One more push for Rangers
Football purists may gnash their teeth and wail, but Walter Smith's Rangers, the humblers of many superior footballing sides in this season's Uefa Cup, are just 90 minutes from becoming winners. "Smith last night urged his players to defy their underdog status one last time and become the first ever Scottish club to lift the Uefa Cup," writes Ewan Murray in the Guardian. "Bookmakers regard Zenit St Petersburg as odds-on to lift the trophy in Manchester this evening but Smith, who has overseen an often epic and regularly dramatic European campaign to date, believes Rangers have no reason to fear the Russian champions." (Guardian)
"We can go into the final knowing that we've surprised a lot of people with the results we've achieved this season, even including myself. We just need to do it one more time" Walter Smith, just one game - and perhaps penalties - away from glory
Robins shoot down Eagles
Bristol City, promoted to the Championship last season and thought to be mid-table survivors, beat Crystal Palace 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) to become the first team into the £35m play-off final for promotion to the Premier League. "Lee Trundle, often described as a £1m misfit since his move to City last summer, may have repaid that figure with a huge amount of interest after scoring an extra-time goal which helped his team to Wembley," writes Jed Pitman in the Daily Telegraph. "Another of Gary Johnson's signings following their promotion, Michael McIndoe, a loser at this stage of the play-offs with Wolves a year ago, made the outcome certain on a night few will forget at Ashton Gate." (Daily Telegraph)
Chelsea line up new Drogba
Should he recover from the knee injury sustained in Sunday's game against Bolton, Chelsea are expecting next weeks Champions League final in Moscow versus Man U to be Didier Drogba's last game for the London club, and are already lining up replacements. "Mario Gómez, of VfB Stuttgart, having been identified as a potential leader of the line. Frank Arnesen, the Chelsea director of scouting and youth development, is advocating a move for the 21-year-old Germany player of Spanish descent, but Grant would prefer a more creative striker, such as Dimitar Berbatov," writes Matt Hughes in the Times. "David Villa is another long-term target, albeit in the role of second striker, which would necessitate Nicolas Anelka playing farther forward." (Times)
Johnson faces strike action
The first great test of Martin Johnson's time as England manager has broken off the rugby field, as many of the national team's top players mull over whether to go on strike in a row over pay with the Rugby Football Union (RFU). "A day after Johnson announced his first squad for the forthcoming two Test matches against the All Blacks, the Daily Telegraph has learnt that England's senior players are involved in a contract dispute with the RFU. England players are currently paid £9,000 per game regardless of the result. However, sources at the RFU said last night that, under the terms of the new deal on the table, players would be paid a far smaller flat fee up front. The rest would be paid dependent on win bonuses and how the England team performed in the RBS Six Nations and World Cup. According to one source, the two sides are thought to be about £20,000 apart." (Daily Telegraph)
Cavendish takes Giro stage win
Mark Cavendish underlined the all-round strength of British cycling yesterday by winning the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia, becoming only the third Brit to win a stage at the event and the first since Robert Millar in 1987. "It is the most prestigious victory yet for the Isle of Man rider who held off a late charge from Robert Förster of Germany and third-placed Daniele Bennati," writes Richard Moore in the Guardian. "He was fortunate not to be involved in a final-kilometre crash, which took out about a dozen riders 800m from the line. In the sprint for the line Cavendish was boxed in but got out with time to begin his exuberant celebrations as he crossed the line." (Guardian)
"A win at the Giro is great for any rider but it makes it even sweeter the way the team worked for me. It was a perfect show of teamwork" A jubilant Mark Cavendish celebrates his stage win
IPL revolution claims four-dayers
The worst-kept secret in English cricket is out, as a senior member of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed proposals yesterday for the end of the four-day county game in England to make way for a Twenty20 competition like the IPL. "The proposal, which envisages the end of the four-day game, possibly by the summer of 2010, comes from Jack Simmons, the former spin bowler who is an influential chairman of the cricket committee of the ECB," writes Ivo Tennant in the Times. "It would create more space in the summer calendar for Twenty20, but as a result 120 overs would have to be bowled each day, up from 96 at present. Simmons's informal proposal is that, rather than reduce the number of four-day championship matches played by each county from 16 to 12, these should be staged over three days, which would necessitate starting half an hour earlier and finishing half an hour later." (Times)
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