TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Giants still have little room for error after Christmas gift from Redskins The question for the Giants (8-6) is whether they'll be heading to the playoffs as a wild-card entry. They have been eliminated from the race ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Roberto Mancini has his sights on the summit After only two games as a manager in English football, Roberto Mancini has raised his sights and believes that Manchester City can challenge for the Barclays Premier League title this season. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Accrington v Gillingham FA Cup tie off • Frozen pitch postpones third-round tie• Four Scottish Cup ties also offAccrington Stanley's FA Cup third-round tie against Gillingham tomorrow has been postponed because of a frozen pitch.The game was originally scheduled to take place at the Crown Ground on 2 January but had to be postponed because of heavy snow showers.A new date has not yet been arranged for the tie, the winners of which will play Fulham at home in the fourth round.Celtic's rearranged trip to Morton, Forfar v St Johnstone, Inverness v Motherwell, Kilmarnock v Falkirk, and Ross County v Inverurie Loco Works were also postponed.They are now scheduled to be played on Monday, 18 January.The Scottish postponements led to four rearranged Clydesdale Bank Premier League games being called off. The Scottish Cup takes precedence over the SPL in such cases, meaning Aberdeen v Falkirk, Hamilton v St Mirren, Kilmarnock v Celtic and St Johnstone v Hibernian – all hit by the weather last month – will now not be played next week. New dates for the league matches have yet to be announced.Postponed matches Tuesday, January 12FA Cup third roundAccrington Stanley v GillinghamBrentford v DoncasterNotts County v Forest GreenCoca-Cola League One Walsall v NorwichCoca-Cola League Two Bury v MacclesfieldScottish Cup fourth round Forfar v St JohnstoneInverness v MotherwellKilmarnock v FalkirkLivingston v DundeeMorton v CelticRoss County v Inverurie Loco WorksThis list of postponed matches will be updated throughout the dayAccrington StanleyGillinghamFA CupScottish CupWeatherguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Kevin Mitchell: Hatton hints at dangerous addiction There is no reverse gear on the Hattonmobile, and a car crash is as inevitable as it as avoidableThe text of Ricky Hatton's comeback speech, delivered on his own website today, did little to convey the impression that this is a decision he will come to regard as wise in any way."I've decided to make a comeback and have another fight this year, probably about the summer time," he said. "There's been no opponent that's been confirmed yet, there's been no date confirmed yet but I have made my mind up that I'm going to have one more fight."So, no date, no opponent – but the former world light-welterweight and welterweight champion, who is 31 and looking older, makes it clear he is returning to the ring for just one appearance.That alone is cause for concern. If he intends that fight to be against Amir Khan, the blockbuster financial option, he will go in grossly underdone against a young, rock-fisted champion. Without a warm-up bout, Hatton could in no way be prepared to take on Khan. It makes no fistic sense. He will have been out of the ring for a year or longer.Yet it is the only fight the public wants. There is no interest in a fight against the smaller Juan Manuel Márquez, who lost by such a wide margin last year to Floyd Mayweather Jr. A rematch with Paulie Malignaggi, although the softest choice, would not press many pay-per-view buttons.Yet, either of those could legitimately be regarded as decent preparation for a Khan showdown, perhaps outdoors in a football stadium towards the end of the summer.But there are two overriding objections to the grand plan: his chin and his state of mind. The jaw exploded into a thousand pieces when Manny Pacquiao destroyed him inside two rounds in Las Vegas last May and will never be the same – and his thinking has been similarly fractured.He said today he has left the announcement for this long, so he can "really get over it and get my mind straight".That reveals, starkly, he has been deeply troubled by the experience, that it wasn't just a loss but a devastation of the spirit.Since that horrible night, Hatton has, quite rightly, enjoyed what should have been the early stages of permanent retirement from the most unforgiving sport of them all.But his logic is skewed, too. "I think after the [Floyd] Mayweather defeat, I got straight into action, straight away, and I didn't really perform my best. But this time I've had a good rest, recharged the batteries, had a really good think, put that last fight behind me, and I'm happy to get back at it now."But the five months between the Mayweather defeat, in December 2007, and the unsatisfactory fight against the very ordinary Juan Lazcano was about right. Much longer away and a boxer loses his edge. It is an ordinary excuse. The clinching evidence of decline arrived in that fight.To return now merely to scratch "the itch" is dangerous indeed. He could get seriously hurt, because he is so brave. He has never fought any other way but with the engine red-lining and pointed straight ahead. There is no reverse gear on the Hattonmobile.And a car crash is as inevitable, sadly, as it is avoidable. He clearly has put out of his mind the trauma of the knockout, and, apparently, the blood-curdling scream of his girlfriend, Jennifer, when he hit the canvas.But, then again, it is his decision. He has been around boxing long enough to be aware of the risks. He has seen fighters who have gone on too long. He does not think he belongs in that category.But he should listen to their scripts, to their plaintive and melancholy pleading for just one more fight. When a boxer says he wants just one more fight he betrays the degradation of the one quality that sustained him in his prime: hunger.Hatton is not hungry, he is addicted. We can only hope he gets into the best shape possible and summons up every last shred of his fighting ability. Because, whoever he fights, he will need it.The most revealing passage of his announcement, though, referred to his immediate plans. "I go on holiday next week with my girlfriend to Australia. Then, when I come back, even though I haven't got a date yet, I'm going to go straight back into training, because, weight-wise, I've got a little bit more to carry than I normally do."So, he will train from late January for four or five months, shifting the best part of four stone, with no opponent to focus on, no venue and no date. Just warm thoughts of a glorious farewell to keep him going. It does not sound like the perfect exit.Ricky HattonBoxingKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Sir Alex Ferguson: Carlos Tevez deserved red card THE animosity between Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Tevez has deepened with news that the Manchester United manager believes his former star, now playing for Manchester City, should have been sent off in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final between the two clubs on Tuesday. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |