Soccer | PREMIER REPORT May 25, 2013

Cole not fit for England captaincy

by Christopher Davies

He is seen as the type of player who gives footballers a bad name. Someone who typifies all the perceived negatives about the modern-day player. Ashley Cole is the snarling face of the beautiful game, someone who disputes every decision made by a referee ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT May 11, 2013

Moyes facing monumental task in taking over for Ferguson

by Christopher Davies

David Moyes has been constantly overlooked by England’s top clubs. Since 2007, by which time Moyes had been in charge of Everton for five years, Chelsea have had five managers, Spurs and Manchester City three each. For whatever reason, Moyes, chosen as Manager of ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT May 4, 2013

Not everyone in England would welcome Mourinho back with open arms

by Christopher Davies

Jose Mourinho wants to be where people love him. “In England I am loved by the fans and the media, fairly criticized or credited when I deserve,” he said after Real Madrid’s Champions League knockout by Borussia Dortmund. How quickly he forgets. So do ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT Apr 27, 2013

Suarez case latest to show F.A.'s flaws

by Christopher Davies

Whatever punishment had been handed down to Luis Suárez would have been criticized. That the Liverpool striker was banned for 10 games for sinking his teeth into the arm of Chelsea’s Branoslav Ivanovic has outraged some (mainly on the red half of Merseyside) because ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT Apr 20, 2013

Third place a good finish for Arsenal

by Christopher Davies

A season which has seen Arsenal knocked out of the domestic cups by League Two Bradford City and Championship struggler Blackburn Rovers, with critics and Gunners fans pointing angry collective fingers at Arsène Wenger, is likely to end with humble pie once again being ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT Apr 13, 2013

Man City better off keeping Mancini

by Christopher Davies

According to some reports, Manchester City has lined up various replacements should Roberto Mancini be fired this summer. This, of course, presupposes the club’s power brokers have met to discuss possible successors in case they decide to fire the Italian. Apart from this unlikely ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT Apr 6, 2013

Di Canio hiring destined for disaster

by Christopher Davies

Blunderland FC is searching for a new manager. Chairman Ellis Long heads a board meeting. Long: “How about Paolo di Canio?” One stunned director almost spits out a mouthful of coffee. “Mr. Chairman, di Canio has never managed higher than League One and his, ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT Mar 30, 2013

England no lock for 2014 World Cup

by Christopher Davies

No English clubs left in the Champions League and a growing possibility of Montenegro, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan and Panama at the 2014 World Cup but not England. March has not been a good month for the country that gave the world its favorite sport. The ...

Sports | PREMIER REPORT Mar 22, 2013

Montenegro a challenge for England

by Christopher Davies

It is a moment Jonathan Pearce will never forget. Pearce, who now has a leading role in the BBC’s football commentating team, was covering the 1994 World Cup qualifying game between San Marino and England for the commercial radio station Capital Gold in November ...

Sports | PREMIER REPORT Mar 16, 2013

Stakes high in Aston Villa-QPR battle

by Christopher Davies

Two in-form teams go head-to-head Saturday in a game that will go a long way to deciding the Premier League fate of Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers. Despite the specter of relegation that hovers over both clubs, each approaches the showdown in a ...

Soccer | PREMIER REPORT Mar 9, 2013

Time for England to stop whining

by Christopher Davies

“Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” — Vince Lombardi Vince Lombardi knew a thing or two about winning, leading the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowls. For him, winning was not the most important ...