Jose Mourinho must improve Tottenham’s attack and arrest Harry Kane’s waning club form November 20, 2019 Jose Mourinho arrives at Tottenham with a to-do list that includes arresting a year-long slump that threatens the club’s status as Champions League regulars and rehabilitating his own weathered reputation. But chief among the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager’s priorities in North London should be reinvigorating an attack whose threat has dissipated to the [...]
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 [...]
Guy Kinnings interview: European Tour deputy CEO on growing the Ryder Cup, criticism from Rory McIlroy and the prospects of a single global tour November 18, 2019 It has been an eventful first year in the job for Guy Kinnings, golf’s poacher-turned-gamekeeper. The former agent to Colin Montgomerie and head of the sport at industry behemoth IMG joined the European Tour 14 months ago with a wide-ranging brief that includes maximising prize asset the Ryder Cup, overseeing all commercial activity and acting [...]
Manchester City lose financial fair play appeal to prevent Uefa investigating allegations November 15, 2019 Manchester City’s efforts to block a Uefa investigation into financial fair play violations have been rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). City had asked CAS to throw out the case brought against the club by Uefa for allegedly breaching financial fair play rules. Read more: Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City: Reds produce their [...]
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 [...]
England v Montenegro: Onus on Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford in absence of influential Raheem Sterling November 13, 2019 Among the reams of column inches and hours of airtime devoted to discussing Raheem Sterling’s scuffle with England team-mate Joe Gomez this week, one consequence has been largely overlooked. Manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to drop Sterling for one game – Thursday’s European Championship qualifier with Montenegro at Wembley – has robbed him of his most [...]
Raheem Sterling-Joe Gomez row: Gareth Southgate’s firm response has ensured this won’t happen again November 12, 2019 It’s rare, but I can’t say I’ve never witnessed two England team-mates coming to blows on international duty, as Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez did on Monday at St George’s Park. On one occasion, four of us were in a taxi back from an official England team function – including two Scousers who played for [...]
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 [...]