David Wawrzynski claims the 'Little Dipper' condiment package he patented in 1997 led H.J. Heinz Co. to develop its Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets, which it rolled out in February 2010 . A Michigan food entrepreneur claims the 'Little Dipper' condiment package he patented in 1997 led H.J. Heinz Co. to develop its Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets, which it rolled out in February 2010, lawyers in opening statements told a federal court jury in Pittsburgh on Monday. The trial, expected to last through until Thursday, will determine whether or not Pittsburgh-based Heinz used David Wawrzynski's 'concrete, new and novel' ideas when it developed the dual-purpose ketchup packets. If the jury rules in the Detroit businessman's favor and determines Heinz agreed to pay for the ideas, a separate trial will begin June 10 on how much Heinz owes Wawrzynski. 'Heinz says it didn't use any of Mr. Wawrzynski's ideas — they thought it up all on their own,' his attorney, Eugene Boyle Jr. told the jury. 'We're here to tell you that's not true.' Boyle told The Associated Press he can't say how much Wawrzynski is seeking because an expert hired to calculate the sum hasn't issued a final report. But Heinz attorney David Wolfsohn said Heinz owes nothing because the Dip & Squeeze owes nothing to the cone-shaped container that Wawrzynski invented. Drawings of two versions of that product were shown to the jury, including one with a keyhole-shaped opening that enables a person to dip a french fry into ketchup, while wiping off excess amounts as it's pulled out of the opening. Wawrzynski isn't claiming Heinz copied the exact design. Rather, he contends Heinz didn't have the idea for a ketchup container that could be dipped into and squeezed until they heard his pitch. Wolfsohn denied that claim. Heinz claims the Dip & Squeeze grew out of an earlier idea called the 'Dunk 'n Squirt' that it shelved in 2006 because it couldn't make it cheaply enough . The Dip & Squeeze grew out of an earlier idea called the 'Dunk 'n Squirt' that Heinz began working on in 2002 but shelved in 2006 because it couldn't find a vendor to make the throwaway ketchup packets cheaply enough, the company says. The packets must be cheap to purchase because fast-food restaurants and others give the packets away for free, Wolfsohn said. Prototypes developed in 2006 were keystone-shaped — like Heinz's iconic ketchup label — and had a peelable top if a customer wanted to dip a fry and a tear-off end so the ketchup could be squeezed, Wolfsohn said. Except for the keystone shape, the Dip & Squeeze packets are nearly identical. But Boyle insists the idea came from the 44-year-old Wawrzynski, who began working in the food industry at 13. After working at pizzerias over five years from the time he was 16, Wawrzynski launched Wok to You, a firm that delivers Asian food from 30 different Detroit-area restaurants. 'Dave's been tinkering with condiment packaging since high school,' Boyle said. When an earlier letter to Heinz didn't attract attention, he wrote to then-CEO William Johnson in March 2008 and met with Heinz officials a month later, Boyle said. Heinz doesn't deny the meeting took place, but says the discussions revolved around his hand-held, cone-shaped container designed to keep french fries from dripping ketchup. 'The ideas that were discussed at that meeting had nothing to do with the Dip & Squeeze,' Wolfsohn said.

David Wawrzynski patented his 'Little Dipper' condiment package in 1997 . He claims H.J. Heinz Co. developed its Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets after a 2008 meeting in which he showed them his designs . Heinz claims the Dip & Squeeze grew out of an earlier idea called the 'Dunk 'n Squirt' that it shelved in 2006 because it couldn't  make it cheaply enough . A court in Pittsburgh will decide this week if Heinz was influenced by Wawrzynski's concept and could lead to him seeking compensation .

2010.
The two men filed a federal lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh claiming the Pittsburgh-based H.J. Heinz Co. infringed their patent. They seek a jury trial and ask that the product be banned. They also are asking the court to award them damages and attorney's fees.
"Heinz blatantly ignored our patents and our demands that it stop manufacturing and selling products using the Dipper and Squeeze shape in violation of our patents," said Wawrzynski of Greensburg, Pa., in a phone interview.
Heinz was not commenting, and the company is confident that its design is not in violation of any patent.
"We are confident the Dipper and Squeeze packets are unique and not similar to any other product in the marketplace," said Megan K. Tuthill, a spokeswoman for Heinz in Pittsburgh.
"We think that this claim has no merit at all," she said.
An attorney for Wawrzynski, Robert J. Brown of Bridgeville, said his clients' patent protects the look of condiment packets and said the Heinz product resembles "99 percent of the ketchup packet."
"Heinz is profiting off it and we are seeking all injunctive relief for our clients," said Brown. "This is the only issue and that is the violation of our patent."
Wawrzynski said he invented the Dipper in 1997 after working at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. The Dipper can be opened easily with one hand and requires less than one hand-turn to close it, he said.
He said Heinz learned about the design through a trade show that Wawrzynski attended in 2005. Shortly afterward he received a call from a Heinz representative asking what it would cost to license his design.
"Our position is, we've told them from day one what it costs to license our patent, and we provided them with a copy of our patent," Brown said. "The patent is unambiguous."
Wawrzynski said Heinz offered to license the patent for $20,000. "They offered to pay it every year, then stopped paying it," he said.
Heinz continued making the product, and Wawrzynski and his lawyers tried to get an injunction against the company in 2008, but were unsuccessful, he said.
The Dipper is a two-part packet


It went on for an age and a shambolic England side went home before it got interesting. Wisden Editor Lawrence Booth picks his highlights and lowlights of the Cricket World Cup... BEST BITS . The renaissance of left-arm seamers . The yorkers produced at will by man of the tournament Mitchell Starc played a huge part in Australia’s triumph. New Zealand’s Trent Boult joined him on top of the wicket-taking list with 22. And the most uplifting spell of the competition was Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz in the quarter-final. Australian Michael Starc took 22 wickets to be rated as the man of the tournament at the Cricket World Cup . Kiwis’ one-wicket win over Australia . In a World Cup containing more hundreds than ever before (38), no game was more thrilling than the low-scoring thriller at Eden Park in Auckland. Set 152, New Zealand slipped from 131 for 4 to 146 for 9, before Kane Williamson sealed it with a six amid scenes of delirium. Here was proof that the best games don’t need to be run-fests. Kiwi Kane Williamson hit a late six to seal a memorable one-wicket win over Australia in the group stages . The Associates . The first couple of weeks were lit up by teams who will mainly be shut out of the 2019 World Cup, which the ICC have limited to 10 teams: Ireland beat West Indies and Zimbabwe, Scotland gave New Zealand a scare, and Afghanistan beat Scotland. While other sports look to expand their games, cricket’s administrators remain content to shrink theirs. Baffling. Kevin O'Brien celebrates taking a wicket as Ireland sensationally upset West Indies in Nelson . Sangakkara still going strong . Sri Lanka’s quarter-final defeat by South Africa meant Kumar Sangakkara’s one-day international career ended with a whimper — but not before he had scored an astonishing four successive centuries in the group matches. Even at 37, he remained the classiest act in the World Cup. India veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara acknowledges one of four successive centuries . The fans . More than a million spectators attended the 49 games, with the New Zealand public getting behind the World Cup in a manner that delighted the ICC. If cricket’s popularity in that country has been guaranteed for the next decade and beyond, the World Cup will have done its job. The Cricket World Cup attracted over a million supporters for 49 games, some left more pleased than others . WORST BITS . England . They were the laughing stock, completing the worst of their six World Cups since reaching the final in 1992 — and there’s been some stiff competition. They never recovered from maulings by Australia and New Zealand, failed to defend over 300 against Sri Lanka, and even lost to Bangladesh. For captain Eoin Morgan, the whole thing was a disaster. New ODI captain Eoin Morgan presided over England's worst performance at a World Cup . Too few close finishes . Four one-sided quarter- finals typified a tournament in which too few of the games went to the wire, or even close to it. In fact, of the seven knockout matches, only the New Zealand-South Africa semi-final raised the pulse. And, as in 2011, the group stage dragged on and on and on. New Zealand's semi-final defeat of South Africa was the only knockout game that entertained . The final . Australia’s dominance turned the climax into an anti-climax. Let’s not pretend, as some have tried, that this was the best World Cup ever. The Australians were too far ahead of the rest for that, brushing aside India in the semis and New Zealand in the final. In truth, Australia were head and shoulders above the competition as their stroll in the final showed .

Australia defeated New Zealand to be crowned cricket world champions . Mitchell Starc's bowling, Kane Williamson's batting and Kumar Sangakkara's swan sing were among the highlights . England's humiliation and a one-sided final were two of the low points .

in this World Cup began in Manchester on the second day of the tournament and it continued […]. He was in some ways as integral to the team, if not more, than Sachin Tendulkar. India had to be careful, and a couple of bad decisions by the umpires saw the match slip away. It was a moment of high comedy and high drama, one that few would have predicted. England's cricketers need to get tougher and find ways to beat the best, says Jonathan Liew. England won the toss, elected to field, and were rocked by a blitz of 50 off 24 balls from Gayle that nearly took the game away from them. England captain Alastair Cook reacts during a training session at The Oval on Sunday. What are England doing in the World Cup final? It was a stunning hit over long on that was impossible to bowl at in the air, and one that will be the shot of the tournament for many. He was given out at third umpire’s advice on 57, even though the live ball camera showed that it was very much on the line, and this was a poor decision by the umpires. "If your side are losing, you can't be afraid of the umpires," added the veteran fast bowler. This match was about a number of things, none of them good. Sri Lanka was an excellent host in a difficult situation. Not exactly the … That was a big moment for them. Australia’s batting and their ability to put their opponents under pressure from the outset in the Super Six stage was remarkable and it set them up perfectly for an attack that is almost unmatched. England won the toss and opted to bat first. It seemed inconceivable after India were reduced to 57 for four but they dug in with ‘fearless’ Bhuvneshwar Kumar scoring 55 not out and Mahendra Singh Dhoni contributing 55 runs off just 24 balls to steer the side home in the end. If this – which they achieved with great consistency – didn’t convince their critics, they will need to find more to convince me. They were 70-4 in 10 overs, 79-5 in 13.3 overs and 82-6 in 14 overs. England lost their first World Cup game since 1992 when they were beaten by the Kiwis (and their new all-round star) by 8 wickets at Centurion. India


RAY DAVIES: A COMPLICATED LIFE . by Johnny Rogan . (Bodley Head £25) The exhilarating finale of a musical called Sunny Afternoon currently offers one of the great nightly spectacles in London’s so-called ‘theatreland’, as hundreds of mostly middle-aged punters leap or, in some cases, creak to their feet, jigging and jiving to the music of The Kinks. Just a few weeks ago, I was one of them, and resolved as I left to learn more about the singular life of Ray Davies, the band’s brilliant but melancholic frontman, who wrote such timelessly wonderful hits as Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me, Lola and, indeed, Sunny Afternoon. Ray Davies (pictured) is the brilliant, but sometimes melancholic, frontman of The Kinks . Well, Johnny Rogan’s monumental biography has filled all the gaps in my knowledge of one of the men who made the Sixties swing (while simultaneously lampooning the Swinging Sixties with his mickey-take of Carnaby Street dandies, Dedicated Follower Of Fashion). Gloriously rousing though it is, the stage show hardly does justice to the enigma that is Raymond Douglas Davies. Mercurial, introspective, sometimes cruel and spectacularly, almost sociopathically, mean with money, but also sensitive, principled and capable of great kindness, Davies is above all one of the creative geniuses of our age. Those who are or have been close to him, including his brother Dave and the singer Chrissie Hynde (the mother of one of his four daughters), might not always echo the sentiment, but we are lucky to have him. Davies was born in 1944 in Muswell Hill, North London, on the night of an air raid. It was a suitably explosive beginning. He was the seventh child in a boisterous, tight-knit, working-class family but, more significantly, the first son. One of the pivotal episodes in shaping his complex personality came before he was three years old, when baby David arrived, rudely undermining his status. Much later, Dave’s musicianship would also be central to the success of The Kinks, but he was resented by Ray from day one. Indeed, David still remembers a childhood mock fight in which he thought he’d accidentally knocked his older brother unconscious. He bent over him, whispering, ‘Are you OK?’, only for Ray to spring up and punch him hard in the face. ‘I felt the pleasure that I’d knocked him over, then concern that I’d hurt him,’ says Dave now, ‘but all he really wanted was to get back at me. It’s symbolic of our whole relationship, really.’ While Dave grew up happy and outgoing, Ray was troubled and solitary and was even sent to a child therapist, which can’t have been usual in working-class North London during the Fifties. The sudden death of much-loved older sister Rene compounded his torment. But he found refuge in music, especially in the records of the American blues singer Big Bill Broonzy, a discovery he credits with changing his life. With Dave, and schoolfriends Pete Quaife and John Start, he formed the Ray Davies Quartet. He auditioned a cocky boy from the year below him at William Grimshaw Secondary Modern, but the lad’s voice was so raspy that Start’s mother wouldn’t let them rehearse in her house. His name was Rod Stewart. While young Stewart forged his own path towards superstardom, the Ray Davies Quartet, shedding Start and adding drummer Mick Avory, mutated into the Boll-Weevils, the Ravens and, finally, The Kinks. Pop group 'The Kinks' (pictured in 1964) left to right: Pete Quaife, Ray Davies, Mick Avory and Dave Davies . There are various contradictory explanations for the famous name, but the best guess is simply that ‘kinky’ was a fashionable adjective in the early Sixties. Rogan implies that inspiration may even have struck thanks to a Mail cartoon of a girl praying beside her bed, captioned: ‘All I want for Christmas is a Beatle, failing that, a pair of kinky boots . . .’ Similarly uncertain are the precise origins of The Kinks’s first hit, You Really Got Me, in the summer of 1964. But it reached number one and made Davies a star. Not that success tempered his extraordinary tight-fistedness. He would habitually hold open pub doors for his bandmates to enter — not out of politeness, but to ensure he was last to the bar. And the band’s manager, Larry Page, was present on the day Ray’s first wife, Rasa, who he’d met when she was a schoolgirl attending one of their gigs, pleaded with him, ‘Ray, what about that coat?’ He replied, ‘No, you can’t have it . . . it’s a lot of money.’ She continued begging him, pointing out how bitterly cold it was outside, until finally he relented, and told their driver to take them to Sketchley’s. She wasn’t asking for a new coat. He just hadn’t wanted to pay the dry-cleaning bill. the Ray Davies Quartet, mutated into the Boll-Weevils, the Ravens and, finally, The Kinks (pictured in 1964) Ray’s parsimony is one of the reasons why the story of The Kinks is a tale of epic in-fighting, as well as marvellous music. But only one of the reasons. Besides, he was merely a spectator at their most notorious scrap when, during a show in Cardiff in 1965, his brother Dave spat at Avory, and Avory hit Dave with a cymbal so hard that many there thought they’d witnessed a murder. Four decades later, Davies himself was almost the victim of a murder, when he was shot in New Orleans while chasing a mugger who’d stolen his then-girlfriend’s handbag. It was yet another traumatic incident in what has been, to quote this book’s barely adequate sub-title, a complicated life. But shining through the violence, the personality clashes, the litigation with former management, the volatile relationships with women, even a mental breakdown, are the songs — none of them more enduringly haunting than Waterloo Sunset. Ray Davies (far left) wrote timelessly wonderful hits such as Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me, Lola and Sunny Afternoon . His voice might not be what it was, but Davies was the perfect choice, and it was the perfect song, to close the London Olympics three years ago. Yet this book reveals it was, at first, tentatively titled Liverpool Sunset, and he intended it to represent the death of Merseybeat, which he felt was presaged by the Beatles moving away from their roots and buying big houses in Surrey and St John’s Wood. That wasn’t for Davies. He stayed in or near Muswell Hill and he’s still there now, with wispier hair but the same familiar, gap-toothed smile, which we might never have known had he had his teeth capped one afternoon in 1964. He was actually sitting in the dentist’s chair, the drill whirring, when he leapt up and left the room. If he was going to make it, he told himself, it would be through his songwriting, not his looks. It was a firm statement of artistic intent and still ‘the most important decision I’ve ever made’, insists the man who, happily for us, has never been a dedicated follower of anyone’s fashion but his own.

Ray Davies was the frontman of iconic band The Kinks . He wrote hits such as  Waterloo Sunset, You Really Got Me and Lola . He has been heralded as one of the creative geniuses of our age .

-called West End. It may not be high art but it provides the best pop show in town, and its star is the 65-year-old Ray Davies, still performing as if he were in his twenties – except that his face is a study in sagging and crinkling. His voice is not strong and his lungs are not as full as they once were, but he still looks younger and sharper than most of the rock stars who toured with him a generation or two ago. He has been the composer, co-producer and co-songwriter of the band’s hit songs, has made solo albums for which he has been nominated for a Grammy award, and written the libretti for two operas. He and his brother, Dave, founded the first big-selling British rock band, the Kinks, in 1964, and he has had numerous platinum and gold records. But Davies has never been satisfied with the way he was paid by the record companies, which he has always regarded as a “bloodsucking industry”. Since the mid-seventies, he has had bitter rows with them in which the most spectacular result was the sacking of his manager, Allen Klein. Davies once asked his fans to buy his songs direct from him in order to get more of the money. But more recently he has been making his money from touring: as a solo act and, now, with the Kinks themselves. Davies’s 13th solo studio album is called See My Friends: The Diary. The word diary is an odd choice for a book. Davies has written an autobiography and a memoir about his life with the Kinks and his other activities (the operas, for instance), but this new volume is only partial. It is the diary of a man who is constantly on the road with the Kinks or working in the studio with his co-producer, Kevin Shields. There is no discussion of his life with his wife of 50 years or the other loves in his life. But there are notes on the many tours, the gigs at the end of them, and the recording sessions. Davies has always believed in doing things by hand and on a shoe-string. But he has moved into the 21st century, and See My Friends is the first of his albums to be recorded digitally. Davies does not write lyrics or write his own music; his co-producer, Shields, does all of that. He never plays any instruments – except for a tambourine at one


Jeremy Clarkson, pictured, has been compared to Jimmy Savile by a senior BBC manager in advance of a probe into the latest Top Gear incident . The BBC launched an astonishing attack on Jeremy Clarkson yesterday, comparing him to sex offender Jimmy Savile and urging him to check into rehab. Blaming the now notorious ‘fracas’ with a Top Gear producer on ‘personal issues’, one of the most senior Corporation executives said Clarkson was ‘self-destructing’ and needed help. Most controversially, the TV chief, who has been directly involved in the fallout from the incident, likened Clarkson’s supporters – including the Prime Minister – to those who turned a blind eye to Savile’s appalling crimes. Last night, friends of the 54-year-old presenter expressed disbelief that the BBC should make such explosive claims before its internal investigation into the controversy has even begun. ‘I am in total shock that someone at the BBC would attack their own talent and deliberately smear Jeremy,’ said Perry McCarthy, who was Top Gear’s mysterious test driver The Stig. The broadside came as further details of the alleged assault on producer Oisin Tymon emerged. One report claimed Clarkson split Tymon’s lip with a punch, leaving him needing hospital treatment. Other sources told this newspaper that Clarkson had not been drinking – and that the row was not entirely about the lack of a hot meal at the end of a day’s filming. But the most astonishing development came during a wide-ranging official briefing given to The Mail on Sunday by a senior BBC figure. The executive likened 36-year-old Tymon’s position to that of Savile’s victims, who feared they would not be believed while he was alive. ‘The pressure this guy [Tymon] is under is so Savilesque in a way,’ he said, adding that Clarkson’s support from high-level politicians recalled the way Savile was once defended. ‘If you look at what David Cameron says or what [former Culture and Media Secretary] Maria Miller says and you swap Clarkson for Savile, you get this: David Cameron is effectively saying that Savile’s a real talent, Maria Miller saying Savile will be Savile.’ The comparison will inevitably anger Savile’s victims. Conservative MP Conor Burns, who sits on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said that ‘it is not just patently absurd, it’s also deeply offensive to Jeremy Clarkson and those innocent people who were horribly abused by Savile’. The BBC executive also said that attempts to suggest the ‘fracas’ was part of a wider battle between Clarkson and Danny Cohen, the BBC’s powerful director of television, were misleading. Clarkson is said to have a difficult relationship with Cohen, who told him that he was on a final warning after a string of controversies. ‘People keep saying that this is a case of Danny Cohen v Jeremy Clarkson. It is not,’ said the executive. ‘This is Jeremy Clarkson v Jeremy Clarkson… . ‘Jeremy is self-destructing. Danny is not the person who is driving this, it is Jeremy.’ Referring to the Top Gear host’s much-publicised split from his wife Frances after 21 years, the BBC chief added: ‘It is common knowledge he has personal issues; we have all read about them. ‘If I was advising him I would take one of two options. Do what he is doing now and continue to try to play it down – or I would go into rehab and show the world I am trying to change. ‘The BBC has stood by him before when he has been in hot water… But this is more serious.’ BBC Director of Television Danny Cohen, pictured, is said to have a difficult relationship with Jeremy Clarkson . The BBC producer involved in the 'fracas' with Jeremy Clarkson is privately terrified he is going to lose his job, sources claimed. Oisin Tymon has been working on the Top Gear franchise in various roles since 2005 and has also been an assistant producer on BBC One’s The One Show. But the 36-year-old has been in hiding all week, when it emerged he had been punched by the presenter. One insider close to his legal team at Slater and Gordon described Tymon as ‘mortified’. 'He is terrified that he might lose the job he loves and has been doing for the past six years. All he wants to do is to get back to work,' they told the Sunday Mirror. 'He is mortified by the whole thing.' BBC sources have claimed that Top Gear would survive without Clarkson as other shows – including Have I Got News For You and Strictly Come Dancing – have coped with the loss of a much-loved presenter. They added about Tymon: 'We would hope he will continue to be employed by the BBC after this matter is resolved.' Clarkson is being represented by law firm Olswang, which refused to comment. As the row intensified, sources in the Clarkson camp gave The Mail on Sunday what they say is the most definitive account yet of the events leading to the hotel incident. Contrary to what has been widely reported, they insisted the presenter had not been drinking beforehand – although co-presenter James May downed a bottle of white wine. Neither did Clarkson explode with anger at the hotel just because he couldn’t have an expensive steak. ‘Yes, it is true that there was no supper but he was angry because they didn’t have enough producers during the day and it made filming extremely difficult,’ said one source. Others close to the star – who has been suspended by the BBC – accurately predicted the Corporation would cast him as a man careering ‘off the rails’. Even so, the depth of the attack, and the personal nature of the comments, will surprise many – especially as, until now, the Corporation has been careful to limit its comments ahead of the inquiry. The executive’s comments drew a furious reaction from Clarkson supporters. Perry McCarthy added: ‘This will be a nightmare for Jeremy and he will feel deeply concerned that someone at the Corporation has spoken his name in the same sentence as that disgusting creature Jimmy Savile. ‘It is ill-conceived, as was the decision to suspend him and take Top Gear off the air. Jeremy is a brilliant broadcaster and a fantastic guy. ‘It’s atrocious that these idiots at the BBC are paid so much money but run it about as well as a three-year-old child.’ Clarkson is accused of punching TV producer Oisin Tymon, pictured, after a day's filming in Yorkshire . Clarkson, May and Richard Hammond had been filming in Surrey all day before the incident. They left at just after 6pm for a two-and-half-hour helicopter flight to the luxury Simonstone Hall hotel in the Yorkshire Dales. On board, May drank a bottle of wine, but Clarkson drank nothing as he had to work on a script later that evening. A senior BBC source has reportedly told people that Clarkson's much publicised split from his wife Frances, left, could be behind his melt-down . Filming had been fraught because of the shortage of producers and Clarkson was tired, annoyed and hungry, having had nothing to eat all day, the sources say. And it was against this background, that they arrived at the hotel to be told there was no hot supper. What happened next will have to be established by the BBC’s inquiry. It is not thought that Clarkson will dispute ranting at Tymon. But he is already said to deny calling him a ‘lazy Irish ****’. One account will claim the presenter went nose-to-nose with Tymon and said: ‘You’ll be on the dole tomorrow. ‘I’m going to make sure you will not have a job.’ The executive who briefed The Mail on Sunday said: ‘ [Tymon] could be in hospital because of this. ‘He is watching it all play out. Jeremy is a bit more used to it. I don’t think Jeremy has got the most to lose. ‘He has got the money to see him out through his days if he needs to. The other guy [Tymon] is just a jobbing producer.’ Insiders say the BBC – which holds the rights to the lucrative Top Gear format – is prepared to continue making the show even if it means getting a new presenter or presenters. They say other shows, such as Have I Got News For You, survived the departure of a host and there was no reason Top Gear could not do the same. Sources said the BBC remained the best place for a fearless motoring programme, because it was not beholden to advertisers. Yesterday Clarkson looked downcast as he left his West London apartment. He declined to comment but told journalists: ‘You must be freezing.’ The BBC claims that Top Gear will survive if Jeremy Clarkson, pictured, is no longer involved in the show . The BBC disciplinary panel will be led by Ken MacQuarrie, the head of BBC Scotland, who carried out the investigation into Newsnight’s false exposé of Lord McAlpine. Clarkson started the disciplinary process himself when he told his bosses at the BBC about the row. Meanwhile, a petition to reinstate Clarkson has gathered more than 920,000 signatures. The Prime Minister appeared to lend his support when he described Clarkson as a ‘friend’ and ‘huge talent’, adding that he hoped the situation could be resolved so his children would not be left ‘heartbroken’. Clarkson is scheduled to appear alongside May and Hammond at four live shows in Norway later this month. All three presenters’ contracts expire three days after the Norway gigs. The last three episodes of the series have been put on hold. Tonight’s show has been replaced with a documentary about the Red Arrows.

A senior BBC TV executive has launched an attack on Jeremy Clarkson . The executive said: 'Jeremy's self destructing... and should go into rehab' They claimed: 'Look what PM says... then swap 'Clarkson' for 'Savile' They added: 'The pressure on [Top Gear producer] is Savilesque'

ile, after the presenter was suspended by the corporation.
"It is not the first time that Top Gear has employed a strongman to drive a high-performance car", he said.
The corporation said there had been "an unprovoked physical attack" on a member of the show's production team in which "intense verbal abuse" was also employed.
The BBC said it "fully supports and will be fully co-operating with the police investigation".
"It is the first time there has been an unprovoked physical attack and abuse of a member of the production team", BBC chief Charlie Farlow said in a statement. "I condemn it in the strongest possible terms".
"BBC guidelines set the highest standards", it said.
The BBC has revealed that it is launching an independent investigation into the incident to establish the truth of the matter.
"We fully support and will be fully co-operating with the police investigation", the BBC said.
A BBC statement on Saturday evening said that after the incident, the team had been asked to leave and that Top Gear had been suspended.
BBC director-general Tony Hall has launched a furious row with the presenter's producer, saying he has been "appalled" by events and demanded he returns to the studio immediately.
The BBC has also told the Daily Mirror that Jeremy Clarkson will be paid for the first time since his suspension amid the crisis at the motoring programme, it has been claimed.
The newspaper's Richard Garner claims that Clarkson has been paid a "six figure sum" as part of the BBC's new policy to pay high-profile talent for their time off-air.
"No amount of money can justify the actions of someone who verbally abused and physically attacked a female production member", the BBC said.
Clarkson had been involved in a "minor physical road-rage incident" with a member of the production team "late last week", and he has since returned to London. "The BBC has today suspended him pending the outcome of an investigation by the BBC's director of corporate affairs, and is supporting the police investigation".
Jeremy Clarkson was due to be paid £2 million a year for taking part in the show, which was suspended after Clarkson launched the 'physical attack' and threatened a female employee.
"It is deeply regrettable that this person, who has worked so hard over the last few weeks, has


A late Lukas Podolski strike from an Andre Schurrle cross saved Germany from back-to-back home defeats by Australia at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern. Podolski rescued the World Cup champions nine minutes from time with his 48th goal for his country as he combined with his fellow substitute and former Premier League outcast. The Socceroos' last visit to Germany in 2011 ended in a 2-1 shock loss for the hosts in Monchengladbach and it looked to be going that way again for much of the second half when captain Mile Jedinak gave his side the lead with a sensational curling free-kick. Lukas Podolski celebrates scoring the 81st-minute equaliser for Germany against Australia . Podolski got on the end of a cross from fellow substitute Andre Schurrle to level things up . The German side appear relieved as they avoid a second home defeat by Australia in a row . Germany: Zieler, Mustafi, Howedes, Badstuber (Rudy 46mins), Bellarabi (Schurrle 64), Khedira (Kramer 63), Gundogan, Hector, Ozil, Reus (Kruse 73), Gotze (Podolski 73) Subs not used: Weidenfeller, Boateng, Hummels, Kroos, Schweinsteiger,  Muller, Schurrle . Goals: Reus 17, Podolski 81 . Australia: Ryan, Franjic, Wilkinson (Wright 78), Devere, Davidson, Jedinak, Milligan (Mooy 69), McKay (Bozanic 77), Burns (Oar 61), Leckie, Troisi (Juric 87) Subs not used: Federici,  Behich, Elrich,  Ikonomidis . Goals: Troisi 40, Jedinak 50 . Marco Reus gave Germany the lead in the 17th minute when he met the Sami Khedira cross zipped across the face of goal. James Troisi hit back for the recently crowned Asian Cup champions with a header from Nathan Burns' pinpoint cross. Then, five minutes into the second half, Crystal Palace stalwart and Socceroos captain nailed a perfect curling free-kick that left German keeper Ron-Robert Zieler flailing and in the back of his own net with the ball. History was on the visitors' side at this stadium. It was here that Australia made history with their first goal and first win in a World Cup when they beat Japan 3-1 in 2006. Their star striker Tim Cahill, who scored a double that night, was out injured here after being instrumental in delivering Australia's first major trophy win after beating South Korea in extra-time in January. Before kick-off, Real Madrid's Toni Kroos was given the 2014 Germany Player of the Year award but he wasn't required off the bench where at full time he had some star-studded company among the unused subs in Jerome Boateng, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels. Germany's Marco Reus finds the back of the net with his studs to give the hosts a 17th-minute lead . Reus gets on the end of a powerfully struck pass across goal from Sami Khedira to make it 1-0 . Germany's celebration is low key as they take the lead over Australia, the Asian Cup champions . The Socceroos' James Troisi gets in front of his man Jonas Hector to equalise for the visitors . Troisi makes a beeline for Nathan Burns, the man who provided the pinpoint cross from the left . The Australians celebrate as the underdogs peg one back against the World Cup champions . Crystal Palace's Mile Jedinak strikes a free-kick over the towering German wall for Australia's second . German keeper Ron-Robert Zieler, in for injured Manuel Neuer, joins the ball in the back of the net . The entire Aussie line-up chase Jedinak down to join the celebrations on the sideline as they take the lead . Toni Kroos receives the Germany Player of The Year 2014 award prior to kick-off . A Germany fans went with dyed eyelashes while a Socceroos supporter took an inflatable kangaroo along . The crowd, officials and Australia side join the Germans as they honour the 150 lives lost in the French Alps . The German teams observes a minute's silence before their match against Australia in a plane tragedy tribute . Germany's starting XI stand arm-in-arm wearing black armbands after the tragedy in the French Alps . A fan holds a sign reading 'R.I.P 4U9525', the number of the Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf . German defender Benedikt Howedes holds a sign saying 'Haltern mourn' in relation to the Germanwings crash .

Marco Reus gave Germany the lead inside 20 minutes . James Troisi equalised with a header from Nathan Burns' cross . Mile Jedinak's free-kick gave Australia the lead in the 50th minute . Lukas Podolksi brought it back level meeting ball from Andre Schurrle . A minute's silence before the match in tribute to Germanwings tragedy .

 Germans from a shock deficit but two late goals from Tim Cahill (90+4, 91+3) secured an uninspiring 2-2 draw for the Socceroos.
Podolski’s goal came in injury time and will be celebrated by Germans as a morale booster ahead of Saturday’s crucial Euro 2016 qualifier away to France.
It took until the 63rd minute for an Australian to hit the post, and even when Adam Le Fondre finally converted the rebound, Tim Cahill was too near the goal to be offside. It’s a pity Cahill’s long-range effort went in as Kaiserslautern’s Fritz-Walter-Stadion was the perfect venue for a celebration of football; with the grass and the stands full, the atmosphere was great, although the German crowd were far from the vocal, clapped-along, partisan kind of supporters you often see at international matches.
Although Podolski’s strike helped to boost Germany fans’ morale, they had to be worried, especially in the light of Australia’s goal, which was a result of German mistakes.
The first came from a German short corner kick, which Australia cleared from the edge of their box. The ball was then played forward, with Alex Wilkinson passing it into the path of Tim Cahill in front of goal. Cahill scored easily with a shot into the top corner, although he was clearly offside.
With two minutes to go, Tim Cahill was again offside, and when the ball was played back from the left, he shot it past Roman Weidenfeller in the 91st minute.
At the end of the day, Germany’s lacklustre performance was balanced by the fact that they had plenty of chances, but couldn’t manage to take any.
After the match, the Australian manager Ange Postecoglou made sure everyone knew just what an achievement it was for the Socceroos to score two late goals, when it looked like Australia were going to lose.
And he was right. The result may not look good, but for Australian fans, Saturday’s match was a great win.
After the match, Postecoglou said:
“Of course we are a proud bunch of boys, and of course I’m not going to take credit, but they’ve just got to believe in themselves..”
A tough start to the qualifiers for the 2016 European Championships, and a


On a scrap of paper at Selhurst Park last March, Jose Mourinho scribbled down the one word lacking from his Chelsea team after they had been beaten by Crystal Palace. At Upton Park, Mourinho’s side showed ‘balls’ of steel, surviving a difficult game against one of those teams — and at one of those grounds — where anything can happen. Chelsea have the mentality of champions. Their celebrations at Wembley on Sunday told a story, linking arms and sliding to their knees in front of their supporters after they had beaten Tottenham 2-0 in the Capital One Cup final. Cesar Azpilicueta, John Terry and Ramires leave the Upton Park pitch after another victory for Chelsea . Jose Mourinho won the first trophy of his second stint at Chelsea and few would bet against him adding the title . Chelsea celebrate their Capital One Cup trophy win at Wembley and maintained their five-point lead . There have been markers at key stages of the season: a 2-0 win over Arsenal in October, 2-1 at Liverpool the following month and their stunning performance in the 5-0 win at Swansea in January. This 1-0 victory at West Ham was another. Chelsea’s bond is strong, building this resilience in the dressing room as the season has progressed. They looked impenetrable, especially in the closing stages as West Ham pushed for an equaliser. Their work-rate is phenomenal, a team fighting for each other as they close in on their first Barclays Premier League title since Mourinho returned to the club. He described himself as a kid after he ambushed the trophy celebrations on Sunday, but it is on nights like this when the big boys go to work. Look around the Chelsea dressing room and it will be difficult to separate some of these players when it comes to voting for the PFA Player of the Year in a few weeks’ time. John Terry, exceptional against Tottenham at Wembley, must be in with a shout. Incredible as it sounds, he last won it in 2005. Thibaut Courtois, returning in goal in place of Petr Cech, was exceptional. His first-half save from Diafra Sakho was top class. He oozes confidence, taking responsibility as the last line of defence after Terry’s early booking for a foul on Cheikhou Kouyate. The doubts that crept in after a rare mistake in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City in January have been eradicated. Mourinho has made the right call to make him first choice. Thibaut Courtois was again exceptional and could make it back-to-back titles after winning La Liga last year . Cesc Fabregas probes into West Ham territory with Enner Valencia and Mark Noble close by . Cesc Fabregas, what with those 15 assists in the league since his move last summer from Barcelona, will also be in the running. Then there is last season’s Young Player of the Year Eden Hazard, the tormentor-in-chief down Chelsea’s left last night. He scored with a clever header from a cross by Ramires in the 22nd minute to secure his side’s 19th league victory of the season. Sometimes he leaves you drooling. His composure on the ball, coupled with that ability to be able to run with it when he is looking at the options around him, are made to look like pure instinct. Some of the twists and turns, creating space by leaving Carl Jenkinson and James Collins wrong-footed, were of the highest order. So what has changed since last season, when they gifted Manchester City their second Premier League title with a series of faltering performances? They have the bottle for the big occasion now. At Wembley last Sunday, Mourinho turned to a television camera and squirted water all over the lens after Terry had opened the scoring for Chelsea. Here they washed West Ham’s faces again. Adrian dives in vain as Hazard's header sails past the Spanish keeper and into the back of West Ham's net . Hazard was in irresistible form and leads James Collins a merry dance here . For many different reasons, some tribal and some because of an irrational hatred of former player Frank Lampard, who has since left Stamford Bridge, away at West Ham is always a tough fixture for Chelsea. To their credit they always seem to survive the taunts, the songs from the terraces that are usually directed at the captain Terry and his mother. Chelsea’s captain always appears unmoved by it all. But there was more last night. When Kurt Zouma was fouled by Collins just before half-time, West Ham’s supporters sang ‘You won’t let him on the train’ when he was waiting for treatment. Naturally those chants, given the dreadful incident on the Paris Metro before Chelsea’s Champions League clash at Parc des Princes last month, should be discouraged. Chelsea are the big noise in football right now, the team to beat as they prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in the return leg of their last-16 Champions League tie next week. Increasingly Chelsea look like a team determined to power on and finish the job in the Premier League after feeding off the scraps last season. After this, the message from Mourinho was loud and clear. West Ham players gather around the floored Kurt Zouma after Collins' tackle on the Frenchman .

Chelsea have discovered the ruthless, killer instinct required to win matches . The bond is already strong, building this resilience in the dressing room as the season has progressed. Here at Upton Park they looked impenetrable . Their work-rate is phenomenal. They are a team fighting for each other as they close in on their first Premier League title since Mourinho's return . Increasingly they look like a team determined to power on and finish the job well before they play their final game of the season against Sunderland .

 – as in, to take a risk. Their performance against Palace suggested the opposite.
It was a similar lack of belief or courage in facing up to opponents which had led to a similar 3-1 defeat to Swansea at Stamford Bridge only three months earlier. As Mourinho admitted after that defeat: “I’m not a coward. I don’t cry like some people do. I take responsibility.”
He was only half joking. His reputation in recent years has rested on the impression that he can take a lot of things but not the blame for the defeat. For the first time at his current club, he looked like a man willing to take responsibility. The words ‘coward’ or ‘gutless’ had not gone unchallenged from those close to Mourinho. On Monday night, after this win over Sunderland, Mourinho insisted that he is not cowardly but in the past he had offered a half-hearted defence of his methods.
“When you go to win the Champions League, you take responsibility for your defeats or whatever you do,” said the Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal. “It is the responsibility of the coaches and the players and the team to put an absolute maximum to win, but what did Mourinho do in the first leg? You played for a draw. So this is the difference.”
The manager knows better than anyone how much pressure Mourinho is under. There were times in the 90 minutes last night when it looked as though his players were almost hiding from his glare rather than trying to match his intensity.
When asked whether his side still feared their manager, a former one-time favourite, John Terry, said: “That’s not going to change.” The problem was that not only did it look as though his side didn’t fear him, they often seemed to be cowed by him.
Mourinho is still a master of creating the illusion that the only problem is the opposition. That was the explanation for the defeat. His team were merely out-fought and out-thought. It’s possible that a side which won 10 league matches in a row can do that – if it’s lucky.
The problem is that with every defeat there comes a point when the confidence starts to crumble. Last season Chelsea lost their first two league games. In September the season before they were 10th after eight games. This was only their fourth defeat in 54 league games


When it comes to tracking down the perfect pair of jeans, there is no other piece of clothing that induces so much stress. As well as adhering to the style of the season (flared? skinny? boyfriend?), women want jeans that flatter their bottom, suck in their tummy and make their legs look longer. Perhaps, then, it comes as little surprise that a recent study by Tampax Compak Pearl found that 40 per cent of women struggle to find the perfect fit - and 15 per cent have even been reduced to tears in their efforts. Scroll down for video . New research reveals that 40 per cent of women struggle to find the perfect fit of jeans - but there is an exact formula for finding a pair to suit your shape. If, like Kim Kardashian, you're a pear shape, high-waisted look best . Balmain Satin Button Up Ankle Boots . Kim pairs black on black with these satin boots . Visit site . Kim Kardashian's newly platinum hair is emphasized in stark contrast to her all black outfit. The reality star rocks a pair of killer Balmain boots to her hubby, Kanye's, performance for the Louis Vuitton foundation show. Kardashion-West layers a sheer sweater on top of a revealing black bralette and tops it all off with a luxurious Celine fur lapel coat. It's a little hard to concentrate on Kim's outfit when her hair is so bright, but the skillful pairing allows us to focus. The star is a huge fan of Balmain and does the brand justice with this ensemble. The shoes would be perfect with a full midi skirt  or leather leggings. A classic black boots is perfect for winter and has a unique added kitsch with the buttons. Although this style icon is most likely the reason why these babies are sold out, you can buy a similar pair by checking out the carousel below. Christian Louboutin Bootylili Ankle Boots at Barneys . Visit site . Pour La Victoire Pointed Toe Booties - Zento High Heel at Bloomingdales (now reduced to $204) Visit site . Tahari Galina Booties at Macy's (now reduced to $83.47) Visit site . Vince Booties - Odelia Stretch Heel at Bloomingdales (now reduced to $346.50) Visit site . But, according to a celebrity denim expert, there is a tried-and-tested formula to finding the perfect pair to flatter - and it's all about your body shape. Jean queen, Donna Ida Thornton, whose designs are worn by the likes of Millie Mackintosh, has devised some denim-buying hacks. If you have a boyish shape - similar to Cara Delevingne, left, and Cameron Diaz, right,  you can wear most styles, according to denim expert Donna Ida Thornton but add shape with some zip detailing like Cara . If you have a boyish shape - similar to Cara Delevingne and Cameron Diaz - you can wear most styles, according to Donna. 'Add some shape and interest with zips and details on back pockets,' she suggests for women with this figure. Pear-shaped women, who, like Kim Kardashian, have a smaller top half than bottom and boast fuller hips and a shapely lower half, should opt for high-waisted jeans. 'Look for skinny jeans in a high waisted style - it elongates the leg and slims down the hip,' said Donna. If, like Lena Dunham, you possess an apple shape you should opt for elasticated waistbands. Women with apple body shapes, which are larger across their mid-section, typically with slimmer legs, should look for plenty of stretch in a straight leg in a dark wash as they complement every curve, advises Donna. Ladies with long legs, like supermodels Candice Swanepoel, left, and Karlie Kloss, right, look best in a mid to low rise to keep the waist at the right height, says Donna . Ladies with long legs, like supermodel Karlie Kloss, often struggle to find jeans that fit their stomach and their pins. Sharing her advice, Donna said: 'Ladies with long legs look best in a mid to low rise to keep the waist at the right height, whereas petite girls look great in a high rise that accentuates the waist and elongates the legs.' Revealing other essential tips for buying jeans, she explained that if jeans go on easily, go down a size. 'Kicking your way into the legs isn’t unusual, and the waistband should be snug, if you can fit two fingers down the back that’s good, a whole hand is not,' she said. When buying jeans with super stretch, she suggests looking for good quality denim that has great memory. 'The "memory" is how quickly the denim springs back after wear,' she explains. 'Buy them firm but not overly tight. If you have "seam strain" down the legs, they are possibly too tight and this could damage the stretch.' She also explains that a curved or pieced waistband is ideal for flattering all shapes. 'This will be slightly higher at the back than the front and will curve into your waist rather than sit straight up,' she said. Once you've chosen the perfect pair of jeans, Donna says it's essential to read the care instructions. She added: 'Most premium jeans are best washed COLD, that’s cold and not 30 degrees. Any warmer and you are damaging the fabric.' Revealing other essential tips for buying jeans, Donna, pictured, explained that if jeans go on easily, go down a size and always wash them in cold water .

Donna Ida Thornton shared her foolproof guide . There's a jean style suited to long legs, pear, apple and boyish shapes . You should only be able to fit two fingers at the back .

 curves, while men want a pair that can accentuate their leg length and size in all the right places (yes, all the right places).
For those of us who can’t decide if they want jeans that fit perfectly (or like mom jeans) or just a good pair of high-waisted bootcut jeans, we turn to the Levi’s team. To help, we turned to two women who work at Levi’s HQ to ask them 10 times more questions about the ins and outs of different jeans styles that can help you find the perfect pair.
So what are you waiting for? Ask away and keep scrolling for their top answers.
Do I prefer bootcut jeans? Skinny jeans? Flares? Boyfriend? Mom? High-waisted? Acid Wash? The list goes on and on. Luckily, so do we! You can see our full list of Levi's styles here.
What style do you prefer (and why)?
Aimee M: Skinny jeans are a staple in my wardrobe because they’re comfortable and flattering.
Keeley S: I prefer bootcut jeans. They’re comfortable but can be worn in a dressier environment when needed.
Cristina D: I prefer boyfriend jeans over skinny jeans as the boyfriend has a slimmer ankle that is more flattering to me and the boyfriend has a lower rise than my skinny jeans.
What’s the best Levi’s style?
Aimee M: All styles are amazing in their own way. I enjoy shopping and finding different styles. I love the fact that there is a pair for everyone.
Keeley S: This is a tough one, as I’m a jeans girl. I’d have to go with mom jeans. A high-waisted wide-leg jean is the epitome of classic, cool, and comfortable.
Cristina D: I’d say the best Levi’s style is the 721 High Rise Bootcut. I’ve been wearing this style for a while, but after Levi’s launched the new (721) style, I’ve been living in it. It fits perfectly, looks amazing, and washes beautifully. I am in love.
If I could design my own pair of jeans, what would they look like?
Aimee M: For starters, I would love a new style of jeans made of a nice stretchy material that fits like leggings. You can be comfortable in work


(CNN)The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is the largest sponsor of Boy Scout troops in the United States, says the church has strong measures in place to prevent the sexual abuse of scouts, as claims have been made it hasn't done enough. In the first interview about allegations of abuse in Mormon church-sponsored scouting troops, Church Elder L. Whitney Clayton told CNN that the church is at the forefront for prevention of child abuse. "We feel like there is really no other organization that we know of -- a church or something like a church -- that does as much as we do," Clayton said. "We have a zero tolerance policy or position with respect to child abuse, and we train our people, we teach our people, we work with leaders, we provide materials online and in hard copy." Over several months, CNN examined allegations of abuse that were detailed in at least five lawsuits filed against the church and the scouts. But Clayton said the church today is proactive, even constructing its buildings "in such a way as to try to avoid any situation where child abuse could occur." "For instance, if you walk down the hallway in an LDS chapel, a Mormon church, and look at the Sunday school classes, you're going to see windows in the doorways into those Sunday school classes so people can look inside and walk by," he said. The interview with Clayton followed a CNN investigation into the case of Melvin Novak, who was sexually abused by his scoutmaster, a member of the Mormon Church, beginning when he was 14 years old in 1998, according to the lawsuit Novak filed against the church and the Boy Scouts of America. The scoutmaster, Vance Hein, had been forced in resign from scouting in the early 1990s after reports surfaced that he failed to report a fellow scoutmaster who was engaged in homosexual activities. That scoutmaster ended up going to prison for sexual assaults on minors. Hein's name was added to the Boy Scouts of America's ineligible volunteer files, which are widely known as the "perversion files." The documents, which were made public in 2012, are lists of scout leaders suspected of sexual abuse or homosexual activity. However, three years after being kicked out of scouting, Hein was allowed to rejoin the scouts after getting letters of recommendation attesting to his character. One of those letters was from Hein's influential Mormon Bishop Jack Moyer, who wrote that Hein was "highly respected and liked." Moyer, who is now retired, declined to speak to CNN. But in a deposition taken as part of the lawsuit last year, he acknowledged that he would not have written the letter knowing what he later found out about Hein. The lawsuit charged that Hein "actively groomed young boys under his charge for later sexual molestation." Hein eventually was convicted of molesting Novak. He is now in prison for violating probation in the Novak case. Ken Rothweiler, who is Novak's lawyer, said what happened in the case is outrageous. "This case is probably the most egregious of all of the cases against the LDS church, and the reason I say that is because the LDS church knew that Vance Hein, this pedophile, was already kicked out of scouting by the Boy Scouts of America," Rothweiler said. However, church attorney David Pittinsky said it was the Boy Scouts organization that should have done something. "If the Boy Scouts had disclosed to Bishop Moyer the information they had in their files, there is no way that Vance Hein would have ever become a scoutmaster, and he would have been subject to excommunication by the church," Pittinsky said. In a statement to CNN, the Boy Scouts of America said Hein was removed from scouting "for reasons unrelated to child abuse." The group added, "Our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong. We extend our deepest apologies to victims and their families." Read the full response from the Boy Scouts . The case ended last year with a confidential settlement paid to Novak, who is now 31. All but one of the five lawsuits filed against the church and Boy Scouts of America have been settled. Hein was sentenced to probation in 2000 after pleading guilty to indecently assaulting Novak. While on probation, he was arrested for possession of child pornography and was sentenced in 2012 to 15 to 30 years in prison. "Any case is alarming to me. It's a tragedy," Clayton said. "I'm a father. I have seven children, four boys and three girls. I have 19 grandchildren. The thought of one of them as a child or youth being abused is absolutely horrific to me." Asked what he would say to Novak, Clayton said, "I say to him and anyone else who has been abused in the church or other churches -- I'm sorry that you've gone through what you've gone through. It's a horrible thing for anyone to be abused. No child, no youth should ever have to go through that."

Church elder says LDS church is at forefront of preventing child abuse . CNN investigated abuse allegations detailed in at least five lawsuits . Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is largest sponsor of Boy Scout troops in U.S.

 against Boy Scout leaders in other states.
“Our local and global leaders take the prevention of abuse very seriously,” a Church spokesman said in an email statement. “We have been working closely with the Boy Scouts on their new policies, which include enhanced background checks and consistent education on abuse, to help ensure that scouting is a safe place for youth.”
The spokesman added: “It’s incredibly important that children who participate in scouting have an environment that keeps them safe.”
The spokesman also reiterated the church’s commitment to working with law enforcement to respond to allegations of abuse, even if there are no current members of the Boy Scouts in a given region.
“If a youth has been abused, we must respond as quickly as possible to ensure the safety of that youth and every other child,” the spokesman said.
The church spokesman’s statement is the latest to be made publicly in response to an article by The New York Times, which highlighted allegations of sexual abuse of Boy Scouts by leaders at the BSA’s Mormon Mountain Council. The Boy Scouts of America has said it has received more than 100 allegations of sexual abuse and harassment.
The Boy Scouts were one of the sponsors for Mormon Mountain, and the church owned the 22-acre Scout Ranch where much of the abuse is alleged to have occurred. The ranch was sold by the church in 2018.
The Mormon Mountain article reported that local leaders covered up sexual abuse allegations, according to one lawsuit, and that some leaders had used their access to scout camps for years to groom young boys for abuse. The Times story said the BSA and the Mormon Church did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for the Mormon Church, which oversees the Boy Scouts, responded to the Times’ article by saying the BSA has not been associated with the church’s Scout troops since 2013.
The Times reports that the Mormon Mountain Council has since filed for bankruptcy protection to avoid paying settlements and attorneys fees.
In its lawsuit, the Utah Youth Empowerment Project says some of the abusers were Boy Scout leaders, assistant Scoutmasters, scouting merit badge advisers and other Scout leaders on the Mormon Mountain Council.
The Times reported that the BSA did not comment on specific allegations, but said in a statement: “Abuse of youth is abhorrent. Actions that put youth at risk are unacceptable. To make sure this never happens again, we’re changing the way we operate.”
The Mormon Church said in a statement to


With  Robin van Persie not due to return for Manchester United until next month, if ever there was a time for Radamel Falcao to prove his worth at Old Trafford then it is now. Unfortunately for manager Louis van Gaal it appears that Falcao’s surprise selection for United’s Under 21s in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Tuesday has done little to repair the shattered confidence that has characterised the 29-year-old’s loan spell. Van Gaal confirmed on Friday that Van Persie will not be fit until after the forthcoming international break and although he insisted his decision to play Falcao in the second string was not intended to humiliate the player, he hinted that the plan may not have worked. Radamel Falcao was dumped in Manchester United's Under 21s team on Tuesday night vs Tottenham . Falcao did not manage to get on the scoresheet against Tottenham Hotspur's Under 21s and was poor . United boss Louis van Gaal says Falcao's demotion was in order to boost his confidence . Van Gaal was speaking at United's pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of their clash vs Tottenham . 6 - Louis van Gaal could oversee an unwanted milestone on Sunday, as Tottenham look to make it six games unbeaten against Manchester United. 1921 - The last time Spurs managed this was a century ago, when they won four and drew two games either side of World War One, between February 1914 and October 1921. 3 - If Spurs win it will be the first time they have had three consecutive victories at Old Trafford. 1 - If Tottenham manage at least a draw, they will become the first team to go six games unbeaten against United in the Premier League era. 'People wrote that it was humiliation to play him in the second team. But a lot of players have played there this season. 'So I don't think so. It just shows a professional attitude of the manager, the staff and the player. 'Victor Valdes also played and Rafael da Silva. Rafael played a very good match and scored a very good goal so he will now have a better grip on his confidence. 'That can happen to all the players playing in the second team. It's a lower level and they can play more than the 70 minutes they get in training. 'Falcao did not play his best match for the second team but he tried and he did his utmost best. 'I can not ask for more from him. He has shown a professional attitude. 'We pay a lot of money for the players and so it is normal that they play football for us. Falcao has not reacted to this the way the media has reacted. That's the difference.' Robin van Persie has been sidelined since sustaining an ankle injury against Swansea on February 21 . Falcao tries to escape from Spurs U21 duo Bongani Khumalo (left) and Grant Ward (right) on Tuesday . More than seven months after signing the player, Van Gaal is still unable to fathom why he has been unable to replicate the stellar form he showed for Colombia, Porto and Atletico Madrid. 'You never can know that,' Van Gaal said when asked why things had not worked out for the 29-year-old, whom United have an option to buy for £43.2million at the end of the season. 'We are looking for the solution for him but you can never know that. 'You can give fantastic performances in another country but not in the country that you are present for. 'That is not the first example and it will not be the last example. A lot of players need more time to adapt to the new situation, new culture, higher rhythm of the English game and to a lot of aspects.' The striker has spent plenty of time warming the bench at Old Trafford - including in their last two games . Falcao has started the last two games on the bench and Van Gaal does not appear to be in any kind of rush to recall the striker. 'In a club like Manchester United it is more difficult than in a minor club because here he has his competitors,' Van Gaal added. 'Now Wayne (Rooney) is playing there and Wayne is scoring so you always have to compare players with each other but you need also luck. 'He is doing his utmost best and shows a professional attitude, not only Falcao but all the other players, but you cannot always win.' With Falcao only boasting four goals for United this season, Van Persie’s absence continues to hurt Van Gaal and his team. Asked about the Dutch striker’s possible return against Tottenham tomorrow, he said: ‘No, he is still with the medical department. He’s training inside, not outside on the pitch. It will be the other side of the international break.’ Van Gaal won a trophy in his first season at Ajax, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but the chances of him doing so at United are remote. Falcao celebrates scoring against Leicester, one of only four goals he has netted for United since joining . The 2-1 defeat by Arsenal knocked United out of the FA Cup on Monday and in the league, Van Gaal's men are 10 points behind Chelsea, who have a match in hand. United are fourth in the standings, just one point ahead of Liverpool, with 10 matches left. Van Gaal is sure his team's confidence has not been affected by the cup exit to the Gunners. 'I have the same confidence as before,' said Van Gaal, who has fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool after Saturday's home game against Tottenham. 'We were very disappointed at the last game because the players had the feeling that we lost (because of) ourselves and not (because of) the opponent. 'But I am very pleased with the reaction from the players this week and I hope we can show that against Tottenham because it is the first of 10 matches we have to play in the rat race.'

Manchester United host Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday . Radamel Falcao played in United's Under 21's side on Tuesday night . Falcao was an unused substitute in Monday's FA Cup loss to Arsenal . READ: Sources reveal Falcao knows he has no long-term future at the club . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester United news .

, Falcao isn’t playing for the Red Devils at the moment, he’s nursing an injury and he won’t return until mid-January or possibly earlier.
Van Persie’s injury has proved a blessing for Falcao, as he has been handed his opportunity to prove that he’s more than the club’s record signing worth his weight in gold.
In the six Premier League games since van Persie was forced off the field of play, and a further four since he was taken off against Southampton on Boxing Day, Falcao has struggled to make an impact, managing a total of zero goals despite starting just two games.
For one of the most expensive strikers the world has ever seen, his goal scoring record is simply not good enough, and if he wants to prove his worth in Manchester then a number of things need to improve.
We have taken a look at a number of ways in which the Colombian could have a significant impact in the second half of 2015.
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Flares Of Flair
At the World Cup, Falcao showed flashes of his former talent, scoring six goals in seven games, while he has also shown that he has a bit of flair, both in his finishing and movement when coming in from the flanks. Van Gaal has spoken about the need for him to work harder in the build up to his chances, and that is exactly what he must do. He must run the channels and make himself available for the pass.
If he manages to do that consistently, then not only does he increase his chance of scoring, but he also helps create chances for other players who can exploit the space left on the flanks by the Colombian.
Get a Move On
It’s no secret that one of Falcao’s biggest problems at United is his inability to adapt and get better with his movement and positioning. He has had more than six months to adjust to life in Manchester and at times he has looked lost, even with the ball. However, as we have seen in the past, he is by far the most dangerous when dropping deep, creating space for himself as he waits for the ball to fall into his path.
If United are to get the best out of


When Moonlight the cat went missing almost nine years ago, his distraught owners tried everything to find him, before giving him up for dead six months later. But now the beloved pet has been reunited with owner Rosie Collier, 52,  after turning up at a vet's surgery two miles away from her house in Chediston, Suffolk, earlier this week. Mrs Collier, who lives with husband John, and 17-year-old daughter Melba, says the beloved animal is now back living with them and their other pets. Moonlight initially disappeared while staying with Mrs Collier's parents, Denise and Chris, in Wenhaston, while Mrs Collier was on holiday. Rosie Collier, 52 (centre), and daughter Melba (centre left) were reunited with pet Moonlight after nine years when a member of the public brought him to vet Jenny Reason (far right) who found he was microchipped . Mrs Collier said Moonlight went missing nine years ago while she was on holiday, and the family gave him up for dead after a cat matching his description was found in the road, but he miraculously survived . When she returned the family spent months looking for Moonlight, before a cat matching his description was found dead in the road. Mrs Collier said the family were 'devastated' at the loss, and even planted a special memorial tree for Moonlight in their back garden. However, unbeknownst to them, the pet was actually alive, and is believed to have survived wild on a nearby heath, hunting and killing his own food. Believing he was a neighbour's cat, a female animal-lover in the village occasionally fed Moonlight whenever he stopped by, but took him to the vet after noticing he had lost some fur. When the cat got there, medics discovered he had been microchipped, and were able to track down his owners. Mrs Collier said: 'I simply couldn’t believe it - it’s just miraculous! I was just so surprised, I really did not expect to ever get good old Moonlight back. 'I was in shock at first but then I had a huge grin from ear to ear for the rest of the day.' The news was particularly exciting for Melba, who was just eight at the time the cat went missing, and was distraught over losing him. Mrs Collier explained: 'There were buckets of tears. Melba was very distressed, even her dance teacher can still remember how upset she was - it was that traumatic.' But rather than inform her daughter straight away, Mrs Collier waited until Melba, who celebrated her 17th birthday yesterday, returned from Bungay college that evening to break the news. Mrs Collier believes Moonlight was living wild on a nearby heath, eating whatever he could catch. A female animal-lover also fed him scraps, and then took him to the vet when she noticed he had fur missing . Melba said: 'I was just really shocked. Eight years is a really long time and so I was not expecting it at all - it’s just so good to have our Moonlight back after all this time.' After a cautious reintroduction to Echo, the family’s golden retriever, and two new pets, Tilly the black labrador and Dusty the cat, Moonlight is happier than ever. Mrs Collier said: 'I was not sure he would remember us after so many years but he came straight home and he has been purring and rubbing himself up against us. 'He obviously still knows and remembers who we are - even the dog.' 'We always knew he was a good hunter, so if he was alive he would probably be OK looking after himself. 'We think he must have been living wild on the heath near here, killing rabbits and mice, but also taking advantage of people who would feed him. 'We are just so happy to have Moonlight back - it’s a genuine miracle.' Vet Jenny Reason, who discovered Moonlight was microchipped, added: 'When a missing pet turns up, it’s usually a matter of days, sometimes a little longer, but I’ve never known a pet to return after over eight and a half years. 'It’s a fantastic story - and just goes to show why it’s so absolutely vital to chip your pet.'

Rosie Collier, 52, said Moonlight went missing almost nine years ago . Family looked for cat for six months until similar animal was found in road . They assumed pet was dead, and even planted memorial tree in garden . But Moonlight was actually roaming wild, eating whatever he could catch . Owner and pet reunited after woman found the cat and took him to vet .

“after a friend spotted him”.
It would seem that she was finally successful in tracking him down. “I cried like a baby when I saw him,” Ms Collier said, of her reunion with her missing feline. She had been told that Moonlight had been killed by a fox, or had perhaps been crushed by a lorry on a busy main road.
“There were so many sad endings,” she said.
“There are times when you look at something and think, ‘This is not right’. I can’t tell you the amount of tears I have shed for this cat.”
The owner said that she has even been told that he had been hit by a car, or had eaten some toxic chemicals.
After she heard that a vet who knew Moonlight had been at work, she rang the clinic – to ask to speak to someone whose name might begin with a ‘B’ or ‘C’.
In fact it was ‘C’ for ‘Cate’ who was very close to finding her beloved pet. Her name, apparently, was ‘Cate’, although ‘Sheepshagger’ was one of the names offered to describe her.
“I knew exactly who she meant,” she said. “Sheepshagger” was the “worst behaved cat” she knew – a cat that did nothing but fight.
Moonlight is just two years old and “so loving”. He has a “huge personality” and has even become Mr Whiskas’ spokesman.
Moonlight is just two years old and “so loving”. He has a “huge personality” and has even become Mr Whiskas’ spokesman.
He seems to have had his eye on Ms Collier and, from 500 yards away, ran at her house “every day for weeks” after she lost him. “He was very persistent,” she said, laughing. “And when he finally came in he said to me, ‘Hello! I thought you’d never answer your door’.”
“I looked at him as though he was mad.” She had, she explained, been looking for a new pet.
She said that she had heard he was “getting a bit lonely” at home and she had been asking around for her beloved pet. After six months, she finally realised he was lost for good and she had to find a new cat. “I thought it was time to


A single mother-of-four rejected by American Idol three times is now set to land a record deal after a DIY music video she made hit the web and went viral. Kimberly Henderson, 26, from Sunter, South Carolina, filmed herself singing Sam Smith's version of the Whitney Houston track How Will I Know to her one-year-old daughter, Vaida, last December. The clip - which has since been viewed more than 2.6 million times - landed the full-time nurse an opportunity to record her own track and since then her phone has apparently been ringing off the hook. Scroll down for video . Lucky break: A single mother-of-four rejected by American Idol three times is now set to land a record deal after a DIY music video she made hit the web and went viral - above, seen in a new music video . Finding fame: Kimberly Henderson, 27, from Sunter, South Carolina, filmed herself singing Sam Smith's version of the Whitney Houston track How Will I Know to her one-year-old daughter, Vaida, last December . Henderson told Fox News that she is being courted by four different record companies and she is working with a manager to negotiate a deal. She says she has been singing since the age of two and doing it full-time would be a dream come true. Currently Henderson - who has four children aged one to ten - works two jobs as a healthcare worker and receives help from relatives with child care. She says she barely gets time to stop but recently she took time out to go and record her own high-gloss music track in Los Angeles called Tiny Hearts. The beautiful ballad, which she penned in just 24 hours, focuses on her her experiences as a single parent. The first verse describes her earliest months as a young mother to her baby girl. Baby steps: The clip - which has since been viewed more than 2.6 million times - landed the full-time nurse an opportunity to record her own track and since then her phone has apparently been ringing off the hook . Working mom: She says she barely gets time to stop but recently she took time out to go and record her own music track in Los Angeles called Tiny Hearts . 'My friends are doing normal things like going to the movies and on dates and out on the weekends. And I’m at home,' she explains. 'I felt like I was missing out on something, but coming home to her and being with her gave my life more meaning.' The music-making trip of a lifetime was paid for by Cosco Kids, a company which makes baby products. Apparently the firm found out Henderson was in a bad car crash and a Cosco car seat saved her child’s life. Managers from the business then came up with a way to support her musical endeavors. Tiny Hearts was released in January and it jumped to number 53 in the charts. An accompanying music video captured Henderson in action with her children and singing at a recording studio. Candid footage also showed her getting a makeover with a stylist and make-up artist injecting some added star appeal. Henderson says getting rejected from American Idol will not stop her from doing what she loves. Rock-a-bye-baby: Henderson seen in her original DIY music video which went viral last December . Talent: The blonde says she's been singing since the age of two and it would be a dream to do it full-time . She concluded: 'They have good things to say. They just said, "You have a really unique voice, we think you’re good, but it’s just not your time yet." 'So I’m guessing maybe now it’s my time.' On a more personal level, Henderson hopes that fame might help her to reconnect her with her own mother, who disappeared from her life when she was 11 years old. 'I don't know where she is,' the singer told The Huffington Post, adding, 'But I keep thinking that maybe if she somehow sees my video or my new song, she'll come forward and try to reach out.' Henderson says her family are excited about her recent breakthrough. Along with Whitney Houston and Sam Smith, Christina Aguilera is another of the blonde's musical idols.

Kimberly Henderson, 26, from Sunter, South Carolina, filmed herself singing Sam Smith's version of the Whitney Houston track How Will I Know to her one-year-old daughter, Vaida, last December . The clip has since been viewed more than 2.6 million times . It also helped land the full-time nurse an opportunity to record her own track called Tiny Hearts . Since then her phone has apparently been ringing off the hook .

 singing the song “Never Too Much”, by Luther Vandross on her iPad, then posted it on YouTube – and got four million hits. That led to calls to record companies, and on Monday she accepted a recording contract from the Universal Music Group – just four days after her latest rejection by American Idol. “I am in shock,” she said. “I still cannot believe this is happening to me.”
Kimberly, who is also the mother of a four-year-old girl and two-year-old twin boys with her fiance Corey, has always had a passion for singing, and after working as a nanny and waitress for ten years she was inspired to take to YouTube because of the positive response her singing videos had attracted. “I started a YouTube channel and uploaded singing videos, just for my friends to see, and it was really fun,” she recalled.
“I was getting around 200 views – not even 200, 200 – so I did not think much of it, and then one of them got more than 2,000 views and I was like, ‘Really?’” A number of other videos, filmed in her living room, soon reached tens of thousands of views and Kimberly realised that there was a market for her singing and decided to go professional – she posted videos of herself performing songs by Chaka Khan, Etta James and Mariah Carey.
Despite the success of her videos – they garnered an average of ten to 30 likes – she was rejected from American Idol after three auditions. “I went out there and I thought I did pretty good, I was like, ‘Yes, this is really happening, this could be my big break,’” she explained. “The only reason I did not get in was that there were some technical errors with my video camera, and some other technical errors in other of my auditions, but everything was my best. I did not get in because I could not sing good enough.”
Kimberly was given her best shot on American Idol by a relative who has experience with singing, but even she did not foresee her success. “She told them, ‘I am going to go out there and knock their socks off. It does not matter what you do, I am going to tell them that I am going to do this’,” Kim remembers. “But I was so nervous I thought I was going to pass out. I did not have anything with


He was the manager who wanted to be sacked. For while Gus Poyet may have vowed to fight on in the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 humiliation at home to Aston Villa, Monday’s dismissal as head coach of Sunderland would have come as a mighty relief. Poyet has long since lost faith in his vision for Sunderland. Frustrated by the influence of sporting director Lee Congerton in transfers, he was left with a dysfunctional team made up of players signed by both himself and the club hierarchy. Gus Poyet was sacked as Sunderland manager on Monday with the club one point above the relegation zone . Poyet was dismissed following the Black Cats' 4-0 Premier League defeat at home to Aston Villa on Saturday . Goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon looks dejected as Sunderland were thrashed 4-0 at home by Villa . Gabriel Agbonlahor (centre) scored two of Aston Villa's goals in the 4-0 win on Saturday . Sunderland fans turned on manager Poyet (bottom left) during the defeat by  Villa on Saturday afteroon . VIDEO Poyet sacked as Sunderland manager . 525 - Poyet's number of days in charge since his arrival on October 8, 2013. 75 - The Uruguayan's number of games in charge, winning 23, losing 22 and drawing 30. 3 - The number of games against bitter rivals Newcastle. He won them all with an aggregate of 6-1. 35 - Poyet was the 35th man to manage Sunderland either permanently or as a caretaker. 22 - The number of years between Sunderland's appearances in a major final. Poyet took them to the 2014 Capital One Cup final, 22 years on from their defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup showpiece. They lost to Manchester City. 14 - Sunderland's final position in Poyet's first season. 4 - The amount of games won in the Premier League by Sunderland this season. The joint-worst with bottom side Leicester. Some of Poyet’s press-conference outbursts distanced him from the personnel on the pitch and were not well received at boardroom level. ‘I am not going to be a head coach when it suits and a manager when it doesn’t,’ he said in December. ‘It is clear what we need to do. That is down to recruitment. So, if you ever get the chance to speak to anyone on the recruitment side and ask them about it, you are lucky. If you don’t, don’t ask me.’ Such comments would not have been tolerated at other clubs and Congerton informed owner Ellis Short that Poyet was not the man to take them forward. Poyet grew particularly disillusioned during January and when he let coach Charlie Oatway take a pre-match and half-time team talk there was a feeling he had lost interest. Subsequent team selections left players and senior figures baffled - four central midfielders named in the starting XI versus Hull, who play with wing-backs, being the most alarming example. Poyet had lost his faith in his vision for Sunderland and was fed up sporting director Lee Congerton (centre) Poyet advised his son Diego to sign for West Ham last July rather than join him at the Stadium of Light . But the players should not escape criticism, either. This is the third manager, following Martin O’Neill and Paolo Di Canio, who has been sacked with the core of the current squad on the books. They have fought relegation during the past two seasons and have survived despite falling short of 40 points on each occasion. The squad has gone stale and so had Poyet. He did not think the players were good enough to implement the attractive football he craved. Certainly, not once was there any evidence of such a brand of play during his 17 months in charge. Tellingly, the Uruguayan also advised his son Diego to sign for West Ham last July rather than join him at the Stadium of Light. Then there was his failure to promote from within the club’s academy, a major source of contention among staff who work with the youngsters. Indeed, they were miffed at the sight of assistant boss Mauricio Taricco joining in first-team sessions rather than sending for one of their players. But Poyet’s refusal to entertain academy prospects - not one such player started a game during his tenure - was symptomatic of his loss of love for the project on Wearside. Results, if not performances, were always just enough - 14 draws this season - to keep talk of a crisis in the background. Poyet was appointed by Sunderland in October 2013 following the sacking of Paolo Di Canio . But discord and discontent rumbled all the while and only now is it all being laid bare after the situation unravelled on the pitch in such shambolic fashion at the weekend. Poyet’s behaviour in the dressing-room on Saturday did little to convince the players he was scrapping for his and their survival. For Poyet no longer wanted to be at the club and the key powerbrokers no longer wanted him there, either. His sacking was the best outcome for all parties. HULL . Chelsea (Home) - March 22 . Swansea (Away) - April 4 . Southampton (Away) - April 11 . Liverpool (Home) - April 18 . Crystal Palace (Away) - April 25 . Arsenal (Home) - May 2 . Burnley (Home) - May 9 . Tottenham (Away) - May 16 . Man United (Home) - May 24 . ASTON VILLA . Swansea (Home) - March 21 . Man United (Away) - April 4 . Tottenham (Away) - April 11 . Man City (Away) - April 25 . Everton (Home) - May 2 . West Ham (Home) - May 9 . Southampton (Away) - May 16 . Burnley (Home) - May 24 . *QPR (Home) - Date to be arranged . SUNDERLAND . West Ham (Away) - March 21 . Newcastle (Home) - April 5 . Crystal Palace (Home) - April 11 . Stoke (Away) - April 25 . Southampton (Home) - May 2 . Everton (Away) - May 9 . Leicester (Home) - May 16 . Chelsea (Away) - May 24 . * Arsenal (Away) - Date to be arranged . BURNLEY . Southampton (Away) - March 21 . Tottenham (Home) - April 5 . Arsenal (Home) - April 11 . Everton (Away) - April 18 . Leicester (Home) - April 25 . West Ham (Away) - May 2 . Hull (Away) - May 9 . Stoke (Home) - May 16 . Aston Villa (Away) - May 24 . QPR . Everton (Home) - March 22 . West Brom (Away) - April 4 . Chelsea (Home) - April 12 . West Ham (Home) - April 25 . Liverpool (Away) - May 2 . Man City (Away) - May 9 . Newcastle (Home) - May 16 . Leicester (Away) - May 24 . *Aston Villa (Away) - Date to be arranged . LEICESTER . Tottenham (Away) - March 21 . West Ham (Home) - April 4 . West Brom (Away) - April 11 . Swansea (Home) - April 18 . Burnley (Away) - April 25 . Chelsea (Home) - April 29 . Newcastle (Home) - May 2 . Southampton (Home) - May 9 . Sunderland (Away) - May 16 . QPR (Home) - May 24 . Note: Fixtures in May subject to change for television schedule.

Gus Poyet was sacked as Sunderland manager on Monday . Former Black Cats boss lost faith in his vision for the club . Sunderland are just one place and one point above the relegation zone . READ: Advocaat appointed Sunderland manager until end of season . CLICK HERE for all the latest Sunderland news .

underland will come as no surprise.
And it is the manner of the dismissal, with Sunderland in the midst of a difficult season, where the club needs a strong figure at the helm if it is to pull away from the relegation zone, that adds to the acrimony.
Poyet’s decision to leave — he will finish the current season in charge — may also be a sign he is trying to engineer the exit of fellow manager David Moyes from Manchester United. For he has not ruled out a return to the Premier League and, more particularly, Everton.
But in the moment, the way he announced his departure was, according to many inside the Stadium of Light, ‘classless’, at a time when the club’s prospects were at their lowest.
There were no details. No farewell to the fans or the players or the club — in fact no sign-off at all. And it seems inept and unprofessional.
There has been a feeling at times during his time at the club that Sunderland, as a family owned business, lacked the resources necessary to compete in the Premier League. That perhaps Poyet realised this but, in the same breath, the manner of his departure — and his timing — raises further questions as to his true motivations.
At the moment there are just two candidates — Paolo Di Canio and Garry Monk — to replace Poyet. The former is viewed as a long-term project and the latter a short term, emergency appointment. Either way, though, it is unlikely Poyet’s successor will be in the same league as him.
The Uruguayan had become the fifth manager to have been sacked during the League One campaign and the third to have been cut loose since January. He had the longest stay, too — the three-year contract he signed in March last year had kept him at Sunderland until this summer but he was paid a minimum of £6m after he was dismissed, according to Sky sources.
But that might have been the least of his disappointments. The season began with his side in freefall, losing five of their first seven Premier League fixtures, and ended with a performance against Villa that was far from the most dignified of his tenure.
He left his players out late on Saturday because of the snow, only to have them concede another two goals to a team that had managed just five in its previous 12 league games. The reaction on social