The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Rugby: England attack coach Smith resigns Posted: 24 Nov 2011 07:28 AM PST LONDON, Nov 24 – England's attack coach Brian Smith resigned today, a day after his position was fatally undermined by the anonymous comments of several players in their leaked "confidential" appraisals of the team's woeful World Cup campaign. In keeping with the chaos surrounding the Rugby Football Union (RFU) at the moment, the news initially appeared on its official Twitter page only to be removed shortly afterwards. Official confirmation arrived later today with a statement from the RFU saying Smith had stood down having decided not to seek a renewal of his contract. Smith, 45, who played international rugby for Australia and Ireland, joined the England set up from London Irish in July 2008 as the only coaching appointment of then-new manager Martin Johnson, who also resigned last week. Often criticised for failing to add a cutting edge to England's backplay during his three-year stint, Smith was always able to offer a resolute defence of their approach and delighted in providing statistics that he said proved the doubters wrong. However, his departure looked inevitable after yesterday's revelations in the Times newspaper that included one player saying: "He simply doesn't understand the game well enough" and another that "he was way out of his depth". "I feel that England have made great strides in the last three years and although the World Cup was a massive disappointment, we have won 10 out of the last 13 games, including beating Australia back-to-back and winning the Six Nations for the first time since 2003," Smith said in the statement. Johnson said: "Brian has brought a high level of coaching and a huge amount of commitment and passion to the job. If you look at our record in the last 12 months, and the fact that we have scored 37 tries to 12 conceded, it shows what an impact he has made. "I want to thank him for what he has done for the England team and for the young players that he has brought on." As the Times revealed, however, that was not a view shared by all the players. "I would be delighted if he went," one player said of the Australian. "Our attack play was boring, uninventive, lacklustre, even schoolboy at times." Other comments included: "He didn't offer anything. The players had all the ideas for strategy and all he did was write the players' ideas on the board." "If we'd got to the semi-finals or final it would have papered over the cracks and the worst thing is Brian Smith would have stayed in his job. It might be a blessing." Defence coach Mike Ford and forwards coach John Wells were also heavily criticised by the players but scrum coach Graham Rowntree was widely praised. There has been speculation that Stuart Lancaster, the head of the second-string England Saxons, could take over the senior team in a caretaker capacity for the Six Nations championship which begins in February. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Valencia realistic about Chelsea challenge Posted: 24 Nov 2011 05:56 AM PST  Valencia's Roberto Soldado celebrates after he scored a goal against Racing Santander during their Spanish first division soccer match at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia in this file photo of August 27, 2011. Valencia's solid start to the season has been built around the splendid form of Soldado, the former Real Madrid, Osasuna and Getafe forward. – Reuters pic A quickfire first-half hat-trick from striker and captain Roberto Soldado, and goals from Jonas, Pablo Hernandez, Aritz Aduriz and Tino Costa, gave Emery's side a crushing 7-0 win over the Belgians at the Mestalla. That result is one goal short of Liverpool's record 8-0 destruction of Besiktas in 2007. A score draw at Stamford Bridge on Dec. 6 would be enough to secure a berth in the last 16 after Chelsea were upset 2-1 in Germany by Bayer Leverkusen, who went top of Group E and sealed their place in the knockout round. "We have a chance in London to see what we are capable of in this competition and against a powerful opponent," Emery, whose side drew 1-1 with Chelsea in Valencia in September, said at a post-match news conference. "We'll have to prepare with a lot of strength and intelligence, but we should try to enjoy it as well. We have our fate in our own hands and for that we should be satisfied. "We'll go to London to win." Valencia's solid start to the season has been built around the splendid form of Soldado, the former Real Madrid, Osasuna and Getafe forward, who has netted five in Europe's elite club competition and eight in La Liga, where Valencia are third behind leaders Real and second-placed Barcelona. Soldado's latest performance, coming after his double against Real in La Liga at the weekend, will boost his chances of a recall to the Spain squad for next year's European Championship in Ukraine and Poland. The 26-year-old, who was born in Valencia, has represented the world and European champions only twice, back in June 2007, when he failed to score. "He is improving every day and he will get a chance to play for the national team if he carries on like this," Emery said. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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