Liverpool v Tottenham preview: Mauricio Pochettino must refresh stale Spurs squad to lift the current malaise October 24, 2019 If Red Star Belgrade at home was the perfect fixture for Tottenham in their current state, Liverpool away is the polar opposite. Jurgen Klopp’s side might have dropped their first points in the Premier League this season against Manchester United last time out, but they remain imposing at Anfield where they haven’t been beaten in [...]
Ajax 0-1 Chelsea: Lampard’s stock rises as solid Blues take a big scalp in Amsterdam October 23, 2019 Youthful exuberance is a phrase which has generally defined Chelsea’s 2019-20 season so far under Frank Lampard. With a former player in charge and a transfer ban in effect the Blues have called back youngsters from loan deals and integrated them into the first team. That has lead to a lot of excitement and impressive [...]
Tottenham 5-0 Red Star Belgrade: Kane, Son and Lamela run riot to rejuvenate Spurs October 22, 2019 Red Star Belgrade were exactly what Tottenham required after being shaken by a terrible run of form. Colchester, Bayern Munich, Brighton and Watford were not forgotten – not yet – but for 90 minutes Spurs fans were able to enjoy their side running riot against a wide-open, error-prone and haphazard opponent. Tottenham’s first Champions League [...]
The Hundred draft: How it will work, when it is happening and where to watch it October 16, 2019 English cricket is set to break new ground this weekend when a draft process takes place for The Hundred ahead of next summer’s much-anticipated start date. The look of the new eight-team, 100-ball competition, due to run from 7 July to 16 August 2020, has been gradually rolled out. Over recent months, the format, team [...]
‘I was suffering with OCD, which was horrific’: Former England scrum-half Kyran Bracken opens up over his mental health problems October 15, 2019 Kyran Bracken played professional rugby for 14 years. As a scrum-half he won 51 caps for England and was part of the famous World Cup-winning squad of 2003. That much is well documented. What wasn’t known, until now, was that he has struggled with mental health problems. But 13 years on from his retirement, Bracken [...]
Bulgaria 0-6 England: Racist abuse in Sofia proves Uefa’s protocols are not strong enough October 14, 2019 Tyrone Mings made his international debut tonight, a moment the 26-year-old must have dreamt of since childhood. But rather than remembering it for the proud occasion it should have been, Mings will instead reflect on a night on which he was subjected to racist abuse while simply doing his job. The Natsionalen Stadion Vasil Levski [...]
Japan 28-21 Scotland: Hosts produce scintillating rugby to reach World Cup quarter-finals October 13, 2019 The fact that Japan made history, beating Scotland 28-21 to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history, was remarkable enough. But to do so on their own turf, in such style and in front of an adoring fan base just hours after the pain and destruction wreaked by Typhoon [...]
Czech Republic v England: Mason Mount deserving of a first start ahead of Ross Barkley October 10, 2019 Tournament qualifiers hold a strange significance for England. On the one hand they are fully-fledged competitive internationals which need to be won in order to reach World Cups and European Championships. But on the other hand, England haven’t lost one in 43 instances – an unbeaten streak which dates back almost exactly 10 years, since [...]
Under-fire Mo Farah faces moment of truth at the Chicago Marathon October 9, 2019 Sunday is a big day for Sir Mo Farah. Having chosen to sit out of the World Athletics Championships in Doha only to see his name in the news for all the wrong reasons, following the four-year ban issued to his former coach Alberto Salazar, Farah is back racing this weekend. The Chicago Marathon is [...]
‘Safe pair of hands’ Chris Silverwood brings continuity rather than innovation to England head coach role October 7, 2019 The appointment of Chris Silverwood as England’s new head coach is one which sees the England and Wales Cricket Board’s hierarchy backing continuity, rather than innovation. Silverwood has stepped up from his role of bowling coach, which he has performed for the last two years, to fill the shoes of Trevor Bayliss in an act [...]
