Barton was close to Arsenal move September 21, 2011 FOOTBALL: Queens Park Rangers captain Joey Barton has revealed he was close to signing for Arsenal. The midfielder claimed an incident that saw Arsenal’s Gervinho sent off scuppered a deal. Barton was criticised for going to ground too easily as the Ivory Coast forward was red-carded in the Premier League opening day 0-0 draw with [...]
United could be forced to delay its IPO September 20, 2011 MANCHESTER United may be flying on the pitch but its IPO in Singapore appears to have stalled. Sources close to the transaction told City A.M. the club is struggling to convince cornerstone investors to invest at its target price against a backdrop of volatile markets. The club is hoping to raise in the region of £640m [...]
Wenger’s not an idiot and won’t be fired, say Arsenal September 20, 2011 ARSENAL chief executive Ivan Gazidis has strenuously rebuffed talk of a crisis at the Emirates Stadium and insisted there is no chance of embattled manager Arsene Wenger being sacked. The Gunners have endured their worst start to a top-flight season for more than 50 years, with Saturday’s 4-3 defeat to Blackburn leaving them 17th in [...]
Toon heap misery on McClaren September 20, 2011 NEWCASTLE needed an last-ditch, extra-time winner from Fabricio Coloccini to see off Championship Nottingham Forest and reach the fourth round of the Carling Cup. Danny Simpson looked to have won it in the 93rd minute but Marcus Tudgay dragged Steve McClaren’s Forest level for a third time – only for defender Coloccini to have the [...]
United open gap as Torres shows best and worst September 18, 2011 MANCHESTER UTD (3) vs CHELSEA (1) CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas defended embattled striker Fernando Torres after his missed open goal helped condemn them to defeat at rivals and early-season pace-setters Manchester United. Torres squandered a golden chance to reduce the deficit to just one goal in the second half when he sprung the offside trap [...]
Spirited Fulham frustrate Mancini and terminate City’s perfect start September 18, 2011 FULHAM (2) vs MANCHESTER CITY (2) MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini accused his players of wastefulness for the second time in four days after seeing Fulham’s spirited second half comeback end his side’s 100 per cent start to the Premier League season. On Wednesday the Italian was displeased with the selfishness exhibited by his forwards [...]
Man Utd given green light for Singapore listing September 16, 2011 Premier League football club Manchester United has received permission from the Singapore Exchange for a planned $1 billion (£633m) listing in a deal that would include non-voting preference shares, two sources told Reuters. The IPO would include stapled securities that bundle with ordinary and preferential shares, one of the sources told Reuters, consistent with expectations [...]
Young Spurs pass a test of character September 16, 2011 PAOK SALONIKA (0) vs TOTTENHAM (0) TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp was full of pride as his makeshift side clung on to claim a point amid the white-hot atmosphere of PAOK Salonika’s notorious Toumba Stadium. With a view to Sunday’s Premier League showdown against fellow Champions League aspirants Liverpool, Redknapp made 10 changes to his side, [...]
Home advantage should give champions the edge September 15, 2011 MANCHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA SUNDAY – 4.00PM SKY SPORTS IT has been an incredible start to the Premier League season for Manchester United with four straight wins, 18 goals scored and only three conceded. They bounced back to earth slightly against Benfica on Wednesday night, but the 1-1 draw wasn’t a bad result and they [...]
Selfish City are stalled on their big night September 14, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY (1) vs NAPOLI (1) MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini accused his players of putting personal glory before the team after Napoli held the Premier League pace-setters to a draw on their Champions League debut. City needed a free-kick from Aleksandar Kolarov to rescue a point from their first match against Europe’s elite for [...]