Casey Stoner’s return to form and the rise of Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden could spell trouble for Jorge Lorenzo, whose run to the MotoGP title may involve more hurdles than he had imagined over the final five races.

Finishing second to Dani Pedrosa at every round between now and the end of the season would be enough to seal the championship for the Yamaha man but Sunday’s result in Aragon showed how fluid the situation is when more riders are up there battling for the win.

Hayden’s last-lap ‘backyard’ pass, as he described it, was an example of the risks other riders are prepared to take when the opportunity to score a top-three result arises, while for Lorenzo the tightrope between finishing on the podium and not crashing is an increasingly precarious one.

With 56 points between him and top spot, thanks to top-two finishes at eight of the last 10 races, Pedrosa has worked a foot into the door – and a non-finish for Lorenzo at this stage would kick it wide open.

Pedrosa penned a new two-year deal with HRC in Aragon – but the announcement was made by the factory’s racing department rather than the Repsol Honda team.

It is a sensitive issue, given that Honda have already signed Stoner but have Andrea Dovizioso on their books, too.

The Japanese factory want Dovizioso, whose results in the early part of the season triggered a performance-related option on a further year in his contract, to go quietly to the satellite Gresini team.

But the Italian and his management are playing hardball, insisting he is guaranteed factory support, factory wages and his current crew.

Valentino Rossi admitted this weekend that he has a better relationship with Pedrosa than with Lorenzo but insisted he would help his Yamaha team-mate to win the title if the opportunity arose.

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On Friday night, I could have constructed a long list of things that I didn’t expect to see on Monday morning but, if I had then erased anything sordid or relating to my personal life, Valencia sitting pretty in La Liga’s number one spot would have featured very near the top.

The facts have been touched upon in this blog a couple of times in the past but in the summer Valencia sold their best two players from recent seasons, David Villa and David Silva.

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The European Parliament has approved proposals to improve co-ordination between European Union member countries if they face sudden gas shortages.

Supplies to thousands of homes and businesses across the EU were cut last year due to a payment dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

National governments are due to approve the bill by the end of the year.

It is part of Europe’s attempts to improve the way it deals with future gas crises.

The proposals voted through by the European Parliament provide stricter guarantees that gas companies will not be able to cut supplies to households in case of extreme temperatures or severe disruption.

(BBC)

The British RMT union has criticised the boss of Stena Line for making comments calling British workers “fat” and “tattooed”.

The director of Stena Line’s North Sea route, which runs between Harwich and the Hook of Holland, was quoted as saying UK workers were “quite fat and covered in tattoos”.

Pim de Lange said he was quoted out of context and has apologised.

But Steve Todd, head of maritime at the RMT, has called for a fuller apology.
BBC

Joe Cole scored his first goal for Liverpool to help them beat Steaua Bucharest in their Europa League tie.

The Reds playmaker steered in a shot only 27 seconds in after pouncing on a poor backpass by Octavian Abrudan.

Steaua equalised when Cristian Tanase chipped over on-rushing keeper Pepe Reina but a David Ngog penalty restored the Reds’ lead.

A stunning Lucas Leiva 22-yard strike and a late angled Ngog effort completed the home side’s victory.

While the Europa League is not a priority for Liverpool, their manager Roy Hodgson will be using the games in the competition to judge some of the players on the fringes of his squad.

BBC