Possession but no goals? That’s boring April 27, 2015 CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho has derided football’s fetishisation of possession statistics, arguing that the game is losing sight of the only numbers that truly matter. Continuing a strident defence of the style in which his team have marched to the brink of the Premier League title, Mourinho yesterday insisted it was contradictory to prioritise ball [...]
Rodgers banking on a Reds-style crash for top four April 27, 2015 LIVERPOOL boss Brendan Rodgers has not given up hope of one of the current top four mirroring his side’s late collapse last season and opening the door for the Reds to snatch Champions League qualification. The Anfield club were on course to land a first top-flight title for 25 years before skipper Steven Gerrard’s infamous [...]
Chelsea’s golden boys maintain their dominance of FA Youth Cup April 27, 2015 CHELSEA’S insatiable pursuit of silverware continued with the retention of the FA Youth Cup last night following a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. Leading 3-1 from the first leg, the hosts were rocked by an early opener from City’s Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho on his Youth Cup debut, before attacking prodigies Izzy [...]
Golf Comment: Even greats sometimes need to feel they’ve earned right to win April 27, 2015 WHEN it comes to golfing technique, there are two players who stand out from the current crowd, in my opinion: world No1 Rory McIlroy and England’s Justin Rose. Rory’s swing has greater flair, is more dynamic and, when he is on song, is magnificent. Justin’s, meanwhile, has a smooth, Faldo-esque perfection to it; there is [...]
Bournemouth bask in glory of meteoric rise to top flight April 27, 2015 AFC BOURNEMOUTH all but sealed promotion to English football’s top flight for the first time in the club’s history with a 3-0 victory over Bolton at the Goldsands Stadium last night. Goals from Marc Pugh, Matt Ritchie and Callum Wilson means only a remarkable turnaround in fortunes can deny the south-coast side a place among [...]
“We are almost always digging into more debt, that’s the reality” April 27, 2015 Sailing is a British success story yet it is short of sponsors BRITISH sailors may lay claim to being the undisputed masters of the wave but a lack of financial muscle is threatening to overshadow the nation’s pursuit of a golden Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year. The British Sailing Team has 54 [...]
Bjorkman not Mauresmo set for Murray hard court season April 27, 2015 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray is working more closely with Swedish former player Jonas Bjorkman as he admits his union with Amelie Mauresmo faces an uncertain future. Bjorkman, 43, is set to be the main presence in Murray’s corner in Munich this week as the world No3 begins his clay court campaign at the BMW Open and [...]
Root dismisses Stokes-Samuels duel as harmless and healthy fun April 27, 2015 ENGLAND run machine Joe Root has moved to diffuse the on-field posturing between all-rounder Ben Stokes and West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels during last week’s second Test in Grenada. Tensions appeared to simmer between the duo throughout England’s nine-wicket victory, intensifying when Samuels silently saluted Stokes following his dismissal during England’s first innings on day [...]
Mayweather v Pacquiao: Boxing’s richest fight seals record sponsorship deal April 27, 2015 The money-spinning machine that is the Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao boxing match added yet more millions to its revenue streams after agreeing five sponsorship deals worth $13.2m (£8.72m). Saturday's hotly-anticipated meeting between two of the best pound-for-pound pugilists in history is already set to smash a number of revenue records with the two fighters [...]
Rugby club Wasps to raise £35m in retail bond offering April 27, 2015 Rugby club Wasps is raising up to £35m of debt in a retail bond offer, hoping to tap up fans with a payout of 6.5 per cent on the debt instruments. It is pitching the paper as a safe investment, on the basis that the vast majority of its income is in fact not [...]