By Pete Wilson 2 December 2010 Russia won the right to stage the 2018 World Cup today after a Fifa Executive Committee vote sent England crashing out in the first round. Qatar then landed the right to host the 2022 event after four rounds of voting, having led every round. The result means Fifa will […]

By Nick Harris in Zurich 2 December 2010 With only Russia still left to make their 2018 World Cup bid presentation, England remain favourites to win the right to host the event, with their odds coming in slightly after a slick presentation here featuring David Beckham, PM David Cameron and Prince William. All the presentations […]

By Brian Sears 2 December 2010 Manchester United’s seven-goal haul against Blackburn last weekend was the fifth occasion that they have scored seven or more goals in a single Premier League game, so they travel to Blackpool this weekend looking for a sixth burst of seven. The odds are against it statistically. Only on 27 occasions […]

By Brian Sears 26 November 2010 Pundits ponder Chelsea’s loss of form. Those of a numerate bent – and especially regular readers of these pages – will know Roman’s blues have been weighed down by statistical history. They’ve been so good for so long that a correction has long been overdue and it’s coming home […]

The ‘brand’ is increasingly bandied around in the world of football. Sportingintelligence explains what is meant by a brand and how you calculate its value. Alex Miller reports. . By Alex Miller 26 November 2010 Ask anyone with even the most basic knowledge of football to name the clubs with the biggest and most valuable […]

By Nick Harris 19 November 2010 Blackburn have become the first India-owned Premier League club today after a deal was finalised by Jack Walker’s trust, BRFC Investments, to sell its 99.9 per cent stake in Rovers to the Venky’s London Limited, a new subsidiary of the poultry conglomerate Venky’s, for £23m. Venky’s will also assume […]

By Brian Sears 19 November 2010 Chelsea head into Saturday’s game at Birmingham on the back of last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland but with an astonishing “bounce back” record to their name. They have not lost consecutive Premier League games for more than four years, or for 165 games to be precise. The […]

By Nick Harris 19 November 2010 Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, today advocates that leading footballers at each club in England should have some role on the board to gain an insight into how their club’s business operates, and convey that knowledge to a wider audience. In an interview for […]

By Nick Harris 18 November 2010 The battle for the right to stage the 2018 World Cup is wide open today as a race already full of twists and turns – with more to come – enters its final fortnight. After an investigation by Fifa’s ethics committee in the wake of reports of corruption by […]

By Brian Sears 18 November 2010 When Arsenal host Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime in the Premier League, the game will feature the two sides who have the most head-to-head draws in the League’s 18-and-a-bit-year-history. The north London pair have played 36 times in the 18 completed seasons, with 16 draws – or 44.44 per cent. […]