Football betting: Portugal to win with Ronaldo and Lewandowski poles apart June 29, 2016 Euro 2016’s first quarter-final takes place in Marseille on Thursday as Poland take on Portugal. Both sides have flattered to deceive so far in France, but one of them will be lining up as semi-finalists in a few days’ time. Portugal, spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo, are yet to actually win a game in normal time at the [...]
“Golfers dream of Green Jackets and Claret Jugs – not Olympics”: Rory McIlroy defends Rio withdrawals June 29, 2016 World No4 Rory McIlroy has conceded that the insufficient allure of a gold medal played a part in his decision to withdraw from contention for this summer’s crisis-hit Olympics in Rio. McIlroy cited concerns over the Zika virus when he announced last week that he would not, as previously indicated, be representing Ireland at the Games [...]
“Why would anybody want it?”: Chairman Greg Dyke admits FA faces battle to attract top managers June 29, 2016 Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has admitted the organisation faces a battle to convince top managers to take the England job. The FA has begun the search for a replacement for Roy Hodgson, whose underwhelming four-year tenure was brought to an abrupt end by Monday’s humiliating Euro 2016 elimination by Iceland. England Under-21 boss Gareth [...]
We beat you before and we’re even better now, Gareth Bale tells Wales’s Euro 2016 opponents Belgium June 29, 2016 Talisman Gareth Bale has warned Belgium that Wales have evolved into an even better team than the one that beat the feted Red Devils during qualifying for Euro 2016. The teams meet in Friday’s quarter-final in Lille, a rematch of last June’s fixture at Cardiff City Stadium, in which Bale’s 25th-minute goal sank Belgium and [...]
Arsene Wenger is a genius but is not the man England need to end decades of underachievement June 29, 2016 It's tempting to believe that Arsene Wenger – one of the most sophisticated minds to shape the English game over the last two decades and a man on the Football Association's shortlist to succeed Roy Hodgson – could be the right man to rescue the national team. After all, the Frenchman is synonymous with the attacking flair that England [...]
Britain’s Andy Murray urges world No772 to relish Centre Court showdown with Roger Federer June 28, 2016 Former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has urged British wildcard and world No772 Marcus Willis to relish his showdown with seven-time tournament winner Roger Federer on Centre Court on Wednesday. Willis shot to prominence on the opening day of the championships when he stunned world No54 Ricardas Berankis, beating the Lithuanian in straight sets, having already navigated [...]
Euro 2016: Wales forced to defend leaked video of celebrations as England crash out of tournament June 28, 2016 Full-back Chris Gunter insists the Wales camp harbour no regrets over footage which captured members of their squad exuberantly celebrating as England were dumped out of Euro 2016. A video of Wales players and staff cheering and hugging after England slumped to a 2-1 defeat against European minnows Iceland in Nice on Monday was leaked [...]
I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue: Roy Hodgson baffled by need to explain England’s Euro 2016 fiasco as FA chief Martin Glenn admits: “I’m no football expert” June 28, 2016 England's Euro 2016 humiliation took another farcical turn on Tuesday when departing manager Roy Hodgson insisted he did not need to explain the team’s failure and the man tasked with hiring his replacement admitted: “I am not a football expert.” Less than 24 hours after tendering his resignation in the wake of a 2-1 defeat to [...]
FA must hire an Englishman who believes in a style of play, has credibility and can handle the job – and my choice would be Glenn Hoddle June 28, 2016 It's hard not to think that Roy Hodgson paid the price for trying to be too clever with his tactics at Euro 2016, for flitting between 4-3-3 and a diamond formation when he didn’t have the right players. What the Football Association must look for as it begins the process of searching for Hodgson’s successor [...]
England blasted as “catastrophic” and “stupid” by European press keen on Brexit jokes following Iceland loss June 28, 2016 England's players were likely relieved to have been out of the country yesterday and away from the English media's glare following their humiliation at the hands of Iceland. Not that the press in France or anywhere else were any less scathing of a dismal performance which saw England booted out of the European Championships by the [...]