The former USA coach failed to hit upon a consistent formula at Swansea City but his status as an outsider in the Premier League hastened his downfallBob Bradley had little reason to know how quickly he would be proved right when ruminating, at his first press conference as Swansea City manager, upon the modus operandi of his new bosses.“I don’t think they’d have got where they are by making decisions with the heart,” Bradley said of the club’s owners, Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien. And while on this occasion he was second-guessing the logic of his own appointment, it would be less than three months before he discovered just how harsh the Premier League can be. Related: Bob Bradley had...
The manager’s position had become untenable but the chairman, Huw Jenkins, has presided over a number of poor decisions, both managerially and in the transfer market, as Swansea have lurched from one crisis to anotherIt was just gone 7pm on Boxing Day and a small group of reporters were walking away from the Liberty Stadium when a Swansea City supporter approached. “Has he gone yet, boys?” asked the fan, smiling in a way that made it clear it would be viewed as good news if there was confirmation that Bob Bradley was clearing his desk.That moment arrived 24 hours later, when Swansea announced that the first American to manage in the Premier League had been sacked after less than three...
Leicester hope to party like it’s 1963, Liverpool must find a way to stop Joe Allen scoring and it is eight years since Phil Brown’s infamous Hull City team talkEvery year for more than half a century folks have been hoping for a repeat of the Boxing Day fun of 1963, when the 10 top-flight fixtures produced a record tally of 66 goals. We can’t get an exact repeat of that this year because half of the teams who were in the First Division back then are now in the lower leagues (although, as it happens, Ipswich and Fulham are meeting in the Championship this Boxing Day so Mick McCarthy could point to progress if his team do better than...
Claude Puel’s rotation proves a winner, opportunity finally knocks for Michy Batshuayi, and Mesut Özil’s invisibility at City should worry Arsène Wenger Related: The Dozen: the weekend's best Premier League photos Related: Premier League 2015-16 fans’ verdicts part one: Arsenal to Manchester United Related: Premier League fans’ half-time verdict part 2: Manchester United to West Ham Continue reading...
The balance shifts from Arsenal to Manchester City, Chelsea could take a defining step away from the pack and Jack Wilshere’s chance to crack onGiven Chelsea’s rampaging form at the top of the table, the first Premier League meeting between Pep Guardiola and Arsène Wenger feels hugely significant, particularly for Manchester City who could find themselves 10 points off the title pace should they suffer defeat at the Etihad. A week ago Arsenal might have started this contest as favourites, but their 14-game unbeaten streak in the league came to an end in the midweek defeat at Goodison Park, while City rectified their recent slump with a confident 2-0 win over Watford. City’s performance was enhanced by Raheem Sterling’s return...