Trevor Steven: Supply teacher Rafa Benitez was never right fit for Everton January 17, 2022 Watching them lose at Norwich City on Saturday made me realise that Rafa Benitez’s Everton were in crisis. It was the first time I had worried about their prospects for the rest of the season, the first time I thought that there was nothing left from this group of players under that manager. Although we [...]
Sweat is weakness leaving the body: Europe’s highest gym launches in City’s new 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper January 17, 2022 Europe’s highest gym will soon be in the Square Mile as fitness operator BXR London told City A.M. this afternoon it is moving in on the 25th floor inside the new 22 Bishopsgate tower. The BXR City branch will also contain one of the highest climbing walls in the world when it will open next [...]
Winter Olympics: No general sale tickets for Beijing, say organisers January 17, 2022 The organisers of next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing have withheld plans to sell tickets to the general public. While organisers had previously said there would be domestic access for fans, tickers are now set to be reserved for invited “groups of spectators” only. Beijing will become the first city to host both the Summer [...]
British No1 Cameron Norrie falls at first hurdle in Australian Open January 17, 2022 British No1 Cameron Norrie admitted his disappointment after crashing out of the Australian Open in the first round against American Sebastian Korda. Norrie, who was seeded 12th in Melbourne after a breakthrough 2021 campaign, was comprehensively beaten 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. Korda, 21, is the son of Czech former Australian Open champion Petr Korda and brother [...]
English football’s postponement rules are broken. It needs to fix them January 17, 2022 To say the postponement of yesterday’s north London derby divided opinion would be an understatement. Tottenham Hotspur and, going by social media, the overwhelming majority of their fans were outraged that Arsenal’s request to defer the game for an unspecified number of Covid-19 cases had been accepted by the Premier League. Arsenal supporters, meanwhile, seemed [...]
Chris Tremlett Ashes column: If that’s the best we’ve got it doesn’t bode well January 17, 2022 It was a glimmer of hope to see England get a draw in the fourth Ashes Test last week but that was soon swept from under me. There was a moment yesterday where I thought it was possible that England would finish the series with a win. The Zak Crawley partnership with Rory Burns was [...]
No one should mourn Novak Djokovic’s absence from Australian Open January 16, 2022 In an alternate reality, Novak Djokovic would be beginning his bid to win a 10th Australian Open and a men’s all-time record 21st Grand Slam tournament on Sunday night in Melbourne. Instead, after the tennis world No1 lost his final appeal against deportation, he was kicked out of the country on the eve of his [...]
Ashes: Reaction as England’s humiliating collapse finalises 4-0 result January 16, 2022 England’s Ashes finished this morning as Joe Root’s men completed a humiliating batting collapse to concede the fifth and final Test and lose the series 4-0. On only the third day in Hobart, England’s 10-58 was the worst Ashes collapse for the country since 1948. The overall result has been known since the final days [...]
Rafa Benitez sacked as Everton manager January 16, 2022 Rafa Benitez has been sacked as Everton manager after less than seven months in charge. In a statement, Everton said: “Everton Football Club can confirm the departure of Rafael Benitez as first team manager. “Benitez, who joined Everton in June 2021, has left the Club with immediate effect. “An update on a permanent replacement will [...]
Chinese government extremely nervous as Omicron lands in Beijing with Winter Olympic Games only weeks away January 16, 2022 The Chinese government confirmed this morning its first local Omicron infection in the country’s capital Beijing, according to state media, weeks before the Winter Olympic Games are due to start. The infected person lives and works in the city’s north-western district of Haidian and had no travel history outside of Beijing for the past two [...]