When you are losing it is frustrating for every player so it is good for them to get it off their

“When you are losing it is frustrating for every player so it is good for them to get it off their chest rather than just keep it locked in,” Bridge says. “I think the gaffer spoke to them next day and said, ‘Go for it, get the boxing gloves on’.”Obviously they never did but the manager just broke the ice, everything is fine now The manager is amazing He’s great with the lads and everyone likes him The team spirit has been great ever since I have been here. From the first day they have made it easy for me to settle in Everyone gets on so well, there is no bitchiness I didn’t expect the team spirit to be so good. I was amazed by the way everyone got on.”Some might argue that Bridge is at last due some luck, and a Fulham win tomorrow followed by Premiership survival and an injury-free run to June would suit him perfectly. It might also be enough to persuade Mourinho to bring his loyal English left-back in from the cold once the summer is over..

Steve McClaren believes he and his players are reaping the benefits of club unity in times of crisis as they chase honours on two fronts. The Middlesbrough manager was written off recently but his reputation is being restored and the season revived. Quarter-finals await in the Uefa and FA Cups, and Premiership safety is all but assured.
The Yorkshireman takes his side to Blackburn today with Boro looking to bounce back from defeats by Charlton and Roma, the latter a victory of sorts, of course, having dispatched the Italians on away goals. Boro were yesterday drawn to meet Basle in the last eight, the winner of the Bucharest derby between Rapid and Steaua awaiting the victors.McClaren is again being hailed as a shrewd tactical thinker and potential successor to the England coach, Sven Goran Eriksson “I said it a couple of months ago. I’m not that bad a manager and I’ll say it now, I’m not that great a manager,” he said.

“You’re always somewhere in between.”I know my results and my record and what we have brought to Middlesbrough over the last five years and I’m proud of that, as I was two months ago when all the stick and criticism was flying around. But we have held our nerve and come through it and are getting the rewards for that.”But we still haven’t done anything yet [Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink was first to say that. It was a great win, but our ambitions have got to be a little bit higher now.”Boro head to Charlton on Thursday looking to make the last four in the domestic competition – but it was their Premiership form which sparked criticism. A 4-0 home defeat by Aston Villa on 4 February led to angry protests, but the chairman, Steve Gibson, remained calm, and the crisis has passed with McClaren admitting he learned a lot from the experience.”I’m very excited and very proud, but the biggest thing is, I work with good people,” he said.”It’s all right when you’re winning games and going well and everyone’s patting you on the back.

But a couple of months ago, I really found out about everybody at this football club.”I really found who was with us and who wasn’t, and what I found was I’ve got exceptional people around me, strong people, throughout the football club who through that time supported me and supported the team and got behind us.”That strength from everybody at this football club brought us through. It started at the top with the support of the chairman, which was invaluable at that time, and it’s all the way through.”They can bring you close together, the bad times, and they have, and that’s given us a greater determination to stick together until the end of the season.”. One of the game’s leading agents, Paul Stretford, has failed in his attempt to be able to answer Football Association charges in a public court. Stretford, of Proactive Sports Management, was charged by the FA in June over alleged breaches of regulations, including his acquisition of the right to represent the Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney.

Although the FA will publish the results of the disciplinary proceedings, Stretford is considering an appeal.
“The charges brought against me by the FA are without foundation and are damaging to my reputation and to the Proactive business,” he said. “I think it is indicative of the FA’s stance in pursuing this case against me that they are not prepared to allow me to defend the charges publicly.”Liverpool’s Premiership match at Blackburn has been put back to 16 April to avoid a clash with the Hillsborough Memorial service at Anfield. The match at Ewood Park was scheduled to kick-off at 3pm on 15 April – the 17th anniversary of the disaster. It was later put back to 5.15pm to avoid clashing with the memorial service at Anfield but, after the Champions’ League exit, the clubs discussed moving the match to a different day. The game will now kick-off at 2.30pm on the Sunday.Fifa has named the 10 stadiums which will host the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Four stadiums will be built – Greenpoint Stadium (Cape Town), Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Port Elizabeth), King’s Park Stadium (Durban) and Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit).