The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

Front page 

Uk news 

International 

Financial 

Editorials & reply 

Comment & debate 

Obituaries 

Weather 

Sport - Sport 

Sport - News 

Sport - In depth 

Sport - Football 

Sport - Regulars 

Sport - Pictures & video 

Sport - Most viewed 

2016-12-29

| Next section | Main menu | 

Front page 

‘You’re not Henry VIII,’ Jeremy Corbyn tells Theresa May [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

| Next section | Main menu |

| Next | Section Menu | Main Menu | 

Jeremy Corbyn 

‘You’re not Henry VIII,’ Jeremy Corbyn tells 

Theresa May 

Labour leader accuses prime minister of behaving like an overbearing Tudor by refusing to commit to 

Commons vote on Brexit deal 

Jeremy Corbyn says PM ‘cannot hide behind Henry VIII and the divine rights … of kings’ on Brexit 

deal. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA 

Anushka Asthana and Rowena Mason 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 22.00 GMT Last modified on Thursday 29 December 2016 

01.05 GMT 

Jeremy Corbyn has accused Theresa May of behaving like Henry VIII or a similar autocratic monarch 

because of her refusal to commit to putting a final Brexit deal to a vote in parliament. 

In an interview with the Guardian, the Labour leader insisted that the prime minister could not be 

allowed to use the royal prerogative to bypass the Commons over the UK’s future relationship with 

continental Europe. 

Earlier this month, May repeatedly refused to commit to a parliamentary vote during a select 

committee hearing – prompting Corbyn to conjure up an image of the prime minister acting as if she 

was an overbearing Tudor.

“It [a final Brexit deal] would have to come to parliament. She cannot hide behind Henry VIII and the 

divine rights of the power of kings on this one,” he said, pointing out that MEPs in the European 

parliament would have a vote on the proposed settlement. 

“The idea that on something as major as this the prime minister would use the royal prerogative to 

bypass parliament is extraordinary – I don’t know where she’s coming from.” 

Theresa May. Photograph: David Hartley/Rex/Shutterstock 

The comments, which refer to whatever deal is agreed at the end of the Brexit negotiating process in 

2019 rather than the trigger of article 50 next year, came during a wide-ranging interview. Corbyn 

also: 

Launched a vehement defence of the benefits of European migration into Britain, saying workers 

contributed “massively” to the NHS, education, manufacturing, agriculture and care work. 

Said the answer to fears over immigration was to crack down on exploitative work practices, 

and that he was sceptical about government plans for a work visa system. 

Was bullish about the prospect of another leadership challenge from Labour MPs concerned 

about the party’s poor performance in the polls, saying: “I am always ready for a summer of 

campaigning.” 

And suggested that Labour’s previous leader, Tony Blair, would not be making any comeback to 

the parliamentary party under his watch. 

The Labour leader said Blair had already ruled himself out of the forthcoming byelection in 

Copeland, in Cumbria, triggered by the resignation of Jamie Reed. 

Theresa May ‘lacks courage to admit 

complexity of Brexit’ 

Read more 

But asked if he would be happy with another constituency amid rumours that Blair was considering a 

comeback, Corbyn said: “I think the nuanced differences of opinion between me and Tony Blair are 

quite well known … I don’t see Tony Blair and I working together. I don’t think he does either.”

His frank language about both the prime minister and Blair come as Labour strategists seek to ramp 

up Corbyn’s image as a leftwing populist who is prepared to rail against establishment figures. 

They believe that while the Labour leader is already seen in that way by part of the population, there 

are too many voters who may consider the Islington MP to be part of the establishment. 

Corbyn is expected to appear more frequently on television, as an expanded team of advisers work up 

policies aimed at underlining a willingness to lead a revolt against vested interests. 

Despite pressure from Labour MPs, including Manchester mayoral hopeful Andy Burnham, to take a 

tougher line on free movement, Corbyn did not list immigration among his post-Brexit priorities. 

Instead, he spelled out a desire to protect “market access” as well as maintaining human rights and 

opposing racism. 

Arguing that Britain could not be a “bargain basement economy” on the edge of Europe, he also 

claimed that there was a “level of exaggeration” about any negative impacts of migration on British 

society. 

Andy Burnham, who has urged Labour to take a tougher stance on immigration. Photograph: Peter 

Byrne/PA 

Corbyn said: “We should recognise that European workers in Britain do contribute massively to the 

health service, education, manufacturing industry, care work, agricultural sector. We’d be in quite a 

difficult place if they all went. 

“We have to recognise that people do move around the continent, do move to work, do move to pay 

taxes and to benefit the economy that they come into. They don’t have unfettered access to benefits the 

day they arrive in Britain, they don’t have unfettered access to housing the day they arrive.” 

Corbyn said he wanted people to “think for a moment: who treats them when they go to the doctors, 

who treats them when they go to hospital, who is doing the technical work often in many places, and 

you’ll find the same with British people all over the world.” 

Corbyn argued that companies such as Airbus, Nissan and Hitachi needed to be free to move skilled 

workers around Europe and would leave Britain if Brexit meant higher tariffs to access the single 

market. 

He also hinted that he believed continued free movement would be necessary to secure Labour’s 

priority of economic access, claiming that a work visa scheme would be “fraught with difficulties”

ecause of the high level of integration with Europe. He also cast doubts on whether Labour would 

support a system in which people could only come if they had a job. 

“Well then, that will work in reverse for British people going abroad, which would be difficult to 

implement and maybe is counter to the principles of the European market.” 

However, he did set out plans for a policy – which he is expected to stress much more frequently in 

2017 – which could result in migration numbers falling. “What we need to address is exploitation, 

undercutting and the way in which companies are trying to destroy industrial agreements by ignoring 

what they should be doing, which is paying people properly and not bringing people in to undercut,” 

said Corbyn. 

The Labour leader said he was building alliances with socialist parties in other countries because the 

final Brexit deal hammered out over two years after article 50 is triggered will be put to the European 

parliament. 

Corbyn hits back after Obama suggests 

Labour is disintegrating 

Read more 

“Presumably all national parliaments will want a say as well, so our relations with socialist groups 

in every national parliament could be important,” said Corbyn, before insisting that British MPs also 

had to be given a vote on the deal. 

It is not clear whether the government is prepared to offer that or not. The Brexit secretary, David 

Davis, has hinted that MPs could be given a vote, but May was unwilling to offer that commitment 

when she appeared in front of the liaison committee last week. 

Corbyn also urged all members of the leftwing campaigning group Momentum to join the Labour 

party. He also encouraged the hundreds of thousands of people who joined Labour to back him to get 

more involved in campaigning, amid claims from MPs that new members were failing to turn out. 

He said he wanted all MPs to move on from the summer’s leadership contest and insisted that the 

party was in a strong position despite some dire recent poll ratings. Corbyn said he hoped to gain 

seats in May’s local elections and claimed the media was ignoring Labour’s successes. 

“I can’t pretend the two byelection results were good,” he said about results in Richmond Park in 

London and Sleaford, Lincolnshire. “But on the same day we gained a ward in Telford … with a 20% 

increase in vote, and overall majority on council. We’ve never won that ward ever – no media 

reported that. We held a ward in Lancaster.” He added: “Results vary; I want to do better.” 

Corbyn dismissed reports that he has told friends he is ready to step down in 2019 because of his age, 

saying: “Friends is obviously a very loose term these days – I’ve never said that. I’m very happy

doing my campaigning. This is the age of the 60s – look at Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Angela Merkel – 

look around you. Sixties is the new 40s, I keep fit.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/28/jeremy-corbyn-youare-not-henry-viii-theresa-may-brexit-deal-commons-vote 

| Section Menu | Main Menu |

| Next section | Main menu | Previous section | 

Uk news 

Bradley Wiggins announces retirement from professional cycling [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Debenhams apologises to homeless man for Boxing Day drenching [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Breast cancer drug rejected for NHS use on cost-benefit grounds [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Theresa May ‘lacks courage to admit complexity of Brexit’ [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Dutch woman with two British children told to leave UK after 24 years [Thu, 29 

Dec 09:26] 

A40 crash: woman killed and several hurt in multiple car pile-up [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Lengthy waits to see GPs may pose serious risk to patients, says top doctor 

[Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

UK in 2030: older, more unequal and blighted by Brexit, report predicts [Thu, 29 

Dec 09:26] 

One crew member dies after fishing boat capsizes off Kent coast [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Labour warns of teacher training crisis after targets missed again [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Snow cabins and jungle showers: the latest perks of a luxury London flat [Thu, 

29 Dec 09:26] 

Climate change driving birds to migrate early, research reveals [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

| Next section | Main menu | Previous section |


Sir Bradley Wiggins 

Bradley Wiggins announces retirement from 

professional cycling 

• The 36-year-old was ‘lucky enough to live a dream’ 

• Wiggins won eight Olympic medals and 2012 Tour de France 

‘Onwards and upwards’ Bradley Wiggins retires from cycling – video report 

Sir Bradley Wiggins has announced his retirement from cycling, calling time on a 16-year career as a 

professional in which he won the Tour de France and a record eight Olympic medals. In a statement 

posted on his Instagram account the 2012 Tour winner said he had “been lucky enough to live a dream 

and fulfil my childhood aspiration of making a living and career out of the sport I fell in love with at 

the age of 12”. He added: “What will stick with me forever is the support and love from the public 

through thick and thin, all as a result of riding a pushbike for a living.” 

Bradley Wiggins completes victorious circle by 

winning at birthplace Ghent 

Read more 

Wiggins posted his message alongside a photograph of many of the prizes bestowed on him; a career 

snapshot including five gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals as well as many of the 

jerseys he was zipped into on assorted podiums after successful tilts at stage races such as the Tour 

de France. As accomplished against the clock as he was in the peloton, the 36-year-old from 

Kilburn’s palmarès also boasts the prestigious hour record of 54.526km he set in what was perhaps 

the ultimate “race of truth” at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark in 2015. 

Born in the Belgian city of Ghent in 1980, Wiggins and his mother, Linda, moved to her parents’ house 

in Kilburn after his father, Gary, an Australian professional track cyclist, left them when Wiggins was 

two years old. “He abandoned us,” Wiggins said on an appearance on Desert Island Discs last year. 

“It’s never left me and it will continue to stay with me for the rest of my life.” Wiggins’s father had 

problems with alcohol and drugs and was found beaten and left for dead on a roadside in New South 

Wales in 2008. He later passed away in hospital. 

For all his understandable abandonment issues, Wiggins had some fond memories of his dad and 

deliberately chose to end his competitive career with victory – alongside his old friend Mark 

Cavendish – at the famous Six Day race staged annually on the timbers of Ghent’s famous ’t Kuipke

velodrome last November. “I always think of my dad when I’m in here,” he said. “He was a terrible 

father but I still idolise him as a bike rider because I wouldn’t be here without him.” 

For all his Olympic medals, those world and Olympic time-trial titles, the eight world track titles and 

that famous win in France, it was perhaps a photo of Wiggins lounging on a golden throne in front of 

Hampton Court Palace, flicking victory Vs at photographers in the wake of his time-trial win at the 

London 2012 Olympics, that officially elevated him to the status of national treasure during a summer 

in which he also won the Tour de France with Team Sky. It was classic Wiggins: effortless cool 

mixed with contrarianism, the Kilburn mod playing up to the cameras as he sprawled in regal recline 

in surroundings that, despite being located less than 20 miles from where he grew up, could scarcely 

be further removed from Dibdin House in Kilburn. 

As popular for his outspoken comments, dry sense of humour and fondness for the musical stylings of 

Paul Weller as he was for his talent as a cyclist, Wiggins went on to win that year’s BBC Sports 

Personality of the Year Award before making something of a mockery of his man of the people 

credentials as he accepted a knighthood from the Queen at Buckingham Palace a year later. “It was 

quite nerve-racking actually,” he said after his investiture. “I’m still shaking now, to be honest. I 

mean, it’s quite humbling being here.” 

For all his success and popularity Wiggins’s career path has not been without its bumps and potholes. 

A likable and funny but occasionally spiky character who has long been outspoken against the use of 

banned drugs in cycling, he was forced to confront the issue head on when the Fancy Bears hackers 

leaked his personal medical history, raising legitimate questions about his use of therapeutic use 

exemptions, which allow athletes with certain medical conditions to use substances that are banned 

by Wada. Wiggins was revealed to have had three intramuscular injections of a powerful 

corticosteroid that Team Sky claim was to treat a hay fever allergy shortly before each of his last 

three Grand Tours in 2011 and 2012. 

Wiggins had made no mention of receiving any such treatment in his 2012 autobiography, My Time, 

written in collaboration with the Guardian’s cycling correspondent William Fotheringham, and the 

Fancy Bears leaks have left Wiggins and the previously holier-than-thou Team Sky open to 

accusations they crossed an ethical line in a sport that has long been dogged by high-profile 

controversies, involving illegal drug use. 

“I was paranoid about making excuses,” Wiggins explained in an interview with the Guardian when 

asked why he had not mentioned the allergy in the book. “It wasn’t something I was going to shout 

from the rooftops.” 

Perhaps wisely he chose not to shout his retirement from the rooftops either, opting instead for a lowkey 

statement on social media. While it made no mention of the controversy that will forever remain 

as a black mark on an otherwise pristine CV, it did once again parrot his heartwarmingly irrefutable 

assertion that he remains living proof that “kids from Kilburn” can win “Olympic golds and Tour de 

Frances”. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/28/bradley-wigginsannounces-retirement-from-cycling


| Next | Section Menu | Main Menu | Previous | 

Portsmouth 

Debenhams apologises to homeless man for 

Boxing Day drenching 

Portsmouth store replaces Russell Lucas Allen’s belongings after water poured out on him from 

inside shop as he slept in doorway 

Russell Lucas Allen posted on Facebook that the water pouring out from the store ‘ruined clothing, 

food, dog bedding [and] public donations’. Photograph: Facebook 

Alice Ross 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 18.49 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 December 2016 

22.00 GMT 

Debenhams has apologised to a homeless man after his possessions were drenched as he slept in a 

doorway of its city-centre Portsmouth store on Boxing Day. 

Russell Lucas Allen alleged a security guard told him to “enjoy your water bed” after he woke up to 

find his belongings, and those of his dog Lexy, soaked with water. He wrote on Facebook that water 

poured from inside the store had “ruined clothing, food, dog bedding, public donations brought by the 

kind members of public”. 

He wrote that he and some friends had complained, adding: “When confronting the guard I got told I 

deserve it.” 

Debenhams said it was an “unfortunate accident” and replaced Allen’s bedding. The original 

Facebook post led to hundreds of comments on social media and offers of help. An online petition 

calling for the guard to be disciplined gathered more than 8,000 signatures within 24 hours. 

Allen, a former assistant building site manager, told the Guardian the response was overwhelming. “I 

didn’t think such a small incident would escalate into such a big situation,” he said.

“I just want to tell everyone I appreciate the love that everyone has shown me … if anything, it will 

make people think differently towards homeless people and those less fortunate.” 

Paul Godier, an independent who chairs Portsmouth city council’s homelessness taskforce and spent 

10 years homeless himself, said he and Allen had held “constructive” meetings with Debenhams 

representatives and expected the store to offer training to its employees. 

But a lack of empathy towards the homeless is not unusual, he added: “A church up the road evicted a 

load of homeless from their grounds a few months ago.” 

The incident raised broader questions about homelessness in the port city, and why anybody was 

sleeping in a doorway on Christmas Day, when overnight temperatures fell as low as -3C. 

Homelessness in England is soaring. It’s a 

scandal – but we can fix it | Dawn Foster 

Read more 

A count earlier this year identified 37 rough sleepers in Portsmouth, and others are known to sleep in 

their cars, but getting firm numbers for homelessness is notoriously difficult. A winter shelter opened 

a couple of months ago catering for 36 people, but Godier said Allen had told him he was turned 

away because it was full. 

Godier said he and the council’s head of housing had been working to address the situation on 

Wednesday. “It highlighted a situation that shouldn’t have arisen and we have solved that problem or 

we had better have,” he said. “I have worked with Russell for a long time. He’s a good guy in a 

terrible situation.” 

A spokeswoman for Debenhams said the retailer took the matter seriously and had investigated. “We 

have established that this was an unfortunate accident in which the routine cleaning of the fire exit 

from the inside of the store resulted in some of the gentleman’s property on the other side of the fire 

exit becoming wet.” 

She added: “Debenhams has now supplied the gentleman with new bedding and clothing, and a 

member of our team has met him to offer our sincere apologies for any distress caused.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/28/debenhams-apologisesto-homeless-man-for-boxing-day-drenching 



Breast cancer 

Breast cancer drug rejected for NHS use on 

cost-benefit grounds 

Charities angered by guidance on Kadcyla, which costs £90,000 per year per patient and gives extra 

nine months on average 

A consultant analysing a mammogram. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA 

Sarah Boseley Health editor 

Thursday 29 December 2016 00.01 GMT Last modified on Thursday 29 December 2016 00.04 GMT 

A breast cancer drug that costs £90,000 a year per patient has been turned down for use by the NHS 

on financial grounds, triggering an outcry from patients groups who say it prolongs the lives of people 

seriously ill with the disease. 

Kadcyla, made by Roche Pharmaceuticals, was rejected by the National Institute for Health and Care 

Excellence. It has the highest price tag ever for a cancer medicine and was turned down because its 

benefits did not justify its cost, Nice said. 

Prof Carole Longson, director of the centre for health technology evaluation at Nice, said: “We know 

that people with cancer place great importance on drugs that can increase their life expectancy. For 

that reason we apply as much flexibility as we can when we look at new life-extending treatments. 

“But the reality is that the price of trastuzumab emtansine [the generic name for Kadcyla] is currently 

too high in relation to the benefits it gives for it to be recommended for routine commissioning in the 

NHS, even taking into account the end-of-life criteria and the patient access scheme.” 

The charity Breast Cancer Now launched a petition against what it called a disastrous decision and 

“a huge setback for the treatment of advanced breast cancer”, while Breast Cancer Care said the 

decision was unacceptable.

“Kadcyla can give people [on average] nine months longer to be there for the moments that matter – 

the first day at school, a wedding, a family birthday – with far fewer enduring severe side-effects like 

sickness and diarrhoea than with many other drugs,” Breast Cancer Care said. 

Nice, which evaluates drugs for use in the NHS in England, originally turned down Kadcyla, but 

patients were able to get it anyway via the cancer drugs fund, a pot of money put aside for such 

circumstances by the coalition government. 

However, the CDF massively overspent and is now under the control of Nice, which is re-examining 

the value for money of all the drugs it has been paying for. 

Nice has now said in draft guidance that the price is too high even after a discount offered by Roche. 

The company had offered to foot the bill for any patients who needed to stay on the drug beyond 14 

months. 

About 1,200 patients could benefit from Kadcyla if it were to be funded by the NHS in England. 

Roche submitted data to Nice to show that the drug could give women on average nine months longer 

than the standard treatment currently available – a considerable amount of extra time for women 

suffering from a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, Her2+, which often affects younger 

women. 

Nice said it was not a final decision. It will be hoping that Roche brings down the price. However, it 

has not done so in Scotland, where the cancer drugs fund does not apply and women can only get 

Kadcyla in exceptional circumstances. 

Breast cancer charities will campaign against the draft Nice decision in the hope of bringing about a 

U-turn when the assessment committee meets to make its final decision in February. The Breast 

Cancer Now petition calls on Sir Andrew Dillon, the chief executive of Nice, and Richard Erwin, 

general manager at Roche Products, to urgently return to the negotiating table. 

Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “This disastrous decision is a huge 

setback for the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Kadcyla offers significant and precious extra 

time for women with incurable cancer in great need of hope, and we mustn’t let it slip away. 

“Nice and Roche’s inability to find a compromise is seeing secondary breast cancer patients left 

abandoned. Responsibility lies on both sides, and such reckless brinkmanship is unfortunately about 

to rip away one of the best breast cancer drugs in years from patients in desperate need of a lifeline.” 

The charity argued that Nice had not compared Kadcyla with the appropriate alternative treatment 

when making its calculations of cost-effectiveness. “This outcome also speaks volumes about a drug 

appraisal system that is just not working for metastatic breast cancer patients. This targeted drug is 

available in many other countries, including France, Germany, Australia and Canada, and it is 

nowhere near good enough that women in England will be denied such an effective option,” Lady 

Morgan said. 

Danni Manzi, of Breast Cancer Care, said: “While we understand the pressure around budgets, it is

ultimately patients who suffer. We urge Nice, NHS England and Roche to work together to make 

Kadcyla available in England. Until then, these women cannot be certain they will get the drugs they 

need. They deserve better than this second-rate care.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/29/breast-cancer-drugkadcyla-rejected-for-nhs-use-on-cost-benefit-grounds 



EU referendum and Brexit 

Theresa May ‘lacks courage to admit 

complexity of Brexit’ 

Whitehall union leader says civil service will need more resources or government will have to 

change its priorities 

Theresa May and cabinet colleagues. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters 

Rajeev Syal 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 12.00 GMT Last modified on Thursday 29 December 2016 

01.00 GMT 

Theresa May is struggling to summon enough political courage to admit there will be difficulties in 

Britain’s exit from the European Union, according to the head of the senior civil servants’ union. 

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said the prime minister’s inability to talk openly about 

the complexity of Brexit could lead to a breaking point in Whitehall as staff struggle with an immense 

workload on limited resources. 

Civil servants across government departments are preparing for May to trigger article 50 in March, 

launching the Brexit process.

Leaked Brexit memo: Whitehall struggling to 

cope and no single plan 

Read more 

Penman, who represents senior civil servants – who cannot speak directly to the media – said May 

appeared to be leading a government that could not cope with any discussion about problems of 

implementation, as it was interpreted as criticism. 

He said: “It is pure politics that is defining the Brexit debate and forcing May to say this is not a big, 

difficult job, and it is all in hand. Ministers lack the political courage to admit how complex and 

time-consuming this will be. When anyone pops their head above the parapet – former permanent 

secretaries, ex-cabinet secretaries, the Institute for Government – and says this is going to take a long 

time and it’s complex, they are immediately shot down and accused of betraying the will of the 

people. 

“The politics around Brexit are the biggest risk to Brexit. The government is clearly in a situation 

where they are trying to deny the complexity of it.” 

The FDA’s 19,000 members are at the forefront of the work within Whitehall as Britain prepares to 

leave the EU. 

Some of those who have been criticised for highlighting the challenges include Gus O’Donnell, a 

former cabinet secretary, John Manzoni, the Cabinet Office permanent secretary, Simon Fraser, a 

former Foreign Office permanent under-secretary, and Bob Kerslake, a former head of the civil 

service. 

Penman, who has held many discussions with senior mandarins involved in developing a Brexit 

strategy, said May and her ministers would have to make difficult decisions about priorities in the 

coming months. 

“The civil service is either going to have to be given more resources to deal with Brexit and its usual 

work or it will have to change its priorities. And government doesn’t want to admit to either,” he 

said. 

“Ministers don’t want to admit that this work and the choices are complex because it doesn’t play 

well politically and they don’t want to make hard choices around priorities. But something has got to 

give.” 

Penman, 49, defies the stereotype of a Whitehall mandarin who has emerged from a top public school 

and moved seamlessly to Oxbridge before being fast-tracked into an office of state. He left school in 

Cumbernauld, Scotland, at 18 to join the local civil service. He was recently re-elected unopposed as 

the FDA’s general secretary to serve for a second five-year term.

Penman said the government may have to drop some of its priorities or increase the resources given 

to the civil service. 

He pointed out that only two ministries – Liam Fox’s international trade department and the Foreign 

Office – had been given extra resources, while others were dealing with Brexit, a cuts programme 

and trying to implement a domestic agenda at the same time. 

“To some degree civil servants are used to this process – government has for many years been about 

giving the civil service less money, not more. But what is unique this time is the scale, the complexity 

and the politics of it all,” he said. 

The Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs were facing a 

particularly difficult time this coming year, he said. About 1,200 EU laws, one-quarter of the total, 

relate to Defra, which distributes £3bn of EU money to farmers, and oversees fishing quotas and 

water quality. 

“Defra is going to be 35%-40% smaller in 2019 than it was in 2010. Its ability to cope with 

supporting the government’s negotiations around key policy areas for it, plus dealing with what day 

one outside of the EU looks like, is an enormous challenge. Andrea Leadsom [the environment 

secretary] is going to have to make some choices,” he said. 

Departments were bracing themselves for ministerial initiatives that would be increasingly difficult to 

implement because Brexit would require so much of the staff’s time and resources, he said. 

Some staff within the Home Office were shocked when the home secretary, Amber Rudd, told the 

Conservative party conference in September that she would force firms to identify their foreign 

workers. 

Home secretary Amber Rudd targets immigration and foreign workers 

Penman said the plan had prompted some anxiety among officials because it would have taken dozens 

of staff away from Brexit planning for many months to make such a scheme work properly. 

“When they dreamed up this idea of setting up a register of EU nationals, there was panic in the Home 

Office because the civil servants understood the complexity and the time and resource required to do 

something like that,” he said. 

Ministers would in time be forced to drop some non-Brexit initiatives, Penman predicted. “Either 

Brexit is not going to be funded and resourced or the PM is going to have to drop something. 

Something is going to have to give, and it is not going to be Brexit. 

“Brexit dominates everything right now – the politics and the civil service and everyone is focused on 

the great repeal bill and article 50. All the government is doing right now is preparing the ground for 

the negotiating process. 

“The civil service will have to effectively run a Formula One car whilst building next year’s car at

the same time. It can be done, but it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” 

Penman’s intervention came as a report by Migration Watch UK claimed that immigration from the EU 

will remain high if Britain stays in the European single market after Brexit. 

It estimated if that in that scenario the UK’s scope to reduce net migration from the bloc from its 

current 189,000-a-year level would be “extremely limited” and it would be unlikely to fall below 

155,000 a year in the medium term. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/28/ministers-lackcourage-to-admit-complexity-of-brexit-say-civil-servants 




Dutch woman with two British children told to 

leave UK after 24 years 

Monique Hawkins decided to apply for citizenship fearing her rights would be diminished after 

Britain leaves the EU 

Monique Hawkins, who studied at Cambridge University, said the UK was the only place she felt she 

could call home. Photograph: Handout 

A Dutch woman who has lived in the UK for 24 years, and has two children with her British husband, 

has been told by the Home Office that she should make arrangements to leave the country after she 

applied for citizenship after the EU referendum. 

The story of Monique Hawkins highlights the practical difficulties faced by millions of EU citizens 

concerned that they will not have the right to stay in Britain post-Brexit. 

Hawkins had considered applying for citizenship before but decided not to as it did not confer any 

rights beyond her current EU rights. However, after the referendum she changed her mind, fearful that 

those rights would be diminished after Britain leaves the EU. 

European citizens marrying Britons do not automatically qualify for UK citizenship under current 

rules and Hawkins was concerned that if she did not apply she would be forced “to join a US-style 

two-hour immigration queue” while the rest of her family “sail through the UK passport lane”.

Brexit: 1m EU citizens in Britain ‘could be at 

risk of deportation’ 

Read more 

In order to get citizenship, she first had to get a “permanent residency” document, which involves an 

85-page application form. 

Hawkins said the Home Office had overlooked vital information in her submission – she was unable 

to supply an original of her Dutch passport because her father had recently died and she needed her 

passport to continue to travel to the Netherlands to support her mother. 

However, the department not only rejected her application but sent her a letter which took no account 

of her right to be in the country irrespective of their decision. “As you appear to have no alternative 

basis of stay in the United Kingdom you should now make arrangements to leave,” the letter said. 

When she phoned the Home Office to discuss the decision communicated to her in October, four 

months after her application, she was told her case could not be discussed on the phone or by email. 

Hawkins said her treatment by the Home Office was as absurd as a “Monty Python” sketch. 

In a written complaint, Hawkins said the worst aspect about the process was the inability to contact 

anyone. She wrote: “I do not believe there is any other business, organisation or even legal process in 

the world that would treat its customers/clients/applicants in this manner.” 

The software engineer, from Surrey, said she never once thought she would be deported but said her 

experience highlights the absurdity of the Home Office permanent residency process. 

She was told that under the rules she could not talk to anyone about her case and after making her 

written complaint she received a letter saying her complaint did not qualify as a complaint under 

Home Office guidelines. 

A European Union passport. Photograph: Aflo/Rex/Shutterstock 

She also protested that while the Home Office would not discuss her case with her personally, it was 

willing to respond to her MP Dominic Raab, who intervened on her behalf.

She has now written to appeal, but says in her complaint: “I am now left totally in limbo. I do not 

know how long to wait for a reply. I do not know whether my application will be reopened or not.” 

She was told the reason for the rejection was because she had not included her original passport. 

In her complaint, Hawkins points out that she included a solicitor-approved photocopy of her 

passport – which is permissible under the rules – plus a covering letter to explain why she could not 

be without her passport for the four to six months it takes to process. 

She said the application form included a box for reasons for not including a valid passport as long as 

it was due to circumstances beyond your control. “Clearly my father dying did not qualify in the 

Home Office’s eyes as beyond my control,” said Hawkins. 

Hawkins’s complaint also states that her covering letter for her original application said that she 

would provide her original passport once the case worker assigned to it needed to see it. 

EU citizens in Britain post Brexit vote: ‘I feel 

betrayed, not at home, sad’ 

Read more 

Hawkins, who is a software developer and the daughter of a former oil company executive, lived in 

several countries as a child and says the UK is the only place she feels she can call home. She studied 

maths at Cambridge University and settled in the UK in 1992. She lives in Surrey and has two 

children, aged 15 and 17. “I always used to feel I had no roots. Because of my dad’s background we 

used to move every five years. This is the first time I’ve laid down roots,” she said. 

“I had a massive shock following the referendum. I felt very stressed and suddenly felt walking down 

the street that the place didn’t want me any more. That feeling began to subside, but I thought I should 

apply for citizenship.” 

The application form, which includes a “flummoxing” requirement to list every absence from the UK 

in the past 24 years, took an entire weekend to complete, she said. “It is important to realise that in 

applying for permanent residency I am not gaining a right, I am only getting a document stating a right 

I already have,” she said. 

Her husband, Robert, raised another issue: that Europeans married to Britons do not have an 

automatic right to citizenship. “As a British citizen, I had the expectation that marrying someone from 

abroad would automatically give them the right to become a British citizen. That seems to be the case 

unless your wife happens to come from the European Union,” he said. 

Hawkins, who has resubmitted an application for permanent residency, said she believed her case 

drew attention to the “discrimination against EU/UK marriages”. The British spouse cannot sponsor 

their EU partner and the EU spouse has to apply on their own merits. If they have not worked and are

supported by their spouse, they may not meet the selection criteria. 

Our obsession with ‘good immigrants’ breeds intolerance 

The Home Office said: “The rights of EU nationals living in the UK remain unchanged while we are a 

member of the European Union. EU nationals do not require any additional documents to prove their 

status.” 

It said Hawkins’s application could not be progressed because the original ID was missing. It said 

since October, applications could be submitted online and it had also launched an express passport 

check-in service in 58 local councils around the country, including one 10 miles from Hawkins’s 

home. 

Hawkins’s case is just one of many similar experiences of EU citizens panicked into applying for 

permanent residency. German aerospace executive Lars Graefe, who has lived in the UK since 1998, 

and is married to a British woman, said he received a similar “make-preparations-to-leave” letter 

from the Home Office. 

He couldn’t surrender his passport because he travels every week and made a complaint because he 

too thought he satisfied the provision for not including original documentation. 

“The point I raised in my complaint was about the process. Even if they couldn’t verify I was 

German, I still qualify to remain. Clearly the Home Office don’t know how to deal with EU citizens. 

If you were in the private sector and treated customers like this you would be sacked,” he said. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/28/dutch-woman-with-twobritish-children-told-to-leave-uk-after-24-years 



UK news 

A40 crash: woman killed and several hurt in 

multiple car pile-up 

Road closed in both directions near Witney, Oxfordshire, after crash involving about 20 vehicles 

The aftermath of the crash involving several cars on the A40. Photograph: @starkey113/PA 

Press Association 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 11.43 GMT First published on Wednesday 28 December 2016 

10.30 GMT 

A woman has died after a crash involving about 20 vehicles on the A40 near Witney in Oxfordshire. 

The A40 was closed in both directions after the pile-up, which stretched for more than half a mile 

(1km), the ambulance service said. 

The female motorist, who was in her 50s, was declared dead at the scene, while a man and a woman 

were taken to hospital with serious injuries, Thames Valley police said. 

A further 10-15 casualties were treated at the scene after several collisions at about 8.25am, David 

Gallagher, a spokesman for South Central ambulance service, said. 

The accident took place in heavy fog, and with temperatures as low as -5C (23F), according to the 

Met Office. Similar conditions are expected to continue on Thursday, with fog covering large parts of 

southern England. 

A40 map 

Images showed the mangled wreckage of several of the cars involved, with debris strewn across the 

road. 

Six vehicles were reported to be badly damaged, while a further 10-15 were also involved, with the

most serious injuries happening in the middle of the pile-up. 

The incident is likely to cause major disruption for many people travelling across the country after the 

Christmas break, as the road connects London to Wales. 

The A40 eastbound remained closed on Wednesday afternoon as investigations continued, and police 

expected the rest of the carriageway to reopen at about 7.30pm. One lane of the westbound 

carriageway was reopened at 2pm and police said the other lane was expected to be back in use once 

the central reservation was repaired. 

Gallagher said: “There was a collision towards the front of the queue and the more serious one about 

halfway down.” 

He said three ambulances, three rapid response vehicles, two ambulance officers and an air 

ambulance car had attended the scene. 

A Thames Valley police spokesman said: “Officers were called today at about 8.25am following 

reports of a collision involving multiple vehicles on the A40, Witney. 

“Officers are at the scene along with the fire and rescue services. A number of people are believed to 

have been injured. Road closures are currently in place, and drivers are advised to avoid the area.” 

Ami Gaston, a pregnant mother of two from Carterton, was in a car with her partner when she saw the 

first vehicle crash. She said the accident happened about half a mile from the Witney exit, blocking 

the right lane. 

“A man on his own had skidded and crashed into the middle barrier. My partner was driving – we 

had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid hitting him. His door was open and airbags were 

released,” Gaston said. 

“I phoned an ambulance but couldn’t stop. My partner wouldn’t stop because I am 20 weeks pregnant 

and didn’t want to put us in danger.” 

She said heavy fog meant the situation was “really dangerous”, as it was difficult to see any other car 

until you were “on top of it”. 

Another eyewitness arrived at the scene later and described the “carnage” as multiple cars swerved 

and crashed on the busy road. 

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she “luckily” saw hazard warning lights ahead as she 

approached on the slip road from Carterton, and moved on to a grass verge before witnessing the 

pile-up. 

“I saw cars going zooming past me and trying to swerve out the way of the stationary cars but 

crashing into them,” she said. 

“I saw one car try to swerve in between a Mini and another car, ending up crashing into the Mini and

[flying] up in the air. I saw two cars swerve as they braked so hard and go flying into the barrier in 

the middle of the road … it was carnage.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/28/several-injured-inmultiple-car-pile-up-on-a40-in-oxfordshire 



GPs 

Lengthy waits to see GPs may pose serious risk 

to patients, says top doctor 

People with non-urgent conditions may be neglected amid long waiting times, leading to acute 

problems, warns head of GPs’ body 

A doctor’s waiting room. Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard says GPs are having to ‘firefight’ patients with 

urgent health problems. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA 

Thousands of patients could be put at serious risk of life-threatening or life-changing health problems 

as they wait several weeks to see family doctors, a leading GP has warned. 

Surgeries have been struggling to keep waiting times down during the busy winter period, with some 

patients waiting two or three weeks to see GPs for non-urgent matters, such as suspect lumps or 

bleeding problems, the chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said. 

Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard said waiting times could rise to three or four weeks and such delays may 

cause non-urgent conditions to become acute problems. 

Life of a GP: ‘We are crumbling under the 

pressures of workload’ 

Read more 

Stokes-Lampard raised particular concerns over the tens of thousands of people with chronic and 

long-term health conditions, such as heart problems and diabetes, who may be neglected because GPs 

had to “firefight” patients with urgent issues. The consequences for people with such conditions could 

be “very serious indeed”, she added.

The senior GP, based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, said she was “profoundly concerned” about how 

general practice would cope over winter when there is higher demand for NHS services. 

Although seasonal woes have been a longstanding problem in the NHS, Stokes-Lampard said 

attention had been focused on the impact on hospital care, when every peak in workload in A&E 

departments was magnified at GP surgeries, which were “already skating on thin ice”. 

“If you’ve got to deal with people who are acutely sick on the day, because people need help, then 

chronic disease management will disappear,” she said. 

Asked if patients with non-urgent needs would be forced to wait weeks to see their GP, she said: 

“Absolutely. If it’s already taking some patients two to three weeks to get in to see a GP for the nonurgent 

stuff, then by the time three to four weeks has passed, the non-urgent stuff may be becoming 

urgent. 

“With lumps or bleeding problems or things that could be signs of serious disease, my profound 

concern is that people will delay seeking help for things that could potentially be life-threatening or 

life-changing if they are not tackled swiftly. Extended waiting times pose a serious risk because of all 

those unintended consequences. 

“If we rein back on all that preventative care and all that chronic disease management because we are 

too busy firefighting the urgent stuff, the knock-on consequences could take years to manifest, but they 

will be very serious indeed. And that would be a tragedy.” 

The shadow health minister, Julie Cooper, said the situation was extremely worrying and “the 

government needs to wake up to the fact that there is a full-scale crisis in the NHS at every level”. 

“We have heard a lot about the shortage of beds and waiting times in accident and emergency 

departments, but there has been little acknowledgement of the pressures facing GP surgeries,” she 

said. 

“The truth is that they are overwhelmed by ever increasing demand. Add to this a chronic shortage of 

GPs and a crisis in recruitment, and the result is a service that is at breaking point.” 

An NHS England spokesman said: “Over the Christmas and new year period, the top priority has to 

be medical emergencies, but the RCGP are right to remind everyone of what they describe as the 

‘most phenomenal success story of the NHS’ – every day tens of thousands of people do not die who 

would have died 20 to 30 years ago, because we are quietly saving them from having heart attacks, 

strokes and complications of diabetes. 

“That’s why GP services are on track to receive an extra £2.4bn in real terms investment by 2020 to 

build on this track record of success and expand access to convenient appointments throughout the 

week.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/28/long-waits-to-see-gpmay-pose-serious-risk-patients-non-urgent-conditions



Economics 

UK in 2030: older, more unequal and blighted 

by Brexit, report predicts 

IPPR says leaving EU will require painful trade-offs, adding to challenges of ageing population and 

automation of jobs 

A car plant in Oxford. By 2030 there will be 600,000 fewer manufacturing jobs, the IPPR predicts. 

Photograph: Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images 

Patrick Collinson 


Britain faces a decade of disruption after Brexit with low growth, stagnating incomes for the poor and 

the public finances at breaking point, according to a bleak analysis by a leading thinktank. 

The report, Britain in the 2020s, by the Institute of Public Policy Research, says Brexit will 

“profoundly reshape the UK … painful trade-offs are almost certain. Growth is expected to be lower, 

investment rates worse, and the public finances weaker as a result of Brexit.” 

The analysis, which draws on data from the OECD, the ONS and numerous economists and 

researchers, forecasts a 30% increase in the number of over-65s in the population by 2030, and a 

doubling of the number of over-85s. It predicts that the proportion of the population that is non-white 

will climb to more than one in five within 12 years.

The world of work will be revolutionised with millions of jobs in retail and manufacturing 

disappearing as a result of automation and the internet, the report says. Income inequality will become 

more entrenched, as will the wealth gap between London and the rest of the country. 

By 2030 households will on average be £1,700 worse off per year than they would have been if 

Britain had stayed in the EU, with a persistently falling currency driving up prices and hitting the 

living standards of poorer people the hardest, according to the report. 

Low-income households are predicted to see their earnings rise by just 2% between now and 2030, 

leaving them little better off than a generation before. Meanwhile, the average FTSE 100 chief 

executive’s pay is forecast to soar to £9.5m by 2030 – 350 times the median income, up from a 

multiple of 144 today. 

The report’s author, Mathew Lawrence, said the IPPR had taken a neutral position during the run-up 

to the EU referendum, and the report simply highlighted how Brexit would exacerbate challenges 

around inequality and low productivity that the UK was already facing. 

New barriers to trade after Britain leaves the EU are likely to drive the currency down and to 

increase costs, the report says. 

Government finances may buckle under the strain of NHS and pension spending as Britain ages and 

Brexit reduces the tax base. The 65-plus population will rise to 15.4 million by 2030, from 11.6 

million today, while the working-age population will rise by just 3%. 

Working age population graphic 

The IPPR predicts a £13bn shortfall in the funding of adult social care alone by 2030 as the 

government struggles to finance care for elderly people in their homes. 

Pressure on schools, hospitals and infrastructure will also increase as Britain’s population continues 

to grow rapidly despite a short-term post-Brexit reduction in EU migration. The report forecasts that 

the UK will have the fastest growing population of any major country in Europe, overtaking France’s 

population by 2030 and Germany’s in the late 2040s. 

The IPPR also predicts a more diverse country, with the non-white proportion rising from 14% in 

2011 to 21% by 2030 and to more than a third of the population by 2050. 

Vast numbers of workers in the UK face losing their jobs as automation progresses, with the economy 

soon hitting “peak human” before robots and artificial intelligence take over, the IPPR argues. 

It forecasts that 2m jobs in retail will disappear by 2030 and 600,000 will go in manufacturing. 

Britain in the 2020s will continue to see a hollowing out of middle-income jobs, with large numbers 

of well-paid jobs in a few industries – largely in London and the south-east – offset by a growing 

precariat of poorly paid, often self-employed workers. “There will be more self-employed workers 

in the 2020s than public sector employees,” the report says.

It says the rest of the world also faces a slowdown in economic growth, partly as population growth 

slows and partly because of climate change. 

Energy mix graphic 

It also forecasts crises for China. By 2030 the country will have 17 of the top 50 cities in the world 

ranked by GDP, but its rapidly ageing population, credit bubbles and political uncertainty will 

undermine its rise and ensure the US remains the dominant global power. 

Keir Starmer MP, the shadow Brexit secretary, said: “This report shows once again the clear dangers 

of a hard Brexit and the importance of ensuring we get the best possible Brexit deal that protects jobs, 

the economy and living standards. 

“It also reminds us that there are wider and profound challenges facing the Britain in the years and 

decades to come - both to our economy, society and our place in the world. Labour has an obligation 

to future generations to find progressive and effective responses, and to help bring Britain back 

together after a deeply divisive referendum.” 

Gerard Lyons, a leading pro-Brexit economist and former adviser to Boris Johnson, dismissed much 

of the IPPR’s findings as “second-hand questionable figures” and “meaningless jargon”. 

He said: “Far from being a constraint, Brexit provides the UK with a great opportunity to adopt both a 

domestic and a global policy agenda to address many of the challenges highlighted by the IPPR in this 

report.” 

David Campbell Bannerman, a Tory MEP and member of the Leave Means Leave group which this 

week asked business groups across Europe to put pressure on their governments to negotiate a free 

trade agreement with Britain, also criticised the report. “No surprises here from such a favourite 

Blairite thinktank which receives EU funding. This is misery wrapped in humbug,” he said. 

“It takes no account of the benefit of UK negotiating free trade deals around the world, of billions 

saved in deregulation of EU over-regulation, nor of more jobs, better treatment and greater training of 

the UK workforce once immigration is controlled and the £12bn net savings from EU contributions 

reinvested.” 

Looking ahead: what the IPPR foresees 

2% – forecast total income growth for poor households between now and 2030. 

£9.5m – predicted pay of FTSE 100 CEOs by 2030. 

£341bn – difference between taxes raised and expected spending by 2050. 

76 million – population of the UK when it overtakes Germany and becomes Europe’s biggest country 

in the late 2040s.

21% – non-white proportion of the population by 2030. 

15.4 million – number of over-65s in 2030, compared with 11.6 million today. 

80% – increase in the number of adults over 65 with dementia by 2030. 

10% – decline in China’s working population by 2030, by which time Africa will have more 

working-age people than China. 

1tn – number of sensors connected to the internet by 2025. 

2m – number of jobs lost in retail by 2030. 

600,000 – number of jobs lost in manufacturing by 2030. 

15m – number of current jobs that will be automated in the coming decades. 

3m – number of new jobs that will be created by 2030, largely in healthcare and business services. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/29/uk-in-2030-oldermore-unequal-and-blighted-by-brexit-report-predicts 



UK news 

One crew member dies after fishing boat 

capsizes off Kent coast 

One of two people pulled from the Channel after boat overturned dies in hospital while one person is 

still missing 

One crew member was airlifted by the coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lydd. 

Photograph: Chris Ison/PA 

One crew member has died after a fishing vessel carrying three people capsized in the middle of the 

Channel, with one person still missing a day later. 

A Belgian-registered boat got into trouble off the Kent coast on Tuesday night, and two of the crew 

were rescued by a coastguard helicopter based at Lydd. 

One of those rescued was taken from the water but later died in hospital; the other had been winched 

to safety from the stricken boat. 

The search for the third crew member was called off at about 4.30pm beause of the failing light. The 

lifeboats have returned to their stations, and it remains unclear whether the search will continue on 

Thursday. 

The incident came to light earlier in the day, when the first person rescued was found clinging to the 

hull of the overturned boat by a passing vessel at about 7.45am – nine hours after the boat capsized 

off the Kent coast at about 11pm. The man was airlifted and taken to the William Harvey hospital at 

Ashford. 

Coastguards carried out a search for the crew members, and a spokeswoman for the Maritime and 

Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the search area extended from Ramsgate to the mid-Channel area. 

Map

On Wednesday afternoon, the exposed hull of the vessel could be seen in the water with most of it 

submerged. Rescuers found the overturned wreckage empty, leading to fears that the men had been 

swept away by the tide on a night where sea temperatures dropped to as low as 5C. 

The coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Lydd, lifeboats from Ramsgate and Harwich 

and the coastguard rescue team from Margate were scrambled to join the search for the Belgianregistered 

boat. It is not known whether the crew were British nationals. 

John Ray, a spokesman for Ramsgate lifeboat station, said the incident must have happened suddenly, 

because the crew members made no contact with the coastguard. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/28/crew-members-missingafter-fishing-boat-capsizes-off-kent-coast 



Teacher training 

Labour warns of teacher training crisis after 

targets missed again 

Not enough trainee teachers began courses in more than three-quarters of subjects, including maths 

and computing 

The National Union of Teachers has also spoken of a ‘crisis in teacher recruitment and retention’ just 

as demand is increasing. Photograph: The Guardian 

Rowena Mason Deputy political editor 


22.00 GMT 

Labour has accused the government of presiding over a crisis in teacher training after it failed to hit 

the necessary recruitment levels for a fifth year in a row. 

Not enough trainee teachers began courses in more than three-quarters of subjects, with maths, 

physics, design and technology, computing and business studies all falling at least 15% short of their 

targets. 

About 6,000 trainee teachers began courses after achieving a 2:2 or lower in their degree subject, and 

less than half of trainees are studying for their qualifications in universities, Labour said. 

The only subjects to meet the required recruitment levels were PE, history, biology and geography, 

while English and chemistry narrowly missed them. 

Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, said it amounted to a teacher training crisis that 

would lead to shortages. 

“Every year the government miss their targets and it’s subjects that are crucial to our future economy 

that are worst hit,” she said. “The Tories really need to get a grip on this. They are failing in their

most basic job in education – providing enough teachers for our schools.” 

However, a spokeswoman for the Department for Education (DfE) disputed the idea of a crisis, 

saying the figures showed that teaching “continues to be an attractive career”. 

“Secondary postgraduate recruitment is at its highest level since 2011 and we have recruited more 

trainees in key subjects including physics, maths, modern foreign languages, biology, chemistry and 

geography than we did last year,” she said. 

“The quality of new entrants also continues to be high, with 18% of this year’s cohort again holding a 

first-class degree – the highest on record and up from 10% in 2010-11. This shows that teaching is as 

popular as ever among the most talented graduates. 

“But we recognise that there are challenges, which is why we are investing more than £1.3bn over 

this parliament so we can continue to attract the brightest and best into teaching.” 

Recruitment was up by 12% in maths this year compared with last year, and by 15% in physics. 

The National Union of Teachers has previously said there is “increasing evidence of a crisis in 

teacher recruitment and retention, just as the number of pupils and the demand for new teachers begins 

to increase sharply”. 

It attributed the problems in attracting new recruits to “excessive workload and attacks on pay [that] 

are driving away teachers”. 

In June, the public accounts committee criticised the DfE for having no plan for how to meet its 

targets and failing to understand “the difficult reality that many schools face in recruiting teachers”. 

Almost one-third of teachers who began their career in 2010 quit the classroom within five years of 

qualifying, according to government figures. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/dec/28/labour-warns-ofteacher-training-crisis-after-targets-missed-again 



London 

Snow cabins and jungle showers: the latest 

perks of a luxury London flat 

Developers are offering novel attractions to would-be buyers as demand for the most expensive new 

homes takes a plunge 

Snow Paradise at the K West hotel in London, a similar attraction to that being offered to luxury flat 

buyers. Photograph: Anna Batchelor/Handout 

Robert Booth 


22.00 GMT 

It was once thought to be enough to offer basement gyms and bowler-hatted concierges as a lure for 

the property-buying global elite. But now potential purchasers of £23m flats overlooking the Thames 

in London are being offered access to their own “snow cabin”, where they can unwind from the 

rigours of the capital’s social scene among artificial white drifts. 

This frosty cousin of the sauna is being offered to buyers of apartments at One Blackfriars, a 50- 

storey tower with views across to St Paul’s Cathedral. It is one of several novel attractions to lure

would-be purchasers to the tower, including a “rainforest shower experience” involving a dousing to 

the sounds of the jungle, a virtual golf course with a whisky bar, a wine tasting room, a hot stone 

massage parlour and a 20-seat cinema. 

UK housing market: what to expect in 2017 

Read more 

The perks are being offered as demand for the most expensive new homes in the capital falls 

dramatically, forcing some developers and estate agents to look for novel ways to encourage sales. 

Nine newly built homes worth more than £5m were sold in the six months to October, down 83% on 

the same period in 2015, according to analysis of Land Registry data published earlier this month by 

property investment company LCP. Increases in stamp duty announced by the former chancellor 

George Osborne and the uncertainty of Brexit have been blamed. 

A Chinese developer in Battersea’s Nine Elms area, where there is a glut of newbuild luxury 

apartments, is promising that staff will turn down buyers’ bedsheets at night, while a rival is offering 

membership of a private club complete with a rooftop orangery and transparent swimming pool that 

spans two towers. 

Marketing staff for the Blackfriars tower believe the snow facility will contribute to a “five-star hotel 

experience”. A similar attraction, Snow Paradise at the K West hotel in Shepherd’s Bush, west 

London, consists of a 2m squared cave-like room kept at -15C (5F), with snow pumped into it from a 

machine that uses air and water. 

Natalia Rakowska, a marketing manager at K West, said: “It’s like Narnia. You rub your snow into 

your skin and it feels amazing.” 

While no affordable housing is being built on the prime site at Blackfriars – the developers have 

made a £29m contribution to the construction of homes elsewhere in the borough – little expense is 

being spared on attractions for residents. 

As well as the snow cabin and rainforest shower, apartment owners will also have access to more 

standard facilities: a 20-metre swimming pool, a sauna, a steam room, valet parking and a 24-hour 

concierge provided by Harrods. The first residents are due to move in in 2018. 

Tom Copley, Labour’s housing spokesman on the London assembly, said: “These kinds of additions 

are vastly beyond the reach of most of the people we need to house in London. We need to be building 

homes that people can actually afford to live in. 

“If you juxtapose the image of the snow room or the jungle shower with the rising number of people 

sleeping on the streets and in housing need, it paints a very uncomfortable picture of the inequality 

that exists in London.”

Estate agents recognise that the quality and novelty of perks on offer is increasingly important as 

demand cools. 

Lauren Kemp, a spokeswoman for LCP, said: “The top end of the market has been battered by taxes. 

There have been three increases in stamp duty since 2012 and the top rate of stamp duty, for 

properties above £1.5m, is now 12%. Anybody buying through a company, which was popular for 

foreign investors, can be hit by a tax of up to £250,000 a year.” 

In its marketing literature, Berkeley Homes says: “Maintaining the comfort of the residents at One 

Blackfriars is essential.” 

One Blackfriars was criticised last year when it was advertised with a video that showed a young 

couple arriving in the capital in a private helicopter. A narrator described their visits to “exclusive 

boutiques” and London’s museums. The video faced criticism accusing it of being elitist. It came 

amid growing concern that London’s housing market is being distorted by an increasing number of 

foreign investors, some of whom rarely occupy their homes. 

Earlier this month, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, appointed the London School of Economics to 

carry out an inquiry into the impact of foreign investment on London’s housing market. 

Earlier this year, the Guardian revealed that a 50-storey block of 214 luxury apartments by the river 

Thames in Vauxhall was more than 60% owned by foreign buyers. One-quarter of the flats were held 

by companies in secretive offshore tax havens and many were unoccupied. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/28/snow-cabins-jungleshowers-latest-perks-luxury-london-flat 



Climate change 

Climate change driving birds to migrate early, 

research reveals 

A University of Edinburgh study finds birds are arriving at breeding grounds too soon, causing some 

to miss out on food 

Birds with long migrations are expected to suffer most, as other species reach breeding grounds 

before them. Photograph: Gerry Penny/EPA 

Migrating birds are responding to the effects of climate change by arriving at their breeding grounds 

earlier as global temperatures rise, research has found. 

The University of Edinburgh study, which looked at hundreds of species across five continents, found 

that birds are reaching their summer breeding grounds on average about one day earlier per degree of 

increasing global temperature. 

The main reason birds take flight is changing seasonal temperatures and food availability. The time 

they reach their summer breeding grounds is significant, because arriving at the wrong time, even by a 

few days, may cause them to miss out on vital resources such as food and nesting places. This in turn 

affects the timing of offspring hatching and their chances of survival. 

The Guardian view on climate change: bad for 

the Arctic | Editorial 

Read more 

The research included species that travel huge distances, such as the swallow and pied flycatcher, as 

well as those with shorter migrations, such as the lapwing and pied wagtail. British swallows fly 

through western France, across the Pyrenees, down eastern Spain into Morocco, and across the

Sahara, to spend their winter in South Africa from around September or October. 

Migrating swallows can cover 200 miles a day at speeds of 17-22 miles per hour, with a maximum 

flight speed of 35mph. 

The pied flycatcher, a bird slightly smaller than a house sparrow, is a summer visitor to the UK and 

breeds mainly in western areas of the country, before spending the winter in west Africa. 

The northern lapwing, which is about 30cm long from beak to tail, can be seen across the British Isles 

throughout the year, favouring farmland, wetland and meadows during the breeding season and 

pasture and ploughed fields during the winter months. 

The University of Edinburgh researchers examined records of migrating bird species dating back 

almost 300 years. They drew upon records from amateur enthusiasts and scientists, including notes 

from 19th-century American naturalist Henry David Thoreau. 

They hope their study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology and supported by the Natural 

Environment Research Council, will help scientists better predict how different species will respond 

to environmental changes. Long-distance migrants, which are shown to be less responsive to rising 

temperatures, may suffer most as other birds gain advantage by arriving at breeding grounds ahead of 

them. 

Takuji Usui, of the university’s school of biological sciences, said: “Many plant and animal species 

are altering the timing of activities associated with the start of spring, such as flowering and breeding. 

“Now we have detailed insights into how the timing of migration is changing and how this change 

varies across species. These insights may help us predict how well migratory birds keep up with 

changing conditions on their breeding grounds.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/28/climate-changedriving-birds-migrate-early-research-reveals-edinburgh-global-warming 



International 

The two-state solution in the Middle East – all you need to know [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

A smooth transition? ‘NOT!’ Trump decries Obama’s ‘roadblocks’ in tweets 


John Kerry’s Middle East plan mirrors Bill Clinton’s futile end-of-term 

attempt [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Kerry defends US decision not to veto UN resolution against Israeli 

settlements [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

UK’s key role in brokering UN resolution on Israeli settlements confirmed [Thu, 


Amazon refuses to let police access US murder suspect’s Echo recordings [Thu, 


Obama set to hit Russia with further sanctions before leaving office [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

State election recounts confirm Trump win but reveal hacking vulnerabilities 


‘A more dangerous long-term threat’: Al-Qaida grows as Isis retreats [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

Turkey and Russia ‘agree terms of Syria ceasefire’ [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

François Hollande pardons woman for murder of husband [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Berlin truck attack: Tunisian man detained by German prosecutors [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 



Obama administration 

The Guardian briefing 

The two-state solution in the Middle East – all 

you need to know 

John Kerry has set out the US framework for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement in an attempt to protect 

what is left of the peace process before Donald Trump takes office 

Jerusalem west of the green line. Trump pledged to move the US embassy to Jerusalem – a potentially 

explosive move. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP 

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has set out the parameters for a potential resolution to the 

Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a last throw of the dice on this issue for the Obama administration. His 

speech focused on the “two-state solution”. 

What’s the basic idea? 

For decades, the two-state solution has been held up by the international community as the only 

realistic deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its basis is two separate states, Israel and 

Palestine, living peacefully side by side on the land between the western bank of the Jordan river and 

the Mediterranean Sea. This territory would be divided broadly along the pre-1967 armistice line or 

“green line” – probably with some negotiated land swaps. Jerusalem, which both sides want as their 

capital, would be shared. 

What are the obstacles? 

Past negotiations have failed to make progress and there are currently no fresh talks in prospect. The 

main barriers are borders, Jerusalem, refugees, Israel’s insistence on being recognised as a “Jewish 

state” and the Palestinians’ political and geographical split between the West Bank and Gaza. 

The Palestinians demand that the border of their new state should follow the green line, giving them 

22% of their historic land. But Israel, which has built hundreds of settlements on the Palestinian side

of the green line over the past 50 years, insists that most of these should become part of Israel – 

requiring a new border which would mean, according to critics, the annexation of big chunks of the 

West Bank. Land swaps could go some way to compensate but negotiations have stalled on this 

fundamental issue. 

Jerusalem is another obstacle. Israel has said it cannot agree any deal which sees the city shared or 

divided between the two sides. The Palestinians say they will not cede their claim and access to their 

holy sites, all of which are located in East Jerusalem, on the Palestinian side of the green line. 

John Kerry: Israel must adopt two-state solution for lasting peace 

The Palestinians have long insisted that refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants should 

have the right to return to their former homes, although many diplomats believe they would settle for a 

symbolic “right of return”. Israel rejects any movement on this issue. 

Israel insists that the Palestinians must recognise Israel as a “Jewish state”. The Palestinians say this 

would deny the existence of the one in five Israeli citizens who are Palestinian. 

Any potential deal is complicated by the political breach between Fatah and Hamas, the two main 

Palestinian factions, and the geographical split between the West Bank and Gaza. 

Can it still happen? 

For years, international diplomats, Palestinians and some Israelis have been warning that time is 

running out as Israel’s continued settlement expansion swallows up land that would become part of 

Palestine. Many Palestinians and some Israelis now say the line has already been crossed and the 

two-state solution is impossible; privately many diplomats agree. 

What is Trump’s view? 

During his election campaign, Donald Trump pledged to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, a 

potentially explosive move as it would signal that the US considered the city to be Israel’s capital. 

The president-elect has also suggested that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict simply may not be a 

priority for his administration. 

He has appointed as US ambassador to Israel David Friedman, a fervent opponent of a two-state 

solution, a big supporter of settlement expansion and a vocal champion of an undivided Jerusalem as 

Israel’s “eternal capital”. 

Is there an alternative? 

The Israeli hard right has pushed for annexation of the West Bank, with its Palestinian population 

living permanently under military rule or being pressed to relocate to neighbouring Arab countries.

Many Palestinians and some Israelis now advocate a “one-state solution”, with the focus turning to a 

civil rights campaign for Palestinians – who would soon be a majority in a binational state. This 

would effectively be the end of the Jewish homeland, and thus unacceptable to the vast majority of 

global Jews and many others. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/28/the-two-statesolution-in-the-middle-east-all-you-need-to-know 



Donald Trump 

A smooth transition? ‘NOT!’ Trump decries 

Obama’s ‘roadblocks’ in tweets 

The president-elect complained about Obama’s ‘inflammatory statements’, but didn’t specify what the 

US president has done or said to anger him this time 

Donald Trump on 28 December 2016 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Photograph: Don 

Emmert/AFP/Getty Images 

The thin veneer of civility between Barack Obama and Donald Trump has a few more cracks in it, 

after Trump tweeted to accuse Obama of throwing up “inflammatory” roadblocks during the 

presidential transition of power. 

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 

Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and 

roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT! 

December 28, 2016 

The president-elect is on the social media platform most mornings to tweet something accusatory. But 

since his positive post-election meeting with Obama, he has largely stayed away from a negative 

personal tone against the president. 

Trump didn’t specify exactly what Obama has done or said to anger him this time, although just a few 

days ago Obama said he is “confident” he would have won a third term – a statement Trump 

immediately disagreed with. 


President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me. He should say that but I say 

NO WAY! - jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.


Trump also said on Wednesday morning that Israel was being treated with “total disdain and 

disrespect” by the United Nations, after a UN vote (the United States abstained from the vote) 

declared West Bank settlements by Israel illegal. Israeli officials have accused the Obama 

administration of creating and pushing the resolution. 

When asked to clarify what Trump means by saying Obama is not allowing for a smooth transition, 

press secretary Sean Spicer said on a media call that the tweets “speak for themselves”. 

On Monday, Spicer said in an interview that Trump’s use of Twitter to communicate will be “a really 

exciting part of the job”. 

A guide to Donald Trump’s potential cabinet of billionaires 

Obama has long said that George W Bush had ensured a smooth transition when he took office in 

2009, and he was insistent that his successor receive the same treatment. 

Immediately after the election, Obama invited Trump and his wife, Melania, to the White House to 

meet with him and the First Lady. It created a (very forced) friendly rapport of sorts between the two 

men, with a clearly strained Obama attempting to be as welcoming and hospitable as possible. The 

planned 15-minute meeting turned into a 90-minute private meeting, with Trump afterwards declaring 

the president a “good man”. 

“I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel. He explained 

some of the difficulties, some of the high-flying assets and some of the really great things that have 

been achieved,” said Trump. 


A fantastic day in D.C. Met with President Obama for first time. Really good meeting, great 

chemistry. Melania liked Mrs. O a lot! 

November 11, 2016 

“I want to emphasize to you, Mr President-elect, that we now are going to do everything we can to 

help you succeed because if you succeed, then the country succeeds,” said Obama during their White 

House meeting on 10 November. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/28/trump-twitter-obamaroadblocks-transition 



John Kerry 

John Kerry’s Middle East plan mirrors Bill 

Clinton’s futile end-of-term attempt 

It is a reflection of the paralysis and steady demise of the peace process over the ensuing 16 years 

that Kerry’s principles closely resemble Clinton’s parameters 

John Kerry is not the first US statesman to lay out a Middle East peace plan just as he is about to 

leave office. Photograph: Zach Gibson/Getty Images 

Julian Borger in Washington 

Thursday 29 December 2016 00.12 GMT Last modified on Thursday 29 December 2016 01.00 GMT 

John Kerry is not the first US statesman to lay out a Middle East peace plan just as he is about to 

leave office. 

In December 2000, Bill Clinton presented a set of parameters for a two-state solution, covering the 

same set of daunting issues: Jerusalem, the right of return (or not) of Palestinian refugees, territorial 

exchange on the basis of the 1967 ceasefire line and Israeli security. 

Kerry defends US decision not to veto UN 

resolution against Israeli settlements 

Read more 

It is a reflection of the paralysis and steady demise of the peace process over the ensuing 16 years 

that Kerry’s principles closely resemble Clinton’s parameters. 

In his hour-plus speech Wednesday, Kerry went further than any previous secretary of state in spelling 

out the self-destructive nature of Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy for Israel’s long-term security. He used

unusually blunt language to describe the nature of the present Israeli government and referred to the 

Arab perception of the impact of Israel’s creation on Palestinian lives, the nakba – the catastrophe. 

The most significant differences between Kerry’s message and Clinton’s are that Israel is explicitly 

accepted by its neighbours as a Jewish state in Kerry’s solution, and Jerusalem is to be shared but not 

divided. 

But the most important difference is the context in which the two frameworks are being proposed. At 

Camp David in July 2000 Clinton had come closer than any US president to brokering a 

comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian agreement, and a deal between Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat was 

still possible five months later. The two sides came close again at the Taba summit in January 2001. 

By striking contrast, Kerry made his speech at a time when a two-state solution has been corroded 

into an almost abstract concept and is no longer a shared destination for both parties. As the secretary 

of the state noted, Netanyahu continues to pay lip service to two states, but sits at the head of a 

government that Kerry described as the “most right wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by 

its most extreme elements,” with an aggressive settlement-building approach that leads in the other 

direction – to a one-state solution. 

According to the New York Times, Kerry had wanted to deliver a speech like this some two years 

ago but was blocked by the White House, which saw little value in enraging Netanyahu. The Israeli 

prime minister had already shown himself willing and capable of inflicting political damage on 

Obama and the Democrats on their home ground. 

Netanyahu was indeed enraged by the speech – his office was quick to dismiss it as “biased against 

Israel” but he was clearly not worried. He has his eye on the near horizon. 

As Kerry was preparing to make the speech, the administration’s Middle East policy was trolled on 

Twitter by the next president. 

“We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect,” Donald Trump 

tweeted. “They used to have a great friend in the US, but not anymore. The beginning of the end was 

the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!” 

The president-elect’s message to the Israeli government was clear: ignore Kerry’s words. The next 

US administration will lift any pressure over settlements. The designated US ambassador, David 

Friedman, Trump’s bankruptcy lawyer, is vowing to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to 

Jerusalem, has a record of funding settlements and advocates the annexation of parts of the West Bank, 

aligning himself with the far right elements in the Netanyahu cabinet. 

Given these circumstances, the Kerry speech raises questions about what purpose it serves 23 days 

before he leaves his job, other than a cri de coeur at the end of long and abortive effort to make an 

impact on the Israeli-Palestinian impasse, and a desire perhaps to put his own imprimatur on a formal 

blueprint for peace. 

Ilan Goldenberg, a former state department official, argued the speech had a value beyond such vain

motives in setting down a marker ahead of Trump’s arrival in office. 

“Obviously it would have been better to give this speech two or three years ago,” said Goldenberg, 

now director of the middle east security programme at the Centre for a New American Security. “But 

it is still important to get those principles out there for future negotiators to rally around.” 

In other words, the speech is a tidal marker before the coming of the Trump deluge, in the hope it will 

still have relevance if and when the flood waters recede. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/28/john-kerry-middleeast-plan-israel-palestine-peace-attempts 



Israel 

Kerry defends US decision not to veto UN 

resolution against Israeli settlements 

US secretary of state pushes two-state solution and criticises Netanyahu in toughest remarks on Israel 

by a US official in years 

John Kerry: Israel must adopt two-state solution for lasting peace 

Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington and Peter Beaumont 


17.45 GMT 

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has offered a blistering defence of the US decision to allow a 

UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements, saying if Washington had vetoed it, Israel would have 

been given a licence for “unfettered settlement construction” and the end of the peace process. 

Framing a two-state solution as “the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and 

Palestinians”, Kerry took aim at the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for building a 

coalition that was “the most rightwing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by the most extreme 

elements”. 

Kerry’s speech was the latest chapter in a high-octane diplomatic drama marked by a war of words 

between the Obama administration and Israel, since the vote on Friday that called Israeli settlements 

in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a “flagrant violation” of international law. 

The speech was immediately condemned by Netanyahu, who described it as “skewed” and 

“obsessively” focused on the settlement issue. 

The exchange between Kerry and Netanyahu marked a new low in the relationship between Israel’s 

government and the Obama administration. 

John Kerry’s Middle East plan mirrors Bill 

Clinton’s futile end-of-term attempt 

Read more 

The US abstention in Friday’s security council resolution drew unprecedented Israeli fury directed at

its closest ally – and other friendly countries that voted for the resolution – and accusations of 

betrayal and underhand dealings. 

However, describing the decision, Kerry said: “If we had vetoed this resolution … the United States 

would have been giving license to further, unfettered settlement construction that we fundamentally 

oppose. 

“It is not this resolution that is isolating Israel. It is the permanent policy of [Israeli] settlement 

construction that risks making peace impossible.” 

The US secretary of state’s speech came as Donald Trump vowed once again to reverse US policy, 

which he has described as hostile to Israel, as soon as he takes office on 20 January. 

The US president-elect issued a pre-emptive rebuttal to Kerry’s speech earlier on Wednesday. 


We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to 

have a great friend in the U.S., but……. 



not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay 

strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! 


Despite being delivered in the last weeks of the Obama administration, Kerry’s speech – as well as 

the UN resolution – have been widely seen as a part of an effort to future-proof the two-state solution 

against the incoming Trump administration, giving the EU and other institutions the tools to continue 

pressuring Israel on issues such as the settlements. 

This resulted in one of the most passionate speeches delivered by Kerry during his time as America’s 

leading diplomat. 

Pushing back at Israel’s fury over the US abstention , Kerry pointedly questioned Netanyahu’s 

commitment to Palestinian statehood , asking whether Israelis believed their interests were best 

served by the recent attacks on the Obama administration by Israeli leaders. 

Kerry also offered a bleak vision of the risk of the collapse of the Oslo peace process and the twostate 

solution, describing the alternative one-state solution in the darkest terms. 

“Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan river and the 

Mediterranean Sea,” Kerry told his audience of diplomats in Washington, out lining the demographic 

reality on the ground that would colour the future of a unitary state.

“[Israelis and Palestinians] have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state, or they can 

separate into two states. 

“Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy … We 

cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping 

away. 

“If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won’t 

ever really be at peace. ” 

Kerry also took the opportunity to forcefully deny Israeli accusations that the Obama administration 

had been behind the drafting of the resolution amid Israeli accusations that the US colluded with the 

Palestinians . 

The US, insisted Kerry, “did not draft or originate” the UN resolution, adding : “ Nor did we put it 

forward [in the UN].” 

“The United States did in fact vote in accordance with our values, just as previous administrations 

have done,” Kerry said during the speech at the US State Department. “The vote in the United Nations 

was about preserving the two-state solution. That’s what we were standing up for.” 

Kerry outlined a series of principles he said should form the basis of a future peace accord between 

Israel and the Palestinians, with the likely participation of the U S, including a “secure and 

recognised border” between Israel and the new nation of Palestine. 

He also said an agreement must help Palestinian refugees, designate Jerusalem as a capital for both 

states and satisfy Israel’s security needs. 

Kerry insisted that far from abandoning Israel, the Obama administration had been one of its strongest 

defenders, not least in the signing of a $38bn (£31bn) defence assistance deal. 

Responding to the speech, Netanyahu said in a statement: “Like the security council resolution that 

Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel . 

Netanyahu says Kerry comments ‘skewed’ against Israel – video 

“For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the 

conflict – Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/kerry-defends-usdecision-to-not-veto-un-condemnation-of-israeli-settlements 



Israel 

UK’s key role in brokering UN resolution on 

Israeli settlements confirmed 

Confirmation that Britain helped draft resolution in secret puts UK on collision course with Israel – 

and at odds with Donald Trump 

Members of the United Nations Security council vote in favour of condemning Israel for building 

settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Photograph: Manuel Elias/AP 

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor 


22.00 GMT 

Britain played a key behind-the-scenes role in brokering the UN resolution condemning Israel for 

violating international law with its policy of building settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, it 

has been confirmed. The UK helped draft some of the key wording to ensure it met US concerns. 

The UK role, first highlighted by Israeli diplomatic sources, leaves the UK on a collision course not 

just with Israel, but at odds with Donald Trump, the US president-elect and a strong opponent of the 

UN resolution, the first to be passed that is critical of Israel for seven years. 

The UK has never hidden its support for the UN resolution, voting for its terms, and subsequently both 

UK ministers and diplomats have publicly justified its wording. It is also usual for the UK to play a 

key brokering role on UN resolutions, especially on the Middle East. 

It has been confirmed the UK helped with drafts of the resolution with Egypt and the Palestinians in a 

bid to ensure that it met with the concerns of the US president, Barack Obama. The US said it did not 

veto the resolution because it was balanced, condemning violence and incitement, as well as illegal 

settlements. The US has insisted it did not draft the text, and did not even tell other delegations how it 

intended to vote in the key consultations process.

Formally the Foreign Office did not deny it had been involved in the drafting process. It stressed “the 

resolution was proposed and drafted by the Egyptian delegation”, adding that the UK, as one of the 

five permanent members of the security council, “engaged with” the text “as we do with all security 

council texts”. 

Israel claims the UK’s diplomatic activity in New York, conducted in liaison with the French and the 

US, took place behind its back. It is dubious that the US played a hands-off role. 

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, speaking to the US media this week, said: “This is not a 

text that was formulated by the Palestinians or Egypt, but by a western power.” It was not clear if this 

was a reference to the US or the UK. 

In particular the UK is thought to have played a major role in mediating between the Palestinians and 

the Americans to ensure the text eventually put forward by New Zealand, and not Egypt, met the 

concerns of both sides. 

The UK in conjunction with Gulf states said the resolution should go ahead even when Egypt decided 

not to sponsor it. 

A last-minute glitch came up when Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, 

proposed postponing the vote until after Christmas, according to an interview the deputy Russian 

ambassador to Israel gave on Israel Army Radio. This reportedly followed a phone call between the 

Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The other 

security council ambassadors refused to wait, however. 

The UK Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood welcomed the UN resolution on Twitter, and the UK 

ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, also highlighted the UK support for the resolution. 

The British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, has not so far issued any public statement either way, 

but it is not claimed this is significant. 

The UK support for the UN resolution has already led to reports that a tentatively planned meeting 

between Theresa May, and Netanyahu scheduled for Davos international summit this month has been 

cancelled. 

The UK role has divided opinion inside the Conservative party. Conservative Friends of Israel’s 

parliamentary chairman, Sir Eric Pickles, said: “CFI is disappointed by the UK’s decision to support 

the controversial UN security council resolution, which legitimises the Palestinian Authority’s 

attempts to internationalise the issue and avoid the necessary direct peace talks. 

“In addition, the resolution will embolden the hardline BDS movement and the ramifications for 

Jerusalem and Judaism’s holiest site – the Western Wall – are seriously troubling.” 

By contrast the Conservative Middle East council said the resolution affirmed the “establishment by 

Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including east Jerusalem, has no 

legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the

achievement of the two-state solution”. 

The UK is also backing the French-hosted Middle East conference on 15 January, where more than 70 

countries may endorse an international framework, including a two-state solution for peace between 

Israel and the Palestinians. Israel has long vowed not to attend, with the Israeli defence minister, 

Avigdor Lieberman, comparing the summit to “a modern version of the Dreyfus trial” at a meeting of 

his party’s deputies. 

Israel says it will only hold bilateral talks with the Palestinians. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/uks-key-role-inbrokering-un-resolution-on-israeli-settlements-confirmed 



Amazon.com 

Amazon refuses to let police access US murder 

suspect’s Echo recordings 

Company has declined to provide audio recorded by smart speaker system at house where man died, 

according to a report 

Amazon’s Echo smart speaker listens for commands and can carry out tasks such as calling an Uber or 

turning on lights. Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP 

Alex Hern and Sam Thielman in New York 


22.00 GMT 

Amazon has refused to hand over data from an Echo smart speaker to US police want to access as 

part of an investigation into a murder in Arkansas, according to court records seen by tech industry 

news site The Information. 

Arkansas police issued a warrant to Amazon to turn over recordings and other information associated 

with the device owned by James Andrew Bates. Bates has been charged with the murder of a man 

found dead in his hot tub in November 2015. 

The Seattle-based tech company twice declined to provide the police with the information they 

requested from the device, although it did provide Bates’s account information and purchase history, 

the report said court records show. 

Although the Echo is known for having “always-on” microphones to enable its voice-controlled 

features, the vast majority of the recordings it makes are not saved for longer than the few seconds it 

takes to determine if a pre-set “wake word” (usually “Alexa”) has been said. Only if that wake word 

has been heard does the device’s full complement of microphones come on and begin transmitting 

audio to Amazon.

While that would seem to limit the use of the Echo data in the investigation, the device is also 

occasionally accidentally activated, through similar sounds. Those snippets of audio could potentially 

be useful to police investigating a crime, as could the timing information of when they were recorded. 

According to the report, the court records show police took the Echo and extracted some data from it. 

US prosecutors and defense attorneys have both found new uses for “smart” device data in the 

courtroom in recent years, especially information collected by wristwatch-style Fitbit activity 

trackers. In 2014, a Canadian woman sued her former employer over a debilitating injury she claimed 

to have sustained during her work as a personal trainer; she submitted data from her Fitbit to prove 

that “her activity levels are still lower than the baseline for someone of her age and profession,” 

according to reports. 

Conversely, when a Florida woman claimed an intruder had assaulted her, police used information 

from a Fitbit she had been wearing during the alleged assault that suggested she had in fact been 

asleep at time. She was subsequently charged with filing a false report. 

Amazon’s reluctance to part with user information fits a familiar pattern. Tech companies often see 

law enforcement requests for data as invasive and damaging to an industry that considers privacy a 

prime selling point. Last year, Apple went to court with the FBI over the bureau’s demand that that 

company break its own encryption on an iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the San 

Bernardino spree killing. 

But firms often retain a “back door” for their own use – to automatically scan emails for key terms 

used to target advertising, for example – and that can complicate claims that law enforcement access 

would uniquely invade a user’s privacy. Amazon’s internal approach to user data will likely prove 

integral to its ability to resist the warrant. 

In the Echo case, police also extracted data from a different smart home device, a water meter. Bates’ 

smart water meter recorded a flow of 140 gallons between 1am and 3am, the report said. Prosecutors 

claim this is an unfeasibly large amount of water use, and allege it was the result of the garden hose 

being used to spray the patio clean of blood. Bates’s defence team disputes the accuracy of the 

readings. 

Bates pleaded not guilty in April 2016 and is on bail awaiting trial early next year. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/28/amazon-refuses-tolet-police-access-suspects-echo-recordings 



US foreign policy 

Obama set to hit Russia with further sanctions 

before leaving office 

Outgoing president to impose sanctions over claims – dismissed by Trump – of hacking and 

interference in US election 

The Obama administration has had a rocky relationship with Russia. Photograph: Alexei 

Druzhinin/AFP/Getty Images 

Shaun Walker in Moscow and Lauren Gambino in Washington 

Thursday 29 December 2016 02.47 GMT 

The outgoing US administration is poised to hit Russia with further sanctions before Barack Obama 

leaves office next month, in response to allegations of Russian hacking and interference in the US 

electoral process. 

The Obama administration has had a rocky relationship with Russia and has already imposed several 

rounds of sanctions on Moscow, mainly for its actions in Ukraine. 

The US president-elect, Donald Trump, by contrast, has repeatedly praised the Russian president, 

Vladimir Putin, and has dismissed claims that Russia intervened to get him elected. 

But the prominent Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a hardliner on Russia and a constant critic of 

Trump, told a news conference in Latvia that Congress would “investigate the Russian involvement in 

our elections”. 

“There will be bipartisan sanctions coming that will hit Russia hard, particularly Putin as an 

individual,” Graham told CNN. “I would say that 99 of us believe the Russians did this and we’re 

going to do something about it.” 

A recent report in the Washington Post said the White House was already close to announcing new

sanctions on Russia in retaliation for the hacking. The White House did not respond to a request for 

comment on the report. 

The fate of new sanctions remains unclear, however, with Trump due to take over the White House in 

little more than three weeks. During the campaign, Trump not only suggested he might lift sanctions on 

Russia, but also said he would look into the possibility of recognising Crimea, annexed from Ukraine 

in 2014, as part of Russia. 

Asked by reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida if the US should sanction Russia over hacking 

activities, Trump said on Wednesday: “I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers 

have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows 

exactly what’s going on.” 

Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, has also raised eyebrows, given his long history of 

doing business with Russia as head of Exxon Mobil, and his close personal friendship with Igor 

Sechin, head of the Russian oil giant Rosneft. Sechin is one of Putin’s closest associates, and is on the 

US sanctions list. 

Tillerson said in 2014 that Exxon did not support sanctions in general because they were hard to 

implement effectively. At an economic forum in Russia earlier this year, he laughed off a question on 

sanctions, while saying he agreed with “my friend Mr Sechin”. 

Not all the sanctions currently in place would be easy for Trump to revoke, even if he wanted to do 

so. Most difficult would be those against Russian individuals implicated in human rights abuses, 

linked to the Magnitsky Act, named after the whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in 

prison. They were put in place in 2013 using an act of Congress, and as such Congress would be 

required to revoke them. It is likely that the White House would also ensure any new sanctions related 

to hacking could not be easily rescinded by Trump. 

However, the wider ranging sanctions that were introduced by the Obama administration over 

Russia’s annexation of Crimea and meddling in east Ukraine were implemented by presidential 

executive order, and as such could be revoked by Trump with the stroke of a pen. 

Were Trump to do so, European businesses would put major pressure on their governments to lift EU 

sanctions as well, so as not to allow US companies an unfair advantage on the Russian market. 

In a televised interview last week, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was hoping for 

“new, fresher and more constructive approaches” from Trump’s administration. He said Russia would 

welcome further dialogue but was not pushing for sanctions to be lifted. 

“We didn’t initiate the sanctions dialogue and we won’t initiate their removal,” said Peskov. He said 

Russia and the US had not been particularly affected by sanctions, unlike European agricultural 

producers, who suffered losses from Russia’s counter-sanctions banning the imports of many food 

items. 

However, there is no doubt that Russia would be extremely pleased to see the sanctions gone, not

least because of the broader redefinition of the relationship it would signify. There have also been US 

business voices keen for the sanctions to be dropped. 

Alexis Rodzianko, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, said: “The sanctions 

have been annoying and unhelpful for business interests. They had a direct impact, in the banking 

sanctions, and an indirect impact in that attitude towards US business.” 

Brian Zimbler, managing partner at Morgan Lewis law firm in Moscow, said: “There is intense 

interest in Russia about future US policy, and lots of speculation that sanctions may be reduced or 

removed next year. 

“Reduced sanctions would open up new opportunities to obtain funding for Russian-based projects, 

and potentially generate momentum for increased foreign investment in Russia, which has fallen to 

low levels.” 

Bilateral ties have been extremely strained since Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the sanctions. US 

diplomats say they have been routinely harassed by Russian authorities. Footage released over the 

summer showed a diplomat rugby tackled to the ground by a policeman while trying to get back inside 

the embassy compound. The diplomat was later accused of spying and expelled. 

In June, the foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “Diplomacy is based on 

reciprocity. The more the US damages relations, the harder it will be for US diplomats to work in 

Russia.” 

Russian officials, who cheered Trump’s victory, are hoping he will launch a complete overhaul of 

western policy towards the country, including sanctions. 

“Officially nothing has changed, but the mood has changed perceptibly. It’s like a pre-honeymoon 

honeymoon period. They are openly happy, but only time will tell if they are right to be,” said 

Rodzianko. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/28/obama-poised-to-hitrussia-with-further-sanctions-before-leaving-office 



US elections 2016 

State election recounts confirm Trump win but 

reveal hacking vulnerabilities 

‘No evidence of attack’ in full or partial state recounts, but worries persist that voting machine 

companies could be ‘central’ targets of future breaches 

One of the researcher’s previous findings showed security vulnerabilities in every model of voting 

machines examined. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images 

The US presidential election was correct, according to a crowdfunded effort to recount the vote in 

key states, but the review also highlighted the unprecedented extent to which the American political 

system is vulnerable to cyberattack, according to two computer scientists who helped the effort to 

audit the vote.

J Alex Halderman and Matt Bernhard, both of the University of Michigan, campaigned in favor of a 

recount of the US presidential election, which was eventually spearheaded by Jill Stein, the Green 

party candidate. 

What we know about Russia’s interference in 

the US election 

Read more 

Only the Wisconsin recount was substantially completed, with the recount in Michigan eventually 

stopped and a potential recount in Pennsylvania killed before it had even begun. But the researchers 

say the recounted counties and precincts were enough to give them confidence that Donald Trump is 

the genuine winner of the election. 

“The recounts support that the election outcome was correct,” Bernhard told the Chaos 

Communications Congress cybersecurity convention in Hamburg, where he and Halderman gave a 

talk summarising their findings. 

In Wisconsin, the only state where the recount was finished, Trump’s victory increased by 131 votes, 

while in Michigan, where 22 of 83 counties had a full or partial recount, incomplete data suggests 

was a net change of 1,651 votes, “but no evidence of an attack”, Bernhard said. “I can sleep at night 

knowing that Trump won the election.” 

But the experience of pushing for the recount hasn’t reassured Halderman and Bernhard that American 

democracy is safe. In fact, quite the opposite, said Halderman. 

“Along the way, we found that hacking an election in the US for president would be even easier than I 

thought.” 

His previous research had already demonstrated security vulnerabilities in every model of voting 

machine examined, for instance, which would enable an attacker to silently rewrite the electronic 

record of how many votes each candidate received. But only this election did he learn the extent of 

centralisation in the organisations that are in charge of maintaining and preparing the voting machines. 

In Michigan, for example, 75% of counties use just two companies, each around 20 employees large, 

to load their machines. Compromising those two companies would theoretically be enough to swing 

the vote in the state. “How central these points of attack are, that was news to me,” Halderman said. 

Similarly, Halderman’s previous research had demonstrated the importance of an auditable papertrail 

for electronic voting: either the physical ballot for a machine that scans ballot papers, or a 

countable receipt for a fully digital system. Theoretically, the existence of that paper trail should 

provide a protection against attempts to centrally hack the vote.

How 2016 became the year of the hack – and 

what it means for the future 

Read more 

In practice, however, the last two months have shown that that’s cold comfort. “Also shocking is how 

unlikely states are to look at any of the paper, even in a surprising and close election like this,” 

Halderman said. “Even if a candidate can force a recount – and this is probably the most damning 

thing about the entire experience – there are many many opportunities for the apparent winner to try to 

stop them, and they will probably be successful.” 

The pair called for three significant changes to the electoral process as a result of their experience 

with the 2016 recount, which should help protect the state. “What we need in the US, quite badly, is 

some specific reform to the election process,” Halderman said. “Even if the 2016 election wasn’t 

hacked, the 2020 election might well be; we’re facing increasingly powerful and successful state 

attackers. We need some defence.” 

Firstly, Halderman called for a “common sense” hardening of voting technology, ensuring that the 

technological flaws which he and his colleagues have been demonstrating for over a decade are 

finally dealt with. Secondly, he called for a mandatory requirement for voting machines to provide a 

physical ballot in addition to a digital record: in Pennsylvania, for instance, 70% of digital votes 

leave no paper record at all. 

The final defence requested was for states to actually use the evidence they have, by instituting 

mandatory “risk-limiting audits”. By counting a small but statistically significant and randomly 

selected sample of paper ballots, the state can prove statistically that the vote has not been tampered 

with, without needing to go to the expense of initiating a full recount, and without losing the 

organisational benefits of digital voting machines. 

“I’m pretty sure my undergraduate security class could have changed the outcome of the presidential 

election,” Halderman said. “It really is that bad.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/28/election-recounthacking-voting-machines 



Al-Qaida 

‘A more dangerous long-term threat’: Al- 

Qaida grows as Isis retreats 

Group has been seeking to build support across Islamic world – from south Asia to Africa – through 

outreach instead of fear 

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham fighters in Idlib province, Syria, in August. Western officials fear JFS may 

provide a springboard for al-Qaida to launch strikes in Europe. Photograph: Ammar 

Abdullah/Reuters 

Jason Burke 


When three al-Qaida veterans were killed in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan in October, it barely 

created a ripple. So dominant has Isis become in the realm of jihadist lore, that you could be forgiven 

for thinking that its precursor has been relegated to a mere footnote. 

You’d be wrong. Those three deaths, all in US airstrikes, paradoxically hint at a resurgence of al- 

Qaida, at a time when Isis is in retreat in Iraq, Syria and Libya. Quietly, and more through soft power 

rather than harsh atrocity, al-Qaida is trying to mount a revival. 

The Pentagon said that at least one of the three leaders killed, Haydar Kirkan, a 20-year veteran of the 

group, had been actively planning attacks against the west at the time of his death. This is a 

controversial claim as al-Qaida, founded in 1988, has in recent years foresworn such long-range 

operations in favour of a strategy privileging a slow and steady building of influence and capability at 

a local level within the Islamic world. 

In part, this decision – taken by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida, shortly after he succeeded 

the late Osama bin Laden in 2011 – was forced on the group by its weakness after years of being 

targeted by the US and allies in the wake of the attacks of 11 September 2001.

Losing ground, fighters and morale – is it all 

over for Isis? 

Read more 

But more recently it has been a deliberate attempt to distance it from Isis, which has been responsible 

for directly organised strikes in France, Belgium, Germany and Tunisia, among others, and – through 

so-called “lone wolves” – in the US. 

Al-Qaida and its affiliates have deliberately shunned the savagery of Isis, seeking to build support 

across the Islamic world through outreach to tribal leaders, power brokers and sometimes the broader 

community, rather than outright fear and coercion. 

The group does not seek publicity. “Al-Qaida’s strategic experience is that if it makes a big deal of 

seizing territory, it attracts CT [counter-terrorism] resources, so it is simply not being as loud about 

it,” said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, an expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, a US 

thinktank. 

The three locations of the US strikes two months ago are significant. Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria 

are all key strategic zones where Isis has either failed to make significant advances or, in the latter 

case, is on the retreat. 

South Asia heading map 

In January 2015, Isis formally announced the establishment of what it called Khorasan province in 

Afghanistan and western Pakistan. The move, coupled with an attempt to expand in Bangladesh, 

signified a push to branch out into south Asia and win recruits among the more than 400 million 

Muslims in the region. But the militants have had little success. 

“Despite its best efforts … the Islamic State controls little territory in south Asia, [has] conducted 

only a handful of attacks, failed to secure the support of most locals, and struggled with poor 

leadership,” wrote Seth Jones, a former adviser to US forces in Afghanistan, this month. 

A major obstacle to the expansion of Isis in the region has been the opposition of most local militant 

groups, notably the Taliban. 

Al-Qaida, which has preserved a close relationship with the Taliban and some other militant groups, 

is still present in Afghanistan. In October 2015, US and Afghan forces attacked a huge training 

compound in the south of the country, killing more than 200 militants. The camp was used by al-Qaida 

in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), an affiliate established in 2014. South Asian officials point out 

that AQIS has so far failed to carry out any significant attacks or attract large numbers of recruits. 

However, that al-Qaida had survived at all in the region was “impressive”, one said. 

“There’s been constant pressure on the group, and particularly its leadership element, for 15 years,

and they’re still there. The death of al-Qahtani is a blow, but they’ve suffered worse and still come 

back,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

Yemen heading map 

Another key battlefield has been Yemen, where, in perhaps the most striking unintended consequence 

of the Saudi-led military intervention in the country, al-Qaida was able to run a mini-state on Yemen’s 

coast for many months. 

The substantial and strategically situated port city of Mukalla provided the group with a revenue of an 

estimated $2m a day. A 2015 US government report estimated that al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula 

(AQAP), the Yemen-based affiliate, could muster at least 4,000 fighters, four times the total a year 

previously. The group has also built ties with southern Yemenis, who have felt marginalised by the 

country’s northern elite for years. 

“We may be facing a more complicated al-Qaida, not just a terrorist organisation, but a movement 

controlling territory with happy people inside it,” said a regional diplomat who follows Yemen. 

Africa map 

Al-Qaida has also successfully expanded its presence in Africa. The violence and brutality 

associated with the Nigerian-based Boko Haram group, which has now split over its nominal 

allegiance to Isis, and the Isis expansion into Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, have overshadowed the less 

spectacular but arguably more effective efforts made by al-Qaida affiliates on the continent. 

In Somalia, commanders of the al-Shabaab movement ruthlessly eliminated pro-Isis factions that 

wanted to repudiate the group’s five-year-old allegiance to al-Qaida. A last dissident group is 

currently under siege from Somali forces in the far north of Somalia, in semi-autonomous Puntland, 

and facing annihilation. 

In the Sahel, although one new faction has emerged to launch attacks in the name of Isis, it is the 

coalition of factions that form al-Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM) that is dominant. 

AQIM has exploited deep ties – some through marriage – with local communities and levered ethnic 

disputes to gain support and capabilities in Mali, a key state that French and other international forces 

have been unable to rid of extremists. “Al-Qaida is on a trajectory to become by far the most 

powerful jihadist movement in Africa,” said Gartenstein-Ross. 

Levant heading map 

The most significant theatre may well turn out to be the Levant. Though most analysts believe Isis will 

remain a powerful – even if fragmented – force in the region for years to come, al-Qaida may be the 

biggest winner. 

The key to its strategy has been the Syria-based group now called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS). 

Formerly known as al-Nusra Front, the powerful faction was rebranded in late July as a force without

links to the global jihadi struggle but dedicated only to fighting Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its 

allies. 

In recent years, al-Qaida has repeatedly attempted to downplay its links to local groups to avoid 

alienating communities which do not want to be part of a “global jihad” but which hope Islamic 

hardliners might impose order and honest, if rigorous, administration in areas they control. 

Western officials fear JFS will not only dominate the jihadi landscape in the Levant following the 

defeat of Isis, but may also provide a springboard for al-Qaida to launch strikes into Europe, should 

the group change its current strategy. Zawahiri has made it clear that although the group may have 

prioritised local campaigns for the moment, it still remains committed to attacks on the west in the 

long term. 

“As the Islamic State continues to lose territory and as the international coalition continues targeted 

airstrikes, we are likely to see another name in the headlines more often: Jabhat Fateh al-Sham,” said 

Matthew Henman, of Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. 

Hoffman described JFS as “even more capable than the Islamic State and a more dangerous long-term 

threat”. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/29/a-more-dangerous-longterm-threat-al-qaida-grows-as-isis-retreats 



Russia 

Turkey and Russia ‘agree terms of Syria 

ceasefire’ 

Countries have agreed proposal that should come into force by midnight, says Turkish foreign 

minister 

Turkey’s president, Recip Tayyip Erdoğan (left), has reportedly reached a consensus over Syria with 

his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Photograph: AP 

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor 


10.33 GMT 

Turkey and Russia have agreed on a proposal for a general ceasefire in Syria and will aim to put it 

into effect by midnight on Wednesday night, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said. 

But he still insisted that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad must eventually go, a precondition for talks 

that Russia has always opposed. 

There was also no sign that the mainstream Syrian opposition groups had agreed to the ceasefire, and 

it appears likely there will be be disagreement about the territory to be covered by any ceasefire. The 

rebel groups will want it to extend to the Damascus countryside, something that Russia opposes. 

A senior official in the opposition said they had not received the details of any official deal and 

denied that they had agreed to a ceasefire agreement. 

“The details of the ceasefire have not been presented officially to the opposition factions yet, and 

there is no agreement at this point,” the official said. 

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks 

in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere

to. 

“There are two texts ready on a solution in Syria. One is about a political resolution and the other is 

about a ceasefire. They can be implemented any time,” Çavuşoğlu told reporters on the sidelines of an 

awards ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara. 

He said Syria’s opposition would never back Assad. 

“The whole world knows it is not possible for there to be a political transition with Assad, and we 

also all know that it is impossible for these people to unite around Assad.” 

Last week, Russia’s foreign minister said Russia, Iran and Turkey had agreed that the priority in Syria 

was to fight terrorism and not to remove Assad’s government. 

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said earlier on Wednesday that Moscow and Ankara had 

agreed on a proposal towards a general ceasefire. The Kremlin said it could not comment on the 

report, and it may be the Turks have announced something prematurely. 

Common ground on Syria unites Russia and 

Turkey against the west 

Read more 

Any ceasefire would exclude groups labelled as terrorists by the two countries, allowing attacks to 

continue against Islamic State and others. Turkey has said the talks must not include the Syrian 

Kurdish Democratic party (PYD) or its military arm (YPG). 

Arrangements for the Russian-led talks are vague, but Moscow has said they will take place in 

Kazakhstan. Astana, the Kazakh capital, staged Syrian peace talks in 2015, but critics said they 

excluded most of the mainstream opposition and so were largely pointless. 

Russia’s foreign minister said on Tuesday the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition 

before possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the 

negotiations but supported a ceasefire. 

The talks would exclude groups labelled as terrorists by Moscow, a group that would exclude al- 

Nusra, the al-Qaida franchise in Syria, and Isis, the Sunni group based in Raqqa in north-east Syria.

A tractor removes rubble as the Syrian government starts to clean up areas formerly held by 

opposition forces in Aleppo. Photograph: AFP/Getty 

Turkey is likely to demand that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also excluded 

from the Astana talks, even though with the help of the US they have led the offensive against Isis in 

Raqqa. The US has been backing the SDF since 2015 with training, money and some arms. 

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said on Tuesday night that the talks would include 

representatives of the regime of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, as well as the opposition. But 

he added: “We will not welcome a decision to invite terrorrist groups to the summit.” 

Erdoğan made clear he regarded the US-supported SDF as terrorists, saying of the US: “They were 

accusing us of supporting Daesh [Isis]. Now they give support to the terrorist groups including Daesh, 

YPG, PYD. It’s very clear – we have confirmed evidence with pictures, photos and videos.” 

Erdoğan also blamed the US for the difficulties Turkey was facing with the month-long al-Bab 

offensive, accusing it of withholding support through aerial operations. “Even though the US-led 

coalition has failed to keep its promises in our operation to liberate al-Bab, we will rid the city of 

Daesh terrorists, no matter what.” 

The Turkish air campaign has been criticised after 120 civilians were killed in the offensive. 

Turkey for the past five years has been the sternest opponent of Assad and broadly aligned with 

Europe, but appears in the middle of a major diplomatic manoeuvre by allying itself more with 

Moscow than Washington. 

Ankara was noticeably silent during the Iranian-Russian backed assault on east Aleppo, the single 

biggest reverse of the Syrian opposition. 

Turkey’s ultimate goal is unclear, and is made more complex by the imminent arrival of the US 

president-elect, Donald Trump, who has yet to formulate a coherent Syria policy. 

The UN, seeking to stay relevant in the face of the diplomatic initiative being led by the Russian 

president, Vladimir Putin, has said it will restart its stalled peace talks in Geneva in February, raising 

the possibility of two parallel peace processes. 

Russia has insisted its peace negotiations will complement the UN-led talks rather than conflict with 

them.

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/turkey-russia-agreeterms-syria-ceasefire 



France 

François Hollande pardons woman for murder 

of husband 

Jacqueline Sauvage receives presidential pardon and is released from prison in ‘strong message’ to 

domestic abuse victims 

Hollande says Sauvage should not be in prison but ‘with her family’ following campaign for her 

release. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters 

Associated Press in Paris 


22.47 GMT 

A French woman who was convicted of murdering her allegedly violent husband has been freed from 

prison after a second intervention from the country’s president. 

Two hours after François Hollande gave her a complete pardon, Jacqueline Sauvage, 69, was seen 

leaving a prison southeast of Paris after spending more than three years behind bars. 

Hollande had issued a partial pardon at the end of January, but the courts twice rejected applications 

for her release. The case drew public attention to the issue of domestic abuse.

‘Total pardon for Jacqueline Sauvage’ – a protester at a demonstration calling for the release of 

Jacqueline Sauvage. Photograph: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images 

Two different juries had sentenced Sauvage to 10 years in prison for fatally shooting her husband, 

Norbert Marot, three times in the back with a hunting rifle in 2012. 

During the trials in 2014 and 2015, Sauvage said her late husband had beaten her for 47 years. The 

couple’s adult daughters also claimed Marot had abused them. Neither Sauvage nor the daughters 

ever filed a complaint against him. 

The three women said they were too humiliated to seek help and instead suffered violence that 

included sexual abuse silently behind closed doors. 

In a statement, the Elysée Palace said Hollande decided: “The place of Ms. Sauvage was no longer in 

prison, but with her family.” 

Women’s rights advocates, politicians and sympathisers around France had mobilised to support 

Sauvage, with a petition calling for her to be pardoned signed by hundreds of thousands. 

Nathalie Tomasini, one of Sauvage’s lawyers, told RTL radio the pardon was a “very strong message 

sent by François Hollande to all women victims of domestic violence.” 

Actress Éva Darlan, who chairs a support committee that advocated for Sauvage, said on BFM 

television that the presidential pardon is a “strong gesture toward men who hit [women]”. 

In January, Hollande granted a partial pardon to Sauvage, allowing her to seek parole. But two more 

courts made up of professional magistrates refused to free her. The president of the main union of 

French magistrates said Hollande made a “deplorable” decision “to please the public and to respond 

to a media request.” 

“It is a political decision … that challenges the functioning of our institutions,” Virginie Duval said 

on BFM. 

The French constitution allows a president to pardon convicts and to reduce prison sentences. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/francois-hollande-

pardons-woman-for-of-husband 



Berlin Christmas market attack 

Berlin truck attack: Tunisian man detained by 

German prosecutors 

Forty-year-old held in connection with deadly attack on Christmas market as investigators try to piece 

together route that took suspect Anis Amri to Milan 

Firefighters inspect the truck that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin. Twelve people died in 

the attack. Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty 

Agencies 


14.05 GMT 

German prosecutors have detained a Tunisian man they suspect may have been involved in last 

week’s truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. 

The 40-year-old, who was not identified, was held during a search of his home and business, federal 

prosecutors said. 

Calls for Polish truck driver killed in Berlin to 

receive order of merit 

Read more 

The man’s telephone number was saved in the mobile phone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian 

believed to have driven a truck into the market on 19 December. Amri, 24, was killed in a shootout 

with police in a suburb of Milan early on Friday. 

Of the new suspect, prosecutors said “further investigations indicate that he may have been involved

in the attack”. 

Twelve people died in the truck attack. Islamic State has claimed responsibility, and released a video 

on Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to the Isis chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the 40-year-old is 

strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant. That would allow them to keep him in custody 

pending possible charges. 

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out 

the attack, and in fleeing Berlin. 

Tunisian authorities announced on Saturday that they had arrested Amri’s nephew and two other men 

suspected of being members of a “terrorist cell” connected to Amri, though they made no direct link 

to the Berlin attack. 

Investigators are also trying to piece together the route he took to Milan. 

Two days after the attack, Amri boarded an overnight bus in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, near the 

German border, that took him to Lyon in central France, a source close to the investigation said, 

confirming a French media report. 

Wim de Bruin, a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service, said: “We believe he was in 

Nijmegen, most likely last Wednesday.” 

“There are video images and it’s very likely him,” De Bruin said, adding that “it’s most likely here 

where he received a sim card,” which Italian police later found on his body. 

Amri got off the bus at the Lyon-Part-Dieu rail station, another source said. Surveillance cameras 

filmed Amri at the station last Thursday. 

From there, he took a train to the French Alpine town of Chambéry before heading to Milan, in 

northern Italy. He then made his way to the suburb of Sesto San Giovanni, where he was shot dead by 

police after opening fire on them during a routine identity check. 

A train ticket from Lyon to Milan via Turin was found on his body. 

Investigators are still trying to determine how Amri was able to leave Berlin and traverse most of 

Germany to reach the Netherlands. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/berlin-truck-attackchristmas-market-tunisian-man-detained-german-prosecutors 



Financial 

Bovis profit warning takes investors by surprise [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

FTSE 100 soars to new closing high [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Nearly 1,000 City staff at four big US banks given €1m in pay deals in 2015 


Airbus forced to postpone delivery of 12 A380 jets to Emirates [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Toshiba shares fall 20% as nuclear writedown sinks in [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Mark Carney’s year in quotes: ‘We are actors in a play written by others’ 




Bovis Homes 

Bovis profit warning takes investors by 

surprise 

Announcement of slow build production sends shares down 4.7%, with other housebuilders suffering 

smaller falls 

A Bovis site in Trumpington, Cambridge. The government has set a target of building 1m homes by 

2020. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA 

Julia Kollewe 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 12.02 GMT Last modified on Thursday 29 December 2016 

00.05 GMT 

Bovis Homes, one of Britain’s biggest housebuilders, has issued a profit warning, sending shivers 

through the sector. 

Bovis said it would complete about 180 fewer homes than expected this year, blaming operational 

issues. It expects between 3,950 and 4,000 completions, rather than the 4,170 forecast by the City, a 

fall that will affect profits. 

Bovis now expects pre-tax profit for 2016 of £160m-£170m, compared with analysts’ forecasts of 

about £183m. Revenues are expected to total £1.04-£1.06bn. 

“We have experienced slower-than-expected build production across the group’s sites during 

December, resulting in approximately 180 largely built and sold private homes that were expected to 

complete in 2016 being deferred into early 2017,” it said. 

The unscheduled stock market announcement, which followed a prediction of record annual revenues 

in November, took investors by surprise. Shares in Bovis dropped by 5.3% to 811p, making it the 

biggest faller on the FTSE 250. Other housebuilders were also hit, including Persimmon, Barratt, 

Crest Nicholson and Berkeley Group.

Russ Mould, investment director at the stockbroker AJ Bell, said: “A profit warning from FTSE 250 

firm Bovis is another crack in the wall when it comes to the housebuilders sector.” 

Bovis insisted there was no impact from the Brexit vote in June. A spokesman said there had been 

delays in getting the final sign-off for 180 houses before the end of the year, so people had not moved 

in yet – a logistical issue rather than a fundamental problem, he said. The production delays mean that 

instead of 5% growth in house completions this year, there will be growth of 0% to 2%. 

Mould said the numbers implied that completions in the second half fell by 1%-2% year on year, 

“raising questions as to whether the market is slowing down in a post-Brexit [vote] world after all”. 

Bovis said its average sale price was up by about 10% this year to £255,000. Mould said this 

implied a “marked second-half deceleration, as prices rose 14% to an average of £254,500 in the 

first six months of this year”. 

Photograph: Company accounts/AJ Bell 

The housebroker Numis cut its 2016 profit forecast by 11% to £165m, but left its 2017 estimate 

unchanged at £196m. 

The Numis analyst Chris Millington said: “Obviously it is disappointing to reduce forecasts again and 

in our view this reflects company-specific factors, with the fundamentals of the new-build market 

remaining robust [although with flatter house price inflation and some cost inflation] due to the helpto-buy 

scheme and low mortgage rates.” 

The coming year is set to be the first since the financial crash of 2008 in which the UK builds 

200,000 homes, the housebuilder Redrow predicted on Wednesday. 

The government has set a target of building 1m homes by 2020 and a £2.3bn housing infrastructure 

fund was unveiled in the autumn statement last month, which was welcomed by the industry.Shortly 

before the EU referendum, a group of 17 UK housebuilders – including Berkeley, Barratt and Crest 

Nicholson, but not Bovis – warned that a vote to leave the EU would make it harder and more 

expensive to build homes. 

The property market slowed straight after the Brexit vote but has held up better than expected along 

with the rest of the economy in the months since June. 

However, analysts expect the economy and house price growth to slow sharply next year. Savills, the

upmarket estate agent, is forecasting that house prices will flatline next year after five years of 

increases, while Britain’s biggest mortgage lender, Halifax, is predicting growth of between 1% and 

4% for the UK and price falls in London. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/28/bovis-profit-warninginvestors-surprise-housebuilder-shares 



FTSE 

FTSE 100 soars to new closing high 

US optimism, falling pound and surge in mining shares leave London’s blue-chip index at record high 

of 7,106.08 points 

‘Santa rally’ arrived on cue as the index of 100 biggest companies listed on London Stock Exchange 

jumped by 37 points on Wednesday. Photograph: Daniel Sorabji/AFP/Getty Images 

Graeme Wearden 


00.05 GMT 

Britain’s blue-chip share index has soared to a new all-time closing high powered by soaring 

confidence in the US, a surge in the share prices of mining companies and the impact of the falling 

pound. 

On the first day’s trading after the Christmas break the FTSE 100 index of the biggest listed 

companies in London jumped by 37 points, or 0.5%, to close at 7,106.08 points on Wednesday night, 

two points above the previous high set in April 2015. 

Traders said the rally was the result of optimism in the American economy, with data earlier this 

week showing consumer confidence in the US had hit a 15-year high. 

Investors are also anticipating a surge in US government spending, with president-elect Donald 

Trump having pledged a new $1tn fiscal stimulus programme once he takes office. 

Mining companies led the way, with their shares jumping in quiet trading, on the first session since 

the Christmas holidays. 

Silver producer Fresnillo leapt 5.2%, gold miner Randgold gained 4.8%, while mining giant BHP 

Billiton rose 4.2% and Anglo American picked up 3.5%. 

Major international firms benefited from the weak pound, which fell to a two-month low of $1.222

against the US dollar. 

With just two sessions to go, the FTSE-100 has now gained 13% since the start of 2016, despite a 

series of market shocks including the Brexit referendum result and the US election. That rise means 

the worth of the 100 most valuable companies listed in London has jumped by about £230bn this year. 

Mining shares have been the star performers in 2016, after suffering major losses in 2015 when 

commodity prices crashed. This year, the prices of oil, iron ore, copper, nickel and coal have all 

risen, as fears that China would suffer an economic “hard landing” have eased. Trump’s vow to 

rebuild America’s highways, schools and airports has also driven up commodity prices. 

Anglo’s shares have almost quadrupled in value this year, highlighting how 2016 has been the best 

year for mining companies since 2009. 

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, says mining firms have made a “remarkable comeback” 

over the past 12 months. 

“Small losses are the order of the day across most stock markets today, but London’s traders have 

evidently come back from Christmas with a festive bounce in their step. The FTSE 100 is the star 

performer today, helped on its way higher by an excellent turn from the index’s mining contingent,” 

Beauchamp explains. 

Energy stocks also gained ground, after the price of oil traded near one-year high. 

Mike van Dulken of Accendo Markets said shares were boosted by “gains by oil and optimism 

regarding what Trump can do for the economy following his inauguration in a few weeks time.” 

David Cheetham, market analyst at online trading group XTB, said shares typically rally in the quiet 

period at the end of a year. 

“Observers of the markets have for many years noticed a strong propensity for stocks to rise in the 

period between Christmas and the New Year and this phenomenon appears to be playing out once 

more,” Cheetham said. These increases are known as a “Santa rally” by City workers. 

The FTSE 100 is now just 23 points shy of its all-time intraday high, set in October. 

The index has gained 12% since the EU referendum in June, despite fears that a vote for Brexit would 

derail the economy. However, the FTSE 100 is priced in sterling, which has tumbled by 17% against 

the US dollar. This has made Britain’s companies particularly attractive to US investors, helping to 

push up share prices. 

The FTSE 250 index, which contains medium-sized UK companies, also rose on Wednesday, gaining 

0.5%. But it is only up 3% for 2016, substantially lagging the internationally-focused FTSE 100. 

Wall Street was unable to follow the City’s lead by setting its own record highs. 

The Dow Jones industrial average faltered in morning trading, dropping by 0.4% to 19,863, dashing

hopes that it might finally crash through the 20,000 point mark for the first time ever. 

Some investors are also bracing for fresh volatility in 2017, with a Trump presidency and the 

triggering of formal Brexit negotiations likely to rock markets next year. 

A survey of top City economists and fund managers found that 40% expect the pound to be languishing 

below $1.20 in a year’s time. 

“The UK economy has held up relatively well in the short time since the referendum, although without 

clarity on the blueprint for exiting the EU, the longer-term consequences are still open to debate,” 

said Chris Saint, currency analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, who conducted the survey. 

“Exchange rates are determined by the interaction of a diverse range of political and economic 

factors, including interest rates, inflation and growth, all of which are up for grabs in 2017, which is 

likely to make for lively currency markets in the coming year.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/28/ftse-100-soars-tonew-closing-high 



Executive pay and bonuses 

Nearly 1,000 City staff at four big US banks 

given €1m in pay deals in 2015 

Disclosures by Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch 

show 971 staff received €1m 

Goldman Sachs disclosed that 11 of its key City staff received at least €5m in 2015. Photograph: 

Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty Images 

Jill Treanor 


00.05 GMT 

Four major US banks handed almost 1,000 of their top City staff at least €1m (£850,000) in pay deals 

last year. 

Goldman Sachs, the highest profile Wall Street bank, disclosed that 11 of its key staff received at 

least €5m in 2015. 

The disclosures by Goldman, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch show 

that 971 of their staff received €1m in 2015. 

The information was provided in regulatory disclosures instituted since the 2008 banking crisis, when 

it became apparent that bankers were being paid huge sums that could not be withheld when banks got 

into trouble. 

Regulations now require banks to spread out bonuses over a number of years. Morgan Stanley, for 

instance, said that 40% to 60% of its pay deals were deferred over three years, with part of it in 

shares.

Scrap bonuses? Fund manager looks into 

reforming executive pay 

Read more 

The UK arm of Goldman Sachs paid 286 of its staff €1m or more, compared with 262 in 2014. JP 

Morgan’s disclosures show 301 of its staff received more than €1m, with 11 receiving over €5m. 

Morgan Stanley’s data shows 198 staff received €1m or more and Bank of America Merrill Lynch 

shows 186 staff being handed €1m or more. 

The disclosures relate to legal entities based in the UK so the majority of the individuals involved 

will be based in the City, though some may be located in other parts of the EU. 

They help to shed light on the pay deals being offered in the City in the wake of the 2008 financial 

crash and at a time when the sector is facing scrutiny as a result of the vote to leave the EU. 

The European Banking Authority (EBA), the pan-European banking regulator, also collates data and 

in March it announced that London had more than three times as many high-earning bankers as the rest 

of the EU combined. Overall, the number of high earners across the EU rose 21.6% to 3,865 in 2014, 

up from 3,178 in 2013. 

The EBA’s data covered 2014, the first year of the cap that limits bonuses to 100% of salary, or 

200% if shareholders approve. This has had the effect of shifting remuneration towards fixed 

salaries. In 2014, the average ratio between variable and fixed pay for high earners more than halved 

to 127% from 317% in 2013. 

The EBA will move its headquarters out of London as a result of the vote for Brexit. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/28/wall-street-bankscity-staff-executive-pay-bonuses-2015 



Airbus 

Airbus forced to postpone delivery of 12 A380 

jets to Emirates 

Delay is another blow to company after fewer than expected orders mean the superjumbo is financial 

disappointment 

An Airbus A380. Analysts question whether executives could cancel A380 production altogether. 

Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA 

Rob Davies 


22.00 GMT 

Airbus has suffered yet another hitch in the troubled life of its A380 “superjumbo”, as it was forced 

to postpone delivery of 12 aircraft to its largest customer, Emirates. 

The double-decker A380, the world’s largest passenger jet, has proved a disappointment for Airbus 

since its much-delayed debut in 2007 and the firm has already been forced to cut production after 

winning fewer orders than expected. 

The latest obstacle to throw the €25bn (£21bn) aircraft programme off course has left analysts 

questioning whether executives at Airbus might consider cancelling it altogether. 

The Toulouse-based aviation firm said it would delay delivery to Emirates of six jets due to arrive 

next year until 2018, with a further six put back from 2018 to 2019. 

The postponement is said to be linked to technical issues Emirates is having with the new Rolls- 

Royce Trent 900 engines it has ordered for its fleet of A380s. 

It comes days after Airbus revealed that an order from Iran Air for 100 planes, some of which were 

expected to be A380s, did not include the aircraft at all.

Airbus developed the A380, which can carry 850 passengers, believing that airlines would turn to 

larger jets to feed more people through hub airports serving a growing number of “megacities”. 

This vision of the future prompted the firm – part-owned by the French, German and Spanish 

governments – to predict huge demand for the giant twin-aisle, four-engine planes. 

Despite cost overruns and long delays that cost several executives their jobs, the jet eventually took 

to the skies for its first public flight in 2007 to great acclaim from its early passengers. 

But stagnant economic growth and a lack of orders from countries such as the US and Japan have 

forced Airbus to rein in production. 

It has delivered just 193 superjumbos and has only a further 126 orders left to fulfil, having initially 

predicted demand for 1,200 over two decades. 

At the same time, smaller but longer range twin-engine jets with large cargo capacity – such as 

Boeing’s 777 – have proved popular because airlines see them as less risky economically. 

John Strickland, a veteran aviation industry analyst and director of JLS Consulting, said the A380 

was well-liked but that there had not been a sufficient market for it so far. 

“It’s regarded as a fantastic aircraft by the airlines that have taken it. [IAG chief executive] Willie 

Walsh has praised it, [Emirates chief executive] Tim Clark has praised it. They say passengers even 

choose it, asking to go on an A380 if there’s a choice. 

“But these days, given the economic climate, airlines are more risk-averse and the A380 has a lot of 

seats to fill.” 

Airbus has said that it can break even at an annual production rate of 20 A380s, which carry an order 

book price of $430m but are typically sold at a discount. 

It beat this target in 2015, with 27 rolling off the production line, but a slowdown in orders forced the 

company to slash scheduled annual deliveries to just 12 from 2018. The firm is also cutting costs to 

make up for the shortfall in income. 

Strickland said Airbus now faced a difficult decision over whether to continue making the jet at a loss 

in the hope that its patience would be rewarded within a few years. 

“So the question is whether Airbus can get through this challenging period to the brighter future which 

they envision, where airlines are falling over themselves to get hold of larger planes,” he said. 

“They will have to keep it under continuous review because it’s a commercially driven business, 

even though it’s government-owned. 

“They have many other calls on their investment. At the moment it’s a greater risk to throw in the 

towel, but there’s a challenge of how to maintain very low levels of production if you’re actually 

losing money.”

The aviation analyst Alex Macheras said the A380 was highly popular with passengers and had 

created an “overall feeling that this is what all modern day airliners should feel like”. 

But he also cast doubt on how long Airbus could remain loyal to the aircraft, which was conceived 

and developed before the tenure of the current chief executive, Tom Enders. 

“There is the sad reality that not enough airlines are ordering A380s to keep the production alive for 

as long as Airbus would have liked,” said Macheras. 

“Emirates are taking the majority of the remaining A380s on order, and so with a delay to their 

deliveries, it doesn’t leave a demand for many A380 air frames for other carriers.” 

But he said Airbus could take solace from the potential success story of its new A350-1000 plane, 

which is due to enter service next year. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/28/airbus-forced-topostpone-delivery-of-12-a380-jets-to-emirates 



Toshiba 

Toshiba shares fall 20% as nuclear writedown 

sinks in 

Japanese company’s hit could run into billions after subsidiary Westinghouse Electric bought Chicago 

Bridge and Iron for much more than it was worth 

Toshiba shares fell after the company predicted a large writedown of Chicago Bridge and Iron, 

bought by its subsdiary Westinghouse Electric. Photograph: Yuya Shino/Reuters 

Agence France-Presse 


22.58 GMT 

Toshiba shares dived more than 20% on Wednesday in their second straight double-digit plunge as the 

company said it may book a one-time loss of several billion dollars over its US nuclear business. 

Toshiba’s stock price dropped by 20.42% to 311.60 yen, the largest fall allowed for a single day, 

about 30 minutes after the opening bell, as the company failed to remove investor worries over the 

potential risk. 

On Tuesday the Tokyo-based conglomerate said costs linked to the acquisition in 2015 by its US 

subsidiary of a nuclear service company would possibly come to “several billion US dollars, 

resulting in a negative impact on Toshiba’s financial results”. 

The exact figure of the potential writedown was still being worked out, Toshiba president Satoshi 

Tsunakawa said after the announcement, apologising for “causing concern”. 

The company statement suggested the figure would be released soon, citing an end-of-year deadline. 

Toshiba shares had closed nearly 12% lower on Tuesday on media reports about the potential loss. 

Analysts said uncertainty was fuelling investor anxiety.

“Concerns have yet to be cleared away as they said they didn’t know the figure,” Yukihiko Shimada, 

senior analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities, told AFP. 

SMBC Nikko credit analysts Yutaka Ban and Kentaro Harada said in a report that investors “can’t be 

optimistic about the situation” even though the total writedown may not end up as big as the 500 

billion yen (US$4.3bn) reported by local media. 

Nomura Securities analyst Masaya Yamasaki said in a report issued late on Tuesday that the expected 

loss “is negative for the company as its financial standing is fragile”. 

Tsunakawa answered in the affirmative when asked if Toshiba was considering boosting capital. 

Its chief financial officer, Masayoshi Hirata, said that after the figure was confirmed the company 

would “explain and seek support” from financial institutions. 

Toshiba said the possible loss was related to the valuation of the purchase by subsidiary 

Westinghouse Electric of the nuclear construction and services business of Chicago Bridge and Iron. 

Westinghouse and Chicago Bridge and Iron turned to an independent accountant to resolve a dispute 

over differences in asset valuations, Toshiba said earlier in 2016. 

Toshiba said Tuesday that the potential writedown would “far exceed” the $87m first expected, 

resulting in a “far lower asset value than originally determined”. 

Toshiba’s latest full-year forecast is for annual net profit of 145bn yen (US$1.24bn), up 45% from an 

earlier estimate, on sales of 5.4tn yen. 

But on Tuesday it said it would release a revised earnings forecast as soon as possible to reflect the 

coming writedown. 

Toshiba’s nuclear business woes are the latest blow to the once-proud pillar of corporate Japan. 

It has been besieged by problems, most notably a profit-padding scandal in which bosses for years 

systematically pushed subordinates to cover up weak financial results. 

In an intensive overhaul the company has been shedding businesses and announced the sale of its 

medical devices unit to camera and office equipment maker Canon. 

Investors had welcomed the makeover, with Toshiba shares having climbed 77.3% this year through 

Monday. 

Tsunakawa was appointed president during 2016 to steer Toshiba past the accounting scandal that has 

hammered its reputation. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/28/toshiba-shares-fall- 

20-as-nuclear-writedown-sinks-in



Mark Carney 

Mark Carney’s year in quotes: ‘We are actors 

in a play written by others’ 

As the man charged with maintaining calm in the economy, the Bank of England governor has had a 

challenging 2016 

Bank of England governor Mark Carney delivers the the financial stability report in November. 

Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA 

Katie Allen 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 11.29 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 December 2016 

22.00 GMT 

When Canadian Mark Carney accepted the job of Bank of England governor in 2012, he said he was 

honoured to accept the “important and demanding role”. It is doubtful he could have foreseen, 

however, quite how demanding it would turn out to be. 

As the man charged with maintaining calm in the financial markets and the economy, Carney had the 

most testing of years in 2016. The year started with wild swings in global markets. As the EU 

referendum campaign got under way, Carney’s Brexit recession warning drew calls for his 

resignation from pro-leave supporters. 

The shock result sent the pound tumbling and sparked a political crisis. The Bank stepped in with an 

interest rate cut and more electronic money printing. There was a fresh onslaught from politicians in 

autumn as senior Tories lambasted the Bank over the effects of low interest rates, but after weeks of 

speculation over his future Carney agreed to stay on as governor for an extra year until the Brexit 

deadline is expected to expire in 2019. 

After Donald Trump won the US presidential race on an anti-globalisation ticket, Carney ended the 

year with a plea for politicians to do more to share out the gains from global trade.

Here is Carney’s year in quotes: 

A new year warning 

Carney started the year on a gloomy note by pouring cold water on market talk of a rate rise, saying 

UK growth was still too weak. 

Amid turmoil in global markets in January, Carney said the UK faced “a powerful set of forces”. 

“The world is weaker and UK growth has slowed,” he added. “The year has turned and in my view 

the decision proved straightforward. Now is not yet the time to raise interest rates.” 

His new stance marked something of a climbdown on his guidance in the summer of 2015 that a 

decision about raising rates would “come into sharper relief” at the end of the year. That did little to 

help shake off the tag of “unreliable boyfriend” given to the Bank governor by one MP. 

The kindness of strangers 

In one of many warnings to come about the potential consequences of a vote for Brexit, Carney said in 

January that concerns about a UK exit from the EU could test “the kindness of strangers” – a reference 

to the global investors who fund the UK’s big current account deficit with the rest of the world. 

“The global general environment has become much more febrile, much more volatile, and relying on 

the kindness of strangers is not optimal in that kind of environment,” Carney told MPs. 

We’re not out of ammunition 

In February at a G20 meeting in Shanghai, Carney argued that central banks still had some firepower 

left to prop up the global recovery, but he warned that politicians must not rely solely on low interest 

rates and should use government policy to help boost growth. 

“Several commentators are peddling the myth that monetary policy is ‘out of ammunition’ … This is 

wrong, but the widespread absence of global price pressures demands that our firepower be well 

aimed,” Carney said. 

Carney defends Bank over Brexit warnings

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (right) asks Mark Carney and his deputy, Sir Jon Cunliffe, a 

question in the House of Commons in March. Photograph: PA 

In March, Carney was forced to fend off accusations that Threadneedle Street was being too 

supportive of the government’s pro-EU line and described as “entirely unfounded” the suggestion 

from the pro-Brexit Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg that the Bank was being politically partisan. 

“I am expressing the views of the Bank,” he said. “We weren’t leant on by anybody.” 

Brexit could stall UK economy 

In April, Carney said Britain’s economy could struggle to grow if the country voted to quit the EU, 

and warned that Britain’s economy already appeared to be losing steam before the EU referendum. 

“Risks around the referendum are the biggest risks facing the UK economy, we have contingency 

planning to decrease the potential impacts of uncertainty,” he told the Stockport Express newspaper. 

Carney drops the R-word 

At a press conference in May, Carney said a vote to leave the EU could possibly tip the UK into 

recession. 

“Material slowdown in growth, notable increase in inflation. That’s the MPC’s judgement. It’s a 

judgment not based on a whim, it’s a judgment based on rigorous analysis and careful consideration. 

“There’s a range of possible scenarios around those directions, which could possibly include a 

technical recession.” 

Prepared for referendum fallout 

After the referendum result is confirmed, with share prices crashing and David Cameron announcing 

his intention to step down as prime minister, Carney insisted: “We are well prepared for this.” 

He said: “We have taken all the necessary steps to prepare for today’s events. In the future, we will 

not hesitate to take any additional measures required to meet our responsibilities as the United 

Kingdom moves forward.”

Economic post-traumatic stress disorder 

A week after the referendum, Carney said “some monetary policy easing will likely be required over 

the summer”, signalling that a rate cut was coming. In a wide-ranging speech he also highlighted a 

cocktail of economic, political and geopolitical uncertainty. 

“All this uncertainty has contributed to a form of economic post-traumatic stress disorder amongst 

households and businesses, as well as in financial markets,” he said. 

“Today, uncertainty has meant an inchoate sense of economic insecurity for many people, despite 

generalised economic prosperity. Across the advanced economies, employment appears less secure, 

wages more subdued, and inequality more pronounced.” 

We were right to warn on Brexit 

In July, Carney faced questions from parliament’s Treasury committee over whether the Bank had 

“peddled phoney forecasts” about the risks of a Brexit vote. 

The governor said accusations from critics that the Bank had been dishonest were “extraordinary”. 

“We have an obligation to give these assessments. “If we view something as the biggest risk to 

financial stability, we have an obligation to parliament and to the people of the UK to make that 

clear.” 

Time for an interest rate cut 

Cutting official interest rates to a record low of 0.25% and expanding the Bank’s electronic moneyprinting 

programme to shore up the post-referendum economy, Carney said it was time for action. 

“There is a clear case for stimulus, and stimulus now, in order to have an effect when the economy 

really needs it.” 

Serene about our stance 

In September, with the economy continuing to show signs of resilience since the referendum, Carney 

rejected criticism that the central bank had overcooked warnings of a hit to the economy from the 

Brexit vote. He also defended the Bank’s post-referendum stimulus package. 

“I am absolutely serene about the … judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC,” Carney told 

parliament’s Treasury committee, referring to the Bank’s monetary and financial policy committees. 

Call me Carnage

The Bank of England governor admitted his childhood nicknames included ‘Carnage’ and ‘Carnival’. 

Photograph: Chris Wattie/Reuters 

Fielding questions from schoolchildren in Coventry, Carney revealed he likes milk chocolate and 

dogs. 

Asked about childhood nicknames, he answered: “I was given nicknames that were variants of my 

last name which is Carney, so I was called Carnival, or Carnage, or things like that. I like Carnage a 

little better than Carnival. It seemed a little more manly I guess.” 

We are actors in a play 

Carney made another call in September for politicians to stop relying on central banks to do all the 

heavy lifting on supporting economic growth. 

“The Bank of England has long stressed that central bank policies are not the cause of low rates, but 

responses to them. We are actors in a play written by others. 

“Long-run prosperity was never in the gift of monetary policymakers. As the 10th anniversary of the 

start of the crisis approaches, a consensus is growing that escaping this low-growth, low-inflation 

trap will require a rebalancing between monetary, fiscal and structural policies.” 

We won’t take orders from politicians 

Just a week after Theresa May took a swipe at the impact of the Bank’s actions on “ordinary” people, 

Carney said: “We are not going to take instruction on our policies from the political side.” 

Politics won’t scare me off

The Bank of England building on Threadneedle Street in the City of London. Photograph: Graham 

Turner for the Guardian 

After an onslaught on his performance by the Conservative party establishment, Carney insisted he 

would not be swayed by political issues as he weighed up the option of departing in two years or 

extending his contract by a further three years to 2021. 

“It is entirely personal, and no one should read anything into that decision in terms of government 

policy, actual, imagined, potential, past, etc. This is a role that requires total attention, devotion, and I 

intend to give it for as long as I can.” 

I’ll see Brexit process through 

At the end of October, Carney ended weeks of speculation about his future by agreeing to stay on as 

governor of the Bank of England until 2019. 

“By taking my term in office beyond the expected period of the article 50 process, this should help 

contribute to securing an orderly transition to the UK’s new relationship with Europe,” he said. 

Consumers are shrugging off Brexit vote so far 

Keeping interest rates at their record low of 0.25% and warning of higher inflation ahead, Carney and 

his colleagues on the monetary policy committee said individuals seemed to be resilient for now. 

“For households, the signs of an economic slowdown are notable by their absence. Perceptions of job 

security remain strong. Wages are growing at around the same modest pace as at the start of the year,” 

he said. 

Central banks haven’t raised inequality 

“An excessive focus on monetary policy in many respects is a massive blame-deflection exercise. We 

can’t make the structural decisions that change the path of productivity. Monetary policy doesn’t drive 

fundamentals,” Carney told MPs in November. 

Rest of Europe needs City of London

In November, Carney warned that European economies could be damaged if their access to the City 

of London was disrupted after Britain leaves the EU. “The UK is effectively the investment banker for 

Europe.” 

Globalisation is leaving many behind 

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Orlando, Florida. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP 

Carney finished the year with a rallying cry to policymakers across advanced economies to tackle the 

causes of a growing sense of “isolation and detachment” among people who felt left behind by 

globalisation. 

Speaking weeks after Trump won the US presidential race, Carney said: “From the rising spectre of 

global terrorism to intensifying geopolitical tensions and financial crises, for too long, for too many 

people, the world seems to be getting riskier … We need to move towards more inclusive growth 

where everyone has a stake in globalisation.” 

He also called for economists to be more honest about the price paid by some for technological 

advances. “The fundamental challenge is that, alongside its great benefits, every technological 

revolution mercilessly destroys jobs and livelihoods – and therefore identities – well before new 

ones emerge.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/28/mark-carney-bankengland-governor-2016-year-quotes 



Editorials & reply 

The Guardian view on English local identities: a clash of cash against 

community [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The Guardian view on Brexit and the arts: a backlash against the modern 


The toothless United Nations must seize this last chance to save itself [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

A New Year that changed me: when my mum was star of the dancefloor [Thu, 29 

Dec 09:26] 

Liberal values and the growth of inequality [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Inside toilets may not appeal to all Indian villagers [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

No time for Homes under the Hammer [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Problems with Britain’s trains [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

A health policy is more than NHS spending [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Nuance needed in debate about technology’s role in children’s development 




Local politics 

Opinion 

The Guardian view on English local identities: 

a clash of cash against community 

Editorial 

A court case about whether Chesterfield can leave Derbyshire to become part of Sheffield illuminates 

the inexorable wasting of English local government and identity 

Knifesmithgate in Chesterfield, a town that has for centuries been part of Derbyshire but now wants to 

become part of the Sheffield city region. Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy 


22.00 GMT 

Is Derbyshire in the north of England or the Midlands? The question is as old as the redrawing of the 

map of England following the Norman conquest. But it is no longer such a parochial or academic 

question as it may seem. Derbyshire’s dilemmas now illuminate what we mean by local democracy 

and local government in England more generally. That’s because the promotion of English city regions 

and the money being directed towards the northern powerhouse by the Treasury in London are making 

a nonsense of historic local identities as well as of England’s long but increasingly derelict traditions 

of locally rooted democratic municipalism. 

Just before Christmas, the high court backed an objection by Derbyshire county council against efforts 

by Chesterfield, which is in the north of the county, to attach itself to the emerging city region of 

Sheffield, which comprises Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster, which are all historically 

part of the various iterations of Yorkshire, its ridings and its more modern subdivisions. 

The court did this after Derbyshire complained that if Chesterfield were permitted to redefine itself 

as part of Sheffield, it would raise the question of whether the county of Derbyshire could be said to 

exist at all without its second largest town. The county’s case was reinforced by the fact that 

Chesterfield district has no actual border with Sheffield, from which it is separated by part of the 

North East Derbyshire district. If Chesterfield were to join Sheffield, it would become an enclave 

(or, from Sheffield’s viewpoint, an exclave) within its former county. It would be the Nagorno-

Karabakh of the east Midlands, leaving the map of Derbyshire resembling nothing so much as 

a Barbara Hepworth sculpture. 

Sheffield region’s bid to absorb Chesterfield 

faces legal setback after ruling 

Read more 

From a financial rather than an identity perspective, Chesterfield’s move makes a certain sort of 

sense. Faced with continuing financial pressures to cut, sell off or simply abandon swaths of local 

government services that have existed for generations, English local authorities inevitably clutch at 

any cash straws they can. The city regions are one of the few straws on offer. They are due to receive 

£30m in new funding a year and to acquire new freedoms to shape local transport, planning and 

economic policy. 

It is hardly surprising that Chesterfield’s defection was hatched and promoted at the council level, 

since councillors and council officers are in the frontline of struggling with these austerity-driven 

realities every day. While the councils did their deal, Chesterfield and Derbyshire opinion was 

barely considered, the high court ruled, so it must now be properly consulted and taken into account 

before any decision is taken. An online poll organised by the county council in August, five months 

after Chesterfield decided to join Sheffield, found 92% of respondents opposed to the move. 

That is almost certainly because, for all its proximity to Sheffield, there has never been any serious 

tradition of Chesterfield regarding itself as part of Greater Sheffield, or of Sheffield seeing 

Chesterfield as part of South Yorkshire. Chesterfield is today what it has always been, an important 

town in north-east Derbyshire, famous for the twisted spire of its St Mary’s church, and for having 

had Tony Benn as its MP in the later period of his parliamentary career. Its possible marriage to the 

Sheffield city region is overwhelmingly rooted in perceived economic advantage rather than in 

history or public sentiment. The high court has therefore pitted economic survival against identity and 

democracy. 

The Chesterfield-Sheffield question is of far more than local interest. Local identity matters 

everywhere. It is tenacious. It runs deeper than the economic or administrative convenience of a 

bureaucrat’s pen. County identities are medieval in origin but they lurk on in many modern 

consciousnesses. Ministers mess with them at their peril. 

The argument about Derbyshire has only arisen because English local government is in such a 

desperate state. Austerity in the 2010s is completing the centralisation of local powers begun in the 

1980s. Communities like Chesterfield are reduced to scrabbling for a share of the Treasury’s 

parachute drop of cash to the city regions. Ministers may talk of a new era of municipal greatness, but 

it is a hollow sham as long as local authorities lack effective income-raising powers. Unless and until 

English devolution is reconceived as regions made up from existing counties, cities and boroughs, 

these arguments will continue, pitting community identity and democracy against economic

inequalities and distortions enforced from Whitehall. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/28/the-guardianview-on-english-local-identities-a-clash-of-cash-against-community 



Art and design 

Opinion 

The Guardian view on Brexit and the arts: a 

backlash against the modern 

Editorial 

The right wants to believe that contemporary art is a liberal-elite conspiracy. Five million visitors to 

Tate Modern will tell you different 

A man photographing Mr Allied by Helen Marten, winner of the 2016 Turner prize, who is as 

successful commercially as she is critically. Photograph: Uwe Zucchi/EPA 


22.00 GMT 

Having a pop at the absurdities of contemporary art has long been a sport beloved of elements of the 

press, and it has often been enjoyably and wittily played. The Sun, for example, had great fun in 2001, 

when Martin Creed won the Turner prize, inviting readers to suggest their own ideas to add to Mr 

Creed’s scrunched-up paper, Blu-Tack, and lights switching on and off. The British love to puncture 

anything with a whiff of pretension. Not taking oneself too seriously is regarded as a precious 

national virtue. 

Yet the tone of rightwing attacks on contemporary art has sharpened this year in the wake of the Brexit 

vote, as the critic JJ Charlesworth pointed out in ArtReview magazine. Michael Gove tweeted on the 

night of the Turner prize that the works were mere “modish crap” celebrating “ugliness, nihilism and 

narcissism – the tragic emptiness of now”. He later complained that the “last thing you should try to 

do if you want to win the Turner is apply oil to a canvas in a manner which is any way 

representational of man or nature”. He must have missed recent Turner shortlists that have featured 

figurative work by painters including Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and George Shaw, as well as Paul 

Noble, who makes exquisitely detailed drawings. 

The accusation lurking in the wings is that contemporary art is a complicated con visited on the public 

by a fanatical set of EU-loving, liberal-elite curators headed by Sir Nicholas Serota, who have set 

about suppressing floral paintings (former Turner nominee, and sometime flower painter Gillian

Carnegie, clearly having slipped through the net). 

An analogy was more explicitly drawn by a writer in the Express: “Like EU bureaucrats in denial 

about Brexit, [curators] fail to acknowledge the disconnect between artists and their audience, 

blaming ignorance or prejudice for a lack of appreciation.” A strange kind of disconnect, this, that 

sees almost 5 million visitors a year pour into Tate Modern, and a young wave of contemporary art 

galleries around Britain, like the Hepworth in Wakefield and Turner Contemporary in Margate, 

connecting their local communities to the work of artists like never before. 

The Daily Mail wrote disparagingly of “those wandering round the Tate [Turner prize show] treating 

it all immensely seriously, taking photographs with their mobile telephones and narrowing their eyes 

in a show of intellectual involvement”. Just possibly, those visitors were not in fact faking their 

interest, but were actually curious and involved. Even if gullible Tate Britain visitors are not to be 

trusted, perhaps the market, so admired on the right, ought to be – in which case it should be noted 

that the Turner prize winner Helen Marten is as successful commercially as she is critically. 

As for the liberal elite, ask Turner-nominated Michael Dean, who describes his childhood on a 

Newcastle Upon Tyne estate as “sub-proletarian”. When he made a work partly consisting of £20,435 

in pennies (1p below the official poverty line for a family of four) he knows precisely whereof he 

speaks. 

Not all art made now is good; certainly, art of the past should not be flung aside in a relentless search 

for the next thing. Galleries are not foolproof selectors of the work that will survive. There are toilers 

on the margins whose work will not get the recognition it deserves, maybe ever. But to suggest that 

the entire contemporary art world is a conspiracy is, like most conspiracy theories, daft. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/28/the-guardianview-on-brexit-and-the-arts-a-backlash-against-the-modern 



United Nations 

Opinion 

The toothless United Nations must seize this 

last chance to save itself 

Mary Dejevsky 

As the new UN secretary general, António Guterres must make the security council matter again – we 

need it more than ever 

Illustration: Noma Bar 


As the Syrian government and its backers tighten their grip on Aleppo, and Turkey and Russia reveal 

yet another ceasefire in Syria, the same questions trouble many an outraged onlooker. Has the United 

Nations ever seemed more toothless than it does now? Why did this congregation of almost 200 

countries lack the power first to prevent, and then to halt, such civilian bloodshed? Why had it been 

unable to convene all the parties around the same table to any productive end? And if the UN is 

incapable of acting in a crisis such as this, what is the point of it? 

António Guterres takes over as the new secretary general of the UN on Sunday at a time when the 

international organisation’s reputation is, at least from the perspective of many western countries, as 

low as it has ever been. The hopes that were invested in this successor to the failed League of

Nations seem to have been dashed at the very time when they mattered most – and not for the first 

time. Is the former Portuguese prime minister someone who can show that the organisation has a 

mission that can work? 

Turkey and Russia ‘agree terms of Syria 

ceasefire’ 

Read more 

It is a good deal easier to forecast failure than success. After all, successes for the UN in recent years 

have been few and far between. Much of the peace-brokering, such as it is, has been accomplished by 

others, including the US and – yes – the much-maligned EU. 

And while there are many who blame the outgoing secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, for the UN’s 

lacklustre performance during his two five-year terms, this would not be entirely fair. Ban’s 

appointment was in large part a reaction to the perceived mismatch of profile and achievement on the 

part of the previous incumbent, Kofi Annan. Not only was it Asia’s turn to provide the new secretary 

general, but there was a widespread feeling that a less frenetic and more discreet approach might 

bring less discord and more results. 

If that was the job description, Ban certainly met the brief. So discreet a presence was he, however, 

that the UN, on his watch, seemed almost to fade from view. Specific failures of other UN branches – 

the cholera brought to Haiti during the earthquake relief operation; the disastrously late response to 

the west African ebola epidemic; the UN refugee agency’s non-appearance during Europe’s refugee 

crisis – all reinforced the impression of an “international community” with neither the will nor the 

capacity to cope. 

Then came Syria, which defeated not one, but two of the UN’s most accomplished diplomats, first 

Annan then Algerian Lakhdar Brahimi. Staffan de Mistura, the Italian-Swedish diplomat, deserves 

more credit than he has been given, not least for his steadying presence, but much of the heavy lifting 

was undertaken by the old cold war pairing of the US and Russia – ultimately to little effect. 

New UN secretary general Ant ónio Guterres Photograph: ddp USA/Rex Features 

All of which helps to explain why, as Ban completed his farewell calls, it was not just his own near

traceless tenure that came in for criticism, but the UN’s long-term record in general. Perhaps the time 

for a world body had simply passed. Such criticism, however, ignores the crucial fact: the UN is no 

more and no less than the 193 countries that belong to it. It is not the independent arbiter many assume 

it to be, and conflicts – especially once there has been resort to arms – are not simple to resolve. 

Civil wars, with or without outside involvement, are especially intractable – as in Syria. 

The UN has a second chance to come into its own. But it must think in terms of the politics of 

2045 rather than 1945 

The collapse of the Soviet Union had spurred hopes for a more consensual security council that 

would be less inhibited about acting. Twenty-five years on, though, it is clear that it is not only the 

enduring cold war legacy that stands in the way of agreement at the top of the UN. There is the newer 

north-south dimension, the old smattering of colonial grievances, but most of all some genuinely 

irreconcilable territorial and cultural interests. 

It might be tempting to propose that the UN should just give up and leave the field. As of now, 

however, that looks a much worse idea than pressing on. One reason is the new secretary general. 

Guterres has the record and personal energy that could just put the UN back on to the global 

diplomatic map. Another is the new US president. If Donald Trump is serious about downgrading US 

internationalism, this could leave a gap that the UN would be equipped to fill – perhaps even with US 

blessing. 

A third reason, though, is the most compelling. Even before Trump, the world was already becoming 

a more contested place, with China fast becoming an assertive new player, India snapping at its heels, 

and the Middle East conflict entailing much more than Israel-Palestine. 

Just as the G20 has largely superseded the G7 for economic discussions, so the UN, with its 

worldwide membership, has a second chance to come into its own. It will need to be less 

hierarchical, in line with the flatter organisational structures favoured today. It should perhaps have 

its own standing security force (to be deployed only by consent). Above all, it will have to think in 

terms of the politics and demography of 2045, rather than 1945. 

Whether any of this can happen will rest to a large extent with Guterres. But if, as it would appear, the 

diplomacy of tomorrow is likely to be more multilateral than it is today, the UN should be an idea 

whose time has come rather than gone. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/29/united-nationssecretary-general-antonio-guterres 



New year 

A new year that changed me 

A New Year that changed me: when my mum 

was star of the dancefloor 

Coco Khan 

For one night only she was a Bollywood dancing disco queen, and not even the unkindness of three 

strangers will spoil the memory 

Bollywood actors on set: ‘Mum practically skipped home, regaling me with stories about how she 

could have been a dancer.’ Photograph: DreamPictures/Getty Images 

I didn’t expect Mum to say yes. She wouldn’t have normally, but there was something different about 

her that day. Perhaps it was the shoes – chunky silver platforms covered in glitter which caught the 

light wherever they went. “They were £6 in a closing-down sale,” she told me. “It’d be rude not to 

buy them.” 

It was New Year’s Eve and we were finishing up a belated Christmas dinner. I’d spent Christmas Day 

with my in-laws and this was our surrogate celebration, but now it was time for Mum to go and she 

was gathering up her things. The blinking lights from the Christmas tree bounced off her wedding-best 

bangles, unboxed just once this year, and in the low light the shoes spoke to me. 

Mum was nowhere to be found. I wandered around until my ears tuned in to cheering on the 

dancefloor 

They said two words: disco inferno. I had a change of heart. 

A nearby mega-pub had a large back room it used for occasional club nights, playing that specific 

brand of inoffensive, decade-old pop you’d probably hear at a wedding. That in itself was significant. 

My mum doesn’t “do” pubs; she doesn’t “do” drinking, even in moderation. Drinking was a source of 

conflict between us, but it wasn’t really about the alcohol. Rather it was a symbol of something 

bigger, and not just in the obvious way: that I was becoming “westernised”. It was everything else 

that followed.

My hunt for hedonism regularly took me into central London. On breaks from university, I would temp 

in the City. I made friends there; I slept on their couches. When I came back to our modest council 

house, I talked about avant-garde theatre, cocktail bars and essays about Karl Marx in papers you 

could only read by subscription. I once corrected my mum’s pronunciation of fajita (she said it with a 

hard j) and I saw her eyes well up. 

“Pubs are for white people!” she would say as I slammed the door behind me. She wasn’t completely 

wrong about that. If I think about every time I’ve been really heinously abused for the colour of my 

skin, when I think about the times I’ve been truly afraid, a finger hovering over the call button having 

already typed in three nines, and if I think of the times I’ve been reminded I am a mere visitor in the 

nation in which I was born, they have been in a boozer. And now, here she was, in the pub: my mum. 

The queue for the bar was five deep and when I finally squeezed myself out of the scrum, Mum was 

nowhere to be found. I wandered around until my ears heard cheering from the dancefloor. 

Approaching the crowds, a familiar song came over the speakers. I’d recognise the Nile Rodgersesque 

guitar intro anywhere. It was Mark Morrison’s Return of the Mack. I pushed past people until I 

fell into a clearing, at the centre of which was my mother, eyes closed and lost in her own world, 

doing what I can only describe as a kind of Bollywood dad dance – noticeably retro, creaky and 

totally out of time to the music. One hand was on her hip as she slowly shuffled around in a circle; the 

other arm was up, her hand doing a kind of exaggerated “come hither” gesture synonymous with Hindi 

dance (especially from the 70s). 

People were surrounding her, whooping and cheering: “Go Saima, go Saima, go go go Saima!” I 

laughed, touched to the heart. Then I noticed a group of three lads also laughing, perhaps a little too 

hard. One of them was recording my mum on his phone, while another stood in between her and the 

camera as though he was “presenting” the video. 

The presenter was copying my mum’s dance while throwing in a couple of stereotypical gestures. He 

clasped his head in a namaste gesture and gave a little head wobble, followed by a bow to the 

camera. They were laughing at her. Was everybody? 

What’s your New Year resolution? This can be 

the cruellest question | Linda Tirado 

Read more 

Before I’d had a chance to gather my thoughts, the countdown to midnight began; people were kissing 

and hugging – now really was not the time to start a fight. 

Mum practically skipped home, regaling me with stories about how, before she got married, people 

said she could have been a dancer, and did I know that she even had an audition once? I didn’t 

mention what I’d seen.

In the weeks after that, I thought a lot about those lads, and looked for them every time I went to the 

pub. I wanted to know what, or who, the joke was and why exactly it was so funny. I even decided to 

search online to see if they’d uploaded the video. 

By the end of the search I’d watched hours of grainy, shaky footage: a slightly different accent here, a 

different outfit there, all seemingly hilarious for reasons I didn’t want to think about. But in all those 

videos, I never found my mum. 

I still don’t understand why that night was so significant. Each time I try to figure it out, I come to a 

dead end. But most days I just laugh, my heart bursting with joy at the memory of my mum; my 

Bollywood dancing disco queen. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/28/new-years-evemum-dancefloor-bollywood-dancing 



Politics 

Liberal values and the growth of inequality 

Many people in post-industrial Stoke-on-Trent feel ‘dismissively stereotyped’ by metropolitan elites, 

says Professor Linden West. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images 

Letters 


22.00 GMT 

Jonathan Freedland cites compassion for victims of war, the peaceful resolution of international 

disputes, Enlightenment values and a free press as the hallmarks of liberalism (Don’t fall for these 

dishonest attacks on the ‘liberal elite’, 24 December). But what of free trade and free markets? Low 

tax, the small state and deregulation? These too are hallmarks of liberalism in its “neo” form. 

Liberalism stands for the freedom of the individual and the sanctity of individual liberties – as well 

as the openness and plurality that Freedland prefers to celebrate. The right of the individual to 

freedom from regulation or restraint is the notion that has driven globalisation, market fundamentalism 

and our present, unfettered, toxic form of capitalism. And those are the forces that have stripped many 

of the Trump voters in the rust belt and Brexit supporters in the north of England of their security, their 

dignity and their hope for their kids. Clinton (both), Blair, Cameron, Obama, all social liberals, all 

drank the neoliberal Kool Aid. The failure of progressives to sever social liberalism from its 

economic counterpart has led us to this crisis (Clegg, take note). Brexit and Trump are in many ways 

the fruits of liberalism.

Equality of opportunity is the liberal touchstone. Well and good. But the chance for the bright, 

energetic – or lucky – few to get ahead has done nothing to stop the corrosive growth of inequality. 

What we need now is a commitment to a much greater – and universal – equality of outcomes. Is that 

a liberal value? 

Rod Wood 

Nottingham 

Don’t fall for these dishonest attacks on the 

‘metropolitan liberal elite’ | Jonathan 

Freedland 

Read more 

• Jonathan Freedland casts much-needed light in the gloom of Brexit, Farage and Trump; most of all 

on Theresa May’s ridiculous reduction of “remainers” to a small metropolitan elite of “citizens of the 

world and of nowhere”. And yet, there is a danger of a different kind of reductionism. Having trudged 

the streets of one post-industrial city, Stoke, over recent years, and gathered stories from many people 

about decline, racism and radicalisation, we have, still, much work to do in understanding why 

Farage, and Brexit, have played so well. If this is largely to do with the economy, it is because people 

often feel dismissively stereotyped by metropolitans as passé, “northern”, “failures” and “basket 

cases”. 

Note might also be made of how elements of the cultural elite are responsible for a huge and mainly 

negative representational shift of working-class life over many decades: from Alan Sillitoe’s cussed, 

rugged but respected characters in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning to the pornography of Benefit 

Cheats. Alongside all of this, we should also remember the political abandonment of whole estates by 

an elite called New Labour. 

Stockbroker Farage appals me too, but his appeal, like that of the BNP or EDL, is partly explained by 

processes of abandonment and stereotyping by elites in the City, in politics and in parts of the media. 

And I guess some of those might think of themselves as “liberal”. 

Professor Linden West 

Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University 

The left needs to use sensible language again 

• Jonathan Freedland is right to recognise that all sorts believe in that better, more egalitarian and 

compassionate society where rights and responsibilities set out in a balanced way resonate. The 

trouble is that many of our ilk (yes, Guardian readers and in particular liberal-minded lefties) 

wouldn’t last five minutes when talking to so many who voted leave. The left needs to use sensible 

language again, as Steve Richards implies (Take back control – the slogan the left should make its 

own, 20 December). We need literate, lateral thinkers who encompass the equivalent of the politics of

Crosland to Crossman, who ensured my party was (almost) the natural party of government under 

Harold Wilson. 

Labour can do that again if it creates a proper coalition putting emphasis on more but not absolute 

economic equality, asking the better off (not just millionaires) to pay their dues in return for a 

Beveridge-style settlement that reduces means tests and workfare and pensioners having to sell homes 

to pay for care, raising living standards with more full-time employment rather than this zero-hours, 

triple-job, low-wage economy. Dare I suggest higher VAT on luxury goods to combat global 

warming? 

Cllr Andy Beere 

Labour, Banbury, Oxfordshire 

• My wife is much respected in her science field and has a PhD. I have been a consultant headteacher 

and now work for a university. I am a life-long reader of the Guardian and we both voted to leave the 

EU, figuring the country would be better governing itself with its own politicians and own laws and a 

worldwide trading base. We strongly feel that, long-term, this a better option for our grandchildren. 

When will the Guardian start representing our views in the same way it does for so many minorities? 

After all, according to Jonathan Freedland, we represent a minority of 9% – of Guardian readers. 

Malcolm and Nicky Rivers 

Isleworth, Middlesex 

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com 

• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/28/liberal-values-andthe-growth-of-inequality 



India 

Inside toilets may not appeal to all Indian 

villagers 

Children walk to defecate in an open field in a village in Uttar Pradesh, India. Photograph: Prakash 

Singh/AFP/Getty Images 

Letters 


22.00 GMT 

As an anthropologist working on rural life in India, I find describing public defecation as “ingrained 

in India’s rural culture” an oversimplification of a complex problem of social life in country areas 

(Delhi council to shame people into using toilets, 21 December). 

It is true that cities such as Delhi have experienced an influx of migrants from the countryside, but one 

cannot dismiss rural habits quite so simply. My research has shown that rural folks have not taken up 

the government’s idea of building modern enclosed toilets in their villages because the old practice of 

open defecation was to avoid carrying back the smell inside their house, which modern enclosed 

toilets do not allow. 

Open defecation in India: forcing people to stop 

is not the solution 

Read more 

In villages, people choose to defecate outside to be close to nature and traditionally follow this 

practice with a shower. With severe water shortages in the countryside, hygiene practices have had to 

adjust to preserve water while also avoiding disease. The defecation area in the village is not random

– it is a selected location and the act has to be followed by taking a shower. 

The debate on open v enclosed defecating is a debate on how Indians define themselves with respect 

to traditional methods of remaining disease-free, water conservation, and notions of bodily purities 

and impurities. This debate cannot be resolved by Delhi bureaucrats, far removed from the natural, 

environmental, hygienic and social debate that is taking place in India’s villages. 

Dr Smita Yadav 

Hove, East Sussex 



This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/28/inside-toilets-may-notappeal-to-all-indian-villagers 



Family law 

Brief letters 

No time for Homes under the Hammer 

Family law | Daytime TV | Definition of a terrorist | One word for Thesaurus 

Homes under the Hammer. Jane Moth says watching it is a rare treat as she spends most of the day 

doing the ‘Quick Crossword’. Photograph: BBC 

Letters 


22.00 GMT 

Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, for which the Tories and the Lib 

Dems were equally responsible, was arguably the worst piece of legislation in the coalition years, 

and not just for family law (Letters, 28 December). Social welfare law was almost destroyed too. It 

is ironic that but for a tied vote in the Lords, the government would have been forced to modify its 

legal aid domestic violence policy. I agree that the justice select committee report was woefully 

uncritical. Even now the government refuses to review this shocking mistake. 

Willy Bach 

Labour shadow justice minister in the Lords 2010- 12, House of Lords 

• I have a great deal of sympathy with your new reader Don Abbey and his bafflement as to why your 

TV listings only begin at 6pm (Letters, 27 December). He will soon learn that your readers have no 

capacity to watch daytime TV due to the demands of your supposedly “Quick Crossword”, which 

regularly takes up to eight man hours to complete. Watching Homes under the Hammer is something of 

a rare treat. 

Jane Moth 

Snettisham, Norfolk 

• Kit Hill asks if Trump’s enthusiasm for a nuclear arsenal makes him a terrorist (Letters, 28 

December)? Has he forgotten the standard definition of a terrorist: someone with a bomb but without 

an air force? 

George Schlesinger

Durham 

• Why is there only one Competition and Markets Authority (Letters, 28 December)? The same reason 

there’s only one word for thesaurus. 

Judith Flanders 

London 



This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/dec/28/no-time-for-homes-underthe-hammer 



Rail transport 

Problems with Britain’s trains 

Mind the step: a train at Stockport station on the west coast mainline. Photograph: Christopher 

Thomond for the Guardian 

Letters 


22.00 GMT 

Regarding your article “Britain’s rolling stock is 21 years old on average” (28 December), I would 

argue that accessibility for disabled people travelling on trains is of a similar age. The staff are 

fantastic but the accessibility of the rolling stock is not. I am a wheelchair user who regularly travels 

by train. When I travel, I must book assistance to help me on and off trains. At peak times this 

assistance does not always happen. I mention this because in Berlin, much of the rail system provides 

level access on to the trains. This enables wheelchair users who can to use the train independently. 

This is something I hope will be looked at in the new design of trains and stations. 

I regularly use both the east and west coast mainlines to visit family. My partner and I are both in 

electric wheelchairs and cannot transfer to companion seats. Most carriages only have a single 

wheelchair space so we can’t sit together. With innovative design, train companies could have dualpurpose 

spaces that allow for wheelchair users when needed and can also be accessed by nondisabled 

passengers when there are no wheelchair users travelling. This would enable multiple 

wheelchair users to travel together. 

The DfT spokesman mentioned the biggest modernisation programme in a century to improve the 

number of seats and Wi-Fi access. It should also address disabled access, or disabled people will 

continue to receive a standard class service on what will be a first-class railway system. 

Mark Cooper 

Edinburgh 

• I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to a number of points raised by an anonymous Servest 

employee (I’m a cleaner on GWR trains. We’re striking because we’re treated unfairly,

theguardian.com, 21 December). The work done by Servest teams to make sure our trains are clean, 

presentable and comfortable is very important to us and our customers, and is just as important that 

their staff are properly rewarded for the work they do. 

The relationship between Servest and its employees should rightly be between them but GWR is not 

an uninterested party here, and we have built a number of key protections into our contracts with 

suppliers to make sure their staff are treated fairly and with respect. For example, staff of contractors 

cleaning GWR trains (and any agency staff working on their behalf) must receive the living wage – or 

the London living wage where appropriate – as a minimum standard. In addition, they receive at least 

28 days’ paid leave a year, zero-hours contracts are banned, and we give each of them five days’ free 

travel on our trains a year. 

We have been very clear that Servest and the RMT need to work together to resolve the current 

dispute, and we will be meeting with the Servest management team in the new year to discuss how we 

can support any discussions they have had with their employee representatives. 

We are determined that this action does not impact on our customers’ experience and we have worked 

closely with Servest to put alternative arrangements in place should the strike action go ahead. 

Andrew Mellors 

Deputy managing director, Great Western Railway 



This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/28/problems-withbritains-trains 



Health 

A health policy is more than NHS spending 

Leeds General Infirmary. ‘A policy on health service spending is meaningless without a policy on 

health creation,’ writes Dr Sebastian Kraemer. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PA 

Letters 


22.00 GMT 

A policy on health service spending (Labour calls for OBR-style watchdog to assess NHS finances, 

28 December) is meaningless without a policy on health creation. Most diseases are not random. 

Your chances of getting ill or dying are greatly increased by social and psychological adversity, some 

of which is preventable by early intervention. This means massive public investment in 

comprehensive perinatal health, in paid parental leave, children’s centres and early years education. 

But also the recognition that insecurity – especially in housing and employment – damages health 

through the physical stress it causes. Michael Marmot’s book The Health Gap (2015) chronicles this 

data in readable detail. NHS funding cannot be taken out of politics because its costs depend so much 

on the impact of other policies, especially those that aggravate inequalities. The Labour party knows 

this but must demonstrate that in its policy proposals. 

Dr Sebastian Kraemer 

London 



This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/28/a-health-policy-ismore-than-nhs-spending 



Technology 

Nuance needed in debate about technology’s 

role in children’s development 

‘Some screen-based material may be enjoyed and valued by both parents and children,’ writes Cary 

Bazalgette. Photograph: Alamy 

Letters 


22.00 GMT 

The signatories to the letter on children’s lifestyles (Screen-based lifestyle harms children’s health, 

26 December) make the usual error – compounded by your selective headline – of lumping an 

enormous variety of cultural experience into one category: “screen-based”, which is then labelled as 

merely “technology”. This makes about as much sense as lumping all printed matter together under the 

heading of “paper-based technology”. We know that’s a silly idea because we know that printed 

matter includes a vast range of cultural products, from novels to cereal packets. Screen-based content 

is just as diverse. Instead of wringing our hands over the long-established fact that children start to 

access this content during their first year of life, could we start to give some informed attention to 

how children begin to “learn about the culture they are born into” (to quote one of the signatories to 

the letter) and consider the possibility that some screen-based material may be enjoyed and valued by 

both parents and children, and may make a serious contribution to children’s social and emotional 

development? 

Cary Bazalgette 

Researcher on children and moving-image media, UCL Institute of Education 

• The harmful nature of the screen was revealed in an experiment by neuroscientist Patricia Kuhl 

quoted in the National Geographic in January 2015. She taught Mandarin sounds to two groups of 

babies, with one group through personal interaction and with the other through video, and was 

astonished to find that while the first group learned extremely well, the second learned nothing 

whatsoever. The reason is that there was a subtle energetic exchange in the interaction between 

children and carer, whereas machines cannot register or transmit energy other than their own

mechanical signals. This is detectable only by the new “quantum” science. 

Grethe Hooper Hansen 

Retired teacher, Bath 



This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/28/nuance-needed-indebate-about-technologys-role-in-childrens-development 



Comment & debate 

People voted Brexit. But Cameron, Blair and other flawed leaders made it 

possible [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Ben Jennings on the doping scandal of Russian Olympic athletes – cartoon 


The lesson of Trump and Brexit: a society too complex for its people risks 

everything [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 




Opinion 

People voted Brexit. But Cameron, Blair and 

other flawed leaders made it possible 

Ros Coward 

The former prime minister’s laziness, Boris Johnson’s hubris and Michael Gove’s disloyalty: so 

much hinged on personality failings 

‘In robust circumstances when political checks and balances are working well, then leaders’ 

character traits and even flaws don’t matter so much.’ Boris Johnson with David Cameron in 2012. 

Photograph: Yui Mok/PA 


22.00 GMT 

The usual view of history for left-leaning liberals is that the character of the leading protagonists is 

secondary. The real drivers of history are socio-economic forces. Marxist views of history, which I 

imbibed as an undergraduate, take this further: history is determined by material conditions – wages, 

working conditions, social relations. But in moments of crisis, such as the EU referendum and its 

consequences, personality flaws really do matter. When events are finely balanced, what this or that 

individual does can make all the difference. 

We need a mature Brexit debate – we’re not

getting it from Michael Gove | Jonathan Portes 

Read more 

The consensus about the Brexit vote is that it expressed resentment about how politicians had driven 

forward social changes without the consent of the affected communities. So social forces were 

certainly important. But in an extraordinary year where the right gained the upper hand and effective 

opposition disintegrated, what’s striking is how many fatal twists and turns were set in motion by 

misjudgments based on the character flaws of the leaders. Without the hubris, arrogance, laziness, 

disloyalty, connivance and opportunism of so many of the key players, we would probably not be in 

this current state of Brexit-induced political mess. 

How far back should we go with this idea that misjudgments based on character flaws led directly to 

this mess? A long way. Tony Blair’s hubris about the Middle East discredited his centre-left politics. 

The fratricidal competitiveness of Ed Milliband helped to deprive Labour of victory and a platform 

to rebuild the centre-left. Also key in the 2015 election was Nick Clegg’s duplicity around student 

fees. His class chemistry with David Cameron and his evident liking for his position caused him to 

massively disappoint his voters – a move that in effect wiped out the Liberal Democrats. 

2016: How do you report a year that changed the world? – video 

This left Cameron unchallenged except by his own right wing. And of all the personality flaws in this 

saga, his proved the most glaring. His laziness and lack of attention to detail, characterised by the 

press as “Dave’s chillaxing”, made him supremely confident about the referendum. He thought he 

could face down the right relying on electoral “reasonableness”. This relaxed attitude was fatal. The 

stakes were too high, and the details about the referendum’s status really mattered, as the ensuing 

muddle revealed. Cameron’s failure to see danger coming allowed a motivated right wing to define 

the agenda. 

The weeks following the vote was a period many commentators described as a Greek tragedy, which 

is all about character initiating a fatal sequence of events. Michael Gove and Boris Johnson appeared 

motivated more by manoeuvring for leadership than deep conviction, as well as being deluded about 

their own strategic cleverness. But Johnson was rather too good at connecting with the popular mood, 

at turning the perfect phrase, at echoing and, to some extent, manipulating the popular press, and got 

the result he almost certainly didn’t want. His stricken face on Brexit morning suggested he had really 

sought to be the “unifying” leader in a close remain vote. Gove’s downfall came from opportunism, 

disloyalty, and an overestimation of his ability to outmanoeuvre Johnson. 

Trump’s latest tweet about nuclear weapons is 

both daft and dangerous | Simon Jenkins 

Read more

Of course politicians’ characters are always crucial factors in determining the direction of events, and 

politicians by nature probably have a larger dose of personal ambition and cunning than the average 

citizen. In robust circumstances when political checks and balances are working well, where attention 

is given to detail, and where a strong opposition is able to articulate public concerns, then leaders’ 

character traits and even flaws don’t matter so much. But the Brexit negotiations are finely balanced, 

and the public is being offered little chance of scrutinising decisions. 

The current leaders look even more flawed than those whose misjudgments led us to this point. We 

now have a secretive and controlling prime minister in charge of the biggest team of negotiators to be 

assembled since the 1945 peace conferences. For a negotiation unwanted by a significant proportion 

of the electorate, who need to be won over, it doesn’t inspire confidence. 

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn in opposition seems the embodiment of a flawed character. His vanity 

prevented him from turning down the leadership, a position for which he was clearly unsuited. In less 

uncertain times, Theresa May’s control freakery and Corbyn’s inflexibility might not matter. But they 

matter when what’s needed are leaders who can see the wider picture. Policies are vital, but 

character is more important than ever. Start worrying. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/28/people-brexitcameron-blair-flawed-leaders 



Russia doping scandal 

Guardian Opinion cartoon 

Ben Jennings on the doping scandal of Russian 

Olympic athletes – cartoon 

Illustration: Ben Jennings 

Ben Jennings 


22.02 GMT 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/dec/28/benjennings-russian-doping-scandal-olympic-athletes-cartoon 



Donald Trump 

Opinion 

The lesson of Trump and Brexit: a society too 

complex for its people risks everything 

John Harris 

The populists have grasped that communities are struggling to cope with upheaval and intricacy – and 

have exploited the backlash 

‘The simpler past seems more attractive than today’s complex reality, and so people vote [thanks to] 

inchoate frustrations.’ Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters 

By way of a gloomy seasonal party game, try this. Take the proverbial back of a cereal box, divide it 

into six rectangles, and on each one, write a supposed cause of the political turbulence now gripping 

the west: “the financial crash of 2008”, “inequality”, “racism and xenophobia”, “Tony Blair,

asically”, and all the rest. Then get out the gin, maybe put on a Radiohead album, and enjoy hours of 

doom-laden conversational fun. 

Were I daft enough to play the game myself, on one rectangle, I think I’d write an explanation so far 

barely mentioned in the acres of coverage of 2016’s chaos, but one right at the heart of it all: “Everincreasing 

complexity, and the diminishing returns it now creates.” It’s not the snappiest conversation 

starter, I know. But if you’re looking for a grand catch-all theory that ties together Donald Trump, 

Brexit, and the general sense of a world spinning into chaos, it might not be a bad place to begin. 

Complexity, after all, is a 21st-century leitmotif, captured in those news-channel screens on which 

scrolling tickers and stockmarket data combine to create the impression of a world so elaborate it is 

beyond anyone’s control. The average browse on Twitter creates exactly the same impression; so 

does a scroll through a Facebook news feed, now rendered even more confusing by the fact that a 

great deal of its content may well not be authentic “news” at all. 

Individual lives are more scrambled and complicated than they have ever been. For a lot of us, 

modernity is a mess 

Perhaps more crucially, individual lives are surely more scrambled and complicated than they have 

ever been. For a lot of us, in fact, modernity is a mess: not just of multiple user accounts, passwords, 

contracts for smartphones and Wi-Fi, and the generalised insanity of consumerism, but working lives 

that now have to undergo endless peaks, troughs and reinventions. The latter applies even to those 

who think of themselves as relatively successful, let alone people at the blunt end. 

From the US tax code to the structures of the European Union (an organisation so complex that leaving 

it is starting to look all but impossible), all this complication is also reflected in the workings of 

states and governments. Moreover, though they were sold to us as a means of simplifying the tangled 

messes weaved by bureaucracies, the endless marketisation and contracting-out that now define 

policies across the planet have only made things worse. 

Consider what the American thinker David Graeber calls his “iron law of liberalism”: “Any market 

reform, any government initiative intended to reduce red tape and promote market forces will have 

the ultimate effect of increasing the total number of … regulations, the total amount of paperwork, and 

the total number of bureaucrats the government employs.” 

There perhaps was a time when the idea that increasing complexity would benefit most people just 

about held true: the 1990s maybe spring to mind. But now? As we all know, wages are continuing to 

stagnate. Across the UK, Europe and the US, there are increasing worries about sluggish-to-flatlining 

productivity and disappointing economic growth. Automation is already disrupting millions of 

working lives. Therein, of course, lies huge opportunities for the insurgents now defining the political 

zeitgeist. Their basic approach is: a withering look at the labyrinthine realties of trade, technology, 

population movement, international agreements and the rest, followed by the simplest of answers: 

“Take back control”, “Make America great again”.

‘Declining returns make complexity a less attractive problem-solving strategy.’ Photograph: Andrew 

Kelly/Reuters 

All this began to sit in my thoughts as I was putting together a radio documentary about the new 

populism, and reading a book by the US anthropologist and historian Joseph Tainter, which brims 

with implied parallels between far-flung periods of history and more recent events. It may be some 

token of our turbulent times that it’s titled The Collapse of Complex Societies: I was alerted to it after 

reading a brilliant post-Brexit piece authored by French writer Paul Arbair, and I have been dipping 

into it ever since. 

The book was published in 1988, just before the fall of communism was about to offer another case 

study in what it describes. One key pattern, it argues, applies to whole chunks of history: the way that 

increasingly complicated systems initially deliver big economic benefits, only for diminishing returns 

to set in, as systems of power and control become overstretched. Ever-increasing burdens are not 

matched by material rewards, and popular resentment kicks in. 

Don’t fall for these dishonest attacks on the 

‘metropolitan liberal elite’ | Jonathan 

Freedland 

Read more 

Tainter’s text covers the demise of ancient Rome and collapse of Mayan civilization in the 9th 

century, the Minoans and Hittites, and the Chinese Zhou dynasty. He talks about common features of 

these societies’ fall: “revolts and provincial breakaways”, the end of long-distance trade, resource 

depletion, declining economic growth, and a point many societies have eventually crashed into: when 

they are “able to do little more than maintain the status quo”. Currencies become debased; “bridges 

and roads are not kept up”. Precipitous changes in climate often underlie what happens. 

Tainter, and though he cautioned me against generalised comparisons, he agreed that complexity held 

the key to a lot of current developments. “The simpler past seems more attractive than today’s 

complex reality, and so people vote [thanks to] inchoate frustrations,” he told me. “They choose 

simplicity and locality over complexity; identity over internationalism. Politicians promote 

themselves by giving voice to this. Hence, in addition to Brexit, we have calls for Scottish

independence, Catalan independence, and so forth.” If complexity and globalisation gave 

recognisable benefits, he said, the phenomenon would not be so widespread. Quite so, but this is the 

exact way in which modernity is failing. 

Visions of imminent social collapse might be taking all this a bit too far. Or maybe not, for as Tainter 

writes: “Civilisations are fragile, impermanent things.” Are modern societies vulnerable? It’s a 

common belief, he says, that our technological capacity, energy resources and our knowledge of 

economics and history mean our civilisation should be able to survive “whatever crises ancient and 

simpler societies found insurmountable”. 

But as a corrective, he then quotes the revered German classicist Ulrich von Wilamowitz- 

Moellendorff’s sobering take on the lessons of the Roman empire. Gin and Radiohead at the ready, 

then: “Civilisation can die, because it has already died once.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/29/trump-brexitsociety-complex-people-populists 



Obituaries 

Liz Smith obituary [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Dave Shepherd obituary [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 



Television & radio 

Liz Smith obituary 

Bafta award-winning actor, best known for playing Nana in The Royle Family, got her breakthrough 

later in life 

Liz Smith on the set of The Royle Family. Photograph: ITV/REX/Shutterstock 

Dennis Barker 

Monday 26 December 2016 23.41 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 December 2016 

22.00 GMT 

Liz Smith, who has died aged 95, was unknown until middle-age, but became a well-known and 

much-loved character actor. Her breakthrough came in a Mike Leigh film, Bleak Moments, when she 

was 49. She reached a wider audience when she starred in the memorable 1970s television comedy I 

Didn’t Know You Cared, written by Peter Tinniswood. Her eye for the entertaining anarchies of old 

age was also deployed in The Vicar of Dibley and 2point4 Children. However, Smith is likely to be 

best remembered for her work as Norma Speakman, or Nana, in The Royle Family, the 

groundbreaking comedy written by Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, for which Smith won a Bafta 

nomination. Smith brought her flair for grotesque comedy to the role; the programme became a hit, 

and she with it. 

The Royle Family - 1998 - Liz Smith, centre right, with Ralf Little, Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, 

Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson. Photograph: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

“I’ve never considered a facelift,” she said in 2007, “because I earn my living by looking old.” 

Liz Smith, The Royle Family actor, has died 

aged 95 

Read more 

Born Betty Gleadle, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, she had a rough start in life. Her mother died in 

childbirth when Betty was two and she was brought up by her widowed grandmother. She 

remembered her father, only 20 years her senior and prone to wine, women and song, throwing her up 

in the air and catching her, and festooning her with costume jewellery. When she was seven, her father 

walked out without explanation – his daughter only discovering, many years later, that he had married 

another woman who had insisted that his previous life did not exist. “He was a weak man and did as 

he was told, so he just disowned me,” she recalled in the later years of her success. 

Liz Smith with Max Wall in We Think the World of You, 1988. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo 

She discovered acting at her local school but left at 16 and took a job with a dressmaker. During the 

second world war she served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service and in 1945 married a sailor, Jack 

Thomas, whom she met on service in India. She contracted hepatitis and returned to London. 

In 1947, she managed to get a job with a small repertory company called the Gateway theatre in 

Westbourne Grove, using the stage name Liz Smith. But she and her husband and their children, Sarah 

and Robert, soon moved out to Buckhurst Hill, near Epping, Essex, which put the repertory theatre out 

of range. 

The marriage ended in divorce in 1959. Acting was both an emotional release and a way of earning a 

living. The American director Charles Marowitz, a devotee of the Method school of acting, 

introduced his ideas to London at rooms in Fitzroy Square, London. Smith was auditioned and chosen 

to be in the first improvising group. Marowitz did not pay her, and only a series of day jobs, including 

one as a postwoman, made it possible for her to attend his school for four nights a week over a period 

of five years. Then, one day, Marowitz simply did not turn up and Smith was told he had gone to link 

up with the Royal Shakespeare Company. “And that was that. He dropped us – just like Father,” Smith 

said. She then joined the Forbes Russell Repertory Company, which played at Butlin’s holiday

camps. 

Liz Smith, The Royle Family actor, has died 

aged 95 

Read more 

But Smith’s experience with improvisational theatre was to prove an advantage. For Bleak Moments 

in 1971, Leigh could find the children he wanted but not the eccentric mother, because it was difficult 

to find actors used to improvisation. Smith, who rarely gave media interviews, once told of how she 

was selling toys in Hamley’s at Christmas when Leigh told her he needed a middle-aged woman to do 

improvisations. Smith was cast as a woman who could not leave her bed, so she stayed in bed for the 

six weeks of rehearsals and shooting. She later said that Bleak Moments, which was Leigh’s first 

film, “changed my life” and cued up an exhaustive list of TV credits. 

Liz Smith in 1984. Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images 

Leigh was so satisfied with Smith that he cast her again in his first television play, Hard Labour, this 

time as a charwoman. She scrubbed the floors of the Territorial Army hall in which rehearsals took 

place until her stockings were full of holes and she was satisfied that she knew what a charwoman 

really felt like. 

Smith found her first agent in 1973 and began to work steadily, mostly for television, from Dickens to 

The Sweeney. By the 1980s she was an established face who did not lack work. Her films included 

Lindsay Anderson’s Britannia Hospital (1982) and Malcolm Mowbray’s A Private Function (1984), 

for which she won the Bafta award for best supporting actress.

In 1988 she played the mother of a young gay hustler in We Think the World of You, directed by Colin 

Gregg and starring Alan Bates. The following year, for Peter Greenaway, she appeared in the film 

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. 

Her late-life successes included Letitia Cropley, a provider of ghastly cakes, in The Vicar of Dibley. 

When the popular character was killed off by the writer Richard Curtis, the first Smith heard of it was 

when a motorcycle messenger came to her door with next week’s script, accompanied by a note 

reading, “Here is a script for the next episode, which contains your death.” She confessed to being 

hurt and bewildered. 

How we made The Royle Family 

Read more 

Smith continued to work extensively in television. She appeared as Miss Lory in Alice in Wonderland 

(1999), in two versions of A Christmas Carol (1999 and 2000, the latter a modern version with Ross 

Kemp and Warren Mitchell), as Peg Sliderskew in the Charles Dance version of Nicholas Nickleby 

(2001) and in the series Lark Rise to Candleford (2008). She was Grandma Georgina in Charlie and 

the Chocolate Factory (2005) and the voice of Mrs Mulch in Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the 

Were-Rabbit in the same year. When well into her 70s, she said she was always “completely 

energised” by work. 

Smith, who often complained that whatever she did on stage made the audience laugh, appeared when 

she was in her 80s in the 2004 Royal National Theatre production of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, with 

Michael Gambon, who thought her “bloody marvellous”. 

In 2009, she announced that she was retiring from acting following a stroke. But in 2010 she appeared 

in The Young Ones for the BBC, in which older celebrities reminisced about the 1970s. 

Smith was appointed MBE in 2009. 

• Liz Smith (Betty Gleadle), actor, born 11 December 1921; died 24 December 2016 

• Dennis Barker died in 2015 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/dec/26/liz-smith-obituary 



Jazz 

Dave Shepherd obituary 

One of Britain’s finest jazz clarinettists inspired by his hero Benny Goodman 

Dave Shepherd’s style and grace in playing was mirrored by his dapper, well-groomed appearance 

and easy bandstand manner. Photograph: David Sinclair 

Peter Vacher 


22.00 GMT 

The jazz clarinettist Dave Shepherd, who has died aged 87, was often billed as Britain’s answer to 

Benny Goodman, his instrumental facility, centred tone and driving attack comparable to that of his 

American idol. The sobriquet never rankled with Shepherd: he toured frequently with Goodman’s 

celebrated pianist Teddy Wilson and regularly put together whole quintet presentations (sometimes 

using other Goodman alumni) based on the maestro’s music. It was reported that Goodman himself 

once said: “He plays more like me than I do.” 

If Goodman’s music was often technically demanding, it never seemed to daunt Shepherd, whose style 

and grace in playing was mirrored by his dapper, well-groomed appearance and easy bandstand 

manner. “Dave was the finest swing clarinettist in the country and perhaps, in the world,” said the 

trumpeter Digby Fairweather, a frequent associate, adding: “He was always the most handsome man 

in the band.” Indeed, it was reputed that Shepherd had once modelled for Brylcreem, when it was the 

trendiest of male hair preparations. 

He was born in Walthamstow, east London, to Cecilia (nee Sadgrove), a machinist, and Joseph 

Shepherd, a semi-pro pianist who worked for the gas company. Dave adopted the clarinet aged 15 

after seeing Freddy Mirfield’s Garbage Men, the group whose clarinettist was the young John 

Dankworth. Shepherd was soon proficient enough to play at gigs with the trumpeter Freddy Randall, 

while taking lessons from Randall’s clarinettist Bernie Izen and working as a shorthand-typist at the 

War Office. 

His national service posting in 1947 was to the British Forces Network radio station in Hamburg.

The army had taken over the state opera house for their studios and this allowed Shepherd to 

persuade the opera’s principal clarinettist to give him a weekly lesson in exchange for 10 cigarettes a 

go. Shepherd played with the BFN quintet, broadcasting twice a week and practising for several 

hours a day, this under the benign command of Cliff Michelmore. As he said: “The army did a lot for 

my start in the jazz world.” 

Shepherd resumed work at the War Office after demobilisation in 1949 and played around London, 

sometimes fronting his own quartet while fitting in with any number of Dixieland-style bands. In 

1951, he joined the drummer Joe Daniels and his Hot Shots, then a highly popular group, and turned 

professional, making his recording debut the same year. Daniels’s well-organised Dixieland approach 

suited Shepherd and he stayed for three years, before moving on to play with Randall again, 

cementing a working relationship that was revisited often over the years. 

Shepherd also recorded a pair of albums under his own name at this time. Despite this, and like a 

number of his contemporaries, he felt impelled in 1956 to try his luck in New York, then the jazzman’s 

mecca, taking office jobs before the union allowed him to look for musical work. Back in Britain a 

year later, he became part of an all-star group known as the Jazz Today Unit, playing concerts with the 

Gerry Mulligan quartet in April 1957. He considered this to be a career highlight, another being his 

presence as part of the Dill Jones quartet on the first-ever UK tour in May 1958 by the famous Jazz at 

the Philharmonic troupe with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson as the star attractions. 

It was during this time that Shepherd began to be heard frequently on BBC radio, his quartet often 

used on the Jimmy Young show, or on Round Midnight or Breakfast Special, and even on Music 

While You Work, his limpid clarinet tone and flair for melodic invention a welcome inclusion on 

these popular programmes. He also toured abroad, often in eastern Germany, played the Edinburgh, 

Nice and Montreux festivals, and began to work regularly from 1967 with Wilson, this taking in 

biennial UK tours but also a couple of visits to South Africa in 1973, including a concert in Soweto. 

By the 1970s, he had linked up again with Randall, while still fronting his own Goodman-styled 

quintet. 

In 1980, Shepherd was recruited by the impresario Peter Boizot as a founder member and leader of 

the PizzaExpress All Stars, a mainstream group that played residencies at the PizzaExpress jazz club 

in Dean Street, Soho, several times a week over the following three decades, often with star 

American guests. This was especially convenient for Shepherd as he now had a job with a film 

production company located nearby. 

He moved to Hampshire in 1996, so travelled to London less often, but still carried on with the All- 

Stars until 2001, while fitting in dates with Fairweather’s Great British Jazz Band and playing solo 

gigs. He was back at Dean Street in February last year for the 35th Anniversary reunion of the All- 

Stars, with Boizot on hand to cheer on his veteran proteges. 

Shepherd is survived by his wife, Mary (nee Evans), whom he married in 1966. 

• David Joseph Shepherd, jazz clarinettist, born 7 February 1929; died 15 December 2016 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/28/dave-shepherd-obituary



Weather 

Nothing sings quite like a robin [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

In weather folklore, the annual forecasts come in rhymes [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 



Birds 

Country diary 

Nothing sings quite like a robin 

Sandy, Bedfordshire The tiny bird comes on strong at the end of the year, an emblem of the season 

The busy melody of the robin is a feature of the year’s end. Photograph: Alamy 

The singers began rehearsing for the main event as long ago as September. At first light, the murmur 

of traffic would be punctuated with tentative trills or cadences that expired almost as they began. The 

gaps between plaintive coos of the wood pigeon were filled with sotto voce snatches of song, making 

up for a lack of volume with notes of high piercing intensity. There is nothing that sings quite like a 

robin. 

Robin song comes on strong at the end of the year, as if the bird were living up to its status as an 

emblem of the season. The simple scientific explanation is that male and female birds are reestablishing 

pair bonds and territorial rights. 

All this week, one has begun its front of house show well before dawn, while another has launched 

forth in answer or opposition at the back. Yesterday, befuddled by sleep, I stood up and parted the 

curtains in a bid to see one of these birds, only to reel back at the soupy glare of a street light. Today, 

I stayed in bed, clamped my eyes shut, and listened. 

Robin brings a touch of home to the trenches: 

Country diary 100 years ago 

Read more 

The factory-like swish of cars spoke of overnight rain. A voice riding higher than a soprano easily 

subsumed this ambient roar into the background. For 20 minutes or more, the robin uttered a sequence 

of 200 or so phrases, in which melodies rose out of nothing, and swept through the whole gamut

etween hope and despair in three or four seconds. But there was never a conclusion. Quavering runs 

halted and fevered cascades cut short. I counted the lulls between – one-and-two-and – then the song 

resumed. I wondered if the bird had one tune in its head, simply oscillating between soundlessness 

and vocalisation; to my ears, it was as if a badly tuned radio was dipping in and out of a complete 

work. 

For millennia, humans must have woken to robin song, in half-light without electricity, in silence 

without motorised vehicles. When there was no wind or rain, it would have been the only sound, a 

lone voice of affirmation at the dying of the year. 

Follow Country diary on Twitter: @gdncountrydiary 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/29/country-diarysandy-bedfordshire-winter-robin-bird-song-pair-bonds 



Environment 

Weatherwatch 

In weather folklore, the annual forecasts come 

in rhymes 

The 12 days of Christmas are said to set the pattern for weather for the whole of the coming year 

The Norwegian Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, London. Photograph: Paul 

Brown/REX/Shutterstock 

Weather folklore often coincides with significant dates on our calendar: saint’s days and quarter days 

are associated with many sayings, including, of course, St Swithun’s day. 

So it’s not surprising that the 12 days from Christmas Day to Epiphany, on 6 January, are said to set 

the pattern for the weather for the next year, while thunder is supposed to mean heavy snowfalls for 

the rest of the winter. 

Wind at Christmas is said to be a sign of a fine year’s weather ahead; though should it be windy on 

Boxing Day then the grape harvest will, apparently, be a bad one. Heavy rain at this time of year is 

also supposed to mean a damp twelve months to come. 

Much of this supposed wisdom comes from the various almanacs and calendars that were popular 

during the early modern period. One of these, the Shepherd’s Kalendar pays special attention to the 

weather on the feast of the Holy Innocents, otherwise known as Childermas, and marked by the 

Western Christian churches on 28 December, and by the Eastern Orthodox churches on 29 December. 

Again, wet and windy weather predicts scarcity while fair, fine weather means plenty. 

But the last word must go to this rhyme for the last day of the year: 

If New Year’s Eve night wind blow south 

It betokeneth warmth and growth;

If west, much milk and fish in the sea; 

If north, much cold and storms there will be; 

If east, the trees will bear much fruit; 

If north east, flee it man and brute. 

May the New Year bring the weather you wish for! 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/dec/28/weatherwatch-calendarfolk-rhyme-wind-rain-thunder-annual-forecast 



Sport - Sport 

Cycling Wiggins completes circle by winning at birthplace Ghent [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

William Fotheringham Success cannot mask British cycling’s year [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Breaking news All the stories on our dedicated newsfeed [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Southampton 1-4 Tottenham Alli double helps Spurs crush 10-man Saints [Thu, 


Rising stars 10 footballers to look out for in 2017 [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Vibrac, JG Funding and Riverdance: the mystery of Everton’s ‘shadow 

investor’ [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Premier League table Take a look at the latest standings [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Carlos Tevez Argentinian signs for Shanghai Shenhua in £615,000-a-week 

deal [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Estudiantes Verón to come out of retirement and donate pay to club [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

Boxing Day Test Smith shines as Australia and Pakistan head towards draw 


Mark Nicholas Presenter takes leave after returning to hospital [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Football Liverpool consider move for Arsenal’s Oxlade-Chamberlain [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

Ana Ivanovic Former world No1 retires from tennis at age of 29 [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

News Russian official admits to ‘institutional conspiracy’ of doping [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 




Bradley Wiggins completes victorious circle by 

winning at birthplace Ghent 

• Former Tour winner teams up with Mark Cavendish to win six-day race 

• Event is a blend of circus and bike race once part of the winter circuit 

Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish show off their prizes after winning the Ghent six-day race. 

Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images 

William Fotheringham in Ghent 

Sunday 20 November 2016 19.39 GMT Last modified on Monday 21 November 2016 08.57 GMT 

This article is 1 month old 

A grim concrete building in Ghent’s citadel park with a strong aroma of fast food might have seemed 

a strange venue for a Tour de France winner to bid farewell – whether provisionally or not – but this 

place and this event have particular resonance for Sir Bradley Wiggins. 

He was born in Ghent – hence his second name, the Flemish Marc – and not only did he win this race 

in 2003 as a young professional but he has strong memories of coming here to watch his late father 

Gary race in the 1980s. He had, he said last week, a photograph taken of the two in one of the 

claustrophobic cabins in the track centre where the riders rest between races and over the weekend 

there is every chance he took a similar snap with his children Bella and Ben. 

“A lot of people don’t know about this building and what’s gone on here,” Wiggins said afterwards. 

“I first came here when I was a little boy; I spoke today with Maurice Burton” – a former six-day 

rider from south London – “and he remembered sitting in the riders’ cabins holding me in his arms. I 

always get emotional when I think about this place, what it means to me. I always think of my dad 

when I’m in here. 

“He was a terrible father but I still idolise him as a bike rider because I wouldn’t be here without

him. I can’t help but think about that. 

“Me mum was here and people I haven’t seen for years; that’s more important than anything else. It’s 

such a special place, the dirt on the windows have probably been here since [the Belgian world 

champions] Rik van Looy and Van Steenbergen were riding here.” 

Bradley Wiggins gets back in the saddle for 

London Six Day ride 

Read more 

The six is a throwback, a blend of circus and bike race, all loud music, fast food and flashing lights, 

one of the last survivors of an extensive circuit that once kept professionals busy through the 

European winter. 

First held in 1922, it has recently become a magnet for British fans due to Ghent’s relative proximity 

to the Channel ports; the late Tom Simpson was a fixture in the 1960s – when his party trick was to 

ride wall of death style up the vertical advertising hoardings above the board – and Tony Doyle won 

the event in 1986 and 1991. This year a third of the tickets went to Britons. 

The track is shorter than average at 165m, with steeper bankings than the norm – its nickname, 

’t Kuipke, means ‘hipbath’ – but the obvious risks did not put the riders off spending the first 15 laps 

of a scratch race inciting the crowd to perform a Mexican wave by enacting one themselves on their 

bikes with their hands off the bars. There has long been debate about the extent to which the races 

may or may not be “arranged” but what cannot be denied is the consummate skill and nerve it takes to 

race the Madison, in particular, in such claustrophobic surroundings. 

The standings are taken from a combination of laps lost and gained in the Madisons and points scored 

in other events such as the scratch, lap time trial and the “Derny” race, in which the riders are paced 

at speed by small motorbikes which add another, quite terrifying dimension to proceedings. It all 

meant that going into the final event Cavendish and Wiggins were lying third overall, with the local 

riders Kenny de Ketele and Moreno de Pauw leading from another local, Iljo Keisse, and his Italian 

partner, Elia Viviani. 

During the closing 60-minute Madison, the three teams swapped the lead time after time but the final 

verdict went to the Britons, who managed to elude the other two pairs in the final 15 laps in much the 

same way that they won their world title in London in March. 

The crucial lap gain was secured five out to ensure that, although it was Cavendish who was thrown 

in to cross the line with his arms in the air, Wiggins ended his career on an appropriate winning note 

– assuming, of course, that this is the end. 

What sounded like his final winner’s press conference, whatever the ambiguities, ended with a

question about how he would be remembered, answered with a ramble about being a bit antiestablishment 

but having accepted a knighthood, closing with the clincher, a sarcastic, “I’m not being 

contradictory. Whatever.” It was followed by one final expletive. If this is how the Wiggins era 

closes, it was all completely in character. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/nov/20/bradley-wiggins-returnsbirthplace-and-bows-out-winner 



Cycling 

The Observer 

Success on the track cannot mask a turbulent 

year for British cycling 

The arrival of anti-doping investigators at British Cycling’s headquarters is the latest twist in a tale of 

lots of gold medals and also lots of controversy 

British cycling has had much to celebrate so far in 2016 but the level of scrutiny has been raised 

alongside the level of success. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images 

William Fotheringham 

Saturday 8 October 2016 23.22 BST Last modified on Sunday 9 October 2016 00.25 BST 

The question of whether Jim Callaghan ever uttered the legendary quote “Crisis what crisis?” during 

the Winter of Discontent in 1978-79 is a vexed one, but what matters is less what Sunny Jim said than 

the sense of disconnect between what was perceived as happening and what is taking place on the 

ground. “I don’t think other people in the world would share the view [that] there is mounting chaos,” 

is what Callaghan is reported to have said, and that was pretty much how it felt during the 12 hours I 

spent at the Manchester velodrome on Thursday, for reasons not connected to journalism. 

It was pretty much business as usual: the riders in the World Masters track championships – this 

writer included – did their fast-pedalling thing, elements of the Olympic team including a Rio gold 

medallist or two popped in for an afternoon’s training in the run-in to the European championships 

and members of the new under-23 academy intake wandered around looking a little like new kids at 

school. 

Looking for a good news story in cycling? How 

about the success of Wiggle High5

Read more 

The controversy around Bradley Wiggins’s therapeutic use exemptions seemed not exactly far away, 

but certainly not immediate. Wiggins had received injections of the corticosteroid triamcinolone to 

combat pollen allergies, taken just before major Tours in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but they were within 

the rules and British Cycling seemed largely untouched by the questions that had thrown up. 

Late on Thursday night and into Friday, however, there was a change of pace when it was revealed 

that UK Anti-Doping had begun an investigation into “allegations of wrongdoing in cycling”, and it 

was later confirmed that two members of Ukad staff attended a meeting with British Cycling on 

Friday. 

Ukad was keen to clarify that “at no point have Ukad ‘raided’ British Cycling or Team Sky”. The 

meeting, Ukad stated, was with the full cooperation of British Cycling. 

Wiggins stated early on Saturday through his official spokesman that “I welcome this investigation” 

although he was not planning on expanding on that. Team Sky followed that up with a statement on 

Saturday lunchtime that read: “Given some of the recent headlines we wanted to set out the facts. 

Team Sky were recently contacted by the Daily Mail regarding an allegation of wrongdoing which we 

strongly refute. We informed British Cycling and asked them to contact UK Anti-Doping. We 

understand that Ukad are currently investigating this as you would expect.” 

The investigation was not directly related to Wiggins’s TUEs, but instead followed the revelation that 

a package containing “a medical substance” was delivered to Team Sky by a British Cycling coach, 

Simon Cope – who is now the director sportif of Wiggins’s eponymous professional team – at the 

Critérium du Dauphiné stage race in 2011 and that the recipient was the doctor responsible for 

Wiggins’s TUE applications in 2011, 2012 and 2013, Richard Freeman, who is the British Cycling 

team doctor. He will not travel to Qatar with the team for the world road race championships. 

The Ukad investigation caps a period when immense success for British Cycling has been 

accompanied by massive turbulence, beginning with the allegations of sexism and discrimination 

against the technical director, Shane Sutton, which culminated in Sutton’s departure. An inquiry into 

the background to this chain of events is still ongoing, although it is expected to report before the 

British Cycling National Council meeting at the end of November. There is constant speculation about 

Sutton’s possible return to the fold. 

The Sutton debacle was followed by the dramatic news that the world champion Lizzie Armitstead 

had come close to missing the Rio Olympic Games after registering three “strikes” on the ADAMS 

system that monitors a cyclist’s whereabouts for random testing. Armitstead was cleared a few weeks 

after her third “strike” when the court of arbitration for sport ruled that the first “strike” was not valid 

as doping control officers had not made proper attempts to contact her, but it made for an 

embarrassing run-in to the Olympic Games. 

The pendulum swung the other way immediately with Armitstead almost forgotten by the time the 

British topped the cycling medal table in Rio with twice as many medals as their closest competitor, 

Holland. On the back of that, HSBC committed to backing the sport for eight years, replacing Sky as

BC’s principal sponsor. 

The mood at the velodrome, insiders say, is one of frustration with the latest run of destabilising 

events, given that British Cycling has grown spectacularly over the past 20 years, from the point when 

it was truly in crisis in the mid-1990s to its current flagship status with a glut of medals and more than 

125,000 members. Up and down the country, local cycling events are booming, even at the bottom end 

of the competitive spectrum. 

Given that no one can predict where all this will end, it is hard to speculate about their longterm 

impact. 

Next week, Armitstead – now Lizzie Deignan after her marriage in September – and other GB team 

members will be at the world championships. There, on Wednesday, the venue for the 2019 world 

road titles will be announced, and there is a strong chance that they will be awarded to Yorkshire. In 

turn, that would be accompanied by a massive investment in racing infrastructure around the country, 

a game changer according to British Cycling. 

The contrast between events back home and events far away will be acute given the obvious 

questions about the sport’s long-term ability to weather what might not be a crisis but something that 

resembles Callaghan’s mounting chaos. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/oct/08/british-cycling-antidoping-investigators 



This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/all 



Premier League 

Tottenham beat 10-man Southampton as Dele 

Alli hits double to lead fightback 

Dele Alli scores his second and Tottenham’s fourth goal to complete their victory. Photograph: Julian 

Finney/Getty Images 

Tottenham Hotspur had been forced to wait and, as each one of their top-six rivals won on Boxing 

Day or Tuesday, it might have felt pretty tortuous. But when they finally got their festive programme 

under way they made it count – and how. 

Southampton 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur: Premier 

League – as it happened! 

Read more 

Mauricio Pochettino’s team shrugged off a second-minute concession to Virgil van Dijk and a 

generally sloppy start to produce a show of strength, in which Dele Alli scored twice and both Mousa 

Dembélé and Christian Eriksen sparkled around him. Danny Rose was also excellent. 

Southampton played the final 33 minutes with 10 men after Nathan Redmond’s sending-off for a foul 

on the goal-bound Alli and they were overwhelmed. 

The visitors could even afford to miss a penalty in faintly comic circumstances – Harry Kane lifting 

his kick high over the crossbar after Redmond’s red-card offence – and they will remember it was in 

this fixture last December that they sparked their title charge with an impressive 2-0 win. 

This performance was even more eye-catching. Kane had put them in front early in the second half, 

after Alli’s first-half equaliser, and they turned the screw once Southampton were a man down. The 

substitute, Son Heung-min, raced on to an Eriksen pass to drill home the third – it was the most

clinical of finishes – and Alli gave the scoreline an emphatic feel with his second two minutes later. 

The penalty/red-card double whammy, served up after considerable deliberation by the referee, Mike 

Dean, was the major talking point. It was a slick Tottenham counter-attack featuring Eriksen and 

Moussa Sissoko that had got Alli away and the chasing Redmond pulled at him from behind before 

they entered the area. 

The Southampton winger then stumbled into Alli inside the box to make further, less obvious contact 

but it was still enough to knock the Tottenham player from his stride. Alli sent his shot wide as he 

went to ground. There was a dramatic pause as Dean considered his options, followed by a flourish 

when he flashed the red card. 

Claude Puel, the Southampton manager, said the decision was “a little hard” and difficult to accept as 

it was simply “two players fighting for the ball” and he insisted that it had killed his team’s chances. 

On the other hand Pochettino was entitled to point out that Tottenham had not only been 2-1 up at the 

time but were well in control. And there was little doubt that Redmond had committed a last-man foul 

on Alli at some point. 

The penalty carried shades of David Beckham’s decisive miss at Euro 2004 for England against 

Portugal. When Kane planted his standing foot next to the spot he inadvertently created a divot 

beneath the ball and, in turn, he got horribly underneath the shot. 

Kane said he had noticed before the game there was a relaid patch of grass just on the penalty spot 

while he also tweeted that “if there’s any NFL teams looking for a kicker in the future, have a look at 

my game tonight”. 

He could afford to joke. Alli talked of Tottenham having made a big statement and nobody could 

disagree. 

Rising stars: 10 players to watch in 2017 

Read more 

The only disappointment for Pochettino was in the yellow cards that Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen 

collected which will mean they are suspended for the trip to Watford on New Year’s Day. The 

manager is hopeful Toby Alderweireld – absent here because of a virus – will be available to return. 

Pochettino saluted the character of his team and it was notable in what was a comeback win. Van Dijk 

had got in between Vertonghen and Rose to head home from James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick and for 

the first 15 minutes or so Southampton called the tune. 

It was a sign of Tottenham’s irritation that Vertonghen left his hand across Jay Rodriguez’s face as if 

he meant it after making a clearance; the Southampton striker made no fuss and Dean took no action. 

Southampton pressed hard at the outset and Redmond fizzed one low shot inches past Hugo Lloris’s

far post. 

Harry Kane’s penalty kick for Tottenham against Southampton sails over the bar. Photograph: Eddie 

Keogh/Reuters 

The game turned on Alli’s equaliser. Dembélé initiated the move with a deft pass into the inside-left 

channel for Sissoko and, when his cross looped up off Redmond, Alli leapt in front of Van Dijk to 

direct a header in off the far post. 

Tottenham had further chances before the interval. Eriksen blazed high and Victor Wanyama, booed on 

his return to Southampton, tricked through only to be denied by José Fonte’s block. 

Southampton’s loss of hustle after their flying start was difficult to fathom and, when they lost their 

defensive bearings shortly after the second-half restart, they found themselves behind. 

It said everything that Oriol Romeu was the nearest marker to Kane on Eriksen’s corner – and he was 

not close enough. Fraser Forster might have done more to keep out Kane’s header. 

Fonte and the Southampton substitutes, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Dusan Tadic, had chances while 

Eriksen rattled the crossbar on 71 minutes. 

But when Son and Alli showed their clinical edge, it meant Southampton had conceded four goals at 

home in the Premier League for the first time since 1988. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/southamptontottenham-hotspur-premier-league-match-report 



Football 

Rising stars: 10 players to watch in 2017 

Gabriel Jesus, about to join Manchester City, and Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer, Ben Woodburn, 

are among the game’s best prospects 

From left to right: Alexander Isak of AIK, Juventus’s Moise Kean, Gabriel Jesus, who is leaving 

Palmeiras, and Liverpool’s Ben Woodburn Composite: Ombrello/Getty Images, NurPhoto/Getty 

Images, Reuters, Rex/Shutterstock 

Nick Ames and Nick Miller 


17.43 GMT 

Naby Keïta (RB Leipzig, 21) 

Keïta was relatively unheralded outside Austria when he left RB Salzburg – to all intents a sister club 

to Leipzig – in the summer after a two-year stay but he had already been named the country’s player of 

the year and cannot be a million miles from a similar honour in Germany. Four years ago he was 

playing for Horoya in his native Guinea, getting his breakthrough in Europe with the French secondtier 

club Istres; Europe’s biggest names have been interested for some time and it is not hard to see 

why. A dynamic, box-to-box central midfielder, he has drawn comparisons with N’Golo Kanté but 

distributes the ball with a range and accuracy that has evoked parallels with Deco. That is a potent 

enough mix without a keen eye for goal: Keïta was on the scoresheet a dozen times for Salzburg last 

season and there have been four more in the Bundesliga this season – including an opening-day 

winner against Borussia Dortmund and a cracker in the victory at Mainz. Keïta is fundamental to the 

high-intensity pressing game taught by Ralph Hasenhüttl and characterises the fresh, positive feel 

behind the entire Leipzig team; they must hope their achievements match up to their prize asset’s 

potential in the seasons to come. Nick Ames 

Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City, 19)

Gabriel Jesus: ‘I like a challenge. The biggest 

battles go to the biggest warriors’ 

Read more 

Jesus arrives a little late for Christmas but the suspicion is he will be worth the wait. Manchester 

City’s summer signing is eligible to play in England from January, having completed his spell at 

Palmeiras, and it is unlikely that he will be held back for too long. The 19-year-old forward has risen 

to every challenge so far and his early exploits at international level suggest he feels at home: after 

scoring three times in the Olympics he made a bigger splash when, making his debut for the senior 

Brazil side in September’s World Cup qualifier against Ecuador, he came up with another two goals. 

A superb chip against Venezuela followed a month later. I one thing characterises Jesus, it is the 

invention and variety of his finishing. He is a formidable athlete with talent honed playing barefoot on 

concrete pitches in São Paulo; he has the blend of skill and street smarts that bode well for a quick 

adaptation to the Premier League’s intensity and should beef up an attack that can look thin during 

Sergio Agüero’s absences. Jesus, who cost City £27m, was reportedly made available to other clubs 

who offered him a higher salary; Pep Guardiola was desperate to get there first and if he comes close 

to justifying the hype, should prove exceptional value for money. NA 

Alexander Isak (AIK, 17) 

Alexander Isak made his senior debut in April, aged 16. He is now 17 but it still seems as if he has 

been around for some time. Partly this is because the way of the football world, with its insatiable 

desire for gossip and the next big thing, is more keen than ever to hype any youngster who shows 

promise. But it is also because, according to just about everyone who has seen him, this kid is 

special. “He was considered a top prospect but it was impossible to predict this kind of success,” 

Bjorn Wesstrom, the sporting director of his current club, AIK, told ESPN in November. “He is a 

great talent. He has great potential and I absolutely believe he will go far,” said Chinedu Obasi, 

another forward at AIK. “Everyone who worked with Alexander Isak during adolescence has known 

that we will be sitting there one day and see him deciding a derby,” said Peter Wennberg, AIK’s 

assistant coach, after he scored against their Stockholm rivals, Djurgarden. What stands out is an 

ability to score many different types of goal, brilliant close control and a clearness in thinking. All of 

that suggests the hype might just be right – and it is no surprise Real Madrid are rumoured to be 

interested. Nick Miller 

Leonardo Da Silva Lopes (Peterborough United, 18) 

Transfer window January 2017: all the latest 

moves and news – interactive

Read more 

The Peterborough chairman, Darragh MacAnthony, is rarely backwards in coming forward and was 

frank as ever when asked about the potential of his club’s young midfielder. “All the way to a top-four 

club and then further to [a] European top club honestly,” MacAnthony said and, while it is early to 

make bold predictions about a player who turned 18 on 30 November, it is not hard to understand his 

thinking. Lopes, who was born in Lisbon but joined Peterborough’s academy at 14 after playing junior 

football in the area, looks a remarkable talent and this season has looked an old head on young 

shoulders for Grant McCann’s vibrant young League One side. Tottenham are among those linked and 

they would be getting someone who could one day be the complete package: Lopes is exceptional at 

winning the ball, tackling with a cleanness that reminds one of the art’s validity, and carries it upfield 

slickly, posing a threat further forward too. His sole goal this season, a fierce drive in an EFL Cup tie 

against Swansea after he had broken up an opposition attack, proved the point – and it will not be his 

last such contribution. NA 

Lewis Baker (Chelsea, on loan at Vitesse, 21) 

Chelsea fans might be forgiven for finding it difficult to remember who of their loan contingent is 

doing exactly what but the following prompt could help: Baker is the one producing dominant, 

decisive performances in Vitesse Arnhem’s midfield on a near-weekly basis and the one who, after a 

relatively slow start to his professional career, looks as if he may spare a certain former manager 

some opprobrium. “If Baker, [Izzy] Brown and [Dominic] Solanke are not national team players in a 

few years, I should blame myself,” José Mourinho said in 2014. Baker, the oldest of the three, has 

scored some spectacular goals in his second season with the Dutch club and believes he can go the 

same way as Nathaniel Chalobah, who had seemed in danger of becoming a serial loanee with no 

clear career path but has played a part in Chelsea’s first-team under Antonio Conte this season. 

Whether or not things go that well, a future somewhere in the Premier League seems certain. NA 

Moise Kean (Juventus), 16 

Mino Raiola: a fearless negotiator who got his 

revenge with Paul Pogba deal 

Read more 

Often, when a club have a prodigy in their ranks, they like to be cautious, to keep him back so as to 

not rush him. Sometimes, though, they are confident enough in that youngster’s abilities to throw him 

in at the deep end, which leads on to the Juventus forward Moise Kean. “For me it is normal to play 

with older players,” the 16-year-old Italian told Gazzetta dello Sport, as if he was shrugging off the 

idea of appearing alongside Gonzalo Higuaín, Paulo Dybala et al in the manner of a kid wandering 

down to the local shop. Born in February 2000, Kean became the first player born in this century to 

appear in Serie A and the Champions League, when he came off the bench against Pescara and Sevilla

this season. Juventus do not have a great record of bringing young players through but Kean could be 

different, a centre-forward who scored 24 in 25 games for their youth team last season. Perhaps Juve 

were just being pragmatic in giving him an early debut: his agent is Mino Raiola. NM 

Andre Dozzell ( Ipswich Town, 17) 

History repeated itself – to an extent at least – in April when Dozzell made his senior debut for 

Ipswich at Sheffield Wednesday and, aged 16 years and 350 days, promptly scored. His father, Jason, 

is still the youngest-ever goalscorer in England’s top flight after making a spectacular bow of his own 

in 1984 but the early evidence suggests Andre can go further than his father, whose career never quite 

bloomed after a big-money move to Tottenham. Dozzell is in some ways an old-fashioned playmaker, 

with an uncanny ability to make time on the ball and with a killer eye for a pass, and has a happy 

knack of scoring from free-kicks. He can cover ground in the way the modern game requires, though, 

and it seems only a matter of time before he is phased into Mick McCarthy’s Championship side more 

regularly. A first start of this season came in a 3-2 win on 17 December at Wigan; Dozzell, who has 

captained England’s Under-17s, has largely been insulated from a scrappy and frustrating campaign 

but his natural ability is making a persuasive case and perhaps Ipswich fans will have to enjoy him 

while they can. Liverpool have been strongly linked and there is a sense that were it not for Jason’s 

guiding hand and love for the Suffolk club, he might already have gone. NA 

Pablo Maffeo (Manchester City, on loan at Girona, 19) 

Manchester City have invested plenty in their academy over recent years, which is now starting to 

bear fruit, at what could be an opportune moment for Pep Guardiola. With Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary 

Sagna ageing and fading, the emergence of the exciting 19-year-old right-back Pablo Maffeo is most 

convenient. Maffeo made his first-team debut this season and was particularly impressive in City’s 

EFL Cup defeat by Manchester United, part of a substantially changed City side in which not many 

other players did much to recommend themselves. “He was amazing – fighting with Marcus Rashford 

and Paul Pogba, he won almost all of his duels,” said Guardiola of his fellow Spaniard, whose agent 

is the manager’s brother, Pere. Maffeo will spend the first six months of 2017 on loan at Girona in the 

Spanish second division and it will be interesting to see how he fares. NM 

Malang Sarr (Nice, 17) 

Nice’s ascent to the top of Ligue 1 has caught many by surprise and the fact they have done it with a 

17-year-old centre-back adds to the achievement. Not that Sarr is in any way a weak link; on the 

contrary, it would be hard to find another young defender in Europe who has performed with his 

consistency and he appears well on the way to mastering a position that usually privileges 

experience. Sarr was born in Nice and having joined the club aged five, has them and the city in his 

blood; that was further evident when, after scoring on his league debut against Rennes in August, he 

dedicated his goal to the victims of the terror attack in his home city a month previously. Evidence of 

his flexibility on the pitch is the fact that he has looked equally comfortable when Nice have switched 

to a three-man defence; such a quality, along with his speed and strength, will not have gone unnoticed

y others – Arsenal and Chelsea are among those said to be interested – and a player who was barely 

known outside his city a year ago looks sure to become a much bigger name. NA 

Ben Woodburn (Liverpool, 17) 

Ben Woodburn sets record as Liverpool break 

Leeds to reach EFL Cup last four 

Read more 

It is fairly standard practice for the smartest clubs to take good care of their brightest talents these 

days but it is notable that Liverpool employed a driver to take Ben Woodburn from his family home in 

Cheshire to training because it was the best way to make him feel comfortable. One can tell how 

highly rated the 17-year-old forward is from how cautious Jürgen Klopp was about hyping him up 

after he scored in the EFL Cup against Leeds at the end of last month. “I’m really happy for him but 

the problem is I’m also a little bit afraid,” Klopp said. “So, quiet please. Only write ‘goalscorer Ben 

Woodburn’. That’s quite a challenge!” Woodburn should have been with the under-16s last season but 

his ability is such that he spent most of his time with the under-18s, has played for the under-23s this 

season and, as his appearance against Leeds shows, he is on the fringes of the seniors. Now he is 

Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer, the question is when, rather than if, he will become a first-team 

regular. NM 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/rising-stars-10- 

players-watch-2017 



Everton 

Vibrac, JG Funding and Riverdance: the 

mystery of Everton’s ‘shadow investor’ 

An MP’s question in October detailed rumours of Sir Phillip Green’s involvement at Goodison, but is 

there any connection between the retail magnate and companies who have lent millions of pounds to 

Premier League clubs? 

New Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, left, purchased 49.9% of the club in March but 

Bill Kenwright remains on the board. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA 

After almost two hours being interrogated on everything from the details of Sam Allardyce’s contract 

to homophobia at October’s culture, media and sport select committee inquiry, question 90 was the 

curveball the Football Association chairman Greg Clarke certainly wasn’t expecting. 

Switching his attention to ownership of football clubs, Chris Matheson, the MP for Chester and an 

Everton season ticket holder, asked Clarke if he had ever heard of Vibrac Corporation. Between 2011 

and 2013 the company described by Bloomberg as a “closely held lender” based in the British Virgin 

Islands was allowed to make millions of pounds in loans to Everton, West Ham, Fulham, Reading and 

Southampton despite the mystery surrounding who actually owned the company. 

Everton’s Farhad Moshiri to visit two sites for 

proposed new stadium 

Read more 

Admitting he had not heard of Vibrac or BCR Sports – another company registered at the same 

address, Vanterpool Plaza, Wickhams Cay 1, Road Town, Tortola, as entities linked to José Mourinho 

and Cristiano Ronaldo, and owned by the former Everton director Robert Earl – Clarke could not 

confirm the estimation that 57% of English league clubs are owned or receive finance from offshore 

entities. But he did acknowledge “we need to make sure we know who they are, that they are people

of standing and do not have disproportionate influence over football clubs”. 

Matheson then attempted to find out whether rumours that have been swirling around the blue half of 

Merseyside for more than a decade were actually true. 

“I understand that Sir Philip Green had something of a role as a shadow director at Everton, including 

having [the accountancy firm] PWC conducting an audit of the club and summoning the chief exec and 

the team manager to BHS headquarters to discuss transfer budgets,” he said. “Now, if somebody has 

paid for some shares through somebody else and through an entity in the British Virgin Islands but is 

not declared as a director, would that be a problem?” 

Shuffling in his chair, Clarke acknowledged he was “no expert” on the Premier League and said he 

“would be happy to have that debate with them”. The man who was Football League chairman from 

2010 to 2016 having previously serving in the same role at Leicester City did not waste any time – 

last month, the Premier League confirmed that from the 2018–19 season that “any assignments of 

central funds can be made only to FCA registered lenders”, although, according to sources with 

knowledge of Vibrac and other similar companies, the process had been in the pipeline for much 

longer. 

The news may not have made many headlines ahead of another busy weekend of action on the pitch 

but it was the culmination of a long story that has been chronicled in minute detail by a disaffected 

group of Everton fans. 

Green’s alleged links to Everton stretch back to 1999, when Bill Kenwright successfully bought the 

club from Peter Johnson. According to an interview with the Observer in 2003, the multi-billionaire 

“wrote a £30m letter” for Kenwright to help secure funding from The Bank of Scotland because “I 

like him”. 

Last September, an article with the headline, “Who is the main player in the Everton show?” was 

published on the website Everton Viral. Written by an anonymous author, @watchedtoffee, it 

described the complicated process that saw Kenwright’s consortium, True Blue Holdings, purchase a 

majority shareholding that year thanks to a substantial loan from BCR Sports – a family investment set 

up by Earl, the founder of Planet Hollywood and a long-term friend and business associate of Green. 

According to the Telegraph, Kenwright was given advice from the owner of BHS and Arcadia “by 

telephone on an hourly basis” as they sought to see off a challenge from Paul Gregg – an entertainment 

impresario known for establishing Apollo Leisure Group who had formed the original consortium 

with Kenwright, his interest being the proposed stadium move to King’s Dock. 

The same 23% stake sold by Gregg to BCR Sports was part of the deal that brought the new majority 

owner Farhad Moshiri to the club in March. According to @watchedtoffee, that was the culmination 

of more than 15 years in which Green has exerted his influence over the club via a series of 

mysterious offshore companies. 

In 2008, the CEO Keith Wyness resigned from Everton on a matter of principal, reportedly citing Sir 

Philip Green’s control over the club.

“After Wyness submitted employment tribunal papers, it was reported in The Times that Sir Philip 

Green and Robert Earl raced across the Mediterranean in Green’s powerful yacht, Lionheart, to meet 

with Wyness and reach a mutually agreeable compensation package,” wrote @watchedtoffee. “This 

included the signing of a confidentiality agreement, one which has been adhered to by Wyness.” 

Despite Everton Viral’s attempts to link Green to the club, Everton have always strenuously denied he 

has any financial involvement at Goodison Park. “He’s not interested,” Kenwright told the Guardian 

in 2011. “He would say to me [adopts a mockney accent]: ‘Bill, Bill, Bill, if I put facking money into 

Everton Football Club you think Liverpool fans would buy from Topshop?’ He’s not interested. He’s 

a total genius when it comes to money, he’s like Mozart is to music. He’s an adviser.” 

However, the plot was about to thicken significantly. By the start of the 2011–12 season, Everton had 

debts of more than £40m and faced the prospect of having to sell some of their better players to 

balance the books. With banks unwilling to lend in the wake of the financial crash, Kenwright turned 

to Vibrac to arrange a deal worth £14m a year, although they were to take out more than £80m in 

loans over the next four years. Fulham also borrowed £16m, while Reading took out a £11.7m loan 

for which they were later fined £30,000 for contravening Football League rules. 

The £5.14bn deal for domestic television rights and more favourable relations with regulated lenders 

have reduced the Premier League clubs’ reliance on mysterious offshore funding in recent years. Yet 

Everton and West Ham – who took out a £27.8m loan with Vibrac in 2013 – borrowed an as yet 

unspecified amount from a company called JG Funding in August 2015. A few days earlier, in an 

article for The Sun, the club’s vice-chairman Karren Brady had defended Kenwright, who she met at 

a dinner party at the home of the former prime minister Gordon Brown, against criticism from Everton 

fans. Brady is also listed as a director of Taveta Investments, ranked as the second-largest operator in 

the UK clothing retail market, and registered in Monaco under the name of Green’s wife, Tina. 

As well as Green, two other names are consistently linked to the complicated web of companies. The 

first – Graham Shear, a lawyer at the London-based Berwin Leighton Paisner who was involved in 

Carlos Tevez’s move to Manchester United from West Ham in 2007 and was also briefly a vicepresident 

of the mysterious Uruguayan Second Division club Deportivo Maldonado – acted for 

Vibrac, JG Funding and a number of Isle of Man investment vehicles. When contacted by the 

Guardian, he denied previously representing Green but welcomed the introduction of the new Premier 

League regulations. 

The other is Simon Groom, a British lawyer based in Monaco who represented offshore companies 

registered in Panama, Geneva, Monaco, British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Man. He previously was 

a director of a company called Balzane Services SA, which was used by Vibrac as a vehicle to 

transfer “movable assets” through Switzerland between 2011 and 2014 before making loans to 

football clubs. Balzane was also the intermediary in the buyout of substantial blocks of shares in the 

pub company Mitchells & Butlers in 2009, which involved the racehorse magnates Michael Tabor, 

Derrick Smith, JP McManus and John Magnier, as well as the Tottenham owner Joe Lewis. 

Groom also signed off loans from two entities based in the Isle of Man to Rights and Media Funds 

Limited on the same days as the loans with West Ham (10 August 2015) and Everton (14 August 

2015) were charged. Kirkton Investments and Carroch Holdings both give the same London address

as Shear’s law firm, Berwin Leighton Paisner, while documents show that they and JG Funding listed 

the same permitted third party security: another entity registered in the British Virgin Islands called 

Mousehole Limited. 

That has previously funded Atlético Madrid, Espanyol, Getafe and Valencia, among others, and is 

also registered at Vanterpool Plaza, as is Powsfield Limited, a company dissolved in 2009 that held 

95% of the shares of Selkan Limited – owned by Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett – which 

appointed Simon Groom as company secretary on 26 July 2005. Selkan were involved in the 

purchasing of players’ economic rights, including the former Brazil striker Luís Fabiano, and 

receiving a percentage of the transfer fee when the players were sold. 

At Everton’s AGM in November 2015, the CEO Robert Elstone castigated shareholders who asked 

questions about Green’s potential involvement before revealing that the club’s net debt had increased 

from £28.1m in 2013–14 to £31.3m in 2014–15, despite announcing a record turnover and bumper 

new TV deal.“We have three sources of lending,” he said. “We have a long-term loan with the 

Prudential that expires in 2026, an overdraft with Barclays that is not enough to manage the day-today 

cash flow of the football club and, to address that, we borrow from JG Funding (a private 

company) against the TV money. It is all fully disclosed in our accounts, is approved by the Premier 

League and paid back at the end of the year.” 

Less than six months after the loan with JG Funding was taken out, Moshiri paid £87.5m for his 

49.9% share, valuing the club at £175m. The publication of Everton’s 2015-16 accounts last week 

revealed the Iranian businessman has also provided an interest-free loan of £80m “with no agreed 

repayment date. This funding has been used post year-end to reduce the club’s long-term debt by 

repaying the entire other loans balance of £54.8m at 31 May 2016.” 

Despite that, Everton’s accounts show that another loan was taken out on 26 August 2016. This time, 

it was registered to a company called Rights and Media Funding Limited, which had changed its name 

from JG Funding at the end of 2015, and, just as before, the company’s only listed director was 

Jonathan McMorrow. Born in Sligo, Ireland, he is now a registered accountant married to Claire 

Usher, who he met while dancing in Riverdance on Broadway. According to McMorrow’s Linkedin 

page, he joined the James Grant Group – a management agency described as a “one-stop talent shop” 

that once listed the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy as its chairman – in 2008 before becoming 

director of its subsidiary JG Funding. 

The only other name on the charge documents is Fiona McPadden, who is also listed as an accountant 

and has signed off the loan on behalf of JG Funding. After digging a little deeper, @watchedtoffee 

discovered she is the sister of McMorrow and works at a BMW dealership in Sligo, having married a 

local builder, Vincent McPadden. 

“A multi-million pound loan has been taken out by Everton Football Club and has been signed off by 

an ex-Riverdance dancer and his sister, who is an office worker at a BMW dealership in Sligo,” he 

wrote. “Unbelievable isn’t it?” 

The Premier League has insisted it is aware of the identity of the investor behind Vibrac and its 

associated companies. But as the riches associated with modern football continue to increase, it

appears the murky world of offshore funding in the game is still alive and well. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/29/vibrac-jg-fundingriverdance-everton-shadow-investor-mystery 



tables 



P Team GP W D L F A GD Pts Form 

Won against Man City Won against West Brom Won 

against Sunderland Won against C Palace Won against 

AFC Bournemouth 

Lost to AFC Bournemouth Drew with West Ham Won 

against Middlesbrough Won against Everton Won 

against Stoke 

Lost to Chelsea Lost to Leicester Won against Watford 

Won against Arsenal Won against Hull 

Won against West Ham Won against Stoke Lost to 

Everton Lost to Man City Won against West Brom 

Won against Swansea Lost to Man Utd Won against 

Hull Won against Burnley Won against Southampton 

Drew with Everton Won against Spurs Won against C 

Palace Won against West Brom Won against 

Sunderland 

Drew with Man Utd Lost to Watford Won against 

Arsenal Lost to Liverpool Won against Leicester 

Lost to C Palace Won against Middlesbrough Drew 

with Stoke Won against AFC Bournemouth Lost to 

Spurs 

Won against Watford Lost to Chelsea Won against 

Swansea Lost to Man Utd Lost to Arsenal 

Lost to West Brom Won against Everton Lost to Man 

City Lost to Sunderland Drew with C Palace 

Lost to Arsenal Drew with Liverpool Won against 

Burnley Won against Hull Won against Swansea 

Won against Liverpool Lost to Burnley Won against 

18 6 3 9 23 31 -8 21 

Leicester Lost to Southampton Lost to Chelsea 

Won against Burnley Lost to Arsenal Drew with 

Southampton Drew with Leicester Lost to Liverpool 

Lost to Stoke Won against AFC Bournemouth Lost to 

West Ham Lost to Spurs Won against Middlesbrough 

1 Chelsea 18 15 1 2 38 11 27 46 

2 Liverpool 18 12 4 2 45 21 24 40 

3 Man City 18 12 3 3 39 20 19 39 

4 Arsenal 18 11 4 3 39 19 20 37 

5 Spurs 18 10 6 2 33 13 20 36 

6 Man Utd 18 9 6 3 27 18 9 33 

7 Everton 18 7 5 6 23 21 2 26 

8 Southampton 18 6 6 6 18 20 -2 24 

9 West Brom 18 6 5 7 23 22 1 23 

10 Watford 18 6 4 8 22 30 -8 22 

11 West Ham 18 6 4 8 23 32 -9 22 

12 AFC 

Bournemouth 

13 Stoke 18 5 6 7 20 28 -8 21 

14 Burnley 18 6 2 10 17 28 -11 20

15 Middlesbrough 18 4 6 8 16 20 -4 18 Won against Hull Lost to Southampton Lost to 

Liverpool Won against Swansea Lost to Burnley 

16 Leicester 18 4 5 9 23 31 -8 

Lost to Sunderland Won against Man City Lost to AFC 

17 

Bournemouth Drew with Stoke Lost to Everton 

17 C Palace 18 4 4 10 29 33 -4 

Won against Southampton Drew with Hull Lost to Man 

16 

Utd Lost to Chelsea Drew with Watford 

18 Sunderland 

Won against Leicester Lost to Swansea Lost to Chelsea 

18 4 2 12 16 31 -15 14 

Won against Watford Lost to Man Utd 

19 Swansea 

Lost to Spurs Won against Sunderland Lost to West 

18 3 3 12 21 41 -20 12 

Brom Lost to Middlesbrough Lost to West Ham 

20 Hull 

Lost to Middlesbrough Drew with C Palace Lost to 

18 3 3 12 14 39 -25 12 

Spurs Lost to West Ham Lost to Man City 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/premierleague/table 



Chinese Super League 

Carlos Tevez signs for Shanghai Shenhua in 

deal worth £615,000 a week 

• Shanghai Shenhua confirm latest high-profile arrival in Chinese Super League 

• Tevez, 32, signs two-year deal for reported fee of £71.6m 

Carlos Tevez is to leave Boca Juniors and head to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua. 

Photograph: Natacha Pisarenko/AP 

Reuters 


Carlos Tevez is the latest high-profile international player to join the Chinese Super League with 

Shanghai Shenhua confirming the signing of the Argentinian striker from his boyhood club Boca 

Juniors on Thursday. 

“Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC reached a transfer agreement with Argentina Club Atletico Boca 

Juniors. Carlos Alberto Tevez is officially joined Shanghai Shenhua,” the club said in a statement on 

their website. 

Although no financial details of the deal were released, reports have suggested that the Chinese club 

paid 84 million euros (£71.6m) for Tevez, who returned to Argentina last year after spells in England 

and Italy. 

Oscar will get to count Chinese cash but he will 

pay a heavy price | Daniel Taylor 

Read more

That hefty price tag would make Tevez the world’s sixth most expensive player, behind Paul Pogba, 

Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín and Neymar. 

Tevez is also in line to become the sport’s highest paid player with the striker reportedly earning 

around £615,000 per week on a two-year contract with Shanghai Shenhua. 

The 32-year-old is the second big-money arrival in China’s biggest city in less than a week after the 

Brazilian midfielder Oscar joined local rivals Shanghai SIPG from Chelsea in a deal believed to be 

worth £52m. 

Graziano Pellè, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Jackson Martínez are all recent arrivals in China, while the 

Shanghai SIPG manager André Villas-Boas is also on a lucrative contract after replacing Sven 

Goran-Eriksson. 

Tevez, who played for West Ham United, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus during a 

decade in Europe after leaving Boca for Brazil’s Corinthians in 2005, ended his second spell with the 

Argentinian club on a high. 

Having helped the club win the league title last year, Tevez starred in a 4-2 win over arch-rivals 

River Plate in the ‘superclasíco’ earlier this month, a victory that lifted Boca into first place in the 

championship. 

Tevez will team up with other high-profile internationals at the club, including the Senegalese striker 

Demba Ba, the Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins and Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarín. 

Despite a highly-successful club career, Tevez has failed to light up the international stage, having 

scored 13 goals in 76 appearances for Argentina. He did, however, play a pivotal role in the country 

winning gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. 

Boca Juniors offered Tevez their best wishes in a statement announcing his departure, which included 

the message: “Good luck Carlitos. You will always be in our hearts.” 

Shanghai Shenhua, who appointed Gus Poyet as manager last month, finished fourth in the 2016 

Chinese Super League, which ran from March to the end of October, 16 points behind champions 

Guangzhou Evergrande. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/29/carlos-tevezshanghai-shenhua-chinese-super-league 



Estudiantes 

Juan Sebastián Verón to return for Estudiantes 

and donate pay to club 

• The 41-year-old Argentinian announced his retirement in 2014 

• Club chairman Verón signs an 18-month playing contract 

Juan Sebastián Verón has returned to the club where he began his career in 1994. Photograph: Gabriel 

Rossi/STF/LatinContent/Getty Images 

Lawrence Ostlere 


17.15 GMT 

Estudiantes have confirmed Juan Sebastián Verón’s return to football two years after he announced his 

retirement. The 41-year-old has signed an 18-month contract to play for his hometown club on a 

minimal wage which will be given back to Estudiantes. 

Verón, who began his career at Estudiantes in 1994, is currently the Argentinian club’s chairman and 

promised he would play again if supporters bought 65% of viewing boxes at their stadium. 

Juan Sebastián Verón leads Estudiantes to 

Copa Libertadores triumph 

Read more 

The former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder will be eligible for the team’s Primera 

División campaign in which they have recently dropped from top of the table to fourth following a run 

of disappointing results, and he will also be available to play in the 2017 Copa Libertadores.

Verón has been training in recent weeks in preparation and may feature in the upcoming Florida Cup, 

when Estudiantes’ meet Bayer Leverkusen in the first game of the friendly tournament on 8 January. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/juan-sebastian-veronestudiantes 



Cricket 

Steve Smith shines as Australia and Pakistan 

head towards soggy draw 

Australia 465-6 in replay to Pakistan’s 443-9 after day four at the MCG 

Steve Smith hundred lights up Melbourne before the rain comes again 

Australian captain Steve Smith salutes what remained of the MCG crowd after reaching his century 

on day four of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in Melbourne. Photograph: Julian Smith/AAP 

Not for the first time in a Test career now well set in a period of sustained brilliance, Australian 

captain Steve Smith’s timing was impeccable on day four of the Melbourne Test. No sooner had the 

Australian captain driven through cover to bring up his 17th Test century than umpires Ravi and 

Gould stopped play for a monsoonal downpour, which struck at 2.50pm at the MCG and did not clear. 

For the rest of the day’s play the sun fried but never entirely frazzled the Pakistan attack, among whom 

only Mohammad Amir went without some kind of reward in between being clobbered to all parts by 

Smith, Peter Handscomb and, ever so briefly, their much-maligned team-mate Nic Maddinson. 

The latter pair provided an interesting study in contrasts. Both came into this side two games ago as 

greenhorns on equal footing, but now look like members of entirely different species. Maddinson’s 22 

was by a factor of four his highest Test score so far but again ended with an error of judgement and 

technique when he charged leg-spinner Yasir Shah and missed, making the type of delivery his 

colleagues had hammered look like Shane Warne’s Gatting ball. 

Pay dispute continues as ACA digs in heels 

over revenue sharing 

Read more

Handscomb, meanwhile, is playing with the freedom and confidence that comes from a series of 

impressive early scores. When he departed for a muscular 54 by middling a square drive straight to 

the man at point off the otherwise innocuous Sohail, you could have heard a pin drop around the 

Melbourne cricket ground. 

Where Maddinson’s premature demise on a dream batting wicket confirmed our pre-existing bias, 

Handscomb’s just seemed aberrant, which is also the most charitable way of describing Usman 

Khawaja’s failure to add more than two runs to his overnight tally of 95 before a windy waft at 

Wahab Riaz sent a thick edge behind to Sarfraz. The Australian No3 hung his head like a man 

convicted and will wait at least another week for his sixth Test century. 

On the contrary, Smith was never going to squander a chance to bolster his numbers in what amounted 

to high level centre wicket practice. He contributed only 35 of a 92-run stand with Handscomb and 

never showed an overriding desire to dominate the bowling, knowing full well how his own attack 

had tired in this unusual and sustained four-day spell of humidity in Melbourne. 

Pakistan’s first innings hero Azhar Ali left the field after a sickening blow to the head while fielding 

at short leg. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images 

As well as a mastery of his own game, Smith is gradually adding to his repertoire a keen 

understanding of what is happening to his partner at the other end. Having allowed Handscomb far 

more of the strike in their union, the Australian captain took the load off his replacement Maddinson, 

squirrelling away 37 of their combined 59. Smith also picked his targets in the opposition attack, 

deferentially blunting Yasir and Amir before attacking their relievers Sohail and Wahab; every one of 

his nine boundaries came from the latter pair. 

Wahab was the other player to post a century today, though not the kind you write home about. His 

100 front-foot no balls in the 16 Tests since his recall to this side bely the 31-year-old’s almost 400 

games of experience in professional ranks. It’s a good thing he pursued cricket and not javelin. 

Yasir was again an unconventional delight, abandoning the packed leg-side field of day three and 

throwing caution to the wind. His unflappability in the face of harsh treatment has served him well 

here; 2-150 from 34 overs would cause soul-searching in lesser competitors. One in every five 

deliveries he bowled to David Warner on day three landed on or over the boundary rope, but today he 

tied up Smith, Maddinson and Matthew Wade, the latter of whom has 19 runs from four innings since 

his return to bolster Australia’s batting. 

The deciding Test in Sydney is looming large and a number of players in each side are likely to move

on from this this one with question marks next to their names rather than impressive numbers. 

Departing with both due to the most unfortunate moment of the day is Pakistan’s batting star and 

unlucky short leg Azhar Ali, who was struck flush on the helmet by a Matthew Wade pull. He left the 

field by his own steam but will be tested for concussion. 

The now inevitable draw in Melbourne dovetails with the first Test played between these nations, 

also at the MCG, back in 1964. Then Australia granted their visitors only a single Test and a four-day 

one at that, suffering a dose of poetic justice by reaching only 88-2 in pursuit of 166 in the dying 

stages. As was the case then, the frustrations of this encounter are evenly shared. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/29/steve-smith-shines-asaustralia-and-pakistan-head-towards-soggy-draw 



Cricket 

Mark Nicholas takes leave from Channel Nine 

after being taken to hospital twice 

Cricket presenter left the Boxing Day Test in an ambulance for the second time on Wednesday 

Mark Nicholas, right, with fellow commentator Waqar Younis during the third day of the Australia v 

Pakistan Test at the MCG. Photograph: Ratnayake/REX/Shutterstock 

Cricket presenter Mark Nicholas will take leave from Channel Nine after being taken to hospital 

twice in three days. 

Nicholas was taken by ambulance to hospital again on Wednesday, following a recurrence of 

abdominal pains he experienced on the first day of the Boxing Day Test. 

Australia v Pakistan: second Test, day four – 

live! 

Read more 

Nicholas was working on Channel Nine’s coverage of the Australia v Pakistan Test at the Melbourne 

cricket ground on both days, but was not on air at the time. 

Channel Nine issued a short statement on Thursday morning, confirming Nicholas would take leave to 

focus on his health. 

“Mark is taking leave to resolve his health issues,” a spokeswoman said. “He wants to thank 

everyone again for their kind wishes and continued support.” 

The former England A captain was stretchered out of Channel Nine’s broadcasting facilities after

lunch on Monday, and rushed to hospital. He was discharged from hospital later that night, and was 

said to be in good spirits. 

He wanted to return to work on Tuesday, but Channel Nine told him to take a day of rest. 

Nicholas returned to Channel Nine’s coverage on Wednesday, the third day of the test, but became ill 

again during the final session. He was taken by ambulance to Epworth hospital, again suffering 

abdominal pains. 

The third and final Test of the series begins in Sydney next week. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/29/mark-nicholas-takesleave-from-channel-nine-after-being-hospitalised-again 



Liverpool 

Liverpool consider January move for Arsenal’s 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 

• Jürgen Klopp interested in 23-year-old forward to bolster title challenge 

• League positions and animosity from 2013 Suárez saga could hamper move 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored six goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season but has 

become frustrated at being unable to pin down a regular starting spot. Photograph: Clive 

Brunskill/Getty Images 

Liverpool are monitoring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s potential availability at Arsenal as Jürgen 

Klopp considers ways to assemble a squad with extra depth and durability to sustain a challenge for 

the Premier League title. 

Liverpool v Manchester City: a game that 

threatens to live up to the hype | Sachin 

Nakrani 

Read more 

Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of the players Liverpool have identified but there is also an awareness at 

Anfield that turning that interest into something concrete will not be straightforward bearing in mind 

the various politics between the two clubs and the current state of the Premier League table. 

Arsenal are fourth, nine points off Chelsea at the top and three behind second-placed Liverpool, and 

would have obvious reservations about allowing any of their players to join a direct title rival in the 

January transfer window. 

To complicate matters further, the relationship between Liverpool and Arsenal was undoubtedly

harmed during the 2013 transfer saga involving Luis Suárez and the infamous attempt by the London 

club to trigger a buyout clause that turned out not to exist. Liverpool were incensed that Arsenal bid 

£40m plus £1 for the Uruguayan and, three and a half years on, the damage to the clubs’ relations is 

still to be fully repaired. 

The interest from Liverpool, however, is genuine and there is hope at Anfield that Oxlade- 

Chamberlain might be tempted by the vibrant side Klopp is building at a time when the player’s 

valuation is starting to recede because he is within 18 months of his contract expiring. 

Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored six times in all competitions this season but has become frustrated by 

his inability to pin down a regular position in Arsène Wenger’s team, starting only eight Premier 

League matches and lasting the full 90 minutes on only one occasion, when West Ham were beaten 5- 

1 in early December. 

At 23, however, he is still young in football terms and a player who joined Arsenal from Southampton 

for £12m in 2011, shortly before his 18th birthday, would still be a relatively expensive acquisition, 

with a valuation in today’s market in the region of £20m-£25m. 

Arsenal were open to the idea of selling him in the summer but Wenger stated recently that he wanted 

the player to sign a new contract and remain at the club for what should be the best years of his 

career. Arsenal, however, have not shown any great desire to instigate talks even though a number of 

clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester City and Southampton have persistently been linked with 

a player who has 24 England caps. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/liverpool-considerjanuary-move-arsenal-alex-oxlade-chamberlain 



Tennis 

Ana Ivanovic announces retirement from 

tennis at age of 29 

• Ivanovic won French Open in 2008 and was world No1 for nine weeks 

• Current world No63 admitted to being ‘hampered by injuries’ in recent years 

Ana Ivanovic has announced her retirement from tennis. During her career the 29-year-old Serb 

became world No1 and won the French Open. Photograph: James Marsh/BPI/Rex Shutterstock 

Reuters 


21.35 GMT 

Ana Ivanovic, the former world No1 and 2008 French Open champion, has retired from tennis at the 

age of 29, the Serb confirmed on Wednesday. 

“There is no other way to say this. I have decided to retire from professional tennis. It was a difficult 

decision but there is so much to celebrate,” Ivanovic said on her Facebook page. “Don’t be sad, be 

optimistic alongside me. My love and my greatest thank you to all of you.” 

Roger Federer ready for ‘unique’ new year 

after six-month injury layoff 

Read more 

Ivanovic announced her retirement from tennis in a video, saying she no longer feels fit enough to 

compete at the highest level. 

“I played so many memorable matches. But staying at those heights in any professional sport requires

top physical form and it’s well-known that I have been hampered by injuries,” Ivanovic said. 

“I can only play if I perform up to my own high standards. I can no longer do that, so it’s time to move 

on.” 

Ivanovic became the first Serbian woman to win a grand slam tournament when she beat Russia’s 

Dinara Safina in the 2008 French Open final, following in the footsteps of her compatriot Novak 

Djokovic, who clinched the Australian Open title the same year. 

The Australian Open Series: Federer, Nadal 

and local hopefuls tune up for 2017 

Read more 

“I began dreaming about tennis when I was five,” Ivanovic said in the video. “My dear parents 

backed me all the way and by the time I was the world No1 and won Roland Garros in 2008, I have 

seen the heights I never dreamt of achieving,” she added. 

Her French Open victory catapulted Ivanovic to the summit of the WTA world rankings but she 

occupied top spot for a only nine weeks and dropped to 22nd at the end of 2009 after a dramatic loss 

of form. 

Ivanovic returned to the top five in 2014, reaching the French Open semi-finals in 2015 to spark 

hopes of a revival, but slipped to 63rd this year after losing to the Czech player Denisa Allertova in 

the US Open first round, her final match on the WTA tour. 

Sport in 2016: a dichotomy of soaring highs 

and desperate lows | Richard Williams 

Read more 

“I am so excited about what comes next. I will become an ambassador of sport and healthy life and 

will also explore opportunities in business, beauty and fashion, among other endeavours,” Ivanovic 

added. 

“Beyond that, who knows. All I can say is that I have lived my dreams and really hope to have helped 

others do so as well.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/28/ana-ivanovic-announcesretirement-from-tennis



Russia doping scandal 

Russian official admits to ‘institutional 

conspiracy’ of doping Olympic athletes 

New York Times details operation behind state-backed campaign 

Russian doping agency says official’s comments were distorted 

Twenty-eight Russian athletes who competed at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 are being 

investigated for the alleged ‘manipulation’ of their drug tests. Photograph: David Davies/PA 

A Russian official has admitted for the first time the existence of a doping campaign that involved 

hundreds of the country’s athletes. 

“It was an institutional conspiracy,” Anna Antseliovich, the acting director of Russia’s national antidoping 

agency Rusada, told the New York Times on Tuesday. The government’s top officials were not 

involved, however, Antseliovich said. 

Second McLaren report: five questions on the 

Russian doping scandal 

Read more 

Rusada said on Wednesday that Antseliovich’s comments had been distorted and taken out of context. 

A statement given to the Tass news agency said the impression had wrongly been given that its 

leadership recognised there had been an “institutional conspiracy”. 

The Kremlin said it would check the veracity of the NYT report to make sure Antseliovich had been 

accurately quoted. “We are not inclined to consider this information as first hand,” said its spokesman 

Dmitry Peskov. “The accuracy of these words first needs to be checked.”

The report details how the director of one laboratory tampered with urine samples at the Olympics 

and provided performance-enhancing drugs to athletes. The operation was assisted by the Federal 

Security Service and a deputy sports minister. 

Russia has long denied such an operation existed. But a report commissioned by the World Anti- 

Doping Agency (Wada) asserted this month that more than 1,000 Russians athletes across more than 

30 sports – were involved in or benefited from state-sponsored doping between 2011 and 2015. The 

report, authored by a Canadian law professor, Richard McLaren, said the London 2012 Olympics 

were “corrupted on an unprecedented scale” due to Russian doping. 

After the McLaren report’s publication, the International Olympic Committee said it had opened 

disciplinary proceedings against 28 Russian athletes who competed at the 2014 Games in Sochi. An 

IOC statement read: “At this point in time, these 28 new cases are not AAFs [adverse analytical 

findings], like a positive doping test. However, the manipulation of the samples themselves could 

lead to an anti-doping rule violation and sanctions.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/27/russian-officials-admitathletes-doping-olympics 



Sport - News 

Football Coleman tops Swansea shortlist to replace Bradley [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Shotgun offense Eagles quarterback Wentz buys firearms for team-mates [Thu, 


Darts Anderson seals place in PDC world championship quarter-finals [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

Football Manchester United shun Lindelof after defence improves [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

From MVP to also-ran: what happened to Newton’s season? [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Horse racing Kennedy and Outlander ease O’Leary’s anguish after Mullins 

split [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

News Gascoigne ‘taken to hospital after drunken brawl’ [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

NBA Security step in as tempers flare in Rockets v Mavericks game [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 



Swansea City 

Chris Coleman tops Swansea managerial 

shortlist to replace Bob Bradley 

• Wales manager is frontrunner to replace American sacked after 11 games 

• Ryan Giggs and former Birmingham manager Gary Rowett also in frame 

Chris Coleman, who led Wales to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, is the frontrunner for the manager’s job 

at Swansea City. Photograph: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters 

Chris Coleman is fast emerging as the leading contender to take over at Swansea City as the club’s 

board seek to whittle down their shortlist and step up their pursuit of the club’s third manager of the 

season. Ryan Giggs and Gary Rowett are among the names also under consideration, with Swansea 

keen to weigh up all available options, but Coleman ticks a number of boxes and could soon find 

himself at the centre of a club versus country tug-of-war for his services. 

Bob Bradley could not escape the stigma 

against a US coach in British football 

Read more 

Swansea want to make an appointment swiftly. They have placed Alan Curtis, the first-team coach, 

and Paul Williams, the assistant manager, in charge of the team for Bournemouth’s visit on Saturday 

but hope to name Bob Bradley’s replacement in time for Tuesday’s game at Crystal Palace. At this 

stage Coleman, the Wales manager, is the clear frontrunner. 

Coleman has managed in the Premier League before, Swansea is his hometown club, which means the 

46-year-old would be a popular choice with the supporters, and his reputation in the game is high on 

the back of leading Wales to the European Championship semi-finals in the summer. 

The situation with Coleman, however, is far from straightforward. The Football Association of Wales

efused to grant Coleman permission to speak to Hull City in the summer and would not want to lose 

their manager halfway through their qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup. 

Although Coleman stressed in September that he had unfinished business with Wales and was 

motivated by the prospect of trying to take his country to the 2018 finals in Russia – his contract 

expires at the end of the qualification campaign – he also admitted managing in the Premier League 

once more. 

Coleman did not feel strongly enough about pursuing Hull’s interest to rock the boat with the FAW, yet 

it is unclear whether he would take the same view if Swansea came calling and put together a 

financial package that would be well beyond what the governing body could offer. 

Giggs, Coleman’s former Wales team-mate, is also under consideration. Huw Jenkins, the Swansea 

chairman, is a strong admirer of the former Manchester United player, who missed out on the 

Swansea job when Bradley was appointed. Yet Stephen Kaplan and Jason Levien, the Welsh club’s 

majority shareholders, may need persuading about the merits of turning to a man with no managerial 

experience. It is also unclear how Giggs would feel about taking a position he recently missed out on, 

one that represents a bigger challenge now than when he was interviewed in October. 

Rowett, who was sacked by Birmingham a fortnight ago with the side seventh in the Championship, 

fits the old Swansea prototype of a young, ambitious manager seen as having a promising future, but 

he has no Premier League experience and it would be a leap of faith to ask him to turn round the 

fortunes of a club that sits second from bottom in the Premier League table, four points and 16 goals 

short of safety. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/chris-coleman-ryangiggs-swansea-city-manager-bob-bradley 



Philadelphia Eagles 

Carson Wentz buys shotguns for Philadelphia 

Eagles offensive line 

Quarterback buys customized firearms estimated to retail at $2,000 

Rookie is a keen hunter and outdoorsman 

Carson Wentz (left) talks to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco after a game earlier this month. 

Photograph: Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports 

Guardian sport 

Wednesday 28 December 2016 20.59 GMT 

You wouldn’t think a bunch of 300lbs men whose primary job is to be very, very strong would need 

much protection but Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz decided his offensive line do with 

a little extra help anyway, buying them each a customized shotgun for Christmas. 

From MVP to also-ran: what happened to Cam 

Newton’s season? 

Read more 

Wentz is a keen outdoorsman, and recently went hunting with the baseball star Mike Trout in New 

Jersey. It’s a passion Wentz shares with Eagles guard Allen Barbre, who was delighted with his gift, 

which bears his jersey number and name. “This is an awesome gun. I’m excited about it,” Barbre told 

ESPN. “I don’t know if I’ll shoot it though, it’s pretty nice.” 

Barbre said he believes the shotgun is a Baretta Silver Pigeon, which retails at around $2,000. That 

shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for Wentz, whose rookie contract with the Eagles included a $17m

signing bonus. 

Fellow rookie Isaac Seumalo was a bit more bemused by his gift. “I haven’t really held a gun or 

anything before,” said the guard. “But I’m more than thankful for it. It looks sweet. Carson said he’d 

teach me how to use it and all that good stuff.” 

Wentz has had a promising, if mixed start, to his Eagles career. After throwing five touchdowns and 

no interceptions in his first three games, he goes into the final weekend of the regular season with as 

many picks as touchdown passes – 14. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/28/carson-wentz-shotgunsphiladelphia-eagles-offensive-line 



PDC World Championships 

Gary Anderson seals place in last eight of PDC 

World Darts Championship 

• Defending champion defeats Benito van de Pas 4-2 at Alexandra Palace 

• Raymond van Barneveld knocks out Adrian Lewis in 4-3 thriller 

Gary Anderson in action during the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. 

Photograph: ProSports/REX/Shutterstock 



The defending champion, Gary Anderson, booked his place in the quarter-finals of the PDC World 

Darts Championship with a 4-2 win over Benito van de Pas at Alexandra Palace. 

Anderson, the second seed, held off a spirited display from the 23-year-old Dutchman to open up a 3- 

0 lead without missing a double and producing nine maximums. After the Scot had missed a dart at 

double top to win 4-0, Van de Pas rallied to reduce the deficit to 3-2. 

However, Anderson – aiming to win the Sid Waddell Trophy for the third time in a row – made sure 

of a place in the last eight as he closed out victory with a match average of 107.8, the highest of the 

tournament so far. 

In the late match Raymond van Barneveld knocked out Adrian Lewis, runner-up in the last final, with 

a thrilling 4-3 win. 

The fifth seed, Lewis, who won the PDC world title in 2011 and 2012, took the opening set before 

Van Barneveld, the 2007 champion, levelled with a 70 checkout. 

Van Barneveld, a four-times winner of the BDO world crown and beaten by ‘Jackpot’ Lewis in last 

year’s PDC semi-final, moved ahead at 2-1. However, Lewis made the most of the Dutchman’s 

failure to finish off the fourth set and squared the match once more.

Lewis maintained his momentum with a 106 checkout to take the fifth set for a 3-2 lead, only for Van 

Barneveld to find his range on the doubles again and force a decider. It was the Dutchman who then 

held his nerve to produce a 52 checkout with the final dart at double 16, which secured the set 3-1 

and a place in the last eight against either Phil Taylor, the 14-times PDC champion, or the Belgian 

Kim Huybrechts on Friday. 

Earlier Peter Wright, James Wade, Jelle Klaasen and Huybrechts all recorded comfortable secondround 

victories. The No3 seed, Wright, defeated the Welshman Jamie Lewis 4-0, in which he dropped 

only one leg en route to the last 16, while Wade saw off the veteran Steve Beaton, the 1996 BDO 

world champion, 4-1. 

The Dutchman Klaasen, who won the 2006 BDO world title as a 21-year-old outsider, beat Brendan 

Dolan of Northern Ireland 4-0 during which he twice came close to a nine-dart finish. 

Huybrechts also produced a convincing display as he defeated the German Max Hopp in another 

straight-sets win. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/29/gary-anderson-lasteight-pdc-world-darts-championship 



Manchester United 

Manchester United shun Benfica’s Victor 

Lindelof after defence improves 

• Talks over Sweden defender were in progress for several weeks 

• United have conceded only two goals in a winning run of five games 

Benfica’s Sweden defender Victor Lindelof has a £38m release clause in his contract. Photograph: 

McManus/BPI/REX/Shutterstock 

Manchester United have opted against making a move for the Benfica defender Victor Lindelof after 

José Mourinho decided he is satisfied with his defensive options despite the prospect of losing Eric 

Bailly for up to six weeks due to the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Negotiations with the Portuguese champions over the Sweden international Lindelof have been 

continuing for several weeks and reports in Portugal said a deal worth more than £30m was close to 

being agreed. United were keen to purchase the 22-year-old to add depth to Mourinho’s squad 

although they were reluctant to meet his €45m (£38m) release clause. 

Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan 

takes breath away with sublime moment 

Read more 

But Mourinho’s side have now won five games in a row – while conceding only two goals – and the 

Portuguese has decided to stick with the central defenders he already has at his disposal. Phil Jones 

and Marcos Rojo have struck up a solid partnership in central defence and Mourinho can also count 

on Bailly, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind in that position when they are fit. 

Smalling is currently out injured while Bailly has just returned to training from the knock picked up at 

Crystal Palace on 14 December.

Bailly was on Wednesday included in the Ivory Coast squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, 

which starts on 14 January. 

Mourinho recently hailed the form of Jones, who has now played 10 consecutive games for United 

without getting injured, his second-longest stretch since joining the club in 2011. 

“Sometimes defenders now think the most important ability is to build from the back,” the Portuguese 

manager said. “It’s not. The most important thing is to defend and that’s what I like about Phil Jones. 

He likes to defend, he wants to play as a defender.” 

Ten January window transfer targets – from 

Lindelof to Upamecano 

Read more 

Mourinho went on to say Jones could be ready to make a return to the England set-up in the near 

future. “I prefer to say that Jones is doing much better this season than in the previous two seasons 

and he’s giving hope to everyone that he can be back to normality and, who knows, be back to the 

national team, be a firm choice at Manchester United, because he’s doing very well.” 

Mourinho added the media should give his two current centre-backs more credit for what they have 

done in the past few weeks. He said: “I think, you are the ones who admit they [Jones and Rojo] 

deserve more attention and more headlines. [But] they are not worried, they are playing more than 

ever, better than ever. 

“Rojo was also having lots of injuries. He is also [injury] free. In a period without Bailly and 

Smalling, where people could be scared, they stepped up. Really solid. I am happy for them.” 

United, who are sixth in the Premier League, play Middlesbrough at home on New Year’s Eve and 

then travel to West Ham United on Monday. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/manchester-unitedbenfica-victor-lindelof-defence-improves 



Cam Newton 

Sportblog 

From MVP to also-ran: what happened to Cam 

Newton’s season? 

The Carolina Panthers quarterback lit up the NFL last season. But it’s hard to maintain such 

excellence when you’re let down by your supporting cast 

Cam Newton has received heavy hits from opponents throughout 2016. Photograph: Mark J 

Rebilas/USA Today Sports 

Cian Fahey 


10.02 GMT 

No two quarterbacks in the NFL have the same supporting cast. Playbooks, offensive lines, receivers 

and coaches all affect how easy it is for a quarterback to do his job, and have a huge impact on his 

statistical output because it creates the margin for error that he is afforded. 

Take Aaron Rodgers for example. Rodgers hasn’t changed his level of play much this year. But how 

he is perceived has changed because his receivers have recently been getting open more consistently 

and, most importantly, are catching the ball more consistently. Over the first eight games of this 

season, Rodgers was the target of widespread criticism. His numbers weren’t reaching expectations 

and the Packers were a .500 football team. Rodgers has played to roughly the same level since Week 

9 but now his name is being mentioned in the MVP conversation. That is a direct reflection on how 

Rodgers’ supporting cast has impacted his production. After eight games, Rodgers had lost 28 

completions for at least 405 yards and at least four touchdowns to receiver error. You can’t account 

for yards lost after the catch, hence the use of “at least” here. Rodgers was on pace to lose more yards 

to receiver error than any quarterback from last year except for Cam Newton. 

Cam Newton benched for not wearing a

necktie on Panthers’ flight to Seattle 

Read more 

Newton’s MVP season last year was defined by his ability to transcend his situation. Nobody in the 

league lost more yards to receiver error than Newton did last season. In fact nobody was close. 

Newton lost at least 836 yards and seven touchdowns to receiver error last year, Ryan Tannehill was 

closest to him in lost yards with 717, more than 100 fewer. Only Rodgers lost more touchdowns. 

Newton lost so many yards because he was expected to consistently push the ball downfield to 

receivers such as Ted Ginn and Devin Funchess. Funchess couldn’t catch anything over the first half 

of the season while Ginn consistently dropped perfect passes more than 30 yards downfield. Despite 

the inconsistencies of his receivers, Newton still finished the season with 3,837 passing yards, 35 

passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 636 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. 

He carried a Panthers offense that had limited weapons but also no pass protection. 

Michael Oher and Mike Remmers were the Panthers’ starting offensive tackles last season. Neither 

player – no matter what their backstory – is a viable starter in the NFL. The coaching staff appeared 

to recognize this and schemed an offense that took pressure off of individual blockers and piled it 

onto Newton. They did this by keeping extra bodies in pass protection, giving Newton fewer 

receivers running downfield. With fewer receivers Newton had to anticipate how routes would 

develop against coverage and throw into tighter windows. He couldn’t stand and wait for someone to 

come wide open, he had to help them get open because his receivers were always badly outnumbered 

if the defense didn’t send a heavy blitz. 

So far this season, Newton has 3,272 passing yards in 14 games but just 18 touchdowns to 11 

interceptions with 353 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The primary reason for Newton’s 

lackluster passing numbers has been his supporting cast. 

Cam Newton is right: officials treat him 

differently than other quarterbacks 

Read more 

An already bad supporting cast was hit with injuries on the offensive line. Both Oher and Remmers 

have missed time this year which has led to the Panthers starting Trai Turner at right tackle. Turner is 

an outstanding young guard, but he is a big-bodied run blocker who isn’t built to play in space. Asking 

him to play right tackle has proven to be a huge problem. Turner has repeatedly been exposed in pass 

protection, piling the pressure onto Newton. If Turner was the only problem on the line Newton 

would have a chance to mask his mismatches but that hasn’t been the case. Turner’s move not only 

made right tackle a liability it also made right guard a problem through his absence. Regular starting 

center Ryan Kalil is an All-Pro caliber player – but he has only played in eight games this year. His

eplacement, Tyler Larsen, is a journeyman and has consistently been exposed by opposing defenders. 

So Newton’s offensive line went from a major problem in 2015 to a complete disaster in 2016. But 

even that might have been something he could have overcome if Kelvin Benjamin hadn’t proven to be 

a slower Ted Ginn upon his return from injury, or if Newton was still the same threat as a runner. 

Benjamin’s inconsistency and apparent lack of effort has been frustrating but not surprising based on 

what he did during his rookie season. Newton’s lessened running threat on the other hand was an inseason 

development. In Week 4, Newton suffered a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons. He sat out 

the following game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before returning in Week 6. Twenty-nine of 

Newton’s 87 rushing attempts came in those 3.5 games. He gained 147 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) 

and scored two touchdowns on those 29 carries. In the 10 games he has played since being 

concussed, Newton has amassed 206 yards and scored three touchdowns on 58 attempts (3.6 yards 

per attempt). Designed quarterback runs were a focal point for the Panthers over the first month of the 

season but since then the play calling has largely been more traditional. Newton is still a running 

threat in redzone situations but even when he scrambles he is sliding much earlier than in previous 

seasons. 

With that previous concussion, poor protection by officials and a shoulder injury that has lingered 

throughout the season, it’s no surprise that the Panthers are protecting their most prized asset. 

Carolina haven’t been in realistic playoff contention for a while now and their defensive issues make 

it easier to prioritize Newton’s health over giving themselves the best chance to win games. 

It’s fair to say that Newton himself hasn’t played with the same consistency that he did last year. That 

was also to be expected because it would be very difficult for Newton to maintain the consistency 

and quality he showed with arguably the worst supporting cast in the league last season. Newton is 

still a great player and has had a very good season on the whole, it’s just not been an MVP year. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/dec/28/cam-newtonstruggles-2016-season-carolina-panthers 



Horse racing 

Jack Kennedy’s Outlander eases Michael 

O’Leary’s anguish over Willie Mullins 

• Kennedy lands win for O’Leary to break former trainer Mullins’ dominance 

• Lexus Chase victory at Leopardstown is 100th winner for 17-year-old jockey 

Jack Kennedy’s victory on Outlander in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown was the jockey’s first win 

in a Grade One race. Photograph: racingfotos.com/Rex/Shutterstock 

Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, became a billionaire by cutting costs whenever he 

could but for the first two and a half days of the Christmas meeting here he looked like a man who 

knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. 

Horse racing tips: Thursday 29 December 

Read more 

Willie Mullins, the trainer O’Leary abandoned in the summer in a dispute over training fees, had won 

11 of the 18 races to that point and so, as three of the horses O’Leary removed from the yard galloped 

towards the last in the Grade One Lexus Chase on Wednesday, with the Mullins-trained favourite in 

hot pursuit, he could be forgiven for fearing the worst. 

“Having three days of seeing my colours finish down at the other end of the parade ring, any one of 

them would have done fine,” O’Leary said afterwards, “but I thought coming to the last that they’d all 

fall after the week we’re having here.” 

Instead it was Outlander, a Grade One winner for Mullins at this track last February, who stayed on 

strongly to win the meeting’s feature event for his new trainer, Gordon Elliott, with Don Poli, another 

horse that made the same move, second. Mullins’ Djakadam, the 5-4 favourite, was third, with 

Valseur Lido, who left Mullins to join Henry de Bromhead, back in fourth.

When the split between Mullins and O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud bloodstock operation was 

announced in late September, many doubted that an issue as mundane as training fees could account 

for it. In fact, many still do, the suggestion being that O’Leary did not enjoy being just one major 

owner among several at the Mullins stable. He wanted to be the undisputed top dog. 

O’Leary, though, insisted on Wednesday that the breakdown in professional relations between owner 

and trainer was all down to money. Billionaires do not normally jib at the cost of a first-class ticket, 

never mind when it is only a little more expensive than flying economy, but O’Leary, it seems, is an 

exception. 

“It’s business,” O’Leary said of the split in which Mullins, Ireland’s champion trainer, lost 60 horses 

overnight. “I have loads of horses and plenty of other trainers, and Willie has other owners. I don’t 

mind spending lots of money on the horses but I want to keep the training fees down. 

“Willie’s a genius of a trainer, that’s not news to anybody, and he’s demonstrated here all week what 

a good trainer he is. But Gordon is a good trainer, Henry is a good trainer. These are business 

decisions. People write it up like it’s someone died in the family and it isn’t. 

“The reason I’m not having many winners at Leopardstown this week is that Willie is winning them 

all, or nearly all. But he’s a great trainer and a gentleman and I’m sorry that he doesn’t have horses 

for me [any more] but hopefully he will again in the future. 

“We’re weaker without Willie. I’d like to say that Willie was weaker without us but it’s not looking 

like it this week.” 

Outlander’s victory was a big moment for Jack Kennedy, his 17-year-old jockey, who was recording 

the 100th winner of his career and also his first in a Grade One race. However, the form was some 

way below the standard set by Thistlecrack, the King George VI Chase winner, two days earlier, and 

Outlander is a 20-1 outsider to win the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March. 

“Valseur Lido was outstayed by the others, so we might go back to the Ryanair [Chase] with him,” 

O’Leary said. “I think Outlander has shown today that he is a Gold Cup horse and hopefully Don Poli 

as well if he retains his enthusiasm. He is entitled to go for a Gold Cup but the standard of the race is 

going to be quite high, so we’ll throw a few at it.” 

Earlier on the card, Mullins had maintained the exceptional run of form that started with three winners 

here on Monday and continued with another five on Tuesday. He ended the day with four more 

victories, giving him 12 in all from 21 races, and also another Grade One success, thanks to Vroum 

Vroum Mag’s one-and-a-quarter length win in the three-mile Christmas Hurdle. 

The Stayers’ Hurdle is now a very plausible target for Vroum Vroum Mag but she was noticeably 

keen for much of Wednesday’s race and has alternatives at Cheltenham in the Mares’ Hurdle, which 

she won last season, and possibly even the Ryanair Chase as she went unbeaten in six starts over 

fences in 2014 and 2015. The Champion Hurdle may also be an option if either or both of Faugheen 

and Annie Power, the last two winners of the race for their trainer, fail to make it to the starting line.

“She’s extraordinary,” Mullins said. “She works with our Champion Hurdle horses, we know she gets 

three miles now, she can jump hurdles or go over fences, so she’s the sort of supersub in the Ricci 

team and that’s how she’ll be campaigned. 

“We’ll put her in wherever we think she can win at Cheltenham, all being well. She’s a unique mare.” 

Mullins took the wraps off yet another possible contender for championship honours at Cheltenham in 

March when Bleu Et Rouge produced an exceptional turn of foot from a deeply unpromising position 

two out to win the card’s Beginners’ Chase. 

Barry Geraghty still had at least five lengths to find turning for home but coaxed an irresistible run 

from Bleu Et Rouge, who got up to beat Gangster – yet another of O’Leary’s ex-Mullins contingent – 

by three-quarters of a length. 

“He schools well at home but he didn’t bring that to the track,” Mullins said. “I think he got a fright at 

the first and then he continued to frighten himself the whole way until the third-last. I still thought he’d 

lost too much ground at the last to win the race but then it was as if he’d just joined in. He’ll need a 

bit more schooling but he’s a nice one.” 

Mullins also reflected on his golden run of form this week after a slow start to the season following 

the departure of O’Leary’s horses. 

“Last week, I was hoping that [Tuesday’s winner] Douvan might get there but I was hoping that we 

wouldn’t have a bad meeting,” Mullins said. “We’ve just had a very, very slow [start to the] year, 

even by our standards and it’s just picking up nicely now, so I’m delighted. 

“We had a very dry autumn this year and we’re normally slow to get going but that’s the only reason I 

could say, and probably the loss of half the yard as well. But we’ve a great team at home. It’s all 

about keeping your horses in order and your people in order and trying to have them right for the big 

meetings – and that seems to have worked. 

“It was a blow, obviously, you hate losing a group of horses like that but that’s the way, everyone has 

got to do what they want to do and that’s the way it was.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/28/outlander-kennedy-oleary-mullins-leopardstown 



Paul Gascoigne 

Paul Gascoigne ‘taken to hospital after 

drunken brawl’ 

Former footballer treated for head injury amid claims he racially abused customers during altercation 

at east London hotel 

Paul Gascoigne, who played for clubs including Rangers, Lazio and Tottenham, has long battled 

alcoholism. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock 


Wednesday 28 December 2016 12.50 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 December 2016 

17.39 GMT 

The former England footballer Paul Gascoigne was taken to hospital after a drunken fight at a hotel, it 

has been reported. 

Gascoigne, 49, was “racially abusing” customers at Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, east London, and 

throwing money at them, a witness alleged. 

The Metropolitan police said officers were called to a disturbance at the premises shortly after 6pm 

on Tuesday, before a 49-year-old man was taken to hospital with a head injury. 

Witness Alvin Carpio said the former Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers midfielder, who has long battled 

alcoholism, appeared “very drunk” during the altercation. 

Alvin Carpio (@AlvinCarpio) 

This may be 1 of the weirdest tweets I’ve sent:I’m in Ace Hotel trying to read but can’t because 

Paul Gascoigne is behind me causing trouble 

December 27, 2016


It gets crazier: Gazza has just been kicked down the stairs by a guy whose friend got slapped by 

him. He really isn’t in a good place. 



It’s a sad state: He’s been spitting, making racist remarks & groping women, all while throwing 

around £ notes & stating his dad has cancer. 


Carpio said: “He was racially abusing my mates, and hitting one of them on the shoulder and head 

before throwing a £20 note on him.” 

The Daily Mirror reported that Gascoigne’s spokesman, Terry Baker, said the former footballer had 

been taken to hospital with a head wound. Baker said: “He hasn’t been arrested. He’s about to be 

released and sent home.” 

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “The man has been taken to an east London hospital where he 

remains in a stable condition.” 

No arrests had been made and inquiries were continuing, she added. 

Gascoigne was fined £1,000 at Dudley magistrates court in September after racially abusing a 

bodyguard who was employed to protect him. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/paul-gascoigneformer-footballer-hospital-east-london 



NBA 

‘It wasn’t even basketball’: security step in as 

tempers flare at Rockets v Mavs 

Trevor Ariza attempts to confront Salah Mejri outside locker room 

Andrew Bogut and James Harden clash on court in Houston win 

Dallas Mavericks guard Justin Anderson and Houston Rockets center Nene Hilario have words 

during the first half at American Airlines Center. Photograph: Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports 

Associated Press 


14.46 GMT 

James Harden was called for one of the eight technicals in a game that turned tense when Dallas 

center Andrew Bogut received a flagrant foul on a hard screen that staggered Houston’s star guard. 

Despite 34 points and an easy 123-107 victory that completed a four-game season sweep of the lastplace 

Mavericks on Tuesday night, Harden wasn’t happy. 

Is the DeMarcus Cousins era over with the 

Sacramento Kings? 

Read more 

“That other team was trippin’ tonight, just disrespectful, unprofessional, players and coaches,” 

Harden said. “I don’t know what was their problem, but I think that got us going. They wanted to 

throw a little cheap shot and just woke us up a little bit and it was over from there.” 

Bogut was equally frustrated in his return after missing 11 games with a right knee injury. The call

came in the second quarter, near the end of a 16-0 Houston run that broke a 37-37 tie. Harden doubled 

over after running head-first into the 7ft, 260lbs Bogut’s shoulder. 

“If you watch the replay, yeah, he made no effort to run around my screen,” said Bogut, who had a 

couple of sharp verbal exchanges with Harden. “Yeah, it was a hard screen and I set hard screens. 

But to get a flagrant for it is kind of head-scratching. 

“You admire the effort the league’s putting in in Secaucus [New Jersey] with that beautiful facility 

where they watch replays and watch TV and have leather chairs and all that kind of stuff. But you 

scratch your head at a lot of these things and it becomes very, very frustrating.” 

Trevor Ariza was ejected after his second technical during the break after the third quarter, when five 

technicals were called. After the game, he was waiting outside the Dallas locker room for Mavericks 

center Salah Mejri. Security had to make sure the pair didn’t interact after an exchange during the 

game that led to Ariza’s first technical. Houston was called for five and Dallas three. According to 

ESPN, the tension between the two escalated when Mejri insulted Ariza’s wife and children during 

the game. Mejri denied that accusation: “He was swearing and bullshit,” Mejri said. “Ask him. He’s 

out there. Ask him.” 

“It wasn’t even basketball,” Dallas guard Wesley Matthews said. “Tempers, two in-state teams, we 

play each other four times, we’ve had battles in the past, so it is what it is. But we’ve got to be better 

than that. That was an opportunity for us to channel it into basketball and we didn’t do that.” 

Harden had 24 points at halftime and finished with 11 assists without playing in the fourth quarter. 

The Rockets improved to 13-2 in December. 

With two games left in the month, Houston can tie the franchise record of 15 wins from November 

1996. 

Harrison Barnes scored 21 for the last-place Mavericks, who lost their second straight following 

their first two-game winning streak of the season. 

There were also two flagrant fouls, both against Dallas. 

Most of the technicals came during dead-ball situations, with players and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle 

complaining to officials. Carlisle mockingly clapped at the refs, saying “good call,” after he was 

whistled for one. 

“They tried to defend by being real physical and thinking that’s the way to do it,” Houston coach Mike 

D’Antoni said. “I don’t really want to get into it just because it doesn’t serve any purpose. We needed 

the win. We came out and we took care of business.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/28/houston-rockets-dallasmavericks-nba 



Sport - In depth 

Lions tour is jewel in crown but rugby union is nearing crossroads [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Rio a kaleidoscopic fortnight of sport amid politics [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Bradley could not escape stigma against US coach [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The Rusties Warne, Kyrgios and Redknapp in our alternative Australian 

awards [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Rio 2016 An inauspicious start, but then the Paralympics delivered [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 



Rugby union 

Sportblog 

Lions tour is jewel in crown but rugby union 

approaches 2017 at crossroads 

Robert Kitson 

The trip to New Zealand, despite the schedule, can restore faith and the Six Nations is shaping up 

nicely but with the professional era now more than 20 years old, the sport’s administrators must show 

conviction in the next 12 months 

Alun Wyn Jones, left, is in contention to captain the Lions in New Zealand, having done so in the third 

Test on the victorious tour of Australia in 2013. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images


00.55 GMT 

The most pertinent rugby quote of 2016, inevitably, came from Eddie Jones. “There’s only pressure 

when you don’t know what you’re doing,” murmured England’s head coach shortly before guiding his 

adopted country to their 13th Test victory of a perfect calendar year. As a short, sharp Twitterfriendly 

summation of how and why the Australian guru has turned English fortunes around, it was 

inch-perfect. 

What would England’s national cricket and football teams do for a milligram of Jones’s selfassurance 

right now? Maybe the government should give him a call: who better to negotiate a 

workable Brexit deal from a standing start? It is easy enough, too, to imagine him discussing the art of 

influential leadership with the US president-elect. “Trumpy, mate, come over to Twickenham and I’ll 

show you how it’s done.” The tide of global history could be turned for ever. 

Lucky for New Zealand they were on the beach 

rather than battling England | The Breakdown 

Read more 

In a post-truth world almost anything is feasible if enough people want to believe it. Rugby has long 

been familiar with this concept. How else can the charms of a murderous eight-man shove or the 

monarch-of-the-glen beauty of a ripe cauliflower ear be rationally explained? Perception is 

important; if no one cares there can be no such thing as great sport. 

Which is why, heading into 2017, the future shape of professional rugby union badly needs 

clarification. On the one hand this should be a glorious 12 months, potentially even better than the 

last, with a British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand twinkling at its heart. On the other the pro 

game, now more than two decades old, is mutating from gung-ho adolescence into brutal adulthood. 

What was a sport for all shapes and sizes, both physically and financially, grows ever less forgiving 

on both fronts. 

Only the most unashamed oval-ball politician or one-eyed Barnum could claim things have never 

been healthier. In terms of global spread, admittedly, the graph is encouraging, while the 2015 World 

Cup generated £2.3bn in overall economic output, including a £1.1bn boost to the UK’s GDP figures. 

The Olympics were an inspiring advertisement for sevens; no one who saw Fiji’s giant, modest 

gladiators kneel to accept their gold medals could fail to salute their humility and joy. The outpouring 

of passion and local pride aroused by the passing of Munster’s Anthony Foley also showed rugby’s 

soul remains intact. 

Even so, there is a sense that, Jones aside, the game has never been more unsure of itself in more 

respects. Where, exactly, does rugby want to be not just next Christmas, but 30 years hence? Does it 

embrace sevens or 15s as its best vehicle for long-term growth? Does it want to be a game weighted

more towards elusive backs than mastodon forwards? With the spectre of concussion not 

disappearing, will it embark down the road of safer collisions and alienate traditional fans or attract 

the lawsuits seen in American gridiron? How many fully professional English clubs should there be? 

In other words, should it stick or twist? If ever there was a need for rugby men with vision, 

conviction and an unswerving belief in the greater good, it is now. 

Happily, World Rugby now has Bill Beaumont and Agustin Pichot at the helm; between them they 

have the necessary human qualities and – in Pichot’s case – the youthful optimism. Following a 

meeting in San Francisco at the end of January, we are promised an announcement on the future shape 

of the global season. With sweeping changes looming in French rugby under the new chairmanship of 

Bernard Laporte, a more enlightened era might be on its way. 

Nothing, even so, is yet guaranteed. The continuing self-interest of some administrators remains 

depressing, as is the failure to appreciate global rugby is only as strong as its weakest link. The 

revolution, to misquote Billy Bragg, is more than just a T-shirt away. It will seem crazy to future 

historians that Test eligibility was allowed to become so skewed towards countries with wealthy 

leagues – fair play to Laporte for insisting only French passport holders will henceforth be eligible 

for Les Bleus – or that the two best sides in the world could not meet outside World Cups because of 

a squabble over gate receipts. 

Gus Pichot: ‘The Fiji v England game wasn’t 

very good for rugby … it’s unfair’ 

Read more 

At least the All Blacks will face the Lions in a seismic series that, with luck, will restore everyone’s 

faith. It will be desperately tough for the touring team, with both their preparation time and itinerary 

bordering on the scandalous. But who would not want to see a lumpy Anglo-Irish pack, perhaps led 

by Alun Wyn Jones, get stuck into New Zealand in the Tests, challenging the gifted Aaron Smith, 

Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith to sparkle in adversity? For every individual to whom the Lions are 

an anachronism, another 100 would mortgage their grannies for a ticket. 

Aside from Saracens’ ongoing status as the Premiership team to beat, the only other sure thing in 2017 

is that England under Jones will remain box office. The antipodean alchemist was spot-on before 

Christmas when he insisted his side still had considerable room for improvement and the Six Nations, 

complete with bonus points, will be fascinating. At the moment Ireland rank above them, with the 

final Dublin showdown between the two sides in March already a magnet for the imagination. If Joe 

Schmidt’s side can step it up and Scotland, France and Italy continue to improve, it could be a 

Championship for the ages. 

It would also help if more coaches – and players – reminded themselves that sporting life is to be 

grasped, relished and celebrated. What is the point in winning the league and looking as bored by the

whole thing as Leicester City FC’s players did on stage at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year 

awards? 

Rugby union, with its relative lack of terrestrial telly exposure, defensive media relations and 

political in-fighting, does not currently have many globally recognisable stars. In 2017 it needs to 

heed Jones’s advice, work out precisely what sort of sport it wants to be, and then go for it. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/dec/28/british-and-irishlions-england-eddie-jones-rugby-union-2017 



Rio 2016 

Rio 2016: amid the politics Olympics were a 

kaleidoscopic fortnight of sport 

From Usain Bolt’s golden triumphs to a green pool and Michael Phelps’s herculean achievements, the 

Games were swept along by a crazy rhythm in Rio 

A grinning Usain Bolt leaves rivals in his wake in the 100m semi-finals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. 

Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images 

Andy Bull

Tuesday 27 December 2016 15.24 GMT Last modified on Tuesday 27 December 2016 22.00 GMT 

On the seventh day of the Games, it seemed, for a brief, bewildering moment, as though a bomb had 

gone off in the Olympic Park. A thunderclap sounded around the aquatics stadium and echoed across 

the food court. No one fled. Instead everyone sped towards the scene. It turned out that Brazilian 

police had detonated a discarded rucksack – they later explained that it had contained a jacket and a 

pair of socks – and then opened the gates to the basketball arena, where Spain were about to play 

Nigeria. All those running people were just in a rush to take their seats. Otherwise, no one blinked 

because it was the third similar incident in a week. There had been another detonation during the 

men’s cycling road race and a third outside the Maracanã. That familiar phrase, “controlled 

explosion”, seems now to sum up the Rio Olympics. 

Simone Biles the bandleader of a US quintet 

that might never be bettered | Bryan Armen 

Graham 

Read more 

If anything it implies that the authorities had more control than they really did. Brazil was in the midst 

of its worst recession since the Great Depression. In March the man who brought the Olympics to the 

city, the former president Lula Inácio da Silva, was arrested as part of the investigation into 

government corruption. In May, his successor Dilma Rousseff was suspended after the senate voted to 

start impeachment proceedings against her. Neither were welcome at the opening ceremony of the 

very Games they had arranged, and which was supposed to have been their legacy. Instead, the 

interim president, Michel Temer, was there. He took the precaution of arranging for the music to be 

turned up extra loud when he took to the stage. You could still hear the boos. 

USA’s Simone Biles bewitched the world, winning four golds as she lit up the gymnastics arena. 

Photograph: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP 

Earlier that same day hundreds of protestors gathered on the waterfront. They were cut off from the 

grand Copacabana Palace hotel, where the IOC’s mandarins had gathered, by a cordon of riot police, 

part of an army of 85,000 out on the streets. Many of them were working to try to suppress crime in 

the favelas, where residents found themselves under “a state of semi-siege”, with soldiers stationed at

the ends of the streets and helicopters hovering overhead. They were more conspicuous than the 

mosquitoes, although many medical experts had suggested that the Games should be postponed 

because they feared the Zika virus would lead to a global health emergency. 

The IOC had a crisis of their own. In July, the World Anti-Doping Agency published the first part of 

the independent McLaren report into Russian doping. The IAAF had already suspended Russian track 

and field athletes from competing in the Games. Now McLaren announced it was “beyond a 

reasonable doubt” that Russia had organised systematic cheating at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Wada 

recommended that the Russians should be suspended from the Rio Games but the IOC fudged the 

decision and deferred it to the federations running individual sports. So it became a free-for-all and a 

busy time for lawyers travelling back-and-forth at the court of arbitration for sport. 

An uneasy atmosphere settled over Rio. The Russian athletes were indignant, many of the rest 

incensed. Everyone was leery, even paranoid. No one knew what they could believe. At the 

swimming pool, the Russian competitors were booed and bad-mouthed. Yulia Efimova, who had 

repeatedly tested positive for banned substances in the past, was singled out and, she said, made a 

scapegoat in a new “cold war”. At the athletics track, the first question every record breaker faced 

was a variation on “why should we believe you’re clean?” 

In the first few days the Games seemed to teeter, almost topple, into utter chaos. The athletes’ village 

was unfinished, all leaky pipes, faulty locks and unlit stairwells. Protestors targeted the Olympic 

torch relay, which had to be diverted. A kayaker capsized after hitting a sofa floating in the water at 

Lagoa. A wayward bullet hit the media tent at the equestrian centre. Two bad crashes on the road race 

course left Annemiek van Vleuten and Vincenzo Nibali in hospital. There was feverish talk of 

robberies, photographers who refused to use taxis because they had been warned they were being 

targeted by criminals – but soon enough everyone grew accustomed to the crazy rhythm of things. 

Another bullet was found, a bus was attacked, the water in the diving pool turned bright green, Ryan 

Lochte shot a guerilla version of The Hangover IV: Blame It On Rio. The Games swept on. 

The American swimmer Michael Phelps underlined why he is the most successful Olympian. 

Photograph: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images 

Because, in among all this, there was a lot of brilliant sport. Michael Phelps became the most 

successful Olympian of this, that and every other era, and never looked more of a champion than he 

did when he lost to a 21-year-old kid from Singapore. Simone Biles bewitched the world, won four 

golds and one solitary bronze after she slipped on the balance beam. Fiji’s rugby sevens team 

bewildered everyone and won their country’s very first gold medal. Usain Bolt beat all-comers, 

again, but still found himself sharing the stage with his young friend Wayde van Niekerk, who

shattered the 400m world record. Caster Semenya eased to victory in the 800m and then refused to be 

hostage to the press’s questions. The British had their best Olympics in a century. 

The Brazilians turned out for their own. Rafaela Silva, a 24-year-old from the City of God, won gold 

in the women’s judo. Thiago Braz da Silva beat the great Renaud Lavillenie in a late-night pole vault 

duel, one-on-one at the Olympic stadium. Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt lit up the beach 

volleyball arena, the one stadium that was guaranteed to be packed every night of the Games. And 

back at the Maracanã the Brazilian football team achieved some measure of redemption for the 

calamities of their World Cup by beating Germany on penalties, the winning kick taken by – who 

else? – Neymar. 

Abbey D’Agostino of the US, right, is assisted by New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin in the 5,000m heats 

at Rio 2016. Photograph: Ian Walton/Getty Images 

But the Games are always about more than who wins what. There were 11,544 athletes competing in 

Rio – and every one with a story worth telling. Pita Taufatofua became a heartthrob after carrying the 

Tongan flag. Two Korean gymnasts, Hong Un-jong and Lee Eun-ju, posed for a cross-border selfie. 

The USA’s Ibtihaj Muhammad spoke out about how it felt to be an American Muslim in the time of 

Trump. Egypt’s Islam El Shehaby was sent home because he refused to shake the hand of an Israeli 

opponent. The Irish boxer Michael Conlan flicked his fingers at his judges, Tserenbaatar Tsogbayar 

and Byambarinchen Bayaraa stripped down to their underpants in protest at theirs. The Chinese diver 

Qin Kai dropped to one knee to propose to his team-mate He Zi on the medal podium. New Zealand’s 

Nikki Hamblin and the USA’s Abbey D’Agostino helped each other after a collision in the heats of the 

5,000m. 

Why is the Olympic diving pool green? The 

good news is it’s not urine 

Read more 

However, the enduring image will be that shot of Bolt sporting his cartoon grin, striding out ahead of 

the field in the 100m semi-finals, a road runner trailing so many Wile E Coyotes. Around him, 

everything is a blur. Which works because the Rio Games were a whirl, a kaleidoscopic fortnight of 

sport that left everyone dizzy. All human life was there, for better, for worse, in victory and defeat, 

chaotic, corrupt, endearing, enraging, inspiring.

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/27/rio-2016-amid-politicsolympics-kaleidoscope-fortnight-of-sport 



Swansea City 

Sportblog 



The former USA coach failed to hit upon a consistent formula at Swansea City but his status as an 

outsider in the Premier League hastened his downfall 

It is hard to see Bob Bradley getting another run at the Premier League again after his short spell in 

Wales. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images 

Bob Bradley had little reason to know how quickly he would be proved right when ruminating, at his 

first press conference as Swansea City manager, upon the modus operandi of his new bosses. 

“I don’t think they’d have got where they are by making decisions with the heart,” Bradley said of the 

club’s owners, Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien. And while on this occasion he was second-guessing 

the logic of his own appointment, it would be less than three months before he discovered just how 

harsh the Premier League can be. 

Firing a manager carries inescapable connotations, none of which anyone involved would really wish 

to be levelled at Bradley. The duration of his tenure – the second-shortest of the Premier League era – 

is trivia quiz material, ripe for lampooning, and one reading would be that Bradley, who also had to 

wear the “American coach” tag from day one, was simply not equipped for the size of the job handed 

him. A spell like this can scar perceptions of a career irreversibly but nothing about his work at 

Swansea gives the overwhelming impression of Bradley as inadequate. 

Bob Bradley had to go but blame for Swansea’s 

plight lies in the boardroom 

Read more

There simply was not the time for him to make a case either way, although that is not the same as 

suggesting he was the right man in the first place. Kaplan and Levien overestimated two things when 

throwing Bradley in at the deep end. First, the capability of a squad that had been grievously 

weakened across the previous four transfer windows; second, the goodwill of a fanbase whose pride 

in a club that had been a model for progressive, lucid ownership had taken a hit in the last 12 months. 

Maybe they overestimated Bradley too, even though his appointment always seemed a shot in the 

dark. In hindsight, Swansea should have sought an experienced, unsexy Premier League head upon 

sacking Francisco Guidolin. They may not have brought back the old brand of stylish football the fans 

craved but they may have been better equipped for a relegation fight. If Bradley, or any similar 

mouldbreaking newcomer, was to be the choice then it needed to go hand in hand with an acceptance 

that long-term change might have to include considerable short-term pain. 

Yet Kaplan and Levien clearly had neither approach in mind, which makes their recruitment and 

subsequent treatment of Bradley all the more difficult to understand. This was less the failure of an 

American manager in the Premier League than a failure of American owners – and that, in itself, has 

its place in a wider trend of remote, ill-considered decision making by foreign board members in 

British football rather than being a comment on their specific nationality. 

Bradley is a bright man and was aware of the focus his arrival would attract in Britain, where some 

stigma still exists around the US game. So he gave the media little rope to hang him with and made a 

favourable impression, answering questions fully while making time to create one or two deeper 

professional connections. Yet when things are going wrong you are only a slip or two away from a 

change in mood and his use of “road game” and “PKs” when speaking after his penultimate match, a 

3-0 defeat to a mediocre Middlesbrough side, prompted the kind of overblown derision that had 

never felt a million miles away. 

At that point, Bradley was forced to defend himself for the first time. “It wouldn’t make sense if I 

sounded like everyone else,” he said before the West Ham match that would seal his fate. “I have 

come here to be myself. I am a football man. What counts is that what I say resonates with the 

players.” 

But that did not happen to the extent required. Perhaps Swansea’s players simply lacked the aptitude 

or good grace to take in the words of a manager whose message during spells with Egypt, Stabaek, Le 

Havre and the US men’s national team was well respected for its clarity. The one time he picked the 

same team for consecutive games Swansea followed a respectable 1-1 draw at Everton with a 

chaotic 5-4 victory over relegation rivals Crystal Palace; the rest of the time Bradley chopped and 

changed a side painfully thin on quality at either end of the pitch. He needed to hit upon a consistent 

formula quickly but never gave the impression of knowing how best to set up a team that 

haemorrhaged goals. 

That was not all his fault; not much of this sorry tale was but it is still hard to see Bradley getting 

another run at this level soon. Speculatively, his best hope for another crack at British football might 

be to work with a floundering Championship side in need of a longer-term run-up to a promotion 

campaign. It would still take tangible success in that scenario to escape guilt by association with a 

Swansea regime that risk alienating all around them.

Perhaps Bradley will reflect that, while he was batting away those early questions about his 

nationality and the motivations of Kaplan and Levien back in October, there was something else in the 

room that spoke of what would follow. As he held court at the Swansea Marriott, there to watch the 

early stages of his press conference was the looming figure of Guidolin, who had apparently stumbled 

across the event while waiting to meet an associate. Guidolin was ushered out soon enough, but 

Bradley still never managed to escape the ghosts of costly decisions that doomed his role to that of a 

historical oddity before it had even begun. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/dec/28/bob-bradleyswansea-city-fired-manager-premier-league 



Australia sport 

The 2016 Rusties: Guardian Australia’s 

alternative sporting awards 

Who won the the Todd Carney cup for bad publicity? How about the Mile Jedinak golden microphone 

for unfortunate gaffes? And then there’s Warnie … Your host Russell Jackson hands out the prizes 

Shane Warne on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! ‘Because, I’m saying, aliens. We started 

from aliens.’ Photograph: Network Ten 

The Todd Carney cup for bad publicity in the NRL 

It was a bumper year of on-field and off-field misbehaviour in the NRL, with incidents including but 

not limited to a player being knocked out with a fire poker at a charity party (admit it, nobody had that 

on their NRL player behaviour bingo card), a positive cocaine test, fraud squad raids, match-fixing 

allegations, coin toss deceit (where will it end?), the Corey Norman/MDMA/muscle relaxant/Star 

Casino quadrella (we’re actually leaving out a few items there, too), and Junior Paulo disguising 

himself as a third-grade player, which we thought was great fun. 

But the winner in a unanimous points decision (a boxing career surely isn’t far off) is poor old Jarryd 

Hayne, who managed to get the words “pornography”, “Gold Coast”, “mishap and “school” into the 

one headline. “It’s unfortunate and all I can say [is] it definitely was not Jarryd’s device,” said a 

representative for Norton, for whom Hayne was giving a talk on Wi-Fi security to 200 high school 

kids when some suspicious internet search history information flashed up on the screen. We’re certain 

it was an educational experience for all. 

Online security: Jarryd Hayne managed to combine he words ‘pornography’, ‘Gold Coast’, ‘mishap’ 

and ‘school’ into one headline. Photograph: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images 

Honourable mention: Jason Taumalolo and Tautau Moga, who were fined $2,500 apiece by the

North Queensland Cowboys for egging cars. We’re just glad the club brought an end to the schoolboy 

hijinks before any innocent party received an atomic wedgie. 

The Arthur Tunstall award for public oratory 

Yes, Eddie McGuire has effortlessly scooped this prize again, doubling down on his rank stupidity of 

previous years by joking that the AFL journalist Caroline Wilson should be held under water and 

drowned. Turns out that was an image instilled in McGuire as a young boy, when his older brother 

Frank’s friends used to try to hold him under the water at the local pool. Paging Dr Freud. 

‘Perfumed excrement’: Sam Newman weighs in on the Eddie McGuire controversy. Photograph: AFL 

Footy Show 

In the aftermath, The Footy Show’s leery bozy-in-residence Sam Newman fumed at the “second-tier 

media” types and “perfumed excrement” always seeking to bring him and his friend down, which 

perhaps didn’t say much for the emotional resilience of either. Regardless, Newman’s hateful outburst 

was at least an insight into the thoughts clanging around inside the vast chasm of his mind – it has 

been many years since his mood could be read from facial expressions alone. 

The Coach Taylor perpetual windbreaker for inspirational 

coaching gestures 

When Luke Beveridge draped his Jock McHale medal over the shoulders of the injured Bulldogs 

captain, Bob Murphy, he not only honoured a champion and a long-suffering club, he put his muscular 

arm around the entire game and told us that we can occasionally put aside petty sniping and give each 

other a hug. 

The Mile Jedinak golden microphone for unfortunate gaffes

‘South Coast Mariners’: Harry Redknapp takes the golden microphone for unfortunate gaffes. 

Photograph: Raad Adayleh/AP 

Goes to Harry Redknapp for his unfortunate start to life as a Central Coast Mariners “football 

consultant”, a role that apparently didn’t extend to actually learning the club’s name. When asked the 

name of his new club, Redknapp replied: “It’s the South Coast Mariners. I met the owner, he’s a great 

guy, an English guy. Peter Storrie’s involved and they’ve got an English coach as well. They asked me 

if I would do a bit as an adviser.” Good work if you can get it. 

The Jerry Maguire golden globe for terrible pay deals 

First the AFL lowballed its women players with a startlingly low pay offer, then responded to howls 

of outrage and met them halfway towards something respectable, though it’s still hard to believe a 

game swimming such riches can only afford scraps for players putting their bodies on the line and 

providing lucrative TV content. The wildly popular all-stars encounter aired on primetime TV in 

2016 drew more than a million eyeballs for broadcaster Seven, far more than a lot of your average 

men’s games. 

But outdoing that stinginess again was the FFA in its ongoing failure to adequately compensate W- 

League players, who are becoming more susceptible to code switches and strikes by the year. Entire 

W-League squads are still paid a salary roughly equivalent to that received by the youngest members 

of A-League men’s teams. Just sort it out. 

Cut-price code: Stephanie Catley of Melbourne City crosses the ball during a W-League match 

against the Western Sydney Wanderers. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images 

The Robert Groenewegen tankard for post-season revelry

Has to go to Tom Liberatore, whose behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the Bulldogs’ grand final 

win suggested he doesn’t need a lick of booze to come up with truly strange behaviour. The clincher 

was his club-angering post-season cameo for the Vietnam Swans Australian Rules team in the middle 

of his end-of-season holiday. “Young Tom shouldn’t be doing those things,” said the Bulldogs list 

manager, Jason McCartney, in a moment of controlled understatement. 

Problems endure but 2016 was a big year for 

women in Australian sport | Merryn Sherwood 

Read more 

The Frederick Exley gold-plated defibrillator for fan commitment 

Bulldogs fan Rob McCarthy almost had his own Spike Milligan “I told you I was ill” moment as his 

side streaked away to a drought-breaking victory in the 2016 AFL grand final. “They’d wanna have 

an ambo parked out the front if we get up,” McCarthy said to a fan sitting next to him and, sure 

enough, in the dying stages of the game he had a heart attack, only to be revived by an off-duty 

paramedic to the triumphant strains of the club song. McCarthy’s first words upon his resuscitation: 

“Did the Doggies win?” 

Bulldogs supporters celebrate their team’s 2016 AFL premiership. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP 

The Allan McAlister award for comfortable racism 

This was the year blatant racism went mainstream in all walks of life, of course, and footy was no 

different from the rest of society. An Adelaide father claimed his daughter had been “demonised” for 

throwing a banana at the Crows’ Indigenous star Eddie Betts (an “unambiguous racist act”, countered 

the AFL), while a Perth mother described the blackface Nic Naitanui costume she painted on her son 

was a “parenting win” (in a Facebook post later removed), adding: “I grew a set of balls and painted 

my boy brown and he looked fanfuckingtastic.” Naitanui’s verdict: I don’t think so. Ours: 

absolutelyfuckingnot.

The Lance Armstrong wristband for wins people found hard to 

enjoy 

The story of Cronulla’s premiership triumph was either a fitting win for a beleaguered and persecuted 

group of fans or a bit hard to stomach, depending on your personal allegiances, but there is no denying 

the joy in its sheer novelty. Paul Gallen got the key to the shire, Scott Morrison looked for the briefest 

moment like a bloke you’d actually have a beer with, and the fans were left Shark clapping in their 

sleep after the end of a 50-year drought. All good for the league’s soul, we reckon. 

A bloke you’d like to have a beer with? Scott Morrison at the Cronulla Sharks NRL grand final 

celebrations. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images 

The Foxtel shield for completely misunderstanding your core 

audience 

Would go to Foxtel for their bungling of the Premier League rights if we were being very lazy, but this 

time it has to go to FFA, Melbourne Victory and the security contractors who completely alienated 

active Victory fans and forced many to seek alternative entertainment on weekends. It’s almost like 

the entirely unique attendance culture was the reason that people actually pumped money into the A- 

League’s coffers in the first place.

A fading memory: Joe Mennie walks off after being dismissed during day four of the second Test 

match between Australia and South Africa in Hobart. Photograph: Robert Prezioso/Cricket 

Australia/Getty Images 

The Scott Muller sympathy card for being thrown to the wolves 

Poor Joe Mennie. He didn’t pick himself, after all, but the South Australian quick timed his run into 

the Test side both brilliantly – in that the end of the Rod Marsh selection era put literally anyone in 

contention – but also disastrously, in that he should be called up for a debacle like the Hobart Test. 

Six team changes and many thousand airings of the David Warner OLED TV commercial later and 

poor Mennie is a fading memory, but they can never take that baggy green cap away from him. 

The SK Warne pizza voucher for most Shane Warne thing of the 

year 

This is obviously a foregone conclusion, but boy weren’t there some beauties in 2016? There was 

WarnieMojis, the app literally nobody asked for, the Warnie bong, released in honour of 420 Day, and 

the various travails of the Shane Warne Foundation (with a guest appearance from Waleed Aly), but in 

a packed field the story that stood out for us was Warne’s calm assertion during his stint on I’m a 

Celebrity that human beings evolved from … drum roll … aliens. 

“If we’ve evolved from monkeys, then why haven’t those ones evolved?” Warne asked the dancer 

Bonnie Lythgoe, a fellow contestant, as they lounged on a riverbank in South Africa’s Kruger national 

park. “Because, I’m saying, aliens. We started from aliens.”

Shane Warne questions evolution: ‘We started from aliens’ 

“Look at those pyramids, Bonnie. You couldn’t do them. You couldn’t pull those ropes, huge bits of 

brick and make it perfectly symmetrical. Couldn’t do it. So who did it?” Maybe they turned a few 

monkeys into humans and said, ‘Yeah, it works.’” The whole episode proved there really are topics 

of conversation other than leg-spin and pizza toppings with which the cricket great can captivate the 

nation. Good areas 51, Shano. 

The Nick D’Arcy commemorative premix can for Olympic 

transgressions 

I guess we should be thankful that it was something as tame as ticket tampering that led to threats of 

the slammer for Australian athletes in Rio and not some Stilnox-infused Games village orgy, but the 

$47,000 in fines levied on the “Naughty Nine” made headlines for days. 

Speedo and Swimming Australia: 60 years of 

Aussie cossies – in pictures 

Read more 

The Karmichael Hunt poisoned chalice for falling victim to the 

Swisse curse 

Went in spectacular style to the Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, who promised the world, 

delivered relay gold but couldn’t get it done in their individual events after months of pre-loaded 

Swisse vitamins TV commercials had placed them in David Warner-OLED territory in the minds of a 

slightly puzzled Australian public. 

It was older sister Cate who saved the day with a brutally honest post-race interview after bombing 

out in the final of the women’s 100m freestyle. “That hurt, not as much as it’s hurting right now,” 

Campbell said. “I’ve always said that I didn’t need a gold medal to have self-worth and I guess that 

that’s being put to the test at the moment.” It was heartbreaking.

Cate Campbell, left, and Bronte Campbell with coach Simon Cusak during the team’s first training 

session at the Rio Olympic Games aquatics centre in Rio de Janeiro. Photograph: Dave Hunt/EPA 

The John McEnroe broken racket for winding up the general 

public 

It was another weird and wonderful year for Nick Kyrgios, who played like a dream at times and also 

did his level best to troll the entire universe at every opportunity. He bailed out of a tournament to 

play in a celebrity NBA game, had his “Nick, you can’t play like that. It’s just not professional” 

moment, and in between times, actually won tournaments (something his harshest critics tend to 

ignore). But his most Nick Kyrgios moment was surely his public battle with Australia’s Olympic 

chef de mission, Kitty Chiller, whose criticisms of Kyrgios and his countryman Bernard Tomic 

brought a fairly predictable response. 

Nick Kyrgios: doing his best to troll the entire universe at every opportunity. Photograph: Thomas 

Peter/Reuters 

“I mean, if you don’t want to pick me or Bernard, you know, there are plenty of others you can pick to 

represent your country as well,” Kyrgios said. “If you don’t want two of the best players in Australia 

to represent your country, so be it.” He kind of had a point there. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/29/the-2016-rustiesguardian-australias-alternative-sporting-awards 



Paralympics 2016 

Rio 2016: an inauspicious start, but then the 

Paralympics delivered again 

After initial fears the Games would be cancelled due to a funding crisis and the IPC’s bold decision 

to ban Russia from competing, the event shone in Rio and ParalympicsGB raised the bar again 

Women’s marathon T54 gold medallist Zou Lihong of China is flanked by silver medallist Tatyana 

McFadden, left and bronze winner Amanda McGrory, right, both of the United States, in Rio. 

Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters 

It was hard not to feel uneasy when the president of the International Paralympic Committee stood in 

front of the press a fortnight before the start of the Paralympic Games and warned that an 

unprecedented funding crisis had left the movement facing the most challenging circumstances in its 

56-year history. Sir Philip Craven was not being flippant. There were concerns over low ticket sales, 

accommodation for athletes, transport, cuts to venues and media facilities, and above all a gnawing 

fear that we were about to witness a major setback in the development of disability sport in Rio, four 

years after the advances that were made in London. 

Rio 2016: amid the politics Olympics were a 

kaleidoscopic fortnight of sport | Andy Bull 

Read more 

Those misgivings were far from unfounded, bearing in mind that only 200,000 tickets – just 12% of 

the Games’ capacity – had been sold with two weeks to go. Pessimists envisaged a repeat of Atlanta 

1996, when events took place in front of rows of empty seats, fretting about the impact a poor 

response from the public might have on the next generation of Paralympians. 

By the time the closing ceremony began at the Maracanã, however, it was tempting to wonder what all 

the fuss was about. Although it was impossible to miss the uncertainty upon arrival in Rio, a mood of

pride and celebration soon replaced the tension as it became clear the locals were on board, tempted 

by affordable tickets and a concerted publicity drive by the organisers. Imagine the IPC’s joy and 

relief when a sellout crowd of 167,675 flocked to the Olympic Park on the first Saturday, beating the 

attendance of 157,000 on the busiest day of the Olympics. More than two million tickets were sold in 

the end, making Rio 2016 the second most attended Paralympics in history. 

Perhaps it was not a surprise to see the IPC salvage the situation given that the body, responding with 

the decisiveness sorely missing from its Olympic counterparts, had already demonstrated its resolve 

by banning Russia from the Games because of evidence of state-sponsored doping. The IPC stayed 

firm despite an appeal from the Russian Paralympic Committee, although there was a show of mutiny 

from Belarus at the opening ceremony when Andrei Fomochkin, a Belarusian sports ministry official, 

smuggled a Russian flag past security and waved it during the parade of athletes. 

Kadeena Cox celebrates taking gold in the C4-5 500m time trial final. Photograph: Andrew 

Matthews/PA 

While Russia were banished, it was a Games to savour for ParalympicsGB. UK Sport set a 264- 

strong squad the task of beating their tally of 120 medals in London and Mission 121 was completed 

with two days to go. Britain finished second behind China in the medals table after winning 147, 

while Dame Sarah Storey became the most successful British Paralympian of all time with her 14th 

gold, Kadeena Cox became the first British Paralympian to top the podium in two different sports 

since 1984, Jonnie Peacock lost and found his lucky charms after defending his T11 100m title and 

Ellie Simmonds became the first SM6 swimmer to race below three minutes in the 200m medley. 

David Weir’s struggles on his farewell to track racing were the only disappointment, but the veteran 

wheelchair racer hardly had a bad career. 

Perhaps I am remembering it through rose-tinted glasses, but my memory of the short journey from my 

hotel to the main park is of smiling volunteers noisily greeting fans who were wearing yellow shirts 

and waving Brazilian flags, creating a wonderful, welcoming atmosphere, full of colour and 

positive energy. 

Imagine the IPC’s joy and relief when a sellout crowd of 167,674 flocked to the Olympic Park 

on the first Saturday. 

There were imperfections. The Olympic Stadium was an unpopular destination, remote and difficult 

to reach, lowering the sense of occasion during the athletics sessions. The atmosphere at the venue 

was often flat, even for the most attractive events.

That was a minor gripe, however, and it was possible to find a wall of noise elsewhere. Packed 

crowds and brilliant acoustics meant that it was often difficult to hear yourself think at the Aquatics 

Centre and the Velodrome, while the atmosphere inside Pavilion 3 at Rio Centro was raucous and 

intimidating when ParalympicsGB’s Will Bayley faced Brazil’s Israel Pereira Stroh in the final of the 

men’s class 7 table tennis. A feisty match ended with Bayley, who was born with a rare congenital 

disorder that affected all his limbs and diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma at the age of seven, 

climbed on the table to soak up the acclaim after winning his first gold. 

Will Bayley takes to the table to celebrate his gold medal in the class 7 table tennis. He received a 

yellow card from the judge, but hugged him in response. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA 

It is easy to become unintentionally condescending towards Paralympians. It is understandable that 

some of them feel as though they are being patted on the head when they are called brave or fighters. 

Yet Bayley was someone who had repeatedly been written off. It was a triumph of resilience. 

There were moments which brought home the challenges that face Paralympians, none more so than 

when Marieke Vervoort, a Belgian wheelchair racer, gave a press conference in response to reports 

she was planning to kill herself after the Games. But Vervoort explained that signing euthanasia 

papers has allowed her to cope with the relentless pain of living with an incurable and degenerative 

spinal condition. 

Sadly this was the first Games to see a Paralympic athlete die in competition. Bahman Golbarnezhad, 

an Iranian cyclist, lost his life on the penultimate day after a crash in the men’s C4/C5 road race. 

I prefer to think of Vervoort’s message as she showed us her silver medal. “Believe you can!” she 

shouted. “Yes, you can!” Her motto encapsulated the Paralympic spirit. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/27/rio-2016-paralympicsipc-russia-team-gb 



Sport - Football 

Liverpool v Man City threatens to live up to the hype [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Interactive World’s top 100 footballers 2016: Ronaldo reclaims No1 spot [Thu, 


David Squires on … 2016 from Allardyce to Vardy [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Scottish roundup Celtic see off Ross County but Rangers draw before Old 

Firm derby [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Mkhitaryan takes breath away with sublime moment [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Middlesbrough Club close in on £6.5m signing of Aston Villa’s Gestede [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

Chelsea Atalanta reject £21m offer for midfielder Kessié [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Sunderland Pickford set for lengthy spell on sidelines in major blow to 

Moyes [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Bradley had to go but blame lies in the Swansea boardroom [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 



Liverpool 

Sportblog 

Liverpool v Manchester City: a game that 

threatens to live up to the hype 

Two of the Premier League’s highest scorers meet at Anfield on New Year’s Eve. It promises to be an 

explosive encounter in a tightly fought title contest 

Roberto Firmino is congratulated by Adam Lallana and other team-mates after scoring Liverpool’s 

second goal in their 4-1 win against Stoke City on Tuesday. Photograph: John Powell/Getty Images 

One can only imagine how many dustbins have been kicked and desks banged by Sky Sports’ 

department for hyperbole as they come to terms with not having the rights to show the New Year’s 

Eve game between Liverpool and Manchester City. After Red Monday and Mersey Monday this 

could have been Shit-hot Saturday. Instead BT Sport is broadcasting it and no doubt banking on a 

sizeable number of people tuning in before heading out to celebrate the arrival of a new year. 

Daniel Sturridge happy with Liverpool support 

role as he nears full fitness 

Read more 

The appeal is obvious. Second against third and a game between two sides who exist almost 

permanently on the front foot. They are the Premier League’s highest and joint second-highest scorers 

this season with 84 league goals between them and, if their most recent matches are anything to go by, 

in no mood to slow down. In this era of super managers it is also difficult not to be seduced by 

everything that comes with Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola sharing a touchline for the first time 

since they were Bundesliga adversaries. The pair are, to use that well-worn cliche, box office. 

Guardiola was at Anfield on Tuesday night to see Liverpool beat Stoke City 4-1 and from his seat in 

the main stand he may well have felt a sense of trepidation as the home side delivered a performance

imming with the attacking verve that has marked them out as genuine title-challengers. Yet the 

Catalan may also have taken encouragement from the manner in which Stoke opened the scoring after 

12 minutes, with Jonathan Walters’ near-post header exposing the frailties which, for all Liverpool’s 

defensive improvements under Klopp, continue to undermine them. Uncertainty in the area and – you 

guessed it – a goalkeeping error. 

Overall Liverpool defended well against Stoke but Sergio Agüero, available for Saturday’s encounter 

having served a four-game suspension, will fancy his chances of piercing the backline, as no doubt 

will Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, the rejuvenated Yaya Touré and the returning Raheem Sterling. 

But so, too, will Liverpool’s own attackers, partly because City have their own defensive issues and 

partly because they themselves are in such fine form. The win against Stoke took them to 45 Premier 

League goals for the season, six more than City from the same number of games played. The 

Merseyside club have also scored four or more goals at Anfield on four occasions and created 

enough opportunities against Stoke to surpass the 6-1 spanking they handed out to Watford in early 

November. 

In a little over 14 months in charge Klopp has formed an outstandingly menacing unit, full of 

relentless and clever movement. Indeed it is telling that Daniel Sturridge, who alongside Luis Suárez 

was so crucial to Liverpool’s last title charge, in 2013-14, had to wait until the 70th minute of 

Tuesday’s match to score his first league goal of the season. His barren spell has gone relatively 

unnoticed as Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and others in red have run riot. 

Yaya Touré, right, celebrates with David Silva after scoring in Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over 

Hull City on Boxing Day Photograph: Matt McNulty/JMP/Rex/Shutterstock 

Liverpool will attack City, City will attack Liverpool, both defences will concede and the noise will 

be close to deafening. Cue, the sceptics will say, a drab goalless draw and that cannot be ruled out 

given these sides will be playing their 22nd and 28th matches of the season respectively, with both 

doing most of the passing, most of the pressing and most of the running in those encounters. Tiredness 

may well kick in and in that regard it was notable how sluggish City looked before scoring three 

times late on in their 3-0 win at Hull on Boxing Day. Ultimately, however, they got the job done to 

make it three successive wins for a side who appeared to be slipping into full-crisis mode when they 

lost 4-2 amid a shower of shambolic defending at Leicester on 10 December. 

That fightback has been matched by Liverpool following their own troubling spell earlier in the 

month, when they lost 4-3 at Bournemouth and drew 2-2 with West Ham United in the space of seven 

days. Since then Klopp’s men have breezed past Middlesbrough, won the Merseyside derby in 

deserved and dramatic style and, on Tuesday, recovered handsomely from an early setback. Now

comes arguably their toughest challenge of the season and a game both sides need to win, given that 

Chelsea seem almost certain to beat Stoke earlier in the day and, for a couple of hours at least, go 

nine points clear at the top. Neither Klopp nor Guardiola will want a draw and neither, it can safely 

be assumed, will be going out to get one. 

Nothing is certain in football but Liverpool v Manchester City under the Anfield lights should deliver 

fireworks on a day when skies across the world will be littered with them. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/dec/28/liverpool-vmanchester-city-new-years-eve-lallana-firmino 



Football 

World’s top 100 footballers 2016 

The 100 best footballers in the world 2016 – 

interactive 

Our panel of 124 experts from 45 nations compiled a list of the greatest male players on the planet. 

Click on an individual to read more about their year 

• Barney Ronay: Ronaldo back on top 

• How our judges voted: the complete statistics 

• The full list of judges and top 100 rules 

• Our 2015 list of the world’s top 100 

Tuesday 20 December 2016 10.00 GMT Last modified on Friday 23 December 2016 10.34 GMT 





View all comments > 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2016/dec/20/the- 

100-best-footballers-in-the-world-2016-interactive 



Football 

David Squires on … 

David Squires on … football in 2016 

From Jamie Vardy’s triumph to Big Sam’s setback, our resident cartoonist reviews a year to savour 

for Welsh Leicester City fans. You can find David’s archive of cartoons here and he’s also got a book 

out. Order it here 

David Squires on … football at Christmas 

David Squires on … football in 2016. Illustration: David Squires for the Guardian 

David Squires 


12.16 GMT 

View all comments >

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2016/dec/28/davidsquires-on-football-in-2016 



Scottish Premiership 

Celtic ease past Ross County but Rangers draw 

before Old Firm meeting 

• Champions win 2-0 at Celtic Park to build 16-point lead over Rangers 

• Inverness stay bottom with 2-1 home defeat by Motherwell 

Stuart Armstrong, right, celebrates scoring Celtic’s second goal against Ross County with Leigh 

Griffiths. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA 



00.35 GMT 

Celtic maintained their cruise towards a 48th top-flight title with a 2-0 defeat of Ross County while 

Rangers, who will host the Old Firm derby on New Year’s Eve, struggled to break down St 

Johnstone in a 1-1 draw. 

Inverness stayed bottom of the table after a 2-1 defeat by Motherwell while Partick Thistle beat 

Dundee 2-0. 

Erik Sviatchenko opened the scoring at Celtic Park seven minutes before half-time with a long-range 

effort, the centre-half’s first goal of the season, that Scott Fox in the Ross County goal should have 

dealt with. 

Stuart Armstrong doubled the lead just before the interval with his eighth goal of the season after a 

twisting burst into the penalty area. 

The champions took their foot off the pedal in the second half with the Rangers game in three days’ 

time. Martin Woods almost grabbed one back for the visitors close to full-time but Craig Gordon 

saved well and then denied Andrew Davies. 

Moussa Dembélé came on after the hour for Leigh Griffiths and the big question before the 31

December derby is which of the two Brendan Rodgers will pick up front for the big game. 

“We aim to go there and win. We want to win every game and that’s the attitude for the weekend,” 

said Rodgers. 

“It’ll be a battle, a tough game. There’s huge pressure on them to get the result at home.” 

Celtic have 55 points from 19 games with Rangers second, on 39. 

In an entertaining first half at McDiarmid Park, when neither defence convinced, Rangers took the 

lead after a concerted period of pressure. Joe Garner’s shot was blocked and Barrie McKay 

followed up to score. 

But they held the lead for only five minutes before a poor back pass by Rob Kiernan was intercepted 

by the home side’s Steve Maclean, who made the most of his gilt-edged chance. 

Rangers, who lost 5-1 to Celtic in the Premiership in September, changed formation in the second half 

but to no avail. The defender Clint Hill seemed to be hobbling when he was substituted, which will 

be a worry for Mark Warburton before Saturday. 

Warburton said he was disappointed with dropping two points. “We should have gone in [at halftime] 

one or two up. I didn’t think we were threatened in the second half but we’ve got to test the 

keeper more.” 

Partick Thistle eased into a two-goal lead against Dundee before half-time thanks to goals from 

Callum Booth, directly from a free-kick, and Kris Doolan, who struck shortly before the break. Chris 

Erskine’s shot was saved by Scott Bain and the striker was on hand to score from an acute angle. 

Dundee had been 2-0 down in their previous game against Hearts and came back to win 3-2 at home 

but there seemed few signs of a similar escape. 

Inverness should have gone into half-time ahead after a period of dominance but Craig Clay gave 

Motherwell the lead with a swirling strike from 25 yards – his first goal for the club – that left Fon 

Williams, the home goalkeeper, stranded. 

Both teams struggled to put searching moves together in the strong wind in the second period. 

Scott McDonald added a second three minutes from time when he was set up by his strike partner 

Louis Moult after a breakaway. 

But Inverness, who have not won at home since September, struck back after a wind-affected corner 

when Tansey bundled the ball home. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/celtic-ross-countyrangers-st-johnstone-scottish-premiership




Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan 

takes breath away with sublime moment 

The Armenian midfielder produced a moment of pure magic with his spectacular back-heel volley 

finish against Sunderland at Old Trafford 

A cartwheeling Henrikh Mkhitaryan scores Manchester United’s third goal against Sunderland. 

Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty Images 

Life is sustained not just by what it is but by what it might be; if we weren’t continually hoping for 

better, how could we carry on? And the tease works just as well when watching sport, a generally 

disappointing activity that costs time, money, energy and patience. We keep coming back, though, 

mainly because that’s what we do, but also because it gives us a shot at seeing the most incredible 

earthly event on any given day. Your sunrises, your sunsets and your newborns are all very nice, but at 

its best, sport is the best, and yesterday that meant your Henrikh Mkhitaryans. 

A particular joy of football is the infinite number of ways there are to get the spherical thing into the 

rectangular thing. Even so, most brilliant goals are riffs on eternal themes, but every so often we get a 

Roberto Carlos against France or a Ronaldinho against Chelsea , recalibrating reality to remind us 

that we haven’t seen it all. 

Controversy in Armenia as Henrikh 

Mkhitaryan is omitted from Top 10 list 

Read more 

And it reflects not just skill but character. After joining Manchester United in the summer, Mkhitaryan 

began the season as a substitute, a move which seemed to reflect little more than United’s 

comparative strength in wide attackers – and away to Hull City, he still catalysed an onslaught that 

brought an injury-time winner.

Next came the Manchester derby, a match which Mkhitaryan started though he’d picked up a knock 

playing for Armenia while, on the opposite wing, Jesse Lingard, returned after a month out. 

Remarkably, both were off the pace, subbed and criticised afterwards; curiously, José Mourinho was 

less loquacious in explaining how either were meant to get the ball given the midfield mismatch that 

was Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba against Fernandinho, Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva as 

City won the match 2-1. But the blame was set. Lingard vanished for two weeks and Mkhitaryan for 

two months, deemed ill-prepared for the harum-scarum of the English game. 

This is not unusual, there was just little reason to expect it in this instance. Mkhitaryan grew up in 

Armenia, played for two teams in Donetsk, and then moved to Borussia Dortmund; we can probably 

assume that he has a solid grasp of cold, rain and grime. Moreover, he arrived at the top of his game 

and in his physical prime, which made Hull look a more telling cameo than City. 

While he acclimatised, United floundered, dominating some games, disappearing in others, and 

struggling to score in nearly all of them. Apparently, a man directly involved in 49 goals the previous 

season had nothing to offer against Stoke City and Burnley, omitted in favour of Memphis Depay. Or, 

put another way, Mourinho’s policy of antidisestablishmkhitaryanism didn’t sit right, reminiscent of 

earlier problems with Arjen Robben, De Bruyne and Eden Hazard. 

Then, at the start of November, Mkhitaryan appeared off the bench away to Fenerbahce, but despite 

the uniform awfulness of United’s performance, he was left out of the next two games, by which time 

he had played just 134 minutes of a possible 1,710. For a man who arrived as the Bundesliga player 

of the year, the frustration of peak months wasted cannot have been easy to take. 

Eventually, though, Mourinho was convinced – coincidentally, at a time when he had run out of 

alternatives and was desperate for a win. So Mkhitaryan started at home to Feyenoord and was 

superb; it was almost as though he could have made a difference all along, not that Mourinho had 

calculated precisely the right moment to unleash him. 

Still, he was left on the bench for United’s home Premier League draw with West Ham, returning to 

the starting XI for the EFL Cup tie against the same opposition. It took him all of two minutes to 

backheel Zlatan Ibrahimovic through for the opening goal in a 4-1 victory, and then, after a patchy but 

largely impressive display against Everton, he saw off Zorya in the Europa League and Tottenham 

with a pair of dazzling finishes, before getting injured again. 

Returning against Sunderland, Mkhitaryan was introduced after an hour and almost immediately, 

broke with the ball in the inside-right position. Allowing it across his body as he moved towards 

goal, at the very last second and when it no longer looked possible, suddenly it was gliding back the 

other way to put Ibrahimovic in; this time, he missed. The pass, though, with its delay and disguise, 

encapsulated Mkhitaryan. 

So it was that with four minutes to go, Ibrahimovic pulled on to the right wing and Mkhitaryan bustled 

into the middle. Uncharacteristically, he was ahead of the play as the cross came in – “offside”, some 

have said – but before the ball arrived, he somehow decided what to do, adjusted his feet, inclined 

his body and dived forwards as it passed behind him, flinging a leg over his back to place a finish 

into the far corner with the outside of his right heel! It is hard enough to describe, never mind execute.

In England, the moment of celebration is different to elsewhere, the squeak of “Yes!” not as primal, 

guttural and full as the roar of “Gol!” But presented with something it had never seen before, Old 

Trafford produced something closer to the latter, a collective “Ohhhhh!” of belief and disbelief, of 

ecstasy and community. It was the sound of a better life. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/henrikh-mkhitaryanmanchester-united-premier-league 



Middlesbrough 

Middlesbrough close in on £6.5m signing of 

Aston Villa’s Rudy Gestede 

• Benin striker set to reject West Brom and Crystal Palace interest 

• Villa could move for Boro’s Jordan Rhodes as replacement 

Rudy Gestede has started only eight Championship matches for Villa this season. Photograph: Neville 

Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images 

Middlesbrough are closing in on the signing of the Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede, with Aitor 

Karanka’s side expected to pay around £6.5m to secure the Benin international. 



Read more 



Read more 

Gestede, who scored five times in the Premier League last season, has caught the attention of several 

Premier League sides despite starting only eight Championship matches for Villa this season. Crystal 

Palace and West Bromwich Albion, as well as Newcastle United, were also interested in signing the 

former Blackburn striker but it appears Middlesbrough have won the race after convincing the 28- 

year-old to move to the north-east.

Gestede was in the crowd at the Riverside Stadium for Boro’s 3-0 defeat by Liverpool and is 

expected to sign a three-year contract with the club. 

His departure could lead to the Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes heading the other way, with Villa’s 

manager, Steve Bruce, interested in signing the player purchased from Blackburn last year. 

Newcastle may now turn their attention to Brentford’s Scott Hogan, with Palace and Swansea both 

prepared to pay £15m for Newcastle’s Serbia striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/middlesbrough-rudygestede-aston-villa 



Chelsea 

Chelsea’s £21m offer for midfielder Franck 

Kessié rejected by Atalanta 

• Ivory Coast international valued at £34m by his club 

• Agent claims interest of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal 

Franck Kessié has scored six goals in 16 appearances for Atalanta this season. Photograph: Tiziana 

Fabi/AFP/Getty Images 

Atalanta have rejected a €25m offer from Chelsea for Franck Kessié, with the Ivorian midfielder’s 

agent claiming there is also interest from several other Premier League sides including Liverpool, 

Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal. 

Kessié, who spent last season on loan at Cesena, has been in outstanding form as Atalanta have risen 

up to sixth place in Serie A after 18 games. The 20-year-old has scored six goals in 16 appearances, 

leading to comparisons with a compatriot, Yaya Touré. 

David Squires on … football in 2016 

Read more 

Kessié has been be selected in the provisional Ivory Coast squad for the African Nations Cup this 

week having become a regular in Michel Dussuyer’s side in recent months. A proposed move to 

Sunderland in August broke down after he was denied a work permit but his new status as a regular 

international and one of the highest-rated young midfielders in Italy should mean that is no longer an 

obstacle to any move to England. 

Chelsea are keen to find a replacement for the Brazil international Oscar, who completed his move to 

Chinese Super league side Shanghai SIPG for £52m this week. However, Kessié’s agent George 

Atangana has confirmed that their initial bid was rejected by Atalanta, who are thought to value their 

prized asset at around €40m (£34m).

“We have a lot of interest from the Premier League – Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, 

Manchester City and Arsenal,” he told Guardian sport. “I cannot say at this stage how much he will 

cost but we are talking about one of the best young players in the world. But for us the most important 

thing is that the technical project is the right one for him. Franck is very young so we have to be very 

careful about his development. 

“Chelsea are very interested and it is a great club but we must take our time to consider all the 

options,” Atangana, who will meet Stamford Bridge officials in London next week, added. “Now we 

are in January so he has to play at the African Cup of Nations for Ivory Coast so I am not going to 

rush anything.” 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/franck-kessiechelsea-bid-rejected 



Sunderland 

Jordan Pickford set for lengthy spell on 

sidelines in major blow to Sunderland 

• Goalkeeper suffered knee injury in Sunderland’s defeat by Manchester United 

• Pickford may require surgery and could spent three months on the sidelines 

Jordan Pickford, left, suffered a knee injury in Sunderland’s Boxing Day defeat at Manchester United, 

who were among the clubs reportedly interested in the goalkeeper. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters 

Louise Taylor 


16.47 GMT 

Sunderland’s hopes of avoiding relegation appear to have been dealt a significant blow after the 

goalkeeper Jordan Pickford sustained a serious looking knee injury during the team’s Boxing Day 

defeat at Manchester United. 

Pickford’s precise prognosis will be confirmed by a specialist but initial assessments from 

Sunderland’s medical staff indicate the England Under-21 goalkeeper, who has undergone scans, 

could be sidelined for at least three months. 

It remains unclear whether the 22-year-old will require surgery but David Moyes will be alarmed at 

losing a player who has been in outstanding form for the struggling side this season. 

David Moyes may not have taken Sunderland 

job if he had known cash woes 

Read more

Pickford is likely to be replaced by his understudy, Vito Mannone, at Burnley on New Year’s Eve and 

at home to Liverpool on Monday but his injury may disappoint Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and 

Manchester United. They have all been watching Sunderland’s young goalkeeper and may have been 

prepared to bid for him during the January transfer window. 

Although Pickford – who took over from Mannone in August after the Italian fractured an elbow – is 

contracted to Sunderland until 2020, Moyes was believed to be open to selling him in January, 

providing he could be loaned back to them for the remainder of the season. 

With Sunderland £140m in debt and their £73m wage bill leaving them perilously close to breaching 

Premier League wage cap rules, Moyes will need to sell before he can buy next month and there is 

little doubt the squad needs strengthening. 

A spate of injuries – the majority affecting knees – have not helped his cause. Duncan Watmore and 

Paddy McNair are already ruled out until next season while Jan Kirchhoff, Lee Cattermole and 

Lynden Gooch will not return until mid-March at the very earliest. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/jordan-pickford-kneeinjury-sunderland 



Swansea City 

Sportblog 

Bob Bradley had to go but blame for Swansea’s 

plight lies in the boardroom 

Stuart James 

The manager’s position had become untenable but the chairman, Huw Jenkins, has presided over a 

number of poor decisions, both managerially and in the transfer market, as Swansea have lurched 

from one crisis to another 

Swansea picked up only eight points from Bob Bradley’s 11 matches in charge. Photograph: Michael 

Steele/Getty Images 

It was just gone 7pm on Boxing Day and a small group of reporters were walking away from the 

Liberty Stadium when a Swansea City supporter approached. “Has he gone yet, boys?” asked the fan, 

smiling in a way that made it clear it would be viewed as good news if there was confirmation that 

Bob Bradley was clearing his desk. 

That moment arrived 24 hours later, when Swansea announced that the first American to manage in 

the Premier League had been sacked after less than three months in charge. Bradley won only two out 

of 11 games, picked up just eight points, conceded 29 goals, shipped three or more on eight 

occasions, made a total of 33 team changes after starting his reign with a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal and 

fielded six different back-four combinations. 

Bob Bradley sacked as Swansea City manager 

after only 11 games in charge 

Read more 

Quite a set of numbers, all in all, and it is fair to say that by the end of the drubbing at the hands of 

West Ham United on Boxing Day, during which a significant number of Swansea supporters chanted

“we want Bradley out”, the former USA coach was none the wiser as to what was the best starting XI 

to select from the woefully ill-equipped squad that he inherited. 

Swansea’s American owners, Stephen Kaplan and Jason Levien, had been determined to stand by 

their man and give Bradley a chance to bring in a few players of his own in January. Yet the West 

Ham match shredded those plans. The performance was abject and the atmosphere inside the Liberty 

Stadium poisonous. Swansea had been well beaten for the third successive game and Bradley had 

reached the point of no return. 

His position was untenable and there is no escaping the fact that results were awful under his watch, 

yet anybody conducting a wider inquest into where everything has gone wrong at Swansea, in 

particular the question as to how a model club have turned into such a mess in the space of a season 

and a half, would not spend too long going through Bradley’s 85 days as manager. 

Instead the spotlight is likely to shine an unfavourable light on the people running the club, especially 

the chairman, Huw Jenkins, who was as influential as anybody in the rags-to-riches story behind 

Swansea’s rise from the depths of the Football League to the top flight. Once the man who could do 

no wrong, Jenkins has presided over a number of desperately poor decisions in recent times, both 

managerially and in the transfer market, and the result is that Swansea have lurched from one crisis to 

another. 

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the club’s decline is the speed with which everything has 

unravelled. In May last year Swansea finished eighth in the Premier League with a club-record points 

total. Their attractive and distinctive playing style – “The Swansea Way” – was deeply ingrained and 

integral to their success. Garry Monk, a bright, young, homegrown manager was in charge of the team, 

supporter representation on the board won admirers, and the club operated in the black. Swansea, in 

short, provided a blueprint for many to follow. Fast-forward 19 months and they have become just 

another Premier League club. 

Monk lost his job last December after a bad run of results and it will not have escaped the attention of 

many Swansea supporters that while they were being thumped 4-1 by West Ham this Boxing Day, 

their former manager was overseeing a victory at Preston by the same scoreline for his promotionchasing 

Leeds United side. 

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision to sack Monk, the bottom line is that so much of what 

Swansea have done since has made little sense, arguably no more so than when Jenkins announced in 

May that he was giving Francesco Guidolin a permanent contract to continue as manager. It was a 

decision that stunned people within the club, never mind outside, and meant that Swansea missed a 

crucial opportunity to rebuild. 

Guidolin had been appointed in January on a short-term basis after a protracted search for Monk’s 

replacement initially ended with Alan Curtis, the highly respected and long-serving first-team coach, 

being given the job until the end of the season. Curtis, however, was asked to stand aside 11 days 

after being handed the reins to make way for the Italian. Swansea ended up finishing 12th, on the face 

of it vindicating the decision to bring in Guidolin, yet there was little appetite among staff and players 

for him – a likeable man but uninspiring coach – to stay on as manager.

Jenkins would have known that was the case – the chairman has his ear to the ground and canvasses 

opinion from time to time to gauge the mood – yet he still opted to give Guidolin the job. Five months 

later came the predictable news that Guidolin had become the first Premier League managerial 

casualty of the season. 

By that point, though, it was clear that Swansea’s problems ran much deeper than their flawed choice 

of manager. Some poor dealings in the transfer market over the course of the past three windows left 

the squad looking painfully short of quality, with the ins and outs in the summer compounding the 

errors that had been made before and raising serious questions about the recruitment strategy headed 

up by David Leadbeater and ultimately overseen by Jenkins. 

If there was one key error of judgment, though, it was the failure to re-sign Joe Allen from 

Liverpool 

One of the more bizarre issues that has come to light in recent years and prompted a level of 

bemusement among some working at the club, including managers, is the frequency with which 

Swansea scouts turn up for Swansea matches. It is a curious practice to say the least. 

Kaplan and Levien soon realised that the process of identifying players needed to drastically change 

and take on a much more analytical approach, yet in terms of what happened in the summer, the 

damage was done. Ashley Williams, the captain, and André Ayew, last season’s top scorer, were sold 

without being adequately replaced, so much so that players such as Jordi Amat, who would have been 

on the fringe under previous regimes, were thrust into the role of being regular starters. 

A club-record £15.5m was spent on Borja Bastón, who has scored only once since joining from 

Atlético Madrid and looks set to follow in the footsteps of Éder and Alberto Paloschi, two strikers 

who were brought in from overseas in the last 18 months and failed to make any sort of impact. 

Other decisions have been odd. Nathan Dyer was farmed out on loan to Leicester at the start of last 

season because he was deemed surplus to requirements, returned after failing to make one Premier 

League start for the champions and was rewarded with a new four-year contract. 

If there was one key error of judgment, though, it was the failure to re-sign Joe Allen from Liverpool. 

Allen was available and everything seemed to be set up for the Welshman to return to the club, yet 

Swansea dragged their heels over the finances and Stoke jumped in to take a midfielder whose ability 

and character would have been invaluable at the Liberty Stadium this season. 

During that period Swansea were undergoing a change of ownership that earned Jenkins and several 

other board members millions from selling shares and at the same time, prompted accusations from 

some supporters that those directors had taken their eye off the ball and put their own interests before 

those of the club. 

West Ham’s Andy Carroll twists knife into Bob 

Bradley and Swansea

Read more 

Jenkins, who has supported Swansea for more than 50 years and continues to run the club on a day-today 

basis, would no doubt deny that was the case. He did, however, concede prior to the win over 

Crystal Palace last month that mistakes were made in the close season. “I will be the first to admit 

that there are a number of things I personally could have dealt with differently in the summer which 

may have helped us to start the season in a far more upbeat and positive way,” Jenkins wrote in his 

programme column. 

Either way, the focus for Swansea now has to be forward rather than back. All eyes are on the 

managerial search and the long list of candidates, including Ryan Giggs, Roy Hodgson, Chris 

Coleman, Gary Rowett, Paul Clement and Alan Pardew. Yet anybody who has watched Swansea on a 

regular basis this season will know that the players need to be changed as much as the manager if the 

club are to have any hope of avoiding relegation, and therein lies the huge challenge facing Jenkins 

and Swansea’s American owners. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/dec/28/bob-bradleyswansea-chairman-huw-jenkins 



Sport - Regulars 

Quiz! Quiz! Quiz! How much do you know about the game in the 1970s? [Thu, 29 

Dec 09:26] 

The Breakdown Picking the best of 2016 in rugby union [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The Rumour Mill Is Jermain Defoe heading back to West Ham? [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The gifs that keep on giving Santa, dancing, eating and sitting down [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

David Squires on … Football at Christmas [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The gifs that keep on giving Featuring Messi, Rush and dancing cricketers 


Classic YouTube The arras, a Walter Swinburn tribute and a non-league 

dust-up [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The Joy of Six Unsung sporting heroes of the year [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 



Football 

Football quiz: the 1970s 

The first of a series of quizzes tracing footballing decades from the 70s to now. Long hair, flares and 

groovy cheesy disco music dominated away from the stadiums but how much do you know about this 

period on the pitch? 

Football quiz: the 1980s 

Kevin Keegan makes his Liverpool debut on 14 August 1971. Photograph: Liverpool FC/Liverpool 

FC via Getty Images 

Gregg Bakowski 

Tuesday 27 December 2016 09.56 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 December 2016 

11.21 GMT 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/27/football-quiz-the- 

1970s 



Rugby union 

The Breakdown 

The Breakdown’s best of 2016 in rugby union 

Who takes the awards in a year when Eddie Jones revived England, Ireland beat the All Blacks and 

Beauden Barrett filled New Zealand’s Dan Carter void? 

England celebrate in the dressing room at Twickenham after beating Australia – a team Eddie Jones’s 

side defeated four times in 2016. Photograph: David Rogers/The RFU Collection via Getty Ima 

Paul Rees 

Thursday 22 December 2016 11.26 GMT Last modified on Thursday 22 December 2016 11.54 GMT 

That was the year that was 

And so 2016 nears its end, the year of England’s revival, Ireland’s victory over the All Blacks, 

Saracens’ domination of Europe and Cinderella Connacht, who had a ball in the Pro12. It was also 

the year when the authorities tried to find space on the pitch by telling referees to flourish yellow and 

red cards like an overzealous traffic warden slapping tickets on parked cars.

Conor Murray: ‘You can usually process death. 

But I feel Axel should be here’ 

Read more 

The next two years will tell how far money, in the form of the euro, yen and pound, is bellowing 

rather than talking, asset stripping South Africa and Australia and forcing New Zealand to increase its 

wage bill by more than half. 

For much of the professional era, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia have occupied the top 

three positions of the world rankings, winning seven of the eight World Cups between them, but while 

the All Blacks end the year still on top, England have moved into second place and a strong Six 

Nations will ensure Ireland dislodge Australia from third. 

It is against this backdrop that the debate over the international fixture schedule should be conducted, 

along with the issue of revenue sharing but it is typically partisan, which means there will be no 

meaningful change, despite the potential implications in the next decade. Self-serving administrators 

should beware of creating a vacuum to be filled by clubs with increasingly more money to spend. 

That is for tomorrow. In the last Breakdown of the year, it is the time to look back and hand out a few 

awards. 

Team of the year 

In terms of achievement, England stand out after going through the year undefeated. If the team to beat 

remains New Zealand, the team of 2016 is England, grand slam winners and four-times victors over 

the side who shoved them out of the World Cup, Australia. Under Eddie Jones, they have become 

smarter and more self-reliant. They still have a way to go but players such as Owen Farrell, the 

Vunipola brothers, George Kruis and Ben Youngs are looking top-drawer internationals, with George 

Ford, Maro Itoje, Jonathan Joseph and Joe Launchbury very close behind. And then there are James 

Haskell, Chris Robshaw, Dan Cole, Dylan Hartley and Mike Brown, veterans in comparison, who 

have developed new rules of engagement. England’s depth will worry the All Blacks. 

New Zealand rampaged through the Rugby Championship, making light of the loss of players such as 

Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, with more than 800 caps between them, but at a time when the All 

Blacks had broken the record for consecutive Test match victories for a tier-one nation and the word 

invincible was being mentioned, Ireland blew them away in the Windy City. 

A year ago, it was the northern hemisphere that was trying to locate its navel after a largely 

dismal World Cup 

There was a big gap between England, New Zealand and the rest. Australia may be third in the world 

rankings but they had a sobering year after reaching the 2015 World Cup final, beaten three times by

England and by New Zealand. The Wallabies have for more than 30 years belied union’s minority 

status in the country by consistently producing teams of high quality and providing innovative 

coaching but with money talking loudly in Europe and Japan the union there has had to spend more on 

the elite end of the game to try to retain players at the expense of the grassroots. 

There has been a drop in participation numbers in Australia and a number of former internationals 

have called for action to be taken immediately. South Africa are being similarly squeezed and the 

Springboks endured their least successful year, losing eight internationals, one in Italy, and suffering a 

record home defeat by the All Blacks. This week, Western Province went into provisional 

liquidation. 

A year ago, it was the northern hemisphere that was trying to locate its navel after a largely dismal 

World Cup, spectators after the quarter-final stage. Now England are second in the rankings behind 

New Zealand and Ireland have defeated the southern hemisphere’s big three in one year for the first 

time, having recorded their maiden victory over the All Blacks. 

France are playing more like France again rather than some England and South African hybrid and are 

at last trying to maximise the potential of both clubs and country, Scotland are stirring, needing to 

avoid going into hibernation again during the Six Nations, Argentina are fixated on Super Rugby and 

the Rugby Championship, Italy are at the start of the Conor O’Shea era while Wales are trying to find 

life after Warrenball, winning matches last month rather than admirers. 

Coach of the year 

Eddie Jones has been the most written about, ever-ready with a quip and a master of mind games. It 

is hard to look beyond him for the award, given the scale of England’s recovery, even if their best is 

still to come. He has enjoyed a commodity that deserted his predecessor, Stuart Lancaster, at crucial 

moments, luck, but he has made his experience count; uncomplicated and unfussy. He has playing 

resources envied by his rivals together with the financial muscle of the richest union in the world and 

is making them count. 

Another grand slam would result in England breaking New Zealand’s record of consecutive 

international victories but they go to Cardiff and end the championship in Dublin. The match against 

Ireland is being billed as a likely grand slam decider but this year is proof enough that it rarely pays 

to look too far ahead. 

Steve Hansen has piloted New Zealand with skill after the loss of so many players who played a 

major role in the 2011 and 2015 World Cup successes. In one sense, the defeat by Ireland was good 

for him because it gave him the opportunity to see how his newcomers would respond to the 

unfamiliar; he was not disappointed. The All Blacks have a team for the modern era, athletic, astute, 

aggressive and adroit. A star. 

Joe Schmidt enjoyed a strong second half to the year with Ireland, who at the start of the Six Nations 

looked to have come to a stop tactically. England and Ireland will carry the Lions’ banner in New 

Zealand, tactically as well as in terms of personnel. A fear of Warren Gatland will be the physical

and mental state of players whose season will stretch into an 11th month, coupled with scant 

preparation time but a few have already had some time off and the crackdown on tackles that have the 

potential to be dangerous should earn a few some weeks on the sidelines. 

Player of the year 

England have a few candidates for player of the year: Billy Vunipola, Farrell and Kruis. The latter’s 

contribution has been obscured by the fuss over Itoje but the second-row is the oil that keeps 

England’s engine ticking over, strong in the set pieces and the loose. He does not stand out but is 

outstanding. 

No one, though, has made more of an impact than the New Zealand outside-half Beauden Barrett. 

The question how New Zealand could follow Dan Carter has been emphatically answered with nine 

tries and a tidal wave of attacking rugby. Those teams struggling to adapt to the new order, not least 

Wales and Northampton, should note the positioning of Barrett at outside-half, standing flat and 

maximising opportunities. His default mode is not defensive. 

The hooker Dane Coles has also enjoyed a prominent 2016 and Ben Smith, a target for virtually every 

club in Europe with the money to spare, remains a reader of a game without compare. Ireland’s 

Robbie Henshaw and Conor Murray finished the year strongly, Facundo Isa made an impact at No8 

for Argentina, Liam Williams fizzed in a less than vintage Wales side, not least in New Zealand in the 

summer, and Australia’s Bernard Foley showed he can rival Barrett when his forward generate 

momentum. Barrett, though, epitomises the spirit of the age. 

New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett left his rivals in his wake during 2016. Photograph: Anthony Au- 

Yeung/Getty Images 

Club of the year 

The club of the year should be Saracens, Premiership and European champions who in 2016 only 

lost to one club, twice, when able to pick from a full squad. Their rise in recent seasons has helped 

Eddie Jones because they stand out in the English club scene, pursued by Wasps and Bath, with the 

rest some distance behind. Saracens may have assembled a squad of all the talents but as important to 

their success is the team spirit they have fostered, which makes the whole even greater than the sum of 

its parts.

But then there is Connacht, the Leicester City of rugby union, who under Pat Lam came from nowhere 

to win the Pro12. If they did not make the best of starts to this season, they have grown into it and are 

well set to qualify for the quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup for the first time. Lam, 

missed by his former club Northampton, is off to Bristol, which will not be the last stop on his 

coaching jersey. A joint award for two teams who do it their way. 

A lack of Christmas spirit 

This is the season of giving but when it involves two fingers it is hardly in the Christmas spirit. In the 

last week, Johan Goosen has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 24 to pursue 

consultative work and Denny Solomona has left Castleford, where he was under contract, and 

switched codes to join Sale after saying he had retired. 

Reports in France suggest that Goosen made his decision to get out of his contract with Racing 92 

early and, to avoid being bogged down by registration problems, move countries and join Gloucester. 

Castleford are taking Sale to court over Solomona, as well as the player himself and his agent, 

claiming the contract should hold even if he changes sports. 

The Rugby Football Union has not opposed Solomona’s move, saying it is a matter for the clubs 

involved to resolve as it relates to a player’s employment status in a different sport, but whether it 

would have the same view should the South Africa international Goosen sign for Gloucester would 

probably depend on what pressure, if any, the French Rugby Federation exerted on it. 

Would the RFU have the same hands-off approach should Owen Farrell announce in the weeks of the 

opening Six Nations international next February against France that he was retiring and a few hours 

later announce he was returning to rugby league? Or Eddie Jones pack it in and then be unveiled in the 

other code? Of course not but as rugby league does not have the money to attract a leading union 

player, or coach, it knows it is an academic question. 

As the governing body, it should be concerned about the integrity of the sport, which has been 

compromised by the Solomona affair. When rugby union was amateur, it suffered at the hands of 

league, in Wales especially, but players were then free to make the choice unencumbered by 

contractual obligations. The Solomona case is different and leaves rugby league clubs operating in a 

climate of uncertainty. 

There is no history of cooperation between the two codes, hardly surprising, given the draconian 

punishment dished out in the amateur era to union players who were contaminated in some way by 

league; even talking to a professional club was enough to get some stripped of their amateur status. 

It should be different now. The Rugby Football League chief executive, Nigel Wood, said he is 

worried about the implications for his game through up by the Solomona case, arguing that the sanctity 

of contracts needed to be respected, as would the head of a rugby union should be positions be 

reversed. 

Sale maintain it is a contractual issue, not a cross-code conflict but having signed a three-year

contract with Solomona have they given him licence to return to rugby league during that time without 

a transfer fee or compensation? 

The Goosen affair, should the stories in France linking him to Gloucester have substance, is different 

because he would not be changing sports but it would be equally as cynical. Were he to look to 

change clubs in the Top 14, and Montpellier, a refuge for South Africans, are said to be interested, he 

would have to sit idle for 18 months under league rules, which would not apply should be relocate to 

another country. 

So Goosen could not play for another club in France just as Castleford hold Solomona’s registration 

in rugby league but 21 years after embracing professionalism, union has not lost all trace of its 

amateur heritage. World Rugby tends to maintain a watching brief in disputes, leaving them to unions 

to sort out and only intervening as a last resort, as it did with Joe Marler during this year’s Six 

Nations, but a line needs to be established, and quickly. 

Castleford are right to take Solomona to court, where it may be decided that a player retiring is held 

to mean from all sport rather than the one he is employed in at the time and that the rugby league club 

is due compensation for the remaining period of his contract, which presumably Sale would end up 

paying. 

The implications are as great for union as they are for league. What is there to stop clubs making huge 

offers to players in New Zealand who are under contract there? Tell them to retire and await delivery 

of a handsome cheque, a recipe for anarchy that would threaten one of the sport’s precepts, that the 

international game has primacy. 

Test rugby is union’s financial driver but with South Africa in a state of collapse and Australia 

struggling financially, should New Zealand decline, a vacuum would be created that clubs would 

surely look to fill. Which is why the unions and the body they make up, World Rugby, should give 

themselves far more than a watching brief over the Solomona case. Their duty lies beyond their own 

domain. 

All that remains is to wish everyone the merriest of Christmases and, with a nod to those who like 

sampling the products of some of the game’s backers, a hoppy new year! 

• This is an extract taken from the Breakdown, the Guardian’s weekly rugby union email. To 

subscribe just visit this page and follow the instructions 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/22/the-breakdown-best-of- 

2016-rugby-union 



Football 

Rumour Mill 

Football transfer rumours: West Ham want 

Jermain Defoe back? 

Today’s fluff is halfway out the door 

Could Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe be returning to West Ham this January? Photograph: 

BPI/REX/Shutterstock 

This is it. We’re done. Over. Finished. The last one. No más, no más. After this the Mill will be 

packing our bags and leaving you to it. This is the absolute, definite, final Rumour Mill. Well, until 

next Wednesday, anyway. Even vaguely sentient transfer round-ups have to kick back, pour out a glass 

of ginger wine, chew on an ostrich steak and just let the fertile ground of footballing gossip breathe 

and lie fallow for a short while. 

The 100 best footballers in the world 2016 – 

interactive 

Read more 

Everybody loves Antoine Griezmann, it seems. And why not? He’s a loveable sort with a pleasant, 

son-in-law face but who’s really, really excellent at football. He’s a staple of the gossip pages but 

that won’t be for long if the managers of the Premier League have their way and snap him up. 

There’s a queue forming, with Pep Guardiola eyeing him up for a spot at Manchester City, while 

United are also casting their beady ones in his direction and, perhaps most 

interestingly/unrealistically, Arsenal are keen too. 

Griezmann is on their list should the Gooners lose one/both of Mesut Özil or Alexis Sánchez, along

with Marco Reus. Arsenal could be licking their transfer wounds after PSG supposedly agreed a 

deal for long-term target Julian Draxler, but you’d think that after being linked with him for so very 

long, even Arsenal would have got the German forward by now if they’d really wanted him. 

Here’s one: West Ham are apparently thinking about a £6million bid for Jermain Defoe, who the 

history buffs among you will recall used to play for them Hammers. Defoe is 34 and not exactly a 

long-term prospect, but desperate times and all that. Another option could be AC Milan forward 

Carlos Bacca, who they tried to sign in the summer, without success. 

And further in their hunt for a striker, West Ham are apparently in the scrum of clubs keen on Scott 

Hogan, banging them in for Brentford this season, with West Brom, Reading and Norwich weighing 

up whether to pay the apparent £15m price tag. Speaking of strikers, Liverpool are thinking of 

nabbing Gabriel Barbosa, given that he hasn’t settled at Inter. 

PSG are after Son Heung-min, it says here, which seems a little odd. One would think their 

ambitions are a little higher than a bloke who can’t get in the Spurs team, but there we go. Who are 

we to question these things? Should he leave, a candidate to replace him might be Max Meyer, who 

is not in fact a Bond villain who lives in a hot air balloon, but a Schalke winger. £30m, to you. 

Spurs are also duking it out with Chelsea for Marc Cucurella, an 18-year-old big-haired left-back in 

the Barcelona youth system. Chelsea might not need him mind: Antonio Conte has been impressed 

with Nathan Ake’s work on loan at Bournemouth, so those that know say. 

Will anyone stop Chelsea winning the league? – 

Football Weekly Extra 

Read more 

In further Chelsea news, they are keen on Monaco midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko, but so are 

Manchester United and folks, only one of them can have him. United will have a slot to fill in their 

midfield, because Morgan Schneiderlin is off. But to where? Is it West Brom or Everton? Nobody 

knows. But it’s probably Everton. And quite right too. 

Other bits and bobs doing the rounds include a number of clubs - specifically Celtic, Rangers and 

Aston Villa - weighing up a move for Barnsley midfielder Conor Hourihane, who is both excellent 

and out of contract in the summer. A heady combination. Brighton have enjoyed Glenn Murray’s 

work while on loan with them, so they’re well up for paying the £2m it would take for Bournemouth 

to release him for good. Stoke are looking to gazump Villa for Manchester United goalkeeper Sam 

Johnstone. And of course Crystal Palace are in need of a new manager, but we all know who that’s 

going to be. Happy Christmas everyone. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/23/football-transferrumours-west-ham-want-jermain-defoe-back



Sport 

The gifs that keep on giving 

The gifs that keep on giving: Santa, dancing, 

eating and sitting down 

Featuring a winger from the North Pole, a beautiful goal from Paris, a catch from beyond the 

boundary, a choreographed crowd and a man iceskating on his head 

Perfection 

The genius that is Tom Pages 

Safe hands 

Tipping the scales at the weigh-in 

Santa makes a dash up the wing 

The crowd light up 

Oh sit down, sit down next to me 

Two hit, two out 

Dancing off before the face off 

How hockey players train, apparently 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/24/gifs-keep-giving-santadancing-eating-sitting-down 



Football 

David Squires on … 

David Squires on … football at Christmas 

Our resident cartoonist busts out the Matchmakers in his festive look at the game. You can find 

David’s archive of cartoons here and he’s also got a book out. You might, possibly, be in need of a 

present. Order it here 

David Squires on … Pep Guardiola, tackling and Manchester City 

David Squires on … English football at Xmas. Illustration: David Squires for the Guardian 

David Squires 


View all comments >

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2016/dec/20/davidsquires-on-football-at-christmas 



Sport 

The gifs that keep on giving 

The gifs that keep on giving: Lionel Messi, Ian 

Rush and dancing cricketers 

Featuring a shot so good it went in twice, four fast feet, a tough tackle, mesmerising dribbling and 

Florent Malouda blasting a penalty over the bar 

Why cricket needs red cards 

Four pointer 

Perfect timing 

Life’s like that sometimes 

Grounded and dumbfounded 

Oh dear 

Shots fired 

Grace under pressure 

The rocky road less traveled 

Top order bowling 

The feelgood story of the winter 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/17/gifs-keep-on-givinglionel-messi-ian-rush-football-cricket 



Sport 

YouTube archive 

The arras, a Walter Swinburn tribute, an awful 

NFL pass and a non-league dust-up 

This week’s roundup also features concrete football in the French suburbs, 10 managers showing their 

skills and better days for London Welsh 

Fans celebrating during the 2016 PDC world championship final between Gary Anderson and Adrian 

Lewis. Photograph: Tom Jenkins the Guardian 


Thursday 15 December 2016 10.57 GMT Last modified on Thursday 15 December 2016 10.58 GMT 

1) Darts! Darts! Darts! It’s that time of year again … the PDC world championship begins on 

Thursday which is the perfect excuse to dig into the archive for a few gems. Here’s a look at all of the 

champions from 1994 to 2016, or how about the biggest shock in darts history … almost? And to 

really get you in the mood, here’s the 2015 final, in full – or, if you’re pushed for time, two minutes of 

darting perfection from Michael van Gerwen. 

2) There’s nothing quite like a good old non-league football dust-up. Take it away Newton Aycliffe 

and Morpeth Town. 

3) Walter Swinburn – a tribute. 

4) Call off the search. The undisputed worst pass in the history of American football has been found, 

and it’s right here. 

5) There was some sad news last week when London Welsh announced they would be going into 

liquidation. It is one of the country’s oldest and most storied clubs so to bring some cheer to 

supporters, here are some clips from headier days. Grainy footage of the Lions’ successful trip to 

New Zealand in 1971, when London Welsh provided seven players – more than any other side. And

here’s the 1985 John Player Cup final against Bath at Twickenham, in parts 1 and 2. 

6) A documentary on concrete football (Ballon sur bitume) in the French suburbs – where players 

such as Riyad Mahrez learned their game – has gained traction on the back of passion and nostalgia. If 

you have a spare hour, it’s well worth a watch. 

Highlights from last week’s blog 

1) Dorian Finney-Smith and the ‘wedgie-block’. 

2) Ten managers who haven’t lost it. Featuring a stonking volley from Mark Hughes. 

3) Cheeky from South Dakota in the big one against North Dakota. 

4) Anyone for angleball? Me neither. 

5) The ultimate Larry Bird mixtape. 

Spotters’ badges: TheCedarRoom, BlackCaeser, GrahamClayton. 

Guardian YouTube football channel 

Do subscribe, if you fancy 

Guardian YouTube sport channel 

Do subscribe, if you fancy 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/15/the-arras-a-walterswinburn-tribute-an-awful-nfl-pass-and-a-non-league-dust-up 



Sport 

The Joy of Six 

The Joy of Six: unsung sporting heroes of 2016 

From breathless Irish commentator Cathal Dennehy to Norway’s handball team, via Achmat Hassiem, 

we salute some of the year’s real champions 

Clockwise from top: LA Sparks’ Chelsea Gray, swimmer Achmat Hassiem, the Norway handball 

team and Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer. Composite: Robert Perry/EPA; Leon Bennett/Getty Images; 

Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images; Kacper Pempel/Reuters 

Jacob Steinberg and Michael Butler 

Friday 16 December 2016 10.43 GMT Last modified on Friday 16 December 2016 12.44 GMT 

1) Cathal Dennehy 

There are some great moments in sport that are elevated still further by a great piece of commentary. 

Sometimes – as with the great Richie Bernaud – these moments are embellished with quick wit and 

composure, but mostly – in keeping with the high-octane sport around them – it is fully-grown adults 

going off script, spontaneously combusting to bring the fervour of the action to the viewer or listener, 

making everybody’s day a little bit brighter. 

From Bjorge Lillelien’s “Maggie Thatcher, your boys took a hell of a beating!” to Harry Carpenter’s 

“Oh my god, he’s won the title back at 32!” to Jack van Gelder’s simple but effective “Dennis 

Bergkamp!”, there are pieces of commentary that become so synonymous with the action that one 

cannot live on without the other. 

The Joy of Six: flawed sporting competitions 

Read more

Enter Cathal Dennehy’s description of Phil Healy’s run in the Irish University Athletics Association 

Championships 4x400m in April this year. A touch more provincial than the Rumble in the Jungle or 

the 1998 World Cup quarter-final, then, but no less impressive, as University College Cork’s Healy 

started the final 400m lap in fifth place, 70-80 metres behind the leader (nobody can be sure as she is 

so far back, she is out of shot). Somehow, “from the depths of hell”, as Dennehy so brilliantly 

describes it, Healy storms through the field, pipping University College Dublin’s Michelle Finn – 

who herself represented Ireland at the World Championships in 2015 and in this year’s Olympic 

Games – right on the line, before collapsing into a quite outstanding faceplant. Perhaps that’s where 

Shaunae Miller got her inspiration from. 

Healy is not even a 400m runner, and 20 minutes previously had competed in a 200m race. “I was 

putting down my gear and one of the girls came over and asked would I have any interest in running 

the 4x400m relay,” Healy revealed afterwards. “I said, ‘Throw me into the last leg and I’ll see what I 

can do.’ It didn’t feel like I was dying with lactic, I reckon it was the adrenaline and the momentum. I 

had the burn but didn’t feel it but I crossed the line and fell.” 

Unquestionably, it is Healy who is the hero of the hour. But with all the media attention that followed, 

including an interview with the Washington Post, is she unsung? Apart from the 200 or so people at 

Dublin’s Morton Stadium that day, her moment has been relived more than three million times on 

YouTube through the eyes of Dennehy – by his own admission, only a part-time commentator – who 

started the home straight with a classic one-liner before descending into glorious delirium. 

“Sometimes these things come to you – not that I have too much experience doing these things – but 

sometimes you get that flash of inspiration,” Dennehy told the excellent podcast The Racket. “I don’t 

know if it was the red singlet coming from so far behind, but something flashed up to say ‘coming 

from the depths of hell’.” MB 

2) Leonardo Mayer 

If you ever taught a bear how to play tennis, educating it in the intricacies of the game and introducing 

it to the concept of tactics, it would probably play like Juan Martín del Potro. The sport is so much 

richer for the explosive Argentinian’s return, and he has provided us with enough entertainment in the 

past six months to suggest that he will challenge for his first grand slam title since the 2009 US Open, 

provided he maintains his fitness when the new season begins in January. Just ask Stan Wawrinka. If 

you’re still not convinced, ask Novak Djokovic. Then Andy Murray. Or Marin Cilic. 

There was nowhere left to hide for Cilic as Del Potro cranked up the venomous power of his 

groundstrokes during their epic singles rubber in last month’s Davis Cup final. Croatia were within 

touching distance of a 3-1 victory when Cilic led by two sets, but he might as well have replaced his 

racquet with the white flag of surrender by the end of the match, so futile was the task of trying to 

contain a rampaging Del Potro. Tennis’s fifth Beatle roared back to win in five sets, leaving it to 

Federico Delbonis to seal Argentina’s first ever Davis Cup title in the final match of the tie, which he 

duly did with a comprehensive win over Ivo Karlovic. 

Juan Martín del Potro inspires Argentina to

first Davis Cup title in Croatia 

Read more 

It is fitting that Argentina’s never-say-die spirit was inspired by a player who had only recently made 

one of the great sporting comebacks. Having recovered from a wrist injury that almost forced him to 

retire, Del Potro stunned Wawrinka at Wimbledon, took silver after pushing Murray hard in their 

unforgettable Olympic final, and gained revenge on the Scot by beating him when Great Britain hosted 

Argentina in the Davis Cup in September. 

Del Potro understandably dominated the headlines, both domestically and globally, but the Davis Cup 

is a team event and he could not have done it without some help. It was Delbonis who provided the 

finishing touch against Croatia, while Argentina would not even have reached the final without 

Leonardo Mayer’s victory over Dan Evans in the semi-final against a resurgent GB, who had fought 

back from 2-0 down to level the tie, thanks to the Murray brothers. 

Having taken five hours and seven minutes to defeat Murray on the first day in Glasgow, Del Potro 

had nothing left in the tank after surprisingly deciding to play in the doubles. The reasoning was 

justifiable. Leading the tie 2-0, selecting their best player boosted their chances of sealing their place 

in the final with a day to spare. But GB had other ideas and Argentina’s gamble looked to have 

backfired when Del Potro decided that he was in no condition to face Dan Evans in the fifth rubber on 

day three. 

Murray had easily beaten Guido Pella to level the tie, meaning that Argentina were relying on their 

supposedly unthreatening substitute, Mayer, to beat Evans, who had recently given Wawrinka the 

fright of his life at the US Open. All Evans needed was a win over a player ranked No114 in the 

world, whose previous match was a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 defeat to an obscure Belgian called Joris de Loore 

in a Challenger event in St Rémy, and all was well when he took the first set. 

But when Mayer’s fearsome serve clicked at the start of the second, Evans had no answer. The 29- 

year-old rained down aces on Evans, drowning him with 15 in total and a first serve percentage of 

84, taking control of the match before winning it in four sets to put Argentina into the final. 

Mayer has produced little of note in 2016. He lost in the first round at the Australian Open, the French 

Open and Wimbledon, did not appear at Flushing Meadows, and was last seen losing to Lithuania’s 

Laurynas Grigelis in Brescia. Overall he played 27 matches this year, winning 12 and losing 15, and 

his ranking has dropped another 15 places since he beat Evans. But Argentina’s historic victory 

would not have been possible without his vital contribution. Argentina played their joker without 

much confidence, but they had the last laugh. JS 

3) Achmat Hassiem 

In a sport that tends to see most elite athletes peak in their teen years or early twenties, it was 

remarkable to see 34-year-old swimmer Achmat Hassiem compete in his third Paralympic Games for

South Africa in Rio. But rather than his age, what is most notable about Hassiem’s appearance, other 

than his 6ft 4in frame, is the fact that he is missing a leg. 

More notable still is the story of how he lost it: to a great white shark, when Hassiem and his brother 

were training to be lifeguards off the coast of Cape Town in 2006. “I saw this little triangle moving 

on top of the water moving towards my brother,” Hassiem said in Rio. “I decided to see what was 

attached to this triangle and that’s when I saw a 4.7m great white shark. Immediately my first instinct 

as the older brother was to protect my younger brother, and I started drumming on top of the water to 

draw the shark’s attention away from him and towards myself. Next thing I know, the shark grabbed 

my leg and I got pulled 50m under the water towards the depths. The worst part was listening to the 

sound of the rescue boat’s propellers disappearing. As human beings, we are designed to fight back, 

and that’s what I did: I started hitting the shark on the side of its head, started kicking it with my free 

leg. And that’s when I could feel my leg break in half.” 

Hassiem swam to the surface, survived a second attack by the shark and clambered aboard the rescue 

boat, where his brother embraced him, and thanked Achmat for saving his life. This year’s Olympics 

marked 10 years since that incident, during which he won a bronze medal at London 2012 in the S10 

100m butterfly, and after qualifying for the same final in Rio, Hassiem hung up his trunks. However, 

this is just the beginning of a new chapter for the South African, who has a new challenge after being 

named a Global Shark Guardian by the United Nations’ Save Our Sharks Coalition in February, a 

conservation role set up to protect the species which left him dismembered. MB 

Achmat Hassiem competes in the S10 100m butterfly in Rio Photograph: Kay Nietfeld/EPA 

4) Rob Greenwood 

There was plenty to celebrate from a British perspective at the Paralympics in September. Picking out 

individual moments is not easy given that Great Britain surpassed their target by winning 147 medals 

and achieving their best result since Seoul 1988, but good places to start are Dame Sarah Storey’s 

unrelenting excellence on a bike, Kadeena Cox becoming the first British Paralympian to top the 

podium in two different sports since 1984, Hannah Cockroft’s hat-trick in the Olympic Stadium, Will 

Bayley’s impish leap onto the table tennis table and Jonnie Peacock’s successful defence of his T11 

100m title. 

Paralympics: eight golden Great Britain

moments from the Games in Rio 

Read more 

Let’s move on to the Aquatics Centre, though, where Britain won an unprecedented 47 medals, 

including 16 golds. Bethany Firth swam brilliantly, Ellie Simmonds became the first SM6 swimmer to 

race below three minutes in the 200m medley and Ollie Hynd took up two golds, while the youngsters 

excelled as well. Ellie Robinson, who took up swimming after watching Simmonds in London, won 

S6 50m butterfly gold at the age of 15. The youngest member of the team, 13-year-old Abby Kane, 

became a silver medalist. 

All of which explains why Rob Greenwood, the head coach of Britain’s Para-Swimming team, was 

named High Performance Paralympic Coach of the Year at the UK Coaching Awards last month. The 

glory always belongs to the athletes in major tournaments, but it is worth taking a moment to 

acknowledge the guidance they receive from the people behind the scenes. With Greenwood in 

charge, the future looks bright for Britain’s swimmers. JS 

5) Chelsea Gray 

Chelsea Gray has spent most of her basketball career on the sidelines. Literally. She has spent the 

majority of her college years on the physio table after two potentially career-ending injuries. When 

she has been fit, as a back-up point guard in the WNBA, she is generally found on the bench, rather 

than the court. 

It is a miracle that Gray ever made it to the WNBA. In college at Duke, she badly dislocated her right 

kneecap, one of the most gruesome injuries a basketball player can sustain. After 11 months of 

intensive rehab she returned to fitness, but only 16 matches later dislocated it again, this time 

compounding the injury with a fracture. Two surgeries later, Connecticut Sun took a chance on the 5ft 

11in Californian, giving her an annual salary of $30,000. 

The Joy of Six: comedy football goals | Rob 

Smyth 

Read more 

Her earnings increased when she was traded to the LA Sparks in the off-season, but her bit-part role 

remained. In context, Gray started zero games out of 34 for the Sun in the 2015 season; for the Sparks, 

who boast five WNBA All-Stars in their ranks, she did well to start one match out of 33 in 2016. Yet 

without her, the Sparks would have never won their first championship since 2002, and her efforts in 

the deciding fifth match of the play-off final against the much-heralded Minnesota Lynx earn her a spot 

on this list.

Candace Parker, Alana Beard and Nneka Ogwumike are the best paid, undisputed star players of the 

Sparks, perhaps of the whole league. Yet during the finals, Gray continually made her presence felt, 

without ever stealing the headlines. When Beard hit a dramatic buzzer beater in Game 1, it was Gray 

who provided the assist, dictating the play and drawing the defenders. In Game 4, no Sparks player 

scored more than Gray’s 20 points. 

Tied at two games apiece going into Game 5, Gray came off the bench to score 11 unanswered points 

at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, silencing the Minnesota crowd with a 

variety of three-pointers, jumpshots and driving to the rim. At 75-76 down with 15 seconds remaining 

in the fourth and final quarter, once again it was Gray who forced the issue, her shot rebounding to 

Ogwumike, who sunk a fadeaway jumper to seal a dramatic victory with just 3.1secs remaining. As 

the team mobbed Ogwumike, Gray was just another body in the melee, and then, just like that, she 

seamlessly slotted back into the background. MB 

Chelsea Gray played a decisive role for LA Sparks in their play-off final. Photograph: Leon 

Bennett/Getty Images 

6) Norway’s handball team 

The next time your football team finds itself on the wrong end of a controversial refereeing decision, 

resist the temptation to spend the next week venting your frustration at the Football Association’s 

Twitter account and instead follow the example of the Norwegian men’s handball team, and accept 

that sometimes life is unfair and there is nothing much to be done about it. After their hopes of 

qualifying for the Olympics were ended by a defeat to Germany in the semi-final of the European 

Championship in January, it would have been easy for Norway to kick up an almighty stink when it 

transpired that the Germans had too many players on the pitch after Kai Hafner’s winning goal. 

True, they pointed a finger at Germany’s misdemeanour at first. “The Norwegian 

Federation/Delegation considered several photos and videos which clearly show that GER had too 

many players on the playing field, including 2 goalkeepers and that there was taken no action from the 

judges table to adjust the situation,” the Norwegian federation said on its website. “Normally this 

would have given GER a two-minute suspension, leaving NOR to play seven players against five for 

five seconds. The remaining time in the match was very short, a mere five seconds, but nevertheless 

sufficient to equalise.” 

Yet they were big enough to admit that Germany’s indiscretion had no meaningful impact on the result 

and quickly decided not to appeal. No Rio for them, then, but at least their sportsmanship earned them

a Fair Play Award from the International Olympic Committee. The point here isn’t that no one likes a 

snitch; we are not in the playground. This is more about self-respect and mutual trust. With their 

honesty and lack of disingenuousness, Norway adhered to the spirit of competition. That is good 

karma. JS 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/dec/16/the-joy-of-sixunsung-sporting-heroes-of-2016 



Sport - Pictures & video 

Sir Bradley Wiggins ‘Onwards and upwards’: cyclist announces retirement 


Football Mourinho happy only with second half of Manchester United win 


Football Conte: 12th straight win sends a message to the league [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

The Dozen Boxing Day’s best Premier League photos [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Football Wenger hails ‘always ready’ Giroud after late Arsenal winner [Thu, 29 Dec 

09:26] 

Memory Lane A sporting Christmas [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 




Bradley Wiggins announces his retirement 

from cycling – video report 

British cycling star Bradley Wiggins announced his retirement on social media on Wednesday 

afternoon. In a statement alongside a photograph of his trophies and cycling memorabilia, the 36-yearold 

explained that it was ‘the end of the road for this chapter’, adding that he was looking ‘onwards 

and upwards’. He also thanked his coaches and the support he received from the public and his family 

Bradley Wiggins announces retirement from all forms of professional cycling 

Source: Reuters 


20.17 GMT 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2016/dec/28/bradley-wigginsretires-from-cycling-video-report 




José Mourinho happy only with second half of 

Manchester United win – video 

José Mourinho says that Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Sunderland on Boxing Day was a game of 

two halves. The manager says he likes the result and the second half performance. He gives credit to 

Sunderland but criticises his team’s start. Photograph: Henrikh Mkhitaryan completes Manchester 

United’s win over Sunderland with a spectacular back-heel volley. Jan Kruger/Getty Images 

Manchester United see off Sunderland after Henrikh Mkhitaryan magic 

Source: SNTV 


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2016/dec/27/jose-mourinhohappy-only-with-second-half-of-manchester-united-win-video 



Chelsea 

Antonio Conte: Chelsea’s 12th straight win 

sends a message to the league – video 

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is delighted with their 3-0 victory over Bournemouth on Boxing Day, 

their 12th league win in a row. Speaking following the game at Stamford Bridge, Conte says his 

team’s current run sends a message to the rest of the league and adds that he is particularly pleased 

with the victory with N’Golo Kante and Diego Costa both absent. Photograph: Antonio Conte 

embraces Pedro Rodríguez, the scorer of two goals, after the 3-0 defeat of Bournemouth. Photograph: 

Clive Rose/Getty Images 

Chelsea’s Pedro torments Bournemouth to stretch league winning run to 12 

Source: SNTV 


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2016/dec/27/antonio-contechelseas-12th-straight-win-sends-a-message-to-league-video 



Gylfi Sigurdsson of Swansea City reacts after his free-kick is saved by West Ham keeper Darren 

Randolph 

Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images 

Leon Britton of Swansea City looks on as Michail Antonio of West Ham United attempts to bring 

the ball under control. Antonio scored the third in the Hammers’ 4-1 win at the Liberty Stadium 

Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic lifts the ball over Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to score 

Manchester United’s second goal in their 3-1 win over Sunderland. It was his 17th goal of the 

season and his 50th of 2016 

Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

In a protest against Jamie Vardy’s three-game suspension after being sent off for a two-footed 

challenge on Mame Biram Diouf during Leicester’s recent 2-2 draw at Stoke City, the Foxes laid 

out 30,00 paper masks for the Leicester fans to sport in the match against Everton 

Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images 

The Leicester fans should also protest about the low quality contest which saw Everton take 

control of as the game progressed with Romelu Lukaku sealing a 2-0 win for the Toffees in 

injury time 

Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images 

Chelsea’s Pedro, left, and Nemanja Matic combine to thwart Bournemouth’s Dan Gosling during

Chelsea’s 3-0 win in which Pedro scored the first and third goals, with Eden Hazard also 

notching from the spot 

Photograph: Hayoung Jeon/EPA 

Antonio Conte celebrates in front of the joyous Blues fans after Pedro opened the scoring. The 

Chelsea manager said that his team had sent out a defiant message to their title rivals with their 

12th league win in a row and it moved them seven points clear at the top 

Photograph: Scott Heavey/PA 

Olivier Giroud watches from the floor as his late looping header beats Albion goalkeeper Ben 

Foster to score the only goal of the game 

Photograph: Mark Leech/Offside

Middlesbrough’s Calum Chambers gets the better of Burnley’s Andre Gray but the Burnley 

player had the last laugh as his stunning late shot squirmed out of Víctor Valdés’s grasp at the 

last moment and crept across the line behind the Boro keeper to win the game for the home side 

Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters 

A festive Manchester City fan and his less fancily dressed fellow fans celebrate during City’s 3- 

0 away win over Hull City 

Photograph: Ed Sykes/Reuters 

Nordin Amrabat of Watford shields the ball from Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha

Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images 

The sun may have been shining on Palace’s new manager Sam Allardyce at Vicarage Road but 

Lady Luck wasn’t. Troy Deeney equalised from the penalty spot, his 100th goal for Watford, to 

deny the former England manager a win on his Palace debut 

Photograph: Tony Marshall/Getty Images 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/gallery/2016/dec/27/the-dozenboxing-days-best-premier-league-photos 



Arsenal 

Arsène Wenger hails ‘always ready’ Olivier 

Giroud after late winner for Arsenal – video 

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger praises Olivier Giroud after the striker scored a late winner against 

West Brom on Boxing Day. Speaking at a news conference after the Premier League game at the 

Emirates Stadium, Wenger says he understands that Giroud may be frustrated with his lack of starts 

for Arsenal but the two enjoy an honest relationship 

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud snatches late win against West Brom 

Source: SNTV 

Tuesday 27 December 2016 10.11 GMT 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2016/dec/27/arsene-wengerhails-olivier-giroud-late-winner-arsenal-video 



Baseball legend Babe Ruth plays Santa Claus during a 1947 Christmas party at the Hotel Astor 

in New York. The party was thrown by Sister Elizabeth Kenny for 65 young poliomyelitis 

victims including three-year-old Jimmy McCall, sat on Ruth’s knee, and Jane Greenfield 

Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images 

Derby County footballer Gerry Ryan does a spot of Christmas shopping in the Debenhams toy 

department 

Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images 

Willie Mays, the San Francisco Giants centrefielder, shows his baseball Christmas tree to twoyear-old 

Lorie Anne, a patient at the Children’s Hospital of the East Bay in Oakland, California. 

The tree, with 20 autographed balls representing every National and American League team, 

was among 200 unusual Christmas trees donated to the hospital

Photograph: AP 

Australia’s Ian Healy, left, and team-mate Mark Waugh enjoy Christmas with their children 

ahead of the start of the third test between Australia and West Indies at the MCG in 1996 

Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images 

Manchester United’s Alex Stepney, left, Pat Crerand and Lou Macari, right, help out behind the 

bar during the club’s 1976 Christmas party at Old Trafford 

Photograph: Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

England players Derek Underwood, Keith Fletcher, Tony Greig and Dennis Amiss with their 

families on Christmas Eve ahead of the third Test during the 1974-75 Ashes tour 

Photograph: Patrick Eagar via Getty Images 

Cyclist Cyrille Guimard does his best Father Christmas impression in 1973 

Photograph: Rochard/L’Equipe/Offside 

George Best and Mike Summerbee get the tinsel out as they decorate their fashion boutique

“Edwardia” in 1967 

Photograph: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo 

The England cricket team sit down for Christmas lunch while in Melbourne during the 1982-83 

Ashes tour 

Photograph: Patrick Eagar via Getty Images 

Jennifer Todd looks on as her husband, Derby County’s Colin Todd, and their sons Andrew, left, 

and Colin Junior play Super Striker (Wembley Fast Pitch Edition) in 1976 

Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images

Boxer Jack Johnson with fiancé Etta Terry Duryea, right, and his mother Tina “Tiny” Johnson in 

his new apartment during Christmas 1910 

Photograph: Burke & Atwell/ullstein bild via Getty Images 

Colin Chapman, left, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark celebrate at a party on New Year’s Day 1968 

in Kyalami, South Africa 

Photograph: LAT Photographic/Rex/Shutterstock

The England team pose ahead of their Christmas lunch on a rest day during the second Test the 

1994-95 Ashes tour 

Photograph: Graham Chadwick/Getty Images 

Tottenham Hotspu’s Jimmy Greaves helps a young chimpanzee called ‘Linda’ cut the Christmas 

cake at a PDSA Animal Party in Ilford in 1964 

Photograph: S&G and Barratts/EMPICS Sport

Former Bayern Munich keeper Sepp Maier dresses up as Saint Nicholas in 1982 

Photograph: Wilfried Witters/Witters / Offside 

Legendary racehorse Red Rum in his stable surrounded by some of the many Christmas cards 

sent by well-wishers in 1974 

Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images

Footballer John Charles stands beside the Christmas tree with his wife Peggy and sons Terry, 

Peter and Melvyn at his home in Rome in 1962 

Photograph: Archivi Farabola/Offside 

Former middleweight champ Rocky Graziano lets his beard drop and exposes his iron jaw at 

Leone’s Restaurant where he, middleweight boxer Chico Vejar and TV actress Nina Paige help 

pack Christmas toys for disabled children 

Photograph: New York Post Archives/The New York Post via Getty Imag

Gary, far left, and Phil Neville, second left, have a cracking time in the Manchester United 

gymnasium, while elsewhere at the Manchester United training ground, Ryan Giggs, Gary 

Pallister and Nicky Butt, right, tuck into some festive fare in 1996 

Photograph: Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images 

Their boss Alex Ferguson also gets into the mood for Christmas 

Photograph: Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier, right, and challenger George Foreman joke around 

the Christmas tree during a press conference to promote their January 1973 title fight in 

Kingston, Jamaica 

Photograph: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images 

Birmingham City players and their children enjoy the club’s 1970 Christmas party. In the back 

row are Garry Pendrey, Mike Kelly, Mick Darrell, Trevor Hockey while in the front row are 

John Sleeuwenhoek, Bobby Thomson, Dave Latchford and Johnny Vincent 

Photograph: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo

It looks like a happy christmas in the Bianchi household as Argentine footballer Carlos, his wife 

Margaret Mary and their children Mauro Carlos and Brenda sit around the Christmas tree 

Photograph: L’Equipe/Offside 

Joe DiMaggio playing Santa Claus with his newborn son Joseph Paul DiMaggio III in 1941 

Photograph: Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images

Peter Shilton decorates his Christmas tree in 1980 

Photograph: Peter Robinson/EMPICS Sport

Santa Claus presents the Derby County players, including Roy McFarland, right, with their 1976 

Christmas turkeys 

Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images 

Middlesbrough players with a christmas greeting for the fans at Ayresome Park in 1980 

Photograph: John Varley / Offside 

View all comments > 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2016/dec/23/memory-lane-asporting-christmas 


| Main menu | Previous section | 

Sport - Most viewed 

Australia v Pakistan: second Test, day four – as it happened [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

Giacomo declared overall winner of Sydney to Hobart race [Thu, 29 Dec 09:26] 

| Main menu | Previous section |


Australia cricket team 

Australia v Pakistan: second Test, day four – as 

it happened 

Updated 

Australia closed day four on 465-6 a lead of 22 

Rain washed out the final session leaving a draw the likeliest result 

Steve Smith scored his 17th Test century 

Steve Smith struck a century as Australia gained a first innings lead on day four of the Boxing Day 

Test at the MCG. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images 

Jonathan Howcroft & Russell Jackson 


Live feed Show 

6.04am GMT 06:04 

Steve Smith shines as Australia and Pakistan 

head towards soggy draw 

Read more 

Share 

Share this post 

Facebook

Google plus 

close 

5.59am GMT 05:59 

Australia end day four 465-6 - a lead of 22 

Jonathan Howcroft 

Australia have done their best to make a game of this, rattling along at 4.08 rpo but the weather has 

surely denied them the opportunity of sealing the series with just one day remaining. 

Centuries to David Warner and Steve Smith further enhance their already fearsome reputations, while 

Usman Khawaja’s 97 and Peter Handscomb’s 54 indicate a solid batting order is finally taking shape 

after the disastrous start to the summer. However, failures at the crease by Nic Maddinson and 

Matthew Wade means selectors still have plenty to ponder ahead of the New Year Test in Sydney. 

Play will get underway at 10am tomorrow - and the forecast is for it to be dry. We’ll be here again to 

see if Australia can pull a rabbit out of a soggy hat. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

5.51am GMT 05:51 

Play abandoned for the day 

The umpires have called a halt to day four of a frustrating Boxing Day Test that now seems destined to 

end in a draw.

Rain washed out the final session of play on day four of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Photograph: 

Andy Brownbill/AP 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

5.28am GMT 05:28 

4.30pm update: 

Hard to believe there will be any play now but the official abandonment has yet to be announced. 

In case you missed the update on Mark Nicholas from earlier in the day. 

Mark Nicholas takes leave from Channel Nine 

after being taken to hospital twice 

Read more 

Updated at 5.34am GMT 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

5.16am GMT 05:16 

Still no play likely any time soon, and perhaps a much longer hiatus is brewing.

Pay dispute continues as ACA digs in heels 

over revenue sharing 

Read more 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

5.03am GMT 05:03 

Play still nowhere in sight, so plenty of time to tuck into Russell’s annual Christmas gift. 

The 2016 Rusties: Guardian Australia’s 

alternative sporting awards 

Read more 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.52am GMT 04:52 

The bad news is this: 

BOM Victoria (@BOM_Vic) 

Severe thunderstorm threat continues for the #Melbourne area! More cells approaching from the 

west on radar: https://t.co/KdODbdxzds pic.twitter.com/F5s8tydaw8 

December 29, 2016 

The good news is after that band of stringy orange storm passes from west to east, there should be a 

break in the rain, possibly long enough to dry the playing surface and, you know, play cricket.

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.40am GMT 04:40 

Midsummer Melbourne. Photograph: Julian Smith/AAP 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.38am GMT 04:38 


Observed rainfall rates from #Melbourne storms: 18.6mm in 10 mins at Bulla; 18.4mm in 10 

mins at Oakleigh Sth; 14.6mm in 10 mins St Kilda. pic.twitter.com/B7aPUZuzYH 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.37am GMT 04:37 

One of the better social media teasers:

Melbourne Stars (@StarsBBL) 

Who was @Gmaxi_32‘s idol when growing up? Send us your questions via @KwickieApp! 

#TeamGreen #GoStars https://t.co/aDFBTQtvGY 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.29am GMT 04:29 

MelbCC Library (@MelbCCLibrary) 

Dark & wet during tea but @MCC_Members can see 1866 glass negative Aboriginal cricketers 

illuminated in @MelbCCLibrary #FirstAustraliansXI pic.twitter.com/edbou4WGH5 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.26am GMT 04:26 

Update 3.25: 

Ian Healy’s delivered an update from the MCG outfield from under a big golf umbrella. It’s still 

raining, dark, and puddles are forming on the edge of the square. There’s no chance of play any time 

soon and if I was a gambling man I’d suggest the day was on its way to being washed out.

Wide World of Sports (@wwos) 

Saturated. #AUSvPAK | https://t.co/IXovTqhuAo pic.twitter.com/LGJDQaRFic 


In the background of Healy’s cross was this little trooper. Braving the downpour in nothing but his 

replica creams with only a patriotic banner for cover. 

Based on the experience of Watermelon Boy (TM) last summer, expect this tacker to be hosting his 

own breakfast show on mainstream TV this time next week. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.18am GMT 04:18 

Azhar Ali update: 

Good news for Pakistan with Azhar Ali reportedly fine after the sickening blow to his helmet fielding 

at short-leg. He’s passed a concussion test and will bat in the second innings.

Azhar Ali has recovered from a fierce blow to his helmet while fielding at short-leg. Photograph: 

Ratnayake/REX/Shutterstock 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.11am GMT 04:11 

3.11pm Update: 

Play should now be underway after that early tea interval. It isn’t. It’s raining, it’s dark and the square 

is covered. 

Consequently overs will now be lost, and who knows, the rest of the day could be washed out. 42.1 

overs are still scheduled to be bowled. 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.08am GMT 04:08

cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) 

The ‘G right now #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/1ksqZLsu7U 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.06am GMT 04:06

Mark Stewart (@tonka52) 

Going,going,gone…#melbweather #Melbourne #melbourneweather 

pic.twitter.com/YjOwsENpBJ 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.05am GMT 04:05 

This should be the front cover to the Lonely Planet Australia edition.

Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) 

MCC committee room toilet - still the king of toilets. https://t.co/5GokalLWLO

pic.twitter.com/e0K8j6GBcI 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.04am GMT 04:04 

Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) 

Brisbanesque rain at the G. #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/pg5FzqzZrH 

December 29, 2016

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

4.03am GMT 04:03 

Jonathan Howcroft 

Thanks Russell, outstanding service this Test match. My arrival, of course, means it’s raining. I am a 

good luck charm for gardeners and waterfowl throughout Australia. 

This is a different weather occurrence to recent days. There’s a hefty storm cell passing through the 

state and we’re in for a series a heavy thundery showers. The question is how many, and how much 

damage will they cause? I’ll keep you updated. 


Latest Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the Melbourne area. Heavy rainfall expected. 

#VicWeather #MelbWeather https://t.co/aIkuyx5v8a pic.twitter.com/APQpi90nlB 



Impressive storm cell over #Melbourne, including showers over #PortPhillip. Track it on our 

radar: https://t.co/zSBzqMU9IN pic.twitter.com/32WYKN3lR0 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close

4.00am GMT 04:00 

That’s it from me, but JP Howcroft will be joining you now and has the unenviable task in the first 

place of finding different ways to describe rain. Make him feel at home by sending rain-based 

YouTube clips and bad puns. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.58am GMT 03:58 

Yep, it’s bucketing down at the MCG 

Not good. The full covers are on and again the MCG ground staff are put to work. Poor blokes. 

They’ve had an absolute ‘mare all four days of this game. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.53am GMT 03:53

Tea on day four - Australia 465-6 

Bad light stopped play 

It’s 2:52pm local time and the covers are coming onto the pitch, so you’d say that rain is imminent at 

the MCG. 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.52am GMT 03:52 

Steve Smith reaches his century! 

114th over: Australia 465-6 (Smith 100, Starc 7) 

Umpires Ravi and Gould conference for a good minute or so before the start of this Sohail Khan over 

but decide against departing for bad light, though they’re signalling with various hand gestures to the 

ground staff, so we can’t be far away from a downpour. 

Steve Smith takes strike, with three to get for his hundred, and cracks a square drive straight at point 

and the safe stopping hands of Yasir. Three balls left. Another umpire conference. We’re not here to 

see you guys! They decide against departure. Cheers around the ground! Then… Smith cracks one 

through cover and sets off for the three runs that’ll do the job. He gets there! It’s another super 

hundred from the Aussie skipper, who salutes the crowd after reaching his milestone from 168 

deliveries across 287 minutes of almost flawless Test batting. That’s 17 Test hundred now. He’s a 

batting machine. 

AND THEN THEY DO GO OFF! That’ll be it for now. Five balls into the Sohail Khan over we’ll 

have delay. Early tea? I guess so.

Australian skipper Steve Smith celebrates his 17th Test century. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty 

Images 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.46am GMT 03:46 

113th over: Australia 461-6 (Smith 97, Starc 6) 

Smith gets a single and moves to Khawaja’s mark from earlier, and will probably hope he can do the 

business before the rain comes. The MCG ground staff are now hovering by the edge of the boundary 

with their covers and Starc actually picks them out with a huge six over cow from the bowling of 

Yasir. Do they get overtime for fielding as well? It was a fair old way to get off the mark by Starc. 

Steve Smith is closing in on a century. Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus

close 

3.42am GMT 03:42 

112th over: Australia 454-6 (Smith 96, Starc 0) 

Sohail continues to the new man Starc and perhaps casting his mind back to his own innings, he sends 

down a bouncer first up and then almost takes an outside edge. He’s a man transformed with that 

Wade wicket. 

Meanwhile, this is kind of asking for trouble, and the word “stellar” has apparently taken on a new 

meaning I’m unaware of. 

TEN Sport (@tensporttv) 

After his stellar commentary debut, @RoySymonds63 will be answering your questions at the 

HT break tonight! Use #AskRoy #BBL06 pic.twitter.com/9UUGzVakXu 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.39am GMT 03:39 

WICKET! Wade c Shafiq b Sohail 9 (Australia 454-6) 

Wade slashes at a loose one and departs! Eek, that was pretty ugly cricket. It’s a ‘hit me’ ball from 

Sohail outside off stump but Wade’s ungainly slash takes a thick edge through to Asad Shafiq at 

second slip, and he’s on his way for another low score. Australia again seem to be squandering their 

late innings. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.36am GMT 03:36

111th over: Australia 454-5 (Smith 96, Wade 9) 

There’s a single for each batsman in this Yasir over and as it progresses, the Melbourne sky darkens 

more than a little. Hmm, this could be the thunderstorm forecast earlier. 

Younus Khan has maintained his sense of humour. Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.31am GMT 03:31 


A lot of bowlers have an unfortunate weakness for bowling ‘boundary balls’ with the final delivery of 

the over. Sohail, on the other hand, continues to bowl them first up and this over is no different. Smith 

is the beneficiary here, and he’s in to the nervous 90s now and cuts a single to finish the over and 

maintain the strike. 

Reader Tilo Forbes arrives now. “I’m wondering why this game is strongly marching to an obvious 

draw, despite the hopes of Channel Nine. It wasn’t really the weather or the over rate, even though 

they clearly didn’t help. On your excellent match report, the majority lamented the age old “it’s the 

drop-in wickets”, which is as helpful as “bigger bats” or “T20 destroying Test cricket”.” 

“The MCG drop-in has created a result in all three shield games this year (all Vic Victories, so Vics 

do it better yada yada). So the curator certainly can make wickets that help bring balance between bat 

and ball. Is there a clear direction by cricket Australia (and channel 9??) to get the full 5 days? The 

shorter pink ball tests show that people don’t mind less days (ratings and spectators in ground), while 

I would say this is doing a but of damage to the game? Or will I look like a complete and utter fool 

once Pakistan collapse to a defeat in two sessions tonight and tomorrow chasing 150?” 

“Also, who gets in for Maddinson? Lynn due to his amazing T20 skills? Maxi to stop the stars from 

winning the big bash? So many questions.”

I’d love to see Maxwell come in but let’s just say that ain’t happening for now. Lynn? Love him. He’s 

a cleaner ball-striker than nearly anyone in Australia right now, Warner included. Flat sixes. Scary 

stuff. Umpires must be bricking it standing down the other end when he’s in full flow. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.28am GMT 03:28 


And we’re back at it, with Azhar off the ground being treated and Yasir sending down the final 

delivery of the over to Wade. He sees it off and we’re now 45 minutes from tea on day four. 

Needlessly, Australia have lost wickets today and face the prospect of a long day in the field 

tomorrow unless Wade and the underperforming tail can come good. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.24am GMT 03:24 

A horrible injury to Azhar Ali 

109th overs Australia 447-5 (Smith 90, Wade 8) 

This is terrible. Matthew Wade has played a full-blooded pull shot off Yasir and it’s cannoned into 

the helmet of a ducking Azhar at short leg. Let’s hope he’s OK. He’s standing up now and conscious 

but it’s a frightening moment. He’s being treated by medical staff from both sides, Dr Peter Brukner 

included, and walks off the ground unaided, which is a good sign.

(@CricketAus) 

cricket.com.au 

Oh no. Wade has smashed a pull shot and it has hit Azhar in close. Let’s hope he’s ok… 

#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/8gJYKjY76P 



Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.18am GMT 03:18 

108th overs Australia 445-5 (Smith 89, Wade 7) 

Sohail Khan appears for a new spell and as ever, gets flogged for a boundary off his first delivery 

when Smith deposits a half-tracker between fine leg and deep square leg. I wish I had a dollar for 

every time that has happened with Sohail. I’d have about five dollars. He has a wicket form earlier in 

the form of Peter Handscomb, but he’s bowled right-arm runs most of the time. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus

close 

3.13am GMT 03:13 

106th and 107th overs: Australia 439-5 (Smith 84, Wade 6) 

Apologies for the delays in this update folks but I’m having more technical difficulties than Wahab 

Riaz, who is driven for three by Wade before Yasir concedes two in his over. Apparently there are 

6,600 in the MCG at present. I’d like perform an audit on that figure, though I guess there are a few 

out the back of the member’s sinking beers. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.04am GMT 03:04 


Yasir will bowl far better spells than this one in his career but the Maddinson wicket was reward for 

perseverance in the face of some very unhelpful conditions. He’s bowling now to Wade, who sweeps 

around the corner to get off the mark. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

3.02am GMT 03:02 

WICKET! Maddinson b Yasir 22 (Australia 433-5) 

Maddinson goes! Hmm, that wasn’t great. The No6 dances down the pitch to a full one from Yasir 

and has a fresh air shot with his drive, so gets bowled. If it’d missed he would have been stumped 

regardless. That’s that then. He’s gone for 22 from 55 deliveries. Will they stick with him for Sydney? 

I’m not entirely sure they should. 

Share


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.59am GMT 02:59 

104th over: Australia 433-4 (Smith 84, Maddinson 22) 

The crowd finally comes alive as Smith scythes a square drive through point and hits the rope off 

Wahab. Bang! That one flew of the middle. Not for the first time the batsmen received unscheduled 

drinks and new gloves at the end of the over but you can’t exactly blame them. Even the press box is 

swelteringly hot today. We have Cornetto’s, Steve Smith has batting gloves. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.55am GMT 02:55 

103rd over: Australia 425-4 (Smith 78, Maddinson 21) 

A single for each batsman off Yasir, whos enthusiasm is not exactly rubbing off on the rest of us. He 

should be sponsored Energiser. 

Yasir Shah whirls away. Photograph: Ratnayake/REX/Shutterstock 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close

2.51am GMT 02:51 

102nd over: Australia 424-4 (Smith 77, Maddinson 20) 

As Wahab continues an announcement arrives via the MCC, which will be of interest to those 

planning to attend the New Year’s Day Big Bash match. 

“Cricket fans attending the New Year’s Day Big Bash League Melbourne derby between the Stars and 

Renegades at the MCG on Sunday are strongly advised to pre-purchase tickets and arrive early, with 

a crowd of more than 80,000 expected,” it says. 

“The action will commence with a Women’s BBL match at 1.45pm, ahead of the men’s game at 

6.10pm. All gates will open at 12.45pm, and one ticket gains entry to both matches. Be prepared and 

arrive early. The corresponding match at the MCG last summer (January 2 this year) attracted 80,883 

fans - a record for Australian domestic cricket - and with similar numbers predicted on Sunday, fans 

are urged to plan ahead to ensure they don’t miss a minute of the action.” 

“The bag checks and wanding processes which have occurred throughout 2016 will again take place 

at the stadium gates, and patrons should allow plenty of time to get into the stadium. In addition, 

attendees are advised to pre-purchase their tickets online to avoid delays at ticket windows on 

Sunday.” 

You have been warned. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.47am GMT 02:47 

101st over: Australia 422-4 (Smith 76, Maddinson 19) 

Maddinson gets after Yasir now, cutting him hard through gully to pick up three. Two to Smith is the 

only other damage, though I did just destroy a Cornetto. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.43am GMT 02:43


He’s bowled 100 no balls in his last 16 Tests and now Wahab returns for the 100th over of this 

Australian innings, switching to the member’s end and replacing Amir. Maddinson drops one to leg 

and scampers through for a single, and is beginning to look like he’s set for some consolation runs 

here. How much do we read into a 70-odd here, if he gets it? Probably not much. 

The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) 

Smith has scored at better than a run-a-ball in his 3 innings facing Wahab and has only been 

dismissed by him once #AUSvPAK 



Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.40am GMT 02:40 


This is basically centre wicket practice for the Australian pair now, and the only man on the ground 

showing any great enthusiasm for the game is Yasir, who continues to bound in like Abdul Qadir’s 

hyperactive nephew. His over costs only a single to Smith, who is sleep walking his way towards 

three figures. 

Australian skipper Steve Smith is having an easy time of it at the MCG. Photograph: Michael 

Dodge/Getty Images 

Share


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.36am GMT 02:36 


Steve Smith picks up a couple of twos and the second of them results in a blow to the shin for Azhar 

as he takes the stumps. Not Sure how because under his whites he’s wearing shin guards the size of 

Syed Kirmani’s keeping pads. 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.33am GMT 02:33 


A maiden for Yasir as Maddinson plays the role of deferential rookie against the left-hander. And on 

that note, here’s to wicketkeepers who wore batting pads.

ESPN India (@ESPNIndia) 

#OnThisDay Happy Birthday to Syed Kirmanihttps://t.co/N0pDM6iwTq

pic.twitter.com/LqUZHsPF9n 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 



Maddinson’s had a decent period of time out in the middle now and looks increasingly comfortable, 

waiting until the penultimate delivery of this Amir over to swivel onto his back foot and caress a 

single around the corner to fine leg. That’s the only damage for the over. 

Steve Smith ponders the overhead conditions. Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.25am GMT 02:25 


Yasir has bowled from both ends today, though sadly not at the same time. There are singles galore in 

this over; four of ‘em but nothing too loose. In other news, Jason Gillespie has been named assistant 

coach of Australia’s T20I side. I trust you’ll all ‘ride the pony’ around the room to celebrate. 

Updated at 2.26am GMT

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.21am GMT 02:21 

94th over: Australia 404-4 (Smith 65, Maddinson 12) 

Amir glides in for his 25th over of the innings and Maddinson is both lucky and unlucky, having a 

crisp on-drive cut off ad mid-on but reaping four from a streaky slash through gully and thus he 

reaches double figures for the first time in Tests. The final ball of the over beats him all ends up and 

he’s left groping at thin air as Amir snakes one past his outside edge. 

Pakistan’s paceman Mohammad Amir lhas been throwing himself into his work today. Photograph: 

William West/AFP/Getty Images 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.16am GMT 02:16 

93rd over: Australia 399-4 (Smith 64, Maddinson 8) 

Yasir gets us under way after lunch and after a single to Maddinson he’s cut hard between gully and 

point by Smith to concede a further three runs. Mohammad Amir will pair with the spinner from the 

member’s end. 


Share


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.11am GMT 02:11 

the mango fancier (@maxuthink) 

pic.twitter.com/qsY0uvsaZr 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

2.01am GMT 02:01 

A reader suggestion 

…from Rowan Sweeney: “To reward the patience of the paying customer (if nothing else), how about

settling the match with a winner-takes-all 50 over match tomorrow?” Or…draft Wasim and Waqar in 

to have a bowl? 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.58am GMT 01:58 

Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) 

Tubby coming up with so many excuses for Maddinson you’d excuse viewers for thinking he was 

a Marsh brother. #AUSvPAK 


Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.33am GMT 01:33 

Lunch on day four - Australia 395-4 

92nd over: Australia 395-4 (Smith 61, Maddinson 7) 

Wahab has the last roll of the dice for Pakistan before lunch and it’s far from inspired stuff. 

Maddinson moves to his highest Test score but that’s about it. Australia have had the upper hand again 

but lost Khawaja for 97 and Handscomb for 54. We’re heading for a draw at the MCG, but at least 

it’s not raining. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close


91st over: Australia 391-4 (Smith 59, Maddinson 5) 

Yasir comes on at the southern end now and Smith tucks him to square leg for one, leaving Maddinson 

with three deliveries to have a good look. He’s respectful in his defence, getting a decent stride in to 

a trio of leg breaks and smothering them. 

If you venture down to the MCG today you will get a seat. Photograph: Ratnayake/REX/Shutterstock 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.24am GMT 01:24 


We’re into the last ten minutes of play before lunch and the only remaining item of interest is whether 

Nic Maddinson can establish a new highest Test score against Sohail, but he’s happy to see off the 

rest of the over after a two and a single to his skipper. Looks like we’re going to finish off with some 

Yasir. Fun. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.19am GMT 01:19 


That’s a nice moment for Nic Maddinson. He leans onto his front foot and neatly glances around the

corner off Amir to pick up four and equal his best Test score so far. Misbah maintains three slips and 

a gully but the young New South Welshman is looking comfortable. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.15am GMT 01:15 

A half-century for Steve Smith 


Maddinson gets off the mark with a single, allowing Smith to take centre stage. He works two to bring 

up yet another half-century, then crunches Sohail through mid-wicket to gather four. Not a great game 

for the bowlers. 

Steve Smith has posted a half-century before lunch on day four at the MCG. Photograph: Julian 

Smith/AAP 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.09am GMT 01:09 


Amir draws an edge from Smith in this over but it falls short of Misbah at third slip, and Smith reestablishes 

himself by cracking a pull shot down to fine leg. It’s two after an athletic dive from 

Sohail, who looks like he’d prefer to be resting in the shade and sipping on some iced tea. Smith has 

a huge swish at the final ball but it passes the outside edge.

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.05am GMT 01:05 


If ever Nic Maddinson is going to make Test runs, surely it’s on this road, against a tiring attack. He’s 

got two balls to face from Sohail and watches both of them pass outside off stump. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.04am GMT 01:04 

WICKET! Handscomb c Sami b Sohail 54 (Australia 374-4) 

Handscomb holes out! Well that was a truly odd dismissal. It’s a slot ball outside off stump by 

Sohail and the Victorian thumps a square drive straight into the hands of Sami Aslam at point. He’ll 

be livid with himself for that. There are runs everywhere out there and a rash shot has ended 

Handscomb’s promising knock at 54. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1.01am GMT 01:01 

85th over: Australia 374-3 (Smith 47, Handscomb 54) 

We’re 30 minutes from lunch now on day four and there’s no evidence that the Australians are 

planning on doing anything in what remains of this Test other than keeping Pakistan in the field.

Australian skipper Steve Smith unleashes a pull shot early on day four at the MCG. Photograph: 

Julian Smith/AAP 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

12.57am GMT 00:57 

84th over: Australia 371-3 (Smith 46, Handscomb 52) 

I was being panned for my crowd estimates before but how bad was my weather prediction? The sun 

is beating down on the MCG now and the clouds are white and fluffy, rather than dark and ominous. 

Sohail Khan might be wishing it was pelting down but delivers a far better over here and it’s a 

maiden. 

Share 


Facebook 

Google plus 

close 

1 of 2 

Newest Newer 

Older Oldest 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2016/dec/29/australia-vpakistan-second-test-day-four-live



Sydney to Hobart yacht race 

Giacomo declared overall winner of Sydney to 

Hobart race 

70-footer crowned champion after staying close to the much larger line honours winner, Perpetual 

Loyal 

A crew member on racing yacht Giacomo works the foredeck during the 2016 Sydney to Hobart. 

Giacomo has been declared the overall winner of the race. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images 

The celebrations continue for New Zealand entry Giacomo, which has won the Sydney to Hobart 

yacht race’s prized Tattersall’s Cup. 

The 70-footer was crowned the champion on corrected time by the race committee at Hobart’s 

Constitution Dock on Thursday afternoon – a day and a half after she crossed the line in second 

position behind super maxi Perpetual Loyal. 

The blue water classic’s handicap trophy is one of the most revered prizes in offshore racing, and her 

owner and skipper Jim Delegat was understandably thrilled with the result in the 72nd edition of the 

race. 

Perpetual Loyal breaks race record to take 

victory in 2016 Sydney to Hobart 

Read more 

“We are feeling wonderful. We are ecstatic and excited. This is beyond belief,” Delegat said. 

It was a superb sail for the Volvo 70, which finished inside the 2012 race record by nearly three 

hours.

Perhaps more impressive was the proximity she kept to the line honours winner Loyal. Despite being 

two-thirds the size of the black behemoth, Giacomo was a mere two hours astern of Loyal over the 

628 nautical mile course. 

Being crowned handicap winner was a sweet moment for Delegat, who was forced to retire from the 

race two years ago after his entry encountered trouble on the Tasmanian coast. 

Delegat competed alongside his two young sons Nikolas and James in a 13-man outfit. “The 

impressive, hard work for the crew was tireless. It was a race of opportunity,” said the skipper, who 

this year topped his previous best effort of sixth over the line. 

After three days of ocean racing it could have been another family that knocked off Giacomo – the 

father and son pairing of Sean and Peter Langman. 

The Langman’s entrant Maluka of Kermandie was the smallest and oldest boat in the fleet that still 

had a chance to dethrone Giacomo. 

But the nine-metre Huon pine marvel was cruelled by the easing wind conditions along the south east 

coast of Tasmania and its chances of victory were wiped out early this afternoon – leaving Giacomo 

the outright winner. 

This morning celebrated sailor Adrienne Cahalan crossed the line aboard Ragamuffin to become the 

first woman to compete in 25 Sydney to Hobart yacht races. 

The navigator – who plotted Wild Oats XI towards two of her race records in 2005 and 2012 – was 

sad to see her record tumble, but was consoled by the fact it went to another crew she had charted for 

in Loyal. 

All 83 competing boats are expected to be tied up at Constitution Dock by Friday morning. 

This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/29/giacomo-declaredoverall-winner-of-sydney-to-hobart-race

The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?