Image source, PA

Under-fire Rangers manager Ally McCoist believes he can still make an impact at the club, despite their midweek loss to Alloa.

"I think I've still got a job to do," he said. "I've said all along the job is to get the team back to the top flight, where we feel we belong.

"That hasn't altered. My focus hasn't altered. I was aware it would be a bumpy ride with a few hiccups along the way and that is proving to be the case. But we can't allow ourselves to shift our focus away from getting back to the top flight.

"All I can do is assure the supporters I will be doing my level best, 100%, to turn these performances around. I would ask them for their continued support for the team. That's all we can ask for."

Image source, Getty Images

Another top sportsperson celebrating a birthday today is snooker ace Ronnie O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan warmed up for his 39th birthday with a 147 break at the UK Championship in York on Thursday.

You can watch the full version of the break on the BBC Sport website or if you are short of time, there is also a one minute and 47 second version available.

Friday's action gets under way at 13:00 with O'Sullivan back in action against Anthony McGill while Graeme Dott takes on Stuart Bingham.

Image source, AP

Sam Allardyce is hoping to have a trio of players fit and ready to feature in West Ham's Premier League match with Swansea on Sunday.

The game may yet come too early for midfielder Mark Noble (calf) but Allardyce believes both Diafra Sakho (back) and Alex Song (knee) could play some part against the Swans.

With Enner Valencia (pictured above) making his own comeback from injury in the midweek victory at West Brom and Andy Carroll fit, Allardyce will now have all of his attacking options available as he looks to guide the Hammers to an eighth league win of the campaign.

Provisional squad: Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Cresswell, O'Brien, Reid, Tomkins, Collins, Jenkinson, Noble, Kouyate, Song, Nolan, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Cole, Zarate, Sakho, Valencia.

Image source, Getty Images

Sean Abbott has yet to decide when he will return to first-class cricket and has elected not to play for club side Sydney University this weekend.

Abbott bowled the delivery which felled Phillip Hughes in the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia and led to the batsman's death.

Abbott, who made his Australian one-day and Twenty20 debuts only two months ago, was reported by The Courier to have returned to bowling action on Tuesday in the SCG nets in a New South Wales optional training session.

Image source, BBC Sport

The FA Cup is back on the BBC this evening and from 19:30 on BBC Two, there's live coverage of the second round tie between Hartlepool and Blyth Spartans.

Damian Johnson caught up with Hartlepool striker Marlon Harewood earlier this week.

Here's a glimpse behind-the-scenes of an interview you can see ahead of kick-off this evening.

A couple of tweets on #bbcsportsday, external here of who you'd like to see your clubs spend some cash on come January.

Sohail:, external I would take Reus, Hummels or Godin, Clyne and Strootman for Man Utd

Sean Anderson:, external Hummels, Schneiderlin, Clyne, Reus and Carvalho if I was the Arsenal boss.

Image source, Getty Images

It's Happy Birthday to Olympic cycling champion Joanna Rowsell who turns 26 today.

But there won't be too much time for celebrating for the four-time World Championship gold medal winner in the women's team pursuit as she is in action today at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup at the London Velodrome.

There will be coverage from London from 18:55-22:05 on the Red Button and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, via the BBC Sport website and you can watch a replay on the Red Button from 23:00.

Image source, AFP

Crystal Palace are likely to be without midfielder Joe Ledley for their trip to Tottenham on Saturday.

The Wales international is suffering from a recurrence of a hip problem that ruled him out of Tuesday night's defeat to Aston Villa.

He is unlikely to be fit to return at White Hart Lane and will join defenders Damien Delaney (calf) and Adrian Mariappa (knee) on the sidelines - with Dwight Gayle available having been forced off against Villa through illness.

Provisional squad: Speroni, Hennessey, Kelly, Fryers, Dann, Ward, Hangeland, Jedinak, Bannan, Ledley, McArthur, Bolasie, Thomas, Puncheon, Gayle, Campbell, Johnson, Doyle, Chamakh, Zaha.

Image source, Getty Images

Mansfield Town will announce their new manager at a news conference at 13:00 GMT today, two weeks after boss Paul Cox left Field Mill, reports BBC Radio Nottingham.

Caretaker manager Adam Murray is the strong favourite having been in charge for the past fortnight and has been interviewed for the role this week.

On the back of Louis van Gaal being told money is "no barrier" to him improving his squad at Manchester United, we'd like to hear who you think your club could realistically go out and buy in January.

Tell us who might be on your side's transfer window shopping list if your owner's prepared to loosen the purse strings.

Text 81111, Tweet us using #bbcsportsday, external or have your say on the BBC Sport Facebook, external page.

We'll share some of your thoughts throughout the day.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal will be without defender Nacho Monreal (ankle) for Saturday's trip to Stoke.

Centre-back Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) will be assessed, along with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny (hip), midfielder Tomas Rosicky (thigh), left-back Kieran Gibbs (hip) and striker Yaya Sanogo (calf).

Full-back Mathieu Debuchy (ankle) is close to a return, but forward Theo Walcott (groin) remains sidelined, along with captain Mikel Arteta (calf), Mesut Ozil (knee), goalkeeper David Ospina (thigh), as well as midfielders Abou Diaby (calf) and Jack Wilshere (ankle).

Provisional squad: Martinez, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Welbeck, Szczesny, Bellerin, Rosicky, Podolski, Sanogo, Giroud, Hayden, Campbell.

The votes are in on our question asking if you think Chelsea will go through the Premier League season unbeaten.

A massive 81.6% of you think "no" and agree with Newcastle manager Alan Pardew that somewhere along the line Jose Mourinho's men will slip up this season.

We'll hear from Jose ahead of that match at St James' Park on Saturday a little later this afternoon.

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says the Premiership is still his top priority, despite an impressive European Challenge Cup win at La Rochelle.

The win means Exeter will be at least one point clear at the top of Pool Two at the halfway point of games.

Exeter are third in the Premiership but want to qualify for the Champions Cup.

Baxter told BBC Radio Devon: "We want to get in the top tier of European competition, we want to be in the Champions Cup and, to do that, we have to be in the top six."

Image source, Reuters

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could find himself rested again for the visit of Sunderland on Saturday.

With Tuesday's must-win Champions League encounter at home to Basle followed by a trip to Manchester United manager Brendan Rodgers may choose to give the 34-year-old another break.

Midfielder Philippe Coutinho has recovered from the knee problem which troubled him midweek, left-back Jose Enrique could come back in as his game time is also being managed after a knee operation

Provisional squad: Mignolet, Johnson, Toure, Skrtel, Enrique, Lucas, Henderson, Allen, Lallana, Sterling, Lambert, Jones, Manquillo, Lovren, Moreno, Gerrard, Can, Coutinho, Markovic, Borini.

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Image source, BBC Sport

As England continue their one-day international series in Sri Lanka, take a sneak peak behind-the-scenes of the action so far in BBC Test Match Special's Flickr gallery., external

Sri Lanka lead the seven-match series 2-1 after the first three games. The next match in Colombo takes place on Sunday.

BBC Radio 5 live

In the latest 5 Live Football Daily podcast, as Dan Ashworth, the head of Elite Development at the FA, outlines the new blueprint to make England successful - Eleanor Oldroyd is joined by Ian Dennis, Rene Meulensteen and the Daily Telegraph's football correspondent Henry Winter to debate the new plan.

Ahead of Chelsea's visit to Newcastle this weekend, Alan Pardew says "Somewhere along the line Chelsea will slip up".

But will they? Or will they go unbeaten for the entire Premier League season? Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.

The vote closes at 11:00 and you can get the full terms and conditions here.

Image source, AP

Striker Abel Hernandez returns to the Hull squad after missing two matches for the birth of his child in Uruguay.

But with Sone Aluko impressing against Everton, he may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Compatriot Gaston Ramirez serves the final game of a three-match suspension and Mohamed Diame is out with a knee injury.

Provisional squad: McGregor, Jakupovic, Harper, Davies, Rosenior, Robertson, Chester, Dawson, Bruce, Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Livermore, Brady, Aluko, Quinn, Hernandez, Aluko, Jelavic.

Image source, AFP

Captain Chris Brunt is out for West Brom's trip to Hull with a hamstring injury.

The skipper limped off after making a tackle in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to West Ham, although boss Alan Irvine is hopeful he will return next week.

James Morrison (illness) and Sebastien Pocognoli (dead leg) are back but Jonas Olsson (Achilles) is out and Claudio Yacob serves the final game of a ban.

Provisional squad: Foster, Myhill, Pocognoli, Gamboa, Dawson, Lescott, McAuley, Davidson, Wisdom, Baird, Varela, Gardner, Morrison, O'Neil, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Blanco, Sessegnon, Samaras, Ideye, Berahino, Anichebe.

Image source, Getty Images

Everton are set to have defender Antolin Alcaraz back available for Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Alcaraz is poised to return to action after missing six games in all competitions due to a shoulder problem.

Toffees boss Roberto Martinez does not expect Steven Naismith, James McCarthy (both hamstring) or Darron Gibson (knee) to be ready to make their comebacks this weekend, but Arouna Kone and Bryan Oviedo may feature as their return to fitness continues.

Provisional squad: Howard, Coleman, Distin, Jagielka, Baines, Garbutt, McGeady, Barry, Barkley, Osman, Mirallas, Lukaku, Robles, Hibbert, Pienaar, Besic, Atsu, Eto'o, Alcaraz, Kone, Oviedo.