Hello Blackpool: Robbie Williams cheers as he switches on the Blackpool Illuminations on the Blackpool Promenade
Robbie Williams praised Blackpool for being the perfect place for a honeymoon with his new wife as he turned on the seaside resort's famous illuminations last night. The newlywed singer, who recently rejoined Take That, switched on the world famous lights in a star-studded ceremony on Blackpool Promenade.
Although Robbie didn't perform in front of the 15,000 fans, there was plenty of entertainment on offer from Alesha Dixon, Olly Murs, Gabriella Cilmi, Russell Watson and The Wanted.
Strictly Come Dancing judge Dixon turned up the heat by performing her new single Drummer Boy in a tiny pair of hotpants, fishnet tights and a fitted top.
She was joined by Australian teen singer Cilmi, who wore a lacy basque, brown skirt and knee-high socks.
Pop newcomers, boy band The Wanted whipped the younger members of the crowd by performing their hit single All Time Low, while X Factor 2009 runner-up Murs sang his debut single Please Don't Let Me Go.
Heating things up: Alesha Dixon performed her new single Drummer Boy in a black top, hotpants and fishnet tights
Sharing the stage: Alesha was joined by some energetic male dancers
While he may have disappointed fans by not singing, he buttered up the Blackpool locals by speaking of his love for the Lancashire town.
Having grown up 80 miles away in Stoke-On-Trent, Robbie was a regular visit to Blackpool as a child.
He said: 'I used to come here as a kid for New Years and all the way through the summer... on the Pleasure Beach, up the Tower and in Jungle Jim's.'
Feeling the love: Robbie spoke of his love of Blackpool, describing it as a great place to have a honeymoon
Newlywed: Robbie's new wife Ayda Field watches her husband from backstage
Standing backstage was his new wife Ayda Field, who he wed at their Beverly Hills home on August 7.
Defending his choice of Blackpool as an unusual honeymoon destination, he said: 'I thought it was the best place to take my wife on my honeymoon.
'She loves Blackpool. She has been on the Pleasure Beach, she has had some chips, she is loving it.'
Top of the pops: Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi (left) and last year's X Factor runner-up Olly Murs performed
Winning over the crowd: Boy band The Wanted appeased the locals by wearing 'I love Blackpool' sweatshirts
Also in attendance was his father Pete and family friend, world darts champion Phil 'The Power' Taylor.
Robbie also defended his video with Gary Barlow to their new single Shame and admitted he found it hilarious that people thought the promo had homosexual overtones.
He joked: 'Yeah, Gary Barlow is my boyfriend... People are saying that the video is very gay, I cannot understand that.'
Waiting for Robbie: Thousands of fans waited in anticipation for their idol
All smiles: Jermain Defoe hit a stunning hat-trick in England's win
The transformation from monster to god is one Fabio Capello might never complete during his time as England’s manager, but he can remove the bolts from his neck after this.
A decent start to the European Championship qualifying campaign was just what the Italian needed after the crushing disappointment of the World Cup and he certainly got that, his team performing with more fluency, imagination and purpose than they ever managed last summer in South Africa.
Capello’s relatively passive response to Jermain Defoe’s hat-trick and a fine goal from Adam Johnson nevertheless said it all. It is far too soon to get excited and he knows it, especially when a more difficult encounter with Switzerland comes in Basle on Tuesday.
It’s a game - given how much better the Swiss should be than a Bulgarian side weakened by the absence of Dimitar Berbatov and without a win since November - that could yet blow a hole in the idea that with a new kit and a new pitch, we were treated to a new England at Wembley on Friday night.
The key difference here compared to South Africa was Wayne Rooney, and that is something Capello can forever use in his defence. Out of sorts at the World Cup after failing to regain the scintillating form he had shown prior to suffering that injury in Munich, Rooney was outstanding on this occasion.
There were no goals from England’s principal striker but he created all four that his colleagues celebrated, demonstrating once again how crucial he is to the national team. When Rooney performs, so do England. When he struggles, so do England.
Get the ball rolling: Defoe poked home on three minutes to give England the perfect start
There were plenty of other positives, too. While Defoe has now scored 12 goals in 18 appearances under the Italian to make him Capello’s top scorer — a statistic that is all the more impressive when you consider he only started half of those games — Joe Hart grows rapidly in stature in England’s goal.
There were times on Friday night when a makeshift defence, disrupted further by what looked like a nasty knee injury for Michael Dawson, looked vulnerable and Hart made the saves that protected the England advantage.
Capello’s determination to continue with a rigid 4-4-2 formation can also be a source of frustation, a spell in the first half when Bulgaria succeeded in closing down the space on Rooney and Steven Gerrard sparking concern among the supporters. At one stage they actually greeted the sight of Rooney losing possession by booing England’s best player.
In the end, however, there were far more reasons to be cheerful. England attacked with pace and width, with the wingers and the full backs combining effectively on both flanks
Driving force: A swift break bought about England's second, with Defoe slotting home between the goalkeeper's legs
Ashley Cole and James Milner were particularly impressive on the left, while Theo Walcott marked a decent display on the right by becoming the first player in England’s history to win his first 13 internationals.
That the man who replaced him, Adam Johnson, scored England’s third goal merely underlined the options Capello now has when it comes to attacking midfielders, providing hope for the future as well as pressure for places.
Having said one thing on the eve of this game, Capello did another on the night. He picked the team he pretty much said he would but did not organise them quite the way he suggested.
‘Milner and Barry will play in front of the centre backs,’ he said, before deploying Milner on the left.
There remains a strong case for looking at something closer to 4-3-3, even if it would present the problem of how to accommodate Rooney and Defoe. But England needed to improve on the performance against Germany, which they’d had to review on DVD earlier in the week, and did exactly that.
‘Start as we mean to go on,’ was the message on the cover of the match programme and England started with a bang — Defoe’s opening goal coming after two minutes and 38 seconds of their first competitive football since that demoralising defeat in Bloemfontein.
Pure delight: Adam Johnson's first senior England goal is a moment he will forever remember
Capello might not have moved from his seat but the goal was delightful in its execution, from the weight of Rooney’s chip forward to the poise Cole displayed in responding to the sight of his first effort being blocked by then delivering an unselfish ball across to Defoe.
For the Tottenham striker all that was left was the easiest of finishes, even for a player who had considered missing the game to have groin surgery this week.
There were one or two anxious moments, not least when Glen Johnson went dangerously close to scoring an own goal, his attempt to deal with a teasing cross from Chavdar Yankov forcing Hart into action.
Downside: Michael Dawson suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury and left the field on a stretcher
But with the ubiquitous Gerrard dominating midfield and Rooney running the game, England began brightly and remained in control until Bulgaria responded by defending with a bit more aggression.
England started the second half well enough, with Rooney almost beating Nikolay Mihaylov with a wonderful chip. But with Dawson’s injury and a first cap for Gary Cahill came a difficult spell for England, Hart first having to deny Ivelin Popov before producing yet more heroics to stop Stanislav Angelov and Dimitar Rangelov from equalising.
Icing on the cake: Defoe's third showcased his pace and ruthless finishing
Only 14 seconds after he had parried Angelov’s effort in the 61st minute, Defoe increased England’s advantage. The speed of thought and the quality of the passing, in particular from Gerrard and Rooney, were a joy to watch. Rooney’s delivery to Defoe was terrific, as was the finish.
Johnson scored the third 22 minutes after that, controlling another fine ball from Rooney before squeezing a left-footed shot between Mihaylov and his near post. On that occasion, Capello did at least clap.
But Defoe saved the best until last, accelerating on to another perfect pass from Rooney and driving a super, left-footed shot past Bulgaria’s goalkeeper for the first England hat-trick at Wembley since Alan Shearer put three past Luxembourg 11 years ago.
Quite a night for Capello and Defoe, because for the most part it was quite a night for Rooney.
Anguish: Kenny Miller reacts after missing a chance
Furious Scotland boss Craig Levein hit out at Lithuania's rough-house tactics here last night - and accused Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir of failing to protect his players.
Levein claimed the hosts had been allowed to deliberately break up play with a string of fouls as the Scots dropped two valuable points in an opening Euro 2012 qualifier which saw five players yellow carded - three of them Lithuanians.
The build-up had been dominated by a war of words involving Saulius Mikoliunas - stemming from his blatant dive to win a penalty against the Scots three years ago - and vendettas seemed to spill over onto the pitch.
Levein, whose team must beat Group I makeweights Liechtenstein at Hampden on Tuesday night, said: 'It was free-kick after free-kick out there and I think it must have been Lithuania's deliberate plan to stop us playing.
'Guys in their team had five or six fouls individually without receiving a yellow card. 'It must have been a plan. Some of the challenges that came in were so blatant.'
Alan Hutton reacted angrily to a bad foul by Kestutis Ivaskevicius in the final stages and Levein shared his frustration.
'The challenge on Alan Hutton very late in the game was outrageous. Yet we had Scott Brown booked for his first foul in the game.
'I just did not feel the referee looked after us enough. Any momentum we had was broken up constantly. 'Allan McGregor only had one save to make all night - and that was after a blatant foul on David Weir.
The referee has to be the man to take care of that - and I did not think he gave out enough cards against Lithuania. 'Did I speak to the match official afterwards? There just wasn't any point.'
Skipper Darren Fletcher agreed with Levein, saying: 'The whole game was stop-start, there were fouls every minute. 'When we built up momentum or counter attacked, they just looked to foul. The referee could have been a little stronger in that respect.'
Full-back Hutton said: 'Every time we attacked, went forward or did something positive, it seemed to be in their mindset to bring us down or break down the play.'
Attrition: Scott Brown battles with Lithuania's Deivdas Semberas
Levein was happier with the performance than the result - his team's resolute display halting an alarming record of five successive away defeats in which the Scots had conceded 15 goals and scored none.
But for all their hard work, they lacked the inspiration up front to break the deadlock, with both Kenny Miller and Steven Naismith spurning decent chances.
'The way the game panned out, we deserved more - but I am not disappointed with a point away from home,' said Levein following his competitive debut. 'A draw is not the end of the world, but I feel we were the better side. 'There are plus factors there.
The players put in an enormous shift and showed great energy and pride. I think we showed the people back home what it means to wear the Scotland shirt.
'I was really pleased with them and all we lacked was a goal. But I also know we can play much better than this.'
It remains to be seen how damaging the two dropped points will be given that Scotland now must overcome the minnows from Liechtenstein before an ominous October doubleheader against the Czech Republic in Prague and Spain in Glasgow.
Levein had left talisman James McFadden on the bench as he made eight changes from the side that lost 3-0 to Sweden last month, although the Birmingham star made a late appearance.
Old hand: David Weir directs proceedings from the back
Asked about McFadden's demotion, Levein said: 'Away from home is a different game. I went for people with energy and I think that worked - we won the ball high up the pitch.
We had to compete very hard and all the midfield guys did that. 'James McFadden's assets are enormous - he can win you a game out of nothing. He did well when he came on.'
Brown and Lee McCulloch received bookings, but Levein said the Celtic captain's eventual withdrawal was based on fitness concerns and not over fears he may be sent off.'I took Brown off because he was tiring. He has not trained much because of this ankle thing he has.'
David Weir became the oldest player to pull on a Scotland shirt at 40 years and 11 6 days, while skipper Darren Fletcher won his 49th senior cap and will enter the SFA Hall of Fame for those who reach the half century when he faces Liechtenstein in midweek.
Left-back Steven Whittaker took a calf knock and will be assessed before the game. Group favourites Spain thrashed Liechtenstein 4-0 in Vaduz with two goals from Fernando Torres and one apiece from David Villa and substitute David Silva.
James Collins suffered a suspected broken cheekbone as Wales were deservedly beaten on a night to forget for their angry manager John Toshack.
Aston Villa defender Collins was struck in the face by a Miodrag Dzudovic elbow and will have tests this morning to find the extent of the damage.
Toshack was angry at the failure of the match officials to spot the challenge, which left Collins in agony 20 minutes from the end of a testy evening here in the Montenegran capital.
‘I’d like to see the incident again — his eye is in a mess,’ said Toshack.
‘You don’t get that sort of injury by falling on the floor. Things like that don’t just happen by accident.’
It was a miserable evening for centre back Collins, who was at fault for Mirko Vucinic’s winner on the half-hour.
The Roma forward overcame a weak Collins tackle to burst in from the left.
With players queuing up in the centre, he chose to take aim himself. It proved a good decision.
The ball beat Wayne Hennessey at his near post, flying into the net off a post.
The goal had been coming. After a steady start, Montenegro’s forward ran riot, creating umpteen chances.
And it could — probably should — have been worse for Wales by the interval.
Toshack added: ‘There was too much space in the middle of the park. We didn’t get to grips with that at all. We couldn’t get into the areas that suited us, despite having the numbers to make that difference.
'There was no snapping from us and their lads seemed to want it more than we did.
‘There were mistakes for the goal and there were others we got away with.’
Vucinic’s movement was too much for Wales and the game slipped away. Try as they might, the visitors could not find a way back against a side managed by Zlatko Kranjcar, father of Tottenham’s Niko.
Only in the final quarter of the game did Wales begin to press. Until then, neither Craig Bellamy nor Gareth Bale had caused concern to Montenegro’s back-line.
Frustration: Wales coach John Toshack (centre) watches the action from the touchline
Toshack threw on Robert Earnshaw and Simon Church in a desperate gamble and it almost came up trumps.
As the game became stretched Bellamy teed up Earnshaw, only for Mladen Bozovic to deny the forward with his first meaningful save.
Four minutes from time, Sam Ricketts swung over a cross that Church headed against the bar.
And Wales went closer still at the death.
Earnshaw again was at the heart of the action. This time Bozovic could only parry his shot and Church poked home the rebound, only for his celebrations to be cut short by a flag for offside
Triumph: Montenegro's players celebrate their hard-fought win
‘It’s very, very disappointing to come off with a defeat,’ said Toshack.
‘It was a courageous performance from Montenegro. At the end, they were throwing their bodies in the way of everything.
‘Bulgaria is now a game we must win, otherwise we won’t have too much of a chance (of qualifying).
'We have Switzerland and England coming up after that. Those are two tough matches.’
Tussle: Gareth Bale (left) is challenged by Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic
Montenegro (4-4-2): M Bozovic 6; Pavicevic 6, Dzudovic 6, Basa 6, Jovanovic 5; Vukcevic 7 (Beciraj 88min), Zverotic 6, Pekovic 6, Boskovic 6 (V Bozovic 74, 6); Vucinic 8, Djalovic 6 (Novakovic 83). Subs not used: Blazic, Batak, Savic, Delibasic.
Green delight: Kevin Fahey is mobbed by team-mates after scoring the winner
If it's good enough for the world champions, it's good enough for Giovanni Trapattoni.
Just as Spain won the ultimate prize in South Africa with some 1-0 victories, so the Republic of Ireland began their Euro 2012 bid with the perfect result last night.
It was a hard-fought win, coming courtesy of Keith Fahey's first international goal just five minutes after the Birmingham City midfielder had come on for Aiden McGeady.
Ireland had already survived a number of scares against a side who will be awkward at home for Russia and Slovakia. Richard Dunne headed against his own bar and the Aston Villa defender, Sean St Ledger and Kevin Kilbane all made several important blocks to quell the lively Armenians.Shay Given also made one crucial save.
Wizard: Aiden McGeady tires to slide past Ararat Arakelian
Fahey, who only came into the squad in the summer, produced an ice-cool finish when a loose ball fell to him in the area after Kevin Doyle's dogged run.
Now with Andorra at home on Tuesday, Ireland are surely about to make the perfect start after two matches.
Feet first: Robbie Keane stretches for the ball ahead of Robert Arzumanyan
Trapattoni was unable to contain his delight even though he had trouble pronouncing his goalscorer's name. He joked: 'For me it is Fackey or Fahey. It doesn't matter, he scored a goal.
'There are no easy games. It was very hot and our players had only one or two games this season. I knew it would be very, very difficult.
'We had difficult situations to defend but we had two great chances with Robbie Keane. It starts the season well. Being away from home it gives us confidence. We will have a different mentality against Andorra.'
Match-winner: Corry Evans pounces to fire home the only goal of the game
Cory Evans was the unlikely match-winner as Nigel Worthington’s side secured an away win in Maribor.
The 20-year-old Manchester United midfielder and younger brother of Jonny — who missed the game through injury — had been on the pitch for only a few minutes in the second half before scoring.
He marked his first competitive outing by slotting home a cross by Craig Cathcart, who was making his debut, in the 70th minute.
The home side responded and Maik Taylor, 39 today, had to make a good save from Valter Birsa.
Evans said afterwards: ‘I haven’t scored for Northern Ireland since I was a schoolboy, so to get on the scoresheet in such an important match is fantastic.
‘We’ve had our criticism over our away form and for not being able to score goals, so to win away with a clean sheet is great.’
Northern Ireland had started the evening brightly and although they then found themselves under pressure for long spells, they were able to get the victory they had craved.
Both sides had early chances that went begging; Valter Birsa shooting wide in the 15th minute for the home side and Chris Baird whipping in a shot from 25 yards that was also off target.
Pure joy: Evans celebrates his goal with team-mate Kyle Lafferty (right)
Slovenia almost made the breakthrough in the 21st minute when Birsa got on the end of a cross from Zlatan Ljubijankic only for Cathcart to make a timely clearance.
Northern Ireland found themselves on the back foot in the 38th minute with Andraz Kirm whipping in a cross. Milivoje Novakovic peeled away from his marker but delivered a soft header from six yards into the arms of Taylor.
This was suddenly a difficult time for Northern Ireland and Kirm sent a ball across the face of the goal but no-one was on hand to take advantage. Birsa then got enough power on his shot from inside the area but Cathcart was handily placed and deflected the ball to safety in the 49th minute.
Back came Northern Ireland and Brunt sent Healy clear down the left nine minutes later. The Sunderland striker cut inside but only succeeded in sending a shot straight at goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.
Mountain to climb: Warren Feeney vies with Slovenia's Bojan Jokic and Bostjan Cesar
It proved to be a brief respite and after another flowing move Kirm's strike from 12 yards was blocked by Baird.
Northern Ireland were defending in numbers and Stephen Craigan then put his body on the line in the 64th minute to keep out a shot from Robert Koren.
Three minutes later Nigel Worthington made a double substitution with Lafferty and Corry Evans coming on Healy and McCann.
Northern Ireland then stunned Slovenia with midfielder Evans, who is also at Old Trafford, scoring at the far post following a glorious cross from Cathcart.
The home side responded and Birsa got into a good position in the penalty area but Taylor, 39 tomorrow, got down quickly to make the save.
Then Ljubijankic found the side-netting from an acute angle in the 81st minute as Slovenia went in search of the equaliser.
Johnny Gorman, who attends Wolves Academy and Repton School, then made his competitive debut a minute from time for Brunt as Northern Ireland held out for a famous win.
Argument: The woman and her father (pictured right) apparently took offence at the swearing of the male fan (left) during Novak Djokovic's match against Philipp Petzschner at the U.S. Open
There might be the occasional flare-up on court - but it was on the genteel stands of the Arthur Ashe Stadium that the real action took place yesterday.
Police were forced to escort three fans out of the U.S. Open after a fight broke out during Novak Djokovic's match against Philipp Petzschner.
The second round match was halted in the eighth game of the first set after the brawl kicked off - apparently when a female spectator and her father took exception to another fan's swearing.
Fight: After being told they did not approve of his behaviour the man continued to swear at the pair, prompting the woman's father to lash out at the spectator
Tumble: The men then tussled and fell two rows of seats before the woman approached the man and slapped him. All three were later handcuffed and led away
Third-seed Djokovic and Petzschner stopped playing and looked up into the stands while New York police handcuffed the fans and led them out of the stadium in Flushing Meadows, Queens.
U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said afterwards there had been a 'disagreement over verbiage' during the game on Thursday.
Reports suggest the woman, in her 40s, and her father confronted a male fan who was 'swearing and acting obnoxiously'.
Fight: The woman, in her 40s, reportedly took exception to the continual swearing of the male fan (pictured in the blue T-shirt) during Novak Djokovic's match
Tennis brawl: After the woman slapped the man other fans became involved and tried to separate the pair
Fists stop play: No one is believed to have been hurt in the clashes but the trio were handcuffed and led away by police
Police claim the man was unhappy at their feedback and continued to swear at the pair.
The woman then slapped the male fan before her father and the man tussled and fell over two rows of seats.
The trio were later handcuffed and led away from the stadium. None of the fans were arrested and instead were told not to return to the U.S. Open for the foreseeable future.
Widmaier later attempted to play down the incident, stating: 'It was a hot night in New York. Things happen.'
He will next play wild-card entry James Blake of the United States in the third round. And Britain's No.1 Andy Murray takes on 113rd seed Dustin Browne of Jamaica in their second round match tonight at 8pm (BST).
Game on: After the delay, Djokovic (left) went on to beat Petzschner (right) in straight sets to progress to the third round
Hello Blackpool: Robbie Williams cheers as he switches on the Blackpool Illuminations on the Blackpool Promenade
Heating things up: Alesha Dixon performed her new single Drummer Boy in a black top, hotpants and fishnet tights
Sharing the stage: Alesha was joined by some energetic male dancers
Feeling the love: Robbie spoke of his love of Blackpool, describing it as a great place to have a honeymoon
Newlywed: Robbie's new wife Ayda Field watches her husband from backstage
Top of the pops: Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi (left) and last year's X Factor runner-up Olly Murs performed
Winning over the crowd: Boy band The Wanted appeased the locals by wearing 'I love Blackpool' sweatshirts
Waiting for Robbie: Thousands of fans waited in anticipation for their idol
