I didn’t think I’d even make the squad, let alone win it… May 19, 2010 MARTIN PETERS epitomises every young footballer’s dream. Once described by Sir Alf Ramsey as “10 years ahead of his time”, the West Ham trainee was just 22 years and 177 days old when Ramsey handed him his England debut on 4 May 1966 against Yugoslavia at Wembley. Within just two-and-a-half months, he had carved his [...]
Back injury forces Richards to call time May 19, 2010 LONDON IRISH scrum-half Peter Richards has been forced to retire from the game with a back injury. Richards, 32, was restricted to just 16 appearances in the Guinness Premiership this season – the last one coming in February. “I’ve had a great career and thoroughly enjoyed my rugby wherever I’ve played,” Richards said. “I would [...]
Unsettled Liverpool manager Benitez admits he would like to coach Spain May 19, 2010 RAFAEL BENITEZ says he dreams of one day coaching the Spanish national team – but insists he has no plans to leave Liverpool just yet. Under-fire Benitez has been tipped to quit Anfield this summer after failing to secure qualification for the Champions League. Inter Milan have been linked but Juventus, another potential destination, have [...]
Foster just as good a keeper as Hart, says Blues boss McLeish May 19, 2010 BIRMINGHAM manager Alex McLeish has backed new recruit Ben Foster to be just as successful as his predecessor, fellow England hopeful Joe Hart. Goalkeeper Foster yesterday completed his £6m move from Manchester United, signing a three-year contract at St Andrews. McLeish moved quickly to replace Hart, who was recalled by Manchester City after enjoying an [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF May 19, 2010 Flintoff not focused on Australia CRICKET: Andrew Flintoff is refusing to discuss playing Twenty20 cricket in Australia until he recovers from his long-running knee injury. Flintoff has been linked with bids from Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, but the former England captain says he is focusing solely on returning to county cricket with Lancashire in August. [...]
Carragher enticed back by Fabio factor May 19, 2010 ENGLAND defender Jamie Carragher admits Fabio Capello was a decisive factor in his decision to come out of international retirement. Carragher turned his back on England in 2007 after becoming frustrated that his consistency at club level had not earned him more than a bit-part role. But Capello enticed the centre-back, 32, back for this [...]
LONDON 2012 MASCOTS LAUNCHED May 19, 2010 WENLOCK and Mandeville, the mascots for the 2012 London Olympics, were unveiled last night. Designed to look as though made from steel, Mandeville (left) is named after Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, while Wenlock’s name comes from a Shropshire town that hosted a precursor to the modern Games.
Platini rides to England’s aid May 18, 2010 ENGLAND’S floundering bid to host the 2018 World Cup received a much-needed shot in the arm last night when two of the global game’s most powerful men, Michel Platini and Jack Warner, insisted the proposal remained strong. The country’s hopes of staging the tournament for the first time since 1966 nosedived after Lord Triesman, the [...]
Twickenham’s superheroes can lift us, insists Barrett May 18, 2010 CAPTAIN Kevin Barrett is hoping a record-breaking Twickenham crowd can roar his England superheroes to victory in the London Sevens at the weekend. The Saracens scrum-half leads out the Red Rose in front of an expected 60,000-strong crowd for their first round of pool stage matches on Saturday. Currently sitting fifth in the IRB World [...]
Triesman departure sparks FA scramble May 18, 2010 A MASS scramble has begun to land the job of the most powerful man in English football following Lord Triesman’s resignation as chairman of the Football Association on Sunday. Triesman stepped down both from the FA and as chairman of England’s 2018 World Cup bid after he was secretly recorded telling a friend that Spain [...]