Blatter wants winter Qatar October 26, 2014 FOOTBALL Association chairman Greg Dyke believes the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be held in the winter despite renewed speculation it could be staged in April or May. The influential European Club Association has mooted a late spring tournament as an alternative to summer or winter, but Dyke believes world football chief Sepp Blatter would [...]
Football Comment: Far too early for Chelsea to think of invincibility October 26, 2014 Chelsea looked really strong yesterday and, if everything goes their way, Jose Mourinho’s side should go on and win the title. But we all know the Premier League does not work that way. I don’t think rival managers would have been sitting at home hoping Chelsea didn’t win because a six-point gap at the summit [...]
Prater stars as Detroit complete remarkable Wembley comeback October 26, 2014 KICKER Matt Prater proved the star turn by hitting a 48-yard field goal in the dying seconds to complete a remarkable comeback for the Detroit Lions against Atlanta Falcons at Wembley yesterday. Quarterback Matt Ryan was the orchestrator in chief as Atlanta raced into a 21-0 lead at the break, with Devonta Freeman, Bear Pascoe [...]
O’Shea: Quins showed we can cope physically October 26, 2014 HARLEQUINS boss Conor O’Shea insists his players have proven they possess the credentials to nullify and overcome powerful opponents after dispatching London rivals Wasps 23-16 in the European Champions Cup at Adams Park yesterday. Quins lock Charlie Matthews crossed the line to cancel out scrum-half Joe Simpson’s solo try as the visitors edged the opening [...]
Murray reigns in Spain to boost O2 chances October 26, 2014 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray edged past Tommy Robredo in dramatic fashion to win the Valencia Open yesterday and take a mammoth step towards securing a place at next month’s ATP World Tour Finals in London. It was a case of history repeating itself as Murray saved five match points to claim the 31st title of his [...]
Olesen holds off Dubuisson rally as Drysdale snatches tour card October 26, 2014 DENMARK’S Thorbjorn Olesen survived a final-round wobble to win the Perth International yesterday and guarantee his place at the lucrative season-ended DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Olesen saw his three-shot overnight advantage trimmed to just one by Victor Dubuisson, but birdies at 13 and 15 restored his cushion and swept the 24-year-old to his [...]
England add to their squad October 26, 2014 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has added Exeter trio Dave Ewers, Henry Slade and Thomas Waldrom to his elite squad for the upcoming autumn internationals. In a total of nine players called up, Northampton duo Ben Foden and Alex Waller are included along with Bath pair Henry Thomas and Anthony Watson. Gloucester’s Matt Kvesic and [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 tickets: Missed out in the ballot? Tickets are still available online…for up to £1,1770 October 25, 2014 Thousands of rugby fans were delivered the disappointing news today that they have missed out on Rugby World Cup 2015 tickets. Fans who applied for tickets for the tournament in the September ballot today learned if they had got lucky amidst fervent demand. Five million applications were made for the 950,000 tickets that went [...]
Europa League: Spurs romp but Pochettino left with bitter taste October 23, 2014 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5 ASTERAS TRIPOLIS 1 DISPLEASED Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino admits he was riled by aspects of his side’s showing despite thrashing Greek minnows Asteras Tripolis at White Hart Lane last night. Homegrown striker Harry Kane notched his first career hat-trick before taking over in goal following Hugo Lloris’ dismissal and conceding the first [...]
Sport Comment: Hoddle blocked by familiar face October 23, 2014 LONDON’S football scene can be incestuous, rather like the Square Mile, where every leading financial operator is likely to know a very large percentage of his City peers. Football’s intertwined fraternity was nicely illustrated in recent weeks when Tim Sherwood has been firmly linked with Harry Redknapp’s job at Queens Park Rangers. Harry managed Tottenham [...]