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MatériaMais Notícias

A significativa 31ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro foi território de um duelo franco entre Flamengo e Palmeiras, aspirantes ao título, nesta quinta-feira. O palco foi o Estádio Mané Garrincha, com mando rubro-negro, uma vez que o Maracanã está reservado para a final da Libertadores, onde o Verdão atuará, inclusive. E deu o Fla por 2 a 0, através das marcas de Luan (contra) e Pepê, um protagonista improvável, com um gol em cada etapa.

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A vitória faz que com o time de Rogério Ceni pule para a terceira colocação, ultrapasse o Atlético-MG e fique a quatro pontos do Internacional, o líder. O de Abel Ferreira estaciona na quinta posição, com51 pontos.

> Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

O CENÁRIO DE INÍCIO

O Palmeiras iniciou o jogo explanando a sua estratégia antes mesmos de cinco minutos: reatividade e bola longa para explorar as costas da zaga rubro-negra, que contou com Willian Arão improvisado. Willian perdeu um gol na pequena área, após cruzamento de Viña.

Passado o alívio para os mandantes, o Flamengo pôs a bola no chão e, com uma movimentação fluida, criou espaços de pé em pé e encurralou os visitantes – até com certa naturalidade.Gabigol desperdiçou duas oportunidades cristalinas. Arrascaeta, inclusive de bicicleta, também se viu com chances na área. A pressão, contudo, se manteve.

UM PRESENTE INVEJÁVEL

E o Flamengo foi coroado ainda no primeiro tempo, quando, nos acréscimos, ganhou um presente invejável. Superior em todos os aspectos, o Rubro-Negro recuperou uma bola no ataque, tabelou e forçou um erro dos zagueiros palmeirenses. No desespero para afastar o perigo,Kuscevic chutou a bola no corpo de Luan, o último destino da bola antes de ir à rede: 1 a 0.

VERDÃO, ENFIM, ACORDOU

Em desvantagem, o Palmeiras precisava de um “choque” no vestiário para equilibrar as ações. Para o time de Abel Ferreira, o jogo pedia mais arrojo com a bola nos pés – já que, efetivamente, apenas Danilo teve êxito na etapa inicial. Luiz Adriano, por exemplo, não foi abastecido e estava apagado.

O Verdão passou a ter mais posse, inclusive no campo de ataque – o que não vinha ocorrendo. Menino chegou a desperdiçar uma chance com a bola na marca da cal, sem marcação, no início do segundo tempo.

ENTROU EM MARCHA LENTA

Para a última fatia do jogo, os treinadores promoveram diversas alterações. A intensidade, de ambos os lados, deixou de ser uma tônica. Erros de passe nas respectivas intermediárias passaram a comprometer a criatividade dos times, e o embate entrou em marcha lenta. Eis que uma cria do Ninho do Urubu decidiu.

UM PROTAGONISTA IMPROVÁVEL

Quando o jogo se caminhava para os dez minutos finais, o Flamengo sacramentou a vitória na bola parada. E o autor do segundo gol veio do banco e pode ser considerado um protagonista improvável: Pepê, cujo vínculo expiraria em dezembro e, graças ao pedido de Ceni, renovou até o fim do Brasileiro. O meia acertou um lindo chute após Pedro ajeitar a bola, oriunda de uma cobrança de escanteio. Um belo gol para dar números finais.

O QUE HÁ PELA FRENTE

Os próximos compromissos de Flamengo e Palmeiras serão contra Athletico-PR e Ceará, respectivamente, ambos fora de casa e às 16h deste domingo.

FICHA TÉCNICA
FLAMENGO 2X0 PALMEIRAS – 31ª RODADA DO BRASILEIRO
Estádio: Mané Garrincha, em Brasília (DF)
Data/hora: 21 de janeiro, às 19h
Árbitro: Savio Pereira Sampaio (DF)
Assistentes: Daniel Henrique da Silva Andrade (DF) e José Reinaldo Nascimento Junior (DF)
Árbitro de vídeo: Caio Max Augusto Vieira (RN)
Gramado: Bom
Cartões amarelos:Bruno Henrique, Renê (FLA) /Raphael Veiga, Luan (PAL)
Cartões vermelhos: –

GOLS:Luan (contra), 45’/1ºT (1-0); Pepê,37’/2ºT (2-0)

FLAMENGO (Técnico: Rogério Ceni)
Hugo Souza; Isla, Rodrigo Caio (Gustavo Henrique, 33’/1ºT), Willian Arão e Filipe Luis; Gerson (Vitinho, 30’/2ºT), Diego (Pepê, 30’/2ºT), Everton Ribeiro e Arrascaeta (João Gomes, 17’/2ºT); Bruno Henrique e Gabigol (Pedro, 30’/2ºT).

PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Abel Ferreira)
Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Luan, Kuscevic e Matías Viña (Gustavo Scarpa, 21’/2ºT); Danilo (Gabriel Silva, 40’/2ºT), Gabriel Menino, Raphael Veiga (Pedro Acácio,26’/2ºT) e Zé Rafael; Luiz Adriano (Breno Lopes, 21’/2ºT) e Willian (Lucas Lima, 21’/2ºT).

شهد نادي الاتحاد السكندري تطورات مثيرة في الساعات الأخيرة، حيث أعلن رسميًا عن تعاقده مع المدرب اليوناني بابا فاسيليو لتولي القيادة الفنية للفريق في الموسم الكروي الجديد.

ومن جانبه، قال محمد أحمد سلامة، عضو مجلس إدارة النادي في تصريحات عبر برنامج “بلس 90″، على قناة “النهار”: “أحب أن أتوجه بالشكر للكابتن أحمد ساري الذي تولى المسؤولية في الفترة السابقة، الاتحاد ناد جماهيري عريق، كنا نعمل على التعاقد مع مدير فني أجنبي، لأن المدرب الأجنبي في الأندية الجماهيرية هو الأفضل لرفع الضغوط عن المدرب المصري”.

طالع أيضًا | الإسماعيلي يكشف حقيقة التفاوض مع الأهلي لإبرام صفقات جديدة

وتابع: “بابا فاسيليو وافق على أن يتقاضى راتبه بالجنيه المصري، نحن نُعاني من عجز في الميزانية، والمدرب جاء بخطة ودارس للفريق والدوري المصري، وسبق له ونجح مع غزل المحلة في بداية مشواره بالدوري”.

وأضاف: “تناقشنا معه بشأن التدعيمات الفنية في الموسم الجديد، وهناك اجتماع آخر اليوم مع محمد مصيلحي، وسنحاول توفير له الحد الأدنى من الصفقات التي يحتاجها”.

واختتم: “أحمد فتوح في موقف صعب وكرب عظيم، أنا كنت أول المتواجدين معه بعد الحادث، الموقف كان صعب، أنا أعرف فتوح وهو من الشخصيات الجدعة، ووقف لمحاولة لحاق المتوفي، لكن قدر الله قد نفذ، واللاعب تم ترحيله من قسم العالمين لـ مطروح، وربنا يفك كربه”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Definitivamente, a atual edição do Campeonato Brasileiro não será guardada com carinho pelo torcedor do Fortaleza. Após uma série de insucessos dentro das quatro linhas, o time se afundou nas últimas colocações e luta para permanecer na elite nacional.

+ São Paulo em 8º, Flamengo em 10º… Confira a classificação do returno do Brasileirão

No último domingo, o time de Enderson Moreira foi até Goiânia e acabou derrotado pelo Atlético-GO por 2 a 0, resultado que deixou o Leão uma posição acima do Z4.

Além do placar negativo para a classificação, outro ponto que preocupa o torcedor nas rodadas finais é o baixo aproveitamento fora e casa. Nos últimos cinco duelos, apenas uma vitória e justamente contra o Botafogo, lanterna do Brasileirão.

Desde o dia 22 de novembro, o Fortaleza disputou quatro partidas e saiu derrotado em todas. O sistema defensivo levou 9 gols e o ataque marcou 3 vezes.

+ CONFIRA A CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Antes de fechar o Brasileirão, o Fortaleza encara fora de casa o Atlético-MG, Palmeiras e Fluminense, três rivais da parte superior da tabela.

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The batsman capitalised on a disciplined bowling effort that restricted Adelaide Strikers to just 150 for 5

The Report by Daniel Brettig06-Jan-2019

Joe Denly and Josh Philippe capitalised fully on a disciplined Sydney Sixers bowling display to guide the visitors to a strong victory over Adelaide Strikers in the big Bash League match at Adelaide Oval.The Strikers, having won the toss, were never able to generate significant momentum from the moment that Alex Carey was run out in the opening over of the night, as Ben Mantenti and Ben Dwarshuis delivered economical new ball spells that were followed up by Steve O’Keefe and Sean Abbott.While Denly started the Sixers’ chase in intelligent fashion, Rashid Khan briefly threatened to upend the innings by deceiving Moises Henriques and Jordan Silk in the 13th over. The night’s definitive conclusion was to be reached via the burgeoning talents of Philippe, who galloped to an unbeaten 30 from 15 balls that allowed the Sixers to reach their target with 10 balls to spare and move up to second on the table behind the undefeated Hobart Hurricanes.Running into troubleCarey has been a key part of why the Adelaide Strikers won last year’s tournament, and have remained very much in contention this time around, leaving the Sixers in no doubt they needed to find a way past him early on. But they cannot have counted on gaining Carey’s wicket via a run out as early as the fifth ball of the match, delivered by Ben Manenti.Jake Weatherald’s cover drive was well struck but straight at the Sixers captain Henriques, who gathered and threw quickly enough to capitalise fully on Carey’s momentary hesitation at the non-striker’s end. This run out stunned the Adelaide Oval crowd, and also allowed the Sixers to dictate terms for the remainder of the Powerplay, to the extent that the Strikers could only manage a mediocre 2 for 42 from their opening six overs in favourable batting conditions.All’s well that ends with WellsThough Weatherald was to atone somewhat for the early run out by compiling a half century that grew in fluency the longer it went on, the Strikers were looking squarely at a total barely clear of 130 before Jon Wells came to the crease. A consistent, if low-profile, contributor to all the teams he has represented, 30-year-old Wells was tonight able to play the role of the swashbuckler, cracking 42 from 29 balls while scoring at better than a run a ball against every Sixers bowler he faced.Denly’s startOn his last start for the Sixers before flying out to play for England in the Caribbean, Joe Denly was still in search of a significant score. The opportunity presented by a middling Strikers total was an attractive one however, calling for controlled aggression rather than an unbridled attack. After Justin Avendano fell cheaply, Denly was able to form useful stands with Daniel Hughes and then Henriques, ensuring the Sixers’ Powerplay was a more than adequate 1 for 50.Later, when Rashid struck twice in the 13th over to give the Strikers and an expectant home crowd a glimmer of hope, Denly kept his composure to form a final, match-sealing partnership while ensuring that Rashid was unable to usher the sort of collapse that the hosts required to manufacture a win.Philippe’s finishJosh Philippe had been subject to something of a tug-of-war between Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers in the run up to this tournament, with the magenta clad team winning out in part because the banned Steven Smith made a personal pitch to provide mentoring to the 21-year-old. On the same night Smith turned out in the distant Bangladesh Premier League, Philippe was to show why the Sixers were so eager to get him, with an innings of impudence and nerve to ensure victory for the visitors.First ball, Phllippe showed he does not lack for brio, paddle sweeping Rashid to the boundary from a delivery on the line of the stumps and leading to bowled or lbw if he missed. Other choice strokes from Philippe included an inside-out cover drive off the otherwise parsimonious Peter Siddle, and a dismissive clubbing of Michael Neser well beyond the midwicket boundary. Another Philippe blow off Neser, this time down the ground, completed the Sixers’ triumph, and left the Strikers’ captain Colin Ingram to conceded his men were around 30 runs short.

The transfer of a star centre-back is now reportedly looking "more and more likely" in what represents a "good solution" for Tottenham.

Spurs' top centre-back targets

Ange Postecoglou is currently bereft of defensive depth in his Spurs squad, as evidenced by his makeshift pairing of centre-back pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies recently. Micky van de Ven's hamstring injury, coupled with a recent suspension for Cristian Romero, forced the Lilywhites head coach into drastic action team-wise amid his continued lack of faith in Eric Dier.

Related "Very top" – Sky pundit excited as Spurs make "quick" defender a top target

Micah Richards thinks he’d be a top addition.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Dec 13, 2023

From November 4, Spurs went on a barren run of four Premier League defeats in five, before finally ending that streak with a brilliant 4-1 win at home to Newcastle last weekend. The return of Romero has arguably helped matters lately, but to avoid a similar scenario in 2024, reports suggest Tottenham are determined to sign a new centre-back – and there are a couple of top targets.

In recent days, Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite has become really wanted by Spurs, as the 21-year-old emerges as a star under Sean Dyche this season. As well as Branthwaite, there is a belief that Tottenham have made Genoa star Radu Dragusin a key target as well.

Indeed, Football Transfers say Dragusin is now a major contender to join Tottenham as chairman Daniel Levy and sporting director Johan Lange seek to upgrade the heart of Postecoglou's defence.

The Romanian's agent, Florin Manea, has even previously shared talks and London meetings with Spurs in an interview with Fanatik.

"I have been in London for some time and have almost weekly meetings with important teams. We are getting closer. I spoke with Newcastle, with Arsenal, with Tottenham. I also have the messages with them, conversations. There are teams that ask."

Dragusin transfer "more likely" in "good solution" for Spurs

Now, according to a report from his homeland, it appears the 21-year-old's days at Genoa are "numbered".

Indeed, journalist Andrei Preotu writes for Pro Sport that a "transfer" is looking "more and more likely" for Dragusin in what could be a "good solution" for Spurs as they chase new defenders.

Preotu also suggests that the international could be open to joining Tottenham as he would like to play in the Premier League. Genoa, for their part, have worked "intensively" on who could succeed Dragusin when he leaves in 2024. The Serie A side have identified his replacement in their promising Italian starlet Alessandro Marcandalli, who is "ready" to return and compete for his team football.

Dragusin's standout stats for Genoa – 2023/2024 (via SofaScore)

Clearances per game – 4.5

Balls recovered per game – 3.3

Percentage of duels won – 69%

Percentage of aerial battles won – 70%

Marcandalli is currently on loan at Reggiana, who are managed by AC Milan legend Alessandro Nesta, and there is a belief he is "one of the greatest talents in Italy" (Pro Sport).

Going back to Dragusin, we believe he could be a great signing for Tottenham. The young defender has started 15 Serie A matches as a fixture and mainstay of Genoa's backline, and some reports suggest that Dragusin could cost as little as £26 million.

MatériaMais Notícias

Não é só contra o rebaixamento no Campeonato Brasileiro da Série A que o Sport está lutando nesse começo de 2021. O Leão da Ilha vem batalhando para sanar suas dívidas, mas sofreu uma recente derrota nos Tribunais que pode atrapalhar ainda mais o seu planejamento financeiro.

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A Justiça condenou o clube quitar débitos com os zagueiros Matheus Ferraz, atualmente no Fluminense, e Renato Oliveira, que defende o Rio Branco-PR, e o volante Jean Patrick, que está no Cuiabá.

Ferraz defendeu o Rubro-Negro entre os anos de 2015 e 2017, o clube foi condenado a pagar R$ 480 mil reais referentes a reajustes nos valores de direito de imagem. Além disso, a Justiça condenou ainda ao pagamento de diferenças de décimo terceiro salário, férias e FGTS.

O Sport terá que pagar a Renato, que atuou poucos minutos no ano de 2019 durante o Campeonato Pernambucano, R$ 250 mil, referentes a salários atrasados e direitos trabalhistas.

Já Jean receberá R$ 620 mil reais à título de salários atrasados. Vale lembrar, que o jogador deixou o Leão em agosto após conquistar na Justiça a rescisão indireta do contrato. No processo, o Rubro-Negro ainda alegou uma rescisão por justa causa devido a não reapresentação do jogador com o restante do elenco. Mas o pedido não foi acatado pela Justiça.

Vale ressaltar que o clube ainda pode recorrer das decisões.

أدلى هانز فليك، المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، بتصريحات عقب فوزهم المثير في مباراة الثلاثاء ضد خصمه فريق رايو فاليكانو في بطولة الدوري الإسباني.

وحل برشلونة ضيفًا على رايو فاليكانو، في الجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإسباني، حيث فاز الفريق الكتالوني بهدفين لهدف.

وقال هانز فليك في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “أولمو سجل ونحن سعداء بذلك، لم نكن جيدين في الضغط على الكرة في الدقائق الأولى، ولكن تغيرنا في الشوط الثاني وكنا أفضل واستحقينا الفوز”.

وأضاف: “نعم، توقعناها مباراة صعبة بالنظر إلى نتائج السنوات الثلاث الماضية، ولكننا فزنا عن استحقاق وجدارة، خاصة وأننا لعبنا جيدًا وتضافرت جهودنا في الشوط الثاني بشكل أفضل”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بداية مثالية.. أول تعليق من أولمو بعد تسجيله في مشاركته الأولى مع برشلونة

وواصل: “في النهاية، إنه فوز حزين لأن مارك بيرنال مُصاب، علينا الانتظار حتى الغد من أجل الفحص الطبي، لا أحد سعيد في غرفة خلع الملابس، وضع ليس جيدًا، سنرى”.

وأردف: “لولا إصابة مارك بيرنال لكان انتصارًا عظيمًا، بيدري؟ إنه بخير، يبدو أنها كانت مجرد ضربة”.

Things can't get much better for Philippe Clement and Rangers. The Gers are in control of the Scottish Premiership title race and still unbeaten under their new boss, while also winning the Scottish League Cup. With the January transfer window swinging open in a matter of days too, Clement will have the opportunity to make his first mark on the side after taking a side built by Michael Beale back into title contention.

With that said, Rangers have now completed a deal for Clement's first arrival, with the Belgian "crucial" to the transfer. As the title race heats up, the deal could turn into a game-changer.

Rangers transfer news

The Scottish giants sit just five points adrift of Celtic with two games in hand, giving them a slight advantage over their Old Firm rivals. There was once a time when Rangers looked down and out in the race for the title under Beale, only for a swift managerial change to turn the tide in the Scottish Premiership. Now those at Ibrox have the opportunity to improve even further and are on course to land a Premier League gem as Clement's first addition.

Fabrizio Romano said on Thursday afternoon that Rangers had reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign Fabio Silva on loan until the end of the season. Clement was reportedly "crucial" to getting the deal over the line when the new year arrives, and a deal has now been confirmed.

After struggling at Wolves, Silva has the opportunity to finally get back on track in Scotland and potentially even decide the title race between Rangers and Celtic. Whilst there is no buy option included in the loan deal, Rangers may reap the rewards of Silva's potential for the rest of the current campaign.

"Unique" Silva can get back on track at Rangers

Silva's price tag was initially as high as £35m when he joined Wolves in a big-money deal. The 21-year-old now finds himself heading out on loan, however, after struggling to make an impact in the Midlands. Silva's stats highlight his struggles, with just five goals and six assists in 72 appearances whilst at Wolves. Clement could help Silva to finally find his feet in senior football though, handing Wolves a future advantage and Rangers a present one in pursuit of the title.

Previously praising Silva, Nuno Espirito Santo said via FourFourTwo: “I cannot compare because it is a mistake to compare players. Each player has their own individual characteristics. They are totally different. What I can tell you and that I’m sure of, Fabio is a huge talent, pure talent. We have to help him develop that talent. The priority is to integrate him into the idea of the team and then that allows players to develop. It would be a mistake to compare Fabio to any other player because he is unique. The way we see it is, let give him all the details so he can become better.”

Rarely has a line-up been made to look quite so wrong-headed as in Barbados, but here are five more blunders that came back to haunt selectors.

Andrew Miller29-Jan-2019

Selection is easy in hindsight, claimed Joe Root in the wake of England’s 381-drubbing in the first Test against West Indies. But rarely has a line-up been made to look quite so wrong-headed as in Barbados. ESPNcricinfo looks back on five other selection shockers that the brains trust came to rue.India v England, Calcutta, 1992-93Arguably the most scandalous selection of England’s tour of India in 1992-93 occurred before a ball was bowled: David Gower’s and Jack Russell’s omissions outraged MCC to such an extent that a special general meeting was convened in protest. But even if those two causes célèbres had been picked, there’s no chance on earth that it could have made a difference in the series opener at Eden Gardens – thanks to the catastrophic line-up with which Graham Gooch took the field.The facts of the contest speak for themselves. England picked four frontline quicks (combined figures: 6 for 321), with the legspin of Ian Salisbury elevated ahead of John Emburey and Phil Tufnell on account of his greater rhythm in the nets. India, on the other hand, opted for three frontline spinners – Venkatapathy Raju, Anil Kumble and Rajesh Chauhan – who claimed 17 for 354 between them.Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar (both allrounders) bowled just a handful of seam-up in either innings, while England’s only threat came from the part-time offspin of Graeme Hick (5 for 28 in the match). Mohammad Azharuddin (182) outscored England (163) in their first innings, and the tone for the series had been set.India’s Mohammad Azharuddin after scoring a century•Getty Images

England v Australia, Headingley, 1997On his day, Andrew Caddick was as awkward a seam bowler as England have selected in a generation – but it was his awkwardness as a character that seemed to count against him on far too many occasions. His non-selection for the 1998-99 Ashes tour was self-defeatingly dim-witted – he proved his point by taking 10 wickets at Sydney four years later – but a harbinger of that call had come at Headingley in the fourth Test of England’s home Ashes campaign in 1997. The series was locked at 1-1 but, after being stung into action by England’s incredible win at Edgbaston, Australia were the team on the march. They were denied by rain at Lord’s before Steve Waugh duked a dogfight at Old Trafford.But then came Headingley, a traditional seamers’ paradise – and what did England choose to do? In their infinite wisdom, they decided the time was ripe to ditch Caddick, their leading hit-the-deck exponent, and choose instead a rookie left-arm swing bowler. I mean, who’d do such a thing?With Australia wobbling at 50 for 4 in their first innings, legend has it that the series turned when Matthew Elliott, who made 199, was dropped by Graham Thorpe on 29 off the debutant Mike Smith. And yet that narrative ignores the fact that Smith never again came so close to claiming that elusive maiden wicket.Graham Thorpe drops Matthew Elliott off the bowling of Mike Smith during the 4th Ashes Test in 1997•Clive Mason/ALLSPORT

Caddick, on the other hand, still went on to glean 24 wickets at 26.41 in the other five Tests of the series – comfortably England’s outstanding performer.England v India, Lord’s, 2018For all that they have been the pre-eminent Test team of the past couple of years, India’s selection has let them down on more than a few occasions – particularly in South Africa and England in 2018, where they slumped to hard-fought series losses that looked more comprehensive on paper than they actually had been in reality.Cheteshwar Pujara’s omission at Edgbaston was a case in point, but nothing was more self-defeating that their absurd team balance for the second Test at Lord’s. The left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep Yadav had been a sensation in the one-day leg of the England tour, so the urge to include him at some stage of the series was overwhelming.Kuldeep Yadav delivers the ball•Getty Images

But, given that the whole of the first day of the second Test had been washed out by rain, and that the second dawned dank and overcast too, the inclusion of Kuldeep, alongside a second spinner in R Ashwin and instead of the seamer Umesh Yadav, beggared belief.Sure enough, James Anderson claimed 5 for 20 to rout India for 107, and in reply, Kuldeep was called upon for just nine flaky overs as England pounded out 396 for 7 declared to set up a thumping innings win, and a 2-0 series lead.England v South Africa, Headingley, 2008One of the weirdest selections of all time, and that’s saying something given England’s reputation for pinning donkeys onto their tails. There was something distinctly amiss about the latter months of Michael Vaughan’s England reign – the team was in transition and Graeme Smith’s South Africa (after finding their feet in a towering rearguard at Lord’s) were suddenly itching to outgun them on home soil.But when Ryan Sidebottom, one of the few stalwarts of that mini-era, went lame on the eve of the match, the selectors decided to replace him with an Australian roof-tiler, two weeks shy of his 30th birthday, whom Vaughan admitted at the toss he knew next to nothing about – Darren Pattinson.Apart from anything else, the decision was a final kick in the teeth for the hard-toiling Matthew Hoggard, who had been dumped unceremoniously during the winter tour of New Zealand, and who now wasn’t even trusted for an emergency encore on his Yorkshire home ground. England were duly stuffed by 10 wickets, and though Pattinson was an all-too-easy scapegoat, Vaughan admitted afterwards that the bizarre circumstances of his selection had left the dressing room baffled and unsettled.Unsurprisingly, he never played again, though his brother James went on to play in the 2013 Ashes … for Australia.Darren Pattinson lies on the pitch after failing to catch Mark Boucher off his own bowling•PA Photos

England v Australia, The Oval, 2009Long before Nathan Lyon rocked up to provide Australia with their most reliable spin option since the mighty Shane Warne, Nathan Hauritz had been plugging away on a diligent line and length, fulfilling an unglamorous role with as much skill and professionalism as he could muster. He was, in short, an easy player to overlook.But by doing just that, Australia squandered arguably their best chance of an Ashes win in England in nigh on two decades. Hauritz had picked off ten wickets in the first three Tests of the series when he was justifiably omitted for the fourth at Headingley – an extraordinary contest in which England were blitzed inside three days to draw the series level at 1-1 and leave everything hanging on the decider at The Oval.Nathan Hauritz at training ahead of the fifth Ashes Test in 2009•Getty Images

But flushed with familiar Aussie confidence, and reassured that their pace attack had the measure of an England team that had seemed to be living on its wits for much of the summer, they failed to pay heed to a suspiciously dry Oval deck. And though Stuart Broad set up the win with the first of his now familiar Ashes rampages, the sight of Marcus North claiming four second-innings wickets was an indication to Australia of what they might have overlooked.Sure enough, England’s own spinner Graeme Swann sealed a nervy victory with four scalps of his own, just when it seemed that a target of 546 might not be completely out of the question.

Former Arsenal and England captain working with PCA to deliver player welfare programme

Andrew Miller12-Mar-2019

Almost 30 years have elapsed since Tony Adams, the former England and Arsenal captain, was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment in Chelmsford Prison, after crashing his car into a wall while driving at four times the legal limit.And last week, Adams was back in the city once again, albeit half a mile down the road at Essex’s County Ground, passing on the harsh lessons he learnt in 12 years as an alcoholic, as part of a county-wide education initiative in conjunction with the Professional Cricketers’ Association.”For 12 years I was drinking, and for 11 and a half I didn’t want to stop,” Adams told ESPNcricinfo. “The denial was really strong, and the consequences too, but even a spell in Chelmsford prison down the road didn’t stop me drinking. I came out of prison and drunk and drove again. The denial was still in me and I wasn’t ready.”It is now coming up for 23 years since Adams last touched alcohol, his “drug of choice” for the majority of a storied career which featured more than 500 appearances for Arsenal, as well as 66 England caps, including 15 as captain.And it is now 20 years since he set up his charity, the Sporting Chance Clinic, to provide treatment, counselling and support for sportsmen and women suffering from similar addictions – be it drink, drugs or gambling – as well as anxiety and depression.Endorsed initially by Sir Alex Ferguson – who invited Adams to address his Manchester United squad before the programme was rolled out to all Premier League clubs – Sporting Chance has been working with the Rugby Football League since 2011, and from this season onwards, all 18 county cricket clubs.”Since 2011, we’ve helped about 400 players with our network of counsellors, a treatment centre in Hampshire, a 24-hour helpline and seminars,” said Adams. “They say that 10 percent of the population, or one player at every club, is going to slip on the addiction front and they know where to come.”Adams was addressing the Essex squad on the eve of their pre-season tour of the UAE – the sort of trip that has for years been a byword among sporting teams for excessive behaviour.And while insisting that the differences between football and cricket are as marked as the similarities, Adams recognised that the nature of cricket tours – with their long weeks away from home and lots of down time between engagements – could lend itself to the sort of slippery slope that undermined his own career.”Injuries and holidays were definitely the opportunity for this addict to get absolutely smashed, and the situation around tours and camps, when there’s lots of down time, they are similar,” said Adams. “You don’t have to go to the bottom, there was a spell in my career when football was enough for me, but then it creeps round and you use, and there’s consequences, and you use again, and there are more consequences.”English cricket has recently drawn a line under a difficult 12 months, centred around the Ben Stokes incident in Bristol, but also encompassing a number of drink-related controversies on the 2017-18 Ashes tour.And while Adams wouldn’t be drawn on the lessons that Stokes might have learnt from his brush with career oblivion last year, when he was found not guilty of affray after appearing at Bristol Crown Court, he cited his own career as proof of how easy it can be to ignore the warning signs of self-destructive behaviour.”For the last six to eight months of my drinking career, I didn’t actually want a drink but I was still getting drunk,” he said. “It crossed the line and once it crosses the line there’s no getting back.”And in my day, there was no help. No-one was coming to my football club or cricket club, it just wasn’t done. You shoved it in a box and buried it, or they’d drag you down the pub, and I didn’t need much dragging.”I was unhappy with how I felt,” he added. “I had low self-esteem and self-worth, but a huge ego because, as footballers, you’d be getting massaged as a great player. But off the pitch I felt worthless, a scared little boy.”On three occasions in his career, Adams even took the field drunk – once, against Sheffield United, emerging with the Man-of-the-Match award.”I mistimed the drinking,” he said. “I remember looking out of the window thinking ‘how did that happen?’ I was so confused. There was no point sobering up because I’d have had a complete headache, so I had a couple in the morning.””I said to George [Graham, Arsenal’s manager], ‘I’m not feeling very well’, and he said, ‘thanks for trying’. We’re very good at concealing it and masking the pain and trouble we’re in, and when I got a pat on the back, it was like ‘oh, I got away with that one’.”Adams’ destructive tendencies had a knock-on effect on those around him – and he believes that had he not finally been ready to sober up in time for the arrival of Arsene Wenger in 1996, the new Arsenal coach would have struggled to make his mark on the club.”I was six weeks clean and sober, and when the pupil is ready, the teacher appears,” said Adams. “And if Wenger had come into the club two months before that, I don’t think he would have lasted. I got the last manager sacked, because when the captain’s spending more time in the pub than on the training pitch, I think the coach is let down. I definitely let down Bruce Rioch and I’ve apologised for that.”In the course of an hour-long seminar, delivered by Adams and Ian Thomas, the PCA’s director of development and welfare, the Essex squad were given guidance in how to spot the warning signs, both personally and among team-mates, and how to go about seeking the sort of help that Adams himself recognised he so desperately needed.”We talk about the gift of desperation,” he said, “when the pain gets too much. I didn’t know how to kill myself, but I didn’t want to live. I was confused and bewildered, and in terror, and I never want to go back there.”Self-knowledge didn’t get me sober. It got me to my bottom and as soon as you hit the bottom and surrender, then therapy gets you well and gets you stronger.”It’s about giving someone their life back.”