Lakers fire coach Mike Brown after 1-4 start

Mike Brown followed an 11-time NBA champion coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, taking charge of a roster packed with aging talent and a franchise anticipating more titles.

And after just 71 regular-season games, the Lakers decided Brown wasn't the man for a pressure-packed job.
The Lakers fired their coach on Friday after a 1-4 start to his second season in charge, making one of the earliest coaching changes in NBA history.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak announced the surprising move several hours before the club hosted Golden State. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff agreed to run the Lakers against the Warriors while the club's top brass began what's likely to be a swift search for Brown's replacement just 18 months after his hiring.
''The bottom line is that the team is not winning at the pace we expected this team to win, and we didn't see improvement,'' Kupchak said at the Lakers' training complex in El Segundo.
Los Angeles began the season with sky-high expectations after trading for center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash, adding two superstars alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. But the Lakers went 0-8 during the preseason last month for the first time in franchise history before stumbling into the regular season with an 0-3 start, losing to Dallas, Portland and the Clippers.
After finally beating Detroit last Sunday for their first win, the Lakers looked listless again in a loss at Utah on Wednesday, dropping to last place in the Western Conference. Los Angeles' defense has been largely poor, and the players acknowledge they still haven't figured out the new offense installed by Brown during training camp.
''They either weren't getting it, or they were going to take too long to get it,'' Kupchak said. ''And we weren't willing to wait to see which of the two it was.''
With a combination of an aging core of talent and a massive payroll, Kupchak and owners Jim and Jerry Buss decided they couldn't wait even one more weekend to start winning. Brown was dismissed in a morning meeting before the Lakers began a six-game homestand.
''We're not looking five or 10 years down the road,'' Kupchak said. ''This team was built to contend this year. There's no guarantee that this team can win a championship, but we feel that it can be deeply in the hunt. We're also aware that our players ... are getting older, so our feeling is that we can contend at this level for another couple of years.''
Bickerstaff said he was ''shocked'' by Brown's firing, echoing the feelings of virtually every assistant coach and player. The 68-year-old veteran coach only joined Brown's staff in September, but agreed to take over on an interim basis when Kupchak, his former player in Washington, asked him.
''We have a professional obligation to come to work and do our jobs,'' Bickerstaff said. ''The emotional part of it has to be set aside. ... I just don't want the guys looking over at the bench tonight. I want them to go play and have some fun. You can't make a multitude of changes in six, seven hours.''

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Jack Wilshere pledges his future to Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has pledged his future to the club.

Wilshere says he wants to emulate Gunners' legend Tony Adams by serving the club for his entire career.

The 20-year-old spent the last 15 months injured on the sidelines, but he believes his bond with the Arsenal fans has strengthened during his long injury struggle.

Wilshere says he has no desire to play anywhere else apart from the Emirates Stadium.

"I’ve been at this club 10 years and to come through the academy at Hale End and break into the first team is a great story. It’s a dream," He told The Daily Mail

"To have my family 20 minutes from the training ground and an hour from the stadium is perfect for me. Cesc wanted to go home. Home for me is Arsenal. Cesc wanted to go back to his family and friends. My family and friends are 20 minutes away. It’s perfect."

Wilshere's dream is to one day lift the Premier League trophy with Arsenal, like Tony Adams did twice. He also wants to rack up a similar number of appearances for the club as the former Arsenal captain (663 plus six as a substitute between 1983 and 2002, scoring 48 goals).

"I’ve played 39 games in the Premier League, which is nothing when you look at players like Tony Adams and how many appearances they made. That’s something I want to do," he said.
Wilshire says that Arsenal definitely has title ambition, it just a matter of ending the setbacks that have held back the Gunners.

"Our ambition every year is to challenge for the Premier League title. If we didn’t think we could do that, we would be underachieving," Wilshire said.
He added, "We know we can’t afford to drop points. We know we need to be in the top four. We know we need to win a trophy and get in the Champions League again.

"We do it every year and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again."

Man United Aim To Combat Big Men: Fergie Ready For Stoke

Target man: Peter Crouch (right), 

6ft 7in, beats Rio in the air 

Rock: Robert Huth (right), 

6ft 3in, climbs above Pavel Pogrebnyak

England star: Stoke City centre half 

Ryan Shawcross: 6ft 3in

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has described tomorrow's opponents Stoke as 'the jolly green giants'.

Ferguson described the Potters, who travel to Old Trafford for tomorrow's 3pm kick-off, as 'the biggest team in Europe' in a light-hearted  swipe at Tony Pulis' outfit.

'The jolly green giants are coming to play against us tomorrow,' said the 70-year-old boss, who will welcome back former United striker Michael Owen, who moved to the Britannia Stadium on a free transfer during the summer.


Ferguson added: 'Michael [Owen] is not allowed to play unless he brings a ladder. They are the biggest team in Europe.

'You can get yourself all in a fangle about that because they are a handful at set-piece play and with their long throw-ins.
'But you can't make a terror for yourself. Hopefully we can play our game and get the result we want.'

Meanwhile, Ferguson believes Ashley Young will have a renewed sense of focus after spending another two months on the sidelines.

Young made an excellent start to his Manchester United career, only to be stalled by an injury at Fulham, after which his form never truly recovered.
The 27-year-old endured a poor Euro 2012 and then suffered a knee injury in the Old Trafford meeting with Fulham in August that condemned him to another two months out of the side.

In his absence, Ferguson has implemented a new diamond formation, without orthodox wide men, which in theory puts Young's place at risk.

However, the Scot believes Young will have spent much of his time out thinking about what might have been - and that should drive him forward in the weeks ahead.
'The opportunities are there for him,' said Ferguson. 'Ashley has the opportunity to win things here. I don't think that's lost on him.

'I'm sure during the time he's been out he's been thinking about that.
'That's what players do when they've been out, they start thinking about what should have been and what can be for them.
'That will hopefully surface as the season goes on.'
It has seemed both United and England have moved on substantially during Young's absence.

Yet Ferguson denies the £17million former Aston Villa player has become Old Trafford's forgotten man.

'I wouldn't say that,' said Ferguson. 'It's always the same when a player gets injured. He's not there so they can be out of people's minds.
'But he has shown his qualities.

'Very few players can cross the ball as well as he can and his goalscoring ratio is very good for us.

'He got eight goals for us last season. You can't underestimate that, or forget it.'

Stoke boss Pulis will assess the condition of Glenn Whelan and Owen ahead of tomorrow's Barclays Premier League clash.

The big men: Stoke City's manager Tony Pulis (left) greets Manchester United's manager Sir Alex Ferguson

Midfielder Whelan, who came off in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool with a hamstring problem which kept him out of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Faroe Islands, is rated '50-50' by Pulis.

The manager has also said he expects striker Owen, missing from the Liverpool game after tweaking his groin, to only be fit enough for a place on the bench at best, but defender Andy Wilkinson is available again after completing a three-match suspension.

Anton Ferdinand Set To Wear Anti-racism T-shirt

Ferdinand was at the centre of a racism storm when he accused Chelsea skipper John Terry of abusing him during a match last season.

The 27 year-old had reportedly been toying with the idea of not showing his support to the Kick It Out campaign ahead of the club's Premier League fixture against Everton on Sunday due to a perceived lack of progress being made.

Terry has decided not to challenge a Football Association fine and ban for the comments, he then issued an apology through his management company but Hughes confirmed Ferdinand has not received a personal message from the former England captain, and does not anticipate one in the future.

"I think John Terry feels that he hasn't done anything wrong and that has been his stance," he said. "So for him to apologise would perhaps be an admission of guilt so I wouldn't have thought he would be prepared to do that."

Hughes did confirm that he is expecting Ferdinand to show his support for the anti-racism campaign by joining the whole QPR squad in wearing t-shirts on Sunday.

"That is my understanding, I have not been told anything different I fully expect everyone to wear the t-shirt," he said.
"(I spoke with Ferdinand) earlier in the week but whether or not that has changed there is no reason to think it has, I think Anton is going to wear the t-shirt, I haven't been told any different.
"Obviously people will have a view in terms of where they think campaigns against racism in football and in life and some will think not enough is being done.

"But if you look in the last 10-20 years a huge amount has been done to make sure racism doesn't have a part or a presence in football."

Hughes also acknowledged the situation has run for far too long and is hopeful that the end of the argument is now in sight, although he reckons the whole affair has not distracted Ferdinand on the pitch.
He said: "I'm not aware if there is going to be any further action, it has gone on a long time. A lot has been said and I think there comes a point in time when you just have to move on - whether we are at that stage or Anton feels he is at that stage I don't know.

"I just feel it is a situation that was allowed to develop over a long period of time.
"I have said time and time again that I give credit to Anton, I don't think it has affected him, I think he has been strong in his mentality in dealing with everything that went on and I didn't see anything different in his attitude in training."

Reading striker Jason Roberts, however, insists he will not wear a 'Kick It Out' T-shirt for the equality group's annual week of action after the racial abuse incidents of the last year.
Roberts claims Kick It Out have not been hardline enough in their response to the Terry and Luis Suarez abuse incidents.

Robert said: "I find it hard to wear a T-shirt after what has happened in the last year. I won't wear one.
"I'm totally committed to kicking racism out of football but when there's a movement I feel represents the issue in the way that speaks for me and my colleagues, then I will happily support it.

"I think people feel let down by what used to be called 'Let's Kick Racism Out of Football'. People don't feel like they have been strong enough."

Racism has been back in the headlines in recent weeks with Lazio fans being fined for chanting at Tottenham's black players and England's Under-21s being targeted during a match in Serbia.
Hughes believes Britain is ahead of other countries throughout the world and identified the situation in Serbia on Tuesday evening as evidence.

He said: "When you see the events in Serbia, in fairness that is probably where we were 20 years ago.
"But we have made huge strides, unfortunately not every country has made the strides we have and that is down to campaigns like Kick It Out.

"Like I said, some people will feel more needs to be done and that is a personal view they take but I think we have done a lot of good work."

Why are United so prone to injuries? Fergie hoping new medical centre will curb numbers of crocked stars

Work is under way at Manchester United's training ground on the construction of a state-of-the-art medical facility.

When it opens we can expect it to be busy. For the past two years, United's Carrington home has resembled a casualty ward as much as it has a training ground, as a relentless stream of injuries to star players has undermined manager Sir Alex Ferguson's attempts to stay at the top of the English game.

More worrying for the manager is that the trend shows no sign of ending. This week United have had to do without half a dozen players, including three central defenders.

Not again: Nemanja Vidic was ruled out for two months with a knee injury


Along with Arsenal, they have more injured players than any other team in the Barclays Premier League. What is more startling is the scale of the injury crisis that struck United last season.

We can reveal that United suffered more injuries than any other team in the top division, a fact that becomes even more significant when compared with Manchester City, the team that pipped them to the league title on goal difference.

United suffered more than 30 different injuries last season compared with a Premier League average of about 20.

City, meanwhile, suffered seven. Against this background, it is astonishing that Ferguson's team got as close to lifting the Premier League trophy as they did.

Stuttering: Rio Ferdinand's recent years have been hampered with niggles

Familiar sight: Tom Cleverley spent much of last season on the treatment table

United lost Rio Ferdinand to injury on three separate occasions, while younger players such as Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck and Jonny Evans spent far longer out of action than Ferguson would have liked.

Indeed there was hardly a player in the United squad who was not injured at some point.

The club would probably argue that the long-term absences of players such as Nemanja Vidic, whose season ended with a knee injury in December, and Michael Owen, who struggled with endless muscle problems, have served to skew the figures a little.

They also lost Darren Fletcher to illness from mid-December onwards.

On top of that, United play more games per season than most other clubs and have a large number of players involved in international fixtures.

But most clubs suffer long-term injuries each season and are packed with international stars.



Bolton lost three players to serious problems before the season started but still had fewer overall injuries than their glamorous neighbours from Manchester.

Ferguson will be well aware of these statistics and they will surely concern him. Premier League clubs spend fortunes on the prevention of injuries and rehabilitation of players.

At every club, muscle pulls and strains are a weekly curse, and remain by far the most common affliction.

Once again, this was an area where United suffered more than most.

Ouch: Jonny Evans also suffered a layoff last season

Hope: Sir Alex Ferguson wants the new state-of-the-art facilities to reduce the numbers of injuries at United

Last season Sportsmail received information suggesting that the United manager was not satisfied with the number of injuries that his top players were suffering and that he planned to make changes to the club's medical programmes.

The club categorically denied both these suggestions and Ferguson has indeed gone on record several times to suggest he has one of the best medical teams in Europe at Old Trafford.

But the more the club's problems persist, the more one of the game's most thorough and obsessive managers will wonder: 'Why always me?'