October 5 – The English Premier League is only eight games into the new season but the sack race is already up and running. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (pictured) and Sunderland’s Dutch boss Dick Advocaat have both left their respective clubs after difficult starts to the new campaign, an uncomfortable reminder of just how impatient chairmen and owners can be and how quickly fortunes can change.
By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – Aston Villa became the first Premier League club to dip below filling 80% of their stadium capacity this season. The Midlands club, often referred to as a sleeping giant, have struggled to fill Villa Park, apart from their opening game of the season. Results have been poor with the club equal bottom of the league on points.
By Mark Baber
October 2 – Comparatively poor results by English clubs in the Champions League last season and a disappointing opening to the Champions League groups stage have led to a spate of suggestions England may lose their fourth Champions League place to Italy. However analysis suggests this is unlikely and English club performances in European club football over the past five seasons have been second only to the Spanish.
By Paul Nicholson
October 1 – Premier League attendances for Round 7 topped last week’s figures with the 10 home matches averaging 96.5% stadium capacity, the second highest since the opening day of the season. Stoke City had just one seat unfilled at the Britannia Stadium.
By Mark Baber
September 30 – Manchester City FC have announced a multi-year drinking and mineral water partnership with Thailand-based Singha Corporation Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Boon Rawd Brewery, for Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
September 29 – Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, battling against his team’s shaky start to defending their Premier League title, has complained about a “witch-hunt” by the footballing authorities against Diego Costa.
September 23 – Premier League champions Chelsea have been dealt a double blow on and off the field with yet more adverse publicity heaped on the club and their outspoken Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.
By David Owen
September 18 – Arsenal, the North London football club, have announced a five-fold increase in annual profits thanks in part to its property business. This property arm contributed £13.4 million – or just over half – to a pre-tax profit for the Arsenal Holdings group of £24.7 million for the year ended 31 May 2015.
By David Owen
September 17 – Manchester United have kicked off the 2014-15 Premier League reporting season with a small pre-tax loss, reflecting the absence of Champions League football during the relevant period. The Old Trafford club suffered a dip in revenue to below £400 million over the 12 months to June 30, while operating expenses edged up to £387.6 million.
By Paul Nicholson
September 17 – Manchester United is the only European club with more than €1 billion of fixed assets, according to the latest article by Football Benchmark, the research arm of consultancy and accountancy specialists KPMG Sports. While no comparison is made with non-European clubs, it is pretty safe to assume Man Utd would top a world table.
By Mark Baber
September 16 – An Information Commissioner in the UK has ruled that the 99-year tenancy agreement between the managers of the Olympic Stadium and West Ham United must be published in response to a Freedom of Information request.
September 15 – Premier League club Liverpool have expanded their soccer development coaching programme to the United Arab Emirates with the launch of an International Academy.
By Paul Nicholson
September 15 – The international break has not dampened the enthusiasm for fans attending Premier League matches with clubs reporting an average 95.24% capacity at the 10 home games in round 5.
September 14 – The head of FIFA’s medical committee has commissioned a new sub-group to draw up a special code of ethics for coaches and team doctors.
By David Owen
September 12 – Manchester City have enlisted the help of Sun Jihai, their former player, in their efforts to better exploit the vast 1.3 billion-strong Chinese market. The defender, who turns 38 this month, made 130 league appearances for the club during a six-year stint between 2002 and 2008.