Sportsday - news, gossip & your tricky playing conditions

1. Latest on Wayne Rooney's possible move to China
2. Build-up to Tottenham's Europa League tie
3. Lewis Hamilton hails "awesome" Mercedes
4. Get Involved: Tricky playing conditions #bbcsportsday

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Farrell: 'It's brilliant working with Wilko'

Getty Images

When Jonny Wilkinson gives you rugby advice, you pay attention.

Current England fly-half Owen Farrell has hailed the "brilliant and constant" guidance from the retired World Cup winner as he prepares to win his 50th England cap.

Wilkinson, 37, has been a consultant on Eddie Jones' coaching staff over the past year.

Farrell, 25, told Radio 5 live: "It's brilliant working with him, he has a massive understanding of everything we are going through as players."

Read more here.

Walsall midfielder sidelined for two months

Rex Features

Bad news for Walsall...

Their midfielder Florent Cuvelier will be out until April with a calf injury which he suffered in their 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe on 14 February.

The 24-year-old was forced to miss almost two months with an ankle problem earlier this season.

"It was one of those innocuous things and I don't think it could have been prevented," manager John Whitney said.

Read more here.

Birthdays

Michael Campbell (golf) - New Zealand's 2005 US Open winner, born 1969. 

Herschelle Gibbs (cricket) - big-hitting former South Africa batsman, born 1974.

Rhys Williams (rugby union) - former Cardiff Blues and Wales back, born 1980.

Gareth Barry (soccer) - Everton's former England midfielder, born 1981.

Mowbray is happy manager as he starts at Blackburn

New Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray was unveiled by his new side on Thursday, and he believes there's enough quality in the team he's inherited to keep them in the Championship.

Blackburn are 23rd, three points from escaping relegation, and Mowbray said his first objective is guiding Rovers to safety.

Mowbray is at his seventh club since beginning his managerial career at Ipswich Town in 2002.

"My message to the supporters isn't necessarily expect some great football in the first few weeks, we have to try and get some results, we have to be resilient, we have to stay in the game and keep it tight," he said.

Read more here.

PA

Clement rallies his troops for Chelsea

PA

Swansea City manager Paul Clement has told his players it's up to them if they're to steer the club away from the relegation zone. The Welsh club are currently 15th in the table and five points above the drop-zone.

Clement said at his press conference:

“I have said to the players that yes we have put ourselves in a good position, but how hard are we willing to work to make sure we continue to improve?

"Unless we keep winning games and progressing up the table, we are going to find ourselves in a position where we need four points from the last two games of the season.

"We want to keep getting points now to make sure that we don’t end up in that kind of situation, and the next opportunity to get points is at Chelsea."

The Swans will again be without Ki Sung-Yueng (knee), Nathan Dyer (achilles) and Jefferson Montero (hamstring) for their to Chelsea.

City v United: Manchester's Cold War

BBC Radio 5 live

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Tune into BBC Radio 5 live on Thursday at 19:30 GMT for a special programme looking at the turf wars between the two Manchester clubs over signing young, academy level players.

The programme will focus on the battle to win the hearts and minds of the parents, the aggressive recruiting strategies and the (above board) incentives offered to families for the signatures of their children.

It will also look at the pressures to bring through another 'Class of ’92' and whether that’s feasible in the modern game; ask if transfer fees at the top end of the game mean there’s more pressure on clubs to bring through their own talent and the reasons why clubs are recruiting players at a younger and younger age.

City v United: Manchester's Cold War, 19:30 GMT, BBC Radio 5 live

We would like to hear from parents who have children in academies, or from those that went through the Manchester academies over the past 15 years about their experiences.

Use #bbcfootball or get in touch to @5livesport?

Where were you playing? In an aviary?

Get Involved - your tales of tricky playing conditions

Richard Todd:  Used to play at a ground where parakeets and parrots would dive bomb the players and stop play on regular occasions.

All's fair in love and snow storms...

Get involved - Your tales of tricky playing conditions

I was playing a game up in Durham in the most incredible snow storm. A strong wind blowing directly up the pitch. We were 5-0 up at half time and revelling in the warm glow of imminent success. A change of ends and almost zero visibility in the second meant we scraped a draw. 5-5.

Ed

On this day

This first one is a beauty...

1874: Major Walter Clopton Wingfield patented his game of 'Sphairistike', which later became known as lawn tennis. He had demonstrated the new game to friends on the lawn of a house at Nantclwyd, Wales, during a Christmas party two months earlier. 

2003: Canada opener John Davison hit what was then the fastest hundred in World Cup history against the West Indies in Pretoria, bringing up three figures off just 67 balls.

2005: Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan withdrew from the Amateur Boxing Association after a row over ticket allocation.

2010: Australia fast bowler Brett Lee announced his retirement from Test cricket. 

That's just bad luck, Joe.....

Ages ago when I was playing for U12's I played on this pitch where grass just didn't exist. It had rained constantly for about 4 hours prior to kick off. In the last minutes of the game I was one on one with the keeper, took it past him and rolled the ball into the net. Except it got stuck in what can only be described as a lake on the goal line. We lost 5-4.

Joe

PLEASE SAY SOMEONE HAS PHOTO EVIDENCE OF THAT?

Get Involved

SKINS_EU:  Playing rugby in Athlone, Ireland when the game was paused due to an elephant walking on the pitch from the circus beside. 

Get Involved - your tales of tricky playing conditions

The annual Christmas village football match many years ago...A few lunchtime boxing day beers and then out to play football on a snowy pitch with a heavy orange ball.. A combination of snowy blizzard and slow reactions due to the beers knocked out a tooth. After scrambling around in the blooded snow found the tooth and then had to find a sober dentist for some emergency treatment.

Barry Summers

Manchester United loanee suffers freak injury in training

20-year-old full-back Joe Riley, who is  on loan from Manchester United,  could be out for the rest of the season after a freak injury in training.

Blades manager Chris Wilder said Riley has returned to United for a scan.

"It was a bit of a freak accident in training, something out of nothing. He stumbled and dislocated his shoulder," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"He has gone for a scan back at Manchester United. Those results will determine if he's back with us or if that's his season done."

More injuries to report... 

Yarnold 'fired up' for Worlds

Nick Hope

BBC Sport Olympic sports reporter

PA

Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold admits she’s been "disappointed" by her return to the sport after a year-long sabbatical but is "fired-up" for a medal bid at this week’s World Championships.

Yarnold, won World Cup silver in her second race back late last year, but has not finished on the podium since. She was 11th at the Konigssee World Cup last month after struggling with a back injury which at one stage left her struggling to walk upright.

She competes in the first two (of four) runs at the Koinegssee World Championships in Germany on Friday, which is live on the BBC Sport website.

Read more here.