* Irony aplenty here as The Times report that Fat Ron Atkinson may be asked to work as a consultant at Peterborough in the wake of Mark Wright's sacking. The odious Wright was sacked last week amid accusations of racism. He allegedly told a white player: 'You have the body of a white player and the brain of a black man.'
* Joey Barton goes on a damage limitation mission and says he is willing to sign a contract with City.
* Rio Ferdinand offers Sol Campbell some encouragement:
"No one knows what's going on, to be honest. Lots of people are passing judgement and giving their opinion on the situation. His football will do the talking and when he wants to come out and say what is happening or not happening he will do that.
"It doesn't matter who you are, no one is immune to a lack of confidence. Sol is a fantastic player, he's been consistent over the years, he's proved that to himself and I'm sure he will continue to do that."
* Jonathan Greening says that Steve McClaren has lost the dressing room at 'Boro. Greening currently plies his trade with West Brom: "I am not really surprised to see Middlesbrough struggling. I know a few of the boys there who are a bit unhappy with McClaren's way of doing things."
* Kenny Cooper has joined FC Dallas in his native USA
* From The Times:
'Chelsea are about to send more shock waves through the football world by beating Manchester United to secure the services of Freddy Adu, the American teenager widely regarded as the most exciting young player on the planet.
United and several top clubs in Italy and Spain have been tracking Adu for four years, but Chelsea’s negotiations are at an advanced stage. Agreements are imminent with the player and Major League Soccer (MLS), which owns his registration. The 16-year-old forward is expected to move to London in the summer, by which time he hopes to have become the youngest player to feature in a World Cup tournament, a record set by Norman Whiteside when he played for Northern Ireland in 1982.
It is a deal that will underline Chelsea’s continuing bid for global domination by signing the stars of tomorrow as well as today. They are also hoping to beat United in a bitter wrangle over John Obi Mikel, the outstanding young Nigeria midfield player, and the news that they are close to securing the services of Adu, who made his debut for DC United aged 14 and won his first full cap for the US last month at 16 years 234 days, will cause consternation in Milan and Madrid but above all in Manchester, where Sir Alex Ferguson had dreams of adding the Ghanaian-born prodigy to his legacy.