Mourinho issues title challenges July 22, 2014 CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho says his team have matured from last season’s “little horse” and are ready to mount serious challenges for the Premier League and Champions League. Mourinho memorably used the equine analogy last term to depict the Blues as outsiders in the hunt for silverware, saying in February that they still “need milk [...]
Bottom Line: Not such a funny old game if Sky take eyes off the ball July 21, 2014 Football can be damn expensive, these days. As a season ticket holder at one of London’s clubs (clue: the one with more league titles than the rest put together) I am well aware of how costs have escalated during the Premier League era. For fans like myself, the price of following top flight football is now [...]
Sport Comment: Commonwealth Games is a feast of variety and purity July 20, 2014 WHY DO you watch sport, play sport, talk sport, love sport? For 12 days, starting Wednesday, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow offers another chance to question our commitment to something that is inherently, in a world of surface-to-air missiles and global conflict, just a glorious triviality. On Thursday you’ll surprise yourself, telling children and dogs [...]
Manchester United drop to third in Forbes’ world’s most valuable sports teams list July 18, 2014 They may be signing up sponsors like they're going out of fashion this week, but Manchester United have dropped one place to third in the annual Forbes list of the world's most valuable sports teams. The Premier League club have endured their worst season for over two decades, finishing seventh and missing out on a [...]
Sports Direct and Adidas score a deal to sell kits July 17, 2014 SPORTS DIRECT said yesterday that it had held “encouraging talks” with Adidas, after the iconic German sportswear brand refused to provide it with key kit for the teams it sponsored at the World Cup. Adidas withdrew replica shirts for countries including winners Germany – and Premier League teams such as Chelsea – because it was [...]
Van Gaal fires a warning shot at United directors July 17, 2014 Manchester United’s new manager Louis van Gaal has warned that the board’s commercial ambitions may not be compatible with the success demanded at what he deems “the biggest club in the world”. United have led the way in monetising their appeal, as illustrated this week by a £750m, 10-year kit agreement with Adidas, the biggest [...]
Debuchy eyes Gunners glory July 17, 2014 FRANCE full-back Mathieu Debuchy is looking forward to helping FA Cup winners Arsenal to further success after completing a £10m move from Newcastle. Debuchy, 28, is Arsene Wenger’s second signing of the summer and a direct replacement for Bacary Sagna, who has joined Manchester City. “I’m very proud to be joining a great club like [...]
BT One Phone puts BT back in mobile business July 17, 2014 BT is ambitiously launching itself back into the competitive mobile market with its One Phone mobile business service after escaping more than a decade ago when it sold off O2. The cloud-based service connects the landline and mobile calls of business users using a BT sim card. It means calls to numbers for office landlines [...]
William Hill prepares rosy reception for new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal July 17, 2014 Bookmakers William Hill took a novel approaching to welcome Dutch legend Louis van Gaal to the Premier League. The FTSE 100 listed firm hired a team of expert florists who started work at 6am on Wednesday to produce a mural portrait of the Dutchman made out of 25,000 red and white tulips in time for [...]
Manchester City and Nissan sign five-year sponsorship deal July 17, 2014 Manchester City and Japanese car maker Nissan have signed a five-year sponsorship deal that includes a tie-up with the club's growing portfolio of football teams around the world. Nissan’s partnership with Manchester City owner City Football Group will include branding of the football club’s Etihad stadium, and sponsorship of the newly created US team New [...]