| Giant Food’s deal with Dover, NASCAR will bring grocery to track Stocking the camper during race week at most tracks requires a trip to a local grocery store, but this week Dover officials will save fans that trouble by bringing a grocery store to the track. (KO) (KFT) (UL) (PG) feeds.bizjournals.com |
Michael Cox: Premier League chalkboards analysis Gaël Clichy's aerial struggles, Gareth Barry's all-round display against Chelsea, Ashley Young's lateral movement and Michael Essien's shootingLast week, we looked at how Ahmed Elmohamady consistently got the better of the Arsenal left-back Gaël Clichy in the air and there was a similar pattern to the Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion match on Saturday. Here, by looking at Scott Carson's goal-kicks, we can identify a clear difference in the success rates between those sent to the left and those hit right, where Chris Brunt was challenging. The Frenchman won only one out of the seven aerial challenges while Brunt won the other six. Arsenal's next few opponents may consider it a wise tactic to target Clichy in the air from goal-kicks, but equally his struggles against Sunderland and West Brom also indicate that Arsenal are missing Thomas Vermaelen, the left-sided centre-back who is happy to move towards the flank and challenge aerially.Gareth Barry struggled for form and fitness at the World Cup in South Africa, and he wasn't helped by the fact he was played in a role where he isn't at his best – as the main holding player in the centre of the England midfield. Barry is far better when deployed alongside another holding midfielder, like Nigel de Jong, and from that position he turned in a superb performance on Saturday against Chelsea. As well as completing all 42 attempted passes, he was successful with nine of the 10 challenges he contested. De Jong's record was also impressive – 36 of 37 passes completed, and all four tackles won. Those two provided the base for a disciplined, resilient defensive display from Manchester City.Ashley Young's best position has been debated in recent weeks, with Kevin MacDonald and now Gérard Houllier playing him as a second striker, rather than the left-wing role Martin O'Neill preferred to deploy the 25-year-old in. After the Carling Cup win over Blackburn in midweek, Houllier was asked if Young could become one of the world's best on the wing. "As a left-winger? No. He can play on the wing. Whether he can be one of the best in the world in that position ... I think he can be one of the best in another position," said the Frenchman. This presumably means as a second striker, as Houllier also said: "I like the way he played behind Emile [Heskey]" It was the Heskey-Young combination which started against Wolves yesterday, and it's interesting to note how often Young drifts to the flanks, even when fielded as a central player. This Chalkboard shows the zones he attempted passes from – 64% were from either wing, compared to just 36% in the centre of the pitch.Michael Essien's game changes when Frank Lampard is absent – he effectively takes on the Lampard role as the Chelsea midfielder with the most attacking responsibility. Essien's past six goals have come when Lampard has not been on the pitch, including a two-goal haul against West Ham this month. He didn't have his shooting boots on against Manchester City on Saturday, however – the Ghana player had six shots over the course of the match and it took him until the 90th minute to get one on target, a fairly tame effort easily saved by Joe Hart. Even if Essien becomes more forward-thinking in Lampard's absence, it's unlikely he can compensate for the loss of his goalscoring ability – Lampard scored 22 league goals last season and is the only player to have reached double figures in each of the last seven Premier League seasons.ChalkboardsPremier LeagueMichael Coxguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Commonwealth Games: Will Sharman checks out of hospital to take silver • Weary England complete 1-2-3 in 110m hurdles• Adlington and Goddard get second golds in pool• See how Friday unfolded on our live blogBritish medals came as thick and fast as the monsoon rains today. While it feels wrong to single out one from the bunch, Will Sharman deserves special mention. Sharman took silver in the 110 metres hurdles. He was part of an English clean-sweep in the event, behind Andy Turner and ahead of Lawrence Clarke. Sharman had hauled himself out of hospital to get to the start line. He came down with severe stomach troubles yesterday and spent the night before the final fighting attacks of vomiting and diarrhoea. After Friday morning's heats he was sent to hospital and put on a drip."I was close to tears this morning," Sharman said. "The only reason why I ran the final was because my mum flew over here to watch me. It has been quite an ordeal. At the holding camp in Qatar I think I picked up a virus but it came into full effect yesterday. It was touch and go whether I raced or not." Clarke was also crocked, having torn a flexor muscle in his hip during his warm-up before the final. The three medallists looked a weary and wounded bunch as they stood on the podium to receive their medals.Just like the English swimmers, Sharman has learned a lot about what he is capable of by competing in Delhi. Across town at the Aquatics Complex the England team had their best night yet, winning 10 medals across the evening's 11 finals. And the consensus across the team was that the tough conditions they have faced here have only made them stronger. Liam Tancock, Rebecca Adlington and James Goddard all won their second gold medals of the Games."We just have to get on with it," said Adlington after winning the 400m freestyle. "I've come here to do a job. That was to swim and win medals, and I have medalled in every race." For a time it looked as though there could be an English 1-2-3 here, too, but Jo Jackson and the 17-year-old Anne Bochmann were edged out in the final 50 metres. Still, Wales's Jazz Carlin took the bronze, meaning that competition for spots on the Great Britain 400m freestyle team at London 2012 is going to be very fierce indeed.Adlington has won gold on successive nights. Coupled with her stomach troubles, the punishing swimming schedule has made this a tough meet. "It was really hard after the 800m final last night," she said, "By the time I had done a blood test and a urine test, I didn't manage to get a rub so I was really, really aching this morning, I just had to put that aside and forget about it. I had to be mentally tough. I've got a two-week break so it doesn't matter how much I hurt now or how much I hurt tomorrow, it doesn't matter."Tancock agreed. He is in the form of his life, and has now added the 100m backstroke title to the 50m version he won on Tuesday. "I think there's loads of things here that could be excuses, that could stop you from performing at your best. If you let it affect you, it is going to."Goddard's was perhaps the most impressive, and unexpected, performance. He won the men's 200m individual medley in a new Games record of 1min 58.10sec. It was predictable enough that he would lead after the backstroke leg, seeing as he won the 200m title earlier this week, but his advantage grew even more during the breaststroke. "I want to get better yet," he said. "1.58 is not good enough, I need 1.54 if I am going to beat the Americans."His team-mate Joe Roebuck took one of six English silvers on the day. One of them came from another disqualification, though it was not nearly so controversial a decision as the one that cost Australia's Sally Pearson her 100m sprint title in the previous night's athletics. The women's 4x100m freestyle relay team benefited from an infringement by the Canadian foursome, which bumped the English girls up from bronze.Gemma Spofforth was just as disappointed with her silver in the 100m back as she had been with her silver in the 50m. She was another swimmer with a busy schedule: earlier in the night she had finished fifth in the 200m backstroke. Elizabeth Simmonds took the silver in that race. She had also been suffering with sickness, but refused to use that as an excuse. "We've been presented with a hell of a lot of things here in Delhi that we are not used to dealing with," she said. "It is something that everyone has had to deal with. I think that if you win the preparation process you win the race, that's the fact of the matter out here."Antony James was second in the 100m butterfly, while Fran Halsall, who has suffered more than most of the swimmers this week, took silver in the 50m freestyle.Paul Drinkhall, meanwhile, staged a stirring fightback to steer England to victory over India and a place in today's table tennis team final. Liam Pitchford lost the opening game 3-0 to Kamal Sharath Achanta and Drinkhall found himself 5-0 and 10-6 down in the decisive game against Anthony Arputharaj. But despite a home crowd baying for a victory Drinkhall held his nerve to pull off a 12-10 win.Andrew Baggaley beat Subhajit Saha 3-0 to edge England ahead before the 20-year-old Drinkhall wrapped up the win by beating Achanta 3-1 to set up a final meeting with Singapore.Commonwealth Games 2010AthleticsSwimmingAndy Bullguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Quarterbacks lead offensive renaissance in Big Ten By LUKE MEREDITH 2010-10-14T18:00:15ZIOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Quick: Name the league with the nation's best crop of quarterbacks this season.... hosted.ap.org |
Slippery court cancels Magic-Heat preseason game in Tampa Slippery court conditions forced the cancellation of Friday night's preseason finale between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, after arena officials ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |