Martin O'Neill, the new Sunderland manager, has added Jim Henry, Hibernian's former head of performance, to his back-room staff, the Edinburgh club have confirmed. O'Neill was appointed as successor to Steve Bruce at the Premier League club at the weekend. A Hibs statement read: "Hibernian can confirm head of performance Jim Henry has left the club to join Martin O'Neill's new back-room team at Sunderland with immediate effect." Formerly with Glasgow Celtic and Aston Villa (working with O'Neill on both occasions), Henry joined Hibernian 13 months ago. "The club would like to thank Jim for his contribution over the past year and wish him all the best for the future."
Arsenal will unveil statues of Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry to mark the club's 125th anniversary this weekend. The club have earmarked Friday for the official unveiling of the statues outside the Emirates Stadium as part of the club's celebrations. The Daily Telegraph says Chapman, who led the club to their first league titles in 1931 and 1933, Adams, who captained Arsenal to five league titles across three decades, and Henry, the club's record goalscorer with 226, will be the men honoured.
Uefa will hear Wayne Rooney's appeal against a three-match ban for England on Thursday, but even if he is successful the England striker can still expect to be suspended for the first two games of Euro 2012. Rooney, who was given the ban after his dismissal for violent conduct against Montenegro, travelled to the Uefa headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, for the hearing after United's Champions League match in Basel last night. Fabio Capello, the England manager, will also travel to the appeal.
Luis Suarez has been charged with improper conduct during Monday’s defeat by Fulham, the Football Association (FA) announced Wednesday night. The Uruguay forward was charged, the FA said, “in relation to an alleged gesture made towards the Fulham fans at the end of the fixture”. Suarez has until Monday to respond to the charge. Liverpool were also were hit with a separate charge of failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion, following the sending off of Jay Spearing in the same match.
Owen Coyle, the Bolton manager, is hoping that the overturning of Gary Cahill's red card at Tottenham heralds a change of fortune for the club. By escaping a ban Cahill can face Aston Villa this weekend in a match Bolton must win to stand any chance of climbing out of the bottom three. Coyle told the Bolton News: "Hopefully, that's the end of this run of bad luck we've been on, with suspensions and everything else. These things are sent to test us. But, as far as I'm concerned, the time for talking has got to stop. We have to start picking up points."
Rafik Halliche, the Fulham central defender, turned in an impressive performance for Celtic in a friendly against Hibernian Wednesday. The Algeria international, 25, is on trial at Glasgow club. Halliche is under contract for another 18 months, but Martin Jol, the Fulham manager, is reportedly willing to let him go.