Hodgson and Ferdinand on commission October 20, 2013 FOOTBALL Association chairman Greg Dyke has confirmed England manager Roy Hodgson and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand as the latest additions to his commission tasked with devising methods to safeguard the national team’s long-term future. Dyke panel began to take shape earlier this month with former England boss Glenn Hoddle, plus ex-international defender Danny Mills [...]
Ferguson says United are fully behind Moyes October 20, 2013 FORMER Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson last night insisted that his successor David Moyes has the full backing of the club, despite a poor start to the team’s season. Southampton’s late equaliser at Old Trafford on Saturday left United eighth in the Premier League table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal. Yet Ferguson says Moyes [...]
BSkyB’s shares hit 12-year high on user growth October 17, 2013 SKY’S growing broadband and TV customer numbers during the three months to 30 September helped push the pay-TV giant’s share price to a 12-year high yesterday. Sky added 800,000 new paid-for subscriptions to its services during the quarter, boosted by 111,000 new broadband subscribers, which took the company to over 5m total broadband customers. Revenues [...]
Bottom Line: Costs bite but Premier commitment pays off October 17, 2013 NO MATTER who wins, wars are always expensive. When BT kicked off its bid to take on rival BSkyB with its own dedicated sports channels earlier this year, it sparked a bidding battle for Premier League football rights that sent prices soaring. Sky acknowledged the hit in its first quarter results yesterday as programming costs rose [...]
Ozil isn’t first of many big deals, Wenger warns October 17, 2013 ARSENAL may have obliterated their transfer record by signing £42.5m Mesut Ozil last month but manager Arsene Wenger has warned fans that the club are not about to abandon their frugal ways. Wenger said further blue-chip signings would be rare, and emphasised that his priority was still developing young players and spotting unheralded talent. The [...]
England ranked 10th in the world but miss out on seeding for Brazil October 17, 2013 ENGLAND jumped seven places in the world rankings to 10th yesterday, but consequently learned they have missed out on a place among the top seeds for December’s World Cup group stage draw. The Three Lions’ presence in pot two for the draw in Bahia on 6 December means they could face hosts Brazil or be [...]
Clubs told to follow suit and slash prices October 17, 2013 SUPPORTERS have urged all Premier League clubs to follow suit after Newcastle, Swansea, West Brom and Hull struck reciprocal deals to cut ticket prices for away fans. Newcastle have agreed to reduce their cheapest away ticket for visiting Swansea and West Brom fans on the basis that they return the favour. The Swans have a [...]
Sky Broadband customer numbers pass five million but profit drops October 17, 2013 Sky has announced this morning that it has seen 50 per cent growth in new paid-for subscriptions, with 800,000 in the three months to 30 September. Profit before tax for the period stood at £245m – down from £288 for 2012/13. (Release) The BSkyB Group has said it has seen nine per cent growth in [...]
Football Comment: Wilshere and Gerrard could be answer to middle riddle October 16, 2013 ROY Hodgson can take great, great positives from the wins over Poland and Montenegro that clinched England’s qualification for the World Cup. First and foremost, Wayne Rooney looks back to his form of two years ago. England’s No10 hasn’t learnt any new tricks; he has simply got his hunger back, there is dynamism in his [...]
Cole ready to shine for West Ham again six months after his release October 14, 2013 FORMER England striker Carlton Cole is determined to prove his worth to West Ham after returning to Upton Park just six months after his release. Cole parted company with the Hammers in the summer after seven years with the club, having scored 59 goals in 237 appearances. Manager Sam Allardyce attempted to re-sign Cole last [...]