Pietersen could earn recall for India Test tour September 12, 2012 BATSMAN Kevin Pietersen is being considered for an England recall and could yet be selected for the autumn tour of India after the squad’s original announcement was delayed until Tuesday. England’s tour party was scheduled to be revealed today but the England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that it has been deliberately delayed so [...]
The poor Ukraine result is down to the same old problems September 12, 2012 I WAS at Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier between England and Ukraine, and I have to say that I thought it was a very disappointing result. England were very poor as a team. They couldn’t dominate the game for any great length of time. There was no build up of pressure. Ukraine looked very comfortable, and [...]
Cavendish takes the tour of Britain lead September 12, 2012 BRITAIN’S Mark Cavendish yesterday took the overall lead of the Tour of Britain by winning the race’s fourth stage for his second successive victory. The Team Sky rider said: “I’m really happy to have gone into the lead, and although I can’t see myself keeping the jersey, we’d like to keep it in the team.” [...]
Terry and Cole return to training September 12, 2012 ■ FOOTBALL: Chelsea defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole have returned to light training ahead of the club’s Premier League fixture against QPR on Saturday. If selected, Terry could face Anton Ferdinand for the first time since being cleared of racially abusing him in a court case this summer.
England to face Ireland and Brazil September 12, 2012 ■ FOOTBALL: England are to face Brazil and Republic of Ireland in friendlies at Wembley, on 6 February and 29 May respectively. The first is part of the Football Association’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
BT adds rugby to its TV offering September 12, 2012 BT has secured a £152m deal for the rights to show Premiership rugby union matches on its TV service, in the latest aggressive move from the company after its shock grab of Premier League football rights. The four-year contract, which allows BT to show 69 live games a year from the start of the 2013-14 [...]
Hodgson happy with deserved point for 10 man England September 11, 2012 AT WEMBLEY STADIUM ENGLAND 1 vs UKRAINE 1 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson insisted a draw was the least his 10 men deserved after Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard’s late penalty spared the home side’s blushes and maintained their unbeaten start to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Yevhen Konoplianka’s extraordinary first-half strike looked set to hand [...]
Clubs rapped as Financial Fair play rules bite September 11, 2012 EUROPEAN football’s regulatory chief has painted a bleak picture of clubs’ response to new Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules after 23 teams became the first to be punished under the scheme. Atletico Madrid, who last month beat Chelsea to win the European Super Cup, and Sporting Lisbon were among those to have prize money withheld [...]
How they rated England September 11, 2012 Glen Johnson 5 A threat going forward but otherwise sloppy, particularly when passing Leighton Baines 6 Made one great clearance to deny Ukraine and was tidy, but hardly impressive Steven Gerrard 6 Passed well and made a vital clearance but ruined it with his deserved dismissal Jermain Defoe Unlucky to have what looked a good [...]
Oman fall for Ireland Trap September 11, 2012 REPUBLIC of Ireland last night defeated Oman 4-1 in a friendly on an otherwise unsuccessful evening for the Home Nations. Goals from Shane Long, debutant Robbie Brady, Kevin Doyle and Alex Pearce secured victory for Giovanni Trapattoni’s experimental line up but for every way in which their fixture was a success, for Wales the evening [...]