JEFF POWELL: Is it too much to expect the omission of Sir Clive Woodward from the panel which will judge England's Rugby World Cup debacle means he is in line for a big job at Twickenham?

COMMENT - MATT LAWTON: Not content with seeing one prominent woman driven out of English football, the Wembley blazers now appear determined to double the body count.

Tottenham are maintaining a watching brief on Thorgan Hazard, brother of Chelsea star Eden. The winger left Chelsea for Monchengladbach last summer for £5.9million.

CHARLES SALE - SPORTS AGENDA: Clive Oliver, father of Premier League referee Michael, has resigned from Northumberland County FA in mysterious circumstances.

Just when you thought those at the top in football could not be any further divorced from the reality of their circumstances, comes this. A threatened charge on free speech.

JEFF POWELL: Howard Kendall has joined Brian Clough in the celestial saloon bar. It should be quite a reunion, for these great men rank among football's all-time champion drinkers.

Police have charged four men with violent disorder after trouble broke out in Manchester before City's Champions League clash with Sevilla on Wednesday.

Louis van Gaal believes the born-again Chris Smalling can be a future captain of Manchester United. Smalling heads into this weekend's Manchester derby a rejuvenated player.

Mauricio Pochettino laid into his players and admitted Tottenham are now under pressure in their Europa League group having lost to Anderlecht in Brussels.

Fenerbahce recorded their first victory in the Europa League this season with a dramatic 1-0 win over Ajax in Group A. Substitute Fernandao came to the rescue for the hosts in Istanbul on Thursday.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN DUBAI: Mark Wood admitted England were 'pretty frustrated' by Misbah-ul-Haq's late burst on another gruelling day in the Gulf - but insisted his side could still win.

Sportsmail's David Lloyd looks back over the first day of England's second Test against Pakistan in Dubai, providing his insight over Jonny Bairstow's catch and more.

This series seems determined to test England's resolve. They lost another crucial toss in Dubai - and set about the long and tiring process of trying to stay in the game.

The Barcelona, Ajax and Holland legend, regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history, was diagnosed with the disease last Tuesday in the Catalan capital.

Burglars raided Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina's £16million mansion in north London while his wife Jesica Sterling and their young children were asleep upstairs.

Everton have made an initial approach to John Stones as they look to renegotiate the terms of his contract. The England defender has three-and-a-half years remaining on his current deal.

Patrick Vieira is being lined up to take over at New York City FC, according to reports in America. He is said to be set to replace sister club's head coach Jason Kreis.

Victor Matfield insists he can complete the job that dragged him out of retirement and drive South Africa to an unprecedented third World Cup triumph.

Steve Hansen accused South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer of 'killing by kindness' with his sugar-coated praise of the All Blacks ahead of Saturday's World Cup semi-final.

Premiership Rugby boss Mark McCafferty says there have been no salary cap breaches committed by clubs competing in the English game's flagship competition.

Steve McClaren says the 'devil' inside Aleksandar Mitrovic makes Newcastle a far better side - but knows the Serbian will walk a fine line during Sunday's Wear-Tyne derby.

Even Lee Cattermole has lost count of how many managers he's had in six years at Sunderland. 'No, it's not six, you can't include caretakers,' he argues. No, Lee, it's six

Slaven Bilic assumed it was a joke when his phone buzzed and a message flashed up from Jose Mourinho bidding him a warm welcome to the Barclays Premier League.

The FA wished Michel Platini every success in clearing his name. It was a staggering betrayal of principle and the column I wrote about it sparked another DEBATE.

Patrick Rodgers continued his impressive start to the 2015-16 PGA Tour by charging into contention at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas

Former Arsenal and England defender and Sportsmail columnist MARTIN KEOWN returned after a bumper week of Champions League action to answer YOUR questions.

Porto president Pinto da Costa says highly coveted midfielder Ruben Neves is not for sale. The 18-year-old has recently caught the eye of Liverpool, Manchester United, City, Arsenal and Juventus.

Jonny Wilkinson may just get his own back on Matt Giteau this weekend if he can inspire Nicolas Sanchez to boot Australia out of the Rugby World Cup.

Jamie Roberts is convinced Wales head coach Warren Gatland will remain in his post and spurn any overtures made by England, should Stuart Lancaster go in the wake of the World Cup flop.

MailOnline has teamed up with Dove Men+Care to offer you the chance to win two tickets for you and a friend to watch South Africa vs New Zealand in the semi-finals.

UEFA has hailed a 'very positive agreement' for football fans in the United Kingdom after announcing free-to-air broadcasters BBC and ITV will show the next two European Championships.

PASSNOTES: Seydou Doumbia opened the scoring in CSKA Moscow's 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Wednesday night. Here Sportsmail gives you the lowdown on the Ivory Coast winger...

Alan Pardew believes Crystal Palace's wingers deserve greater protection from referees, with defenders getting away with careless challenges.

Given the explosive start to his Manchester City career, you could be forgiven for thinking that former Chelsea man Kevin De Bruyne is on a revenge mission.

Newcastle boss Steve McClaren has played down the significance of the Wear-Tyne derby and insisted - 'It's just another game' ahead of his first clash with Sunderland.

Paul Pogba has blasted his Juventus team-mate Alvaro Morata for not giving him the ball to score during their Champions League draw with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Andy Lee has admitted that while he would relish the chance to fight top pound-for-pounder Gennady Golovkin, he will not pass up his fight with rival Billy Joe Saunders.

Daniel Ricciardo is confident Red Bull will still be on the Formula One grid next year. Their future in the sport remains a mystery as they continue to seek an engine supplier beyond this season.

England coach Steve McNamara says the forthcoming Test series with New Zealand will present a glorious opportunity to restore pride in northern hemisphere rugby after the World Cup.