The women’s State League did not escape the attentions of the weather today, although there was frustration as fine weather broke out in Masterton but play was still not possible.Covers on the Queen Elizabeth II Park in downtown Masterton leaked and no play was possible in the Central Districts-Northern Districts game, and so bad was the damage to the pitch that it was doubtful there would be play tomorrow.In Wellington at the Petone Recreation Ground, Auckland won the toss and batted first but got off to a disappointing start as Wellington made the most of their chances to have Rebecca Rolls run out for 11 after a superb throw by Jane Hunter-Siu, Emily Drumm out for 13 and Kathryn Ramel out for 16.Helen Watson and Ingrid Cronin-Knight put on 30 to get Auckland to 104/4 off 30 overs before the rain came in and forced the abandonment of the game.
An hour after England’s cricketers had formed a guard of honour for Curtly Ambrose in his farewell Test Match, the Wisden Trophy had changed hands for the first time in 27 years.England’s victory by 158 runs, so thoroughly deserved, gave them the series 3-1 in a summer which brought victory in all three challenges that confronted them.There are signs that the tide has turned after so many disappointments. It maybe too early to say if this is a total revival of English cricket but it is clearly moving in the right direction. There seems to be a good combination of players, even if there remains a dearth of world-class spinners, and so importantly, there’s great team spirit.Some of the credit must go to Duncan Fletcher who took over as coach only last winter and has put together an efficient, confident squad. It was no surprise to hear the England captain, Nasser Hussain say: “Duncan is easily the best coach that I have been involved with. He is just a calming influence and knows the right things to say and when to say them.”Darren Gough, England’s player of the series, also said: “When he says something everybody listens. If you have done badly he comes and talks to you and explains why, and does the same when you do well.”England’s victory on this final day was not unexpected. It would have caused amazement if the West Indies had scored the required 341 to win the Test and draw the series. The tourists did start in quest of the target but they were rocked back on their heels when both opening batsmen fell at 50.The partnership to give them headway was between Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan. In 38 minutes they put on 46, and they would have kept accelerating but for Sarwan’s run out.Ten runs later when Lara was seventh out, trapped leg before wicket by Gough, England’s victory became a formality. Ambrose had a late flourish for the final time in a Test but there was no such fun for Courtney Walsh, who had also received a guard of honour as he came to the crease.When Walsh, West Indies’ player of the series and winner of the Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy for taking the highest number of wickets in thisseries, was dismissed without scoring, it was all over, leaving an ecstatic England team and its supporters to savour the moment.Hussain said: ” It’s been a very fulfilling summer. I am very proud of myteam. They have worked hard and we said at the beginning of the summer thatwe had a chance of doing something special. We have thought so much aboutwinning this trophy.”Referring to the winter tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Hussain added: ” Thetask ahead is huge but this is what the team needs and it will make us into a stronger side.”West Indies captain, Jimmy Adams, admitted: ” England were mentally tougher than we were over the last three months. We have been too inconsistent.”31 years has been a long time to wait for victory over a team that dominated world cricket for nearly two decades, but England can start lookingfor brighter times ahead.
Relax, the crisis is over, for now. Manchester City won a football game, and everything’s now ok, until they next fail to win a game, and then the vultures will circle once more. There will be talk of the manager moaning, of him cracking up on the touchline, manically waving imaginary yellow cards around, greying by the day, inching closer and closer to his own Kevin Keegan moment when he will stare wild-eyed into the camera as a terrified Geoff Shreeves looks on in the background, ranting “Is football, we played well, but is difficult, is long season, is red card, is need for players, and I tell you what, I would amore eet, amore eet, to get more players.”
Leading up to the Wigan game, the press told us City were in a slump, going through a rocky spell, the season was threatening to unwind. One goal later, and the form table for the last six league games shows the top team, with 13 points, to be – Manchester City. They are three points clear at the top of the table (the gap has never been greater than five), are still in the Carling Cup (though with a tough task ahead), so the crisis basically amounted to exiting the FA Cup having played 80 minutes with 10 men. Is football.
As Joleon Lescott commented only yesterday:”It has been funny, None of the boys thought we were cracking or something was going wrong. Then suddenly a big thing is made of it in the media. It was crazy. We sat there and thought: ‘Wow, we must have arrived’. People were saying we weren’t going to win the league and we are thinking: ‘Hold on a minute, we have lost two cup games’. I don’t think we are doing too badly.”
Now the press can concentrate on Arsenal instead. Perhaps Darlington fans should stop moaning – after all, Arsenal’s situation is far worse if some of what I have read recently is to be believed.
But there always has to be a “big” club in crisis – it’s pathetic, and unnecessary, but it seems an integral part of the footballing world. Arsenal are already in their second crisis of the season, Liverpool have had a few, City stagger from one crisis to another, and Manchester United and Chelsea have had a fair few too. And it only seems to be big teams too – a crisis seems to equate to not winning all your games and being in dange rof missing out on the cash-cow that is the Champions League.
City could still win a treble this season. They probably won’t, but the fact is it’s possible. But lose on Sunday to Spurs and they will be back in the mire despite being assured of top spot as their two closest challengers head into a tough spell of fixtures. As for Alex Ferguson, he’s been reported as coming to the end of his reign for a decade now, the United team written off more times than you could mention. Crisis after crisis, but they struggle on. Such troopers.
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It’s been said by me before, but it’s all a result of the exhaustive coverage the sport now gets, the need not only to report news but create news too. To exaggerate, to speculate, to sensationalise. And there’s clearly a market for it. Coverage is everywhere, 24 hours a day, on the television, online, even lonely men in their bedrooms can write endlessly on the topic (oh, hang on…). There’s not enough to talk about, so let’s make mountains out of molehills, and create a storm.
And then there’s the pressure on teams and managers, the lack of time to get results, to build a club up slowly. Instant results are demanded by fans, the media, and by impatient fans. No wonder a bad result is painted as a low ebb in the club’s history, the manager was a disgrace, the left-back isn’t good enough, change is needed, the club’s a laughing stock.
A crisis is the real possibility of the club you support and your father and grandfather supported going out of business, out of existence. Crisis is your team’s players not being paid, the administrators being called in, relegation, point deductions, a future with no hope. A big team having a bad month is not a crisis. They can change the manager, spend some more of the Premiership millions and try again. Or they can have a disappointing season and try again the following year. But as Darlington head towards oblivion, Talksport is dedicating a phone-in to Roberto Mancini’s actions on the touchline, and the world of football has officially got its priorities all wrong.
It’s part of how those who cover our beautiful game see everything along two distinctive lines. Everything is black and white, either brilliant or terrible. Players are world class or rubbish. There’s no such thing as an average run of results, you’re either doing well or in crisis. No one cares about the real crises though – the really big problems that are affecting clubs, players or managers. The Premiership is king, and two defeats on the bounce in the “EPL” is akin to anything Wimbledon fans had to endure.
So just remember, the next time your team has a defensive crisis, or a striker crisis, or a mascot crisis, a catering crisis, or the board are having crisis talks, or your club as a whole is in crisis – just keep calm and trust your manager. Give it a week and they’ll be challenging for the title.
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Attacker Alexander Hleb has revealed he would fancy a return to Arsenal when his loan spell at Birmingham City expires at the end of the season.The Belarusian, who is owned by European champions Barcelona, left the English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal in 2008 but has found opportunities at Spain limited, and he admitted his desire to return to London.
“I love Arsenal. It is always in my heart but now is too early to speak about a new club,” he said. “I want to give my best for Birmingham but if I have chance to go back (to Arsenal).”
“Everything is possible but I am just saying if I get this chance, of course I’d come, but it’s too early to speak about this.”
Hleb cited problems with adapting to Alex McLeish’s quintessentially British approach to football as a key reason for his decision not to remain at St Andrews.
“Before, I think teams like Birmingham were easy to play with but it is difficult when you play in such teams, not like Arsenal or Barcelona.”
“Here you need to just fight and run, not too much passing, and this for me is something new.”
“I have enjoyed it in a way because it is something new. This is a different experience although I prefer to play and to enjoy football.”
“But I will give 100 per cent for this club every weekend.”
And given Pep Guardiola’s preference for local talent, a return to Camp Nou is unlikely for Hleb.
“Barcelona is the biggest club in the world but it is difficult when you are not from Spain,” the 29-year-old said.
“It has happened with everybody, with Henry, everyone (as) Josep Guardiola picks the Spanish players.”
“I’ve not had a lot of chances to play there. (But) I prefer to stay in the Premier League.”
Didier Drogba has carried on his scintillating form from last season with outstanding performances in Chelsea’s first two fixtures of this season’s Premier League, scoring a hat-trick against West Brom and setting up three of Chelsea’s goals in Saturday’s 6-0 demolition of Wigan. In his time in the Premier League, Drogba has gained a reputation as one of the world’s most fearsome strikers but where does he rate in the annals of Chelsea legends? In my opinion, Drogba deserves to be considered as one of the finest players to ever play for the club.
He has been an integral cog in Chelsea’s recent success and his goals have helped propel Chelsea into the upper echelons of world football. Since joining Chelsea from Marseille in 2004, Drogba has scored 134 goals for the club in 263 appearances. He has performed consistently for Chelsea in his 6 years at the club, scoring more than 10 goals a season in every single campaign so far but last season proved to be his most successful to date. Drogba was at his imperious best last season, scoring an incredible 37 goals in 44 appearances on his way to the Golden Boot and a league and FA Cup double for the first time in Chelsea’s history.
Drogba has come to be known for his pace and power but his recent performances have put pay to such singular definitions of his qualities. His performance against Wigan on the weekend is testament to that. He showed his trademark drive for Chelsea’s fourth goal where he picked the ball up and strode past the Wigan backline. But he showed an unselfishness not usually associated with his game as he slid in Salomon Kalou to score. It is this ability to continually surprise people and go beyond the typical stereotypes of his game that make Drogba a truly special player.
Drogba’s reputation as a player threatened to be overshadowed by accusations of cheating. The Ivorian made a habit of going down at the slightest hint of any contact and feigning injury on numerous occasions. His off the field antics have also caused much controversy. He brought much negative publicity to the club when a flip-flop wearing Drogba shouted “it’s a f***ing disgrace!” down a TV camera in the aftermath of Chelsea’s controversial Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona.
Despite these concerns, Drogba has found a place in the hearts and minds of many Chelsea supporters. He has cut out many of the unsavoury aspects of his game and has indicated a desire to get even better now that he has had surgery to correct an ongoing groin problem:
“I am better at 32 than I was six years ago, when I came here.”
“I am scoring more goals, I am more calm, more relaxed on the pitch and it helps a lot.
“If I keep playing in a team like this I can plan maybe five more years. I was only 25 when I started at the highest level, so I feel young. I still love the pitch, running. I don’t count the runs I make. Maybe in a year or two it will be different.”
We can only really judge Drogba’s Chelsea career once it is all over. But what makes Drogba such an important player for Chelsea is that he comes to represent a particular era in Chelsea Football Club. He represents an unprecedented period of success for the club that would have otherwise been improbable if it wasn’t for Drogba’s goalscoring exploits. It is for this reason that Drogba should take his place among the Chelsea greats for ensuring that success is an expectation rather than a hope for the Stamford Bridge faithful.
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Arsenal captain Robin van Persie has stated that Thierry Henry’s decision to return to the North London club is a brave decision, as he puts his reputation in England on the line.
The New York Red Bulls’ attacker has re-joined Arsene Wenger’s men on a two-month loan whilst the MLS season is on a break, to the delight of Gunners’ fans.
The Netherlands international feels Henry’s decision to return to the Emirates Stadium is a brave one, which may put the 34-year-old’s legendary status on the line.
“He got a statue here last month and he has proved everything to us. For him to come back is so brave. I really like that,” he told Mirror Football.
“He loves the game which is why he wants to come back. That tells you everything, how he is in terms of what type of human he is and what type of player.
“He wants to help us out. He wants to help the club he loves. Only positives.
“He has nothing to prove. He has a statue here – only a couple of players have that. He broke every single record at Arsenal – he won everything at Arsenal.
“Some people might question: ‘why do you do it? You have proved everything already?’
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“But there is only one answer. That is because he loves the game so much, that he just wants to play,” Van Persie stated.
AC Milan’s lead at the top of the Serie A remains at three points after they won 2-1 at Fiorentina on Sunday, while Napoli and Juventus also won.Milan’s last road trip ended in a 1-0 defeat at Palermo, but they came out firing in this fixture at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Alexandre Pato supplied the assist for Clarence Seedorf’s eighth-minute opener and the Brazilian turned scorer four minutes before half-time to double his side’s lead.
Canadian Juan Manuel Vargas breathed life into Fiorentina’s bid to win a point with 11 minutes remaining but although Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off in the 87th minute, on his return from suspension, the visitors held on for victory.
Napoli’s good form continued after they won 2-0 at Bologna, while Juventus came from behind to defeat Genoa.
Walter Mazzarri’s side won their fourth match in succession thanks to first-half strikes from Giuseppe Mascara and Marek Hamsik.
Bologna had only lost at home in the league once since December so the task was never going to be easy for the Naples-based club, but Mascara gave his side the lead on the half-hour mark.
He was booked for his celebration in a tense match littered with cautions, with the most crucial yellow card of the match handed to Bologna goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano on the stroke of half-time.
Viviano was given a caution for his foul on Ezequiel Lavezzi and Hamsik buried the resultant penalty, giving his side a valuable two-goal advantage at the main break.
The cards continued to come in the second half but Napoli held on for an important away win.
In Torino, Juventus scored three second-half goals as they recorded an impressive 3-2 home win against Genoa.
Leonardo Bonucci’s seventh-minute own-goal had the hosts on the back foot but they equalised through another own goal, with Marco Rossi putting the ball into his own net early in the second half.
That goal energised Juve and although Antonio Floro Flores hit the back of the net for Genoa after 57 minutes, goals from strike duo Alessandro Matri and Luca Toni – the latter with seven minutes remaining – saw Luigi Delneri’s side record victory.
In other matches, Lazio moved ahead of Udinese and into fourth after a 2-0 home triumph over relegation-threatened Parma, thanks to goals from Hernanes and Sergio Floccari.
Struggling Sampdoria’s horror run of form continued as they slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Lecce, with David Di Michele and Ruben Olivera getting on the scoresheet for the victors.
Striker Massimo Maccarone pulled a goal back with 21 minutes remaining but it was not enough for Sampdoria, who lost key goal-scorers Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini in the January transfer window and have now won just one of their last 14 league matches.
Cesena, who sit second from bottom, pulled off a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 at Palermo.
First-half goals to Jasmin Kurtic and Mauricio Pinilla had Palermo seemingly cruising, but stoppage-time strikes to Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini saw the promoted side snare a famous draw.
As if the goals did not make the second half eventful enough, three Cesena players were shown red cards. Defender Steve von Bergen was dismissed on 74 minutes for a dangerous foul of Pinilla, with unused substitute Paolo Sammarco also red carded for leading the protestations.
Fellow substitute and veteran goalkeeper Alex Calderoni followed him down the tunnel in the 90th minute after overdoing the celebrations at Giaccherini’s equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Maxi Lopez’s first-half equaliser gave Catania a point in a 1-1 draw at Bari. Brescia also came from behind to draw 1-1, at Cagliari.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is hopeful that the deal to bring Aston Villa's James Milner to the club will be finalised in the next couple of days.
The 24-year-old England international is expected to head to Eastlands, with Stephen Ireland leaving the Citizens to join Villa as part of a deal worth a reported £24million.
Mancini told reporters:"I hope we can close it either today or tomorrow.
"I think that Milner is a good player, an English player which is important. I think that Milner can play in different positions.
"We have today and tomorrow to close the deal."
Meanwhile, Mancini is confident that recent signing Mario Balotelli will prove to be a success in England following his arrival from Internazionale.
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The 20-year-old forward has gained a reputation for being hard to handle, but Mancini added:"All of us are said to be bad boys when we are young, but I have worked with Mario before and he is a normal person.
"He is young player, only 20 years old, who can do a lot in the Premier League. He has all the qualities needed to become a fantastic player."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Steve Kean has stated that he will meet with disgruntled Blackburn Rovers fans in the near future, and has also admitted he has a list of players that he would like to bring to Ewood Park in January.
A 3-1 defeat to Stoke at the weekend saw the Lancashire club slip to the bottom of the Premier League, and the team’s fans are frustrated and worried about the side’s form.
A section of the club’s faithful have petitioned to have the Scottish coach removed from his post, and were further incensed when the manager was handed a new contract last week.
Kean understands the supporters’ concerns, and is willing to meet them to discuss the best way forward for the struggling club.
“I will always take direction from other people at the club more qualified than me to organise something like that,” the 44-year-old told Sky Sports.
“But if it is going to happen, then I would be available to do that. Possibly they might want access and want to know a little bit more about what is going on at Ewood.
“I think there has been a lot of suggestion that they would like to know a little bit more about the organisation and the running of the club.
“That is not my department, but I’m happy to talk on the football side,” he stated.
Rovers are in need of January reinforcements, and Kean has admitted that he has a wish-list of players that he will show to owners Venkys ahead of the transfer window.
“We’ve got a list and I will get a meeting with the owners in the next three or four days.
“Hopefully we will be bringing in fresh faces and some quality in the window to complement what we have already got,” he concluded.
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Blackburn take on Cardiff in the Carling Cup quarter finals on Tuesday night.
Lille extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to five points after they won 2-1 at Brest as title rivals Stade Rennes dropped points on Saturday.The league leaders made the trip to Stade Francis Le Ble expecting a win, with the hosts having fallen dramatically from their spot at the top of Ligue 1 earlier in the season.Prior to Saturday’s match, they had dropped out of the top half and won just two matches from their last 12, a stark contrast to Lille who have been recording victories with ease in recent times.But they were made to work for the win on Saturday, especially when Benoit Lesoimier converted Jonathan Ayite’s assist after 19 minutes to give Brest a surprise lead.Lille got a goal back seven minutes before half-time through Yao Gervinho before the league’s top-scorer, Moussa Sow, scored shortly after the restart to net his 19th Ligue 1 goal for the club this season.Sow’s side held on for all three points and they were given a bonus when Stade Rennes could only manage a point, albeit in a 1-1 away draw with third-placed Lyon.Lille’s challengers met at the Stade de Gerland in an exciting game of football, headlined by Kevin Theophile Catherine’s 87th-minute equaliser for the visitors which cancelled out Bafetimbi Gomis’ first-half goal for Lyon.Rennes came from behind to get the point despite the sending off of Colombian Victor Hugo Montano, who was given his marching orders with 25 minutes remaining.In other matches, second-from-bottom Lens stunned Montpellier with a 4-1 away win.Goals inside the first half from Kanga Akale, Sebastian Roudet and a Joris Marveaux own goal handed Montpellier a 3-0 lead at the break and despite Garry Bocaly’s 57th-minute strike for the hosts, any chance of a comeback were wiped when Issam Jemaa scored five minutes later for Lens.Bordeaux scored two goals in the last 10 minutes claim a 2-2 draw at Valenciennes, thanks to late finishes from Jussie and Mickael Ciani.Gael Danic had scored twice to give Valenciennes the lead but they failed to hold on and have now gone five Ligue 1 matches without a win.An Ireneusz Jelen double helped Auxerre to a 2-0 home win over Sochaux while two of the top-half sides, Lorient and Saint-Etienne, played out a goalless draw.Mauro Cetto’s 93rd-minute own goal gave Nice a point against Toulouse in a 1-1 draw, with Cetto’s late intervention ruling out Federico Santander’s 27th-minute opener.