Soccer digest

Today's other stories in brief

'Touch and go' for Duff

FULHAM manager Roy Hodgson has described Damien Duff’s chances of playing for Ireland in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers as “touch and go” after the winger limped off just nine minutes into the club’s narrow defeat by Arsenal at the weekend, writes Emmet Malone.

“Damien at the moment, it would be very much touch and go,” he said yesterday. “We think it would be two weeks from the injury so that would take him up to Ireland’s first game of the two, so that makes it touch and go.

“If he’s fit and has totally recovered, though, we certainly wouldn’t dream of stopping him from playing for his country but I think they are going to be on tenterhooks in Ireland as to whether he is going to recover in time for the game.”

Keane's job at Ipswich 'absolutely secure'

IPSWICH TOWN chief executive Simon Clegg has said that there is no pressure on manager Roy Keane, despite their poor start to the season. Ipswich have failed to win any of their opening 10 games and currently lie bottom of the Championship.

Asked if Keane’s job was secure Clegg responded: “Absolutely secure. Roy continues to enjoy the complete and absolute support of the owner and myself.

“I very much feel I and the rest of the club support him and that will continue.”

However Clegg said: “It’s taken time to get going and that has been disappointing.

“You don’t need to put any pressure on Roy Keane, he puts pressure on himself. He knows what to do to turn it around.”

Ipswich drew 3-3 with Sheffield United on Tuesday night after opening up a 3-1 lead at Bramall Lane, and Clegg added: “I take a lot of encouragement from the (Sheffield) game and the way the players have played.”

SA 'on track' for World Cup

All 10 stadiums for next year’s World Cup are on track to be ready months ahead of the June 11th kick-off, South African officials said yesterday.

“A vast majority of the stadiums are either complete or nearly complete,” Derek Blanckensee, a senior official of the local organising committee, told a news conference at the showpiece Soccer City stadium in the sprawling Soweto township.

“Everything is on track. There are one or two minor problems, but there were no alarm bells or anything major to worry about,” he added after leading an inspection tour of five newly built stadiums and the upgraded Soccer City.

Soccer’s governing body Fifa expressed concern in July about other logistical problems, headed by transport and accommodation, with a reported shortfall of 15,000 rooms for the competition.

But Ron DelMont, head of Fifa’s South Africa office, said: “We are happy to report that we are comfortable with what we saw.”

Kroenke ups his stake

US sports tycoon Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in Arsenal again, upping his holding to 28.7 per cent, the club said yesterday.

Kroenke bought a further 80 shares for €9,290 a share, taking him closer to the 29.9 per cent threshold that would force him to make an offer for the remaining shares. Kroenke has leapfrogged Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who was the largest shareholder with about 25 per cent.

Wenger celebrates 13-year reign

ANNIVERSARIES are invariably a time for reflection and when Arsene Wenger celebrates his 13th at Arsenal today, he could be forgiven for wallowing in satisfaction.

“Arsenal is Arsenal because of him,” said the defender Gael Clichy, who is the current squad’s longest-serving player. The Frenchman has not only won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, making him the club’s most successful manager, he has also established them as a 21st-century power with their move to the Emirates Stadium. For the statisticians, Wenger now becomes Arsenal’s longest-serving manager, having eclipsed George Allison (1934-47).

When Wenger looks back, the arch-perfectionist gives the feeling that it is predominantly the bad moments that remain seared on to his mind. Last week he commented that his team’s unbeaten Premier League season of 2003-04 was “the only time I thought I did a good job”.

Newcastle stretch their lead at top

SUBSTITUTE Marlon Harewood’s first Newcastle goal rescued a point for the English Championship leaders after QPR threatened to dent their promotion charge in front of 39,000 spectators at St James’ Park last night.

The on-loan Aston Villa striker poked home Andy Carroll’s 70th-minute header to cancel out Ben Watson’s early opener and increase the Magpies’ lead at the top of the table to three points.

However, the visitors will consider themselves unfortunate not to have left Tyneside with three points on a night when the pace of winger Wayne Routledge and the movement of midfielder Ben Watson were too much for their hosts.

In the only other English Championship game played last night, Nottingham Forest defeated Scunthorpe 2-0 at home, with Luke Chambers and Dexter Blackstock both scoring in the second half.