Today's rumours are happy to go along with the charade

If there's one thing Chelsea love it is taking on Manchester United in a battle for an up-and-coming defensive midfielder who may or may not become the man who claims "the Claude Makelele role" as his own. They love it. Can't get enough of it. Who will ever forget the lengthy, exhilarating battle for Jon Obi-Mikel? Anyone? Well that was such a spectacularly successful use of money that they are now set take on Sir Alex Ferguson for his teenage French enforcer Paul Pogba.

The 18-year-old is out of contract in the summer, has refused to sign a new deal and can leave for nowt once it expires but that's not good enough for André Villas-Boas who wants to fling £3m in the direction of Old Trafford and make off with Pogba right this minute. Juventus are Milan are also loitering like a couple of Cuban-heeled thugs in a motorway underpass

Chelsea are also after Shakhtar Donetsk's king of the popular music hit parade Willian but have been told by the Ukrainians that they will have to fork out £25m for the 23-year-old who, as far as we can tell, is something to do with Cheryl Cole.

Chris Samba, who is 27, has told Blackburn via The Sun newspaper that he wants "a divorce" as he is not prepared to give 100% for the club if they force him to stay. Of course, Samba is overlooking the fact that Blackburn, like so many others, may be perfectly happy to stay in a loveless marriage for the sake of the children or to avoid being the subject of tittering gossip from the rest of society. Samba may not be 100% committed but he can still host an early evening drinks soiree where everyone pretends they are interested in theatre while casually trotting up front in the dying moments of a relegation six-pointer to see if a Paul Robinson punt can somehow land on his less than 100% committed bonce and bounce into the path of David Goodwillie who will scramble home for an equaliser. Or else they could sell him to QPR, whose manager Mark Hughes is peering in a window at Ewood Park repeatedly shouting "seven million" and pointing at Samba.

Hughes is also tracking Wigan Athletic's Victor Moses with the player's agent saying: "The manager likes him but it's up to them to make an offer," which is pretty much how most transfers begin.

The Duchess of Cornwall has been visiting the Emirates but Arsene Wenger is not thought to be keen on a move, but they said that about Thierry Henry, didn't they? Plus, if Andrey Arshavin keeps going in the direction he's headed then she may not seem like such a bad option.

Matthew Upson is unhappy at Stoke just six months after arriving [insert five months longer than any normal person joke here] and is said to be "mulling over his options" which include leaving by train or car or perhaps on some sort of sponsored walk.

Fulham striker Andy "Andrew" Johnson is wanted by Rubin Kazan and Galatasaray but Fifa rules insist you can only play for one club at a time so he'll have a decision to make.

Roy Hodgson fancies seeing the Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak alienated up front at the Hawthorns and hopes to tie up a loan deal from Stuttgart, while the show goes on at White Hart Lane as Tottenham are in talks with Sao Paulo over Brazil Under-20 defender Bruno Uvini.

Newcastle want Burnley's Jay Rodriguez and "Watford ace Adrian Mariappa", if "Watford ace" is not an oxymoron

• Transfer window

Evan Fanning
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• Ferguson claims his 25 years at one club will not be equalled
• Manchester United manager says he has mellowed

Sir Alex Ferguson believes he is a "phenomenon" among managers and his record of 25 years at one club will never be equalled.

The Manchester United manager admits he has had to change as he has got older, delegating more and toning down his approach with modern players who are not as tough-skinned as they were when Ferguson started out in the game.

"I have certainly mellowed," he said. "There's no question about that. It's a more fragile human being that I am dealing with today than 25 years ago. They are cocooned by modern ideas, modern parents, modern agents, and they are cocooned by their own image at times.

"It's a different world for me, so I have to change myself to adapt to that. I have changed because of these things.

"One thing I've learned in the last decade is delegation. In the early days, I was involved with scouting, coaching, youth everything. You can't do that for a long period of time."

Despite earning considerably less than some of his young charges and reducing his workload, Ferguson left no doubt who was in charge at Old Trafford.

"You have to remember that the most important person at Manchester United is the manager," he said in an interview with the New York Times. "The minute a footballer becomes more important than the manager, your club is dead. The history of the club goes down the drain. I am the most important man at Manchester United. It has to be that way."

Ferguson said he had a "great relationship" with the Glazer family, whose takeover and running of United has alienated many supporters but who appear to have a hands-off approach where their manager is concerned.

"They never bother me. They never ask questions, they never phone me and they never interfere with my job. I am in a privileged position," he said.

The 70-year-old gave the impression that he would have to be carried out of United because picking up his pension was not under consideration. "Retirement is for young people, not older people," he said. "Young people can do something else. When you're older and you've been on that treadmill for [the] length of time I've been on it – if I get off the treadmill, where do you think I am going? Down there. Trust me. When you get older, don't retire."

Ferguson said he enjoyed the "fantastic" cultural diversity in the English game, even if he finds the late hours kept by his Brazilian players a nightmare – "that's their culture and I'm trying to change that". The Scot also expressed sympathy for the England squad and the pressures they operate under.

"I think the expectation of England is too huge. It's too big. You've got to also look at the programme England players are faced with going into a World Cup … the league is unforgiving, and it's very difficult.

"We've been in a lot of finals in the last decade. That definitely takes a lot of energy out of you, and it's a big problem in the English game."

Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney is rated a serious doubt for United's fourth-round FA Cup tie at Anfield on Saturday. The England striker has not trained this week after picking up a leg injury during the 2-1 win at Arsenal last weekend.

Phil Jones, carried off at the Emirates, is almost certain to miss the Liverpool game and Rio Ferdinand will probably be judged not fit enough.

Nani has undergone a scan on a foot injury picked up on Sunday and he is expected to be sidelined for some time.

• Sir Alex Ferguson
• Manchester United

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José Mourinho is back in the papers, with no respite despite a draw at Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, and a great Portugese legend turned 70 this week.

James RichardsonMatt HallAndy Gallagher

• FA would like Cup final day to itself in schedule
• 5 May showpiece moved to 5.15pm kick-off

The Football Association is in talks with the Premier League in an attempt to avoid a repeat of last season's scheduling clash between the FA Cup final and top-flight fixtures, which saw Manchester United secure their 19th league title less than half an hour before Manchester City and Stoke City kicked off at Wembley. But traditionalists will be less pleased to learn that the showpiece event's 3pm kick-off is likely to be shifted to the early evening at the behest of broadcasters.

Last season's congestion came after Uefa took over Wembley for the Champions League final on 28 May, forcing the FA to schedule its final much earlier than its usual slot as the last game of the domestic season. A similar situation is expected when the Champions League final returns to London next year and this season's game has also been brought forward to aid Fabio Capello's and England's preparations for Euro 2012.

This year the Cup final is scheduled for 5 May – the penultimate weekend of the top-flight season – as are 10 Premier League matches, including Chelsea's visit to Liverpool and Newcastle's home game against Manchester City, and 24 matches in Leagues One and Two. However the FA hopes many of the top-flight games will be moved back to the Sunday.

"In 2013, scheduling the FA Cup final as the last game of the season is impossible," said the FA's general secretary, Alex Horne. "For the next two seasons we'd like the FA Cup to be on its own day. We're talking with the Premier League about making sure that it will still have a day of its own, on a weekend, and I think the Premier League are open to conversations about that. I'm pretty positive that we'll get a clear day in the calendar, but it won't be the last day of the domestic calendar."

Negotiations are ongoing and it remains possible that one or more top-flight games – and potentially a much greater number in lower divisions – may be played on the same day as this year's final. However, the decision to shift kick-off for the first time to 5.15pm should make it possible for many fans attending games elsewhere that day to watch the final on television.

"We are looking to a later kick-off," Horne said. "It gives us more options. And both of our broadcast partners [ITV and ESPN] are more interested in an event which is closer to tea time so they can keep the audience into the evening. We're still talking to the police but we are looking at a later kick-off."

The early evening start may not be the last significant change to the day, with the FA studying similar sporting events around the world – including the Super Bowl – in the hope of uncovering ideas to improve its own. "We all think you can make something more of the day, whether it's actually on the pitch or in the buildup to the event," said Horne. "You can learn from the NBA, or the NFL, or German Cup finals and other events. There are many people who do this well. I think we do it well, but we can always learn."

Horne was speaking as the FA published analysis of the past 10 FA Cup seasons, commissioned from the football finance team at Deloitte, which showed that the competition had generated some £650m in prize money, TV payments and gate receipts over that period. The research showed the financial impact that a Cup run can have on smaller teams. Crawley earned £1m from a single match at Old Trafford last season and Havant & Waterlooville's run to the fourth round in 2007-08, when they eventually lost 5-2 to Liverpool at Anfield, more than trebled their income for that season.

"This emphasises how important the FA Cup remains in the modern era," Horne said. "But our challenge is to make sure we keep the FA Cup relevant for the next generation of football supporters."

Innovations introduced by the FA in an attempt to do so include an interactive exhibition and trophy tour, which has so far visited three cities and is intended to make around 20 stops per season in the future, increased presence on social media sites such as Facebook, and interactive man-of-the-match voting. "We're thinking all the time about ways to engage, particularly with that next generation of supporter," Horne said.

The list of novelties is unlikely to end there, with the competition's marquee sponsor, Budweiser, apparently proving quite creative. "They're equally committed to trying to expand the Cup's horizons," an FA spokesman said. "Budweiser have got a lot of ideas and I think increasingly you'll see more of those come to the fore in the coming months."

• The FA
• Premier League 2011-12
• FA Cup 2011-12
• Premier League
• FA Cup
• Football politics

Simon Burnton
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The ban Liverpool's Luis Suárez received for abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra adds spice to a fixture that, rival fans say, can sicken but is keenly anticipated

Dave Kelshaw Liverpool

It's difficult to enjoy the atmosphere at this fixture no matter what the competition is. It's not about the football to some idiots – it's about mocking. Forget about locality or success, it's essentially tribalism. Two clubs who have so much in common – who have both experienced the highs and the lows in football and the tragedy of lost lives – it truly sickens me that the minority out there poison the atmosphere and are more interested in taunting and encouraging hatred than the actual game itself.

Thrown excrement, chanting about the dead, mindless graffiti and criminal damage – it all goes on and it seems to get worse as each fixture approaches. Even when we have a semi-final - you just know the idiots of both sides will still be intent on spoiling it. Sick graffiti welcoming the coaches, the smashing of seats and toilets within the stadium – it's mindless. One day the vast majority of us will be able to enjoy what should be a passionate and committed game of football.

Dave Kelshaw is a season-ticket holder at Anfield

Daniel Harris Manchester United

"This is a message for all visiting supporters. At the end of the game, you are requested to remain in your places for a short time whilst the roads outside the stadium are cleared. You will then be escorted to your waiting coaches and car parks." Going to Liverpool is never a pleasant experience – precisely why it's so eagerly anticipated; that repellent edge is one reason why people go to football. Anfield's configuration is particularly given to exchange of opinion, the proximity of the main stand to the away end enabling a distraction that's usually welcome, given the regular poverty of the actual game. Some visits are nastier than others, the 2006 FA Cup game standing out in recent times. Pre-match was moody, and there followed shit-throwing and ambulance-shaking, which – though I'm biased – seems fair to say is a bit much, as are random attacks on own business-minders. Things will be particularly intense on Saturday. For some of the Liverpool persuasion, Luis Suárez abusing Patrice Evra is relevant to the rivalry between the clubs and, as a consequence, the mood is guaranteed to be even more vicious.

Daniel Harris has been shortlisted for best new writer at the British Sports Book Awards. His book, On The Road, A Journey Through A Season, is available now, and he co-edits The FCF website

• Liverpool
• Manchester United
• FA Cup 2011-12
• FA Cup

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The post-Christmas slump on Teesside is as traditional as turkey curry – and everyone knows it must be arrested

There is no one smugger than a vindicated cynic, which is why a certain amount of self-satisfied smirking is going on around Teesside at the moment. Tony Mowbray's team, you see, have just lost three league games in a row.

It is one of the immutable laws of comedy that through repeated use a joke moves from being funny to being boring and then back to being funny again. To such beloved catchphrases as "This is a local shop for local people", "I'm the only gay in the village" we have long since added "Middlesbrough's traditional post-Christmas slump", variations of which appeared on just about every festive greeting I received from Boro fans last year.

In the minds of many, Boro's league campaign follows a seasonal pattern that is as unchanging as Steve Rider's hair. They push to the upper reaches of whatever division they are in before Christmas, then in the new year slide downwards faster than Tom Croft on a skeleton bob.

Injuries and a wafer-thin squad are factors to which Boro's current unhappy run has been attributed. Perhaps the explanation is simpler than that, though. Maybe after Christmas the players become tired from the effort of marching against the tide of history while carrying the burden of low expectation.

Of course, Middlesbrough fans are not alone in expecting the worst once the fairy lights have come down. West Bromwich Albion, Charlton Athletic and Leeds United are three of the other clubs who face January with the wariness of an incontinent puppy. The Baggies can point to the 1981‑82 season as an exemplar of the way that what for the general populace is a single "Blue Monday" splurges out across the whole of their January and a fair bit of February, too. Leeds, meanwhile, finished 2009 in second spot in League One with an 11‑point gap to third place, only to see the days of turkey curry and people muttering "I've hoovered this place six times and I still keep finding pine needles" usher in a spell that saw them win only three of their next 16 matches. Eventually the Elland Road club squeaked into an automatic promotion slot by a single point.

When a slump occurs everybody in football knows that it must be arrested. The only way to arrest a slump is to turn the corner. However, getting to the corner without the wheels coming off in what is a pressure‑cooker situation is by no means an easy task. Dave Bassett is one man who knew how to cope. The well-scrubbed former Wimbledon boss was for a while the Benedict Cumberbatch of slump arresting. After leaving the Dons he made a speciality of that rarest of all football phenomena, the post‑Christmas anti-slump. In 1990‑91 Bassett's Sheffield United side failed to win in their first 16 games and were bottom on Christmas Day with a meagre nine points. They went on to celebrate the new year by winning seven matches on the trot and finished the season 13th. How he did it remains a mystery. Bassett, who strode into press conferences giving off old-fashioned British manly odours of lanolin, talcum powder and social discomfort, has unfortunately remained predictably tight-lipped on the topic. And the fact he later failed to arrest a post-Christmas slump at Leicester City that lasted four winless months at the start of 2002 led many to suspect he never actually knew in the first place.

None of which helps Mowbray. The Victorians believed that sport prepared a young person for life. The only existence following Middlesbrough would ready anyone for is one of endless repetition, working on an assembly line or being Alan Hansen, perhaps. It is a steady drip of minor frustrations. Like the drops of water in the infamous Chinese torture each is nothing in itself. Added together, however, they are agony and every once in a while you just have to cry out.

During a memorable post-Christmas slump of the Bryan Robson era – a time when Boro's pursuit of a place in European football inevitably turned into a desperate struggle to avoid Saturday afternoons in Crewe – one denizen of the North Stand did just that. Over and over and over. He was a great slab of a fellow who, in his red-and-white replica shirt, looked like someone who had come to a fancy dress party as a Parcelforce van.

He was a grumbler to start with but, when the smoking ban was introduced, things really turned sour. Uncomforted by nicotine the man's spirits plummeted like a gannet after sprats. He groaned, he howled, he predicted dire consequences in all situations. The award of a throw-in to the opposition in their defensive quarter of the field saw him pull a face straight out of Edvard Munch with sound effects to match. The announcement of injury time was like the death scene in Camille. Eventually it all got too much for a bloke sitting two rows down. Midway through a 0-0 stalemate he stood up, turned round and pointed at the moaner. "How, mate, did the stewards confiscate your scythe, or what?" he roared. The moaner looked puzzled. "You sound like the grim fucking reaper," the man bellowed by way of explanation. "I bet your lass renews your season ticket for you just to get you out the bloody house."

I prefer to keep my pain private and as a form of self-mutilating protest I am refusing to sit up waiting for the Football League Show until Middlesbrough win again. Since this may not happen until post-Christmas becomes pre-Christmas again I will sadly be unable to report on the progress of Steve Claridge's slow metamorphosis into Blakey from On the Buses.

• Middlesbrough
• Championship 2011-12
• Championship

Harry Pearson
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• Striker has five France caps but out of favour at club
• Carlo Ancelotti unlikely to let him leave PSG on loan

David Moyes's search for a striker to revive Everton's season has led to an inquiry about taking Guillaume Hoarau on loan from Paris St-Germain.

The 27-year-old, who has made five appearances for France, has dropped down the pecking order at PSG over the past 12 months having made a fine start to his career in the French capital.

Hoarau has also been troubled by injury this season and has started only one league game.

But despite the French club's new manager, Carlo Ancelotti, having the resources to strengthen his attack, and recently holding talks about a move for Carlos Tevez, Everton may struggle to persuade PSG to allow the forward to leave on loan.

• Everton
• Transfer window
• Paris St-Germain

Andy Hunter
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• Dutchman wants his first Liverpool trophy in Carling Cup final
• 'We are more than ready' for Manchester United in FA Cup

Dirk Kuyt believes Liverpool have a "nearly team" reputation to shed in the Carling Cup final and that they will make it a cup double over Manchester should they repeat their semi-final performance against City when United visit Anfield in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Liverpool reached their first domestic final for six years with their 3-2 aggregate defeat of Manchester City in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, and their first appearance at Wembley since 1996, and will be firm favourites to lift the trophy in Kenny Dalglish's first full season in charge when they face Cardiff City on 26 February.

Kuyt has yet to win a trophy as a Liverpool player having joined from Feyenoord in the summer of 2006, 12 months after Rafael Benítez's team had won the FA Cup and the Champions League. With several near misses during his six years at Anfield, the Holland international wants Liverpool to end his trophy drought against the Championship side next month.

"I've been here a while now and played in a Champions League final, a Champions League semi-final, a Europa League semi-final and finished second in the Premier League," said Kuyt. "It's not enough to be second. Hopefully the Carling Cup can be a first trophy with many more to follow.

"We've been a nearly team during my time here but sometimes it's like that in football. You have to make sure you give everything to reach what you want to reach. We have been very close and sometimes a bit unlucky. But that's behind us – we can't change it.

"What we can change is the future and hopefully the trophies will come. It's great to be in the final but now that we are there we want to win it. It's important for a club like Liverpool to be back in contention for these trophies. That's what Liverpool Football Club is about. When I first arrived here nearly six years ago, I came here to win trophies, and that's the spirit of the players, the spirit of the manager and the spirit of the club."

Liverpool can remove a major obstacle from their path in the FA Cup on Saturday when Manchester United travel to Anfield for a highly charged fourth-round tie. Kuyt believes a repeat of the performance against City will deliver a victory over the reigning Premier League champions. He said: "The lads are more than ready for the weekend. It will be great to not only knock City out of the Carling Cup but to then knock United out of the FA Cup. We set a benchmark against City. We have to make sure we play with the same effort and I'm sure we will be fine."

Liverpool have produced their worst performance of the season – Saturday's 3-1 loss at Bolton – and one of their finest in successive fixtures and, despite Roberto Mancini's complaints over two penalty decisions that went against City, Kuyt insists their place in the Wembley final cannot be disputed.

The 31-year-old said: "It was a great team performance. We deserved to go through. We deserve to be in the final. It was only because of Joe Hart's brilliant performance that we didn't beat City on the night. We were very disappointed for the manager after what happened on Saturday, and for the supporters. But we were even more disappointed for ourselves because we know we can do better.

"So it was great to bounce back. We have to thank the supporters for standing by us and being behind us. From the first whistle, everybody was up for it. This was about playing at Wembley. We are all desperate to challenge for a trophy. It's a while ago since we won one. It's great to be in a final, now we hope to finish it off."

• Liverpool
• Manchester United
• FA Cup
• Carling Cup
• Carling Cup 2011-12
• FA Cup 2011-12

Andy Hunter
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• Manager absent three weeks after heart surgery in November
• Gareth Bale, Scott Parker, Younès Kaboul may miss Cup game

Harry Redknapp is enduring the strain of a crown-court trial but, as he seeks to co‑ordinate Tottenham Hotspur's recovery from their recent wobble remotely, he has offered the impression of laid-back normality.

The manager has spoken to his assistant Kevin Bond before and after each day of his tax case, with much of the discussion related to the team selection for Friday night's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Watford. Redknapp has been informed that Younès Kaboul did not train on Wednesday while Gareth Bale and Scott Parker withdrew from the session and, with muscle twinges the problem, it is likely he will omit all three from what promises to still be a strong lineup.

Redknapp will travel from Southwark to Watford after day five of his trial to give the pre-match team talk and take his place in the Vicarage Road dug-out. If there is the sense that the 90 minutes and the return to his natural environment will represent a tonic, then the club have endeavoured to make light of his absence from the training ground, even if Bond did concede that Redknapp was "the pivotal person on a day-to-day basis at the club and you need that person around".

Tottenham found themselves in a similar situation last November, when Redknapp underwent a procedure for the insertion of two stents into an artery in his heart and was off work for almost three weeks. The staff and squad are using that absence, when Redknapp was also forbidden to attend matches, as a template for the present situation.

Redknapp's role in training tends to be as an overseer, with Bond and the other first-team coaches, Joe Jordan and Clive Allen, taking the sessions.

"Harry wasn't here a few weeks back and really, we are just carrying on without him," Bond said. "To a large degree, the training is exactly the same; it's just that Harry is not there overseeing it. We haven't felt we had to have a conversation with the players. Everyone is aware of the ongoing situation and everybody gets on with it. The players all understand that, we all understand that, and get on with it in the same way as if he was here.

"Talking to him, he has been keen to know our thoughts on Watford and how we are looking. We made preparations to come to the game and he was genuinely looking forward to it. He's no different to how he has always been. He appears when I speak to him – and I would know – to be every bit as focused as he has always been."

Redknapp's issues with his health and the law have had the potential to distract Tottenham but the squad that he has assembled are hardy, experienced and, according to Bond, single-minded enough to "want to do well because they want to do well". He avoided the line about them "wanting to do it for Harry".

The challenge that faces them is to bounce back after the 1-1 home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers and the 3-2 defeat at Manchester City, results that came just as they were installed as title contenders. They play Wigan Athletic at home next Tuesday sitting third in the table, eight points behind the leaders, City, but it is the FA Cup, and the notion it is trophies that truly stand the test of time, that preoccupies them.

"We would like to win a competition," Bond said. "People are remembered for medals. A cup competition is a better proposition for us than the league at this moment."

• Tottenham Hotspur
• Harry Redknapp
• FA Cup 2011-12
• FA Cup

David Hytner
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Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

For a chance to win a club shirt of your choice from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt to the value of £50 from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.

For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.

• Laws of football

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• Suárez/Evra saga casts shadow over FA Cup tie
• Steven Gerrard: 'We all have a responsibility'

In Sir Alex Ferguson's mind there was no reason for Manchester United to enter peace talks with Liverpool in the fallout from the Luis Suárez affair. "It is nice of them to do it through the press," he said in response to proposals from Liverpool. "You would have thought they would come to Manchester United first. I do not see why there is any need for it but I have nothing to say about it."

The opprobrium poured on his great rivals and old adversary Kenny Dalglish was of their own making. It was not United's place to offer support and why should they when Patrice Evra, a victim of racist abuse according to an independent tribunal appointed by the Football Association, was the only player condemned in official statements from Anfield?

But then came the draw for the FA Cup fourth round. Things changed. It was no longer about Liverpool easing tensions before their league trip to Old Trafford on 11 February, which is set to be Suárez's first appearance at an away ground once his eight-match suspension is complete and was the original motivation for talks between the clubs. It is now about United, Evra and 5,319 of their supporters returning to Anfield in the FA Cup three months on from the controversy that damaged Liverpool's reputation, and the two biggest clubs in English football having a duty to act before a fixture that will be played before a global television audience.

Despite Ferguson's reservations and authority, a meeting has been held in recent days between the Liverpool and United hierarchies to discuss ways of avoiding potential problems before, during and after Saturday's tie. Ferguson himself has written to all United fans in possession of a ticket, urging them to give "the sort of support you are famous for", albeit in the hope that the club's reduced ticket allocation will be increased for future games at Anfield. Representatives from the FA this week visited Carrington and Melwood, United's and Liverpool's respective training grounds, to remind players and staff of their responsibilities to the game and have also written to all parties to reinforce that point.

Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, is confident the message has been understood. "We do all have a responsibility," he said. "With fair play going on and the campaigns that have been going on for a long time we all have a responsibility to ensure that this game is remembered for the football. Liverpool and Man United is a massive rivalry and of course there is going to be stuff in the papers and banter between fans but it would be fantastic if after the weekend it is remembered for being a top game and obviously, from our point of view, a Liverpool win. We don't want any front-page stories from this game or any stories besides a football match between two top sides, and may the best team win."

The FA will have a crowd control adviser at Anfield and has been involved in strategy meetings involving Merseyside Police and representatives from the two clubs. As the alleged racist abuse of the Oldham Athletic defender Tom Adeyemi demonstrated this month in the FA Cup third round at Anfield, clubs are at the mercy of individual behaviour. However, the police, although they do not disclose operational details such as the number of officers on duty, will have an increased presence in and around the ground on Saturday.

The match commander, chief superintendent Jon Ward of Merseyside Police, said: "If there's any unlawful behaviour we will take action. There is CCTV in place and through working with both clubs we will identify anyone responsible and take robust action."

There has been no joint statement or public initiative to appeal for restraint from Liverpool and United, an option taken by Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers before their similarly emotive tie this weekend. That is in keeping with a deliberately low-key buildup to the 184th meeting between the north-west rivals.

Evra is expected to play and face the wrath of Anfield, with Suárez expected to be watching from the crowd as he serves the penultimate game of his ban. Viv Anderson, the former United defender, said: "Patrice should definitely play, 100%.

"There will be a backlash but he did nothing wrong, so why should he not play? He is experienced enough and old enough to deal with it. It won't be the first time he's been verbally attacked. If you cannot deal with it then you are never going to make a career for yourself. Patrice is at Manchester United playing in the Premier League and is a French international. He has proved that he is able to stand up to all the outside pressures that have been heaped on him as he's built his career.

"It is not right you have to put up with racial abuse but I am sure it has happened to him in the past. I don't think playing at Anfield after what has gone on will bother him. There will always be something else around the corner and if you keep worrying about something then you will fold and disappear."

• Liverpool
• Manchester United
• Sir Alex Ferguson
• Luis Suárez

Andy Hunter
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• Four clubs to remind squads of their responsibilities
• Police numbers boosted for west London derby

The Football Association has spoken with Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool and requested they remind players and staff of their responsibilities ahead of Saturday's potentially explosive FA Cup collisions between the teams.

The ties at Loftus Road and Anfield will be overshadowed by the incidents that marred the league meetings between the teams in October. Luis Suárez will miss Saturday's fixture as the penultimate match of an eight-game ban, having been found guilty of racially abusing United's Patrice Evra in the 1-1 draw on 15 October, and John Terry is due to attend west London magistrates court next Wednesday charged with a racially aggravated public order offence that allegedly occurred during an altercation with QPR's Anton Ferdinand on 23 October. The Chelsea captain denies the charge.

Tensions have been heightened by these incidents ahead of fixtures that have traditionally been fractious. Although the game's governing body was already aware of the measures being taken involving the planning and preparation for the two matches, the FA has now issued joint requests, in partnership with the Metropolitan police and Merseyside police, for the clubs to remind their players and staff before kick-off of the particular sensitivities surrounding the games in an effort to avoid any behaviour that could be deemed to be inflammatory.

FA officials have been present at strategy and planning meetings held by the clubs and have spoken at length to the police forces involved. They have drawn huge encouragement from the very clear levels of co-operation between Liverpool and United around the planning of their fixture, and by the joint statement issued by the QPR chairman, Tony Fernandes, and his counterpart at Chelsea, Bruce Buck, this week calling for calm in their west London derby. The chairmen asked for the game to be remembered merely as a "celebration of football", with the FA impressed by the proactive measures taken by all parties in a bid to defuse ill-feeling between sets of fans.

There will be FA crowd control advisers at both games, with QPR having chosen to remind their supporters on Thursday of the need for good behaviour via their official website. "Racial, homophobic or discriminatory abuse, chanting or harassment is strictly forbidden and will result in arrest and/or ejection from the ground," read their statement.

"In addition, the club will impose a ban for one or more matches. QPR will not tolerate sexual or racially based harassment, or other discriminatory behaviour, whether physical or verbal and where required we will work in full co-operation with the Metropolitan police to provide CCTV footage and staff statements to ensure prosecution.

"Queens Park Rangers Football Club is committed to confronting and eliminating discrimination, whether by reason of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability, nationality, religion or belief or gender reassignment. The club is proud of the atmosphere we have at Loftus Road and by working together we can stop any discrimination or behaviour that has no place in football. Loftus Road is governed by ground regulations and we would like to remind all visitors that by entering the ground they are agreeing to abide by these rules."

The derby at Loftus Road – which will be officiated by the experienced Mike Dean – has yet to sell out, with tickets available in most of the home sections, though there will be an increased police presence for a game that has been brought forward to a midday kick-off time on the Met's advice.

It remains to be seen whether Ferdinand and Terry are selected for the fixture but the QPR defender, if he is picked, is thought to be reluctant to shake hands with his opponent during the pre-match formalities between the teams.

André Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, has consistently said he would have no qualms about selecting his captain for the game despite the furore that erupted after their last visit to Loftus Road.

Didier Drogba and José Bosingwa were sent off in that fixture as the hosts prevailed 1-0.

• The FA
• QPR
• Chelsea
• Liverpool
• Manchester United
• FA Cup 2011-12
• FA Cup

Dominic Fifield
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Ivory Coast 2-0 Burkina Faso

Ivory Coast secured a place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals by beating Burkina Faso 2-0.

The result eliminated Burkina Faso with one round of matches remaining while the other Group B teams, Angola and Sudan, retain hopes of progressing.

Salomon Kalou opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Bakary Koné headed in an own goal in the 82nd to hand victory to the pre-tournament favourites Ivory Coast despite another unconvincing performance from their Premier League-based stars.

"I'm satisfied with the spirit of the group, though it's true that there are a lot of things to improve," the Ivory Coast coach, François Zahoui, said.

Earlier Sudan twice rallied from defensive errors to draw 2-2 with Angola at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo.

The final group matches will be played on Monday, when Sudan play Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast take on Angola.

"It was an incredible injustice that we lost this match," said the Burkina Faso coach, Paulo Duarte. "Burkina Faso played a great match, had a great attitude, but they scored two goals. Football is like that."

Didier Zokora returned to the Ivory Coast starting lineup after serving a suspension and was the only change from the 1-0 win against Sudan, with Igor Lolo dropping to the bench.

Ivory Coast took the lead when Kalou pounced on a low cross that brushed off Yaya Touré and hit a left-foot shot past Daouda Diakité in the Burkina Faso goal.

Despite a front line of Didier Drogba, Kalou and Gervinho, Ivory Coast looked disjointed in attack and Yaya Touré struggled to impose himself on the game from an advanced midfield position. Gervinho was in a particularly wasteful mood.

"It was a big game between two big teams," Duarte said. "If there was going to be a winner in the first half then I think it would have been Burkina Faso. We played fantastic football."

The attraction of watching Ivory Coast's England-based players swelled the crowd, with empty seats much less noticeable for the west African derby than for the earlier match between Sudan and Angola.

After half-time Ivory Coast were again struggling for control against neighbours rated more than 50 places below them. Kalou pulled up with an apparent muscle strain and was replaced by Max Gradel with 25 minutes to go.

"I hope he will recover soon because he is a very important player for us," Zahoui said.

Burkina Faso's Moumouni Dagano headed against the top of the crossbar in the 72nd minute but Ivory Coast avoided a nervy finish when Koné headed a deep free-kick over his own goalkeeper in the final stages.

"It's very important to get through the next round," Zahoui said. "Our objective is to finish in first place in the group."

• Africa Cup of Nations 2012
• Ivory Coast
• Burkina Faso
• Africa Cup of Nations

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• Manager on one-year rolling contract since 2010
• Alan Tate in FA Cup squad after recovering from broken leg

Brendan Rodgers has agreed in principle to a new three-year contract with Swansea City and expects to put pen to paper in the coming days.

The Northern Irishman, 39, has operated on a one-year rolling contract since moving to the Liberty Stadium in the summer of 2010. He guided the Welsh club to the top flight and has overseen an impressive start to life in the Premier League, with the club 13th in the table.

The chairman, Huw Jenkins, is looking to tie the former Reading and Watford manager to a longer-term contract, and Rodgers revealed the deal to keep him in south Wales until 2015 is as good as done.

He said: "I spoke with the chairman today and we have agreed everything in principle. We just need to draft up the paperwork and be presented with it over the weekend. Then it will be signed and done and that will be fantastic.

"It was clear to me I wanted to be here. There was very little to discuss and I will be proud to move forward with the project. Ultimately my job is to make Swansea a sustainable Premier League club – that's the challenge."

Swansea's next Premier League fixture is against Chelsea at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday but this weekend they travel to face Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Rodgers will include Alan Tate in his squad for the first time since the defender broke a leg in a golf buggy accident in August. The 29-year-old has made three appearances for the reserves after completing his recovery a month ahead of schedule.

Rodgers said: "He is working very well. He has been out for a long time but he is a wonderful pro and I have no doubt he will come into the squad this weekend. He was outstanding last season and was just unfortunate that he had the freak accident."

The on-loan Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran is set to make his first start as he will not be available to face his parent club on Tuesday.

But Swansea will be without the on-loan centre-half Steven Caulker after Tottenham asked that the defender be left out of the game at Bolton to avoid him being cup-tied. Tottenham have until the end of this month to recall the 19-year-old.

• Brendan Rodgers
• Swansea City

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Sudan 2-2 Angola

Sudan rallied twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Angola in the Africa Cup of Nations to retain faint hopes of a quarter-final berth.

Manucho gave Angola the lead in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, with a low strike in the fifth minute after poor defending, before Mohamed Ahmed Bashir headed the equaliser in the 33rd. Manucho put Angola back in front with a 50th-minute penalty but Ahmed Bashir scored his second in the 73rd to earn the draw.

The result leaves Angola well-placed to progress with four points from two games, while Sudan have one point and must beat Burkina Faso in their last match to have any chance of qualifying. The Angola coach, Lito Vidigal, said: "We will keep fighting."

Burkina Faso play the pre-tournament favourites, Ivory Coast, in the other Group B match later on Thursday at the same Nuevo Estadio de Malabo.

The Sudan coach, Mohamed Abdallah, made two changes from the 1-0 defeat against Ivory Coast, preferring Akram Elhadi Salim in goal and bringing in the midfielder Mohamed Tahir.

Vidigal named an unchanged lineup from the 2-1 win against Burkina Faso, resisting the temptation to include the former Germany youth international Nando Rafael, who received clearance to play earlier in the week.

Attendance was again disappointing for the match, with a pocket of around 500 Angola fans on the halfway line but thousands of empty seats elsewhere. Those Angola supporters were soon celebrating when their side took the lead thanks to a glaring error from the Sudan defender Nagm Eldin Abdalla.

Manucho took the ball as the defender tried to turn and advanced into the penalty area to drill a low shot into the corner for his second goal at the tournament.

The equaliser came when Mudather Eltaib crossed from the right and Ahmed Bashir rose above the defence to send a glancing header just inside the post. It was Sudan's first goal in the finals since 1976.

Vidigal sent Rafael on for his debut in the second half and five minutes into the second period Djalma was tripped in the box by the Sudan defender Nazar Hamid.

Manucho side-footed the spot kick to the goalkeeper's right to restore Angola's lead. Again, however, Angola made the mistake of sitting back and Ahmed Bashir volleyed into the net to level for the second time after José Vinguidica failed to clear.

"We made a mistake and Sudan took advantage to score," Angola's captain, André Macanga, said. "It's a very fair result. We depend on ourselves, there's still a long way to go in this tournament."

• Africa Cup of Nations 2012
• Angola
• Africa Cup of Nations

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• Bolton keen to pick up a fee for 34-year-old forward
• Sunderland seeks reinforcements for injured Bendtner

Sunderland are considering a move for Kevin Davies ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline. Ideally Martin O'Neill would like to take the Bolton Wanderers centre-forward, who has recently lost his first-team place at the Reebok, on loan but their manager, Owen Coyle, would prefer a formal transfer.

Although Davies is precisely the sort of targetman the Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill wants, he will turn 35 in March and may not represent the sort of long-term signing they had in mind.

Whether or not they acquire Davies, whose Bolton contract runs out in June, the club are keen to recruit an extra striker, particularly as Nicklas Bendtner's facial injuries are worse than first envisaged. The Dane, on a season-long loan from Arsenal, was caught in the face by Angel Rangel's boot during the win over Swansea last Saturday.

Bendtner is now likely to miss several games including Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Middlesbrough. "He's got a bit more than a broken nose," said Sunderland's manager. "It's difficult to put a timescale on it, but it's going to be lengthy.

"We thought at one stage he might be OK. The early signs, even on Sunday morning, were that it looked as if it might be OK," added O'Neill, who hopes to shortly reintroduce the club's forgotten striker, Fraizer Campbell, to the first team after 18 months on the sidelines with knee trouble. "But Nicklas's going to be out for a number of weeks now, which is a blow to us. He has a few cracks and we just have to bide our time."

• Sunderland
• Bolton Wanderers
• Transfer window

Louise Taylor
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• Midfielder injured during Copa del Rey game with Real
• Alexis Sánchez also injured in quarter-final success

Barcelona have said that Andrés Iniesta will be sidelined for three weeks with a muscle tear in his left thigh.

The midfielder was injured in the first half of Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Wednesday. Barcelona advanced 4-3 on aggregate.

Barcelona also lost the forward Alexis Sánchez during the game with a shoulder injury that will keep him out for one or two weeks.

Both players will miss Saturday's La Liga match at Villarreal and the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals next week, against either Valencia or Levante.

Barcelona are already without the striker David Villa, the midfielder Ibrahim Afellay and the defender Andreu Fontàs because of long-term injuries.

• Barcelona
• Andrés Iniesta
• La Liga
• European football

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Investment bank involved in 2009 takeover of Notts County football club sharply criticised in administrator's report

The remnants of a collapsed investment bank – which once included former Conservative minister Tim Yeo and erstwhile head of defence intelligence Air Marshal Sir John Walker among its senior advisers – faces potential legal action after being accused in an administrator's report of selling its assets to related parties at a discount before going out of business.

First London plc – which had made headlines in 2009 after becoming embroiled in a supposed Middle Eastern takeover of football team Notts County – was plunged into administration in July 2010 with debts of £8.7m. Before the collapse, the company had moved its main asset, First London Asset Management (FLAM), to a new holding company and then announced the sale of the subsidiary to a related group called Swiss Commodity Holding (SCH) for £173m in 2009 – a deal that was subsequently modified twice in the following two years.

In his final report, dated 5 December 2011 and lodged with Companies House last week, the administrator, Hasan Mirza, said: "My investigations reveal that all of the subsidiary investments that the company disposed of, namely FLAM, were disposed of at an undervalue and not at arm's length and are therefore challengeable and avoidable … I have instructed my solicitors to draft proceedings against various parties."

First London's lawyers, McFaddens, said: "The assertion that the transfer of assets is null and void is denied. Our client has not been served with any formal notice by the administrator with regard to this claim. If the administrator decides to take action as described in the report then our client will defend the same vigorously. It is denied that First London Asset Management Limited was sold at 'an undervalue and not at arm's length', but even if it were, it is a moot point as the transaction for the purchase of FLAM was rescinded in September 2011."

The transfer of FLAM, and subsequent deals that superseded it, have still to deliver any cash to First London investors, despite the company repeatedly promising a special dividend. The string of revised payment deadlines have caused a band of small shareholders to grow increasingly impatient, leaving many siding with creditors furious at nursing large losses.

Embarrassingly for Yeo, the former minister was a non-executive director of the bank at the time of the transfer. At the same time, Walker served on the advisory board of First London, which was a publicly traded company on London's junior Plus Markets exchange.

Yeo is listed in Mirza's report in a roll call of directors who have served during the past three years, which also includes the name of Nicholas Chance, private secretary to the Queen's cousin, Prince Michael of Kent. Yeo and Chance both resigned as First London non-executives in March 2010. Walker said he had no involvement in the FLAM deal, and Chance said the First London board approved the transfer of FLAM only after taking outside advice from a professional firm. Yeo did not return telephone calls.

The final report also names main shareholders thought to have held large stakes in First London, including Kevin Leech, a former billionaire who later emerged from bankruptcy, Lee Cole, Linden Boyne and a company called Monmay.

Shareholders were told in March 2010 that First London's disposal of FLAM to SCH was rescinded in favour of an alternative transaction with a "new holding company" of SCH called Coremin – which would pay out to shareholders over time. They were then informed in September of last year that the second buyer had been replaced by a third, this time a little-known company called Aileron Resources.

Mirza's report continues: "Despite a lack of co-operation [from First London], I have identified the assets that were transferred to Coremin Inc for a deferred consideration, which subsequently became a deferred contingent consideration. I understand that Coremin Inc itself has been struck off and the agreement is in my opinion null and void. I have accordingly served notice on First London Group plc [the new holding company of First London plc], the directors of First London Group plc and on Monmay Inc, which claims to hold security over the assets of FLP [First London plc], that due to FLP not receiving any consideration, that the transfer of the assets of FLP is null and void. I have also served a demand on First London Group plc."

McFaddens added: "There has been full cooperation with the administrator."

First London had been a relatively obscure financial institution until the supposed 2009 takeover of Notts County, which the club's directors believed First London had underwritten. The deal saw former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson signed as the oldest football league club's director of football – until the deal quickly collapsed. The football club has lodged a £5m claim against First London, which the administrator's report says has not been "formally accepted or rejected".

Other creditors of the investment bank include former England cricket captain Mike Gatting, who is owed £17,000 for his work as a "sporting ambassador".

• Banking
• Notts County

Simon Goodley
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• Striker signs 18-month deal with Championship club
• Thirty-four-year-old had fallen out with Steve Kean

The Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts has signed an 18-month contract with Reading.

Roberts spent five and a half years with Blackburn where he made more than 150 appearances and scored 29 goals. The player had fallen out of favour since Steve Kean became manager due to a contract dispute and the last of his 12 appearances this season was just under seven weeks ago. A statement on the Rovers' website said: "Jason Roberts has today signed for Reading Football Club.

"The 34-year-old centre-forward links up with the Championship club, with the terms of the transfer undisclosed." Reading are 8th in the Championship, one point off the play-offs.

• Reading
• Blackburn Rovers
• Championship 2011-12
• Championship
• Transfer window

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Full-time: Sudan claim a draw that was the least they deserved. They were the more coherent and committed team but two dreadful defensive mistakes gifted goals to Angola, who then committed one themselves to allow Sudan back into it. Entertaining enough fare and both team are still in contention for a place in the next round.

90 min: Four more minutes. Sudan continue to push for their first win in the tournament in over 40 years.

87 min: A smart effort by Manucho! He spooted the keeper way off his line so tried to beat him from half-way. But the ball dropped down inches over the bar. That's the striker's first miss of the tournament.

85 min: More wretched Angolan defending allows a corner to run to Munwia, who wasn't expecting it and therefore let it bounce off him and out of play: if he'd been more he'd have had a free shot on goal from six yards.

84 min: Mateus attempts a token shot from distance, giving Sudan a goal kick.

82 min: Sudan are really applying severe pressure now, their methodical passing continuing to stretch Angola, who are defending with increasing urgency.

79 min: Sudan could win this! They break fast from an Angolan corner and have three attackers against three defenders, but the shot is weak.

77 min: Bizarre decision by Carlos, who kicks a weak Bashir shot behind for a corner when he could easily have picked it up.

GOAL! Angola 2-2 Sudan (Bashir 73') Yet again Sudan equalise from out of the blue, helped by abysmal Angolan defending. There were four defenders in the box around Bashir but they get in a muddle and Vunguidica presents the ball to the striker, who swipes it gratefully into the net!

71 min: Mateus breaks up a Sudan attack at the edge of his area and launches a counter, which fizzles out, like this match seems to be doing.

67 min: Djalma's feeling so confident he thinks he can lamp a freekick into the top corner from 35 yards. He can't, at least not this time.

65 min: Sudan change: off comes their captain, Hitham, on trots Abdali.

63 min: Angola continue to look comfortable, Sudan failing to regain the momenum they had in the first half.

59 min: Angola goalkeeper Carlos Fernandes boots the ball straight out of play ... and then goes down clutching his hamstring. On troop the medics to help him stretch. A few seconds later he appears to have made a miraculous recovery. So there you have it: Angolan physios - the new horse placenta.

57 min: Airosa charges forward from right-back for the first time. He may not bother again after that wayward cross.

54 min: This time Angola appear to be of a mind not to let their lead slip, and their is more intensity to their pressing. It took Sudan 36 years to score a g oal in this tournament, and now they need another one straight away ...

GOAL! Angola 2-1 Sudan (Manucho, pen, 52') Three shots in this tournament for Manucho, and three goals. The keeper went the right away by the striker's low spotkick hurtled under his outstretched arm. Two moments of extreme sloppiness have gifted Angola their goals, undoing otherwise tidy play by Sudan.

50 min: PENALTY! Djalam makes up for his bad freekick by winning a penalty, with some assitance from Nazar, whose attempt to tackle was thoroughly incompetent.

49 min: Djalma sends a miserable freekick into the wall, to the despair of his many team-mates who were awaiting a cross in the middle.

46 min: Second half in motion. And within seconds Sudan have won themselves a corner, proving they remain more in tune with proceedings than the somewhat sluggish Angolans. Tahir's corner amount to nothing, however.

Half-time: Angola sagged after storming into an early lead, and Sudan got back into the game. Despite enjoying decent bouts of possession, however, they never looked dangerous until Bashir met a deep cross into the box with a fine header. Either side could go on to win from here.

42 min: Djalma fouls Eltaib, giving SUdan another freekick near the box. The angle is too acute for a shot but a dangerous cross should certainly follow. It does. But Angola defend it well.

40 min: Sudan waste a freekick in a dangerous position. "I've only been in Khartoum for three months now so I'm hardly an expert, but I can say from my experience that that jaunty little number, the Sudanese National Anthem, seems to start with an instrumental version, and they only sing the words when the second verse starts," trills Richard Woods. "Maybe they only played it once?" How many times do they have to play it before they get to the second verse?

37 min: Angola have shaked off the lethargy that helped Sudan to get back into this game and they're vigorously trying to regain the lead, making this a pleasant, open game. They carved Sudan open in fine style just now, with Djalma eventually clipping the ball over the goalkeeper. But Mustafa had positioned himself sensibly to effect a clearance.

33 min: Admirable trickiness from Djalma in the Sudanese box, followed by a tame shot that poses no problem for Akram.

GOAL! Angolas 1-1 Sudan (Bashir 31') That, like Faith No More, came from out of nowhere! Sudan's first goal in these finals since 1976 was a fine header, Bashir jumping between the two slightly negligent centrebacks to bop the ball into the net after a searching deep cross from the right.

29 min: The match is getting fairly bogged down in the middle. On the occasion when Sudan do pick a way through, they do not get enough players forward to properly trouble a well-organised Angolan defence. By contrasat, when Angola go forward they always look like getting a shooting chance, though more becaue of the brittleness of the Sudanese defence than their own creative ingenuity.

25 min: Nice move by Angola - emulating some of Sudan's decent recent passing - but it all petered out when Flavio failed to control the ball, letting it run of play near the corner flag. You're all very interested in this, aren't you?

23 min: A long punt into the Angolan box is met by the head of Eldin, who can't direct it on target.

20 min: Sudan are starting to make a match of this, with some nifty triangular passing in midfield enabling them to make inroads towards the Angolan box.

17 min: Sudan threaten for the first time and it's a fine left-footed strike from distance by Tahir. Carlos parries.

15 min: Munwia is already on a yellow .. but that didn't stop him charging two-footed on Mateus just now like a man taking a running jump down a slide. Fortunately for him, his opponent managed to dodge and the ref decided not to take any action.

13 min: Rum skills by Flavio to twist and turn past three defenders before looking for a give-and-go exchange with Djlama. He gave, he went, but Djalma didn't give it back.

9 min: No sign of Sudan getting into this game or causing Angola as many problems as they did Ivory Coast at the weekend. They're looking decidedly third-rate at the moment.

6 min: Munwia booked for a reckless tackle, and he concedes a freekick in a dangerous position to boot. Gilberto curls it into the centre, Munwia puts it out for a corner. "What's your opinion of Manucho?" quizzes Kenny James. "I was in Africa for the AFCON 2008 and was impressed with his strong performances, especially his keen eye for goal in that tournament. I was interested to see how his skills would transfer to the Premier League where Manchester United had secured his scrawl. As it was he never really took off with them or whilst on his loan at Hull. The indefatigable Wikipedia tells me his time at Valladolid has been equally barren." My opinion is pretty much the same as yours: I thought he'd make more of an impact in England than he did. His touch is not top class but I figured he had ample strength, speed, intelligence and finishing prowess to still be dangerous. As for this tournament, that's now two shots and two goals for him.

GOAL! Angola 1-0 Sudan (Manucho 4') Appalling defending is ruthlessly punished by the former Manchester United man. Eldin got caught in possession outside his own box and no one could recover in time to stop Manuho from blasting past to goalkeeper and into the net via the post. Sudan haven't scored in any of their last matches in this tournament: they need to do something about that now.

1 min: The match is on, thanks to a textbook kick-off by Sudan.

3.59pm: 700 Angolan fans are in the ground, along with as prinkling of Malabo locals. All 700 seem to have a trumpet.

3.54pm: Here are the national anthems and, truly, the Sudanese don't seem to have a songster among them. Then again, why should they? It seems unfair to force footballers to sing in front of international cameras. Is Beyoncé ordered to do a few keepie-uppies before her concerts? Do Metallica have to showcase their corner-taking abilities before being allowed to rock out?

3.44pm: Did you catch any of yesterday's games? Zambia and Libya put on some great entertainment on a marshy pitch but that was nothing compared to the absolute gold-bottomed classic served up by Senegal and the surprising hosts, Equatorial Guinea: sensational twists, superb defending amid constant attacking, great saves, wild misses, an inexplicable red card and a stupendous stoppage-time winning goal against one of the favourites by a team competing in the tournament for the first time! If Angola and Sudan can deliver anything like that today, we'll be laughing.

3.24pm: That nice Jonathan Wilson has just tweeted the teams so here, have a gander:

Angola: Carlos Fernandes; Airosa, Massunguna, Zuela, Miguel; Macanga; Djalma, Gilberto, Mateus; Manucho, Flavio

Sudan: Akram; Balla, Saif Eldin, Nagm Eldin, Muawia; Ala Eldin, Hitham; Tahir, Mudather, Nazar; Bashir

Paul will be here from 3.50pm. Until then, have a look at Jonathan Wilson's latest blog.

The radio coverage was two or three seconds ahead of the television coverage, something that first became apparent 58 minutes into Equatorial Guinea's game against Senegal. Roars could be heard across the city, followed by a great groan of disappointment. On the screen I was watching in Banapa, the district of Malabo around the city's stadium, the winger Randy was still loping into the right side of the box at the stadium at Bata on the mainland. As two defenders went to close him down, he squared towards Fidjeu.

It should have been a clear shot on goal, with the keeper scrabbling across from his near post – not a tap-in, but a chance you would expect him to take. The ball, though, stopped in heavy surface water on its way to Fidjeu, allowing Kader Mangane to get across and clear. It was the first incident in the game to prompt anything like excitement from the home support; until then it had been a case of clinging on as Senegal wasted chance after chance. They should have had a penalty when John Doe tripped Issiar Dia (the most likely explanation for Khalid Abdulrahman's decision being to spare the world a raft of Sound of Music-related puns had he awarded a penalty for a foul by Doe on Dia …), Danilo tipped over a Papiss Demba Cissé lob volley, Demba Ba dragged a Dia cut-back badly wide and then placed a free header from a corner the wrong side of the post …

On it went, chance after chance squandered, until slowly you began to see the confidence drain almost physically from Senegal, as though they came to believe they would never score. And as they became increasingly desperate, they began to become ragged. Four minutes after the water had thwarted Ekanga, Kily, the adventurous right-back, got forward and crossed perfectly for Randy to head in. The roars were extraordinary, and tinged with a sense of disbelief.

To continue reading click here.

• Africa Cup of Nations 2012
• Angola

Paul Doyle
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