LONDON // Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, has long coveted Scott Parker and he believes that the West Ham United midfielder has the inspirational qualities to pull his side clear of the relegation battle this season.
Redknapp returns today to coach against the club he played for and managed, with the Hammers still anchored at the foot of the table with just one point from five games. Spurs, meanwhile, are in fifth on eight points as the season enters the phase when the competition really starts to take shape. Tottenham, involved in the Champions League for the first time, seem prepared to make another top-four challenge. West Ham, on the other hand, seem set to be involved in another long battle to avoid the drop.
Redknapp hopes to extend an unbeaten run against the club he left in 2001 to 10 games (with Portsmouth and Spurs). The last five encounters have been victories for Redknapp. However, he hopes his former club avoid relegation. "They have had a good week by playing well and taking a point up at Stoke then winning at Sunderland in the Carling Cup," Redknapp said. "Their season could start to turn around now. Long term, I certainly hope so. I spent a lot of my life at the club and have special memories.
"Key to their chances is Scott Parker. He did so well for them in those games and he will be vital if West Ham are to pull clear from the bottom. Scotty is a top player and top bloke. That is why I have tried to sign him on a couple of the occasions in the past, most recently in the summer. "The feedback we were getting was that West Ham were prepared to sell him and use the money to bring in two or three new players.
"That might actually have been good business for them and our chairman did make an approach and we knew that they would have taken our midfielder Jamie O'Hara as part of the deal. "But in the end the problem was that their chairman David Sullivan had pledged to the West Ham fans at the end of last season that the last player they would sell was Scott. So in the end, while it might have been good business he felt he couldn't go back on his word."
Parker signed a new contract with West Ham, and Redknapp, conceded that the midfielder "might have had a tougher battle to be a regular in our team" and recalled how the player was unhappy in a part-time role with Chelsea. "For us, the positive knock on effect has seen Jermaine Jenas force his way back into our team and been fantastic," Redknapp said. "Do I think West Ham can get out of it? Yes. And I find it crazy that I already hear stories that their manager Avram Grant could be out in a few weeks if there isn't a big improvement. He has only just got there, for goodness sake.
"It's going to be a rare old battle down there and the one thing you can't afford is to find yourself well adrift after 10 games. Then it's really difficult to haul yourselves out of it. The next five games will be crucial for West Ham." sports@thenational.ae 6pm, ADMC Sports 4
Other matches
Arsenal v West Bromvich Albion
In a break from the norm in the Premier League, Arsenal have announced record pre-tax profits of £56 million (Dh319m) and they have paid off all the debt on Highbury Square – an apartment-block development at the site of their old stadium. Profits are slightly down on the football side. Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive, said: "A part of that is because we've invested fairly aggressively in our young player pool, and have secured their long-term future with the club."
6pm, ADMC Sports 6
Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers
Ian Holloway's success with Blackpool deserves to be ranked alongside any of the achievements of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho, according to Blackburn's manager Sam Allardyce. Holloway, working on a shoestring budget, won promotion to the Premier League in his first year in charge. "When you look at what resources they have we don't give them the plaudits they deserve because they are a small, unfashionable club," Allardyce said.
6pm, ADMC Sports 8
Liverpool v Sunderland
Roy Hodgson, the Liverpool manager, sees today's visit of Sunderland as the chance to start rebuilding his team's confidence. Liverpool are currently 16th in the table with just five points and they were knocked out of the Carling Cup in midweek, by Northampton Town, a team who play three divisions below them. "I shall sleep a bit better if we get a win," said Hodgson. "Nothing I can say changes the result on Wednesday or repairs any damage done."
6pm, ADMC Sports 3
Birmingham City v Wigan Athletic
Birmingham City can equal their top-flight record of 18 games unbeaten at home if they avoid defeat today against Wigan. "I'm aware of the headlines telling everyone that is the case," said Birmingham's manager Alex McLeish. "I'm sure people reading that will be thinking, 'This will be the one where they finally lose that record after talking about it so much'. We know some day we will lose at St Andrew's but they won't go down without fighting."
6pm, ADMC Sports 7
Fulham v Everton
Fulham's attacking options for today's clash with Everton are minimal, with Moussa Dembele confirmed out for two to three weeks. The setback comes a week after Bobby Zamora had been ruled out for five months with a broken leg; Andy Johnson and Diomansy Kamara are also injured. "Available to us are Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson and Zoltan Gera," Mark Hughes said. "We have options, though ideally we'd like our full complement to pick from."
6pm, ADMC Sports 5
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more from Janine di Giovanni
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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