Wenger hits back at unrest over lack of transfer activity August 20, 2013 Arsenal boss points to sustained success during his tenure UNDER-PRESSURE Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has launched a staunch defence of his record in the transfer market as frustrations grow from supporters at a lack of activity. While north London rivals Tottenham are preparing to break the £100m barrier for their summer spending, the Gunners have [...]
BT Sport has a mountain to climb in its bid to beat BSkyB August 19, 2013 A COUPLE of friends of mine have spent most of their summer putting together what is certain to be an entertaining and enlightening show for Sky Arts called Portrait Artist of the Year. Presented by the comedian Frank Skinner, the series involves members of the public painting portraits of celebrities, including the actress Juliet Stevenson. [...]
Premier League: Pardew left furious with Arsenal over poor timing August 19, 2013 MANCHESTER CITY 4 vs NEWCASTLE UNITED 0 NEWCASTLE manager Alan Pardew slammed Arsenal for the timing of their £11m bid for midfielder Yohan Cabaye, which he believed had a devastating effect on their performance at the Etihad Stadium last night. The France midfielder missed the defeat to Manchester City with news of the Gunners’ offer [...]
Jol thrilled after Parker becomes Fulham’s eighth summer signing August 19, 2013 FULHAM manager Martin Jol believes signing midfielder Scott Parker from London rivals Tottenham represents a major coup for his club. The 32-year-old has penned a three-year deal and is in line to make his debut against Arsenal on Saturday. Parker is the third former Spurs player to have arrived at Craven Cottage this summer, after [...]
Moyes mulls over new bid August 19, 2013 MANCHESTER UNITED are weighing up whether to make a second approach for Everton’s Leighton Baines and Maroune Fellaini, after the Toffees rejected their initial combined £28m bid, labelling it “derisory” and “insulting”. United made their move for the duo before the weekend’s opening round of Premier League fixtures, however, Everton immediately rejected the offer. “Everton [...]
BT Sport pulls in the fans amid £1bn Sky Sports war August 18, 2013 BT SPORT kicked off its bid to take on rival Sky Sports with a peak television audience of 764,000 for its opening day match on Saturday, it emerged yesterday. The number tuning in for the lunchtime fixture between Liverpool and Stoke City is on a par with opening day games shown on broadcasters ESPN and [...]
Premier League: Mourinho will fight until deadline day for Rooney August 18, 2013 AT STAMFORD BRIDGE CHELSEA 2 vs HULL CITY 0 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho will persevere to the end of the transfer window to secure the signing of unsettled Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, despite watching the Blues’ attack rip through Hull City in the opening half an hour of their latest Premier League campaign. An [...]
Premier League: Spurs new boys will get better, says Villas-Boas August 18, 2013 AT SELHURST PARK CRYSTAL PALACE 0 vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 TOTTENHAM boss Andre Villas-Boas believes the best is yet to come from his summer signings after record £26m-buy Roberto Soldado scored the decisive goal at Selhurst Park. Soldado, together with midfielders Paulinho and Nacer Chadli, made accomplished, if unspectacular, debuts in the narrow victory. And [...]
Sport Comment: It’s worth walking to Glasgow for glimpse of a sprint superstar August 18, 2013 GIVEN events at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, and my prediction last Monday that Arsenal would win the Premier League this season, you may be inclined to give this column a miss this week on the grounds that the writer clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It is a marathon not a sprint, remember; still [...]
BT Sport strikes Virgin deal for new channels August 15, 2013 VIRGIN Media customers will now be offered access to BT’s new sports channels, after the network providers struck a deal just days ahead of the start of the Premier League season. The three-year deal – BT Sport’s first tie-up with a rival pay-TV service – will mean subscribers to Virgin’s most expensive XL package will [...]