By Patrick Johnston

(Reuters) – Languishing mid-table, outplayed by teams he would fully expect to beat and with fans loudly questioning his judgement, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger concedes his side have problems but is adamant he is the man to fix them.

Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat in the Premier League by Swansea City was bad enough for some fans, but the more alarming issue was the Welsh side’s ability to dominate possession and create numerous chances in a manner akin to Wenger’s sides of old.

Dec 4 (Reuters) – Languishing mid-table, outplayed by teams he would fully expect to beat and with fans loudly questioning his judgement, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger concedes his side have problems but is adamant he is the man to fix them.

Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat in the Premier League by Swansea City was bad enough for some fans, but the more alarming issue was the Welsh side’s ability to dominate possession and create numerous chances in a manner akin to Wenger’s sides of old.

SINGAPORE, Nov 29 (Reuters) – The turbulent reign of perennially suspended AFC boss Mohamed Bin Hammam will finally end with the regional body announcing plans on Thursday to elect a new president before April.

An Asian Football Confederation (AFC) statement said the election of a new leader was ‘subject to recommendations and advice of the AFC Legal Committee’ with a decision due by mid-January.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Three moments of late magic helped Uzbekistan, Iraq and Qatar grab key 1-0 wins in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday as Asian champions Japan rode their luck before edging to the brink of a place in Brazil.

Nine of the 10 teams remaining in the two groups of Asian qualifying have been hard to split after numerous low scoring, close-fought matches with Japan proving the exception.

SINGAPORE, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Three moments of late magic helped Uzbekistan, Iraq and Qatar grab key 1-0 wins in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday as Asian champions Japan rode their luck before edging to the brink of a place in Brazil.

Nine of the 10 teams remaining in the two groups of Asian qualifying have been hard to split after numerous low scoring, close-fought matches with Japan proving the exception.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The Asian Tour has been happy to accommodate an increase in co-sanctioned events to improve prize funds and opportunities for its players, but two discerning voices have spoken out against the circuit giving too much power to outside influences.

Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han has long argued that co-sanctioning events offers a route for the players onto the more lucrative tours, but that often comes at the cost of fewer positions in the field for the region’s members.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Two Asian Tour golfers say they have been made to feel like traitors by fellow competitors for challenging the circuit’s policy to fine members who play on the rival OneAsia Tour.

Malaysian Danny Chia and Guido Van der Valk of Netherlands have both incurred penalties for playing in OneAsia Tour events and told Reuters that their vocal opposition to the Asian Tour’s policy has made life tough since.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Chris John made a 17th defense of his WBA super world featherweight title when he outpointed Thailand’s Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo in a slugfest at Marina Bay Sands on Friday.

John was awarded the bout 117-111, 119-109, 119-109 by the three ringside judges in an entertaining bout, which should perhaps have been scored closer and featured all-out attack by two undefeated boxers intent on fighting on the inside.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Years of addiction, blow-ups and wrecked marriages earned John Daly the moniker ‘Wild Thing’ but at 46 the American says he has finally found the maturity to match his unquestionable talent.

With his crowd-pulling ‘grip it and rip it’ style and unconventional swing that resulted in huge driving distances, Daly shot to fame with his 1991 U.S. PGA Championship win, followed by his success at the 1995 British Open.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Adam Scott shot down a putter rule change suggestion by Tiger Woods on Tuesday and told golf’s governing bodies to focus on more pressing issues as the Australian leapt to the defense of controversial long putters.

Once seen as a desperate attempt by struggling golfers to change their fortunes on the greens, long putters – like the broom handle or belly putter that Scott uses – have seen a dramatic rise in popularity in professional golf.