Football news

Rangers assistant coach Ally McCoist heaped praise on striker Kris Boyd after his 100th goal for the club helped them earn a place in the Scottish Cup final with a 3-0 win over St Mirren on Saturday.

Boyd was on target in the second half to notch up a century of strikes for the Ibrox club in just 146 appearances. He became the fastest person to get to 100 goals for Rangers since 1960s star Jim Forrest.

Boyd has only started 110 games for Rangers.

"It's a fantastic achievement, it really is. We just gave him a special mention in the dressing room there," McCoist said.

Zola signs new long-term contract

West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola has pledged his long-term future to the east London club by signing a new contract until 2013.

The 42-year-old Italian put pen to paper after Saturday's 1-0 Premier League home defeat by his former team Chelsea at Upton Park.

Zola, one of the greatest overseas players to grace the Premier League, originally signed a three-year deal in September after replacing Alan Curbishley.

The ex-Italy striker had limited managerial experience when he was appointed but has steered the side to eighth place in the league.

Wembley groundsman sacked

The row over the state of Wembley's pitch has claimed a high profile victim in the shape of the national stadium's ground manager Steve Welch who was sacked.

Media reports claim Welch has been made to pay with his job for the pitch which Arsene Wenger labelled "a disaster" after Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last weekend.

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson was equally dismissive 24 hours later when he said his team selection had been influenced by fears the likes of Wayne Rooney could be injured on the "spongy and dead" turf.

As Welch was being shown the door, the pitch was being dug up at a cost of £80,000 for the sixth time since the stadium opened in time for the FA Vase on May 9.

Marino confirmed for another year

Udinese coach Pasquale Marino was confirmed on the Friuli team's bench for next season.

Media reports had hinted that Marino's future was in doubt and a departure was imminent. However, following the 2-1 win away to Chievo, club supremo Giampaolo Pozzo said Marino would be Udinese coach next season as well.

"I never had any doubts and have been saying that for a long time, but people preferred to listen to other voices," Marino said.

"The president has always stood up for me, even during that famous 11-match winless streak."

Jagielka out of cup final

Everton defender Phil Jagielka needs an operation on a knee injury and will miss next month's FA Cup final against Chelsea, said club physio Mick Rathbone.

The England international, who scored the winning penalty in the semi-final shootout against Manchester United, was carried off on a stretcher in Saturday's 2-1 Premier League defeat by Manchester City at Goodison Park.

The latest setback for Everton follows an almost identical injury to midfielder Mikel Arteta in February and the long-term absence of forwards Yakubu and Victor Anichebe.

The FA Cup final takes place at Wembley on May 30.

Defiant Benitez not giving up

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists his side can still win the Premier League title after watching them overcome Hull 3-1 at the KC Stadium.

Benitez is refusing to give up on his club's hopes of winning their first championship in two decades, even though Manchester United restored their three-point lead at the top with a 5-2 victory over Tottenham in Saturday's late game.

While United remain firm favourites, Benitez has urged Liverpool to complete a perfect finish to the season.

"Nothing is over," he said.

"This was a good win because Hull made it hard for us but all we can do is keep winning and see what happens."

Eto'o rules out switch to England

Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have shown signs of interest in Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o but the Cameroon international rejected the speculation and said he had no plans to leave the Nou Camp.

"Let me ask you something," Eto'o told reporters.

"If you were playing in this Barcelona team, would you want to leave for anywhere else in the world?

"If you think about that question logically you will get your answer. But just to be clear, I have no intention of leaving.

"For me, we have the best attacking force in world football. Some of the players in Barcelona's attack will go down in football history and sometimes you need to take a minute and have a think about just how special this team is."