Liverpool suffer fifth defeat on the bounce
Hastings set to miss Six Nations double header for Scotland
LIVERPOOL’S woeful home form is now a full-blown crisis as Chelsea’s 1-0 victory inflicted a fifth successive league defeat – the worst run in the club’s history.
It shows how far the defending champions have fallen that this was billed as a battle for a Champions League place but in reality there was only one side in the hunt and all it took was Mason Mount’s 42nd-minute goal to lift them back into the reckoning.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, now four points adrift of that with Everton and West Ham ahead of them.
The hosts failed to register a shot on target until the
85th minute and Georginio Wijnaldum’s weak header was never going to test Edouard Mendy.
They have taken one point from the last 21 on offer at home since Christmas and scored just two goals, one of which was a penalty.
Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, has told his players they must make more sacrifices to realise their Champions League dream.
Richarlison’s second-half header earned a battling 1-0 victory at West Brom to lift the Toffees into the Premier League’s top four, although they later fell back to fifth after Chelsea’s win.
“We are in the fight but you need to sacrifice until the end,” said Ancelotti. “There’s more pressure because we are in the fight for Europe, we want to be there and we have worked really hard to be there. This is our step and it’s our target. We have to step up a bit. There’s more [to] sacrifice because the position now is good.”
ADAM Hastings will miss Scotland’s games against Ireland and Italy as well as two upcoming Glasgow matches after being given a “three-match” ban for the red card he received while playing against Leinster last Sunday. He should, however, be free to play in the rearranged Six Nations match against France, which is currently expected to take place on Friday March 26.
In their announcement of Hastings’ suspension last night, PRO14 specified the games that would be taken in by the ban: Zebre v Glasgow tomorrow. Glasgow v Ospreys on Friday 12th, and Scotland v Italy on Saturday 20th. However, after the Warriors sought clarification, PRO14 later explained that the Ospreys game and Scotland’s match against Ireland count as one match for the purposes of the suspension, as they take place on the same weekend.
The announcement said that Hastings was free to play from midnight on Sunday
21st, which PRO14 explained means the start of Sunday. That means that Hastings can play in Glasgow’s game against the Dragons, which kicks off at three o’clock that afternoon.
Hastings was sent off for dangerous play in Glasgow’s 40-21 defeat by Leinster after catching a ball in the air, kicking a leg out and making contact with Cian Kelleher’s head. A disciplinary panel that met yesterday decided that a six-week sanction was the starting point for such an offence, but they cut that in half because the stand-off has a good disciplinary record and accepted he deserved to be sent off.
“The Disciplinary Process of the red card offence was presided over by Judicial Officer Owain Rhys James (WRU), who concluded that an act of foul play had occurred,” a PRO14 press release said. “The incident was found to merit a mid-range entry point, which indicates a six-week suspension for this offence.
“The Judicial Officer determined that there were mitigating factors, including the player’s acceptance of the foul play, immediate and genuine remorse, cooperation with the disciplinary proceedings and clear disciplinary record, which under the disciplinary rules warranted a reduction in the sanction of 50 percent.
“The Player is suspended from participating in the next three meaningful matches. Should a game be postponed or cancelled during this window of games, the player and Pro14 are to submit updated fixtures to the Judicial Officer so the return date can be advised.” Glasgow will not appeal against the suspension.
Meanwhile, Warriors coach Danny Wilson has continued his squad rebuilding for next season by signing Edinburgh forwards Ally Miller and
Rory Darge. With Ryan Wilson, Matt Fagerson, Tom Gordon and Rob Harley also competing for the three places in the back row, Darge and Miller know there is no guarantee of the regular rugby they crave. But they believe their style of play is suited to the Warriors’ preferred game plan, and have been encouraged by what they heard from Wilson prior to agreeing the move from Murrayfield to Scotstoun.
“I’m ready to take the next step in my career and really test myself, and I believe Glasgow is the right environment in which to do that,” the 24-year-old Miller told the Warriors website. “I’ve been really enjoying my rugby these last few seasons and
I’m looking forward to playing Glasgow’s free-flowing brand of attacking rugby.
“Speaking to Danny, he liked the attacking style of rugby that I developed through the sevens programme and that I enjoy playing. I’m looking forward to playing that exciting brand of rugby Glasgow are known to play and adding to the squad. I’m buzzing to get across and get started.”
Darge, 21, is also sure he will fit in with the kind of game the Warriors want to play. “I’m looking forward to making the move to Glasgow,” he said. “When I spoke with Danny he talked about what he looks for in his opensides and I think I not only suit the mould but I also suit Glasgow’s style of play.
“My main motivation right now is to play as much rugby as I can and I feel that Glasgow will be the best place for me to do that. I’m grateful for the opportunity to come into a new environment, prove myself and earn my right to wear the jersey.”
The incident was found to merit a mid-range entry point, which indicates a six-week suspension
THE prospect of a rematch with Lee McGregor in front of a full house in the second half of the year still feels a remote one but Kash Farooq isn’t ruling it out entirely.
The pair’s barnstorming bout at the end of 2019 inside a raucous Emirates Arena in Glasgow now almost feels like a snapshot from a bygone era. It was congested. It was sweaty. And it was utterly absorbing.
Both men have since gone their separate ways but, like magnets, there is an attraction that keeps pulling them gradually back together again.
McGregor added
Farooq’s British title to his Commonwealth belt that night and will try, at the fourth attempt, to become European champion next month.
Farooq’s contentious points loss was disappointing but came with the sizeable consolation prize of a promotional contract with Matchroom.
Having sparkled on his delayed debut in November – picking up the WBA Continental title with a convincing performance over Angel Aviles – the Glasgow bantamweight will return to Wembley Arena for his next outing in April.
The St Andrews Sporting Club boxer knows there is little merit in trying to lay out detailed plans in the current climate.
But as the vaccination roll-out continues across the country and the threat of the virus eventually recedes, the chance for spectators to return to live sporting events grows. And what better way to celebrate a return to seminormal life than having two of Scotland’s best boxing prospects get back into the ring together in front of an appreciative and noisy crowd? Farooq would like that very much.
“I don’t want to be 33 or 34 and still boxing and lockdown has made me realise that time doesn’t wait around for anyone,” he said.
“So if there are opportunities there to move forward then you have to go for them. We could have had the rematch with Lee McGregor last year if things had gone to plan but it’s been such a strange time, with Lee still waiting for his European shot six months later.
“But things seem to be moving in the right direction with the vaccine so maybe the two of us could get back in the ring later this year.
“If I come through my fight and he comes through his then there’s a big possibility that could happen.
“Talk of the rematch never goes away and if we could do it in front of fans again that would be brilliant. If we had to box behind closed doors then I wouldn’t be too bothered. But if possible you’d love a full house for a fight like that.”
First, though, the 25 year-old must take care of immediate business. Farooq’s next opponent should be announced in the coming weeks, giving him additional focus ahead of his return to Wembley.
Farooq’s last trip there was reminiscent of scenes from the movie Coming to America given the amount of luggage he took with him.
“I really enjoyed the set-up the last time inside the arena and staying in the hotel as well,” he added. “Everything was brilliant once we arrived. But getting down there was a nightmare. I got the train with Craig [Dickson, his trainer] and then a taxi to the hotel.
“I had so much stuff with me that Craig had to help me as I had all my food with me and a microwave. And I also had my food scales and my weighing scales. It was a lot!
“I didn’t want to eat hotel food when you’re trying to make weight so I was able to make my own porridge in the hotel room.”
The Pakistan-born fighter admits he didn’t hugely enjoy the recent snowfall that covered most of the country but is looking ahead to when restrictions can recede like the worst of the winter weather.
“I’m not a big fan of the winter to be honest,” he added. “But I was out running in the snow and getting to the gym too. It was freezing and not that nice on the longer runs. But when you’re training for a fight and trying to shift weight you just have to keep going. It’s all worth it come fight night.”
Farooq acknowledges he remains lucky to still be able to do the sport he loves, with most Scottish boxers still inactive a year or longer since their last fights.
“I’m one of the fortunate ones, especially up here in Scotland. In a few years’ time I’ll be able to look back and say, “I was one of those who got to box during lockdown”.
“I think I would have struggled mentally if I had been training all this time with no fight at the end of it. So that must be really tough for all the other guys.
“There are only a few of us from up here who have been able to get on the closed doors cards so it’s about making sure I make the most of these opportunities.”
It’s been such a strange time, with Lee still waiting for his European shot six months later
WEDNESDAY marked 100 days until the start of the European Championships which is another milestone that Steve Clarke can tick off as the build-up continues.
The fact that it’s now this close to the start of the tournament definitely helps focus the mind and you start to think about all the things you need to take care of in the weeks and months ahead.
I felt at the time ahead of our appearance at the World Cup in 2019 it was starting to become a bit of a circus. There was a bit of a media frenzy, there are commercial aspects you need to consider and so many other things.
But as a manager I had to try to focus on the things that I could control. My role at the time was maybe a bit different than Steve’s as it was two-fold: to make sure my players were as best prepared as they could be heading into a major tournament but also to try to help grow the women’s game as well.
Steve won’t have to worry about that second part and that means he can focus more on the matches ahead, squad selection, looking at Scotland’s opponents and just making sure all the preparation is spot-on.
I spoke to a lot of managers who had taken a team to a tournament to get a bit of insight on how it was going to be for us.
I got an amazing letter from Craig Brown after we qualified. That was a really nice touch, especially given how few people take the time to write personalised letters these days.
He gave me a lot of tips, especially given we were going to France to compete in a World Cup just as he had done in 1998.
He mentioned trying to get the locals onside wherever we were based. So we arranged for the players (if they wanted) to learn basic French prior to the tournament.
There were a few other nuggets of information from his own personal experiences. And I was blown away that he had taken the time to do that. It was a real class act.
I also talked to some people from the women’s game to gain their perspective, and also had a chat with Michael O’Neill to learn about his experiences in taking Northern
Ireland to the Euros in 2016 – again in France.
His daughter was on one of our programmes so he got in touch to offer to meet for a coffee and that was a really nice gesture as well. All these things helped build a picture in my mind the closer we got to the tournament starting.
The toughest part for any manager at this stage of the build-up is trying to finalise your squad selection. You want to be loyal to those players who have helped you qualify while also keeping an open mind to the possibility of a form player forcing their way into contention.
I’d imagine Steve will have had to have picked a provisional list but nearer the time will need to whittle that down to 23 names. And I found that the hardest job ever.
As managers you always talk about wanting that competitive environment and having that selection headache but, I tell you what, it’s some headache!
Given it’s a first appearance at a major finals for 23 years for the guys, everyone is going to be desperate to be involved. And that will mean a lot of disappointment for some of the players who miss out.
You have an idea of who you want to go with but you’re mostly hoping that all of your key players just stay fit and healthy.
We had scouts out looking at all the games to make sure we were tracking every potential player who could have made a late run to make the squad.
And eventually we went with an experienced group with a few younger ones as well. But it was one of the hardest jobs in my entire time as Scotland manager.
I had a countdown to the first game on my phone and my other electronic devices that helped keep me organised and reminded me of what I had to do and by when.
I was across everything and was quite hands-on dealing with logistics in the build-up, and went to check out transportation, hotels, training facilities and the rest to make sure it was all up to scratch.
There’s a lot to take in ahead of a major tournament. And with the 100-day milestone now passed, it will no doubt be starting to feel very real for Steve and his players.