England vow to protect stars after Morgan caught in blackmail row January 22, 2015 CRICKET chiefs have vowed to prevent England’s World Cup bid being blown off course by external factors after one-day skipper Eoin Morgan was yesterday the subject of an alleged extortion plot. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) say they were contacted by an Australian man, the boyfriend of a woman Morgan had a brief [...]
Juventus Mutu appeal victory to leave Chelsea £15m out of pocket January 22, 2015 CHELSEA are set to suffer a hit in excess of £15m after Juventus successfully appealed a ruling ordering the Italian club to pay the sum to the Blues over the signing of Adrian Mutu 10 years ago. World governing body Fifa decreed in November 2013 that Juventus and Livorno were jointly liable to pay the [...]
Sport Comment: Van Gaal system is nothing new but needs refinement January 22, 2015 THERE are lies, damned lies and statistics, so the saying goes. And while British sport is not as consumed by stats as our Stateside cousins, the numbers game is catching on fast. Football formations are not stats in themselves, but are becoming an important part of the game’s currency. This season, more than ever, there [...]
Crystal Palace close in on Lee Chung-yong transfer January 22, 2015 CRYSTAL Palace boss Alan Pardew is set to bolster his squad with the signing of Bolton winger Lee Chung-yong, with the two clubs close to agreeing a fee for the South Korean. The 26-year-old, who has played nearly 200 games for the Championship side since joining from FC Seoul in 2009, is out of contract [...]
One out, one stays at Spurs as Kyle Naughton seals Swansea transfer January 22, 2015 FORMER Tottenham full-back Kyle Naughton admitted a desire to secure first-team football underpinned his departure from White Hart Lane after yesterday completing a move to fellow Premier League side Swansea City. The 26-year-old former Sheffield United defender has signed a three-and-a-half year contract at the Liberty Stadium after an undisclosed fee, believed to be in [...]
Top seeds make Australian Open progress as title bids gather pace January 22, 2015 WORLD No1 Novak Djokovic’s quest for a fifth Australian Open title remains on course after dismantling Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov in the second round at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne yesterday. Djokovic showed few signs of the virus which has hampered him in recent weeks and secured a straight-sets 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory in just [...]
Smad Place to put down serious Gold Cup marker January 22, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE BEST OF THE WEEKEND RACING CHELTENHAM hosts Festival Trials Day tomorrow and the ante-post markets are certain to be in for a shake-up. The highlight of a strong card is the BetBright Cup Chase (1.50pm) and, despite a field of eight, it actually looks like a decent running of this Gold [...]
Road to Cheltenham January 22, 2015 PAUL Nicholls is having another excellent season and as long as Nicky Henderson doesn’t have eight Cheltenham winners, and then follows up in the Grand National, the master of Ditcheat is virtually guaranteed a ninth trainer’s championship in the past 10 years. But a notable sub-plot to this year’s jumps campaign has been the continued [...]
United look set for safe passage into round five January 22, 2015 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS THE PICK OF THIS WEEKEND’S FA CUP ACTION NEWS of Cambridge United fans camping out to buy tickets for their team’s plum tie against Manchester United shows the magic of the FA Cup is still alive and well – but their chances of witnessing a fairlytale tonight are remote. The U’s can [...]
Bournemouth can pile the misery on Paul Lambert’s Villa January 22, 2015 FOR A team that only secured their Football League status back in the 2008/2009 season with a late winner on the final day of the campaign, Bournemouth’s meteoric rise to the top of the Championship has been a brilliant advertisement of the club’s management. The Cherries have played extraordinary football at times this season, smashing [...]