England looking for 10th ODI win in a row against Australia

Posted on July 8, 2012 by adminsports

England looking to stretch winning run into double figures at Old Trafford

UPDATED:

15:13 GMT, 8 July 2012

Captain Cook: England have won the Natwest series

England are eyeing a 4-0 NatWest Series victory over Australia, but admit they may yet consider resting first-choice players for the final match at Old Trafford.

Alastair Cook spoke, after his team's eight-wicket win at Chester-le-Street had established an unassailable 3-0 lead, of the cachet of a clean sweep against the old enemy – but also the possibility of once again employing the rotation policy.

England's selectors first caused a stir when James Anderson was prescribed a break for the final npower Test against West Indies at Edgbaston, a fixture his pace colleague Stuart Broad also eventually sat out.

Then came a rest for the last one-day international against the Windies at Headingley, a match which was washed out in any case, for home favourite Tim Bresnan, Broad and Graeme Swann.

Most recently, off-spinner Swann did not travel up to Durham as England took a safety-first approach with his sore bowling elbow.

That was the first instance of a key player being rested before a series was won. As yet, no batsman has been given a break either.

Cook, meanwhile, can reflect on an impressive ninth successive ODI victory – and England's seventh consecutive home series win in 50-over cricket – but he knows the job is not yet complete.

'Four-nil looks a lot better than 3-1,' he said, looking forward to Tuesday's day-night fixture in Manchester.

Perfect 10: Trott (right) and Bopara (left) guided England to victory in Durham

'They will be desperate not to let that happen, but we have got to be just as hungry as we have been in these games.

'It would be great to make it 10 wins in a row.'

As for the possibility of a break from the packed schedule for one or more of England's regulars, he said: 'There is always a chance that we will rotate.

'We want to win 4-0 but we will look at selection, like we always do.'

Steven Finn certainly demonstrated on Saturday that he appears to be thriving on his bowling, cutting down Australia's batsmen with the new and older ball.

The Middlesex fast bowler barely put a foot wrong, operating at a full length and making the most of favourable conditions to take four wickets as the Australians were restricted to 200 for nine.

'You have got to discipline yourself (in helpful conditions),' Finn said.

'It is not the pitch that matters, but how you bowl.

Matchwinner: Finn took four wickets

'You have to hit the right area from ball one; we did that and built the pressure.'

It is a source of wonder to many of England's ODI and Twenty20 opponents that Finn still cannot force his way into the first-string Test team.

As things stand, the 6ft 8in fast bowler will be stuck on 14 Test caps while England are taking on South Africa in their three-match tussle for top spot in the world rankings this summer.

He said: 'Everything is focused towards playing Test cricket – I have always wanted to do that.

'But first and foremost at the minute, it is trying to be a good one-day team.

'I am trying to focus on bowling and enjoying the responsibility of opening the bowling, trying to thrive on it and putting my name into the hat for Test selection.

'The main way I am going to do that, though, is by going back to Middlesex in four-day cricket rather than taking one-day wickets.

Knocking on the door: Finn is not expected to start the Test series against South Africa

'The rhythm is good; I think I am bowling well, and there is nothing more that I can do other than go back to Middlesex and take wickets.'

Cook's opposite number Michael Clarke, bowled by Finn on Saturday after two hours of resistance under heavy cloud cover, points out that his Test absences merely point to England's seam-bowling riches.

'It's a different form of the game,' said the Australia captain.

'He bowled really well here. It doesn't matter what form of the game, if you bowl like that you're going to get wickets.

'It means they've got some really good bowlers in front of him. I'm sure he's pushing hard for selection.

'He's not far away; he's young and fit and bowling well. We've got to find a way to not get out to him, firstly, and then score runs. We've got some work to do.

Plenty to ponder: Clarke's side have been second best all series

'I thought he bowled really well in Australia in the Ashes (in 2010-11) as well. He's getting better.'

Meanwhile, Australia have called up left-arm pace bowler Mitchell Starc as cover during the remainder of the NatWest Series while they assess Brett Lee and Shane Watson's calf injuries.

The tourists are hoping to discover the extent of fast bowler Lee and batting all-rounder Watson's injuries after scans.

Both pulled up sore while bowling at Chester-le-Street and were unable to complete their spells and had to leave the field.

Starc, 22, last played for his country in the Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean three months ago. He is due to play the final match of a short spell with Yorkshire in Sunday's last set of group fixtures in the Friends Life t20.

An Australia team spokesman said: 'We have called up Mitchell Starc as cover, because we are still assessing the two injured players.'

Goal-line technology signed off for football

Posted on July 5, 2012 by adminsports

Over the line… finally: After all the controversy, goal-line technology is signed off in historic day for football

UPDATED:

17:12 GMT, 5 July 2012

Goal-line technology has finally been approved and will soon be introduced to the Barclays Premier League and beyond.

After a long list of controversies – including Frank Lampard's 'goal' against Germany at the 2010 World Cup – the game is ready for change.

The International FA Board (IFAB) gave the go-ahead to both the Hawk-Eye and the GoalRef systems at a meeting in Zurich.

The Club World Cup in Tokyo involving Chelsea will be the first event where the technology will be introduced. Technology could be introduced into the Premier League as soon as the new year.

Let's go: Sepp Blatter is a firm believer in goal-line tehcnology

Kicking off: Blatter is a huge fan of introducing goal-line technology

So, what are the two systems that will be used

HAWK-EYE

A camera-based system developed by the British company Hawkeye, which was bought last year by Japanese corporation Sony and which already has systems used by tennis and cricket.

Six or seven high-speed cameras at both ends of the stadium, mounted on the roof, track the ball in flight and a computer system calculates exactly where the ball is on the pitch, sending an electronic message to a watch-like receiver worn by the match officials when it crosses the line.

The only issue is whether the Hawk-Eye cameras would work in the very rare instance of the ball being completely covered by the keeper's body.

FIFA have insisted that the pictures will not be shown on TV or stadium screens after any controversial incident, with only the officials being alerted whether the ball crossed the line.

GOALREF

A joint Danish-German system, GoalRef uses magnetic fields to detect whether the ball has crossed the line. Three magnetic strips are placed inside the outer lining of the ball, between the bladder and the outer casing, and when the ball crosses the line these are detected by sensors inside the goalposts and crossbar.

The sensors send out electronic waves which are disrupted when the ball crosses the line, and a computer then sends a message to the match officials' watch receivers in less than a second.

Installation costs should be lower than Hawk-Eye but still significant. There remains possible issues over deals with manufacturers to allow the magnetic strips inside their balls, but GoalRef have already been in contact with the manufacturers.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said they intended to also bring goal-line technology in for next year's Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Valcke said FIFA would pay for the systems – around $250,000 per stadium – and leave them in place in the stadiums.

FA general secretary Alex Horne said: 'We believe that it is a great day for football. From an English perspective today is a hugely important day, it is a cause we have had on our agenda for a number of years.

'This is about having the right technology helping the referee in a relatively rare occurrence – the scoring of a goal.'

The Premier League have vowed to bring in goal-line technology swiftly.

A statement read: 'The Premier League has been a long term advocate of goal-line technology. We welcome today's decision by IFAB and will engage in discussions with both Hawkeye and GoalRef in the near future with a view to introducing goal-line technology as soon as is practically possible.'

With Goal-Ref, officials can be alerted instantly to the ball crossing the line

Once the ball crosses the line, the cameras and computers will instantly detect the goal and inform the officials

A brief history of football's innovations

1863: At an meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern in London, the FA is founded plus the first set of rules. The Cambridge Rules – produced by undergraduates at Cambridge University in the 1840s – are rewritten to provide the game's first uniform regulations.
1869: Goal-kicks are introduced for the first time, with corners following three years later.
1875: The crossbar replaces tape as the means of marking the top of the goal.
1878: A referee uses a whistle for the first time and the first floodlit match takes place at Bramall Lane between two local teams.
1882: The football associations of Great Britain unify their rules and form the International Football Association Board – the body that determines the Laws of the Game.
1891: Penalties are awarded for the first time, the goal net is accepted into the laws and the referee is allowed on the field of play.
1902: The penalty box and spot are introduced after it's decided penalties would be awarded for fouls committed in an area 18 yards from the goal line and 44 yards wide. The six-yard box was also introduced, although it took another 35 years for the 'D' shape at the edge of the area to be brought in.
1912: Goalkeepers are prevented from handling the ball outside the penalty area.
1925: The offside law – where players are onside if there are three players between the ball and goal – are reduced to two players.
1938: Laws of the Game are made by IFAB member Stanley Rous, who did such a good job that it was not revised again until 1997.
1958: Substitutes are permitted for the first time, albeit only for an injured goalkeeper and one other injured player.
1970: Red and yellow cards are introduced for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
1990: The offside law is changed in favour of the attacker, who is now onside if level with the penultimate defender.
1992: Goalkeepers are forbidden from handling back-passes from a team-mate's foot.
1994: The technical area is introduced into the Laws of the Game, with the fourth official following the next year.

A
comprehensive series of tests have been carried out on the systems by
Swiss scientists. Both Hawk-Eye and
GoalRef are deemed to have passed the tests satisfactorily.

There will still be a delay before either
system can be used in competitive football, however – each will need to
be licensed, installed and then tested in every venue to make sure it
is working properly.

The IFAB, who are meeting in Zurich, also insist the technology is used only as an aid to referees to make a decision, rather than being the deciding factor in whether the ball has crossed the line.

It means referees can still decide not to award a goal based on what they see even if the systems are indicating the ball has crossed the line.

FIFA's president Sepp Blatter is a firm supporter of goal-line technology, having changed his mind after Lampard's disallowed goal.

The clamour increased last month after
Ukraine's disallowed goal against England and has also served to sweep
aside any lingering doubts over the systems' margins of error.

However,
FIFA are insistent that, initially at least, the technology's signal of
a goal should only be transmitted to the match officials and not to the
crowd or TV audience.

The
IFAB is made up of FIFA, who have four votes, and the four home
nations, who have one vote each. Any law change needs at least six
votes.

The body will
also consider whether the UEFA experiment with extra officials has been a
success and should be continued, but UEFA president Michel Platini will
not be going to Zurich to argue the case in person.

The England v Ukraine incident, which
saw John Terry hook the ball back into play when it was already across
the line, could hardly have fallen worse for Platini.

No goal was awarded despite the extra official being no more than 10 yards away and staring straight along the line. That
suited Blatter perfectly, who opposes the extra two officials on the
grounds that in many countries there are not a sufficient number of
referees.

The tests on the technology were
carried out by the EMPA – the Swiss Federal Laboratory for Materials
Science and Technology – and the results discussed by IFAB members at a
meeting earlier this month.

The
Hawk-Eye system – developed by a British company now owned by Sony – is
based on cameras and GoalRef, a Danish-German development, uses
magnetic fields.

Moving the goalposts: Blatter's mind was changed following Frank Lampard's strike in the 2010 World Cup

Remember this Goal-line technology may mean incidents such as Frank Lampard's 'goal' in the 2010 World Cup will be accepted

They even themselves out: John Terry was too late to stop Marko Devic's shot crossing the line - but the goal was not given

They even themselves out: John Terry was too late to stop Marko Devic's shot crossing the line – but the goal was not given

Each system is required to send an immediate message to a watch worn by the match officials within a second of the ball crossing the line.

The tests included exposing the equipment and watches to extreme heat and cold, as well as humidity and heavy rain. Experiments also took place during live matches including England's match against Belgium on June 2.

FIFA's Club World Cup in Japan in December is likely to be the first competition where the technology is used.

How other sports have led the way with technology…

CRICKET
The third umpire was first introduced in international cricket 20 years ago, primarily for on-field umpires to call for assistance for run-out and stumping decisions and whether catches had carried to fielders. Over the years the remit has been expanded as technologies have advanced with third umpires now having access to super-slow motion, infrared imaging, stump microphones and the predictive ball-tracking 'Hawk-Eye', which can rule on lbws. Players can now challenge umpires' decisions by calling for a TV review.

TENNIS
Wimbledon watchers will remember the bleeps of 'Cyclops', the infrared system which was used to detect whether serves were in or out and was introduced at the championships in 1980. These days the showpiece matches utilise Hawk-Eye, which tracks the ball all over the court. If a player disagrees with a line judge's call, they can call for a Hawk-Eye review and are allowed two incorrect challenges per set.

RUGBY LEAGUE
The video referee came into rugby league with the launch of Super League in 1996 and has become part of the competition's fabric, although it is still only used in live TV matches for cost reasons. The system has been refined over the years but the video referee can rule on a wide range of decisions when called upon by the referee, with the exception of the forward pass, for which camera angles can be deceptive. The system is also used in televised Challenge Cup ties, Australia's NRL and selected international fixtures.

RUGBY UNION
The 15-man code paved the way for the introduction of the Television Match Official in 2001. They are now regularly used at the top level but their scope remains limited with referees only able to call for assistance in acts of scoring. That could change later this year with the International Rugby Board having approved trials for reviews on other matters within the field of play.
Since last season the TMO has been used in all English Premiership games, not just those being televised.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL
The NFL introduced a replay system in 1986 with an extra official used to review certain plays. It was dropped in 1992 amid general feeling it had done little to improve the game but a new method of coaches' challenges was brought in seven years later. When a challenge is made in the NFL, it is the on-field referee himself who will watch replays, under a hood, on the sidelines. He must see clear evidence of an error and has 60 seconds to make a decision. Coaches are allowed to challenge two decisions per game but if both are successful are allowed a third. If a challenge is unsuccessful, the team is charged with a timeout. Challenges cannot be made in the final two minutes of each half, or overtime, but all plays are observed by an additional TV official.

Rangers in crisis: FIFA could punish club

Posted on May 31, 2012 by adminsports

Warning shot! Rangers at risk of tough action, threaten FIFA following court decision

UPDATED:

22:16 GMT, 30 May 2012

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has issued a direct warning to Rangers that they are risking dire consequences by taking their battle with the SFA to the civil courts.

Boyce was speaking out as Hampden chiefs, still reeling from the Court of Session verdict that saw the Ibrox club successfully challenge a 12-month transfer ban, were awaiting feedback from world football’s governing body before deciding their next step in the dispute.

The move by administrators Duff & Phelps to take the case to the courts was in contravention of FIFA rules, which state the SFA should now issue Rangers with a punishment.

Dark times: FIFA are keeping an eye on the situation at Rangers

Boyce, a member of the world body’s all-powerful Executive Committee (ExCo) and Britain’s representative at FIFA’s top table, admitted the row had not yet been discussed at formal level at their Zurich HQ but could come under scrutiny at the next ExCo meeting in Moscow in September.

Although Rangers argued the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had no jurisdiction over their situation, Boyce told Sportsmail the Ibrox club should still have pursued that avenue in the first instance.

‘If a club or an association has complaints, or are not happy with whatever decision football bodies make, they have recourse to the CAS,’ he said. ‘FIFA and UEFA feel that is the channel people should go through.

‘As everyone knows, FC Sion this year — because of the Celtic scenario — took everything through civil courts. But the final result was still the same. Nothing has changed.’

Unhappy ending: Rangers finished the season 20 points behind rivals Celtic

Explaining their reasoning for not taking the CAS route, lawyers acting on behalf of Rangers pointed to SFA rule 65.3 (b) which said the governing body’s decisions are ‘final and binding’.

Under European club licensing regulations, however, Rangers — in common with other clubs — signed an agreement before competing in Europe last summer saying they would abide by the UEFA rules.

The need for self-declarations came after Celtic’s former European foes FC Sion took a legal battle with UEFA through the Swiss civil courts — forcing FIFA to threaten punitive sanctions against the Swiss FA unless they slapped down belligerent owner Christian Constantin.

‘Because the Swiss FA did not take immediate action against Sion, special embargos were imposed by FIFA,’ Boyce said. ‘And the Swiss FA were given a specific period to act — or be suspended. That was when the Swiss FA acted.

‘If they hadn’t, it would have had consequences for the whole game in Switzerland.’

Dark days: The Ibrox men are facing an uncertain future

A special ExCo meeting has been called for next month to confirm changes to the structure of the Ethics Committee. Should the SFA fail to settle the row with the Ibrox club — albeit there remains hope on both sides that some sort of peace deal may yet be brokered — the more likely date for the issue to be raised is the regular meeting of the ExCo in Moscow in September.

In the meantime, FIFA want to understand the precise status of the Court of Session in Scots law. Once they return their opinion to Hampden, it will be married up with the SFA’s own legal advice before chief executive Stewart Regan announces their intention.

‘We are still in consultation with our legal advisers and FIFA,’ confirmed the SFA.

Appeal: Rangers manager Ally McCoist

Currently, it seems likely the Rangers case will return to an SFA Appeals Tribunal.

As Sportsmail reported on Wednesday, however, the fact a transfer embargo has been ruled not to be a valid sanction could back that tribunal into a corner where only a suspension or termination of Rangers’ SFA membership is viewed as an appropriate outcome.

Former SFA chief executive Gordon Smith, who lost his job as Rangers director of football after the club went into administration, told Sky Sports News: ‘Rangers might find the actual sanction could be greater.

‘I think the club should have sat down with the SFA. We have to find out how the SFA are going to react if FIFA put them under pressure.’

UEFA chief"s tough warning: Chelsea and City face Europe ban

Posted on April 29, 2012 by adminsports

Chelsea and City face Europe ban: UEFA chief's tough warning to Premier League big spenders

UPDATED:

21:40 GMT, 28 April 2012

Big spenders Manchester City and Chelsea have been warned by Europe's football bosses that if they splash
out on players this summer they may be forced to cut back their
Champions League squads – and even be barred from taking part in
European competition.

Under UEFA's tough Financial Fair
Play rules, applied from this season, clubs are allowed to make losses
of no more than 36million over two years.

Balancing the books: Sheik Mansour

But with sanctions for offending clubs due to be enforced from 2013-14, City and Chelsea face an almost impossible task to reduce their losses to acceptable levels.

City reported a 197m loss last year, while Chelsea's deficit was 67.7m. With both expected to rebuild their squads at considerable expense this summer, their prospects of success – and even future participation – in the highly lucrative Champions league are looking bleak.

UEFA president Michel Platini is expected at the Etihad Stadium for tomorrow's Premier League title showdown between City and Manchester United.

Victory for City would throw the momentum back to Roberto Mancini's expensively assembled team but City know that both they and Chelsea could face exclusion from the Champions League if they do not change their ways.

Facing exclusion: Roman Abramovich and Chelsea

Alasdair Bell, UEFA's director of legal affairs, insisted last week that serious sanctions will apply to clubs who miss the 36m limit by more than 20 per cent.

In the first instance, UEFA will force offending clubs to withdraw up to five players from their 25-strong Champions League squads for the 2013 competition.

Repeat offenders will face being thrown out of the Champions League from the following year.

Bell said: 'Sanctions need to be sufficiently effective and credible to make people abide by the rules. If we're not capable of enforcing the system, in a way in which makes Financial Fair Play a reality, then we might as well forget it.

'Clubs who maybe have made more serious and effective efforts to bring their own house in order will expect the rules to be applied to those who have not done that.'

New Blue: Marko Marin signed for Chelsea

City's transfer targets this summer include Eden Hazard, Fernando Llorente, Edinson Cavani and Luka Modric, while Chelsea, who yesterday signed 23-yearold Werder Bremen winger Marko Marin for 7m, are also targeting Hazard and Modric as well as Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.

The total value of those signings could top 150m.

Bell revealed that a new independent body called the Club Financial Control Panel, comprising lawyers and accountants, will be charged with enforcing UEFA's rules.

'The aim is to regularise and stabilise football finances,' said Bell.

'The sanctions system has to be tailored to encourage rather than punish. But if certain clubs are just ignoring the system, we are going to face legitimate demands from others to do something about it. This is a balancing exercise that will have to be carried out by the panel.'

Clubs will be able to complain to the new body about rivals they believe are breaking the rules.

While City appear to be banking on a reported 400m, 10-year sponsorship by the Etihad airline to make their debts more in line with the Financial Fair Play rules, that deal is already being investigated by UEFA because the airline is owned by the royal family of Abu Dhabi and City's owner, Sheik Mansour, is a member of that family.

Sponsorship investigation: The Etihad Stadium

Bell says the new panel will scrutinise such deals in the same way that the European Union Commission assess whether a country is providing illegal state aid to its own industry.

'We have to determine whether a sponsorship deal is genuine or a disguised capital injection,' he said.

Bell insists that even if one of Europe's blue-chip clubs, such as Barcelona or Inter Milan, were to fail the regulations, there would be no rewriting of the rules.

'That shouldn't happen,' said Bell.

'The Club Financial Control Panel will be independent and their sole task will be to determine whether rules have been respected and, if not, what sanctions should be applied.'

Stiliyan Petrov to begin leukaemia treatment

Posted on April 2, 2012 by adminsports

Petrov to begin treatment for leukaemia as Villa captain vows to win battle

UPDATED:

07:00 GMT, 2 April 2012

Stiliyan Petrov will begin treatment at a London hospital on Monday after being diagnosed with acute leukaemia.

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish expected that the Bulgarian midfielder, 32, would spend a couple of days in the capital in the first instance after the diagnosis was made public on Friday and hopes to visit him in hospital this week.

Club captain Petrov addressed the Villa squad in the dressing room prior to Saturday's 4-2 Barclays Premier League defeat at home to Chelsea, where he vowed to fight the condition and beat it.

Show of defiance: Stiliyan Petrov watched Aston Villa play Chelsea

He then stayed on as a spectator at the match with his family, and stood to acknowledge an ovation from both sets of supporters in the 19th minute, timed to match the player's squad number.

'I don't think he's down there (in London) long term, only for a couple of days at a time,' McLeish told Sky Sports.

'But we believe he's got the best possible chance of help at the moment, with the specialists he's got now.

'I didn't see him after the game yesterday but he texted me to say it was a great game and he thought we were a bit unlucky.

'He obviously made it a very emotional occasion and the fans were right behind the team and gave us extra power.

'I never realised the Chelsea players wore T-shirts and I thank them very much for that fantastic gesture.

'I watched (Petrov's former club) Celtic play (on Sunday) and they had a smashing tribute in the 19th minute to Stiliyan – he's a massively popular guy.

Support: Fans at Celtic (above) and Villa gave their backing to Petrov

'I've received numerous emails and texts saying “pass my best wishes on to him”.

'Hopefully the support will boost him and give him positivity – I know that can help people in their recovery.'

McLeish had earlier spoken about Petrov's dressing-room message to his team-mates.

'Stan is a determined guy and has said he will fight it and beat it. He told the lads that before the game in the dressing room,' the Villa boss said.

'It was typical of him. He is a leader, and he says he will battle through it, and those are the kind of words we would expect to hear from Stiliyan.

'The whole of football has got respect for Stan and we are right behind him in his recovery.

'He has taken his first couple of
steps in the past couple of days and we hope to see him popping in the
training ground in between his spells of treatment.'

Chelsea's Fernando Torres wears a shirt with a slogan in support of Stiliyan Petrov

Martin Petrov of Bolton celebrates his goal

In our thoughts: Fernando Torres (left) and Martin Petrov lend their support

Bond: Aston Villa players came close to upsetting Chelsea in front of Petrov

Villa defender Eric Lichaj, who scored his side's second goal, said: 'Stan came into the dressing room beforehand. It is never easy when you hear news like that about someone you play with all the time.

'It can happen to anyone, just like with Fabrice Muamba the other week (who suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch playing for Bolton against Tottenham on March 17). You don't really know what to say or to do and just hope he makes a full recovery.

'Stan was in a good mood before the game, just trying to motivate us, being his normal self.

'That's how he is, an uplifting guy, a great captain, and it's sad what has happened.'

Graham Westley appointed Preston manager

Posted on January 14, 2012 by adminsports

Westley appointed Preston boss as former Stevenage manager opts for new challenge

Graham Westley has been named the new manager of Preston North End.

Westley, 43, joins the Lilywhites after a highly successful spell as boss of fellow npower League One side Stevenage.

The two clubs agreed a compensation package on Friday morning, that also included the release of assistant manager John Dreyer and coach Dino Maamria who will join him at Deepdale.

Deal: Graham Westley is set to be confirmed as Preston boss

Football League blog

Westley said: 'It is a privilege to be handed the reins at this historic football club.

'When you see images of men like Sir Tom Finney, Alan Kelly and Bill Shankly looking back at you from the stands at Deepdale, you get a very clear sense of the responsibilities that you are accepting.

'My job is to do my very best to re-ignite the Club's on field performance and in the first instance help the Club to punch at its weight. We will take things on from there.

'The one thing that I will promise the fans is that I will sweat blood to build a team that lives up to the Club's traditions and which strongly reflects the ethics of hard work, discipline and organisation that I hold dear.

'I am here to create a team that wins football matches and honours. That isn't easy, but I don't look for easy options.

'It is my job to build a ferocious spirit of passion and unity amongst our team and in support of our team.

Parting gift: Westley signed off from Stevenage with a win over Reading

'There is a superb platform here at Preston North End and it is up to me to capitalise on that.

'Let's just get better every day.”

Chairman Peter Ridsdale was delighted to conclude the deal, adding: 'After a thorough and deliberate recruitment process, we are delighted to have secured the services of our No 1 target.

'We look forward to working together to restore this fabulous football club to its rightful position in the football hierarchy.'

Westley and his staff have signed rolling contracts and will take over their duties following Saturday's home game against Wycombe Wanderers.

Graham Alexander and David Unsworth will take charge of first team affairs on Saturday, but the new management trio will be in the stands.

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Tag Archives: instance

England looking for 10th ODI win in a row against Australia

Goal-line technology signed off for football

Rangers in crisis: FIFA could punish club

UEFA chief"s tough warning: Chelsea and City face Europe ban

Stiliyan Petrov to begin leukaemia treatment

Graham Westley appointed Preston manager