Soccer Shorts:Barrow defender James Cotterill was sentenced to four months in prison yesterday for smashing a rival player's jaw during an FA Cup match. It is thought to be the first time in recent history a football player has been jailed in England for an offence on the pitch.
Cotterill (24) pleaded guilty to punching Bristol Rovers striker Sean Rigg, causing him grievous bodily harm during a first-round match on November 11th.
Half-an-hour into the "highly charged" game Cotterill fractured Rigg's jaw in two places with a left-hook, Preston Crown Court heard. It must be held together with metal plates for the rest of his life. Television cameras captured the off-the-ball assault, which was shown that evening to millions of viewers on the BBC's Match of the Dayprogramme.
Brown on Spurs list
Tottenham are reportedly ready to make a £5 million offer for Manchester United defender Wes Brown. White Hart Lane manager Martin Jol is desperate to add a central defender to his squad in the January transfer window and has turned his attention to the United and England man.
Smith agrees package
Rangers last night agreed a compensation deal with the Scottish FA to prevent the disquiet over national team boss Walter Smith's resignation going to court. The SFA threatened to take legal action against Smith "for breach of contract" and against Rangers "for inducement to breach the contract" following the dramatic events in Glasgow on Thursday. Rangers are understood to have agreed to make a payment in the region of £400,000 to end the impasse between the two parties.
Thatcher moves on
Charlton manager Alan Pardew has begun his rebuilding for the relegation fight ahead by clinching the signing of Manchester City defender Ben Thatcher in a £500,000 deal. With the Charlton six points adrift of English Premiership safety and boasting an appalling defensive record of 40 goals conceded in 22 matches, Pardew has brought in the 31-year-old while allowing fellow defender Djimi Traore to join Portsmouth. Manager Harry Redknapp yesterday also completed the loan signing of the France under-21 midfielder Arnold Mvuemba from Rennes and is hopeful of concluding a loan swap that will bring Charlton's Souleymane Diawara to Portsmouth in exchange for Republic of Ireland defender Andy O'Brien.
Failed drugs test
An unnamed player has been suspended for six months after a drugs test showed he had taken cocaine. The player has been banned by the English FA, who have a policy of not naming those who fail out-of-competition tests for "social" drugs. The player, who is not thought to be high-profile, tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.
In brief . . .
Aston Villa have parted company with midfielder Didier Agathe. Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Argentinian defender Emiliano Insuaon an 18-month loan deal. Sheffield United yesterday completed the capture of John Stead from Sunderland for £750,000. Norwich have signed Sunderland striker Chris Brownon a two-and-a-half-year deal for £325,000. Leeds assistant manager Gus Poyethas revealed the Championship strugglers are "quite close" to signing Celtic midfielder Alan Thompson. Falkirk have signed Manchester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichelon loan until the end of the season. Celtic have been told to increase their bid if they want to sign Swiss youngster Zdravko Kuzmanovic. Fulham have offered a contract to former Russia captain Alexei Smertin, according to the player's agent.
