The Sports Pink, January 24, 2015

31.2 MB·English

by  Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd

Saturday, January 24, 2015
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Supporting LOCA L sport
FIVE WINS IN A ROW
FOR SUPER STAGS
An in-depth look at the state of the
squad – see pages 10-21
Totton vWantage match report – page 29
KNOCKOUT
SAINTS
BLOW
Ron is Saints’
biggest draw
Seepages10-11
NON-LEAGUE
SSAAIINNTTSS SSEENNTT
The football life
of Brian...
CCRRAASSHHIINNGG Seepages36-39
OOUUTT OOFF CCUUPP
Pictureby
Stuart
Martin
P55pISSN0969-63X
PublishedbyNewsquestMedia
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Newsquest(Southern)Ltd,fromits
FULL REPORT AND REACTION – SEE PAGES 2-4 officesatNewspaperHouse,Test
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asanewspaper.122ndyear.
No.37449
2
THEDAILYECHO SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015
SAINTS 2 CRYSTAL PALACE 3: PARDEW’S
CHANCE OF
GLORY GOES
SAINTS have only the Adam Leitch
Premier League left to
focus on this season after
INFRONT:Eliacelebratesasthesecond they were knocked out of
[email protected]
Saintsgoalgoesin the FA Cup 3-2 by Crystal
CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER
PalaceatStMary’s.
Ex-SaintsbossAlanPardew,
whohadsufferedahat-trickof
defeatsonhispreviousreturns took the lead with their first dleofthesixyardbox.
totheclub,gotthebetterofhis chance of the game on nine Chamakhwontheracetothe
former employers this time minutes. looseballandmanagedtopoke
round thanks to a dramatic It was a simple one too as intotheemptynetfromacou-
firsthalf. James Ward-Prowse whipped pleofyardsout.
Though the league has inaninswingingleftwingfree Saints so nearly fell behind
always been the priority for kick that beat everybody on16minutesasDusanTadic
Saints this season after their except the on running was caught in possession
brilliant start, with so many GrazianoPelleatthefarpost. dwelling on the ball midway
upsetsasthebiggunstumbled He produced a first time insidehisownhalf.
out at the fourth round stage stabbed volley from six yards Chamakh lofted a pass over
does mean a chance for some out that Wayne Hennessey Florin Gardos and picked out
glory in the competition has reacheddivingdowntohisleft Sanogowhofiredashotgoal-
gonebeggingforanothersea- butcouldn’tpreventfromget- wards that Forster blocked
son. tingpasthimandovertheline. and gathered at the second
Saints joined the likes of Theleadlastedjusttwomin- attempt.
Chelsea,ManchesterCityand utesthoughasCrystalPalace A breathless match contin-
Tottenhaminexitingthetour- hit Saints on the counter ued as Saints went straight
namentthisweekend. attacktoequalise. downtheotherendtorestore
Palacecreatedahalf-chance YayaSanogodrilledinalow theiradvantage.
within the first minute as shot across goal from the left It was unfortunate from a
MarouaneChamakhlaidahalf that Fraser Forster looked to Palace viewpoint as Ryan
CUPHERO:FormermanagerLawrie cWleilafrrieeddZfarheeabuktichkisfbirasctktimtoe haHveecdoivveerded.to his left and Bfreormtratnhde lderftillbeyd-liinne.aPcarlaocses
McMenemywasaguestatthegame effortfromtheedgeofthearea seemed to have his body defender Scott Dann slid
wentoverthebar. behinditbutitbouncedslight- across at the near post to try onlydivertedtheballstraight
However, it was Saints that lyoffofhimandintothemid- and cut out the danger but intohisownnetfor2-1.
UptheotherendForsterwas
inactionagain,thistimehav-
ingtodivetohislefttoblock
aneffortfromtheedgeofthe
areabyFrazierCampbelland
Bertrand Elia Zaha Kelly relyonhisdefencetohackthe
ballawayfromdanger.
SDavis That wasn’t the end of the
Forster Gardos Ward-ProwsePelle Chamakh Ledley Delaney Hennessey adcurtiteoewns.ltehvoeulgahgaaisntohne2E1amgliens-
ItwasZahawhoprovid-
ed the assist, laying the
Fonte Sanogo McArthur Dann ball into Sanogo in the
Cork boxwhofinishedright
SAINTSSUBS PALACESUBS footed back across
Tadic goalandpastForster
KDavis,McCarthy, Clyne Campbell Speroni,Mariappa, who dived full
Targett,Reed,Isgrove, Ward Hangeland,Bannan, length to his left
Seager,Long. Puncheon,Gayle,Murray. but was unable to
reach a well
directedshot.
RONALD Koeman made just TEAM NEWS since being sidelined by an agWaianrdf-oPrroSwaisnets fivthermeaitneunteeds
one change to the Saints side ankle injury in December with later with a fierce low drive
VICTORIOUSRETURN:Ex-BossAlanPardew tvhisaittdoeffCearytestdalNPeawlaccaestilnetfhoertFhAe CuJpacfkouCrtohrkromunadd.ehisfirststart Hbeanrrcisho.nReeddroppingtothe fsrkoimmme2d0jusytarwdisdeoouftthethfaart
finallyscoredawinbackatStMary’s post.
SAINTS REACTION AND COMMENT – SEE PAGE 4
SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015 THEDAILYECHO 3
RETURN SEES SAINTS JOIN OTHER BIG-NAME CUP CASUALTIES
FA CUP
BEGGING
ALLSQUARE:CrystalPalaceplayerscelebrateYayaSanogo’sgoaltomake
thescores2-2after21minutes
GREATSTART:GrazianoPellescored
Saints’firstgoalonnineminutes
Picture:StuartMartin
Steven Davis produced a outside Forster and managed anothergoalfiveminutesafter
verysimilarefforton32min- tosqueezealowfinishpastthe therestartasJoeLedley’scor-
utes and it produced a very keeperdivingbackathisfeet nerfoundtheunmarkedDann
similar result as it flew nar- andinatthenearpost. eightyardsoutbutheheaded
rowlywide. Chamakh picked up the overthebar.
Amazingly,therewastobea opening booking of the game Targett quickly became the
fifthgoalinthehalfasPalace for a foul on Steven Davis firstSaintsplayerinthebook
tooktheleadforthefirsttime before referee Jon Moss forafoulonZaha.
on39minutes. broughtagoalladenfirsthalf Saintsweredominatingpos-
Joel Ward advanced deep toaclosewithPalacehavinga session more in the second
intotheSaintshalf,somehow narrowadvantage. period and restricting Palace
kept possession when it Saints made a half time to pacy counter attacks but
seemed the ball would be change with Matt Targett were struggling to create
takenoffofhimandchippeda replacing Gardos. Targett much, which led to a second
pass over the defence and to went to left back with substitution with Shane Long
Chamakhwhowasonside. Bertrand moving to centre replacingCorkon59minutes.
Hebroughttheballdownand half. Ward-Prowsedroppeddeep ONTHEBALL:DusanTadicbeatsPalacefull-backMartinKelly
advanced into the area, went Palace had a chance for Continuedonpage4
4 THEDAILYECHO SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015
Lost chance Long faces
of cup glory
weeks out
FROMPAGE3
withLongplayinguptopoffofPelle. with injury
Palacerespondedbybringingonfor-
merSaintsstarJasonPuncheonfor
Chamakh.
SHANE Long is facing weeks on the sidelines
NathanielClynewasnextinthebook
after suffering suspected fractured ribs in the
foralatechallenge.
defeatagainstCrystalPalace.
SaintsweredealtablowwhenLong Long(pictured)hadonlybeenonthepitchfor
collidedwithaPalacedefenderwhen 14 minutes as a
chasingintotheareaandhadto second half sub
comingoffwithdamagetohisright when he collided
arm.RyanSeagercameonforafirst with a Palace
teamdebuton73minutes. defender and had
Fontecollectedabookingforgoing to be helped from
throughthebackofSanogowhothen thefield.
cameoffforAdrianMariappaas He has been
taken to hospital
Palacelookedtodefendtheirlead.
in an ambulance
Palacemadetheirfinalswitchwith tohavetheinjury
eightminutesremainingwithGlenn fullyassessed,but
MurrayreplacingCampbell. all the early indi-
Saintswerereallystrugglingtoput cationsarethathe
anysustainedpressureonPalacein has suffered frac-
aperformancethatwasveryunlike tured ribs, which
howtheyhaveplayedinthePremier meanshewilljoin
League. the likes of Toby
Alderweireld,
EljeroEliacameclosetoalate
M o r g a n
equaliserasashortfreekickallowed
Schneiderlin and
himtodrillinaneffortfromjustout-
Victor Wanyama
sidetheboxthatHennesseytipped onthesidelines.
justoverthebar. “I spoke to the
Thefourthofficialhelduptheboard doctor and he
toshowtherewouldbesixminutes thought he will
ofaddedtimeforSaintstotryand havefracturedoneortworibsandthat’svery
findanequaliserandforceareplay. painful,”reportedRonaldKoeman,whowillnow
SADNESS:Graziano
Intruththeydidn’treallycomemuch considerdippingintothetransfermarketinthe
closerthantheyhadinthehalfup Pelleatthefinalwhistle nextweek.
“It’sapitybecausewedon’thavethatnumber
untilthatpointandthefinalwhistle
ofplayerstogowithalltheinjuriesthatwehave.
confirmedtheirexitfromthecompe-
“I don’t know (how long he will be out for).
tition.
Normallythree,four,fiveweeks.”
KOEMAN SLAMS
POOR DEFENCE
RONALD Koeman AdamLeitch sive organisation normally butnotgoodenoughtoscore
bemoaned Saints’ “very one of the strengths of the more and score the draw at
poor” defending as they [email protected] tineagmtobguetthneort,ttoodoaym,uncohtwspoarcke- le“aBsat.d first half defensively
were knocked out of the CHIEFSPORTSREPORTER inthepositionsdefending. waswhywelosttoday.”
FA Cup at the hands of “They punished us to score He added: “Yes frustrating
Crystal Palace. crashed out of the competi- three times and maybe to becausetwotimeswinningin
Saints have the meanest tiononadayofshocks. miss another two goals and the game and too soon the
backline in the Premier Thoughitmayhavebeenan thatwastheproblemthefirst drawagainst.
League this season but entertaining game for the 45minutes. “Maybe after the 1-0 two or
leaked three first half goals neutral, Koeman was not so “Wecontrolleditalittlebit three minutes, after the 2-1
as they were beaten 3-2 by happy. butdefensivelyverypoor. the same question and then
Alan Pardew’s men at St He said: “For the fans “You can’t defend like that it’sdifficult.
Mary’s. maybe because after 22 min- with the qualities what they “That’sstrangebecauseit’s
Thefrustrationofthedefeat utes it was 2-2 but too much have in front, the confidence one of the strengths of the
wamasouonntlyocfombpigountedaemdsbyththaet m“iIsftaIketas.lk about our defen- th“eSyechoanvde.half much better tDeeafmensivebluytpoorn,ovterytpoodoary.. MANAGER:RonaldKoeman
ALL TODAY’S FA CUP RESULTS – SEE PAGE 46
SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015 THEDAILYECHO 5
Paine’s
World
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CCOOSSTTAA EEFFFFEECCTTIIVVEE
ONAcoldNovembernightin nextseason,Simeonehadseenenoughto
2013,DiegoSimeone’s decidethatCostawasreadytobetheful-
crumoftheAtleticoattack.
groundbreakingAtletico
Withtheadvancedrolenowathisdis-
Madridsidewasatitsruthless posal,allgoal-scoringresponsibilitieswere
bestagainstahelpless placedfirmlyontheshouldersofthefiery
forward.
Getafe,intheVicente
Costarespondedbyscoring35goalsin
Calderon. just43starts,includingeightfromnine
Evenwitha4-0leadagainsttenmen, gamesinAtletico’sChampionsLeague
Atleticopressedtheiropponentswithtire- campaign.
lessaggression,astheyattemptedto Effectively,Costa’slearningcurvewas
keeppacewiththetwoeternalheavy- similartothatofThierryHenry,whoatone
weightsoftheSpanishgame–Barcelona timewasforcedtoplyhistradeon
andneighboursRealMadrid. TACTICALNOUS:JoseMourinho. thewingsatJuventus,in
Inthe69thminute,captainGabigotthe spiteofpreferringamore
ballontherightwingandtookaquick 2006,hemadenoleagueappearancesfor centralrole.
glancetowardsthepenaltyarea. themandwasconsignedtothereserve OnceHenrywasentrusted
Allhecouldseewasthesturdyframeof squad. withtheroleofplayinginthe
acertainDiegoCostapoweringthrough AfterAtleticoboughthimin2007,hewas middle,theFrenchmanwashailed
thecentre,outnumberedagainsttwocen- loanedouttothreeclubsintheSpanish astheidealcentreforwardinthemodern
trebacks. seconddivision,wassoldbyAtleticoto game,agoal-scorerwhowasequally
Gabi’sdeliciouscrosshadjusttheright Valladolid,hadakneeinjurythatledto comfortableworkingtheflanks.
amountofpower,butitwascurlingafew himfailingamedicalforatransferto AlthoughCosta’sgoalcountwassignifi-
inchesawayfromCosta,wholookedlike BesiktasandthencamebacktoAtletico cantlylower,theconsequencesofacquir-
hehadoverrunit. thefollowingseason. ingdiverseattackingdimensionswere
Whathedidinthenextfewsecondsgot HeplayedsecondfiddletoAtletico’sfor- thereforeveryonetosee.
himwhatwasnotjustthebestoutof ward-forginglegacy,whichincludedDiego AfterhisfineexploitsinAtletico’sincred-
sevenbrilliantAtleticostrikesthatnight, Forlan,SergioAgueroandRadamel ibleLaLigatriumph,Chelseacamecalling
butalsoledtothatspecialbitofskillthat Falcao. forhisservices.
ledtoitbeingnominatedfortheFerenc Addtothatswitchingallegiancesfrom ThevoidleftbyDidierDrogbahadcon-
PuskasGoaloftheYearaward. playingforBraziltoplayingforthe sistentlyderailedtheBlues’titleambitions,
EvenGetafe’skeeperJordiCodinastood SpanishWorldCupsideinBrazil,and andJoseMourinhohopedthat£32m
rootedtohisspot,unabletoprocessthe Costahasprettymuchhadtobraveitall. wouldhelpprovidesomemuch-needed
sheeringenuityandtechnicalbrillianceof Itisthiscontinuumofenduringobstacles firepowerupfront.
theeffort,asCostaflunghimselfintothe thathasperhapsaddedtohisunshake- ThePortuguesemanagerisknownto
airandstruckaphenomenalbicyclekick ablementalstrength. admirehard-workingindividualswhocan
intothetopcorner. Consequently,Atletico’steam,upuntil adapttomultiplepositions,and,fromthe
OUTRAGEOUS lastseason,wasneverbuiltaroundhim. start,CostaandChelseaseemedlikea
Costawasalwaysforcedtoincorporate matchmadeinheaven.
Inmanyways,thegoalcomesclosestto himselfintosystemswithstrengthsthat Hebeganwithsevengoalsinhisfirst
definingthe26-year-oldSpaniard– weren’tnecessarilycongruentwithhis fourgames,betteringthesixinfourthat
unorthodox,outrageous,andyetsupreme- own. SergioAgueromanagedforManchester
lyeffective. Hewasusedasaninsideforwardat CityonhistransferfromAtletico.
ItdoesnotmatterifCostaisoutnum- Vallecano,usinghispacetocutinside ButitisnotjustCosta’sgoalsthathave
beredoroutofposition–heembodiesthe fromtheleftwingtoshoot. transformedChelsea’sfortunesthissea-
veryessenceofacentreforward’srespon- Itwasapositionheadaptedtoverywell, son.
sibility–dowhateverwiththeinputand ashescoredtengoalsin16appearances. MAGICIAN
producetherequiredoutput. Thepeakofhisfootballingeducation,
Itisthiscombinationofunpredictability though,cameunderSimeone,whorecog- Onceagain,hiswillingnesstoadapttoa
andremarkablefootballinginstinctthat nisedthedormantpotentialofCosta’s highly-interchangeableforwardlinehas
hasmadehimthemonsterthatheis–one varyingskillsets. madeallthedifference.
ofthemostcompleteforwardsinthe Underhistutelage,Costafinallyfounda Recognisingthepresenceofworld-class
gametoday. tacticalsystemthatplayedtohisstrengths wingersinEdenHazardandWillian,anda
Itisdifficultnottoadmireaplayerof –aggressivepressinginhighareas,light- diminutivemagicianinOscar,Costahas
Costa’scalibre. ning-swiftcountersandtheresponsibility gonefromtakingfullattackingresponsibil-
Ruthlesslyindustrious,hepresseslikea ofholdinguptheballtoplayinrunners itytolearningtoshareit.
madbullplacedonafootballpitch. fromdeep. Whatistrulyanenticingpropositionis
Beitchasinghopelessclearancesto Simeonerealisedthat,havingstartedhis thatCostacouldyetmakeamoresub-
hustledefenders,orcollidingknee-first playingcareerlaterthanmost,Costawas stantialtacticalimpactinthegamesto
intoagoalposttoscore,hisphysical stilllearningtopickupthefineraspectsof come.
prowessismatchedbyhisstaunchmental tacticsandforwardplay. Thankstohisexperienceofplayingin
resilienceandperseverance. HewasfurtherhelpedbySimeone’s differentpositions,Mourinho’skeentacti-
AsAtleticodidtheunthinkablebybeat- decisiontopairhimwithFalcao,amove calacumencouldyetseehimemploythe
ingtheirmoreillustriouscompetitorstothe whichbenefittedbothforwardsandthe Spaniardindifferentrolestohelpover-
LaLigatitlelastseason,Costa’scontribu- teamasawhole. comecertainchallenges.
tiontothecausewasunquestionableand Costawasencouragedtodriftwideto Costa’sintelligentmovementandphysi-
indispensable. utilisehisexperienceonthewings,simul- calexchangesmaynotseemaselegant
HissteadyclimbtothetopofAtletico’s taneouslycreatingspaceforFalcaoto nexttoEdenHazardglidingonthepitch
peckingorderwasanythingbuteasy, exploit. oraneffortlessseriesofstopoversby
though. TheColombianwouldoftendropdeep Willian.
Bytheageof16,mostprodigiesarewell andallowCostatomakeforwardruns. ButtheSpaniardhas
ontheirwaytofootballinggreatness,but Thatfluidityintheforwardranksyielded provedoverthepastcouple
Costawasstillplayingfootballonthe 54goalsfromthefronttwoalonethatsea- ofyearsthatheisthepol-
streetsofBrazil. son. ished,finisheddealthatevery COMPLETEPLAYER:
SigningforPortugueseclubBragain AfterFalcao’sdepartureforMonacothe teamwouldlovetohave. DiegoCosta.
6
THEDAILYECHO SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015
CHERRIESCUP SPOTLIGHT
Cup shows
HHOOWWEE::
up changes
WWEE CCAANN
RREESSTTOORREE
FACUPweekendiswithusagain,the allymakesthemrathersmalltime.
FFAA CCUUPP’’SS
chancefortheminnowstoshine,for Can imagine being Tottenham or
thegiantstofallandfortheimpossi- Newcastle’s recruitment manager?
bletobecomepossible. “Come to Tottenham/Newcastle,
The BBC’s sports new on Friday havethepossibilityofEuropeanfoot-
gavepossiblythemostdamningindi- ballforallof3months,getalucrative
cation of how the balance of power contact… andohyes,bebiggerthan
GGLLOORRYY
has shifted over the last few years Southampton.”
when it described Manchester Nowthat’swhatIcallaneasyjob.
United’s game against Cambridge Pardew’s move to Palace is a
Unitedastheformerchampion’sonly shrewdone,whilsthemaynotbeon
chance of silverware this season. asbig,oraslongacontract,ashehad
Therewasn’teventheslightesthint at Newcastle you can be damn sure
of irony or bravado from he’snotstrugglingforafewpennies.
Cambridge’s manager Richard Thepressureislessandifhekeeps CHERRIESBOSS:EddieHowe
moneywhenhesaidtheFAcupwas Palaceuphe’sahero.
“Man Utd’s only realistic chance of For me Pardew should always be
silverwarethisseason.” welcomeatStMarys.Youcanspecu-
CHERRIES manager Eddie tweaks – including a change in shareofthegatefromatiewitha
ForaclublikeCambridgetoshow lateastowhyheleftaslongasyou
such blatant disregard for United’s want,butitwashisappointmentthat HowewouldliketoseetheFA kick-off time - have seen it lose PremierLeagueclub.
someofitsappeal. “Thedayswhenyouhadfiveor
statusinEnglishfootball,showsjust kickstartedtheStMary’srevolution Cup restored to its former
Only last week, Saints boss sixreplays,andIrememberthose
howmuchthebalanceofpowerhas andfirstinstilledthatwinningmen- gloryandthinksaChampions RonaldKoemancalledforreplays inthe1980s,wereagoodthingto
changed. There was a time when talityattheclub.
clubs like United would field weak- Much was made, during that first League spot for the winners to be scrapped, claiming they leavebehindwiththefixturecon-
enedsidesandgenerallytreattheFA seasonofthefactthattheJohnsons woulddothetrick. were adding to an already-con- gestionwehavenowbutIwould-
gested fixture schedule in n't want to see one replay
cup and the League cup with a cer- paint cup run had side tracked the Howeisabigfanofthecompeti- England. scrappedbecausethatisthebeau-
tain amount of distain. The League promotionbid. tion, his liking fuelled by the AheadofCherries'triptoAston tyoftheFACupforme.
cup in particular has been treated I’ve always believed that rather exploits of his boyhood heroes Villa in the fourth round on “But I would never criticise
almostlikeareserveteamrunoutfor thandetractfromthematterinhand, Evertoninthe1980s–winnersin Sunday,Howesaid:“Therehave anothermanagerforhavingadif-
most clubs, only gaining any real the cup win actually enhanced the 1984andrunners-upin1985,1986 been several changes to the FA ferent view on the competition.
importance when Wembley loomed club,gavetheplayersatasteofwhat and1989. CupformatinrecentyearsandI That's their right and everyone
on the horizon. It’s delicious to see winning something was like. It was However,whilewinningtheFA thinktherewillprobablybemore has to protect their club's inter-
thelikesofUnitedtakingsuchinter- surely no coincidence that the club Cupusedtobesecondonlytolift- inthefuture. ests.”
estintheFACupwhennotsolong went on to 2 successive promotions ingtheleaguetitleonthedomes- “The replay is not something I Asked what changes he would
agotheyaskedtooptoutofit. and were, at times, almost ticfront,ashiftinprioritieshas wouldwanttoseescrappedatthis liketosee,Howereplied:“Iwould
The visit of Crystal Palace brings unplayableagainst. seen its prominence diminish in stage.Whenyouhavebeeninour lovetoseeitreturntothepromi-
formerbossAlanPardewbacktoSt AlanPardewplayedamassivepart recentyears. position as a League Two and nence and importance it had in
Marys with his currently in form intheresurrectionofthisclubandI, Securing a place in the League One club and you pull a the1980sandearly90sand,hope-
side. Pardew’s jump ship from forone,willalwaysbegratefultohim ChampionsLeaguehasbecomeof Premier League team at home, fully,wecanallseeitcomeback.
Newcastle left a lot of people forthat. paramountimportancetothebig youtrytobattleforadrawtoget “It wouldn't be for me to punt
bemused,justwhywouldheleavea Inclosing,Saintsfaceatrickygame guns, while survival in the thechancetogotoOldTrafford, ideas around but I love the FA
lucrative contract at St James park against Palace, but as with all cup Premier League is the main aim theEmiratesorwherever. Cup and would love to see it
for a job that basically centred games,they’regreatwhenyou’restill of most of the top-flight's other “Those are the experiences the restoredsomehow.Ithinkitmay
around keeping Crystal Palace up? in it and complete rubbish when clubs. playerstakeandthatisthecarrot takeabitoftime.Icertainlythink
Theanswerprobablyliesnotwiththe you’reout. And while FA Cup final day forthem. aChampionsLeagueplaceforthe
money but with the status. Despite LoseagainstPalaceandyoucanbe wouldgripthenationwhenHowe “Added to that, there are the winners but that would be the
continually upsetting the odds and sureeverySaintsfaninthecountry was growing up, a series of financial benefits of getting the onlyoneIcouldthinkof.”
not struggling with Newcastle, willwritethecupofasanunneces-
Pardew had to deal with the com- sarydistractionfromtheleague,win
pletelyunrealisticexpectationsofthe itandwe’reonourwaytoWembley. VViillllaa ‘‘hhaavvee ALANHuttoninsistsAstonVillahavenothing
Geordie faithful. No silverware in I’vesaiditbeforeandI’llsayitagain,
toproveagainstBournemouthonSundayas
over 50 years meant that the get to a cup final and finish any-
theyattempttoavoidanFACupupset.
pressurewillalwaysbeonany where near the top five and The defender rejected suggestions the
Ntheawtctraosptlheymlesasnraugner. to break Rshoonoa-lidnKfooremmaannamgeurstosfuthreelyyebaera. nnootthhiinngg ttoo CrohuenrdriecslaasrheaftavVoilulariPteasrka.headoftheirfourth-
Despite all evidence to the Totakeaclubin“meltdown” Bournemouth have scored more league
contrary,Newcastlefansstill afterlosingfivefirstteamplay- goalsintheSecondCitythanVillathisseason
seetheirclubasbeingabig ersandtakethemtoWembley thanks to their 8-0 win at Birmingham in
club, just as Tottenham oractuallyimproveonlast pprroovvee’’ Octoberandhavenetted57timesintheSky
do. What they really season’s achievement BetChampionship.
mean when they talk would be just incredi- Villahavehitjustsevengoalsin11Barclays
about being a big ble. PremierLeaguematchesathomethisterm.
club is that their A good win TheVillanshavewonjustthreetimesintheir
clubisbiggerthan against Palace at last 19 games but, ahead of tomorrow’s
yours. (unless St Marys in the match against Eddie Howe's title chasers,
Huttoninsiststheydonotfeelanyextrapres-
you support a cup,abitconsoli-
sure.“Ifanything,theyaretheoneswhowill
genuine top 5 dation in the
club) For most league and the GIVINGHIS havetocomeoutandbeatus,”hesaid.
“Weknowitisgoingtobeatoughgame,
of us mere possibility that ALL:Aston but it will be different from the Blackpool
Saints fans, Danni Osvaldo Villa’sAlan game(inthethirdround).Theysat
that’s their may well be Hutton in and tried to hit us on the
whole rai- playing for break.
son d’être, H a r r y “Thisweekendwillbealot
their club Redknapp at differentbecausetheyarefly-
is bigger QPR… ingandscoringalotofgoals.
t h a n ALWAYS My weekend “Theywillcomeoutandtryandgiveusa
S o u t h - WELCOME: really couldn’t game.
ampton. AlanPardew bemuchbetter. “Wewillgoouttogiveourallandhopefully
Which actu- itisagoodgameoffootball.”
RON IS SAINTS STAR DRAW – SEE PAGES 10 & 11
7
SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015 THEDAILYECHO
Saints stars visit primary school for first-ever England roadshow
Orderno:31728558
BACKTOSCHOOL:SaintsfootballersJamesWardeProwseandMattTargettvisitStMary’sPrimarySchoolinSouthampton.
PicturesbyStuartMartin Orderno:31728649
YOUNG LIONS ARE
Orderno:31728528
FIRST CLASS...
SAINTS stars James Ward- rememberfortheluckyschoolchild-
Prowse and Matt Targett ren.
Aswellashelpingoutinacoaching
launched the first everTogether
andskillssession,theduoconducted
for England Roadshow by visit- a Q&A with the pupils, judged an
ing St Mary’s Primary School England poster competition and Orderno:31728955
thisweek. handed out FA goodie bags to each
kid.
The new drive, initiated by the Ward-Prowsesaid:“Itwasfantastic
FootballAssociation,aimstofurther tocomehereandseethesmileson
strengthentheThreeLions’relation- theirfaces.
shipswithlocalcommunitiesacross “It’s a good way of strengthening
thecountry,aswellasinspiringand the relationship between the
encouragingtheEnglandfansofthe England set-up and, obviously, all
future. theschoolsandcommunities.
Southampton was chosen as the “It’sgreattoseetheyoungkidsare
first city to host one of the events, veryenthusiasticabouttheirfootball
with England Under-21 ace Ward- andwantingtosupportEngland.”
Prowse and his Under-20 counter- FormoreinformationontheThree PupilKrishmawonfootballticketsforherartwork
partTargettmakingitanoccasionto Lions,visitTheFA.com.
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ORDER ECHO PICTURES ONLINE AT DAILYECHO.CO.UK
8 THEDAILYECHO SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015
SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015 THEDAILYECHO 9
Adam Rant TThhiiss wweeeekk’’ss bbigwtaliktihngApodinatsm Leitch
BIGGER ISSUES THAN
Living in the past
Golfissoantiquatedsometimesthatits
ideasofhelpandprotectiondoitsplay-
EUGENIE’S TWIRL... ersfewfavours.
DustinJohnsonhasthisweekhadto
denyreportshehasbeenabusingdrugs,
thanksinparttothePGATour’sbizarre
policyofnotreleasingdetailsofpositive
testsforrecreationaldrugs.
Tosaythatisabackwardwayofdoing
thingsisanunderstatement,andproof
thatthisisstillasportthatisoftenstuffy
andcannotbreakfreeoftheimagethatit
isrunbywhiteanduppermiddleclass
SEXISMinsportdoesstillexist,buta establishmentfiguresfoundtobeliving
inthepast.
brieftwirlonthecourtisnotashining
Theirbrushingthingsunderthecarpet
exampleofit. policymayseemaverycleverideato
Thedebateeruptedagainduetoabriefon them,andtheyobviouslyfeelitprotects
court,postmatchinterviewwithCanadian theplayers.Buthowexactlyhasitpro-
tennisstarEugenieBouchardafterherwin tectedJohnson?
intheAustralianOpenthirdround. Hehastakenasix-monthleaveof
Itissomewhatoddthatthiswasthevenue absencefromthesport,butittookuntil
for such a controversy, given these inter- therumoursreachedacrescendoabout
viewsareoftenthemostinaneyouwillfind hisallegeddrugabuseforthemtodecide
andregularseemtoactasaself-servingego toannounceitwasnotbecausehewas
trip for the questioner – note questioner suspended.
andnotjournalist–ratherthananykindof Peoplewhofaildrugstestsinsport
seriousattempttogetproperreactiontoa deservetobenamedandshamed,evenif
massivesportingevent. youfeeltheirrehabilitationwouldbenefit
Bouchard is somewhat the darling of fromtheirprivacybeingprotected.Itis
women’stennis. justthelifetheyhavechosen.
Bouchardisaserioustennisplayer,make TherewasanassumptionthatJohnson
nomistake.Sheclearlyistraininghard,is hadtakendrugsbecauseofhisabsence,
very talented and is making waves. It is whichhestronglydenies,andnow,ashe
onlyamatteroftimesurelyuntilshewins startstoprepareforareturntothesport,
aGrandSlam. hefindshimselftacklingallthoseques-
She is also young and attractive and tionsagainandhavingtojustifyhimself.
adornsadvertisingpagesaswellastheten- Thetruthshouldbenothingtofear,but
nis ones, with a range of big money bydenyingitgolf’scomplacentleaders
endorsementsandsponsorshipdeals,anda actuallyprovetonotbehalfascleveras
hugesocialmediapresencethatincludesan theythinktheyare.
impressivenumberofselfiesinvariousout-
fits.
In the same way as Maria Sharapova
before her, she has turned herself into a
globalicon,andintheprocessthehighest-
earningfemalesportsstarontheplanet.
She is in demand, and well-rewarded
financially outside of the game, thanks to
herlooksaswellasherracquetskills.
Bouchardhadmadeaflatteringcomment
about the outfit of Serena William on
Twitter, Serena had given a twirl for the
crowd in response, and so Bouchard was
asked to give a twirl too. She obliged,
though looked understandably embar-
NEWDEAL:JackCork
rassedbyit.
That was it. This was a cringeworthy
moment, should not have happened, and
was perhaps a slight touch of sexism on Leaving it late
behalf of her questioner, but not to the
extent that this should be held up as the
SAINTShavegotalotrightin
horrorthatithasbeen.
recenttimes,butthedecisionto
Theargumentgoesthatmenwouldn’tbe
leaveitsolatetoofferJackCorka
asked to do the same, Federer and Nadal newcontractwasamistake.
wouldn’tbeaskedforatwirl.
Hopefully,itwillnotbeonethatwillcost
Butthen,whendoFedererandNadaltake
them,aswithanyluckthemidfielderwill
tosocialmediatotalkaboutthefashionand
committoanewdeal.
styleofsomebodyelse’skit?
Therearefarbiggerproblemsthanthisin Saintsshouldn’thaveleftituntilthere
werejustsixmonthslefttorunonthe
women’s sport we should be vexed about
midfielder’scurrentdeal,andthushave
andyet,astheydon’tinvolvetheemotive
otherclubscirclingwithpotentiallylucra-
andengagingquestionofglamourorlooks,
tiveoffersforhimintheabsenceofhav-
wechoosenotto.
ingtopayatransferfee,toputanew
Indeed, tennis is one of the few sports oneonthetable,andinsteadshouldhave
whereequalitydoesexist–andsomeargue headedofftheproblemataround18
it has gone too far the other way. Female monthsliketheyhavedonewithother
tennis stars have equal billing and equal players.
pay cheques to their male rivals, even
Thereseemedtobeaschoolofthought
thoughingrandslameventstheyactually somewherealongthelinethatextending
playless,withbestofthreeratherthanfive- Cork’sstaywouldblockthepathwayfor
setmatches. GLOBALICON:EugenieBouchard HarrisonReed.
Whatendorsementsplayerstakeinreturn
forcash,andwhatthatmeanstohowthey It’s reminiscent of the debates over the asked? No, but that’s what you get when BanudtRknonowalsdhKeoenmeeadnsisacsatrnonnigerstqhuaandtbhuaitl,t
are viewed by the general public, is then lastweekabouttheSun’sPage3girls. you do not employ proper journalists but mainlyonexperience,withtheodd
theircall.Theyaregettingpaidforit. LiketheBouchardthingitisofabygone ratherpersonalitiestoasktoquestions. youngsterhereandtheretochallenge
Look elsewhere though. Take female era,itiscringeworthy,butthemodelshave Does it prove rampant sexism in sport? highupthetable.Itisnosurprise,there-
rugby,whereEnglandplayerswererecent- the right to say no. People have the right No,butthatdoesn’tmeanitdoesn’texist. fore,thatoncehehashadtimetoassess
lyofferedoneyeardealstoturnpro.Onthe nottobuythepaper. You just have to scratch a little deeper thingsCorkwasofferedanewcontract.
faceofitanicegesture,butthinkharder. Thisinaworldwheredomesticabuseis below the surface to find it, but we don’t Let’shopeitdoesn’tprovetoolateto
Whatdoesoneyearguaranteeyou?Enough disgustinglyhigh,andsignificantnumbers because, ultimately, we are a society convinceaverygoodplayer,whowould
toputonholdorevengiveupacareer? of violent crimes against women are still obsessedbylooksandglamourandcelebri- walkintothefirstteamofabouttwo-
Howaboutsportswherethepayremains perpetratedandnotprosecuted. ty. thirdsofPremierLeagueclubs,tostay.
dividedandweightedinfavourofthemen? Shouldthetwirlquestionhaveeverbeen Weare,infact,appalledatourselves.
10 THEDAILYECHO SATURDAY,JANUARY24,2015
RROONN IISS SSAAIINNTTSS’’
THISWEEK’SFIXTURES
Monday,January26
THEFACUP
FourthRound:RochdalevStoke.
Tuesday,January27
CAPITALONECUP
Semi-Final-SecondLeg:Chelseav
Liverpool.
SKYBETLEAGUE
Championship:DerbyvBlackburn,
MillwallvReading,RotherhamvBolton,
SheffWedvBirmingham.
League1:ChesterfieldvCrawleyTown, Dutch legend has given
ScunthorpevMiltonKeynesDons.
League2:AccringtonStanleyvBury,
CambridgeUtdvDag&Red.
JOHNSTONE'SPAINTTROPHY
NorthernAreaFinal-SecondLeg:
Saints the ‘wow factor’
WalsallvPreston.
VANARAMAFOOTBALLCONFERENCE
Premier:EastleighvGrimsby.
South:Havant&WaterloovillevConcord,
Hayes&YeadingvGosportBorough,Hemel
HempsteadvSutton.
EVO-STIKSOUTHERNLEAGUE
PremierDivision:BidefordvPooleTown,
CirencestervPaultonRovers,Hungerfordv Adam Leitch
Weymouth,TrurovChippenham.
DivisionOneSouth&West:Tivertonv
Shortwood,WimbornevNorthLeigh. [email protected]
HAMPSHIREFASENIORCUP
Quarter-final:HorndeanvAFC CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER
Bournemouth,
SYDENHAMSWESSEXLEAGUE NEWCHALLENGE:
PremierDivision:FarehamvNewportIoW, IT may be almost 18 years since he
RonaldKoeman
FollandSportsv Moneyfields,Hamworthy called time on his illustrious playing
UtdvBlackfield&Langley. takesoveratSaints
careerandhunguphisbootsforgood,
SWLCup,quarter-final:PetersfieldTownv lastsummer.
WinchesterCity. but Ronald Koeman is still the star of
DivisionOne:Hythe&DibdenvRomsey theshow.
Town,TeamSolentvRingwood,US
PortsmouthvTadleyCalleva. Thoughitistheplayersthathavetogoout
SALISBURYHOSPITALCUP andperformweekinandweekout,theroleof
PewseyValevBemertonHH. themanagerisvital.
WYVERNCOMBINATIONLEAGUE ThequalityofplayersavailabletoPremier
DivisionOneWest:VerwoodvRomsey Leaguebossesthesedaysmeansthatworkin
Town. termsofactuallycoachingisratherlimited.
Instead, they have to be master tacticians
Wednesday,January28 and motivators, knowing how to meld
CAPITALONECUP together a dressing room to keep a dis-
Semi-Final-SecondLeg:SheffUtdv parate bunch as closely knit as possible
TottenhamHotspur. andperformingtothebestoftheirabili-
EVO-STIKSOUTHERNLEAGUE
ties.
PremierDivision:CambridgeCityv
It’s never been an easy task but
Redditch.
SYDENHAMSWESSEXLEAGUE arguably the money in the game today,
PremierDivision:WhitchurchvVerwood. whichmeansmosttopflightfootballers
WYVERNCOMBINATIONLEAGUE won’thavetoworkagainafterjustone
WyvernChallengeCup,secondround: goodcontract,makesitevenharder.
SholingvBlackfield&Langley. Jobsecurityisnotamotivatingfactor.
PremierDivision:AFCPortchesterv Koeman, though, has one massive
Moneyfields. advantageinthisdepartment.
DivisionOneEast:AltonTownvFareham Hehasbeenthere.
Town.
DivisionOneWest:Hythe&Dibdenv Glittering
Downton.
His playing career was glittering. He
Thursday,January29 wontrophiesacrosstheworld,playedfor
JOHNSTONE'SPAINTTROPHY thebiggestclubsontheplanet,andcap-
SouthernAreaFinal-SecondLeg:
tainedhiscountry.
BristolCityvGillingham.
Koeman was an international footballing
WYVERNCOMBINATIONLEAGUE
WyvernChallengeCup,firstround:AFC superstar,famousinfar-flungcorners.
TottonvFollandSports. Evenhismanagerialcareerseemstobeon
PremierDivision:DorchesterTownv acertaincoursetoonedayleadhimtotake
WinchesterCity,RingwoodvTeamSolent. charge of the Dutch national team, and FLASHBACK:RonaldKoemanwascaptainwhenHollandwonthe
plentymoreinclubfootballtoo.
Saturday,January31 Thisisamanwhorecentlyrevealed EuropeanChampionshipsin1988.
BARCLAYSPREMIERLEAGUE he once turned down the chance to
ChelseavManCity,CrystalPalacev becomeBarcelonamanager.
Thoseopeningweeksof notbeingcommunicatedparticularlywell.
Everton,HullvNewcastle,Liverpoolv Withallduerespect,Southampton
his time in charge were Indeed,itwasnotreallybeingcommunicat-
WestHam,ManUtdvLeicester,Stokev isasmalldestinationincomparison.
QPR,SunderlandvBurnley,WestBromv Butitisonethatsuitshimsowell. key to his success this edatall.
TottenhamHotspur. Koeman was keen to get into the season, as distant a
SKYBETLEAGUE Premier League before the Saints memory as they now Panicking
Championship:BirminghamvNorwich, vacancyarose,andevenadmittedhis feel.
BlackburnvFulham,BlackpoolvBrighton, Thereislittledoubtthe Not only were the fans panicking but,
interestintakingoveratSwanseawhen
BoltonvWolverhampton,Brentfordv Saintsshipwaswobbling. behindthescenes,someoftheseniorplayers
GarryMonkeventuallylandedtherole.
Middlesbrough,CardiffvDerby,Charltonv Thoughtheclubclearlyhad thatremainedweretoo.
Rotherham,HuddersfieldvLeeds,Ipswich Thankfully, Saints were the club who a plan, and a well thought Therewereotherslookingforanexitfrom
vWigan,NottmForestvMillwall,Reading decidedtohandhimhischanceinEnglish through justification for the thecluband,haditnotbeenforanappoint-
vSheffWed. football,andithaspaidoffbigtime. playerstheywereselling,itwas mentofKoeman’scalibre–atthetimeitwas
League1:BarnsleyvPortVale,Bradfordv
Colchester,ChesterfieldvDoncaster,
CoventryvRochdale,CrawleyTownv
Preston,CrewevMiltonKeynesDons,
LeytonOrientvScunthorpe,Oldhamv
NottsCounty,PeterboroughvYeovil,Sheff MORE SAINTS NEWS ONLINE:WWW.DAILYECHO.CO.UK
UtdvSwindon.
Continuedonfacingpage