England 2, Spain 2: Gareth Southgate talks up his pedigree for permanent role as Three Lions boss despite Spanish fightback in friendly November 15, 2016 England caretaker boss Gareth Southgate insists he has proven he possesses the necessary pedigree to take the Three Lions reins on a permanent basis despite being denied a winning climax to his four-game audition. Southgate appeared to be heading towards a glorious conclusion to his elongated job interview but was thwarted as a much-changed Spain retaliated [...]
England v Spain player ratings: How the Three Lions fared against the three-time European champions November 15, 2016 Joe Hart 5 A virtual bystander in the first half, no meaningful shot to save and bowed out at the break to give Heaton some game time Nathaniel Clyne 6 Not the omni-rampaging full-back as is the norm for Liverpool but barely put a foot wrong and had the beating of his direct opponents Danny [...]
Novak Djokovic keeps heat on Andy Murray with win over Milos Raonic at ATP World Tour Finals November 15, 2016 World No2 Novak Djokovic boosted his hopes of reclaiming top spot in the rankings from Andy Murray and booked his place in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 last night. Djokovic, dethroned by Murray after more than two years at the apex of the men’s game earlier this month, battled [...]
England have shaken off the underdog tag and are ready to overpower India, insists spinner Zafar Ansari November 15, 2016 England spinner Zafar Ansari insists his side have shaken off the underdog tag as they plot their victory strategy for the second Test against India in Vizag, which starts on Thursday. The tourists turned the screw on the final day of the first Test in Rajkot and reduced India, who are currently ranked No1 in [...]
Rory McIlroy tips new $50m Rolex Series to tempt Europe’s leading players back from PGA Tour November 15, 2016 European Tour chiefs have unveiled a lucrative new $50m, seven-event series that Rory McIlroy believes will persuade top players to spend more time on this side of the Atlantic. The Rolex Series – comprising existing events the BMW PGA Championship, the Irish Open, the Scottish Open, the Italian Open, the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank [...]
Denise Lewis interview: England should expect golden 2018 and best ever Commonwealth Games medal haul November 15, 2016 Headline-grabbing statements about sending the biggest and best prepared squad to the Gold Coast in 2018 rightfully bring the expectation of the nation’s finest ever medal haul, according to Commonwealth Games England president Denise Lewis. Buoyed by the award of £4m worth of National Lottery funding from Sport England, the country’s Commonwealth Games chiefs have [...]
Andy Murray marks quest to stay world No1 with thrashing of Marin Cilic at London’s O2 Arena November 14, 2016 Irrepressible Andy Murray revelled in his status as the conquering hero as he marked his first match on British soil since being crowned world No1 with a straights-set thrashing of Marin Cilic at the ATP World Tour finals. Following four back-to-back titles, Murray extended his winning streak to 20 matches by overpowering Croatia’s Cilic 6-3, [...]
Former Chelsea, West Ham and Manchester City midfielder Frank Lampard set to embark on new career after announcing decision to quit New York City FC November 14, 2016 Former England midfielder Frank Lampard is poised to embark on the next stage of his career after announcing his intention to quit New York City FC at the end of the year. The 38-year-old, who remains Chelsea’s record goal-scorer, joined the MLS club in July 2014 after 13 years at Stamford Bridge, and found the [...]
Next England manager must be given time to develop a philosophy, says Gareth Southgate November 14, 2016 England caretaker manager Gareth Southgate insists the next national team coach must be given time to develop a lasting philosophy for success rather than merely tasked with hitting short-term targets. Southgate goes into the final fixture of his four-match audition for the job against Spain on Tuesday as the favourite to land the role, having [...]
Northern hemisphere success suggests tectonic shift in rugby’s balance of power could be in progress November 14, 2016 The last two weekends of international rugby might well have indicated that the prolonged period of southern hemisphere dominance is beginning to draw to an end, at least in the form to which we have become accustomed. With the Irish overpowering the All Blacks, England dismantling South Africa and an under-strength Scotland unlucky to have [...]