Brave Rangers fall at the last
For more than three-quarters of this grand occasion, it looked like Rangers were on course for European glory with the tried and tested smothering tactics they had employed all season on the road to Manchester, but it was not to be. "Rangers came in search of a great prize but took only great pride from the City of Manchester Stadium after this 2-0 defeat," writes Kevin McCarra in the Guardian. "Zenit St Petersburg deserved to win the Uefa Cup and will value it all the more as they remember how hard they had to fight. The key goal of the night, from Igor Denisov, was delayed until the 72nd minute and a tap-in for the second from Zyrianov in stoppage time had no relevance." (Guardian)
"It is going to be a huge task to lift ourselves after losing this final but that is something we will now have to work on and hopefully the importance of the situation ahead of us will help a great deal" Walter Smith reminds his players they still have a treble to play for
Grant accuses Man U refs of bias
Hostilities between Man U and Chelsea, suspended for three days in the rosy glow of the Reds' 17th title success, have been resumed with a vengeance, as Avram Grant claimed the Mancunians had received unfair advantage from referees, especially in their season finale at Wigan. "Although he did not mention any names, Grant pointed the finger at Steve Bennett, who was criticised for failing to award a penalty against Rio Ferdinand and send off Paul Scholes in United's title-clinching victory away to Wigan Athletic on Sunday," writes Matt Hughes in the Times, "and Mike Dean, who was in charge of Grant's first match as Chelsea's first-team coach at Old Trafford in September last year, in which John Obi Mikel, the Chelsea midfield player, was shown the red card."
Barmby plays Tigers’ local hero
So the Premier League will see two new faces next season, with Stoke being joined by which ever of Bristol City and Hull, who crushed Watford 4-1 last night (6-1 on aggregate), can rouse themselves the most for Bank Holiday Monday's Championship Play-Off Final. "Veteran Nick Barmby, whose season has been ravaged by injury, had put the Tigers on course for their first ever visit to Wembley with Hull's opening goal - and his first this term - at Vicarage Road last weekend," writes Rob Stewart in the Daily Telegraph. "He continued to roll back the years on home territory by cancelling out Darius Henderson's opener for Watford. In the second half Caleb Folan scored to scupper the visitors' hopes of a quick return to the Premier League, before Richard Garcia and Nathan Doyle added late goals." (Daily Telegraph)
Lions to share riches for SA tour
While English rugby players remain deadlocked with the Rugby Football Union over the riches to be made available to them for representing their country, those who make up the British and Irish Lions for next year's tour to South Africa have a far more rewarding experience lined up. The 36 or 37 squad members can expect to earn a record fee of £35,000 for seven weeks' work, will be roared on by an estimated 50,000 travelling supporters and will also be coached by rugby's answer to Sir Alex Ferguson. From a player's perspective it could hardly get any better," reports Robert Kitson in the Guardian. "A repeat of the Lions' 1997 series triumph will secure each of the participants a sizeable bonus which could hoist their tour earnings to around £45,000 a man." Guardian)
Ramps stranded on 99th ton
It was supposed to be Mark Ramprakash's day, when the extraordinary talent of the Surrey batsman would be rwarded with his century of first class centuries. Unfortunately for an army of statisticians, Hampshire's James Tomlinson had failed to read the script and removed Ramprakash for 17 runs on a topsy-turvy day at the Rose Bowl which saw both bat and ball in the ascendancy before Hampshire ended the day on 13-1 in reply to Surrey's 278 all out. "To see the great man walking off with only 17 to his name was almost surreal," writes Mark Baldwin in the Times. (Times)
Vaughan Kiwi slur could turn sour
Michael Vaughan could find the taste of his own words very bitter if the New Zealand team surprise England over the next five days in the First Test at Lords. Vaughan dismissed the tourists as a "workmanlike" side and said England should beat them handsomely. "But the throwaway comment has been turned into a battle cry by New Zealand before," writes Derek Pringle in the Daily Telegraph. "In the Lord's Test of 1986, England's skipper, Mike Gatting, observed that batting against a pace attack comprising Richard Hadlee, Willie Watson and Jeremy Coney was like facing 'a World XI one end and Ilford Seconds the other'. Intended as a gentle mickey-take about the perceived mediocrity of the Kiwis' back-up bowling, the joke was on England and their captain when New Zealand won the series 1-0." (Daily Telegraph)
"We weren't at our best in New Zealand, but we scrapped to get two good victories and the series win. But we have to move on now and try to beat them here at home in a convincing fashion" Michael Vaughan's rallying call to his team
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