Football’s data liberator: How smarterscout founder Dan Altman plans to bring stats to the mainstream January 28, 2020 Dan Altman has been many things. Economist. Best-selling author. British government advisor. Columnist. Consultant. Teacher. All of those occupations revolved around the use of data, and “after about 15 years” Altman, in his own words, “got a bit bored and decided to try something a bit different.” That boredom has seen the 46-year-old American turn [...]
England hopefuls James Maddison and Jack Grealish with chance to impress in Carabao Cup semi-final January 28, 2020 With a Wembley final awaiting the winner, there is everything to play for in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final tie between Leicester City and Aston Villa. The second leg, poised at 1-1 after a draw at the King Power Stadium three weeks ago, is also a match that will pit two England hopefuls, Villa captain Jack [...]
Shrewsbury 2-2 Liverpool: League One side’s comeback shows that the FA Cup is alive and well amid renewed questioning January 26, 2020 Teeth gnashing about the death of the FA Cup is nothing new. Every season there are opinions voiced and column inches filled by people mourning the decline of English football’s most historic cup competition. Nobody cares about it anymore, the argument goes. Premier League teams aren’t giving it the respect it deserves. Crowds are too [...]
Mike Ashley in talks to sell Newcastle United for £340m January 26, 2020 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley is in talks to sell Newcastle United football club to a consortium including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for £340m. The billionaire owner of Sports Direct – recently renamed Frasers Group – bought Newcastle United in 2007 but is now in talks with a group led by British financier Amanda Staveley [...]
How resurgent Southampton bounced back from that 9-0 defeat to climb the Premier League January 23, 2020 Southampton will come into Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Tottenham full of confidence that they can win, having beaten Spurs 1-0 on New Year’s Day. It is a scenario that few could have envisaged following the record-breaking 9-0 thrashing handed to the Saints by Leicester exactly three months ago Saturday. But having since shot [...]
How Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards rose to the very top January 21, 2020 With the ever-increasing presence of statistical analysis in football, and particularly in player recruitment, has come the rise of the transfer guru. Leicester City’s 2015-16 title success prompted Everton to poach Steve Walsh, the man credited with spotting N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, but he proved unable to unearth similar hidden gems and [...]
You can’t compare Jurgen Klopp’s side to great Liverpool teams but I prefer watching them to Manchester City January 21, 2020 Managers are a vital part of any club and certain conditions – money, clout – are necessary in a rebuilding job, but Jurgen Klopp really has proven to be the perfect fit for Liverpool that he was billed as. Since arriving in October 2015 he has improved the team each year and, having won the [...]
‘Intruder’ Fifa is a threat to European club football, says Spanish league boss Javier Tebas January 20, 2020 Javier Tebas, the man who accused Paris Saint-Germain of “peeing in the pool” and flouting football’s financial rules, is know for shooting from the hip and now it is Fifa in the outspoken Spanish league chief’s crosshairs. Specifically, LaLiga president Tebas is disturbed by his Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino’s apparent determination to transform the Club [...]
Five of the best fee-free football transfers January 20, 2020 Football clubs across the Premier League, Europe and further afield are always eyeing up their next potential stars. To kick off the winter transfer season, here’s our selection of the top fee-free football transfers. After all, the best things in life are free, as the saying goes. Remember, you can enjoy fee-free international payments whether [...]
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United: Sweet 16 for Reds as they extend title lead with win over bitter rivals January 19, 2020 Even for a supporter base that has become reaccustomed to occasions like this there was a particularly joyous mood in the Anfield crowd at the culmination of this victory. Because there is going 16 points clear in the Premier League and taking another huge stride towards a first top-flight title in 30 years, and then [...]