Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

Image source, Getty Images

"Under sunny Sochi skies, the first men's skiing action of the Games drew a throng of media to the alpine start, all anxious to hear what the course is like and get an early pointer as to the men to watch.

"Early days yet, of course, and you don't know how much each was giving, but Bode Miller set the place abuzz. Some big names down here to watch including France's Jean-Luc Cretier, Olympic champion in Nagano in 1998 and Luc Alphand, the winner of 10 World Cup downhills, who during a chat about going fast on skis, told me I'd need to bulk up a bit to be a contender."

In this week's 'Savage Says', Robbie Savage takes a look at the bottom half of the Premier League table, where 10 teams are separated by just six points.

Savage assesses the form of every team and their signings during the January transfer window, and picks the three sides he thinks will be relegated come the end of the season.

UK tax rules could see global stars such as Usain Bolt refusing to compete at this year's Diamond League event in Glasgow. A special exemption was given to overseas athletes competing at the London Olympics in 2012, meaning they did not pay tax on their earnings during the event.

The same rule will apply to athletes competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but not for the Diamond League event less than two weeks before. The news is a blow to the organisers after UK Treasury offered the same tax break for the same event last year in London, as part of the Olympic legacy.

A spokesman for HMRC told the BBC: "A tax exemption was granted for non-resident participants in the London Anniversary Games as an exceptional case to support the Olympic Legacy; a similar exemption was granted for non-resident participants at the Commonwealth Games to support the legacy of the Olympics in Scotland."

Today's #QSTeaser from @QofS_Official: Name the eight Winter Olympic host cities that end in a vowel?

The answers will be revealed later today.

Some early reaction to our question of which managers you wish hadn't been sacked by your club and some thoughts on Michael Laudrup's sacking at Swansea.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Robson:, external Some of our best managers have walked away from Newcastle. But Sir Bobby Robson's sacking was a terrible decision.

- Robson at Newcastle: September 1999 - August 2004. Overall record: 255 games, 119 wins.

InMoyesWeTrust:, external Not a Swansea fan but sacking Laudrup was a mistake. He won them their first major trophy and everyone has a bad run. Stupid.

AJ Morley:, external Swansea were always going to struggle in four competitions this season, didn't deserve to be sacked now though. We're safe in Premier League. Shame.

Keep your suggestions coming in to us on Twitter, using #bbcsportsday or leave a message on our Facebook page., external

Reading chairman Sir John Madejski says the Championship club have received no firm bids as they search for new owners and investment.

Madejski, who owns 49% of the club, has been seeking new investment for several months as owner Anton Zingarevich looks to sell his 51% share in the Royals. The club had been in talks with a consortium from the United States as well as one from Oman.

"There is no proposal on the table we are considering," said Madejski. "But we are looking all the time, it's an open secret we have had a lot of suitors and hopefully we will have a lot more but it's important we get it right."

Ulster rugby captain Johann Muller has announced that he is to retire from playing at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old South African lock joined the Irish province in the summer of 2010 and has made 73 appearances so far.

He has skippered the side since the start of the 2011-12 season and led the team out for the Heineken Cup final against Leinster in May 2012.

Nick Hope
BBC Olympic sports reporter in Sochi

"GB slopestyler Aimee Fuller has to be one of the most upbeat people you will ever meet.

"Neither of her two runs went as she hoped today but the Northern Ireland-based snowboarder is confident of delivering in the semi-finals on Sunday."

"I'm so stoked to have just been out there as an Olympian," she told BBC Sport.

"What Jamie [Nicholls] did earlier [by qualifying for the men's final] was amazing and I'm so happy for him. I'm confident Jenny [Jones] and I can both make our finals given another go."

Switzerland's Isabel Derungs tops the qualifiers from the first heat of the women's snowboard slopestyle event with a best score of 87.50. Joining her in the final will be Torah Bright of Australia, Canada's Spencer O'Brien and Finland's Enni Rukajarvi.

Britain's Jenny Jones finished fifth with Aimee Fuller 10th.

BBC Sport duo Ed Leigh and Tim Warwood are commentating on snowboard slopestyle's Olympic debut.

They have seen Britain's Jamie Nicholls reach the men's final on Saturday while Billy Morgan will ride in the semi-finals and Jenny Jones and Aimee Fuller will get a second chance to reach the women's final on Sunday.

Swansea fans, do you agree with the decision to sack Michael Laudrup and also the timing of it, with it coming less than a week after the transfer window closing?

Laudrup won the League Cup with Swansea in February 2013 and has guided them into the last-32 of the Europa League, but had only won three of his last 13 games in all competitions.

So, we want to know which managers do you wish your club had not sacked and why? Which clubs have gone backwards since letting a certain manager go? Let us know your thoughts and reasoning and we will publish the best messages throughout the day.

Get involved on Twitter, using #bbcsportsday or leave a message on the BBC Sport Facebook page., external

Former Wales manager John Toshack is surprised Swansea City decided to sack boss Michael Laudrup in the week leading up to the south Wales derby.

Cardiff and Swansea meet at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday with both sides in relegation danger.

"This really has come as a bit of a shock, particularly with this big game coming up on Saturday," Toshack said. "This was no premeditation in this decision. Normally when these things happen people have got somebody ready to step in."

Britain's Jenny Jones makes an error in her second run at the snowboard slopestyle qualfication so her first-run score of 74.25 will not be enough to get her straight into the final.

BBC Sport's Phil Cartwright:, external Blackpool re-sign midfielder Elliot Grandin, 26, following his release by Crystal Palace.

Image source, AFP

According to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, external, Sam Burgess' Australian manager, James Erskine, says South Sydney Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe would not stand in the way of a bid by the forward to play for England in next year's Rugby World Cup.

Reports in the Daily Mail, external claim the 25-year-old has agreed to a deal with an unidentified English club and would be fast-tracked into the national team.

But South Sydney say no approach has been made for the player who was one of the England stars in last year's Rugby League World Cup where they lost in the semi-final to New Zealand.

At the women's snowboard slopestyle qualifiers at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, Britain's Aimee Fuller scores 44.50 in her first of two runs.

Nick Hope
BBC Olympic sports reporter in Sochi

"Britain's Jenny Jones coasts down into the finish but nearly takes out a cameraman as she looks away to wave at the crowd.

"Truly scorching day here in the Rosa Khutor region of the Sochi mountains, there's no huddling together for warmth, instead spectators are searching for the one who has the sunscreen!

"At the moment the combination of snow stored from last season and that created artificially is holding out, but a week or so more of this and events towards the end of the Olympics could be struggling."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirms England midfielder Jack Wilshere, 22, could be back in contention for the Gunners for their away game at Liverpool on Saturday after missing two matches with an ankle injury.

Wenger adds: "We need to dominate the game in order to keep Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge quiet. We must control possession. Saturday is a good moment for us to win a big game because we have a big month ahead.

"We had some good wins at Anfield. I have a lot of respect for the fans there, they know their football. Liverpool are strong offensively with Sturridge, Suarez, Coutinho, Sterling and Gerrard. Liverpool are in a better position than when we last played them. They have momentum."

Jenny Jones manages a score of 74.25 in a solid opening run at the women's snowboard slopestyle qualifiers. Fellow Briton Aimee Fuller will be the seventh of 12 riders to go in the first of the two heats.

The first ever women's snowboard slopestyle event is about to get underway in Sochi with the qualification session.

Britain's Jenny Jones, who will be the first competitor on the course, is a three-time X Games gold medallist while Aimee Fuller will also be hoping to reach the final.