AVB: Europa should not reward flops December 6, 2012 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3 PANATHINAIKOS 1 TOTTENHAM manager Andre Villas-Boas denounced Europa League rules as “extremely unfair” after seeing his side sweep to a third successive victory and claim their place in the competition’s knockout rounds. Late goals from Jermain Defoe and Clint Dempsey earned Spurs a deserved triumph over Panathinaikos, after Zeca’s header had cancelled [...]
Pardew to hit January sales December 6, 2012 BORDEAUX 2 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0 NEWCASTLE manager Alan Pardew has vowed to spend in January after watching his side lose their unbeaten record in Europe this year. Last night’s defeat in Bordeaux saw Newcastle qualify for the last 32 second in Group D, with the French side top. Cheick Diabate grabbed both of the goals [...]
Reds ride luck to win group December 6, 2012 UDINESE 0 LIVERPOOL 1 LIVERPOOL manager Brendan Rodgers toasted his side’s progress to the last 32 of the Europa League but admitted they needed some well deserved luck to top Group A. Jordan Henderson fired in the winner from Suso’s cut-back, but Liverpool could have been knocked out with the last kick of the game [...]
England’s top clubs aren’t the force they used to be December 6, 2012 IT WASN’T so long ago that the Premier League had two or three teams in the last four of the Champions League. This season, for the second year in succession, only two have reached the last 16. We can’t ignore that fact that English teams aren’t the dominant force they were just a few years [...]
Platini holds 2020 vision to share Euro host duties December 6, 2012 THE 2020 European Championships will be spread out over numerous cities across the continent for the first time, governing body Uefa has confirmed. The tournament, which will have expanded to 24 teams by then, will be the 60th anniversary of the first European Championship, a landmark Uefa president Michel Platini is keen to celebrate. “Euro [...]
Clattenburg case finally closed as Mikel gets banned for threat December 6, 2012 CHELSEA midfielder John Obi Mikel has been handed a three-match ban and fined £60,000 by the Football Association for threatening referee Mark Clattenburg. Mikel admitted the charge relating to an incident in the match officials’ changing room following Chelsea’s controversial 3-2 defeat to Manchester United in October. The Nigerian’s ban was reduced as the FA [...]
Boycott tips Cook to pass 40-ton mark after England record falls December 6, 2012 FORMER England batsman Geoff Boycott tipped Alastair Cook to reach 40 Test centuries after the captain extended his purple patch with a record-breaking 23rd hundred yesterday in India. Cook, 27, also became the youngest man to amass 7,000 Test runs as his 136 not out put England firmly in the driving seat in the third [...]
Munster tap former Saracens star Stringer for inside info December 6, 2012 MUNSTER have mined their former Saracens scrum-half Peter Stringer for tactical secrets in a bid to gain an edge in tomorrow’s crunch Heineken Cup clash with the Londoners. Unbeaten Sarries lead Pool One and can take a huge step towards the knockout rounds with victory at Thomond Park, while the Irishmen know they cannot afford [...]
Murphy defeats teenager Brecel December 6, 2012 SNOOKER: Belgian teenager Luca Brecel’s run at the UK Championships is over after he spurned two match-winning opportunities before losing 6-5 to Shaun Murphy last night. The 17-year-old, in the quarter finals of a ranking event for the first time, led 5-4 but missed the final pink in the decider to hand world No4 Murphy the [...]
Debut for goal-line technology December 6, 2012 FOOTBALL: Goal-line technology was used for the first time yesterday during the opening game of the Club World Cup in Japan. Two systems are being trialled during the tournament, which Chelsea join on Wednesday: GoalRef, which uses a microchip in the ball, and Hawk-Eye, successfully used in cricket and tennis. Governing body Fifa will choose [...]