Saturday 01.09.

12

Robson downs Li Na at US Open Page 10

nside d Paralympics All the action in our 8-page pull-out Inside

15.8m
MAN CITY: Roberto Mancini brought in Javi Garcia from Benca, left, the champions biggest deal of the summer

5m

FULHAM: Cut-price deal for the striker Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United

5.5m

SWANSEA: Spent a new club record on the Valencia winger Pablo Hernndez

4m

LIVERPOOL Sold the Scottish midelder Charlie Adam to Stoke City

City and Spurs aim high

Tottenham make record 19.8m bid for Moutinho City agree deals for Garca and Nastasic for 27.8m
despite a furious boardroom-level row in which the Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas, accused his Tottenham counterpart, Daniel Levy, of broken promises and unethical behaviour. Tottenham sold Rafael van der Vaart to Hamburg, his former club, for 10m while they moved Giovani dos Santos to Real Mallorca for 4m and loaned Danny Rose to Sunderland for the rest of the season. But it was the drama that surrounded the 19.8m oer to Porto for Moutinho that held the clubs supporters in thrall. Tottenhams largest previous outlay on the transfer market was the 16.6m that they paid to Dynamo Zagreb for Luka Modric in 2008 but they demonstrated the willingness to better that with the move for Moutinho, who has been viewed as Modrics replacement. Modric completed his protracted 30m transfer to Real Madrid on Monday. Villas-Boas worked with Moutinho when he was the Porto manager and he identied the 25-year-old as his priority mideld signing upon taking over at Tottenham in July. Villas-Boas had been pessimistic about the chances of a deal being completed, largely because he knows that the Porto president, Pinto da Costa, under whom he worked, always sells players at extremely high prices and, perhaps, because he could not see Levy extending himself so fully. Only on Thursday, Villas-Boas described the move for Moutinho as an impossible deal for the club. But Levys oer to Porto demonstrated the faith that he has in Villas-Boas, who has reshaped the teams mideld with the signings of Gyl Sigurdsson from Hoenheim for 8m and Moussa Dembl from Fulham for 15m. The finances were complicated as Sporting Lisbon, who sold Moutinho to Porto for 10m (7.9m) in 2010, were owed 25% of any future sale prots while a third-party investor owned 15% of the players economic rights. Moutinhos high personal terms also represented an obstacle. Villas-Boas had signed the centre-half Jan Vertonghen from Ajax for 10m in July and Emmanuel Adebayor for 5.5m last week, and the deadline-day moves reinforced the theme of revolution in his squad. Lloris, the France No1, saw Lyon accept Tottenhams bid last Sunday, with the down payment on the fee being 9.5m but, on Thursday night, the French club accused Levy of lowering his oer by 2m. It prompted Aulas into a tirade, although the deal was revived and Lloris reported to Spurs Lodge yesterday for his medical. The negotiation with the Tottenham directors has been the hardest I have ever had to undergo in 25 years, Aulas said. Daniel Levy talks a lot and goes back on what weve agreed in writing. Agreements have not at all been respected. At City, meanwhile, in the closing 24 hours, Roberto Mancini signed Internazionales Maicon for 3.1m and Swansea Citys Scott Sinclair for 6.2m. He also recruited Richard Wright on a free transfer as his third-choice goalkeeper. On a frantic day, Southampton paid a reported 12m for the Bologna winger Gastn Ramrez while Fulham completed deals for Dimitar Barbatov and Kieran Richardson. At Liverpool, Brendan Rodgerss clear-out continued as Charlie Adam joined Stoke City in a permanent 4m deal and Jay Spearing went to Bolton Wanderers and a season-long loan. Everton completed their fourth permanent signing of the summer with the 2m capture of Copenhagens Bryan Oviedo, while Swansea spent 5.5m on the Valencia winger Pablo Hernndez.

David Hytner
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were competing to make the most eye-catching transfer of deadline day last night with Spurs making a record bid for the Porto midelder Joo Moutinho and the Premier League champions agreeing deals for Bencas Javi Garcia, for 15.8m, and Fiorentinas Matija Nastasic for 12m (including Stefan Savic as a makeweight), subject to the paperwork arriving. On a typically frenetic nal day of the transfer window at White Hart Lane, the club moved to nalise the 13m capture of the France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris,

Inside

Mancini insists he is happy despite missing out on a first-choice quartet worth 116m
Jamie Jackson, page 2

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Sport

Football Transfer deadline day

Weekend at a glance
TV
Today
Paralympics London 2012 Channel 4, from 9.15am Football West Ham v Fulham Sky Sports 2, 12.30pm Man City v QPR ESPN, 4.30pm Leicester v Blackpool Sky Sports 2, 5pm Match of the Day BBC1, 10.10pm Football League Show BBC1, 11.30pm Rugby union Wasps v Harlequins ESPN, 1.15pm Rugby league Bradford v Hull Sky Sports 1, 7pm Cricket India v New Zealand Sky Sports 3, 5am Cycling Vuelta a Espaa Eurosport 2, 3pm; ITV4, 7pm

City splash out on the nal day but not to the degree Mancini had hoped for
You dont always get the players you want Liverpool sell Adam to Stoke City for 4m
Jamie Jackson and Andy Hunter
Manchester City were set to splurge 37.1m on the transfer windows closing day on four players, leaving Roberto Mancini saying he was happy with them, despite missing out on a first-choice quartet worth 116m. In the closing 24 hours Mancini signed Internazionales Maicon for 3.1m and Swansea Citys Scott Sinclair, 6.2m, and Bencas Javi Garcia for 15.8m and Fiorentinas Matija Nastasic for 12m (including Stefan Savic as a makeweight) were complete deals subject to the paper work arriving. He also recruited Richard Wright on a free transfer as his thirdchoice goalkeeper. Yet at the start of the window Mancini targeted Robin van Persie, who went to Manchester United for 22m, Romas Daniele De Rossi, valued at 30m but who stayed at the club, Eden Hazard, bought instead by Chelsea for 32m, and Javi Martnez, who cost Bayern Munich 32m. Asked about his signings some hours before the 11pm deadline, Mancini said: When you nish the season, you have a meeting with the club, you talk about some players but sometimes maybe it is not possible to take all the players you want. You should have a dierent choice. But if I get these players, I am happy. If we sign these players weve talked about, I think well improve our team. They come to play in a dierent championship [apart from Sinclair] and maybe they need time. We are talking about one top player in Maicon, because he has experience. Nastajic will be one of the top defenders for a long time. Mancini has voiced his frustrations with Brian Marwood, the clubs football administration ocer, for missing out on his prime targets. Now the Italian claimed to have shifted his position. I was frustrated as it is dicult to do everything in one week or 10 days, only this reason. Now I think they have worked very well in the last two weeks, he said. Mancini had identified his favoured players in May but, apart from the 15m signing of Jack Rodwell from Everton, all the recruitment occurred in the windows closing 24 hours. Asked whether this was not strange, he said: This is the market, this is problem for Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, every time you go to buy one player the other club can ask 20m. This is not correct from the other club and this could be the problem. Of Sinclair he said: He plays in the same position as Adam Johnson but the dierence is that Adam works with the ball at his feet and Sinclair runs into space. There are some dierences but they are both wingers. Adam did very well for us, scoring goals. I hope Sinclair can do like Adam or better. City have been drawn in the toughest Champions League group, alongside Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, like the Blues the respective champions of their countries. If we get 10 points we will go to the second stage. I am confident. I will be happy with 10 points from this group, Mancini said, a reference to the tally City accrued last season which proved insucient for them to reach the knockout stage. The champions take on Queens Park Rangers in todays late kick-o, a repeat of last seasons nal-day xture, which they won 3-2 in the closing moments to clinch the title. We didnt win the championship in the last second. We won the last championship during all the season because we deserved to win the championship. We did better than all the other teams, Mancini said. Football is beautiful for this because anything can happen in one game. In the last game we had 44 chances to score, they had three and they scored two goals. We had a problem with our heart but in the end it was good. Mancini confirmed that the injured Sergio Agero will not have to travel back to Argentina despite being named in their squad for the upcoming internationals. At Liverpool Brendan Rodgers removed several more high earners from Liverpools wage bill on deadline day as he attempted to improve his attacking options with Clint Dempsey. The Liverpool manager sanctioned the departures of Charlie Adam to Stoke City in a permanent 4m deal and Jay Spearing on a season-long loan to Bolton Wanderers, and was also hopeful of loaning out the young Spanish forward Daniel Pacheco as he continued to trim the squad size and salaries at Aneld. The moves followed Andy Carrolls transfer to West Ham United on a season-long loan on Thursday night that will save Liverpool over 4m in wages. Rodgers was concerned about the size of the Liverpool squad before the late exits but allowed the four to leave in the hope of nally completing the permanent transfer of Dempsey from Fulham. The United States international was allowed to speak to Aston Villa after they agreed a fee with Fulham but informed Paul Lambert he wished only to join Liverpool, in an attempt to force a cut-price exit from Craven Cottage. Rodgers had a deal lined up to bring Dempsey to Aneld all summer but was waiting until the nal day of the window for the clubs owners, Fenway Sports Group, to sanction a 5m fee on the 29-year-old. Before the sale of Adam and the savings on Carrolls and Spearings wages, Liverpool were unable to fund a straight purchase for Dempsey and had oered Jordan Henderson to Fulham in exchange. Henderson, however, rejected the opportunity to leave Merseyside. I would like to put on record my thanks to Charlie Adam, Rodgers said. He has been top-class since Ive been here. He knew the situation but never gave less than 100% in every training session and game for me. The guys who have gone out have gone because they are passionate about playing football. Does it free up a lot of money for me to bring in other players? Probably not. We need to work on the nances at the moment. Liverpool also moved for Daniel Sturridge after Carrolls exit left them short of established strikers but that hit complications when the Chelsea player insisted on leaving Stamford Bridge only on a permanent basis. Rodgers dropped his interest in the former Manchester City player when Chelsea demanded a 15m fee, then revived it when the European champions became open to a loan deal. But Sturridges stance created a late problem for Liverpool. At Everton David Moyes completed his fourth permanent signing of the summer with the 2m capture of Copenhagens Bryan Oviedo. The 22-year-old Costa Rican, who can operate at left-back and left mideld, was granted a work permit at a hearing in London yesterday morning attended by Moyes and the Everton chairman, Bill Kenwright. The Everton manager also wanted to strengthen in central midfield but his budget was unable to stretch for deals for either Steven Nzonzi of Blackburn Rovers or an ambitious attempt to sign Michael Essien from Chelsea. Fulham conrmed the signing of Dimitar Berbatov on a two-year deal worth nearly 5m. The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had earlier suggested that the striker could go to Tottenham Hotspur, however Fulham were always condent of securing the strikers signature and sta at the club had the No9 shirt prepared for him before his arrival. Kieran Richardson completed his move to Fulham, from Sunderland. The 27-yearold, who was born in London, signed a three-year deal, with an additional years option, for an undisclosed fee. needed an infusion of air. So it was with that they handed over some 32m to take Eden Hazard from Lille. His immediate impact made it look as if the economics of football might have a semblance of good sense and the same might be said of Oscar, the 20-year-old midelder who cost 25m from the Brazilian club Internacional. There are indeed all too many examples to remind us that footballers never really come with a warranty, no matter how much is spent. It is Andy Carroll who at present reminds managers that a hefty outlay puts their reputation and even job prospects at stake. Indeed, the 35m that Liverpool handed over to Newcastle United for Carroll would have been a prominent issue when the decision was being taken to sack Kenny Dalglish. The new manager, Brendan Rodgers, has packed o the striker to West Ham on loan. Scott Sinclair has joined Manchester City from Swansea despite not being an initial target for Roberto Mancini Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto

Rugby union London Welsh v Leicester After all the controversy, London Welsh will get to show what they are made of against Manu Tuilagi and Leicester SS3, tomorrow, 1.30pm

Tomorrow
Paralympics London 2012 Channel 4, from 9.15am Football Bordeaux v Nice ESPN, 12.45pm Liverpool v Arsenal Sky Sports 1, 1pm Soton v Man Utd Sky Sports 1, 3.30pm The Rangers v Elgin ESPN, 4pm Internazionale v Roma ESPN, 7.15pm Match of the Day 2 BBC1,10.25pm Rugby league Wakeeld v Widnes Sky Sports 2, 6.30pm Cricket India v New Zealand Sky Sports 3, 5am England v South Africa Sky Sports 2, 10am Cycling Vuelta a Espaa Eurosport 2, 2pm; ITV4, 7pm Golf European Masters Sky Sports 4, midday Deutsche Bank Cship Sky Sports 4, 7pm Motor racing Belgian Grand Prix Sky Sports F1, 11am; BBC1, 12.10pm Tennis US Open Sky Sports 1, 4pm; Eurosport 4pm

Cricket Sussex v Hampshire Sussex will be hoping to make up for Twenty20 disappointment with a win in their Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-nal SS1, today, 12.30pm Golf European Masters Sky Sports 4, midday Deutsche Bank Cship Sky Sports 4, 7pm Motor racing Belgian Grand Prix Sky Sports F1, midday; BBC1, 12.10pm Tennis US Open Sky Sports 1, 4pm; Eurosport 4pm

Deadline day moves

The leading transfers as clubs scrambled to nalise deals before the window closed * Pablo Hernndez Swansea 5.55m from Valencia Dimitar Berbatov Fulham Undisclosed from Manchester United Maicon Manchester City Undisclosed from Internazionale Scott Sinclair Manchester City Undisclosed from Swansea Gaston Ramirez Southampton Undisclosed from Bologna Charlie Adam Stoke City Undisclosed from Liverpool Kieran Richardson Fulham Undisclosed from Sunderland Nigel De Jong Milan Undisclosed from Manchester City Giovani dos Santos Real Mallorca Undisclosed from Tottenham Rafael van der Vaart Hamburg Undisclosed from Tottenham Bryan Oviedo Everton Undisclosed from FC Copenhagen Jordan Bowery Aston Villa Undisclosed from Chestereld Sam Magri QPR Undisclosed from Portsmouth Jay Spearing Bolton Season-long loan from Liverpool Richard Wright unattached Free transfer Danny Rose Sunderland Season-long loan from Tottenham Thorgan Hazard Zulte Waregem Season-long loan from Chelsea Park Chu-young Celta Vigo Season-long loan from Arsenal Amin Aane Roda JC Season-long loan from Chelsea * as at 8pm

On the web guardian.co.uk/sport

The best in live minute-byminute coverage all weekend
Paralympics Keep up with all the latest from our team of writers at the Games on Saturday and Sunday as the medal rush continues apace guardian.co.uk/sport/ paralympics-2012 Football Today: West Ham v Fulham, Man City v QPR. Tomorrow: Liverpool v Arsenal, Southampton v Man Utd and Barcelona v Valencia guardian.co.uk/football Cricket Tomorrow sees the fourth ODI of the series between England and South Africa at Lords. Our overby-over report begins at 10am guardian.co.uk/cricket

The Observer Tomorrow

Brearley on Strauss The unmissable nal analysis of Englands departing cricket captain by his Ashes-winning predecessor Paralympics 2012 Reports and analysis on a big day for Ellie Simmonds, Oscar Pistorius, Lee Pearson and co Plus Daniel Taylor on Liverpool Karim El Ahmadi on his new life at Aston Villa rugby unions big kick-o the awardwinning Said & Done

The sense and the nonsense of spending big

There are many examples to remind us that footballers never come with a warranty, writes Kevin McCarra

When clubs hurl vast amounts into the transfer market they will often convince themselves that those sums are just the premiums paid on an insurance policy. Status is supposed to be secure thereafter. The logic is easy to follow among the well-funded managers. Roberto Di Matteo, for instance, was bound to bolster the Chelsea squad. The only issue more frightening than the expenditure is the prospect of decline if substantial sums are not spent. Financial fair play regulations should eventually check that impulse, but few doubted how Chelsea would conduct themselves this summer. Victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League nal came in a penalty shootout. It could just as easily have gone against them and the club might currently have been telling itself that the Europa League holds a subtle charm. Chelsea appreciated that the lineup

Investing in the transfer market is bound to be excruciating on occasion. Footballers, as with any human being, can be disoriented when they swap one environment for another. People tend to forget just how Carroll ourished with Newcastle. The 2010-11 campaign showed then that he could act as rather more than a target man. The rst half of that season, before the January switch to Aneld, had seen him nd the net against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. There was no cause to suppose that his success depended on bullying the weak. At the time, Dalglish had not appeared eccentric or foolish in buying such a player, even if the fee itself was large. Managers may nd it a little easier to maintain perspective in the summer than they do in the throes of mid-season anxiety, but the pressure is still there. Roberto Mancini seemed to have an array of targets at Manchester City,

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Chelsea have always said they want to break even but theyre breaking the bank rst
debts on and caused 550m to be drained out in bank interest and fees since their takeover in 2005. Stan Kroenkes Arsenal planned early this summer, spending a hearty 39m on Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla to avoid any nal-day desperation like the shopping which followed last years departures of captain Cesc Fbregas, to Barcelona, Samir Nasri and Gal Clichy to City. Yet for all Arsenals arrivals, Robin van Persies departure to Old Trafford remains this transfer windows signature move, a snub to the line that Kroenkes self-sustaining model which means owners putting nothing in can claim a trophy while Chelsea and City are backed like this. Van Persies signing, 23m for the 29-year-old, rather contradicted Sir Alex Fergusons insistence for years that United will only invest in youth. Perhaps linked to the otation of a tenth of Uniteds shares on the New York Stock Exchange, half of them sold by the Glazers to make 70m, Van Persies arrival, with Shinji Kagawa and Alexander Buttner, made this Uniteds highest spending summer for many years. Henry based his venture into English football on the faith that Uefas rules will be strongly enforced, a promise to run massively-supported Liverpool well on its income alone. Yet Liverpools most prominent moves have been to undo two of the huge deals FSG sanctioned just after their arrival on Merseyside, sending 35m Andy Carroll on loan to West Ham United, and selling 8.5m Charlie Adam to Stoke City. Despite billionaire ownership, the manager, Brendan Rodgers, talks like a man with no money to spend. Outside Tottenham, where the chairman, Daniel Levy, has sought to show ambition and a taste for getting the best of a deal, despite losing Luka Modric to Real Madrid, the notable activity was lower down the league. West Hams owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, have allowed the manager, Sam Allardyce, substantial cash to strengthen a squad, they hope, to stay up then take possession of the Olympic Stadium. Queens Park Rangers, their Loftus Road capacity still an earnings-limiting 18,000, have been startlingly acquisitive. Such frantic comings and goings generated huge interest, and money is pouring in; 3bn for Premier League UK TV rights from 2013-16 because BSkyB and BT are confident subscribers will fork out to watch it. Platini, watching Abramovichs Chelsea play as Uefas 2012 champions of Europe, has two more years before having to prove he is indeed serious about reining in the indulgence of owners.

David Conn
Michel Platini held forth in Monacos taxfree sunshine to promise Uefa will enforce nancial fair play prudence on European football, before the clubs spent multimillions in a last-day frenzy, and Roman Abramovich won his court case. This was another summer, another transfer window, another reminder that football revolves around big money and, in England, who owns a club. Abramovich, whose Chelsea were in Monaco for Uefas Super Cup nal, was judged not to owe the billions claimed by his one-time associate Boris Berezovsky, but the dispute gave further insight into how Abramovich made his money. Londons commercial court ruled Abramovich never granted Berezovsky any actual share of the vast oil company Abramovich bought at a favoured price after lending Russias then president, Boris Yeltsin, financial support. Instead he paid Berezovsky fortunes, including a $1.3bn nal sum in 2001, for krysha, political patronage and inuence, which was indispensable to keeping his billions, in a country where, post-communism, most ordinary people were sunk into poverty. Around 1bn of Abramovichs money, not far o that nal payment for krysha to Berezovsky, has gone into Chelsea since 2003, the owners triumphant smile beamed across Europe when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in dramatic style to win the Champions League three months ago. Chelsea have always said they want to break even and comply with Uefas rule that clubs can lose only 45m (35.6m) in total from 2011 to 2013. But they closed this window having spent hugely once again: 32m buying Eden Hazard, 25m on Oscar, with Marko Marin (7m), Cesar Azpilicueta (6.5m) and Victor Moses (9m) also signed. Manchester City, Englands champions and other major club fuelled by oil money, around 1bn since 2008 from Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, approached the last day as if prudence had suddenly taken hold. After the 12m signing of Jack Rodwell, the addition of only a third-choice goalkeeper, Richard Wright, on the day of the Champions League draw, seemed to vindicate Roberto Mancinis grumbling that he was not being supported to strengthen his squad. Then City splashed on Maicon, Scott Sinclair and were close to agreeing a 22m deal for Bencas talented midelder Javi Garca, bringing their spending to almost 40m in the last hours of the nal day, which suggests they are not trembling in Abu Dhabi about Uefas accountants. City maintain that after Mansour financially supported the biggest loss in Premier League history, 197m in 2010-11, they are moving towards breaking even. Winning the league, Champions League lucre and partnerships including with Etihad, the Abu Dhabi airline a deal which will be examined for arms-length fair value by Uefa have greatly increased Citys income, but spending on players and their wages on this scale, even given the exits of Emmanuel Adebayor to Tottenham Hotspur and, more recently, Nigel de Jong to Milan, will make compliance with nancial fair play a surprise. Outside those bankrolled two, American ownership, of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, is very dierent. A 30m loan to Liverpool by John Henrys Fenway Sports Group last year, to aid recovery from the Tom Hicks and George Gillett era, is the only investment into a club by any of these owners. Uniteds, the Glazers, have famously loaded

Number crunching

Dierent nationalities of players who have signed for Premier League clubs in this summers window

45

Spanish players who have signed for Premier League clubs, the most from any one country

ranging from the seasoned Maicon at Internazionale to the young Scott Sinclair, who has arrived from Swansea City. The cost hardly registers with the public when clubs of outlandish means enter the marketplace, but many managers are obliged to take care. Arsenal sell well and Arsne Wenger is practised when explaining why he does not buy at those sort of prices. Nuri Sahin, of Real Madrid, eluded him and

Cost hardly registers when clubs of outlandish means enter the market but many managers must take care

has gone on loan to Liverpool instead, but the Arsenal manager remarked that he already had a midelder of that sort in Jack Wilshere. This, of course, rather ignored the fact that an ankle injury stopped him from playing last season and he has yet to show he is ready for a return to the intensity of the Premier League. Wenger appreciates that Arsenal still have to pay o the debt incurred in building the Emirates, although that sum is under 100m after standing at 318m in 2008. Many managers have to be careful in their spending and Sir Alex Ferguson comes into that category. He has splashed out on Robin van Persie, but there is the shrewdness of an individual whose means were extremely limited in the early days of his career. At 17m, the price paid for Borussia Dortmunds Shinji Kagawa will be a coup if he proves any sort of successor to Paul Scholes.

Clubs will also pay readily to acquire a sense of security. At a cost of 9m, Jan Vertonghen might well provide some solidity at the core of the Tottenham Hotspur defence as the new manager, Andr Villas-Boas, goes about his work. There are interesting projects everywhere and, for instance, Martin ONeills eort to get a reliable contribution out of Adam Johnson, following a 10m transfer from Manchester City, should be intriguing. Mark Hughess project is on a larger scale than most, his total of acquisitions for Queens Park Rangers in double gures. A 5-0 loss to Swansea implied that the assimilation process had barely begun, but at least there has since been a draw at Norwich City. Outcomes are always dicult to predict. As managers may often complain, footballers, regardless of the cost, are as unpredictable as the rest of the human race.

28

Deals between Premier League clubs

Players signed by Premier League clubs as of 6.45pm yesterday Italian signed Fabio Borini of Liverpool, pictured despite their national team reaching the nal of Euro 2012 Players signed by Queens Park Rangers, the most by a single club as of 6.45pm yesterday

116

11

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Football Squad sheets

Probable starters in bold, contenders in light Today 3pm unless stated

Liverpool v Arsenal Tomorrow 1.30pm

Sky Sports 1

Barclays Premier League

Chelsea Swansea Everton West Bromwich Manchester City Fulham Manchester Utd Wigan Newcastle West Ham Stoke Arsenal Sunderland Tottenham Reading Liverpool Norwich QPR Southampton Aston Villa Home P W D L F 3 2 0 0 6 2 1 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 5 2 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 Away A W D L 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 5 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 F 2 5 3 1 2 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 A 0 0 1 1 2 3 1 0 2 3 1 0 0 2 4 3 5 1 3 1 GD Pts +6 9 +8 6 +3 6 +3 4 +1 4 +4 3 0 3 0 3 -1 3 -2 3 0 2 0 2 0 1 -1 1 -2 1 -3 1 -5 1 -5 1 -3 0 -3 0

Venue Aneld Tickets Sold out Last season Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2 Referee Howard Webb This seasons matches 1 Y3, R0, 3.00 cards per game Odds Liverpool 11-10 Arsenal 3-1 Draw 5-2

Liverpool
Subs from Doni, Jones, Kelly, Carragher, Coates, Henderson, Shelvey, Downing, Assaidi, Morgan, Robinson, Yesil, Flanagan Doubtful None Injured Cole (hamstring, 23 Sept), Lucas (thigh, Nov) Suspended None Form guide DL Disciplinary record Y5 R1 Leading scorers Skrtel, Surez 1

Reina Skrtel
2 37 25

Match pointers
Agger
5

Johnson
8

Allen
24

There have been seven goals in the 90th minute or Jos Enrique later in the last seven league games between these sides, including ve in the last four 4
3

Gerrard
29

Sahin Surez
7 9 31

Borini

Sterling

Arsenal
Subs from Fabianski, Mannone, Shea, Ramsey, Djourou, Yennaris, Coquelin, Koscielny, Andr Santos, Arshavin, Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Eastmond Doubtful Szczesny (rib) Injured Rosicky (achilles, 15 Sept), Sagna (broken leg, 23 Sept), Frimpong (knee, Oct), Wilshere (foot, Oct) Suspended None Form guide DD Disciplinary record Y0 R0 Leading scorer n/a

Arsenal have failed to score in their rst two games the longest they have gone without a goal in the Premier League was 224 minutes at the start of 2011-12 Liverpool against Arsenal at Aneld has seen the jointmost own goals of any xture in Premier League history

Gervinho
27 8

Podolksi
19

Walcott
14 2

Cazorla Arteta Gibbs

28 5

Diaby Jenkinson Arsenal are unbeaten in their last ve top-ight visits 25 to Aneld (won two, drawn Mertesacker three) and have come from behind to secure those results
4

Vermaelen

Szczesny

npower Championship New signing Nuri Sahin goes past Brad jones while Daniel Agger looks on during a Liverpool session at the Melwood Training Ground John Powell/Getty Images
Blackpool Sheeld Wed Blackburn Bristol City Watford Middlesbrough Leeds Nottm Forest Charlton Brighton Wolves Hudderseld Bolton Hull Cardi Ipswich Leicester Burnley Millwall Barnsley Derby Birmingham Peterborough Crystal Palace Home P W D L F 3 2 0 0 8 3 2 0 0 6 3 2 0 0 3 3 2 0 0 8 3 1 0 1 2 3 2 0 0 5 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 1 0 2 3 1 1 0 5 3 1 1 0 4 3 1 1 0 3 3 1 1 0 4 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 1 3 1 0 0 2 3 1 0 0 2 3 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 2 3 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 2 Away A W D L 1 1 0 0 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 4 0 0 1 3 0 0 2 F 2 2 1 0 3 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 2 4 2 1 2 0 2 A 0 2 1 1 2 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 4 6 4 5 4 8 3 5 2 6 GD Pts +9 9 +2 7 +2 7 +4 6 +2 6 +1 6 +1 6 +1 5 +1 5 +3 4 +1 4 +1 4 0 4 0 4 -1 4 -5 4 0 3 -1 3 -2 3 -5 3 -2 2 -3 1 -4 0 -5 0

Few xtures illustrated the importance of Robin van Persie to Arsenal last season better than their trip to Aneld, where his 93rd-minute winner sent Liverpool into the tailspin that cost Kenny Dalglish his job. A goalless start has kept the spectre of Van Persie lingering for Arsne Wenger and he faces a team that has altered radically under Brendan Rodgers. The side that started and should have beaten Manchester City last week was Liverpools youngest since December 2003 and Nuri Sahin, who nearly joined Arsenal, could make his debut. Andy Hunter

Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers Today 5.30pm

Venue Etihad Stadium Tickets Sold out Last season Man City 3 QPR 2 Referee Chris Foy This seasons matches 1 Y0, R0, 0.00 cards per game Odds Man City 2-9 QPR 14-1 Draw 6-1

ESPN

Newcastle United v Aston Villa Tomorrow 4pm

Venue St James Park Tickets 26-51 (0844 372 1892) Last season Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 1 Referee Lee Probert This seasons matches 1 Y4, R0, 4.00 cards per game Odds Newcastle 4-6 Aston Villa 5-1 Draw 11-4

Manchester City
Subs from Nielsen, Pantilimon, Wright, Kolarov, K Tour, Razak, Nimely, Sinclair, Milner, Dzeko, Savic Doubtful None Injured Barry (groin, 15 Sept), Richards (ankle, 15 Sept), Agero (knee, 23 Sept), Guidetti (thigh, Oct) Suspended None Unavailable Maicon (late signing) Form guide DW Disciplinary record Y1 R0 Leading scorer Tevez 2

Hart Kompany
5 4 1

Match pointers
Lescott
6

Newcastle
Subs from Elliot, Harper, Bigiramana, Perch, Tavernier, Williamson, Tiot, Gosling, Amaltano, Vuckic, Obertan, Marveaux, Ferguson, Good Doubtful Perch (neck), Tiot (calf) Injured Shola Ameobi (hamstring, 17 Sept), Sammy Ameobi (knee, unknown), R Taylor (knee, unknown) Suspended None Form guide LW Disciplinary record Y2 R0 Leading scorers Ba, Ben Arfa 1

Krul Coloccini
5 2 1

Match pointers
S Taylor
27 3

Zabaleta Y Tour
42

Rodwell
17

City won the title in this 22 xture last season, becoming Clichy the rst team to win a Premier League match after being behind in the 90th minute QPR have gone 17 topight away matches without keeping a clean sheet and conceded 40 goals in that run City have won 28 of their past 30 home matches Mark Hughes is one of only two visiting managers to avoid defeat in that sequence (with Fulham in February 2011)

Simpson
4

Anita
8 18

Santon

Tevez
8 32 21

Newcastle have not lost at home to Villa since April 2005 when they were beaten 3-0 and had Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer sent o for ghting each other Villa are without a win away from home in nine Premier League games since they lost at St James Park in February Since the start of 2011-12, Newcastle have conceded more penalties (10) than any other team

Cabaye
10

Gutirrez Ciss
9 9 19

Nasri

Balotelli
45 9

Silva

Ben Arfa Holman

14 16

Ba NZogbia
10 8

Queens Park Rangers

Subs from Cerny, Murphy, Taarabt, Young, Nelsen, Onuoha, Wright-Phillips, Faurln, Diakit, Zamora, Johnson, Magri, Campbell, Hulse, Ephraim, Traor Doubtful Diakit (personal reasons) Injured None Suspended Barton (fourth of 12) Unavailable Jlio Csar (late signing) Form guide DL Disciplinary record Y4 R0 Leading scorer Zamora 1

Aston Villa
Subs from Guzan, Siegchrist, Burke, Herd, Baker, Bannan, Williams, Lichaj, Weimann, Delfouneso, Bowery, Johnson, Stevens Doubtful None Injured Agbonlahor (knee, 15 Sept), Albrighton (metatarsal, 15 Sept), Dunne (groin, 22 Sept), Gardner (knee, May), Carruthers (ankle, unknown), Petrov (leukaemia, unknown) Suspended None Form guide LL Disciplinary record Y2 R1 Leading scorer El Ahmadi 1

Hoilett
23 14

Ciss
7

Mackie
12 4

Bent
7

Park Granero Da Silva

20 6

Ireland Delph Bennett

27 6

Derry Bosingwa QPR have required 27 shots to score their one goal this 5 19 season the worst ratio in the Ferdinand top ight among teams to have found the net at least once

El Ahmadi
4

Hill

Clark

Green

Given

The hosts have played 694 Lowton matches in Premier League history compared to Villas 34 774 but Newcastle have scored Vlaar 24 more goals and conceded 39 fewer

Roberto Mancini professes himself happy with the clubs summer recruitment drive so we now begin to nd out if he is right. No one can forget how Manchester City beat Queens Park Rangers in the dying seconds to grab the championship as the sides reconvene. Mancini has four from the rst six points available and he will not want a stutter before the break for the World Cup qualiers. Even Mark Hughes might be losing count of how many new players he has brought in: a draw here for his revamped band would be a ne start for them. Jamie Jackson

The Aston Villa job must have seemed a great opportunity to Paul Lambert, but for the moment it is more of a trial. Even a defeat of Tranmere in the Capital One Cup would have been appreciated following the loss of both Premier League xtures to date. Newcastle, however, will see this as another chance to conrm they are a club on the rise. The hosts full-back Ryan Taylor could be out for up to six months after sustaining a knee injury in the 1-0 Europa League victory over Atromitos on Thursday night. Kevin McCarra

Barnsley v Bristol City Birmingham v Peterborough Burnley v Brighton Cardi v Wolves (tomorrow, 2pm) Crystal Palace v Sheeld Wed Derby v Watford

Hull v Bolton Ipswich v Hudderseld Leeds v Blackburn Leicester v Blackpool (5.20pm) Millwall v Middlesbrough (12.45pm) Nottingham Forest v Charlton

League One
Yeovil Tranmere Swindon Stevenage Doncaster Notts County Crawley Town Sheeld Utd Brentford MK Dons Shrewsbury Carlisle Walsall Coventry Bournemouth Colchester Crewe Bury Preston Portsmouth Hartlepool Oldham Leyton Orient Scunthorpe Home P W D L F 3 0 1 0 1 3 1 0 0 3 3 2 0 0 4 3 0 1 0 1 3 1 0 1 2 3 1 0 1 2 3 1 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 1 6 3 1 0 0 2 3 1 1 0 2 3 1 0 1 4 3 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 0 3 3 0 2 0 2 3 0 2 0 3 3 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 2 1 Away A W D L 1 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 5 0 1 0 3 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 6 0 0 1 F 7 4 0 2 3 2 1 2 0 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 3 3 1 4 0 0 1 0 A 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 6 4 2 6 2 2 3 3 GD Pts +6 7 +5 7 +4 7 +2 7 +3 6 +2 6 +1 6 +1 5 +2 4 +1 4 0 4 -1 4 -2 4 0 3 0 3 0 3 -4 3 -1 2 -1 2 -2 2 -2 1 -3 1 -3 0 -8 0

Southampton v Manchester United Tomorrow 4pm

Sky Sports 1

Swansea City v Sunderland Today 3pm

Venue Liberty Stadium Tickets 35 (0844 8156665) Last season Swansea 0 Sunderland 0 Referee Roger East This seasons matches 0 Odds Swansea 5-4 Sunderland 8-3 Draw 12-5

Venue St Marys Stadium Tickets 38-48 (02381 780780) Last season n/a Referee Mike Dean This seasons matches 2 Y40, R0, 2.00 cards per game Odds Southampton 11-2 Man Utd 3-5 Draw 7-2

Southampton
Subs from Gazzaniga, Sharp, Hammond, Ward-Prowse, Cork, Lee, Richardson, Mayuka, De Ridder, Chaplow, Puncheon Doubtful De Ridder (calf), Cork (ankle) Injured None Suspended None Unavailable Ramrez, Yoshida (late signings) Form guide LL Disciplinary record Y2 R0 Leading scorers S Davis, Lambert 1

K Davis Fonte
2 6 4 8 1

Match pointers
Hooiveld
5

Swansea
Subs from Tremmel, Tate, Shechter, Lita, Moore, Ki, Agustien, Richards, Bartley, Davies, Monk, Gower Doubtful Flores (groin), Routledge (thigh) Injured None Suspended None Unavailable Hernndez (late signing) Form guide WW Disciplinary record Y3 R0 Leading scorer Michu 3

Vorm Williams
2 6 1

Match pointers
Flores
4 3

Clyne

United have allowed more 13 shots on target against them Fox (13) than any other side Southampton have won 38% of their home matches with United in the Premier League, only Arsenal and Chelsea have a better record Robin van Persie was sent o in his only previous Premier League appearance at St Marys Stadium Southampton were the topscoring home team (49) in the Championship last season

Rangel

Schneiderlin
21

20

S Davis
7

Lallana Guly
9

Swansea failed to score in both Premier League games Taylor with Sunderland last season one of four teams that they Britton De Guzman drew a blank against both 7 20 home and away Michu
9 12

15

Routledge

Graham
10

Dyer

Lambert
20

Rodriguez Van Persie

26

Sunderland won only two of their rst 14 top-ight matches last season Swansea have scored eight goals from just 11 shots on target including three from three for Michu

Manchester United
Subs from Lindegaard, Welbeck, Giggs, Hernndez, Powell, Scholes, Macheda, Bb, Buttner, Anderson, Wootton, King Doubtful None Injured Ferdinand (hamstring, 15 Sept), Jones (back, 15 Sept), Young (knee, 15 Sept), Rooney (gash, 23 Sept), Smalling (metatarsal, Oct), Fletcher (bowel, unknown) Suspended None Form guide WL Disciplinary record Y2 R0 Leading scorers Da Silva, Kagawa, Van Persie 1

Nani
17 23

Valencia
25 16

Sunderland
Subs from Westwood, Campbell, Saha, Wickham, Kilgallon, Ji, Meyler, Noble, Bramble, Reed, Lynch, Rose Doubtful None Injured Vaughan (groin, 15 Sept), Bardsley (ankle, Oct), Brown (knee, unknown) Suspended None Form guide D Disciplinary record Y0 R0 Leading scorer n/a

Sessgnon
28

26

Johnson
21

Fletcher

Kagawa Cleverley Evra

3 15 6 1

McClean
23 6

Larsson
7

Carrick Da Silva
2

Colback
14 16

Cattermole
24 22

Sunderland have failed to score in six of their last eight Gardner league games
8

Vidic

Evans

De Gea

Since the start of 2010-11, Uniteds win ratio with Wayne Rooney in the team is 71%, compared to 55% without him

OShea

Cullar

Mignolet

Danny Graham has scored in three successive home appearances for Swansea

Southampton have lost both their matches since returning to the Premier League and face another dicult assignment, even if Manchester United are still troubled by various injury issues. Sir Alex Fergusons side have looked vulnerable at times in defence during their opening two games, which should at least give the home side some encouragement after last weeks defeat to Wigan Athletic. Gastn Ramrez was not signed in time to gure but Emmanuel Mayuka, the new Zambian striker, stands by to make his debut at some point. Daniel Taylor

Michael Laudrup could hand a Premier League debut to new signing Ki Sung-yueng, but the winger Pablo Hernndez was signed too late to be considered. Wayne Routledge and Chico Flores have both been troubled by minor injuries, but are expected to be passed t for the Swans, who are aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the season. Summer signings Adam Johnson and Steven Fletcher are expected to make their rst league appearances for Sunderland as the visitors look to record their rst top-ight win in nine matches. Will Carpenter

Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City Today 3pm

Venue White Hart Lane Tickets 37-58 (0844 844 0102) Last season Tottenham 1 Norwich 2 Referee Mark Halsey This seasons matches 0 Odds Tottenham 2-5 Norwich 7-1 Draw 4-1

West Bromwich Albion v Everton Today 3pm

Venue The Hawthorns Tickets 25 (0871 271 9780) Last season West Brom 0 Everton 1 Referee Jon Moss This seasons matches 0 Odds West Brom 9-5 Everton 6-4 Draw 12-5

Bury v Notts County Crawley Town v Leyton Orient Crewe v Coventry Hartlepool v Scunthorpe MK Dons v Carlisle Preston v Swindon (tomorrow, 3pm)

Portsmouth v Oldham Sheeld Utd v Bournemouth Stevenage v Shrewsbury Tranmere v Colchester Walsall v Brentford Yeovil v Doncaster

League Two
Home P W D L F Oxford Utd 3 2 0 0 4 Gillingham 3 1 0 0 3 Cheltenham 3 1 0 0 2 Bradford 3 2 0 0 6 Port Vale 3 1 0 0 3 Exeter 3 0 0 1 0 Acc Stanley 3 1 0 1 2 Torquay 3 1 1 0 6 Northampton 3 1 1 0 5 Rotherham 3 1 0 0 3 Morecambe 3 0 1 1 3 York 3 0 0 1 1 Fleetwood Town 3 0 1 0 0 Wycombe 2 0 0 1 0 Burton Albion 3 1 0 1 6 Aldershot 3 0 0 2 1 AFC Wimbledon 3 1 0 0 1 Chestereld 3 0 2 0 2 Rochdale 3 0 1 0 0 Bristol Rovers 2 0 0 1 0 Southend 3 0 0 1 0 Dag & Red 3 0 1 1 1 Plymouth 3 0 0 1 0 Barnet 3 0 1 1 2 AFC Wimbledon v Dag & Red Bristol Rovers v Morecambe Cheltenham v Acc Stanley Exeter v Burton Albion Fleetwood Town v Aldershot Gillingham v Chestereld Away A W D L 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 3 2 0 0 3 1 0 0 4 0 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 5 1 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 F A GD Pts 2 0 +5 9 3 1 +4 9 3 2 +3 7 1 3 +3 6 3 3 +3 6 5 1 +1 6 1 0 0 6 0 0 +2 5 0 0 +1 5 2 3 +2 4 3 0 +1 4 5 3 0 4 1 1 0 4 3 1 +1 3 0 3 0 3 2 0 0 3 3 11 -7 3 0 1 -1 2 3 5 -2 2 1 1 -2 1 3 5 -3 1 0 2 -3 1 1 2 -3 1 0 3 -5 1

Tottenham
Subs from Cudicini, Naughton, Caulker, Townsend, Livermore, Falqu, Kane, Defoe, Bentley, Jenas, Smith Doubtful None Injured Gomes (ankle, 16 Sept), Parker (achilles, 16 Sept), Kaboul (knee, Dec) Suspended None Form guide DL Disciplinary record Y3 R0 Leading scorers Assou-Ekotto, Defoe 1

Friedel Gallas
13 24

Match pointers
Vertonghen
5

West Bromwich Albion

Subs from Myhill, El Ghanassy, Lukaku, Jara, Dawson, Brunt, Fortun, Tamas, Rosenberg, Jones, Dorrans, Allan, Thorne Doubtful Lukaku (ankle), Odemwingie (thigh) Injured Thomas (hip, 15 Sept) Suspended None Form guide DW Disciplinary record Y3 R0 Leading scorers Gera, Lukaku, Morrison, Odemwingie 1

Foster McAuley
2 23 1

Match pointers
Olsson
3

Walker

Norwich
Subs from Rudd, Steer, Whittaker, Ward, Turner, Jackson, Hoolahan, Fox, Morison, Tettey, Tierney, R Bennett, C Martin Doubtful Snodgrass (calf), Ward (ankle), Whittaker (ankle) Injured Lappin (ankle, 15 Sept), E Bennet (knee, 15 Sept) Suspended None Unavailable Bunn (late signing) Form guide DL Disciplinary record Y0 R0 Leading scorer Jackson 1

Six of the last eight league 32 meetings between these sides Assou-Ekotto have ended in an away win Sandro Dembl Norwich have used 19 30 19 dierent players in their two Sigurdsson matches this season more 7 11 22 than any other top-ight side Lennon Bale Adebayor Andr Villas-Boas has won 25 only three of his last 14 9 league games as a manager Holt Bradley Johnson has Surman Pilkington 7 committed more fouls than Snodgrass 11 4 8 12 any other player in the Johnson Howson division but has yet to receive Garrido R Martin a yellow card
28 18 20 5 2

Reid Mulumbu
21

Albion have kept six clean 6 sheets in their past eight Ridgewell home Premier League games Only Chelsea, having played an extra match, have attempted more shots than Everton this season Gareth McAuley has made the most defensive clearances (nine) in the top ight

Yacob
5

Morrison
24 7 22

Odemwingie

Long
9 7

Gera

Everton
Subs from Mucha, Hibbert, Heitinga, Mirallas, Barkley, Francisco, Coleman, Gueye, Vellios, Anichebe, Duy, McAleny Doubtful Neville (hamstring) Injured None Suspended None Unavailable Oviedo (late signing) Form guide WW Disciplinary record Y1 R0 Leading scorer Fellaini 2

Jelavic Pienaar
22 4 25

Fellaini

Gibson Baines
3 15 6 24

Leighton Baines has created Naismith more goalscoring chances for 14 his team-mates (13) than any other player in the division Osman
21

Barnett
1

Bassong Ruddy

13 of Jermain Defoes last 14 Premier League goals have been scored in the 60th minute or later

Distin

Jagielka

Howard

Neville This is the rst time since 18 2005-06 that Albion have avoided defeat in their rst two top-ight games but they ended up relegated that season

Two managers at new clubs, both seeking their rst league win, meet at White Hart Lane, familiar to Norwichs Chris Hughton, who spent many years there as player and coach. Moussa Dembl, signed from Fulham to replace the transferred Luka Modric, could make his debut for Andr Villa-Boass side, who are stuggling to gel under their new leader. Norwichs summer signings have not broken the bank but include the former Tottenham defender, Sebstien Bassong. Robert Snodgrass should return for the visitors after a minor leg problem. Archie Smith

A meeting between two clubs that have started the Premier League season with real ourish. Albion will be full of condence after picking up a point at Spurs on the back of their 3-0 win over Liverpool on the opening day, although Everton promise to provide their toughest test yet. David Moyess side were rampant in their 3-1 triumph at Villa Park last weekend and go into this game looking to secure the win that would make it three straight league victories at the start of the season for the rst time since 1993. Stuart James

West Ham United v Fulham Today 12.45pm

Sky Sports 2

Wigan Athletic v Stoke City Today 3pm

Venue DW Stadium Tickets 20-22 (0871 66 33 552) Last season Wigan 2 Stoke 0 Referee Martin Atkinson This seasons matches 2 Y10, R0, 5.00 cards per game Odds Wigan 6-5 Stoke 18-7 Draw 9-4

Venue Upton Park Tickets 36-55 (0871 222 2700) Last season n/a Referee Anthony Taylor This seasons matches 1 Y0, R0, 0.00 cards per game Odds West Ham 13-8 Fulham 15-8 Draw 9-4

Plymouth v Northampton Port Vale v Torquay Rochdale v Barnet Rotherham v Bradford Southend v Wycombe York v Oxford Utd

West Ham
Subs from Henderson, Spiegel, Potts, Tomkins, Cole, Maynard, Maga, Taylor, OBrien, Diarra, Spence, ONeil, Moncur Doubtful Collins (calf), McCartney (ankle), Reid (knee) Injured Collison (knee, unknown) Suspended None Form guide LW Disciplinary record Y4 R0 Leading scorer Nolan 1

Jaaskelainen Reid
20 2 22

Match pointers
Collins
19 3

Wigan
Subs from Pollitt, Beausejour, Crusat, Watson, McManaman, Jones, Boselli, Fyvie, Stam, Lpez, Kiernan, Gmez Doubtful None Injured None Suspended Alcaraz (one match) Form guide WL Disciplinary record Y2 R0 Leading scorers Di Santo, Kon 1

Habsi Boyce
17 32 26 5

Match pointers
Ramis
21 31

Blue Square Bet Premier

Barrow v Kidderminster Braintree Town v Tamworth Dartford v Alfreton Town Forest Green v Hyde Hereford v Grimsby Lincoln City v Ebbseet Utd Luton v Maccleseld Manseld v Woking Nuneaton v Gateshead Southport v AFC Telford Stockport v Cambridge Utd Wrexham v Newport Co (1pm)

Demel
16

McCartney Nolan
4 21

West Ham have not lost at home to Fulham in a league match since November 2001 There have been seven red cards in the last 14 top-ight meetings between these sides Carlton Cole has scored six goals in his last six Premier League appearances against Fulham and also scored an own goal in one of those matches Fulham have drawn just one of their last 17 league matches, winning nine times and losing on seven occasions

Caldwell Miyaichi
16

Only two of the past 11 league games between Wigan and Stoke have ended in a win for the home side on the day

Noble
12

Diam
7

Carroll
24

Maloney 4 Figueroa Stoke have won one of their McArthur 10 McCarthy last 13 Premier League matches, losing eight times Di Santo and drawing on four occasions 2 Kon Walters
19 9

Scotland
Clydesdale Bank Premier Aberdeen v St Mirren Celtic v Hibernian Hearts v Dundee (tomorrow, 3pm) Irn-Bru First Division Airdrie Utd v Cowdenbeath Dunfermline v Raith Morton v Dumbarton Second Division Brechin v Alloa East Fife v Albion Third Division Berwick v East Stirling Clyde v Annan Athletic Peterhead v Montrose Motherwell v Inverness CT (tomorrow, 3pm) Ross County v Kilmarnock St Johnstone v Dundee Utd Falkirk v Livingston (tomorrow, 3pm) Partick v Hamilton Queen of South v Arbroath Stenhousemuir v Forfar Stranraer v Ayr Rangers v Elgin (tomorrow, 4.30pm) Stirling v Queens Park

Vaz T Petric
10

Jarvis Ruiz
11

Fulham
Subs from Etheridge, Stockdale, Kelly, Baird, Briggs, Davies, Grygera, Halliche, Richardson, Kasami, Rodallega, Trotta Doubtful Petric (calf), Ruiz (hamstring) Injured Frei (pelvis, 15 Sept), Senderos (ankle, 15 Sept) Suspended None Unavailable Berbatov (late signing), Dempsey (unsettled) Form guide LW Disciplinary record Y1 R0 Leading scorers Du, Petric 2
31

Stoke
Subs from Sorensen, Shotton, Palacios, Delap, Jerome, Pennant, Whitehead, Jones, Higginbotham, Upson, Adam Doubtful Etherington (hamstring) Injured Ness (groin, 15 Sept), Sidibe (groin, 15 Sept) Suspended None Form guide DD Disciplinary record Y6 R1 Leading scorer Kightly 1

Crouch
25

Kacaniklic

Sidwell
7

Du
16

Etherington
26 2 6

Kightly
21

The recently transferred Wigan forward, Victor Moses, scored in both league games between these sides last term

Diarra Riise
3 5 19 18 1

Cameron Wilson
12 17

Whelan
4

Riether
27

Only Sunderland (two) have had fewer shots on target than Stoke (four) this season and Wilkinson they have played one less game
28

Hangeland

Hughes

Schwarzer

West Ham have committed more fouls (36) than any other side in the division so far this season

Shawcross
1

Huth Begovic

Defeat to Chelsea on the opening day ended a run of four straight home wins for Wigan

Fulham will look to bounce back after a cup exit to Sheeld Wednesday and the loss of Moussa Dembl to Tottenham. They will welcome back most of their players who were rested for the midweek game and John Arne Riise returns from injury. Dimitar Berbatov was signed too late to play, but Kieran Richardson could make his debut. For West Ham, Andy Carroll is in line to feature but Jack Collison is injured and there are doubts about Winston Reid (knee), George McCartney (ankle) and James Collins (calf). Mickey McElhone

Having scored six goals in two games Wigan Athletic are looking to record their third win in as many seasons against Stoke City at the DW Stadium. Stoke are hoping their own goal tally will improve with the acquisition of Charlie Adam, who scored nine times in his rst Premier League season for Blackpool. The Scot should be available having signed before midday yesterday. Despite Wigan taking three points on two occasions in the last two seasons ve of the last eight top-ight meetings between the sides have been drawn. Michael Perkins

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Football

Tough draw for Liverpool and Spurs but Newcastle stay close to home
Amy Lawrence
Such is the Europa Leagues loaded schedule, the big issue for most managers is simply assessing the amount of travelling to factor in before Christmas. With that in mind, Alan Pardew was cheered by Newcastle Uniteds luck of the draw. With no journey more onerous than a hop to Portugal on their Group D schedule against Club Brugge, Bordeaux and Maritimo, Pardew is relaxed. My gut reaction is that the travelling is good, so Im pleased, he said. I didnt really want to go to Ukraine or Russia or anywhere. The teams are of the standard you would expect so its a toughish group. Not the toughest by any means, but a test for us. Liverpool have landed a long-distance trip, and it is a fascinating one. They meet one of the most intriguing names in the modern game, Anzhi Makhachkala, the Dagestan-based project backed by the billionaire Suleyman Kerimov. The Russian League team are currently managed by Guus Hiddink, and boast a few familiar faces including Samuel Etoo, once the scourge of the Champions League with ck Barcelona, the former Chelsea wing-back urn Yuri Zhirkov and the former Blackburn mba. Rovers defender Christopher Samba. ung They also have in their squad a young Brazilian who should surely one day play k, for the team from across Stanley Park, a defender called Ewerton. me For Anzhi, a match against the ve-time y European Cup winners is an extraordinary stepping stone. They have played only one previous match in European competition proper, a Uefa Cup tie against Rangers in

Rooneys thigh injury could be a blessing, says Ferguson

Jamie Jackson
Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooneys thigh injury could be a blessing as the striker can now work on his tness. Ferguson said the 26-year-old, who is out for four weeks, was dropped for last Saturdays 3-2 win over Fulham because the manager could not select him and Robin van Persie, who was also not match t. Ferguson said: The injury is maybe a blessing because he can concentrate on his tness now in the gymnasium in particular. He should be available for selection [after four weeks] because he will be able to train. Hell do gym work, he was in the gym yesterday and he will be able to continue that. The minute he can start running that will help. Its a bad gash but he was treated really quickly and we dont expect any complications. Rooney being only a substitute against Fulham led to speculation of a rift with his manager but Ferguson said: He said himself he needs a few games and I wanted to play Van Persie at the start at Old Traord. I knew he wasnt 100% t either. I couldnt really start the two of them. United face Galatasaray, CFR Cluj and Braga in what appears one of the easier Champions League groups. The European Cup draw could have been worse, Ferguson said. There are some games that we have a bit of travelling to do. We have been to Turkey a few times and you are guaranteed an incredible atmosphere. Our rst foray into the Champions League was at Galatasaray and that was an absolute nightmare. Romania [for Cluj] is a fair trip. Ferguson is determined to guard against United being eliminated before Christmas. Unlike last year we wont be taking any risks, he said. We have often used the group stage as an exercise to give experience to young players, especially once we qualify, but after last year we have to make sure we qualify rst. Ferguson is upset that the Football Association revealed Ashley Young has a knee injury, which forces him to miss tomorrows trip to Southampton, after Roy Hodgson omitted him from his England squad for the World Cup qualiers against Moldova and Ukraine. It was nice of the FA to let everyone know that Ashley Young is injured, he said. There is no point giving them any information now. We have a game on SunWayne Rooney will work on his tness in the gym until his gashed thigh has healed suciently to allow the striker to run day and why should we alert our opponents who is t and who is not t. It wont happen again. Hes out, he got a knee injury last week, although its not serious. Obviously he will be ready in a couple of weeks time [after the international break]. Jonny Evans is t to start at Southampton, though Ferguson is still missing Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones. On the centre-back front, which is really my main concern at the moment, Evans played Wednesday in the reserves and came through fine, he said. He is certainly the strongest option weve got. Jones is back doing some training but not ready yet. Ferdinands in the same boat.

Europa League draw

Group A Liverpool, Udinese, Young Boys, Anzhi Makhachkala Group B Atltico Madrid, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Viktoria Plzen, Acadmica Group C Marseille, Fenerbahce, Borussia MGladbach, AEL Limassol Group D Bordeaux, Club Brugge, Newcastle United, Maritimo Group E Stuttgart, FC Copenhagen, Steaua Bucharest, Molde Group F PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Dnipro, AIK Solna Group G Sporting, FC Basel, Genk, Videoton Group H Inter, Rubin Kazan, FK Partizan, Neftci Group I Lyon, Athletic Club, Sparta Prague, Hapoel Kiryat Shmona Group J Tottenham Hotspur, Panathinaikos, Lazio, Maribor Group K Bayer Leverkusen, org, FC Metalist Kharkiv, Rosenborg, Rapid Vienna wente, Group L FC Twente, Hannover, e, Levante, Helsingborg

2001. Due to the political instability in neighbouring Chechnya, the match was played at a neutral venue. Anzhi now play their European matches in Moscow, which makes the logistics considerably less complicated for Liverpool. Their other assignments in Group A are with Udinese and Young Boys from Switzerland. Tottenham Hotspur also face Italian opposition, beginning with a match against Lazio which promises some nostalgia. Lazios general manager, Maurizio Manzini, who has been in the role since Paul Gascoigne arrived from Spurs in 1992, is moved by the prospect of a rst meeting between the clubs. Tottenham is a team Lazio knows very well, a great team with great traditions and we are very familiar with White Hart Lane starting from the time we had Paul Gascoigne, he enthuses. He is a mythical gure for Lazio fans and very popular in Italy. There is always a corner of Tottenham in our hearts. The Roman club will invite Gascoigne to the match at the Stadio Olimpico. The Greeks Panathinaikos and Maribor, from Slovenia, complete Group J. It may take a while before we discover quite how interested managers such as Andr Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers really are in the Europa League. With a tournament that requires 15 matches and thousands of air miles, the sensible thing is to use squad players and hope for the best until a route to the nal becomes a distinct possibility. For these two managers in particular, who are intent on shaping new teams at their new clubs, it is hard to imagine the Europa League being much more than a pleasant diversion for now. The nal next May is in Amsterdam.

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Football

Window shopping: how the Premier League

Ins and outs How did your club do?
Key = In = Out

Arsenal
Did they get what they wanted? Arsenal got their retaliation in rst. Fearful that they would lose Robin Van Persie, they signed Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, which ensured there would be no repeat of last summers last-gasp scramble. They chose to sell Alex Song, believing that they had sucient depth to cope. Santi Cazorla already looks great to watch.
The deals (selected) Lukad Podolski Cologne, 10.9m Olivier Giroud Montpellier, 13m Santi Cazorla Malaga, 12m Robin Van Persie Manchester Utd, 23m Alex Song Barcelona, 15m Carlos Vela Real Sociedad, undisc Nicklas Bendtner Juventus, loan Yossi Benayoun Chelsea, end of loan spell Joel Campbell Real Betis, loan Manuel Almunia released Kyle Bartley Swansea, undisc Henri Lansbury Nottm Forest, 1m Ryo Miyaichi Wigan, loan

Aston Villa
Did they get what they wanted? Assuming the Christian Benteke deal goes through (which it has not at the time of writing) the answer is probably yes. Did the fans get what they want? Probably not. Villa have developed a sudden fascination with the lower leagues and while unearthing young and hungry talent is a nice idea, the strategy also represents a huge gamble.
The deals (selected) Matthew Lowton Sheeld Utd, 3m Ron Vlaar Feyenoord, undisco Karim El Ahmadi Feyenoord, undisc Brett Holman AZ Alkmaar, free Joe Bennett Middlesbrough, undisc Jordan Bowery Chestereld, undisc Carlos Cuellar Sunderland, free James Collins West Ham United, undisc Emile Heskey undisc

Chelsea
Did they get what they wanted? Yes. The aim was to refresh and revitalise an ageing squad and team, and the players bought have been the right age and have injected creativity to the set-up. Eden Hazard is already illuminating the division, albeit at a cost of 32m. The process of regeneration will continue, but this summer was a statement of intent.
The deals (selected) Eden Hazard Lille, 32m Cesar Azpilicueta Marseille, 7m Oscar Internacional, 20m Victor Moses 9m Marko Marin 7m, Thorgan Hazard Lens, 1m Didier Drogba Shanghai Shenhua, free Jose Bosingwa QPR, free Rhys Taylor Southend, free Salomon Kalou Lille, free Romelu Lukaku WBA, loan, Sam Hutchinson Nottm Forest, loan Thibaut Courtois Atletico Madrid, loan Matej Delac Guimaraes, loan Sam Walker Bristol Rovers, loan

Everton
Did they get what they wanted? For the second transfer window in succession, Everton moved swiftly and productively to improve David Moyes squad. The Everton manager still has concerns over numbers, but not the quality. The club suered no traumatic losses and improved its attacking options with money raised from the sale of Jack Rodwell.
The deals (selected) Steven Naismith Rangers, free Steven Pienaar Tottenham, 4,5m Kevin Miralles Olympiakos, 5.3m Bryan Oviedo Copenhagen, 2.5m Jack Rodwell Manchester City, 12m Tim Cahill New York Red Bulls, 1m Joseph Yobo Fenerbahce, 2m James McFadden released Marcus Hahnemann released Royston Drenthe Real Madrid, end of loan period, Denis Stracqualursi Tigre, end of loan spell

Fulham
What they wanted Martin Jol will not have taken any pleasure in losing Moussa Dembl to Tottenham, despite the 15m it has raised for the club, but the Fulham manager can taken great delight in his purchase of Dimitar Berbatov for what appears a bargain 4m. The Dutchmans other acquisitions also oer him experience and talent.
The deals (selected) Dimitar Berbatov Manchester Utd, 4m Mladen Petric Hamburg, free Hugo Rodallega Wigan, free Sascha Riether Cologne, loan Keiran Richardson Sunderland, 2m George Williams MK Dons, undisc Danny Murphy Blackburn, free Orlando Sa Limassol, free Bjorn Risse Lillestrom, free Marcel Gecov Gent, undisc Dickson Etuhu Blackburn, undisc Moussa Dembele Tottenham, 15m Andy Johnson QPR, free

Liverpool
Did they get what they wanted? From the owners point of view, yes, with the wage bill reduced and several unwanted high-earners shifted on. From Brendan Rodgers stand-point, no. The Liverpool manager has acquired talent that suits his style, notably Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin, and is delighted to have moved on Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam.
The deals (selected) Fabio Borini Roma, 10.5m Joe Allen Swansea City, 15m Oussama Assaidi Heerenveen, Nuri Sahin Real Madrid, loan Samed Yesil Bayer Leverkusen, 1m Charlie Adam Stoke, 4m Dirk Kuyt Fenerbahce, 1m Craig Bellamy Cardi, free Alberto Aquilani Fiorentina, undisc Maxi Rodriguez Newells Old Boys, free Andy Carroll West Ham, loan Jay Spearing Bolton, loan Fabio Aurelio released, Stephen Derby free, David Amoo Preston, free Toni Silva Barnsley, free

Manchester City
Did they get what they wanted? Not really. Robin van Persie went to Manchester United and Roberto Mancini has spent the summer complaining about Brian Marwood, who controls the City supposedly large transfer budget. The decision to replace Adam Johnson with Scot Sinclair and Nigel de Jong with Jack Rodwell are also somewhat puzzling.
The deals (selected) Jack Rodwell Everton, 15m Scott Sinclair Swansea City, 6.2m Maicon Internazionale, 4m, Richard Wright free Adam Johnson Sunderland, 10m Emmanuel Adebayor Tottenham, 5m Nigel de Jong Milan, undisc Greg Cunningham Bristol City, undisc Ahmed Benali Brescia, free undisc Andrea Mancini Valladolid, undisc Vladimir Weiss Pescara, undsic Owen Hargreaves released

Manchester United
Did they get what they wanted? Yes. Sir Alex Fergusons headline coup for the club and their supporters was undoubtedly Robin van Persies signature, but Shinji Kagawas, the 12m arrival from Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund may prove just as exciting following a more than encouraging start to Japan internationals career at Old Traord.
The deals (selected) Robin Van Persie Arsenal, 23m Shinji Kagawa Borussia Dortmund, 12m Nick Powell Crewe, 4m Alexander Buttner Vitesse Arnhem, 4m Dimitar Berbatov Fulham, 4m Ji-Sung Park QPR, 2m Tomasz Kuszczak Brighton, free Paul Pogba Juventus, undisc Oliver Norwood Hudderseld, free Liam Jacobs Oldham, undisc

Newcastle United
Did they get what they wanted? Sort of but not exactly. Signicantly, Alan Pardew kept his best players but failed to secure long-term targets Matthieu Debuchy, Douglas and Andy Carroll. Vurnon Anita is the sole rst team signing. With Ryan Taylor injured they lack cover at full back and, further forward, will be praying Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba stay t.
The deals (selected) Vurnon Anita Ajax, 6.7m Curtis Good Melbourne Heart, 400,000 Gael Bigirimana Coventry, undisc Romain Amaltano Reima, free Leon Best Blackburn Rovers, 3m Fraser Foster Celtic, 3m Danny Guthrie Reading, free Alan Smith MK Dons, free Tamas Kadar Roda JC, free

Southampton
Did they get what they wanted? Southampton broke their transfer record over the course of the summer, which points to proper ambition to retain their place back in the Premier League. Gastn Ramrez is close to signing and would be an eye-catching addition. Nathaniel Clyne appears a steal, though there may have to be more spending in January if they are to survive.
The deals (selected) Steve Davis Rangers, free Nathaniel Clyne Crystal Palace, 2m Paulo Gazzaniga Gillingham, undisco Emmanuel Mayuka Young Boys, undisco Jay Rodriguez Burnely, 6m Maya Yoshida VVV Venlo Ryan Doble Shrewsbury, free Dan Harding Nottm Forest, undisc Tommy Forecast Gillingham, loan Aaron Martin Crystal Palace, loan Jonathan Forte Crawley, loan Lee Barnard Bournemouth, loan Radhi Jaidi released

Stoke City
Did they get what they wanted? In Tony Puliss eyes, probably not. The Stoke manager used his programme notes last Sunday to stress the importance of strengthening but after years of heavy investment the club has spent carefully. Charlie Adam will add some much needed imagination to mideld while Kightly, if he stays t, promises to be a decent addition.
The deals (selected) Michael Kightly Wolves, 3m Geo Cameron Houston Dynamo, undisco Jamie Ness Rangers, free Charlie Adam Liverpool, 4m Danny Collins Nottm Forest, undisco Jonathan Woodgate Middlesbrough, free Andrew Davies Bradford, free Salif Diao released Ricardo Fuller free Louis Moult Northampton Town, free Tom Soares released

Sunderland
Did they get what they wanted? Martin ONeill wanted to add goals and trickery to his team and did so in the shape of Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson, while also pruning an overblown, poorly balanced, squad. Importantly, the Sunderland manager also persauded the much coveted Stephane Sessegnon to agree a contract extension.
The deals (selected) Adam Johnson Manchester City, 10m Steven Fletcher Wolves, 12m Louis Saha Tottenham, free Carlos Cuellar Aston Villa, free Danny Rose Tottenham, loan Kieran Richardson Sunderland, 2m Marcos Angeleri Estudiantes, undisc Asamoah Gyan Al-Anin, 6m Michael Turner Norwich, undisc George McCartney West Ham, undisc Craig Gordon released Ahmed El-Mohamady Hull City, loan

Swansea City
Did they get what they wanted? Paying 2m for Michu, the highest scoring midelder in La Liga last season, could be the best signing of the summer and there is understandable excitement about the arrival of Ki Sung Yeung and the club-record deal that brought Pablo Hernndez to south Wales on deadline day. Those days at The Vetch feel like a distant memory.
The deals (selected) Michu Rayo Vallencano, 2m Jose Manuel Flores Genoa, 2m Jonathan de Guzman Villarreal, loan Kyle Bartley Arsenal, undisc Jamie Proctor Preston, undisc Ki Sung Yeung Celtic, 5.5m Pablo Hernandez Valencia, 5.5m Joe Allen Liverpool, 15m Scott Sinclair Manchester City, 8m Ferrie Bodde released Casey Thomas released Joe Walsh Crawley, free Scott Donnelly free Andrea Orlandi Brighton, undisc

Tottenham Hotspur
Did they get what they wanted? Tottenham may have lost their creative core during the summer window through the sale of Luka Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart, but Andr VillasBoas will be hoping that new signings Moussa Dembl and Gyl Sigurdsson are more than adequate replacements. Joao Moutinho could also be on his way from Porto.
The deals (selected) Gyl Sigurdsson Hoenheim, 8m Jan Vertonghen Ajax, 10m Emmanuel Adebayor Manchester City, 5m Moussa Dembele Fulham, 15m Luka Modric Real Madrid, 30m Niko Kranjcar Dynamo Kyiv, 5.5m Vedran Corluka Lokomotiv Moscow, undisc Steven Pienaar Everton, 4.5m Sbastien Bassong Norwich, undisc Rafael Van der Vaart Hamburg, 10m Ryan Nelsen QPR, free Louis Saha Sunderland, released

Wright looks wrong but hes not a robot-lizard in an estate agent disguise

Barney Ronay

Football, which has always been weird, seemed to get just a little bit weirder in the dog days of the Premier League transfer window. Perhaps the strangest moment of a slightly fretful summer arrived this week with the news that Manchester City, the richest club in the world, had signed 1990s goalkeeping curiosity Richard Wright. This is a move that seems not so much surprising as unsettling, the kind of transfer that might happen in a slightly confusing dream. In the case of Wright to City it is as though some kind of basic category mistake has been made, like catching a glimpse of a dog wearing a hat, or hearing someone describe in great detail what the colour red smells like, a mid-range Premier League goalkeeping version of that moment in the 1980s when the aged Lets Dance-era David Bowie reappeared at the top of the charts pretending to be a regular guy who wears chinos and sings pop songs, but resembling to the

child weaned on Wham! and Duran Duran a frightening alien robot-lizard disguised as a country estate agent. This is not to denigrate the talented Wright, who seemed for a long time all set to leap into the bovine void left by the delayed retirement of David Seaman at Arsenal. If he now seems less an actual goalkeeper and more a kind of Shed Seven-listening, Tony Blairhigh-ving, Millennium Bug-solving nostalgia item, this is no doubt related to the fact that after a productive start to his career he has averaged little more than 10 games a season over the past decade, most recently leaving Preston North End after ve days due to homesickness. Plus he seems associated with a specic era in English goalkeeping, a generation of itchy, jumpy, pink-faced young men maddened to the point of distraction by the evolution of the keepers role from shamefaced Gollum of last resort into a spangle-shirted

Wright is remembered for falling over a sign warning him of the dangers of warming up in the goalmouth
quarterback, the goalkeeper-athlete with his distribution, his goal somersaults, his self-important sprints downeld. Goalkeepers of his era often seemed prone to calamitous strokes of ill fortune. Wright is remembered for the injury he sustained while warming up in a goalmouth after falling over a sign warning him of the dangers of warming up in the goalmouth. On his England debut he gave away two penalties, the rst of which crossed the line after bouncing in o the back of his head. He

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

clubs fared this summer

A Maicon goal helped Internazionale to the Champions League nal they won in 2010 and he would love to do the same for Manchester City Daniel Dal Zennaro/EPA

Platini lays down law: I want clubs to spend money they have, not what they dont have
Saturday interview
Uefas president stresses the need for prudence and tells Dominic Fifield in Monaco of the possible penalties
The setting seemed rather incongruous. Michel Platini stood Uefa suited and booted on a sun-drenched terrace of a plush Monte Carlo hotel, the Mediterranean lapping gently on the shore of the French Riviera below and luxury yachts drifting across the bay behind. One might have belonged to Roman Abramovich whose Chelsea, fresh from a summer spending spree that skirts 80m, were due to contest the European Super Cup. The scene oozed glitz and glamour and yet it was here, in this money-drenched enclave that boasts the highest number of millionaires per capita in the world, that Uefas president delivered his annual reminder on all things nancial fair play (FFP). The implementation of a scheme rubber-stamped four years ago is under way with the implications of the rules that have attracted most attention, that clubs have to break even, already being felt. We wanted to revolutionise European football when we rst introduced this idea, said the president. We are never going back on this. That mantra was repeated three times as if delivered for the oligarchs, American franchises and sheikhs who have transformed the face of football in recent years. Platini was speaking as clubs across Europe whipped themselves into a frenzy ahead of the closure of the transfer window. There is, Uefa insists, a uniform desire for FFP to work both in terms of ensuring teams meet their existing debts, but also do not overstretch themselves and yet the period since the plans were rst made public has seen the continued spending of Chelsea, the eye-catching emergence of Manchester City and, more recently, Paris St-Germain, as well as clubs across Russia whose outlay on wages and in the transfer market would, at rst glance, appear to y in the face of all things FFP. Those clubs argue they are not spending beyond their means, pointing to commercial revenues and sponsorship deals to justify their considerable clout. But there is also the example of Mlaga, a club purchased by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani of the Qatari royal family and who were heavy spenders last season, only for the owners interest apparently to wane and funds dry up. There have been transfer bans, the threat of legal action over unpaid wages and a player exodus since, with this the kind of meltdown FFP is aimed at preventing. Clubs bought on a whim can be discarded and left to disintegrate just as quickly. It can happen at Mlaga, it has happened at Portsmouth, it can happen everywhere, said Platini. Many people are coming into the game to make business, to make popularity ... some actually love football, but remember Uefa are there to protect [the clubs], not kill them. I just want clubs to spend money they have, not what they dont have. Ive spoken to football directors, chairmen and owners from all over the world, Ive spoken to Manchester Citys owners in Abu Dhabi, and everybody has given their commitment to this plan. Some arent necessarily showing it, but we have been very clear with them. We have put the structure in place to implement these rules. If clubs do not respect the rules, they will get into difficulty, whether they are from France, from Italy, from England, from Georgia ... The sanctions will range from warnings, reprimands and nes, to the deduction of points, disqualification or exclusion from competitions and withdrawal of titles. The break-even rule comes into If clubs do not respect the rules, they will get into diculty, whether they are from France, Italy, England or Georgia, warns Michel Platini effect from the 2014-15 season Uefas club nancial control body is taking into account the nancial years 2012 and 2013 though the other element of FFP, the overdue payments rule where commitments have not been met to players or other clubs for transfers, has been running since last year. The Hungarian club Gyori, AEK Athens and Besiktas are already banned from European competition. Disciplinary procedures are under way against another 27 clubs, who are in the process of being informed. There was a criticism of national associations who allow such mismanagement to occur in their leagues Sometimes the associations dont do their work and we have to come after [them] though the threat of punishment, Platini suggested, is already having an eect. While Chelsea and PSG have poured money into recruitment, the average spend in the last two windows was actually well down on previous years. There was a 36% decrease in the winter window, from 613m (487m) in January 2011 to 393m this year. Indeed, 2012s transfer spend of 2.146bn to 30 August represented only 78% of the 200811 average. Some might put that down to a dicult economic climate. Uefa and its president insist it is the shadow being cast by the imminent new rules. How, then, does a proud Frenchman react to Ligue 1 boasting arguably the richest club in the world given the money PSG has ung at Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi? Im not here to be proud or popular, added Platini. I have to do my job as president of Uefa. We take decisions that apply

Norwich City
Did they get what they wanted? Norwich would have been hoping to bolster their strike force, but having not been able to do so, although keeping Grant Holt at the club could prove as important as a new signing. Other signings, like Alexander Tettey who arrived from Rennes, will strengthen a squad trying to cope with its second season in the top ight.
The deals (selected) Robert Snodgrass Leeds Utd, 3m Sbastien Bassong Tottenham, undisc, Steven Whittaker Rangers, free Alexander Tettey Rennes, undisco Javier Garrido Lazio, loan Michael Turner Sunderland, undisc Jacob Buttereld Barnsley, undisc Ryan Bennett Peterborough, loan Zak Whitbread released, Aaron Wilbrahim released Josh Dawkin released Matt Ball released Andrew Crofts Brighton, undisc Daniel Ayala Nottm Forest, loan

Queens Park Rangers

Did they get what they wanted? In as much as they have virtually added an entirely new squad, with players who have featured heavily in the Premier League. The arrival of Esteban Granero and Julio Cesar are particularly intriguing, even if Rob Green must be crestfallen to have been usurped as No1 already. This squad has huge depth, even if the team feels ung together.
The deals (selected) Rob Green West Ham, free Samba Diakite Nancy, undisc Ji Sung-Park Man Utd, 2m Junior Hoilett Blackburn, tribunal Julio Cesar Internazionale, free Jose Bosingwa Chelsea, free Andy Johnson Fulham, free Ryan Nelsen Blackburn, free Esteben Granero Real Madrid, undisc Stephane Mbia Marseille, undisc Fabio da Silva Man Utd, loan Paddy Kenny Leeds Utd, 400,000 Fitz Hall Watford, free Rowan Vine St Johnstone, free

Reading
Did they get what they wanted? Pretty much and they also did their business early, enabling Brian McDermott, the Reading manager, to integrate the new signings during pre-season. Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak is the most eye-catching while Garath McCleary has the potential to be the best free transfers of this window.
The deals (selected) Chris Gunter Nottm Forest, 2.5m Adrian Mariappa Watford, undisc Pierce Sweeney Bray Wanderers, undisc Pavel Pogrebnyak Fulham, free Danny Guthrie Newcastle, free Garath McCleary Nottingham Forest, free Nicky Shorey WBA, free Stuart Taylor Manchester City, free Micail Antonio Sheeld Wed, undisc Tomasz Cywka Barnsley, free Brian Howard Portsmouth, free Andy Grin released Joseph Mills Burnley, loan

We wanted to revolutionise European football when we introduced this idea. We are never going back on this
for English, French and Russian clubs. Perhaps I will be unpopular [in France], but they will respect me. Anyway, you think people in Paris think about nancial fair play and PSG? Most people in Paris dont even know theres a club in Paris Its not London. This is France. Its dierent, even if people are surprised at the amount of money PSG are paying the players. They are not used to that. That sense of shock will apply to those clubs who fail to comply in the years ahead. The message from Monaco was clear.

West Ham United

Did they get what they wanted? Sam Allardyce has overhauled his Championship play-o winning squad but it has been the loan signing of Andy Carroll that has quickened the pulses at West Ham. In the striker, the club have a rough diamond and with Matt Jarvis bought to add threat from wide areas, there is the sense of optimism. Carroll could make the dierence.
The deals (selected) Matt Jarvis Wolves, 10.75m George McCartney Sunderland, free Jussi Jaaskelainen Bolton, free Modibo Maiga Sochaux, 4.7m Mohamed Diame Wigan, free James Collins Aston Villa, 2.5m Alou Diarra Marseille, 2m Andy Carroll Liverpool, loan Rob Green QPR, free Freddie Sears Colchester, free Abdoulaye Faye Hull, free Julien Fauberte Elazigspor, free John Carew released, Sam Baldock Bristol City, 1.1m

West Bromwich Albion

Did they get what they wanted? It could hardly have gone much better at The Hawthorns. Ben Fosters permanent signing was tied up quickly and the club look to have unearthed another gem in Claudio Yacob, who arrived on a free. Roman Lukaku has arrived with a point to prove and has given Steve Clarke, the manager, plenty of forward options this season .
The deals (selected) Ben Foster Birmingham City, undisc Markus Rosenberg Werder Bremen, free Claudio Yacob Racing Club de Avellaneda, free Romelu Lukaku Chelsea, loan Yassine El Ghanassy AA Gent, loan Keith Andrews Bolton, free Joe Mattock Sheeld Wed, free Nicky Shorey Reading, free Somen Tchoyi released Martin Fulop Asteras Tripoli, free Paul Scharner Hamburg, free Simon Cox Nottm Forest, undisc

Wigan Athletic
Did they get what they wanted? Roberto Martinez claims to be satised with Wigans work and the quality of their additions certainly justies that stance. Losing Victor Moses, who was crucial to the clubs impressive form last season, is a major loss, however. There is risk in where the creativity will come from in a squad that has lost a lot of Premier League experience.
The deals (selected) Fraser Fyvie Aberdeen, undisc Ivan Ramis Real Mallorca, 4.5m Arouna Kone Levante, 4.5m Ryo Miyaichi Arsenal, loan Victor Moses Chelsea, 9m Conor Sammon Derby County, 1.2m Hugo Rodallega Fulham, free Mohamed Diame West Ham, free Steve Gohouri Maccabi Tel Aviv, free Chris Kirkland Sheeld Wed, free Henry Thomas Colorado Rapids, free

also suered a serious injury after falling out of his loft hatch at home, something I remember with a sense of distant kinship because I have also fallen out of my loft hatch and it is an unnerving experience, creating in that moment of freefall a sense of having been betrayed on some basic level by the oor. Perhaps Wright, as he fell, also grabbed uselessly at a piece of yellow foam ceiling insulation, shredding it into horrible feathery strips and creating a mist of falling grit and bres that stung his eyes and tickled his throat as he lay splayed on the carpet thinking: This exact same thing happened to that goalkeeper. Richard Wright. Wright is not the only unexpected new arrival this summer. Jack Rodwell is providing a mini-Yaya presence in the revolving arm-wrestle of Citys mideld. Rodwell remains a slightly confusing player, an almost-prodigy of wonderful semi-talent who looks fantastic and runs around nicely but doesnt seem

to do anything you can put your nger on, performing most noticeably in the thrusting mideld run-hulk role or more defensively as a non-specic central trot-about, all the while harbouring ambitions of performing as a high spec central mooch-about. Scott Sinclair has arrived from Swansea to provide occasional midweek jink-relief, and beyond that to reinforce the sense of Citys money being spent rather frugally this summer, like the kind of cobwebbed ancestral millionaire who emerges every fortnight in yellowing tweeds and spends 4,000 on cat food and candles. Of course all three have something else in common. They are Englishreared, thereby assisting in the annual rejig required by Premier League rules on homegrown players. Before Wright City had seven in their likely rst-team squad, one short of the required eight. From this perspective Wrights oneyear contract is a canny deadline-week investment, defusing at a stroke the

need to panic-negotiate any last-minute bids for English players and perhaps shaving a little o the Sinclair deal. Some have suggested Citys low key signings are an indication of a fatal stodginess in the relationship between Brian Marwood and Roberto Mancini. By now they were supposed to have towed an iceberg into dock, cloned William Shakespeare, lassoed the sun, announced the immediate capture of the vast parmesan cheese deposits of Mars. Instead they have tinkered with the base-notes, adding depth and a little regulatory compliance. For now they have two ne young English players and the summeroddity Wright, who may yet end up experiencing a dramatic late-career renaissance. But who deserves his own entry in the transfer lexicon as the Memorabilia Signing: a bargaining tool, a regulatory shemozzle, and another peculiar entry in the Premier Leagues own grand shark-eyed scal odyssey.

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Sport

Rugby union Aviva Premiership

Distracted Hamilton vague over McLaren future as contract remains unsigned

No agreement but driver expected to stay with team Immediate focus on repeat of 2010 Belgian success
Motor racing Paul Weaver Spa-Francorchamps
Lewis Hamilton is still some distance from nalising a new contract with McLaren, even though his old ve-year deal has only four months to run. Hamilton has been back to his best form this season, after a tumultuous 2011, but, though he and his employers were expected to reach agreement during the summer break that ends with tomorrows Belgian Grand Prix, the two sides remain contractually estranged. When asked yesterday whether there was a sticking point the driver revealed: There are lots of things. You never just sign a contract thats given to you. Most of the time its shit. There are still lots of factors to be taken into account. And when asked whether he saw himself at McLaren next year, Hamilton sounded even more vague. He said: I dont see myself anywhere at the moment. I really dont because it is dicult to picture what is going to happen in the future. It is quite a dicult, interesting time in Formula One at the moment. If the rules were to stay the same for the next ve years it would make the decision a lot easier. But you dont know what is going to happen because in 2014 the rule regulations change quite heavily. So you dont know what is going to be the place. In the end you have to take a gamble on that, though, dont you, and I am not much of a gambler. I always lose money at the casino! Leaving McLaren, though, may be a gamble too far for Hamilton, 27, who has been with the team since he was 13, and the two sides are likely to reach agreement later in the year, possibly October. Reduced to its simplest terms, the driver has nowhere else to go and McLaren cannot sign a better driver. The most likely alternative targets for Hamiltons negotiators Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes do not have a vacancy. Ferrari may have one for someone else, because Felipe Massa is still driving on very thin tarmac, being 139 points behind his team-mate, Fernando Alonso, in the standings. But the thought of a Hamilton-Alonso reunion after their troubled pairing at McLaren in 2007 does not feel a plausible one. It is possible that Hamilton and McLaren might already have clinched a deal but for the recent death of an aunt on his fathers side, Diane. Hamilton added: Right now its just personal, family stuff that is holding it up, mostly. Ive had a lot to think about the last couple of weeks so Ive put it o. And probably the next week or so I wont be thinking about it. But after that there are discussions. At the moment the driver is more focused on repeating his 2010 success here. Since the German Grand Prix McLaren have had a highly competitive car. Lotus should also do well here and, though Alonsos Ferrari was expected to be compromised by the long straights and the fast corners, the recent rain will have encouraged him. Meanwhile Michael Schumacher will be happy merely to complete his 300th race. He has had six DNFs in 11 races, more than any other driver, and yesterday was ned 2,000 for a pitlane infringement during the second practice session. Both sessions were badly hit by heavy rain. Saubers Kamui Kobayashi set the fastest time in the morning and he was followed by Pastor Maldonado and Daniel Ricciardo. But some drivers did not go out until the last 40 minutes. It never stopped raining after lunch and the second session was almost a complete washout, with only 18 drivers coming out, none of whom put in a ying lap.

Exiles eager to prove they are at home in Oxford and the top ight

Promoted only after a legal win, London Welsh know more tough battles start at Leicester tomorrow, writes Paul Rees

London Welsh start their rst campaign in the Premiership against Leicester tomorrow at their new ground in Oxford, the city where, 127 years ago, the forward TE Jones scored the clubs rst try, a few months after a group of Welshmen meeting in a Fleet Street hotel decided to set up a team to play a few matches a year, most of them on a tour of their homeland. The new clubs battle for survival was no less hazardous than their route to the Premiership last season, when they not only had to come through the regular season in the Championship and prevail in an arduous series of play-os but then get through the obstacle course known as the minimum standards criteria (MSC). The problem was the primacy of tenure regulation, which London Welsh were breaching by proposing to play their Premiership matches at the Kassam Stadium; their Old Deer Park ground would have failed other criteria, not least those relating to capacity and oodlighting. The club overcame this hurdle with the help of an appeals panel made up of three QCs, whose judgment was that the primacy of tenure regulation should apply equally to those clubs in the top ight and to anyone seeking membership. Promotion was not even a whispered dream at Old Deer Park in the summer of

Spa-Francorchamps
Cockwise Eau Rouge Pit lane Raidillon Turn 6 Malmedy La Source Start/Finish Bus Stop Blanchimont Turn 16 Rivage Turn 12 Fagnes Pouhon Kemmel straight Les Combes

Stavelot Curve Paul Frere

No of laps 44 Lap length 4.35 miles Race distance 191.410 miles Fastest lap 1m 45.108s K Raikkonen, McLaren, 2004 First used 1925

World championship races 67 Most wins Ferrari (16) Pole position last year S Vettel, Red Bull Winner last year S Vettel, Red Bull

Weather forecast

18

Sport in brief
Cycling

Cummings wins Vuelta stage

Britains Stephen Cummings won the 13th stage of the Vuelta a Espaa yesterday and Joaquim Rodrguez maintained his overall lead ahead of a weekend of mountain climbs. Cummings broke o from the leading pack with four kilometres to the nish in the 172.8km (107.4-mile) leg. The Briton nished in 4hr 5min 2sec, while Cameron Meyer of Australia and Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain were four seconds behind. The German cyclist John Degenkolb, who has four stage wins, was seventh as the peloton crossed 40 seconds back. Rodrguez remains 13 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador and 51 seconds ahead of Christopher Froome after all three crossed the line with the peloton.

Todays stage features ve mountain climbs including a steep nish. AP Rugby league The forward Steve Snitch will join an exodus of players from Castleford after the club conrmed he would be leaving at the end of the season. The former Wakeeld and Hudderseld player, who was not oered a new contract by the Tigers, is moving to Australia, where he is expected to play in the Queensland Cup. Snitch is one of eight departures from the Probiz Coliseum. Danny Orr, Ryan Hudson and Nick Youngquest are all retiring while Paul Jackson, Stuart Jones, Josh Grin and Joe Arundel will continue their careers elsewhere. The club have already bid farewell to the winger Rhys Williams, who has returned to Warrington following the completion of his loan spell, while the second-row Lee Mitchell, who is also on loan from the Wolves, has yet to be oered a new deal. PA Cricket Chris Jones claimed his maiden rstclass wicket on a turgid nal day of the County Championship match between Somerset and Surrey at Taunton and it happened to be Kevin Pietersen. The 21-year-old bowled two overs of o-spin after lunch as the hosts tried to tempt Surrey into making a game of it with some declaration bowling and succeeded in having Pietersen caught at short cover for 58. It was a rare moment of interest as the visitors settled for nine points by batting all day from an overnight 58 without loss to close on 305 for ve declared. PA front the Heineken Cup which will test his resources. Last season 5th Guardian prediction 5th

Team guide Exeter look to dream on while Cipriani awakens Sale

Bath
Head coach Gary Gold Expect something very dierent this season. The Bath way has not won much silverware of late so their ambitious owner, Bruce Craig, has turned to the disciplined South African approach of Gold one of the coaches associated with that great Springbok era between 2007 and 2010. Last season Bath were probably a coach short. This time Gold has a galaxy in tow, plus a trainer in Allan Ryan who will guarantee peak tness word is that pre-season has been tough. There have been a couple of clever front-row signings in Paul James from the Ospreys and Rob Webber of Wasps. Last season 8th Guardian prediction 8th

Gloucester
Head coach Nigel Davies Add Llanelli air to the Gloucester ethos and the result could be potent. Davies, a coach whose Llanelli teams always seemed to gure in try-ofthe-season footage, takes over from the more disciplined Bryan Redpath. Import Billy Twelvetrees from Leicester to play outside the y-half Freddie Burns plus the former All Black No9 Jimmy Cowan to feed the ammunition to a lightning back line and Kingsholm should be an exciting place. Familiar faces like Luke Narraway, Al Strokosch and Rory Lawson have moved on but, like his coach, Ben Morgan has joined from the Scarlets. Last season 8th Guardian prediction 7th
G L O U C E S T E R

Exeter
Head coach Rob Baxter Can the dream continue? Why not? In fact I see no reason why the third season in the Premiership should not be the best yet. Given the wonderful rugby catchment area at Baxters disposal, plus two good feeder clubs in Plymouth Albion and Cornish Pirates, a great match-day experience, the coachs ability to tease the best out players like James Scaysbrook and Haydn Thomas, plus seemingly sound nances, there is no reason why Exeter should not become a power in the land. However, this time Baxter has to ght on a new

Harlequins
Head coach Conor OShea The champions will be the team to beat and the burden will be greater. OShea

Stephen Cummings broke away to win the Tour of Spains 13th stage

Shaun Edwards

Leicesters heritage should reboot the England ambitions of Miles Benjamin

England v South Africa ODI, page 10

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

2009, even though a few months earlier a plan had been drawn up with the aim of delivering Premiership rugby by 2012. A pending court case prevents the details of what happened then being recounted, but one of London Welshs most famous sons, the former Lions and Wales anker John Taylor who is now the clubs managing director, feared for a few weeks that the Exiles, regarded in the early 1970s as the best club team in the world, would fold. We thought we had investment not only to wipe out our debts but provide us with the means to plan getting out of the Championship, Taylor says. There was a period I feared we would be unable to pay the wages and be relegated to the bottom of the league system. If it were not for Kelvin Bryon [a former chairman and the principal investor] we may have folded. It was a horribly tough few weeks. London Welsh went into administration but came out of it within a month. The

I feared we would be unable to pay the wages. It was a horribly tough few weeks

club has only been fully professional for a year, opting before that to settle for life in the second tier, lacking the resources to sustain a push for Premiership status. The early years of league rugby from 1987 had been cruel to the Exiles: at one point they found themselves in Division Five (South), but after Clive Griths joined as coach in the late 1990s they started the climb back. At the start of the 1970s, they had supplied seven players to the Lions squad that won a Test series in New Zealand for the rst time, Taylor among them. There was a season when, putting a couple of players out of position, we could eld a team of full internationals, he says. We had the likes of Gerald Davies, Mervyn Davies, JPR Williams and John Dawes and there was one year when we won the three merit tables organised by a newspaper, English, Welsh and Anglo-Welsh. To play for the team then you either had to be Welsh, or of Welsh descent or to have spent at least a season with a club in Wales. When the rule was breached in 1976 to allow Neil Bennett, an English yhalf who played seven times for his country, to become an Exile it provoked a revolt of members. Bennett had been provided with a game at Colwyn Bay to facilitate his membership the committee had discre-

tionary powers but it was called o and he ended up playing for the reserves. The rule no longer applies in the professional era, but as a club we have resolved that we will always have Welshness at our core, Taylor says. London Irish have largely abandoned that principle, but we will not: it is important to us. We have a number of Welsh players, our head coach, Lyn Jones, is Welsh, and so are many of our administrators. We have dual membership of the Welsh and English rugby unions, but we play in England and some of our supporters are not Welsh. The decision to play in Oxford did not garner overwhelming support from the clubs fans, but a decision had to be made quickly to meet the MSC deadline and there was no alternative in the London area. Coaches will be provided tomorrow morning from outside Old Deer Park and the London Welsh club in Grays Inn Road. Also, in the early years, followers of the club were peripatetic. Raynes Park, Balham, Kensal Rise, Cricklewood, Holloway, Hornsey, Hampstead, Acton, Hendon, west Kensington, Leyton, West Ham, Wandsworth and Herne Hill were all home for at least one season until the club moved into Old Deer Park in 1957. If we had not signed an agreement with the owners of the Kassam Stadium,

Making the grade

Sides who have been promoted from the Championship have had mixed fortunes in their rst season in the Premiership but most have survived Harlequins 2006-07 7th A solid return, scoring same number of tries (50) as champions Gloucester Leeds 2007-08 12th (relegated) Manage only two wins and 12 points from a disappointing campaign Northampton 2008-09 8th Ten league wins keep Saints up thanks to Stephen Mylers boot Leeds 2009-10 10th Tykes stay up despite scoring the fewest points and tries Exeter 2010-11 8th Stay up in their rst year then go on to nish fth last term Worcester 2011-12 10th Score lowest number of points but do just enough to survive

we would not have been promoted, Taylor says. We had to find a ground that no one in Premiership Rugby could complain about. What happens in the future remains to be seen: if we remain in the Premiership, negotiating to buy the Kassam would be an option. Oxford is a rich, if uncultivated, rugby area and we need to expand our fan base. London Welshs promotion was only conrmed two months ago, leaving Jones with little time to recruit players. His biggest signing, Gavin Henson, suffered a cheekbone fracture in a friendly against Scarlets last weekend after an accidental clash of heads and will miss the opening six weeks of the campaign. Gavin is due a change in fortune, Taylor says. He has been on the training ground this week and he is keen to do well. What we have to do this season is show that we can compete up front. We are under no illusions about what faces us and if we can hold our own in the scrum, it will give us a base. We have not come up to go straight back down and the likes of Lyn Jones do not contemplate failure. We fought long and hard to get here and our aim is to remain: Leicester will give us a good idea of where we stand. Oxford will be a city of learning for the Exiles.

London Welsh, left, celebrate promotion against the Cornish Pirates the Exiles Max Lahi in action in that game, far right. John Taylor, right, wants to keep the clubs Welshness with signings such as Gavin Henson Paul Harding/Action Images; Jan Kruger/Getty

has not gone heavily into the transfer market and increased Test demands will reect last seasons success. It is also worth remembering last seasons ying start while some players were away at the World Cup. However, Quins have an academy that provides depth the second XV are always a tough nut and you have to admire the way they stick by their values. Teams unfamiliar with success have been known to panic and tighten up at the sharp end of the season. Quins, after a tense semi-nal, took their short-passing game through to a ne win in the Grand Final. Last season Champions Guardian prediction 2nd

London Irish
Head coach Brian Smith Like a handful of clubs below the big three or four and above London Welsh and perhaps Worcester, London Irish start the season unsure what the months up to Christmas hold. Some old heads like Nick Kennedy, Bob Casey, Delon Armitage, Kieran Roche and Faan Rautenbach have left and we could also have done without the pre-season injury to Joe Ansbro, who is important to our defensive plans. However, Smith is back and has made some bright signings. He is determined that youth is the way to go and he has been right before. Last season 7th Guardian prediction 10th

London Welsh
Head coach Lyn Jones Sides promoted from the Championship are always dealt a dicult hand, but London Welsh suered more than most from the delays that going to law caused. They won that battle and they are going to need to win a lot more to stay up. Most of Joness transfer targets will have gone elsewhere but he has done well snapping up Sonny Parker and Neil Briggs and deserved better luck than a fractured cheek after going for Gavin Henson. He is someone Ive always rated because he has always done well by me, never being anything less than professional. Last season Promoted Guardian prediction 12th

Northampton
Head coach Jim Mallinder Must be looking for a home semi-nal at the very least. Up front they have a huge set piece and the new boy Dominic Waldouck, whose career has stalled over the past couple of seasons, will thrive on quality ball. Saints problem since Paul Grayson retired has been continuity at y-half, the job being shared again last season by Ryan Lamb and Stephen Myler. Sides who succeed tend to have continuity at half-back. That said, they gave Harlequins a fright in the semi-nal last season and were very much in the game until the death. Last season 4th Guardian prediction 4th

Saracens
Head coach Mark McCall Saracens will see plenty of the world Twickenham, Salford, Wembley, Murrayeld, and even the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels before they settle in their new home at Hendon. Thats not until mid-February and, for a side who pride themselves on doing the little things well, its adding to the burden. They will also miss Andy Farrell but against that they have signed Chris Ashton, the best support player in world rugby, and Charlie Hodgsons decision to give up Test rugby wont hurt. When others are away on international duty, having a Test No10 available every week is good news. Last season 3rd Guardian prediction 3rd

Leicester
Head coach Richard Cockerill One of the few predictions Im prepared to make about this season is that Leicester will be involved in the Grand Final. But when arent they? They have strengths in important areas like tighthead prop that other clubs would die for and have been clever in the transfer market. Once the World Cup was out of their system, Leicester were close to unbeatable last season, scoring 70 tries. That was 17 more than Harlequins and suggests a heritage that should reboot new boy Miles Benjamins England ambitions. Mind you, there were also times Ulster, Clermont and the Grand Final when their defence needed attention. Last season 2nd Guardian prediction Champions

London Wasps
Head coach Dai Young No excuses this time. The squad are really strong, particularly in the back row and I can see them back in the top six and qualifying for the Heineken Cup. Rob Hoadleys move to coach in Japan was a loss but a second-row partnership of Marco Wentzel and Tom Palmer should guarantee plenty of lineout steals. The arrival of Stephen Jones, such a positive person, is good news for everyone at Wasps but particularly those on a learning curve. A couple of early wins and Christian Wade back on song when he plays Wasps tend to win and who knows? Last season 11th Guardian prediction 9th

Sale
Head coach Bryan Redpath Rugby thrives on its characters, which is one of many reasons to welcome the return of Danny Cipriani after two seasons with Melbourne. Sale have never been easy to beat on a Friday night under lights but with a new stadium and players like Cipriani and a potential Lion such as Richie Gray there is every reason to suggest a real head of steam building in the north-west. The chemistry will be interesting. Redpath, back where he played, likes a disciplined style but Cipriani, with the comfort of Dwayne Peel inside him, will want to be less predictable. Last season 5th Guardian prediction 6th

Worcester
Head coach Richard Hill If having Phil Larder around to coach defence was the secret to safety last season, then word is that Mathieu Rourre may be the man to do the trick this time by adding more repower. With Phil Vickery and Nigel Redman looking after the forwards, Rourre, a long-time friend of Hill and once coach of France Under-19s, has been called in to inspire Worcesters underachieving attack who, to compound things, have also lost two talented wings in Marcel Garvey and Miles Benjamin. Last season 10th Guardian prediction 11th

The chemistry between Danny Cipriani and Bryan Redpath will be key at Sale

10

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

Sport

Morgan provides the magic as England return to top of the world

Cricket Andy Wilson The Oval
South Africa 211 England 212-6

Robsons American dream goes on as defeat of Li sets up a meeting with Stosur

Tennis Kevin Mitchell Flushing Meadows
Laura Robson, playing with the freedom and aws of her tender years, delivered the biggest win by a British woman in more than 20 years when she advanced to the fourth round of the US Open here with a three-sets win over the No9 seed, Li Na. It took her two hours and 25 minutes to overcome the former French Open champion 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 in a stiing Louis Armstrong Stadium and she next plays the Australian Sam Stosur, the defending champion. It does not get any easier nor should it. Robson, a junior girls champion at Wimbledon at 14, is nally in the big time. Afterwards she said her plan had just been to take on her shots. I knew if I kept sticking with her and playing my shots it might pay o and it did, she said. I had a few break points early on and I gave them up with average returning, so when I got a chance I knew I had to go for it. Shes a great hitter. Im going to go back to the gym and try to recover for the next match. Ive been injured loads in the past and this is my rst time injury free. Thats the biggest improvement and dierence. Stosur, moments after her more straightforward 7-6, 6-2 win over the American Varvara Lep chenko said: I have never played Laura before. Shes obviously full of condence and had two very, very good wins. Denitely I cant go into that match lightly. I have to go out there and be on my game and ready to play some good tennis. She hasnt been at too many tournaments where Ive been able to watch her, so I have to do some homework and talk to my coach. It can be tricky playing someone [on a hot streak]. Shes got nothing to lose, after two of the best wins of her career. Shes starting to live up to the potential people have talked about from when she won junior Wimbledon when she was 14. I cant go into it lightly. She will come out swinging. Chinas Li was less forthcoming in defeat. She acknowledged Robson had played well but, equally, thought her own game was not where it should be. She did agree, however, that Robson could break into the top 10 if she keeps playing like that. Robson is the first British woman to go this deep in a major since Sam Smith at Wimbledon in 1998, and the rst here since Jo Durie in 1991. Coming after her victory over the former world No1 Kim Clijsters on Wednesday, when she sent the Belgian into retirement a valiant loser, Robson is at the peak of her young powers. These are fantastic achievements and she is still only 18, a relative baby on the Tour. Her promise glistens more brightly by the day. Andy Murray, meanwhile, faces Feliciano Lpez in the mens third round tonight. The Spaniard knows he has a monumental task to shift Murray out of the picture here. It is as if all the good points in his game serve, speed, willingness to go forward are automatically negated by Murrays guile. That was certainly the way it went when they collided here in 2011, Murray hitting a pitch of perfection. For Lpez, though, the history goes deeper than even that humiliation. I remember he played a great match at Wimbledon [that year] at a time when I was playing my best tennis, having beaten [Andy] Roddick and some good players. He found a way to return my serve pretty easy, although it was a bit of a dierent match in New York. It was really windy and I didnt play my best. I just hope to play much better. It is only one year ago, so I dont think that anything has changed that much.

England won by four wickets

Alastair Cook could have asked for no more in his rst game as the undisputed on-eld leader of English cricket. Tossing the coin in Englands blue one-day kit may have been nothing new for him, but the retirement of Andrew Strauss on the other side of the river 49 hours earlier ensured that Cook would be the centre of attention, and for all the right reasons after a return to the top of the world oneday international rankings with this rst victory over South Africa in any form of cricket this summer. It was thoroughly comprehensive and impressive, even if South Africa allowed the standards they have been setting in recent weeks to slip. But Englands bowlers, especially Jade Dernbach and Ravi Bopara, deserved much of the credit for that. So Cooks inability to get o the mark for 18 balls when he launched Englands reply was nothing to worry about it would be very early days for the burdens of Test captaincy to be wearing him down. His dismissal for 20 from 47 balls, lofting a long hop from Robin Petersen to deep mid wicket, was more of a concern, especially when Bopara then wasted a review in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid falling for a ve-ball duck, leaving England on 64 for three in the 18th over. But Eoin Morgans response was magical and magnicent. On a slow pitch which had favoured nagging medium pace rather than strokeplay, he nudged, carved and occasionally danced down the pitch with courage and invention. In scoring 35 of the rst 50 he added with Jonathan Trott in only 34 balls, he had already ensured that the pressure was lifted. By the time he was dismissed, for 73 from 67 balls, Trott had contributed only 31 to a fourth-wicket stand of 108 inside 20 overs. But he had also done his job perfectly, with only another 40 required and more than 11 overs remaining he felt for one o the bowling of Wayne Parnell and got a thin edge through to the wicketkeeper, AB de Villiers. James Anderson claimed the best g-

Eoin Morgan drives back past the bowler as South Africas AB de Villiers looks on at The Oval. Morgan made 73 from 67 balls Jed Leicester/Action Images ures of South Africas innings, mopping up the last three wickets in the space of eight balls to end with four for 44 having become only the second England player, behind Darren Gough, to take 100 wickets in home one-day internationals when he bowled Graeme Smith in his opening spell. But it was Dernbach, a Surrey teammate of Kevin Pietersens who probably arouses similar feelings among Straussloving traditionalists with his collection of tattoos, a South African birthplace and an in-your-face attitude, who did the real damage. The tourists had cruised serenely to 73 for one in the 17th over, with Hashim Amla picking up where he had left o in their Test win at The Oval by gliding to 43 from 51 balls with the combination of stealth and skill with which the England bowlers have become wearily familiar. Then Dernbach, who had been called into the team in place of Tim Bresnan for only his second appearance of the summer, switched to the Vauxhall End and bowled Amla with his rst delivery - a nipbacker that darted between bat and pad as Amla worked to leg, and clattered into the stumps o the thinnest of inside edges. There was an even more spectacular Dernbach dismissal to follow, even if the victim was not quite as prized. Its not an original gag, but Dean Elgar really was confounded by one of the variations which make Dernbach such a potent, if occasionally exasperating, one-day bowler a beautifully disguised slower ball that also wobbled back through the left-handers gate. Wayne Parnell, another left-hander, edged another good one that left him slightly o the pitch to give Dernbach his third victim, and leave South Africa scrambling for a defendable total, even on this slow pitch, at 155 for six. Boparas continued selection ahead of Jonny Bairstow has provoked a few murmurs given his struggle for runs since he returned from the personal problems that led to his withdrawal from the last two Tests against South Africa. But here is was a huge asset.

Laura Robson became the rst Briton to reach the US Open last 16 in 21 years

Results and cricket scoreboard

Cricket
THIRD ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL

Somerset v Surrey
Taunton Somerset (8pts) drew with Surrey (9). Surrey First innings 317 (KP Pietersen 163; SI Mahmood 4-62). Somerset First innings 294 (PD Trego 92, JC Hildreth 85, CR Jones 50; M Kartik 4-70, SC Meaker 4-75). Surrey Second innings (overnight 58-0) RJ Burns c Barrow b Dockrell ............................... 60 ZS Ansari c Trescothick b Mahmood ..................... 39 A Harinath not out ........................................... 105 KP Pietersen c Barrow b Jones............................. 58 Z de Bruyn c Trescothick b Dockrell ..................... 18 JJ Roy b Mahmood .............................................. 28 GC Wilson not out............................................. 30 Extras (b8, lb10, nb4)......................................... 22 Total (for 5, 95.4 overs) .................................... 360 Fall 102, 118, 195, 232, 287. Did not bat *GJ Batty, M Kartik, SC Meaker, J Lewis. Bowling Trego 16.4-59-57-0; Kirby 12-2-33-0; Dockrell 37-6-129-2; Mahmood 17-4-45-2; Suppiah 1-0-2-0; Thomas 6-1-16-0; Hildreth 2-0-30-0; Jones 2-0-17-1; Buttler 2-0-11-0.

GM Andrew c Berg b Crook.................................. 26 A Richardson run out ........................................... 0 Extras (b5, lb1) .................................................... 6 Total (62.4 overs)............................................. 186 Fall cont 63, 95, 100, 106, 143, 186. Bowling Murtagh 16-1-52-1; Roland-Jones 20-5-46-5; Crook 14.4-2-47-2; Patel 12-1-35-1. Middlesex Second innings SD Robson c Ali b Andrew ................................... 35 *CJL Rogers lbw b Richardson ............................ 15 JL Denly c Cox b Ali............................................. 48 SP Crook c Kervezee b Russell.............................. 30 DJ Malan c Hughes b Ali ...................................... 22 GK Berg not out.................................................. 26 NJ Dexter not out ............................................... 15 Extras (lb10, nb4) .............................................. 14 Total (for 5, 45.1 overs) .................................... 205 Fall 21, 98, 102, 152, 172. Did not bat AM Rossington, TS Roland-Jones, TJ Murtagh, RH Patel. Bowling Richardson 18-4-64-1; Russell 10.1-2-39-1; Ali 10-0-49-2; Andrew 5-0-34-1; Leach 2-0-9-0. Warwickshire Sussex Nottinghamshire Middlesex Somerset Durham Surrey Lancashire Worcestershire P W 14 5 14 5 14 4 15 4 14 3 15 4 14 2 14 1 14 1 L D Bt 1 8 38 3 6 26 1 9 25 4 7 28 1 10 28 5 6 17 4 8 20 4 9 21 6 7 16 Bl 39 35 37 36 39 42 37 30 40 Pts 181 159 153 149 145 137 111 94 93

Glamorgan v Northamptonshire
Swalec Stadium Glamorgan (8pts) drew with Northamptonshire (6). Northamptonshire First innings 432-8 dec (NJ OBrien 182, AG Wakely 75, D Murphy 54). Glamorgan First innings WD Bragg st Murphy b De Lange .......................... 26 NA James b Keogh .............................................. 36 SJ Walters b Hall ................................................ 98 MJ North c Wakely b Hall .................................... 57 BJ Wright st Murphy b Daggett .............................. 5 J Allenby not out ................................................ 46 *MA Wallace not out ........................................ 21 Extras (b1, lb10, nb2)......................................... 13 Total (for 5 dec, 100.5 overs) ............................ 302 Fall 45, 73, 164, 177, 278. Did not bat JAR Harris, GG Wagg, DA Cosker, HT Waters. Bowling Brooks 24-6-70-0; Daggett 22-6-69-1; De Lange 19-8-51-1; Keogh 20-5-69-1; Hall 15.5-5-32-2.

England v South Africa

The Oval England beat South Africa by four wickets. South Africa HM Amla b Dernbach .......................................... 43 GC Smith b Anderson .......................................... 18 D Elgar b Dernbach ............................................. 42 *AB de Villiers c Bell b Tredwell ........................ 28 F du Plessis b Bopara ............................................ 1 JP Duminy c Bell b Tredwell ................................ 33 WD Parnell c Kieswetter b Dernbach .................... 13 RJ Peterson not out............................................ 23 DW Steyn b Anderson ........................................... 1 M Morkel b Anderson ............................................ 7 LL Tsotsobe lbw b Anderson .................................. 0 Extras (lb1, w1) ................................................... 2 Total (46.4 overs)............................................. 211 Fall 50, 73, 120, 122, 141, 155, 195, 203, 211. Bowling Anderson 9.4-0-44-4; Finn 8-0-42-0; Dernbach 9-0-44-3; Bopara 10-1-31-1; Tredwell 10-0-49-2. England *AN Cook c Elgar b Peterson ............................... 20 IR Bell lbw b Steyn .............................................. 12 IJL Trott c de Villiers b Parnell ............................. 71 RS Bopara c de Villiers b Morkel............................. 0 EJG Morgan c & b Peterson ................................. 73 C Kieswetter run out ........................................ 14 SR Patel not out ................................................. 13 JC Tredwell not out ............................................. 1 Extras (lb1, w6, nb1) ............................................ 8 Total (for 6, 48 overs) ....................................... 212 Fall 14, 61, 64, 172, 189, 207. Did not bat JM Anderson, JW Dernbach, ST Finn. Bowling Steyn 7-0-32-1; Tsotsobe 7-0-55-0; Morkel 10-1-41-1; Parnell 10-1-23-1; Peterson 10-0-39-2; Elgar 4-0-21-0. Toss South Africa elected to bat. Umpires HDPK Dharmasena (Sri) and RA Kettleborough (Eng). SECOND TEST MATCH (rst day of ve) Bangalore New Zealand 328-6 (LRPL Taylor 113, CFK van Wyk 63no, MJ Guptill 53; PP Ojha 4-90) v India. SECOND ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL Abu Dhabi Australia 248-9 (MEK Hussey 61; Saeed Ajmal 4-32) v Pakistan (innings break). LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP Division One (nal day of four)

Did not bat JK Fuller, *HJH Marshall, DM Housego, IA Cockbain, JMR Taylor, JN Batty, AJ Ireland, WRS Gidman, LC Norwell. Bowling Gale 5-0-71-0; Lyth 5-0-88-0. Yorkshire Second innings A Lyth c Norwell b Ireland ................................... 40 JE Root c Housego b Norwell ............................... 43 PA Jaques c Cockbain b Fuller .............................. 79 *AW Gale c Marshall b Taylor............................... 14 GS Ballance c Cockbain b Taylor ............................ 5 A McGrath not out .............................................. 76 AJ Hodd lbw b Gidman ........................................ 8 AU Rashid c Batty b Gidman ................................ 10 Azeem Raq c Fuller b Norwell............................ 24 SA Patterson not out ............................................ 0 Extras (lb5, w2, nb10) ........................................ 17 Total (for 8, 81.2 overs) .................................... 316 Fall 72, 119, 159, 183, 205, 245, 267, 312. Did not bat Moin Ashraf. Bowling Gidman 22-2-70-2; Norwell 15.2-0-63-2; Ireland 16-0-77-1; Fuller 10-0-63-1; Taylor 18-4-38-2. P W 14 5 14 3 14 3 14 4 15 2 14 2 15 2 14 2 14 2 L D Bt 1 8 28 0 11 35 2 9 37 3 7 25 4 9 37 2 10 27 3 10 22 5 7 22 5 7 20 Bl 37 34 34 34 31 34 30 29 29 Pts 169 150 146 144 127 123 109 103 102

Tennis
US OPEN (Flushing Meadows, New York) Men: Second round: M Cilic (Cro) bt D Brands (Ger) 6-3 6-2 5-7 4-6 7-5; J Chardy (Fr) bt M Ebden (Aus) 6-4 6-2 6-2; M Raonic (Can) bt P-H Mathieu (Fr) 7-5 6-4 7-6 (7-4); S Querrey (US) bt R Ramrez Hidalgo (Sp) 6-3 6-4 6-3; T Berdych (Cz) bt J Zopp (Est) 6-1 6-4 6-2; F Verdasco (Sp) bt A Ramos (Sp) 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-4; J Blake (US) bt M Granollers (Sp) 6-1 6-4 6-2; G Simon (Fr) bt J Wang (Tai) 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4; R Federer (Swi) bt B Phau (Ger) 6-2 6-3 6-2; D Ferrer (Sp) bt I Sijsling (Neth) 6-2 6-3 7-6 (14-12); S Johnson (US) bt E Gulbis (Lat) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4; N Djokovic (Ser) bt R Dutra Silva (Br) 6-2 6-1 6-2; R Gasquet (Fr) bt B Klahn (US) 6-3 6-3 6-1. Women: Second round: R Vinci (It) bt Y Shvedova (Kaz) 3-6 7-5 7-5; S Stephens (US) bt T Malek (Ger) 5-7 6-4 6-2; S Williams (US) bt MJ Martnez Snchez (Sp) 6-2 6-4; S Errani (It) bt V Dushevina (Rus) 6-0 6-1; O Govortsova (Blr) bt J Konta (GB) 2-6 6-2 7-5; O Puchkova (Rus) bt K Bertens (Neth) 5-7 6-2 7-5; A Kerber (Ger) bt V Williams (US) 6-2 5-7 7-5. Third round: M Bartoli (Fr) bt K Mladenovic (Fr) 6-2 6-4; S Stosur (Aus) bt V Lepchenko (US) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2; L Robson (GB bt Li Na 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2; P Kvitova (Cz) bt P Parmentier (Fra) 6-4 6-4.

Leicestershire v Kent
Grace Road Kent (21pts) beat Leicestershire (2) by 147 runs. Kent First innings 350-8 dec (BP Nash 119, RWT Key 68, GO Jones 52, SA Northeast 52; RML Taylor 5-91). Leicestershire First innings 171-3 dec (MAG Boyce 78no). Kent Second innings SA Northeast c Naik b Thornely ........................... 20 *RWT Key c Naik b White .................................... 14 AJ Blake not out ................................................ 35 BP Nash not out ................................................. 25 Extras (b4, lb1, nb4)............................................. 9 Total (for 2 dec, 23 overs) ................................. 103 Fall 33, 45. Did not bat MJ Powell, DI Stevens, GO Jones, CE Shreck, M Davies, MT Coles, AEN Riley. Bowling Thakor 3-0-19-0; Thornely 6-1-16-1; White 7-0-37-1; Naik 2-0-8-0; Jones 2-0-9-0; Boyce 2-1-9-0; Wyatt 1-1-0-0. Leicestershire Second innings WS Jones c Jones b Shreck .................................... 3 MA Thornely c Jones b Davies ............................... 4 EJ Eckersley c Coles b Davies............................... 4 MAG Boyce c Coles b Stevens .............................. 23 JJ Cobb lbw b Stevens ......................................... 21 SJ Thakor c Northeast b Stevens .......................... 22 WA White b Stevens.............................................. 2 JKH Naik lbw b Davies......................................... 33 RML Taylor lbw b Stevens ..................................... 1 *MJ Hoggard not out ......................................... 16 ACF Wyatt c Blake b Shreck ................................... 0 Extras (lb5, w1) ................................................... 6 Total (49.5 overs)............................................. 135 Fall 7, 7, 13, 48, 78, 83, 88, 94, 132. Bowling Davies 16-6-24-3; Shreck 10.5-2-30-2; Stevens 14-2-35-5; Coles 7-0-31-0; Riley 2-0-10-0.

Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
Edgbaston Warwickshire (10pts) drew with Nottinghamshire (9). Warwickshire First innings 504-6 dec (TR Ambrose 151no, IJ Westwood 81, CJC Wright 53, ID Blackwell 69no). Nottinghamshire First innings (overnight 188-4) AD Hales not out .............................................. 155 *CMW Read st Ambrose b Blackwell .................. 95 PJ Franks c Troughton b Rankin ............................. 9 GG White b Wright................................................ 9 AR Adams c Portereld b Wright ........................... 4 LJ Fletcher not out .............................................. 4 Extras (b6, lb13, nb30)....................................... 49 Total (for 8 dec, 89.5 overs) .............................. 356 Fall cont 291, 302, 342, 348. Did not bat A Carter. Bowling Wright 27-3-107-2; Barker 15.5-4-50-1; Rankin 19-1-71-1; Milnes 15-0-78-1; Blackwell 13-4-31-1. Warwickshire Second innings V Chopra lbw b Fletcher ...................................... 27 IJ Westwood not out .......................................... 17 WTS Portereld lbw b White................................. 3 *JO Troughton c Voges b White........................... 35 Extras (lb4) ......................................................... 4 Total (for 3, 28.5 overs) ...................................... 86 Fall 33, 44, 86. Did not bat TR Ambrose, R Clarke, ID Blackwell, KHD Barker, TP Milnes, CJC Wright, WB Rankin. Bowling Fletcher 6-0-16-1; Franks 6-2-12-0; Carter 9-1-29-0; G G White 7.5-3-25-2.

Derbyshire Yorkshire Kent Hampshire Northamptonshire Essex Leicestershire Glamorgan Gloucestershire

Fixtures
TODAY

Rugby union
AVIVA PREMIERSHIP Exeter v Sale (3pm); Gloucester v Northampton (3pm); Saracens v London Irish (4.30pm); Wasps v Harlequins (2pm); Worcester v Bath (3pm) RABODIRECT PRO12 Connacht v Cardi Blues (5pm);Edinburgh v Munster (8pm); Scarlets v Leinster (6.30pm) THE CHAMPIONSHIP Bedford v Moseley (3pm); Jersey v Cornish Pirates (3pm); Plymouth Albion v Doncaster (3pm)

Division Two (nal day of four)

Cycling
VUELTA A ESPANA (Spain) Stage 13 (Santiago de Compostela - Ferrol, 172.8km): 1 S Cummings (GB) BMC 4hr 05min 02sec; 2 C Meyer (Aus) Orica +0:04; 3 JA Flecha (Sp) Sky s/t; 4 S Clarke (Aus) Orica) +0:14; 5 L Gerdemann (Ger) RadioShack; 6 T De Gendt (Bel) Vacansoleil both s/t; 7 J Degenkolb (Ger) Argos +0:40; 8 A Davis (Aus) Orica; 9 B Swift (GB) Team Sky; 10 L Mondory (Fr) AG2R all s/t. Overall standings: 1 J Rodrguez (Sp) Katusha 48hr 56min 17sec; 2 A Contador (Sp) Saxo Bank +0:13; 3 C Froome (GB) Sky +0:51; 4 A Valverde (Sp) Movistar +1:20; 5 R Gesink (Neth) Rabobank +2:59.

Derbyshire v Essex
Derby Derbyshire (8pts) drew with Essex (7). Essex First innings 245 (DJ Wainwright 4-64). Derbyshire First innings 266 (RA Whiteley 56, T Poynton 55no; DD Masters 5-51). Essex Second innings (overnight 85-1) T Westley c Poynton b Turner .............................. 82 OA Shah c Madsen b Palladino ............................. 26 ML Pettini c Turner b Whiteley ............................ 50 RN ten Doeschate c Poynton b Turner.................. 52 *JS Foster not out ........................................... 58 AJ Wheater not out .............................................. 8 Extras (b4, lb1, w9) ............................................ 14 Total (for 5 dec, 55 overs) ................................. 294 Fall cont 91, 133, 189, 261. Did not bat GR Napier, DD Masters, TR Craddock, MA Chambers. Bowling Palladino 9-0-47-1; Groenewald 9-2-48-1; Wainwright 19-1-103-0; Turner 13-1-80-2; Whiteley 5-0-31-1. Derbyshire Second innings *WL Madsen lbw b Masters ................................. 31 PM Borrington st Foster b Craddock .................... 13 UT Khawaja st Foster b Craddock ........................... 6 WJ Durston b Craddock....................................... 60 DJ Redfern c Shah b Napier ................................. 46 RA Whiteley not out ........................................... 11 DJ Wainwright b Craddock.................................... 0 T Poynton c Foster b Masters ............................... 1 AP Palladino not out ............................................ 1 Extras (lb2, w2)................................................... 4 Total (for 7, 52 overs) ....................................... 173 Fall 42, 48, 51, 158, 160, 160, 163. Did not bat TD Groenewald, ML Turner. Bowling Masters 14-4-47-2; Chambers 3-0-13-0; Craddock 22-8-66-4; Napier 11-1-35-1; Westley 2-0-10-0.

Rugby league
STOBART SUPER LEAGUE Bradford v Hull (7pm)

Golf
OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS (Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland) Leading second-round scores (GB/Ire unless stated) 133 J Quesne (Fr) 68 65. 134 D Willett 67 67. 135 Paul Lawrie 69 66. 136 R Coles 66 70; T Fleetwood 70 66; D Howell 66 70; M Fraser (Aus) 68 68. 137 F Aguilar (Chi) 68 69; R Ramsay 69 68; R Wattel (Fr) 67 70; J van Zyl (SA) 69 68. 138 A Hansen (Den) 68 70; G Storm 68 70; O Fisher 65 73; P Hanson (Swe) 69 69; S Gallacher 67 71; S Barr (Aus) 66 72; R Finch 70 68; M Jonzon (Swe) 71 67; J Donaldson 69 69; G Bourdy (Fr) 63 75; B Wiesberger (Aut) 68 70; M Hoey 70 68; T Levet (Fr) 68 70; F Andersson Hed (Swe) 65 73. 139 B Rumford (Aus) 71 68; M Brier (Aut) 67 72; P Price 68 71; M Gronberg (Swe) 70 69; R Karlberg (Swe) 72 67; V Dubuisson (Fr) 68 71; S Dyson 69 70. 140 S Webster 69 71; R Fisher 70 70; C Montgomerie 72 68; E Goya (Arg) 74 66; R McEvoy 69 71; M Siem (Ger) 68 72; A Cejka (Ger) 69 71; T van der Walt (SA) 70 70; A Noren (Swe) 71 69; S Lowry 69 71; D Lipsky (US) 70 70; L Gagli (It) 70 70. 141 M Campbell (NZ) 70 71; M Manassero (It) 71 70; B Henson (US) 68 73; R Davies 66 75; D Lynn 73 68; S Hend (Aus) 71 70; F Zanotti (Par) 69 72; B Hebert (Fr) 72 69; G Havret (Fr) 69 72; J Randhawa (Ind) 68 73; R Sterne (SA) 72 69.

Cricket
CLYDESDALE BANK 40 SEMI-FINALS Semi-nals Old Traord Lancashire v Warwickshire (12.45pm) Hove Sussex v Hampshire (12.45pm) TOMORROW

Lancashire v Durham
Liverpool Lancashire (8pts) drew with Durham (10). Lancashire First innings 262 (TC Smith 91, KW Hogg 60no, GD Cross 57; G Onions 6-41). Durham First innings (overnight 187-4) MJ Richardson c Smith b Kerrigan ....................... 41 *PD Collingwood b Croft.................................. 114 P Mustard c Prince b Kerrigan .............................. 5 SG Borthwick c Chapple b Keedy ......................... 60 CD Thorp b Croft ................................................ 25 G Onions not out ................................................ 14 C Rushworth c Prince b Croft ................................ 7 Extras (b4, lb7, nb6)........................................... 17 Total (124.2 overs)........................................... 416 Fall cont 191, 205, 353, 383, 408. Score at 110 overs 353-7. Bowling Chapple 22-8-47-0; Hogg 12-0-63-0; Smith 7-1-33-0; Kerrigan 44-7-128-4; Keedy 31-2-101-3; Croft 8.2-1-33-3.

Rugby union
AVIVA PREMIERSHIP London Welsh v Leicester (2pm) THE CHAMPIONSHIP Bristol v Newcastle (3pm); London Scottish v Rotherham Titans (2pm)

Worcestershire v Middlesex
New Road Middlesex (22pts) beat Worcestershire (6) by ve wickets. Worcestershire First innings 323 (DKH Mitchell 133no, AN Kervezee 55; TS Roland-Jones 5-72). Middlesex First innings 306 (NJ Dexter 90, SD Robson 72; A Richardson 4-62). Worcestershire Second innings (overnight 44-3) MG Pardoe lbw b Roland-Jones ........................... 28 CJ Russell b Patel ............................................... 22 AN Kervezee not out .......................................... 64 ND Pinner b Roland-Jones..................................... 2 J Leach c Denly b Roland-Jones ............................. 4 OB Cox lbw b Crook........................................... 12

Yorkshire v Gloucestershire
Scarborough Yorkshire (19pts) beat Gloucestershire (1) by two wickets. Gloucestershire First innings 215. Yorkshire First innings 61-2 dec. Gloucestershire Second innings RJ Nicol not out.................................................. 75 BAC Howell not out ............................................ 83 Extras (w1) .......................................................... 1 Total (for 0 dec, 10 overs) ................................. 159

Rugby league
STOBART SUPER LEAGUE Castleford v Catalan Dragons (3pm); Hull KR v Wigan (3pm); Wakeeld v Widnes (6.45pm); Warrington v Hudderseld (3pm)

Cricket
FOURTH NATWEST ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL Lords England v South Africa (10.15am)

The Guardian | Saturday 1 September 2012

11

Racing
Chess
Leonard Barden
The 150-nation biennial Olympiad reaches half-way at Istanbul this weekend and its fth round can be viewed, live and free on the internet, starting 1pm today. England had a ne start with three wins. Top-seeded Russia have a jinx to overcome. Moscows team has failed to bring home its expected gold medals since 2002, a decade during which Ukraine and Armenia, currently the No2 and No3 seeds, each won the Olympiad twice. What went wrong? Some Russian grandmasters simply buckled under pressure in crucial games, but there is also a technical factor. Now the rst decider is match points, which means that a slip and a 1.5-2.5 loss to a major rival can be very costly. Despite the huge eld only a handful of countries the top three plus China, Hungary, Azerbaijan and the US have any realistic hopes of winning, so that a match defeat is magnied.
3269 V Borisenko v E Nakhimovskaya, Riga 1968. How did White (to play) break through to the black king?

A comfortable winner of all his 13 races over three seasons, Frankel is probably one last outing from retiring with his unbeaten record intact Phil Oldham/Corbis

Frankel nale to give Ascot bumper gate

Champion Stakes to be unbeaten colts last race Track plans for more than 30,000 on 20 October
Greg Wood
Ascot racecourse will plan for a crowd well above its original target gure of 30,000 for Champions Day on 20 October following conrmation that Frankel, the worlds top-rated horse, will bypass the Prix de lArc de Triomphe on 7 October to run what is almost certain to be his nal race in the QIPCO Champion Stakes. Frankel, who is unbeaten in 13 starts, nine of which were at Group One level, will be attempting to conclude his brilliant racing career with victory in Britains most valuable race, which has a prize fund of 1.3m. The bookmakers offer no bigger than 1-10 about his chances. Victory would set a European record of nine consecutive wins at Group One level. Frankel had been available at 1-3 with a run for the Prix de lArc de Triomphe, which emerged as a possible alternative target, and a popular one with the racing public, after his emphatic success when stepping up to 10 furlongs for the rst time in the International Stakes at York. While many racing fans will be disappointed that Frankel will not contest the Arc, there will be considerable relief at Ascot that British racings star performer will line up on its showpiece card. You would always try to make the most of what you have, Nick Smith, Ascots head of PR, said yesterday, but [the Champion Stakes] had been regarded as something of a given for some time and the Arc only appeared on the scene after the Juddmonte International. With the number of people who were already looking forward to it, in this instance that would have made it quite dicult. Now we have much more certainty, we would hope that ticket sales will start to pick up. They were ahead of last year anyway but people will now start thinking that not only is there a chance to see Frankel, its pretty much denitively the last chance to see Frankel. The rst Champions Day at Ascot last October attracted a crowd of 26,000, with 30,000 suggested as a long-term target. However, Frankel was responsible for a year-on-year increase of 50% in the attendance gure when he ran at York and Ascot must now plan for a surge of interest from racegoers desperate to see Frankel race before he retires to stud. The site is licensed for 80,000 but, given that its an autumn day and its only in its second year, weve always said that we would aim for 30,000, Smith said. Now that we have a Frankels nal run situation, we probably have to rethink that and if we sell more than 30,000 tickets, we have to accommodate everyone. The cost of temporary structures for one day would dictate that they cant be the same kind of temporary structures that are nancially viable for ve days. Obviously you dont want to be in the position where there are 5,000 people wanting tickets and you cant get them in but what we need to do is nd a balance between getting them in and providing them with the right experience. The size and depth of the opposition to Frankel on 20 October remains to be seen, as the conrmation that he will appear at Ascot could persuade the connections of some potential rivals to run in the Arc. Cirrus Des Aigles, last years Champion Stakes winner, is the joint-second favourite along with Nathaniel, who is expected to contest the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown next Saturday evening. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah, Frankels owner, said that the decision to run at Ascot had been taken in the best interests of the horse. That was the overriding factor, Grimthorpe said. All the possible options were discussed [but] Prince Khalid has always wanted to do what was right for Frankel. Sir Henry Cecil has now taken Frankel to the racecourse 13 times and every single time he has produced his best. Everybody always wants more. Once you have drunk at the well of Frankel, you denitely want to keep on drinking but there will always be a limit.

Master Of War is Solario pick

Todays TV races Will Hayler
The Richard Hannon-Richard Hughes axis has avoided other possible engagements to wait for this move up to seven furlongs with Master Of War (2.50) and the extra test of this colts stamina should see him return to winning form in the Solario Stakes at Sandown. Hannon and Hughes won this with Kings Ironbridge in 2000 and have since formed one of the most successful partnerships in British Flat racing. Master Of War was just unable to pick up Heavy Metal in Goodwoods Richmond Stakes on his latest start but stayed on strongly and the third-placed Cay Verde has since been third in the Gimcrack at York. Sandown 3.25 Ladys First and Dank, rst and second at Haydock last time out, should be thereabouts again but preference is for Captivator, who was not herself at Royal Ascot last time, but who has been freshened up since. Her previous second to Izzi Top is a ne piece of form and Kieren Fallon knows this lly well. Other TV races, guardian.co.uk

Will Haylers tips

Bath 4.35 Gordon Flash 5.10 Prime Exhibit 5.40 Liber 6.10 Ballesteros 6.40 Berberana 7.10 Hanoverian Baron 7.40 Musically Beverley 2.05 Summer Dream 2.40 Shotley Mac 3.15 Sheikhzayedroad 3.45 Diamond Blue 4.15 Dinkum Diamond 4.50 Avon Breeze 5.25 Uncle Brit Chester 1.55 Becky Lou 2.30 Area Fifty One 3.05 Galician (nap) 3.40 Hoodna 4.20 Excel Bolt 4.55 Teak 5.30 Gin Twist Market Rasen 4.45 Underwritten 5.20 Piment DEstruval 5.55 Chesapeake 6.25 OCallaghan Strand 6.55 Osgood 7.25 Glingerbank Sandown 2.15 Kyleakin Lass 2.50 Master Of War 3.25 Captivator 4.00 Mijhaar (nb) 4.30 Law Enforcement 5.05 Scrupul 5.35 Cape Explorer

Todays TV races Sandown 2.15 Piper Heidsieck Champagne Handicap (Class 3) 5f 8,092 More4
1 (3) 0403-1 Face The Problem (14,D) J Osborne 4 9.7 K Fallon 90 2 (4) 004510 West Coast Dream (42,D) R Brotherton 5 9.2 I Mongan 85 3 (7) 121100 Silvanus (10,D9) P Midgley 7 9.1 P Hanagan 84 4 (9) -23600 Catsh (28,D) B Meehan 4 9.1 M Barzalona 77 5 (5) 600041 Piscean (8,CD) T Keddy 7 9.0 R Clark (3) 89 6 (12)10-000 Ajjaadd (35,CD) T Powell 6 9.0 W Buick 78 7 (2) 021035 Kyleakin Lass (29,D) I Wood 3 8.13 R Hughes 83 8 (13)013600 Solemn (14,CD) J Bradley 7 8.13 L Morris 79 9 (1) /00-53 Edge Closer (51) A Carroll 8 8.13 P Dobbs 87 10 (6)300-00 The Thrill Is Gone (10,D) M Channon 4 8.12 C Bishop (5) 81 11 (11)0-5031Rowe Park (27,D11) Mrs L Jewell 9 8.11 S Golam 88 12 (14)202-26Soap Wars (33) H Palmer 7 8.10 M Hills 86 13 (15)100100 Jarrow (14,CD) J Bradley 5 8.9 S De Sousa 82 14 (8)322640 Arctic Lynx (28) J Best 5 8.8 Hayley Turner 80 15 (10)030006 Diamond Charlie (17,D) S Dow 4 8.7 S Pearce (3) 76 Betting 5-1 Face The Problem, 13-2 Piscean, 7-1 Rowe Park, Edge Closer, 8-1 Kyleakin Lass, 10-1 The Thrill Is Gone. Form Face The Problem won on his return from an absence at Doncaster. He can defy a 5lb rise at the main expense of Piscean, who stormed home at Newmarket but may be better at that 6f trip. Rowe Park turned back the clock at Newbury and his fellow veteran Edge Closer also showed there is life in him still when third at Newmarket.

3.25

TBA Atalanta Stakes (Fillies Group 3) (Class 1) 1m 31,190 More4

17 (13)400360 Colour Guard (13) M Johnston 4 8.3 Betting

S Hitchcott 80

1 (8) 13-100 Clinical (28,D) Sir M Prescott 4 9.4 L Morris 80 2 (9) 30-120 Captivator (73,D) J Fanshawe 5 9.0 K Fallon 86 3 (10)0-2344 Epernay (17,D) I Williams 5 9.0 I Mongan 79 4 (4) 00-131 Making Eyes (43,D) H Palmer 4 9.0 M Hills 84 5 (7) 140133 Moones My Name (21,D) R Beckett 4 9.0 J Crowley 86 6 (5) 452656 Night Lily (29,D8) P DArcy 6 9.0 W Carson 76 7 (2) -10016 Falls Of Lora (35,CD) M Al Zarooni 3 8.13 S De Sousa89 8 (6) 116221 Burkes Rock (12,D) J Noseda 3 8.9 Hayley Turner 85 9 (11) 6-421 Dalkova (41,D) R Hannon 3 8.9 P Dobbs 83 10 (13)2-1012Dank (21,D,BF) Sir M Stoute 3 8.9 R Hughes 88 11 (3)41-303 Gathering (36,D) J Gosden 3 8.9 W Buick 84 12 (16)10340 Irish History (21,D,BF) M Al Zarooni 3 8.9 M Barzalona 90 13 (1)-23261 Ladys First (21,D) R Fahey 3 8.9 P Hanagan 87 14 (12)-05321Princess Of Orange (21,D) R Guest 3 8.9 S Sanders 81 15 (14)443111 Sweetnessandlight (13,D) J Ward 3 8.9 T Durcan 82 16 (15)564625 Villeneuve (21) W Muir 3 8.9 M Dwyer 78 Betting 9-2 Dank, 6-1 Ladys First, 7-1 Irish History, 8-1 Clinical, 10-1 Falls Of Lora, Gathering, Captivator. Form Irish History opped behind Ladys First, Dank and Moones My Name at Haydock but had put up excellent previous eorts to pick up prize money in the Coronation Stakes and the Falmouth. Falls Of Lora beat Ladys First on 2lb worse terms here before struggling in a French Group 3.

11-2 Valiant, 6-1 Mijhaar, 7-1 Man Of Action, 8-1 Indian Jack, 12-1 Start Right, Licence To Till, Fadhaa. Form Mijhaar almost hit the deck when the victim of scrimmaging in the John Smiths Cup but still has time to develop into a Pattern performer. Valiant didnt come up to scratch when favourite for the Newmarket Group 3 won by Shantaram, but reverts to the distance of his previous couple of victories.

13 (4)005003 Alejandro (14,C) R Fahey 3 8.7 B McHugh 83 14 (15)425033 Toto Skyllachy (5,D) D OMeara 7 8.7 A Mullen 87 15 (6)160600 Viva Ronaldo (32,C) R Fahey 6 8.7 Laura Barry (7) 78 16 (17)416130 Dr Red Eye (15,D) S Dixon 4 8.4 A Beschizza (3) 86 17 (3)360151 Verse Of Love (4) P Evans 3 8.1 (6lb ex) N Garbutt (7) 88 Betting 4-1 Verse Of Love, 5-1 Strictly Silver, 10-1 Powerful Presence, Galician, Bannock, Kyllachy Star, Alejandro.

Beverley Bullet Sprint 4.15 Betfred Beverley 5f 18,944 Stakes (Listed) (Class 1)
1 (1) 524620 Borderlescott (28,D) R Bastiman 10 9.0 F Tylicki 84 2 (14)-30060 Burning Thread (10,CD) T Etherington 5 9.0 M Fenton 79 3 (3) 03-461 Cheviot (94,CD) I Semple 6 9.0 R Winston 85 4 (12)502040 Confessional (8,D) T Easterby 5 9.0 P Mulrennan 87 5 (9) -60531 Dinkum Diamond (18,D) H Candy 4 9.0 Cathy Gannon 89 6 (8) 360010 Elusivity (29,D) B Meehan 4 9.0 J Mackay 83 7 (7) -00320 Masamah (8,D7) K Ryan 6 9.0 J P Spencer 90 8 (13) /0020- Moorhouse Lad (350,D7) G Moss 9 9.0 P Mathers 82 9 (4) 41-004 Move In Time (18,CD) B Smart 4 9.0 T Eaves 85 10 (16)643505 Noble Storm (18,CD) E McMahon 6 9.0 A Nicholls 80 11 (10)-02020Pabusar (29) R Beckett 4 9.0 H Bentley 82 12 (15)331605 Statue Of Dreams (6,D) J B McCabe IRE 6 9.0 J Mitchell 83 13 (11)131230 Free Zone (22,CD,BF) B Smart 3 8.13 P Makin 88 14 (6)0-6001 Pepper Lane (14) D OMeara 5 8.9 D Tudhope 87 15 (2)610012 Six Wives (7,CD) S Dixon 5 8.9 N Mackay 86 16 (5)-20650 Ponty Acclaim (10,D) T Easterby 3 8.8 D Fentiman 81 Betting 5-1 Masamah, 13-2 Pepper Lane, 8-1 Dinkum Diamond, Pabusar, Elusivity, 10-1 Borderlescott, Ponty Acclaim. Form Masamah gave a bold sight in the Nunthorpe last week, eventually going under by a little more than four lengths .

ISF EBF Combermere Fillies Conditions 3.40 Stakes (Class 2) 2YO 6f 11,342 More4 Chester 1 (1) T Coles S Donohoe 89 Square 2.30 Golden(Class 1)Shopping Stakes (Listed 2 (5) 213030 All On Red (28,D)BinBSuroor9.1 1 Hoodna (52,D) S 9.1 F Norton 90 Hcap) 1m 5f 19,848 More4
1 (3) 10/2 Meganisi (105) Miss R Curtis 5 9.10 S Craine 86 2 (5) 14-040 Mohedian Lady (56) Sir M Prescott 4 9.7 S Donohoe 84 3 (9) -13505 Midsummer Sun (29,C) Sir H Cecil 4 9.6 T Queally 86 4 (11)-02155 Area Fifty One (7) R Fahey 4 9.4 D Nolan 88 5 (4) 1-0030 Never Can Tell (10,C) J Osborne 5 9.3 F Norton 83 6 (1) 062-30 Icon Dream (7) J Goldie 5 9.3 G Lee 86 7 (7) 54-000 Tominator (7) R Hollinshead 5 9.0 G Gibbons 82 8 (2) -10120 Quiz Mistress (30) H Morrison 4 8.12 M Harley 81 9 (6) -34431 Communicator (14,C) A Balding 4 8.11 R Mullen 89 10 (10)6-5062Scrapper Smith (8) A Whillans 6 8.10 P McDonald 85 11 (8)655140 Bolivia (30) Mrs L Wadham 6 8.10 A Beschizza 80 12 (13)022321 New Hampshire (34) T Coyle 4 8.10 L Topliss 87 13 (14)4-110 Rosslyn Castle (21,C) R Charlton 3 8.4 K ONeill 90 14 (12)341245 Naseem Alyasmeen (27,C) M Channon 3 8.4 J Fanning 85 Betting 3-1 Communicator, 13-2 Area Fifty One, 8-1 Rosslyn Castle, 10-1 Midsummer Sun, Meganisi, Mohedian Lady. 3 (8) 2 Coincidently (14) A Bailey 8.12 T Queally 86 4 (7) 410031 Mandy Layla (14,C,D) B Smart 8.12 G Lee 88 5 (4) 00 Pleasant Moment (12) T Dascombe 8.12 A Elliott 82 6 (3) 1 Queen Aggie (12,D) P Evans 8.12 P McDonald 87 7 (6) 063031 Sylvia Pankhurst (15,D) D C Griths 8.12J Fanning 85 8 (2) Beacon Tarn E Alston 8.9 T Hamilton Evens Hoodna, 5-1 Mandy Layla, 11-2 All On Red, 7-1 Queen Aggie, 10-1 Coincidently, 14-1 Sylvia Pankhurst. Form Hoodna had a couple of subsequent winners behind her when making a successful start to her career at Kempton and there is no reason, on pedigree anyway, why she shouldnt be more eective on turf. All On Red has already picked up some black type but was beaten a long way o a mark of 88 in a Newmarket nursery most recently. Mandy Layla has a bit to nd with her on ocial ratings but proved her liking for these twists and turns when triumphing here a fortnight ago. Betting

4.00

Piper Heidsieck Champagne Handicap (Class 2) 1m 2f 37,350 More4

2.50

Candy Kittens Solario Stakes (Group 3) (Cl 1) 2YO 7f 20,983 More4

1 (6) 215150 Chilworth Icon (31) M Channon 9.3 S Hitchcott 88 2 (1) 321 Dont Bother Me (23,D) N Moran IRE 9.0 R P Cleary 84 3 (4) 1 Fantastic Moon (29,D) J Noseda 9.0 W Buick 85 4 (7) 5211 Hasopop (49) M Botti 9.0 A Atzeni 87 5 (5) 51012 Master Of War (30) R Hannon 9.0 R Hughes 89 6 (3) 21 Mocenigo (23,D) P Chapple-Hyam 9.0 R Havlin 86 7 (2) 4114 Thair (31,D) S Bin Suroor 9.0 S De Sousa 90 9-4 Master Of War, 11-4 Thair, 9-2 Fantastic Moon, 6-1 Hasopop, 8-1 Mocenigo, 12-1 Dont Bother Me. Form ThaIr had Chilworth Icon back in fth when landing the Chesham at Royal Ascot and has since performed at least to that level for fourth, beaten only a length by Olympic Glory, in the Vintage Stakes. Master Of War steps up in distance after a close second in the Richmond Stakes. Hasopop won easily at Newmarket. Betting

1 (7) 42-330 Mijhaar (49,D,BF) R Varian 4 9.10 A Atzeni 90 2 (10)606000 Miss Starlight (121,D) I Al Malki QA 5 9.7 M Dwyer 79 3 (2) 430630 Start Right (10) S Bin Suroor 5 9.6 S De Sousa 87 4 (16)-60002 Man Of Action (21) S Bin Suroor 5 9.4 M Barzalona 88 5 (14)310-00 Labarinto (108,D) Sir M Stoute 4 9.1 G Baker 82 6 (6) 306032 Licence To Till (7,D,BF) M Johnston 5 9.0 R Havlin 81 7 (4) 200305 Miblish (29) C Brittain 3 9.0 R Hughes 77 8 (11)150-00 Fulgur (7,D) L Cumani 4 8.12 J-P Guillambert 82 9 (15)060-00 Pekan Star (35,D) R Varian 5 8.9 T Durcan76 10 (8)-35043 Indian Jack (9) L Cumani 4 8.8 K Fallon 87 11 (12) 115 Valiant (51,D,BF) W Haggas 3 8.8 W Buick 89 12 (1)240630 Tinshu (28,D7) D Haydn Jones 6 8.5 W Carson 83 13 (17)2-0033Fadhaa (20) C Hills 4 8.4 P Hanagan 86 14 (5)-00200 Late Telegraph (8,D) Sir H Cecil 4 8.3 L Morris 81 15 (3)001266 Prussian (21,D) M Johnston 3 8.3 M Lane 84 16 (9)-36110 Chain Of Events (57,CD) Mrs S Humphrey 5 8.3 Hayley Turner 85

3.05

Chester Standard Handicap (Class 2) 1m 28,012

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1 (8) 040402 Bannock (7) M Johnston 3 9.10 J Fanning 89 2 (5) 144020 Brae Hill (42,C,D) R Fahey 6 9.8 T Hamilton 76 3 (16)100052 Atlantic Sport (5) M Channon 7 9.5 M Harley 85 4 (2) 212550 Dubai Dynamo (14,D) Mrs R Carr 7 9.3 D Swift (3) 79 5 (7) 360300 Imperial Djay (9,CD) Mrs R Carr 7 9.2 P McDonald 78 6 (1) 501000 Grissom (14) T Easterby 6 9.1 A Elliott 77 7 (12)113040 Powerful Presence (7,D) D OMeara 6 9.0 T Queally 90 8 (11)301130 King Of Eden (14,C) E Alston 6 8.11 G Gibbons 84 9 (14)100000 Capaill Liath (14,D) K Ryan 4 8.11 G Lee 80 10 (9)450356 Kyllachy Star (14,CD,BF) R Fahey 6 8.9 F Norton 82 11 (10)115425 Galician (14,BF) M Johnston 3 8.9 L Jones 84 12 (13)411-42Strictly Silver (9) A Bailey 3 8.8 J Quinn 85

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3269 1 Qxh7+! Kxh7 2 g6+ Kh6 3 Rg5! (threat 4 Rh5 mate) fxg5 4 hxg5 mate.