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Mowbray - delighted to land Olsson.
OLSSON IN THE BAGGIES

West Brom have completed the signing of defender Jonas Olsson from Dutch Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen for a fee of 800,000, the club have announced on their website.

The left-sided player underwent a successful medical and has agreed a two-year contract with the club, plus the option of a further year.

The fee for the former Sweden Under-20 and Under-21 international could rise by a further 360,000 in performance-related add-ons.

Manager Tony Mowbray told the club’s official website, www.wba.co.uk: “I’m delighted to welcome Jonas to the club.

“He’s got different assets to our other centre-halves.

“Jonas is comfortable on the ball, can pick a pass and also has a real winner’s attitude.

“He’s been brought in to increase competition at centre-half and I’m looking forward to working with him and helping to develop his career in the Premier League.”

After moving to Holland from home-town club Landskrona in 2005, he has been a regular in the Nijmegen side for the past three years.

Bullard - surprise pick.
BULLARD IN ENGLAND SQUAD

Jimmy Bullard has been handed a shock England World Cup call-up as coach Fabio Capello looks to begin the road to South Africa by beating Andorra and Croatia.

The 29-year-old has barely earned a mention as a potential candidate for Capello’s squad, even after the loss of Steven Gerrard, who accompanied Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick onto the injured list.

But Bullard has found favour following an excellent start to the season, following his influential role in keeping the Cottagers up last term.

Capello is presumably banking on Bullard’s experience helping him overcome any nerves at his first call-up and the Londoner’s chirpy character should certainly help in the England dressing room.

It is also a reward for Bullard’s decision not to chase a place in the Germany squad by taking advantage of his grandmother’s birthplace.

Having been out of the game for 15 months following cruciate ligament surgery in September 2006, it is a testament to Bullard’s strength of character that he not only returned to action but produced performances good enough to attract Capello’s attention.

However, anyone who has seen Bullard rise from total obscurity at Gravesend and Northfleet would have no doubt about his determination and dedication, even if his major claim to fame in his career so far is the role he played in Wigan’s rise from League One to the Premier League.

Bullard’s joy will contrast sharply with the dejection of Michael Owen, who has been left out despite making his first full appearance of the season for Newcastle at Arsenal on Saturday.

With Capello in attendance at the Emirates Stadium, it was felt Owen would be part of the Italian’s 23-man squad, particularly as he had scored match-winning goals against Bolton and Coventry in the previous week.

However, Capello gave an indication Owen would miss out.

“Owen is a good player and always scores a lot of goals for England,” Capello said on Wednesday before adding: “But he has not played and at this moment, we need fit players.”

Whether Capello can afford to be without Owen, one of only four players to score 40 goals for England, is a debatable point, if not for the meeting with Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday, then certainly for the crunch clash against Croatia in Zagreb four days later.

Instead, Capello has stuck with the four strikers from the squad that earned mixed reviews for their performance in the draw against the Czech Republic at Wembley on August 20.

Once again, Peter Crouch has been left out despite scoring for Portsmouth at Everton on Saturday, although the performance of another Pompey man at Goodison Park, Jermain Defoe, suggests he will be the man asked to partner Wayne Rooney at the Olympic Stadium at Montjuic next weekend.

Capello will be hoping to avoid the kind of abuse Steve McClaren endured at the same venue 18 months ago, when Gerrard’s double and a late David Nugent effort staved off total humiliation against the part-timers after a goalless first-half.

That embarrassment provided the trigger for David Beckham’s return and the former England skipper has retained his place in Capello’s squad even though his punishing schedule - he followed the England game with a trip to Beijing for the Olympics handover - and lack of worthwhile match practice with Los Angeles Galaxy as the reasons behind an apparent decline in performance.

With Manchester City keeper Joe Hart returning to England Under-21 duty and Jonathan Woodgate injured, Robert Green and Joleon Lescott have been recalled, while Glen Johnson will provide cover for Wes Brown at right-back as Gary Neville, like Owen, is deemed not fit enough and Micah Richards picked up a knock in City’s win at Sunderland.

England squad for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia on September 6 and September 10: Robinson (Blackburn), James (Portsmouth), Green (West Ham); Lescott (Everton), Bridge (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Johnson (Portsmouth), Upson (West Ham); Barry (Aston Villa), J Cole (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Bullard (Fulham), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Downing (Middlesbrough), Bentley (Tottenham), Jenas (Tottenham); Walcott (Arsenal), Rooney (Manchester United), Defoe (Portsmouth), Heskey (Wigan).

Poulter - wild card pick.
FALDO CONFIRMS WILD CARDS

Europe captain Nick Faldo has handed Ryder Cup wild cards to Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.

As a result Colin Montgomerie misses out on the match which could have seen him take over from Faldo as the event’s record points-scorer.

Darren Clarke also misses out, despite his victory in Holland a week ago which made he and Casey the two favourites to be picked.

Casey and Poulter will join Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson, who all automatically qualified for the event at Valhalla next month.

Faldo revealed Poulter’s attitude was one of the major factors behind his selection.

Faldo said: “I don’t have to reel off all their statistics.

“I’ve been watching these guys through the summer.

“Ian is a very determined guy, I love his attitude and what he did at The Open - that back nine he played with the intention to win and had that emotional feeling.”

Regarding the selection of Casey, Faldo explained: “I’ve been watching Paul play and he has been playing absolutely the best through the summer.

“I was waiting for the putting to turn around.

“That has been very important.

“He has an extremely good record in the Ryder Cup and, going back, the Walker Cup.

“I feel very good about those two picks.”

Poulter chose not to fly back from America for the last qualifying event, this weekend’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

A third-place finish at Gleneagles would have taken Poulter into the team by right.

Clarke was hoping for another wild card, having benefited in that manner two years ago.

Ian Woosnam chose him then just three weeks after the Ulsterman’s wife Heather had lost her fight with breast cancer.

Three weeks later, amid emotional scenes at The K Club, Clarke won all his three matches in Europe’s record-equalling nine-point victory.

Casey won his second cap there and, partnering David Howell in the second-day foursomes, became the first player to win a Ryder Cup match with a hole-in-one.

Of all the leading candidates for selection, he and Clarke were the two who showed Faldo the best recent form, with Poulter having failed to follow up his bid for Open glory at Royal Birkdale six weeks ago.

Brilliantly though he played there, it was only his second top-10 finish of the whole year. Casey has had four in his last seven starts.

Europe will go for an unprecedented fourth successive victory over the Americans at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 19-21.

Europe know only eight of the 12 Americans they will face.

Paul Azinger names four wild cards on Tuesday, but unlike the last five US captains he has no Tiger Woods in his line-up, and while Faldo had the headache of who to leave out, Azinger has had no star names crying out for a pick.

Steve Stricker, who just missed out on automatic selection, appears an obvious first choice and Scott Verplank would be a safe second pick, but if he wants to go with youth then Hunter Mahan, DJ Trahan and Brandt Snedeker are stand-out candidates.

The United States have lost five of the last six matches and in the other - in Boston nine years ago - they needed the biggest comeback in cup history and won only after the shameful storming of the 17th green before Olazabal could attempt his putt to keep the match alive.

Montgomerie was heckled that week like no other golfer before or since, but still lost only one of his five games and come 2002, 2004 and 2006 played a starring role.

Europe’s talisman has not been able to convince Faldo, though, that he deserved a ninth cap.

He did finish second in the French Open at the end of June, but the 45-year-old has tailed off badly since then and, for all he has done in the past and for all the support he got from Harrington and others, it was Faldo’s opinion that mattered.

After last year’s Seve Trophy, Faldo - not in private, but in conversation with a reporter - said: “Monty’s a tough one. He was the only one whose emotions I had to deal with.

“He only came to two of the five team meetings, so that was disappointing. Then he had to be teased out on to the 18th green to support his team - the bottom line was he hadn’t won a point.”

Even back then Montgomerie was asked how he would feel if he missed out on next month’s match.

“I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it - I’d just make sure I qualified in 2010,” he said. He hoped it would not come to that, but it has.

Stenson approved of the selection to the team of Poulter and Casey, saying: “It was going to be among four or five guys getting the two spots.

“I think we are going to have a great team and both Ian and Paul are going to be good selections to the players that are already in.

“I am very confident. It is going to be a team effort.”

Clarke said in a statement: “Nick rang me after my last round at Gleneagles to say that I wasn’t going to be one of his picks and I simply wished him all the best.

“Obviously I am disappointed that I wasn’t selected, but I have dealt with much worse and it will make me all the more determined to make the team that will play in Wales next time.

“There was a qualifying period and I didn’t make it automatically, so you will not hear any sour grapes from me.

“I couldn’t have tried any harder and I devoted myself to the European Tour to give myself the best possible chance, but although I have won twice this year it obviously wasn’t enough.

“I fully respect the captain’s decision and I would like to wish him and his team all the very best for Valhalla.

“I will be supporting them from wherever I am.”

Poulter said: “Maybe I should have gone to play Gleneagles, but I stuck by my word.

“Looking back at the time I made the right decision for me, but it was so difficult to choose the right thing to do and it’s obviously been a very difficult decision to try to get across.”

Asked what he thought he brought to the team he added: “I think I will bring my best game, excitement, flair and the passion that I always play golf with.

“I think I will be a strong asset to the team.

“I’ve been looking at the (points) list every single week since The Open and I thought the only scenario that would put a spanner in the works was Darren playing well.”

Montgomerie also issued a statement, commenting: “I wish the team the very best of luck.

“Although I am, of course, very disappointed not to have played my way into the team or into contention for a pick, I am delighted at the obvious strength and depth of the European team.

“The European Tour should very proud at the quantity and quality of potential Ryder Cup players that it can now offer up for selection - more so than at any time in my 20 years plus on tour.

“Our line-up is fantastic, headed up by Padraig (Harrington) who is playing the best golf in the world right now and I am utterly confident the team will triumph again this year.

“I wish Nick and the team the very best of luck and while I shall certainly feel sad not to be playing a part, as I sit glued to the TV I know the overwhelming emotion I will be feeling is pride.”

Europe’s Ryder Cup Team:

Padraig Harrington

Sergio Garcia

Lee Westwood

Henrik Stenson

Robert Karlsson

Miguel Angel Jiminez

Graeme McDowell

Justin Rose

Soren Hansen

Oliver Wilson

Ian Poulter

Paul Casey

Belletti - scored the opening goal of the game.
BENT EARNS SPURS A POINT

Tottenham striker Darren Bent provided the attacking threat in the absence of Dimitar Berbatov by scoring in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge and end Chelsea’s perfect start to the season.

With Berbatov absent, deemed psychologically unfit as he edges towards a move to Manchester United, Spurs were soaking up the pressure and staring at defeat until Bent pounced to earn Juande Ramos’ men their first Barclays Premier League point of the season.

Chelsea had deservedly led through Juliano Belletti, but with Roman Pavlyuchenko signed from Spartak Moscow yesterday, Bent’s first goal of the campaign provided a reminder to Ramos of what he can deliver.

Robinho - Chelsea interest.
CHELSEA DEFEND ROBINHO INTEREST

Chelsea have ‘refuted’ Real Madrid’s criticism regarding their conduct in the bid to sign Robinho.

Brazilian striker Robinho held a press conference on Sunday to reiterate his desire to join Chelsea before the transfer window closed.

Real responded by issuing a statement which hit out at Chelsea’s behaviour, particularly an incident which saw shirts bearing Robinho’s name go on sale on the club’s website.

But the Blues have now defended their interest in Robinho, having made a formal offer, and say the shirt incident was ‘a regrettable accident’.

“There is nothing wrong with publicly confirming our interest in a player when the club involved is well aware of it, has been in receipt of two bids and is negotiating to sell the player,” read Chelsea’s statement.

“So we completely refute any criticism from Real Madrid.

“As for the issue regarding the website, Real are well aware this was a regrettable accident by an external supplier which was rectified as soon as it was brought to our attention and not a single shirt was sold.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari admits he is uncertain if Robinho will be part of his squad for the rest of the season.

Scolari has expressed a wish to work with his compatriot, but is leaving the transfer negotiations in the hands of Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon.

“About Robinho, it is not my business,” said Scolari. “I don’t know nothing. You know what I know - zero!

“Ask Peter Kenyon or (Real Madrid president Ramon) Calderon. I didn’t think about Robinho in the last few days because I needed to train my players.

“He is not my player. When one player is my player I will say something.”

Rose - automatic qualification.
TRIO SET FOR RYDER CUP DEBUTS

Jubilant Oliver Wilson joined Justin Rose and Soren Hansen in clinching a Ryder Cup debut - but only after being given the fright of his life.

The 27-year-old from Mansfield - what a month for the town following Rebecca Adlington’s two Olympic gold medals - knew as he came to the closing stretch of the final qualifying event that the only way he would miss out was if Nick Dougherty won the Johnnie Walker Championship at rain-soaked Gleneagles.

Aware that Dougherty, joint 16th overnight, had bogeyed three of the first six holes, Wilson felt he was cruising in.

Until, that is, he looked at the leaderboard on the final hole. It showed the Liverpudlian with five successive birdies around the turn and another at the 14th.

“I lost my concentration for a second,” said Wilson.

But Dougherty was still three shots off the lead and by failing to birdie any of the final four he finished joint seventh.

So Wilson, 10th on the points table as well as in the tournament, becomes the first player to represent Europe against the Americans without first winning a professional tournament.

Four second places this year have got him in.

Rose and Hansen, who have not won this season either, partnered each other for the final lap of the 12-month race and, pretty much certain of their spots when they teed off, gave what Rose called “high fives and a manly hug” on the last.

They finished fifth and 10th in the event respectively, while the trophy and the 233,330 first prize went to Frenchman Gregory Havret, whose eagle on the long ninth and birdies at the 14th and 16th enabled him to beat England’s Graeme Storm by one.

Havret, who led at the end of each round, finished with a 14-under-par total of 278 to add the title to his Scottish Open victory last year.

Swede Peter Hanson and former Ryder Cup player David Howell, in a welcome return to form, were joint third.

Asked if they might name a pub in Mansfield after him just like Adlington, Wilson just smiled and said: “I am not that special. Two gold medals are.”

If he becomes the hero at Valhalla next month, perhaps he will also be paraded through the streets. He might not ask for a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, though.

Rose had given up his place in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup to secure his Ryder Cup spot and said: “Making it is the highlight of my season, but I want to be a valuable member of the team.

“Last week (in Holland) I got the job half done and it was nice to sign, seal and deliver it here.

“I stalled in the middle of the whole campaign and it became hard work, but I think that that spurred me on to play well.”

Quiet man Hansen finished sixth and 10th in the last two counting events to make sure Denmark are represented in the match, just as they were with Thomas Bjorn in 1997 and 2002.

“I’m very, very pleased - it’s going to be a thrill,” Hansen said.

“I had a feeling I did the job last week and it was just a matter of playing solid the first two rounds this week and I did that.”

Wilson had made life tough for himself when he was six over par after eight holes of the second round. He was four outside the halfway cut but grabbed an eagle and two birdies to survive.

His last 46 holes of the tournament were played in 13 under.

“I take a lot of confidence from the way I came through on Friday,” he said. “I felt if I missed the cut that was pretty much it.”

The eagle was set up with a three-wood to eight feet on the 503-yard 12th and he rates it one of the best shots of his life given the circumstances.

Dougherty was left hoping he might get one of captain Nick Faldo’s two wild cards, but he was not expecting it with Darren Clarke, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Colin Montgomerie and US-based Carl Pettersson all failing to make into the top 10 on points as well.

“My aim was to make Ollie (Wilson) sweat a bit and I did,” said the 26-year-old, who like German Martin Kaymer fell down the table after his mother died.

“I’m very, very proud of what I did today, what I’ve done all week, all season really.

“I think I showed real character to come back. My mum would be very proud too.

“The way I bounced back was superb and I’ve shown fighting spirit and passion. My girlfriend and I were laughing last night - it’s typically, dramatically me for it to come down to the last four or five holes.”

Kaymer’s chance of automatic selection went when he missed the cut by one, while Ross Fisher needed top three and despite a closing seven-under-par 66 he managed only 10th.

Havret, who splashed out of a bunker to eight feet and made the putt to pip Storm, commented: “It was definitely a tough day.

“I remember last year at Loch Lomond. I was up and down from the trap also.”

He beat Phil Mickelson in a play-off there.

Murray - great comeback.
MURRAY DELIGHTED WITH GREAT ESCAPE

Andy Murray believes his memorable US Open victory over Jurgen Melzer in New York on Saturday night was even better than his epic Wimbledon win over Richard Gasquet earlier this summer.

Murray repeated his Centre Court heroics over Gasquet when he came from two sets down to beat Melzer 6-7 4-6 7-6 6-1 6-3 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre.

The near four-hour thriller in front of a packed Grandstand Stadium crowd drew instant comparisons with his battle with Gasquet as sixth seed Murray secured a place in the last 16 and a meeting with 10th seed Stanislaw Wawrinka of Switzerland.

“They both were very good,” Murray said. “I was in danger in both matches, but I felt like today Melzer was playing so well that it was going to be really tough for me to get back into the match.

“Gasquet was obviously playing great too, but I still felt like I had a shot of getting back in there. And I had known in the past that he had struggled to close big matches out and struggled a bit over five sets.

“So that made it a little bit easier than today maybe.”

The 21-year-old Scot said he had not been taken aback by the way Melzer, a left-handed serve and volleyer, had got off to such a strong start to their match or that he struggled to deal with it.

“The guy played great. It happens sometimes,” Murray said.

“I’m not that good of a player that I can just blitz guys. But I said it was going to be a difficult match, and he’s very talented.

“He’s given top guys a lot of problems in the past. He’s beaten (Andre) Agassi three or four times. He’s a tough guy to play and he played great.

“I wasn’t surprised. It’s tough to get in a rhythm when a guy is taking every ball on the rise and coming to the net and mixing his serve around. He was playing well.”

Crucially, though, Murray said he did not believe his championship prospects had been dead and buried at two sets down.

“I didn’t think I was out of it, but I knew it was going to be tough to come back because he was playing really, really well,” he added.

“He was serving close to the lines and hitting the ball so hard and flat and very deep, taking a lot of risks and was going in for the most part.

“I just had to try and hang on. The toughest part was probably when I got broken serving for the third set. I felt like he hadn’t had too many chances on my serve up until that point.

“To lose it after I had only broken once the whole match was tough but I played some great points in the tie-break to turn it around.”

Getaway - won at Deauville.
GETAWAY EASES TO DEAUVILLE WIN

Getaway bounced back to form with a comfortable victory in the Luciene Barriere Grand Prix de Deauville under new pilot Frankie Dettori.

Andre Fabre’s charge was an impressive winner of the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket in May but disappointed on his next two starts at Epsom and Saint-Cloud.

But he was always travelling nicely here under Dettori, who has been booked to ride the horse in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, and took over from the pacemaking Sommertag early in the straight.

The globetrotting Doctor Dino came out of the pack to lay down a strong challenge, but Dettori kept the 11-8 market-leader up to his work to land the Group Two event a shade cosily.

VC Bet cut the winner to 8-1 from 16-1 for the Arc, while Paddy Power are offering 14-1.

Johnson - to sign new deal.
JOHNSON SET FOR NEW CITY DEAL

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is expecting Michael Johnson to sign a new contract.

Johnson has been locked in talks with City for some time regarding an extension to his present deal.

The England Under 21 international had rejected an offer from the club and discussions appeared to have been stalled.

However, negotiations resumed earlier this month and the midfielder is now ready to pledge his future to City.

“Michael will put pen-to-paper over the next 24 hours,” said Hughes in the Sunday Mirror.

“We are delighted because he has a fantastic future and his decision to commit his future to this club is another example of the progress we are now making.”

A string of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, had been linked with bids for Johnson, but he is now set to agree a five-year deal to stay at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Monty - failed to produce the magic.
MONTY UNABLE TO PRODUCE MAGIC

Colin Montgomerie was unable to show Nick Faldo that he had suddenly found his old magic on the final day of Ryder Cup qualifying today.

With a wild card his only way into the team for next month’s match Montgomerie had blown his hopes of victory with a Saturday 76 in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

And this morning, either side of a 15-minute rain suspension, the 45-year-old Scot improved only from one over par to one under with a 71.

“If I get selected it will be fantastic,” he said. “If I don’t I wish the team every success. There are no expectations at this time.”

Three automatic places had still to be settled, but the only change could come if Nick Dougherty charged from 16th overnight to second and the chances of that receded when he bogeyed the third and slipped to 20th.

Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson remained on course to seal debuts.