It is unusual Watford have pressed their case against Everton over Marco Silva and more or less every club does it, but fines don’t deter and repeat offenders should lose pointsThe most blatant “tap” I ever heard about goes back to the days when it was quite the norm for the members of the FA’s international committee to use their positions as a way of making clandestine approaches to players from the England team.It was June 1977 and England had just played Brazil as part of a tour of South America, minus Don Revie on the pretext the manager was flying off to watch Italy, one of their opponents in the World Cup qualifiers (in reality, Revie was negotiating his...
Spurs’ rough month could be extended by Liverpool, another perfect record is on the line at Watford and fears for West HamSeptember hasn’t exactly been great for Tottenham thus far. Defeat at Watford was followed by landing in Barcelona’s Champions League group, Daniel Levy confirming more costly delays to the new stadium and a night in Milton Keynes. Dele Alli got injured on international duty and their captain, Hugo Lloris, was ruled out with a thigh problem shortly after admitting being two times over the drink-drive limit. Ever a man to brighten the mood, Son Heung-min returns this week fresh from pulling the nutmeg of the year, with Asian Games gold (and military service exemption) also in the bag. How...
The club’s perfect start to the season is a cause for surprise but dig deeper and it becomes clear that a plan for steady growth has long been in place at Vicarage RoadIt did not take long after Watford’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham for a typically opportunistic email from a certain bookmaker to pop into the inbox. “Are Watford The New Leicester?” read the heading, with odds of 500-1 offered on Javi Gracia’s men to repeat the “miracle of 2016”.The answer to that particular question is almost certainly no but there is no doubting the impressive nature of Watford’s start. Four wins out of four, for only the second time in the club’s history, and having come from behind to...
Chelsea and Arsenal promise goals and flaws, Fulham must tighten up and will sparks fly between Benítez and Warnock?Friday football countdown: latest news and more – live!With two teams in flux, Chelsea’s derby with Arsenal is a meeting that promises goals. Both sides are vulnerable in defence and dangerous in attack. Although beaten comfortably in the end, Huddersfield exposed Chelsea’s weakness to attacks down the wings last week and Arsenal may aim to do likewise, while David Luiz, in particular, will likely struggle to keep up with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the middle. But Chelsea’s midfield thrusters – who could include Eden Hazard from the start as well as N’Golo Kanté in all-new Roving Mode – could wreak havoc at the...
Manchester United and Leicester under pressure to start well, Emery’s formidable opening task, heightened ambitions for Brighton and Wolves Related: Summer transfer window verdict: how every Premier League club fared Related: Transfer window 2018 – every summer deal from Europe's top five leagues Related: The big Premier League preview – Football Weekly Extra Continue reading...