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You are the Ref

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's official answers appear in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.Keith Hackett's answers1) Disallow the goal. The fact that the striker is face down in the mud, half off the field of play, does not mean he can't be in an...

Premier League: Sunderland 1–1 Everton

Football management can turn the most emotionally balanced, coolly logical men into unhealthy obsessives. After one win in 11 games, even Steve Bruce, noted for his humour-tinged poise under pressure, has succumbed to the syndrome."Last Monday and Tuesday I had to walk out of the training ground...

Allardyce insists Blackburn deserve better

Sam Allardyce has long displayed a statistical bent in his managerial methods. In his analysis of the figures, however, the jaundiced Blackburn manager is increasingly convinced that the numbers do not add up. Allardyce is aggrieved that Rovers do not have the extra six points he believes they...

No sympathy for Hughes from City fans

City supporters were happy to believe the club's Middle Eastern owners have done the right thing by bringing in Roberto ManciniIn the deluge of criticism for the way Sheikh Mansour ruthlessly dispatched Mark Hughes into Manchester City's extensive list of former managers last week some drew a...

Premier League: Fulham 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

The rehabilitation of Heurelho Gomes is complete. A little over a year since he had skulked away from Craven Cottage with his reputation in tatters and confidence shredded, reduced to a man opponents targeted as Spurs' weakest link, the Brazilian appears an asset to be cherished in the pursuit of...

Premier League: West Ham 2-0 Portsmouth

A month is an age in the Premier League, especially for the lowly. When these clubs meet again on 26 January, after three more league games and maybe much troubled water under the off-field bridge as they flounder in financial and ownership whirlpools, their fates may be clearer. For all that...

Christmas time, Cliff and unbelievable belief | Martin Kelner

Darts player Colin Lloyd faced a festive challenge: staying focused on being Colin LloydFor some people – Cliff Richard, for instance – Christmas time is all about mistletoe and wine, and children singing Christian rhymes. But I take my lead from Colin Lloyd, who described his plans for...

Premier League: Burnley 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

To reach the midway point of the season with 20 points and at a reasonable distance from the relegation zone is more than most expected of Burnley in their first Premier League campaign for 33 years. The manager, Owen Coyle, is still keen to prove any doubters wrong, however, starting with improved...