There must be a handful of fixtures preferable for Newcastle United interim boss Alan Shearer's first managerial venture away from the North-East. Stoke City's form at the Britannia Stadium rarely disappoints with their 28-point haul at home likely to provide the crucial edge in the tightest bottom-of-the-table scrap seen for a long time. But it's the timing of such a vital clash which must further trouble Shearer after the fixture was switched to a Saturday teatime kick-off to suit the paying TV audience. The delay will most certainly not please the former England captain, who continues to insist he'll return to TV punditry next season and allow full-time manager Joe Kinnear to resume the hot seat after a triple heart bypass.

World Soccer News for week of 04/06 Howling: could Wolves be German champions? It's been about 50 years since Wolverhampton last won an English championship, but another city named after the principal European predator, Wolfsburg of Germany, could celebrate the triumph in this season's Bundesliga. Once mediocre team from Lower Sachsony won their last eight games and climbed on top last Saturday after beating reigning champions Bayern by 5-1. The Brazilian Edinaldo Batista Libanio, better known as Grafite, scored as many goals in these eight games and 20 in the whole championship.