News sport : Hawaii athletics projects $11 million deficit, could cut three sports

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Nov 23, 2013; Laramie, WY, USA; A general view of the Hawaii Warriors helmet at game against the Wyoming Cowboys at War Memorial Stadium. The Cowboys defeated the Warriors 59-56 in overtime. (Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports) The budget issues in the University of Hawaii’s athletic department have been well documented. This week, its Board of Regents released a report that anticipates an $11 million deficit for the next three years and recommends eliminating three programs – men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving and co-ed sailing.


Per The Ka Leo, UH’s student newspaper, the report states that the athletic department “remains in a very critical stage” and “without significant change to current operations or adding new revenue subsidy,” the department will face continued deficits.


"While our department’s sport programs strive to compete for championships, we do so on a very bare- bones operating budget and budget shortfall that has led to program mediocrity," the report says. "As our department struggles to fund our program aspirations, it remains difficult to achieve a sustainable and consistent level of competitiveness."


With that said, the Regents recommend five options in order to improve the athletic department’s financial situation.


From The Ka Leo:




  • Request and receive a direct allocation of G funding from the state legislature for the next two biennium state budgets between $3-$4 million per year.



  • Receive additional institutional support from the university over and above our current projected allocations for FY2016-FY2018 up to our full cost of athletic scholarships (tuition, fees, room, board and books).



  • Increase the student athletic fee from $50 to $75 per semester (which would generate approximately $850,000 to support the department’s 475 student-athletes).



  • Eliminate 3 sport programs —Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving and the Coed Sailing Teams — which would save approximately $1.35 million but will eliminate 20 percent of our athletic opportunities representing 98 student-athletes from Hawai’i. Since the affected sport programs are equivalency sports, most if not all of these student- athletes are tuition and housing-paying students which will be additional lost revenue offsetting potential savings.



  • Create a well-thought and comprehensive business plan to take the university’s licensing program in-house after the Licensing Resource Group (LRG) contract year concludes to grow (and protect) our UH brand and marks in Hawai’i and overseas. Review and optimize the number of licensees and the diversity and breadth of licensed apparel and soft goods.



The Hawaii athletic department previously asked the state for $6 million for two years to help alleviate its budget concerns.


Former athletic director Ben Jay resigned in December.


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United’s identity crisis

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Winning matches has never been good enough on its own at Old Trafford. It has to be done in a certain style.


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London - The table suggests Louis van Gaal is making progress at Manchester United but winning matches has never been good enough on its own at the Theatre of Dreams.


Van Gaal's team have lost only once in their last 18 games, are third in the Premier League, five points behind champions Manchester City, and are on course to rejoin Europe's elite.


Yet the fans, who down the years have salivated over some of the world's great showmen parading their skills at Old Trafford and beyond, are feeling as though they are watching a bunch of second-rate impersonators.


Experienced Dutchman Van Gaal has been reduced to waving around pieces of paper at news conferences to explain his team's style of play after West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce said United were playing long-ball tactics against his side.


While Van Gaal may have steered the Old Trafford ship back in the right direction, he is yet to solve the identity crisis that coincided with the retirement of Alex Ferguson in 2013.


For the vast majority of Ferguson's trophy-laden 26-year reign at Old Trafford, United played the kind of football the late Matt Busby craved.


“At Manchester United we strive for perfection and if we fail we might just have to settle for excellence,” Busby, one of United's greatest managers, once said.


Fluent, expansive football, played with pace and panache was the United way.


The personnel changed during the Fergsuon era, but the blueprint stayed the same. “You score, we'll score more,” was the ethos ingrained in the great United sides.


Thrill-seekers revelled in watching the likes of Andrei Kanchelskis, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo blow away opponents.


Now, it has all become a bit of a grind.


After the fortunate 1-1 draw against West Ham which provoked the “long-ball” accusations, United beat struggling Burnley 3-1 on Wednesday but for large parts of the match were outplayed.


Wayne Rooney, reconstituted as a midfield anchor man under Van Gaal, was lost, striker Robin van Persie starved of service and Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao anonymous.


There was no real leadership on the pitch and two of United's goals came from centre half Chris Smalling who did not even warrant a starting place.


Van Gaal is at least honest in his assessment.


“It was not good,” Van Gaal said after the Burnley win. “The fans were whistling at halftime (even though we were winning) and that's the first time I hear that.


“I'm happy we can win when we are playing not well. But I didn't see any progression and that's not good.


“Burnley were the better team, they played the ball along the floor and we didn't.”


United revealed a 12 percent drop in revenue for the six months to December on Thursday, the cost of finishing seventh last season and missing out on the Champions League.


So, providing Van Gaal achieves a top-four finish and United return to Europe's blue-riband tournament, the first part of his remit will have been achieved.


Yet, with arguably none of the current team, Rooney aside, likely to appear in many fans' best elevens from the last 30 years, Van Gaal will need a huge transfer kitty to restore United's reputation as English football's great entertainers. – Reuters






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News sport : Stars' Antoine Roussel suspended 2 games for cross-check on Adam McQuaid

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Cross-checking opponents in the throat is typically frowned upon in the NHL. Antoine Roussel of the Dallas Stars learned that on Tuesday night when he was given a five minute major and ejected for a cross-check to the throat of Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid.


The NHL’s Department of Player Safety took notice, and on Thursday suspended Roussel for two games:



As Patrick Burke notes, McQuaid was ready to scrap, while Roussel had other plans. His raising of his stick in an aggressive manner and not one to defend himself against a ready-to-fight McQuaid doesn't help his cause. That, and his repeat offender status after being fined in November for a sucker-punch.


Roussel will lose $21,505.38 in salary and is eligible to return next Tuesday against St. Louis.


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News sport : Malcolm Butler on his INT: 'I was thinking run, because of the running back'

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Well, it turns out everyone except the Seattle Seahawks expected Marshawn Lynch to get the ball.


New England Patriots rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler, who jumped on Ricardo Lockette's route and intercepted Russell Wilson like he had been in the Seahawks' huddle, expected Lynch to get the ball on the much-discussed second-and-goal play at the end of Super Bowl XLIX. He did a fun breakdown of his championship-clinching play on NFL Network and said he expected what everyone else expected.


"I was thinking run, because of the running back," Butler said. "But I'm a pass defender first, so I have to do my job first."


The entire segment is a great glimpse at the importance of preparation and coaching. The Patriots had their scout team run the exact same play the Seahawks used in the Super Bowl during practice that week. In practice, Butler said he took a step back on the snap and Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw a touchdown. Butler adjusted after getting beat and drove on the slant route on the snap in the Super Bowl. Had the Patriots not run that same play in practice, perhaps in the game Butler's first step would have been backward and Lockette would have been a Super Bowl hero.


Instead, it was the previously unknown Butler who was on NFL Network talking about one of the most famous plays in NFL history.


"Overall, I just knew what was coming," Butler said. "I wasn't sure but I had a good idea."


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!






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News sport : MJ vs. Vinsanity: What was the best slam dunk contest moment? (Video)

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The NBA All-Star Game's Slam Dunk contest has slid into painful irrelevancy, but it's always worth taking a look back at the heights it once scaled. In this video clip, Yahoo Sports' Kevin Kaduk (@kevinkaduk) and Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) consider the two most famous dunk contest performances of all time, Vince Carter's bravura performance in 2000 and Michael Jordan's history-making show in 1988. Which one gets your vote for the best? Have your say in the comments below or on Twitter at #kbarguments. You're up!


____

Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.



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News sport : Clint Bowyer: 'Something just didn't feel right' after 2014 Daytona DNF

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Clint Bowyer's 2014 Speedweeks was memorable. However, it was not successful.


During his Gatorade Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500, Bowyer's car went flipping at the end of the race. Though he drove it to the finish line, his car was a bit beat up and his starting spot in the Daytona 500 suffered.



In the 500, Bowyer's car quit. However, unlike Martin Truex Jr.'s car, which suffered an engine failure very early in the race, Bowyer's car had engine problems after the race finally resumed following a lengthy rain delay. He had to wait out the weather only to not race.


It turned out to be an omen of sorts for Bowyer's 2014. The season turned out to be his second-straight without a win and he finished 19th in the points standings.


"We have to prove ourselves and I knew last year – I'm weird about thinking – but when we blew up at the start of the year at the Daytona 500, I knew something just didn't feel right because we've always been able to come down here and run pretty good and get the year started off right and leave here with momentum and excitement and confidence," Bowyer said. "We were all dejected leaving the first race so that was not very good."


Bowyer's 15 top-10 finishes in 2014 were the fewest he's had in a season since his rookie year of 2006.


Part of that downturn can be attributed to Michael Waltrip Racing's downsizing. After losing sponsor NAPA following the race manipulation incident in 2013. the team had two cars in 2014. While two of the team's three cars visited victory lane in 2013, neither car won in 2014.


Bowyer says the team has made changes in preparation for 2015. After all, he's just two seasons removed from finishing second to Brad Keselowski in the standings.


"We've restructured and put a lot of people in different situations," Bowyer said. "The camaraderie at the race shop is already way better. I feel like there were a lot of people with their hands tied, maybe too managed and not let them really showcase their talents because there are so many smart people in this business – engineers, they're coming through the woodwork. There are so many smart, younger people that are coming through the engineering world that have racing backgrounds. Some that were racers that didn't make it and now they're in it. There's just a tremendous amount of talent in the engineering side of this sport, but you have to allow that talent to showcase and give them an opportunity and some of those guys at MWR didn't. I feel like now it's a group effort. When you're in the meetings there's a lot of people and a lot of voices being heard and you didn't necessarily hear that last year."


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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Kliff Kingsbury not expecting any quarterback transfers

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After a wave of quarterbacks left the program in 2014, Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury isn't bracing for the same in 2015.


Davis Webb became the starter after he beat out Michael Brewer and Baker Mayfield thanks to an impressive showing in Tech's Holiday Bowl win at the end of the 2013 season. Mayfield and Brewer both transferred in the offseason as Mayfield, a former walk-on, ended up at Oklahoma and Brewer went to Virginia Tech.


There was also a quarterback transfer after the end of 2014 too. Walk-on Vincent Testaverde transferred to Miami, the school his father played at.


The preseason defections left Webb and freshman Patrick Mahomes as the top two quarterbacks in 2014. After a rocky and injury-plagued 2014, Webb is competing with Mahomes to be the starter in 2015. And Kingsbury doesn't think the loser will transfer.


From the Dallas Morning News:



“That’s a good question. Just that they all want to play,” Kingsbury said during a post-signing day stop in Dallas on Wednesday to address Tech fans. “I think both guys want to be at Texas Tech. I don’t expect to see any transfers or anything like that.”



It looks like it'll be an open competition between the two quarterbacks as well. While Webb is the incumbent, Mahomes threw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in his time under center. Mahomes is also a member of the baseball team and Tech is maneuvering the spring football schedule for his baseball responsibilities. The team will have 15 workouts from between February 28 and April 8 based on his baseball schedule.


Because of stadium renovations, Tech isn't having a spring game in 2015.


For more Texas Tech news, visit RedRaiderSports.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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News sport : Former Penn State QB reportedly transferring to Canadian school

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Former Penn State quarterback Michael O’Connor is reportedly heading back to Canada.


O’Connor, an Ottawa, Ontario, native who was a four-star recruit in the class of 2014 after playing his final two high school seasons in the U.S., is reportedly transferring to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.




O’Connor decided to transfer from Penn State in December after redshirting his lone season with the program. He originally committed to former Nittany Lions head coach Bill O’Brien, but O’Brien left for the NFL two weeks before O’Connor was set to enroll early. O’Connor honored his commitment when James Franklin was hired, but he decided to transfer following the regular season.


After mulling his options, including reported interest from Syracuse, O’Connor will head back to the world of Canadian football with a 110-yard field, 12 players on each side and lots of pre-snap motion.


British Columbia, which plays in Thunderbird Stadium (capacity: 3,500), was 2-6 in the 2014 season and hasn’t had a winning season since 2004. Since UBC is not an NCAA member institution, O’Connor will not have to sit out and will be eligible to participate in the 2015 season.


O’Connor was rated as the 7th-best pro-style quarterback and the No. 184 overall prospect by Rivals in the 2014 class. He chose Penn State over offers from Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri and Rutgers, among others.


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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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News sport : Did Bill Belichick give us news about deflate-gate on Dave Letterman?

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We enjoyed the hilariously awkward interview with Dave Letterman and Bill Belichick on Wednesday's edition of "Late Night," which was, as expected, mostly an exercise in frivolity.

But was there actually some breaking news from it?


As Frank Schwab detailed previously, Letterman and Belichick volleyed around the deflate-gate silliness for a few minutes with the New England Patriots coach not giving the late-night talk show host must in the way of latitude.


But Belichick, in what sounded like an attempt at humor, offered one interesting detail to the still-ongoing investigation into what the Patriots did and didn't know about ball pressure.


"We're gonna bring you in," Belichick said to Letterman, "to testify when we get the investigation next month."


Wait, what? Next month?


It makes some sense that with the Patriots still basking in the afterglow of a Super Bowl title and Belichick and his players embarking in the talk-show circuit — and the NFL combine next week closing fast — that there might not be a lot of time for NFL investigator Ted Wells to get an audience with Belichick, Tom Brady, the "elderly" ball boy or Bill Nye, for that matter.


But goodness, what is the darned hangup here? Looks like we'll be waiting for a while to find out if the Patriots will be fined. After all, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank all but admitted that his team pumped in fake crowd noise, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam did the same with GM Ray Farmer illegally texting down to the sideline, and we don't have any resolutions in those cases yet, either.


The difference with deflate-gate? Belichick wasn't admitting to anything Wedesday night.


But for fun, let's roll through a Top 10 list — in the Letterman tradition — of our favorite moments from Belichick's appearance:


10. Belichick clumsily high-fiving band director Paul Shaffer on his way out.


9. After sitting down, Belichick heard mostly cheers from the audience, with a few scattered boos. "I hear the Jet fans," he said to Letterman with a smile.


8. Belichick, responding to the Patriots' AFC title game win over the Indiana-bred Letterman's Indianapolis Colts: "Well, it was only a 38-point win."


7. After Letterman segued away from that game, Belichick zinged him a bit. "We get off that Colts subject in a hurry, didn’t we?"


6. Letterman imitating Belichick's mumbling "We're onto Cincinnati" statement. Funny stuff.


5. Asked by Letterman about Jonas Gray, the regular-season Colts killer who disappeared down the stretch, and whether he missed a meeting (and pressing on the issue), Belichick didn't exactly deny it. "Well," he said, laughing, giving us all we needed to know on that issue.


4. Do fans and neighbors and armchair coaches offer up fancy plays to Belichick? Perhaps, but the coach made a funny paper-crumpling motion with his hands and said that it's harder to pass a bill through Congress than for an outsider to wedge their way into the Patriots' playbook.


3. Do Brady and Belichick hang out outside the facility? Belichick said Brady gave him a "good licking" while playing golf together at Pebble Beach.


2. Letterman making a few funny age jokes, saying Brady is his age (Letterman is 67; Brady is 37) and asking Belichick (who is 62) if he takes 90 seconds in the men's room, like the ball boy did on that fateful night.


1. Letterman referring to deflate-gate as "horseplay" and doing the whole "you know that I know that you know" routine about what actually happened. Belichick didn't bite, of course, but it was a fun bit of "Three's Company"-esque humor.


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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 : Roquan Smith says Jeff Ulbrich told him he declined Falcons offer

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Does the recruiting saga involving four-star LB Roquan Smith have another layer?


In an interview with UGASports.com, Smith said that former UCLA defensive coordinator and new Atlanta Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich told him he declined the Falcons job offer.


"Otherwise, it's a great school and all of this and that, but Coach Ulbrich did say that Coach Dan Quinn (of the Atlanta Falcons) had called him the night before, but he had declined the job offer," Smith told UGA Sports. "I felt like Coach (Jim) Mora should have hit me up and said there's potential that Coach Ulbrich may be leaving. Then, they tried to get me to go ahead and send the papers in, but I wasn't doing it. They tried to get me to send them in at 8 in the morning. Doing a lot of research, which I should have done earlier in the process and thank goodness I had more time, they don't even have my major. I was going to major in business, and the only way to get into business school out there is to be in graduate school."


Smith chose UCLA on National Signing Day but started having second thoughts. On the same day, it was reported that Ulbrich was leaving for the Falcons. Now, according to his high school coach, Smith won't be signing a letter of intent and instead commit to a school and become a signee on the first day of classes.


The linebacker told UGA Sports that he's chosen his school and will sign his scholarship papers "probably" on Friday.


He also said that he felt "kind of" misled about the business school aspect.




UGASports.com: And they didn't say you can't do that here?




Smith: "No, they didn't. I guess they were trying to speak as far as the graduate school for business."




UGASports.com: Do you feel misled?




Smith: "I kind of do. For them to be my first offer, yeah. I thought they were keeping it real with me, but you know people are going to lie."



Yes, they are. Especially when it comes to college recruiting. While it's easy to point fingers at UCLA in this scenario (and at Smith and his support system for not doing research earlier), this isn't an isolated incident of possible misdirection by any means. Yeah, recruiting can be shady. The more people know that, the better.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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Hazard signs new Chelsea contract

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Belgium forward Eden Hazard has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract with Chelsea, the Premier League leaders said.


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London - Belgium forward Eden Hazard has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract with Chelsea, the Premier League leaders said on Thursday.


“I am very happy to sign a new contract with Chelsea,” Hazard, who been in dazzling form this season with 13 goals in 36 matches, told Chelea's website (www.chelseafc.com).


“I always try to give pleasure to the supporters with my style of play and it is nice to know they appreciate my work.”


Hazard was voted Chelsea's Player of the Year last season despite some criticism from manager Jose Mourinho who described him as not a team player.


But Mourinho believes Hazard has evolved into one of the world's best attacking talents and there is more to come.


'He is already a top player and his evolution has been fantastic. He is still very young and he can become the best,” Mourinho said.


“I am very happy that Eden has signed a new contract. It shows he believes in the club's coaching staff and players to help him become the best player in the world.” – Reuters






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News sport : Gus Malzahn likes to play Galaga (Photo)

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Welcome back to our Dr. Saturday feature titled "Random offseason tweet of the day." With real games closer in the rear view mirror than they are in front of us, coaches and players will be tweeting about non-football-related things until the 2015 season begins. In this space, we'll try to find the funniest and goofiest tweets of the day. If you see something, don't hesitate to send it to us.


Is Auburn coach Gus Malzahn as successful in the arcade game Galaga as he is against opposing defenses?


Malzahn's wife Kristi posted the following picture of Malzahn to Twitter on Wednesday night. Notice the wall behind the game? Yes, the Malzahns have the game in their home.



If Malzahn is really a big fan of Galaga, we can only imagine the strategies he's devised in the game. And hopefully the aliens he's tasked with beating don't think he plays too fast either.


For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.


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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!







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Baxter slams pitch after draw

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Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter described the Free State Stadium pitch as a cow patch following Amakhosi's goalless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic.


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Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter described the Free State Stadium pitch as a cow patch following Amakhosi's goalless draw with Bloemfontein Celtic on Wednesday night.


The forthright Baxter also castigated the PSL for not ensuring that Premier League games were played on suitable surfaces, befitting the stature of matches in the country's premier division.


“That is something I would expect from an organisation with the status of the PSL, who are progressive and affluent in many other directions,” Baxter said.


He blamed the state of the “bumpy, uneven playing surface” as a prime reason for log leaders Amakhosi's loss of two valuable points from an up-and-down performance which affected the finishing of both sides.


“We started the match in rampant style and dominated the opening 20 minutes when there was a lot of dew on the surface and control of the ball was not such a severe test of the players skills.


“But as the uneven pitch dried out and became harder, our performance became increasingly off-key and for a period after half-time I thought we were in real trouble as Celtic dominated the proceedings.


“Still our players showed their mettle and character by regrouping against a very dedicated team and regaining control in the closing stages when we might easily have pulled off a victory.”


Baxter, however, also reiterated an earlier warning that the League championship race was not over yet.


“It's not yet in the bag for us, despite the commanding lead we presently enjoy in the log table.”


Chiefs went into the Celtic game with a 12-point advantage over Mamelodi Sundowns, who crushed Moroka Swallows 4-1 in Atteridgeville on Tuesday, and now lead the defending champions by 13 points, but from one extra game.


Baxter's caution, no doubt, was heightened by the fact that at a similar stage of last season, Chiefs were seemingly running away with the league enjoying an eight-point lead over the second-placed Brazilians.


But Chiefs lost their impetus and Sundowns responded with a rousing finish to overtake Amakhosi in a photo-finish finale.


A resolute Celtic, who during a second-half onslaught were thwarted by Brilliant Khuzwayo in Chiefs' goal from opening the score, gave as good as they got against the unbeaten log leaders, in spite of occupying 11th place on the log.


“This was a particularly pleasing performance for myself and our supporters,” said Celtic coach Clinton Larsen, who is back with the Bloemfontein club for a second stint after being replaced by the now Chippa United-based Ernst Middendorp.


“The team had gone through a lean period prior to the mid-season break, but our fans never wavered in their support and were back in large numbers for the game against Chiefs.


“Their presence certainly helped and motivated the players and they were rewarded in turn with a performance that showed we can hold our own with any team in the PSL.” – Sapa






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Mosimane’s gamble pays off

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Pitso Mosimane should be walking tall with his chest stuck out following Sundowns’ near flawless performance against Moroka Swallows.


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With a rejuvenated Mamelodi Sundowns delivering a near flawless performance crowned by an emphatic triumph, Pitso Mosimane should be walking tall with his chest stuck out.


After all Sundowns were in sublime form when they defeated Moroka Swallows 4-1 in an enthralling Absa Premiership encounter at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Tuesday night. Tactically Mosimane was spot on. The temperamental coach is resisting the temptation of being over confident.


“We look okay but we must not get excited. We must keep our feet on the ground. We started well. We entered where we wanted to enter – on the sides. We had so many opportunities. We could have converted more. I am only looking at the opportunities we created,” said Mosimane.


“It’s easy for me to take credit but I think we played proper football in terms of moving the ball well and fast and we got behind their defence quicker and bringing the ball in to the box to score. Maybe we had a very good period. We are peaking at the right time.”


A brace by Cuthbert Malajila, a header by Alje Schut and a wicked freekick by Teko Modise delivered all the points to Sundowns assisting the Brazilians to reduce the deficit between them and log leaders Kaizer Chiefs to 12 points. Mosimane fielded an attack minded side with a number of changes in the side. Rightback Siyanda Zwane impressed as he was effective both in defence and attack. Mosimane revealed that the deployment of Ramahlwe Mphahlele in central defence is in preparation for the imminent departure of Schut, who is hanging his boots at the end of the season.


“Alje Schut is retiring and he is leaving. I need to bring somebody to play centreback and that’s why I played Rama at centreback. I am happy with Zwane because the poor guy we moved him from Arrows to here (Sundowns) and he has been struggling. He is strong on defence. Going in and bringing crosses, proper crosses. It's good for him to play at this level. Let’s see what happens, maybe he could get a chance to play in the national team, fight with people like (Siyabonga) Nhlapo from Wits. Maybe he can get a place. I am happy Bra Shakes was here,” said Mosimane.


While Mosimane had a dream start to this year, his counterpart Fani Madida had a nightmarish start to his tenure as the head coach of Swallows. Madida, the erstwhile goalpoacher, was at pains to explain how his men got mesmerised and conceded four goals in the first 25 minutes of the match.


“There are negatives and also positives out of it. First 20 minutes we chocked and they came with wing play. They had good movement especially the wingers. Inside midfield, they confused our midfielders and opened our defence with crosses. We also didn’t track back. That discipline in terms of coming back, it takes an effort. If you get paid as a professional footballer you must cover your teammates well,” said Madida.


Swallows goalkeeper Greg Etafia was at fault on a number of occasions as Downs had a field day. The most glaring error was when Modise found the back of the net from about 30m. Madida did not want to fault the Nigerian goalkeeper.


“Goalkeepers make mistakes. It was one of those mistakes,” said Madida. With Swallows positioned 13th with 19 points, Madida will have to work hard to help the Dube Birds out of the danger zone. The Chiefs legend is aiming for a top eight finish.


“If Swallows finish within the top eight bracket that would be an achievement for me. Now I can start to think about other things. Generally in football you are given a contract but that contract doesn’t mean you will stay until the end. The better we perform the longer I will stay,” said Madida. - The Star






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Arsenal’s Ramsey injured, again!

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Arsenal have suffered another injury blow with midfielder Aaron Ramsey set to miss at least four weeks with a hamstring problem.


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Arsenal have suffered another injury blow with midfielder Aaron Ramsey set to miss at least four weeks with a hamstring problem.


But there was better news for Arsene Wenger as the knee injury sustained by Alexis Sanchez against Leicester on Tuesday has been deemed not serious, while Jack Wilshere is set to return to action against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup this weekend.


Ramsey broke down with his third hamstring injury of the season in the win over Leicester.


And following lengthy assessments yesterday, the Wales international will certainly miss the rest of this month, including the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Monaco on February 25.


And he is facing a battle to be fit for the second leg in Monaco on March 17.


There was more positive news, however, following Sanchez’s scan results yesterday.


The Chilean looked in major discomfort following a hefty challenge from Leicester central defender Matthew Upson.


He was eventually subbed in the second half, and later tweeted: ‘Sometimes the love for the game and anxiety to be on a football pitch works against you.’


Sanchez’s post raised fears of a injury lay-off, but he should be available — if selected — for Sunday’s visit of Middlesbrough.


Likewise, Wilshere — who hasn’t played since ankle surgery in November — is also in line to play against the Championship side.– Daily Mail






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