Van Gaal wants a killer instinct October 19, 2014 FORTHRIGHT Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has urged his side to develop a ruthless streak ahead of their clash with West Brom at the Hawthorns tonight. The Red Devils head into the fixture buoyed by a return to form but were forced to hang on towards the end of nervy home victories over West [...]
Stevens: Autumn results not essential for England October 19, 2014 FORMER British Lions prop Matt Stevens insists England’s World Cup destiny does not hinge on landing knockout blows and toppling the world’s best during the upcoming autumn internationals. Stuart Lancaster’s side begin their southern hemisphere examination with a clash against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday 8 November before showdowns with South Africa, Samoa and [...]
Stevens: Rethink rule for Armitage October 16, 2014 FORMER England prop Matt Stevens believes head coach Stuart Lancaster should consider waiving the rules on selecting only domestic-based players for international duty in the notable case of back-row forward Steffon Armitage. Bath this week held talks with Toulon over signing reigning European player of the year Armitage, although the deal is now dead and [...]
Lampard joins the growing list of players to back tired Sterling October 15, 2014 FORMER England vice-captain Frank Lampard became the latest player to speak out in defence Raheem Sterling yesterday after the Liverpool winger complained of fatigue ahead of England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia on Sunday. Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson has since questioned the Anfield club’s training policy which sees players only taking part in a [...]
Police to probe death threats aimed at Flower October 15, 2014 DEATH threats directed towards banned Wigan prop Ben Flower following his Super League Grand Final dismissal for punching St Helens’ Lance Hohaia were last night being investigated by police. The abusive remarks were made from a single Twitter account and included comments such as Flower “deserves to be shot”, his “last days are approaching” and [...]
Blades mull Evans return October 15, 2014 JAILED footballer Ched Evans could be in line to resume his football career on release from prison after Blades boss Nigel Clough confirmed he has held preliminary talks with Brammall Lane bosses regarding the striker’s return. The 25-year-old, who has always maintained his innocence, was sentenced to five years behind bars after being found guilty of [...]
Albania PM’s brother in drone stunt denial October 15, 2014 SERBIA and Albania’s football associations were yesterday charged by European chiefs after violent scenes caused the abandonment of Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier between the two nations in Belgrade. A flag-bearing drone containing a nationalist political message ignited simmering tensions between the Balkan rivals, while the story took a bizarre twist when the brother of the [...]
Ricoh move will see Wasps keep stars, insists Dai October 15, 2014 FORWARD-THINKING Wasps boss Dai Young is confident the club’s controversial move to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena will keep stars such as England lock Joe Launchbury away from the clutches of more successful rivals. The traditionally London-based outfit have confirmed the first match at their new home, which is situated 82 miles north of their current High [...]
More players should defend England’s reputation, insists ex-skipper Gooch October 14, 2014 FORMER Test captain Graham Gooch believes principal players from one of England’s most successful periods in history should defend the team dynamic which has come under sustained fire from Kevin Pietersen’s torrent of criticism. Aside from short retorts from skipper Alastair Cook and Graeme Swann, there has been a lack of retaliation from those who [...]
Ford still retains hope of landing star Armitage October 14, 2014 BATH head coach Mike Ford has refused to give up hope of striking a deal to lure reigning European player of the year Steffon Armitage to the Recreation Ground, despite admitting negotiations with Toulon have stalled. Bath are currently in the market for back-row cover with Francois Louw, Matt Garvey, Alafoti Fa’osiliva and Carl Fearns [...]
