The striker’s club Internazionale had previously been told that Ronaldo would need a maximum of three months to recover but the club’s chairman Massimo

The striker’s clu,b Internazionale, had previously been told that Ronaldo would need a maximum of three months to recover, but the club’s chairman, Massimo Moratti, has now said he would not be rushed back into action.
“As soon as I speak to him I will tell him not to hurry things and just to concentrate on the best possible recovery,” Moratti said, adding that there is no dispute over the amount of time Ronaldo was expected be out.”I think it is not only prudent but intelligent to give the maximum amount of time necessary for recovery,” he added. “It’s an important game for us, but this is an important season. When things settle down and stabilise, we’ll get the job done,” he said.The Walsall manager, Ray Graydon, insists his side’s cup run has already begun – a full week before the FA Cup third-round tie with Gillingham. The Saddlers visit bottom club Swindon Town knowing that defeat could leave them at the foot of the table.

“We won’t treat Swindon any differently to the top teams because these are all important games now,” Graydon said. “We know this is going to be another tough game for us because Barnsley are just four points behind us and have an excellent home record.”The Queen’s Park Rangers assistant manager, Iain Dowie, admits that he can only look on with envy at today’s hosts, Huddersfield Town, who are second.”Steve Bruce has put together a good side at Huddersfield and brought in some decent players,” Dowie said. Both sets of fans have had to withstand financial crises as their respective teams’ form has slumped, and the Blades have turned to Neil Warnock to change the fortunes at the South Yorkshire club.However, the Portsmouth manager, Alan Ball, believes that his ship has, at last, stopped leaking. “It must be nice to have that kind of money to spend.”The Birmingham City manager, Trevor Francis, has praised the club’s supporters for their “understanding” in the wake of the crippling injury crisis at St Andrew’s. The Blues have 11 players on the treatment table ahead of their game at Fulham but Francis is delighted with the encouragement the team have received.”I feel at the moment we’re in a holding position,” said Francis, whose side would move ahead of the sixth-placed Londoners with a victory today. “Seven attackers are missing but we’ll keep going and see where we go.”Sheffield United and Ports-mouth will share more than just the pitch in their relegation battle at Bramall Lane. The Addicks travel to their fellow promotion hopefuls Barnsley today after allowing a two-goal lead to slip against Port Vale which was followed by a midweek home defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
“After Tuesday’s defeat we spoke to the players and said it was up to them to prove they could bounce back from this,” Curbishley, Charlton’s manager, said.

Substitutes not used: Stowell (gk), Robinson, Sedgley.Manchester City (4-4-2): Weaver; Edghill, Wiekens, Jobson, Granville (Pollock, 56); Whitley (Tiatto, 56), Horlock, Bishop, Kennedy; R Taylor, Goater. Substitutes not used: Wright (gk), Crooks, G Taylor.Referee: S Bennett (Orpington).. ALAN CURBISHLEY is determined that the same rot which dented Charlton’s Premiership adventure last year will not set in as he attempts to arrest his club’s recent slip which has yielded just one point from two games. Simon Osborn released Darren Bazeley on the right and Kevin Muscat arrived virtually unattended at the near post to score with relative ease to leave City heads drooping and manager Joe Royle looking bemused.Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-4-2): Oakes; Muscat, Pollet, Curle, Naylor; Bazeley, Emblen, Osborn, Sinton (S Taylor, 90); Akinbiyi, Branch (Corica, 85). Andy Sinton provided the creative input, swapping passes with Akinbiyi to work the ball across from the left. Branch took over as City failed to clear, tucking an angled shot out of Weaver’s reach from 15 yards.City hauled themselves back into contention when Shaun Goater slid into the six-yard box to convert Mark Kennedy’s low cross but Wolves confirmed their early supremacy when Branch added his second four minutes before half-time, squeezing between two City defenders to turn home Akinbiyi’s return pass from the right at the near post.With Kennedy posing a repeated threat along the left, one sensed City might yet mount a recovery but their chance was dealt a terminal blow when, having conceded three for the first time this season, they let in a fourth on 68 minutes. The goalkeeper pushed Neil Emblen’s powerful header against the bar but when it came down it spun kindly for Akinbiyi, who stooped to head home his ninth goal in 16 matches since his transfer from Bristol City.Taylor, the burly former Gillingham striker making his City debut, hit back by rattling Michael Oakes’ woodwork with a snap shot but Wolves had their tails up and the 19th minute saw Branch open his account.