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Whelan stands by Martinez

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 25/11/2009
Football betting

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has backed manager Roberto Martinez to help his players recover quickly from their humiliating 9-1 thrashing at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Latics suffered their heaviest-ever league defeat at White Hart Lane, but Whelan retains full faith in former Swansea City boss Martinez.

He told the Evening Post: "I am absolutely 100 per cent behind Roberto, he's a great manager and he will pull this team around.

"We have got two home games next, Sunderland and then Birmingham, at home we want six points and that's the only thing we want.

"Roberto is Wigan's manager and I have complete faith in him and I know the supporters have. Even if we lose 1-0 or we don't play well, Roberto worries about it. He will get up and over it."

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Liverpool's Dutch forward Ryan Babel has admitted that he is keen to leave Anfield in a bid to secure regular first-team football.

The 22-year-old joined the Reds for £11.5million in the summer of 2007 from Ajax, but has since struggled to make his mark, with 58 of his 105 appearances coming as a substitute.

Babel told The Sun: "We have agreed to look at my situation in the winter. If there's no improvement then I have to be honest, I want to be somewhere else."

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has dropped Ronan O'Gara from the side that will face South Africa at Croke Park on Saturday.

Kidney has chosen Jonathan Sexton for the number ten jersey after the Leinster fly-half impressed on his international debut against Fiji.

England coach Andy Flower has revealed that his relationship with Kevin Pietersen is now much better than it was earlier in the year.

After Pietersen had lost the England captaincy in January and the search was one for a new coach following Peter Moores' departure, the big-hitting bastman had dismissed then assistant Flower's chances of stepping up to the role.

However, Flower now hints that that is all water under the bridge, saying: "Kevin and I get on fine. We've always had a very honest relationship where we'll tell each other what we think."

Ross Brawn has ruled out the possibility of Michael Schumacher driving for the Mercedes team in 2010.

On Monday, Mercedes confirmed Nico Rosberg as one of their drivers for next season, fuelling speculation that fellow German Schumacher would be tempted out of retirement to drive for the former Brawn GP outfit.

However, Brawn told the German newspaper Bild: "The issue now haunts the media, but there's nothing in it."

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