Premier League winter break: How does it work and what is every team doing? February 4, 2020 This week marks a Premier League first, with the advent of its inaugural winter break. Each team has been allocated a 13-day rest between top-flight fixtures, but fear not: there is no television blackout. Since the interval is staggered across two weekends, 12 teams have this weekend off while the other eight get to rest [...]
Five of the best fee-free football transfers January 20, 2020 Football clubs across the Premier League, Europe and further afield are always eyeing up their next potential stars. To kick off the winter transfer season, here’s our selection of the top fee-free football transfers. After all, the best things in life are free, as the saying goes. Remember, you can enjoy fee-free international payments whether [...]
Manchester City v Southampton: Ralph Hasenhuttl faces real challenge to turn around sinning Saints October 31, 2019 When Ralph Hasenhuttl joined Southampton as their new manager on 5 December last year his first task was to fight fires. Saints were 18th in the Premier League and floundering, having become a listless identikit team under his predecessor Mark Hughes. They needed to be motivated, coached and saved from relegation. The Austrian achieved those [...]
Why the UK should upgrade the EU trade deal with Japan December 2, 2019 It is definitely in the interest of UK businesses to replicate (or “roll-over”) as many of the EU’s trade deals as possible after Brexit. But some relations are so economically vital that they require some thought. One of them is Britain’s relationship with Japan. With more than 1,000 Japanese companies operating in the UK, employing [...]
Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne masterclass leads City to comfortable win at the Emirates December 15, 2019 Being torn apart by a player as brilliant as Kevin De Bruyne is not in itself embarrassing. But the ease and speed with which the Belgian playmaker ended Manchester City’s trip to Arsenal as a contest was dispiriting. As the popular refrain goes, Gunners fans arriving at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon expected little and [...]
Manchester United’s attack looks reinvigorated with Anthony Martial allowing Marcus Rashford to flourish December 12, 2019 A lot can change in a week. Just eight days ago Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s position as Manchester United manager looked under serious threat: the club had won just six league games in the last 22 ahead of difficult ties against Tottenham and Manchester City, while Mauricio Pochettino appeared to be waiting in the wings. Today, [...]
How the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was designed and the future of football grounds August 27, 2019 The third of April 2019 was a big day for Christopher Lee. After months of delays, speculation and criticism the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium officially opened its doors, with Spurs facing Crystal Palace in the Premier League. For the stadium’s project director it was the culmination of eight years of hard work – a chance for [...]
Are labelling rules about designation of origin just a form of protectionism? July 3, 2019 Are labelling rules about designation of origin just a form of protectionism Matt Kilcoyne, head of communications at the Adam Smith Institute, says YES. Loyalty is not won by being first. Nor should it be won by locking out competitors by law. It is won by being best. Brand matters. This is not the case [...]
Women’s Super League season preview: New-look division confident of building on World Cup platform September 5, 2019 The Women’s Super League kicks off a new season on Saturday looking to build on the success of the summer’s World Cup and there is every indication it is on the right path. Even before a ball has been kicked the signs are good. The 2019-20 campaign is the first with Barclays as the title [...]
Jose Mourinho ready to silence critics once more on return to Old Trafford December 3, 2019 It was this very fixture little more than two years ago that saw Jose Mourinho turn to the TV cameras and raise a silencing finger to his lips. Manchester United had just beaten Tottenham 1-0 to maintain their 100 per cent home record and keep the pressure on table-toppers Manchester City – a scenario that [...]