December 30, 2019
Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin showed he’s not letting transfer speculation get to him as he hit a double in their 4-2 win over Rotherham.It had looked like the Super Hoops were set for an easy win as they went 3-0 up through Tjaronn hit two goals before Austin’s first, but the Millers hit back through Jonson Clarke-Harris and Tom Thorpe.But Austin stepped up in injury time to slot home a penalty and end Rotherham’s hopes of a comeback, pushing Chris Ramsey’s side up into sixth spot.Ipswich are the early pacesetters though as they beat Preston 2-1 at Deepdale, with strikes from Brett Pitman and Ryan Fraser sandwiching Daniel Johnson’s equaliser.The Tractor Boys now have ten points but top the table as their goal difference is better than Brighton’s, who could only beat Blackburn 1-0, thanks to Kazenga Lua Lua’s effort.A Johann Gudmundsson goal eight minutes into added time handed Charlton a 2-1 victory against Hull City.Simon Makienok opened the scoring for the Addicks and although Abel Hernandez netted a leveller after 89 minutes, it wasn’t enough as Gudmundsson scored the winner and put them third.Fulham also had a late goal to be thankful for as Cauley Woodrow equalised four minutes into injury time when it had looked like Nahki Wells had given Huddersfield the win as it finished 1-1 at Craven Cottage.Bolton finally got their first goal of the campaign as Stephen Dobbie also equalised late in the day in their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.David Vaughan opened the scoring after Gary Madine missed a penalty for the Trotters but Dobbie, with his first for the club, ensured the spoils were shared.Bristol City claimed an impressive 1-0 win over Middlesbrough as Joe Bryan finished off Aaron Wilbraham’s pass, and Michael Keane gave Burnley a win by the same scoreline over Brentford.Meanwhile, Reading’s match with MK Dons finished goalless at the Madejski Stadium. Charlie Austin scores for QPR 1
Editors 1 Each week, a leading band or musician takes our special Starting XI Q&A. Stepping into the spotlight this week, Russell Leetch from Editors…Who would be the most rock ‘n’ roll signing your club could make?Most probably Mario Balotelli. He could be brilliant, could be awful . . .that’s what you get with some rock stars.If your club was a song or a lyric, what would it beThings Can Only Get Better, by D:ReamWhich football stadium would you most like to play a gig at (that’s not your club’s home ground)The Nou Camp – that would be phenomenalWhich footballer has the most potential to be a rock star?Leighton Baines loves his Indie, bet he writes some good Brit pop!Brit award or Premier League trophy?Premier league Trophy.When you were a kid, which football and music posters did you have on your wall?All Villa, so Dwight Yorke, Dean Saunders, David Platt, Paul McGrath.Elvis was the king of rock ‘n’ roll, Michael Jackson the king of pop… Who’s the king of football?Currently, Lionel Messi.If you were in charge of your club’s dressing room stereo, what tunes would you put on before a big game and why?Queen – Always Energising.Which signing got you most excited and which player’s departure broke your heart?I loved it when we signed Juan Pablo Angel. More recently, I’m going to miss the big man Benteke.Which footballer would you refuse complimentary tickets to one of your gigs?FABIAN DELPH (in capitals!).What’s the best/worst football song ever recorded?Best – New Order, World In Motion. Worst – Shout for England was pretty bad! Editors release their forthcoming fifth studio album, ‘In Dream’, on October 2nd
*DISCLAIMER: Like Manchester United and Real Madrid trying to agree a transfer deal, this video is just a joke.They may be two of the biggest football clubs in the world, but neither Real Madrid nor Manchester United employ anyone capable of using a fax machine.How else can you explain the failure to ensure David De Gea’s transfer went through before the deadline this summer?Well, if you watch the video above you will find an alternative explanation.For more of the best sports entertainment on YouTube, subscribe to talkSPORT now!
1 An early Bojan penalty was enough for Stoke to earn a thoroughly-deserved victory over an insipid Swansea side which ended the Swans’ unbeaten home record.The Spaniard was felled by a horribly off colour Ashley Williams inside three minutes and sent Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way from 12 yards.Jonjo Shelvey was denied by the woodwork as the hosts improved slightly after the break but they couldn’t muster an equaliser against their resilient visitors.It took Stoke just three minutes to find a breakthrough and it was the first indication that Williams was in for a torrid night.Bojan burst forward and lured the Swans’ captain into a clumsy challenge before dusting himself off to bury the resultant penalty in the top corner.Williams then horribly misjudged a cross from Marko Arnautovic which nearly let the impressive Joselu in for a Stoke second.While the Potters were in control, they nearly relinquished their stranglehold when Jack Butland miscontrolled the ball before recovering well to snuff out the danger with Andre Ayew poised to capitalise.Joselu then acrobatically volleyed wide before Glen Johnson skewed horribly off target after a smooth interchange with Xherdan Shaqiri.The Swans likely got an earful from manager Garry Monk at the break and Shelvey’s effort, which rattled off the base of the far post after he appeared to dawdle too long, suggested there would be more impetus in the second half.Arnautovic was the liveliest attacking outlet on the pitch but was unable to lift over the onrushing Fabianski when well picked out by Shaqiri just after the hour mark.The Swans’ wastefulness would continue into the dying embers, with only an ambitious effort from Gylfi Sigurdsson which whistled just wide threatening to level proceedings. Bojan 
1 Ruben Neves (centre) By Charlie BennettNew Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp already has plenty of options in midfield in Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Emre Can, Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen, but could they be joined by one more?Here, talkSPORT takes a look at Ruben Neves, who Liverpool are reportedly leading the chase for.Name: Ruben NevesDate of birth: 13/03/1997Birthplace: Santa Maria da Feira, PortugalPosition: Central midfieldClub: PortoWhat’s the latest?Liverpool are said to have been monitoring the deep-lying holding midfielder since January, and Klopp has reportedly given his blessing for a deal to go ahead. However, he won’t come cheap, with Porto tieing Neves down to a contract until 2017 and, crucially, implementing a €40m buy-out clause last year as they sensed bigger clubs sniffing around.Did you know?1) Neves became Porto’s youngest ever league goalscorer when he found the net on his debut in August last season against Maritimo with a drilled shot from inside the box. This season, he became the Champions League’s youngest ever captain when he lead the team against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the recent 2-0 Champions League win.2) Due to his ball control, composure, passing ability and aggression, Neves has been compared to Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets by Cristian Tello, who is on loan at Porto from Barca.3) But he has a cleaner disciplinary record than Busquets with just two yellow cards so far this season in comparison to the Spaniard’s six.4) Liverpool’s first-team development coach Pepijn Lijnders has already worked with Neves at Porto, and was a key figure behind the midfielder’s progression to the first team.5) Neves signed with super-agent Jorge Mendes earlier this year, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho and Radamel Falcao as his client.They say:We talk about technical and tactical talent, but Neves has extraordianary mental talents. He’s a player who sees the game with an extraordianary calmness and know what the game needs– Porto B coach Luis Castro believes Neves’ mental strength sets him apart from the rest.Video evidence:
10 10 10 10 10 10 9. Yannick Bolaise (Crystal Palace) has attempted 59 dribbles in 12 appearances and 30 have been successful 10 4. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) has attempted 88 dribbles in 13 appearances and 42 have been successful 10 7. Jefferson Montero (Swansea City) has attempted 68 dribbles in 12 appearances and 32 have been successful 8. Sadio Mane (Southampton) has attempted 55 dribbles in 13 appearances and 31 have been successful 10. Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham Hotspur) has attempted 34 dribbles in 10 appearances this season and 29 have been successful – find out which player comes in at 9th by clicking the arrow above Joint 1st. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) has attempted 68 dribbles in 13 appearances and 44 have been successful 6. Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) has attempted 41 dribbles in 13 appearances and 32 have been successful Now that the festive period is approaching, there are plenty of statistics to illustrate who is excelling in certain areas. Perhaps one of the most interesting, which has become somewhat of a rarity in recent seasons, is a perfectly executed dribble and how often – or little – it occurs.Regular talkSPORT contributors and statistics analysts WhoScored.com define a successful dribble as “taking on an opponent and successfully making it past them whilst retaining the ball”.We wanted to know which players had made the most successful dribbles so far this season and you can find the answer in the slideshow above.Take a look at the top 10 players with the most successful dribbles, so far, in England’s top flight this term.Statistics correct up to 23 November. Where players are level on total number of successful dribbles, the player with less attempts is ranked higher. 3. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) has attempted 70 dribbles in 12 appearances and 44 have been successful 5. Ross Barkley (Everton) has attempted 59 dribbles in 13 appearances and 33 have been successful 10 10 Joint 1st. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) has attempted 68 dribbles in 13 appearances and 44 have been successful
England vice captain Gary Cahill could leave Chelsea to ensure he represents England at Euro 2016.This season the defender has played 12 Premier League games as John Terry and Kurt Zouma have been prefered in defence.Cahill has been a Chelsea player since 2012 and the 30-year-old is seen as an ideal man to shore up the back lines of Liverpool and Man United by some of the club’s fans.Here, talkSPORT looks at some of the reaction online from supporters. Gary Cahill is worried he 1
Tom Rennie is joined by the former Manchester City captain, Steve Lomas, and the former Leicester City winger, Darren Eadie, to look ahead to a meeting of the Premier League’s top two this weekend.Can the Foxes pull off yet another shock result? Will City be able to re-take top spot?Elsewhere, the former Charlton and West Brom goalkeeper and current Norwich City goalkeeping coach, Dean Kiely, looks ahead to the rest of the weekend.Matches include Chelsea v Manchester United, Aston Villa v Norwich City & Tottenham v Watford.Former Arsenal winger & Premier League tactician Adrian Clarke picks his ‘three to watch’ and Jamie Peterkin from W-VENT St Lucia (one of talkSPORT’s Global Audio Partners) plays the Predictor Game ‘Tom against the World’.
Manchester United travel to West Brom on Sunday having experienced a resurgence in recent weeks with wins over Shrewsbury, Midtjylland, Arsenal and Watford.Louis van Gaal is reaping the rewards of playing youth with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Guillermo Varela and Timothy Fosu-Mensah all making an impression.Juan Mata’s late free kick against Watford moved the Red Devils onto level points with fourth-placed Manchester City, although the ‘noisy neighbours’ have a game in hand.The injury problems are also beginning to ease with Marcos Rojo returning and Chris Smalling and Matteo Darmian in contention for the weekend.However, with the club being down to the bare bones, it is likely some of the younger players, like Rashford who looked exhausted at the end of the Watford game, despite continuing to play well.A number of players were rested for the midweek game at Old Trafford meaning some players had played three games in six days.Click the arrow above, right, to see the predicted Manchester United lineup for Sunday’s trip to the Hawthorns. 1. David De Gea (goalkeeper) – click the arrow, right, to see the complete Manchester United predicted XI in squad number order 11 11 12. Chris Smalling (centre back) 21. Ander Herrera (centre midfield) 9. Anthony Martial (centre forward) 17. Daley Blind (centre back) 28. Morgan Schneiderlin (centre midfield) 8. Juan Mata (attacking midfield) 7. Memphis Depay (left wing) 11 5. Marcos Rojo (left back) 11 11 11 30. Guillermo Varela (right back) 11 11 11 11 11 35. Jesse Lingard (right wing)
Editor’s note: A misleading flier distributed over the weekend to Hawthorne residents implied that the Daily Breeze had endorsed candidates Ginny Lambert and Thierry Lubenec for City Council. The editorial in question actually endorsed candidate Daniel Juarez for council, but in the flier, which was financed by Lambert’s and Lubenec’s campaign committees, the editorial was edited selectively to alter the original intent. Though usually we do not publish political endorsements on Election Day, we’re reprinting the Hawthorne council editorial in full to clear up any misunderstanding. And for the record, we would urge Hawthorne residents not to vote for anyone who would attach their names to such a patently misleading flier, which printed copyrighted material without permission. We would concede that team politics has produced greater prosperity for Hawthorne. The City Council majority led by Mayor Larry Guidi has worked to bring new businesses such as the Ayres Hotel and Lowe’s Home Improvement to the city, not to mention the construction of a new police station. But as Tuesday’s election nears, it should be clear to voters that there are issues that go beyond economic development. One concern has been what appears to be the homogenization of viewpoints on Hawthorne’s team-oriented City Council. It’s like the when the contrast knob on an ancient television is out of adjustment. It can be difficult to see what’s really going on. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREStriving toward a more perfect me: Doug McIntyre Overall, improvements in Hawthorne are somewhat mixed. Criticisms about the quality of life include concerns about overdevelopment, a lack of green space and relationships with developers that are too cozy. District Attorney’s Office investigations by the Public Integrity Division have also raised questions about how business gets done in the city. And an indicted councilman opted not to seek re-election this year. When elected leaders at a council meeting threaten the author of a critical campaign flier with legal action and even violence, as occurred earlier this month, you get the sense that some sort of change is needed. Hawthorne voters on Tuesday will choose from a field of five candidates to fill two City Council seats. Guidi is supporting incumbent Ginny Lambert and Thierry Lubenec, who currently serves as city treasurer. Rounding out the field are Alicia Marie Brewster, a retired airline agent and community volunteer, Hawthorne school board member Hugo Rojas and Daniel Juarez, a retired Hawthorne city clerk and a former member of the Wiseburn school board. Our view is that a greater diversity of thought on the council would serve better serve the community. With that in mind, we endorse Juarez, who offers both government experience and a fresh perspective. Juarez favors revamping the General Plan to keep a lid on density, term limits, more open discussions at council meetings, creating a park at the former police site and improved trash service. We take no position on who should be elected to the other council position. But Juarez, who has the endorsement of Councilman Gary Parsons, would provide a more independent voice on the council, and like a patient in search for the right treatment, the city would likely benefit from a second opinion from time to time.
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