Chelsea and Champions League holders Barcelona will renew their rivalry after they were drawn together in the first phase of this year’s competition. The two sides, who have now been paired for the third time in three years, also face Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia.

Manchester United will meet Celtic in Group F with Benfica and FC Copenhagen.

Last year’s finalists Arsenal take on Porto, CSKA Moscow and Hamburg while Liverpool face PSV Eindhoven, Bordeaux and Galatasaray.

British teams in bold and the top seeds in CAPITALS.
(more…)

Following your famous father into his profession is no easy feat. Take Chad McQueen for example. Dad Steve made The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven. Chad made Sexual Malice and Indecent Behavior II. Or Julian Lennon. His Pop wrote Strawberry Fields Forever and Imagine. Julian penned the lesser known ?Jesse? and ?Stick Around?.

So it was never going to be an easy task following three time European Cup winner and holder of a record 102 caps for Scotland, Kenny Dalglish. But son Paul has carved a career in football for himself despite several setbacks.

A striker, just like his dad, he has his father?s looks but is more of a target man than the great architect of goals Kenny was. Now with Hibs he?ll be looking to be in the starting line up for this weekend?s game against Kilmarnock having made an appearance as a substitute last week at home to Aberdeen.

Born in 1977 he first signed professional forms with Blackburn Rovers before he moved to Celtic as a 17 year old. This was of course the club where his father had scored over 100 league goals and became a legend. His spell at Parkhead failed to yield a single first team game and in 1997 he left to join Liverpool.

If he wanted to get out of the shadow of his famous father Anfield was certainly the wrong place to go. In nearly fourteen years there Kenny had won 8 Championships, 2 FA Cups and 3 European Cups. After two years Paul left Liverpool, just as with Celtic, without ever having played in the first team.

He joined Newcastle where his father was manager and was immediately sent out on loan to Bury. He played several times for The Shakers, mainly as a substitute before returning to St James? Park.

After 17 months in the job Dad Kenny was sacked. New manager Ruud Gullit was prepared to give Paul a chance and he scored twice in eight starts. He also earned a call-up to the Scotland Under-21 squad, scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win over Estonia at Broomfield Park, Airdrie in October 1998. This was the first of seven Under-21 caps in which he scored a total of 3 goals.

Fellow Scot Duncan Ferguson?s ?8M arrival from Everton saw Dalglish move back into the reserves. After that his first team chances were few and far between and although settled in the north-east, a clash with Gullit saw him make a move to Norwich City, initially on loan, then in a permanent ?300,000 transfer.

Paul scored Norwich’s first goal of the 1999/2000 season on the opening day at West Bromwich Albion.

Dalglish found himself lonely in East-Anglia as his friends and family were all 5 hours away back in the North. He scored only two goals for The Canaries in 48 appearances. Norwich would have had to pay Newcastle an extra ?200,000 if he played 2 more games for them.

Paul eventually joined Wigan on loan in March 2001 with an understanding that Norwich would not block a permanent move. Two sendings-off in consecutive matches over the Easter period blotted Paul’s copybook with Wigan but things were looking up as he turned it into a permanent move in August.

In April 2002 Scotland boss Berti Vogts called Paul into a practice squad for uncapped players to play against Dundee United. He scored in the 2-0 Scotland XI win and Vogts told him that he could have a future in the senior international set-up if he found regular first team football.

That same month however, he was released by Wigan. In a bid to find that elusive regular first team place he had trials with DC United, Preston, Burnley and Peterborough before ex-Liverpool player Steve McMahon signed him on a one year deal with Blackpool. Two goals in 31 appearances wasn?t enough for him to hold down a regular place at Bloomfield Road.

From there he ended the 2002/2003 season on loan to Scunthorpe, though he failed to win a permanent deal with The Iron and on his return to Blackpool he was released. He then went back to the United States for a trial with Dallas Burn, but a move didn?t materialise.

In July 2003 he signed another one year contract, this time with Linfield. The weight of expectancy on him due to his famous father was beginning to get on his nerves at this stage. After signing he told The Scotsman, “You can?t go anywhere without people saying ?You?ll never be as good as your dad? or ?You?ll never live up to your dad?. People have made it difficult for me because of my dad, but I?m a strong character and I?ve never let people get me down.”

He had started a multi-media company in Manchester and it was the resulting business commitments that led to his parting of the ways with the Irish side. When he signed, it was on the understanding that he would travel to Belfast on the Thursday, train with the full squad that evening, carry out promotional activities on the Friday, and fly home after the game on the Saturday. Linfield were happy to allow Paul to follow his business interests while still receiving the benefits of having him as a full-time player.

In October 2003 however the two parties agreed to a termination of his contract due to Dalglish?s business interests increasing and Linfield?s feeling that they weren?t getting the best from the deal.

In January 2004 it was reported that he had signed for Italian side Modena. Paul, who was at that time working as a football agent scoffed at the suggestions. “I wish,” he told the Belfast Telegraph. ?It?s funny. It’s not even that I’ve been linked with a move to Italy, according to some reports I’ve actually signed. The nearest I’ve come to Italy is watching The Godfather on television.” He went on to say, “If I can sell myself to a club in Serie A then I must be the best agent in the world but then why aren’t players queuing up outside my door?”

He made a big move into television in August of 2004 with a regular spot on Sky?s Soccer AM. Every week he interviewed footballers such as Michael Owen, Graeme Souness, Joe Cole, and yes even his Dad.

He also played for their football team The Soccer AM Badgers.

His involvement in the media led to him taking a part as an extra in the Danny Cannon film Goal! Here he began to realise that he missed being a footballer and decided that at 28, it wasn?t too late to have another shot at it.

?When you are out of it, you realise football is the best game in the world,? he later told The Scotsman newspaper.

Mike Newell at Luton Town allowed him to have a pre-season with him in order to get himself fit.

In August 2005 Paul signed with SPL side Livingston. Only four hours after signing he made his debut in the League Cup 2nd round match away to Raith Rovers. He scored an extra-time winner in a 2-1 victory. He went on to establish himself in the Livingston first team as he relished his return to the game.
After scoring against Celtic in a 2-1 defeat on Boxing Day Paul told Sky Sports, ?I have screwed the nut. My attitude was a disgrace after I left Newcastle and it is only now that the penny has dropped. Last Christmas I was at my mum and dad’s house, eating turkey and barely able to see because I was that drunk.?
On transfer deadline day January 2006 Hibernian manager Tony Mowbray took him to Easter Road for a nominal fee. Dalglish was delighted to take a step up from bottom of the table Livi.

He has become a fans? favourite with the green and white half of Edinburgh, who have christened him, not entirely imaginatively, Paulo.

After joining Hibs Paul told the Daily Record “I don’t regret taking time out of the game. I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t done that. My only regret is that after I left Newcastle my heart and soul weren’t really in football and I wasn’t trying my best every day.

“But without taking the two years out to take stock, I don’t think I would be sitting here now at Hibs.?

With Derek Riordan having left for Celtic, and Hibs in need of goals, he now has his chance to make something of the last few years of his career. It might not even be too late to break into the Scotland team. We?re in no position to overlook any decent Scotsman, even if they are uncapped at 29.

No matter how well he does on the field though, for some people, he?ll never shake off being his father?s son.

While Paul was at Livingston, Dalglish senior told The Scotsman, “I don’t think he has a problem with me being his Dad, it seems to be other people who do. It’s a fact of life. Whether it is fair or unfair is for other people to decide, but I think he’s alright with his name. He hasn’t asked to change it by deed poll as far as I know.”

The Scottish season gets underway this coming weekend. Yes, our season begins in July. Only 3 weeks after the World Cup Final and a week before the Edinburgh Festival starts we?re dusting down the scarfs and picking up the new season tickets.

Celtic actually play away to both Yokohama F Marinos and Chelsea in ?pre-season? friendlies after the league has kicked off.

The early start to the season seems akin to drinking in the morning to me. You might want to get down to it, but there?s no big rush and other folk will look at you funny.

But it?s here now so might as well embrace it.

With money tight the Old Firm have been looking around for the footballing equivalents of Lidl and Aldi?s to snap up some bargains. There are no big name arrivals, but Jiri Jarosik at Celtic and Jeremy Clement at Rangers could both make an impact.

In the close season Celtic lost Roy Keane, John Hartson and Dion Dublin. Stilian Petrov seems sure to follow suit. With the Bulgarian ready to join Portsmouth it becomes increasingly obvious that even playing for a club at the lower end of the Premiership is a better option than playing in Scotland for the league?s better players.

John Hartson will be a big loss for Celtic. He was a guy who loved pulling on the hoops and bagged plenty of vital goals in his time. He could also have played another season or two here with no problems.

In the south of Glasgow Rangers experienced something of a coup in landing Frenchman Paul Le Guen to replace Alex McLeish as manager. Le Guen has the arrogant swagger of a winner having led Lyon to three French titles. He?s already rocked the players by telling them to stop going to their favourite curry house for a feed.

On the continent this directive would probably be needless as the idea of curry on the menu is quite alien for most of Europe?s top players. But the Scottish media seemed stunned that a man in charge of a group of highly paid athletes could make such a demand.

Forward Kris Boyd is quoted as 2/1 favourite to finish top scorer in the SPL this season. Some of the Rangers faithful seem unconvinced by the 22 year old, despite his 20 goals for them last season. Add to this the 17 he bagged for Kilmarnock before his January transfer and he looks exactly the kind of player the Teddy Bears need.

Some fans though see him as ?just a guy who can score goals?. In the same way perhaps that Red Adair was just a guy who could put fires out. He?s not the big name that some supporters are looking for but he?s proven himself as a goalscorer up to now and what?s more he?s Scottish. Good Scottish strikers have been hard to come by as of late and perhaps the best two are now playing on both sides of the Old Firm.

Kenny Miller becomes only the third Post-War player to have turned out for both halves of the Old Firm, after Alfie Conn and Mo Johnston. Conn and Mojo were both firmly established names and fans? favourites during their first spells in Glasgow.

By contrast Miller was little more than a fringe player in his years with Rangers. He did score 5 goals in one game against St Mirren in November 2000 and is still the last Scotsman to score in the Champions League when he netted against Monaco just three days later.

He?s been outstanding for Scotland in the past year or so and if he can recapture that form in the league the Celtic support shouldn?t have many problems accepting him as one of their own.

Away from the Old Firm last season?s most interesting story was that of Hearts and their ever controversial owner Vladimir Romanov. The odds of current first team coach Valdas Ivanauskas still being in place at the season?s end aren?t good. Three managers last season didn?t do them any favours in their bid for the title. However, finishing second and landing that spot in the Champions? League qualifiers was more than most Jambos could have hoped for a year ago. As such the Tynecastle faithful are now seriously looking toward a title winning season.

They seem to have a good team spirit as it was tested plenty in the last campaign. If they can just get a bit of stability this term they might be able to sustain their challenge further into the New Year than they managed in the last campaign.

Edinburgh rivals Hibs have developed a nasty habit of having to sell on their best players. Garry O?Connor, Derek Riordan and Gary Caldwell have all left Easter Road this calendar year. More young players are sure to come through the ranks this season but it won?t be enough to mount any kind of charge on the title.

It?s hard to get excited about the middle of the SPL. Teams like Motherwell, Aberdeen and Dundee United shouldn?t be fighting relegation, but there?s no real chance of them topping the table either.

The top six breakaway is one of the silliest things to happen to the Scottish game. After everyone has played each other three times the league then breaks in two for the last five matches. It provides the mediocre some kind of target to gibber about in post match interviews. We?re forced to listen all season to managers of mid table sides saying they?re aiming for a ?top six place?. Ultimately all finishing in ?the top six? means is that you get an extra game against both Rangers and Celtic. But perhaps I?ll rant more about that some other time.

St Mirren are the new boys this season and there?s no reason to think they won?t go straight back down to the First Division. Falkirk and Dunfermline will probably be the teams to overhaul if they?re going to stay up.

The likely candidates to replace them next year are Gretna. Having romped the Second Division in record time last year, adding to the Third Division title the season before that, a hat trick of league titles is not unthinkable. As Scottish Cup runners up to the Champion?s League bound Hearts, they are also in the UEFA Cup.

Predicting who will win the SPL title is a bit like tossing a coin and shouting heads or tails. Tip Rangers or Celtic it makes little difference. This season however, we can opt for predicting that the coin will land on its side. Just like Hearts lifting the trophy it?ll never happen, but would be lovely if it did.

As for the national team we?ve become a lot more optimistic under Walter Smith than we ever dared dream under Berti Vogts. Smith?s side look confident and capable of playing good attacking football. Like Craig Brown before him Vogts was a master of sending the team out to defend badly then hailing the resultant heavy defeat as ?a good lesson learned?.

The fans? enthusiasm has been dampened slightly due to a European Championship qualifying group that includes World Cup winners Italy, runners up France and quarter finalists Ukraine. I can?t remember a qualifying section when I realised from the outset that we?ll never get through. No bad thing as optimism is the Scottish national supporter?s worst enemy.

The group guarantees to serve up some exciting games with France visiting Hampden in October. The campaign kicks off against the Faroe Islands at Celtic Park on September 2nd.

Rangers chairman David Murray has said that manager Alex McLeish has been sacked and will leave his position as Rangers manager at the end of the season with the Glasgow club “some way down the road” on a deal for a new coach.

Murray refused to be drawn on the identity of McLeish’s successor but former Lyon manager Paul Le Guen is understood to be the man who will succeed him. After telling McLeish of his decision on Thursday afternoon, Murray also promised the announcement of a major investment in the club after the Champions’ League ties against Villarreal early next month and met with senior members of the first team squad to discuss the future plans.

With Rangers hopes of catching Hearts in second place in the Scottish Premier League falling further away following a 2-0 away defeat to Aberdeen this week it seems like Murray and the Rangers board have been left with no other course of action but to put McLeish out of his misery after one of the most disappointing seasons in Rangers recent history.