MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015 SPORTS Celtic boss not concerned at conceding title lead GLASGOW: Celtic manager Ronny Deila insists he isn’t the Hoops lost just once. However, Deila, whose side in the league but we have to keep progressing. recently and we’ve not been converting the chances overly concerned by his side losing their lead at the have a game in hand over the Dons, pointed out that “It’s going to be an exciting run towards the end of that we’ve been creating, so we’ve been training hard top of the Scottish Premiership to Aberdeen. Celtic’s fate remains within their own hands and is the season. Aberdeen are on a good run and that’s and working hard to improve, and I think you’ll see The Dons moved a point ahead of the Hoops with confident their experience means they can handle the why they are challengers. “It is still in our hands, if we that against Kilmarnock on Monday night.” The Hoops a 2-0 win over St Johnstone on New Year’s Day while pressure of a title race. “Our players are used to fight- win all our games we’ll be league winners. “It is early could welcome back winger James Forrest and Celtic’s match away to Glasgow rivals Partick Thistle ing for a championship. They’ve been in this situation though to start talking about it. There are 19 games defender Jason Denayer for the match at Rugby Park was called off due to a waterlogged pitch at Firhill. before. The last two seasons haven’t maybe been so left, 20 for us, so we’ll see how things are when there’s but striker Anthony Stokes will miss out along with Deila’s side could find themselves four points tight. But the club and the players are used to fighting one month left.” Defender Efe Ambrose is also Mikael Lustig and Charlie Mulgrew. behind in the title race before they take on Kilmarnock for trophies, more than the other teams,” Deila said. adamant that Celtic will go on to win their fourth title Elsewhere, United can provisionally go above at Rugby Park on Monday if Aberdeen can defeat “Aberdeen are not used to being at the top. It’s in a row once the players find top gear again. “We Celtic with a win at Partick on Sunday, while Motherwell yesterday. always better to have the experience of being up know how the gaffer wants us to play and the level he Hamilton can move level on points with the champi- A defeat to Dundee United and a goalless draw there. Aberdeen have proved they can win a lot of wants us to be at, and we’re not there yet, but we’re ons with a win at St Johnstone. Inverness in fifth with Ross County in their previous two matches games but we’ll see if they can keep on winning. working hard to get there, and I know that when we entertain St Mirren and bottom club Ross County go means Celtic have dropped 15 points already this sea- “If we win our game in hand we will be two points get to that level, we’ll go on and win the league,” the to Dundee, who have not won any of their last seven son - as many as the whole of the last campaign when ahead. We know what we have been doing is the best Nigerian said. “We know we’ve not been at our best league matches. —AFP Shooting tournament at KSSC By Abdellatif Sharaa Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex from Thursday Jan 8, 2015 until Saturday KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting Sports Club Jan 10, 2015. Competition in this tourna- will organize Mustafa Karam General ment will be in the Olympic shotgun Trading Company Cup at Sheikh Sabah (skeet, trap, double trap) for men, women, juniors and Saad Al-Abdallah Academy Shooters. KSSC Secretary General said Mustafa Karam Company Cup receives large num- ber of shooters of both genders who wish to participate and record numbers are registered in it. Al-Osaimi thanked the company on behalf of the president and board mem- bers for their support and contribution to the march of shooting. He said the com- pany extends financial and moral sup- port to shooting champions as an encouragement to their achievements in the name of their homeland Kuwait. Registration is open until 6 pm on Al-Osaimi Tuesday 6/1/2015. Kohli’s aggression adds spice to final Test SYDNEY: Virat Kohli’s pressing task as the new methods,” India team director Ravi Shastri Test skipper is to arrest India’s woeful away said. “That’s his personality. He is aggressive, record, starting with tomorrow’s final Test passionate and wears his heart on his sleeve. against Australia in Sydney. But he’s also prepared to walk the talk. Kohli assumed the mantle as India’s new “Remember also, he’s only 26 and still getting captain following the sudden Test retirement used to captaincy. With a little luck, the of Mahendra Singh Dhoni after last week’s (series) scoreline could well have been differ- Melbourne Test, opening debate on whether ent. This is a young team that has acquitted his aggressive approach will energise the itself very creditably.” team. India have already lost the Border- Johnson believes Kohli will bring a fresh, Gavaskar Trophy with Australia holding an aggressive approach to the way India plays unassailable 2-0 lead heading into the fourth cricket. “It could be quite interesting because Test, but there is much interest in how Kohli’s they’re not known for that aggressive type of volatility will impact on the team’s fortunes. play,” Johnson said. “He’ll definitely be an India have won only one of their last 22 Tests aggressive type of captain I think in the way overseas and have been successful in only he sets fields, and I think you’ll see a lot differ- one of their 10 Tests at the Sydney Cricket ent to what MS (Dhoni) did. “He’s an interest- Ground, that sole victory coming 37 years ing character. He is a fierce competitor and he ago. Kohli has been tagged a firebrand, a really does like to get involved in it all.” LONDON: This is a Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014 file photo of Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard as he celebrates scoring against Leicester during the English “spoilt brat” but has been long viewed as the Kohli skippered India for the first time in Premier League soccer match. — AP natural successor of Dhoni, who was the most the first Test in Adelaide when Dhoni was successful Test match skipper in India’s histo- recovering from a fractured thumb. Australia’s ry, winning 27 of the 60 Tests he led with 18 vice-captain Brad Haddin said there might be Gerrard begins goodbyes losses and 15 draws. some pointers from the Adelaide Test as to Now that Dhoni has moved on, India’s how Kohli will handle things at the SCG. immediate Test future lies in Kohli’s hands and “I think what happened in Adelaide was it will be a fascinating sub-plot to this week’s we won the big moments,” Haddin said. “It amid echoes of 1988 Sydney Test. Australia will be weakened by was a good game and there were some out- the loss of ICC Cricketer of the Year and pace standing performances from Kohli and a few spearhead Mitchell Johnson with hamstring of the Indian batsmen.” LONDON: Steven Gerrard will begin his achieve, and it would be brilliant for us as a Wimbledon’s team that day contained trouble, opening the way for Kohli and his The Sydney Test will also be played against farewell tour of English football today when team and for him personally to get something future Chelsea captain Dennis Wise and future other in-form team-mates Murali Vijay and the poignant backdrop of the Phillip Hughes Liverpool visit fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon for in his last year.” Gerrard has been used spar- Hollywood film star Vinnie Jones, while their Ajinkya Rahane to get among the runs again. tragedy. Test batsman Hughes was fatally All are averaging above 58 in this series, struck by a short-pitched ball in a domestic an FA Cup third-round tie rich in historical sig- ingly by manager Brendan Rodgers over the ‘Crazy Gang’ approach was encapsulated by with Kohli matching his Australian counter- game at the SCG in late November and sever- nificance. Recalling as it does the 1988 final, opening months of the campaign and may bruising centre-forward John Fashanu. The part Steve Smith with three centuries, and al of his close cricketing friends on the field when the original Wimbledon stunned league start on the bench at Wimbledon’s 4,800- team disintegrated over the years that fol- only brittle tail-end batting has been the key that fateful day will be returning to the scene champions Liverpool 1-0, the match was a capacity Kingsmeadow stadium in southwest lowed and the club effectively disappeared in difference between the two sides. “Captains during this week’s Test. A number of tributes captivating fixture even before Gerrard’s London. A place in the League Cup final is 2004 when it moved 56 miles (90 kilometres) have their own personalities and the best to Hughes are planned ahead of the start of announcement on Friday that he will leave closer for Liverpool, who are scheduled to north to Milton Keynes and was rebranded as ones make players adapt to their thinking and the Test tomorrow.