Hammers owners will add extra spice, says Ridgewell February 9, 2010 BIRMINGHAM captain Liam Ridgewell believes David Gold and David Sullivan’s takeover of West Ham will add a little extra spice to tonight’s clash at Upton Park. Sullivan and Gold spent 17 years in charge at St Andrews before selling to new owner Carson Yeung and buying a 50 per cent share in the Hammers last [...]
Sullivan refuses to back down after Zola outburst February 9, 2010 WEST HAM co-owner David Sullivan last night refused to apologise to Gianfranco Zola after suggesting the manager was overpaid. Sullivan also riled Zola for hinting he would ask all of the hard-up club’s staff to take a pay cut in the summer. The Italian hit out at the comments yesterday, criticising the timing, ahead of [...]
Polo Ralph Lauren’s Duffy jumps on board at Celtic February 8, 2010 LIFE-LONG Celtic fan Brian Duffy has joined the board of the Scottish Premier League club as an independent non-executive director. London-based Duffy is group president, Europe, of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. He joined Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation in 2003 as president and chief operating officer, Europe, from the Sara Lee Corporation where he held [...]
Blackburn fan dies in hospital February 7, 2010 FOOTBALL: A 30-year-old man who was found unconscious during a Premier League match at Stoke City on Saturday, has died in hospital. John Taylor, of Darwen, Lancashire, was reportedly struck on the head by a bin before suffering a heart attack in the Britannia Stadium’s south stand, where Blackburn fans were seated, just after 4pm. [...]
New Pompey owner applies for stay of execution February 4, 2010 PORTSMOUTH have appealed for next week’s potentially fatal winding-up hearing to be delayed after being taken over by Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai. Chainrai’s company Portpin was yesterday confirmed as the financially-stricken club’s fourth owner in the space of six months. The 51-year-old took charge after previous owner Ali Al-Faraj defaulted on a loan repayment, [...]
Bruce predicts curtains for the transfer window February 4, 2010 SUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce believes the transfer window will be scrapped when a player eventually challenges the system in court as a restraint of trade. Bruce succeeded in pushing through a loan deal for Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari despite missing the Monday deadline, but said the episode might otherwise have provided a test case. [...]
Real pour scorn on Man City February 3, 2010 REAL Madrid have added to criticism of Manchester City’s transfer dealings by portraying as amateurish the Premier League club’s efforts to sign midfielder Fernando Gago. City revived their interest in Gago late on Monday, shortly before the transfer deadline, after a work permit hearing thwarted a deal for Parma’s McDonald Mariga. But the 11th-hour move [...]
Butterfield’s the toast as Premier sides crash out February 2, 2010 CRYSTAL PALACE 3 WOLVES 1 DANNY BUTTERFIELD enjoyed the night of his life as his seven-minute hat-trick earned cash-strapped Crystal Palace a money-spinning tie with Aston Villa. The Eagles were docked ten league points after slipping into administration last week, but Butterfield, who hadn’t scored in over a year before last night, handed his side [...]
Grant slams Pompey chief for breaking promises February 2, 2010 PORTSMOUTH boss Avram Grant has slammed the club for the broken promises which have left them walking a Premier League tightrope. The Israeli claims he was told he would be in the position to add four new faces to his struggling Pompey side in the January window, but instead saw two of his best players [...]
January Transfers | Key points February 1, 2010 HARD-UP top-flight clubs tightened their belts in the January transfer window, spending a fraction of what they have in previous years. Premier League outfits spent a total of £30m in January, compared to the downturn-defying £170m splashed out just a year earlier. To illustrate the dramatic change this year, in 2008 teams spent £150m. This [...]