Betting: Injuries will handicap Man City against solid Everton October 13, 2016 It was all going so well for Pep Guardiola until he visited White Hart Lane. After six wins from his first six Premier League games (part of a run of ten straight victories in all competitions) his Manchester City side were bought down to earth by a clinical Spurs, who won 2-0 before the international [...]
Former Crystal Palace boss Steve Bruce vows to stop the rot after being appointed Aston Villa manager October 12, 2016 Newly-appointed Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has vowed to arrest the club’s decline and rekindle past glories after being confirmed as manager of the seven-time top-flight champions. Bruce has replaced former Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo, whose 12-match reign at Villa Park was ended last week with the Midlands outfit 19th in the Championship having [...]
Jury is out on Gareth Southgate’s England management credentials and only a win in Scotland can keep him in the frame October 12, 2016 On the evidence of his first two matches as interim England manager, the jury is very much out on Gareth Southgate. He got the points as expected against Malta on Saturday, but the quality of the performance in Tuesday’s goalless draw in Slovenia was so disappointing. England needed composure; instead they were panicky. An international [...]
Slovenia 0, England 0: Southgate satisfied with points haul after inheriting a “mess” following Allardyce departure October 11, 2016 Interim England boss Gareth Southgate declared himself satisfied with his side’s haul of four points from his first two qualifiers in charge despite the Three Lions disappointing in their stalemate with Slovenia. England were indebted to goalkeeper Joe Hart as they escaped Ljubljana with a point – the first time they had failed to win [...]
Slovenia 0, England 0: England player ratings as Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions drop points October 11, 2016 Joe Hart: 9 Proved a point after his unceremonious discarding by Manchester City – and saved England one too. Made four vital stops, including one physics-defying effort, and showed leadership qualities by talking Gary Cahill and Jesse Lingard out of red cards in a fractious finish. Kyle Walker: 6 The least culpable for a sloppy defensive performance [...]
Gareth Southgate backs Jordan Henderson to shine in role as England captain October 10, 2016 Interim England boss Gareth Southgate has backed Jordan Henderson to transpose the experience of taking the Liverpool captaincy from Steven Gerrard to his newly-acquired position as Three Lions skipper. Henderson has been handed the captain’s armband for England’s World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in Ljubljanaon Tuesday after Southgate opted to axe record goalscorer Wayne Rooney from [...]
I’m not ready to bow out yet, insists Three Lions skipper Wayne Rooney after England axing October 10, 2016 England skipper Wayne Rooney is adamant that his Three Lions career is not over despite being axed by interim boss Gareth Southgate for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in Ljubljana. Rooney is set to be ousted by Tottenham’s Eric Dier in a deep-lying midfield role but has insisted he will continue to fight for his [...]
World Cup 2018: A guide to England’s opponents Slovenia October 10, 2016 Past meetings England have won all four of their previous meetings with Slovenia. Fabio Capello’s Three Lions defeated the Purples 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley in September 2009 and then 1-0 in Port Elizabeth a year later to reach the knockout stage of the 2010 World Cup. Former Tottenham and West Ham striker Jermain [...]
Three Lions midfielder Jordan Henderson accepts England deserve criticism from fans October 9, 2016 England midfielder Jordan Henderson insists the Three Lions must embark on a charm offensive to win back public support after his side’s unconvincing victory over Malta on Saturday ended with a chorus of boos. Skipper Wayne Rooney was deployed in a deep-lying central midfield role for the World Cup qualifier and was jeered by a [...]
How gambling and betting companies have taken over the Premier League’s shirts October 8, 2016 Football fans might have noticed a recurring theme on this year's Premier League shirts — gambling. More Premier League teams are sponsored by gambling companies than ever before this season, with exactly half of the division's teams displaying logos for online casinos or bookmakers on their shirts. England's top tier was 10 years old before Fulham became the [...]