SOCCER: Thierry Henry is a serious doubt for tomorrow's north London derby with Tottenham. The Arsenal striker only returned from six weeks out with a groin injury in last week's Champions League clash with Sparta Prague, where his double strike saw the Frenchman become the club's all-time leading goalscorer.
Henry also played the 90 minutes of last Saturday's English Premiership clash with Manchester City at Highbury, but manager Arsene Wenger revealed the 28-year-old had suffered a setback.
"There is a bit of uncertainty about Thierry," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online. "He had a little bit of a setback. We pushed him in a little early and we need to get him completely back to where he can perform. At the moment he is not there. He is 30 per cent to play and 70 per cent not to play."
Meanwhile, Arsenal's managing director, Keith Edelman, has rejected claims Henry is set to quit the club next summer. The player has less than two years on his current deal, but Edelman said: "Yes, I think Thierry will be here next season, leading the team out at the new stadium. We want Thierry to stay and are working hard to achieve that."
Claudio Ranieri, who has already been mentioned as a possible successor to Brian Kerr as the Republic of Ireland manager, has also entered the running for the vacant managerial position at Hearts after meeting the club's owner, Vladimir Romanov, and chief executive Phil Anderton.
Bobby Robson, sacked by Newcastle United last year, was also believed to be in talks with Romanov last night.
Hearts confirmed Ranieri, who has been out of work since being sacked by Valencia in February after only eight months in charge, travelled from London yesterday and met Romanov in an Edinburgh hotel.
Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager, who took in Crystal Palace's win over Liverpool on Tuesday and then met Anderton in London on Wednesday before being invited to the Scottish capital to meet the owner, has also been reportedly interested in the Republic of Ireland job.
"I want to get back into football - it's my life," the 53-year-old Italian said recently. Although his adviser, Jon Smith, was abroad yesterday, Ranieri met Romanov while much attention was being given to Robson's arrival in the city to attend the funeral of Johnny Haynes.
Alan Pardew is to sign a new contract at West Ham next week. The manager is being rewarded with a pay rise and an extended deal until 2010 after he took the club into the Premiership and started this season positively.
Summer signings such as Yossi Benayoun, Paul Konchesky and Danny Gabbidon have enhanced his squad.
West Bromwich's defender Paul Robinson has been charged with misconduct by the FA for his sending-off in Tuesday's English League Cup win at Fulham, when it is claimed he used abusive and or insulting words to the referee Andy D'Urso.
Paul Gascoigne has promised Kettering he will not walk out on them after becoming the non-league side's new manager.
Gascoigne is part of a consortium which has taken over the Conference North club and will try to take the "Poppies" into the football league for the first time.
The Rockingham Road job is his first managerial position after sporadic attempts to prolong his career as a player and coach.
Barnet have appealed against goalkeeper Ross Flitney's red card in their League Cup defeat by Manchester United.
The English FA have received the club's claim for "wrongful dismissal" after Flitney was sent off by referee Richard Beeby less than two minutes into the loss at Old Trafford.
