New boy Seb hails dream Spurs debut to stun Reds August 16, 2009 NEW signing Sebastien Bassong hailed his “perfect debut” after earning Tottenham a dream Premier League start against title contenders Liverpool. Just ten days after completing his £8m move from Newcastle, Bassong met Luka Modric’s free-kick for his first goal in English football to ensure his side claimed a prized early-season scalp. Full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto gave [...]
Rooney set 20-goal target to fire United August 16, 2009 SIR ALEX FERGUSON backed Wayne Rooney to fire 20 goals for Manchester United this season after his solitary first-half strike put paid to brave Birmingham at Old Trafford. The England striker got the champions up and running with a 34th minute winner from close range after seeing a header hit a post. His 99th goal [...]
Draw looks the safest bet in White Hart Lane clash August 13, 2009 TOTTENHAM vs LIVERPOOL SUNDAY 4.00PM – SKY SPORTS 1 THIS is a huge season for both Harry Redknapp and Rafa Benitez and they will know that they can send out a big message to their rivals with a win here. Liverpool have the edge in recent league encounters, winning five of the last seven meetings, [...]
Clubs vying for capital gains August 13, 2009 LAST YEAR might have been a bad one for the City, but for London’s clubs it was a boom time of sorts. Although Chelsea were the only side to finish with silverware, all five of the capital’s outfits claimed top 10 places, and most have reasonable hopes of improving this season. But on the eve [...]
Lethal Anelka to Nic it for settled-down Chelsea August 13, 2009 NOT since a certain Jose Mourinho was stalking the Stamford Bridge dugout in his Armani overcoat have Chelsea lifted the Premier League trophy. But I’ve a feeling new boss Carlo Ancelotti will be hoisting it aloft come May. The Blues look stronger to me than last season, while their rivals appear to be weaker. Manchester [...]
The big kick-off is a blackout for some August 13, 2009 WITH the football season starting in earnest tomorrow, ESPN, the Disney-owned broadcaster, is proudly trumpeting its coverage on all four pay television platforms, BSkyB, Virgin Media, BT Vision and Top-Up TV. ESPN, which has taken over the rights to 46 live Premier League matches from the now defunct Setanta, agreed deals with all the main [...]
Chelsea can stop United’s historic four-in-a-row bid August 13, 2009 THE Community Shield is never of major significance to the top managers, but it’s one-nil to Carlo Ancelotti after his first tussle with likely title rival, Sir Alex Ferguson. The sides looked very evenly matched, but Cristiano Ronaldo is a huge loss for United and if they get a couple of injuries to big players, [...]
Phillips: United don’t scare us August 13, 2009 KEVIN PHILLIPS insists newly-promoted Birmingham City have nothing to fear when they open their new Premier League account with a visit to Manchester United on Sunday. Veteran striker Phillips, 36, is back in the top-flight after a two-year absence having won back-to-back promotions with West Brom and then the Blues. His reward is a daunting [...]
TV VIEW: RAY STUBBS August 13, 2009 Title race will be closer than everManchester United and Liverpool both have the motivating factor of 18 titles each, and both have strength in depth. Yes, United have sold a few players, but let’s see how they react. Chelsea will be a big force this year and while I think it would be naive to [...]
Cattermole joins Black Cats August 12, 2009 FOOTBALL: Sunderland last night completed the £6m signing of England Under-21 midfielder Lee Cattermole from Wigan. Cattermole has penned a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light, where he will again work under manager Steve Bruce, who signed him for Wigan from Middlesbrough last summer. The combative 21-year-old is in line to make his Black [...]