England to take on Germany March 9, 2010 HOCKEY: England will take on Olympic champions Germany in the World Cup semi-final tomorrow lunchtime. South Korea’s 2-1 victory over the Netherlands ensured the Germans finished top of Pool A, while England were runners-up of Group B, behind Australia. Captain Barry Middleton was pleased with the draw, saying: “In a couple of games we’ve looked [...]
Mickelson wedge is banned March 9, 2010 GOLF: World No3 Phil Mickelson has been banned from using his controversial 20-year-old wedge following a deal between manufacturer Ping and the PGA Tour. The American has been using a Ping Eye 2 wedge, which features U-shaped grooves to generate more spin. But Ping have now agreed to waive the rights to allow its pre-1990 [...]
Gerrard set to escape V-sign rap March 9, 2010 LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard is expected to escape punishment after he appeared to make an abusive gesture at referee Andre Marriner. Marriner is thought to have seen the gesture, during Wigan’s 1-0 win over the Reds on Monday, and decided not to take action. That means the FA will not pursue a charge against Gerrard, [...]
Adebayor plays down Milan link March 9, 2010 MANCHESTER City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has reaffirmed his commitment to the club, for the time being at least, after fresh speculation linking him with AC Milan. The Togo international, who has been at Eastlands less than eight months, was a target for the Italian club before leaving Arsenal last summer. “I signed at City for [...]
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 [...]