JACK OF ALL TRADES August 11, 2009 ARSENAL’S teenage starlet Jack Wilshere made his England Under-21 debut in Groningen last night as Stuart Pearce’s side battled to a 0-0 draw in their friendly with Holland. Another debutant, West Ham’s Junior Stainslas, came close to scoring for the Three Lions but his shot, following neat interplay with Micah Richards, was well saved by [...]
Injury forces Schumacher to scrap plans for comeback August 11, 2009 SEVEN-TIME champion Michael Schumacher yesterday said he was “disappointed to the core” after being forced to abandon his hotly-anticipated comeback less than two weeks before his first race in three years. The German, 40, had been set to make a sensational return to the track at this month’s European Grand Prix as a short-term replacement [...]
Young given the nod to act as ‘clone’ for Gerrard August 11, 2009 ENGLAND coach Fabio Capello admitted he would like to “clone” injured midfielder Steven Gerrard after giving Ashley Young the nod to replace him for tonight’s friendly against Holland. Aston Villa winger Young will fill the left-wing berth due to be occupied by Gerrard, who withdrew from the squad yesterday after picking up a groin injury [...]
It’s Hart-ache for Foster as Joe gets call August 10, 2009 GOALKEEPER Joe Hart was last night handed an unexpected England reprieve after Ben Foster withdrew from the squad for tomorrow’s friendly with Holland through injury. The Manchester United starlet suffered a knock in the Community Shield match against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday and misses out on the chance to earn a third international cap. [...]
Lampard: Shield row won’t hurt international relations August 10, 2009 CHELSEA’S Frank Lampard is adamant that bad blood between Blues and Manchester United players will not affect the England squad ahead of tomorrow’s friendly against Holland. United were incensed at Lampard’s goal in Sunday’s Community Shield, which Chelsea won on penalties after a 2-2 draw. The midfielder’s strike came while United defender Patrice Evra lay [...]
Wenger not expecting pre-season buys August 10, 2009 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he does not expect to strengthen his squad before Saturday’s league opener against Everton. Wenger’s game of brinkmanship with Bordeaux over a fee for Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh remains unresolved, while the Frenchman appears to have shelved plans to bring former captain Patrick Vieira back to the club. With [...]
England didn’t ‘over-react’ August 10, 2009 BADMINTON: Adrian Christy, chief executive of the sport’s governing body, Badminton England, has defended the team’s decision to pull out of the BWF World Championships in India. The England team decided to withdraw from the tournament in Hyderabad amid reports of a terror threat from Muslim extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The decision was met with criticism [...]
Villa Park pulls out of 2012 August 10, 2009 OLYMPICS: Villa Park has been withdrawn as a venue to host 2012 Olympic football matches due to uncertainty over rebuilding plans. Aston Villa’s ground was due to be one of six grounds used for 2012 but can not commit to hosting games while plans for an additional 8,000 seats are still up in the air.
Attendances at record high August 10, 2009 FOOTBALL: Opening day attendances in the Football League last weekend were at their highest for 46 years, new figures have revealed. More than 450,000 people attended the 36 matches played in the Coca-Cola Championship, League One and League Two at an average of 12,694 per game – up 14 per cent on last season. The [...]
Stoner out for three races August 10, 2009 MOTO GP: Former world champion Casey Stoner will miss the next three MotoGP races as he continues his recovery from illness. The 23-year-old Ducati rider, who lies third in the title race, was recently diagnosed with blood disorder anaemia and an inflamed stomach lining. A team spokesman said: “It is the best for him.”