Spurs a harder tie than Old Trafford, says Leeds manager Simon Grayson

 Cup not a distraction to promotion push
 Spurs will be targeting 'chance to win silverware'

• Harry Polkey
• guardian.co.uk
• Simon Grayson, the manager of Leeds United, who travel to White Hart Lane in the FA Cup fourth round. Photograph: Christopher Thomond
  
  
  
  Simon Grayson believes tomorrow's trip to White Hart Lane will prove a far more difficult challenge for Leeds United than their FA Cup tie at Manchester United. Jermaine Beckford humbled Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the third round at Old Trafford but Grayson is anticipating thatTottenham Hotspur will be far more focused on getting a result.
  
  "The expectancy level is obviously slightly higher, but Tottenham are one of the group of teams who, as well as aiming to qualify for the Champions League, will be targeting this competition as a major opportunity to win silverware," said the Leeds manager. "They played earlier this week and again next Tuesday, so I expect they'll make some changes, but probably not as many as Manchester United made. They'll be close to their strongest."
  
  Grayson appeared genuinely amused when it was put to him that given Leeds, who are leading League One, have failed to win any of the three games they have played since the victory at Old Trafford, an ideal outcome in the fourth round match might be defeat with honour. "You try telling that to the chairman. Tell the [4,500] fans we'll be taking to White Hart Lane, or the 9,000 we took to Old Trafford, that the Cup is a distraction.
  
  "If we lose but come off with no regrets about the way we played, then so be it, sometimes you have to say they had that extra quality – but winning would be better."
  
  Having missed out on promotion in the play-off semi-finals last season, plenty of Leeds supporters would swap progress in the Cup for a league win, but Grayson insists performances have not fallen off. "Results have suggested we have not totally focused, but I'm more than happy with how we have played. We've conceded a couple of sloppy goals, which we've not been doing in the early part of the season, but we've created good chances and just haven't had the breaks.
  
  "You go through patches when you get results you possibly don't deserve, which was sometimes the case in the first part of the season, and over the past three games we probably deserve better results than we've actually had. You have to live with that."
  
  Leeds will approach the game in the same relaxed but determined way they approached the tie at Old Trafford, he said. The former Leeds players Robbie Keane and Danny Rose could feature against their old club, though Aaron Lennon's groin injury means a third misses out.
  
  "We'd love for the likes of Keane and Lennon to still be in our team, but that's football," said Grayson, a little wistfully. "We went through that episode of selling our best players just to survive, and other clubs benefited, but we have to move on. Other players are coming through who will take the club forward, and this is another chance for them to show what they're all about."
  

Thierry Henry handed let-off by ‘powerless’ Fifa

Ron Lewis

Sean St Ledger, the Ireland defender, believes that Fifa has created a dangerous precedent by failing to punish Thierry Henry for the handball that sent France to the World Cup finals at Ireland’s expense.

Henry’s reputation might never recover from the sleight of hand that helped France to earn a place in South Africa after a Fifa disciplinary committee ruled in Zurich last night that it had no power to sanction him.

“I don’t want players to get banned, but [the decision] promotes, ‘If you can get away with it, do it,’ ” said St Ledger, who played in the 1-1 draw at the Stade de France in November.

“I’ve seen [the incident] again today and I still think he intentionally, the second time, handballed it. I still feel a bit hurt from it.”

Ireland had lost the first leg of the World Cup play-off 1-0 in Dublin. They led 1-0 in Paris, forcing the game into extra time, when Henry’s handball led to William Gallas scoring the decisive goal.

The incident caused outrage, with the FAI demanding a replay and then to go to the World Cup as a 33rd team. Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, referred to it as “blatant unfair play”. Fifa dismissed Ireland’s demands but did agree to have another look at the possibility of using video evidence in the future, and referred the handball by the Barcelona striker to its disciplinary body. But a Fifa statement issued last night said that it had no basis on which to punish Henry.

“The disciplinary committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a of the Fifa disciplinary code,” the statement said. “There is no other legal text that would allow the committee to impose sanctions for any incidents missed by match officials.”

The decision means that the 32-year-old former Arsenal player will not face a ban for any of France’s matches in the World Cup finals this summer.

Ireland had been angered even before the match by Fifa’s decision to seed the play-offs, allowing teams such as Portugal and France to avoid each other.

Asked for his opinion on yesterday’s ruling, St Ledger said: “I think it’s a poor one.

“They said they’ve got no legal foundation but they still had the power to change the rules and introduce the seedings. I think if they have got that kind of power to change that rule I don’t understand why they haven’t got the power to make a ruling here. It’s confusing but at the same time not surprising.

“It won’t surprise me if France go on and win the World Cup.”

Henry’s defence yesterday argued successfully that Fifa’s disciplinary code does not give the committee the power to punish such incidents.

The decision will be welcomed by those who argued it was unfair for Henry to be singled out when so many other players commit handball offences and are not punished. Bernard Escalettes, president of the French Football Federation, said he hoped the verdict would draw a line under the incident.

“Thierry Henry not being punished is not astonishing, it is logical,” Escalettes said.

“There is nothing in the Fifa rules permitting a punishment, and Fifa are bound by their rules. I hope that this is the end of the story, I hope so with all my heart.”

Arsenal and Cesc Fabregas revel in turnaround and reveal hunger for the title

By Jeremy Wilson 

Arsène Wenger paused to gather his thoughts when asked recently to name the quality that convinced him of Arsenal's ability to break the Premier League dominance of Manchester United and Chelsea. "Hunger," he said eventually.

It was shortly before Christmas and, at the time, few shared Wenger's confidence. His team had been 11 points behind Chelsea at the beginning of December and the memory of last season's disappointments and internal problems remained fresh in the mind.

Yet, come 9.45pm on Wednesday, Arsenal need only a repeat of Sunday's 2-0 away win over Bolton to be top of the Premier League for the first time since the opening week of the season. It has been some turnaround, particularly in the midst of injury crises both in attack and midfield.

"We refused to give up, continued to fight and believed in our strengths," said Wenger. "The biggest test in our camp was the mental strength and solidarity of the players. We have a great solidarity, a great team spirit. Why should we stop here when we have taken so many points from our opponents? Now we have a chance to keep that momentum going."

Cesc Fabregas has come to embody that increased resilience and, like Wenger, he pinpoints the collective desire within a group of players who, having largely grown up together, are still waiting for their first silverware.

"I'm sure other teams will think the same as us, that they can win the league, but there will be no team that wants to win it more than us, for sure," said Fabregas. "We have to go game by game, take it easy. Let's not get too carried away. There are many, many games where you can lose or win points. We have to be ready for Bolton again – no excuses."

A range of factors explain Arsenal's enhanced staying power. An extra year has left them more able to cope when their opponents adopt physical tactics, while the signings of Thomas Vermaelen and Andrei Arshavin have also brought added steel and quality.

It has contributed to a transformation in the atmosphere at the Emirates, notably among a home fanbase that can be difficult to please. The key, though, remains Fabregas, who is beginning to assume the sort of talismanic influence at Arsenal of Thierry Henry. With 13 goals already from midfield, he is a convincing early candidate for player of the season.

Wenger refuses to join that debate but does regularly pinpoint his captain's extra physical strength and ongoing desire for self-improvement.

Even after a virtuoso display on Sunday, Fabregas was not satisfied. "I am happy with the team's contribution, I will never be happy as an individual because you can always do better but the team was really good," he said.

Yet as the chance to go top of the Premier League beckons, a different sort of pressure suddenly rests on the young shoulders of this Arsenal squad. It is one thing to produce results to get back into contention, quite another to maintain that momentum when the finishing line is coming into sight.

As Wenger has consistently said, capturing that first trophy together will be the most difficult. It will also be the most important and was one of the main reasons why Sol Campbell, a winner of silverware at Tottenham, Arsenal and Portsmouth, was recruited.

Sunderland put block on Liverpool FC's move for Kenwyne Jones

LIVERPOOL’S hopes of signing Kenwyne Jones were effectively dead today after Sunderland refused any attempt to do business.

As was reported in later editions of last night’s ECHO, the Reds spent the weekend trying to thrash out a deal to bring the Trinidad & Tobago international to Anfield on loan until the end of the season and were hopeful of doing so.

With Fernando Torres facing a spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury, boss Rafa Benitez wanted to bring Jones to Anfield to give his strike force a physical presence and increase competition for places.

Yet despite the player wanting to switch Wearside for Merseyside, Sunderland would not entertain any thoughts of a loan and insisted the only way the Jones would leave the Stadium of Light during this window was in a cash deal.

The Reds, of course, are not flush with cash at present and had no intentions of meeting Sunderland’s asking price of well in excess of £10m for Jones, who has scored 25 times in 85 appearances for the Black Cats.

Benitez, who is also in the race to sign Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh, is unlikely to give up his search to bring another forward in before the window closes and has vowed to keep “working hard” to find the right man.

“We will see if we can do something more in this window,” he added. “If we cannot we will stick together for the next challenge. We have a good team, a good squad and are not as bad as people think.”

A more immediate priority, though, is tomorrow night’s Anfield showdown with Tottenham Hotspur and the Reds’ boss wants to see his team show the same attitude and resilience as they did at Stoke on Saturday.

But, more importantly, he has urged them to develop a ruthless streak in order to prevent more precious points slipping away.

“We are in a position where we have to kill off games,” he said today. “Even in the last two games when we haven’t played well, we could still have won them.

“If we can do what we did against Wolves and Aston Villa, the confidence will be there. We might not have been doing well but still we can be close to where we want to be.

“That has to be the message to the players. We are still in there. We have to approach every game thinking that we need to get three points.

“The main thing is to be strong, be solid and if we can score, let’s try to kill the games. We haven’t been doing this enough. Against Reading, we started the second half really well but couldn't get the last pass right or find the player.

“Had we done that, we’d be talking about a totally different situation. We know that we have to improve but we have a game soon to do that.”

Paper Talk: Harry eyes Ruud loan deal

Ruud van Nistelrooy continues to be linked with Tottenham, while Wayne Rooney could be presented with a tempting offer by suitors Barcelona.

DAILY MIRROR

David Beckham has told Manchester City he would never play for the club, no matter how much they offer him.

Chelsea are desperately trying to get Michael Essien back to London amid growing fears the Ghana midfielder's season is over.

Gary Neville says Sir Alex Ferguson was right in refusing to sign Carlos Tevez - because the striker was not worth the money.

Younes Kaboul is now a £10million target for French club Lille - with Portsmouth desperate to sacrifice the Frenchman to raise cash.

Jermaine Beckford is planning to walk out on Leeds this summer to join Everton.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is ready to sign Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland in a £12million deal.

Gianfranco Zola is in fear of being axed as West Ham manager.

Hull are ready to move veteran Kevin Kilbane on to Sheffield United in a money-saving transfer.

Fulham's loan move for Roma striker Stefano Okaka has collapsed.

Owen Coyle's bid to sign Jack Wilshere for Bolton is on hold because of Arsenal's injury problems.

Southampton have had a £200,000 bid for Southend striker Lee Barnard accepted.

Burnley have flown in Monaco striker Frederic Nimani for talks ahead of a possible loan move.

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton is preparing a £750,000 bid for Sheffield Wednesday defender Mark Beevers.

DAILY MAIL

Harry Redknapp is negotiating a deal to take Ruud van Nistelrooy on a loan deal to Tottenham from Real Madrid.

Arsenal have held talks with the father and agent of Spanish whizzkid Sergio Canales over a potential move from Racing Santander.

Wolves are trailing £3million-rated Stoke striker James Beattie.

Everton are giving a trial to Norway left-back Knut Olav Rindaroy, 24.

DAILY EXPRESS

Michael Essien will fly back to England in the next 48 hours with Chelsea fearing he could be out for up to six weeks with knee ligament damage.

Fulham are closing in on Lincoln's rising young Scottish star Graham Hutchison.

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant has put himself on a collision course with the club's owners after promising David James he will be played while he is still at Fratton Park.

THE SUN

The Glazer family have gone cap in hand to Manchester United's players - effectively asking them for a multi-million pound loan.

David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady are celebrating after closing in on their West Ham dream.

Fernando Torres has urged Rafa Benitez to buy a top Spanish striker - as the Liverpool boss weighs up a £12million swoop for Kenwyne Jones.

Birmingham have been told they can have Celtic winger Aiden McGeady - at the right price.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has strongly denied making a bid for Manchester United keeper Ben Foster.

DAILY STAR

Barcelona are ready to offer Wayne Rooney £8million a season - after tax - to lure him from Manchester United.

David James has been told: drop your wage demands if you are so desperate to get out of Portsmouth to save your World Cup dreams.

Hull boss Phil Brown has challenged bad boy Amr Zaki to prove his critics wrong after signing the striker on a five-month loan deal from Egyptian club El Zamalek.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is ready to sacrifice Kieran Richardson in a bid to land Maynor Figueroa.

David Gold and David Sullivan are expecting to complete their takeover of West Ham - and will assure Gianfranco Zola his job is safe.

THE TIMES

Chelsea face an anxious wait to learn the extent of a knee injury to Michael Essien amid fears he could be out for the rest of the season.

Gary Neville has declared Carlos Tevez's financial demands made it impossible for him to stay at Manchester United.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

The Glazer family could take out more than £600million from Manchester United's revenues over the next seven years in dividends, interest payments and fees arising from the club's bond issue.

Portsmouth's owners will discover whether they have been successful in overturning a winding-up order issued over unpaid tax by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

THE GUARDIAN

The Glazer family can take almost £130million cash out of the club next year alone if enough lenders sign up for the bond they have launched to borrow £500million for United.

THE INDEPENDENT

Manchester United captain Gary Neville has reopened the debate surrounding the loss of Carlos Tevez across the city last summer, suggesting ahead of the keenly anticipated Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Eastlands on Tuesday night that the financial demands of the Argentine's representatives were too great for him to stay.

DAILY RECORD

Celtic number two Mark Venus has claimed Aiden McGeady could be sold in January - if the price is right.

Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has slammed critics who claim he has been slow to appoint a new boss.

David Gold and David Sullivan complete £100m takeover of West Ham United

David Gold and David Sullivan have completed their takeover of West Ham United.

The former Birmingham City owners will take a 50 per cent stake in the club after meeting CB Holdings’s £100 million asking price and are expected to have the final say on all club matters.

The takeover comes with a threat of a change in the dugout at West Ham, who have debts of £80 million resulting from the collapse of Landsbanki, the Icelandic bank in which Björgólfur Gudmundsson, the former owner of West Ham, held a 41 per cent stake. However, Gianfranco Zola, whose team lie fifth from bottom of the Premier League, has vowed to confound his critics and received backing from Carlton Cole, the England forward.

Gold and Sullivan left Birmingham City in November after Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman, completed his buyout. 

The package offered by the pair was preferred to a series of other offers, including interest from Intermarket, an investment company, who made the highest bid but was unable to prove that it had sufficient money for a takeover. An American group, favoured by the banks that are owed nearly £50 million by West Ham, withdrew because its request for exclusive talks was rejected. While Tony Fernandes, a Malaysian airline entrepreneur, failed to deliver.

Straumur, the Icelandic bank that owned the club, had begun talks to sell a part or a full stake after realising it could become exposed to liabilities should the club be relegated this season. Had a deal not gone through, West Ham would have had to find about £10 million by April to meet other liabilities, such as transfer payments and may have been forced to sell players.

The club's ownership was transferred to CB Holding, standing for "Claret and Blue" in June last year when Gudmundsson, the club's then owner, went bust. Straumur, a Icelandic bank, held a 70 per cent stake in CB Holding, with the remainder owned by Byr/MP Banki and Landsbanki, which together are owed about £16 million by Gudmundsson. They claimed to have a three-year plan to run the club, aiming to recoup the money it is owed when the financial climate improves.

It is an embarrassing fall from grace for Gudmundsson, who stepped down as chairman and who has lost about £500 million because of the effects of the credit crunch. He had hoped that his takeover would lift West Ham to Champions League contention, but the club paid a heavy price for overspending on transfers and wages.

O'Sullivan downplays Selby's snooker world title hopes

(AFP)

LONDON — Ronnie O'Sullivan has dismissed Mark Selby's chances of winning the world title because his fellow Englishman suffers from the same faults that afflict his own game.

Selby won the last four frames to regain the Masters title from O'Sullivan, who beat him in the 2009 final, 10-9 in a thrilling climax at the Wembley Arena here on Sunday.

O'Sullivan, three times a world champion and four times a Masters winner, believes Selby lacks the consistency to win over the course of the 17-day world championship at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

Not that 'The Rocket', who has a history of talking down his own game, gives much for his chances of adding to his world title tally.

"As far as winning world titles, that is mission impossible for me," he said. "I'm too hot and cold to go in with any confidence in doing it.

"I don't think Selby has the game either to win a world title because of the same reasons. That is why it is tough, you are up against players that have that relentlessness."

O'Sullivan, widely regarded as the most talented player currently in the professional game, was frustrated by what he said was his "hot and cold" play, saying that if he could produce a better general standard he would "demolish" plenty of opponents.

"I've been playing like a plum for 17 years," he said. "I've had my struggles and a lot of people have put it down to depression or my demons but it has nothing to do with demons.

"The hot and cold snooker did and does make me depressed. I felt myself getting sucked in during the final but said 'don't go there, you've had a good week'. I don't have those expectations any more.

"It's sad for me because if I was able to put my finger on it and get it right I would smash all these players up - I would demolish a lot of them."

O'Sullivan added: "For me to win three world titles is a miracle in itself. I didn't think I'd win one because over 17 days it requires you not to have bad spells.

"If I didn't have my problems with the game over the years maybe I could have possibly chased (Stephen) Hendry's record of seven, but I've just got to be happy that I've had quite a successful career when I've either been really good or really poor."

Meanwhile Selby, who is from Leicester, central England, said his relationship with Vikki Layton, one of Europe's top female pool players, had been a big factor in his success.

"We've been together for just over three years and before I was living on my own and didn't have the stability that she has brought," he said.

"She's moved down to Leicester and we've got a house together, and that has been the making of me.

"That was all I needed because after I won the Regal Scottish final when I was young but went off the rails for a few years, I needed the stability of someone to come to tournaments with me and someone to go home to.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Jones set to stay with Sunderland

(UKPA)

Sunderland have dismissed claims that striker Kenwyne Jones is set to sign for Liverpool on loan.

It was reported that the 25-year-old Trinidad and Tobago international was due at Anfield for a medical as under-fire Reds boss Rafael Benitez seeks a temporary replacement for the injured Fernando Torres.

However, sources at Sunderland have told Press Association Sport there is "not a chance" of that happening after weeks of speculation over the former Southampton frontman's future.

Both manager Steve Bruce and chairman Niall Quinn have in recent days stated Sunderland's intention to hang on to the man former boss Roy Keane signed for £6million in August 2007.

However, it is believed the Black Cats might be prepared to consider an offer for Jones, but only at the right price. Birmingham made an enquiry earlier in the transfer window which has gone no further.

Jones once again partnered Sunderland's leading scorer Darren Bent in Saturday's 7-2 Barclays Premier League drubbing at Chelsea.

Hours earlier, a Liverpool side shorn of key men Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun through injury had allowed a 1-0 lead to slip at Stoke when Robert Huth snatched a point with a last-gasp equaliser at the Britannia Stadium.

Dirk Kuyt headed against a post deep into stoppage-time when he might have done better to leave Benitez bemoaning the absence of compatriot Torres, who is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks.

Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Australian Open 2010: Andy Murray happy with first round display

Andy Murray was satisfied with his performance as he brushed aside South African Kevin Anderson to reach the second round at the Australian Open despite the fifth seed struggling with his serve.

Andy Murray claimed a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over the qualifier and despite his struggles the Scot had the measure of Anderson's usually reliable serve and broke eight times during the match to seal an easy win.

"I got here 10 days earlier than I've done in the last three years," said Murray. "I feel good and I think that match proved it [but I'd like to have served bit better."

Murray faulted with 65 per cent of his first serves, which was a concern, and he will have to improve on that later in the tournament. However, Anderson could not hold on to his serve which was broken eight times.

"He didn't get broken in the whole of qualifying," Murray added. "He's 6ft 8in and it was a tough first round for me, so I was a bit nervous at the start but got off to a good start and broke him straightaway."

With strong support from the Melbourne Park crowds, Murray is optimistic he can have a good run in the season's opening grand slam.

Discussing the crowd's backing for him, Murray said: "I've never done that well (at the Australian Open) but hopefully I can go a little better this year and hopefully it will make the difference."

We can sustain title bid - Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal's 2-0 win at Bolton proves they are relishing being surprise title challengers.

The Gunners seemed to be out of the title race going into December, yet a two-goal home win against the Trotters on Wednesday will see them move top.

"We are in a quite interesting position where nobody expected us to be," the Arsenal manager said ahead of a second clash with Bolton in a week.

"Our motivation will be 100%. We have the belief and we want to have a go."

Sunday's win ensured Arsenal remain three points behind leaders Chelsea and two behind second-place Manchester United, having played a game less than Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

"We are a big club and when you are a big club the most difficult thing is like what happened last year, when in October you know you will not fight for the title," added Wenger.

606: DEBATE

" The nerve, attitude and the appetite to bounce back after drawing 2-2 Vs Everton in my opinion was an ingredient that at times has lacked at Arsenal "

Kampala_Gunner

"Now we have a chance to fight for it so let's have a go."

After suffering a 3-0 home defeat against Chelsea on 29 November, Wenger's side have responded by dropping just four points in their next eight matches.

The Blues have dropped nine points in their seven matches since that emphatic win over their London rivals and defending champions Manchester United have dropped eight points during the same period.

In contrast, Arsenal have taken 20 of 24 points available since losing to Chelsea, culminating in Sunday's win at the Reebok Stadium and Wenger will hope his side can show the same ruthlessness when the sides meet again on Wednesday in a return meeting rearranged because of recent bad weather.

However, the match is likely to be another stern test of Arsenal's title ambitions, with Bolton appearing rejuvenated as Owen Coyle took charge for the first time at the weekend.

Arsenal took the lead through returning captain Cesc Fabregas midway through the first-half but were then forced to repel long periods of pressure from the home side before Fran Merida's 78th minute goal sealed the victory.

"We are a team that likes to go forward and it was important not to make mistakes when we went ahead," said Wenger.

"It was important for us not to get to the last 15 minutes only one goal up and the second goal killed the game.

"There is still more to come, because we are still a young team and we have more personality during the difficult points of game."

Wenger enthused over the performance of Fabregas, who capped his return after three games out with a hamstring injury with a fine all-round midfield performance and his 13th goal of the season.

"Fabregas likes to go forward but he has improved defensively as well," said Wenger.

"What is very interesting for us is Cesc gets stronger and stronger and has more personality on the pitch, like the whole team.

"He grows. He will be 23 this year - he is just starting."

At 19, Merida is yet another young Arsenal player making his mark thought he might not have been given his chance to play at Bolton had it not been for injuries to fellow midfielders Samir Nasri (hamstring) and Aaron Ramsey (thigh).

Wenger revealed that the duo are likely to be sidelined for three weeks, while Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner are likely to be out for a fortnight.

Alastair Cook appointed England captain for Bangladesh tour

 
Cook steps up to let Andrew Strauss rest
James Anderson also omitted from February tour

• Rob Bagchi
• guardian.co.uk, Article history
• Alastair Cook, right, has been appointed to stand in for Andrew Strauss as England captain for the Bangladesh tour. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images
  
  Alastair Cook has been appointed to captain England on the tour to Bangladesh. The selectors have decided to rest Andrew Strauss from the tour and he will be replaced to lead both the Test and 50-overs sides by the current Test vice-captain, Cook. Paul Collingwood will continue as Twenty20 captain and lead the team in the two T20 internationals against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates which precede the tour of Bangladesh.
  
  Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: "Andrew Strauss has provided outstanding leadership for the team in both forms of the game over the past 12 months and the selectors feel it is important that he takes a break ahead of an extremely busy programme of international cricket leading up to and including the Ashes series in Australia and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.
  
  "Our decision to appoint Alastair Cook to the Test vice-captaincy last year clearly demonstrated the belief that he has the potential to be a future England captain. Alastair will now have an opportunity to develop his leadership skills still further by leading the side in both forms of cricket in Bangladesh and I know that he is excited by the challenge and looking forward to working closely with Andy Flower."
  
  James Anderson has also been rested from the tour in order to see a specialist and undertake a programme of rest and rehabilitation for his chronic right-knee injury. It is hoped that following the rehabilitation period, he will be fully fit and available for selection for the World T20 tournament in the Caribbean in late April.
  
  Two uncapped players, the Yorkshire pace bowler Ajmal Shahzad and the Kent off-spinner James Tredwell, have been named in both squads while another uncapped player, the Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry, has been included in the Test squad.
  
  "We are delighted to welcome Ajmal Shahzad to both squads for the first time," Miller siad. "He enjoyed an excellent season with Yorkshire last year, made a strong impression while he was in South Africa with the EPP squad and is a bowler with the potential to make a real impact in international cricket.
  
  "James Tredwell and Michael Carberry have also continued to impress the selectors over the course of the winter and we expect both players to make a strong challenge for inclusion in our starting line-up on the forthcoming tour."
  

  Test squad

  Alastair Cook (capt) (Essex), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (Surrey), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Matthew Prior (Sussex), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex).
  

  One-day squad

  Alastair Cook (capt) (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Joe Denly (Kent), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Matthew Prior (Sussex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent),Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex).
  

Chasing a Tiger's tale: Everyone's talking about Woods in Mississippi, but no one's seen him

By Chris Talbott (CP)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Trying to unwind after a 14-hour day Saturday, I popped on the History Channel and watched hapless documentarians search in vain for the abominable snowman.

Nothing, not even an extra-large footprint to report.

I know how they feel.

I've been chasing a Tiger's tale across the rolling piney woods of south-central Mississippi with nothing to show for it but a notebook full of rumours. It seems that everyone has seen Tiger Woods in this town of 45,000, supposedly undergoing treatment for sex addiction at one of the country's finest facilities.

Like the sherpas of Nepal, locals in the Hub City report new sightings all the time.

Someone swears they saw him on horseback the other day. Another watched a convoy of black SUVs with windows as dark as midnight pull into a gas station, and Woods popped out of one.

Details relayed from friends of friends of friends are circulating like crazy, each with its own hint of truth, but no proof. It's the most exciting thing to happen here in a while, and everyone's talking about it.

Most stories go a little something like Steve Brantley's: "I know someone whose sister-in-law's cousin saw him. But I've yet to talk to anyone who's actually seen him."

Same for me, Steve.

This all started Friday when celebrity website radaronline.com reported that Woods was at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services, one of the nation's top treatment centres. The place is owned by Forrest General Hospital, a couple of miles down the road.

Problem is the Pine Grove clinic is locked up tight. Celebrities apparently pass through there all the time, yet employees are bound by confidentiality agreements. And let's face it: Celebrity rehab clinics are supposed to be in towns like Palm Springs or Los Angeles.

But it kind of makes sense that a sex addiction program is here. No one could possibly expect to find celebrities at a converted cottage-style motel, nestled between a rental car place and a windshield repair business in an aging part of town.

"Rock stars and big-name people come through here, and one of the reasons is no one would think they're here," Brantley says.

Rumour has it there's a former NBA player and a well-known female country music singer there now. Or last week. Or pretty darn recently. Probably.

I met Brantley a couple of hours into my hunt Saturday. He was one of the few folks in town willing to brave the rain and chilly wind for a round of golf.

Like everyone else I've talked to, the conversation was full of jokes, rumours and a discussion about whether sexual addiction is really a malady or a state of being.

"Did you know we had a sex clinic in town before this?" Brantley asks. "I didn't."

Everyone knows now, though, that's for sure.

For the record, Woods hasn't been swinging clubs at the Hattiesburg Country Club, where I talked with Brantley and club pro Russ Fransted, who's heard all the stories out there.

"He's been spotted more places than Elvis," Fransted jokes.

Richard Walsh, the pro over at Timberton Golf Club, hasn't seen Woods, either. He was manning the clubhouse at sunrise Saturday, and his tee time card showed just three golfers signed up for the day - and none was named Woods.

"I had 30 calls yesterday," Walsh says. "Just from people saying, 'I hear Tiger Woods is in town. Is he out practising?' It's just kind of ridiculous. I feel sorry for the guy."

Still, the rumours have the tantalizing feel of truth.

"Does it seem reasonable that he's here?" Walsh asks. "Sure. Hattiesburg is in the middle of nowhere."

I started my day at nearby Timberton because of another rumour that seemed to have a kernel of possibility to it. I got a call from a friend who said Tiger was staying at Ash-Leah Manor, a beautiful bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town.

The friend had a friend who was positive that Pine Grove owned the manor.

Not true, says Peggy Gates, the woman who runs the business with Bob, her husband of 55 years. While the B&B does play host to families of patients from time to time, Peggy says that neither Tiger Woods nor his wife, Elin, have been there.

Since the six-week program is inpatient, she notes, Woods would be staying at the facility on the corner of Broadway and Emerald. So I head back there, where a few reporters had gathered around the building, enough to draw an increased presence from local authorities. But most were camped out at the wrong place Friday and there didn't appear to be anyone on watch Saturday.

If it wasn't for the eight-foot-tall wooden fence surrounding the facility, there would be nothing of note about the buildings that make up the clinic.

The compound has several refurbished cottages, the roofs just visible over the fence. Vehicles can drive onto the property through a couple of gates, making it impossible to see who's coming in and out. Signs say "No Trespassing" and "Video Surveillance in Progress," but the only apparent cameras are pointed inside the fence.

With no real activity, I head over to the Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport, south of town.

The airport itself is a single small building and the guys I encounter inside are clearly bored. No one wants to give their name, but they're free with information: No Tiger sighting. No NetJets planes landing.

That mystery flight that came in last week around 4 in the morning?

"That was an organ donor," one of the guys says.

Of course, Woods could have driven in (remember that convoy of SUVs?), taking Interstate 10 across the Florida Panhandle and US Highway 98 north from Mobile, Ala. Or he could've flown to nearby Laurel or Jackson.

I see a trio of Hattiesburg policemen roll up, so I stop them. I need directions to the police station and tell them I'm one of the reporters looking for Tiger. Before I finish the sentence, they raise their arms and say in unison, "We don't know anything!"

They send me to see Capt. D.J. Davis at the department.

"He's really here?" Davis asks, when I inquire if the clinic has asked for security help. "I thought that was just a rumour."

While the department does help the hospital from time to time, Davis assures me there's been no request for help with Woods, as far as he knows. Another dead end.

So I head back to the clinic where there seems to be a pretty regular stream of gawkers, but no other media. I know they're around. One guy, whose car was filled with gear, paid a nearby property owner $200 to let him sit in view of the clinic for a few hours.

At a Cracker Barrel restaurant, my waitress says a group there was looking for directions to the clinic. And I hear that ESPN is sending a van.

I talk to the hospital's security chief. He's been pleasant in what is clearly a stressful situation for employees. A fancy SUV rolls up while we're talking and the window comes down. The hospital police officer inside says, "The AP's back."

Turns out he ran my plates earlier.

I call the clinic to leave a message for the director, Patrick Carnes. I figure if nothing else, I can write about the clinic. But the lady who answers hangs up on me - twice.

With all reasonable leads exhausted, I turn to chasing ghosts. I hear from a couple of people that Elin Woods has been spotted at Canebreak, the upscale subdivision north of town, looking for a house to rent. It's built around one of the state's best golf courses, it's secluded and it has a gate manned by a security guard.

This rumour feels false, though, filled with too much detail: Elin supposedly telling someone she couldn't believe she could walk around the mall without being identified.

I drive around and write down the names on every for-sale sign and start calling real estate agents, who are often great repositories of local knowledge. I call 10 and five answer, all of them amused by the question. None has heard even the faintest of whispers.

"There was a rumour about five years ago that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were going to buy a house in Canebreak and it just wasn't true," Dottie Farris says. "It's a small enough town that if one person says something, it takes off like wildfire."

There's a clear message in that story, so 48 hours after starting the hunt for Tiger, I'm packing up and leaving Hattiesburg. I'm wearing the same shirt for the third day in a row and I feel like I've failed.

We know he's not in New York or South Africa, and he's probably not in Arizona. So maybe Woods really is here.

I'm really not sure, but if you hear anything, give me a shout.

Chris Talbott is an Associated Press writer based in Jackson, Miss., who covers news and sports in the region.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Chris Talbott is an Associated Press writer based in Jackson, Miss., who covers news and sports in the region.

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