Sport

Time Out - January 8 - Sporting greats, Dates and a Quick Quiz Blitz to kick-start your day

Celtic players Aiden McGeady (left) and Gary Caldwell are the subject of transfer speculation with former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan leading the raiding party for Middlesbrough
Celtic players Aiden McGeady (left) and Gary Caldwell are the subject of transfer speculation with former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan leading the raiding party for Middlesbrough Celtic players Aiden McGeady (left) and Gary Caldwell are the subject of transfer speculation with former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan leading the raiding party for Middlesbrough

Pádraig Harrington is Europe's captain for the 2020 Ryder Cup

BACK IN THE DAY

The Irish News - January 8 2010: The transfer speculation at Celtic intensified yesterday when Gordon Strachan, Alex McLeish and Roberto Martinez all confirmed they had made attempts to sign players from the club. Middlesbrough boss Strachan, who quit Parkhead in the summer, confirmed he had held talks with his old team over a series of transfer targets.

Birmingham manager McLeish admitted he had made an enquiry about Aiden McGeady but has cooled his interest after being told the player is not for sale.

And Wigan's Martinez confirmed he failed in a bid to take Celtic's Australian striker Scott McDonald on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal, estimated in the region of £4m.

Strachan, who has been linked with Gary Caldwell, Stephen McManus, Barry Robson, Mark Wilson, Willo Flood and McDonald, as well as Rangers striker Kris Boyd, is giving nothing away about the names on his wish-list. He said: ‘‘We are trying hard to bring in people who can lea

There was media speculation in Blackpool yesterday also linking Pool's manager Ian Holloway to a possible move for Celtic's former Derry City winger Pat McCourt, while both Celtic and Rangers are reportly tracking Middlesbrough's highly-rated winger Adam Johnson.

SPORT BIRTHDAYS
  • Lawrence Rowe

    cricket

    former West Indies batsman, born 1949.

  • Shoaib Mohammad

    cricket

    former Pakistan batsman, born 1961.

  • Calvin Smith

    athletics

    American former 100 metres world record-holder, born 1961.

  • Seol Ki-hyeon

    soccer

    Former South Korea and Wolves midfielder, born 1979.

  • Adrian Mutu

    soccer

    former Chelsea, Fiorentina and Romania striker, born 1979.

  • John Utaka

    soccer

    former Portsmouth and Nigeria forward, born 1982.

  • David Silva

    soccer

    Manchester City and former Spain midfielder, born 1986.

  • Michael Mancienne

    soccer

    former Chelsea and England Under-21 defender, now at MLS side the New England Revolution, born 1988.

  • Aaron Cruden

    rugby union

    former All Blacks fly-half, born 1989.

  • Josh Hazlewood

    cricket

    Australian pace bowler, born 1991.

ON THIS DAY IN SPORT
  • 1984

    The Los Angeles Raiders won their first American Football Conference Championship by beating Seattle 30-14.

  • 1990

    Thieves broke into Cardiff's Ninian Park and stole the £50,000 takings the club amassed from an FA Cup tie with QPR.

  • 1999

    Arsenal won the race to sign Jermaine Pennant. Notts County put themselves in line for a windfall of up to £2million after selling the 15-year-old to the Gunners.

  • 2007

    The Scottish Football Association rejected Scotland manager Walter Smith's request to be relieved of his duties. Smith eventually joined Rangers, with Alex McLeish succeeding him as national team boss.

  • 2010

    Togo's team bus was attacked by gunmen as they headed to their African Nations Cup base in Angola. Three people died in the incident - the bus driver, an assistant coach and a press officer.

  • 2012

    Paul Scholes came out of retirement for Manchester United ahead of their FA Cup clash with Manchester City.

  • 2013

    League Two Bradford produced yet another shock in the Capital One Cup as they upset Aston Villa 3-1 in their semi-final first-leg clash. The Bantams, who knocked out Arsenal and Wigan en route to the last four, progressed to the final after negotiating the second leg but were soundly beaten 5-0 by Swansea at Wembley.

  • 2014

    Fifa's secretary general Jerome Valcke stated that the 2022 World Cup would not take place in June or July amid concern about staging the tournament in the fierce heat of the summer in Qatar. The world governing body later set up a taskforce to discuss the possibility of holding the tournament between November and January.

  • 2014

    Former Aston Villa, West Ham and Germany international midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger announced he was gay in an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit.

  • 2017

    Sky Bet League Two Plymouth ground out a goalless draw in the third round of the FA Cup at Anfield as what was the youngest team in Liverpool's history at the time discovered they still had plenty to learn.

  • 2018

    Andy Murray underwent surgery on his right hip in a bid to return to competitive tennis for the 2018 grass-court season.

  • 2019

    Pádraig Harrington was announced as Europe's captain for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

QUICK QUIZ
  • In what year did Antrim last win the Dr McKenna Cup?
  • What goalscoring achievement did Cristiano Ronaldo notch this week?
  • Who was the manager when Nottingham Forest were relegated from the Premier League in 1998-99?
  • With which two clubs did Christy Ring hurl?
  • Fans of which NFL team are called 'cheeseheads'?
+ Click Here to See Quiz Answers +
  • 1981
  • His first Serie A hat-trick
  • Ron Atkinson
  • Cloyne & Glen Rovers
  • Green Bay Packers.
SPORT ON TV

Wednesday, January 8

  • SOCCER

    Carabao Cup, Leicester v Aston Villa - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football 1930; French League Cup, Lyon v Brest - BT Sport 2 1730, PSG v St Etienne - BT Sport 2 2000.

  • CRICKET

    Big Bash League, Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Sixers - BT Sport 1 0430, Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder - BT Sport 1 0800.

  • BASKETBALL

    NBA, Dallas Mavericks v Denver Nuggets - Sky Sports Main Event 0030 (Thurs).

  • DARTS

    BDO World Championships - Eurosport 1 1300 and 1900.

Thursday, January 9

  • CRICKET

    Big Bash League, Brisbane Heat v Hobart Hurricanes - BT Sport 1 0800.

  • BASKETBALL

    NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder v Houston Rockets - Sky Sports Main Event 0330 (Fri).

  • DARTS

    BDO World Championships - Eurosport 1 1300 and 1900.

  • GOLF

    South African Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 1000; Sony Open - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0000.