Wenger’s worry for Turkey trip after Arsenal taken the distance August 17, 2014 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger fears Saturday’s last-gasp win over Crystal Palace could undermine their chances in tomorrow’s Champions League play-off clash with Besiktas. The Gunners were made to sweat until the 90th minute in their Premier League opener before Aaron Ramsey struck the winner, and Wenger admits that effort might leave his side jaded for [...]
Chelsea must overcome teams that park the bus, says Jose August 17, 2014 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho has urged his side to be more streetwise and find a way to unlock opponents intent on defending in numbers ahead of their Premier League opener with top-flight new boys Burnley at Turf Moor tonight. The Blues dropped crucial points at home last season after failing to overcome teams deploying a [...]
Sport Comment: World Cup has been huge credibility boost for women’s rugby August 17, 2014 IT IS the nature of our sporting world that football is the rich man from whose table every other sport has to eat the scraps, and so amid all the hoopla in the week of the resumption of the Premier League it has been particularly bad luck for English cricket and British athletics that their [...]
Premier League warns fans: Posting goal videos on Vine is breach of copyright law August 15, 2014 The Premier League has warned fans against posting videos of goals on Vine and YouTube. Fans harnessed the power of apps like Vine to share clips of last season's most memorable moments – such as Steven Gerrard's emotional on-pitch team talk or the same player's slip against Chelsea. The trend continued throughout the World Cup [...]
Crystal Palace in disarray after Pulis walks over lack of transfers August 14, 2014 CRYSTAL PALACE’S preparations for the new season were plunged into turmoil last night after manager Tony Pulis left the club by mutual consent. The 56-year-old, who was named Premier League Manager of the Year in May after saving the Eagles from relegation, failed to resolve differences over areas of responsibiliy and transfer policy after holding [...]
Football Comment: Title is Jose’s Blues’ to lose August 14, 2014 City A.M. columnist Trevor Steven casts his eye over the new Premier League season IT’S AN unwritten rule that winning a league title is hard, but retaining it is even harder, especially when you’ve got a top five who all harbour genuine aspirations of finishing first. For supporters, it should add up to another exciting [...]
Saints, Baggies and Clarets have most to fear in relegation tussle August 14, 2014 MANAGERIAL experience in the Premier League can be the difference between a club staying up or going down, and I fancy it to decide which of a clutch of relegation candidates survive the drop this season. Aston Villa, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Hull, Leicester, QPR, Southampton and West Brom look in most danger to me. QPR [...]
Mourinho can cast his spell at the Bridge again August 14, 2014 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS THE PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON AND THE OPENING WEEKEND WHILE many of the major European leagues are uncompetitive from a betting perspective, this year’s Premier League looks to be one of the most open in recent years. As the reigning champions, Manchester City are the obvious place to start and they have held [...]
Stoke best bet on tricky opening weekend August 14, 2014 ONLY the top five sides in the Premier League last season lost fewer home games than Stoke and Mark Hughes’s men look a great price to beat Aston Villa tomorrow at the 10/11 generally available. Bojan Krkic has played for glamour teams Barcelona, Roma, AC Milan and Ajax in recent seasons, so it was surprising [...]
Season points trading on Manchester United August 14, 2014 IT IS possible bookmakers have over-reacted to the appointment of Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford and his new club’s pre-season form. Sporting Index traders have made Manchester United joint-third favourites with Arsenal on the Championship 60 Index and have pitched their season points at 75.5-77 – despite the team picking up just 64 last [...]