Astra Giurgiu 1, West Ham United 1: Mixed emotions for Slaven Bilic as late leveller sours Hammers’ bid to reach Europa League group stage August 18, 2016 West Ham boss Slaven Bilic had mixed emotions after his side were pegged back by a late leveller to leave their Europa League play-off tie with Astra Giurgiu in the balance. Skipper Mark Noble successfully converted a penalty on the stroke of half time to propel the east Londoners to a position of strength, only [...]
Jose Mourinho warns Manchester United fans not to expect too much from £89m world record man Paul Pogba August 18, 2016 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Paul Pogba is likely to make his first appearance since rejoining the club in a world record transfer against Southampton tonight. But Mourinho warned United supporters not to expect too much from the £89m midfielder, insisting Pogba is still to acclimatise and reach peak condition ahead of [...]
Football betting: New faces should make it a special night at Old Trafford August 18, 2016 After the 26-year reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, the third new manager in four years will take his seat in the home dugout of Old Trafford on Friday evening. Manchester United fans will hope Jose Mourinho’s tenure is far happier than those of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. The former Chelsea man has got off [...]
Football betting: Worried Arsene Wenger to go all Gunners blazing at Leicester August 18, 2016 Last season’s top two meet at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon after making less than impressive starts to this campaign. Defeats for Leicester and Arsenal to Hull and Liverpool respectively mean another poor result could jeopardise hopes for either side scaling the same heights again. The 2-1 reverse for the Foxes in particular [...]
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger “ready to spend” but warns Premier League clubs risk “suffocating themselves” by paying over the odds August 18, 2016 Arsene Wenger has warned that wealthy English clubs risk straggling themselves with sub-par players on high wages by paying over the odds on European stars. The Arsenal manager has promised fans he is ready to spend big on the right player but added that he was against buying new players for the sake of it. Arsenal were [...]
Alisher Usmanov denied suggestions he has plans to sell Arsenal stake and bankroll Everton instead August 18, 2016 Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov has denied suggestions that he is considering selling his 30 per cent stake in the club. Usmanov acted in response to speculation that he would offload his company Red and White Holdings' interest and instead plough his money into Everton, where long-term business partner Farhad Moshiri bought a 49 per cent stake [...]
The time has come for the Olympic Games to be held in the same venue every four years August 18, 2016 Team GB are having quite a party in Rio, grabbing medals left, right and centre. After last night’s events, our men and women sat near the top of the overall medal table, second only to the USA. Unfortunately the Olympics hasn’t been such a success for the host city. Rio is a wondrous location in [...]
BT Sport could be bruised as Sky bending it like Beckham to woo football fans August 17, 2016 In past years, I’ve discussed BT Sport’s gradual journey from new challenger to a genuine force in televised sports. As the new football season starts, it’s a good time to look at how Sky Sports, its principal rival, has adapted its campaigns and messaging in an attempt to dissuade subscribers migrating to BT. Once again, [...]
Steaua Bucharest 0, Manchester City 5: Mission accomplished declares Pep Guardiola after City move to within striking distance of Champions League group stages August 16, 2016 MANCHESTER City boss Pep Guardiola declared it mission accomplished after his side hammered Romanian outfit Steaua Bucharest to all but seal their passage to the Champions League group stages. Prolific striker Sergio Aguero netted his eighth hat-trick for last season’s semi-finalists, although not before he had missed two penalties, while playmaker David Silva and Nolito [...]
Liverpool steal big three’s thunder on opening weekend as worrying signs emerge for Leicester August 16, 2016 Some managers insist you shouldn’t read anything into results until 8-10 games into the season, but while you can’t draw sweeping conclusions from the Premier League’s first weekend, there are signs of what could be to come – and it’s distinctly more promising for some than others. Rampant Reds Liverpool produced the most impressive display in [...]