Title blow for Chelsea as Carvalho out for a month March 25, 2010 CHELSEA’S title charge suffered a major blow last night after defender Ricardo Carvalho was ruled out for at least four weeks with an ankle injury. The 31-year-old suffered ligament damage in the 5-0 victory at Portsmouth on Wednesday night and may now require surgery. Carvalho will definitely miss the key fixtures against Aston Villa and [...]
Portsmouth deny player exodus despite special league ruling March 24, 2010 PORTSMOUTH were yesterday granted special permission to sell players outside of the transfer window to ease their financial crisis. Cash-strapped Pompey, who were deducted nine points for going into administration last month, can now offload players with immediate effect – but they will not be able to play for any other Premier League club until [...]
Sky worried despite likely revenue boost March 23, 2010 BSkyB could generate additional revenue of more than £700m if it is allowed to sell Premier League football through Freeview. In a move described by Sky as a “sop”, Ofcom is likely to allow the broadcaster to go ahead with a project dreamed up in 2007 codenamed “Picnic”. This would involve setting up a subscription [...]
Ancelotti: Chelsea won’t sack me March 23, 2010 CHELSEA manager Carlo Ancelotti is convinced he will still be in charge next season, irrespective of whether the team’s Premier League and FA Cup challenges flourish or flounder. It cannot have escaped the self-confessed fan of statistics, however, that Roman Abramovich has dispensed with coaches with better records than his. Ancelotti takes his side to [...]
Tigers chief urges salary cap overhaul March 23, 2010 LEICESTER TIGERS director Peter Wheeler last night called for a major review of the salary cap system in order to help English rugby compete with Europe’s elite. The Guinness Premiership has suffered from an exodus of players heading for the bright lights and big wages of the French Top 14 league, including the world’s best [...]
First Lady of Football Brady eyeing last laugh at embattled West Ham March 22, 2010 ANYONE willing to succeed the much-loved Margaret Mountford as Alan Sugar’s sidekick on The Apprentice is clearly on first-name terms with daunting tasks, but Karren Brady may have surpassed herself with the role of vice-chairman at West Ham. Among the Premier League’s most illustrious clubs but staring down the barrel of financial ruin, they are [...]
FA in lurch as Watmore quits top job March 22, 2010 THE Football Association was thrown into chaos last night after chief executive Ian Watmore resigned less than nine months into the post. The 51-year-old quit just 80 days before England’s World Cup bid amid reports he had become fed up with the on-going power struggle with the Premier League. Watmore only undertook the role last [...]
Van Persie eyes comeback after stepping up training March 22, 2010 ARSENAL striker Robin van Persie has revealed he is close to making a return and expects to play a role in the Gunners’ final push for Premier League and European glory. Holland star Van Persie says he is “medically fit” following a four-month lay-off and has recovered from his ankle injury sufficiently to train with [...]
Chelsea slip to third as Mourinho malaise lingers March 21, 2010 BLACKBURN (1) vs CHELSEA (1) TWICE Jose Mourinho led Chelsea to the Premier League title; this year he appears to have knocked the trophy from his former team’s grasp. The Blues travelled to Ewood Park desperate to show they had recovered from the midweek blow of a Champions League exit to Mourinho’s Inter Milan and [...]
Pompey bidder to stay secret March 21, 2010 PORTSMOUTH have inched closer to having a fifth owner of the season – but the man fronting the bid insists his main backer is not ready to reveal his identity. Property developer Rob Lloyd has been granted access to the crisis club’s books this week in order to carry out due diligence. Lloyd says he [...]