Jason Roberts, right, celebrates his late winner against Fulham.
Jason Roberts, right, celebrates his late winner against Fulham.
Jason Roberts, right, celebrates his late winner against Fulham.
Jason Roberts, right, celebrates his late winner against Fulham.

Sport

Paper weight off Rovers

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is confident that the late victory over Fulham can go a long way to exorcising the spectre of relegation from Ewood Park.

  • English
  • Arabic

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is confident that the late victory over Fulham can go a long way to exorcising the spectre of relegation from Ewood Park. Allardyce concedes that despite his best efforts to focus his players' attention away from any negative press, being in the bottom three burdens players with added concerns. But having gone to Craven Cottage in 18th, they returned to home three places higher and with a morale-boosting second-half display to further bolster their spirits. Such a conclusion looked unlikely when makeshift striker Clint Dempsey made light of some generous defending to put Fulham one up inside 90 seconds. But driven on by the impeccable Stephen Warnock, Rovers conjured an equaliser from El-Hadji Diouf - despite concerns over offside - and an 85th-minute winner courtesy of Jason Roberts.

Allardyce said: "We've got the win and it's a huge relief from a mental point of view. Continuing to see yourselves in the bottom three doesn't help, even though you tell them 'you can't look at the papers, stay away from them'. "It's impossible not to see it, not to see where you are, it's in your face all the time. People are talking about relegation all the time when you're in that position. "So we're relieved to be out of that position for a bit. Relegation is not something we're out of but victory today has made life much easier to get out of it. Now they can look at the papers if they want to."

The Fulham manager Roy Hodgson accepted defeat against his former employers gracefully, citing the extra workload created by his side's FA Cup run as a reason for their second-half struggles. "I've got to say I thought Blackburn played with a lot of energy. We were struggling to match that energy," said Hodgson. "I can't say they didn't deserve to win the game, I can't say that we did enough to win it."

Meanwhile, the West Brom defender Paul Robinson has hit out at his teammates and claimed some of them should show more "pride and passion". Albion are six points adrift of safety at the bottom of the Premier League. Robinson said: "The supporters deserve more and as players we deserve more out of each other. I would like to see a bit more passion and commitment. I think we have lacked that. I am not afraid to say it. It shouldn't bother me to say it.

"We shouldn't be in this position and we know we shouldn't. You can only say what you can. "They can either take it to help them or they can take it as a criticism, but at the end of the day you are only trying to help your team-mates. "If they take it in the wrong way then that's their problem." * PA Sport

Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 
Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Going grey? A stylist's advice

If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Fulham