Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame headlines a small but classy field for the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The eight-year-old was second in the Gold Cup last season and made his comeback this term in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby.
He was beaten by Mouse Morris’ Gentlemansgame in West Yorkshire but Nicholls considers him to have come on considerably for that run, as he begins to tread a path back to the Gold Cup via this contest and the King George.
“He took a large step forward for that run, he hadn’t been for a racecourse gallop or anything and I hadn’t drilled him or anything for that particular race because we knew there’d be bigger targets down the road,” Nicholls said.
“He has come on for that run enormously, he looks great and he’s feeling really good.
“He’s high class and should be the favourite really, it’s just that we were a bit negative and we weren’t sure we were going to go there.
“Bryan (Drew), who owns him, was quite keen for him to run – that’s one reason – and he has come out of that race very, very well.
“He will take a step forward for that race the other day. He’s that much older now, we’ve still got a month to Kempton and it’s a valuable race.”
The bay has been ridden in all 18 starts under rules so far by Harry Cobden, but the Ditcheat stable jockey is required to head to Ascot instead and Daryl Jacob steps in the for the ride at Haydock.
“Harry is going to Ascot to ride Pic D’Orhy, who had such a good season last year, from which I hope he’s improved further,” Nicholls said.
“The bottom line is that Harry can’t be in two places at the same time.
“When there is more than one big meeting on a Saturday, you have to plan, but you also need someone to be first reserve and Daryl has been riding out for us.”
Dan Skelton will be represented by Protektorat, the reigning Betfair Chase champion after landing the race by 11 lengths last season.
He was subsequently fourth in the Cotswold Chase and fifth in the Gold Cup and now returns for his seasonal debut with freshness on his side.
“It gives you great confidence when a horse has been there and done it because you can do what you did the year before,” the trainer said.
“We know the result we got and if he runs like he did last year, which was visually very impressive, whoever beats him will have a hard race to do so.
“OK, his form after wasn’t as sparkling but we can put that to one side at the moment because we are dealing with first time and we know what he did first time last year.
“Freshness is key with any horse. I know people want to see these horses run more but the truth of the matter is these horses have hard races in big races. It’s not the getting ready for the next race, it’s getting over the one they’ve just had.
“Of course, I’d love to run him more, like I would a lot of others, but you can’t waste runs when you think they might not be at their best. You also have to consider the idiosyncrasies of British courses.
“You want to run them on ones they will be at their best, unless you get a horse like Kauto Star who can do it on all of them and then it’s magical. We’d all love to run them more but it is hard to get them razor right.”
Lucinda Russell runs last season’s Grand National hero Corach Rambler, who makes his Grade One debut at Haydock.
After winning the Aintree marathon by two and a quarter lengths in the spring, the nine-year-old returned to action in Kelso’s Edinburgh Gin Chase in late October but was well beaten when fifth of six runners.
Russell reports her stable star to be in good form at home following the run, however, and hopes his performance in the Betfair Chase will prove instructive as to where he will head next.
The William Hill ambassador said: “Corach Rambler is in absolutely fantastic form at home and has been causing absolute mayhem around the place! He’s galloping around the farm in a very happy manner and upsetting the whole string, which is really encouraging ahead of Haydock on Saturday.
“I must admit that I do wake up in the middle of the night panicking about him because he really does mean that much to me. He’s very special and it’s a pleasure to be involved with him and be a part of his journey.
“The ground at Kelso was pretty bad and he obviously didn’t have a great run there, so the fact it will be better on Saturday is a real bonus.
“We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be a big challenge against some proper Gold Cup contenders, but I think he’s earned his chance to prove that he’s up to this sort of standard and we’re really looking forward to it.
“It will tell us where we stand with him and whether the Gold Cup is a realistic aim.”
Completing the field of four is Venetia Williams’ Royale Pagaille, second in the contest behind A Plus Tard in 2021.
The nine-year-old has a notably good Haydock record, as three further runs at the track have all ended in victory, though he was a faller in the Irish Grand National when last seen in April and looks to return to form at his favoured track.
Joe Chambers, racing manager to owners Rich and Susannah Ricci, said: “Royale Pagaille loves it at Haydock and with the ground in his favour and a small field, we thought it would be best to kick off his season there on Saturday, rather than going to Newbury the following week.
“He is three out of four at Haydock, with his only defeat coming when second in the Betfair Chase two years ago to A Plus Tard.
“I’d say this season it would be lovely to win a third Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock (in January) with him. What happens either side of that is still to be decided.”
Defender Alejandro Balde is confident Barcelona can end their Rayo Vallecano “curse” on Saturday.
The reigning LaLiga champions have not beaten Rayo in four attempts and will hope to put the record straight when they head for the Estadio de Vallecas this weekend.
Balde told the club’s official website: “This is an important match for the team. We haven’t beaten Rayo Vallecano for two years and I think a win on Saturday will break the curse of not winning.
“The start of the season was good. We are in third place in the league and we are already close to qualifying for [the knockout stage of] the Champions League.
“We are four points away from the top, but the season is still long and anything can happen.”
Three of those four winless games against Rayo have come since Xavi replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm in November 2021.
Barca go into the game having lost two of their last four in all competitions, a 2-1 El Clasico defeat by Real Madrid and a shock 1-0 Champions League reverse at Shakhtar Donetsk, but lying third in the table two points behind Real and four adrift of leaders Girona.
However, they do so having lost the services of 19-year-old midfield star Gavi, who is not expected to play again this season after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage on international duty with Spain.
Frenkie De Jong is closing in on a return from an ankle injury which has sidelined him since the end of September, while keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is a doubt.
Asked about Gavi, Balde said: “I send him a lot of support. It is a very difficult and long injury, and the most important thing is for him to be patient because he must recover well because the team will need him.
“We are losing a great player, a key player in the team, we are losing his ferocity.”
View this post on Instagram
Rayo, who have won only one of their last eight league games, but drawn six of them, complete a run of fixtures against the top three which has seen them draw 0-0 at Real Madrid before losing 2-1 at home to Girona despite taking an early lead.
Manager Francisco told a press conference: “We respect our rival a lot. They are one of the best in Europe and the world.
“We have to do what we have been doing, be brave and try to take advantage of the moments we have.”
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has urged his side to remain “consistent” ahead of their meeting with Fiorentina on Saturday.
Following the conclusion of the international break, Serie A action resumes with Milan hoping to return to winning ways at the San Siro.
Despite their good start to the season, Milan have not won a league game since the beginning of October and are now third in the table following two losses and two draws in their last four Serie A matches.
View this post on Instagram
Those last four matches have seen Milan’s opponents rally in the second half to snatch wins or come from behind to earn a draw, but Pioli has called on his team to achieve consistency throughout games.
He told a press conference: “I have many responsibilities, I remain focused on trying to always do better together with the club. So far, we haven’t achieved what we should have, but we’ve taken responsibility.
“The team are working well and are united, but we can do better. We’re only thinking about tomorrow’s game. For four consecutive matches, our second-half performances have cost us.
“Our concentration levels mustn’t drop, and we need to be consistent throughout the game. We haven’t lost our spirit.
“Words are meaningless and facts do the talking. We’ve analysed our mistakes and mustn’t repeat them. We have to perform at a high level for 90 minutes. We need to show that we’re a competitive side.
“Fiorentina have always caused us problems, and we’ll need to be compact, determined and decisive. They play attacking football, get a lot of men forward and are certainly a difficult side to face.”
Milan have been handed a boost with Christian Pulisic, Davide Calabria and Ruben Loftus-Cheek available for Saturday’s clash, but they will still be without Simon Kjaer, Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor.
Pioli also confirmed that 15-year-old forward Francesco Camarda has been training with the squad and could be used in future games if needed.
“I think talent is ageless, Francesco is talented. Sometimes, destiny creates certain opportunities, and both we and him need to remain calm,” Piolo added.
“He’s a very young lad but also very mature character-wise, and he’s ready to give us a hand if needed.
“Whether he’s used will depend on many factors, but he’s trained well with us in the past few days. I’m sure he has a great future ahead of him.”
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will not be fit to be involved in Chelsea’s visit to Newcastle on Saturday.
There had been hopes that the £52million summer signing from RB Leipzig would have sufficiently recovered from the knee injury he sustained on the pre-season tout of the United States to play a part at St James’ Park.
But, despite being fit enough to have taken part in training with the first team, the 26-year-old has not worked tactically with the squad and will not travel.
Chelsea struggled without the France international in Pochettino’s first Premier League games in charge, with the goalscoring problems that he had been acquired to help solve carrying over from a tumultuous campaign last season during which the team scored fewer league goals than they had in almost a century.
Those issues have become less urgent in recent weeks, with four goals scored on three separate occasions against Burnley, Tottenham and Manchester City.
By contrast, the team had not previously scored four times in a game since April 2022.
“(Nkunku) was doing things with the group last week,” said Pochettino. “But he’s not fully recovered to be part of the squad.
“He’s a fantastic player, top scorer in the Bundesliga last season. He can play different positions, his quality is amazing. It’s really bad luck to lose him from the beginning of the season.
“We’re going to find the best way for him to fit in the team. He’s going to find massive competition. His team-mates are ahead of him, they’ve had four months of competition. He needs to build his form and be at his best level.
“We need to understand he’s coming back from injury, he will need time. We will be patient with him.
“It’s not a competition (the Premier League) that he’s normally used to. He came from Europe, he needs to recover from injury but also to know the league. It’ll take time to perform at his best.”
Pochettino confirmed that Romeo Lavia, signed in the last week of the transfer window from Southampton for £53m, is also nearing fitness but is slightly behind the progress made by Nkunku.
Wesley Fofana has trained on grass at Cobham as he continues his rehabilitation from an ACL injury, though is unlikely to be available before the new year.
Chelsea had come into form prior to the international break with five wins from eight in all competitions, a run which saw them score 19 times having previously netted only seven in their first seven under Pochettino.
The manager is hopeful that the pause will not have disrupted his side’s rhythm ahead of their visit to face Eddie Howe’s side.
“The break came at a bad time,” he said. “It came in a moment we were building a way to play, results were on our side. But I believe we can keep momentum even after two weeks with no competition.”
Pochettino added that the squad has held group discussions about why performances and results have been better this season against the stronger teams – draws with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and victory over Spurs – while there have been home losses to Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
“It’s part of the process,” he said. “We’re a young team, we started to work four months ago. We need to be more mature, more patient. We cannot get frustrated so soon when things don’t work.
“Expectation creates nervousness when you play a team with less quality than you. You take rushed decisions, get frustrated. You want to do the job of your team-mate.”
The Premier League returns on Saturday lunchtime as league leaders Manchester City host second-placed Liverpool.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp joked that he loves playing at 12:30 in Friday’s press conference, but he has been a long-time critic of the slot and expressed his frustration again before the international break.
Here, the PA news agency looks at Liverpool’s record in early kick-offs under Klopp.
Early birds
The clash against Manchester City will be Liverpool’s 42nd Saturday lunchtime kick-off since the German arrived on Merseyside in October 2015, which is the most of any Premier League club in that time.
City and Tottenham will have both played 38, ahead of Manchester United (33) and Chelsea (31).
Klopp has overseen a total of 20 wins, 13 draws and eight defeats in the early Saturday slot, which equates to 1.78 points per game.
That represents the second-best record among ‘big six’ clubs, behind City (2.24), but is well below his average return across all other kick-off times (2.16).
Liverpool’s performances in Saturday lunchtime games have been indicative of their title prospects in recent years, with the Reds having won all 12 of such matches in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22 – seasons in which they lifted the title or finished within a point of Pep Guardiola’s City.
In contrast, Klopp’s men won just one of five 12:30 kick-offs in 2020-21 – when they barely made it into the top four – and none of six on the way to finishing fifth last season.
Jet lag
Fourteen of Liverpool’s 42 Saturday lunchtime kick-offs under Klopp have come immediately after an international break, including three in three already this season.
That is more than twice as many as any other club, with Tottenham and Chelsea having done so six times since October 2015, ahead of the Manchester clubs on five apiece.
The Reds’ squad contains four South American internationals who all featured in continental qualifiers in midweek before making the return trip to the north-west.
Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson Becker faced each other in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Brazil, while Darwin Nunez scored twice for Uruguay against Bolivia and Luis Diaz played for Colombia against Paraguay.
Despite his unhappiness with the schedule, Klopp has a good record in lunchtime fixtures following an international hiatus.
Fittingly, his reign began with a post-international 12:45 kick-off against Spurs, which ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
He has since recorded eight wins – including victories over Wolves and Everton this term – two draws and two defeats in 12 subsequent games.
However, both losses came at the hands of Saturday’s opponents City, with Guardiola’s side recording 5-0 and 4-1 thrashings in 2017-18 and 2022-23 respectively.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes his side can reap additional benefit from having Alexis Mac Allister as a makeshift holding midfielder.
The Reds boss was dismissive of the suggestion the Argentina international, who usually plays further forward, faces the biggest test of his adaptation into a new role at Manchester City on Saturday.
Mac Allister, who joined for £35million from Brighton, has coped well so far filling a hole in a newly-formed midfield with fellow summer signing Wataru Endo, a genuine number six, only entrusted with two Premier League starts, but the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola’s side on their own turf is an entirely different prospect.
The 24-year-old’s poorest performances in the role have come away from home – at Wolves, where he was replaced at half-time after returning from international duty in South America, Newcastle and his former club – but that is not a concern for Klopp at this moment in time.
When asked whether this will Mac Allister’s biggest test, Klopp replied “No.
“I understand that from the outside world it is always about how is a player in this position. but in the end it is all about how the whole team is set up.
“Is Macca a natural-born six? No. Did football develop in the last years in directions we couldn’t imagine before? Yes. Does that mean that a player like Macca can play the six. Definitely.
“It depends on how the whole team defends. Easy as that. If we do that properly then we have an incredible player in a central position who can find passes, a forward-thinking player.
“Do you want a player there who is just knocking players down and when we are in possession he thinks ‘not my job, give me a break’?
“I like him there a lot to be honest and we as a team can benefit a lot from it if we make sure we have a really compact formation and that’s what we especially need tomorrow.”
The top-of-the-table clash is being billed as the biggest game of the season as Klopp’s side have emerged from a summer midfield rebuild to become City’s main challengers, sitting just a point behind the leaders despite their fifth-place finish in May.
But the Liverpool manager insists it should not be used to gauge comparisons with the Premier League champions.
“It is not a test how close can we get to City, it is just a super-exciting football game,” he added.
“But for us it is not about being excited, we have to prepare it properly and we know we have to be at our best to get a chance. We have that then it is about us to take it.
“A lot of things can happen: can we play bad, lose? Possible. Can we play bad and win? I would say it is unlikely, it’s pretty much not possible against City. We can play very good and don’t win, it’s possible. We play very good and win.
“This team doesn’t have to pass a test now, the direction we are going – up – is really the right one, that is obvious.
“Toulouse (a 4-3 Europa League defeat) we were not good there. I made a lot of changes so it goes on my responsibility, but still no good. Against Luton (a 1-1 draw), we were not good and if we had won the game, we were not good that night.
“But in a lot of games this season we were good and deserved what we we got.”
Jonny Hayes believes Aberdeen can take inspiration from last season as they bid to belatedly spark their cinch Premiership campaign into life.
The Dons are currently ninth in the table with just three wins from their 11 games as they adapt to juggling the demands of domestic matters with competing in the Europa Conference League.
However, Hayes is not alarmed by their current predicament as he recalls how they ended up finishing third last term – despite being seventh in early February following a poor run that cost previous boss Jim Goodwin his job.
“There’s still a long time,” said the veteran wide player. “If you look at last season, we can take confidence from that.
“We weren’t in a great place around January time, we slipped down the league, but we still managed to come good and put a run together.
“Regardless of where we are in November, we know if we hit a bit of form and put a run together we can still compete and qualify for Europe next season.”
The Dons host Rangers on Sunday – three weeks prior to their Hampden rematch in the Viaplay Cup final – but Hayes is adamant they are not feeling any extra pressure as a result of their poor start to the league campaign.
Despite being ninth, and having lost their last match 6-0 away to Celtic, they are still within seven points of third-placed St Mirren.
“I think if you get towards March-April time, you want to make sure you’re at the right end of the table, but there’s still a long way to go,” he said.
“You want to win every game, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think we’re getting overly concerned with league positions considering how tight it is. If you’re playing in cup competitions and Europe, and the league is tight it can be of benefit because you know you’re not going to lose too much ground.
“But regardless of whether you’re first or ninth, you’re going out to try and win every game no matter who you’re playing.
“You look more at the league table towards the end of the season, that’s when you’re maybe under a bit more pressure to win games to survive, qualify for Europe or win the league, whatever it may be that you’re trying to do.”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists he would stay at the club even if they were relegated to League One should they be found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.
City’s fate has been brought back into focus following Everton’s 10-point deduction last week, but Guardiola insists the two cases are completely separate.
The Toffees were docked 10 points for breaching rules over a three-year period, while City are awaiting a ruling after being charged in February with more than 100 alleged breaches of the competition’s financial fair play regulations between 2009 and 2018. The club denies all the charges.
Asked whether there could be any severity of punishment which would make him consider his position, Guardiola replied: “It’s a good question. I will answer when I have the sentence.
“You are questioning like we have been punished. And in the moment we are innocent until guilt is proven. I know the people want it. I know, I feel it. I will wait.
“Wait and see it and after the sentence has been done we will come here and explain it. But absolutely I will not consider my future (if) it depends (on) being here or being in League One. Absolutely.
“There is more chance to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League.”
Guardiola claims people have already decided that City are guilty and are already clamouring for them to be relegated, especially after the severity of Everton’s punishment.
“I know when people are saying, ‘OK, City, why don’t they go to the Conference?’ Wait. Wait,” he said.
“And after what’s going to happen is going to happen.
“When you read [what is said] then we should be relegated, relegated, relegated, yeah, of course, but nobody knows exactly. All the people who say that didn’t read the statements, don’t know exactly what happened. Not even myself, I didn’t read all the breaches, I didn’t read our defence.
“But wait. What I said a month ago – OK, if we’ve done something wrong we’ll be punished. But wait – we can defend ourselves can’t we?
“What people accuse us of we do not agree with what they say, we are going to defend [ourselves] and after the resolution is done, I will be here, like a spokesman for my club.
“I want to say the case for Everton, and I don’t know what happened, but only I know from the lawyers and people at my club and the lawyers is that they are completely different cases. That’s why you cannot compare because every case is completely different.
“The other one is longer because it is more complicated because it’s 115 breaches. So wait. Then after with the lawyers from both sides present their cases in front of the judge and the verdict and after I will say in front of you and you can ask me the question.”
The topic overshadowed the build-up to one of the blockbusting Premier League fixtures as City welcome rivals Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.
Guardiola hopes that Erling Haaland is fit after he withdrew from international duty with Norway with an injury, but there are several other injury concerns.
“He trained yesterday with some niggles, today we train and hope he can be part of it,” Guardiola said.
“We have a few problems like many clubs, we’ll see after our last training sessions, we’ll see.
“I will know at 6pm who we have available, it’s always plan A.”
Equinox gets the chance to cement his status as the best horse in the world in Sunday’s Japan Cup.
On a five-race Group One winning streak, the four-year-old has established superstar status in his racing-mad homeland.
His easy victory over Westover, one of the best middle-distance horses in Europe, when they met in Dubai means racing fans worldwide are well aware of his greatness.
However, that comes at a cost to his trainer Tetsuya Kimura, who has admitted to feeling the pressure before every run.
“I’m relieved that he’s done all of his training as expected,” said Kimura through a translator to Racing.com.
“We have many Grade One winners in Japan Cup, so while I know he’s a good chance of winning the Japan Cup, I know that it won’t be easy to accomplish.
“I have the full respect for all the Japanese horses who have achieved great things in Japanese history.
“In recent times in Japan, there haven’t been many horses that have won Grade One races continuously like Equinox has, so I think that achievement is really tremendous.
“But honestly, I’m not very good at handling the pressure. When Equinox is at my stable and his next race is approaching, I get so nervous.
“At the same time, I understand that Equinox is supported by many fans in Japan and also around the world, so I feel lucky to be associated with him.
“I keep receiving letters and pictures from elementary school and middle-school students and I feel his greatness in that way.”
It will not be easy for Equinox, however, as Liberty Island lies in wait, the champion filly who herself is chasing a fifth Group One win on the bounce.
Her trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida told the Japan Racing Association: “Last week’s fast work was to let off steam, check her movement and breathing, but it wasn’t a very hard workout.
“This week, I asked the jockey (Yuga Kawada) to ride. She looked good and the jockey got a feel for her, pushed her hard in the final stage and she quickened nicely. The time was good, too.
“I think she’s one level better than she was for the Shuka Sho. Her muscle tone is better, her mood is good. The Shuka Sho draw was difficult, but the jockey did a great job of guiding her. After seeing that race, I decided to come here.
“She is familiar with the venue and the Tokyo 2,400 metres from her Japanese Oaks run, but she’ll be up against older horses for the first time. She is still maturing and she is still weak in areas and somewhat mentally immature.
“The way the race will unfold, the draw, the position she’ll race in, will all be factors in how well she’ll do. She’s three years old and this will be her first time up against older horses. The 4kg allowance is a big help, and I hope that she uses it to her advantage.”
Iresine, the Prix Ganay winner, is the sole European contender after Aidan O’Brien’s St Leger winner Continuous was ruled out through injury.
Hollie Doyle rides last year’s winner Vela Azul with Ryan Moore sidelined, while Doyle’s husband Tom Marquand is on Studley and William Buick partners Stars On Earth.
Everton boss Sean Dyche has expressed shock at the “disproportionate” 10-point penalty imposed on the club but insisted he and his players are ready to take on the latest challenge put in front of them.
Dyche was trying to enjoy a short break during the international window when he got word of the unprecedented sanction handed down by an independent commission for breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules – a penalty that Everton will appeal against.
Speaking publicly for the first time on the matter, Dyche said: “I think like everyone, certainly in these parts, I was shocked and seemingly from the wave of noise after that, most people in football are shocked by the enormity of it.
“Disproportionate is a word used by the club. Obviously we feel a bit aggrieved by that, but on the other hand it doesn’t change the focus. The focus since I got there is sorting things out on the pitch, getting the team to win.
“I think we were on the right lines, delivering strong performances. This has just given us a push backwards to come forwards again. The job hasn’t changed. It’s just made it more difficult under the current circumstances until the appeal…
“I don’t know every inch of the past, I don’t know why the commission have come out with what they have but I certainly believe in what the club put forward. It feels disproportionate, it feels unjust and plenty of voices out there feel the same.
“What is done is done for now, appeal pending, and we have to get on with it.”
Everton fans have hit out at the penalty, and have raised more than £40,000 to fund protests against the Premier League. A demonstration was due to take in London on Friday outside the league offices, while a plane carrying a banner will fly over Manchester City’s match against Liverpool on Saturday.
On Sunday, when Everton’s game against United will be televised, home fans will be asked to hold up red cards which call the Premier League “corrupt”.
Everton had been showing encouraging signs before the penalty, winning six out of nine in all competitions to climb up the table, but have now dropped to second bottom – level on four points with basement boys Burnley ahead of Sunday’s match against Manchester United.
“I spoke to the group and said, ‘Look, the league table is one thing but I don’t change my story very often and I believe the final league table is the truth of the season, and I’m not going to change now’,” Dyche added.
“For sure, it changes the viewpoint but it doesn’t change what we’re doing. In fact it enhances what we’re doing. We need to go harder, stronger. This is what it is. It’s been about refocus as much as anything.”
The penalty has raised all manner of questions at Everton, with suggestions that rival clubs may now pursue compensation claims potentially impacting the proposed takeover by 777 Partners.
On the pitch, there was a sense of optimism that after two seasons fighting relegation things were looking up but – for now at least – they are back in the bottom three.
Dyche said that did not concern him in the immediate term, but there was clear frustration from the boss that off-pitch dramas are once again dominating the agenda at Goodison Park.
“You have to take away the noise,” he said. “I’ve had to do it endlessly since I’ve been here, keep pushing away the noise around this football club.
“Bizarrely, we were talking about it before – the last press conference before (Crystal) Palace was one of the first ones that was just about football. And lo and behold while I was away we get a 10-point deficit. So what do you do? You just keep taking it on.”
Nick Montgomery expressed “pride” in Jair Tavares over the way the Portuguese winger has seized his second chance at Hibernian after being frozen out under previous boss Lee Johnson.
The 22-year-old spoke this week of the “mental devastation” he endured over his lack of game time following his move to the cinch Premiership club from Benfica in the summer of 2022.
Tavares made just nine appearances for Johnson last term and featured only twice this calendar year – both times as a late sub – before the Englishman was sacked in late August.
However, the winger has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence since Montgomery’s appointment in September, featuring in nine of the current manager’s 11 games in charge and starting each of the last five.
“Jair is a great example of a young player moving to a club and things not going as planned,” said Montgomery. “No doubt he’s had some tough times but the first thing I said to him when I came in was ‘you have to forget the past, you can’t have a victim mentality because if you do, it’s really hard to pick yourself up’.
“I think he’s been growing week by week with his confidence and I’ve been really proud of Jair.
“I think now people are really starting to see the ability he has. He’s a real team player, he’s working his socks off, and he’s been outstanding ever since he came back into the team.
“He’s a great story for any player, young or old, who is thinking their career at a club is finished. A change of manager or whatever it may be, and all of a sudden you get an opportunity and you have to grab it with both hands. I think he’s done that.”
Tavares had not kicked a competitive ball this term before Montgomery put him on as a sub in his first game in charge away to Kilmarnock. Asked why he felt compelled to give the winger a chance, the manager said: “I came in with an open mind to see what the players did in training, knowing their situations before I came in but not having any bias over that.
“Jair’s effort in training has always been very good. I think it was clear at the start he was lacking a bit of confidence and belief and a clear instruction of what was needed from him in the team.
“But he’s really receptive, an intelligent footballer and a real hard worker, and I think you can see he’s getting better all the time.
“I think he’s got a lot more to come. He’s got a lot to improve on but when you don’t play for a long time, sometimes it takes a couple of games to get that game awareness and full confidence. Right now he’s on an upward trajectory and we all hope that continues.”
Hibs head to Dundee on Sunday looking to leapfrog their hosts and climb into the top six after an inconsistent start to the season. Asked about his plans for the January transfer window, Montgomery said: “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We are always on the lookout for potential future Hibs players, whether that’s in January or the summer.
“That’s something we monitor on a weekly basis. Right now, I’ve no idea what’s going to happen over December. We’ve got a couple of players coming back from injury and we’re hoping in January-February we’ll have a few more back in full training, Chris Cadden, Harry McKirdy and Jake Doyle-Hayes, so we have got players on the horizon coming back to full fitness.
“They will be like new signings if we can get them back on the park.”
State Man will take the first step on the path back to the Champion Hurdle when he defends his Unibet Morgiana Hurdle title at Punchestown on Saturday.
The two-mile Grade One has been dominated by his trainer Willie Mullins, who has won the race 12 times in total and in every year barring 2020 since Thousand Stars struck in 2011.
Hurricane Fly won this three times, and now State Man has the chance to join the list of Closutton champions to score twice in the Saturday feature of Punchestown’s Winter Festival, joining the likes of Nichols Canyon and Sharjah.
A winner of seven of his 10 career starts, State Man ran out a decisive four-length scorer 12 months ago before claiming a further three Grade One contests on home soil, during a campaign which also included a second to Constitution Hill at Cheltenham, and connections are confident he can once again cement his position as Ireland’s leading two-mile hurdler.
“State Man had a brilliant season last year apart from running into Constitution Hill,” said State Man’s jockey Paul Townend, who is searching for his fourth win in the race and will also partner Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan on Sunday.
“Hopefully we can get on the board in the Grade One races and look forward to the rest of the winter after that.”
Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father, added: “It’s obviously a fascinating race and often has a small field with two or three good horses.
“Hurricane Fly won it plenty and State Man won it last year. He made the running last year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has to make it again, but it doesn’t bother him, he’s well able to jump and well able to make his own running.
“He should be up to winning it and on ratings he is well clear of Pied Piper and Echoes In Rain. He worked very well at the Curragh on Tuesday and it’s an ideal place to start the season.”
Joining State Man in the line-up is Closutton stablemate Echoes In Rain, who has been kept busy on the Flat since scoring at the track in the spring, while Gordon Elliott is responsible for the other two contenders, Pied Piper and Fils D’oudairies.
The former arrives fighting fit after being touched off in the Cesarewitch and Joey Logan, racing manager for owners Caldwell Construction Ltd, is hopeful he will get his moment in the spotlight following some narrow reversals at the biggest meetings in both codes.
He said: “He worked on Wednesday and we were very happy with him. Obviously it is a very tough race with State Man and Willie’s other horse is in it.
“He’s had a run in Newmarket and hopefully it can prepare him for his jumping season.
“He’s in a tough position and he’s been quite an unlucky horse. He was beaten a nose at Cheltenham (County Hurdle), dead-heated at Aintree (as a novice), got no luck at Royal Ascot and was touched off at Newmarket (in the Cesarewitch). There are not too many horses that can do what he’s after doing.”
Elsewhere on the card, dual Stayers’ Hurdle winner Flooring Porter runs right-handed for the first time in over two and a a half years in the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase.
Gavin Cromwell’s Cheltenham Festival hero made a seamless switch to the larger obstacles at Prestbury Park last month and his achievements over timber set the standard in a Grade Two with a deep appearance.
“He is an older and wiser horse and a little bit more manageable nowadays so we’ll give it a go,” said Cromwell of Flooring Porter’s return to Punchestown’s right-handed set-up.
“It is a good big, galloping track so hopefully he’ll be OK. He has really taken to chasing and loves it. He has plenty of scope for a horse that is not very big and hopefully the future is bright for him.”
Noel Meade’s Affordale Fury accounted for Favori De Champdou when they met at Galway on their respective chasing bows and the Albert Bartlett runner-up is another high-class operator in the field, as is Sandor Clegane, who was a place behind Affordale Fury at the Festival in March.
Paul Nolan’s six-year-old bumped into some useful looking rivals when making his fences debut over two miles and his handler is eager to see a clean round of jumping as he returns to a more appropriate staying trip.
“It is a very, very good race and even though it is over the three miles, with Flooring Porter in it, it is going to be a truly-run race,” said Nolan.
“He’s going to have to jump very well and he’s still a maiden going into it. They have all had one or maximum of two runs over fences so we’re just hoping that he will jump well and he will come out of the race giving us nice plans to make for the future.
“We had an official mark of 141 (over hurdles) and Flooring Porter is 156. He’s spent extra years over hurdles and is a multiple Stayers’ Hurdle winner. He’s not the only good horse in it and it’s a decent race, but I think our lad is a three-miler and I just hope he will jump well.”
Kevin Sinfield has stressed there is no time to waste as he prepares to embark on his latest “crackers” fundraising quest in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease next week.
The former Leeds Rhinos star, who will set off another series of seven back-to-back ultra-marathons from Headingley Stadium on December 1, remains frustrated by a perceived lack of urgency on behalf of the Government to fulfill a pledge to commit £50million to fighting the disease.
The 43-year-old Sinfield and his team have raised over £8m from a number of endurance events which started with their first ‘7 in 7 challenge’ in 2020.
Sinfield said: “It’s really important that the money is released as promised and used in the best possible way so that we can find a cure.
“People with Motor Neurone Disease don’t have time to wait. We all want things done now, we all want change now, we all want our great scientists across the UK to work together to find a cure, so there is some frustration.
“We know the statistics from diagnosis are that 50 per cent die within the first two years. People with MND don’t have time on their hands, so we’ve got to shift this quickly. As we saw with Covid, if you throw money at something you can get a cure.”
“(Rob) thinks I’m crackers but he fully gets it. He’s with us 100% in spirit, and he’ll be there at the start and the finish. He’s such an inspirational friend and I’m delighted to be doing it again.”
Sinfield admits he will embarking on his latest quest a little “under-cooked” due to the tight turn-around following his return from France where he was working as a defensive coach for England’s rugby union World Cup squad.
Having insisted prior to a similar epic challenge last year that his running days would soon be a thing of the past, he revealed his ex-team-mate, good friend and inspiration, MND sufferer Rob Burrow, described him as “crackers” for resolving to put himself through it once again.
But Sinfield, whose route this year will include trips to Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff and Edinburgh, as well as Dublin for the first time, said he never considered hanging up his running shoes while a cure remains out of reach.
“There are 100,000 reasons why we shouldn’t go again but there is one big reason why we should and that is to continue representing this beautiful community,” added Sinfield.
“The messages, the emails, the face to face meetings – on average three times a day someone will stop me and tell me someone they know has got MND or has passed, and they want us to keep going.
“The awareness is crucial and will make such a difference to finding a cure for this disease. It’s shown me why I’m here on this earth, and that’s to try and help. I don’t think there’s a greater gift.
“(Rob) thinks I’m crackers but he fully gets it. He’s with us 100 per cent in spirit, and he’ll be there at the start and the finish. He’s such an inspirational friend and I’m delighted to be doing it again.”
Following his first quest of seven marathons in seven days in 2020, Sinfield ran 101 miles in under 24 hours from Welford Road in Leicester to Headingley in 2021. Last year’s challenge ended on the pitch at half-time during the men’s World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand at Old Trafford.
The Government has been approached for comment about Sinfield’s concerns.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc edged out Lando Norris in practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which was red-flagged on two occasions.
A combined 30-minute delay wiped out half of the one-hour session after Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg both crashed out.
Leclerc saw off Norris by just 0.043 seconds, with Max Verstappen third, 0.173 sec off the pace. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth and eighth respectively for Mercedes.
A week after he smashed into a loose drain cover in Las Vegas, Sainz was in the wars again, but on this occasion it was through driver error.
Sainz – who appeared to be put off by another car arriving from the pits – lost control of his machine through turn three and ended up in the barrier.
Although the Spaniard was unharmed in the high-speed smash – with the running just eight-and-a-half minutes old – he sustained significant damage to his car; with the sidepods, floor, rear suspension and front wing of his Ferrari all destroyed.
Sainz’s impact also left the barrier in a mess and a 22-minute delay ensued as the tyre wall was repaired.
But only moments after the running re-started, the red flag was out again – this time after Nico Hulkenberg crashed on the exit of turn one.
On cold tyres, the German was too hasty on the throttle, sliding into the barrier before stopping in his wounded machine.
The stoppages arrived as a blow to half the grid who sat out the opening session as 10 rookie drivers were blooded at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Mercedes are looking to hang on to second in the constructors’ championship and are only four points ahead of Ferrari with one race to go.
And the troubled team will be alarmed by Leclerc’s speed as the Monegasque, on pole position in Las Vegas, topped the order.
Russell finished three tenths adrift of Leclerc while Hamilton, who made way for the team’s Danish junior driver Frederik Vesti in the opening running, was half-a-second back.
Mercedes’ sluggish pace also leaves the grid’s once-dominant team facing up to a winless season – their first since 2011.
In the day’s first running, British drivers Zak O’Sullivan, 18, and Jake Dennis, 28, made their Formula One weekend debuts for Williams and Red Bull respectively.
Ollie Bearman, 18, who in Mexico became the youngest British debutant at a Grand Prix, was handed his second practice appearance by Haas.
Dennis, in Verstappen’s Red Bull machine which Hamilton has described as the fastest ever seen in F1, finished 16th of the 20 runners, 1.1 sec off the pace.
O’Sullivan was 18th – seven tenths behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant – with Bearman 20th and last, albeit only a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen in the other Haas.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
