Andy Gray looking at Man. United and Chelsea for the FA Cup Finals.

Andy Gray at SKY sports assessing the two teams for the FA Cup Finals.

He thinks that Ricardo Carvalho absence could prove critical...

"With Manchester United team, there are full of match winners - Ronaldo, Rooney Giggs, Scholes, even Carrick and Vidic.
Looking at Chelsea, you have Drogba, Lampard, Joey Cole....

Both teams will be ultra-cautious and he thinks that United will try and play some football, to make a point about the difference between the two sides.

This season United likes to play expansive football and hopefully that will not change in the final. As for Chelsea, they are a different animal, as we know, they're about attitude and mental strength.

Hopefully, United won't adopt Chelsea pragmatic approach and the two teams cancel each other out.

The key for me is prbable the absense of Ricardo Carvalho - he's had a good seaon for Chelsea and if he's missing, it will be a
double whammy because Michael Essien will be pulled into central defence as Jose clearly doesn't trust Khalid Boulahrouz.

They have nobody with Essien's kind of drive in midfield, and we saw against Liverpool in Europe how they lacked that oomph. Chelsea don't get that from Obi Mikel, from Makelele or even from Lampard - Essien is the man who drives them forward from midfield and prevents it all being about closing down space and stopping people playing.

Put him back in defence and I think you'd have to say that United have the edge. Go into the realms of fantasy and you'd have to say that if United had Drogba, they would be unstoppable. They have everything all over the park except up front, where Sir Alex has to make a decision between trusting Alan Smith or Ole Gunnar Solksjaer or going for the more conservative option of bringing in an extra midfielder and leaving Rooney up front on his own.

Let's hope as neutrals that he chooses the first option and the new Wembley gets the final it deserves."

Tranfer rumours - 17/5/07

Manchester United and Newcastle want to lure striker Mark Viduka from Middlesbrough on a free transfer. (The Sun)

Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton is hoping a move abroad to either Roma, Atletico Madrid, Hamburg or Bayern Munich will give him the chance of salvaging his career. (The Sun)

The summer circus of moves could see Andriy Shevchenko shipped off to Villarreal to fund a move for David Villa from Valencia.

But that's only going to go through if Valencia get their mits on ex-Manchester United striker Diego Forlan. (The Daily Star)

Southampton's play-off defeat to Derby means Gareth Bale will leave the club this summer with Manchester United and Tottenham leading the chase. (The Daily Star)

El-Hadji Diouf is set to follow in the footsteps of ex-boss Sam Allardyce and leave Bolton. (The Daily Star)

Blackburn are ready to make a bid for Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy to bring him back to Ewood Park. (The Daily Mirror)

Bolton are racing against former manager Allardyce to sign Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes. (The Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough winger Nathan Porritt - dubbed the next Ryan Giggs - is being coveted by Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. (The Times)

Chelsea defender John Terry is in a strop. He is ready to hand in a transfer request because he is not being offered the same money as Andriy Shevchenko or Michael Ballack. (Daily Express)

Article from bbc sports.

West Ham may still go down.

From Jermey Butler in London- Fox Sports

WIGAN Athletic chairman Dave Whelan said overnight he believes West Ham could still be relegated from the English Premier League if Sheffield United can prove the London side registered Carlos Tevez illegally for a second time.

He was speaking in the aftermath of West Ham securing Premier League survival with a 1-0 win over champion Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Whelan accepts there is no chance of overturning the Premier League's decision to fine West Ham £5.5 million ($13 million), instead of deducting points last month when the club admitted the player's initial registration was illegal.

But he is adamant the second registration was also illegal - an assertion denied overnight by the Premier League - and wants West Ham to face another disciplinary committee. He said Wigan and three other clubs are backing action.

"We can't reverse the earlier decision, we have to accept that, but if he has been signed illegally again, then West Ham will go down," said Whelan.

"I feel he has been registered illegally for a second time. How can they open a new transfer window to sign the player?

"They opened a new window at 4pm on Friday and left it open until midday the next day so he could play against Wigan."

When the two sides met the following day, West Ham won the match 3-0.

Whelan said that Sheffield United is waiting on a circular from the Premier League before deciding what legal action to take.

Transfer rumours - 13/5/07

After spending a successful season with Blackburn, Benni McCarty is thinking on a possible move.
He told The Sun: "If a club like Chelsea comes looking for you, you must seriously consider the opportunity. A chance to go to Chelsea - or any other Champions League team in England or Spain - would be hard to turn down. Blackburn gave me my chance and, even though it was not a big transfer fee, I trust that I have already paid them back with my commitment and goals. But I miss Champions League football, it means everything for any player with ambitions. If I end up being sold by Blackburn and they make a good profit, fantastic. Mourinho has coached me. We won things together and he really knows me inside out. If he ever were to sign me again, it would be because he knows exactly what he's getting and that I've managed to settle down in England quite quickly."

Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov to stay at Totteham.
Berbatov told Sky Sports. 'I hope next season we can challenge this 'Big Four', like you say in England. Maybe we will be in the first four clubs. The most entertaining thing this season is Spurs. We have scored so many goals, we tried to play good, we tried to entertain the fans. To me that's one of the most important things - to entertain, to enjoy when you play, because it's a game."

Veteran Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has signed a one-year extension to his current contract that will keep him at Fratton Park until the end of the 2008-09 campaign

Birmingham City have completed the permanent signing of Arsenal's teenage midfielder Fabrice Muamba on a three-year deal.

Martin O'Neill is hoping to tie Patrik Berger to a new contract at Villa Park..

Liverpool have confirmed that Robbie Fowler will leave the club at the end of the season.

Chelsea defender Nuno Morais has left the club to join Cyprus side Apoel Nicosia on a two-year deal.