Premier League Ballon burst by Fifa nominations October 26, 2010 THE NOMINATIONS for this year’s Fifa Ballon d’Or award, announced yesterday, provided more ammunition for those critics who claim the Premier League’s stock is on the slide. Of the 23 players nominated for the prestigious title – which has now merged with the Fifa World Player of the Year award – only three came from [...]
Brave Brentford’s cup run over after penalty heartache October 26, 2010 BIRMINGHAM’S veteran striker Kevin Phillips prevented League One Brentford from claiming another sizeable Premier League scalp in the Carling Cup. Andy Scott’s Bees, who edged out Everton in the previous round, were moments away from causing another upset before 37-year-old Phillips pounced in injury time to cancel out Sam Wood’s 68th minute effort. The sides [...]
Indian chicken giant hatches £46m Rovers deal October 26, 2010 OIL billions may have transformed Chelsea and Manchester City into global superpowers but Blackburn believe they have found a saviour in an altogether less glamorous industry: chicken. Indian poultry giant Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group, or Venky’s as it is often known, expects to complete a £46m takeover of the top flight strugglers next month. It would [...]
We can still lure world’s best to Man Utd, says Gill October 25, 2010 Man City’s wage bill may have overtaken United’s but chief executive insists they’ll go on competing MANCHESTER UNITED chief executive David Gill is adamant they can still attract and keep the world’s top players despite refusing to spend as much on wages as Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City. United’s wage policy was thrust [...]
Owners ‘as impotent as a room full of eunuchs’ October 25, 2010 CLUB owners were labelled “as impotent as a room of eunuchs” yesterday as MPs urged the government to step in and take control away from “incapable” bodies such as the Football Association and the Premier League. Politicians from all three major parties called for action from sports minister Hugh Robertson, who is holding a consultation [...]
Fed-up Fabregas bans talk of title challenge after City win October 25, 2010 ARSENAL captain Cesc Fabregas has poured scorn on endless assessments of the Gunners’ chances of winning a first Premier League title since 2004. The north Londoners delivered a powerful statement of intent with a 3-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday, ending a run of defeats against fellow title hopefuls. The victory propelled Arsenal into [...]
Watertight defence will keep us on top, says Cech October 25, 2010 CHELSEA goalkeeper Petr Cech is banking on their miserly defensive record to keep the table-toppers looking down on the rest of the Premier League. Cech has conceded just twice in nine top flight fixtures this season as the Blues have picked up where they left off in last season’s double-winning campaign. Wolves were the latest [...]
Gunners shoot down 10-man City October 24, 2010 MANCHESTER CITY (0) vs ARSENAL (3) ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger hailed a huge victory after his side finally ended a miserable run against fellow Premier League title challengers with a morale-boosting triumph over 10-man Manchester City. The Gunners arrived at Eastlands with a reputation for losing to the top flight’s heavyweights but bucked the trend [...]
Hernandez gets United back on track October 24, 2010 STOKE (1) vs MANCHESTER UTD (2) MEXICO striker Javier Hernandez reminded Wayne Rooney there was nothing wrong with the quality of Manchester United’s summer signings by firing the Red Devils to their first Premier League away win of the season. Following a crazy week in which the England talisman had declared his desire to leave [...]
Kroenke: New Liverpool owners are good guys October 21, 2010 ARSENAL director Stan Kroenke has backed Liverpool’s latest owners, New England Sports Ventures (NESV), to run the club “the right way”. Kroenke, the Gunners’ largest shareholder, knows fellow Americans NESV, owners of baseball’s Boston Red Sox, from their mutual dealings in sports franchises in the United States. Previous Reds owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett [...]