Murray set to miss O2 finale with back op to end season September 19, 2013 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray is almost certain to miss November’s ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 after accepting he needs surgery to overcome a long-standing back problem. Murray, who looked troubled by the ailment during his unsuccessful US Open defence earlier this month, is set to go under the knife next week and is [...]
Europa League: Villas-Boas stays upbeat as three limp off in Spurs win September 19, 2013 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3 TROMSO 0 TOTTENHAM boss Andre Villas-Boas played down a triple injury scare last night after summer signing Christian Eriksen brilliantly opened his account in a Europa League stroll against Tromso. Recalled striker Jermain Defoe pressed his claim with a typically clinical first-half double that ensured a perfect start to their group stage [...]
Club’s at risk of Financial Fair Play breaches September 19, 2013 FIVE of Europe’s top clubs risk breaching Financial Fair Play regulations and could be expelled from Uefa competitions, according to its general secretary Gianni Infantino. Rules state that club’s losses over three seasons must not exceed €45m (£37.9m) and those that do will face sanctions next summer, the most severe being a ban from either [...]
Swansea stun 10-man Valencia while Wigan earn historic draw September 19, 2013 SWANSEA manager Michael Laudrup says his team’s 3-0 away win at 10-man Valencia shows they can compete with Europe’s best. Valencia defender Adil Rami was sent off on 10 minutes for a professional foul on Wilfried Bony and Bony netted four minutes later, before second-half goals from Michu and Jonathan de Guzman sealed an emphatic [...]
Football Comment: Mourinho pays for risky selection but I still back Chelsea for the title September 19, 2013 JOSE Mourinho’s face looked unusually ashen as his Chelsea side slipped to their first home Champions League group stage defeat for a decade against Basel on Wednesday night. It was their fourth match in a row without winning and compounds their worst start to a Premier League season for 10 years. This isn’t what we [...]
Cahill not panicked by poor start September 19, 2013 CHELSEA defender Gary Cahill revealed the Stamford Bridge dressing room was left in a state of shock by their 2-1 defeat to Basel in Wednesday night’s Champions League opener, but is targeting a west London derby win over Fulham tomorrow to kick-start their form. Second-half strikes from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller cancelled out Oscar’s [...]
Raikkonen to race payless September 19, 2013 FERRARI-bound Kimi Raikkonen has vowed to continue racing for Lotus until the end of the season, despite not being paid so far this year. The 33-year-old is yet to receive a penny of his £6.7m basic wage or £42,000 bonus for each World Championship point gained, but plans to line up as usual for this [...]
Wiggins adopts Tour de France tactics to close in on British win September 19, 2013 TOUR of Britain leader Sir Bradley Wiggins has revealed Team Sky’s tried and tested tactics, used to help him win the 2012 Tour de France, were the secret to retaining his 37-second advantage following yesterday’s fifth stage. Irishman Sam Bennett scored his first-ever stage win with a sprint finish, while Wiggins rolled home in seventh [...]
Durham crowned County Champions September 19, 2013 DURHAM defied the drizzle to win their third County Championship title yesterday, after sealing an eight-wicket win against Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street. The start of the third day’s play was delayed until 1:30pm due to the wet weather, but Durham knocked off the required 62 runs swiftly, with opener Mark Stoneman scoring an unbeaten 35.
Quins warned Warriors battle won’t be easy September 19, 2013 HARLEQUINS centre Tom Casson has warned his team-mates to be wary of a backlash from out-of-form Worcester Warriors in tonight’s Aviva Premiership clash. Quins win last time out at Sixways was part of Worcester’s current seven-game losing streak that will represent their worst run in six years should that be extended to eight tonight. However, [...]