Author: AC

Marco Silva insists that all of his Everton players must take responsibility for their recent poor form and will not single out Jordan Pickford. Pickford, 24, established himself as one of the most sought-after young goalkeepers in the world after starring for England in the World Cup, but in recent weeks has been culpable of some howlers that have cost his side. Early in…

Dele Alli has been back to something like his best in recent weeks, scoring three goals in a period in which Tottenham have won six of their past seven games. An injury picked up in Spurs' win over Everton on Sunday, however, means he is a doubt for a busy festive period which includes matches against Bournemouth, Wolves and Cardiff in the space of…

“We’re going to kill the players,” said an exasperated Pep Guardiola in January 2018. “I know here in England the show must go on, but that’s not normal, guys.” Manchester City’s coach was bemused by the sheer intensity of the Premier League’s Christmas schedule. And he was not the first to voice such an opinion. Throughout Europe, it is customary to have a break…

Premier League Boxing Day Accumulator: New manager bounce in full flow at Old Trafford and St Mary’s It’s somewhat ironically the dawn of a new era at Old Trafford given those who have replaced Jose Mourinho are from a bygone era, a much happier time. There’s no denying that United fans have a lot to be festive about, even though many rival fans will argue ‘they…

Christmas is a great time to celebrate the festive vibe and pick some presents. For the online gamblers this season the Santa Slots comes in a remodelled version where players get to dive into the Christmas feel and experience their holiday season in a magical land. There are Christmas presents to unlock, exciting new rewards and an array of surprises locked for the players…

After the indulgence of Christmas, there is a feast of sporting action on Boxing Day: and the horse racing at Kempton looks set to be a cracker. As well as the famous King George VI Chase, there are five other races getting underway at 12.50pm. Live coverage begins on ITV at 1pm. i racing editor Jon Freeman fancies Waiting Patiently for the big race and…

It’s been said before and it’s being said again now. Waiting Patiently could not be more appropriately named. He was trained by Malcolm Jefferson, the quiet, genial Cumbrian who learned old school techniques and good habits from Gordon Richards before setting up on his own across the Pennines in Yorkshire, from where he sent out hundreds of winners over almost four decades, mainly over…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been dealt a squad selection headache just days after assuming his position as caretaker manager. First-choice striker Romelu Lukaku has been given a leave of absence on compassionate grounds which will see him miss Solskjaer's first few games in charge, according to reports. It's not just the Norwegian who will be missing the forward; Lukaku is owned by 4.5 per…

Football It would be easier to say when football isn’t on television over the festive period. Between now and New Year’s Day, there are 16 Premier League matches live on television. And if that is not enough, there are five Championship games. There’s a Sky Sports triple-header on Boxing Day. And if you are still hungry for more, Southampton v West Ham will be…

Boxing Day is a time for leftover turkey, sales at the shops and wild football matches. The wacky round of post-Christmas fixtures in 1963 has gone down in legend, with the division’s 20 teams sharing an astonishing 66 goals – a ludicrous tally which led to much questioning about just how many pigs in blankets the league’s defenders had demolished the day before. “There…

The festive period usually marks the halfway point of the season, which makes it an ideal time to take stock. These three teams were all sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League after the traditional round of Boxing Day fixtures, before things went badly wrong in the second half of the campaign… Newcastle 1995/96 Kevin Keegan was an even more popular figure…

Kempton – 1.20 Dell Oro I like the way the imposing son of Walk in The Park has been campaigned, with connections opting to go chasing before the handicapper has really got his measure. He ran an excellent race here over hurdles on his final start and probably improved on that when chasing home the speedier Chesterfield over 2m 2f. This slightly longer trip…

Daklondike and Eden Du Houx I was really pleased with Daklondike winning the Tommy Whittle. David’s horses are running very well. It was a good couple of days for Caroline Tisdall as we won the Listed Bumper too at Ascot. Daklondike is an enigma but he was on his best behaviour on Saturday. It was a great performance from him as he isn’t the…

  3.05 Kempton – The King George Chase  – Thistlecrack and Native River Thistlecrack We are really pleased with Thistlecrack, in fact we couldn’t be happier with him. He’s doing work like he did two years ago, and is better than ever at home. He schooled well on Wednesday with Tom Scudamore. We now just hope that he can put it on the track…

Odds and review of the NBA action The NBA world was dominated by trade talk last week as each team begins to get a feel for where they need to make additions. Toronto Raptors still lead the way in the East, but did lose three of their five games last week. Denver Nuggets are one of the teams that netted a victory over the…