Largely cloudy with a scattering of light showers.







 

 




Monday morning at the water cooler

Soccer

‘God-like’ status awaits Drogba

Achieving cult status in football is a precious and mysterious accolade that doesn’t always require winning trophies and is not necessarily reserved for only the most talented players; Matthew Le Tissier proved the first part and Gary Neville the second.

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Veteran striker Keane determined to savour finals experience

Robbie Keane says his status as one of the veterans of the Irish team means he’s relishing playing in the European Championship finals all the more.

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Stephen’s delight at Trap’s decision not to Ward off Irish WAGS

Stephen Ward reckons Giovanni Trapattoni has made the right choice by making Ireland’s WAGS welcome at Euro 2012.

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Fenway end King Kenny’s reign at Reds

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) yesterday sacked Kenny Dalglish after losing faith in his ability to deliver the progress they were looking for.

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Turning Euro dreams into Euro reality

No-one should be holding their breath in anticipation of European Championship finals games being played in Ireland in eight years’ time, despite confirmation the FAI joined its counterparts in Scotland and Wales in expressing an interest in co-hosting the tournament in 2020.

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Doubt over Dalglish future

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has returned from his trip to Boston where he met the club’s owners — but what the outcome of their discussions will be still remains unclear.

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United accept Tevez apology

Manchester United have accepted an apology from Manchester City over a controversial placard held up by Carlos Tevez during their title celebrations.

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‘I don’t think about myself, it’s not important’

On a day when rumours that Fabio Capello could become the next manager of Chelsea no matter what the result in this weekend’s Champions League final reached a crescendo in Milan, the current Italian incumbent at Stamford Bridge made sure he gave absolutely nothing away about his own future.

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Mancini set for summer spending spree

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini hopes to be allowed to spend big this summer in pursuit of further success.

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Video keeps heat on Kean

Pressure was continuing to mount on Steve Kean yesterday as the Blackburn manager prepared for his latest meeting with the club’s owners.

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Six new faces in Spain squad

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque yesterday named six uncapped players in his squad for the friendlies against Serbia and South Korea ahead of the European Championships this summer.

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Giggs best of last 20 years

Manchester City may have wrestled the title from their grasp, but Manchester United were yesterday awarded two prestigious honours for their dominance of the Premier League.

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Derry power sees off Mons

Derry City bounced back from their Setanta Cup disappointment with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Monaghan United in Gortakeegan last night.

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Barton given thinking time

Joey Barton was last night given extra time to respond to the two charges of violent conduct levelled against him for his behaviour during QPR’s Premier League defeat at Manchester City.

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Lerner blasts McLeish as Villa eye new boss

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has criticised the performance levels and results during sacked manager Alex McLeish’s reign.

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Former United star Ruud retires

Malaga striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has announced his retirement from football, at the age of 35.

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Neville joins Roy’s Euro 2012 ticket

England manager Roy Hodgson believes Gary Neville will make an invaluable contribution to his coaching team.

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Barmy Barton facing lengthy ban after City red mist

Joey Barton is facing the threat of a 10-match ban — or even longer — after the Football Association charged him with two acts of violent conduct following his sending off in QPR’s defeat by Manchester City.

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Relief for Ireland as O’Shea injury fears allayed

Sunderland have dismissed fears that John O’Shea could miss Euro 2012 by giving him the all-clear to join up with the Irish squad next week.

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Tired Smith opts out of Irish squad

Ireland U19 boss Paul Doolin admits he’s disappointed Connor Smith feels “too tired” to feature in the upcoming UEFA U19 elite qualifiers in Portugal.

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Dunne feels Ireland have earned some respect

Richard Dunne wasn’t at The Point in March, 2007 when Bernard Dunne defeated Yersin Jailauov by TKO but the thoughts of how some of his Irish team-mates were booed by sections of the crowd still rings in his ears.

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Scholes signs on for one more year

Alex Ferguson has confirmed veteran midfielder Paul Scholes has signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester United.

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Fergie is expecting more ‘silly’ City spending

Alex Ferguson has stirred the pot of Mancunian rivalry following Manchester City’s title win on Sunday by claiming he is ready for the Blues to “pay stupid money and silly salaries” this summer.

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City say sorry for Fergie banner

Manchester City last night apologised to Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson after striker Carlos Tevez held up a banner goading his former manager.

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Prandelli to stay in Italian job

Cesare Prandelli, will continue as Italy coach regardless of how well they perform at Euro 2012, according to the country’s football federation.

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Mancini: I always believed we could win the title

He may have dismissed his side’s title chances on several occasions but Roberto Mancini insists he never stopped believing Manchester City could win the Premier League title.

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