Captain Cook desperate to banish woes April 20, 2015 ENGLAND skipper Alastair Cook insists he is “desperate” to stoke his side’s bid for batting dominance despite his barren spell overshadowing preparations for the second Test against the West Indies, which starts in Grenada today. Cook mustered scores of just 11 and 13 in the attritional and drawn series opener at the Sir Vivian Richards [...]
Chelsea facing striker crisis for Arsenal fixture April 20, 2015 CHELSEA could be without any of their senior centre-forwards for Sunday’s Premier League summit clash at Arsenal after Didier Drogba became their latest injury victim. Veteran Drogba, who has led the line in the last two Blues games while Diego Costa and Loic Remy have been sidelined, withdrew from a planned appearance in a charity [...]
Guardiola cool on City move as Bayern teeter on Euro precipice April 20, 2015 BAYERN Munich manager Pep Guardiola has rejected talk of taking charge at Manchester City next season but admits his position will be under threat if he fails to engineer a Champions League recovery tonight. Guardiola is believed to be the long-term target of City’s hierarchy, which includes two directors who worked alongside him at Barcelona, [...]
Depay to cost United £15m+ April 20, 2015 Holland World Cup star Memphis Depay could be set to join former mentor Louis van Gaal at Manchester United after PSV Eindhoven revealed the Premier League club have enquired about the young forward. PSV technical director Marcel Brands said United had phoned the Dutch champions about former Tottenham target Depay, who has scored 20 goals [...]
Golf Comment: Plenty years left in Gentleman Jim April 20, 2015 NOBODY was happier than me to see the evergreen Jim Furyk triumph at the RBC Heritage on Sunday, ending the American’s five-year wait for a 17th tournament win on the PGA Tour. I’ve come across him many times in my career and played against him in the Ryder Cup and can attest that there isn’t [...]
Rugby and cricket in mourning as tragedy strikes at club level April 20, 2015 AUSTRALIAN rugby union is in shock after a 25-year-old club player died from head injuries suffered when making a tackle. Nick Tooth, who was playing at fly-half for New South Wales outfit Quirindi Lions against Narrabri Blue Boars on Saturday, struck his head on an opponent’s shoulder. He was treated on the pitch and then [...]
Qatar to host fans on cruise ships during 2022 World Cup to satisfy Fifa’s hotel demand April 20, 2015 Qatar may be forced into accommodating football fans at the World Cup on cruise ships in order to meet the hotel room demand. The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) announced this weekend at a cruise shipping convention that it would be contracting rooms from liners during the World Cup period as a "means of additional accommodation". [...]
Giles Morgan on how sport’s dynamic blaze of colour can bring a bank’s values to life April 19, 2015 HSBC’s Global Head of Sponsorship and Events tackles his firm’s support for rugby, right down to the grassroots level. Giles Morgan is not your average spokesman for a major sporting sponsor. He’s knowledgeable, forthright, and is more than happy to put a few noses out of joint if he doesn’t like what he sees going [...]
FA Cup: Vibrant Villa end Gerrard final dream April 19, 2015 AT WEMBLEY STADIUM ASTON VILLA 2 LIVERPOOL 1 ASTON Villa manager Tim Sherwood insisted his tactics had “bamboozled” Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers after guiding his side to a first FA Cup final since 2000 with victory over the Reds at Wembley yesterday. Sherwood has rejuvenated Villa during his 10 matches in charge and also invigorated [...]
Premier League: Kane told to buy team-mates dinner after landmark 30th goal April 19, 2015 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3 TOTTENHAM manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed striker Harry Kane after the England newcomer yesterday became the first Spurs player to score 30 goals in a season since Gary Lineker in 1992. Kane’s late clincher saw off Newcastle, after Nacer Chadli’s opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Jack Colback, [...]