Unpredictable France can pack a punch and test England’s resolve February 5, 2019 On the face of it, England’s biggest battle when they meet France in the Six Nations on Sunday will be not succumbing to complacency following last weekend’s contrasting results. In reality, France could still pose a significant threat to England’s Grand Slam dreams in Le Crunch, as it is known colloquially, such is the nature [...]
Sol Campbell proving managerial credentials at Macclesfield after being snubbed for seven years February 5, 2019 Sol Campbell’s appointment as the manager of Macclesfield Town just over two months ago was met with scepticism but also a degree of intrigue as to how well a man that had been repeatedly snubbed for a top job would fare at the bottom of the fourth tier. It took the former Arsenal, Tottenham and [...]
Trevor Steven: Everton are the Premier League’s most inconsistent team but I’d give manager Marco Silva more time February 5, 2019 Whenever Everton have taken a step forward this season, it has been followed by a step back. They have a little burst of form but then slip up. Unable to get enough people playing well at the same time often enough, they feel like the Premier League’s most inconsistent team. This campaign has been littered [...]
Jose Mourinho receives prison sentence for defrauding the Spanish state February 5, 2019 Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has received a one-year prison sentence for defrauding the Spanish state of €3.3m (£2.8m). A Spanish court filing revealed the sentence today, although Mourinho will not serve prison time as under Spanish law jail terms of less than two years can be served under probation. The Spanish tax ministry [...]
England’s relentlessly reinforced positive approach is partly to blame for their disastrous collapses in Test matches February 4, 2019 Positive. Aggressive. Competitive. Destructive. Dynamic. These are the adjectives which are supposed to define England 2.0, the one shaped by former director of cricket Andrew Strauss, selector Ed Smith, head coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Joe Root. These are the words you can imagine floating around in the blue-sky thinking sessions within the walls of [...]
My Sporting Life: Brandwave founder Daniel Macaulay on windsurfing and why sport must be more inclusive February 4, 2019 Marketing agency boss Daniel Macaulay on the world's best surfing spots, why fitness is the new mid-life crisis, and making sport more inclusive. What is your sporting passion? Running an agency with offices by the beach, I have plenty of opportunities to try out new sports. I think so many sports are complementary to each [...]
Sam Torrance: Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler lay down their markers for Major sprint February 4, 2019 Major season feels like something of a sprint this year, with all four taking place within a 15-week spell and finished by 21 July, which means that early form carries a bit of extra significance. With Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau already off the mark, Dustin Johnson became the latest player from the world’s top [...]
Which advert won the 2019 Super Bowl? February 4, 2019 Microsoft has been named Super Bowl advertising champion with a campaign for an adaptive controller that allows children with disabilities to play video games. The technology giant’s advert was the most popular aired during the New England Patriots’s victory in the iconic American football fixture last night, according to a survey by marketing research firm [...]
Five talking points from Sunday’s Premier League matches: Manchester City dispel title doubts, Arsenal losing ground, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford inspire Manchester United, Leicester in limbo February 3, 2019 It took just 50 seconds for Sergio Aguero and Manchester City to dispel the notion that that the midweek defeat at Newcastle was anything other than an aberration; one of those freakish results that even the best teams usually succumb to once a season. City penned in Arsenal, Aymeric Laporte whipped the ball across goal [...]
England’s “brutal” Six Nations victory over Ireland showed the Eddie Jones blueprint of physical dominance February 3, 2019 Eddie Jones continually promised England’s opening fixture against Ireland would be “brutal”. In the build-up to a tournament like the Six Nations such phrases can be explained as fighting talk intended to ramp up the hype, but in this case England’s head coach chose his words carefully. On Saturday he delivered on his promise as [...]