Sam Allardyce has said he is determined to secure West Ham United's return to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Allardyce, 56, was installed as the Hammers' new manager yesterday, with the club's owners turning to the former Blackburn Rovers coach to guide them back to England's top tier after they were relegated to the Championship following a poor campaign.
"It's a fantastic club with a great tradition and loyal supporters," Allardyce told the club's website. "I am determined to get this club back up.
"I wouldn't have taken this job if I didn't think we could bounce straight back into the Premier League.
"More than that, I wouldn't have contemplated the job if I didn't think there was the opportunity to build something substantial at West Ham."
Whatever he builds, though, may be without several of the current players with Allardyce saying it will be hard to keep hold of the likes of Footballer of the Year Scott Parker.
"There will probably be an exodus of top players for financial reasons," Allardyce told talkSPORT radio. "There's a dramatic loss of revenue, even with the parachute payments, and you have to adjust, like every club does.
"I don't know if I'll be able to keep Parker. We'll have to wait and see but it looks like it will be difficult."
Other players who could leave the club are England goalkeeper Robert Green and England striker Carlton Cole.
Allardyce, who recently held talks with Pro League club Al Jazira about replacing Abel Braga, who will return home to Brazil in the summer, has been out of work since his surprise sacking by Blackburn in December.
Michael Owen has penned a new one-year contract to keep him at champions Manchester United for a third year.
Owen's present two-season deal was about to expire and, having been overshadowed by Javier Hernandez last season and knowing new signings were expected - in addition to the return of Danny Welbeck from Sunderland, it was anticipated the former England striker would be released.
However, Ferguson evidently still views the 31 year old as an important member of his squad.
"I am delighted Michael is staying for a further year and we will look to give him more opportunities in the new season."
Mario Balotelli, the Manchester City striker, has been sent home from Italy's training camp with a right knee injury.
He had to be helped off the pitch after sustaining the injury during a training match against Italy's Under 18 side yesterday.
Balotelli will now miss both tomorrow's 2012 European Championship qualifier against Estonia and Tuesday's friendly with Republic of Ireland.
Newly-promoted clubs Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City have started an early summer clear-out, with eight players leaving QPR and Norwich deciding against offering new contracts to Matt Gill, Jens Berthel Askou and Sam Habergham.
Pascal Chimbonda, Gavin Mahon, Georgias Tofas lead the departures as Rangers prepare for life in the top flight next season.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1
Alonso (62')
Huddersfield Town 1
Depoitre (50')
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
