Football Comment: Allardyce pivotal to West Ham’s form surge October 19, 2014 I bumped into Sam Allardyce last week and I’m really pleased that the players he brought in over the summer have been able to take the club to the next level. Everybody has enjoyed watching the Hammers over the years and it’s good to see a strong West Ham side. West Ham are clearly playing [...]
Premier League: Hughes agitated by Monk’s cheat jibe at wingman October 19, 2014 STOKE CITY 2 SWANSEA CITY 1 STOKE boss Mark Hughes believes Swansea counterpart Garry Monk showed the hallmarks of inexperience after accusing Victor Moses of cheating during his side’s loss in the Potteries yesterday. Former Chelsea winger Moses went down under the challenge of full-back Angel Rangel to earn his side a penalty which Charlie [...]
Van Gaal wants a killer instinct October 19, 2014 FORTHRIGHT Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has urged his side to develop a ruthless streak ahead of their clash with West Brom at the Hawthorns tonight. The Red Devils head into the fixture buoyed by a return to form but were forced to hang on towards the end of nervy home victories over West [...]
Stevens: Autumn results not essential for England October 19, 2014 FORMER British Lions prop Matt Stevens insists England’s World Cup destiny does not hinge on landing knockout blows and toppling the world’s best during the upcoming autumn internationals. Stuart Lancaster’s side begin their southern hemisphere examination with a clash against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday 8 November before showdowns with South Africa, Samoa and [...]
Stevens: Rethink rule for Armitage October 16, 2014 FORMER England prop Matt Stevens believes head coach Stuart Lancaster should consider waiving the rules on selecting only domestic-based players for international duty in the notable case of back-row forward Steffon Armitage. Bath this week held talks with Toulon over signing reigning European player of the year Armitage, although the deal is now dead and [...]
Troubleshooter Hughton on Fulham’s radar October 16, 2014 Former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton is on a three-man shortlist to succeed the sacked Felix Magath in the Fulham dugout. A five-man advisory panel devised by owner Shahid Khan, which includes ex-players Danny Murphy and Brian McBride, have also put forward Steve Clarke and caretaker manager Kit Symons.
City can continue strong recent record over Spurs October 16, 2014 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS THE BEST OF THE WEEKEND’S PREMIER LEAGUE ACTION AFTER an international round of fixtures where results mean the likes of Iceland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Slovakia now top their respective groups in Euro 2016 qualifying, punters might want to approach this weekend’s Premier League action with an open mind. Champions Manchester City [...]
Rangers to make Reds work hard for three points October 16, 2014 LAST year’s second-place finish in the Premier League seems a distant memory for Liverpool, who have comprehensively failed to replace the goals and all-round impact of Luis Suarez. It’s a sign of how far the Reds’ stock has fallen that they are available to back at what appear decent odds of 8/13 to triumph away [...]
Spread betting on total goal minutes October 16, 2014 TOTAL goal minutes are one of the most popular and exciting markets that Sporting Index offer on football. It’s a prediction on the aggregate total minutes of each goal scored in a match. Last season when Tottenham travelled to the Etihad to play Manchester City, total goal minutes were trading at 141-151. The resulting 6-0 [...]
Noble Mission to emulate his brother Frankel October 16, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TOMORROW’S QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY AT ASCOT QIPCO British Champions Day has been a tremendous success and although the ground is set to be testing tomorrow, the action still promises to be enthralling. The first place to start has to be the meeting’s highlight, the £1.3m QIPCO Champions Stakes (4.05pm), where Cirrus [...]