Injured England bowler Broad ruled out of Ashes

Published>Tue, Dec 07 10 07:07 AM

England fast bowler Stuart Broad was "devastated" after being ruled out on Tuesday of the rest of the Ashes series against Australia with a torn abdominal muscle.

The 24-year-old was expected to be one of England's most influential players on the tour and his loss is a blow to the tourists' hopes of winning an Ashes series on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years.

"Stuart has a torn abdominal muscle and as such will take no further part in the current Ashes tour of Australia. Given the nature of the injury Stuart has been ruled out of the forthcoming ODI series against Australia as well," England's medical officer Nick Peirce said in a statement.

"Stuart will return to England shortly to commence a rehabilitation programme and we expect him to make a full recovery in time for the World Cup next year."

Broad, who played a key role in England winning the Asheson home soil last year, managed to bowl just 11 overs in Australia's second innings of the second test on Monday.

"Playing for England in an Ashes series in Australia has been something I've dreamed of for a long time so to have that cut short by injury is devastating," he said.

"So far the series has been everything I had anticipated and knowing I'll play no further part is quite hard to take," he added.

"Given the way we had started the series I was looking forward to playing a leading role in England retaining the Ashes but that's not to be.

"Injuries happen and there's nothing I can do about it other than make sure I get stuck into rehabilitation and come back stronger in time for the World Cup next year."

England are likely to call Chris Tremlett into the team as replacement for Broad for the third test in Perth but will be a bowler short as they try and bowl Australia out on Tuesday to win the second match in Adelaide.

Source: Web Search

Injured England bowler Broad ruled out of Ashes series

Tue, Dec 07 10 06:07 AM

England fast bowler Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series against Australia with a torn abdominal muscle, the England team said on Tuesday.

Broad was absent from the field for much of the fourth day of the second test, which concludes on Tuesday with England in a strong position to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Source: Published>

What Australian media are saying about the Ashes

Tue, Dec 07 10 05:47 AM

Kevin Pietersen's dismissal of Michael Clarke with the final ball on day four left Australia on the ropes on 238-4 going into the final day's play in the second test at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.

Rain may disrupt play but Australia still need 137 runs to make England bat again with their last two recognised batsmen, Michael Hussey and Marcus North, already at the crease.

Here is a sample of the Australian media's reaction to the state of play.

"Supporters are not sanguine. It's been a long time since as many of them spent as much time scanning the heavens or examining meteorology reports online. Better than anything else, that summed up the state of play. Australia is down and almost out" - Peter Roebuck, the Age.

"Aussies showed a lot of character today !!! Well done boys ... Tomorrow = Draw...." - Shane Warne, Twitter.

"Burn the bails. Australia showed fight and grit and determination but the truth of the matter is that England can still retain the urn before Christmas ... Forget the weather. It can never be relied upon. There are confidence problems, form issues, batting dramas, bowling concerns, fielding woes and selection troubles for Australia. Apart from that, all is well," Will Swanton, Daily Telegraph.

"The pressure on Australia is immense but it is also building up on England. They have gone for two decades without winning a test in Australia.

"History is a ball and chain they must somehow discard, but they are having trouble cutting the cord. Andrew Strauss' decision to bat on yesterday morning was a sign of a conservative heart." - Robert Craddock, Herald Sun.

"The modern version of The Invincibles, who won a record 16 successive tests under Steve Waugh's captaincy then did it again with Ponting as skipper, have become The Terribles. Just like in the mid 80s, suddenly smirking Poms are trotting out that tired old line: can't bat, can't bowl, can't field." - Malcolm Conn, The Australian.

"Anychance (sic) the Aussie press can say how well England are playing rather than how bad the Aussies are please... Cheers" - former England captain Michael Vaughan, Twitter.

Source: Published>

Liverpool cruise past Villa on Houllier's return

Tue, Dec 07 10 05:27 AM

Liverpool ensured it was an unhappy return for former manager Gerard Houllier with a comfortable 3-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Monday.

David Ngog and Ryan Babel's first-half strikes and a tidy Maxi Rodriguez goal sealed victory for Roy Hodgson's side and lifted them to eighth in the league table. Villa stayed 16th.

The match was a first competitive return to Anfield for Frenchman Houllier who left Liverpool in 2004 after six years as manager having won five trophies in 2001.

It was not to be a memorable one, though, as Liverpool raced into an early lead with two quickfire goals.

The first came from a corner on 14 minutes when Ngog dived on to a Martin Skrtel header to beat goalkeeper Brad Friedel from close range and the hosts were two up minutes later.

Babel, replacing the absent Fernando Torres whose wife had juat gone into labour, latched on to a Lucas throughball on the edge of the box before swivelling to finish sweetly from an angle.

Liverpool, also without injured defender Jamie Carragher and captain Steven Gerrard, added a third 10 minutes after the break when Rodriguez calmly swept home an incisive counter-attack.

The defeat prolonged a poor spell for Villa who have won just once in 10 league matches and hardly created a clear-cut goalscoring chance at Anfield.

Defenders Glen Johnson and Sotirios Kyrgiakos went close to stretching Liverpool's lead, the latter having a header cleared off the line.

Houllier, who has also managed France and Ligue 1 sides Paris Saint Germain and Olympique Lyon, was appointed Villa boss in September.

Source: Published>

Jol resigns as Ajax manager

Published>Tue, Dec 07 10 03:27 AM

Martin Jol has resigned as coach of Ajax Amsterdam, the Dutch club said on their website (www.ajax.nl) on Monday.

The 54-year-old Jol joined Ajax in 2009 from German club SV Hamburg and they finished second in the league in his first season, won the Dutch Cup and qualified for the Champions League group stage.

Jol, linked with the new vacancy at English Premier League Newcastle United, started his coaching career with Dutch clubs Roda JC Kerkrade and RKC Waalwijk before joining England's Tottenham Hotspur as manager.

Former Dutch international Frank de Boer, an assistant to Netherlands coach Bert Van Marwijk, will take charge of Ajax on a provisional basis until the winter break starting on Dec. 24.

Ajax play away at AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday and need a win to secure a place in the Europa League.

They lie fourth in the Dutch League midway the season, five points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven and Twente Enschede.

Newcastle fired Chris Hughton as their manager on Monday. Hughton worked as Jol's assistant at Tottenham.

Source: Web Search

Xavi, Iniesta and Messi on Ballon d'Or shortlist

Published>Tue, Dec 07 10 03:07 AM

Spain's World Cup winners Xavi and Andres Iniesta were joined by holder Lionel Messi on an all-Barcelona shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or announced on Monday.

Iniesta, 26, scored the winning goal in Spain's World Cup final victory over the Netherlands in Johannesburg in July and, along with his 30-year-old midfield partner Xavi and Argentina forward Messi, helped Barcelona to the Spanish league title.

Messi, 23, had a disappointing World Cup by his own high standards, failing to score in the tournament as Argentina, coached by Diego Maradona, crashed out after a 4-0 defeat by Germany in the quarter-finals.

"It's an honour to be one of the three finalists for the Ballon d'Or, and even more so to be there with Xavi and Leo," Iniesta wrote on his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AndresIniesta).

"It's a marvellous prize for the cantera", he added, referring to the club's "La Masia" youth academy where all three trained.

Spain's Vicente del Bosque, a former Real Madrid manager who masterminded Spain's first World Cup success, made the shortlist for the Coach of the Year award.

He was joined by Barca's Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho, who won the Champions League and Italian league and cup with Inter Milan last season.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke told a media conference that Spanish soccer had been "really ahead of the rest" since 2008 and was also dominating at club level.

"They are crushing world football at the moment," he said. "Barcelona's match against Madrid last week was a brilliant display of football."

HISTORIC DAY

Guardiola, also a product of the "Masia" academy, said the "tremendous success" of Iniesta and Xavi should be shared with Del Bosque and his predecessor as Spain coach Luis Aragones, who led Spain to victory at Euro 2008.

"I am also happy for Leo, who is the greatest, although he did not have much luck at the World Cup," the former midfielder told a news conference before the club's Champions League Group D match at home to Rubin Kazan on Tuesday.

"The most important thing is that the one that wins shares it with his team mates.

"It will be an historic day and I want everyone who works at this club to feel it is theirs."

It was the third time that three players from the same team had been named on the three-man Ballon d'Or shortlist. In 1988 and 1989, AC Milan monopolised the first three spots, with Dutch striker Marco Van Basten winning both times.

This year's winners will be announced on Jan. 10 in Zurich.

The honour was formerly organised solely by France Football magazine but has now merged with FIFA's World Player of the Year award. Messi won both in 2009.

Source: Web Search

UEFA cuts Mourinho ban to one match and reduces fine

Tue, Dec 07 10 12:47 AM

UEFA has reduced on appeal a fine and two-match ban given to coach Jose Mourinho after allegations that two of his Real Madrid players engineered deliberate red cards in last month's Champions League game with Ajax Amsterdam.

European soccer's governing body, which originally ruled Mourinho, the club and four players guilty of "improper conduct", cut the Portuguese's fine to 30,000 euros ($39,780) from 40,000 and Real's to 100,000 euros from 120,000.

It also reduced the coach's suspension to one match -- Wednesday's Group G game at home to Auxerre -- from the initial punishment of a one-game suspension and a second game deferred for a probationary period of three years.

Fines of 20,000 euros and one-match suspensions for Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos, who were shown second yellow cards near the end of the match for wasting time, will stand, UEFA said in a statement on its website (www.uefa.com).

Captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas and reserve keeper Jerzy Dudek, who appeared to relay messages from Mourinho to Alonso and Ramos, were fined 10,000 and 5,000 euros respectively and those sanctions will also stand.

Spain internationals Ramos and Alonso will serve their bans against Auxerre -- a 'dead' game as Real are already assured of first place in Group G and qualification for the last 16.

Both players had accumulated two yellow cards in the group stage before they were sent off and a further caution in a subsequent game would have meant a one-match suspension during the knockout rounds.

The pair will start the knockout stage with one yellow card each against their names as the cautions picked up before the Ajax game still stand.

Mourinho last week called UEFA's decision a "medal" and not a punishment and complained there was one rule for him and another for other coaches.

Source: Published>