United poised to push summer spending to £140m with Di Maria August 25, 2014 MANCHESTER UNITED were last night attempting to finalise the British record signing of Argentina winger Angel di Maria in a deal that would take the club’s summer spending close to the £140m mark. The Old Trafford side are believed to have agreed a fee of £59.7m with European champions Real Madrid, with United keen to [...]
Murray battles cramp to rescue US Open win August 25, 2014 GRITTY Andy Murray admits he was unsure whether the best strategy was to stick or twist after being engulfed by cramp, but powered through to beat Holland’s Robin Haase and avoid a shock first-round exit at the US Open at Flushing Meadows yesterday. The Briton is seeded eighth this year, which represents his lowest ranking [...]
Troubled Woods parts ways with Rose coach Foley August 25, 2014 FORMER world No1 Tiger Woods insists he is in no hurry to find a new coach after bringing to an end his four-year partnership with Canadian Sean Foley yesterday. Woods enjoyed a return to form under the tutelage of Foley, who also coaches England’s Justin Rose, winning eight titles and resuming his place at the [...]
Golf Comment: Ryder Cup hope Gallacher must copy Donaldson August 25, 2014 IF STEPHEN Gallacher needs any further inspiration in his last-ditch attempt to qualify for a first Ryder Cup then he need look no further than fellow Briton Jamie Donaldson. Last week I mentioned that Donaldson was at risk of being pipped to a place on the European team due to his absence from the FedEx [...]
Swann slams England’s World Cup chances August 25, 2014 FORMER spinner Graeme Swann is adamant England have no chance of lifting next year’s World Cup and insists there needs to be a cull of players scarred by the negativity of previous regimes. England’s one-day international against India at Bristol yesterday was washed out, with the second game in the five-match series taking place at [...]
Rosberg hits back at Lewis August 25, 2014 FORMULA One drivers’ championship leader Nico Rosberg has denied Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s claim that the German admitted to causing a crash with the Briton at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday. “I’ve been told what Lewis said in the press,” said Rosberg, who leads Hamilton by 29 points. “All I can say is that [...]
Reds roll the dice in £16m Balotelli bid August 21, 2014 LIVERPOOL could hand Mario Balotelli a debut in Monday’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash against former club Manchester City after closing in on a £16m deal for the controversial AC Milan star yesterday. Balotelli is expected to sign a contract worth around £90,000 per week at Anfield, where it is hoped the Italy striker will ease [...]
Don’t write off my Test career yet, warns Prior August 21, 2014 FORGOTTEN man Matt Prior is refusing to bow out of the international picture and intends to fight for the billing of England’s No1 wicketkeeper with highly-rated newcomer Jos Buttler. The Sussex man faces surgery next month on an achilles injury which forced his withdrawal from the series with India after England’s 95-run defeat at Lord’s [...]
Donaldson eyes Ryder Cup spot August 21, 2014 WELSHMAN Jamie Donaldson moved closer to sealing a European Ryder Cup place after posting a first round 66 to hold a one-shot lead in the Czech Masters yesterday. The 38-year-old holds the eighth of nine automatic places for Gleneagles due to his world points list position although victory in Prague would see him qualify via [...]
Europa League: Lamela spark sees Tottenham secure Europa advantage August 21, 2014 AEL 1 TOTTENHAM 2 TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino praised the impact of his super subs as Spurs overturned a half-time deficit to secure a narrow first-leg lead in their Europa League qualifier against AEL last night. England Under-21 forward Harry Kane netted the winner with 10 minutes remaining after Spanish striker Roberto Soldado cancelled out [...]