Villas-Boas maintains his love of Lampard September 27, 2011 VALENCIA vs CHELSEA CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas has launched a passionate defence of Frank Lampard and hit out at suggestions the England stalwart is set for a reduced role at the club this season. The 33-year-old Lampard, who once set a record for consecutive Premier League appearances, has started three of Chelsea’s last four matches on [...]
Wenger won’t dwell on Van Persie contract September 27, 2011 ARSENAL vs OLYMPIACOS ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has attempted to calm fears that captain Robin van Persie could become the latest big name to flee Emirates Stadium. The Holland striker has been in the most prolific form of his career since January, scoring 26 times in his last 31 games for the Gunners. But he [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF September 27, 2011 Stricter whip-use rules backed HORSE RACING: Top jockeys have backed stricter rules on whips, which will limit them to seven uses in a flat race and eight per jump race. Flat star Frankie Dettori said the move, which comes into effect on 10 October, was “in the best interest of our great sport”, while champion [...]
England blow as Wilshere ruled out for five months September 26, 2011 ARSENAL and England have been rocked after midfielder Jack Wilshere was told his persistent ankle problems will keep him sidelined for most of the rest of the campaign. Wilshere, who broke down during pre-season and has not played since, underwent surgery on a stress fracture yesterday after attempts to let it heal naturally failed. The [...]
Lawes faces battle to win back England starting spot September 26, 2011 ENGLAND lock Courtney Lawes concedes he faces an uphill struggle to win back his starting place at the World Cup, with the team having gone from strength to strength in his absence. Lawes has missed the last two games, a flawed thrashing of Georgia followed by an impressive demolition of Romania, after being cited for [...]
Gatland reads the riot act to inspire Welsh landslide win September 26, 2011 WALES 81 vs NAMIBIA WALES coach Warren Gatland admits it took a half-time dressing down to inspire his team to their biggest ever World Cup victory yesterday against Pool D whipping boys Namibia. Gatland’s men looked on course for a huge score after claiming three tries inside the first 17 minutes – centre Scott Williams, [...]
Stuttering Sunderland downed by Lambert’s improving Canaries September 26, 2011 NORWICH 2 vs SUNDERLAND 1 NORWICH catapulted themselves into the top half of the Premier League table following their first home win of the season at the expense of Sunderland. Centre-back Leon Barnett put the Canaries ahead in front in the 31st minute after winger Elliott Bennett cut into the penalty area and delivered low [...]
Euro aristocrats Bayern hold no fear for Mancini and Man City September 26, 2011 BAYERN MUNICH vs MANCHESTER CITY MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini has reiterated his belief that the Premier League upstarts can ignite their maiden Champions League campaign with victory at one of Europe’s traditional superpowers. Mancini joked in the aftermath of the 1-1 draw at home to Napoli – City’s opening Group A fixture – that [...]
Haas escape was the shot of the century September 26, 2011 BILL HAAS will have woken up yesterday morning not only significantly wealthier, but also in the knowledge that when people debate the greatest shot of all time, his recovery on the second play-off hole at the Tour Championship will always be mentioned. SHOT OF THE CENTURY The staggering $11.5m prize on offer to the victor only added to the [...]
Team Sky’s the limit for world champion Cavendish, insists GB colleague Thomas September 26, 2011 SPRINT sensation Mark Cavendish may well have secured an anticipated move to Team Sky after his World Championship heroics in Copenhagen, according to his Great Britain team-mate Geraint Thomas. The Isle of Man speedster has yet to announce which colours he will ride in next season, with his current team HTC-Highroad set to disband. Thomas [...]