Ivanovic defends AVB right to read riot act to Chelsea flops October 31, 2011 GENK vs CHELSEA CHELSEA defender Branislav Ivanovic has admitted Andre Villas-Boas had every right to read the riot act to his players after his side shipped five goals at home for the first time in 22 years on Saturday. Blues boss Villas-Boas denied delivering a “rant” to his squad during Sunday’s post-mortem of Saturday’s 5-3 [...]
Henry steps down as Kiwi coach October 31, 2011 World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry has stood down as All Blacks boss after an eight-year reign. The 65-year-old was in charge for 103 Tests and saw his side narrowly beat France 8-7 in the World Cup final earlier this month to claim their second title. He said: “I’ve had enough, it’s been an enormous privilege [...]
Funding cut fair, says Sotherton October 31, 2011 Former Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton says she has no problem with having her funding cut and she hopes to compete in the heptathlon in 2012. “I’m not angered by the decision, I don’t feel it was unfair,” said Sotherton, who lost her UK Athletics second-tier “podium relay” funding this month. “I had my funding [...]
Parker and Bale the stars as Spurs continue to climb October 30, 2011 TOTTENHAM (3) vs QPR (1) SPURS boss Harry Redknapp lavished praise on summer signing Scott Parker last night, after the England midfielder starred in a convincing win over London rivals QPR. The visitors struggled to cope with Tottenham’s first–half onslaught and were fortunate only to be trailing to clinically taken goals from Gareth Bale and [...]
Fernandes fully behind Ferdinand October 30, 2011 QPR OWNER Tony Fernandes claims defender Anton Ferdinand has the full support of the club in relation to the ongoing racism row involving England captain John Terry. The Football Association are currently conducting an investigation into whether Terry used an offensive term during the stormy west London derby at Loftus Road earlier this month. Ferdinand [...]
Desire to emulate Barca’s style leaves defences cruelly exposed October 30, 2011 SATURDAY’S goalfest at Stamford Bridge may have made the task of those whose job it is to sell Premier League TV rights easier, but the match showcased just how far the standard of defending exhibited by the top teams has dipped this season. While Arsenal’s defensive fragility has been long-standing – though Laurent Koscielny’s recent [...]
McIlroy secures bumper pay day with play-off victory in Shanghai October 30, 2011 NORTHERN IRELAND’S Rory McIlroy believes he’s overcome his play-off demons after claiming golf’s biggest first prize with victory over Ryder Cup rival Anthony Kim at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters. The US Open champion banked a cheque of £1.25m, but only after he had seen a three-shot overnight lead disintegrate for the second tournament in [...]
Vettel dominates in India as McLaren order Lewis to make up with Massa October 30, 2011 WORLD champion Sebastian Vettel continued his domination of the Formula One season by claiming victory at the maiden Indian Grand Prix. It was the German’s (right) 11th win of an utterly dominant campaign as he led from start to finish at the Buddh International Circuit and came in over eight seconds ahead of Jenson Button. [...]
Bresnan delighted to finish his landmark year on a high October 30, 2011 ENGLAND seamer Tim Bresnan insists his side should be able to look back on their efforts in 2011 with tremendous pride, despite being whitewashed by India in the recent one-day series. A victory in Saturday’s one-off Twenty20 match meant England at least ended their whistle-stop tour of the subcontinent by ending their seven-match losing streak. [...]
Walcott: Gunners firing again after Stamford Bridge heroics October 30, 2011 ARSENAL forward Theo Walcott believes Saturday’s landmark win at Stamford Bridge emphatically proved his side are over their early season troubles. Eight wins in their last nine games in all competitions has helped instil belief in a side who had struggled to come to terms with the high-profile summer departures of former captain Cesc Fabregas [...]