FA Cup: Allardyce pleas for clean sheets after cup thriller January 13, 2015 WEST HAM UNITED 2 EVERTON 2 (West Ham win 9-8 on penalties) WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce reiterated the need for his defence to register a greater proportion of clean sheets after the Hammers threw away another lead before navigating an enthralling cup tie 9-8 on penalties at Upton Park last night. Spanish keeper Adrian [...]
Hodgson forced to cancel planned dinner date with England players January 13, 2015 ENGLAND boss Roy Hodgson was last night forced to cancel a dinner meeting with his players after various Premier League clubs objected to the concept due to busy fixture schedules. Hodgson had planned to organize a get-together at the end of the month to conduct a tactical review of November’s 3-1 friendly win over Scotland, [...]
Stifling Ings key to Tottenham’s FA Cup progress January 13, 2015 TOTTENHAM defender Eric Dier insists shackling the attacking potency of Burnley’s England Under-21 striker Danny Ings is pivotal to his side navigating tonight’s FA Cup third round replay at White Hart Lane. Burnley salvaged a replay last week after Wales hitman Sam Vokes shrugged off a nine-month injury nightmare to cancel out Nacer Chadli’s opener. [...]
Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea named as the “most stable” teams in the Premier League January 13, 2015 Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea have been named as the most stable clubs in the Premier League in a new study from the CIES Football Observatory. The study, which looks at how player turnover affects a club’s performance, found that a more settled or “stable” squad would be more likely to achieve success. On [...]
Allardyce bangs drum for Carroll England call-up January 12, 2015 WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce has backed towering hitman Andy Carroll to earn an England recall as his side prepare to face Everton in tonight’s FA Cup third round reply at Upton Park. Carroll has been blighted by injury since the Hammers stumped up a club record £15m to secure his services on a permanent [...]
Premier League: Debuchy injury forces Arsenal to recruit defender January 11, 2015 AT EMIRATES STADIUM ARSENAL 3 STOKE CITY 0 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger insists the need for defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window is pivotal after full-back Mathieu Debuchy dislocated his shoulder during yesterday’s comprehensive defeat of Stoke. The Gunners were at their fluent best and a far cry from the side that meekly surrendered [...]
Southampton march on towards European history with win over Manchester United January 11, 2015 Southampton manager Ronald Koeman insists his team can continue to defy expectations and earn a Champions League debut after they climbed to third in the Premier League with a landmark victory yesterday. Midfielder Dusan Tadic’s 69th-minute goal earned the Saints a first league win at Manchester United for 27 years and lifted them above their [...]
City edge closer to Bony deal as £28m fee agreed January 11, 2015 REIGNING Premier League champions Manchester City are set to bolster their attacking options by concluding the transfer of prolific Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony after agreeing a £28m fee with Swansea City. The deal is believed to be £25m cash upfront with a further £3m in performance-related add-ons, while City expect to finalise the 26-year-old’s [...]
Alan Pardew: Top six the aim if Crystal Palace survive their relegation dogfight January 8, 2015 Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew insists his side can gatecrash the Premier League’s top six next term if he masterminds a successful top-flight survival bid in the remaining months of the campaign. Pardew succeeded the sacked Neil Warnock last week, signing a three-and-a-half year deal at Selhurst Park, after leaving Newcastle and swapping the relative [...]
Sport Comment: Why size isn’t everything for Pardew when choosing clubs January 8, 2015 WHEN word got out that Crystal Palace wanted to take Alan Pardew from Newcastle back to his old Selhurst Park haunts to replace Neil Warnock, there was much chin-scratching and shaking of heads. Why oh why would the Premier League’s second-longest serving manager give up his job in charge of the Geordie nation’s beloved club [...]