Van Persie: Ade and I can fire Gunners August 5, 2008 A striker with barely a dozen league starts last season and another who flirted with a move all summer may not seem the safest bet to spearhead a title challenge. But Robin van Persie believes he and forward partner Emmanuel Adebayor are primed to end Arsenal’s three-year trophy drought. Van Persie made just 13 Premier [...]
Rest assured, Pietersen won’t change his style August 5, 2008 Much of the concern surrounding Kevin Pietersen’s installation as England captain seems to focus on whether the added responsibility will alter his attacking playing style. But while it’s a valid point, I don’t think there’s any need for concern as KP has the confidence and belief in his own ability to carry both off to [...]
Bopara gets second chance for England August 5, 2008 Ravi Bopara could be given the chance to revive his Test career at The Oval on Thursday after being drafted into the squad to replace the absent Michael Vaughan. Bopara has a disastrous record in his three Tests for England, but has won his way back into the hearts of the selectors after enjoying a [...]
10 Ways to avoid stress August 5, 2008 Relaxing during a busy day need not take up time and money, says Zoe Strimpel There’s a lot of stress out there at the moment, what with holidays being cut short and cancelled, workloads ratcheting up and lunchtimes shrinking even more than normal. You probably need to de-stress, but sometimes popping out a massage or [...]
Fairytale over for Vaughan as England captain quits August 4, 2008 Batsman Kevin Pietersen is red-hot favourite to be named England captain today after an emotional Michael Vaughan resigned yesterday. Vaughan stepped down less than 24 hours after defeat to South Africa in the third Test condemned England to a third defeat in five series. Struggling to hold back the tears, Vaughan announced he would be [...]
Anelka stakes claim with four-goal haul August 4, 2008 Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has promised Nicolas Anelka a central striking role after the Frenchman thumped four goals in a 5-0 thrashing of AC Milan. Anelka has failed to shine in a variety of attacking roles since joining the Blues in January, but rediscovered his form as Chelsea ended their preseason trip to Russia [...]
Water world August 4, 2008 Piedmont is wet, but perfect for the outdoors enthusiast, discovers Katie Hope Every nation has its eccentric national pursuits. The Japanese play pachinko – an addictive cross between pinball and a fruit machine which pays out metal balls; the Dutch eat chips with mayonnaise; the Spanish fight bulls. And in Northern Italy, come the weekend [...]
Waving goodbye to another British summer – among the wettest ever August 1, 2008 As this weekend marked the last few official days of summer, Sunday’s storms sealed one of the “wettest summers in 52 years”. Despite highs of 27 degrees celsius in the south and east, there was little sign of sunshine and the forecast remained dull and thundery. Sun lovers had a little more luck on Saturday, [...]
Freddie’s on fire but he’s getting no support August 1, 2008 Whether it be with bat, ball, or in the field, England have almost been a one-man team in the opening two days of this third Test. From one to 11 the only man to have played with any kind of confidence at all is Andrew Flintoff and if England are to steal anything from this [...]
Bentley: Spurs can break into top four August 1, 2008 David Bentley is convinced his arrival will help Tottenham break the so-called Big Four’s iron grip on Champions League qualification. Spurs have repeatedly failed to live up to expectations of reaching the lucrative and prestigious European club competition. Manager Juande Ramos was recruited from Sevilla last year and tasked with breaking into the top four, [...]