Hammers bank on reserves to save Euro hopes August 5, 2015 WEST Ham manager Slaven Bilic admits he is taking a gamble by fielding a weakened team for tonight’s Europa League qualifier against Astra Giurgiu in Romania. Bilic has left several first-team players at home, despite effectively needing a win following last week’s 2-2 draw at Upton Park, as he keeps one eye on Sunday’s Premier [...]
Even at £750m Adidas’ Manchester United kit deal could prove to be a bargain for the sportswear giant August 5, 2015 £75m per year. That’s how much Adidas is paying Manchester United to make their kit. To put that into context, that’s about 2.5 times more than the next biggest Premier League deal (Arsenal and Chelsea both receive £30m per year from Puma and Adidas respectively) and over 10 times more than NFL teams receive from [...]
My Abramovich rows are in past, says Mourinho August 5, 2015 CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho says his conflict with the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, are a thing of the past as he prepares to launch his team’s Premier League title defence. Mourinho left Stamford Bridge under a cloud in 2007 little more than a year after landing successive titles but was lured back in 2013 and [...]
Bale stakes claim for central role with goal to sink old team Spurs August 5, 2015 FORMER Tottenham hero Gareth Bale is hoping that a goalscoring performance against his former club last night convinces Real Madrid bosses to play him in a central role more often. Bale struck the second goal as Real beat Spurs 2-0 in a friendly match in Munich, after Colombia’s World Cup star James Rodriguez had headed [...]
Premier League Fantasy Football: Phil Jagielka, Troy Deeney and nine bargain buy players under £7m August 4, 2015 The Premier League season is just days away and so it's time to sign up to your office's fantasy football league and prepare for nine months of desperate dithering on Friday evenings over what transfers your team needs. Read more: Premier League summer transfer window in one graph Perhaps you're already at that stage, building draft [...]
We’re ready for season, insists Terry August 4, 2015 CHELSEA captain John Terry has played down fears that the Premier League champions are undercooked for the start of their title defence following Sunday’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal. The Blues have one more fixture remaining, against Fiorentina tomorrow, but have so far failed to win a pre-season match in 90 minutes as they prepare [...]
Crystal Palace and West Ham win the house price Premier League August 3, 2015 As football supporters gear up to cheer on their teams when the Premier League kicks off this weekend, one contest has already been won: the house price Premier League – of which Crystal Palace are the winners, after prices in the area around Selhurst Park jumped 17 per cent over the 12 months to June, [...]
Community Shield: Jose swipe as Arsenal land the first blow August 2, 2015 AT WEMBLEY STADIUM ARSENAL 1 CHELSEA 0 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho aimed a double swipe at counterpart Arsene Wenger after Arsenal defeated the sluggish Blues to lift the FA Community Shied in the season’s curtain-raiser. England forward Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain proved the match-winner with a first-half clincher as Wenger recorded his first victory over Mourinho at [...]
£20m: Cost of Manchester United’s failed Angel Di Maria gamble August 2, 2015 Manchester United are poised to cut their losses on Angel Di Maria by selling Britain’s most expensive player to Paris Saint-Germain for considerably less than they paid under a year ago. Winger Di Maria, who cost United a record-breaking £59.7m from Real Madrid in late August 2014, was yesterday in the closing stages of [...]
Cech lauded as Wenger admits clearing hurdle August 2, 2015 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger insisted that goalkeeper Petr Cech presented Chelsea’s players with a psychological dilemma and admitted that FA Community Shield victory over the Blues meant his side had overcome a mental barrier of their own. Former Chelsea stopper Cech, 33, joined FA Cup winners Arsenal in the summer for £10m after a highly [...]