Jim Magilton said that he was 'rebuffed' in a move for Plymouth Argyle midfielder David Norris.
Ipswich manager Magilton is keen to add a ball winning midfielder to his side and had renewed his interest in Norris after a failed attempt to sign the player during last season.
However, Argyle manger Ian Holloway would like to keep hold of Norris as he is looking to form a side capable of building on last season's 11th placed Championship finish.
Norris has 2 years remaining on his Home Park contract and Magilton has had to accept that the player is unlikely to be moving to Ipswich.
"I spoke to Ian Holloway about Norris however was rebuffed. It went to board level, however Plymouth made it clear he was not for sale, so that is the end of it for now," Magilton informed the Evening Star.
Norris started his career at Boston United before Bolton paid £50,000 for his services in 2000.
Plymouth then paid £25,000 for the player in 2002 when an initial loan move was made permanent.
20 June 2007
Ipswich defender Ian Miller has agreed a new one year contract, which he is due to sign later this week.
Miller, 23, joined from non league side Bury Town last summer, and made his Ipswich debut as a substitute in a 3-0 triumph over Plymouth in March.
That was his only 1st team appearance for the Championship side, however was loaned out to League 2 clubs Boston and Darlington last term.
He becomes the 5th player to agree a new deal at Portman Road in the summer.
13 June 2007
Hosts USA, who have yet to concede a goal in 3 matches, finished their Group B run with a perfect record thanks to a thumping 4-0 triumph over Central American outsiders El Salvador Tuesday in Boston. They will be joined in the quarter-finals by Guatemala who finished 2nd with a 1-1 draw against bottom side Trinidad & Tobago.
The night's 2nd result will also be celebrated long into the night in tiny Guadeloupe as their 4 points in Group A are now guaranteed to be enough to see them grab a historic spot in the Last 8 in their 1st ever regional finals.
Group B's 3rd place El Salvador, with 3 points, are still mathematically alive however will be required to wait on the results of tomorrow night's Group C matches.
The USA picked up against El Salvador Tuesday right where they left off against Trinidad 2 days before, and within 20 minutes they had seen 2 golden chances go begging. First, Landon Donovan missed an open header on the quarter hour and 5 minutes later Clint Dempsey beat a clever snapshot against the woodwork.
They got it right in minute 33, though, through another Germany 2006 veteran. Jet-heeled DaMarcus Beasley who looked out of sorts for large chunks of the 1st half got hold of a Donovan corner and hit low and home from the edge of the box.
The Americans doubled their lead 2 minutes into 1st half stoppage time when Alberto Pacheco handled inside the area and Donovan, needing 2 chances, slotted home past Miguel Montes for his landmark 31st goal in a USA jersey.
New England Revolution hit man Taylor Twellman, on at the half for Donovan, added a 3rd for the States midway through the 2nd period on his home patch. Beasley then sealed the 4-0 drubbing, tallying his 2nd on the night with a close-range finish only seconds from time.
The 1st half of the night's 2nd meeting, between Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala, lacked the same attacking verve and end to end spirit of the 1st.
It seemed the highlight of a stuttering opening period was to be Dwayne Jack's wildly misplaced elbow on Jose Manuel Contreras that earned him a straight red. However, then 2 minutes into stoppage time Densill Theobald, the only T&T player to have participated at in the summer's FIFA World Cup finals, saw his marvellous free kick splatter off the crossbar.
In stark contrast to the 1st, the 2nd half sprang to life with both sides hunting the win. The Guatemalans had 2 goals disallowed, however in the end broke through in the 39th minute when their player forward Carlos 'El Pescadito' (or the little fish) Ruiz struck to reportedly seal the win.
However, 2 minutes from time, the islanders spoiled the party with a close-range header from Errol McFarlane. In the end, the result was enough to see Guatemala through and T&T on their way home with only one point from 3 games.
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stages concludes tomorrow in Houston, Texas with Mexico (3 pts) taking on Panama (4 pts) and Cuba (1 pt) meeting up with Honduras (3 pts).
12 June 2007
Group A wrapped up Monday with Costa Rica in the end rebounding from their slow start to beat Caribbean surprise packages Guadeloupe 1-0 thanks to a free kick from Walter Centeno. The triumph put the Ticos on 4 points and assured them of 2nd place (on goal difference) and an automatic spot in the quarter-finals.
Canada beat Haiti 2-0 in the night's 2nd match to guarantee top spot in the group with 6 points from 3 games. Guadeloupe, on 4 points, will now need to wait for the results of Tuesday and Wednesday's games to see if they make history by qualifying for the quarter-finals as one of the best 3rd place finishers. With 2 points from 2 matches, Haiti are heading for home in last place.
In Monday's 1st game in Miami, a stuttering Costa Rican club managed to drag themselves off the bottom of Group A with an edgy 1-0 triumph over the previously unbeaten Guadeloupe. In a tense outing defined mostly by graft and endeavour, Walter Centeno scored the only goal as the Ticos managed to edge out the previously unbeaten Cinderella islanders.
The Deportivo Saprissa midfielder stepped up in the 14th minute and beat home a sizzling free kick to put the Central American champions out in front. Inspite of some spirited play from Guadeloupe, this edition's surprise packages, who came into the game with 4 points from a draw and a triumph, they would not quite manage to find an equaliser in the remaining 76 minutes.
David Sommeil of Sheffield United nearly forced an equaliser for the Caribbean side 10 minutes after Centeno's opener, however the game was to littered with rough play and tough tackling. Indeed, there were 7 yellow cards shown on the day, 5 of which went to the Costa Ricans.
In the night's 2nd game, Canada rebounded from a loss to Guadeloupe in their 2nd match to seal 1st place in the group with a 2-0 triumph over Caribbean champions Haiti. After starting strong, the Canadians, who beat Costa Rica in their opener, roared into attack and had taken the lead through Canadian Player of the Year Dwayne De Rosario of Major League Soccer defending champions Houston Dynamo.
After firing the North Americans into the lead on the half hour mark, the midfielder they call D-Ro stayed cool from the spot to double the edge. With 10 minutes to go, Haiti concluded their poor finals with a moment of impetuousness that saw Pierre-Richard Bruny sent for an early bath after lashing out with a nasty elbow.
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup continues Tuesday with Group B coming to a close in Boston, Massachusetts. The U.S (6 pts) take on El Salvador (3 pts) in the early match whilst Trinidad and Tobago (0 pts) meet Guatemala (3 pts).
09 June 2007
The Football League has closed the loophole that allows Leeds to go into administration without suffering a 10 point deduction for next season.
From next season any club going into administration after the 4th Thursday in March will have their 10 point deduction suspended.
If the club is relegated the points will be deducted from their tally at the start of next season.
If the club stays up the 10 points will be taken off their final total.
The club would then go down if the 10 point deduction subsequently resulted in it slipping into a relegation place.
The rule change was passed unanimously by the 72 chairmen of the Football League at their annual general meeting in Portugal.
Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney said, "I am delighted that clubs have backed their board so strongly on this issue. The changes we have made today enable the League's 'Sporting Sanctions' regulations to remain true to their original aim."
Leeds went into administration on 4 May, and the automatic 10 point deduction saw them relegated to League One.
However, the Yorkshire club were almost certain to be relegated anyway and in entering administration avoided starting the following season minus 10 points.
Meanwhile, Boston United went into a Company Voluntary Agreement on 5 May, during their last game of the season, when they were losing at Wrexham and set to be relegated from League 2 in any event.
