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Six things we learned from the first Test between England and New Zealand

George Dobell06-Jun-2021

Ollie Robinson has what it takes

If we ignore, for a moment, the off-field issues, Ollie Robinson enjoyed a hugely impressive debut. Only two England bowlers this century have claimed more than seven wickets on Test debut, while only Rory Burns scored more runs in England’s first innings. Robinson’s 42 played a significant role in helping England avoid the follow-on.But bowling is his primary skill. And it was the excellent, probing length he hit, combined with the ability to nip the ball both ways that bodes particularly well for the future. He gained more swing than any of his colleagues in the second innings and, even with New Zealand looking to accelerate, conceded under two-an-over. He looked a captain’s dream, really. On the pitch, anyway.But, after the furore of the first day, he did show strength of character in being able to compartmentalise things and retain focus on the job in hand. None of this makes what went before OK, but it does show he’s a cricketer with a future at this level. You’d think he’d quite enjoy Australian pitches, too. In fact, he found the MCG quite fun with England Lions last year. Whether he gets a chance to experience them again… well, that’s another issue entirely.Ollie Robinson is jubilant after dismissing Devon Conway•AFP/Getty Images

England’s young batters have much to prove

New Zealand’s declaration was intriguing. It wasn’t so much that it was generous – it wasn’t, really; not on a surface going up and down and against a line-up which has lost their last three Tests and is missing Ben Stokes and co – but that it suggested they really didn’t rate the England batting.And you can understand that. In the first innings, England’s five young middle order batters – from Zak Crawley to James Bracey – contributed 24 runs between them. Three of them (Sibley, Bracey and Dan Lawrence) were out for ducks. None of them average more than Ollie Pope’s 31.76 with Crawley having scored nearly 40% of his Test runs in one innings. Given that he has now had 22 innings, that is a worry.But it might be unfair to expect too much more. This was the youngest top seven England had fielded in a home Test in history. It’s is probably inevitable they will take time to come to terms with the higher quality bowling.Related

• A Lord's celebration marred by England's lack of will to win

• England hold out for draw with Dom Sibley's unbeaten fifty

• Ollie Robinson suspended from all international cricket

• Joe Root defends England's final-day approach, says chasing wasn't 'realistic'

Still, some of the shot selection – Crawley pushing at balls in both innings and Lawrence trying to thrash a wide one without foot movement – will be a concern to the England management, as will the technical issues which saw Pope fall over to the off side and Bracey leave a gate wide enough to let through a cow.It’s been almost a decade since England produced a specialist batter who has been an undisputed success at Test level with Joe Root making his debut at the end of 2012. The likes of Pope, Crawley and Lawrence really are just about the best options England have from county cricket. But they’ve a lot to do to prove they can make it at this level.

Mark Wood can be a point of difference

New Zealand were 288 for 3 at one stage in the first innings. A total of well over 400 seemed likely. But then Mark Wood, on a slow pitch and against set batters, made the breakthrough. His spell helped England claim four wickets for six runs. His pace (over 150kph at times), skill and control combined to test the batters in a variety of ways and the manner he was able to sustain his effort underlined the impression that, since he lengthened his run-up and recovered from his latest bout of ankle surgery, he has the stamina to at least rotate with Jofra Archer and Olly Stone in the fast-bowling role. England are blessed in terms of fast-medium bowlers who can provide control and dominate in conditions where they have some assistance. What they have not had, until recently, were a batch of fast bowlers who can provide a point of difference in the attack and perhaps get some life out of the sort of pitches in India and Australia on which they have tended to struggle. Wood offers that.Mark Wood offers something different•PA Photos/Getty Images

They are half the team without their allrounders

It goes without saying that England missed a player of Stokes’ ability. But they missed Sam Curran, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali, too. Without them, it’s almost impossible to balance their side to ensure the requisite amount of batters, seam and swing bowlers. In this match, they opted to go without a spinner but there was no perfect option. Had they picked Jack Leach, they would either have had just three seamers – an issue when one of them is 39 and another has a bit of a dodgy fitness record – or one fewer batter. And you can understand why they wanted to bolster that batting line-up; it looks disconcertingly brittle. If nothing else, this match was a reminder of the incredible value of Stokes to England cricket.

England’s openers have value

Rory Burns and, in particular, Dom Sibley are going to divide opinion. For some, they will appear appallingly negative. For others, they provide the old-fashioned determination which builds a platform on which the more fluent middle-order can attack. Few would pretend they’re in the class of Boycott and Gooch or Atherton and Trescothick. But after years of England struggling with poor starts, Sibley and Burns at least hint at more solid contributions ahead.Rory Burns sends one to the leg side•AFP via Getty ImagesBoth men played huge roles in England saving this match. Burns’ first-innings century – the only score in the innings above 42 – ensure his side did not have to follow-on, while Sibley’s second-innings half-century ensured England claimed a draw. There will be days, no doubt, when Sibely’s pace of scoring causes some frustration. Indeed, you could feel that from the crowd at Lord’s on Sunday. But with a middle-order as fragile as England’s, some old-fashioned grit is probably rather valuable. And remember: a day of this match was lost to rain. It wasn’t, perhaps, England’s tactics as much as the weather that caused the frustration.Both men have work to do to cement their places. Burns’ previous eight Test innings had realised just 78 runs (including three ducks) while none of Sibley’s previous eight had reached 20, but Burns has now made three Test centuries.

English stadiums need a roof

Had this game not lost a full day, it could have developed into a classic. Instead it petered out into a bit of a dull draw.Is it really so fanciful to suggest a ground with a roof could be built in England? A new ground if it’s too expensive to alter an old one. It’s happened in Australia, after all. Surely, in a country where it seems to rain relentlessly, it makes more sense to do so here.An MCC member takes an early lunch as the rain falls•Getty ImagesNo doubt the costs would be vast. But have you seen how much money English cricket has spent in recent times? The MCC, for example, have just spent in excess of £50m to add a couple of thousands seats to the capacity at Lord’s and, not so long ago, spent £25m on a Warner Stand which has poor visibility in some seats.And then we come to The Hundred. Rather than gambling more than £50m a year on a competition which nobody was calling for, couldn’t the ECB have used the reassurance a roof might provide to TV schedulers to increase the value of broadcast deals?

The Milwaukee Brewers continued to show their dominance in MLB this season after notching their league-leading 69th win on Tuesday night, this time winning over the Atlanta Braves 7-2. It was the team's fifth straight win.

With the win, the Brewers made franchise history by producing their best 60-game stretch throughout their existence. Milwaukee's posted a 44-16 record over the past 60 games—impressive.

To further emphasize the Brewers' dominance, this is also the fastest season in team history in which Milwaukee's reached 25 games over .500. It took them 113 games this year, while the previous record was 119 games during the 2021 season, per MLB's Adam McCalvy.

The franchise's longest winning streak was 13 games in a row completed back in 1987. Could the 2025 squad break another franchise record by stretching out this winning streaks? We'll see how they do.

The Brewers are definitely the team to beat in MLB right now. They hold a 3.5-game lead for the first overall spot in the majors ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. Milwaukee is four games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, too. The Brewers don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon either.

Anyone who has played the outfield knows that there can be long stretches out there where nothing happens and the mind begins to wander. Then, in an instant it becomes necessary to perform an all-out sprint and put everything on the line to take away an extra base hit. Usually there's some time to recuperate before chasing the next one but that's not always guaranteed.

Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Colton Cowser was afforded no such respite during an extremely eventful fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night and unfortunately had nothing to show for the extreme effort except the satisfaction of knowing that he got in some solid cardio work.

First Cowser tried unsuccessfully to rob a home run off the bat of Spencer Torkelson, slamming up against the wall only to have the ball carry just past his glove.

A few pitches later Cowser was sprung back into action as he attempted to corral a Zach McKinstry liner in left-center field, which also provided to be a fruitless endevor as it bounced clear of his diving attempt and went for a triple.

Detroit would go on to win, 5-3, proving yet again that baseball is a game of inches.

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has returned to India’s Test squad for the two-match series against South Africa beginning on November 14 in Kolkata.Pant replaced N Jagadeesan while Akash Deep took Prasidh Krishna’s spot in the squad that beat West Indies 2-0 in October. Pant had missed that series as he was recovering from the foot fracture he suffered during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July. Akash Deep was recovering from a back injury that had kept him out of the Duleep Trophy after his return from England; he has since played two rounds of the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. Mohammed Shami, who has played the first three rounds of the Ranji Trophy for Bengal and taken 15 wickets, was not picked.Pant proved his match fitness by captaining India A to victory in the first four-day game against South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru last week. Pant made 90 in the second innings as India A chased down a target of 275.India’s Test captain Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are currently playing the T20I series in Australia, and will join the Test squad after the five-match series ends on November 8. Kuldeep Yadav was released from the T20I squad after the third match in Hobart so that he could prepare for the Test series by playing India A’s second four-day game against South Africa A starting on November 6.India play two Tests against South Africa from November 14 in Kolkata, and then from November 22 in Guwahati, a city that will be hosting Test cricket for the first time. India are currently third in the World Test Championship table with 61.90% points; South Africa, meanwhile, are fifth with 50% points, having most recently drawn a series 1-1 in Pakistan.

India’s Test squad for South Africa series

Shubman Gill (capt), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash DeepIndia’s selectors also picked the A squad, led by Tilak Varma with Ruturaj Gaikwad his deputy, for the one-day series against South Africa A. The three matches are on November 13, 16 and 19 in Rajkot.

India A’s squad for one-dayers vs South Africa A

Tilak Varma (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Prabhsimran Singh (wk)

For the time being, Daniel Farke looks as if he will survive another day in the Leeds United dug-out.

Time is surely running out for the under-fire German, though, before the powers that be at Elland Road are tempted to pull the plug. Yet, journalist Graham Smyth has come out to clarify that a change in the Whites’ hot seat is not anticipated at this stage.

However, if the Premier League defeats continue to stack up, the 49ers might be left with no choice but to get rid, as a tough fixture list of Aston Villa at home and Manchester City at the Etihad close out November.

Some names are floating about already, regarding who could succeed the ex-Norwich City manager if he is given the axe, with a previous FA Cup winner catching the eye…

The potential replacements for Farke at Leeds United

This isn’t fresh news surrounding Farke being under pressure in the Elland Road dug-out.

Indeed, last season – even after promotion was successfully clinched – it was speculated that Leeds were tempted to get rid of the 49-year-old. Then, the Guardian even speculated that Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in line to take over the Premier League-bound outfit.

In the here and now, Gary O’Neil is out of a job and managed to steer Wolves to 14th spot in the daunting top-flight during the 2023/24 season. Could he be a pair of safe hands that enable Leeds to push out of their current doom? He only very recently nearly returned to Wolves, only for a deal to fall through.

The West Yorkshire outfit have also been tentatively linked to RC Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior in recent weeks, but Leeds could look elsewhere.

Who? Well, Brendan Rodgers could be one man, with the 49ers alleged to have previously spoken to the ex-Liverpool boss about the Whites’ job before they hired Sam Allardyce in 2023.

Now, having just been relieved of his duties at Celtic after an 83-win stint back at the Hoops helm, it could be the perfect time to reignite talks, with the Northern Irishman a clear upgrade on Farke when looking at his managerial record in even more detail.

How Rodgers is a "world-class" upgrade on Farke

This isn’t to say that Farke won’t be remembered fondly down the line for what he has achieved at the West Yorkshire giants, with 100 points accumulated last season seeing Leeds lift the Championship title in style.

But, it’s night and day when assessing the German’s successes in the second tier, next to his struggles in the gruelling top-flight, with a dismal win percentage of just 15% in the Premier League next to his name, collecting only nine wins from a possible 60.

Games managed

312

Wins

139

Draws

71

Losses

102

Points accumulated

488

Goals scored

529

Goals conceded

410

Whereas Rodgers is far more at home in the high-intensity division, with 139 wins collected from 312 outings in the Premier League.

His overlooked time at Swansea City will stand out for Leeds fans, with Rodgers managing to steer the Welsh outfit to 11th place in the Premier League way back in 2011, just after clinching promotion out of the Championship.

On top of that, the 52-year-old would manage to regalvanise Leicester City after the legendary Claudio Ranieri departed, with two fifth-place finishes even seeing Gary Neville once tip the “innovative” boss for the Manchester City job post-Pep Guardiola.

The FA Cup would, of course, also come the Northern Irishman’s way during this celebrated stint with the Foxes, with Farke’s achievements at Championship level now largely paling in comparison.

This is before you even touch on the fact that Rodgers once cultivated a staggering 62-game unbeaten streak in Glasgow with Celtic, with talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor also going out of his way to hail the Leeds-linked manager as “world-class”.

Rodgers will hope he can be beneficial to Leeds in the present, though, away from all his past glittering achievements, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin perhaps benefiting from a change of boss, having seen what the Northern Irishman got out of an ageing Jamie Vardy.

At the moment, however, this is all just speculative chatter.

But, if push comes to shove and Farke is still floundering under all the pressure, Leeds would be hard-pressed to find a better replacement than the out-of-work FA Cup winner.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Com a saída de Luis Suárez, um outro uruguaio foi oferecido ao Grêmio, segundo o “ge”: Edinson Cavani. A direção gremista ainda avalia a negociação.

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Os valores cobrados pelo uruguaio são considerados viáveis para o Grêmio, mas a equipe gaúcha ainda não iniciou conversas para acertar com o atacante. Os dirigentes estão analisando cuidadosamente a situação do jogador, já que na última temporada Cavani marcou apenas cinco gols e deu uma assistência em 36 jogos.

➡️ Saiba como Suárez convenceu Grêmio a reduzir tempo de contrato

Cavani tem contrato com o Boca Juniors até o fim de 2024. O uruguaio acompanhou o clube argentino até a final da Copa Libertadores detse ano. Além disto, já passou por times como o Valencia, da Espanha; o Manchester United, da Inglaterra; e o Paris Saint-Germain, da França.

When it comes to the definitive Tottenham Hotspur player of the last decade or so, most people will think of Son Heung-min.

After all, the South Korean international was captain of the club when they won the Europa League last year and wore the shirt for a decade.

However, another Lilywhites star who at least has to be in contention for the title is, of course, Harry Kane.

While the England captain did leave the club, he is their all-time top goalscorer and was arguably the key player in the side that came painfully close to Premier League glory.

Unfortunately, he’s now blowing people away in Germany and is an early contender for next year’s Ballon d’Or. Worse yet, another striker Spurs sold is now starting to emulate the world-class forward.

Why Kane could win the Ballon d'Or

While there was a 15 year period in which the Ballon d’Or would generally go to either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, things are a lot more open these days.

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For example, Rodri won the award in 2024, and Ousmane Dembélé won it last month. So with this in mind, there is no reason Kane couldn’t be holding that golden ball next year.

In fact, in his usually humble way, the former Spurs star has already made it clear that he would “love to win” it.

Moreover, with the consideration for next year’s award beginning at the start of this season, it would be fair to say that, as things stand, the 32-year-old stands a great chance of getting his wish.

For example, in just ten appearances for Bayern, totalling 827 minutes, the Walthamstow-born machine has already scored 18 goals and provided three assists.

Appearances

10

Starts

10

Minutes

827′

Goals

18

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

2.1

Minutes per Goal Involvement

39.38′

Minutes per Goal

45.94′

In other words, the “generational” talent, as dubbed by former manager Ange Postecoglou, has been averaging 2.1 goal involvements per game this season, or one every 39.38 minutes, which is utterly incredible.

Another way to look at those numbers is that, when you take away those three assists, the Englishman is averaging a goal every 45.94 minutes, which is undeniably world-class.

At the end of the day, there wasn’t really much Spurs could have done to keep hold of Kane in 2023, but they certainly could have retained another striker sold the following summer who is putting up numbers similar to his this season.

The former Spurs gem emulating Kane

As with all big clubs, Spurs have gotten rid of their fair share of players they should’ve kept over the years, and one international who is starting to fit that category is Troy Parrott.

The Irish international joined the club’s academy setup in 2017, but made just four competitive appearances for the first team before being sent out on several loans to Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Preston North End.

Then, in the summer of 2023, Postecoglou sent him abroad for his fifth loan spell, to Dutch side Excelsior, and it was a brilliant move as, in just 32 appearances, he notched up 17 goals and five assists.

That was enough to convince fellow Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar to come in with a £6.7m offer, which was enough to tempt the North Londoners into selling, a decision that, based on how things have gone since, might have been a mistake.

In his first season with De Kaasboeren, the 23-year-old poacher found the back of the net 20 times and provided five assists in 47 appearances, totalling 3432 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.88 games, or every 137.28 minutes.

However, this season, the “phenomenal” forward, as dubbed by former manager Ryan Lowe, has taken things to a whole new level.

In just eight appearances, totalling 509 minutes, the Dublin-born goal machine has put the ball in the back of the net ten times and provided two assists for good measure.

Appearances

47

8

Minutes

3432′

509′

Goals

20

10

Assists

5

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.53

1.5

Minutes per Goal Involvements

137.28′

42.41′

That comes out to a brilliant average of 1.5 goal involvements every game, or every one every 42.41 minutes, which is a rate of return that is pretty much on parity with Kane’s.

Ultimately, it’s impossible to say how Parrott would have gotten on had he not moved to the Netherlands two years ago, but given his incredible form since then, he certainly feels like a player Thomas Franks would appreciate.

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Everton’s start to the 2024/25 Premier League season has been anything but dull.

David Moye’s side may have lost their opener 1-0 at a raucous Elland Road, but the response was emphatic.

The Toffees christened their new Hill Dickinson Stadium with a 2-0 win over Brighton, followed by a breathless 3-2 victory at Wolves.

The ride hasn’t been smooth every week – a cagey 0-0 with Aston Villa showed they are still bedding in their summer signings, and the Merseyside derby ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat.

Yet, there is a newfound sharpness in attack.

Everton’s front four of Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye, and Beto have breathed life into Moyes’ forward line, offering pace, technical quality, and variety of movement.

Sitting 10th in the table, Everton already look like a far more threatening side going forward compared to last season.

Their next test comes against struggling West Ham, where the Toffees will be favourites to build further momentum.

Amid this early-season optimism, however, one player is quietly developing in the background.

A 6ft 5in striker who may yet become the jewel of this Everton project.

Thierno Barry finding his feet at Everton

When Everton paid £27.6m to bring Thierno Barry from Villarreal, they knew they weren’t buying the finished article.

At just 22, the French U21 international represents an investment in the future – a striker whose raw attributes suggest a ceiling as high as some of Europe’s elite forwards.

Barry arrives in England off the back of a promising season in La Liga, scoring 11 goals from an xG of 11.7 while adding four assists.

What makes him stand out is not just his finishing, but his ability to impose himself physically and stretch defences.

Ranking in the 87th percentile for aerial duels won (3.84 per 90), Barry has the profile of a classic penalty-box predator yet also shows surprising agility with strong progressive carries and take-ons.

Standing taller than most centre-backs, Barry has been compared to Dusan Vlahović and Ollie Watkins for his blend of physicality and dynamism, as noted by FBref.

He thrives in attacking the six-yard box but is equally capable of pulling wide to create space for teammates.

So far, Moyes has been cautious with his integration. Barry has featured in five league matches, totalling 142 minutes, with flashes of potential rather than complete performances.

The Everton manager has stressed patience, saying the striker will require a period of adjustment to adapt to the physicality and pace of the Premier League.

It is a smart approach. Everton have the luxury of easing Barry in thanks to the immediate impact of their new frontline.

But make no mistake, the long-term plan is to see him leading the line. Hopefully, he does not go the same way as those before him…

Why Thierno Barry can learn from Moise Kean

For Everton fans, Barry’s situation may feel eerily familiar.

In 2019, the club signed another young striker in the form of Moise Kean.

Like Barry, Kean arrived with high expectations, touted as a generational talent who could transform the club’s attack.

But unlike Barry, he was thrust into the spotlight without the right platform, and his time at Goodison never truly took off.

Kean made 39 appearances for Everton, scoring four goals and registering two assists, before a series of loan moves eventually led him back to Juventus and later Fiorentina.

It was in Serie A where his career took off.

Last season with Fiorentina, Kean netted 19 goals in 32 appearances, finishing second in the league’s scoring charts behind Mateo Retegui.

Matches Played

31

Goals

19

Assists

3

Progressive Carries

42

Progressive Passes

26

Now valued at €50m (£45m), as per Transfermarkt, Kean has become the striker many thought he could be, while drawing statistical comparisons with Erling Haaland for his explosive pace, direct style, and ruthless finishing.

Indeed, FBref notes that the most similar striker to him in Europe’s top five leagues is the Manchester City hitman. Former teammate Weston McKennie went as far as to describe him as a “beast.”

His numbers underline the transformation: ranking in the 89th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.58), the 87th percentile for total shots (3.39), and the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons (1.46).

Everton undoubtedly let a gem slip through their fingers.

Yet in Barry, they have a second chance.

The lesson from Kean’s time on Merseyside is clear: patience and the right environment are crucial.

Barry cannot be burdened with expectation too soon, but if nurtured properly, he has the potential to blossom into one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards.

However, this time in blue.

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West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo’s arrival is already beginning to spark a plethora of rumours, with his new squad expected to be reshaped over these coming months.

Nuno Espírito Santo given full West Ham backing with Arsenal next

Premier League title-chasing Arsenal await West Ham next after Nuno oversaw a 1-1 draw against Everton on Merseyside.

The Portuguese saw glimpses of the defensive frailties which have cost West Ham time and time again this season, with Konstantinos Mavropanos leaving Michael Keane in acres for Everton’s opening goal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Michael Keane

8.0

Max Kilman

7.3

Alphonse Areola

7.3

Jarrod Bowen

7.3

James Garner

7.1

via WhoScored

Having conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League so far, with seven of them coming directly from corners, Nuno knows exactly what he has to fix if the Hammers stand any chance of pushing themselves away from the relegation zone.

Unfortunately for them, Arsenal’s well-documented major threat from set pieces since the beginning of last season is a real worry for Nuno’s side, and becoming more robust at dealing with dead balls will undoubtedly be key in thwarting Mikel Arteta’s side.

On a more positive note, Nuno’s pragmatic style not only solidified Nottingham Forest’s own defensive weaknesses, but also catapulted them up the table and back into Europe for the first time since the 1990s.

If it wasn’t for a public fallout with Evangelos Marinakis, Nuno would still be at the City Ground right now, so it is clear as day why Karren Brady pushed West Ham to appoint Nuno and convinced the board to hand him a long-term three-year deal, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.

According to recent reports, West Ham are already planning to back Nuno with signings in January, so the Hammers appear to be fully convinced that Nuno is the right man to step into Graham Potter’s shoes.

The former Tottenham and Wolves boss has already stamped his authority on the team by dropping previously key players — omitting midfielder James Ward-Prowse from the Everton matchday squad in what was a bold move.

Since the 30-year-old’s axe, it has been reported that Ward-Prowse has been told he can leave West Ham in January.

James Ward-Prowse tipped to leave West Ham and re-join Southampton

Journalist Dean Jones, speaking to TEAMtalk, has shared an update on the Englishman’s future.

The reporter claims that Ward-Prowse is indeed resigned to leaving West Ham early next year, and he could even re-join former club Southampton.

Ward-Prowse had been a starter for Potter, but under Nuno, history is repeating itself, as the 51-year-old also cut short his Forest loan spell when he briefly spent time there last season.

Signed largely for his threat from set-pieces by David Moyes, Ward-Prowse is apparently just one free-kick goal off equalling David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18, but it is unlikely he’ll get to achieve that landmark in Claret and Blue.

Pundit Alan Shearer praised the “world-class” Ward-Prowse for his form immediately after arriving at West Ham, but things can change very quickly in football.

Jose Mourinho has been accused of inciting abuse, with Premier League referee Anthony Taylor now wary of allowing his family to travel with him across the world after becoming an unfortunate target for the 'Special One' in 2023. While Taylor admits that scrutiny of match officials has gotten a little out of control, he still considers his role as a man in the middle to be "one of the best jobs in the world".

Confronted by Mourinho after Europa League final

While Taylor enjoys his profession most of the time, he was caught in the centre of a storm back in 2023. It was after the Europa League final, which saw Roma suffer a penalty shootout defeat to Sevilla, that Taylor found himself targeted by Mourinho – with the outspoken Portuguese, who was in charge of Serie A heavyweights at the time, branding the Premier League match official a "disgrace" in his post-match press conference before confronting him in a car park outside the stadium.

With anger stirred in a passionate group of supporters, Taylor – who showed 13 yellow cards during the match and oversaw 25 minutes of added time – required extra security when leaving through Budapest airport as he and his family endured some scary scenes.

Reflecting on that ordeal with , Taylor said: "That's the worst situation I've dealt with in terms of abuse. Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people's behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game."

AdvertisementGettyBlame culture: Officials subjected to abuse

Taylor added on the blame culture in modern football, with coaches and players often stirring that pot: "For me, that's a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger. Why that's acceptable, I don't know – because I'm sure those individuals wouldn't like somebody to turn around and say that to them or their own children. It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place. They haven't been to one [match] since."

Taylor went on to say of abuse, be that online or in-venue, impacting the mental health of officials – with the Premier League seeking to address an issue that infiltrates every level of the game, from the top-flight to grassroots: "If you're continually told you're not very good, whether that be by people in the media, by pundits, or even ex-officials, then people's mental health could potentially suffer. The footballing culture in general is, 'we need to win this game at all costs'. The lengths that people go to post-game with a lot of things now to spread false narratives, to spread malicious conspiracy theories… it creates a hugely negative environment for people to operate in."

Referees under pressure to get every decision right

Elite referees operate under the brightest of spotlights, with Taylor saying of the pressure that they face to get every big decision right: "I wouldn't argue against scrutiny being there. I'm not saying scrutiny isn't to be expected, but everybody who watches football always sees a game through the eyes of their team. And the result of a football match and the culmination of a football season is multi-faceted. It's not dependent on one match official's decision. It's not dependent on one player missing one penalty in a game. It's not dependent on one coach making one tactical error during a game.

"The argument one decision has cost somebody the whole season, it's just factually not true because there'll be plenty of other incidents in a game or over that season where the results of games have been affected. What I'm saying is that you can have scrutiny and you can have critique. But it's very rarely balanced. Nobody really talks about the positive side of things these days, either."

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GettyTaylor future: Enjoying job with no end in sight

Taylor is into his 17th season as a Premier League referee. He has worked at World Cups, European Championships, Super Cups and the Nations League and concedes that his position is not all bad. He said: "When it comes down to it, it's one of the best jobs in the world. You're right in the centre of the action in the most exciting league in the world."

Taylor is hoping to officiate at next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the 46-year-old unsure how long he will continue for. He intends to make the most of his time with a whistle in hand, with Premier League action set to resume on October 18 after the latest international break.