Jese loving life at the deep end

Mark Hughes got exactly what he deserved from stoke’s match against arsenal on saturday. Before the game he was asked about the decision to start Jese rodriguez, just four days after joining on a season-long loan from Paris saint-germain. Hughes said the player needed to get used to english football, and the quicker the better. No ego-stroking pretence about needing time to fit into stoke’s system; no self-indulgent belief that his was a gameplan so sophisticated a simple footballer could not absorb it in three training sessions. Hughes identified a superior player, recruited a superior player and put that superior player straight into his team. He was rewarded with the winning goal against arsenal. all credit to him; and Jese, of course.

FRANK DE BOER said he turned down the chance to manage Barcelona and Liverpool. He is now at Crystal Palace. No doubt he is a very fine coach. Not your first call for career advice, mind.

If THE aim of football League chief executive shaun Harvey was to make his organisation a laughing stock, it would all make sense.

The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup — formerly the League Cup — will be held at 4.15am here on Thursday, as it is taking place late morning in China. This follows other draw debacles in which Charlton came out twice in the same round, and John salako failed to distinguish between the letters H and a, meaning home and away teams were mistakenly reversed.

Clearly, salako didn’t watch Sesame Street — and clearly Harvey does not appreciate that football fans in this country have long memories, and know in an instant when they are being taken for granted. The League Cup has enjoyed a revival of late — it will not continue if the organisers consider Beijing’s needs more vital.