Sport Comment: Cosseted players can learn from loyal fans September 22, 2013 EVERY football team has supporters like the two I met on a train on Saturday evening coming back from Newcastle, but just occasionally you wonder if a “meet the fans” evening at every professional club wouldn’t help focus the minds of some players who regard their job as a right and not a privilege, and [...]
Premier League: Holloway feels Palace defeat down to him September 22, 2013 CRYSTAL PALACE 0 vs SWANSEA CITY 2 BANNED Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway shouldered the blame for his side’s defeat to Swansea yesterday, as he completed a two-match touchline ban and was forced to watch helplessly from the Selhurst Park stands. Michu’s second minute strike and a 48th minute goal from Nathan Dyer sealed the [...]
Premier League: Moyes demands United reply after neighbours pile on the humiliation September 22, 2013 MANCHESTER CITY 4 vs MANCHESTER UNITED 1 HUMILIATED Manchester United manager David Moyes demanded an instant response from his shell-shocked players after his first derby ended in a harrowing thrashing by Manchester City. Two goals from Sergio Aguero allied to strikes from Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri inflicted Moyes’s second defeat in three Premier League [...]
Sunderland sack Di Canio after miserable start to the season September 22, 2013 BOTTOM of the table Sunderland parted company with manager Paolo Di Canio last night after less than six months at the helm. The Black Cats have won just three games during the fiery Italian’s tenure, which began on 31 March, and taken a solitary point in the Premier League this season. Following Saturday’s 3-0 away [...]
That was the real Man City, says Pellegrini September 22, 2013 TRIUMPHANT boss Manuel Pellegrini believes the real Manchester City finally made themselves known yesterday in the 4-1 crushing of fierce rivals Manchester United. City had made an indifferent start to the season, dropping points at Cardiff and Stoke in recent weeks. However, the 2012 Premier League champions blew away United with goals from Samir Nasri, [...]
Football Comment: Mourinho pays for risky selection but I still back Chelsea for the title September 19, 2013 JOSE Mourinho’s face looked unusually ashen as his Chelsea side slipped to their first home Champions League group stage defeat for a decade against Basel on Wednesday night. It was their fourth match in a row without winning and compounds their worst start to a Premier League season for 10 years. This isn’t what we [...]
Cahill not panicked by poor start September 19, 2013 CHELSEA defender Gary Cahill revealed the Stamford Bridge dressing room was left in a state of shock by their 2-1 defeat to Basel in Wednesday night’s Champions League opener, but is targeting a west London derby win over Fulham tomorrow to kick-start their form. Second-half strikes from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller cancelled out Oscar’s [...]
Manchester clubs difficult to split in Sunday’s battle September 19, 2013 BEN CLEMINSON AND BILL ESDAILE WITH THE BEST FOOTBALL AND RACING BETS THIS WEEKEND THE Premier League season hasn’t really caught fire yet with last year’s top four all suffering one defeat. Manchester City will probably be the most disappointed as they would really have expected at least 10 points, rather than the seven they [...]
Champions League: Blues beaten as Mourinho cites squad’s immaturity September 18, 2013 CHELSEA 1 FC BASEL 2 CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho blamed mental weakness for his team’s indifferent start to the season, which continued with a shock home defeat to Basel in the Champions League last night. Playmaker Oscar gave the Blues the lead on the stroke of half-time, but second-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Marco [...]
Football League has put players’ careers at risk, says Villas-Boas September 18, 2013 TOTTENHAM manager Andre Villas-Boas has slammed the Football League for inducing fixture congestion, which he fears could endanger his players’ careers. Spurs play Tromso of Norway in the Europa League tonight, which begins a run of three games in six days with a trip to Cardiff City in the Premier League on Sunday followed by [...]