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.
Transfer Balls: Manchester United’s Manchester United To Join Chelsea
TRANSFER Balls hails the work of James Dickenson, who writes in the Express:
Toni Kroos puts Man Utd and Chelsea on ALERT with future still undecided
That’s the same Toni Kross the Express said has already joined United and presented as fact by the Manchester Evening News (“Kroos deal done”) and the Daily Mirror (“United have agreed deal in principle with Bayern for midfielder Toni Kroos”).
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Posted: 19th, June 2014 | In: Chelsea, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Washington Redskins To Lose Their ‘Racist’ Name
THERE’S been a long debate about the name of the Washington Redskins’ name. The NFL team are famously the redskins, but few outside of America have really considered the meaning.
Think about it. Redskins. And a logo of a Native American. Would you back a team called Bigsville Blackfaces? Or the Metropolis Yellow Peril? Of course you wouldn’t – but in Washington, they’ve got away with it, somehow, even after The Onion went in (and went in very hard, to make a point) on the NFL team.
However, that may all be changing after the United States Patent and Trademark Office cancelled the Redskins trademark registration, calling the football team’s name “disparaging to Native Americans.”
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Tiki-Taka Tara: Photos Of Spain’s Chile World Cup 2014 Exit
THE first team to leave the 2014 World Cup is Spain, beaten by Holland and Chile.
Tiki-Taka Tara…
Spain’s head coach Vicente Del Bosque, left, walks through the coach zone
A Brazil fan during a World Cup protest as he paints his short in mock blood in Rio de Janeiro
Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas fails to make a save as Chile’s Charles Aranguiz scores his side’s 2nd goal
Men watch soccer fans across the street from Maracana Stadium
Men watch soccer fans across the street from Maracana Stadium
A dealer sells ice-cream through a secured window to soccer supporters beside the Maracana Stadium
Chile fans sit beside a temporary wall that was torn down
Chile soccer fans stand in front of Maracana Stadium
A door is damaged after Chile fans broke into the press center
Manchester United Balls: Van Gaal Ignores 14-Times Man Of The Match Alexander Buttner
MANCHESTER United’s Alexander Buttner is leaving the club? He explains why:
The 25-year-old told De Telegraaf: “Van Gaal never gave me the chance in the Dutch national team, despite being voted man of the match 14 times at Manchester United. Apparently, he is not very confident about me. So I think this is the right moment to leave.”
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Posted: 18th, June 2014 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Liverpool Make Adam Lallana And Lazar Markovic Their Number 1 Guys
TRANSFER Balls reserves a special place in the Hall of Balls for those football experts with a-shock-news-to-deadline who can contradict themselves.
Today the honour is with the Mirror’s Ben Burrows, who is talking about Liverpool and Southampton’s Adam Lallana:
Rodgers in for super Serb?
Liverpool are ready to make a £25million move for Lazar Markovic – with the super Serb willing to come, reports the Sunday People’s Alan Nixon.
Brendan Rodgers has gone back in for his number one target as both Benfica and the Serbian superstar send out positive messages.
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Epic Banners: Juventus Fans Taunt Liverpool: ‘You Are More Ugly Than Camilla’
EPIC banners harks back to April 13, 2005. It’s the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg. Juventus are playing Liverpool at the Stadio Delle Alpi. The Juventus fans hold up a message.
“YOU ARE MORE THAN CAMILLA”
Posted: 18th, June 2014 | In: Flashback, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Arsenal To Sign Gonzalo Higuain (Just Like They Did Last Year)
TRANSFER Balls: it’s been a busy Press for Arsenal’s search for a top striker. So far, the trusty mainstream Press has had Arsenal signing Carlos Vela, Loic Remy, looking at Hulk, Antoine Griezmann, Mari Mandzukic, Karim Benzema, and have bid for Mario Balotelli.
And so to today’s news, brought to you in the trusty Daily Express:
GONZALO HIGUAIN could be on his way to Arsenal…
Gonzalo Higuain has hinted he could be leaving Napoli, with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United all interested.
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Transfer Balls: Arsenal Get Three Manchester United Players For Thomas Vermaelen
TRANSFER Balls: Having reported that Arsenal ‘lifer’ Thomas Vermaelen has committed his future to the Gunners and agreed to join Manchester United, the media looks for a new angle:
The Daily Mirror reports:
Arsene Wenger could look for a part-exchange deal with Manchester United over Thomas Vermaelen, writes John Cross.
Could.
The Arsenal boss has been keeping tabs on Tom Cleverley and also has an interest in Chris Smalling.
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Posted: 17th, June 2014 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Arsenal Buy Mario Balotelli Without Ever Speaking To Him Or AC Milan
TRANSFER Balls: We begin with the Mirror’s news on Mario Balotelli:
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal are ready to pay around £25m for AC Milan’s ex-Man City striker Mario Balotelli.
Ready?
Ex-Man City striker was Italy’s World Cup match-winner against England last weekend but AC Milan want to get him off their wage bill
So. Arsenal might bid for the player? There are no quotes from anyone around AC Milan, Arsenal or the player. That’s an exclusive?
The Daily Star says the Gunners already have bid for him:
Arsenal launch stunning £25m move for AC Milan bad-boy Mario Balotelli
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Hillsborough Joins The War On Free Speech And Bicholim: Chelsea Fan Sacked For Abusing Liverpool On Wikipedia
THE War on Free Speech looks at the story of the man who posted a message on Wikipedia. In “Revealed: How The Telegraph found the Hillsborough Wikipedia vandal”, the paper reports:
A civil servant in Liverpool has been fired for using government computers to post abuse about the Hillsborough disaster on the Wikipedia website following an investigation by The Telegraph. The Whitehall official used the government intranet to mock the 1989 tragedy in which 96 Liverpool fans died at Sheffield Wednesday’s football ground.
The 24-year-old idiot changed the message “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to “You’ll Never Walk Again”.
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Posted: 17th, June 2014 | In: Liverpool, Reviews, Sports, Technology | Comment
Transfer Balls: Thomas Vermaelen Says He Will Never Leave Arsenal As He Agrees To Join Manchester United
TRANSFER BALLS: The Telegraph says Arsenal club captain Thomas Vermaelen has agreed a deal to join Manchester United this summer. The Belgian will earn £100,000 a week for five years – £30,000-a-week more than his current salary.
This is about as shocking as seeing the Pope in a funny hat. But to the Express it is shocking.
Manchester United make SHOCK move for Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen
Back in August, the Metro quoted the injury-prone Belgian:
Thomas Vermaelen tells Arsenal: I want out
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Chelsea Balls: ‘Arsenal Fan’ Cesc Fabregas Discovers That Everyone Hates Him
SO. CESC Fabregas the man with Barcelona “DNA” and Arsenal in his heart has joined Chelsea. Good for him. But no-one really likes him. He is just about the most disloyal player on the market.
Reaction to the move been noisy. It seems that Fabregas can’t do right by anyone (except his bank manager).
The Times says he’s upset Chelsea fans:
Cesc Fàbregas risks Chelsea anger after revealing Arsenal regrets
Cesc Fàbregas risked angering fans of his new club after completing a move to Chelsea for £29.5 million last night when he appeared to regret being denied the chance of a return to Arsenal.
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Posted: 15th, June 2014 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comments (4)
England Laughs: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney And Liverpool’s Stephen Gerrard Practice For Penalties
SO. England, noble England, were the gallant losers to a decent and better organised Italian side.
Memories from the game are not many. But two stand out.
1. Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard never did get into the Italian penalty box enough:
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Posted: 15th, June 2014 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Bastian Schweinsteiger Joins Fabregas And Kroos At Manchester United
TRANSFER Balls: How’s the Transfer Season been for Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger? The mainstream press has been talking balls:
LOUIS VAN GAAL will turn to Bastian Schweinsteiger to kick-start his Manchester United revolution.
June12, Independent: “Bastian Schweinsteiger: Manchester United aim for Bayern Munich midfielder as their top summer target”
Manchester United have made Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger their top summer target, after new manager Louis van Gaal dismissed the ground work that David Moyes undertook in his pursuit of the 29-year-old’s fellow German Toni Kroos.
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Posted: 14th, June 2014 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal Balls: Wenger Said Fabregas Would Join The Gunners in 2017
ARSENAL Balls. In January 2013, Arsene Wenger told us about Cesc Fabregas:
“I’m not convinced that he won’t come back here one day. He is really an Arsenal man. He loves Arsenal and watches every game of Arsenal. But of course Barcelona was his home town where he grew up and you have to accept that will come into it, especially with them having the best team in the world. [Fábregas would not come back] in the next two, three years, certainly not, because he is linked with Barcelona. But maybe later.”
Next season Fabregas The Gooner can watch Arsenal games up close – for at least two of them (against Chelsea) he’ll most likely be on the same pitch…
Posted: 14th, June 2014 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comments (2)
Robbie Savage Tips Chile And Cameroon To Be The New Everton
TOP BBC pundit Robbie Savage shares his views on the World Cup dark horse. On June 9, he told the BBC:
I fancy Cameroon to get out of their group behind Brazil and, if they do make the last 16, they have got enough about them to give whoever they play out of Group B – either Spain, Netherlands or Chile by the looks of things – a scare.
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Transfer Balls: Manchester United Expect Edinson Cavani To Play For Love
TRANSFER Balls: a look at what the media experts with a deadline to hit have been saying about Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani.
June 11, Daily Mail: “Manchester United launch whopping £56m bid for PSG striker Edinson Cavani”
Daily newspaper Tuttosport report that Cavani, who spent six years in Italy with Palermo and Napoli, is top of new United manager Louis van Gaal’s wishlist.
Yes to Cavani! And in the Star, that bid is £60m.
June 12, Daily Express: “Manchester United SNUB Edinson Cavani move over £300,000-a-week wage demands”
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Posted: 13th, June 2014 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Chelsea Balls: Arsenal Fan Fabregas Follows The Money And Signs For Chelsea
FINALLY! Chelsea have signed Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. He’s the chap who left Arsenal by telling them: “I will always be an Arsenal fan.” He’s the chap who wanted to follow his heart to Barcelona. Fabregas most likely has one of those two-club hats. That’s how loyal he is.
When he left to Barcelona, Xavi uttered: “He is a football player with Barça DNA.”
Carles Puyol belched: “He is the future of Barcelona… His heart is already in Barcelona, even though we must wait another year for his body to be here.”
Lionel Messi seeped: “Cesc has a place for Arsenal in his heart, but he has Barcelona in his blood. He will want to win win the biggest prizes in football, and I expect him to do that at Barcelona.”
The bullshit around Cesc is monumental.
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Transfer Balls: Arsenal At World Cup To See Mandzukic, Benzema And Balotelli Playing Badly
TRANSFER Balls: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is in Brazil to chat for French TV. Now read on…
Matt Law in the Daily Telegraph tells us why Wenger is there:
Arsenal manager arrives for World Cup 2014 in Brazil armed with shopping list of potential strikers…
Arsenal are planning to sign at least one striker and Mandzukic is high on Wenger’s list of targets, which also includes Karim Benzema and Mario Balotelli who are also at the World Cup with France and Italy.
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Transfer Balls: Arsenal Woo Fabregas Who Passes Chelsea Medical Twice
TRANSFER Balls with the Daily Fabregas – Anorak’s look at today’s reporting on the Barcelona player.
TalkSport cites the Daily Mirror:
Arsenal are passing up their right of first refusal to buy Fabregas back, as they feel they have greater priorities elsewhere…
That’s TalkSport, the organ that told its readers on June 5:
The Daily Star has other news:
EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United end hunt for ex-Arsenal man Cesc Fabregas
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Posted: 12th, June 2014 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Fabregas Goes Full House Hunting In Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool And Manchester
FOR some days Anorak has been bringing you the Daily Farbregas, an offshoot of our Transfer Balls (TB) round-ups. The aim in in TB is for all the mainstream Press to link the top players with each of the top English clubs. Facts matters not. If a source says Fabregas is off to Manchester City, the story gets written.
Guillem Balague has picked up the Balls that Fabregas is set to play for Chelsea, (for whom one paper says he’s already signed) Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United and tweets:
In fact, the only top England team not interested in Cesc is Arsenal
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) June 11, 2014
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Posted: 11th, June 2014 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Dancing Sepp Blatter Replaces Jennifer Lopez At World Cup Opening Show (Video)
SEPP Blatter shows that he is the bigger man (not in the literal sense, obv.) by ignoring the unfounded, racist and absurd news that FIFA is a mendacious, self-serving body based on greed, nepotism, corruption, more greed and still more greed by dancing.
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Transfer Balls: Thomas Muller Partners Toni Kroos In Manchester United Midfield
TRANSFER Balls: The Daily Star stopped just short of saying that Thomas Muller has joined Manchester United. It was the Star’s sister organ, the Daily Express, that announced Mueller’s Bayern Munich’s team-mate Toni Kroos has joined United. But he hasn’t. He won’t.
As Express editor Hugh Whittow’s message to the Leveson Inquiry:
“we don’t twist anything. We just present the news of the day”
Today the Star reports:
Germany forward Thomas Muller rejects Man Utd to pen new deal at Bayern Munich
On June 8, the Star reported:
Arsenal in Vela talks, Shaqiri on Liverpool move, Muller to Man Utd
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Posted: 11th, June 2014 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Luke Shaw Wants £30m Chelsea Move After Promising To Join Manchester United
TRANSFER Balls: a look at Luke Shaw, the England and Southampton star:
In January, the Mirror John Cross told readers:
Manchester United transfer target Luke Shaw wants Chelsea move from Southampton even if it’s in the summer…
Shaw, a boyhood Chelsea fan, has set his heart on London rather than Manchester when the time comes to move.
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Posted: 11th, June 2014 | In: Chelsea, manchester united, Reviews, Sports | Comment (1)
