THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013 SPORTS Managerless Wednesday Photo of the day stun Leicester LONDON: Managerless Sheffield and Southampton, was equivocal when Wednesday produced one of the great asked if he would be interested in taking upsets of the season to beat English over at Hillsborough. “I am very disappoint- Championship leaders Leicester City 2-1 at ed Dave has gone because I worked with Hillsborough on Tuesday. The second-tier him at Wolves and Southampton. Owls sacked Dave Jones on Sunday after “A lot of players feel they have let Dave just one win in all competitions so far this down because he has brought them in. “I season but two goals from Connor can understand why the chairman has Wickham helped Wednesday stop the rot done it because our results were not good after Anthony Knockaert gave City a lead in enough. I’ve been asked to take charge of just the third minute. the team and all I said to the players is ‘give First-team coach Stuart Gray, in caretak- 100 percent’. You might have to lift the fans er charge, is due to hold talks with because the mood might be quite sombre. Wednesday chairman Milan Mandaric later “The chairman just asked me to get the this week about his future at the Yorkshire team prepared for this evening. I am going club. “We are disappointed for Dave,” said to enjoy the evening and wait until I sit Gray. “I am very grateful, honored and down with the chairman before I make any pleased to take charge of the team tonight statement.” Leicester manager Nigel Pearson and that is all it was. said: “We got off to a good start and didn’t “The chairman has told me there are back it up. “We conceded two poor goals about 40 applications (for the manager- from our own perspective, but they would ship) and I can understand why because it probably argue they were two good finish- is a fantastic football club with a big fan es. “We should have managed the ball bet- base and a huge stadium. “You saw there ter, but we gave them something to build tonight if the players give 100 percent com- on, hang on to. But Pearson insisted compla- mitment, the crowd get behind them. “Any cency was not an issue, adding: “No compla- manager that is out of work, and in work, cency. It’s a word people overuse. No com- would be interested in this football club.” placency. We had too many players having Gray, who worked under Jones at Wolves off days, if ouy like.”— AFP Peter Besenyei performs during the Red Bull Air Race press conference in Gdynia, Poland.— www.redbull.com A Tokyo district’s Lille beat Marseille; Enyeama uphill quest for the perfect bobsleigh keeps 11th straight clean sheet TOKYO: At the end of November, Satoshi of the 1980s, decided something needed to PARIS: Lille beat Marseille 1-0 Tuesday with a Kosugi got terrible news: the bobsleigh he be done - both for the team and to restore late goal from Nolan Roux to consolidate second and a group of Tokyo manufacturers had the lustre of Ota’s name. place in the French league and put pressure on spent two years building for the Sochi Ota, on the southern edge of central leader Paris Saint-Germain. Roux scored his sixth Olympics would not be used by the Tokyo, is known as a logistics hub. It had goal this season by heading a cross from Florent Japanese national team. Japan has sent bob- 4,300 firms in 2008, the latest year for which Balmont into the bottom corner in the first sledders to the Winter Olympics before but data is available, but was hit hard by the minute of stoppage time, while Lille goalkeeper due to budget constraints they had always 2008 financial crisis and the massive 2011 Vincent Enyeama kept an 11th straight clean raced in used, foreign-made sleighs that did- earthquake and tsunami, which prompted sheet in the league. n’t fit Japanese athletes properly. Kosugi big companies to move their product bases Lille pulled within a point of PSG and is nine decided to rectify the situation, and so abroad. “The most terrifying thing for us was points clear of Marseille. “I’m sorry for those who began the quest to create a homemade losing markets,” said Junichi Hosogai, chair- will say: again a 1-0 victory,” Lille coach Rene sleigh the national team could use at the man of the bobsleigh project committee Girard said. “Football is about defending and Olympics for the first time. and the president of Material, a non-ferrous attacking. We did attack since we scored a goal. It was a brave move, given that foreign metals processing firm. “It was necessary for We’re efficient. We don’t dominate by creating teams are often supported by giant corpora- us to make an appeal for our technology by 20 chances per game. But we step up when it tions. Ferrari develops for the Italian team, creating something symbolic to grab mar- matters.” Monaco earned a third straight victory BMW supports the Germans and NASA has kets.” When the call for the project went out, by defeating Nice 3-0 to stay in third place, one backed up the US team in the past. “I just a number of factories hesitated at first, since point behind Lille, while Nantes edged couldn’t believe the decision,” said Kosugi, Tokyo has very little snow and they were not Valenciennes 2-1 to move provisionally into fifth fighting for calm a day after the news came familiar with the sport. They also did not place. in. The project began in 2011 when Kosugi, a think there would be any financial benefits. Florian Thauvin was booed by the crowd at civil servant in Ota - a proud but struggling Still, 30 firms stepped forward. The first Stade Pierre Mauroy every time he touched the area known for its small manufacturers - step was borrowing a bobsleigh from a uni- ball. The Marseille forward went on strike this heard that the national team had never used versity in northern Japan that had a team summer to obtain a transfer from his former a Japanese-built sleigh before. and taking it apart to draw a blueprint. Two club, Lille. Lille tested Marseille goalkeeper Steve “The foreign sleighs were a little too big hundred different parts were needed. Each Mandanda with long-range strikes from Ronny for Japanese, and when it had problems no company then built sections of the bob- Rodelin in the fifth minute and Balmont in the mechanics were available to fix them,” he sleigh according to its own speciality. The 14th. But Andre-Pierre Gignac was the most said. “The sleigh the Japanese athletes used first prototype, which came together in only threatening player in the first half, forcing Enyeama to punch away his cross-shot in the was once repaired with adhesive tape.” So 10 days, was finished in October 2012. “Even NORD: Marseille’s French forward Andre-Pierre Gignac (right) vies with Lille’s French defender 17th. The Marseille striker then rolled away from Kosugi and a group of businessmen from though we were used to quick deliveries, we Dijbril Sidibe during the French L1 football match Lille (LOSC) vs Marseille (OM) on December Lille defender Simon Kjaer to be clean through Ota, whose tiny factories have produced had to work late at night and it was hard to 3, 2013. — AFP parts for rockets and Formula One cars but come up with ideas,” said Hosogai, whose on goal in the 24th, but Enyeama denied him. has been in slow decline since the glory days firm produced some 50 parts.—Reuters The Lille goalkeeper frustrated the visitors in midfielder James Rodriguez put Monaco ahead tute Lucas Ocampos put the result beyond the second half, stopping a close-range effort with a curling shot from a tight angle in the fifth doubt by stealing the ball from Nice defender from Gignac in the 54th, a drive from Thauvin minute before striker Emmanuel Riviere out- Mathieu Bodmer and dribbling past Veronese to and a volley from Gignac in the 63rd. Marseille jumped the Nice defense in the 23rd to meet a slot into an empty net in the 89th. lost France playmaker Mathieu Valbuena and cross from Anthony Martial and send a looping “We had the match under control,” Monaco Dimitri Payet to injuries in the 72nd and the header inside the far post for his seventh goal coach Claudio Ranieri said. “I asked my players to 78th, respectively. Payet picked up a left calf this season. play aggressively but also to keep calm.” Jose strain whereas Valbuena suffered a left shoulder Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic protect- Saez gave Valenciennes the lead with a lob in injury that will sideline him for at least four ed his team’s lead by stopping a low volley from the 52nd before Nantes forward Alejandro weeks. “We should have scored and taken the Nice winger Valentin Eysseric in the seventh and Bedoya leveled with a long-range strike that lead,” Marseille coach Elie Baup said. “Conceding tipping around the post a low drive from deflected off defender Benjamin Angoua in the that goal in stoppage time really hurts. It’s unfair Argentine striker Dario Cvitanich in the 26th. 59th. Valenciennes goalkeeper Nicolas given the game we had.” Riviere then wasted two good chances. The Penneteau saved a penalty from Filip Djordjevic Monaco played without Colombia striker Monaco striker sent a chip over the bar in the in the 72nd after the Nantes striker was fouled Radamel Falcao, who is recovering from a thigh 38th and lost his balance with the goal at his by Angoua.