Hatton: I’m ready for comeback November 14, 2012 BOXING: Britain’s Ricky Hatton insists he is in perfect shape for his first fight for more than three years later this month. Hatton, who faces Vyacheslav Senchenko on 24 November in Manchester, said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this.”
Scots sneak past Luxembourg November 14, 2012 FOOTBALL: Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes scored twice as Scotland only narrowly beat Luxembourg 2-1 in last night’s friendly. Northern Ireland needed a last-minute equaliser from David Healy to snatch a 1-1 draw at home to Azerbaijan in their 2014 World Cup qualifier. Pressure increased on Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni as they lost 1-0 [...]
Englandglory dream spurs Gerrard to go beyond 100 November 13, 2012 CAPTAIN Steven Gerrard insists he still has “a few chapters” left in his international career as he prepares to join a select band to win a century of England caps tonight against Sweden. The Liverpool midfielder has not given up on lifting silverware with Roy Hodgson’s side, although he admits he considered quitting the national [...]
Ref’s race row case dropped by police November 13, 2012 POLICE have shelved their investigation into Chelsea claims referee Mark Clattenburg racially abused Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel after no victim came forward. The alleged incident, in last month’s Premier League match with Manchester United, is still being probed by the Football Association, which is expected to deliver its findings this week. “Inquiries were made [...]
Hodgson’s warning to Zaha and Sterling November 13, 2012 ENGLAND manager Roy Hogdson has warned dual nationality youngsters Wilfried Zaha and Raheem Sterling not to take their call-ups for granted, insisting they should be thankful for the opportunity. Zaha and Sterling, born in the Ivory Coast and Jamaica respectively, are in the squad to play Sweden tonight as Hodgson looks to bring youth into [...]
Youngsters overhyped, says Hamann November 13, 2012 FORMER Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has warned against the overhyping of young players, following the attention surrounding 20-year-old Wilfried Zaha’s first England call-up. Hamann, who won 59 Germany caps, aired concerns that being shoved into the spotlight too early could hinder the young Crystal Palace forward. He wrote on Twitter: “I don’t like all the [...]
Zlatan in barb at Three Lions’ dearth of skill November 13, 2012 SWEDEN captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic has given England added incentive to win tonight’s Stockholm friendly, after depicting Roy Hodgson’s men as having “big hearts” and “always fighting” but lacking the skill required for international level. The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who has already netted nine goals this season, delivered the slight while praising England skipper Steven Gerrard, [...]
We can take on India without Finn, says Prior November 13, 2012 ENGLAND wicketkeeper Matt Prior has backed the tourists to cope if, as expected, fast-bowler Steven Finn fails to recover from injury in time for tomorrow’s first Test in India. Finn had been tipped to step up his recuperation from a thigh strain by practising in the nets yesterday but did not bowl, leaving Prior resigned [...]
Test form no comfort as England face series November 13, 2012 I EXPECT the England camp has mixed feelings going into this long-awaited series in India, because while the tour has gone reasonably well so far, their recent Test record does not offer much cause for optimism. On the positive side, England’s players will have enjoyed the rest that preceded this trip, while the tour itself [...]
Quarter of a million London 2012 tickets were not sold November 13, 2012 AROUND 264,000 London 2012 Olympics tickets remained unsold this summer, despite the huge public demand to attend events. Customers had difficulty accessing tickets due to the official website crashing, while sections of empty corporate seats at key events angered the public. Football had the most seats unsold with 213,000, while 2,407 seats for athletics and [...]