The Big Interview
What Brighton did to us was classless … I believe things like that come back on you
Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway says nothing shocks him in football these days
Evening Standard
Ian Holloway is preparing for the richest match in club football at Wembley still reeling from the cheap shots aimed in his direction during the semi-final.
Crystal Palace face Watford in Bank Holiday Monday’s £120million play-off for the final place in next season’s Premier League but it has been a far from pleasant journey to the national stadium for the 50-year-old.
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Matt Stevens: I am more than just a support act for the Lions
Saracens prop faces a challenge to make the Lions front row but the shock pick is not daunted
Evening Standard
Matt Stevens laughs at the idea his selection for the Lions was due to Warren Gatland needing the prop to bring a club feel to the squad in Australia.
As we meet at the Saracens training ground, the 30-year-old, who was runner-up in the The X Factor: Battle of the Stars in 2006, says: “I like the social activities [of the tour] but it’s more about enjoying each other’s company.
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We must recognise it’s not about foreigners doping. It’s real, it’s live and it’s here in the UK
Evening Standard
Ask the man who set up UK Anti-Doping three years ago whether he is confident that UK sport is clean and his answer is sobering.
“Do you know what, I don’t know.” says Andy Parkinson. “The only people that can tell you are the athletes themselves. What I can say is we’ve got one of the most robust programmes, as many tools as we possibly can have to catch drug cheats.”
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Trevor Birch: ‘It took only 10 minutes to do Chelsea deal with Roman Abramovich but I had to Google him first … I wasn’t sure if Jeremy Beadle was going to jump out’
Evening Standard
Trevor Birch was the man who welcomed Roman Abramovich into Stamford Bridge but he did not last long under the billionaire.
In fact, it was little over a month after the £140million takeover at Chelsea in 2003 that the Russian decided to replace Birch with Peter Kenyon as chief executive.
But then Birch sensed early on that he was not on same wavelength as the oligarch.
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John Madejski: We built Reading brick by brick but QPR have hallmarks of a quick fix
Evening Standard
Back in 1990 when Sir John Madejski bought Reading, he marked home victories by making what he felt was a simple gesture of thanks to his players.
“I would take them to the bar of Elm Park [Reading’s old ground] and buy them a drink. I can’t do that any more because they now have all these sports scientists, nutritionists and God knows what else. But I still go into the dressing room before a game and give them a talk.”
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Other The Big Interview articles
- Rugby League wants its own Jonny Wilkinson moment: Brian Barwick reveals his World Cup hopes - April 16, 2013
- Dave Whelan putting Premier League survival before FA Cup glory - April 9, 2013
- He helped write Cantona’s trawler speech, so Watkins is well qualified for the choppy waters of British swimming - April 2, 2013
- Eddie Hearn v Frank Warren: the fight for survival - March 26, 2013
- Former Arsenal striker Francis Jeffers is loving every minute of Accrington’s fight for League survival - March 19, 2013
- The heat is on but Alex Ferguson’s ally Paul Nicholls can handle it - March 12, 2013
- Warren Gatland: If I choose too many Englishmen it could put pressure on Lions - February 12, 2013
- Holly Colvin: I want to rule the world … then take on the men - January 29, 2013
- Gus Poyet: I want to manage at the highest level. Does my Chelsea and Spurs past mean I can’t be the boss at Arsenal? - January 22, 2013
- Watford boss Gianfranco Zola: Going crazy helps no one but I let the players know when I’m upset - January 8, 2013
- Lord Ouseley: I may not be around. It could be in days … it’s as close as that - December 11, 2012
- Ian Holloway: My target is for Crystal Palace to be one of the best teams in London - December 4, 2012
- MK Dons owner: I now accept moving was pretty crass but we run a good club - November 27, 2012
- Sepp Blatter: No, racism cannot be stopped with a handshake … sport must help educate - November 20, 2012
- Chelsea chairman: We’d have been really crucified if we had not reported Clattenburg and it then leaked out - November 13, 2012
- Owen Farrell – our South Africans won’t be texting their mates in the Boks dressing room - November 6, 2012
- Paolo Di Canio, ‘I tell my players – don’t be stupid like I was’ - October 30, 2012
- I’m glad I didn’t buy Liverpool - October 23, 2012
- Frankel’s farewell romp - October 16, 2012
- Ian Bell: Touring India is our big test but we won’t fear it - October 9, 2012
- We will recover, says Greek god Giorgos Karagounis - October 2, 2012
- Michel Platini: Get set for my winter World Cup - September 25, 2012
- Stuart Broad shoulders England World Twenty20 hopes - September 18, 2012
- Alastair Cook: We had an amazing run as a Test team but being No1 in the world did not sit comfortably with us - September 13, 2012
- Peter Hill-Wood: Of course Arsenal can win the league this season . . . and Spurs won’t trouble us - September 4, 2012
- Mark Hughes: Manchester City experience is helping me at QPR - August 14, 2012
- Sir Craig Reedie is ready for the London party to begin - July 24, 2012
- The gloves are off as England prepare for their hardest fight - July 17, 2012
- Reading owner Anton Zingarevich: Premier League were wary of me after trouble at Blackburn - July 3, 2012
- ‘We thought racism was licked but sadly it never went away’ - June 19, 2012
- Alan Pardew: My plan to land the England hot-seat - May 22, 2012
- Denis Law: Roberto Mancini has shown his class - April 24, 2012
- We’ll have our day but it won’t be ‘D’-Day says Sir Philip Craven - April 17, 2012
- Mark Todd: People said I was past it but I’m still very competitive - April 10, 2012
- Why pride has come after the fall for former RFU boss - March 20, 2012
- Robert Waley-Cohen: I don’t care what critics say, my son deserves to ride in the Gold Cup - March 13, 2012
- Ross Hair: ‘We won’t risk it all to keep the premier TV contract’ - February 28, 2012
- Cliff Jones: This is best Spurs team since we did the Double - February 21, 2012
- Chris Powell: racist abuse between players was accepted in my day - February 14, 2012
- Sir John Armitt: We’ve made a magical place in London for the next 100 years - February 7, 2012
- Phil Taylor’s fearless ’son’, Adrian Lewis, has him in his sights - January 31, 2012
- Mouritz Botha: There’s no stopping me now - January 24, 2012
- Meet David Collier, the England cricket chief on Australia’s side - January 17, 2012
- Lord Coe: I can’t let the athletes down…that would be a cardinal sin - January 3, 2012
- Snooker’s ‘naughty boy’ Judd Trump has nothing to fear any more - December 20, 2011
- Meet AP McCoy, the champion jockey searching for another 396 winners - December 13, 2011
- Daley Thompson: Olympics can inspire our computer kids - December 6, 2011
- Vinnie Jones: I’ve proved anybody can turn a corner - November 22, 2011
- Lord Condon: Every country has fixed matches, not just Pakistan - November 15, 2011
- RFU need clean sweep, says Francis Baron - November 1, 2011
- Sachin and I have the best figures but we’re not the greatest - October 25, 2011
- We’ve found our bite, says Andrew Strauss - October 18, 2011
- John Gosden: Racing has got its cup final now, but on the wrong day - October 11, 2011
- Peter Moores: I do think what might have been with England - October 4, 2011
- QPR’s new owner won’t splash the cash like Roman Abramovich - September 20, 2011
- At the heart of The Valley is a City slicker - September 13, 2011
- Michel D’Hooghe: ‘It’s totally untrue that my vote was influenced’ - September 6, 2011
- Foreign stars have made the English game suffer, says Uwe Rösler - August 30, 2011
- Roy Hodgson: I’d like England job but it’s important everyone looks at the big picture - August 23, 2011
- England can win the Rugby World Cup, says Schalk Brits - August 9, 2011
- Lee Westwood: I’ve learned the hard way that I must not panic - August 2, 2011
- Tomlinson’s calculated gamble fuels dreams of ultimate pay-off - July 27, 2011
- The Games? It was Cherie who won it, says Tony Blair - July 25, 2011
- Forget all the issues at HQ, the only thing my men are worried about is the World Cup - July 22, 2011
- Pulling out of FIFA is FA’s nuclear option - July 5, 2011
- Clive Lloyd: If only India could see the review system is fair - June 28, 2011
- Caroline Wozniacki: I haven’t won a Grand slam but everyone would like to be in my position - June 21, 2011
- Wandering star Chris Ashton can’t sit still for 10 minutes - May 10, 2011
- Jonathan Trott: I’ve only just started to make my mark - April 26, 2011
- Why a Real nightmare won’t stop Michael Dawson dreaming - April 12, 2011
- Rick Parry: FA have hindered England, they need to copy Germany - March 24, 2011
- Nicky Henderson: Horse racing can be hell at times - March 15, 2011
- Athletics will never escape the shame of Ben Johnson - March 10, 2011
- Mo Farah’s great American dream is realised via Africa - March 1, 2011
- Chris Powell: Sven is my mentor, I’m not a cup thrower - February 24, 2011
- Phil Taylor: People like me because I’ve not tried to be flash - February 15, 2011
- Chris Hughton: I still don’t know why Newcastle sacked me - February 8, 2011
