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Welcome to the Premier League, Paul Ince! Yes, Ince may know the Premier League inside out from his playing career but he’ll experience a whole new ball game next season when he takes charge of Blackburn Rovers, his first top-flight managerial post.

And it’s great to see Ince land the job at Ewood Park. While Sam Allardyce, Steve McClaren and Michael Laudrup were all linked with the position, Rovers have taken a bit of a gamble in going for Ince. It could prove to be an inspired decision, though. Ince has served his apprenticeship in the lower leagues, first with a coaching spell at Swindon, then at Macclesfield – who he rescued from relegation – and last season, in guiding MK …

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Looking at the list of players who made it to the final table of the Austrian Masters on Friday, it is possible to form some wild conclusions.

Take the dominance of an Austrian one-two. This could be a direct consequence of the civic malaise detailed in an early post.

We are sure Michael Csango and Lu Zhe Zhang owe their position at the top of the prize money to the failure of their nation’s side - the hosts - to provide any stimulation in the group stages of Euro 08.

Another of their countrymen popped his head up in 7th and it was Csango’s first experience of getting his clutches on the top prize.

Coincidence or a case of a …

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In a tense match that ended 0-0 after extra time and took us through the tension of a penalty shoot out it was fitting that the hero of the hour should be a keeper.

Still only 27 it seems like Real Madrid custodian Iker Casillas has been around for donkey´s years - not surprising when you recall he appeared for Real in the 2000 Champions League final, four days after his 19th birthday.

"Saint Iker", as they worship him in Spain, played a blinder and his club beat Valencia 3-0. He played another blinder against Italy in last night´s Euro 2008 quarters to put his country in with a genuine chance of claiming its first silverware since the Conquistadors returned from El …

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