PRIME MINISTER Gordon Brown confirmed today that the next general election will be held on Thursday 6 May.
Mr Brown made the widely expected announcement after going to Buckingham Palace to request the Queen dissolves Parliament.
Labour, in power since 1997, are seeking an historic fourth successive term but they have been behind the resurgent Conservatives in the polls since September 2007.
That was when Mr Brown - then a newly-appointed PM - dithered, failing to call an election after data from marginal seats suggested Labour would lose their majority.
A hung parliament where Labour are still the largest party would now probably be considered as good a result as possible for them.
And there is indeed a strong possibility of a first hung parliament since 1974.
Despite some handsome poll leads, the Conservatives need to win 117 seats for a majority of their own, a uniform swing of 7.5%.
That is something which the Tories last achieved in 1931 when Stanley Baldwin became PM. Even Margaret Thatcher's landslide 1979 victory was a result of a smaller overall 5.2% swing.
And, while it is clear that this government is now deeply unpopular across huge swathes of the country, voters remain sceptical about the alternative offered by David Cameron.
Notably, only one recent poll puts the Tories as high as 40%.
But, while the eventuality of a hung parliament may not even be enough for Mr Brown to cling on as PM, it would in fact be the best result for the Liberal Democrats.
Provided that their own vote holds up, Nick Clegg's Lib Dems would have an unprecedented level of power, free to negotiate an uneasy coalition with either of the main parties.
Understandably enough, with almost five weeks still to go until polling day, Mr Clegg has so far been coy over what he would do, should the situation arise.
His position as a potential kingmaker has at least been enough for him to be invited to take part in the first ever pre-election television debates.
The three debates will be on Sky, ITV and BBC with a focus on domestic affairs, foreign policy and economic policy respectively.
How great an effect the debates will have on the voting public is a matter of great speculation among political commentators.
It is widely acknowledged that Conservative leader Mr Cameron and Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg usually appear a lot smoother in front of the cameras than Mr Brown.
But playing to the cameras can be just as detrimental if the leader comes across as false and untrustworthy.
In my view, the effect of the debates has already been overstated, possibly because of their novelty.
Having not had them before, nobody knows exactly how each of the leaders will do.
But, with no fewer than 76 rules governing the debates, it seems unlikely that any of them will make a fatal error.
As ever, the most memorable events in the election are likely to be unplanned.
Even at this stage, though, the issues which will colour the campaign can already be spotted.
The Westminster village may chatter about election debates and poster campaigns but the real issues affecting everyday British people are clear.
The delicate balance of dealing with unemployment and Britain's massive deficit is a topic which is set to be brought up again and again.
Already, the rise in National Insurance has caused quite a stir with 37 business leaders supporting the Conservatives' pledge to reverse the policy, referring to it as a tax on jobs.
Meanwhile, the ever-increasing cost of fuel - the vast majority of which is tax - is also bad news for the incumbent Labour government.
But it is not only the government which is being rejected by the voters.
All of the main parties were implicated in the MPs expenses scandal and, consequently, the smaller parties in England and the Nationalists in Scotland and Wales are expecting to benefit.
For the first time, the likes of the Green Party, UKIP and - unfortunately - the BNP have genuine chances of representation in Westminster.
The Greens and the BNP are ploughing their resources into seats where they already have a foothold at a local level.
Specifically, that is in Brighton and Norwich for the Greens, and in Barking for the BNP where their vile leader Nick Griffin is standing.
UKIP's highest profile candidate Nigel Farage is breaking convention by standing against speaker John Bercow in Buckingham.
Mr Farage is aiming to take advantage of disgruntled Conservative voters unhappy at Mr Bercow's unashamed leanings towards New Labour.
Meanwhile, an increased number of independents are also expected to stand.
Perhaps the most high profile of those already confirmed is former That's Life presenter and Childline founder Esther Rantzen, standing in Luton South, set to be vacated by Margaret Moran.
Could Ms Rantzen become the 2010 equivalent of Martin Bell in 1997 by winning in the former seat of a disgraced MP?
Ms Moran infamously claimed expenses for dry rot on a house over 100 miles away from her constituency.
And, as if that was not enough, she has since been caught offering influential political lobbying for financial reward in a sting operation set up by the Channel 4 Dispatches programme.
More shockingly still, Ms Moran's office claimed she was unavailable to do any work on behalf of her constituents because she was "not very well".
Of course, such sorry episodes simply serve to drive people away from politics altogether.
Close elections, like this one, though, have historically resulted in an increased voter turnout.
In the last election as tight as this - in 1992 - over 33.5 million people voted in a 77.4% turnout.
That compares markedly to 2001 when only 26.3 million people cast their vote in a turnout of 59%.
Another aspect which may appease the public perception of Parliament and increase turnout is the fact that 147 MPs - including Ms Moran - are not seeking re-election, more than in 1945.
A clean slate of candidates, then, and maybe even a hung parliament offer a real chance to change the rules of the traditional Wesminster power games on 6 May.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
"It's absolutely true because I read it in the Daily Mail..."
Dananddan films showing that if you've got a reputation like the Daily Mail has, it really does precede you...
See also: Mailwatch and, of course, the Daily Mail headline generator.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The Season 2009/10 - March: Manchester United hold narrow lead before Chelsea clash
Premier League
Table
MANCHESTER UNITED will take a one-point lead into their clash with Chelsea on Saturday after a 4-0 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers made it seven successive wins in all competitions.
Dimitar Berbatov scored twice as Sir Alex Ferguson's men responded in perfect fashion to Chelsea's big win against Aston Villa.
Frank Lampard scored four goals, including the 150th goal in his Chelsea career, as the Blues made light work of Didier Drogba's absence by hammering Villa 7-1.
That made it 12 goals in a week after an earlier 5-0 beating of hapless Portsmouth ensured Chelsea put their Champions League exit and 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers behind them.
With the top two meeting, Arsenal cannot be discounted from the title race even though a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City ended a fine run of six successive league wins and left them four points off the top.
The Gunners were written off after successive losses to Manchester United and Chelsea at the start of February but their recent run has given them an outside chance going into the final stretch.
Arsenal's North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have put themselves in prime position to take the coveted fourth Champions League spot with 58 points from 31 matches.
On the night Spurs were busy reaching the FA Cup semi final by beating Fulham 3-1, two of their main rivals for fourth place suffered poor results.
Manchester City lost at home to Everton, their first home league defeat of the season, while Aston Villa could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland.
To be fair to Harry Redknapp's Tottenham team, they are not just relying on the poor results of others but, with five league wins in a row, they are finally taking control of their own destiny.
Perhaps it is just as well that Spurs are building up their points though, as they face Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in the space of 10 days in April.
Manchester City are just two points behind Tottenham but also face Arsenal and Manchester United in that same fascinating April period.
That fixture news is a boost to sixth-placed Liverpool who need all the help they can get. The Reds are two further points behind on 54, having played a game extra to both Spurs and City.
A painful 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford to United was Liverpool's 10th league loss.
But a decent run-in and recent wins against Portsmouth (4-1) and Sunderland (3-0) have reignited Reds' hopes that fourth place can yet be secured.
Hopes are fading fast at Aston Villa who are performing the same second half of the season collapse as last year, falling seven points off Spurs' pace.
The 7-1 mauling at Stamford Bridge may have been Villa's first league loss in 2010 but seven draws out of 10 games has left Martin O'Neill's men playing catch-up with time running out.
At the bottom, time is due to be called on Portsmouth's Premier League status after their nine-point deduction for going to administration was ratified.
The decision left Pompey on just 10 points until a dramatic 3-2 home win against Hull City put them on 13 points, two points better off than Derby County's all-time record.
But Pompey lost their four other games in March and could be relegated on Saturday if they lose and either West Ham United or Hull win. That is sure to be the start of a tough summer ahead at Fratton Park.
Burnley are odds-on to follow Pompey through the trapdoor after a 1-0 home defeat to bitter rivals Blackburn made it just one point from 24 for Brian Laws' men.
The final place looks set to be a fight between West Ham and Hull who are both on 27 points after the Hammers lost for the sixth time in a row while the Tigers beat Fulham 2-0.
West Ham's latest defeat, against Stoke City at home, caused manager Gianfranco Zola to consider his position but he has since vowed to carry on.
By contrast, Hull have changed manager at this late stage with Phil Brown's eventful reign ended and Iain Dowie brought in on a short-term contract of nine games.
The 3-2 loss to Portsmouth was hardly the best of starts but that win against Fulham and a better run in than West Ham have given Hull hope of pulling off another great escape.
Wigan Athletic, four points clear on 31 points, and Bolton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, on 32 points, could yet be dragged back into bother.
But improved form from all of those clubs, particularly Wolves who are unbeaten in four, suggest that this will not be the case.
The Championship
Table
NEWCASTLE UNITED beat third-placed Nottingham Forest 2-0 to record a seventh successive home win and put themselves in sight of the finish line.
The Magpies are unbeaten at home all season but faced a tough challenge from Forest until second half goals from Shola Ameobi and Jose Enrique finally killed off Billy Davies' men.
Ameobi, brought on as a sub on his comeback from injury, turned and took an early shot which went in off the post to the break the deadlock after a fascinating 71 minutes.
Then, in stoppage time, he set up Enrique with a perfect back heel for the Spaniard's long-awaited first ever career goal with low, well-drilled shot.
The win puts Newcastle on 83 points from 39 matches, four clear of West Bromwich Albion in second, and 13 clear of Forest.
That means West Brom hold a nine-point advantage over Forest in second place and the Baggies are also in better form with 16 points from their last 18.
Incredibly, Forest held the last unbeaten away record in the league which lasted until the end of January.
But, ever since losing the record at bitter rivals Derby County, they have fallen apart on the road and seven successive away losses look set to consign them to playoffs.
In the playoffs, there is the possibility of two local derbies with Forest currently joined by East Midlands rivals Leicester City and South Wales pair Cardiff City and Swansea City.
Forest, on 70 points, are almost assured of a top-six place while Cardiff are on 65 points and Swansea have 62 points. Even sixth-placed Leicester, on 61 points, are clear of the chasing pack.
Only seventh-placed Blackpool, on 57 points, and eighth-placed Doncaster Rovers, on 55 points are within two wins of breaking into the playoff pack.
Any challenge from Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, both on 54 points, looks set to be made too late.
Peterborough also look set to be soon put out of the misery at the bottom.
Four successive losses, including a 4-0 reverse at Scunthorpe United, has left Posh 13 points adrift of safety with just six games left.
Paul Mariner's Plymouth Argyle are also in deep trouble, after failing to take proper advantage tonight of their game in hand in a 0-0 home draw with Barnsley.
The stalemate comes on the back of Saturday's 2-0 home defeat against Blackpool and leaves the Pilgrims second-bottom on 38 points, five adrift of safety.
But the battle to avoid the final relegation place looks like it could go to the wire.
Crystal Palace, on 42 points, currently occupy 22nd after their 10-point deduction for going into administration.
But tonight's win against fourth-bottom Watford was massive and closed the gap to the Hornets to just one point, though Watford have played a game less.
Sheffield Wednesday also gained a recent vital win against Watford but the Owls are just one point further clear having drawn the other four of their last five matches.
Queens Park Rangers and Scunthorpe United, both on 47 points in 18th and 19th, can consider themselves far enough away from any real danger.
That is a particular good achievement for the Irons who were promoted from League One last season via the playoffs.
League One
Table
NORWICH CITY extended their lead over Leeds United to 11 points after a 1-0 win at Carrow Road in the clash of the top two in League One.
Chris Martin scored in the 89th minute to strengthen even further the Canaries' stranglehold on the division while Leeds face the prospect of throwing it all away.
United had stormed the first half of the season losing just once in the league until January and beating Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
But three wins and six defeats in 15 matches since that magnificent afternoon has seen their place at the top long since usurped by Norwich - and now even the lead over the chasing pack has gone.
Millwall, in third, are level on 71 points with Leeds after a 5-0 thrashing of Stockport County.
That made it 12 wins and just one defeat from 15 games and so the Lions are clearly in much better form than their Yorkshire rivals.
It showed when the pair met last Monday. Kenny Jackett's men ran out deserved 2-0 winners to continue their excellent recent run and leave Leeds manager Simon Grayson wondering where it all went wrong.
Swindon Town, in fourth just a further point back on 70, have also mounted a sustained recent challenge with just two defeats since Christmas.
Oddly, both of those came in the same week at the start of March against Bristol Rovers and Milton Keynes Dons.
But since then, the Robins have recorded three tense 1-0 wins and got a good draw at Norwich City to recover their confidence.
Fifth-placed Charlton Athletic are now just three points off Leeds, and so cannot be discounted but they will have to improve their patchy recent form.
The Addicks have taken just two points from their last three games, and lost 4-0 to Millwall who look the better bet from London, having beaten all their main rivals in February and March.
Colchester United currently occupy the final playoff spot on 65 points and, despite a run of six games without a win, seventh-placed Huddersfield Town are still their only challengers.
The Terriers have only won one of their last six to lie three points further back with eighth-placed Bristol Rovers well behind on 58 points.
One team that would have been in the mix for the top six is Southampton, only for their deduction of ten points to undermine their challenge.
Nevertheless, the Saints still salvaged something from the season with a 4-1 win in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley in front of an attendance of 73,476. Carlisle United were the runners-up.
At the bottom, the only thing that Stockport County look like winning is the League One wooden spoon as the struggling Hatters failed to score in March, taking just one point from 18.
Better news came off the pitch today with administrators announcing that a new bid to take over the stricken club is imminent.
But the latest dreadful run on the pitch leaves County on 24 points, eight points away from second-bottom Wycombe Wanderers and 15 adrift of safety.
Wycombe's chances of escaping relegation are also slim - the Chairboys are seven points adrift of safety - and each of their last four games have ended in draws when wins are needed.
Third-bottom Southend United reached 37 points after a fine recent 3-0 win over Walsall.
But that success was an exception to the rule for the financially-troubled Shrimpers who have just that one win in 14 games.
Nevertheless, Southend still have a real chance of preserving their League One status if they can pick up some form as it is incredibly tight at the bottom.
Tranmere Rovers, in 21st place on 38 points, are currently in the last relegation spot but only four points separate the seven clubs from 16th to 22nd.
Rovers are one point away from safety and also have a game in hand on Hartlepool United who are just one place outside the relegation zone.
League Two
Table
ROCHDALE brushed aside Grimsby Town 4-1 to make it 16 points out of their last 18 in their charge for the League Two title.
The Dale scored four goals for the third time in March to reach 78 points, 10 points clear of second-placed Notts County and 13 ahead of Rotherham United in fourth.
Notts County are also on a good run - the Magpies have lost just once in 15 games - to make good on their early-season promise.
Of course, County are already a different club to those heady days last summer when Munto finance group launched ambitious plans of Premier League football.
That experiment failed but, two managers later, County have put themselves in a good position to ensure they still go up this season.
County are on 68 points from 36 games, one point ahead of Bournemouth who are in the final automatic promotion spot in third, having played 38 matches.
The Cherries have been inconsistent recently, failing to put together consecutive wins since the start of February, and that will give the chasing pack some hope though none of them has any games in hand.
Rotherham are by far the closest challengers, lying in fourth on 65 points, with Chesterfield and Bury further back in fifth and sixth on 61 points.
Aldershot Town are in the last playoff spot on 60 points - but, rather than chasing automatic promotion, the Shots are more concerned with staying in the top seven.
There are still plenty of clubs who may yet break into the playoffs with five clubs within six points of Aldershot.
At the bottom, matters are much more clear-cut. Darlington may have won for just the fifth time this season.
But those three points against playoff-chasing Shrewsbury Town followed another painful run of just two points from a possible 30, leaving the Quakers well adrift.
Darlington, on 19 points, are still 16 points adrift of safety with 10 games left.
Grimsby Town have been with Darlington in the relegation zone since early in the season and went 25 games without a win from September until March.
But shortly after beating the struggling Shrews 3-0, the Mariners followed it up with another impressive home win, 3-2 against Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that Grimsby will do enough to get out of trouble with only third-bottom Cheltenham Town within a catch-able distance.
The Robins are four points clear of Grimsby with a game in hand and enjoyed surely the most extraordinary win of the English football season in mid-March.
Substitute striker Michael Pook scored a hat-trick in the last six minutes, including two in stoppage time, to turn the match completely on its head.
Still trailing 5-3 with three minutes left, having been 2-0 down and level at 2-2, Cheltenham eventually prevailed 6-5.
Blue Square Premier
Table
STEVENAGE BOROUGH beat long time leaders Oxford United 1-0 to extend their lead at the top to five points as they bid for promotion to the league for the first time in their history.
Scott Laird scored from the spot early in the second-half to give Boro their ninth win in 10 games and a big advantage with seven matches left.
Free-scoring Luton Town moved above Oxford into second place after a 4-0 home win against Salisbury City.
That made it 18 goals in three games for the Hatters who have now won their last seven in a row.
Luton are five points adrift of Stevenage having played a game more and they travel to the league leaders next in the division's biggest game this season.
Oxford, who led the league from the end of August until the start of March, have dropped away badly in the last month with just one win in their last seven games.
That leaves the Us on 73 points, now eight adrift of Stevenage, and it looks like it will be the playoffs at the Kassam Stadium.
There, they should be joined by Rushden & Diamonds, who beat Kettering 3-0 to extend their run to one defeat in 16 games and put a massive dent in the Poppies' own ambitions.
Instead, York City look good for a top five place. They are now eight points clear of Kettering having got their season back on track in recent weeks.
After six matches without a win, the Minstermen have won three of their last four, which most recently includes a 4-0 thrashing of Grays Athletic.
That leaves Grays well adrift at the bottom of the rejigged Blue Square Premier table following Chester City's dismissal from the league.
All of Chester's results were expunged, a controversial decision which benefited some clubs more than others.
But Grays are going down regardless of what has happened to Chester. Just three wins all season, one success in their last 25 games, has left Grays on just 20 points, 17 adrift of safety.
The other two spots are much harder to call with just four points separating the five teams between 18th and 22nd.
Ebbsfleet United, on 35 points, are currently second-bottom after five matches without a win but third-bottom Forest Green Rovers, on 36 points, have real hope after three successive victories.
That run leaves them just one point behind Eastbourne Borough with two games in hand, though they also enjoyed a vital win.
That came against Gateshead who are just a point above Eastbourne in 17th place.
Tamworth, in 18th on 39 points, cannot be discounted from the dogfight after a run of just one win in 11 games
FA Cup Quarter Finals
JOHN CAREW hit a hat-trick as Aston Villa came from 2-0 down to beat Reading 4-2 and reach Wembley for a second time this season.
Shane Long scored twice as, backed by a raucous crowd at the Madejski Stadium, the in-form Royals took advantage of an out-of-sorts Villa in the first half.
But Martin O'Neill team talk worked wonders and Villa were level within six minutes of the restart as Ashley Young slammed home from close range and Carew got his first.
A clear penalty gave Carew his second goal and made it 3-2 before a break deep into stoppage time completed a fantastic turnaround.
Villa will be hoping for a different result under the Wembley Arch after their Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
But they face just as stern a test in Chelsea after the Blues deservedly beat Stoke City 2-0.
Frank Lampard opened the scoring on 35 minutes with a deflected effort from the edge of the box.
England team mate John Terry added a second midway through the second half with a trademark header from a corner.
Stoke rarely threatened with their best effort through Dean Whitehead cleared off the line by John Obi Mikel.
By contrast, Chelsea were fired up for the tie and only a string of saves from Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen prevented the winning margin from being even greater.
Meanwhile, 2008 winners Portsmouth are back at Wembley for a semi final with Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur after beating Birmingham City 2-0 at Fratton Park.
Frederic Piquionne scored twice as rock-bottom Pompey continue to save their best performances for the Cup.
Birmingham started the brighter in a match of few chances and David James brilliantly denied Cameron Jerome.
The second half was slightly better but Pompey's first only came after a goalmouth scramble was bundled home by Piquionne on 67 minutes.
Within three minutes, Pompey and Piquionne had their second after a neat finish from the Frenchman.
Birmingham struggled to find a way back into the game but missed out on a tense finale after the officials ruled incorrectly that Liam Ridgewell's header had not crossed the line.
Redknapp renews acquaintances with Portsmouth as Tottenham eventually overcame Fulham after a poor 0-0 stalemate at Craven Cottage set up a replay at White Hart Lane.
The Cottagers, looking to reach their first Cup final since 1975, shocked Spurs by taking a 17th-minute lead through Bobby Zamora excellent finish.
Fulham held the lead comfortably until half time but David Bentley's introduction after the break turned the tie around.
Within two minutes of the restart, Spurs were level after Bentley's whipped a free-kick from out wide on the left which evaded everyone on its way in.
Bentley then beat his man down the right and crossed for another substitute, Roman Pavlyuchenko, to volley Spurs into the lead.
A third was inevitable for the rampant home side and duly arrived when Luka Modric played in Eidur Gudjohnsen to round off the action with a quarter of the tie still to play.
Results:
Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City
Fulham 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 2-0 Birmingham City
Reading 2-4 Aston Villa
Replay:
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Fulham
FA Cup Semi Final Draw
Saturday 10th April (17:00, ITV)
Aston Villa v Chelsea
Sunday 11th April (16:00, ITV)
Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth
Table
MANCHESTER UNITED will take a one-point lead into their clash with Chelsea on Saturday after a 4-0 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers made it seven successive wins in all competitions.
Dimitar Berbatov scored twice as Sir Alex Ferguson's men responded in perfect fashion to Chelsea's big win against Aston Villa.
Frank Lampard scored four goals, including the 150th goal in his Chelsea career, as the Blues made light work of Didier Drogba's absence by hammering Villa 7-1.
That made it 12 goals in a week after an earlier 5-0 beating of hapless Portsmouth ensured Chelsea put their Champions League exit and 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers behind them.
With the top two meeting, Arsenal cannot be discounted from the title race even though a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City ended a fine run of six successive league wins and left them four points off the top.
The Gunners were written off after successive losses to Manchester United and Chelsea at the start of February but their recent run has given them an outside chance going into the final stretch.
Arsenal's North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have put themselves in prime position to take the coveted fourth Champions League spot with 58 points from 31 matches.
On the night Spurs were busy reaching the FA Cup semi final by beating Fulham 3-1, two of their main rivals for fourth place suffered poor results.
Manchester City lost at home to Everton, their first home league defeat of the season, while Aston Villa could only manage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland.
To be fair to Harry Redknapp's Tottenham team, they are not just relying on the poor results of others but, with five league wins in a row, they are finally taking control of their own destiny.
Perhaps it is just as well that Spurs are building up their points though, as they face Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in the space of 10 days in April.
Manchester City are just two points behind Tottenham but also face Arsenal and Manchester United in that same fascinating April period.
That fixture news is a boost to sixth-placed Liverpool who need all the help they can get. The Reds are two further points behind on 54, having played a game extra to both Spurs and City.
A painful 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford to United was Liverpool's 10th league loss.
But a decent run-in and recent wins against Portsmouth (4-1) and Sunderland (3-0) have reignited Reds' hopes that fourth place can yet be secured.
Hopes are fading fast at Aston Villa who are performing the same second half of the season collapse as last year, falling seven points off Spurs' pace.
The 7-1 mauling at Stamford Bridge may have been Villa's first league loss in 2010 but seven draws out of 10 games has left Martin O'Neill's men playing catch-up with time running out.
At the bottom, time is due to be called on Portsmouth's Premier League status after their nine-point deduction for going to administration was ratified.
The decision left Pompey on just 10 points until a dramatic 3-2 home win against Hull City put them on 13 points, two points better off than Derby County's all-time record.
But Pompey lost their four other games in March and could be relegated on Saturday if they lose and either West Ham United or Hull win. That is sure to be the start of a tough summer ahead at Fratton Park.
Burnley are odds-on to follow Pompey through the trapdoor after a 1-0 home defeat to bitter rivals Blackburn made it just one point from 24 for Brian Laws' men.
The final place looks set to be a fight between West Ham and Hull who are both on 27 points after the Hammers lost for the sixth time in a row while the Tigers beat Fulham 2-0.
West Ham's latest defeat, against Stoke City at home, caused manager Gianfranco Zola to consider his position but he has since vowed to carry on.
By contrast, Hull have changed manager at this late stage with Phil Brown's eventful reign ended and Iain Dowie brought in on a short-term contract of nine games.
The 3-2 loss to Portsmouth was hardly the best of starts but that win against Fulham and a better run in than West Ham have given Hull hope of pulling off another great escape.
Wigan Athletic, four points clear on 31 points, and Bolton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, on 32 points, could yet be dragged back into bother.
But improved form from all of those clubs, particularly Wolves who are unbeaten in four, suggest that this will not be the case.
The Championship
Table
NEWCASTLE UNITED beat third-placed Nottingham Forest 2-0 to record a seventh successive home win and put themselves in sight of the finish line.
The Magpies are unbeaten at home all season but faced a tough challenge from Forest until second half goals from Shola Ameobi and Jose Enrique finally killed off Billy Davies' men.
Ameobi, brought on as a sub on his comeback from injury, turned and took an early shot which went in off the post to the break the deadlock after a fascinating 71 minutes.
Then, in stoppage time, he set up Enrique with a perfect back heel for the Spaniard's long-awaited first ever career goal with low, well-drilled shot.
The win puts Newcastle on 83 points from 39 matches, four clear of West Bromwich Albion in second, and 13 clear of Forest.
That means West Brom hold a nine-point advantage over Forest in second place and the Baggies are also in better form with 16 points from their last 18.
Incredibly, Forest held the last unbeaten away record in the league which lasted until the end of January.
But, ever since losing the record at bitter rivals Derby County, they have fallen apart on the road and seven successive away losses look set to consign them to playoffs.
In the playoffs, there is the possibility of two local derbies with Forest currently joined by East Midlands rivals Leicester City and South Wales pair Cardiff City and Swansea City.
Forest, on 70 points, are almost assured of a top-six place while Cardiff are on 65 points and Swansea have 62 points. Even sixth-placed Leicester, on 61 points, are clear of the chasing pack.
Only seventh-placed Blackpool, on 57 points, and eighth-placed Doncaster Rovers, on 55 points are within two wins of breaking into the playoff pack.
Any challenge from Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, both on 54 points, looks set to be made too late.
Peterborough also look set to be soon put out of the misery at the bottom.
Four successive losses, including a 4-0 reverse at Scunthorpe United, has left Posh 13 points adrift of safety with just six games left.
Paul Mariner's Plymouth Argyle are also in deep trouble, after failing to take proper advantage tonight of their game in hand in a 0-0 home draw with Barnsley.
The stalemate comes on the back of Saturday's 2-0 home defeat against Blackpool and leaves the Pilgrims second-bottom on 38 points, five adrift of safety.
But the battle to avoid the final relegation place looks like it could go to the wire.
Crystal Palace, on 42 points, currently occupy 22nd after their 10-point deduction for going into administration.
But tonight's win against fourth-bottom Watford was massive and closed the gap to the Hornets to just one point, though Watford have played a game less.
Sheffield Wednesday also gained a recent vital win against Watford but the Owls are just one point further clear having drawn the other four of their last five matches.
Queens Park Rangers and Scunthorpe United, both on 47 points in 18th and 19th, can consider themselves far enough away from any real danger.
That is a particular good achievement for the Irons who were promoted from League One last season via the playoffs.
League One
Table
NORWICH CITY extended their lead over Leeds United to 11 points after a 1-0 win at Carrow Road in the clash of the top two in League One.
Chris Martin scored in the 89th minute to strengthen even further the Canaries' stranglehold on the division while Leeds face the prospect of throwing it all away.
United had stormed the first half of the season losing just once in the league until January and beating Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
But three wins and six defeats in 15 matches since that magnificent afternoon has seen their place at the top long since usurped by Norwich - and now even the lead over the chasing pack has gone.
Millwall, in third, are level on 71 points with Leeds after a 5-0 thrashing of Stockport County.
That made it 12 wins and just one defeat from 15 games and so the Lions are clearly in much better form than their Yorkshire rivals.
It showed when the pair met last Monday. Kenny Jackett's men ran out deserved 2-0 winners to continue their excellent recent run and leave Leeds manager Simon Grayson wondering where it all went wrong.
Swindon Town, in fourth just a further point back on 70, have also mounted a sustained recent challenge with just two defeats since Christmas.
Oddly, both of those came in the same week at the start of March against Bristol Rovers and Milton Keynes Dons.
But since then, the Robins have recorded three tense 1-0 wins and got a good draw at Norwich City to recover their confidence.
Fifth-placed Charlton Athletic are now just three points off Leeds, and so cannot be discounted but they will have to improve their patchy recent form.
The Addicks have taken just two points from their last three games, and lost 4-0 to Millwall who look the better bet from London, having beaten all their main rivals in February and March.
Colchester United currently occupy the final playoff spot on 65 points and, despite a run of six games without a win, seventh-placed Huddersfield Town are still their only challengers.
The Terriers have only won one of their last six to lie three points further back with eighth-placed Bristol Rovers well behind on 58 points.
One team that would have been in the mix for the top six is Southampton, only for their deduction of ten points to undermine their challenge.
Nevertheless, the Saints still salvaged something from the season with a 4-1 win in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley in front of an attendance of 73,476. Carlisle United were the runners-up.
At the bottom, the only thing that Stockport County look like winning is the League One wooden spoon as the struggling Hatters failed to score in March, taking just one point from 18.
Better news came off the pitch today with administrators announcing that a new bid to take over the stricken club is imminent.
But the latest dreadful run on the pitch leaves County on 24 points, eight points away from second-bottom Wycombe Wanderers and 15 adrift of safety.
Wycombe's chances of escaping relegation are also slim - the Chairboys are seven points adrift of safety - and each of their last four games have ended in draws when wins are needed.
Third-bottom Southend United reached 37 points after a fine recent 3-0 win over Walsall.
But that success was an exception to the rule for the financially-troubled Shrimpers who have just that one win in 14 games.
Nevertheless, Southend still have a real chance of preserving their League One status if they can pick up some form as it is incredibly tight at the bottom.
Tranmere Rovers, in 21st place on 38 points, are currently in the last relegation spot but only four points separate the seven clubs from 16th to 22nd.
Rovers are one point away from safety and also have a game in hand on Hartlepool United who are just one place outside the relegation zone.
League Two
Table
ROCHDALE brushed aside Grimsby Town 4-1 to make it 16 points out of their last 18 in their charge for the League Two title.
The Dale scored four goals for the third time in March to reach 78 points, 10 points clear of second-placed Notts County and 13 ahead of Rotherham United in fourth.
Notts County are also on a good run - the Magpies have lost just once in 15 games - to make good on their early-season promise.
Of course, County are already a different club to those heady days last summer when Munto finance group launched ambitious plans of Premier League football.
That experiment failed but, two managers later, County have put themselves in a good position to ensure they still go up this season.
County are on 68 points from 36 games, one point ahead of Bournemouth who are in the final automatic promotion spot in third, having played 38 matches.
The Cherries have been inconsistent recently, failing to put together consecutive wins since the start of February, and that will give the chasing pack some hope though none of them has any games in hand.
Rotherham are by far the closest challengers, lying in fourth on 65 points, with Chesterfield and Bury further back in fifth and sixth on 61 points.
Aldershot Town are in the last playoff spot on 60 points - but, rather than chasing automatic promotion, the Shots are more concerned with staying in the top seven.
There are still plenty of clubs who may yet break into the playoffs with five clubs within six points of Aldershot.
At the bottom, matters are much more clear-cut. Darlington may have won for just the fifth time this season.
But those three points against playoff-chasing Shrewsbury Town followed another painful run of just two points from a possible 30, leaving the Quakers well adrift.
Darlington, on 19 points, are still 16 points adrift of safety with 10 games left.
Grimsby Town have been with Darlington in the relegation zone since early in the season and went 25 games without a win from September until March.
But shortly after beating the struggling Shrews 3-0, the Mariners followed it up with another impressive home win, 3-2 against Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that Grimsby will do enough to get out of trouble with only third-bottom Cheltenham Town within a catch-able distance.
The Robins are four points clear of Grimsby with a game in hand and enjoyed surely the most extraordinary win of the English football season in mid-March.
Substitute striker Michael Pook scored a hat-trick in the last six minutes, including two in stoppage time, to turn the match completely on its head.
Still trailing 5-3 with three minutes left, having been 2-0 down and level at 2-2, Cheltenham eventually prevailed 6-5.
Blue Square Premier
Table
STEVENAGE BOROUGH beat long time leaders Oxford United 1-0 to extend their lead at the top to five points as they bid for promotion to the league for the first time in their history.
Scott Laird scored from the spot early in the second-half to give Boro their ninth win in 10 games and a big advantage with seven matches left.
Free-scoring Luton Town moved above Oxford into second place after a 4-0 home win against Salisbury City.
That made it 18 goals in three games for the Hatters who have now won their last seven in a row.
Luton are five points adrift of Stevenage having played a game more and they travel to the league leaders next in the division's biggest game this season.
Oxford, who led the league from the end of August until the start of March, have dropped away badly in the last month with just one win in their last seven games.
That leaves the Us on 73 points, now eight adrift of Stevenage, and it looks like it will be the playoffs at the Kassam Stadium.
There, they should be joined by Rushden & Diamonds, who beat Kettering 3-0 to extend their run to one defeat in 16 games and put a massive dent in the Poppies' own ambitions.
Instead, York City look good for a top five place. They are now eight points clear of Kettering having got their season back on track in recent weeks.
After six matches without a win, the Minstermen have won three of their last four, which most recently includes a 4-0 thrashing of Grays Athletic.
That leaves Grays well adrift at the bottom of the rejigged Blue Square Premier table following Chester City's dismissal from the league.
All of Chester's results were expunged, a controversial decision which benefited some clubs more than others.
But Grays are going down regardless of what has happened to Chester. Just three wins all season, one success in their last 25 games, has left Grays on just 20 points, 17 adrift of safety.
The other two spots are much harder to call with just four points separating the five teams between 18th and 22nd.
Ebbsfleet United, on 35 points, are currently second-bottom after five matches without a win but third-bottom Forest Green Rovers, on 36 points, have real hope after three successive victories.
That run leaves them just one point behind Eastbourne Borough with two games in hand, though they also enjoyed a vital win.
That came against Gateshead who are just a point above Eastbourne in 17th place.
Tamworth, in 18th on 39 points, cannot be discounted from the dogfight after a run of just one win in 11 games
FA Cup Quarter Finals
JOHN CAREW hit a hat-trick as Aston Villa came from 2-0 down to beat Reading 4-2 and reach Wembley for a second time this season.
Shane Long scored twice as, backed by a raucous crowd at the Madejski Stadium, the in-form Royals took advantage of an out-of-sorts Villa in the first half.
But Martin O'Neill team talk worked wonders and Villa were level within six minutes of the restart as Ashley Young slammed home from close range and Carew got his first.
A clear penalty gave Carew his second goal and made it 3-2 before a break deep into stoppage time completed a fantastic turnaround.
Villa will be hoping for a different result under the Wembley Arch after their Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
But they face just as stern a test in Chelsea after the Blues deservedly beat Stoke City 2-0.
Frank Lampard opened the scoring on 35 minutes with a deflected effort from the edge of the box.
England team mate John Terry added a second midway through the second half with a trademark header from a corner.
Stoke rarely threatened with their best effort through Dean Whitehead cleared off the line by John Obi Mikel.
By contrast, Chelsea were fired up for the tie and only a string of saves from Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen prevented the winning margin from being even greater.
Meanwhile, 2008 winners Portsmouth are back at Wembley for a semi final with Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur after beating Birmingham City 2-0 at Fratton Park.
Frederic Piquionne scored twice as rock-bottom Pompey continue to save their best performances for the Cup.
Birmingham started the brighter in a match of few chances and David James brilliantly denied Cameron Jerome.
The second half was slightly better but Pompey's first only came after a goalmouth scramble was bundled home by Piquionne on 67 minutes.
Within three minutes, Pompey and Piquionne had their second after a neat finish from the Frenchman.
Birmingham struggled to find a way back into the game but missed out on a tense finale after the officials ruled incorrectly that Liam Ridgewell's header had not crossed the line.
Redknapp renews acquaintances with Portsmouth as Tottenham eventually overcame Fulham after a poor 0-0 stalemate at Craven Cottage set up a replay at White Hart Lane.
The Cottagers, looking to reach their first Cup final since 1975, shocked Spurs by taking a 17th-minute lead through Bobby Zamora excellent finish.
Fulham held the lead comfortably until half time but David Bentley's introduction after the break turned the tie around.
Within two minutes of the restart, Spurs were level after Bentley's whipped a free-kick from out wide on the left which evaded everyone on its way in.
Bentley then beat his man down the right and crossed for another substitute, Roman Pavlyuchenko, to volley Spurs into the lead.
A third was inevitable for the rampant home side and duly arrived when Luka Modric played in Eidur Gudjohnsen to round off the action with a quarter of the tie still to play.
Results:
Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City
Fulham 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Portsmouth 2-0 Birmingham City
Reading 2-4 Aston Villa
Replay:
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Fulham
FA Cup Semi Final Draw
Saturday 10th April (17:00, ITV)
Aston Villa v Chelsea
Sunday 11th April (16:00, ITV)
Tottenham Hotspur v Portsmouth
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
The quiet Budget
CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling offered few sweeteners for voters in the Budget, which he announced to the House of Commons today, just weeks before a general election.
This was not a classic pre-election Budget but, then again, it was not expected to be.
In fairness, Mr Darling promised little in the run-up and it was clear that the crippling deficit made it impossible for him to lure the electorate with some vote-winning policies.
The Chancellor admitted that the level of government borrowing is forecast to be £167billion this year and that public sector net debt will be 54% of GDP, rising to a frankly unsustainable 75% in 2014.
Although borrowing is actually £11billion down on the figure predicted in December's pre-Budget report, it is still a massive amount, and it has left Mr Darling's hands tied.
The Chancellor made few startling announcements with no changes to rates of VAT or income tax and a four-year freeze on the inheritance tax threshold.
But, as ever, duties increased on those little pleasures in life - alcohol, cigarettes and fuel.
The biggest rise was attributed to cider which will go up by 10% above inflation from midnight on Sunday.
Beers, wines and spirits will rise by 2% above inflation and tobacco duty is up 1% above inflation, both from midnight on Sunday.
Most distressingly of all, Mr Darling retained the increase in fuel duty, a terrible decision with an election expected in just 43 days from now.
Motorists can take a small morsel of consolation in that the rise will be staggered, with increases in April and October 2010, and January 2011, rather than being effective all in one go.
But surely the Chancellor has noticed that prices at the pump are already sky-high at the moment.
The average price for a litre of unleaded fuel at 117.3p - and more than two-thirds of that is tax. Add on road tax, insurance and breakdown cover and the car will soon be on its way to becoming a luxury item once again.
While Mr Darling said there would be "no giveaways" in this Budget, he has characterised it as "a Budget for recovery" but evidence of this was thin indeed.
The big announcement to scrap stamp duty for first-time buyers on properties valued below £250,000 is presumably meant to energise the property market.
But this only works if the potential buyers are in a position to afford a first home.
And, with interest rates low and credit hard to come by, it seems unlikely to benefit many people, especially as the duty will return in two years.
Meanwhile, the one-year business rate cut for companies will be wiped out by the failure to reverse the decision to increase the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg accurately described the Budget as "insubstantial waffle... built on growth figures that are unlikely to materialise".
It did all seems nothing more than hot air while, after weeks of the polls narrowing, Prime Minister Gordon Brown must fear a backlash over the fuel duty rise, one of today's few defining points.
The Budget has certainly meant danger for Labour in the last two years, as shown by the UK Polling Report blog.
The website explains, "In both cases Alistair Darling was forced to deliver news about just how bad the economic situation was. Both turned a Labour deficit of around about 6 points into a Conservative lead in the mid teens."
Of course, a swing in the polls may not happen this time with core support for both of the main parties hardening in the run-up to the election.
Undecided voters may also be put off the David Cameron's questionable Conservative commitment to cut certain services immediately in an emergency budget after the election.
What should also help Labour is that the economy is on slightly surer footing now than it was in 2008 and 2009.
But that is not saying much and neither was the Chancellor today in one of the dullest pre-election Budgets ever.
*For an at-a-glance guide at the Budget, see this listing on the BBC website.
This was not a classic pre-election Budget but, then again, it was not expected to be.
In fairness, Mr Darling promised little in the run-up and it was clear that the crippling deficit made it impossible for him to lure the electorate with some vote-winning policies.
The Chancellor admitted that the level of government borrowing is forecast to be £167billion this year and that public sector net debt will be 54% of GDP, rising to a frankly unsustainable 75% in 2014.
Although borrowing is actually £11billion down on the figure predicted in December's pre-Budget report, it is still a massive amount, and it has left Mr Darling's hands tied.
The Chancellor made few startling announcements with no changes to rates of VAT or income tax and a four-year freeze on the inheritance tax threshold.
But, as ever, duties increased on those little pleasures in life - alcohol, cigarettes and fuel.
The biggest rise was attributed to cider which will go up by 10% above inflation from midnight on Sunday.
Beers, wines and spirits will rise by 2% above inflation and tobacco duty is up 1% above inflation, both from midnight on Sunday.
Most distressingly of all, Mr Darling retained the increase in fuel duty, a terrible decision with an election expected in just 43 days from now.
Motorists can take a small morsel of consolation in that the rise will be staggered, with increases in April and October 2010, and January 2011, rather than being effective all in one go.
But surely the Chancellor has noticed that prices at the pump are already sky-high at the moment.
The average price for a litre of unleaded fuel at 117.3p - and more than two-thirds of that is tax. Add on road tax, insurance and breakdown cover and the car will soon be on its way to becoming a luxury item once again.
While Mr Darling said there would be "no giveaways" in this Budget, he has characterised it as "a Budget for recovery" but evidence of this was thin indeed.
The big announcement to scrap stamp duty for first-time buyers on properties valued below £250,000 is presumably meant to energise the property market.
But this only works if the potential buyers are in a position to afford a first home.
And, with interest rates low and credit hard to come by, it seems unlikely to benefit many people, especially as the duty will return in two years.
Meanwhile, the one-year business rate cut for companies will be wiped out by the failure to reverse the decision to increase the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg accurately described the Budget as "insubstantial waffle... built on growth figures that are unlikely to materialise".
It did all seems nothing more than hot air while, after weeks of the polls narrowing, Prime Minister Gordon Brown must fear a backlash over the fuel duty rise, one of today's few defining points.
The Budget has certainly meant danger for Labour in the last two years, as shown by the UK Polling Report blog.
The website explains, "In both cases Alistair Darling was forced to deliver news about just how bad the economic situation was. Both turned a Labour deficit of around about 6 points into a Conservative lead in the mid teens."
Of course, a swing in the polls may not happen this time with core support for both of the main parties hardening in the run-up to the election.
Undecided voters may also be put off the David Cameron's questionable Conservative commitment to cut certain services immediately in an emergency budget after the election.
What should also help Labour is that the economy is on slightly surer footing now than it was in 2008 and 2009.
But that is not saying much and neither was the Chancellor today in one of the dullest pre-election Budgets ever.
*For an at-a-glance guide at the Budget, see this listing on the BBC website.
Monday, 22 March 2010
ITV eyes huge England prime time World Cup ratings
ITV will broadcast England's two opening group games against United States and Algeria as the prolonged negotiations between the broadcasters over this summer's World Cup rights were concluded today.
The deal is perfect for ITV's chances of generating huge advertising revenues from the tournament as both games are guaranteed and both are scheduled for prime time.
England v United States will take place at 7.30pm on Saturday 12th June and England v Algeria is again at 7.30pm on the following Friday, the 18th.
ITV's desire to secure both peak-time matches was a likely stalling point in the talks which began straight after the World Cup draw on 4th December and lasted longer than expected.
The BBC will broadcast England's final group game against Slovenia, at 3pm on Wednesday 23rd June, but that may be a dead rubber if England have already qualified.
Still, it should not worry the BBC too much if Fabio Capello's men have stormed through the two opening tests on ITV.
From then on, the BBC will capture the more vital moments with exclusive rights to any England participation in the second round and quarter finals.
If England do particularly well and reach a first World Cup semi final since 1990, that may yet be shown on both channels as it was 20 years ago when England lost to West Germany on penalties.
Simulcast matches are almost certain ratings winners for the BBC which usually hammers its rival by about four to one when the World Cup Final is shown by both channels.
If England are knocked out in the group stages, the BBC would still have first pick of the second round and quarter final ties, and it would also show both semi finals exclusively.
Of the other group matches, the BBC won the right to screen Brazil's exciting Group G ties against Ivory Coast on Sunday 20th June at 7.30pm and Portugal on Friday 26th June at 3pm.
But, in another part of the deal that will attract the advertisers, ITV will show the majority of the group games featuring the other fancied sides and traditional World Cup powerhouses.
Defending world champions Italy are on ITV twice as compared to one showing by the BBC, and this is also the case for Germany, Netherlands and Euro 2008 winners Spain.
By contrast, only Argentina and France - who both struggled through playoffs to qualify for the finals - are on the BBC more often than ITV.
Even then, the potentially vital clash between France and hosts South Africa in the final round of matches is on ITV which will also show the opening match of the tournament on Friday, June 11th.
South Africa v Mexico is hardly the most outstanding fixture of them all but it is sure to be an emotional occasion as the finals are played on African soil for the first time ever.
It would be fair to say that ITV has done well from the agreement. Certainly, it could not have asked for much more in terms of pulling in the punters and the sponsors' cash.
The Saturday night slot for the England v USA match will clearly do particularly well.
And it may even bring back fond memories for ITV of England v Argentina in 1998 which pulled in 23.8m viewers to become one of the most watched television events of the 1990s.
It is not just Capello's England playing this summer for pride and glory - but the broadcasters, too.
FULL WORLD CUP TELEVISION LISTINGS
Friday, 11 June 2010
ITV 15:00 South Africa v Mexico (Soccer City)
BBC 19:30 Uruguay v France (Cape Town)
Saturday, 12 June 2010
ITV 12:30 South Korea v Greece (P Elizabeth)
BBC 15:00 Argentina v Nigeria (Ellis Park)
ITV 19:30 England v USA (Rustenburg)
Sunday, 13 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Algeria v Slovenia (Polokwane)
ITV 15:00 Serbia v Ghana (Pretoria)
ITV 19:30 Germany v Australia (Durban)
Monday, 14 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Netherlands v Denmark (Soccer City)
BBC 15:00 Japan v Cameroon (Bloemfontein)
BBC 19:30 Italy v Paraguay (Cape Town)
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
BBC 12:30 New Zealand v Slovakia (Rustenburg)
ITV 15:00 Ivory Coast v Portugal (P Elizabeth)
ITV 19:30 Brazil v North Korea (Ellis Park)
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Honduras v Chile (Nelspruit)
BBC 15:00 Spain v Switzerland (Durban)
BBC 19:30 South Africa v Uruguay (Pretoria)
Thursday, 17 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Argentina v South Korea (Soccer City)
BBC 15:00 Greece v Nigeria (Bloemfontein)
BBC 19:30 France v Mexico (Polkowane)
Friday, 18 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Germany v Serbia (P Elizabeth)
BBC 15:00 Slovenia v USA (Ellis Park)
ITV 19:30 England v Algeria (Cape Town)
Saturday, 19 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Netherlands v Japan (Durban)
BBC 15:00 Ghana v Australia (Rustenburg)
ITV 19:30 Cameroon v Denmark (Pretoria)
Sunday, 20 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Slovakia v Paraguay (Bloemfontein)
ITV 15:00 Italy v New Zealand (Nelspruit)
BBC 19:30 Brazil v Ivory Coast (Soccer City)
Monday, 21 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Portugal v North Korea (Cape Town)
BBC 15:00 Chile v Switzerland (P Elizabeth)
ITV 19:30 Spain v Honduras (Ellis Park)
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
ITV 15:00 Mexico v Uruguay (Rustenburg)
ITV 15:00 France v South Africa (Bloemfontein)
BBC 19:30 Nigeria v South Korea (Durban)
BBC 19:30 Greece v Argentina (Polkowane)
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
BBC 15:00 Slovenia v England (P Elizabeth)
BBC 15:00 USA v Algeria (Pretoria)
ITV 19:30 Ghana v Germany (Soccer City)
ITV 19:30 Australia v Serbia (Nelspruit)
Thursday, 24 June 2010
ITV 15:00 Slovakia v Italy (Ellis Park)
ITV 15:00 Paraguay v New Zealand (Polkowane)
BBC 19:30 Denmark v Japan (Rustenburg)
BBC 19:30 Cameroon v Holland (Cape Town)
Friday, 25 June 2010
BBC 15:00 Portugal v Brazil (Durban)
BBC 15:00 North Korea v Ivory Coast (Nelspruit)
ITV 19:30 Chile v Spain (Pretoria)
ITV 19:30 Switzerland v Honduras (Bloemfontein)
All times in BST.
Note: Matches in knockout stages TBC but the BBC will have first pick in second round and quarter finals. Decision regarding semi finals depends on England's progress. The Final will be on both BBC and ITV.
Source:www.itv.com/sport/football/news/fifaworldcup/exclusives/itvandbbcannounceworldcupmatchsplit2956/default.html
The deal is perfect for ITV's chances of generating huge advertising revenues from the tournament as both games are guaranteed and both are scheduled for prime time.
England v United States will take place at 7.30pm on Saturday 12th June and England v Algeria is again at 7.30pm on the following Friday, the 18th.
ITV's desire to secure both peak-time matches was a likely stalling point in the talks which began straight after the World Cup draw on 4th December and lasted longer than expected.
The BBC will broadcast England's final group game against Slovenia, at 3pm on Wednesday 23rd June, but that may be a dead rubber if England have already qualified.
Still, it should not worry the BBC too much if Fabio Capello's men have stormed through the two opening tests on ITV.
From then on, the BBC will capture the more vital moments with exclusive rights to any England participation in the second round and quarter finals.
If England do particularly well and reach a first World Cup semi final since 1990, that may yet be shown on both channels as it was 20 years ago when England lost to West Germany on penalties.
Simulcast matches are almost certain ratings winners for the BBC which usually hammers its rival by about four to one when the World Cup Final is shown by both channels.
If England are knocked out in the group stages, the BBC would still have first pick of the second round and quarter final ties, and it would also show both semi finals exclusively.
Of the other group matches, the BBC won the right to screen Brazil's exciting Group G ties against Ivory Coast on Sunday 20th June at 7.30pm and Portugal on Friday 26th June at 3pm.
But, in another part of the deal that will attract the advertisers, ITV will show the majority of the group games featuring the other fancied sides and traditional World Cup powerhouses.
Defending world champions Italy are on ITV twice as compared to one showing by the BBC, and this is also the case for Germany, Netherlands and Euro 2008 winners Spain.
By contrast, only Argentina and France - who both struggled through playoffs to qualify for the finals - are on the BBC more often than ITV.
Even then, the potentially vital clash between France and hosts South Africa in the final round of matches is on ITV which will also show the opening match of the tournament on Friday, June 11th.
South Africa v Mexico is hardly the most outstanding fixture of them all but it is sure to be an emotional occasion as the finals are played on African soil for the first time ever.
It would be fair to say that ITV has done well from the agreement. Certainly, it could not have asked for much more in terms of pulling in the punters and the sponsors' cash.
The Saturday night slot for the England v USA match will clearly do particularly well.
And it may even bring back fond memories for ITV of England v Argentina in 1998 which pulled in 23.8m viewers to become one of the most watched television events of the 1990s.
It is not just Capello's England playing this summer for pride and glory - but the broadcasters, too.
FULL WORLD CUP TELEVISION LISTINGS
Friday, 11 June 2010
ITV 15:00 South Africa v Mexico (Soccer City)
BBC 19:30 Uruguay v France (Cape Town)
Saturday, 12 June 2010
ITV 12:30 South Korea v Greece (P Elizabeth)
BBC 15:00 Argentina v Nigeria (Ellis Park)
ITV 19:30 England v USA (Rustenburg)
Sunday, 13 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Algeria v Slovenia (Polokwane)
ITV 15:00 Serbia v Ghana (Pretoria)
ITV 19:30 Germany v Australia (Durban)
Monday, 14 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Netherlands v Denmark (Soccer City)
BBC 15:00 Japan v Cameroon (Bloemfontein)
BBC 19:30 Italy v Paraguay (Cape Town)
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
BBC 12:30 New Zealand v Slovakia (Rustenburg)
ITV 15:00 Ivory Coast v Portugal (P Elizabeth)
ITV 19:30 Brazil v North Korea (Ellis Park)
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Honduras v Chile (Nelspruit)
BBC 15:00 Spain v Switzerland (Durban)
BBC 19:30 South Africa v Uruguay (Pretoria)
Thursday, 17 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Argentina v South Korea (Soccer City)
BBC 15:00 Greece v Nigeria (Bloemfontein)
BBC 19:30 France v Mexico (Polkowane)
Friday, 18 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Germany v Serbia (P Elizabeth)
BBC 15:00 Slovenia v USA (Ellis Park)
ITV 19:30 England v Algeria (Cape Town)
Saturday, 19 June 2010
ITV 12:30 Netherlands v Japan (Durban)
BBC 15:00 Ghana v Australia (Rustenburg)
ITV 19:30 Cameroon v Denmark (Pretoria)
Sunday, 20 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Slovakia v Paraguay (Bloemfontein)
ITV 15:00 Italy v New Zealand (Nelspruit)
BBC 19:30 Brazil v Ivory Coast (Soccer City)
Monday, 21 June 2010
BBC 12:30 Portugal v North Korea (Cape Town)
BBC 15:00 Chile v Switzerland (P Elizabeth)
ITV 19:30 Spain v Honduras (Ellis Park)
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
ITV 15:00 Mexico v Uruguay (Rustenburg)
ITV 15:00 France v South Africa (Bloemfontein)
BBC 19:30 Nigeria v South Korea (Durban)
BBC 19:30 Greece v Argentina (Polkowane)
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
BBC 15:00 Slovenia v England (P Elizabeth)
BBC 15:00 USA v Algeria (Pretoria)
ITV 19:30 Ghana v Germany (Soccer City)
ITV 19:30 Australia v Serbia (Nelspruit)
Thursday, 24 June 2010
ITV 15:00 Slovakia v Italy (Ellis Park)
ITV 15:00 Paraguay v New Zealand (Polkowane)
BBC 19:30 Denmark v Japan (Rustenburg)
BBC 19:30 Cameroon v Holland (Cape Town)
Friday, 25 June 2010
BBC 15:00 Portugal v Brazil (Durban)
BBC 15:00 North Korea v Ivory Coast (Nelspruit)
ITV 19:30 Chile v Spain (Pretoria)
ITV 19:30 Switzerland v Honduras (Bloemfontein)
All times in BST.
Note: Matches in knockout stages TBC but the BBC will have first pick in second round and quarter finals. Decision regarding semi finals depends on England's progress. The Final will be on both BBC and ITV.
Source:www.itv.com/sport/football/news/fifaworldcup/exclusives/itvandbbcannounceworldcupmatchsplit2956/default.html
Saturday, 13 March 2010
F1 2010: Team-by-team preview
FORMULA ONE is back - and it's bigger and better with 12 teams and 24 drivers on the starting grid for the first time since 1995 and 19 races for the first time since 2005.
The return of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has dominated the headlines in the off-season.
But the German's track comeback with Mercedes is just one of a myriad of sub-plots which make this F1 season the most eagerly awaited in years.
British pair Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, who have shared the last two world championships between them, will compete together at McLaren.
Meanwhile, two-times winner Fernando Alonso finally got his dream move to Ferrari who will be desperate to make up for their struggles in 2009.
There are five debutants among the 24 drivers with the Senna name back in F1 for the first time since Ayrton's untimely death at Imola, 16 years ago. Nephew Bruno will race for the new Hispania Racing team.
The main rule changes have seen refuelling during the race abolished and a new points system intended to get drivers to go for the win.
Twenty-five points will be awarded for a race win, with 18 for second and 15 for third, 12 for fourth, 10 for fifth and then eight, six, four, two and one for drivers finishing between sixth and 10th.
MCLAREN
World champion Jenson Button has made the risky move to McLaren where 2008 winner Lewis Hamilton is already established as the number one driver. Button will aim to displace his compatriot but he may find this difficult as Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the fastest qualifiers on the circuit.
Button won the world championship last year for Brawn GP with a stunning six wins in the first seven races as traditional big-hitters Ferrari and McLaren lagged behind in the development of their cars.
But, once McLaren finally produced a race-worthy machine, it was no surprise to see Hamilton's form pick back up and it seems unlikely that Button will enjoy another early advantage this time around.
Jenson Button
F1 career: Races 172, Wins 7, Pole 7, Points 327 (1 Championship)
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 6, Pole 4, Points 95, Pos: Champion
Lewis Hamilton
F1 career: Races 52, Wins 11, Pole 17, Points 256 (1 Championship)
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 2, Pole 4, Points 49, Pos: 5th
MERCEDES
Having just about scrambled a team together in time last winter, Brawn GP then did the unthinkable and won the drivers' and constructors' championships.
Jenson Button has now moved on to McLaren - and there were changes at the top of Brawn GP too as Mercedes-Benz and Aaber Investments bought a 75.1% stake and renamed the team.
Nico Rosberg was announced as the team's first driver shortly after the buyout with Rubens Barrichello having moved the opposite way to Williams.
But the biggest news in F1 came two days before Christmas as seven-time champion Michael Schumacher joined the team to complete an all-German line-up.
Schumacher has made it clear that he has not returned just to mix it up with the back markers but he shouldn't worry - the Merc engineers and the technical expertise of Ross Brawn, with whom he won all those world crowns, will ensure his comeback is competitive.
Michael Schumacher
F1 career: Races 250, Wins 91, Pole 68, Points 1369 (7 Championships)
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Nico Rosberg
F1 career: Races 70, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 75.5
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 34.5, Pos: 7th
RED BULL
Of all the expected front-runners, Red Bull is the only team to keep faith with its driver line-up from 2009.
That decision comes as no surprise after the excellent performances from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber last season saw them both finish in the top four. Along the way, Vettel and Webber gave their Austrian team three 1-2s - in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi.
At 33, Webber is unlikely at his age to improve any further but, given a few more years, 22-year-old Sebastian Vettel has the look of a future world champion in the making.
Sebastian Vettel
F1 career: Races 43, Wins 5, Pole 5, Points 125
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 4, Pole 4, Points 84, Pos: 2nd
Mark Webber
F1 career: Races 140, Wins 2, Pole 1, Points 169.5
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 2, Pole 1, Points 69.5, Pos: 4th
FERRARI
Ferrari endured their worst ever start to an F1 season in a nightmare 2009 which Felipe Massa was simply glad to have survived. The team failed to score in any of the first three races before Kimi Raikonnen picked up points in sixth in the fourth race at Bahrain.
In the second half of the season, matters improved slightly and Raikonnen won the Belgian GP but Ferrari struggled to provide any back-up for the Finn after Massa's freak accident in qualifying for the Hungarian GP.
Thankfully, Massa has made a full recovery but the Brazilian will face a tough new challenge from Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard finally got his dream move to Ferrari after he was unable to repeat his world championship successes in a second spell at Renault.
The recent seasons of struggle will have made Alonso arguably the hungriest man on the grid and he should be aided by a Ferrari team also desperate to avoid another 2009.
Felipe Massa
F1 career: Races 116, Wins 11, Pole 15, Points 320
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 22, Pos: 11th
Fernando Alonso
F1 career: Races 140, Wins 21, Pole 18, Points 577 (2 Championships)
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 1, Points 26, Pos: 9th
WILLIAMS
A complete driver change for Williams with Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenburg in for Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.
Williams have made a sound choice with Barrichello who is the fourth highest points scorer in F1 history despite never having won a world championship. The unlucky Brazilian has had to play second fiddle over the years to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and then, again, to Jenson Button last season at Brawn GP.
But Barrichello often out-qualified and outshone eventual champ Button in the second part of last season and this is a belated chance for him to establish himself as a team's number one.
Former test driver Nico Hulkenburg will be looking to impress having graduated to a main seat after winning both the Formula 3 and GP2 series in the last two years.
Rubens Barrichello
F1 career: Races 288, Wins 11, Pole 14, Points 607
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 2, Pole 1, Points 77, Pos: 3rd
Nico Hulkenburg
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
RENAULT
The exits of fellow-manufacturers Toyota and BMW caused speculation that Renault would be the next team to leave F1 as the recession began to take effect.
The feeling that F1 was more trouble than its worth to Renault increased further after their shameful appearance before the courts for race-fixing. That episode ended with a suspended two-year ban for the team and a life-ban for then-managing director Flavio Briatore.
But, having sold their majority stake to a Luxembourg investment company, Renault remain in F1 for now.
They are a long way away from repeating the Fernando Alonso world championship years of 2005 and 2006, though, and they have the less than glamorous line-up of Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov who, nevertheless, becomes the first ever Russian F1 driver.
Robert Kubica
F1 career: Races 57, Wins 1, Pole 1, Points 137
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 17, Pos: 14th
Vitaly Petrov
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
FORCE INDIA
It is a big season for Force India who showed signs of getting it right in the latter part of last year, even going as far as earning their first pole position.
That came courtesy of Giancarlo Fisichella at the Belgian GP before the Italian was allowed to replace the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari for the rest of the season.
Still, in his absence, Adrian Sutil did reasonably well and finished fourth in the Italian GP, having qualified in second. Much more will be expected from Sutil all season round, this time.
Fisichella's replacement Vitantonio Liuzzi was also running well at Monza when a gearbox failure forced him to retire and he was deemed to have done a good enough filling in job to gain a seat for this season.
Adrian Sutil
F1 career: Races 52, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 6
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 5, Pos: 17th
Vitantonio Liuzzi
F1 career: Races 44, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 5
2009 F1 Season: Races 5, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 0, Pos: 22nd
TORO ROSSO
Toro Rosso endured a tough 2009 season, finishing last in the constructors' championship, after failing to cope the pre-season loss of Sebastian Vettel to sister team Red Bull Racing.
The performances of Sebastien Bourdais, in particular, were heavily criticised and he crashed into team-mate Sebastien Buemi on the first lap of the Spanish GP, the Frenchman was replaced mid-season by 19-year-old Jaime Alguersuari.
Alguersuari failed to score a point in any of his eight races but, with youth on his side, he retains his seat alongside Buemi in a youthful team. Buemi improved in the latter part of last season to record points finishes in the final two races.
But the odd points finish here and there will be all that either of these two drivers can expect this season.
Sebastien Buemi
F1 career: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 6
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 6, Pos: 16th
Jaime Alguersuari
F1 career: Races 8, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 0
2009 F1 Season: Races 8, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 0, Pos: 24th
LOTUS F1
Lotus F1 would like to remind everyone that Michael Schumacher is not the only famous name making a comeback this season.
Team Lotus raced in Formula One for 37 years until 1994, winning six drivers' championship and seven constructors' crowns, and the new team have been making a lot of positive noises with technical director Mike Gascoyne sounding particularly bullish.
An relatively experienced driver line-up will give Lotus the best chance of all the new entrants of making a few waves but a Brawn GP repeat would be an even bigger surprise than last year.
Jarno Trulli
F1 career: Races 219, Wins 1, Pole 4, Points 246.5
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 1, Points 32.5, Pos: 8th
Heikki Kovalainen
F1 career: Races 52, Wins 1, Pole 1, Points 105
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 22, Pos: 12th
HISPANIA RACING TEAM
While Lotus GP may have invested in experience, another new team Hispania Racing will be relying on beginner's luck.
The Spanish team are fielding two debutants Karun Chandhok - only the second Indian driver in F1 history after Narain Karthikeyan in 2005 - and Bruno Senna.
The return of the Senna name to F1, 16 years after Ayrton's death at Imola, has generated some excitement. But it will be interesting to see how long into the season that it lasts, if Chandhok and Senna struggle round in what looks like a rather slow car.
Karun Chandhok
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Bruno Senna
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
BMW SAUBER
Sauber make an unexpected appearance on the grid after it looked as if their participation had ended. The FIA even went so far as to accept their resignation and put the Lotus F1 team in their place.
The chances of a Sauber appearance in 2010 looked even bleaker when a deal to put them on the track with investment company Qadbak fell through. But just a week later, BMW sold its 80% share to Peter Sauber and replaced Toyota who were definitely leaving.
Toyota's departure left Kamui Kobayashi without a seat despite an impressive sixth-placed finish in Abu Dhabi.
But Sauber snapped up the Japanese driver and have paired him with a more experienced man in Pedro de la Rosa who has spent the last six years testing at McLaren.
Of all the teams, Sauber will be glad that their rather chaotic winter is over and the real action can begin.
Pedro de la Rosa
F1 career: Races 72, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 29
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Kamui Kobayashi
F1 career: Races 2, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 3
2009 F1 Season: Races 2, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 3, Pos: 18th
VIRGIN RACING
Virgin supremo Richard Branson tested the water last season with his sponsorship of the successful Brawn GP team but, this year, the bearded billionaire has decided to grab a piece of the action with his own team.
Timo Glock has signed up having rejected Renault to guarantee himself number one driver status ahead of debutant Lucas di Grassi.
German Glock has proven to be a solid enough driver at Toyota while Brazilian di Grassi has featured at the right end of the track in the GP2 series for the last three years.
But Branson should not expect immediate results a la Brawn GP for, if he does, this adventure could be very short-lived.
Timo Glock
F1 career: Races 37, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 51
2009 F1 Season: Races 14, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 24, Pos: 10th
Lucas di Grassi
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Race Calendar
The season begins in Bahrain tomorrow and finishes in Abu Dhabi on 14 November. The Monte Carlo GP is on 16 May and the British GP from Silverstone is on 11 July.
Canada returns to the calendar on 13 June after a one-year hiatus with the Korean GP from Yeongam making its F1 bow.
14 March Bahrain GP (Sakhir)
28 March Australian GP (Melbourne)
4 April Malaysian GP (Sepang)
18 April Chinese GP (Shanghai)
9 May Spanish GP (Barcelona)
16 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
30 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
13 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
27 June European GP (Valencia)
11 July British GP (Silverstone)
25 July German GP (Hockenheim)
1 August Hungarian GP (Budapest)
29 August Belgian GP (Spa)
12 September Italian GP (Monza)
26 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
10 October Japanese GP (Suzuka)
24 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
7 November Brazilian GP (Sao Paulo)
14 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Island)
The return of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has dominated the headlines in the off-season.
But the German's track comeback with Mercedes is just one of a myriad of sub-plots which make this F1 season the most eagerly awaited in years.
British pair Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, who have shared the last two world championships between them, will compete together at McLaren.
Meanwhile, two-times winner Fernando Alonso finally got his dream move to Ferrari who will be desperate to make up for their struggles in 2009.
There are five debutants among the 24 drivers with the Senna name back in F1 for the first time since Ayrton's untimely death at Imola, 16 years ago. Nephew Bruno will race for the new Hispania Racing team.
The main rule changes have seen refuelling during the race abolished and a new points system intended to get drivers to go for the win.
Twenty-five points will be awarded for a race win, with 18 for second and 15 for third, 12 for fourth, 10 for fifth and then eight, six, four, two and one for drivers finishing between sixth and 10th.
MCLAREN
World champion Jenson Button has made the risky move to McLaren where 2008 winner Lewis Hamilton is already established as the number one driver. Button will aim to displace his compatriot but he may find this difficult as Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the fastest qualifiers on the circuit.
Button won the world championship last year for Brawn GP with a stunning six wins in the first seven races as traditional big-hitters Ferrari and McLaren lagged behind in the development of their cars.
But, once McLaren finally produced a race-worthy machine, it was no surprise to see Hamilton's form pick back up and it seems unlikely that Button will enjoy another early advantage this time around.
Jenson Button
F1 career: Races 172, Wins 7, Pole 7, Points 327 (1 Championship)
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 6, Pole 4, Points 95, Pos: Champion
Lewis Hamilton
F1 career: Races 52, Wins 11, Pole 17, Points 256 (1 Championship)
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 2, Pole 4, Points 49, Pos: 5th
MERCEDES
Having just about scrambled a team together in time last winter, Brawn GP then did the unthinkable and won the drivers' and constructors' championships.
Jenson Button has now moved on to McLaren - and there were changes at the top of Brawn GP too as Mercedes-Benz and Aaber Investments bought a 75.1% stake and renamed the team.
Nico Rosberg was announced as the team's first driver shortly after the buyout with Rubens Barrichello having moved the opposite way to Williams.
But the biggest news in F1 came two days before Christmas as seven-time champion Michael Schumacher joined the team to complete an all-German line-up.
Schumacher has made it clear that he has not returned just to mix it up with the back markers but he shouldn't worry - the Merc engineers and the technical expertise of Ross Brawn, with whom he won all those world crowns, will ensure his comeback is competitive.
Michael Schumacher
F1 career: Races 250, Wins 91, Pole 68, Points 1369 (7 Championships)
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Nico Rosberg
F1 career: Races 70, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 75.5
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 34.5, Pos: 7th
RED BULL
Of all the expected front-runners, Red Bull is the only team to keep faith with its driver line-up from 2009.
That decision comes as no surprise after the excellent performances from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber last season saw them both finish in the top four. Along the way, Vettel and Webber gave their Austrian team three 1-2s - in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi.
At 33, Webber is unlikely at his age to improve any further but, given a few more years, 22-year-old Sebastian Vettel has the look of a future world champion in the making.
Sebastian Vettel
F1 career: Races 43, Wins 5, Pole 5, Points 125
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 4, Pole 4, Points 84, Pos: 2nd
Mark Webber
F1 career: Races 140, Wins 2, Pole 1, Points 169.5
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 2, Pole 1, Points 69.5, Pos: 4th
FERRARI
Ferrari endured their worst ever start to an F1 season in a nightmare 2009 which Felipe Massa was simply glad to have survived. The team failed to score in any of the first three races before Kimi Raikonnen picked up points in sixth in the fourth race at Bahrain.
In the second half of the season, matters improved slightly and Raikonnen won the Belgian GP but Ferrari struggled to provide any back-up for the Finn after Massa's freak accident in qualifying for the Hungarian GP.
Thankfully, Massa has made a full recovery but the Brazilian will face a tough new challenge from Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard finally got his dream move to Ferrari after he was unable to repeat his world championship successes in a second spell at Renault.
The recent seasons of struggle will have made Alonso arguably the hungriest man on the grid and he should be aided by a Ferrari team also desperate to avoid another 2009.
Felipe Massa
F1 career: Races 116, Wins 11, Pole 15, Points 320
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 22, Pos: 11th
Fernando Alonso
F1 career: Races 140, Wins 21, Pole 18, Points 577 (2 Championships)
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 1, Points 26, Pos: 9th
WILLIAMS
A complete driver change for Williams with Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenburg in for Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.
Williams have made a sound choice with Barrichello who is the fourth highest points scorer in F1 history despite never having won a world championship. The unlucky Brazilian has had to play second fiddle over the years to Michael Schumacher at Ferrari and then, again, to Jenson Button last season at Brawn GP.
But Barrichello often out-qualified and outshone eventual champ Button in the second part of last season and this is a belated chance for him to establish himself as a team's number one.
Former test driver Nico Hulkenburg will be looking to impress having graduated to a main seat after winning both the Formula 3 and GP2 series in the last two years.
Rubens Barrichello
F1 career: Races 288, Wins 11, Pole 14, Points 607
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 2, Pole 1, Points 77, Pos: 3rd
Nico Hulkenburg
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
RENAULT
The exits of fellow-manufacturers Toyota and BMW caused speculation that Renault would be the next team to leave F1 as the recession began to take effect.
The feeling that F1 was more trouble than its worth to Renault increased further after their shameful appearance before the courts for race-fixing. That episode ended with a suspended two-year ban for the team and a life-ban for then-managing director Flavio Briatore.
But, having sold their majority stake to a Luxembourg investment company, Renault remain in F1 for now.
They are a long way away from repeating the Fernando Alonso world championship years of 2005 and 2006, though, and they have the less than glamorous line-up of Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov who, nevertheless, becomes the first ever Russian F1 driver.
Robert Kubica
F1 career: Races 57, Wins 1, Pole 1, Points 137
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 17, Pos: 14th
Vitaly Petrov
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
FORCE INDIA
It is a big season for Force India who showed signs of getting it right in the latter part of last year, even going as far as earning their first pole position.
That came courtesy of Giancarlo Fisichella at the Belgian GP before the Italian was allowed to replace the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari for the rest of the season.
Still, in his absence, Adrian Sutil did reasonably well and finished fourth in the Italian GP, having qualified in second. Much more will be expected from Sutil all season round, this time.
Fisichella's replacement Vitantonio Liuzzi was also running well at Monza when a gearbox failure forced him to retire and he was deemed to have done a good enough filling in job to gain a seat for this season.
Adrian Sutil
F1 career: Races 52, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 6
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 5, Pos: 17th
Vitantonio Liuzzi
F1 career: Races 44, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 5
2009 F1 Season: Races 5, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 0, Pos: 22nd
TORO ROSSO
Toro Rosso endured a tough 2009 season, finishing last in the constructors' championship, after failing to cope the pre-season loss of Sebastian Vettel to sister team Red Bull Racing.
The performances of Sebastien Bourdais, in particular, were heavily criticised and he crashed into team-mate Sebastien Buemi on the first lap of the Spanish GP, the Frenchman was replaced mid-season by 19-year-old Jaime Alguersuari.
Alguersuari failed to score a point in any of his eight races but, with youth on his side, he retains his seat alongside Buemi in a youthful team. Buemi improved in the latter part of last season to record points finishes in the final two races.
But the odd points finish here and there will be all that either of these two drivers can expect this season.
Sebastien Buemi
F1 career: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 6
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 6, Pos: 16th
Jaime Alguersuari
F1 career: Races 8, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 0
2009 F1 Season: Races 8, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 0, Pos: 24th
LOTUS F1
Lotus F1 would like to remind everyone that Michael Schumacher is not the only famous name making a comeback this season.
Team Lotus raced in Formula One for 37 years until 1994, winning six drivers' championship and seven constructors' crowns, and the new team have been making a lot of positive noises with technical director Mike Gascoyne sounding particularly bullish.
An relatively experienced driver line-up will give Lotus the best chance of all the new entrants of making a few waves but a Brawn GP repeat would be an even bigger surprise than last year.
Jarno Trulli
F1 career: Races 219, Wins 1, Pole 4, Points 246.5
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 1, Points 32.5, Pos: 8th
Heikki Kovalainen
F1 career: Races 52, Wins 1, Pole 1, Points 105
2009 F1 Season: Races 17, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 22, Pos: 12th
HISPANIA RACING TEAM
While Lotus GP may have invested in experience, another new team Hispania Racing will be relying on beginner's luck.
The Spanish team are fielding two debutants Karun Chandhok - only the second Indian driver in F1 history after Narain Karthikeyan in 2005 - and Bruno Senna.
The return of the Senna name to F1, 16 years after Ayrton's death at Imola, has generated some excitement. But it will be interesting to see how long into the season that it lasts, if Chandhok and Senna struggle round in what looks like a rather slow car.
Karun Chandhok
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Bruno Senna
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
BMW SAUBER
Sauber make an unexpected appearance on the grid after it looked as if their participation had ended. The FIA even went so far as to accept their resignation and put the Lotus F1 team in their place.
The chances of a Sauber appearance in 2010 looked even bleaker when a deal to put them on the track with investment company Qadbak fell through. But just a week later, BMW sold its 80% share to Peter Sauber and replaced Toyota who were definitely leaving.
Toyota's departure left Kamui Kobayashi without a seat despite an impressive sixth-placed finish in Abu Dhabi.
But Sauber snapped up the Japanese driver and have paired him with a more experienced man in Pedro de la Rosa who has spent the last six years testing at McLaren.
Of all the teams, Sauber will be glad that their rather chaotic winter is over and the real action can begin.
Pedro de la Rosa
F1 career: Races 72, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 29
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Kamui Kobayashi
F1 career: Races 2, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 3
2009 F1 Season: Races 2, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 3, Pos: 18th
VIRGIN RACING
Virgin supremo Richard Branson tested the water last season with his sponsorship of the successful Brawn GP team but, this year, the bearded billionaire has decided to grab a piece of the action with his own team.
Timo Glock has signed up having rejected Renault to guarantee himself number one driver status ahead of debutant Lucas di Grassi.
German Glock has proven to be a solid enough driver at Toyota while Brazilian di Grassi has featured at the right end of the track in the GP2 series for the last three years.
But Branson should not expect immediate results a la Brawn GP for, if he does, this adventure could be very short-lived.
Timo Glock
F1 career: Races 37, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 51
2009 F1 Season: Races 14, Wins 0, Pole 0, Points 24, Pos: 10th
Lucas di Grassi
F1 career: 2010 is debut season in F1
2009 F1 Season: N/A
Race Calendar
The season begins in Bahrain tomorrow and finishes in Abu Dhabi on 14 November. The Monte Carlo GP is on 16 May and the British GP from Silverstone is on 11 July.
Canada returns to the calendar on 13 June after a one-year hiatus with the Korean GP from Yeongam making its F1 bow.
14 March Bahrain GP (Sakhir)
28 March Australian GP (Melbourne)
4 April Malaysian GP (Sepang)
18 April Chinese GP (Shanghai)
9 May Spanish GP (Barcelona)
16 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
30 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
13 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
27 June European GP (Valencia)
11 July British GP (Silverstone)
25 July German GP (Hockenheim)
1 August Hungarian GP (Budapest)
29 August Belgian GP (Spa)
12 September Italian GP (Monza)
26 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
10 October Japanese GP (Suzuka)
24 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
7 November Brazilian GP (Sao Paulo)
14 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Island)
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Election 2010: Rules of engagement
PARTY LEADERS and broadcasters finally agreed the rules this week for the debates in the run-up to the general election, which is expected to be on 6th May.
There will be three debates, one each on ITV, Sky and the BBC in that order. Each programme will last 90 minutes and the first half of each debate will focus on separate themes with the second half as an open forum.
The first debate, moderated by ITV anchor Alaistair Stewart, will place an emphasis on domestic affairs such as the state of NHS, schools, law and order, and immigration.
Adam Boulton will moderate the next debate on Sky which will be focused on international affairs including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, international relations, terrorism and climate change.
The final programme on the BBC will have the economy as its theme and David Dimbleby as its moderator with questions expected on taxation, the deficit, the recession and spending on public services.
While these debates have been commonplace across the Atlantic since 1960, the three shows in the run-up to the election will be the first of their kind in the UK.
Before the 1997 election, then Prime Minister John Major was in support of having such debates but the parties and broadcasters could not agree on a format so nothing ever took place.
In the meantime, Mr Major's successor Tony Blair argued against the need for them, stating that the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons was sufficient.
But, lagging behind in the polls in a way in which Mr Blair never was, current PM Gordon Brown had little option but to support the idea when the issue was raised again by Sky News.
The debates have already been surrounded by controversy after the exclusion of the nationalist parties, the SNP and Plaid Cymru, and UKIP who finished second in the European elections last June.
The fact is, though, that none of those parties is going to form part of the next government in Westminster whereas even the Liberal Democrats could play a vital role in the case of a hung parliament.
Others have argued that the debates will further encourage a presidential-style of leadership but I personally think that debates are an excellent way to hold leaders and potential leaders to account.
It is a shame, then, that fully 76 points will be used to regulate the discussion, a list of which can be viewed here on The Guardian website.
Of course, there must be rules to a debate but some of the points make it possible for debate to be stifled and others seem to make it too easy for politicians to wriggle off the hook.
For instance, take points 46. to 50. which are based on time limits:
46.Each leader will make an opening statement on the theme of the debate lasting for 1 minute. After the three opening statements the moderator will take the first question on the agreed theme. There will be closing statements of 1 minute 30 seconds from all three leaders at the end of the 90 minutes.
47.Each leader will have 1 minute to answer the question.
48.Each leader will then have 1 minute to respond to the answers.
49.The moderator may then open the discussion to free debate between the leaders for up to 4 minutes on merit.
50.The length of the debate on each question will be decided by the programme editor.
The first time limits in point 46. can be seen as a positive rule in that at least it ensures the opening and closing statements from the leaders will be concise.
But, of the other limits in points 47. and 48., 60 seconds seems a hardly adequate enough period for the most complex questions to be answered.
And even if four minutes of free debate follows, it is unlikely to be long enough if half of that time is spent making cheap shots at each other.
More disappointing still is the level of restrictions placed on the number of questions on each topic. Points 29. and 30. are as follows:
29.half the programme will be based on the agreed theme. Within that portion of the programme, a maximum of three questions will be selected on a single sub-theme.
30.half the programme will be unthemed. In this portion of the programme, a maximum of two questions will be selected on a single subject.
While these restrictions should ensure quite a wide-ranging debate within the theme, it seems to me that it will be all too easy for the leaders to avoid giving a proper answer.
Certainly, it will be interesting to see how often the moderator will use point 62. to seek factual clarification, especially as point 63. emphasises the importance of their role is in moderating the debate, not being part of it.
The other major restriction in the line of questioning can be found in points 25.-26. which state:
25.each question will be relevant to all three party leaders.
26.no question shall focus on one party or one leader.
The inability to question the leaders individually on issues relating directly to them surely goes against a big point of the debate which is to assess the characteristics of each leader.
It will also force the submitted questions to become far too generalised.
Don't get me wrong - I am pleased that British politics has finally opened its eyes to the need for formal debates between the main party leaders before elections.
I expect that from now on the debates will become permanent fixtures in the election calendar, for general elections at least.
But I also expect that, unless any of the leaders makes a tremendous gaffe in these three debates, politicians will become more relaxed about the idea in the future.
Less regulation will follow and that is surely the way forward for the proper free-flowing debate which the public is likely to be denied this time.
UPDATE: For a more light-hearted view on how to improve the election debates, may I direct you to the latest Guardian column by the excellent Charlie Brooker.
There will be three debates, one each on ITV, Sky and the BBC in that order. Each programme will last 90 minutes and the first half of each debate will focus on separate themes with the second half as an open forum.
The first debate, moderated by ITV anchor Alaistair Stewart, will place an emphasis on domestic affairs such as the state of NHS, schools, law and order, and immigration.
Adam Boulton will moderate the next debate on Sky which will be focused on international affairs including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, international relations, terrorism and climate change.
The final programme on the BBC will have the economy as its theme and David Dimbleby as its moderator with questions expected on taxation, the deficit, the recession and spending on public services.
While these debates have been commonplace across the Atlantic since 1960, the three shows in the run-up to the election will be the first of their kind in the UK.
Before the 1997 election, then Prime Minister John Major was in support of having such debates but the parties and broadcasters could not agree on a format so nothing ever took place.
In the meantime, Mr Major's successor Tony Blair argued against the need for them, stating that the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons was sufficient.
But, lagging behind in the polls in a way in which Mr Blair never was, current PM Gordon Brown had little option but to support the idea when the issue was raised again by Sky News.
The debates have already been surrounded by controversy after the exclusion of the nationalist parties, the SNP and Plaid Cymru, and UKIP who finished second in the European elections last June.
The fact is, though, that none of those parties is going to form part of the next government in Westminster whereas even the Liberal Democrats could play a vital role in the case of a hung parliament.
Others have argued that the debates will further encourage a presidential-style of leadership but I personally think that debates are an excellent way to hold leaders and potential leaders to account.
It is a shame, then, that fully 76 points will be used to regulate the discussion, a list of which can be viewed here on The Guardian website.
Of course, there must be rules to a debate but some of the points make it possible for debate to be stifled and others seem to make it too easy for politicians to wriggle off the hook.
For instance, take points 46. to 50. which are based on time limits:
46.Each leader will make an opening statement on the theme of the debate lasting for 1 minute. After the three opening statements the moderator will take the first question on the agreed theme. There will be closing statements of 1 minute 30 seconds from all three leaders at the end of the 90 minutes.
47.Each leader will have 1 minute to answer the question.
48.Each leader will then have 1 minute to respond to the answers.
49.The moderator may then open the discussion to free debate between the leaders for up to 4 minutes on merit.
50.The length of the debate on each question will be decided by the programme editor.
The first time limits in point 46. can be seen as a positive rule in that at least it ensures the opening and closing statements from the leaders will be concise.
But, of the other limits in points 47. and 48., 60 seconds seems a hardly adequate enough period for the most complex questions to be answered.
And even if four minutes of free debate follows, it is unlikely to be long enough if half of that time is spent making cheap shots at each other.
More disappointing still is the level of restrictions placed on the number of questions on each topic. Points 29. and 30. are as follows:
29.half the programme will be based on the agreed theme. Within that portion of the programme, a maximum of three questions will be selected on a single sub-theme.
30.half the programme will be unthemed. In this portion of the programme, a maximum of two questions will be selected on a single subject.
While these restrictions should ensure quite a wide-ranging debate within the theme, it seems to me that it will be all too easy for the leaders to avoid giving a proper answer.
Certainly, it will be interesting to see how often the moderator will use point 62. to seek factual clarification, especially as point 63. emphasises the importance of their role is in moderating the debate, not being part of it.
The other major restriction in the line of questioning can be found in points 25.-26. which state:
25.each question will be relevant to all three party leaders.
26.no question shall focus on one party or one leader.
The inability to question the leaders individually on issues relating directly to them surely goes against a big point of the debate which is to assess the characteristics of each leader.
It will also force the submitted questions to become far too generalised.
Don't get me wrong - I am pleased that British politics has finally opened its eyes to the need for formal debates between the main party leaders before elections.
I expect that from now on the debates will become permanent fixtures in the election calendar, for general elections at least.
But I also expect that, unless any of the leaders makes a tremendous gaffe in these three debates, politicians will become more relaxed about the idea in the future.
Less regulation will follow and that is surely the way forward for the proper free-flowing debate which the public is likely to be denied this time.
UPDATE: For a more light-hearted view on how to improve the election debates, may I direct you to the latest Guardian column by the excellent Charlie Brooker.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Pain now, gain later
TEAM GB returned from Vancouver today but only Amy Williams brought back a medal having won gold in the skeleton.
Williams produced four brilliant runs down the Whistler track to become Britain's first individual gold medallist at the Winter Olympics for 30 years.
The successful slide meant that Team GB did better in Vancouver than in Turin four years ago when the only medal there was silver.
That was also in the skeleton, courtesy of Shelley Rudman who could only finish fifth this time.
Before the Games began, expectations were whipped up by public declarations from UK Sport that the aim was to return with three medals.
The press jumped on what looked like a bandwagon ready to roll, as did the BBC. But I cannot criticise them because I also got carried away with hopes of Whistler winners too.
It must be pointed out that the hype was not completely unfounded and UK Sport's target was hardly unrealistic.
While the majority of the 52 British competitors were what could be termed as also-rans, Team GB flew out a crack skeleton squad and - for the first time in Winter Olympics history - two world champions.
But, in the women's two-man bobsleigh, Gillian Cooke and Nicola Minichiello were one of three British teams to crash out on a notoriously difficult - some said, dangerous - track.
And, in the men's curling, David Murdoch and his team could not even make it to the last four.
Of the other prospects, Zoe Gillings in the snowboard cross threatened the podium but she bowed out in the semi finals.
Ice dancing pair Sinead and John Kerr, and the speed skaters Jon Eley and Elise Christie, were never really in with a shout.
All in all, it has been a hugely disappointing two weeks.
And, while British Olympics chiefs are technically right to hail an improvement since Turin, it was more telling how quickly they were on the defensive.
But this article is not simply intending to bash the British athletes’ efforts.
Though all but one of them failed to mount the podium, many of them were still competitive on a fraction of the funding dedicated to Summer Olympics.
The issue of funding is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.
Skeleton received the biggest wedge of money in the latest four-year cycle because, after Rudman’s win, it was widely recognised as the sport in which Britain had the best chance.
But, without the funding, a breakthrough similar to that made by the skeleton team is obviously much more difficult.
Sir Steve Redgrave has proposed building a long-track speed skating venue which would double as a national centre for all ice sports.
But the cost of such a project would dwarf the funding available.
Instead, surely more use should be made of the perfectly-adequate, already-constructed National Ice Centre in Nottingham.
That might generate better results as soon as 2014 at the next Winter Olympics at Sochi on the Black Sea in Russia.
After all, it is highly likely that Team GB will take a more experienced set of athletes to Russia if they all remain competing.
This time, Team GB was a young, inexperienced squad. 64% were competing in their first Olympics while 17% of them were younger than 21 years old.
What must also be remembered is the unpredictable nature of many winter sports which produce shock results where world champions have fallen short.
If nothing else, Team GB athletes can perhaps console themselves with the fact that they were not the greatest disappointment of the Games.
That fate lies firmly at the door of the Russian Olympic squad who won just three gold medals to finish 11th in the table.
It may be two more golds than Team GB but then Great Britain’s Winter Olympic prestige hardly compares to Russians’ history, especially when they competed as part of the Soviet Union.
In the nine Winter Olympics between 1956 and 1988, the Soviets only failed to finish top of the medal count twice – in 1968 and 1984.
The Russians’ dismal display in Vancouver was heightened by humiliation in the men's hockey – a 7-3 quarter final defeat to Canada.
The other notable failure was in the pairs figure skating where Russia failed to win gold for the first time since 1964.
Unsurprisingly, the performance by Team Russia has not gone down well back in Moscow and heads are expected to roll.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is a fanatical sportsman and has repeatedly vowed to rebuild Russia’s sporting prowess.
And with the next Winter Olympics being hosted by Russia, this was hardly the ideal way to prepare for home glory.
But Russia should take heart from Canada. Before these Winter Olympics, Canada had hosted the Summer Games in 1976 and the Winter Games in 1988.
Incredibly, the Canadians failed to win a single gold medal on either of those occasions.
As a result, an ‘Own the Podium’ programme was launched and funding was increased across all the winter sports to prevent a repeat of 1976 and 1988.
After a couple of nervy days without a gold medal, Alexandre Bilodeau won in the men’s moguls on day three and the floodgates opened.
Canada finished with 14 golds, the most ever by any nation at a Winter Olympics, beating the previous record of 13 set by the former Soviet Union in 1976 and Norway in 2002.
Canada was also the first host nation to top the medal table since Norway in 1952 and they finished the job in dream style.
A tight, tense men’s hockey final with United States had just been forced into overtime at 2-2 by an American goal which came 24 seconds from the end of the game.
Up stepped Sidney ‘Sid the Kid’ Crosby to hit a hard, low shot and score the sudden death winner after seven minutes of overtime.
For Canada, it was the perfect denouement to an unforgettable two weeks.
Williams produced four brilliant runs down the Whistler track to become Britain's first individual gold medallist at the Winter Olympics for 30 years.
The successful slide meant that Team GB did better in Vancouver than in Turin four years ago when the only medal there was silver.
That was also in the skeleton, courtesy of Shelley Rudman who could only finish fifth this time.
Before the Games began, expectations were whipped up by public declarations from UK Sport that the aim was to return with three medals.
The press jumped on what looked like a bandwagon ready to roll, as did the BBC. But I cannot criticise them because I also got carried away with hopes of Whistler winners too.
It must be pointed out that the hype was not completely unfounded and UK Sport's target was hardly unrealistic.
While the majority of the 52 British competitors were what could be termed as also-rans, Team GB flew out a crack skeleton squad and - for the first time in Winter Olympics history - two world champions.
But, in the women's two-man bobsleigh, Gillian Cooke and Nicola Minichiello were one of three British teams to crash out on a notoriously difficult - some said, dangerous - track.
And, in the men's curling, David Murdoch and his team could not even make it to the last four.
Of the other prospects, Zoe Gillings in the snowboard cross threatened the podium but she bowed out in the semi finals.
Ice dancing pair Sinead and John Kerr, and the speed skaters Jon Eley and Elise Christie, were never really in with a shout.
All in all, it has been a hugely disappointing two weeks.
And, while British Olympics chiefs are technically right to hail an improvement since Turin, it was more telling how quickly they were on the defensive.
But this article is not simply intending to bash the British athletes’ efforts.
Though all but one of them failed to mount the podium, many of them were still competitive on a fraction of the funding dedicated to Summer Olympics.
The issue of funding is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.
Skeleton received the biggest wedge of money in the latest four-year cycle because, after Rudman’s win, it was widely recognised as the sport in which Britain had the best chance.
But, without the funding, a breakthrough similar to that made by the skeleton team is obviously much more difficult.
Sir Steve Redgrave has proposed building a long-track speed skating venue which would double as a national centre for all ice sports.
But the cost of such a project would dwarf the funding available.
Instead, surely more use should be made of the perfectly-adequate, already-constructed National Ice Centre in Nottingham.
That might generate better results as soon as 2014 at the next Winter Olympics at Sochi on the Black Sea in Russia.
After all, it is highly likely that Team GB will take a more experienced set of athletes to Russia if they all remain competing.
This time, Team GB was a young, inexperienced squad. 64% were competing in their first Olympics while 17% of them were younger than 21 years old.
What must also be remembered is the unpredictable nature of many winter sports which produce shock results where world champions have fallen short.
If nothing else, Team GB athletes can perhaps console themselves with the fact that they were not the greatest disappointment of the Games.
That fate lies firmly at the door of the Russian Olympic squad who won just three gold medals to finish 11th in the table.
It may be two more golds than Team GB but then Great Britain’s Winter Olympic prestige hardly compares to Russians’ history, especially when they competed as part of the Soviet Union.
In the nine Winter Olympics between 1956 and 1988, the Soviets only failed to finish top of the medal count twice – in 1968 and 1984.
The Russians’ dismal display in Vancouver was heightened by humiliation in the men's hockey – a 7-3 quarter final defeat to Canada.
The other notable failure was in the pairs figure skating where Russia failed to win gold for the first time since 1964.
Unsurprisingly, the performance by Team Russia has not gone down well back in Moscow and heads are expected to roll.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is a fanatical sportsman and has repeatedly vowed to rebuild Russia’s sporting prowess.
And with the next Winter Olympics being hosted by Russia, this was hardly the ideal way to prepare for home glory.
But Russia should take heart from Canada. Before these Winter Olympics, Canada had hosted the Summer Games in 1976 and the Winter Games in 1988.
Incredibly, the Canadians failed to win a single gold medal on either of those occasions.
As a result, an ‘Own the Podium’ programme was launched and funding was increased across all the winter sports to prevent a repeat of 1976 and 1988.
After a couple of nervy days without a gold medal, Alexandre Bilodeau won in the men’s moguls on day three and the floodgates opened.
Canada finished with 14 golds, the most ever by any nation at a Winter Olympics, beating the previous record of 13 set by the former Soviet Union in 1976 and Norway in 2002.
Canada was also the first host nation to top the medal table since Norway in 1952 and they finished the job in dream style.
A tight, tense men’s hockey final with United States had just been forced into overtime at 2-2 by an American goal which came 24 seconds from the end of the game.
Up stepped Sidney ‘Sid the Kid’ Crosby to hit a hard, low shot and score the sudden death winner after seven minutes of overtime.
For Canada, it was the perfect denouement to an unforgettable two weeks.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Carling Cup Final 2010: Rooney scores the winner as United retain the Cup
Aston Villa (1) 1 Milner 5(pen)
Manchester United (1) 2 Owen 13, Rooney 74
WAYNE ROONEY came off the bench to head the winning goal as Manchester United became the first team for 20 years to retain the League Cup with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa at Wembley.
Rooney's goal was his 28th of the season and enabled United to emulate Nottingham Forest's achievement of back-to-back wins but Villa will consider that it could have been all so different.
The final had an explosive start as Gabriel Agbonlahor was hauled down by Nemanja Vidic and the referee Phil Dowd awarded a penalty inside the first five minutes, converted by James Milner.
But, astonishingly, Dowd obviously considered it to be too early to produce any sort of card for Vidic despite him denying Agbonlahor a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
There could be no other explanation for Dowd's failure to send off the Serbian defender as Villa lost out on what would have been a clear advantage.
Dowd further infuriated the Villa fans by producing early yellow cards for James Collins and Stewart Downing while United players continued to escape punishment for similar fouls.
But there could be few Villa complaints from the manner in which they conceded the equaliser on 13 minutes.
Richard Dunne clumsily lost the ball to Dimitar Berbatov inside his own half and although the Irish international recovered with a brilliant tackle in the box, the ball fell kindly for Michael Owen to slot home cooly from 18 yards.
To his credit, Owen finished well but the calls for his return to the England squad based solely on the goal which followed from BBC commentator Guy Mowbray were cringeworthy.
And, within half an hour of Mowbray's lauding of Owen, he had been proved wrong. Another regulation run towards the box forced Owen to break down with a suspected hamstring injury.
Fabio Capello has not included him in the squad for this week's friendly at Egypt anyway and yet another injury casts further doubts over Owen's reliability.
It is certainly unlikely to convince the Italian to change his mind when he comes to make his decision for the 23 places on the plane to South Africa.
Rooney's introduction coincided with a push by United just before half time, though - for once - the United talisman was not involved in the Red Devils' best chance.
Instead, that fell to Ji-Sung Park after Antonio Valencia slipped his marker all to easily and pulled the ball back perfectly to Park, in space about 12 yards out.
The South Korean could only hit the post and, as the ball came back out to him, Milner smothered the remaining danger.
If the first half had started like an exocet, the second period began like a damp squib, save for once chance to Michael Carrick, and a sodden Wembley pitch had cut up badly.
Sir Alex Ferguson had to make a second enforced subsitution as Gary Neville came on for Rafael da Silva at right-back.
United continued to dominate possession but Villa's organised defence were able to cope well enough as the Rooney-Berbatov partnership failed to spark once again.
But one man who Villa failed to deal with all afternoon was Valencia, and it was no surprise to see the Ecuadorian had a heavy involvement in the winner.
With time starting to run out, man of the match Valencia skipped down the right and put up a cross towards Rooney.
Rooney still had much to do with the header as there was not much pace on the ball but the striker was able to loop the ball cleverly into the top corner above Brad Freidel.
The same pair, Valencia and Rooney, combined again minutes later as United looked to put the result beyond doubt.
This time, Rooney was desperately unlucky not to double his own tally having directed a powerful header off the inside of the post.
While there was only one goal between the teams, Villa remained in with a chance and Martin O'Neill introduced John Carew from the bench with ten minutes left.
By then, though, the narrative of the match seemed to have been set. Even with three strikers on the field, Villa made little headway and United had chances on the break.
Just one chance fell Villa's way in the closing stages and Dunne was unable to atone for his earlier error by just failing to connect with Downing's cross.
After the game, Villa - and O'Neill in particular - railed about the injustice of Dowd's early decision over Vidic.
O'Neill has a point, of course, and United may not have been able to control the game in the manner which they did if they had been reduced to 10 men.
Once again, though, Rooney proved the difference. Ably assisted by Valencia's fine performance down the right, Ferguson has a remarkable 33rd trophy to celebrate as United manager.
Teams
Aston Villa
Friedel - Cuellar (Carew 80), Collins, Dunne, Warnock - A Young, Milner, Petrov, Downing - Heskey, Agbonlahor. Booked: Collins, Downing.
Manchester United
Kuszczak - R Da Silva (Neville 66), Vidic, Evans, Evra - Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Park (Gibson 85) - Owen (Rooney 42), Berbatov. Booked: Vidic, Evra.
---
Preview
ASTON VILLA will go in search of their first silverware since they won this competition in 1996 by beating Leeds United 3-0.
The League Cup has often brought the best out of Villa who have five previous wins, ahead of Manchester United's three wins and indeed second only on the all-time list to Liverpool's seven.
But this match will mark Villa's first appearance at the new Wembley Stadium, having not played in a final since losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup in 2000.
Of course, Martin O'Neill's men will hope to invoke the spirits of 1994 when Villa deservedly beat United 3-1 in 1994 with goals Dalian Atkinson and Dean Saunders.
Or perhaps O'Neill will recall his own fond memories of this competition having won it twice as a player with Nottingham Forest in 1978 and 1979 and twice as a manager with Leicester City in 1997 and 2000.
By contrast, the League Cup has not often been seen as a priority by Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.
But their recent record of two wins in the last four years suggests that view is changing.
In 2006, United thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0 with two goals from Wayne Rooney, and one each from Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo.
And in 2009, United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on penalties after a tight 0-0 draw. Ben Foster was the hero of the hour, saving penalties from Jamie O'Hara and David Bentley while United converted all of theirs.
Recent form
Villa are the only unbeaten Premier League team in 2010 and go into the final on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run.
One of those matches was a hard-fought 1-1 draw with United at Villa Park in which Carlos Cuellar gave the Villans the lead.
Villa have not yet been behind in the two league matches against the Red Devils this season, from which they took four points.
O'Neill's men beat United 1-0 in December for their first win at Old Trafford since 1983.
That loss is one of nine defeats which United have suffered during the season so far in which Ferguson's men have shown uncharacteristic vulnerability.
But Ferguson got the usual reaction to their latest league loss at Everton last week when United beat West Ham with ease on Tuesday night to close the gap at the top back to one point.
Routes to the Final
Aston Villa began their campaign with a 1-0 win against Cardiff City at Villa Park in the third round. Gabriel Agbonlahor's third-minute goal was enough to separate the teams.
In the fourth round, American goalkeeper Brad Guzan saved four Sunderland spot-kicks, including one in normal time, as Villa beat the Black Cats 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light.
Villa then beat Portsmouth 4-2 in the fifth round, despite Stilyan Petrov scoring an own goal after just 10 minutes.
Villa fought back with goals from Emile Heskey, James Milner and Stewart Downing to lead 3-1 before Nwankwo Kanu gave Pompey some late hope, only for that to be extinguished by Ashley Young.
In the two-legged semi final against Blackburn Rovers, Villa - struggling for goals in the league - seemed to have saved all of them for this tie as they ultimately prevailed 7-4.
After Villa gained a narrow first leg advantage at Ewood Park, the two teams were embroiled in a ten-goal thriller at Villa Park.
Early on, Blackburn fought back to lead 2-0 on the night, 2-1 on aggregate, with two goals from Nikola Kalinic before Stephen Warnock levelled the tie at 2-2.
The vital moment came just before half time when Christopher Samba was sent off for hauling down Agbonlahor and James Milner converted the penalty to make it 3-2.
Villa stretched their lead against the ten men in the second half with an own goal from Steven N'Zonzi and further strikes from Heskey and Agbonlahor.
But, even at 5-2 down, Rovers refused to give up and Martin Olsson and Brett Emerton put the tie back in the balance before Ashley Young scored another breakaway goal to make it 6-4.
Manchester United made serene progress through the early rounds to set up their own dramatic semi final against Manchester City.
United beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the third round at Old Trafford with a goal from Danny Welbeck after Fabio da Silva had been sent off.
Welbeck scored again as United made light work of a trip to Barnsley in the fourth round. Michael Owen also scored to make it 2-0 at Oakwell in a match marred by crowd trouble.
And in the fifth round, another youngster Darron Gibson scored twice in the first half as United easily overcame Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford.
That set up a much anticipated semi final with City which lived up to its billing.
Carlos Tevez struck twice against his former club as City came back from Ryan Giggs' early goal to lead the tie 2-1 after the first leg.
But Rooney had the vital last word as United beat City in stoppage time for the second time this season after a controversial 4-3 league success in September.
Leading 2-1 from the first leg, City reached half time with the score at 0-0 at Old Trafford.
United turned up the style in the second half as Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick sent them 3-2 ahead on aggregate.
But Tevez scored his third goal of the tie with less than quarter of an hour to play and extra time beckoned before Rooney's close-range header from Giggs' cross.
Aston Villa
R3 v Cardiff City (h) W1-0 Agbonlahor
R4 v Sunderland (a) D0-0, won 3-1 on penalties
R5 v Portsmouth (a) W4-2 Heskey, Milner, Downing, A Young
SF1 v Blackburn R (a) W1-0 Milner
SF2 v Blackburn R (h) W6-4 Warnock, Milner (p), Nzonzi og, Heskey, Agbonlahor, A Young
Manchester United
R3 v Wolverhampton W (h) W1-0 Wellbeck
R4 v Barnsley (a) W2-0 Wellbeck, Owen
R5 v Tottenham Hotspur (h) W2-0 Gibson 2
SF1 v Manchester City (a) L1-2 Giggs
SF2 v Manchester City (h) W3-1 Scholes, Carrick, Rooney
Odds
Match betting: Manchester United 5/6, Aston Villa 7/2, Draw 12/5
To win the trophy: Manchester Utd 2/5, Aston Villa 7/4
Prediction: 2-0 to Manchester United
Manchester United (1) 2 Owen 13, Rooney 74
WAYNE ROONEY came off the bench to head the winning goal as Manchester United became the first team for 20 years to retain the League Cup with a 2-1 win against Aston Villa at Wembley.
Rooney's goal was his 28th of the season and enabled United to emulate Nottingham Forest's achievement of back-to-back wins but Villa will consider that it could have been all so different.
The final had an explosive start as Gabriel Agbonlahor was hauled down by Nemanja Vidic and the referee Phil Dowd awarded a penalty inside the first five minutes, converted by James Milner.
But, astonishingly, Dowd obviously considered it to be too early to produce any sort of card for Vidic despite him denying Agbonlahor a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
There could be no other explanation for Dowd's failure to send off the Serbian defender as Villa lost out on what would have been a clear advantage.
Dowd further infuriated the Villa fans by producing early yellow cards for James Collins and Stewart Downing while United players continued to escape punishment for similar fouls.
But there could be few Villa complaints from the manner in which they conceded the equaliser on 13 minutes.
Richard Dunne clumsily lost the ball to Dimitar Berbatov inside his own half and although the Irish international recovered with a brilliant tackle in the box, the ball fell kindly for Michael Owen to slot home cooly from 18 yards.
To his credit, Owen finished well but the calls for his return to the England squad based solely on the goal which followed from BBC commentator Guy Mowbray were cringeworthy.
And, within half an hour of Mowbray's lauding of Owen, he had been proved wrong. Another regulation run towards the box forced Owen to break down with a suspected hamstring injury.
Fabio Capello has not included him in the squad for this week's friendly at Egypt anyway and yet another injury casts further doubts over Owen's reliability.
It is certainly unlikely to convince the Italian to change his mind when he comes to make his decision for the 23 places on the plane to South Africa.
Rooney's introduction coincided with a push by United just before half time, though - for once - the United talisman was not involved in the Red Devils' best chance.
Instead, that fell to Ji-Sung Park after Antonio Valencia slipped his marker all to easily and pulled the ball back perfectly to Park, in space about 12 yards out.
The South Korean could only hit the post and, as the ball came back out to him, Milner smothered the remaining danger.
If the first half had started like an exocet, the second period began like a damp squib, save for once chance to Michael Carrick, and a sodden Wembley pitch had cut up badly.
Sir Alex Ferguson had to make a second enforced subsitution as Gary Neville came on for Rafael da Silva at right-back.
United continued to dominate possession but Villa's organised defence were able to cope well enough as the Rooney-Berbatov partnership failed to spark once again.
But one man who Villa failed to deal with all afternoon was Valencia, and it was no surprise to see the Ecuadorian had a heavy involvement in the winner.
With time starting to run out, man of the match Valencia skipped down the right and put up a cross towards Rooney.
Rooney still had much to do with the header as there was not much pace on the ball but the striker was able to loop the ball cleverly into the top corner above Brad Freidel.
The same pair, Valencia and Rooney, combined again minutes later as United looked to put the result beyond doubt.
This time, Rooney was desperately unlucky not to double his own tally having directed a powerful header off the inside of the post.
While there was only one goal between the teams, Villa remained in with a chance and Martin O'Neill introduced John Carew from the bench with ten minutes left.
By then, though, the narrative of the match seemed to have been set. Even with three strikers on the field, Villa made little headway and United had chances on the break.
Just one chance fell Villa's way in the closing stages and Dunne was unable to atone for his earlier error by just failing to connect with Downing's cross.
After the game, Villa - and O'Neill in particular - railed about the injustice of Dowd's early decision over Vidic.
O'Neill has a point, of course, and United may not have been able to control the game in the manner which they did if they had been reduced to 10 men.
Once again, though, Rooney proved the difference. Ably assisted by Valencia's fine performance down the right, Ferguson has a remarkable 33rd trophy to celebrate as United manager.
Teams
Aston Villa
Friedel - Cuellar (Carew 80), Collins, Dunne, Warnock - A Young, Milner, Petrov, Downing - Heskey, Agbonlahor. Booked: Collins, Downing.
Manchester United
Kuszczak - R Da Silva (Neville 66), Vidic, Evans, Evra - Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Park (Gibson 85) - Owen (Rooney 42), Berbatov. Booked: Vidic, Evra.
---
Preview
ASTON VILLA will go in search of their first silverware since they won this competition in 1996 by beating Leeds United 3-0.
The League Cup has often brought the best out of Villa who have five previous wins, ahead of Manchester United's three wins and indeed second only on the all-time list to Liverpool's seven.
But this match will mark Villa's first appearance at the new Wembley Stadium, having not played in a final since losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup in 2000.
Of course, Martin O'Neill's men will hope to invoke the spirits of 1994 when Villa deservedly beat United 3-1 in 1994 with goals Dalian Atkinson and Dean Saunders.
Or perhaps O'Neill will recall his own fond memories of this competition having won it twice as a player with Nottingham Forest in 1978 and 1979 and twice as a manager with Leicester City in 1997 and 2000.
By contrast, the League Cup has not often been seen as a priority by Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United.
But their recent record of two wins in the last four years suggests that view is changing.
In 2006, United thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0 with two goals from Wayne Rooney, and one each from Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo.
And in 2009, United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on penalties after a tight 0-0 draw. Ben Foster was the hero of the hour, saving penalties from Jamie O'Hara and David Bentley while United converted all of theirs.
Recent form
Villa are the only unbeaten Premier League team in 2010 and go into the final on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run.
One of those matches was a hard-fought 1-1 draw with United at Villa Park in which Carlos Cuellar gave the Villans the lead.
Villa have not yet been behind in the two league matches against the Red Devils this season, from which they took four points.
O'Neill's men beat United 1-0 in December for their first win at Old Trafford since 1983.
That loss is one of nine defeats which United have suffered during the season so far in which Ferguson's men have shown uncharacteristic vulnerability.
But Ferguson got the usual reaction to their latest league loss at Everton last week when United beat West Ham with ease on Tuesday night to close the gap at the top back to one point.
Routes to the Final
Aston Villa began their campaign with a 1-0 win against Cardiff City at Villa Park in the third round. Gabriel Agbonlahor's third-minute goal was enough to separate the teams.
In the fourth round, American goalkeeper Brad Guzan saved four Sunderland spot-kicks, including one in normal time, as Villa beat the Black Cats 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light.
Villa then beat Portsmouth 4-2 in the fifth round, despite Stilyan Petrov scoring an own goal after just 10 minutes.
Villa fought back with goals from Emile Heskey, James Milner and Stewart Downing to lead 3-1 before Nwankwo Kanu gave Pompey some late hope, only for that to be extinguished by Ashley Young.
In the two-legged semi final against Blackburn Rovers, Villa - struggling for goals in the league - seemed to have saved all of them for this tie as they ultimately prevailed 7-4.
After Villa gained a narrow first leg advantage at Ewood Park, the two teams were embroiled in a ten-goal thriller at Villa Park.
Early on, Blackburn fought back to lead 2-0 on the night, 2-1 on aggregate, with two goals from Nikola Kalinic before Stephen Warnock levelled the tie at 2-2.
The vital moment came just before half time when Christopher Samba was sent off for hauling down Agbonlahor and James Milner converted the penalty to make it 3-2.
Villa stretched their lead against the ten men in the second half with an own goal from Steven N'Zonzi and further strikes from Heskey and Agbonlahor.
But, even at 5-2 down, Rovers refused to give up and Martin Olsson and Brett Emerton put the tie back in the balance before Ashley Young scored another breakaway goal to make it 6-4.
Manchester United made serene progress through the early rounds to set up their own dramatic semi final against Manchester City.
United beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in the third round at Old Trafford with a goal from Danny Welbeck after Fabio da Silva had been sent off.
Welbeck scored again as United made light work of a trip to Barnsley in the fourth round. Michael Owen also scored to make it 2-0 at Oakwell in a match marred by crowd trouble.
And in the fifth round, another youngster Darron Gibson scored twice in the first half as United easily overcame Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford.
That set up a much anticipated semi final with City which lived up to its billing.
Carlos Tevez struck twice against his former club as City came back from Ryan Giggs' early goal to lead the tie 2-1 after the first leg.
But Rooney had the vital last word as United beat City in stoppage time for the second time this season after a controversial 4-3 league success in September.
Leading 2-1 from the first leg, City reached half time with the score at 0-0 at Old Trafford.
United turned up the style in the second half as Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick sent them 3-2 ahead on aggregate.
But Tevez scored his third goal of the tie with less than quarter of an hour to play and extra time beckoned before Rooney's close-range header from Giggs' cross.
Aston Villa
R3 v Cardiff City (h) W1-0 Agbonlahor
R4 v Sunderland (a) D0-0, won 3-1 on penalties
R5 v Portsmouth (a) W4-2 Heskey, Milner, Downing, A Young
SF1 v Blackburn R (a) W1-0 Milner
SF2 v Blackburn R (h) W6-4 Warnock, Milner (p), Nzonzi og, Heskey, Agbonlahor, A Young
Manchester United
R3 v Wolverhampton W (h) W1-0 Wellbeck
R4 v Barnsley (a) W2-0 Wellbeck, Owen
R5 v Tottenham Hotspur (h) W2-0 Gibson 2
SF1 v Manchester City (a) L1-2 Giggs
SF2 v Manchester City (h) W3-1 Scholes, Carrick, Rooney
Odds
Match betting: Manchester United 5/6, Aston Villa 7/2, Draw 12/5
To win the trophy: Manchester Utd 2/5, Aston Villa 7/4
Prediction: 2-0 to Manchester United
Saturday, 27 February 2010
The Season 2009/10 - February: Chelsea crumble at home to City
Premier League
Table
CHELSEA failed to extend their lead with Manchester United in Carling Cup action after Manchester City stunned Stamford Bridge with a 4-2 win.
Braces apiece from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy gave City only their fourth away win of the season and a rare double over the Londoners.
The match will also be remembered as the first time that John Terry and Wayne Bridge faced each other since Terry's affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend became public.
Bridge has retired from international football as a result of the tabloid exposure and refused to shake Terry's hand as the teams lined up.
Despite the acrimonious build-up, the match took a while to develop any pattern but, as the first half wore on, Chelsea began to dominate and Frank Lampard gave them the lead on 40 minutes.
But City were level at half time after a comedy of errors in the Blues' defence allowed Tevez to trickle the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario.
Hilario was then beaten by Bellamy on his near post as City started the second half well before Gareth Barry won a penalty and Julio Belletti was sent off for his clumsy last-man tackle.
Tevez dispatched the penalty and, after Michael Ballack was also sent off for two bookings, Bellamy's breakaway goal gave Roberto Mancini's men an emphatic 4-1 lead.
Lampard scored a penalty in stoppage time but it was little more than a consolation for Carlo Ancelotti's nine men who, nevertheless, remain top on 61 points from 28 games.
Manchester United recovered from their sixth league defeat of the season, 3-1 at Everton last week, to beat West Ham United 3-0 in midweek and cut the gap back down to one point.
Arsenal stayed in the hunt for the title, despite recent losses to both United and Chelsea, but only after a fine comeback against Stoke City.
The Potters led 1-0 after Danny Pugh's goal from Rory Delap's long throw. But, after Nicklas Bendtner equalised on the half-hour mark, a late penalty from Cesc Fabregas and an even later goal by Thomas Vermaelen gave the Gunners a 3-1 win.
The match was marred by a sending off for Ryan Shawcross who was devastated as he left the field, having broken teenager Aaron Ramsey's leg.
The incident bore a distinct similarity to the injury suffered by Eduardo against Birmingham City at St Andrew's in 2008-09.
And, just like back then, television executives decided against showing replays of the horror tackle with Arsenal players visibly upset by their team mate's condition.
The Gunners, then, will be pleased to have come out of the match with a win which leaves them just three points behind Chelsea.
The other top half race for fourth place looks as open as ever with Manchester City staking a real claim after that win at the Bridge put them on 49 points.
Tottenham Hotspur, in fifth on 46 points, could move back above City by beating Everton tomorrow while Liverpool, in sixth on 45 points, face Blackburn Rovers.
Aston Villa, in seventh on 45 points, are out of league action this weekend as they play United in the Carling Cup final at Wembley.
Meanwhile, the clash of the bottom two saw Portsmouth beat Burnley but it was a hollow victory for the south-coast club after yesterday's announcement that they had gone into administration with up to £70m of debt.
It means Pompey will lose nine of their 19 points and, even with this victory, they are now 14 points adrift of safety and almost certain for relegation.
Burnley look destined to join them after a woeful performance made it just one league win in 16 matches for the Clarets.
Brian Laws' men remain just one point adrift of safety but many more home displays like this and that gap will surely grow.
Hull City were out of action due to Villa's League Cup participation and that allowed Bolton Wanderers to dump the Tigers in the bottom three.
The Trotters beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to go up to 15th and that defeat also leaves Wolves in trouble on 24 points, only above Hull on goal difference.
Wigan Athletic are in 16th place on 25 points after a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City who reach the 40 point mark with 11 games left thanks to James McFadden's penalty winner.
Bolton, in 15th, have 26 points, just below Sunderland on goal difference.
The Black Cats spent big in the summer but it has not paid dividends and, despite an encouraging start to the season, they find themselves in a familiar position of fighting relegation.
A home match against Fulham tomorrow straight after the Cottagers' European exertions provides a fine chance to extend the gap over the bottom three to five points.
That would leave West Ham looking back over their shoulders as despite recent wins over Hull (3-0) and Birmingham (2-0), the Hammers are still only three points clear of relegation.
The Championship
Table
NEWCASTLE UNITED beat Watford 2-1 to extend the lead at the top of the Championship to six points as third-placed Nottingham Forest faltered against Leicester City.
Headed goals from Fabricio Coloccini and Andrew Carroll early in each half gave the Magpies a first away win since early December while Forest lost their fourth straight away game.
It looked like it was going to be an even better day for Chris Hughton's men with second-placed West Bromwich Albion falling behind at home against Derby County.
But the Baggies hit back to win 3-1 and put defeats in their last two games - against Bristol City in the league and Reading in the FA Cup - behind them.
With 13 matches left, Newcastle have 69 points and West Brom are on 63 points with Forest on 61 points having played a game more.
The remaining playoff positions are becoming clearer with Swansea City and Leicester City both going through February unbeaten to cement their top six places.
Indeed, the Swans have not lost for 12 league games with six wins and six draws stretching back to mid-December to reach 56 points.
Leicester have enjoyed a run of eight matches without defeat and lie two points further back in fifth place.
The final playoff spot is very much up for grabs with current occupants Cardiff City in typically patchy form.
The Bluebirds' main problem appears to be in defence with Newcastle hitting five and previously struggling Preston North End scoring three against the creaky back line in two heavy defeats on the road.
Nevertheless, Cardiff on 49 points are still a point clear of seventh-placed Sheffield United having played one game fewer.
The Blades are unbeaten at Bramall Lane in the league since early November but five away losses in a row have prevented the habitual late-season charge so far.
Blackpool on 47 points remain in the mix for the top six after consecutive 2-0 home wins against Middlesbrough and Reading.
But, with three points from 15 on the road, again it is the Tangerines' away form which is preventing them from capitalising further on their unexpected position.
Boro are level on points with Blackpool, and Coventry City - with six wins and a draw from their last seven home league games - are just a point further back.
Barnsley, in 11th place, have won their last two games to reach 45 points, four points adrift of Cardiff with a game in hand.
At the bottom, Peterborough United were condemned to an eighth consecutive away defeat in all competitions after a 1-0 loss at Swansea.
There have been some positive signs in home wins against Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town under new manager Jim Gannon, their third boss of the season.
But it all looks too little too late for Posh who have not won away all season and the loss at the Liberty Stadium leaves Peterborough on 24 points from 33 games, 10 points adrift of safety.
Plymouth Argyle have also been in trouble all season long. The Pilgrims remain five points adrift of safety, after picking up just five points from their six matches in February.
One of their losses was at recovering Reading who gained further breathing space by dumping Sheffield Wednesday back into the bottom three after a 5-0 thrashing at the Madjeski.
Wednesday had picked up their form under new manager Alan Irvine during January but four losses in five games in February have sent the Owls spiralling once again.
Nevertheless, crisis club Crystal Palace will be considered eminently catchable after their 10-point deduction for going into administration and concerns over manager Neil Warnock's future.
Only goal difference separates the Eagles from Wednesday in the drop zone after a recent run of one point from 12, though they could yet be saved by another London team.
Just two wins from 16 have seen Queens Park Rangers fall away from playoff contention to two places and three points above the bottom three.
It is a remarkable tumble down the table yet perhaps not surprising given that Mick Hartford became the Rs' third manager of the season in a caretaker capacity in mid-January.
But, in a cruel twist for Palace, there are strong rumours that Warnock will move across the capital to be the latest in the hot-seat at Loftus Road.
League One
Table
NORWICH CITY stretched their lead at the top of League One to five points with a tight 1-0 win against Oldham Athletic as Leeds United could only draw.
A week ago, the Canaries lost 2-1 at home against Southampton for their first league defeat at Carrow Road since that infamous 7-1 mauling against Colchester United on the opening day of the season.
But Norwich have reacted well to that setback by grinding out hard-fought victories against Southend United and Oldham to reach 72 points, nine clear of third place.
Having led the division until Christmas, Leeds are in danger of losing out on an automatic spot after their patchy form continued into February.
The 2-2 draw at Huddersfield Town means United have won just two of their last 10 league games, though they have a game in hand on Norwich.
That point keeps the Terriers unbeaten at home all season and in the thick of a tight playoff places battle, currently headed by Charlton Athletic on 63 points.
Colchester United are just a point behind the Addicks with a game in hand after 13 points from their six February games signalled an improvement from Aidy Boothroyd's Us.
But it is fifth-placed Swindon Town on 60 points in the best form in the division despite Saturday's disappointment of a 0-0 draw with Leyton Orient.
That stalemate means the Robins are now unbeaten in 13 league games, and they have suffered just one defeat in their last 18.
Huddersfield follow in sixth place on 58 points, level with Millwall who remain the only realistic challengers for a playoff berth.
The Lions have won seven of their last eight league games to open up a gap of nine points to eighth-placed Milton Keynes Dons who have lost three of their last four matches.
Nine points is also the difference between Stockport County and safety, despite the Hatters' second league win in three, 4-3 against second-bottom Wycombe Wanderers.
It was a devastating defeat for the Chairboys who were 4-0 down before a second-half comeback nearly salvaged a point.
Wycombe may only be four points adrift of safety but Gary Waddock's men have played at least one match more than all of their rivals.
Meanwhile, Tranmere Rovers - third-bottom for most of this campaign - have turned it around to get out of the relegation zone.
But Rovers remain just a solitary point clear of the drop on 33 points and they are yet to put together consecutive league wins this season.
In Rovers' place are Exeter City after a real poor run has put their hard-fought League One status in jeopardy.
The Grecians have been promoted for the last two years and have stayed out of real trouble all season.
But just one win in 11 matches - against Leeds - has seen them drop to 22nd place on 31 points.
That is still just one point adrift of Oldham, who are in the final relegation place, and Southend who are outside the drop zone on goal difference only.
Both the Latics and the Shrimpers have lost their last three matches, and though it is the Latics in the drop zone, they have two games in hand.
League Two
Table
ROCHDALE'S quest to achieve a long-awaited promotion moved a step closer after they beat Macclesfield Town 1-0 while rivals Bournemouth and Bury failed to win.
The Dale, on 65 points from 32 games, stretched their lead at the top of League Two to five points over second-placed Bournemouth.
More importantly, Keith Hill's men hold an eight-point advantage over fourth as they seek to secure a first promotion for 35 years.
Second-placed Bournemouth lost at Shrewsbury while third-placed Bury could only manage a 0-0 draw with Barnet at Underhill.
Those results put the Cherries on 60 points from 34 games while the Shakers are a point further back but with a game in hand.
Chesterfield are in fourth place on 57 points from 33 games but their good run of five consecutive wins came to an end with a 1-0 home defeat to Aldershot.
Rotherham United, unbeaten in five, are in fifth place with 56 points from 31 matches while Shrewsbury are still in sixth place after a win, a draw and a loss against three of the top five.
The Shrews started that set of fixtures with a 1-0 loss to Bury but an encouraging draw with Rotherham gave them the confidence to beat Bournemouth and hold on to their top-seven place.
Notts County, in seventh on 51 points, complete the playoff picture as it stands, and with several games in hand on all the clubs above them, the Magpies remain a promotion threat.
It would be a fitting end to a tumultuous season and a 5-0 thrashing of Hereford United perhaps signalled County's intentions in the run-in.
At the bottom, desperate Darlington lost for the 22nd time in the league in 29 matches.
The 1-0 defeat at Valley Parade against Bradford City left the Quakers on 15 points, fully 16 adrift of safety.
Of course, Grimsby Town have been Darlington's bedfellows in the bottom two almost all of the way through the season.
After four consecutive draws encouraged hopes for survival, the Mariners then lost to Dagenham & Redbridge to make it 25 league games without a win.
Unsurprisingly, Grimsby have also been cut adrift on their 24 points from 33 matches.
Neil Woods' men are seven points from safety while third-bottom Cheltenham Town also have a game in hand.
FA Cup Fifth Round
CHELSEA remained on track for a possible league and cup double after an ultimately easy 4-1 win over Cardiff City.
Didier Drogba opened the scoring inside two minutes and Cardiff, on the back of a 5-1 loss to Newcastle United, looked ropey in the early stages.
But an opportunistic goal by Michael Chopra put the Bluebirds on level terms at half time at Stamford Bridge.
Just as it was getting interesting, second half goals from Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and Seb Kalou took the tie away from the Welsh team and ensured the Blues' progress was never really in doubt.
The holders face Stoke City after they followed up their fine 3-1 win over Arsenal in the last round with victory by the same score against ten-man Manchester City in a replay at the Britannia Stadium.
Extra time goals from Ryan Shawcross and Tuncay put Stoke in the last eight for the first time since 1972 after Dave Kitson and Craig Bellamy had exchanged strikes late in normal time.
There will be an all-London quarter final as Tottenham Hotspur face Fulham after both eventually recorded resounding wins in the fifth round.
Fulham completed the job at the first time of asking, brushing aside Notts County, the remaining challenge from League Two, in a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage.
Spurs were forced to take a replay against Bolton Wanderers after fighting back for a 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium.
Their 4-0 win in the replay at White Hart Lane was no less resounding than Fulham's thrashing of County.
Two goals from almost-forgotten Russian Roman Pavlyuchenko and two own goals were more than enough to overcome a subdued and disinterested Bolton side.
With seven of the eight quarter finalists from the Premier League, Reading are the lowest-ranked team left in the Cup after they beat fellow Championship side West Brom in the fifth round over two entertaining games.
Joe Mattock rescued a replay for the Baggies with a late goal in the first game after Simon Church looked to have won it for the Royals.
And there was more late drama in the replay at the Hawthorns as Reading striker Brian Howard forced extra time with a goal in the 93rd minute before Gylfi Sigurdsson's curling effort won the tie.
Reading will face Aston Villa in their first FA Cup quarter final for 83 years after the Birmingham side eventually beat Crystal Palace in the fifth round.
This was another tie to go to a replay after a dramatic finish to the original match as Stilyan Petrov scored from a corner that should not have been awarded to level the scores at 2-2.
Lightning struck twice in the tie as Gabriel Agbonlahor gave Villa the lead in the replay, again from a corner that should not have been given, before Darren Ambrose's penalty levelled things up again.
But two late penalties, converted by John Carew, were enough for Villa to dream of a second Wembley appearance in one season.
The remaining quarter final tie, Portsmouth v Birmingham City, was the only one in which both clubs got through the fifth round at the first attempt.
Portsmouth made light of their dire financial situation to silence the Southampton jeers with a 4-1 win at St Mary's Stadium.
The match was actually a lot more even than the final score suggested and, indeed, was level at 1-1 with 20 minutes left.
Quincy Owusu-Abejie gave Pompey the lead before Ricky Lambert for quickly equalised for the Saints.
But three late Pompey goals by Aruna Dindane, Nadir Belhadj and Jamie O'Hara tipped this fierce south-coast derby in their favour.
Birmingham City overcame a scare to beat Derby County and continue their fine season - but only after a last-minute Liam Ridgewell goal.
Joe McEveley had given the Rams a lead on 55 minutes before Scott Dann equalised with 20 minutes left.
The tie looked destined to be heading for a replay at St Andrew's before Ridgewell's late intervention sent Alex McLeish's side through.
Results
Saturday:
Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City
Derby County 1-2 Birmingham City
Manchester City 1-1 Stoke City
Reading 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Southampton 1-4 Portsmouth
Sunday:
Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace 2-2 Aston Villa
Fulham 4-0 Notts County
Replays
Aston Villa 3-1 Crystal Palace
Stoke City 3-1 Manchester City (after extra time)
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Bolton Wanderers
West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Reading (after extra time)
FA Cup Sixth Round Draw
Portsmouth v Birmingham City (Sat 6 Mar, 12:30)
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (Sat 6 Mar, 17:20)
Reading v Aston Villa (Sun 7 Mar, 13:45)
Chelsea v Stoke City (Sun 7 Mar, 16:00)
All matches shown live on ITV1
Table
CHELSEA failed to extend their lead with Manchester United in Carling Cup action after Manchester City stunned Stamford Bridge with a 4-2 win.
Braces apiece from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy gave City only their fourth away win of the season and a rare double over the Londoners.
The match will also be remembered as the first time that John Terry and Wayne Bridge faced each other since Terry's affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend became public.
Bridge has retired from international football as a result of the tabloid exposure and refused to shake Terry's hand as the teams lined up.
Despite the acrimonious build-up, the match took a while to develop any pattern but, as the first half wore on, Chelsea began to dominate and Frank Lampard gave them the lead on 40 minutes.
But City were level at half time after a comedy of errors in the Blues' defence allowed Tevez to trickle the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario.
Hilario was then beaten by Bellamy on his near post as City started the second half well before Gareth Barry won a penalty and Julio Belletti was sent off for his clumsy last-man tackle.
Tevez dispatched the penalty and, after Michael Ballack was also sent off for two bookings, Bellamy's breakaway goal gave Roberto Mancini's men an emphatic 4-1 lead.
Lampard scored a penalty in stoppage time but it was little more than a consolation for Carlo Ancelotti's nine men who, nevertheless, remain top on 61 points from 28 games.
Manchester United recovered from their sixth league defeat of the season, 3-1 at Everton last week, to beat West Ham United 3-0 in midweek and cut the gap back down to one point.
Arsenal stayed in the hunt for the title, despite recent losses to both United and Chelsea, but only after a fine comeback against Stoke City.
The Potters led 1-0 after Danny Pugh's goal from Rory Delap's long throw. But, after Nicklas Bendtner equalised on the half-hour mark, a late penalty from Cesc Fabregas and an even later goal by Thomas Vermaelen gave the Gunners a 3-1 win.
The match was marred by a sending off for Ryan Shawcross who was devastated as he left the field, having broken teenager Aaron Ramsey's leg.
The incident bore a distinct similarity to the injury suffered by Eduardo against Birmingham City at St Andrew's in 2008-09.
And, just like back then, television executives decided against showing replays of the horror tackle with Arsenal players visibly upset by their team mate's condition.
The Gunners, then, will be pleased to have come out of the match with a win which leaves them just three points behind Chelsea.
The other top half race for fourth place looks as open as ever with Manchester City staking a real claim after that win at the Bridge put them on 49 points.
Tottenham Hotspur, in fifth on 46 points, could move back above City by beating Everton tomorrow while Liverpool, in sixth on 45 points, face Blackburn Rovers.
Aston Villa, in seventh on 45 points, are out of league action this weekend as they play United in the Carling Cup final at Wembley.
Meanwhile, the clash of the bottom two saw Portsmouth beat Burnley but it was a hollow victory for the south-coast club after yesterday's announcement that they had gone into administration with up to £70m of debt.
It means Pompey will lose nine of their 19 points and, even with this victory, they are now 14 points adrift of safety and almost certain for relegation.
Burnley look destined to join them after a woeful performance made it just one league win in 16 matches for the Clarets.
Brian Laws' men remain just one point adrift of safety but many more home displays like this and that gap will surely grow.
Hull City were out of action due to Villa's League Cup participation and that allowed Bolton Wanderers to dump the Tigers in the bottom three.
The Trotters beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to go up to 15th and that defeat also leaves Wolves in trouble on 24 points, only above Hull on goal difference.
Wigan Athletic are in 16th place on 25 points after a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City who reach the 40 point mark with 11 games left thanks to James McFadden's penalty winner.
Bolton, in 15th, have 26 points, just below Sunderland on goal difference.
The Black Cats spent big in the summer but it has not paid dividends and, despite an encouraging start to the season, they find themselves in a familiar position of fighting relegation.
A home match against Fulham tomorrow straight after the Cottagers' European exertions provides a fine chance to extend the gap over the bottom three to five points.
That would leave West Ham looking back over their shoulders as despite recent wins over Hull (3-0) and Birmingham (2-0), the Hammers are still only three points clear of relegation.
The Championship
Table
NEWCASTLE UNITED beat Watford 2-1 to extend the lead at the top of the Championship to six points as third-placed Nottingham Forest faltered against Leicester City.
Headed goals from Fabricio Coloccini and Andrew Carroll early in each half gave the Magpies a first away win since early December while Forest lost their fourth straight away game.
It looked like it was going to be an even better day for Chris Hughton's men with second-placed West Bromwich Albion falling behind at home against Derby County.
But the Baggies hit back to win 3-1 and put defeats in their last two games - against Bristol City in the league and Reading in the FA Cup - behind them.
With 13 matches left, Newcastle have 69 points and West Brom are on 63 points with Forest on 61 points having played a game more.
The remaining playoff positions are becoming clearer with Swansea City and Leicester City both going through February unbeaten to cement their top six places.
Indeed, the Swans have not lost for 12 league games with six wins and six draws stretching back to mid-December to reach 56 points.
Leicester have enjoyed a run of eight matches without defeat and lie two points further back in fifth place.
The final playoff spot is very much up for grabs with current occupants Cardiff City in typically patchy form.
The Bluebirds' main problem appears to be in defence with Newcastle hitting five and previously struggling Preston North End scoring three against the creaky back line in two heavy defeats on the road.
Nevertheless, Cardiff on 49 points are still a point clear of seventh-placed Sheffield United having played one game fewer.
The Blades are unbeaten at Bramall Lane in the league since early November but five away losses in a row have prevented the habitual late-season charge so far.
Blackpool on 47 points remain in the mix for the top six after consecutive 2-0 home wins against Middlesbrough and Reading.
But, with three points from 15 on the road, again it is the Tangerines' away form which is preventing them from capitalising further on their unexpected position.
Boro are level on points with Blackpool, and Coventry City - with six wins and a draw from their last seven home league games - are just a point further back.
Barnsley, in 11th place, have won their last two games to reach 45 points, four points adrift of Cardiff with a game in hand.
At the bottom, Peterborough United were condemned to an eighth consecutive away defeat in all competitions after a 1-0 loss at Swansea.
There have been some positive signs in home wins against Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town under new manager Jim Gannon, their third boss of the season.
But it all looks too little too late for Posh who have not won away all season and the loss at the Liberty Stadium leaves Peterborough on 24 points from 33 games, 10 points adrift of safety.
Plymouth Argyle have also been in trouble all season long. The Pilgrims remain five points adrift of safety, after picking up just five points from their six matches in February.
One of their losses was at recovering Reading who gained further breathing space by dumping Sheffield Wednesday back into the bottom three after a 5-0 thrashing at the Madjeski.
Wednesday had picked up their form under new manager Alan Irvine during January but four losses in five games in February have sent the Owls spiralling once again.
Nevertheless, crisis club Crystal Palace will be considered eminently catchable after their 10-point deduction for going into administration and concerns over manager Neil Warnock's future.
Only goal difference separates the Eagles from Wednesday in the drop zone after a recent run of one point from 12, though they could yet be saved by another London team.
Just two wins from 16 have seen Queens Park Rangers fall away from playoff contention to two places and three points above the bottom three.
It is a remarkable tumble down the table yet perhaps not surprising given that Mick Hartford became the Rs' third manager of the season in a caretaker capacity in mid-January.
But, in a cruel twist for Palace, there are strong rumours that Warnock will move across the capital to be the latest in the hot-seat at Loftus Road.
League One
Table
NORWICH CITY stretched their lead at the top of League One to five points with a tight 1-0 win against Oldham Athletic as Leeds United could only draw.
A week ago, the Canaries lost 2-1 at home against Southampton for their first league defeat at Carrow Road since that infamous 7-1 mauling against Colchester United on the opening day of the season.
But Norwich have reacted well to that setback by grinding out hard-fought victories against Southend United and Oldham to reach 72 points, nine clear of third place.
Having led the division until Christmas, Leeds are in danger of losing out on an automatic spot after their patchy form continued into February.
The 2-2 draw at Huddersfield Town means United have won just two of their last 10 league games, though they have a game in hand on Norwich.
That point keeps the Terriers unbeaten at home all season and in the thick of a tight playoff places battle, currently headed by Charlton Athletic on 63 points.
Colchester United are just a point behind the Addicks with a game in hand after 13 points from their six February games signalled an improvement from Aidy Boothroyd's Us.
But it is fifth-placed Swindon Town on 60 points in the best form in the division despite Saturday's disappointment of a 0-0 draw with Leyton Orient.
That stalemate means the Robins are now unbeaten in 13 league games, and they have suffered just one defeat in their last 18.
Huddersfield follow in sixth place on 58 points, level with Millwall who remain the only realistic challengers for a playoff berth.
The Lions have won seven of their last eight league games to open up a gap of nine points to eighth-placed Milton Keynes Dons who have lost three of their last four matches.
Nine points is also the difference between Stockport County and safety, despite the Hatters' second league win in three, 4-3 against second-bottom Wycombe Wanderers.
It was a devastating defeat for the Chairboys who were 4-0 down before a second-half comeback nearly salvaged a point.
Wycombe may only be four points adrift of safety but Gary Waddock's men have played at least one match more than all of their rivals.
Meanwhile, Tranmere Rovers - third-bottom for most of this campaign - have turned it around to get out of the relegation zone.
But Rovers remain just a solitary point clear of the drop on 33 points and they are yet to put together consecutive league wins this season.
In Rovers' place are Exeter City after a real poor run has put their hard-fought League One status in jeopardy.
The Grecians have been promoted for the last two years and have stayed out of real trouble all season.
But just one win in 11 matches - against Leeds - has seen them drop to 22nd place on 31 points.
That is still just one point adrift of Oldham, who are in the final relegation place, and Southend who are outside the drop zone on goal difference only.
Both the Latics and the Shrimpers have lost their last three matches, and though it is the Latics in the drop zone, they have two games in hand.
League Two
Table
ROCHDALE'S quest to achieve a long-awaited promotion moved a step closer after they beat Macclesfield Town 1-0 while rivals Bournemouth and Bury failed to win.
The Dale, on 65 points from 32 games, stretched their lead at the top of League Two to five points over second-placed Bournemouth.
More importantly, Keith Hill's men hold an eight-point advantage over fourth as they seek to secure a first promotion for 35 years.
Second-placed Bournemouth lost at Shrewsbury while third-placed Bury could only manage a 0-0 draw with Barnet at Underhill.
Those results put the Cherries on 60 points from 34 games while the Shakers are a point further back but with a game in hand.
Chesterfield are in fourth place on 57 points from 33 games but their good run of five consecutive wins came to an end with a 1-0 home defeat to Aldershot.
Rotherham United, unbeaten in five, are in fifth place with 56 points from 31 matches while Shrewsbury are still in sixth place after a win, a draw and a loss against three of the top five.
The Shrews started that set of fixtures with a 1-0 loss to Bury but an encouraging draw with Rotherham gave them the confidence to beat Bournemouth and hold on to their top-seven place.
Notts County, in seventh on 51 points, complete the playoff picture as it stands, and with several games in hand on all the clubs above them, the Magpies remain a promotion threat.
It would be a fitting end to a tumultuous season and a 5-0 thrashing of Hereford United perhaps signalled County's intentions in the run-in.
At the bottom, desperate Darlington lost for the 22nd time in the league in 29 matches.
The 1-0 defeat at Valley Parade against Bradford City left the Quakers on 15 points, fully 16 adrift of safety.
Of course, Grimsby Town have been Darlington's bedfellows in the bottom two almost all of the way through the season.
After four consecutive draws encouraged hopes for survival, the Mariners then lost to Dagenham & Redbridge to make it 25 league games without a win.
Unsurprisingly, Grimsby have also been cut adrift on their 24 points from 33 matches.
Neil Woods' men are seven points from safety while third-bottom Cheltenham Town also have a game in hand.
FA Cup Fifth Round
CHELSEA remained on track for a possible league and cup double after an ultimately easy 4-1 win over Cardiff City.
Didier Drogba opened the scoring inside two minutes and Cardiff, on the back of a 5-1 loss to Newcastle United, looked ropey in the early stages.
But an opportunistic goal by Michael Chopra put the Bluebirds on level terms at half time at Stamford Bridge.
Just as it was getting interesting, second half goals from Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and Seb Kalou took the tie away from the Welsh team and ensured the Blues' progress was never really in doubt.
The holders face Stoke City after they followed up their fine 3-1 win over Arsenal in the last round with victory by the same score against ten-man Manchester City in a replay at the Britannia Stadium.
Extra time goals from Ryan Shawcross and Tuncay put Stoke in the last eight for the first time since 1972 after Dave Kitson and Craig Bellamy had exchanged strikes late in normal time.
There will be an all-London quarter final as Tottenham Hotspur face Fulham after both eventually recorded resounding wins in the fifth round.
Fulham completed the job at the first time of asking, brushing aside Notts County, the remaining challenge from League Two, in a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage.
Spurs were forced to take a replay against Bolton Wanderers after fighting back for a 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium.
Their 4-0 win in the replay at White Hart Lane was no less resounding than Fulham's thrashing of County.
Two goals from almost-forgotten Russian Roman Pavlyuchenko and two own goals were more than enough to overcome a subdued and disinterested Bolton side.
With seven of the eight quarter finalists from the Premier League, Reading are the lowest-ranked team left in the Cup after they beat fellow Championship side West Brom in the fifth round over two entertaining games.
Joe Mattock rescued a replay for the Baggies with a late goal in the first game after Simon Church looked to have won it for the Royals.
And there was more late drama in the replay at the Hawthorns as Reading striker Brian Howard forced extra time with a goal in the 93rd minute before Gylfi Sigurdsson's curling effort won the tie.
Reading will face Aston Villa in their first FA Cup quarter final for 83 years after the Birmingham side eventually beat Crystal Palace in the fifth round.
This was another tie to go to a replay after a dramatic finish to the original match as Stilyan Petrov scored from a corner that should not have been awarded to level the scores at 2-2.
Lightning struck twice in the tie as Gabriel Agbonlahor gave Villa the lead in the replay, again from a corner that should not have been given, before Darren Ambrose's penalty levelled things up again.
But two late penalties, converted by John Carew, were enough for Villa to dream of a second Wembley appearance in one season.
The remaining quarter final tie, Portsmouth v Birmingham City, was the only one in which both clubs got through the fifth round at the first attempt.
Portsmouth made light of their dire financial situation to silence the Southampton jeers with a 4-1 win at St Mary's Stadium.
The match was actually a lot more even than the final score suggested and, indeed, was level at 1-1 with 20 minutes left.
Quincy Owusu-Abejie gave Pompey the lead before Ricky Lambert for quickly equalised for the Saints.
But three late Pompey goals by Aruna Dindane, Nadir Belhadj and Jamie O'Hara tipped this fierce south-coast derby in their favour.
Birmingham City overcame a scare to beat Derby County and continue their fine season - but only after a last-minute Liam Ridgewell goal.
Joe McEveley had given the Rams a lead on 55 minutes before Scott Dann equalised with 20 minutes left.
The tie looked destined to be heading for a replay at St Andrew's before Ridgewell's late intervention sent Alex McLeish's side through.
Results
Saturday:
Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City
Derby County 1-2 Birmingham City
Manchester City 1-1 Stoke City
Reading 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Southampton 1-4 Portsmouth
Sunday:
Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Crystal Palace 2-2 Aston Villa
Fulham 4-0 Notts County
Replays
Aston Villa 3-1 Crystal Palace
Stoke City 3-1 Manchester City (after extra time)
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Bolton Wanderers
West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Reading (after extra time)
FA Cup Sixth Round Draw
Portsmouth v Birmingham City (Sat 6 Mar, 12:30)
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (Sat 6 Mar, 17:20)
Reading v Aston Villa (Sun 7 Mar, 13:45)
Chelsea v Stoke City (Sun 7 Mar, 16:00)
All matches shown live on ITV1
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