Sports Category
Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.
Sunderland: Di Canio allegedly spat in his own face and hoped fans attacked players with poo
THE Daily Mirror are reporting Exhibit X/Y/Z (we forget which letter we’re down to these days) in the “Proof if proof were needed that Paolo Di Canio is an angry, incomprehensible, barely coherent goon balloon” file this afternoon, claiming that the Italian “spat in his own face several times” as part of the dressing room rant that eventually culminated with his sacking as Sunderland manager last week.
With the allegations coming by way of Sunday People scribe Alan Nixon, Di Canio is said to have spat in his own face a few times after Sunderland’s defeat at West Brom; taking swigs of water, spraying it into the air, letting it fall on his face, rubbing it in and then yelling at his players “that is what you have done to me, spat in my face” before telling them all to do it to themselves.
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Arsenal: Mark Lawrenson looks in the Mirror for the fools who said Manchester United were going great and the Gunners were doomed
HOW hard is it to be BBC football pundit who shares his bon mots with the Daily Mirror? Let’s look at Mark Lawrenson:
“While Arsenal go backwards, the big clubs have started the new season as they mean to go on…I have no idea what Arsenal are doing…it is all just a mess at the Emirates…just shows you how far Arsenal have fallen behind.”
“I have no idea what Arsenal are doing.”
And those are the truest words he has ever said.
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Posted: 30th, September 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Manchester United watch: Moyes’ paranoia, Liverpool relived and rejecting Ferguson’s winners
MANCHESTER United lose at home to West Bromwich Albion. Some shock. But what did David Moyes say at the start of the season:
“I think it’s the hardest start for 20 years that Manchester United have had. I hope it’s not because Manchester United won the league quite comfortably last year the fixtures have been made much more difficult. I find it hard to believe that’s the way the balls came out of the bag, that’s for sure. But if it is a hard start for Manchester United, it is a hard start for everyone else because they have to play us.”
Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the first five matches is tough. But United earned one point from those three matches. They’re not that hard to beat.
He then added:
“To win the Champions League, you need five or six world-class players. Look at Bayern Munich, they have it. Look at Barcelona, who had it in the past and Real Madrid, who have maybe got it now. That’s the level you have to be at to win it. We’ve not got that yet.”
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Posted: 30th, September 2013 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment (1)
Manchester United: Everton’s agent Moyes evokes memories of 1987
HOW bad are things for Manchester United?
Well, under Moyes, they’ve have dropped 11 points in the Premier League. Last season they didn’t drop that many points until mid-January.
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Posted: 30th, September 2013 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler runs foul of the language police
POOR old Robbie Fowler. Back in his day a footballer could poke his backside out at another professional he accused of being ‘gay’ and laugh. Now Fowler’s landed a job as a pundit on the BBC’s Final Score. His mind turned to the Tottenham-Chelsea game, where Fernando Torres and Jan Vertonghen were, as he opined, “pulling at each other like a pair of girls”.
We think we know what he means. But people complain on Twitter and the BBC gets upset. Fowler feels a need to apologise, which makes him look weak as well as off-message. Says Fowler:
“I made a comment about women’s football. I do apologise. I’m a big, big fan of Liverpool Ladies, who have got a chance of winning the [Women’s Super League] tomorrow and I’ll be watching. Obviously, anyone at home who was offended, I am deeply sorry. Hope that’s the end of that.”
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Liverpool: The Sun won’t let Luis Suarez move on from that bite
CAN Liverpool’s Luis Suarez be allowed to move on by the partisan anti-foreigner, righteous English press? No. This is how the Sun reported on Suarez’s two-goal salvo that saw Liverpool beat Sunderland and move to second in the Premier League:
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Posted: 29th, September 2013 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Liverpool: England’s Sturridge wasn’t cheating when he scored with his arm – he’s no Suarez
WHEN Liverpool played Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, England’s Daniel Sturridge scored the first goal with his elbow. Handball, surely. But the goal stood. Was it cheating, then? When Uruguay’s Luis Suarez scored with his hand against Macclesfield last season he was labelled a “cheat“.
To see what the experts think of it all, first we read the Sunderland Echo’s report:
In the 27th minute Gerrard curled in a corner from the left which was met by the unmarked Daniel Sturridge six yards out, who was unable to make a connection with his head, but the ball bounced off his outstretched arm and beat Larsson on the line.
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Posted: 29th, September 2013 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comments (5)
Police despatch football fans by pressing ‘fast forward’ on train station escalator
TO Stockholm for the local derby between Djurgården and AIK. Supports from both teams have hit the train station at the same time. A mass of rowdy fans have assembled by the escalators. What to do? Well, the police make the stairs run faster. The fans are despatched in record time. BritishTransport Police are free to try this at the next Arsenal v Spurs match. And then sit back to wait for the insurance claims to come flooding in.
Spotter: Pies
Manchester United: Moyes sent to Gibraltar, West Bromwich Albion are shameful and Man City pounce on Januzaj
MANCHESTER United Watch: a round-up of the day’s United news in the media. United have made their worst start to a Premier League season in 24 years.
David Moyes wants more is United are to win the Champions’ League:
“To win the Champions League you have to have five or six world class players. If you look at Bayern Munich, they have five or six, nearly, world class players. To be considered to win it, you might have to have that in your squad. Look at Barcelona, who had it in the past, and Real Madrid have maybe got it now. That’s the level you have to get at to win it.
“We’ve not got that yet but what we have got is experience and several players who are in that category or close to it.”
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Posted: 29th, September 2013 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
In the celebrity Petri Dish with Kelly Brook, Cheslea’s Ashley Cole, Danny Cipirani and Katie Price fan Jemma Henley
READERS may recall the name Jemma Henley from the Daily Mail’s story “Ashley Cole’s ‘three-month affair’ with a contestant on Katie Price’s model show”.
The mother-of-three has said of her protegee: ‘She has fierce model written all over her.”
Well, you pick your surgeons and tattoo artists and you take your chances.
You may also recall her Jemma from a 2005 TV about US Brat Camps and this 2011 report in the Oxford Mail:
A FORMER wild child teenager whose behaviour shocked TV viewers has marked turning her life around by getting a tattoo of her idol… the 22-year-old, who was expelled from five schools but has since posed for Nuts, Zoo, Maxim and Loaded, has had a full-length portrait of Jordan tattooed on her right arm.
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Posted: 29th, September 2013 | In: Celebrities, Sports | Comment
Arsenal gif: Ozil spits out gum, volleys it and catches it in his mouth in warm up at Swansea
ARSENAL gif of the year: Mesut Ozil spits out gum, volleys it and catches it in his mouth in the warm up at Swansea. Given the Gooners’ love for this man, he could have volleyed it into any number of open mouths in the stands:
Posted: 28th, September 2013 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment
In photos: Chelsea’s Fernando Torres and Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen having words
SPURS drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the Premier League. One highlight of the match was Chelsea’s Fernando Torres and Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen having words. Torres ended up getting sent off.
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Liverpool Watch: Mignolet’s coffee politics, Suarez’s baby and Reina’s long, long goodbye
LIVERPOOL Watch: a look at the Reds in the news.
Pepe Reina is back to tell us that his Liverpool career is over. Probably. Says the affable Spaniard now on loan at Napoli:
“At the moment it’s difficult to think about being a Liverpool player next year. They have a young goalkeeper in Simon Mignolet and the manager prefers him to me. That’s the reason why I’m here and he will be at the club next year as well. There’s no reason to think I’ll be a Liverpool player from now on but we’ll see where the future takes us.”
He then revisits the circumstances of his move to Italy:
“It did come as a surprise. It was the club who made the move. I was on my holidays and nobody told me anything. Suddenly Napoli called and said they were agreeing terms with Liverpool and Liverpool just rang me two days later and said the same. They probably had their own reasons. It’s been a good move so far and I don’t regret what happened. I would have preferred to say goodbye in a different way.”
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Posted: 28th, September 2013 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Manchester United Watch: Januzaj stays, Lingard shines, Vidic stars and Moyes picks his team on Fifa 2014
MANCHESTER United Watch: a look at the Red Devils in the news: the pressure is on David Moyes. Well, of course it is.
Peter Schmeichel tells Sky Sports News.
“We always knew that whatever happened after Sir Alex, it would be a bumpy road. Someone had to be really brave and take that job. We knew every little thing that he does would be scrutinised and reported on in the media. It would be a debate – is he good enough? Has he got a few games left before he loses his game? He signed a six-year contract, there’s a reason behind the six years. People in football have short memories. The start of last season is the same as this season, you know.
“We played a relatively few number of games and had two defeats, one at Everton then Spurs at home, and we still managed to win by 13 points. I listened to the radio on the way here and they’re saying it’s not even a top four squad, and I’m thinking ‘guys where do you get this from?”
One thing on Moyes’ agenda is to tie down the talent he has. He wants to keep Nemanja Vidic at Old Trafford. Says Moyes:
“Vidic is probably the best centre half I have ever worked with. He is that good, he really is.”
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Posted: 28th, September 2013 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal Watch: Owen says only Ozil is any good, Ramsay is the world’s best player and Wenger stays forever
ARSENAL Watch: a look at The Gunners in the news: on Monday Arsene Wenger will mark 17 years as the team’s manger.
Says the man:
“I am very grateful to this club because during the 17 years we had ups and downs. They have always shown a big faith in me and they always let me do the job like I thought it had to be done, and if I am still here today it is because I got that consistent support from inside the club. Honestly, I would love to be here forever because that would mean I would be immortal! I am (though) not naive enough to believe that. What I would like to do as long as I am here is give my best for this club because I love this club, of course.”
The club’s owner, Stan Kroenke shares his view on Wenger:
“Arsene knows how we feel, what our philosophy is, what we want to do and I feel like we are totally aligned. I think he wants to do it the exact same way as we do…I really enjoy Arsene – very smart, very intelligent. He has an absolute view on how he runs that team and the club. He has earned that right.
“Don’t look for me to interfere with that. I have learnt over the years that sometimes owners try do that and it is not so good. We’ve always said that there are resources available. There are guys who say that we should push Arsene harder to spend. That’s fair enough – there are always lots of opinions but Arsene is an independent thinker and planner. He works very hard at it and has a wonderful record. He was trained in economics, my undergraduate study was in economics.”
As ever there is some transfer balls:
The Express reports:
Chelsea to gazump Arsenal with £25m January bid for Marseille’s Giannelli Imbula
Liverpool ‘to bid for Arsenal target Javier Pastore’
And there is lots of mindless filler, like this is the Metro:
With Arsenal bidding to win their first league title since 2004, Metro’s Massimo Marioni points to three key points which he believes makes Arsene Wenger’s young pretenders the real deal.
Erm…they’re top of the league
This is followed by the Metro’s scoop:
Arsenal might be bidding to win their first league title since 2004, but Metro’s Jamie Sanderson points to three key reasons as to why Arsene Wenger’s men won’t be champions come May.
Maybe Michael Owen, the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United star can tell us what lies in store for Wenger’s team?
The Telegraph quotes him:
Michael Owen: Arsenal do not look top-four side
…Arsenal are decent, but again none of their back four would make a composite Premier League XI. If I look right the way through the Arsenal team, with a view to picking an all-star side from the top six clubs, I would struggle to nominate one Arsenal player. Mesut Özil is the only one who would have a chance.
On on that note Wales Online salutes Aaron Ramsay:
Gareth Bale has grabbed Welsh football’s headlines this season with his £86million record move to Real Madrid, but it is his Wales midfield team-mate Aaron Ramsey whose deeds on the pitch are earning him rave reviews of ‘best in the world’.
Ramsay is the best footballer in the world but is not good enough for Owen’s Premier League team?
Oh, and in other facts, Thierry Henry has a new tattoo:
Posted: 28th, September 2013 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment
Willian signed contract with Spurs before opting for his ‘dream’ move to Chelsea
ADDING a bit of extra spice to Chelsea’s match with Spurs, the Times claims that Willian signed a contract with Spurs before deciding he’d prefer to play for the Blues.
At a London eatery owned by his agent Kia Joorabchian, Willian signed the contract worth €35 million to Anzhi Makhachkala and shook the hands of Tottenham officials.
Deal done.
Three days later he became a Chelsea player with the immortal words “[it has] been a dream of mine to come and play here”.
The Times says the changed of heart was triggered by Roman Abramovich talking with Suleiman Kerimov, the Anzhi owner.
Willian had signed for Tottenham but Anzhi had not yet received all the paperwork. A short ride across London later and Willian became a Chelsea player for around €35 million.
One difference is that the player is said to have a got more money.
So he loves Chelsea. And Blue goes better with his new Ferrari, etc…
Posted: 27th, September 2013 | In: Sports | Comments (5)
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho speaks at length about not wanting to talk about Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas
CHELSEA manger Jose Mourinho says he’s not interested in what his Spurs counterpart Andre Villas-Boas, with whom he worked for seven years at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, has to say about him. Not interested at all:
“I don’t describe [the relationship], because I’m not a kid to discuss relationships with the media. It’s a personal thing. I don’t care what he says. I’m here, not to comment on what he says or what to know what he says. I’m not interested.
‘Nuff said.
“It’s enough from me. I have nothing to say, nothing at all.”
Ok. Moving on, then…
“I’m not discussing here in front of you. For me there is no point.”
Gotcha…
“I’m not disappointed. I’m just here to speak about anything you want related to the game, not related to this situation.”
Not that AVB’s got to Jose. No, not at all…
Was the World Cup in Qatar 2022 the worst idea ever?
FOR years, the World Cup was just a really cool event everyone looked forward to. Venues switched between countries famed for football and those that loved the sport, but weren’t very good at it. Mexico made sense, twice. Italy, Brazil, Argentina and France were great hosts. Then, in 1994, the USA World Cup ushered in the idea of hosting the tournament in countries that were ‘developing’, footballing-wise.
Fast-forward to 2013 and we’ve had Japan/South Korea and South Africa, which varied in quality… but both are saintly compared to the impending Qatar 2022 tournament, which looks for all the world like the worst idea in footballing history.
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Manchester United great Alex Ferguson tipped for Republic of Ireland manger’s job
THE Irish Independent are reporting that a leading bookmaker have slashed their odds on former Aberdeen and Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson becoming the next manager of the Republic of Ireland after a swathe of bets on the former Manchester United boss were placed this afternoon.
Boylesports have cut their odds from 66/1 to 20/1 after a “flood” of bets were placed on Sir Alex taking over from Giovanni Trapattoni, who resigned last month. Long-time favourite for the job is still Martin O’Neill with odds of 4/5 but Mick Carthy is also in there at 7/2.
Well, what do you make of that? Ordinarily we’d suggest that stranger things have happened in football, but in this case we’re fairly sure they actually haven’t!
Liverpool admit to smoking the same stuff as Arsenal over Luis Suarez
WHEN Arsenal were bidding for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez – and Suarez was making noises about wanting to leave Anfield – Reds’ owner John W Henry asked what Arsenal were smoking. Brendan Rodgers added that the bid showed Arsenal had no “class“.
Liverpool admit to smoking the same stuff as Arsenal over Luis Suarez:
“That’s the transfer market. I have huge respect for Arsenal, they’re a great football club, with some great people. I’m good friends with Ivan [Gazidis, the Arsenal MD]. Trying to get players, making offers for players, it’s all part of the game. Anyone who says it isn’t and makes a big noise is not really being honest. Everybody does the same thing in football, everybody’s trying to achieve the same thing, we’re all trying our best to buy the best players for the best price.”
Best tell his manager and boss…
Posted: 27th, September 2013 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
After Fulham: Where does the Michael Jackson statue go now?
THIS week Fulham uprooted Michael Jackson, or rather a statue of the King of Pop. It turns out it really was a statue and not a 7feet tall Jacko standing very still so as to start over.
Once upon a time, Mohamed Al Fayed created this effigy to the King of Pop and said anyone who didn’t like it could “go to Hell”. Jackson was, after all, a Fulham fan, although not in the same vein as Citizen Smith or Keith Castle (1st British Heart Transplant patient) because he only went to won match. In 1999, Jackson was there to see Fulham beat Wigan 2-0.
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Posted: 27th, September 2013 | In: Celebrities, Sports | Comment (1)
Liverpool: Tesco cashier not sacked for telling shopper not to buy the Sun
DID the cashier at the Tesco store do wrong when she told a customer not to buy The Sun because of its Hillsborough coverage? No, of course she didn’t. We like the idea of supermarkets being local shops, and with that should come the prejudices of the local shopkeeper and their staff.
When working as a reporter I used to buy all the national newspaper titles every day (and read them cover to cover). My newsagents would looks at the Daily Star in my hand and asked me if my lips moved when I read it slowly. The Tesco Sun readers is free to make their own decision; and free to be mocked for making it.
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Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand launches The Footies – because footballers need more rewards
THERE are many strings to Rio Ferdinand’s bow, what with him being all media savvy, having a brand and owning a restaurant and what not.
Noticing a hole in the football awards calendar in between the PFA awards, the Ballon d’Or, the Football League awards, the LMA awards, the FWA awards, the UEFA club football awards, the FIFPro awards, etc, etc, Rio has decided to launch his own awards bash, the “Footies”, which we are reliably informed is “the Oscars” of the football industry in much the same way that the CEEQUALS are the Oscars of the sewage and waste treatment industry.
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Chelsea: David Luiz talks about David Luiz the brand
CHELSEA’S David Luiz will now explain what he’s learnt about being a professional footballer:
“Everyone knows who David Luiz is. He (Mourinho) is a manager who wants everyone to work hard, not just David Luiz”
He’s a brand, dammit.
