22 METROSPORT Friday, October 16, 2009 D Imagine your photography being seen by millions of Metro readers worldwide! Its that time of year again. Yes, the Metro Global Photo Challenge is back! This year the themes will be: People, Places and Climate Change. For your chance to see your work in print around the globe and win one of 3 trips for two to a Metro city of your choice simply submit your photographs by Sunday 18th October 2009. No entry fee required. Go to www.metrophotochallenge.com/ie for more details. Now let your imagination run wild! Upload your photos at www.metrophotochallenge.com/ie LET THE WORLD SEE THROUGH YOUR EYES sponsored by WIN A TRIP TO ANY METRO CITY WORLDWIDE! CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES THIS SUNDAY Fun-loving Robinho is flattered by Barca talk Yeung will let McLeish splash the cash Robinhos future at Manchester City looks increasingly uncertain after he admitted he would relish the chance to play for barcelona. The brazilian was closely linked with the European champions this summer and, although no move was forthcoming then, there has been continued speculation barcelona will try to take the former Real Madrid man back to La Liga during the January transfer window, possibly on loan. Robinho, who is currently out with an ankle injury, moved to Eastlands from Real last year for a british record 32.5million fee. however, with Craig bellamy in fine form a fit Robinho is not guaranteed a place in Mark hughess team and the 25-year-old has made no secret of his admiration for the Catalan giants. of course i would like to play for barca, who wouldnt? We could have so much fun he said. it would be a pleasure to play next to [Lionel] Messi, to my compatriot [Dani] Alves, Xavi, [Andres] iniesta, [Zlatan] ibrahimovic... with all of them. They are a great team. Robinho insists he has not heard anything from barca though, adding: i can assure that at this time my father, who is my only representative, has not told me anything about barca. now it wouldnt be right to make more comments which could be misinterpreted. What is clear is that i have a contract with City and, like the professional i am, my responsibility is to them. im focused on doing the best i can at City. now we are thinking big, we have built a very strong team which aspires to win the Premier League. Regarding the possibility of him being available to City manager hughes for sundays trip to Wigan, Robinho added: The City doctors will tell me if i can return, then it will be up to hughes to include me in the Xi or not. Numbers up: Will City soon see the back of Robinho? SOCCER pREmiER lEaguE Cash promise: Yeung AMERICAN businessman Stan Kroenke has increased his share in Arsenal to 28.9 per cent. Kroenke has acquired 90 more shares adding 0.2 per cent to his existing holding. If he reaches 29.9 per cent it will trigger a formal takeover bid. New Birmingham owner Carson Yeung has pledged to spend up to 40million on players during the January transfer window. Asked what finances will be available, Yeung said: My plan is to support the club for about 20-40m in January. The Hong Kong businessmans right-hand man Sammy Yu added: we will work on a short-list and go for it. And Yeung says he will back boss Alex McLeish 100 per cent in his bid to make Blues a big club. He added: Ill be supporting the manager. we have an excellent management team. we can become as big as possible. we are competitors for Aston Villa. RugBY HEINEKEN CUP Familiar foes: Hines faced Brive during his spell at Perpignan LEinsTER travel to brive this week- end knowing that victory is essential to their heineken Cup hopes, but any thoughts that brive will be rolled over with ease are wide of the mark, ac- cording to second row nathan hines. There have been reports the French side are channelling their resources towards their domestic competition at the expense of European fare. They would not be the first French club to take this route, but as defend- ing champions Leinster are aware, it is an approach that is usually confined to away fixtures. in 2005, the province travelled to bourgoin one week after a 53-7 win in Dublin only to suffer a two-point defeat, while last seasons shock loss at Castres almost derailed their title- winning campaign. brive, European champions in 1997, Hines: Heat will be on in French furnace duly lost their opening-round game in Wales to the scarlets last weekend, but hines, who joined Leinster from Perpignan this summer, admits they will be a much tougher proposition at the stade Amde-Domenech. Asked about brives reported indif- ference to the competition, the 32-year- old said: i dont think so. They went pretty well against Llanelli. if they were going to give a game away, it would have been that one, the first game away so im pretty sure theyll be targeting this game, as we are, to win. i dont think theres an attitude BY gaREtH maKIm where they say that the heineken Cup is less important than the Top 14. Maybe its a bit of an out to say we lost again but were not too bothered about it. Most of the teams in France are veryprotectiveoftheirhomegrounds, added the scotland international. its got two big grandstands either side and one side particularly is really close to the pitch. its not going to be a quiet place to go. Everyone [at Leinster is] going to be prepared for a different atmosphere. Everythings going to be against us, the crowd is going to be against us. if were on side theyre going to call for offside, if we knock a ball back theyre going to call for a knock- on. As long as everyones prepared for that, and i think everyone is, then well be fine. Most French teams are very protective of their home grounds Picture: Sportsfile index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html