Champions quickly into stride – and injury crisis August 14, 2011 WEST BROM (1) vs MANCHESTER UTD (2) Ferdinand, Vidic and Rafael sidelined as keeper De Gea gives Ferguson further cause for concern MANCHESTER UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned “a torrid few days” after the champions’ winning start to their Premier League title defence was tainted by injuries to three key defenders. A late Steven [...]
Resolute Stoke give Villas-Boas the debut Blues August 14, 2011 STOKE (0) vs CHELSEA (0) CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas labelled Stoke’s roughhouse tactics “out of this world” after seeing his Premier League debut end in the disappointment of a scoreless stalemate. An unusually zesty performance from much-maligned £50m striker Fernando Torres was the biggest positive for the young Portuguese coach, who had to stomach just [...]
Flower sets England new set of targets August 14, 2011 ENGLAND coach Andy Flower has drawn up a new set of goals that he believes his side must achieve if they are to stand comparison with some of the greatest of all time. Another crushing victory over India on Saturday elevated England to No1 in the international Test rankings for the first time in their [...]
Flood castigates ‘shameful’ England as Wales put huge dent in morale August 14, 2011 ENGLAND fly-half Toby Flood has admitted his shame at Saturday’s World Cup warm-up defeat to Wales, calling the performance “embarrassing”. The visitors were beaten 19-9 at the Millennium Stadium in the last match before Martin Johnson picks his final 30-man squad, despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession. Flood said: “I don’t want to use [...]
Arsenal confirm Fabregas sale August 14, 2011 Arsenal last night confirmed they have agreed to sell captain Cesc Fabregas back to Barcelona in a deal understood to be worth around £35m. Fabregas, 24, will undergo a medical in Spain today before signing a contract with his hometown club.
Fernandes nears QPR takeover August 14, 2011 Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes could complete a deal to become majority shareholder of QPR as early as today. West Ham fan Fernandes, owner of AirAsia, is expected to buy a 51 per cent stake from Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone.
City set for Swansea opener August 14, 2011 Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini admits his squad will not be “100 per cent ready” until they have played 10 games, as he prepares for his side’s Premier League opener at home to promoted Swansea tonight.
CAVENDISH ON ROAD TO SUCCESS August 14, 2011 BRITISH Tour de France star Mark Cavendish laid down the perfect marker for London 2012 by winning the road race test event yesterday. The Isle of Man rider claimed victory with a trademark sprint finish at the Mall, where the one-off London-Surrey Cycle Classic started and ended.
Terry hopes to prevent more games from being cancelled August 11, 2011 After Spurs’ weekend fixture gets postponed, England captain Terry says footballers must reach out to youngsters ENGLAND and Chelsea captain John Terry has urged his fellow footballers to unite in a bid to restore calm to the nation’s streets, after Tottenham’s clash with Everton became the latest victim of a week of rioting. England’s friendly [...]
Cook serves up another masterclass August 11, 2011 ENGLAND opener Alastair Cook admitted he owed his team-mates a big innings, as his unbeaten century helped his side into a position of total dominance over India on the second day of the third Test at Edgbaston. Cook struggled during the early stages of another marathon effort, but eventually weighed in with 182 runs in [...]