Desire to emulate Barca’s style leaves defences cruelly exposed October 30, 2011 SATURDAY’S goalfest at Stamford Bridge may have made the task of those whose job it is to sell Premier League TV rights easier, but the match showcased just how far the standard of defending exhibited by the top teams has dipped this season. While Arsenal’s defensive fragility has been long-standing – though Laurent Koscielny’s recent [...]
Walcott: Gunners firing again after Stamford Bridge heroics October 30, 2011 ARSENAL forward Theo Walcott believes Saturday’s landmark win at Stamford Bridge emphatically proved his side are over their early season troubles. Eight wins in their last nine games in all competitions has helped instil belief in a side who had struggled to come to terms with the high-profile summer departures of former captain Cesc Fabregas [...]
Villas-Boas not prepared to curb his attacking style October 30, 2011 CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas insists he will not change his attacking style despite Saturday’s crushing defeat by Arsenal. The Blues conceded five goals at home for the first time since 1989 in an enthralling London derby as the visitors struck twice in the final five minutes to secure an unlikely win. Despite the nature of [...]
LONDON’S GIANTS FEEL FAN BACKLASH October 27, 2011 • Kroenke forced to defend Hill-Wood • Wenger identifies ‘fear’ and ‘discontent’ • Usmanov to remain frozen out by board• ARSENAL’S majority shareholder Stan Kroenke was forced to defend long-standing chairman Peter Hill-Wood during the club’s stormy AGM yesterday. The American tycoon had flown in from his homeland to address the 281 fans in attendance [...]
Gunners confident talisman Van Persie will sign new contract October 27, 2011 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger is confident he can persuade club captain Robin van Persie to remain at the club and extend his current contract. The Dutchman is currently in the best form of his career and has scored eight of his side’s 15 goals this season following the brace he notched in last week’s defeat [...]
PFA leap to defence of City outcast Tevez October 27, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY striker Carlos Tevez has found ally in the shape of the Professional Footballers’ Association, who claim the four-week fine he received this week for refusing to play is “not justified”. The Premier League leaders found the Argentina international to be guilty of five separate breaches of contract in the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich [...]
Relaxed IPL stance no guarantee of improved showing, says Flower October 26, 2011 ENGLAND coach Andy Flower has dismissed the suggestion that another whitewash on the Subcontinent next year could be avoided were he to make his top players available for Indian Premier League selection. A 95-run defeat in Kolkata yesterday sealed England’s 5-0 humiliation at the hands of the world champions. Of England’s batsmen only Ravi Bopara [...]
A twenty-first century trade policy for Britain October 26, 2011 THE world may seem in deep economic turmoil, but it is only our part of it. Across the planet, the lumbering Asian superpowers of China and India are ticking along nicely. For many UK companies, exports to these growing economies will be critical to pulling through the next few years. In the longer term, boosting [...]
Eastern promise offered by Park and Arshavin October 25, 2011 ARSENAL 2 vs BOLTON 1 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger believes Park Chu-Young is ready to make a significant impact in the Premier League after the Korea international struck his first goal for the club in last night’s Carling Cup win over Bolton. The Trotters stunned an impressive crowd of over 56,000 at Emirates Stadium with [...]
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 [...]