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Jamie Ness today appealed to Rangers boss Walter Smith to pitch him into the massive Scottish Cup showdown with Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Smith is facing an anxious wait to see if midfield talisman Lee McCulloch will be fit to play for the Gers in the match at Ibrox this Sunday.

McCulloch limped off in the first half of his side’s 1-0 win over Hearts at home last night, with a recurrence of a long-standing knee problem.

But Ness, who made his first- ever top-team start in the Old Firm game last month, reckons Rangers can cope without the Scotland internationalist against their city rivals.

And the hugely talented 19-year-old said: “I always want to play and hopefully the gaffer will think I have done enough to merit a place in the team. I have been surprised at how much I have played, but I have trained with the first-team boys regularly for almost two years now and that has helped.

“I know all of the boys and I know their games really well. That has served me well since I have come into the team.”

He added: “Lee is an important player for us and we will miss him if he doesn’t make it. But we have Maurice Edu and Steven Davis who can play in the middle.

“Steven has been playing wide right, but he can come back into the middle if need be. We have quite a lot of players who can play in that position if Lee isn’t available.”

Ness was encouraged by how Rangers played in their rearranged SPL fixture with third-placed Hearts last night, after McCulloch limped off.

The triumph, secured thanks to a Kyle Lafferty goal after just four minutes, moved the Scottish champions to within five points of Celtic at the top of the league table with two games in hand.

Meanwhile, Ness has praised controversial new signing El-Hadji Diouf – who came on for McCulloch just days after completing his loan move from Blackburn – for his performance on his Rangers debut.

He said: “It was difficult for him. I don’t think he expected to come on so early on. But, when he did, he showed some good touches. I think he will only get better and become a really good player for us.

“I think he could do a job for us in the Old Firm game on Sunday if he is selected.

“He has definitely got the quality so if he gets picked I am sure he will be able to make an impact.”

Labels: Celtic, Evening, Glasgow, Times

Labels: Bahrain, CALLS, Grand, Prince, Times

"Organizers are taking care of the shortcomings and have told us that all the problems would be rectified soon. We had suggested a few problems during our inspection, which they have agreed to remedy," said a fire official on condition of anonymity.

Chief fire officer Uday Takare said that unless the all conditions are followed, the NOC and the fire compliance report will not be issued. "There are two issues that need to be taken care of. Firstly, there is lack of safety equipment in the basement, there is no proper ventilation in the basement either. Secondly, there are not enough sprinklers in the north and west stands," said Tatkare. "For us, safety of everyone is most important. We need to be fully convinced that safety is not compromised, only then will we be in a position to give them the clearance needed."

Among the mandatory fire apparatus are water hydrants, internal riser system for the stands, no-smoking indicators, fire alarms and extinguishers. The fire NOC is provided when the structure is adequately ventilated and has all the necessary preventive measures and systems in place.

The Wankhede controversy came up earlier this month when the fire department went for a routine check of the newly renovated stadium. The BMC asked the department to give its compliance report before it could give the stadium an amended occupation certificate. Apart from two games, the final match is scheduled to be played at the stadium too.

The Mumbai Cricket Association ( MCA), which owns the stadium, is locked in a legal battle with the BMC over the payment of sewerage and water taxes,which total Rs 9 crore, since 2006.

The revamp, which began three years ago, has been controversial, and a PIL against several alleged violations is pending in court. The BMC had even penalized the association at least 15 times for dumping debris and construction material in the past two years.

Labels: India, Revamped, Times, Wankhede

He is also confident that his demotion in the batting order too will pay rich dividends. If the talks do translate into an equally assured performance over the next half month, then England surely have an ace up their sleeves.

Prior doesn't agree to the fact that his poor form played a part in pushing him down the batting order. Instead, the wicketkeeper said the move as positive for both him and Kevin Pietersen, who has taken up the openers' slot. "It's a positive move for both of us. KP opening the batting is a positive move. I think these wickets will suit him. If he gets up and running, I think he can single-handedly take the game away from the opposition.

"From my point of view also I think it's also a very positive step. I enjoy playing spin and also enjoy playing those middle overs and that's the role and responsibility I have been given. It certainly wasn't the case of me being not good enough to open the batting," Prior said on Sunday, ahead of their opening match against the Netherlands.

Prior is aware that the role of a finisher, played to perfection by Eoin Morgan whose injury has forced him out of the squad, is not an easy one to emulate.

"I have told the guys that role scares me a little bit. There is a lot of responsibility on the finisher. I don't think anyone can replace Eoin Morgan. It's pretty huge boots to fill. But I will certainly give it a go."

Prior played a vital role in England's historic high in the Ashes. But the Australians came back strongly in the One-day series. It saw Prior failing in his role as an opener. But for the English, the Australia series is history. "World Cup is about peaking at the right time. This is a completely new competition and it will be silly to look back at the series Down Under," Prior said.

On the Powerplay: The opening game of the World Cup saw India taking the batting Powerplay when the ball was changed in the 34th over. In the past, most teams made the choice based on the match-form of batsmen at the crease. Prior thinks more such strategies will be thrown up during the tournament.

Labels: excel, finisher, India, Prior, Times

This trend, say travel agents, is also seen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where hotels have put up 'sold out' banners. Bangladesh is the only venue where cricket enthusiasts can still book rooms. It's worth noting though, that in India at least, the majority of bookings have been made by cricket fans from other countries. Cricket lovers from South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and even the US had planned their holiday around the World Cup months in advance.

The travel and hospitality industry is making the most of cricket mania, and a majority of hotels have already increased their rates to coincide with match dates. "For example, all premier hotels in Colombo are sold out. A few hotels in Kandy or in the outskirts of Colombo, which may have unreserved rooms, are quoting rates that are 25% higher than usual," said Jay Bhatia, director, Tulsidas Khimji Travels. With demand for last-minute bookings rising, industry sources predict that the handful of unreserved rooms remaining in the Indian subcontinent is likely to go for a king's ransom. The packages being offered may not be affordable for average Indian travellers, say agents.

A travel agent in Fort, South Mumbai, said the demand for last-minute bookings is among foreigners and not Indians. "There are not many holidays in the months of February and March, and the examination season has restricted most people's travel plans," he said.

Most tour agencies are offering packages, which include match tickets, hotel reservations and travel arrangements, for anywhere between Rs 15,000 to 40,000 depending on the category of hotel and the placement of the seat in the stadium. Mayank Khandwala of Cutting Edge, which is handling travel packages for ICC, said that most of their packages are sold out. "More than 70-80% of our packages for matches in India have been booked. Colombo, too, is doing very well," he said.

There is a bit of good news for stragglers. Domestic flight tickets to World Cup destinations are very affordable. Rajesh Rateria, managing director, Cirrus Travels, said: "This is a non-travel season, particularly on domestic routes. This has helped fans procure low-priced tickets."

Labels: Cricket, India, Times

The South Korean only resumed training last week after a month away on international duty at the Asian Cup.

"We got a blow on Saturday morning with the news that Park Ji-sung did his hamstring on Friday afternoon in training," Ferguson said.

"It was very unfortunate because it was his last kick of the ball in training as well.

"We were really looking forward to having him back after being away for a month at the Asian Cup. He'll be out for up to a month, which is a blow to us."

The injury comes at a key point in the season for United, who lead the Premier League by four points after 26 games.

Park will miss the Premier League trips to Chelsea, Liverpool and Wigan Athletic and at least the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie against Olympique Marseille.

United visit Marseille next Wednesday before hosting the French champions in the second leg at Old Trafford on March 15.

Labels: India, Manchester, month, ruled, Times, Unitedaposs

The last time he travelled to Ibrox with his team, Neil Lennon did so in the knowledge he still had it all to prove as a manager capable of succeeding the big matches.

Having put those worries to bed with a comprehensive 2-0 victory, the Celtic manager returned to the home of Old Firm rivals Rangers this time around aiming to prove he has assembled a team good enough to win silverware this season.

He hasn’t had to look far this season to find his critics since taking over the hot seat in the summer and goes into every Old Firm showdown in the knowledge he is just one defeat or bad performance away from more questioning over his ability to handle the job.

And that is why, even though the spoils were shared in the Scottish Cup fifth round clash after a thrilling 2-2 draw, Lennon deserves to receive the recognition that has rarely adorned him before now.

Inheriting a squad which required major reconstruction in the summer, the Hoops boss has managed to make some astute purchases and unearthed some star turns such as Emilio Izaguirre, Beram Kayal and Gary Hooper.

Slowly but surely, improvements have been made and the team that dominated Rangers at Ibrox yesterday is unrecognisable from the one that suffered some major disappointments earlier in the campaign.

Questions were raised over the character of the side. Having come from behind twice, and coped with a major set-back in seeing their goalkeeper Fraser Forster sent off, it appears as though those were well and truly answered.

Of course, given the manager’s own infectious character, it is no surprise to see his side instilled with similar traits, but Lennon also proved there is so much more to his management style than just that.

He had massive decisions to make before and during the game and he got every single one spot on.

A weaker person might have felt pressured into sticking with Hooper and Anthony Stokes in attack given their highly impressive goalscoring form of late and knowing, if the result didn’t go his way, he’d have been slaughtered for making the change.

But Lennon went with what he believed would be the best system to combat Rangers’ 4-5-1 formation and, even in the heat of battle, managed to remain focused enough on what he was witnessing to make some calculated calls.

Unnoticed most likely by many, the game was only five minutes old when Lennon made his first tactical call of the game with his team already trailing and the width of the crossbar all that prevented the one-goal deficit becoming two.

Having started with Ki Sung-Yueng in an advanced midfield position, he quickly realised that wasn’t going to work and deployed the him in a deeper role with Kris Commons tucking in closer to Hooper.

It immediately paid dividends when the midfielder cancelled out Jamie Ness’s opener. Then, when having to deal with the loss of Forster, and falling behind for a second time when Steven Whittaker scored from the penalty spot, Lennon refused to panic.

He managed to hold out on introducing Georgios Samaras until the final half hour when there must have been a massive temptation to bring him on a lot earlier, and Lennon was rewarded for his patience through Scott Brown’s fantastic curling equaliser shortly afterwards.

Of course, nothing has been achieved as yet by the Northern Irishman. He is still in a situation where it looks as though he will have to win the championship this season to earn an extended deal.

You would imagine, however, the strides taken have not gone unnoticed in the boardroom and you wonder just how big a lift it would give the Celtic players were something to happen on that front earlier than most anticipate.

Lennon, for his part, was only interested in focusing on yesterday’s performance.

There wasn’t a failure in his team with the likes of Mark Wilson, Charlie Mulgrew, Brown, Kayal and Joe Ledley all playing superbly.

“I thought we were brilliant,” said the Celtic boss. “We got off to a bad start, but we reacted excellently by getting back on level terms and when we had settled into the game and enjoying a lot of possession we were careless and got caught out.

“Then, having went behind for a second time and been reduced to ten men, we picked ourselves up and I thought we totally controlled the second half and more than deserved our equaliser.

“So I couldn’t be happier with the way my players performed and I told them that when they came in at full-time.

“At the interval, I reminded them that there was no point in playing well in an Old Firm game and getting beat.

“Thankfully, that didn’t turn out to be the case and, on another day, we might have actually won the game with one or two chances we created towards the end.”

As he returned to work first thing this morning at the club’s Lennoxtown training base with a night to reflect on the events at Ibrox, Lennon knows he now has it all to do again with four Old Firm games still to come.

But for what he has achieved up until now, he deserves more respect than he has gained in some quarters.

By Darrell King

FOSTER Rash Had a ropey moment when Jelavic blocked his kick-out and it almost squirmed over the line. And totally mistimed his attempt to nick the ball away from Naismith at the penalty, earning a red card.

WILSON Willing Enjoying a real renaissance at the minute. Always willing, tried to get forward at every opportunity and great awareness to to set up Brown for goal.

MAJSTOROVIC Okay Couple of slack bits of play but overall nice and steady and dug in well considering just back from injury.

MULGREW Solid Growing into the centre-half position and his speed allows him to mop up danger. Confident performance.

IZAGUIRRE Positive Always wants to get forward and this game was no different. Whipped in some dangerous balls and came out tops in duel with Davis.

COMMONS Unlucky Scored a fine equaliser and was beginning to be a growing influence when manager cleverly moved him into a role off the front. But someone had to be sacrificed at keeper’s red and it was him.

KAYAL Gritty Steamed in and tried to get on the ball as much as possible. Not as effective as his performance in the January 2 win at Ibrox, though.

BROWN Excellent One of the skipper’s best displays in an Old Firm game that has so often found him wanting. Running spat with Diouf, but got the better of him with a sublime, swerving shot to make it 2-2.

KI Composed The fact he was pitched straight back in after more than a month away at the Asian Cup shows his importance to the team. Fine range of passing throughout and just the man you want when you are bossing a game.

LEDLEY Busy Got about the pitch and quietly efficient. That said, might not be guaranteed a starting slot with the competition around him all playing well.

HOOPER Tough shift Busy and willing, but at times looked a little bit lost without his partner Stokes. When Samaras came on he looked more like himself. A very clever striker.

Subs ZALUSKA Steady No chance with the penalty kick but would probably have expected to have been a lot busier when put on.

SAMARAS Denied Only a truly world-class top from Allan McGregor stropped the big Greek from being a match-winner. Also unlucky to be flagged off when clean through, when he was clearly onside.

Labels: biggame, bravery, cunning, Evening, Glasgow, Latest, Lennonaposs, spoils, testament, Times

And for once, the league was greater than its hype.

It was a goal junkie’s dream. It was a day when teams crammed full of foreigners played with such a devil-may-care sense of adventure. A day when Manchester United was felled by the bottom-dwelling Wolverhampton Wanderers; when Arsenal lost a four-goal lead and drew, 4-4, at Newcastle; when Everton won, 5-3, and Wigan emerged on top, 4-3.

A day when five of the nine games were won or tied by teams who were spurred on, rather than daunted, by going a goal down.

The wild weather had something to do with it. When it is hard to keep a footing and hard to judge the swirling wind, and when packed crowds bay for goals, there comes a time when professionals programmed to play it safe abandon orders.

Where to begin? Louis Saha might be a good name to kick off with. A product of the French school of Clairefontaine, the 32-year-old Saha’s better days might be behind him. But he scored four times in Everton’s comeback victory against Blackpool. He was robbed of a fifth by a wrong call by the referee.

King Louis has had days before when he can seem unplayable. He has had more than a few days when he gets out of bed, feels a twinge somewhere in his body and calls in sick.

That is why he plays for Everton and no longer for Manchester United. Every manager who has tried to motivate Saha describes him as being a top mover and goal scorer between his bouts of injuries and self-doubt. He joined Everton two years ago on a pay-per-play contract that meant he received his match fee only when fit.

On Saturday he was fit, elusive, unstoppable. It helped that the opposition was Blackpool, the shoestring upstart that refuses to engage in anything other than a have-a-go mentality.

Blackpool came up to the Premiership last summer with the almost recklessly old-fashioned theory that soccer is just a game. Attack, and be damned.

Entertain at all costs.

That philosophy stimulates even an essentially cautious team like Everton to trade goals. And though Blackpool led, 3-2, with an hour gone, it eventually paid the consequences and set the bar for the goal rush going on up and down the country.

Almost beyond belief, Newcastle came back from a four-goal deficit to deny Arsenal a victory. After 26 minutes, Newcastle was a bewildered, spiritless, seemingly sunken home team.

Arsenal was in another league. Not on a par with Lionel Messi and Barcelona, who transcend the league in Spain, but in movement, pace, quality and finishing, Arsenal was far too clever for Newcastle.

Or so it seemed to the many Newcastle supporters who left the stadium, disillusioned, halfway through the contest. You do wonder if, as they descended from St. James’ Park into the town, they heard the roars as Newcastle came back again, and again, and again.

The match turned on a red card shown early in the second half to Abou Diaby, Arsenal’s French midfielder. He feared a brutish tackle of him by Newcastle’s Joey Barton might threaten to break him, as previous tackles in English soccer have done. But his retaliation, pushing Barton to the ground by the scruff of the neck and also pushing another player, gave the referee no choice other than to eject Diaby.

The perpetrator, Barton, profited. He scored twice from penalty kicks, and Newcastle overpowered and overwhelmed Arsenal. The crowd got behind its team — as Newcastle at its best does — and ultimately, Arsenal was lucky to get out of there with a point.

The final goal, an audacious stroke of brilliance from Cheik Tiote, evened the score. He volleyed the ball just above the ground with his left foot, his first-ever goal in the Premiership and a far, far cry from the Ivory Coast where he played barefoot until he was 15.

Later Saturday, another unheralded man, George Elokobi, shook the composure out of Manchester United.

Elokobi looks like a linebacker in the National Football League or a weightlifter. He has muscles that are of little use in soccer, but, clearly, a heart of gold. Wolves plays in gold shirts, and when the team was down, it was Elokobi who led the charge.

He muscled in to score with a header. He and Ireland’s Kevin Doyle collided, and between them they forced the winner in another crowded goal mouth. And Elokobi, a Cameroonian who started in semiprofessional soccer in England and overcame a career-threatening knee injury, was fundamental to United’s first league defeat in 30 matches.

Alex Ferguson, the United manager, had warned it could happen. He knows that he does not have anything close to a vintage Manchester United this season, and that perseverance had at times held the team’s unbeaten run together.

In fact, Ferguson said moments before the match Saturday that the Wolves were a better team than the league standings indicated. “We will lose sometime,” he said on television. “And Wolves could be the team to do it.” His premonition was perhaps provoked by the knowledge that Wolverhampton had already beaten Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool. So the Wolves’ first victory over United in seven years was in the cards.

And in the wind and the rain, it seemed almost as if the early United goal was the spur that got the Wolves going.

At the end of it, the Wolves’ team almost took a lap of honor. The fans bayed as if they were winning a cup final. And the home team manager, Mick McCarthy, was as puzzled as the next man.

“I’ve just told the players there’s a perversity about us,” he said. “We keep beating the best teams, but we can’t keep losing to those around us.

“I’ve just been in to see Sir Alex. He told me I was a lucky so-and-so.

“I’ve waited it seems a hundred years to hear that, because I’ve never had anything off United before,” he said, “but he said it with a smile on his face.”

A bemused smile, no doubt. For this was a day that the winds blew and teams that normally tread in fear of defeat turned the league on its head.

Labels: England, Something, Strange, Times

Daniel Majstorovic is on course to be fit for Celtic’s Scottish Cup showdown with Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday.

The Swedish defender has declared himself raring to go for the crunch clash after coming through training unscathed at Lennoxtown this week.

The centre-half’s involvement in the Glasgow derby match had been in doubt due to the hamstring injury he picked up last month.

However, Majstorovic today revealed he is optimistic about starting for Neil Lennon’s side in their third meeting of the season with Walter Smith’s men.

Fellow Scandinavian stopper Thomas Rogne has also predicted he will have shrugged off the calf strain he picked up against Aberdeen last weekend in time to face Rangers. The news is a massive boost to the Parkhead club’s chances of recording their second straight win over their Ibrox rivals.

Lennon was forced to field full-backs Charlie Mulgrew and Mark Wilson in the middle of his back four in the SPL game against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Tuesday.

He said: “I’m getting better and I’m back on track. I’ve had good training and after today and tomorrow we’ll see what is going to happen for Sunday.

“I’m not used to this, it’s my first injury for a long time. But I’m feeling good now.

“We just need to be careful not to take any risks. This will be a very important game for us, it’s one of our targets for the season.

“I played in big derbies in Greece, but in those matches it was home fans only because it is too dangerous, that’s a big difference at Celtic-Rangers games.”

However, Majstorovic has backed Mulgrew and Wilson to do a job for Celtic if he and Rogne fail to recover in time. He added: “Charlie and Mark don’t play regularly in central defence, so I was a bit wary on Tuesday night, but they played really well.”

Meanwhile, Rogne is prepared to let adrenalin take him through the match even if he isn’t 100 per cent fit. The Norwegian said: “It’s getting better by the day,

“If it keeps on going like this, hopefully I am able to play.

“In these games if you’re not 100% fit in your body you’re always going to get your mind into the game so your adrenalin will keep you fine.

“I’m not sure you have to be 100% – because it’s such a massive game you are really up for it.”

Labels: boost, Celtic, Evening, Glasgow, Times

The Guardian

No change in ICC stand; Eden told to shape up or ship out Times of India MUMBAI: Setting all speculation to rest, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday reiterated via an email that there is no question of restoring the India-versus-England World Cup match to a semi-finished Eden Gardens. ... England-India World Cup match set for move to BangaloreBBC Sport BCCI backs Bengal board's plea for reconsideration on Eden GardensYahoo! Eurosport UK FM steps in at Dalmiya's behestSify Rediff -Deccan Herald -GulfNews all 1,183 news articles »

Labels: change, India, shape, stand, Times