Tuesday, February 22, 2011

(GugukluhayaT) [The Sport Review] The Sport Review: “Rangers confirm Ally McCoist as Walter ...

The Sport Review: “Rangers confirm Ally McCoist as Walter Smith’s successor” plus 6 more

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Rangers confirm Ally McCoist as Walter Smith’s successor

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 04:31 PM PST

ally mccoist

Ally McCoist has been confirmed as the successor to Rangers boss Walter Smith when he steps down at the end of the season.

McCoist, who scored 355 goals in 581 appearances for the club, returned to Rangers as Smith's assistant in January, but originally said he did not expect to be put forward as a candidate for the manager's job.

Smith had considered standing down at the end of last season after winning his second successive SPL title since his return, but instead remained in the job as Rangers looked to manage a perilous financial situation.

Chief executive Martin Bain confirmed McCoist had accepted the role in December in a statement.

The 48-year-old will sign a one-year rolling deal, with current number three Kenny McDowall as his assistant, while Ian Durrant will become first team coach.

"We are delighted to confirm Ally as our next Manager when Walter Smith steps down at the end of the season," read a statement on Rangers' website.

"First and foremost Ally is a passionate Rangers supporter who has been a loyal servant to the club both as a player and more recently assistant manager. He has contributed greatly to our success over the past four years and that is why we feel he is the right man to replace Walter.

"When Ally joined Walter as his assistant in January 2007 he was always being groomed as the next manager. He is the unanimous choice of the Rangers board to take the club forward next season and when I offered him the position in December–during our Champions League trip to Bursaspor–he agreed immediately.

"Walter Smith is rightly regarded as one of the most successful managers in our proud history and what he has achieved during the 9-in-a-row years and more recently in his second spell as Manager is nothing short of remarkable."

McCoist said: "It was an honour to pull on the Rangers jersey during my playing career. I have enjoyed working with Walter, Kenny McDowall, Ian Durrant and the backroom team as assistant manager and to be confirmed as the next Rangers manager is a dream come true.

"Over the past few years I have been privileged to learn from one of the greatest managers in world football and Walter's record speaks for itself. The success he brought to Rangers during nine-in-a-row and the last four years in difficult times has been unbelievable and he has rightly gained the respect of everyone in the game.

"I am delighted to be following in his footsteps and I will do everything possible to bring further success to this club. I have said it many times–Rangers is a special club with a great history and tradition and this is the proudest day of my career.

"The fans have backed me for almost 20 years as a player and assistant manager and as a lifelong Rangers supporter myself I look forward to rewarding their loyalty by bringing silverware to our club."

McCoist's appointment was confirmed at a press conference at Ibrox on Tuesday afternoon, as Bain and the manager-in-waiting took questions from reporters.

Federer and Djokovic sparkle in lacklustre Dubai opening

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 04:09 PM PST

novak djokovic

Dubai did at least open the week with one piece of good news. The richest 500 event in the calendar had won the ATP 500 award for the seventh time in eight years, the third year in a row.

That may have gone some way to healing the wounds opened by the absence of two of its biggest names, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

It may also have reduced the stress of seeing world No4 Robin Soderling steal the headlines in Marseille with his third title in four events and watching Andy Roddick bring the house down in Memphis with his 30th career title.

It will not, however, have done much to counter the swath of disappointments that hit Dubai in its opening round.

The popular Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis, playing in what promised to be an attractive opener against the biggest riser of 2010, Andrey Golubev, retired after just four games with flu.

Another close match-up between Nos 41 Feliciano Lopez and 42 Yen-Hsun Lu ended prematurely when the Taipei man also retired ill after losing five games in a row.

The glorious single-handed backhand of Ivan Ljubicic was killed off in the first game of the second set by a calf injury.

And what promised to be the highlight of opening Monday between the shot-making flair of Richard Gasquet and the Federer-lite teenager Grigor Dimitrov, turned into an error-ridden let-down of just one hour.

As if to rain on Dubai's parade, it did just that: rained in the desert.

What a relief, then, that the big boys, the money-makers, the top two seeds with the best form of the last five months, did their bit for Dubai's reputation.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, both former Dubai champions, were making their first appearances since the Australian Open, which also marked the last time they played one another. Most spectators—in Dubai and elsewhere—hope for a 21st meeting between them come Sunday, but first Federer faced the Indian No1, Somdev Devvarman.

And the match certainly provided a cauldron of an atmosphere.

Federer enjoys huge support in his second home of Dubai and was a sight for sore eyes after missing the last two years with injury and falling in the first round in 2008 while recovering from glandular fever.

However Devvarman had the raucous and enthusiastic backing of many in a full stadium swollen by a local Indian workforce that has helped to build Dubai into an architectural wonder.

It did not help Devvarman that he claims Federer as his hero. Nor did it help him that Federer looked and played with the relaxed confidence of someone rested, fit and eager.

The Swiss forehand was super-sharp and his footwork light and quick. He worked the backhand like the bow of a violin, sweeping over the top of the ball for down-the-line winners and skimming under the ball in cross-court sliced defence.

Devvarman's style of play—clean, deep shots down both wings and solid defence in the longer rallies—provided the perfect foil. It gave Federer the chance to work up his array of shots all the way to a 6-3 first set in which he lost only five points on serve.

The Indian was not fazed, though, and continued to play solid, attacking tennis—and it nearly paid off in Federer's second service game. But two break chances went begging as Devvarman played a handful of unforced errors at the crucial moment.

The hold of serve seemed to give Federer an adrenalin rush that propelled him to the net on the Indian's serve to break immediately. And that was it: Federer finished off the match 6-3.

Djokovic, on paper, had the harder test in his first round against the tall left-hander, Michael Llodra, ranked 27 and the winner of their last match at the Paris Masters.

The Serb is going for his third Dubai title in a row, and looked every inch the defending champion. It took him barely an hour to race through the serve-and-volley tactics of Llodra who simply couldn't get enough pace off the Dubai court to cut off the accurate passing shots of Djokovic. The Serb broke quickly in both sets to take the match 6-3, 6-3.

It was, though, a fun encounter and, just as Federer had, the Serb got just the kind of warm-up he would have wished for.

Other good signs for the tournament—at least in these early stages—were the performances of No3 seed Tomas Berdych, a winner in two easy sets, and of Nikolay Davydenko, who gave Guillermo Garcia-Lopez just two games in their 57 minutes on court.

Davydenko has had a tawdry time of it since pulling out of this very tournament last year with what became a long-term wrist injury. He is now trying to avoid slipping out of the top 40, but faces a mountain of a task against Berdych in the next round.

And the unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon overturned a 0-7 losing record against fourth seed and two-time former finalist Mikhail Youzhny to win 6-3, 7-5.

It's a good sign for the man fighting back up the rankings after knee injury last season. He has a nice run through his segment of the draw to a possible semi-final repeat of his Australian Open meeting with Federer. He almost upset the Swiss there and he has beaten him in both their previous best-of-three matches. Which could make this half of the draw very interesting indeed.

José Mourinho confident Real Madrid will reach quarters

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 03:44 PM PST

jose mourinho real madrid

José Mourinho is confident Real Madrid will reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League despite drawing 1-1 with Lyon in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Stade de Gerland.

Karim Benzema netted the opener against his former club with his first touch after coming on as a second-half substitute before Bafetimbi Gomis slotted home seven minutes from time to earn a draw.

Real Madrid’s French striker squeezed his shot through Hugo Lloris’ legs in the 65th minute after Mesut Özi and Cristiano Ronaldo combined well to put the forward through on goal.

But Lyon drew level when Cris nodded the ball into the path of Gomis for the 25-year-old France forward to volley his effort past Iker Casillas.

Madrid have been knocked out at the last-16 stage for the last six seasons but Mourinho is confident his men can put an end to that unwanted record by progressing to the quarter-finals in the return leg in two weeks’ time.

“We have taken a step forward,” said Mourinho afterwards. “It’s the first time we have scored a goal in Lyon. Everything is left open against a quality opponent but I hope the Bernabéu helps the team create a magical European night.”

The former Chelsea boss added: “I feel like I watched a real Champions League match: hard and well contested with very few clear chances due to the defensive rigour on both sides,” said Mourinho afterwards.

“In the second half we managed to find spaces and, to begin with, we were closer to a second goal than Lyon were to an equaliser.

“But it sets things up well for the second leg, where we will hope to qualify in front of our supporters.”

Elsewhere, Nicolas Anelka struck twice to earn Chelsea a comfortable 2-0 win at FC Copenhagen and ease the pressure on under-fire manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The Frenchman scored either side of the break as the Premier League champions overcame the first Danish side to reach the last-16 and boost their chances of a European quarter-final spot after falling short domestically this season.

Six Nations: Johnson laughs off Lièvremont comments

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:28 PM PST

martin johnson

England head coach Martin Johnson believes Marc Lièvremont's recent comments indicate fear within the France camp ahead their Six Nations showdown on Saturday.

The France coach caused controversy when he claimed his side had a level of respect for every team in the Six Nations – except Johnson's men.

"I don’t know about fear, maybe there is a little bit of that there. If I read Marc’s quotes correctly they respect us as a team,” Johnson said.

“They have said from the outset that if they win here they will win the championship.

“We have been through one of these big build-ups already for the Wales game. That was a big challenge for us as a team and some of our individuals.

“I thought we handled it well. We are used to it. It is what we want."

Lièvremont had earlier said: “We have a bit of trouble with the English. We respect them – well in my case at least I respect them.

“But you couldn’t say we have the slightest thing in common with them.”

The 42-year-old former France back-row forward also feels England are “already in World Cup mode” and "physically on a different level" to his own team.

He added: “This insular country, who always drape themselves in the national flag, their hymns, their chants, their traditions. They are people who one regards as a very proud people.

“But we are also very aware, in terms of planning and preparation, that the English are already in 2011 World Cup mode.

“We can feel that all of the English players are physically on a different level.”

Johnson knows how pivotal the fixture at Twickenham will be for both sides but is confident his men can handle the pressure of performing on the big stage.

“These big games are what we work for,” Johnson added. “There will be pressure, there will be quotes used by the media to generate the hype.

“There is enough history in this game and in the history of the two countries to spice it up.

“People like to beat England. There is history involved with that and most of it is not rugby history.

“That is what makes the tournament fun. That is why people like it. It is passion. People want their country to win.”

Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled: F1 teams react to the news

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:57 PM PST

bahrain grand prix

Formula 1's 2011 season opener at the Bahrain International Circuit was postponed due to civil unrest on Monday.

With the season now set to begin in Melbourne on 27 March, The Sport Review rounds up the teams’ reaction to the delayed start to the new campaign.

Williams chairman Adam Parr was one of the first to release a statement after the decision was made on Monday.

"It is obviously disappointing for everyone involved in the organisation of the event, but it is clear that to race in Bahrain at this time would be inappropriate given the current circumstances," he said.

"It is always Williams' intention to contribute positively to the countries we compete in and so we fully support the Crown Prince's decision to cancel the test and forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix. We now look forward to a season debut in Melbourne and returning to Bahrain when it is right to do so."

Sauber owner and team principal Peter Sauber, also issued a statement in the hours after the decision: "We are convinced that the authorities in Bahrain have made the right decision in calling off the race. It is the only possible decision that does justice to the situation and the people in this country. We wish Bahrain a good and peaceful future and hope that Formula One will return there before long."

Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher told his official website: "Like so many of my Formula One colleagues, I also think the cancellation of the Bahrain event was a good decision. The people there right now have more important issues than Formula One, and those of course have priority."

And Felipe Massa agreed with his former Ferrari team-mate: "I think this is the right decision because the situation there is very serious. If there is just the slightest risk, it is better not to go, but the most important thing is that the situation in Bahrain calms down to what it was before and that everything is peaceful again.

"You can have a grand prix for the fans to bring them a bit of light relief, but I don't think this is the right moment for the people of Bahrain to host a Formula One race.

"It's a shame we cannot start the championship there, because I have always felt really good in this country: the people are very welcoming and pleasant and apart from that, I have always gone very well at the Sakhir circuit. Let's hope we can go back there soon."

F1′s governing body, the FIA finally released its own somewhat meaningless statement after the decision had been made by the Crown Prince.

"The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) supports the decision of the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Bahrain International Circuit to postpone the scheduled first Grand Prix of the 2011 season due to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain on March 11-13,” said the FIA in a statement.

"This decision is the outcome of the close co-operation between the FIA, Formula One Management, the Bahrain Motor Federation and the Bahrain International Circuit.

"The FIA is Formula 1′s governing body and is responsible for the international calendar as well as all matters of safety relating to the stakeholders involved in Grand Prix racing."

On Tuesday, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh finally commented on the situation after remaining quiet as the problems built up because of the major share in the team from the Bahrain government's Mumtalakat company.

"The cancellation of any grand prix is always a disappointment for all concerned–but, bearing in mind the situation in the Middle East at present, we fully support the Crown Prince’s decision," said Whitmarsh.

Virgin Racing boss John Booth also expressed his sadness that of events that had unfolded, and that it "is quite clear that there are far bigger matters at stake than whether a major sporting event can take place."

Red Bull driver Mark Webber had been one of the first drivers to speak out before the race was cancelled, and was quickly joined by team-mate Sebastian Vettel in calling for the race to be scrapped.

The final pre-season test has also been cancelled and replaced by a further test in Barcelona, either from 8-11 March as first announced, or 10-13 March, when the Bahrain GP should have taken place.

It is unclear whether the Bahrain GP will return to the calendar towards the end of the year or left out until 2012.

Man City can be better than Barcelona, declares Yaya Touré

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:08 PM PST

yaya toure

Midfielder Yaya Touré has declared that Manchester City are on their way to becoming better than Barcelona.

Touré, 27, spent three trophy-laden seasons at Camp Nou before joining City last summer for £24m.

And the Ivory Coast international is confident that continued investment from City's billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan will see his new club emulate the success of the Catalan giants.

“You cannot compare Barcelona with City right now because Barca are at the top and have top-quality players,” Touré told the Sun.

“They have Leo Messi, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Dani Alves, who are fantastic. But we are still signing new players.

“In a couple of years we could be better than Barcelona. What we need to do is continue to work hard and improve with every game.

“I keep saying to my brother Kolo and my family that City have great players but we need to continue to work hard to become great.”

Roberto Mancini's men currently lie in third place in the Premier League table, eight points behind leaders Manchester United having played a game more.

And Touré says City must focus on securing Champions League football next season. He added: “Our target is still to be in the Champions League next year – that is very important for this club.

"But it will be tough to stay in there because Liverpool are coming and I’m sure Chelsea will be back.”

Cricket World Cup: Shaky England scrape past Holland

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:15 AM PST

england cricket world cup

England crawled to victory over the Netherlands to snatch an unconvincing six-wicket win in their opening World Cup match in Nagpur.

Andrew Strauss led the 293-run chase with 88 with assistance from Jonathan Trott (62) and Kevin Pietersen (39)

All-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate earlier struck a magnificent hundred to help the Dutch post a challenging 292-6.

England were disappointing from the off with dropped catches and poor bowling marring their Group B opener.

Alexei Kervezee and Wesley Barresi began well for the Dutch before Tim Bresnan got the breakthrough, removing Kervezee with the score at 36.

Barresi fell soon after when Graeme Swann struck in his first over on his return to the side with Matt Prior taking the stumping.

However, Tom Cooper and Ten Doeschate came together and took the total beyond 100 with their impressive partnership of 78.

Paul Collingwood forced a poor shot from Cooper, chipping to James Anderson at midwicket. The Netherlands then looked to be in trouble when Swann had Bas Zuiderent caught at slip.

But South Africa-born Ten Doeschate proved his quality and continued his impressive stroke play with Tom De Grooth as he powered towards three figures.

Stuart Broad returned after his opening spell to eventually remove De Grooth for 28 but the Dutch were already well on their way to posting a competitive score.

There was to be further resistance from Peter Borren, and Ten Doeschate shepherded him to great effect to give himself the majority of the strike and take their side's total forwards. Borren had faced just 13 balls when the pair's partnership passed 60.

Ten Doeschate then passed his hundred in the 42nd over before his 119 became the highest total posted by an associate nation player against a Test-playing side.

He was eventually caught in the deep off of Broad after Borren had smashed his way to an unbeaten 35, taking a particular liking to an off-colour James Anderson.

The Dutch total of 292-6 was the highest by an associate nation at a World Cup.

England's performance thus far had been marred by an appalling fielding display to leave Holland with a real chance of causing a shock upset.

But Strauss and Pietersen answered their critics in the emphatic fashion as they dominated the Dutch attack from the off.

Pietersen bullied with his footwork and power, relishing his new role at the top of the order as the pair put on a century partnership for the first wicket inside 18 overs.

Pietersen went when he chipped to cover off left arm spinner Pieter Seelaar for 39.

Trott joined Strauss and neither showed any reaction to Pietersen's departure as they constructed a 50 partnership from 60 balls to keep England steadily on course for their total.

England appeared to be in cruise control until Strauss, on the verge of a ton, was well caught in the deep by Cooper off of Mudassar Bukhari for 88.

The skipper's dismissal brought Ian Bell to the crease and another partnership of 51 from 59 edged England closer.

Trott was then fantastically stumped down the leg side by Barresi for 62 off centurion Ten Doeschate.

Ten Doeschate then struck again, bowling Bell for 33 middle stump off an inside edge to set English nerves jangling.

With Ravi Bopara now at the crease, the 47th over saw Collingwood flick a crucial boundary over fine leg as the pair's hard running left them needing 23 from the final three overs.

A deft reverse sweep brought them three as England veteran Collingwood showed all his experience to take his side to the penultimate over requiring 13 from 12.

Bopara then struck a flat six over the long off fielder to take England to within touching distance of the target before swatting another four over midwicket.

He then repeated the shot off a full toss to seal an unconvincing win for England who next face India on Sunday.


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Posted By Mas Item Arekjowo to The Sport Review at 2/22/2011 11:32:00 PM

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