The Sport Review: “Brighton and Hove Albion promoted to Championship” plus 5 more

Brighton and Hove Albion promoted to Championship
Tottenham 0 Real Madrid 1: Redknapp eyes fourth spot
Arsenal edge past Chelsea in Women’s Super League opener
John Flanagan earns praise from ex-Liverpool defender
Inter Milan can score four and reach semis, insists Leonardo
F1’s 2011 changes receive mixed reception at Sepang

Brighton and Hove Albion promoted to Championship

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 04:17 PM PDT

Brighton and Hove Albion have sealed a return to the second tier of English football after five years in League One.

The Seagulls twice came from behind to beat strugglers Dagenham and Redbridge 4-3 in a thrilling clash to clinch promotion to The Championship.

Brighton have been top of the League One table since September and are unbeaten at home this season.

The Seagulls now lie 16 points ahead of second-placed Southampton and will be crowned champions if they can win at Walsall on Saturday.

Manager Gus Poyet believes his side have punched above their weight this season, and has called on his players to finish their campaign in style.

“Every single person in Brighton was expecting with five games left that we would be chasing someone – that is the truth,” he said.

“What we have done is much bigger than people think and better than we expected.

“Now I have to set another challenge to the players. The first one is to win the league, and the second one is can we get to the beautiful number of 100 points?”

Brighton, the only side from Sussex to have played in the Football League to date, will move into their new 22,500-seater stadium in Falmer on the outskirts of the city in time for next season.

The club’s chequered history includes almost dropping out of the Football League in 1997 and 1998 – an astonishing fall from grace given that the Seagulls were in the top flight less than 15 years before.

Meanwhile, Sussex will have another representative in the Football League next season after Crawley Town were promoted to League Two from the Blue Square Bet Premier on Saturday.

The Red Devils were crowned Conference champions after a 1-1 draw with play-off hopefuls Luton Town on Tuesday and lead the table with 95 points with four games to play.

Tottenham 0 Real Madrid 1: Redknapp eyes fourth spot

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 02:53 PM PDT

Harry Redknapp warned his Tottenham Hotspur players that they must move up a gear to qualify for next season’s Champions League after their memorable European run was ended by Real Madrid’s 5-0 aggregate victory.

Spurs faced the near-impossible task of overturning a 4-0 deficit at White Hart Lane, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s second-half strike swiftly ended any faint hopes of a turnaround as José Mourinho’s men booked their place in the last four.

But despite the defeat, Redknapp is determined to ensure Tottenham’s campaign in Europe is not a one-off by finishing fourth in the Premier League.

“It is no good doing it once and then not doing it again, we have to improve and be there next year too,” said Redknapp, whose side are currently fifth in the table.

“You’ve seen the players we have to play at that level and we just need to tweak that squad so we can do it again.

“Much like Arsenal do, and Chelsea and Manchester United, that’s how they keep doing it.”

Spurs defender Gareth Bale, who has gained admirers across Europe with some scintillating performances in the competition this season, echoed his manager’s sentiments.

“It has been fantastic not just for me but for everybody, nobody expected us to get this far and it has been great for me on a personal note,” he said.

“There is every chance [of qualifying for next year]. We are only three points off Manchester City in fourth [in the Premier League] and there is still a lot to play for, we have a game in hand as well.”

Meanwhile, Real coach Mourinho will begin preparing his team for four clashes with Barcelona in just 18 days, with the two sides set to meet in the Spanish league, the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semi-finals.

“Let’s see what happens [against Barcelona],” he said. “We have ambition, a semi is a semi and anything can happen.

“They have a great situation with lack of suspensions and we don’t have that. We were punished by Uefa for poor yellow cards.

“We have two matches against them before the semi-finals and it is time to think about them first.”

Arsenal edge past Chelsea in Women’s Super League opener

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 02:25 PM PDT

arsenal chelsea

Arsenal got their FA Women's Super League campaign off to a winning start with an edgy 1-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea in the first game of the new competition.

Gilly Flaherty's first-half strike gave Laura Harvey's a 1-0 win at Tooting & Mitcham’s Imperial Fields in front of 2,510 fans in south-west London.

Seven-time Women's Premier League winners Arsenal are considered the team to beat in the new league, and they rallied a spirited performance from a Chelsea side made up of many former Gunners players as they secured their first win of the season.

Both sides took time to settle into the game, with Arsenal's passing game suffering on an uneven pitch.

But the visitors took the lead after 33 minutes when left-back Flaherty found herself unmarked five yards out to neatly turn in Kim Little’s flat corner after it had evaded the Chelsea defence.

Chelsea pressed hard for an equaliser in the second half but Arsenal's defence, marshalled by England captain Faye White, stood firm and rarely looked like conceding.

The home side's best opportunity came after 71 minutes when Danni Buet burst down the right wing and sent in an inviting cross but Helen Lander couldn’t connect.

Arsenal boss Laura Harvey hopes the new league will usher in a new era for women’s football. “We have to use tonight as the springboard for the women’s game to take off,” she said after Wednesday’s game.

“On the night I was disappointed with our performance but credit to Chelsea because they gave us a hard game and the new league needs to be truly competitive.”

Harvey added: “We’ve also got to keep the crowds coming – tonight’s attendance was fantastic and every club in the league has to aim to bring as many people into games as possible.”

John Flanagan earns praise from ex-Liverpool defender

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 11:04 AM PDT

liverpool training

Former Liverpool right-back Rob Jones hailed John Flanagan’s performance after the teenager made his debut for the Reds against Manchester City on Monday.

The 18-year-old, who only found out he would start the match two hours before kick-off, produced an assured display at Anfield to help keep City’s strikeforce at bay during Liverpool’s commanding 3-0 win over Roberto Mancini’s side.

Jones, who was once tipped to compete with Gary Neville as England's first choice right-back before succumbing to a career ending injury in 1999, believes the Liverpool youngster has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

“Flanagan did superbly,” said Jones. “As a Liverpool fan, you’re watching the game and hoping the young lad doesn’t make a mistake, but he never looked like that was going to happen, he was great.

“He looked very comfortable on the ball, always looked to pass it, and did all his defensive duties really well. He certainly never looked overawed by the occasion, and he can be very pleased with his performance.”

Flanagan is following in the footsteps of 20-year-old defender Martin Kelly, who had held down a regular starting place in Kenny Dalglish's first-team until he suffered a hamstring injury in February.

Jay Spearing, who captained Liverpool to successive Youth Cups in 2007, is another young prospect who has featured regularly under Dalglish, leapfrogging the experienced Christian Poulsen as Lucas Leiva's midfield partner.

And Jones believes the influx of young talent is testament to the Liverpool academy’s work.

“I’ve been watching Martin Kelly for the past six months, and he has been great,” he continued. “Now Flanagan has emerged, it looks even better for the club.

“You usually get maybe one player every two years or so come through, but these two have come through around the same time, and they look really comfortable.

“And of course, these young players – Jay Spearing as well – are lucky enough to have someone like Kenny Dalglish to guide them through. That must give a young player so much confidence, to have Kenny behind them.

“I used to have it with Graeme Souness, I’d always think that if he rated me enough to put me in the team then I must be doing something right, and it is the same with Kenny."

Inter Milan can score four and reach semis, insists Leonardo

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 06:57 AM PDT

leonardo inter milan

Internazionale manager Leonardo insists his side can still reach the Champions League semi-finals despite trailing Schalke 5-2 ahead of the second leg of their quarter-final tie.

The Serie A champions need to score at least four goals in Germany to book an unlikely place in the last four against either Real Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur.

But despite the enormity of the task at hand, the Inter boss is convinced his squad are capable of producing a memorable comeback.

“Of course, we'll start the game knowing that we have to win by four goals, which doesn't happen often, but that can help you maintain your focus,” said the 41-year-old.

“It can be done. We must have balance, whilst playing a different type of game. We'll need to make very few errors and give a great performance. That is the first objective, to play a great game. Then we'll see the result.”

Leonardo also believes the lack of Champions League experience in the Schalke camp could result in nervy display from the German side on Wednesday night.

“Maybe starting the game trying to defend a three-goal lead might be difficult,” he continued. “We have nothing to lose and will face what awaits us with our heads held high.”

Meanwhile, Inter captain Javier Zanetti heaped praise on Schalke for their first leg performance but warned the Bundesliga side that the holders are determined produce a shock turnaround.

“We need to commit very few errors and create lots of chances for us to score goals,” said Zanetti. “With my experience, I know that many things can happen in 90 minutes.

“I respect Schalke, who showed their value in the first leg, but we're now concentrating on this game, which will be very difficult. We want to play a big match and hope to get the result we need.”

It has been done before…

Inter can draw inspiration from Deportivo de La Coruña’s defeat of AC Milan in the quarter-finals back in 2004. On that night, the La Liga club overturned a three-goal deficit to knock the Serie A side out with a 4-0 win in Spain following their 4-1 humbling at the San Siro in the first leg.

F1’s 2011 changes receive mixed reception at Sepang

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 03:52 AM PDT

pirelli tyres

We have just witnessed one of the most thrilling races in recent Formula 1 history, but not everyone is happy with the changes that helped make it so.

Sepang, renowned for its changeable weather conditions during the Malaysian Grand Prix with high temperatures and humidity, failed to deliver any rain of note during qualifying or the race – but not to the detriment of the event.

The high wear rate and degrading performance of the new Pirelli tyres, as well as the energy-boosting KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), and DRS (Drag Reduction System), more than made up for the drama usually a result of heavy rain.

Yet they have left some fans complaining that it has all become too complicated.

Sebastian Vettel may have made it two wins in two races in 2011 with a comfortable win from pole, but you would be forgiven for failing to recall much of what happened behind him with so much action going on.

The Malaysian Grand Prix saw 63 pit stops, and numerous overtaking moves on the track, as drivers used KERS and DRS to power their way down the long straights.

And while some see it as contrived, the reality is that it is far better than the processions we've seen at many races in recent years.

Lap times varied wildly throughout the race at Sepang as tyre wear increased, with most drivers opting for a three or four-stop strategy, while some managed it on a two-stopper.

Several drivers, including 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who finished second in the race, were confused by what had happened, and Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari admitted: "I need to analyse this race with the engineers because, to be honest, I don't really understand what happened."

Much of the criticism has been targeted towards the Pirelli tyres, but the manufacturer’s motorsport director Paul Hembery told the Telegraph that they have done what they were asked to do: make races more exciting.

"We either go back to a one-stop strategy, if that's what they feel is better, or we continue to do what we have been asked to do," he said.

"It's hard for us, we are in the middle. I am not being defensive because we are doing what we have been asked to do.

"If I am going to be criticised for making the races more exciting, I don't know what to say."

Lewis Hamilton blamed McLaren's decision to put him on the wrong compound as the reason for him falling away towards the end of the race.

But that's part of the beauty of the new tyres; the high wear rate means managing them effectively becomes crucial to continue late in the race.

The complaints about overtaking using KERS and DRS making it too easy is not as big an issue when you consider that without them, we may not see much overtaking at all.

Formula 1 has forever been at the forefront of technical innovation and it takes time for those innovations to be understood and put to best use.

David Coulthard alluded to the fact that everything about modern F1 cars is designed to make them overtake, with some more obvious than others.

The systems do offer an advantage to overtake, particularly down the long straights, but there is still work to be done by the driver to first get into a position to do so, and then make the move.

Sepang was the first race where we have really seen the effect of DRS, and it should become equally prominent at other high-speed circuits with long straights.

But there will also be races, like Australia, where the advantage is less obvious, or where drivers feel it is better not to have the distraction of deploying it.

So far, the DRS is a good system that all teams can easily use, and can become an integral part of F1's future if harnessed correctly.

KERS might be more expensive for smaller teams, and more difficult to implement, but will become more important if the FIA wins the battle to introduce smaller engines in 2013.

As for the new Pirelli tyres, it is difficult to disagree with Hembery. If the tyres are safe and produce exciting races, why would you think about changing because a driver has to work harder?

The jury remains out on the new developments because, to use a tired cliché, it is early in the season.

A more thorough performance review can be made after the race at Istanbul in May and again after Silverstone in July.