Lancaster set to hand Armitage World Cup blow May 19, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster is set to resist calls to break the Rugby Football Union’s stance on only selecting home-based players and omit Toulon powerhouse Steffon Armitage from his World Cup training squad. Lancaster will today name a provisional 50-strong brigade for training camps in Surrey and Colorado this summer, before whittling the number [...]
Ferdinand: Top-flight return is not priority May 19, 2015 QUEENS Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand has told Chris Ramsey to prioritise re-establishing club traditions over an immediate return to the Premier League after yesterday being handed the manager’s job on a permanent basis. Ramsey has signed a three-year contract having been in temporary charge since February after Harry Redknapp resigned, citing imminent [...]
FFP easing driven by Euro fears May 19, 2015 MOVES to relax controversial financial fair play rules (FFP) have been driven by pressure from European clubs fearful that English teams have become too strong, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Premier League sides account for 20 of the world’s 40 richest outfits, say Deloitte, and a bumper new £5bn television contract set to start [...]
Advocaat ready to pick Johnson for Arsenal visit May 19, 2015 SUNDERLAND manager Dick Advocaat is considering selecting Adam Johnson for tonight’s Premier League fixture at Arsenal, just 48 hours after the winger appeared in court to face child sex charges. The Black Cats need just one draw from their remaining two games to avoid relegation, while a point would also be enough for their hosts [...]
McIlroy wants at least one more Major this year May 19, 2015 WORLD No1 Rory McIlroy has targeted adding at least one more Major to his burgeoning collection of titles this year. McIlroy tees off at Wentworth tomorrow with a rare double in his sights: back-to-back wins at the BMW PGA Championship, and a second title in as many weeks, having won the Wells Fargo Championship in [...]
Ennis-Hill to compete in her first heptathlon since Olympic gold May 19, 2015 OLYMPIC champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has confirmed that she will compete in her first heptathlon since winning gold at London 2012 in Gotzis at the end of the month. The 29-year-old made her return to athletics in the last few weeks following a two-year absence due to the birth of her first child, but an achilles [...]
As the Bank of England calls for ideas, these are the artists who could feature on the new £20 note (spoiler: it’s unlikely to be a woman) May 19, 2015 The Bank of England today put out a call for ideas as to who could feature on its next £20 note. The Bank said the note will "celebrate Britain's achievements in the visual arts" – and asked for the public's ideas as to who should feature. Mark Carney, the Bank's governor, said the note could [...]
Uefa FFP rules: Why Arsenal and Liverpool are “losers” while Manchester City and Chelsea are “winners” of proposed reforms May 19, 2015 "I think we’ll ease things", said Uefa president Michel Platini on the governing body's notorious financial fair play (FFP) rules yesterday. With Uefa's executive committee set to meet this June, insiders suggest FFP rules are about to be altered to allow clubs to make bigger losses in the pursuit of success. What would such measures [...]
Adam Smith to be replaced by artist on £20 note May 19, 2015 Economist Adam Smith will be replaced by a historic figure from the visual arts on the new £20 note to be released next year. The Bank of England (BoE) will invite the public to nominate candidates on who should adorn the new bank note, via its website until the deadline of 19 July. In particular, [...]
Chelsea and Manchester City set to be unshackled by FFP as Uefa relaxes rules May 18, 2015 Chelsea and Manchester City could be given licence to return to free-spending ways this summer after European chiefs indicated they are ready to relax controversial financial fair play (FFP) rules. Michel Platini, the president of governing body Uefa and a driving force behind FFP, said yesterday that he expected the regulations, which have been [...]