NEWS ROUND-UP

"I owe Bryan Robson a lot because he took a gamble on me when I didn't have a great deal of experience. I know he wanted me to go back but I want to make it at Manchester United."

Birmingham have signed Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt on a season-long loan deal which could lead to a permanent transfer.

From the Sun:

Top ref Graham Poll is being probed by the Premier League after it was alleged he climbed on cars in a booze bender. League chiefs have been told he got drunk and was sick in a hotel foyer while on a fitness course.

From the Guardian:

The Football Association is making plans to stage next year's FA Cup final in Cardiff, lending weight to fears that Wembley will not be built on schedule. It was revealed last night that the FA is in negotiations with the Millennium Stadium over staging the showpiece event of the English season there for a sixth consecutive year.

"Talks have been ongoing for a couple of months now over the use of Cardiff next year," said a source close to the discussions.

An FA spokesman said last night: "The FA is currently in negotiation with an additional venue - purely as back-up. The public would expect that when we are responsible for hosting the most prestigious domestic cup competition in football."

However, he reiterated that the governing body has been assured by the builders Multiplex that Wembley will be handed over in March and ready for the May 13 final. "Multiplex will hand the stadium over in time for the FA Cup final 2006 to be played there," said a Multiplex spokesman.

But the FA spokesman added: "They are the expert contractors working to a fixed contract. Therefore we have to be guided by their experienced expert advice. [But] it would be naive of any organisation involved in such a huge building project not to have alternative plans in place - should unforeseen problems occur."

It was also confirmed last night that the LDV Vans Trophy final, scheduled for April 2 next year, will definitely be staged in the Welsh capital rather than at the new £757m facility in London. The Carling Cup final on February 26 will also be held in Cardiff. Wembley National Stadium Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the FA, has always maintained that the stadium would open in time for May, following assurances from Multiplex that the building would be handed over at the end of January next year.