City hit Tevez with £800,000 fine and find him guilty of refusing to play October 25, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY last night threw the book at Carlos Tevez, fining the striker £800,000 after finding him guilty of refusing to play in last month’s match against Bayern Munich. City chiefs concluded a month of investigations into the unsettled Argentinian’s conduct in the Champions League fixture by finding him guilty of five separate breaches of [...]
It’s a cracker: Balotelli face of firework safety drive October 24, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY have delighted in confounding expectations this season but last night sprung a surprise equal even to their 6-1 demolition of Manchester United when they unveiled Mario Balotelli as the face of a firework safety campaign. Striker Balotelli, no stranger to controversy throughout his short career, was forced to flee his Cheshire home in [...]
Super Mario is unpredictable, just like Rooney October 24, 2011 YOU don’t have to cast your mind back far to recall a time when top talents choosing to join Manchester City raised eyebrows and prompted mutterings about money. Even in the summer when they signed Sergio Aguero, one of the most recent of their high-profile acquisitions, people were surprised. In a few months all that [...]
Football clubs on side in support of the economy October 24, 2011 UNTOLD ink is expended on the trials and tribulations of England’s football clubs. Public houses would be thrown into silence without our national pastime and fervent worshippers spend money hand over fist to prove their allegiance to their club. Yet this national obsession is all too rarely thought about as the economic powerhouse it is. [...]
Balotelli sparkles as ruthless City inflict United’s worst home defeat for 56 years October 23, 2011 MANCHESTER UTD (1) vs MANCHESTER CITY (6) SHELLSHOCKED Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reflected on “the worst result in my history, ever” after his side were subjected to their heaviest home defeat since 1955 by their bitter rivals. Two goals apiece from Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko plus strikes from Sergio Aguero and David [...]
Terry denies racism as AVB rails at ref October 23, 2011 QPR (1) vs CHELSEA (0) CHELSEA captain John Terry last night emphatically denied allegations he made racist comments to QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in yesterday’s explosive west London derby. Blues stars Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa were both sent off in a match decided by Heidar Helguson’s first-half penalty, and manager Andre Villas-Boas could face [...]
Wenger: Arsenal not reliant on Robin October 23, 2011 ARSENAL (3) vs STOKE CITY (1) ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger insists the Gunners are not a one-man team despite again relying on in-form striker Robin van Persie, this time off the bench, to claim all three points. Van Persie, who was rested from the start and has now scored 25 goals in 26 Premier League [...]
Spurs pile misery on Rovers boss October 23, 2011 BLACKBURN (1) vs TOTTENHAM (2) TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp urged Blackburn fans to rally behind Steve Kean after deepening the embattled manager’s troubles with victory at Ewood Park. A fine goal in each half from Rafael van der Vaart eclipsed Mauro Formica’s equaliser, lifted Spurs to fifth and kept Rovers bottom of the Premier League [...]
Jol forgives Zamora after Toffees punish late miss October 23, 2011 FULHAM (1) vs EVERTON (3) FULHAM manager Martin Jol last night refused to blame Bobby Zamora for missing a glaring open goal after the Cottagers paid a hefty price for the striker’s late blunder. With the score at 1-1 in the 89th minute, Zamora rounded Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard – yet astonished the crowd by [...]
PAV THAT | Russian’s rocket sinks Rubin October 20, 2011 TOTTENHAM (1) vs RUBIN KAZAN (0) TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp hailed the contribution of striker Roman Pavlyuchenko after a thunderous free-kick helped sink his compatriots to put Spurs within touching distance of the Europa League knockout stages. The Russian has yet to start a Premier League match this season, and has only featured twice from [...]