TOP 100 SPORT SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Pacquiao files suit against Mayweathers LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Manny Pacquiao upped the ante Wednesday in his standoff with Floyd Mayweather Jr. by filing a lawsuit alleging that Mayweather and others defamed him by falsely accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs.... hosted.ap.org |
Paul Wilson: Coyle could do a Moyes at Bolton Bolton fans are hoping the purist in the new man can make better use of resources than Gary Megson didHere is what Owen Coyle had to say about being at Burnley, and resisting the temptation to go back to Scotland to manage Celtic, back in August, just after the Clarets had beaten Manchester United..."The stadium is a bit ramshackle, but that's the way I like it. It's the sort of ground I have been brought up on. I'll tell you something else too. I've played football all over Scotland – Dumbarton, Dundee, Falkirk, St Johnstone and a few others – but wherever I've been on a Saturday there were always buses leaving for the Celtic or Rangers game. All you ever see in Burnley is Burnley tops and scarves. I love that."That is precisely why the manager is getting so much grief at the moment, and why so many people are mystified about his decision to leave Turf Moor for the not so sunny uplands of Winter Hill. (Bolton's stadium may be officially known as the Reebok, but any supporter who has ever put on two overcoats to attend a game knows just how aptly named is the conspicuous local landmark just outside the ground.)Everyone feels the same way about Burnley. If you have never been to the town or the ground it acts as a powerful imaginary repository for all that is romantic and old-fashioned about football. Terraced streets converging on the ground, fish and chip shops on every corner, whole families wearing replica shirts and eagerly supporting their team, that kind of thing. When you get there and realise it is all true you cannot fail to be impressed.That may be overly sentimental, but that is the way people feel about Burnley and it is not the way they feel about Bolton. There was a time, back in the black-and-white days of Burnden Park, when the Trotters (nobody actually calls them that) used to be a similar embodiment of northern, no-nonsense, working-class life. Jimmy Greaves still tells the tale of how he complained to the referee to no avail about one Bolton full-back shouting to the other to, "Chip him over to me when you've finished kicking him", but since the move to the Reebok and Sam Allardyce's uber-functional football, Bolton has become a byword for all that is unloved and unlovely about the modern game.That explains why they want a purist like Coyle, it does not explain why the manager would fancy a move that at best seems sideways and in terms of current league position is downwards. The simplest explanation is probably that despite appearances, Coyle is not romantic about football at all. A football romantic, brought up in the east end of Glasgow, would have found the call of Celtic irresistible. Coyle did not. He came to the conclusion that managing in the Premier League was a higher station, and the Celtic job duly went to the manager who had just been relegated with West Bromwich Albion. A few months after that, the previous Celtic manager, who had remarked with dismay that he was finding it difficult to compete for players with the likes of Hull City, turned up in the Championship with Middlesbrough.So Coyle made an unsentimental decision there, and found his stock rising even higher when Burnley began to beat bigger clubs and ensconce themselves around the middle of the table rather than at its foot, which is what everyone had predicted. But just as Martin O'Neill eventually came to realise that it would be impossible to achieve his ambitions at Leicester City, and that basic survival plus the odd League Cup would be all that would ever be on the horizon, so Coyle must have worked out that Burnley, a considerably smaller club in a considerably smaller place than Leicester, could not rise much higher.Burnley too had some swaggering cup runs last year, yet that feat is harder to repeat when the priority is Premier League survival. And while there is every reason to suppose Burnley might survive this season, a second season in the top flight could be as problematic at Hull's, with the surprise factor gone and money tight.Money is tight at Bolton too, Gary Megson never tired of saying so, and on the face of it Coyle's new club is looking at an even grimmer fight for Premier League survival. Yet Bolton are in their ninth successive Premier League season (they came up with Fulham and Blackburn in 2001, and remarkably the trio has stuck around since), they have a more modern ground than Burnley and potentially a bigger fan base. They have a bit more money too, in terms of transfer budget and the wage packages they can offer players. It isn't romantic, but if Coyle can steer them back up the table he can make steadier progress at Bolton, achieve an improvement and put himself in a position where even bigger clubs might take notice.His situation now is somewhat similar to that of Mark Hughes when he took over at Blackburn, and no one thought he was taking a step backwards. It is only the unsentimental decision to leave Burnley halfway through their first Premier League season that is puzzling people, and there may be behind-the-scenes reasons for that.The unattractive, unvarnished truth is that Bolton are a better Premier League bet than Burnley in the long run, and Coyle and his new club clearly had a rapport from when he was interviewed for Megson's post. Indeed, it was Bolton who recommended Coyle to Burnley in the first place. Coyle could harm a burgeoning managerial reputation by playing negative football, antagonising the fans and taking Bolton down at the end of the season, but there is no reason to suppose that will happen. More likely, and certainly what Bolton fans are hoping, is that he will make better use of available resources than Megson and enhance his reputation at the same time as restoring the club's.People might have had Coyle down for a bigger post than Bolton, but there aren't that many top jobs on offer to British managers these days, and you have to take what is on offer. David Moyes, a big pal of Coyle's, said on leaving Preston for Everton that it was about as big a job as David Moyes was going to get. It didn't seem quite that way at the time, but to his credit, Moyes went on to prove it, establishing Everton as just about the best-run club outside the top four and certainly the ones punching most above their weight. Coyle will be trying to do the same. He must have noticed that eight relatively successful years later Everton is still the biggest job Moyes can get, but that is another story. Glory is in short supply for most managers these days, but there are still some good ones about.Owen CoyleBurnleyBolton WanderersPremier LeaguePaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Bengals' Ochocinco to Pro Bowl CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Cincinnati Bengals say that wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has been added to the AFC's Pro Bowl team.... hosted.ap.org |
Bill McLaren, the voice of rugby, dies aged 86 Bill McLaren, known universally as the voice of rugby, died has in hospital in his native Hawick. He was 86. McLaren, acknowledged as one of the greatest sports commentators of all time, passed away peacefully. He leaves a widow, Bette, a daughter Linda and five grandchildren, among them Rory Lawson the Scotland scrum half who plays for Gloucester. Janie, a second daughter, predeceased him. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Leeds show the way from top to bottom Crusaders face another season of struggle but Bradford and Hull could spring surprises after rebuilding their squadsThe contrast between the two teams who will kick off the new Super League season on Friday could not be greater. The Crusaders, the Welsh franchise who have moved from Bridgend to Wrexham, entertain Leeds, who won a record-breaking third consecutive Grand Final in October.It is hard to imagine that at the end of the first Super League season in 1996 Leeds had narrowly avoided relegation and were considering selling their Headingley ground to help pay off debts of £5m. Gary Hetherington was brought in as chief executive to work alongside local businessman Paul Caddick and together they turned the club around. So what's the secret?"If there's one factor, it's stability both on and off the field," Hetherington says. "In our three Grand Finals 14 of our players have played in all of them and we've used 20 players overall. Off the field there has been stability as well. We had Tony Smith as head coach and then Brian McClennan but behind them the staff have remained the same. We've also managed the salary cap extremely well. As Kevin Sinfield said after the Grand Final 'all our players could earn more money elsewhere but in terms of memories and achievements they're all billionaires'."The additions to their squad are the Kiwi Greg Eastwood and Australian Brett Delaney at second-row and centre respectively, plus a couple of players from the lower leagues.The team Leeds have beaten in the last three finals, St Helens, also have minimal changes to their squad. They have added the New Zealand centre Sia Soliola while prop Nick Fozzard returns after one season with Hull Kingston Rovers and hooker Scott Moore is recalled from his loan spell with Huddersfield.In the club's last season at Knowsley Road, much will depend on their rising star, scrum-half Kyle Eastmond. The 20-year-old has a huge responsibility in not only holding down a key position but being the team's main tactical kicker and goal-kicker.Wigan, with a new coach in Michael Maguire, finally seem to have decided to put their faith in homegrown talent with stand-off Sam Tomkins leading the way. Bradford had their worst Super League campaign in 2009 and have recruited heavily, as have Hull who will be hoping for a relatively injury-free season. Across the city, Justin Morgan will be expecting his Rovers side to be challenging for honours after a good campaign last year.Warrington, once the great underachievers of Super League, finally landed some silverware by winning the Challenge Cup. With the former England coach Tony Smith embarking on his first full season at the club they should be a real threat.Huddersfield will be looking to build on some impressive performances last season while Wakefield, under John Kear, continue to punch above their weight as do neighbours Castleford.Catalans Dragons, after a Âdisappointing first half of the season finished strongly under their new coach Kevin Walters while the reverse happened at ÂHarlequins. When they field their strongest side they can beat anyone but struggle when injuries take their toll. Salford claimed some notable scalps in their first season back in Super League and should be more competitive this year.Celtic Crusaders finished bottom in their first season in Super League and went bust. Fortunately, the owners of Wrexham Football Club stepped in to take over the franchise, dropping the Celtic name as they did so.Brian Noble has had a desperate time trying to put a squad together so do not expect too much from them. There will still be a professional rugby league presence in south Wales with the newly formed South Wales Scorpions based at Neath playing in Championship One.With the weather having disrupted the pre-season preparations of most clubs, expect some upsets in the early rounds before things begin to settle down.Super LeagueThe CrusadersLeeds RhinosSt HelensWigan WarriorsWarringtonHuddersfield GiantsWakefield TrinityCastlefordCatalans DragonsSalford City RedsRugby leagueDavid Lawrensonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |