To face mask or not to face mask? Covid etiquette is an experiment in human behaviour July 28, 2021 To mask or not to mask? Along with scores of other things we never would have anticipated, whether or not to cover up our nose and mouth is the latest thorny issue in Covid etiquette. The answer from Boris Johnson is clear: in public spaces such as transport, bars, restaurants or other busy indoor places, [...]
Spanish football’s LaLiga backs financial fair play shake-up as “major step forwards” March 29, 2022 Spanish football chiefs LaLiga have welcomed the proposed overhaul of European football’s financial fair play rules. New regulations set to be phased in from next year will see clubs’ spending on wages, transfers and agents’ fees capped at 70 per cent of their income but a greater tolerance for loss-making clubs. LaLiga, which represents the [...]
Best of 2022: Brexit transfer shake-up not helping English players in Premier League December 24, 2022 In this article from November 2022, Frank Dalleres reveals that tougher transfer market regulations following Brexit are not yet having any beneficial effect on the progress of English players in the Premier League. Brexit has drastically shrunk the pool of footballers available to English clubs without having any clear benefit to the prospects of homegrown [...]
Sharks circling: Sale’s unbeaten start testament to mixing talent October 11, 2022 In Sale’s post-Steve Diamond era, no one really knew what to expect from a rugby union outpost written off season after season. But in their third year under former Saracens coach Alex Sanderson, Sale are one of two unbeaten sides in the Premiership and motoring along nicely. With four wins from four, including over the [...]
Champions League 2021-22: Which are the easiest and hardest groups? September 14, 2021 The Champions League returns in earnest this evening when the group stage gets under way, with holders Chelsea mong those in action. Despite the use of a seeding system to make the draw fairer, some groups appear to pack a lot more pedigree than others. So which is the hardest Champions League group and which [...]
Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United: Blues can’t hide behind VAR excuses after blunt performance in front of goal February 17, 2020 As a Chelsea fan there are two ways you can look at tonight’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Firstly, viewed emotionally, it was a night of pure frustration. A night on which N’Golo Kante and Andreas Christensen were forced off injured. A night on which the opposition’s captain and goalscorer got away [...]
Mark Kleinman: Why Barclays’ £1bn Telegraph bid won’t be the last word, Alison Rose’s next move and why no one wants to be chair of the BBC October 19, 2023 The must-read column from the man in the know, City Editor at Sky Mark Kleinman Barclays’s £1bn Telegraph bid not the last word Hold the front page: the Barclay family’s effort to lodge a knockout bid for The Daily Telegraph was timed like the arrival of a blockbuster newspaper story minutes before the final edition, [...]
Arsenal and Man City scrap overseas trips as Covid-19 hits Premier League pre-season preparations July 22, 2021 Premier League clubs Arsenal and Manchester City have had their preparations for the new season disrupted by issues relating to Covid-19. Arsenal were forced to cancel a pre-season trip to the US to compete in the Florida Cup alongside Everton, Inter Milan and Colombian side Millonarios. The North London outfit returned a number of positive [...]
Dispatch from Birmingham: Truss’ MPs go into hiding as the tide turns once again October 5, 2022 As Conservative politicians, members, policy wonks and journalists decamped to Birmingham, there was a rumour one unnamed Tory MP had arrived early to take pictures around the city, which they could then post on social media while spending Tory conference from the comfort of their hotel room. Elsewhere, one journalist complained of being unable to [...]
Ed Woodward resigns as Man United chief April 20, 2021 Ed Woodward has resigned as executive vice chairman of Manchester United due to the backlash over the proposed European Super League, it was tonight confirmed. He will stand down at the end of 2021. Woodward said in a statement: “I am extremely proud to have served United and it has been an honour to work [...]