Your tributes to Sir Bobby

Sir Bobby Robson, a true legend of the game, has sadly passed away after losing his brave battle with cancer.

He had a distinguished playing career, which included 20 England caps and four goals, but he'll probably be most remembered for his brilliant managerial career which included spells at Fulham, England, Ipswich, PSV Eindhoven (twice), Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and at his beloved Newcastle.
If any manager deserved to give Newcastle the silverware they so craved it was Robson, sadly it was never to be. He collected plenty of domestic honours especially in Spain, Holland and Portugal and led Ipswich to FA Cup and Uefa Cup glory but I think the thing he really wanted was to reward the Geordie devotion with a trophy.
I'll always remember him for his time in charge of England, a thankless task but he kept us all on the edge of our seats in World Cup 86 and 90, I'm choosing to ignore Euro 88.
Who can forget his little dance after David Platt's winner against Belgium in 1990, or him on the verge of tears after the misery of going out to penalties to Germany.
He was the man who had to deal with the fall out of Maradona's Hand of God and Gascoigne's semi-final tears. He made fans feel huge empathy with an England manager, something that none of his successors achieved.
Sir Bobby I salute you, perhaps in heaven Maradona's goal is ruled out, Lineker heads a winner at the other end and we go on to beat West Germany on pens in the final.
Post your memories of Sir Bobby below.....

Schumacher back on the F1 grid

Michael Schumacher will race at the next round of the Formula 1 World Championship in Valencia after being named as Felipe Massa's shock replacement while he recovers from his injuries.

The Schumacher rumours had been mooted from the moment it became clear that the Brazilian was unlikely to make a rapid return, if at all, to racing action. But the prospect of a comeback for the 40-year-old appeared little more than fantasy when his manager Willi Weber said he was "200% sure" the German would not be returning.

This dramatic U-turn by the seven-time world champion adds an amazing twist to the season and the likes of Lewis Hamilton will be salivating at the prospect of racing against him for the first time.

Schumacher's decision, though, is an amazing one and there is little for him to gain and plenty to lose - his pride and reputation for one (there is no guarantee he will be up to speed in F1 having been out for so long) not to mention the threat to his personal safety of which he is all too aware with the recent Massa incident.

The likes of Bernie Ecclestone would dearly love a headline-grabbing Schumacher win in Valencia or certainly before his spell in F1 is over. But it remains to be seen whether he has the same fitness and fire that made him such a force in the past, or for that matter the speed.

What do you make of Schumacher's return and is he the right man to replace Massa? And does he still have what it takes to win in F1? Post your comments below...

England to host 2015 Rugby World Cup

The RFU may celebrate after being awarded the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but the whole bidding process has been overshadowed by political squabbling and money.

It was hardly a glowing endorsement that England only won the IRB Council vote 16-10, but they won't care too much about that. The RFU's coffers will be significantly swelled and the British economy could be boosted to the tune of nearly £2 billion.

Which is partly why the bitter boards in South Africa and Italy, who had been vying for the role of 2015, were left fuming after missing out, both arguing that the process was flawed.

There was also some surprise at the award of the 2019 event to Japan. For a nation not known for its rugby prowess, it may seem a strange decision, but there is a double edge to it. First, it will help take the sport to the Asian market and perhaps more importantly help the IRB in its bid to get rugby added to the list of Olympic sports.

What are your thoughts on England being awared the 2015 Rugby World Cup and can they win the tournament on home soil?

Who will replace Massa?

Michael Schumacher's manager Willi Weber is "200% sure" the German will not step in for the recovering Felipe Massa - which begs the question, who will?

Ferrari's first choice at the moment appears to be Fernando Alonso, who looks destined to leave Renault at the end of the season, although with Nelson Piquet Jr almost certain to be axed, Flavio Briatore will fight hard to keep the Spaniard.

Robert Kubica is also being touted by numerous media sources after the announcement that BMW will withdraw from F1 at the end of the current season.

Recently-axed Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Bourdais is another candidate. This is not as crazy as it sounds as the Frenchman shares the same manager as Massa - Nicolas Todt. On the same note, Williams reserve driver Nico Hulkenburg is managed by Weber which might make him a candidate though a lack of testing experience counts against him.

The likelihood is that Ferrari will end up playing safe and opt for either Marc Gene or Luca Badoer, the team's current test pairing.

Who should take Massa's place at Ferrari? Post your comments below.

Latest F1 gossip... Toyota offer new deal to Trulli

Our F1 expert continues his hunt for the latest stories from around the pit lane.

Check out today's gossip surrounding Jarno Trulli and then send in your reaction and rumours using the boxes below.

Armstrong eyes 2010 Tour win

Alberto Contador lived up to his tag as favourite with victory in Le Tour de France, but all eyes were on the man standing two steps below him on the podium.

Lance Armstrong might have only finished third on his return to the race for the first time since 2005 but, at 37, it was a remarkable achievement and the Texan whetted everyone's appetite by targeting victory in next year's Tour.

His ambition is far from unrealistic as he will have an entire year to prepare and, unlike Astana, a team to fully back his cause. The only problem is that he will be lining up against Contador, who remains the leading rider of the big Tours.

The other major rival could be Bradley Wiggins, who finished fourth to equal the best-ever performance by a Brit. And then there's the small matter of Mark Cavendish, who will be hoping to at least match his remarkable six Tour stage wins.

What did you make of Contador's Tour win and can Armstrong bounce back to win the race next year? And what about the Brits on Tour - did both Wiggins and Cavendish exceed expectations?

Latest transfer rumours (Sun Aug 16)

Orange brings you the pick of the day's transfer tittle-tattle from the papers throughout the transfer window. You can also click here to check out the biggest completed deals.

- Sven-Goran Eriksson hopes to persuade Luis Figo and Pavel Nedved to come out of retirement and join his Notts County revolution in League Two, with Inter Milan's Patrick Vieira a third jaw-dropping target (Mail on Sunday)

- Hull are set to swoop for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo for around £12m (News of the World)

- Man City and Everton are both prepared to pay £9m for Spurs winger David Bentley (Sunday Express)

- Liverpool are set to offload misfit frontman Andriy Voronin to Hertha Berlin for £3m (News of the World)

- Brede Hangeland is offered £50k-a-week to stay at Fulham, with Arsenal, Man City, Villa, Liverpool and Everton tracking the situation (News of the World)

- Everton are poised to up their first bid of £4m for Newcastle defender Steven Taylor (Sunday Express)

- Turkish side Fenerbahce want to take Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko on loan (News of the World)

Have you heard any rumours on the grapevine? Spotted Milner on Penny Lane? Who should your club be buying in the summer? Have your say in the boxes below.

Hamilton gets back to winning ways

It was only a few weeks ago that Lewis Hamilton described his season as a "nightmare" - an understandable reaction to a miserable year.

Hamilton's bosses at McLaren have been courageous enough to admit they have been unable to provide a competitive car for the defending champion, but that has now been replaced by bullish confidence after Sunday's victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The belief is that Hamilton now actually has a car capable of winning races and will give British fans the head-to-head battle they so desperately want between the defending champion and Jenson Button.

Hamilton was full of praise for the McLaren mechanics after his first win of 2009 - and rightly so. Their hard work and fortitude in the face of adversity has paid off.

Can Hamilton pose a genuine threat for the rest of the season after his win in Hungary? And just how worried should Jenson Button be? Post your comments below...

From the Touchlines... bad week for Bath

Bath Rugby Club have had better weeks. First their former lock Justin Harrison admitted at a RFU hearing to taking cocaine, then star fly-half Olly Barkley broke his leg.

Former Australian World Cup star Harrison was banned for eight months but his career at the Memorial Ground was over before the hearing anyway.

Barkley broke his leg on a training camp in Portugal and looks set to miss the first few months of the season, a key blow bearing in mind how influential Barkley was during his first lengthy stint at the club.

For the former giants of the game, things really could not have gone much worse in the last seven days. With just six weeks left before the start of the season, Bath are likely to struggle and, while relegation is not a likely problem for them to face at the end of the year, they're unlikely to mix it with the best at the top of the table.

Can Bath pick themselves up in time for the start of the season? Can they once again be a force as they were in the 1990s? Post your comments below...

Nelson's Column... Pietersen ruled out of Ashes series

So entrenched is Kevin Pietersen's bravado, it is no surprise that he underwent an operation on his Achilles - which rules him out of The Ashes - just hours after telling the world he would be fit.

Bad news though this undoubtedly is, it's hardly terminal for England's hopes of regaining the prized urn.

Pietersen has barely been able to run during the first two Tests. He hit 62 in Cardiff, before inviting the world's press to mock his idiotic mode of dismissal, and since then his footwork has been an embarrassing mess. The Achilles injury was obviously a lot, lot worse than he made out and England effectively took on Australia at Lord's with 10 men.

A recall for Ian Bell as his replacement at Edgbaston - his home ground - is the logical step, and one which, for this series, will make England stronger. Bell has, at the time of writing, 647 runs to his name in the County Championship Division One at an average of 71.88. He's in great nick and will be hungrier following his absence.

Only two Englishmen can boast better top-flight averages this year. One of those is Marcus Trescothick, the leading run-scorer in the country. If only...