“Many people, apart from Newcastle fans born in the last 40 years, have happy memories of sitting at Wembley,” he added.Items for sale are likely to include the stadium’s 80,000 seats, segments of the pitch, the royal red carpet, the phones from the press box and even the baths.Other items, judged to be of special historic value, will not be sold. These include the Olympic flame, and the crossbar that Geoff Hurst hit in the 1966 World Cup final, which is currently in Wembley’s banqueting suite and is the starting point on Wembley tours. “Those items will go to the museum that will be built in the new stadium,” Palmer said.Wembley’s Twin Towers will not be sold unless a buyer is willing to pay the astronomical costs of moving them. “They’re made of reinforced concrete and cannot be dismantled,” Palmer said, adding that it has been estimated it would cost pounds 20m to move them 40 metres.Full details of the auction will be announced next February.. THE SHEFFIELD Wednesday chairman, Dave Richards, yesterday took the blame for the Owls’ disastrous start to the Premiership season – and even offered to resign. Following the 8-0 humiliation by Newcastle on Sunday, Richards said he would resign if it was in the interests of the club, and insisted that the Wednesday manager, Danny Wilson, would not be sacked.
“My job is under pressure, of course it is,” said Richards “My position is under threat, there is no doubt about that I do feel the pressure We will not sack Danny Wilson.

I am completely behind Danny Wilson and the board is too.”Richards said it will up to the Wednesday board and shareholders whether or not he stands down. But the bad news for Wilson is that there is no cash left for new players.”I am an honest man and a proud man and I have never let anyone down in my life and I am not going to now,” Richards said. “I honestly thought we were getting on a better footing by bringing in the two strikers [Gilles de Bilde and Gerald Sibon] but so far it hasn’t worked out.”There is no money for new players We spent the money in the summer. I feel sorry for all Wednesdayites, but I genuinely tried to give us a lift in the summer bringing in new players and keeping down the prices as best we could.”No matter what happens to me, I will always be a Wednesdayite, but for 10 years now I have been the captain of the ship and the captain takes responsibility. If it means that things have to change for the good of Sheffield Wednesday then that’s how it’s going to be.”Stoke City are close to being bought by a group of Icelandic businessmen – with pounds 28m to invest from the sale of a supermarket chain.The hard-up Second Division club, priced at around pounds 8m, could change hands this week. The bad news for their manager, Gary Megson, however, is that the takeover would lead to his departure.

The Icelandic national coach, Gudjon Thordarson, would be installed as manager by the consortium.The Icelandic businessmen are said to be “steeped in football” and are headed by a former Bayern Munich player, Asgeir Sigurvinsson.Now a successful in business, Sigurvinsson, a technical advisor to the Icelandic FA, admitted last night: “Something is going on but I can’t say too much at the moment.” Representatives of the group visited the Britannia Stadium last week.. THE LEICESTER CITY captain, Matt Elliott, has apologised to Michael Owen over the challenge which floored the England striker in Saturday’s Premiership meeting with Liverpool at Filbert Street. Elliott could face a Football Association charge with the match referee Uriah Rennie having been asked to look again at the video after taking no action at the time against the Scotland central defender.
Elliott appeared to cut across Owen and strike him in the face with his elbow. Liverpool’s manager, Gerard Houllier, said the 19-year-old was still dizzy after the game.Several pundits, including Match Of The Day’s Alan Hansen, felt the defender should have been shown the red card. But Elliott yesterday insisted there had been no malicious intent – however bad the incident looked in television replays – and he even was given Owen’s shirt after the match.Elliott said: “At the time I did not think too much of what had happened. I came across to challenge Michael Owen and he was a bit too quick for me. I thought I had barged him more than anything else.”I had still apologised to him after the game, he showed no resentment and I asked him for his shirt.