Dominic Cork's hat-trick, Bielsa's bucket and Jocky Wilson's workout
1) There is even more England v West Indies at Old Trafford this week, which is a good time to remind the world about Dominic Cork’s hat-trick against the same opposition 25 years ago. Matthew Hoggard achieved the same feat in 2004 in the Caribbean. To be fair, West Indies have enjoyed the odd batting success against England over the years, too.
2) Leeds are back in the Premier League and they will be managed by Marcelo Bielsa, an “oddball, a scientist, a professor of the game” according to former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson. So, what can the Premier League expect from him? Here’s the Guardian’s Jonathan Liew with a helpful explainer.
Intense training underpins everything he does. Have a look at this session at Athletic Bilbao. His rigorous research is well known thanks to Spygate, though it’s still worth listening again to this anecdote about Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona to understand just how much detail on rival teams Bielsa absorbs. If you want to know more about Bielsa’s origins, then this animation makes pleasing viewing. If you want a Bielsa Bucket’s-eye view of watching Leeds, how about this? If you want to see him leap up after sitting on a scalding hot coffee while coaching Marseille, here you go. And if you just want to hear Bucket Man by Phat
Chants then get your ears around this.
3) Niche question: what’s your favourite long-range strike at Galatasaray in the past five years? Is it Aaron Ramsey’s arrow-like half-volley? Or how about Marcelo Saracchi’s big dipper from distance last weekend? You decide. Mind you, neither of these can match Shane Byrne’s effort from way downtown in the National League play-offs for Brackley Town. Take a bow.
4) Enable is aiming to become the first horse to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes for a third time on Saturday. Here’s how she won her first King George in 2017 … and her second in dramatic style – by a neck – last year. There’s a lovely tribute to the marvellous mare here, too.
5) Samoa’s Rugby Super Women: a documentary from 2016.
6) Inexplicably, Jocky Wilson never actually released a fitness DVD.
Our favourites from last week’s column
1) Manchester City in their early 90s heyday, including magnificent Paul Power hair.
2) Close but no cigar for Alan Wells in Moscow.
3) Do not mess with Nelson Piquet. 4) League One play-off final stonkers.
5) Damien Lillard at his best. Spotters’ badges: LeeWall, M_T_Wallet, denothemeno
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