By Brian Sears 19 August 2016 It was this time a year ago that we wrote that Chelsea’s title hopes were as good as gone after two games – purely from a statistical history point of view. Jose Mourinho’s team (as they were then) had lost both their opening games, and in the piece linked here we […]
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How Giroud tops Vardy, and why Arsenal fail to spend
By Joel Oberstone 18 August 2016 Arsenal began the season with a home defeat. Some fans already have their annual revolt against Arsene Wenger underway. It’s business as usual, this growing disquiet that club and manager will make a mess of hiring good new players. With the next fixture on Saturday away at champions Leicester, now is perhaps […]
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Hull have hardest start, Baggies and Mourinho’s United the easiest
By Brian Sears 12 August 2016 So the 25th Premier League season is about to start and we reckon that Hull and Watford have the trickiest starts. West Brom have it easiest, followed by Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. By the end of August each club will have played three league games before the international break. One ‘objective’ […]
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‘Rio spectacular? I was in dire need of Wogan or Clive James’
Brought to you in association with the UK Concrete Show (“The whole of the concrete industry under one roof!“) . By Martin Kelner 8 August 2016 London has a lot to answer for. After the spectacular triumph of the 2012 opening ceremony, the minimum requirement for such occasions now seems to be some sort of historical narrative, buffed […]
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‘Watching Budd reunite with nemesis Decker … Yes. I nearly lost it’
Brought to you in association with the UK Concrete Show (“The whole of the concrete industry under one roof!“) . By Martin Kelner 1 August 2016 Few of the stories emerging from the Olympics over the next few weeks, I suspect, will be as compelling as the Mary Decker – Zola Budd imbroglio at the 1984 […]
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Premier League shirt deals rise to record high £226.5m
By Alex Miller and Nick Harris 31 July 2016 Premier League clubs have set a record for combined shirt sponsorship deals, with the 20 clubs generating £226.5 million for the 2016-17 season, a rise of £3.6m on last year. The increase underlines the commercial strength of the League with shirt sponsorships more than doubling in six years. The […]
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EXPOSED: the story behind the story of Russia, doping and the I.O.C
By Nick Harris 25 July 2016 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was aware Russia ran a state-sponsored doping programme in which the head of that nation’s WADA-accredited lab was a central figure as long ago as the first week of July 2013. I know this because I told them. I told them on the phone […]
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‘For those who grew up on terrestrial TV, Alliss is the last in line’
Brought to you in association with the UK Concrete Show (“The whole of the concrete industry under one roof!“) . By Martin Kelner 18 July 2016 I was listening to a ‘phone-in on local radio the other day, the thrust of which was, “Where are you going on your holidays this year?” It’s the kind of […]
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‘I’ve never understood what’s special about Centre Court’s crowd’
Brought to you in association with the UK Concrete Show (“The whole of the concrete industry under one roof!“) . By Martin Kelner 10 July 2016 Now begins the annual task for the BBC’s Wimbledon team of extricating themselves from John McEnroe’s bottom. I’m often reminded of a comedy western I saw years ago, The Three […]
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‘There’s usually an excuse: Maradona, a metatarsal, Tomaszewski’
Brought to you in association with the UK Concrete Show (“The whole of the concrete industry under one roof!“) . By Martin Kelner 4 July 2016 Those wretched Germans. Not content with going round winning tournaments, getting to semi-finals and so on, they’ve now started subverting our much-loved national stereotypes. I mean, what are European football championships […]
