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 [...]
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City: Reds produce their best performance of the season on biggest stage November 10, 2019 This wasn’t so much a passing of the baton as the baton being wrenched away and twirled in celebration while the opposition howled at the moon about perceived injustice. The upshot is the same, though: Liverpool have replaced Manchester City as the best in the country, have a strong claim to being the best in [...]
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: [...]
Guardiola and Klopp rivalry ready to combust as Manchester City head to Liverpool after a week of fanning the flames November 7, 2019 Given the unrelenting quality displayed last season by both Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League run-in, it seemed likely that head-to-head fixtures between the two would be equally significant in determining the destination of the title again this term. Liverpool lost just once last campaign – at City on 3 January – as [...]
If you were chancellor, what would be in your Budget? November 6, 2019 Today was scheduled to be the first Budget of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The chancellor announced the Budget last month, saying: “This is the right and responsible thing to do – we must get on with governing.” Unfortunately, to misquote a phrase, the best-laid plans of chancellors and Prime Ministers often go awry. The Budget has [...]
VAR has not helped the Premier League at all – but here is a how it can be fixed November 5, 2019 We all want to see the correct decisions being made and that is why video assistant referees were introduced but their implementation doesn’t seem to have been thought through. The introduction of VAR to the Premier League this season has not advanced the game at all but with every passing week has instead created more [...]
23 Capital: Meet the London-based finance company behind Barcelona’s signing of Antoine Griezmann and Atletico Madrid’s deal for Joao Felix November 5, 2019 Football’s two biggest deals of the summer transfer window had something in common, and not just that Atletico Madrid was either the buying or selling club. The other unifying factor in the signings of £113m Portuguese sensation Joao Felix and £108m France forward Antoine Griezmann was the involvement of financing from London-based 23 Capital on [...]
Liverpool v Genk: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ready to grasp his chance in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield November 4, 2019 There’s no time like the present for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Having featured in just 19 minutes of last season due to a serious injury, the Liverpool midfielder is now making up for lost time. Damage to the cruciate and medial ligaments in the knee and hamstring tendons aren’t injuries you can just shake off and it [...]
Everton 1-1 Tottenham: Andre Gomes injury overshadows low quality match at Goodison Park November 3, 2019 A serious injury to Andre Gomes overshadowed Everton’s scrappy draw with Tottenham, but the video assistant referee still managed to prompt debate. The match contained three penalty shouts – two for Everton and one for Spurs – with VAR checks causing considerable delay only for none to be awarded by referee Martin Atkinson. However, it [...]
Crystal Palace 0-2 Leicester City: Foxes show why a return to the Champions League looks increasingly likely November 3, 2019 They couldn’t do it again, could they? In the era of these Liverpool and Manchester City teams, probably not, but with every passing week Leicester demand to be taken more seriously. On Sunday they kept the bandwagon rolling at Selhurst Park, beating Crystal Palace in tidy and clinical fashion to make it three Premier League [...]