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Scholes out until February
SOCCER: Manchester United's hopes of fending off Arsenal in this season's title race were dealt a considerable blow last night with the news that Paul Scholes is to miss the next three months through injury. p

St Vincent's back in big time
GAELIC GAMES: St Vincent's ... 0-12 St Brigid's ... 1-7: St Vincent's folklore is vast, but the end game here will sit comfortably alongside any other story they can remember out Marino way. p

Sokolov times it to perfection
Dublin City Marathon: Between his course record of 2:09.07 and his 90-second victory margin, Aleksey Sokolov easily becomes the most impressive and comfortable winner in the 28-year history of the Dublin marathon, writes Ian O'Riordan p

Liverpool count injury cost
Liverpool discovered the full price yesterday of their rugged commitment against Arsenal with confirmation of a fractured metatarsal for Xabi Alonso and a torn adductor muscle for Fernando Torres. p
Ramos cracks whip as Sevilla still fume
Juande Ramos' reign at Tottenham Hotspur began with a rare double training session for the under-achieving players yesterday as the anger at his abrupt departure from Sevilla intensified. The Spanish club's president, Jose Maria del Nido, last night accused their former manager and Spurs of "treachery" and continued to consider reporting them to Fifa. p
Cups need restructure before they lose all shine
Emmet Malone On Soccer: While it's welcome in the wake of the weekend's semi-finals that there's a clear sense of the competition moving towards its climax, the chronic lack of momentum behind the FAI Cup this year makes it hard to credit at times that it really did start, well, this year. p
Fifa end rotation
Soccer shorts: Fifa's executive committee have voted unanimously to end their policy of rotating the hosting of World Cups through their six continental confederations. p

Prop sets out on mission to prove a point Rugby
John O'Sullivan talks to the former Springbok and Leinster new recruit Ollie le Roux p
White ends role with SA
World Cup-winning head coach Jake White has ended his spell in charge of South Africa, the country's governing body confirmed yesterday. p
Changes to laws must be measured
Gerry Thornley On Rugby: Rugby should never be a hostage to tradition. With changing physiques and vastly increased fitness levels, it is the International Rugby Board's duty to constantly seek ways of adapting to these changes and to make the game better. But in the immediate aftermath of a World Cup when, once again, defences and goalkicking ultimately won out over attack, the temptation is to over-react. p
Cheika extends squad
Felipe Contepomi will again be an absentee for Leinster as they take on Connacht in the Magners Celtic League at the RDS on Friday as he is attending his brother's wedding in Argentina. p

Tipperary set to name Evans as football manager
Kerry native John Evans is expected to be confirmed tonight as the Tipperary football manager after being put forward for ratification by the county board. p

Chopra travels a long road to victory
Tour News: Big-hitting Swede Daniel Chopra held his nerve to win his maiden PGA Tour title by a stroke at the weather-delayed Ginn sur Mer Classic in Port St Lucie, Florida, yesterday. p
Padraig's Open victory leaves a taste for more
Philip Reid looks back on the 2007 season and selects the year's best performances p
Absent Els the real target for Harrington
Technically, five players can still win the PGA European Tour order of merit title which concludes with this week's season-ending Volvo Masters in Valderrama; although the odds are stacked very much in favour of the one man from that quintet who won't actually be competing in the tour finale. p
Terrific year for amateurs
Many of those who excel in the amateur game are drawn to a life on tour as professionals. That point was reaffirmed by the fact that two members of Ireland's six-man team which won the European Championships at Western Gailes in Scotland were, by season's end, in the paid ranks. p
Pretending to be pros is a slog
Caddie's Role/Colin Byrne: I am frequently asked if I get to play the courses that I "guide" my player around so precisely during tournament weeks. This rarely, if ever, happens for a number of reasons. p

Jupiter rises for O'Brien
Jupiter Pluvius maintained his unbeaten record in the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown to provide a bright spot for Aidan O'Brien yesterday. p

O'Connor makes up for his Berlin setback
Michael O'Connor came to Dublin yesterday with the sole intention of becoming national men's champion, and as the first Irish finisher - and 14th overall - he did exactly that, even if his time of 2:25.48 was disappointing on a day when the course record fell so decisively. p
Sports digest
A round-up of today's sports news in brief p

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