Sport

By Pip Cole  At around 21:40 last night a wave of disappointment swept the nation as Luis Suarez netted the second Uruguay goal, sinking England to its second defeat in as many matches. Italy sussed us out and the Uruguayans managed to contain England's attack while their talisman seized on two chances to net twice, effectively condemning the lads to an early flight home. After only a week in Brazil, Coleen Rooney might not have needed seven bags after all!...

By Chris Brown When attempting to prepare a withering summary of a game of football involving an African team, the rhythmic temptation to drift from one cliché to the next is stronger than Heaven 17* in 1982 or New Order in ’87. So I why bother to resist. Objectivity? Pah. Yes, Cameroon were assertive in the challenge; yes, their stopper was as erratic as a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man**; yes, they were arguing amongst themselves at fulltime....

By Chris Brown “Tasty”, “Fruity”, “ A proper mad tear-up” – D. Dyer (2004) Honduras take us back to simpler times, when football was played in flickering black and white, when Arsenal’s line was led by Charles “Charlie” Charles (one of the legendary Charles brothers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CXY6TVBMc ) and the Continent began at Dover. When South and Central American games were invariably “Battles” and European commentators accordingly routinely “disgusted”. Why are we stepping back to yesteryear? In July, 1969, Honduras...

Since 1970 only six nations have won the World Cup. Indeed, the same six nations are among only seven to have appeared in a final during the same period and if I was to stake a bet this year, I’d put good money on the final of Brazil 2014 being contested by either Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Spain or the Netherlands. But we love an outsider, and this year the World Cup is awash with nations that have just...

By John Simms I'm sure no one would argue with me when I say that David Luiz is not worth £50 million. Even in relative terms it's a crazy amount to spend on a player of his quality. He is undoubtedly a good defender but at the current going rate that fee could buy almost any other player in the world. He has sparkled in patches for Chelsea but is error prone and has a tendency to get carried away,...

David de Winter - Sports Writer On the same day the football World Cup kicks-off a few thousand miles away in Brazil, England’s cricket team will embark on their first test series, against Sri Lanka, since the 5-0 debacle in Australia.  There is a real sense of a new era with this squad.  Graeme Swann, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, big players for almost a decade, are no longer involved in the set-up for various reasons and Peter Moores has...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic Is Dr Steve Peters the key to World Cup success for England?  England travel to Brazil this week with a secret weapon in their bag; a chimp management specialist. The notion that psychology matters – particularly on the biggest stage – has become a focal point for professional sports teams across the country. From the terraces to the dugout we've long been aware of the psychological battles athletes endure - “their heads...

by David de Winter - Sports Writer Before some mickey-mouse football competition in Brazil gets underway, there’s the small matter of a little tennis tournament in Paris to sort out.  The French Open is under way on the clay of Roland Garros, but given that the Rafael Nadal has won the past eight of nine tournaments, is there much point of even holding it? The most likely man to prise the trophy from the King of Clay is World No....

By Ian Carroll What follows could easily be a(nother) rant from a Newcastle United fan about Mike Ashley, Sports Direct, lack of money spent, good players sold and not replaced, Wonga etc etc. However, the biggest problem at Newcastle United, by far, is Alan Pardew. The man is a complete joke of a football manager, who somehow is still employed on a contract with more than six years left to run. On the face of it, finishing tenth in the...