| London 2012 Stadium Track Non - Negotiable LONDON (Reuters) - Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United must make provision for an athletics track if either is to succeed in their bid to take over the main stadium after the 2012 London Olympics, organisers said. feeds.nytimes.com |
Football transfer rumours: Glen Johnson to Real Madrid? Today's guff are leaning on PeteIn this morning's Daily Mail a story parroted yesterday in the Mill's rather downmarket apparently humorous tea-time email cousin the Fiver about Glen Johnson taking a sponsored language course in Spanish is used as an excuse for claiming he's going to sign for Real Madrid in January.In tomorrow's Mail: how Glen Johnson has also paved the way for a brief winter sun holiday in Mallorca and being able to order more confidently in a west London tapas bar, while also paving the way towards enjoying more fully the often-overlooked Spanish language oeuvre of Gloria Estefan.Also in the Mail Ossie Ardiles will not be fulfilling his dream of managing Hereford United, despite being the first person to apply for the job. Federico Macheda has said he won't be going on loan to Lazio. Jason Brown wants to leave Blackburn at the end of the season after losing his spot as No2 goalkeeper to Mark Bunn. No. The Mill neither.Arsenal aren't getting anywhere in their attempts to lure Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz, who is also wanted by Barcelona where he'd probably have to do a bit less. Internazionale are still after Gareth Bale. They're now planning to offer journeyman stroller Sulley Muntari as "bait". And Palermo plan to "scare off" Manchester City, Arsenal and Barcelona by asking £50m for Argentinian midfield ace Javier Pastore. In the Daily Mirror twig-like teenage Brazilian man-child Neymar has expressed his desire to be brutally assaulted on a weekly basis in the Premier League by men with thighs like haunches of beef and heads like sacks of Welsh railway coal. "To play for Chelsea would be an honour. Everything they have to offer is attractive to me. They have big players, they are in big competitions, they have a strong squad and I like the way they play," he trilled in a Michael Jackson-style falsetto, pausing briefly to play with some Lego before reading from a piece of paper the words: "But I'm happy at Santos."Hatem Ben Arfa could yet make his move to Newcastle permanent after being cheered up by messages of support from the club's fans. "I would like to thank all the Newcastle fans from the bottom of my heart for their fantastic messages of support and encouragement ... I'm told they are arriving in their hundreds and that's really overwhelming. It's cheered me up no end and makes me feel really humble and honoured that the fans are showing such support for me," he said. The Mill says: Well done those Newcastle fans.Doncaster Rovers want portly white-suited Aston Villa midfielder Jonathan "Boss" Hogg on loan. Bradford are going to sack Peter Taylor if they don't beat Barnet this weekend. "It's going to be a big fight but I'm up for that," Taylor announced, swirling his hands around in a series of vaguely kung-fu style movements and finishing off with a shrill "Haaiiii" noise.Niko Kranjcar isn't ready to leave just yet despite being left out of the Spurs team. "I love Niko. But Gareth Bale's been playing so well: what can you do?" Harry Redknapp said yesterday, staring out of his rain-streaked window looking sad and listening to a medley of Lionel Richie ballads. Homesick Wolves lunk Jelle Van Damme still wants to go back to Belgium. "The coach [Mick McCarthy] has asked me: 'If you had the choice to return to Anderlecht, would you do it?' I have answered, 'Yes'," he said. "Do I regret that I left? Regret is a big word." It isn't that big. Even "Anderlecht" is bigger.Manchester United's Tom Cleverley is going to be recalled from Wigan in January in order to play in the Carling Cup occasionally and sit frowning on the bench in the background of those TV replays when Alex Ferguson leaps up looking confused and bewildered whenever United narrowly miss a chance.In the Sun, Spurs midfielder Giovani dos Santos could be on his way to Napoli. And Abou Diaby says Lassana Diarra talked him out of a move to Chelsea. "Diarra told me 'I have not played for three months' – and that made me hesitate," he says. Next week: Why Abou Diaby would also jump off a cliff or put his hand in a fire if Lassana Diarra told him to do it and why they're not going to be allowed to sit together anymore at circle time if this carries on.Barney Ronayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
A-League squads, round 11 All the ins and outs for all the teams in round 10 of the 2010-2011 Hyundai A-League. foxsports.com.au |
Admirers lavish praise on in-form Bale • Gareth Bale's hat-trick attracts Italian interest• Raphael BenÃtez says midfielder 'doing very well'Gareth Bale is such a shy and gentle boy that he gives the impression he is slightly embarrassed by all the fuss. His breathtaking second-half hat-trick in Tottenham Hotspur's 4-3 Champions League defeat by Internazionale at San Siro on Wednesday marked him out in front of a global audience as one of the hottest properties in the game.After he had reduced Maicon, the much-vaunted Brazilian Inter right-back, to a nervous wreck it did not feel outlandish to wonder whether there was a better left-sided midfielder in Europe. But if there is one thing that is sure to force Bale into his shell, it is praise. It threatens to bring a reddish glow to his cheeks and a superstar in the making is reduced to resembling an awkward teenager.Bale, 21, probably ought to have avoided the newspapers at home yesterday morning. And again today. Italy fell in love with him on Wednesday night but such was the lateness of his second and third goals that the country's leading papers could not redraw their pages to accommodate articles on him. The tributes will flow this morning.Bale would have had to content himself with that all-important mark out of 10. Italian papers hardly ever give out nines and so Bale's eights and eight and a halves reflected scarcely qualified admiration. In some places, he pipped Samuel Eto'o as man of the match. The Cameroonian striker scored twice and helped to set up the other two Inter goals.Gazzetta dello Sport estimated that Bale's transfer value was ¤25m (£22.2m) and wrote that every time he played like this it would increase. Inter directors have had conversations with Tottenham about the Welshman's availability and they would love him to fill a position that has long been considered a problem. Many supporters of the European champions believe that the last great left-sided midfielder they had was the German Andreas Brehme, in the late 80s and early 90s. Spurs have not entertained any overtures from Bale's various suitors.Bale came to some degree of prominence in Italy when José Mourinho, having joined Inter as manager in the summer of 2008, took part in the Daily Telegraph's fantasy football game and picked him as his left-back. However, the Welshman has made his mark further forward and it has only been in 2010 that his career has taken off.Bale did not make his first Premier League start of last season until January, having been held back by injuries and a perceived lack of toughness. He was forced to bottle up his frustrations throughout the final months of 2009 but he knew that he might get his break when the left-back Benoît Assou-Ekotto went to the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon in January.Bale was determined that he would make it impossible for the Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp, to ignore him. Assou-Ekotto was absent in January through injury rather than an international call-up and Bale made good on his promise, his performances growing in confidence and influence. He has started every match for Tottenham in 2010 except last month's Carling Cup defeat by Arsenal, when he was rested. Once Assou-Ekotto was restored to the team, Bale stepped up to the left of midfield. If his personal highlights had been his winning goals towards the end of last season against Arsenal and Chelsea, then Wednesday night at San Siro took matters to a new level.Bale's strength, stamina, deceptive pace and sweet left foot ensured that Tottenham, who had to play with 10 men from the eighth minute, after the sending-off of the goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, and who were soon trailing by four goals, almost completed one of the game's great comebacks. Redknapp may need to start giving his half-time team-talks before kick-off.Bale might have found it easier to listen to Rafael BenÃtez after the game. The Inter manager complained that his players had switched off in the second half, made too many mistakes and allowed Bale too much space. He did, however, manage to force out the words, "Bale was doing very well". The tributes were rather more glowing from the midfielder's Tottenham team-mates. Gareth, look away now."Gareth could play for any team in the world," said the right-back Alan Hutton. "Maicon is supposed to be one of the best full-backs but Gareth caused him all sorts of problems. His finishing is deadly and the sky is the limit for him."The striker Peter Crouch said Bale was "fantastic" and "magnificent" and Gomes suggested that he could play for Brazil.Bale said: "I try not to take too much notice of what's being said about me. I am still learning and hopefully there is a lot more to come from me."For right-backs all over Europe, that is a frightening prospect.Tottenham HotspurChampions LeagueDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
How Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez combined at Manchester United Telegraph Sport examines how the two strikers hit it off during their time at Old Trafford. telegraph.co.uk |