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.
Manchester United Transfer Balls: Arjen Robben makes it 20 new faces at Old Trafford
Transfer Balls – Manchester United: a look at players being linked by rumour, speculation and not a single shred of fact to Manchester United. As told by the mainstream media today:
Mats Hummels and Benedikt Howedes
Daily Express: “Manchester United could bolster their defence with a double swoop for German pair Mats Hummels and Benedikt Howedes.”
Arjen Robben:
Daily Star: “Bayern Munich will attempt to persuade Arjen Robben, 30, to turn down a move to Manchester United by offering the Dutch winger a new deal in excess of the £180,000-a-week contract he signed last year. ”
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Posted: 4th, January 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal Transfer Balls: Mats Hummels, Benedikt Howedes, Schneiderlin are Gunners bound (really)
Transfers Balls: Arsenal – a look at rumour and speculation presented as fact in the mainstream media. So. What players are heading to Arsenal today…?
Iker Casillas:
The Guardian: “He’ll [Arsene Wenger] hand him a five-year deal worth £1.4m per season too. Did you see that one coming?”
Number of quotes from Arsenal, Casillas and Real Madrid: none.
Petr Cech:
Daily Star: “ARSENE WENGER is ready to step up his pursuit of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech after another horror show from Wojciech Szczesny.”
Adrien Rabiot:
Daily Star: “Arsenal are losing the race to sign Paris St Germain’s Adrien Rabiot.”
Moussa Sissoko:
Indy: “Newcastle will reject a £9m bid for the club’s French midfielder Moussa Sissoko”
Stephan El Shaarawy:
Daily Express: “AC Milan have told Arsenal and Liverpool that striker Stephan El Shaarawy, 22, will cost £11.5m if they want to sign him in January.”
Marcelo Brozovic:
Daily Star: “The Gunners have had a £5m bid for Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic rejected by Dinamo Zagreb”
Krystian Bielik:
Daily Telegrpah: “The Gunners have had a bid for 16-year-old Polish midfielder Krystian Bielik rejected by Legia Warsaw.”
Mats Hummels and Benedikt Howedes:
Daily Express: “The Borussia Dortmund and Schalke stars could cost United a whopping £60m in the summer transfer window, and are also being chased by Arsenal.”
Victor Wanyama
Daily Mirror says the Southampton player is on the radar.
Xherdan Shaqiri
Daily Star: Yep, Arsenal want him. As does everyone else, apparently.
Adil Rami:
Daily Star: “Man Utd set to sacrifice striker in shock swap deal for Arsenal target Adil Rami”
Paul Pogba:
The Guardian: “It’s Paul Pogba! This is great news. At long last, there is going to be something there. Paul Pogba, heading to Arsenal, for £40m. This is a game-changer.”
Sebastian Lichtsteiner, Morgan Schneiderlin and Winston Reid.
The Guardian links al three players to Arsenal.
Final scores: Players in: 16.
Running total: 23 new signings in January!
Chelsea Transfer Balls: Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi for £200m and other exclusives
Chelsea Transfer Balls: a look at players being linked to Chelsea in the media. Facts don’t mater. This is about the rumour and utter balls being presented as fact:
Gareth Bale:
Daily Express: Breaking news in the Express is that Chelsea will not buy Gareth Bale. Look out for Express’ exclusive news that the Blues are not buying Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi:
Daily Express: “Chelsea Transfer News: Abramovich WANTS £200m Messi”
Oh?
CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich is looking to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi next summer.
So…
Ilkay Gundogan:
Daily Express: “Borussia Dortmund are ready to listen to offers for Manchester United target Ilkay Gundogan, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also interested in the 24-year-old midfielder.”
Mauro Icardi:
Daily Express: “Chelsea have been handed a boost in their £20m pursuit of Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi, with the Serie A outfit looking at possible replacements.”
Zdravko Mamic:
Daily Mirror: “Dinamo Zagreb executive director Zdravko Mamic claims move for striker poised to join Blues for £7.5m”
Wilfried Bony:
Daily Mail: “Chelsea sent their chief scout to watch Wilfried Bony against Liverpool… so are they plotting a January bid for striker?”
Final scores: players in: 5;
Manchester United Transfer balls: Alves, £77m Pogba and 15 more players join Van Gaal’s revolution
Manchester United ball: a look at players linked to United in the media. Not a single story is supported by a quote from the club or the player. It is Transfer Balls season:
Daniel Alves:
Daily Mirror: “Dani Alves says he won’t sign new Barcelona contract before it expires, alerting Man United”
Paul Pogba:
Daily Star: “Manchester United will make Paul Pogba their top target”
Daily Express: “Manchester United wil bid £77m for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba”
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Posted: 3rd, January 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Liverpool Transfer Balls: Steven Gerrard returns with Defoe, Bony, Vietto, Shaqiri and Berahino
Liverpool Transfer Balls: a look at footballer being linked to Liverpool in today’s media. Facts are thinner than Bruce Grobbelaar’s rat’s tail:
Xherdan Shaqiri:
The Guardian:
They’re ready to move on and it will be Stevie Who? once they sign Bayern Munich’s Xherdan Shaqiri. Internazionale and Juventus are interested in the Swiss winger but Liverpool are the only club who have shown a willingness to sign him on a permanent basis.
Berahino:
The Sun: “West Brom are looking to sell striker Saido Berahino for £20m, with Tottenham and Liverpool both interested in the 21-year-old.”
The Mirror: Liveprool will pay £25m for Berahino.
Wilfried Bony:
The Mirror: Bony’s off to Anfield. Maybe.
Defoe:
Daily Telegrpah: “Liverpool have been offered the chance to sign Toronto striker Jermain Defoe, 32”
Luciano Vietto:
The Guardian: “Liverpool are also after a new striker and have identified Villarreal’s Luciano Vietto as The One”
Steven Gerrard:
Daily Telegrpah: “Liverpool are already considering re-signing captain Steven Gerrard, 34, on loan next January after the end of the Major League Soccer season. ”
Posted: 3rd, January 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment (1)
Arsenal Transfer Balls: Podolski out, Carvani, Suarez, Loris, Carvalho, McCarthy and Gundogen in
Transfer Balls – Arsenal: a look at footaballrs linked with the Gunners in today’s newspapers. The facts behind each story are thinner than Arsene Wenger’s ankles:
Yaya Sanogo:
Daily Telegarph: “Sanogo is off to Bordeaux on loan”
Daily Star: “Yaya Sanogo is off to Aston Villa, Crystal Palace or Sunderland”
Daily Mirror: Yaya Sanogo in January is off to Aston Villa
The Guardian: Sanogo is off to Palace
Carvalho:
Daily Star: “The Gunners are submitting a £25.5m bid for 22-year-old Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho”
McCarthy:
Irish Indy: Arsene Wenger wants Everton midfielder James McCarthy
Podolski takes the selfie to Milan:
Daily Telegraph: “Lukas Podolski will join Inter Milan on loan in the next couple of days”
Suarez – finally!
Daily Telegraph: “Arsenal close in on Atletico Madrid’s Mario Suarez”
Edinson Cavani (yeah, as if):
Daily Telegraph: “Gunners lead chase for Edinson Cavani”
Daily Express: “Edinson Cavani looks set to move to England at the end of the season. Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal are hoping to land him for £62m.”
Watch Loris:
Daily Mirror: “Arsenal are lining up a bid for young German keeper Loris Karius from Mainz”
Gundogan:
Daily Express: “BORUSSIA DORTMUND are ready to listen to offers for Manchester United target Ilkay Gundogan, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also interested.”
Teddy Bishop:
The Sun: “Arsenal are set to pip Manchester United to Ipswich’s £10m-rated 18-year-old midfielder Teddy Bishop.”
Today’s Transfer Balls count: Players in – 7; Players out – 2.
FA Cup’s Greatest Giantkillings!
THIS weekend sees one of the most fun weekends of English football – the magical THIRD ROUND!
The big boys of the Premier League and Championship enter the fray, taking on the lower and non-league teams, which means fancy arse teams playing at brilliantly pokey grounds that look like they’re make out of scaffolding and potato hash.
Naturally, with smaller grounds, the pitches and facilities can’t rival that of the Premier League teams. That’s a good thing as millionaire footballers can come a cropper and the glamorous sides are knocked out by teams made up of people who will be calling into work sick on the Monday morning.
Remember who won when the Cavaliers took on the Roundheads.
There’s been many great giantkillings in the FA Cup and we’re going to look at some of the best of them now, to really get us in the mood. Of course, most of the big shocks happen in the third round, when the big boys enter the competition, but there’s still loads to enjoy in the first round proper.
Vauxhall Motors beat QPR
Vauxhall Motors are one of the best teams to see in the classified results because, mainly, they’re a work’s team. Of course, they’re a bit more fancy than an office’s 5-a-side outfit, but nevertheless, that’s basically what they are. Unfathomably, they managed to beat a decent QPR team in the FA Cup and, to paraphrase Jeff Stelling, they went crazy on the streets of Vauxhall Motors.
Altrincham knock out Birmingham
Altrincham gave a number of league sides a rough ride in the ’80s, but their greatest moment came against Birmingham. Brum were a decent team back then and Altrincham were one of non-league’s finest. They beat The Blues with a reasonable amount of swagger. Check out the video below with a lovely interview with Altrincham’s goalkeeper who is sat in bed.
Rioch’s Bolton Wanderers
Bolton sank from the top flight to the old Fourth Division and, on their way back up, Bruce Rioch masterminded a number of cup runs. One of the most loved victories in Bolton fans hearts is the midweek replay against Liverpool at Anfield in 1993. Liverpool, not too long ago, were winning everything they could get their hands on, but they were no match for David Lee’s heroics. White hot indeed!
Colchester spank Leeds
In the late ’60s/early ’70s, the cream of the English footballing crop was Don Revie’s Leeds. They visited Colchester United in a bid to fight on one of the many fronts they found themselves in. The U’s were in the Fourth Division and managed by one of Revie’s old mates, Dick Graham. 16,000 crammed into Layer Road and Colchester played Leeds at their own robust game and won.
Wycombe’s Amazing FA Cup run
In the Noughties, Wycombe’s FA Cup run was a sight to behold! Sitting in the lower echelons of the Football League, Laurie Sanchez somehow managed to take Wycombe to the semi-final of the cup. Quite remarkable.
Sutton United send everyone back to Coventry
Not long after winning the FA Cup and a side in the top flight for over 20 years, Coventry City played Sutton United from the Conference. The Sky Blues may have been enjoying one of their best seasons in the First Division, but it was at Gander Green Lane it all went wrong. Matthew Hanlon volley flew past Steve Ogrizovic and a giant killer was born.
Wrexham rocket past Arsenal
George Graham’s Arsenal romped to the title in the 1990-91 season. The season after, they took on Wrexham who were the bottom club of the whole Football League. The Gunners scored and it all looked over. However, veteran midfielder Mickey Thomas rattled a peach of a freekick in (not bad for someone who got stabbed in the arse for having it away with someone he shouldn’t have been) and Steve Watkin grabbed the winner. One of the greatest giant killings in FA Cup history.
Luton beat Norwich
Luton were once in the top flight with a decent side, but after that, they sank into the Conference. While in the lower reaches, they took on Premier League Norwich and… well… you know how it goes, what with this being a piece about giant killing.
Ronnie Radford defines the FA Cup
Hereford United v Newcastle United: third round 1971-72. It doesn’t look much written down, but it features the most memorable FA Cup giant killing of them all. The pitch is a quagmire pitch, there’s fans up trees, it was one of John Motson’s first games as a commentator and featured a brilliant Newcastle team and… of course… an absolute rocket from Ronnie Radford which became the defining image of the FA Cup. It is only right we finish with this one.
Liverpool balls: Steven Gerrard shows every other player what loyalty means
To every player who has kissed the badge and pledged lasting love and undying loyalty to their club and then agitated for a move away and played against them, Liverpool captain Steve Gerrard has something to say:
“I’m going to carry on playing and although I can’t confirm at this stage where that will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won’t be playing for a competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool – that is something I could never contemplate.”
Few top players in the modern era are forever tied to one club by anything other than massive amounts of cash.
Steven Gerrard is the captain ever team wishes they had…
Manchester City balls: Frank Lampard reminds us that Major League Soccer is rubbish
Let us be in no doubt that Major League Soccer, the United States football league, is rubbish.
Frank Lampard was excited to sign for New York City FC. And then he joined Manchester City until January 1 2015. Frank has now decided to remain at Manchester City for the duration of the Premier League season.
The Third Rail fan group respond:
We would like to publicly denounce City Football Group’s and Frank Lampard’s decision. Many fans, including our members, decided to support the team, committed to season tickets, and bought merchandise under the impression that Frank Lampard would be playing for New York City Football Club, not Manchester City. Many of those fans are rightly outraged by this decision, and we support any course of action they take to voice their discontent over this decision. We reject out of hand any suggestion that NYCFC is in any way secondary to Manchester City FC, regardless of the source, and are disappointed that City Football Group would give such an appearance.
Great stuff by the fans of a football club that hasn’t played a single game, currently has a grand total of 15 senior players on their books and, for all intents and purposes, doesn’t really exist properly yet.
Go Newers!
Posted: 1st, January 2015 | In: Manchester City, Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer balls – Arsenal: £62m for Carvani, £20m for Carvalho and A Defensive Priority
Trasnfger balls: who is Arsenal’s No.1 priority this January?
Daily Star: “Arsenal eye Man Utd target Aymeric Laporte as an alternative to Mats Hummels… a new defender the number one priority in January”
The Guardian: “Arsène Wenger to make Arsenal midfield a priority in transfer window”
Daily Mirror: “Arsenal’s priority is a defender with Celtic’s Virgil van Dijk and Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar also on their watch list.”
Irish Indy: “Arsene Wenger is actively trying to sign a new centre-back for Arsenal early in the January transfer window, with Saint Etienne captain Loic Perrin having emerged as a viable option… Central midfield is less of a priority”
The Mail says Wenger is to bid £20 for Portugal midfielder William Carvalho. And the Indy says £20m is the Gunners’ entire budget. So. Cue the Daily Star:
Arsene Wenger discusses Arsenal’s £62m BID for Liverpool and Man Utd target Edinson Cavani
Such are the facts…
Chelsea: Football via paranoid schizophrenia
AS everyone knows, Chelsea FC are hilarious. If it wasn’t for Newcastle United, they’d be the funniest football team in the Premier League. Their owner is batshit mental, they hire crazy managers and half of their players are lunatics. And who can forget John Terry putting a full kit on and lifting a trophy in a match he didn’t play in?
They’re absolutely insane.
And now, Jose Mourinho is talking like Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now!, thinking that everyone is out to get them, thanks to a secret campaign against the club. Obviously, everyone in football meets up in a secret volcano lair once a month to discuss who the campaign against Chelsea will play out.
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Pardew to leave Newcastle? Who next?
DURING his time at St James’ Park/Sports Direct Arena/TK Maxx Enormodome/Whatever It Is Called Now, Alan Pardew has had a fraught time of it. Fans wanted him sacked, then he took his side on a decent run and fickle Geordies got off his back, and now, it looks like Pardew has had enough.
He’s been granted permission to talk to Crystal Palace about their vacancy, after Neil Warnock got the chop. It might seem like a strange move, but let us look at it this way – Pardew might get to be Palace’s manager for the next 3 or 4 years if he does well. Can you imagine him still being in the Newcastle hotseat in 3 or 4 years time?
Precisely.
So while Pardew looks after his own neck, there’s the small matter of who might take his job in the North East. More pertinently, who is crackers enough to work for Mike Ashley, with a load of mental fans, at a club that is notoriously laughed-at by the rest of the league for being such a consistent pantomime?
Well, let us look at some of the likely names.
STEVE BRUCE
Hull manager Steve Bruce is a favourite to take the job. For a start, he’s a Newcastle fan. The fact he managed Sunderland won’t mean much to most Magpies. He’s also currently working for a chairman who is more unstable than Mike Ashley (Assem Allam, who wants to rename Hull City, Hull Tigers, even though almost all the fans hate the idea). With Bruce, Hull got to the FA Cup final last season and, with Hull struggling in the Barclays Premier League, it’d be a good time for Newcastle to lure him away.
FABRICIO COLOCCINI
The Argentinian defender is a bizarre favourite with the bookies to take the Newcastle job and the fans seem to like the idea too, even though Jamie Carragher burst out laughing on television when he was asked about it. Even the Independent think that he’s all set to take the job. Having been at the club since 2008, he certainly knows how things are.
TIM SHERWOOD
The laughable Tim Sherwood will be linked to all manner of jobs for the foreseeable future, mainly because he’s ranty enough for the press to like and of course, wears a lovely quilted gilet. Sacked at Spurs last May, he’s highly thought of in certain circles and is inevitably ready to take on a new job after some time out.
KEVIN KEEGAN
It’d be stupid to not mention Kevie Keegle because Newcastle fans love him so very, very much. While he would be a potentially disastrous appointment, it would be a very Newcastle thing to do and, most importantly, be very fun for everyone looking on. Just imagine the 8-5 scorelines and Keegan playing Newcastle sides with 7 strikers. It’d be marvellous. We’d love it. Absolutely love it.
TONY PULIS
Pulis has done sterling work at Stoke and Crystal Palace and would provide a no-nonsense stability that Newcastle, as a club, sorely need. Although, with Pulis falling out with the Eagles co-chairman Steve Parish over transfers, Pulis would need certain financial guarantees from Mike Ashley if he was going to take the job.
FRANK DE BOER
After being courted by Tottenham last year, Frank De Boer is another of the Barcelona alumni who will be drawn to the Premier League (others include Mourinho, Luis Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman). Currently at Ajax, the money and glamour of the English top-flight could see him fancying the Newcastle job. However, at Ajax, he’s got a family of people around him that will be tough to drag him away from.
EDDIE HOWE
Eddie Howe is one of the brightest young English managers in the game, currently doing incredible things at Bournemouth. It is inevitable that a bigger club will snap him up soon, so the current Newcastle job would be a decent punt for those who like an outside bet. Whether Ashley is willing to give a veritable rookie a shot is another matter, but Howe is very highly rated and the chairman has to stick-or-twist on him before someone else lures him away.
Transfer balls: Chelsea’s Fernando Torres to Liverpool and Atletico but not AC Milan
Transfer Balls: it’s been a busy few days for Chelsea FC’s Fernando Torres.
Liverpool finalising bid to re-sign Chelsea flop Fernando Torres
Atlético Madrid are close to tying up a deal for the Spain forward Fernando Torres to return to his boyhood club on loan from Chelsea
Fernando Torres set to rejoin beloved Atletico Madrid after failing at AC Milan
Striker who cost Chelsea £50m set to break off Milan loan to return to his first club for next year-and-a-half
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Transfer balls: Arsenal spend £15m less in buying Manchester United’s William Carvalho
Transfer Balls: a look at football rumour and speculation being passed off as fact.
The Mail leads with news that Arsenal are to bid £20m for Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho.
All remarkable stuff given than the Mirror reported Carvalho had agreed to join Manchester United for £37m.
A few weeks later, Carvalho’s price had dropped in the Express:
TalkSport broke the news:
So. Carvalho to Arsenal.
You read it in the tabloids…
Posted: 28th, December 2014 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool kick off 31 days of Marco Reus
This transfer season, we’ll keep track of how many players have been linked to the top Premier League teams over January. Well forcus on the two most shamless exponents of Bullshit.com, the Daily Express and Daily Mirror.
Mediawatch has starrted early:
Here, for your perusal and amusement, are the players linked to a few clubs by the Express since Thursday evening. It includes only players rumoured to be arriving, not leaving:
Manchester United (15) – Mats Hummels, Gareth Bale, Fabio Coentrao, Victor Valdes, Sergio Busquets, Kevin Strootman, Marco Reus, Gabriel Barbosa, Malcom Silva, Diego Godin, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Enzo Perez, Nicolas Gaitan, Lucas Silva and Paul Pogba.
Arsenal (16) – Moussa Sissoko, Nabil Fekir, Fabio Coentrao, Nemanja Vidic, Sergio Busquets, Lucas Silva, Marco Reus, Stephan El Shaarawy, Matt Targett, Sebastian Giovinco, Nikola Vlasic, Krystian Bielik, Marcelo Brozovic, Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel Barbosa and Malcolm Silva.
Liverpool (12): Gonzalo Higuain, Fabio Coentrao, Marco Reus, Stephan El Shaarawy, Matt Targett, Sebastian Giovinco, Victor Valdes, Divock Origi, Guillermo Ochoa, Xherdan Shaqiri, Christian Eriksen, Martin Montoya.
Stick a question mark after each of those names, and you have the Daily Mirror’s transfer scoops…
Lance Armstrong: ‘I won’t cheat at golf – honest!’
Lance Armstrong, the spectacular cheat who harnsssed the power of lab technology and a good backstory to win seven Tour de France titles, says he draws the line at cheating at…golf, telling Golf Digest:
GOLF IS DIFFERENT from the culture of cycling when I was competing, and that’s putting it mildly. Cycling, it was the Wild West. Nobody considered doping cheating. It was an arms race where absolutely anything went, and it was every man for himself. You might consider me the last guy to have anything to say about cheating, but golf is different. I love adhering to a code of honor that we in cycling didn’t have. If I moved my ball in the rough and got caught, I wouldn’t just regret it, I’d be heartbroken forever. When I think about reform in cycling, I think about golf.
Golf on gin or golf on drugs – which is better?
And Lance wasn’t cheating at cycling until he got caught.
When I first read his line I thought he was swearing off cheating at golf. But looking at it again, Armstrong seems to be saying he’d just be very upset to get caught cheating at golf…
Dead man muck-raking: FIFA told talks with Blatter
THERE’S something near-admirable about the way Sepp Blatter runs FIFA. He clearly couldn’t give the slightest of tosses about people knowing what he’s been up to. He’s got the crooked swagger of Emperor Palpatine, cackling his way around the corridors of power, cackling ‘really though, what are you going to do about it?’
You suspect that he’s got a room filled with folders, with the most unspeakably awful dirt on some of his colleagues who are brave enough to challenge him.
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Liverpool balls: the desperate story of Alexis Sanchez
Matt Hughes and Tony Barrett explain the Liverpool transfer policy, one dictated by committee. Having missed out on the wonderful Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal, Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool looked around for a player:
The oddity is that, given that a player of Sánchez’s style is so fundamental to the way Rodgers wants his team to play, Liverpool’s response to missing out was the move for Loïc Rémy, a different type of forward altogether. That they ended up feeling the need to sign Mario Balotelli, even though he certainly does not fit the profile that Rodgers was looking for, was also bizarre, providing another indication of an inadequate strategy. These failings have been undermining Liverpool ever since, and even if they pull off a morale-boosting win this afternoon, these are unlikely to go away…
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Posted: 20th, December 2014 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment
West Ham United’s Karren Brady uses her Sun diary to plug Sky Sports
West Ham United bigshot Karren Brady writes a ‘Football Diary’ for the Sun (prop R. Murdoch). Let’s pick out a couple of comments:
SUNDAY, DEC 14
ONCE more, no Premier League player even makes it to the top ten of the increasingly self-indulgent BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
Whereas the prompter of a dancing horse and the steerer of a sledge do.
I am positive there are plenty of richly talented footballers in Britain, so it does not say a lot for the general standard of our coaching that — since Ryan Giggs won the award five years ago — we have not had a footballer within a sniff of it.
As for the 150-minute television show itself, the BBC make their little bit of sport go a long way.
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Hartlepool wants to sign footballer Ched Evans: the rapist Ched Evans comes in 2-4-1 package
Surely Hartlepool want to sign the footballer Ched Evans. Or do they think the team will benefit from a rapist?
Liverpool balls: ‘troubled’ Mario Balotelli’s ADHT, abandonment issues and kryptonite seatbelt
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli is the subejct of the Sun story: “Kop star’s secret”:
TROUBLED Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has shown signs of suffering from attention deficit disorder since he was a youngster, SunSport can reveal.
Nice, eh. Balotelli, the man who holds down a good job and has no criminal record is “troubled”. And it;’s a “secret”, implying that he knows he’s “troubled” but doesn’t want you to know it, too.
The Italian’s mood swings and outrages have been a feature of his life on and off the field and have affected his career with Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan and now Liverpool.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 20th, December 2014 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment
The most ridiculous football club Christmas presents: the Norwich City Tambourine, Liverpool Coffee Tin and more
Over on Pies: the most ridiculous football club-themed gifts for Christmas.
Also featured in Pies’ 2014 Christmas Football Gift Guide…
#1: Dion Dublin’s New Xmas Album – “Christmas Presents”
#2: Tino Asprilla Own-Brand Condoms
#3: Official Sunderland USB Travel Adaptor
#4: Tottenham Vodka
#5: Official Wolfsburg Tomato Ketchup
#6: Fenerbahce Hairdryer
#7: Newcastle United Toilet Mat
#8: Sporting Lisbon Swimming Cap
#9: Huddersfield Town Tea Bags (Box Of 80)
#10: Werder Bremen Nesting Box
#11: Norwich City Tambourine
#12: Liverpool’s Iconic ‘This Is Coffee’ Coffee Tin
#13: Real Madrid Etch-a-Sketch
#14: Birmingham City Play-Dough Fun Box
#15: FC Dnipro Bucket & Spade
This way for more Christmas gift ideas from yesteryear.
Posted: 20th, December 2014 | In: Sports, The Consumer | Comment
Arsaenal Balls: The ‘real’ reason Sanchez chose Gunners over Liverpool is…
So. Why did Alexis Sanchez choose to play for Arsenal? The Daily Star has the truth. The headline declares:
Arsene Wenger reveals the REAL REASON why Alexis Sanchez chose Arsenal over Liverpool
What is the real reason. We thought it was a combination of money, London and Champions’ League football.
Paul Brown writes:
ARSENE WENGER claims Alexis Sanchez chose Arsenal over Liverpool because only the Gunners could match his Champions League ambitions.
Is that what Wenger said? No. He said:
“Transfers at that level take always time to get every detail right, so because it takes time, you think always that somebody else can come in – PSG, Bayern Munich. We met his agent in Brazil a few times and talked about the transfer. In Europe we did it with Barcelona. Once we got the decision he would like to join us we were happy. He had maybe not had number of games he wanted at Barcelona and I tried to convince him I could help him develop the quality of his game, that the way we play would suit him.”
But what is the ‘REAL REASON” Sanchez joined Arsenal. Brown has failed to deliver on the headline.
Over on Arsenal.com, Wenger says:
“I don’t know why he has chosen us and not anybody else, but we are very happy that he has done that.”
Such are the facts…
Posted: 20th, December 2014 | In: Arsenal, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester United get Reus who doesn’t move to Manchester United
Transfer Balls: a look at utter drivel being presented as breaking football news.
The Daily Star reports that German star Marco Reus is on his way to Manchester United:
Also on the 18th of December, the Star’s Chisanga Malta yelled that Reus was heading to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool AND Manchester United.
Wow! Two scoops on Reus in just one day. And it would all be great news for United were it not for what Malata actually writes in the story:
Meanwhile, Manchester United have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuits of Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus.
Malata says the star is going nowhere:
Such are the facts in the trusty Star…
Posted: 19th, December 2014 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Newcastle v Sunderland balls: Adam Johnson mocks ‘fuming’ Magpies, calmly
It’s Newcastle United v Sunderland in the big north-east inter-city derby.
The Telegraph reports:
Newcastle vs Sunderland: Adam Johnson joins Alan Pardew in calls for calm – The Black Cats winger hopes tempers will not boil over during Sunday’s derby, but is aware that may be wishful thinking
Luke Edwards reiterates the call for calm:
Sunderland winger Adam Johnson has echoed Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew’s call for calm ahead of Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby
That soothing echo is picked up by the Mail:
Says calming Johnson:
‘It’s better when you win away,’ says the player who has scored in both of Sunderland’s back-to-back 3-0 victories at St James’ Park… ‘Afterwards, you realise you’ve done it, the music is turned up and you’ve won the game. You get on the bus and you can see everybody there is fuming. That’s the best part. It just makes it a better feeling winning in front of their fans.’
Such are the facts…
