Ex-Spurs man takes reins at Fulham foes Hamburg April 26, 2010 FULHAM’S quest to reach a first European final received a huge boost yesterday when semi-final opponents Hamburg sacked their manager. Bruno Labbadia was axed just three days before the return leg in London, with the score still locked at 0-0 after last week’s first-leg stalemate. Labbadia, who had only been in charge since last summer, [...]
Raina ensures Chennai are the Kings of the IPL April 26, 2010 THE Chennai Super Kings were crowned Indian Premier League champions last night after securing a 22-run victory in the final against the Mumbai Indians. Batsman Suresh Raina was the hero, hitting an unbeaten 57, while skipper MS Dhoni struck 27 as the Super Kings rallied to 168-5 from their 20 overs. Sachin Tendulkar led the [...]
WINNERS & LOSERS April 25, 2010 A WEEKEND is a long time in sport, as this lot will attest. But while for some it was a few days to remember, others may wish they had never set foot out of the house. ASTON VILLA TWO big victories in the space of four days have pulled Martin O’Neill’s men right back in the [...]
Magnificent seven sends Blues to top April 25, 2010 CHELSEA (7) vs STOKE CITY (0) CARLO ANCELOTTI insists the destiny of Premier League title is in Chelsea’s hands after watching his side smash sorry Stoke for seven at Stamford Bridge. A first career hat-trick from Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou, a brace for Frank Lampard and goals apiece from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda ensured [...]
End of the road for hapless Burnley April 25, 2010 BURNLEY (0) vs LIVERPOOL (4) BRIAN LAWS saw his Burnley side bow out of the Premier League in their first season back and then admitted: “We’re not good enough”. Two goals from Steven Gerrard and further second-half strikes from Maxi Rodriguez and Ryan Babel condemned the Clarets to the drop in front of the heartbroken [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Title pressure is all on Chelsea, claims United star Fletcher April 22, 2010 MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Darren Fletcher believes Chelsea are beginning to feel the strain in the championship race. The Blues saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to just one point after losing 2-1 at Tottenham last Saturday, while United grabbed a last-gasp winner at Manchester rivals, City. United will go back [...]