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General Sports News

Fergie blames poor defending

Date: 28/05/2009

Sir Alex Ferguson blamed "shoddy" defending for Manchester United's failure to make history by becoming the first side to defend the Champions League.

A below-par United slipped to a 2-0 final defeat to Barcelona in Rome to lose their European crown in disappointing fashion.

The United boss admitted the Spanish side deserved to win at the Stadio Olimpico following goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi as his side defended poorly and continually gave the ball away.

Captain Ryan Giggs admitted United had failed to live up to expectations, while Cristiano Ronaldo described the defeat as the low point in his career.

Elsewhere, Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim has revealed his excitement at potentially becoming the new owner of Portsmouth.

On Wednesday evening, the south coast club revealed that current owner Alexandre Gaydamak had accepted an offer from Al-Fahim to take control at Fratton Park.

Al-Fahim previously brokered a deal for Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to buy Manchester City.

West Bromwich Albion have rejected reports linking Tony Mowbray with the managerial vacancy at Celtic.

The Baggies boss is the latest name to be mentioned as a possible replacement for Gordon Strachan following his resignation from the Parkhead hot-seat on Monday.

But Mowbray, who spent four years as a Hoops player, will not be leaving The Hawthorns this summer, according to the Albion board.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle - the second favourite in the football betting odds - has also distanced himself from the Celtic job after leading the Clarets to promotion to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has pledged to be patient as he looks to appoint a new manager for his club.

The Black Cats have already been strongly linked with a move for sportsbooks favourite Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce.

But Quinn claims the Wearsiders are in no rush to appoint a successor to former manager Ricky Sbragia.

In rugby union, Seven Wales internationals will start for the British and Irish Lions in Saturday's opening tour match against a Royal XV.

Debutants Lee Byrne, Jamie Roberts, Andy Powell, Matthew Rees, Adam Jones, plus Shane Williams and Martyn

Williams, have all be named in the starting line-up for the opener against a select side in South Africa.

Elsewhere, Ireland will have four representatives in centre Keith Earls, winger Tommy Bowe, fly-half Ronan O'Gara and captain Paul O'Connell.

England forwards Andrew Sheridan and Simon Shaw, flanker Joe Worsley and Scotland's Mike Blair complete the line-up.

In cricket, Sussex will rest Matt Prior in order to allow the England wicketkeeper's finger injury to recover.

Prior suffered a badly bruised finger during the one-day series victory over West Indies and will play no part in Sussex's Twenty20 Cup campaign.

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