James Maddison claims Tottenham aren't 'Spursy' anymore
James Maddison believes that Tottenham Hotspur have outgrown the derogatory 'Spursy' tag they are often labelled with after going unbeaten in their opening six Premier League games under Ange Postecoglou.
2023-09-25 17:45
Lando Norris claims McLaren on ‘an upward trend’ with strong driver pairing
Lando Norris believes McLaren’s strong driver pairing can be a big advantage as the team celebrated an “important milestone” with a double podium at the Japanese Grand Prix. British driver Norris finished second for a second consecutive race, albeit well behind dominant race-winner Max Verstappen, while team-mate Oscar Piastri secured his first podium in his debut Formula One season. After a tough start to the year, McLaren have impressed since their first big upgrade began at July’s Austrian Grand Prix. Norris finished fourth at Spielberg before picking up back-to-back second-places at Silverstone and in Hungary. Piastri, 22, has exceeded expectations this season, with a number of strong displays earning the Australian an extended contract earlier this week – none more so than at Suzuka given he had never even been to Japan before. Norris feels their combined strength is a major plus for McLaren as they chase down Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship. “I think our advantage at the minute comparing to almost every team, bar a couple, is we have two drivers who are up there fighting for these positions and fighting for these points,” Norris said after the race at Suzuka. “And not every team has that at the minute. So I think that’s helping us. We can help one another, we can use one another, and I think that’s a good advantage we have over a lot of other teams at the minute. “So we’re on an upward trend. We’re making good progress and days like today prove exactly that. “The progress we’ve made this season has been pretty incredible from my eyes, and from where we were to finishing 19 seconds behind the lead is, I think, evidence of exactly that. “So I’m proud of everyone and we’ll keep pushing.” Team principal Andrea Stella described the result at Suzuka as “an important milestone in our journey at McLaren”, while Piastri celebrated a significant day. “You never forget your first podium, regardless of whether it’s been a strong performance or not,” he said. “So yeah, it will be a special day and I won’t forget it and also ticking the first podium off the list is always a nice achievement to have.” There are six races remaining in the 2023 season, including three sprint weekends, with a trip to Qatar next on the agenda in two weeks’ time. McLaren have closed to 49 points of Aston Martin in the standings and CEO Zak Brown is confident they have a well-rounded car to be strong for the rest of the campaign. “The team is just doing such a fantastic job, executing week in, week out,” Brown told Sky Sports F1. “We are trying to catch Red Bull. All we can do is chip a tenth at a time but Max was pretty dominant. I think we will be strong at the next race, so will keep pushing. “I feel as confident as I can we will be pretty strong everywhere, but we know there will be some tracks that favour your car more than others and we are good in the high speed, which Qatar is, so we will be strong there and not be weak anywhere.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP Lando Norris narrows gap on Max Verstappen at final practice in Japan Max Verstappen returns to form in Japanese Grand Prix practice
2023-09-25 17:45
'What exactly does Kayla Nicole do?' Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fans rush to singer's defense after trolls strike
'Taylor is worth 25x what Travis is and 700x what Kayla is. Calm down,' a fan wrote about Travis Kelce dating Taylor Swift after Kayla Nicole
2023-09-25 17:43
Thousands of Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Turkish president is set to visit Azerbaijan
Thousands of Armenians streamed out of Nagorno-Karabakh after the Azerbaijani military reclaimed full control of the breakaway region while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to visit Azerbaijan Monday in a show of support to its ally. The Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz last week, forcing the separatist authorities to agree to lay down weapons and start talks on Nagorno-Karabakh's “reintegration” into Azerbaijan after three decades of separatist rule. While Azerbaijan pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in the region and restore supplies after a 10-month blockade, many local residents feared reprisals and said they were planning to leave for Armenia. The Armenian government said that 4,850 Nagorno-Karabakh residents had fled to Armenia as of midday Monday. “It was a nightmare. There are no words to describe. The village was heavily shelled. Almost no one is left in the village,” said one of the evacuees who spoke to The Associated Press in the Armenian city of Kornidzor and refused to give her name for security reasons. Moscow said that Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh were assisting the evacuation. In an address to the nation Sunday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government was working with international partners to protect the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. “If these efforts do not produce concrete results, the government will welcome our sisters and brothers from Nagorno-Karabakh in the Republic of Armenia with every care,” he said. Demonstrators demanding Pashinyan's resignation continued blocking the Armenian capital's main avenues Monday, engaging in occasional clashes with police that sought to disperse the protests. Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by the Armenian military, in separatist fighting that ended in 1994. During a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed during the earlier conflict. After a Russia-brokered armistice, a contingent of about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers was sent to the region to monitor it. In December, Azerbaijan imposed a blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, alleging that the Armenian government was using the road for mineral extraction and illicit weapons shipments to the region’s separatist forces. Armenia charged that the closure denied basic food and fuel supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh’s approximately 120,000 people. Azerbaijan rejected the accusation, arguing the region could receive supplies through the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam — a solution long resisted by Nagorno-Karabakh authorities, who called it a strategy for Azerbaijan to gain control of the region. On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Armenia and Armenians, saying that France will mobilize food and medical aid for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and keep working toward a ‘’sustainable peace’’ in the region. "France is very vigilant about Armenia’s territorial integrity because that is what is at stake,” Macron said in an interview with France-2 and TF1 television, accusing Russia of complicity with Azerbaijan and charging that Turkey threatens Armenia’s borders. Since the start of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan has relied on strong backing of its ally Turkey, which has offered political support and provided it with weapons. Erdogan's office said he will travel to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave for talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to discuss Turkey-Azerbaijan ties and regional and global issues. Nakhchivan is cut off from the rest of Azerbaijan by Armenian territory but forms a slim border with Turkey. During his one-day trip to the region, Erdogan will also attend the opening of a gas pipeline and a modernized military base, his office added in a statement. ___ Associated Press writers Aida Sultanova in London, Andrew Wilks in Istanbul and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide First refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia following Azerbaijan's military offensive UNGA Briefing: There's one more day to go after a break — but first, here's what you missed Aid shipments and evacuations as Azerbaijan reasserts control over breakaway province
2023-09-25 17:41
‘Shocker of a race’: Christian Horner pulls apart Sergio Perez’s display in Japan
Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted that Sergio Perez had a “shocker of a race” as the Mexican’s inconsistent form continued in Japan. On the weekend where Red Bull secured the 2023 constructors’ title courtesy of Max Verstappen’s 11thwin in 12 races, Perez had a Sunday to forget having qualified fifth on the grid. The Mexican suffered wing damage on the first lap after being sandwiched between Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton, before colliding with Kevin Magnussen later in the race as he looked to climb the leaderboard. Perez was given two five-second penalties: one for the incident with Haas driver Magnussen and another after overtaking Fernando Alonso under yellow flag conditions. “It was a shocker of a race for him today,” Horner told Sky F1. “It got off to a bad start where he sort of got concertinaed on the rundown to turn 1, he picked up some front wing damage, then we needed to change the front wing. “He overtook Fernando on the way into the pit lane, then picked up a penalty and then came out and of course, then he dive-bombed one of the Haas’ and so it was just one of those weekends.” However, having originally retired on lap 15, Perez befuddlingly re-entered the race 26 laps later in order to serve his time penalty, meaning it won’t carry over to a grid drop for the next race in Qatar. “The only good thing was were able to serve the penalty here,” Horner added. “So he leaves it here in Japan.” Verstappen can now secure his third world title in the sprint race in Qatar, with Perez trailing his team-mate by 177 points in the world championship. Perez’s lead to Lewis Hamilton in third has also been cut to 33 points. Perez has a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season, but his inconsistent form this season has prompted the likes of Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and even Liam Lawson to be linked with the second Red Bull seat next year. Read More Christian Horner reveals Max Verstappen ambition ahead of Japan victory Max Verstappen on verge of title as Red Bull clinch constructors’ crown in Japan Lewis Hamilton frustrated by Mercedes strategy in Japanese Grand Prix
2023-09-25 17:40
DHL, Sasol Agree to Produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Germany
DHL Group, Sasol Ltd. and HH2E AG agreed to collaborate on producing sustainable, hydrogen-based aviation fuels in Germany
2023-09-25 17:38
The best monitors for your home office
The world of work has changed significantly in the past few years. Working from home
2023-09-25 17:35
What happens in a US government shutdown?
The US is days away from a shutdown. Here's a summary of why it's happening and what to expect.
2023-09-25 17:34
EU blocks Booking takeover of Swedish travel group
The EU vetoed a bid by US online travel agency Booking to take over Swedish rival Etraveli Group Monday over fears the deal would harm competition...
2023-09-25 17:34
James Maddison believes Tottenham are pushing away from their ‘Spursy’ tag
James Maddison believes Tottenham are starting to shed their ‘Spursy’ tag after they continued a fine start to the new season with a battling 2-2 draw at rivals Arsenal. Spurs had lost on their last three visits to the Emirates and not won there in the Premier League since 2010. Tottenham’s losing streak to Arsenal could have continued after Cristian Romero’s own goal and Bukayo Saka’s penalty twice put the hosts ahead in the north London derby, but Son Heung-min equalised twice – both from Maddison assists – to earn a share of the spoils. A lengthy trophy drought coupled with frequent collapses on the biggest of occasions contributed towards the ‘Spursy’ tag growing during the past few years, but the club’s new number 10 hit back following another strong showing by Ange Postecoglou’s team. “We’re not in there celebrating a point, I think there was a few little moments at the end especially in the dying minutes where we could have maybe won it from a set-piece,” Maddison told talkSPORT. “I think winning late last week and coming back twice (here), when you hear fans and neutrals talk about Tottenham they often say, ‘soft, weak, they’ll bottle it, Spursy’, all that rubbish. I think the last couple of weeks shows that we might be going in a slightly different direction. “We scored in the 98th and 101st minute against Sheffield United to win late on when it looked like it was going to be one of those days. “Here we go behind twice at arguably one of the best teams in the world, we pull it back and we’re still fighting right until the end. Hopefully we can continue that.” Maddison was crucial to Tottenham leaving the Emirates with a point after he set up both of Son’s goals to make it four assists in six league matches since his summer switch from Leicester. It could have been a different story had Gabriel Jesus made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute when he robbed the ball from Maddison on the edge of Spurs’ penalty area, but the Arsenal forward blazed over. Postecoglou continued to encourage his team to play out from the back and that bravery was rewarded with a fine display where Tottenham enjoyed 53 per cent possession, a marked improvement on the 35 per cent they had under Antonio Conte at the Emirates last season in a humbling 3-1 loss. I gave the ball away edge of the box, they nearly scored and it is so easy to sink and not carry on playing the way the manager wants us to play, but that's what bravery is. Tottenham playmaker James Maddison Maddison added: “I was really proud of how courageous the lads were and how brave we were. There were a couple of occasions in the first half, myself included, where we gave the ball away. “I gave the ball away edge of the box, they nearly scored and it is so easy to sink and not carry on playing the way the manager wants us to play, but that’s what bravery is. “It is having big b**** to take the ball under pressure. I gave it away but the manager makes me feel so good that I can get it again and if I give it away, it’s OK because that’s how he wants us to play. “He won’t be cheering if I keep giving it away on the edge of the box, but it was only once and once was enough to remind me to be a bit quicker because these derby games are a rapid pace. “After that I thought we passed the ball really well and had spells where we dominated.” Meanwhile, Maddison was happy to give back some stick post-match to England team-mate Saka, who mimicked Maddison’s own darts celebration for both of Arsenal’s goals, but was turned by the Spurs playmaker for Son’s first goal. Maddison, who was forced off with a slight knee injury, quipped to SpursPlay: “Me and Bukayo had a bit of banter and a bit of trash talking if you like on international duty. “I got told he did the dart celebration and he must have still been doing it when I turned him for the first goal.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Scotland must ‘do it the hard way’ to qualify from group but know what is needed Jonathan Humphreys only has Georgia on his mind after Wales’ impressive win Simon Easterby says Ireland ‘can get better’ than South Africa performance
2023-09-25 17:30
Carlo Ancelotti takes blame after Real Madrid fall to Atletico
Carlo Ancelotti took the blame for Real Madrid's derby defeat to Atletico.
2023-09-25 17:30
Why you should be traveling to Europe in fall, not summer
As the summer crowds dissipate, Europe is coming back into its own. Here's why fall is the best season to visit the continent -- along with suggestions on where to go.
2023-09-25 17:30
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