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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish reassured his most expensive player Andy Carroll on Thursday that he was worth the 35 million pounds paid for him as the striker faced a media grilling over the club record fee.

The striker became the most expensive English player when he was brought in just before the transfer window shut on Monday as the club sought to fill the hole left by Fernando Torres's departure for Chelsea.

Carroll, who has scored 11 goals this season, was asked whether he felt he was worth the money.

"I'm sure that time will tell really," he told reporters. "I've scored goals at Newcastle and that is what I want to do here. We'll just have to wait and see."

Dalglish stepped in to defend the massive fee paid for the 22-year-old, who will not make his debut for a few weeks because of a thigh strain he was carrying before he joined on the same day Liverpool signed Uruguay striker Luis Suarez.

"Every question you ask is negative, we don't see any reason whatsoever to be negative in any way shape or form about Andy Carroll signing for Liverpool Football Club," Dalglish said.

"It is a great signing for us, it's fantastic for us. We can reassure Andy that we are more positive than what yourselves are.

"The price might be a bit more than what some people think it should be but every single person in here has got to justify their wages and their costs so if you can do that for yourselves then I'm sure he can do that for us."

Suarez made a dream start by scoring on his debut in Wednesday's 2-0 home victory over Stoke City in the Premier League as Carroll watched from the stand.

"We're really looking forward to getting him fit," Dalglish said. "It may be a few weeks but we never signed him for a few weeks, we signed him for five and a half years."

Labels: Carroll, Dalglish, defends, Eurosport, underfire, Yahoo

With crisis turning into catastrophe and his sacking as Chelsea manager looming, Carlo Ancelotti was saved, for a while at least, by a man thought to be his most weak-minded player.

Nicolas Anelka’s gloomy disposition, reluctance to accept authority and reputation as a troublemaker earned him the nickname “Le Sulk” long ago, and with Chelsea’s season collapsing hurriedly, the French striker may have been the last person one would expect to stand tall and engineer a revival.

Yet just four days after messing up a penalty shootout attempt vs. Everton that hastened Chelsea’s FA Cup exit, Anelka produced a barnstorming, two-goal display to sink Champions League opponent FC Copenhagen and, barring a horrendous second-leg meltdown, book his side’s place in the quarterfinals.

Elimination in the round-of-16 stage would have left Chelsea with nothing to play for this season and in all likelihood would have seen Ancelotti clearing his desk Thursday morning. Instead, for all the recent doom and miserable performances, Tuesday’s 2-0 result ensured there remains some life in the West London club’s campaign and the opportunity to win the one trophy owner Roman Abramovich covets more than any other.

If Tuesday night marks a turning point, the fact that its fuse was lit by Anelka will go down as an extraordinary twist. The 31-year-old’s feet are laced with rare talent, yet his head has been occupied by demons for most of his career. Bitter Champions League memories still fester.

Anelka came on as a late substitute in the 2008 final against Manchester United, the closest Chelsea has ever come to lifting the trophy. After Chelsea captain John Terry slipped and hit the post on the effort that could have clinched glory, Anelka stepped up for his shootout attempt and could only aim a tame strike within easy reach of Edwin Van Der Sar, sparking United delirium.

If ever there was a time that Anelka’s frail mindset would be exposed, this would be it. Chelsea’s form has been woeful in recent months, and the criticism has poured in. The arrival of Fernando Torres, whose record signing contract has drawn the gamut of attention, means that either Anelka, Didier Drogba or the $79.5 million man himself must start on the bench each week.

On Tuesday it was Drogba who made way, giving Torres another chance to open his Chelsea account after a disappointing start to life at his new club. But instead, it was Anelka who grabbed the headlines.

This kind of form makes it increasingly unlikely that a move for Anelka to Major League Soccer, a rumor widely reported in the French media earlier this month, will take place any time soon. L’Equipe newspaper claimed that Anelka was disillusioned with Torres’ arrival and a likely shift down the pecking order – and was considering joining his compatriot Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls.

Forget about that for now, especially with Ancelotti suspecting he has found something that could get him out of trouble. Whatever his initial thoughts about Torres’ signing, Anelka is now benefitting from the defensive attention the Spaniard commands, opening up extra space and freedom for himself.

“Anelka was able to score, and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement,” said Ancelotti. “[Our season is] still alive. I had this idea before the game and I maintain it now. We are not dead.”

Chelsea still has deep problems, and Ancelotti’s stint in charge is likely to end as soon as his team is knocked out of this competition. For now, though, he is still alive and kicking, after a night when “Le Sulk” took the chip off his shoulder and came to the rescue.

Labels: alive, Chelsea, keeps, Sports, Yahoo

Liverpool need a huge improvement against Sparta Prague to avoid being frozen out of the Europa League this week and thermometers in Russia will be closely monitored in case of more controversy over sub-zero conditions.

Two round of 32 second-leg matches are scheduled to be played in Russia on Thursday with temperatures expected to be hovering around minus 15 Celsius, considered the safe minimum under FIFA and UEFA guidelines.

Last week, Dutch champions Twente Enschede played under protest away to Rubin Kazan amid confusion over the real temperature.

Tijs Tummers, secretary of the technical committee at the international players' union FIFPro, told Reuters there had been discrepancies in readings.

"On all thermometers the temperature was minus 16 or minus 17, only the thermometer of UEFA gave a temperature of 14,9 Celsius," he said.

"FC Twente and UEFA have agreed to evaluate the procedure of last week to prevent problems like this happening in the future."

Tummers added that media reports had said the temperature dropped as low as minus 23 Celsius, even though the game had been brought forward to lunchtime from the originally-planned kickoff at 9pm local time.

The combination of early kickoff, freezing weather and new venue -- it was even colder in Kazan itself -- resulted in the match being played in front of 500 people in a 90,000 seater stadium.

Twente won 2-0 and can look forward to playing the return in relatively balmy temperatures just above freezing but the visitors to Russia face extremly challenging conditions.

Greek side PAOK Salonika battled to a 1-1 draw at CSKA Moscow on Tuesday but the Russians progressed to the last 16 2-1 on aggregate.

Spartak Moscow entertain Swiss champions FC Basel on Thursday with a 3-2 lead from the first leg and Zenit St Petersburg, Russian champions and 2008 UEFA Cup winners, face Young Boys trailing 2-1.

COMFORTABLE AJAX

Five-times European champions and three-times UEFA Cup winners Liverpool are arguably the biggest club still in the competition following the group-stage exit of Juventus.

Kenny Dalgish's team barely mustered a shot on goal last week in Prague against a side who, like many of the eastern European teams, had been inactive for the previous two months due to the winter break.

Former European champions Ajax Amsterdam should cruise through, having won 3-0 at Anderlecht in the first leg, as should Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, who have a 4-0 lead at home to Metalist Kharkiv.

Big-spending Manchester City take a 0-0 scoreline into their home leg following last week's stalemate away to Greeks Aris Salonika.

Portuguese pair Porto and Benfica, both former European champions, have 2-1 leads from the first legs as Porto host Sevilla on Wednesday and Benfica visit VfB Stuttgart on Thursday.

The leaders of the Dutch and French leagues, PSV Eindhoven and Lille, meet again on Thursday, having produced a storming 2-2 draw in last week's first leg.

Napoli, Italy's sole survivors, appear to be the outsiders against Villarreal after being held 0-0 at home by the Spaniards.

Labels: Europa, Eurosport, Improve, Liverpool, threatens, Yahoo

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson made light of his injury problems and said he was expecting to meet a powerful and athletic Olympique Marseille team in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs is the latest United casualty and although he is set to be fit for the weekend and defender Rio Ferdinand is also close to a return, the Premier League leaders are depleted for the last-16 first-leg trip to France.

"You are working through a really difficult month in December in terms of the number of games, and then through January we have had a few games too, and it's just the strain of it all," Ferguson told a news conference on Tuesday.

"But you know, we have got a strong squad with us and we carry on.

"I think they are a very powerful team, very athletic, strong defenders. They, like us, have a few injuries."

Ferguson is also wary of the raucous reception inside the Stade Velodrome, where fans create the biggest roar in French football.

"We know from being here before, and also having been to many games here, that it's a fantastic atmosphere here, and that helps Marseille," he said.

Marseille boss Didier Deschamps waxed lyrical about the Premier League leaders.

"They have won lots of games and lots of titles nationally and internationally, and evidently this is symbolised by their manager Alex Ferguson, who is on his 24th season as manager, which is something very exceptional," he said.

"There's this culture of winning, which you find in big clubs, they can change players and can lose good players, but they're replaced by others, and there's always a message passed on by the older players and the guarantee is the manager."

Labels: Eurosport, Injuryhit, Marseille, powerful, prepared, United, Yahoo

Double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso has acknowledged that the sport?s raft of new regulations for 2011 represents ?a challenge? ? perhaps too much of one all in one go, he hints ? and the Ferrari star has expressed some concerns about the rapid degradation and inconsistency of Pirelli?s tyres.

Having led the way during the morning, Alonso ultimately wound up just fifth-quickest on the opening day of pre-season group testing around Valencia?s Circuit Ricardo Tormo, some eight tenths of a second adrift of pace-setter and defending title-holder Sebastian Vettel ? although on a more positive note, Ferrari?s F150 scarcely missed a beat, which could not be said for all of the new contenders.

The Spaniard subsequently stepped things up a notch to record the fastest lap of anyone on day two, and whilst professing it a successful couple of days in the cockpit, he conceded that there remains a lot to learn in terms of the tyres and steering wheel-operated KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) and adjustable rear wing ? admitting that it is a lot to try to take in with such restricted time in the seat ahead of the Bahrain curtain-raiser.

?The tyres degrade a lot, they are not very consistent at the moment and we are very limited in terms of the number of tyres as well,? the 29-year-old lamented, according to SPEED.com. ?You have to keep one set of tyres for the whole morning, and then maybe put one [set] for half of the afternoon and one at the end. It?s difficult to make set-up changes and to really get an answer at the moment on those.

?These new buttons on the steering wheel are obviously not the easiest thing to use at the exit of corners. You lose concentration in your driving line or in your driving style, pure performance, but it?s also something [with which] drivers who get used to the systems, and drivers who are trained more or are more clever on this can have an advantage.

?With the new F1, you have to try to get used to it better than the others ? it?s a challenge for all of us to try to do better than our colleagues, and we started step-by-step. Some laps we activated the KERS, some other laps we activated the rear wing, and then we started doing everything at the same time and getting used to it. [By the first] afternoon, everything was coming out automatically, so I think it?s good. Jerez will be enough to be completely confident with everything.?

As to his own feeling at Ferrari twelve months on from his arrival at the legendary Scuderia, Alonso reflected that he is now far more settled at the Maranello-based outfit ? and as such, from his rivals? perspective, far more dangerous to-boot, with F1 commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone having opined that the 26-time grand prix-winner ?will not so easily accept defeat? as in 2010.

?Obviously it?s better this year,? he mused. ?Last year it was really, really the first test, and a lot of excitement, a lot of emotions also, because it was [my] first time in a Ferrari. This year we approached the test in a better way, more relaxed ? I know Ferrari, I know all the staff, I know also the programme for this test. We have two days; last year I only had one, so it was a lot of things to do in one day. This year we started more in a relaxed way and really focussed on the things we had to do. Last year was more like a demo than work!?

Labels: admits, Alonso, aposa, challengeapos, concerns, Eurosport, Pirelli, regulations, Yahoo

Even one of the greatest streaks in soccer history has not saved Jose Mourinho’s position as Real Madrid boss from coming under intense pressure.

With a 2-0 victory over Levante last weekend, Mourinho’s players ensured their coach would complete nine full years without any of his teams having lost a league game at home, a remarkable run that confirms his reputation as one of the all-time greats.

The statistics are astonishing. In 148 home league games since 2002 – when Porto lost 3-2 to Beita Mar – Mourinho’s Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid teams have won 125 and drawn 23. Out of 444 possible points, they have gained 398.

Yet despite all this, the marriage between Mourinho and the Madrid hierarchy is tortured, and every passing week brings greater speculation in Spain that he will either jump or be pushed out before too long.

The complicated political structure of the famous old club has created tension ever since Mourinho walked through the doors of the Bernabeu at the beginning of last summer. The Portuguese icon feels there are factors inside the organization that are working against him, but his decision to go public with his grievances further alienated his opponents and sent some fence-sitters into the opposite camp.

Such an unstable working environment does not bode well for his future in Madrid, and the situation may be brought to a head this week. Madrid faces French side Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday in the first leg of a round of 16 clash that could decide its season, and Mourinho’s fate.

The La Liga title may be beyond reach already, with Barcelona’s consistency such that the current five-point gap is looking like a barrier that could be too steep, even with a third of the campaign left.

The pressure on Madrid’s Champions League bid is further intensified by another streak – an unwanted one. The Galacticos have lost at this round of 16 stage in each of the last six seasons, most recently to Lyon one year ago.

Mourinho has taken a typically bullish approach this week but he knows better than anyone that failure in this competition is the biggest sore point at Madrid, especially with Barca reaching four semifinals in five years and winning it all in 2006 and 2009.

“(Lyon) are tough opponents, who know how to play this kind of match, but we are Real Madrid,” he said, at a pre-game news conference. “The statistics are against us but they are figures from the past. If we think it’ll be easy, we’ll be in trouble. But we don’t think that. If we believe that everything will be decided (in the first leg), we’ll be in trouble. But we don’t believe that.

“We are ready and convinced of our qualities. We’re not attached to the past and we respect our opponents for what they are today. But we are Real Madrid, the champion of champions of European football. There’s pressure but also conviction that accompanies us.”

The most intriguing subplot to Mourinho’s increasingly tenuous position is the certainty that he would be much-coveted elsewhere were he to leave. Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is close to the axe and Mourinho has been strongly linked with a return to West London and the English Premier League, where he won two titles and spearheaded the revolution funded by Roman Abramovich.

Such a move would be extraordinary given the way he parted company with Chelsea in 2007, yet Abramovich needs someone capable of building a squad in the manner Mourinho did several years ago.

For all Mourinho’s quirks and sometimes abrasive nature, Abramovich didn’t realize what a good thing he had until he was gone.

Real Madrid may soon be left feeling the same way.

Labels: Madrids, Mourinho, Sports, Yahoo

The Brazilian became the only driver to go under the one minute 23 second barrier when he registered a lap of 1:22.625 with less than half an hour to go at Montmelo.

The time sees Massa top the table following the completion of testing, trumping Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, who was unable to better the 1:23.168 he registered on Sunday.

World champion Sebastian Vettel's 1:23.315 lap from Saturday ended up the third quickest time overall, .127 faster than Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber.

Massa's team-mate Fernando Alonso ended as the 10th-quickest, over a second slower with a best time of 1:23.978.

"The outcome of testing up to the end of today has been positive," Massa said. "We really did a lot of kilometres and I think our team actually completed more than anyone else.

"Both myself and Fernando did a real and genuine race simulation and we tried all the types of Pirelli tyre with different fuel levels. Where are we compared to the others? I don’t know and until we are all doing the same things at the same time, in other words at the first race, then we won’t know for certain.

"The Red Bull is definitely very quick and that’s a fact. Today, we did a good lap time and I think we are not off the pace: however, yesterday Rosberg was quick for example and you definitely cannot rule out McLaren and some other teams."

Labels: Eurosport, final, Massa, TESTING, Yahoo

Vitaly Petrov has told Renault that they can rely on him to perform this season as the team prepares to head into the 2011 F1 season without Robert Kubica.

Kubica?s rally accident is likely to keep him out for a large chunk, if not all, of the current campaign and had led to Renault bringing in Nick Heidfeld as his replacement.

Despite the difficult circumstances the team finds itself in, Petrov insisted it was vital that Renault continues to push forwards and said he was keen to show that he can be relied on after a debut season filled with mixed results.

?Robert was an important part of the team, but I think the team should move forward because we cannot get frozen at one point,? he told the official F1 website. ?With Nick, an experienced driver has joined us so that gives hope. Let?s put it this way: life is like that - sometimes very unpredictable and cruel.

?My first year was quite difficult so it was very important for me to have a strong team-mate. This year we have lost Robert but we did find Nick, who comes with a lot of experience. But I also have much more experience than last season, with one year of Formula One under my belt and knowing much more, so the team can also work and rely on me.?

Prior to his accident, Kubica had set the pace during the opening test of the season in Valencia, while Heidfeld was also quickest on his day of running with the team at Jerez ? which proved to be enough to secure his place in the team while Kubica is absent.

However, despite the pace shown by the R31 Petrov said it was important not to read too much into the times as all people can do while testing continues is guess about the relative performance of the cars.

?Forget about the lap times,? he said. ?Don?t even look at them. Last season we didn?t see that Red Bull would be so fast in the tests. Everything will be clear at the first race - until then everything is guessing, as everybody can be at the top of the time sheet at the tests if he so wishes - that?s no miracle.

?But we don?t need that. We are working on our programme as everybody else does. We are trying to get as much data from the car and the tyres as possible - and lap times don?t mean a thing.?

Labels: Eurosport, Iaposll, Petrov, Renault, Yahoo

Nico Rosberg said he was happy with the improved reliability of his Mercedes W02 after setting the pace on the third day of F1 testing in Barcelona.

Having suffered the lions share of problems with the new car during testing to date, Rosberg enjoyed a solid day of running for the second successive day as he added another 92 laps to the 131 he managed on Saturday.

Although damp conditions limited his running on Sunday morning, Rosberg was able to run through his testing programme during the afternoon with a series of longer runs on track as Mercedes worked on getting a better understanding of the new Pirelli tyres.

The German then posted the fastest time of the day during a qualifying simulation completed late in the day, which prevented Vitaly Petrov from taking bragging rights for Renault.

"It was interesting running with the intermediates this morning and, although the warm-up is tricky, we definitely improved our understanding of the tyres,? Rosberg said. ?Our long runs this afternoon included some aero work in preparation for our next upgrade package before going into lower-fuel, new-tyre running at the end of the day.

?We made good progress in understanding the car and the tyres, and the reliability was solid once again. Overall, I've enjoyed two positive and productive days here in Barcelona."

Michael Schumacher will be back at the wheel for the final day of the test on Monday.

To view times from the third day of running in Barcelona, CLICK HERE.

Labels: Eurosport, happy, improved, reliability, Rosberg, Yahoo

* Everton come from behind to stun Chelsea

* Man United secure narrow win to beat Crawley

* Birmingham and Stoke seal places in quarter-finals (Updates with Manchester United-Crawley)

Phil Neville scored the decisive spot kick to give Everton a 4-3 penalty shootout win over holders Chelsea after their FA Cup fourth-round replay ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Neville sent goalkeeper Petr Cech the wrong way after Chelsea fulback Ashley Cole blasted his penalty high and wide as Everton ended the Londoners' dreams of becoming the first club for 125 years to win the FA Cup three times in succession.

The fairytale run of minnows Crawley Town also ended although the non-League side left Old Trafford with their heads held high after only losing 1-0 to Premier League leaders Manchester United in their fifth round tie.

Crawley, bidding to become the first team from outside the League to reach the last eight for 97 years, fell behind to a 28th minute header by Wes Brown but almost equalised in stoppage time when Richard Brodie headed against the top of the bar.

Premier League clubs Birmingham City and Stoke City beat lower league opposition far more easily than United.

Birmingham, already through to the League Cup final against Arsenal later this month, reached the quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over League One (third division) Sheffield Wednesday with goals from Jean Beausejour, Obafemi Martins and David Murphy.

Stoke beat League One leaders Brighton by the same score with goals from John Carew, Jon Walters and Ryan Shawcross.

After the win over Chelsea, Everton captain Neville told the BBC: "I knew I was going to score, I knew where the ball was going to go -- and that's half the battle.

"We've been practising penalties all week. The manager just told us to hit them as hard as possible.

"My biggest worry was that there was a big divot in the penalty spot. Petr Cech looks really big but luckily he dived the wrong way." After a goalless stalemate in 90 minutes of end-to-end soccer, Chelsea took the lead in the last minute of the first period of extra time when midfielder Frank Lampard scored with a low volley from eight metres.

NO TORRES

With a minute of extra time remaining Leighton Baines equalised with a left-footed free kick to force the match into a shootout.

Everton trailed 2-0 on penalties after Lampard and Didier Drogba converted their spot kicks and Baines saw Cech save his penalty.

Phil Jagielka scored to pull Everton back to 2-1 before Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka, taking virtually no run up, had his spot kick saved by Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and Mikel Arteta scored to make it 2-2.

Michael Essien and Johnny Heitinga made it 3-3 before Cole missed and Neville scored to give Everton their stunning victory and end Chelsea's hopes of emulating Blackburn Rovers, the last team to win the Cup three years in a row in 1884, 1885 and 1886.

Chelsea, playing without their recent high-profile signings Fernando Torres and David Luiz who were ineligible, started lethargically but created more chances and finally went ahead after 104 minutes when Lampard lashed in from close range.

Everton thought they had won the match in the last minute of normal time when Cech could only parry a long-range shot from Baines into Marouane Fellaini's path. Although Fellaini swept the ball home, he was marginally offside in the build-up.

Everton, on the fringes of the relegation battle, dominated the match territorially for long periods and eventually got their reward with barely a minute to play when Baines perfectly placed his free kick high and wide of the despairing Cech.

Everton now face Championship (second division) Reading in the fifth round at Goodison Park on March 1.

The most intriguing tie of the round was at Old Trafford where Crawley seemed to grow in confidence as the game went on.

United were never able to relax against the visitors who had already seen off three League teams on their way to this stage, and with a little more luck could even have forced a draw.

FA Cup action continues on Sunday when Manchester City face Notts County in a fourth-round replay while Leyton Orient host Arsenal and Fulham play Bolton Wanderers in fifth-round ties. West Ham United meet Burnley at Upton Park on Monday.

Labels: Chelsea, Crawley, dreams, Eurosport, Yahoo

Sebastian Vettel remained the man to beat with the quickest time on day two of F1 testing at Catalunya,

Having set the fastest time on the opening day at the wheel of Red Bull?s new RB7, Vettel set the benchmark again late in the morning as the team worked on race weekend simulation.

The only issue came when the race simulation during the afternoon was hit by red flags and a heat shield issue but head of engineering Ian Morgan was pleased to once again see the RB7 leading the way.

?Generally it was good today and we got through almost everything we wanted to,? he said. ?We had a few small problems, such as an issue with a heat shield. But that?s why we do these tests, to iron out any little problems, and generally the simulations went well.

?The weather is forecast to deteriorate a bit overnight, which may make it difficult to run the simulations, but hopefully we can do the same simulations with Mark that we did with Seb today.?

To view times from the second day of testing in Barcelona, CLICK HERE.

Labels: Eurosport, Front, Spain, stays, Vettel, Yahoo

Dundee United boss Peter Houston defended David Goodwillie after he missed the chance to clinch a draw from the penalty spot in the last minute of added time in Saturday`s 2-1 defeat at Hearts.

Goodwillie saw his effort blocked by goalkeeper Marian Kello before he fired wide from the rebound. The striker was singled out for abuse about his off-field problems from the home fans throughout the game.

Houston said: "The question is, is that why he missed the penalty? I don't think so. I thought he played well.

"David is disappointed but he was brave enough to take the penalty and it's not the first he has missed. He has been taking some stick but he has to expect it from every fan in Scotland and he has to be big enough to take it."

Goodwillie also had a goal disallowed after two minutes, and Houston said: "According to the fourth official it was for a handball. I asked him and he said it was the referee who made the call. The referee has done well to see it from that angle but if it's a handball, it's a handball."

Meanwhile, Garry Kenneth, who limped out of the action with a knee problem and left the stadium on crutches, is set to miss three weeks after straining his medial ligaments.

Labels: defends, Eurosport, Goodwillie, Houston, Yahoo

The?Red Bull?driver suffered a number of minor trips off track in the damp conditions that greeted teams during the morning, which led to the team carrying out a number of precautionary checks as a result.

Those checks took longer than expected which in turn meant Vettel was unable to return to the track until the closing moments of the session although he was still able to set the quickest time of the day with a late lap knocking?Fernando Alonso?off top spot.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t complete many laps today, as we had a long break – longer than expected,” he said.

“It wasn’t anything big, nothing broke, but at the test if you think there might be a problem then you’d rather take the car apart and check.

“The boys did their best and we still got some runs towards the end of the day – not as much as we’d like, but the car feels good and hopefully we’ll do more tomorrow.”

Head of race engineering Ian Morgan agreed with Vettel that it was frustrating to have lost time on track.

“It was frustrating today, as we lost some time making checks to the car during lunch,” he said. “It’s what testing is for, but we would have liked to complete more laps today.”

Labels: despite, Eurosport, frustrated, setting, Vettel, Yahoo

Albeit two days later than had been expected, Lotus Renault GP has confirmed that Nick Heidfeld will substitute for his former BMW-Sauber team-mate Robert Kubica at the Enstone-based outfit during the F1 2011 World Championship campaign ? and the German admits he is ?extremely motivated and can?t wait for the season to begin?.

Even before he had sat inside the cockpit of the R31 at Jerez last weekend, Lotus Renault GP team principal Eric Boullier had revealed that Heidfeld was the favourite to replace Kubica until the Pole is well enough to return following the serious hand, arm and leg injuries he suffered in a high-speed rallying accident on the Ronde di Andora in Italy earlier this month.

Although there had been some speculation that Kubica was pushing for Force India F1 refugee Vitantonio Liuzzi to step in for him instead [see separate story ? click here] ? and Lotus Renault GP?s silence in the wake of Heidfeld?s ultra-impressive test outing in Spain only served to add fuel to the rumour-mongers? fire ? the team has now made its choice.

?I would have liked to come back to F1 in different circumstances, but I?m proud to have been given this chance,? enthused ?Quick Nick?. ?Everything has happened so quickly, but I?ve been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at Enstone.

?I really enjoyed the test last week at Jerez, and I?ve already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative. I?m extremely motivated and can?t wait for the season to begin!?

The 33-year-old will partner Vitaly Petrov at Lotus Renault GP this year, and will drive on two of the four days of the upcoming Barcelona test. Boullier is convinced that Heidfeld will repay his faith with interest.

?The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly,? the Frenchman acknowledged. ?We gave Nick a chance at Jerez last week, and he really impressed us. He?s quick, experienced and very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car.

?We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car, and we feel he is the ideal man for the job. We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team, and look forward to a strong start to the season with him and Vitaly in Bahrain.?

Labels: Eurosport, Heidfeld, Lotus, Renault, signs, Yahoo

Following last year?s defeat to Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes need to really raise their game in F1 2011 if they are to avoid the ignominy of being embarrassingly beaten for a second successive campaign by a team that basically ?exists to sell cans of drink?, muses BBC F1 anchorman Jake Humphrey ? as he warns the sport?s traditional grandees that ?there are no excuses?.

Last season was one of the most enthralling, unpredictable and nail-biting in recent F1 memory, with a five-way title scrap ? and four drivers taking the fight right the way down to the Abu Dhabi finale ? edge-of-the-seat on-track action and twists-and-turns and enough off-track politics, scandal and fall-outs to keep Eastenders scriptwriters in business for the next decade.

There was some very public needle at Red Bull between Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber ? with the team assuring that all has now settled down and that harmony has been restored, even if few honestly believe them ? and it will be fascinating to see how that relationship develops, or deteriorates, over the forthcoming campaign.

At McLaren, Lewis Hamilton could find himself with a challenge on his hands indeed should the switch to Pirelli tyres suit team-mate Jenson Button as well as many expect it to ? and as for Ferrari, well, Felipe Massa will simply be eager to prove that he is more than merely Fernando Alonso?s lapdog and convenient support act. And all the while as each of the three teams is endeavouring to gain the upper hand over the other two. Fans, Humphrey agrees, are in for a cracker.

?I think the biggest story is that of those three teams, the fizzy drinks company was the best last year,? he opined, speaking during a special pre-season BBC F1 ?Meet the Team? session at Television Centre. ?How are you going to feel if you?re Ferrari or McLaren and you exist to race, because really, Red Bull exist to sell cans of drink... I think that is really going to up the ante for both Ferrari and McLaren ? they need to come out firing on all cylinders. It can?t be another year where they say, ?well, we developed quicker than everybody else? ? it needs to be, ?look how quick we were out-of-the-box?. I think really, for Ferrari and McLaren, there are no excuses.

?McLaren have got the two British world champions ? the drivers they want ? and I think Jenson and Lewis has been a better experiment than they could ever have wished for. Lewis is learning loads from Jenson?s calmness under pressure, and Jenson is learning loads from Lewis suddenly finding three tenths in qualifying. Jenson needs to improve his qualifying performances, and I think McLaren will be there-or-thereabouts.

?At Ferrari, how do you co-exist alongside Fernando Alonso and beat him? I don?t have the answer to that, but I think Felipe Massa will be trying his damndest to make sure he can do that. If you don?t win the title at Ferrari, things are amiss because that?s the kind of pressure they?re under. I think the way they lost the drivers? title at the end of last year leaves a lot of pressure still on everybody in the team.

?Red Bull ? what pressure? The pressure?s off. You turn up in F1, and five years after forming Red Bull Racing you?ve won both titles, with the youngest-ever world champion. I would just light the blue-touch paper between Mark and Seb and say ?it worked last year, boys...go and have another little row, will you, at a few races?. What problems did it cause? They were both in the title hunt until the very end. It was perfect ? it inspired them both.

?I think Mark needs to go into a race with someone to fight against or something to push against to inspire him, and I think Sebastian loves that psychological battle. You could argue that he out-thought and out-drove at 23 years of age, a guy with vastly more experience than him, and that is a huge testament to his mental strength. All three of those teams have got a really exciting dynamic ? so bring it on, I say!?

Indeed, the curtain-raising Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir is now less than a month away, and tensions and expectations are rising. For a variety of reasons, the last two years in F1 have witnessed some of the greatest extremes of jubilation and despair, wholly unanticipated success and gut-wrenching failure and conflict and controversy in the sport?s six-decade history ? and with the arrival of Pirelli, the return of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) and the introduction of the moveable rear wing, Humphrey suggests 2011 could just complete the hat-trick. And he is thrilled to be right at the heart of it with the BBC.

?I think there?s so much to look forward to,? enthused the 32-year-old. ?I remember when I got this job and Steve Rider ? who presented before me ? took me out for dinner and said ?you?re never going to have a season as good as the one we?ve just had?. Then we went and had Jenson Button and Brawn ? a brilliant story ? and last year we had five guys going for the title and the youngest-ever world champion, another brilliant story.

?This year, we?re going to have tyres that are going to be struggling because Pirelli naturally are going to be learning a lot ? and my point with that would be, let?s not have a go at them because it will make for brilliant racing, and I hope they don?t get negative publicity if the cars are making four or five stops in the first few races, which they may well be. I think it?s great for racing ? look what happened in Canada last year, it?s what we all want to see.

?I don?t know how I feel really about the KERS button and the moveable rear wing. When you look back on great overtaking manoeuvres, you don?t say, ?well, that wasn?t really a proper overtake because Senna?s tyres were shot? or ?that wasn?t really a great overtake because Mansell was carrying more speed because he missed the chicane at the previous corner? or something like that ? you just look at it and you go, ?bloody hell, F1 used to be exciting!?

?I think for people like my mum who just want to see exciting racing, with KERS and the wing, they?ll see great racing; if you?re a technical expert and you want to know how it?s working and why, then you?ll enjoy that; and if you?re a lover of drivers and you love a driver that makes the most of everything, you?ll love that. That?s exactly what Senna did ? he would love these tools at his disposal.

?I think it?s exciting, I think we?re in for another great season and our aim is to take people even more into the heart of it. I?m always being told off by the producer for going into a garage and touching the car, touching the nose, touching the seatbelts or whatever. We have a lot of meetings where they say ?you?ve got to stop doing that, or you?re going to be in trouble? ? but if you stop doing that, I think you lose the essence of what makes our coverage so good, which is that real accessibility.?

The F1 2011 World Championship campaign will rev into life in the desert kingdom of Bahrain on 13 March. The BBC will broadcast all of the action both on and off-track season-long via comprehensive coverage across TV, HD, radio, online, red button and mobile.

Labels: aposNo, Eurosport, excusesapos, Ferrari, Humphrey, McLaren, Yahoo

Chris Powell's record-breaking start as Charlton boss ground to an abrupt halt at Hartlepool on Tuesday as the home side's 2-1 win dented the Addicks' automatic promotion push.

Powell had won all four games since being appointed at The Valley - the best start for a new boss in 105 years - but it counted for nothing as Gary Liddle's 62nd minute header claimed victory.

Andy Monkhouse had given the visitors a warning of what was to come when he struck the opener in the 14th minute. Nathan Eccleston hit a 54th minute equaliser but it was not enough to move his side out of fifth place.

Second-placed Bournemouth's hopes of drawing level with Brighton at the top of the table were put on hold when their game at rock-bottom Bristol Rovers was the victim of waterlogging. Exeter's clash with Swindon was also called off.

Darren Ferguson's Peterborough took advantage of surprise slip-ups elsewhere to move into the play-off places with a 2-0 win at Yeovil - but they left it late with both goals coming in the last five minutes from Craig Mackail-Smith and Grant Basey.

Oldham's push for an automatic promotion place was hit by a 1-0 defeat to Carlisle at Boundary Park. Craig Curran struck to win it for the Cumbrians 10 minutes from time.

And Milton Keynes Dons' hopes were also hit as they twice lost the lead in a 3-2 home defeat to Leyton Orient. Strikes from Dean Lewington and Jabo Ibehre were both cancelled out by Jimmy Smith before Jonathan Tehoue's 74th minute winner.

Craig Westcarr and a Nathan Clarke own goal gifted Notts County a 2-0 win over Colchester while there was more woe for Sheffield Wednesday who were dumped 3-0 at Tranmere and are in danger of getting sucked into a relegation battle.

In a vital match at the bottom, Walsall gave their survival hopes a huge boost with a tight 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Dagenham and Redbridge. William Grigg hit the winner nine minutes from time.

Labels: comes, Eurosport, Powellaposs, start, Yahoo

* Contador cleared to compete after appeal accepted

* International cycling union to study decision

* Spaniard can join up with his Saxo Bank team (Adds UCI statement, RFEC statement, details)

Alberto Contador is free to compete again after Spain's cycling federation (RFEC) lifted his one-year doping ban on Tuesday but the Tour de France champion still faces the threat of possible appeals by two global bodies.

Contador said he was "relieved and obviously happy" at the decision, though the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) could yet appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"It has been some very stressful months for me," Contador said in a statement on his team's website (www.saxobank-sungard.com).

"To both the team and the authorities I have explained that I never cheated or deliberately took a banned substance."

Contador has been banned since August after testing positive for a small amount of the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol on his way to victory in last year's Tour, his third win in the sport's most important race.

The UCI said it reserved the right to study the reasons behind the RFEC decision before expressing an opinion.

"Once this documentation (from the RFEC) has been received, the UCI will issue its decision within 30 days," the body said in a statement.

WADA noted in a later statement it would have another 21 days to determine whether or not to use its independent right of appeal to the CAS.

Tuesday's ruling means Contador will be able to join up with his team Saxo Bank, conceivably in time to defend his title at the Tour of Algarve starting on Wednesday.

CONTAMINATED MEAT

The 28-year-old Contador has always denied deliberate wrongdoing, saying the failed test was due to contaminated meat. His team's owner Bjarne Riis said the Spaniard had been vindicated by Tuesday's ruling.

"This decision is indeed proof that the relevant authorities do not find grounds for believing that Alberto has committed any intentional doping offence," Riis said.

"We take note of this decision and fully respect it, but we are also sensitive to the fact that the parties of this case still have the right to appeal this decision."

Spanish media reported that the RFEC's disciplinary committee reversed their decision because it could not prove intent or negligence on Contador's part.

Announcing his appeal against the RFEC's original one-year ban, Contador had criticised "obsolete" doping controls in cycling. He was backed by the local media, the general public and by the RFEC's president, who was not a part of the disciplinary proceedings.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero entered the fray last week.

"There is no legal reason to sanction Contador," he said on the government's Twitter feed.

Labels: after, Again, CyclingContador, Eurosport, lifted, Yahoo

Tottenham Hotspur pulled off a deserved 1-0 win at AC Milan and Raul made a scoring return to Spain to earn Schalke 04 a 1-1 draw at Valencia in Champions League last-16 first-leg matches on Tuesday.

Spurs, making their debut in the competition this season, outplayed the seven-times European champions in a bad-tempered game and England striker Peter Crouch struck the winner 10 minutes from time with a fine breakaway goal.

Tempers flared after the final whistle and Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso was involved in an angry altercation with Tottenham assistant coach Joe Jordan. "It's a great night for the fans and a great night for Tottenham," Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said. "They lost their heads at the end there, they were rattled for sure, and I guess that's a good sign."

Gattuso apologised for his behaviour.

"I lost control," he told reporters. "There is no excuse for what I have done. I take my responsibilities for that. I was nervous. I was wrong to do what I have done."

Spurs, who lost 4-3 to Inter Milan at the San Siro in the group stage after fighting back from 4-0 down, dominated the first half but failed to find a way through the Milan defence.

The Serie A leaders improved following the introduction of Alexandre Pato as a second-half substitute and Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes made two instinctive saves to keep out powerful headers from Mario Yepes.

Tottenham looked pleased to be heading for a draw before England winger Aaron Lennon burst into the Milan half and laid the ball off perfectly for the unmarked Crouch to score with a clinical low shot.

At the Mestalla, Roberto Soldado put Valencia ahead in the 17th minute but Raul equalised for Schalke midway through the second half with a trademark finish, turning sharply to extend his record Champions League goal tally to 69.

"He showed the class he has always had. He exploited his talents, not only for the goal but all the work he put in during the match," Schalke coach Felix Magath said.

Schalke defender Lukas Schmitz was sent off in stoppage time following his second yellow card.

Arsenal host Barcelona and AS Roma entertain Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday with the other four first-leg ties to be played next week.

Labels: Eurosport, Milan, SoccerSpurs, Spain, strikes, tetchy, Yahoo

Mark Webber has poured cold water upon Michael Schumacher?s impressive recent testing pace for Mercedes Grand Prix at Jerez, suggesting the German legend?s eye-catching lap times were ?probably just a little show for Germany? and not representative of his true form heading into the F1 2011 campaign.

Following on from a difficult first test in Valencia earlier this month ? when the new Mercedes MGP W02 proved to be neither particularly fast nor reliable ? the Brackley-based outfit on the face of things made a quantum leap forward when the action shifted further south in Spain last week, with Schumacher pacing the field on day two and lapping a close third-quickest on day three with Pirelli?s super-soft rubber to close out the test with the best time of any of the 24 drivers in attendance.

However, given that team-mate Nico Rosberg struggled to reach the same kind of lap times during his two days in the cockpit and that ?Schumi? himself has admitted to being ?slightly concerned? at the car?s lack of speed [see separate story ? click here], Red Bull Racing star Mark Webber wonders if the Jerez performance was in truth little more than a publicity stunt to try to ease the mounting pressure on the team.

?It was probably just a little show for Germany,? the Australian mused. ?The super-soft tyre is much faster, but they only last for one lap ? [and after his fast lap] he was immediately two seconds off the pace once again.?

?I was on a ten-lap run, so I don?t know if you can call that very short,? countered Schumacher, dismissing suggestions that he had barely a thimble-full of fuel in his car at the time. ?It is also true that we are not the only team to have tried these tyres.?

Schumacher?s former team-mate Felipe Massa, however, has sprung to the seven-time world champion?s defence, insisting that it is ?not news? that he was so quick since ?he?s won more than any of us? ? but still speculation persists that the times set by the 42-year-old as well as the headline-stealing efforts of Nick Heidfeld on his testing debut for Lotus Renault GP and Rubens Barrichello for cash-strapped Williams were more about showboating to sponsors than any indicator of genuine potential.

Lotus Renault GP needs to placate its financial backers in the wake of Robert Kubica?s rallying accident, whilst Williams is set to float on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange early next month.

?There are big differences between the different types of tyres,? conceded 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, with Lotus Renault GP reserve driver Bruno Senna ? who tested on Sunday at Jerez ? assessing the difference between the hard compound and the super-soft to be in the region of 1.5 to 1.7 seconds.

Labels: aposjust, Eurosport, Germanyapos, little, Schumacher, Webber, Yahoo

Michael Schumacher admits he is ?concerned? by the pace shown by Mercedes during pre-season testing ahead of the new F1 season, despite an improved showing from the new W02 at Jerez this week.

The German posted the quickest time on the second day of running on Friday in what has been a better week for the team after a difficult session at Valencia, where the car struggled to match the pace of the front-runners.

However, Schumacher admits that there is concern within the team about the pace of the car despite the fact he concedes that teams will only truly know where they stand when they arrive in Bahrain for the opening round of the year.

"Yes, we are slightly concerned but then on the other hand we know where we will and want to go to," he told the BBC. "The first race will tell us truly what is the situation."

Going into the new season, Mercedes has already said it is keen to try and fight closer towards the front of the field after a 2010 campaign which failed to deliver, but Schumacher insisted it would be difficult to challenge for the title.

"For the team it is very important to climb the ladder and have more success than last year,? he said. "We are Mercedes and we have a very clear target. It is going to be difficult to meet this target straight away this year particularly after last year's experience. But it is a programme and a vision for more than just the short term.

"We have a character of car that we built up, but we have a new character of tyres and how much they will be in harmony is difficult to say at this moment in time. It seemed less important last year and is more important this year."

Labels: concerned, Eurosport, Mercedes, Schumacher, showing, Yahoo