King out for two more weeks March 9, 2010 TOTTENHAM are planning to be without captain Ledley King for the next fortnight as they continue their drive for Champions League qualification. Centre-back King, who is hampered by a long-term knee problem, is also currently nursing a thigh injury sustained last month against Wigan. He will miss fourth-placed Spurs’ Premier League visit from Blackburn on [...]
Losing Cesc is no excuse, fires Wenger March 8, 2010 ARSENAL vs FC PORTO Tonight, ko 7.45pm, Sky Sports 2 ARSENE WENGER insists the absence of captain Cesc Fabregas will not be used as an excuse for failure when Arsenal put their Champions League hopes on the line against Porto tonight. The Gunners must come back from a first-leg deficit in order to reach the [...]
Injured Shaw misses out but Tindall gets the call March 8, 2010 ENGLAND lock Simon Shaw has lost his battle to be fit for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland at Murrayfield after failing to recover from a shoulder injury. The 36-year-old was helped off in the opening few minutes of England’s defeat to Ireland at Twickenham 10 days ago and now faces a fitness race for [...]
Stars driven by thirst to repeat feats March 8, 2010 THE grid may have swelled to accommodate two more teams, but all eyes in this year’s Formula One season will be trained on four men, each desperate to prove very different points. Title-holder Jenson Button, his cohort in McLaren’s all-English driving line-up, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, now in mouth-watering unison with Ferrari, and returning icon [...]
Portsmouth make claim for Cup cash March 8, 2010 DEBT-RIDDEN Portsmouth may be forced to make a special representation to the Football Association in order to keep the receipts from their storming FA Cup run. The cash-strapped club became the first in Premier League history to enter into administration last month after accruing debts in the region of £70m. Yet despite that, boss Avram [...]
London developer steps up his bid to buy Rangers March 8, 2010 SCOTTISH league leaders Rangers last night confirmed that majority shareholder Sir David Murray has opened discussions with London-based property developer Andrew Ellis about a possible takeover of the club. The Glasgow club are £31m in debt and under pressure from Lloyds Banking Group to control costs. Rangers say the talks with Ellis are at an [...]
Rodallega lands heavy blow to Liverpool’s top four hopes March 8, 2010 WIGAN ATH (1) vs LIVERPOOL (0) LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez admitted his side did not deserve to be in the top four after their Champions League hopes were hit by a shock defeat at Wigan. Hugo Rodallega’s 35th minute volley punished a mistake by Dirk Kuyt and ensured the Reds missed the chance to regain [...]
Satisfactory start after a draining 22-hour flight March 8, 2010 AFTER a three-month winter lay-off, the Seniors Tour began in earnest at the Brunei Masters over the weekend, and it was great to be back competing again in a strong field. In hindsight, preparation could have been a lot smoother – a 22-hour flight from a business trip in South Africa to Brunei took its [...]
LTA launch Davis Cup probe March 8, 2010 TENNIS: The Lawn Tennis Association are set to hold an internal enquiry following Great Britain’s “unacceptable” Davis Cup defeat to Lithuania at the weekend. The 3-2 loss left Britain in danger of dropping down to the lowest tier of the competition for the first time, while the future of captain John Lloyd is also under [...]
Idowu pulls out of Worlds March 8, 2010 ATHLETICS: World triple jump champion Phillips Idowu has withdrawn from this weekend’s World Indoor Championships in Doha to spend more time with his new-born son. The 31-year-old said: “I am gutted not to be representing GB in Doha but the late arrival of my baby boy has meant my training has been severely disrupted.”