Frank Keogh at Cheltenham
BBC Sport

"The 19-time champion jockey AP McCoy leaving weighing room for final ride at Cheltenham Festival."

Image source, Frank Keogh

Louis van Gaal admits he was "very disappointed" after the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal - but says it hasn't dented confidence.

"I am very pleased with the reaction from the players this week and I hope we can show that against Spurs," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

"It is the first of the 10 matches we have to play in the rat-race. It is not easy to play Tottenham because I like Tottenham, I like also the process in Tottenham because you can see that a lot of experienced players are not playing and a lot of youngsters are playing.

"In spite of that they are also very close and are playing attacking football."

Frank Keogh at Cheltenham
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

"Coneygree was something of a fairytale Cheltenham Gold Cup winner for the Bradstock training team.

"The horse was bred by the late Lord Oaksey, the father of Sara Bradstock - wife of trainer Mark, and his assistant, at their small Oxfordshire stables.

"She said: 'That was cool, wasn't it? He is wonderful. Dad's not here but he is here in spirit. I can't believe it. I have been saying to people 'when we win the Gold Cup' in the same breath that I say 'when we win the lottery' - it's that amazing.'"

There's something reassuring about a big bushy beard. It looks all snug, the kind of place a small animal could curl up and hibernate during the cold winter months.

And so, ahead of the penultimate weekend of Six Nations action, we on BBC Sport would like to celebrate the finest whiskers in international rugby union.

This is Scotland prop Geoff Cross's quite magnificent facial hair, so big it can apparently be seen from four miles away.

Image source, BBC Sport

But this is just the start. To see the rest, click on here.

NB: Not suitable for those with a fear of substantial facial hair.

Of course you do.

In this video, the former England batsman and BBC TMS pundit considers a range of topics tabled by BBC Sport's Twitter followers.

England defeated Afghanistan in their final World Cup fixture earlier today but exit the tournament having lost four of their six Pool A matches.

Former umpires Peter Willey and George Sharp have lost an age discrimination case against the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The pair were forced into retirement having reached the ECB's maximum age of 65, leading to claims for unfair dismissal and age discrimination.

Image source, PA

But an employment tribunal, heard by Judge Wade in London last month, issued a written judgement to the parties on Friday in the governing body's favour.

The ECB issued a statement that read: "We welcome today's decision, which recognises our current retirement policy for umpires is firmly based on sound legal principles and not discriminatory on grounds of age."

More from David Duckenfield at the Hillsborough inquests, who a short time ago made a long speech to relatives of the 96 victims.

"To the families, I say this. It has now dawned on me what it means to you and I'm dreadfully sorry," he said. "When the independent panel report was published, I couldn't bear the word Hillsborough and could not bear to think about it.

"I hoped it would go away but then, two years ago, I had to force myself to look at matters and could only do so with help of doctors.

"It's fair to say I buried my head in the sand. I'm now very much older, very much wiser, and I've decided to tell the whole truth.

"It is now I have thought very seriously about the families. For the first time, I've seen what it means for a mother to lose a loved one."

The police match commander on the day of the Hillsborough disaster has told a jury "ultimately, the buck stops with me".

David Duckenfield said he had taken advice from colleagues but had not done "the easiest thing" and blamed others for his mistakes.

Image source, Reuters

The former chief superintendent was in charge when a crush developed during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. On Thursday he denied his account of events was the beginning of a cover-up.

But Mr Duckenfield agreed he was incompetent and his "mistakes" and "oversight" had contributed to the deaths of 96 fans.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough have given up their chase of Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes, 25, reports the Northern Echo, external.

Tottenham have finally been given the go-ahead to build their new stadium after a small local firm admitted defeat in its objections to the £400m scheme.

The Archway Sheet Metal Works had a legal challenge to a compulsory purchase order rejected last month but could have appealed.

The firm has now decided not to do so, it announced on Friday, adding in a statement: "We have always been willing to negotiate with the club on a reasonable and proper basis."

Spurs have relocated more than 70 local businesses from the site, which is adjacent to the White Hart Lane home they have occupied since 1899.

Jimmy McB: Cannot wait for this match this weekend. Me (Chelsea) against my mother (Southampton fan). Who said it was mother's day?

Loser has to cook tea?

BBC Sport looks at some of the key facts and figures from the 2015 Cricket World Cup as Martin Guptill's sixth ODI century (105 from 100 balls) helps New Zealand to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in Hamilton.

Image source, BBC Sport

The result means the Black Caps now go into next week's quarter-finals having won eight consecutive ODIs, including all six Pool A matches.

Elsewhere in the group, England's World Cup campaign ends with a nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan via the Duckworth-Lewis method after a rain-affected match in Sydney.

Watch the video of the stats from the New Zealand and England games here.

London Evening Standard, external: Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev want to keep 24-year-old defender Aleksandar Dragovic, who is being linked with a move to Arsenal.

More questions on Falcao for Louis van Gaal to answer - and answer them he does.

'Why has he not been the same player as when he was in Madrid?', the United manager is asked. "We are looking for the solution," says Van Gaal.

"Sometimes players can give fantastic performances in one country but not in another. It would not be the first time and it won't be the last."

'Can he recapture his form?' another journalist asks. "At a club like Man United it is more difficult," the boss says. "He has competitors. He knows Wayne Rooney is playing there and scoring."

A Rangers director has resigned amid controversy over a tweet which showed a sexually explicit cartoon of the prophet Mohammed.

Chris Graham was appointed as a non-executive director at Ibrox on Tuesday.

It later emerged the image was sent from his Twitter account to radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary on the day of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Read the full story here.

Some material from the Manchester United press conference is filtering through and it seems as though Louis van Gaal has spent much of it talking about Radamel Falcao.

Image source, Getty Images

The highly-paid striker played for United's under-21 side this week.

"I have read it was a humiliation," said van Gaal, when asked about it. "I do not think so. It is a professional attitude of the manager, the management, also the club and especially from the player.

"It is not only Falcao. Valdes and Rafael have also played.

"He has not reacted how the media say he has reacted."

A typically frank Van Gaal then went on to say Falcao "didn't play very well".

Southampton's on-loan defender Toby Alderweireld says he would like to remain at the club after his spell from Atletico Madrid at St Mary's ends.

The 26-year-old Belgium international has made 16 Premier League starts since joining on a season-long deal from the La Liga side in September.

"If I could choose then of course I would like to stay here," Alderweireld told BBC Radio Solent.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Nico de Boinville has been talking after his success in the big race.

"Words can't describe it without using expletives, but it's unbelievable. I knew I had a lot of horse left.

Image source, Getty Images

"It's the best feeling ever, I'm lost for words. The weather gods were looking down on us and the ground was ideal.

"I must thank the owners and the Bradstocks for keeping the faith in me. These horses only come once in a lifetime."

De Boinville's Coneygree (7-1) became the first novice to strike for 41 years in only his fourth race over fences, taking the plaudits ahead of Djakadam (10-1) and Road To Riches (8-1).

Papiss Cisse, banned for seven games for that spitting incident with Man United's Jonny Evans, is not defended by his manager.

Carver admitted the Senegal striker had no choice but to take responsibility for his actions.

Image source, Getty Images

He said: "The fact that Papiss owned up to it straight away, I wasn't going to sit here and defend him. I sat with him and I said, 'Listen, I can't defend you on this, you've done wrong and have to accept whatever punishment you get'.

"There's no place in the game for it. When you've played the game, it's one of the lowest forms of anything you can do on the pitch. A lot of players would have acted differently. He was provoked, and retaliating in the same manner is just as bad."