Van Persie: Ade and I can fire Gunners August 5, 2008 A striker with barely a dozen league starts last season and another who flirted with a move all summer may not seem the safest bet to spearhead a title challenge. But Robin van Persie believes he and forward partner Emmanuel Adebayor are primed to end Arsenal’s three-year trophy drought. Van Persie made just 13 Premier [...]
Bentley: Spurs can break into top four August 1, 2008 David Bentley is convinced his arrival will help Tottenham break the so-called Big Four’s iron grip on Champions League qualification. Spurs have repeatedly failed to live up to expectations of reaching the lucrative and prestigious European club competition. Manager Juande Ramos was recruited from Sevilla last year and tasked with breaking into the top four, [...]
Benitez dragging his heels in transfer saga July 31, 2008 The statement from Aston Villa insisting Gareth Barry will not be leaving the club does nothing but drag an already tedious situation on and on. I really can’t see why they just don’t get on with it. Villa say they have set a deadline but you can’t tell me that, if Liverpool boss Rafa Bentez [...]
Levy furious as Reds sign £20m Keane July 29, 2008 Furious Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy hit out last night after being “forced” to sell striker Robbie Keane to Liverpool for a club record £20.3m. Spurs agreed a deal worth a guaranteed £19m, plus £1.3m depending on clauses – almost three times what they paid Leeds for Keane in 2002, and £1.7m more than they earned [...]
Mind games must be taken with a pinch of salt July 24, 2008 Well, we’re not even at the end of July and already the mind games have started. This promises to be a fascinating Premier League season. Luiz Felipe Scolari has barely hung up his suit on the back of his office door at Chelsea and already he has been given a pleasant ‘welcome’ to English football [...]
Scolari starts with win but snubs Fergie July 24, 2008 Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari refused to rise to taunts from Manchester United after getting his tenure off to a winning start in China. Unsettled midfielder Frank Lampard underlined his value with a fine chipped goal, while new signings Deco and Jose Bosingwa made their debuts in a comfortable 4-0 victory over Guangzhou. But the [...]
Eto’o and Arshavin to replace Spurs strike pair July 22, 2008 Tottenham last night stepped up their war on Manchester United and Liverpool for ‘tapping up’ Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, but already look to have earmarked Samuel Eto’o and Andrei Arshavin as replacements. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been angered by what he sees as deliberate attempts to unsettle the strike duo, and yesterday handed [...]
Babe can Sprint to Super victory July 18, 2008 I did mention that Archipenko was a real threat to Ramonti at Ascot last weekend, but I just thought that Ramonti’s class would win the day. As it was, he was in dire need of the run and never looked a danger; the Godolphin team continue in very poor form. Mike de Kock is such [...]
EPL heralds English Twenty20 shake-up July 17, 2008 A long-awaited English Premier League comprising all 18 first-class counties and two overseas teams will begin in 2010, as part of a radical overhaul of the domestic game. The new competition, which will take place in June and consist of two divisions of 10 teams, was announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) [...]
Milan sign Ronaldinho and pay £10m less than City bid July 16, 2008 Manchester City’s audacious attempt to sign Ronaldinho was finally killed off last night when AC Milan agreed a deal with Barcelona for the Brazil playmaker. Ronaldinho, who fell out of favour during his fifth season at Barcelona, will sign a three-year contract in Milan today after completing the routine medical examination. Milan have reportedly agreed [...]