Trevor Steven: Supply teacher Rafa Benitez was never right fit for Everton Opinion Watching them lose at Norwich City on Saturday made me realise that Rafa Benitez’s Everton were in crisis. It was the first time I had worried about their prospects for the rest of the season, the first time I thought that there was nothing left from this group of players under that manager. Although we [...]
English football’s postponement rules are broken. It needs to fix them Opinion To say the postponement of yesterday’s north London derby divided opinion would be an understatement. Tottenham Hotspur and, going by social media, the overwhelming majority of their fans were outraged that Arsenal’s request to defer the game for an unspecified number of Covid-19 cases had been accepted by the Premier League. Arsenal supporters, meanwhile, seemed [...]
Rafa Benitez sacked as Everton manager Sacked Rafa Benitez has been sacked as Everton manager after less than seven months in charge. In a statement, Everton said: “Everton Football Club can confirm the departure of Rafael Benitez as first team manager. “Benitez, who joined Everton in June 2021, has left the Club with immediate effect. “An update on a permanent replacement will [...]
Will Mikel Arteta’s real Arsenal stand up? January 13, 2022 When tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Arsenal was due to take place last week, there was a spring in the step of Mikel Arteta and those at the London club. Seven days later, they go into the contest attempting to recover from a costly stumble that has revived questions about the [...]
Manchester City returns to profit while revenue increases to £569.8m January 12, 2022 Manchester City have announced a profit of £2.4m and revenues of £569.8m in their annual report for the 2020-2021 season. The Premier League leaders saw their revenue increase by 19 per cent. The profits came despite a season disrupted by Covid-19 which saw restrictions placed on stadium capacities – City’s matchday income was down 98 [...]
Trevor Steven: Remaining Premier League drama lies in top four race January 12, 2022 Manchester City’s visit from Chelsea on Saturday is shaping up to be a Premier League title decider for at least one of the teams involved. City have really stepped on the accelerator over the last month while the two sides hoping to dethrone them, Chelsea and Liverpool, have begun to lose touch at the top. [...]
Liverpool Covid-19 outbreak was false positives, reveals Klopp January 10, 2022 Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that the Covid-19 outbreak that prompted the club to call off a match last week turned out to be the result of several false positives. The club successfully requested a postponement of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal on Thursday, citing a “severe outbreak” of the virus. [...]
Why Cambridge’s FA Cup triumph at Newcastle is good for football January 9, 2022 Upsets were in abundance over FA Cup third round weekend, from sixth-tier Kidderminster Harriers beating Reading and Conference outfit Boreham Wood progressing for the first time. There was drama galore elsewhere too, with Morecambe and Shrewsbury Town giving scares to Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool respectively and Barrow eventually succumbing in a nine-goal thriller at Barnsley. [...]
Newcastle confirms the signing of Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier January 7, 2022 Newcastle have confirmed the signing of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee.
FA Cup: Chesterfield eye biggest upset in their history against Chelsea January 7, 2022 While just one team has ever won the FA Cup while outside of the league set-up – Tottenham Hotspur, 121 years ago – the dream of a run in the famous competition hasn’t lost its fizz for clubs further down the pyramid. Tomorrow, non-league Chesterfield are due to enjoy their moment in the spotlight when [...]