David Dein interview: On Arsenal, Premier League, Kroenke, Wenger and Usmanov September 15, 2022 Fifteen years on from an unceremonious ousting from Arsenal that also cost him a host of other high-powered roles in football, David Dein is still feeling bruised. The club’s former vice-chairman, who rose to the same role at the Football Association, was one of the architects of the Premier League and became president of leading [...]
Rugby’s shadow expeditions: The second string sides heading on tour September 15, 2022 Rugby is set in its traditions, rightly and wrongly, and it takes an enormous shift in will for anything new to seep into the sport. But when Irish province and last year’s losing European finalists Leinster announced earlier this week that they would be playing a fixture against an All Blacks XV during November, it [...]
Ed Warner: How to solve the Hundred and help county cricket with private money September 15, 2022 The Hundred isn’t going away, whatever diehard cricket traditionalists might wish. It’s been cemented into the English calendar until at least 2028 by a television deal finalised just before the arrival of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new chair. Richard Thompson, erstwhile arch-critic of the controversial competition, now finds his room for manoeuvre severely [...]
Premiership sees opening-round attendances fall to a six-season low September 13, 2022 Premiership rugby’s opening-round attendances have fallen to a five-season low. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, and not including the pandemic-affected 2020-21 season, the percentage of seats filled by punters in England’s top division during the first round has never been lower than last weekend. The opening round saw 59 per cent of seats [...]
Boxing set for ‘Battle of Britain’ after Anthony Joshua accepts offer Tyson Fury September 13, 2022 One of the most long-awaited matches in boxing has moved a major step closer after Anthony Joshua accepted terms to fight British heavyweight rival Tyson Fury later this year. Joshua made the announcement via his management company, 258, on Tuesday morning. Fury’s camp confirmed contracts would now be formally drawn up. “258 and Matchroom Boxing [...]
BREAKING: Graham Potter confirmed as Chelsea manager September 8, 2022 Chelsea have confirmed Graham Potter as their manager following Thomas Tuchel’s sacking yesterday. Potter joins the Premier League club from Brighton and Hove Albion, where he spent three season. “I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club,” Potter said. “I am very excited to partner with Chelsea’s new ownership [...]
Ed Warner: Kicked off, tipped off, switched off September 8, 2022 One of the joys of writing Sport inc. is the flow of suggestions from readers of subjects to cover. In the past week alone: the highly leveraged balance sheets of Premiership rugby clubs ahead of the new season, the continuing scandal of the lack of financial support for Britain’s international basketball teams, the prohibitive cost [...]
New Chelsea owners revert to same old ruthlessness over Tuchel sacking September 7, 2022 It feels like a lifetime ago since we were watching then Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and current Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte in each other’s faces on the touchlines of Stamford Bridge like Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk . But nearly a month on, and just two victories for the Blues later, Tuchel was today [...]
Chelsea sack manager Thomas Tuchel after 100 days of new ownership September 7, 2022 Premier League club Chelsea have sacked their manager Thomas Tuchel as the club reaches the end of its first 100 days under new management. Tuchel’s Chelsea fell to a humiliating defeat last night at the hands of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League leaving the Blues on a three-match losing streak in all [...]
Per Mertesacker: Arsenal academy boss on his 11-year friendship with Mikel Arteta, producing the next Bukayo Saka and new docuseries Inside Hale End September 6, 2022 It was one of their worst ever defeats, but the recent histories of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and the club’s Hale End academy would look very different had Arsene Wenger’s team not lost 8-2 at Manchester United in August 2011. That setback prompted a transfer deadline-day trolley dash for five new signings, the most [...]