Football Comment: Mourinho arms his rivals’ rivals with loan stars September 3, 2013 THE £30m signing of attacker Willian aside, it was not the players who arrived at Chelsea during the transfer window so much as the ones that they allowed to leave that interested me most. Of those who came in, the big-haired Brazilian is the most exciting and, I’m sure, eased Jose Mourinho’s hunger to lure [...]
Summer of brooding leaves Borthwick eager for restart September 3, 2013 RUGBY is a game of inches and fine margins, and no one knows this better than Saracens’ veteran captain Steve Borthwick. Last season was a case of always the bridesmaid and never the bride for Borthwick’s men as they fell at the final hurdle in nearly every competition to end up empty handed. But he [...]
London Welsh fines mount up September 3, 2013 RUGBY UNION: London Welsh have been fined almost £8,500 for fielding an ineligible player in European competition last season. The Exiles had already been fined £15,000 for selecting the same man, scrum-half Tyson Keats, in domestic games.
Stenson elevated by triumph September 3, 2013 GOLF: Sweden’s Henrik Stenson has swept to top spot in the FedEx Cup standings following a two-shot win at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Tuesday. Stenson equalled the tournament record of 22 under par.
Thrift out, £42m Ozil in at Arsenal September 2, 2013 ARSENAL last night abandoned years of thrift in spectacular fashion by spending almost three times their previous record fee on signing Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. At the end of a transfer window in which England’s top clubs spent an unprecedented amount, the Gunners provided the story of the day by paying the [...]
Moyes snatches £27.5m Fellaini with late offer September 2, 2013 MANCHESTER United completed a last-ditch deal for Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, as they attempted to spare manager David Moyes’s blushes in an otherwise frustrating transfer window. United failed to sign top target Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona earlier this summer and were yesterday also blunted in their pursuits of Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao and Everton [...]
Palace sign three but miss out on Bendtner September 2, 2013 PREMIER League newcomers Crystal Palace missed out on luring Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner to Selhurst Park on deadline day but bolstered their squad with three new faces to become the most active top-flight club of the summer transfer window. Manager Ian Holloway brought in a total of 14 new players, with defenders Adrian Mariappa and [...]
Bale aiming to satisfy hunger for Euro success after Real’s Welsh galactico greeted by 20,000 September 2, 2013 THE WORLD’S most expensive footballer Gareth Bale hopes a potent partnership with explosive forward Cristiano Ronaldo can lead to new club Real Madrid landing their 10th Champions League title. Real supporters got the first glimpse of their new £85.3m “galactico” yesterday when 20,000 people poured into the Bernabeu for his official unveiling, after Bale had [...]
India and Sri Lanka tour dates revealed September 2, 2013 CRICKET: Lord’s and the Oval are set to be among the venues when India play a five-Test series in England next summer for the first time since 1959. Trent Bridge is to host the opening match, with further clashes at Southampton and Old Trafford, with a one-day series and two Twenty20 contests to follow. Before [...]
Ricciardo in for Webber at Red Bull September 2, 2013 FORMULA ONE: World champions Red Bull have decided to replace Mark Webber with fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo from sister team Toro Rosso next season. Webber is leaving Formula One to join Porsche’s new sportscar programme. Ricciardo, 24, has raced in 43 Grands Prix and will support three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. Ricciardo said: “There’s a lot [...]