How RB Leipzig’s business model and recruitment strategy drove the club to the Champions League last-16 and bred hatred February 18, 2020 RB Leipzig’s methods may be controversial, but they are certainly effective. Leipzig are widely considered the most hated club in Germany. Founded in 2009 by Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull as a marketing ploy, the club have been allowed to circumvent the country’s 50+1 ownership rule which stipulates that 50 per cent of the [...]
Jose Mourinho gives Tottenham the edge over Chelsea and Manchester United in race for Champions League places February 18, 2020 Manchester United’s win at Chelsea on Monday has only cranked up the pressure in one of the most keenly contested races for Champions League qualification in recent years. Just seven points separate Chelsea, in fourth, and Burnley, in 11th, because – Liverpool aside – there is very little consistency and everyone is beating everyone else. [...]
Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United: Blues can’t hide behind VAR excuses after blunt performance in front of goal February 17, 2020 As a Chelsea fan there are two ways you can look at tonight’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Firstly, viewed emotionally, it was a night of pure frustration. A night on which N’Golo Kante and Andreas Christensen were forced off injured. A night on which the opposition’s captain and goalscorer got away [...]
Four years without a win and now two in a row: king of the swingers Adam Scott is back at the top of the game February 17, 2020 You will never watch Adam Scott play golf on television without the commentators gushing about how good his swing is. When you think about the great ball-strikers, the Australian is one of the first names that comes to mind. For me, he is up there in the top 10 of all time, along with Tiger [...]
England right to be excited about the Twenty20 World Cup after flexing their muscles in 2-1 South Africa series win February 16, 2020 England came into their Twenty20 International series with South Africa out of practice in the format, confident, but not entirely sure about the specifics of their route to this year’s World Cup. Through their mastery of the 50-over format over the last four years they knew they had the players and attributes required to be [...]
Chelsea v Manchester United: Blues’ poor home form under threat from big-match specialists in top-four showdown February 16, 2020 While this season’s Premier League title race is now non-existent, the battle to finish in the top four is still very much on. Everyone from Chelsea in fourth to Arsenal in 10th will have aspirations of finishing in the final Champions League spot, while Manchester City’s prospective European ban has given even more teams hope. [...]
Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle: Mikel Arteta’s side finally turn the tide of draws in crucial, confidence-boosting home win February 16, 2020 Suddenly it all clicked into place. After a run of four successive Premier League draws and 45 minutes of predictable, frustrating and ineffective side-to-side football, Arsenal found their mojo. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t much – a 15-minute spell of domination and creativity, and a strong finish against a unadventurous Newcastle side [...]
Manchester City could win legal row with Uefa but club’s Champions League ban is already having an impact February 16, 2020 If Friday’s announcement that Manchester City face exclusion from the Champions League for the next two years was a bombshell, then the accompanying shrapnel is the endless list of questions posed by Uefa’s verdict. What now for the most expensively assembled project in the history of football? Can Pep Guardiola be persuaded to stay at [...]
Adding South Africa into the Six Nations is a controversial move but it makes commercial sense in the long run February 13, 2020 The Six Nations is in a rest week at the moment but there has been no shortage of things for fans to talk about after it emerged that South Africa could join the tournament. The potential introduction of the Springboks in 2024 is an emotive subject and I can certainly see both sides of the [...]
David Pipe looks ahead to his weekend runners February 13, 2020 RAIN, rain go away! We got another 18mms of the stuff on Wednesday night and we are ready for some nice weather to kick in. That said, one horse who won’t mind it like this is RAMSES DE TEILLEE and we have made the decision to stay over hurdles with him for the time being. He will [...]