Niven can prove he’s one Clever Cookie by landing the Ebor August 21, 2014 THE final day of York’s Ebor meeting features the richest handicap in Europe and the festival’s punting highlight, the Betfred Ebor (3:50pm). Such a prize always draws a high-class field, to the extent that the race has even come to be considered a trial for the Melbourne Cup. A trainer vying to win this lucrative [...]
Spurs target a Champions League place via back door August 20, 2014 TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino is focused on the bigger picture as Spurs take their first step towards securing Europa League football this season with a first-leg qualifier against AEL in Cyprus tonight. Pochettino dismissed the Europa League as an unattractive competition while in the Southampton hotseat but has changed his tune now a rule change [...]
Ban upheld but Barca can carry on splashing out August 20, 2014 BARCELONA could yet embark on another spending spree before next month’s deadline despite having their appeal against a year-long transfer embargo upheld yesterday. The Spanish club failed in a bid to overturn a ban on all player trading for two transfer windows, originally imposed in April by world governing body Fifa for breaking rules on [...]
Palace disarray deepens as Mackay talks stall August 20, 2014 CARETAKER manager Keith Millen looks increasingly likely to take charge of Crystal Palace’s Premier League match with West Ham on Saturday after negotiations with leading candidate Malky Mackay stalled yesterday. The former Cardiff City boss had seemed in pole position to succeed Tony Pulis in the Selhurst Park hotseat but doubts have emerged about whether [...]
Time for Murray to step up, says McEnroe, as Mauresmo partnership faces test at US Open August 20, 2014 FORMER world No1 John McEnroe believes next week’s US Open will provide a telling indication of the progress Britain’s Andy Murray has made under new coach Amelie Mauresmo. Murray has not reached a final in 16 tournaments since winning Wimbledon last year, during which time he has had surgery on a back injury and, in [...]
Return of our Germans will be just the Teutonic, says Wilshere August 20, 2014 ARSENAL midfielder Jack Wilshere expects the imminent return of the club’s World Cup-winning Germany stars to boost the Gunners as they approach a testing spell. Playmaker Mesut Ozil, vice-captain Per Mertesacker and forward Lukas Podolski are all set to be named in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Everton, having been given an extended holiday [...]
All the attributes: Harry backs new boy Fer to have big season August 20, 2014 QPR boss Harry Redknapp believes new recruit Leroy Fer ticks plenty of boxes after the former Norwich City midfielder put pen to paper yesterday and moved to Loftus Road for a fee said to be £8m. The 24-year-old, who scored for Holland during their group stage victory over Chile at the World Cup in Brazil, [...]
Celtic boosted by away goal August 20, 2014 CELTIC are in pole position to qualify for the Champions League group stages for the third consecutive season after Callum McGregor scored the all-important away goal as the Bhoys drew 1-1 with Slovenian side NK Maribor last night. McGregor scored his third goal of the qualifying campaign to fire the visitors into a sixth minute [...]
Cricket Comment: India shake-up is no surprise as one-day series England’s to lose August 20, 2014 IN ALL sport winning is a habit and, though the personnel will be slightly different, the emphatic manner in which England won the Test series means it will be extremely hard for India to reverse that trend in the one-day series, which starts on Monday. England must be cock-a-hoop at the 3-1 Test series victory, [...]
Australia shows grit and grace to land lucrative Juddmonte at York August 20, 2014 AUSTRALIA is likely to be aimed at next month’s Irish Champion Stakes after the dual Derby winner underlined his class by claiming the Juddmonte International Stakes at York yesterday. The odds-on favourite was made to work under jockey Joseph O’Brien on this drop back to 10 furlongs, but finished strongly to beat The Grey Gatsby [...]