One man alone is not going to save English cricket. The Kevin Pietersen storyline is a good'un, full of rage, intrigue and hypocrisy. But the longer it goes on, the less we will be inclined to analyse what really ails our game. England will not win or lose the Ashes on the basis of whether Pietersen returns. There aren't, after all, many examples of Test series being won by a single player: Harold Larwood needed Bill Voce during Bodyline, Ian Botham needed Bob Willis in 1981, Mitchell Johnson needed Brad Haddin in 2013-14. And a 35-year-old Pietersen is unlikely to be in any of those categories. If he does return, we may – briefly – get more people talking about cricket; he may produce some magic to belie his age; critics of Paul Downton may feel vindicated; it will almost certainly be a whole lot of fun. Kevin Pietersen shows off his latest flamboyant hairstyle on his way to the Fox Sports studio on Tuesday . That's the best-case scenario. But let's not pretend it would solve much. English cricket has always presided over a deeply imperfect system, one hampered by a fear of revolution. Occasionally we commission a serious report, which makes us feel progress is being made. But entertaining diversions are just as crucial to the psyche of the English cricket lover: they mean we can go easy on the self-analysis. From WG’s gamesmanship via Compton’s knee through to Botham’s extra-curriculars and KP’s tweets, our game has always quietly welcomed the glamorous, scurrilous sideshow, the tabloid tittle-tattle to balance out broadsheet sobriety. Yet if the game is reduced over the coming months to a string of will-he-won’t-he bulletins about the future of a player who has, at best, two years left at the highest level, then we will be doing the game a disservice. (I hope Pietersen proves me wrong. If he returns to international cricket, I hope he scores lots more Test hundreds and gives us all something to cheer about. The point of this article is not to pick on Pietersen.) Pietersen is gunning for an England recall after his exile from the side, but turns 35 in the summer . The batsman has enjoyed some stellar achievements with England, such as here after the 2005 Ashes win . Pietersen's antics entertain the public just as Ian Botham's extra-curricular activities once did. Here the all-rounder was pictured dressed as a rabbit next to team-mate Phil deFreitas in Melbourne in 1986 . What should concern English cricket right now is how one of the best-resourced teams in the world spent the World Cup looking like one of the worst; how an air of fatalism about their chances became a self-fulfilling prophecy; and how Downton appeared so intensely relaxed about the fact that England were miles off the pace. In fact, batting was not even the half of their problems – another reason why the Pietersen debate risks straying into red-herring territory. Five members of the top seven averaged over 35, with strike-rates ranging from Jos Buttler’s 135 to Ian Bell’s 77. These are not figures to win you a World Cup, but neither are they out-and-out disasters. Far worse was the bowling, with Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad taking nine wickets between them at an average of 55. Not until Chris Jordan was given a game against Bangladesh did anyone nail a yorker. Steven Finn went for nearly seven an over, which was expensive even by the standards of this World Cup. And the refusal to look at James Tredwell and Ravi Bopara until it was too late was plain stubborn. VIDEO We take responsibility for exit - Morgan . Stuart Broad was a key member of England's struggling bowling attack during the World Cup . Steven Finn (right) has gone backwards in both pace and achievement as a bowler . Chris Woakes has added pace but England's bowling stocks pale in comparison with the likes of Australia . These are all questions that should concern Colin Graves and Tom Harrison in the short term. But the long term is even more worrying: where are England’s fast bowlers going to come from? This is the area that has always been most poorly served by an overcrowded domestic schedule played on tired pitches. Even Anderson has always relied on craftsmanship rather than speed, while Broad keeps breaking down and Finn has slowed. How long before satisfaction over the extra yard of pace added by Chris Woakes gives way to another sense of anti-climax? For more musings on matters cricketing, please follow us on Twitter: @the_topspin . English fast bowlers emerge in spite of the system, not because of it. Pudding-like pitches help medium-pacers. Why waste all the effort of tearing in at 92mph when you can put it there or thereabouts – three words that get to the heart of English cricket – at 78mph and watch the grass do the rest? We can't simply blame the climate. A decade ago, Old Trafford would cause Steve Harmison to lick his lips. The Oval has had its moments too. Taunton makes bowlers work hard for their wickets. More damaging, we're left to conclude, is a domestic set-up which encourages fast bowlers to throttle back if they're to stand any chance of making it through the season. It shouldn't be the case that England feel the need to take promising young quicks out of the domestic game, away from the coaches who know them best. A glance at Australia's list of fast bowlers provides an unnerving glimpse of the future. If England are able to come up with an attack that regularly takes 20 wickets, then the inclusion or otherwise of one batsman will feel like an irrelevance. THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS . Then again… . Michael Vaughan believes Kevin Pietersen has a 10 per cent chance of playing for England again. The mystery is why Pietersen isn't doing his best to increase the odds. Speaking on Fox Sports last week, he had some fair things to say about the way Peter Moores had handled England's World Cup campaign – but basic psychology tells you they were the kind of points better made by an out-and-out pundit, not a man hoping to resurrect his international career by working with… Moores! Peter Moores (left) will hardly be encouraged by his previous with Pietersen... and KP's latest comments . 'I heard the coach come out and say: "We don’t have a settled side",' said Pietersen. 'Well mate, you played six months of one-day cricket before that game. Even if you don’t think you've got a settled squad, you don’t go and tell the whole world you don’t have a settled squad." Later: 'I've played under Andy Flower and I had a worse relationship with Flower than I did with Moores.' It's fine to have these views. We all have thoughts we realise it's best to keep to ourselves. But, not for the first time, you do wonder: who, if anyone, is advising Kevin Pietersen? Eoin Morgan has conflicting IPL and England duties . Double standards? That said, it would be intriguing to know what Pietersen makes of Eoin Morgan's decision to place his IPL deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of England's trip to Dublin in May for a one-day international that has taken on an extra dimension following the World Cup farce. Pietersen has been criticised in the past – including by this writer – for seeking to place IPL commitments ahead of national duty. Yet the ECB's more relaxed approach to the IPL sheds a more sympathetic light on Pietersen's wishes. He has not always helped himself, but his contention that English cricket is riven with double standards is boosted by Morgan's position. And Morgan, don't forget, is England's one-day captain. A proud tradition . There was uproar last week when Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper published a nasty piece headlined 'Alcoholic dumps Zim out of WC' – a reference to a crucial catch held by Ireland's John Mooney to dismiss Sean Williams, with replays suggesting Mooney's foot made contact with the boundary as he held on. Mooney has previously admitted problems with drink and depression, though quite what this had to do with the incident in question was anyone's guess. Ireland's John Mooney was the subject of a cruel piece by Zimbabwe's Herald newspaper . Mooney helped Ireland eliminate Zimbabawe from the World Cup by catching out Sean Williams . TV replays suggested Mooney's foot touched the boundary rope, meaning the catch should not have stood . A South African colleague, however, suggested we were all misplacing our energy. So absurd, she said, was the Herald that it recently ran an editorial berating journalists for their coverage of Robert Mugabe's comedy stumble on a carpet at Harare airport. The Herald was so keen to prove that Mugabe's accident had nothing to do with his age (he is 91), and everything to do with a 'poorly laid-out carpet', that it solemnly listed other moments of high-society slapstick. The clinching proof that Bob was still fit as a fiddle? 'In 1975, US president Gerald Ford tumbled down the Air Force One Stairs while visiting Austria.'

Kevin Pietersen could be back in contention for England return . But controversial batsman will not win the Ashes on his own this summer . Peter Moores has more serious problem with England's bowling attack . James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn et al are cause for concern .

 game.
It is not as simple as the players being in favour of and against KP. There is a wider question here – and it is about the governance of English cricket.
Pietersen's sacking and the subsequent "statement" from the ECB have raised a number of issues – and the longer this argument continues, the less people will care about whether Pietersen did or did not have a point when he called the England squad "a fucking dictatorship". The whole affair has become a PR exercise. That is not to say that the ECB did not get caught out. A major failing here is the public communication – but to be honest, the ECB have known about KP's issues with Andrew Strauss and his fellow board members for years. In fact, this is what the board meetings were about.
The ECB and KP need to get back on message here – and fast. There is a point to be made about the governance of the England team. There is also a point to be made about the ECB's lack of engagement with the international players and the players' union. The issue is about how these groups of people relate to one another. It is not about KP's behaviour over the last 12 months – and it is not even about his relationship with the ECB. These issues are about player power and cricket's governing bodies – and this is much more important.
There are a couple of issues here: the ECB's decision to end their relationship with Kevin is not new. In fact it is a decision that they made in January 2011. The public reasons for this dismissal have not been revealed. We have been told that there were internal board members unhappy with his behaviour. But this is not the complete story. As a newspaper columnist, I have been saying since I read this story for the first time on Wednesday that this could well have been about the board versus the player.
Here are the facts. The ECB have had problems with KP for several years. The board and KP both know this. They know that when KP did not want to play on tour in the West Indies in 2009, the board were not happy. There was a standoff, and the board eventually backed down. There is no doubt that Pietersen will know this and be aware that the board did not really want him to play in the West Indies in the first place – and he will know the reasons why. This was just the latest of a number of issues between


Kelvin Davis had gone almost 15 months since his last appearance in the Barclays Premier League but Ronald Koeman thinks it was worth the wait. Part of a Southampton team boasting Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana, and managed by Mauricio Pochettino, Davis let in three against Chelsea that day in January 2014. Yet on Saturday, like a blast from the past, the 38-year-old goalkeeper became the fourth oldest player to feature this season. He did so with gusto, earning a round of applause from his team-mates as he entered the dressing room afterwards. 38-year-old veteran goalkeeper Kelvin Davis put in a confident display against Burnley on Saturday . Davis had come on as a substitute after first-choice Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster was injured . Davis' assured performance earned him plenty of praise from his team-mates as Southampton won 2-0 . Southampton striker Shane Long scores his side's opening goal against Burnley at St Mary's on Saturday . Long runs to celebrate in front of the home fans as Southampton take the lead against Burnley . Southampton have benefited from more opposition own goals than any other Premier League team this season (5). His appearance came in unfortunate circumstances. An injury to Fraser Forster's left knee that will almost certainly rule the goalkeeper out of England's internationals this month called for Davis to wipe the dust off his gloves. There is no reason to panic as far as Koeman is concerned. He has a man he deems reliable and professional enough, both behind the scenes as club captain and on the pitch, to fill the void. Koeman was 51 on Saturday and, while Shane Long and an own goal from Burnley's Jason Shackell provided the victory, the Southampton manager's birthday gift was in no short part down to the man 13 years his junior. 'I was not surprised because we see Kelvin working every day in the training session,' Koeman said. 'That's important to have somebody when he has to play that he has some confidence. That he will not be nervous. 'His situation is clear. Fraser is first and Kelvin is the second goalkeeper. You need a lot of experience when you need to play and you have to show it. 'That's difficult but he showed his quality. He was looking very comfortable and that gave confidence to the rest of the team. He's not the youngest goalkeeper but still he's a very good goalkeeper. He's a very good professional.' Burnley's Jason Shackell (left) is put under pressure by Southampton forward Graziano Pelle on Saturday . Davis still has some way to go before catching Leicester City's 42-year-old reserve goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer but he made the most appearances for Southampton in League One four seasons ago, having joined the Saints in 2006, and rolled back the years on Saturday. Davis denied Sam Vokes and Danny Ings with full-length saves, and gave Koeman hope that losing Forster will not hamper the club that have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season. Burnley tested them, but European football remains a possibility. Koeman was not oblivious to his former club Barcelona's win in the Champions League against Manchester City last week, yet he refuses to imagine himself taking Southampton to the Nou Camp. 'We don't think too much about the Champions League. We hope seventh place on the table means European football, and that will be fantastic for us,' said Koeman. 'The Champions League is amazing to play in and amazing to be involved in. We know our situation, we know our qualities. If it's Europa League, that will be great for us.' Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is hoping to finish in the top seven in the Premier League this season . The 2-0 win over Burnley leaves Southampton in strong contention for European football next season .

Kelvin Davis made his first Premier League appearance in almost 15 months . He replaced the injured Fraser Forster against Burnley on Saturday . The 38-year-old put in a solid display as Southampton secured a 2-0 win . Ronald Koeman is targeting European football with Saints this season .

 which defeated Manchester City in the League Cup semi-finals at Anfield on Tuesday, Davis was delighted that the wait for his return to first-team action proved so worthwhile.
The goalkeeper suffered shoulder surgery in September 2014 after being dropped by manager Mauricio Pochettino to enable Maarten Stekelenburg to return from the World Cup following injury. Although the Dutchman has subsequently suffered similar problems, Pochettino still feels that Davis remains Southampton's most assured goalkeeper. "I was worried, not a lot but it was a long time since I played," Davis said. "I was nervous a little but I was calm, too."
Davis made his last Barclays Premier League appearance when he helped Southampton to a 1-1 draw at Chelsea in December 2013.
He said: "It was a long time but I had to be patient. I was fit to start last year, too but I had surgery. When Maarten went out on loan it was a long time to be waiting on the sidelines but it's all good. I just have to keep on playing now. I didn't think I would play today but it's been a long wait."
He added: "Maarten hasn't come back from injury in the best form so to me I could come back, especially with our good form, but Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Jason Denayer, Jack Cork and Adam Lallana have done well. I knew I would be fourth choice but that's fine. It was important to keep the team's good form going."
Southampton's victory against Manchester City continued their positive momentum which began with their win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge five days ago.
Although City are now unbeaten in 27 league games after being held to a goalless draw at Newcastle United, a 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur before the international break saw them slip to third in the Barclays Premier League and leave them 11 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Davis said: "Everyone says we deserved the win. I'm so happy for the team and the fans, too, because they have stayed behind for a long time. We played so well so we are happy. We will just enjoy it. We are playing good football and keeping good clean sheets.
"We have kept it tight at the back in the last few games and, because of that, we have a clean sheet and are


They may have split a year ago, but Prince Harry turned out to support his ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas  for the opening night of her latest acting venture. The fourth-in-line to the throne was spotted in the audience last night for Cressida's return to the stage as female lead Cecily Cardew in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He made a low-key entrance but was seen laughing throughout the comedy of manners at the London Oratory, a Catholic comprehensive which counts Nick Clegg's son as a pupil. Scroll down for video . Prince Harry turned out to support his ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas for the opening night  of The Importance Of Being Earnest, pictured (centre, bottom) with other cast members . Cressida, 26, whose acting career has blossomed since she split from Harry last year, charmed the audience with her portrayal of the excitable and eccentric lead character. Wearing a flowing white dress and with her long hair in ringlets, her background as a dancer shone through as she gracefully bounded across the stage with infectious energy. In her tongue-in-cheek profile for the programme she was described as an 'actor, dancer and sky-diving enthusiast who was raised on a marsh by wolves'. It said: 'Accordingly, she has a vast litter of her own cubs which you may spot romping around the theatre later this evening (do not be alarmed, they're both very friendly and very stupid). The fourth-in-line made a low-key entrance but was seen laughing throughout the comedy of manners starring his ex-girlfriend (right) His two-year relationship with Cressida came to an end last April, with a number of sources saying she was hoping to concentrate with her career . 'However, Cressida herself is a very clever little wolf, leaving audiences howling with laughter in her London stage debut earlier this year (Tallulah Brown's There's a Monster in the Lake).' The three-night production is being put on by Band of Others, a London-based theatre group which is raising funds for the Action on Addiction charity, which boasts Kate Middleton as a patron. Prince Harry, 30, wearing a dark blue long-sleeved jumper, did not make any attempt to remain incognito as he sat in the circle with a male friend. He was seen in hysterics at Harry Wright's portrayal of the indomitable Lady Bracknell and Harry Elgood's sophisticated depiction of lead character John Worthing. This comes days after the revelation that Prince Harry is planning to leave the Army to continue his mother's legacy with a number of charitable projects during his second 'gap year'. Speaking  about his choice to bring his active military career to an end, he said it was a 'really tough' decision and he was looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life. The three-night production is being put on by Band of Others at the London Oratory (pictured), a Catholic comprehensive which counts Nick Clegg's son as a pupil . The budding actress has bagged a bit part in Tulip Fever (pictured), the forthcoming Judi Dench movie produced by Harvey Weinstein . Earlier today he joined Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge for the memorial service of triple Olympic gold equestrian Richard Meade. In a statement on his website, Prince Harry said: '[Richard] had huge successes in his career as a competitor but his greatest success was not in his achievements on a horse, but in the way he conducted himself – with generosity to others, genuine interest and a real sense of integrity, always standing up for what was morally right. 'He cared deeply about the sport and gave so much to both the eventing and wider horse world. Thank you for all the wonderfully supportive letters and messages and many apologies for only answering a small number of them so far.' His two-year relationship with Cressida came to an end last April, with a number of sources saying she was hoping to concentrate on her career. She graduated from the Laban school of dance and made her theatrical debut  in 2014 at Hay Festival in the play There's a Monster in the Lake. The budding actress has now bagged a bit part in Tulip Fever, the forthcoming Judi Dench movie produced by Harvey Weinstein, who declared her 'a fantastic actress'. She also recently  appeared in a sexy dance video for British designer Mulberry.

Cressida Bonas is currently starring in  The Importance of Being Earnest . Prince Harry turned out to support his ex-girlfriend for the opening night . He made a low-key entrance but was seen laughing throughout the comedy . Cressida charmed the audience with her portrayal of lead Cecily Cardew .

 of the West End play The Nether, which stars Bonas and was written by the author of TV series Orange Is The New Black. Cressy, who dated Harry for two years until March, was all smiles as she was seen chatting to him before the show in London on Saturday night. And despite her break up last year – before Harry and Meghan Markle made their engagement announcement in November – it seemed the former couple are still close. They've also attended the London premiere of new Bond film Spectre together in October. The new play, which explores the blurred line between reality and fantasy, recently opened at the Royal Court Theatre in the UK.
Cressida, wearing a red dress, and Harry appeared to be enjoying the performance with their hands intertwined as they walked around London's Sloane Square on Saturday evening. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who also attended the opening night in June, have been friends with Bonas for a long time. The 25-year-old is the daughter of Camilla Shand, who is one of William and Kate's best friends. They became friends when Kate was studying English literature at the University of St Andrew's and Harry was studying history at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. It was also her father, Ian Shand, who gave Harry away at his wedding to Meghan Markle.
"Cressy is very friendly with William and Kate and always has been," an insider told the Sunday People. "That's probably why she's done all she can to make sure she doesn't fall out with Harry and Meghan. In fact, Kate and William wanted Harry and Meghan to give Cress a job in their new company at Kensington Palace and she turned it down. She's been trying to reach out to Meghan a little more recently but we all know what the story with them is." Meanwhile, Cressida also recently posted a happy snap of herself, who has a part-time role at the National Theatre, on Instagram with the actress Jenna Russell. "I went to see Jenna's brilliant new play and caught up with @jennarussellactress at the bar after," she wrote in her caption.
Cressida and Harry's reunion after their break-up came just weeks before he and Meghan became engaged. Shortly after Harry's ex-girlfriend split with him, it was reported that he had flown to the US to meet her parents for the first time. At the


When he’s not missing sitters, Arsenal adore him. When they’re not jeering and cheering the decision to replace him, the fans like nothing more than belting out his name to the tune of 'Hey Jude'. Olivier Giroud’s world is a little mixed up right now, but it is never boring. Having missed three months of the campaign with a broken ankle, he is making up for lost time by cramming in the emotions. On Boxing Day, there was the daft red card against Queen’s Park Rangers for butting Nedum Onuoha and there was last week against Monaco. Olivier Giroud stabs in Arsenal's first goal of the evening against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Wednesday . Giroud lifts Arsenal team-mate Tomas Rosicky up in the air in celebration of his goal shortly after the hour mark . Alexis Sanchez cut in from the left hand side to score from a tight angle and end his run of eight games without a goal . Sanchez celebrates doubling Arsenal's lead mid way through the second half at Loftus Road . The Chile international let out a roar after hitting the target at Loftus Road as Kieran Gibbs joined him to celebrate . Sanchez did take a tumble during the match at Loftus Road and almost ended up in a camera pit . Charlie Austin scored a superb consolation goal late in the game after being given too much room by Arsenal's defence . The France international blows kisses to the Arsenal supporters after breaking the deadlock in west London . Giroud was guilty of missed good chances in the first leg of the Champions League tie and took the blame was his side lost 3-1 at home. It is hard to see them getting out of that particular fix, but he has set about making amends for a poor display by getting back in the goals. 'He is strong mentally,' said manager Arsene Wenger. 'He can take criticism and respond.' Giroud was on target against Everton on Sunday and opened the scoring in the 64th minute at Loftus Road last night with his 13th goal of the season, one which gave Arsenal control of this lively London derby. Alexis Sanchez added the second, his first in eight games, and Wenger eased three points closer to the total of 72 he thinks will be required to be safely back in the Champions League next season. As for QPR, the relegation woes deepen and it is beginning to look ominous for them at the bottom. QPR (4-4-2): Green 6; Furlong 6, Onuoha 6 (Hill 45, 6), Caulker 6, Yun 6; Phillips 6, Henry 6, Sandro 5 (Kranjcar 57, 5), Hoilett 5; Zamora 6, Austin 6.5. Subs not used: McCarthy, Isla, Wright-Phillips, Vargas, Zarate. Goals: Austin. Bookings: Henry . Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina 6; Bellerin 6.5, Mertesacker 6, Gabriel 6.5 (Koscielny 36, 6), Gibbs 6.5; Cazorla 7, Coquelin 6.5; Rosicky 6.5, Ozil 6 (Welbeck 94), Sanchez 6; Giroud 7.5. Subs not used: Martinez, Chambers, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott. Goals: Giroud, Sanchez. Bookings: Bellerin . MoM: Giroud . Ref: Kevin Friend 5 . Att: 17,977 . CLICK HERE to see Sportsmail's MATCH ZONE feature for stats, goals (like Sanchez's - above), heat maps and more. Sanchez takes on young Queens Park Rangers defender Darnell Furlong during the Premier League clash . Former Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil complains to the referee after feeling he was fouled inside the area . Arsenal's Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina makes a good save during the first half at Loftus Road . Arsenal's latest signing Gabriel pulls up with a hamstring injury before being substituted for Laurent Koscielny . Francis Coquelin, who suffered a fractured nose in Arsenal's previous match, controls the ball under pressure from Karl Henry . They may have enjoyed a sunshine break in the Middle East but they returned to London to find the gulf was still as it was, even though Charlie Austin pulled a goal back with a terrific strike on the turn, eight minutes from time. Austin must hope England boss Roy Hodgson had not gone home early. Other than that, QPR were left with nothing to show for a spirited performance and a bold opening. They were the better team during a high-tempo first half-hour, hustling in midfield, and attacking Arsenal’s centre-halves in the air. It was physical at times. Kieran Gibbs was felled by a stray elbow from Bobby Zamora as the pair jostled for a ball in the air, but no foul was given and there was no obvious intent. Gibbs was able to continue. Onuoha was forced off in the first-half and this time Giroud was not the problem but Steven Caulker. The team-mates clashed heads and Onuoha was left with cut near his left eye. Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista coped well with QPR’s initial aerial attack, and goalkeeper David Ospina commanded his area well during this period. Gabriel limped off before half-time with a hamstring strain, and Wenger fears he may be out for three weeks. The French midfielder at full stretch in mid air during the Premier League clash on Wednesday evening . Ozil, voted Arsenal's player of the month for February, holds off the challenge of Nedum Onuoha . Queens Park Rangers' top scorer Austin unleashes a shot from distance during the first half . Arsenal's top scorer for the season Sanchez is tracked by QPR youngster Furlong at Loftus Road . World Cup-winning midfielder Ozil takes a corner during the first half of the Premier League match . QPR went into this game having not won in nine London derbies. They have another chance to stop the rot on Saturday against Spurs. Austin was the only real threat, looking sharp and hungry around the fringes of the penalty box and quick on draw, striking the ball cleanly and forcing saves from Ospina. He went close with a flashing drive from 20 yards, which faded an inch or two wide. Ramsey’s team, however, could not find the goal which might have galvanised them and, as the first half wore on, they faded. Arsenal enjoyed more comfortable possession and Rob Green came under threat for the first time. Green responded with three solid saves to frustrate Giroud and one to deny Santi Cazorla. Wenger’s team came out with more urgency and purpose after the interval. 'It was important to get the ball on the ground, not only fight but fight and play,' said the Arsenal boss. 'In the second half, we did that. We fought and played.' Tomas Rosicky set the tone, tearing past Sandro to deliver a cross from the right which clipped Mesut Ozil on the shin and flew clear. Ozil callled for a penalty and the replays suggested he had a strong case. Karl Henry pull him by the shirt. It went unseen and Henry, having been booked in the first-half, escaped. Just as Arsenal started to wonder if it might be one of those days, Giroud pounced. An overlap and low cross from Gibbs was blocked by Clint Hill and, when it spilled his way, the French centre-forward reacted swiftly to turn it past Green from an acute angle. The second came from the same area. This time, it was Sanchez who, having come to life after the interval, jinked inside from the left, dummied, jinked again and screwed a low shot into the bottom corner. For Sanchez, it was the 19th of his debut season in England and, if Green was annoyed to be beaten at his near-post, he then produced the save of the night, pushing a deflecting low drive from Ozil onto the post. Austin pulled one back, his 15th of the season, but it was the Arsenal fans who filed out into the streets of Shepherd’s Bush singing Giroud’s name, while QPR fans went home fearing their time in the Barclays Premier League might be ticking away. 'We’re in a pressure situation,' said Ramsey. 'We need to start winning to stay in the division.' QPR defender Onuoha attempts to hold back Arsenal forward Giroud during the first half in west London . Onuoha is taken off injured after clashing heads with defensive partner Steven Caulker - Giroud, meanwhile, protests his innocence . Former Barcelona youth team player Hector Bellerin beats his man while attacking down the wing on Wednesday . Arsenal's other full back, Gibbs, is tackled by QPR winger Junior Hoilett during the second half . Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger greets Queens Park Rangers boss Chris Ramsey ahead of kick-off at Loftus Road .

Arsenal's Olivier Giroud opened the scoring shortly after the hour mark at Loftus Road . Chile international Alexis Sanchez then doubled the Gunners' lead shortly afterwards . Charlie Austin pulled one back for Queens Park Rangers late in the second half . Francis Coquelin wore a protective mask during the match after fracturing his nose against Everton .

oud is having quite the love-in with Gunners’ supporters at the moment.
So when the forward missed a couple of clear chances against Reading on the weekend, it prompted the same mixed reactions from the fans as it did on the occasion of his three goals against Fulham in Arsenal’s last game. The difference now is that they won. The difference now, despite what we heard from Theo Walcott during the week, is that the same sort of thing that happens when Arsenal concede goals isn't happening with the same frequency.
It was not that long ago that the goal-shyness of the Gunners was a huge concern. They had a habit of going two goals behind early in big games. Giroud’s introduction provided a huge boost. In the following matches, the striker scored nine of Arsenal’s 12 goals. The fact he missed the chance at Reading for which he'll feel much worse was probably the only thing worth remembering from that one. If a striker misses several chances in big games, it's going to be a problem. A big problem.
However, on Saturday, Arsenal won the game 2-0 and Giroud didn't get the scoring opportunity he would have liked to have had. The Gunners have scored in all but one of their seven Premier League games so far this season, with 17 goals shared between six different players. This is the most balanced Arsenal attack for some time, with Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and even the rejuvenated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring.
Walcott’s comments, while right on the general problem of strikers missing chances, seem to have been aimed at Giroud in particular. When the Frenchman doesn’t score, “it's a big problem,” he said. "We've seen that with him. We want him to get more goals, not just on the pitch but in the team as well."
While many Arsenal supporters would agree with Walcott’s assertion that Giroud isn’t doing enough in games that don't necessarily concern him, they don't agree that he is the problem. There's still a lingering sense that this is a one-man band at the club; that it’s up to Giroud to singlehandedly take games, and the club, in the right direction.
It's not. "It’s the whole team," says Robin van Persie. "You need


Ask Andy Murray about the most memorable victories in his career and quickly revealed are two aspects of his character — the modest and the contrarian. There is no mention of ending Britain’s Wimbledon men’s singles drought, nor the similar emulating of Fred Perry at the US Open, nor the flaying he gave Roger Federer on Centre Court to win the Olympic gold medal. Instead, he refers to a win over an obscure journeyman ranked No 110 in the world, and another at a now-defunct and largely-forgotten tournament in California. Andy Murray warms up for match against Kevin Anderson in Miami on Monday . The subject arises because he has the opportunity to win a 500th professional singles match on Tuesday, when he takes on South Africa’s world No 15 Kevin Anderson in the fourth round of the Miami Open. It comes around nearly 12 years after making his professional debut as a 15-year-old in Manchester. He began with a victory over Wesley Moodie, another South African. Moodie was only just outside the top 100 at the time, so it was a fair indication of his opponent’s outstanding promise. Murray does not mention that one, but recalls two of the matches that set him on his way, and most clearly the period when he was trying to establish himself on the main ATP Tour. ‘I remember certain wins, like the first one I had at Queen’s (at the then Stella Artois Championships in 2005) against Santiago Ventura,’ he says, referring to the then world No 110. ‘It might seem irrelevant now but at the time, for me, that was huge. It was big for my confidence, gave me a sense of belonging. I really remember those first few events on the tour, more than some of those in the last three or four years. Coach Amelie Mauresmo takes a photo of Murray during practice session . ‘I can remember the players I played against around then. I went to Newport (Rhode Island) after my first Wimbledon and then I played in Indianapolis and Cincinnati.’ By the end of that summer, not long after turning 18, he was already knocking on the door of the top 100 and had beaten three players inside the top 30. Early in 2006 comes the other match he picks out, the final of the indoor San Jose Open, where he beat former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt. ‘That was a first ATP title for me and was really important,’ he says. ‘I was without a coach, only 18, and Lleyton was someone I loved watching growing up. To win 7-6 in the third set at that age against someone as good as him, with no coach there, privately meant a lot. ‘I didn’t really feel the pressure — it was, “Here I am, I’m 18 and playing an ex-No 1 in the world, a great player and nothing is expected”. ‘I played (Andy) Roddick in the semis and didn’t feel nervous at all. It definitely changes over the years, you start to feel the expectation but then as you get older it changes again as you start to deal with the expectation and learn how to handle it.’ Murray takes time out to signs autographs for fans in Miami on Monday . Interestingly, ask which win took the most out of him and he instead cites one of his 155 defeats, the near five-hour loss in the 2012 Australian Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic. The Serb subsequently managed probably the most talked about recovery in history, beating Rafael Nadal two days later in nearly six hours to win the title. ‘Against Novak in the Australian Open was the hardest match, I’ve no idea how he managed to recover and win the final. I literally couldn’t walk for four days. That was the match my body hurt the most after finishing. I was extremely sore, stiff, everything hurt.’ Murray is guaranteed to overtake Nadal in next week’s rankings after his defeat on Sunday by Fernando Verdasco. The Spaniard heads to Monte Carlo to begin what is usually a triumphant roll through the European clay courts admitting he is lacking confidence and that he ‘needs to fix again’ the nerves that have affected him this season. The 28-year-old insisted there are no hidden physical issues behind his modest 15-5 record this year. Normally the mere feel of the dirt under his feet imbues Nadal with belief, and with Djokovic targeting Roland Garros above all else this year, he will need all of that.

Andy Murray takes on Kevin Anderson in fourth round at Miami Open . The 27-year-old Scot recorded his 499th victory against Santiago Giraldo . It comes nearly 12 years after making his professional debut as 15-year-old .

 Roger Federer to the title he was denied a year ago.
Instead Murray prefers to speak about 2011, when he reached his first Grand Slam final in Paris, and his first and only triumph on tour since then.
“It doesn’t necessarily come up as a massive thing, or a massive match, for me,” Murray, who has a 3-2 record in the first round at the French Open, said last week at his Aoraki European Open in Queenstown, New Zealand. “It was very much when I was a younger, more naive player, which helped it in a way, thinking about it as just a tennis match.”
That is not to say he considers the Roland Garros title less significant. It was the first of five Grand Slam trophies, one of his career highlights. He also acknowledges the significance of the achievement against Federer on the French clay surface, even though Federer had just won the Australian Open, as his second and final major.
But Murray says his mindset at the time was more about the process of building the foundation for what he would accomplish later on — and at other tournaments.
“I think just having a chance to get to a final of a Grand Slam is something pretty special for any player,” Murray said.
Indeed, he was the first British player to do so in 73 years.
What the French title did not accomplish is end the country’s men’s singles drought at the tournament. The Grand Slam is the only one on the tour where Britain has not won a title. Federer did at Wimbledon in 2003 and again in 2009, and Murray did in 2013.
His victory there two years ago was his first on the grass at any major.
A year on, Murray has not reached a final here. He is 10-5 in France, but 0-2 in the second round of the French Open. He has lost three finals and lost in the quarterfinals twice.
His only win in Paris came in 2016, and the tournament, which he has played in every year since his first as a teenager in 2005.
And then he was eliminated by Sam Querrey in the second round this year.
“I feel like now, as I get older, if I don’t win a grand slam, then I feel like I’ve really underperformed,” Murray said. “Whereas when I was younger, I just felt like there’s a lot


Boston (CNN)Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's own words may determine whether he lives or dies, even if he never speaks a word at his trial. The admitted Boston Marathon bomber has sat in silence as people who lost limbs sobbed or glared at him from the witness stand. He slouched in his chair as jurors watched videos of him both before and after two nail-packed pressure cooker bombs exploded, killing three people, claiming 17 limbs and hurting more than 260 others. He didn't utter a peep as his tweets and words he had scribbled on the side of a pleasure boat flashed up on a big screen and were quoted in court. At issue: Was Tsarnaev a terrorist looking to punish the United States for policies he believed were harmful to Muslims? Or, was he a goofball stoner who simply followed the lead of his older, more radical brother? The defense team tried to portray Tsarnaev as a confused college kid who, like countless others, watches Comedy Central and cracks crass jokes. "I wanna study a broad or two," he posted on his Twitter account as @J_tsar. He jokes about not seeing commercials featuring the Trix rabbit, and about "whale watching" outside a McDonald's fast-food restaurant. Miriam Conrad, a member of his defense team, tried Tuesday to apply a more benign spin on tweets the government contends show him as a would-be jihadist eager for martyrdom and a free pass to paradise. His brother was dead and police knew who he was; they were scouring the Boston suburb of Watertown for Tsarnaev when he slipped under a tarp and climbed aboard the Slip Away II, a fishing boat dry-docked in a Watertown backyard. He hid for hours before being discovered. Bleeding, he picked up a pencil and wrote what Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb called his "manifesto." Tsarnaev wrote he was jealous that his brother, Tamerlan, had achieved paradise by dying like a holy warrior; he was killed the night before during a gunbattle with police. The indictment against him says Tsarnaev helped in his brother's demise by running him over and dragging him along the road as he tried to run down police. About the bombings, Tsarnaev wrote on the boat that he didn't enjoy killing innocent civilians, but that circumstances excused it. "The US Government is killing our innocent civilians but most of you already know that," he wrote. "Know you are fighting men who look into the barrel of your gun and see heaven, now how can you compete with that. We are promised victory and we will surely get it." Streaks of blood cover portions of his message. More than a dozen bullet holes obliterate parts of words. So ended one of the biggest manhunts in U.S. history. While in the boat, he wrote that he couldn't stand to see the U.S. government "go unpunished" for killing Muslims. "We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all." He ended with: "Now I don't like killing innocent people it is forbidden in Islam but due to said " -- the word was lost to a bullet hole  -- "it is allowed." Tsarnaev's connections: Who's who . Judge George O'Toole viewed the boat Tuesday afternoon so he could rule on a defense request to show the entire boat "in context" to the jury. He turned down requests by the media to accompany him. The defense said the government only presented about 45 tweets out of about 1,100. Many were benign, about girls, cars and food as well as sleeping and disliking studying, the defense argued. On Monday, FBI agent Steven Kimball testified about two Twitter accounts used by Tsarnaev. One account shows he tweeted on the day of the April 15, 2013, bombing: . "Ain't no love in the heart of the city, stay safe people" His last tweet was on April 17. He sent it while on the run: . "I'm a stress free kind of guy" His other account carried seven tweets, including this: . "strive to be a better muslim, be greedy with your time, devote most of it to the Almighty for it is his satisfaction that you need #islam" The jury also has now seen Tsarnaev in videos, trailing his brother onto Boylston Street. Both carried heavy backpacks. He paused for four minutes, standing next to a tree in front of the Forum restaurant. In front of him stood a line of children who were leaning over the barricade and watching the race. He put his backpack down at his feet and made a phone call. Timeline of the bombings, manhunt and aftermath . When his brother's bomb went off a block away, heads swiveled in surprise in the direction of the noise. And there was Tsarnaev walking through the crowd, looking back over his shoulder as his own bomb went off 12 seconds later. Martin Richard, an 8-year-old standing in the line of kids, took the full brunt of the blast, which tore him apart. The bombs went off at 2:49 and 2:50 p.m., about the same time as he exchanged phone calls with his brother. The next video showed Tsarnaev in the crowd running. Other videos show him carrying on as usual: buying milk and swiping his card at his college gym. But FBI agents were already in pursuit, collecting store security videos and looking for somebody suspicious in the marathon crowd. By Wednesday night, authorities had a good idea who they were looking for. By Thursday night, his photo had been released to the public. By the next morning, his brother was dead, and Tsarnaev was hiding in the boat, writing of martyrdom and paradise.

Jurors see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's writings on boat where he hid . Prosecutor calls it his "manifesto" and shows his intent to harm . Tsarnaev: "We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all"

bed and testified about their horrific injuries on Thursday, and he will do the same when prosecutors call their witnesses later this month, attorneys say. "I think the defense may have learned that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev might be best off leaving this stuff up to the jury," said Mark O'Mara, the former defense attorney for former Florida neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. "There's not a lot of good for a defendant to say in a trial such as this when there's only one decision the jury can make." READ: Jury selection starts in Boston Marathon bombing case "He is going to remain silent," said Bruce Harwood, co-director of the Innocence Clinic at the University of Alabama law school in Tuscaloosa. "The only things that are going to happen in that trial are the defense's case and the prosecution's case. You're going to see the evidence from what has gone on up until now, and I believe the jury is going to make a decision based on that evidence and the law." Prosecutors do not want to hear the "confessions" of Tsarnaev, the lone surviving suspect in the 2013 attack. As the lead prosecutor, Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney David degarmo said last month, prosecutors would love to hear Tsarnaev speak in his own defense. But it is highly unlikely that Tsarnaev will try to plead his case to a jury of his peers. A jury, which already has convicted him of numerous federal counts in a "quickie" trial, must only decide if he should be sentenced to death or be spared the ultimate punishment in life in prison. READ: Jury selection starts in Boston Marathon bombing case There's "zero percent chance" he will testify, said Harwood, who has served as legal consultant in two of America's most well-known capital punishment cases, "A Time to Kill," and "Ghosts of Mississippi." "He's facing the death penalty, and once you take that path you leave the realm of criminal justice and go into the world of politics. He's now the public face of what some folks are calling terrorism." Tsarnaev's silence in the Marathon bombing trial will be his fourth court appearance, a far different experience from his first appearances in court, in his federal indictment in April 2013 and his April 2014 arraignment. READ: Jury selection starts in Boston Marathon bombing case "


(CNN)Its famous Yellow Wall -- the largest free-standing grandstand in Europe, with a capacity of 25,000 -- has helped enable German football club Borussia Dortmund achieve the rare feat of transcending the relationship between a club and its fans. So special is this club that 3,000 of its own supporters dipped into their pockets as part of a crowdfunding exercise, started in 2013, to help finance a new documentary based on one of Dortmund's founding fathers. These Dortmund fans, along with sponsors, raised €250,000 ($265,000) in the process -- the biggest sum at the time ever raised for a film through crowdfunding in Germany. "This fan-club relationship is a legacy from our fathers, who made it clear that we have to engage and we have to fight for our club. It's part of our story," Marc Mauricius Quambusch, one of the film's three creators, told CNN. One of those fathers, and seen as the most important, was Franz Jacobi, who in 1909 along with 17 others helped found the club -- and it is "Am Borsigplatz geboren: Franz Jacobi und die Wiege des BVB" ("Born at the Borsigsquare: Franz Jacobi and the cradle of BVB") that tells his story. Founding fathers . Mention Dortmund and images are conjured up of back-to-back German Bundesliga title wins in 2011 and 2012, the Champions League triumph of 1997 or how it became the first German side to win a European competition with the Cup Winners' Cup in 1966. Without 21-year-old Jacobi and his disciples, however, none of that success may have ever materialized. For it was those brave 18 that gathered inside a pub called Wildschutz just off Dortmund's Borsigplatz, with the aim of establishing their own football club in response to the Catholic Holy Trinity chaplain Hubert Dewald's refusal to allow his youth group members the chance to kick a ball around. Jacobi and co. managed to resist Dewald's overtures and so "Ball Spiel Verein Borussia" ("Ball Games Club Borussia") was born. "When we started making the film I was aware of our story but not so deeply," Dortmund fan Quambusch says of a film inspired by a similar crowdfunding project dreamed up by Fortuna Dusseldorf supporters in 2012. "It's so interesting -- one so deep and with so much drama." "It's also a love story, it has everything you need," Quambusch adds, referring to Jacobi having originally dragged his friends to the city as he was in love with the pub owner's daughter, who he would later go on to marry. "If you were to try to write something, it would be exactly the same story as this." A legacy . Jacobi's DNA today still runs through the club that he helped to establish. Dortmund president from 1910 to 1923, Jacobi laid the foundations of a club which prides itself on harboring a real sense of involvement and belonging for its supporters. Permitted to stay at home in Germany during World War I as he was the oldest son of the family and his father had died, Jacobi wrote postcards to those club members who were away fighting, while also helping to take care of their wives and children. Heinrich Unger, Dortmund's maiden president and Jacobi's best friend, was one of those fighting, and he would go on to write what turned out to be the club's first ever song during his time in the trenches -- part of that song is still included in one of Dortmund's official anthems, "Wir Halten Fest Und Treu Zusammen" ("We are standing together"). "This was the beginning of the so-called 'Borussia Family,' where it was more than a club," Quambusch says, recalling a term used by Jacobi. "We have always been democratic and I think he always wanted the club members to have rights and votes, and to engage. I think Jacobi would be proud of the club today." The Borussia Family . Jacobi's "Borussia Family" is not a term used officially by the club and its supporters now, but its meaning continues to resonate. With Dortmund dangerously close to bankruptcy just a decade ago, fans came together to do all they could for their club, while as well as donating to fund the new film, supporters also contributed old photographs to help shed light on Jacobi's story. "I thought it was a great idea to make the film by our own people so I donated," Dortmund fan Jorn Pansch, who also donated for his mother and brother, tells CNN. "We've had so many more new members in recent years and it's great to bring them our history because what is the future without the past? "The film remembers many, many people, where we came from, which way we've grown up -- it made me proud to be a part of it and it shows fans and supporters stand behind the club." This relationship is no one-way street, though, with Dortmund in response offering up €50,000 ($53,000) towards the project, while providing it with valuable exposure via its social-network sites. All the money raised from the film will go into social projects in Dortmund -- historically an industrial and working-class area -- where the club was founded. "Today's fan engagement has partly come about from all those years ago with Jacobi, but also because Borussia is located in a city that is very emotional when it comes to football," Quambusch says. "Borussia has always had fans that have traveled for the club and tried to struggle with the club officials and are engaged. It's a typical Dortmund thing." ESPN FC German correspondent and Dortmund fan Stephan Uersfeld adds: "The core of the fans are very close still and the club as well is close to the fans. "Everyone still has the feeling they can do stuff and actually change things at the club." 'Struggle to survive' Boasting the highest average attendance in the world, as well as the Yellow Wall, there are not many more awe-inspiring sights in football than the Westfalenstadion when Dortmund fans are in full voice. In an age when one bad performance from the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid can bring with it a chorus of boos from its supporters, Dortmund fans have stood by their team for the most part this season, despite relegation from the Bundesliga having threatened a club that was German champion in 2012. "We always need to struggle to survive in different periods, and I think maybe that's a legacy from Jacobi's time," Quambusch says of a club that was relegated in 1972 and narrowly escaped the same fate in 1986. "The ups and downs make the club more exciting, and there have been so many extreme emotions in every direction. "I think it makes the good things much more enjoyable and wonderful because if you always win and are always top of the table it becomes boring. "When you are a Dortmund supporter you never know what you are going to get." Pride . That sentiment most likely applied to Jacobi himself, whose body today lies buried in Dortmund following the club's decision to move it into the area after originally being located 300 kilometers away in Salzgitter. Fifty-seven years after helping to form "Ball Spiel Verein Borussia," Jacobi found himself in Glasgow, having put aside his fear of flying aged 78 to watch his team beat Liverpool in the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup final. "That was a very special moment for him -- he said it was a big moment for him and he was really proud," Quambusch says of Jacobi, who died 13 years later at the age of 90. "If you're planning a club 57 years ago, and 57 years later you are top of Europe and you are the first European cup winner in Germany, that must be a fantastic moment." Born at the Borsigsquare: Franz Jacobi and the cradle of BVB is released in German cinemas and on DVD on March 15 .

New film about one of Borussia Dortmund's founders, Franz Jacobi, set for release . Film was funded by 3,000 Dortmund fans and sponsors, raising $265,000 . Jacobi helped form the football club in 1909 along with 17 others .

 and its local fans.
For 17-year-old Hannah Schalinski, however, the club's stadium also holds a personal and special place.
"I was only six years old when I first came to see a match here," she said. "Ever since then, I've come here to watch games almost every Saturday. And now it's also my stadium to work in."
Hanna, as she's known, is a member of the Deutsche Spielberichter e.V., a team of young volunteers who travel around Germany to report on youth football for national broadcaster NDR.
She's been working as a sports reporter, photographer and producer for nearly three years, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Daniel, who also works for the German state broadcaster.
"When he was about my age, I had a school project on reporting in football," she said. "And at the time, he said to me: 'If you want to do something like this too, this is something you can try out.'"
The first time Hannah covered a game as part of the network was in 2018, when she was about 13.
"We had a girls' match in Cologne, where I live. I covered the match as a reporter for a school project. I went to bed at 1.30 in the morning that night."
"It's been quite an experience," she added, with a laugh.
As the Deutsche Spielberichter e.V. have grown in size and stature, so have the matches they've covered. They have reported from a World Cup, an Olympics and a European Championship in the Netherlands, and earlier this year, the German team finished runners-up in the UEFA Nations League, winning three of its 12 matches and losing just two.
The Yellow Wall is the beating heart of Borussia Dortmund
The relationship between Borussia Dortmund and its fans is not the most obvious in Europe. The club does not share the city in which its home stadium is situated. The club's history dates back to 1897, yet they are not the traditional or founding club of the city.
Instead, Borussia Dortmund were formed in their current guise as a merger of two rival teams in 1909. But it has only recently become the dominant force of local football in its part of the Ruhr valley, a traditionally working-class region of Germany.
This happened with the help of the


As political grillings go, it was not exactly Jeremy Paxman. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg today faced a grilling from TOWIE star Joey Essex, who seemed a little confused about the Liberal Democrats’ name, and what the election was all about. Mr Clegg had to patiently explain that the party was not called ‘Demo-cats’, after Essex wondered why it had such a ‘weird’ name.’ In tribute to the star's blunder, the party changed the logo on its website from the yellow bird to a yellow cat. Scroll down for video . Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg today faced a grilling from TOWIE star Joey Essex, who seemed a little confused about the Liberal Democrats’ name, and what the election was all about . The unlikely duo appeared to hit it off, and later posed for a selfie at the event at the National Liberal Club in London . In tribute to the star's blunder, the party changed the logo on its website from the yellow bird to a yellow cat . On the second day of the election campaign, Mr Clegg launched the Lib Dem manifesto for mental health. But amongst the journalists and broadcasters in the audience was the 24-year-old reality TV star, who is said to be making a documentary for ITV 2 on the election. Essex questioned why every party thinks they are right about everything, what is the point of voting Lib Dem and told Mr Clegg that being Deputy Prime Minister must be ‘sick’. The unlikely duo appeared to hit it off, and later posed for a selfie. But the most bizarre exchange came when the unlikely interviewer asked about the party’s name. ‘Why are they called Liberal Democats? It’s a long word innit?’ Essex asked. Mr Clegg tried to explain the history of the merger between two rival parties in 1988. ‘There used to be a Liberal Party. And then used to be a party called the Social Democrats. ‘This was before my time, they got together and created the Liberal Democrats.’ ‘Oh so you teamed up?,’ said Essex. 'I wondered that because it’s a weird word, innit? It’s got cats in it.’ Laughing, Mr Clegg tried to put him right. ‘It’s not “cats”, it’s “crats”.’ The penny finally dropped. ‘Oh it’s “crats”. I thought it was “cats”. Oh wicked.’ Mr Clegg tried to explain the history of the merger between two rival parties in 1988 which saw the creation of the Liberal Democrats . The conversation moved on to the merits of power, and just how much Mr Clegg wields. ‘You are basically like, you rule this country right?’ ‘I’ve been Deputy Prime Minister for the last five years,’ Mr Clegg replied. ‘That’s sick. I sort of rule Essex. I was going to say, someone else will be Prime Minister next? Are you going to be Prime Minister?' The Lib Dem leader, currently on around 8 per cent in the polls, had to admit this was unlikely. ‘I would love to be Prime Minister but I’ve got to be open with you Joey, I don’t think I am going to win this election outright. ‘I do think that like last time the debate will be about which mixture of parties in government. If you speak to Ed Miliband and David Cameron they will say they are going to win outright, they won’t do. ‘Everybody knows they are not going to win outright.’ Essex is due to interview Labour’s Ed Miliband and Tory leader David Cameron during the election campaign. Mr Clegg said that he should challenge them both on the idea that either of them can win outright. ‘When you speak them, they will tell you both that they will win. Everyone knows they are not going to win outright. ‘The question is who do you want making decisions who have got the right values and instincts and feelings about stuff. I think the Liberal Democrats - not “cats” - have shown in the last five years have got good instincts.’ Joey Essex was in the audience for the Lib Dem leader's morning press conference on mental health and NHS funding . Essex is due to interview Labour’s Ed Miliband and Tory leader David Cameron during the election campaign . Somewhat stating the obvious, Essex admitted that he does not ‘really know much about all the politics’. It was only his second day in his job as a roving reporter on the campaign trail and so far ‘at the moment to me everyone just seems to want to win’. ‘Everybody is fighting for the same position. I don’t really get it,’ he said, telling Mr Clegg: ‘You’ve taught me a lot about Liberal Democrats. At least I know the name now.’ Pointing to his all-white outfit, he added: ‘I was meant to be wearing a suit today but they didn’t tell me I was meeting a leader.’ Essex later said he thought was a 'nice bloke, to be fair', adding: 'He was honest, he told me he weren't going to win - I think honesty is the best policy. 'If - not saying I'm going to be Prime Minister - I was going to lose something and genuinely thought I was going to lose, I would be honest and say I was going to lose. I think that was quite a nice thing of him to say. He was a nice guy.' He added that he was 'excited' about meeting the Labour and Tory leaders: 'David Cameron is the Prime Minister. 'But to be fair, to me, they are all prime ministers. They're all on TV, they're all doing good things, they're all trying to make people happy, so in my eyes they're all nice people really - like, at the moment anyway, until I maybe meet one of them and he's not nice. 'But they're all sweet at the moment.' Asked if there were any words politicians should use, Essex laughed as he replied: 'They could use reem. No, I'm joking. They could use that, but they won't.'

TOWIE star interviews Lib Dem leader on second day of campaign . Boasts that he 'rules' Essex but does not understand the election . Asks about 'weird' party name which 'has the word cats in it' Unlikely duo pose for a selfie after Lib Dem mental health launch .

 about.
It was the first meeting between Essex and Clegg since the deputy prime minister came out in support of the show. Clegg has given Essex his own nickname of “Joey B”, a reference to Joey from the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which Essex has quoted on twitter.
In a slightly surreal twist to proceedings, Essex also asked Clegg about “how much” it was costing to fly his helicopter over TOWIE set – something Clegg has previously said he would do.
Asked how many times he’d visited the show set, Clegg replied: “Just for a day or so. What about the helicopter? – That wasn’t me, someone else suggested that!”
When Essex asked if they were going to pay for the helicopter flights, Clegg replied: “No, but we’d like to – would you be interested?”
After Essex expressed his interest in the helicopter flights, Clegg said: “I’ll do you a deal – we’ll get you a deal. But we need to talk to TOWIE!” Essex laughed hysterically at the suggestion, although in a serious note, he told the Liberal Democrat leader that “the deal has to be good”.
But the TOWIE star told the Lib Dem leader that he would have to “earn his wings” to get a deal for the helicopter – prompting Clegg to ask: “What’s the difference between Joey Essex and a helicopter?”
Asked if he would like to visit Essex’s Essex & Herts radio station, Clegg said: “We’ll come when you’re on – we’ll come and sit in and have a chat. You can have a picture with me – I think the one I’ve seen looks OK.”
But Essex said he wasn’t sure that Clegg’s head would actually be big enough to squeeze into the frame in a photograph.
Clegg also got himself into trouble for joking about the size of Essex’s nose, calling it “an 80s nose”. Essex took this in good spirit and said: “It’s going down again” – and called for a “nose shrinker” from the TOWIE studio. “The best I can do is a nose spray,” Clegg joked.
The TOWIE star also admitted that he had a thing for the Lib Dems –


Roy Hodgson would have left Loftus Road with a warm-tingly feeling yesterday. It had nothing to do with the mid-March sunshine, however. It was because of Tottenham striker Harry Kane. This clash was billed as a straight shoot-out between England strike hopefuls Kane and Queens Park Rangers frontman Charlie Austin. Harry Kane celebrates as he takes his tally to 26 in all competitions so far this term . Kane heads past Robert Green to give Tottenham the lead over QPR at Loftus Road . England manager Roy Hodgson was at the game to cast his eye of England's next generation of strkers . Charlie Austin reacts after missing an opportunity during the London derby on Saturday . Games            Goals . Harry Kane                 24                   16 . Charlie Austin            25                   15 . Saido Berahino            28                   12 . Wayne Rooney            24                   10 . The Spurs striker won the battle at a canter. That's not a slight on Austin, who also would have impressed Hodgson. But when the England manager names his squad for the games against Lithuania and Italy on Thursday, in Kane he has a striker who has every hallmark of an international footballer. For Austin, the jury is still out. Kane was, essentially, the difference between the two teams at QPR. It wouldn't have come as surprise to Rangers boss Chris Ramsey, who played an influential role in nurturing the striker in the White Hart Lane academy. Spurs striker Kane celebrates as his goals keep Tottenham in the hunt for a top four finish . Rangers star Austin is denied from adding to his impressive goals tally by a save from Hugo Lloris . QPR striker Austin watches as his shot beats Lloris only to crash off the crossbar . 'He has polished himself, I was fortunate to have worked with him,' said Ramsey. 'Would I pick him for England? Yes, I would - but the way I'm going...' Two goals against QPR took his tally for the season to 26. That's a record you simply cannot ignore. Hodgson certainly won't. The only question for the England manager now is if he utilises the striker in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania or ease him in during the friendly against Italy. His first goal against Rangers showed great bravery, risking a hefty blow to the head to glance home Andros Townsend's free kick. His second showed great composure, skipping round Rob Green before finishing into an empty net. He ticks every box. But his goals only tell part of the story. Kane's heat map (right) in the opposition half showed he posed a greater threat than Austin (left) Twice he showed excellent vision to set up marauding right-back Kyle Walker with goal scoring opportunities, executing both passes with unerring accuracy. Had it not been for Green's heroics in Rangers' goal, Kane could easily have had four by the time Craig Pawson blew the final whistle. After yesterday, Hodgson will be chomping at the bit to get his hands on Kane later this month. Kane doubled Tottenham's lead in the second half after rounding the keeper to slot into an empty net . CLICK HERE for all the stats from the game, including Harry Kane's second goal (below) Austin has the good grace for congratulate Tottenham keeper Lloris for his saves . The England boss, perhaps, won't be as eager to draft Austin into his plans. This was by no means a poor display from the Rangers striker, who himself could easily have had four goals himself yesterday. Likewise, his goal line clearance to deny Christian Eriksen spoke volumes for his desire and work rate. But Kane won this battle of the future England strikers. He won it hands down. Austin's time may come. But the time, for Kane, has arrived. Kane heads back to the centre circle after handing Spurs the lead in Saturday's only Premier League clash . The QPR striker was involved in a bust up with Tottenham defender Kyle Walker .

Tottenham defeated QPR 2-1 in their Premier League clash at Loftus Road . Harry Kane opened the scoring with a header for his 15th league goal . The Spurs sensation netted a second to take his season's tally to 26 . Rangers' Charlie Austin was denied a goal by Hugo Lloris and the crossbar . Roy Hodgson was in the stands watching  England's possible future stars .

out for Kane’s scoring record against a keeper who has already conceded 41 goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Kane’s 24th goal of the season ended up doing the damage for Spurs. The Tottenham striker’s 88th-minute finish, with only three points at stake, put a serious dent in the QPR manager’s faint top-six hopes. Kane was QPR’s main man in the first half, while his team-mate Mauricio Pochettino was the QPR boss for the day. Spurs went on to record a 6-0 rout that has done nothing to boost the club’s Champions League chances.
Kane had given QPR the shock of their lives before the break, scoring twice. His first came from a header that looped over the keeper, and a second tap in came off a post. Kane would have added a third but for Joe Lumley’s outstretched left leg. The QPR keeper pulled off a world-class double save, somehow, after 38 minutes. Pochettino would have been proud.
It was Kane’s third hat-trick of the season. It means that he also has more for Tottenham than he did for Crystal Palace, his first club – and that was a decade ago. The last time Kane managed three against QPR, he was a Palace youth player – so he knows the Old Oak Common ground like the back of his hand. And Kane was not the only player who scored in the first-half. In fact, there was something for everyone who likes a bit of top goal action, but there was precious little in the second.
Spurs were rampant in the first half, the hosts simply had no answer to the Spurs attackers. The Londoners had a 20-6 lead in shots, and three goals. Those stats tell you all you need to know about QPR’s day. Tottenham were rampant. But QPR offered very little, especially in attack. They were happy to soak up pressure and rely on their defence. They got their man, in the shape of Charlie Austin.
Austin was QPR’s main man for the first goal against Spurs. The striker slotted home his 13th goal of the season, with just two minutes played. It was a nice finish, with Austin showing his predatory instincts in the box. His second of the game was less clinical, however. It came 14 minutes before the interval, after


From Burnley to Barcelona, the signposts all point to trouble ahead for Manchester City and their beleaguered manager Manuel Pellegrini. It will require his best win as City boss against Barca at the Nou Camp on Wednesday for Pellegrini to save the club’s Champions League dream and, possibly, his job. But City set out for Spain on Monday on the back of a dismal defeat at Turf Moor and a withering assessment of their shortcomings from Burnley’s match-winner George Boyd. George Boyd celebrates his sweet strike that saw Burnley upset Manchester City on Saturday . Burnley's Ben Mee tackles Pablo Zabaleta with the kind of physical presence he says helped them win . The Scot accused the Premier League champions of lacking both the appetite for a physical battle and willingness to track back and defend. It was something Burnley detected when they recovered to draw 2-2 at the Etihad in December and exploited again after analysing City’s defeat at Anfield earlier this month. ‘You saw it recently against Liverpool, they don’t track back as well as they go forward so we knew we could exploit that and we did,’ said Boyd, who scored with the sweetest of strikes after an hour. ‘I think it was playing to our strengths and getting in their faces that got us the win. You find with the bigger teams if you get in amongst them, press them hard and tackle they don’t really like it, and we did that. ‘I don’t think Barcelona will be in their faces as much as us and playing the long balls we play, but I thought we fully deserved the victory. ‘We didn’t think they would play as strong a team with Wednesday in mind, but obviously they came here to win and we were better than them.’ Boyd drills home his left-footed shot for the famous win against a side that goes to Barcelona on Wednesday . City boss Manuel Pellegrini is under pressure although his future will be decided at the close of the season . It is not the first time City’s work ethic has been questioned this season, but there appeared to be a deeper malaise. It was as bad as anything in the post-title slump under Roberto Mancini. They were flat, dull and at times almost uninterested. Everything that Burnley weren’t. Sportsmail’s Jamie Redknapp said it was the kind of performance that gets a manager the sack. No wonder Pellegrini’s agent was touting him to Napoli last week. There won’t be any knee-jerk reactions from City, however, Pellegrini’s performance will be assessed at the end of the season. City prepare to kick off after conceding the first goal at Turf Moor that they were unable to peg back . Edin Dzeko's attempt on goal is blocked by some desperate Burnley defence . The Chilean could yet mastermind a recovery in Barcelona and take City into the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time, having emerged from the first leg only 2-1 down. But apart from Samir Nasri and Aleksandar Kolarov this was close to the team that Pellegrini is expected to put out at the Nou Camp and they lost to a side battling relegation. Instead of making up ground on Chelsea in the title race, City are now in danger of getting swallowed up in the chase for places in next season’s Champions League and that would test the patience of Pellegrini’s employers. He maintains that the situation is not as bad as the corresponding period last season when City went out of the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of four days, losing at home to Wigan and away to Barcelona. The 61-year-old said: ‘It’s always the case before a big game that maybe the minds are not completely on this game,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think it was a case of them not trying. I don’t think Burnley had any chances to score apart from the free-kick which led to the beautiful goal. ‘Of course we are not doing well. You can see that from the amount of points we have dropped. The only thing I can tell you is that it’s not down to the effort of the players. They want, but maybe they can’t at the moment.’

George Boyd scored as Burnley toppled Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday . The Scot said City weren't up for the physical battle and could be exploited . City go to Barcelona for the second leg of their Champions League tie . Manuel Pellegrini's side must overcome a  2-1 home loss to progress .

grini to convince his critics he can return the club to the top of English and European football.
If there was one man who could have done with a successful night at the Nou Camp, it was Pellegrini. Since arriving at City at the start of the 2013/14 season, the Chilean's record against Barca is abysmal to say the least.
Not only did he lose the first meeting as City manager 7-0 last season, he's never had a win against the Catalans in five meetings as a coach.
With the European champions in such rich form, a defeat in Catalunya could leave City's season hanging in the balance.
City have to find a way to break down a resolute Barca side, who have so far played the game to perfection. Pellegrini has been left counting his blessings after Sergio Aguero's hat-trick in the first leg put City in good shape.
After losing to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on match-day five, Pellegrini is under pressure to deliver at the Nou Camp, especially having been given the club-record 120million pounds by the owners.
It's why they signed him from Malaga. But his record at the Nou Camp is appalling since his arrival.
Since his first meeting with the Catalans in his first ever competitive game in charge, City's record against Barca is one win in five matches.
It's as bad as the last time he managed Malaga, where they lost 4-2 5-0, with the latter also at home to Barcelona.
Pellegrini has lost at the Nou Camp three times in his last five games with the current City squad.
He lost the first in February 2014 when he managed Villarreal, the second as Malaga coach in October 2012 and his first as manager of City in April 2014.
The 60-year-old can be forgiven for not having had a win at the Nou Camp considering his squad has only been in operation since August 2013. In his 18 games there, he's won four, drawn six and lost six.
Even though he has had plenty of time to prepare, Pellegrini faces a tough task to get the required result at the Nou Camp.
Barca are unbeaten in all competitions since a 2-1 loss in the


The father of a man killed by the FBI in the investigation of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev is suing the agency for $30million. Abdulbaki Todashev, father of then-27-year-old Ibragim Todashev, said he will file a notice of claim in the death of his son, who was shot by Special Agent Aaron McFarlane the night of May 21, 2013. The claim will lead to a wrongful death lawsuit, and the elder Todashev is also alleging negligence by the FBI for hiring McFarlane, who had a checkered past. Scroll down for video . Warning: graphic image below . Ibragim Todashev, 27, was shot by FBI agent Aaron McFarlane during investigations into the Boston bombings. His father Abdulbaki  has filed a notice of claim alleging wrongful death . Todashev (left) was repeatedly questioned by federal agents in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Abdulbaki Todashev (right) has previously said that 'FBI bandits' killed his son . The agent settled two police brutality lawsuits while at the Oakland Police Department and allegedly falsified reports before joining Boston's FBI, according to the Boston Globe. Todashev is represented by the Council on American–Islamic Relations, who says that his son 'did not pose a threat of serious bodily harm to McFarlane or any other person' while being questioned about the Boston Bombings and a 2011 murder. The Department of Justice and a Florida State Attorney’s Office have both cleared McFarlane of wrongdoing in the shooting at Ibragim Todashev's Orlando apartment. Both official reports said that the agent acted in self-defense after being attacked by Todashev, a trained martial arts fighter. The Russian immigrant, who lived in Massachusetts before moving to Florida, was reportedly writing a confession for involvement in the 2011 killing of three drug dealers in Waltham, a suburb of Boston, when he threw a coffee table and lunged at McFarlane with a broom. FBI agent McFarlane and two Massachusetts state troopers were interrogating Todashev for six hours before he was shot. The Chechen Orlando resident had reportedly been writing a confession linked to a murder case . Todashev was friends with Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev (left) after training with him. Tamerlan,  26, was killed shortly after the 2013 attack, and his brother Dzhokar, (right, then 19) is now on trial . He was shot seven times in two bursts of fire, including once on the top of the head. Abdulbaki Todashev, in Moscow, says that the agent killed his son 'in cold blood,' according to MSNBC. He has previously said that 'FBI bandits' had been behind the death. Two Massachusetts state troopers were also present and CAIR Florida  says that 'none of the agents present sought to intervene to prevent the excessive force, though able.' Lawyers for the group also say that McFarlane allegedly falsified police reports and was misusing government money by working for the FBI while accepting disability payments from California. Abdulbaki Todashev also alleges negligence in the FBI's hiring of McFarlane . A statement from the Todashev family, who buried Ibragim in Chechnya, Russia, said they want to 'draw public attention to the illegal practices, abuses of power, and civil rights violations by the FBI. FBI internal investigations cleared every officer in 150 shootings since 1993, according to a 2013 investigation by the New York Times. CAIR also faults the agency for 'allowing of agents to conduct potentially charged interviews in people's homes'. Ibragim Todashev was approached by FBI almost immediately following the Boston bombings, and had questioned him repeatedly and confiscated his electronic devices before the shooting. The six-hour Orlando interrogation occurred in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston bombings, where Todashev's friend Tamerlan Tsarnaev, then 26, is thought to have killed three and injured more than 200 with homemade explosives. Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in the manhunt that followed the attack. His friend Todashev, who had trained at the same boxing gym as the attacker, told agents that the bombings were 'horrible and unnecessary,' according to the claim of notice. The episode that led to his death happened after the man's girlfriend had been taken to an immigration detention center after allegedly refusing FBI agents' request to inform them of his activities. The claim of Abdulbaki Todahsev (left) against the FBI is being handled by the Council on American–Islamic Relations's Florida office, including CAIR Tampa executive director Hassan Shibly (center) A witness Todashev had brought to his interrogation was allegedly sent away shortly before his friend was shot. A spokesman for the Boston FBI told Daily Mail Online that the agency does not comment on pending litigation. The national FBI office also declined comment on the same grounds and referred to the Department of Justice and Florida reports on the incident. Tsarnaev's younger brother Dzhokar, 19 at the time, is on trial for terrorism charges in connection with the Boston Bombings. Opening statements in the case will begin later this week. Opening statements terrorism trial of Dzhokar Tsarnaev for the Boston Marathon bombings will begin this week. Above, a April 15, 2013 memorial to the terrorist attack's victims .

Abdulbaki Todashev, father of Ibragim, files notice of claim against agency . Father alleges wrongful death and negligent FBI hiring of Aaron McFarlane . Agent faced police brutality investigations and allegedly falsified reports . Official report from Department of Justice say shooting was self-defense .

ragim Todashev, also alleges that the federal agents involved in the murder had attempted to silence Mr Todashev, who they suspected of complicity in the attack.
The lawsuit, reported in The Boston Globe, comes a week after the release of footage of the alleged murder, which shows Mr Todashev being shot to death during an interrogation in his Orlando, Florida home.
The murder of Ibragim Todashev – and the FBI’s subsequent alleged attempt to cover it up – was one of the key reasons cited by the family of the Boston bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, when they filed the most high-profile suit against the FBI of any of the thousands that were filed following the attack.
In the lawsuit filed on Friday, the Todashev family allege that the FBI killed their son because they believed him to be an accessory to the killing of one of the Tsarnaev brothers at their Boston apartment on 15 April 2013.
The allegations of a cover-up – which were also raised in another lawsuit filed last week by Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of the Tsarnaev brothers, who is the first person to face the FBI for the killing of the brothers – have been described as the “darkest cloud to be cast over the Boston tragedy”.
The lawsuit filed on Friday, however, says nothing of the Tsarnaev brothers or the FBI’s involvement in the cover-up. Instead, it says the father and his son had been questioned for three days by the FBI after it became clear that Mr Todashev was present at the time of the murder.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr Todashev had been “severely beaten” before he was shot and killed. However, it goes on to allege that the FBI has conspired to cover up “what really happened during this deadly encounter” between Mr Todashev and the FBI agents.
On 10 October 2013, a day after Mr Todashev had been shot, his lawyer had been preparing to fly him to Russia to get the autopsy reports, when she was notified that he had died.
According to the lawsuit, the FBI then “instructed her to travel to Russia to claim the body of her client so that the body could be turned over to the terrorists responsible for his murder”.
On the advice of her lawyers, who were trying to secure justice for


Guilty-stricken: Rick Abath, pictured above as police found him, has spoken about his involvement in the 1990 heist from a Boston art gallery . The security guard who was duped into letting the thieves at the center of America's most notorious unsolved art crime into the Boston gallery from which they looted paintings worth $500million has spoken of his guilt. Rick Abath, who was a college drop-out working night shifts at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, said he still feels 'horrible' about his inadvertent role in the crime, which has baffled investigators for decades. Abath was duped by two thieves in police uniform, who persuaded him to let them into the gallery, then overwhelmed him and left him in the basement covered in duct tape. He spent the next seven hours handcuffed to an electrical box alongside another guard, while the two men cut loose enormously valuable Old Masters from their frames, including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet. The FBI has never come close to finding the paintings - despite supposedly promising leads last May - and there remains a $5million reward for information leading to their return. Abath reflected on the night of March 18, 1990, in an interview published by NPR. He said: 'They had hats, badges, they looked like cops, and I let them in...' 'Ultimately I'm the one who made the decision to buzz them in. 'It's the kind of thing most people don't have to learn to cope with. It's like doing penance. It's always there. He added: 'I don't want to be remembered for this alone. I'd like to be remembered for the good things I've done. I'm a husband, a father of two really cool kids. Scroll down for video . Scene: A security guard at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner museum stands outside the room from which most of the paintings were pilfered . Dutch Master: The thieves stole two Rembrandts . -  'The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,' left, believed to be the only . seascape the master painted, and 'A Lady and Gentleman in Black,' right . Irreplaceable: Chez Tortoni, painted by Manet, shows a man wearing a top hat at a jaunty angle; it was one of the last paintings to be stolen from the museum . 'Dressed as cops': This FBI sketch shows a likeness of the two men, who have never been caught . 'But they're saying it's half a billion worth of artwork.' In total the haul including three Rembrandt works, five sketches by Degas, a Manet painting and a painting by Vermeer - one of only 36 in the world. A bronze eagle statue, a Chinese beaker from 1100 BC and a painting by Govaert Flinck were also taken. Aside from two sketches of mustachioed men in police hats - one with glasses and one without - little detail has ever been given as to who the men may have been. Missing: The Gardner museum continues to display empty frames in the spots where the paintings should be . A petty Boston criminal, who had broken into the gallery before denies having anything to do with the heist, has since said he believes his boasts to criminal associates may have sparked the crime. Louis Royce, who was a teenager in the 1980s and made it inside the gallery, told veteran crime reporter Stephen Kurkjian that he believes information he gave 'criminal associates' about the lax security may have focused the thieves' attention on the Gardner Museum. According to Kurkjian, whose recently-published book about the heist was previewed in the Washington Post, the information passed up the chain in the criminal underworld until a Boston gangster decided to make the attempt. The FBI has periodically renewed its appeal for information about the artworks, and carries information about the reward prominently on its website. Reward: The FBI has claimed to be hot on the trail of the paintings in the past - but little has emerged. Pictured above is a 2013 press conference at which a $5million reward was announced . In 2013, the bureau claimed to have made 'significant investigative progress' after figuring out that the stolen paintings had been taken to Connecticut and Philadelphia. Agents also said 'a criminal organization with a base in the Mid-Atlantic states' was responsible, and had attempted to sell the paintings in 2003. Federal prosecutors have said they would even consider immunity for those who help recover the artworks, and said they could pay the huge reward anonymously. In May 2014, the bureau made another announcement, saying there had been 'confirmed sightings' of the work - and even naming three men in connection with the crime. However, two of them, Carmello Merlino, Robert Guarente, are dead, and the third, Robert Gentile, denies any involvement. Gentile has denied any knowledge of the missing work. In a long piece in the Boston Globe, Gentile, a long-time criminal in his 70s who recently got out of prison, revealed that FBI agents had raided his shed hoping to find the paintings. There was nothing there, and Gentile continues to deny he ever had anything to do with the theft. The museum, meanwhile, has been displaying empty frames in place of the missing masterworks ever since the theft. It is now offering virtual tours and lectures about the work, in an effort to make up for their continued absence - though the museum's directors continue to hold out hope they will one day return. Rembrandt, 'The Storm on the Sea of Galilee,' 1633 . Rembrandt, 'A Lady and Gentleman in Black,' 1633 . Rembrandt, 'Self-Portrait,' ca. 1634 . Vermeer, 'The Concert,' 1658–1660 . Manet, 'Chez Tortoni,' 1878–1880 . 'Ku' Chinese Bronze Beaker, 1200–1100 BC . Degas, 'La Sortie de Pesage,' date unknown . Degas, 'Cortège aux Environs de Florence,' date unknown . Degas, 'Program for an Artistic Soirée, Study,'1884 . Degas, 'Program for an Artistic Soirée,' 1884 . Degas, 'Three Mounted Jockeys,' date unkown . Finial in the form of an eagle, French, 1813–1814 . Govaert Flinck, 'Landscape with an Obelisk,' 1638 .

Rick Abath was college drop-out working night shifts at Boston's Stewart Isabella Gardner Museum in 1990 . Was fooled by thieves dressed as police, who tied him up in the basement . They then stole works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet . Half-a-billion heist remains unsolved, and FBI has never even come close . Gardner museum continues to display empty frames, and is offering $5million reward for the return of the works .

 of the £15 million robbery in Boston, said he had 'cried every day for the past 15 years' as he faced his culpability. He claimed to be 'absolutely remorseful.'
Crying for forgiveness: Rick Abath, pictured above, had to reveal his role in the 1990 heist to the FBI and is set to face criminal charges
The former guard, Rick Abath, who faces a string of federal charges, had been facing pressure from the FBI for months to tell his side of the story, after the FBI linked him to the heist.
The 50-year-old was led to the federal courthouse in downtown Boston on Wednesday for a hearing, where he appeared for a plea agreement and agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money to compensate the owner of the museum for the loss of works by Rembrandt and Vermeer.
He will be formally charged and face up to 10 years behind bars at another appearance in January.
Mr. Abath and John Morris, who was convicted for the theft and is serving a 12-year sentence, were hired by a Boston art dealer to keep an eye on a shipment of paintings coming from London to a Boston art gallery, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.
A number of the paintings were to be insured for more than £20 million, which included the £12 million that was stolen.
Rick Abath had to admit to his role at the 1990 heist to the FBI and is facing a string of federal charges.
Morris and Abath were paid $5 million in exchange for their roles and were never asked by the museum owner to remove the paintings from their protective crates for an exhibit.
But Morris told the FBI they had, because of the need to protect the paintings from a robbery and to hide their true value.
Rick Abath is seen handcuffed arriving at the US District Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts after having been arrested and charged with his involvement in the 1990 theft from the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.
John Morris, pictured above with his legal team, is serving 12 years in prison for his role in the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist.
Abath reportedly had knowledge of the theft and the men used forged documents to have the paintings shipped via a cargo company and had the paintings hidden in a warehouse until they were sent to Europe.
Abath said he had agreed to the plan because Morris had offered him $5,000 a