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 [...]
Club Wembley chief on why fans still want personalised experiences September 5, 2022 After a sensational tribute to Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins on Saturday night, sold out Coldplay and Ed Sheeran concerts throughout July and August, not to mention the iconic Lionesses win, all at Wembley Stadium, demand for hospitality shows no signs of slowing down. We know this generation prioritises experiences over luxury goods, and that is [...]
Manchester United slip out of Premier League rich list top two for first time September 4, 2022 Manchester United’s on-field decline has seen them fall out of the top two revenue-generating teams in the Premier League for the first time, according to a new report. United, who were named the world’s richest football club just five years ago, have now slipped behind their traditional rivals Liverpool as well as neighbours Manchester City, [...]
Manchester United 3-1 Arsenal: Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils revival gathers pace September 4, 2022 These are still early days for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United but, after claiming the scalp of Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, the signs are looking good. A debut goal to ease the weight of Antony’s £85m price tag and the return to form of Marcus Rashford made Sunday afternoon close to perfect [...]
Trevor Steven: Anticipation is what makes Erling Haaland a goalscoring machine September 1, 2022 I can’t remember anyone beginning life in the Premier League as well as Erling Haaland, who made it back-to-back hat-tricks and nine goals in five games for Manchester City in midweek. Plenty of people will have been waiting for him to fail and burst the hype that has long surrounded him. Instead he has stunned [...]
Ed Warner: Andrew Strauss, ECB and What It Takes To Win September 1, 2022 It doesn’t yet look like a camel, but Andrew Strauss’s committee to propel English cricket to the top of the world and keep it there has come up with a discussion document that doesn’t quite resemble a thoroughbred racehorse. Once it’s been through the wringer of consultation with the members of the 18 first class [...]
Private equity influx in rugby will not save entire club game August 31, 2022 It’s no new phenomenon to see sports clubs, which tend to be at the heart of the community they serve, face financial challenges and ultimately go under. But why is this happening in rugby when the sport has benefited from a flurry of private equity investment which is shaping the future of the oval-balled game? [...]
