Watford 3, Liverpool 0: Players lost their minds, fumes Klopp December 20, 2015 Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp accused his players of losing their minds in the wake of their Premier League horror show against high-flying Watford at Vicarage Road yesterday. A double from prolific hitman Odion Ighalo took the Nigerian’s top-flight tally to 12 for the season after on-loan Chelsea midfielder Nathan Ake had taken full advantage of [...]
England’s batting collapse worries Taylor ahead of Test showdown with South Africa December 17, 2015 England's James Taylor has warned his side’s batsmen that they must rid themselves of a propensity to collapse if they are to enjoy success in their four-Test showdown with world No1s South Africa, which starts in Durban on Boxing Day. The tourists slipped from 99-3 to 190 all out during the second innings on the [...]
Villa in dire straits are so far away from revived Toon December 17, 2015 If this fixture had dropped just a couple of weeks ago, it would have been a tale of woe for both hosts Newcastle and their visitors Aston Villa. Between them, they only managed three wins out of a possible 23 games from September to November. How quickly fortunes can improve, though – for the Magpies, [...]
High-flying Hornets to be stung by Klopp’s Liverpool December 17, 2015 It must have been beyond a Watford fan’s wildest dreams to go into the week before Christmas ahead of Liverpool in the table. Remarkably, the Hornets go into Sunday’s match against the Reds one point and two places ahead of their illustrious rivals. Watford are only four points off the Champions League places. But for [...]
Early selection hint allows prospective Test debutant Alex Hales to prepare mentally and roll with punches December 16, 2015 The tour may not have started well for opener Alex Hales, but England head coach Trevor Bayliss has indicated that he is almost certain to make his Test debut, alongside skipper Alastair Cook at the top of the order, in the first Test against South Africa in Durban, which starts on Boxing Day. When I [...]
Joe Root interview: Heir apparent keen to remain jester of England team December 16, 2015 He may boast increasing batting prowess and rising status within the dressing room, but England vice-captain Joe Root is determined to prevent the burden of responsibility dimming his endearing joie de vivre. Whether it be his mask-wearing mimicking of Bob Willis, a cheeky mock salute to welcome Ben Stokes’ century or schoolboy sniggering at skipper [...]
Hales and Cook flop to heighten England’s opener worries December 15, 2015 All-rounder Ben Stokes reiterated the pivotal importance of England counteracting the new ball if they are to enjoy success against No1-ranked Test side South Africa this winter after an early wobble in yesterday’s warm-up clash. England finished day one of their opening tour match against a South African Invitational XI on 470-5 as Stokes eased fears [...]
Bristol hit out as England go for former skipper Steve Borthwick December 15, 2015 Head coach Eddie Jones’ premiership as England boss descended into an unseemly club versus country row only weeks into his tenure after a tug-of-war over former skipper Steve Borthwick broke out yesterday. The Rugby Football Union[RFU] released a statement confirming Borthwick, who worked under Jones with Japan before joining Bristol as their forwards coach following [...]
Ruthless Jones axes Rowntree, Catt and Farrell as overhaul of England’s backroom team continues December 14, 2015 England head coach Eddie Jones has accelerated the overhaul of his backroom team by severing ties with predecessor Stuart Lancaster’s trusted assistants Graham Rowntree, Andy Farrell and Mike Catt yesterday. Rowntree, Farrell and Catt belatedly followed Lancaster out of the Twickenham exit to become the latest casualties of England’s ill-fated World Cup campaign, during which they [...]
