Sport Right Now

Manchester United to face a Real Madrid without Iker Casillas

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:12:30 +0000

• Spain goalkeeper ruled out with hand injury• Casillas to miss Champions League tiesIker Casillas has been ruled out for up to 12 weeks after surgery to repair a fractured bone in the Real Madrid goalkeeper’s left hand, putting him out of both Champions League ties against Manchester United.”The operation has gone well,” the surgeon who carried out the procedure, doctor Miguel Del Cerro, reported after inserting two screws in the keeper’s hand. “The recovery period is eight to 12 weeks. It is best to wait and not talk about time periods.”Spain’s No1 suffered the injury during Real’s Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg against Valencia on Wednesday when his team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa accidentally kicked his hand while trying to clear the ball.Manchester UnitedReal MadridChampions Leagueguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies

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Manchester United to face a Real Madrid without Iker Casillas

Reading v Sheffield United: Squad sheets

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Where to prioritise the FA Cup comes into sharp focus for these clubs, with Brian McDermott’s Reading inclined to concentrate on avoiding a return to the Championship, while Danny Wilson is charged with making sure Sheffield United are playing there come August by getting the Blades out of League One. As a result, both may opt for rotation but Reading’s new signing, Hope Akpan, is Cup-tied and Jason Roberts is injured while United’s Shaun Miller is out for the season.

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Reading v Sheffield United: Squad sheets

Fulham sign up Emmanuel Frimpong on a season-long loan to help beat the drop

Daily Mail — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:52:17 +0000

Fulham have signed Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong on loan for the rest of the season. The 21-year-old recently returned from a six-week loan period at Charlton where he made six appearances.

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Fulham sign up Emmanuel Frimpong on a season-long loan to help beat the drop

Legacy promises in poor health

BBC — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:38:22 +0000

Only a handful of sports are enjoying any legacy from 2012 despite promises to inspire a generation, says BBC sports editor David Bond

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Legacy promises in poor health

Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur: Squad sheets

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Of all the ties this weekend, this perhaps has the greatest potential for one of the Premier League heavyweights to be toppled. Yet Tottenham are in good form, with only one defeat in their past 14 matches after rescuing a draw against Manchester United last weekend, whereas the Leeds manager, Neil Warnock, may leave out his leading scorer, Luciano Becchio, now he has handed in a transfer request. Leeds have shown already this season that they are not fazed by playing Premier League opponents, knocking out Southampton and Everton from the Capital One Cup.

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Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur: Squad sheets

The gentle monarch of sports writers

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:24:00 +0000

His readers over the decades regarded him as a friend who saw sport with the same unjaundiced eye as they didWe have lost the lion king of Guardian sports journalism and the pride will never be quite the same again. Frank Keating, who died early on Friday aged 75, epitomised the sporting traditions of this paper but he never exemplified them. He was too much a one-off for that.His colleagues took delight in imitating his verbal mannerisms: “Oh, m’dear,” he would cry with delight on answering the phone; or, on the rare occasions when he moved into attack-mode, “I love him dearly but….” No one tried to imitate his writing.

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The gentle monarch of sports writers

A tribute to Frank Keating, the gentle monarch of sports writers

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:23:08 +0000

His readers over the decades regarded him as a friend who saw sport with the same unjaundiced eye as they didWe have lost the lion king of Guardian sports journalism, and the pride will never be quite the same again.Frank Keating, who died early on Friday aged 75, epitomised the sporting traditions of this paper but he never exemplified them. He was too much a one-off for that.His colleagues took delight in imitating his verbal mannerisms: “Oh, m’dear,” he would cry with delight on answering the phone; or, on the rare occasions when he moved into attack-mode, “I love him dearly but….” No one tried to imitate his writing. It was inimitable.Nonetheless he effectively invented modern posh-paper sports writing

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A tribute to Frank Keating, the gentle monarch of sports writers

West Brom reject transfer request from Peter Odemwingie as QPR await

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:20:45 +0000

• Odemwingie told to stay at Hawthorns at least until summer• ‘We have no need or desire to sell our core players,’ say clubPeter Odemwingie has had a transfer request rejected by West Bromwich Albion, who have made clear their determination to keep the striker during the current window.Odemwingie has been chased by Queens Park Rangers, who are engaged in a recruitment drive that they hope will see them avoid relegation and have already had a £2m bid rejected this month. But the 31-year-old is interested in the proposed move to London, where he could partner Loïc Remy, Rangers’ £8m signing from Marseille.But Albion say he must stay with them and, effectively, continue to give his all if he is to earn a transfer in the summer.

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West Brom reject transfer request from Peter Odemwingie as QPR await

The Last Word: A dummy run for football’s very own reality TV

The Independent — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:16:38 +0000

Last Sunday, in our sister newspaper, Hugh Godwin broke the news that BT plans to introduce an “access-all-areas” revolution to its coverage of rugby union. Training ground and dressing-room confidences will be shared with viewers, and measured by studio experts against the match-day realities.

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The Last Word: A dummy run for football’s very own reality TV

Unthinkable? Ballgirls only | Editorial

The Guardian — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:10:25 +0000

Ballboys should be judged by standards similar to referees. And if they can’t keep their testosterone levels down …Gone are the days when a ballboy’s duty was to return the ball to the nearest player as quickly as possible.

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Unthinkable? Ballgirls only | Editorial