Scotland begin quest to qualify for first major tournament in 20 years with five-star show against Malta September 4, 2016 Scotland began their quest to end a 20-year wait to qualify for a major tournament by thrashing European minnows Malta 5-1 in their opening World Cup qualifier. Hull midfielder Robert Snodgrass continued his impressive start to the new season by netting a hat-trick, while new Fulham loan signing Chris Martin and Sheffield Wednesday frontman Steven [...]
Slovakia 0, England 1: Allardyce defends use of Rooney as he starts Three Lions reign with last-gasp victory in World Cup qualifier September 4, 2016 England boss Sam Allardyce issued a staunch defence of his deployment of Wayne Rooney after the Three Lions laboured to a last-gasp victory in their opening World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in Trnava. Allardyce had suggested in the build-up to his first match in charge that the England skipper would be utilised in a more [...]
Former Premier League ref claims he was told to say he hadn’t seen incidents by authorities September 3, 2016 A former Premier League referee has claimed he was instructed by the refereeing body to say he had not seen particular incidents. Retired ref Mark Halsey wrote on Twitter that the Professional Games Match Official Limited (PGMOL) had told him to claim he had not seen incidents when they were making a decision on retrospective [...]
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: I’m cool enough to stay away from £80m transfer fees September 3, 2016 Jurgen Klopp has lamented football's focus on the transfer market but believes he is cool enough to avoid its excesses. The Liverpool manager claims he would never spend as much as £80m on a single player, as rivals Manchester United did on £89m summer signing Paul Pogba, unless he was convinced it was in the club's long-term interests. Premier League [...]
Txiki Berigistain: Manchester City director says club remains committed to developing young players despite summer spending spree September 3, 2016 Manchester City's director of football Txiki Begiristain says the Premier League club remain committed to developing and blooding youth despite a record-breaking summer spending spree. City gave new manager Pep Guardiola the ultimate show of support by bankrolling a £181m transfer window splurge on new players including £47m centre-back John Stones, £15m Spanish winger Nolito and £23m German international Ilkay Gundogan. [...]
Yaya Toure left out of Manchester City’s Champions League squad by new manager Pep Guardiola September 2, 2016 Yaya Toure's diminished status at Manchester City was brought into stark focus after the midfielder was left out of the club's Champions League squad for the upcoming season. With teams limited to 17 overseas players in their squad for Uefa competition, City opted to leave out the 33-year-old midfielder. Toure has starred for City in recent [...]
Arsenal new boy Granit Xhaka: Playing with likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez made me nervous at first September 2, 2016 Arsenal new boy Granit Xhaka has admitted that he's had to be at the top of his game to earn his spot in Arsene Wenger's team. Since arriving in North London in May, the midfielder has started Arsenal's last two fixtures after coming off the bench in their opening day defeat at home to Liverpool. Xhaka, [...]
England boss Sam Allardyce has style as well as substance, says midfielder Adam Lallana September 1, 2016 England midfielder Adam Lallana has dismissed concerns over new boss Sam Allardyce’s reputation as a long-ball merchant as the Three Lions prepare for their opening World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on Sunday. Allardyce was handed the reins following England’s disastrous showing at Euro 2016 which culminated in a shock defeat to European minnows Iceland [...]
Sergio Aguero opts to fight violent conduct charge in bid to be available for Manchester derby September 1, 2016 Prolific striker Sergio Aguero has opted to contest a charge of violent conduct in a bid to avoid a potential three-match suspension – and be available for Pep Guardiola’s maiden Manchester derby. Aguero was slapped with the charge by the Football Association (FA) after allegedly elbowing West Ham defender Winston Reid during Manchester City’s Premier [...]
Summer transfer window 2016: What does the Premier League’s spending extravaganza mean for the wider European game? September 1, 2016 Just over two months after its national team were humiliated in front of Europe at the hands of Iceland, English football has reminded the world, when it comes to the transfer market, it remains king. The Premier League flexed its financial muscles this summer by spending a record-breaking £1.165bn on new players, crushing the outlay of Europe's biggest leagues. Europe's [...]