News sport : DeMarcus Cousins addresses coaching rumors with 'God's plan' speech after beating Suns

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After coughing up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to a Phoenix Suns club seemingly hell-bent on avoiding another disappointing defeat, the Sacramento Kings found themselves with possession in a tie ballgame and 2.5 seconds left to untie it. This is the sort of situation where it'd be really nice to have a humongous All-Star capable of creating his own shot and offensively gifted enough to hit it, even against tight coverage.


... Hey, wait a second! The Kings do have a guy like that now!



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As Ben McLemore prepared to trigger the inbounds pass, a quick foul-line screen on Suns center Miles Plumlee by Kings forward Derrick Williams prompted a Phoenix switch and got Boogie matched up with the smaller Markieff Morris. Cousins made the catch with one foot behind the 3-point line on the right wing, took one dribble to his left, stepped back and began to elevate, giving just enough of a ball-fake to draw Morris off-balance and into the air. With his defender airborne, Cousins calmly stepped through into the opening left by Morris and fired up a jumper that caught the heel of the rim, caromed forward off the front of the cylinder and splashed through at the buzzer to give the Kings an 85-83 win and snap a three-game losing streak.


It was yet another brutal beat for the Suns, who have not only lost four of their last five, but have now lost four games on opponents' buzzer-beating game-winners — one by Blake Griffin, one by Khris Middleton, one by James Harden and, now, one by Boogie. Add in several other tough late losses — on a Jeff Green putback with 4.5 seconds left, plus overtime defeats at the hands of the Thunder, the Grizzlies and these Kings — and you've got an awfully daunting late-and-close record for a club fighting tooth-and-nail to hold off Oklahoma City and New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. (Entering Monday's games, Phoenix remains a game up on the Pelicans and two games ahead of the Thunder.)


The Suns couldn't believe they were on the receiving end of yet another final-play dagger, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic:


"Here we go again," Markieff Morris said he thought. [...]

"Once it hit the front of the rim, I was like, 'Man, not again,'" Suns point guard Isaiah Thomas said. [...]

"You never lose by that shot," Suns forward P.J. Tucker said. "We lost by a shot but we lost a trillion possessions before that with the mistakes we made."

While there was agony in the Suns' locker room, you'd expect there to be a little bit of ecstasy in Sacramento's after earning just their second victory in the last 13 games. And yet, after scoring a game-high 28 points to go with 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks, plus the game-winner, Cousins sure didn't seem especially happy following the win.


A week of boiling-over frustrations culminated in chatter about another potential in-season coaching change in Sacramento, with George Karl reportedly close to replacing Tyrone Corbin, who replaced the fired Mike Malone in December. Recent reports have suggested at least some concern in Cousins' "camp" about the prospect of the Kings hiring Karl, who has the sixth-most wins of any coach in NBA history, an established relationship with Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro going back to their days together with the Denver Nuggets, and a pace-pushing philosophy that would seem to dovetail with the uptempo, experimental brand of ball reportedly preferred by Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadivé. (Oh, and he also definitely wants to coach again.)


Cousins' agents say they're not gumming up the works, though, and Boogie's apparent distaste at being painted as an oppositional force manifested itself in a strange post-game session with reporters, as captured by Cowbell Kingdom:



Nah, I ain't pumped up. I just got a lot on my mind. The crazy thing about it? I just got a question for y'all: how you gonna stop God's plan? How you gonna do that? How you gonna do that? That's what I want to know. How you gonna stop God's plan?

Man, this city done put me through so much. I done stayed loyal to it the whole time. Hey, I just want to know how you gonna stop God's plan. God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. The marathon continues. I'm out.

Nobody asked Cousins about the coaching rumors, according to Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty: "An observation was made about how he looked like he was still really pumped up following the game-winning shot, and it prompted that response." OK, then.


Clearly, the Kings don't mind Boogie's impromptu table-turning, turning his closer into an Instagram post:



The latest updates in the continuing marathon? Corbin is still the Kings' head coach, at least for the moment; the next move belongs to Kings ownership; and Sacramento's getting ready to fly to Illinois ahead of Tuesday's date with the Chicago Bulls.


Corbin's coaching has left something to be desired since taking over for Malone, but it's regrettable that he's being left to twist in the wind like this. He's handling it about as well as you could, trying to take things one step at a time and reminding his players to do the same, according to Ellington:


"[...] I told these guys inside, 'look, the only thing you can control is the way you play on the floor,'" Corbin said. "Rumors and speculation will be around as long as you are in this league and I've been around a long time. You have to try and find a way to fight through those things and play, and, you know, I thought the way they did it tonight was great for them going forward. Who knows what will happen, but for them to get a victory like this tonight and stay together through these kind of conditions is good for them."

And whatever comes next will be whatever comes next. After a stop in New York for All-Star Weekend and a week off afterward, Cousins and the Kings will return to trying to execute the plan; whether it's God's or Ranadivé's or Karl's or someone else's, though, remains to be seen. Either way, the marathon will continue, wending its way toward the dire destination of a ninth straight missed postseason.


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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!



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News sport : Five-star DE CeCe Jefferson officially signs with Florida

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Five days after announcing his commitment to Florida, five-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson finally sent his National Letter of Intent to the Gators on Monday morning.


Florida head coach Jim McElwain confirmed the news on Twitter and Jefferson was officially added to the program’s official list of signees on Florida’s website.





Despite not sending in his letter of intent for several days, Jefferson tweeted “I’m a Gator” on Friday. The holdup mainly seemed to stem from Florida’s change at defensive line coach when Terrell Williams left the program to join the staff of the Miami Dolphins. McElwain finalized the hire of former Texas defensive line coach Chris Rumph on Friday.


Additionally, CeCe’s father was vocal about his preference for his son to attend another university. Despite that, he made it clear that he would be glad to sign his son’s NLI to Florida if that’s what he ultimately decided to do.


On Monday, that’s what happened.


With the addition of Jefferson, the 20th-best player in the 2015 class, the Gators’ class comes in at No. 23 in Rivals’ final team rankings. In addition to Jefferson, Florida brought in six other commitments on signing day, including five-star lineman Martez Ivey.


For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.


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News sport : Knick owner James Dolan urges an angry 'alcoholic maybe' Knicks fan to root for the Nets

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It’s not that we don’t respect Deadspin’s editorial staff, or their standards in vetting what could be hoaxes, but their post from Sunday morning seemed almost too good to be true. We all know New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan is a spoiled, petulant, and incompetent titan of the MSG industry his father gave him, but the supposed email he sent a longtime Knicks fan in January appeared to be a little too in-character. A little too perfect. A little too Dolan.


Turns out, it was all Dolan. His own team, weirdly and needlessly, confirmed that it was all Dolan. We’ll get to that in a bit.


Via Deadspin, here is the body of an email sent to Dolan in January:



At one stage I thought that you did a wonderful thing when you acquired EVERYTHING from your dad. However, since then it has been ALL DOWN HILL. Your working with Isaiah Thomas & everything else regarding the Knicks. Bringing on Phil Jackson was a positive beginning, but lowballing Steve Kerr was a DISGRACE to the knicks. The bottom line is that you merely continued to interfere with the franchise.




As a knicks fan for in excess of 60 years, I am utterly embarrassed by your dealings with the Knicks. Sell them so their fans can at least look forward to growing them in a positive direction Obviously, money IS NOT THE ONLY THING. You have done a lot of utterly STUPID business things with the franchise. Please NO MORE.




Respecfully,



Nobody likes being told to step down from their job, and certainly nobody (not even James Dolan) is going to happily pass the buck on a moneymaker like the Knicks, recently valued at $2.5 billion at Forbes Magazine.


Still, outside of a bit of “you’re”/”your” confusion and the misspelling of Isiah Thomas’ first name (pretty typical for most angry emails that NBA types receive), the email was not inaccurate.


Dolan’s response was James Dolan-level inappropriate:



You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am.just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am betting nothing. In fact ill bet you are negative force in everyone who comes in contact with you. You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it. Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you.




Respectfully,




James Dolan



Again, Dolan’s response was so pathetic that we wondered if someone was putting Deadspin on. We had the same cynical, dubious take that we’d have mustered after being told that, say, Kanye West stormed a stupid award show stage in order to rant about Beyonce. Nobody could lack that much self-awareness, right? Nobody could follow through on that level of uninteresting caricature, right? It was so believable, that’s it had to be unbelievable, right?


It’s an unfunny hoax, right?


Wrong. From the Associated Press:


An MSG spokesman confirmed the email, which appeared Sunday on Deadspin.com, was written by Dolan.


Wow.


As someone who was once addicted to drugs and alcohol, Dolan should know that lobbing around accusations about alcoholism is not something to toss out lightly. As an alcoholic celebrating decades of sobriety, and as a presumably sane person, Dolan should also know that holding one’s own sobriety over a person’s head is about as low as one can get – those who once were the sick man in the gutter shouldn’t really be sneering at the sick man in the gutter.


How Dolan came to the “alcoholic” conclusion is mind-boggling, as his own email reply (written to someone who has been a fan since the early 1950s, someone clearly of an advanced age) is riddled with more grammatical errors than the initial email. If anything, it’s Dolan that looks like he’s the one that downed a few Manhattans (without tipping well, because he owns the place) prior to hitting the laptop.


We can say that, because Dolan’s the one making the rules, ‘ere. We’re now allowed to question the blood alcohol content of every damning email from this point on.


After all, those Manhattans are probably the only thing that allows Dolan the temerity to listen to his own terrible songs. Or live with himself after acting like a prat to his employees when they do their job, or live with himself as he presides over the Worst Knicks Team Ever, featuring a highly-paid president who was quick to candidly admit that his first run out of the gate has featured an experiment gone pear-shaped. Gone “Dolan,” more specifically.


Then MSG confirmed it. Like they’re proud of it, or something. Like the hubris and disconnect that Spoiled Son of a Rich Guy That Actually Earned His Money James Dolan oozes in full has now dripped down to rest on the shoulders of the team’s PR staff.


The Brooklyn Nets are for sale. The team is at a laughably high loss for draft picks, it features a cadre of overpaid and/or aging stars, a coach that is often out of line with reality, the NBA’s largest payroll, and the entire franchise screams of either new or undeserved money.


James Dolan? Respectfully, go buy the Nets.


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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Oregon senator upset Ducks' 2015 class has no in-state signees

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Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich reacts during the first half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Ohio State Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Among the 22 signees in Oregon’s 2015 recruiting class, there is not a single player from the state of Oregon.


Oregon senator Peter Courtney isn’t happy about it.


“It bothers me. It just does for whatever reason,” Courtney said Friday, per The Oregonian. “Are we to believe there’s not one high school senior who plays football in this state good enough for Oregon?”


Oregon and head coach Mark Helfrich, an Oregon native, brought in nine prospects from California, three from Washington, three from Hawaii and two from Georgia. The Ducks pulled a prospect from each of Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee and Florida, too. None from Oregon.


The program’s success on the field allows for it to pull in recruits from across the country, but Courtney says it’s important to represent Oregon as well.


“Helfrich grew up in Coos Bay,” Courtney said. “He went to Marshfield High. If anyone should get how important that is, it should be him.”


In Helfrich’s defense, he didn’t exactly have a ton of in-state talent to sort through for this recruiting cycle. According to the Oregonian, only seven players from Oregon signed with FBS programs for the 2015 (Rivals.com lists five). According to Rivals, only one of these players – four-star Stanford signee Cameron Scarlett – had an offer from the Ducks.


By comparison, the state’s other FBS program, Oregon State, signed just one Oregon product – three-star offensive lineman Blake Brandel.


Courtney’s point is certainly understandable, but in four years prior, the Ducks signed a combined 10 players from Oregon, so it’s not like Helfrich has been ignoring the state’s high school football talent altogether. Still, Oregon needs a wide scope in order to continually compete on a high-level in the Pac-12 and nationally. If the talent isn’t there in Oregon, there is no sense in extending an offer to an in-state kid just because he’s local.


“I think part of it is just the Oregon brand and as that’s grown the Pac-12 recruiting footprint is the world now. We’ll go anywhere,” Helfrich said last week after calling it “unfortunate” that no in-state players were joining the program.


The 2015 class could just be an aberration. Looking ahead to 2016, the Ducks already landed a verbal commitment from four-star recruit Brady Breeze, a safety from Portland’s Central Catholic. Additionally, three-star athlete Lamar Winston, also from Central Catholic, has a scholarship offer from the Ducks.


That should be music to Courtney’s ears.


For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.


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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!







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Blind goal can’t hide United’s deficiencies

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If Manchester United continue to play like they did against West Ham, they’ll find themselves chasing games more often than not.


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It is fortunate for Manchester United that they have not lost their capacity to pinch late goals when the pressure is on, because if they continue to play this way under Louis van Gaal they will find themselves chasing games against more opposing teams whom they once blew away with ease.


Yes, there was something to be admired in the usual straining of every sinew to salvage a point from a game which Manchester United had very nearly thrown away and one could not quite buy Sam Allardyce's protestations that his team were robbed. It was always on the cards that United would snatch the goal that Daley Blind supplied in the 92nd minute, but a more pressing concern for their Dutch coach was how they found themselves in such a situation.


In a team in which attacking talent abounds, Van Gaal's tactical creations occasionally have the effect of making expensive footballers look utterly bewildered as to what it is they should be doing. Perhaps the Dutchman is about to make fools of us all with his sophisticated vision for Manchester United, or perhaps he is just getting it wrong.


It felt like the latter as Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao, Adnan Januzaj and Angel Di Maria all disappeared at times into the black hole of a United formation that they struggled to make work. Van Gaal's contention that a dismal first half performance was a consequence of his team winning too few “second balls” felt like a gross over-simplification of a much deeper problem.


He also argued that Luke Shaw should not have been dismissed for the second of two late yellow cards, yet the foul in question on Stewart Downing might have been a red card in its own right. Van Gaal did at least acknowledge that the challenge by the young Englishman was “tactically not so smart” which was putting it lightly.


They missed the chance to make two points up on Manchester City and stay in fourth place behind Southampton. In the end it was upon the likes of Wayne Rooney that Van Gaal's team depended for the impetus as he was switched, from defensive to attacking midfield duties more than once. The introduction of Marouane Fellaini made a difference too.


Allardyce joked later that Van Gaal would never get the criticism for switching to a more direct game around the Belgian that the West Ham manager has received for doing the same in the past. The home team were much better in attack in the first half and once again it was David De Gea who came to the rescue of his side, especially after the break when he saved from Mark Noble.


West Ham had taken the lead early in the second half through Cheikhou Kouyate, the Senegal international converted to play in defence to cover for injuries, and they had their chances to put themselves out of sight before Blind rescued a point for his team.


The first half was desperate from United's point of view with Blind often isolated and passed around in midfield. Alex Song was consistently the most influential man in the middle of the park in the first 45 minutes and even he could be careless in possession.


Out in the right channel, Van Persie looked more dispirited than usual. He swept a leg away from Noble early in the game and then swung an arm backwards into the face of James Tomkins as they both waited to head a ball forward. The referee Mark Clattenburg gave them both a talking-to and there was no mistaking the irritation in the Dutch striker's demeanour.


The least impressive of the lot was Falcao whose miss with 14 minutes of the game left told you everything you needed to know about his confidence. Monaco still want £43m for this man, and his agent Jorge Mendes has been telling the BBC all week what a good player he will turn out to be. On current evidence he is one economy Van Gaal can easily make come June.


De Gea tipped an early effort from Enner Valencia over the bar and then saved with his feet from Tomkins on 32 minutes. Valencia was the liveliest for the home team, in spite of a dreadful dive on 33 minutes that referee Clattenburg saw through.


On one of their best counter-attacks there was a good argument that Marcos Rojo, booked at the subsequent break in play, might have earned double the punishment in the space of a few seconds. Losing the ball he crashed into Valencia and then Noble in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the break.


It was an unusual and clever goal from Kouyate that took a deflection off Blind on its way in. Kouyate was up for a free-kick and controlled the ball with his back to goal when it broke to him, taking two touches to turn and, without letting it touch the turf once, volleyed the third past De Gea.


West Ham's goal was deserved and it prompted the best period of play that the away team had managed all game. Rooney was pushed further forward and there were a couple of chances for Van Persie. He took neither of them. That pin-sharp finishing of old was missing, especially the second chance when Tomkins recovered to tackle him.


And then, as things became ever more desperate for Van Gaal, on came Fellaini and United were more direct. Falcao's worst moment came not long afterwards when he brought down a long clearance from Rojo, exchanged passes with Van Persie and was through on goal. He decided to hit his shot with the outside of his right foot when the left would have been better and did not even hit the target.


The away team continued to force the issue and the chances kept coming. But De Gea had to make a double save from Noble and then Kevin Nolan before United scored their equaliser. Carl Jenkinson's header from a free-kick dropped the ball into the area and Blind finished nicely. This club can still do the late goals that have made their modern era so successful, Van Gaal will have been relieved to learn. It is the rest that needs work.


MATCH IN NUMBERS4


Wins for Man Utd in nine games – v Yeovil, QPR, Leicester and Cambridge


0


Touches by Wayne Rooney in West Ham’s area throughout the game


3


Blind’s goal was third time a Dutchman has rescued a draw for MU at West Ham since 2013


West Ham Manchester UtdSubstitutions: West Ham United Jarvis (E Valencia, 84). Manchester United Fellaini (Januzaj, 72), Smalling (Falcao, 90).


Booked: West Ham Song, Adrian. Manchester United Rojo, Shaw (twice), Rooney.


Sent off: Manchester United Shaw (90).


Man of the match De Gea.


Match rating 6/10.


Possession: West Ham 41% Man U 59%.


Attempts on target: West Ham 6 Man U 6.


Referee M Clattenburg (County Durham).


Attendance 34,499. – The Independent






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News sport : DePaul student uses Marshawn Lynch press conference lines to pick up girls

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Attention shy guys: You too can harness your inner Marshawn Lynch and still have success meeting girls.

Witness a DePaul student who decided to use Lynch's varied press-conference responses on campus as a method of getting digits. As you'll see, he has varying levels of success. But what's the old Wayne Gretzky-ism? You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.


Check out some of his brilliant offerings, including Lynch's now infamous "I'm just here so I won't get fined" line — and the kid does it in the library, which adds a layer a hilarity to the whole thing.


Dudes, the bar has been raised.


(Another note: I grew up in the wrong era.)


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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : Virginia Tech TE Bucky Hodges arrested for public intoxication

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Tight end Bucky Hodges #7 of the Virginia Tech Hokies lines up for a play against the Cincinnati Bearcats on December 27, 2014 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) One of Virginia Tech’s top offensive threats ran into a bit of trouble over the weekend.


According to the Roanoke Times, Bucky Hodges, the Hokies’ third team All-ACC tight end, was arrested and charged Sunday for public swearing/intoxication, a misdemeanor charge. The incident occurred “around 12:30 Sunday morning” in a parking lot of at The Edge Apartments in Blacksburg, Va.


Hodges, 19, was booked and released from Montgomery County Jail later Sunday morning.


Virginia Tech is aware of the incident.


"We have been made aware of the situation and are closely monitoring," Virginia Tech executive associate athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois told the Times. "We have an institutional policy in place and will abide by the letter and spirit.”


Hodges, who just finished his redshirt freshman season, arrived at the program in 2013 as a quarterback. He was then moved to tight end and flourished, registering 45 receptions for 526 yards and seven touchdowns – all of which are school records for a tight end.


For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.


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Arsenal boosted by Sanchez return

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Alexis Sanchez will be back in the Arsenal squad for Tuesday's Premier League game against bottom club Leicester City.


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London - Chile striker Alexis Sanchez will be back in the Arsenal squad for Tuesday's Premier League game against bottom club Leicester City as Arsene Wenger's team look to bounce back immediately from their derby defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.


Sanchez, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season, missed the 2-1 loss at White Hart Lane on Saturday and the previous week's 5-0 win over Aston Villa due to a hamstring injury.


“Sanchez will be back in the group,” Wenger told reporters on Monday. “He is our best goalscorer and one of our hardest working players in the team. It's good to have him back.”


Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, however, will be out for another two weeks and Wenger had no date for the return of Jack Wilshere, who was photographed last week holding a shisha pipe in a London nightclub.


Leicester, who have not won at Arsenal since 1973, have lost on their last seven league visits to the red half of north London, and will be looking for the kind of upset they inflicted on Spurs when they visited them two weeks ago.


Leicester beat Spurs 2-1 in the FA Cup with two late goals at White Hart Lane and will need that kind of resilience against an Arsenal side who had won five successive matches in all competitions before the loss at Tottenham.


“We had a very strong run before Saturday so we just want to continue that. We need to respond strongly,” Wenger said.


“We have to deal with our performances. The criticism is always there. You focus on how your team in a position to respond well and quickly. This is a very important period.”


Arsenal slipped back to sixth after Saturday, one place and one point behind Spurs, while Leicester are bottom and four points from safety.


Leicester will have manager Nigel Pearson in charge after the Foxes issued a statement on Sunday that reports he had been sacked were “inaccurate and without foundation”.


Pearson became involved in a touchline squabble with Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur during Saturday's 1-0 home defeat after the player accidentally crashed into the Leicester manager. – Reuters






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United are a long-ball team - Allardyce

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Sam Allardyce branded Louis van Gaal’s side ‘Long-ball United’ after West Ham were denied victory by a late goal at Upton Park.


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Sam Allardyce branded Louis van Gaal’s side ‘Long-ball United’ after West Ham were denied victory by a late goal at Upton Park.


Daley Blind snatched a point in second-half stoppage time after Manchester United resorted to pumping long balls into West Ham’s penalty area. They were trailing to Cheikhou Kouyate’s strike until right at the death when Carl Jenkinson misguided a headed clearance into Dutchman Blind’s path.


West Ham manager Allardyce said: ‘In the end we couldn’t cope with Long-ball United. It’s not how you normally see United play, but it got them a goal in the end.


‘You might just criticise Louis van Gaal for playing long balls as much as I’m sometimes criticised for being direct.’


The Manchester United boss even admitted afterwards that it has been his Plan B in games this season to get Marouane Fellaini on the pitch and pump passes up to him.


‘I have done that already a lot of times with Fellaini, so that is not new,’ said Van Gaal, who also thought a late red card shown to defender Luke Shaw for a lunge on Stewart Downing was harsh. – Daily Mail






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Title race not yet over - Mourinho

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Chelsea have extended their Premier League lead to seven points after their win against Aston Villa.


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The chances of a team managed by Jose Mourinho giving up a seven-point lead with 14 matches left is as likely as Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert putting Chelsea’s staff on his Christmas card list.


Mourinho walked off the Villa Park turf a winner for the first time — too quickly for Lambert to shake his hand — but insisted he would only see Chelsea as champions when the title was sealed.


‘A Jose Mourinho team is a team like the others,’ he said. ‘If we have a seven-point lead with two matches to go we are champions. If we have a seven-point lead with three matches to go we need two points. And it’s not three matches, it’s 14, so there’s a long time to go.’


By May, this may well be viewed as a pivotal weekend in the title race, one when the leaders recovered from conceding to the worst attack in English football while Manchester City failed to beat lowly Hull at home.


It can also be seen as another chapter in the fraught relationship between Chelsea and Villa. Lambert was left seething by the behaviour of a Mourinho ally, understood to be Rui Faria — a renowned wind-up merchant — 10 minutes before the interval.Didier Drogba went down holding his head following an aerial duel with Ciaran Clark, prompting an exchange of words in the technical areas. Lambert removed his coat as if ready for action.


Afterwards, Mourinho appeared to criticise Lambert by suggesting Villa should not be struggling near the bottom of the table.


‘If they go down it is not because of the quality of their players,’ said Mourinho. ‘I believe they are not going down. This is a big club.’


Asked if it would be Lambert’s fault if Villa dropped a division, Mourinho replied: ‘I am saying nothing. I am saying that’s football. They have more than enough.’


The pair clashed earlier this season when Mourinho tried to shake Lambert’s hand before full-time in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho had tongue wedged in cheek when saying Lambert and his then assistant Roy Keane were ‘very polite and well-educated people’.


Lambert seemed surprised at any praise coming from the Portuguese. ‘Whether he is trying to put pressure on me, I don’t know,’ said the Scot. ‘Was it genuine? We’ll call it genuine-ish. I would love to learn from him as a manager but I wouldn’t like to learn things off the pitch from someone in his dug-out.’


Lambert must switch his focus to more important matters. Villa travel to Hull tomorrow for a game of great significance. Jores Okore, who scored Villa’s first Premier League goal in 11 hours, said only victory would do. ‘It’s a really big game against a team who are close to us,’ he said. ‘Those are the matches you need to win.’


Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic scored the goals against Villa that increased Chelsea’s lead over City. Mourinho called the Serbian one of the club’s best signings and his winner a half-volley to make ‘every striker in the world proud’.


Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan 6; Okore 6.5, Clark 6, Hutton 6, Cissokho 6; Cleverley 6 (Sinclair 74min, 6), Westwood 6, Delph 6; Gil 7, Agbonlahor 6 (Benteke 68, 5), Weimann 5.5 (Cole 80). Subs not used: Vlaar, Bacuna, Sanchez, Given. Booked: Cleverley, Westwood, Okore. Scorer: Okore 48.


Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 7; Ivanovic 7.5, Cahill 6, Terry 6.5, Azpilicueta 7; Ramires 6, Matic 7; Willian 8 (Cuadrado 80), Oscar 6 (Mikel 73, 6.5), Hazard 7; Drogba 5 (Remy 64, 6). Subs not used: Cech, Zouma, Ake, Loftus-Cheek. Booked: Ramires, Ivanovic. Scorers: Hazard 8, Ivanovic 66.


Man of the match: Willian.


Referee: Neil Swarbrick 6. – Daily Mail






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Spurs youngsters repaying Pochettino

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Tottenham's victory against Arsenal was based mainly on contributions of three youngsters who have blossomed under coach Mauricio Pochettino.


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Mauricio Pochettino spoke with the authority of a man who had just been absolutely vindicated. He had just seen his Tottenham team give the ultimate Pochettino performance, full of youthful energy and attacking ambition, lifting them, for a few hours at least, up to fourth place.


This 2-1 victory over Arsenal was not as spectacular as the 5-3 destruction of Chelsea on New Year's Day, but it was a more complete performance. They dominated throughout, relying on the contributions of three youngsters who have blossomed under Pochettino. Harry Kane scored the goals while Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason ran the midfield.


Pochettino brought some very talented youngsters into his Southampton side last season and explained, in the afterglow of victory, how important this was to him. “This is our philosophy, it was our philosophy at Espanyol, Southampton and now here,” Pochettino said. “In the first season at Espanyol, we gave 25 debuts to players from the academy . If you have players with potential, why not? We have to give them opportunities.” Throughout his career, Pochettino has been moulding young talent, although he describes this as harder than coaching established professionals. “It is very difficult,” he explained. “It is easier to coach players, senior players, because they are already developed. You need to be patient, to have quality.”


It does not appear that much patience has been needed with Kane, Bentaleb and Mason, given how well they are playing. Arsène Wenger bemoaned the “quality of defensive pressure” that Mason and Bentaleb exerted in midfield, providing the drive and energy Pochettino wants from his teams.


Bentaleb was especially impressive given that last Sunday he was playing an African Cup of Nations quarter-final for Algeria against Ivory Coast in Malabo, on the Gulf of Guinea. But Pochettino saw he was in a “perfect state” and he showed it on the pitch. Bentaleb, who looks like a future Tottenham captain, was grateful to Pochettino for his trust.


“It is just faith,” Bentaleb said. “We all believe we can win these types of games. We showed it against Chelsea and now against Arsenal. We believe in ourselves. Pochettino has given me focus, trying to lose the ball less, go forward more, and work on my defensive part. He shows us clips, talks to you one-on-one and shows what you are doing wrong and right.”


Bentaleb is improving but the change in Kane is remarkable. He has turned from a skilful, gangly teenager into an imposing, powerful centre-forward. He bullied Arsenal's centre-backs on Saturday, with one poacher's finish and a towering header. “We could see from the beginning that he has an amazing potential,” said Pochettino. “After, he started to develop and he has arrived in what is a brilliant presence.”


Kane, the new hero of White Hart Lane, said long after the final whistle that he wished he was still on the pitch soaking up the moment with the fans. “I didn't want to come off,” he smiled. “It was a special day. It's something I won't forget.”


Tottenham 2 Arsenal 1Goals: Tottenham Kane 56, 86. Arsenal Özil 11.


Substitutions: Tottenham Chadli (Dembélé, 75), Stambouli (Lamela, 90), Paulinho (Mason, 90). Arsenal Rosicky (Cazorla, 68), Walcott (Welbeck, 78), Akpom (Coquelin, 89). Booked: Tottenham Kane, Mason, Bentaleb. Arsenal Monreal, Welbeck, Koscielny, Giroud, Ramsey.


Man of the match Kane. Match rating 8/10. Possession: Tottenham 56% Arsenal 44%.


Attempts on target: Tottenham 8 Arsenal 3.


Referee M Atkinson (West Yorks). Att 35,659. - The Independent






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Why it’s gone wrong at City

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Manchester City’s quest to defend their Premier League suffered a major blow when they failed to beat struggling Hull City.


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1 where are the goals? At the same stage last season, City had scored 68 in the league — 21 more than now. They let Alvaro Negredo leave and have waited until now to sign Wilfried Bony.


2 Breaking down There is nothing strange about opponents parking the bus against City, but Pellegrini’s side no longer have a solution. Playmaker David Silva has only provided two assists in the league all season.


3 The Yaya factor City have yet to win in six league games without Toure this season, drawing five and losing one. Fernando and Fernandinho can’t replace his drive and his return from the Africa Cup of Nations tomorrow will be a big relief.


4 Leaky City Hull’s shambolic goal on Saturday was the 10th time in 24 league games this season City have gone behind. They have come back to win in just three.


5 troubled minds City have gone from one problem to another, from the FFP punishment and controversy over Frank Lampard’s signing to minor distractions such as James Milner’s contract stalemate. It seems to have had a damaging effect. – Daily Mail






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United spirit delights Van Gaal

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It may not have been pretty but Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal did not mind at all after Daley Blind's late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw at West Ham United.


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London - It may not have been pretty but Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal did not mind at all after Daley Blind's late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw at West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday.


The visitors were second best for much of the match at Upton Park and Cheikhou Kouyate's superb volley looked to have given West Ham their first league win against the Old Trafford side since 2007.


But as Van Gaal's team pushed for an equaliser Dutch international Blind was on hand to level the scores and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was forced to admit his players could not cope with “long ball United” in the closing stages.


“I think we played very badly in the first half and we showed a lot of spirit in the second half, especially after the goal at the beginning,” Dutchman Van Gaal told Sky Sports.


“When we had the ball we didn't play it along the floor, but also when we lost the ball then you have to win the first and the second balls much better than we did in the first half.


“Because they (West Ham) were playing long balls, we knew that in advance, but all of the second balls were for West Ham and that is why we were under a lot of pressure.


“That is also why the players lost their confidence to play the ball along the floor when we were in possession.”


With United struggling to create any clear chances, Van Gaal introduced towering Belgian Marouane Fellaini in the hope of disrupting the West Ham defence.


It worked a treat as Fellaini won an aerial ball in the build up to Blind's equaliser which left United fourth in the Premier League table with 44 points from 24 matches.


“I think with Fellaini, you have to change your style of play and we have done,” Van Gaal said.


“Because of Fellaini, we have created a lot of chances because I think we had the three open chances before the goal.


“Normally, you can win this game also, in spite of the bad first half. But okay, I am pleased that we have a draw here.” – Reuters






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News sport : NHL Three Stars: Hossa leads 'Hawks late; Price's acrobatics beat Bruins

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No. 1 Star: Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks


St. Louis came back from a one-goal deficit twice in the tilt versus Chicago. In the third period, Hossa paired up with Brandon Saad to score the go-ahead goal, and the empty-netter to ice it for Chicago. Here's the power play goal putting the Blackhawks up 3-2:





No. 2 Star: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens


The Habs swept the season series against the Bruins thanks to another great performance from Price. He made 34 saves in Montreal's 3-1 victory, including this awesome spin-o-swatter save.





No. 3 Star: Carter Hutton, Nashville Predators


After giving up two goals in the second, Hutton held on as the Preds mounted a comeback scoring two power play goals in the third on Roberto Luongo. The two squads went to the shoot-out, and Hutton stopped 2-of-4 shots against to put Nashville back in the top spot in the NHL.


Honorable Mention: Brian Boyle scored 2 goals in the Lightning's 5-3 win over Anaheim. The Ducks had a late rally, where Ryan Getzlaf scored the 200th goal of his career (or did he, Mr. Referee), but couldn't get past Ben Bishop and the Bolts ... The Blues took the loss, but daaamn Vladimir Tarasenko:





... Jason Spezza had a 3-point game for Dallas against the Rangers, scoring a goal and two assists. Spezza's third point came on Ales Hemsky's OT game winner ... The Islanders were up 3-0 on Buffalo when the Sabres scored 2 straight. It wouldn't be enough as Jaroslav Halak earned his 28th win of the season ... Claude Giroux's goal and assist gave the Flyers a 2-1 victory against Washington. Alex Ovechkin scored a power play goal to bring him to 33 on the season, tying him with Rick Nash.


Did You Know: The Sabres matched a franchise low 10 shots on goal against the Islanders.


Dishonorable Mention: The Stars ended up winning in overtime, but they would have won in regulation if it wasn't for this massive brain fart by Kari Lehtonen in the closing seconds of the third period leading to Chris Kreider's tying goal:





... Philly's Steve Mason injured himself during a TV timeout and had to leave the game ... Carrie Underwood's baby daddy (Mike Fisher) decreased Erik Gudbranson's chances of having children thanks to this shot to his special purpose ... Scary moment for the Ducks, goaltender Frederik Andersen leaves game after being hit in the back of the head by a falling crossbar:





- - - - - - -


Jen Neale is a staff writer for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!










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Afcon trophy belongs to Ivory Coast

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It came down to the goalkeepers to settle matters in the Afcon final between Ghana and Ivory Coast.


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Bata, Equatorial Guinea - Ivory Coast finally won the African Nations Cup after a decade of close calls as they edged neighbours Ghana 9-8 on penalties after a goalless draw following extra time in Sunday's final at Estadio de Bata.


Goalkeeper Boubacar Barry converted the decisive spot kick to deliver the trophy for a country who had been heavily fancied for the previous five tournaments but flopped in all of them.


It was a second title for Ivory Coast whose only previous success came when they also beat Ghana in a similar post-match marathon shootout 11-10 in Dakar in 1992.


Their triumph came on a night when 22 people died outside an Egyptian soccer match after security forces barred fans from entering the stadium, the public prosecutor's office said.


Most of the dead were suffocated when the crowd stampeded after police used teargas to clear the supporters trying to force their way into a league match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi, doctors and witnesses said.


The trouble highlighted the problems facing African football and overshadowed the thrilling climax to the Nations Cup tournament in Equatorial Guinea, who stepped in as hosts after Morocco was stripped of the hosting rights.


A total of 22 kicks were needed to settle the 2015 title with the Ivorians missing their first two attempts.


It came down to the keepers to settle matters after all the outfield players had taken a penalty each with the score at 8-8.


Barry, who was only playing because of injury to Sylvain Gbohouo, saved from Ghana goalkeeper Razak Brimah and then, after requiring treatment for an injury, got up to slot home the decisive spot kick.


Victory for the Ivorians also handed Frenchman Herve Renard the distinction of becoming the first coach to win the Nations Cup with different countries after success with Zambia in 2012, when they edged the Ivorians in a shootout.


“We had a team with the right fighting spirit and we rode our luck a little,” said Renard.


An exhausted Yaya Toure looked more relieved than elated, saying: “I just want to go home and celebrate with my family and friends. It's taken a long time for us to get here.”


Two hours of action delivered few chances as the tired-looking teams fought out an error-strewn midfield battle, although Ghana's Christian Atsu came close to scoring with a snapshot that hit the post after 26 minutes.


Yaya Toure had the game's first effort on goal after 10 minutes but his free kick went straight into Brimah's arms. Gervinho fed Max Gradel with a clear chance on the right of the attack soon after but he blasted a hurried shot wide.


Ghana's first effort was inches away from a goal as Andre Ayew weaved across the penalty box before feeding Atsu, whose first time shot hit the upright before bouncing back into play.


An Ivorian mistake gave Ghana the first chance of the second half with Atsu speeding away before passing inside to Asamoah Gyan, who was off target with his effort.


Gyan had been doubtful for the final with a pelvic injury but passed a late fitness test.


Mubarak Wakaso blasted over the top with a strong effort from well outside the penalty area midway through the second half as the midfield stranglehold kept chances to a minimum.


However, Atsu's strong running down the right tested the Ivorian defence again when he provided Gyan without another chance after 72 minutes but it was blocked.


As the game approached 90 minutes a scramble in the Ghana penalty area, after Brimah could only parry the ball, gave Ivorian substitute Seydou Doumbia a half-chance but he too was thwarted by a quick defensive recovery.


Doumbia missed another half-chance at the start of the second half of extra time when striker Gervinho found a second wind and the game had to go to penalties to separate the teams.


Ghana's agonising shootout defeat means they are still waiting for their first Nations Cup success since 1982.


“But I think we can be very proud of what we did at this tournament with you guys giving us no chance,” Ghana coach Avram Grant told reporters. “We have a team for the future here.”


Morocco were stripped of the tournament having asked for a postponement amid concerns over the spread of the Ebola virus and have been banned from the next two African Nations Cups.


Reuters






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