confident I can put on a better display on Saturday and, when I play well, the goals normally follow."

Sammy McIlroy is chasing two wins from the next two games which would kick-start Northern Ireland's Euro 2004 qualifying campaign.

The squad took a five-hour flight to the Armenian capital Yerevan yesterday, where they play tomorrow before entertaining Greece at Windsor Park next Wednesday.