Ballack criticises Blues policy January 7, 2010 CHELSEA midfielder Michael Ballack admits the club’s quest for glory has been hampered by its ruthlessness towards managers – but is confident current boss Carlo Ancelotti will steer them to silverware. Blues owner Roman Abramovich has dispensed with four managers since Ballack arrived at Stamford Bridge three-and-a-half years ago – in which time they have [...]
Portsmouth deny player fire sale January 7, 2010 PORTSMOUTH chief executive Peter Storrie insists there will be no mass exodus of players in the January transfer window despite the club’s financial problems. The troubled Fratton Park outfit face a winding-up order from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and are also subject to a transfer embargo for unpaid player fees. The club paid its [...]
Pacquiao-Mayweather clash off January 7, 2010 MANNY PACQUIAO’S promoter insists the prospective super-fight with Floyd Mayweather is off after mediation failed to resolve differences between the pair. Pacquiao pulled out of the proposed 13 March bout after Mayweather’s camp insisted on random drug tests in the build-up. Former judge Daniel Weinstein was brought in to act as an impartial negotiator, but [...]
Murray and Robson eye history January 7, 2010 TENNIS: Andy Murray and Laura Robson will be aiming to secure Great Britain’s first Hopman Cup final appearance when they face Russia today in Perth. World No4 Murray and 15-year-old Robson have struck up something of a rapport, winning both of their Group B games against Kazakhstan and Germany. “We haven’t played that much together [...]
McLeish coy on £11m Jones bid January 7, 2010 FOOTBALL: Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is staying tight-lipped about his interest in Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones. McLeish has admitted having bids rejected for Celtic’s Aiden McGeady and Liverpool’s Ryan Babel, but is coy about a reported £11m offer for Jones. “We have made enquiries about a lot of people,” said McLeish. “I don’t want to [...]
Man dies at Lakeside darts January 7, 2010 DARTS: A man who went to Lakeside to watch the BDO world championship was yesterday found dead under the frozen lake at the tournament’s venue. “It’s a tragedy,” said Robert Holmes of the British Darts Organisation. “A body was taken from the lake and it was someone who had been here to watch the darts. [...]
Interest rate held at 0.5% January 7, 2010 The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has once again frozen the interest rate at 0.5 per cent. It also agreed to continue with quantitative easing to help shore up the economy. The interest rate has remained unchanged since March after the MPC took drastic action to tackle the global economic crisis. Quantitative easing [...]
Sainsbury’s reports “record” Christmas performance January 7, 2010 SUPERMARKET chain J Sainsbury was given a festive boost with sales rising by 3.8 per cent as shoppers snapped up food and drink for Christmas. The like-for-like sales figures for the 12 weeks to Boxing Day beat the forecasts of City analysts who had predicted a 3.5 per cent gain. The data also show that [...]
Persimmon in house sales boost January 7, 2010 Housebuilder Persimmon remained cautious over the health of the housing market despite a stronger performance in the second half of 2009. The FTSE 250 group said it completed the sale of 8,796 new homes during 2009, which generated a turnover of around £1.4bn. Almost 5000 of these properties were sold in the second half – [...]
JD Sports “back on track” after seasonal lift January 7, 2010 JD Sports Fashion said it was on track beat the City’s profit expectations for the year after enjoying a festive boost. Like-for-like sales rose 6.6 per per cent in the five weeks to January 6, driven by the performance of its fashion-focused chains Bank and Scotts, where trading rose 9.7 per cent. The group said [...]
