Category Sports News

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner says he will field two different starting line-ups for their next two matches to protect player welfare.

Palace host Finnish side KuPS in the Europa Conference League on Thursday (20: 00 GMT), and visit Leeds in the Premier League 48 hours later (Saturday, 20: 00 GMT).

The Leeds game was moved by the Premier League from the Sunday as Palace then face Arsenal in the EFL Cup quarter-final on Tuesday 23 December.

Glasner, who also confirmed Japan midfielder Daichi Kamada faces up to 10 weeks out with a hamstring injury, said it would be “irresponsible” to play the same team twice in three days.

Palace, fifth in the Premier League, are ninth in the Conference League, just outside the automatic qualification spots for the last 16.

“No player will start against]both] KuPs and Leeds”, said Glasner. “I and we all feel responsible for the players ‘ welfare.

” I just spoke to Will]Hughes] and he experienced it a few years ago – when it was on Boxing Day]26 December] and the 28th]December], sometimes there were games, and he played it – but I just think now the intensity of the game has increased.

“Maybe you can do it once, but it’s our 27th game now]this season], and we have to think further, because we play on the 18, 20, 23 and 28]December], and 1, 4, 7 and 10 January. Therefore, it’s just irresponsible if we do this.

” We will start with two completely different teams, but of course the minutes will be shared a little bit if this is possible.

Kamada came off after 67 minutes during Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

“It is how it looked when he walked off the pitch”, said Glasner. “It’s a serious hamstring injury, and he will be out for at least eight to 10 weeks.

” It’s not what we want, but on the other side, it’s part of football – it’s part of sports – when you play so many games that things can happen.

“It’s not a normal muscle injury, it was just an incident with his landing and body position – he overstretched everything, the full weight on the front, and that’s why it happens.

” He usually never has muscle injuries. But unfortunately it’s part of our game. “

Glasner, whose contract expires at the end of the season, says talks over a new deal are on hold because of the congested fixture list.

” When should I talk about my contract? “he said.

” And that’s why we said, ‘ OK, let’s push it backwards when we have time ‘ because it’s not between three meetings which take 10 minutes.

When Steve Evans got the call from the Bristol Rovers’ hierarchy to be their new head coach, he had one condition – he needed a hotel to stay in with a swimming pool.

Far from demanding the height of luxury because he could, a pool means that Evans can keep up his routine of swimming 70 to 80 lengths every day.

In the eight-and-a-half months since the 63-year-old was last in the dugout at Rotherham United to being appointed at League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers, Evans has lost eight-and-a-half stone in weight.

Working with a “specialist team”, he has transformed his fitness, now swimming and spending time on a bike daily alongside dieting.

“One of my insistences in the short term when I came to Bristol was they had found me a hotel to stay in until I find an apartment, I insisted a hotel with a swimming pool,” Evans told BBC Radio Bristol.

Having gone from club to club during the four decades of his career in football, after leaving the Millers in March, Evans paused before taking another job to work on his health following a conversation with a doctor.

“[I am] feeling absolutely incredible,” Evans added. “It’s been a big journey.

“A contribution of static biking, walking the dogs at home and swimming so that journey must continue because I want to see my four-and-a-half-year-old grandson when he’s 21.”

When Evans’ daughter told him she was pregnant with the first of his four grandchildren, he can recall a friend who already had grandchildren telling him how much becoming a grandfather would change “everything you think about”.

“It’s taken a little while for it to transform me, medically and weight wise, but it’s certainly worked,” he said.

“Our grandkids stay over one night every week so it’s mayhem in our house – there’ll be nothing more than me being the Poppy going home on the back of Bristol Rovers winning a game and seeing my grandkids.

“They’re already sending me videos of the kids saying, ‘Up the Gas’.”

Evans’ comes into a Bristol Rovers team spiralling down the football league.

A club record 10th straight league defeat on Saturday by Swindon, with Darrell Clarke sacked hours later, has left them in the bottom two of League Two on goal difference and facing the prospect of successive relegations.

The goal of Evans’ appointment is simple – keep the club up. He even insisted on only signing a deal until the end of the season.

“I don’t want to manage in the National League – I’ve made that quite clear to two or three approaches in the last three, four months,” he said.

“My task is to fix the problem between now and the end of the season and make sure that Bristol Rovers are part of the EFL.

“And if that goes well enough we can have a true sit down chat about the future.”

Evans has been here before, with Rotherham, Leeds and Stevenage – all of whom he kept from relegation and he believes there is plenty of time to put things right.

“We have enough time, we’ve still got five, six months of the season to go,” he said.

While the Gas possess the worst goal difference in the division and have scored only four times across their previous 10 league matches, Evans said he has given the players a “clean slate” but also non-negotiables: “Don’t run, don’t play.”

“The squad excited me a little bit because on paper they’re good,” he said.

“In my first proper meeting this morning my comments to the players was reminding them how good they are on paper. But there’s never a football game won on paper, it has to be won with heart, desire and passion.”

Steadying the ship through the Christmas run of games to January is the priority, with a trip to Crewe Alexandra first up before games against Bromley, Barnet and Shrewsbury Town.

He stressed the club will have money to spend in the transfer window to bolster the squad.

“The chairman and the family and Ricky [Martin, director of football] have given me every assurance that I will be able to go into the market,” he said.

“What stops me going into the market for certain positions is players performances, because who didn’t play well under Darrell Clarke may play well under me.”

When Steve Evans got the call from the Bristol Rovers’ hierarchy to be their new head coach, he had one condition – he needed a hotel to stay in with a swimming pool.

Far from demanding the height of luxury because he could, a pool means that Evans can keep up his routine of swimming 70 to 80 lengths every day.

In the eight-and-a-half months since the 63-year-old was last in the dugout at Rotherham United to being appointed at League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers, Evans has lost eight-and-a-half stone in weight.

Working with a “specialist team”, he has transformed his fitness, now swimming and spending time on a bike daily alongside dieting.

“One of my insistences in the short term when I came to Bristol was they had found me a hotel to stay in until I find an apartment, I insisted a hotel with a swimming pool,” Evans told BBC Radio Bristol.

Having gone from club to club during the four decades of his career in football, after leaving the Millers in March, Evans paused before taking another job to work on his health following a conversation with a doctor.

“[I am] feeling absolutely incredible,” Evans added. “It’s been a big journey.

“A contribution of static biking, walking the dogs at home and swimming so that journey must continue because I want to see my four-and-a-half-year-old grandson when he’s 21.”

When Evans’ daughter told him she was pregnant with the first of his four grandchildren, he can recall a friend who already had grandchildren telling him how much becoming a grandfather would change “everything you think about”.

“It’s taken a little while for it to transform me, medically and weight wise, but it’s certainly worked,” he said.

“Our grandkids stay over one night every week so it’s mayhem in our house – there’ll be nothing more than me being the Poppy going home on the back of Bristol Rovers winning a game and seeing my grandkids.

“They’re already sending me videos of the kids saying, ‘Up the Gas’.”

Evans’ comes into a Bristol Rovers team spiralling down the football league.

A club record 10th straight league defeat on Saturday by Swindon, with Darrell Clarke sacked hours later, has left them in the bottom two of League Two on goal difference and facing the prospect of successive relegations.

The goal of Evans’ appointment is simple – keep the club up. He even insisted on only signing a deal until the end of the season.

“I don’t want to manage in the National League – I’ve made that quite clear to two or three approaches in the last three, four months,” he said.

“My task is to fix the problem between now and the end of the season and make sure that Bristol Rovers are part of the EFL.

“And if that goes well enough we can have a true sit down chat about the future.”

Evans has been here before, with Rotherham, Leeds and Stevenage – all of whom he kept from relegation and he believes there is plenty of time to put things right.

“We have enough time, we’ve still got five, six months of the season to go,” he said.

While the Gas possess the worst goal difference in the division and have scored only four times across their previous 10 league matches, Evans said he has given the players a “clean slate” but also non-negotiables: “Don’t run, don’t play.”

“The squad excited me a little bit because on paper they’re good,” he said.

“In my first proper meeting this morning my comments to the players was reminding them how good they are on paper. But there’s never a football game won on paper, it has to be won with heart, desire and passion.”

Steadying the ship through the Christmas run of games to January is the priority, with a trip to Crewe Alexandra first up before games against Bromley, Barnet and Shrewsbury Town.

He stressed the club will have money to spend in the transfer window to bolster the squad.

“The chairman and the family and Ricky [Martin, director of football] have given me every assurance that I will be able to go into the market,” he said.

“What stops me going into the market for certain positions is players performances, because who didn’t play well under Darrell Clarke may play well under me.”

Mark McCall has been in the Prem for more than 15 years. And he can’t remember anything like it.

“It’s busier than it has ever been,” says Saracens’ director of rugby of the top-flight player market.

Saracens have been the source of some of that activity.

Leicester and England second row George Martin committed to moving south last week. Gloucester’s star scrum-half Tomos Williams is expected to follow suit.

But the speculation swirls more widely.

England full-back George Furbank has been linked to a move from hometown side Northampton to Harlequins.

Hoskins Sotutu, a star of Super Rugby, will apparently be a statement signing for Newcastle Red Bulls.

The sudden flurry of movement is a product of two things.

Earlier this year, the prospect of ambitious start-up event R360 and its big money-contracts had a cooling effect. Agents kept options open and talks on hold.

The postponement of R360 until 2028 has ended that stand-off, with the prospect of the 2027 Rugby World Cup also spurring movement.

England players are only eligible for selection if they play, or have a contract to play, domestically.

A 2026-27 stint in the Prem is the best platform from which to make a case to head coach Steve Borthwick.

Prop Kyle Sinckler, currently at Toulon, is one of the French-based English-qualified stars rumoured to be considering a return for next season.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson, who has signed up centre Joe Marchant from Stade Francais for next season in a similar deal, says the opportunities and Zoom meetings are coming thick and fast.

“It has been hectic, absolutely hectic for us,” he said of his recruitment drive.

“I’m enjoying meeting all these characters.

“There are early negotiations at the start of the season, and a lot of people try to close those deals before Christmas and New Year.

Sale, whose co-owner Simon Orange sold his investment firm in January for an estimated £1bn, are recruiting armed with depth charts, target lists and a big budget.

Sanderson has spoken about adding “four or five world-class internationals” to his squad.

Newcastle, who previously struggled to hold onto their best players, have recently been taken over by energy drink giant Red Bull, bringing another player to the table for top-end talent.

With the Prem’s salary cap set at £6.4m, there is plenty of scope for the market to heat up and the merry-go-round to accelerate as clubs pick and choose where to prioritise.

Journalist Neil Fissler is a specialist in the scene, picking up on possible moves for RugbyPass.

“My favourites are ‘if true’, ‘this will never happen” and ‘keep on dreaming’,” he says of fans’ online responses to his stories.

“It is a strange one, people do like a bit of speculation. Some begrudgingly look at it, some religiously look at it, but it has grown a lot.”

Transfer speculation is the summer staple that keeps football’s Premier League dominating coverage long after their players have headed off the pitch for their holidays.

Similarly, American sports’ drafts and trades generate headlines and interest.

While a football-style deadline day is not practical given overseas leagues work to their own timelines, Prem clubs have been given licence to exploit the intrigue and interest around big moves.

Bristol announced Louis Rees-Zammit’s summer arrival with a barrage of videos, including a lightning bolt-filled tease and behind-the-scenes footage of his signing.

A public tug-of-war over Chandler Cunningham-South ended with Harlequins’ celebrating the England back row’s retention by dunking on rivals Saracens, and their inability to keep hold of fellow back row Tom Willis, on social media.

There is also, in places, an openness about dealings that fuels interest.

Sanderson revealed that Sale’s own approach for Cunningham-South faltered because of the wage demands.

Northampton boss Phil Dowson responded to rumours about Furbank’s future by insisting his player would be “insane” not to talk to other clubs to get a sense of his options.

Former Saints wing Chris Ashton told Rugby Union Weekly this week about his 2012 exit from Saints, when he and the club argued over money and he was unceremoniously dropped after agreeing a switch to Saracens.

Such acrimony and presumptions of loyalty seems rarer now.

Fissler, who has been banned by several clubs for scooping their deals in the past, has seen the change.

“It’s a good way for people to engage with the sport and its players – and I think the clubs have cottoned on to that,” he added.

“I don’t quite get so many complaints as I used to from them. It is better to have a player talked about, than not talked about. It does create a bit of a buzz and an appetite.”

The fourth T20 between India and South Africa was abandoned on Wednesday because of “excessive fog” at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

The toss was scheduled to take place at 13: 00 GMT but did not even take place as the umpires called the match off at about 16: 00 following a number of inspections.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandaya was seen wearing a mask on the pitch before the match, which raised questions about the pollution levels in Lucknow, which is in northern India.

The air quality index was about 400 at around the scheduled start time of the match – a reading considered to be hazardous.

However, a statement said, the match “has been abandoned due to excessive fog, making playing conditions unsafe”.