Fresh News

In his weekly Liverpool blog, Dave Tindall reflects on the first half of the season and assesses the likelihood of the Reds making the top four. Six points, two winners from Christian Benteke and a pair of clean sheets. Yep, it’s been a good Christmas for Liverpool FC. In many ways, the   1-0 win at struggling Sunderland   was just as satisfying as the   1-0 win over then table-toppers Leicester City   on Boxing Day. We’ve fluffed our lines against the weaker teams plenty of times this season and it would have been criminal to throw away more points at, let’s be honest, a desperately poor Sunderland outfit. So, with exactly half the season gone, Liverpool go into 2016 fascinatingly poised in seventh place – nine points off top spot, five points adrift of fourth and level on 30 points with fierce rivals Manchester United. Or, if you want to look it another way, one point clear of Watford . All in all, it’s been a rollercoaster opening 19 games with som...

Matteo Darmian is a loan target for Juventus, Liverpool have been linked with Serie A defenders Martin Caceres and Jeison Murillo, while Salvatore Sirigu has snubbed a move to Aston Villa, according to Thursday’s transfer rumours. Arsenal – Ezequiel Lavezzi, a long-term target of Arsenal and Liverpool , is unlikely to leave PSG in January, his agent has revealed (Radio CRC) –  Mathieu Debuchy is set to leave Arsenal after talks with Arsene Wenger , with Roma and Lyon interested (Daily Mail) Aston Villa – Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has snubbed a January move to Aston Villa (RMC) –  Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink does not want to loan Loic Remy to Aston Villa (The Guardian) Bournemouth – Juan Iturbe has begun training with Bournemouth after a £1.1million season-long loan fee was agreed (The Sun) – Chelsea will recall Christian Atsu from his loan spell at Bournemouth (ESPN) Chelsea –  Chelsea are...

We take a look at where each Premier League club needs to improve and highlight two potential targets who could be signed during the window. With the transfer window opening on January 1, most Premier League clubs will be looking at conducting business they hope can help them achieve their respective goals at the end of the season. Arsenal Arsene Wenger still has a few faces to come back from long-term injuries but having not purchased an outfield player in the summer he is likely to invest this time around with a defensively-minded midfielder high on his agenda. Potential targets: Mohamed Elneny ( Basle ), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen) Aston Villa Villa face a struggle to convince players to join their monumental battle against the drop. Remi Garde needs goals but may well look for reinforcements all over the park. Potential targets: Gent striker Laurent Depoitre ( Gent ), Loic Remy (Chelsea) Bournemouth Bournemouth are expected to add to their strike fo...

Former Manchester United boss David Moyes says the club should stand by under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal. Van Gaal's side have slipped out of the Premier League's top four and exited the Champions League during a run of eight games without a win. "What Manchester United stand for is that they keep their managers, they've always supported their managers," Moyes told BT Sport's Clare Balding Show. "They don't want to become a club which continuously changes their manager." Moyes took over as United boss from Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2013 but was dismissed after just 10 months in charge. Van Gaal was appointed as Moyes' replacement at Old Trafford in May 2014. "I hope they stick with Louis van Gaal, he deserves more time," said Moyes, who was   sacked by Spanish club Real Sociedad in November. "It's still a work in progress for him, he's made some signings and from my experience in Spain it wi...

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says there is no magic formula to turning around the club's fortunes. United have not won in eight games, including their past six in the Premier League, have dropped to sixth place, and are out of the Champions League. On Saturday they face Swansea , a team Van Gaal has lost to in all three meetings since taking charge. "There is no magic, it is looking at what has happened and what can improve, as a team and individually," he said. "I have lost three times against Swansea , and then you have to evaluate why you lost. It is always like that, then you continue with the same vicious circle of working. "You make a game plan to beat your opponent and then you have to convince your players. Then you have to train and then you have to be convinced. Then you can be committed and try to perform it." Has the pressure eased on Van Gaal? United   drew 0-0 with Chelsea   on Monday with a much-improved performa...

With the recent signing of the agreement between the globally renowned International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the State of Osun government led by the energetic yet visionary helmsman, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Osun is apparently treading an uncommon path of agricultural revolution capable of permanently changing her economic fortunes. The agreement is a culmination of a four-year partnership between the two parties over series of agriculture projects hitherto embarked upon by the state through the flagship programme Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O-REAP). Through the project, IITA, reputed to have in its kitty a centre that has in store over 30,000 seed varieties and at the forefront of agricultural research and innovation, the IITA would carry out research and maintain demonstration plots for best farming practices in Osun, while carrying out crop multiplication and working with the government to facilitate a most robust and shorte...

Despite a suit in court, the Federal Government yesterday insisted that mobile giant MTN must pay the N780billion fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) latest tomorrow. The government has also engaged a five-man team of Senior Advocates to defend the sanction in court. The Ministry of Communications made the clarifications against the backdrop of fears of whether or not the government will stay action on the imposition of the fine. MTN was punished for managing improperly registered 5.2m Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Cards. A top official said: “The fact that MTN has gone to court does not amount to a stay of the fine. We have not got any order restraining the Federal Government from collecting the fine. “An application before a court does not amount to the nullification of the sanction or a stay of action.” The Special Assistant to the Minister of Communications, Victor Oluwadamilare, who spoke exclusively with our correspondent, said...

The face-off between the House of Representatives and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation over the controversial 445,000 crude oil swap contracts is not yet over. The PUNCH gathered on Wednesday that the ad hoc committee of the House investigating the deals had issued a fresh January 2016 deadline to the corporation to produce evidence of the presidential approval and the NNPC’s board resolutions that authorised the transactions. Findings by The PUNCH showed that the latest directive came following the failure of the corporation to comply with two similar directives issued by the committee between November and earlier this month. The swap transactions involved the exchange of crude oil for refined petroleum products in which the corporation gave out 445,000 barrels of crude daily to trading companies. Efforts by the committee, which is chaired by an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Kwara State, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, to conduct a public hearing on the transaction...

‘NASS Unaware Of Fuel Subsidy Removal, Electricity Tariff Hike’ Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the National Assembly is not aware of the fuel subsidy removal and the hike in electricity tariff, noting that the Federal Government is yet to communicate its decision to the Assembly. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila Addessed journalists after Meeting with   Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja …Wednesday night Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila Addessed journalists after Meeting with Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja …Wednesday night Giving a report of activities of the House of Reps in the 8th Assembly from June to December, Gbajabiamila said subsidy removal and electricity hike ‘’is just being speculated’’. The lawmaker said ‘’well, all I have heard is pronouncement as far as the electricity tariff is concerned. As you know, a lot of the distributors and players in that industry do not have the tariff reflect the...