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 [...]
Sky may sell Premier footy on Freeview March 21, 2010 BSKYB could soon offer pay-per-view Premier League games and movies to customers through their set-top box. Broadcast watchdog Ofcom is expected to change the rules to allow the new venture this week as part of a massive shake-up of broadcasting laws. The ruling would allow Sky access to millions of homes that do not currently [...]
Reforms required to make India world class March 21, 2010 CITYA.M. readers struggling with the end of the UK winter won’t want to hear I am in India. My business on your behalf is strengthening ties with India’s financial services community, but the hot topic with locals on the street is the Indian Premier League. The remarkable success of this cricket tournament, which only got [...]
Managers eyeing job swaps March 18, 2010 A MANAGER’S future is notoriously precarious but even by those standards this summer is shaping up to be a jamboree of job changes, with Europe’s biggest clubs training their sights on some prestigious names. Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho brought the scramble into sharp focus this week with renewed and feverish speculation about their current [...]
KP: Let’s end winter on a high March 18, 2010 KEVIN PIETERSEN has called on England to finish their busy winter on a high with “one final push” in Dhaka tomorrow. The second Test with Bangladesh brings an end to a hectic programme which has taken England to the middle east via the Champions Trophy in South Africa, an away Test series against the Proteas [...]
European exit could shatter Blues’ season March 17, 2010 IT could take a game or two before the full extent of the damage manifests itself, but I think defeat to Inter Milan will prove to be a huge blow for Chelsea. More than just ending their Champions League campaign, the impact threatens to derail their challenge for two other trophies. After Tuesday’s deserved loss, [...]
Portsmouth 17 points from safety after penalty imposed March 17, 2010 PORTSMOUTH administrator Andrew Andronikou has pointed the finger at former chief executive Peter Storrie for the financial crisis that has doomed the club to relegation to the Championship. The Premier League yesterday confirmed that Pompey have been docked nine points – the standard penalty for going into administration – leaving them 17 points from safety [...]
These days, the beautiful game is as much about the bottom line as goals March 17, 2010 I T used to be the case that the biggest day in a football fan’s life was a trip to see their side at Wembley in a cup final. For many football fans, though, it’s no longer the dream destination of Wembley that keeps them up at night. Instead, it’s the prospect of a High [...]