On day one in the job, as Chris Davies surveyed St Andrew’s for the first time last summer, the Birmingham City manager was struck by a damning statistic courtesy of the club historian, Malcolm McHenry: no league side had lost more matches across the previous five seasons. Birmingham were relegated to League One a month … Read more
If it can weather some challenges, AI can supercharge forecasting
Simone Biles says she is unsure whether she will compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The 28-year-old says she has other priorities, and is mindful of the demands her sport puts on her body at an age when most elite gymnasts have long since retired. Biles will be 31 when the LA Olympics … Read more
In the tussle for a Champions League berth Matheus Nunes’s added-time winner sent Manchester City delirious, shattered Aston Villa, and disappointed Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Chelsea in the race for the top five. Jérémy Doku’s slicing cross from the left was hammered in by the right-back and at the final whistle City contemplated their … Read more
Ball one: oh, Mr Porter! In a round short on thrills, there was a sensational fourth morning at Chelmsford, where Worcestershire’s Ethan Brookes and Essex’s Jamie Porter were both cast in the role of a hero who wasn’t quite – for different reasons. It started innocuously enough with the assumption that Paul Walter’s century, supplemented … Read more
Mikel Arteta will not shy away from selecting key Arsenal personnel to face Crystal Palace on Wednesday in their final game before next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg even though his team are playing for little beyond pride. The meagre prize on offer is delaying Liverpool’s title celebrations but the manager denied he could … Read more
Serie A has postponed Saturday’s three fixtures due to Pope Francis’ funeral being held that day in Rome. Meanwhile, Italy’s Women’s Six Nations match against Wales is also set to be rescheduled as the country prepares to pay its respects. Earlier media reports in Italy had suggested that Serie A might make an exception for … Read more
Chris Eubank Jr sits in his hotel room, locked in the extremes of a savage weight cut. Boiling down in weight gets even harder at the age of 35 but the words still flow freely. Eubank Jr can produce intelligent insights as easily as he churns out typical bombast and so he has no difficulty … Read more
Ronnie O’Sullivan had to settle for a single-frame overnight advantage as the opening session of his World Snooker Championship first-round clash against his old foe Ali Carter failed to live up to its pre-match hype. The seven-time champion, returning to the tour for the first time since dumping his cue after losing a Championship League … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Preamble The race for a top-five finish is heating up … … so this is a big one. Ostensibly this is too close to call, with Manchester City coming back into form (four wins in five) and Aston Villa very much … Read more