Poch ready to juggle Spurs’ player power October 1, 2014 SPURS boss Mauricio Pochettino admits he is mindful of the need to juggle his resources when Spurs host Turkish side Besiktas tonight as he bids to avoid the post-Europa League hangover which hindered the club’s prospects last season. Tottenham dropped 20 points from the 12 matches directly after Europa League ties during the previous campaign, [...]
Champions League: Gerrard accuses Reds of lacking bottle after tame Basel defeat October 1, 2014 FC BASEL 1 LIVERPOOL 0 BLUNT Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard accused his side of lacking the necessary fight and desire as their bid to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage stuttered against Swiss champions Basel last night. St Jakob Park has been a graveyard for English clubs in recent years as Manchester United, Spurs [...]
Record six-year Lancaster contract is entirely right, insist rugby chiefs October 1, 2014 ENGLAND rugby chiefs have defended the decision to hand head coach Stuart Lancaster and his staff bumper new contracts lasting for two World Cups and into the next decade. The deals until 2020 indicate that Lancaster and assistants Graham Rowntree, Mike Catt and Andy Farrell are likely to keep their jobs regardless of how England [...]
Rio’s blast at England policy October 1, 2014 FORMER England captain Rio Ferdinand has criticised national team bosses for treating players “like babies” at major international tournaments. QPR defender Ferdinand compares England’s policy unfavourably with that of Holland, whose players were allowed to go to bars during the World Cup in Brazil this summer, yet reached the semi-finals. “Our players are treated like [...]
Chelsea staying at Stamford Bridge has saved fans from an inexplicable sadness October 1, 2014 The increasing likelihood that Chelsea might remain at Stamford Bridge, the club's home since 1905, is wildly comforting to me as a supporter since the late sixties. When the club flirted with moving to Earls Court or Battersea Power station a couple of years ago, I allowed myself to see the reasoning behind it. [...]
Champions League: Mourinho backs Blues Euro bid after monster Matic seals win September 30, 2014 SPORTING LISBON 0 CHELSEA 1 CONFIDENT Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho insists his side’s Champions League fate rests in their own hands after the Blues seized control of Group G with a hard-earned victory against Sporting Lisbon last night. The visitors dominated for large parts of the game but were denied on numerous occasions by Sporting [...]
Champions League: Milner laments dropped points as City fail to fire in Europe again September 30, 2014 MANCHESTER CITY 1 AS ROMA 1 MANCHESTER City midfielder James Milner rued two points dropped after England’s champions were left fighting for their European survival by a hard-fought draw at home to Italy’s pace-setters Roma. City looked to have conjured the perfect response to defeat in their Champions League group opener at Bayern Munich when [...]
Wenger seeks winning formula as reign enters nineteenth year September 30, 2014 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has challenged his team to get their Champions League campaign back on track by rediscovering the winning habit at home to Galatasaray tonight. The Gunners lie bottom of Group D having lost their opening fixture at Borussia Dortmund – part of a stuttering start to the season in which they have [...]
Corbisiero out until next year September 30, 2014 ENGLAND coach Stuart Lancaster’s autumn international selection worries are mounting after Northampton Saints prop Alex Corbisiero was ruled out until next year with a shoulder injury. Lancaster is now set to be without four regular front-row forwards for the November schedule, having already lost Saracens’ Mako Vunipola and Leicester Tigers pair Tom Youngs and Dan [...]
Westwood has Ryder support September 30, 2014 FORMER captain Colin Montgomerie has thrown Lee Westwood’s name into the ring as a possible successor to Paul McGinley but only if the Englishman is ready to call time on his Ryder Cup playing career. Montgomerie skippered Europe to victory at Celtic Manor four years ago and will help select the next incumbent for Hazeltine [...]