TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Reports: Gophers will extend football coach’s contract The University of Minnesota will extend Gophers football coach Tim Brewster’s contract, according to media reports. bizjournals.com |
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Crystal Palace Calvin Andrew, the Crystal Palace substitute, heaped more misery on managerless Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday by firing a second-half winner to send the Owls tumbling out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle.Andrew cashed in on some poor defending to finish clinically from the edge of the penalty area soon after replacing the injured Sean Scannell in front of a paltry Hillsborough crowd of 8,690.Palace, whose players have not yet been paid their December wages, put their off-field troubles behind them to take a 19th-minute lead through Neil Danns.Although the Owls drew level thanks to Palace defender Clint Hill's own goal just before half-time, Andrew booked the Londoners a place in the fourth round with a well-taken 68th-minute winner.Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford, who sacked manager Brian Laws in early December, had urged fans to get behind their side in the build-up to the third-round tie, but there was little response from the blue-and-white half of the city after a run of 11 matches without a win before kick-off.That has now been stretched to 12 in all competitions, with the Owls without a victory since a 2-0 success against Coventry on 17 October.Palace dominated the first half-hour after taking the lead through Danns's opportunist strike. The former Birmingham midfielder pounced on a defensive lapse on the edge of the six-yard box and swept the ball home, right-footed, into the bottom corner in the 19th minute.Danns volleyed wide from 20 yards soon after grabbing his fourth goal of the season, while midfield team-mate Darren Ambrose had gone close when trying his luck from long range in the fifth minute.Wednesday had mustered just one chance on goal until Palace's breakthrough, with striker Francis Jeffers, back in the starting line-up for the first time since being sent off in a Carling Cup defeat at Port Vale at the end of August, seeing his angled drive blocked by Palace defender Jose Fonte.But the Owls were back on level terms a minute before the interval. Jeffers and Leon Clarke had successive shots blocked and following the latter, Palace defender Hill inadvertently turned the ball beyond his own goalkeeper, Julian Speroni, from six yards.Wednesday wrestled back an equal share of possession after the break, but still found chances hard to come by, while Palace were dealt a blow when Scannell was forced out of the action through injury and replaced by Andrew in the 58th minute.But Palace were untroubled by Scannell's loss and it was Andrew who regained his side the lead after more hesitancy at the back from Wednesday.Owls defender Frank Simek failed to clear a long ball forward on the edge of his penalty area and Andrew nipped in to steal the ball and fire a low, left-foot shot into the bottom corner.Jeffers, Marcus Tudgay, Jermaine Johnson and substitute Etienne Esajas all had shots blocked or saved in the closing stages, but the Wednesday caretaker manager Sean McAuley was left chasing his first win after three matches in charge.FA CupSheffield WednesdayCrystal Palaceguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cowboys' test with Vikes pits great offense vs. great defense Bobby Carpenter was in elementary school when that famous No. 4 jersey was stitched in green, not purple. However, the Dallas Cowboys inside ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Gianfranco Zola defiant as West Ham takeover talks bring threat to his job The threat of a change in the dugout at West Ham United yesterday prompted an impassioned speech from Gianfranco Zola, the manager, and support from one of his leading players as talks about a takeover of the club edged towards conclusion. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Kevin Mitchell: Aussie TV viewers left short-changed A host broadcaster that prioritises Home and Away is depriving local fans of some of the most exciting action in MelbourneChannel 7, the host broadcaster at the Australian Open, might be the most perverse television station in the world.At 6pm sharp, the announcement local fans despair of each evening – "For Victorian viewers, it is time for you to leave us now" – interrupted coverage of Nikolay Davydenko's super-charged match against the best player in the world, Roger Federer. The Swiss had lost the first set 6-2 to the eccentric and hugely popular Davydenko, and was battling to hold serve in the second.It would be an hour-and-a-half before viewers without access to ESPN would get another glimpse of the match. What did they miss? Probably one of the finest comebacks of Federer's career and one of the great capitulations in a major, as Davydenko simply lost it. Then got it back. Then lost it again. After leading 3-1 in the second set, he dropped 13 straight games.When they returned, Federer was leading 2-1 in the fourth set and Jim Courier resumed the commentary with the bland observation: "A quick start again for Federer, 30-0 …" It was like the captain of the Titanic advising passengers as the iceberg loomed, "If you fancy getting off now, there ought to be no problem getting a refund."TV ratings for the Open are up 10% and interest has rarely been higher. Yet each evening at their own tournament, the first grand slam of the year, they stubbornly ignore whatever is unfolding at Melbourne Park and go to the national news, followed by a magazine programme, Today Tonight, then the 7pm peak-viewing delights of their favourite soap, Home And Away.Everyone outside the boardroom of Channel 7 thinks it's ludicrous – never more so than when they missed the exit of their own darling, Sam Stosur, earlier this week. Then it was the turn of the prickly but courageous American, Andy Roddick, as he fought vainly to get back into his quarter-final against the Croat Marin Cilic.But a blackout on Federer-Davydenko trumped them all. It reminded one nostalgic of the night 30 years ago the BBC left the snooker (Higgins v Thorburn) to go to the Iranian Embassy Siege. Well, sort of.It is not too cruel to observe, but the tennis might just have had better story lines than any recent episode of Home And Away – if you don't count the little cocaine difficulties the soap's star, Todd Lasance, has had this week.Weirdly, Today Tonight is being broadcast from … the tennis."They have been like this for years," a local tennis writer said. "There's nothing you can do to change their minds."This is presupposing a lot, if you read that last word of the last sentence again.SparklersAndy Murray shook his head and nearly smiled. The fireworks. In the middle of a quarter-final. More shaking of head. And, no, he mused, he couldn't see it happening in any other sport.Australians, though, love loud sparkly things. Which might explain the success of Henri Leconte, France's Edna Everage. He has had co-commentators on Channel 7 here in stitches with his slapstick lunacy. "I wanted to live those big moments for the people," he said of his shouty style. "It was light."Not sure what that last bit means, except, perhaps that it was not "heavy". This was his first full-time gig in English. "I hope to do more of it." Get ready, Wimbledon.Hatton a big, big fanRicky Hatton, holidaying in Australia with his girlfriend Jennifer before returning to the rigours of his gym in Manchester to get ready for an ill-advised comeback, was a surprise supporter of Andy Murray.The Scot, big friends of Amir Khan, did not know the former world champion was coming but was delighted to see him, none the less. He was hard to miss. Ricky has plenty to work with when he starts to shed the lard. Ricky reckoned they'd met before; Andy, as sometimes is his way, could not remember. But they got on famously.Australian OpenRoger FedererAndy MurrayTennisKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |