Rob Smyth's Blog, page 20
November 17, 2024
England 5-0 Republic of Ireland: Nations League – as it happened
Four players scored their first international goals as England ended Lee Calvert’s interim reign on a high
Good Luck Mr Gorsky Carsley
“Thanks for clarifying the Ireland manager is a qualified dentist,” says DFGTR EDTRTT (sic). “So many unqualified dentists out there.”
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November 16, 2024
Australia beat Pakistan by 13 runs: second Twenty20 international – as it happened
A riotous opening partnership and Spencer Johnson’s maiden five-for gave Australia a series-clinching victory at the SCG
Haris Rauf comes into the attack. Short works him for two to bring up the fifty in just 3.1 overs, a record for Australia in T20 cricket. Pakistan are already in death-bowling mode, with lots of variations, and it has brought the first wicket.
Fraser-McGurk is hit in the gut by a slower ball, then swats a very short ball high over extra cover. Salman Agha backpedals to take an excellent catch; Fraser-McGurk goes for 20 from 9 balls.
Continue reading...Australia v Pakistan: second Twenty20 international – live
Haris Rauf comes into the attack. Short works him for two to bring up the fifty in just 3.1 overs, a record for Australia in T20 cricket. Pakistan are already in death-bowling mode, with lots of variations, and it has brought the first wicket.
Fraser-McGurk is hit in the gut by a slower ball, then swats a very short ball high over extra cover. Salman Agha backpedals to take an excellent catch; Fraser-McGurk goes for 20 from 9 balls.
Continue reading...November 15, 2024
Football Daily | Why Lee Carsley will go down in history as England’s BFG
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Well that de-escalated quickly. It took seven minutes for Ollie Watkins to score England’s opening goal in Greece on Thursday night, prompting those who had savaged Lee Carsley for having the effrontery to pick a prolific goalscorer in a relatively unimportant game to be confronted with the confusing thought that their pre-match keyboard posturing may not have been entirely proportionate. The Watkins volte-face, although we should really call it a volte-farce given the buffoonery of the more extreme protagonists, symbolised another peculiar night in Carsley’s interim reign. He’ll go down in history as England’s BFG: their Bald Fraud/Genius, with one of the nouns to be deleted depending on what has happened in the last 60 seconds and which way your knee is jerking at the time. The bald bit is non-negotiable.
I’m obliged to you for drawing my attention to the sad passing of John Dempsey (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition). As my own London-based mob were in the lower divisions, I would take advantage of the local transport and watch Division One (as was) outfits when we were away from the Den on a Saturday, and saw him play a number of times. Many years later I managed a day centre and, as the only sports fan in the staff group, would turn out in competitions with other day centres for people with learning disabilities, joined by one staff member per team. When an opposing side called my opposite number ‘Dempsey’, it was clear to me who he was. As tempting as it was for each staff member to become Brian Glover in Kes for the day, it was clear ‘Dempsey’ was naturally committed to coaching, encouraging and including people to enjoy participating and competing. While many of his contemporaries were off running pubs, there he was quietly ‘putting back into the game’ in a gloriously understated way. A fine player, a lovely man for sure” – Michael Lloyd.
Re: Ric Arthur’s complaints about ‘the door marked Do One’ (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). Let me join 1,056 others to note that if they’re vexed by Football Daily using expressions that are ‘overused’, ‘trite’ and ‘tedious’, he can’t be very familiar with your back catalogue” – Richard Stirzaker (and 1,056 others).
Internet browsing today, I found this wonderful series of photos from a different age (I know the Glenn Hoddle one has been referenced here before, quite a bit). I am concerned, though, that Phil Neal took the time to get the right clobber but no one showed him how to set the balls up in the right place” – Andy Morrison.
Re: yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs (full email edition). As much as I respect Diego Forlán for changing sport, you’d think he’d be good at tennis, given he spent much of his time at Manchester United putting the ball over the net at speed?” – Kev McCready.
This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Continue reading...November 6, 2024
West Indies thrash England by eight wickets: third men’s one-day cricket international – as it happened
A spectacular maiden century from Keacy Carty drove West Indies to an emphatic victory in the series decider in Barbados
Jacks leans into a cover drive for four as Forde overpitches. But an outside edge follows the very next ball! Forde pulls back his length and has Jacks feathering a catch to Shai Hope behind the stumps. Jacks’ lean series is over.
2nd over: England 5-0 (Salt 4, Jacks 1) Alzarri Joseph rocks up from the other end and Jacks offers a leave outside off before showing off a forward defence. That’s not very Bazball. Jacks steals a quick single with a leg-side dab to get off the mark.
Continue reading...November 5, 2024
Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Champions League – as it happened
Luis Diaz scored a memorable hat-trick as Liverpool overwhelmed Leverkusen in the last half hour at Anfield
A reminder of the teams
Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Robertson, Quansah, Morton, Bradley.
November 4, 2024
Australia pip Pakistan to win first men’s one-day international – as it happened
Pat Cummins produced another clinical matchwinning cameo after Australia suffered a dramatic mid-innings collapse
2nd over: Pakistan 3-0 (Ayub 1, Shafique 2) Saim Ayub now has the strike to Australia’s captain Pat Cummins and he gets some bat on the first delivery, not much but enough to run a single. Pakistan are off the mark and so is Ayub. Now Shafique gets off his duck with a strong punch through point. Glenn Maxwell retrieves it in the outfield. Now Cummins the conjuror appears! His fourth ball is a beauty, just back of a length and it whizzes past the edge of Shafique’s flailing blade. Good comeback by the skipper.
1st over: Pakistan 0-0 (Saim 0, Shafique 0) Abdullah Shafique has survives the first couple of deliveries and already Starc has extracted a slight hint of swing back into the right-handed batter. Third ball is a fat full-pitched yorker on the offside and Shafique has a swish at it but is beaten for pace. He can’t get near the fifth and dead bats the final delivery. A maiden to get us started
Continue reading...Australia chasing 204 to beat Pakistan: first men’s one-day international – live
2nd over: Pakistan 3-0 (Ayub 1, Shafique 2) Saim Ayub now has the strike to Australia’s captain Pat Cummins and he gets some bat on the first delivery, not much but enough to run a single. Pakistan are off the mark and so is Ayub. Now Shafique gets off his duck with a strong punch through point. Glenn Maxwell retrieves it in the outfield. Now Cummins the conjuror appears! His fourth ball is a beauty, just back of a length and it whizzes past the edge of Shafique’s flailing blade. Good comeback by the skipper.
1st over: Pakistan 0-0 (Saim 0, Shafique 0) Abdullah Shafique has survives the first couple of deliveries and already Starc has extracted a slight hint of swing back into the right-handed batter. Third ball is a fat full-pitched yorker on the offside and Shafique has a swish at it but is beaten for pace. He can’t get near the fifth and dead bats the final delivery. A maiden to get us started
Continue reading...November 3, 2024
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened
A poor game came to life in the final quarter, when Bruno Fernandes’s penalty was cancelled out by a cracking volley from Moises Caicedo
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s pre-match thoughts
It’s been a week of mixed emotions – Erik leaving, taking over, Wednesday’s game and how it went.
There’s been no contact [with Ruben Amorim]. It’s been communicated to the players that I’ll be in charge until next Sunday and then the new manager will take over. That means we can focus on trying to win the next three games.
A League Cup meeting, instantly forgettable were it not for one of football’s greatest-ever juxtapositions of beauty and the beast. Ron Harris had many qualities, but subtlety was not one of them.
Here he is heaving into view from way out, belabouring George Best’s ankles with a proper old-school reducer. It’s a textbook piece of uberviolence – a vicious sliding tackle perfectly timed and executed, as graceful as brutality can ever get – but it was all for naught. Best ignored Chopper’s galoot-isms, somehow retained his balance – despite being kicked almost horizontal in mid-air – and continued his run.
Continue reading...October 31, 2024
West Indies beat England by eight wickets: first men’s one-day international – live
Evin Lewis’s coruscating 94 helped West Indies to an emphatic victory in a rain-affected game
4th over: England 19-0 (Salt 8, Jacks 9) Seales continues and Salt again clips for two to midwicket, but he can’t get after the other five balls.
“As a Warwickshire follower,” says Phil Russell, “it’s great to see Bethell and Mousley in the team, and hopefully Sam Hain will get more recognition before long too. Overall the line up does rather remind of the days of another Bears all-rounder, Dermot Reeve. Quite a lot of bits-and-pieces players for a 50 over game. A little concerned the batting will fizzle out and not go the distance.” That would be very on-brand.
Continue reading...Rob Smyth's Blog
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