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      in Boxing

      Tyson Fury’s warrior rival Usyk was taught to fight with a knife by soldier dad & is haunted by missing final moments

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      IT’S the highly anticipated rematch that will see British boxing legend Tyson Fury attempt to unify the heavyweight titles.Six months after the Gypsy King’s first-ever defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in May, the pair will face each other for a second showdown tomorrow night. Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will face off for a second time on December 21Credit: GettyTheir last bout in May ended with Usyk as the victorCredit: GettyOleksandr Usyk pictured as a baby with soldier dad and older sister ViktoriaCredit: East2WestUkrainian heavyweight Usyk, who is the first to hold all the major heavyweight titles in 24 years, carries with him the fighting spirit of his dead soldier dad and a boxer pal killed by the Russians.His father, also called Oleksandr, was twice injured while serving the Soviet army in Afghanistan.He taught his son to duel with a blade, something that could have come in useful when the boxer joined Ukraine’s territorial defence battalion after Russia launched an all-out invasion of his country two years ago.The city where Usyk, 37, was born and grew up is under the control of Vladimir Putin’s invading forces.Read More in The SunAnd his boxer friend Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi was shot dead by the dictator’s troops when they entered Irpin, close to the capital Kyiv, in 2022.Usyk, nicknamed The Cat, wanted to continue defending his nation, but was urged by soldiers to win for his country with his fists instead.The boxer’s dedication to his sport cost him his chance to say goodbye to his father properly – because he didn’t get back in time from winning a gold medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012 before he died.Talking about his late father, he said:  “Everything I have now is thanks to him. He put a lot in me, he taught me about the priorities in life, which are family, sports and education. Most read in Boxing“He was a military man. My mother hated it when he taught me how to fight with a knife.” She’d shout ‘Sasha, he’ll grow up to be a criminal’.”Tyson Fury warned there’s ‘nothing he can do to stop what’s gonna happen’ in rematch with ‘bogeyman’ Oleksandr UsykParents Oleksandr and Nadezhda were proud of his medalsCredit: East2WestThe boxer with mum NadezhdaCredit: East2WestBrush with deathUsyk was born in Simferopol in Crimea where his security guard dad had met his mum Nadezhda, who worked in construction.His father did not talk much about his time serving with the Soviet army, which had invaded Afghanistan in 1979.But Usyk recalled: “I saw the consequences of this post-war condition and what happened to him. He often had headaches, he had very high blood pressure.“I remember that until the last he had some nightmares in which he called out the names of his comrades who were killed.”Usyk senior was injured twice while fighting for the USSR, which controlled by Ukraine until 1991.His son, who was born under Communist rule in 1987, first had a passion for football.The family moved to a village called Rybotyn in the north of Ukraine where he nearly died from pneumonia as a child.Usyk said: “It was really bad. The doctor even told my mother that I might not survive.” Mum Nadezhda revealed: “As a child, Sasha was a very sick child.”Then my son spent a whole year in the Chernihiv hospital.”My heart was aching and the doctors were afraid to make any predictions for the future.”Oleksandr Usyk was born under Communist ruleCredit: instagram/usykaa/Usyk took up boxing at 15Credit: instagram/@usykaaPunch on pitchThe family returned to Simferopol when he was a teenager, still at school.His father was a harsh disciplinarian, who would give him a “slap on the head” if his grades fell below C.“He raised me to be a man from childhood,” he said. “He forced me to wash socks and underwear, clean the room, and iron my trousers. He said that if I don’t learn this, if I don’t learn discipline, then I won’t succeed in life. “He said: ‘The way a man behaves in life, behind the wheel, with women, shows his true strength. If he can’t cope, if he’s dirty, neglected, and doesn’t know how to behave with women, then he’s not a real man’.”He’d recovered enough from his illness to play football for his school team – something that ended when he punched an opposition player during a match.Aged 15 he took up boxing instead – encouraged by his dad, an amateur boxer.My children are asking, ‘Daddy, why do they want to kill us?’ I don’t know how to answer thatOleksandr UsykHis swift reflexes and dedication led him to success in the ring, which impressed his childhood sweetheart Yekaterina, generally called Kateryna.She once admitted: “I didn’t consider him at all, except as a friend. He said ‘If I win the fight today, will you go somewhere with me tonight?’ I say: ‘Win, we’ll see there.” He won. And that’s it.”Usyk became a national hero when he picked up a gold medal at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 in the heavyweight division.It was a victory that was to be followed by tragedy – because his dad died a few days later back in Ukraine while Oleksandr was abroad.He remembered:  “He watched me become Olympic champion, but I didn’t make it back in time to show him the gold medal.”When I arrived he was already lying in the coffin.”I handed him the medal, put it in his dead hand and then left the room.”What was most difficult to cope with is that rather than heading home directly from London, Oleksandr had stopped off to collect a supercar, which delayed him going home.During an emotional interview with TNT he said: “I wanted to bring it with me and show him what a cool car I had. My mom called me at 3am and told me the news.”Usyk’s dad saw him win an Olympic gold but died before he saw his son againCredit: Getty Images – GettyThe boxer wept as he told the story on TNTCredit: X @boxingontntHe later revealed the emotional phone call to his dad after winning the gold, saying: “I called my dad and started screaming: ‘Yes! We won!’ My father told me: ‘I congratulate you, son. I love you’. “My father never told me he loved me. It remains in my memory as something special. I tell my children every day that I love them.”War in UkraineIn 2013 Usyk became a professional boxer, becoming a world champion in the cruiserweight division, which is just below heavyweight.A year later Russian-backed separatists took control of Crimea and parts of the east of the country.He was the undisputed champion when he defeated Brit Tony Bellew in 2018.After that Usyk stepped up to heavyweight, twice beating Anthony Joshua, the second time after Russia had launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine.That fight had been in doubt because The Cat wanted to defend his country rather than be a sportsman. He returned to his homeland in February 2022, armed himself with a rifle and joined the territorial defence force.He later recalled the night bombs began to rain down on his house in Bucha, on February 24, 2022 – his daughter Yelizaveta’s birthday.He said: “My children are asking: ‘Daddy, why do they want to kill us?’ I don’t know how to answer that.”A month after signing up to fight he was persuaded to go on training for the bout with Brit Joshua.Instead, he is providing financial support for the rebuilding of his heavily bombed homeland.In his first bout, it was reported that Fury had to agree to give £1million of his reported £115m fight fee to the reconstruction of Ukraine in order for the contest to go ahead. Usyk is funding the rebuilding of a property in Irpin where one of his friends was killed by advancing Russians who seized the city in February 2022. It was recaptured by Ukrainian forces on March 28 of the same year. He said: “In this house, there was a boxing gym of my good friend. He and I were in the national team, we went to boxing competitions together. “Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi was shot by Russian soldiers right in this hall.”World champ Oleksandr Usyk after beating Tony Bellew in 2018Credit: PA:Press AssociationThe fighter (centre, in black) joined the Kyiv Territorial Defence in Ukraine in 2022Credit: Refer to CaptionUsyk and Yekaterina have three kidsCredit: instagram/@usykaaEeyore toy Usyk’s wife and three children, Kyrylo, Mykhalio and Yelizaveta, live in the capital, Kyiv.Unlike Fury’s wife Paris, who has appeared in reality shows with her husband, Kateryna stays out of the limelight.Usyk often speaks about how much he loves her and their children.Sometimes he can be seen clutching a cuddly Eeyore toy which was given to him by his daughter after the Russian invasion separated them.Usyk carries the Eeyore toy given to him by his daughterCredit: Instagram/@usykaaOleksandr Usyk with his daughterCredit: instagram/@usykaaThe dedicated, incredibly fit pugilist has been getting up at 4.45am every day to get in shape for the biggest bout of his career.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd before he walks out to the roaring crowd for a second time on Saturday, the spirit of his late father could be with him.Usyk said, with tears in his eyes: “Sometimes he comes to me the day before the fight. Yes, sometimes he comes the day before the fight and smiles.” More

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      in Soccer

      England legend ‘Razor’ Ruddock reveals Harry Redknapp show saved his life after doctors feared he had two months to live

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      ENGLAND legend Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock has revealed how Harry Redknapp’s show saved his life.The former Liverpool centre-back disclosed that what he initially thought was dementia turned out to be a serious heart condition as doctors feared he had just two months to live.Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock has revealed details about how Harry Redkapp’s show saved his lifeRuddock linked up with his old England team-mates for ‘Harry’s Heroes: The Full English’ in 2019 and it’s sequel a year laterThe ex-England defender ballooned to 27st during the pandemicRuddock, 56, has turned his life around and reduced his alcohol intake as he credits his former gaffer’s TV show ‘Harry’s Heroes’.Speaking to Nigel Farage on GB News, he said: “From when I left school until like 35, every day I was told where I’ve got to be.”What I can eat, what I can’t drink, and all this. And when you’re 35 there was no sort of step back.“There was no help when football finished. I turned into an 18-year-old kid and couldn’t wait to retire at 35 and start drinking and eating what I wanted and then I got 28 and a half stone.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS“I did the Harry Heroes TV show. I was feeling dizzy. At the time there was a lot of talk about dementia in football, heading the ball.“So I was going dizzy. So I thought, you know, ‘it’s dementia’. I went to see all the specialists and it was my heart, he said, ‘the way you’re going, you’ve got two months to live’.“Trust me, that changed my life, and then they had to stop my heart, restart my heart. I got a pacemaker. I’ve had the gastric sleeve…because I’d given up on myself, basically.“Without doing that TV show, I wouldn’t be here today.”Most read in FootballNeil Ruddock has shown off his incredible weight transformationThe award-winning documentary series was filmed in 2020.It saw Redknapp tasked with turning a cohort of unfit England football legends from the 1990s into a winning team once more.Neil Ruddock and Paul Merson fall out over the ex-Tottenham star’s drinking habit on Harry’s Heroes: Euro Having A LaughThey included a host of familiar faces – such as David Seaman, Paul Merson and Matt Le Tissier – keen to prove that, even in middle age, they could still cut it on the pitch and beat old rivals Germany.Viewers saw the ex-star players, who came from an era with a more relaxed approach to footie practice and healthy eating, as they adopted a rigorous new training and nutrition regime akin to that of today’s pros.Former Liverpool ace and 2018 King of the Jungle, assistant John Barnes, successfully coached the blokes to a 4-2 victory.’Harry’s Heroes: The Full English’ was filmed in 2020 before Ruddock’s gastric bandNutritionist Luke Worthington did a body mass index with RuddockRuddock, who earned one England cap during his career, memorably told the lads about his heart scare in one of the episodes.Meanwhile, Redknapp managed Ruddock when he played for West Ham in the late 1990s.Asked what advice he would give to anyone else who was worried about their health, he said: “Go and see the doctor. It costs you nothing.“If you’re driving your car and your car makes a noise, you take it to the mechanic and pay to get it fixed.“If you’re not feeling well, go and see the doctor, because men are scared of going to see the doctor. “It’s bad news, and you can’t go out Saturday night and watch football.“Go get yourself checked out. It costs nothing.”Ruddock unveiled his incredible 11-stone weight transformation earlier this year.The 56-year-old began his weight loss journey back in 2021 after meeting TV personality James Argent.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe dad-of-two teenagers had ballooned to 27st during the Coronavirus pandemic, which put his health at serious risk.He made 195 Premier League appearances during his career and played for the likes of Liverpool, West Ham, Tottenham, Southampton and Crystal Palace.In his 17 year career, Ruddock made 355 club appearances and earned one cap playing for England More

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      in Boxing

      Golden age of British heavyweights was spoiled when Usyk beat Joshua, Dubois and Fury – now he wants to complete the job

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      THIS was supposed to be the golden age for British heavyweight boxing.At least until Oleksandr Usyk came along.Oleksandr Usyk is hoping to make it two wins from two against Tyson FuryCredit: GettyHe beat the Gypsy King earlier this yearCredit: AFPHe is the current undisputed heavyweight world championCredit: ReutersThe idea of Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua was not just the biggest potential British fight of all time — but this country’s most eagerly-anticipated sporting event.Britain had never before boasted two world-class heavyweights simultaneously at the peak of their powers.Nor several other decent contenders regularly in the top ten of the global rankings.After years of dodging and ducking, years of the kind of political wrangling only this sport can bring, the Saudi takeover of elite boxing ought to have been the conduit for Fury and Joshua to finally get it on.READ MORE ON BOXINGHuge sacks of Saudi money may be morally dubious — but the flipside is that it can make any match worth making.Yet now Fury-AJ may never happen.And if it does, it would be staged a decade too late, just like when Floyd Mayweather finally met Manny Pacquiao in a drab welterweight encounter back in 2015.Usyk is the man primarily responsible. And here in the Saudi capital tomorrow, the Ukrainian with the flawless 22-0 pro record fully expects to complete his one-man rout of British heavyweight boxing’s golden generation.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSIt is Usyk’s sixth consecutive fight against British opposition and seventh in his last eight.First there was Tony Bellew, in Usyk’s single defence of his undisputed cruiserweight title, followed by Derek Chisora, Joshua (twice), Daniel Dubois and then Fury to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the 21st century.Watch Tyson Fury’s terrifying rant as Gypsy King vows to put ‘f*****’ Oleksandr Usyk ‘in the hurt lockerAll were crushed by an overfed cruiserweight who just happens to be an Einstein of the sweet science.Usyk exploded into our national consciousness in September 2021, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,  in one of Britain’s first major post-pandemic sporting events.It was Joshua’s homecoming after two fights overseas against Andy Ruiz Jr and a behind-closed-doors bout during Covid.The ‘world-famous home of the Spurs’ never looked so glorious. The party atmosphere was extreme after 18 months of isolation and misery.Usyk,  seen as a highly-skilled technician but almost 20 pounds lighter than champion Joshua, was odds-on to be knocked out.Nobody present that night can forget the thorough schooling Usyk handed out to Joshua as he outclassed the Watford man to claim the WBA, IBF and WBO world titles.Whereas Joshua’s maiden pro defeat by Ruiz had seen him concussed by one massive early shot, this was a masterclass, which dismantled Joshua’s reputation as a truly elite fighter.It also meant another potential clash between Joshua and Fury —    frequently hyped up since the middle of the last decade — was put on hold again.And while the Joshua rematch — delayed by the Russian invasion of Usyk’s homeland — was a far closer affair in Jeddah, the man from Crimea undoubtedly won it.He also took a sledgehammer to boxing’s oldest chestnut — the one which decrees ‘a good big ’un will always beat a good little ’un’.After Usyk knocked out young British hope Dubois in the first defence of his heavyweight belts, came that undisputed showdown here in May.Fury vs Usyk 2: Ring walk time, TV channels and undercard – all you need to know for big rematchThe Gypsy King was the clear favourite — almost 40 pounds heavier and a man who had outboxed the great Wladimir Klitschko and outpunched the explosive Deontay Wilder to win world titles in extraordinary fashion.Yet after Fury held a slim lead through seven rounds, he was shaken and bloodied by a couple of massive rights in the eighth and saved by the bell in the ninth amid a barrage of blows by the Ukrainian.Usyk earned a split decision  — which ought to have been unanimous — and you will find few experts who don’t believe he will repeat the trick by a more emphatic margin again tomorrow night.In the meantime, this sport’s Saudi paymasters magnanimously allowed an all-British IBF world title bout between Joshua and Dubois to be staged at Wembley — and Joshua was utterly destroyed by the younger man.So AJ-Fury no longer holds any great intrigue.If it were to happen — and  Fury this week played it down,  stating Joshua is ‘in tatters’ after his drubbing from Dubois — it will hold nothing like the same lustre as in years gone by.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd it is Usyk, a thoroughly laudable and eminently likeable man,  who systematically destroyed the dreams of millions of British fight fans.Saturday night, he intends to complete the job. More

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      in Athletics

      Keely Hodgkinson’s SPOTY win could push Olympic superstar into the £1m-a-year bracket with sponsorships and endorsements

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      KEELY HODGKINSON’S SPOTY triumph is the crowning glory of a magnificent year.And according to financial experts, she is due to receive a cash windfall – possibly pushing her annual earnings towards the £1MILLION mark.Keely Hodgkinson scooped the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year awardCredit: PAThe gong capped off an incredible 2024 for the middle-distance runnerCredit: PAAnd it could soon lead to her raking in the cash courtesy of endorsement dealsCredit: REUTERSShe went into the Paris Olympics with an enormous weight of expectations on her shoulders as favourite for 800m gold.But Hodgkinson, still only 22, coped admirably with the pressure to deliver emphatically over 116 seconds and two laps of the Stade de France track.And now she can utilise her new-found fame with the BBC’s SPOTY award to ensure her financial security for years to come.Dr Dan Plumley, sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, told casino.co.uk: “Scooping the SPOTY award will only increase her fame and status.READ MORE ON KEELY HODGKINSON“She’s already becoming one of the most recognisable faces for UK Athletics.“Her success can lead to off-track partnerships and endorsements with good relationships with brands and marketing agencies.“Off-field earnings are a key driver of financial success for individual athletes.“And it is not unusual to see athletes pursue sponsorship and commercial opportunities to boost their income.Most read in AthleticsBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSKeely Hodgkinson celebrates her SPOTY win with Trevor Painter and Jenny MeadowsCredit: PA“Form and success on the track will continue to drive what happens for next for Hodgkinson.”But there is little doubt that the sponsorship opportunities will continue to come in.”Olympic winner Keely Hodgkinson soaks up the atmosphere with Man Utd fans at Old Trafford Hodgkinson stole the nation’s hearts last summer in Paris.Everybody had expected Hodgkinson – the world’s leading 800 metres runner – to storm to victory on the night of Monday, August 5 and she did just that.Her beaming smile and warm personality is why this girl from the Greater Manchester town of Atherton, who now lives in Salford, was voted last night as BBC Sports Personality of the Year.This is the fourth successive year a woman has lifted the prestigious trophy – following tennis superstar Emma Raducanu and footballers Beth Mead and Mary Earps – and that is a record.It is the 19th time in 60 years someone from track-and-field has received the main SPOTY Award, more than any other sport.Decent company that includes former winners Steve Ovett, Seb Coe, Daley Thompson, Kelly Holmes and Mo Farah.A reminder that even if some big names refuse to do media or the sport continues to suffer financial cutbacks, there is an appetite for athletics at the highest level.These days Hodgkinson, is used to winning races that she enters but that was not always the case.Keely Hodgkinson has the potential to become the face of British athleticsCredit: AlamyUntil this summer, the middle-distance heroine had to accept silver at THREE major championships – the 2021 Olympics and 2022 and 2023 World Championships.Those second-placed results really hit her hard, especially as she was defeated on each occasion by fractions of a second.Concerns that she might once again become the bridesmaid were allayed as she entered the Games having posted a personal best of 1:54.61 in London in July – the sixth-best time in history.Everything went perfectly on the track in 2024 – “the first time in a year where I’ve actually achieved everything ” – something that perhaps only happens once or twice in an athlete’s career.Yet this time 12 months ago, she was unable to run for NINE WEEKS over Christmas and the New Year due to a serious knee issue.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt was all down to a freak accident where she had “torn a ligament and tendon and a little bit of my hamstring around the knee area”.Whilst she was eager to resume training early, it was only by listening to and trusting her coach Trevor Painter that she managed to rest up and then make a successful return. More

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      in Soccer

      How Chelsea & Forest are ripping up the script of how to run a football club… just don’t try to make sense of it

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      IT’S time to forget everything we thought we knew about how to run a football club.Forget stability, forget continuity, forget financial prudence, forget carefully-targeted player recruitment, forget inspirational managerial appointments.Chelsea chief Todd Boehly has splashed out over £1billion on signingsCredit: RexEvangelos Marinakis has turned Nottingham Forest into top-four contendersCredit: GettyJust tear everything to shreds, sell everyone, then max out the credit card by buying footballers.Dozens and dozens of footballers. Not just one new squad of players but two or three squads’ worth.Buy so many footballers that they can’t all fit into the dressing room at your training ground.Already got seven elite wingers? If another one becomes available, go and buy an eighth. You only live once.Read More on FootballBecause Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are the two great overachievers of this Premier League season — the Blues just two points off the summit and Forest in the Champions League places, above Manchester City.Both clubs have spent like sailors piddling it up on shore leave.If you have previously received the impressions from this column — or pretty much anywhere else in the media — that Chelsea’s Todd Boehly is a clueless American muppet, your mind must be playing tricks on you. Boehly always was a football genius.The nine-year contracts for unproven players. The knifing of more managers than Roman Abramovich. The transfer-window trolley dashes. Genius, all of it.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSAnd any ideas you had that Forest’s Evangelos Marinakis was a panic-buying shopaholic — a wild conspiracy theorist who hired that bloke off Gladiators to rumble referees — must have been the product of your own overactive imagination.Here is a big cuddly Greek Santa, laden with gifts and leading Forest into the promised land.Chelsea player ratings vs BrentfordSince Boehly and his Clearlake crew purchased Chelsea in the summer of 2022, the club has signed 45 players for a total of £1.3billion.Since Forest won promotion to the Premier League that same summer, they have got more than 40 players for a combined total in the region of £300million.And at both clubs, somehow, it’s working.At the age of 33, Forest’s Kiwi striker Chris Wood is the new Erling Haaland. Chelsea star Cole Palmer was Pep Guardiola’s blind spot.Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho are more effective than any winger currently on Manchester United’s books.The Premier League is a madhouse. To succeed, join the stark-raving lunatics, as Chelsea and Forest have done.Understated managersWhat both clubs needed, it turns out, was an understated, unheralded manager to sift through the shopping, to settle on a core squad, to play ball with eccentric owners and coach a bloody good football team.Neither Enzo Maresca nor Nuno Espirito Santo were wildly popular appointments.Maresca had led Leicester to the Championship title but was nobody’s first choice to succeed Mauricio Pochettino this summer.Yet the Italian was 20/20 in his vision of Chelsea’s best team, ruthless in his pre-season squad-slashing and he is now presiding over a premature vindication of Boehly’s seemingly-unhinged regime.Nuno, after his car-crash reign at Tottenham, replaced Forest’s promotion-winning Messiah Steve Cooper to a chorus of shrugs, just before the club would be deducted four points for breaching PSR last season. The Portuguese boss with the charisma bypass is the polar opposite of Brian Clough. Yet he is threatening to become the best of Forest’s 29 managers since the exit of Old Big ’Ead.Enzo Maresca is proving his doubters wrong alreadyCredit: GettyDon’t make sense of itSimilarly to Maresca, it’s been a case of clearing dead wood from the Forest, seeing the Chris Wood for the Tricky Trees.Of course, this is a snapshot in time. Nobody expects Forest to play in the Champions League next season and nobody expects Chelsea to win the title this term.There are still PSR concerns at both clubs, still plenty of unwanted players on long, lucrative contracts.For every Palmer at Chelsea, there’s a Mykhailo Mudryk. Boehly’s mob are still paying Raheem Sterling £200,000 a week not to play for Arsenal.And at Forest, for every Morgan Gibbs-White, there’s a Jonjo Shelvey.But, at present, these two clubs — who seemed to be giving us a crash course in how not to run a football club — are doing exactly the bleeding opposite.Whatever you do, just don’t try to make sense of any of it.Andy’s AwfulLIVERPOOL’S exhilarating 2-2 draw with Fulham will be a contender for the Premier League’s match of the season.Which suggests that, to make things more interesting for everyone, the Reds should always be reduced to ten men for no apparent reason inside 20 minutes.One troubling aspect for Arne Slot is that his side were better AFTER Andy Robertson’s harsh early dismissal than they had been with the Scot, 30, on the pitch.Full-backs don’t tend to go over the hill, they fall off cliffs — as Robbo and his fellow stalwart, 34-year-old Kyle Walker at Manchester City, have done.Cottagers’ Antonee Robinson, 27, man of the match on Saturday, has a Scouse accent despite his USA international allegiance, and would be an ideal replacement.Except that Fulham are loath to do business with Liverpool, after the Kop outfit signed academy products Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho on the cheap.Is Andy Robertson coming to the end of his prowess at Liverpool?Credit: EPABrit Of A ChangeTHERE can rarely have been a more predictable sacking than that of Gary O’Neil at Wolves.It wasn’t just two wins from 16 matches, it was his players’ meltdowns in consecutive defeats by West Ham and Ipswich which turned his side into Wolver-tantrum Wanderers.His exit came just before the equally obvious departure of Russell Martin at Southampton.It means there are   only  two  English bosses — Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche — in the top flight, along with just one other Brit, Kieran McKenna at Ipswich.A complete wipeout of homegrown bosses is on the horizon. Unless the Etihad sheikhs decide it’s time to break the glass on the emergency alarm and call up Fireman Sam Allardyce?He’s A Must PickJORDAN PICKFORD’S heroics in Everton’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Saturday suggested that, of all the changes Thomas Tuchel might make as England boss, the goalkeeping position will NOT be one of them.He has as many caps as Gordon Banks and more major final appearances than every other goalkeeper ever to play for England put together.And with the Wembley debacle against Greece in October perhaps his only truly bad performance in a Three Lions shirt, it might soon be time to show Pickford some proper appreciation.Jordan Pickford should continue to be England’s No1 for a while yetCredit: ReutersGive Spoty Men A GoIF the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award were for sporting achievement it would go to  Joe Root, who this year confirmed himself as England’s greatest ever batsman.If it were down to force of  personality, it would go to 17-year-old darts phenomenon Luke  Littler, who has made the Ally Pally arrow-slinging jamboree a global must-watch. But it will go to athletics’ Keely Hodgkinson — not unreasonably, as she’s an Olympic 800 metres gold medallist with a sparkling personality.And note that the previous three winners have all been women. Is it time for separate SPOTY awards for either sex — some  positive discrimination just to give the blokes a chance?Not Gund enoughWHILE  focus has fallen on Rodri’s injury, Kyle Walker’s terminal decline, Phil Foden’s form crisis and Erling Haaland’s lack of goals, the  re-signing  of  Ilkay  Gundogan has escaped much criticism.But Manchester City’s decision to bring back their 34-year-old former captain —  a year after he decamped  for Barcelona — was an extremely retrograde step from such a forward-thinking boss as Pep Guardiola.READ MORE SUN STORIESIlkay Gundogan has hardly pulled up trees on his return to Man CityCredit: Getty’Statistical anomaly’   TOTTENHAM have lost as many Premier League games as they have won this  season, yet after a 5-0 win in the “principles derby” at Southampton, they boast a goal difference of plus-17.This wild statistical  anomaly is perfect  testimony to the unique wonders of Angeball. More

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      in Soccer

      Meet ‘new Match of the Day host’ Kelly Cates, who is the daughter of a Liverpool icon and studied maths at university

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      KELLY CATES is reportedly set to quit Sky Sports and move to the BBC.The 49-year-old, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman will reportedly share hosting duties of Match of the Day and MOTD 2 next season, when Gary Lineker stands down.Kelly Cates has built a stellar career in the media over the past 20 yearsCredit: HandoutCates is familiar to Sky Sports viewers as the host for Super SundayLiverpool legend Kelly Dalglish poses with his familyCredit: PA:Press AssociationCates has worked for the BBC on and off since 2013, for Radio 5 Live.She presented iconic fan phone-in show 606 alongside Ian Wright on Sunday’s between 2013 and 2018.After joining Sky Sports her role was reduced, but Cates returned to host midweek sports show, 5 Live Sport, mostly on Tuesday’s, while she also provided coverage of the 2022 World Cup.The daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish became a TV presenter at Sky Sports, working on several Premier League shows including Friday Night Live.Read more football newsSky Sports bosses are reportedly sad to see her leave – but she was understood to be the BBC’s leading external candidate to take over from icon Lineker.It completes a remarkable journey for Cates, who has had an impressive rise in sports broadcasting.It was a role she had no intention of taking when she was at university studying maths!She comes from footballing royaltyKelly grew up with football around her.Most read in FootballIt was mum, Marina who would take her to games dad Kenny was playing in.”When I was a baby my mum took me to matches to watch my dad play,” she said in an interview with magazine When Saturday Comes.Kelly Cates on Super Sunday amid reports she’s leaving for BBC”I don’t remember a time when I didn’t go to football games – my earliest memories are of being in the players’ lounge with the other players’ children.”However, that didn’t make Kelly a Liverpool fan.When her father moved to clubs, including Blackburn and Newcastle United as a manager, she hoped they did well – even against the Reds.Despite football being in her blood, she revealed she didn’t have as much of a flair for it as her famous father.She laughed: “I ran down the wing thinking ‘Oh, this will be easy’, tripped over and knocked myself out!”That was the end of my football career.”Thought of a different lifeAlthough she has become football broadcasting royalty, Cates nearly snubbed a chance to work in the game.At university being a sports TV presenter was far from her mind.She said: “I did a degree in maths but after I left university I wanted to do something different.When she was at university Cates studied mathsCredit: GettyHowever, when Sky Sports News launched she decided to give presenting a goCredit: PA:Press AssociationFather and daughter share a laugh during Sky Sports’ coverageCredit: PAread more sport features”The Sky Sports News channel was being launched and they were looking for young people who loved football.”It was new and no one was watching so they pretty much said to us: ‘Go and play at being on the telly!”‘Family came firstSince the Millennium, Cates’ career rise has followed a steep trajectory.She initially left Sky Sports in 2016, after wanting to start a family with then fiancé Tom Cates, who she shares two children with.”I left Sky Sports News in 2006, after the Germany World Cup,” she told The Overlap’s ‘Not Just Football’ podcast back in October.”I’d been there for eight years and I had just turned 30, or I was just turning 31. I was engaged, but not yet married. I knew I wanted to have children quite soon at that point.”It had just been, for a long time, kind of filtering away and running in the back of my head. I came to the end of my contract and was working under my new contract and within the space of about three days, made the decision.Kelly got married to Tom Cates in 2007, although they divorced in 2021Credit: Luke InmanCates has worked at ESPN, ITV, Setanta Sports and more through the years tooCredit: Getty”I was driving into work one day, I walked in and I said, ‘I don’t want to sign this new contract, I want to go!’ I had nothing to go to.”I just walked away, but I was so sure that I had to go and make that change. I did it when I left university to go to Sky, which is different, because then you get something that’s really exciting, shiny and new, dangled in front of you and you think, ‘I’m going to take this jump'”.Cates got married in 2007, although they sadly divorced in 2021.That same year she began a job at the now defunct Setanta Sports – bouncing around jobs at ESPN, ITV, and STV.However, in 2016 she made her return back to Sky Sports – feeling she had unfinished business.Initially, she fronted their EFL coverage before becoming the main anchor for the Premier League.Cates has been a huge success for the channel, alongside Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.Who can forget when she hilariously turned her back on them, after they turned their back on her during a segment that went wrong.READ MORE SUN STORIESSky’s loss is BBC’s gain, as Kelly will divide her time between MOTD and her role working for Radio 5 Live.It could be a match made in heaven.Kelly will divide her time between MOTD and BBC Radio 5 LiveCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdSky’s loss will be BBC’s gain – as Super Sunday will need a new hostCredit: PA:Press Association More

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      Mikel Arteta backs Bukayo Saka to emulate idol Cristiano Ronaldo as boss opens up on ‘evolving’ star winger

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      MIKEL ARTETA backed Bukayo Saka to emulate idol Cristiano Ronaldo by becoming a world-class centre-forward.From Hale End product to global superstar, the 23-year-old Arsenal winger’s evolution has taken most people by surprise — even within the club itself.Mikel Arteta has backed Bukayo Saka to emulate Cristiano RonaldoCredit: AFPSaka previously revealed that Ronaldo was his idol growing upCredit: ReutersUsed as a left-back in the early stages of Arteta’s Emirates reign, he made his first senior Gunners start six years ago this week.That was as a 17-year-old under then-boss Unai Emery in a 1-0 Europa League victory at home against Qarabag.Saka is now a world-class winger and undroppable starter for Arsenal and England, who belongs in the same conversation as the very best.But boss Arteta believes it is only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of the legendary Ronaldo and moves from out wide to a more central No 9 role.Read More on ArsenalRonaldo — now aged 39 and at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr — made his name at Manchester United as a winger.The Portuguese went on to become one of the game’s greatest goalscoring strikers at Real Madrid.Asked if he could envisage a similar path for his talisman, Arteta said:“We are thinking about these things.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSArteta regularly heaps praise on ‘starboy’ SakaCredit: AP“It will depend on the qualities of the players around him. For somebody to be inside rather than outside, somebody has to be outside.“That player, the full-back, the attacking midfielder and the No 9 has to allow the space to do that.Arsenal star Bukayo Saka’s glam girlfriend Tolami Benson steals the show in daring outfit at The Fashion Awards“But I’m certainly very open to keep evolving players.”With two goals and an assist in the Gunners’ 3-0 Champions League win over Monaco on Wednesday, Saka now has 21 goal involvements in 21 games in all competitions this term.Since the start of last season in the Champions League, only Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (18) and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr (16) have been involved in more goals than Saka’s 14.And with ten assists and five goals in the Prem this campaign, he tops Europe’s big five leagues for assists — more than Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal (9) and Liverpool’s Mo Salah (8).On what Saka’s goalscoring targets should be, Arteta continued: “We always set targets. The idea to score 30 or 40 goals is fine but how are we going to do it?“How are we going to create a plan to try to develop the player and give him the best possible chance to make sure he is able to do that.I’m certainly very open to keep evolving players.Mikel Arteta“Sometimes it is a role, sometimes it a position on the pitch and sometimes it is other things.“When the understanding of the game and the spaces and the timing of how they move in relation to each other is strong, the freedom has to increase.“The decision-making is going to improve as they understand it better. That will create uncertainty for the opposition and now they have much more freedom than in the past.”Speaking of his admiration for Ronaldo previously, Saka explained: “I love his mentality. He just always wants to be the best, always working hard on and off the pitch.“He’s one of the best players to ever play football. He is unique.“We are two different players but I always try to look at him and take the good things from his game.”Fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, made his Champions League debut against Monaco.And the rookie left-back could make his first Prem start at home to Everton tomorrow, with fellow teen sensation Ethan Nwaneri, 17, on the bench.Full-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori are absent with muscular issues but Brazilian centre-back Gabriel is in contention to return.I love his mentality. He just always wants to be the best, always working hard on and off the pitch.Saka on RonaldoArteta says he is in a better position to give young stars debuts because of his “unbelievable” Gunners dressing room.Unlike the toxic group that he inherited in December 2019 when he took over as boss.The Spaniard said: “They can be ready — but then the context in that team, dressing room, moment, is not right…“Now the work has been done and it is exceptional what everybody has done and now they have the right environment.READ MORE SUN STORIES“The way they look after them and make them feel.“The jump is so big but they are showing that they are capable of doing it.”How to stop Arsenal at cornersArsenal have turned into a prolific team when it comes to scoring from corners.The Gunners have now scored 22 goals from them since the start of last season – seven more than their nearest rival Manchester City and eight more than Premier League leaders Liverpool.Two of them came against Manchester United – Jurrien Timber and William Saliba netting in the second half to earn Mikel Arteta’s men a vital win as they chase down Arne Slot’s Reds.Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were the architects with their deliveries, and each now have seven set-piece assists since the start of the 2023/24 campaign – more than any other player.United legend Dimitar Berbatov joked Arsenal are the new Stoke City of the top flight – a side under Tony Pulis who terrorised the so-called “bigger clubs” with set-piece mastery.Here are four ways to stop Arteta’s side at corners More

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      Inside the mind of Pep Guardiola as he suffers sleepless nights and lives on soup during horror Man City run

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      PEP GUARDIOLA is really finding Manchester City’s current slump difficult to swallow.The Catalan admitted a run like this can affect everything — from the amount of sleep he gets to his diet.Pep Guardiola has struggled amid Man City’s poor run of formCredit: APThe Spaniard appeared to scratch his head several times during Man City’s match against Feyenoord last monthRecently, he has just been having soup for his evening meal as he is struggling to digest much else due to the nerves.With his kids grown up and his wife Cristina back in Barcelona, Pep admits it can be a lonely business being a coach during a bad run.He said this week: “You have people by your side but the pain of defeat only happens to one.“It’s true your friends are there but when you go to sleep and you turn off the light, there’s no consolation possible.Read More in Football“You have to swallow on it, spend a day or two and then come back.”But by and large Guardiola says his frame of mind is not much different to how it was in the spring, when his team were crowned champions for a fourth straight year.That is despite a run of seven defeats in the last ten matches — the same number as City suffered in the previous 105 games up until the end of April.The decline in his all-conquering team has been sudden and alarming and left many people scratching their head.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSCity have managed just one win in the last 10 gamesCredit: GettyThat includes Pep himself, who showed up for his press conference after the draw with Feyenoord last month with marks on his head and a cut on his nose.At the time he put it down to his nails getting too long — although he explained this week there was another factor.Man City manager Pep Guardiola sings song for Barcelona’s 125th birthdayPep Guardiola’s horror Man City runPEP GUARDIOLA admitted he is having sleepless nights as he endures his worst-ever spell as a manager.Here are the three-time defending Premier League champions’ nightmare last 10 games…Oct 30: Tottenham 2 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 2: Bournemouth 2 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 5: Sporting Lisbon 4 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 9: Brighton 2 Man City 1 – DEFEATNov 23 – Man City 0 Tottenham 4 – DEFEATNov 26: Man City 3 Feyenoord 3 – DRAWDec 1: Liverpool 2 Man City 0 – DEFEATDec 4: Man City 3 Nottingham Forest – WINDec 7: Crystal Palace 2 Man City 2 – DRAWDec 11: Juventus 2 Man City 0 – DEFEATTOTAL – WINS 1, DRAWS 2, DEFEATS 7He said: “I have a skin problem. I have to take antihistamine for the last two or three years. The nails, yes, I did them on my nose. But the rest was that.”Guardiola turns 54 next month and said in a recent interview he does not have the energy to take another club job after he leaves the Etihad.The question some have been asking since is whether he has enough within him for the rebuilding job needed at City.Some of the older players who have achieved so much for him — the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan — are reaching the end of the road.And having achieved pretty much everything he set out to — and even more — with City, some wonder if he has the drive to go again.Yet is easy to forget amid the chaos of the last seven weeks, that he signed a new two-year contract at the Etihad in the middle of it all.It was Pep who indicated he was ready to talk — despite a run of four straight losses before then — and the deal was concluded in a couple of hours.Given what has happened since and the problems he is facing, he may be asking himself whether he did the right thing.Those around him say he has no regrets and is more determined than ever to turn the season around.He accepted the challenge of staying on less than four weeks ago and there is no way he has changed his mind already.I have a skin problem. I have to take antihistamine for the last two or three years. The nails, yes, I did them on my nose. But the rest was that.Pep GuardiolaHis feeling all season has been that this was not the right time for him to hand over the keys to his successor and three months in, he was sure of it.The imminent verdict on the 130 charges of financial wrong-doing was a factor, as he has previously said he would not desert the club he loves in their hour of need.But the Club World Cup in the USA in the summer was also a consideration, as it will make the start of next season extremely difficult to navigate.Guardiola felt he wanted to navigate City through this tricky period and he remains determined to do that.In any case, Pep had predicted this would be a tough start to the season — partly due to strain of their recent success and the summer of international duty at Euro 2024 for most of his stars.He did not quite expect it to be this tough, though, as the injuries have made the early months of the season even more challenging.But he remains convinced that once his trusted players are back, he will be able to turn them back into a force.Nothing that has happened since things started to unravel at the end of October has changed his mind.He said: “I have learned with football, not to go against feelings, what you feel at that moment.READ MORE SUN STORIES“If I am sad, I am sad but I know it will pass. That’s how I see it.”A derby win over United on Sunday would help it to pass very quickly. More