England squad: Gareth Southgate’s selection of Jadon Sancho, James Maddison and Mason Mount shows refreshing change of attitude October 4, 2018 When Jadon Sancho turned down a £30,000 per week contract at Manchester City last season he was taking a big gamble. But armed with supreme confidence in his own ability, the then 17-year-old winger upped sticks amid plenty of acrimony to join Borussia Dortmund for £10m and challenge himself. Fast-forward 14 months and Sancho could [...]
Ollie Phillips: Alex Goode’s omission from England’s squad proves Eddie Jones is contradicting his own statements October 4, 2018 I find some of the messages coming from England coach Eddie Jones confusing. He says he picks players on form and his side will be comprised of the best performing players from the Premiership. But if you look at the squad that simply isn’t the case. Alex Goode has been brilliant for Saracens over a [...]
Manchester United v Newcastle: Old foes Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have chance to twist the knife October 4, 2018 Perhaps, after the final whistle has blown at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez will gather in the Manchester United manager’s office and share a bottle of vintage claret, as Sir Alex Ferguson was fond of doing, and reminisce about the good old days. Or perhaps not, given their long-running and [...]
Silverstone chiefs admit next year’s British Grand Prix could be the last for the foreseeable future October 4, 2018 The owners of Silverstone have revealed that next year’s British Grand Prix is on track to be the last as they have still not signed a new deal after more than a year of negotiating. The admission is made in a letter sent last month by John Grant, chairman of Silverstone’s owner, the British Racing [...]
Former footballer Scott Ward launches new scheme with EY to support retiring athletes October 4, 2018 One of the lowest points of Scott Ward’s career came when he was without a contract and training with Millwall, hoping to rebuild his fitness after leaving boyhood club Luton Town. Ward bumped into a group of his former Luton team-mates while walking down the high street, but when they asked what he was doing [...]
Johnny English Strikes Again review: More than ever this half-arsed spy spoof feels lazily out of touch October 4, 2018 Here’s why Mr Bean is funny and Johnny English is not. The former character is comically inept, but morally pure. In the opening sequence, Mr. Bean literally descends to Earth in a beam of light, as though ejected from the Pantheon, or deposited by an intergalactic spaceship. A choir sings “ecce homo qui est faba”, [...]
Qarabag v Arsenal: The rise of Azerbaijan’s five time champions October 3, 2018 When Arsenal take the field tonight, they will be hoping that it is just the first of two visits this season to the Baku Olympic Stadium. The Gunners are making a 5,000-mile round trip for their second Europa League group stage fixture against FK Qarabag, a record distance for the club in major competitions. Should [...]
Chris Tremlett: Natural leader Andrew Strauss leaves ECB with a modern blueprint ahead of a crucial year October 3, 2018 Andrew Strauss stepping down as England’s director of cricket is a shame, but family comes first and he leaves knowing what he’s achieved. The move has been ongoing over the summer with Andy Flower covering for him while his wife Ruth undergoes treatment for cancer. That’s his priority at the moment, so it has probably [...]
Rob Horne: Former Northampton Saints centre on life after his career-ending injury and “bittersweet” testimonial against Leicester Tigers October 3, 2018 Five and a half months ago Rob Horne was leading his side, Northampton Saints, out to face rivals Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. With three games left of a poor season for Saints, Horne had been newly-elected captain. The trip to Leicester, it was hoped, would mark a fresh start. The side, in Horne’s words, [...]
The Green Room review: Find out what corporate hospitality means at the Kia Oval before you fork out to impress clients October 3, 2018 The last time I sat in a corporate box, it was miserable. A relative who worked for a bank had been offered tickets to a Muse gig at Wembley Stadium and invited me along as box meat to fill the space. At the time, I was a fan of the Devonshire space rockers, but I [...]