Chelsea have a very solid side and are difficult to beat and Liverpool won the last Champions' League. That was very good for English football."Real will have a bye from the third round of the King's Cup tonight, due to their participation in Europe, but a Madrid derby is still pick of the ties, as Rayo Vallecano and Getafe meet.Getafe, who entered the top flight for the first time last year, have replaced Rayo as the third side in the capital behind Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.After achieving a respectable 13th-place finish in May they have undergone a transformation under former Germany international Bernd Schuster, who has led them to third in the table after seven games.They lost their first game of the season against Real Betis 1-0 on Sunday but have impressed away from home winning three out of four games on their travels.Rayo, on the other hand, have moved in the opposite direction, dropping out of the La Liga in 2003 and then down to the third division a year later. He always reminds me about it - he says that it was legal but we always joke about it."For me it would be incredible and very special to play a final against an English team There are very strong teams in the Premiership. We have a lot to play for," he added."I have played before in the Champions' League with Leeds and we faced Real Madrid They beat us with a goal which was handled by Raul. I have not had much luck but I still have confidence in myself.
I am looking forward to the challenge and mentally I feel strong. I am not going to get down about things that have been unfortunate."Woodgate admitted that helping Madrid win the Champions' League would go some way to redressing the balance."[The club have won] nine European Cups and we all want the 10th, but now we have to think about getting three points against Rosenborg. He also scored an own goal in a friendly against Real Zaragoza last week. But the England defender insisted: "I am just starting with Real Madrid, so why would I think about going? I feel a debt to this club because they have had confidence in me and still I have not been able to show my value to them."I have seen how things have got better and better for Beckham in Spain and how well things are going I only hope that this can happen to me. He has managed Celtic, and he would have a good rapport with the Republic fans because of that, so he would be the one at the top of my list."After that, you don't know because David O'Leary and Bryan Robson are in a job, while Alex Ferguson has said he doesn't need it.". Jonathan Woodgate has no intention of quitting Real Madrid and insists he owes the club for standing by him through his extensive injury problems. Woodgate joined Real for £13.4m from Newcastle United in August 2004 but has made just one competitive start, against Athletic Bilbao last month, a match in which he scored an own goal before being sent off.
You need someone to identify with the players straight away."We start qualifying for the next European Championships in August or September, and the amount of friendlies you are going to have to play before then is minimal."You are going to have to go into those qualifiers knowing all the players, and if you are a new manager appointed in February or March, I don't think you will know all the players by then."Ronnie Whelan, another legendary Republic player who won 53 caps between 1981 and 1995, also feels that O'Neill is the man to rekindle the good times."They [the FAI] have to look far and wide now to get the right man in this time," said Whelan."People said when Brian took over it was a bit of a risk because he hadn't managed at that level before, and now the FAI obviously feel he hasn't done the job well enough."But who is out there? There's Martin O'Neill, but will he take it because his wife is ill?"If there was one you would pick then it would be Martin. The crucible of the parade ring on Eclipse Stakes day caused him to flip, almost literally, but Cumani is confident that there will be no repeat."We have been giving him psychological training," said Newmarket's Sir Anthony Clare. It won't work."I think you need an Irish or a UK-based manager. "The structure is set up well, so you just need someone to come in and get the players ready, and you equate that with Martin O'Neill."But he has other massive problems, so I don't think we are going to get him, and then it's the usual suspects."I just hope we don't go down the road of someone like Philippe Troussier and those kind of people I don't think that's us. Beyond this trio, other possible candidates areSir Bobby Robson, John Aldridge, Kenny Dalglish and Phillippe Troussier.The former Republic defender Mark Lawrenson is worried by the situation.
