Old Trafford to stage play-offs

The Football League have announced that the npower League One and League Two play-off finals this year will be host by Champions League Final Old Trafford.

At Wembley on May 30,the Championship play-off final,the traditional Bank Holiday Monday slot, two days after the Champions League final is played in the evening at the same venue.

At Manchester United's ground,one final will be played on May 28 and second on on May 29,and all three play-off matches are scheduled to kick-off at 3pm.

Football League chairman Greg Clarke said: "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play these exciting winner-takes-all occasions at one of the great stadiums in world football.

"We are equally pleased that we are able to take the npower Football League play-offs to the north west, an area that has been at the heart of professional football since its very origins."

Manchester United chief executive David Gill added: "We are delighted Old Trafford has been chosen to stage these two finals."

Emmanuel-Thomas joins Cardiff

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas have been signed on loan from Arsenal by Cardiff until the end of the season.

Having made four first-team appearances for the Gunners this term.The attacking midfielder arrives in the Welsh capital.

In Arsenal's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Chelsea in October,he was included as a late substitute, as well as coming off the bench in the final 10 minutes for the London club's Champions League.

Having spent the first half of last season on loan at Blackpool Emmanuel-Thomas has experience of the Championship where he scored once in 12 appearances, before moving on to Doncaster at the turn of the year and hitting the target five times in 14 games.

The Gunners starlet, who has also scored 10 times in just nine appearances for Arsenal's reserves this term, becomes Cardiff's second signing of the January window after Jon Parkin.

IS IT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OR BUST FOR THIS SPURS TEAM?

After the great win at Eastlands last season, and the quite remarkable run in the Champions League this season,as the 2010/11 season saunters into the final months Spurs can be forgiven for wanting to rest on their rather sensationally accrued laurels.

To bring Champions League football back to White Hart Lane this season,it may well be even more necessary, than it was to secure it in the first place last season.

Success always bring confidence and and this is why Spurs must be select into the Champions League for a second season and hope that this season’s European excursion into the continent’s biggest tournament hasn’t been a one-off.

Champions League place would add spice to FA Cup

By offering the winner a Champions League place FA cup could be spice up said Arsenal Boss Arsene Wenger.

Wenger can see the attraction in that but he expects the status quo to hold sway.

“That would certainly spice it up, but it would meet a lot of resistance from the Premier League clubs,” he said.

“It is already difficult to be in the top four and you would imagine it [the Premier League placings] is a much [better way] to represent the country because the top four teams are certainly most of the time stronger.

“Not forgetting that also in the last ten years one of the four teams has been in the Final anyway!”

Lampard eyes on European glory

Frank Lampard accepts that Champions League has become the "Holy Grail" for himself and Chelsea.He further unveil that he is prepare to step in finally to land club football's biggest prize.

"I have won three leagues and quite a lot of the group have won one or more. But we have been so close to the Champions League, it does become a bit of a Holy Grail and I think the fans feel that," Lampard told Chelsea TV's Icons Christmas special.

"I would never ever go into a season without the first thing on my mind being the Premier League.

"To win domestically is the biggest thing for me but I don't want to finish my career with five Champions League semi-finals and a final but with no medal.

"It is huge but it is such a difficult competition to win. Every year, you play group games before Christmas and you start again in February and you might have injuries or you might be losing form.

"We played Inter Milan last year at a time when we were down, so there are so many little bits that have to come together for you to win it and that is what we are waiting for, that final little bit that we have missed."