Supposedly a pragmatic upgrade on Postecoglou, the Dane’s relationship with fans unravelled after early cup exits and league defeats in which they showed negligible attacking threatWhen Tottenham have made managerial changes in the 21st century, they have seemingly been guided by a specific principle. The new man must represent a fresh start and so it would surely help if he were radically different to his predecessor; often the complete counterpoint.It began when Glenn Hoddle came in for George Graham in 2001 and over the ensuing years the club have bounced, for example, from Juande Ramos to Harry Redknapp to André Villas-Boas. From Mauricio Pochettino to José Mourinho. From Antonio Conte to Ange Postecoglou. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 12:18 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Madrid were sole surviving proponents of breakawayUefa statement suggests club’s legal case will be closedThe Super League project has finally died out after Uefa announced it had reached “an agreement of principles for the wellbeing of European club football” with Real Madrid and the European Football Clubs group.In a surprise statement released the day before Uefa stages its annual congress in Brussels, the governing body said all parties had agreed a way forward “respecting the principle of sporting merit with emphasis on long-term club sustainability and the enhancement of fan experience through the use of technology”. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 14:53 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

England due to play in South Africa in January 2027ODI and T20 dates clash with SA20 tournamentEngland’s two white-ball series in South Africa next year are currently in doubt amid the latest scheduling clash that pits franchise cricket against the international game.As it stands, England’s men are due to play three Tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s in South Africa next winter. The white-ball leg of this rare “full tour” to the country represents an important scouting mission for the World Cup that South Africa are co-hosting in late 2027. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 12:54 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

The winning run may be over but his Manchester United team showed fight until the end against West HamOn nights such as these it can feel as though football is choosing to remind you of its true nature. Which is, it turns out, the most gloriously perverse, slow-burn, 400‑miles‑from‑home, 10.15pm on a Tuesday, waving your arms in the air, gripped‑with‑final‑plot‑twist-ecstasy pursuit ever devised.For Manchester United’s travelling support this game must have felt like a slow-motion strangulation. Your team have had two shots on target all night. They’re 1-0 down against relegation-haunted West Ham – 95 minutes have passed. Narratives are being muddled. Arcs of hope reined in. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 00:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

New arrivals York and Toulouse see a return to a 14-team format that includes former champions Bradford BullsThirty years on from Super League’s debut night in Paris, British rugby league’s premier competition returns on Thursday evening with a bang – and if you look closely enough, there are more themes tying that inaugural season of summer rugby to the 2026 edition than separate it.Just like in 1996, this year’s season begins with a new structure and new feel. After more than a decade running as a 12-team competition, we are back to 14 this year following the elevation of debutants York Knights and the returning Toulouse Olympique, with Bradford Bulls – more on them shortly – replacing Salford Red Devils after their financial problems finally caught up with them. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 15:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Australia’s club sides can drive each other to greater heights in a year that will prove crucial ahead of the 2027 Rugby World CupThe 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season kicks off this weekend and Australia needs its four provinces to make a stirring statement ahead of the 2027 home World Cup. No local side has won the men’s competition, or even made the final, since Michael Cheika’s NSW Waratahs upset now 13-time champions the Crusaders in 2014. If the Wallabies want to conquer the world, it has got to start with beating the neighbours.The year after his Super triumph, Cheika took the Wallabies to the Rugby World Cup final (losing to New Zealand 34-17) and Rugby Australia will be praying for a repeat act in 2026. Ideally it’s the Cinderella story of Les Kiss leading the Queensland Reds to glory before he takes the reins from Joe Schmidt as Wallabies coach this July, a feat that would supercharge the Kiss era and ignite home fans before next October’s tournament. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 14:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

The advent of short-form cricket has pushed bowlers to use new weapons, among them deceptive slower deliveriesFranklyn Stephenson’s throaty chuckle rolls down the phone line. “You know the hardest thing about bowling that ball? I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw how the batsmen were trying to play it! They’d be jabbing here or ducking there, most of them were so clueless!”Since the earliest days of cricket, bowlers have bamboozled batters with deceptive changes of pace. You can picture those old tricksters now, flannelled and moustachioed, deploying an assortment of sky-high lobs and skiddy, scudding deliveries with a glint in the eye, wreaking havoc on the wealds and downs of southern England. Continue reading...

11 Feb 2026 10:51 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN