Cristiano Ronaldo woes: There’re players at Old Trafford who don’t need a scarecrow in Man United shirt

Cristiano Ronaldo woes: There’re players at Old Trafford who don’t need a scarecrow in Man United shirt

On so many levels, it was the night when Erik ten Hag truly arrived at Manchester United. A comfortable 2-0 against an admittedly flaccid-looking Spurs was the best performance since his arrival at the club. It was a marker that, while a tilt at the Premier League title this season...

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US opinion pollsters are no longer ‘seen as gurus, who can’t be wrong’ but conniving data fiddlers

US opinion pollsters are no longer ‘seen as gurus, who can’t be wrong’ but conniving data fiddlers

If pollsters were transparent, TargetSmart CEO Tom Bonier, a poll critic says, they’d share their “likely voter” models, and even release different scenarios based on different turnout assumptions. “But pollsters are seen as gurus – they can’t be wrong. If they admit their polling is based on these ‘models,’ does...

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US midterms: Why are pollsters getting the stick after years of seeming to hold elections trump card?

US midterms: Why are pollsters getting the stick after years of seeming to hold elections trump card?

It’s said to be wrong to kick a person when he or she is down. If Monday’s New York Times/Siena poll were a person, it’s been stomped so severely that a compassionate observer would step in to stop the fight. But even though the poll that launched a thousand headlines...

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Tigray insurgency: Neither Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders nor Tigrayans accept principles of compromise

Tigray insurgency: Neither Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders nor Tigrayans accept principles of compromise

The conflict in Ethiopia ‘s Tigray looks set to drag on for a long time with the international community and regional bodies seemingly out of their depth to work put peace between the actors in insurgency that has already claimed thousands of lives. The African Union attempts to bring the...

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Lambourne: I’d like to sit here and say Arsenal will lose, but I can’t see it and Gunners are blazing to the top

Lambourne: I’d like to sit here and say Arsenal will lose, but I can’t see it and Gunners are blazing to the top

Arsenal sit pretty at the top of the Premier League having enjoyed their best start to a season since the 2007-08 campaign. Mikel Arteta‘s side have picked up 24 points out of a possible 27 on offer having won eight of their opening nine games. Their only blip has been...

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How on October 10 Russia rained bombs on Ukrainian capital Kyiv, but its stoic residents defied Judgement Day

How on October 10 Russia rained bombs on Ukrainian capital Kyiv, but its stoic residents defied Judgement Day

In the past, when you found yourself being interviewed on a rooftop in some benighted, war-torn place, a news presenter in London would always ask you, “What’s the mood in the streets?” They seem to have given that up now, fortunately, although it’s a perfectly valid question. It’s just that,...

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Given the great peril posed by Russia in Ukraine, it’s time the world pushed for nuclear abolition

Given the great peril posed by Russia in Ukraine, it’s time the world pushed for nuclear abolition

As the world faces an unprecedented level of nuclear threat following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all countries must heed the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and join the movement to ban their use. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons have only escalated over the course of the...

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British PM 40 days on the Cross: Liz Truss sacked Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, then fell on her own sword

British PM 40 days on the Cross: Liz Truss sacked Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, then fell on her own sword

When Liz Truss accidentally tweeted that she would be ready to “hit the ground” on day one of her premiership, most people saw the funny side of the typo. In reality, it took 40 days for the new Prime Minister and her “Kami-Kwasi” mini-budget to disintegrate on impact. Having already...

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Disaster beckons as Barcelona count themselves alive by a miracle after shock Champions League draw

Disaster beckons as Barcelona count themselves alive by a miracle after shock Champions League draw

Around Camp Nou, it was mostly an eerie silence on the final whistle of Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter Milan, as it dawned on fans that the Catalan side are almost certainly eliminated from the competition already. As Inter’s players, coaches and fans celebrated in their small pockets, most of...

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Kylian Mbappe’s ego’s the epitome of how player brand is eclipsing club and football pre-eminence

Kylian Mbappe’s ego’s the epitome of how player brand is eclipsing club and football pre-eminence

It’s the short clip of Neymar being asked ‘What’s Mbappe like? which reveals most about the reality of working life with the footballer who never seems satisfied, even now he’s been crowned the little emperor of Paris. The Brazilian is a picture of contentment as he passes through the player-media...

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