Premier League clubs’ January transfer window spending falls for first time since 2012 February 1, 2019 The amount Premier League teams spent in the January transfer window fell for the first time since 2012, according to football money experts Deloitte. England's top tier clubs spent just £180m on permanent signings, some way off the £430m that was lavishly shelled out last winter. Nearly a third of this window's total outlay was [...]
The Six Nations is becoming increasingly competitive but Ireland are still clear favourites according to a supercomputer February 1, 2019 The Six Nations has rarely been more competitive. Last year’s championship saw an average points difference of just 14 across the 15 games – the lowest since 2013 – according to Gracenote Sports. Although Ireland ran out Grand Slam winners, there were just five points separating second-placed Wales and fifth-placed England come the end of [...]
Ollie Phillips: Ireland are favourites but the opening round could shape a tight Six Nations January 31, 2019 The Six Nations finally gets under way tomorrow and the fixture list has thrown up some fascinating ties to kick off with. England travel to Dublin to face defending champions Ireland on Saturday, which I think might actually prove to be a blessing rather than a curse as there is little pressure to improve their [...]
Problems mounting for stubborn Maurizio Sarri as his footballing philosophy shows its weaknesses at Chelsea January 31, 2019 On the face of things Chelsea are far from a club in crisis. They sit outside of the Premier League’s top four on goal difference and are still in all four competitions, having progressed to the final of the Carabao Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup in the last eight days. The [...]
Horse racing betting tips: Sir Erec can take Juvenile with a Spring in his step January 31, 2019 ALL EYES are on the weather this evening ahead of Saturday's Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. The two-day meeting, now in its second year, features eight Grade One races in what promises to be a mouth-watering weekend of action if the frost stays away. Saturday's feature is the Irish Champion Hurdle (1.25pm) which looks at [...]
Horse racing preview: David Pipe looks at his chances this weekend January 31, 2019 IF THE forecast is to be believed, by the time you read this the snow will have hit us down in the West Country. The team are ready for it and will work through the night to ensure we keep the show on the road. Worst case scenario, and if things get really bad, we [...]
Horse racing betting tips: Casko D’Airy to reward patience of connections in Heroes Handicap January 31, 2019 SNOW is due to have arrived overnight and if the weather forecasters are right, Sandown’s card is unlikely to go ahead on Saturday. We can never rely on the weather, though, so let’s hope they’re wrong and that it warms up a bit to get the meeting on. Hot Champion Hurdle favourite Buveur D’Air is [...]
A family affair: England captain Owen Farrell must unlock an Ireland defence organised by father Andy January 31, 2019 England kick off their Six Nations campaign with the toughest test possible when they face Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, but for the Farrell family it is a game with extra meaning. Owen Farrell, England’s captain, will not only be coming up against the world’s No2 side but also his father, Andy, Ireland’s defence coach [...]
Formula E founder to take electric motorsport to extreme new heights with revolutionary racing series January 31, 2019 The founder of Formula E has doubled down on his involvement in electric motorsport with the creation of a new series that will take vehicles to race in the most extreme environments on earth. The new series, called Extreme E, will be unveiled today in London by Alejandro Agag and partner Gil de Ferran, the [...]
Chris Tremlett: Joe Denly has a fantastic opportunity – he must grasp it to stake a claim in England’s batting line-up January 30, 2019 After the horrendous defeat in Barbados there were bound to be changes for England’s second Test against West Indies in Antigua, but I was still a bit surprised to see Keaton Jennings dropped. I thought his unbeaten 146 against Sri Lanka in November might have bought Jennings a bit more time at the top of [...]