Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend: Hodgson too cautious, Lamela back in business, United need to be unshackled and more October 21, 2018 Crystal Palace have many problems but leaving scoring goals, over-relying on Wilfried Zaha and not converting penalties aside, Roy Hodgson’s reluctance to make changes hurt them in the 2-0 defeat by Everton. Luka Milivojevic’s lazy central spot-kick left Palace flailing, but had Hodgson followed Marco Silva’s lead and switched systems who knows what might have [...]
“There are no longer pointless matches” – Gibraltar’s first competitive wins demonstrate the objective of Uefa’s Nations League October 18, 2018 Bored of the international break? Not drawn in by the Nations League? Counting down the hours until the Premier League resumes on Saturday? England’s exciting 3-2 win over Spain may have brought around some people, but there are plenty who view Uefa’s idea to brighten up international football as an unwanted distraction from more important [...]
How Texas businessman Kent Teague helped bring Leyton Orient back from the brink October 18, 2018 Eighteen months ago Leyton Orient reached rock bottom. April 2017 marked the end of the east London club’s 112-year stay in the Football League – the culmination of a nightmare season in which five managers came and went. Three years after missing out on promotion to the Championship by the narrowest of margins – losing [...]
Wembley Stadium sale called off as billionaire bidder backs out of £600m deal October 17, 2018 American billionaire Shahid Khan has withdrawn his £600m offer for Wembley Stadium, saying the bid does not have enough support within the Football Association. Khan, who owns Premier-League side Fulham and American football team Jacksonville Jaguars, said he believes the FA would not vote to accept his offer. Read more: Trevor Steven: England win in Spain [...]
Trevor Steven: England’s win in Spain was better than 5-1 in Germany or anything at the 2018 World Cup October 16, 2018 It’s difficult to recall a game in which England have played better than they did in Monday’s hugely encouraging 3-2 defeat of Spain in the Nations League. The 5-1 win over Germany in Munich back in 2001 is one that springs to mind, but that England team was much more experienced than the one that [...]
England stun Spain and and show that World Cup run was no fluke October 15, 2018 So, it wasn’t a dream after all. At times during the last three months we have had cause to wonder whether the World Cup really happened, whether England really did rediscover their swagger and a place at international football’s top table, as Gareth Southgate’s team made a stuttering start to the Nations League. Tonight in [...]
Saudis eye bid for Manchester United in attempt to beat Abu Dhabi’s Manchester City on the pitch October 15, 2018 Manchester United’s New-York listed shares have surged amid talks Saudi Arabia’s crown prince could launch a multi-billion pound bid for the footballing powerhouse. Mohammad bin Salman, the leader under fire over the death of a Saudi journalist, is reportedly considering a £3bn takeover of the club from the American Glazer family. Read more: Manchester United [...]
Can elite-level footballers like Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard dominate the managerial landscape again? October 15, 2018 When Kevin Keegan signed for Liverpool from Fourth Division side Scunthorpe in May 1971, he reportedly agreed a contract worth £45 per week. Inflation-adjusted, one of the brightest prospects in English football accepted a salary of little more than £30,000 a year to play for a top-level club, an offer comparable to a mid-ranking human [...]
Spain v England: Gareth Southgate could use a Nations League win to revive World Cup feel-good factor October 14, 2018 Three months ago, as England sweltered in its endless summer, the nation was giddy at the prospect of a World Cup semi-final and Gareth Southgate was enjoying his unlikely ascension to the status of national treasure. Five matches on, the Three Lions have mustered just one more win and are in real danger of being [...]
Croatia v England: Gareth Southgate’s side must prepare for the eerie atmosphere of Rijeka’s empty stadium October 11, 2018 Strange. That’s the atmosphere, or rather lack of it, England must prepare themselves tomorrow. Gareth Southgate’s side are in the port city of Rijeka on the Adriatic Sea to face Croatia in the Nations League for the first time since suffering defeat in the semi-final of the World Cup in the summer. So far, so [...]