Sport

By Matthew Biggin  @MatthewBiggin  @TLE_Sport This festive period most of us will be hanging up our stockings to the opening bars of Fairytale of New York as we guzzle mulled wine by the gallon.  We’ll prepare for days of merriment, gift-giving and curling up in front of the fire to watch Home Alone 2. But for many Premier League managers the Christmas period is greeted with dread.  Indeed the period of the year known as ‘sacking season’ is now upon...

By Richard de Winter  @rgdewinter  @TLE_Sport Dear Santa, First of all, hope that all’s going well for you at this busy time of year, and that you’re not too swamped by the deluge of demands for an iPad from armies of over-privileged 6-year-olds with a worrying sense of entitlement.  Give them all a lump of coal I say, the chances are they’ve been more naughty than nice, and anyway what possible benefit could a 6-year-old gain from owning an iPad?...

Sport News 24/7 By Ian Caroll Newcastle United fans are ungrateful, deluded and fickle. You’ll already know this if you read the work of some of the finest journalistic minds of our age- Paddy Barclay, Rob ‘Shep’ Shepherd et al. Those deluded Geordies have actually dared to criticise Alan Pardew after their eleven brave lions were dumped out of the League Cup at White Hart Lane. How very dare they…What do these Northern Clowns expect? Their team had played half...

Sport News 24/7 By Adam Clark  @AdamClarkers  @TLE_Sport The Premier League is in a state of flux this season – or perhaps just the culmination of several years of change.  The Big 4 gradually changed to a Big 5, Big 6 and even a Big 7.  Nowadays, if we want to include Liverpool and Everton, we’d have to talk about a Big 11.  Or perhaps we could coin a new phrase and talk about the ‘top half’ and ‘bottom half’...

Sport News 24/7 By Sean Simara  @Sean_FootyMad  @TLE_Sport If you asked any Dallas Cowboys fan pre-season what their expectations were for the season it would have been; don't finish bottom in the NFC East, and maybe improve on the record of 8-8 which it has been for the past 3 seasons.  Currently the Cowboys are 10-4 and on course to win the NFC East, so how far can they go? Probably the most famous side in the NFL, the Cowboys,...

Sport News 24/7 By Rob McHugh  @mchughr  @TLE_Sport Earlier this week Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers were handed transfer embargoes until the end of the season for failing to adhere to the Financial Fair Play regulations regarding acceptable losses for during the last accounting period. In reality, none of these clubs will face a true embargo as they will all be allowed to sign players under restricted circumstances.  Namely, if they have fewer than 24 "established" players- established...

Sport News 24/7 By Noy Shani  @NoyShani  @TLE_Sport Sports policy and law have become increasingly popular in recent years.  Financial fair-play has been recognised as a major topic in the world of football.  Noy Shani investigates how can this be enforced, who is responsible for providing the solutions, what the role of academia is and what challenges exist for policy makers, politicians and researchers alike. Football clubs and fans have become aware of the financial risks and constraints that have...

Sport News 24/7 By Catherine Dow  @CatDow  @TLE_Sport Sebastien Buemi won this Saturday’s Formula-E race in Punta del Este, Uruguay.  The e.dams Renault driver clinched the victory after capitalising on Jean-Eric Vergne’s suspension struggles.  Buemi fought hard for the win, locking his rears in an attempt to pass Nelson Piquet Jnr. in the early stages.  Later, the Swiss driver cut the chicane fighting to defend against Vergne, but he was gifted the win as the Frenchman developed a suspension issue...

Sport News 24/7 By David de Winter - Sports Editor @davidjdewinter  @TLE_Sport The recent announcement by McLaren that Fernando Alonso would be returning to the team he left in such acrimonious circumstances seven years ago came as no surprise.  Once Alonso confirmed he was leaving Ferrari, McLaren was the obvious choice after it was clear that Mercedes (his first choice) had no space on their team.  They have the resources to afford the Spaniard’s hefty salary but, more importantly, with...