Mario Mandžukić's second-half equaliser earned Croatia a vital draw against Italy to leave Group C wide open at Euro 2012. Croatia knew three points in Poznan would clinch their last-eight spot following an impressive opening 3-1 win against Republic of Ireland. The Italians appeared in total control after taking the lead through Andrea Pirlo's delightful first-half free-kick. But Mandžukić's third Euro 2012 goal means the Italians will now need a big win over Ireland to progress. And, as we all know, 'Italy' and 'big win' aren't words you normally see in the same sentence. For their part, Croatia appeared happy with a point after struggling to match a slick Italian side who dominated the first half thanks to a midfield masterclass from the evergreen Pirlo. Much of the pre-match talk had centred on the midfield battle between veteran Juventus Hunchbacks' star Pirlo and his Croatia counterpart Luka Modrić. But the Stottingtot Hotshots playmaker failed to match Pirlo, who dictated the game and set up waves of Italian counter-attacks. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli had stuck with the three-five-two formation used against Spain, which meant there was no room in his starting XI for Sunday's goalscoring substitute Antonio Di Natale. Instead Mario Balotelli retained his place, and he was heavily involved in the early stages as Italy settled quickly. The Sheikh Yer Man City striker had a trio of golden opportunities before the quarter-hour mark but failed to beat Stipe Pletikosa in the Croatia goal after slightly hesitating on each occasion. 
Fittingly, it was the thirty three-year-old Pirlo who opened the scoring, his free-kick dipping over the Croatian wall and past a helpless Pletikosa from twenty yards. But Italy seemed to run out of energy in the final third of the match as Slavan Bilic's men upped the tempo in search of an equaliser. Croatia are the tallest squad in Euro 2012, with an average height of six foot one inch, and they looked to use their aerial advantage, full-backs Ivan Strinić and Darijo Srna pressing forward to supply crosses for strikers Nikica Jelavić and Mandžukić. And it was a pinpoint Strinic delivery that enabled Mandzukic to control before firing into the roof of Gianluigi Buffon's net off the post. Ultimately Italy, who had failed to win their second group match in each of their last five tournaments, paid the price for not making their early dominance count.
Fernando Torres scored twice as Spain knocked Republic of Ireland out of Euro 2012 with a dominant display. Yes, I'll repeat that, Fernando Torres scored twice. Well, that's what it says here. Don't blame me, I just report the news. Torres' powerful finish from ten yards opened the scoring inside four minutes. David Silva's composed effort just after the restart doubled the advantage, Torres poked in a third after a quick break and substitute Cesc Fàbregas drove in a fourth. The victory was enough to move Spain above Croatia, who they face on Monday, at the top of Group C. The Republic's previous successes in major competitions had been based on organisation and discipline. But their performance in their first major tournament in a decade can be summed up by the fact that, including their 3-1 defeat to Croatia, they have conceded a goal inside four minutes at the start of each half they have played. Before their sobering loss to Croatia, the Irish had never conceded three goals in a major competition but they have now done so twice in five days on the way to losing consecutive matches in a major tournament for the first time. For Spain, who drew their opening game 1-1 with Italy, this was a ruthless reminder of their ambition to become the first team to win three consecutive major tournaments, twenty four hours after Germany drew the focus with a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands.
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque was also boosted by the performance of Torres, who replaced Fàbregas in the starting line-up and scored his first competitive international goals since September 2010. For all the pre-match rhetoric, and a history of battling performances by the Republic, the concession of a yet another early goal left Giovanni Trapattoni's game-plan looking redundant. Simon Cox, drafted in to replace Kevin Doyle up front only to be withdrawn for Jonathan Walters at the interval, forced an early save from Iker Casillas but the defending champions took just three minutes to move in front. Richard Dunne did well to block Silva after Andrés Iniesta had guided in an intelligent pass, but Torres drifted around Stephen Ward before thumping a shot over a helpless Shay Given. From that point on, Spain were able to strangle the game, controlling possession deep inside the opposition half. When the Irish did manage to win the ball back, wingers Damien Duff and Aidan McGeady were generally too deep to contribute in attack and Robbie Keane was invariably too isolated to be picked out. Silva had a low shot held by Given and Torres prodded wide at the near post before Keith Andrews had a shot deflected wide and Dunne missed with a header at the other end. Iniesta had a powerful effort pushed away by Given, Silva headed over and Gerard Piqué failed to make the most of a free header from Silva's corner. When Cox finally picked out Keane in a dangerous area, the Irish captain's effort was easily blocked by Piqué. The pattern was never likely to change and after Given palmed away an Iniesta shot three minutes after half-time, Silva calmly waited for the room to guide a shot into the bottom corner. With just over twenty minutes remaining, Silva clipped a ball in behind the defence for Torres and the Chelsea striker prodded past Given. And there was still time for substitute Fàbregas, who had come on for Torres, to drive in a powerful cross-shot to add a fourth and further underline total Spanish superiority.
The first of today's games is Ukraine versus France (kick-off 5.00pm). ITV get coverage of the Group D encounter in Donetsk, where the teams play their second match of the tournament. Euro 2000 winners France will be hoping not only to succeed in winning this competition for the third time in their history, but also to restore some pride following their dismal display at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Despite having a star-studded squad that could boast the likes of Franck Ribery, Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka, they finished bottom of Group A with just a single point, earned in a 0-0 draw with Uruguay. That campaign was dominated by a dispute between head coach Raymond Domenech and several of the first-team players, which led to Les Bleus boycotting training and to the subsequent removal of Domenech following their elimination. Former captain Laurent Blanc was appointed as his successor, and remains in charge for this tournament, but has himself come under much scrutiny back home following several sub-par performances of late.
Then, it's 'The Big One', Sweden versus England (kick-off 7.45pm). And, this one's on the BBC so it should, at least, be watchable. Gary Lineker presents coverage of tonight's Group D match at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, where the teams play their second game of the campaign. This is the fourth time that England have been drawn against Sweden in the group stage of a major tournament, having also faced them at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006, and at Euro '92, when a 2-1 victory for the Swedes saw them progress at England's expense.
Both of those previous World Cup encounters ended in draws, and on each occasion a point proved to be enough to help both nations reach the knockout stage. More recently, last November saw England play host to the Swedes in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium, when a Daniel Majstorovic own goal resulted in a 1-0 victory for what were then Fabio Capello's men. Though that proved to be England's first win over the Scandinavians since 1968, there seemed to be little cause for celebration given the drab nature of the match, which was played out in front of the lowest crowd for an England game since the national stadium was rebuilt.
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has criticised his team's woeful performance after their 2-1 defeat against Germany left them struggling to qualify for the Euro 2012 quarter-finals. 'We defended moderately and the co-operation between our midfielders and defence was poor,' confessed van Marwijk. '[But] we cannot imagine that it is ever when we are at this level.' The Dutch now need to beat Portugal by two goals, while hoping Germany defeat Denmark, to progress further in the competition. Van Marwijk's side spurned a host of chances in the first half, and were rocked by Mario Gomez's clinical double.
Robin van Persie offered hope of a comeback with a fantastic strike in the seventy third minute, but impressive Germany held on to leave their opponents bottom of Group B with no points. Van Marwijk admitted the threat from his wingers was 'too little' - partly a reference to Arjen Robben, who stomped off petulantly after being replaced by Dirt Kuyt in the eighty third minute. But it was his side's wastefulness in front of goal which bothered him most. 'I thought we played very well in the first twenty minutes and had a few decent chances, but you have to take them against Germany,' he said. 'In the final minutes we tried to force things but you have to be daring to get the second goal.' Germany are favourites to win the tournament following another impressive performance and their manager Joachim Loew believes victory over Denmark is important in their final match of the group. 'The group winner would be important because we can stay in Gdansk and that would probably be to our advantage in the quarter-finals,' he said. '[Against Netherlands] the temperatures were extreme and the game was competitive and intense. There were times when both teams lacked momentum. But we were determined to take the step towards the quarter-finals.'
Nicklas Bendtner could be punished by UEFA after celebrating a goal by revealing the logo of a betting company on his underpants. The Denmark striker scored twice against Portugal, but could not prevent his team slipping to a 3-2 defeat.
After his second goal, Bendtner lowered his shorts to reveal the logo. UEFA is investigating the matter, while the Danish Football Association could also take action because it had an exclusive deal with another company. One that doesn't kick cats into trees. Allegedly. Sponsors pay millions to be associated with the European Championship and governing body UEFA has strict rules preventing ambush marketing. The company which Arsenal striker Bendtner was advertising on the waistband of his underwear said no money had exchanged hands and the underpants have been sent to several other unnamed players. Denmark, who will play Germany in their final Group B, need at least a point, probably all three, to reach the quarter-finals.
Hapless Harry Redknapp believes he would have been sacked by the Stottingtot Hotshots even if they earned Champions League qualification. The sixty five-year-old former manager was dismissed on Wednesday evening after almost four years at White Hart Lane. Despite finishing one point behind The Arse in fourth last term, Moscow Chelski FC's Champions League win denied Spurs a place in next season's competition. 'I think the same outcome would have happened, the chairman would have gone down the same road,' said Redknapp. Chairman Daniel Levy is said to be 'in no rush' to replace Redknapp with Tottenham privately expressing a determination to conduct a 'properly run process' to find their next manger. David Moyes has been installed as an early favourite to succeed Redknapp by bookmakers but it is understood no approach has been made for the Everton manager. 'Sources' allegedly close to Andre Villas-Boas allegedly claim that he is not being considered, while Rafael Benitez, Roberto Martinez and ex-Spurs striker Jurgen Klinsmann have also been linked with the role. Redknapp, meanwhile, has stressed he will be looking for another job in management after previous stints with Portsmouth, Southampton, West Ham and Bournemouth. 'You cannot sit around moping. That's not my game,' he said. 'I love football. I would suit any job. I don't think I am coming to the end of my career. Alex Ferguson is in his seventies and is still the best manager in the world. I am as fit as a fiddle.' Redknapp had a year left on his contract but insists there are no hard feelings towards Levy or Tottenham.
'What has happened is that I met with the chairman and the club decided to go in a different direction,' he said. 'That's their decision. I have had four fantastic years at Tottenham and have absolutely loved every minute. It couldn't have gone better for me. It is disappointing in some ways but that's football,' Redknapp added. 'The people who own the club make their decisions. That is their right. I don't hold grudges. I don't worry what could have been. I have left behind fantastic players. It is tough because it is a team that could have gone on to win the Premier League. I just wish I had been part of that.' Redknapp led Tottenham to a fourth-place finish in 2009-10 to seal their first ever appearance in the Champions League, reaching the quarter-finals in 2010-11. Spurs were briefly in contention for the Premier League title last season but slipped to fourth after Redknapp was installed as the favourite to replace Fabio Capello as England manager. At least, installed as favourite by lots of his chums in Fleet Street and at Sky Sports, if not by anyone that actually mattered. When Capello resigned on 8 February, Spurs were third in the league and ten points clear of a faltering The Arse, but they eventually finished a point behind the Gunners while the FA appointed Roy Hodgson. However, Redknapp believes speculation about him succeeding Capello had no bearing on Levy's decision. 'I have kept my counsel all the way through and that was nothing at all to do with anything,' he said. Redknapp added: 'It was nothing to do with contracts or me asking for anything. I had a year left and that was fine. The club decided to have a change. It is a decision the chairman decided to make.'
A spokesman for Glasgow Rangers' administrators has insisted that Ally McCoist remains manager of the club. McCoist, forty nine, succeeded Walter Smith at Ibrox in February 2011 and his tenure has coincided with the most turbulent spell in the club's history. Rangers will re-form as a new company after a creditors' deal was rejected by Revenue and Customs. McCoist scored three hundred and fifty five goals in five hundred and eighty one appearances for Rangers and is the club's thirteenth manager. Unlucky for some. Well, for him, anyway. An alleged 'source' allegedly close to the former striker has allegedly 'poured cold water' on talk of McCoist's departure, telling BBC Scotland that the report claiming he is on the verge of leaving the club is 'paper talk.' When he was appointed, McCoist said: 'I was lucky enough to play for the club for fifteen years, but this is an absolute dream and a privilege.'
Recently, McCoist praised the Rangers supporters for sticking by the club given their off-field problems. John MacMillan, general secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, told BBC Scotland that fans should not buy tickets while McCoist's future was uncertain. 'I think, for what he's been through, he's held his dignity very well, and for Ally McCoist to even contemplate doing that, then something must be seriously wrong. The very fact that he's not making any comment and Rangers aren't making any comment tells me there's truth in it. In my view there's been a distinct lack of transparency with Charles Green. It's hanging on a cliff edge, I think fans would be ill-advised to renew season tickets at this time,' he said. Clubs will have to vote on whether to re-admit Rangers to the Scottish Premier League. HMRC rejected prospective owner Charles Green's bid to exit administration via a company voluntary arrangement giving creditors nine pence in the pound.
Sky has seen its share price fall sharply on Thursday over fears that the pay-TV giant may have overpaid in its new two billion quid-plus deal for Premier League television rights. The Premier League yesterday closed the auction for the UK television and digital rights to one hundred and fifty four live games a season running from 2013-14 to 2015-16 - sixteen more per season than currently broadcast. Sky has held its position as the leading broadcaster of the league, after agreeing to pay seven hundred and sixty million smackers per annum for five packs totalling one hundred and sixteen live matches, up from the current deal level of five hundred and forty one million wonga per season. Stiff competition for the rights has meant that Sky will now have to fork out a staggering £6.6m for each live game, up from £4.7m previously. BT has picked up the remaining thirty eight games per season after beating current rights holder ESPN to the deal. Sky will have to shell out a total of £2.28bn on the three-season Premier League deal, while BT will find its wallet lighter to the tune of seven hundred and thirty eight million knicker. Overall, the Premier League sold its TV rights for £3.084bn, a staggering seventy per cent increase over the current deal value of £1.7bn, and providing a massive windfall for clubs in the league. Shares in Sky fell around eight per cent in early trading to six hundred and thirty nine pence, effectively wiping more than eight hundred million quid off its market value, as investors express concern that Sky may have overpaid for the rights. Sky has also recently spent big on snapping up other high profile sports rights, such as Formula One from 2012 to 2018 (in a joint deal with the BBC), UEFA Champions League until 2015, and Scottish Premier League until 2017. But Jeremy Darroch, the chief executive of Sky, feels that the coverage will allow Sky Sports to offer 'unprecedented live action right across the schedule.'
Alongside driving up satellite TV subscriptions, Sky also intends to unlock more revenues from the Premier League rights by making the coverage available on a pay-as-you-view basis via its new NOW TV service. The Internet-delivered offering will launch later in the year, as part of Sky's strategy to monetise its expensively acquired content among people who do not want pay-TV. 'We're pushing ahead with more original British content, extending our leadership as the UK's favourite triple play provider, and launching our new Internet TV service, NOW TV, which will give us even more ways to distribute our content,' said Darroch. 'In what was a very competitive tender process, we are pleased to have secured the combination of rights that we wanted, providing certainty for us and our customers. Whilst the cost is higher, we have capacity for this increase through the combination of excellent work on cost-efficiency across the business and choices over other future spending. As a result, we remain confident of delivering our financial plans, in line with our expectations, unchanged, in each year of the new deal.' Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis added: 'The Premier League has never been more popular with our customers so it's excellent news that Sky Sports viewers will continue to enjoy the biggest and best games, including Super Sunday and Monday Night Football. Sky Sports viewers have never had so much choice of high quality action. Alongside the Premier League, we have long-term agreements in place to show the best in live sport, including UEFA Champions League football, European, Ryder Cup and US tour golf, Test and one-day cricket and Formula One. At the same time, we'll continue to innovate in providing the best coverage possible.'
Fittingly, it was the thirty three-year-old Pirlo who opened the scoring, his free-kick dipping over the Croatian wall and past a helpless Pletikosa from twenty yards. But Italy seemed to run out of energy in the final third of the match as Slavan Bilic's men upped the tempo in search of an equaliser. Croatia are the tallest squad in Euro 2012, with an average height of six foot one inch, and they looked to use their aerial advantage, full-backs Ivan Strinić and Darijo Srna pressing forward to supply crosses for strikers Nikica Jelavić and Mandžukić. And it was a pinpoint Strinic delivery that enabled Mandzukic to control before firing into the roof of Gianluigi Buffon's net off the post. Ultimately Italy, who had failed to win their second group match in each of their last five tournaments, paid the price for not making their early dominance count.Fernando Torres scored twice as Spain knocked Republic of Ireland out of Euro 2012 with a dominant display. Yes, I'll repeat that, Fernando Torres scored twice. Well, that's what it says here. Don't blame me, I just report the news. Torres' powerful finish from ten yards opened the scoring inside four minutes. David Silva's composed effort just after the restart doubled the advantage, Torres poked in a third after a quick break and substitute Cesc Fàbregas drove in a fourth. The victory was enough to move Spain above Croatia, who they face on Monday, at the top of Group C. The Republic's previous successes in major competitions had been based on organisation and discipline. But their performance in their first major tournament in a decade can be summed up by the fact that, including their 3-1 defeat to Croatia, they have conceded a goal inside four minutes at the start of each half they have played. Before their sobering loss to Croatia, the Irish had never conceded three goals in a major competition but they have now done so twice in five days on the way to losing consecutive matches in a major tournament for the first time. For Spain, who drew their opening game 1-1 with Italy, this was a ruthless reminder of their ambition to become the first team to win three consecutive major tournaments, twenty four hours after Germany drew the focus with a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands.
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque was also boosted by the performance of Torres, who replaced Fàbregas in the starting line-up and scored his first competitive international goals since September 2010. For all the pre-match rhetoric, and a history of battling performances by the Republic, the concession of a yet another early goal left Giovanni Trapattoni's game-plan looking redundant. Simon Cox, drafted in to replace Kevin Doyle up front only to be withdrawn for Jonathan Walters at the interval, forced an early save from Iker Casillas but the defending champions took just three minutes to move in front. Richard Dunne did well to block Silva after Andrés Iniesta had guided in an intelligent pass, but Torres drifted around Stephen Ward before thumping a shot over a helpless Shay Given. From that point on, Spain were able to strangle the game, controlling possession deep inside the opposition half. When the Irish did manage to win the ball back, wingers Damien Duff and Aidan McGeady were generally too deep to contribute in attack and Robbie Keane was invariably too isolated to be picked out. Silva had a low shot held by Given and Torres prodded wide at the near post before Keith Andrews had a shot deflected wide and Dunne missed with a header at the other end. Iniesta had a powerful effort pushed away by Given, Silva headed over and Gerard Piqué failed to make the most of a free header from Silva's corner. When Cox finally picked out Keane in a dangerous area, the Irish captain's effort was easily blocked by Piqué. The pattern was never likely to change and after Given palmed away an Iniesta shot three minutes after half-time, Silva calmly waited for the room to guide a shot into the bottom corner. With just over twenty minutes remaining, Silva clipped a ball in behind the defence for Torres and the Chelsea striker prodded past Given. And there was still time for substitute Fàbregas, who had come on for Torres, to drive in a powerful cross-shot to add a fourth and further underline total Spanish superiority.The first of today's games is Ukraine versus France (kick-off 5.00pm). ITV get coverage of the Group D encounter in Donetsk, where the teams play their second match of the tournament. Euro 2000 winners France will be hoping not only to succeed in winning this competition for the third time in their history, but also to restore some pride following their dismal display at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Despite having a star-studded squad that could boast the likes of Franck Ribery, Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka, they finished bottom of Group A with just a single point, earned in a 0-0 draw with Uruguay. That campaign was dominated by a dispute between head coach Raymond Domenech and several of the first-team players, which led to Les Bleus boycotting training and to the subsequent removal of Domenech following their elimination. Former captain Laurent Blanc was appointed as his successor, and remains in charge for this tournament, but has himself come under much scrutiny back home following several sub-par performances of late. Then, it's 'The Big One', Sweden versus England (kick-off 7.45pm). And, this one's on the BBC so it should, at least, be watchable. Gary Lineker presents coverage of tonight's Group D match at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, where the teams play their second game of the campaign. This is the fourth time that England have been drawn against Sweden in the group stage of a major tournament, having also faced them at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006, and at Euro '92, when a 2-1 victory for the Swedes saw them progress at England's expense.
Both of those previous World Cup encounters ended in draws, and on each occasion a point proved to be enough to help both nations reach the knockout stage. More recently, last November saw England play host to the Swedes in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium, when a Daniel Majstorovic own goal resulted in a 1-0 victory for what were then Fabio Capello's men. Though that proved to be England's first win over the Scandinavians since 1968, there seemed to be little cause for celebration given the drab nature of the match, which was played out in front of the lowest crowd for an England game since the national stadium was rebuilt. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has criticised his team's woeful performance after their 2-1 defeat against Germany left them struggling to qualify for the Euro 2012 quarter-finals. 'We defended moderately and the co-operation between our midfielders and defence was poor,' confessed van Marwijk. '[But] we cannot imagine that it is ever when we are at this level.' The Dutch now need to beat Portugal by two goals, while hoping Germany defeat Denmark, to progress further in the competition. Van Marwijk's side spurned a host of chances in the first half, and were rocked by Mario Gomez's clinical double.
Robin van Persie offered hope of a comeback with a fantastic strike in the seventy third minute, but impressive Germany held on to leave their opponents bottom of Group B with no points. Van Marwijk admitted the threat from his wingers was 'too little' - partly a reference to Arjen Robben, who stomped off petulantly after being replaced by Dirt Kuyt in the eighty third minute. But it was his side's wastefulness in front of goal which bothered him most. 'I thought we played very well in the first twenty minutes and had a few decent chances, but you have to take them against Germany,' he said. 'In the final minutes we tried to force things but you have to be daring to get the second goal.' Germany are favourites to win the tournament following another impressive performance and their manager Joachim Loew believes victory over Denmark is important in their final match of the group. 'The group winner would be important because we can stay in Gdansk and that would probably be to our advantage in the quarter-finals,' he said. '[Against Netherlands] the temperatures were extreme and the game was competitive and intense. There were times when both teams lacked momentum. But we were determined to take the step towards the quarter-finals.'Nicklas Bendtner could be punished by UEFA after celebrating a goal by revealing the logo of a betting company on his underpants. The Denmark striker scored twice against Portugal, but could not prevent his team slipping to a 3-2 defeat.
After his second goal, Bendtner lowered his shorts to reveal the logo. UEFA is investigating the matter, while the Danish Football Association could also take action because it had an exclusive deal with another company. One that doesn't kick cats into trees. Allegedly. Sponsors pay millions to be associated with the European Championship and governing body UEFA has strict rules preventing ambush marketing. The company which Arsenal striker Bendtner was advertising on the waistband of his underwear said no money had exchanged hands and the underpants have been sent to several other unnamed players. Denmark, who will play Germany in their final Group B, need at least a point, probably all three, to reach the quarter-finals.Hapless Harry Redknapp believes he would have been sacked by the Stottingtot Hotshots even if they earned Champions League qualification. The sixty five-year-old former manager was dismissed on Wednesday evening after almost four years at White Hart Lane. Despite finishing one point behind The Arse in fourth last term, Moscow Chelski FC's Champions League win denied Spurs a place in next season's competition. 'I think the same outcome would have happened, the chairman would have gone down the same road,' said Redknapp. Chairman Daniel Levy is said to be 'in no rush' to replace Redknapp with Tottenham privately expressing a determination to conduct a 'properly run process' to find their next manger. David Moyes has been installed as an early favourite to succeed Redknapp by bookmakers but it is understood no approach has been made for the Everton manager. 'Sources' allegedly close to Andre Villas-Boas allegedly claim that he is not being considered, while Rafael Benitez, Roberto Martinez and ex-Spurs striker Jurgen Klinsmann have also been linked with the role. Redknapp, meanwhile, has stressed he will be looking for another job in management after previous stints with Portsmouth, Southampton, West Ham and Bournemouth. 'You cannot sit around moping. That's not my game,' he said. 'I love football. I would suit any job. I don't think I am coming to the end of my career. Alex Ferguson is in his seventies and is still the best manager in the world. I am as fit as a fiddle.' Redknapp had a year left on his contract but insists there are no hard feelings towards Levy or Tottenham.
'What has happened is that I met with the chairman and the club decided to go in a different direction,' he said. 'That's their decision. I have had four fantastic years at Tottenham and have absolutely loved every minute. It couldn't have gone better for me. It is disappointing in some ways but that's football,' Redknapp added. 'The people who own the club make their decisions. That is their right. I don't hold grudges. I don't worry what could have been. I have left behind fantastic players. It is tough because it is a team that could have gone on to win the Premier League. I just wish I had been part of that.' Redknapp led Tottenham to a fourth-place finish in 2009-10 to seal their first ever appearance in the Champions League, reaching the quarter-finals in 2010-11. Spurs were briefly in contention for the Premier League title last season but slipped to fourth after Redknapp was installed as the favourite to replace Fabio Capello as England manager. At least, installed as favourite by lots of his chums in Fleet Street and at Sky Sports, if not by anyone that actually mattered. When Capello resigned on 8 February, Spurs were third in the league and ten points clear of a faltering The Arse, but they eventually finished a point behind the Gunners while the FA appointed Roy Hodgson. However, Redknapp believes speculation about him succeeding Capello had no bearing on Levy's decision. 'I have kept my counsel all the way through and that was nothing at all to do with anything,' he said. Redknapp added: 'It was nothing to do with contracts or me asking for anything. I had a year left and that was fine. The club decided to have a change. It is a decision the chairman decided to make.'A spokesman for Glasgow Rangers' administrators has insisted that Ally McCoist remains manager of the club. McCoist, forty nine, succeeded Walter Smith at Ibrox in February 2011 and his tenure has coincided with the most turbulent spell in the club's history. Rangers will re-form as a new company after a creditors' deal was rejected by Revenue and Customs. McCoist scored three hundred and fifty five goals in five hundred and eighty one appearances for Rangers and is the club's thirteenth manager. Unlucky for some. Well, for him, anyway. An alleged 'source' allegedly close to the former striker has allegedly 'poured cold water' on talk of McCoist's departure, telling BBC Scotland that the report claiming he is on the verge of leaving the club is 'paper talk.' When he was appointed, McCoist said: 'I was lucky enough to play for the club for fifteen years, but this is an absolute dream and a privilege.'
Recently, McCoist praised the Rangers supporters for sticking by the club given their off-field problems. John MacMillan, general secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, told BBC Scotland that fans should not buy tickets while McCoist's future was uncertain. 'I think, for what he's been through, he's held his dignity very well, and for Ally McCoist to even contemplate doing that, then something must be seriously wrong. The very fact that he's not making any comment and Rangers aren't making any comment tells me there's truth in it. In my view there's been a distinct lack of transparency with Charles Green. It's hanging on a cliff edge, I think fans would be ill-advised to renew season tickets at this time,' he said. Clubs will have to vote on whether to re-admit Rangers to the Scottish Premier League. HMRC rejected prospective owner Charles Green's bid to exit administration via a company voluntary arrangement giving creditors nine pence in the pound.Sky has seen its share price fall sharply on Thursday over fears that the pay-TV giant may have overpaid in its new two billion quid-plus deal for Premier League television rights. The Premier League yesterday closed the auction for the UK television and digital rights to one hundred and fifty four live games a season running from 2013-14 to 2015-16 - sixteen more per season than currently broadcast. Sky has held its position as the leading broadcaster of the league, after agreeing to pay seven hundred and sixty million smackers per annum for five packs totalling one hundred and sixteen live matches, up from the current deal level of five hundred and forty one million wonga per season. Stiff competition for the rights has meant that Sky will now have to fork out a staggering £6.6m for each live game, up from £4.7m previously. BT has picked up the remaining thirty eight games per season after beating current rights holder ESPN to the deal. Sky will have to shell out a total of £2.28bn on the three-season Premier League deal, while BT will find its wallet lighter to the tune of seven hundred and thirty eight million knicker. Overall, the Premier League sold its TV rights for £3.084bn, a staggering seventy per cent increase over the current deal value of £1.7bn, and providing a massive windfall for clubs in the league. Shares in Sky fell around eight per cent in early trading to six hundred and thirty nine pence, effectively wiping more than eight hundred million quid off its market value, as investors express concern that Sky may have overpaid for the rights. Sky has also recently spent big on snapping up other high profile sports rights, such as Formula One from 2012 to 2018 (in a joint deal with the BBC), UEFA Champions League until 2015, and Scottish Premier League until 2017. But Jeremy Darroch, the chief executive of Sky, feels that the coverage will allow Sky Sports to offer 'unprecedented live action right across the schedule.'
Alongside driving up satellite TV subscriptions, Sky also intends to unlock more revenues from the Premier League rights by making the coverage available on a pay-as-you-view basis via its new NOW TV service. The Internet-delivered offering will launch later in the year, as part of Sky's strategy to monetise its expensively acquired content among people who do not want pay-TV. 'We're pushing ahead with more original British content, extending our leadership as the UK's favourite triple play provider, and launching our new Internet TV service, NOW TV, which will give us even more ways to distribute our content,' said Darroch. 'In what was a very competitive tender process, we are pleased to have secured the combination of rights that we wanted, providing certainty for us and our customers. Whilst the cost is higher, we have capacity for this increase through the combination of excellent work on cost-efficiency across the business and choices over other future spending. As a result, we remain confident of delivering our financial plans, in line with our expectations, unchanged, in each year of the new deal.' Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis added: 'The Premier League has never been more popular with our customers so it's excellent news that Sky Sports viewers will continue to enjoy the biggest and best games, including Super Sunday and Monday Night Football. Sky Sports viewers have never had so much choice of high quality action. Alongside the Premier League, we have long-term agreements in place to show the best in live sport, including UEFA Champions League football, European, Ryder Cup and US tour golf, Test and one-day cricket and Formula One. At the same time, we'll continue to innovate in providing the best coverage possible.'
