Boss Smith remains coy despite ninth SPL title April 25, 2010 RANGERS manager Walter Smith refused to say whether he would be back at Ibrox next season after steering the club to the Scottish Premier League title. Kyle Lafferty’s 17th minute strike was enough to hand the Gers a 1-0 victory at Hibernian and clinch the title with three matches to play. Smith has now led [...]
McLeish hits out as Villa steal a march April 25, 2010 BIRMINGHAM boss Alex McLeish lashed out at referee Martin Atkinson after a late, hotly-disputed penalty took local rivals Aston Villa level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham in the race for a Champions League place. Atkinson pointed to the spot seven minutes from time after Blues defender Roger Johnson appeared to win the ball in a [...]
Arteta’s spot on to deny Fulham April 25, 2010 MIKEL ARTETA fired home a stoppage time penalty to keep Everton’s slim hopes of a European place alive. The Spaniard slotted home from the spot in the fifth minute of added time after Chris Baird upended Tim Cahill in the box. Fulham boss Roy Hodgson rested no fewer than nine players ahead of Thursday’s crunch [...]
ROONEY AND MILNER SCOOP TOP AWARDS April 25, 2010 WAYNE ROONEY last night insisted he will be fit to play in the World Cup for England after picking up the PFA Player of the Year Award. The Manchester United striker scored 34 goals this season and beat off competition from Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas and Carlos Tevez. Rooney, 24, is currently suffering from a [...]
Schwarzer heroics rescue tired Fulham April 22, 2010 HAMBURG (0) v/s FULHAM (0) FULHAM goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer admitted the West Londoners had been drained by an epic coach journey to Germany after holding Hamburg to a draw in the first leg of their semi-final. Schwarzer excelled, making several crucial saves, as the Cottagers came through a testing 90 minutes that they spent mainly [...]
Reds face an uphill battle after lucky Forlan strikes first April 22, 2010 ATLETICO MADRID (1) v/s LIVERPOOL (0) LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez is banking on producing another memorable European comeback at Anfield next week after losing the first leg of their semi-final. Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan (right) scored the only goal of the game – a poked effort that bobbled over the line after he [...]
Wasps chief remains cool on tax threat April 22, 2010 WASPS owner Steve Hayes has dismissed suggestions that the club are facing a winding-up order over an unpaid tax bill of over £1m. Reports claimed that HM Revenue and Customs had issued a warning to the Guinness Premiership club earlier this month with the threat of a winding-up petition looming over them. The HMRC refused [...]
Age no hindrance to Brand Beckham April 22, 2010 HE may not be going to the World Cup, but it’s not all doom and gloom for David Beckham. The veteran England midfielder, who will miss this summer’s tournament through injury, is still rated the highest earning player in the world. Despite being in the autumn of his career, the 34-year-old raked in more than [...]
Usmanov cash quadruples to £4.7bn April 22, 2010 ALISHER Usmanov, Arsenal’s second largest shareholder, saw his fortune more than quadruple in the last year, according to new estimates. The figures, part of Forbes magazine’s list of the 10 richest football club moguls, show the Russian’s wealth swelled by £3.6bn to £4.7bn. That amount looks like small change, however, next to QPR shareholder Lakshmi [...]
Lancashire land Test stars to boost county challenge April 22, 2010 LANCASHIRE have landed a double coup after completing the signings of Test stars Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Simon Katich for the summer. The pair have been drafted in to make up for the loss of Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who was due to move to Old Trafford after next month’s ICC World Twenty, but has [...]