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England are taking no chances as they prepare for tomorrow's opening World Cup match against the Netherlands in Nagpur – right down to refusing to play ball with the Dutch when it comes to virtual cricket.

Andrew Strauss's team need no reminding that the men in orange caused major embarrassment by beating them in a World Twenty20 game at Lord's in 2009 and they are determined there will be no repeat in the 50-over format – so determined that, according to the Dutch, cheeky requests to borrow video footage of Jimmy Anderson and Co have been rejected.

"The funny thing is there is a new practice facility called 'ProBatter' with a hole in the screen where the ball pops out from footage [of various bowlers so batsmen in the nets feel like they are facing the real thing]," said Netherlands team manager Ed van Nierop. "The boys really like that the England team management refused to give us the footage of the England bowlers, so they must be a little afraid of us!"

What England must be, of course, is respectful. And they are, insists Matt Prior. "Netherlands are a team you absolutely cannot be complacent against," said the keeper-batsman. "We've seen what happened in the past and we don't want that to happen again."

A few weeks ago, Prior was expected to watch the World Cup from home. Then, having been recalled to the one-day squad at the last minute instead of Steve Davies, he seemed certain to open the batting. Now, with Kevin Pietersen promoted to the top of the order, Prior is being cast as England's "finisher" – the middle-order batsman with the responsibility for seeing the team to a big total or guiding them to a target.

"The middle overs in this World Cup are going to be very important, playing the spin and with the seam bowlers using a lot of cutters and slower balls – trying to manipulate the ball around," said Prior. "It is going to be hard, but playing on the subcontinent is something I feel confident about, so I'm looking forward to it.

"The minute anyone says the word 'finisher', you panic a little bit and think: 'That's a lot of responsibility.' But I love being a part of a team, and you want to be a cog in the wheel and one of those that wins games and helps set up games.

"Being a 'finisher' gives you the responsibility, and I enjoy that. I don't think Eoin Morgan's boots can be filled – he's a phenomenal player – but I'll certainly try my best."

If Prior could pick his own position it might not be six. But he knows he cannot – so will continue to give it his best shot, wherever he is deployed. "I've always thought opening suited my game better," he said. "But the way the last couple of games have gone I've found a tempo I'm very comfortable with.

"I don't think, opening, I managed to get that tempo ever – which was hugely frustrating, because I know that if I get that tempo right I can be very, very successful. Right now, this role is suiting me – and I feel very comfortable in it."

Prior averages only 25 in ODIs, compared to almost 43 in Tests. "People throw stats around and say your one-day stats aren't that good," he said "They aren't. But I'm working very hard to improve them."

Labels: Avoiding, Dutch, England, Independent, preview, refuse, sneak, upset

CRAWLEY, England (AP)—They both are nicknamed the Red Devils and both have fiery Scotsmen as their managers. That’s where the similarities end between Manchester United and Crawley Town.

The gulf between the clubs could hardly be bigger ahead of their meeting Saturday in the FA Cup’s fifth round, a game billed as among the biggest mismatches in the competition’s history.

United, a world power with three European titles and famous players such as Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs, has a four-point lead in the Premier League as it tries for a record 19th English title.

Crawley has never played above the fifth tier of English soccer and, until this year, struggled to attract crowds of more than 500 to its non-league matches.

The tiny southeast club would become a household name if it wins Saturday at Old Trafford.

“It’s a dream come true for the club,” Crawley chairman Victor Marley told The Associated Press. “The opportunity to perform in front of 75,000 people is something that every player, every manager aspires to do. It’s also a fantastic moment for the people of Crawley, to go and see their team play the future champions of England. It’s what any non-league club would ever have wished or hoped for.”

Crawley became only the sixth non-league team since the end of World War II — and the first in 17 years—to reach this stage in the FA Cup after beating league clubs Swindon, Derby and Torquay.

It stands to receive “in excess of 1 million pounds ($1.6 million),” according to Marley, in gate receipts, television revenue and other add-ons from the United match.

The club was about to fold in 2006 under the tenure of brothers Chas and Azwar Majeed, then was rescued by a group of local businessmen.

Debts of more than 1 million pounds were wiped clear and new investors pumped more cash into Crawley to help build a squad of relative quality and depth, costing a reported 500,000 pounds ($800,000).

Crawley is now second in its division of the Football Conference, on track for promotion to League 2 next season—and league status for the first time since it was formed in 1896.

Crawley’s manager is Steve Evans, who hails from Glasgow, Scotland, and is known for having a short temper—just like Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

Gone are the days when non-league giant killers had a construction worker at left back and a mechanic in central midfield. Unlike most other clubs at its level, Crawley has a roster of professional players, many with extensive league experience.

Players such as Argentine midfielder Sergio Torres, brought in from third-tier side Peterborough, and prolific lower-level forwards Richard Brodie and Matt Tubbs were signed for a combined fee of 270,000 pounds ($434,000) by Evans, helping improve the average attendance at 5,000-capacity Broadfield Stadium by 75 percent to about 2,000 this season.

“We have new investment in and that’s enabled the manager to purchase the players that have pushed us to the forefront,” Marley said. “But you can spend money and still not win the league, as has been seen in the past with other clubs.”

Labels: Crawley, little, looks, United, upset

The moral of Chelsea's season might end up being "be careful what you wish for". Their owner, Roman Abramovich, spent £75m on Fernando Torres and David Luiz during the January transfer window to re-energise their flagging campaign but the result has been the polar opposite.

The sums never seem to add up at Chelsea, who announced a loss of £71m on the same day they spent even more again on two new recruits. The profit and loss margin since that day makes just as uncomfortable reading as the recent set of club accounts – two games, one point, no goals.

Those who enjoy a dash of schadenfreude with their football will no doubt be taking great delight at the sight of Torres struggling for a goal in a Chelsea shirt. The great Spaniard seemingly had forgotten the skill of bringing the ball under control against Fulham on Monday night, as four chances to break his duck for his new club went begging. However, it was not just Torres who looked a little lost on a chilly night by the Thames. The rest of the Chelsea side were laboured and off-key, as if the arrival of Torres and the defender Luiz had destabilised the team, rather than strengthened it.

Their fledgling recovery following the worst run in form for more than a decade has been blown off course by the intervention of Abramovich. Before Torres joined, Chelsea had won four and drawn one of their previous five games; since he arrived they have lost one and drawn one.

Ancelotti has tinkered with his formation in an attempt to accommodate Torres but it has not so far worked. He did not dare to change tactics when Chelsea were going through their "bad moment" in the build-up to Christmas, having been talked out of making alterations to the system by the players. But he has done just that to squeeze in Torres, and the goals have dried up as a consequence.

What Ancelotti needs is time; time to work in training on building up an understanding between Torres and the other strikers; time to settle on a formation that will work, and then putting in the hours in training to make it happen instinctively; time for the other players to become accustomed to how Torres likes to receive the ball; time for the back four, and the midfield, to adjust to the arrival of Luiz and his tendency to dribble from the heart of the defence.

However, time is something Ancelotti does not have, and it is something not even Abramovich can buy. Chelsea are finding out the hard way why so many clubs do not like buying players in January, because it can cause damage in the short term. Bring in new faces in the summer and you have weeks to make the necessary alterations to tactics; do it in the winter, and you only have a few days to make a few hasty adjustments.

Torres is simply too good a player, and Ancelotti too good a manager, for the whole thing not to work, sooner or later. The danger is that Chelsea could slip so far behind Tottenham in the race for fourth place that instead of contesting the Champions League next season, they could be looking at the Europa League.

The recent dropped points to Liverpool and Fulham have left Chelsea in fifth, two points behind Spurs. That could be about to get much worse, however, as the fixtures are starting to conspire against Ancelotti. Should Chelsea beat Everton in their FA Cup fourth-round replay on Saturday, they will have to move their upcoming home game against Manchester United to later in the season to accommodate their fifth-round tie with Reading. That would mean their next league game would be the trip to Blackpool on 7 March, by which time they could have fallen eight points behind Tottenham, should Harry Redknapp's side win their games at Blackpool and Wolverhampton.

Chelsea would have games in hand, but the pressure would be immense on them to win them. Ancelotti said on Monday night he is confident Chelsea will finish in fourth place, despite their recent hiccups. The arrivals of Torres and Luiz have certainly increased the options open to Ancelotti. However, it could be argued he is now spoilt for choice, and the pressure is mounting on whether he can find a solution in time to save Chelsea's season.

Upsetting the applecart?

Before Torres:

9 January Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich

15 January Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn

24 January Bolton 0-4 Chelsea

29 January Everton 1-1 Chelsea

1 February Sunderland 2-4 Chelsea

P5, W4, D1, F18, A3

With Torres:

6 February Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool

14 February Fulham 0-0 Chelsea

P2, W0, D1, F0, A1

Labels: Ancelottiaposs, Chelsea, choice, Independent, spoilt, Suddenly, upset