Villas-Boas: Team right behind me December 6, 2011 CHELSEA vs VALENCIA CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed suggestions of player unrest, insisting his whole squad is firmly behind him as he prepares for tonight’s season-defining match. Striker Didier Drogba called on his team-mates to rally behind the rookie boss following Saturday’s 3-0 win at Newcastle, in which midfielder Frank Lampard appeared unhappy to [...]
Downgrade bombshell puts brakes on FTSE gains December 6, 2011 The brakes were slammed on the recovery in European markets this morning after ratings agency Standard and Poor’s warned 15 Eurozone countries – including Germany – that they were teetering on the edge of a downgrade. Asian stocks and the euro fell after S&P piled pressure on a plan to solve the region’s debt crisis [...]
Defeat won’t spell end for Blues boss December 6, 2011 TONIGHT’S Champions League showdown against Valencia represents the biggest match of Andre Villas-Boas’s fledgling Chelsea career, but even were it to end in disaster I think Roman Abramovich would resist the temptation to sack him. Recent performances, particularly at home, hardly suggest Chelsea possess the wherewithal to contend with a hugely talented Valencia side, but [...]
KNOW YOUR ENEMY | VALENCIA December 6, 2011 PERMUTATIONS Victory would ensure Chelsea a place in the knockout stages, and they could even top Group E if Bayer Leverkusen fail to win at whipping boys Genk. The only draw that will take the Blues through is a goalless one, a seemingly improbable prospect against a team that smashed seven in the last Champions [...]
Dalglish disputes Spearing red as Dempsey makes Reina pay December 6, 2011 FULHAM 1 vs LIVERPOOL 0 LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish insisted the controversial dismissal of Jay Spearing was the decisive factor in his side’s damaging defeat at Craven Cottage last night, as Clint Dempsey’s late goal helped Fulham move a healthy five points clear of the relegation zone. A contest which Liverpool had largely controlled swayed [...]
Woods eyes 2012 Majors December 6, 2011 FORMER World No1 Tiger Woods insists he’s determined to make up for lost time in 2012 after ending his two-year title drought on Sunday. The 35-year-old rolled back the years with a birdie-birdie finish to win the Chevron World Challenge in California by one shot from compatriot Zach Johnson, to register his first tournament victory [...]
Olympic ceremonies to cost extra £41m December 6, 2011 THE GOVERNMENT has come under fire after pledging to spend an additional £41m on doubling the budget for the London 2012 opening and closing ceremonies. Such costs would normally be met by organising committee Locog, but sports minister Hugh Robertson said he would add to their funds with public cash. “We decided to go in [...]
BoE says bank profitability targets too tough December 6, 2011 British banks’ targets for shareholder returns are too high, and do not reflect the regulatory changes aimed at making banking a lower-risk, lower-return business, the Bank of England said. In a record of their November 23 Financial Policy Committee meeting published on Tuesday, policymakers reiterated that the euro zone debt crisis posed the biggest threat [...]
Wenger has ultimate faith in his Arsenal understudies December 6, 2011 OLYMPIACOS vs ARSENAL ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has warned his fringe players not to treat tonight’s Champions League clash against Olympiacos as a glorified friendly. While the Greek champions could progress with a victory, even a defeat in Athens wouldn’t prevent the Gunners from topping Group F following their impressive 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund [...]
Klitschko pulls out of title fight December 6, 2011 BOXING: World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has pulled out of Saturday’s title fight against France’s Jean-Marc Mormeck having failed to recover from an operation to remove a kidney stone last Friday.
