No stopping Big Sam

A SLOVAKIAN steward guarding the interview mixed zone was never going to stop Sam Allardyce going into the room without the right credentials in the euphoria after the last-gasp winner in Trnava. ‘i’m the England manager,’ said proud Sam as he breezed past the official.

While Allardyce will keep a ‘lucky’ coin given to him in Slovakia by the father of a disabled fan, the ‘ lucky’ lion mascot from Euro 2016 is marooned in the England kitman’s lock-up in Stafford.

THE CRICKETER editor Simon Hughes’s top 50 power list for his sport must be the most self-serving project conducted by the magazine. Apart from placing himself at No 39 above a miffed Mark Nicholas and Sir Ian Botham, Hughes has included BT chief Delia Bushell, who has little or no cricket involvement. Hughes has to be angling for a role in BT’s 2017-18 Ashes coverage. And with so many TV executives included, how can Hughes leave out Jeff Foulser, chairman of Sunset+Vine who dominate cricket production including Channel 5’s Test highlights involving Hughes?