Everton manager Sean Dyche is grateful for the clarity their successful appeal against a 10-point deduction has brought and insists they will take on the rest of the season “with an open mind”.
The long wait for a decision on the punishment for breaching profitability and sustainability rules was ended this week when the penalty was reduced to six points, lifting the club out of the relegation zone.
There is another case still pending for a breach on the latest set of accounts – and the long-running takeover sage by 777 Partners is still dragging on – but for now Dyche is looking to capitalise on the boost it has provided.
“We’re pleased we have got something back, obviously,” he said.
“You are always greedy and want more and more but the points the club put forward have been listened to and we have got the four points back.
“We will take that and now it brings clarity to the situation, which is good for us and the players but good for all actually.
“We’ve certainly parked that now because it’s become a fact; a line has been drawn under it and the players are clear on it.
“We take on the rest of the season with an open mind.”
Dyche admits the long delay in receiving a verdict had started to play on the players’ minds but praised their ability to remain focused.
And he said the takeover issue would not affect them at all.
“It does start to creep in eventually. To be fair to these players, it took a long time for that to happen,” he said.
“We were all waiting, the noise gets bigger and bigger – ‘when’s it coming?’ – and the players hear all that and I thought they have stayed pretty steadfast in performance levels.
“The league table looks different and now it is about using that wisely and stepping on.
“They (the players) are not worried about takeovers, that is miles above what you do on the football pitch.
“I think the points tally and the idea of the appeal was a much different situation.”
Andrew Gilding’s UK Open trophy still takes pride of place in his living room and serves as motivation as he prepares to defend his title this weekend.
Gilding stunned Michael Van Gerwen in last year’s final at Minehead Butlin’s to claim a first major title and pocket a life-changing £110,000 prize.
It remains the highlight of his career and he is not going to forget it, with the silverware still decorating his house.
“It was literally a dream come true, all through the week I was just playing my game, not feeling particularly confident about it,” he said.
“To make it all the way to the end was great and get that title, it was a dream come true. It is still quite unreal, they will never take that away from me. The trophy is still in the living room and I still look at it every now and again.”
Gilding was unable to kick on in the wake of his Minehead success last year and admits every tournament is a lottery as to how he will play.
“I don’t know if I will ever feel part of the elite,” he added.
“I never know how I am going to play. I do my preparation, turn up and hope for the best. It will be a new experience for me. Minehead seems to be the place I am most likely to do my best.”
One man who is very much part of the elite is Luke Humphries, who is aiming to win a fourth successive major ranking title.
‘Coolhand’ soared to the top of the rankings at the end of last year after winning the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship before capping it all off by becoming world champion at Alexandra Palace.
Now he wants to get his hands on more silverware.
“It’s another milestone, if you are going on ranking majors I have won the last three,” he said.
“That is a trend I want to keep going, the last time I was at Minehead I won it so it would be nice to do the double. If I keep playing the way I’m playing I’m hopeful. I would love to add it to my honours list.
“It’s one of the hardest to win, you can go through the whole draw playing the best players in the world and others can play the lower ranked players. It’s a very unique tournament, that’s what makes it special. I feel like the draw can be very unkind.”
Teenager Luke Littler, who has made a promising start to life on the PDC Tour, will begin his campaign on Friday night in what is his first major tournament since his breakout run to the World Championship final.
Luka Doncic quipped he feels like he is 40 years old after he celebrated his 25th birthday in style.
Doncic became the first player in NBA history to finish with a triple-double on their birthday as he led the Dallas Mavericks to a 136-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
He finished with 30 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season.
Doncic has now had 39 30-point triple-doubles, which sees him surpass LeBron James in the all-time list for that feat.
When asked if he considered his 25th birthday as a milestone, Doncic joked: "I feel like [I'm] 40, so no."
Doncic was 11 for 23 from the field and missed 7 of 8 from 3-point range in his 67th career triple-double.
"Just a normal game, triple-double," Jason Kidd said.
"He was really good. I guess 25 means he's still going to be really good as he gets older here."
Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and P.J. Washington Jr. added 23 points for Dallas, as they bounced back from back-to-back defeats.
"Kyrie and Luka, they had such a poise in important moments to make the right plays," said Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic after his team saw a three-game winning streak snapped.
Doncic added: "We just played aggressive on defense, got out on transition, that's it.
"My team knows when I'm engaged. Everybody helps everyone to be engaged.
"I'm having so much fun. Back-to-back is always tough, a great win today, I've got to get some rest now."
Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba said he was “sad, shocked and heartbroken” after being banned from football for a doping offence.
The former Manchester United player was on Thursday handed a four-year ban, according to reports in Italy.
The 30-year-old was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal in September after testing positive for testosterone following Juve’s Serie A match with Udinese on August 20, where he was an unused substitute.
And, after the failed test was confirmed by Italian anti-doping body Nado in a second sample in October, the four-year suspension requested by the prosecutor’s office has now reportedly been granted.
Pogba has responded by issuing a statement on social media saying he has “never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations”.
He also said he will be lodging an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the ban.
He said on Instagram: “I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.
“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.
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“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
Pogba became the world’s most expensive footballer when he moved to Manchester United from Juve for £89million in 2016, before rejoining the Italian giants on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.
The 2018 World Cup-winner has featured only sparingly since returning to Turin after a number of injury setbacks, making six Serie A appearances last season and two this term.
Nicky Henderson admitted the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill were “probably not what we were hoping for” as the horse faces a race against time to be fit for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
The reigning two-mile champion had been very skinny odds for a Festival defence until he posted a lacklustre workout at Kempton on Tuesday morning, when the seven-year-old was virtually pulled up by Nico de Boinville.
It transpired after he was scoped that he had mucus in his lungs but Henderson had been able to issue an upbeat bulletin on both Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.
However, the Seven Barrows handler was then less encouraged when later getting the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill, and the unbeaten runner will repeat the process on Monday in the hope of an improvement.
In an update posted on X (formerly Twitter), Henderson said: “The result of the blood test taken this morning goes quite a long way to explaining his disappointing performance at Kempton on Tuesday and confirms that he has a significant degree of inflammation.
“The figures themselves suggest he is definitely under the weather and we will need to repeat the test again on Monday in the hope that the situation improves.
“We intend to scope him again tomorrow morning, but it appears that the blood test is a more conclusive barometer and the one we need to concentrate on.
“This is probably not what we were hoping for, but at least it tells us exactly where we are.”
Connections of Eydon are retaining plenty of faith despite the five-year-old not reading the script on his return from a long layoff in the Winter Derby.
A one-time Derby hope when trained by Roger Varian, the son of Olden Times had been off the track for 665 days when making his stable debut for Andrew Balding in the Southwell Group Three last Saturday.
Sent off the 15-2 fourth favourite of six, he was always towards the rear of the field in the hands of Kevin Stott and trailed home seven and a half lengths adrift of the winner Military Order.
The post-race vets report stated that Eydon finished lame on his left hind, but he has since trotted up fine back home at Kingsclere, with his team now eyeing the turf season and Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes on May 23 mooted as a possible early objective.
“He was trotted up the next day and they said he was fine but scratchy behind, and then the day after he was at exercise,” explained Ted Voute, racing advisor to Eydon’s owner Prince Faisal.
“It said left hind in the vet report, so maybe he tied up, but I’ve talked to Andrew twice since and he said he’s been ridden and, as far as he is concerned, everything is fine. He may have tweaked something in the race after having so much time off.
“We’re not going to Dubai, but Andrew has talked about the Brigadier Gerard. I think the next week or two will tell us more, but so far there are more positives than the vet report.”
The president of La Liga says he “doesn’t care” about Mason Greenwood’s past and wants the Manchester United forward to stay in Spain beyond this season.
The 22-year-old faced charges including attempted rape and assault but the Crown Prosecution Service announced in February last year that the case had been discontinued.
He moved to Getafe on loan last summer, and La Liga chief Javier Tebas has been impressed with him to such a degree he hopes he stays for the longer term.
“He’s doing really well at Getafe as a player and I hope he continues to be successful and he continues to stay in Spanish football because that’s always good for us,” Tebas told a media briefing at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit on Thursday.
“He is just another player. He had a past, but not a past we can do anything about. He was innocent and wasn’t condemned. We can’t be judges for everything. If we did that, we’d have no teams.
“I’m a lawyer, so it’s important to say he is not condemned. He was acquitted here (in the UK). Should we have reopened the case in Spain? Do I know the case in great detail? No.
“Greenwood was not condemned, so I don’t care.”
Manchester United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said last week that a fresh decision would be made on Greenwood this summer now that Ineos has been delegated control of football operations at Old Trafford.
Reports last year that United were planning to retain him following an internal investigation were met by public outcry and Ratcliffe acknowledges that a decision will have to be made when Greenwood returns about what happens next – but insists nothing has been finalised yet.
“It’s quite clear we have to make a decision. There is no decision that’s been made,” Ratcliffe said at a media briefing to mark the completion of his purchase of a minority stake in United.
Asked asked if the Greenwood situation would be a “fresh decision”, Ratcliffe said: “Yeah we will. Absolutely. We will make a decision, and we will justify it one way or the other.”
Ratcliffe added: “He’s on loan obviously, but he’s not the only one – we’ve got one or two footballers that we have to deal with and we have to make a decision on, so we will do that.”
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel wants to build on his side’s last-gasp win over Leipzig when they travel to Freiburg on Friday.
Harry Kane’s stoppage-time winner last Sunday ended Bayern’s run of three straight defeats in all competitions.
“It’s been a good week,” Tuchel told a press conference. “A win always helps everyone, particularly a last-minute win. It’s given us confidence and a positive general feeling.
“We’ve had a good week, the messaging hasn’t changed much. We’re carrying on. Tomorrow it’s about being ready. The focus is more than ever on the here and now.”
Bayern remain eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen so their season probably hinges on overturning a 1-0 deficit against Lazio in the second leg of their Champions League meeting on Tuesday.
But Tuchel insisted: “The match takes place before Lazio. It’s a completely different match.
“The best preparation for one match is a successful performance. We have to take it up a notch. We managed a little uptick against Leipzig, which has given us energy.
“I’m confident we’ll win tomorrow, but it’ll only happen with full focus. It’s always difficult in Freiburg.
“They’re very flexible, very variable and do a lot of running. They carry the ball well down the right with (Ritsu) Doan. (Vincenzo) Grifo on the left tries to be a threat with crosses from deep.
“They also use long balls with up to seven attacking players. We need answers and that’s what we’ll prepare the team for. It’s always passionate in Freiburg, too.”
Tuchel will hand a late fitness test to former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.
“Leroy always wants to play,” he said. “He’s someone who can tolerate pain extremely well. He’s felt something in the last few weeks.
“Maybe he’s been grinning and bearing it a bit too much. I get the impression he’s not completely free. He has a lot of aches and pains and is paying a bit of a price for the overload.
“We need to find the best solution for tomorrow. He’s doing an individual test now. If he can, we’ll take him into the final training session.
“We’ll see if he can make the squad tomorrow and perhaps help us from the bench. We have to look from day to day.”
Matthijs de Ligt is suspended in Freiburg so Minjae Kim will come into the side.
“Serge Gnabry is back in training but it’s too early to take him,” added Tuchel.
“Alphonso Davies is also back in training, he’ll be in the squad. Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey and Noussair Mazraoui aren’t available.”
Daniel Ricciardo was the surprise name at the top of the time sheet in Formula One’s first practice session of the new season in Bahrain.
The Australian – driving for the newly rebranded RB team – saw off Lando Norris by just 0.032 seconds, with Oscar Piastri third in the other McLaren.
Max Verstappen, who complained about the handling of his Red Bull throughout the one-hour practice session, finished sixth, with George Russell seventh and Lewis Hamilton ninth for Mercedes.
Verstappen heads into the curtain raiser here in the Gulf kingdom as the favourite to claim a fourth consecutive world championship.
But the Dutch driver appeared unsettled in the opening running at a gusty Sakhir circuit.
“Everything is s***,” he yelled over the radio. “Like miles off.”
Ricciardo was dropped by McLaren at the end of 2022, but was handed a lifeline by Red Bull’s junior team midway through last season.
And although times in testing have to be treated with caution as the teams trial varying fuel loads – indeed Ricciardo set his speediest lap on the softest tyre compound – RB could prove a surprise package. Ricciardo’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda finished fourth, three tenths back.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso took fifth spot and was the first of the drivers not to use the soft compound. Verstappen, Russell, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who finished eighth – and Hamilton also did not post a lap on the speediest rubber.
Hamilton finished four tenths off Ricciardo, but the Mercedes camp are quietly optimistic that they could have the speed to perform at the sharp end.
At the other end of the grid, Alpine and Haas propped up the order with Nico Hulkenberg last of the 20 runners, five seconds off the pace.
The second practice session of the day takes place at 6pm local time (3pm GMT) and is more representative of the conditions the drivers will face in Friday’s qualifying and Saturday’s race.
Constitution Hill was reported by Nicky Henderson to be looking “alert and bright” on Thursday morning – but until the champion hurdler is scoped again on Friday his participation at Cheltenham is no clearer.
The racing world was rocked on Tuesday, when the unbeaten seven-year-old went to Kempton for a routine pre-Cheltenham gallop but was effectively pulled up by Nico de Boinville.
It transpired after he was scoped that he had mucus in his lungs, and Henderson faces a race against time to get his stable star back to full health for a week on Tuesday.
“He can’t stay in his box, if we’ve got any pretentions of running in the Champion Hurdle, you can’t just knock it off and tuck him in bed,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.
“We’ve got to find the right balance between keeping him moving but not stressing him in any way at all. He is the most relaxed person you’ll ever come across and I actually think he looks quite bright.
“His coat looks bright and he’s the same as he is every day, he’s no different than he is on a normal morning because he’s just very laid back about life. But at least he’s got the brains to tell us when he’s wrong he is wrong and it is the first time he’s had to do that.
“He looks alert and bright, but he obviously wasn’t feeling well as the work was so sub-par it wasn’t true.
“The plan is to scope him again on Friday. His blood was taken this morning and it will be interesting to see what that says.
“It will be very interesting what comes out tomorrow to see what the mucus level is.
“Horses often get these problems, they are like kids in school. He hasn’t coughed at all. It’s exactly like a school, you can’t have 100 per cent of them right all of the time, it’s not possible. Normally we’d have time to get over it, it’s the timing that is wrong.
“If he was a normal horse you’d leave off him for a week and aim at something else but while there is something else to aim at, there’s only one Champion Hurdle.
“You’d have to be 100 per cent for a race like that. I’ve heard people say he’s got so much in hand it won’t matter but he hasn’t got anything in hand, we all know it’s going to be tough, Champion Hurdles are tough naturally.
“They have to put an enormous amount in and I think the thing with horses as good as him is they can put 110 per cent in, maybe a lot of horses can’t. You can’t go in half-cooked.
“Work-wise he’s done all his galloping, we’d do another piece of work next week to see where he is if everything is testing good. That would have to be him at his best.”
Liverpool’s youngsters have had a significant week in the spotlight, helping beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday before setting up an FA Cup quarter-final trip to Manchester United after victory over Southampton.
Three of them – Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas – are following in their former professional footballer fathers’ footsteps.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the fresh faces who have taken their opportunity to shine at Anfield.
Bobby Clark
Given a handful of opportunities in recent weeks, the 19-year-old is an attacking midfielder. The son of former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark, he joined the club from the Magpies in 2021 and signed a long-term contract last December.
Jayden Danns
An 18-year-old forward, son of the much-travelled former Colchester, Crystal Palace and Bolton midfielder Neil Danns, only made his first-team debut as an 89th-minute substitute in the 4-1 win over Luton last Wednesday. A week later he came off the bench to score twice against Southampton.
Lewis Koumas
Koumas, the son of former Wales international Jason Koumas, joined the club as a 10-year-old from one of his dad’s former clubs Tranmere and only signed his first professional contract last month. He enjoyed a dream debut as, picked in the starting line-up, he scored the opening goal against Southampton.
Conor Bradley
A relatively familiar name among the group having been given an opportunity in the second half of the campaign in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Northern Irish right-back, 20, who spent last season on loan at Bolton, has shown promise for his attacking and defensive qualities.
James McConnell
The 19-year-old midfielder has featured a handful of times off the bench after making his debut against Toulouse in the Europa League in October. Joined Liverpool as an Under-15s player after catching the eye at Sunderland.
Jarell Quansah
Warrington-born defender who has established himself in the first-team squad this season. The 21-year-old, who had a loan spell with Bristol Rovers last term, is a ball-playing centre-half who has come through the ranks at Liverpool after joining them at the age of five.
Trey Nyoni
Nyoni spent 10 years at Leicester’s academy before joining Liverpool in September. The England Under-16 international’s rapid rise saw him come off the bench against Southampton to become the club’s youngest player to feature in the FA Cup at 16 years and 243 days and third-youngest in Liverpool’s history.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had advised the club’s emerging young stars to keep their feet on the ground – as he will be keeping an eye on them.
Eighteen-year-olds Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas, sons of former Premier League professionals Neil and Jason, scored the goals which beat Southampton 3-0 to set up an FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester United.
The last week has seen academy players thrust into the spotlight with an injury crisis denying Jurgen Klopp the services of 13 first-team players – with Andy Robertson’s illness briefly adding to the issues – and after impressing in the Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea they were central figures against Saints.
Danns came off the bench to score twice in only his third appearance, all coming in the space of eight days, while Koumas was making his debut when he scored the opener.
Klopp cautioned about putting too much expectation on the teenagers and Van Dijk said the next step in their development was to build on their early breakthroughs.
“It was a big night for all of them and they should really take it in and enjoy it and see it as a start and really use it in every way,” said the 32-year-old defender, who admitted he felt old when “half my age” Trey Nyoni came off the bench.
“They all have quality and all can play good football but it is about showing your quality and it’s a start.
“For example, Trey at 16 years old, it is incredible. There will be so many ups and downs coming for him but he has to take it in as players (are) maybe coming back in the next weeks and months and it could be difficult for him (to get in the squad).
“He has to keep pushing and the same for the rest of the young boys. That should be the mentality and I am sure they will do that.
“In my career I’ve seen players who make their debuts after coming through the ranks and then disappear.
“Even learning from being around the first team is massive and you should soak it all in and don’t get carried away.
“They have to keep improving, keep working; staying humble is a very important thing but we have a great culture and I’m definitely one of the guys to make sure they keep doing that.”
To produce such a result with injuries biting hard, just three days after a gruelling 120 minutes at Wembley, was testament to the determination of the youngsters and the endurance of the senior players still able to turn out.
Van Dijk played only the first half as Klopp agreed a pre-match plan for him to be replaced by Ibrahima Konate after his influential performance against Chelsea.
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And the Dutchman revealed one of the perks of being captain was that he got to take the trophy home on their arrival back on Merseyside.
“I wanted to show my kids in person, close up,” he said.
“I put it on the kitchen counter when I came home and left it there. I’ve got four kids and they were so happy to see it and then I took it back to training the next day so everyone could take a picture with it at the AXA (training centre) as they have all played their part in the success we have had and they deserve to be holding the trophy.”
Andy Murray revealed on Wednesday that he is unlikely to play beyond this summer as retirement looms ever nearer.
The three-time grand slam champion will be 37 in May and has won only two matches so far this season.
Here, the PA news agency looks at when Murray might call it a day.
Does he have a date in mind?It appears likely he does, although it would be a surprise if he announced it much in advance. Murray said last year he had an idea of when he would like to stop, and his poor form over the last few months has brought the issue into sharper focus.
What about Wimbledon?Bowing out at the All England Club would seem the ideal scenario. The venue for his career-defining achievements, and in front of an adoring home crowd, would offer a fitting scene to bring this chapter to a close. But it may be a bit too soon.
What are the other possibilities?Murray has already indicated he would like to play in another Olympics. His two singles gold medals mark him out from his peers and his run to the title in 2012 is arguably his best ever tournament. But this summer’s event will take place at Roland Garros, and it seems doubtful he would want his last event to be on clay. The US Open, the scene of his first grand slam title in 2012, is another possibility, while the Davis Cup finals group stage on home soil in September could also be an option.
Will he definitely stop this year?That certainly appears to be the direction of travel but Murray has always found decision-making difficult and there is no bigger decision that this one. Should his form pick up markedly, it could well be that he decides to extend his career.
Arsenal are preparing to open contract negotiations with Jorginho following a string of standout performances, the PA news agency understands.
The 32-year-old Italy midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season.
Jorginho joined Arsenal from London rivals Chelsea last January and has so far made 41 appearances across all competitions, scoring once.
A Euro 2020 winner at Wembley, the former Napoli player has impressed Gunners boss Mikel Arteta with his professional approach and has added much-needed experience to a young squad at the Emirates Stadium.
It is understood that a one-year deal with the option of a further year is planned as an opening point for talks with Jorginho, who won the Champions League and Europa League during his five-year stint at Chelsea.
He put in a man-of-the-match display in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday and also shone in the recent 3-1 victory over Liverpool.
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