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New Wigan coach Shaun Wane will do the job his way after succeeding Australian Michael Maguire in the DW Stadium hot seat.

The former Wigan and Great Britain forward, who has signed a two-year deal with the option of a third, was always favourite to step up in a bid to ensure continuity after two successful seasons under Maguire and is now relishing the chance to make his own mark on the club.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” he said. “Assistant coach is probably not what I’m good at. I like being in control and I’m looking forward to this chance. I’m my own man. Madge (Maguire) has introduced a certain structure which I’m going to carry on but I feel I can improve things.”

He added: “That’s my job, There are games we’ve lost this year that we shouldn’t have lost and games we were winning comfortably at half-time and eased off a bit. I want to get rid of that culture.

“There are cups we’ve not won. I definitely think there’s quite a bit of improvement in this club.

“I watched Wigan since I was six years old and was involved 10 years here as a player and then 12 years as a coach. To get this job, the best job in the world, is great for me. I want to turn that three years into six and more.”

As expected, former Crusaders boss Iestyn Harris was chosen to be Wane’s assistant, with ex-Bradford scrum-half Paul Deacon joining the backroom staff after announcing his retirement as a player at the age of 32.

After setting a trend two years ago with the appointment of an Australian assistant coach, Warriors chairman Lenagan is now hoping Wigan’s Super League rivals follow suit in opting for British coaches in the future.

“We are entirely comfortable going forward with a British coaching team,” he said.

“I wonder if people will follow that example in the same way they followed us in getting an Australian assistant coach. I hope they do.”

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/10/12/wane-to-do-it-his-way-115875-23483308/

Amir Khan believes there could be “a few more twists and turns” in David Haye’s career but will back the former heavyweight champion should he stand by his decision to retire this week.

Haye has always insisted he would quit when he turns 31 and has reportedly informed the British Boxing Board of Control he will not renew his fighter’s licence. However, the Londoner – who lost in his big unification clash with Wladimir Klitschko in July – is believed to be willing to postpone his retirement should a fight with his conqueror’s brother Vitali be agreed.

Whatever move he makes, his friend Khan, the WBA/IBF light-welterweight champion, believes he can hold his head high, and told The Sun: “What people tend to forget is that you are only ever one fight away from being badly hurt, so why does David need to take that kind of a risk against the big punchers like the Klitschko brothers?”

He added: “When you put your heart and your mind into something like he has, then you have to go with it. He knows his body better than anyone else and knows why he wants to walk away before he is 31.”

Khan, though, believes Haye may be persuaded to add another chapter to his fighting story, and continued: “I’m sure there will be a few more twists and turns in this story of Haye vs Klitschko. And there is no reason why Haye wouldn’t emerge on top if there is ever a next time – whatever brother he fights.

“There is so much for Haye to be proud of despite the criticism he received after he dropped a points verdict to Wladimir in Germany.”

Fellow British favourite Ricky Hatton urged Haye to go out with a bang rather than hanging his gloves up on the back of a defeat.

The ‘Hitman’, who struggled to cope with inactivity after losing his last fight to Manny Pacquiao in 2009, said: “David Haye should fight on to secure his legacy. He will be the first to admit he is better than his last performance against Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko. And I have a feeling in my water he might yet give it one last go.”

Former light-welterweight and welterweight world champion Hatton added: “His last fight is how most people will remember him, just as people remember me for mine – getting knocked out by Manny Pacquiao.

“For David, it was the night he came second to Klitschko and the manner of his defeat. That is why I believe Haye should fight on, to set the record straight – but I totally respect the decision he has come to.”

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/10/12/khan-hails-retiring-haye-115875-23483307/

Jonny Bairstow was the toast of the England team on Tuesday night, but is already casting his eye forward to imminent and more important fixtures.

Bairstow’s unbeaten 104 from only 53 balls propelled the tourists to 367 for four in their second and final warm-up match at the Rajiv Ghandi Stadium, where the Hyderabad CA XI could respond with only 114 all out.

England can therefore press on to the first of five one-day internationals against India, highly-encouraged by a much-improved performance, but Bairstow said: “It’s obviously going to be a massive challenge, coming over to India and playing them in their own backyard… they are the world champions for a reason.”

He added: “We’re pleased with our preparation so far, but without a doubt it will be a completely different challenge – and a very tough one.”

England are rightly optimistic, though, having followed a workmanlike victory in their first warm-up match with a mammoth one in their final preparation fixture against the same opponents.

“We hope we’ll go in later on this week on a high from the two wins we’ve had,” added Bairstow. “We were very pleased to get the win the other day. But coming into this one, we wanted a clinical performance – and to produce something like that is very pleasing.”

As for his own hugely impressive batting, he professes no special secret ingredient – just a mixture of power and timing.

“It’s a bit of both,” he said. “You’ve obviously got to have a bit of power, but the technique comes through as well.

“If you lose your shape then you will naturally not connect and time it as well as you’d like to.”

Tons of natural ability, much inherited from his late father and former England wicketkeeper-batsman David, is not going amiss either.

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/10/12/bairstow-ready-for-india-challenge-115875-23483306/

Wales manager Gary Speed hailed “phenomenal” Gareth Bale after the Tottenham winger proved to be the match winner in their 1-0 victory over Bulgaria at Vasil Levski Stadium.

The 22-year-old grabbed the only goal of the game late in the first half as he cut in from the right to fire a deflected shot past Nikolay Mihaylov in the Bulgaria goal and end the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign on a high. The recently-crowned Wales Footballer of the Year also hit the bar with a fierce volley.

Speed said: “Gareth was phenomenal again. The pitch out there tonight did not suit his game, I have played on pitches like that and it’s heavy and dead, the grass was long and we said to the players at training last night that if you run with the ball on that you are going to get caught, so to put in a performance like that is phenomenal.”

The Wales boss added: “He is a match winner, but that said you have to give your match winners a platform to win games for you, and everyone else gave him a platform and he puts the hard work in too. That’s how we will achieve things and he works harder than anyone and that’s the situation we need if we are to keep improving.”

The win gave Wales back-to-back victories in competitive fixtures for the first time since 2005, and the manner in which they ground out the result was particularly impressive, with Bale, captain Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen once again outstanding in midfield.

The poor pitch and a sparse crowd of just over a thousand, due to a boycott by home fans disgruntled with their sides current winless run of seven games, provided difficult hurdles for Speed’s young squad to overcome.

And the manager admitted that his players had surpassed his own expectations with victory, and praised their attitude in a testing environment.

He said: “I am really delighted. I was apprehensive before the game to be honest. We have come so far so soon that before the game I was thinking this might be one game too far because of the circumstances the players found themselves in.

“Many of them have not experienced it before. To come to Bulgaria, a place that is difficult to come to and try to grind out a result.

“I would have settled for a draw before the game. I wanted a positive result of any kind because we need this experience to make us better in the future. So to get a win; I did not expect it but it was brilliant.”

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/10/12/speed-salutes-brilliant-bale-115875-23483304/

James Hook is ready to do a job for Wales if he is handed the number 10 shirt against World Cup semi-final opponents France.

Coach Warren Gatland will name his team on Thursday for the biggest game in Welsh rugby history. And both Hook and 102 times-capped Stephen Jones are waiting to discover if fly-half incumbent Rhys Priestland will recover in time for Saturday’s Eden Park showdown.

“I would be there if needed and selected,” said Hook, who was Wales’ full-back for their opening two World Cup games until a shoulder problem sidelined him. He returned to action from the bench against Ireland.

Priestland took a knock to his shoulder during the closing minutes of Wales’ quarter-final victory over Ireland in Wellington last weekend, while lock Luke Charteris also suffered a shoulder injury and was forced off at half-time. Gatland is set to field an unchanged team if both players are declared fit.

Hook added: “It was really difficult (watching on Saturday), but you get caught in the emotion on the bench and get behind the boys. It was a terrific performance and it was nice to get on and have a couple of minutes to savour a little bit at the end.

“Rhys has taken his chance superbly, and he fully deserves the credit he has been having.

“The young players spur you on with the energy they bring in training and off the field. The older boys are feeding off that, which is good and healthy for the team.”

Hook, meanwhile, has played enough times against France to know Les Bleus will pose a significant challenge as Wales target a World Cup final appearance against Australia or New Zealand.

“France were great against England on Saturday,” he added. “They were clinical, took their chances well, kicked their goals and looked strong from the start. Everyone knows about French flair and their unpredictability.

“Every team builds momentum by winning, and we got confidence from putting 80 and 60 points on sides in our group.”

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/10/12/hook-ready-for-fly-half-role-115875-23483305/

The Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic will be the seeded teams in Thursday’s draw for the Euro 2012 play-offs, UEFA have announced.

The four teams were chosen based on their national team coefficients ahead of the draw in Krakow.

Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia and Montenegro are the four unseeded teams.

The first leg of the play-offs will be played on November 11 and 12, with the return legs on November 15.

Already through to the finals, alongside co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, are holders Spain, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Holland, Greece, England, Denmark and Sweden.

The finals draw is on December 2 in Kiev and the tournament runs from June 8 until July 1 next year at eight venues.

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/latest/2011/10/12/ireland-seeded-for-play-off-draw-115875-23483822/

COACH Marc Lievremont has warned his France players to forget their past results against Wales.

France have won six of the last seven matches against the Welsh and ­Lievremont said: “The danger is to fall into a form of self-satisfaction.

“In the last three years we have beaten Wales, but if we start looking at it from that angle, it’s a recipe for disaster.”

Lievremont knows from first-hand experience the dangers of dwelling on past results and performances.

The last of his 25 caps was in the 1999 World Cup Final defeat to Australia, a week after they had shocked New Zealand at Twickenham.

“In 1999 we kept looking back to our win in the semi-final and struggled to focus on the final,” he added.

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/2011/10/12/2011-rugby-world-cup-france-coach-marc-lievremont-fears-wales-backlash-115875-23482846/

BELLE VUE have been rocked by the loss of Lukasz Jankowski on the eve of the Knockout Cup semi- final.

The 28-year-old Pole refused to ride in tonight’s second-leg against Lakeside, despite the Aces facing a three-point deficit.

Team boss Jim Lynch said: “Lukasz informed us that he couldn’t ride because he had a meeting in Poland.”

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/motorsport/2011/10/12/belle-vue-stunned-by-lukasz-jankowski-walk-out-before-knock-out-cup-semi-with-lakeside-115875-23482844/

From ALEX SPINK in Auckland

QUADE COOPER, New Zealand’s least favourite Australian, could wreck the All Blacks’ World Cup dream.

That was the warning issued last night by former Northampton boss Wayne Smith, who is New ­Zealand’s assistant coach.

Cooper is loathed here for seeming to knee skipper Richie McCaw in the head when the sides last met in August.

But Smith said: “He is mercurial, he is dangerous. If he has a real good day then you are in trouble, so we’ve got a lot of respect for him. He has played pretty well against us.

“But it is not who you’ve got in the team, it is what you’ve got inside you that counts at this point. That is what will win it.”

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/2011/10/12/2011-rugby-world-cup-all-blacks-fear-aussie-danger-man-quade-cooper-115875-23482845/

FIRST he became the green giant on the Tour de France, then he was a rainbow warrior in the world ­championship road race.

And last night, Mark ­Cavendish rounded off his phenomenal year by confirming the worst-kept secret in cycling and signing for Team Sky next season.

Cavendish (above) claimed the prestigious green jersey on the Tour in July then ­underlined his status as favourite to land Team GB’s first gold medal at next summer’s Olympics by becoming men’s world road race champion, which earned him the rainbow jersey.

Dave Brailsford, who becomes Cavendish’s ­performance director for Olympic and professional road race teams, said: “What excites me most is the ­attitude Mark brings to all the teams he rides for.”

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/cycling/2011/10/12/mark-cavendish-signs-up-for-team-sky-115875-23482775/