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      in Motorsport

      Lewis Hamilton defends F1 Miami GP glitz… but why should it be treated any differently to Silverstone and Co?

      by

      LEWIS HAMILTON has leapt to the defence of F1’s pre-race razzmatazz, saying it is good new things are being tried to attract fans.A number of drivers were critical of the introductions from rapper LL Cool J at Sunday’s Miami GP, while music producer will.i.am conducted an orchestra on the grid.
      Lewis Hamilton believes new ideas to attract new fans are a good thing for the sportCredit: Splash
      will.i.am conducts an orchestra ahead of the Miami Grand PrixCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      It was over-the-top and a few drivers complained about standing around in the heat for too long — and fans blasted the stunt as tacky.
      But Hamilton, 38, said: “It is cool the sport is continuously growing and evolving and not doing the same stuff.
      “They are trying to do things to improve the show. I mean, I grew up listening to LL Cool J and now he’s there.
      “You look over and you have will.i.am, who is an incredible artist. I thought it was cool.”
      READ MORE IN F1
      I actually like the idea of a driver introduction. Fans rarely get to see them without their crash helmets on.
      Plus, I don’t really get the fuss when it is made part of the schedule. The drivers cannot complain they did not know it was happening.
      But if this is to be a new part of the show, then it needs to be applied to all races.
      As Fernando Alonso pointed out in his post-race comments, why should Miami fans be treated any differently to those in Mexico City or Silverstone?
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      F1 needs to engage more with the spectators and give drivers a profile, and this is a good opportunity to do that.
      I’m less a fan of the ridiculous song and video from will.i.am and Lil Wayne which F1 have commissioned.
      Called “The Formula” it features laughable lyrics such as “you a small fry, need ketchup, fall behind or you can catch up” — but then it is not aimed at me.
      As for the whole Miami GP experience? It seems as though organisers learned from the previous year and made substantial changes to enhance the event, which was a 90,000 sell-out on both Saturday and Sunday, so they must be doing something right.
      Mitch Clemence had a memorable Miami Grand Prix — but do not worry if you have not heard of him.
      An ESPN camera crew quizzed six fans at the race how they thought the “rookie” would do. Four of the six predicted a good performance for the completely bogus name the crew had made up.
      NICE JOB
      ALEX ALBON left his mobile phone in Nice airport before flying to the Azerbaijan GP.
      The Williams driver found a friend to fly from the UK to Nice and then back again to retrieve it.
      His phone was then put on the F1 charter flight to be reunited with its owner in Baku.
      Alex Albon managed to get his phone backCredit: EPA
      BRAKING BRAD
      THERE was lots of talk about the new F1 film with Brad Pitt — who is learning how to race at the track used by the French Grand Prix.
      I await the cliffhanger ending where we sweat for four hours while FIA stewards investigate a minor rules breach then decide the winner.
      MIAMI HEAT
      RACE bosses could install floodlights to beat Florida’s heat by turning the Miami GP into a night race.
      Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel, who also oversees the race, said: “Obviously at this time of year, the weather’s a little unpredictable.
      “The breezes have helped a lot this year but last year was unseasonably hot.”
      TICKING OFF OVER
      DAN TICKTUM has cooled his row with Formula E rival Jake Dennis.
      The two clashed at the Sao Paulo E-Prix, where Dennis labelled his fellow Brit a “plonker” for punting him out of the race.
      Speaking at the Monaco E-Prix, Ticktum said: “It is not as beefy as the internet is making out.
      “We are both grown men — and we don’t really want to have these feuds any more.
      “It is in the past, I made a mistake, that’s it, I want to move on.”
      CAN’T BE TOP MAN
      FABIO QUARTARARO has ruled out the chances of Toprak Razgatlioglu joining MotoGP because “he knows” he can’t win.
      The Turkish World Superbike rider recently tested for Yamaha but the team were underwhelmed, reducing the likelihood of him swapping series.
      Yamaha ace Quartararo said: “I don’t think he will come. He is a rider who wants to win and, for me, he knows that if he comes here he can’t do it.
      “So I think he prefers to fight in Superbike.”

       - COLIN   TURKINGTON reached a victory milestone at Brands Hatch with his 64th career win.
      It moved the four-time British Touring Car champ, 41, into second spot on the all-time winners’ list — passing Matt Neal but behind Jason Plato’s 97 wins. More

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      in Soccer

      It’s testament to the utter shambles in 10 years since Fergie’s exit that this will be a season of progress for Man Utd

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      TEN years on from the announcement of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the state of play with Manchester United’s squad is as follows:An under-performing goalkeeper, who is costing goals and can’t play confidently with his feet.
      So far Man Utd have come nowhere near replicating the glorious reign of Sir Alex Ferguson from 1986-2013Credit: PA
      Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge could yet be the best post-Fergie campaign for the Red Devils amid a battle to take over the clubCredit: Getty
      An £85million club captain who is currently fifth-choice centre-half.
      An over-priced £85.5m one-footed, one-trick pony and another winger who cost £73m and cannot get a regular place in an average team.
      The midfield lacks dynamism, the full-backs lack attacking threat, the entire team lacks goals and the ability to win away from home.
      And even the defining masterstroke of Erik ten Hag’s first season — fumigating the dressing-room by bombing out Cristiano Ronaldo — basically boils down to this: He has replaced one of the greatest footballers of all time with Wout Weghorst.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      It is a testament to the utter shambles of the last decade that this will still be a season of progress for England’s most famous football club.
      If United stagger over the line into fourth place ahead of a sprinting Liverpool and, in the far less likely event that they complete a Cup double by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, it might even be the club’s best post-Ferguson season.
      Yet still we could stage a fascinating debate over the most shambolic defeat of their campaign — the historic 7-0 hiding at Anfield, the 6-3 evisceration by City, the 4-0 first-half collapse at Brentford.
      Or the tossing away of a two-goal lead to lose 5-2 on aggregate to the weakest Sevilla team in years to exit the Europa League.
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      Which shows how staggeringly far the mighty have fallen, how United continue to suffer from ten years of dismal player recruitment and how desperately they need the wretched Glazers to get out of the club ASAP.
      Ten Hag got lucky at West Ham on Sunday, where a 1-0 defeat  flattered them.
      He might easily have suffered a serious trouncing at the hands of the old ‘Chosen One’ David Moyes and added another entry to that list of complete humiliations.
      The Hammers should have had a penalty for handball.
      And after he disastrously conceded Said Benrahma’s pea-roller, David de Gea was lucky that a Michail Antonio effort was disallowed when the Spaniard was feeble in dealing with a cross.
      De Gea is out of contract this summer and if Ten Hag is serious about wanting to keep him, then the Dutchman presumably feels he is simply too short of long-serving senior pros, with the petulant Bruno Fernandes already a clearly unsuitable on-field captain.
      Although he already has too many struggling high-profile players to know what to do with — Harry Maguire, Antony and Jadon Sancho among them.
      United haven’t seriously challenged for either the Premier League or Champions League since Ferguson left and they do not look like doing so any time soon.
      Their only hope is a successful takeover and yet even that public auction has been an embarrassing muddle.
      There is no guarantee of any resolution, and even if there is, the Glazers may linger like a bad smell under Jim Ratcliffe.
      There are big question marks over the futures of Harry Maguire and David de GeaCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Or there will be serious questions asked about Sheikh Jassim, the Qatari royal who is absolutely not funded by the Qatari state which has made such a celebrity circus out of Paris Saint-Germain…
      Ten Hag is a good coach — probably the most suitable of all United’s six post-Ferguson bosses.
      Had it not been for injuries to centre-backs Lisandro Martinez, perhaps United’s best post- Ferguson signing, and Raphael Varane, United would surely have held off Liverpool with some comfort.
      Their home form remains pretty solid and three of their remaining four fixtures are Wolves, Chelsea and Fulham at Old Trafford.
      United should be back in the Champions League, they might still end up parading two Cups, welcoming new owners and capturing Harry Kane this summer.
      And still you can’t imagine them challenging City any time soon.
      PEP’S POSER
      PEP GUARDIOLA was fuming that Erling Haaland didn’t take Manchester City’s late penalty against Leeds — instead leaving it to Ilkay Gundogan.
      He missed his hat-trick attempt before Sam Allardyce’s side made it 2-1 to set up an unnecessarily nervy finale.
      When Haaland ceded spot-kick duties to Riyad Mahrez in the FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield  United a fortnight earlier, Guardiola claimed he’d left it up to the players to decide.
      Firstly, Guardiola must sort out this weird oversight before the greatest test of City’s Treble bid against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu tonight.
      Secondly, imagine how many goals Haaland might score if he was actually ruthless.
      BARRACK ‘N FORTH
      AT St James’ Park, seated directly behind the dugouts, you can appreciate the extent of the earache handed out to fourth officials.
      On Sunday, Anthony Taylor spent the vast majority of the 90 minutes being harangued by Newcastle assistant  Jason Tindall (the chief irritant), Eddie Howe, Mikel Arteta and his No 2 Steve Round.
      And for what? Do these men believe that Taylor will say: “I didn’t make that decision.
      I have no authority to overturn that decision. But, as you’ve moaned so much, I’m going to overturn it anyway.” 
      MUST PICK FIK
      FIKAYO TOMORI is heading into a Champions League semi-final with AC Milan against city rivals Inter, aiming to join a select band of Englishmen to  contest a European Cup final with a foreign club.
      Only Kevin Keegan, Laurie Cunningham, Chris Waddle, Steve McManaman and Owen Hargreaves have achieved this before, and nobody for more than 20 years.
      Given the paucity of decent English centre-backs, the absence of Tomori from Gareth Southgate’s squad is looking weird.
      EUROPE’S NO SPUR
      TOTTENHAM’S mini-revival under caretaker-caretaker-boss Ryan Mason might well earn them seventh place in the Premier League and a spot in the Europa Conference League.
      While West Ham have embraced that third-tier competition — as would Brighton, Aston Villa and other clubs — Spurs will, with some justification, consider it beneath them.
      The next permanent boss might wish Spurs had stuck with the last caretaker, Cristian Stellini, trashed the rest of this season and missed out on Europe altogether.
      CAUSING A STER
      FOR a stretch of time, Raheem Sterling was frequently booed by England fans while playing for his country.
      Yet he ended up as Gareth Southgate’s best player when the Three Lions reached their first major final in 55 years at the last Euros, in 2021.

      Chelsea fans are now booing Sterling but, under Mauricio Pochettino next season, he is well capable of changing minds at  Stamford Bridge.
      If ever there was a player who thrives on being under-appreciated, it is Sterling. More

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      in Soccer

      Let’s raise a glass to Celtic boss Postecoglou.. don’t be surprised to see him an impact this side of Hadrian’s Wall

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      IT WAS a storm in an egg cup, or perhaps a whisky glass, but Celtic’s probable fifth treble in seven seasons has the other half of Glasgow itching with frustration.And there can be few scratchers north of the border more aggravated than Rangers manager Michael Beale, 42, who has already been rendered title-less as another Hoops monopoly of big trophies plays out.
      Ange Postecoglou’s CV is nothing to sneer atCredit: Getty
      He is on course to win the treble with CelticCredit: Kenny Ramsay
      His counterpart five-and-a-half miles away, Ange Postecoglou, brushed off Beale’s comment that the Greco-Australian was a lucky man to have had handy transfer cash.
      “Not luck but know-how” was an Aussie reaction the late Shane Warne, God bless him, would have been proud of. I am sure the Greeks had a phrase for it, too.
      Under-estimating Ange has been a common reaction throughout his 25 years of management.
      But get this for a CV: Two titles in the old National Soccer League with South Melbourne; two in the A-League with Brisbane Roar, yet another in Japan’s J League with Yokohama F Marinos.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      And then, a badge really to boast about, guiding Australia to 2015 Asian Cup glory.
      With the Roar, he once went an impressive 36 games undefeated. Eat your heart out, Pep.
      There isn’t a name Aussies can’t transform into a single syllable so Angelos soon became Ange to his mates in Melbourne.
      He was five when his family, penniless and jobless settled there in 1965. A defender with the features of a warrior, he was to become a one-club player and Aussie international.
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      Postecoglou, 57, has led Celtic to the title and won the league cup twice in his first two seasons with the club, dominating Scottish football as Manchester City threaten to do in England.
      But where Celtic are set to be champions for the 53rd time, no English club has the satisfaction of nearing an equivalent domination — Manchester United leading on 20 from Liverpool’s 19.
      Now whether being emperor of a small kingdom is more satisfying than being president of a big one, the fact is that Celtic are minor players in modern football.
      The national team are only beginning to shrug off the air of useless braggadocio that settled over it in the past two decades.
      In Glasgow pubs, they still tease Sassenachs about the 3-2 win against England, 1966 World Cup winners a year earlier.
      And the triumphs of Robert the Bruce, seven centuries ago.
      All bar Celtic and Rangers struggle to attract attendances of more than 20,000.
      Billionaire owners are not to be found and television contracts are tiny compared with those in England.
      Sky recently signed to pay Scottish football £150million-a-year from 2025, while the company’s current contract with the EFL is £119m-a-season, but is likely to be increased because there is a probable new rival.
      Chicken feed compared with the Premier League champions, who will earn £176m from TV money this season alone.
      There are still advocates of the admission of the two Old Firm clubs to the English structure, although these tend to fall foul of arguments about the level of entry.
      The Ibrox capacity is just over 50,000 and Celtic Park is around 60,000 so the possibility will always be attractive to some — the SNP  Government probably not.
      Read More on The Sun
      And so with the odd exception — Rangers under Steven Gerrard in 2021 — Celtic have a recent record of domestic dominance that looks set to continue.
      Postecoglou’s feats around the world suggest he would make an impact this side of Hadrian’s Wall and, no, this is not a new defensive strategy. More

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      in Soccer

      If Sam Allardyce had stayed at England, I’d have been a Three Lion.. he’s the man to grab Leeds players by the balls

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      I’M more painfully aware than any other footballer that Sam Allardyce lasted only one match as England manager.That’s because, if Big Sam had been around to name a second England squad, I knew I would have been in it.
      Sam Allardyce can inspire Leeds to safetyCredit: PA
      Big Sam would have called Troy Deeney up to the England squadCredit: Getty
      Back in 2016, I was in good form for Watford in the Premier League and after Sam’s first match in charge against Slovakia, he’d phoned my club and told them I would be called up to face Malta and Slovenia in World Cup qualifiers.
      I can remember it well, we were due to play Burnley and I was told that as long as I didn’t have a stinker, I’d get my first England call-up that week.
      But the very next day, Sam quit as England manager after being caught in a newspaper sting.
      It was harsh that the FA felt he had to go but, I tell you what, I’d have paid him good money for him to stay in that job for at least another few weeks!
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      I’ve had a better career than I ever expected when I started out, so there are no complaints from me — but to have represented my country would have been a crowning glory.
      Despite that disappointment, I’ve always felt very grateful that Sam rated me highly enough to play for England — and I’m delighted to see him back in football at Leeds after a two-year absence.
      I know a lot of people laughed when, during his first press conference, he claimed he was “up there” with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
      I didn’t find it funny. I thought it was brilliant and I was buzzing for him. This is a self-confident man with an excellent CV to back up his words.
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      If I was a Leeds player, I’d be thinking, “This bloke believes he can get us out of jail, I’m all in”.
      My old Watford boss, Javi Gracia, lasted just 70 days in charge at Elland Road.
      He is a thoroughly good man who was dealt a bad hand at Leeds.
      That is a squad which needs to be grabbed by the balls and there is no one better to do that than Big Sam. I think he can keep them up.
      Leeds have four matches to play and the first two are against Manchester City and Newcastle.
      But the final two games, at West Ham and at home to Tottenham, are definitely winnable and a couple of victories will probably save them from the drop.
      Their midfield is the worst part of Leeds’ team — and there are other bad parts — because they seem to keep signing bang-average American midfielders.
      Likewise, striker Georginio Rutter, who joined in a £35million deal and has yet to score a goal.
      One of the few exceptions is Willy Gnonto, who should have started more games.
      If Leeds go down, the Italian winger is one of the few players who would get a decent Premier League move in the summer.
      Big Sam will rely on lads like Adam Forshaw, Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper — if fit — to shore things up.
      You can certainly say Sam’s brand of football is very different to Marcelo Bielsa’s high-energy attacking template.
      But I disagree with most Leeds fans, who seem to think Bielsa is a great manager. The Argentinian is a short-term boss whose sides lose a lot of exciting matches — but still lose them.
      After his first half-season in the Prem, teams started to suss Leeds out and a lot of his players got injured because they were burnt out.
      If Sam gets the couple of wins Leeds need, then I think he should stay on next season and make that team difficult to beat.
      Most players love managers like Sam because there is no bulls**t.
      It’s funny how Premier League clubs keep appointing managers from all over the world and yet, when the chips are down, they turn to tried-and-tested men like Sean Dyche, Roy Hodgson and Sam.
      Read More on The Sun
      He has seen it all before and will take the air of panic out of the situation at Elland Road.
      And he certainly knows a good player when he sees one — but I would say that, wouldn’t I? More

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      in Motorsport

      Max Verstappen’s Azerbaijan antics and ‘Princess George’ blast at F1 rival Russell were odd – he must act like a champ

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      THERE was something unusual about Max Verstappen’s behaviour at the Azerbaijan GP – and no, it was not because he didn’t win (for once!).First, there was his reaction to contact with George Russell in the sprint race, calling him a “d***head” and later referring to the Brit as “Princess George”.
      Max Verstappen and George Russell clashed in Baku over the weekendCredit: Splash
      Verstappen was left fuming with RussellCredit: AFP
      Then there was his petulant response when asked his opinion on the new sprint race format weekend, saying “just scrap the whole thing”.
      It was unusual because recently, we have seen a much-more mature world champion while he has enjoyed plenty of success.
      Sure, he used to blow his top and by his own admission made some mistakes when he came into F1, but based on his recent attitude, in Baku it was uncharacteristic.
      As too was the reaction from his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who seemed to rev-up Verstappen with his comments during the sprint race.
      Read More in F1
      At one point he radioed Verstappen as he battled Russell saying: “Hold it Max, these guys have got nothing to lose. Just remember that.”
      Verstappen replied: “No mate, he tapped me. That’s how he got the position. F****** report it!”
      Somewhat unprompted, Lambiase later congratulated Verstappen when he made an overtake saying “lovely job Max, without contact as well, nicely done.”
      Of course it was tongue-in-cheek but only served to keep up Verstappen’s fury as he replied “yeah, I know how to do that,” before swearing again.
      Most read in Motorsport
      Perhaps I am over-analysing it, but usually Lambiase has a calming influence on his driver.
      There is no denying Verstappen’s talent.
      He’s the best driver on the grid at the moment when it comes to race craft and tyre management.
      He has now passed Ayrton Senna’s total with 81 F1 podiums and is still only 25-years-old.
      Could he now be feeling pressure of seeing his Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez get to within six points of him?
      Irrespective of that, it is all very well being a world champion, but it is another thing to behave like one – and shooting your mouth off isn’t it.
      We have the Miami GP up this weekend where hopefully this time, he will remember to pack his manners.

      TOTTING UP
      INTERESTING to hear Mercedes boss Toto Wolff calling the race “boring”.
      I am sure Red Bull boss Christian Horner would say the same between 2014 and 2020.

      MADE HER MART
      F1’S new all-female racing series kicked off last weekend with Spanish racer Marta Garcia winning both the opening two races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
      But the championship, which has the aim of bringing female talent to the F1 grid, would not get off the ground without controversy after British racer Abbi Pulling was disqualified.
      Pulling, part of the Alpine F1 team programme, had taken pole in both qualifying sessions – only to lose from both of them due to an “unintentional technical infringement” related to “non-homologated parts” on all three Rodin Carlin team cars.

      BAGNAIA’S BEST WIN
      MOTOGP world champion Pecco Bagnaia hailed his victory in the Spanish MotoGP at Jerez as his best ever.
      The Ducati ace recovered from a penalty for clashing with Jack Miller to ease the pressure after a slow start to the season.
      Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo’s miserable run extended after he was forced to take a double long lap penalty for causing a collision.
      The Yamaha rider was adamant he was not to blame and served the penalty before the stewards judged he touched the outside white line upon re-entering the track, forcing him to take it a second time.
      Former MotoGP world champion Quartararo is down in 11th place in the championship.

      ALL THE THRILLS
      FORMULA E returns to action this weekend in Monaco.
      The series is enjoying some competitive racing this season with a whopping 362 overtakes during the last two races in Berlin. More

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      in Soccer

      Brendan Rodgers would be an excellent choice for next Spurs manager, but delusional Tottenham fans could ruin it

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      IF Tottenham fans thought they had reached rock-bottom at Newcastle on Sunday, with their bullet-ridden team 5-0 down after 21 minutes, then they should consider this very real possibility.That Mauricio Pochettino — the best Spurs manager of the last half-century, who had made it clear he fancied a return there — turns up at Chelsea and makes a success of it.
      Mauricio Pochettino is on the verge of joining ChelseaCredit: Getty
      It is difficult to quantify which of these bitter London rivals are in the biggest hole right now.
      Is it Spurs, torched by their own manager Antonio Conte, then leaving his hapless mate Cristian Stellini in interim charge, only to sack the caretaker and appoint Ryan Mason as caretaker- caretaker, with sporting director Fabio Paratici having just been banned from world football for 2½ years?
      Or is it Chelsea, in the bottom half of the Premier League, having spent £606million and with Poch likely to become their FIFTH boss of the season under a new regime which had boasted about stability and long-term planning?
      Either way, either club could have appointed Pochettino to shovel up their sewage. Tottenham weren’t interested and the Blues clearly are.
      READ MORE TOTTENHAM NEWS
      The vast majority of Spurs fans wanted the Argentinian back. Given that he left on warm personal terms with Daniel Levy in 2019 — and given that little has gone right since — re-hiring Pochettino seemed a no-brainer for a deeply unpopular chairman.
      Take out Pochettino’s 5½-year reign, when Spurs massively over-achieved as runners-up in the Champions League and Premier League, and Levy’s 22-year stewardship of Spurs has, in footballing terms, been an unmitigated failure.
      That Poch has apparently been blanked by Levy is bizarre even by Tottenham’s standards.
      The Stellini experiment failed even more spectacularly than most had predicted, with Spurs in danger of plunging out of the European places completely following their 6-1 thrashing at St James’ Park.
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      Tottenham were humiliated by Newcastle on SundayCredit: Getty
      Two years ago, when Spurs were last in this position — winding down a poor season with Mason in charge — it took them 72 days before they stumbled upon Nuno Espirito Santo.
      Then, as now, Julian Nagelsmann was the initial favourite, before he became one of several men to snub the job.
      Nagelsmann’s own dalliance with Chelsea appears to have broken down mutually, leaving that door open for Pochettino.
      Spurs haven’t had a boss with any true sense of permanence since Poch.
      And as a result nobody has been able to act upon the obvious fact that their goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris, 36, has been past his best for some time.
      That particular chicken came home to roost when a shellshocked Lloris was withdrawn at half-time on Tyneside, claiming a hip injury when a diagnosis of wounded pride seemed more likely.
      Either club could have appointed Pochettino to shovel up their sewage. Tottenham weren’t interested and the Blues clearly are.Dave Kidd
      Stellini opted for a back four against Newcastle, then decided his decision “might not have been right” when he reverted to a defensive five midway through the first half with his side five-down.
      It was possibly the most glaring example in footballing history of shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted.
      Until Levy trumped it on Monday by sacking Stellini while branding the performance at Newcastle “wholly unacceptable” and “devastating”.
      Stellini, a convicted match-fixer, had one previous managerial job in the Italian third tier, which ended with him being axed after three wins in 16 games. So this isn’t a case of 20-20 hindsight.
      Whoever takes charge of Spurs next season — and Brendan Rodgers would be an excellent choice, if an unpopular one with a largely-delusional Spurs support base — it will not be Poch.
      Brendan Rodgers is out of working after being sacked by LeicesterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      When he left Spurs, the fear was he might end up at Arsenal, who were about to sack Unai Emery.
      Instead it looks like Chelsea, whose increasingly-bitter rivalry with Spurs has made fixtures between the clubs as heated as North London derbies.
      It is not as if Pochettino will be entering any less of a madhouse at Stamford Bridge. But he’ll have better players, and a bigger budget, at Todd Boehly’s comedy club.
      And the 51-year-old will not be too bothered about inheriting an unbalanced and bloated squad.
      This is a bloke who had Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain and was then told he was getting Lionel Messi, despite advising his bosses that he did not need the little maestro.
      After that exercise in ego management, dealing with the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk should be plain sailing.
      Whoever takes charge of Spurs next season — and Brendan Rodgers would be an excellent choice, if an unpopular one with a largely-delusional Spurs support base — it will not be Poch.Dave Kidd
      For all the shambles of Boehly’s first nine months, Chelsea could still compete next term, under an excellent workaholic coach in Pochettino.
      That’s provided they sign a world-class centre-forward and sell several players to comply with Financial Fair Play and give them enough space to fit everybody inside the dressing room!
      Should Poch make a decent fist of it, and his record suggests he might, anger towards Levy will only grow.
      The chairman gave a rare public address recently to the Cambridge Union, in which he told some of the nation’s finest young minds that Spurs are “the greatest club in the world”.
      Read More on The Sun
      And this is the danger with over-estimating your own intelligence and always believing you are the smartest man in the room.
      You end up sounding foolish, you end up 5-0 down after 21 minutes, and you end up allowing the best thing that ever happened to you to fall into the arms of a sworn enemy.
      Cristian Stellini is the latest manager to be axed by SpursCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      Dave Kidd: Arsenal’s ‘Sweary Shouty Man’ may have been right… Gunners WON’T win Prem and might not get a better chance

      by

      THERE is an Arsenal fan who sits just to the left of the Emirates press box and everyone in the football media knows him.When Mikel Arteta’s leaders were rattling up 50 points in half a season, and when they were on a recent seven-match winning run in the league, Shouty Sweary Man shouted and swore until he was puce in the face.
      Arsenal may not have a better chance to win the Premier LeagueCredit: Reuters
      He did it at the opposition players and coaching staff, at Arsenal’s players, at match officials and at the media who are engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to destroy his club.
      For the uninitiated, imagine Edvard Munch’s painting ‘The Scream’ with a soundtrack of potty-mouthed Viz character ‘Roger Mellie: The Man On The Telly’. That’s our man.
      And we marvelled at the extreme levels of constant rage displayed by some who had paid handsomely to watch a wonderful young team stage a miraculous assault on the title.
      But then when Arsenal tossed away two-goal leads to draw at Liverpool and West Ham, surrendering the title-race initiative to Manchester City, we thought of Shouty Sweary Man.
      READ MORE ON ARSENAL
      And we realised that he was no raving lunatic in dire need of a chill pill and an anger management course.
      He had, in fact, been the only sane man in the building — a wise mystic who knew what was preordained.
      While the media hailed every ‘hallmark of champions’ performance by Arteta’s team, and even the cold-hearted bookies declared them favourites, he always knew Arsenal wouldn’t win it.
      City have far more money and know-how, a deeper squad and a more experienced manager, an easier run-in and it was ridiculous that Arsenal should even have given them such a serious fright.
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      Yes, the Gunners remain four points clear, having played one game more than City.
      But they must travel to the Etihad on Wednesday next week to face a team who have won ten in a row, scoring 37 goals in the process, while chasing the Treble, including a fifth title in six seasons.
      If Arsenal finish second, and are anywhere close to City’s points tally, this season will be a triumph.
      Yet the real worry — and Shouty Sweary Man will have already thought of this ­— is that even though Arteta’s team will surely improve next season, probably with West Ham skipper Declan Rice to bolster their midfield, they are unlikely to ever have a better chance of the title.
      This is the age of nation-state ownership.
      Abu Dhabi reign supreme but the Saudis are rising fast in Geordie Arabia and the Qataris are poised to buy Manchester United.
      Arteta is brilliant but how good must he be to prevail over every oil-rich Sheikh and King in the Middle East?
      In addition, Chelsea and Liverpool — with higher wage bills than Arsenal — can’t continue to be quite as bad.
      While most Arsenal fans revelled in a thrilling campaign, our north- London Cassandra will have spotted this impending doom a mile off.
      Arsenal were frustrated by West Ham at the weekendCredit: Rex
      Arsenal were unable to beat West Ham because Gabriel conceded a clumsy penalty, Bukayo Saka missed a spot-kick and the defence switched off to a ball over the top for Jarrod Bowen’s equaliser.
      They were always going to have an off-day because they are inexperienced and several of their players are not genuinely world-class.
      And off-days are not allowed in the era of nation-state ownership in which 90 points or more are needed to win titles.
      Despite the cliche, two-nil isn’t actually such a ‘dangerous lead’. Arsenal had never previously thrown away two such advantages in consecutive Premier League matches.
      But experience tells us champions don’t do such things during a title race.
      Of course, Arsenal could still get a result at the Etihad, win at Newcastle and against Brighton and go on a glorious open-top bus parade to Islington Town Hall next month.
      Most people sincerely hope they win the league, even those of us in the anti-Arsenal media cartel.
      And if they do it, we’ll be there listening out for our hero’s next prophecy.
      “You bunch of ****s, you’ll never win it again next season.”
      BOEH NOT SO BRIGHT
      AS a snapshot of how to run, and how not to run, a top-flight club, Brighton’s 2-1 win at Chelsea was picture perfect.
      Here was an £88million winger, Mykhailo Mudryk, being outshone by a £2.5m winger, Kaoru Mitoma. And a £3.6m midfielder, Moises Caicedo, dominating a £100m-plus midfielder, Enzo Fernandez.
      As for Brighton’s brilliant Paraguayan match-winner, £9.5m Julio Enciso, well we don’t have anyone to compare him with, as, despite a £600m outlay under Todd Boehly, Chelsea haven’t got a striker.
      Boehly thought he’d tapped into the Brighton miracle when he poached Graham Potter, then ditched him months later.
      Chelsea also took Brighton’s recruitment chief Paul Winstanley last year — yet seem set on running their transfer operation as the polar opposite of Albion’s.
      WATCH ‘EM GO
      OLLIE WATKINS produced two goals and an assist, had another effort ruled out by VAR and hit a post as the Aston Villa striker obliterated Newcastle.
      Watkins, with 11 goals in 12 games, had given a pre-match interview to BT Sport in which he credited his revival to the fact that, since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard, he is actually being coached to play to his strengths.
      Villa are heading for the Europa League, a competition Emery has already won four times with Sevilla and Villarreal.
      He probably coached their players well, too.
      SNAKES BITTEN
      AS we approach the second anniversary of the European Super League debacle, there could be no better antidote than Luton clinching promotion to the Premier League.
      Here is a reminder of the wonders of the pyramid system those Big Six ‘snakes’ wanted to escape from, with the Hatters climbing from the fifth-tier National League in nine years without spending serious money.
      They thought they were too big to play Luton, so to see them at ramshackle Kenilworth Road next season would be a delight.
      COST OF LOYALTY
      IT’S season-ticket renewal time and despite obscene levels of TV money being pumped into the Premier League, most supporters face inflation-busting rises in a cost-of-living crisis.
      Remember the pandemic, when ‘football without fans was nothing?’ Well, they don’t.
      They know they have got you by the knackers because of your loyalty.
      And if your skintness outweighs your commitment, they know there will be tens of thousands of tourists happy to pay double for your seat.c
      JIMMY A GEM
      IN a County Championship match at Chelmsford, England’s greatest Test wicket-taker, Jimmy Anderson, and England’s most prolific Test run-scorer, Sir Alastair Cook, held two fascinating duels.
      Read More on The Sun
      On both occasions, 38-year-old Essex opener Cook was trapped leg-before by 40-year-old Lancashire bowler Anderson.
      For all of England’s ‘Bazball’ pyrotechnics, Anderson will remain their most important player for this summer’s Ashes. More

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      in Motorsport

      Ben Hunt: F1 facing China crisis as Covid cancels Shanghai GP AGAIN… but can they afford to scrap it altogether?

      by

      PARTNERS and families of people who work in F1 must be wondering what has happened — because their loved ones still have another week at home.It seems like a long time ago that we had the Australian Grand Prix.
      Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu has joined Alfa RomeoCredit: Getty
      And there are still 12 days to go until the Azerbaijan GP.
      Aside from the winter off-season, where there are obviously no races, such a spell at home is unheard of.
      For context, the travel demands in F1 were once so tough that an enforced two-week break was inserted into the rulebook — known as the summer shutdown — amid rocketing divorce rates within the sport.
      This season sees, for the first time, an enforced winter break as teams rightly consider the impact a gruelling schedule has on their workforce.
      READ MORE ON F1
      The 2023 season is the longest in the sport’s history — 266 days across 23 races running from the start of March to the end of November.
      It would have been 24 but for the decision to cancel the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai — which caused this unexpected four-week break.
      This time at home might be welcome, but for Formula One it represents a problem and raises a question about the future of this race.
      The schedule is limited to a maximum of 24 races and organisers of the Chinese GP are allocated one of those slots and have another two years left to run on their contract.
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      Yet with the other 23 slots all signed up, it means F1 is at the mercy of China.
      By that I don’t mean the organisers of the GP, but the country’s Covid stance, including on quarantine, and their ability to process the incoming freight and subsequent logistics.
      It was a combination of both that saw the trigger pulled on this year’s race, F1 acting swiftly in December but maybe not quick enough to thrash out a deal for a suitable replacement.
      There is some suggestion from sources in China that F1 chiefs were too hasty to cancel this year’s race  — but maybe that was done so as to find an alternative race.
      F1 has to include the Chinese GP as part of its planning, but that means bosses are not able to sell that spot on the calendar to another bidder.
      Be that South Africa, Turkey, a second race in Saudi Arabia, or to whoever stumped up the cash.
      A hastily-arranged deal would not be as lucrative, not to mention cause a logistical problem for teams.
      The reality is that there has been no Chinese GP since 2019.
      But since then, a Chinese driver has joined the grid in Zhou Guanyu, who races for Alfa Romeo.
      And we are yet to see the full impact his arrival in the sport has had back home.
      There are currently just two Asian races on this year’s calendar — Japan and Singapore. The Middle East has twice as many.
      The simple fact is, F1 cannot really afford to have an unknown each year when it comes to the Chinese GP.
      Should they just bite the bullet and cancel the contract?
      However, with the potential for investment and sponsorship — not to mention a huge TV audience — can they afford not to at least give it another go?
      For what it is worth, I firmly believe that there will be another Chinese GP in Shanghai, I am just not too sure when that will be.
      LOAD OF BULL
      Daniil Kvyat felt betrayed by Red BullCredit: Getty
      DANIIL KVYAT says he felt “betrayed” and “stabbed in the back” when Red Bull demoted him to Toro Rosso in favour of Max Verstappen in 2016.
      Kvyat, 28, once dubbed ‘The Torpedo’ for the way he crashed into people, is now racing for Lamborghini in their World Endurance Championship.
      He has also detached himself from Russia, the country of his birth and will compete under his Italian racing licence.
      RIN-CREDIBLE
      Alex Rins won the MotoGP in AustinCredit: Reuters
      IT IS amazing to think that Alex Rins’ victory for Honda in Austin was the team’s first win in 539 days and 24 Grands Prix.
      The Japanese giants have the biggest budget and most resources in MotoGP and, finally, they have broken their horror run.
      Spaniard Rins was able to capitalise after world champion Pecco Bagnaia slid off while leading the race.
      The Italian had dominated all weekend at the Circuit of the Americas but has been left rattled by his second expensive error in consecutive races.
      He said: “Now it’s another week in a row, I don’t know why. So I am quite angry and disappointed — but not with myself.
      “I am 100 per cent sure it wasn’t my fault. We have to understand it, we don’t know how it’s happening.”
      E-XCITED
      Felipe Drugovich will drive for MaseratiCredit: Getty
      FORMULA E is returning this weekend in Berlin.
      The series then holds a rookie test on Monday where F2 champ Felipe Drugovich will drive for Maserati MSG Racing.
      Brits Jonny Edgar and Jack Aitken test for Envision.
      MORE SEATS
      Two new grandstands are set to be built for the Singapore GPCredit: Splash
      SINGAPORE GP chiefs put in two new grandstands for September’s race due to increased ticket demand.
      But those hoping to go need to get in quick because even those are selling fast and it is close to a sell-out.
      Read More on The Sun
      GOR BLIMEY
      Gordon Murray unveiled the new T.33 SpiderCredit: PA
      I ATTENDED Goodwood’s 80th Members’ Meeting at the weekend.
      The highlights were seeing the Lotus Cortina race plus the unveiling of the new T.33 Spider by legendary F1 designer Gordon Murray. More