Rooney tipped to lead England at Euro 2016 February 23, 2014 ENGLAND boss Roy Hodgson declared himself happy with a kind draw for the 2016 European Championship yesterday, and revealed that striker Wayne Rooney could lead the side into the finals in France. The draw will see Hodgson return to Switzerland, where he was manager of the international team between 1992 and 1995, as well as [...]
Admiring Wenger confirms new contract for evergreen Rosicky February 23, 2014 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has hailed the influence of Tomas Rosicky and revealed that the Czech playmaker has agreed a contract extension. Rosicky, 33, scored his third goal of the season as the Gunners recovered from a midweek European defeat with a 4-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday. It prompted Wenger to compare Rosicky to [...]
Sport Comment: Glorious, random and a breath of fresh air February 23, 2014 EVEN if your diet consists solely of the best caviar, after a while you crave a burger. If your sporting interests revolve only around Wenger and Mourinho, or England against Ireland, occasionally you need to savour something less mainstream and more esoteric. That has been the Sochi Olympics. If you missed them, you missed out. [...]
Star coach Kirsten won’t be replacing Flower February 23, 2014 WORLD Cup winning coach Gary Kirsten has ruled himself out of the running to be England’s next cricket boss, saying yesterday that the demands of the job would be impossible due to commitments to his young family. Kirsten, whose fellow South African Andy Flower stepped down from England’s top job following the whitewash Ashes defeat [...]
Premier League: Pardew admits fearing for his job before last-minute winner February 23, 2014 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 vs ASTON VILLA 0 RELIEVED Newcastle boss Alan Pardew admitted to fearing for his job until striker Loic Remy marked his return to the side with a 90th-minute winner against Aston Villa yesterday. Victory eased the pressure on Pardew, whose job had come under increasing scrutiny following a run of four home [...]
Premier League: Rodgers: I don’t want us to grind out boring wins February 23, 2014 LIVERPOOL 4 vs SWANSEA CITY 3 LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers insists he will stick with his swashbuckling approach to football, despite coming close to dropping points during yesterday’s seven-goal thriller at Anfield. A set of braces from Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson mean Liverpool are the top scorers in the Premier League, yet the Reds [...]
McCall: Tomkins can inspire Sarries to Premiership crown February 23, 2014 SARACENS director of rugby Mark McCall believes fit again Joel Tomkins will be crucial to his side’s Aviva Premiership run-in, after his starring role in yesterday’s 23-10 win over Exeter Chiefs. Centre Tomkins made his first start since picking up a knee injury on England duty in the autumn as Sarries celebrated Allianz Park’s one-year [...]
Sprinter Sacre’s season is over February 23, 2014 REIGNING Champion Chase holder Sprinter Sacre will not race at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, his trainer revealed last night. The eight-year-old was the hot favourite to win the race again this year, but has been withdrawn due to fears over an irregular heartbeat. “It’s terribly disappointing but it’s the right thing to do,” said trainer [...]
Thieves hit Sky yet Froome wins February 23, 2014 CYCLING: British rider Chris Froome retained his Tour of Oman title yesterday, with a winning margin of 26 seconds. The reigning Tour de France champion won Saturday’s penultimate stage, despite Team Sky having 16 of their 18 bikes stolen hours beforehand.
Nadal claims 43rd clay title in Rio February 23, 2014 TENNIS: World No1 Rafael Nadal beat Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov in two sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), to win the Rio Open last night, just four weeks after the Spaniard lost the Australian Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka.