Wilkins: Chelsea must pay up for wonderful Modric June 16, 2011 FORMER Chelsea No2 Ray Wilkins has welcomed the club’s pursuit of Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, but admits their initial offer of £22m was far too low. The Blues are mulling whether to submit an improved bid for the Croatia midfielder after seeing their opening gambit rebuffed on Wednesday and yesterday called “ridiculous” by Spurs manager [...]
FA make cup final pledge after agreeing £24m Budweiser deal June 16, 2011 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION chiefs insist they are attempting to restore the FA Cup final’s status as a stand-alone event, amid fresh concerns it could be sidelined again for the next two seasons. Last month’s showpiece was moved forward and played on the same day as the penultimate round of Premier League fixtures, prompting leading figures in [...]
Barca chief warns Arsenal: Fabregas is worth less than 12 months ago June 16, 2011 BARCELONA have cast further doubt on the prospect of Cesc Fabregas leaving Arsenal for his native Catalonia this summer by insisting his value has fallen over the last 12 months. The European Champions say they are not prepared to offer the £35m they tabled for Fabregas last year because the 24-year-old – who made just [...]
England lifted by impressive Rose Bowl comebacks for Anderson and Tremlett June 16, 2011 ENGLAND seamer Chris Tremlett returned to the Rose Bowl yesterday and gave those fans who braved the elements reason to cheer as Sri Lanka’s batting wavered on a rain hit first day of the third Test. The 6ft 7in quick in tandem with James Anderson, who was making his comeback from a side injury, took [...]
Fame And Glory for O’Brien June 16, 2011 Ballydoyle trainer celebrates Gold Cup and targets success at Longchamp THE AIDAN O’BRIEN trained Fame And Glory will head for the Arc De Triomphe in October full of confidence after landing a major gamble to take the Ascot Gold Cup on day three of the Royal meeting. The son of Montjeu was trimmed to 11/8 [...]
Hantuchova overpowers Venus June 16, 2011 TENNIS: Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams’ preparations for another SW19 title suffered a blow yesterday when she lost 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to Daniela Hantuchova in the quarter-finals of the AEGON International at Eastbourne. Williams, who has just returned from a lengthy injury absence, is seeded 23 for next week’s grand slam.
Bruins win sparks Canucks riot June 16, 2011 ICE HOCKEY: Rampaging Vancouver Canucks fans torched cars, stabbed people and looted shops in a night of devastating riots after their team lost the deciding match of the Stanley Cup finals 4-0 to the Boston Bruins. Police used tear gas in the streets of the Canadian city for the first time since 1994, when similar [...]
Woodgate released by Spurs June 16, 2011 FOOTBALL: Tottenham have released injury-plagued defender Jonathan Woodgate after failing to agree a pay-as-you-play deal with the 31-year-old. Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, 34, is also on the list of free agents after leaving Manchester City.
Nova Hawk to land the Coronation for France June 16, 2011 WITH plenty more rain expected to fall at Ascot, it’s extremely hard to confidently predict what the official going description will be come race time this afternoon. I’m working on the basis that the ground will be good to soft, but you can monitor the situation by following me live from Ascot on Twitter @BillEsdaile. [...]
Bewitched and Dalghar to fight out the big one June 16, 2011 TOMORROW’S Golden Jubilee Stakes (3.45pm) is the final Group One contest of Royal Ascot week and the rain is causing havoc to a number of the key contenders. Delegator has been the ante-post favourite since his hugely impressive seasonal reappearance at York, but the softening conditions are firmly against him. There is a chance he [...]