/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/441392/-/9krjv/-/index.html http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Final+thoughts+on+an+incredible+English+season+/-/441392/1409992/-/8kf9lkz/-/index.html At lunchtime eight days ago Manchester City were leading the Premiership followed by Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham. 2012-05-20T17:13:29Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Hesson+exit+was+overdue+/-/441392/1409990/-/qxe3a5z/-/index.html Under Mike Hesson, Kenya had one of the worst runs and to write that he underperformed would be a gross understatement. 2012-05-20T17:11:46Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Battle+on+three+fronts+as+Premiership+season+nears+end/-/441392/1404726/-/305815z/-/index.html The long road of the English Premier League has been travelled. 2012-05-12T17:29:38Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Rashid+Yekini+s+death+food+for+thought+for+all+players+/-/441392/1404724/-/145k04t/-/index.html Rashid Yekini was one of the most feared strikers in Africa. 2012-05-12T17:28:01Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Kimanzi+should+cut+the+media+some+slack+/-/441392/1400260/-/y6y10cz/-/index.html I sometimes marvel at the pervasive nature of the English press. There is nothing under the sun they do not cover. 2012-05-05T16:28:54Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Wigan+show+the+virtues+of+common+sense+/-/441392/1391800/-/lx7bid/-/index.html One of the first lessons taught at school was “You never meet a poor bookmaker”. 2012-04-22T17:35:30Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/So+far+IPL5+has+no+underdogs+heavyweights+/-/441392/1387260/-/j6tl8e/-/index.html The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League is yet to reach the playoffs stage but teams are not leaving anything to chance and are giving their all to ensure they end up among the top four which will participate in the playoffs for the finalists. 2012-04-15T20:19:16Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Dunderheads+masquerading+as+KOgalo+fans+/-/441392/1376890/-/2ti2ro/-/index.html Clearly, the chaos associated with Gor Mahia is no ordinary hooliganism. 2012-03-30T16:19:51Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Man+United+must+be+wary+of+Blackburn+/-/441392/1376888/-/hbw22n/-/index.html Arsenal are on a roll. After an easy 3-0 victory over Aston Villa last Saturday, the Gunners opened a three-point gap 2012-03-30T16:18:39Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Lock+up+stadium+louts+and+throw+away+the+prison+keys+/-/441392/1373228/-/dbw4v6z/-/index.html My religiously used Chambers Dictionary, New Edition describes a hooligan as a street tough, vandal: a (young) violent, rude person. 2012-03-24T18:35:51Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Chelsea+may+be+a+Bridge+too+far+for+Tottenham+/-/441392/1372392/-/h9eknoz/-/index.html With nine games to go, the Barcalys Premier League is getting more and more interesting. 2012-03-23T16:38:38Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Easy+Wolves+a+poisoned+pin+for+Devils+ballon+/-/441392/1367750/-/bgsw6l/-/index.html With the slight interruption of the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend, eight fixtures will have to be pushed to midweek. 2012-03-16T13:01:44Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Sparkling+Spurs++firm+favourites+to+claim+victory+/-/441392/1334508/-/v06bch/-/index.html The North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is on Sunday 2012-02-24T17:13:43Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Time+for+some+silence+after+Suarez+saga+/-/441392/1331106/-/rw7hcez/-/index.html When I was 17, I drove up to the Isle of Skye in the north of Scotland for a week. It was a long way, so I stopped overnight at a small hotel south of Glasgow. 2012-02-19T16:16:27Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Gunners+travel+to+Sunderland+again+maybe+for+another+beating+/-/441392/1329806/-/g83pixz/-/index.html This FA Cup weekend promises some very good matches 2012-02-17T16:49:17Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Everything+to+fight+for+as+Red+Devils+host+Liverpool+/-/441392/1324400/-/13ilc5az/-/index.html The dust settled after last weekend’s league showdowns when the Gunners redeemed themselves from their seemingly self-inflicted malaise by hammering seven goals into the net of a bewildered Blackburn side. 2012-02-10T16:16:40Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Weekend+matches+could+be+premier+leagues+turning+point+/-/441392/1311062/-/vpu75t/-/index.html This weekend may be the fulcrum upon which the English Premier League turns this season. So far, the top teams have been too close to each other like building blocks on a good wall 2012-01-20T14:58:39Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Teams+bring+back+old+legs/-/441392/1305394/-/d50df4/-/index.html The FA cup fixtures took up the last weekend while the league fixtures took a backseat. 2012-01-13T19:09:44Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Can+Harry+Redknapps+Spurs+continue+their+charge+forward/-/441392/1302142/-/mdtg1e/-/index.html Nearly every one of the leading teams has wobbled over the holiday period, some more than others. 2012-01-08T17:07:36Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Half+time+scorecard+for+EPL+/-/441392/1298576/-/nbbhduz/-/index.html It’s half-time in the Premiership season, with teams having now having played as many games as they still have to come. 2012-01-01T13:52:48Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Is+Tiger+out+of+the+Woods/-/441392/1290458/-/fxaepkz/-/index.html "I’ll be back”. That is one of my favourite movie quotes, uttered by action hero figure Arnold Schwarzenegger in the science fiction film Terminator II as a ‘promise’ to some officer at a police station. 2011-12-16T09:59:28Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/We+need+concrete+plan+of+action+/-/441392/1275498/-/d3vn9m/-/index.html So President Mwai Kibaki has challenged local sports federations to bid for and host international championships in the country. 2011-11-18T13:48:05Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Kenya+should+build+on+success+of+Safari+Sevens+/-/441392/1271642/-/gpihex/-/index.html Everybody, well, at least those who pride themselves in loving Kenyan rugby, have commented on Safaricom Safari Sevens 2011-11-11T15:05:46Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/The+bad+and+the+ugly+of+Kenya+sports+journalists/-/441392/1267342/-/quttsi/-/index.html Sometimes it is tough being a sports journalist. 2011-11-04T15:11:19Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Money+is+not+necessarily+everything+in+the+world+of+football+/-/441392/1259484/-/fwx5fb/-/index.html In a recent talkshow, world famous leadership expert Robin Sharma said there’s no point being the richest person in the cemetery. 2011-10-21T16:52:47Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Minnows+stood+up+to+be+counted/-/441392/1259476/-/tryl6lz/-/index.html As a sports journalist – you know, objectivity and professionalism – I should not openly reveal the teams I support. But I must confess I adore the Harlem Globetrotters. 2011-10-21T16:49:25Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Home+advantage+nearly+always+pays+for+teams+/-/441392/1255590/-/97sgk8z/-/index.html Now that the international tournament qualifiers are over, Premiership teams can get back to the serous business of winning points. 2011-10-14T16:54:39Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Kenyas+history+of+preparing+for+tourneys+/-/441392/1255588/-/3fcejr/-/index.html In a recent article in this newspaper, Cecafa secretary general Nicholas Musonye dismissed Kenya’s valiant effort 2011-10-14T16:52:18Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Players+risk+crowd++anger+in+moves+to++local+league+rivals+/-/441392/1251834/-/vuibqqz/-/index.html Peter Crouch’s wife Abbey Clancy is not a happy woman. 2011-10-07T15:50:25Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Step+up+Oliech+and+give+us+something+to+celebrate+about+/-/441392/1251826/-/lau5xu/-/index.html When it comes to a high-stakes all-or-nothing meeting, outcomes are many times influenced 2011-10-07T15:45:19Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Wanyoike+promoting+marathon+campaign/-/441392/1248032/-/nuo3x2z/-/index.html I am not sure if I am seeing things or if it is my wild imagination playing games with me once again. 2011-10-04T17:54:39Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Kenya+a+bestseller+in+the+most+storied++race+the+marathon+/-/441392/1245966/-/13x1m1i/-/index.html From the time G. Grigorou won the first marathon, the Greek Marathon Trials on February 15, 1896, in a time of 3 hours and 45 minutes, man has continued to run the race, and faster and faster. 2011-09-30T20:39:44Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/No+player+is+bigger+than+their+club+/-/441392/1245964/-/7uki1h/-/index.html Some sports are for the individual. Singles tennis gets a much higher profile (and the prize money is greater) than doubles. 2011-09-30T20:39:35Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1241784/-/13ivw5o/-/index.html The latest bank worker accused of losing his employer billions of dollars cut a lonely 2011-09-23T18:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Its+time+for+rugby+to+write+history+at+the+Nyayo+Stadium/-/441392/1241798/-/ubdnmh/-/index.html Nyayo National Stadium is no doubt an iconic feature in Kenyan sports 2011-09-23T18:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Premiership+starts+the+battle+of+Europe/-/441392/1237850/-/8lc6qv/-/index.html We are well into the European season for those clubs lucky enough to have qualified 2011-09-16T19:47:23Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1237846/-/13iejud/-/index.html This must be exciting news for Kenya rugby. A study has indicated that the 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011-09-16T19:44:22Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Is+this+Englands+new+golden+generation/-/441392/1233386/-/y8o6o6z/-/index.html September sees the 10th anniversary of a football match which will be forgotten 2011-09-09T17:30:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1233380/-/13ibnqr/-/index.html From a state of resigned acceptance of failing, Harambee Stars supporters 2011-09-09T17:30:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1229476/-/13htbj8/-/index.html To watch the red and black of Kenya blank out the opposition in Daegu with abandon 2011-09-02T17:14:02Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/When+will+this+elections+drivel+come+to+an+end/-/441392/1225932/-/5d3i8ez/-/index.html Is it not blissful to go to sleep at night without worrying over schedules and deadlines 2011-08-26T18:00:00Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1195840/-/132ynu0/-/index.html The bungling Football Kenya Limited are at it again as they expose their utter incompetence to a nauseating level. 2011-07-06T16:00:35Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Cry+me+a+River/-/441392/1191688/-/89yt71z/-/index.html For a decade, presidents and sporting directors have been destroying the club by selling their most prized assets and replacing them with mediocre talent while hiring and firing coaches at an alarming rate 2011-06-29T16:23:59Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Before+you+jump+into+retirement+from+sports+plan/-/441392/1178940/-/12n64dh/-/index.html Retirement is a status for which professional athletes are often ill-prepared for, mentally and emotionally, and a position in life they never dreamt about. 2011-06-11T17:10:18Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Better+performances+expected+from+our+athletes+/-/441392/1174902/-/ibowyz/-/index.html The Samsung Diamond League has begun! It is back to the office for our athletes as they embark on a season that is of great importance. 2011-06-04T16:04:23Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Duo+could+soon+leave+KRU+offices+/-/441392/1165312/-/m6ogb0/-/index.html Following the complete overhaul of the management structure of the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU), speculation is rife 2011-05-18T15:55:37Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1162516/-/1312vro/-/index.html From sponsoring youth events to building campaigns around athletes, opportunities for brands are abundant. 2011-05-14T15:31:35Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Start+by+building+sports+facilities++in+the+country+/-/441392/1157832/-/orye31/-/index.html If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. I remember this English proverb from my primary school going days many years ago. 2011-05-06T20:31:16Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Utd+and+Chelsea+not+Arsenal+in+title+decider+/-/441392/1157826/-/6xsi7b/-/index.html On Sunday Manchester United and Chelsea, the top two in the Premiership, meet in what looks certain to be a title play off at Old Trafford. 2011-05-06T20:23:51Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1133260/-/12y8w6s/-/index.html In the 1979/80 season, as seems likely to happen in 2011, Arsenal came close, but ended up with nothing. 2011-03-25T20:20:48Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Man+up+Mariga+and+please+speak+up+your+mind+/-/441392/1133258/-/k05rutz/-/index.html Macdonald Mariga’s football ability is not in doubt. Revealed with the disgraced Kenya Under-17 team of 2003, the beautifully balanced and physically strong midfielder has seen his career soar to the skies. 2011-03-25T20:20:42Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Which+of+two+giants+will+crash+first+/-/441392/1123446/-/pr8711z/-/index.html There may have been mild interest (or more probably, stifled yawns for many) in most of the ties for the FA Cup sixth round draw when it was made recently. One game, however, caught the eye in a big way. 2011-03-11T20:01:07Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/AFC+Leopards+wrangles+are+an+absolute+disgrace+/-/441392/1123444/-/14h7ucmz/-/index.html Shame on AFC Leopards leadership, the whole lot of them. 2011-03-11T20:00:59Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/A+crucial+game+coming+up+at+Anfield++/-/441392/1119380/-/qk8397/-/index.html Hemedi, the driver sent by the office, met me one January evening at Dar es Salaam airport; he was wearing a replica Birmingham City shirt. When we got in the car, I pointed at it and asked him why. 2011-03-04T19:43:47Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/-/441392/1119378/-/12x514r/-/index.html There is no excuse for hooliganism in whatever form. But clubs in Kenya caught up in this football scourge have many times refused to overtly condemn it. 2011-03-04T19:43:37Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Bring+cricket+boys+back+they+are+out+of+their+element+/-/441392/1115140/-/5n8smrz/-/index.html This is an SOS. Who can travel to India right now and get our national cricket team back home? 2011-02-25T20:37:37Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Full+time+coach+for+Harambee+Stars+a+priority+/-/441392/1101810/-/gaihkvz/-/index.html Seriously, are we serious about qualifying for next year’s African Cup of Nations and the 2014 World Cup? 2011-02-04T17:10:10Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Tales+from+the+January+transfer+window+/-/441392/1101790/-/i956oez/-/index.html The transfer window ended on Monday amidst much excitement. For much of the January period during which players could be bought and sold, not a lot happened. 2011-02-04T16:57:12Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Can+Man+Utd+roll+on+to+seasons+end/-/441392/1097848/-/feob90z/-/index.html Two teams have gone through a whole season unbeaten in league games: one in the mists of time and one in the recent past. Preston North End were unbeaten the first ever league season, 1888/89 and won the FA Cup too. 2011-01-29T13:38:26Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/After+the+winter+here+comes+romance+of+the+Cup+/-/441392/1085826/-/rlqr93/-/index.html For football fans this is traditionally the most romantic weekend of the year. It’s far better than the increasingly commercialised Valentine’s Day. It’s the FA Cup third round when the big boys enter the competition for the first time. 2011-01-07T18:00:21Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Football+has+become+a+game+of+numbers+/-/441392/1066134/-/87p9anz/-/index.html There were only three mathematics students out of 80 in the same year as me at university. 2010-12-03T16:36:56Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Now+that+the+fans+are+trooping+back+let+us+build+stadia+/-/441392/1056752/-/1512t9e/-/index.html It really was nice to be a soccer fan in Kenya last weekend. For the first time sports was dominated by the KPL grand finale 2010-11-19T12:06:49Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/It+Is+judgment+day+for+buoyant+Spurs+/-/441392/1056750/-/pbuy8g/-/index.html There have been two great rivalries at the top of the table since the formation of the Premiership 18 years ago. 2010-11-19T12:04:23Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Soccer+is+a+global+language+or+is+it/-/441392/1052434/-/vcbs6vz/-/index.html Three things stay in my mind from living for four years in the Netherlands. It’s a very flat country, very well organised and everyone speaks good English – from the chief executive to petrol station attendants. 2010-11-12T14:35:44Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Gor+fans+bring+back+the+emotions+to+our+football/-/441392/1052432/-/t0nr2m/-/index.html This weekend the Kenyan Premier League will come to an end. Either Ulinzi Stars or Gor Mahia will be crowned champions 2010-11-12T14:34:21Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Who+actually+won+the+2004+league+title/-/441392/1047804/-/t6fxu4z/-/index.html Who discovered the source of River Nile? British explorer John Speke. Who discovered Mt Kenya? German missionary Ludwiq Krapf. 2010-11-05T15:49:03Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Here+comes+Bale+the+fire+spitting+Welsh+dragon+/-/441392/1047758/-/edieqfz/-/index.html I grew up in Herefordshire on the English-Welsh border, back in the midst of time. It’s a beautiful part of the country 2010-11-05T14:50:49Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Kenyan+lessons+from+Hillsborough+disaster+/-/441392/1043090/-/3gftvoz/-/index.html On 15 April 1989, a friend took me to watch his favourite club, Middlesbrough. 2010-10-29T16:21:05Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Fans+also+have+a+share+of+blame+in+Nyayo+stampede/-/441392/1043088/-/91rvjv/-/index.html You cannot get any grimmer than death but it is still horrifying to imagine someone being trampled to death by fellow human beings who, given the circumstances, probably are not even aware they are ending another person’s life. 2010-10-29T16:20:26Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Is+Man+United+going+down+Liverpool+way/-/441392/1038232/-/q2kiohz/-/index.html All the talk in recent weeks has been of Liverpool. Not so much because of their achievements on the field, in fact far from it. 2010-10-22T12:53:45Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/What+if+Kenya+won+right+to+host+the+Club+Games/-/441392/1038226/-/vq28pxz/-/index.html Imagine what it would be like if Kenya was to win the rights to host the Commonwealth Games. 2010-10-22T12:49:12Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/The+broken+promise+of+Gor+87+victory/-/441392/1034120/-/nrk6dn/-/index.html To the rapturous applause of 60,000 fans packing the stands of Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and a radio audience of millions more in the towns and villages of Kenya, Gor Mahia captain Austin Oduor lifted CAF’s Nelson Mandela Africa Cup Winners Cup trophy. 2010-10-15T14:10:53Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Kenyas+brilliant+display+in+Delhi+makes+me+proud/-/441392/1033746/-/urd0tuz/-/index.html Two weeks ago, on this page, I urged the Kenya Commonwealth team bound for New Delhi 2010 to emulate their compatriots of Christchurch 1974 and shower us with gold. 2010-10-15T14:03:57Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Liverpool+and+Everton+long+for+a+lost+age/-/441392/1033742/-/jo21t9/-/index.html In the mid 1980s, as Sir Alex Ferguson was just taking over at Manchester United 2010-10-15T14:02:19Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Youth+players+are+the+only+way+forward+/-/441392/1028964/-/12du6jez/-/index.html It’s an international weekend, with attention focusing away on various continental internationals – many Premiership players are away on duty to qualify for the European Championships of 2012. 2010-10-08T15:19:18Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Big+test+for+Arsenal+the+September+bullies++/-/441392/1024484/-/13sxtqgz/-/index.html For the second weekend in a row champions Chelsea come up against a team with ambitions to replace them at the top of the pile. After the defeat at the City of Manchester, the Blues host London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. 2010-10-01T19:00:29Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/If+you+pay+people+too+much+they+wont+work+/-/441392/1017756/-/10j7kyiz/-/index.html During England’s successful Euro 2012 qualifier in Switzerland earlier in September, Theo Walcott went off injured in the build-up to Wayne Rooney’s opening goal. 2010-09-24T19:00:12Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/England+faces+up+to+Europe+yet+again+/-/441392/1013208/-/31f0w4/-/index.html The English have always had a strange attitude toward Europe. This is a Continent that London has been endlessly at war with going back to the mists of time. 2010-09-17T19:00:59Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/Scholes+shows+benefit+of+good+planning+/-/441392/1008508/-/yblohq/-/index.html For real planning that a financial advisor would be proud of, you need to go further back in tine and look at the example of Paul Scholes. 2010-09-10T19:00:56Z http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/TalkUp/The+mesmerising+attraction+of+a+very+thankless+job+/-/441392/1003376/-/kkm3aq/-/index.html Sometimes you need more than just a thick skin to be a coach. Something beyond what the human spirit can endure. 2010-09-03T15:09:23Z