Ashes hero prior retires from all cricket June 11, 2015 TRIPLE Ashes winner Matt Prior yesterday retired from all forms of cricket after failing to overcome a recurring Achilles tendon injury. The 33-year-old played the last of his 79 Test matches against India at Lord’s in July 2014. Prior retires with a Test batting average of 40.18 – the fourth highest of any wicketkeeper who [...]
Slaven Bilic looks a good West Ham hire but I have doubts over Steve McClaren at Newcastle June 11, 2015 Appointing a new manager is a gamble, and West Ham and Newcastle became the latest Premier League clubs to roll the dice when they respectively hired Slaven Bilic and Steve McClaren this week. In the case of Bilic, he is well travelled, experienced and, as a former Hammers player, familiar with both the club [...]
Classy Queen’s Club set for landmark year… and an invasion of false onions June 11, 2015 West London venue has never been so prominent but has retained its charm THE SERENE surrounds of Queen’s Club are well acquainted with briefly assuming centre stage to usher in the British grass-court summer, but this time around the historic establishment is preparing itself for a prolonged and more intense spell in the spotlight. This [...]
Rangers fans call for boycott as Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct wins EGM injunction June 11, 2015 A Rangers fans' group has called for a merchandise boycott after Mike Ashley won an injunction preventing the club's board from revealing confidential information about its retail deal with Sports Direct. Rangers shareholders will meet at Ibrox tomorrow after Ashley called an extraordinary general meeting to demand the repayment of a £5m loan. At the [...]
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney named Europe’s second most marketable footballer after Cristiano Ronaldo June 11, 2015 Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Europe's most marketable footballer in a new study measuring players' reputation across the globe – with Wayne Rooney following relatively close behind. The Real Madrid star, who will earn $27m from endorsements this year according to Forbes, enjoys fame and acclaim around the world encouraging sponsors to attach his famous [...]
Newcastle to pay McClaren trophy bonus June 10, 2015 FORMER England manager Steve McClaren stands to pocket a significant bonus if he ends Newcastle’s 46–year wait for a major trophy, Magpies managing director Lee Charnley has revealed. McClaren completed a return to the Premier League yesterday by signing a three-year contract and, in an unusual move, taking up a seat on the board at [...]
Messi facing day in court on £3m tax bill charge June 10, 2015 BARCELONA superstar Lionel Messi is on course to stand trial in Spain over allegations that he avoided paying €4.2m (£3m) in tax on a string of lucrative endorsements. Messi, 27, and his father Jorge are accused of using companies registered in Belize and Uruguay to circumvent tax on image rights earnings between 2006 and 2009. [...]
Midfielder Obiang becomes first signing for West Ham under Bilic June 10, 2015 WEST Ham have followed up the appointment of Slaven Bilic as manager with their first major signing of the summer, luring Spain Under-21 midfielder Pedro Obiang to Upton Park from Sampdoria. Tough-tackling Obiang, 23, came through Atletico Madrid’s youth system but left for Italy aged 16 and established himself in the first team at the [...]
Cricket Comment: England success heralds new dawn for ODI cricket June 10, 2015 IT MAY only have been one match but I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that a new dawn may have broken in limited-overs cricket, given what we witnessed in England’s record-breaking 210-run victory over New Zealand at Edgbaston on Tuesday. I have seen players perform for their counties in domestic cricket over [...]
WIlkinson gives Toulouse switch advice to Tuilagi June 10, 2015 RUGBY World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson has urged England centre Manu Tuilagi to put his happiness first when considering a possible big-money move to Toulouse. England’s insistence on selecting only home-based players would ordinarily preclude Tuilagi from a lucrative transfer to France but his six-month international ban, following a conviction for assault, has encouraged the [...]