The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 20

20 SPORTS NEWS THE GUARDIAN Friday November 8 1991 BTTDOUO upsetts DonBMt Ins and outs Parker, Pallister, Batty and Merson have been forced to withdraw from the Soccer England squad with injuries. Graham Taylor has called up Paul Elliott, Earl Barrett and David Rocastle as replacements Four more drop out as England grow ever greener TWO teams anxious to stay in the First Division and one trying to get out of the Second were involved in a burst of transfer activity yesterday. Notts County strengthened their attack at the expense of Sheffield United, whereas Blackburn Rovers acted to bolster their defence. The United striker Tony Agana is expected to sign for County today for 750,000 a transfer from which Dave Bassett, the manager at Bramall Lane, was keen to distance himself yesterday. "The board makes decisions and it is out of my hands" was his only comment, but his dissatisfaction with life at the First Division's bottom club will hardly be helped by the sale to one of United's relegation rivals.

Kenny Dalglish, anxious to Paul Parker, who had hoped to join the England squad on Sunday, completed 90 hectic minutes against Atletico and their pacy winger Futre but an old knee injury forced his withdrawal yesterday. To bring the size of his squad up to the normal 22, the England manager has called up two of his nominated stand-bys, Oldham's Earl Barrett and Arsenal's David Rocastle, along with Paul Elliott, the Chelsea centre-back whom some had expected to see included in the original list. England need only to draw in Poznan to reach next Pallister has been suffering from back pain since taking delivery of a new car and the recurring sciatic nerve problem kept him on the substitutes' bench on Wednesday night for the first hour of United's 1-1 draw with Atle-tico Madrid. When United's manager Alex Ferguson did bring on the 6ft 4in defender it was as a striker where he could use his head, rather than his legs, to best advantage. "The trouble with his back is that he never knows how it is going to be," said Ferguson, who is anxious to have his best side fit for the Maine Road derby next week.

Defensively, England are in a mess. Although the familiar faces of Dixon and Pearce have survived in the full-back positions, only Des Walker is a regular at centre-back. Gary Mabbutt has 14 caps but before being called up against Turkey in the previous emergency he had not played in the senior side for four years. Keith Curie, the Manchester City centre-back, is uncapped, and Barrett's only England appearance so far was in the 1-0 victory over New Zealand last June. Elliott, too, has yet to win a full cap though he did captain the team against Switzerland David Lacay and Cynthia Bateman THE England squad for Wednesday's European Championship qualifier in Poland began to melt before Graham Taylor's eyes last night as four players withdrew to leave a party already thin on international experience looking greener than ever.

Two Manchester United defenders Paul Parker and Gary Pallister a midfielder Leeds United's David Batty and the uncapped Arsenal striker Paul Merson have all dropped out with injuries. Ik a jgfetlll'i, mm'WmW Cup Winners' Cup: FC Porto 0, Spurs 0 (agg: 1-3) 7Gtiein)h)ara pass a at Walsall last season. Rocastle's recall follows his transition at Highbury from wing to central mid-field. Be last played for England two seasons ago when he came off Bobby Robson's bench against Denmark. On Monday Taylor felt the Arsenal man still had more to do to justify a place in the squad, but circumstances have changed substantially since then.

Not that Rocastle could fill Batty's role. It is difficult to see who among the remnants of Taylor's midfield options could do so unless Geoff Thomas, who occasionally fills in at the back for Crystal were the side to go through Russell Thomas In Porto TOTTENHAM salvaged some north London pride in this second-round, second-leg match and a fair quota of English esteem by holding out against a talented but ultimately ineffective Portuguese team in the massive Estadio das Antas. On a long night of diligent defence, no one exemplified Spurs' defiance in the face of Porto's trickery more than the captain, Gary Mabbutt, whose leadership took them to today's quarter-final draw as the nation's sole Cup Winners' Cup representatives. The stunning heights reached by the Eagles of Benfica 24 hours earlier had elevated anticipation among their fierce rivals, backed by a drum-beating, flag-waving crowd. But far from being swept into the nearby Atlantic, Tottenham stood firm against wave after wave of Portuguese attacks.

Supporting Mabbutt's massive steadfastness were hugely impressive defensive contributions from Gudni Bergsson and Pat van den Hauwe. Peter Shreeves had implored his team to confront Porto's high technique and the predicted gamesmanship with crisp tackling and cool thought. -His players observed the instruction to the letter as Portuguese appeals became increasingly extravagant in front of a restive crowd as the game wore on. With Tottenham's midfield quartet reinforcing the defen summer's finals in Sweden, and the loss of two defenders as well as the busy Batty, a defensive prop, could hardly have come at a less appropriate moment for Taylor. He had already decided not to select Tony Adams because the Arsenal captain is due to have surgery on a groin injury.

Bryan Robson and Steve McMahon were also among the five players missing from the squad chosen for last month's game against Turkey, when a disappointing evening persuaded Taylor that experience without performance was a waste of time. Bundle of joy? Lineker is Hodge banned for 'insulting remarks' to ref STEVE HODGE, the Leeds United midfield player, was yesterday banned for one match and fined 1,800 by an FA disciplinary tribunal for directing "insulting and improper remarks" at the Alton referee John Martin and his linesmen after the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on October 1. Hodge, whose previous record amounted to only a handful of bookings, has the right to appeal if he considers the punishment too severe. The fine takes into account the earnings of a player who had two spells with Nottingham Forest, played for Aston Villa and Tottenham as well and has been involved in transfer deals totalling more than 2.5 million. Hodge, missed Leeds's last match against Wimbledon with a groin injury but was expected to be fit for the game against Queen's Park Rangers tomorrow week, when he will now have to serve his suspension instead.

The FA also fined the Sheffield United manager Dave Basse tt 500 for his comments to the Coventry referee Keren Barratt at half-time during the 4-3 defeat at Leeds last month. Bassett may appeal. Celtic's manager Liam Brady was charged with drink-driving early yesterday after being stopped by police as he drove home from Parkhead stadium hours after his team's Uefa Cup match against Neuchatel Xamax. Brady, the 35-year-old former Arsenal, Juventus and Republic of Ireland midfielder, had seen his side win 1-0 on Wednesday night but lose the tie 5-2 on aggregate to the Swiss side. Palace, is given the part.

The alternatives, Tottenham's Paul Stewart and Palace's Andy Gray, are novices at this level. Meanwhile, the mystery of McMahon's omission deep ens. Aitnougn tne Liverpool man looked superfluous to requirements against Tur key, the case for his inch sion, with Bryan Robson retired and Batty injured, has Hardened up since then Last night Taylor again blamed the high number of games for his injury problems. "It does make life difficult, but it's part and parcel of being an international manager," he said. PHOTOGRAPH: ROSS KINNAIRD place.

Nottingham Forest, who originally tried to buy the Welsh international, have been mentioned, the rumours centring on a swap deal involving Des Walker. Liverpool's defence continues to creak and it is by no means certain that the return of Wright will make it watertight Yet until he and Barnes play again, together with Whelan should he fully recover, any precise diagnosis of Liverpool's long-term ills is best delayed. Suffice it to say that 'despite the victory over Auxerre the underlying feeling remains one of ambivalence. On the night Souness wrung a performance out of the team that was irresistible. But sustaining such a level of sheer effort would clearly be impossible in a crowded League programme.

As it was, the legs of Molby, McMahon and Houghton had begun to turn weary on the hour and a somewhat more resolute team than Auxerre might have swung the match around. But if the Liverpool players showed brief signs of flagging, their supporters most certainly did not. What the noise would have been like if Anfield had been full beggars the imagination. Anfield was not full; far from it. Live television helped reduce the attendance to 23,000, low enough to give the Liverpool management cause for concern despite the fat television fee.

All in all it was a night when as many questions were posed as questions answered. But the Kop ensured it was one to remember. lift Blackburn back into the top flight, last night reacted to Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at Southend by taking Colin Hendry back to Ewood Park from Manchester City for 700,000 precisely what City paid Rovers for him two years ago. Hendry has made no secret of bis desire to leave Maine Road and return to the club who bought him from Dundee in 1987. He has been unable to command a regular place since the arrival of Keith Curie.

The Celtic manager Liam Brady is expected to pay Middlesbrough 1 million today for the central defender Tony Mow bray, who looks certain to agree personal terms and should make his debut against Aberdeen tomorrow. Mowbray's arrival would take Brady's spending to 3 million since he replaced Billy McNeill during the summer. Tony Cascarino and Gary Gil lespie have already moved from English football but neither has made an impact in Scotland so far. Brady is also planning to pay 800,000 for the Hull striker AndyPayton. The oxtord United striker Mark Stein yesterday made a 100,000 move to Stoke City, who will pay 20,000 more if he makes 30 appearances.

The Welsh international de fender Gavin Maguire has returned to Portsmouth four days early from his loan spell with Newcastle United, whose manager Ossle Ardiles sent him back to Fratton Park for treatment to a knee injury. Derek Mountneld, the Aston Villa central defender, yesterday joined Wolves on a month's loan and Tottenham allowed their 18-year-old central de fender Stuart Nethercott to stay at Maidstone on loan for a further month. The midfielder Tre vor Hebberd, released by Derby County this season, has joined Chesterfield on a monthly contract Doncaster Rovers have ap pointed their first-team coach Steve Beaglehole as manager in succession to Billy Bremner, who resigned last Friday. Manchester United, as hold ers of the European Cup Win ners' Cup, are to play the Euro pean cup winners Ked star Belgrade in the Super Cup at Old Trafford on November 19. Wembley will probably stage this season's European Cup final, a Uefa spokesman said last night Benfica's stadium in Lisbon is likely to be the venue for the Cup Winners' Cup final.

Roy Keane, the Nottingham Forest midfielder, has had to withdraw with an ankle injury from the Republic of Ireland squad for next week's European Championship qualifier against Turkey. England Under-21, who meet Poland on Tuesday knowing that they cannot qualify in the Uefa Championship, have lost Arsenal's Kevin Campbell, Forest's Gary Charles and Carl Tiler and Everton's John Eb-brell. The replacements are Lee Clark (Newcastle), Darren An- derton (Portsmouth), Ugochuku Ehiogu (Aston Villa) and Paul Warhurst (Sheffield Wednesday). The Queen's Park Rangers striker Roy Wegerle may play for the United States in the 1994 World Cup after becoming a US citizen. Wegerle, whose wife comes from Miami, had waited two years for his citizenship to go through.

Results Soccer CUP WINNERS' CUP Second round, second leg Porto (0) Tottanham (0) 55.000 (agg: 1-3) UEFA CUPi Saoond round, Mcond togi Moeemn Torpedo Moscow 0. Sigma Olo-mouc (Cz) 0 (agg: 0-2). Buehareats Sleaua Bucharest (Rom) 1, Sporting GIJor (Sp) 0 tuna: 32). OLYMPIC OUAUPIHb Oceania group: New leaiana i. r-iji u.

Banongsi 1, Australia P3, Pts6); 2, New Zealand (2-2); 3, Papua New Guinea (1-0); 4. FIJI (2-0). PONT1NS UAQUIi Pint DMatom Bolton Newcastle Liverpool 1. Sunderland 0: Nottm Forest 5. Man Utd 1.

Saeond DMslom Derby Co 3. Oldham York 0, Huddersfleld IRISH UAOUI CUPi Samt-fktatal Derry 1, Shelbourne Dundalk Bohemians 2. Fixtures (7.30 unless stated) BARCLAYS LEAOAlb Saoond DhMom Tranmere Plymouth. Third Oivtalom Swansea Bournemouth. Poatponedi Stockport Shrewsbury, fourth DMaloni Aldershot Cardiff; Doncaster York.

(VILLI OVINDKM COMBINATION! Norwich Reading. pushed aside by Baia but Spurs Paradise postponed Anfield 's peak performance sive steel with tireless running, Porto were restricted to few moments of genuine menace. The quick and clever Kosta-dinov centrepiece of his side's best movements shot against the inside of the far post and saw the ball rebound across goal after 37 minutes. It was a further 32 minutes before Pinto climaxed a four-man move with a shot that was deflected just over the anxious Erik Thorstvedt's crossbar. The final frisson came and went when Paul Stewart nodded An-drade's header off the line six minutes from time.

Porto had started with a confidence bordering on arrogance, intercepting and initiating attacks with the air of men accustomed to facing better opposition than this. At the heart of the best movements was always the quick and clever Kos-tadinov, who had given his side hope with a goal in the first leg. The Bulgarian striker drove a difficult chance well wide before engineering a far more worrying moment for Spurs with a clever turn and pull-back that virtually invited a goal for Folha. But the instant shot from 13 yards was hopelessly miskicked. His failure typified Porto's night There were few moments when Porto's defence yet to be penetrated this season in their own huge concrete bowl was threatened by the lonely front partnership of Gary Lin-eker and Gordon Durie.

Fifty-seven minutes passed before Tottenham forced their first comer and it was deep into the second half before Baia saved and then only routinely All the more frustrating for Arsenal and their followers is the fact that the two European Cup matches played at Highbury this season have been hugely enjoyable for different reasons and more such matches would have been doubly welcome. Arsenal's 6-1 demolition of Austria Vienna was a resounding statement of the enduring zest and vitality of the English game, and though Wednesday's defeat reflected Benfica's technical superiority Graham's players still played a major part in making it a wonderful night of contrasting football. That being said, the Arsenal manager's assertion that there was no point in English teams "trying to copy the continental skill factor" ignores history, and in particular Anfield history. In 1973 Liverpool were beaten 2-1 at home in the European Cup by Red Star Belgrade, going out, like Arsenal, 4-2 on aggregate. "A bunch of fancy men," was how Bill Shankly described the winners that day but Bob Paisley, who succeeded him as manager the following year, thought otherwise.

"Our approach was a bit frantic," Paisley said later. "We treated every match like a war. The top European teams showed us how to break out of defence effectively. The pace of their movement was dictated by the first pass. We had to learn how to be patient and to think about the next two or three moves ahead once we had the ball.

The key tothe change was found in our five-a-side practice matches." from Edinburgh's free-lack and Dune's header. Spurs had gambled on Durie starting the match after being restricted to a series of sprints yesterday morning because of a chest infection. But it was the Scottish half of the 24-goal axis who battled throughout, Lin-eker going off minutes before the end in an attempt to disrupt Porto's final flow. By now, on the banks of the Douro the Golden River Tottenham could already see the welcome stream of European money continuing. The only casualty cf their successful night came with the post-match revelation that Paul Stewart had suffered a torn groin as early as the 30th second.

"The midfielder manfully continued to lend his weight to his side's cause but his bravery has cost him any chance of playing for England in their crucial European Championship qualifier in Poland next Wednesday. Afterwards Shreeves said: "I'm a very proud manager tonight It was always going to be difficult, and the referee showed great courage because the fans were putting a lot of pressure on him. He gave things as he saw them, Obviously we won the tie in London with our three goals, but we got through here with team spirit and showed great togetherness." FC Portw Baia; Pinto, Pereira, Alolsio, Couto, Tlmofte, Toze, Kosladinov, Folha (Andrade, S3min). Somedo (Magatiaes, 81). Andre.

Tottenham Hotapuri Thorstvedt; Edinburgh, Van den Hauwe, Bsrgsson, Howells, Mabbutt, Stewart, Durie, Samways, Llneker (Walsh SO), Allen. Mlchaelsson (Denmark). Arsenal lost to Benfica because after they had dominated the opening 20 minutes with crosses, hit a post and taken the lead, they could not cope when the opposition turned a game of draughts into three-dimensional chess. When Bento, the 19-year-old libera, Kulkov and Veloso began to bring the ball forward, whatever plans Arsenal had to stop the Swedish midfield pair, Them and Schwarz, running the match melted away. The Brazil-born Isaias received the plaudits for another display of outstanding individual skills and two goals to add to the one he had scored against Arsenal in the 1-1 draw in Lisbon.

But the Swedes and the Soviets, and in particular the marvellous Yuran, built the foundations of Benfica's victory. Yet Arsenal nearly won because Benfica still defended like a Portuguese side and Neno was never confident in going for high balls. Before the kick-off a man on stilts in an Arsenal shirt gave a distinguished exhibition of juggling. If Graham wanted to combine his team's quintessential Englishness with continental sophistication, perhaps this might be his next signing. "We were the better team on the ground and the better team technically," said Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Benfica coach.

"Portuguese teams are not as physically strong as the British but if we keep the ball on the ground we have a chance." Despite being held to 1-1 in the Stadium of Light Eriksson always believed Benfica Had a chance in the Stadium of the Unenlightened. So it proved. Sic Transit Gloria Graham? Well, probably not for a while yet. David Lacey on the fiscal and footballing fall-out from Arsenal's defeat by Benfica Stephen Dierley on a passionate Liverpool performance that will be hard to follow DT IS not the best of times to be an Arsenal supporter, still less an Arsenal debenture holder. Due to circumstances beyond Highbury's control, paradise has been postponed.

After seeing his team beaten at Coventry last week George Graham, the Arsenal manager, declared somewhat glibly that if they had to go out of a competition it might as well be the Rumbelows Cup. But nobody at Highbury, least of all Graham, was shrugging off Wednesday's 3-1 European Cup defeat by Benfica. In the space of eight days a major part of the point of Arsenal's season has been shot from under them. There remains the League championship, which they will now redouble their efforts to defend, and the FA Cup, but Graham's more immediate task will be to remotivate his deflated players. The boardroom is also in need of a Had Arsenal reached the European Cup's mini-league play-offs, which would have guaranteed them three more home ties as well as the chance of appearing in the final, they could have expected to collect at least 2 million, largely from television fees.

All this on top of Tuesday's decision of Islington Borough Council to defer for at least a month any decision on whether to give planning approval for Arsenal to build a 16 million all-seat North Bank stand. Perhaps Islington's councillors knew more about Isaias than Graham's defenders. Had Saunders gone to Ever-t on, as seemed likely in midsummer, Howard Kendall was preparing to build the team around him. The Liverpool system never allows an indiviiual such preeminence. Saunders is not a striker who can play comfortably with his back to goal; he needs the ball to be played just in front of him, engaging his pace and finishing powers.

Leeds, perhaps, would have suited him ideally, for Howard Wilkinson's team constantly mix the short and long ball. At one point it appeared the Leeds manager would sign Saunders, but money spent on Dorigo and Wallace apparently stayed his hand. Speculation about the future of Saunders at Anfield, and for the time being it is nothing more than this, is bound to intensify should he fail to hold down a regular Saunders 2.8m misfit IT WAS perfectly understandable, given the circumstances, that Graeme Soilness should take a short, sharp dig at those he called "the so-called experts" after his Liverpool side's 3-2 aggregate win over Auxerre on Wednesday night in the second round of the Uefa Cup. This was by far Liverpool's best performance of a patchy season. Indeed, no previous Liverpool side had overturned a first-leg deficit of two goals or more in Europe.

The sheer, throbbing fervour of the team, driven on by a volume of support that can scarcely ever have been surpassed by the Kop, quite overwhelmed the French. To Liverpool La Gloire. There were those in the French camp who feared such a reaction. In Auxerre, Ferreri, Dutuel, Cocard and Vahirua had roamed unchallenged, free to display their undoubted gifts. Immediately the whistle sounded for the second leg, Liverpool tracked down Frenchmen like men possessed.

It was not pretty but it was thoroughly effective. It also papered over the cracks. Soilness is now on holiday for a week. During this time the item most on his mind may be the problem of Dean Saunders, the 2.9 million misfit. The Welshman was bought to score goals yet, on a nignt wnen Liverpool needed them, he was left out.

His current disenchantment is not difficult to imagine..