Munster wing Doug Howlett has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. It was confirmed today that the 33-year-old will have surgery on the ruptured Achilles tendon he sustained during Munster's RaboDirect Pro12 defeat to the Ospreys on Saturday. And Simon Zebo - the likely replacement for Howlett - suffered an ankle injury in today's training session at University of Limerick and left the complex on crutches. The surgery is due to take place tomorrow and is expected to rule him out for six to nine months. It means Howlett will miss all of Munster's Heineken Cup and RaboDirect Pro12 campaigns this year. The news further weakens the Munster backline ahead of crucial back-to-back Heineken Cup clashes against
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Neymar would be Wenger’s dream purchase
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed his top transfer target would be Neymar. GettyImagesNeymar has been tipped for the top. Neymar, 19, recently signed a new contract with Santos despite being strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid in January. The Brazilian international is unlikely to become a transfer target for Arsenal, though, as he is valued at around £40 million. Wenger was quoted as saying in The Sun: "If I had the money today, I'd put it on Neymar. You can't say that Neymar is Pele as he had won the World Cup by the age of 17. "He has the potential to be one of the future great strikers but at the moment there's a big difference between the Brazilian league and
Sunday’s Premier League & SPL scores
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Prem: City win again, Chelsea see off Toon
Manchester City offered further evidence of their title credentials as they demolished Norwich 5-1 at Eastlands. GettyImagesSamir Nasri celebrates after making it 2-0 to Manchester City City had to withstand a confident start from Norwich, but as soon as Sergio Aguero broke the deadlock with a piece of magic, the points were always safe. Further goals from Samir Nasri, Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson ensured a 12th win in 14 league matches. It took half an hour for Mancini's men to strike, but when they did it was memorable from Aguero. He seemingly had nowhere to go with his back to goal inside the area, surrounded by defenders, but after jinking right and then left he finally settled for a cheeky
Pardew: AVB not under pressure
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has rubbished suggestions that his Chelsea counterpart Andre Villas-Boas is under pressure ahead of the Blues' visit to Tyneside on Saturday. PA PhotosWhile Andre Villas-Boas is struggling at Chelsea, Alan Pardew is overachieving at Newcastle • Preview: Newcastle v Chelsea• AVB not expecting sack Villas-Boas has suffered six defeats in his opening 21 games since arriving at Stamford Bridge over the summer, with the Portuguese's current win percentage of 52% the worst of any Chelsea boss since Ruud Gullit. The Blues' latest loss came at home to Liverpool in Tuesday's Carling Cup quarter-final, and Villas-Boas' next test is a tricky one away to Pardew's high-flying Magpies. But despite speculation mounting that trigger-happy owner Roman Abramovich may be losing patience, Pardew insists Villas-Boas should
Jaguars fire Del Rio, team to be sold (AP)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—The Jacksonville Jaguars are headed in a completely new direction. And Los Angeles doesn’t appear to be the destination. Team owner Wayne Weaver fired longtime coach Jack Del Rio on Tuesday after a 3-8 start and agreed to sell the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Weaver named defensive coordinator Mel Tucker the interim coach and gave general manager Gene Smith a three-year contract extension, putting him in charge of the coaching search. The moves marked the most significant changes for the small-market franchise since its inception in 1993. “It’s the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons,” Weaver said. “We deserve better; the community deserves better. We’ve been very average over the last few years. I take
Inquest hears Speed’s body was found by wife
Gary Speed MBE, 1969-2011 Wales football manager Gary Speed was found hanged at his home by his wife, an inquest was told on Tuesday. Robbie Savage remembers Gary Speed • Gary Speed dead aged 42• Family 'overwhelmed' by support• McAllister: No sign of depression• Wilkinson on 'tragic loss'• Gary Speed profile• Gary Speed gallery The 42-year-old father-of-two was found dead at his Cheshire home on Sunday morning and Detective Inspector Peter Lawless, of Cheshire Police, told Cheshire coroner Nicholas Rheinberg that Speed's body was found by his wife Louise just before 7am. He said there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances and a post mortem examination found Speed's death was caused by hanging. Mr Rheinberg said: ''I adjourn this inquest until January 30, 2012. The inquest will be heard in Warrington and