Sportsday Live - Friday's breaking news as it happened

Goalkeeper Shay Given has called for a united front from Aston Villa fans during Saturday's match at Blackburn after the verbal attacks on manager AlexMcLeish during last weekend's clash at Wigan. Given said: "It's very important that we stick together as a group, not just the players, or the players and the staff, but the fans, the players, the staff and everyone together."

Newcastle drew 9-9 with Harlequins, with Nick to secure the draw.

In Super League, Leeds Rhinos have beaten Castleford Tigers 36-14, with Ryan Hall scoring a hat-trick. Salford City Reds hammered London Broncos 44-12, with Chris Nero and Sean Gleeson both scoring twice.

Blackpool's Keith Southern: "We got well beaten last week but tonight I thought we dominated but we couldn't get the second goal and you're always vulnerable if your can't. "

Hull's Matty Fryatt: "We didn't play particuarly well tonight, we kept on plugging and we snatched it really as I thought Blackpool were the better team."

Blackpool remain in fourth and Hull stay in ninth in the Championship table, just outside the play-off places.

Matty Fryatt has scored a last-minute equaliser for Hull City against Blackpool, latching on to an inch-perfect cross from Paul McKenna to make it 1-1.

In Super League, Ryan Hall has completed his hat-trick to give Leeds Rhinos a 24-14 lead at Castleford. Salford are hammering London Broncos, racking up eight tries to lead 44-12.

The final game in the Pro12 tonight has finished Scarlets 38-10 Connacht. Converted tries from Andy Fenby, Dafydd Jones, Emyr Phillips, Kieran Murphy, Phil John and five penalties from Stephen Jones were enough to secure the win.

It is still 1-0 to Blackpool in their Championship match against Hull, with Tom Ince's goal, just before the half-hour mark, still separating the two sides.

Ulster have overcome Edinburgh 38-16 in their Pro12 match with four converted tries from Paul Marshall, Stefan Terblanche, Adam D'Arcy, Chris Cochrane and Ian Humphreys also crossed the line to secure a comfortable victory.

Glasgow have beaten Ospreys 26-20 in their Pro12 match thanks to converted tries from Jon Welsh and Colin Shaw, and four penalties from Ruaridh Jackson.

John Bishop has hobbled into Trafalgar Square to finish his third marathon in three days and complete his "Week of Hell" for Sport Relief. The comedian was cheered to the finishing line by a crowd singing the Liverpool football club anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Rugby Pro12 latest scores:

Aironi 6 - 22 Leinster R

Ospreys 20 - 26 Glasgow L

Scarlets 24-3 Connaught L

Ulster 33 - 11 Edinburgh L

Aviva Premiership:

Newcastle 3 - 3 Harlequins L

In Super League, Leeds Rhinos lead Castleford 18-10. Two tries from Ryan Hall and a third from Kallum Watkins gave the visitors control, but two tries in quick succession for the Tigers from Daryl Clark and Kirk Dixon narrowed the deficit. Salford are cruising against London Broncos with tries from Chris Nero, Luke Adamson, Matty Smith and Iafeta Paleaasina giving them a 20-0 half-time lead.

It is half-time in the Aviva Premiership game between Newcastle and Harlequins. A penalty each means it is currently 3-3, with Nick Evans kicking over for Quins and Jimmy Gopperth responding for the home side.

It is half-time in the Championship match between Blackpool and Hull and the Tom Ince's solo strike in the 27th minute is the only goal separating the two sides.

Scarlets lead Connaught 14-3 at half-time thanks to converted tries from Andy Fenby and Stephen Jones, a Miah Nikora penalty was all that Connaught replied with at the end of the 40.

In tonight's Super League matches, Leeds Rhinos lead 6-0 at Castleford thanks to Ryan Hall's converted try, while Salford are 4-0 up against London Broncos courtesy of a Chris Nero try.

It is midway through the first half of tonight's Aviva Premiership game between Newcastle and Harlequins. A penalty each means it is currently 3-3, with Nick Evans kicking for the visitors and Jimmy Gopperth responding for the home side.

Tom Inceopens the scoring for Blackpool (26 mins) with a curling efffort beyond Vito Manonne from just outside the penalty area. The goal is Hull's first conceded in seven Championship matches.

Leinster have beatenAironi 22-6 in their Rugby Pro12 match thanks to a Noel Reid try, converted by Ian Madigan who also kicked five penalties. Naas Olivier and Fabio Ongaro grabbed a penalty apiece for Aironi.

Gillingham have signed 18-year-old Reading winger Jordan Obita on a month's youth loan midfielder Charlie Lee says he wants to follow up their 5-4 win over Hereford on Tuesday with a 7-6 victory over Plymouth on Saturday.

Blackpool go close through Brett Ormerod who launches an advantageous lob from 30-yards only to see it superbly tipped over the bar by Hull keeper Vito Mannone. The score remains 0-0.

Rugby Pro12 latest scores:

Aironi 6 - 22 Leinster

Ospreys 7 - 13 Glasgow

Ulster 14 - 5 Edinburgh

Aviva Premiership:

Newcastle 0 - 3 Harlequins

The Gambia's sports ministry has sacked the country's Football Association. The move comes two days after the Scorpions lost the first leg of their first round 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier 2-1 at home to Algeria.

Irish coach Declan Kidney and winger Andrew Trimble offer their thoughts ahead of the game, which is being staged on the rescheduled date of 4 March, after being called off because of a frozen pitch on 11 February.

Rugby Pro12 latest scores:

Aironi 6 - 9 Leinster

Ospreys 7 - 3 Glasgow

Ulster 12 - 5 Edinburgh

Sportsday Live will be across all the Rugby League,Rugby Union and football matches kicking-off tonight, as well as all the breaking sports news stories from around the world, so get involved and give us your views and opinions throughout the evening on Twitter with the hashtag #bbcsportsday.

If you tune into BBC Radio 5 live now, you can hear Colin Murray and guests previewing all the weekend's football action.

Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam has taken to Twitter to cheer on his former club, Blackpool, in tonight's Championship match against Hull City.He tweeted: "All the best to Blackpool tonight, another massive game for them."

Manchester United reserve defender Reece Brown has joined Oldham Athletic on a month-long loan deal. Speaking about the move, he said: "It will be a privilege to play for Oldham. I want to help the team and learn from playing first-team football against players who are bigger and quicker."

Leinster have taken a 9-0 half-time lead against Aironi Rugby in the PRO12 competition.

Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke has bemoaned the slow pace of progress in Brazil's preparations for hosting the 2014 World Cup. He said: "I don't understand why things are not moving. The stadiums are not any more on schedule and why are a lot of things late? In 2014 we will have a World Cup. The concern is nothing is made or prepared to receive so many people because the world wants to go to Brazil."

Leinster have taken a 3-0 lead against Aironi Rugby in the PRO12 competition.

The teams for Ulster v Edinburgh in the PRO12 competition, 1905 GMT kick-off, have been announced. Ulster: D'Arcy, Gilroy, Whitten, Wallace, Terblanche, Pienaar, P. Marshall, McAllister, Kyriacou, Afoa, Stevenson, Tuohy, Wannenburg, W. Faloon, Diack. Replacements: Brady, Black, Macklin, McComb, McComish, Humphreys, L. Marshall, Cochrane. Edinburgh: T. Brown, S. Visser, Scott, Houston, T. Visser, Godman, Leck, Traynor, Kelly, Gamboa, Gilchrist, Cox, McInally, Grant, Talei. Replacements: Walker, Hislop, Gilding, McAlpine, Watson, Black, Leonard, Paterson.

The teams have been announced for the Ospreys v Glasgow match in the PRO12 competition tonight at 1905 GMT. Ospreys: R. Jones, Dirkson, Bishop, Beck, E. Walker, Biggar, Webb, Bevington, Hibbard, Rees, Gough, King, Smith, Lewis, Bearman. Replacements: Baldwin, Taylor, Jarvis, Thomas, Stowers, Fotuali'i, M. Morgan, Isaacs. Glasgow: Murchie, Lemi, Dunbar, Aramburu, Shaw, Jackson, Pyrgos, R. Grant, Hall, Welsh, Ryder, Kellock, Forrester, Fusaro, Wilson. Replacements: MacArthur, Reid, Kalman, Verbakel, Wight, Harley, Beattie, Seymour.

Scottish Premier League champions Rangersneed to save \u00a31 m a month to stay afloat, the club's administrators have said. In a statement, joint administrator Paul Clark stated: "We have no alternative but to fill an approximate \u00a34.5 m shortfall by the end of the season. It is therefore imperative that we find savings of approximately \u00a31m per month."

A professional Twenty20 cricket league is scheduled to start in the United States next year, the chief executive of Cricket Holdings America LLC (CHALLC) Keith Wyness revealed on Friday. "At present we are looking at a target date of starting games in the summer of 2013. Without a doubt Twenty20 is the format that is going to achieve most visibility and penetration in the USA - that is what we expect to happen."

Wladimir Klitschko has been forced to defend the quality of his opponents before Saturday's heavyweight world title defence against Jean-Marc Mormeck.

Hartlepool United have signed forward Samuel Adjei on a month-long loan from Newcastle United. Adjei, 20, has been training with Pools and made a brace of appearances for the club's reserve team.

Time trials in this year's Tour de France in July will be five kilometres (3.1 miles) longer than previously announced, race organisers have announced. "This small change, which will take individual time-trials over 100 kilometres, is down to technical modifications on the ground after a detailed study," said Tour sporting director Jean-Francois Pescheux.

Prop Paul Prescott, a member of Wigan's Challenge Cup-winning team at Wembley last August, will play for South Wales on Saturday after joining them on loan. "It's fantastic that we have this assistance from the Warriors," Scorpions coach Dave Clark said.

Mark Cavendish is pleased with the "perfect start" he has made to his Team Sky career after winning the 195km Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne one-day race in Belgium on Sunday .

Teenage Luton Town winger Tarum Dawkins has joined Arsenal for a "significant transfer fee". Luton say the 16-year-old, a product of their academy, attracted attention from 14 Premier League clubs.

Sportsday Live will be across all the Rugby League, Rugby Union and football matches kicking-off tonight, as well as all the breaking sports news stories from around the world, so get involved and give us your views and opinions throughout the evening on Twitter with the hashtag #bbcsportsday.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez says he is not surprised by Swansea City's progress in their debut season in the Premier League. The Latics boss expects a close game against his former club at the DW Stadium.

Crusaders will take on Coleraine in the Irish Cup quarter-finals without their central defensive pairing of Colin Coates and Paul Leeman. Skipper Coates and former Glentoran player Leeman are banned for the last eight clash at the Showgrounds.

How damaged has the sport been by the recent events involving Dereck Chisora and David Haye? Is it a sport that has a place in today's society and if it does what needs to change? Mark Chapman presented a 5 live Boxing special from Bethnal Green on Thursday night and if you missed it here is your chance to listen again on our 5 live Sport podcast on the BBC website.

World Cup winner Jack Charlton is recovering in hospital after undergoing hip replacement surgery following a fall at his home. The 76-year-old was part of the England team which beat West Germany 4-2 after extra-time in the 1966 final. His son John said: "He's fine. Everything went well. They do hip replacements all the time and they said it's not a big operation and, as long as he came through it okay, they expected him to make a full recovery."

Charlotte Bobcats centre Byron Mullens has confirmed his availability to play for Great Britain at London 2012 after receiving his passport this week. The 23-year-old was born in Columbus, Ohio but his mother is from Middlesex, making him eligible.

Luton Town boss Gary Brabin tells BBC Three Counties Radio that he is not putting any pressure on striker Craig McAllister to score his first Hatters goal.

Red Bull's Mark Webber is confident the new F1 season will see him return to winning form, saying "there is no reason whatsoever" he cannot reach his peak again.

Manager Malky Mackay has said Cardiff are close to signing on-loan midfielder Filip Kiss on a permanent basis. The Slovakia Under-21 captain is on a season-long loan at Cardiff from Slovan Bratislava.

Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath tells BBC Gloucestershire that he is focusing on results rather than their challenge for the play-offs.

MK Dons boss Karl Robinson tells BBC Three Counties Radio that second-placed Sheffield United can still be caught.

Rigobert Song has begun his job as Cameroon's team manager by introducing a creed for both players and officials. In his first outing in Guinea-Bissau, he convinced coach Denis Lavagne and his squad to adhere to an 11-point plan, which starts by stating that 'the Cameroon national team is sacred'.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter insists he would "die" if he witnesses another World Cup goal-line blunder such as Frank Lampard's disallowed goal for England. Blatter said: "We don't want a repeat of last World Cup. I think I can convince the IFAB board that we must go forward with technology, we cannot afford to just wait and see what happens."

Widnes coach Denis Betts tells BBC Radio Merseyside he expects his side to keep improving as the club adapts to Super League, with the Vikings away at Hull KR on Sunday.

Leicester Cityhave recorded losses in the year to 31 May, 2011 of \u00a315.2m (2010: \u00a37.5m) - an increase of \u00a37.7m on the losses in the previous year.

AFC Wimbledon have signed Chalfont St Peter striker Charlie Struttonon a short-term deal and loaned him straight out to Maidenhead United.

Neil Lennon is not happy his Celtic side are being made to go to Aberdeen for a lunchtime kick-off at the end of a week in which his international players have been scattered all over the world. "I am all for internationals and all for friendlies. My beef is with the scheduling of this game. If it had been three o'clock or on Sunday, it might have bought us a bit more time to get the players back and have ample time for them to recover."

Bath back rower Francois Louw tells BBC Radio Bristol that his side will be looking to avenge their defeat by Worcester earlier in the season when they meet the Warriors at the Rec on Saturday.

Port Vale deny that the club has been put into administration. A statement on the club's official website said media reports were "incorrect". Vale have been placed under a transfer embargo for an unpaid income tax bill, with local media reports claiming the club owe creditors in the region of \u00a34m.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is adamant that Gareth Bale does not dive and insists the only reason that his star winger goes to ground so much is because he is targeted by opposition players, who "kick him from pillar to post" every week. "I think you will find there is an awful lot of players who have been booked for chopping him down with cynical challenges this year, rather than him going down under no challenge," Redknapp said.

Widnes expect to have new signings Sione Kite and Cameron Phelps available to make their delayed debut on Sunday against Hull KR at Craven Park.

Stevenage boss Gary Smith tells BBC Three Counties Radio that nobody at the club has been talking about the midweek FA Cup replay at Tottenham and are instead focusing on Saturday's trip to Exeter.

How damaged has the sport been by the recent events involving Dereck Chisora and David Haye? Is it a sport that has a place in today's society and if it does what needs to change? Mark Chapman presented a 5 live Boxing special from Bethnal Green on Thursday night and if you missed it here is your chance to listen again on our 5 Live Sport podcast on the BBC website.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas insists there is no need for him to patch up his differences with Frank Lampard, joking: "We are not married to each other!" Lampard last week admitted for the first time his relationship with Villas-Boas had "not been ideal", but Villas-Boas reiterates it is "good, excellent. For me, it's fine, I have no problems with it."

Bristol Rovers forward Matt Harrold tells BBC Radio Bristol that the team have gained confidence and belief since the arrival of Mark McGhee as manager.

Women boxers will not be forced to wear skirts when the sport makes its Olympic debut in London later this year, the sport's governing body for amateurs has announced. The International Boxing Association (AIBA said: "For all AIBA Approved Events, Women Boxers must wear a red or blue form fitting vest and either shorts or the option of a skirt as per the Boxers' respective corner allocation, which shall be their own responsibility."

Ipswich Town boss Paul Jewell tells BBC Radio Suffolk his side have to be ready for a "ridiculously busy" run of eight fixtures in March, starting with Bristol City on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday chairman Milan Mandaric: "Dave is a very successful football manager and I am delighted to welcome him to Sheffield Wednesday. His first objective is to get us out of League One and back into the Championship and then rebuild the club for the Premier League."

New Sheffield Wednesday manager Dave Jones: "This is a fantastic football club and a fantastic challenge for me. I had no hesistation in choosing here because it is a huge club that should not be where it is now."

Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg won Friday's giant slalom on home snow at Ofterschwang for her fifth World Cup victory.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter on goal-line technology: "We don't want a repeat of the last World Cup. After experiences in last week, in Italy, I think I can convince the IFAB board that we must go forward with technology, we cannot afford to just wait and see what happens."

Female boxers will not be forced to wear skirts at the London Olympics, the world governing body has announced.

As you can see at the top of the page, Sheffield Wednesday have called a news conference for 1400, where we expect them to name Dave Jones as their new manager. We'll keep you up-to-date with that story as it breaks.

Asafa Powell will run in the 100m at the Diamond League meet in Oslo in June, setting up duel with world record-holder Usain Bolt. Organisers say the two Jamaicans will go head-to-head at the Bislett Games on 7 June, less than two months before the London Olympics.

A damages claim by Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs against the Sun newspaper has been thrown out by a High Court judge.

Crossmaglen captain Stephen Kernan looks set to miss the All-Ireland Club Football Final against Garrycastle after losing his appeal against his straight red card in the semi-final.

Kettering Town have been deducted three points by the Football Conference for failing to pay creditors.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says striker Carlos Tevez is at least two weeks away from being fit enough to play for the club again.

Sir Frank Williams is to step down from the board of the Williams team he set up and has run for the last 35 years.

The Rugby Football Union has signed a four-year kit deal with rugby clothing specialists Canterbury, who replace Nike as kit supplier to the England senior team, as well as the Saxons, sevens and women's teams from September.

More Premier League team news is coming in.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says that Gareth Bale will be fit to face Manchester United on Sunday. Bale missed Wales' friendly defeat by Costa Rica on Wednesday with a hamstring strain.

Meanwhile, Blackburn will welcome David Dunn (thigh) back for Saturday's game against Aston Villa, but Martin Olsson (knee and ankle) is a doubt.

Klauss Kroell of Austria and Beat Feuz of Switzerland shared first place Friday in a men's World Cup super-G race. Kroell and Feuz both finished in one minute, 32.35 seconds on the Olympic course. Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, who lead both training sessions, was third, 0.03 seconds behind.

BBC Sport's Matt Slater reports that administrators at Rangers are pursuing the club's owner Craig Whyte for up to \u00a39m in money that was contractually promised at the time of his May 2011 takeover.

Sunderland striker Stephane Sessegnon is still not back on Wearside ahead of Sunday's derby against Newcastle. The 27-year-old has been delayed on his return to the UK after playing for Benin in Ethiopia on Wednesday.

Do you think Manchester United veteran Paul Scholes should be part of England's squad for Euro 2012? BBC Sport's Alastair Magowan assesses the midfielder's chances of travelling to Poland and Ukraine with former United defender Gary Pallister.

In an interview with BBC Sport's Lawrence Barretto, world champion Alex Gregory has said he believes Andy Hodge and Pete Reed will be brought into Great Britain's flagship boat, the men's four, for the London Olympics.

Meanwhile, Matt Langridge, one of the men Hodge and Reed could replace, has been speaking about the upcoming trials, which begin next Thursday.

Langridge told BBC Radio 5 live: "The next two weeks will not determine how the Games are going to go but it's going to have a big factor. Every year has been open and every year you've got to fight for your seat and there is no guarantee, no matter what result last summer, that you're going to be in it again."

Wasps have completed a deal to sign Welsh centre Lee Thomas, 27, from French side Lyon for next season.

Within half an hour of each other West Midlands football clubs Coventry and Birmingham announced they have been placed under transfer embargoes, after both failed to submit financial accounts before the end of February.

Other clubs also find themselves in the financial doldrums today with Port Vale, Portsmouth and Rangers fans all hoping for positive news about their stricken sides.

What do you make of it all? Can football endure despite the tough economic climate, or it it stuck in the monetary mire?

Contact us here, via Twitter and using #bbcsportsday.

Carlos Tevez is still a fortnight away from regaining match fitness, says Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini.

The Argentine spent over three months away from the club in a dispute over selection and subsequent suspension, but he is now back in Manchester.

"At this moment he can't play," Mancini told reporters. "Maybe in two weeks he could be ready."

No sooner do Coventry suffer a temporary transfer embargo for late filing of accounts, then West Midlands neighbours Birmingham suffer the same fate for the same reason.

"This short period of delay in submission, and the resulting transfer embargo, does not affect the business of the football club," insisted a club statement.

"Having captured the signatures of several more players in the last couple of weeks, the club is satisfied with the strength and size of the playing squad."

Championship side Coventry have had a transfer embargo placed upon them after failing to submit their accounts on time.

By missing the 29 February deadline the club, temporarily, are banned from any activity in the transfer market.

"We totally understand and appreciate that supporters might be concerned," said the club. "While the situation is far from ideal, we are confident it will be resolved very soon."

Four Asian golfers have secured qualification berths for the 2012 Open, after succeeding in Asian international final qualifying at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok.

India's Anirban Lahiri, Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, Japan's Kodai Ichihara and Mardan Mamat of Singapore will compete alongside the world's best golfers at Royal Lytham on 19th-22nd July.

Williams have announced on their website that Sir Frank Williams, founder and team principal, will step down from the team's board in March.

"I turn 70 in April," says Williams. "This is not as dramatic a move as it may appear: I shall continue to work full-time as team principal."

Team news for this weekend of Premier League action is flooding in all the time. Here is some, if not all:

Everton striker Nikica Jelavic could feature against QPR. The Croatian hasn't featured much for the Toffees since his January move from Rangers.

Robin van Persie's groin is concerning Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, as are Aaron Ramsey's ankle and Thomas Vermaelen's energy levels after the midweek internationals.

Wigan's international defenders Antolin Alcaraz and Maynor Figueroa both had long flights in midweek and are a doubt.

Wolves midfielder Jamie O'Hara has revealed he is playing through the pain barrier and taking injections before matches to help in the club's relegation scrap.

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has a cracked rib and will be out for around a fortnight.

Team GB's hockey team's men's coach Jason Lee and team manager Andy Halliday have announced Team Dribble, their plan to dribble hockey balls around all 26.2 miles of the London marathon course next month.

The pair are raising money for WellChild, the national charity for sick children with whom England Hockey are partners.

"The dribbling is not as hard as I thought, it is actually the mileage," admits Lee.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose side take on Liverpool on Saturday, has criticised the Belgian football association for "forcing" defender Thomas Vermaelen to play in their friendly against Greece.

"Belgium has made a decision I still don't understand, and I still will look if we cannot put a complaint in because they forced the player to travel first and then they forced him to play 90 minutes after being injured.

"Personally, I think that the friendlies are becoming more and more difficult to accept."

The debate is on-going over on Twitter regarding the rights and wrongs of goal-line technology in top-flight football.

Have your say on there, using #bbcsportsday. The best, but only the very best, will go up on here. Get tweeting!

British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt is speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 5 live. They're discussing the possibility of currently banned athletes who have been found guilty of taking performance-enhancing drugs rejoining Team GB, should the Court of Arbitration for Sport rule in their favour at some point during the next fortnight.

"If we lose, and British Cycling and UK Athletics select those athletes, it is likely that we will ratify those nominations and they will be part of the team," Hunt has just said.

"They'll be part of Team GB and we'll support them and help them to be a success at the Games."

Sir Alex Ferguson has had more to say about potential Manchester United injury concerns before the weekend:

"Wayne Rooney's fit. He's trained all week, which is good news. Chris Smalling has a head knock and he's a doubt. It wasn't concussion but quite a nasty cut. We'll have to tread carefully.

"Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverley are still out. Michael Owen's back in training, hopefully he can have a bit of luck".

Wayne Rooney will make his return for Manchester United this weekend at Tottenham on Sunday, Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed.

Rooney has missed United's last two games with a throat infection, which also ruled him out of England's friendly against Holland on Wednesday.

England women's vice-captain Jenny Gunn has been reported to the International Cricket Council over a suspected illegal bowling action.

Gunn's medium pace was reported by on-field umpires Derek Walker and Phil Jones at the conclusion of England's victory over New Zealand in Thursday's one-day international.

"Gunn's bowling action will now be scrutinised," say the ICC.

Carling Cup winner Dirk Kuyt has told Liverpool's website that he was surprised that Scott Parker captained England against Holland and not Kuyt's club captain, Steven Gerrard.

"For me, Stevie is the main one for the England team to be the captain," said the Dutchman.

"He is the perfect leader for Liverpool and the perfect leader for the England team."

Young Saint Helens back Gary Wheeler "couldn't imagine being anywhere else," after signing new contract with the Saints until the end of the 2014 season. That's according to our blogger, George Riley.

Still plenty of you discussing goal-line technology on Twitter, after news that the International Football Association Board are meeting this weekend to discuss, among other things, the possibility of its introduction.

You can get stuck in too, and let us all know what you think. Go onto Twitter and use #bbcsportsday.

Leicester City defender Bruno Berner has announced his retirement from the game after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with the Foxes.

"As a player, I dreamt of playing professional football in this country," the 34-year-old said on the club's website. "The chance to play for Leicester City provided me with the opportunity to prove myself in the English game."

Did any of you catch the BBC Radio 5 live Sport special on the future of boxing last night? Compelling stuff, in light of the infamous Munich melee between Dereck Chisora and David Haye a couple of weekends ago. You can of course listen again to it on the BBC's iPlayer.

BBC Sports writer Ben Dirs was at the event at the historic York Hall boxing venue in Bethnal Green London. His blog on the evening is well worth a glance.

"The summit turned to the reasons why people within boxing are less able than they were to point to better things, which is where it got complicated", Ben writes. "As one member of the audience pointed out, having listened to all sides: 'Boxing sounds like a nest of vipers.'"

New Wales manager Chris Coleman says that he's "disappointed" by the departure of former assistant Raymond Verheijen.

The Dutch coach quit just before the Gary Speed memorial match against Costa Rica, citing "political and destructive games" as his reason.

Now Coleman has reacted, telling BBC Wales: "I was disappointed in Raymond.

"I spoke with him three weeks ago. It wasn't a conversation that we agreed on everything, I didn't expect it would be," said the ex-Fulham and Coventry manager.

"When you're working you have to understand, as a manager or as a coach, it's not a popularity contest."

Following Kauto Star's fall during training, trainer Paul Nicholls has just told BBC Radio 5 live this the 12-year-old is "not too bad at all this morning."

Asked whether Kauto will make it to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Nicholls was circumspect. "We've just got to get him back to form.

"Ruby [Walsh, jockey] was schooling him last week and he took a fall. They do, and he just made an error. He had a little knock and it's taken him a little while to get over it.

"We're going to do our very best to get everything right for him. We've got a fortnight left.

"If we've got any doubts at all, obviously he won't run. Whatever's best for Kauto is what is always in the forefront of our minds."

You can contribute to this rag-tag assembly of sporting news and opinion, you know. Just get in touch on Twitter using #bbcsportsday, and of course you can follow us @BBCSport.

Already on Twitter this morning a debate's broken out regarding goal-line technology. The International Football Association Board meets this weekend to discuss its possible introduction. What do you think? Don't forget: #bbcsportsday