England boss dodges row after FA chief Cup blunder September 5, 2013 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson refused to be drawn into a row with Greg Dyke yesterday after the Football Association chairman classed the national team as no-hopers for next summer’s World Cup. Dyke’s assertion that nobody “realistically thinks we are going to win the World Cup in Brazil” threatened to overshadow the team’s preparations for two [...]
Supersub tasked with torpedoing Moldova September 5, 2013 ONE-CAP wonder Rickie Lambert has been handed the task of firing England back to the top of qualifying Group H tonight and breathing new life into the team’s hopes of reaching next summer’s World Cup. The 31-year-old Southampton forward, a former beetroot factory worker who was playing third-tier football little more than two years ago, [...]
Van Persie backs Moyes as Nani gets new deal September 5, 2013 MANCHESTER United striker Robin van Persie has denied claims of a rift with new manager David Moyes just three games into the Scot’s rocky tenure. Doubts had been raised over the Holland star’s willingness to stay at the champions amid suggestions he did not approve of Moyes’s methods. Van Persie cut a frustrated figure as [...]
England’s lofty ambitions to be brought down to earth by Moldova September 5, 2013 BEN CLEMINSON LOOKS AT ENGLAND’S GAME AGAINST MOLDOVA AND WILLIAM CHRIMES PREVIEWS THE AVIVA PREMIERSHIP AND LONDON DOUBLE HEADER IF THE long-term ambition of England, as set out by Greg Dyke, is to lift the World Cup in 2022, their short-term one looks far more achievable. Even with the new Football Association chairman’s dire warnings [...]
Letters to the editor – 05/09 – Merkel and the EU, Sporting success, Best of Twitter September 4, 2013 Merkel and the EU [Re: Merkel must find a bold new vision or Europe will continue towards disaster, yesterday] Lars Christensen is right to argue that the German Chancellor must set out a vision for the future of Europe. Unfortunately, such a vision looks unlikely to materialise. The philosopher Jurgen Harbemas last week published an [...]
Dyke outlines England plan but could face League snub September 4, 2013 FOOTBALL Association chairman Greg Dyke is facing the threat of an embarrassing snub from the Premier League over his blueprint for overhauling the game and making England world champions within a decade. Dyke yesterday set out his vision for improving the fortunes of the national team, and identified the dwindling number of English players starting [...]
More Moyes misery as Herrera plays down lure of United deal September 4, 2013 MANCHESTER United transfer target Ander Herrera insists he was undecided about joining the Premier League champions before his proposed deadline day move from Athletic Bilbao collapsed. Herrera’s doomed transfer was one of a number of summer deals United failed to pull off, prompting fans to raise concerns that the departure of manager Sir Alex Ferguson [...]
Against the Grain: It’s official: Why the statistics show even England could win the World Cup September 3, 2013 AUTUMN is fast approaching, and the focus of the nation’s sporting interest is switching. No sooner have our boys humiliated the Australians at cricket than a new challenge emerges in the shape of two important qualifying games for the football World Cup. The comedian Bob Doolally articulated the views of many when he said: “If [...]
Arsenal spend at last and spark 12-fold increase in shirt sales September 3, 2013 ARSENAL reported an enormous spike in sales of replica shirts yesterday as fans flocked to celebrate the club record signing of Mesut Ozil. Sales of shirts via the club’s online store were 12 times higher than normal, a Gunners spokesperson said, while retail outlets at the stadium also reported huge interest, with the overwhelming majority [...]
Football Comment: Mourinho arms his rivals’ rivals with loan stars September 3, 2013 THE £30m signing of attacker Willian aside, it was not the players who arrived at Chelsea during the transfer window so much as the ones that they allowed to leave that interested me most. Of those who came in, the big-haired Brazilian is the most exciting and, I’m sure, eased Jose Mourinho’s hunger to lure [...]