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: Raheem Sterling thinks Manchester United and Arsenal are better than Liverpool
Can it be that Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool tyro, would leave the club to play for Arsenal or Manchester United? The Sun says the deal to Old Trafford is on.
The last player to move between the two clubs was Phil Chisnall, who left Manchester United for Liverpool in 1964.
Sterling has rejected a near £100,000-a-week deal to remain at Liverpool. He and his agent are agitating for an exit. Liverpool want him to stay.
Their mistake was securing him on a £35,000-a-week deal that ends in two years time. They should have offered him more when he signed that deal just after his 18th birthday. They should have seen the improving player and recalculated his worth. Now that Liverpool are ready to negotiate, Sterling has raised his sights.
Sterling thinks Liverpool owe him back pay.
And Liverpool’s rivals are ready to exploit his position.
Sterling, of course, runs the risk of looking like a greedy, ungrateful, disloyal tosser.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 4th, April 2015 | In: Arsenal, Liverpool, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: underpaid Sterling wants Arsenal or Chelsea move – and so does his agent
Is Raheem Sterling leaving Liverpool? Is he going to play for Arsenal. Is he a greedy sh*t or a footballer who knows his worth? Questions abound on the matter of former QPR player Raheem Sterling. And the tabloids lead with the news.
The Sun says Sterling is worth £50m. The paper says he could be on his way to Chelsea. Or Arsenal. Or Manchester City. The Sun says the “race” is on to sign Sterling. It’s race doped with money.
The Daily Mail also leads with news that Chelsea are in the “race” to sign Sterling.
Is it? But Brendan Rodgers says Sterling should be”honoured” to play for Liverpool, adding that the player has two and a half years to run on his current deal and is going nowhere.
Read the rest of this entry »
Arsenal Transfer balls: 140,000 reasons for Theo Walcott to love Chelsea and Liverpool
Transfer Balls: the Times says Chelsea are ready to make a move for Arsenal’s Theo Walcott.
Matt Hughes says Walcott, 26, wants to stay at Arsenal. But at the end of this season Walcott’s current contract will have just one year to run.
There is no guantratee Arsenal and Walcott will agree on a new contract. So. He could be off.
But Arsene Wenger says there has been progress:
“The first contacts have been established with the embassy! We will see how that progresses politically. Walcott was difficult to convince (last time) and that’s why it took us much time.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 1st, April 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Hummels ‘pledges’ future Manchester United and then explains
Transfer balls: The Sun leads with news that Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels has made a “pledge” to join Manchester United. Hummels is reported to have said that Manchester United is the only non-German team he will play for.
He is quoted:
“If I was to transfer abroad at some stage, then it would only be to Manchester United.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 1st, April 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Sterling to Arsenal, Walcott to Liverpool, Reus to everywhere
Transfer balls looks at the Daily Mirror’s lead story: Raheem Sterling could be leaving Liverpool for life at Arsenal. Recalling how well things went when Arsenal last tried to buy a Liverpool player – a failed bid of £40m plus £1 for Luis Suarez – investigating the veracity of this story seems worthwhile.
Daily Mirror back page
John Cross reminds readers that former QPR starlet Sterling has yet to sign a new deal at Liverpool. He says a raft of big clubs are after the player, mentioning Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Cross then states that “City will make a big bid” for the England player.
That’s pretty much the entire back-page news story. It continues two pages inside, with Cross saying that “Arsenal are serious contenders” and have made “discreet enquiries about Sterling’s availability”. Given that the Gunners’ apparent discretions are back-page news, you wonder what form the club’s enquiries took: a word in the ear of the Mirror’s Arsenal reporter, perhaps?
Over in the Mail, news is that Sterling will not sign for Liverpool “even if Liverpool offer £180,000 a week”. Says who? We’re not told? It’s just a fact that if Liverpool lose their minds and offer Sterling £180,000-a week to play for them he will not stay. Make it £180,001 and… yeah, maybe he will. Call his agent, Make the offer. See what occurs.
After that uter balls, over in the Express, their story is that Liverpool are interested in buying Arsenal’s Theo Walcott, who will be replaced at The Emirates by Marco Reus. Really? Reus is the player the Express reported had agreed to join Real Madrid and the Mirror said had joined Barcelona.
Such are the facts in the trusty tabloids…
Posted: 30th, March 2015 | In: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal chase Victor Wanyama who wants to play for a Top 7 club, like Spurs
The Sun says Arsenal are looking to buy Southampton’s Victor Wanyama for £30m contains a line to make Gunners fans smirk.
The Sun says Spurs also want Wanyama, 23:
A source close to the Kenya ace said: “Victor would only consider a top-four club — or Spurs as he admires Pochettino from their time at Saints.”
…or Spurs. Ouch!
To recap: picky Victor would only consider leaving the Saints for a top seven club, then.
And as for the Sun’s scoop, well, in 2013 the paper reported that he was off to Arsenal for…£10m::
ARSENAL are poised to slap in a £10 million-plus bid for Celtic star Victor Wanyama. SunSport understands Gunners boss and long term admirer Arsene Wenger is finally ready to spend big on the Kenyan midfielder — and meet the SPL champs’ asking price.
The Gunners never did bid for the Wanyama…
Transfer balls: Manchester City knock £10m of Ross Barkley bid as Chelsea wait with £50m
The Daily Star is reporting in an “EXCLUSIVE” that Manchester City and Chelsea want on sign Everton’s Ross Barkley. The Star adds that the two clubs can have Barkley for £50m.
That is, of course, a ludicrous sum for a promising player. But if Everton can get that much for a young player whose form has dipped, then good luck to them.
The Star’s report contains not a single quote from either Manchester City or Chelsea. It just tells readers that – incredible as it sounds – both clubs would prefer to spend less to buy Barkely.
In the frenzied world of bullshit.com football reporting, The Metro reads the Star’s story and tells its readers:
Chelsea transfer news: Chelsea line up £50million signing of Everton star Ross Barkley
No. They are not. Everton apparently want £50m for their rising star. We’ve read that Chelsea would like to buy him. But any talk of a bid is nonsense.
Over in the Sunday People news is that City will offer £35m Everton for Ross Barkley.
That’s a £10m drop on the £45m the Telegraph said Manchester City were going to bid.
The People’s story also contains not a single fact to support its scoop.
Such are the facts…
Posted: 29th, March 2015 | In: Chelsea, Manchester City, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Chelsea sell Petr Cech To Arsenal twice
Transfer Balls: Are Chelsea going to sell Petr Cech? Are Arsenal going to buy him? The Daily Telegraph says Chelsea might be. And Arsenal will pay £10m.
We cast our minds back to November, when the trusty Metro told readers that Cech had joined Arsenal for £7m:
Did he? No. Because The Argus says Chech won’t make any decision on his future until the summer..
Such are the facts…
Posted: 28th, March 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Grand National: Aintree bans photos of ‘typical’ Liverpool women
Ladies make their way home at the end of Ladies Day on the second day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree Racecourse on 13 April 2007, Liverpool, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
News is that Aintree racecourse wants to ban photographs of women in ‘inappropriate’ poses. Aintree racecourse supremo John Baker tells the Liverpool Echo:
“We want to overwhelm the negativity, to push the positivity to the front. Our event is full of character, it’s fun, and that’s generated by the personality of the Liverpool people.”
He wants more photos of Liverpool women in their traditional demure poses, such as embroidering cushions, fox-trotting and eating cucumber sandwiches (or ‘cucumber sarnies’ as the locals call them).
Read the rest of this entry »
Chelsea Tales of the Unexpected: John Terry was Dennis Wise’s toilet ‘fag’
Chelsea “legend” John Terry has been talking with the Chelsea website about his apprenticeship at Stamford Bridge.
After joining from West Ham United’s academy in 1995 at the age of 14, Terry turned to Dennis Wise, then Chelsea’s irritant-in-chief:
“I used to clean Dennis Wise’s boots. He wanted his boots perfect. I used to take really good care of them.” I used to Vaseline them and stuff like that. They were about size 2½! I learned a lot from Wisey. Every now and then he gave me a little bonus. Every time he scored I was on £25, which was half my wages at the time!”
Good old, Wisey.
“I’d do anything for them (the senior players). I’d make their teas and coffees.” Even silly things like sit on the toilet to make the seat warm for them in the cold winter days at the training ground. It’s bizarre when you think about it but that was part of growing up.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 27th, March 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer balls: Gareth Bale joins Manchester United for £90m and Chelsea for £150m
Transfer Balls: So, how much is Gareth Bale worth to Manchester United, Manchester City and all the usual suspects lining up to buy the Real Madrid star?
The Daily Express says it’s £90m.
That’s the same Daily Express who said Manchester United would buy Bale for £90m last January. They didn’t:
Manchester United had best strike fast because that price is rising. It was £80m in the Daily Express a few weeks ago:
And the Indy said it was £100m.
Mind you, lsate last year the Mail said the figure for Bale was £120m:
It was getting a bit pricey.
But then an oligarch stepped in to reinflate the fee. The Mirror reported that Cheslea will buy Bale for…£150m:
Does anyone know how much Gareth Bale is worth?
Posted: 26th, March 2015 | In: Chelsea, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: the West Ham United star who left for Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester United
Transfer Balls looks at the affairs of West Ham United’s Winston Reid.
On January 5 2015, the Guardian said Reid was on his way to Arsenal or Liverpool.
That same day, the Daily Star made a statement:
CONFIRMED: Man United and Arsenal target Winston Reid WILL leave West Ham
On February 1 2015, the Daily Mirror said that Reid was leaving the club. He was going to play for Spurs:
West Ham defender Winston Reid set to move to London rivals Tottenham in the summer
Which brings us to today’s story in the Sun in which Reid explains why he signed a £65,000-a-week deal to play for…West Ham United.
Sucha re the facts in the mainstream media…
Transfer Balls: Arsenal ‘buy’ Dybala for £31m, chase Cavani, want Marco Verratti and miss Benzema
Are Arsenal buying Palermo’s Paulo Dybala? The Telegraph says they could be. The paper also says Chelsea might buy him.
The Standard says Dybala will cost £30m. It says Arsenal will not pay that. That’s odd because the Daily Star says Arsenal have agreed to buy Dybala for £31m.
The Express says he will cost Manchester United £28.9m – and they want him, too.
The Daily Star says Arsenal are really keen on Karim Benzema – as they are every year. But they have been “rocked” by news that Paris St Germain also want him. But not to worry because that will mean Arsenal sign PSG’s Edinson Cavani for [insert ridiculous amount of money here].
The Daily Express says Arsenal are in for Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti and Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger. But, then, it says Real Madrid want both of those player, too. The Express says it knows this because Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has “specifically requested the duo”. Yeah. He didn’t say “get me whathisface and oojamiflip”. He used their actual names. #flattered.
The Metro, says Arsenal will “snare” Chile international Charles Aranguiz by dangling Alexis Sanchez over a bear pit filled with cash.
Such are the facts…
Posted: 25th, March 2015 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Liverpool balls: Mamadou Sakho gets English lessons from Joey Barton
MAY 13: Captain, Thiago Silva (L) and Mamadou Sakho (R) of PSG celebrate in front of the fans after winning Ligue 1 during the Paris Saint-Germain Trophy Ceremony at Trocadero plaza on May 13, 2013 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Liverpool news now. The Sun says that Mamadou Sakho used only to speak French to his teammates. Is that good or bad? The Liverpool team that lined up against Manchester United featured five native English speakers. So. Speaking just in French is less than ideal.
But the best bit about the Sun’s story is that Mamadou is quoted thus:
“Learning the language has been the hardest part of adapting to life in England. I get very frustrated when I can’t express myself. Some people told me to speak in French, saying it would enable me to relax a little. But when I spoke French on the pitch, calling for substitutions and similar matters, nobody understood what I was saying. I thought, ‘oh no, this is pointless!’ and felt I really had to learn English. It took me some time, but I’m fine now.”
His English is superb.
But we do wonder if when Mamadou was speaking only in French, he was doing so with the affectation of a broad Scouse accent – you know, in the same vein as Liverpool lad Joey Barton speaks French to the people of Marseilles:
Manchester United balls: Falcao cries, Di Maria sulks and boots don’t talk
Having been told by an insider that Radamel Falcao has been “reduced to tears” at Manchester United, the Sun leads with news that his teammate Angel Di Maria is sulking after Louis Van Gaal told him off for playing badly.
One page in and we get to see rheumy-eyed Falcao and read that the misfiring Colmbian will “walk out” on Manchster United unless he gets a “public show of faith” from Louis Van Gaal.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 25th, March 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Liverpool balls: Gerrard earns by the second and Skrtel is a master of cool
When Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1, the point scoring had only just begun. The Daily Mirror’s man with an abacus used various esoteric and expert techniques and algorithms to award his scores out of 10 to the game’s players.
The scores for the Liverpool team are worthy of comment. Three Liverpool players – Adam Lallana, Moreno and…Steven Gerrard scored 4 points each. Gerrard scored one point for every 9.5 seconds he was on the pitch. He was, of course, red carded after 38 seconds of playing time. Lallana and Moreno lasted 45 minutes and 66 minutes, respectively.
And that’s not all.
The Mirror praises “Liverpool’s best defender” Martin Skrtel.
He “kept his head while others lost theirs”.
Skrtel has been charged with violent conduct over an alleged stamp on Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.
It’s almost as if those points aren’t worth the paper tgey’re written on….
Posted: 23rd, March 2015 | In: Liverpool, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Compare and contrast Liverpool’s ‘Sorry’ Gerrard to Chelsea’s filthy foreigner Diego Costa
So. How did the tabloids react to the sight of Liverpool player Steven Gerrard stamping on Manchester United’s Ander Herrera? Did they lead with a photo of the ‘horror’ foul?
Because when Chelsea’s foreigner Diego Costa stamped on a Liverpool player, it was the lead story for all the wrong reasons:
Via ThickAccent
But this time it’s different.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 23rd, March 2015 | In: Chelsea, Liverpool, Sports | Comments (3)
Transfer balls: Paul Pogba to join Manchester United after signing and not signing for PSG
Transfer Balls – a look at drivel presented as football fact by the mainstream media. Today the Press returns to France and Juventus star Paul Pogba. And news is that he’s on his way to Chelsea and Manchester United.
The Times and Telegraph both say Manchester United will splash out £60m on Pogba. Jason Burt says Pogba is the “key” Manchester United target.
Burt adds that some other teams also like Pogba: Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all “strongly linked with him”.
Of course, we have already read in the Express that Pogba is off to Arsenal, and has signed a deal to join PSG. Burt catches up with the PSG angle:
Juventus director Pavel Nedved was quoted in La Parisien newspaper on Saturday as saying that PSG had submitted a bid – but, in this same report, this was denied by the French club’s director of sport, Olivier Letang.
Clear as mud, then.
Sky Sports says Pogba could remain at Juventus. After all, they are in the quarter-final of the Champions’ League, and Pogba was happy to run his Manchester United contract down and leave the club in 2012. Why go back?
Which leads to Jacon Steinbeg’s news in the Guardian that Pogba will be playing for Manchester City next season. Well, maybe. He understands that such a link is “nonsense”.
And if you want real nonsense, you need to look at the Metro and the Star, which reports:
Chelsea are getting closer to landing Paul Pogba, according to The Metro. They quote Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta who has hinted Juventus can do without Pogba.
Did he?
Marotta said: “We are here celebrating a victory achieved by a team, a team that played without Pogba. This means football is a team sport and not just about individuals.”
So. He did not say anything about Pogba being surpluss to requirements. He said football is a team game.
And what Moratta went on to say – not something quoted by either paper but mentioned in the Standard – is:
“Pogba is a young player with lots of promise but he is realising his potential,” he said after Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Genoa. We want to win and we don’t necessarily have to sell our best players. It is clear that players of this quality attract interest from other clubs but we don’t seek buyers and there has been no contact.”
Such are the facts…
Posted: 23rd, March 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Liverpool and Manchester United Balls: 43 Seconds of Steven Gerrard out-performed 45 minutes of Adam Lallana
Liverpool lost 1-2 at home to Manchester United in the Premier League. We at Anorak always like to see what the local newpapers of both sides thought of the game.
The monocular Liverpool Echo and Manchester Evening News only rate players from their own areas. The MEN says the game’s best player was Juan Mata, with an 9 out of 10.
The Liverpool Post offers no rating for the bright Mata, but does say that the best Liverpool player was Sakho, who gets a 7. It gives Adam Lallana a 4. Lallana was not out-scored by Steven Gerrard, who replaced the former Southampton star and lasted just 43 seconds before he earned a red card. Instead of the ‘0’ Gerrard should have scored, the Post offers no score. Ity then adds that Gerrard is The best player to have pulled on a Liverpool shirt – ever.
In the haste to excuse Gerrard, the Post’s man-on-the scene notes:
“Ironically, after that [the sending off] they [Liverpool] played a lot better, they were a better team today with 10 than they were with 11.”
Good old Stevie, G., who does right when he does wrong.
Elswhere the Post adds that Gerrard is “saving the fairytale for Wembley”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 22nd, March 2015 | In: Arsenal, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Manchester United: Spitting Jonny Evans pleads the Winslow Boy denfence
Banned for spitting at Newcastle United’s Papiss Cisse – who then returned fire with interest – Manchester United’s Jonny Evans is talking to the Times. The headline – “If I’d genuinely spat, Mum and Dad would have been disgusted” – gives readers heads-up as to what the kind of nonsense they can expect.
This is no mea culpa. This is me a victim. Banned for six matches for his part in that exchange of bodily fluids, the caption beneath Evans’ face tells readers the spitting is “alleged”.
James Ducker says this is Evans telling his side of the story. But it looks a lot like the Times‘ is cocking an overly sympathetic ear, a feeling compounded by the accompanying photo of Cisse gobbing at Evans but no photo of Evans clearing his throat at Cisse.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 21st, March 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment (1)
Basketball player with sexually suggestive name sees it used over and over
To Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, wher the local Medican Hat News has been reporting on Medicine Hat College Rattlers men’s basketball player Guilherme Carabagiale Fuck.
Mr F is a Brazilian of German heritage.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 20th, March 2015 | In: Sports, Strange But True | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal’s Walcott to Liverpool, Sterling to Real Madrid and Manchester United’s Falcao to the Arndale Centre
Transfer balls: The big football news in the Daily Mirror is that Arsenal’s Theo Walcott is off to Liverpool. Maybe he will “Never Walc Alone”:
Theo Walcott is 26. He has just 15 months to run on his curent £90,000-a-week contract (although that rises to £100,000 a week in the Daily Express). And since returning from injury Walcott’s not one enough to surplant Danny Wellbeck in the Arsenal pecking order.
The Telegraph says Walcott will remain at Arsenal if he can get a new deal worth more than £100,000-a-week.
But any move to Liverpool, the team he supported as a boy, depends on what the Reds’ Raheem Sterling does. The Express says he’s rejected an offer of £90,000-a-week to remain at Liverpool. We lean that big-spending Real Madrid are watching him closely.
All fans hang on to the idea that their team’s players love their club above all others. They don’t. They see the money flooding into the game, and they want more and more of it.
The Mail says Arsenal’s top-earners Sanchez and Ozil earn around £140,000-per-week. That’s around the same sum as Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard earns a week.
So. Their team-mates demand parity with the top tier earners. But they’re not as good.
Maybe the future is for pay-per-view players, each star linked to the amount the paying fans will cough up to watch them? The better they play, the more the punters click their keypads, and the more the winning players take from the wages pool.
This would more likely result in the likes of Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho earning far more than his curent deal of £70,000-a-week and his teammate Glen Johnson knocking up to four ‘noughts’ from his £90,000-a-week-deal.
Meanwhile, over at Manchester United, Radamel Falcao will not get his £265,000-a-week wages, and what with mortgages and other committments start looking to boost his income with a Saturday job in a hairdressers.
Walcott to Liverpool. Sterling to Real. Falcao to the Arndale Centre. You read it here first…
Posted: 20th, March 2015 | In: Arsenal, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Chelsea make Bale, Varane, Reus and Messi their tops targets
Transfer balls spoits the Daily Express story that Chelsea will spend £150m this summer. Anthony Chapman calls this “incredible”. And it would be.
He informs readers that Chelsea are all set to buy Real Madrid duo Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane. They are Jose Mourinho’s “top targets”.
Great news for Blues. But just five says ago, the Express told readers that Chelsea were spending £75m on three new players.
And in November, the Express said Jose Mourinho has made Marco Reus his TOP TARGET. And he would cost £20m.
And let’s not forget the news in January: “Lionel Messi backed to complete STUNNING £200m Chelsea switch.”
All utter balls in the Daily Express.
Sunderland police and the frenzied search for Adam Johnson
NEWS is that the police have raided the Sunderland dressing room. No, not looking for mogodon or any other drugs that lead to malcoordination and apathy. They were seeking anything that can aid the investigation into claims that Adam Johnson had sexual contact with an underage girl.
The Sun announces:
Adam Johnson cops raid Sunderland dressing rooms
And:
Officers have now scoured for evidence the club’s 49,000-capacity Stadium of Light and its 60-acre Academy of Light.
Read the rest of this entry »
Embarrassing endorsements: Islamic State’s Jake Bilardi cheers for Chelsea
When 17-year-old Australian Islamic State fighter, Jake Bilardi, died in a suicide bombing attack, we all saw the photo. There was Jake in his Chelsea kit.
Cheslea’s marketing men must have been delighted by the repeated exposure Bilardi has given their brand.
Fans of other clubs can only smirk when they see a miscreant wearing a rival team’s kit.
When Craig Meehan was arrested during the Shannon Matthews affair, he was photgpahed in his Manchester United kit. Meehan was subsequently convicted of possessing indecent images of children on a computer found in the home he shared with Karen Matthews.
If you see an embarrassing endorsement, please let us know at @theanorak on twittter.
Posted: 16th, March 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
