Next England manager odds: Six traits Sunderland savior shares with the century’s best international bosses
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce fits six of seven trends that unified the 21st century’s most successful international managers at the time they got the job that brought them their silverware. Between them, Joachim Löw, Vicente del Bosque, Luis Aragones, Marcello Lippi, Otto Rehhagel, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Roger Lemerre have … Read more
A to Zlatan: The multimedia encyclopedia of Man Utd’s brand-new talisman
Footballer, phenomenon, fragrance… Zlatan Ibrahimovic is many things to many people. The A-Zlatan takes Ibraphiles beyond the sidebar of shame quotes even the average budgerigar is bored of repeating, deep into the make-up of the newly-minted Manchester United man.
Real Madrid star on target to be Euro 2016 top scorer no matter where Wales end up
The exploits of past Euros top goalscorers suggest playing for one of 2016’s perceived underdogs is no barrier to Gareth Bale becoming the tournament’s leading marksman. Despite upsetting the odds to win Group B and then getting past Northern Ireland, Wales are 51/20 outsiders to get past Belgium into the … Read more
This year’s oldest-ever X Factor panel are still socially relevant
The recent announcement of the judging panel for the 13th series of The X Factor was greeted with bemusement as the producers operated to the rarely-adopted mantra of “out with the new and in with the old”. Gone were Nick Grimshaw and Rita Ora, the pair picked very deliberately to … Read more
Man Utd, Liverpool and West Ham top English producers of Champions League winners
In all of Europe, just three clubs’ youth systems have produced more winning starters in Champions League finals than Manchester United. The Red Devils have nurtured double the amount of talent to make the 24 past victorious XI’s of any other English side in the competition’s history. Liverpool and, in … Read more
How to get exactly what you want out of Day One at Wimbledon
If you go to a football match, you are either supporting one of the two teams or sipping champagne and nibbling duck a l’orange in the expensive seats. If you go to the darts, you know that your experience will be divided up into 40% drinking, 40% chanting and 20% … Read more
Why Atletico Madrid’s youth policy gives them a Champions League edge
When the city of Madrid takes its footballing rivalry to Milan for the Champions League final, it’ll be billed as Real’s flair against Atletico’s workmanlike organisation. A lavishly assembled and widely-recognised squad, playing in white will take on a group of relatively unheralded players in red stripes, who cost far … Read more
Alvarez favourite to win both the mind games and the fight against Khan
After years of speculation about a scrap with Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan ultimately picking Saul Alvarez as the pound-for-pound sensation that he would go toe-to-toe with in his first true megafight caught everyone off guard.
The stats heaped against Shane-O Mac ahead of his Wrestlemania quest to rule Raw
Shane McMahon’s return to the squared circle takes top billing ahead of Wrestlemania 32. Victory for the boss’ son on the grandest stage of them all will see him assume control of the Raw reigns, but the obstacle he must overcome in order to ascend to the seat of power … Read more
Cambridge win shows German rowers must be valued highest in pursuit of Boat Race glory
A dominant Cambridge performance enabled the light blue crew to record an 82nd Boat Race win over clever-clogs counterparts Oxford in what was the slowest rowing ruckus since 2008. It took Steve Trapmore’s troops 18:41 to cross the finish line to end a three-year losing run for the overall leaders … Read more
Australian exclusion makes resourceful Cambridge the best Boat Race wager
The Easter weekend sees varsity’s most-vicious rivalry renewed as the revered academics from Oxford and Cambridge universities put down the books in favour of a battle to see who can row up the Thames fastest. This year will be the 162nd instalment of the ancient event, with Oxford trailing in … Read more
MOTOGP 2016: Another season of domination by title-hogging trio (and Dani Pedrosa) awaits
A new MOTOGP season begins this weekend in Qatar, meaning there’s no better time to consider just how much four riders have dominated the discipline over the past three campaigns.