Wolves lose patience with O’Neil after fourth defeat in a row December 15, 2024 Wolves have sacked manager Gary O’Neil after a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat left them second from bottom of the table. Saturday’s stoppage-time 2-1 loss at home to fellow strugglers Ipswich Town was their 12th reverse of the season in all competitions. Chairman Jeff Shi said: “We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his [...]
Glasgow Warriors shining light for Scotland in Champions Cup December 14, 2024 North of Hadrian’s Wall there’s a proud rugby nation in Scotland. Their two flagship clubs, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh, host the majority of the national team and the nation’s biggest overseas stars ply their trade in the country. But the Investec Champions Cup and its predecessor top level competitions have never been a happy hunting [...]
The Punter Podcast Episode 4: Cheltenham’s Christmas Meeting, Doncaster and Sha Tin December 13, 2024 Brought to you by It’s jingle all the way to Cheltenham and Doncaster this Saturday as Christmas draws in. Tom Marriott is joined by City A.M Racing Editor Bill Esdaile for his best bets on the seven ITV races, while trainer Josh Moore dials in to give the latest on his runners. Further afield, Hong [...]
Newnham and Hewitson on the War path with Eagle December 13, 2024 HONG Kong racing enthusiasts can look forward to another competitive and exciting 10-race programme on Sunday morning, with plenty of potentially exciting prospects on show. The feature race on the card is the Class Two Lukfook Jewellery Cup (8.10am), a handicap run on the straight five-furlong track and worth around £284,000 in prize money. All [...]
Amazing Run on the cards with Bowman up December 13, 2024 FORM book students of Hong Kong racing will be paying particular attention to The Lukfook Jewellery Dear Q Handicap (9.50am), run over a mile. With the four-year-old Classic Series (HK Mile, HK Cup and HK Derby) starting next month, this is an opportunity for a number of expensive gallopers, bought specifically to race in the [...]
How betting markets reflect Manchester City’s shock slump December 13, 2024 Betting markets might not tell the whole story but they do reveal certain underlying truths and, right now, they don’t make easy reading for Pep Guardiola or Manchester City. This week their wholly unexpected and utterly miserable run continued with a 2-0 defeat against Juventus in Turin that has left them fighting to avoid elimination [...]
Leinster, Clermont, Tigers and Sharks to serve up Champions Cup delight December 13, 2024 Set an alarm for 5:30pm on Saturday, settle in, pour yourself a brew or glass of wine, put on the dual screens and enjoy what will be the standout matches of the second weekend of Investec Champions Cup action. Because Leicester – having been forced to rest a number of players for their huge clash [...]
Hundred salaries rise amid rumours of player boycott of cricket competition December 12, 2024 Salaries for players participating in The Hundred have risen by 25 per cent ahead of the 2025 edition amid rumours players are threatening to boycott the league. Around 50 players are said to be considering snubbing the England and Wales Cricket Board’s flagship short-form competition after restrictions were placed upon where in the world they [...]
Papua New Guinea to join NRL in £301m ‘diplomacy deal’ against China funded by taxpayer December 12, 2024 A team from Papua New Guinea will join Australian rugby league competition the NRL in a “diplomacy deal” that will cost the taxpayer £301m. It is understood the deal is part of an Australian push to counteract increasing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific and follows Australian support for Pacific island rugby union teams participating in [...]
NFL confirms third European city for 2025 international games December 11, 2024 The NFL will expand its international game programme with a match in Berlin in 2025, the sporting league has announced. It comes as the NFL announced a “multi-year commitment” to playing games in the German capital following successful stints in Munich and Frankfurt. Berlin’s Olympic Stadium is not new to NFL, having hosted pre-season matches [...]