Now let’s see, The Undertaker will either face a main eventer or an upcoming midcarder from RAW and here is a list of those superstars.1. I think John Beilein is a good coach and he will forget that amount of basketball that I know. He’s had four straight fights not go past the first round.If I were Sims, I would try to extend this fight into the later rounds as much as possible, unknown territory for Lashley. This article is also featured on Bullpen Brian. I don’t believe Bisping has the power to put Wanderlei away on the feet If Bisping is to win, I would foresee a decision I just don’t see him surviving that long Bisping will see some early success on the feet. He combined for 408 yards rushing and four touchdowns, including 259 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale against Denver.Those are teams he will play twice next year and with Oakland ranking dead last in points allowed to running backs, he is going to have six games in the division that he could post solid numbers Factor in games against Buffalo, St.

The answer is Williams.Some say he’s underachieving…I say, look at the picture He’s in the Pro Bowl. And, to make matters worse, Sabean continues to block the “young talent” he harped about “sticking with” back in 2007. They shot 48 percent from the floor with an even better 50 percent from beyond the arc. It?s been reported that he?s had it in a splint and taped to his ring finger, thus allowing him to play.

They reason that the Jets would not have even made it into the playoffs had not Coach Jim Caldwell pulled QB Peyton Manning and other key Indy starters in the third quarter of a game the Jets went on to win at the Colts’ home turf. Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Tory Holt has been released and the Jaguars start another offseason in search of receiver help.Mike Walker emerged as a great option last season, but outside of him no one is starting worthy yet. Despite dire signs early on, O?Neal, who will turn 38 next month, repeatedly assured fans and the media that things would come together and the Cavaliers would be fine.He was right: They are fine, and he?s a major reason why.Cleveland is currently riding an eight-game winning streak. Not to be confused with a different blond model named Charissa Thompson, this one is much classier but still incredibly hot in her own right.Thompson has moved onto colder pastures, working as an on-ice reporter for the NHL on Versus, but just a few years ago she was covering baseball for FSN on such programs as The 2007 MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade and The Baseball Report..

He takes the ball full speed ahead, no thinking, no hesitation, and no adjustments. sans his revoked visa. Valero contends that he has been unjustly persecuted because of his advocacy for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has long criticized America for its foreign policies in Latin America. Whatever the actual situation may be, Valero would surely be one of the most recognized names in the entire sport of boxing if it wasn’t for the various plights that he’s endured. Pacquiao is scheduled to matchup against Joshua “The Hitter” Clottey (35-3-0-1, 20 KOs) on March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Pacquiao’s an all-time great and he should manage to handle the formidable Clottey next month. Provided that “Pac-Man” does trump “The Hitter,” a Pacquiao versus Valero contest would be extremely intriguing. Valero’s ferocious and aggressive nature in the ring is somewhat reminiscent of Boxing Hall of Famer Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran (103-16, 70 Kos). Clearly, Valero has much he needs to accomplish before he can ever be compared to a legend like Duran and, frankly, it’s a ridiculous comparison to make at this premature juncture. Valero badly needs to improve his jabbing capabilities and it is imperative that he learns to become a more disciplined prizefighter. “El Terminator” has a dangerous propensity to keep his chin elevated and his rambunctious, brawling approach will leave him vulnerable against quality opponents. Still, if Valero was ever afforded the opportunity to face Pacquiao, the native of Venezuela would have the very definition of “a puncher’s chance” to win their matchup. “Valero hits so hard, he could absolutely beat Pacquiao on any given night,” said promoter Rich Cappiello from Brockton. “Valero is not currently considered great because he has never fought the best fighter’s out there. Teams might be leery of granting him his wish due to his injury history and his reputation for not giving his all on defense.The perfect trading partner for Stoudemire might be the Miami Heat since they’re in a good position whether Stoudemire stays or goes If he opts out then the team still has a ton of cap space.  But if there is any truth to them, does that sound like a healthy marriage to you?Are we really expected to believe that Woods has repaired five years of infidelity in a matter of 90 days?The fact that Woods is making a public statement on Friday morning more than likely means that he will be returning to golf in the near future.So much for repairing his personal life before he returns to the game. 4. The NBA, Sprite, and ballers that participated in the 2010 Slam Dunk contest should be ashamed of themselves.  I have never seen such a boring, uninspiring, and cash-grabbingspectacle as what I watched Sunday morning.Even Charles Barkley was bad-mouthing the competition.  Demar Derozan of the Toronto Raptors should have stayed in Canada to witness the Olympics.  Nate Robinson, while I was writing this article, was well on his way to winning his third Slam Dunk championship. If anyone actually texted their vote they should be refunded their money. On second thought, if anyone was dumb enough to text in their vote, any money spent on doing so should be given to Sprite for sponsoring this train wreck.As I finished writing, Charles Barkley said “maybe no one will win”, just before Nate Robinson was given the title.  At least Robinson was happy he won.Another great Barkley quote: “Nate may say he brought his A game, but he won it with his B game”.I’m just glad it’s over.  That’s about thirty minutes of my life I’ll never get back.David Stern needs to put this one out of it’s misery.. Conversely, QBs often go higher than they are ranked. Below, commentary is only given on a select few players If there are any questions, feel free to comment. I?ve heard of two names mentioned with Quebec expansion but I?ve also heard that the CFL doesn?t regard them as financially viable.  What makes a viable CFL expansion investor? Should new investors for CFL expansion be expected to pay for the building of new stadiums or the refurbishing and expansion of old ones? The CFL?s expansion stadium policy is stated at 25,000 minimum.  How flexible is the CFL?s position on this? We?ve seen rich investors like Jim Balsillie and now Quebecor make active pitches for an NHL franchise.  The Thomson family is rumored to be involved with a Winnipeg bid.  These seem to be the type of investor the CFL is looking for.  Does the CFL make any attempts to network with these type of investors? Depending on his answer, I might then ask: Should the CFL take more active steps to network with this type of investor?                                                  Or Are there any names you can give out that the CFL has had talks with regarding CFL expansion and with what city? Are you satisfied with the CFL?s size right now? How many teams should the CFL have right now? How many teams should the CFL have by 2020? Which new Canadian cities would you like to see the CFL have franchises in right now and a decade from now? It is said that the Ottawa situation and the failure to expand cost your predecessor, Tom Wright, his job.  Are there any dangers for you in these matters? The 2011 census will be important for the CFL for its future development.  Will the results of the census influence the CFL on what direction they should take in regards to exhibition games, expansion, and other policies? Besides Canadian expansion, there have been calls for the CFL to return to the United States.  Before we discuss this topic, Mark, the CFL had a good relationship with the NFL when Paul Tagliabue was the NFL commissioner.  What is the CFL?s relationship with the NFL today and your own with NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell? Does the NFL continue to aid the CFL under Goodell like it did under Tagliabue? Are there any policies the CFL would like to see the NFL change?  Are there any improvements that could be made? Are the Buffalo games in Toronto a threat to the CFL? Do you see Buffalo moving to Toronto permanently? How can the CFL improve its image among Canadian fans in comparison to the NFL?Back to American CFL expansion, I?m going to give you a hypothetical case, Mark.  Last year, a Los Angeles group received the go-ahead to build a new luxury stadium.  This group has said it doesn?t want an expansion team but an existing one and has targeted seven NFL cities, including Buffalo.

His last five opponents have a combined record of 102-23-1, and all five are former or current world champions.. So watch out for these dangerous players in the upcoming season.. A-Rod came back and the switch went off for Teixeira, who exploded in May at a .330/13 HR/34 RBI clip.Now you put him in familiar surroundings, coming off a World Series win, and with a healthy A-Rod slotted in at the cleanup spot. Ambles is supremely talented.But he also comes with some baggage.Due to questions regarding impropriety with Markeith Ambles recruitment, Carroll backed off Ambles and stopped recruiting him back in July.With the Reggie Bush investigation looming in the distance, Carroll thought that the increased exposure Ambles would bring USC would not help with the NCAA.Carroll was probably right.But with the departure of Carroll, things have changed.Lane Kiffin, who went after Ambles hard while he was head coach at Tennessee, has no such compunctions.

Lysacek beat out defending gold medalist Yevgeny Plushenko and simultaneously ended Russia’s 18-year reign in men’s figure skating. -Talk about the AFC Championship Game between the Colts and Jets. San Francisco 49ers Kiper has the 49ers going with Trent Williams, an offensive tackle out of Oklahoma. It featured him on the losing end of possibly the best throw and reception in Super Bowl history.Francisco, a standout safety at Brigham Young University, was drafted in 2005 by the Arizona Cardinals. The Seattle Seahawks are losing one of the most decorated left tackles in the history of the NFL in Walter Jones.A 13-year veteran, Jones has been to nine Pro Bowls, has been named to the All-Decade Team of the 2000’s and he is a four-time first team All-Pro selection.Many, including John Madden, have said that Jones might very well be the best left tackle ever to play in the NFL.If there was one position the Seahawks never had to worry about year in and year out, it was Jones at left tackle, but with his retirement all that has changed.So does this change the Seahawks’ draft plans in April?Possibly, but with the draft heavy in offensive tackles, there is a chance to fill the void left by Jones with either the No 6 or No.

I don’t believe he will retire, he will hang in there and probably have one or two more fights. Robbie Hummel is consistently (and sometimes quietly) filling the stat sheet.Although he’s rarely flashy or spectacular (outside of a memorable 29-point half against Ohio State in a losing cause), Purdue forward Robbie Hummel has been doing all the little things necessary to propel his team toward the top of the conference standings. There has been no doubt that Beamer has earned his position at VT year in and year out.In the 2010 season he looks to add a new trophy to his case: the National Championship Football. However, I suggest that this data, while it is valid, is not a fair testament to the comparison, simply because Jennings hasn’t been playing like the rookie of the year that he was two months ago.Let’s look at their last 10 games:Brandon Jennings: 15.3 PPG, 6.7 APG, 3.0 RPG and 1.4 SPG, shooting 35% from the field and 35% from the 3-point line.Jonny Flynn: 14.7 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.1 RPG and 0.8 SPG, shooting 43% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line.These stats would once again suggest that Jennings is superior to Flynn, but Flynn’s efficiency is vastly superior to Jennings. Outside the statsBrandon Jennings and Jonny Flynn are very different players, playing in different systems with different levels of talent.Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis has stated that Jennings’ hype over Flynn is not fair, due to the reason that Flynn could do anything Jennings could do, if he had the freedom.

Spiller maybe?  Whoever is the QB next season, probably Alex Smith, will need more time to find their receivers. Which is GREAT! That means the Skins will have a chance to pick up a true franchise QB in Ryan Mallett.Mallett has the one unmistakable tool that neither Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen possesses A HUUUUGE arm! Like Brett Favre or John Elway huge. Unlike Cody, he seems a bit more unfazed by thepossibility of having Randy on his tail should he go after the title. Marine Corp is looking to adopt Jiu Jitsu, considering its success with the army.So we leave Jiu Jitsu exactly where we found it, on the battlefield..

If anyone were to pick up a copy of a Flash comic (don?t look at me like that, some people would) within the last few years, you would see that Flash is more than a pretty face in lightning bolt headphones.He?s cocky wiseacre who?s never shy to crack a joke or put his foot in his mouth. There is an outside chance at him moving to the other side of the ball at DB but BC needs depth at receiver.Jim McCaffrey?Buckingham Browne & Nichols H S. None are as bad as his alleged abuse, though.Mangino appears to be violent and offensive, and frankly, I’m not sure why anyone would want to play for him. Hardesty’s never-give-up attitude shows in his running style. Would Kimi, former world champion and always highly rated, have played along with Fernando delivering glory for the Spanish sponsors?Outcome: Alonso with wolfish grin, Massa with crestfallen look of puzzled rabbit.McLaren: Lewis Hamilton vs Jenson ButtonThis is it, the rumble in the jungle, the big fight.When a man wins the F1 world championship, he might reasonably expect to be lauded for that, and for his team to shower him with riches in order that he should stay with them. A position change this late (he’ll be 36 in October) seems unlikely though, and he’s notched double-digit sacks only once since 2003. In fact, it’s a stretch to believe any one of the three things above would even happen.But somehow they all came to fruition and one of the most enjoyable games I can remember ended in a 114-112 overtime victory for Portland.The game started well for Portland.

He was part of the controversial group called ?kliq? with friends HBK, Nash,Hall,waltman.Now,there is reportedly a faction which has been nicknamed ?hunters boys? that constantly stay in the spotlight for years on.Sheamus is a perfect example on back stage politics and misuse of booking power.Now with wrestle mania round the corner, another HHH title match seems inevitable.HHH of the last decade was a superior superstar who could call himself the ?the game? and get away with it. I did not want to see Favre go to a Super Bowl with a team I have grown up hating and despising. Now that everything had fallen into place we’d surely get a Pavlik-Williams match-up, right? Wrong! With Pavlik-Martinez finalized, and Williams currently looking into fights against Luis Collazo and Kermit Cintron, each side has pointed a finger at the other over the matchup falling through a third time.I was recently able to catch up with Pavlik’s long-time trainer, Jack Loew, who spoke on the Martinez fight, and gave his side of the story concerning Williams. All of those teams will be fighting in their conferences in the coming weeks. And most importantly, they have won in their conference. Colorado can score runs, but their ability to prevent them will make or break their season.. How can he not like Rose? Isn’t he an all-star? I would ask him why he thought so, and he would continue.”Have you seen his assist totals? They’re pathetic, and who cares about his points per game.

That?s why it came of little surprise when, at an afterparty following Wrestlemania 21, the last ECW Champion played job boy to a hotel room lamp.Go back and reread that. That is the single most telling point to the movie, and anybody who has played high school basketball, and enjoyed it, will tell you the same.My Dad told me once in high school something to the effect, “You will always remember your last high school game.” Here was a guy who had been in the NBA front office for over 25 years, played with Dr. Busy times will prevent a full preview, but I?d be remiss if I didn?t at least provide a small tutorial and a thread to welcome your thoughts.As for mine, I think tonight will be the toughest game outside of Manhattan and the Big Dance In a strange way, A&M is almost like a Kansas-lite. After one season in the offense, Mike Stoops and company decided it would be best to move him to defensive tackle.Boy, did that move ever work out Mitchell’s athleticism and talent skyrocketed him to the No.

Originally, I had the Lions taking Gerald McCoy in this spot, but after thinking about it, I think they will try to improve the line and hopefully prevent further injury to Matt Stafford.. Whatever.Happily, I have a solution to this horrible problem It’s so simple And it would be good for the game. First they signed Jason Bay which everyone thought was a good signing. But he thinks his former position coach will do well on the open job market, considering the 2,000-yard season he just added to Byner’s resume.

Yet, he’s only a slight drop in production with the same basic skill set. The Celtics do not need a head-case like Stevenson on their bench, especially if he is talking trash to other teams. So if they could come up with a great way to patch and fix that for a period of time so we can continue to see this racing because it was exciting all day. It was the second and final victory of the 1984 season for the King of NASCAR?and it turned out to be the final win of his career. So why not bring him over? Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez are at the top of the rotation, and Wang would be a great No.

The team experienced headaches with the boisterous Joey Porter and the banged-up, now-departed Matt Roth. Portland is on a heater, and you don’t mess with a heater.Especially at home.Take the Blazers. This article is also featured on Bust a Bucket – A Portland Trail Blazers Blog. Yes it is true David Garrard will be a Pro Bowler this year however it’s only because so many other players backed out.  Which makes we wonder a couple of things.  First should it go into his stats that he was a Pro Bowler?  I mean he’s playing in the game but only because so many other people didn’t want to make the trip.  Do all the quarterbacks who turned down the chance to go ahead of Garrard also get to call themselves Pro Bowlers?  If so the AFC could have 8 Pro Bowl quarterbacks this year.That brings me to my other question, why play the game?  The NFL’s Pro Bowl has become one of the biggest joke in sports.  Most players want to get voted into the game but don’t want to go to the game.  Why not do away with the game and just give the players the title if they are a top vote getter.  I think this is something that the NFL has to really look into in the next couple of years.  I don’t know many people who even watch the Pro Bowl.  I know this year they are trying to make it better by having it the week before the Super Bowl, which is a good idea, but if this doesn’t work then I say give the players the title and drop the game.. In terms of the overall medals, however, the result is irrelevant since the Americans are guaranteed at least a silver The U.S. He has been compared to AJ Burnett because he has nasty stuff but can also be extremely inconsistent at times and has dealt with injury. Now they are bringing in quality veterans like, Greg Ellis and Richard Seymour.Those are the types of veterans the Raiders need. Bringing professional players in, will rub off in the locker room and will provide valuable experience for the young guys. Bulaga at 17 is a bit of a steal, and opening up some holes for Frank Gore and giving some more time for Alex Smith to throw will get the 49ers back into the playoffs.

The finance minister, Domingo Cavallo, has already resigned, and the president himself may not be far behind. Such instability, of course, only makes the current economic crisis worse, and it is hard to see how the country can easily recover. Indeed, it is widely acknowledged that Argentina has the resources and potential to enjoy Western standards of living, as it sometimes has in the past. In 1945, for example, Argentina and Canada enjoyed the same per capita income; now the average Argentine earns only about one sixth that of the average Canadian, and Argentina’s people complain that they have hardly enough to eat.Describing the problem and laying much of the blame at the door of the government is easy. Prescribing solutions for Argentina’s seemingly intractable economic problem is trickier.

But there are some general pointers to be gained from the experience of countries, including Britain in 1976, which have found themselves at the mercy of the IMF First, the government should devalue the currency. The attempt to maintain a parity of one peso to one dollar has already foundered (on the street the exchange rate is much lower). There are some, notably the Peronist former President Carlos Menem, who advocated the “dollarisation” of Argentina – the adoption of the US currency. Adoption of the dollar or at least permitting its circulation beside the local currency is becoming something of a trend in Latin America, with Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador all going down this road to a greater or lesser extent. It has its attractions, of course, the most obvious being the elimination of the prevalent cycle of inflation and devaluation.

It does, however, tie policy very much to conditions in the USA and removes the “lender of of last resort” from the Argentinian banking system, a hazardous move in current conditions. The most important point about dollarisation, though, is that changing the currency is no substitute for more fundamental economic reform.In Argentina’s case that means putting its public finances on a sound footing. To be fair to President de la Rua, he has striven to do this, but has been stymied by the resistance of the opposition parties in parliament. The political difficulties involved in such measures as cutting university funding or teachers’ pay are obvious and very real. For that reason it would be better if the IMF did not force such measures on an already weakened body politic immediately, but phased them in as part of a package that rescheduled the debt.Over the past decade or so, agencies such as the IMF and the World Bank have moved towards a more realistic approach to writing off some of the more extravagant debts owed to them, and this has been successful Something of the same must now be offered to Argentina. But painful change in that country too cannot be long delayed, even if it can be ameliorated..

The most important thing now is to have a plan on the table because nobody wanted the plan they were trying to implement.”Mr de la Rua met members of his Cabinet in an effort to reshuffle his administration. He called provincial governors together to form what he calls a unity cabinet, to help juggle crumbling finances. Government spokesmen announced that all his cabinet ministers handed in their resignations to give the President leeway to reorganise his government. Judge Julio Speroni slapped a travel restriction order on Mr Cavallo, alleging involvement in an old arms trafficking scandal during Carlos Menem’s rule.

The former economic minister was thus prevented from fleeing the country.In a television address to the nation, the President called for calm. He said: “Many enemies of the Argentine Republic are taking advantage of the economic and social situation to sow discord and violence, seeking to create chaos to enable them to achieve what they could not at the ballot box.” But even as he spoke, trade unionists organised more political protests and strikes.In the high-class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, frazzled shoppers crowded into supermarkets early, pushing loaded carts toward the cashiers in an apparent attempt to stock up on Christmas supplies before another wave of looting emptied the shelves.In the slums on the outskirts of the capital, most family-run corner stores remained shuttered. Korean shopkeepers had watched in horror as mobs besieged their locked metal doors, taking entire cases of beer and soda.With troops on alert to protect from more looting, some supermarkets attempted to cooperate with the throngs by preparing bags of groceries for distribution But they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. At some outlets, looters simply attacked lorries before their merchandise could be unloaded at supermarkets.Scores of riot police patrolled and broke up more protests in Plaza de Mayo and irate commuters made a point of loudly honking their horns as they drove by Mr Cavallo’s apartment building on Libertador Avenue in the middle-class suburb of Palermo, in jubilation that the villain of neo-liberalism had finally stepped down.In March, the Harvard-trained economist was brought in from the opposition party as the last hope of saving Argentina’s finances as the nation struggled with $132bn (£90bn) of public debt and 18 per cent unemployment. The technocrat was credited with ending runaway inflation under the Menem government, by pegging the currency to the dollar 10 years ago. Yet Mr Menem went on to squander millions of pesos on extravagant personal spending sprees. Recession hit Argentina hard in the last two years of his administration and has not let up.Blame has also been attached to the International Monetary Fund.

In October, The Independent revealed that Jo Moore had asked a junior civil servant in July to bring to journalists’ attention an independent report on the safety aspects of London Underground, commissioned by Mr Kiley, which had allegedly been altered by one of his staff. The civil servant refused.The inside story: Kiley, who formerly ran the buses and the subway in New York, commented: “Personal vilification is the last resort of people who are unable to defend their position.” Mr Kiley’s staff say they did not doctor the report. Stephen Byers defended Ms Moore’s actions, saying that there had been “no dirty tricks” and that “people had the right to know” about the alleged alterations made to the report.Smear rating: 6/10. Serious damage intended, but the smearers, particularly the now-infamous Ms Moore, seem to have come off rather worse then the smearee.FEEBLEST SMEARVictim: Mark Thomas, Channel 4 presenter.By: Richard Caborn, the minister for TradeThe smear: In January, using his legal rights under the Data Protection Act, the presenter discovered that – following his public criticism of the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) over its support for UK businesses involved in the building of Turkey’s Ilisu dam – an internal e-mail was sent round the ECGD, saying: “Caborn wants… to gather as much background dirt on him [Thomas] in order to rubbish him…”The bloke is an out-and-out nutter,” it continued, “and he more or less agreed he was when he rang me later. If, however, Mark Thomas has the gall to ring me again for a reaction (I can’t think that he will) he will probably get one!! (off the record of course).”The inside story: On 7 January, when the e-mail (which was actually sent on 17 July 2000) came to light, Mr Caborn attempted to shift the blame on to the official who wrote the e-mail, whose identity has not been revealed.

The minister said that he was “unaware of the contents of this e-mail, and since the contents came to light, the official concerned has received a warning over the incident”. He said he had never asked for dirt to rubbish the comedian, but had merely “made a purely procedural request for background on Mark Thomas and his programme, as a result of the programme’s continuing interest in the ECGD and its projects” Meanwhile, no actual dirt seems to have been disseminated. Thomas may be both eccentric and persistent, but the suggestion that he has ever been locked up by the men in the white coats seems to lack plausibility.Smear rating: 1/10.. The terrorist attacks on America may have helped to avert a humanitarian catastrophe that would otherwise have gone unnoticed by the world, MPs said yesterday. Tony Baldry, the Conservative chairman of the committee, said: “Afghanistan had the potential for a humanitarian catastrophe of huge proportions before 11 September and the media and other people were not in the least bit interested.”The Labour MP Tony Colman added: “If 11 September did not happen, we could have had many millions of people dying because the world community would not have responded in the way it did.”The committee urged the Government to increase its spending on aid to 0.7 per cent of national income, and to ensure that pledges of support were converted into hard cash.

It also agreed to assume $25bn in debt and other AT&T liabilities. Comcast also agreed to acquire AT&T’s 25 per cent stake in Time Warner Entertainment. AT&T shareholders can expect to receive 0.34 shares of the new company for each AT&T share they own.The markets yesterday applauded AT&T’s choice. The company’s shares soared $1.57 a share, or 9.3 per cent, to $18.37 in trading in New York.

Comcast shares, however, fell $2.29, or 6 per cent, to $35.80 a share on the Nasdaq.The battle began almost five months ago, when Mr Roberts launched a hostile bid for AT&T Broadband. He was immediately spurned but it forced the AT&T board to put its cable division in play.The deal includes an unusually radical break-up clause. If either side decides between now and closing to walk away from the marriage, they will be forced to pay the other side $1.5bn. AT&T’s chief financial officer, Chuck Noski, said yesterday he did not see that happening.. Eurotunnel’s French chief executive has been ousted, after just nine months in the job, following a boardroom clash with the group’s British chairman. He is being replaced by another Briton, Eurotunnel’s finance director, Richard Shirrefs.Eurotunnel yesterday said that the removal of Mr Lazare, who joined the group after spells with Air France and the car maker Peugeot, resulted from “a difference of views on the management of the company”.Insiders denied that his departure had anything to do with the crisis earlier this year at Eurotunnel over asylum-seekers gaining illegal entry to Britain by jumping on board lorries and car shuttles at its Sangatte terminal near Calais.It was said that Mr Lazare had been “over-promoted” and was not up to the job. Insiders also claimed that there was a “lack of chemistry” not only between Mr Lazare and his fellow board members but also between the chief executive and other senior managers.Mr Lazare was brought in as managing director of Eurotunnel in October last year and promoted to the job of chief executive four months later following the unexpected departure of the executive chairman, Patrick Ponsolle, to Morgan Stanley.”Let’s put it this way, he didn’t appoint himself to the job We did and it didn’t work out There are no skeletons in the cupboard.

It was just a lack of chemistry at the management level,” one source said.Another said that Mr Mackay, the former chief executive of Inchcape and known for his forceful personality, lost patience with Mr Lazare.Eurotunnel’s non-executive directors, who include the former Belgian premier Baron Guy de Wouters, Lord Tugendhat, the chairman of Virgin Trains, Chris Green and the managing director of Arsenal Football Club, Keith Edelman, were called to a board meeting on Wednesday at which Mr Lazare’s fate was sealed.His removal strengthens the British grip at the top of the company with both the chairman and chief executive now from the UK. Until 14 months ago the top two jobs at Eurotunnel were both filled by Frenchmen.A Eurotunnel spokesman said that the asylum problem was “a red herring” as far as the board changes were concerned.. Tremors reverberated across key emerging market economies yesterday after the Argentinian President Fernando de la Rua resigned heightening fears the economic crisis afflicting the country could undermine investor confidence worldwide. Speculation was mounting that the former star Latin American economy was on the brink of a currency devaluation and would default on its $132bn (£90bn) debt.The worst-hit economy was South Africa, where the rand collapsed by 9 per cent against the dollar It also fell to record lows against the euro and the pound. South Africa’s open economy and relatively liquid markets have been hit hard by contagion effects from Argentina this year even though analysts say its economic fundamentals are sound.The currencies of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey also fell. In Europe share prices of banks with assets or loans in Argentina fell, led by banks in Spain which has traditionally strong links with the Latin American state.But the International Monetary Fund, which is holding back a $1.3bn loan to Argentina, yesterday remained confident any contagion would be limited.The IMF’s first deputy managing director, Anne Krueger, told reporters in Delhi yesterday that contagion had been “amazingly low so far”.Fitch, the credit ratings agency, said mounting social unrest and the resignation of economy minister Domingo Cavallo meant Argentina was likely to default very shortly..