Manchester City's Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra is returning to England tomorrow and is determined to halt his team's slide down the table.
The ousted prime minister, due to face corruption charges today, said City needed his urgent attention after two victories in their last 12 league games have seen them slip to eighth in the standings.
"That is my commitment to Manchester City," the tycoon said.
"I feel like they are losing too many games in the last three to four months while I am still busy. So I have to go back and tighten the bolt."
Dicks slams West Ham players
Julian Dicks, the ex-West Ham defender, said the players are to blame for the club's poor run, not the manager. The Hammers have suffered three successive 4-0 defeats piling pressure on boss Alan Curbishley.
Dicks said: "I think Alan is the right man for the job. These are all professional footballers, they are earning fortunes, but a lot of them are just going through the motions."
Dicks's former team-mate at Upton Park Slaven Bilic has been linked with taking over at West Ham if Curbishley loses his job.
Bid to buy Southampton
A consortium headed by Southampton fan and barrister Jonathon Fulthorpe is set to launch a bid for the club. Fulthorpe teamed up with local businessman John Cousins to work on a proposal for several months.
It is believed they have held several meetings with Saints club officials and have significant funds to aid the struggling Championship club.
In February, the club revealed they had held preliminary talks with 'certain third parties'. Former manager George Burley admitted in August that he had been forced to sell his best players during the close-season to stave off the threat of administration.
Henry upset says Pires
Villarreal midfielder Robert Pires has said his Barcelona striker Thierry Henry was upset at being substituted during Sunday's league match between the two sides.
"He was angry because he isn't used to being taken off. They never did that at Arsenal," Pires was quoted as saying following Villarreal's 2-1 win at the Nou Camp.
"If I was to say he is okay at the moment everyone would call me a liar."
Health problems for Celtic's Burns
Celtic first-team coach Tommy Burns is facing a fresh battle against cancer, the club has confirmed. The 51-year-old was diagnosed as suffering from a melanoma in March 2006 and had responded well to treatment.
But a spokesperson for Celtic said: "Celtic today confirm that first-team coach Tommy Burns is to receive continued cancer treatment.
"Tommy intends to continue as first-team coach and head of the youth academy during this treatment."
Burns began playing for Celtic in 1974 and also won eight Scotland caps in a distinguished career which ended as player/manager of Kilmarnock.
Owen fears England axe
Michael Owen believes he could miss out on Fabio Capello's England squad to face France on March 26 if Newcastle's miserable run of results continues. The 28-year-old striker has scored only five goals for the Magpies this season during an injury-hit campaign.
Owen said: "Results are not going well and, when you are not playing well as a team and individually, then individuals will not get picked for the national team."
Owen was an unused substitute during Capello's first match in charge - a 2-1 win over Switzerland last month.
Anelka says players to blame
Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka said the players should take the blame for the FA Cup humiliation at Barnsley rather than manager Avram Grant.
The Israeli coach has admitted he is under the microscope again at Stamford Bridge after the 1-0 quarter-final loss in Yorkshire followed soon after the League Cup final defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.
"We knew it was going to be difficult because (Barnsley) played with their lives. Sometimes in football, things go wrong and you have to accept it," Anelka said. "The criticism must be about the players."
Milosevic joins Russian side
Former Serbia international Savo Milosevic has signed a one-year contract with Rubin Kazan, the Russian Premier League club said.
The 34-year-old striker, who has played for Aston Villa, Real Zaragoza, Parma and Espanyol, has been without a club since leaving Primera Liga side Osasuna in June.
Milosevic retired after the 2006 World Cup as his country's most-capped player with 101 appearances and also played in the 1998 finals as well as Euro 2000 where he was the joint top goalscorer.
Luxemburgo fined for sending-off
Palmeiras coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo was fined $29,239 after being sent off in a match two weeks ago.
The former Brazil and Real Madrid coach, who had been facing a possible touchline ban of up to one year, appeared relieved at the decision.
"If the club wants me to pay this, I will do so without any problem," Luxemburgo said. "A financial fine is an idea worth considering, maybe it could also be used for players when they are given a red card."