Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has been sacked as manager of Championship club Ipswich Town.

The 39-year-old Keane, who had been at Ipswich since April 2009, leaves with the club sitting 19th in the 24-team league after seven defeats in their last nine games.
Keane won 28 and lost 28 of his 81 games in charge of the Tractor Boys since taking over from Jim Magilton.
The former Ireland midfielder's departure comes less than a week before Ipswich host Arsenal in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.
Keane said: "I’m hugely disappointed to be leaving Portman Road. Results haven’t been as good as I’d have hoped so far this season and when results aren’t good the manager gets the sack, that’s the game. 
"However, I have a genuine belief that we were making progress and that the players have what it takes to turn this season around.  We were preparing well for our visit to Chelsea on Sunday and then our Carling Cup semi with Arsenal.
"Getting to that semi proves what I know the team is capable of. I was also working hard to build the squad during the transfer window, looking at our options to attract new players to the club. 
"I have loved my time at Ipswich, living locally to the club with my family, and have a massive respect for the club, its staff, the fans and the community and I wish them well."
First-team coach Ian McParland will take charge at Stamford Bridge.
"We have taken the decision now to terminate his contract having reached the halfway point in the season," chief executive Simon Clegg told a news conference.
"As he (Keane) has said himself on a number of occasions, the performances on the pitch since November have simply not been good enough. In spite investment in the playing staff and a lack of improvement on the pitch, the results speak for themselves."
It is unclear whether a new manager will have been appointed by the time the Gunners visit Suffolk.
"I hope to be in a position to make an announcement regarding the new manager over the coming days," said Clegg.
PA Sport

Serie A - Leonardo back at San Siro with bang.

 

Internazionale's first outing under his stewardship showed remarkable similarities to many of the performances rivals Milan managed while he was their coach last season.
Quality goals, shaky defences and open games summed up his campaign with the Rossoneri and the only big difference in Inter's 3-1 win over third-placed Napoli was the blue stripes on the shirts instead of red.
"It's a very particular situation, but I don't want to analyse it too much because it's a situation you can't understand easily," Leonardo told Sky.
"I don't want to understand it, I want to live it."
Without suspended striker Samuel Eto'o and the injured pair Julio Cesar and Wesley Sneijder, Leonardo had little room to manoeuvre tactically compared to the side that Rafael Benitez left after their World Club Cup triumph last month.
He chose a 4-3-1-2 against Benitez's favoured 4-3-3, with Jose Mourinho having used both formations in last season's treble success, but Inter looked all at sea at times as their enthusiasm to impress the boss meant they left gaps at the back.
Top finishing from midfielders Thiago Motta, who scored twice, and Esteban Cambiasso secured the points despite Michele Pazienza's easy header for the visitors and a clear win over the form team before the mid-season break cannot be underestimated.
"Today we enjoyed our play. The win was thanks to the desire of the guys," added Leonardo, who left new signing, defender Andrea Ranocchia, on the bench.
Inter, who paraded the five trophies they won last year before kick off as their fans unveiled banners thanking Benitez, are 13 points behind leaders Milan with two games in hand but Leonardo believes a sixth straight scudetto is still possible.
"We need to think game by game, taking one step at a time, he said.

Real go through despite defeat at Levante

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Real Madrid went down to a 2-0 second leg defeat to Levante, but still eased into the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup, 8-2 on aggregate.
Levante's two second-half goals by Xisco Nadal and Sergio Gonzalez were not enough to overturn Real's massive first leg advantage, but it was a boost for the Valencia-based side after an 8-0 first leg rout in the Bernabeu.
Last season's runners-up Atletico Madrid, who took a 1-0 lead to Espanyol, are also through after a 1-1 away draw.
But Real Betis put out top-flight Getafe with a 3-1 win that wiped the Madrid's club's 2-1 advantage from last month's first leg. The Seville-based side are now the only lower-tier club left in the competition.
Jorge Molina and a double from Ruben Castrol were enough for Betis with Getafe substitute Francisco Casquero scoring his side's only goal as they lost 4-3 on aggregate.
"They were much better than us. We have been humbled," Getafe coach Michel Gonzalez told AFP.
Almeria scored four first-half goals in a 4-3 win at Mallorca to advance win 8-6 on aggregate while Villarreal made it to the last eight after after beating Valencia 4-2 following their goalless draw in the first leg.
League leaders Barcelona secured their place in the quarterfinals on Wednesday with French international defender Eric Abidal scoring in the 1-1 second leg draw at Athletic Bilboa.
Barcelona, held 0-0 at home in the first leg, went through on away goals.

Defending Spanish Cup champions Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruna also went through to leave a strong quarterfinal lineup.

Kim Kardashian premieres new song on New Year’s Eve

Kim Kardashian rang in 2011 by making her first foray into the music world, as the reality TV star premiered her debut single at a New Year’s Eve party at TAO nightclub in Las Vegas.

In a video that captured the song’s unveiling, Kardashian is seen giving the crowd a brief introduction before launching into a new song that advises, ‘Turn it up,DJ!’ “I didn’t mean to, but I did this song with The-Dream, and it’s really fun! I hope you guys like it!” Kardashian, 30, tells the crowd.

Reportedly titled ‘Turn It Up,’ the song features a steady dance beat,R&B-inflected pop production by The-Dream and a percussion-heavy breakdown.

Kardashian, who has parlayed tabloid and reality TV fame (her family is documented on E!’s ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’) into a business empire, also alluded to her musical side project on Twitter over the holidays.

Along with The-Dream, Kardashian is rumored to be working with Kanye West on her forthcoming debut album, after the two were spotted outside a California recording studio on December 28.

Kardashian also posted a pair of photos on Twitter that are believed to be the first images from her first music video shoot: in one, she sports a white fur and “Bo Derek braids,” while the other shows her rocking sunglasses and red highlights.

Beauty of the day.....

nicki minaj, on her 26th birthday outfit......

Court adjourns hearing in suit on DDC machines

A Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned till Dec. 13, hearing in the suit challenging the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC)'s award of the contract to procure Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines awarded to three firms.

The plaintiff, Technocrat Consult and IT System Ltd, had sued the INEC and three firms for excluding it from the contract to procure the machines.

The firms joined in the suit were Zinox Technologies Ltd, Haier Electrical Appliances Corporation and Avante International Technology Inc.

In the suit, the plaintiff argued that it ought not to have been excluded from the award of the contract because it invented an integral part of the machine and had the patent right in Nigeria.

The plaintiff is claiming N8 billion as damages for the breach of contract.

Technocrat Consult and IT System Ltd claimed it invented the technique-portable telecommunication device used in biometric identification, with the patent right No RP: NG/P/2010/283 on the invention.

The invention, the plaintiff added, comprised a portable and lightweight fingerprint apparatus, which can scan and record fingerprint images in the field.

It said that the images could subsequently be wirelessly transmitted to a central transactional unit for the purpose of providing immediate identity and background checks on the individuals being fingerprinted.

It also alleged that INEC infringed on its patent right when it included the technique in the DDC machines contract, which was awarded to Zinox, Haier and Avante International, without its permission.

The plaintiff is therefore asking the court to restrain the defendants and their agents from importing, manufacturing or distributing the DDC machines within the scope of its registered patent on the technique.

It further prayed the court to hold that it was the original author/inventor of the technique, contending that the defendants' DDC machines infringed on his patent right.

When the matter came up before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on Friday, the plaintiff's counsel, Norrisson Quakers, told the court that he was ready to go on with the case.

"We served all the defendants with the court processes so I am ready, with the permission of the court, to go on with the case," he said.

Yusuff Asama-Kadiri, the Defence Counsel to Haier Electrical Appliances Corporation, said that his client, based in China, had not been served court processes and urged the court to adjourn the case to enable the plaintiff to serve them.

The judge thereafter re-issued his earlier order directing the plaintiff to retrieve the proof of service from the DHL office and file same before the court.

Mr Okeke ordered that the companies which are based abroad could be served the court processes through courier services and that the proof of service should be filed before the court.

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