Monday, January 30, 2012

Sports World

Urlacher wants to play no matter the cost
Race for Championship hotting up
Premier League's bottom sides make their move

Urlacher wants to play no matter the cost

Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:09 AM PST

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher says he is so desperate to play that he regularly gets pain killing injections before games and admits that he would not tell coaches if he felt he had a concussion, just to stay on the field.

The 33-year-old made the revelations on the 'Real Sports' show and freely conceded that he had received regular shots of Toradol, which is an anti-inflammatory which can ease injuries, especially in physical sports such as American Football. Even people looking at the in-running Super Bowl odds will have been shocked by the revelations.

"It's normal," Urlacher told "Real Sports." "You drop your pants, you get the alcohol, they give you a shot, put the Band-Aid on and you go out and play."

The news came as quite a shock to interviewer Andrea Kremer who appeared to know a lot more about the side effects of the drug than the veteran middle linebacker.

Toradol has previously been proven to cause kidney failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.

However, Urlacher seemed quite unconcerned about the possible damage he is doing to his body, admitting he didn't know that they were the side effects and freely admitted that he didn't mind them, as long as he could still play.

"First of all, we love football," Urlacher said. "We want to be on the field as much as we can be. If we can be out there, it may be stupid, it may be dumb, call me dumb and stupid then, because I want to be on the football field."

Later in the interview he also said he has faked injury in the past after suffering a concussion to allow him to refocus just so he wasn't replaced.

"If I have a concussion these days, I'm going to say something happened to my toe or knee just to get my bearings for a few plays," he added. "I'm not going to sit in there and say I got a concussion. [Then] I can't go in there the rest of the game."

Race for Championship hotting up

Posted: 30 Jan 2012 04:41 AM PST

Charlton Athletic moved a step closer to a return to the Championship after a crucial 1-0 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday.

Wednesday went into the game in fine form having lost just once in 12 games and the soccer betting was unable to separate the sides come kick-off. But Johnnie Jackson's free-kick was enough to see the leaders prevail and consign Wednesday to their first home defeat of the season.

Wednesday would have gone just two points behind Charlton with victory. Instead, they dropped eight points behind the table-toppers in fourth place. They fell one place as Huddersfield Town capitalised on their defeat.

Town left it late in their game with Oldham Athletic at the Galpharm Stadium. It looked as if Huddersfield would have to settle for a frustrating goalless draw heading into the dying stages, only for substitute Alan Lee to head the winner four minutes from time. They moved to within three points of Sheffield United, who ran out convincing 3-0 winners at Gigg Lane.

Bury were unbeaten in the league since October but had no answer as the Blades scored three
second-half goals without reply to keep pace with Charlton at the top. Richard Cresswell, Ched Evans and Lee Williamson were the scorers for Danny Wilson's side.

MK Dons are the only other side with realistic automatic promotion aspirations and they endured a frustrating weekend after their game against play-off hopefuls Carlisle United was postponed at the last minute due to a frozen pitch.

Charlton are in pole position however for punters looking to bet on the championship title. They are four points ahead of Sheffield United with a game in hand. Intriguingly, the top two face off at the Valley this weekend. It is a six-pointer which could prove to be season-defining.

Premier League's bottom sides make their move

Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:14 AM PST

Jean Beausejour looks set for a move to Wigan Athletic after the Lancashire club agreed a fee with Birmingham City.

The 27-year-old, who has been a standout performer in the Championship this season, will now open talks with the Premier League basement side.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has previously stated his desire to bring in quality to complement the players he already has at the club and boost his team's chances in the relegation betting stakes.

Speaking after his side's 3-1 defeat at Queens Park Rangers, Martinez said: "We will use the transfer window to try to help the players we have at the club, but we already have belief and desire to do it."

The Chile international joined the Blues in August 2010 after impressive performances in the 2010 World Cup and has gone on to make 55 appearances for the club.

Beausejour has played a big role in Birmingham's ascent up the Championship table and would be a big loss to Chris Hughton's side.

It remains to be seen whether the Chilean makes the move from the Midlands. Birmingham currently occupy a play-off spot in the Championship, while Wigan are in real danger of losing their top-flight status.

Punters who bet on relegation will also take note transfer activity elsewhere among the strugglers.

Elsewhere at the bottom, Bolton's survival hopes received a boost with news that American defender Tim Ream has been granted a work permit.

The 24-year-old will make the move across the Atlantic after impressing Owen Coyle while training with the club. Once the formalities are completed, Ream will complete his move from New York Bulls and could be a long-term replacement for Gary Cahill.

Mark Hughes will have to look elsewhere for firepower after Brazilian striker Henrique was denied a work permit. The QPR boss was hoping Henrique would go some way to solving the R's problems in front of goal, but his work permit application was turned down.

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Sports World

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