England locate rhythm in Brazil win February 6, 2013 INTERNATIONAL ENGLAND 2 vs BRAZIL 1 MANAGER Roy Hodgson heaped praise on Jack Wilshere after the midfielder marked his first international start for 20 months with a man-of-the-match performance in last night’s friendly victory over Brazil. Wayne Rooney’s 33rd England goal and what threatens to be Frank Lampard’s last, either side of Fred’s equaliser, earned [...]
Wrangling over sums threatens top clubs’ vote February 6, 2013 ENGLAND’S top football clubs are today expected to take a historic vote on so-called financial fair play (FFP) measures, but agreement could yet be scuppered by differences over exactly how strict they should be. Representatives of all 20 Premier League clubs have discussed two different ways of reining in spending: restricting year-on-year wage bill rises [...]
Goldman’s O’Neill to step down February 5, 2013 THE ECONOMIST who first picked out the BRIC economies will retire from Goldman Sachs later this year. Jim O’Neill, the chairman of Goldman Sachs’ asset management division, coined the term to refer to the four markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which he forecast would lead a shift in the global economy. Earlier this [...]
Wilshere will be one of best in world, says captain Gerrard February 5, 2013 ENGLAND captain Steven Gerrard has tipped his midfield partner Jack Wilshere to become one of the world’s great players as they prepare to start an international match together for the first time tonight. Gerrard and Wilshere are tasked with inspiring England to a first victory over Brazil since 1990 when the 2014 World Cup hosts [...]
Title-winning Juve boss Conte linked with Chelsea hot seat February 5, 2013 JUVENTUS manager Antonio Conte has emerged as the latest candidate to take over at Chelsea in the summer, according to reports in Italy. The 43-year-old, who masterminded the Turin side’s unbeaten 2011-12 title-winning campaign, is on a shortlist with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho, Swansea’s Michael Laudrup and Stamford Bridge hero Gianfranco Zola, the Gazzetta [...]
Mancini refuses to give up title hope despite nine point deficit February 3, 2013 MANCHESTER CITY 2 vs LIVERPOOL 2 MANCHESTER City boss Roberto Mancini last night insisted that the title race is still alive, despite seeing his team draw for the second time in a week. City trail local rivals Manchester United by nine points at the top of the Premier League, after goals from Edin Dzeko and [...]
England pair snubbed for IPL February 3, 2013 England wicketkeeper Matt Prior and his batting team-mate Ravi Bopara both failed to attract any bids at yesterday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Australia’s Glenn Maxwell fetched the highest price, with Mumbai Indians paying $1m (£637,000) for his services. Fellow Australians Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have attracted criticism for signing up to this year’s [...]
Crunch talks to save Seymour Pierce as City broker scrambles for cash January 31, 2013 THE FUTURE of 130-year-old brokerage Seymour Pierce was hanging in the balance last night as its board met to consider administration unless a last-minute investor comes forward. Seymour Pierce, which has been in talks with several potential investors in recent months, is believed to have put Grant Thornton on notice as administrator. The small-cap broker, [...]
Beckham to forgo wages after sealing Paris match January 31, 2013 FORMER England captain David Beckham joined Paris Saint-Germain in the highest-profile transfer of deadline day – and then sprung another shock by announcing that his wages will be donated to charity. The 37-year-old midfielder, who has signed a five-month contract until the end of the season, revealed his pay packet, thought to be around £150,000 [...]
Spending up on 2012 but shy of record January 31, 2013 PREMIER League clubs spent around £37m on deadline day, taking the total spend for the January transfer window to £125m. The overall figure is double last January’s meagre £60m outlay, and the fourth highest spend by top flight sides since the winter window’s introduction in 2003. But it was well short of the record £225m [...]