Hazards of the Dukes: Why England cannot rely on the mysterious commodity of swing to win the Ashes August 13, 2019 It’s a mystical, erratic but vital element of Test cricket. Batsmen hate it. Pace bowlers thrive on it. Swing is the backbone of the contest between bat and ball – a sought-after, match-winning commodity which flits in and out of existence throughout the ebbs and flows of a game. And yet it remains largely misunderstood. Shine [...]
Ruaridh McConnochie’s World Cup selection shows Eddie Jones’s methodology with England August 12, 2019 A year ago, Ruaridh McConnochie had not played a single top-flight match of rugby union. Today, despite still never having played competitively for England, he was named in Eddie Jones’s 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup next month. It was a momentous day in McConnochie’s career and one entirely in keeping with a whirlwind [...]
Patrick Reed has reaped the rewards of a rest to get back to where he belongs August 12, 2019 After a horrid start to the year, Patrick Reed has been shaping up nicely for the last two or three months and the 2018 Masters champion capped that return to form with a big win at the Northern Trust on Sunday. Jon Rahm had looked on track to claim the second event of the FedEx [...]
Frank Lampard’s brave approach backfires on Chelsea managerial debut as Blues ship four at reinvigorated Manchester United August 11, 2019 Few footballing unions are as long and happy as Frank Lampard’s association with Chelsea, with whom he renewed his vows when he returned to the club as manager last month. Not many honeymoons have been so short, either. On his first Premier League match in charge of the team he played for with such distinction [...]
VAR could avoid £100m errors or ensure the right team wins the Premier League, its flaws are a small price to pay August 11, 2019 Death, taxes and Manchester City racking up a cricket score at the London Stadium; whatever life throws at us it is reassuring to know that some things remain unavoidable. Also in that category: people moaning about the video assistant referee (VAR), which had a major bearing on whether West Ham shipped three, four or five [...]
Summer transfer window: Premier League narrowly misses out on all-time record as £1.41bn is splashed August 8, 2019 When Premier League clubs voted to shut the transfer window before the season started the reasoning was clear: get business done earlier to avoid disruption on the pitch. The change, which began last year and had its second outing with deadline day, was not unanimously agreed upon, with five clubs voting against and one abstaining, [...]
Anatomy of a modern football fan: The evolving trends and tastes of the Premier League’s global following August 8, 2019 Concept kits blurring the lines between football and fashion; freestylers and video gaming encouraging a new breed of young player; supporters following leagues and superstar players before teams; a hunger for more sophisticated and relevant punditry. It is fair to say that football and fandom is changing. And on the eve of a new Premier [...]
Why fired-up Liverpool can end Manchester City’s Premier League reign and Manchester United could fall out of the top six August 8, 2019 What separates Manchester City and Liverpool from the rest of the Premier League is that they have settled squads which excelled last season, playing to their optimum level almost every week in a brilliant title race that City eventually just edged. Sustaining that lead is so difficult and this is why Pep Guardiola got such [...]
VAR in our time: A bluffer’s guide to how video assistant referees will and won’t be used in the Premier League August 8, 2019 A quiet business estate built on the site of a former rubbish tip in the furthermost fringes of west London could hardly feel more removed from the hustle, bustle and stardust of Premier League football. But it is here, at Stockley Park in Harlington, where the outcome of a new top-flight season will be shaped [...]
Ollie Phillips: Eddie Jones is being decisive with England World Cup squad but his intensity could backfire August 8, 2019 Eddie Jones’s decision to name his World Cup squad almost four weeks before the official deadline is one typical of the England head coach. On one hand it’s unnecessary because he’ll almost certainly have to make changes to the 31 names he announces on Monday due to injuries sustained in the warm-up matches and training [...]