How Long Will José Last At United
By Ryan Corry January 22, 2018 (No)
A short-term answer. That was the phrase used wide and large by pundits, writers and fans alike when ‘The manager formerly known as the Special One’ was announced as the successor to Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson had departed. David Moyes had been pushed out while Louis Van Gaal was simply nudged off the winner’s podium in Wembley following his 2016 FA Cup win. José Mourinho’s arrival was another one of football’s very poorly kept secrets, a lot of which seem to come from Old Trafford these days. Since the announcement of Ferguson’s retirement and Moyes’ imminent arrival right up to the present day, there seems […]
2018 FA Cup: Who’ll Be This Year’s Giant Killers?
By Evan Coughlan January 5, 2018 (No)
So after weeks of being spoiled with game after game of Premier League action, we now find ourselves with even more football to tuck into this weekend, with the return of the FA Cup. ACCAs at the ready lads! Yes, the world’s oldest cup competition has lost some of its lustre over the last decade or so, but traditionally the 3rd round of the cup is the most exciting round of the competition due to the chance of a famous cup upset potentially taking place. What you’ll most likely find before every FA Cup game on the telly, this weekend, is various ex-players recounting their favourite FA Cup memories. But some of […]
The Future Premier League Stars Who Are Shining Already
By Ryan Corry December 13, 2017 (No)
It’s coming up to Christmas time meaning that there is going to be all sorts of comparisons made with years gone by and how Man City are doing compared to Chelsea last year and who got better Christmas presents and all manner of other useless statistics. Here at The Sharpe, we prefer to stay in the now and keep emphasis on the talent. So, we’ve decided to compile the best team of players u23(ish) so far in this Premier League season. Yes, I did say u23(ish) and that is with good reason. No regular goalkeeper u23 has featured in any team yet this season except Jordan Pickford so I’ve left […]
Which Premier League Side Will Go Furthest in the 2017-18 Champions League?
By Evan Coughlan December 5, 2017 (No)
About eight years ago, English teams were the belle of the ball in the Champions League. For a five year period an English team featured in every Champions League final, and semi-finals were regularly contested between English sides. However, in the last few years that dominance has somewhat deserted English teams, with the only English side reaching the quarter finals last season being Leicester City. This year however, the English sides have been on somewhat of a roll in Europe’s elite competition with dominant performances from the likes of Man City and Tottenham impressing fans, and making pundits sit up and take note. Working off the assumption that all five […]
What Can We Expect From Rio Ferdinand’s Move Into Boxing?
By Evan Coughlan October 7, 2017 (No)
A few weeks ago people looked at their phones bemused as it was announced that former England captain Rio Ferdinand would begin a new career as a boxer. Rio, one of the finest centre halves in the modern game made the announcement in association with Betfair, who will help him gain a boxing license from the British Boxing Board of Control. The Man United legend will be part of Betfair’s Defender to Contender challenge, as they follow him from his first sparring session to his pro debut in a few months time. So can Rio actually forge a new career for himself in the world of boxing? Well we here […]
How Would An All Irish Team Do In The Premiership – Part 3
By Ryan Corry October 3, 2017 (No)
Following our calculation in Part 2 of this series that our Ireland selection would finish the Premier League season with a final total of 49 points, it’s safe to say that they would not be in danger of relegation. If you’re just joining the party, then you might want to take a look at Part 1 of the series which looked at our all Irish team, tactics and rules for the season. The Stats Taking the points totals from all of the 22 full 20-team Premier League seasons so far completed, the average finishing position is 10th spot with the final positions ranging from 8th up to 14th. When you […]
How Would An All Irish Team Do In The Premiership – Part 2
By Ryan Corry September 7, 2017 (No)
Before I go any further, if you haven’t read part one of this series where I picked my Irish selection and outlined my tactics and rules for the season, you can read that here. Huddersfield are the team we’ve sacrificed in place of Ireland so from this point forward, we’ll look at their fixtures month by month and where we think the Irish team would finish in the Premier League 17/18. So let’s forget the drab results and understand we have a squad of many Premiership players who should hold themselves to higher standards. Let’s get right into it. AUGUST – 4 Not the most difficult of starts to life […]
The Premier League Team You Could Buy Instead Of Neymar
By Ryan Grace August 18, 2017 (No)
After 4 years, 186 appearances, 105 goals, and 80 assists, Brazilian winger Neymar has left Barcelona to join PSG in Ligue 1 for a world-record transfer fee worth £200 million (€222 million). The 25 year-old joins Les Parisiens on a five year contract, securing his place in the world’s most expensive signing in football history. Just to put this extravagant deal into perspective, here’s a list of things that PSG could have bought for the same amount that they spent on Neymar; 137 properties in London’s most expensive borough (Kensington). 1,004 four-year degrees for students at MIT. One Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Six Greek Islands. 6.5 metric tonnes of pure gold. […]
The 5 Best Bets for the 2017/18 Premier League Season
By Adam Kenny August 9, 2017 (No)
Well, that was a long summer! With no World Cup or Euros to help pass the time, it feels like an eternity since Chelsea lifted the Premier League title, with John Terry bidding us an emotional farewell. Every cloud though, and all the free time has given me the chance to find a few bets for next season. Some bankers, some flyers and some somewhere in between. For what it’s worth, I’m a Man United fan. That shouldn’t be a factor when you’re having a bet though – you should bet with your head and not with your heart. Just ask any Liverpool fan who’s been backing them to win […]
Pep Guardiola’s Big Man City Buys – Make Or Break?
By Ryan Grace August 8, 2017 (No)
Finishing 3rd in the Premier League, with a semi-final knockout in the FA Cup and a Round of 16 exit in the UEFA Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City was steady, but lacking in silverware. Despite only losing 6 league games, Guardiola’s men racked up an unfortunate 9 draws, leaving them 15 points behind current champions Chelsea. Their European venture was inconsistent and ultimately unsuccessful in a gripping 6-6 thriller against Monaco, with the French giants progressing on away goals. While only conceding 1 goal in the 5 games leading up to the FA Cup semi-final, it was The Gunners who would ultimately go on to take […]
