St Helens 44 Harlequins 24.
ST HELENS usually enjoy their trips to London and the league leaders comfortably overcame the absence of regulars Paul Wellens, James Roby and Sean Long to inflict an embarrassing first-half hiding on a Quins side itself weakened by injuries.
It took Saints only four minutes to make the first breach — swift passing by Matt Gidley and Chris Dean creating the space for right-wing Tom Armstrong to cross. Kyle Eastmond converted from the touchline and the young half-back’s impressively accurate kicking, both off the ground and out of hand, continued to be a feature during a half in which Quins were given a rugby league lesson.
James Graham and Tony Puletua (twice) barged over from close range, while Leon Pryce demonstrated his class, first with a sidestep to give Eastmond a simple score, and then with a dummy to stroll over on his own account.
Down 34 points to nil at half-time, Quins could only improve, just as Saints, knowing the match was won, inevitably lost concentration. Gareth Haggerty, Chad Robinson, Danny Ward and Matt Gafa restored a certain amount of respectability to the scoreline, but Dean and Jon Wilkin ensured the gap between the sides remained very much unbridgeable.
“Conceding so many points in the second half took a bit of shine off our performance in the first half, but we achieved what we set out to achieve,” said St Helens coach Mick Potter, whose side face a resurgent Wigan on Friday.
Quins have now lost six matches in a row.
Star Man: Leon Pryce (St Helens)
Referee: J Child
Attendance: 4,258
HARLEQUINS: Sharp, Wells, Gafa, Clubb, Melling, Dorn, Gale, Temata, Kaye, Ward, Willimason, Robinson, Golden. Replacements: Esders, Haggerty, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Orr
ST HELENS: Gidley, Armstrong, Dean, Gilmour, Meli, Pryce, Eastmond, Graham, Cunningham, Puletua, Wilkin, Flannery, Dixon. Replacements: Ashurst, Clough, Hargreaves, Ellis
- Paul Cooke scored two tries as Hull Kingston Rovers completed a double over rivals Hull with a 24-18 win at Craven Park. Bradford eased to a 34-12 victory over struggling Celtic Crusaders.
Source:The times
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Roger Federer proclaims birth of twin girls his 'greatest day'
Roger Federer has announced that his wife Mirka gave birth to twin girls yesterday.
"I have some exciting news to share with you," the Wimbledon champion's Facebook page said. "Late last night, in Switzerland, Mirka and I became proud parents of twin girls.
"We named them Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and they are both healthy, and along with their mother they are doing great.
"This is the best day of our lives."
The impending arrival of a new addition to the Federer family was the subject of some debate during Wimbledon when the world No 1 captured his sixth title at the grass court championship.
Mirka, 31, was courtside as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in a classic final on Centre Court to capture his 15th grand-slam title, surpassing the previous record held by Pete Sampras.
It is unclear how the birth of his daughters will affect his preparations for the US Open at the end of August.
Source:The times
"I have some exciting news to share with you," the Wimbledon champion's Facebook page said. "Late last night, in Switzerland, Mirka and I became proud parents of twin girls.
"We named them Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and they are both healthy, and along with their mother they are doing great.
"This is the best day of our lives."
The impending arrival of a new addition to the Federer family was the subject of some debate during Wimbledon when the world No 1 captured his sixth title at the grass court championship.
Mirka, 31, was courtside as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in a classic final on Centre Court to capture his 15th grand-slam title, surpassing the previous record held by Pete Sampras.
It is unclear how the birth of his daughters will affect his preparations for the US Open at the end of August.
Source:The times
British duo face force of Federica Pellegrini again
An enthralling women’s 400m freestyle competition in Rome will be overshadowed by the continuing swimsuit row.
A PINCER movement of British sorority and female rivalry will be put to the test today as Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington and teammate Joanne Jackson face the Lioness of Verona, Federica Pellegrini, in her den at the Foro Italico in Rome in the world championship 400m freestyle.
Adlington, the winner of the 400m and 800m crowns in Beijing last year, says the domestic challenge is welcome. “People think of rivals as being at each other’s throats. It’s not like that at all,” she said. “We’re not rivals in that sense. We’re friends and competitors. We push each other, work off each other, but have to swim our own races. We both work so well together and I’m so glad when it comes to the race that it’s someone like Jo who’s there with me. If there was more rivalry it probably wouldn’t work so well.
Jackson, 22, and Adlington, 20, train in the same pool at Loughborough a couple of times most weeks. As competition has grown closer, coaches Bill Furniss, for Adlington, and Kevin Renshaw, for Jackson, have moved to opposite ends of the pool with their charges.
“It’s been a couple of months since we did a set together,” said Adlington. “We have different work to do because Jo is more focused on the 200m and 400m and I have the 800m. It’s definitely the 800m for me if I have to choose. But I’m Olympic champion. The 400m is still in focus.”
And how: the first women’s final of the 13th world championship is charged with one-upwomanship and the art of intimidation. The saga started last year when Italy’s Pellegrini, fresh from stealing the Italian swimming boyfriend (Luca Marin) of the then world record holder Laure Manaudou, claimed the world 400m record from the Frenchwoman. In Beijing, Manaudou, by then mentally mauled, was not in the form to win and finished eighth. The title was Pellegrini’s for the taking. She made a big mistake: she swam Adlington and Jackson’s race and failed to take into account the former’s fast finish. Adlington claimed gold ahead of America’s Katie Hoff, while Jackson kept Pellegrini off the podium. The Italian recovered in time to win the 200m, the last Olympic swimming crown to be won by a swimmer wearing two swimsuits. New rules this year banned the practice, which improves buoyancy.
In March this year the Britons pushed each other on and raced inside the Italian’s world record: 4min 0.66sec for Jackson and 4min 0.89sec for Adlington, the first two women inside 4min 1sec. Last month, Pellegrini hit back with a time of 4min 0.41sec.
Adlington will continue wearing the Speedo LZR Racer suit she wore in Beijing, claiming that wearing newer aids would be like doping. Pellegrini will wear the most controversial suit, the Jaked01, while Jackson will wear the latest “fast suit”, the adidas Hydrofoil.
Adlington said: “Just like I have never used doping to go faster, I will not use these costumes that I think are illegal.” A headline in Gazzetta dello Sport said: “Adlington says suits are technological doping.” Italian commentators pointed out that all suits are legal, that the LZR was the fast suit that opened a Pandora’s box of performance-enhancement in suits, and that she was trying to hit at the heart of the Italian camp.
The term “technological doping” was coined by Alberto Castagnetti, the head coach of Italy and mentor to Pellegrini, when the LZR was launched in February 2008 by Speedo.
British team officials denied that Adlington ever used the term “technological doping” and that it was mistakenly placed in quotes. Waters were further calmed by Adlington and Jackson on the eve of racing in Rome after both deflected the Pellegrini question. The Italian was a “strong competitor”, said Jackson, while Adlington noted: “She seems to be a very nice person and we smile at each other on the podium. She’s an unbelievable athlete.”
Unbelievable will be how many will regard what may be the first sub-four minute 400m freestyle, but the bodysuits will overshadow such an achievement before they are banned from January 1, 2010.
Whatever transpires, Furniss and Renshaw will prize the race over the time on the clock. “We are taking the long-term view to London 2012,” said Furniss. “There is no level playing field right now and we want to emerge from this ready for the fresh challenges to come.”
Source:The times
A PINCER movement of British sorority and female rivalry will be put to the test today as Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington and teammate Joanne Jackson face the Lioness of Verona, Federica Pellegrini, in her den at the Foro Italico in Rome in the world championship 400m freestyle.
Adlington, the winner of the 400m and 800m crowns in Beijing last year, says the domestic challenge is welcome. “People think of rivals as being at each other’s throats. It’s not like that at all,” she said. “We’re not rivals in that sense. We’re friends and competitors. We push each other, work off each other, but have to swim our own races. We both work so well together and I’m so glad when it comes to the race that it’s someone like Jo who’s there with me. If there was more rivalry it probably wouldn’t work so well.
Jackson, 22, and Adlington, 20, train in the same pool at Loughborough a couple of times most weeks. As competition has grown closer, coaches Bill Furniss, for Adlington, and Kevin Renshaw, for Jackson, have moved to opposite ends of the pool with their charges.
“It’s been a couple of months since we did a set together,” said Adlington. “We have different work to do because Jo is more focused on the 200m and 400m and I have the 800m. It’s definitely the 800m for me if I have to choose. But I’m Olympic champion. The 400m is still in focus.”
And how: the first women’s final of the 13th world championship is charged with one-upwomanship and the art of intimidation. The saga started last year when Italy’s Pellegrini, fresh from stealing the Italian swimming boyfriend (Luca Marin) of the then world record holder Laure Manaudou, claimed the world 400m record from the Frenchwoman. In Beijing, Manaudou, by then mentally mauled, was not in the form to win and finished eighth. The title was Pellegrini’s for the taking. She made a big mistake: she swam Adlington and Jackson’s race and failed to take into account the former’s fast finish. Adlington claimed gold ahead of America’s Katie Hoff, while Jackson kept Pellegrini off the podium. The Italian recovered in time to win the 200m, the last Olympic swimming crown to be won by a swimmer wearing two swimsuits. New rules this year banned the practice, which improves buoyancy.
In March this year the Britons pushed each other on and raced inside the Italian’s world record: 4min 0.66sec for Jackson and 4min 0.89sec for Adlington, the first two women inside 4min 1sec. Last month, Pellegrini hit back with a time of 4min 0.41sec.
Adlington will continue wearing the Speedo LZR Racer suit she wore in Beijing, claiming that wearing newer aids would be like doping. Pellegrini will wear the most controversial suit, the Jaked01, while Jackson will wear the latest “fast suit”, the adidas Hydrofoil.
Adlington said: “Just like I have never used doping to go faster, I will not use these costumes that I think are illegal.” A headline in Gazzetta dello Sport said: “Adlington says suits are technological doping.” Italian commentators pointed out that all suits are legal, that the LZR was the fast suit that opened a Pandora’s box of performance-enhancement in suits, and that she was trying to hit at the heart of the Italian camp.
The term “technological doping” was coined by Alberto Castagnetti, the head coach of Italy and mentor to Pellegrini, when the LZR was launched in February 2008 by Speedo.
British team officials denied that Adlington ever used the term “technological doping” and that it was mistakenly placed in quotes. Waters were further calmed by Adlington and Jackson on the eve of racing in Rome after both deflected the Pellegrini question. The Italian was a “strong competitor”, said Jackson, while Adlington noted: “She seems to be a very nice person and we smile at each other on the podium. She’s an unbelievable athlete.”
Unbelievable will be how many will regard what may be the first sub-four minute 400m freestyle, but the bodysuits will overshadow such an achievement before they are banned from January 1, 2010.
Whatever transpires, Furniss and Renshaw will prize the race over the time on the clock. “We are taking the long-term view to London 2012,” said Furniss. “There is no level playing field right now and we want to emerge from this ready for the fresh challenges to come.”
Source:The times
Greg Norman storms back with reminder of glory days
GREG NORMAN recaptured some of the form that almost made him the oldest winner of the Open Championship last year at Royal Birkdale when he fired a 64 in the Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale for a 10-under-par total and a one-shot lead going into today’s final round.
The 54-year-old Great White Shark was seven shots behind overnight leader Fred Funk when he began his third round but a couple of birdies on the front nine holes and not a single dropped shot set him up for a blistering back nine which conjured images of the famous charges that were once his trademark. Driving the ball long and straight and striking his iron shots at the pins, Norman made a third birdie on the short par-four 11th before three successive birdies from the 13th gave him a share of the lead.
Funk, who once donned a pink skirt during a Skins Game in California after Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam drove her ball comfortably past his on a par-five hole, led his “round belly” rivals by seven strokes midway through his round. But a double bogey on the par-four 12th, where he pulled his drive into the heath, brought him back to the field and he surrendered the lead miserably by missing a putt from three feet on the par-three 15th. Recognised by his peers on the PGA Tour as one of the straightest drivers ever to play the game, Funk is also one of the shortest but lack of length off the tee is no serious handicap on the over-50’s circuit. Funk’s failings came on and around Sunningdale’s subtle greens.
Norman missed an opportunity to increase his advantage on the 17th as he failed to hole from nine feet for another birdie and an indifferent approach with his wedge to 18 feet on the last followed by a putt which lipped out of the hole denied him a glorious finish. For Tom Watson, that missed putt to win The Open at the age of 59 last week at Turnberry became a recurring nightmare as chance after chance slipped by on the greens. He missed from six feet on the 11th, from the same distance on 16 and another on the last — all for birdies — and a level par 70 for a four-under-par total has left him too many shots back to challenge.
Larry Mize, who stole The Masters from under Norman’s nose in 1987 when he chipped in from off the green on the second extra hole in a sudden-death play-off, made six birdies on the back nine as he came home in 29 strokes to close to within three of the lead.
Fellow American Loren Roberts was alongside Funk, a shot behind Norman while Bernhard Langer and defending champion Bruce Vaughan both fired 65 to lie four shots back alongside Mark McNulty.
Sam Torrance shot 71 after a triple- bogey seven on the second hole to finish alongside Mize on seven under.
Source:The times
The 54-year-old Great White Shark was seven shots behind overnight leader Fred Funk when he began his third round but a couple of birdies on the front nine holes and not a single dropped shot set him up for a blistering back nine which conjured images of the famous charges that were once his trademark. Driving the ball long and straight and striking his iron shots at the pins, Norman made a third birdie on the short par-four 11th before three successive birdies from the 13th gave him a share of the lead.
Funk, who once donned a pink skirt during a Skins Game in California after Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam drove her ball comfortably past his on a par-five hole, led his “round belly” rivals by seven strokes midway through his round. But a double bogey on the par-four 12th, where he pulled his drive into the heath, brought him back to the field and he surrendered the lead miserably by missing a putt from three feet on the par-three 15th. Recognised by his peers on the PGA Tour as one of the straightest drivers ever to play the game, Funk is also one of the shortest but lack of length off the tee is no serious handicap on the over-50’s circuit. Funk’s failings came on and around Sunningdale’s subtle greens.
Norman missed an opportunity to increase his advantage on the 17th as he failed to hole from nine feet for another birdie and an indifferent approach with his wedge to 18 feet on the last followed by a putt which lipped out of the hole denied him a glorious finish. For Tom Watson, that missed putt to win The Open at the age of 59 last week at Turnberry became a recurring nightmare as chance after chance slipped by on the greens. He missed from six feet on the 11th, from the same distance on 16 and another on the last — all for birdies — and a level par 70 for a four-under-par total has left him too many shots back to challenge.
Larry Mize, who stole The Masters from under Norman’s nose in 1987 when he chipped in from off the green on the second extra hole in a sudden-death play-off, made six birdies on the back nine as he came home in 29 strokes to close to within three of the lead.
Fellow American Loren Roberts was alongside Funk, a shot behind Norman while Bernhard Langer and defending champion Bruce Vaughan both fired 65 to lie four shots back alongside Mark McNulty.
Sam Torrance shot 71 after a triple- bogey seven on the second hole to finish alongside Mize on seven under.
Source:The times
Felipe Massa 'stable' after surgery on fractured skull
Felipe Massa remains in a stable condition in hospital today after fracturing his skull in two places during a freak accident in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
A Ferrari statement today read: "After undergoing an operation yesterday afternoon, Felipe Massa's condition remains stable and there were no further complications through the night.
"He will be given another CT scan today which will provide more precise information."
The 28-year-old was struck by a spring - which can weigh anything up to a kilogram - that had worked loose from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP during the middle 15-minute period of qualifying.
The spring was seen bouncing along the Hungaroring track before flying over the front of Massa's Ferrari that was travelling at 170mph, striking the Brazilian on the helmet just over his left eye.
Massa appeared to be knocked unconscious, with his right foot jamming down on the throttle as he drove straight into a tyre barrier.
Stricken in the car, photographs emerged showing a fist-sized dent in his helmet, and with the visor up, there was a large cut over a blackened left eye.
Massa was initially treated at the circuit's medical centre before being taken by helicopter to Budapest's AEK military hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
A Ferrari official later described the operation as a "success".
Massa's parents and wife, Anna Rafaela, who is expecting their first child later this year, arrived at the hospital yesterday after flying in from Brazil.
"It's hard for a father, a mother and a wife to stay here and get news by phone," Massa's father, Luiz Antonio, said before departing from Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo. "The information that we have is that he will be woken up tomorrow morning (Sunday), gradually removing the sedatives so he can wake up well."
Massa underwent surgery around 4.20pm local time yesterday, about an hour after being airlifted to the hospital. He was conscious at the time.
Hungary's defense department, which runs the hospital, said in a statement that Massa had suffered "serious, life-threatening injuries including loss of consciousness and a fracture of the forehead on the left side and a fracture on the base of the skull."
The crash came less than a week after Henry Surtees, the son of former Formula One champion John Surtees, died in similar circumstances during a Formula Two race last Sunday. Surtees was struck in the head by a tire from another car, causing him to lose consciousness and drive into a barrier.
Source:The times
A Ferrari statement today read: "After undergoing an operation yesterday afternoon, Felipe Massa's condition remains stable and there were no further complications through the night.
"He will be given another CT scan today which will provide more precise information."
The 28-year-old was struck by a spring - which can weigh anything up to a kilogram - that had worked loose from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP during the middle 15-minute period of qualifying.
The spring was seen bouncing along the Hungaroring track before flying over the front of Massa's Ferrari that was travelling at 170mph, striking the Brazilian on the helmet just over his left eye.
Massa appeared to be knocked unconscious, with his right foot jamming down on the throttle as he drove straight into a tyre barrier.
Stricken in the car, photographs emerged showing a fist-sized dent in his helmet, and with the visor up, there was a large cut over a blackened left eye.
Massa was initially treated at the circuit's medical centre before being taken by helicopter to Budapest's AEK military hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
A Ferrari official later described the operation as a "success".
Massa's parents and wife, Anna Rafaela, who is expecting their first child later this year, arrived at the hospital yesterday after flying in from Brazil.
"It's hard for a father, a mother and a wife to stay here and get news by phone," Massa's father, Luiz Antonio, said before departing from Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo. "The information that we have is that he will be woken up tomorrow morning (Sunday), gradually removing the sedatives so he can wake up well."
Massa underwent surgery around 4.20pm local time yesterday, about an hour after being airlifted to the hospital. He was conscious at the time.
Hungary's defense department, which runs the hospital, said in a statement that Massa had suffered "serious, life-threatening injuries including loss of consciousness and a fracture of the forehead on the left side and a fracture on the base of the skull."
The crash came less than a week after Henry Surtees, the son of former Formula One champion John Surtees, died in similar circumstances during a Formula Two race last Sunday. Surtees was struck in the head by a tire from another car, causing him to lose consciousness and drive into a barrier.
Source:The times
Sven-Göran Eriksson charms Notts County set
Gilly Hughes of Clifton was on the phone to her friend, explaining how long she’d been queuing to buy her ticket for yesterday’s Nottingham derby. “About an hour,” she explained, disbelief in her voice. The queue in question for what was a pre-season friendly stretched down Meadow Lane towards the city centre. Come three o’clock, fans of visiting Nottingham Forest had still not been accommodated and the friendly began 15 minutes late.
That overflowing Forest fans had delayed the start reminded us where the footballing power in this city of lace, bicycles and cigarettes lies. Although the preposterously unlikely arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson as Notts County’s director of football suggests a possible overturning of the old order.
This time last week, the Russian press was agog with Eriksson tales. Apparently, he was in Russia and about to take over Zenit St Petersburg in November, at the end of the Russian season, when coach Dick Advocaat leaves the 2008 Uefa Cup winners to take over the Belgian national side. By last Wednesday, Eriksson and his trusty sidekick Tord Grip were signing on at Notts County, last season England’s 87th most successful club, as director of football and director of football’s trusty sidekick respectively.
County may be on the up (the season before they finished 89th), but with the most benign will in the world, they are no Lazio, England, Manchester City or Mexico. And, oh delicious irony, the man who was fooled by a fake sheikh offering the manager’s job at Aston Villa in 2006, now finds himself in the ultimate employ of a genuine one at little Notts County. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.
Stranger still, who County’s new owners are remains a mystery. The British Virgin Islands-registered Munto Finance bought the club on July 14. Munto’s own finance — provided via a Swiss bank — is believed to be Qatari. Even County’s executive chairman Peter Trembling claims not to know exactly who’s who.
Not since England striker Tommy Lawton, at the peak of his powers, moved from first division Chelsea to County of the Third Division in 1947 has there been such heady romance at Meadow Lane. Even so, Eriksson’s motives remain typically delphic. The curiously ageless Swede, whose unchanged expression denoted either a coaching wizard (after England won 5-1 in Munich) or a buffoon (after England lost 1-0 in Belfast) was giving nothing away yesterday.
Still, he has entered into the spirit of his unlikely safari into the lower reaches of the jungle. He claims to be acquiring a property in the area and immediately before yesterday’s match he took a literal bow before the home supporters, who couldn’t have looked more surprised if Lawton himself had returned from the grave. And he waved at the Forest fans as they chorused: “You’re only here for the money.”
“We’ve struggled in the last few years,” explained a steward. “But now, who knows? Before Sven we were 33-1 for the League 2 title; now we’re 7-1. Mind you, I won’t be having a bet. This is Notts County . . . ”
Shortly before the start of the season, a lucky County fan will receive a knock on their door. Their caller will be Eriksson, personally delivering a County season ticket, drawn at random from those who buy one next week. Cynics may note Britain’s only Hooters franchise a couple of minutes from Meadow Lane and Nottingham’s rumoured 4/1 female/male ratio, although that myth hasn’t been true since the immediate aftermath of the second world war.
A contract that apparently includes a shareholding, no get-out clause and which, depending on results, could net Eriksson £2m a year over five years was hardly a barrier to his moving to DH Lawrence country. But pay-offs of £3m (England), £2m (Mexico) and £1m (Manchester City) on not-insubstantial salaries have meant that the 21st has been a good century for Eriksson, financially at least. In short, he doesn’t need the money or a marriage of inconvenience.
Lawton and Eriksson aside, the self-proclaimed “world’s oldest Football League club” have always had a certain romance, being a late-career staging post (albeit a successful one) for Hughie Gallagher, and the home of gifted mavericks such as Howard Wilkinson, Neil Warnock, Jimmy Sirrel and Ian Scanlon who scored a hat-trick in 165 seconds against Sheffield Wednesday in 1974 and quit football soon afterwards claiming (not entirely truthfully it later transpired) he had inherited a fortune.
County have only spent four seasons at the top table since 1926. Since the second world war, the trophy cupboard is bare, save only a Third and Fourth Division title and the 1995 Anglo-Italian Trophy, which attracted just 11,704 to the showpiece Wembley final.
Perhaps we should take Eriksson at face value when he claims he has joined County for the challenge of a role which encompasses “training facilities and player development; the youth academy; transfer negotiations and scouting network; the treatment room, overseas links and community football”. None of which Eriksson seems especially suited for.
As he sat impassively in the directors box, Eriksson would have seen much to encourage him, although down in the technical area, animated manager Ian McParland hardly resembled a dead man walking. County deserved their 2-1 victory. Luke Chambers’s slip allowed Luke Rodgers to run on and score, and Lee Hughes added a second soon after. Kevin Pilkington’s error allowed Lewis McGugan to pull one back for Forest. Afterwards, McParland didn‘t sound like a dead man walking either. “The media fenzy will settle down. Sven will give me advice, I’ll give him advice: that’s how it will work.”
Eriksson stayed until the final whistle and left in his chauffeur-driven Mercedes, although not the one in which he turned up at a local rugby club on Thursday, having lost his way between Meadow Lane and County’s training ground. Whether Eriksson has lost his way or found a vocation remains to be seen, most probably at a wet and windy Burton Albion, to whom County travel in December.
Source:The times
That overflowing Forest fans had delayed the start reminded us where the footballing power in this city of lace, bicycles and cigarettes lies. Although the preposterously unlikely arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson as Notts County’s director of football suggests a possible overturning of the old order.
This time last week, the Russian press was agog with Eriksson tales. Apparently, he was in Russia and about to take over Zenit St Petersburg in November, at the end of the Russian season, when coach Dick Advocaat leaves the 2008 Uefa Cup winners to take over the Belgian national side. By last Wednesday, Eriksson and his trusty sidekick Tord Grip were signing on at Notts County, last season England’s 87th most successful club, as director of football and director of football’s trusty sidekick respectively.
County may be on the up (the season before they finished 89th), but with the most benign will in the world, they are no Lazio, England, Manchester City or Mexico. And, oh delicious irony, the man who was fooled by a fake sheikh offering the manager’s job at Aston Villa in 2006, now finds himself in the ultimate employ of a genuine one at little Notts County. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.
Stranger still, who County’s new owners are remains a mystery. The British Virgin Islands-registered Munto Finance bought the club on July 14. Munto’s own finance — provided via a Swiss bank — is believed to be Qatari. Even County’s executive chairman Peter Trembling claims not to know exactly who’s who.
Not since England striker Tommy Lawton, at the peak of his powers, moved from first division Chelsea to County of the Third Division in 1947 has there been such heady romance at Meadow Lane. Even so, Eriksson’s motives remain typically delphic. The curiously ageless Swede, whose unchanged expression denoted either a coaching wizard (after England won 5-1 in Munich) or a buffoon (after England lost 1-0 in Belfast) was giving nothing away yesterday.
Still, he has entered into the spirit of his unlikely safari into the lower reaches of the jungle. He claims to be acquiring a property in the area and immediately before yesterday’s match he took a literal bow before the home supporters, who couldn’t have looked more surprised if Lawton himself had returned from the grave. And he waved at the Forest fans as they chorused: “You’re only here for the money.”
“We’ve struggled in the last few years,” explained a steward. “But now, who knows? Before Sven we were 33-1 for the League 2 title; now we’re 7-1. Mind you, I won’t be having a bet. This is Notts County . . . ”
Shortly before the start of the season, a lucky County fan will receive a knock on their door. Their caller will be Eriksson, personally delivering a County season ticket, drawn at random from those who buy one next week. Cynics may note Britain’s only Hooters franchise a couple of minutes from Meadow Lane and Nottingham’s rumoured 4/1 female/male ratio, although that myth hasn’t been true since the immediate aftermath of the second world war.
A contract that apparently includes a shareholding, no get-out clause and which, depending on results, could net Eriksson £2m a year over five years was hardly a barrier to his moving to DH Lawrence country. But pay-offs of £3m (England), £2m (Mexico) and £1m (Manchester City) on not-insubstantial salaries have meant that the 21st has been a good century for Eriksson, financially at least. In short, he doesn’t need the money or a marriage of inconvenience.
Lawton and Eriksson aside, the self-proclaimed “world’s oldest Football League club” have always had a certain romance, being a late-career staging post (albeit a successful one) for Hughie Gallagher, and the home of gifted mavericks such as Howard Wilkinson, Neil Warnock, Jimmy Sirrel and Ian Scanlon who scored a hat-trick in 165 seconds against Sheffield Wednesday in 1974 and quit football soon afterwards claiming (not entirely truthfully it later transpired) he had inherited a fortune.
County have only spent four seasons at the top table since 1926. Since the second world war, the trophy cupboard is bare, save only a Third and Fourth Division title and the 1995 Anglo-Italian Trophy, which attracted just 11,704 to the showpiece Wembley final.
Perhaps we should take Eriksson at face value when he claims he has joined County for the challenge of a role which encompasses “training facilities and player development; the youth academy; transfer negotiations and scouting network; the treatment room, overseas links and community football”. None of which Eriksson seems especially suited for.
As he sat impassively in the directors box, Eriksson would have seen much to encourage him, although down in the technical area, animated manager Ian McParland hardly resembled a dead man walking. County deserved their 2-1 victory. Luke Chambers’s slip allowed Luke Rodgers to run on and score, and Lee Hughes added a second soon after. Kevin Pilkington’s error allowed Lewis McGugan to pull one back for Forest. Afterwards, McParland didn‘t sound like a dead man walking either. “The media fenzy will settle down. Sven will give me advice, I’ll give him advice: that’s how it will work.”
Eriksson stayed until the final whistle and left in his chauffeur-driven Mercedes, although not the one in which he turned up at a local rugby club on Thursday, having lost his way between Meadow Lane and County’s training ground. Whether Eriksson has lost his way or found a vocation remains to be seen, most probably at a wet and windy Burton Albion, to whom County travel in December.
Source:The times
Ian Bell chimes for England in place of Kevin Pietersen
Andrew Flintoff and Ian Bell have been named in England's 13-man squad as the selectors sprang no surprises this morning in their line-up to face Australia at Edgbaston in the third npower Test.
The enforced absence of the injured Kevin Pietersen is the only change from the initial squad announced for the second Test at Lord's last week.
Bell, the Warwickshire batsman, will be the like-for-like replacement in the final XI for the injured Pietersen, who has been ruled out of the series after Achilles surgery. As expected, England have chosen not to select any extra batting cover.
Stephen Harmison, the Durham fast bowler, and Northamptonshire spinner Monty Panesar join the other players who featured in England's 115-run win over Australia at Lord's.
"The performance of the team at Lord's was outstanding, and a convincing win was well deserved," Geoff Miller, the ECB national selector, said.
"We have obviously had to make a change to the side following Kevin Pietersen's unavailability, and we wish Kevin the best with his rehabilitation and look forward to his return to the England team in due course."
The inclusion of Bell was an obvious reaction to Pietersen's absence for the remainder of the summer and England have contingency plans for a batting replacement should injury strike any of their top six before the Test.
"Kevin's injury has presented an opportunity for Ian Bell, who we know is a top-class batsmen with an excellent international record for England," Miller said.
"Ian will be looking to make the most of his return to the side during an Ashes series - and while we have a strong idea of where he will bat, we won't be disclosing the final line-up of the side until the toss on Thursday.
"Although we haven't named any extra batting cover in the squad, we have several options should the need arise to call in another batsmen."
England are optimistic that Lord's match-winner Flintoff will be able to play, despite the knee injury which has forced his Test retirement at the end of this series.
"Andrew Flintoff's performance at Lord's was truly memorable, and we hope he can take his place in the side for the third npower Test as he continues to manage his knee injury," Miller said.
"Andrew and the medical staff are quite bullish about his prospects of playing, but we'll continue to monitor his progress in the days leading up to Thursday.
"Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar once again come into the squad, and both players provide us with cover and exciting options within the bowling attack." .
Source:The times
The enforced absence of the injured Kevin Pietersen is the only change from the initial squad announced for the second Test at Lord's last week.
Bell, the Warwickshire batsman, will be the like-for-like replacement in the final XI for the injured Pietersen, who has been ruled out of the series after Achilles surgery. As expected, England have chosen not to select any extra batting cover.
Stephen Harmison, the Durham fast bowler, and Northamptonshire spinner Monty Panesar join the other players who featured in England's 115-run win over Australia at Lord's.
"The performance of the team at Lord's was outstanding, and a convincing win was well deserved," Geoff Miller, the ECB national selector, said.
"We have obviously had to make a change to the side following Kevin Pietersen's unavailability, and we wish Kevin the best with his rehabilitation and look forward to his return to the England team in due course."
The inclusion of Bell was an obvious reaction to Pietersen's absence for the remainder of the summer and England have contingency plans for a batting replacement should injury strike any of their top six before the Test.
"Kevin's injury has presented an opportunity for Ian Bell, who we know is a top-class batsmen with an excellent international record for England," Miller said.
"Ian will be looking to make the most of his return to the side during an Ashes series - and while we have a strong idea of where he will bat, we won't be disclosing the final line-up of the side until the toss on Thursday.
"Although we haven't named any extra batting cover in the squad, we have several options should the need arise to call in another batsmen."
England are optimistic that Lord's match-winner Flintoff will be able to play, despite the knee injury which has forced his Test retirement at the end of this series.
"Andrew Flintoff's performance at Lord's was truly memorable, and we hope he can take his place in the side for the third npower Test as he continues to manage his knee injury," Miller said.
"Andrew and the medical staff are quite bullish about his prospects of playing, but we'll continue to monitor his progress in the days leading up to Thursday.
"Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar once again come into the squad, and both players provide us with cover and exciting options within the bowling attack." .
Source:The times
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