Sportsday - breaking transfer news

1. All the breaking transfer news as it happens
2. Messi condemns Barca 'lies'
3. Southampton target top four
4. Battle to win Ballon d'Or
5. Rangers reject £20m takeover bid
6. England's cricketers win opening tour match
7. GET INVOLVED: Who will be relegated from the Prem? #bbcsportsday

That's the end of today's Sportsday - but you can tune into Ballon d'Or coverage via our live text commentary with Jonathan Jurejko. There will be more Sportsday tomorrow. Until then...

Blanc attack on players

Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc has challenged his players to face up to themselves following the club's 4-2 defeat at Bastia.

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Former Manchester United defender Blanc cited his team's lack of mental strength and criticised his players propensity to give up at "the slightest difficulty".

Despite boasting one of the best strikers in the world in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and with five players costing £40 million or more, PSG has lost two and drawn one of their last three league matches to slip to fourth in the French title race.

Ferguson issues invite to Posh fans

Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson has invited disgruntled fans to a meeting on Thursday to discuss the club's form.

Posh's chairman Darragh MacAnthony issued an 11-point Twitter tirade against some of his players following Saturday's loss to Colchester.

"We are going through a really difficult time at the minute," said Ferguson, whose side have won once in 11 League One games. "But it is vital that everyone sticks together during this period."

Anelka told he's too old

Ageism is a terrible thing, as controversial French striker Nicolas Anelka will no doubt agree with today after being refused permission to join an Algerian club on the grounds that he is too old.

The 35-year-old former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid star was on the verge of joining Nasr Athletique d'Hussein-Dey.

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But the move was blocked by the Algerian Football Federation with Mahfoud Kerbadj - president of the Algerian professional football league - telling the AFP news agency: "The rules concerning foreign players being allowed to play in the Algerian league are clear.

"Only those aged under 27 and playing on the international level for their countries are allowed to sign up with our clubs."

Ballon d'Or

EPA

The stage is set and Fifa president Sepp Blatter is tonight's master of ceremonies in Zurich. If you want to know who will be named 2014 Ballon d'Or winner, there's live text commentary under way with Jonathan Jurejko.

What's the perfect breakfast?

BBC Sport

Porridge or omelette? Sausages or espresso? What should you eat for breakfast before a long cycle ride? BBC Sport's Matt Slater chats to Team Sky nutritionist Nigel Mitchell to find out the ideal breakfast for a cyclist before a big ride.

Awards for Scarratt and Wilkinson

Jordan Mansfield

England Women's centre Emily Scarratt has won the prestigious Rugby Union Writers' Club Pat Marshall Memorial Award as the sport's personality of the year for 2014.

Jonny Wilkinson and Brian O'Driscoll have also been honoured, receiving the RUWC's discretionary Special Award for their services to rugby during distinguished careers.

Red carpet arrivals

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The stars are arriving for Fifa Ballon d'Or award and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi's outfit is quite conservative by previous years' standards. A sparkling ruby purple tux for the finalist, who has arrived with his model wife Antonella Roccuzzo.

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One of the night's other contenders, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, has arrived with his family.

Strange things happen at sea

BBC Sport

One of Britain's greatest Olympic sailors Ben Ainslie and his new bride Georgie Thompson had to be rescued at sea by Sir Richard Branson after their boat got into trouble.

The boat five-time Olympic gold medallist Ainslie was sailing encountered serious mechanical problems and so the newlyweds sent out an SOS message.

Answering the call was British entrepreneur Richard Branson and his team of watersports experts on the island of Necker. Branson is now hosting the couple on his island.

BBC Sport

Swansea must adjust to Gomis - Monk

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Swansea City manager Garry Monk says his team will have to adjust their style to suit striker Bafetimbi Gomis after the departure of Wilfried Bony.

The Ivorian is set to join Manchester City in a move worth up to £28m.

"I've got 100% faith in Bafe and I think you saw from his performance, he was pushing the team and trying to get his goals," said Monk.

"Bony uses his strength to his advantage and is a different type of striker, and I think the more game time for Bafe he gets, the more used the team will get when we're playing him."

Sporting birthdays...

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Ottmar Hitzfeld (football, 66) - former Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Switzerland coach.

Mauro Silva (football, 47) - former Brazil international midfielder, part of the 1994 World Cup-winning squad.

Robert Prosinecki (football, 46) - former Croatia, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Portsmouth midfielder who won the 1991 European Cup with Red Star Belgrade.

Craig Hignett (football, 45) - former Middlesbrough, Barnsley and Leicester midfielder.

Grzegorz Rasiak (football, 36) - former Poland striker.

Paul-Henri Mathieu (tennis, 33) - French winner of four ATP tour titles.

Widnes snap up Dudson

Widnes Vikings sign Wigan prop forward Gil Dudson on a two-year deal, reports BBC Radio Merseyside

Trott leads by example

Captain Jonathan Trott helped to keep England Lions in the hunt on day two of their unofficial Test against South Africa A at Paarl.

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South Africa-born Trott, back in the reckoning for his adopted country, confirmed his continued well-being after his return last summer from a stress-related illness as the Lions replied to a mammoth 504 for eight declared with 169 for three at stumps.

Trott's share was an unbeaten 57 as he and James Vince (43no) put on an unbroken 102 together.

Hey, big spenders

Chelsea may be top of the Premier League but their wage bill is still some way below their two Manchester rivals, according to latest figures.

The London club's annual accounts have been lodged at Companies House and reveal that Chelsea's wage bill for the 2013/14 season was £190.5m, up 8% from £176m.

United are currently the biggest payers in English football, shelling out £214.8m on salaries, while City's wage bill dropped last season to £205m.

Old friends catching up

BBC Sport

Friends and former team-mates have been catching up in Zurich as the football world prepares for the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Barcelona FC tweets: "Messi and Andres Iniesta catch up with old friend Thierry Henry."

Warnock deal on hold

West Yorkshire Sport: Leeds United left-back Stephen Warnock's move to Derby is on hold while his ankle injury is assessed. The deal is still expected to be completed this week.

Roche up for Ballon d'Or award

BBC Sport

It's not all about Ronaldo, Messi and Neuer at the Ballon d'Or tonight.

Ireland's Stephanie Roche's wonder strike for Peamount United against Wexford Youths has been nominated in the goal of the year category.

Roche's strike is on a three-goal shortlist for the Puskas Award, alongside World Cup efforts from Colombia's James Rodriguez and Netherlands' Robin van Persie.

Watch Stephanie's goal here.

The goal, which has had almost 3m views on YouTube, has helped Roche earn a professional contract with French club ASPTT Albi.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney: "Ballon d'Or tonight @Cristiano to win for me. And @Persie_Official to win best goal"

Bath hand new deal to centre Joseph

England centre Jonathan Joseph has signed a new contract at Bath.

The 23-year-old, who has earned six international caps and was called up as injury cover for Stuart Lancaster's squad for the autumn internationals last year, has scored seven tries in 15 games so far this season.

"JJ is an incredibly talented young player who is on the brink of breaking into the England squad, and deservedly so," Bath head coach Mike Ford said.

Juventus-Balotelli rumours denied

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has denied media reports linking Liverpool's misfiring striker Mario Balotelli with a move to the Turin giants in the winter transfer window.

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Balotelli has scored just two goals since joining Liverpool from AC Milan in a £16m transfer in August and has yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season.

Allegri, who coached Balotelli at Milan before taking the helm at Juve, said: "I think this is a made-up story. Balotelli has done very well with me but he belongs to Liverpool and he is not a player that can arrive at Juventus."

Get involved - who's for the drop?

With five points separating the bottom nine sides in an incredibly tight Premier League, we asked who is going to be relegated this season. Your thoughts so far...

James Whale: I thought a couple weeks ago that my team Sunderland would stay up due to there being three worse teams. But I think we've finally had it, so Sunderland, Leicester and QPR.

Martin Smith: Burnley survival will depend on if they can win their next three games, as after that they then play Man United, Chelsea, Swansea, Liverpool, Man City, Southampton, Arsenal and Everton ... most of them away. Not an easy run.

Derek Hansen: QPR - Can't win away from home and concede too easily. Overly reliant on Austin. Burnley - Hope I'm wrong but I fear a great team spirit and Ings wont be quite enough to keep them up. Villa - In freefall, I can't see Lambert turning it around.

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

Messi the master

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Lionel Messi broke the La Liga goalscoring record in 2014 and became the Uefa Champions League's all-time leading goalscorer.

Barcelona team-mate Ivan Rakitic and MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez make the case for Messi to win this year's award.

Watch the BBC's Messi video here.

Ballon d'Or - the contenders

BBC Sport

From 17:00 GMT, the BBC Sport website will have live text commentary of this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony from Zurich.

Over the course of the day, we'll be taking a look at what the trio have achieved in the last 12 months - here's Lionel Messi's stats.

Messi opens door to Barca exit

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The Times football correspondent Matt Hughes in Zurich: "Messi appears to leave the door open to leaving Barcelona - I'm not sure where I'll be next year," he said. "I've always said I'd like to end my career at Barcelona, but as Cristiano says, only God knows the future."

Rotherham snap up winger

Championship strugglers Rotherham United say they have signed Huddersfield Town winger Danny Ward on a permanent deal subject to Football League clearance, report BBC West Yorkshire Sport.

Lights out for Jamaica

England Netball

England's game in Jamaica was plunged into darkness after a power cut

England levelled their three-match international series with Jamaica at 1-1 with a 55-47 win on Sunday.

The match ended with more than a minute left to play after a power cut at the the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston.

The umpires declared the result would stand, with the decider set for Wednesday at 00:30 GMT.

Fans face arson charges

Nine fans face 14 charges, including arson, destruction of property and attempting to cause bodily harm, after plastic stadium seats were set ablaze during a first division match between AEL and APOEL in Cyprus.

Police said a group of APOEL fans lit fire to the seats and a nearby storage room while pelting fire crews with rocks, sticks, firecrackers and ceramic tiles. The match was stopped for 20 minutes until police restored order

'My performance was shocking'

After defeat, some sportsmen make excuses, some are a little more straight talking.

I think we can safely put Stuart Bingham into the latter category.

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The 38-year-old from Basildon says he was so bad in his Masters defeat by Marco Fu that he "didn't know" what he was doing at times.

"Marco punished nearly everyone of my mistakes," Bingham told BBC Radio 5 live. "My performance was shocking. I just can't seem to play here. I've got a great following here, so I'm disappointed."

Live action now

Judd Trump and Stephen Maguire are locked at two frames apiece at the Masters.

We're not trying to get rid of you, but just a reminder that there's live coverage now on BBC Two if you want to watch.

Nice get all-clear on Ben Arfa

Nice are confident that Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa will be registered as one of their players, despite a last-gasp hiccup with the French federation.

French sports daily L'Equipe reported that the FFF had yet to register the France international because it was wondering whether he has already played for a maximum two clubs this season as per Fifa's regulations.

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Ben Arfa, whose transfer to Nice was announced by the French club this month, was loaned to Hull City until December and it is unclear whether a game he took part in with Newcastle's development side is an official match.

But Nice say the English FA has now confirmed to the French federation that the game was not official.

North End sign keeper

League One promotion challengers Preston North End have signed goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season, report BBC Radio Lancashire.

Johnstone, a Preston lad, who was recalled from a spell with Doncaster, said: "If anyone else other than Preston had shown an interest in me, the likelihood would have been I would have stayed at Doncaster, who have been very good to me."

Race against time

Castleford are confident of being able to repair their ageing ground in time for next month's Super League opener against Wakefield, but chief executive Steve Gill says the weekend's storm damage highlights the urgent need for a new stadium.

The Tigers were forced to close one of their stands for Sunday's Andy Lynch testimonial match against Bradford after a retaining wall collapsed during Friday night's storms.

It will remain closed for Castleford's two other pre-season games, against Widnes and York.

Gill said: "We will always spend what we need to make the ground safe but the old girl is creaking and this highlights the need for a new stadium."

Ballon d'Or

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler: Got to be Ronaldo surely.

Ballon d'Or - the contenders

Manuel Neuer won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, as well as a German league and cup double with Bayern Munich.

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He was also his country's player of the year and conceded just 40 goals in 62 games in 2014.

Southampton keeper Fraser Forster and BBC football commentator Guy Mowbray are among those who feel Neuer should win the Ballon d'Or. Watch the BBC video here.

Ballon d'Or - the contenders

BBC Sport

From 17:00 GMT, the BBC Sport website will have live text commentary of this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony from Zurich.

Over the course of the day, we'll be taking a look at what the trio have achieved in the last 12 months - and next up is Manuel Neuer.

FA Cup hero goes on trial

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League One side Oldham Athletic have taken Blyth Spartans winger Jarrett Rivers on trial for a week.

The 21-year-old - who works in his mother's newsagents - scored the winner in the Northern Premier League side's FA Cup win over League Two Hartlepool.

Rivers came through the youth system at Middlesbrough, and joined Blyth from Whitley Bay last summer.

Get involved - who's for the drop

With five points separating the bottom nine sides in an incredibly tight Premier League, we asked who is going to be relegated this season. Your thoughts so far...

Kyle Flynn: Three to go down ... QPR - useless away form. Villa - Can't score ever. Leicester - squad not good enough.

Matt Edwards: QPR, Leicester and one other to be dragged down out of Burnley, Sunderland, Villa, Hull and Palace.

Denise Richards: At least one Team in claret and blue will be relegated.

Gary Timms: Any three of Leicester, QPR, Hull, Sunderland, and, as much as it pains me, Villa. The lack of creativity is frightening.

Arthur Fane: Southampton are definitely going down - they sold all their best players, they have no chance . . . . oh wait!

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

Rochdale bring in forward Brandy

Rochdale have signed forward Febian Brandy on a deal until the end of the season, after his release by Rotherham.

He moved to the Millers last summer but made just one substitute appearance and was loaned out to Crewe.

Federer wins exhibition

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Roger Federer fought his way to a tough win over old rival Lleyton Hewitt in the Fast4 tennis exhibition in Sydney.

The Swiss world number two continued his unbeaten run into the new season with a 4-3, 2-3, 3-4, 4-0, 4-3 win over the Australian in the short-form contest.

Federer arrived fresh from a four-match winning run in Brisbane, where he took the title in three sets over Milos Raonic on Sunday.

No change to derby start

Next month's Everton v Liverpool derby at Goodison Park will remain a tea-time kick-off despite council objections, the Premier League has ruled.

Liverpool City Council had asked that the Saturday, 7 February fixture, set to begin at 17:30 GMT, start earlier.

The request followed Merseyside Police identifying the weekend game as having a higher risk of disorder because of the late kick-off time.

However, the Premier League has said the time will not be changed.

Rams want Spanish defender Albentosa

Head coach Steve McClaren has confirmed that Derby County want to sign Spanish centre-back Raul Albentosa.

Albentosa, who helped Eibar reach the Spanish top flight for the first time in their history last season and has made 17 La Liga starts so far this term, has been linked with a £500,000 move to England.

"He is a player we like and we are trying to do a deal," McClaren told BBC Radio Derby.

Emms back in the game

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Gail Emms MBE, the Olympic silver medallist, will celebrate her 10-year anniversary of topping the world rankings for a year, in 2005, by taking on the best players in the country later this month.

At the English National Badminton Championships in Crawley, former world champion Emms will return to contest the mixed doubles.

Emms last won the mixed doubles national title nine years ago, when she paired with Nathan Robertson to glory in Manchester, but will play with Cheshire's Matthew Nottingham in Crawley.

Together with Robertson, Emms, who retired in 2008 but returned to the sport last year, topped the mixed-doubles rankings in 2005.

The tournament takes place from 30 January - 1 February.

Duo exit Swindon

Swindon Town have cancelled the contract of midfielder Ryan Harley, while Curtis Da Costa has also left the club.

Harley has joined Exeter City, where he had been on loan, on what BBC Sport understands to be an 18-month contract.

Nuno going nowhere

Valencia coach Nuno has signed a contract extension until the end of the 2017-18 season, the La Liga club has announced.

It is a big vote of confidence for the Portuguese, who replaced Juan Antonio Pizzi in July after Valencia finished eighth in La Liga and failed to secure a place in Europe.

With 18 matches played this season, Valencia are fifth in La Liga.

Jones set for Scarlets return

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Former Wales outside-half Stephen Jones will leave London Wasps at the end of the season to return to the Scarlets as the Welsh region's backs coach.

Jones joined Wasps in 2012 as their Number 10 and made the transition to coaching the following season.

"I have enjoyed every minute of my time here at Wasps, first as a player and secondly while I have cut my teeth in a coaching career in such a great league," said the Welshman.

Tale of two greats

'Presenting a tale of two football icons. One earned £20-a-week, the other more than £300,000; one advertised cigarettes, the other models his own underwear range'.

So starts a terrific feature by BBC Sport's Saj Chowdhury, which is now available to read here.

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A comparison of two superstar players from different eras - Sir Stanley Matthews and Cristiano Ronaldo - it includes diet (Ronaldo eats swordfish, Matthews had steak with salad every day) and training (Ronaldo does cardio circuits, Matthews walked six miles along the beach at Blackpool).

Well worth a read.

Ballon d'Or

Cristiano Ronaldo, Twitter

"On my way to Ballon d'Or2014," tweets Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as he makes his way to Zurich.

Okazaki's Leicester move off

Japan striker Shinji Okazaki won't be joining Leicester after their bid for him was rejected by Bundesliga club Mainz.

"For the time-being that's finished for me. I will stop thinking about it. I'm a Mainz player and for now I want to focus on the Asian Cup and do what I can so we win the title," Okazaki said.

Vote result

The votes have been counted and the three teams which you think will be relegated from the Premier League are as follows:

QPR with 30.29%

Leicester with 29.91%

Aston Villa with 10.28%

Man City loan Nastasic to Schalke

Manchester City have agreed to loan out defender Matija Nastasic to Schalke until the end of the season.

Juve have no plans to sell Pogba

Reuters

Juventus have no plans to sell Paul Pogba in the near future, according to the club's general manager.

The 21-year-old midfielder played a major role in helping Juve clinch their third successive scudetto last season, scoring seven goals and setting up seven more in 36 Serie A appearances for the Bianconeri.

When asked about Pogba, Juve general director Giuseppe Marotta told Sky Italia: "What was a promising player has become a reality. Every European club is watching him and have been in contact with us. We, however, want to have a strong team made up of champions."

Van Persie staying home

Robin van Persie has confirmed he will not attend the Fifa Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich because of the ankle injury he suffered in Manchester United's defeat by Southampton.

Van Persie's World Cup header for the Netherlands against Spain is one of three goals shortlisted for the Fifa Puskas goal of the year award, which is due to be handed out at a lavish ceremony in Zurich from 17:00 GMT tonight.

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"On advice of the club medical staff I am unable to fly out to Zurich to attend the FIFA Ballon d'Or gala," Van Persie tweeted. "I wish everybody there the best of luck and a great evening.

"I will be watching it from home and my good friend Ruud Gullit will take the honours for me."

Britain's most expensive orange juice?

BBC Sport

Even millionaire footballers feel the pinch now and again. "The most expensive glass of orange juice ever. They must have brought it from Spain walking..." says Liverpool defender Jose Enrique after paying £9.50 for a glass of orange juice.

But, as one of the Spaniard's followers points out, £4 was added for room service...

Defeat undeserved - Mata

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Manchester United forward Juan Mata has said the team did not deserve to lose against Southampton on Sunday.

"It was not the best game to watch," wrote the Spaniard in his blog after the 1-0 loss. "They were well positioned and defended very well, so creating chances was difficult. And yet we were in control of the game.

"The first half was not very good; the game was quite slow, too tactical. But we kept the ball most of the time, trying to find spaces towards the goal.

"They scored after the break in one of the few chances they had, after a ball that rebounded on the post, and then we tried everything to tie the game. I think we deserved that goal."

Latest Gossip

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The Liverpool Echo says that Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has denied reports linking the Italian champions with a move for Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli.

Everton news conference

A last line from Roberto Martinez's chat with the media earlier.

The Everton manager has ruled out Seamus Coleman leaving the club in the January transfer window and said there had been no contact from any clubs over striker Samuel Eto'o.

Blackpool youth players row

More trouble and strife at Championship basement boys Blackpool.

Manager Lee Clark was told he wasn't allowed two of his top young players against Millwall on Saturday, because they had yet to sign new contracts.

The highly-rated Mark Waddington and Dom Telford were left out of the squad altogether.

"The club have told me they can't play until they have signed professional contracts," Clark told the Blackpool Gazette.

Burke suffers broken bone

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Steven Burke, a member of Great Britain's victorious London 2012 team pursuit quartet, has broken his collarbone in a crash at the team's training camp in Majorca.

The 26-year-old is almost certain to miss this year's World Championships in Paris, which begin on 18 February.

Full story here.

Liverpool have leaders - Mignolet

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Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has said there are leaders in the Liverpool squad who can fill the void Steven Gerrard will leave at the end of the season.

Reds captain Gerrard will join LA Galaxy, with Jordan Henderson set to take on the captain's armband.

"There are other leaders apart from Steven," said Mignolet. "There's the likes of Martin Skrtel, Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson is stepping up as well.

"Me as a goalkeeper I have to do it myself, be a leader. It's one of the areas I want to keep progressing."

Kalas fills full-back spot - Karanka

Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka says Tomas Kalas has solved his right-back quandary following Friday's half-season loan move from Chelsea.

The Czech Republic international, who had been on loan with Bundesliga side Cologne, made his Boro debut in Saturday's goalless draw with Reading.

Kalas, 21, has made four first-team appearances for his parent club.

"He's a very good player for the present, in a position that has created problems," Karanka told BBC Tees. "With him now we're much better because the position is covered by a very good player."

Get involved - who's for the drop?

With five points separating the bottom nine sides in an incredibly tight Premier League, we asked who is going to be relegated this season. Your thoughts so far...

Dean Rushton: Burnley, Hull and QPR to go down. I think Leicester are going to do a great escape.

Andrew Coppin: QPR, Leicester, Hull... Villa will be down soon under Lambert. Proven striker in Bent out on loan, yet we need goals. The guy is clueless.

Luca Nicholls: Villa really? We're better than QPR, Leicester, Palace, Burnley. We have Benteke, we'll be ok. This year...

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

Big John's derby aim

One can't accuse Celtic striker John Guidetti of lacking confidence.

Reuters

Asked what his aim was when Celtic meet Rangers in the League Cup semi-final on 1 February, the on-loan Manchester City striker said: "I fancy three goals. That is what I did against Ajax when I was with Feyenoord and that's the aim this time.

"Big games are what I love the most."

Guidetti scored 11 times in 12 games after joining the Scottish champions in the summer, but has not hit the net in his last six domestic games.

Everton news conference

A final thought from Roberto Martinez before he leaves.

The squad to face West Ham tomorrow for a place in the FA Cup fourth round will be the same as the one which earned a point against Manchester City on Saturday.

"The attitude and desire from the players can never be questioned," said Martinez, who talked about having a great second half of the season.

Time will tell, starting at Upton Park tomorrow.

Who's for the drop?

We want you to get involved right now please pretty please.

See that vote on the right of this page? Good. Now all you need to do is vote on who you think will be relegated from the Premier League this season.

The vote is open now, with the terms and conditions here.

It closes at 1.30pm and results will be announced here later

Everton news conference

With Everton keeper Tim Howard out of action for up to six weeks because of a calf injury, Roberto Martinez has admitted he is in the hunt to sign a new goalkeeper.

He refused to comment on speculation he is interested in Cardiff City's number one David Marshall.

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But Martinez did say: "I have said all along that goalkeeper is an area we need to look into.

"Tim has picked up an injury that wasn't expected and it is a long time to be without a goalkeeper. Once you lose one of your keepers you need to keep an eye on it.

"I'm not interested in bringing in someone for the sake of it or the short term. We need to bring someone in for the long term, so that's why we will look into that."

Everton news conference

Everton's Roberto Martinez says the club will "embrace" every game and believes the title race will be decided on the last day of the season.

"The way this season pans out for us is that every game we're involved [in] we embrace it, it doesn't matter if it's in the league or Europe. Every game matters. In the league, we are catching up, but in the same way we've never had any sort of momentum.

"I just view City and Chelsea as the favourite for the race for the title, but the margins between those two teams are minimal. The margins are smaller than ever and it could go down to the last three points of the season."

Everton news conference

Everton FC

Everton boss Roberto Martinez has arrived to give his thoughts ahead of Tuesday's FA Cup third round replay at West Ham.

'It is victimisation' - Gayle

Chris Gayle has accused the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) of victimisation after key all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were left out of the country's World Cup squad.

Bravo, who was captain of the team, and Pollard were seen as leading the player revolt in India that forced the abandonment of the West Indies tour to the country last October after a pay dispute with the WICB.

"There's no way you can tell me those guys shouldn't be in the team," Gayle said. "For me it's got to be victimisation towards those two guys. Come on guys, it's just ridiculous. Honestly, it choked me up."

Wolves stalwart heads abroad

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Wolves right-back Kevin Foley has agreed to join FC Copenhagen, managed by former Molineux boss Stale Solbakken, BBC West Midlands report.

Foley - who recently spent a loan spell at Blackpool - has had his Wolves contract cancelled. He had been at Molineux for seven years and made more than 200 appearances.

Zola thrashed on Cagliari debut

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Gianfranco Zola's Serie A coaching career got off to a poor start as his Cagliari side lost 5-0 at Palermo.

"We expected a difficult match, but not that difficult," said the former Chelsea player. "Of course, in a situation like this, everything seems more difficult, but there is no point in crying about this, we have to react."

The loss leaves Cagliari on 12 points, four points from safety inside the relegation zone.

Plan of action

Specially for those snooker fans planning a day on the sofa in front of the TV - today's schedule at The Masters snooker...

Trump v Maguire at 13:00 on BBC Two and Robertson v Milkins at 19:00 on the BBC Red Button.

National coach attacked

Afghanistan national football coach Mohammad Yousef Kargar is recovering from stab wounds after being attacked by four men outside his house in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Kargar has been the national coach since 2008 and helped revive Afghan football with a stunning victory in a regional South Asia tournament in 2013, setting off wild celebrations across the country.

Monday's back pages

The Times

Interesting story in The Times about Chris Froome's determination to fight till the end at this year's Tour de France. The Englishman dropped out last year after some heavy falls. The paper also pays tribute to Roger Federer after the Swiss master won his 1,000th match on the ATP tour.

Come to the lovely Lake District

BBC Sport

BBC Radio Cumbria Sport: Carlisle United boss Keith Curle's latest sales pitch to attract potential transfer targets.

Zouma the happy debutant

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Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has said he is "very happy" to have started for the club in the Premier League for the first time and was pleased with his performance in the 2-0 win against Newcastle.

The 20-year-old told Chelsea FC: "The Premier League is not the same as the league in France, it's completely different.

"It's much faster and you have to be ready for contact, too. The Premier League is the best championship in the world for me. I was very happy to play 90 minutes, I think I had a good game but I have to continue improving and working."

Latest Gossip

PA

The Daily Post reports that Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has revealed he tried to sign Rickie Lambert - but says the striker is determined to stay and fight for his Liverpool place.

Ballon d'Or - the contenders

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 61 goals in the last calendar year as well as winning the Uefa Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Uefa Super Cup with Real Madrid.

Here BBC Sport pundit Alan Shearer, former Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit, and Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale make the case for Ronaldo to win this year's award.

Ballon d'Or - the contenders

BBC Sport

From 17:00 GMT, the BBC Sport website will have live text commentary of this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony from Zurich.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Manuel Neuer are all vying to be named top dog.

Over the course of the day, we'll be taking a look at what the trio have achieved in the last 12 months - starting with Ronaldo.

Monday's back pages

The Guardian

The Guardian goes with Southampton's win at Man United, plus stories about Wilfried Bony's increasingly likely move to Manchester City and Newcastle's ongoing search for a new boss.

No Falcao regrets for Van Gaal

PA

Manchester United manager Luis van Gaal says he does not regret leaving Radamel Falcao out of the squad against Southampton.

"In advance I know already that I have to change defensive players," explains the Dutchman after United's 1-0 defeat by the Saints.

"When you see the composition of my bench, and I want to change the playing style which I have done with Fellaini, then I don't have position for a second striker.

"And we have also Rooney, so always you have to compare and you see how a player reacts during the week but also the needs of your gameplan and the needs of your composition of your selection."

Get involved - who's for the drop?

With five points separating the bottom nine sides in an incredibly tight Premier League, we asked who is going to be relegated this season. Your thoughts so far...

Branwell Moffat: It's so tight at the bottom it could be any three of about eight teams. Unfortunately that list includes my beloved Albion.

Lee Clarke: Based on Saturday I'd have to say Aston Villa. They show nothing going forward. Benteke doesn't look capable of saving them.

Conor McMeekin: Can't see QPR getting out, 10 consecutive away defeats to start the season is surely too much to recover from.

Oscar Harman: QPR, Aston Villa and Leicester to be relegated.

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

On this day

A few more sporting anniversaries...

1959: Heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper won his first British title, beating Brian London over 15 rounds.

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1996: Cricket umpire Harold 'Dickie' Bird announced he would retire after the second Test against India at Lord's in June.

2006: Luton manager Mike Newell claimed that offers of illegal payments were still rife in football. Newell was interviewed by the Football Association and his claims in part led to the Lord Stevens inquiry into transfer payments.

2009: Barcelona's Lionel Messi won FIFA's World Player of the Year award.

Remembering Smokin' Joe

On this day in sport in 1944, former world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier was born.

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Smokin' Joe - best remembered for fighting Muhammad Ali in 1971's 'Fight of the Century' and 1975's 'Thrilla in Manila - died in November 2011.

Latest Gossip

PA

Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley will turn down a permanent move to Aston Villa in favour of a transfer to Everton, according to the Daily Star.

Aussie call-up for seamers

Australia have added seamers Gurinder Sandhu and Kane Richardson to their squad for the tri-series against England and India.

Sandhu, 21, is uncapped while Richardson, 23, played the last of his eight one-day internationals in November.

The pair are not part of the Aussies' 15-man World Cup squad but are on hand for the first part of the tri-series to give the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson a rest.

Johnson is not expected to feature until Australia's third match, against England in Hobart on 23 January.

Wolves agree fee for Arsenal's Afobe

Wolves look close to signing young Arsenal striker Benik Afobe, who has scored 19 times so far this season on loan at MK Dons.

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Boss Kenny Jackett confirmed to BBC West Midlands that the Championship club have agreed a fee.

Dave Edwards scored the only goal of the game as Wolves won 1-0 at Blackburn on Saturday to move to within a point of the Championship play-offs.

Derby set to pounce

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Derby County - second in the Championship - are set to sign 33-year-old left back Stephen Warnock from Leeds United.

The deal could be completed as soon as today, reports BBC Radio Leeds' Gareth Jones.

Women's darts in good shape - Ashton

Lisa Ashton believes women's darts is in good health after winning her second world title at the Lakeside.

"The standard is going up and up every year and I'm pleased to show we can play darts like that," said the 44-year-old from Bolton, who beat Fallon Sherrock 3-1 in Saturday's televised final.

"The more coverage we can get, the better we are."

New Iron home

Scunthorpe United Twitter

Moving home is always arduous but if this illustration turns out to be accurate, Scunthorpe United fans must be looking forward to it.

The League One club tweeted the picture with the message: 'The Iron can confirm planning permission has now gone in for the proposed new stadium'.

The new ground will replace Glanford Park, which is relatively new itself - opening in 1988 at a cost of £2.5 million, and which has a 9,088 capacity.

A little fact of the day for you - when Glanford Park opened, it was the first time that an English football club had moved to a new purpose-built stadium in 33 years, since Southend United moved to Roots Hall in 1955.

Totti's selfie celebration

AP

Social media went into overdrive last night as Francesco Totti celebrated scoring the equaliser in Roma's 2-2 draw with Lazio by taking a selfie. Who wouldn't?

The 38-year-old forward trended on Twitter as he took a photo of himself with a mobile phone handed to him by one of the club's coaching staff.

Monday's back pages

BBC Sport

In Italy, Juventus are making the headlines with TuttoSport declaring "Juve Sing" after the Old Lady beat Napoli to go three points clear of Roma in Serie A.

West Ham news conference

One last snippet from Sam Allardyce, who has no concerns about his West Ham players recovering in time to host Hull in their next Premier League match on Sunday.

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"There's sufficient recovery time for the players to play in this game before the next one," he said.

"On the basis of the performances, they're recovering well when there's three or four days between the games."

West Ham news conference

Looking ahead to Tuesday's FA Cup replay against Everton at Upton Park, Sam Allardyce said: "We have to play as well as we possibly can and make sure we haven't wasted the effort, desire and time we put in to playing there.

"We were very close to getting through at Everton and it shows how good we were when they go and get a point at the champions."

Romelu Lukaku fired a stoppage time equaliser in the first match at Goodison, after defender James Collins had put the Hammers ahead.

West Ham news conference

Unwell he might have been but Sam Allardyce made sure he watched West Ham's 1-1 draw at Swansea on TV from his sick-bed.

Andy Carroll grabbed the Hammers goal and Allardyce was impressed.

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"I saw the game from home and it was a fabulous finish from Andy. He's smashed a number of fantastic goals with his feet," said the boss.

"Andy has a lot of all-round ability and it's just a shame it didn't win us the game."

West Ham news conference

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has arrived to face the media.

The Hammers host Everton in an FA Cup third round replay on Tuesday but the first question concerned not the game but Allardyce's health.

Big Sam missed West Ham's weekend draw at Swansea with a chest infection.

"I'm still not 100%, but the antibiotics have worked," Allardyce said.

Monday's back pages

BBC Sport

The Sun focuses on Manchester United not having had a shot on target during their defeat by Southampton and the paper says Radamel Falcao's future is "thrown in doubt".

Murray confirms Queen's entry

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British number one Andy Murray will bid for his fourth Queen's Club title in seven years this summer after confirming his presence at the Aegon Championships along with defending champion Grigor Dimitrov.

Murray, 27, won the event in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and is looking to join John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick as a four-time champion.

The Scot, who lost to Radek Stepanek in the third round last year, said: "I'd love to win the tournament again. I've had some great moments on those grass courts. It's where I won my first professional match and my first title in Britain."

Monday's back pages

BBC Sport

Just like many of the national papers, the Daily Star has also opted to put a picture of Dusan Tadic's toned physique on its back page after the Southampton man scored the winner against Manchester United on Sunday. The paper also has some information on Wilfried Bony's move to Manchester City, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

Get involved - relegation fodder

Your turn to get involved, and we've a tricky one for you today.

After another fascinating round of Premier League fixtures over the weekend, five points separate the bottom nine sides in the table.

Leicester and Burnley are showing signs of progress, but Hull and Aston Villa fans might not be so optimistic. And even Everton fans must be a little jittery - the Toffees are 12th but just three points above the drop zone.

So we want to know this - who is going to be relegated when the fat lady sings on the final day of the season (24 May, in case you want to stick it in your diary).

Let us know your relegation choice and the reasons why at #bbcsportsday and the BBC Facebook page,

Defender extends stay

Bournemouth centre-back Stephane Zubar has extended his loan at League Two club York City until the end of the season.

Wozniacki withdraws

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Worrying times for world number eight Caroline Wozniacki, who has pulled out of her first-round match at the Sydney International with a wrist injury - just a week before the start of the Australian Open.

The 24-year-old Dane, who lost the final of the Auckland Classic on Saturday, had already had her left wrist strapped when she was forced to retire at 6-4 1-1 down to Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

Arsenal's selfie stance

Tragic news emerging from Arsenal for slightly vain folk with a penchant for taking photographs of themselves.

According to the Daily Mirror, the club refused entry to a female fan during yesterday's win over Stoke because she tried to enter the ground with a selfie stick.

A selfie stick is, as if you didn't know, a hand-held tripod allowing a better angle for cameraphone snaps.

Arsenal, we applaud you.

Monday's back pages

Daily Mail

What are the national papers talking about this morning? Let's find out, starting with Daily Mail, which features a photo of Dusan Tadic moments after he ripped off his shirt in a rather wild goalscoring celebration at Old Trafford. The Mail also mention Louis van Gaal's decision to drop striker Radamel Falcao - you can read the reasons behind the United manager's decision here.

Premier League movers

Two big results in the Premier League on Sunday.

An Alexis Sanchez-inspired Arsenal beat a lacklustre Stoke to climb above neighbours Tottenham and into fifth place. Match report is here.

Over at Old Trafford, it was a miserable day for Man United fans as a goal from Dusan Tadic gave Southampton a first league victory over the Reds in Manchester in 27 years to move to third in the table. Details here.

Landscape gardener wins a thriller

Scott Mitchell claimed his first BDO world title with a thrilling 7-6 win over three-time winner Martin Adams at the Lakeside - and if you missed it, you can watch a video of the closing moments here.

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A tense final was finely poised throughout, with both players struggling to hold their throw and neither able to forge a two-set advantage.

Englishman Mitchell, a 44-year-old landscape gardener from the New Forest, won £100,000 in prize money, part of which he plans to spend on a new tractor for his family's farm.

Defoe Sunderland deal?

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A little transfer gossip to keep your eye on... Major League Soccer side Toronto FC are interested in a swap deal involving their striker Jermain Defoe and Sunderland's American forward Jozy Altidore, according to a report in the Sunderland Echo.

Flattened by own player

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Now as a football manager on the touchline it's always important to retain your dignity.

Unfortunately that can be difficult when you get walloped in the face from close range by a football.

Inter Milan's Roberto Mancini ended up in this slightly embarrassing position after being floored by a clearance from his own captain Marco Andreolli during the Italian club's Serie A clash with Genoa.

Red - and bruised - face aside, Mancini enjoyed the day ... the boss celebrated his first home win since returning to the club as Milan beat Genoa 3-1.

England off to a flier

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Eoin Morgan's first game as full-time one-day captain overnight proved to be a belter as England hammered an invitational Australian Capital Territory XI by 216 runs.

Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, James Taylor and Joe Root all made half-centuries in Canberra as England warmed up for their tri-series against Australia and India in very nice fashion indeed.

Ravi Bopara and Chris Woakes also combined late on to add 105 in 50 balls as England reached 364-6.

The home side at the Manuka Oval were dismissed for 148 in the 33rd over.

Match report here.

Messi the master

While we're on the subject of the Ballon d'Or, we'll be taking at look at the merits of the three contenders during the course of the day, kicking off right now with the one and only Lionel Messi.

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Messi broke the La Liga goal-scoring record in 2014 and became the Uefa Champions League's all-time leading goalscorer.

Watch Barcelona team-mate Ivan Rakitic and MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez make the case for Messi to win this year's award.

Timetable of events

A fair few things happening going on today, not least the Fifa Ballon d'Or ceremony from Zurich, with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer vying for the title.

We will have live text coverage on the BBC Sport website from 17:00 BST.

Elsewhere West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is holding a news conference at 09:30, with Everton's Roberto Martinez - no doubt a little happier after the weekend draw with Man City - facing the media at 12:00.

We'll bring you the best of what they say - the side's meet tomorrow in an all Premier League FA Cup third round replay.

Fu the 147 man

BBC Sport

Want something decent to watch while slurping down your cornflakes? Your luck's in.

Marco Fu hit a brilliant maximum 147 break in his Masters first-round win over England's Stuart Bingham.

The world number 10 from Hong Kong received a standing ovation as he took a 3-1 lead into the mid-session interval, before completing a 6-3 victory.

You can watch it in full here.

Balotelli's uncertain future

Mario Balotelli's future at Liverpool is the subject of more debate in one or two of the morning paper's today.

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The Daily Express reports that Brendan Rodgers could sell the 24-year-old Italian this month to fund a double move for Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain and Sampdoria goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

Rangers takeover rejected

Some breaking news to kick things off this morning emerging from north of the border.

Rangers have rejected Robert Sarver's proposed takeover of the Ibrox club.

American Sarver, who owns the Phoenix Suns basketball team, had offered £20m for a majority stake in the Championship club.

Full details here.

Here we go again

It's Monday morning, which means, if you're like most folk, you're a bit miserable the weekend is over and not in the best of moods.

But fret ye not. We are here to make life a little brighter.

Strap yourselves in as we bring you all the breaking football news, plus the best of everything else going on in the sporting world.

Plenty going on today so let's get going...