NBA star confirms GB eligibility

NBA star Byron Mullens is available to represent Great Britain at London 2012 after receiving his British passport.

The seven-foot Charlotte Bobcats centre, 23, was born in Ohio but his mother is from Middlesex.

Mullens wrote on Twitter: "Yessir. I will be in London this summer! 2012 summer Olympics." He also posted a picture of his new passport  .

Points per game: 9.4 Rebounds per game: 4.2 Assists per game: 0.7 He could now join the NBA's Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls) and Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons) in Britain's 12-man squad.

Mullens is in his second season with the Bobcats after being traded from Oklahoma City Thunder.

Great Britain are strong in his position with players like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Joel Freeland and Robert Archibald but Mullens' experience in the world's top basketball league gives him a strong chance of making coach Chris Finch's squad.

Forward Deng is an established GB player while Pistons' guard Gordon has confirmed his intention to play for the national team.

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Pressure builds for Premier League title run-in

Experience is what counts when it comes to the top-flight title run-in.

That was the verdict of Alan Hansen, Gary Pallister and Lee Dixon, a trio of former players with 15 First Division and Premier League medals between them.

So when last season's champions Manchester United overtook rivals Manchester City last weekend, it looked like a telling blow. Not only was City's defeat by Swansea the fourth in their last eight away games, but it handed United a one-point advantage with a more favourable list of 10 games to come.

Not that any matches will be straightforward, but the benefits appear to be stacked in United's favour save for, perhaps, a stronger City squad and a potential title decider at the Etihad Stadium on 30 April.

"If City don't improve their away form, that game is irrelevant," said former Liverpool defender pundit Hansen, who won eight titles. "The defeats at Chelsea and Sunderland weren't that bad, because they didn't play badly, but the ones at Everton and especially Swansea were poor.

"There wasn't a lot of spirit in the team. I know captain Vincent Kompany was missing but there wasn't a lot of leadership and that has to come from the manager [Roberto Mancini]. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson would never have accepted a performance like the one at Swansea."

Mancini, of course, is not without title-winning experience. As the former Inter coach, he guided his team to three Serie A titles in a row before joining City.

Then there is the playing staff. The 22 Premier League medals of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes almost match City's combined total of 23 titles. Mancini's squad contains 10 champions, while United have 19 - comprising 76 championships in all.

Nevertheless, even for the likes of Giggs and Scholes there had to be a first time.

Alongside Giggs, former defender Gary Pallister was part of the Manchester United team in 1993 that won its first top-flight title for 26 years. The previous season they had been pipped by Leeds in a nail-biting finale when Pallister says they were "hung out to dry" by playing four games in eight days.

"We knew we were good enough to win it even if people said we bottled it," Pallister said. "So we just took that confidence into the following season. We also brought [former Leeds forward] Eric Cantona into the fold which gave us a different dimension."

So do Mancini's side need to go close once before they can win it?

"I wouldn't say so," Pallister added. "There is a build-up of momentum, of players believing that you are good enough. We did that over a period of time from when I came into the club in 1989 with Paul Ince, Danny Wallace, Neil Webb and Mike Phelan all arriving too.

"We started putting the pieces together and the manager had a blueprint which he laid down and worked from. Eventually we got stronger, more confident in each other and became more of a team."

Although Mancini has built his side with huge resources over the past three seasons, the Italian coach has already said that winning the FA Cup last term was an important step in creating a winning mentality among his squad. The returning Carlos Tevez could also give City a timely boost akin to Cantona's arrival.

One pointer could be the way Blackburn held off Manchester United's challenge in 1995 to win their first and only Premier League title.

And in 1989, not only did Arsenal win the title in the most dramatic fashion by beating Liverpool in the last game of the season by the two clear goals they needed, they did so having surrendered a 15-point lead.

The Gunners slipped to a three-point deficit going into the final game of the season but that was the helping hand they needed; the pressure was off because they had blown two chances to win the league in their previous two home games against Derby and Wimbledon.

So even though losing to Swansea has given United the upper hand, City may yet acquire the space they need to re-focus by becoming the hunter rather than the hunted.

"We didn't cope particularly well with the pressure," said Dixon, one of the key players in Arsenal's 1989 title-winning side. "We were quite a young side. Nigel Winterburn, myself, Steve Bould, it was all new to us playing at that level so David O'Leary shouldered quite a lot of the responsibility.

"We had to beat the great Liverpool by two clear goals, so it was like 'we're not going to do it, are we?'

"With them thinking they weren't going to lose, and us thinking we had perhaps lost our chance, we went into the game quite relaxed and that helped."

City have not challenged for the title since they were runners-up in 1977, and are aiming to win it for the first time since 1968.

For now, it is advantage United and although most indications point towards Ferguson's team retaining their title, Mancini is not the sort of character to give up without a fight.

"We cannot cry, now is the time to be strong," Mancini said. "We have 10 games and it is in our hands."

Hansen and Dixon discuss title run-in with Pallister's ex-team-mate Steve Bruce on Match of the Day 3

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Winter sports awarded investment

UK Sport has announced an award of up to £348,450 for British Ski and Snowboarding to be spent in the run-up to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

The collapse of SnowsportGB prior to the Vancouver 2010 winter games had starved the two sports of investment.

The performance-targeted money will go towards athletes' preparation costs.

"This is game-changing news for the athletes who will benefit," British Ski and Snowboard chief executive David Edwards told BBC Sport.

UK Sport's award will be spent on areas such as competition, snow training, non-snow training, special medical treatment and physio costs.

The cash is specifically targeted to benefit athletes who stand the greatest chance of medal success.

Alpine skiing Freestyle Nordic skiing Snowboarding Telemark Speed Skiing Zoe Gillings, who finished eighth in the snowboard cross at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and James Woods, who won Britain's first slopestyle skiing medal at a major championships after taking bronze at the Euro Winter X Games last March, are just two of those who stand to receive a windfall.

"The athletes have worked incredibly hard to get to their current positions," added Edwards. "We are delighted UK Sport share our point of view.

"This has greatly enhanced the opportunity for success and increased the chance of our British athletes bringing home medals."

UK Sport will review the initial short term award, which just covers athletes costs for this season, in September.

They will then judge the sport's organisational development and performance progress before deciding whether to push through the funding to 2014.

The new cash supplements the existing £11.3 million UK Sport investment of National Lottery and Government Exchequer funding into Great Britain's Sochi 2014 involvement.

"It is testament to the recent progress they have made as a sport after a difficult period," said Chief Executive of UK Sport Liz Nicholl.

"They have made significant strides on a performance potential basis and this initial investment is recognition of the work that has been done so far."

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Taylor hammers defending champion

Phil Taylor handed reigning Premier League champion Gary Anderson a darting lesson on Thursday night.

Taylor crushed Anderson 8-1 to maintain his unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

The world number one swept to a fourth victory of the season, moving him three points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Taylor said: "I'm very pleased with that, I took my chances and it's a good night's work."

The world number one followed up last week's Premier League record average of 117.35 with another terrific display.

The capacity crowd at the Brighton Centre also saw Kevin Painter come from 4-2 down to win his third game of the season with an 8-5 defeat of Andy Hamilton.

Defending world champion Adrian Lewis is still searching for his first win of the Premier League season after being beaten 8-4 by Simon Whitlock.

But 2009 champion James Wade picked up his second successive victory, defeating Raymond van Barneveld 8-6 after the Dutchman fought back from 6-1 down to force a deciding leg.

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Tevez return possible - Mancini

Carlos Tevez could make his return for Manchester City as a substitute in Wednesday's league match against Chelsea says boss Roberto Mancini.

Tevez, 28, has not played since September and spent three months absent without leave from the club.

"It's possible," said Mancini when asked about selecting Tevez.

"He is getting better but I don't think Carlos can have more than 25-30 minutes. He needs to play but for 90 minutes it is impossible."

More to follow.

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Are Man City 'doing a Newcastle'?

Just under a year ago, 1,000 football fans voted Kevin Keegan's famous "I will love it if we beat them" rant  as the most popular public managerial loss of temper in Premier League history.

Continue reading the main story

“We could have made history. Now I'm older I look back at it and think we had a great opportunity to become legends”

Rob Lee Former Newcastle midfielder No such colourful behaviour yet from Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, but the Italian will be feeling the same stresses Keegan endured during his Newcastle side's loss of form towards the end of the 1995-96 season.

City are second in the Premier League behind leaders Manchester United, despite at one time leading by seven points.

United's ability to put together title-sealing runs of form seems to have been replicated again this season. Sir Alex Ferguson's men have collected 25 league points out of a possible 27 since mid-January, the only draw being the thrilling 3-3 comeback when 3-0 down against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

In contrast, recent form makes somewhat grim reading for City. Since a 0-0 draw away to West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day, they have suffered defeats to Sunderland, Manchester United, Everton and Swansea.

On Wednesday, City host a somewhat resurgent Chelsea side since knocking Napoli out of the Champions League.

Mancini's men start the evening a full four points behind United, although they do have a game in hand.

So what can City learn from history?

In February 1996, Newcastle led the Premiership by 12 points. Three months later, a poor run of results coupled with a concerted Manchester United push saw the Red Devils steal it.

Former England international Rob Lee  still confesses to painful memories of the 1996 title chase.

"I remember it well. I try not to," Lee told BBC Sport.

"We had been in very good form, right up until Christmas. Everyone just presumed the title race was over.

"We had a lot of pace and had some fantastic players who could score plenty.

"We weren't great at the back as everybody knew. We let goals in but we knew we could score more than other people."

Lee is clear that confidence played a huge role in the swashbuckling style of Keegan's side. When it worked, it really worked, and the players fed off mutual success and enjoyment of playing his form of football.

"There's no better feeling in sport than going into training having played well and won on Saturday," said Lee.

"The fans were happy, the manager was happy and the players were all buzzing.

"Confidence breeds confidence, and it's the same if you're losing - a losing side just carries it on, and you feel you can't get out of it.

"I think Manchester City are very similar. In the first half of this season they scored loads of goals and attacked a lot. They're in a bit of a slump at the moment, and Manchester United are absolutely relentless."

It was that relentlessness that ate away at the Newcastle lead in 1996, as Manchester United won 13 of their final 15 league fixtures to claim the title by four points.

Galvanised by the return after a nine-month suspension of 28-year-old Eric Cantona, United secured a succession of narrow victories that fatally undermined Newcastle's confidence.

"Manchester United didn't win games like we did. We were winning 4-3 and 3-2. We looked at the scores and United were winning 1-0 every week.

"They just keep nicking results. Look at their Norwich result the other week. They're relentless and keep going to the very end."

In fact, one myth about the Newcastle side of the mid-90s is that they scored freely and at will.

They netted fewer than table-topping Manchester United and third-placed Liverpool, and only marginally more than Everton and Blackburn.

In an attempt to bolster his attacking options in February 1996, Keegan recruited Colombian forward Faustino Asprilla for £6.7m from Italian side Parma. Although "Tino" made an instant impact with his attacking style, many pointed to his introduction as undermining a previously well-balanced side.

It is an intriguing coincidence that Man City, whose goals have also rather dried up, are turning to a South American forward of their own to try to reverse their recent decline.

For Lee, recalling Carlos Tevez for the remainder of the title push is almost a no-brainer.

"Tevez is a world-class player. If his attitude is correct then there is no problem. If I was Man City manager I would use every resource to try to win that league title.

"At the start of the season I said that Man City would win the league. I still have a strange feeling that they will. They have such a strong squad, with an abundance of players.

"City, in their favour, have that huge derby game ahead of them," Lee continued. "They know it's at home and they know they can win it.

"City have to beat Chelsea and they have to stay within two or three points of United. Then that game takes on a massive significance."

The Manchester derby is at Etihad Stadium, and although City fans may take some comfort in that home advantage, again Newcastle's experience in 1996 provides a warning from history.

In an open game on Tyneside, a solitary Cantona strike in front of over 36,000 supporters sealed three points for the visitors. But as Rob Lee recalls, the result meant so much more than that.

"That did for us," reflected Lee.

"At St James' Park we played them off the park. Peter Schmeichel was unbelievable for them in goal, and you didn't see Eric Cantona all game until he scored with probably his only kick.

"They beat us, and that was a major blow. Even if we had drawn that game I think we would have gone on to win the title."

For Manchester City to remain within touching distance before the derby, upcoming league fixtures against the likes of Stoke, Sunderland, West Brom and Wolves take on enormous importance.

That is, of course, if the wisdom that Manchester United will barely falter proves true. History does provide one more encouraging example for City fans.

In the first week of March 1998, United were 11 points clear of Arsenal, although the Gunners had two games in hand. A subsequent United slump coupled with a 10-game Arsenal winning streak delivered the Premier League trophy to Highbury before the season was over.

Whatever City can muster this season, fans and players ought to heed the words of Lee, whose sense of loss and frustration at his side's inability to seal the deal in 1996 is still palpable.

"You don't realise at the time that we could have made history," Lee admitted.

"We would have been in Geordie folklore for many, many years. As players we presumed we would come back the next season and we'd still be fighting for the title. But that never happened.

"When you're in the midst of it all you don't realise, but now I'm older I look back at it and think we had a great opportunity to become legends.

"That's the biggest regret of my career," says Lee. "I wish we had won it."

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Mancini urges medical improvement

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says Premier League players should be given two medical screenings each year.

The Italian believes current health assessments are not "accurate" enough.

"When I saw our medical [procedures] two years ago, I was worried. I said we need to do them better," he said.

Mancini made his comments shortly after chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed the Premier League will review its medical procedures after Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest.

"We need to improve the medical side for the players," the City boss added.

"We need to screen the players often, maybe two times a year, and they have to be more accurate because they don't do this."

More to follow.

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