Unorthodox but effective: Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne punish wayward England on day one at Old Trafford September 4, 2019 After their Ashes campaign finally set sail with Ben Stokes standing proudly on the helm at Headingley, England were blown off course on the first day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford. The cold, wet and squally conditions might have been to no one’s taste – neither team, nor spectators, who witnessed just 44 [...]
The great Premier League giveaway: Why Sky Sports are handing over free highlights on YouTube September 4, 2019 Premier League football is an expensive commodity and to extract every ounce of its value broadcasters need to innovate. In February last year Sky Sports pledged £3.6bn to buy 128 live matches per season in the 2019-22 rights cycle. That might have worked out as a reduction from its previous deal – £4.2bn for 126 [...]
Are England and Jamie Vardy missing a trick or are they better off without each other? September 4, 2019 When Gareth Southgate reconvened his England squad this week ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo he did so without one notable absentee: Jamie Vardy. With two goals for Leicester against Bournemouth on Saturday, Vardy took his tally to 12 in his last 14 Premier League appearances and underlined his claim to [...]
Economic theory can offer a lesson to struggling football clubs September 4, 2019 The expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League last week continues to generate a huge amount of sound and fury. Regardless of the apparently dodgy nature of some of Bury’s transactions, the simple fact is that the club overspent massively in order to gain promotion from League Two last season. The surge in [...]
England v Australia fourth Ashes Test preview: Ben Stokes eyes third miracle act at Old Trafford September 3, 2019 If they want to win the Ashes back England really shouldn’t have to rely on Ben Stokes. After all, he’s already performed enough miracles in six weeks to last even the most talented sportsman a lifetime. This summer he’s won them a first World Cup and kept the Ashes alive, so really in the interest [...]
Chris Tremlett: Craig Overton selection at Old Trafford is surprising but based on solid thinking September 3, 2019 I was surprised to see the news that Craig Overton was coming into England’s side for the fourth Ashes Test against Australia at Old Trafford tomorrow. Chris Woakes is not injured, so the fact Overton, who joined the squad as a replacement for Jimmy Anderson, has moved ahead of both Woakes and Sam Curran raised [...]
Richard Gould interview: Surrey’s chief executive on T20 Blast success, The Hundred and the fifth Ashes Test September 2, 2019 Surrey are enjoying a bumper summer, but Richard Gould is worried news of their prosperity might be getting lost among other cricket events. The hype from England’s World Cup win in July has, thanks to Ben Stokes, merged seamlessly into Ashes euphoria, creating a phenomenon Surrey have been reaping the benefits of. The club’s chief [...]
Sebastian Soderberg battled his demons to break his European Tour duck and pip world No1-in-waiting Rory McIlroy September 2, 2019 Sebastian Soderberg would have been forgiven for thinking his chance to win a first European Tour title at the 50th attempt had gone when he three-putted and bogeyed the 17th hole of the European Masters on Sunday. Had the 28-year-old Swede made par he could have played the final hole with a degree of comfort. [...]
Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham: Honours even as Eriksen shines in frenetic north London derby September 1, 2019 This was a result that both teams would probably have taken beforehand but truly satisfied no one – except perhaps the neutrals, who were treated to an early contender for most breathless, frenetic and combustible Premier League match of the season. Arsenal would have settled for a point and improvements in all departments on last [...]
Premier League talking points: Struggling Solskjaer, prolific Vardy and naive Chelsea September 1, 2019 “We have dominated the last three games and we know we are on the right track, we’re getting used to that way of playing,” said Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his team’s 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday. The problem is that at a club like United you aren’t afforded much time to [...]