Drogba injured as Chelsea late show sinks Norwich

Chelsea left it late to clinch a 3-1 victory over 10-man Norwich that was marred by a serious injury suffered by Didier Drogba at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Andre Villas-Boas's side were in danger of being held to a draw by newly-promoted Norwich when Grant Holt punished a mistake from Blues goalkeeper Hilario to cancel out Jose Bosingwa's opener.

Drogba was taken to hospital after suffering a horrific head injury.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Drogba was knocked out in a collision with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy and was carried off on a stretcher wearing what appeared to be a breathing aid after receiving treatment for seven minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas revealed Drogba had remained unconscious ‘‘for quite some time’’ and he confirmed the 33-year-old had been taken to hospital for further examination.

‘‘We are just waiting for the full exams on his concussion and hopefully nothing is wrong,’’ Villas-Boas said.

‘‘He is showing some good signs of recovery for us to be a little bit more tranquil.’’

Villas-Boas cleared Ruddy of any blame for the challenge, but admitted he had been shocked by the incident.

‘‘It looked pretty nasty. He lost consciousness completely on the pitch,’’ Villas-Boas said.

‘‘I have to be very, very grateful, not only to my players but to the Norwich players and to my medical staff for reacting so quickly to a potentially dangerous situation.’’

Lampard ensured Chelsea won for the second time in three league games under Villas-Boas when he drove home a spot-kick with eight minutes remaining before Juan Mata marked his debut following his move from Valencia with a goal in the final moments.

Chelsea's sixth minute opener came from an unlikely source as Portugal right-back Bosingwa netted his first goal since November 2008 with a powerful long-range effort that flashed in off a post.

That should have been the springboard for a dominant Chelsea display, yet Holt equalised in the 63rd minute.

Holt was given a large helping hand by Hilario -- playing in place of the injured Petr Cech -- as the Portuguese stopper came way off his line in a failed attempt to catch a Wes Hoolahan cross and Holt was able to hook into the empty net.

It got worse for Chelsea moments later when Drogba landed in sickening fashion following his collision with Ruddy and the game was stopped for seven minutes while the Ivorian was carried off wearing a breathing aid.

However, Lampard got the second goal from the spot after Ruddy was sent off for bringing down Ramires and Spain winger Mata, on as a substitute, struck with a curler deep into stoppage time.

Liverpool swept to the top of the Premier League with an emphatic 3-1 win over Bolton at Anfield on Saturday.

Kenny Dalglish has spent over £100 million ($A156.83 million) transforming the club since returning to the Anfield manager’s office last January.

And that investment appears to be paying off after goals by new signings Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam, either side of Martin Skrtel’s header, left the Merseyside club looking down on their rivals for the first time in over two years.

Liverpool now have seven points from three games. Henderson and Adam both scored their first competitive goals for the club as Uruguay defender Sebastian Coates watched from Anfield’s VIP seats ahead of an expected £7 million ($A10.98 million) move from Nacional before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

And the 20-year-old must have been impressed with what he saw as Liverpool required just 15 minutes to unlock the Bolton defence, despite having club-record £35 million ($A54.89 million) striker Andy Carroll starting on the subtitutes bench.

The visitors thought they had escaped after Jussi Jaaskelainen’s brilliant finger-tip save kept out Stewart Downing’s volley following good work by Luis Suarez.

But the visitors failed to deal with the loose ball and Henderson took advantage of some sloppy defending to rifle home from 16 yards.

Owen Coyle’s side responded through Martin Petrov, the winger testing Pepe Reina with a sweetly-struck 18th minute volley in front of the Kop.

The hosts sealed the points with two goals in a minute in the early stages of the second half.

Substitute Skrtel, a first-half replacement for the injured Martin Kelly, outjumped Zat Knight to power Adam’s corner into the back of the net to double the lead in the 52nd minute.

And Liverpool fans were still celebrating when Adam found the back of the net from 20 yards with a low shot that beat the outstretched hands of Jaaskelainen.

Ivan Klasnic scored a consolation for Bolton deep in stoppage time after a mistake from Jamie Carragher but Liverpool thoroughly deserved their victory.

Blackburn missed two spot-kicks and then paid the penalty as Everton sneaked a 1-0 win at Ewood Park.

Rovers squandered a chance to take the lead early in the second half when Tim Howard saved Junior Hoilett's penalty after Mauro Formica made the most of minimal contact from Ross Barkley to win the spot-kick.

Formica missed from the spot himself -- shooting against a post -- after being fouled by Phil Jagielka in the final minutes.

Everton made the hosts pay for those misses when Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta stroke home a 90th minute penalty controversially awarded by Lee Mason for a Chris Samba challenge on Marouane Fellaini.

Swansea were held to a 0-0 home draw for the second successive week as Sunderland held firm in a dour struggle at the Liberty Stadium.

Brendan Rodgers' newly-promoted team drew with Wigan seven days ago and found it equally hard to break down the Black Cats' defence, with Scott Sinclair going closest with a shot that hit the bar.

Wigan maintained their unbeaten start as a fine double by Argentinian striker Franco Di Santo secured a 2-0 win over QPR.

Di Santo - tripling his total of goals for the club to only three goals in 32 appearances since joining from Chelsea for 2 million last August - struck in each half to give Wigan their first win of the season after two draws.

Wolves remain undefeated after Mick McCarthy's team ground out a 0-0 draw at local rivals Aston Villa.

McCarthy's men won their opening two league matches against Blackburn and Fulham and showed plenty of grit to keep Villa at bay in a hard-fought but ultimately uninspiring midlands derby.

Source : http://www.smh.com.au/

Read More

Cooper cleared of kneeing charge

Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper is free to start the Rugby World Cup after escaping suspension for kneeing All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.

Cooper had been cited for striking McCaw with his knee in the second half of Saturday night’s 25-20 Tri-Nations clinching victory at Suncorp Stadium but the charge was dismissed on Sunday morning.

SANZAR judicial officer Jannie Lubbe took little time to clear the influential five-eighth in a hearing which took 45 minutes in total.

A relieved Cooper can now start for Australia when they kick off their World Cup campaign against Italy at North Harbour Stadium in two weeks.

‘‘I’m just very grateful and happy for a fair hearing and I’m just looking forward to getting on with rugby and focussing on the World Cup,’’ he said.

‘‘Any time that you have to face the judiciary it’s going to be a sleepless night. I’m just happy to get a fair hearing and now I can get a good sleep.’’

While cameras caught clear view of Cooper kneeing McCaw in the head after the ball had left a ruck, the No.10 explained he was just looking to get to the next play of the game.

‘‘There were bodies everywhere and ... it’s a contact sport and blokes are going to come into contact with each other,’’ he said.

The incident was the latest in an ongoing 10-month battle between Cooper and McCaw. It dates back to Hong Kong last October when the Wallabies five-eighth delivered an in-goal head shove to the All Blacks flanker after James O’Connor scored a last-gasp try.

The niggle has continued through this season in Super Rugby clashes between Queensland and the Crusaders, as well as the opening Bledisloe Test in Auckland.

But Cooper denied there was anything personal and said the incidents were a result of both doing their jobs in tight matches for their teams.

‘‘It’s (now) a good time to think back and celebrate winning the Tri Nations after a 10-year drought,’’ he said.

‘‘Last night I was happy for the team but I had other things on my mind.’’

Source : http://www.smh.com.au/

Read More

O'Connor could be in more strife over Paris

WALLABIES star James O'Connor has been stood down from this Saturday's Tri Nations decider, and could face further action as the ARU investigates allegations into an altercation in Paris on last year's spring tour.

The 21-year-old was asked to provide an Australian Rugby Union disciplinary committee with an explanation by close of business yesterday as to why he failed to attend two official team commitments last Thursday. The Herald understands he claimed his absence was nothing more sinister than sleeping in.

''As well as his ban from rugby until Sunday, 28 August, O'Connor has been handed a $10,000 suspended fine for his failure to attend both of Thursday's proceedings,'' the ARU statement read. ''The suspended fine will remain in place until 31 December 2012.''

And O'Connor's World Cup place could yet be in jeopardy, with ARU officials investigating allegations into another incident involving O'Connor in France during last year's spring tour.

It is understood the former Force flyer had a physical altercation with teammates Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale during a night out in Paris.

While it could be put down to an innocuous training incident, photos before kick-off of the France match on November 27 clearly show Beale with a bruise under his left eye just days after the alleged incident. A week earlier in Florence, Italy, Beale finished the game without a mark.

In a press conference held today, Cooper and Beale played down reports of the altercation as "boys being boys" and nothing "sinister".

The ARU has denied any knowledge of the matter, and remains determined to get to the bottom of the allegations that threaten to derail the team's World Cup preparations.

The three were placed on a total alcohol ban before the Wallabies' Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand in Hong Kong last year after apparent issues earlier in the season, and then allegedly broke it as many as three times during the spring tour. Those matters are believed to have been made known to administration.

ARU and Wallabies officials remain far from impressed by O'Connor's actions and the latest revelations. They are understood to be growing even more unhappy with his self-promotion of the ''James O'Connor brand'' ahead of the Wallabies.

They were left seething when O'Connor was a no-show at the Wallabies' Rugby World Cup squad photo and official live broadcast of the 30-man squad announcement at Sydney Airport on Thursday.

The Melbourne Rebels-bound player was spotted out at a number of eastern suburbs nightspots in the early hours of Thursday morning with Beale, who did appear at the biggest team announcement in four years.

The Herald understands several Wallabies players remain extremely unhappy with O'Connor. They consider his actions to be a show of ultimate disrespect to the Australian jumper and his teammates.

They believe O'Connor and a number of the side's younger stars are held on a pedestal by officials, and were it any other player than one of the ''golden boys'', their contract would have been torn up or their World Cup place forfeited.

On July 1, 2009, dual international Lote Tuqiri had his ARU contract terminated for breaking team protocol.

Like O'Connor, Tuqiri was linked to several indiscretions involving alcohol, resulting in a $20,000 fine and a two-match ban in 2007 for missing a physical and recovery session.

Source : http://www.smh.com.au/

Read More

Sol: Dash was business, not Pleasure

EXCLUSIVE 

THE most infamous love pursuit in rugby league can finally be revealed as a fraud.

Solomon Haumono's round-the-world dash for model Gabrielle ''the Pleasure Machine'' Richens in 1998 created global headlines and, while some admired the romanticism, the trip was merely an elaborate ploy to wriggle out of his Bulldogs contract to join the St George Dragons.

Haumono never saw Richens, and sat alone in a London hotel room waiting for the Bulldogs to tear up his contract after agreeing to terms with the Dragons.

The plan was devised by Haumono and close friend Anthony Mundine - then the Dragons five-eighth - but fell over when the Bulldogs got wind of the plot and instead fined Haumono and put him in reserve grade. The Dragons hastily retreated.

Extraordinarily, Mundine helped another Bulldogs star, Sonny Bill Williams, to make a similar scoot 10 years later to get out of his contract and that time it worked. Mundine now admits he learnt valuable lessons from the failure of the original plan with Haumono when organising Williams's surprise escape to France.

Now pursuing his dream to win the world heavyweight boxing crown, Haumono has come clean on the story in a bid to rid that association from his public image - rarely is his name mentioned without the Pleasure Machine story following.

At the time he did not tell family members for fear the plan would be exposed. ''Looking back now I think I was very immature,'' Haumono said.

Now a happily married father-of-four, he said ''I regret it so much because I couldn't risk my close family members knowing because of a loose whisper. That was hard.

''I am sorry to all the fans that supported the Bulldogs because they were solid all the way. Even today.''

This is how Haumono sought to get out of his $400,000-a-year contract with the Bulldogs. Haumono had actually chased after Richens much earlier, but on meeting her in England realised their relationship would not progress.

After discussions with Mundine, it was decided they would use that story to explain his mystery trip, which left the Bulldogs dumbfounded.

''I was under contract for the Bulldogs so it was decided to come up with a plan that would ultimately force the Bulldogs to rip up my contract,'' Haumono said.

''So the plan was formed that I was going to chase after my girlfriend at the time in England. So off I went and before I knew it, the paper got a hold of it and blew it up, making headline news and myself being chased by the media at home and even there in London.''

And it all fell apart quickly.

''It was crazy, Choc [Mundine] added a twist by flying over to rescue me and that just created more of a stir,'' Haumono said. ''We arrived back at Sydney and it was just chaos. All the media wanted to get in on the buzz so it literally didn't stop.

''We bypassed Customs to a room where family and management were waiting, hidden from all the mayhem of reporters, camera crews and general public wanting to see what all the fuss was. We had security escort us to a car that we quickly took off in.''

Mundine explained: ''We had to calculate it in a manner that we had to try to get him out of the deal with the Dogs because, by mouth, verbally, the deal was done. We put on that little stage-play to try and get the Dogs to do what we wanted them to do.''

Asked if he had used the saga to help him plot Williams' controversial defection to French rugby club Toulon, Mundine replied: ''Yes, we had a bit of experience in that department. No one thought Sonny was going to get out, not even the Dogs, but we found a way.''

Haumono is now active in youth mentoring, helping young men to avoid the traps he fell into.

''My whole sporting career has been in the spotlight for both good and bad reasons,'' he said. ''I'm not above anyone else, but I thought I was as an immature person. Having an older head on my shoulders helps me to live as an example to help the younger generation through the difficult times of growing up.''

Haumono has endured years of judgment over the incident and it has not been easy on his relationship with wife Margaret, who said: ''She was obviously a beautiful girl, but life is about sustainability and not predictability.

''Without doubt our faith in Jesus has got us to where we are today. It's never about giving up on someone you love, it's about being there in the bad and good times and being that support when one is weak and when he has been weak. All the 'pat on the back people' have never been there.

''We have never been a perfect couple but we have grown to have a beautiful family and marriage.''

Source : http://www.smh.com.au/

Read More

England's beaming: Time to suck it up and admit Poms are No.1

England are so close to achieving the No.1 Test ranking that her majesty is rummaging down the back of the royal sofa looking for MBEs. After routing India again, they need only maintain their 2-0 lead in the four Test series to plant the flag of St George on the statistical summit.

So, with Australia edging closer to the relegation zone than the notional world championship, how do we reconcile the old enemy's success?

How to ridicule and belittle their achievement, while consoling ourselves about Australia's sorry plight? Alas, it's not easy. Far-fetched as it once might have seemed, finding fault with English cricket right now is like assassinating the Dalai Lama's character - even allowing for His Holiness's appearance on MasterChef.

There is the blatantly obvious. Raise an eyebrow as Strauss, Trott, Pietersen and Prior walk out and call them South Engfrica. But apply the same standard to Australian Olympic teams and other sports in which we have been the beneficiary of skilled migration, and that taunt falls flatter than a sumo's mattress.

We might suggest India now plays Test cricket out of contractual obligation and are merely moonlighting in creams from their real jobs as one-day betting propositions and Twenty20 mercenaries. We might venture that a chain-smoking asthmatic could have blown down India's house of straw.

But to claim England are world No.1 by default would prompt an uncomfortable glance in the mirror. If England are merely filling a gap between the great Australian team that once held the title and the next true giant, how poor must Australia be to have plunged to mid-table mediocrity? Besides, with India to tour next summer, it might be best to hold our tongues until we find out if our patchwork crew is capable of exploiting their flimsy resolve.

The most optimistic Australian booster might argue that England's pre-eminence is merely cyclical. However, as optimism gives way to impatience, the wheels of the current Australian cycle are turning more like those of a postman on a work-to-rule than Cadel Evans's. So slowly that you can't help remember, with some dread, the apparently ''cyclical'' decline of the once dominant West Indies.

No, as much as we would like to dismiss England's rise to Test cricket's summit as the result of some astrological irregularity, their stars are aligned. Our only consolation is to revel in past glories and suggest their performances are reminiscent of Australia's bygone days.

At 8-124 on the opening day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, and with the ball swinging like a wind chime in a hurricane, England were under siege. The subsequent half-century by Stuart Broad was the sort of match-turning performance once expected of Adam Gilchrist or, given Broad then took 6-46 - including a hat-trick - Shane Warne.

Like Old Australia, England's batting has more depth than Curtly Ambrose's bath tub, meaning a quiet start to the series by Alastair Cook has been inconvenient, not fatal.

Once England's teams were unrecognisable from Test to Test, let alone series to series. That Eoin Morgan for Paul Collingwood is the only significant change to the team that destroyed Australia here last summer is indicative of their stability. In Australia, meanwhile, if you can spin a bottle-top you are a decent chance to wear a baggy green.

Which is not to argue this English team would be any match for Australia's great Taylor/Waugh era line-up. Merely that it has the essential ingredients. Talent, stability, depth, strong leadership and a ruthlessness that moved captain Strauss to declare, even before the No.1 ranking is achieved, that his team is set upon world domination.

Maddeningly, there is much to respect about England, and little to dislike. The swaggering Pietersen, obviously, is a pantomime villain. But Warne's presence in the commentary box in the current series confines an Australian throwing stones to a very fragile glasshouse. Besides, when Pietersen stands to attention and strokes the ball down the ground with Haydenesque brutality, it is hard not to applaud.

So let's say it before it becomes official and a nation that once condemned Australians for their gloating parades the conquering heroes through Trafalgar Square.

Uh-hum. England - choke, splutter. Best team in the - errr-hummmm - world.

Source : http://www.smh.com.au

Read More

China's tattooed maverick poised to be the richest woman in sport

 

Malcolm Moore in Shanghai - Li Na, the French Open tennis champion, is on course to become the richest woman in sport as companies fight to cash in on her enormous popularity in China.

Li, 29, has played only four tennis matches and won around £25,000 ($38,000) in prize money since her victory at Roland Garros in June.

However, she has signed at least £26 million ($40 million) of sponsorship deals this year with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Rolex and Haagen-Dazs, which believe she could be the key to the lucrative Chinese market.

Her agent, Max Eisenbud, said it was "hard to set a price" after Li became the first Chinese to win a grand slam tournament. "We had to change it a lot," he said.

At present, Li's earnings are second only to Maria Sharapova, the Russian she beat in the semi-finals in Paris, but they are likely to swap positions if she can continue to triumph in major tournaments.

For many Chinese, Li is a maverick.

Known as "China's number one sister" since her victory, she has a tattoo, has dyed her hair, and has been known to shout at her fans as well as her husband.

In 2008, she quit China's Soviet-style national sports system and started her own team, giving her control over her finances and making her a role model of independence from the state.

That did not stop her, however, from appearing on the cover of People's Daily, the staid official newspaper, in a spot usually reserved for Hu Jintao, the president, when she triumphed in Paris and more than 116 million Chinese watched the match.

"What a transformation!" said Terry Rhoads, the former head of sports marketing at Nike who gave Li her first £15,400 a year sponsorship deal in 1998.

"Two years ago, she could not buy a sponsor. Now she is the only person with a Nike deal who can wear patches from other sponsors on her clothes," he said. "They told Nike: if you blink, there are a host of Chinese sports brands ready to pay big money."

As international brands try to make their mark in China, Li is in a seller's market, he said.

"You have a lot of people searching for someone who has credibility, who can make the needle move and make Chinese stop and think. And Li Na has separated herself from the pack," he said. "She speaks English, she has a great personality, and she's a world champion in a sport that China has traditionally not dominated in. And with Yao Ming retiring, that leaves a big hole," he added, referring to China's former sporting hero who was forced to quit basketball this year due to injury.

"She is also a great ambassador, very pleasant and very interesting, and that has a positive effect on the way people see China, which makes Chinese people feel very proud," he said.

However, Ye Feng, a brand consultant in Beijing, said Li, who returns to her home town of Wuhan to play a tournament later this year, might be too ordinary to captivate the Chinese market.

"In general, Chinese fans prefer athletes with good looks, which is not her advantage," he said. "Yao Ming is much more recognisable to Chinese eyes and men get more attention from the public," he added. "I am not sure many Chinese could identify Li Na's face. "

The Daily Telegraph, London

Source : http://www.smh.com.au

Read More