Pochettino’s legacy may haunt his Tottenham successor after Levy takes unpopular but perhaps necessary action November 19, 2019 On 1 June Mauricio Pochettino had reached the high point of his managerial career and was ready to enjoy the culmination of five years of hard work. He had transformed Tottenham from also-rans into Champions League finalists. Today, just 123 days later, he was sacked. Poor results, 14 points from 12 games and a Premier [...]
Mauricio Pochettino: Tottenham Hotspur sack manager after poor results November 19, 2019 Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino after a poor run of results left them 14th in the Premier League table. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said club had been “extremely reluctant” to cut their ties with Pochettino, who joined the club from Southampton in May 2014. The club are without an away league win since [...]
Determined, organised, patient: The makings of England Test debutant Dom Sibley November 19, 2019 An England Test debut has been a long time coming for Dom Sibley, and yet his timing could hardly have been more opportune. The string of unsuccessful England opening batsmen may stretch back a long way, to the retirements of Andrew Strauss and Sir Alastair Cook, but the change of tack from gung-ho head coach [...]
Kosovo 0-4 England: Winks impresses at No8, Rashford explodes off the bench, Kane scores again November 17, 2019 England: making qualifiers fun again. After eight Euro 2020 qualifying matches in Group A Gareth Southgate’s side have ended with 37 goals and 21 points. The shock 2-1 defeat by Czech Republic last month has been followed by a 6-0 win over Bulgaria, a 7-0 thrashing of Montenegro, and today’s 4-0 victory against Kosovo. Read [...]
England 7-0 Montenegro: Kane hits a hat-trick to seal Euro 2020 qualification in style at Wembley November 14, 2019 How quickly the drama of the week was forgotten. The TV cameras may have picked out Raheem Sterling in the stands, but the rate with which the first-half goals flew in meant there was little time to discuss his behaviour and its ramifications. That was exactly how Gareth Southgate would have liked it. Instead of [...]
World of athletics in uproar and unionising after IAAF decides to cut major events from Diamond League meetings November 12, 2019 Athletics is not in a happy place at the moment. Having spent the past few months reeling from criticism for staging this year’s World Championships in Qatar and the still-unfolding scandal that is Nike’s Oregon Project, the sport ran headlong into yet another obstacle last week. While not as serious as issues like migrant workers’ [...]
Ed Smith interview: England’s national selector on his academic background and establishing the Institute of Sports Humanities November 11, 2019 Ed Smith is a familiar figure in cricket. He is a former player, commentator and journalist turned England national selector who frequently appears on our screens, radios and in print to name squads, explain call-ups, rebuff criticism and accept praise. But that isn’t all he has spent his time doing. For three years, Smith worked [...]
Unhappy Hammers: West Ham sinking down the table after thrashing by Burnley November 10, 2019 Things are not looking rosy for West Ham United. The problems are mounting for Manuel Pellegrini following their abysmal 3-0 thrashing by Burnley on Saturday. The Hammers have plummeted to 16th place in the Premier League, having taken just one point from their last five games and haven’t tasted victory since 22 September. Read more: [...]
Red Star Belgrade 0-4 Tottenham: Spurs banish their demons with another rout of Serbian side November 6, 2019 Last month’s seven-goal thrashing by Bayern Munich suddenly feels a long time ago for Tottenham. Back-to-back Champions League wins over Red Star Belgrade with an aggregate score line of 9-0 has gone a long way to banishing the ghosts of Bayern, leaving Spurs four points clear of the Serbian side in Group B’s second place. [...]
Rugby World Cup: Why the legacy of Japan’s tournament will live on November 6, 2019 The Rugby World Cup may have ended without the ultimate prize for England last weekend but the tournament itself created winners beyond those in the triumphant South Africa camp. The decision to choose Japan as host nation, ahead of bids from Italy and the eventual winners, appeared bold back in 2009. With the benefit of [...]
