Carlisle have confirmed the permanent appointment of Greg Abbott as first-team manager, following John Ward's departure last month

Paul Collingwood says the England team had concerns about returning to India, but that they all expect to fly there on Monday

At this stage, Buffalo may be past caring. "It can't hurt," muttered Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay when asked how he and his team-mates felt about having to play this weekend's home game against the Miami Dolphins in Toronto. "We aren't winning here."

The Bills aren't winning anywhere lately. Since leaping out to a 5-1 start, Buffalo have lost five of their past six games, dropping to a 6-6 record that leaves them needing a minor miracle to make the playoffs. Their most recent reverse — a 10-3 home defeat to a San Francisco 49ers team who had previously given up an average of 28.2 points per game — represented a new low. The majority of a disillusioned home support left Ralph Wilson Stadium long before the game's end.

But those same fans had been anything but apathetic when details of the game in Toronto were confirmed back in April. It was bad enough that their team had agreed to sell eight home games – three pre-season, five regular season – over five years to the city of Toronto, and worse still that the Canadian businessman behind the deal, Ted Rogers, appeared to have long-term designs on moving the whole franchise north of the border. But to take away a home game against Miami – in December no less – was really rubbing salt in the wound.

Buffalo against Miami might not be considered one of the league's great rivalries, but Bills supporters look forward to this fixture more than any other, especially when it takes place so late in the season. The Dolphins, unaccustomed to temperatures which regularly dip below freezing, have won just two of the nine games (including playoffs) they've played in Orchard Park later than December 1.

It may be even colder in Toronto than Buffalo, of course, but only if you happen to be outside. Sunday's game will be played in the Rogers Center - a climate-controlled dome where the temperature will be maintained at close to 72F throughout. Despite an online petition which drew over 1,400 signatures from Bills fans the dome's retractable roof will be kept firmly shut.

Not that Buffalo were expected to need any extra edge when this game was scheduled. At the time Miami were coming off a 1-15 season, while the Bills, who had recovered from a 1-4 start to finish 7-9, believed they could be a contender. Nobody said as much at the time, but one of the reasons Toronto was so happy to take this game was because it was viewed as an easy home win – one which Rogers hoped would help endear the city's fans to the Bills.

But Miami are a very different proposition to last year, and at 7-5 still control their own destiny in the AFC East. The Dolphins currently sit just one game behind the division-leading New York Jets, a team they will play in Giants Stadium on the final weekend of the regular season.

While much has been made of their Wildcat offence – a system in which the ball is regularly snapped directly to running backs and wide receivers lined up in the backfield – the real secret to the Fins' success has been straightforward protection of the football. Miami have turned the ball over just 10 times so far this season; no team has ever failed to make the playoffs after giving the ball up so rarely in their first 12 games.

In reality, however, NFL fans in Toronto are far more concerned with how much they are being charged to attend this game than whether the "home" team will win. The Bills earn roughly $6m in ticket revenue from an average home game, yet Rogers has agreed to pay them close to $10m for each of the regular season games in Toronto. This despite the fact the Rogers Center's capacity of under 55,000 is considerably lower than the 74,000 maximum at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The inevitable consequence has been ticket prices in Toronto that are considerably higher than they would be in Buffalo. As a result the game was still not sold out yesterday, despite a huge advertising campaign. "We may be naive and Leafs-centric, but we're not crazy," wrote Steve Simmons in Tuesday's Toronto Sun. "We still want the NFL here. But everything has a price and this price was wrong."

What it all means for the long-term chances of the team relocating to Toronto remains to be seen. Rogers, a multibillionaire and very much the driving force behind this project, passed away on Tuesday (after Simmons' column was published) at the age of 75 and it is unclear as yet whether any of his business partners or heirs will step forward with the same level of enthusiasm.

But current Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr turned 90 this year, and so far none of his three daughters, two of whom work for the team, have said they are keen to take up the reins when he himself passes on or stands down. Former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is trying to put together a consortium to keep the team in Buffalo, but the average NFL franchise is reported to be worth close to $1bn. If there is no bid from Toronto, Buffalo could very well end up losing the Bills to another city within the United States instead.

For now, though, the Bills have enough to worry about on the field. Even if the playoffs are out of reach, head coach Dick Jauron is working to keep his job after consecutive losing seasons, while second-string quarterback JP Losman will have plenty to prove if, as expected, starter Trent Edwards is ruled out of Sunday's game with a groin injury.

Losman has been infuriatingly inconsistent since being drafted by the Bills in the first round of the 2004 draft, but his career passer rating of 77.9 is actually not far behind that of Edwards (78.4), and both are 7-9 in their last 16 starts. Now in the final year of his contract, Losman is not expected to be retained by the Bills at the end of this season, but, at 27 and having completed nearly 70% of his passes in three games so far this year, he could well be a starter elsewhere next year.

For Losman, a strong performance on Sunday could be worth a fair few dollars in his next signing bonus, wherever it ends up coming from. For the Bills, it could just be enough to make the next three games worth caring about.

Rating Russell

The San Diego Chargers finally woke up from their season-long slumber in time to hammer the Oakland Raiders 34-7 at Qualcomm Stadium last night. I said my piece about the Chargers and Norv Turner in Monday's Three and Out, so I'll focus on the Raiders this time, and specifically on quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who left last night's game on a cart after spraining his ankle in the second quarter.

By that point Russell had already thrown two interceptions and fumbled away possession once, turnovers that led to 17 of the Chargers' 34 points. He has now thrown six interceptions and fumbled nine times (though three were recovered by the Raiders) in 12 starts this season. Although he has also thrown seven touchdowns, he has completed barely over half the passes he has thrown.

Nevertheless it is hard to know what to make of Russell, selected by the Raiders with the first overall pick in 2007. So far in his short career, Russell has had to deal with not only a shoddy offensive line, poor receivers and a head coaching change, but more damagingly an almost constant rotation of play-calling responsibility between coaches. If his decision-making has been bad at times, then it has not been helped by the ever-changing instructions he is receiving from the sideline.

All we really know so far is that Russell has a cannon for an arm, and that he has been sacked 33 times in 13 starts so far in his career. Right now an ankle sprain might not be such a bad thing – keeping him out of the firing line for the last three games of a miserable year. But if the Raiders don't get their act together over the coming off-season, Russell may find his career is over before it had really begun.

The Burress latest

As most readers will already know, the New York Giants placed wide receiver Plaxico Burress on the reserve/non-football injury list on Tuesday, as well as suspending him for four weeks from the team's facility without pay, after he shot himself in the leg in a New York night club last Saturday. The players' union (the NFLPA) wasted little time in filing a grievance, but they are widely expected to focus on the "without pay" aspect of that punishment. Even if he does recover sufficiently from the wound he suffered, Burress will not play another down for the New York Giants this season.

Of greater concern to Burress right now will be the fact that – if he was indeed carrying a loaded, unlicensed handgun, as has been reported – he could now face a jail sentence of up to three years.

Less widely reported is the fact that Burress was not the only Giants receiver alleged to have been involved in a gun crime this week. Second-year receiver Steve Smith was allegedly robbed at gunpoint by his own driver on the way back from a night out, and, while this is not the place for any sort of discussion as to whether people should be allowed to carry guns, it should be pointed out that Burress is anything but the only NFL player doing so.

There is a genuine fear among many NFL players that they are becoming a target for criminals and, rightly or wrongly, a number of them have been taking what they perceive as additional steps to protect themselves. As this excellent piece from ESPN the magazine makes clear, a number have stepped up their security arrangements in a variety of ways since Redskins safety Sean Taylor was murdered in his own home last year.

The Giants have not closed the door on Burress returning to the team next season, though everything is contingent on his eventual sentence. Either way they will cope without Burress – in fact this season they've averaged 60 more yards per game when he isn't playing than when he is – but they may miss his knack for big plays come the post-season.

Head coach Tom Coughlin may be more worried, however, about linebacker Antonio Pierce, who was with Burress last Saturday and is set to meet with authorities today. For now Pierce has been cleared to play this Sunday but, given their speed in passing judgement on Burress before his case had gone to trial, they will surely have to take similar action against Pierce, a vocal leader on defence, if he is charged.

Elsewhere in the world of suspensions

A federal judge will rule today on whether five players suspended by the league for breaching the anti-doping policy should be able to play this Sunday. Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, and New Orleans Saints players Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith tested positive during training camp in July and August for the banned diuretic bumetanide – which can be used as a masking agent for steroids.

The players claim they took bumetanide by accident, as it was not listed among the ingredients on a dietary supplement named StarCaps. According to NFL.com: "The key issue is whether the NFL had any specific obligation to notify players and the union that it had known since at least 2006 that the weight loss supplement contained the banned diuretic. The NFL says the burden is on players to know what's going into their bodies."

There are 1,001 questions to be asked here, but as this blog is already getting rather vast, I'll restrict mine to one. If they knew about this training camp, then what took so long?

Pick Six

Most of you will know this by now, but for those who have missed the past three weeks, Pick Six is our new predictions game on the NFL blog. Every week I will pick six of the best Sunday match-ups and name the teams I expect to come out on top. You are all invited to do the same below, and at the end of the season I'll sort out a prize for the reader with the most correct picks. I'll also send out prizes - your pick from our small stash of NFL goodies, provided generously by the good folk at NFLUK.com - each week to anyone who gets all six right.

Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills

- For all that the Bills have struggled in recent weeks, the bookies actually favour them to win this game by a single point. I'm going to disagree. Dolphins to win.

Dallas Cowboys @ Pittsburgh Steelers

- The Steelers look to be involved in the best Sunday match-up for the second week running (I actually think Tampa Bay at Carolina looks like the game of the week, but this competition only takes in the Sunday games). Dallas are right back in their stride with Tony Romo at the helm, but this Steelers team look more and more like they could be gearing up for a Super Bowl run. Steelers to win.

New York Jets @ San Francisco 49ers

- At a glance this looks like a straightforward win for the Jets, but Gang Green have lost both times they have travelled to the west coast this season – dropping games to the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers. The 49ers, meanwhile, are improving under Mike Singletary. I'm going to go out on a limb and say 49ers to win.

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

- The Saints are playing to save their season, and despite being 6-6, they've only lost once so far this season at the Superdome. After Sunday they will have lost twice. Falcons to win.

Houston Texans @ Green Bay Packers

- Both teams are 5-7, but unlike Houston, Green Bay still have a shot at making the playoffs. The Texans haven't looked short of motivation the past two weeks as they trampled the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. But the Packers are at home, and it's December … Packers to win.

Washington Redskins @ Baltimore Ravens

- The Ravens are on a roll, but they're also 2-4 this season against teams with winning records. The good news for them is that Redskins running back Clinton Portis is still some way short of 100% after a string of recent injuries. Ravens to win.

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Alex Ferguson has admitted he is pleased that Carlos Tevez is unhappy at being a substitute

Scott Murray: From Diego Maradona gaining revenge on the Butcher of Bilbao to Franny Lee KO'ing Norman Hunter, we look at the footballers and managers who lost it big time

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he was close to signing for Arsène Wenger's side before joining Manchester United

Honda CEO Nick Fry says a trio of prospective buyers have already made clear their interest in taking over the team

Not for nothing is today's fourth race at Sandown called 'The Future Stars Intermediate Chase'. A Listed race for horses that were novices the season before, it's been won in the last decade by Looks Like Trouble, Bacchanal, Impek and Star De Mohaison among other big names.

The best horse in today's renewal is probably Roll Along. I saw this one, who carries the colours made famous by Corbiere, early in his career at Fakenham and have always been impressed by him but I really don't think Timmy Murphy is the right jockey for him, judging by their efforts together last season. Murphy is a considerate rider of young horses but there was no need for him to give this one quite as much to do as he did at Taunton and in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham.

The Taunton defeat was particularly frustrating. Roll Along was able to race off a mark of 125, two stones below the rating he has now, 11 months later - he should have been a good thing. But Murphy left his challenge until the last possible moment and got pipped in a bobbing finish.

Barry Geraghty was in the saddle when Roll Along hosed up at Ascot on his reappearance, beating Air Force One, who has since run second in the Hennessy. But Murphy's back on today and I can't put my faith in the pairing at around 2-1.

At about the same odds, I'd rather go with Barbers Shop (2.35), who gets Geraghty's assistance this time. This six-year-old has twice run second in big Cheltenham handicaps over two and a half miles, when beaten a neck in the Jewson at the Festival and when chasing home Imperial Commander in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Those are two excellent pieces of form but he's looked a bit one-paced both times and today's three miles should be his trip. Republicans beware - you'd be betting on a horse owned by the Queen.

There are some fascinating small-field races at Exeter, where Hector's Choice (1.00) can turn over Franchoek in the handicap hurdle. Franchoek had a big reputation as a novice but he now looks exposed and won't relish giving away more than a stone to all his rivals on heavy going. Hector's Choice is progressing and should have a bit in hand. He's about 7-4 but should be favourite.

Panjo Bere (1.35) also got a big reputation over hurdles last term before disappointing, but he now looks the real deal again as a novice chaser. Also at about 7-4, his chances look a fair bit more obvious than those of his main rival, Exmoor Ranger, an early faller at Huntingdon last time.

The Devon Marathon is a four-mile slog through the mud and the finish is not going to be pretty. Victory Gunner (2.10), who has two wins on heavy going round Chepstow to his name, appeals to me as the kind who will just keep going. There's been some interest in him this morning but the current 16-1 still underestimates his chance.

In the 3.20, Little Shilling will be odds-on to defy a 7lb penalty for his easy success over the Plumpton fences a couple of days ago. He looks a good thing but this is his sixth race since November 18 and he might well have had enough for the time being. This is the sort of going that finds horses out, so I wont be getting involved.

Tipping competition, day five

All right then. Here we are and this is it. The last day of the Guardian's first weekly tipping competition, with any amount of kudos at stake, as well as a copy of the newly published 500 Greatest Gambles & Gamblers by Graham Sharpe. The story so far: lasramblas hit a 16-1 winner on Tuesday, millreef hit a 20-1 winner on Wednesday and km68 hit a 33-1 winner on Thursday. Each of them must have thought they had things pretty much sewn up after their big-priced successes - so is there a 40-1 winner out there today that'll break km68's heart?

Today's races are: 2.10 Exeter, 3.00 Lingfield, 3.40 Sandown. Post your tips below, please - newcomers are welcome but you'd have to start on -12 and that seems a tall order to me. Good luck to one and all.

The standings after day four:

km68 +25.75

millreef +19

lasramblas +11

nerium +3

williewinit +1.25

Moscow08 +0

harrytheactor -1

MrWinnersSoninLaw -1.50

23skidoo -3.25

Bertie47 -5

rivercity -5.75

DrKelso -6

xwireman -6

willbeckwith -6

blitzwing -7

kierenfallon -7

FredS -12

Mike65ie –12

socialwanderer -12

TheVic –12

Bodkin01 -12

JBeau18 -12

pajocan -12

thegreasedscotsman -12

TheSheikh -12

Latest updates

1.20pm Hector's Choice a bust

He travelled best of all at the top of the straight but tired worst of all. Franchoek plugged on gamely but was held off by Lupanar (7-1) and Doubly Guest.

Hi Bodkin01 ­— sorry to hear you haven't got last week's prize. I'll sort that out for you.

2.25pm Deep Quest (12-1) wins the Devon Marathon

A slog, as forecast, in which they basically walked up the straight. Deep Quest went for home a long way out and barely lasted, with Toulous-Lautrec hunting him down on the run-in and Victory Gunner clinging grimly to third.

That's a nice winner for Bodkin01, who may now be regretting his week-long lunch-enforced absence from the competition. With two races left, it's km68's to lose.

TheVic, I note what you say and will make sure you are sorted out.

By the way, I can confirm that the plan is to hold a tipping competition each week from now on and we are lining up prizes as I type.

3.15pm I Confess (4-1) is our Lingfield winner

Another winner for km68, and that should seal it. Well done to suckzinclee, pajocan and JBeau18, who also had it.

A quick round-up on the Talking Horses tips - Barbers Shop won at Sandown, having been backed down to 6-4, while Panjo Bere was a non-runner.

Click here for all the day's racecards, form, stats and results.

Click here for today's latest odds.

And post your tips or racing-related comments below.

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Kieren Fallon has pledged to go all out to win his jockeys' title back in 2010. The six-times champion jockey has been given the all-clear to resume race-riding in Britain from September next year when his worldwide ban for a second failed drugs test expires.

Fallon, who is currently riding work for stables in California, told the Racing Post: "I will definitely be back in Britain to start race-riding in September. My ambition is to win the championship, to get it back. My target is to ride 200 winners, which is what I did four of the six years I was champion."

He added: "I think I can ride not just as well as I did, but better. I had a lot of pressure on me before. I won the Irish Champion Stakes and the Arc on Dylan Thomas in 2007 when my mind wasn't really on the game. That pressure has gone. For the first time in years everything involving the racing authorities and the police has disappeared.

"I have not been wearing myself out in a championship battle like Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders did, and I never let myself go. I don't have trouble with my weight — I could eat like a pig. Now I am in California, making arrangements to ride work at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, and love it here — it's heaven."

Fallon was banned from riding in Britain in July 2006 over corruption charges which did not reach court until October 2007. In November 2006 he was suspended for six months by the French authorities for failing a drugs test. The Old Bailey case brought to consider the corruption charges against Fallon and others collapsed in December 2007 but he was subsequently banned for 18 months after a second failed drugs test in France.

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Britain's greatest solo sailor on her mother's flapjacks, rum drinking on the seven seas and saving the world

James Smith: The current tournament in Melbourne has produced more goals and gaffes than a dodgy Christmas DVD, but it's changing lives for homeless people around the world

Norwich City and Derby County have both been cleared after FA probe into alleged irregular betting patterns in Asian markets

Each week we pit Guardian readers against the bookmaker Paddy Power and a sportsman, this week the former Aston Villa striker Alan McInally. Paddy Power provides a free £10 bet each week and donates the balances to charity after the FA Cup final

The global financial crisis has hit one of the world's richest sports, motor racing, as the Japanese carmaker Honda today confirmed it would withdraw from formula one before the start of next season.

The move - a desperate attempt by the company to cut costs - shocked the motor racing world and all but ended Honda's long-held dream of claiming the formula one title.

The news came as global sales at BMW, the world's biggest premium carmaker, plunged by a quarter in November. Sales dropped to 96,570 units, led by a 26.2% drop at the flagship BMW brand.

The crisis facing the global car industry was underlined yesterday when executives from US automakers appeared in front of the senate banking committee to plead for up to $34bn (£23bn) in emergency government aid.

Car sales around the world have plummeted as consumers cut back on spending in the face of widespread job losses and a deepening recession.

In Germany, Europe's biggest car market, new car sales are expected to hit post-reunification lows this year and next before starting a slow recovery in 2010, the VDA auto industry association forecast this week.

Honda's formula one team employs more than 700 people in Brackley, Northamptonshire and its drivers last season included Britain's Jenson Button.

Honda's chief executive, Takeo Fukui, said he did not know when the firm would be in a position to return to the sport.

"This difficult decision has been made in light of the quickly deteriorating environment facing the global auto industry," he told reporters.

"Honda must protect its core business activities and secure the long term as widespread economic uncertainties continue to mount around the world."

Fukui, who once said he was prepared to invest "a trillion yen" to secure a championship title, said attempts would be made to find a buyer for the team before the start of the 2009 season.

"We will enter into consultation with the associates of the Honda racing team and its engine supplier Honda Racing Development regarding the future of the two companies. This will include offering the team for sale," he said.

Fukui said the firm had no plans to supply engines to other teams: "We do not want to be half in and half out of the sport."

Honda has come under mounting pressure from some shareholders to ditch its formula one team, which finished next to last in the constructors' standings last season and costs the firm an estimated $500m (£340.5m) a year.

Plummeting demand in the US forced Japan's second biggest carmaker to lower its sales outlook for the year through to the end of March. Yesterday, it announced it would trim its UK and Japan workforce.

Yesterday, the heads of the "big three" carmakers - General Motors, Chrysler and Ford - vowed to focus on cutting production costs and increasing fuel efficiency in return for aid.

The chief executives of GM and Chrysler indicated they would be willing to resume talks on a possible merger.

But their assurances were greeted with scepticism by committee members. "I don't trust the car companies' leadership," said Charles Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York, but he added: "We can't let the industry fail."

George Bush is reluctant to use part of the government's $700bn bailout package to support the industry, despite warnings that GM and its rivals face imminent collapse.

The president-elect, Barack Obama, said he supported measures to rescue the industry, but carmakers are concerned that his arrival in the White House in January will come too late.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his surprise at the resignation of his former player from Sunderland