November 17 Sport Big Issue: Birmingham, North West, Bristol and Yorkshire sports updates
A sports update from regions of Birmingham, Bristol, the North West and Yorkshire
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00:00 Everton's aims at the start of the season were looking rather dim, just to maintain
00:06 their top flight status under boss Sean Dyche, who'd managed to keep them up after taking
00:11 over in January from Frank Lampard. The Toffees had struggled immensely on their travels in
00:17 the Premier League with their last three managers, but after another delightful display away
00:22 from home, what's changed in Dyche's side?
00:26 Everton have come off the back of a fantastic win away at Crystal Palace. When we spoke
00:32 before the game, you said that Everton can go there and get a result. Why did you think
00:38 that? Because on paper, this is a tough place to go, but Everton's away form has been nothing
00:45 short of remarkable so far this season.
00:47 It has, and I think they're up to fifth in the away form table, to be honest with you,
00:52 now with that win against Palace. Sean Dyche said that he doesn't think it's just the away
00:59 form, he thinks that Everton have an added result to go through at home. At times this
01:03 season, you think back to those games against Fulham and Wolves, and even the first half
01:09 an hour against Luton, where they got beaten, Sean Dyche's performance has been better.
01:14 I just think away from home, it suits Everton a little bit more to be on the back foot,
01:19 allow the other team to have possession and really hit teams on the counter-attack. It
01:24 shows that the form is turning for Everton, and if they get the home and away form right,
01:30 then they're going to be a side who are looking up rather than down.
01:36 Now a look at Liverpool, and for a club that's filled with all-time greats in the game, as
01:42 Mohamed Salah continues to break more club and league records. Where does he sit in the
01:47 debate for the Reds' greatest ever Premier League player?
01:53 It's getting hard to dispute that. I think everyone points towards Steven Gerrard as
01:57 being that, given he was the captain for how many years, inspired Liverpool to Champions
02:03 League glory. But he never won a Premier League title with Liverpool, fell short on a few
02:08 occasions, finishing second, and obviously Mohamed Salah's got that feat. He just seems
02:13 to be breaking records after every week. Again, it's between him and Steven Gerrard. I think
02:19 there will be a bit of a debate around that, but you think of the others being the likes
02:23 of Luis Suarez, who absolutely mesmerised, but wasn't at Liverpool for all that long.
02:30 Robbie Fiald, obviously up there, likes Jamie Carragher as well, great servant of the club.
02:35 But yeah, it's definitely between Mohamed Salah and Steven Gerrard. If Mohamed Salah
02:39 spends a few more years at Anfield and wins potentially another Premier League trophy,
02:44 then it might not be a debate anymore.
02:49 As Jurgen Klopp's side ignored late interests from Saudi Arabia in the summer to keep their
02:55 main man, he's certainly proving worth it so far, as the Reds are suddenly looking likely
03:00 again to challenge for the title.
03:06 Peter Wright started his campaign in the worst possible way, losing against debutant
03:11 Snow Bunt from the US. Snakebite does however understand the importance of darts at this
03:17 time of the year.
03:18 So we saw Michael Smith go on, win here, then win in the World. How much of a boost could
03:24 it be winning here?
03:25 Yeah, obviously it would be a boost, but I've won the European, so that's a boost. And that
03:33 was only a couple of weeks ago, so yes, it helps mentally as I start playing. You see
03:40 Gary Hansen win the Players' Championship and went on to win the World's. So yeah, these
03:48 two tournaments and the Europeans are stepping stones for the World Championships.
03:53 Last year's Grand Slam tournament here saw the emerging star Josh Rock fly through the
03:58 group, only to be denied access to the latter stages by three-time winner Michael Van Gerwen.
04:04 The Northern Irishman is looking on course to make another Grand Slam impression, as
04:09 he flew through his group, casting aside top players Chris Doby and Johnny Clayton.
04:15 I think it must be the occasion, because I knew when I came here, I was like, I like
04:19 this venue, obviously, what I've done. So I think it's just stuck in my head, but I
04:22 can guarantee I'll play a lot better when it comes to the last 16, because longer format
04:26 and I will concentrate and have a lot more. So I just take one game at a time and I'll
04:30 see what Josh Rock turns up.
04:33 With Michael Van Gerwen looking to add a fourth title to his name, he has yet to win the Grand
04:38 Slam at WV Active in Aldersley here, since it moved from the Civic Hall where it was
04:42 staged between its debut in 2007 all the way up to 2017. NVG had a bit to say on the change
04:50 of venue, but also on the importance of darts at this time of the year.
04:54 Of course I was a little bit distracted by a few people in the crowd and normally when
04:59 I'm in a good mood, the crowd doesn't distract me and I only can blame myself for that. Even
05:05 the crowd, a couple of them, a couple of the crowd was a little bit out of order, but that's
05:10 the way how darts go sometimes.
05:11 Obviously, you haven't had success here in Wolverhampton for quite a few years now.
05:16 The stupid venue, and everyone in the stupid venue. We need to go back to the Civic Hall
05:21 and smash them everyone.
05:24 You must have your eyes set on a fourth title.
05:26 Of course, of course. It's tough, it's a nice big tournament for me to play in, but I've
05:33 not been playing too well lately. Of course I played OK in the venue, I played my games
05:38 and I played some good games where you want to play superb and you want to put everyone
05:44 at his place. I've not been doing that lately, so I need to make sure I'm going to do that
05:48 this year.
05:49 Last year I won probably most of the tournament and still lost in the final, so it doesn't
05:55 mean anything.
05:58 Another fantastic tournament in Wolverhampton is brewing, and maybe another new name could
06:03 be engraved on the Eric Bristow trophy when it reaches its conclusion.
06:08 Leeds have certainly made a positive start to the season. They sit in third place, only
06:17 about seven or eight points away from the top two in Leicester and Ipswich. Firstly,
06:24 how successful would you rate their start to the season? How good is it being? But also,
06:29 how big are their chances of capturing the top two? Is there anything or any other teams
06:34 perhaps below them who could also catch Leeds?
06:38 This is the danger, isn't it? I think everybody automatically thinks, "Oh, we're talking a
06:41 three-horse race here," but all of a sudden you look at the table, and obviously you've
06:44 got Southampton who are only one point below, and there are teams below that even, the likes
06:47 of West Brom. So it is far from a three-horse race, but they are very much the three teams
06:53 at the forefront of the betting at the moment by quite some distance. At the moment, it
06:57 would be looking that way, although Southampton in particular I think might emerge as a big
07:01 threat.
07:02 But Leeds United's start to the season, I think very good, really. Obviously not perfect,
07:05 but I don't think anybody expected it to be perfect, especially given the ins and outs
07:10 of the summer, the uncertainty. You didn't know who was coming and going. Daniel Farker
07:14 said himself when he came in there would be a bit of a bumpy start, and that he expected
07:18 Leeds to be better as they went on, and that's obviously proven the case. You look at it
07:21 now, six wins out of the last seven, that is promotion form. It's as simple as that.
07:26 The only defeat obviously coming at Stoke. I think quite simply, if they keep that sort
07:30 of form up, then they'd have a very, very good chance of going up automatic. You'd have
07:35 to think so. Obviously, because there is that gap, a lot does depend on what happens with
07:40 Leicester and Ipswich, but that gap's already been cut. Obviously now it's down to eight
07:44 points. You've got to remember the fact is that Leicester and Ipswich still have to play
07:47 each other twice, so obviously they're not both going to pick up maximum points in those
07:51 two games. Leeds obviously have also played both of those two teams away from home, and
07:56 have obviously picked up three points at both of those games. They've got both of them to
07:59 play at Ellen Road, where you would definitely fancy them.
08:02 Against Plymouth at the weekend, Leeds probably should have been out of sight in that game.
08:06 Two more, it's still a victory, it's still the three points, but it could have perhaps
08:10 been more comfortable. Is this a bit of a recurring issue that Leeds are creating a
08:14 lot of chances, but not scoring perhaps as many as they should be?
08:18 Yes, I think so. To be honest, as long as I've been doing these videos here, it's been
08:23 a sort of theme at Leeds. It was a massive theme under Marcelo Bielsa. The difference
08:27 under Marcelo Bielsa was that they created so many chances that even if they were a bit
08:31 perfidious in front of goal, they'd almost always, especially in the Championship, score
08:35 enough goals to get the job done. It's funny because you think about that Plymouth game
08:39 and you're right, they should have been out of sight. They were two and a look very early
08:42 on and it was almost starting to threaten towards, get towards Huddersfield's extremes
08:47 where it was totally done by half-time, but obviously didn't add any more to the tally.
08:53 Bradford City and York City are both still in action this weekend. They have no international
08:59 call-ups affecting their games. Bradford take a trip to High Flying Knots County, whilst
09:05 York are at home to Hartlepool. Both could do with wins in League Two and the National
09:11 League respectively.
09:13 Dan, looking at Bristol City, they are looking like they are getting a few of their big players
09:23 back from injury. It's a real boost going into this international break, a bit more
09:28 time for them to get back up to scratch with the Championship. What can you tell us the
09:33 latest and who's going to be possibly making the return that Robbins fans could be looking
09:37 forward to seeing again?
09:38 Well, there's two players in particular, Charles, it's Joe Williams and Rob Atkinson. Liam Manning,
09:45 the new Bristol City manager, said that Joe Williams was pretty close to a full return
09:50 and has been in training, so he's expected to come back quite quickly into the squad.
09:54 As for Rob Atkinson, well, he's made an appearance in the U21s team against a Sunlund U21 side.
10:01 That's quite a big one to return, actually, because he's been out with the ACL since the
10:04 start of February. So, it's been quite the long road back to fitness for him. But that's
10:10 certainly a boost for Liam Manning as he begins his life as the new Bristol City manager.
10:15 He got underway with a 0-0 draw away at QPR. Perhaps not the start he would have wanted
10:20 as Bristol City manager, given how poor QPR have been this season. But a point is certainly
10:25 foundations on which to build upon. And if he's got some injured players coming back
10:30 into the fold now as well, I think that's really positive for him because he needs all
10:34 the resources he can lay his hands on. Bristol City are in a good position, if you look at
10:40 the league table, and certainly within reach of striking the playoffs and even challenging
10:45 even higher up that. But he needs the players back and I think that will help him, these
10:50 two coming back.
10:51 Dan, moving on to Bristol Rovers, obviously still trying to fill that vacant managerial
10:58 role since Gerry Barton left. There's obviously a few names emerging. What can you tell us
11:05 is the latest that could be candidates to take them over in the future? And how do you
11:10 feel about them as well?
11:12 Well, there's three leading candidates at the moment, Charles. You've got the already
11:16 - well, the sort of filling in manager at the moment, Andy Mangan. And to be fair to
11:21 him, he's done a decent job. He got a really important win away at Carlisle United at the
11:26 weekend, a 1-0 win despite going down to 10 men sort of late to midway through the second
11:31 half. And you've got Gary Monk, the ex-Swansea manager. Of course, a lot of experience that
11:36 he has managing in this sort of area of English football. So, he's certainly a leading candidate
11:43 and you'd like to think he would come in and do a good job there. And then you've got Carl
11:47 Robinson as well. So, there's those three leading candidates. It remains to be seen
11:52 which direction Bristol Rovers go in because of course, they could go with a new hire,
11:56 where you mentioned Robinson there and you mentioned Monk. But given the fact that Mangan
11:59 knows the club and has already sort of got his rubber stamp on it, he's already been
12:05 working with the players, you might think that he's actually perhaps even the leading
12:09 candidate to fill the job. It's certainly going to be an interesting one for Bristol
12:15 Rovers this season.