Sports Poets Society

Hull City fans during celebrations in Queen Victoria Square HUGE OPPORTUNITY AS TIGERS RETURN TO PREMIER LEAGUE The return of Hull City to the Premier League is such a massive moment for the city Councillor Mike Ross 22 ago 2026 - Hull Daily Mail By PAUL DRURY-BRADEY paul.drury-bradey@reachplc.com AS Hull City get ready for their long-awaited return to the Premier League after almost a decade away, local businesses have been urged to make the most of the “massive” opportunities presented by top-level football being back in the region. The Tigers host Manchester United at lunchtime today, three months after winning promotion through the Championship play-offs. Kick-off at the MKM Stadium is at 12.30pm and the game against Michael Carrick’s side is live on TNT Sports. Ahead of the big match, council leaders, tourism chiefs and business leaders have urged businesses around the city to work together to capitalise on the opportunity - highlighting the potential boost for pubs, clubs and res...

Hull City captain Lewie Coyle lifts the  Championship Play off trophy at Wembley THE TIGERS HOST MANCHESTER UNITED AT LUNCHTIME TODAY The return of Hull City to the Premier League is such a massive moment for the city Councillor Mike Ross 22 Aug 2026 - Hull Daily Mail By PAUL DRURY-BRADEY paul.drury-bradey@reachplc.com AS Hull City get ready for their long-awaited return to the Premier League after almost a decade away, local businesses have been urged to make the most of the “massive” opportunities presented by top-level football being back in the region. The Tigers host Manchester United at lunchtime today, three months after winning promotion through the Championship play-offs. Kick-off at the MKM Stadium is at 12.30pm and the game against Michael Carrick’s side is live on TNT Sports. Ahead of the big match, council leaders, tourism chiefs and business leaders have urged businesses around the city to work together to capitalise on the opportunity - highlighting the potential boo...

22 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph By ANDY TURNER THE Sky Blue Army travelled more in hope than expectation as Coventry City were given a baptism of fire on their return to Premier League football after 25 long years. Up against the top flight champions, Arsenal showed no mercy as they raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 23 minutes, extending their lead to 3-0 four minutes into the second half as Frank Lampard ’s men barely laid a glove on the Gunners. The gulf in class was there for all to see and City understandably took a cautious approach early on as they weathered two corners in quick succession as the hosts exerted their authority. The Sky Blues kept them at bay for just over 14 minutes before Kai Havertz swept home a square ball from fed in from Riccardo Calafiori to just inside the box in line with the penalty spot as Aurele Amenda stretched to block. But the Gunners’ striker had far too much time and space to pick his spot past Carl Rushworth to place the ball into the b...

Mark Robins with Michael Doyle after the  Sky Blues’ League Two play-off final in 2018 22 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph JIM BROWN WHAT an evening at the CBS Arena last Friday night. A superb team performance resulted in an impressive 2-0 victory over AS Monaco with all the new signings putting in classy performances especially Caleb Yirenyki who for 64 minutes showed us why Coventry City have invested more than £20 million in the midfielder . The 20-year-old Ghana international popped up all over the pitch with tackles, dribbles and accurate passes including the assist with Loum Tchaouna ’s goal. The performance and goals, however, were overshadowed by the events on the 64th minute when new signing and returning hero Gus Hamer came on as a substitute. The fans were on their feet for at least five minutes as the Brazilian waited, stripped off, on the touchline. Gus’s song bellowed out around the ground as the midfield general waited patiently but with no break in play the fans we...

22 Aug 2026 - Coventry Telegraph By BRIAN DICK THREE thousand Coventry City fans made the 100-mile, 25-year journey to the Emirates Stadium last night mindful of – but in truth not too hung up on – their curtain-raiser’s result. In fact the Sky Blues struggled against the home side as Arsenal turned on the style winning the game 3-0. If ever an opening fixture said ‘Welcome back to the Premier League’ a show-piece appointment away to the reigning champions was it. And if ever a match contrasted with the Sky Blues’ last top flight game, a 0-0 draw with Bradford City at Highfield Road in May 2001, this was also it. Having laid waste to the Championship last season, Frank Lampard’s men stepped blinking back into the Premier League spotlight. The stage could not have been any higher nor the lights any brighter. They did so with those 3,000 in the ground but with one hundred times that number in their corner, albeit further afield. They also did so with the eyes of the world, admittedly mos...

JULIAN FINNEY/GETTY IMAGES 22 Aug 2026 - THE GUARDIAN / Sport Ed Aarons - @Emirates Stadium Arsenal 3 Havertz 15, Saka 23, Ødegaard 49 Coventry 0 Possession Arsenal 66%, Coventry 34% Shots on target Arsenal 5, Coventry 1 Total attempts Arsenal 20, Coventry 4 What a difference a title makes. The last time Arsenal played in front of their own supporters, you could cut the nervous tension with a knife as Mikel Arteta ’s side scraped to a 1-0 victory over already relegated Burnley. Ninety-five days on and, Arsenal having ended their long wait to be crowned champions the following night when Manchester City slipped up against Bournemouth, Coventry were given a rude awakening in their first top flight game for 25 years. It is now 46 matches since Arsenal lost at home to a promoted side and there was never any doubt about the result as soon as Kai Havertz – who scored the only goal against Burnley that turned out to be priceless – picked up where he left off by giving Arsenal the lead in t...

Tigers ‘not here by accident’ – and revamped squad kicks off quest to stick around against Manchester United today ‘I’ve seen all the predictions –  it’s a great motivation  as we don’t have anything to lose’ 22 Aug 2026 - THE GUARDIAN / Sport Ross Heppenstall On a baking spring bank holiday, Sergej Jakirović basked in the glory of Hull’s fairytale promotion to the Premier League in an address to 40,000 ecstatic supporters from the balcony of Hull City Hall. “I only had one task before the season – to stay in the Championship … I failed. We’re going to the Premier League!” roared Jakirović to the delight of those in attendance. Oli McBurnie ’s late goal had secured a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final 48 hours earlier, clinching one of the unlikeliest ascents for years. Hull survived relegation to League One only on goal difference in 2025 but Jakirović, an intriguing character and fine raconteur, proved the man with the alchemist’s touch. Th...

22 Aug 2026 - La Gazzetta dello Sport - Milano Di CIRO SCOGNAMIGLIO @CIROGAZZETTA OCCHIOA... Sette arrivi in salita Due crono 4 Moscon, L’81a edizione della Vuelta misura 3299,2 km, divisi in 21 tappe. Quattro i paesi coinvolti: Monaco, Francia, Andorra, Spagna. Circa 58.000 i metri di dislivello. Font Romeu (3a tappa); Aramon Valdelinares (7a); Alto de Aitana (9a); Calar Alto (12a); Sierra de la Pandera (14a); Peñas Blancas (19a); Collado del Alguacil (20a) La prima crono è quella inaugurale di oggi a Monaco (9,4 km, diretta Eurosport 1 alle 16) per buona parte sul circuito di F.1. Pogacar parte per penultimo alle 19.19, tra i favoriti Van Aert e Tarling. Poi la 18a tappa, 32 km da El Puerto de Santa María a Jerez de la Frontera. Le grandi corse di un giorno le può anche perdere. Raramente, per la verità, ma sì: per restare alle ultime tre stagioni, compresa questa, Tadej Pogacar non ha vinto le Sanremo 2024 e 2025, e le Roubaix 2025 e 2026. Invece nei giri – brevi, oppure di tre sett...

Pour compléter sa trilogie des grands Tours, a ciblé cette Vuelta qui part de chez lui avec un plateau modeste. Le moment et le parcours idoines pour renforcer sa légende et préparer ses prochaines échéances. "Il est quasiment impossible à battre,  mais je pense que ça va être plus serré qu’au Tour,  il reste un humain"    - FELIX GALL, LEADER DE       DECATHLON-CMA CGM 22 Aug 2026 - L'Équipe LUC HERINCX MONACO – Tadej Pogacar avait l’air maussade comme le ciel au-dessus du Rocher, jeudi soir, lors de sa conférence de presse au Grimaldi Forum Monaco à quelques hectomètres de son foyer monégasque. Les vacances ont été courtes, trop pour renouveler un semblant d’enthousiasme en répétant sa prudence face à la prétendue facile épreuve qui l’attend sur ce Tour d’Espagne. La concurrence sur la Vuelta semble modeste en comparaison du Tour de France remporté il y a moins de quatre semaines avec plus de six minutes d’avance sur le deuxième, Remco Evenepoe...

PHOTO LOIC VENANCE. AFP  Julian Alaphilippe lors de la dernière étape du Tour, le 26 juillet. Dépassé par un peloton dans lequel il ne se retrouve plus, le coureur de 34 ans arrête sa carrière. Le double champion du monde était entré dans le coeur des Français en portant le maillot jaune sur le Tour 2019 quatorze jours durant. «Je vois l’évolution du cyclisme.  Aujourd’hui, il faut tout optimiser  pour être au niveau des autres.»     - Julian Alaphilippe 22 Aug 2026 - Libération Par JULIEN LECOT Lui, seul au milieu du bordel, sur les pavés de la rue Lepic. Des dizaines de milliers de personnes tout autour hurlant son nom. Dimanche 26 juillet, alors que les cadors du peloton étaient passés dans Montmartre depuis de longues minutes, Julian Alaphilippe avait pris son temps. Il avait profité de la foule, tapant dans des mains à n’en plus finir, le tout avec un énorme sourire lui barrant le visage. Peut-être que dans sa tête, il savait déjà que c’était la fin. ...

UN SACRÉ COEUR  Julian Alaphilippe a officialisé hier la fin de sa carrière. À 34 ans, ce puncheur irrésistible s’en va avec le plus beau palmarès français du siècle, mais surtout en ayant laissé une empreinte en chacun de nous, le souvenir d’un frisson et d’une folie perpétuelle. 22 Aug 2026 - L'Équipe ALEXANDRE ROOS Au moment de quitter la piste de danse qu’il avait si souvent enflammée dans la dernière décennie, il n’était pas étonnant que Julian Alaphilippe choisisse d’évoquer les « émotions » et les « rêves » qu’il avait eu la chance de conquérir au fil de sa carrière, tant il aura été le jukebox qui rythma nos après-midi, un distributeur infatigable de frissons. « Loulou » a donc officialisé hier en fin de journée l’annonce de sa retraite, à 34 ans, et tous ceux qui ont assisté à ses exploits ont senti leur coeur se rétrécir, le léger étranglement qui accompagne le départ des très grands. La dernière marque de son intelligence, de sa vista, de cet oeil espiègle et chirurgical...