Star trio turn England 2018 bid around as D-Day arrives December 1, 2010 ENGLAND’S hopes of winning today’s vote to host the 2018 World Cup surged last night after frantic schmoozing and some late hiccups from rival bidders appeared to turn the tide in their favour. A stellar cast of ambassadors including former England captain David Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron led an impressive charm [...]
England kicked them in the teeth December 1, 2010 THE first punches have been thrown and, as England prepare to start the second Ashes Test tonight, it is Australia who are reeling from some body blows to their confidence. The Aussies are used to starting with a win and got themselves in a great position at the Gabba. England will have been disappointed not [...]
Riots mar Blues cup win December 1, 2010 BIRMINGHAM (2) vs ASTON VILLA (1) BIRMINGHAM are through to the Carling Cup semi-final after edging out local rivals Aston Villa at St Andrews, but victory was marred by scenes of fan violence which are set to be investigated by the Football Association. With Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron over in Zurich attempting [...]
Trott: We’re not haunted by past Adelaide experiences December 1, 2010 ENGLAND batsman Jonathan Trott is adamant Andrew Strauss’s side are made of stronger stuff than the one that crumbled to an Ashes series defining defeat in Adelaide four years ago. From a position of total comfort on the final afternoon, England collapsed to 129 all out inside a single session, Australia picked off the 168 [...]
Pietersen ready for return to form December 1, 2010 ANDREW STRAUSS and Ricky Ponting have had barely enough time for the amazing turnaround of the drawn first Test to sink in before the second Test starts in Adelaide tonight. The Adelaide Oval has a reputation as a batsman’s pitch but we should also expect a conclusion. Formerly famous for yielding draws, there have only [...]
Arsenal land plum draw and Irons get the Blues December 1, 2010 ARSENAL’S position as overwhelming Carling Cup favourites was enhanced last night when they were paired with Championship side Ipswich in the draw for the semi-finals. The Gunners, without a trophy since their FA Cup victory over Manchester United in 2005, are now ideally placed to win their first silverware since they moved into Emirates Stadium. [...]
HAMMERED: IRONS BLOW UNITED AWAY November 30, 2010 WEST HAM 4 v/s MAN UNITED 0 WEST HAM cast their relegation fears aside to knock Manchester United out of the Carling Cup, a result their manager Avram Grant claimed would provide the turning point in their season. United, Premier League leaders and winners of the competition in each of the last two seasons, came [...]
Gunners just three games from ending trophy wait November 30, 2010 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger watched his side take a huge step towards ending their six-year trophy drought, but insisted he would not let the pursuit of long-awaited silverware become “an obsession”. An own goal from Antolin Alcaraz and a second-half strike by Nicklas Bendtner eased the Gunners into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. With [...]
Timing of claims maximised impact November 30, 2010 CRIME busting defenders of propriety, or cynical headline grabbers with scant regard for their own country’s three-year long, £12m mission to host the 2018 World Cup? The BBC and Panorama would argue they represent the former, but there have been no shortage of people who disagree. What is beyond debate is that the programme’s claims [...]
How World Cup 2018 bid works November 30, 2010 Tomorrow England will learn whether years of lobbying and some late schmoozing have paid off Q&A Q. How is the bidding contest decided? A.By a vote among the executive committee (ExCo) of world governing body Fifa, in Zurich tomorrow. Q. How does the vote work? A.The 23 ExCo members cast their votes in a secret [...]