Leicester City’s Champions League deja vu casts Brendan Rodgers as the nearly man yet again May 24, 2021 This has, on the whole, been another outstanding season for Leicester and their manager, Brendan Rodgers. Although the pain of having a Champions League place wrenched from their grasp on the last day of the season will still be acute, any Leicester fan would surely have taken fifth place in the Premier League and a [...]
EP: 58 Curragh, Haydock & Hong Kong May 21, 2021 After a large amount of rain, racing is in doubt in Ireland this weekend, with inspections planned at the Curragh, where both the Irish 1,000 & 2,000 Guineas are due to take place. Owner Nick Bradley is looking to send his exciting filly Fev Rover to Ireland to compete in the 1,000 Guineas on Sunday [...]
England Euro 2020 squad: Why Emile Smith Rowe and Nat Phillips deserve a place on form but Trent Alexander -Arnold and Eric Dier do not May 21, 2021 Who should be in Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2020 squad this summer? That is the debate that is sure to rage before Southgate names his 26-man squad for the European Championship on Tuesday 25 May at 1pm – and will probably rumble on long afterwards. For a purely objective assessment, we asked Carteret Analytics to [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Bitcoin plunge hits chess grandmasters; ‘Stamford Beach’ stunt recalls Chelsea row; and Hundred teams get new spinners May 20, 2021 When is a $100,000 bonus not worth $100,000? That is a conundrum for the chess grandmasters taking part in the FTX Crypto Cup. The tournament, which features world champion Magnus Carlsen and starts this weekend, is offering a $320,000 prize to the winner – a record for an online chess event. But $100,000 of that [...]
Modernising Burnley: How ALK Capital plan to use artificial intelligence and a network of partner clubs to take the Clarets into a new era May 20, 2021 Think of Burnley FC and you think of target men, tigerish midfielders and hulking centre-backs. Of manager Sean Dyche’s gravelly tones. Of one of the Premier League’s less fashionable and most traditional clubs consistently outperforming more glamorous rivals with a defiantly no-nonsense brand of football. But for all that they have punched above their weight, [...]
Olympic chief Bach promises ‘safe’ Tokyo 2020 as record Covid-19 deaths in Japan fuel opposition to the Games May 19, 2021 Olympic chiefs have attempted to calm an increasingly fretful Japanese public that the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games can take place safely this summer. Covid-19 deaths and serious cases continue to reach new daily highs in Japan, the country’s health ministry said on Wednesday. Tokyo and Osaka remain in a state of emergency, while the latest [...]
Police investigating explosion and fire at home of Celtic chief Peter Lawwell May 19, 2021 An investigation is under way into an explosion and fire at the home of Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell which forced the family to flee. Celtic FC said the family are “extremely shaken and shocked” by the blaze, which caused “significant damage”, but they are all safe. Firefighters were called to the blaze which affected [...]
US PGA Championship prize money 2021: How much is at stake at Kiawah Island and how does it compare to other paydays in men’s golf? May 19, 2021 The Wanamaker Trophy is the target for the cream of men’s golf this week at the US PGA Championship – and the prize money isn’t bad either. A total purse of $11m is up for grabs at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, where play is due to begin on Thursday. From that, the winner will [...]
Sam Torrance: History and form point to Rory McIlroy as US PGA Championship returns to demanding but exciting Kiawah Island May 18, 2021 The US PGA Championship doesn’t need any extra spice but the return to form of Rory McIlroy has provided it anyway. McIlroy won this tournament by eight shots the last time it was held at this week’s venue, Kiawah Island, in 2012. So, having ended an 18-month drought with victory at the Wells Fargo Championship [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Inside draw key for Spontaneous May 18, 2021 AN INSIDE draw could play an important role in progressive speedster SPONTANEOUS completing a hat-trick in Division Two of the Kam Tin River Handicap (2:45pm). Paul O’Sullivan’s Australian import suffered a leg issue early on in his Hong Kong career and was off the track for nearly a year before making a winning seasonal appearance [...]