The Big Picture: Shire genius with Olympic Bronze medallist Louis Smith

The 19-year-old gymnast was only taking what we consider a modern sport back to its origins in the armies of ancient Greece and Rome, when the soldiers would practise manoeuvres on an artificial horse as part of their training.


This method of honing the legions’ skills was noted by fifth century Roman writer Vegetius. Some 1,200 years later, a military drill instructor developed Vegetius’ description into the art of equestrian acrobatics. It evolved further, particularly in 19th

century Berlin, and became the Olympic apparatus we now know as the pommel horse.

Louis had to be brave to attempt a part of his routine on Scott. This magnificent creature, from Waldburg Shires, based at the Shire Horse Society within Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre near Peterborough, stands 18.2 hands high, which is
more than six feet — some two feet higher than the 115cm stipulated for Olympic
competition.

Louis benefits from National Lottery funding thanks to Lottery players who raise £25million a week for good causes.

Chelsea defender Alex escapes FA action over stamp on Cahill

Chelsea defender Alex will not face disciplinary action over an alleged stamp on Everton's Tim Cahill in last night's Barclays Premier League game at Goodison Park.

Referee Phil Dowd was asked to review footage of the incident by the Football Association after no action was taken against the player on the field.



Alex appeared to bring his foot down on the Australian's thigh after being tackled but he will not face punishment.

A statement from the Football Association said: "Referee Phil Dowd confirmed to the FA today that he had not seen the incident at the time.

"He was subsequently requested to view footage of the incident. Having done so, Dowd informed the FA that, had he seen the incident, he would not have shown Alex a red card. On this basis, the FA will not be taking any disciplinary action."

The incident was one of a number talking points from the goalless draw. Skipper John Terry was shown a straight red card by Dowd for a wreckless lunge at Leon Osman, while Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Ashley Cole were all booked for dissent as the Blues were held to a goalless draw.



It was the first time that Luiz Felipe Scolari's team have failed to win away this season and leaves them a point behind leaders Liverpool at Christmas.

Scolari was so incensed by the performance of Dowd that he refused to speak at the press conference after the game but he knows he now faces a defensive crisis.

Chelsea will not appeal Terry's dismissal and he will now be banned for the next three games, starting with the home match against West Brom on Boxing Day and followed by Sunday's derby with Fulham and the FA Cup third-round clash with Southend.



With Ricardo Carvalho possibly not returning from his hamstring injury until the new year, there is a danger that Branislav Ivanovic will be the only recognised centre-half for Scolari to pick from.

To make matters worse for the Chelsea manager, goalkeeper Petr Cech picked up a thumb injury late on in the match and had difficulty taking his gloves off because of the pain.



Cech hinted that Dowd may have been influenced by the home supporters when he sent off Terry and said: 'It was hard for the ref to see exactly what happened. He had a split second.

'The crowd were behind him and there was a lot of noise. It makes it more difficult for the referee. He made a decision and we have to live with that.

'It's a pity we couldn't win. We could have been top of the league again but it's a good point.

'We have had other chances to go top but we have drawn some games. A lot of teams are dropping points this season and if we had won our games at home we could have been top with a gap.'

Arsenal's first Lady hits out at ruthless board coup

Arsenal's deposed director Lady Bracewell-Smith has talked about the 'appalling' way she has been treated by a club her family have helped run for nearly 70 years.

Lady Bracewell-Smith, who holds a 15.9 per cent shareholding, was manoeuvred off the board in a surprise, ruthless coup on Wednesday, masterminded by the most powerful director Danny Fiszman, that now leaves the club vulnerable to a takeover.

'I'm in total shock and very upset about the appalling way I have been treated,' she said.



'The board have no manners whatsoever and my views were ignored on many occasions.

'I can't understand why I have been removed in such a ruthless fashion. I had no intention of selling my shares and was no threat to the lockdown agreement between the directors. I have also had no proper explanation as to why they wanted me out so much.

'It is very difficult to accept, especially after what my family has done for Arsenal for so many years.

'I am extremely upset at what's happened and the way it has been done.'

The Arsenal board had isolated her from her main ally on the plc board, Richard Carr, by relegating him to the football club subsidiary before the unanimous vote against Lady Bracewell-Smith was taken.

She added: 'There is no way Richard would have agreed to this, he's family.

'I've never had a thought of selling my Arsenal shares, and I still don't.'

The worst an ad can get: Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry win award for most cringeworthy promo

It should have been a slick promo featuring three of the world's sporting giants - not to mention three of the most handsome ones.

But the Gilette campaign featuring three of the world's highest paid sports stars has been named the worst TV advert of the year by industry magazine Campaign.

Tennis champion Roger Federer, golfer Tiger Woods and footballer Thierry Henry all appeared in the Gillette campaign which showed them using their respective skills to persuade their male target audience to pick up the brand's razor.



With their Hollywood grins, and slick suits, the trio are seen wielding their balls - tennis, golf, and football - to urge men to use the brand's newer Fusion Power razor.

But their on-screen efforts did not match up to their sporting prowess and the cheesy razor ad was voted top turkey of 2008.

Campaign editor Claire Beale said: "The Gillette ad is an own goal, a double fault and a bunker shot rolled into one.




"To secure three of the world's most famous sports stars would have cost Gillette millions but is such a wasted opportunity as the creative lacks any charm or wit.

"We see thousands of TV ads created for a British audience each year and this one stands out as the worst."

The Specsavers advert in which lyrics promoting the optician appear in time with Edith Piaf's rendition of Je Ne Regrette Rien made it to second place in the top 10 turkeys.

Others deemed bad enough to win a place in the hall of shame include a case of poor dubbing in a Renault ad, Sex Pistols' John Lydon's performance as front man for Country Life butter and Lenny Henry's declaration of love for Premier Inns.

The ten-year-old football wizard who can perform 4,000 keepy-uppies

Football prodigy Josh Clancy looks set to follow in David Beckham's footsteps after mastering tricks including 4,000 keepy-uppies at the tender age of ten.

Talented Josh is on his way to winning a national freestyle competition headed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

He is already over 1,000 votes ahead in the online contest despite being pitted against youngsters twice his age.

The 4ft 10in wonder has wowed crowds with his ball control skills, including testing signature moves 'Round the World' and 'Enigma', as well as a series of complex ball-balancing tricks.

Josh, who only began playing football four years ago aged six, chooses a new freestyle trick then practices at least two hours a day, seven days a week until he can perform it perfectly.

The testing tricks can take the football-mad schoolboy anything between one week and one month to master depending on the level of difficulty.

Josh's latest balancing act involves flicking the ball in air, catching it on the back of his neck and balancing it there while he pulls his shirt over his head without dropping the ball.

In 'Round the World' Josh can be seen kicking up the ball with his left foot before looping the same leg over the ball in mid-air and catching it again on that foot.

On top of his non-stop practice, Josh trains and plays football six hours a week with Norwich City Academy, Hadley Rangers under-11s and Hertfordshire Brazilian soccer school.

His ambition is to become a professional free-styler and cited world-class players Christiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho as his footballing idols.

Josh, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertforshire, said: 'I got into freestyle after watching YouTube videos. It's loads cooler than normal football.

'The tricks look hard but once you get to know how to do them its pretty easy. I've learnt a lot of skills since I was at the school - it gives me a good chance to practice.'

Andrew Anastasiou, 46, Josh's coach at the Brazilian soccer school in Hatfield, said his young protégé had raw talent and was easily capable of turning professional.

Businessman Mr Anastasiou set up the Hertfordshire branch of Brazilian Soccer School three years ago and has been coaching Josh for the last 18 months.

He said Josh was easily the most talented of the 200 aspiring freestyle footballers he has coached.

The Gerrard Performance Challenge invites youngsters to post video clips of their freestyle skills and is open to entries and votes until December 31.

With a current total of 1,508 online votes Josh looks set to claim the first prize of a couple of VIP tickets to a Premiership football match.

Josh's proud parents Bill and Hayley Clancy are devoted to helping their son achieve his dream.

Mr Clancy said: 'It's great to see Josh doing so well with his hobby - although he drives us mad when he is kicking a football around indoors all the time.

'He would love to become a professional freestyler and it would be a miracle iff he could make it.

'So many other kids are trying to do the same thing but I think Josh is committed enough to achieve his dream.'

Blacked up and in loincloths: Former team-mate of Danny Cipriani and his 'racist' Oxford rugby friends

Four students pose glassy-eyed, blacked up and semi in loincloths for an Africa theme party.

The extreme political incorrectness of the picture will horrify the Oxford University authorities.

Particularly since at least two of the students are members of the university's under-21 rugby squad, which is already under investigation for alleged anti-Semitism after inviting players to bring 'attractive Jewish girls' to a dinner last week.




The Africa party, known as the Safari Bop, was held earlier this year in the city. The four in the picture include Tim Hegarty, Phil Boon and Fred Spring, who is the son of a Tory MP.

Hegarty, 20, attended Whitgift public school in Croydon, where he played rugby alongside future England star Danny Cipriani and captained the school side which won the Daily Mail Cup in 2003.






His entry on the social networking site Facebook includes statements such as: 'I want to go to slag island' and 'I think most girls just think I'm some kind of depraved ape.'

There are a number of other lewd sexual comments about women.

Grammar schoolboy Boon, 21, from Doncaster, attended schools in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire and Scunthorpe.

Spring, 21, is the son of 62-year-old Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk.

Last week the rugby club was forced to rename its 'Bring A Fit Jew to Dinner' party after complaints from the university's Jewish community including campus chaplain Rabbi Aaron Katchen.

Yair Zivan, of the Union of Jewish students, said 'real offence' had been caused and added: 'The union is appalled that in 2008 old myths and anti-Semitic stereotypes are still appearing amongst supposedly educated students.'

Despite the outcry, a number of players were still said to have arrived 'in costume' at a curry restaurant in the city last Wednesday - with one described as wearing caricature Jewish clothing and carrying a moneybag. The party name had been changed to 'Bring a Fit Girl to Dinner'.

Under university disciplinary rules, severe action can be taken against students who misbehave. They can be fined, banned from the university for a period of time or, in the most extreme cases, expelled.

Boon attempted to defend both the Jewish party night and 'blacking up' for the Safari Bop.

'I know the university is investigating matters but I have not been spoken to as yet,' he said.

'I have organised a lot of party nights but I do not see why there should be any fall-out. I deny that anyone turned up wearing Orthodox Jewish clothing last week.

And anyway we changed the name of the party from the 'Fit Jew' thing to 'Bring a Fit Girl to Dinner'.

'Blacking up for the Safari Bop was just going along with that theme. We dress up for a lot of parties. I have not had people telling me that either of the themes were offensive.'

Boon has appeared on the Internet video site YouTube playing the role of 'Edward Beerhands' - during which he tapes a four-pack of beer to each hand before attempting to drink them.

In another video, he and others are seen wearing Boratstyle 'mankinis' at a rugby match against Cambridge.

Fred Spring's father has had his own share of controversy, having once been nicknamed 'Three in a Bedspring'.

In 1995 he was forced to resign as a Parliamentary Private Secretary after being exposed by a Sunday newspaper for sharing a bed with a male friend and a female Sunday school teacher.

Last night an Oxford University spokesman was unavailable for comment.

PICTURE SPECIAL: Pompey's training plonker forced to drive home in Reliant Robin and this time it's David James

Forget Baby Bentleys, Mercedes convertibles and posh Porsches, Portsmouth's players will be forced to drive home from training in an old banger if they put in a poor session.

The Pompey stars have all chipped in to buy a decrepit Reliant Robin - blue, of course - that the worst player in training every day must drive home as punishment for his poor performance.


Today's shame-faced star was England goalkeeper David James, who was forced to drive home in the clapped-out car.



And to add further embarrassment to the under-performing trainer, the fun-loving footballers have attached a loud-speaker to the three-wheeler that plays farm-yard animal noises.

Previously an idea from Leeds United c2001, who had a yellow Reliant Robin similar to that owned by Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses, there's a bit of wheeling and dealing down at Fratton Park - even if Harry Redknapp has left for Tottenham

The £6MILLION haul won by a 22 year old, making him the youngest ever world poker champion

There's no need for Peter Eastgate to imagine what £6million looks like - it's all there in front of him in one massive pile of dollar bills.

Brandishing two clumps of money, the Dane celebrates his £5,882,831 victory in the World Series Of Poker with a sight that would be the envy of millions of U.K. amateur players.

Spectators at the Las Vegas casino in Nevada had seen the 22 year old become the youngest champion in the history of the no-limit Texas Hold 'Em event.





Even though he's still relatively young, Eastgate is a professional and maybe it was that experience which gave him the edge over his rival Ivan Demidov, 27, a semi-professional from Moscow.

However, he shouldn't be too disheartened as he took home £3,734,190.


The previous youngest champion was 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth , who was 24 when he won the tournament in 1989.

Under the hammer: One of the world's oldest football programmes expected to fetch thousands at auction

The rare single sheet programme for the 1892 match between Royal Arsenal and Gainsborough Trinity is expected to fetch at least £3,500.

The find is just one of the items being sold an an auction of sporting memorabilia by specialist auctioneers Graham Budd Auctions at Sotheby's Olympia showroom on Tuesday.

Graham Budd said the programme was an extremely rare find.





A football match programme which is more than 100 years old is to go under the hammer next week at auction.


He said: 'This is only the second one I have ever seen and I have been doing this for 10 years.

'It's a piece of really early Arsenal memorabilia and there's a lot of big Arsenal collectors around.

'It's being sold by a private collector but I do know he happened to acquire it from a family that had roots close to south-east London, where Arsenal originated.

'It had probably been tucked away in drawers or something and finally resurfaced.'

The 1892 match against Gainsborough Trinity took place only six years after Arsenal was first founded as Dial Square in 1886, before it later changed its name as well as its location.

Mr Budd said an exhibition of the memorabilia would open tomorrow before going under the hammer on Tuesday.

He added: 'Once we open the exhibition tomorrow that's when we get a better sense of the interest.

'If it comes out of its little file to be viewed that's always a good sign.'

This is not the first time a single piece of football-related paper could fetch a small fortune at auction.

Graham Budd Auctions previously sold a single sheet 1889 FA Cup final programme for £19,000 - a world record auction price for a football programme.

A footballer is hit by a rocket fired by opposition supporters

A football player was hit by a firework launched by opposition fans moments after the whistle was blown at the end of a cup final match last night.

Conor Hagan fell to the ground after being struck in the back by the rocket before it exploded.

His team Linfield had just suffered a 2-1 defeat by sectarian rivals Cliftonville in the County Antrim Shield final at Windsor Park in Belfast.






The attack, which sparked riots afterwards, came as players for Cliftonville, a largely Catholic-supported side, had missiles thrown at them by fans of the losing side, which is typically followed by protestants in the divided city.

Hagan, 26, was tended by team medics and members of both sides before being able to regain his feet.

'I was lying on the ground disgusted with the result and didn’t see the firework coming,' he told the Belfast Telegraph.

‘It hit me on the back when it went off and it was more the bang that scared me and I was in shock for few seconds.






‘It could have been a lot worse so I am relieved that I am not injured.’

The attack came as many people in the province - like the rest of the UK – prepared to celebrate Bonfire Night tonight.

Fireworks have been on sale at major supermarkets for weeks in preparation for the event.

Afterwards, police were called to riots between fans of the two sides in the Newtownards Road area of East Belfast.

Linfield manager David Jeffrey said: ‘The last thing that I want to do is inflame the situation.

‘I don’t want to talk about one idiot, but it has got to be condemned outright.’

Cliftonville coach Eddie Patterson, who was the subject of a death threat before the Irish Cup semi-final last season, also condemned the incident.

‘I don’t even want to highlight it that much - it only gives these people publicity. It has no place in football.

‘Some of my own players had missiles thrown at them, but I would rather talk about the Linfield fans who applauded us off the pitch. That’s what football’s about.’

The £100million man: Last-lap Lewis set to be world's best-paid sportsman after snatching F1 title

Lewis Hamilton will become the world's highest-paid sportsman after becoming the youngest driver to win the Formula One world championship last night.

The 23-year-old Briton can expect to earn a minimum £100million a year following one of the most exciting finales to a race the sport has ever witnessed.

This far eclipses the £31million that David Beckham earned last year and even surpasses the £72million earned this year by Tiger Woods.





British viewers held their breath as Hamilton overtook another driver on the last bend of the Brazilian Grand Prix to rescue the world championship with seconds to spare.

He had needed to come fifth in the race to finish top of the championship ahead of his nearest rival Felipe Massa, even if Massa won. With three laps left, and Brazilian Massa in the lead, Hamilton was back in sixth after having stopped to change his tyres to suit the wet conditions.

Massa's Ferrari team-mates were already celebrating when he roared over the line.

But their jubilation turned to dismay when Hamilton's McLaren sped past Toyota's Timo Glock, who was still using dry-weather tyres, to secure the fifth place he needed.





There were boos from the crowd who were furious that Massa had been deprived of the championship.

Hamilton's father Anthony said:'It's a shame the crowd is doing this. They should be fair sportsmen.'

The latest British sporting hero's achievement is made all the more remarkable because he has been labelled the 'outsider' and has endured racist chants from Formula One fans this season.

His thrilling victory also buries the ghost of 2007, his debut year, when he led the championship only to fail in the final two races.





Hamilton's boss at McLaren, Ron Dennis, said: 'Who would have thought that Glock would have stayed out on dry tyres? It seems like Toyota have made a mistake with the tyres they chose. It's all a bit technical, but there doesn't seem like anything dodgy or untoward.'

Hugging his father after the race, Hamilton said: 'It is pretty impossible to put it into words. I'm so speechless.

'It has been such a long journey with a lot of support back home. I am so thrilled to be able to do this for everyone. I can only thank God. I was trying my hardest to get past. It was one of the toughest races of my life, if not the toughest.'






He said that as he passed the finish line he still did not know if he had won. When he heard the confirmation he said: 'I was ecstatic'.

His father said he too was left speechless by the dramatic finale.

'I really can't find the words,' said Mr Hamilton. 'It's great, absolutely great.'

Hamilton is the first Briton to take the world championship since Damon Hill in 1996.

In the Caribbean, his 77-year-old grandfather Davidson spoke of his 'pride and joy' after watching the race on the TV at his home in Grenada.





'We are all so very proud of Lewis,' he said. 'We always knew that he would be champion one day. He is a wonderful grandson and has made the Hamilton family very happy.'

Gordon Brown said he was 'thrilled' by Hamilton's 'exceptional talent'.

'I, like so many, want to congratulate him on becoming the youngest world champion in Formula One history,' he said. 'The first championship, I think, of many that he's going to win in years to come. I think the whole of Britain are proud of the inspirational Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren team.'

Tory leader David Cameron also offered his congratulations saying that the champion had made the whole country 'so very proud'.

'One of the most dramatic races in Formula One history ended with the right man winning the World Championship,' he said.

Dundee United's clash with Rangers called off as a mark of respect after chairman Eddie Thompson loses cancer battle

Dundee United's match against Rangers on Saturday has been postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Tannadice chairman Eddie Thompson.

Thompson, 67, lost his fight against prostate cancer in the early hours.

United said they were 'devastated' by the death of one of their most loyal backers who was 'a very close and inspirational friend'.








Thompson won much admiration in the football world and was seen as a champion of the smaller clubs in the Scottish Premier League.


Despite his debilitating illness over the past few years, he continued with his duties at Tannadice as long as he could.

He also insisted on supporting his team in person as much as possible, both home and away.

The club said in a statement on their website, www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk: 'It is with great sadness that Dundee United announce the death of chairman Eddie Thompson, who died today after a long illness borne with great fortitude, much bravery and a dogged determination to carry out his responsibilities at Tannadice for as long as possible.'

The news comes only three days after the death of his son-in-law Ken Mitchell, 38, who died in a motorcycle accident.

Thompson had been battling cancer over the past few years and received specialist treatment at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.

But despite these efforts, the disease could not be prevented from spreading.

He is survived by his wife Cath, children Justine and Stephen and four grandchildren.

Born in Glasgow in 1940, he moved to Dundee in 1964 and began to support the club.








He was a trained accountant and successful businessman and was keen to bring these business links to bear at Dundee United.

Thompson became chairman and owner in September 2002 after acquiring a majority shareholding.

Since that day, he has ploughed millions of pounds of his own money into Dundee United.

In June 2007, the club was mired in record levels of debt, which stood at £2.7million. By June 2008, this had turned into an operating profit.

But despite his financial backing and business-like approach to handling the side, he saw himself above all as a supporter and believed Dundee United fans were the club's true owners.

He was once quoted as saying: 'You can change your wife, your house, your car, but you can never change your team.

'Chairmen come and go, boards come and go, but the fans remain. They are the one true constant.'

One of the stands at Tannadice was named after him earlier this year and thousands of Dundee United fans wore "One Eddie Thompson" T-shirts at this year's CIS Cup final.

Motherwell chairman John Boyle paid tribute to Thompson as a champion of the smaller clubs in Scotland's top flight.

'He fought for his club, he was so enthusiastic and so passionate,' Boyle told BBC Radio Scotland.

'He was an inspiration to us.

'There was absolutely no question that, as he said, he was the custodian for the fans.

'Dundee United went through a very, very turbulent time and he was a bit of stability for the club.

'They have achieved marvels in the last six or seven years, largely due to his influence. The players, the manager and the fans all looked up to him so much.

'He has left the club in a tremendously good nick.

'He fought for all of the smaller clubs. He was a director of the SPL for many years and everyone will tell you, they may have disagreed with him, but there was enormous respect for him."'

Mike Barile, associate director of the Dundee United supporters' group Arab Trust and a close friend of Thompson, described him as 'just a lovely, lovely man'.

Barile said: 'Eddie was so passionate about his football team, and through his hard work and determination he proved his doubters wrong and turned things around here.

'He was a real workaholic and that explains a lot of his success in business - once he decided what he wanted to do that is what he did.

'But at the same time he also allocated time to his wife and family, and I can remember my wife once remarking about what a gentleman he was with Cath.

'Whether Eddie was speaking to a taxi driver or whoever, he gave that individual his full attention and was genuinely interested in them - that was a remarkable gift.'

Two-goal Gerrard relishes his return to France as Liverpool ease to victory in Marseille

The locals like to think they can intimidate visiting teams with their firecrackers and constant din, but Steven Gerrard clearly has a liking for Marseille.

One of Michael Owen's Liverpool milestones came to grief on Gerrard's previous visit here last December. He scored in a 4-0 rout and, in the process, became his home club's record marksman in Europe.

It was a lot tighter on his return, but there was still no mistaking his relish for the occasion and surroundings as he launched Liverpool's latest Champions League campaign in style with two goals.









Marseille skipper Lorik Cana had increased the noise level inside their concrete bowl of a ground with a 23rd-minute opener when Gerrard decided it was time to take charge with an inspired curling finish in the 26th minute and twice-taken penalty shortly after. That left him on 99 goals for Liverpool overall, 27 of them coming in Europe.

Liverpool almost paid for allowing carelessness to creep in near the end as Mamadou Niang somehow headed wide from six yards, then compounded his misery in injury time with another glaring miss.

Credit Pepe Reina for sticking out his right boot and pulling off a crucial save, but the Liverpool keeper should not have had a hope as the normally lethal front-runner took aim from no more than eight yards.






Rafa Benitez refused to point an accusing finger at the way his side almost threw away the winning start he had demanded, as he said: 'Marseille were looking dangerous in attack and maybe we were feeling a little tiredness in the closing minutes but I have to be really pleased. Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven are going to find it difficult here, so to come away with three points is really important.

'We needed to work really hard in defence and make the most of our counter-attacks and I thought Stevie's first goal was fantastic. But what I really liked was his reaction at the end. He felt there was room for improvement from everyone and that is a positive sign for me.'

Marseille are still unbeaten in the French League after launching their campaign with eight goals in their first two games. It was easy to see why as Niang blazed over after bursting clear in the 14th minute and Cana broke the deadlock nine minutes later.


The Marseille captain timed his run to perfection to beat Liverpool's offside trap as he latched on to Benoit Cheyrou's through-ball and held his nerve to slot the ball past the advancing Reina.

Liverpool have made a welcome habit of recovering swiftly from such setbacks this season and they were back on terms in the 26th minute after Fernando Torres won the ball in the centre circle and released Dirk Kuyt on the right. An early ball towards the surging Gerrard and Liverpool were on terms, as a superb curling first-time shot from 20 yards floated beyond a bemused Steve Mandanda and into the far corner.

Ryan Babel, influential with some of his approach work but again infuriating with his finishing, earned the penalty as he brought down a long ball from Jamie Carragher and swept past hapless centre back Ronald Zubar, who could only floor the Liverpool forward with an outstretched leg.

If Gerrard's opener was a product of instinctive brilliance, his second six minutes later was down to nerves of steel as he slotted his kick in off a post, only to be ordered to take it again by referee Konrad Plautz. By the time he gathered his thoughts and composed himself once more, a good two minutes had elapsed after the Austrian official had pointed to the spot. It made little difference as Gerrard, in his first start since groin surgery, unerringly drove the ball into the same corner.

Babel squandered two inviting chances in the 75th and 78th minutes, driving one point-blank shot against Mandanda's outstretched gloves and the other against the outside of a post. It looked like proving costly as Marseille sensed a reprieve.

In the end, the let-off was Liverpool's as Niang failed to cash in and Gerrard was clearly perturbed by the way his side surrendered the initiative. He said: 'They pinned us in for spells in the second half and we were hanging on at the end.

Being under pressure like that is something we are going to have to look at. We stopped playing in the second half and never passed it. 'We were not good enough, but we are a force in Europe and even when we don't play well throughout a game, we still get the results.'

Marseille manager Eric Gerets looked crestfallen as he fumed: 'We had more than enough clear-cut chances to have won and it feels like a real missed opportunity.

'It was incredible to lose like that and it makes me really angry. Not many players could have scored that first goal of Liverpool's, though. It was an exceptional piece of skill from a truly world class player.'

Barclays monthly awards go to Chelsea's Deco and Middlesbrough's Southgate

Chelsea playmaker Deco has been named Barclays Player of the Month for August with Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate picking up the managerial award.

Following his £8million summer transfer from Barcelona, Deco has made a seamless transition to life in the Barclays Premier League with two goals - both brilliant long-range efforts - and two assists in three matches.

Southgate has been named manager of the month for the first time in his career - in the process becoming only the second man, after Stuart Pearce, to win the player and manager awards.





Boro have won six points out of nine so far, beating Tottenham and Stoke at home and only losing at Liverpool due to a Steven Gerrard strike deep into injury-time.

Southgate said: 'I feel it's a great honour, not just for me, but for everybody at the football club.

'It's an honour I very much accept on behalf of myself and my staff because everything that we have achieved so far has been a team effort.

'I think the award is reward for the hard work everybody here put in during July to prepare for the new season.

'We have a really united club here and everybody has pulled together, and in that I include the players as well.

'There's a great atmosphere around the club at the moment and around the town, and long may it continue.'

Southgate is starting his third year in charge at Boro and has guided the club to their best start to a campaign for nine years.

I hope to be as successful with West Ham as I was with Chelsea, says new Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola

Gianfranco Zola has promised to give the West Ham squad the full benefit of his 20 years in football after being named as the club's new manager.

Italy and Chelsea legend Zola has agreed a three-year deal at Upton Park, replacing Alan Curbishley, who resigned earlier this month in disagreement with the Hammers' management structure.

Zola said: "I'm delighted to be here. It is a great honour for me to be involved in such an important job.






'I can promise to do my best to make good for this club. The club has got tradition and I am just here to help develop the team and to develop the players.

'That is my duty and I will do it with all of myself. 'I will give to these players all of my experience and all of my knowledge - I am here to be somebody good for them.

'That is my aim and I will do everything I can to succeed in this.' Zola's previous coaching role was with the Italy Under-21 side and although he admits his managerial CV in thin, he is confident in his abilities.




'I know I am not the most experienced manager around but I have ideas, I have been in football for 20 years.

'I know what we're talking about and I will certainly give something to this club; whether it is enough or not we will see. But I have a lot of knowledge of the game and the players will help me with this.'

Zola said he hoped his second stint in English football will be as successful as the seven he spent as a player with Chelsea.

'I take The Bible everywhere with me'

Manchester United's club-record signing, Dimitar Berbatov, has revealed a previously unknown side to his character and one that may surprise a few people as well.





Berbatov, 27, who joined the Premier League and European champions for £30.75 million on transfer deadline day, dislikes swearing in all walks of life, as befits someone who describes himself as "religious" and who "takes The Bible everywhere with me".

All of which could make for some interesting times ahead, especially if the Bulgaria international finds himself confronted by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson's now infamous 'hairdryer', possibly starting with his United debut at, of all places, Anfield in the Premier League this Saturday lunch-time.

"I've done many stupid things because of my stubbornness, only because I didn't want to listen to my parents' advice," Berbatov told the Sun.

"And then it always turned out that they were right. My father always told me not to be swell-headed. He repeated that so often that it still helps me.

"When I realise I give myself airs, the red light in my head flashes. Many times I was ashamed because of some of the things I had done. I have paraded with the fact that I'm Dimitar Berbatov. Then I always heard my dad's voice in my head.

"Besides, I am religious and I take The Bible everywhere with me. There are many good pieces of advice for those like me in The Bible."

As for the thorny issue of swearing, a common, albeit unwanted, feature no doubt on the football field these days, the moody forward is insistent that he could never bring himself to curse at another opponent, unlike his likely strike partner at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney, one can imagine.

"This is a matter of good upbringing. I don't swear in my daily life. My every second words are not da mu eba maikata (**** your mother)," he said.

"I try to do everything with style – not only in football. If I manage to give any positive examples for young people, then that is great.

"To be honest, sometimes I lose my temper when I am on the pitch. I even shout at my team-mates too much and then they are a bit angry. But this is who I am.

"I often tell them: 'Dudes, no problem, you can shout at me if there is something! I won't be angry. When the game is over, it's over.'

"But some of them take it to heart and are angry with me. They don't realise this is the way I release the stress."

Meanwhile, one of those team-mates, Carlos Tevez, has said that his sending-off in Argentina's World Cup qualifier with Paraguay on Saturday night was the worst moment of his career to date.

United striker Tevez was sent off for the second time in his last three internationals in Buenos Aires following a reckless two-footed lunge that resulted in a straight red card, leaving the Argentinean to reveal: "I haven't slept for two nights. What happened is very ugly. It's the unhappiest moment of my career. I can't let this happen again."

Brazilian's Real escape

Robinho's agent Wagner Ribeiro has admitted that he deliberately used Chelsea's interest in the winger to get any deal which would take the 24-year old out of Real Madrid – whether the controversial winger ended up at Stamford Bridge or not.

The Brazilian joined Manchester City in a British record deal on deadline day and Ribeiro said: 'I went to London to plot a get-out strategy with (Chelsea chief executive) Peter Kenyon.

'I filtered out the details of the Chelsea offers to the media - I was just playing according to the rules of the game.'


Ribeiro continued: 'Kenyon was desperately phoning me to find out what was happening but I'd come to the conclusion that Chelsea and Real were not going to reach an agreement so we said yes to City.'


It was very clear that Robinho was intent on leaving Real before the transfer deadline, and I think the majority of non Real fans were sympathetic to his plight. But now that his agent has come out and revealed the lengths they were prepared to go to achive their aim I am sure I am not alone in viewing the transfer antics of Robinho and his agent with distaste. Not very honourable behaviour gentlemen.

The guns were out as Andy Murray twitters on about the Will Ferrell effect after he overcomes Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray finished off his stunning victory Spanish star Rafael Nadal in the US Open semi-final with a trip to New York restaurant Redeye Grill and spoke of his delight in meeting film star Will Ferrell.

The movie comedian, who has starred in films such as Talledega Nights and Anchorman, was in the Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch the Scotsman's victory.




Murray had said over the weekend: 'This is my favourite tournament. I had the guys from Entourage, which is my favourite show, and Will Ferrell, who’s my favourite comedian, watching yesterday. You don't get that at home.'


Ferrell clearly has a strong affinity with the Scotsman too as he was pictured flexing his muscles in a style of the tennis star while watching the match against the Spaniard at Flushing Meadows.

And after his amazing win over Nadal Murray said on his Twitter site after his victory over Nadal: 'sat in redeye getting dinner. good to get the job done today. pumped to meet will ferrell! wish me luck!'

Andy Murray marches on to semi-final of US Open after beating Juan Martin Del Potro

So Britain's Andy Murray will be on television screens across America this weekend, after his four-set victory over Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro earned him the prize of a first grand slam semi-final, and a guaranteed slot on the US Open's ˜Super Saturday' broadcast.


Here in the United States, this is tennis primetime for Murray, the most important run of his young life.

This was a day match and a night match. The quarter-final began under beautiful blue skies, but, after four hours of tennis, anyone at the top of the Arthur Ashe Stadium could have looked across and watched the sun setting on the Manhattan skyline.

When he was a break up in the third set, Murray looked as though he was on his way to a straight-sets win. But he eventually made his way through to the last four on the New York cement, eventually beating a South American teenager who had arrived on court on a 23-match wining run. Murray was the one to snap Del Potro’s streak, winning 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5, and so became the first British man to make it to ‘Super Saturday’ since Tim Henman four years ago.

One interested observer in the stands was Rafael Nadal, the world No 1 on a scouting mission. Murray’s victory took him through to play Nadal after the Spaniard beat Mardy Fish, of the United States, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in their quarter-final.

One bookmaker had offered odds of 50-1 on Murray and Del Potro swinging fists as well as rackets at Flushing Meadows. On their previous meeting, in Rome this year, Murray had been angered by Del Potro making a remark about his mother, Judy. Murray responded by telling Del Potro to “shut his mouth”.

But there weren’t any punches thrown on court. If there was any senseless violence it was off Del Potro’s strings. Before going for it on the forehand side, he took a giant, almost theatrical wind-up on his back-swing and then unleashed his racket at speed. On some occasions, it worked spectacularly, but there were other times when those in the front row needed to take cover behind their pop-corn.

A few hours before Murray and Del Potro came on court, the large video screen outside the stadium was showing a trailer for the quarter-final, with pictures of the players. Or what the tournament staff thought were the players. Instead of Del Potro and Murray, it was Del Potro and Murray’s brother, Jamie.

Still, by mid-afternoon, the younger of the Murray brothers was out in the world’s largest tennis stadium, in front of 20,000-odd spectators. This was Murray’s second appearance on the main show court this week, but his first during a day session.

It took a while for the crowd to get into this encounter. The opening set was an untidy affair. Murray built a 4-2 lead. But it was then that Murray played a soft break to be broken to 15; he hit two double-faults, including one to finish the game.

By now, Del Potro had found his range and his rhythm off the ground, and he broke Murray once more two games later, with the Briton again hitting a double-fault on the last point of the game. So that left Del Potro serving for the opening set at 5-4, but the South American could hardly get a first service in court, and dropped his delivery.

After a couple of points of the tie-break, Murray asked the umpire whether it would be possible to find the off-switch for the giant video screens inside the stadium. But the screens had been on all week, and the official came back with the message that they would have to stay on. Still, despite that hold-up, Murray played the smarter, cuter tennis, dropping just two points in taking the set decider.

Del Potro, all arms and legs on the cement, called the trainer on court before the second set for an examination of his left leg, and he later had some strapping applied. Murray broke for 6-5, which left him serving for a two-set lead. And yet he promptly played a terrible game, losing his delivery to love after striking four unforced errors.

Again, Del Potro was very much second best in the tiebreak. No wonder he resorted to flinging his racket on the concrete. The teenager won just one point during the climax.

Before the third set, Murray walked around behind the baseline juggling tennis balls on his feet, but his support group in the stadium couldn’t relax. Murray was 3-1 up with a break and later had two break-points for a 5-3 lead.

But it was Del Potro who came through to take the set. In the fourth set, Del Potro was twice a break up, only for Murray to twice find parity. And Murray broke for the set, the match and a place in the semi-finals, when Del Potro put a backhand wide.

Now, ‘Super Saturday’ is beckoning the young Scot to take the biggest advance of his increasingly exciting career.

City's new Arab owners make £160,000-a-week Robinho top Premier League wage earner

Manchester City have made Brazil star Robinho the highest-paid player in the Barclays Premier League at an incredible £160,000 a week.

And the front man for City’s prospective new owners from the Abu Dhabi royal family fired a warning shot at neighbours Manchester United by even threatening a future bid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Robinho was promised the enormous wages to persuade him to give up his dream of joining Chelsea. And the extent of City’s new wealth and ambition was emphasised when manager Mark Hughes was told he could buy the Brazilian and Dimitar Berbatov on the same day



Berbatov decided to join United but hinted that City were also prepared to push the boat out for him.

He said: ‘The red shirt is a really, really big thing for me. I don’t play for the money. If I want to play for the money, I would have accepted Manchester City’s offer.’


With Robinho now earning £30,000 a week more than Chelsea’s John Terry and £100,000 a week more than City’s second-highest earner Shaun Wright-Phillips, it would appear that the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment mean business.

On Tuesday night, Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the front-man for ADUG, said: ‘I’m happy and really excited to have Robinho at this club, but we wanted both of the players. We would have had both of them if we could.

‘I’m going to see the performance in the first half of the season and then we’ll decide what we do on transfers at the halfway stage. Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious.

‘Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160million (£89m) but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more. I would think $240m (£135m). But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United.’

It was thought Al-Fahim was mischiefmaking with his comments about United, but, asked later in the day by Sportsmail about his ambitions for City, he suggested that the club’s owners have indeed set their sights on toppling United.

He added: ‘Manchester is a big city, one of the biggest for football in the UK. I can’t say we’re necessarily going to be bigger than United because every club has the right to grow and might do so, but we certainly believe we can challenge them from now on.’






Al-Fahim offered assurances on Tuesday night that Hughes and executive chairman Garry Cook will remain at the club when it eventually passes from Thaksin Shinawatra into Arab hands later this month.

The 31-year-old will meet Hughes for the first time in London on Friday morning and also seek a meeting with Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards in order to explain ADUG’s plans for the club.

Hughes is understandably delighted at the takeover of the club he joined only in June but he has already been made aware that City must be playing Champions League football this time next year.

Al-Fahim added: ‘We will certainly not pay £40m for a player if he is only worth £10m and we must also makes sure that the club is doing well.

‘That means finishing in the top four this season and fighting for the title in the next two or three seasons.’

On Tuesday at the City of Manchester Stadium, fans queued to renew season tickets and buy first team shirts bearing the names of Robinho and Wright-Phillips, who returned to the club last week.

Robinho met Hughes in London yesterday before flying to South America for international duty with Brazil this weekend.

Hughes said: ‘With the environment we create, we help good players become better and we hope Robinho can become the best in the world. We certainly think he can be.’