The £30m man: London clubs count cost of Villas-Boas December 16, 2013 FOOTBALL manager Andre Villas-Boas cost Tottenham and Chelsea a combined outlay of close to £30m in less than two-and-a-half years in England. The Portuguese’s 17-month tenure at Spurs ended yesterday when he was sacked, just hours after losing 5-0 to Liverpool in the Premier League club’s worst home defeat for 16 years. Villas-Boas is thought [...]
Blame Spurs chief Levy for AVB failure, says Lineker December 16, 2013 TOTTENHAM and England great Gary Lineker has pointed the finger at chairman Daniel Levy after the club sacked Andre Villas-Boas yesterday. Villas-Boas was fired the morning after losing 5-0 to Liverpool in the team’s worst home Premier League defeat this century. Lineker admitted the appointment had not worked but said those in charge of recruiting [...]
Arsenal renew interest in £15m Michu December 16, 2013 ARSENAL have revived their interest in signing Swansea and Spain striker Michu as they look to boost their attacking options in January, it is understood. The Gunners considered a move for the 27-year-old in the summer, after he scored 22 goals in a sensational debut season in English football. He has only netted six times [...]
Drogba set for Stamford Bridge return as English sides drawn against familiar foes December 16, 2013 FORMER Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has revealed his joy after his new team Galatasaray were drawn against the Blues in the Champions League last 16. It is one of several reunions thrown up by the draw, which sees Arsenal face holders Bayern Munich in a repeat of last year’s tie and Manchester City, who boast [...]
Premier League: AVB vows to fight on after Spurs suffer another rout December 15, 2013 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0 vs LIVERPOOL 5 SHELL-SHOCKED Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas insisted last night that he will not be forced to quit despite the north Londoners suffering their worst home defeat in 16 years. A brace from Luis Suarez, as well as goals from Jordan Henderson, Jon Flanagan and Raheem Sterling, inflicted a second drubbing [...]
Wenger not happy to win title if Arsenal can’t beat big rivals December 15, 2013 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger says he would not tolerate his team losing more big clashes against key title rivals even if they were to win the Premier League by beating lower-ranked sides. The Gunners went down 6-3 at Manchester City on Saturday, their third league defeat of the season, yet remain two points clear at [...]
Premier League: Welbeck at the double for United December 15, 2013 ASTON VILLA 0 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 3 MANCHESTER United boss David Moyes fumed at the treatment meted out to youngster Adnan Januzaj after his side ended their Premier League losing run. Two goals from striker Danny Welbeck and one for midfielder Tom Cleverley defeated Aston Villa and lifted United to eighth, 10 points off the [...]
Swans earn a draw at Norwich December 15, 2013 FOOTBALL: Swansea held onto their top-half position in the Premier League yesterday with a 1-1 draw at Norwich. Nathan Dyer put the visitors in front before Gary Hooper equalised.
Football Comment: Premier showdown overshadows Euro tests for title rivals December 12, 2013 MISSING out on top spot in their Champions League groups is no disaster for Arsenal and Manchester City, though there’s no doubt they were distracted in Europe by the prospect of tomorrow’s meeting. Ideally the Gunners would have finished first but there’s no shame in losing at Napoli. They achieved their objective of qualifying for [...]
I’m sure West Ham will keep faith with me, says Allardyce December 12, 2013 UNDER-FIRE West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his job is safe despite an alarming dip in form that has pushed them to the brink of the relegation zone. Four defeats from their last five Premier League games mean the Hammers are just goal difference above 19th place, while all the teams below them have reacted [...]